CC , Ms. Theologian and I have been trying to convince the UU blogosphere to leave Gov. Palin's womb and family, and sexist double standards out of the discussion, and talk only about the issues- with little success. The general consensus seems to be, "Republicans talk about values all the time, so I can trash her family all I please." Asking "If you can't keep it clean because it's the right thing to do, how about because it's the prudent thing to do," has been no more successful. "Vengeance is mine," sayeth the angry bloggers.
Perhaps that's understandable, but it's also foolish. Consider this : Poll: 51 percent say reporters are trying to hurt Palin
"Over half of U.S. voters (51%) think reporters are trying to hurt Sarah Palin with their news coverage, and 24% say those stories make them more likely to vote for Republican presidential candidate John McCain in November. Thirty-nine percent (39%) also believe the GOP vice presidential nominee has better experience to be president of the United States than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama." This is a direct result of the perceived nastiness of the coverage. While of course the numbers differ by demographic and party affiliation, a plurality of all demographics basically agree: "Sixty-eight percent (68%) of voters now believe most reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and 49% believe reporters are trying to help Obama this year. Only 14% think they are trying to help McCain. In another survey, 55% said media bias is a bigger problem for the electoral process than large campaign donations." Worse still, "Among unaffiliated voters, 49% say reporters are trying to hurt Palin, while 32% say their coverage is unbiased. Only five percent (5%) say reporters are trying to help her."
Here are some more stats from Rasmussen , "Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain" “...Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters.... Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin’s favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%.” “The Palin pick has also improved perceptions of John McCain. A week ago, just before he introduced his running mate, just 42% of Republicans had a Very Favorable opinion of their party’s nominee. That figure jumped to 54% by this Friday morning. Among unaffiliated voters, favorable opinions of McCain have increased by eleven percentage points in a week—from 54% before the Palin announcement to 65% today.”
You know how close this election is. You know how few undecideds are needed to swing it. So enjoy your schadenfreude... I know the Republicans will.
Friday, September 05, 2008
This gives a whole new meaning to "tramp stamp"
Duck hunters need not only a state hunter's license, but also a duck stamp from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The stamp costs $15, with the money going to purchase waterfowl habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. But something went wrong with the program this year.
Due to a typo on the application, the phone number for the stamp program doesn't spell the intended 1-800-STAMP24; it spells 1-800-TRAMP24... which connects to a phone-sex line. Oddly enough, agency spokeswoman Rachel Levin said the agency has not received any complaints.
Whatever you do, try NOT to think of Daisy Duck doing a pole dance.
Due to a typo on the application, the phone number for the stamp program doesn't spell the intended 1-800-STAMP24; it spells 1-800-TRAMP24... which connects to a phone-sex line. Oddly enough, agency spokeswoman Rachel Levin said the agency has not received any complaints.
Whatever you do, try NOT to think of Daisy Duck doing a pole dance.
Non-issue issue #2: the Iraq war
That might seem crazy at first glance- there's no issue they have more differences on. Senator Obama opposed us going to war in the first place. Ah, but going to war is no longer the question.
President Obama won't bring the troops home one day earlier than President McCain would. All the experts agree that if we leave before a viable government is in place, there will be civil war and a bloodbath. President Obama will be very risk-averse in Iraq; no way in hell is he going to have the legacy of the first black President be "the man who lost Iraq" and "the man who gave us the Middle-East killing fields".
President McCain won't leave the troops in Iraq one day longer than President Obama would. Put these reasons in whichever order you wish: McCain knows that if the troops don't start coming home soon, the nation will become ungovernable- he did live through the Vietnam years, you know. McCain knows the horrors of war personally- he's not going to leave his beloved men and women in uniform in harm's way longer than he has to.
If you've been watching the last six months, the candidates have been moving closer to each other despite their rhetoric. Obama is now talking about not leaving precipitously, and McCain is now mentioning timetables. Both of them will rely on the same State Department and Pentagon experts when in office. So hold their feet to the fire about counterterrorism, and how to balance that against our freedoms- but don't let yourself be swayed one way or the other by emotional rhetoric about the Iraq war.
President Obama won't bring the troops home one day earlier than President McCain would. All the experts agree that if we leave before a viable government is in place, there will be civil war and a bloodbath. President Obama will be very risk-averse in Iraq; no way in hell is he going to have the legacy of the first black President be "the man who lost Iraq" and "the man who gave us the Middle-East killing fields".
President McCain won't leave the troops in Iraq one day longer than President Obama would. Put these reasons in whichever order you wish: McCain knows that if the troops don't start coming home soon, the nation will become ungovernable- he did live through the Vietnam years, you know. McCain knows the horrors of war personally- he's not going to leave his beloved men and women in uniform in harm's way longer than he has to.
If you've been watching the last six months, the candidates have been moving closer to each other despite their rhetoric. Obama is now talking about not leaving precipitously, and McCain is now mentioning timetables. Both of them will rely on the same State Department and Pentagon experts when in office. So hold their feet to the fire about counterterrorism, and how to balance that against our freedoms- but don't let yourself be swayed one way or the other by emotional rhetoric about the Iraq war.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
The Non-Issue issues #1: Energy Independence
This is a series of posts about issues that really aren't- smokescreens that obscure things we really should be talking about. I chose energy independence first because it's one that both candidates agree on, differing only in details about how we achieve it.
This is an issue because it resonates with something visceral within us, the desire to be self sufficient. But no nation is, or can be, self sufficient. No society above the hunter-gatherer level can be. Even the Native Americans had extensive trade, with each of the First Nations producing goods expressly for trade with others. T. Boone Pickens has advertising saying that what we spend on oil is a transfer of wealth. Nonsense. It is trade, commerce. The fact that it's a consumable product doesn't make it a transfer of wealth; if that were true, you're transferring wealth every time you buy a loaf of bread.
Energy independence is not in America's best foreign policy interest. To hear the candidates talk, you'd think that all our oil is bought from the middle east; but according to the Department of Energy , only 20% comes from the Persian Gulf- and almost all of that from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. As to Iraq, after all that's happened, we should be buying our oil from them. Saudi Arabia is an ally- the only one there that will allow military bases and the launching of strikes from their soil. They have voted with us in the UN, and for us within OPEC. Almost all the rest of our imported oil comes from Canada and Mexico. Cutting off that trade makes no sense- it's a supply that won't be embargoed in case of war, and buys a lot of goodwill as well. I can't see that it's in America's best interest to drive them into bed with China in the search for a new customer.
It is not in America's best economic interest. Home grown oil will be more expensive- that's why we're buying from foreign countries in the first place. And don't think better cars will make up for it; completely discounting gasoline, we use five million barrels a day in industry- for plastics, synthetic materials of all kinds, solvents, even medicines. So many things are made from oil that chemists say it's a shame to burn it as fuel. Windmills and corn alcohol cannot replace it for these duties- drastically increased oil prices mean every product you buy will increase in price. It would be insane to pay more than we have to for these petroleum products just from xenophobia.
Yes, synthetic fuels should be developed- to address air pollution and Global Warming. But doing that will not eliminate our need for imported oil, and both parties know that. The attempt to achieve independence for it's own sake will cost a fantastic amount of money, with the only benefit being political, and both parties know it. Don't let them off the hook as to CLEAN energy; we need to know what they're going to do about that. But don't let either candidate or T. Boone Pickens deflect the issue by talking about "Transfers of wealth to them thar Aye-rabs", either.
This is an issue because it resonates with something visceral within us, the desire to be self sufficient. But no nation is, or can be, self sufficient. No society above the hunter-gatherer level can be. Even the Native Americans had extensive trade, with each of the First Nations producing goods expressly for trade with others. T. Boone Pickens has advertising saying that what we spend on oil is a transfer of wealth. Nonsense. It is trade, commerce. The fact that it's a consumable product doesn't make it a transfer of wealth; if that were true, you're transferring wealth every time you buy a loaf of bread.
Energy independence is not in America's best foreign policy interest. To hear the candidates talk, you'd think that all our oil is bought from the middle east; but according to the Department of Energy , only 20% comes from the Persian Gulf- and almost all of that from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. As to Iraq, after all that's happened, we should be buying our oil from them. Saudi Arabia is an ally- the only one there that will allow military bases and the launching of strikes from their soil. They have voted with us in the UN, and for us within OPEC. Almost all the rest of our imported oil comes from Canada and Mexico. Cutting off that trade makes no sense- it's a supply that won't be embargoed in case of war, and buys a lot of goodwill as well. I can't see that it's in America's best interest to drive them into bed with China in the search for a new customer.
It is not in America's best economic interest. Home grown oil will be more expensive- that's why we're buying from foreign countries in the first place. And don't think better cars will make up for it; completely discounting gasoline, we use five million barrels a day in industry- for plastics, synthetic materials of all kinds, solvents, even medicines. So many things are made from oil that chemists say it's a shame to burn it as fuel. Windmills and corn alcohol cannot replace it for these duties- drastically increased oil prices mean every product you buy will increase in price. It would be insane to pay more than we have to for these petroleum products just from xenophobia.
Yes, synthetic fuels should be developed- to address air pollution and Global Warming. But doing that will not eliminate our need for imported oil, and both parties know that. The attempt to achieve independence for it's own sake will cost a fantastic amount of money, with the only benefit being political, and both parties know it. Don't let them off the hook as to CLEAN energy; we need to know what they're going to do about that. But don't let either candidate or T. Boone Pickens deflect the issue by talking about "Transfers of wealth to them thar Aye-rabs", either.
The early results are in from UU bloggers on Sarah Palin's speech
And it's unanimous. The verdict is: She's mean. Mean, mean, mean, mean, mean. She dared to oppose the man she's running in opposition to! The meanie. One said her campaign was racist. I didn't get it. It must be one of those code-word things I don't get.
But there are code words I do get. Mean. Famous UU Keith Olbermann said it a little more plainly- he likened Gov. Palin to Dolore Umbridge. If you missed that literary reference, Dolores Umbridge is a witch.
If someone had told me a few months ago that some people were calling the female candidate a witch, and saying that a woman's place is in the home, I'd have assumed they were talking about Republicans referring to Hilary... I'd have laughed at the idea they were speaking about Unitarians!
But there are code words I do get. Mean. Famous UU Keith Olbermann said it a little more plainly- he likened Gov. Palin to Dolore Umbridge. If you missed that literary reference, Dolores Umbridge is a witch.
If someone had told me a few months ago that some people were calling the female candidate a witch, and saying that a woman's place is in the home, I'd have assumed they were talking about Republicans referring to Hilary... I'd have laughed at the idea they were speaking about Unitarians!
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Best line of the night
Rating the speeches at the Republican covention tonight is pretty easy. Mitt Romney stank on ice. The worst speech ever given anywhere in the whole history of the human race. Ok, it wasn't that bad, but Lordy, Lordy, it wasn't good.
Giuliani was the smiling, laughing attack dog, with many well delivered zingers
Governor Palin was homey, amusing, and an obvious crowd favorite. The thunderous applause may have been partially just relief that she brought assets to go with the liabilities, but she can deliver a speech, no question about it.
But the best single line of the evening goes to Mike Huckabee; talking about the press coverage they've gotten since last Friday, he said it was "tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert."
Giuliani was the smiling, laughing attack dog, with many well delivered zingers
Governor Palin was homey, amusing, and an obvious crowd favorite. The thunderous applause may have been partially just relief that she brought assets to go with the liabilities, but she can deliver a speech, no question about it.
But the best single line of the evening goes to Mike Huckabee; talking about the press coverage they've gotten since last Friday, he said it was "tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert."
The lesson of Gustav
Luckily, Gustav did much less damage than feared. But we learned that New Orleans- and by implication, any major city- can be evacuated in time.
The reason FEMA did a terrible job taking care of the victims of Katrina is that Bush made a terrible pick to head it. But the reason there were victims is that the Mayor didn't evacuate the city- let that horrible photograph of a huge parking lot full of unused busses soaking in floodwaters be a warning to all mayors of coastal cities, cities near faultlines, and cities near volcanos: Don't wait for the federal government to offer advice, don't hesitate for fear that if worst doesn't come to worst you'll catch heat for wasting money... if you get a warning, ACT. The only waste you can't explain away is the waste of human life.
The reason FEMA did a terrible job taking care of the victims of Katrina is that Bush made a terrible pick to head it. But the reason there were victims is that the Mayor didn't evacuate the city- let that horrible photograph of a huge parking lot full of unused busses soaking in floodwaters be a warning to all mayors of coastal cities, cities near faultlines, and cities near volcanos: Don't wait for the federal government to offer advice, don't hesitate for fear that if worst doesn't come to worst you'll catch heat for wasting money... if you get a warning, ACT. The only waste you can't explain away is the waste of human life.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Gustav and the Colts
What's the connection, you ask? Is it a reference to the fact that Peyton's father, Archie Manning, used to play in New Orleans? No. You see, Indianapolis just built a new half a billion dollar stadium for the Colts- but we haven't yet torn down the RCA dome. So when Saints manager Mickey Loomis was told to evacuate the team, he thought of the old dome. I'll let IndyStar sportswriter Bob Kravitz take it from here: "All of this began last week when Loomis made a call to Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian, checking on the availability of the RCA Dome. Told the dome was a hard-hat area, Loomis and the Saints were offered Lucas Oil Stadium. That's like being given the Taj Mahal after learning the No-Tell Motel has no vacancies. The Saints jumped on a plane Friday morning.
To their great credit, the Colts have helped the Saints in every way possible, giving the team trainers, blocking sleds, towels, Gatorade and even a clubhouse attendant to work their locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium.
They even hooked the Saints up with a local company to do their game-day flip cards and Tuchman Cleaners to do their laundry."
We call that Hoosier Hospitality.*
*Not a reference to I.U. Purdue is still THE Indiana University.
To their great credit, the Colts have helped the Saints in every way possible, giving the team trainers, blocking sleds, towels, Gatorade and even a clubhouse attendant to work their locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium.
They even hooked the Saints up with a local company to do their game-day flip cards and Tuchman Cleaners to do their laundry."
We call that Hoosier Hospitality.*
*Not a reference to I.U. Purdue is still THE Indiana University.
Instant empathy
One of the strange things about my childhood is that I did not grow and mature proportionately- my feet in particular. By the time I was twelve, I was still only 5'2", but I had size 14EEE feet. My dad, who nearly had to take a second job just to buy me shoes, used to say I'd be seven foot tall if they hadn't turned so much under to walk on, and I learned about Hobbits at an earlier age than usual. That being the case, I felt an instant surge of empathy when I saw this picture .
P.S. Before you ask, big feet only indicate a good sense of balance.
P.S. Before you ask, big feet only indicate a good sense of balance.
Monday, September 01, 2008
OK, I am now officially sick of the treatment of Sarah Palin
As long as it was only a few irresponsible loony left blogs, I could ignore it, but now it's in Mainstream Media like the TIMESONLINE , and showing up in news aggregators like Breitbart.com and Drudge.
Let's take the biggie: Trig is really Bristol's son, not Sarah's, a filthy little piece from Daily Kos . The sole and only "evidence" is photos in which Sarah didn't "look" pregnant, and Bristol did. Even our own Chalice Spark , Ms. Kitty , and Steve Caldwell (by way of comment on Ms. Kitty's) didn't know what to think. I don't like to speak ill of my peers, but come on- it took less than five minutes of Googling to render the story, in the Times words, "utterly unfounded", little things like the photo showing Bristol "pregnant" was published in the Anchorage Daily News in 2006, (making hers the world's longest human gestation), and photos of Sarah taken from the side rather than the front, which showed considerable bulge. Ye Gods, people, I'm not the world's best researcher, and yet it took me less time to find those than it probably took to write the blogs saying "I don't know what to think."
Then there's the speculation as to the cause of Trig's Downs Syndrome. When someone pointed out in the Daily Kos comments that their theory was unlikely because the odds of an under 20 having a Downs child were 1:2,000 while the odds of an over 40 were 1:10, it was suggested that the cause, and the reason for the cover up, was that Bristol's child was the result of incest. OK, I don't expect any better out of Daily Kos. But I was dumbfounded when Alan Colmes suggested that it was caused by improper prenatal care, a result of Sarah running around giving speeches. After receiving complaints, the page was taken down, but you can see a snapshot here .
Then of course there's the "VPILF" thing- 23,800 entries in a Google search. (If you're unaware, it stands for Vice Presidents I'd Like to Fraternize with. sort of.) Not as vicious as the son/grandson thing to be sure, merely degrading and undignified... but the interesting thing is that the domain name vpilf.com was taken out two months ago , just in case she was picked. And even they weren't the best prepared- you can already buy VPILF shirts, hats, mugs, magnets, jackets, etc.
I am flabbergasted. Governor Palin hasn't earned this level of enmity through years of bitter fighting... the Kos thing was posted 21 freaking hours after the announcement. The Alan Colmes thing, 22 hours. Nobody works that fast- are we now at the level of preparing files of vitriol in advance on every politician alive so they can be instantly savaged if they enter the national arena? Are we now prepared to make pre-emptive strikes against sixteen year old girls to drive their parents out of the race? For all those who have not yet raised their voice in outrage, let me say that I hope you enjoy what you will hear over the next ten weeks- I know I won't.
Let's take the biggie: Trig is really Bristol's son, not Sarah's, a filthy little piece from Daily Kos . The sole and only "evidence" is photos in which Sarah didn't "look" pregnant, and Bristol did. Even our own Chalice Spark , Ms. Kitty , and Steve Caldwell (by way of comment on Ms. Kitty's) didn't know what to think. I don't like to speak ill of my peers, but come on- it took less than five minutes of Googling to render the story, in the Times words, "utterly unfounded", little things like the photo showing Bristol "pregnant" was published in the Anchorage Daily News in 2006, (making hers the world's longest human gestation), and photos of Sarah taken from the side rather than the front, which showed considerable bulge. Ye Gods, people, I'm not the world's best researcher, and yet it took me less time to find those than it probably took to write the blogs saying "I don't know what to think."
Then there's the speculation as to the cause of Trig's Downs Syndrome. When someone pointed out in the Daily Kos comments that their theory was unlikely because the odds of an under 20 having a Downs child were 1:2,000 while the odds of an over 40 were 1:10, it was suggested that the cause, and the reason for the cover up, was that Bristol's child was the result of incest. OK, I don't expect any better out of Daily Kos. But I was dumbfounded when Alan Colmes suggested that it was caused by improper prenatal care, a result of Sarah running around giving speeches. After receiving complaints, the page was taken down, but you can see a snapshot here .
Then of course there's the "VPILF" thing- 23,800 entries in a Google search. (If you're unaware, it stands for Vice Presidents I'd Like to Fraternize with. sort of.) Not as vicious as the son/grandson thing to be sure, merely degrading and undignified... but the interesting thing is that the domain name vpilf.com was taken out two months ago , just in case she was picked. And even they weren't the best prepared- you can already buy VPILF shirts, hats, mugs, magnets, jackets, etc.
I am flabbergasted. Governor Palin hasn't earned this level of enmity through years of bitter fighting... the Kos thing was posted 21 freaking hours after the announcement. The Alan Colmes thing, 22 hours. Nobody works that fast- are we now at the level of preparing files of vitriol in advance on every politician alive so they can be instantly savaged if they enter the national arena? Are we now prepared to make pre-emptive strikes against sixteen year old girls to drive their parents out of the race? For all those who have not yet raised their voice in outrage, let me say that I hope you enjoy what you will hear over the next ten weeks- I know I won't.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
On a lighter note
I was just going over my journal entries from the trip west, and was reminded of something that made me smile at the airport... a suitcase on the baggage carousel that had a sticker saying "Pick me! Pick me!"
Take a look at ourselves
Time for a change indeed was the title of an excellent post Monday at Auspicious Jots. In it she said, "We are not the religious arm of the Democratic Party.We sure do look like it far too often." In it is a heart breaking comment from someone who feels shut out of her congregation because of the overt politicizm.
I am often told I exaggerate the image of our religion as merely the chaplains of the Democratic party. Consider this story from Inside NoVa.com , "Area Dems cheer Obama"
"As Sen. Barack Obama prepared to deliver his speech accepting the Democratic party's presidential nomination Thursday night, a group of party loyals gathered to watch the speech in the social hall of the Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church in Manassas."..."Obama campaign signs hung on the walls inside and outside of the Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church on Thursday night."
I'm still committed to my congregation, though for the first time in twelve years I believe I'll skip coffee hours for the rest of the year. I don't believe I'll want to hear the conversations, nor read the crap that's sure to be pinned to the bulletin board. I might curtail my Channing Club activities, too, as I'm tiring of hearing "jokes" like "Of course I'll be there- unless Bush has us all in concentration camps by then".
*sigh* Sometimes I just feel so tired, and wonder why I bother smacking my forehead into brick walls. Sometimes I envy Robin Edgar's energy and determination, if not his judgment. Maybe ice cream will help.
UPDATE:
I have received the following statement:
"The use of our building for this event was a building rental, for which the congregation was paid in full. It was not a congregational activity. It was announced as such at the beginning of the event, was not publicized through congregational communications channels, and was communicated to the press as an event of the Prince William County Democratic Party, not an event of our congregation. We are in the habit of hosting many rental events here in our church building that help us to pay the bills and fulfill our distinctly religious mission. We also accept rental fees from Mary Kay Cosmetics, from the PW County Chamber of Commerce, local business owners, and a Yoga Studio. In fact, we make every effort to ensure that what we do here is liberal religion, not a front for liberal politics."
I feel better!
I am often told I exaggerate the image of our religion as merely the chaplains of the Democratic party. Consider this story from Inside NoVa.com , "Area Dems cheer Obama"
"As Sen. Barack Obama prepared to deliver his speech accepting the Democratic party's presidential nomination Thursday night, a group of party loyals gathered to watch the speech in the social hall of the Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church in Manassas."..."Obama campaign signs hung on the walls inside and outside of the Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church on Thursday night."
I'm still committed to my congregation, though for the first time in twelve years I believe I'll skip coffee hours for the rest of the year. I don't believe I'll want to hear the conversations, nor read the crap that's sure to be pinned to the bulletin board. I might curtail my Channing Club activities, too, as I'm tiring of hearing "jokes" like "Of course I'll be there- unless Bush has us all in concentration camps by then".
*sigh* Sometimes I just feel so tired, and wonder why I bother smacking my forehead into brick walls. Sometimes I envy Robin Edgar's energy and determination, if not his judgment. Maybe ice cream will help.
UPDATE:
I have received the following statement:
"The use of our building for this event was a building rental, for which the congregation was paid in full. It was not a congregational activity. It was announced as such at the beginning of the event, was not publicized through congregational communications channels, and was communicated to the press as an event of the Prince William County Democratic Party, not an event of our congregation. We are in the habit of hosting many rental events here in our church building that help us to pay the bills and fulfill our distinctly religious mission. We also accept rental fees from Mary Kay Cosmetics, from the PW County Chamber of Commerce, local business owners, and a Yoga Studio. In fact, we make every effort to ensure that what we do here is liberal religion, not a front for liberal politics."
I feel better!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Something's fishy
A college student and her father- both sushi fans- tried an experiment : they bought sushi at several restaurants and grocery stores, and sent samples to a lab for genetic coding to positively identify the species. They found that 8 of 14 restaurant samples, and 6 of 10 grocery store samples were not what they were being sold as: "White Tuna" that was really Mozambique Tilapia, "Red Snapper" that was really Nile Perch... fish that were dramatically cheaper than what they were being sold as.
I wish someone would do this test for fast food burgers. I'm reminded of the Simson episode where Crusty the Clown was asked if the rib sandwich being sold at the Crustyburger was really pork, and he replied, "Think more legs."
I wish someone would do this test for fast food burgers. I'm reminded of the Simson episode where Crusty the Clown was asked if the rib sandwich being sold at the Crustyburger was really pork, and he replied, "Think more legs."
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
An exciting new development for the disabled
What was once science fiction is now undergoing trials, with units going on sale shortly- a powered exoskeleton that will allow paralyzed and otherwise wheelchair bound people to walk, albeit with canes. If you are or know anyone currently in a wheelchair, this footage of a paraplegic man walking to an outdoor cafe and sitting down on a regular chair will touch your heart. They said the units will initially cost $20,000- I hope the next President will allocate funds to buy them for unfortunate returning veterans.
Maybe Nixon was right
and Sammy Hagar was wrong. According to a study by the University of Michigan, people are slowing down because of the high price of gas- and fatalities are dropping dramatically.
"Over the previous 10 months, monthly fatalities declined an average of 4.2 percent compared to the previous year. Then, Sivak's data shows, fatalities dropped 22.1 percent in March and 17.9 percent in April of this year — numbers that did not show up in a recent federal report that tracked a drop in traffic deaths through the end of 2007.
The declines found by Sivak suggest that motorists reached what he calls a "tipping point" and have begun significantly changing their behavior — altering not only how much they drive, but where, when and how they drive. Sivak said early data for May and June show similar trends.
"There is something more than just the reduction in driving that has to be brought in as an explanation for the huge drop in fatalities," Sivak said."
"Sivak predicts that highway deaths this year will drop below 37,000 for the first time since 1961 if the March and April trends continue. The government motor vehicle death count for 1961 totaled 36,285. The number of highway deaths peaked in 1972 at 55,600, then generally declined over the next two decades. For the past several years, the number has hovered above 42,000 a year."
"It's really very interesting that with all these efforts that have gone into building safer highways, safer cars, better enforcement ... this really dramatic change we're seeing is due to economics, to the price of gasoline," said Paul Fischbeck, director of Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation at Carnegie Mellon University"
Come on, Sammy- leave your Ferrari in third gear.
"Over the previous 10 months, monthly fatalities declined an average of 4.2 percent compared to the previous year. Then, Sivak's data shows, fatalities dropped 22.1 percent in March and 17.9 percent in April of this year — numbers that did not show up in a recent federal report that tracked a drop in traffic deaths through the end of 2007.
The declines found by Sivak suggest that motorists reached what he calls a "tipping point" and have begun significantly changing their behavior — altering not only how much they drive, but where, when and how they drive. Sivak said early data for May and June show similar trends.
"There is something more than just the reduction in driving that has to be brought in as an explanation for the huge drop in fatalities," Sivak said."
"Sivak predicts that highway deaths this year will drop below 37,000 for the first time since 1961 if the March and April trends continue. The government motor vehicle death count for 1961 totaled 36,285. The number of highway deaths peaked in 1972 at 55,600, then generally declined over the next two decades. For the past several years, the number has hovered above 42,000 a year."
"It's really very interesting that with all these efforts that have gone into building safer highways, safer cars, better enforcement ... this really dramatic change we're seeing is due to economics, to the price of gasoline," said Paul Fischbeck, director of Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation at Carnegie Mellon University"
Come on, Sammy- leave your Ferrari in third gear.
I am frequently asked how I can always be so optimistic
Three times in the last three weeks alone, and by family members- which was a large part of the inspiration for this post. I've been called "Pollyanna" and "dreamer" more times than I can count, but they are wrong; I can recognize evil when I see it. But still, I believe in Man. I believe because I'm a realist.
That statement makes many a jaw drop. I am often told that "reality" is that Man is part of nature, red of tooth and claw, and has the reddest teeth and claws of them all. Just look at the news, I'm told. But the "news" is not reality- it is sensationalism designed to sell a product- that is reality.
I have often touted Robert Heinlein's This I Believe . Here are some quotes:
"I believe in my fellow citizens. Our headlines are splashed with crime, yet for every criminal there are 10,000 honest decent kindly men. If it were not so, no child would live to grow up, business could not go on from day to day. Decency is not news; it is buried in the obituaries --but it is a force stronger than crime."
"I believe in the patient gallantry of nurses...in the tedious sacrifices of teachers. I believe in the unseen and unending fight against desperate odds that goes on quietly in almost every home in the land."
"I believe in the honest craft of workmen. Take a look around you. There never were enough bosses to check up on all that work. From Independence Hall to the Grand Coulee Dam, these things were built level and square by craftsmen who were honest in their bones."
"I believe that almost all politicians are honest. For every bribed alderman there are hundreds of politicians, low paid or not paid at all, doing their level best without thanks or glory to make our system work. If this were not true, we would never have gotten past the thirteen colonies."
But those words were written more than fifty years ago, and he wasn't a young man when he wrote them, I'm told- things are different today. Are they really? Consider this story , "Girl, 11, Finds $1,000 Floating in Ocean" The incident: "While swimming in the surf in Ocean City, Md., Rowan Short of Brandywine Hundred found a Ziploc bag containing two credit cards, a Pennsylvania driver's license and more than $1,000 cash." What happened? "Her mom used a cell phone to call 411, got the number of the driver named on the license, and placed a call to Elaine and Michael Chosky in Pittsburgh." They went out of their way to return it.
Of course there are a few people like that, but what would most people do? Reader's Digest decided to find out. They designed a test : they "lost" wallets- "In each we put a name, local address and phone number, family pictures, receipts -- and $50 in cash.
We dropped 120 wallets -- ten each in three large cities, three major suburban areas, three medium cities and three small towns. We left them in parking lots, malls, bus stops and on sidewalks. Then we waited to see what would happen. To each person who returned the wallet, we offered the $50 as a reward.
This was no rigorous scientific study but rather a real-life test of integrity. Would people in small towns return the wallets more often than those in big cities? Old folks more than young? Women more than men?"
The results? In one of those cities, Moncton N.B., all ten of the wallets were returned intact- and one of the honest men was a lawyer! (Paging Diogenes) People from all walks of life went out of their way to return the wallets- even homeless people and poor people with families who needed the money. Two thirds of the wallets were returned intact. When the test was repeated in America, the results were the same. In Europe, the numbers dropped, but were still more than half- and two Scandinavian cities hit 100% They repeated the tests with cell phones and got the same results. Even the 68% honesty rating reported is low in one respect: "Even those who kept the wallets still had a conscience, judging by the furtive glances and the attempts at concealment many of them made as they left the scene." They knew right and wrong; they were simply weak. I'd wager, from incidents I've seen, that if the empathy quotient had been raised- say someone crying and obviously looking for the wallet or phone- 90% would have been returned.
I'm not blind to evil; I just put it in perspective. Humankind is decent and good. Evil- even the petty evils- are the aberration, not the norm. I do not confuse results with motivations. I know it's conventional wisdom in the UU blogs that Bush is evil, but he's not; he's simply wrong. I believe that our current Presidential choices are between good and better, not good and bad. I believe in Abraham Lincoln's words, "If you tell the people the truth, they'll do the right thing." I believe that with every passing year of the information age, more and more people will become aware of more and more truths, and do more right things. I believe that a golden age of Man is no longer a pie in the sky, nor even the dreams of our grandchildren, but within the grasp of today's children, if they will but reach for it.
Go ahead and call me Pollyanna. I'm comfortable in that role.
That statement makes many a jaw drop. I am often told that "reality" is that Man is part of nature, red of tooth and claw, and has the reddest teeth and claws of them all. Just look at the news, I'm told. But the "news" is not reality- it is sensationalism designed to sell a product- that is reality.
I have often touted Robert Heinlein's This I Believe . Here are some quotes:
"I believe in my fellow citizens. Our headlines are splashed with crime, yet for every criminal there are 10,000 honest decent kindly men. If it were not so, no child would live to grow up, business could not go on from day to day. Decency is not news; it is buried in the obituaries --but it is a force stronger than crime."
"I believe in the patient gallantry of nurses...in the tedious sacrifices of teachers. I believe in the unseen and unending fight against desperate odds that goes on quietly in almost every home in the land."
"I believe in the honest craft of workmen. Take a look around you. There never were enough bosses to check up on all that work. From Independence Hall to the Grand Coulee Dam, these things were built level and square by craftsmen who were honest in their bones."
"I believe that almost all politicians are honest. For every bribed alderman there are hundreds of politicians, low paid or not paid at all, doing their level best without thanks or glory to make our system work. If this were not true, we would never have gotten past the thirteen colonies."
But those words were written more than fifty years ago, and he wasn't a young man when he wrote them, I'm told- things are different today. Are they really? Consider this story , "Girl, 11, Finds $1,000 Floating in Ocean" The incident: "While swimming in the surf in Ocean City, Md., Rowan Short of Brandywine Hundred found a Ziploc bag containing two credit cards, a Pennsylvania driver's license and more than $1,000 cash." What happened? "Her mom used a cell phone to call 411, got the number of the driver named on the license, and placed a call to Elaine and Michael Chosky in Pittsburgh." They went out of their way to return it.
Of course there are a few people like that, but what would most people do? Reader's Digest decided to find out. They designed a test : they "lost" wallets- "In each we put a name, local address and phone number, family pictures, receipts -- and $50 in cash.
We dropped 120 wallets -- ten each in three large cities, three major suburban areas, three medium cities and three small towns. We left them in parking lots, malls, bus stops and on sidewalks. Then we waited to see what would happen. To each person who returned the wallet, we offered the $50 as a reward.
This was no rigorous scientific study but rather a real-life test of integrity. Would people in small towns return the wallets more often than those in big cities? Old folks more than young? Women more than men?"
The results? In one of those cities, Moncton N.B., all ten of the wallets were returned intact- and one of the honest men was a lawyer! (Paging Diogenes) People from all walks of life went out of their way to return the wallets- even homeless people and poor people with families who needed the money. Two thirds of the wallets were returned intact. When the test was repeated in America, the results were the same. In Europe, the numbers dropped, but were still more than half- and two Scandinavian cities hit 100% They repeated the tests with cell phones and got the same results. Even the 68% honesty rating reported is low in one respect: "Even those who kept the wallets still had a conscience, judging by the furtive glances and the attempts at concealment many of them made as they left the scene." They knew right and wrong; they were simply weak. I'd wager, from incidents I've seen, that if the empathy quotient had been raised- say someone crying and obviously looking for the wallet or phone- 90% would have been returned.
I'm not blind to evil; I just put it in perspective. Humankind is decent and good. Evil- even the petty evils- are the aberration, not the norm. I do not confuse results with motivations. I know it's conventional wisdom in the UU blogs that Bush is evil, but he's not; he's simply wrong. I believe that our current Presidential choices are between good and better, not good and bad. I believe in Abraham Lincoln's words, "If you tell the people the truth, they'll do the right thing." I believe that with every passing year of the information age, more and more people will become aware of more and more truths, and do more right things. I believe that a golden age of Man is no longer a pie in the sky, nor even the dreams of our grandchildren, but within the grasp of today's children, if they will but reach for it.
Go ahead and call me Pollyanna. I'm comfortable in that role.
Monday, August 25, 2008
I, too, am becoming concerned
Catching up on blogs after my return from Port Townsend, I was impressed by this excellent post from "Celestial Lands" entitled "I'm beginning to become concerned". His concerns were sparked by this video:
It bothers me, too. It is an example of the quote I have referenced before: "there is a God shaped hole in the human heart that must be filled with something". I don't mean that people are sacrificing small animals to Senator Obama, but many are placing levels of hope and faith in him that are usually reserved for Gods, not mortals- you can actually see tears and hear choked up voices when some people speak of him.
The supplication at the end of the video, "When you get to the top, don't forget about me", carries the whiff of a threat when you consider that no President can deliver the kinds of changes that Obama's supporters are talking about. Consider the issues:
IRAQ. Experts agree that if we just pull out next January, there will be civil war and purges to rival the killing fields of Southeast Asia- that assessment has a stronger consensus than Global Warming. That is why the Democratic congress has kept funding the war despite their pre-election rhetoric. President Obama is not going to leave as his legacy a mass slaughter; hence, we will remain in Iraq until a viable government is in place. Optimistic experts say that will be 18 months to two years; many say three to five years. Not even the management of the war will change dramatically; even Haliburton will retain their no-bid contracts. Bush hired them for the same reason Clinton did for his Bosnian war; they were the only company with the manpower and expertise extant, and still are.
GAS PRICES. No matter who the President is, gasoline prices will be driven by the market, and will go up and down as supply and demand drives them. The demands of China, India, and the rest of the developing world are going nowhere but up. Alternative fuels? The Department of Energy was created to find them, and thirty years and tens of billions of dollars later there still isn't a viable alternative- President Obama isn't going to change that in four or even eight years.
ENERGY POLICY. Nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind power are all opposed bitterly by environmentalists and animal rights activists- core constituents of the Democratic party. (however, in a truly bipartisan effort, Kennedy and Romney worked hard to kill the offshore wind farms in New England) The next President will be forced eventually to ok drilling offshore and in ANWAR- forget gasoline, we need five million barrels of oil a day just for the plastic and chemical industries.
GLOBAL WARMING. President Obama will not get the Kyoto Protocols ratified; when President Clinton tried, the Senate voted 95-0 against it. As long as the world's largest producer of greenhouse gasses- China- refuses to sign on, we won't either.
THE ECONOMY. Let me sum it up this way: the primary reason why Congress' popularity polls are down in the single digits is the economy. Don't you think that if there was any way to improve it quickly, they would do so? Do you think they like being unpopular?
Obama's supporters believe, with a truly religious fervor, in changes that no mere President can deliver. I hope his charisma can carry them when reality sets in; I fear for public order if it doesn't. David was right to quote Frank Herbert:
Here lies a toppled God.
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A Narrow and a Tall one.
It bothers me, too. It is an example of the quote I have referenced before: "there is a God shaped hole in the human heart that must be filled with something". I don't mean that people are sacrificing small animals to Senator Obama, but many are placing levels of hope and faith in him that are usually reserved for Gods, not mortals- you can actually see tears and hear choked up voices when some people speak of him.
The supplication at the end of the video, "When you get to the top, don't forget about me", carries the whiff of a threat when you consider that no President can deliver the kinds of changes that Obama's supporters are talking about. Consider the issues:
IRAQ. Experts agree that if we just pull out next January, there will be civil war and purges to rival the killing fields of Southeast Asia- that assessment has a stronger consensus than Global Warming. That is why the Democratic congress has kept funding the war despite their pre-election rhetoric. President Obama is not going to leave as his legacy a mass slaughter; hence, we will remain in Iraq until a viable government is in place. Optimistic experts say that will be 18 months to two years; many say three to five years. Not even the management of the war will change dramatically; even Haliburton will retain their no-bid contracts. Bush hired them for the same reason Clinton did for his Bosnian war; they were the only company with the manpower and expertise extant, and still are.
GAS PRICES. No matter who the President is, gasoline prices will be driven by the market, and will go up and down as supply and demand drives them. The demands of China, India, and the rest of the developing world are going nowhere but up. Alternative fuels? The Department of Energy was created to find them, and thirty years and tens of billions of dollars later there still isn't a viable alternative- President Obama isn't going to change that in four or even eight years.
ENERGY POLICY. Nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind power are all opposed bitterly by environmentalists and animal rights activists- core constituents of the Democratic party. (however, in a truly bipartisan effort, Kennedy and Romney worked hard to kill the offshore wind farms in New England) The next President will be forced eventually to ok drilling offshore and in ANWAR- forget gasoline, we need five million barrels of oil a day just for the plastic and chemical industries.
GLOBAL WARMING. President Obama will not get the Kyoto Protocols ratified; when President Clinton tried, the Senate voted 95-0 against it. As long as the world's largest producer of greenhouse gasses- China- refuses to sign on, we won't either.
THE ECONOMY. Let me sum it up this way: the primary reason why Congress' popularity polls are down in the single digits is the economy. Don't you think that if there was any way to improve it quickly, they would do so? Do you think they like being unpopular?
Obama's supporters believe, with a truly religious fervor, in changes that no mere President can deliver. I hope his charisma can carry them when reality sets in; I fear for public order if it doesn't. David was right to quote Frank Herbert:
Here lies a toppled God.
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A Narrow and a Tall one.
Friday, August 22, 2008
More pictures from the Kitsap Peninsula
Here is the view down the street in front of the house we're staying at.
Although you can see the bay from there, the direct line goes to Downtown, so we went North to the beach. Though normally P.T. residents aren't all that fond of Californians, they apparently have learned things from them, as evidenced by this surfer.
Although you can see the bay from there, the direct line goes to Downtown, so we went North to the beach. Though normally P.T. residents aren't all that fond of Californians, they apparently have learned things from them, as evidenced by this surfer.
Looking of to the East, we could see Mt. Baker and the N. American continent proper.
Off to to the west beyond this point, but concealed by mist on the horizon, is Japan.
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