Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Erratic McCain
This graph from the Weekly Standard is a good summary of the dizziness that is McCain:
"Such contradictions have become a defining characteristic of the McCain campaign over the last month as his strategists try to find something--anything--that will stop his slide in the polls. He suspended his campaign and threatened to skip the first presidential debate unless there was agreement on a bailout plan. There was no agreement, and he debated anyway. He said big government caused the current financial mess and then called for more of it. He called for a federal spending freeze and then proposed having the Treasury buy individual home mortgages at a potential cost of $300 billion.
"Such contradictions have become a defining characteristic of the McCain campaign over the last month as his strategists try to find something--anything--that will stop his slide in the polls. He suspended his campaign and threatened to skip the first presidential debate unless there was agreement on a bailout plan. There was no agreement, and he debated anyway. He said big government caused the current financial mess and then called for more of it. He called for a federal spending freeze and then proposed having the Treasury buy individual home mortgages at a potential cost of $300 billion.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Just a Little Bit Country (and a little bit Broadway Show)
Driving through rural southern Illinois (my old stompin' grounds) I passed "Earl's Kuntry Skillet."
I called someone to tell them that and to say "kuntry."
Then I realized what I was doing. "Does this make me an elitist?"
I tried to compensate by playing some John Denver tunes on my guitar when I got to my hotel (yes, I'm travelling with my guitar these days. It makes me feel so, oh, I don't know, Julie Andrews walking into the Von Trapp family mansion for the first time whenever I get to my new hotel).
I called someone to tell them that and to say "kuntry."
Then I realized what I was doing. "Does this make me an elitist?"
I tried to compensate by playing some John Denver tunes on my guitar when I got to my hotel (yes, I'm travelling with my guitar these days. It makes me feel so, oh, I don't know, Julie Andrews walking into the Von Trapp family mansion for the first time whenever I get to my new hotel).
McCain Loses
McCain has lost my father's vote. This is good news. Not because my Dad is going to vote for Obama (he says he's voting for Ron Paul). And since my dad lives in Illinois how he votes isn't going to change anything anyway.
But my dad is a bellwether. Conservative, Fox news-loving and hawkishly nationalist and pro-military, even he can see that McCain is "acting crazy" (his words).
"He's not the same candidate he was three months ago," Dad says. And if he can get that, well.
There's hope.
But my dad is a bellwether. Conservative, Fox news-loving and hawkishly nationalist and pro-military, even he can see that McCain is "acting crazy" (his words).
"He's not the same candidate he was three months ago," Dad says. And if he can get that, well.
There's hope.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Something Squirrelly In Washington
If you've ever been in DC you know we're overrun by the cute little critters.
The WaPo has a feature on them -- they were scarce commodities around here until the government decided at the turn of the last century to re-introduce them and protect them from hunters. Strange for the government to help a species known to hide their nuts while the government puts their nuts in plain view, but, I digress.
However, one fact surprised me. Do you know the average lifetime for a squirrel? 11-12 months. A year. And the average squirrel has 4-8 babies before she dies.
So what I don't understand is -- who's hiding the dead squirrels? Sure you see them dead on the road occasionally, but as many squirrels as there are and as clumped together as they seem to be in city parks you'd think we'd be awash in squirrel cadavers. You'd think someone would raise a stink about it.
Perhaps, like elephants, they wonder off to a dying field, a place yet to be discovered in Rock Creek Park. If the park can hide the remains of a high profile murder victim from a DC police dragnet (Chandra Levy) surely it's adequate to hide the hollow where squirrels go to die.
Or, maybe the rats eat them. Perhaps the politicians, in a rare act of public service, clean them from the streets on the way home from their fundraisers or trysts with young interns. But then...I repeat myself.
All I know is, when it comes to squirrel deaths in DC...there's something fishy going on.
The WaPo has a feature on them -- they were scarce commodities around here until the government decided at the turn of the last century to re-introduce them and protect them from hunters. Strange for the government to help a species known to hide their nuts while the government puts their nuts in plain view, but, I digress.
However, one fact surprised me. Do you know the average lifetime for a squirrel? 11-12 months. A year. And the average squirrel has 4-8 babies before she dies.
So what I don't understand is -- who's hiding the dead squirrels? Sure you see them dead on the road occasionally, but as many squirrels as there are and as clumped together as they seem to be in city parks you'd think we'd be awash in squirrel cadavers. You'd think someone would raise a stink about it.
Perhaps, like elephants, they wonder off to a dying field, a place yet to be discovered in Rock Creek Park. If the park can hide the remains of a high profile murder victim from a DC police dragnet (Chandra Levy) surely it's adequate to hide the hollow where squirrels go to die.
Or, maybe the rats eat them. Perhaps the politicians, in a rare act of public service, clean them from the streets on the way home from their fundraisers or trysts with young interns. But then...I repeat myself.
All I know is, when it comes to squirrel deaths in DC...there's something fishy going on.
On the Road Again
Heading out for Michigan, Missouri, Colorado. Will be gone for two weeks.
I'll write what I can of my adventures on the happy trails...
I'll write what I can of my adventures on the happy trails...
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Things that Go "Woof" in the Night
My house is haunted -- I've told you that before. We hear sounds, bumps, a voice and sometimes footsteps. It's the footsteps that are the creepiest.
Some of these sounds have been confirmed by house guests -- and usually the most skeptical ones, like my father.
"Did you come downstairs last night?" my Dad asked on one visit.
"Nope. Why?"
"I heard someone walk down the hall and then I saw someone standing in the doorway."
Wasn't any living soul in the house who did that.
A few weeks ago I thought I saw Ranger, our dog who died two months ago. I was walking down the hall to the kitchen early one morning and she passed my going the other way. When my mind caught up with my eyes, I turned around and, of course, nothing.
Now, I was groggy, just waking up and the house was dark. It could have just been shadows and a sleep addled mind. Right?
Last night -- or early this morning, rather -- I was awoken by the usual night sounds, some random thumps and bumps from the second floor. I was just about back to sleep when Ranger barked.
"What is Ranger barking at" I thought as I came back to a more alert stage of consciousness. Oh, I then realized. Must have just been a dream. Right?
But wait. There's more.
We have a white noise maker in the bedroom, to shut out street and, well, other sounds. It's one of those devices that can make sounds like waves crashing on a beach, or a rain storm. Last night it was set on waves on a beach. Shortly after I heard Ranger bark I began to hear a faint voice on the beach..."help me..." Repeated over and over. I'd never heard that before.
Now, I realize I'm quickly slipping into parody peril here...with thoughts of the Vincent Price version of The Fly and the little voice going "Help me..." This was more of an alto voice...soft, faint, as if carried by the wind.
I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just some trick of my spooked-out mind. It wouldn't go away. Finally, I switched the thing to sound like a rainstorm. No voices there.
So friends, I'm either losing it -- seeing things and hearing voices -- or there is more to life and death than we know. I'm not sure which I choose to believe. And despite the creepy nature of these things, I don't ever feel threatened (if the little voice in the white noise maker had been saying "get out" that would be a different story).
It's just the occasional nights of lost sleep that I mind.
Some of these sounds have been confirmed by house guests -- and usually the most skeptical ones, like my father.
"Did you come downstairs last night?" my Dad asked on one visit.
"Nope. Why?"
"I heard someone walk down the hall and then I saw someone standing in the doorway."
Wasn't any living soul in the house who did that.
A few weeks ago I thought I saw Ranger, our dog who died two months ago. I was walking down the hall to the kitchen early one morning and she passed my going the other way. When my mind caught up with my eyes, I turned around and, of course, nothing.
Now, I was groggy, just waking up and the house was dark. It could have just been shadows and a sleep addled mind. Right?
Last night -- or early this morning, rather -- I was awoken by the usual night sounds, some random thumps and bumps from the second floor. I was just about back to sleep when Ranger barked.
"What is Ranger barking at" I thought as I came back to a more alert stage of consciousness. Oh, I then realized. Must have just been a dream. Right?
But wait. There's more.
We have a white noise maker in the bedroom, to shut out street and, well, other sounds. It's one of those devices that can make sounds like waves crashing on a beach, or a rain storm. Last night it was set on waves on a beach. Shortly after I heard Ranger bark I began to hear a faint voice on the beach..."help me..." Repeated over and over. I'd never heard that before.
Now, I realize I'm quickly slipping into parody peril here...with thoughts of the Vincent Price version of The Fly and the little voice going "Help me..." This was more of an alto voice...soft, faint, as if carried by the wind.
I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just some trick of my spooked-out mind. It wouldn't go away. Finally, I switched the thing to sound like a rainstorm. No voices there.
So friends, I'm either losing it -- seeing things and hearing voices -- or there is more to life and death than we know. I'm not sure which I choose to believe. And despite the creepy nature of these things, I don't ever feel threatened (if the little voice in the white noise maker had been saying "get out" that would be a different story).
It's just the occasional nights of lost sleep that I mind.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Biden and Palin on Gay Marriage
In case you missed it, here's the part of the debate where Biden and Palin talked about gay marriage. A few points:
1) Realizing that straight people are in the majority in this country it still rankles when I hear them talk -- as Sarah does -- about "tolerating" us gays. I guess tolerate us like a skin rash that will eventually go away.
2) She implies "some of my best friends are gay." I wonder.
3) Biden pinned her down at the end as supporting full and equal civil rights for same sex couples as couples, the same as straight people get. Let's see how long that stands.
1) Realizing that straight people are in the majority in this country it still rankles when I hear them talk -- as Sarah does -- about "tolerating" us gays. I guess tolerate us like a skin rash that will eventually go away.
2) She implies "some of my best friends are gay." I wonder.
3) Biden pinned her down at the end as supporting full and equal civil rights for same sex couples as couples, the same as straight people get. Let's see how long that stands.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
The Greatest of These is Love
One of the most beautiful passages from the New Testament turned into an ad against Prop 8 in California. Question: This is truly a beautiful ad -- but it is politically effective?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Josh Marshall on McCain
He gets it about right, I think:
If there has been one moment of the campaign that demonstrates this the most clearly (if only symbolically) it's the video of McCain getting makeup while Katie Couric looks on while David Letterman needles him for lying to him. In that image we see McCain -- however honorable his past service to our country -- for what he is now: a fraud.
My verdict may be a severe one but I think a lot of people -- a lot of former admirers -- are coming around to agreeing with the general outlines. McCain has revealed himself as a liar well outside the permissive standards applied to politicians. He's shown himself to be reckless to the point of instability, repeatedly putting the country at risk (exploiting the Georgia crisis, picking Palin, storming the bailout negotiations) for transparently self-serving reasons. And in too many ways to count, he's conducted his campaign in disgraceful and dishonorable ways.
If there has been one moment of the campaign that demonstrates this the most clearly (if only symbolically) it's the video of McCain getting makeup while Katie Couric looks on while David Letterman needles him for lying to him. In that image we see McCain -- however honorable his past service to our country -- for what he is now: a fraud.
Monday, September 29, 2008
That's Not Putting Country First
Let me get this straight -- the Republicans were going to vote for the bill until Nancy Pelosi trashed the president?
The Party that wants us to entrust them with foreign and financial crisis is really using a "so there, take that" approach to governing?
The Party that wants us to entrust them with foreign and financial crisis is really using a "so there, take that" approach to governing?
Carol Schwartz Doesn't Get It
Carol Schwartz, a long-time member of the DC City Council who was defeated by a challenger in the GOP primary here, is running a write-in campaign. In an op-ed in today's WaPo she tried to explain why she's running and demonstrates instead she is tone deaf to current political times.
The victories of Adrian Fenty over Linda Cropp and Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, plus her own primary defeat at the hands of an unknown newcomer have taught her nothing. And she's still running on the past.
And her column includes this paragraph:
In other words, let me use my own editorial space to remind you how you rejected me for mayor four times. I'm a four-time loser. Remember? And let me repeat something negative the Washington Post has said about me.
It makes her "oldie but a goodie' campaign signs from the primary seem wise.
She ends her little article with this:
And therein is the problem, Ms. Schwartz. Voters don't want to know where we've been. In these uncertain times, we want to know where we're going.
The victories of Adrian Fenty over Linda Cropp and Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, plus her own primary defeat at the hands of an unknown newcomer have taught her nothing. And she's still running on the past.
And her column includes this paragraph:
While I have never been mayor (though I tried to be four times), as a council member I have always been a sharp-eyed watchdog. I have used my legislative, oversight and budgetary roles to make government more accountable and efficient -- not in an "unrelentingly negative" way, as characterized by The Post in another recent "unrelentingly negative" editorial about me, but in a way that has helped bring about positive results.
In other words, let me use my own editorial space to remind you how you rejected me for mayor four times. I'm a four-time loser. Remember? And let me repeat something negative the Washington Post has said about me.
It makes her "oldie but a goodie' campaign signs from the primary seem wise.
She ends her little article with this:
So when The Post says "Mrs. Schwartz admits to offering more of the same," indeed I do.
And therein is the problem, Ms. Schwartz. Voters don't want to know where we've been. In these uncertain times, we want to know where we're going.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Luckiest, the Fish from Nowhere
It's not raining men in my gayborhood. It's raining fish.
The LTR was summoned to the door the other night by a frantic neighbor. "Do you have an aquarium?" he asked in a panicked voice?
Turns out he was walking his dog, Lucky, and in front of our house he came across a large koi, gasping for air and looking as out of his element as Sarah Palin in a Katie Couric interview.
No, we don't have an aquarium. Nor do our neighbors.
The LTR grabbed a bucket and filled it with water and plucked the fish from nowhere in it.
The neighbor who originally stumbled on the koi has named it "luckiest" and found a home for it -- a half block away in a neighbor's koi pond (and no, the found fish was not an escapee).
At last report, Luckiest is getting along just swimmingly.
Meanwhile, I'll be watching my neighborhood for "Missing Fish" signs.
The LTR was summoned to the door the other night by a frantic neighbor. "Do you have an aquarium?" he asked in a panicked voice?
Turns out he was walking his dog, Lucky, and in front of our house he came across a large koi, gasping for air and looking as out of his element as Sarah Palin in a Katie Couric interview.
No, we don't have an aquarium. Nor do our neighbors.
The LTR grabbed a bucket and filled it with water and plucked the fish from nowhere in it.
The neighbor who originally stumbled on the koi has named it "luckiest" and found a home for it -- a half block away in a neighbor's koi pond (and no, the found fish was not an escapee).
At last report, Luckiest is getting along just swimmingly.
Meanwhile, I'll be watching my neighborhood for "Missing Fish" signs.
Friday, September 26, 2008
"Feeble Heartbeat"
I've been using the line, Palin would be a "feeble heartbeat" away from the presidency, a riff on the usual, "heartbeat away." I think it's a great line, and I want to give credit to the source: jimbo.info.
Jimbo, don't know if you came up with that or saw it elsewhere, but it is a delicious line.
Jimbo, don't know if you came up with that or saw it elsewhere, but it is a delicious line.
This is Why McCain Came Back
The more you learn about what happened yesterday and how McCain is "leading," well, I just want to crawl back in bed and pull the covers over my head:
Read the rest of the details here.
At one point, several minutes into the session, Obama said it was time to hear from McCain. According to a Republican who was there, "all he said was, 'I support the principles that House Republicans are fighting for.'"
Read the rest of the details here.
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