A Mini-Rant and A Couple of Other Things

It’s been written that the definition of Puritanism is “the fear that someone, somewhere, is having a good time.” That was the first thing I thought when I read this (“No Need for Speed”):

SPEEDING is the cause of 30 percent of all traffic deaths in the United States — about 13,000 people a year. By comparison, alcohol is blamed 39 percent of the time, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But unlike drinking, which requires the police, breathalyzers and coercion to improve drivers’ behavior, there’s a simple way to prevent speeding: quit building cars that can exceed the speed limit.

Most cars can travel over 100 miles an hour — an illegal speed in every state. Our continued, deliberate production of potentially law-breaking devices has no real precedent. We regulate all sorts of items to decrease danger to the public, from baby cribs to bicycle helmets. Yet we continue to produce fast cars despite the lives lost, the tens of billions spent treating accident victims, and a good deal of gasoline wasted. (Speeding, after all, substantially reduces fuel efficiency due to the sheering force of wind.)

[…]

Because the ticket-them-till-they-stop approach simply would not work, we might consider my initial recommendation: build cars that can’t exceed the speed limit. The technology to limit car speed has existed for more than 50 years — it’s called cruise control. In its common application, cruise control maintains a steady speed, but a minor adjustment would assure that vehicles, no matter the horsepower, never go past 75 miles per hour. This safety measure should be required of every new automobile, the same as seat belts, turning signals, brake lights and air bags.

Sure, it would take us longer to get from here to there. But thousands of deaths a year are too great a cost for so adolescent a thrill as speeding.

Well, check that. Puritanism was the second thing I thought… stupidity… sheer abject frickin’ idiocy… was actually the first. I’ve been kinda waiting for the do-gooders among us to resurrect that brilliant idea from the ‘70s: the national 55 mph speed limit. Gas crisis, conservation of our precious resources, and all that. But even the most controlling of the control freaks haven’t seriously advanced that idea. Yet.

But this lil op-ed took me completely by surprise. The author, Kent Sepkowitz, is the vice-chairman of medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, which is located in Manhattan. That one fact makes me question if Mr. Sepkowitz even owns a car… many New Yorkers do not. And even if Mr. Sepkowitz does own a car, he still lives in NYC, which is in New York state, which is on the East Coast… and which is a totally different driving environment than what we who live in The Great Wide Open know and love. The difference is congestion. It’s pretty hard to speed consistently when you’re on the expressway experiencing the thrill of near grid-lock with several million other drivers. The same thing holds true for residents of other cities, particularly places like Los Angeles. It’s just danged near impossible to speed. Such is not the case in this part of the world and in other, more populated places in the Great Wide Open like Omaha, just to cite one example.

There are other flaws in Mr. Sepkowitz’ “speed kills” assertion, chief among them is the omission of the conditional argument. Speed, in and of itself, does not and cannot kill. Going too fast for conditions… e.g., rain, snow, ice, fog… most certainly can and does kill. It’s a judgment issue. So, in typical do-gooder fashion, Mr. Sepkowitz wants to penalize the majority of us who exercise good judgment to protect the yahoos who don’t. And then there’s the classic example of Germany’s autobahn, world-famous for its lack of speed limits (even though there’s a movement afoot in Germany to end that). The autobahn is, statistically speaking (deaths per mile traveled), safer than any American highway. And one can drive 150 mph on the “uncontrolled” portions if you have a car that’s capable of that speed and the inclination to do so. I know this from personal experience and…amazingly enough… I’m alive to tell the tale.

Which brings up another issue. It’s much more difficult to get a drivers license in Germany and most other countries outside of America. If one would tighten up the licensing requirements in these United Sates, our highway death toll would drop, and drop significantly. Inexperience is a key factor in accidents, probably as much, if not more so, than simple speed. Increasing the rigor of our auto safety inspections would also help. Doing 75 mph on bald tires isn’t exactly a good idea, you know, and the same thing goes for deficient brakes, loose suspension, worn out shocks… yadda, yadda, yadda. I cringe when I see some of the beaters on our roads, no matter what speed they’re being driven.

But noooo… what we really need to do is put speed governors on all our cars. God Save Us from Mr. Sepkowitz and his ilk. Keep working on the cure for cancer, Mr. Sepkowitz, and leave my frickin’ car ALONE, thankyouverymuch.

―:☺:―

A couple more from My Bud Ed in Florida… Battle of the Sexes Division:

WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST

She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee. Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box. Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week. Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl. And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles. The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him. He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife. She directs him down the correct aisle.

A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.

She says, confused, “Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?”

He answers, “You see, it's like this. Yesterday I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers, cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper. So I figure if I have to roll my own… so does she.”

(I figure this guy is the one on the milk carton!)

There were more, but I’m saving ‘em for a rainy day.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pic: The first photo of SN1 in The Sandbox, taken sometime yesterday. He assures me more are forthcoming. Note the amazing amount of dust (for a military environment) and the sandbagged window. Interesting, eh?

A Lil Excitement

I’m just back from an exciting lunch with Blog-Bud Lou and her husband Toby; that’s the three of us in the pic above. Why the emphasis on “exciting,” you ask? Well… have you ever had cause for the Heimlich Maneuver to be used on you? No? Me neither, until today. To make a long and embarrassing story short, I tried to inhale a piece of steak finger at lunch today and wasn’t successful. At all. But, things worked out (obviously and quite literally), and Toby gives good Heimlich. Thank God. While I wouldn’t call my little adventure in breathing alternate substances life-threatening, it was most definitely exciting. I didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention of the whole frickin’ restaurant for three or four minutes, either. I wanted to find a hole and crawl right in it after the crisis passed.

So… lunch was very pleasant after the initial bit of excitement was over. To cut to the chase: have you ever met someone for the first time and immediately felt at ease and at home, right off the bat? That was the case today… speaking only for myself, of course. But then, I knew we would hit it off. It’s not like we’re strangers, what with nearly three years of reading each other’s stuff day in and day out.

Toby and Lou are great people, to put it very mildly. Today might have been our first meeting, but it sure as Hell won’t be our last… if I have anything to say about it.

Monday. Again?

Make of this what you will:

After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.

“The most disappointing shift is to see the partisan attitude move from prime time into what’s supposed to be straight news programming,” said Davidson Goldin, formerly the editorial director of MSNBC and a co-founder of the reputation management firm DolceGoldin.

Executives at the channel’s parent company, NBC Universal, had high hopes for MSNBC’s coverage of the political conventions. Instead, the coverage frequently descended into on-air squabbles between the anchors, embarrassing some workers at NBC’s news division, and quite possibly alienating viewers. Although MSNBC nearly doubled its total audience compared with the 2004 conventions, its competitive position did not improve, as it remained in last place among the broadcast and cable news networks.

Last place. Everyone except the profoundly clue-free and the moonbats… but I repeat myself… should understand MSNBC’s liberal tilt would affect their ratings, no? And some do:

Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, the past and present anchors of “NBC Nightly News,” have told friends and colleagues that they are finding it tougher and tougher to defend the cable arm of the news division, even while they anchored daytime hours of convention coverage on MSNBC and contributed commentary each evening.

Mr. Williams did not respond to a request for comment and Mr. Brokaw declined to comment. At a panel discussion in Denver, Mr. Brokaw acknowledged that Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews had “gone too far” at times, but emphasized they were “not the only voices” on MSNBC, according to The Washington Post.

Ah… but don’t expect any changes at MSNBC anytime soon. Herr Olbermann is the Golden Boy at MSNBC, and the creator of that piece of effluvium known as “Countdown.” About which:

Up to now, the company’s public support for MSNBC’s strategy has been enthusiastic. At an anniversary party for Mr. Olbermann in April, Mr. Zucker called “Countdown” “one of the signature brands of the entire company.”

Zucker is the CEO of NBC Universal. Still and even… one lives and dies by the ratings in the News Biz. And “last place” ain’t a title that will garner many bonuses, let alone continued employment, for Mr. Zucker and Co. As for me, I’d love to see Olbermann get Peter-Principled to a position like chief sportscaster for Channel Four in Amarillo. Then again, the good folks in Amarillo probably don’t deserve that, do they?

―:☺:―

Update from The Sandbox, fresh in my in-box at 0545 hrs this morning:

So I've arrived in Iraq...

0230 on the 7th of Sep actually. Made for a long day as I awoke at 0300 on the 6th and didn't get to sleep until about 1230 yesterday. i took a couple of hours to get a nap and ended up in bed for the day at 1930. Today started at 0300 again with a large cuppa joe, a "Stars and Stripes" and a decent attitude. Started my workout at 0430 and was done, showered and waiting for everyone else to head to chow at 0630.

The DFACs (Dining facility(ies)...another rant goes here on how we're not supposed to call it a "Chow Hall" anymore...but I don't have the time or inclination to go down that road right now. Suffice it to say it's not PC to call it a chow hall...so I do) are more than adequate. In fact, I read a telling stat the other day that said something along the lines of prior to ~2004 the average person deploying to the AOR lost 10 pounds per deployment. That number now is the opposite. The average person GAINS 10 pounds! I can see why. The TCNs that serve our food don't really know the meaning of "portion." There's more than plenty of food so they serve tons of it. I'll need to be careful here!

[…]

It's drab here. There's LOTS of concrete, mostly in the form of barriers, and the obligatory sand. There are a LOT of Army on the base. The AF is actually taking over from the Army, responsible for base security and the like, so we're building the place up. There are also a lot of contractors/civilians. Apparently they make a BUNCH of cash here...lucky them.

One of my co-workers (prior enlisted Lt) remarked how the AF used to be a lot less complicated, back when we joined (he's also a bit older). I couldn't agree more. We've got lots of little rules regarding uniform wear here in the AOR. Some of it makes lots of sense, but there are other rules that have me puzzled. Examples of that later...I've got to go to another meeting. Some things don't change...even in a war zone!

Ah… about that last paragraph: an admission, of sorts. You’re more than aware, Gentle Reader, that I look upon Today’s Modern Air Force as something less than what it was when I left it back in the stone tablet days, c. 1985. But USAF’s new management is looking to shake things up and affect change. Here’s an example:

Blue Mondays: Beginning today, airmen are required to wear a combination of the Air Force's blue uniform on Mondays. The decision came out of the strategic summit Aug. 27 at Bolling AFB, D.C., the service said in a release Sept. 5. "We all agreed that part of our image, culture, and professionalism is instilled in our blues," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, in the memo that he circulated Sept. 4 to announce the change. The policy is mandatory for most career fields, but installation commanders retain the authority to adjust it as necessary for mission requirements. Prior to 9/11, most airmen wore blues as their primary duty uniform.

That, of course, is a blurb from AFA’s Daily Report, available as a direct link in my sidebar. Yeah, it’s a sop to the past and a very minor sort of sop it is, too. Still and even, it’s a start. I’m pretty sure this new policy won’t apply in the AOR, but it will do MY ol’ heart good to see the troops walking around Cannon Airplane Patch in the blue uni. I’m gonna make it a point to conduct whatever bid’niz I may have out at the base on Mondays from now on. That probably won’t do much good, however, seeing as how the main reason I go out to the base is to shop (“when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!”)… and the commissary is closed on Mondays.

Oh, well.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pic: Since the greatest part of this post is about SN1, I figured a photo of him in his working environment would be appropriate. Here he is… along with SN3… standing in a hangar in close proximity to a Lawn Dart.

Cannon AFB. July, 2004.

Yet Another Funny From Ed

From My Bud Ed in Florida…

Driving with Grandpa

A friend, who worked away from home all week, always made a special effort with his family on the weekends. Every Sunday morning he would take his seven-year-old granddaughter out for a drive in the car for some bonding time, just he and his granddaughter.

One week in particular he came home sick, and on Sunday he was still battling a bad cold and really didn't feel up to going out for a drive at all. Luckily, his wife came to the rescue and said that she would take their granddaughter out.

When they returned, the little girl anxiously ran upstairs to see her grandfather.

"Well, did you enjoy your ride with grandma?"

"Oh yes, Grandpa" the girl replied, "and do you know what? We didn't see a single dumb bastard or lousy shit head or son of a bitch anywhere we went today!"

OK. My memory really IS leaving me, coz (a) I don’t remember taking the girls out for a ride at any point in time lately and (b) I don’t remember introducing Ed to the girls. And (c)… where the HELL did I leave Grandma, anyway? Oops, right. I remember now.

A Message

Via Chap, who left the link in a comment at Barry's place, and published today at American Thinker:



It's only a two-minute video and you absolutely, positively MUST stay until the end. Have Kleenex handy, too. "Powerful" just doesn't even BEGIN to describe the piece.

Reform

David Brooks is on to something.

Political parties usually reform in the wilderness. They suffer some crushing defeat, the old guard is discredited and the pain compels turnover and change. John McCain is trying to reform the Republican Party before a presidential defeat, with the old guard still around, and with a party base that still hasn’t accepted the need to transform. The central drama of this week’s convention was the struggle by reform Republicans to break through the gravitational pull of old habits and create something new.

Say what? Reform? “We don’t need no steenkin’ REFORM!” shouts the base… “Au contraire,” replied certain elements of the Party. Brooks again:

For 36 hours, the gravitational pull of past resentments dominated the media-culture war complex. And from the convention podium the past and the future fought to a draw. On the one hand, Joe Lieberman went up there and praised Bill Clinton, giving a glimpse of what a less partisan political future might look like. On the other, there was Mitt Romney, who delivered a cynical, extreme caricature of old-line Republicanism.

The convention thus sat on a knife-edge. And then Palin walked onstage. She gave a tough vice presidential speech, with maybe a few more jabs than necessary. Still it was stupendous to see a young woman emerge from nowhere to give a smart and assertive speech.

And what was most impressive was her speech’s freshness. Her words flowed directly from her life experience, her poise and mannerisms from her town and its conversations. She left behind most of the standard tropes of Republican rhetoric (compare her text to the others) and skated over abortion and the social issues. There wasn’t even any tired, old Reagan nostalgia.

Instead, her language resonated more of supermarket aisle than the megachurch pulpit. More than the men on the tickets, she embodies the spirit of the moment: impatient, fed up, tough-minded, but ironical. Even in attack, she projected the cheerfulness of someone confident about the future.

In those 40 minutes, the forces of reform Republicanism took control, at least for a time. Republicans started talking about Palin, Bobby Jindal and a brighter future for their party.

So… what’s this reform thing all about? Brooks doesn’t delve into the subject in any great detail, but he’s scratched the surface. Basically, to my way of thinking, “reform” means breaking the ideological impasse that currently rules the roost in Washington. On the one hand, we have left-wing ideologues like Pelosi and Reid who absolutely refuse to compromise with the Right on subjects like offshore drilling and the confirmation of Dubya’s judicial nominees… to the point of refusing to allow floor votes in the House and Senate on issues where their party has even the remotest chance of failure. Republicans have tried, repeatedly and pointedly, to force the issue with the Democrats with little to no success. Why no success, you ask? Because what goes around comes around… and that’s the other hand. The Democrats are in the majority now, and what you’re seeing is pay-back for years of similar behavior on the part of the Republicans when they (we) were in power (think: Tom DeLay). The bottom line? Stalemate. And the absolute lowest congressional public approval ratings in my lifetime. The Congress is doing nothing… other than arguing at each other… while the business of America languishes, unattended.

John McCain is walking a tightrope. He’s trying to change a party that doesn’t necessarily see the need for change, and, as Brooks notes, Senator McCain is trying to change the party BEFORE an election debacle. I mean a debacle other than the most recent one… the congressional elections of 2006... whereby the GOP lost control of the House and the Senate. And who won, for the most part? Those Blue Dog Democrats… conservative Democrats, moderate Democrats. The folks that voted those guys into office are the folks John McCain and Sarah Palin are trying to win over, to the objections of the ultra-conservative base in the GOP. Or, that part of the Republican Party that refuses to compromise on issues they perceive to be moral imperatives. The problem with moral imperatives is a lot more complex than it might seem, but it basically boils down to an attitude that those of us on the Right have been disparaging in the Left for years: “You’re not just wrong, you’re EVIL.” And the corollary to that argument is “…so I won’t even talk to you.” After all, we're speaking about morality here... and that leaves absolutely NO room for dialog. There's no middle ground with morality: you're either right or you're wrong. Period, full-stop.

And how’s that working out for us as a party and as a nation? Answer: It’s NOT. To quote Walt Kelly’s Pogo: “We have met the enemy, and he is US.”

Good luck, Senator McCain. You’re gonna need it. But I’m with you, for what that’s worth.

―:☺:―

Related: Friday night is Moonbat Night here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. And by that I mean it’s the night I tune in to those (ahem) exemplary teevee shows “Washington Week,” “Now,” and “Bill Moyers Journal.” Most of the time I just can’t make it all the way to the end of these shows, especially Mr. Moyers’. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember the last time I watched Moyers’ program in its entirety. There’s a limit as to how much Moonbat tripe I can take, after all. And Moyers lays it on thicker than anyone else I know, with the possible exception of those Krazy Kos Kidz. It’s that bad. “Now,” on the other hand, isn’t quite as bad… and sometimes features segments that are both informative and compelling. Such was the case last night with “2008: A Republican Reinvention?”, a show that featured an interview with Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and one-time head of the EPA under Dubya. The program synopsis:

John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in part to appease his party's strongly conservative base. With the Republican right wing weighing so much influence even in the waning days of the Bush presidency, where does that leave prominent moderate Republicans? Is there room for them in the GOP? David Brancaccio sits down with former New Jersey Governor and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to discuss the political tolerance of the modern Republican Party, and her perspective on the current race.

One of the more lamentable features of podcasting has been the death of the written transcript, especially where PBS is concerned. There once was a time where I could excerpt salient points from a transcript to tease you into “reading the whole thing,” Gentle Reader, but alas… such is NOT the case any longer. And PBS doesn’t allow for the embedding of their precious video and/or audio feeds. Nope… you gotta go their site to access the material. Fair enough, I suppose, as it IS their stuff. That said, I encourage you to go watch what Ms. Whitman has to say. There’s a fight going on right now for the control of the Republican Party. While that fight might be simmering below the surface at the moment, it will break wide open soon. Very soon. Especially if we lose this election, but soon thereafter… even if we win. Why? Because The Base simply refuses to compromise on nearly ALL of its cherished positions, and compromise is something that Senator McCain believes in. Fireworks, forthwith.

Here’s the link again: 2008: A Republican Reinvention? Chase it, watch the video, and see if you think moderates have any future in the GOP. As for me? I’m hopeful.

An Update

I received a couple of notes today from SN1. His first leg into The Sandbox is complete. He won’t reveal exactly where he is, OPSEC being what it is, but I’m sure both you and I know, Gentle Reader. But… here are a few excerpts from the first of what will likely be many updates (hopefully!):

It's been miserably hot...but we knew that was going to happen...106 at 1300...

Landed at 1700 and didn't get a room until 2330...but I did get a couple of Stella's! Used the ration card within 10 minutes of it being issued to me. Had a couple, called Erm to let her know I was good, then went on an expedition to find linen for the bed...

Grabbed a quick shower at 0200 and was in bed around 0230 with 25-30 of my newest closest friends. At least the tent was livable.

Won't be out of here today, probably tomorrow.

I'll post when I can...

Your site is blocked on this NIPR net 'puter...

The wifi would let me get to it...but that's under the big top tent and I can't stand the heat!

And…

Ohh...before I forget...

Maine has a WONDERFUL group of people called the Maine greeters.

They meet you at the terminal when you arrive, shake your hand and thank-you for your service. They provide free cell phones for your use as well as cookies and candies, etc.

There was a guy taking pictures who said he posts them to his site...and of course I can't find the card he gave me right now, but I'll be on there for 3 Sep at 1830. At least that's what he told me...

Great support.

Anyone (Kris?) have insight into, or a url for, the highlighted bits?

Quick 'n' Dirty

I’m upside down yet again… up all danged night and sleeping until the day is literally half-gone. But that’s neither here nor there, I suppose.

So… didja watch McCain’s acceptance speech last night? I did… in its entirety the first time, and bits and pieces of it when it went to re-runs in the wee hours this morning. I have yet to read any of the overnight comment and op-eds, but I couldn’t help but hear the instant after-the-fact analysis by Brit Hume and His Merry Band. A few quick ‘n’ dirties:

I was very disheartened that McCain couldn’t bring himself to say those three lil words: “George W. Bush.” His direct thanks to “the president of the United States” for keeping the country attack-free over the past seven years lost 90% of their impact by his refusal to use Dubya’s name. While this approach is probably good politics… given The One’s constant hammering and yammering about “George Bush’s third term,” it IS entirely out of character for someone who takes pride in the label “Maverick.” It also makes ME wonder… jes a lil bit… about McCain’s sense of loyalty. I do believe this is the first time…ever… in American politics where a nominee failed to mention his party’s sitting president by name. Not an auspicious beginning to the speech.

I was pleased that McCain gave a tip o’ the hat and a nod to Senator Obama and his supporters. Like Aretha sings… “R-E-S-P-E-C-T… find out what it means to me…” That’s Class… with a capital “C”… and I think we need MUCH more of that in American politics. McCain is right: we’re all of us Americans first, Republicans and Democrats second. That said, I was also pleased with Senator McCain’s final words in that paragraph of the speech: “But WE will win this election!” (paraphrased, of course, I’m writing from memory)

I was pleased that McCain declared war on the teacher’s unions, and, by inference, the American educational establishment. Making schools accountable to parents and students is something that is LONG overdue in these United States. Both parties have just “thrown money” at the problem for what seems like forever. It remains to be seen exactly HOW a McCain administration would make schools accountable, but I like the premise. There’s a reason so many Americans are home-schooling these days, and it ain’t because America’s Moms don’t have anything else to do. Good on Senator McCain for this move.

GOOD on McCain for explaining, in detail, what his campaign’s theme… “Country First”… means, both to him and to us. I think it was either Karl Rove or Newt Gingrich who commented that waiting until his acceptance speech to explain the theme led Obama into thinking the term was a slur on The One’s patriotism… and it’s NOT. As either Gingrich or Rove said: “Obama thought it was all about HIM… and he thinks everything is all about The One.” A GREAT move by the McCain campaign, as it makes Obama look like the self-absorbed, egotistical twit he IS.

I’m not sure this “bi-partisan” thing is gonna work, on either side of the aisle. The naïve optimist in me HOPES it will, but the realist in me sez “No frickin’ way.” We’re about as polarized as we’ve ever been, and that isn’t a good thing. The Moonbats won’t accept McCain’s overture, and there are those frickin’ nut cases on the right who feel the same way. Still and even: Good on McCain for trying. At least he has a record to stand on where forging compromise is concerned… Obama and Biden have ZIP in this space.

My bottom line: I give the speech a “B.” It was average in delivery, good on content, but not even close to Governor Palin’s speech. Still and even, it was more than just acceptable. I think we have a real horse race for a campaign now… and a better than even chance of winning.

Finally… and this ain’t part of McCain’s speech, as she came on earlier in the evening: Cindy McCain is HOT. In that rich-girl-who-owns-a-beer-distributorship-and-17-mansions sorta way. You know… sophisticated. But hot.

La Luz

So. I put today’s first post up and made the rounds relatively early this morning… or as early as it gets around here. There were a couple of cups remaining in the pot after the Daily Reads had been read… so I went outside, put the awning down, settled into my camp chair, put my feet up, and enjoyed the last of the coffee while simultaneously finishing off the remnants of a couple of cigar ends (I’m such a frugal cigar smoker). In so doing the wonderfulness of my current abode struck me. Not my immediate physical surroundings… as Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park is, in reality, anything but beautiful… Nope. What struck me was…

La Luz.

The light. Brilliant crystal-clear light, seemingly emanating from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The sky late this morning was a beautiful shade of robin’s egg blue, with nary a cloud to be seen within my field of vision. If I craned my neck over Miss Zukiko and looked off towards the eastern horizon I could see puffy white cumulus clouds congregating in the distance. But in front of me and to either side… nothing but blue sky. The counterpoint to the light was the relative calm this morning. There was a distinct lack of breeze, and the trees were stock-still as a result… their brilliant verdant arms reaching straight up into the sky and creating a wonderful tableau of mottled dark and light greens against the brilliant… almost achingly brilliant… blue sky. And it was oh-so-quiet at the same time. In other words: about as perfect a morning as it gets around here.

It’s been said that New Mexico draws more than its share of artists, and if you ask those artists why it is they come here, the answer almost always comes down to La Luz. I haven’t had all that many conversations with artists since I’ve been living in New Mexico, but La Luz is central but those I have had. And those people…artists… are correct, to my way of thinking. There’s just something… something intangible, yet real… about the quality of light in this part of the world. And it just might be the best thing about living in these parts.

Today’s Pic: A re-run, taken on NM 209 just as the road drops off The Cap, about 50 or 60 miles from where I sit. It’s the best illustration I could find in the archives of La Luz… even though there are clouds in the sky… whereas there are none today. But I’m sure you get the picture, Gentle Reader.

January, 2004.

Starters

Daniel Henninger, writing in today’s WSJ (“What’s So Special About Sarah?”):

For starters, a lot of women voters don't live in New York, Boston, L.A. or San Francisco. Maybe Sarah Palin from Wasilla is a lot closer to the way many women today see themselves than the standard feminist model. Gloria Steinem, one of the many mothers of that ideal, is 74. Sarah Palin is 44. Times change.

Speaking of the aged Ms. Steinem… she has an op-ed today, too. Predictably: “Palin: wrong woman, wrong message.” And here’s a taste of old-line, radical feminism:

McCain could have taken a baby step away from right-wing patriarchs who determine his actions, right down to opposing the Violence Against Women Act.

Palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves "abstinence-only" programs, which increase unwanted births, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers' millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn't spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest high-school graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

Got it, Gloria. It’s ALL about “the patriarchy,” innit? Still. It just pisses off the ol’ feministas when a successful conservative woman makes it. If there was a (D) after Mrs. Palin’s name instead of an (R), there wouldn’t be enough newsprint in these United States to hold all the positive words that would be written about her. Even so, it’s a near-run thing for newsprint today to hold all the negative press from screechers like Ms. Steinem. But let’s not dwell on that. Let’s get back to Mr. Henninger.

I asked a number of women this week to account for Sarah Palin's sudden appeal. Here are the common threads.

The angry woman-as-victim drives them nuts. They hate victimology. As one woman said, "The point is that across the ages women have been doing pretty much what Sarah Palin has been doing: bearing children, feeding families, bringing in an income, working to improve their communities."

Another woman said, "Her story reflects a more normal reality" of active women; "the harder you work, the luckier you get." Hillary Clinton still plays the victim card. Sarah Palin gives off no victim vibes. These women mentioned her grit, determination and character.

They also said the Roe v. Wade litmus test has become too knee-jerk. Simply writing off Sarah Palin as "pro-life" caricatures pregnancy and motherhood.

Let's stipulate that not all "liberal" women share the Roe-dominated test of which women in public life get a pass and which are shunned. But this notion of sisterhood as a rules-based club is the public face of the feminist message, and in politics message is all -- until it no longer makes sense.

Mr. Henninger may be an old, white, male, inside-the-beltway type of political pundit (The Patriarchy!). But I tend to believe he’s more in touch with America’s women than Miz Steinem. At least the sorts of women I know. As ever: YMMV.

Last Call

I’m gonna go to bed now. But just a couple of thoughts, before I do. First: I’ve scanned a few of the bigger Leftie blogs this evening. Most of the commentariat there had their partisan hats on and were dismissive of Mrs. Palin… if not outright insulting (Hey! That’s their style!)… describing her as shrill, sarcastic, lying, yadda, yadda. But there were those who were more perceptive; those commenters warned against dismissing Mrs. Palin out of hand. Some people… very few, but they were there…dropped positive comments, albeit grudgingly. I’m not providing links as it’s against my principles to link to the fever swamps, even though I sometimes do. But not tonight. You can find all of that your lil heart desires at the memeorandum widget in my sidebar, if you absolutely HAVE to go there.

Second (and this is a lightweight sort of comment): I’ve noticed more than a few hockey metaphors appearing in the press since Mrs. Palin arrived on the scene. One case in point: “Sarah Palin Shoots…She Scores!” That, Gentle Reader, is the greatest hockey cliché, ever. And it’s beloved by ALL hockey fans, YrHmblScrb included. But wait… there’s more (from the link)!

Don’t mess with this hockey mom! Sarah Palin took to the floor of the Republican Convention Wednesday night and delivered a slapshot right to the gut of the Obama campaign. Folks, there’s really only one thing to say…game on!

[…]

If this were the Stanley Cup Finals, she would be skating the cup around the ice tonight in a proud victory lap.

Heh. This is a Great Good Thing. Hockey fans all over America are smiling tonight. I don’t doubt the NHL management is, too.

Oh. Chase that link… there’s more than hockey talk there. Things like this will make it worth your while:

The Democratic Party, especially the Obama campaign has a problem on its hands. Sarah Palin can not be stereotyped as the crazy pro-lifer. They may try that but the problem is that she doesn’t fit neatly into any one box. She can play reformer, independent thinker, energy policy wonk, pro-lifer, attack dog or PTA mom. She’s multi-faceted. She isn’t one dimensional. That’s got to be a concern for the Obama campaign. If I’m Joe Biden, I’m already plotting strategy for that big debate on October 2nd. He’s going to need a lot of time to figure it out.

Do the highlighted bits sound a lil bit familiar? (insert smiley-face thingie here)

And now… to sleep, perchance to dream. About hockey moms.

(I got the image here. Just for grins and giggles… do a google image search on “hockey mom.” It ain’t ALL Sarah, All the Time… but it’s close.)

Watching Sarah Palin...

... and all I can say is "WOW!" Yep. The woman has GOT it. And she gets it, too.

"The American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery."

Oh... My Lord. Poor, poor Joe Biden. I pity the fool.

Letters... We Get Letters...

Daughter-in-law Erma sends along the following:

Whether Democrat or Republican, I think you'll get a kick out of this!

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What is Politics?' Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I am the head of the family, so call me The President. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government. We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People. The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense.'

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy says to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.' The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.' The little boy replies, 'The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.

Yep… that sounds about right. Agree?

It IS Funny...

... even though I don't agree with the overall thrust of this piece. And there's one f-bomb. But don't let that put you off, Gentle Reader. As I said in the title: it IS funny. Sarah and John... on the phone.



Via Althouse, via memeorandum.

Lightening Up a Bit

Apropos of something… something good. A few of you are aware that Gentle Reader Bec’s husband is an artist… but I’m betting more than a few of you aren’t as well dialed-in. Well, Bec and I exchanged a couple of notes off-line yesterday, and in so doing she pointed out that husband Doug’s web site is progressing nicely. Which: is an understatement of incredible proportions. So… I’m encouraging all y’all to take a break from your busy days and go have a look at some impressive works of art. Easy on the eyes, and good for the soul. And much better than politics.

―:☺:―

Keeping it light… There are Red Wings fans… and then there are Red Wings FANS. Case in point to the left, and click for larger if you’ve a mind to.

Dang, Buddy. Lemmee know if you find one… coz I think it would look good on the kitchen counter here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. I’m not much on Wings paraphernalia, actually. The interior of the house isn’t painted up in red and white. There are no photos of my heroes to be found, anywhere. No banners. Not much of anything, actually. The only observable hint of my affection for the Men of The Winged Wheel is a large “1998 Stanley Cup Champions” coffee mug that sits on the kitchen counter right by the door and serves as a repository for loose change and my car keys. That’s it. Don’t go looking in my closets, though. T’is a different story, that.

Until that coffee pot comes along, that is.

Partisan

I’ll make no pretense of being Fair and Balanced this morning. Last night was a GOOD night at the RNC and I was most impressed with the quality of the speeches delivered by Fred Thompson, Joe Lieberman, and President Bush, in that specific order. And since we’re ALL about public service here at EIP (my mantra of late, with tongue both in and out of cheek), I’m gonna publish last night’s speeches, courtesy of C-SPAN’s YouTube Channel. Just in case you…ya know… missed them.

You get a two-fer where Dubya is concerned, as the First Lady introduces her husband. And Laura is magnificent. Yeah… I love that woman, unabashedly. I consider her to be one of the best First Ladies, if not THE best, in my lifetime. Would that Dubya had her favorable approval ratings. And about Dubya: I’m one of those “dead-enders”… one of the 27% of Americans who still respect the man and think he’s doing a good job. So sue me. I have issues with some of the things he’s done, and I flat don’t approve of others. But overall? I think he’s done good… especially considering the alternatives we could have had: The Goreacle or John F’n Kerry. Your Mileage most certainly May Vary, statistics and polls being what they are.

First: Fred Thompson (27:19 minutes, with innumerable excellent one-liner sound bites that we’ll see in abundance for the remainder of this campaign):

And now… Senator Lieberman (21:16 minutes):

And finally… Laura and Dubya (19:12 minutes):

I’m in the process of reading comment, snark, and other such stuff on these speeches this morning. But my bottom line is this: we have a crystal-clear choice this November, and the people that took the podium last night in St. Paul emphasized that choice in a manner that should leave NO doubt in any American’s mind.

It was an excellent night.

Not ALL Hip-Hop is Mindless

Proof: "Rappin' about CERN's Large Hadron Collider!"



We'd be a damned sight better off if our kids could learn to love stuff like this. Fat chance.

(h/t: Barry)

Politics As (Un)Usual

I learned a new word yesterday*: “Myrmidon.” As in:

1. Classical Mythology. one of the warlike people of ancient Thessaly who accompanied Achilles to the Trojan War.

2. (lowercase) a person who executes without question or scruple a master's commands.

Or… as in: “What the myrmidons of conventional wisdom just don't get about Palin.” Excerpt:

These folks lecture the rest of us about how to run the country; they are keepers of the conventional wisdom. And now, as the 2008 campaign enters the stretch run, we are about to see just how very much these folks know that is nonsense.

Take, for instance, the mantra of “change.” Having nominated Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively, for president and vice president — both prominent members of the most unpopular Congress in living memory — the Democratic wing of the political class chants incessantly about “change we can believe in.”

But it’s nothing less than a con job because the only change Obama and Biden offer is rhetorical. In terms of concrete policy proposals, what they offer is more government, more taxes, more regulation, more bureaucrats, more of everything that is wrong with Washington.

Peddling old liberal nostrums dressed up in new slogans works in a Democratic primary, but such moldy junk from the Great Society closet will turn off most of the rest of America once it begins to focus seriously on the campaign, as it will now that Labor Day is behind us.

There’s more at the link, and it’s very, very good. I think Mr. Tapscott put his finger on something most of us knew intuitively after doing our homework on young Mrs. Palin. She doesn’t fit the mold. She’s a politician, true, but she’s a politician in the time-honored tradition of the American “backwoods” politician… the kind one used to find in abundance in American political life but not so much these days, except perhaps on the local level. And this is a good thing, to my way of thinking. I firmly believe the rest of America (with the exception of the you-know-whos) will identify with Palin… especially in contrast to the two professional political hacks with non-existent track records nominated by the other guys.

I know people don’t vote for the vice-presidential candidate… they vote for the guy at the top of the ticket. But, in this case the Number Two is generating such positive vibes in the Republican Party… and has such a wonderful story to tell… that she’s burnishing the image of Number One simply by association. And the uncommitted middle can’t help but notice. Hell, it’s been “All Sarah, All the Time” ever since Friday. Only Gustav had the power to knock Mrs. Palin off the front pages and off the cable news channels, and that’s saying something, Gentle Reader.

I believe substance will ultimately transcend form. We… the fortunate few on the Right… seemingly have substance in spades. As opposed to, ya know… Hopeychange. Be Afraid, Democrats. Be VERY afraid.

* Yes, I did read The Iliad. Long ago and far away, however. About 50 years ago, give or take a month or three. Time fades away.

―:☺:―

So… Glen Greenwald has his panties in a twist over this: “Scenes from St. Paul -- Democracy Now's Amy Goodman arrested.” Excerpt:

Following up on this weekend's extreme raids on various homes, at least 50 people were arrested here today in St. Paul, Minnesota. Beginning last night, St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city be, even more so than Manhattan in the week of 9/11 -- with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations. Humvees and law enforcement officers with rifles were posted on various buildings and balconies. Numerous protesters and observers were tear gassed and injured. I'll have video of the day's events posted shortly.

Perhaps most extraordinarily, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now -- the radio and TV broadcaster who has been a working journalist for close to 20 years -- was arrested on the street and charged with "conspiracy to riot."

Well, dang. Squads of cops “marching in military formations”… how absolutely Brown-Shirt of them, eh? No word on how they got the Humvees up on those buildings and balconies, however. That would have been news I could use. Nope…it’s all about Ms. Goodman, one of the Left’s absolute darlings. But, Hey! She was arrested!!1!! You don’t suppose that might have had something/anything to do with this, would ya?

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Protesters attacked delegates, smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles Monday, a violent counterpoint to an otherwise peaceful anti-war march at the Republican National Convention. Police wielding pepper spray arrested at least 56 people.

The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Center convention site, and many of those involved in the more violent protest were clad in black and identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. They wrought havoc by damaging property and setting at least one fire. Most of the trouble was in pockets of a neighborhood near downtown, several blocks from where the convention was taking place.

[…]

Members of the Connecticut delegation said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Center, KMSP-TV reported. Delegate Rob Simmons told the station that a group of protesters came toward his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes.

One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported.

So, now. Let me get this straight. An 80 year-old member of the Connecticut RNC delegation was treated for injuries inflicted by a mob of “peaceful protesters” and Amy Goodman was arrested… and released three hours later? Dang. Greenwald is right. What a frickin’ outrage.

“Let’s Drink to the Hard-Working People…”

You don’t think of the Rolling Stones…at least I don’t… when it comes to delivering socially-conscious messages in song. But I can’t, for the life of me, think of a more appropriate tune for Labor Day. So, it’s in that spirit that I give you “Salt of the Earth.” (lyrics here)

It’s interesting to note that Jagger dismissed this song as one written in “total cynicism.” While that may be true, I prefer to derive my own meaning from the lyrics… and in MY interpretation, those “hard working people” are indeed the “Salt of the Earth.” Screw a bunch of cynics.

On the other hand… I could have posted this tune (Hell, I’m gonna post it anyway), which is kinda-sorta appropriate for Labor Day, innit? Both of these songs are from “Beggars Banquet,” which… apropos of nothing… just might be The Stones’ best album.

Factory girls: God Love ‘Em!

Enjoy your Labor Day, Gentle Reader.