Pill-Popping Idiocy

Feministing has been on this for awhile, but the MSM in the guise of the Wall Street Journal has started to pick up on it too. There's a draft regulation being pushed by the Bush Administration out there that would define most common types of birth control as 'abortion.' To whit:

A draft regulation, still being revised and debated, treats most birth-control pills and intrauterine devices as abortion because they can work by preventing fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus. The regulation considers that destroying "the life of a human being."

ARGH! Crap like this is part of the reason I'm a lapsed Catholic. I can't stand religious, moralistic people getting all up in arms about friggin' birth control! I'm sorry, but someone needs to explore the morality of bringing a baby into the world when neither parent is ready for one and it can't be cared for properly. Is that moral? What about a baby that just plain isn't wanted? Is that a moral act, bringing an unwanted life into the world?

This is just another attempt by the Republican Party to a. undermine the rights of women and b. pander to their base. I just wish they didn't have to co-opt the reproductive rights of every woman in the country to do it.

Oh and plus, there's more idiocy:

The regulation's stated purpose is to improve enforcement of existing federal laws that protect some medical professionals' right to refuse to participate or assist in abortion.

In a lengthy preamble entitled "The Problem," the draft argues that state laws too often coerce health-care workers into providing services they find immoral.

Among the laws considered coercive: Requirements that emergency rooms offer rape victims the morning-after pill, insurance plans cover contraception as part of prescription-drug benefits, and pharmacists fill prescriptions for birth control. The draft regulation would weaken these laws by expanding the right of conscientious objection

I'm sorry... conscientious objection? In the health care industry? This is bullshit of the highest order to me. Religious beliefs are wonderful things to have, but if my religious beliefs prevent me from say, reporting for duty in the case of a military draft, my ass gets sent to jail. I don't see why medical professionals deserve protections from stuff they consider immoral. It's not their place to decide what's moral for their patient. I don't want some Doctor telling me he can't give me certain drugs to save my life because he considers it immoral. That's not his job. His job is to treat the patient in front of him. Birth control pills, drugs, condoms, whatever. And under the law, quite frankly, he shouldn't have a choice about it. Not his drugs, not his body, not his choice. End of discussion.

If conscientious objection to military service is an offense punishable by jail time, it should be the same for pharmacists who refuse to proscribe certain drugs. Withholding treatments for moral reasons just strikes me as... immoral.

Oh, what a tangled web...

Favre could be back on Minnesota's radar. Yes, sports-fans, it's true, another chapter in the ongoing soap opera has opened up. Green Bay, apparently not having much luck in getting a trade set up to either the Jets or the Bucs (Favre refusing to talk to either team) and under pressure from the league to do something with Favre are apparently willing to consider a trade within the NFC North- but only as a last resort. The Packers also reportedly made an offer of $20 million over the next ten years to stay retired.

Hmmmmm... well, the Vikings have three QB spots and four quarterbacks right now. One has to wonder why they need a fifth one, even one as good as Favre. Childress can babble all he wants about 'developing young talent' with Tavaris Jackson, who's pretty decent and getting better- but if offered Favre, would the Vikings say yes? Oh you bet they would... the next legislative session in Minnesota is going to tackle funding for a new (or renovated) Vikings stadium and a super-star like Favre could up the excitement factor, even if he's only around for a few more seasons. A QB that went 13-3 last season is nothing to sneeze at, but at the end of the day, they want a superstar in their pocket when they start pushing for more money for a stadium upgrade.

That's what I think, anyway. But we'll see.

Veepage II

Found a Free Press op-ed touting Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as a good choice for McCain's VP. You can read it if you want too, but my opinion remains unchanged. Pawlenty looks good on paper, but once you look closer, you find problems:

1. He couldn't deliver Minnesota for McCain in the primary. What makes it a sure thing he can do it in the general?

2. He's not as popular as he looks. He got re-elected in 2006 by the skin of his teeth and since then, well a bridge fell down amongst other things.

3. History is not on his side. Minnesota hasn't gone red since 1972.

I think it's going to be Romney. Romney appeals to the hardcore conservative base- he can undercut appeals Obama has out west with Latinos by upping Morman turnout (maybe?) and there's a decent chance he flips Michigan. Michigan > Minnesota electoral vote wise. To me it's a no-brainer- unless McCain wants someone else entirely.

Edwards Love Child

OK. So this is from The National Enquirer. I know- not the most reliable of journalistic sources out there, but every once in awhile, the Enquirer does get something hard, solid and real. And Drudge is linking to it and a few other blogs are following it (some saying its crap, some not) but either way, the story that John Edwards is hiding a love child is out there.

Make of it what you will.

Un-fairness Doctrine

It looks like Steny Hoyer can join my shit-list for supporting proposals to re-instate the so-called 'Fairness Doctrine' at some point. Plus, he's pretty much said that Rep. Mike Pence's bill to ban it permanently won't make it to the House floor this year for a vote.

I really don't know what to say. My opinion of the Democratic Leadership keeps sinking lower and lower beyond the point of what I could have considered something resembling 'a bottom.' This is politically motivated censorship, plain and simple. They say this:

“There is a real concern about the monopoly of information and the skewering of information that the American public gets,” said Hoyer. “First, is to the monopoly.

“Obviously, if one group, or a large group, controls information and only allows one perspective to be presented, that’s not good for democracy. That is not good for the American public. That is, of course, what the Fairness Doctrine is directed at, and it can have great merit. But there are obviously complications involved in that as well,” he said.

But what they really mean is that they'd like Conservative talk radio to shut the hell up. Ah, so this is what the left does to compensate for its own shortcomings? 'Air America' fails spectacularly so they seek a legislative remedy? For a start, I'm not sure how you can really enforce this or even if its constitutional. People have a right to say what they want and if they own any given publication (say this blog, for instance) then they shouldn't be forced to provide equal airtime for people who disagree with them. (And I'm not going too, Fairness Doctrine or no. It's very simple people: if you don't like a radio station, newspaper or a blog: start your own. The internet is a wonderful tool for that.)

Interestingly enough though: Mike Pence pointed out that when an amendment to an appropriations bill included a temporary ban on the Fairness Doctrine, 113 Democrats backed him. Now none will.

Either it's an election year and they're playing politics to deny the GOP a victory (though protecting the First Amendment is good for everyone. Surely liberals and lefty's won't like NPR being forced to admit conservative points of view?) Or they really want to reinstate this crap. And if so, boo on them! Bad Congress! No cookie!

Plus, I don't see how it's enforceable. They say it's mainly aimed at talk radio, but conservatives aren't stupid. They'll go for NPR, for PBS, for liberal blogs. The Fairness Doctrine to me is headed for the legislative rubbish bin (hopefully) or the business end of a lawsuit (which it shouldn't survive.)

Veepage

The time is drawing closer, little by little and details are leaking that Obama's list is narrowing as well as McCain's- no word yet on when selection will actually take place, but there's a shrinking pool of people being considered for VP.

Obama's Latest List:

Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas
Governor Tim Kaine, Virginia
Senator Evan Bayh, Indiana
Senator Joe Biden, Delaware

I'm not sure I'm wild about any of these choices, but they make a certain amount of sense. Virginia has been flirting blue for a few elections now and Kaine has the potential to push it over the top. Bayh could flip Indiana (which Obama almost won). Sebelius fits better with Obama's narrative of cross-party politics and a new bipartisanship- plus, she's a woman and a qualified one at that. Biden has foreign policy chops and experience that could be a plus for the ticket.

So who to pick? I tend to lean towards Sebelius, but Kaine and Bayh make sense. Biden is not my favorite- I think he might better fit as a SecState in an Obama Administration.

We'll see.

Dispatches from Camp #2: Bad Information

From Training Camp: Quarterback Tavaris Jackson was a bit inconsistent yesterday in drills, but, from what I saw, seemed to be doing OK today. Keep in mind, of course, that I don't get to see things up close- special teams did look good- they seem to have a couple of punt returners who can put on some serious speed if they have too, which is good.

Also: the search is on for a back up linebacker. And there are a few pieces about Thomas Tapeh coming back to Minnesota out there- here's the Star Trib's piece.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: We've been getting some flak for this and I know the schedules that the MSU Parking People were handing out today looked like crap and the online thing the Free Press has up is not at all clear and apparently the Rochester Paper too misprinted it. So, if you're planning on heading down to Camp:

Official Autograph Sessions: Always after morning practice usually around 10:40 AM. The one exception to that is this Saturday when the Vikings Cheerleaders and Alums go at 6 and 7 PM. That's the ONE EXCEPTION. Despite what you may read, according to my best (and current as of today) information, there are no official autograph sessions after afternoon practice! I felt so bad today because I had people come all the way from Rochester to try and get autographs from the O-Line and I had to tell them that they were about 3 hours too late.

Now, take heart- because there are other options if you can't get down in the morning. If you come in the afternoon for the second practice (don't come tomorrow, because Camp is closed. They're in River Falls, WI playing the Chiefs.) But anyway, if you come in the afternoon, don't bother poking around Vikings Village, go down Stadium Road to the crosswalk between the Field and the Highland Center. (There are big orange barriers and a lot of people there. You can't miss it.) When the players leave practice and go into the locker room and when they go back down to Gage, a lot of them stop and sign things for the fans. Here's the kicker though: it's first come, first served and there's no guarantee. To their credit, a lot of the Vikings stop and take the time to sign things, but it's entirely up to them on any given day whether they stop or not. It's luck of the draw.

Option 3: Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen. These two are apparently the big draws for autograph seekers- if you don't want to wait at the crosswalk on Stadium, don't bother showing up for the Recievers Official Autograph Session. They're doing a lottery. If you want a shot at either of these two guys, stop by the information booth in the Vikings Village and get signed up, because they're limiting numbers for autographs for both of them this year.

All of this is current information I have as of today- relayed to me via my Supervisor and big signs posted in the Autograph Zone itself. If any of this turns out to be wrong, I'm sorry for one, and for two, blame my supervisor.

New McCain Ad is...

...either clever or just plain idiotic. I honestly can't decide which. Basically, it shows Obama's speech in Berlin (follow the link to see for yourselves) and intercuts with shots of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears asking the question: Is He Ready To Lead? and calling Obama 'The Biggest Celebrity in the World'

The ad then goes onto hit him on gas prices and on 'raising taxes.'

I've thought for awhile and I still think that McCain might have something with gas prices. Like 2004, where gay marriage brought all the Conservatives out for Bush, people might just vote with their pocketbooks and go with McCain this year. I'm worried, seriously, seriously worried about this, because gas prices could win McCain the election. It could be that simple- the first one to get a better plan for cheaper costs at the pump could honestly win.

The problem Obama has is that the environmental movement is attached to the Democratic Party at the hip and it makes sensible moves on oil and environmental issues sometimes very difficult. In the heads of normal people paying $50 or more for gasoline though, when McCain says 'we should drill for more oil here instead of paying obscene amounts for it from the Saudis' it seems fairly logical to everyone. And the Democrats can't seem to put together a coherent counter-narrative (at least not that I've seen) to explain what they're going to do and how their plan is better.

Europe is all about nuclear power because it's incredibly clean- and the next generation of nuke plants are slowly being built there as we speak. Can we get into nuclear power? Not as a permanent fix, but as a stop gap (20 years or so) for wind, solar and other green tech to be perfected and brought into production. Would that not make a lot of sense?

It would make a great deal of sense. But you can't go anywhere near nuclear power because the global warming, pro-environmental crowd will throw a fit. Even though it's the most sensible idea out there- unless people prefer paying $4 gas and having coal plants pump more C02 into the atmosphere?

Nancy Pelosi has weighed in with: this. But it's all well and good and sounds great, but people don't care. They want to know from point A to point B to point C how exactly they can get cheaper gas in a hurry. 'Get More Oil On The Market' (The GOP/McCain plan) is a simpler answer than:

Today, the New Direction Congress will vote on legislation to bring down gas prices by taking crucial steps to curb excessive speculation in the energy futures market. The president himself could lower prices by drawing down a small portion of our government oil stockpile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The New Direction Congress will continue to bring forth responsible proposals to increase supply, reduce prices, protect consumers, and transition America to a clean, renewable energy independent future.

First of all: the New Direction Congress? Seriously? One hopes that given their ratings right now, that new direction could maybe be 'up' because if you get worse ratings than President Bush, people really don't like you all that much.

Second of all: Does what I'm saying make sense? The axiom for getting messages out in an election year, should be, to me a very old and simple one: K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. People want to know that their President can handle nuance and the big complicated ideas, yes (no, I'm not saying we as the electorate should be treated like idiots) but at the same time, winning an election means scoring points- and the simpler the message and the plan, the more points you can score.

Sneak Preview

This is kind of neat. Via Huffington Post, a leaked video of rehearsals for the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics which start on 8/8/08 (apparently an auspicious date for the Chinese). China is planning on putting on quite the show (as you can see) and has spent, according to the article, $300 Million and 3 years putting this together. So, enjoy the sneak preview.

Olmert Out

The latest twist in the politics of Israel: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced (finally) that he will step aside as PM once his party, Kadima, have picked a new leader. Kadima primaries are set for September 17th and they've got some work to do. Polls show that Likud Leader Benjamin Netanyahu is the preferred choice of the public for Prime Minister. 36% backed Netanyahu, 24.6% backed Kadima Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, 11.9% backed Ehud Barack and a whopping 19% said none of the above.

The opposition parties in the Knesset have jumped all over this (of course) and are calling for fresh elections as soon as possible. This would effectively detonate the current coalition (Kadima being in chaos, thanks to Olmert and Ehud Barack just being... well, not very popular.) and probably see the far right Likud Party brought back into power with some other smaller parties to back it up. The fact that the chorus for fresh elections is growing louder with every new twist in the Olmert Affair just indicates to me how badly he's handled the situation. He knew he was being investigated. He knew it was hurting his standing in the polls. Yet he hung on anyway. A politician to the core, I guess, but a more canny politician would have resigned until the investigation was done and if cleared, would have been able (surely) to get back into politics somewhere.

Given the state of things in the Middle East right now, this isn't the time for personal hubris. Too much is at stake. Iraq may be calming down, but Iran may be heating up. Afghanistan is a mess and a bellicose Israel could send everything off the rails. Olmert rightly deserves to be derided for unimpressive leadership during the war against Hezbollah last summer (should have resigned then, really) and for holding, clinging to office when allegations of impropriety sprung up in the first place (should have resigned then) but these latest allegations and an outright investigation? Someone overstayed his welcome. And with the situation with Iran looking fairly grim, it seems like people want someone who's rough, tough and won't let them flail around against people like Hezbollah.

Advantage: Netanyahu.

It's not all bad news for Kadima though: Livni scored 24.6% in the preference poll and there's 19% who are either undecided or hate everyone. Plus she's got to get past Mofaz in the primaries and he's an-ex military type who could be the martial tough steadying alternative to Netanyahu that Kadima needs to run. I think we could see fresh election in Israel by the end of the year, though. And who's going to win them?

You got me. But either way- Olmert's stepping aside is way overdue.

Last Lecture

Stumbled across this over the course of the past couple of days. Randy Pausch, a Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, given maybe 3 months to live- and he gave one last, public lecture before he 'retired' to be with his family. He died last Friday.

So I found this lecture on youTube, watched it and was impressed. This guy was a teacher beyond compare and I wish I could say that I knew anything about computer science so I could understand some more of what this guy is saying.

This is vastly useful stuff but not in the vein of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' or anything from Oprah's Book Club. It's rock solid advice on life that everyone should take the time to listen to/watch. It's not a waste of time.

Word up, Full Faith and Credit Clause!

Massachusetts has thrown down another curveball in the debate on gay marriage. Their House today voted to repeal a 1913 law that had been used to block out of state same sex couples from coming to Massachusetts to get married. Governor Deval Patrick has indicated that he supports the repeal and, again, as expected, opponents are horrified and proponents are thrilled.

I myself am extremely happy about this- for a start, the whole issue of DOMA or gay marriage bans I think, should be thrown out the window from a legal point of view simply because such bans fly in the face of the Full Faith and Credit Clause. (Which says:)

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

In other words, if one state makes a law, then every other state has to recognize and respect that law. The repeal of the Massachusetts law doesn't exactly do that, but it opens the door for challenges based on the FFnC Clause, because if out of state same sex couples have their marriages recognized in Massachusetts but not at home, that's just asking for tons more litigation to come out of the woodwork.

I think this is another step towards something major- probably about ten years down the road or so, given how slow the judicial process can be sometimes, but I'd imagine, if the California Supreme Court Decision stays in place then at some point, a direct challenge to DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) will land in front of the Supreme Court. And then the fur will really fly, so to speak.

But this is a good step. Kudos to marriage equality.

Dispatches from Camp #1: Qb #3

From training camp: there's nothing much to report today other than heat and special teams practice. I was on station by the Autograph area, but since I'm one of two returning veterans (so to speak) to the whole security at training camp thing, I got to spell everyone for their breaks. The Vikes, from what I could tell, looked pretty good- the Favre mess doesn't seem to be an issue here, with people more focused on the battle between Brooks Bollinger and John David Booty for the #3 slot for QB behind Tavaris Jackson and Gus Ferrotte.

One has to wonder why the Vikings need so many quarterbacks. Just the fact that there's a battle for the #3 slot seems to indicate to me that any chance of Favre getting traded to Minnesota went from miniscule to microscopic. With Jackson and Ferrotte plus with Bollinger and Booty duking it out for number 3, that's a plethora of quarterbacks. Who needs one more?

Speaking of Favre: the drama continues, as he's faxed the reinstatement letter to the NFL and the Packers are going to have 24 hours to consider what to do with him (cut him loose or reinstate him) whenever the NFL approves the letter in question. My feeling would be to cut him loose. I know Green Bay would probably want to ensure he doesn't go to another NFC North Team, so trade him to the AFC. The guy's got maybe 2, 3 seasons left in him anyway and you should start looking to the future with Aaron Rodgers. The latest seems to indicate that if not back to Green Bay, then a trade is most likely- the Packers don't want to release him in case he does go ahead and sign with Minnesota (unlikely, but not impossible) but we'll see what happens.

**An interesting twist that I haven't noticed as of yet: Sodexho employees are not at all happy with Training Camp this year. Sodexho, which handles the food service contracts for MSU and for training camp is apparently hosing their employees a bit by forcing them to:

She said Sodexo, the company with the MSU food service contract, has her working odd shifts that don’t add up to full-time hours at the end of the week.

In the past, food-service companies on campus had employees sign up for shifts during training camp. This year the slots weren’t filled because Sodexo wanted employees to work split morning and evening shifts making meals for the Vikings and filling other food-service jobs during the camp, Lang said.

Shady, shady, shady! According to the article, it seems that in years past, employees sign up for shifts and show up. Seems like a pretty logical system- but now, for some reason, Sodexho is having split and short shifts and having people fill other food service positions around the place during training camp. Do employees get a choice of shift? Nope. They just get put in a shift, whether they like it or not.

This to me, is seriously dumb. Employees may not be able to work a certain shift or they may not want too or may have a prior something or other. Dumb, dumb, dumb- straight out of 'how to piss off your employees and alienate them.' Sodexho, a national company, does have a grievance process that many employees are already availing themselves of. But boo to stupidity!

5.4

An earthquake in Los Angeles this afternoon- no major damage reported. It measured 5.4 on the Richter Scale and was probably the biggest quake that Southern California had seen for awhile. I myself gave my good friend Casey (thequietman22.blogspot.com) a ring and he said it was pretty wild. (His first earthquake and all.)

Sen. Stevens Indicted

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted on 7 counts of giving false statements to investigators about services he received from the company that renovated his home. Stevens, 84 is the longest serving Republican Senator and has been active in Alaska politics since before it was a state (crazy, but apparently true).

The Feds have apparently done their homework on this and the blogging feeding frenzy on the left and the right has already begun. Either way: this is very bad news for the GOP whose Senate prospects look dim to begin with and Sen. Stevens is in a great deal of trouble. Calls for resignation have already begun. (I'd expect it by the end of the week if not before.)

We're Back!

No, really, we are. Sorry about the brief hiatus, but it's been a rough and busy couple of weeks. Ali had a death in her family and we had to move and unpack in short order, so things were hectic. But now, I'll do my best to get back into the swing of things. Other than the move, there's nothing really exciting to report (death of a family member not being exciting in any way) but I did start at Vikings Training Camp today (I'm doing security) so I'll post photos (when I get a day off) and commentaries on things I see, hear or generally think about when it comes to the Vikings.

GOP News...

Sources have it that McCain's VP pick is going to come some time this week, while Obama is messing around on his trip in Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan. No word on who yet, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say either Mitt Romney or Charlie Crist- and my money is probably on Romney. People say Pawlenty or Jindal a lot, but Jindal needs to stay where he is and Pawlenty couldn't even flip Minnesota for McCain in the primary- he's an even longer shot to do it for the general. Romney on the other hand could open up Michigan and that block of voters who use a lot of hair products. Crist could nail down Florida, where I believe McCain could use some help right now. (Think the latest polls have Obama up big, but that was awhile ago.)

Interestingly enough though, Politico says the choices have narrowed, but no decision this week, while Novak seems to think it's gonna come down this week. Time will tell, I guess.

From Minnesota, the RNC got the keys to the XCEL Center today and set-up is underway for the Republican Convention.

Montag and Pratt are going to Iraq.

Unfortunately, it seems like they're probably going to be coming back at some point.

Bad Man Arrested

Radovan Karadzic, former leader of the Bosnian Serbs and indicted war criminal was arrested in Serbia today. This is a very good piece of news from that corner of the world. Karadzic is under indictment for his involvement in the Siege of Sarejevo and the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995- his wartime co-criminal Ratko Mladic is still at large.

Break

Sorry about the lack of blogging. I'm taking a little break but I'll be back in a couple of days.

How Awesome Is This?

I think Minnesota's Senate Race should be subtitled: One Hot Mess. I'm going to start a petition to the Daily Show and push this right now- because it's messy. And getting messier by the day. Not only is Al Franken sucking it up and Norm Coleman just, you know, taking out the trash (according to his ad anyway) but Ventura's out and now Barkley is in.

Dean Barkley, long time adviser to Jesse Ventura and (briefly) a Senator himself. He filed today as an Independence Party candidate (yes, non-Minnesota people, we here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes at least make a nod to real democracy by having a third party. The Independence Party.) Barkley obviously sense an opportunity and he could be right- Coleman is ahead in the polls only by virtue of his opponent. Someone who isn't damaged goods (Franken) would probably point out that Coleman changes his positions to whatever is politically expedient at the time. (A bone of contention with State Republicans: he used to back the President something like 80-90% of the time. That number's more like 60% now that he's up for re-election.)

And now with Franken picking up a primary challenger and under attack for his union views there could be such a moment...

Yep. One Hot Mess.

Britain Needs Churchill.

Or Thatcher. Pronto. Someone with some cojones (either biological ones or just a low tolerance for bullshit and other nonsense, whichever works). Anyway, Rachel Lucas flung up a bunch of articles about incidents in Britain that made me want to puke and this latest one is no exception. I just have to shake my head and wonder- I mean, maybe I've been in America too long. Maybe I should ask the relatives what they think and get some opinions from people who actually live there. Yeah. I think I'll do that....

It's worth noting that when I went to Dunkirk on vacation, the beach was bleak and historical and the Memorial Plaque had the words 'Les Arabes= SIDA' (Arabs=AIDS) scrawled on the back with spray paint. It was, I thought, a pretty good slap in the face to all the people who had died on the beach. So defacing war memorials is not just a thing for British young punks, apparently.

More on this topic later. I'm going to consult with the relatives and see what they think.

**UPDATE: After some thought, I think I'm going to launch a full-scale investigation into this to be published at a later date. After all, a good blogger goes straight to the source (apologies to Rachel Lucas, but I wanna read for myself) and a good journalist tries to get decent sources. And as I don't live in the UK, I'm not really in the position to speak to the veracity of these reports. Lucky for me, I gots some connections over there. Only pretty much my entire family.

So I'll ask them. And stay tuned for your first ever 'Crosseyed and Painless' Investigation as soon as I have a free minute to bother a few of them and get some answers out them.

For the Birds and the Bees...

...if you're a parent and having some trouble figuring out what to say for 'the talk' or whatever or if you just want to impart a little more information to your kids without seeming totally lame, or hell, even if you're just like me and like a good laugh, go check out the brilliance here: The Midwest Teen Sex Show (no, it's not porn, you pervs).

I can't underline its brilliance and wished that it had been around for my 'talk' (which consisted of a trip to Tru Value and my Dad informing me that my body was going through a lot of changes, when a woman says no she means no and did I have any questions?) Basically, its solid information with a twist that's pretty damn funny. Good for all ages and it makes you laugh even if you know all the stuff already.

Home Run Derby

...apparently last night was something of a thriller at the All-Star Game. Texas' Josh Hamilton had a stellar performance, hitting a record 28 home runs- but, improbably, despite that- he still lost- to Minnesota's Justin Morneau. (The first Minnesota player to win the Derby!)

Ventura Says No

Jesse Ventura won't be running for Senate. He said he was weighing the decision, but decided not to subject his family to the media scrutiny.

Damn. Well, at least Franken has a challenger in the DFL Primary... I suppose I'll go vote for her and maybe check her out and see what she's about and if she seems cool perhaps I'll shoot her some info and see about volunteering for her. Or something.

The hot mess just got a little cooler. Now we're back to Franken, Coleman and the wasted opportunities they share between them. It's almost depressing.

If you need another reason...

...not to vote for John McCain, sink your teeth into the latest one:

I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption

Double-you-tee-eff, man! You're automatically assuming that there aren't two capable parents when it comes to gay adoption? Two people in a couple, gay or straight equals two parents in my book. And I think it's a bit hypocritical given the fact that McCain is on marriage number 2 to preach about parenthood or marriage for that matter. He put his kids through a divorce- and maybe it was better in the long run, but don't tell me that kids aren't affected by that- even if it better for all concerned, because they are. This, to me is blatantly discriminatory and a truly lame-ass attempt to pander to the radical right.

Oh and bonus! I'll give you another reason not to vote for John McCain:

But he declined to take a specific position when asked whether only evolution should be taught in public schools. “It’s up to the school boards,” he said. “That’s why we have local control over education.” Mr. McCain has said he believes in evolution.

While I'm glad he believes in evolution, the old 'local control' dodge is another pander to his base, but I'd sure like a Republican to grow a set and smack down this silly anti-evolution crap that runs through their party at the moment. The anti-evolution thing pisses me off because evolution says nothing about who (or how) life began. Not a thing. Evolution and religious belief can totally co-exist, that is unless you're a literalist when it comes to the Bible. Unless you want to view the creation story as a metaphor of sorts, I guess: 7 days for God could be... how many in human years? No one knows.

But still, bad McCain! No gay adoption, no pay equity and now mushiness on evolution? The reasons keep piling up.

Elitism much?

Oh boy. Cindy McCain let the following quote slip:

In Arizona the only way to get around the state is by small private plane

Yes, because so many of us have private planes to go from point A to point B in Arizona. (Have to admit, it's kind of cool that she's got her pilot's license. Does that mean that if she's First Lady, she could fly Air Force One around?)

Does Anyone Remember How To Spell...

Czechoslovakia? Because John McCain apparently thinks its still around. OK, so maybe that's splitting hairs a bit- people know the general idea of what he's talking about, but technically speaking there hasn't been a Czechoslovakia since 1993. And it's probably a good idea to make the distinction, because if the Russians are mad at the Czechs, I'm willing to bet the Slovaks don't want to be dragged into it by accident.

Not Welcome In Green Bay

Favre, thank you for clarifying things, but boo to you for extending things even more! Commentaries will surely be flying now as Favre has gone public with the news that he 'doesn't feel welcome in Green Bay' and 'wants to play elsewhere.' See, it's like I said- the Joe Montana route- train up the replacement a bit and get the heck out of dodge and let the other guy have a crack at it. Though apparently, in this case, the sticking point is Green Bay management.

It's hard to imagine Favre playing for anyone else but Green Bay, but if he wants to play, he wants to play. Green Bay should think about the future and let Favre worry about what he wants to do. Let him go and let Rogers get his feet wet. They'd probably be better off in the long run.

It's Not A Tooo-mah!

Speaking of another hot mess in the making, the shenanigans for the Governor's Race in California are already getting started up. Ah-nold doesn't leave office until 2010, but San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newson has formed an exploratory committee (along with former Governor Jerry Brown) on the Democratic side and a lot of millionaires on the Republican side are eyeing up the nod for the GOP. (Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman and others...)

Newsom was seen as controversial because by issuing marriage licenses to gay couples in 2004 willy-nilly, he was percieved by some (including me and Dianne Feinstein) to have fueled a conservative backlash that handed President Bush a second term in office- but given the State Supreme Court's ruling in favor of gay marriage earlier this year, Newsom may come out looking not like a guy who thumbed his nose at the law to appease the 'dangerous radicals of San Fransisco' (so sayeth many conservatives) and he may look like the champion of equality that many people have seen him as all along. He'll probably be facing 70 year old Jerry Brown whose name seems vaguely familiar to me- and who was governor of California before (surely that might give Brown a bit of an edge.)

The Republican Party, not really having a lot of bench strength in California would be running millionaires galore, wouldn't it? Hmmm... I know Fiorina has been bandied about as a possible VP for McCain (I think I've seen Whitman on lists as well) and the Republicans like to make the argument now and again that CEOs can manage companies, so therefore it follows they can manage things like states and companies. (Laughably, I remember a lot of hope being put on the shoulders of our current Noble Leader because he was an MBA, so they'd hoped he'd run the country like a business... not so much, huh?)

Anyway, a small preview of coming attractions perhaps. Stay tuned.

Aaaaah, one hot mess!

The Senate race in Minnesota got murkier (and more exciting today). Not only is Jesse Ventura going to end his tap-dancing tonight on Larry King tonight and say for sure whether or not he is running for Senate (please say yes! please say yes!) but Al Franken picked up a challenger (beyond the two guys who ALWAYS run) when daughter of Miles Lord (a retired Federal judge), Priscilla Lord Faris filed paper work to challenge Franken in the September primary. She "isn't persuaded he can take the seat away from Coleman."

Well, thank God some DFL'er out there has some common sense. I would have told anyone this about four months ago- I was never a big fan of Franken even before he had a ton and a half of scandals dropped on him and I'm glad someone's realizing what a wasted opportunity the DFL could have on its hands if it lets Franken just flail about and lose badly to Coleman in the fall. (OK, so maybe he won't lose badly. Just in a really sucky manner.)

Either way: Governor Ventura, Ms. Faris, take note- you'll probably be getting copies of my resume in the mail by the end of the week along with a few other things. Please hire me, it'd rock to work for either of you.

Happy Bastille Day!

Felicitations to France today! 219 years old! (Well, actually a lot older than that, but the Republican era (or the first one anyway) began 219 years ago today.)

Anyway, there's gonna be a parade and everything.

Interventionism

Gears are rolling for the government to put together a rescue package for mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Economics has never been my strong suit, but I find this a little frustrating and a little necessary at the same time. Normally, I'd resent the hell out of the government moving in and bailing out mortgage lenders or any businesses that get themselves into a mess via some shady practices- but sadly, with Fannie and Freddie, we ain't got no choice. They're just too damn big for the government to sit by and let sink in the name of laissez faire economic doctrine.

I'm sure economic purists and anti-Keynesians out there will be decrying this as a totally unnecessary intervention that flies in the face of capitalism. But, I think this is the kind of soft-touch interventionism the government should practice. Economically, I tend to hew to the notion that the less the government futzes about in the economy the better- governments tend to be overly bureaucratic and inefficient, so it's easier to let the market work itself. But: the government should mind the economy a bit and if Freddie and Fannie go down they're so big the economy will literally implode.

I don't like bailouts. But in this case, it might be a necessity and it's a perfect example of how the government should work: leave the economy alone, but intervene when it's necessary. Like now.

Oh New Yorker...

So check out the cover of the New Yorker. (Click the second link for a picture.) Generally designed to provoke a response, they picked probably the worst possible cover they could and I think a ton and a half of grief is probably going to be flung their way in a big-ass hurry.

Who knows if they'll get this in Dubuque, but they sure aren't going to like it in Chicago: This week's New Yorker cover features an image of Michelle and Barack Obama that combines every smeary right-wing stereotype imaginable: An image of Obama in a turban and robes fist-bumping his be-afro'd wife, dressed in the military fatigues of a revolutionary and packing a machine gun and some serious ammo. Oh yes, this quaint little scene takes place in the Oval Office, under a picture of Osama bin Laden above a roaring fireplace, in which burns an American flag. All that's missing is a token sprig of arugula.

I kid you not. Why did they do this, you ask? Well...

The illustration, by Barry Blitt,is called "The Politics of Fear" and, according to the NYer press release, "satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign." Uh-huh. What's that they say about repeating a rumor?

I'm not sure I see the satire in the illustration, myself. Pasting every single rumor and untruth out there about Obama and putting them all in one handy, dandy illustration. So very smart. Soooooooo very smart of the New Yorker. The poop is going to fly over this one as well it should. Someone should rap the New Yorker for repeating the rumors that Obama is trying very hard to discredit. And if you repeat a rumor? Well, people could believe its true.

TV Show of The Month: The West Wing

If there is a better year to rent/Netflix/catch a re-run of this show, I can't think of one. A perfect compliment to the political chaos of an election year, The West Wing is an impressively detailed, perfectly cast, brilliantly written political drama set in the West Wing of the White House and follows the troubles, struggles, tribulations and triumphs of the Bartlett Administration, with President Jed Bartlett played ably by Martin Sheen one of the twin centers of gravity of this show (the other being late veteran actor John Spencer as Chief of Staff Leo McGarry)

Coming out of the late 90s era of scandal-ridden politics, The West Wing, I think proved appealing to many people because it painted a picture of 'the way things outta be' I know that's a tired old chestnut and it gets rapped by conservatives for being fairly cloyingly liberal (at least through the first four seasons under the direction of Aaron Sorkin.) It's interesting, because when this show stumbled, it paralleled America's entry into the post-9/11 world where suddenly the whole nature of politics in this country changed and The West Wing suddenly seemed anachronistic at best, melodramatic and over-blown at worst. With the departure of Aaron Sorkin after Season 4, the show lost it's compass for a season before show runners seized on real-life chronology (President Bartlett was nearing the end of his second term) and made the last two seasons about who would follow President Bartlett. As a result, the West Wing saw a late surge of brilliance with Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda ably played off against each other as Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates respectively.

But this show was never just about the ins and outs of politics, it was about the people in politics. From the President on down, every character has their moment throughout this show. Every character has flaws and struggles that they have to overcome and when it comes to the tough calls you have to make when you run a country, they talk, they debate and they struggle with those as well. The West Wing stands to me as one of the best television shows of the past twenty years with brilliant writing, brilliant acting set on the ultimate world stage.

TOM SAYS: ****(out of 4)

P.S. This clip isn't really one of my favorite clips, but I think you can get an idea of the pace of the writing and the ability to stage a pretty dramatic moment when required.

People Are Really Dumb

Watch this.

McKinney/Clemente '08

The Green Party has it's ticket set for the fall. Former Georgia Congresswoman and somewhat controversial figure Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, hip-hop artist and activist will be their ticket of choice.

Georgia is having a pretty good election I'd say. 2 Presidential candidates (Bob Barr for the Libertarians and now Cynthia McKinney for the Greens) and talk of a Vice-Presidential Candidate in Former Senator Sam Nunn (for Obama) and I'd say this is Georgia's year. Not sure what kind of effect McKinney could have in Georgia, if any- but she might have some, especially if the Far Left's satisfaction with Obama continues to deteriorate. Plus, as the only all-woman ticket running, she might have some appeal for disaffected Clinton supporters as well.

Here's a write-up on Rosa Clemente, and Cynthia McKinney's Wiki Entry.

On State Funerals

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is to be honored with a state funeral- the first since Winston Churchill's in 1965. Thatcher's doing fine, health-wise for her age, but given the size of the event and the logistics in planning, they figured they should start planning now. Sir Malcolm Ross is heading up the planning for the event, since he's handled every major royal funeral since 1997 (and is apparently famously known for keeping the Queen Mother's funeral plans in a briefcase for 17 years.) Plus, they're worried that given UK deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan there might not be enough troops to line the funeral route. (Though if Thatcher hangs out for a few more years, it shouldn't be an issue.)

This may not seem like a big deal to non-British (and non-nerdy people) but it is. Non-royal state funerals are extraordinarily rare in Britain- Winston Churchill was the only one in the 20th Century and there were only 4 in the 19th Century- but Thatcher's going to get all the bells and whistles.

Book Ratings

From the Independent, there's the news that JK Rowling has joined a growing list of pissed off Children's Authors in the UK who are fighting major publishers plans to band and categorize books by age at which they should be read. Phillip Pullman, Terry Pratchett and other authors are joining a rapidly expanding list of people opposed to this particular bit of stupidity on the part of UK Publishers.

Books are off limits. Really, do they need age-based ratings? Are people really that anal about what their kids read? Movies are different thing entirely, but books and reading have a sort of innate ratings system that seems to handle itself. If you're 8, you're probably not going to pick up a copy of Lady Chatterly's Lover. Maybe Harry Potter, but not truly adult books. The nice thing about reading is that the content, complexity and yes the maturity level advance with age. So by the time you get to high school, you're able to handle more adult books.

Make Up Your Mind!

I'm officially annoyed. Brett Favre retired and then rumors began flying every other week that he was on the verge of changing his mind and now they're holding a rally for the Packers to reinstate him. A rally. No, no, no- time to move on and let Aaron Rogers do his thing. No disrespect to Favre (not a Packers fan myself, but I can respect the guy's ability) but he's at that point in his career when he should be heading for the exits. How quickly he does that is entirely up to him- and even Joe Montana knew enough to get the heck out of San Fransisco and let Steve Young make a go of it. I think if Favre wants one more season- maybe two, then fine. But he should go elsewhere and let Aaron Rogers start to take over and do his thing. And if you're a Packers fan, you should be thinking about the future of your team, not obsessing over one (admittedly pretty awesome) player.

There's even this column saying that the Vikings should try and get Favre themselves if they want a new stadium... (Not sure why they need a new Stadium really. The Metrodome is showing its age a bit, yes, but a facelift could do wonders. So why drop millions on a new stadium?) I'm not a Minnesota native, but I bet that guy is gonna get flak for even suggesting it. Favre. A Packer? In a Vikings uniform? That whole concept smacks of heresy to me! (Unless you go the opposite route and see it as an opportunity to rub it in the faces of the Green Bay fans.)

And there's this column saying the Packers should take him back. I think he should make up his damn mind once and for all!

Run Jesse Run!

Monday is the day. After tip-toeing around the issue for weeks now, word has come down that Jesse Ventura will be announcing his decision on whether or not to run for the Senate on Monday. Just reading the article in the Star Tribune, I'm inclined to think that it'll probably be yes, but no one seems to know for sure.

I hope, hope, hope that he does run! If he does, I'm totally sending out resume, cover letter anything that might get me something in his campaign. That would be BEYOND awesome. Norm Coleman is bad, Al Franken is worse- I want a real Senator. Not a seat-filler for six more years.

Plus, I want the 'My Senator Can Beat Up Your Senator' bumper stickers. (Because you know they're coming!)

Got Old Books?

I hadn't heard about this until yesterday (not because I didn't check, but simply because the news hadn't gotten to me yet) but the Cedar Rapids Public Library was hit extremely hard in the flood and their entire adult collection was destroyed (something like 20,000 or so books) and so they're compiling a wish list and looking for book donations to rebuild their collection.

I myself am sending down a suitcase full of books for my Mom to pick up at Ali's Bridal Shower (yes, that's today too! She's very excited about it!) So if you have old books and want to give them to people that need them, head here to check out the details on what they're looking for and how to donate:

http://crlibrary.info/#News_and_Photos

Striptease Clothing Drive.

No, this isn't a joke. From the Star Tribune comes the news of a new national internet based campaign the encourages young people to post videos of themselves stripping in return for donations to an organization that benefits homeless youth. The campaign, with the help of Virgin Mobile and the National Network for Youth began testing the campaign last week. Called Strip2Clothe, it's tagline is (again, I'm not joking) 'You take off yours, we donate ours' No full nudity was allowed.

Not surprisingly, the poop is flying in a major way. Major charitable organizations are up in arms about it and, again, not that surprisingly , parents aren't exactly happy about either. I'm all for creative ways of helping people, but this is a bridge too far, even for me. Whatever happened to having a bake sale or something? And- it's even worse that the target of the campaign is young people. As if teenagers aren't bombarded with enough crappy messages about sexuality and body image to begin with, now they're being told to strip to help people. Sell yourself and shake your ass to get some homeless kids some clothes.

The sheer exploitation of it all just makes me want to puke a little. Plus: sexualizing charity? Seriously? Is nothing out-of-bounds anymore?

Supreme Court Speculation

Althouse wonders if Justice Stevens and Justice Ginsberg would retire soon. I'm betting soon, but not too soon. I'm willing to bet that, barring a health crisis or outright death, I think they stay on until the Presidential election is a done deal and maybe decide to retire then.

All Tied Up

The latest round of polls from Rasmussen has the race between John McCain and Barack Obama in a virtual dead heat. Naturally, this has lead to rounds and rounds of speculation about what it all means and is Obama in trouble? Is McCain just a terrible candidate? Is down up and up down? The usual stuff.

I think the past couple of weeks have been somewhat unkind to Obama and this past week was a just plain craptacular week for McCain. Given that instead of the pendulum of press coverage swinging back and forth between one candidate and the other that we've had throughout the primaries and the beginning of the race, it's weird to see the press piling on both of them to some degree. For Obama: he's kind of on the back foot right now... he's moving a bit to the center and a lot of the Democratic (or far left) isn't happy about it at all. His decision to vote FOR the FISA bill in Congress sent many people on DailyKos into complete apoplexy. His decision to not take public financing drew a lot of flack from the right (the tired old chestnut of him being a flip-flopper.) A lot of people saw confusion with his Iraq position (there really wasn't that much) and there was that flap over the Access Hollywood interview with his kids. There have been a lot of perceived flaps, some real, some not. But still, on balance: not a good few weeks.

For McCain: Well, where to start. This past week, there have been so many stumbles, it's easier for people to probably just go read this instead of having me list them all. I will say that McCain's diss of Social Security that the Left was up in arms about was not at all a big deal and it kind of annoyed me. What McCain was saying with the 'social security is a disgrace' thing (and he didn't say that) was that today, there aren't enough younger workers behind our (my) generation to pay for our retirement. So essentially, I'm paying for my parents' retirement and I'm probably gonna get hosed for it. That IS a disgrace. What's more disgraceful is the complete lack of reform efforts by the Democratic Party and their lack of concern about such brilliant ideas as portable health care. (Fred Thompson may have been a boring candidate, but he had brilliant ideas about social security reform and wanted to end employee based health care so that people don't lose benefits when they switch jobs. Make Health Care portable! Where was the Left on that?)

But McCain did have a horrible week.

In the end, I think both candidates are flailing a bit. A race tied in July doesn't worry me as much as one tied in October, but both campaigns should retrench and settle themselves down and go into the conventions with all their gears working. That is, if they're interested in winning.

Fun Days!

**UPDATE: Just so you know, the events for Sunday-
10:00 AM: Great American Graffiti Car Show
10:00 AM: Petting Zoo at Wheeler Park
11:00 AM: Registration- Kids Pedal Tractor Pull
12 Noon: Kids Pedal Tractor Pull (Ages 4-11)
1:00 PM: Family Fun Shows Open
1:00 PM: NMFD Water Fights
10:00 PM: Fireworks in Spring Lake Park

North Mankato Fun Days has been going on throughout the weekend and wraps up tomorrow- but today was the main event. The parade, the beer garden, corn dogs, bingo, rides- the whole nine yards. It's quite the carnival and large amounts of people from North Mankato and Mankato head over there to check it out.

Here's the crowds lining the parade route.





Some kids, waiting eagerly for candy, plastic bags at the ready.



Here's Sophie, watching the parade...



And some general shots of the parade...

Tony Snow Died.

Former Fox News Anchor (one of the more tolerable ones) and former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is dead at 53 following a long bout with cancer.

Tough Morning

Went to Blackbeard's in Madelia last night with some peeps to check out the only known pirate bar in the area as well as the band 69 Cents. Had an awesome time. Except now... I need one of these.

Guns on Campus?

This is what I find somewhat irritating about the Free Press' online edition. I have to dig a bit to find things like this: a letter from District 24B Candidate John Branstad attacking current Rep. Tony Cornish for his proposal to allow students to carry guns on campus. In the wake of the VaTech shootings last year, conservatives started to push the notion to allowed concealed carry/or just plain handguns on campus. The general theory being that if there's a person who knows how to use a gun on campus when a crazy person goes nuts and starts shooting, they could deal with the situation faster than if everyone waited for the police/security to arrive.

I'm not sure I buy into that theory. You would have to be really trained- and I'm assuming if you have a gun license you have a little bit of knowledge, but I wouldn't want this to send every Tom, Dick and Henrietta out to get a gun for 'their own protection.' And besides, if you pass laws like this, you'll get the inevitable case of a crazy person carrying a gun they're perfectly entitled to have into any given space and opening fire. (I think that happened in Texas a few years ago. Crazy guy went into a church and opened fire on Sunday morning. Was totally in line with state law because the church didn't have a sign where people could see it saying that they prohibited guns.)

So I'm going to have to say no to this. What's needed to prevent tragedies like VaTech from happening again is a combination of more training and rapid response for on-campus security and more coordination with local law enforcement to practice dealing with and responding to situations like these quickly. What struck me about the VaTech incident was that after the initial shooting in the dorm there was a time-gap before the killer moved onto to the second wave of shootings. Authorities knew some people had been shot in the dorm, but they didn't know much else. At that point, campus should have been locked down simply as a common-sense precaution until they knew who did the dorm shootings and where that person was. It wasn't.

That's a lack of training, to me. I'm not sure how allowing students to carry guns helps the problem.

Strike 2?

A second Hollywood strike may be creeping closer. Apparently SAG has rejected the latest contract offer from the producers, but the Actors say they're still interested in negotiating. Again, the issue as with the writers seems to be DVD residuals and a few other things- but either way, it could still be a major messy and something that the entertainment industry does NOT need right now. Hollywood is still recovering from the Writer's Strike that cost the industry an estimated $2 billion and left the TV viewership numbers a shambles for the rest of the truncated television season.

But it's not all bad news though: smaller union AFTRA reached a deal with the producers already and it looks like SAG has reached separate deals to allow some productions to move forward- and so far, negotiations have not completely broken down. So at least they're still in the room and still talking.

Hopefully that continues.

1st Marriage

From the LA Times, here's the skinny on McCain's first marriage. I'm not at all certain why any of this is relevant except to reveal that he kind of treated his first wife like crap and is pissed Nancy Reagen off mightily. The 'deal' (or what I assume they're trying to say is the 'big deal') is this:

"I spent as much time with Cindy in Washington and Arizona as our jobs would allow," McCain wrote. "I was separated from Carol, but our divorce would not become final until February of 1980."

An examination of court documents tells a different story. McCain did not sue his wife for divorce until Feb. 19, 1980, and he wrote in his court petition that he and his wife had "cohabited" until Jan. 7 of that year -- or for the first nine months of his relationship with Hensley

I'm not entirely sure how the first quote and the following graph differ at all. I'm assuming one be separated and not divorced and still live together. That seems to be what happened- and the divorce wasn't finalized until February of 1980. It all seems to match up to me. He and wife #1 separated, he moved out in January, got divorced in February. Everyone thought he was kind of a douche about things shortly thereafter.

What's kind of interesting is that Cindy McCain was 24 and he was 42 when they started dating. Pretty large gap there. And I don't know... old guy with semi-decent position in Navy chases around college-aged co-ed. A blonde one. Could John McCain be any more clichéd?

In the end: like I said, I'm not sure how any of this is relevant. After all, Nancy Reagen was in fact Mrs. Reagen number 2 when Ronnie moved into the White House. So who cares if Cindy McCain is Mrs. McCain number 2? Who cares about his messy divorce? All it does is make him seem like kind of a dick, but there's been mounting evidence that he can be kind of a dick for awhile now.

Remakes

Why? Why THIS! From the Hollywood Reporter, more proof that there's no good ideas left out there. Red Dawn is being remade. Yes, the Patrick Swayze Red Dawn. WOLVERINES! That Red Dawn. The classic 80s movie that really, if there was any justice in the world wouldn't be touched. I have to confess, I have never actually gotten around to seeing it, but, even if you haven't seen it, you have to respect its place in classic 80s movie cannon. Simply cannot be remade! NO!

The astonishing lack of creativity in Hollywood is kind of surprising, given the number of remakes. Of course, the obvious question would be: well what are you doing about it, punk? Well, I try and write cool things as much as I can. I have the outline of a novel going. If it turns out I'm good at it, I'll try and push some original ideas out there. I promise.

I.C. Animal Shelter Update!

Yay! They found a place!

Foot In Mouth Disease

What's going on this week? First Jesse Jackson, then Phil Gramm says this:

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners," he said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

"We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today," he said. "We have benefited greatly" from the globalization of the economy in the last 30 years.

Phil Gramm being a Republican from somewhere in the late Cretaceous period (I think he tried to run for President when I was like 10. Or maybe 6. I can't remember.) and now economic adviser to another Republican from somewhere in the late- I mean, the current Presidential nominee of the Republican Party, John McCain.

McCain has (wisely) disavowed the comments, but alas, too late. As with slip ups regarding testicles by Jesse Jackson, this won't stop all and sundry from jumping up and down on McCain's head and generally making fun of Phil Gramm for being massively out of touch.

So are we in a recession? Probably not. Technically, I think the definition is at least two quarters of negative growth. We've had tiny amounts of growth in the other direction though. Veeeeeery, veeeeery tiny, but growth nonetheless. Are we a nation of whiners? I think not. Way to be sensitive and aware of reality Phil. Buy gas lately? Tried to pay rent, bills and (eventually for me) student loans? How much did you make last year? Do tell, I'm interested in hearing all about it.

But, the economy is bad. No question. Do we whine more? I'm sure there's a study out there somewhere.

Oh Snap!

So the President left the G8 Summit today with these words:

The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.

Actually, it that were true anymore, it'd be pretty typical, but, as it turns out, the President once against got the facts wrong. China is number 1. We're number 2. But the right-wing blogs/media are jumping for joy and the left-wing blogs/media are aghast and mortally offended.

Personally, I'm tired of no one being able to give me a straight answer on global warming. It's basically like a gigantic weather report anyway and weather reports are wrong like what? 40% of the time? To me, the important issue is this: climate change or no climate change, a cleaner, greener world is better for our national security and everyone. I don't appreciate fanaticism of any stripe from the foam at the mouth pro-climate changers on the left to the 'they want to turn this country into a socialist gulag' skeptics on the right. As with most things in life, I've found that the truth is to be found somewhere in between, I'd imagine.

And apparently our President is still an overgrown frat-boy at heart. I don't know whether to roll my eyes or feel a rush of patriotism at Bush's ballsy move. Give 'em the finger! We're AMERICA!

Um, I think I'll just roll my eyes.

Sometimes You Just Feel Like A Nut

Castration-gate continues. For the sake of my own amusement, the dreaded clip itself is below. My apologies for inflicting Bill O'Reilly's face on you.



Sooooo... I guess the question is: has Barack Obama actually been talking down to black people on matters of faith? Mickey Kaus over at Slate seems to think yes, but I'm not so sure. I think Kaus makes a good point: candidates should always be careful about seeming like they're lecturing- and I'm forced to admit that it's a little rich for Obama to be exhorting parents to make sure their kids speak Spanish, when he apparently doesn't speak it himself.

But, I have to disagree. I really do. I think he might want to exercise a little more caution with speeches like this, but it doesn't change the fact that in America today, given the large amount of idiocy that can sometimes pass as parenting, pointing out things like this isn't necessarily a bad thing:

"You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school," Obama, D-Ill., told a cheering crowd, brought to a standing ovation at a town hall meeting in Powder Springs, Georgia.

And this:

"Which most of you brothas are not," Obama, who played basketball in high school, a sport he continues to play to this day, said jokingly. "I know you think you are, but you're not. You are over-rated in your own mind. You will not play in the NBA."

I think people have to realize that such things aren't necessarily directed at them and injecting a little bit of common sense into a conversation about parenting in this country isn't a bad thing. The fact that it's done in such a blunt manner might offend, but blunt doesn't bother me.

It's also worth noting that it seems his remarks were directed at a mainly (I'm guessing so, anyway) African-American audience. Given the flap over Bill Cosby's comment and his social criticism (check out this article here) I think it's fair to say that such debates in any community (ethnic, gender based or otherwise) are probably inevitable and maybe even necessary. I'm inclined the view this flap as another chapter of that debate for the African-American community and leave it at that. As a white American, I haven't a clue about the ins and outs of what it means to be an African-American in this country, so I ain't gonna act like I do. Only to applaud such remarks and hope that debates keep on coming from every direction. I'm a fan of healthy debate- I think it makes us stronger in the end.

Plus, I get the feeling that the Rev. Jackson might be a wee bit annoyed he's being eclipsed a bit.

Eh, not so much.

So, the Left-wing blogosphere has picked up a McCain quote which purportedly has him saying that 'social security is a disgrace' and ran with it. The quote (which I got from this post on DailyKos, here-) is as follows:

Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed.

So, says the diarist, the way that Social Security has worked since the thirties is a disgrace. Call me a kill-joy, but I don't really think that's what McCain was saying. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a supporter of McCain in any way, shape or form, but let's all take a deep breath here. Anyone that takes a minute to think about the quote would see that McCain's point wasn't that social security is a disgrace, but rather that in its current broken-ass state it is a disgrace. Sure back in the day, this was how it worked. The young workers paid taxes to cover the retirement of older workers. But there's a bit of a demographic gap now: too many old workers, not enough young ones.

People my age are going to get hosed because there just won't be Social Security for us young folks. No, before you all start flinging data at me, I don't want to get into a numbers game. Whether you agree with the extent of the problem or not (Republicans say it's a disaster waiting to happen, Democrats make noises about social security reform and do nothing about it) I think we can all get together on the idea that some reform is necessary in order to keep it working well. After all, we're not in the thirties, we're not the society, country or economy that we were in the thirties and we're living longer to boot.

So did McCain say social security was a disgrace? Eh, not so much. Do I agree with... well, golly gee, apparently Social Security isn't that important to John McCain at all. It doesn't even make his issues list on his website. Let's see, we have the following menu:
The Economy
Energy
National Security
Health Care
Iraq
Climate Change
Veterans
Immigration
The Sanctity of Life
2nd Amendment
Judicial Philosophy
Ethics Reform
Natural Heritage
Space Program
Agricultural Policies
Education
Hmmmmmm... education comes last and call me crazy, but where does social security fit into the above list?

Perhaps that should be the bigger story instead of a quote that can be interpreted many different ways.

**UPDATE: So, in the interest of going the extra mile, I found a search option (finally) and plugged in 'Social Security' and got some search results. Of the 25 top search results, 2 were about social security. You know, for someone willing to trash talk social security, he sure doesn't have a lot of info on what his stance on social security is.

Ix-nay on the Ecrophilia-Ne!

So, it's illegal to have sex with dead people in Wisconsin. A court has spoken. A ruling has been handed down. IX-NAY on the ECROPHILIA-NE! What's astonishing about articles like these isn't the fact that lower courts ruled that nothing specific in state law ruled out necrophilia (from a strictly legal point of view, perhaps not, but in every other possible sense... well, gross!) Thankfully, the Wisconsin Supreme Court (and yes, it took a State Supreme Court to settle this) rightfully pointed this out:

Justice Patience Roggensack, writing a majority opinion with three other justices, said state law bans sexual intercourse with anyone who does not give consent whether a victim is dead or alive at the time. Dead bodies obviously can't give consent, she said.

Dead bodies can't give consent. I'm glad someone realized that. What, I have to wonder was wrong with lower court judges in the state of Wisconsin that didn't clue them into that fact a lot sooner? But, wait, there's more! Check this out:

The decision brings Wisconsin's law in line with more than 20 other states who prohibit necrophilia or the abuse of a corpse, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California joined that group in 2004 after prosecutors said they couldn't bring charges in some cases without an official ban.

Notice that part in the quote. The 20 other states part. What the HELL IS WRONG WITH THE OTHER 30! And it's kind of an obvious question, California being California- but seriously- prosecuters said they couldn't bring charges in some cases without an official ban. Without an official ban. Seriously?

From a legal point of view, lawyers may be right on with some of this stuff. I would hope that common sense would inform them a bit more, but I suppose if you're tied to questions of legality, those have to come first. And seriously. Only 20 states officially ban necrophilia? Wow.

Obama Abroad

Obama is heading out of the country in the coming weeks and one of his stops in Germany. There was talk of him giving a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate, but that has raised some hackles and there's a mild political squabble erupting over it. Chancellor Merkel isn't wild about the idea- and the article rightly points out the pitfalls of Obama seeming too presumptuous- after all, he is just a candidate.

More importantly, this is an issue that the German government has to tread lightly on. The results of the last German election saw the formation of only the second 'Grand Coalition' in post-war history- Social Democrats rubbing shoulders with Christian Democrats and Merkel in charge. The first so-called Grand Coalition last only three years from 1966-1969- the obvious perils of a Grand Coalition being that if everyone's part of the government a delicate balance has to be maintained otherwise the Grand Coalition flies apart.

Do I think Obama could bring down the German government? Unlikely. But I think that as time goes on, more squabbles and tension within the coalition will rise until the coalition breaks and elections are called. At roughly three years or so, the Second Grand Coalition is on track to last longer than the first. I can't really find out any information on how long they can go before elections, but I'm betting its only another couple of years, anyway.

Bionic Breasts?

I'm really not sure I can do this justice. Really. Go here.

Read and discuss.

Nazi Hunting

Is apparently still alive and well. There's fresh leads to be had in the search for the infamous Dr. Death, Aribert Heim, who's believed to be somewhere along the Argentinian-Chile border and is also believed to be around 94 years old.

The obvious question one would expect to have when reading this article is, why bother? The guy is 94 years old and by the time you get him in front of a judge, he's probably going to be dead. The guy in question, however, got a reputation for things like this:

He is accused of killing Jews using exceptionally cruel methods. According to Holocaust survivors, he performed operations and amputations without anaesthetic to see how much pain his victims could endure.

Injecting victims straight into the heart with petrol, water or poison were said to have been his favoured method at Mauthausen. And when he was "bored", he apparently timed patients' deaths with a stopwatch.

I don't really care if you're 54 or 94. Crimes like these don't have an expiration date and you should be tried for them. I lost a lot of respect for Margaret Thatcher when she pushed to have former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet sent back to Chile- and it's the same basic idea. Too many dictators and war criminals never get tried at all. So where's the justice? How do a people or a country move on from crimes this massive? Can they ever?

All good questions. But certainly, capturing them and bringing them to trial is a place to start.

Castration Nation

So, the Reverend Jesse Jackson apparently wants to cut Barack Obama's nuts off. Very Christian of him... I'm really not going to say much else about this, save that Jackson has already stumbled all over himself to apologize quickly.

The Deal Is: in one of those 'apparently private, but the person in question is too stupid to check to see if their mic is still on' moments, this apparently happened.

The right-wing feeding frenzy has already begun. Apparently Hannity and O'Reilly are going to broadcast all the ugly details tonight if you want the nitty gritty.

Just Folks?

What's with Republicans and their obsessive need to prove that they're 'just plain folks.' Seriously. This ad does not impress me. Neither did the Grassley ad that showed him patriotically mowing his lawn, if I recall.

But to unpack this ad a little: Folksy music (again, reaching hard for the 'just folks' thing) and Laurie Coleman making a pitch for her husband. He's independent, he took away tax breaks from oil companies. All the while, Norm is flouncing around the kitchen in what I assume is an attempt to making him look like the strong, silent type, but really just draws your attention to how big his ears look.

The ad closes with Norm dutifully taking out the trash at the command of his wife and telling us that he approved this message. Do you really want to end your ad with a garbage can? Is that a good way to send a potential voter on his or her way?

Basically, I think Laurie Coleman comes across as well-informed, strong minded and articulate. What her husband is doing running for Senate is beyond me. She should run instead. I might actually vote for her.

Is Ventura In?

Next Tuesday is the filing deadline and he keeps tap-dancing around the issue. I can't say that I'm totally wild about Jesse Ventura. The guy just can't take criticism all that well from the press, but I totally dug the fact that out of nowhere, in 1998, a Third Party Candidate won the Governorship of Minnesota. This guy has something and he could provide a spark to a race that's pretty much a foregone conclusion in my mind by now. Let's look at it:

1. Al Franken sucks. He's damaged goods and something of a carpetbagger to boot. The DFL blew a HUGE opportunity here to take out Coleman. Al Franken can't do it- or maybe he can, but I'm not a believer, Al. You gotta make me believe and so far, I am unimpressed.

2. Norm Coleman is (or was until Franken got the nod) vulnerable: Listening to the Convention Coverage of the Republican State Convention (back in early June) on MPR it was surprising what an undercurrent of distaste there was amongst convention-goers (well, one anyway) for Coleman. He used to support the President when Bush was popular, now, not so much. Strikes me as a guy who changes position whenever the wind blows and whenever he needs to cover his own ass. A guy we could use less of.

Ventura could do this. I hope he runs. I'd vote for him.

Officially: no decision yet. He's not making up his mind until next Tuesday.

The Lock Is Mighter Than The Pen

Well, I should have figured this, but apparently my ignorance on the matter was corrected. Kryptonite Bike Locks are apparently totally safe now and have been since 2005 or so, per Karen from Kryptonite:

Tom, this is Karen from Kryptonite. I am happy to say that the pen is no longer mightier than the lock! The tubular style cylinder that was vulnerable to this sort of violation was eliminated from all Kryptonite locks in 2005. The new cylinder is a completely safe from pen attacks. (Shameless plug - check them out on our website....www.kryptonitelock.com) Sounds like the book is an interesting read, by the way!

Thanks for the information and the comment! I should have probably figured that Kryptonite had figured out a way around this already. Technology that enabled people to break in with a pen probably also enabled Kryptonite to come up with a fix quickly.

Technology. Isn't it wonderful?

P.S. Would have posted this update sooner, but only just noticed the comment now. My bad.

Strike 2 for the Motherland

Britain is just not impressing me this week. First, racist toddlers. Then Gordon Brown proves just how big of a tool he is by lecturing Britons on wasting food and then having an 18 course banquet. And then, there's: this.

This is both surprising and unsurprising at the same time. Go to Britain and you will hear the mysterious acronym of ASBO. Anti-Social Behavior Ordinance. This is what Britain's Law Enforcement gives youths who go around, break the law and generally act like douchebags. Do these idiots get a boot up the ass and a trip to juv-e? Nope. They get themselves a ticket for 'anti-social behavior.'

Scotland, pack your bags and go. I'm Scottish enough, I suppose. I'll sorta claim you and come give you tourism money if you need it. I have a pretty low opinion of the American Political Class, but Britain's political class is like the crusty rind you find on the outside of a dog turd. Brown can't do it. Cameron is a fleeting hope that's flailing around in the mess Boris Johnson is making of London. The Liberal Democrats, if they had a better leader might have an opening. But... I'm not sure they do.

So, Scotland, it's on you. Save the last vestiges of British common sense and build something worthwhile that you can protect, defend and fight for. I've never been a huge fan of Scottish independence, but I'm starting to wonder if it might be worth considering.

Flood Update: The Bill

The Iowa River dropped below Flood Stage today, officially ending the Flood of 2008- and the University of Iowa released the damage numbers:

$231.75 Million.

I Hang My Head

...over things like this. Sigh. Why, why, why do politicians do things like this? Anyway- think I mentioned yesterday that Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister and apparent huge buffoon capped a day where his government issued a report on the potential for racism in toddlers (Seriously) and a sermon to Britons on not wasting food by following up with global food crisis talks over a 6 course lunch and an 8 course meal.

Apparently, the initial reports missed a couple of courses. It was an 18 course banquet. Feast your eyes on the Menu:



Plus, the dinner was themed. Hot stuff.