Fish Fear Me

Silly Question of the Day

This is stretching things more than a little bit:

Could tourists take guns into the White House?

Could tourists pack heat with cameras?

Not if Secret Service has anything to say about it. But a guns provision in the credit card bill President Barack Obama signs into law today touches pretty close to his new home.

Obama never really wanted the provision, but he wanted credit card reform on his desk by Memorial Day, so he let slide an amendment that allows people to bring loaded guns into national parks.

And the White House is a national park.

Give me a break. The author knows it's a load of crap because she ends the piece with this:

And while loaded guns in the hands of visitors there is hardly a reality, it’s one indication of the Pandora’s box Obama opened up when he let the guns amendment go.

Um, good of her to let us know she has at least some grip on reality, but how can it be an "indication of the Pandora's box Obama opened up" if what she just cited really has no chance of happening? That's a pretty silly argument.

There are reasonable arguments for not allowing guns in national parks. I don't agree with them, but they are reasonable. This one isn't.

Seriously?

This raised an eyebrow when I heard about it on the radio today:

Bars and clubs often promote wild or suggestive theme nights, but one is sparking public debate over their "Hot for Teacher" night because of the host and DJ.

Mary K. Letourneau, a former teacher who pled guilty to raping then-elementary student Vili Fualaau, is hosting the event Saturday at the Fuel Sports Bar in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood.

She was 34 and her now-husband and DJ was 13 when she began screwing him. She made him a father at age 14. She did her time and is entitled to get on with her life, but geez, that's appalling. Go away, Mary Kay, just go away.

(sorry, forgot the link earlier)

Snow Rollers

Snow Rollers:

(click picture to enlarge)
I've never seen them in person. Actually, I had never even heard of them. If the original source wasn't NOAA, then I might not have believed it. Fascinating.

More pics at the links.

Duel

I have a feeling I know what I'll be reading through the next couple of days:

President Barack Obama plans to say in his speech Thursday that the U.S. lost its way in fighting terrorism over the past eight years by failing to trust its institutions and values, according to an administration official.

Obama will also renew his pledge to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying he will honor the commitment he made in the first week of his presidency.

In a remarkable split-screen presentation of opposing worldviews, former Vice President Dick Cheney will speak on the exact same topic moments after Obama finishes. Cheney is appearing at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, where the audience will watch the president on large TV screens.

I don't think that Cheney will take this on, but one of the problems in wading through the storm and fury on Bush policies is that all sorts of things are conflated in this debate. We seem unable to discern the difference between the useless stupidity of Abu Ghraib and Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. Nor does it seem we understand the difference between soldiers, detaineees, and terrorists, their rights and responsibilities under the Geneva Convention, and the difference under those conventions between status and conduct.

There's even more in terms of a discussion about when US law and constitutional rights should be applied or why the CIA can or cannot go further than the US Army Field Manual. It is a complicated mix of topics and it has not been effectively addressed by the former administration or the GOP now. I'm not sure it can be because I'm not sure that the American people give a shit enough to understand it. In addition, the whole debate has been so thoroughly polluted by partisanship and dishonesty that anyone who does care has a heck of a time figuring out who is credible.

What we need is clarity on those issues. I don't think it will be coming anytime soon.

The Pendulum Swings

There's been an awful lot of talk about the GOP being a dead party walking since the 2008 elections. But:

Some in the media believe the Republican Party is washed up and dying. Leslie Savan wrote in The Nation earlier this month: "What sort of psychological bent would lead people to want to be part of a dead-end political party like the GOP has become?"

But, a new Gallup poll from May 7 – 10 shows it's not quite that bad for the GOP. Thirty-two percent of participants in the survey identified themselves as Republicans, 32 percent as Democrats, and 34 percent Independents. And if you include Independent "leaners," Republicans and Democrats are also tied at 45 percent between May 7 – 10.

Compared to last month, from April 20 — 21, Republican Party identification has risen five percentage points while Democrats have fallen four. With "leaners" included, the GOP gained six and Democrats lost five.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but were we not saying the same thing about Democrats just four years ago? And I was just barely a teenager when Republicans were pounded for Watergate in 1974, but I remember the death knells back then. The state GOP in Minnesota actually went so far as to call themselves Independent-Republicans. People get angry and stay at home for elections, but I don't think core affiliations and leanings really change that much in the long run.

The Democratic Party was not dead four years ago and I highly doubt that Republicans are now.

Wednesday Notes

For ye have the Favre always with you: Well, until the NFL preseason at least. Local and national sportswriters continue to keep alive the speculation about Favre joining the Vikings this year. I don't know what Favre is thinking anymore than anyone else, but I wonder if he thinks he can be coy now and avoid the Organized Team Activities that opened yesterday. That's a rumor I've seen several places. That attitude, if it's real, isn't going to cut it. If Favre really wants to play, he needs to have the surgery and sign on. Just showing up at the end of July is not going to work as far as I'm concerned. Now or never, Brett.

Heat: Holy moly. We've gone from overnight temps in the mid-thirties this past weekend to 97 degrees yesterday. It will be another hot one today. I don't mind, but it's a little tough on Sammy so I put the air conditioner in the window this morning. I think that's the earliest in the season that I've ever done that.

As California goes...: What a train wreck. We have our own much smaller one going here in Minnesota. The legislature and Governor Pawlenty could not agree on what to do to close the budget gap this year. Under our law, Pawlenty can now slash spending on his own, though it's unclear at this point exactly what he is going to do. I would have preferred a more middle ground of modest tax hikes and reduced spending, but that is not to be. At least we won't be heading down the path of California. That's one trend I hope we stay far away from. I'm not sure what else to say. I suppose I could be a scold about all the ways they have wanted it both ways when it comes to taxes/spending and regulations/prosperity, but right now I'm more concerned about one of my sisters who lives out there, and whether she is going to keep her state job.

On the run: Last week a judge ordered a 13-year-old Minnesota boy who has Hodgkin's lymphoma to undergo chemotherapy. He and his family had argued for a "natural" treatment for the disease instead of the standard medical treatment, which it sounds like is nearly always effective. Now the mother and child are on the run after failing to appear in court on Monday. I have great respect for religious freedom, but I have to come down on the side of the judge here. Not that I'm not conflicted about it. The law allows for it though, and I see no evidence that the family's preferred method of treatment will actually do any good. He can make that type of decision when he is 18, if he lives that long.

Rob hates on cell phones: I get it. I love the convenience and the in case of emergency security that a cell phone provides, but it's a two way street. When I was on-call 24/7 I came to loathe my cell phone. It became a psychic stab every time it rang after hours. It was almost always some operator error issue on the other end and a particular night shift in Indianapolis proved adept at tormenting me in the middle of the night. By the time I quit they thought I was an asshole. The feeling was mutual.

Oh, Boy

I can't wait to have a chat with my oldest sister about this:

The National League of Cities has asked for a $5 billion Treasury Department loan in order to set up a municipal bond insurer that would dwarf other players in the private muni insurance market. Say hello to IMBAC, the Issuers Mutual Bond Assurance Co., which would aim to provide insurance against default for cities with poor bond ratings.

Municipal bond insurance has been her thing now for, I'm not entirely sure, twenty years? I am sure she will have an opinion about that.

My own opinion? Well, if Barney Frank likes the idea...It's not like he helped lead us down the road of financial ruin with all of that Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac stuff. What could go wrong?

Swept Away

Well, crap. I wonder if, when the Twins arrive at Yankee Stadium, George Steinbrenner greets them with "Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL baseball stadium."

Sunday featured a scoreless pitching duel between Kevin Slowey and A.J. Burnett. The Twins scored two off Burnett in the top of the seventh, but the Yankees scored two off Slowey in the bottom of the inning.

When Damon sent Crain's fastball into the second deck in right field, the Yankees improved to 22-3 in regular-season home games against Gardenhire's Twins.

Yeah, um, make that 23-3.

After three consecutive walk-off defeats, the Twins got their misery out of the way early Monday night, when Glen Perkins turned a two-run, first-inning lead into a four-run deficit and got yanked after recording only two outs.

The Twins didn't fold, putting the potential tying run on base in the ninth inning, but in the end, it was just another loss at Yankee Stadium.

Ouch. I know, it's not the stadium, but the players who beat the Twins. They came up with the clutch hits when they needed them and the Twins didn't. The Twins stranded 46 base runners to the Yankees' 31 over the four game series. That's not to say that the Twins can't compete with the likes of the Yankees, they most certainly did. Those were some exciting games to watch. There's something off with the Twins right now though. They are making the types of mistakes that elite teams just don't make in close games. Stuff like making stupid base running mistakes, rookie at-bats, and then this gem that I just read tonight explaining starter Glen Perkins getting shelled and lasting just 2/3 of an inning this evening:

Glen Perkins had a two-run lead and couldn't escape the first inning Monday night. He recorded only two outs and gave up six runs before deciding he should tell the team he had an elbow issue.

So after their 7-6 loss, which gave the Yankees a four-game sweep, the Twins placed Perkins on the 15-day disabled list because of left elbow inflammation.

Just when it seemed the Twins' first visit to the new Yankee Stadium couldn't get any worse, they lost a pitcher who posted a 1.50 ERA in his first three starts.

Perkins, 26, will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam today in Minnesota.

"Right now it's precautionary," Perkins said. "It kind of just stiffened up on me a little bit, and I wasn't able to finish my pitches how I wanted to. I looked at the video, and there wasn't the movement and the extension of my pitches, and I think it was time that I told them how it felt."

Really? YA THINK? Maybe the time to tell them that was, I don't know, BEFORE YOU GAVE UP SIX FREAKIN" RUNS, Glen. But maybe that's just me.

Something is very wrong with that. I like pitching coach Rick Anderson a lot, but how did he allow that to happen? Either Perkins was not being honest with him, a sign of dysfunction on one or both parts, or Anderson was aware there was a possible issue and was not prepared to deal with it. That's not what contending teams do. At least not to the extent that the opponents are spotted six runs.

Every game counts, the 1-run loss to Chicago last year in game 163 should have hammered that home. Right now this team is not professional enough on a consistent basis to be a contender, and the sad thing is they should be.

The Debate Is Not Over

There's a new link module on the right: Energy/Climate Change Links. This summer the U.S. Congress is going to pass energy and climate change legislation that will likely have a huge effect on our everyday lives. They will probably further restrict both the production of fossil fuels in the US and the building of any new carbon-based electrical plants.

That is going to cost us, perhaps dearly, down the road. What is the saddest thing of all though, is that there is considerable evidence to suggest that this may all be a solution looking for a problem. The debate seems to be over in the major media outlets, but many reasonable and respectable voices continue to question the now orthodox view that humans are causing climate change through the production of CO2. You can read some of them at the links on the right.

I'm willing to be convinced about human caused climate change if I can be presented with arguments that are convincing. What I see a lot of though, are claims based on computer models that use assumptions that we don't know to be true. On top of that, I see an awful lot of argument by intimidation(Denier!) that is meant to silence, not debate, opposing views. Those are not the tactics of reasonable people, they are the tactics of ideologues, and I wonder why the proponents of human caused climate change feel the need to resort to them. 

Sometimes on scientific and complicated issues it is difficult to figure out who to believe. I used to trust the legacy news media to help me sort out such things, but they have abandoned truth for narrative. Now I have to rely on my own ability to comprehend the facts and also use a bit of gut instincts. My gut tells me here that it is important to note that only one side wants to shut down the debate. They seem to fear any science that contradicts their theory of human caused climate change. Even if you don't understand the science being presented, that should give you pause.

Anyway, interesting stuff at the links there. I've read Watts Up With That? for some time now and I think it's a solidly credible site. Dr. Roy Spencer gives me a little pause with his belief in Intelligent Design, but he seems solidly credentialed in his main area of expertise, meteorology and climate studies. And I think he presents his arguments on climate change reasonably and carefully. Climate Change Fraud is relatively new to me and is more of a portal to a number of different sources. Some of those names are unfamiliar to me, so I don't endorse it as heartily as the other two yet, but it seems worth checking into.

What Congress does this summer on energy and climate change will have a huge impact on our country. Don't rely on the legacy media to keep you or your friends and family informed.

President Paradox

The contradictions, at least when it comes to national security issues, between Obama the campaigner and President Obama continue to mount:

President Obama's endorsements of Bush-Cheney antiterror policies are by now routine: for example, opposing the release of prisoner abuse photographs and support for indefinite detention for some detainees, and that's just this week. More remarkable is White House creativity in portraying these U-turns as epic change. Witness yesterday's announcement endorsing military commissions.

White House officials insist that their tribunals will be kinder and gentler, stressing additional due-process safeguards for terrorists on trial for war crimes. But the debate that has convulsed the political system since 9/11 isn't about procedural nuances. It has been over core principles, with Democrats decrying a "shadow justice system" and claiming that "Our Constitution and our Uniform Code of Military Justice provide a framework for dealing with the terrorists."

Responsibility and reality have apparently taken a harsh toll on Obama the campaigner. I would like to give President Obama credit for his pragmatism on these issues, but I'm having a hard time getting past his failure to acknowledge that in many ways he is continuing President Bush's policies, the very ones he excoriated on the campaign trail. Before I give him credit on these issues I want to hear him give President Bush and his team their due: Vindication.

That would be real change in our politics. I'm not holding my breath.