I have taken to marking the passage of time in terms of toilet paper (or TP to be PC). I purchase a roll at the local WalMart and speculate that before it is expended I will move on, be called to a great challenge, or perhaps experience some celestial transformation. I’ve consumed a fair amount this go-round, but at last it appears we may have arrived at the end of the roll.
I know it will come as a surprise to some who pictured me as permanently relegated to the employment pasture, but the implausible has transpired. I knew intuitively that somewhere on the planet there was a niche into which I might scrunch my antediluvian corpus despite multiple inadequacies with which I struggle. Such has emerged in the form of a position that will send me back to my nation’s capital, where I began my professional career several eons ago.
It has been an interesting year, which began with bags packed and heading to Baton Rouge for a senior position on a long-term Louisiana state emergency management contract, but canceled (the contract, not me) on the eve of award for reasons still murky. Then in April I signed on as national coordinator for a FEMA contract to manage 20,000+ units of temporary housing staged and ready to deploy into devastated areas. I could almost taste the Gulf oysters. Yet this effort, to be activated in June, languishes on the desk of a contracting officer in Washington. While I try not to take personal offense, it did appear that the gods of professional challenge had turned their backs on me.
And now an opportunity to return east has arisen, and I have chosen to forsake the mountains of the west for the streets of Washington. As with personal relationships, one can never be sure of an outcome before jumping in head first and fully clothed, but the position on paper appears to embrace significant challenge, a prime determiner in the decision-making apparatus my entire professional life.
The position is attached to a lengthy vetting process, and so I will languish a bit longer as those who anoint such opportunities rummage through past decades of my rather bland existence.
And while I stand proudly behind all thoughts delivered in this BLOG, irreverent, opinionated, and occasionally arrogant though they may have been, I consider it unseemly to unleash political thoughts when I occupy a position of public trust. And so I BLOG no more.
My silence may lead to cleaner air and reduced peptic distress for those with differing views that possessed the fortitude to address my periodic ramblings. I leave in the comfort that no trees were sacrificed in the production of this work, and the ozone layer was but slightly increased by the exhaled exasperation of some.
In parting I would hope that on whatever point of the political spectrum you find yourself, take occasional opportunity to hear opposing views, not necessarily to accept or embrace, but to understand that there are positions contrary to yours which carry value – not enough perhaps to sway your thinking, but just enough to fire a few synapses of understanding.
At a time when most of my vintage contemplate fishing, long walks in the park, and afternoons with Oprah, the Adventure takes a hard turn about and plows for waters not previously contemplated. Thanks for listening.
.
.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
2009-22 GEORGETOWN
Craven interest attaches to all corners of American politics, though sanctimonious liberals would have us believe that such was invented and practiced solely by conservatives. In 2006 Massachusetts liberals, led by Senator Ted Kennedy, in acute peptic distress over the possibility that Republican Governor Mitt Romney would appoint a Republican to fill President (sic) Kerry’s Senate seat after his glorious victory over the reviled Bush, moved to block such a dastardly move by changing the succession rules in place since that state’s inception.
Now in a teaching moment illustrative of “what goes around comes around,” the ailing Senator is pleading for the reversal to be reversed to insure that upon his demise a suitable liberal replacement can be instantly installed to insure critical votes on Health Care “Reform” and other issues.
Similar concern surrounds the health of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd. A recent C-SPAN televised Budget Committee hearing showed him slumped over, appearing comatose. Recognizing that he controls (if he is in fact in control) his own fate, simple human compassion suggests that the longest serving Senator be allowed to retire in dignity and peace. The state’s democrat Governor will surely appoint a like-minded replacement, resulting in no change in the final Senate vote on critical issues.
#####
I recently saw a sign that taunted “My cash bought your clunker.” Lost in the euphoria over this cosmically successful program is that it is in truth a wealth distribution mechanism. I think it not a stretch to suggest that most of those who drive clunkers are at the low end of the economic scale and fact certain that those who pay the highest tax rates are at the other end.
Ergo, despite what you may think of the program, and others that are surely destined to come, moving money from one end of the socioeconomic scale to the other is a result in certitude of the wealth re-distribution process. Something the radical left has been promoting for decades. More than one way to skin a rat. (No cats ever have been or will be skinned in this BLOG).
#####
The Town Hall brouhaha is as interesting as it is loud. When Code Pink disrupts Congressional hearings this is democracy in action. When citizens all over the country display their anger at Town Hall meetings they are bands of unruly thugs orchestrated by Republican cynics.
Yes, there is massive mis-information being bandied about, and deplorable displays ala the Massachusetts woman who showed up at Barney Frank’s Town Hall with a picture of our President made to resemble Hitler (though I do recall a young man with whom I was sparring (verbally) who seemed quite proud of his equation of Bush to Hitler).
I have previously suggested that liberals who dismiss anger over Health “Reform” as orchestrated conservative thuggary are hopelessly out of touch. My take is that many in this country are angry and simply do not trust their elected officials at all points along the political spectrum. Though absent the media coverage of liberal politicians being pilloried at their Town Hall gatherings, conservative Republicans have not escaped citizen outrage.
I believe that Americans are slowly twigging to the reality that multi-thousand page legislation voted on in less than 24 hours (which even accomplished speedreaders could not wade through no less master), and more important, replete with vague language that anoints unelected officials (to wit: the Secretary of HHS) with astounding power to fashion policy and programs of their own liking, transmits truly scary authority to shape the most contentious issue of our time (save abortion) in ways inimical to the will of the electorate.
#####
Scotland has shown compassion to the murderer of 270 innocent souls aboard Pan Am 103. And of course he was treated as a hero by throngs of Libyans who met his charter plane at Tripoli airport. Did anyone in the world doubt that his reception would be any different? Well, apparently the U. S. State Department.
Peppered with questions as to why our diplomats exerted no significant pressure on our closest ally to deny his release, the official Department spokesman said he believed the return would be “low key.” “Let’s wait and see,” he cautioned. We did and we see. Reminiscent of women and children dancing in Palestinian streets after 911. And radicals would have us believe this is somehow our fault. Showing compassion to savage murderers reaps exactly what one might expect, and casts doubt on the sensibility of bureaucrats who make such calls.
#####
Hype often seems to drive our news-oriented culture, and while Cable is routinely flogged because of its need to maintain a 24/7 news cycle, the networks, at least here in Denver, seem in a mad scramble to collect viewers at any cost. As hurricane Bill meanders north in the mid-Atlantic, missing Bermuda and apparently a threat only to Port des Basques in the far eastern Canadian Maritimes, promos for network news scream about “the latest killer hurricane heading for New England – details at 5,” or 6, 9, 10, or whenever the talking heads gear up to amuse and amaze us. There may be some fish at risk and the occasional seagoing vessel, but Bill seems of little concern to the rest of the planet. But I guess it is forever true that if it bleeds it leads, and if it kills it thrills.
#####
Availability on the railroad varies wildly as (a) the season winds down and (b) folks who planned getaways in May realize they better giddiup lest the season expire with aspirations unfulfilled.
#####
Many Brits have the annoying habit of punctuating virtually every declarative sentence with “Isn’t it?” Sometimes repeated multiple times as they get closer to your face, depending on the degree of passion attached to their statement. Some years ago after interminable suffering, I found an effective antidote. After every “Isn’t it?” I injected a simple “No!” attempting to match the vehemence of the question with my own reply.
Americans now appear to have devised their own version of this annoyance by appending each sentence with ‘Ya know what I’m saying?” “No!” works equally well here, and no matter on which side of the Atlantic you apply this remedy it appears destined to bring the speaker up short, mouth open but no sound emanating therefrom, quizzical look spread upon the visage. Try it yourself.
#####
M. Nature is acting benign at the moment, but be careful lest you be lulled. After the disastrous Katrina/Rita/Wilma year of 2005 there were dire predictions of a decade of carnage, while in truth 2006 and 07 were as quiet as had been seen in decades. Just when you think it’s safe to venture outside…. The Adventure remains close to the phone.
.
.
Now in a teaching moment illustrative of “what goes around comes around,” the ailing Senator is pleading for the reversal to be reversed to insure that upon his demise a suitable liberal replacement can be instantly installed to insure critical votes on Health Care “Reform” and other issues.
Similar concern surrounds the health of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd. A recent C-SPAN televised Budget Committee hearing showed him slumped over, appearing comatose. Recognizing that he controls (if he is in fact in control) his own fate, simple human compassion suggests that the longest serving Senator be allowed to retire in dignity and peace. The state’s democrat Governor will surely appoint a like-minded replacement, resulting in no change in the final Senate vote on critical issues.
#####
I recently saw a sign that taunted “My cash bought your clunker.” Lost in the euphoria over this cosmically successful program is that it is in truth a wealth distribution mechanism. I think it not a stretch to suggest that most of those who drive clunkers are at the low end of the economic scale and fact certain that those who pay the highest tax rates are at the other end.
Ergo, despite what you may think of the program, and others that are surely destined to come, moving money from one end of the socioeconomic scale to the other is a result in certitude of the wealth re-distribution process. Something the radical left has been promoting for decades. More than one way to skin a rat. (No cats ever have been or will be skinned in this BLOG).
#####
The Town Hall brouhaha is as interesting as it is loud. When Code Pink disrupts Congressional hearings this is democracy in action. When citizens all over the country display their anger at Town Hall meetings they are bands of unruly thugs orchestrated by Republican cynics.
Yes, there is massive mis-information being bandied about, and deplorable displays ala the Massachusetts woman who showed up at Barney Frank’s Town Hall with a picture of our President made to resemble Hitler (though I do recall a young man with whom I was sparring (verbally) who seemed quite proud of his equation of Bush to Hitler).
I have previously suggested that liberals who dismiss anger over Health “Reform” as orchestrated conservative thuggary are hopelessly out of touch. My take is that many in this country are angry and simply do not trust their elected officials at all points along the political spectrum. Though absent the media coverage of liberal politicians being pilloried at their Town Hall gatherings, conservative Republicans have not escaped citizen outrage.
I believe that Americans are slowly twigging to the reality that multi-thousand page legislation voted on in less than 24 hours (which even accomplished speedreaders could not wade through no less master), and more important, replete with vague language that anoints unelected officials (to wit: the Secretary of HHS) with astounding power to fashion policy and programs of their own liking, transmits truly scary authority to shape the most contentious issue of our time (save abortion) in ways inimical to the will of the electorate.
#####
Scotland has shown compassion to the murderer of 270 innocent souls aboard Pan Am 103. And of course he was treated as a hero by throngs of Libyans who met his charter plane at Tripoli airport. Did anyone in the world doubt that his reception would be any different? Well, apparently the U. S. State Department.
Peppered with questions as to why our diplomats exerted no significant pressure on our closest ally to deny his release, the official Department spokesman said he believed the return would be “low key.” “Let’s wait and see,” he cautioned. We did and we see. Reminiscent of women and children dancing in Palestinian streets after 911. And radicals would have us believe this is somehow our fault. Showing compassion to savage murderers reaps exactly what one might expect, and casts doubt on the sensibility of bureaucrats who make such calls.
#####
Hype often seems to drive our news-oriented culture, and while Cable is routinely flogged because of its need to maintain a 24/7 news cycle, the networks, at least here in Denver, seem in a mad scramble to collect viewers at any cost. As hurricane Bill meanders north in the mid-Atlantic, missing Bermuda and apparently a threat only to Port des Basques in the far eastern Canadian Maritimes, promos for network news scream about “the latest killer hurricane heading for New England – details at 5,” or 6, 9, 10, or whenever the talking heads gear up to amuse and amaze us. There may be some fish at risk and the occasional seagoing vessel, but Bill seems of little concern to the rest of the planet. But I guess it is forever true that if it bleeds it leads, and if it kills it thrills.
#####
Availability on the railroad varies wildly as (a) the season winds down and (b) folks who planned getaways in May realize they better giddiup lest the season expire with aspirations unfulfilled.
#####
Many Brits have the annoying habit of punctuating virtually every declarative sentence with “Isn’t it?” Sometimes repeated multiple times as they get closer to your face, depending on the degree of passion attached to their statement. Some years ago after interminable suffering, I found an effective antidote. After every “Isn’t it?” I injected a simple “No!” attempting to match the vehemence of the question with my own reply.
Americans now appear to have devised their own version of this annoyance by appending each sentence with ‘Ya know what I’m saying?” “No!” works equally well here, and no matter on which side of the Atlantic you apply this remedy it appears destined to bring the speaker up short, mouth open but no sound emanating therefrom, quizzical look spread upon the visage. Try it yourself.
#####
M. Nature is acting benign at the moment, but be careful lest you be lulled. After the disastrous Katrina/Rita/Wilma year of 2005 there were dire predictions of a decade of carnage, while in truth 2006 and 07 were as quiet as had been seen in decades. Just when you think it’s safe to venture outside…. The Adventure remains close to the phone.
.
.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
2009-21 GEORGETOWN
On the last day of July it snowed on the Continental Divide, not 10 miles west of Georgetown. No dump but a significant dusting. With great reluctance my landlady turned on the heat, and locals who but one short week before were kvetching about the canicule were now in high dudgeon over global cooling. And the winter fanatics made noises about waxing skies and snowboards. Vail sent an e-mail announcing “100 days till season opening.”
#####
Contrary to my prediction, the two female journalists imprisoned in North Korea have been released by the Pyongyang government after intervention by President Clinton and a cameo from Internet inventor Al Gore. The world rejoices, and were these my children I would be both ecstatic and immensely grateful. But questions arise.
These young women were warned in the strongest terms that venturing into harm’s way was foolish and dangerous. Likewise the three American hikers now detained in Iran were warned by Iraqi officials on the danger of straying close to the Iranian border. A full three days before their capture there were press reports of their plans and the grave danger spelled out in graphic terms. Yet they charged ahead, and now there will be immense economic and perhaps diplomatic cost to secure their release. Rewarding bad behavior always has consequences.
And remember, the women journalists’ motivation in traveling to North Korea was to create a documentary destined to make money for Gore’s production company. A book will certainly follow, and wouldn’t it be nice if those rescued and Gore Enterprises returned the profits to the government in small recompense for the immense cost in securing their release. When pork take wing!
Remember also it was the Clinton Administration that with great fanfare made substantial concessions to North Korea in return for promises that Pyongyang would curtail its nuclear program. Scarcely had the benefits of the trade-off been received in Pyongyang than Kim Jong-il stuck his finger up the American nose in marked defiance of the agreement.
The European response to such behavior is “Oh well, too bad, that didn’t work, we’ll just wait a while and try again,” ala the 19 “final” warnings to Saddam Hussein. Some Americans have the temerity to suggest that broken promises cloyingly forgiven simply embolden the promise breaker to expand such behavior.
We know not what promises and concessions the current negotiator, coincidentally spouse of the Secretary of State, made to Pyongyang. Certainly any significant quid pro quo will be denied, and the world will be induced to believe that Kim simply succumbed to Clinton’s engaging smile. Bad joss, here. Is there any evidence out there to suggest that rewarding bad behavior in children (or dictators) leads to better conduct and increased responsibility?
#####
What goes around (occasionally) comes around. Our President’s meteoric ascendency has obscured the fact that he cut his political teeth as a Community Organizer. Now it should be obvious that community organizers organize communities to meet needs they perceive to be important. ACORN and other less prominent organizers have a rich history of disrupting public events, not to mention the outright larceny that finds them frequently in Federal court.
But now that conservatives (and apparently some not-so-conservative common folk) are protesting health care “reform,” they are tagged as “unruly mobs” and tools of the Republican establishment. The White House has asked its loyal following to report anything “fishy” it observes emanating from these rabble-rousers.
No, I do not countenance violent disruptions at public gatherings, and the blatherings of the idiot Limbaugh are, as usual, harmful to the cause, but to suggest that the widespread anger over “reform” is an orchestrated “smear campaign” suggests that liberal politicians have, as usual, sand in their ears from sticking their heads in places where genuine dissent is stifled.
And if you read news accounts carefully (a diversity of news accounts, not just the ones that support your proclivities) it is apparent that some of the pushing and shoving is caused by liberal groups in high dudgeon over the audacity of hope on the part of some folks to make alternate voices heard.
Democrats have achieved such success with (dare I say it) carefully orchestrated “Town Hall” meetings where all attendees are thoroughly vetted, where all questions are fawningly polite and designed to allow home run after home run to be propelled over the political landscape. Must be disconcerting when some tough pitches come down the pike.
#####
It is axiomatic that if you give money to someone you make them smile and engender in them a warm fuzzy feeling. If you doubt, try giving a neighbor a nice gift, telling them it is just because you like them and want to do something nice. While you might be thought a bit odd, you will have cemented a friendship and perhaps even created some sense of obligation.
This I suggest has been a core strategy of Democrat politicians for well over a century. While unreconstructed liberals genuinely believe in the Robin Hood philosophy of wealth distribution, politicians are far more pragmatic and cynical, living with the hope that largess distributed will be rewarded with loyalty at the ballot box.
And this suggests uncharacteristic courage in many conservatives. Cash for Clunkers has been fabulously successful, with public support in the stratosphere (remember, giving away money usually makes the recipients happy), and its extension deemed a no-brainer. Look to conservatives (and perhaps a Bluedog here and there) voting against the extension to identify profiles in courage. Distributing largesse that will need be repaid by your successors is no altrustic virtue.
This leads, I believe, in great measure to the reason why Republicans found themselves in such a deep hole these past few years. Iraq yes, the economy certainly, an unpopular President undoubtedly, but turning sharply from core values and racing to out-spend Democrats is an issue too lightly considered. While their ranks appear diminished, there are still Americans unpersuaded by the “gimmie” philosophy. Hopefully their ranks will swell, less 200 years of economic prosperity crumble under a mountain of unsustainable debt.
And this, incidentally, is one of MANY reasons I refuse to join AARP. Imploring (with considerable muscle) the government to “gimmie, gimmie, gimmie” its members at every turn is appalling. How much better to request the government to take less from all Americans so private wealth can grow and ultimately individuals can leave resources to their successors.
Most of the aged who plan wisely (yes, I know there are exceptions) don’t need handouts and subsidies. Better that resources should go to the genuinely poor, the physically and mentally infirmed, abandoned and abused children, and others truly disadvantaged through no fault of their own.
.
.
#####
Contrary to my prediction, the two female journalists imprisoned in North Korea have been released by the Pyongyang government after intervention by President Clinton and a cameo from Internet inventor Al Gore. The world rejoices, and were these my children I would be both ecstatic and immensely grateful. But questions arise.
These young women were warned in the strongest terms that venturing into harm’s way was foolish and dangerous. Likewise the three American hikers now detained in Iran were warned by Iraqi officials on the danger of straying close to the Iranian border. A full three days before their capture there were press reports of their plans and the grave danger spelled out in graphic terms. Yet they charged ahead, and now there will be immense economic and perhaps diplomatic cost to secure their release. Rewarding bad behavior always has consequences.
And remember, the women journalists’ motivation in traveling to North Korea was to create a documentary destined to make money for Gore’s production company. A book will certainly follow, and wouldn’t it be nice if those rescued and Gore Enterprises returned the profits to the government in small recompense for the immense cost in securing their release. When pork take wing!
Remember also it was the Clinton Administration that with great fanfare made substantial concessions to North Korea in return for promises that Pyongyang would curtail its nuclear program. Scarcely had the benefits of the trade-off been received in Pyongyang than Kim Jong-il stuck his finger up the American nose in marked defiance of the agreement.
The European response to such behavior is “Oh well, too bad, that didn’t work, we’ll just wait a while and try again,” ala the 19 “final” warnings to Saddam Hussein. Some Americans have the temerity to suggest that broken promises cloyingly forgiven simply embolden the promise breaker to expand such behavior.
We know not what promises and concessions the current negotiator, coincidentally spouse of the Secretary of State, made to Pyongyang. Certainly any significant quid pro quo will be denied, and the world will be induced to believe that Kim simply succumbed to Clinton’s engaging smile. Bad joss, here. Is there any evidence out there to suggest that rewarding bad behavior in children (or dictators) leads to better conduct and increased responsibility?
#####
What goes around (occasionally) comes around. Our President’s meteoric ascendency has obscured the fact that he cut his political teeth as a Community Organizer. Now it should be obvious that community organizers organize communities to meet needs they perceive to be important. ACORN and other less prominent organizers have a rich history of disrupting public events, not to mention the outright larceny that finds them frequently in Federal court.
But now that conservatives (and apparently some not-so-conservative common folk) are protesting health care “reform,” they are tagged as “unruly mobs” and tools of the Republican establishment. The White House has asked its loyal following to report anything “fishy” it observes emanating from these rabble-rousers.
No, I do not countenance violent disruptions at public gatherings, and the blatherings of the idiot Limbaugh are, as usual, harmful to the cause, but to suggest that the widespread anger over “reform” is an orchestrated “smear campaign” suggests that liberal politicians have, as usual, sand in their ears from sticking their heads in places where genuine dissent is stifled.
And if you read news accounts carefully (a diversity of news accounts, not just the ones that support your proclivities) it is apparent that some of the pushing and shoving is caused by liberal groups in high dudgeon over the audacity of hope on the part of some folks to make alternate voices heard.
Democrats have achieved such success with (dare I say it) carefully orchestrated “Town Hall” meetings where all attendees are thoroughly vetted, where all questions are fawningly polite and designed to allow home run after home run to be propelled over the political landscape. Must be disconcerting when some tough pitches come down the pike.
#####
It is axiomatic that if you give money to someone you make them smile and engender in them a warm fuzzy feeling. If you doubt, try giving a neighbor a nice gift, telling them it is just because you like them and want to do something nice. While you might be thought a bit odd, you will have cemented a friendship and perhaps even created some sense of obligation.
This I suggest has been a core strategy of Democrat politicians for well over a century. While unreconstructed liberals genuinely believe in the Robin Hood philosophy of wealth distribution, politicians are far more pragmatic and cynical, living with the hope that largess distributed will be rewarded with loyalty at the ballot box.
And this suggests uncharacteristic courage in many conservatives. Cash for Clunkers has been fabulously successful, with public support in the stratosphere (remember, giving away money usually makes the recipients happy), and its extension deemed a no-brainer. Look to conservatives (and perhaps a Bluedog here and there) voting against the extension to identify profiles in courage. Distributing largesse that will need be repaid by your successors is no altrustic virtue.
This leads, I believe, in great measure to the reason why Republicans found themselves in such a deep hole these past few years. Iraq yes, the economy certainly, an unpopular President undoubtedly, but turning sharply from core values and racing to out-spend Democrats is an issue too lightly considered. While their ranks appear diminished, there are still Americans unpersuaded by the “gimmie” philosophy. Hopefully their ranks will swell, less 200 years of economic prosperity crumble under a mountain of unsustainable debt.
And this, incidentally, is one of MANY reasons I refuse to join AARP. Imploring (with considerable muscle) the government to “gimmie, gimmie, gimmie” its members at every turn is appalling. How much better to request the government to take less from all Americans so private wealth can grow and ultimately individuals can leave resources to their successors.
Most of the aged who plan wisely (yes, I know there are exceptions) don’t need handouts and subsidies. Better that resources should go to the genuinely poor, the physically and mentally infirmed, abandoned and abused children, and others truly disadvantaged through no fault of their own.
.
.
Monday, July 27, 2009
2009-20 GEORGETOWN
Why do you suppose our President has pushed so hard for Health Care Reform legislation to be passed before the August recess? He claims it is because of the anguished letters he reads every day from folks across the land pleading for relief. Could it also be that he is in peptic distress over the earfull individual Congressfolk will receive when they return home for the summer break?
And don’t you love Rep. Henry Waxman who, because he won’t allow members of his own party to “hand over control of (his) Committee to the Republicans” is threatening to simply circumvent a 200-year process and bypass Committee action on the Health Care Bill. He did express his preference for “regular order,” except, apparently, when he doesn’t get his way. Similar situations exist in pre-schools across the land, where a “time-out” is typically the remedy.
Of course Republicans pull similar shenanigans where possible, but they are not the folk continually vowing to “clean up Washington” and “restore public confidence” to the political process. Hypocrisy practiced by politicians is akin to the vertically challenged practicing being short.
#####
The other day while weeding through some mental detritus I came across Winston Churchill’s oft repeated quote: “If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” This helped clarify for me the status of the Hollywood elite. These folks simply live in a fantasy world ala Michael Jackson and have never grown up, hence their stunted maturity. And it confirms as well my impression of the mental capacity of that creative enclave.
Speaking of California, despite all-night sessions to resolve its financial crisis, it appears but a matter of time until the rest of America will be called upon to bail out the lifestyle that so many find economically unsustainable and often bizarre. As liberal Democrats are fond of condemning subsidies for special interests, might they join conservatives in resistance? When swine soar!
#####
And on health care, I’m confused (as usual) by the duel Democrat claims of massive unnecessary expenditures in the system (which I define as the outrageous cost of insuring the medical community against frivolous lawsuits) and allegations that insurance companies routinely deny necessary procedures to their clients.
Debating the morality and value of health care reform can take many voices, but the smoke and mirror approach of suggesting that exposing 43 million uninsured Americans to comprehensive health care will somehow lower costs is appallingly transparent. It is sad that simply saying “it will cost a bundle but it’s the right thing to do” is not politically acceptable. Voting with the heart and the pocketbook are as dissimilar as love and marriage.
And although it will likely be disputed, I postulate that such differences transcend political boundaries. Many years ago I was in line at the local copy center behind a magnificently attired blue-haired matron, who when asked “recycled paper?” for the 7 copies of her 2-page Garden Club letter, huffed indignantly “why recycled, of course.” When informed that it would (as in those days it did) cost one cent additional per page, she lowered her voice and said “regular, then.” Funny how economics can influence our social conscience.
Certain “inconvenient realities” persist on the landscape. Much of the planet that can afford to do so continues to breach American shores for medical treatment. Remember that Yasser Arafat, deprived of that option, chose France for his treatment and was shipped home in a box.
Yet massive dislocations do exist. As a volunteer first responder I learned that when prescription medicine is expended, the disadvantaged routinely call 911 with vague complaints, resulting in an ambulance call, a trip to the emergency room, and a free prescription refill, all at massive cost to the taxpayer. And there is no evidence I‘ve encountered to suggest that extensive demonstration programs designed to encourage healthy living among the poor do anything to improve the status quo. Childhood obesity continues unchecked despite substantial federal, state, and local spending.
Until we are willing to reward healthy living and penalize the obverse, the situation will not improve. Now to some that may sound like social engineering, and conservatives must be constantly vigilant against creeping do-goodism. Yet penalties can be defined as withholding rewards for questionable behavior, such as Medicare providing free scooters to the morbidly obese, lung surgery for smokers, and kidney transplants for alcoholics.
#####
As much as I am tempted to jump into the Gates/Cambridge police controversy, I have learned that while politics and religion were once the taboo subjects of polite conversation, race has overtaken that appellation. Like global warming and health care reform, in America today if you are not on the politically correct side, you are vilified as (at best) a cretin and potentially placed in physical danger.
Suffice to say I find it inconceivable that our President calmed the waters by his press conference allegation of police stupidity. Yes, he did allow as how he could have “calibrated” his remarks differently. Now there’s a thought! Might we consider passing out political calibrators to politicians everywhere?
And yet his straightforward approach to diffuse the issue – inviting Gates and Crowley to the White House “for a beer,” and what will certainly be a Kum-bah-yah moment, is not rocket science but a master stroke. If a similar approach might work with Ahmadinejad and Kim Jung Il, the Vatican may be tempted to launch sainthood proceedings at an early stage. It’s not the mistakes we make but how we correct them.
#####
I rose early today and found John Conyers addressing the National Press Club luncheon on C-SPAN. A true Comedy Central presentation, mocking all things Republican and conservative. Not debating, not disagreeing, but mocking. And not surprising. The laughter was raucous. A fine time was had by all.
At the conclusion, the speaker’s schedule for the next 2 months was announced: Barney Frank, John Kerry, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Ken Burns. And finally a discussion of the need for diversity in journalism. But certainly not political diversity, judging from the unbroken string of liberal Democrats on the speaker invite list. To be certain they do toss in a conservative or Republican now and then to (I assume) maintain their tax exempt status. But the trend is unmistakable.
And my liberal friends continue to be angered by allegations of a liberal press and biased media. Despite the overwhelming sentiment, I recall in my lifetime only Jack Germond of the Baltimore Sun having the honesty to admit his liberal bias. Not to be confused with O’Reilly, Olbermann, et al, “analysts” who are free to wear their bias openly.
#####
Almost August and not a murmur in the Atlantic. The Adventure stands at the ready despite fair winds and azure skies…
.
.
And don’t you love Rep. Henry Waxman who, because he won’t allow members of his own party to “hand over control of (his) Committee to the Republicans” is threatening to simply circumvent a 200-year process and bypass Committee action on the Health Care Bill. He did express his preference for “regular order,” except, apparently, when he doesn’t get his way. Similar situations exist in pre-schools across the land, where a “time-out” is typically the remedy.
Of course Republicans pull similar shenanigans where possible, but they are not the folk continually vowing to “clean up Washington” and “restore public confidence” to the political process. Hypocrisy practiced by politicians is akin to the vertically challenged practicing being short.
#####
The other day while weeding through some mental detritus I came across Winston Churchill’s oft repeated quote: “If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” This helped clarify for me the status of the Hollywood elite. These folks simply live in a fantasy world ala Michael Jackson and have never grown up, hence their stunted maturity. And it confirms as well my impression of the mental capacity of that creative enclave.
Speaking of California, despite all-night sessions to resolve its financial crisis, it appears but a matter of time until the rest of America will be called upon to bail out the lifestyle that so many find economically unsustainable and often bizarre. As liberal Democrats are fond of condemning subsidies for special interests, might they join conservatives in resistance? When swine soar!
#####
And on health care, I’m confused (as usual) by the duel Democrat claims of massive unnecessary expenditures in the system (which I define as the outrageous cost of insuring the medical community against frivolous lawsuits) and allegations that insurance companies routinely deny necessary procedures to their clients.
Debating the morality and value of health care reform can take many voices, but the smoke and mirror approach of suggesting that exposing 43 million uninsured Americans to comprehensive health care will somehow lower costs is appallingly transparent. It is sad that simply saying “it will cost a bundle but it’s the right thing to do” is not politically acceptable. Voting with the heart and the pocketbook are as dissimilar as love and marriage.
And although it will likely be disputed, I postulate that such differences transcend political boundaries. Many years ago I was in line at the local copy center behind a magnificently attired blue-haired matron, who when asked “recycled paper?” for the 7 copies of her 2-page Garden Club letter, huffed indignantly “why recycled, of course.” When informed that it would (as in those days it did) cost one cent additional per page, she lowered her voice and said “regular, then.” Funny how economics can influence our social conscience.
Certain “inconvenient realities” persist on the landscape. Much of the planet that can afford to do so continues to breach American shores for medical treatment. Remember that Yasser Arafat, deprived of that option, chose France for his treatment and was shipped home in a box.
Yet massive dislocations do exist. As a volunteer first responder I learned that when prescription medicine is expended, the disadvantaged routinely call 911 with vague complaints, resulting in an ambulance call, a trip to the emergency room, and a free prescription refill, all at massive cost to the taxpayer. And there is no evidence I‘ve encountered to suggest that extensive demonstration programs designed to encourage healthy living among the poor do anything to improve the status quo. Childhood obesity continues unchecked despite substantial federal, state, and local spending.
Until we are willing to reward healthy living and penalize the obverse, the situation will not improve. Now to some that may sound like social engineering, and conservatives must be constantly vigilant against creeping do-goodism. Yet penalties can be defined as withholding rewards for questionable behavior, such as Medicare providing free scooters to the morbidly obese, lung surgery for smokers, and kidney transplants for alcoholics.
#####
As much as I am tempted to jump into the Gates/Cambridge police controversy, I have learned that while politics and religion were once the taboo subjects of polite conversation, race has overtaken that appellation. Like global warming and health care reform, in America today if you are not on the politically correct side, you are vilified as (at best) a cretin and potentially placed in physical danger.
Suffice to say I find it inconceivable that our President calmed the waters by his press conference allegation of police stupidity. Yes, he did allow as how he could have “calibrated” his remarks differently. Now there’s a thought! Might we consider passing out political calibrators to politicians everywhere?
And yet his straightforward approach to diffuse the issue – inviting Gates and Crowley to the White House “for a beer,” and what will certainly be a Kum-bah-yah moment, is not rocket science but a master stroke. If a similar approach might work with Ahmadinejad and Kim Jung Il, the Vatican may be tempted to launch sainthood proceedings at an early stage. It’s not the mistakes we make but how we correct them.
#####
I rose early today and found John Conyers addressing the National Press Club luncheon on C-SPAN. A true Comedy Central presentation, mocking all things Republican and conservative. Not debating, not disagreeing, but mocking. And not surprising. The laughter was raucous. A fine time was had by all.
At the conclusion, the speaker’s schedule for the next 2 months was announced: Barney Frank, John Kerry, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Ken Burns. And finally a discussion of the need for diversity in journalism. But certainly not political diversity, judging from the unbroken string of liberal Democrats on the speaker invite list. To be certain they do toss in a conservative or Republican now and then to (I assume) maintain their tax exempt status. But the trend is unmistakable.
And my liberal friends continue to be angered by allegations of a liberal press and biased media. Despite the overwhelming sentiment, I recall in my lifetime only Jack Germond of the Baltimore Sun having the honesty to admit his liberal bias. Not to be confused with O’Reilly, Olbermann, et al, “analysts” who are free to wear their bias openly.
#####
Almost August and not a murmur in the Atlantic. The Adventure stands at the ready despite fair winds and azure skies…
.
.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
2009-19 GEORGETOWN
History (for those intrepid enough to study it without bias and spin) tells us that in time of national crisis governments tend to overreact. Just one comparison in my own backyard, that of WW-II and 911, shows us that in the former, the Roosevelt Administration indiscriminately jailed Japanese-American citizens and the Truman Administration firebombed civilians in Dresden and of course unleashed atomic terror on Japan. Though widely applauded at the time, history has come to question such extreme acts, and that is what history is designed to accomplish – dispassionate analysis from a distance, after the fervor of the moment has dissipated.
Conversely, the alleged overreactions of 911, including portions of the Patriot Act, NSA wiretaps, Guantanamo detentions, et al, have received widespread condemnation, with scant acknowledgement that to the extent they were overreactions, they were a predictable response to an unprecedented attack upon our homeland.
It is interesting to contemplate why liberal darlings FDR and Truman both then and now get a pass for their actions while Cheney and Bush are labeled war criminals and produce a blood lust for vengeance on the left.
If excesses motivated by Pearl Harbor can be explained by historical occurrence, why not similar reactions inspired by destruction of the Twin Towers? Might it be just another example of the left forever excusing its actions due to perceived moral superiority while condemning all actions from the right as brutish thuggery? Perhaps.
#####
As much of the nation bakes under an unrelenting sun, I continue to begin each slumber under 2 blankets, though by morning one (but never both) is often discarded. And this, absent the ubiquitous A/C, without which the planet would appear to shrivel and expire. Notwithstanding that the 2nd century Chinese inventor Ding Huan invented a rotary fan for air conditioning, modern A/C was virtually unknown a scant half-century ago, yet we somehow survived the centuries, if uncomfortably so. Are we tough, or what!
#####
Interesting though predictable that Judge Sotomayor has emerged with twin yet diametrically opposed personas – the first a dispassionate, letter-of-the-law, no nonsense, down-the-middle, respectful of precedent jurist, conversely the biased, emotionally disposed, liberally inclined, sentiment-trumping-Constitution adjudicator. We should know the truth in a few years. But it is interesting that her supporters on the left portray her as the former, while it is painfully obvious that they hunger for the latter. Similarly, Roberts and Alito said much and revealed nothing in their confirmation hearings, the rationale being not to tell the truth but to be confirmed. And so Advise and Consent becomes Much Ado About Nothing.
#####
One aspect of my struggle with religion (I find that as one ages there is a tendency to grapple with issues that escape the radar of the young) is the concept of using to the fullest one’s God given talent as opposed to subsuming reason in favor of belief. The twin theological juggernauts of “don’t question, just believe,” and “don’t ask, because we can’t tell,” are vexing restrictions in an atmosphere where we are admonished to “reach high and far”.
Reminds me a bit of the young woman from my former hometown away attending a Christian college. While strolling with a friend on a trail atop a steep hill, the ground gave way and she experienced a terrifying tumble of nearly one hundred feet that left her gravely injured. Upon her recovery while still in hospital she announced that Jesus was with her at the bottom and saved her life. Should one assume that as her fall commenced the Son of God was on a coffee break and therefore missed the opportunity to save her from this trauma?
And while on the subject, I note that religion, so mocked and derided during Republican days in Washington has found favor now that some other folks are in charge. I have never once seen nor heard a single slur against the Black Church (the flak over Obama’s minister was targeted solely at him and carefully avoided any slight against his institution), while snide smirks and spiteful smears against the Evangelical community are an enduring staple at toney gatherings of liberal sophisticates across the land.
Incidentally, lest cynics take heart or true believers umbrage, I find it the existence of a creator to be above debate. I have no clue as to what form he/she/it takes, but the idea that billions of neurons in each human brain firing in perfect sequence were created by random explosion is farcical.
#####
I was pressed, several evenings ago, into domestic service when a server on our special dinner train acquired a malady rendering him unfit to pursue his duties. Inching down aisles barely able to accommodate my modest girth (I had welts on both thighs the next morning) with red in the left hand and white in the right, it was amply reconfirmed that the dispensation of comestibles is trivial in comparison to the need to parry boorish and inane commentary from the assembled throng.
There was some comfort in the knowledge that truly excessive behavior could be dealt with by expulsion from the train, while such solutions are not available to those who dispense similar services in the skies. Although, perhaps…
#####
There appears occasionally in the press some report of a loyal employee feted upon retirement after 40+ years in a position acquired out of high school. Such consistency is judged commendable and it got me to thinking that in both métier and geography I have been a bit flighty. Without having given this much prior thought I now realize that for reasons not entirely apparent, such peripaticity has been an essential element of my passage on the planet.
While I have greatly enjoyed my time in many locations (Paris, Nairobi, Singapore, Hattiesburg, Georgetown) and languished in others (Taiwan, Tokyo (but not the rest of that glorious country), Galveston) and experienced similar emotional highs and lows in various positions I have held this past half-century, it occurs that the element of change has been crucial to the process. Running toward or away from, perhaps, a sort of wandering Gentile in pursuit of the unknown.
While working in Paris decades ago a friend from the rural south confided that his fiancée had never ventured from the South Carolina county into which she was born, had no desire to do so, and let it be known that she would resist any geographical shift. As he discovered the pleasures of new continents and cultures I could see his pain in the inevitable choice he would eventually be forced to make. I wonder what happened?
And that illuminates my own decisions yet to come. While I have quite enjoyed Clear Creek County and the front range of the Rockies, it will soon be time to skedaddle. So many possibilities to which the Adventure has yet to be exposed…
.
.
Conversely, the alleged overreactions of 911, including portions of the Patriot Act, NSA wiretaps, Guantanamo detentions, et al, have received widespread condemnation, with scant acknowledgement that to the extent they were overreactions, they were a predictable response to an unprecedented attack upon our homeland.
It is interesting to contemplate why liberal darlings FDR and Truman both then and now get a pass for their actions while Cheney and Bush are labeled war criminals and produce a blood lust for vengeance on the left.
If excesses motivated by Pearl Harbor can be explained by historical occurrence, why not similar reactions inspired by destruction of the Twin Towers? Might it be just another example of the left forever excusing its actions due to perceived moral superiority while condemning all actions from the right as brutish thuggery? Perhaps.
#####
As much of the nation bakes under an unrelenting sun, I continue to begin each slumber under 2 blankets, though by morning one (but never both) is often discarded. And this, absent the ubiquitous A/C, without which the planet would appear to shrivel and expire. Notwithstanding that the 2nd century Chinese inventor Ding Huan invented a rotary fan for air conditioning, modern A/C was virtually unknown a scant half-century ago, yet we somehow survived the centuries, if uncomfortably so. Are we tough, or what!
#####
Interesting though predictable that Judge Sotomayor has emerged with twin yet diametrically opposed personas – the first a dispassionate, letter-of-the-law, no nonsense, down-the-middle, respectful of precedent jurist, conversely the biased, emotionally disposed, liberally inclined, sentiment-trumping-Constitution adjudicator. We should know the truth in a few years. But it is interesting that her supporters on the left portray her as the former, while it is painfully obvious that they hunger for the latter. Similarly, Roberts and Alito said much and revealed nothing in their confirmation hearings, the rationale being not to tell the truth but to be confirmed. And so Advise and Consent becomes Much Ado About Nothing.
#####
One aspect of my struggle with religion (I find that as one ages there is a tendency to grapple with issues that escape the radar of the young) is the concept of using to the fullest one’s God given talent as opposed to subsuming reason in favor of belief. The twin theological juggernauts of “don’t question, just believe,” and “don’t ask, because we can’t tell,” are vexing restrictions in an atmosphere where we are admonished to “reach high and far”.
Reminds me a bit of the young woman from my former hometown away attending a Christian college. While strolling with a friend on a trail atop a steep hill, the ground gave way and she experienced a terrifying tumble of nearly one hundred feet that left her gravely injured. Upon her recovery while still in hospital she announced that Jesus was with her at the bottom and saved her life. Should one assume that as her fall commenced the Son of God was on a coffee break and therefore missed the opportunity to save her from this trauma?
And while on the subject, I note that religion, so mocked and derided during Republican days in Washington has found favor now that some other folks are in charge. I have never once seen nor heard a single slur against the Black Church (the flak over Obama’s minister was targeted solely at him and carefully avoided any slight against his institution), while snide smirks and spiteful smears against the Evangelical community are an enduring staple at toney gatherings of liberal sophisticates across the land.
Incidentally, lest cynics take heart or true believers umbrage, I find it the existence of a creator to be above debate. I have no clue as to what form he/she/it takes, but the idea that billions of neurons in each human brain firing in perfect sequence were created by random explosion is farcical.
#####
I was pressed, several evenings ago, into domestic service when a server on our special dinner train acquired a malady rendering him unfit to pursue his duties. Inching down aisles barely able to accommodate my modest girth (I had welts on both thighs the next morning) with red in the left hand and white in the right, it was amply reconfirmed that the dispensation of comestibles is trivial in comparison to the need to parry boorish and inane commentary from the assembled throng.
There was some comfort in the knowledge that truly excessive behavior could be dealt with by expulsion from the train, while such solutions are not available to those who dispense similar services in the skies. Although, perhaps…
#####
There appears occasionally in the press some report of a loyal employee feted upon retirement after 40+ years in a position acquired out of high school. Such consistency is judged commendable and it got me to thinking that in both métier and geography I have been a bit flighty. Without having given this much prior thought I now realize that for reasons not entirely apparent, such peripaticity has been an essential element of my passage on the planet.
While I have greatly enjoyed my time in many locations (Paris, Nairobi, Singapore, Hattiesburg, Georgetown) and languished in others (Taiwan, Tokyo (but not the rest of that glorious country), Galveston) and experienced similar emotional highs and lows in various positions I have held this past half-century, it occurs that the element of change has been crucial to the process. Running toward or away from, perhaps, a sort of wandering Gentile in pursuit of the unknown.
While working in Paris decades ago a friend from the rural south confided that his fiancée had never ventured from the South Carolina county into which she was born, had no desire to do so, and let it be known that she would resist any geographical shift. As he discovered the pleasures of new continents and cultures I could see his pain in the inevitable choice he would eventually be forced to make. I wonder what happened?
And that illuminates my own decisions yet to come. While I have quite enjoyed Clear Creek County and the front range of the Rockies, it will soon be time to skedaddle. So many possibilities to which the Adventure has yet to be exposed…
.
.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2009-18 GEORGETOWN
Call me cruel and heartless, but I am disturbed by the magnitude and breadth of the grief expressed over the untimely passing of Michael Jackson. While any such unfortunate event should be met with solemnity and condolence, the event was not in my mind of the cataclysmic proportions to which media, Congress with its moment of silence, The White House, the clogged Internet, and various social organizations propelled it. I can well imagine MTV in mourning, but when CNBC suspended reporting on the global economic crisis to run full-time helicopter coverage of crowds gathered outside the UCLA Medical Center, I sensed a cosmic imbalance.
This was a man who proclaimed on worldwide TV that sharing his bed with young boys was “an act of love,” (I bet it was!), and who avoided jail time by offering multi-million dollar settlements to the parents of children in his care. His claims to fame included dangling his infant child off the balcony of a German hotel and cosmetic surgery that even his own mother once commented was “strange.” Yes, he could dance backwards, and perhaps that tells us something about the culture we have become.
He was labeled the “king of pop.” In my day that appellation fell to Dr. Pepper.
Poor Farah Fawcett’s departure was scheduled for the same day, and as such her considerable talent, including a seminal performance as an abused wife in The Burning Bed was sorely eclipsed in news reporting. For the limited coverage she did receive, the media, always with a sharp eye to the relative importance of events, focused almost entirely on her pinup and Charlie’s Angles days, while her dramatic achievements were left nearly unmentioned.
#####
It has been remarked with some justification that I can claim no natural affinity to the merchant trade, for reasons among others that I do not believe that anyone, least of all the customer, is always right. When the visiting attorney (I knew he was before he so announced for all to hear) whose credit card was declined while attempting to buy train tickets, demanded an immediate audience with our corporate attorney and our “software engineer,” then grabbed a telephone from the hands of my young associate, I was ready to call 911, but dutiful employee that I am I referred him to my manager. There ensued nearly 15 minutes of harangue during which he refused to move from the head of the ticket line, rendering all subsequent sales impossible.
At one point a bearded mountain man several steps back in line offered to “take him out” in return for a free train ride, then relenting said, “aw hell, I’ll pay for the train, just let me take him out.” Temptation was never so compelling as when in 4th grade Sandy Smith offered to “show me hers,” if I would “show her mine.”
Turns out his card was invalid as the night before his credit card company had been sold and a new card expressed to his home in Pennsylvania. My revenge came in the form of a delightful phone conversation (sad that I could hear only his side) with a third-world citizen explaining the new rules of the game. The counselor must have uttered (with increasing volume) a dozen times “I’m in Colorado for crisssakes, what good is a card mailed to my Pennsylvania home going to do me here?” Clearly the Indian sub-continent customer service rep on the other end was not well schooled in North American geography. Salvaged my day.
It is abundantly true that 1% of customers deliver 99% of all grief, and while I am highly motivated to return the favor several fold, my employee handbook instructs, contrary to biblical teaching, that I must suffer fools gladly.
#####
There are myriad locations on the planet where the locals are fond of saying “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.” Out my window in the Paris Marais I once witnessed brilliant sunshine, ominous threatening black clouds, sun, snow showers, then a return to brilliant sun, all within the course of une demi-heure.
It is certainly that way in Clear Creek County, Colorado. Yesterday as dark clouds rolled down the valley and the skies opened with fury, a customer was outraged that I was required to levy a cancellation fee for the train ride 40 minutes hence to which he would in no way subject his fragile family unit. Parroting the official company policy that we “operate rain or shine,” I tried to ease the tension by commenting that “by departure time the sun will probably re-emerge.” Face contorted with self-righteous rage he flung back “that’s bull****, I bet you $100 there won’t be any sun for the rest of the day.” I mumbled something about having my gambling problem under control, then beat a hasty retreat from his wrath.
Sure enough by boarding time sun glasses covered the eyes of one and all, and I positioned myself strategically as passengers alighted at the end of the ride, but I couldn’t make eye contact with the gambler as his attention was suddenly focused elsewhere.
It’s what one does to derive simple percs while working for modest wages. As when delivering phone books last year, on occasion I remarked to those inclined to refuse the free book, that buried in its pages was a “secret passage” which, if discovered, qualified the finder for entrance into a drawing for a free ride on the Space Shuttle. Believe it or don’t, it was the tipping point for several acceptances. And in truth my manager did once comment on a bizarre phone inquiry she received as to the exact page in the book containing the coupon for the free space ride.
#####
Well, an entire Post devoid of reference to politics! Disappointment for a few perhaps, but relief I suspect to the many. You get what you pay for. The Adventure ambles along the plains even as the anticipation of a mountainous storm season emerges…..
.
.
This was a man who proclaimed on worldwide TV that sharing his bed with young boys was “an act of love,” (I bet it was!), and who avoided jail time by offering multi-million dollar settlements to the parents of children in his care. His claims to fame included dangling his infant child off the balcony of a German hotel and cosmetic surgery that even his own mother once commented was “strange.” Yes, he could dance backwards, and perhaps that tells us something about the culture we have become.
He was labeled the “king of pop.” In my day that appellation fell to Dr. Pepper.
Poor Farah Fawcett’s departure was scheduled for the same day, and as such her considerable talent, including a seminal performance as an abused wife in The Burning Bed was sorely eclipsed in news reporting. For the limited coverage she did receive, the media, always with a sharp eye to the relative importance of events, focused almost entirely on her pinup and Charlie’s Angles days, while her dramatic achievements were left nearly unmentioned.
#####
It has been remarked with some justification that I can claim no natural affinity to the merchant trade, for reasons among others that I do not believe that anyone, least of all the customer, is always right. When the visiting attorney (I knew he was before he so announced for all to hear) whose credit card was declined while attempting to buy train tickets, demanded an immediate audience with our corporate attorney and our “software engineer,” then grabbed a telephone from the hands of my young associate, I was ready to call 911, but dutiful employee that I am I referred him to my manager. There ensued nearly 15 minutes of harangue during which he refused to move from the head of the ticket line, rendering all subsequent sales impossible.
At one point a bearded mountain man several steps back in line offered to “take him out” in return for a free train ride, then relenting said, “aw hell, I’ll pay for the train, just let me take him out.” Temptation was never so compelling as when in 4th grade Sandy Smith offered to “show me hers,” if I would “show her mine.”
Turns out his card was invalid as the night before his credit card company had been sold and a new card expressed to his home in Pennsylvania. My revenge came in the form of a delightful phone conversation (sad that I could hear only his side) with a third-world citizen explaining the new rules of the game. The counselor must have uttered (with increasing volume) a dozen times “I’m in Colorado for crisssakes, what good is a card mailed to my Pennsylvania home going to do me here?” Clearly the Indian sub-continent customer service rep on the other end was not well schooled in North American geography. Salvaged my day.
It is abundantly true that 1% of customers deliver 99% of all grief, and while I am highly motivated to return the favor several fold, my employee handbook instructs, contrary to biblical teaching, that I must suffer fools gladly.
#####
There are myriad locations on the planet where the locals are fond of saying “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.” Out my window in the Paris Marais I once witnessed brilliant sunshine, ominous threatening black clouds, sun, snow showers, then a return to brilliant sun, all within the course of une demi-heure.
It is certainly that way in Clear Creek County, Colorado. Yesterday as dark clouds rolled down the valley and the skies opened with fury, a customer was outraged that I was required to levy a cancellation fee for the train ride 40 minutes hence to which he would in no way subject his fragile family unit. Parroting the official company policy that we “operate rain or shine,” I tried to ease the tension by commenting that “by departure time the sun will probably re-emerge.” Face contorted with self-righteous rage he flung back “that’s bull****, I bet you $100 there won’t be any sun for the rest of the day.” I mumbled something about having my gambling problem under control, then beat a hasty retreat from his wrath.
Sure enough by boarding time sun glasses covered the eyes of one and all, and I positioned myself strategically as passengers alighted at the end of the ride, but I couldn’t make eye contact with the gambler as his attention was suddenly focused elsewhere.
It’s what one does to derive simple percs while working for modest wages. As when delivering phone books last year, on occasion I remarked to those inclined to refuse the free book, that buried in its pages was a “secret passage” which, if discovered, qualified the finder for entrance into a drawing for a free ride on the Space Shuttle. Believe it or don’t, it was the tipping point for several acceptances. And in truth my manager did once comment on a bizarre phone inquiry she received as to the exact page in the book containing the coupon for the free space ride.
#####
Well, an entire Post devoid of reference to politics! Disappointment for a few perhaps, but relief I suspect to the many. You get what you pay for. The Adventure ambles along the plains even as the anticipation of a mountainous storm season emerges…..
.
.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
2009-17 GEORGETOWN
.
Mea culpa. Maybe.
Chrysler’s sale to Fiat is accomplished in record time in part through a redefinition of bankruptcy law that has stood for some 200 years. My President promised, and I doubted, dazzling velocity in navigating a process that historically has required many months and even years. Illustrative of the unprecedented stroke the White House currently wields, unparalleled speed ensued, and even a plea to the Supreme Court (albeit that it fell fortuitously to its most liberal member) could not derail the freight train of Obama destiny. Of course those standing on the tracks as the train barreled past got mowed down, but what’s a little carnage in the name of progress.
#####
A reader has questioned my use of the term “my President” and occasionally “our President.” Well, he is! The terminology is in part a rejoinder to the throngs of the past who petulantly proclaimed “Bush is not my President.” That only works if you void and mail in your Passport to the Department of State. Remember the hordes who vowed to emigrate to Canada in 2004? I saw neither a mass exodus then nor a rush to return four years later.
#####
Good leftists have a talent for never letting a tragedy pass unexploited. Left wing BLOGS are aflutter with cries of right wing hate, after the Holocaust Museum shooting and the murder of Robert Tiller. Right wing hate crimes? Certainly they exist. Similar acts of violence on the left? Yeah, they subsist as well. Remember Lee Harvey Oswald? Recall the ELF and PETA slash and burn tactics to further their “causes?”
A continuing theme of this BLOG has been that those on either side of the political spectrum who believe they have cornered the market on decency and morality, and conversely those on the other have a monopoly on hate and violence, perpetuate a cruel hoax and provide useful data on how their synapses fire.
Of course Hollywood does this every day to the delight of the far left. Frank Burns, the bumbling MASH surgeon, Rose Nylan, the dipsy mid-Western Golden Girl, and of course, Archie Bunker, Republicans all. While liberals Hawkeye, Maude, the West Wing guy, proliferate and prosper. Just Hollywood’s way of using the appellation to proclaim someone to be insensitive, morally repulsive, or genetically deficient. How easy to mark someone as a dolt (or worse) simply by applying a label.
Academia is not far behind. Recall the Duke University philosophy professor when asked why there are not more conservatives in the profession, responded that they lack the intellectual capacity to engage in such eclectic endeavors. And when was the last time you heard of a left-wing speaker being pummeled with fruit and driven from the podium at one of our citadels of “free and open discussion?” Happens to conservatives with regularity.
Now if this leads to a self-satisfied smirk and a poke in the ribs of your far left cohorts – “see, I knew it was true,” then you join a robust band of those who also believe(d) in the superiority of one culture over others. Those folks in Germany who were convinced of the inferiority of the Jews, racists in the American south and elsewhere who treated people of color as chattel, homophobes everywhere who label gay men as limp-wristed pansies and Lesbians as testosterone-laden tomboys. There are vivid descriptions for those who harbor such beliefs.
Paranoid, you say? Perhaps. But name one Hollywood hero of the last quarter century portrayed on the screen or tube as a proud conservative? John Wayne is out of fashion. You might point to the Terminator or the idiot Steven Segal, but movie moguls fashion them as brutish, knuckle-dragging trogs, all the more mockable by the sophisticated Chardonnay set.
Leftists are simply so unfailingly convinced of their superiority that they cannot fathom alternate philosophies and beliefs. The closed mind is a terrible thing to let roam loose.
#####
During the Campaign, McCain advisor Senator Phil Graham made a seminal statement to the effect that America and American’s were not as bad off as they made it seem, and suggested in most un-PC terms that they “stop whining.” He was beset with anguished wails “oh how can you be so cruel when the country and its citizenry are in such pain.” Personally I thought he made sense. While there was (and remains) suffering for sure, on a relative scale it was either exceedingly moderate or our threshold of acceptance dipped lower than the Dow Jones average.
No, I am not going into competition with Oprah, but I do offer a novel for the exercise of measuring our pain against that of contemporaries. The Monkey House by John Fullerton, a journalist who reported the Bosnian war from Sarajevo, paints a stark but realistic picture of the siege of that city. Read it and tell me if you believe any American would trade their pain for that experienced in this once glorious city of the former Yugoslavia.
#####
I’m not a fan of the slippery slope theory. When the NRA suggests that taking members’ AK-47s is but a precursor to feel-good liberals confiscating children’s BB guns, I have difficulty connecting the dots. When liberals vow that 12-year old girls should have unobstructed right to abortion without parents’ consent lest this precious “human right!” begin to crumble, I am similarly flummoxed. But piercing (not piercing commentary, but body piercing), which for decades was confined to ears (a benign practice yet one I fail to comprehend) has now expanded to eyelashes, navels, tongues (ugh), not to mention body parts that were once considered private and unassailable to the needle.
Establishing one’s unique identity is often put forth as a rationale for such bizarre behavior. I don’t recall ever feeling the need to so self-identify (at least not in such extreme fashion) and that may explain some of the deficiencies under which I struggle.
But piercing?
Early on I had a bad experience with a needle at the hands of a rural doctor (or so I was told; I don’t recall seeing a diploma on the wall). And that may account for the aversion. But why anyone would voluntarily stick a bolt through their tongue or mangle a body part designed for suckling infants is, I’m afraid, a practice that no matter how I try, I can neither fathom nor justify. Fogey though I be, I am not in favor of breaking skin for pleasure.
#####
Both Atlantic and Pacific Basins remain tranquil, but the response trade is rumbling awake, and I am receiving inquiries as to my quickness (as opposed to my deadness) and availability if and when…
.
.
Mea culpa. Maybe.
Chrysler’s sale to Fiat is accomplished in record time in part through a redefinition of bankruptcy law that has stood for some 200 years. My President promised, and I doubted, dazzling velocity in navigating a process that historically has required many months and even years. Illustrative of the unprecedented stroke the White House currently wields, unparalleled speed ensued, and even a plea to the Supreme Court (albeit that it fell fortuitously to its most liberal member) could not derail the freight train of Obama destiny. Of course those standing on the tracks as the train barreled past got mowed down, but what’s a little carnage in the name of progress.
#####
A reader has questioned my use of the term “my President” and occasionally “our President.” Well, he is! The terminology is in part a rejoinder to the throngs of the past who petulantly proclaimed “Bush is not my President.” That only works if you void and mail in your Passport to the Department of State. Remember the hordes who vowed to emigrate to Canada in 2004? I saw neither a mass exodus then nor a rush to return four years later.
#####
Good leftists have a talent for never letting a tragedy pass unexploited. Left wing BLOGS are aflutter with cries of right wing hate, after the Holocaust Museum shooting and the murder of Robert Tiller. Right wing hate crimes? Certainly they exist. Similar acts of violence on the left? Yeah, they subsist as well. Remember Lee Harvey Oswald? Recall the ELF and PETA slash and burn tactics to further their “causes?”
A continuing theme of this BLOG has been that those on either side of the political spectrum who believe they have cornered the market on decency and morality, and conversely those on the other have a monopoly on hate and violence, perpetuate a cruel hoax and provide useful data on how their synapses fire.
Of course Hollywood does this every day to the delight of the far left. Frank Burns, the bumbling MASH surgeon, Rose Nylan, the dipsy mid-Western Golden Girl, and of course, Archie Bunker, Republicans all. While liberals Hawkeye, Maude, the West Wing guy, proliferate and prosper. Just Hollywood’s way of using the appellation to proclaim someone to be insensitive, morally repulsive, or genetically deficient. How easy to mark someone as a dolt (or worse) simply by applying a label.
Academia is not far behind. Recall the Duke University philosophy professor when asked why there are not more conservatives in the profession, responded that they lack the intellectual capacity to engage in such eclectic endeavors. And when was the last time you heard of a left-wing speaker being pummeled with fruit and driven from the podium at one of our citadels of “free and open discussion?” Happens to conservatives with regularity.
Now if this leads to a self-satisfied smirk and a poke in the ribs of your far left cohorts – “see, I knew it was true,” then you join a robust band of those who also believe(d) in the superiority of one culture over others. Those folks in Germany who were convinced of the inferiority of the Jews, racists in the American south and elsewhere who treated people of color as chattel, homophobes everywhere who label gay men as limp-wristed pansies and Lesbians as testosterone-laden tomboys. There are vivid descriptions for those who harbor such beliefs.
Paranoid, you say? Perhaps. But name one Hollywood hero of the last quarter century portrayed on the screen or tube as a proud conservative? John Wayne is out of fashion. You might point to the Terminator or the idiot Steven Segal, but movie moguls fashion them as brutish, knuckle-dragging trogs, all the more mockable by the sophisticated Chardonnay set.
Leftists are simply so unfailingly convinced of their superiority that they cannot fathom alternate philosophies and beliefs. The closed mind is a terrible thing to let roam loose.
#####
During the Campaign, McCain advisor Senator Phil Graham made a seminal statement to the effect that America and American’s were not as bad off as they made it seem, and suggested in most un-PC terms that they “stop whining.” He was beset with anguished wails “oh how can you be so cruel when the country and its citizenry are in such pain.” Personally I thought he made sense. While there was (and remains) suffering for sure, on a relative scale it was either exceedingly moderate or our threshold of acceptance dipped lower than the Dow Jones average.
No, I am not going into competition with Oprah, but I do offer a novel for the exercise of measuring our pain against that of contemporaries. The Monkey House by John Fullerton, a journalist who reported the Bosnian war from Sarajevo, paints a stark but realistic picture of the siege of that city. Read it and tell me if you believe any American would trade their pain for that experienced in this once glorious city of the former Yugoslavia.
#####
I’m not a fan of the slippery slope theory. When the NRA suggests that taking members’ AK-47s is but a precursor to feel-good liberals confiscating children’s BB guns, I have difficulty connecting the dots. When liberals vow that 12-year old girls should have unobstructed right to abortion without parents’ consent lest this precious “human right!” begin to crumble, I am similarly flummoxed. But piercing (not piercing commentary, but body piercing), which for decades was confined to ears (a benign practice yet one I fail to comprehend) has now expanded to eyelashes, navels, tongues (ugh), not to mention body parts that were once considered private and unassailable to the needle.
Establishing one’s unique identity is often put forth as a rationale for such bizarre behavior. I don’t recall ever feeling the need to so self-identify (at least not in such extreme fashion) and that may explain some of the deficiencies under which I struggle.
But piercing?
Early on I had a bad experience with a needle at the hands of a rural doctor (or so I was told; I don’t recall seeing a diploma on the wall). And that may account for the aversion. But why anyone would voluntarily stick a bolt through their tongue or mangle a body part designed for suckling infants is, I’m afraid, a practice that no matter how I try, I can neither fathom nor justify. Fogey though I be, I am not in favor of breaking skin for pleasure.
#####
Both Atlantic and Pacific Basins remain tranquil, but the response trade is rumbling awake, and I am receiving inquiries as to my quickness (as opposed to my deadness) and availability if and when…
.
.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
2009-16 GEORGETOWN
I am comforted that the world has paused for a few seconds to remember D-Day, and the contribution of British, American, and Canadian forces toward the liberation of Europe. Recent history has recorded the glee which much of the planet derives from dumping on America, so it’s nice to remember the day in which sacrifice was rewarded with gratitude.
Much has been made of the weather surrounding the Normandy landing (not an “invasion” as some describe, as it was a military effort to retake occupied territory). But history has forgotten the contribution of my namesake and uncle, Major Harry Richard Seiwell, assigned to the Allied Command General Staff. As one of the planet’s first PhD Oceanographers, it was his advice that helped convince General Eisenhower, despite nasty weather, to proceed with the mission.
While a majority of consultants sued for delay, chief meteorologist British Group Captain J. M. Stagg, with urging from Major Seiwell, argued for the mission to proceed. Seiwell maintained that it was not the weather itself, but its effect on the sea and ultimately on the amphibious aircraft that was the critical factor. It was Major Seiwell’s analysis of weather’s impact on Channel swells that provided the clinching data.
Captain Stagg garnered a place in history, while Major Seiwell quietly returned to his family and research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. Several years later, along with his wife and two young daughters, all were killed instantly while on a skiing vacation in Quebec, when in a blinding snowstorm their car was broadsided by a Canadian National Railway freight train at an unmarked crossing. The engineer was alleged in local news accounts to be speeding while intoxicated but was not charged.
Major Seiwell was a bright branch on a family tree that includes many undistinguished limbs, but few miscreants and no (identified) ax murders.
#####
Are we entering the age of Sarkobama? Perhaps. But in the joint press conference I watched on C-SPAN, my President was 98.4% in the spotlight and a pensive Sarko sat quietly, nodding occasionally, and appearing as though he wished he were somewhere else. There is always a risk when you share the stage with a rock star that your own light will rest unseen under the proverbial bushel. Not a promising prospect for any politician.
#####
Don’t hold your breath in anticipation of an outcome for the 2 journalists held by Pyongyang to replicate the happy ending afforded the young woman held in Tehran. While Iran is still hopeful of winning some international support (and maintains friends in Russia and China), North Korea appears willing to go down in flames, and thus has little incentive to make conciliatory gestures. The lesson should be that when a bully sticks a finger in your eye, doing nothing (or posturing with meaningless threats) is not a good omen for your other eye.
#####
A word on who does and does not pay income tax. Dueling BLOGS left and right make a hash of the subject, both employing convoluted math and logic to spin their predetermined convictions. And so we turn to the IRS, which states that in 2005, the last year they bothered to compile the figures, 43.8 million tax returns – 32.6% of the total filed, paid no income tax. Statistical projection places that number well over 40% for the year 2008, and Obama’s promises to “reform” the tax code, if realized, will certainly push that number over the half century mark.
And so each of you reading this who actually pay U. S. income taxes must realize that the burden you feel as you slog along the trail of life is the weight of a non-paying American you carry. Now that might illicit some comfort if you picture the slogee as a Simon Legreesque, handlebar moustache sporting, black hat wearing evil businessman, but I will venture there are readers among you of quite modest means who bear a tax burden year in and out, while somehow half of the citizenry escapes the ignominy of April 15.
You might deduce from this statistic that fully half of America is so bereft of recourses that they are unable to share, even in small measure, in the tax burden. Either that or perhaps we have crafted a tax code that in the nation with the highest standard of living in the history of the planet, fully half the citizenry can rely on the other half to foot the bill.
#####
I don’t consider myself a particularly moralistic person, but I’m troubled by the “enlightened” view that illicit sex is a victimless crime, that intimate relations are nobody’s business but the participants. As a conservative I don’t fancy government functionaries poking their noses into the nation’s bedrooms. But I was disturbed by my former President’s dalliance in The People’s House (I’ll stop bringing this up when leftists cease the “Bush stole the 2000 election” refrain). What he and whatshername engaged in matters not one whit to me, save the lesson it sent to the nation and particularly our young.
When I hear that some schools and social organizations are promoting oral sex to young teenage girls as a convenient means of avoiding pregnancy, I wonder whether the path we travel is paved with shifting sand. Where oh where are the feminists on this? For years they have attacked all manner of chauvinism from men’s magazines to workplace harassment, yet I hear nary a word about such advice imparted to impressionable young women.
#####
I think I mentioned that I have but 28 channels on my TV, equally divided among Spanish language, religion, community feel-good, sports and the Boob Channel, a collection of top-heavy flaxen lovelies toiling assiduously to confirm every demeaning slur against their sub-culture. It arrives on my TV a bit grey and fuzzy, as though some celestial censor is attempting to shield me from depravity.
But there is AMC with its bewildering array of offerings. I’ve never been one for macho movies nor chick flicks – I’m simply not a movie aficionado. But on this cold, rainy morning I watched the syrupy A Kiss at Midnight and experienced an odd sensation, akin to sentimentality, which I also felt at age 8 when Zippy my pet goldfish expired. Just one more slide on the slippery slope toward dementia, I suppose. I then watched A Thousand Clowns with Jason Robards and Barbara Harris and The Longest Day, produced I would assume as an audio/visual aid for those with the shortest memories.
…Tourists have descended on Georgetown, swelling the town’s population. I’ve always wondered at the local proclivity to condemn the very population that supports them, yet I do notice that those who travel for pleasure often forget to pack their common sense and good manners. The Adventure is swept along with the roiling Clear Creek, emboldened by Continental Divide runoff. A-Basin, the last area ski resort holdout, closes today…the seasons turn, turn, turn…And by the way, the snow shower last Sunday was brief and followed by bright sun…
.
.
Much has been made of the weather surrounding the Normandy landing (not an “invasion” as some describe, as it was a military effort to retake occupied territory). But history has forgotten the contribution of my namesake and uncle, Major Harry Richard Seiwell, assigned to the Allied Command General Staff. As one of the planet’s first PhD Oceanographers, it was his advice that helped convince General Eisenhower, despite nasty weather, to proceed with the mission.
While a majority of consultants sued for delay, chief meteorologist British Group Captain J. M. Stagg, with urging from Major Seiwell, argued for the mission to proceed. Seiwell maintained that it was not the weather itself, but its effect on the sea and ultimately on the amphibious aircraft that was the critical factor. It was Major Seiwell’s analysis of weather’s impact on Channel swells that provided the clinching data.
Captain Stagg garnered a place in history, while Major Seiwell quietly returned to his family and research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. Several years later, along with his wife and two young daughters, all were killed instantly while on a skiing vacation in Quebec, when in a blinding snowstorm their car was broadsided by a Canadian National Railway freight train at an unmarked crossing. The engineer was alleged in local news accounts to be speeding while intoxicated but was not charged.
Major Seiwell was a bright branch on a family tree that includes many undistinguished limbs, but few miscreants and no (identified) ax murders.
#####
Are we entering the age of Sarkobama? Perhaps. But in the joint press conference I watched on C-SPAN, my President was 98.4% in the spotlight and a pensive Sarko sat quietly, nodding occasionally, and appearing as though he wished he were somewhere else. There is always a risk when you share the stage with a rock star that your own light will rest unseen under the proverbial bushel. Not a promising prospect for any politician.
#####
Don’t hold your breath in anticipation of an outcome for the 2 journalists held by Pyongyang to replicate the happy ending afforded the young woman held in Tehran. While Iran is still hopeful of winning some international support (and maintains friends in Russia and China), North Korea appears willing to go down in flames, and thus has little incentive to make conciliatory gestures. The lesson should be that when a bully sticks a finger in your eye, doing nothing (or posturing with meaningless threats) is not a good omen for your other eye.
#####
A word on who does and does not pay income tax. Dueling BLOGS left and right make a hash of the subject, both employing convoluted math and logic to spin their predetermined convictions. And so we turn to the IRS, which states that in 2005, the last year they bothered to compile the figures, 43.8 million tax returns – 32.6% of the total filed, paid no income tax. Statistical projection places that number well over 40% for the year 2008, and Obama’s promises to “reform” the tax code, if realized, will certainly push that number over the half century mark.
And so each of you reading this who actually pay U. S. income taxes must realize that the burden you feel as you slog along the trail of life is the weight of a non-paying American you carry. Now that might illicit some comfort if you picture the slogee as a Simon Legreesque, handlebar moustache sporting, black hat wearing evil businessman, but I will venture there are readers among you of quite modest means who bear a tax burden year in and out, while somehow half of the citizenry escapes the ignominy of April 15.
You might deduce from this statistic that fully half of America is so bereft of recourses that they are unable to share, even in small measure, in the tax burden. Either that or perhaps we have crafted a tax code that in the nation with the highest standard of living in the history of the planet, fully half the citizenry can rely on the other half to foot the bill.
#####
I don’t consider myself a particularly moralistic person, but I’m troubled by the “enlightened” view that illicit sex is a victimless crime, that intimate relations are nobody’s business but the participants. As a conservative I don’t fancy government functionaries poking their noses into the nation’s bedrooms. But I was disturbed by my former President’s dalliance in The People’s House (I’ll stop bringing this up when leftists cease the “Bush stole the 2000 election” refrain). What he and whatshername engaged in matters not one whit to me, save the lesson it sent to the nation and particularly our young.
When I hear that some schools and social organizations are promoting oral sex to young teenage girls as a convenient means of avoiding pregnancy, I wonder whether the path we travel is paved with shifting sand. Where oh where are the feminists on this? For years they have attacked all manner of chauvinism from men’s magazines to workplace harassment, yet I hear nary a word about such advice imparted to impressionable young women.
#####
I think I mentioned that I have but 28 channels on my TV, equally divided among Spanish language, religion, community feel-good, sports and the Boob Channel, a collection of top-heavy flaxen lovelies toiling assiduously to confirm every demeaning slur against their sub-culture. It arrives on my TV a bit grey and fuzzy, as though some celestial censor is attempting to shield me from depravity.
But there is AMC with its bewildering array of offerings. I’ve never been one for macho movies nor chick flicks – I’m simply not a movie aficionado. But on this cold, rainy morning I watched the syrupy A Kiss at Midnight and experienced an odd sensation, akin to sentimentality, which I also felt at age 8 when Zippy my pet goldfish expired. Just one more slide on the slippery slope toward dementia, I suppose. I then watched A Thousand Clowns with Jason Robards and Barbara Harris and The Longest Day, produced I would assume as an audio/visual aid for those with the shortest memories.
…Tourists have descended on Georgetown, swelling the town’s population. I’ve always wondered at the local proclivity to condemn the very population that supports them, yet I do notice that those who travel for pleasure often forget to pack their common sense and good manners. The Adventure is swept along with the roiling Clear Creek, emboldened by Continental Divide runoff. A-Basin, the last area ski resort holdout, closes today…the seasons turn, turn, turn…And by the way, the snow shower last Sunday was brief and followed by bright sun…
.
.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
2009-15 GEORGETOWN
Today is one which in winter would be glorious. Steady precip, creating a wonderland of snowfall, perfect for a walk through town or a stroll in the woods. But now that the Vernal Equinox is upon us, an identical weather pattern produces biting cold rain that encapsulates the bones and an ominous fog that hangs over the valley housing Georgetown. A good day to BLOG.
And in a rare example of harmonious geophysical alignment, on this cheerless day the Georgetown Loop Railroad is out of commission, as 18-hours ago a sizable boulder tumbled down and into one of the open cars filled with enthusiastic riders contemplating nothing more aggressive than a cloudy chill replacing springtime sun. The car did not derail, no injuries resulted, but the rock made further passage impossible, and a second train was hurriedly dispatched to transfer passengers and return them to the station where they received full refunds. I found them surprisingly tolerant of the inconvenience. One German lad sitting in the very car struck by the chute de pierre labeled the occurrence the high point of his visit to America. One wonders as to his worst experience!
The Georgetown Loop Railroad features open gondolas and “covered” cars, i.e. roof but no side cover. I am amazed at the hearty souls who brave the elements – wind, drizzle, mid 40’s temperature – to glimpse a bygone era. Yesterday I took my mandatory familiarization ride and mine tour in “partly cloudy” conditions. By nature I avoid tours of any stripe, but did enjoy this one. Traveling through narrow passages cut into steep terrain, crossing (4 times) Clear Creek (near the height of its ferocity propelled by Continental Divide runoff), viewing the odd bighorn sheep, traversing the High Bridge, a narrow trestle several hundred feet above a steep canyon long ago named Devil’s Gate. The guide was informative and mercifully un-hokey. All in all a good day.
#####
I have some sympathy for Ms. Sotomayor, as every syllable she has uttered since puberty is now under a microscope. Don’t know about you, but I would certainly wither under such scrutiny. Both sides of the aisle play the gotcha game and both shriek in righteous indignation when the other side employs the tactic.
Is she qualified? Undoubtedly! But so was Robert Bork. Unquestionably. Though his judicial philosophy was unacceptable to the left. No less so than her remarks suggesting Latina women are more intelligent than white men are offensive to the right (and to other political philosophies, one would hope). And the Choice folks are twitching, as our President apparently neglected to inquire as to her abortion stance (exceeding hard to believe), and a little-reported factoid is that her ascendancy would mean a two-thirds Roman Catholic majority on the Court. That would mean that over half of all Catholics serving in the history of the High Court are currently sitting. Can you imagine the pressure on our President when the next vacancy occurs to appoint a Jew, a Muslim (Sunni, Shiite?), GLBT, et. al.
And I may have to ramp up my predictive tendencies. Despite much speculation as to the eventual nominee, it appeared to me a slam-dunk that the twin actualities of gender and ethnicity made Ms. Sotomayor an odds-on favorite.
#####
A troubling thought as Iran moves toward elections next month. It is plausible that its power structure, specifically its President, who honed his political skills in the “takeover” (a PC term favored by the media that actually means “terrorist siege”) of the American Embassy in Tehran some 3 decades ago, is actively baiting Israel to launch a pre-emptive attack. Unlike those of the last century, when troops massing on Israel’s borders provided clear evidence of impending danger (and thus some limited international sympathy), it seems that Iran may have a nuclear strike capability long before definitive proof can be laid before the United Nations, which in any event would posture and dither and issue empty warnings (Saddam was issued 19 “final” warnings as I recall).
This poses a true dilemma for America and illustrates an enduring geopolitical quandary – talk vs. action. It is clear that much of the planet, led by Europe, favors the former while the USA labels empty rhetoric as hypocrisy and charges headlong into the tall grass and nettles to varying world opinion: WWII, hero; Iraq, goat.
#####
And yes, as Ronald Reagan would say, “here they go again.” North Korea fires missiles. The UN Security Council scurries into Executive Session and hastily crafts a “severe response”. Result: North Korea launches more missiles and abrogates the 1953 Armistice. The planetary geopolitical geniuses certainly have the little dictator shivering in his boots, don’t they now?
And just this morning an “unnamed” White House source suggested that our President may have to “go it alone” if repeated UN warnings are unheeded. Say what? Could that be? Who was that other guy savagely vilified by having the temerity to “go it alone” when 19 UN “final warnings” failed to deter the Butcher of Baghdad?
#####
I have long believed that were some interplanetary voyagers to alight on our shores and request treatises describing all the major geopolitical "isms" practiced on earth – after study and contemplation they would likely embrace some form of communism or socialism. It sounds so good; but it does not work.
Today I arose hours before sunrise to hear my President address the Muslim world from Cairo. He sounds so good; I hope his words ring true. So far we have only the promise. But it is promise confronting centuries of history that tell a different story. Many will say that promise trumps its antonym. But promise sans fulfillment rings hollow and breeds false expectation. One can (and should) always hope, but the cynic in me urges caution. One indisputable fact remains however; our President has mastered speech as the French have conquered cuisine.
….Hurricane season is upon us, and the tragedy of Air France 447 reminds us that M. Nature is a formidable mistress…
.
.
And in a rare example of harmonious geophysical alignment, on this cheerless day the Georgetown Loop Railroad is out of commission, as 18-hours ago a sizable boulder tumbled down and into one of the open cars filled with enthusiastic riders contemplating nothing more aggressive than a cloudy chill replacing springtime sun. The car did not derail, no injuries resulted, but the rock made further passage impossible, and a second train was hurriedly dispatched to transfer passengers and return them to the station where they received full refunds. I found them surprisingly tolerant of the inconvenience. One German lad sitting in the very car struck by the chute de pierre labeled the occurrence the high point of his visit to America. One wonders as to his worst experience!
The Georgetown Loop Railroad features open gondolas and “covered” cars, i.e. roof but no side cover. I am amazed at the hearty souls who brave the elements – wind, drizzle, mid 40’s temperature – to glimpse a bygone era. Yesterday I took my mandatory familiarization ride and mine tour in “partly cloudy” conditions. By nature I avoid tours of any stripe, but did enjoy this one. Traveling through narrow passages cut into steep terrain, crossing (4 times) Clear Creek (near the height of its ferocity propelled by Continental Divide runoff), viewing the odd bighorn sheep, traversing the High Bridge, a narrow trestle several hundred feet above a steep canyon long ago named Devil’s Gate. The guide was informative and mercifully un-hokey. All in all a good day.
#####
I have some sympathy for Ms. Sotomayor, as every syllable she has uttered since puberty is now under a microscope. Don’t know about you, but I would certainly wither under such scrutiny. Both sides of the aisle play the gotcha game and both shriek in righteous indignation when the other side employs the tactic.
Is she qualified? Undoubtedly! But so was Robert Bork. Unquestionably. Though his judicial philosophy was unacceptable to the left. No less so than her remarks suggesting Latina women are more intelligent than white men are offensive to the right (and to other political philosophies, one would hope). And the Choice folks are twitching, as our President apparently neglected to inquire as to her abortion stance (exceeding hard to believe), and a little-reported factoid is that her ascendancy would mean a two-thirds Roman Catholic majority on the Court. That would mean that over half of all Catholics serving in the history of the High Court are currently sitting. Can you imagine the pressure on our President when the next vacancy occurs to appoint a Jew, a Muslim (Sunni, Shiite?), GLBT, et. al.
And I may have to ramp up my predictive tendencies. Despite much speculation as to the eventual nominee, it appeared to me a slam-dunk that the twin actualities of gender and ethnicity made Ms. Sotomayor an odds-on favorite.
#####
A troubling thought as Iran moves toward elections next month. It is plausible that its power structure, specifically its President, who honed his political skills in the “takeover” (a PC term favored by the media that actually means “terrorist siege”) of the American Embassy in Tehran some 3 decades ago, is actively baiting Israel to launch a pre-emptive attack. Unlike those of the last century, when troops massing on Israel’s borders provided clear evidence of impending danger (and thus some limited international sympathy), it seems that Iran may have a nuclear strike capability long before definitive proof can be laid before the United Nations, which in any event would posture and dither and issue empty warnings (Saddam was issued 19 “final” warnings as I recall).
This poses a true dilemma for America and illustrates an enduring geopolitical quandary – talk vs. action. It is clear that much of the planet, led by Europe, favors the former while the USA labels empty rhetoric as hypocrisy and charges headlong into the tall grass and nettles to varying world opinion: WWII, hero; Iraq, goat.
#####
And yes, as Ronald Reagan would say, “here they go again.” North Korea fires missiles. The UN Security Council scurries into Executive Session and hastily crafts a “severe response”. Result: North Korea launches more missiles and abrogates the 1953 Armistice. The planetary geopolitical geniuses certainly have the little dictator shivering in his boots, don’t they now?
And just this morning an “unnamed” White House source suggested that our President may have to “go it alone” if repeated UN warnings are unheeded. Say what? Could that be? Who was that other guy savagely vilified by having the temerity to “go it alone” when 19 UN “final warnings” failed to deter the Butcher of Baghdad?
#####
I have long believed that were some interplanetary voyagers to alight on our shores and request treatises describing all the major geopolitical "isms" practiced on earth – after study and contemplation they would likely embrace some form of communism or socialism. It sounds so good; but it does not work.
Today I arose hours before sunrise to hear my President address the Muslim world from Cairo. He sounds so good; I hope his words ring true. So far we have only the promise. But it is promise confronting centuries of history that tell a different story. Many will say that promise trumps its antonym. But promise sans fulfillment rings hollow and breeds false expectation. One can (and should) always hope, but the cynic in me urges caution. One indisputable fact remains however; our President has mastered speech as the French have conquered cuisine.
….Hurricane season is upon us, and the tragedy of Air France 447 reminds us that M. Nature is a formidable mistress…
.
.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
2009-14 GEORGETOWN
As some had predicted, the Iranian-American journalist jailed in Tehran has been released and leftists the planet over are in thrall. “Shocking and wonderful” gushed PBS while several network talking heads speculated this might be sign of a “thaw” in U.S.-Iranian relations. Good golly Ms. Molly, I too am happy for the young woman, but to ascribe this as a “humanitarian gesture” is ludicrous. A bit like robbing a bank then giving half back and expecting to be nominated for Citizen of the Year.
#####
I have suggested that we monitor closely the promises made by our new President for an indication of progress on his pledge to bring honesty, transparency, and integrity to Washington. Broken political promises are as common as skeeters on a stagnant summer pond, but liberals (who harbor metaphysical convictions of moral superiority) typically sashay into office with promises to vanquish past malevolence.
Recall Pilosi’s “culture of Republican corruption” (witness LA congressman Jefferson; cabinet nominees Richardson, Daschle, et al; tax cheats Geithner, Killefer, et al, former Democrat Governor Blagojevitch, etc). And I could bore you with similar assurances by Carter and Clinton. Suffice to say that despite liberal smirking arrogance, there is enough malfeasance on both sides of the aisle to thrill a cosmic Lucifer scrambling to fill his annual quota of lost souls.
There are already serious fissures in the litany of Obama promises, and a swarm of skepticism on his ability to deliver on others. If passed in its current form, Cap & Trade will (even Democrats agree) increase the taxes of all those who use gas, electricity, and other utilities. Well, Cap & Trade is not technically a tax, but I wonder how much comfort is derived by Americans having their pockets lightened through sleight of word that assigns the filch a more politically palatable (i.e. deceptive) moniker.
We now hear from a White House source that the Chrysler bankruptcy, which our President promised would take 30-60 days, may in fact stretch out for 2 years! But wait. The official noted that the promise related only to the “sale of Chrysler's best assets to a new entity.” Wow, was that fierce wind I just experienced a massive spin twirling across the land?
Add the closing of Guantanamo, reduction of the debt by 50%, health care for all paid for by none, et al. Yes, yes, yes, stipulated there is no monopoly on breaking promises, but the arrogance of one who in the most precise and concrete terms assures us that the villainy of the past will exist no more, and who in his first 100 days is already shattering pledges with the ferocity of plates crashing at a Greek wedding, suggests that the hope for a more honest future is no less illusive than peace on earth or a controversy-free Miss USA pageant.
#####
Note to Europe: The EU is flexing its regulatory muscle, with the latest smackdown a nearly $1.5 billion fine levied on Intel. Be prepared for pushback focused on European firms rushing to snap up American commercial assets at fire sale prices. Sometimes when you start a stone rolling downhill it crushes unintended targets.
Set a trap for Cheney; catch a Pilosi!
#####
Conservatives have long complained of a double standard in American politics. Liberals roll their eyes and sue for secession of the whining, as one would admonish a petulant child. But examples abound. When Abu Greib surfaced several years ago, liberal outrage generated a virtual firestorm of demand for full disclosure and worldwide circulation of grizzly and humiliating photos. Yet now when a new round of abuse is uncovered our President is hailed as patriotic for refusing to release images “that might endanger our troops.” If disclosure is wrong now it was wrong then.
Republican Senator Mark Hatfield was drummed out of Washington after being accused of a pattern of inappropriate behavior, but when a Democrat President was found to have had sex in the White House – The People’s House – with a young intern under his control, and then lied about it, somehow this became a “personal affair,” unworthy of public concern. Women’s groups that marshaled relentless salvos against Hatfield called the Clinton affair “unfortunate.” D’ya think?
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott lost his leadership position after making an offhand (and non-incendiary) comment at a birthday celebration for former segregationist Strom Thurmond. Now Leader Pelosi appears caught in a web of deceit about her knowledge of “enhanced” interrogation techniques and is transferring the accusation of deception to the CIA in an attempt to squirm out of the box. We’ll see how this transpires, but you will find none of my breath held in anticipation.
It raises the question of whether public indifference, conservative ineptitude, or liberal connivance is responsible for this phenomenon. All three, perhaps, but exist it does.
#####
This post is heavily larded with political commentary (actually, an assault on hypocrisy, a favorite theme), but the tracks are nearly repaired, the ticketing machine is oiled and clacking away, and the engineer has donned his blue and white striped uniform and red kerchief, so soon there may be observations more serene if less compelling. All aboard…
.
.
#####
I have suggested that we monitor closely the promises made by our new President for an indication of progress on his pledge to bring honesty, transparency, and integrity to Washington. Broken political promises are as common as skeeters on a stagnant summer pond, but liberals (who harbor metaphysical convictions of moral superiority) typically sashay into office with promises to vanquish past malevolence.
Recall Pilosi’s “culture of Republican corruption” (witness LA congressman Jefferson; cabinet nominees Richardson, Daschle, et al; tax cheats Geithner, Killefer, et al, former Democrat Governor Blagojevitch, etc). And I could bore you with similar assurances by Carter and Clinton. Suffice to say that despite liberal smirking arrogance, there is enough malfeasance on both sides of the aisle to thrill a cosmic Lucifer scrambling to fill his annual quota of lost souls.
There are already serious fissures in the litany of Obama promises, and a swarm of skepticism on his ability to deliver on others. If passed in its current form, Cap & Trade will (even Democrats agree) increase the taxes of all those who use gas, electricity, and other utilities. Well, Cap & Trade is not technically a tax, but I wonder how much comfort is derived by Americans having their pockets lightened through sleight of word that assigns the filch a more politically palatable (i.e. deceptive) moniker.
We now hear from a White House source that the Chrysler bankruptcy, which our President promised would take 30-60 days, may in fact stretch out for 2 years! But wait. The official noted that the promise related only to the “sale of Chrysler's best assets to a new entity.” Wow, was that fierce wind I just experienced a massive spin twirling across the land?
Add the closing of Guantanamo, reduction of the debt by 50%, health care for all paid for by none, et al. Yes, yes, yes, stipulated there is no monopoly on breaking promises, but the arrogance of one who in the most precise and concrete terms assures us that the villainy of the past will exist no more, and who in his first 100 days is already shattering pledges with the ferocity of plates crashing at a Greek wedding, suggests that the hope for a more honest future is no less illusive than peace on earth or a controversy-free Miss USA pageant.
#####
Note to Europe: The EU is flexing its regulatory muscle, with the latest smackdown a nearly $1.5 billion fine levied on Intel. Be prepared for pushback focused on European firms rushing to snap up American commercial assets at fire sale prices. Sometimes when you start a stone rolling downhill it crushes unintended targets.
Set a trap for Cheney; catch a Pilosi!
#####
Conservatives have long complained of a double standard in American politics. Liberals roll their eyes and sue for secession of the whining, as one would admonish a petulant child. But examples abound. When Abu Greib surfaced several years ago, liberal outrage generated a virtual firestorm of demand for full disclosure and worldwide circulation of grizzly and humiliating photos. Yet now when a new round of abuse is uncovered our President is hailed as patriotic for refusing to release images “that might endanger our troops.” If disclosure is wrong now it was wrong then.
Republican Senator Mark Hatfield was drummed out of Washington after being accused of a pattern of inappropriate behavior, but when a Democrat President was found to have had sex in the White House – The People’s House – with a young intern under his control, and then lied about it, somehow this became a “personal affair,” unworthy of public concern. Women’s groups that marshaled relentless salvos against Hatfield called the Clinton affair “unfortunate.” D’ya think?
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott lost his leadership position after making an offhand (and non-incendiary) comment at a birthday celebration for former segregationist Strom Thurmond. Now Leader Pelosi appears caught in a web of deceit about her knowledge of “enhanced” interrogation techniques and is transferring the accusation of deception to the CIA in an attempt to squirm out of the box. We’ll see how this transpires, but you will find none of my breath held in anticipation.
It raises the question of whether public indifference, conservative ineptitude, or liberal connivance is responsible for this phenomenon. All three, perhaps, but exist it does.
#####
This post is heavily larded with political commentary (actually, an assault on hypocrisy, a favorite theme), but the tracks are nearly repaired, the ticketing machine is oiled and clacking away, and the engineer has donned his blue and white striped uniform and red kerchief, so soon there may be observations more serene if less compelling. All aboard…
.
.
Monday, May 11, 2009
2009-13 GEORGETOWN
I am now officially a Twit! Yes, after my rude comments, I have joined the Twitter throng. Tho I can’t imagine any of you so socially deficient as to “follow” me, be assured that any so inclined will learn nothing of my personal hygiene habits or daily meanderings. But as a fan of technology to circulate useful information, I have come to suspect there may be disaster situations where the portal will prove some worth. We’ll see.
#####
I am working on the railroad! Long time faithful readers may recall that this time last year I completed a brief stint in Montana as a telephone book delivery person. While it did little to enhance my resume, it afforded the opportunity to drive in solitude through a swatch of M. Nature’s most spectacular back yard, from Yellowstone on the Wyoming border north toward Canada. And to meet some truly interesting characters, and a fair share of nimrods. A menial job with some splendid percs.
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was completed in 1884 to transport silver from the steep crags of Clear Creek Canyon south toward Denver. A true engineering marvel of the day, it employed a corkscrew route of switchbacks, horseshoe curves, steep grades and 4 bridges across Clear Creek. It was abandoned in 1938 and rebuilt by the Colorado Historical Society in 1984. I’m told that my responsibilities will be diverse, from flogging subscriptions to the Historical Society to shooing critters off the tracks. http://www.georgetownlooprr.com/ All aboard!
#####
As American banks scurry to raise private capital, typically referred to as senior debt, I wonder if any investor in his/her right mind would advance a single sou. Because financial and economic considerations are no longer the determining factors in whether to invest. Preservation of capital and risk-reward ratios are now dwarfed by the question of whether our President will appear on TV to condemn and shame you from his bully pulpit.
Such was the outcome for Chrysler senior bond holders who balked at getting less return for their investment than junior debt holders or unions. Our normally ebullient Chief Executive appeared petulant in the nationally televised news conference, reflecting perhaps the first time in his initial 100 days that he had not received absolute obedience to his demands.
I possess neither the qualifications nor inclination to present a tutorial on Finance 101. Suffice to say that senior debt holders accept reduced reward in return for diminished risk. Our President has apparently decided to jettison this centuries-old pillar of capitalism and was aghast when someone had the temerity to say “Sorry, the real world isn’t supposed to work that way.” Then in classic fashion (you may have wondered why it’s called a “bully” pulpit), he labeled them “speculators” and “hedge fund operators,” a term which almost no one understands but has become emblematic of the worst of capitalist society.
#####
There are certain common and uncomplicated daily acts which I have been unable to master. Like smiling. It joins my love of good food and drink as traits I share with the French. I have nothing against the act, just that I find little to smile about. And hand-washing, which is much in fashion now that Swine Flu has become a staple of the planetary diet. Small talk as well (the refuge of small minds), and unrestrained laughter.
#####
The latest liberal sound bite is to christen the Republican establishment “The party of no.” I find the term perfectly acceptable in many situations. My namesake George Will supported this position on a recent Stephanopoulos Sunday talk show. Once again Paul Krugman distinguished himself by suggesting that the Republican party is in a “death spiral” while Mr. Will responded that after the Goldwater debacle of 1964 similar predictions were made by giddy liberals, yet 4 years later a resurgent GOP moved into the White House and stayed for 28 of the next 40 years.
And by the way, the much ballyhooed “bipartisanship” does not entail tossing overboard one’s core values and cherished principles. It has historically involved compromise and an honest search for middle ground. Contrary to “no,” Republicans have answered every Obama initiative (TALP, Stimulus, Budget) with alternatives that have been thoroughly and absolutely rejected by the Majority. One would think they could find some small area of agreement so at least to make a plausible case for cooperation across the aisle. Of course Republicans stand accused of similar tactics while in power, but so much for recent pledges to change the partisan culture of Washington.
#####
I have spoken of my admiration for my President’s grand plans coupled with my concern over their implementation. Naval Station Guantanamo is turning out to be illustrative. With great flourish just hours after the Inauguration he “closed” the asylum without a clue what to do with the remaining inmates. As with so much of his soaring rhetoric, there is far more in the elocution than the execution, leaving pesky details to be resolved in time.
Yet we now have a scarcity of allies willing to share in the incarceration going forward, and the few which might be interested dabble in torture. Not to mention the mad scramble of local and state officials and Congressfolk to declare “anywhere but NIMBY.” That is with the exception of Hardin, Montana, whose city fathers and mothers built a 400 bed jail to which they have been unsuccessful in enticing other jurisdictions to send their poor and huddled criminals.
Bring em on, they cry, while residents of nearby Billings, the state’s largest metropolis, twitch nervously. Grand plans absent commensurate solutions breed unpleasant consequences.
…Just a dusting of snow this morning, so perhaps Spring is truly on the way. All Aboard…
.
.
#####
I am working on the railroad! Long time faithful readers may recall that this time last year I completed a brief stint in Montana as a telephone book delivery person. While it did little to enhance my resume, it afforded the opportunity to drive in solitude through a swatch of M. Nature’s most spectacular back yard, from Yellowstone on the Wyoming border north toward Canada. And to meet some truly interesting characters, and a fair share of nimrods. A menial job with some splendid percs.
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was completed in 1884 to transport silver from the steep crags of Clear Creek Canyon south toward Denver. A true engineering marvel of the day, it employed a corkscrew route of switchbacks, horseshoe curves, steep grades and 4 bridges across Clear Creek. It was abandoned in 1938 and rebuilt by the Colorado Historical Society in 1984. I’m told that my responsibilities will be diverse, from flogging subscriptions to the Historical Society to shooing critters off the tracks. http://www.georgetownlooprr.com/ All aboard!
#####
As American banks scurry to raise private capital, typically referred to as senior debt, I wonder if any investor in his/her right mind would advance a single sou. Because financial and economic considerations are no longer the determining factors in whether to invest. Preservation of capital and risk-reward ratios are now dwarfed by the question of whether our President will appear on TV to condemn and shame you from his bully pulpit.
Such was the outcome for Chrysler senior bond holders who balked at getting less return for their investment than junior debt holders or unions. Our normally ebullient Chief Executive appeared petulant in the nationally televised news conference, reflecting perhaps the first time in his initial 100 days that he had not received absolute obedience to his demands.
I possess neither the qualifications nor inclination to present a tutorial on Finance 101. Suffice to say that senior debt holders accept reduced reward in return for diminished risk. Our President has apparently decided to jettison this centuries-old pillar of capitalism and was aghast when someone had the temerity to say “Sorry, the real world isn’t supposed to work that way.” Then in classic fashion (you may have wondered why it’s called a “bully” pulpit), he labeled them “speculators” and “hedge fund operators,” a term which almost no one understands but has become emblematic of the worst of capitalist society.
#####
There are certain common and uncomplicated daily acts which I have been unable to master. Like smiling. It joins my love of good food and drink as traits I share with the French. I have nothing against the act, just that I find little to smile about. And hand-washing, which is much in fashion now that Swine Flu has become a staple of the planetary diet. Small talk as well (the refuge of small minds), and unrestrained laughter.
#####
The latest liberal sound bite is to christen the Republican establishment “The party of no.” I find the term perfectly acceptable in many situations. My namesake George Will supported this position on a recent Stephanopoulos Sunday talk show. Once again Paul Krugman distinguished himself by suggesting that the Republican party is in a “death spiral” while Mr. Will responded that after the Goldwater debacle of 1964 similar predictions were made by giddy liberals, yet 4 years later a resurgent GOP moved into the White House and stayed for 28 of the next 40 years.
And by the way, the much ballyhooed “bipartisanship” does not entail tossing overboard one’s core values and cherished principles. It has historically involved compromise and an honest search for middle ground. Contrary to “no,” Republicans have answered every Obama initiative (TALP, Stimulus, Budget) with alternatives that have been thoroughly and absolutely rejected by the Majority. One would think they could find some small area of agreement so at least to make a plausible case for cooperation across the aisle. Of course Republicans stand accused of similar tactics while in power, but so much for recent pledges to change the partisan culture of Washington.
#####
I have spoken of my admiration for my President’s grand plans coupled with my concern over their implementation. Naval Station Guantanamo is turning out to be illustrative. With great flourish just hours after the Inauguration he “closed” the asylum without a clue what to do with the remaining inmates. As with so much of his soaring rhetoric, there is far more in the elocution than the execution, leaving pesky details to be resolved in time.
Yet we now have a scarcity of allies willing to share in the incarceration going forward, and the few which might be interested dabble in torture. Not to mention the mad scramble of local and state officials and Congressfolk to declare “anywhere but NIMBY.” That is with the exception of Hardin, Montana, whose city fathers and mothers built a 400 bed jail to which they have been unsuccessful in enticing other jurisdictions to send their poor and huddled criminals.
Bring em on, they cry, while residents of nearby Billings, the state’s largest metropolis, twitch nervously. Grand plans absent commensurate solutions breed unpleasant consequences.
…Just a dusting of snow this morning, so perhaps Spring is truly on the way. All Aboard…
.
.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
2009-12 BOZEMAN
A new week and another depressing news cycle. While much of the planet is gearing up to panic over Swine Flu or reeling over the Spector/Souter bombshells, I am in haute colore over H and ZAP. These may not be familiar terms, as the networks, cable outlets, and New York Times apparently deem them unworthy of commentary. But the dread FOXNews, in yet another example of anti-politically correct hooliganism had the temerity to inform me of the latest feel-good craze sweeping our nation’s middle and high schools.
Apparently a growing number of our cradles of learning are scuttling the grade “F” in favor of “H” for Hold, and “ZAP” for Zeros Aren’t Permitted. It seems that massive studies conducted with federal grant money have determined that failure is generating angst in the nation’s young. So now when you miss the minimum work requirements in a class you receive an H, which I gather is saying “you failed but it doesn’t matter, so don’t let it upset you.”
Since zeros are typically assigned for failure to complete and turn in required assignments, you now avoid a goose egg and are assigned a ZAP. This affords the opportunity to express remorse and complete the requirement late. No deadlines are established of course, but there have been suggestions that a series of ZAPs could possibly lead to a final grade of H. No official response yet from the Obama Administration, but in its rush to create a blameless society (unless you are a banker or business executive, of course) I anticipate its tacit if not overt approval. And so we transition from “No child left behind” to “No youngster inconvenienced.”
The liberal Senator and Ambassador Daniel Patrick Monaghan addressed with eloquence and passion the debilitating “dumbing down of America” and its demoralizing effects on the body politic. But even more egregious than moral decay are the economic and social effects. Children in increasing numbers will graduate with a straight H average, but because they have not mastered the most basic of skills they are labeled victims, unable to find meaningful work, prime candidates to be scammed by unscrupulous businessfolk, and destined to be shunned by their more learned brethren and sistern. But, praise be, their psyches will remain intact. It hurts my head!
#####
Conscience or cacodoxy? Arlan Spector’s ship jump is cataclysmically good or bad depending on which side of the aisle you hang your hat. When Al Franken finally takes his seat in the Senate as most expect he eventually will, Democrats will control The White House and have veto-proof majorities in both Houses of Congress, the political nirvana of which most can only dream. Or so thought Bill Clinton when he was so anointed in 1992, only to watch in horror as significant defections from his own party torpedoed his healthcare initiative.
I have respected Spector even though we often disagreed. But the reality that he might have lost a conservative challenge from his own party taints the move a bit and suggests a wiff of self preservation. Party affiliation changes have occurred rarely but consistently throughout the history of our Republic, but never with such potential watershed effect as this. Two months ago he affirmed in plainspoken terms that he would forever remain a Republican. Then he reviewed polls which suggested he may have difficulty in the next Republican primary. Not the highest moral conviction on record nor a Profile in Courage. But in truth he has voted increasingly as a Democrat, and so the change was de facto in any event.
David Broder’s withering column in the NYT was captioned “Spector the Defector.” Perhaps the most respected journalist in America today, he noted an unbroken history of decisions based on what was best for Spector, not his constituents nor the country.
But now the stage is set for the perfect partisan political storm. Absolutely nothing stands in our President’s way to drive the country in any direction he so chooses. But be careful what you wish for. This move goes a long way toward finally transferring ownership of the nation from Bush to Obama. As I have said before, success will certainly reward the Democrats, but they may now find that the coin has a second side. The Democrat Party now has the absolute power to fix or further flummox the nation. When things go wrong for them, the standard plaint “we inherited a mess” will carry less weight. They are now in a position to make things right, and the electorate will judge them accordingly.
#####
Speaking of watersheds, If it transpires that Chrysler and GM unions gain majority ownership of the struggling automakers as it now appears, there will exist an historic opportunity to test the veracity of a century of bitter complaint. American unions cry consistent and loud that management deficiencies are the primary and perhaps only relevant factors in business failures, and level more powerful and incendiary charges that American business is the planetary Black Bart when dealing with the abused and downtrodden American worker. Perhaps now that they are poised to ascend to the driver’s seat we will have a chance to compare their stewardship to the oft discredited practices of the past. Be careful what you wish for…
#####
I have watched daily White House press briefings since they were first televised nearly a half century ago. Never have I witnessed such genial, even convivial interaction between Press Secretary and the press. The laughter and good-natured banter often sounds more like a cocktail gathering of close acquaintances than a forum for digging out the truth. Make of this what you will, but I think it not unreasonable to suggest it supports kvetching from the right that the nation’s press corps is overwhelmingly liberal and therefore inclined (whether overtly or subliminally) to favor progressive causes. In any event it is abundantly clear that our watchdog press is snoozing through the greatest political shift in America since FDR.
#####
May Day! Snow Day! Colorado is dry but as I depart the Gallatin Valley wending south, we may get an additional foot on the road today. I know I was just complaining about the lack of white precip, but I am ready for Spring. Be careful what you wish for…
.
.
Apparently a growing number of our cradles of learning are scuttling the grade “F” in favor of “H” for Hold, and “ZAP” for Zeros Aren’t Permitted. It seems that massive studies conducted with federal grant money have determined that failure is generating angst in the nation’s young. So now when you miss the minimum work requirements in a class you receive an H, which I gather is saying “you failed but it doesn’t matter, so don’t let it upset you.”
Since zeros are typically assigned for failure to complete and turn in required assignments, you now avoid a goose egg and are assigned a ZAP. This affords the opportunity to express remorse and complete the requirement late. No deadlines are established of course, but there have been suggestions that a series of ZAPs could possibly lead to a final grade of H. No official response yet from the Obama Administration, but in its rush to create a blameless society (unless you are a banker or business executive, of course) I anticipate its tacit if not overt approval. And so we transition from “No child left behind” to “No youngster inconvenienced.”
The liberal Senator and Ambassador Daniel Patrick Monaghan addressed with eloquence and passion the debilitating “dumbing down of America” and its demoralizing effects on the body politic. But even more egregious than moral decay are the economic and social effects. Children in increasing numbers will graduate with a straight H average, but because they have not mastered the most basic of skills they are labeled victims, unable to find meaningful work, prime candidates to be scammed by unscrupulous businessfolk, and destined to be shunned by their more learned brethren and sistern. But, praise be, their psyches will remain intact. It hurts my head!
#####
Conscience or cacodoxy? Arlan Spector’s ship jump is cataclysmically good or bad depending on which side of the aisle you hang your hat. When Al Franken finally takes his seat in the Senate as most expect he eventually will, Democrats will control The White House and have veto-proof majorities in both Houses of Congress, the political nirvana of which most can only dream. Or so thought Bill Clinton when he was so anointed in 1992, only to watch in horror as significant defections from his own party torpedoed his healthcare initiative.
I have respected Spector even though we often disagreed. But the reality that he might have lost a conservative challenge from his own party taints the move a bit and suggests a wiff of self preservation. Party affiliation changes have occurred rarely but consistently throughout the history of our Republic, but never with such potential watershed effect as this. Two months ago he affirmed in plainspoken terms that he would forever remain a Republican. Then he reviewed polls which suggested he may have difficulty in the next Republican primary. Not the highest moral conviction on record nor a Profile in Courage. But in truth he has voted increasingly as a Democrat, and so the change was de facto in any event.
David Broder’s withering column in the NYT was captioned “Spector the Defector.” Perhaps the most respected journalist in America today, he noted an unbroken history of decisions based on what was best for Spector, not his constituents nor the country.
But now the stage is set for the perfect partisan political storm. Absolutely nothing stands in our President’s way to drive the country in any direction he so chooses. But be careful what you wish for. This move goes a long way toward finally transferring ownership of the nation from Bush to Obama. As I have said before, success will certainly reward the Democrats, but they may now find that the coin has a second side. The Democrat Party now has the absolute power to fix or further flummox the nation. When things go wrong for them, the standard plaint “we inherited a mess” will carry less weight. They are now in a position to make things right, and the electorate will judge them accordingly.
#####
Speaking of watersheds, If it transpires that Chrysler and GM unions gain majority ownership of the struggling automakers as it now appears, there will exist an historic opportunity to test the veracity of a century of bitter complaint. American unions cry consistent and loud that management deficiencies are the primary and perhaps only relevant factors in business failures, and level more powerful and incendiary charges that American business is the planetary Black Bart when dealing with the abused and downtrodden American worker. Perhaps now that they are poised to ascend to the driver’s seat we will have a chance to compare their stewardship to the oft discredited practices of the past. Be careful what you wish for…
#####
I have watched daily White House press briefings since they were first televised nearly a half century ago. Never have I witnessed such genial, even convivial interaction between Press Secretary and the press. The laughter and good-natured banter often sounds more like a cocktail gathering of close acquaintances than a forum for digging out the truth. Make of this what you will, but I think it not unreasonable to suggest it supports kvetching from the right that the nation’s press corps is overwhelmingly liberal and therefore inclined (whether overtly or subliminally) to favor progressive causes. In any event it is abundantly clear that our watchdog press is snoozing through the greatest political shift in America since FDR.
#####
May Day! Snow Day! Colorado is dry but as I depart the Gallatin Valley wending south, we may get an additional foot on the road today. I know I was just complaining about the lack of white precip, but I am ready for Spring. Be careful what you wish for…
.
.
Friday, April 24, 2009
2009-11 BOZEMAN
Dump! While much of the nation was unpacking bathing gear and inflating beach balls, a few days ago I sat staring into a near whiteout – easily 2 feet on the ground and snow predicted to continue for another 24 hours or so. Good (and deep) things come to he who waits. Then in the blink of an eye brilliant sunshine was making fast work of the 40+ inches that ultimately descended. Sad that such great beauty vanishes overnight, but perhaps a metaphor for much of our daily experience.
The local populace has for months bemoaned the lack of moisture, particularly as a massive beetle infestation has decimated hundreds of acres of pine forest. Apparently reduced moisture combined with diminished forestation conspire to produce effects of which I am largely ignorant but have been assured will be horrific. Be careful what you wish for; April snow showers bring May runoff.
And as I was assured that spring was on its way to the Gallatin Valley, I grabbed some shorts and Tees and headed for Montana. An unremarkable drive north on I-25 turned déjà-vuish as I merged west on I-90 and found, you guessed it, another whiteout. Seventy degrees yesterday, 8 inches of white stuff today, and seventy degrees tomorrow. Just another reminder from Mother N. that it is most unwise to anticipate her.
#####
Just when I took on Twitter with a few snide comments, there has been a virtual blizzard of interest in the technology. Politicians, teachers, and emergency management officials have joined the usual suspects -- tweens, starlets, druggies and the like to increase visibility and massively expand usage.
I still find the majority of its application to be narcissistic and self absorbed, announcing to the world factoids that only a mother might evidence interest in, n’est pas? See how I cleverly avoided ending the last sentence with a preposition! Perhaps it’s true that good can be found anywhere, if one is willing to rummage through the persiflage.
#####
As the ursine population awakes from hibernation, so do those who respond to natural and man (and woman) inflicted carnage. While disasters can occur on any day of the calendar, spring-to-fall is high season for tornados, floods, forest fires, and of course hurricanes. I am now receiving requests to “stand by for deployment”, but here I sit ployed, waiting for the glass to break and the alarm to sound.
It will be interesting to see if the new Administration jiggers the national response system and in what way. One silver lined post-Katrina advancement has been the use of technology to stage, transit, and track equipment and material moving in response to disasters. There really was not a gross lack of response to Katrina/Rita/Wilma, just dismal coordination and terribly inefficient application of human resources and material dispatch. I sat in Montgomery, Alabama for 4 days after Katrina watching the televised pleas of the Mississippi and Louisiana Governors for assistance of any and all kinds, while my Red Cross handlers swore and affirmed that no credible assistance requests had been submitted.
Improved logistics management would certainly be of some comfort to the FEMA functionary who, some 10 days after Katrina departed Hattiesburg, came upon a parked 18-wheeler sporting a large “FEMA Disaster Relief” placard. Obviously abandoned, he cut the padlock, threw open the doors, and was swept away by an 8-foot wall of water, a result of the transformation that ice undergoes when subjected to the snail-like plodding of the federal bureaucracy.
#####
Being neither politician nor government official, I am most reluctant to make predictions, as without the aforementioned protective cover I fully expect to be held at some point accountable. But I will venture the thought that the North Dakota native recently convicted and sentenced to an eight year term by an Iranian tribunal will likely be released down the road. Such regimes have a consistent record of dragooning the innocent and then at some future date, after a suitable period of torture and usually as a negotiating ploy, release the wrongly confined as “a humanitarian gesture,” much to the delight of loonies of the stripe who believe that Castro has brought paradise to the Isle of Cuba.
#####
I find much of organized religion (I keep wondering if the unorganized component is any better) to be overbearing, sensibility challenged, and somewhat disjointed, but I question the motives of those who harbor a pathological need to mock and ridicule. Whistling past the graveyard?
Some years ago an acquaintance passed away, the result of a tragic (some say freak, but the word freaks me out) accident. Such was his stature in the community that the Episcopal Diocese sent a luminary to preside at the interment. She faced a chock-a-block sanctuary and with appropriate solemnity began: “I know many of you are asking how and why such a senseless act could come to pass? I am here to help you understand.”
I felt hair rise on my neck and a butterfly or two danced about my sternum. Could this possibly be my long sought logical, believable explanation of the meaning of life, its origins, passage, and beyond? I held my breath, as did I imagine the assembled throng. There followed a good forty minutes of the most appalling psychobabble imaginable, heavily larded with the standard warning – we don’t have a clue what’s going on here, but if you don’t believe absolutely and unquestionably, you are a dunce and fool, and you better be prepared to don asbestos underwear, as eternal fire will figure prominently in your everlasting future.
Despite all this, I have no quarrel with those who find solace in religion. We all need something to get us through the day, be it The Word, love of family, satisfaction of achievement, or bourbon.
#####
Radio is a mental salve on long car journeys such as the 11 hour transit from Georgetown to Bozeman. Hearing a snippet of a song, “she was baptized in dirty water” reminded me why I like country music.
And then there are the items that almost make one veer across the center line, like the lady who commented “my car got into an accident.” Yup, sure did. All by its own self I gather. And an NPR story of parents suing a school district which, to conserve gasoline, redrew bus routes that resulted in some students having to walk up to three blocks from home to access transportation.
In 2009 when children are found to be obese, do-gooders blame (and sue) McDonalds, with apparently no recognition that 50 years ago children exercised the extremities below their knees to access the 3 Rs, while today their tushies are massaged by upholstered seats as they are motored to classes on social networking and politically correct speech, resulting in severe atrophy to both ends of their delicate corpi.
#####
…I have for some time been predicting that the Adventure is morphing into spring. Il arrive. One of these days. Address all complaints to Mother Nature. Il n'est pas de ma faute.
.
.
The local populace has for months bemoaned the lack of moisture, particularly as a massive beetle infestation has decimated hundreds of acres of pine forest. Apparently reduced moisture combined with diminished forestation conspire to produce effects of which I am largely ignorant but have been assured will be horrific. Be careful what you wish for; April snow showers bring May runoff.
And as I was assured that spring was on its way to the Gallatin Valley, I grabbed some shorts and Tees and headed for Montana. An unremarkable drive north on I-25 turned déjà-vuish as I merged west on I-90 and found, you guessed it, another whiteout. Seventy degrees yesterday, 8 inches of white stuff today, and seventy degrees tomorrow. Just another reminder from Mother N. that it is most unwise to anticipate her.
#####
Just when I took on Twitter with a few snide comments, there has been a virtual blizzard of interest in the technology. Politicians, teachers, and emergency management officials have joined the usual suspects -- tweens, starlets, druggies and the like to increase visibility and massively expand usage.
I still find the majority of its application to be narcissistic and self absorbed, announcing to the world factoids that only a mother might evidence interest in, n’est pas? See how I cleverly avoided ending the last sentence with a preposition! Perhaps it’s true that good can be found anywhere, if one is willing to rummage through the persiflage.
#####
As the ursine population awakes from hibernation, so do those who respond to natural and man (and woman) inflicted carnage. While disasters can occur on any day of the calendar, spring-to-fall is high season for tornados, floods, forest fires, and of course hurricanes. I am now receiving requests to “stand by for deployment”, but here I sit ployed, waiting for the glass to break and the alarm to sound.
It will be interesting to see if the new Administration jiggers the national response system and in what way. One silver lined post-Katrina advancement has been the use of technology to stage, transit, and track equipment and material moving in response to disasters. There really was not a gross lack of response to Katrina/Rita/Wilma, just dismal coordination and terribly inefficient application of human resources and material dispatch. I sat in Montgomery, Alabama for 4 days after Katrina watching the televised pleas of the Mississippi and Louisiana Governors for assistance of any and all kinds, while my Red Cross handlers swore and affirmed that no credible assistance requests had been submitted.
Improved logistics management would certainly be of some comfort to the FEMA functionary who, some 10 days after Katrina departed Hattiesburg, came upon a parked 18-wheeler sporting a large “FEMA Disaster Relief” placard. Obviously abandoned, he cut the padlock, threw open the doors, and was swept away by an 8-foot wall of water, a result of the transformation that ice undergoes when subjected to the snail-like plodding of the federal bureaucracy.
#####
Being neither politician nor government official, I am most reluctant to make predictions, as without the aforementioned protective cover I fully expect to be held at some point accountable. But I will venture the thought that the North Dakota native recently convicted and sentenced to an eight year term by an Iranian tribunal will likely be released down the road. Such regimes have a consistent record of dragooning the innocent and then at some future date, after a suitable period of torture and usually as a negotiating ploy, release the wrongly confined as “a humanitarian gesture,” much to the delight of loonies of the stripe who believe that Castro has brought paradise to the Isle of Cuba.
#####
I find much of organized religion (I keep wondering if the unorganized component is any better) to be overbearing, sensibility challenged, and somewhat disjointed, but I question the motives of those who harbor a pathological need to mock and ridicule. Whistling past the graveyard?
Some years ago an acquaintance passed away, the result of a tragic (some say freak, but the word freaks me out) accident. Such was his stature in the community that the Episcopal Diocese sent a luminary to preside at the interment. She faced a chock-a-block sanctuary and with appropriate solemnity began: “I know many of you are asking how and why such a senseless act could come to pass? I am here to help you understand.”
I felt hair rise on my neck and a butterfly or two danced about my sternum. Could this possibly be my long sought logical, believable explanation of the meaning of life, its origins, passage, and beyond? I held my breath, as did I imagine the assembled throng. There followed a good forty minutes of the most appalling psychobabble imaginable, heavily larded with the standard warning – we don’t have a clue what’s going on here, but if you don’t believe absolutely and unquestionably, you are a dunce and fool, and you better be prepared to don asbestos underwear, as eternal fire will figure prominently in your everlasting future.
Despite all this, I have no quarrel with those who find solace in religion. We all need something to get us through the day, be it The Word, love of family, satisfaction of achievement, or bourbon.
#####
Radio is a mental salve on long car journeys such as the 11 hour transit from Georgetown to Bozeman. Hearing a snippet of a song, “she was baptized in dirty water” reminded me why I like country music.
And then there are the items that almost make one veer across the center line, like the lady who commented “my car got into an accident.” Yup, sure did. All by its own self I gather. And an NPR story of parents suing a school district which, to conserve gasoline, redrew bus routes that resulted in some students having to walk up to three blocks from home to access transportation.
In 2009 when children are found to be obese, do-gooders blame (and sue) McDonalds, with apparently no recognition that 50 years ago children exercised the extremities below their knees to access the 3 Rs, while today their tushies are massaged by upholstered seats as they are motored to classes on social networking and politically correct speech, resulting in severe atrophy to both ends of their delicate corpi.
#####
…I have for some time been predicting that the Adventure is morphing into spring. Il arrive. One of these days. Address all complaints to Mother Nature. Il n'est pas de ma faute.
.
.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
2009-10 GRORGETOWN
I am such a schlub. Alas, I am not one of the 9 million among us that fortuitously qualifies for government je ne sais quoi – not a “bailout”, that’s a nasty word reserved for villainous bankers and larcenous financial moguls. Neither, according to my President, a “handout,” but simply a mechanism to “put more money into their pockets.” Say what?
What a yutz I’ve been. I didn’t live beyond my means, I didn’t buy a $750,000 McMansion on a $25,000 salary. When I took my kids to Disneyland on spring break we stayed in a Ramada, not within the opulence of the Magic Kingdom. Skiing was no Vail slopeside condo, but a Quality Inn downtown Salt Lake City, or the clean but spartan (tho misnamed) Luxury Inn, managed by Russian Gregori and his somewhat scary accomplice Natasha. We naively conserved and saved, salted away, like the idiot squirrel, a few nuts for the winter.
All the while those wiser than I, those who bolstered the economy by spending 125% of their income, those who pursued the good life with wild abandon on a wing and a prayer, tackling with gusto enterprises I would never in my wildest dreams consider, these are now “the qualified.” These victims of capitalism will be rescued, plucked from the clutches of economic predators, and their deficiencies remedied by who – why we schlubs of course. And yes I know there are the truly downtrodden and deserving, but most of these didn’t participate in “the splurge,” and thus also don’t “qualify”.
#####
On this Easter Sunday there are a number of sunrise services here in the Rockies, the most popular apparently at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. The event is heavily advertised on radio and TV, always with the tag line “no admission charge and parking is free.” I assume Jesus would approve.
#####
In my youth at the height of American anti-communism, the phrase “Better dead than red” was fashionable. Even as a child something didn’t ring quite true here. A current idiocy (they do appear in abundance nowadays) is “Don’t resist. Give the bad guys anything they want.” Such is the drama playing out off the Somali coast, where ransom for the safe return of the Mersk Alabama captain is being described as “a normal cost of doing business.”
Paul Krugman on the Stephanopoulos Sunday news show today referred to piracy as “a minor irritant, like mugging”!!!!! I wonder if Captain Richard Phillips finds it so, stuffed into a covered lifeboat with no food or sanitary facilities. Might Mr. K. consider trading places and suffer this “minor irritant”?
Ethnic gangs tried this tack in the New York, Boston, and Chicago neighborhoods of a younger America, and while remnants still undoubtedly exist today, “pay for protection” is no longer a common component of commerce for the local green grocer or at the corner filling station.
Wholesale coercion failed because a few brave souls risked (and sometimes lost) their lives by refusing to be bullied, in part, I suspect, due to (an admirable) stubborn independence, but also from realization that bad behavior tolerated leads to – guess what? – more (much more) of the same.
What’s a measly few million compared to a $250 million vessel carrying $100 million of cargo? Well, a great deal if you consider that rewarding bad behavior will surely escalate the practice. Most kindergarten teachers know this well, although our current mania to reward all and punish none may well slowly turn our schools into miniature versions of Mogadishu.
In a former life I played a modest role in an educational institution that was occasional blackmailed with threats of the nature that “if you don’t give our Susie the “A” she clearly deserves – the assigned “B” might wither the enthusiasm of Ivy League admissions' staff – we will trash your name in the community and bring a lawsuit for good measure”.
Discussion invariably turned to “what must we concede to make this go away,” and predictably caused smoke to emanate from my auditory protrusions. Due partly to my petulant tantrums, no concessions were offered and threats dissolved as they usually do when birthed by cowardice or craven motivation, although I understand that in today’s progressive climate such occurrences are “a normal cost of doing (educational) business”. I have previously remarked that in my day if I came home with a note of reprimand from the teacher I was taken to the woodshed. Today parents hire a lawyer and sue the school. Progress, d’ya think?
It has just been announced that Captain Phillips has been freed after remaining pirates were cut down by U. S. Navy gunfire. Perhaps the Danish fleet owners falling all over themselves to pay ransom will now wish to seek out a flag other than the Stars and Stripes to fly, perhaps one laced with colors of the sun.
#####
Colorado has joined a growing number of les Etats proposing in-state and in many cases free college tuition for “the undocumented” – the currently preferred progressive iteration of “illegal,” (does sound far more benign, hein?). Right-wing trogs narrowly defeated the measure, and as a card carrying knuckle-dragger myself, I approved, but admittedly with a distinct personal bias.
I am currently enmeshed in a generous helping of education debt, the majority attributable to out-of-state tuition obligations. It is indeed vexing to contemplate that except for the misfortune of “documentation,” I might be consuming wine with a cork rather than screw-cap.
I am in fact an admirer of the Hispanic work ethic and family values, but as I contemplate the hot button immigration issue, my thoughts turn to those south-of-the-border schlubs whose misplaced faith in law caused them to wait in long lines at American Consulates that they might add their names to even longer lists of those desiring to immigrate legally and lawfully.
#####
There have emerged equal dollops of fawning and derision over arrival at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue of the “first dog.” Any talisman that can deliver a measure of normalcy to the “first children” should be welcomed and not hyped. Despite the obvious percs due their position, children in the political spotlight exist in a stifling bubble. The Clintons requested, and in large measure received consideration for their daughter. Consideration the Bush twins never were granted – recall the left-wing campaign to draft and ship them to Iraq. And apparently the Palin daughter’s saga is destined to provide a healthy measure of progressive sniggering for some time to come.
#####
Despite attempts to break the habit, I do find myself tuned to C-SPAN with discomforting regularity. While the guest segments are generally informative, the call-in portions entertain in ways to which the great comedians can only aspire. This morning in soliciting solutions to Somali piracy, two of five callers demanded criminal investigation of Bush. No direct connection was alleged, simply a metaphysical conviction that all planetary evil stems from the man from Midland.
Not surprising, as I note there are still gobs of progressives that begin each and every political statement with the plaint “After Bush stole the 2000 election…”
#####
And as this post appears to emerge almost entirely political (je suis coupable…), I close acknowledging the mini-bruhaha twixt our new VEEP and former Bush staffers. It seems that VP Biden, tutored at the knee of his predecessor, inventor of the Internet Al Gore, is spreading the word that he regularly “dressed down” George Bush, castigating him in private Oval Office meetings that mysteriously were never entered into official White House logs. Stealth politics, ya gotta love it.
#####
…the adventure suffers a bit from cabin fever…having passed generous snippets of time hereabouts over several decades, but only in winter…the questions emerges whether it is time to move on…yet at the moment a fierce Easter snow squall gives pause…
.
.
What a yutz I’ve been. I didn’t live beyond my means, I didn’t buy a $750,000 McMansion on a $25,000 salary. When I took my kids to Disneyland on spring break we stayed in a Ramada, not within the opulence of the Magic Kingdom. Skiing was no Vail slopeside condo, but a Quality Inn downtown Salt Lake City, or the clean but spartan (tho misnamed) Luxury Inn, managed by Russian Gregori and his somewhat scary accomplice Natasha. We naively conserved and saved, salted away, like the idiot squirrel, a few nuts for the winter.
All the while those wiser than I, those who bolstered the economy by spending 125% of their income, those who pursued the good life with wild abandon on a wing and a prayer, tackling with gusto enterprises I would never in my wildest dreams consider, these are now “the qualified.” These victims of capitalism will be rescued, plucked from the clutches of economic predators, and their deficiencies remedied by who – why we schlubs of course. And yes I know there are the truly downtrodden and deserving, but most of these didn’t participate in “the splurge,” and thus also don’t “qualify”.
#####
On this Easter Sunday there are a number of sunrise services here in the Rockies, the most popular apparently at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. The event is heavily advertised on radio and TV, always with the tag line “no admission charge and parking is free.” I assume Jesus would approve.
#####
In my youth at the height of American anti-communism, the phrase “Better dead than red” was fashionable. Even as a child something didn’t ring quite true here. A current idiocy (they do appear in abundance nowadays) is “Don’t resist. Give the bad guys anything they want.” Such is the drama playing out off the Somali coast, where ransom for the safe return of the Mersk Alabama captain is being described as “a normal cost of doing business.”
Paul Krugman on the Stephanopoulos Sunday news show today referred to piracy as “a minor irritant, like mugging”!!!!! I wonder if Captain Richard Phillips finds it so, stuffed into a covered lifeboat with no food or sanitary facilities. Might Mr. K. consider trading places and suffer this “minor irritant”?
Ethnic gangs tried this tack in the New York, Boston, and Chicago neighborhoods of a younger America, and while remnants still undoubtedly exist today, “pay for protection” is no longer a common component of commerce for the local green grocer or at the corner filling station.
Wholesale coercion failed because a few brave souls risked (and sometimes lost) their lives by refusing to be bullied, in part, I suspect, due to (an admirable) stubborn independence, but also from realization that bad behavior tolerated leads to – guess what? – more (much more) of the same.
What’s a measly few million compared to a $250 million vessel carrying $100 million of cargo? Well, a great deal if you consider that rewarding bad behavior will surely escalate the practice. Most kindergarten teachers know this well, although our current mania to reward all and punish none may well slowly turn our schools into miniature versions of Mogadishu.
In a former life I played a modest role in an educational institution that was occasional blackmailed with threats of the nature that “if you don’t give our Susie the “A” she clearly deserves – the assigned “B” might wither the enthusiasm of Ivy League admissions' staff – we will trash your name in the community and bring a lawsuit for good measure”.
Discussion invariably turned to “what must we concede to make this go away,” and predictably caused smoke to emanate from my auditory protrusions. Due partly to my petulant tantrums, no concessions were offered and threats dissolved as they usually do when birthed by cowardice or craven motivation, although I understand that in today’s progressive climate such occurrences are “a normal cost of doing (educational) business”. I have previously remarked that in my day if I came home with a note of reprimand from the teacher I was taken to the woodshed. Today parents hire a lawyer and sue the school. Progress, d’ya think?
It has just been announced that Captain Phillips has been freed after remaining pirates were cut down by U. S. Navy gunfire. Perhaps the Danish fleet owners falling all over themselves to pay ransom will now wish to seek out a flag other than the Stars and Stripes to fly, perhaps one laced with colors of the sun.
#####
Colorado has joined a growing number of les Etats proposing in-state and in many cases free college tuition for “the undocumented” – the currently preferred progressive iteration of “illegal,” (does sound far more benign, hein?). Right-wing trogs narrowly defeated the measure, and as a card carrying knuckle-dragger myself, I approved, but admittedly with a distinct personal bias.
I am currently enmeshed in a generous helping of education debt, the majority attributable to out-of-state tuition obligations. It is indeed vexing to contemplate that except for the misfortune of “documentation,” I might be consuming wine with a cork rather than screw-cap.
I am in fact an admirer of the Hispanic work ethic and family values, but as I contemplate the hot button immigration issue, my thoughts turn to those south-of-the-border schlubs whose misplaced faith in law caused them to wait in long lines at American Consulates that they might add their names to even longer lists of those desiring to immigrate legally and lawfully.
#####
There have emerged equal dollops of fawning and derision over arrival at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue of the “first dog.” Any talisman that can deliver a measure of normalcy to the “first children” should be welcomed and not hyped. Despite the obvious percs due their position, children in the political spotlight exist in a stifling bubble. The Clintons requested, and in large measure received consideration for their daughter. Consideration the Bush twins never were granted – recall the left-wing campaign to draft and ship them to Iraq. And apparently the Palin daughter’s saga is destined to provide a healthy measure of progressive sniggering for some time to come.
#####
Despite attempts to break the habit, I do find myself tuned to C-SPAN with discomforting regularity. While the guest segments are generally informative, the call-in portions entertain in ways to which the great comedians can only aspire. This morning in soliciting solutions to Somali piracy, two of five callers demanded criminal investigation of Bush. No direct connection was alleged, simply a metaphysical conviction that all planetary evil stems from the man from Midland.
Not surprising, as I note there are still gobs of progressives that begin each and every political statement with the plaint “After Bush stole the 2000 election…”
#####
And as this post appears to emerge almost entirely political (je suis coupable…), I close acknowledging the mini-bruhaha twixt our new VEEP and former Bush staffers. It seems that VP Biden, tutored at the knee of his predecessor, inventor of the Internet Al Gore, is spreading the word that he regularly “dressed down” George Bush, castigating him in private Oval Office meetings that mysteriously were never entered into official White House logs. Stealth politics, ya gotta love it.
#####
…the adventure suffers a bit from cabin fever…having passed generous snippets of time hereabouts over several decades, but only in winter…the questions emerges whether it is time to move on…yet at the moment a fierce Easter snow squall gives pause…
.
.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
2009-09 GEORGETOWN
No dump, but nearly a foot of white, not-quite-as-fluffy as that which arrived in January, laden as it is with spring moisture. But enough to guarantee another good week on the mountain. Then I suspect Mother Nature will wave her celestial wand and transform the winter wonderland into a summer paradise, replete with mosquitoes, tourists, and other friends of the earth.
#####
Municipal elections take place here next week, and the hot mayoral issue appears to rest on which candidate is more adroit at securing “grant” funds for the town. A fascinating concept whereby the government collects taxes then returns a portion to those most adept at masterful prose and mystical mathematical manipulation. I have seen enormous grant largess reposing untouched in government closets while pleas for essentials from those less proficient at milking the public bosom are rejected or ignored.
#####
In true AlGorian fashion the feel-good world last Saturday turned out the lights in homage to Earth Hour. Just imagine –the Sydney Opera House, the Egyptian Pyramids, meme le Tour Eiffel, dark -- for an entire 60 minutes! Be still my heart.
Emblematic of our former VEEP commandeering a private jet and winging across the country to give a one hour speech lecturing me on my unconscionable despoliation of the planet. I’ve said before, your carbon footprint against mine any day Al. When last I made this observation, an intrepid watchdog responded that Al’s contributions dwarf mine and therefore he should be granted leeway. Point debatable, but accepted. It is precisely this argument that liberals haughtily reject when Americans note that our advanced level of productivity should cut us some slack in comparison to a developing world that pollutes with abandon. Touché
Earth Hour is empty symbolism run amok. For a solid decade the EU warned and threatened several member nations over violations of end-of-life vehicle disposal (i.e. junk car) regulations. Finally they had enough and fined the miscreants a full 10,000 Euros each!!! Showed them, didn’t they! Press releases crowed over this courageous stand, and myriad additional examples have since tumbled forth describing similar merciless EU crackdowns on recalcitrant national scoundrels.
Now imagine taking a shiny penny (or EU centime if you will) and chopping it into a hundred pieces, then fining you or me one of these snippets. Roughly the equivalent of fining a sovereign European state 10,000 Euros. But it sure seems to help these folks sleep better at night, and encourage morally superior wagging of accusatory fingers at the North American and Asian nations that refuse to participate in the charade.
France – the City of Light – that shines a spotlight on everything from statuary genitalia to tulips in the Tuileries, could show serious commitment by bathing itself in darkness one day a week, or perhaps stifling diplomacy (the greatest planetary contribution to carbon dioxide emissions) on occasion.
#####
How fast the winds do shift. Europe fell into near delirium over candidate Obama, anointing him “President of the World,” but now he is “leading the way to hell” according to the EU President. Yet his wit, smile, and soaring rhetoric keeps the throngs in thrall, even as thousands march demanding an end to Capitalism.
He remains a rock star for the masses, and elicits interesting parallels to events on our shores. Both here and in Europe the man (and woman) in the street is mesmerized by his exceptional oratory, while the business and professional communities remain skeptical. But he did a number on the other 19 G’s, extracting a $2 trillion promise to aid in the global fix.
A note of caution here. Governments have a vexing way of reneging on promises, largely because they are not accountable, at least (for politicians) until the next election cycle, and for functionaries, never. I deem it a metaphysical certainty that much of the $2 trillion largess proffered by the G-20 will never find its way into the planetary pocket.
As to my President’s reception in Europe, as enthusiastic (or arguably more) than he receives here -- surprising? D‘ya think? When his words suggest that America will be moving closer to or even (shudder) adopting the European model, should anyone be surprised that Europeans respond with raucous approval?
Europe has become quite comfortable allowing the USA to lead the charge and pay the bills (doubters: witness Afghanistan, a war that Europe supports by mouth but not with boots on the ground). It will be quite a shock when Europe twigs that replacing the despised “go it alone” Bush with a multilateral Obama means it will now be expected to assume a leadership role in fiscal and human commitment as well as by means of oratory. Be careful what you wish for.
#####
Bird strikes are much in the news at the moment, and it occurred to me that the prime malefactors appear to be Canadian Geese. Not, mind you, Mexican geese, nor Al Qaeda geese. The French wisely consume the edible parts of these winged terrorists and I have never heard of a collision over Lille or Toulouse. Something to think about –A?
#####
The adventure transitions to Springtime in the Rockies…one can almost hear the Von Trapp family singing in the background…
.
.
#####
Municipal elections take place here next week, and the hot mayoral issue appears to rest on which candidate is more adroit at securing “grant” funds for the town. A fascinating concept whereby the government collects taxes then returns a portion to those most adept at masterful prose and mystical mathematical manipulation. I have seen enormous grant largess reposing untouched in government closets while pleas for essentials from those less proficient at milking the public bosom are rejected or ignored.
#####
In true AlGorian fashion the feel-good world last Saturday turned out the lights in homage to Earth Hour. Just imagine –the Sydney Opera House, the Egyptian Pyramids, meme le Tour Eiffel, dark -- for an entire 60 minutes! Be still my heart.
Emblematic of our former VEEP commandeering a private jet and winging across the country to give a one hour speech lecturing me on my unconscionable despoliation of the planet. I’ve said before, your carbon footprint against mine any day Al. When last I made this observation, an intrepid watchdog responded that Al’s contributions dwarf mine and therefore he should be granted leeway. Point debatable, but accepted. It is precisely this argument that liberals haughtily reject when Americans note that our advanced level of productivity should cut us some slack in comparison to a developing world that pollutes with abandon. Touché
Earth Hour is empty symbolism run amok. For a solid decade the EU warned and threatened several member nations over violations of end-of-life vehicle disposal (i.e. junk car) regulations. Finally they had enough and fined the miscreants a full 10,000 Euros each!!! Showed them, didn’t they! Press releases crowed over this courageous stand, and myriad additional examples have since tumbled forth describing similar merciless EU crackdowns on recalcitrant national scoundrels.
Now imagine taking a shiny penny (or EU centime if you will) and chopping it into a hundred pieces, then fining you or me one of these snippets. Roughly the equivalent of fining a sovereign European state 10,000 Euros. But it sure seems to help these folks sleep better at night, and encourage morally superior wagging of accusatory fingers at the North American and Asian nations that refuse to participate in the charade.
France – the City of Light – that shines a spotlight on everything from statuary genitalia to tulips in the Tuileries, could show serious commitment by bathing itself in darkness one day a week, or perhaps stifling diplomacy (the greatest planetary contribution to carbon dioxide emissions) on occasion.
#####
How fast the winds do shift. Europe fell into near delirium over candidate Obama, anointing him “President of the World,” but now he is “leading the way to hell” according to the EU President. Yet his wit, smile, and soaring rhetoric keeps the throngs in thrall, even as thousands march demanding an end to Capitalism.
He remains a rock star for the masses, and elicits interesting parallels to events on our shores. Both here and in Europe the man (and woman) in the street is mesmerized by his exceptional oratory, while the business and professional communities remain skeptical. But he did a number on the other 19 G’s, extracting a $2 trillion promise to aid in the global fix.
A note of caution here. Governments have a vexing way of reneging on promises, largely because they are not accountable, at least (for politicians) until the next election cycle, and for functionaries, never. I deem it a metaphysical certainty that much of the $2 trillion largess proffered by the G-20 will never find its way into the planetary pocket.
As to my President’s reception in Europe, as enthusiastic (or arguably more) than he receives here -- surprising? D‘ya think? When his words suggest that America will be moving closer to or even (shudder) adopting the European model, should anyone be surprised that Europeans respond with raucous approval?
Europe has become quite comfortable allowing the USA to lead the charge and pay the bills (doubters: witness Afghanistan, a war that Europe supports by mouth but not with boots on the ground). It will be quite a shock when Europe twigs that replacing the despised “go it alone” Bush with a multilateral Obama means it will now be expected to assume a leadership role in fiscal and human commitment as well as by means of oratory. Be careful what you wish for.
#####
Bird strikes are much in the news at the moment, and it occurred to me that the prime malefactors appear to be Canadian Geese. Not, mind you, Mexican geese, nor Al Qaeda geese. The French wisely consume the edible parts of these winged terrorists and I have never heard of a collision over Lille or Toulouse. Something to think about –A?
#####
The adventure transitions to Springtime in the Rockies…one can almost hear the Von Trapp family singing in the background…
.
.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2009-08 GEORGETOWN
Senator George McGovern is on TV with a “public service” announcement condemning Cardcheck legislation, the odious attempt to remove the secret ballot from union organizing campaigns. The effort by arguably the nation’s most liberal politician and unabashed union supporter has sent shivers through the progressive community. And it got me to thinking about courage.
Like heroism, the appellation of courage has been grossly misapplied of late. Nancy Pelosi has been labeled courageous by progressives; likewise Limbaugh by right wing zealots. Balderdash! Leading a pack of sheep does not require courage.
Courage springs from agonizing and often painful decisions that can bring condemnation, vilification, or ostracism, not to mention risk to personal safety. Arlan Spector and Maine’s two Senators displayed courage by breaking with their party and voting for the Stimulus. You don’t have to agree with such decisions to recognize the courage involved in pursuing the unpopular. Folks quick to so label their favorite savants should spend a bit more time consulting Webster…..
#####
I am occasionally asked why I am a conservative (the unspoken thought from liberals being that “your knuckles don’t appear to drag the ground and your IQ doesn’t appear to rest in the low double digits, so how on earth can you claim the appellation). I have actually had liberal acquaintances express disbelief at how an apparently intelligent soul could embrace the unthinkable. The steel-trap closed mind at work.
Let me count the ways!
One inescapable rationale that springs immediately to mind is my skepticism of Big Government, honed during a decade of federal employment and another as a federal contractor.
There are myriad examples of government ineptitude, perhaps none more stark than the Securities and Exchange Commission. I know “they don’t have enough money” (the perennial progressive plaint – where spending cures all ills), nor “enough staff,” but as early as 1998, serious professionals warned of the Madoff ponzi scheme, handing the feds a clear cut case on a silver platter as it were, but our government was too busy rounding up taxi drivers who bought 100 Microsoft options based on “insider information,” i.e. something they heard a passenger say on the journey from JFK to Wall St.
Crowing press releases flow like Guinness on St. Paddy’s Day. “Look at us, look how we are protecting the investing public.” Right! And note that while it is now fashionable to lump all financial executives into a single “thieves and blaggards” category, not a single SEC bureaucrat has been singled out.
Then come the AIG bonuses. Someone (!) inserted language in the Stimulus legislation authorizing the payments (interesting when bedfellows fall out, and pointing fingers grow as Pinocchio’s nose). Then rather than admit a mistake, Congress rushed to pass a clearly unconstitutional remedy (I learned about ex-post facto laws in 7th grade Civics.) Our President courageously accepted responsibility, but in the next breath (as he will forevermore) claimed it really wasn’t his fault because all planetary evil was created in the decade before his arrival. “Je suis coupable, mais c’est pas ma faute.”
And now as the size of government is poised to expand by 25%, we are destined to be treated to more of the same. I can’t wait. Government everywhere is the poster child for the absence of individual responsibility – the cloak of invisibility that permits limitless culpability sans accountability. “Je suis coupable..."
#####
I received an e-mail the other day offering me a “complimentary colon cleanse.” It’s not the first time that someone has offered to resurface that section of my anatomy, but never via the Internet. And I thought the nadir arrived the day I received simultaneous solicitations for breast enhancement and reduction of same. Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house…
#####
In 1919 Robert Goddard published his theories of rocket flight which postulated that man (and woman) might one day reach the moon. The treatise was ridiculed in a New York Times editorial that sniffed "Dr. Goddard seems to lack the knowledge of physics that is ladled out daily in high schools." Despite this unambiguous condemnation from the editorial geniuses of Manhattan, NASA named its legendary flight center in Goddard’s honor. Our self-proclaimed “paper of record” does seem to have a knack…
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I have never before had the opportunity to take advantage of spring skiing. I love the warmth but not the ice nor spring break crowds, where it seems the overwhelming majority are first-timers wooed to intermediate slopes that seem virtually flat from below and precipitous from above. When time on the lift is equally divided between riding and sitting motionless, it’s time to hit the pub.
And just when I thought I had sufficiently suppressed the voices, they have resurfaced with strains of “Natasha,” “Sonny” (Bono), and “Michael” (Kennedy). When I began the sport, only professional racers donned “brain buckets,” and not all of them. Perhaps it’s time…
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Just as Craigslist presented me with a plethora of short term accommodation options (Las Cruces, NM was a leading candidate), I have been informed that the long-time summer tenant scheduled to displace me come May will be a no-show this year, affording the possibility of extending my current lodging. Decisions, decisions. But on my walk today up Guanella Pass, a cerulean sky and dazzling sunlight reflecting off a thousand vertical foot of crag, seemed to be inviting me to stay on a bit. And because the Red Ram will, for the moment dodge foreclosure by operating in bankruptcy, Killians will continue to flow at Happy Hour. Another compelling reason.
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Just as the Adventure was resigned to morphing into spring, the “high country” is poised to receive perhaps the heaviest snow of the season. Dancing with Mother Nature is always a treat…
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Like heroism, the appellation of courage has been grossly misapplied of late. Nancy Pelosi has been labeled courageous by progressives; likewise Limbaugh by right wing zealots. Balderdash! Leading a pack of sheep does not require courage.
Courage springs from agonizing and often painful decisions that can bring condemnation, vilification, or ostracism, not to mention risk to personal safety. Arlan Spector and Maine’s two Senators displayed courage by breaking with their party and voting for the Stimulus. You don’t have to agree with such decisions to recognize the courage involved in pursuing the unpopular. Folks quick to so label their favorite savants should spend a bit more time consulting Webster…..
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I am occasionally asked why I am a conservative (the unspoken thought from liberals being that “your knuckles don’t appear to drag the ground and your IQ doesn’t appear to rest in the low double digits, so how on earth can you claim the appellation). I have actually had liberal acquaintances express disbelief at how an apparently intelligent soul could embrace the unthinkable. The steel-trap closed mind at work.
Let me count the ways!
One inescapable rationale that springs immediately to mind is my skepticism of Big Government, honed during a decade of federal employment and another as a federal contractor.
There are myriad examples of government ineptitude, perhaps none more stark than the Securities and Exchange Commission. I know “they don’t have enough money” (the perennial progressive plaint – where spending cures all ills), nor “enough staff,” but as early as 1998, serious professionals warned of the Madoff ponzi scheme, handing the feds a clear cut case on a silver platter as it were, but our government was too busy rounding up taxi drivers who bought 100 Microsoft options based on “insider information,” i.e. something they heard a passenger say on the journey from JFK to Wall St.
Crowing press releases flow like Guinness on St. Paddy’s Day. “Look at us, look how we are protecting the investing public.” Right! And note that while it is now fashionable to lump all financial executives into a single “thieves and blaggards” category, not a single SEC bureaucrat has been singled out.
Then come the AIG bonuses. Someone (!) inserted language in the Stimulus legislation authorizing the payments (interesting when bedfellows fall out, and pointing fingers grow as Pinocchio’s nose). Then rather than admit a mistake, Congress rushed to pass a clearly unconstitutional remedy (I learned about ex-post facto laws in 7th grade Civics.) Our President courageously accepted responsibility, but in the next breath (as he will forevermore) claimed it really wasn’t his fault because all planetary evil was created in the decade before his arrival. “Je suis coupable, mais c’est pas ma faute.”
And now as the size of government is poised to expand by 25%, we are destined to be treated to more of the same. I can’t wait. Government everywhere is the poster child for the absence of individual responsibility – the cloak of invisibility that permits limitless culpability sans accountability. “Je suis coupable..."
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I received an e-mail the other day offering me a “complimentary colon cleanse.” It’s not the first time that someone has offered to resurface that section of my anatomy, but never via the Internet. And I thought the nadir arrived the day I received simultaneous solicitations for breast enhancement and reduction of same. Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house…
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In 1919 Robert Goddard published his theories of rocket flight which postulated that man (and woman) might one day reach the moon. The treatise was ridiculed in a New York Times editorial that sniffed "Dr. Goddard seems to lack the knowledge of physics that is ladled out daily in high schools." Despite this unambiguous condemnation from the editorial geniuses of Manhattan, NASA named its legendary flight center in Goddard’s honor. Our self-proclaimed “paper of record” does seem to have a knack…
#####
I have never before had the opportunity to take advantage of spring skiing. I love the warmth but not the ice nor spring break crowds, where it seems the overwhelming majority are first-timers wooed to intermediate slopes that seem virtually flat from below and precipitous from above. When time on the lift is equally divided between riding and sitting motionless, it’s time to hit the pub.
And just when I thought I had sufficiently suppressed the voices, they have resurfaced with strains of “Natasha,” “Sonny” (Bono), and “Michael” (Kennedy). When I began the sport, only professional racers donned “brain buckets,” and not all of them. Perhaps it’s time…
#####
Just as Craigslist presented me with a plethora of short term accommodation options (Las Cruces, NM was a leading candidate), I have been informed that the long-time summer tenant scheduled to displace me come May will be a no-show this year, affording the possibility of extending my current lodging. Decisions, decisions. But on my walk today up Guanella Pass, a cerulean sky and dazzling sunlight reflecting off a thousand vertical foot of crag, seemed to be inviting me to stay on a bit. And because the Red Ram will, for the moment dodge foreclosure by operating in bankruptcy, Killians will continue to flow at Happy Hour. Another compelling reason.
#####
Just as the Adventure was resigned to morphing into spring, the “high country” is poised to receive perhaps the heaviest snow of the season. Dancing with Mother Nature is always a treat…
.
.
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