don't leave the pizza bones* behind!

There’s been talk about how some candidates (Hillary?) are running for the general election already and not necessarily for the party’s nomination (hence her refusal to blame herself for her war vote so she can better compete with McCain in November). It appears as if both Romney and McCain are swapping line-ups at the free agency deadline hoping to not only get the nomination but put a lock-down freeze on the right-wing vote. I happen to believe that Republicans at-large think they’ll win the general election in 2008. For those on the left who so hate this administration, you need to get over the idea that the 2008 election will be any indictment of the Republican Party. That ‘indictment’ vote already happened last November and the case was against the Bush/Cheney administration and their incompetent leadership. Being as the whole gang will be gone and forgotten by then, any inkling that the country will continue to vote down those candidates with a “R” after their name is wishful thinking.

It’s easy to see how McCain, Romney, and Guiliani are fighting for the heart of the right-wing vote; yet, Hillary, Obama, and Edwards are fighting over the center of the American population. I think the nation, by and large, is to the right of center on the political spectrum, and those voters that are teetering near the fulcrum will more than likely fall to the right come the general election. By that logic it seems to make sense that the Dems are working over that group – but it’s a fool’s bet. Politicians have to be damn sure they have the “base” of their voters; that area that's covering 30% on either end of the political spectrum. Those who reside in the middle 40% will wait until the pre-game show is over and won’t start paying attention until well into next Spring.

(Alert. Alert. Weird math coming.)

If party nominees haven’t secured the 30% that represents their portion of the political rainbow then any hope of winning a general election disappears. For every percent you don’t lockdown you’ll have to make-up at a rate of at least a 2-to-1 in that middle 40%. Let’s say McCain and his pandering to the right means he’s got that 30% in the books. Let’s also say that Hillary only managed to secure 25% of the left. My math tells me that of those middle 40%, Hillary will have to carry 6 to 7 of every 10 of those middle voters. If you believe, like I do, that the country leans right – then she’d need more like 8 of 10. That won’t happen…ever. Not for any of the Dems.

(Alert. Alert. End of weird math.)

What do the Dems do now? The left won’t stand for any candidate the refuses to get in line with the realities of the day. If one of the runners wants to secure the folks on the left of the dial then they’ll have to be firm on this war on terror. Edwards has made some bold statements but he ran on a ticket in 2004 that refused to say or recognize what was then a clear mistake. Hillary is just set on foisting the blame on someone else – there’s no way she could have made a mistake. Obama gets a free ride because he wasn’t actually there and making any decision. None of them have anything to lose by coming out and calling it all a disaster and putting forth an aggressive plan to put an end to the circus. It won’t hurt come the general election because most of the country wants it to end so the politicos will be able to live with ‘fessing up to their own shortfalls. The campaign needs to be a strong effort to unite the left behind one candidate: it’ll be a tough road, I expect it to get ugly, but someone’s got to win and lose. If you win the nomination you better make sure that you fully carry that 30% into November.

I have spoken.

*pizza bones

a zapruder moment

G. poked his head in the door this morning and directed something along the lines of “blah blah mumble mumble pschew” towards two not fully awake adults. Christine’s answer sounded very much like “no”, which sent G. running about the house saying “no school today!”

The boys felt cheated yesterday because they didn’t get the day off from school due to the snowstorm - even if it was a Sunday and they were already free and clear of the chains of education. I get the impression that snowstorms and the associated activities (sledding, snowball fights, wet clothes) are only graded as a success if they’re accompanied by a canceled school day. I imagine I was asked at least a half dozen times yesterday whether I thought there would be school today and I think I gave a well considered answer; yes and no. I thought it was going to be too warm for the evening/night rains to do much more than leave everything a wet and slushy mess (which it was); yet, I know how the ‘schools’ work around here so I rolled the dice on a two-hour delay. It’s difficult for adults to remember being a ten-year old and betting on whether or not homework needs to be done because you’re simply hoping that the weather guy is at least 100% right about the 50% chance of snow. I often went all-in on that little nugget of a bet, watched a bunch of TV, and lost my shirt when morning came without a trace of fluff. Bastards.

Back to this morning’s story - here’s the actual transcript of what was said:

G.: “Mommy, is there school today?”
X.: “Huh?”
G.: “Henry, no school today!”
X.: “Gabe! There is school today.”
G.: “But you said there wasn’t.”
X.: “No I didn’t”
G.: “You just did.”
X.: “I didn’t. I said ‘Huh’ to your question. I didn’t understand you.”
G.: “But you said there was no school.”
X.: “There’s school.”
G.: [hrumph] [exit stage left]

As if Mommy has the power to cancel school due to inclement weather. I believe there was a fleeting moment when G. almost decided to stand his ground, fight it out on grounds of "misunderstanding", and NOT go to school.

rock n' roll lives forever

A mind-numbing menology of music lined up for the early Spring. The sounds have been slow over the Winter, artists hibernating (or staying away), venues holding little interest for me. Not counting my Lucinda tickets for Nashville (which I sold on eBay), I believe the following will grace my ears between now and May 1st: Ute Lemper, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, the Silos, Tarbox Ramblers, Lucero, The Long Winters, and Marshall Crenshaw; my own South by Southwest. I'm still holding out for a visit from Lucinda and the eventual arrival of Steve Earle come Summer 2008.

Can someone explain to me the whole photography-negative-switching physical traits-thing? One of the few things I cannot wrap my head around. What tripped the worry was a concert video last night, a documentary, that had screen-in-screen cameras of Steve Earle performing. He plays right handed, yet if the negative or film is run the opposite...he's playing left handed. It's not just a matter of the 'picture' facing the other way; it's pixels and physical traits being swapped so that a person playing with a right hand (as we know it) is playing with their left hand. It freaks me out.

I'm waiting.

Christine is off with the Owls to watch the Oscars. I gave her the sure-lock winners' list that I stole from Price-Waterhouse. The key pick? Alan Arkin for supporting actor...the rest are gimmes. You read it here first.

Peace.

T

term paper is due; hoping for a snow day

I feel like Annie Proulx and her The Shipping News has been a high school reading assignment. Maybe that sounds harsh but it wasn't so bad – Billy Budd and any Nathaniel Hawthorne would far exceed the punishment of The News. I quite liked it but I’ll be buggered if I can figure out what I’m to take away. (A moment of truth is required here. I saw the movie years ago and can only remember and associate two things: Kevin Spacey doesn’t fit my idea of Quoyle, and Cate Blanchett was hot as Petal – in a hot Cate way, not a hot Petal way.) The problem I have with any tome of fancy words is that I’ve got to be able to somehow relate it to a part of my life or personality; I can feel some parts of The News but it’s more like a bit of fog and mist (neat comparison, huh?). Here are my thoughts put to words: family, shame, loss, redemption, change (not the same as redemption), destruction, settling, home, life, love. That’s it – my entire review. I need to think about this much more.

I’m onto Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz. Christine saw it on the table a few days ago and told me it appears as if I AM serious about this lit-ter-a-ture thing. I actually bought this volume in Qatar a number of years ago and followed that up by buying the first volume of his legendary Cairo Trilogy at Dharma Books in Reno. They are the kind of books you have sitting on the seat of your car (or splayed across the coffee table) to impress girls. The first pitch into both books leads me to believe I’m in for a bit of GGMarquez with an Egyptian twist. We’ll see.

(Another aside: I just turned around my GGM autobiography entitled “Living to Tell the Tale” on the bookshelf. X keeps turning some of my books around because the titles are horrendous. The other two she turns around? “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families”, a story of Rwanda, and; “Bury Me Standing”, a story of Gypsies. I’m on board with the Rwanda title, it’s not anything lovely, the other two confuse me.)

Vilsack is out of the 2008 run. If only I had the millions to help him run. I think we missed a great chance and I am really disturbed by how much money affects our political decisions. Maybe another entry on why money shouldn’t be the deciding factor. I'll remove him from my links section; how final is that? The Slate Gabfest refered to Hilary's campaign as the British Army with every other candidate on the Democratic ledger playing the roll of a colony or insurgency - they will need tactics that don't take her on in a straight fight if they are to suceed. I'm lost on my support for now: Edwards has earned some points for the "I was wrong on the war" approach, the Clinton machine scares me, and Obama has spun his wheels over the last few weeks. Stay tuned.

Lots of snow in Arlington today. The above picture is from about 10am this morning. I took the boys out sledding and they managed to get wet to the bone. It's nothing a long, hot bath didn't fix.

T

working and long weekends

Work has been revived. No much to report since the Berlin Wall came down a few months ago: I moved cubicles (not because of the Wall), work is still…how do I say this?…boring, and I’m stuck on Metro because the bike path is nothing but ice and packed snow. But – the long Presidents Day weekend has somehow recharged the generator (refilled the generator?) and I’m back to being a little more aggressive. Just what everyone needs – me and aggressive.

Here’s what whacked me in the head on Saturday – immigrants, workers, and that Statue of Liberty. Commuting via rail, but particularly by bus, makes me realize just how long the hours and rides are for those doing the hourly work and manual labor in this country. I see them everyday, but Saturday evening at 7pm stood out (as I was driving home from the store) as the throng of workers moved through our neighborhood on their way home – on a Saturday (not very suburban, is it?). It only took two blocks for my tiny brain to go from “why are they working so late on a Saturday?,” to “not much money in those jobs, and the commute is a bitch,” to “now I see it!” And here it is: the chance to work and earn a living (even if it’s seven days a week), to have good schools for your children, safe neighborhoods to live in, no worries of persecution through religion or politics, and a chance to be warm and safe each and every day must be a pretty f*&king amazing feeling. If it takes those kinds of hours then people do it. Call it happiness, call it freedom – it’s all anyone wants…and we’ve got it. And we wonder why people come here.

Stay tuned.

T

money for nothing

Last week the boys came up with some type of non-WTO/non-World Bank sanctioned goods and services, free enterprise, give-and-take economy. I suspect it won’t be long before Paul Wolfowitz gives us a call and inquires about exactly what monetary regulation we are, or are not, following in our little Park Drive commonwealth. It began one evening when H. began describing to G. how he would distribute points called “gabepoints” (referred to as a gPt – and very good marketing by calling the H-printed “notes” by Gabe’s name) that could be used to purchase goods and services also provided by H. I think the driving premise behind the idea was that H. has fried egg cooking skills that are much admired by his younger, oft snack desirous, brother. So, like any good service provider, money printing entity, and price-setting entrepreneur, H. decided that by controlling the currency he could parlay this idea into something spectacular. From what we can tell the menu of services available for gPts are:

Egg 1 gPt. / egg
Crepes 1 gPt. / batch
Playing Bionicles 2 gPts.
CL (no idea) 3 gPts.
Doing Laundry (we think) 5 gPts.

We were talking this morning about how I think there will be some serious adjustments and WTO arbitration in the near future. Any nascent economic power and across the border trading partner are going to need some outside faction to adjudicate problems – but that will only be after they have given self-determination a good go. I think H. is going to decide that his distribution of gPts. to G. for things such as carrying in a sled or getting him a glass of H2O is far too generous. Once the removal of G.’s ability to earn money, or to control fair income raises its head…we’ve got problems. Even though the powerful nation-state (H.) and the small migrant nation-state (G.) are happy with the current plan, I don’t see it holding. G. is basically the worker standing on the corner looking to earn money and is perfectly happy as long as there’s work and a paycheck. Once the owner/operator (H.) sees how the levers of power can be manipulated then there will be some discourse that Alan Greenspan will have to resolve. It’s a classic case of the lower tier eventually rising up to fight the man. If it weren’t just G., there’d be unions. I might end up supporting the union if necessary.

All very interesting to watch.

Peace.

T

onions

I’m waaaay behind on the politics. I started some work on Joe Biden, got distracted on the Clarence Thomas hearings, and haven’t got back to my assignment (I’m sure I’ll be docked when grading comes around). Here’s a link to Justice Thomas’ statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee at the end of the confirmation hearings way back in 1991. What intrigues me is the fact that there is no way we’ll ever hear a nominee for a judgeship or political office speak out publicly as Thomas did that day. Not in America, not in these days while everyone is simply trying to not say anything. Those hearings were something and remember watching snippets of them over lunch while stationed in England and thinking just how shameful the behavior was. I don’t know the truth or untruth behind the accusations, nor would I try to parse out the "he said, she said" testimony in 2007, but I admire the delivery.

in a teapot

I’m generally on board with anyone turning the phrase “failure of leadership.” It’s not said enough, as if pointing a finger at those that should be leading is gauche. Fits into the same vein as Steve Earle saying that “questioning your government is never, ever, [explicative] unpatriotic.” Barack is officially in (I appear to have jumped the gun a few entries back, or had some scoobies…NYTimes calling) and he’s thrown a few nuggets to the crowd. He needs to keep hammering away at the problems, be decisive, be aggressive, and DO NOT politic-me-off; I don’t want him to walk the line…step over, draw a line, step over that, and take some stands. Two things that concern me; first, if he becomes president and serves two terms then he’s gone by the time he’s 55-years old…the prime of one’s life. (Maybe he’d consider some UN work?) Second, I can’t bear the thought of anyone spouting off the fact that he’s 45 and hasn’t the experience to run the country. (Stifling the need to dropkick our current “experienced” leader.) Get over it…he’s 45, he’s not part of the establishment problem we have, and I think we’re ready for youth. We’re ready for serious change, but I’m not convinced…yet. He’s got until the end of 2006 to convince me.

Back into the motorcar today to see The Tempest at a quaint little theatre off Dupont Circle*. Kt camped out for four days to get tickets for the Twins, the gatekeepers, and me. Oops…nevermind, that camping out was at Best Buy for the PlayStation 360. An excellent show, some middling acting (are the King and Prospero listening?), a good run time: 125 minutes of action – just like my live music requirements. The ‘Hot Toddies’ for this show, the envelope please, go to Ariel (played by Courtney Weber) and Stephano (played by Tim O’Kane). Both threw a ton of light on the show and overrode some stiff delivery (are the King and Prospero listening?) It was a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon…

I’m off to check the weather forecast for the AM…I want to ride but 15 degrees is asking more than the normal payment to the cycling Gods.

Here's a shot of "Wonder Twins, shape of the Sopranos..." and H studying his Shakespeare between acts. The boys really enjoyed the show, they were great...

Love to all.

T

*TforTodd is a city driving Ghandi.

dare to excel & two pennies

We got in a motor vehicle last night and drove over to M St. to meet for dinner with some friends of WonderTwin #2. Courtney and Sarah had been over to the commune towards the end of last year and we'd had a nice dinner, sans Corey (alledgedly sick and I only point this out because yours truly had to suddenly be two, not one, tall, short-haired, glasses wearing cooks). On that fateful night they brought along their two daughters who were promptly secured to furniture with a big purple snake by the gate-keepers. Whatever picture you have in your mind is all the description that's needed. Last night we selected a well recommended Malaysian joint located amidst the lobbyists offices and the gentlemen's clubs. With the new lobbying rules for Congress I wonder if gentlemen's clubs are on or off limits. The final determinant must fall to whether or not the food is served with flatware; I'll do some research. We found street parking right across the street, I paralleled like an expert, and we trotted down the stairs into Malaysia Kopitiam - "Restauranteur of Year 2002" (the Washingtonion), and still on the magazine's 100 best list. It was a wait for a table - A WAIT. It's a small place and the service/management isn't even spotty; think no spots. There was at least one group (or a girl representing a group she didn't know) waiting for their table for seven to ten people. We were next in line, in fact we were the only others for the next 10-15 minutes. Then things starting piling up, a small scrum of folks waiting for tables - and after our 30 minute wait we got the call from the leader and were seated at the table that had been open the entire time we were waiting. We had menus with words, menus with pictures, a small drinks placard, and many decisions to be made. Our orders involved lots of letters and numbers, I had the A26 and S5 which roughly translates to the spicy anchovy paste with cucumber and the spicy shrimp soup thing with flat noodles. I've not done Malaysian before but it's quite similar to Vietnamese and anything that looks or sounds like Pho is going in my face opening. Excellent food all around. But back to the service for a minute. The one ordered beer was late (asked for twice); the bottle of wine was opened with the cork half-smashed back in and placed on the table; the appetizers and mains all came together and were dumped all over the table; we never saw the wait staff again. (The water crew was good, as an aside.) We somehow managed to sort 9 of the 10 plates with the final dish unknown to anyone present. We tackled them for the bill after our conversations finished and headed out into the cold night. I wonder just how good the food must be in order for the service to be so horrible yet the restaurant still pulling in the raves - it was good, 4 (of 5) stars; the service about 1 star, and I'm feeling generous with that one. You can do the math.

The various topics de jeur were very high-minded (mind you, I'm the only non-lawyer at the table): Supreme Court decisions, legal citation procedure, travels around Europe, northern vs. southern California, Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing, clerkships, literature, and socks with holes. We ended on the socks portion - girls cackling.

On a trip to Olsson's this morning I noticed the above cleaners across the street - Seven Star! That's the spirit of excellence! Five stars is so passe, nobody should be satisfied with five stars...ever. I can see the owners pondering the name "Maybe Five Star Cleaners...it sounds so capital!". "Five? I think we can come up with something better, six, Six Star Cleaners. NO! SEVEN STAR! Let's kick it up and see if anyone dares top seven - plus, that leaves six open to another operation that might be just better than five, but not much better." This brought to mind two other moments of hilarity: the scene in There's Something About Mary when the guy who picks up Ben Stiller on the road starts a rant about the '6 minute workout', which is much better (and quicker) than the '7 minute workout'. Stiller's character offers up the idea of a '5 minute workout', to which the driver says, "You can't get a good workout in five minutes!". The other is this article in the Onion - genius.

I haven't got the hang of the camera in hand yet so I missed out on a picture from the restaurant last night. What do you get instead? Me driving and Seven Star Cleaners...consider me caught up.

Peace.

P.S. Lest you think I think Something About Mary was good...it wasn't. Utter garbage, but the scene in the car was priceless.

$.01

I swung over to Olsson's Books and Records to see if they had East of Eden to rent on DVD (they should add Movies to their sign). Got home watched about 20 minutes of it and realized that it is complete and utter crap. It's not actually the book - it's garbage imitating art. I'm trying to get over it. You can see the glow of the Court House Olsson's in Arlington. Hey, what do you want as the opening penny.

T

what $3.25 will get you

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – Charles Caleb Colton

I was checking out (or attempting thievery) another blog and noticed a 2007 idea of posting a picture a day – something from the my groove. My dig camera is certainly small enough to carry wherever I go so I've decided I'm completely on board with the idea. I’ve missed the starting gun on the 2007 picture-a-day so I can’t very well call it ‘365 days’; and how creative is that?, so I’m going with something more nuanced, nay, more cheeky: $3.25. Niiiice. The pictures need to be taken and posted each day and I've taken a vow of no cheating - it has been sworn in spit.

p&p reredux

I’m well into my third deployment to Jane Austen and the Pride and Prejudice cinema. Maybe I’ll finish up by watching the 1940 version with Sir Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy. I don’t know much about Colin Firth but I’m pretty sure Larry will show better acting chops than either Colin or Matthew Macfadyen (2005 version). Though I haven’t read the book, I get the idea that Darcy is to be brooding and a totally standoffish, but Firth simply perfected a stare and used nothing but that bit of 'method acting' throughout the first three hours. Firth and Macfadyen seem nothing more than the Eddie Izzard skit about Brits arranging matches. (Is it weird the Colin Firth played Mr. Darcy in this movie and Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary? Which I haven’t watched…what? Are you kidding?)

Here’s the real deal when comparing the BBC mini-series, the 2005 Keira Knightley version, and Bride and Prejudice: the Bollywood version is simply much better and much more entertaining. It gives me the plot, the romance, and the blah blah blah; what it it really comes down to is the dancing and actresses playing the daughters - much better dancing and way [better looking actresses] in Bride.

I know what you're thinking, "He seemed such a senstive guy. He watches Jane Austen movies with his [girlfriend]." Well, sometimes when you must make a critical decision the pretty stuff wins.

tishmel

memo to john

Date: 6 Feb 2007

To: J. Steinbeck

Subject: East of Eden

I’ve finished my first reading of your novel and must say I’m quite impressed. There are a number of contributing factors to my enjoyment so I’ll try to cover them as quickly as possible.

1. The setting of your book reminds me of the dusty and hardened times reflected in country music – a scrabble to achieve anything in this world against endless odds and decisions not made. Often times it never seems like it’s a bad decision that does one in, it’s no decision at all. Kind of like knowing when to “hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away, know when to run”; I don’t think Mr. Rogers every clarifies a firm decision in that song but I’ll have to go back and listen to it again. Reading about generations of families cursed by things not said, and beliefs unchallenged, makes one ponder just how often it happens to so many folks.

2. That Catherine/Kate was a cold beeyatch and I wonder just how one gets their head into someone like her. There has be to some experience or character that brings something that cold and calculating to the surface. I’m not great in the psychology area (see my college transcripts), but I never got to the point of feeling anything but hate for her – isn’t there suppose to be a point where my emotions waver from hatred and I feel some sympathy? Just asking.

3. Lee is a great counterbalance to that evil you pushed at me. I wondered through the last half of the book if Lee was the hub of the tale - the bit holding all the broken and bent spokes together until we make it home. I’d be hard pressed to come up with a character I’d respect more than he. Well done.

4. How come it’s always brothers that are at odds? I get the whole Adam/Eve/Cain/Able thing but maybe a change from boys to girls as we cruise through generations would be good. I’ll work on some minor changes to the latter chapters.

5. That’s some powerful misbehavior you’ve got going on for a novel set in the early 20th century. I don’t mind it, I think it gets to the root of a lot of bad in the world today, I was just surprised.

6. What a way to pull me in at the end – You May. It’s all about those choices, the fact that I May, and if I do, cycles can be broken.

I think I’ll give the book a rating of 4 (of 5) stars. Maybe you lose a bit of that last star for going on for 600+ pages and for killing off Sam Hamilton before I was ready to see him go. Trust me, four stars is mighty for a reader of non-fiction. I considered reading another one of your books but time is of the essence. Anyway, I have Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad and I think it will have to suffice.

I’m onto some Annie Proulx this month. In case you didn't know, she writes very choppy sentences and paragraphs.

Thanks,

T

P.S. Kenny never did give me a decision in that blasted song...just repeating the same old stuff with different words.

call me 'tender'

There are nine Democrats declared and heading to the gate for the 2008 presidential nomination. From what I can tell there are six Republicans officially in the paddock getting settled. What to do? I’ve decided to spend two entries a month, one per party, updating each race – beginning in March. Prior to that I’m going to so some gathering, the unofficial-Google©-Wikipedia©-news media, blogosphere gathering, about each candidate’s political background and history in public life. I’ll include the gaffes along with the serious concerns and issues. No one is immune. In March I’ll have the starting positions aligned and we’ll get rolling. I’m shooting for four quick-hit profiles a week so we’ll be set to go by March – this’ll be fun. Here’s the opening day roster of candidates:

The 9 Dems

Senator Joe Biden (Del.)
Senator Hillary Clinton (N.Y.)
Senator Christopher Dodd (Conn.)
Former Senator John Edwards (N.C.)
Former Senator Mike Gravel (Alaska)
Representative Dennis Kucinich (Ohio)
Senator Barrack Obama (Ill.)
Governor Bill Richardson (N.M.)
Former Governor Tom Vilsack (Iowa)

The 6 Pubs

Senator Sam Brownback (Kan.)
John Cox of Illinois
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (N.Y.C.)
Representative Duncan Hunter (Ca.)
Senator John McCain (Ariz.)
Former Governor Mitt Romney (Mass.)

The first primary/caucus is scheduled for Iowa on January 14th, 2008 although the N'Hamps are up in arms about some state law on primary dates. My first bold predication is that of the 15 on this list only 8 will make it to Labor Day. Of course, some additional candidates will heave themselves into race, but only 8 of these will need to get out their dark shoes in September. Stand by for the quick profiles on Biden, Edwards, and Brownback.

Here are the selling points that these folks need to address if I’m going to walk out of the dealership with the fully-loaded Escalade©. Of course, by addressing these issues I mean actually stating a position – and I also want you to stop pointing with your goddamned thumbs!

1. International Affairs – restore America’s place as a leader, not THE leader, in world affairs. This means:

Establishing stability in Iraq and managing an acceptable solution to end our military involvement. I don’t believe there is a military solution at this juncture but I do believe that things like getting the power on, the water running, and the establishing of order are the most effective steps we can make.

Get off the bench, step forward, and show that any genocide, in any country, on any continent, will be stopped. No government should be shamed into action. If anyone needs background see Srebrenica and Rwanda, it is right there, and it’s awful. To read a statement that “until X number of people are killed in a ratio to the potential loss of one American life before we step in…” is grotesque.

Stop questioning global warming and the effects. We cannot continue to question the science…stop.

Instead of fighting the UN, make it better.

Pay our bills.

2. Domestic Affairs – restore any semblance of a government concerned with issues that really are issues.

Eliminate the tax cuts implemented for the wealthiest. Either cut them all or start at bottom and work your way up.

Someone owes us $1 trillion for the Iraq war. I’m not suggesting that somehow a check will arrive, but we have spent $1 trillion AND cut taxes. What kind of sacrifice (read: jackassery) is this?

Keep religion and public programs separate (I know that seems obvious). This includes: abortion, gay rights, and any other hot-button issue that can be driven by religious beliefs. Make a sound argument that doesn’t involve any quotes from any religious tome and I’ll be very happy to listen. We are NOT debating religion (you can keep yours), we are debating people’s lives in the here and now. Period.

Pay for education. That $1 trillion could have built and funded something like 40,000 schools and staff. Imagine that?

Be honest and fix health care. It can be done. It will be painful. If you’re honest and let us know that it’ll be difficult yet the end result will make our children’s lives better, we’ll do it.

Don’t think we’re so stupid.

Fire people. It’s life.

Other stuff? I was listening to George Karl (coach of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets) on ESPN’s PTI podcast the other morning and he kept referring to his two star players (Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson) as ‘Melo and AI. I know that those are noms de guerre for both stars but it sounds SO cheesy coming from a head coach in a position of authority. It reminded me of a Cedric the Entertainer bit when he said some kid told him, as he was walking away, to just call him ‘Delicious’. Cedric’s reply was; “I'm a grown-ass man, dawg. I ain't gonna call no other dude ‘Delicious’”. What if that [dude] way down the street or summin? 'DELICIOUS'!!! Ay, D, hol' up!". I think Coach Karl can just call them Allen and Carmelo. ‘Melo? That really is a stupid nickname. I don’t think I would even refer to Shaq as Shaq if I were his coach. Shaquille is much better coming from what dude-in-charge. I don’t have a nickname, if you must know, because any nickname for me would be stupid. I don’t even like the NBA.

I finished East of Eden and have moved onto The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. I’m looking to move up on the hierarchy of Proulx scholars. Eden review forthcoming.

Peace.

brass balls

Have I moved to the Iron Range? Christ, it’s cold here in D.C.

We had a whirl of a soiree over the weekend that may have appeared at first blush to an outsider as a birthday party. In fact, it was cover for survival fears concerning Amy’s trip to Picachu, Peru this spring (Amy being the genetrix that apparently raised the girls). In passing by the window you may have noted lobster newburg on toast points, souffli (is that right?), a jumbo salad, mushroom broth/soup/stuff, and a key lime pie. I think some wine was lurking around the dining room looking for a date by the time the evening wrapped. Don’t be thrown off by cards with twamps fluttering out, the wrapping paper, or the conviviality: think survival needs. I deemed it necessary to participate in order to secretly pass off a Camelback, a mini-leatherman tool, and ‘save me’ light beam prior to her departure. Hydrate or die. Often when I hear that someone is off on walkabout I think about just how much H2O they will need to lug on their back – maybe it’s my love of safety. Suddenly I’m converting weight to kilograms, mapping out water usage, weight distribution, altitude, and running it through the algorithm of my mind. My results are pretty accurate. Maybe this is another of my manly traits. The Wonder Twins thought about alpaca sweaters and scarves – what can be done?

Speaking of the dinner – I didn’t do squat but the toasting of the points. It’s a skill like anything else. Actually, I also did the hunting (manly, eh?) and managed to use my understanding of the intricacies of the Sound to catch the lobster and bring it back for the celebratory evening. It was a cold blustery day, the sea was angry…

You say birthday.

That’s what I’ve got.