Written Voice - Politics and People

REMINDER: BLOG MOVED

2010-05-24T08:04:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't read to the end of the last post, I am moving my blog. I wanted to get it up and running, even though it probably isn't completely done yet.

The new url is: politicsandpeople.org.

Head on over and check it out.

Bangkok Burns

2010-05-20T09:25:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, I watched the ESPN 30-For-30 special Straight Outta L.A., a documentary on the Raiders experience in Los Angeles.

The L.A. Raiders, a short-lived marriage between Southern California and Al Davis, came to town at the height of gang activity in the city, as well as the beginnings of a new hip hop culture. In Los Angeles from just 1982-1994, one event stood out more than all others as I watched.

Straight Outta L.A. was narrated by one of L.A.'s gangsta rap founders, Ice Cube, who spoke painfully about the 1992 L.A. Riots. I remember these words he said about the mayor, Tom Bradley.

"I knew he was going to let the city burn." And it did.

Why do I bring this up? Because the images of Los Angeles came flooding to mind when I saw this:

The image is from the New York Times, and depicts Bangkok, the capitol of Thailand, yesterday.

Civil unrest has been brewing in Bangkok since 2006, when former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was removed from power in a military coup. Some members of the current government are blaming Thaksin for causing the current unrest.

However, unrest would be an understatement of massive proportion. Yesterday, the Thai military stepped up its aggressiveness, leading to a bloody takeover of the protests.

Arsonists in Bangkok set fire to almost 30 buildings, the government said, including the country's stock exchange, a massive shopping mall, two banks, a movie theater and a television station. Two city halls were set on fire in the provincial capitals when thousands of protesters reacted to news of the Bangkok crackdown.

Somehow, only 12 people were killed and about 60 injured, far less than expected. That is because, do to the increased pressure from the powerful Thai military, many of the protest's leaders turned themselves in yesterday. This is the same protest that saw a renegade general shot in the head while giving an interview with a western reporter last week.

That reporter wrote an incredible piece, saying he heard a bang, like a firecracker, before the general collapsed. He also talked about how the city is built to be a world-class city, with architecture portraying high hopes, yet it is often reduced to times like today.

Or yesterday. When the city burned.

What happens tomorrow? Here is a look from both sides.

Protesters apparently feel let down by their leaders, and it was at that point that they took to the buildings. They are calling for new elections (which they actually got, but rejected), and it is questionable what could actually end this. Thailand is a country with a hugely powerful military, meaning rebellion is very difficult, at least not without the military's help.

A quote from a protester: "We want democracy. True democracy, free democracy. Why is it so hard, why?"

On the other side, the directive should probably make their stance clear. Should protesters become violent at all, they will be shot. And they were yesterday. One protester said that, "if the prime minister wants to govern the country on top of this wreckage, he should go ahead and kill us all." Shortly after the military killed two protesters, wounded several journalists and killed an Italian news photographer.

All the while, the city burned.

--

Speaking of civil unrest, coming off of his blowout win in the Kentucky republican primary, Tea Party candidate Rand Paul is not talking about current policy, but is instead answering questions about his views on the Civil Rights Act. Check out this piece on the Rachel Maddow show. Before you pass it off as Maddow being an MSNBC hack (which she is), remember that Paul announced his candidacy on her show.

Apparently, Dr. Paul has a problem with the federal government telling private businesses whether or not they can discriminate. He is completely supportive of civil rights protections when government funding is involved. He calls it "ending institutional racism."

I just saw this clip this morning, but I've got a couple of thoughts. One, I've never been into a private business that still doesn't have a sign saying, "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." That said, there are very few business that don't receive some form of government funding or subsidy.

In addition, Maddow specifically asked him how he could be against discrimination, but not support the CRA. Well, I actually know quite a few women who are against the Equal Protection Act. Why? Because those protections already exist. In the Bill of Rights and the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments of the Constitution. In other words, I don't need to be singled out for protection. I need my government to enforce the foundation of its laws.

Third, per usual, this has been blown up by the left as Paul being a crazy right-wing, racist nut. That may or may not be true. I am all for the Democrat winning in Kentucky. However, this is one of those times that I get sick of two white people arguing from ivory towers about how to treat black people they rarely come in contact with. Let's use a demographic to get elected, but then forget about that demographic until we get elected again. What could change that? Black people voting.

Lastly, Paul makes one really good point. Today, being a racist business owner would be an awful business decision. Is the problem the lack of government regulation, or is it inherent racism within people? Which gets to Paul's original point. Is institutionalized racism the problem, or is it individual racism? I think the former far more than the latter. If children are raised in public school systems that reject discrimination and teach equality, as their public funding would suggest they must, then the solution of the problem happens at age four, not with glorified affirmative action.

Excuse me while I go back to being a Democrat now. And I'll think some more on this topic and get back to you.

Financial reform hit a roadblock yesterday, thanks to our junior senator from Washington, Maria Cantwell. Saw a good headline in reference to the senator's vote against cloture: "Yes We Cantwell." Majority Leader Harry Reid racked up 57 votes for cloture, was screwed by Mass. Senator Scott Brown, and lost Cantwell as well. Both Maine Republicans were 'yes' votes. The day after his loss in the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, Senator Arlen Specter did not vote.

A big hearing on the Hill today, with nothing to do with anything you've heard about so far. The House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on the effects of concussions on high school athletes. One of the biggest unknowns in athletics are concussions (in medical circles as well), and it cannot be long before a larger safety protocol comes. It could start with this report, from the GAO, showing the most athletes return too soon after suffering the brain trauma.

Finally, I am making this announcement today, knowing that you will forget, and I'll make it again. Over the last week or so, I have been transferring my blog over to a new host, with a new URL. It is pretty much ready, save for a couple of tweaks, though it is not yet what I want it to be. That said, go check it out at www.politicsandpeople.org.

It obviously looks very much like a blog, which is the main thing I am looking into changing. As you've probably noticed, I've moved a lot of my content into the news-y, political (and otherwise) realm, and less about my specific experiences in DC. That said, the people part still stands, because I expand on things, such as the Rand Paul issue from today, or the racism in America piece from last week. I'd like to separate that from the personal stuff. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, check out the new space, tell me what you think. And I will have a more personal piece on my visit to the White House yesterday, sometime this week.

Primary Parade

2010-05-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

As promised, welcome to a Tuesday morning look at the biggest primary day of the year, so far. We'll probably be saying this on June 8, which is the day after President Obama gives a commencement speech at Kalamazoo High School in Michigan.

No, Michigan's primary is not that today, nor is it today.

It is tough to find a real "headliner" for today, with three races really meriting a ton of attention. That said, let's go to Pennsylvania, where a one-time Republican is running at a dead heat in the Democratic primary.

Last year, when then 79-year old Senator Arlen Specter decided to make the switch from Republican to Democrat, his motives were plainly clear: re-election. Democratic party identification continues to rise in Pennsylvania, a state Obama won by about 600,000 votes in 2008. However, as The Fix points out, blacks could decide this race.

Specter, who as a Republican in his 2004 re-election race won just 25 percent of black voters in a blow out win, is leaning heavily on President Obama, Gov. Ed Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor and current Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who is black, to serve as surrogates to this critical voting bloc.

Why does the black vote matter? Specter, who is being opposed by 7th district representative Joe Sestak, cannot win this race without pulling off a large margin in Philadelphia. He may not need (nor will he receive) the 90 percent of black voters Obama won, but the 79 percent Governor Ed Rendell won in the Philadelphia media market in 2002 would clinch it.

One thing not to forget about this race is that Spector is shooting for his sixth term, while Sestak, despite being in the race for quite some time, is still relatively unknown. What we do know is that Sestak wants voters to be reminded of just who Arlen Specter has been his whole life.

What I will say about Specter, he hasn't taken his party switch lightly. He has voted for Democratic bills. And when the president was trying to get the stimulus package passed, Specter didn't hold out for pork. He held out for increased funding for cancer research.

This race is the most likely to have ramifications in Washington, as the White House, as well as pretty much the entire establishment, is backing Specter. A loss, not all that unlikely, could really sting. My biggest wonder is whether a guy like Specter, seemingly prideful, would change how he votes based on the loss.

Both candidates are running behind the Republican leader, Pat Toomey.

Another big race in Pennsylvania today, with some ties to one of our own. Washington state Representative Norm Dicks ascended to the chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee as a result of the death of John Murtha, who represented Pennsylvania's 12th district.

So, instead of a primary today, this is a special election, meaning this one will actually put someone in a seat when the results are tallied. And it's going to be close. Nearly $2 million has been spent by the national campaign arms of both parties, in an effort to elect one of Republican Tim Burns or Democrat Mark Critz. Burns has been up in the polls for quite some time, though I did see one with Critz up six points not long ago.

House dems are rolling on a two year streak in special elections, having won every one since May '08. The telling statistic: Dems out number the GOP 2-1 in the district. In other words, if they show up and vote, they win. If not, per usual, that is a GOP pickup.

--

Off to Arkansas, where ~~Republican~~ Democrat Blanche Lincoln is trying to fend off a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. While she has White House support, reluctantly, Lincoln has been getting hammered by labor unions and environmental groups. My former employer, LCV, has been letting her have it for months now.

The kicker in Arkansas (where it is illegal to pronounce it "ar-KAN-sas") is that candidates need to win 50 percent of the vote, or else there is a run-off. With Lincoln leading Halter in the 46-36 range, 11 percent undecided and six percent to a really conservative Dem, the latter looks likely. Obviously, given the undecideds involved, that is a negative for the incumbent.

Five Thirty Eight, one of the leading election blogs, has a good breakdown just how we got here in Bill Clinton's home state:

The polling in this race has consistently shown Lincoln to be in deep trouble in the general election and some peril in the primary after Halter jumped in on March 1. The latest poll, from DKos/R2K, has her down 54/40 against Boozman (and with a 39/55 favorable/unfavorable ratio); in early May Mason-Dixon had her trailing him 52/35; and a late April Rasmussen survey showed Lincoln down 28 points (57/29). Indeed, the sense that she was getting a little toasty had as much to do as ideology with Halter's entry into the race.

While the major ideological issue in the primary has been Lincoln's regular defections from Democratic Party orthodoxy--most notably her flip-flopping into opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act (which enraged labor) her less than helpful behavior on health reform, and her championship of large agribusiness interests--a late twist in the race has been her sponsorship of a very tough derivatives regulation provision in the financial reform bill currently before the Senate. Some have speculated that the Senate Democratic leadership is holding off a vote on Lincoln's provision until after the primary, when they intend to kill it.

Just how much has she rejected the Democratic party? Take a look at her main campaign ad, released in March:

Soon all she may be doing is answering the phone at home, unemployed.

--

Those first two races were basically expected. This one in Kentucky, however, is the first real test of a divide between Republicans and the Tea Party. Jim Bunning, a baseball Hall of Famer and two-term senator, is mercifully retiring at the end of this term. Bunning, some may recall, quite famously blocked an extension in unemployment benefits earlier this year, telling another member "tough s***" and also complaining that his own tactic took so long that he had to miss a Kentucky basketball game. For a minute there I thought Bunning's block lasted longer than John Calipari's Kentucky coaching career. The old guy is quite literally off his rocker.

Anyway, running for his seat are Secretary of State Tray Grayson and a name you might recognize, Rand Paul. Yes, he is the son of Texas Representative, and former presidential, uh, candidate, Ron Paul. As you have probably surmised from such information, Paul is the Tea Party guy. And in Kentucky, the tea has been flowing.

It is widely expected that Paul will win this race tonight, right in the face of the state's senior senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who endorsed Grayson. Bunning backed Paul. All four men involved here are Republicans. They even cause division in their own party.

The real question about this one is what happens when Paul wins. For that, let me quote someone smarter than me. Cue, Chris Cillizza:

McConnell's rhetoric glosses over the real differences between the forces behind Paul and those who, like McConell, are supporting Grayson. The tea party movement has, to date, resisted any attempt by the party establishment to co-opt its power -- much less take over the campaign of one of its own.

Having won largely by running against Washington (and Republicans in Washington), how does Paul reconcile his past statements against the establishment with a party that knows it must rally around him? Will Paul, who has run a campaign light on consultants, bring on polling and media advisers recommended to him by the National Republican Senatorial Committee? If not, how do national Republicans handle Paul -- someone who, by definition, doesn't like to be handled by the powers-that-be?

I don't like to be handled either. Which means, if you're looking for me tonight, stop. I'll be in front of election results like it's my job. I love Tuesdays...

- Politico takes a look at what the midterms could mean for Nancy Pelosi, concluding that her she will be as strong as ever.

- The New York Times has its take.

Two unrelated notes:
- Five US troops were killed, when a NATO convoy was hit by a roadside bomber this morning. None of them was Adam, who emailed me this morning.

- And, to lighten it up, the North Carolina State baseball team apparently has a new name. While you are laughing at this unfortunate mistake, think about the intern, who has to take the sticker they order, and place it perfectly on the cover of thousands of media guide because of this screw up. Just sayin', don't forget the little people.

Finally, the most important information on election days.
- Philadelphia, PA - Probably not good for Specter, or Critz.
- Arkansas
- Kentucky

Happy Voting!

Devastating 60 Minutes Piece on Oil Spill

2010-05-17T12:16:00.000-04:00

For a piece called "Blowout" 60 Minutes found a survivor of the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. Mike Williams, however, isn't just a survivor. He jumped some 100 feet from the bridge of the rig, into the burning Gulf, and into a layer of oil.

Williams didn't think he was going to die. He thought he was dead.

But, even before the catastrophic events of late that evening, Williams knew that negligence had made an accident like this one possible.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Kalamazoo Central High School

2010-05-17T10:25:00.002-04:00

The first public high school in Michigan, and alma mater of one Derek Jeter, won a contest for which the reward was special: President Barack Obama as the school's commencement speaker.

Here is their winning video:

Large Protest - A Day In the Life

2010-05-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd give you a little anecdote of what happens when you live in Washington D.C.. I get these emails about once a week, but usually the building just ignores them. Not today. My office is across the street from the FBI (makes all those worried about feel a little safer, huh) and apparently a protest is heading by right now.

Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 9:24 AM
Subject: FW: IMPORTANT - PROTEST (BUILDING LOCKDOWN)
Importance: High

All,

DC Metropolitan Police just informed us a large protest will be coming past our building around 9:30 AM. They have asked us to lock down the 9th Street and “D” Street doors until the protestors past. DC Police will station a police officer outside of both entrances and employees will be able to use their fob keys for entry into the building.

Management will send an email once all the doors are reopened. Thanks for your patience in advance.

Property Manager | Property Management
401 9th Street, NW, Suite 150
Washington, DC 20004
T: (202) 420-5970 | F: (202) 638-5897
kprice@bostonproperties.com

Just a day in the life.

Monday Morning Maintenance

2010-05-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

The headline is obviously referring to the blog, which is currently under repair. I think the only thing showing right now are the actual posts. Spent most of the weekend working on it, but ran into some frustrations. Eventually (probably over the course of the week), you will see a new look, along with possibly a new URL. Stay tuned...

Lots to mention to get this week started, one that looms large in political circles. More on that later and probably in another post.

Let's start with a birthday, born of a $1.65 billion investment. That is how much Google paid for YouTube in 2007, considered a major risk at the time. Well, last October, the internet video powerhouse eclipsed some one billion page views per day, and just recently it announced that figured had doubled. Today, YouTube turns five.

It is almost amazing to think that YouTube didn't exist when I was in high school. In what is clearly a sign of the information age, it is so prevalent right now as to give the impression that it has always existed. Yes, I was born before computers were even that ubiquitous. When I was in elementary school the cool thing to do on a computer was play Oregon Trail." Now, well, on this browser alone, I have nine different tabs open (five of them are related to this blog actually).

Google as a corporation has revolutionized information, taking advantage of the internet in the same way Microsoft did the personal computer. There is no slowing this train down. What I find funny to remember is the man who is largely give credit for creating the internet (financially anyway), Al Gore, is now so widely criticized in his current endeavor (clean energy) as to think he's never successfully done any forward thinking. Even Gore could not have expected this. The internet, as you don't need to be told, has changed the foundation of just about everything in the world, including the family. Google has been by far the leader.

So happy birthday to one of its arms, YouTube.

Uplifting, yet sad at the same time, the University of Virginia women's lacrosse team opened up the NCAA tournament with a win yesterday, in its first game since the murder of one of their own, Yeardley Love. Love's mother and sister were in the stands as the entire team held up pieces of paper with the number "1" on them, a reference to the motto of both teams in the NCAA tournament, "One Love." The alleged killer was a member of the men's team, which returned to action with a win on Saturday.

BP is claiming some success today, after a pipe inserted into the 21-inch riser pipe was able to begin diverting oil to a tanker on the surface. The mile long pipe is just four inches wide, means its effect is minimal, but it marks the biggest positive step anyone has seen in stopping the leak. Late last week reports suggested that more than 10 times more oil was leaking that previously thought. At the original rate there would have been about 5.6 million gallons spilled up to today, in the fourth week of the spill. In the newer range that has been hypothesized, somewhere around 100 million gallons has already spilled. That would be about 10 Exxon Valdez spills, with the end still of in the distance.

A Rhode Island school that fired all of its teachers has reached a tentative agreement to rehire all of them, after a three month process. The school board of the district voted to fire every staff member, teachers and administrators, over low student performance. A new deal would allow the teachers to return to work in the fall without having to re-apply for their jobs.

After 40 years, the Boston University class of 1970 walked in a graduation ceremony this weekend, a chance the 3,000 graduates never got during the turmoil of the time. Final exams and the ceremony were canceled that year after the university, like so many others, became the site of strikes, sit-ins, building takeovers and fire-bombings. That spring saw President Richard Nixon invade Cambodia and National Guardsmen killing nine students at Kent State.

Attorney General Eric Holder gave the commencement speech to the entire graduating class, including the 2010 grads, saying, "I love you all," then gesturing toward the class of 1970, sitting in front him, "But these are my people."

--

Amazingly, I avoided Congress and politics for a while there, but no longer (I will be avoiding the Mariners, however, so if you want to be depressed, try the Seattle Times).

Politico suggests that President Obama is rolling his sleeves up and taking a more hands-on approach with Congress right now, as financial reform and possibly energy work their way through. That can only be good for those efforts.

It probably also shows that, with some Democrats unwilling to campaign on a health care bill that was painted in such a negative light, the administration needs to give them something else. Cracking down on Wall Street should work every time.
Not necessarily political, but I absolutely loved this interview yesterday in the New York Times Magazine, with Alan Greenberg of JP Morgan Chase.
Congressional hearings this week on the oil spill in the Gulf will focus on the federal response. Two things to watch:
- Are federal officials just as non-committal (or even finger-pointing) as their oil executive counterparts. After the speech Obama gave on Friday, for his administration to point fingers at oil companies would likely backfire.
- That said, expect to see the officials talk about how their response was appropriate and swift, even though there was very little the government could do initially. Quite frankly, what is often missed is that oil companies know best how to handle these sorts of things, which is why BP is still involved at all. If the hearing gets into how close the oil companies and their regulator are, or why BP was not required to do a full assessment before drilling the well, it could get ugly for the administration.
Here is a quick primer on what is going on in Pennsylvania, something my later post will cover. This one is far more interesting than the others, to me at least, simply because I really do think Arlen Specter is the only one that can win the general.
Expect to see something from me on this as well, as questions loom over whether Governor Christine Gregoire will be nominated for the solicitor general position being vacated by Elena Kagan. That obviously has ramifications across Washington state politics. This next day or so of blogging is going to be fun.

My sports-related note comes from where else but UW. After a marathon NCAA tournament last year, that saw the Husky softball team travel from Massachusetts to Atlanta to Oklahoma City on chartered jets for three straight weeks (with no trips home), the team will host an NCAA Regional, partly thanks to that success.

Despite being a higher seed at both the regional and the super regional last year, the Huskies were forced to travel because their stadium did not have lights, an NCAA requirement for hosting. The Huskies turned the lengthy road trip (which, unlike basically every school outside of the west coast, was in the middle of the academic quarter) into a positive and rode it the program's first national championship.

Along the way, their story was told over and over again on ESPN, leading to an influx of donations and the unveiling of lights to begin the 2010 at Husky Softball Stadium. The Huskies (45-6, 17-4) will host a regional starting Friday. Despite being the top-ranked team in the country for the entire season, unanimously for most of it, the Huskies are just the No. 3 overall seed. Alabama and Michigan are one and two, respectively.

A couple more things on this: The Huskies head into their 17th-consecutive postseason appearance coming off of the best regular season in school history. Washington missed out on the tournament in its first season of existence, 1993, but has been there in every year since.

And not only was this a big season for the team, but, as mentioned in previous posts, reigned National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie has cemented her place as maybe the greatest pitcher to ever play the game and certainly one of the best athletes in UW history. She set the Pac-10 career strikeout record over the weekend. Lawrie heads into the postseason with, get this, a 35-2 record, 0.99 ERA and 407 strikeouts in 247.1 innings, while also hitting .322 with team highs of 14 homeruns and 55 RBI. Have the Mariners even scored 55 runs yet this season? Before last weekend she was almost out-homering that whole team.

Finally, if you can get past the blatant partisanship here, the way he presents this is absolutely hilarious. Obama was talking to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Yes, he is completely finger pointing, but tell me when he says, "No!", you didn't laugh.

Happy Monday

Is Lebron Done in Cleveland?

2010-05-14T14:46:00.002-04:00

After this?

We Are Lebron Video - Watch more Funny Videos

Defining Hypocrisy

2010-05-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

I considered writing a post today, despite the fact that I started the day late, but then I finally took the five minutes to watch this video. It should be played across the internet as the definition of hypocrisy. It isn't just Glenn Beck either, it is the foundation of the Tea Party "movement".

All summer long we saw pictures of President Obama with a Hitler mustache. Well, excuse me the ~~President~~ Republican governor of Arizona would like your papers.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Back in Black - Glenn Beck's Nazi Tourette's

www.thedailyshow.com

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Tea Party

Let me add an actual bit of analysis to the Arizona immigration law. Many Republicans have constantly run out polls talking about how much Americans like the law. I'm not going to attack the polls - they are right. You would like the law too, if all you ever heard about it was that it was keeping illegal immigrants from taking American jobs and killing Americans in drug wars.

Here's what else is does:
- It will cost the city of Phoenix millions of dollars in lost tourism revenue, thanks to different boycotts and travel warnings from Mexico.
- The same can be said about the Arizona Diamondbacks and possibly the planned 2011 MLB All-Star game.
- It will likely cost local law enforcement agencies money thanks to a provision allowing lawsuits against them if they fail to enforce the law.
- It was followed by another bill targeted ethnic studies programs - a specific shot a Latino studies program in Phoenix, where more than 40 percent of the residents are Latino.
- It threatens to pull funding from schools that allow teachers with accents to teach English classes.
- And the one I continuously say: It makes illegal immigration a crime in America. Until this law was passed, it was a civil issue. You paid a fine, we sent you home. Now, we have to waste money throwing you in jail. For something that isn't a national security threat. More on that in a minute.

- One positive effect is that it targets those who pick up "day labor" from street corners, when the laborers are illegal. This is positive because it is on the right track. If you actually want to stem illegal immigration, you have to do it through the business owners that hire illegal immigrants. That, however, is against the Republican creed. You can't punish small businesses, they'll go out of business. Nevermind the fact that they weren't employing Americans anyway!

Ah, but the goal of this legislation is not to stem illegal immigration, or at least it is a very ineffective way of doing it, as I said. No immigration bill will succeed without significant penalties levied on business owners. Same way no meaningful safety improvements will be seen without significant penalties levied on oil and coal companies. That's reality.

No reduction in crime will be seen for a couple of reasons: one, criminals don't walk across the border. They use tunnels and other means. And maybe you haven't noticed my little tidbits here and there about Juarez, but Mexican cartels have never shown they are unwilling to murder police officers or US government officials. These people are ruthless.

Which brings me to my real solution. For decades, we have been fighting a war on drugs. Everywhere but here. Yeah, I remember "Just Say No" (not as much as Just Do It), but did it work? Hundreds of billions have been spent in Columbia, Mexico, and other countries. However, the problem is not the source, it is the buyer. So first, identify the problem: the United States of America. We buy the drugs. I've said this so many times, but we have an insatiable need for drugs in this country. Without solving that, immigration will never be solved. Ever. If there is a buyer, the seller will always find a way to get the product to them. No matter how many people have to die.

- A thing about Beck. Few people can deliver a message like him. He takes huge, complex ideas and brings them down to bite size sound bites. On Wednesday he blatantly said: "if God tells you to do something, do it. If your government tells you to do something, question it." Nevermind that the Bible itself says that you should obey your governments, because those people are put there by God, to lead. Details. And don't even get me started on his crusade against Social Justice. I suppose God was just bored when called on Moses to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to "let my people go." Or in the New Testament, when the focus became saving Gentiles. Is that not the definition of Social Justice?

Have you ever been to a church which does not hold, as a major pillar, helping the poor? And Beck claims to be a leading voice in the plight of blacks. But when Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said he had a dream, was he not asking for Social Justice? Some of my conservative friends like to point out that "conservatives" have always been better for black people in this country than "liberals" (George Wallace - "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever" - was a Democrat, for example), nevermind that today's conservatives are far different from those historically. Abraham Lincoln was the most liberal conservative in history. And when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, he was giving Social Justice a government policy. But that wasn't enough for him. Instead, as I quote often, in his second inaugural address, he said: "With malice toward none, with charity for all."

God did not create this country. His people did it according to His design. And His people, for the first time in history, said to him that we believe that all men are created equal. The foundation of this country is Social Justice.

Age and Politics, Progressive Growth

2010-05-13T09:25:00.000-04:00

A happy Thursday to you, even though this post is going to be focused on some of the saddest news you'll ever receive.

However, before I talk about China, I have to talk about just how celebratory the mood was here yesterday. Obviously there is more work to be done, but just the introduction of a viable comprehensive clean energy and climate plan in the Senate is a huge deal. There are hurdles, yes, but we wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.

Here is all of the information you'll ever need to know, from Senator John Kerry's office. There are links to a summary, full bill text and other good bits.

One of the biggest parts is the ability for states to opt-out of offshore drilling, something I watched a Fox News contributor berate this morning. Funny, it was fine when we were talking about health care...Considering the damage currently occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, it would be hard to tell a state it has to accept drilling of its shores. This only applies to work done within 75 miles.

And speaking of the Gulf; need a reason this legislation is needed? How about this video, finally released yesterday:

That is what 210,000 gallons (estimated) pumped straight into the ocean looks like.

The fallout from that spill continues today, as representatives from the companies involved head back to the Hill for more hearings. Yesterday may have been the most revealing day since the explosion, as the type of things that lead to criminal charges began to come to light. If a failed test really was ignored, well, there will be 11 wrongful death suits to start with. And that question of whether one of these companies will, "pay all legitimate claims" goes out the window. They'll pay whatever claim is put in front of them. They'll have to.

--

This chart, released by PEW last week, has been the target of some interesting criticism by people I know, not because of it's accuracy, but because it scares them.

What it shows are the feelings of 18-29 year olds toward certain words, which the pollsters obviously hope they equate to real things. The criticism has been around the words "socialism" and "capitalism". Notice that the age group in question is equally positive toward both words.

Here is the predictable reaction of one blogger:

"And by the way, for young voters who happen to be on the Left, it's all about feelings and not about reality. How much intellect does it take to scream, "Tax the rich!" whenever the budget is about to be cut?

The entire mentality of young people is intellectually lazy. They won't be calling for the government to tax the rich when they're the ones raking in the dough in a matter of years. It's a temporary belief system, and it's a feel-good belief system.

It takes no intellectual depth to be on the Left when you're in college. None. It's cause after cause, and always against rich, evil Republicans or powerful corporations. And if not that, it's a cause to stop global warming."

He actually wrote that in response to a question I asked him about whether his constant statements that, "most Americans don't want President Obama's programs," are false, given the evidence. This alone, obviously, does not answer that question.

Then I re-read that this morning and realized just how ridiculous it sounds. First, I'm assuming he is still only talking about "liberals" when he says, "the entire mentality of young people is intellectually lazy," given that he is a college senior. I also like how he makes it sounds like youth just find themselves on the left for "cause after cause," as if they maybe didn't want to be there. I wonder what he would say about me, a rather moderate, I'd like to think intellectual, Democrat who has never stood in the middle of a protest screaming "tax the rich." I also find it funny that many of the people he often criticizes are in fact the children of upper or upper-middle class parents, considering he attends the University of Washington.

But the thing that really gets me, the amazingly backwards thing about politics, is in that last paragraph. "It's cause after cause, and always against rich, evil Republicans or powerful corporations." If that is so true, why is it that Republicans spend so much time painting "liberals" as elitist, rich snobs that just want to take people's money and redistribute it? These people are also rich, so one of the arguments doesn't work, most likely the one about not understanding the tax bracket.

Oh, but we're talking about youth - forgot. As I am amazed the writer didn't point out, the people who stand in Red Square on UW's campus, screaming about the mistreatment of animals or abuses of Nike, tend to not vote. They are usually put off by the political system and the "man". It is the reason Democrats don't win every state and national election.

Consider this: the 18-29 electorate is about 50 million strong right now. In 2020, that number is expected to be around 90 million. Those are people eligible to vote - the population is higher. For comparison, less than 120 million people voted in the 2008 election. You do the math. This generation, if it ever wanted to, could dominate elections.

Yet it doesn't. In 2008, the youth vote increased by one percent - some one million people - not insignificant, but not good enough. The likelihood of that number increasing again seems slim. However, let me go back to the original points.

There are certainly members of this group who will see their views become more conservative. Money can do that to people. One NHL player was once asked what party he was going to vote for, and he responded by saying he is social liberal, but "do you know what tax bracket I'm in?" However, the vast majority of these people are not going to be in that tax bracket - you know, the top one percent of people. So that argument is falsely premised.

I'd also argue that it doesn't take much intellect to scream, "cut taxes, let me spend my own money." Americans spent their own money so well that they bought houses they couldn't afford, defaulted, and watched the economy go into free fall. You think that was the fault of regulation? I give you the criminal charges filed against financial firms and the investigation beginning in New York. Clearly it wasn't watched closely enough. I'm sure you can find a way to blame Bill Clinton for that though.

His last line was even more amazing: "I really am glad young people don't vote more." I wish he'd have just gone all the way and said, "I wish only conservatives voted because their the only ones who understand how the world works." That way he could really always say, "see, most Americans don't want," this or that. He also said that conservatives, "actually like to have rational debates and discussions."

It never ceases to amaze me when conservatives call liberals "elitist," but stupid at the same time. I suppose liberals do it too, given that they refer to conservatives as rich, greedy, well, you get the point. These people are not the conservative base. That would be poor, rural America. Why do you think conservatives win the South? The money votes Democrat - including quite a bit Wall Street in the last election, I might add.

Anyway, that was more of a free-write than I expected it to be, but the point was clear, I think. By most estimates, the 18-29 age group will dominate the electorate pretty soon. That group will have grown up with environmentalism, the media, and two Democratic presidents with significant domestic policy resumes, while the lone Republican will always been know for two wars (fair or not). Let's face, I don't remember the first Bush.

But mostly, they aren't stupid, liberal, conservative or otherwise. No generation will be as educated or as exposed to the world. Information will be available as it has ever been, as will wealth. Interestingly, many experts look at today's "weak" economy and point out that, for those with jobs, it is actually doing well and improving. Not so much for those without them. In other words, the gap continues to widen. No generation stands to be more affected by this dynamic. Nor will any age group have more of an ability to affect it.

The ability to speak rationally has nothing to do with political party - irrational thought is probably the nature of politics and religion. It is all emotional. I've never met a young conservative who actually listens to someone who disagrees with them without at some point saying something along the lines of, "you're crazy." Never. On the same token, liberals would say something like, "you hate poor people."

Really got away from that graph, huh? Well here's my final point: let's not forget this age group extends to 29. Not all of these people are green, 18-year old college students. Many have been working for years. If most people reach their lifelong political beliefs by 30, these people are pretty close. I wouldn't write them off as "intellectually lazy college students." Quite frankly, that sounds pretty intellectually lazy to me.

--

Couple other things:

- There was another brutal attack at a Chinese school yesterday, with seven people murdered when a man went into the school and stabbed them. The Chinese government has commissioned higher security at schools across the country, while continuing to produce only sparse media reports that have not led to any less copycat attempts.

- A plane crash in Libya that killed 103 people, spared one life, that of a nine year old child.

- Rep. Norm Dicks has begun his behind the scenes push for the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee. As long as the Dems hold on to the House majority, he is expected to take that seat.

- Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in town. Make of it what you will.

Another dark and dreary day here in Washington. At least Felix Hernandez is on the hill in Baltimore in a couple of hours.

Falling From the Mountain

2010-05-12T09:37:00.000-04:00

Wednesday morning, and a busy one here, as the Senator John Kerry and Senator Joe Lieberman will finally introduce the American Power Act this afternoon. You'll notice Senator Lindsey Graham was not mentioned, something I'll have more on in a minute.

First, a little redux from West Virginia last night. It reads like this: Incumbents Beware. Alan Mollohan, a 14-term congressman who ran unchallenged two years ago, was unseated in the Democratic primary last night, by State Senator Mike Oliverio. This is the first time since 1967 that the 1st seat will be held by someone outside the Mollohan family.

There were some external factors, such as ethics allegations and the fact that Oliverio ran to the incumbent's right, but the numbers don't lie: less than one in three people say they would vote to re-elect their congressman right now. Mollahan just became the first House victim.

That led to this post, by The Fix, entitled "Danger, Incumbents, Danger." Despite the fact that there were factors specific to the two races we've seen - every race has those - it is clear that incumbents are not safe. The key evidence is in the other, unknown challengers.

Last Tuesday, Indiana Republican Rep. Dan Burton won his party's nod with less than 30 percent of the vote while unknown and unfunded challengers to North Carolina Democratic Reps. Larry Kissell and Heath Shuler took more than a third of the vote.

Next Tuesday should be even more fun, when both Senator Arlen Specter and Senator Blanche Lincoln face serious primary challenges. Specter has been running ads featuring President Obama, in an attempt to show voters he is loyal to the Democratic party. Remember, when switched parties last year, he made no secret that he knew he couldn't get re-elected as a Republican.

Take a look at some of the more recent polls available and you'll see that Specter and opponent Joe Sestak are within the margins. Scroll down to May 5 to see that Patty Murray is above 50 percent against everyone but Dino Rossi, who she is finally leading consistently. Washington state voters don't go to the polls until August 17, but filing date for Rossi is next month.

Want some more on elections? How about taking a trip across the Atlantic, to London, where the conservative party missed a majority by 20 seats. One of the more fascinating things to watch is how the British parliament has to remake itself when this happens, although it's been some time. For the first time since World War II, the country will be run by a coalition government, albeit an awkward one between conservatives and liberal democrats. What a novel idea.

David Cameron, head of the conservative party, was installed as Prime Minister, after Gordon Brown sped the process up by resigning. This literally all happened yesterday. Considering the immediate work that must be done, that is a good thing for a government that is trying to prevent the demise of the pound.

--

Speaking of demise, honor and civility took a pretty big hit yesterday, at Senate hearings looking into the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Representatives from British Petroleum, Transocean, and Haliburton testified before two committees yesterday, almost immediately following a story suggesting Haliburton may really be to blame.

The executives raised their right hands to be sworn in, right before passing off all responsibility to someone else. Have you ever laughed at a situation where two kids are standing next to each other and when you ask them who did someone, they both point at the other one? I watched that for five hours yesterday. Grown men. BP said they didn't operate the machines that screwed up. Transocean said they thought the well was cemented (a way to seal the well, which would prevent a blowout). And both Transocean and Haliburton said, ultimately, the fault lies with the rig owner/lesser, BP.

There were no solutions. At one point, after the BP rep. had said about 25 times that the company would, "pay all legitimate claims" (without ever defining "legitimate"), Senator Maria Cantwell just went down a list of effects of the Exxon Valdez spill, asking after each one if BP would pay for it. The rep. caved and said he couldn't comment on specific cases.

And you know you've screwed up when Senator Jeff Sessions, whose Alabama accent is so thick I can rarely understand him, is chewing you out. And Sessions was relentless. He basically asked the Transocean rep. directly, "what do you know about what happened?" The rep. had nothing for him. He said it was BP's job to answer that type of question. Transocean operates the rig.

Quote of the day had to come from Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Menendez pointed out that the hearing room they were in was the same one used to investigate the Titanic sinking, get this, almost 100 years ago (wow!). Both the Titanic and this rig were considered so technologically advanced as to be immune to failure. Actually watched the beginning of the James Cameron movie the other day and saw the line, "God himself could not sink this ship." Both failed. Both sank.

Said Menendez: "I don't get the sense that you were truly prepared. I get the sense that you are making things up as you go along."

Obviously this is a big deal. Today, however, it takes on a whole new meaning, as Kerry and Lieberman prepare to introduce their bill. A CBS News poll just showed up in my inbox, showing that more the 4-in-5 Americans have seen, heard or read about the oil spill. Only 46 percent favor new offshore drilling, while 41 percent see it as too great a risk. The former is a 16 percent decrease from previous polls, the latter a 13 percent increase.

Just watched Kerry on MSNBC say that the new bill does not allow new drilling, at least until after the cause of the the Gulf incident is known. As was pointed out in the hearing yesterday, this rig had plenty of redundancies designed specifically to prevent a blowout, including a thing called a blowout preventer. They all failed.

The Hill got a copy of the summary document on the American Power Act and released it yesterday.

Under the key provisions header are refunds to consumers to prevent increased energy costs (a central worry among opponents), a national carbon cap that would preempt any like policy unique to a state (though compensation is promised to states that would lose revenue), a specific price on carbon, financing for a transportation transformation (natural gas, highway, public transit updates), as well as giving states power to opt out of drilling within 75 miles of their shores, and more.

Yes, the bill includes carbon sequestration funding. It also only regulates the largest carbon emitters (about 7,500 factors and power plants). Here is the more detailed version. There is a press conference at 1:30 today. I'll be at it. Follow the Consequence Twitter page for my reactions.

If this bill gets an traction, prepare for a legislative fight like you've never seen before. Health care was just a warmup.

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- My favorite politician, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, was re-elected last night. He also happens to be my favorite person I follow on Twitter. He won by about a 2-1 margin, in an election that appears to have had about 100,000 voters. That would be about a third of the total population of New Jersey's largest city. Booker, who is just 41, won his second term after significantly lowering the city's crime rates, while continuing to fight gun violence.

Here is his tweet from this morning:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it's the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill - Thank you Newark! Lets continue!

Everything you need to know about this guy can be found in the documentary from his first attempt to run for mayor of the city, as a 32-year old in 2002. Booker, a Rhodes Scholar and Stanford grad, moved into one of the city's worst neighborhoods. Four years later he became mayor.

- Got a chance to pay a visit to a freezing cold, windy and wet Camden Yards last night, to see Cliff Lee and the Mariners take on the Orioles. The M's are now 4-0 against the O's, 9-19 against everyone else. It was the visit out the warehouse, however, that made the trip worth it.

Yes, for those who guessed, that is the plaque on the spot where Ken Griffey Jr. (who was awake the whole game, I promise) nailed the warehouse at the 1993 All Star Game. He was the first and last to ever do so, with a majestic 465-foot blast to straightaway right field.

Beautiful ballpark by the way, though it is still built like the older ones with the concourse back behind the stands and not in full view of the field. Also, the location, literally right in downtown, makes it feel much smaller than reality. However, the standing room and fan-friendly seating make it worth the trip. As did getting a chance to see Lee pitch for the first time.

Lastly, in case you are missing this, take a minute to read about Danielle Lawrie. The fifth-year senior is having an absolutely dominating season, on the way to quite possibly becoming the greatest athlete in University of Washington history. She is in her fifth year not because of redshirting, but because she spent 2008 playing for the Canadian Olympic team, an organization that probably wish they had used her a bit more. Lawrie beat the U.S. National Team when she was 18 - yes, you read that right, has a national championship, National Player of the Year, and this year alone has been named national player of the week three times. This weekend she will set the Pac-10 career record for strikeouts, if she even pitches as her 33-2 record has helped the Huskies (43-5, 15-3) clinch the Pac-10 Championship already.

Lawrie holds just about every UW pitching record, while also being one of the top hitters on the team this year. She hit a walk-off homerun against Stanford on Saturday. Just think about these two numbers: Lawrie has 19 shutouts and 392 strikeouts.

Ridiculous.

Have a good one y'all.

The Z Factor (Sleep, not Zdurienck)

2010-05-11T08:57:00.001-04:00

Good Tuesday to you, as the Mariners head into full crisis mode with their aging legend Ken Griffey, Jr. Next on the schedule is Baltimore, meaning I've got a train ride to take, at least on Thursday, but may tomorrow instead. Need to check the pitching matchups.

For those that missed the story, apparently over the weekend, when the M's were in need of a pinch hitter, the notorious clubhouse sleeper was doing just that, taking a nap in the locker room during the seventh inning. This story obviously blew up, with the main question being asked, "why did he play the next day?" Well, this isn't high school folks. A 40-year old isn't being "rewarded" with playing time. He's Ken Griffey Jr. When it's his time to be in the lineup, he'll be in the lineup. Also, it isn't like it requires a whole lot to wake someone up and tell them to get ready to hit. Count me as one of the people that thinks the sleeping thing is being blown way out of proportion, especially when you need not look past his batting average to find criticism for the guy.

Anyway, like I said (or Jerry Brewer did), it's crisis mode, which is saying something when you are coming off of a win and heading to play a team you swept earlier this season. Come talk to me on Friday.

But before you do, read this. M's beat writer Geoff Baker has some fun with the whole situation.

--

Nothing important happened yesterday, really. Only the first female Solicitor General and first female Dean of Harvard Law School (also, one of the most well-liked in the school's history), was named as the President Barack Obama's second nominee to the Supreme Court.

Both of the nominees have been women and both different in their own way. Justice Sonia Sotomeyor was the first Latina to be nominated. Elena Kagan, the longtime front runner for this nomination, is the first nominee in nearly 40 years with no experience as a judge. All she's done is blaze trails her whole life, working for Thurgood Marshall, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, before becoming the nation's leading lawyer, arguing cases in front of...wait for it...the Supreme Court.

Here is a look at how the confirmation could play out:

Elena Kagan will be confirmed with 65 votes -- 3 fewer than Justice Sotomayor, and 4 more than Kagan got for solicitor general last year. Here’s the math, from someone smarter than us (we welcome your quibbles/rebuttals): For solicitor general, Kagan got 61 ayes and 31 nays. Safe to assume if you were one of the 31 Republicans voting nay then, you can't vote aye this time? Probably. Of the 61 ayes, seven were Republicans: Collins, Snowe, Gregg, Hatch, Kyl, Lugar and Coburn. After conservatives flexed their muscles in Utah last weekend (the Bennett effect), it’s hard to see Coburn, Hatch or Kyl voting for her this time. So that would theoretically put her at 58. But Specter voted no, and could now be expected to vote yes. So that’s 59. Four Democrats missed the vote. Of these, Boxer, Klobuchar, and Murray would be yes votes. So that’s 62. The fourth missing Democrat was Kennedy. His successor, Brown, might be gettable. (Is the Massachusetts senator really going to vote against the Harvard Law dean?) So that’d be 63. And Franken was not seated yet last time, but would be a yes now. So 64. Three Republicans did not vote: Cochran, Ensign and Graham. Of these, Graham is gettable, but it would be tough to envision either of the other two Republicans voting for her. So that puts her at 65. That's with every Democrat (including Ben Nelson) voting yes, as well as the two Maine-iacs, Scott Brown, Judd Gregg, Lugar and Graham.

Alright, somehow, after posting this, I lost a significant amount of it. Just disappeared. So, I'll add this video. There was some stuff in there about oil, but surely I'll come back to it.

The Great Plunge of May 6, 2010

2010-05-07T09:14:00.002-04:00

Where were you yesterday at 2:30 pm? I think I was in my office. What I certainly was not doing was watching the stock market. Thank goodness.

Partly due to a trader error, the stock market went into a free fall yesterday, then climbed right back out of the hole, all in the space of about 30 minutes. The Dow dropped about 1,000 points, while one $40 stock was trading at one penny.

While investors and regulators try to figure out what happened, some assurances can be made about the strength of the current market, though the safeguards could not prevent the loss of billions of dollars yesterday.

Some circuit breakers do exist, a legacy of the reforms made following the 1987 stock market crash, but they only kick in after a huge drop — and only at certain hours. Before 2 p.m., a 10 percent drop in the Dow causes New York Stock Exchange to halt trading for one hour. Between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., the pause shrinks to a half-hour and after 2:30, there is no halt in trading.

If there is a 20 percent drop, trading stops for two hours before 1 p.m. and by one hour between 1 and 2 p.m. After 2 p.m., the market closes.

These are all obviously in place to prevent a full crash. The thing I always find interesting to look at is how a drop like this compares to, say, the stock market crashing. Over two days in 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 23 percent, but the raw number was less than 100 points. Yesterday the market was off about eight percent at the worst, and it was about 1000 points.

Remember that after the market crash, the Dow would lose some 89 percent of its value by 1932.

Obviously, 1929 was a long time ago, so let's take a look at 1987, when Black Monday happened. On that day, the Dow dropped 508 points, or 22.6 percent. That would trigger a halt in trading now. At that point it was the greatest single day loss the Dow had ever taken. Over the week, the Dow lost 760 points, or more than 30 percent.

In comparison to all of these, in one week in 2008, the Dow dropped more than 1,800 points, but only 18 percent. The Dow finished off 347 points yesterday.

It now sits at 10,520.32. You probably don't know what that means, which is fine. Just look at it through the progression. While I just told a story of three pretty bad times in American history, what you cannot ignore is how much larger the numbers got each time. Our economy has grown exponentially, which allows for these "corrections" to occur. That said, billions were still lost yesterday.

--

Obviously the other big news yesterday comes to us from across the Atlantic, England, where economic struggle came to a head amidst a huge election. As the front pages were covered with pictures of Greek rioting, a three-party race was in a sprint to the finish.

As polls closed last night and results came in, it became very clear that sitting Prime Minister Gordon Brown has a challenge ahead of him: dealing with a hung parliament.

Liberal Democrats (which have got to be like college student liberal) are projected to win 61 seats, with the Labour party around 255. What this means is that, despite huge momentum, the conservative party will not claim an absolute majority. This could get messy. But it will be fun to watch.

What won't be so fun is figuring out how this new government is going to dig England out of financial straights. They will first have to rebuild the government, closely followed by a plan that will take this country from the brink.

Oh, and that stock market thing? Not helping England. The Asian markets took an overnight plunge and the European markets appear to be doing the same. Scared yet? This is one of those things that the average person just doesn't understand really at all. I provided a mini horror story, I know, but in reality, it would take more than this for real damage to be done. This should just underscore how volatile the whole thing can be.

Here is a comparison of Greece to California, with a guess that the country will leave the euro.

And just as I finished typing that an update flashed across my screen that unemployment is up to 9.9 percent, but the US economy created 290,000 jobs in April. How does that work? Well first, the economy needs to gain something like 135,000 jobs every month just to keep up with new job seekers (estimating that many people join the workforce every month). So yes, that 290,000 is a good number, even if the net is only about 155,000. However, as the economy begins to pick back up and people report having new jobs, more of those who had been unemployed and not looking for new jobs restart their search, adding to the number of those considered "unemployed." Hence the jump. Frankly, if you really want to know the unemployment number in this country, it is closer to the 20 percent range. For minorities it is far higher.

--

Since that open was so fiscal and peachy, how about some funny:

"What are we gonna do in this country when we get attacked by someone who is not one of the Home Alone burglars."

Jon Stewart breaks down pretty much every major story in the news, as only he can do - with a fishing pole and a bottle of Coke. Yeah, watch it. His underlying point, that it seems like the world is falling apart, is shared by many.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Family Research Council's European Gaycation

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

--

Other news:

- Back in the financial markets, the Senate rejected an amendment yesterday that would have forced the breakup of several of the nation's largest banks. It was an attempt to end "too big to fail." It was voted down 61-33, with three Republican votes, meaning more than 30 Democrats voted against it. Even they think that might be government overreaching. Or they just get significant contributions from Bank of America.

The overall financial overhaul is expected to pass, however, giving Democrats another victory, after a deal was forged on an audit of the Fed. My conservative friends can argue all the want, but when this happens, check out the list of accomplishments of this one Congress:

Major stimulus package still creating jobs and investing in things like clean energy. Even the GOP's own Eric Cantor admitted projects like high-speed rail will create tons of jobs.
A Supreme Court justice.
Something important happened last month, hold on, forgetting, oh: Health care passed after decades of debate (or did it just feel like that?).
Financial reform.
There will be another Supreme Court justice.
The House passed a clean energy and climate bill and the Senate still has time.
Could ratify the new START treaty.
Cash for Clunkers.
Harry Reid may have grown a pair, which would be the biggest accomplishment of all, considering he is about to lose his job.

They've done a lot of stuff people. For all the crap we give Congress, this is one of the most successful sessions ever. Come to me with a better one. History does not look fondly at those who choose inaction over action. Certainly this Congress chose action.

- Finally, in a shocking development (a Cornell study actually), waitresses with big boobs get better tips. Excuse me, I need to make sure this guy doesn't get any federal funding for his studies.

Follow the Leader - Washington

2010-05-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

Is it really only Thursday? Got another chance to check out the Washington Nationals last night. That is going to be a good ballclub pretty soon, especially with their youth and the guys they have coming up. Also, it's tough to beat watching a baseball game on the banks of the Potomac River, in the shadow of the Capitol. I dare you to get more American than that (although I did not eat a hot dog).

And speaking of that Capitol, huge news yesterday that pertains directly to the state of Washington. First though, let me give a little history lesson.

Way back in the day, I mean way back, Washington was represented by two senators, Henry M. Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson. Heard of them? I hope so. Before I knew who Jackson was, I knew he had a statue in one of the capitol office buildings. And before I knew who Magnuson was, I knew there was some park in Seattle with a name similar to that. Jackson has an entire department at the University of Washington named for him (the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies or something like that). Side note: so does his successor, another guy you may have heard of, Dan Evans.

Why are these guys important? They are widely considered to be the two greatest legislators in Washington state history. Think about this: despite being the 23rd largest state, these two brought home a staggering 1/6th of the public works appropriations budget to the state. "Scoop" and "Maggie" as they were called set the foundation for Washington to become one of the greenest and most technologically advanced states in the country. That kind of power only comes with seniority, and these two served in the senate for 30 and 37 years.

Back in the late '60's, a linebacker by the name of Norman Dicks (that's Stormin' Norman to you) decided to go to UW law out of college. The big fella from Bremerton graduated from law school and immediately went to work in the office of a man named Warren G. Magnuson. Just a couple of years later, he moved back to his home district and ran for Congress. That was in 1976. Thirty-four years later, Dicks is on the cusp of one of the leading chairmanships in all of Congress.

When he was a freshman, in 1977, Dicks ran for a seat on the highly-coveted Appropriations Committee. Rarely do freshman win these seats, but his opponent was another freshman, a guy by the name of Al Gore. Dicks won. He works his way up the ranks, starting the 111th Congress third in seniority. Then John Murtha died, clearing the path for Dicks to become chair of the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The position is huge for Dicks, given that his district includes the Bremerton Naval Base and a major Boeing presence.

Yesterday, Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey announced he will not seek re-election in November. Norm Dicks stands as the front-runner for his seat.

All of this comes somewhat on the heels of the major shakeup of the House Ways and Means committee, following Rep. Charlie Rangel's debacle. Seattle Rep. Jim McDermott sits third on that committee.

In short, two longtime Washington congressmen have their hands directly on the purse strings of this nation. And it can be traced back to the days of Scoop and Maggie. Magnuson's successor was another longtime senator by the way. I protested outside of his house once. His name was Slade Gorton. The Republican was ousted by a well-fined Democrat (all her own money I might add), Maria Cantwell, in 2001.

This is a big deal folks. In a day when the federal government is spreading money around to states that can't cover their own budgets, having someone in this position can be extremely helpful for a state. It will also be an extremely difficult job given the complexities of the current budgets.

--

One more note: pay attention to today's elections for 10 Downing Street. It is a three party race in Britain. Should be fun.

Racism in America - From a Mixed Man

2010-05-05T09:07:00.000-04:00

Good Wednesday morning to all.

Jumping right into something I was trying to avoid, but just can't. Inevitably, if you read my blog, or just about anything else I've ever written, said or otherwise, you may have noticed that I tend to stay away from conversations of race. There are occasional anecdotes, or particular issues that I weigh in on, but race as a whole is something I'm not fond of talking about. I've often wondering if a "conversation about race" is really needed in this country, or whether it would just create more issues than it solves.

There is a part of me that thinks that, in a country such as America, if you defend civil rights law, who cares what your personal beliefs are. There will always be a race battle, a class battle, a gender battle and an age battle in a nation with such a wide array of people as both legal residents and citizens. Race education may be a good idea, but trying to convince people to respect someone in any capacity seems rather ridiculous to me. That's a personal problem, not a national one.

Now, there will always be an issue of economics, poverty and so on. And surely questions arise about how much different things would be had our history not included slavery or if blacks (and more currently Latinos) were not considered second class citizens at points in our history. Don't forget, women can be included in this category too. Really only one demographic has never been a part of the "second class citizenry." However, as I said before, that is what laws and education are for.

Why do I bring this up? Well, yesterday I got in a lengthy Twitter debate about comments made by comedian Bill Maher on Sunday. Originally, I thought the only comment he made was, "if you're a racist, you're probably a Republican."

I refuse to get into the merits of what he said. He's probably wrong, but since he didn't cite anything, or base his comment on fact, he's entitled to his own opinion. Now, there are obviously questions about the far-reaching effects of comedians, specifically those that make legitimate political points (Jon Stewart), and Maher wasn't being funny, but I choose to think people can take what they want from commentary on television shows. I don't find his comment "morally reprehensible," at all. Ignorant, absolutely.

The Twitter argument started because one person responded by saying that, "my parents have been Republicans for 30+ years. They are 'clearly' racists." That was the direct quote. I called her on it, by pointing out that that isn't what Maher said. He said that if you're racist you're probably a Republican, not the reverse (she tried to point out that she didn't quote him, but it's pretty clear she was attacking his premise, which she reversed). Why does this matter? Well, in this point it really doesn't. Taken either way, Maher's quote is ridiculous. Whether it's true or not is irrelevant really, because it can't be proven one way or the other. I'll admit to knowing far more racist Republicans than Democrats, but I'm not so sure that's not because D's try a lot harder to be politically correct, personal beliefs be damned.

The thing is, however, that in most cases, words really matter. When you reverse someone's premise, thereby changing the meaning of what they said (not uncommon in politics), you can make something innocent sound far worse. The whole setup is fallacious anyway. Take this: "Most NFL running backs are black." That's true. "Most black people are NFL running backs." Not so much.

It was, however, an argument I wasn't going to win, as evidenced by the fact that the two people I was arguing with ignored half of my statement. I said no less than seven times that Maher was wrong, but they only focused on how I said not to reverse his premise. Then, this morning, I finally watched the actual clip. Turns out they ignored half of Maher's statement as well. The whole thing is worth watching, but the comment is at the 2:14 mark:

"I have never said, and would never say, because it's not true, that all Republicans are racist. But now-a-days, if you're racist, you're probably a Republican."

So not only did she change his entire premise, but he very specifically said that it isn't the case that all Republicans are racist. Kind of changes the entire argument I had yesterday and just goes to show just how easily so many of us can cut out half of something to have it serve our personal or political goals.

Take the rest of the debate. Near the end, one of the people said that, since I disagree with Maher's comments, I should write a blog post expressing my disgust. Except I'm not disgusted. Not in the least bit. Have you ever watched a Bill Maher comedy sketch? This isn't even close to the most inflammatory thing he's ever said. In addition, in this day when the mainstream media spends all of its time ripping the mainstream media, while showing far more commentary than actual news, I find it sad that we are once again turning to a comedian to express our social frustration. Like a few years ago, just before Crossfire was canceled, right after Stewart went on the show to tell news channel hosts to stop comparing real news to his late night comedy show. I understand that many people get their news from comedians these days, especially youth (although I'm guessing most 20-somethings aren't watching Bill Maher), but it speaks volumes about where our news media is that these guys have such giant political voices. It also speaks volumes about where the state of comedy is that Jay Leno still has a job, but that's another post.

Anyway, I got off topic. First, it should be recognized that racism does not bother me. I grew up the son of a black father and a white mother. I was raised by my white mother in an impoverished, heavily minority neighborhood. I'd say I had three best friends in the neighborhood growing up, one Asian, one Latino, and one mixed guy like me. The only people I ever saw getting into trouble were black. In high school alone, I went to a high class, private, 90-something percent white private school, a low-class, poor, high minority public school, and an extremely diverse, mixed income, public school. I had best friends that were white, black, Asian, Latino, you name it. At Garfield I played football, basketball and baseball. At one point I was the only black player on the varsity baseball team (which can also be said about my current office). At one point I was one of like five not full black players in the whole basketball program. And the only other white guy I can remember playing football the year I did was the kicker, Karel. The point is, I took racism from both sides of the aisle - the "House Negro" up in the AP section trying to learn something, and one story I'll never forget.

In eighth grade, I was a starter on the Whitman Middle School boy's basketball team, a school I would later spend five years coaching at - coincidentally the five most successful years in the program's history. My best friend, Kevin, grew up right up the street, in the "upper middle class" neighborhood, as opposed to the upper class neighborhood in the other direction. I, on the other hand, lived 10 miles away, in the inner city. Both Kevin and I played on the Whitman team, games every Thursday, while also playing on separate rec league teams. One Saturday, my predominantly black (and soon to be City Champion) rec league team, came to Whitman to play Kevin's all-white team. We killed them. More specifically put, I killed them. I had like 25 points, which is unheard of in a rec game. Even remember the final score: 60-24.

But at one point, I was dribbling next to the sideline, a place I'd spent many days do that same exact thing, with Kevin defending me a few feet away. A mother was sitting court side, closer to me than Kevin was. While I'm standing there, she leaned in to the woman next to her and said, "I wish they'd just send these poor black kids back to their welfare and food stamps where they came from. They shouldn't be on the court with our kids." I froze. Not the first or nearly the last time I'd heard something like that, but it was the circumstance. I knew every single kid on the other team. I went to school with all of them, and was friends with most of them. Surely this mother had to know that, because I'd seen her at Whitman games before. Even Kevin froze. No one could believe that she'd just said that loud enough to be heard. We were 14.

We finished the game, shook hands, went to Kevin's house for food and put it out of our minds, but it's stuck with me. That type of in your face racism happens everyday across this country. But does it change my life? Not in the slightest. Everyday I am sad for that woman. Yet, a kid who almost flunked out of middle school at one point, now sits in a nice Washington, DC office, despite years of racist and classist comments. I've always felt that you choose the way words affect you. Some can cut deeper, of course. But one thing I always noticed living in the inner city was that fights rarely over started over actions, but words. Pride was always the motivator. Pride puts a lot of black people in jail. It used to run my life too.

And yet we're worried about what some white comedian said on ABC. This, while an oil spill threatens to devastate one of the most highly-minority populated areas of the country - again, unemployment in the black community is higher than the Yankees batting average and a few weeks ago a black man, early 20's, shot nine people in DC over a misplaced bracelet. Yeah, priorities, right?

Maher was right about one thing. Imagine if the Tea Party was a group of black people, carrying guns and talking about social change. Come to think of it, that's happened before. On a much larger scale, for a much larger purpose. And it was bloody. I'd like to think that we've advanced from that point, but I'm not so sure. When a black pastor said, "God damn America...for treating your citizens as less than human," it was all the outrage, as was the black church. Even though the full sermon was about how governments change, exactly what the Tea Party is now asking for. The sequence right around the actual comment was about how governments fail. I'm not sure that even the girl I was arguing with would claim that the US government hasn't failed blacks at some point, even today. But only that one line came out, and that black church, Obama's church, was ridiculed throughout the media.

Racism is two-sided. When I look at Bill Maher's comments, I don't see them as racist - ignorant yes, but not racist. I'm not sure calling someone else racist makes you racist, unless those who argue the other side say he is saying most racist people are rich and white (also known as Republicans). He said something stupid. Not racist. You know who else recently did something stupid? Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who completely left slavery out of a declaration making April Confederate History Month (can already see the eyes rolling - "he fixed it!" - thinking this wasn't a big deal). So, he would celebrate the great history of the commonwealth, yet leave out the most divisive part where all the black people reside? And that isn't a bigger deal than someone saying racists are usually Republicans? To the people who argued with me, where were you on that? I heard nothing. This was a governor, a representative of people, who made this omission. Where were you?

Nowhere. But you feel no shame, because you'll find some other place where he's done something good, like saying working women hurt the family structure. Or you'll just pivot to something Barack Obama has done wrong, because you "give credit where credit is due." To which I say fine. If you're going to play politics, play politics. Just stop pretending that your politics are above my politics. We are both equally dishonest and ridiculous, on a daily basis, because that is how politics work.

And to that end, here is some credit where credit is due. Finally, the Republican party is embracing a few black candidates. And look, even that left-leaning scourge of humanity, the New York Times had it on the front page, above the fold.

Gulf Coast Catastrophe

2010-05-04T15:39:00.000-04:00

I am cross-posting this from the blog I write at my office, Consequence. It may be one of the best I've written.

Also, you should really follow me on Twitter, so you can get links like the one I just tweeted. Apparently, the Phoenix Suns will where uniforms in Game 2 of their playoff series (meaning on national television), that say "Los Suns." Yes, it is Spanglish. But it is also a direct protest of a state law by one of its biggest businesses. The Major League Baseball Players' Union has come out against the last as well, for obvious reasons.

Gulf Coast Catastrophe: We Already Have the Answers

Two weeks ago, while much of the Southeast settled into bed, the U.S. Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico was just beginning its night. As they responed to a fire on a Transocean oil rig 40 miles off the Louisiana coast, no one could have been prepared for what would happen next.

An explosion on the rig left the platform engulfed in flames. Dozens were rescued, but 11 were missing. None have been found.
Make a Mess or Make Progress
The Coast Guard spent the night trying to put out the fire, only to watch the Deepwater Horizon rig capsize and sink some 5,000 feet to the sea bed two days later. On that same day, Thursday, an oil slick was spot on the surface.

Initial estimates pegged the leak, originating at the head of the oil well, at 1,000 barrels a day (about 40,000 gallons). Several days later, that estimate was raised to 5,000 barrels a day and continued to grow. With 210,000 gallons of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico every day, the situation quickly threatened to become catastrophic.

British Petroleum (BP), the company leasing the rig, along with President Barack Obama and members of his administration, promised every possible resource, while at the same time deflecting blame. The president postponed new drilling plans and BP continued to point the finger at Transocean, the rig’s operator.

In the days and weeks ahead, many will blame BP, Transocean, Haliburton, the administration and many others. Lost in the outrage though is what didn’t happen last Monday.

No comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation was introduced in the US Senate.

Almost a year ago, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would impose a price on carbon emissions and invest heavily in clean energy. Mainly it would cut our dependence on dirty, 19th century energy solutions like oil and coal.

Since then, in April alone, 31 coal miners died in two separate incidents, both of which brought into question the safety records of one of the industry’s largest producers, Massey Energy. Three weeks later, a state-of-the-art oil rig, with a supposedly fail-safe system, failed, sinking into the Gulf. The immediate results were 11 lost lives. The long-term results may not be known for decades.

A hard hat covered in oil found off the coast of Louisiana.

And yet, the Senate sits idly by. So many members of Congress have been outspoken about drilling, both pro and con. Florida Senator Bill Nelson immediately called for reinstating a moratorium on offshore drilling. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, who once called drilling safe, said that while no one thinks drilling comes without risks, drilling must continue nevertheless.

What neither said was that we can cut our addiction to oil if they step up and pass clean energy legislation. BP may be a perpetrator, but the solution lies in Congress.

President Obama has so often said that, “we’ve been talking about our energy problems for decades.” If that is truly the case — and it is — that means we have now been having this conversation through two devastating oil spills. In both cases, the fishing industry will take mammoth hits. Fishing has been completely suspended off the Gulf Coast, meaning the livelihood of much of the region is at stake.

That is thousands of jobs hanging in the balance, while blame is spread from Big Oil, to the Obama administration. Congressional hearings are not the solution.

Congress needs to look in the mirror. This was one of thousands of oil rigs, and by itself, it has crippled the Gulf Coast region.

Comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation can replace many of those rigs with wind turbines. It can take advantage of the huge amounts of sunlight that heats the Southeast and many other regions in the US. It can cut dependence on oil, both foreign and domestic, helping our national security, safety in the workplace, and the environment many parts of our economy relies on.

President Obama said in eulogizing 29 coal miners that no worker in America should leave for work not knowing whether they will come home.

That happened two weeks ago. It happens everyday in this country when we take advantage of thousands of workers on oil rigs and in coal mines, so we can enjoy the comforts of heat and light. It happens despite the fact that we know we have a better, cleaner, safer way.

Fishing boats sit idle as all commercial fishing has been suspended.

More than 100,000 coal miners have died on the job alone in this nation’s history. That not include the many more who suffered, and died from, black lung disease.

Clean energy is not some far off technology reserved for future dreams and visionary people. It is reality. It is here. It is waiting for us to invest in it. It doesn’t take a visionary person to realize that we cannot keep sending American workers into these conditions, and continue to threaten so many sectors of our economy because, a decade into it, we refuse to step into the 21st century.

The solution rests in Congress. No longer is the Senate’s deliberate pace only creating higher prices at the pump or minor incidents here and there. It is costing lives. It is costing jobs in the thousands. It is threatening to devastate the Gulf Coast region, again.

Where are our leaders? When will they listen? If, as Texas Governor Rick Perry said yesterday, this truly is an “act of God,” how does everyone in the country see the message except for Congress? We know, however, that it was not an act of any God, but one of negligence.

A failure to use reasonable care that results in harm or injury to others. In one month, that failure has led to more than 40 deaths and untold billions in damages to the environment and the economy.

Solutions sit in Congress, awaiting action. For years they have waited. We can’t wait anymore. Congress can no longer be negligent.

Super Tuesday

2010-05-04T14:01:00.000-04:00

Somehow I completely skipped one of today's bigger stories - a political one - as today marks one of the bigger electoral Tuesdays of the year. Primaries are being held in Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio, the first multi-state primary day of the year.

In North Carolina, The Hill speculates that little will be known by the end of the day. In order to win, a candidate must receive 40 percent of the vote, or face a top-two runoff. This primary is likely headed that direction. Whoever wins will face Republican Richard Burr.

Indiana's primary isn't such a big deal - the fall candidates are basically settled - but the numbers will matter quite a bit. Former Senator Dan Coats, a Republican, is trying to give his party a pickup, running for retiring Senator Evan Bayh's seat. If you remember, I was convinced Bayh was going to be named the next president of the NCAA last week. Erroneous on all accounts there.

Finally Ohio, where a huge media blitz thrust the Democrat way into the lead, the question is most whether Lee Fisher will win by. This would be a huge pickup for Dems as Republican George Voinovich won with 64 percent in his last election. Voinovich, and all that goes with him, is retiring. The real question here, as The Fix points out, is funding. Can Fisher raise enough money to win in the fall? Hard to believe there won't be quite a bit poured into that election.

Per usual, The Fix gives his five things to watch in each race.

Several House races will be contested today too, making for some good commentary tomorrow on that "anti-incumbent" attitude in America.

Stephen Colbert on stopping leak: Drill, Baby, Drill

2010-05-04T12:53:00.001-04:00

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"Somebody's goin' to emergency, somebody's goin' to jail."

2010-05-04T09:14:00.000-04:00

"In a New York minute, everything can change. In a New York minute, things can get pretty strange. In a New York minute, everything can change. In a New York minute."

This is one of those introductions that seemingly can only be written using the words of someone else. Inevitably you cannot find any of your own, no matter how long or how hard you search. Larger events happen in the world, with far-reaching ramifications, but it always seems like the smaller ones that really get to you. Maybe the big things are just too big to fathom.

Or maybe it is just that I went to college and worked in a large athletic department that can quickly be made to seem so small. I can't imagine that wasn't the case yesterday news broke that a men's lacrosse player, George Huguely, had been charged with the murder of a women's lacrosse player, Yeardley Love.

Love was and Huguely is a 22-year old senior.

It appears that no weapons were used, and Love's roommates originally thought she was suffering from an alcohol overdose when they called 911 Sunday night.

"It was quickly apparent to them that this young lady was the victim of something far worse," Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said.

Charlottesville is a gorgeous town about 2 1/2 hours south of Washington, DC. Home to the University of Virginia, the college started by Thomas Jefferson, and one of the nation's best, it is also relatively crime-free, especially violent crime. I considered applying for a job late last year, which would have reunited me with my former boss at UW, Jim Daves. He is currently the director of athletic communications.

You can read all of the details in the ESPN story linked above. Apparently the two had some sort of relationship, but I am staying away from any sort of speculation. What I will wonder aloud about is the fate of these two programs. Obviously this immediately brings to mind the very widely publicized incident with the Duke lacrosse team a few years ago. Both are ACC programs and not very far apart.

The similarities end there. This was a murder. It happened mid-season for two top-5 programs. The NCAA tournament begins in a couple of weeks, with the men's team ranked No. 1 and the women five. Discussions have begun about not participating in the tournament. Young people are resilient, but the murder of a teammate would test the wills of even the strongest individual.

Especially when the murderer may have been one your own.

--

- A naturalized US citizen from Pakistan, and a resident of Connecticut, was arrested last night
as he tried to board a flight to Dubai. He is the suspected owner of the explosive-filled vehicle left in Times Square Saturday night. Experts are saying that, since the bomb did not explode, investigators are left with ample evidence to work with, both to help identify a suspect and pinpoint motive.

- A bill in the senate has a record number of co-sponsors, but one man, a former Navy captain (and former maverick), has been block the name change of Department of the Navy to Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. Yes, the Marine Corps is under the umbrella of the Navy.

- "The nation so nice, it's been devastated twice." Jon Stewart's take on the Gulf oil spill. It is good that he included Obama in the clip of those who called drilling "safe."

As this situation plays out, however, there is an important dynamic that should be noted: BP should not be the enemy. Frankly, this really may turn out to not be BP's fault. They lease the rig, but they don't operate it. Inevitably it is the company's responsibility, but it probably wasn't their screw up that caused all of this.

That said, the blame lies in my current town. For almost a decade now, the legislature has introduced and rejected legislation that would cut America's dependence on oil. I am not saying that we don't need oil. We do. Nor am I saying that we should not drill off our shores. I am not that naive and I'd rather us do that than buy oil from the middle east. Drilling is dirty, disgusting, and dangerous. So is coal mining. But so is playing football. Okay, so I may have severely limited the scope of how dangerous drilling is there, but the point is that we're going to do it anyway and it isn't going to get a whole lot cleaner.

However, it can become a whole lot less necessary. With clean energy and climate legislation we can invest in clean energy and energy efficiency, both of which would reduce our oil demand. By capping carbon emissions, oil becomes a little more expensive, which take together with investment in clean energy, will make newer, cleaner, safer forms of energy a cheaper alternative. This effort is stalled on Capitol Hill yet again. You want someone to blame, try Washington. It is long past time for us to stop pretending that oil companies could make their billions in profit without our help.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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- A former teammate of mine in Seattle is tearing the cover off the ball at Virginia Tech, with his sights set on grander things

- And one more note. Remember when financial reform was the leading issue of the day? Well, as one of my morning reading's remind us, in this town, anything can happen at any time.

The Times Square bombing plot and the Gulf oil spill prove once again that external events can completely take over the political conversation at a moment's notice.

Have a wonderful Tuesday everybody.

"A volcano of oil"

2010-05-03T09:06:00.001-04:00

"This is 10 percent luck, 20 percent skill, 15 percent concentrated power of will. Five percent pleasure, 50 percent pain, and 100 percent reason to remember the name."

It is hard to differentiate between spring and summer here, but I'd say the latter has definitely arrived with a bang this weekend. Saturday it was 88, perfectly clear and beautiful. Yesterday, closer to 90 and clouding over. Today, raining and brutally humid. If I ever leave this place, that is one thing I will absolutely not miss.

On to the news.

The city of New Orleans swears in a new mayor today, Mitch Landrieu, its first white mayor in more than three decades. The last white mayor in city, about two-thirds black, was Landrieu's father, Maurice. For those political types like me, who immediately said "I recognize that name," yes, he is the brother of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu.

Are his views on offshore drilling on par with his sister's, who got a bill opening up 8.3 million acres in the Gulf to oil exploration? Well, probably not today. Talk about walking into a beehive. Landrieu assumes his role of mayor amidst a natural disaster, though those are coming one after the other in the region these days.

Right now, according to someone in the area (couldn't figure out just who said it), the best case scenario is another week of what Florida Governor Charlie Crist called a, "volcano of oil." That said, I've been paying very close attention to this, as you can imagine, and I've yet to see someone definitively say that any one thing they are doing is actually going to stop the flow of oil. I'm guessing we'll still be dealing with the flow for quite some time, after which the cleanup will begin.

That cleanup may well extend all the way to the east coast.

Said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Meet the Press yesterday: "We are already preparing a campaign for a major restoration of the Gulf Coast." Again.

Now, I realize I ask this question pretty much every week, but no one ever answers. When, if ever, have we seen a time period where disasters hit with such frequency? Earthquakes are shaking the planet every day it seems. There was on in Arkansas last week. Arkansas. The Gulf Coast has been getting absolutely tortured by natural disasters, mostly hurricanes. Now, what is poised to be the worst oil spill in US history creeps toward the coastline by day. Tornadoes and other storms killed about a dozen people in Tennessee and Mississippi over the weekend. Two coal miners were killed last week, just three weeks after 29 were trapped in a West Virginia mine, all dying.

Someone apparently forgot to tell two car bombers that it wasn't April anymore, when they hastily parked near Times Square. The idea that these oft-used insurgency tactics could land on the busiest street in America is plenty to get your attention, I would think.

But seriously, who even remembers that Haiti is still digging itself out from an earthquake? We used to get breaks to recover and prepare for the next thing. Not anymore. There is no need to remember "where you were when that happened." Just pull out your calendar; chances are something happened today.

I am not trying to create fear amongst all my readers, Fox News does that just fine. This is just an honest question: has there ever been a time period like this? Where each day is so unpredictable, and each catastrophic event as devastating as the last? Or do we just sensationalize each thing more? Usually, I would say the latter. However, at least 42 people have died in energy disasters in the last month. More oil is going to be spilled in the Gulf that the total average in the US in 1990. If this spill hits the Exxon Valdez number, it will 10 times the average spill total in the US today. Port au Prince is destroyed, as are parts of Chili. Oh, and let's not forget that the Ninth Ward is still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina. And that is just the Western Hemisphere.

All of this and I have yet to mention the recent horrifying details of men in China going into schools and stabbing children. Sadly, the most frustrating part of the story in China isn't even the children (that is more terrifying), it is the way the Chinese government covers it up.

Maybe this is sad, or just a reflection of how frequent these types of headlines have become, but I have come to expect these things everyday. Which is why I ask, when was the last time the world was like this? The Cold War? Ever? Or is my being an American and living here shielding me from the fact that many other places have been like this forever?

It was almost fitting that last night I sat down to watch "The West Wing". It is by far my favorite television show ever, and the episode I watched last night is why. In September of 2001, the show was preparing to open its third season, complete with the president announcing he was going to run despite never disclosing to the public that he has MS. Then September 11th happened. Many people channeled their emotions through different skills they have, and Aaron Sorkin, the show's writer, was no different. He sat down and pulled off the most clutch, masterful piece of writing I've maybe ever seen.

"Isaac and Ishmael" was the title of the special episode that aired in place of the season premiere. It was a play, done specifically to talk about terrorism. Now, you might say that terrorism is not what I've been talking about this entire post, but that isn't the point. This is: about midway through the episode, a group of kids is peppering Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe) about why he thinks terrorism has a 100 percent failure rate. A girl then say to Lowe, "they still do it. Their failure hasn't stopped them." You can tell she is stuck in this American principle that, when something doesn't work, you stop trying it (ah, if only more Americans actually lived by this policy). Lowe is unrelenting, however, and just says that's how it is. So the girl, all of 17 maybe, asks Lowe, "what do you call a place where the pizza place your sitting in could just blow up at anytime?" Without missing a beat, Lowe responds: "Israel."

So yes, maybe we are simply getting a small taste of what many places in the world already face everyday. And maybe we should recognize that our lives, while unpredictable and often frustrating, are still relatively safe and free of worry. My biggest problem this weekend was staying cool as the temperature rapidly increased. My life is not difficult, even compared to those who live in the same relative comfort I do. It's like Josh Lyman (played by Bradley Whitford), says in the same episode: "My government salary may not be much, but I still make more than the guy whose job it is to stand in front of the bullet. How do I tell him I quit?"

I'm going to work for that guy.

Links:

- I was honestly going to link the video from the Correspondents dinner, where everyone gives funny speeches and Washington talks about how awesome it is. However, Jay Leno (who I considered not even bolding) was so not funny that I refuse to put it on my blog. Adamantly refuse. Obama's best joke was something like: "Unfortunately, John McCain couldn’t make it. Recently he claimed that he had never identified himself as a maverick. And we all know what happens in Arizona when you don’t have ID."

Obama also joked that, while his star may have fallen some in the past year, so has the media's, and said that Senator Scott Brown is a special kind of politician, since rarely do you find one with nothing to hide. He was obviously referring to the nude centerfold piece Brown once did. Finally, he referred to RNC Chairman Michael Steele as the Notorious GOP. Too bad Leno was awful after him.

- After blowing another fantastic pitching performance (8 innings of shutout ball), that Mariners made some organizational moves last night. In the serious against Texas they scored a grand total of three runs in 32 innings. The Phillies scored nine in one inning last night.

- Pay attention to what is going on with Charlie Crist in Florida. It matters. He would certainly be a moderate voice in the senate, possibly voting with Dems on energy issues (though hopefully they get that done before he arrives) and a few other things, such as education.

- This continued sentiment, however, could derail energy in congress. Amazing that a drilling disaster could be what stops us from passing legislation designed to move us away from oil.

That's all I've got time for this morning. I'll certainly be back. No mom, I didn't proofread it again. My apologies.

A River (of oil) Runs Through (the Gulf)

2010-04-30T09:41:00.000-04:00

That phrase, "a picture is worth 1,000 words," rings true every time. So before exalting in it being Friday, I recount how I woke up this morning, stumbled up to the door with my eyes half open, picked up the newspaper, and saw this:

The goal for that was to make the image as large as it possibly could be, so you could understand the magnitude of what we're talking about. In this age, everything is sensationalized. The result of that is that nothing is really ever, "major". I read a story about John Edwards this morning and thought, "oh yeah, remember that guy?" The story lasted a month or so during the campaign and his mistress keeps popping up half-dressed in magazines (now on Oprah), but it's no big deal. Everything is seemingly that way, because everything is blown up so much.

Which is why I am underlining this, because you need to understand: this is a big deal. Sorry Joe Biden, profanity excluded.

This oil spill, which is the result of a state-of-the-art oil rig blowing up and sinking into the Gulf of Mexico, is more than a week old. In that time, the estimates of the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf have gone from 1,000 barrels a day to 5,000. That is roughly 210,000 gallons of oil sinking into the ocean every day. As a means for comparison, through every activity an American does that consumes water (including how products they use are made), each person uses a little over 700,000 gallons in a year. Twice that much oil has already leaked into the Gulf. I don't even want to get into how many times you'd have to fill up your car to get to this much oil.

However, that is not the truly scary part about this "spill". This is: it isn't a spill. As a story in a New Orleans paper pointed out, this isn't some tanker or pipeline with a finite amount of oil that will eventually dry up or be shut off. In fact, despite mammoth ocean floor efforts (at 5,000 feet) they haven't been able to close the state-of-the-art hydraulic valve designed specifically fail-safe to prevent blowouts like the one that caused this whole debacle in the first place. And the resource isn't finite, not be a long shot. That story called this a "river of oil." Oil will continue pouring into the Gulf until we find a way to stop it, which we haven't, and every plan we have right now will take considerable time.

Time we don't have. This morning the oil reportedly reached the Gulf coast.

The worst oil spill in the history of the US was obviously the March, 1989 crash of the Exxon Valdez, when more than 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound. (Interesting side note: the Exxon Valdez and I share the same birthday, as the ship went into service December 11, 1986). Obviously, being from the west coast, the story of the Exxon Valdez is well known. When I moved to Washington, I walked past a gas station every single day, multiple times, when going to and from home. It took me about four months to realize that it was an Exxon station. Those don't exist in Seattle. After that spill, people drove by Exxon stations.

At a rate of 210,000 gallons each day (and already nine days in), it would take about 41 more days to hit 11 million gallons. Your first though is obviously, "we'll have it stopped by then, no problem." Problem. Outside of shutting off the value, unsuccessful so far, every other solution is predicted to take weeks. BP is commencing drilling of relief wells to somehow block the leaking well. It should be noted that those will most likely end up as for profit wells down the road. And all of the oil that is vacuumed from the surface will also be refined and sold at some point down the road, to BP's profit. The timetable for drilling these well is three months. Do the math.

The next question inevitably is: it's just the environment, what's the big deal? Where were you on August 29, 2005? For me, it was the day after I started my job working for the University of Washington athletic department. It was also the day a hurricane slammed into the Louisiana coast, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. The region has yet to, and may never, recover from that. The environmental damage done by a spill of this magnitude would be nothing short of catastrophic. That said, the real issue is an economic one. As the region continues rebuilding its economy, few things are as important as the shrimping industry. The state of Louisiana had considered opening a special season, so owners could get their boats out and get whatever they could before the oil came.

Now it is too late. Lawsuits have already been filed on behalf of shrimpers, fishermen and the many injured workers from the rig. Every had oil-coated shrimp in your gumbo? If you need a good primer on how lucrative (and supportive of the local economy) shrimping is, I would suggest Forrest Gump. Bubba Gump Shrimp is a real company (although based on California).

Anyway, the point of all that, rambling is it may have seemed, is to stress how big of a deal this is. The ramifications or completely unknown at this point, other than that the cleanup will cost both BP and the federal government hundreds of millions if not billions. The front page of the New York Times Business section has a story talking about how bad this could be for BP. It will most certainly ripple into climate legislation negotiations and the president's new offshore drilling plan. In short: it's a big mess.

--

What a happy way to start the day, huh? How about some other highlights.

- After weeks of speculation and, "come on just get it over with," moments, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, the one-time frontrunner for the Republican nomination in his state's senate race, is turning in his "Republican" moniker for "Independent." That is what happens when a Tea Party-backed, 39-year old, ultra conservation state legislator is whooping you up and down the state. The big winner here? Quite possibly Democrat Kendrick Meek. Some are calling Crist's move a "Hail Mary."

Thing about Charlie Crist is, he is a gay, clean energy-supporting, teacher-protecting conservative. And they love him in Florida. Just saying. Pretty much everyone is predicting that this could be one of the nastiest races we have seen in a long time.

- Jay Leno is playing the White House Correspondents Dinner, for like the 20th time. You would think they might like actual funny people at these things. Last year it was Wanda Sykes. Couldn't we go the Chris Rock route this year?

- Opening Day in Seattle is tomorrow, and if you haven't been paying attention (which I bet you haven't), there is some history in town. As always, the Windermere Cup attracts a marquee program from somewhere in the world for the big event. This year it is one of rowing most historic: Oxford. In a shocking development, it is supposed to rain all day. What else for the opening day of boating season? (In case you were wondering: it's 81 and perfectly clear in Washington).

What that also means is the beginning of an experiment at UW. The football program hosts Friday Night Lights tonight, the annual spring game, but with the twist of being a week later and on Friday. Check it out. Apparently there are a lot of fun things planned.

- New abortion bills are sweeping across the nation, from Arizona to Oklahoma, and now shutting down government in Florida.

- The last Catholic hospital in New York City, St. Vincent's, closed at 7 am this morning.

- In sports new, Seahawks Pro Bowl left tackle (the position so famously profiled in The Blind Side) Walter Jones announced his retirement.

Happy Friday!

Have You Seen Michael J. Fox Lately? Ad for Arlen Specter

2010-04-29T16:33:00.000-04:00

We Are Setting the Ocean on Fire

2010-04-29T09:43:00.001-04:00

And maybe throwing all of Wall Street into it. Okay, so maybe that is an exaggeration, but two big stories today, one much bigger than the other (despite the fact that it ought to be the reverse), one involving fire, one involving being under fire.

Republicans caved yesterday, finally allowing a cloture vote on financial reform to pass. It actually was just a unanimous consent motion instead of a vote this time, with no objection. No one is really saying they got much, other than an open debate and the ability to offer amendments. Now, that could be quite a bit if the number of amendments allowed is unlimited, but it seems that even the GOP realizes it would look bad to be on the wrong side of financial reform.

As one observer said, it is hard to justify participating in a hearing lambasting Goldman Sachs executives actions on Wall Street, then going next door and voting against financial reform.

One thing we tend to forget, with all of this focus on the Senate, is that the House has already passed financial reform. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (a job title I held in my congressional simulation class) has said that a conference is expected once the Senate completes its work.

--

To the lead story, which has actually gotten worse in the moments I have been writing this. Over the weekend, experts found two different leaks on the sea floor, related to the sunken oil rig from last week. It was estimated at the time that about 42,000 gallons of oil were spilling into the Gulf of Mexico every day. The good news was, due to the bends in the pipe caused by the sinking (imagine bending a hose too far), the leak was not as flowing as it could've been. The bad new is that workers have been unable to shut of the valve, meaning they are working on other ways to stop the leak.

Excuse me while I seemingly vent for a moment. I have taken quite a bit of time in the last few days learning about this. We are talking about BP (British Petroleum), which fought tighter federal safety regulations tooth and nail in the last few years. The rig in question was fairly new, about the size of a football field and state of the art. It was one-of-a-kind, drilling deeper than we've ever drilled before. While the clear point of the first part of the paragraph was to understate how something like this should never happen, the last sentence should illustrate just how ill-prepared we are to deal with it.

Just how ill-prepared are we? We (or BP - it's hard to tell really) can't even figure out how big the leak is yet. Late yesterday a third leak was discovered, with the Coast Guard estimating that five times the amount of oil is spilling into the ocean than previously thought. While yesterday it was an estimated 42,000 gallons each day, that number is now around 210,000 gallons. Put in simpler numbers, in just 52 days this would be larger than Exxon Valdez. Think that isn't possible? It is. With today's measures, 52 days would seem like forever, but workers have tried just about ever short term solution they can think of, which was one thing: shut off the valve. They've failed.

Initially yesterday, the plan was to burn off some of the oil, literally setting the surface on fire, but bad weather prevented that. They will try again today. It can't all be done this way, but from their experience, a significant amount can. However, one member of the Coast Guard had a telling statement: "this isn't something we do every day." No, it isn't. Stay tuned, as this will only get worse before it gets better.

--

And speaking of getting worse before getting better, how about Arizona. Oh, Arizona. Couple things. It appears that the DOJ - that's Department of Justice people - will be suing the state of Arizona, I suppose for privacy infringement. Not really sure. But still a positive development.

Last night I actually watched some evening news shows, which, if you can take even every breath with a grain of salt, can be entertaining to say the least. My favorite had to be Frank Luntz on Hannity. I learned about Luntz way back in high school. He is an expert Republican pollster and damn good at it. He creates messaging based on focus groups and polling, something everyone does now. But last night, to listen to him say, "most Americans are against financial reform," absolutely blew me away. Not only was he blatantly lying without even changing his expression, but he knew just how dishonest he was being probably more than anyone else. It was unreal. And of course it was on Fox (yes all of my conservative friends, I also watched Maddow and, ugh, parts of Olbermann last night. Fox is more entertaining though.)

Anyway, back to immigration. Hannity also had a debate on immigration. I have never seen Michelle Malkin so angry. Thought she might punch her opponent through the television screen. Here is something everyone needs to recognize about illegal immigration: it isn't illegal. The bill in Arizona made it illegal, in Arizona. Everywhere else in the country, illegal immigration is a civil offense. We don't throw you in jail, we send you home. That's it. Which is why I found it so interesting that Hannity and Malkin were screaming about following the letter of the law, since it is two-fold against them. One, it isn't illegal. Two, the biggest fears when profiling someone is that police ignore the law of needing another reason to stop someone (criminal activity) and just do it anyway. I don't want to get into the economic argument, even though there is one. I understand where Arizona is coming from. Watch as I represent both sides at the same time.

A few years ago I watched a movie called the Thin Blue Line. I remember it very well because we were watching in a class at UW during the same week that Virginia Tech happened. It was about a black man being profiled in Dallas for a murder he never admitted to committing. If I recall correctly, there was proof he didn't do it, but he was convicted anyway. People look at that as profiling. Sure, profiling was involved, but so was a racist jury. The problems go much deeper than saying, "he's black, let me pull him over."

Not too long after that I had a lengthy conversation with a black police officer in Seattle. His words to me: profiling helps me do my job. Surprisingly, I wasn't surprised. He's right. We make this big deal out of profiling, just like we do out of mandatory minimums, but ignore that in the majority of cases, the people actually committed crimes. This isn't the 1960's. If you have drugs in your car and you're mad that a cop made up a phony reason to pull you over, that doesn't change the fact that you have drugs in your car. You're worried about the wrong thing. I do believe that profiling probably does help police work. Does that make it right? No. But what neighborhood would you feel safer walking through, the poorer black neighborhood or the richer white one? Let's not act like police are the only profilers out there. Stereotypes exist for a reason.

Now, with that said, there is this thing about a right to privacy and profiling that is great about the Republican party. They are all for forfeiting some privacy in the name of security, unless it is there own. And they are all for profiling, which makes sense, because they are vastly white. No money trail is necessary. Just look at their faces.

It is unclear what is going to happen with this immigration law, except that it doesn't appear congress will take it up soon. The ball might be squarely in the DOJ's court right now and that is fine. Gives me more time to do more learning about immigration law. What I know right now is what I've previously mentioned, and that it is a lot like gun law: fairly strict, but grossly under-enforced. Also, as was pointed out last night, drug smugglers aren't walking across borders. As long as Americans have a drug problem, smugglers will find a way to get it to us. And that is where the crime comes from.

However, above all of this, if you really want to curb illegal immigration, I've got three words: punish the companies. But that will never happen, because that would be against free market policies, right Republicans? Make up your minds. Oh one more note: Malkin yesterday said that border security is no safer than it was on September 11, 2001 and that is the fault of Democrats. Ummm....

--

Notes:

- Two coal miners are missing after a wall collapsed in Kentucky. This is not a Massey mine and it is a developing story.

- I refuse to link it, but I should mention that Tiger Woods is playing again today. No word on whether anyone else is involved. Real question though: should there be a fantasy league, just like a sports one, that takes bets on who is "meeting" Tiger at each tournament? Too soon?

- The Washington Capitols pulled a major choke job in game seven of their first round series last night, losing to Montreal. As Bill Simmons said, it is quite possible that Washington has surpassed Seattle as the nation's most depressed sports town. Also as Simmons said, at least the Emerald City has Pete Carroll for comedic value.

- Finally, in a surprising development, a formula created to identify the most despised team in baseball came up, not with the New York Yankees, but the Cleveland Indians. As they said on SportsCenter, "wait, what?"

- A late addition: a New York subway train was stopped, and all passengers fine, after an operator died in the cab yesterday during rush hour. The "Dead Man Feature" (its real name) was employed, the first time anyone can recall it being used, to stop the train. It is a lever that motormen hold throughout the day, that when released will stop the train. It is designed to prevent runaway trains. Sadly, it was proven yesterday that it works.

It Was a "S*****" Deal and a Celebration

2010-04-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Wednesday, the middle of the week, and the day Fox News, the most watched channel on television, references the "lame-stream news" for the 38,478,593,729,384,572 time. One second, need to insert commas into that number. That's more than the national debt, right? Maybe we should just tax Fox a dollar every time they, the most watch channel on television, use that line.

Or maybe we could remind them that Fox is indeed, THE MOST WATCHED CHANNEL ON TELEVISION! Personally, I favor Conan. Thankfully he is no longer on NBC. Damn liberals.

Alright, got that off my chest. Except one more thing: It worries me that this is the first time I've sided with this man, but Pat Buchanan absolutely wiped the floor with the entire MSNBC Morning Joe set this morning on immigration. It was embarrassing. The guy has ideas and knows what he's talking about. Most of his ideas are wildly ridiculous and he is the worst communicator of all time. But he knows what he's talking about.

Moving on.

In case you didn't see my rambling, overly cheery or praising post last night, some pretty cool/sad news (depending on who are) out of UW yesterday, that President Mark Emmert, head of the university since 2004, has accepted the position of Chief Executive of the NCAA. Much congratulations to Mark, who I personally think left UW in a much better place than he got it, despite the economic situation. This decision is a good one for the NCAA. If there is one department at UW he really left far better than he got it, it is one of the nation's premiere athletic departments.

During his tenure national championships became commonplace. The defending national champion Washington softball team sits atop the rankings still, a position they have held this entire season. In 2008-09 alone the program won two national titles and finished 11th in the Director's Cup standings. During my time at UW I witnessed three national championships, a Sweet 16, the best rowing program in the country and so on. All of that while maintaining some of the highest graduation rates in the country.

So congratulations to Mark, who leaves UW for a major position, but not without having made the school better during his time. In addition to the previously mentioned accomplishments, I would be remiss by not mentioning these: the $2.8 billion fundraising campaign that concluded in 2008, and the nation's top-ranked primary care medical school and top-ranked nursing school.

--

Washington is a little crazy right now. Yesterday there was a marathon hearing in the Senate, where a panel of Goldman-Sachs executives were drilled by members of Congress. At one point, in quoting an email, Senator Carl Levin used the word "shitty" about 50 times, guaranteeing that Fox would cover nothing else about the hearing. But seriously, there was hostility from the Senate panel, something we don't often see.

At the same time the Senate continued work on a financial reform bill, sort of. For the second straight day the cloture vote failed. Again, the voted against voting. You have to love the U.S. Senate. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), famous for the infamous "Cornhusker Kickback" from the health care debate, is taking hits from both sides right now, despite voting against cloture. Even Republicans are calling him out for his apparent heeding of Warren Buffett, who is based in Omaha. Hey, he is a constituent, right?

Oh but there's more. Apparently Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected a proposal that would have fast-tracked immigration reform through the committee process, in an effort to get an energy bill to the floor. It looks like Reid would rather see a bill go through the normal committee process, which one would think will take even longer. The proposal estimated that immigration would come up in November. I honestly could not tell you what Reid's plan is right know, which puts me in the majority of people.

--

One of the bigger stories from yesterday took place in a different capitol, in the state of Oklahoma. That is where lawmakers overwhelming overrode the governor's veto to pass new abortion policy into law. Two measures were passed, both aimed at seriously restricting abortion.

One forces women to undergo an ultrasound, while listening to a detailed description of the fetus - arms, legs, head, etc - before getting an abortion. No exceptions are made for rape or incest victims. The second prevents women who have a disabled baby from suing a doctor for withholding information about birth defects while the child was in the womb.

For his part, the governor of Oklahoma, Brad Henry, not only vetoed the bills, but spoke out strongly against them.

It is unconscionable to grant a physician legal protection to mislead or misinform pregnant women in an effort to impose his or her personal beliefs on a patient.

Unconscionable is probably the right word. Unless you're an Oklahoma congressman.

--

- Electoral politics, as always, are in play right now. Here is how the Washington Post sees things. At this point it appears they see Senator Patty Murray as safe. We'll see what happens with Dino Rossi.

Finally, check this video out. Heard it went viral yesterday:

Emmert to Head NCAA

2010-04-27T21:52:00.001-04:00

Talk about a shot out of left field. Or, in a really bad joke, the left coast.

I talked to several people today about who was going to be named the new president of the NCAA. No one knew. The nation's largest athletic body, and often it's most criticized, was very tight-lipped about its decision. Things were so crazy that early today I heard a rumor that retiring Indiana Senator Evan Bayh may be the named announced by the executive committee.

Instead the UW community heard stunning news, when the NCAA announced the Washington President Mark Emmert would be named the fifth chief executive in NCAA history.

Emmert replaces Myles Brand, who died of cancer last fall. He is the second consecutive president with deep Pac-10 ties, after Brand, who was president of the University of Oregon.

For those who think this will mean the Pac-10 gets favorable treatment, stop. It doesn't. While he won't assume duties for a few months, one of the first things the body is going to do after this announcement is lay out its punishment on USC. Don't expect Emmert to say anything negative about the infractions committee.

No, what those who read my blog, most with northwest ties, should really be thinking about here is UW. Despite the fact that the state was in a deep recession, billions in debt, Emmert kept UW afloat and enrollment steady. It required tough cuts, but he made them. In a fundraising effort aimed at raising $2 billion, the school raised $2.8 billion on faster timetable under his leadership.

I have admired the work Emmert has done since he took the job in 2004. He cleaned up the athletic department, then watched it thrive, winning more national championships in his tenure than in the school's long history before him. He was not afraid to make leadership changes or tough financial decisions. He oversaw the cutting of a sport.

And I can forever say that I shook his hand at the last graduation he led at UW.

Obviously a couple of questions immediately arise, with the first being: why would he leave? Well, aside from his pay being doubled (he was already one of the highest paid university presidents in the country at over $900,000), this is frankly a new challenge. He said that and I agree with it. In a letter to the UW community, he wrote:

The NCAA is one of the nation's most influential collegiate organizations. Leading it offers a chance to shape the educational and athletic experiences of over 400,000 young people and to work with more than 1,200 universities, colleges and conferences to make intercollegiate sports a competitive, healthy, integral part of the growth and maturation of student-athletes. It also presents a new set of challenges for me. I am very excited about taking on these challenges and the opportunity to work with so many university and college presidents.

It isn't quite the equivalent, but it is close to being the president of every major university in the country. His influence may even be greater and his budget surely will be. The NCAA is in the midst of finalizing an $840 million deal with CBS to continue televising the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.

Said Washington Men's Basketball Head Coach Lorenzo Romar:

"President Emmert is one of the most impressive persons I've ever met. Obviously, you hate to see someone go that is that talented and so supportive. But at the same time, it is an unbelievable oppotunity for him. The NCAA will be better as a result of his leadership."

The other question many will ask is: 'what does this mean for Scott Woodward, Emmert's close friend who has worked with since his days at LSU. Woodward immediately responded by saying that he will be stay put in his position as athletic director, where he plans to be for some time.

That good news aside, this is a great hire for the NCAA and a huge loss for Washington. Many will say negative things about Emmert, mostly in reference to some of the financial issues out of his control, but they are not deserved. The University of Washington is a better place because he was the president. Like I said before, he becomes the second consecutive head from the Pac-10, which would seem to indicate that the governing body really respects the way Pac-10 schools are run. Emmert often called athletics, "the doorstep to the university."

A couple of interesting notes to think about:
- Could Mark Emmert be the leader who takes the NCAA toward paying players? It is no secret that the issue is a major one and it will be staring Emmert in the face.

- Will he also be the one that changes the BCS? Obviously that is the biggest athletic question he will face in the coming years.

- A note on the NCAA executive committee: it's chair is Oregon State University President Ed Ray. Just worth noting.

I know it sounds like I just have glowing praise for everyone, but I should also note that Emmert has large shoes to fill. Myles Brand changed the way the NCAA was run, especially from a transparency standpoint. Frankly, the body, which is well-known as rigid and a relative unknown, really opened up during Brand's tenure. He was very well liked and respected.

It would be shocking if Emmert doesn't get the same treatment. To put it bluntly, he now takes the head job at what amounts to the fifth major professional sports organization (after MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL) in the country. This one, however, is by far the largest and most difficult, with far more competing interests and the whole academic component. Expect Emmert to be a good leader of that organization.

Which is why I reiterate: this is a big loss for UW.

Temptation, I Have Named Thee...PowerPoint?

2010-04-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

Good Tuesday morning, where eggs and smoke bombs are sold separately, at the entrance to the Ukraine Parliament.

Not sure what is wilder, that news, or Hugh Hefner chipping in $900,000 to help buy the land the "Hollywood" sign is on, in order to prevent it from being taken down. Does he get the bunny logo in places of the "l"?

Many things happened yesterday, with many more to happen today, so what is the top headline in the New York Times? This really is awesome:

Yes, apparently PowerPoint, the wildly popular Microsoft presentation program, is the bane of the US military. Thy name is no longer "woman," but "PowerPoint." Seems a little ridiculous, right? According to the story, the military uses PowerPoint just about ever chance it gets. Said one general: "It's dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control. Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable."

The irony of that statement, in a war zone no less, is not lost on me.

This apparently goes back to a slide shown in a presentation in Kabul last summer, which was meant to portray the complexity of American military strategy. The article (which is headlined by the actual slide) says it, "looked more like a bowl of spaghetti." General Stanley A. McChrystal quipped, "when we understand that slide, we'll have won the war."

At which point Bill Gates will assume the throne.

--

- The daily well-known news update obviously comes from the financial reform bill, which hit the expected hurdle in the Senate yesterday. The body held a cloture vote yesterday, which is technically a vote to start debate, but amounts to voting to vote. Every present Republican voted against it, joined by Nebraska's own Ben Nelson.

In an interesting piece of procedural action, and something I understand from a class I took at UW, Majority Leader Harry Reid switched his vote at the last minute, to vote against the measure. Why? If you are on the winning side of a vote, whether it be yes or no, you can call for a repeat vote on the measure, something expected as soon as today. Had he voted yes, the issue would technically have been settled. I stress, technically. As one congressman said recently, "there ain't no rules around here. We just make 'em up as we go along."

- There is an interesting look at South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in today's Times. Maybe the best quote came from Senator Joe Lieberman, in response to Graham being called a "Mini-John McCain." "He's a maxi-Lindsey. He's not a mini anybody."

The Senator is obviously working with Lieberman, or was, as well as John Kerry, on energy legislation. More on that later.

- Or right now. Graham met with his two counterparts last night, in an effort to continue pushing the stalled energy legislation forward. Kerry continues to be positive, in public at least, while Graham has made his stance pretty clear: scrap immigration or I'm outta here.

I explained yesterday just why immigration has even come up. It isn't going anywhere. But Graham, who made it clear this was about a promise made to him, not his ability to do more than one thing at a time, may have a point. Energy may be the toughest bill any congress passes. Tougher than health care, immigration, even Social Security. There are just too many competing interests. The fact that an oil rig can explode in the Gulf, spilling 42,000 gallons of oil a day into the ocean and killing 11 people (and the fact I said it in that order), just weeks after a coal mine exploded, killing 29 (yet an executive at Massey is quoted today as saying the air in the mine was normal just 10 minutes before the explosion) and not cause an immediate outcry for energy reform, should be enough to get this point across. If not, realize that only 6,000 people are employed by the coal industry, yet the number one issue with the legislation is the loss of coal jobs.

I came up with an idea yesterday: let's re-employ these people. I can't wait for my Republican friend's responses here, but hear me out. The fact is that these 6,000 jobs are going to go the way of the more than 25,000 that came before them. The coal industry employs 1/5th of the workforce it did 70 years ago, despite producing the exact same amount of coal. Mechanization, as I keep saying, has changed the industry, for the better, unless you're a worker.

So let's move them. It's only 6,000 people. We will take our investments in clean energy, train these workers to work at wind farms or manufacturers, and help them stay just as financially stable as they are right now, if not better. If they need to move to do it, fine, we'll move them. It's 6,000 people. We aren't talking about moving Boeing here. The US government once made a living displacing populations larger than that. This time we'll just pay for it. Think we won't get a return? Oh yes we will. We'll have qualified, trained workers, building wind turbines and installing a smart grid. They will be in cleaner, healthy conditions, meaning less liability for government health care programs and, unfortunately at this point, mine regulation. We will do it phases, sure. But it needs to be done. And it should start with Massey workers.

If you're actually interested in that, I'll flush it out more in another post. Let me know.

Anyway, check out the Graham piece. He's an interesting guy, but by far my favorite Republican in congress. Yes, more than nuclear-charged Lamar Alexander. Here's a quote from Graham: "I'm in the mid- to high 60s [polling], and my negatives are in the 20s," he said. "Now, what I've done is, I used to be in the 80s. But what's the use of being here if you can't move the ball forward."

Think that's rhetoric? He voted for Justice Sonia Sotomeyor, has been censured three times in his own state, has a legislator (I think) in his home state calling for him to "come out," and was once lumped in with President Obama in a treason charge by a constituent. But there he is, humming along with John Kerry, one of the most liberal members of congress, trying to "move the ball forward."

--

- You have absolutely no reason to care about this whatsoever, but I do. As I was searching for the orgin of the quote the Times parodied in the headline above (it was Hamlet I think, but I first heard it spoken by Sam Seaborn in West Wing), I came across this 2001 profile of Aaron Sorkin, the creator of my favorite television show, written right after he rewrote season three to coincide with September 11.

- When it comes to business, gender aside, Maria Cantwell is not someone I would want as an enemy, period. When you can finance your own campaign against an entrenched Republican and unseat him, you've done some things right in your life financially. Just sayin'.

- In the Fix morning notes there is a look at a new poll on just how uninterested youth are in the upcoming election. In a shocking development, 18-29 year olds really don't care. Sarcasm aside, the Fix points out that the actual percentage of young voters hasn't actually changed much, only the party they voted for did. Obama won the 18-29 vote 2-1.

- Finally, this is the University of Oregon. Painful.

Remember November

2010-04-26T16:18:00.001-04:00

The Republican Governors Association launched a website today, Remember November, headlined by a video designed to scare Americans away from President Barack Obama. The music itself does the trick for me.

Seriously though, it is a well done video, if not a little bit beyond where you can usually find the RGA.

The president, on the same day, launched his campaign to bring young voters to the polls in November. He pointed to the successes of his administration, as I pointed out earlier, while also showing the progress yet to be made. "Our work isn't finished," he said.

Obama called on all of those who showed up in 2008 to do so again. The likelihood of that happening is slim, but he had to do it. Interesting, I read a post earlier today asking if any president ever targeted a specific group for support before. The answer to that: absolutely. It happens all the time. It's called politics.

Anyway, a lot less scary:

What's Next? Congress Takes on Another Challenge

2010-04-26T09:37:00.000-04:00

Happy National Pretzel Day, from the department of useless knowledge. One pretzel company is handing out their product free outside the Fox News headquarters in New York City this morning.

It is hard to explain exactly what is about to happen this week. From a big picture standpoint, some things will certainly become clear today, such as just how close Democrats are to passing financial reform. Despite all the signs pointing the opposite direction, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has held firm on his decision to begin voting on the measure today. First will come the vote as to whether the debate can even be held, one in which the threshold is 60 votes. If that passes, the bill will pass shortly after.

If not, well, who knows. But, as Senator Chris Dodd put it yesterday, it's been about 17 months since this people basically, "broke into our house and robbed us. And 17 months later, we haven't even changed the locks yet." We'll see if the locksmith comes today, as there were reports overnight that a deal had been reached. This is one of those issues that just about everyone agrees has to be done and few even disagree on how to do it. The problem is weeding out those who oppose it just because that's what they do (Mitch McConnell).

So, what's next?

Well, that is where the debate starts. Today was supposed to be the unveiling of a new, tri-partisan comprehensive clean energy and climate bill. I stress supposed to be. Senators John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham were set to hold a press conference revealing the fruits of months of work that would for sure be hated by industry and environmentalists alike, but would at least get the ball rolling toward new energy policy.

Then Arizona happened.

Last Friday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law a bill that, among other things, allows (in fact requires) local police officers to request proof of legal residence from anyone who they have reason to believe is an illegal immigrant.

Obviously, there seem to be some serious issues there. And obviously, that immediately caught the attention of the federal government. So, during the last week there has been a change in tide that would push immigration ahead of energy and climate. Only problem: Graham. The South Carolina Senator said he would pull his support from climate if the Senate takes up immigration first. Climate, in addition, is way ahead of immigration, with steps that can't really be skipped still to come, such as committee work. Reid hinted at such in a statement on Saturday.

In that same story, Kerry reiterated that we may be looking at the, "last, best shot," at energy legislation. And, like I said all throughout the health care debate, this is far more difficult than that was and far more divisive. Speaking of health care, recall that Graham was also pessimistic about continuing with climate after that vote. Yet, here we are.

Anyway, back to the immigration law. I wrote about this before, but there are a couple of rather conservative points I want to make about this bill. But before that, know that I recognize just how awful of a bill it is and shows just how far we've come from being the haven for immigrants across the world.

On Saturday Night Live this weekend, Seth Meyers tackled the issue, saying:

This week, Arizona signed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country which will allow police to demand identification papers from anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.

I know there’s some people in Arizona worried that Obama is acting like Hitler, but could we all agree that there’s nothing more Nazi than saying “Show me your papers”? There’s never been a World War II movie that didn’t include the line “show me your papers”. It’s their catchphrase. Every time someone says “show me your papers”, Hitler’s family gets a residual check.

So heads up, Arizona; that’s fascism. I know, I know, it’s a dry fascism, but it’s still fascism.

Whether you think that is funny or not, it's true.

As for the law itself, here are the two points:
- If Latinos voted, this would never have happened. Of the 131 million voters in the 2008 election, barely over 7 percent of them were Latino. Between 2004 and 2008, the number of eligible Latino voters increased more than 20 percent, while the actual voting number increased just more than 2 percent. Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country. But, and yes I understand there was a special circumstance, almost twice as many blacks voted in the 2008 elections than Latinos.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2008, Latinos represented 30 percent of Arizona's population. Want to know how many members of that state's delegation have Latino names? One. And he doesn't represent Phoenix. The problem with this isn't just bad representation for a community. There is also no big push to court the Latino vote because chances are they just aren't going to vote. One congressman threatened to tell Latinos to stay home in November if the federal government doesn't take up immigration reform. That isn't necessary.

No, I am not blaming Latinos for the stupidity of their elected officials. But, every time I see a sign at these Tea Party rallies that says, "we need term limits," the same thing comes to mind: we have term limits. They're called elections. Show up and vote.

(Side note, the Tea Party organizers could really take a page out of the Earth Day Network's book. The Climate Rally yesterday had tens of thousands of people, meaning they didn't have to lie about the total number. That compared to the Tea Party rally, which had about 5,000, maybe.

- This was a smart move by Arizona. Pick your jaw up off the ground. The fact is this: illegal immigration is a major problem in the state, especially in the southern part and especially given the economic climate. The job of fixing it lies with the federal government. But it isn't happening. A good immigration law would have gotten little attention. This is a national story instantly. Clearly, Congress is paying attention. On that front, it worked. Not sure the Arizona legislature deserves that much credit, but the result works for them.

So, like I said, should be an interesting week.

Notes:

- Got a email this morning saying that it could take months to stop the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico. It is spilling about 42,000 gallons of oil into the gulf everyday.

- Get your tans now, as the new "Tan Tax" will kick in July 1.

- Interesting note, with no link: we have been giving Congress a lot of crap about the partisan bickering and inability to get anything done, both of which seem factual. But I had a conversation on Saturday in which a point was made that should be recognized. During probably the most partisan era we have ever had, we are also seeing debate and work on some of the biggest issues we have ever faced. Yes, it's taken billions, even trillions of dollars in commitments (much of which is offset in many ways), but we are addressing a myriad of major issues right now and making significant progress. From the stimulus, to equal pay laws, to health care, to financial reform that looks increasingly more likely everyday, this Congress, in about 15 months, has achieved huge returns. And, if even one more bill passes, whether it is energy or immigration, it would be hard to find a Congress in a very long time with this much success. We have to remember to give credit where credit is due.

- WARNING: Watch this video at your own risk. Yesterday, former Mariner Chris Jakubauskas was on the receiving end of the scariest play in sports (in my opinion), when he was drilled squarely in the face by a line drive off the bat of the Astros Lance Berkman. Jakubauskas has a concussion and was placed on the DL. No word yet on whether he was able to fly home with the team.

- Finally, this is one of those things that maybe wasn't amazing writing, but so well delivered by the president. The eulogy of 29 miners in West Virginia:

"How can we fail them? How can a nation that relies on its miners not do everything in its power to protect them? How can we let anyone in this country put their lives at risk by simply showing up to work; by simply pursuing the American dream?"

Yoooooou, You Got What I Neeeeeeeed

2010-04-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

Alright, my apologies, yesterday was a little long. I'm behind this morning, so this is all I've got for you. Enjoy.

Also, get excited, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are getting back together to make Men in Black III.

Flying Baseball Player

2010-04-22T10:23:00.001-04:00

Kownacki leaps over the catcher @ Yahoo! Video

Earth Day!

2010-04-22T09:17:00.000-04:00

Happy NFL, uh, draft Thursday. Yeah, that sounds really strange. But, starting in 2010, the NFL has decided the draft is prime time entertainment. So it starts tonight with the first round and goes through Saturday. No, I don't know why.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that, outside of myself and a few other people, the audience for the NFL draft will be a little different than the worldwide audience celebrating something more far reaching and far more serious today. It is Earth Day. Admittedly, not only is this the first year I've cared, but it is the first year I've actually known what day Earth Day was on.

No, I haven't turned into a tree-hugging, flannel-wearing, weed-smoking humanist. But I do understand far more than I ever did the effects of climate change and more to the point, the economic effects of not acting on it. Investment in clean energy is paramount to our economic success. When Barack Obama says the energy will be the economic industry of this century, he is right on. Most people ignore the fact that there is no more stable, reliable, yet exploitive industry than energy. Coal employs entire states. Nuclear plants dominate regions. Washington state claims hydropower as part of its identity.

Yet, with the positives come the third thing, exploitation. Coal-fired power plants are not just contributing to climate change, but also the contamination of rivers and water supply. The nuclear site in Eastern Washington, some 70 years old is continuing to undergo clean that will stop nuclear waste, buried beneath the surface, from continuing to seep into the Columbia River. Just yesterday, news broke about an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that has left 11 missing. The accident comes just two weeks after another explosion, in a West Virginia coal mine left 29 dead.

Yes, clean energy is not only clean, but safer than being deep in an unregulated mine, or out on a rig in the middle of an ocean. Not only that, but the federal government can regulate safety from the beginning, something it hasn't been able to do with nonunion mines.

So the question that many ask me is, why can't we just do both? Well, first of all, we are going to do, for a while anyway. I live in the Commonwealth of Virginia (just love calling it that - makes me feel more patriotic for some reason), a state largely power by coal mines way down in the southwest corner. There's a town actually not too far from me called Winchester, which serves as the location in a book I am reading, Deer Hunting with Jesus. It talks about the dependency of the town on a single Rubbermaid plant where just about every works. Everyone is a Republican, because they are "hard-working people that don't believe in government handouts," and without the plant, the town would be pretty much gone. Now think of West Virginia, just next door. Every town in the state is run off of coal plants. Half the towns in Southern and Southwestern Virginia. Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Montana, the list goes on and on and on. These plants are not going to just up and close. Not when they both employ so many people and when, right now, they keep the lights on.

But here are two telling statistics. We produce the same amount of coal yearly as we did in 1946. Think about that. Yet we do this with one-fifth of the workforce. Coal mining is already losing jobs, to mechanization, at a huge clip. And let's be honest, if we could have machines mine coal, we'd do it. Anything to avoid unions and safety hazards that cost companies money. Second, while wind power was growing rapidly in 2009, not one single coal-fired power plant began construction. The future is in clean energy.

Ah, so what is the hang-up? Have you looked at your energy bill lately? Despite small increases, we here in government town are pretty good at helping to keep your energy bill down. It helps that the people who mine the coal are paid like indentured servants - and think that's what they deserve - while watching their health go to hell and their town lost to the much heralded "small business owners". These people work locals to death, play golf with the property owners that are about as good as slum lords, and drink with the politicians that turn a blind eye. And everyone gets rich, except the working class. All so your utility bill can stay down.

Thing is, that's okay. And coal is cheap. While oil is vital. Meaning it's pretty darn hard to get away from them to an undeveloped source that will need a vastly updated transmission system because it is generated in different parts of the country. Why? Because it costs money. In case you've been living under a rock (and even if you have, I suspect you noticed when other people started fighting you for the warmth of that rock) we don't have a lot of that right now. However, guess who has an unmatched ability to raise money, and from other places than just taxpayers: the federal government.

What do we do? We fight climate change. More specifically, we put a cap on carbon emissions, something that would hurt coal companies if they do not find ways to comply with it, while raising money for the government through the sale of carbon credits (which allow utilities to emit a certain amount of CO2), which is then diverted into...wait for it...clean energy. Genius, right? Opponents say it amounts to a tax and market control. In reality, we already control the energy market. We subsidize oil companies, the highest grossing companies in the history of the world, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars every year. Guess who's going to take it in the pocketbook when dealing with oil spills and mine disasters? Yeah, the federal government. All to keep your energy prices down.

It's time to start a transition, from dirty, 20th century fuels, to where the future lies. Fail to do that and risk losing even more manufacturing and technical expertise to countries who are ready to take the step (read China).

Here's the kicker with this whole thing. Say it doesn't work. Say climate change is a hoax (it isn't, but I can play devil's advocate). Say reduced CO2 emissions don't actually solve the problem and we just clean up our environment for nothing. Well, no. We clean up our environment. Not for nothing, that's a big deal. We will have a created a vast new energy industry, a sustainable one mind you, that will help revitalize our manufacturing sector by creating need for wind turbines and solar panels. You know who works in those factories? Veterans. We will have built a new, smart grid, the sends the right amount of power to the places it needs to go, reducing waste and costs. Individual Americans will know how much the use, from water to heat, and make cuts where they can, because Americans do that. We'll have retrofitted homes across the country, cutting energy use and cutting costs, especially in poor communities.

And we will have taken advantage of the greatest economic opportunity in this century. I plan to get that all done before the NFL draft tonight. What are you doing?

The youth part of the organization I work for created a pretty cool video to motivate youth to speak up. Watch it:

- I spent a considerable amount of time trying to contain my laughter when sent the story about Republican challenger Sue Lowden in Nevada. Lowden is running against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (and winning at the moment), yet has several times in the last few days said that Americans should barter with their doctors. At one point she said chickens might cover medical costs. It's almost too good to be true.

- RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who "runs" that out of control office when not figuring out ways to pay for lesbian-themed bondage clubs (you just cannot pass up an opportunity to re-associate that with Steele), said that the GOP has given blacks absolutely no reason to vote for them. Main culprit? Michael Steele.

- The fight over immigration policy in Arizona is going to get a lot uglier before it gets any better. A bill awaiting the governors signature would force Arizona police to determine if an immigrant is illegal, something nearly impossible to do without racial profiling, and many feel it will make people less likely to report crimes. I honestly can't speak too intelligently on immigration policy and I actually tend to agree that, on the police work level, racial profiling probably does prevent crimes (black people surely populate our prisons, but we also commit lots of crimes - the two are linked), but this puts police in an impossible position. Have you been to Arizona? Everyone looks like the "type of people" this bill targets. Oh, and should it pass and the state, which has to import water, send many of these immigrants away, billions will be lost from the economy.

- Watch out for those Seattle Mariners, who just wrapped up a sweep of the worst team in baseball (Baltimore), thanks to a complete game from King Felix.

"I Object!"

2010-04-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

Want to know why nothing ever gets done? Well, "Mr. President, I object." The Republican objecting is Arizona's John Kyl.

The Ultimate Silent Treatment

2010-04-21T09:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday. Hopefully back to a little sense of normalcy here on the blog, with the usual morning update and some possible video.

It is really hard to capture in words the kind of month that April is for many individuals I know, and for this country, but that was what I tried to do in the last few days. A couple of the anniversaries I missed include yesterday being the birthday of one Adolph Hitler, a fact I never let my friend Kevin forget, while Monday was also the 235th anniversary of the original "Shot Heard Round the World." That of course was the original shot at Concord, Mass., beginning the Revolutionary War that would change the course of history. And here we are.

As for today, it started off with one of the funnier highlights I've ever seen. I'm hoping this links to the correct video, but if not just go to www.mlb.com and search for the highlight from last night's Braves-Phillies game. The story is not that Atlanta stole one from Philly, but how it ended. Former Pirate Nate McLouth hit a walkoff homerun, but as he rounded the bases the entire Braves team left the dugout and ran down into the tunnel, instead of meeting him at home plate, as is usually customary. It was the ultimate silent treatment. Pretty funny. You can see in the background all of the players scrambling to get down the tunnel.

Some notes:

- One thing that has come out of the new health care bill is a willingness by some insurance carriers to close the gap between college graduation and health coverage. That is to say that many college graduates who are not on their parent's plans in college will end up being dropped from insurance when they graduate (including yours truly). Several providers say they will help close that gap, giving them potential new business, as well as helping bring costs down. Young people are the least likely to buy health insurance, because we're, well, healthy.

Said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

'I welcome the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Kaiser Permanente, and Humana to the growing list of insurers who are offering to continue health insurance for young adults graduating from college or aging out of their parents' plan. This initiative, complementing the permanent policy in the Affordable Care Act, will enable young people to retain insurance coverage at an important moment as they begin their adult lives and launch their careers. Many young adults under the age of 26 have traditionally had a difficult time getting access to – and affording – health coverage. The Affordable Care Act, and the voluntary actions of insurers to eliminate the coverage gap for young adults on their parents plans, will give greater health security to millions of American families.'

This also seems to jive with some of the new student loan policies, geared toward helping recent college graduates keep their heads above water for the first few years, when debt can really mount. An illness or accident when uninsured can destroy you financially for years.

- This story, detailing how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce saw its first quarter lobbying costs drop relative to the final two quarters of 2009, is a little misleading. In the last two quarters of 2009, the Chamber dished out some $105 million in lobbying, but spent less than $20 million before that. So let's see what happens in the summer and fall.

- A local newspaper has an interview with a former Massey coal mine worker, who talks about just how bad the mostly nonunion mines are. It is common knowledge that, because of the lack of union protection, most miners are afraid to speak out. There aren't too many other jobs in West Virginia. I am actually reading an interesting book (thanks to Adam), called Deer Hunting with Jesus, which is about a small Virginia town much like many of the ones Massey operates mines in.

Also on the Massey front, the company's board member responsible for governance has resigned. Many reasons were given, none having to do with the events of the last couple of weeks, but one has to admit this comes at an awkward time.

Continuing on Massey, that resignation is not nearly the biggest of its worries. At a time when energy legislation aimed at limiting coal usage is working its way through Congress (again), investors are calling for serious reforms at the nation's largest coal company. One of those may include the job of outspoken, American-flag shirt wearing Don Blankenship.

- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and his hair, were in rare form yesterday, as he challenged a U.S. attorney in his ongoing court battle over corruption charges. Can we get him on Sarah Palin's reality show? If nothing else, it guarantees that Ted Stevens will also make an appearances in some remote Alaskan city.

All joking aside, even though this whole thing seems like a big joke, we are still talking about the arrest of a sitting governor that is dragging out months later. Yet it gets very little coverage. How is that not news?

--

One more funny thing caught my attention this morning. As I was watching Fox 'n Friends (yes, I do that), there was a story about a high school that wouldn't allow a girl to bring her 23-year old brother to prom with her. The brother had just returned from a tour in Iraq, obviously the sticking point for that show. But the school had strict age limit policies, which it enforced (as it should have).

The funny part was at the end of the segment when one of the men suggested cutting proms altogether. Too expensive, too awkward, too much controversy, blah, blah, blah. Gretchen Carlson, the highly educated host who is paid to act like a stay at home mom with very little knowledge of anything other than Wikipedia (yes, stay at home mothers, you should be offended by the way she portrays you), was incredulous. She could not believe they were suggesting cutting prom. Me neither, honestly, but it isn't like these guys have serious sway on Podunk High School's prom. It was the perfect transition to the next segment as well - nuclear Iran.

Speaking of Fox, well, I give you Jon Stewart - have a nice day:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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www.thedailyshow.com

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Tea Party

"We Can Rise Up and We Can Say: No More"

2010-04-20T09:40:00.000-04:00

When I was in college I dated a girl from a suburb of Denver, Englewood, Colorado. It wasn't far from the city. In fact, when I visited, we drove into the Italian district and ate probably the best dinner in that genre that I've ever had. It was far from the airport and the inner parts of the city, a classic suburb.

Just a few minutes from her house in Greenwood Village, essentially a gated community, was the Denver Tech Center (DTC), a business village populated only by tall office buildings and hotels. I stayed in a beautiful Hilton for $60 a night, if I recall correctly.

The girl, who spent her entire childhood in the area, went to a sprawling suburban "public" school called Cherry Creek High School. I put public in quotations because it would be hard to compare it to a real public school. The campus consumed some 80 acres and housed more than 3700 students. It looked like a a very nice community college or small liberal arts school.

For those from the Seattle area, take Eastlake High School and the new Redmond High School, put them together, then double them. Now you have Cherry Creek. It was quite the amazing transformation for a school that barely 50 years before had its one room schoolhouse closed and eventually auctioned. What it speaks to is the amazing growth of American suburbia, a phenomenon that has created a whole new set of problems for those who study adolescence.

Cherry Creek is a powerhouse. Former star MLB closer Brad Lidge can be counted among its alumni. He donated a significant amount of money to make the baseball diamond look like a Triple-A level field. Current Seattle Mariners closer David Aardsma is an alum as well. The school boasts more than 160 state championships, including several in football. John Elway was once the quarterbacks coach in the program, while his son Jack was playing. Sports Illustrated named it the 5th best athletic school in the country a few years ago.

It was named a Blue Ribbon School by the Department of Education and sent an astonishing 95 percent of its 2007 graduating class to college.

All of it is nestled in a quiet, mostly well-to-do area just outside of Denver. Often I would here stories of classic high school life - Friday night football games, drinking, hookups in in the parking lots of empty office buildings and so on. Groups of kids, most with money, who had very few cares, giving them opportunities to both enjoy themselves and be extremely successful at whatever their hobby happened to be. Either way, their lives were largely shielded from critique and, in a school with 3700 kids, some people could obviously fall through the cracks. Even those who don't could certainly hide something fairly easily.

So, why do I tell you this story?

Cherry Creek is just 12 miles from Columbine High School.

In the exact same kind of a community, with the exact same type of kids, at the exact same model of school. Eleven years ago today, things in this country changed forever.

I was sitting in an art class. A sixth grader at Whitman Middle School, one of the "elective" classes we were forced to take was art. I hated every minute of it, but I did it anyway, often with the hopes that the teacher would just flip on Channel 1 and we could watch some kid-focused news for 50 minutes. This was really before everyone had a cellphone for quick conversation. No one sent text messages. The school barely had the internet. Nowadays if something like Columbine happened the switchboards would be jammed up as every parent in the country tried to call their child.

That day, I just happened to need to use the computer for a minute. As I opened the page to whatever site it was we used in those days - maybe AOL - (I think that was before most news organizations even had sites - the internet was run by Drudge Report), I noted a headline scrolling across the bottom: "Shooting at Colorado High School." Obviously being curious, I asked the teacher to turn on the news.

And there we sat as a class, for the first time in years - probably since the entire country watched the Challenger take off and blow up before their eyes, we watched a life-altering situation unfold on live television. This was not the O.J. Simpson car chase. This was a public high school taken hostage by two students.

After the failed bombing of the cafeteria, the two students began their rampage. Starting outside their building, working their way through the school and concluding in the library, the two killed 12 students, one teacher and themselves. Part of the police response was slowed due to the presence of the many bombs left throughout the building.

We watched this on live television. Initial estimates were 25 dead, a number that ended up being closer the amount wounded. Weeks would go by with reason after reason and theory after theory. Nothing could explain why two students would do this (warning: the description of the shooting is detailed and graphic). The following is an excerpt from the scene in the library, where the deadliest part of the shooting occurred.

Next, Klebold proceeded toward another set of tables, discovering Isaiah Shoels, Matthew Kechter, and Craig Scott, Rachel Scott's brother, hiding under one. All were popular athletes at the school. He attempted to pull Isaiah out from underneath the table, but was unsuccessful. He then called to Harris, who left Bree Pasquale and joined him. Klebold and Harris taunted Shoels for a few seconds and made derogatory racial comments towards him. Harris then knelt down and shot him in the chest at close range, killing him. Klebold also knelt down and opened fire, hitting and killing Matthew Kechter. Craig Scott remained uninjured as he lay in the blood of his friends, pretending to be dead.

Schools across America would install metal detectors, at least for the short term (including mine), as all-of-the-sudden we were thrust into uncharted territory. We would hear things ranging from gun control laws, to video games, to bullying and so on. Michael Moore would make a documentary called Bowling for Columbine, where he would go to the home of Charlton Heston and ask why he so famously supported the NRA.

Said then-Vice President Al Gore: "The young killers of Columbine High School do not stand for the spirit of America...we can rise up and we can say: no more."

Many policies would change, from gun laws, to the way police respond to live shooters with intent to kill and not take hostages. But perhaps the most involved prevention. As I mentioned before, the internet was new at the time. One of the shooters was known to maintain a website full of evidence of his possible intent. In the years following, we have seen the internet heavily policed, leading to some high-profile incidents in which students were prevented from carrying out like acts.

We also saw gun laws changed in schools. The Seattle School District implemented a no-tolerance policy, which was challenged at my middle school, when a student was immediately expelled for bringing a toy gun to school.

Some would say that we live in paranoia now. In my view, a little less privacy is a fair trade for a lot better security. Especially in a place as vulnerable as a school. While it did not save Columbine High School, it may have saved many more. In communities just like that one, or like the one 12 miles away. But also like the one inside the city. Gun violence in our communities is far too common, as it is in our schools as well. We, however, are no longer ignorant to it.

"Joy cometh in the morning," says the Scripture. May not the next day at Columbine. The wounds likely come rushing back each year on this date. But, ""in the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

There is a really good book by Jodi Picoult, called Nineteen Minutes, that deals very specifically with school shootings. It is a devastating book, but a fabulous read. I've never met a single person who has read it that has been able to put it down. Adam used to come over to my house just to read it.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a positive note to the day: Happy Birthday to an old middle school friend, Kevin Hickenbottom, who I am guessing is out in the middle of the woods right now, enjoying every second of his life with that Yale degree.

Huskies Sign Romar to 10-year Deal

2010-04-19T20:01:00.000-04:00

Huge news out of Montlake today, as the school announced the signing of head basketball coach Lorenzo Romar to a 10-year contract extension that would take him through the end of the decade.

Should he stay through the entire length of the deal, Romar will have put in 18 years at Washington, while assuring the Huskies continued dominance over my grandfather's Ducks. Oregon, of course, can't even convince the ball boy to take its head coaching job, despite the Wall Street bank that funds their athletic programs and the unbelievable new building the team is about to move into. Think Larry Brown even turned that job down.

In his first eight seasons at Washington, Romar led the Huskies to a 171-91 record, five NCAA Tournament invitations and three NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances. He ranks third all-time in victories among UW coaches. Romar owns a 264-179 record as a head coach after previous stints at Saint Louis University and Pepperdine University. His eight seasons at Washington is the longest active streak among Pac-10 coaches.

The man who he assumed that title from? Now former Oregon coach Ernie Kent.

Romar has churned out first round draft picks (four of them, with possibly another this season), while also leading the team to three Sweet 16 appearances, two Pac-10 Conference Tournament championships and the programs first outright regular season title in two decades.

Last month Romar lead the Huskies to a 26-10 overall record, the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament championship and another appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16. Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas both earned first-team all-Pac-10 honors, while Venoy Overton and Justin Holiday were named to the league's all-defensive team. Pondexer registered one of the best senior seasons in school history and was named Pac-10 Player of the Week a record five times.

On a less official note, Romar is a special guy. I've met a lot of basketball coaches on a lot of different levels. None have been quite like him. In my four years spending time around him in the athletic department, I tried to incorporate so much of his style into my own coaching style.

There are two things I really remember:
- The day I first met him I was a sophomore in high school. The Huskies were obviously recruited Martell Webster, who would later sign with the school before opting for the NBA draft out of high school. Not only was I there with Martell, but two other players considerably better than me. I was a nobody. Would never, ever play division one basketball and they all knew that. I was shooting by myself at a hoop off to the side of their practice when Romar walked over to me. He wasn't upset, nor did he speak to me like a coach. He looked me in the eye and said, "hey, I'm Lorenzo, nice to meet you."

I was floored. Sure it could be a recruiting attitude, but if it was, he's damn good at it. Never had a coach introduced himself like that to me before. It was always coach this or coach that. He's just different. I'd love to play for him, just like I liked working for him,

- The other reason is his coaching style. I can't even remember who it was, but at some point right after I started college, one of the players got into some trouble. There are rules in Romar's program and they are explicit. But he loves and supports his players at the same time. He sat down with the guy, outlined the exact plan for handling the situation (with no surprises, but exactly what the player expected), allowed the player to square himself away, and was done with it. No doghouse, no media situation, just simply square yourself away for whatever you did and move on. All programs should be like that.

Here's to 10 more years of his great leadership in the program.

Political Campaign Ads...Gotta Love 'Em

2010-04-19T09:40:00.002-04:00

This video was sent to me this morning. Some guy running for School Board in Arkansas. Guessing that is no longer the case:

Do you remember where you were?

2010-04-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

I don't remember where I was.

Growing up, my mom would talk all the time about these events, those that define generations, and say, "oh, I was at this place when that happened." Like when John F. Kennedy was shot. Or his brother too. Or when the space shuttle Challenger 'slipped the surly bonds of earth, to touch the face of God.'

Yet, I don't remember where I was on April 19, 1995, exactly 15 years ago today. One year and a day later, I remember exactly where I was, when two high school boys began shooting their way through a Colorado high school. For most events like that, I remember.

But the day a bomb ripped through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, I've not a clue what I was doing. Prior to September 11, the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil happened 15 years ago today.

Timothy McVeigh will long be the name most recognized with the attacks, but he was just one of four who were charged with some part of it. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection exactly three months before September 11, 2001.

It was the anniversary of the Waco Siege that McVeigh was memorializing when he detonated more than 5,000 pounds of explosives at 9:02 am that morning. He literally blew the building in half.

Ranging from three months to 73 years, 168 people died in the blast, most from the collapse of the building and not from the bomb itself. One thing I do remember was the daycare center. On the news all they talked about was the daycare center. McVeigh parked the van directly underneath it.

During his trial, McVeigh never strayed from his anti-government attitude. To the fact that he killed 19 children, he said: "I didn't define the rules of engagement in this conflict. The rules, if not written down, are defined by the aggressor. It was brutal, no holds barred. Women and kids were killed at Waco and Ruby Ridge. You put back in [the government's] faces exactly what they're giving out."

McVeigh wanted to kill government employees and, despite his claims during his trial, seemingly didn't care who else got in the way. When arrested just hours after the bombing, McVeigh was wearing a shirt with two different quotes on it. One read, as I wrote last week:

Sic semper tyrannis (thus always to tyrants)

The other read:

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

The former was said by Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. The latter is attributed to Thomas Jefferson.

The rest of the building was imploded three months after the bombing.

Though it registers as sad and potentially angering for those of you from Seattle, I noticed that when typing "Oklahoma City" into a Google search, the automatic completion does not bring up the bombing first, but actually the Thunder, who began their first trip to the NBA playoffs yesterday. Some 15 years later, maybe the city is recovering.

What I've also noticed is something I've brought up with a few friends in recent years. As I pointed out at the beginning of this post, every generation has events that shape it and register as those, "I'll always remember where I was," moments. I've increasingly felt as if the ones that have happened in my generation are catastrophic and devastating. Few have been positive. That may be simply because the bad ones have been so bad.

--

Just a few other things:

- North Carolina is seeing another Democratic rebellion right now, with a third party forming to oppose Dems that voted against health care. Obviously this is not good for the party as a whole, despite it being the same sort of effort that won the state for Barack Obama.

- The polls are looking ugly for Washington as 4-in-5 saying they don't trust the city. Interestingly, we constantly get told we live in this "Beltway Mentality" and ignore the pulse of the nation at large. Yet, unless there is a major event going on in the world, the levels are which the public hates this town is the main story everyday.

- Airlines are being critical of European authorities for their inability to send flights up in the air, while the cloud of ash from the volcano in Iceland continues to fill the air. Last I heard there are going to be attempts to send planes up today, but I love one of the quotes given by a European politician when asked when it has been so slow: "What is more important, their profits or passenger safety." Seems pretty black and white. Still, it is somewhat mind-boggling how crippling a volcanic eruption can be. It has literally shut down European air travel for days.

- Speaking of airlines, Sen. Chuck Schumer had success convincing the major ones to hold off on a carry-on bag fee, a big win.

- More struggles for the banking industry. Every time something like this crops up, the chances for financial reform grow.

Never Forget Home

2010-04-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

And speaking of the 206, check out this site, where you can watch the movie about the end of the Sonics, Sonicsgate. You can also watch the Zombies, who lost to the Lakers today, in game one of their first round series.

Also, can't forget this song about the hometown, that I linked months ago. Love it. In my blood:

"It Lasted Forever"

2010-04-16T09:06:00.000-04:00

At first it was just two. As the morning unfolded, the story progressed. It went from two to nine, to 13 - the same number as the most famous school shooting in U.S. history. Two hours later, it was 32.

On April 16, 2007, in a small town in far southwestern Virginia, a student first shot two people in a dorm, before locking the doors of a university building and unloading his guns on anyone in sight. The shooting at Virginia Tech was the deadliest peacetime shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history, on or off campus.

As cliche as it may have sounded, on that day, especially those at universities across the country, everyone was a Hokie.

For those of us at the University of Washington, it immediately brought home the violence on our own campus. Just two weeks earlier a murder suicide in a university building had rocked the campus. It was not the beginning, nor even close to the end, of the violence that would shake the university for years to come.

In the weeks following Virginia Tech, questions lingered about loopholes, gun laws, text messaging systems and university security. The fact was and remains that sometimes things just happen. Securing an open campus, that anyone in a neighboring region can walk onto undetected, is nearly impossible. Especially when that person looks like a student.

Sometimes things just happen.

Around the country, many focus just on the death toll and the man who didn't. Little is made of the survivors, of which there were many, and even less of the heroes.

In room 204, Professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, forcibly prevented Cho from entering the room. Librescu was able to hold the door closed until most of his students escaped through the windows, but he died after being shot multiple times through the door. One student in his classroom was killed. Instructor Jocelyne Couture-Nowak and student Henry Lee were killed in room 211 as they attempted to barricade the door.

As they attempted to barricade the door. In an effort to protect students, professors stood in the way of bullets.

Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

In the 10-12 minutes of shooting, some 174 rounds were fired, all 9 mm hollow point ammunition, making the injuries far more severe. He killed 27 students, five professors and himself, while injured 17 more. Several additional injuries were reported by students who jumped from second floor windows.

There's a line in a West Wing episode where the president is responding to a fictional bombing at an NCAA swimming event on a campus. He says that several males swimmers were killed when, having heard the blast from next door, they ran into the fire to help get people out. Ran into the fire.

Hearing the commotion on the floor below, Professor Kevin Granata brought 20 students from a nearby classroom into an office, where the door could be locked, on the third floor of Norris Hall. He then went downstairs to investigate and was fatally shot by Cho. None of the students locked in Granata's office were injured.

Ran into the fire.

The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we are reminded that that capacity may well be limitless.

Yet still, on these days, when we spend so many days overcoming our challenges, we do not forget where we once stood. On these days the things that unite us are far greater than those that divide us. On this day, we are all Hokies.

But tomorrow: This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars.

- The Newseum, just a couple of blocks from my office, collects the newspapers from every city in the country everyday. There is a comprehensive index of the front page of every paper they collect from April 17th. It is enough to make you break down.

The World Breaks Everyone

2010-04-15T09:16:00.000-04:00

"It ain't fair, you died to young.
Like a story that had just begun,
but death tore the pages all away.

Would you see the world,
would you chase your dreams?"

It was at some point in the early morning, as I slept on the reclining arm chair we had in our living room back then, that my mom tapped me on the shoulder and said words that are burned into my head some 12 years later: "She was pronounced dead a few minutes ago."

On the morning of April 15, 1998 we were celebrating Spring Break in Seattle. For today's standards that would seem like an unusually late break, but back then it was pretty normal, especially for a public school district. I had been helping a family friend move, which was good money and something to keep me out of trouble. I remember that it was hot, which was nice since it often rains throughout April.

I was in fifth grade at the time, already enrolled for sixth grade at Whitman Middle School, where Sophy Kahn went to school, along with most of the other friends that were older than me and had gone to the same elementary school. All of us bused way out of our neighborhood, far away from low income housing, crime, drugs and anything else you can imagine, to schools that were very nearly suburban and certain a world away.

That day started early, probably 8 am (I was 11 on Spring Break - that's early) and I had walked the half mile or so down to the family friend's house. By about 9 am, I had come back up to the new place, which was (and still is) a block down the hill from my mother's place. Less than an hour later I stood outside of an apartment across the street from mine, next door to another of my closest friends, as stretchers rolled out the front door.

We all lived literally a block front what was then, and is even more so today, the largest trauma center in Pacific Northwest, Harborview Medical Center. At the time, I think it was the only hospital in the city that treated gunshot wounds. There were a lot of them.

Daisy, who was a year younger than me, survived after hours of surgery. Their mother would die, and Sophy, who was shot in the back of the head while trying to run away, would be pronounced dead a few minutes after midnight. Twelve years later those words still ring in my head like they were just spoken to me.

Where I grew up, gun violence is common. Drugs, alcohol, fights, crime, you name it, it happens. Sophy was part of this group of four girls, all the same age, all went to school together. I've never known what happened to all of them. After this happened everyone sort of disappeared. Even I almost completely stopped hanging out around anyone but my four friends I played baseball with in the neighborhood, one of which later died in Iraq. Otherwise I stayed as far away as I could. But I do know that a younger brother of one of the girls was convicted of the murder of a cab driver a couple of years ago. That kid never had a chance.

But this was different. This was a close family friend. It wasn't a drug deal. It was the things at your core are rocked. In that neighborhood there are few people that actually trust anyone around them, but you have to find someone you can put faith in. When those people do these things, it can completely change your outlook on life.

Sophy was not the first or the last person I knew to die in a violent crime. She isn't the only person that was my age at the time, either. But there are very few that I remember so vividly, for many reasons, but mostly because of how everything changed afterward. And for those words my mother said to me.

I don't want anyone to think you ever get "hardened" by being around death so much. Or even that it makes you a markedly different person. Everyone has experiences which shape them. But I remember when I was a freshman in college watching a debate with Tim Eyman, sponsor of the anti-Affirmative Action bill. He said, "if the only thing you've ever overcome are the setbacks you were born with, you haven't done much." Tell that to someone who, instead of being in that coal mine last week, worked their way out of their small West Virginia town and away from a preordained life as a miner. And to my friend Stanley Daniels, who didn't choose to be born to a crack addict mother or raise his eight siblings.

Or tell that to Michael Oher, whose story is well known now. But before you do, consider this quote: "Michael's gift is that the Good Lord gave him the ability to forget. He's mad at no one and doesn't really care what happened. His story might be sad, but he's not sad."

That's where I am. And that's why I'm just like you.

"The world breaks everyone. And afterward, many are strong, at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway

I've got nothing else for you today. Pay your taxes.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

2010-04-14T09:34:00.000-04:00

How fitting that the morning after my Roger Dorn (and his wife) reference, we get a story circulating that Charlie Sheen is cheating on his wife. Can I just say that, of all of the guys named or related to Sheen's, Martin is by far my favorite? He's certainly one of a select group of Hollywood actors that would ever do a commercial in opposition of a death with dignity law, but that isn't why.

This is obvious: The West Wing, plain and simple. Although, as my mother and grandparents can attest, I've seen Emilio Estevez in The Mighty Ducks a few times in my life. Quack, quack, quack, quack, Mr. Ducksworth.

Moving on.

On this date in 1865, just a few days after the end of the Civil War, an actor named John Wilkes Booth yelled the words, "sic semper tyrannis," moments after shooting the President of the United States in the back of the head.

Abraham Lincoln died the following day in a house across the street from Ford's Theater, just about two blocks from my Washington office. It still stands.

"Thus always to Tyrants," is a Latin phrase attributed Marcus Junius Brutus (I love Latin names) as part of the assassination of Julius Caesar. It is also the motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as recommended by George Mason. Reports say that Timothy McVeigh, who was put to death in Terre Haute, Ind. in 2001 for planning and carrying out the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, was wearing a shirt with the phrase and a picture of Lincoln when captured. Monday will mark the 15th anniversary of the 1995 bombing, which means it will also mark the 17th anniversary of the Waco Siege. More than 250 people died between the two events.

April is a difficult month for many, as I will chronicle in the next few days. Specifically the dates between April 15-20 have been as bloody a time in our history as there has ever been. However, if not our greatest than certainly our second or third greatest president was murdered on this day. Just days after he had finished saving this union.

The irony of the phrase, sic semper tyrannis, "thus always to tyrants," should not escape you. For it was Lincoln who not long before reaffirmed this country's departure from tyranny.

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

And who even more recently had boldly stated that it was time this country moved forward to be more perfect.

"Let us judge not, that we be not judged," he said. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

--

Whew, how was that history lesson?

- Since we are moving to forge a lasting peace with all nations, what better news to report than the extremely positive outcomes of the nuclear summit held here in Washington this week. Countries around the world boasted of laws to limit nuclear trafficking (Egypt), while other vowed to limit or abandon weapons-grade uranium projects. China became active in talks to sanction Iran and as president Obama put it, "a new way of thinking," about nuclear weapons prevailed. Ronald Reagan once said we could not rest until we see the day that nuclear weapons, the age of Mad (Mutually Assured Destruction), were gone from this earth.

- Poland had the body of its late president on display yesterday, as it plans for internment. The plans have proven controversial.

- If you haven't picked up this story yet, start paying more attention. Nebrasa has introduced multiple pieces of legislation, with high prospects of passage, that would put significant limits on abortion. If your first reaction is, "the Supreme Court will never allow it, well, remember the balance of the court.

The two main bills were actually signed into law yesterday, one requiring mental and physical screening of abortion candidates, and the other making abortions past 20 weeks illegal. This New York Times story has some incredible detail, as well as quotes, noting that the most important part of either bill was the language in the second one. It was based on the premise that a fetus can feel pain, something that "Right to Life" advocates will be celebrating. If the debate can turn to a fetus being a real, living human being, maternal rights would become really blurry.

And again on the SCOTUS question, this quote says it all: “You need five votes,” Ms. Balch said. “I think there are five on the current Supreme Court who would give serious consideration to Nebraska’s claim.”

She's right.

- There are two interesting hearings that relate to my line of work today, the first being much more focused on a major current events. Several coal executives, none named Don Blankenship, will be answering some tough questions in Rep. Ed Markey's committee, while my rep., Jim McDermott, will be talking about green jobs in the Ways and Means committee.

- Couple of sports notes: The Blue Jays' Ricky Romero came very close to throwing a no-hitter last night, before, get this sequence, he bounced a ball to White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who then started hopping around and ran to first base, as if the ball hit him. This obviously isn't the first the much-maligned catcher has deked an ump. Romero had to go into the stretch and proceeded to serve up a fastball that Alex Rios deposited into the left field seats. What I love the most? The media is going to blame Pierzynski for this. Reality: the umpire messed up by getting the call wrong (instant replay anyone?), Romero messed up by putting a ball on a tee to Rios, but Pierzynski did his job. It was only 4-0, not 10-0. He didn't bunt or just try to slap the ball. He didn't even get a hit (nor did he get hit, either). He got on base. That's called doing your job. Just like it was when it helped Chicago get to, and win, the World Series.

Congrats to the Mariners for, you know, winning a baseball game. And woe to you Seattle, as you get to watch the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics play in the playoffs against the Lakers this spring. Never has that city been so solidly in the corner of a frontrunner.

Remember Seattle, this is where we were:

Q: Brady's out. That really sucks. But it could be worse -- you could be a Seattle sports fan. Let me break it down for you: The Mariners are struggling through one of their worst seasons ever. Our Sonics, the only team to win a professional title in Seattle, moved the team to Okla-friggin-homa and stuck us with the Storm. And the Seahawks -- in Holmgren's final year, mind you -- are now without their TOP FOUR RECEIVERS! Imagine losing Moss, Welker, Gaffney AND Kelley Washington. Plus our quarterback is having back problems (including rumors of bulging discs), and our best running back left last week's game with an injury. Of course, a 6-10 record might win our division, which means we get to lose in Round 1. Oh, and the travesty that was the excessive celebration call on Washington's Jake Locker. But on the bright side … well, I give up. Be thankful you don't live in Seattle.
-- Dan Gomez, Seattle

SG: I have to say, that made me feel a little better. Maybe the good people of Seattle should form an organization called "It Could Be Worse," in which they send e-mails to suddenly traumatized sports fans from other cities to talk them off the ledge.

This is where we are.

Just don't forget where we came from.

Tuesday Morning at the Lusty Lady

2010-04-13T10:10:00.001-04:00

Whew, somehow I finally made it to my computer. It required a post-shower power nap (I usually start this morning post at home), a missed bus due to a ring dropped under the washing machine, a broken down Metro train, a woman trying to walk out with my order at the bagel shop and a bad internet connection.

As my friend says about coffee: it is God's way of saying, 'go ahead, get wasted on a Monday night. I got your back.' I wasn't wasted, but it feels like it.

Let's start this morning by forgetting all things political. Just read these words: Conan is back. The hilarious late-night comedian, who took a $32 million buyout from NBC so the network could continue a strong of bad decisions involving the elevation of Jay Leno, will open for George Lopez on TBS. For TBS, this is called 'diversification'.

The other sad piece of news (seriously here) is the announced closing of a Seattle landmark...the Lusty Lady. Be real here, you're going to miss that marquee outside. Ah, but alas, after decades on first avenue, the Lusty Lady is no longer, "always open, never clothed."

--

Alright, now that my flirtation with all measure of sin is complete for the morning, maybe some news?

- Yesterday marked the beginning of nuclear summit which has already yielded results. I've heard multiple people say that the summit itself is one of the more amazing things they've ever seen as President Obama wants to show just how great America is to the world.

As I typed that a helicopter flew overhead. You can barely get within shouting distance of the building. There is more security around than in war zones. My metro ride last night had more police-type officials than passengers. Armed cars are roaming the streets around the building. Why? Well, to be frank, every major world leader is here except two: Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il. North Korea, by the way, is the only "nuclear" country that was not invited.

Obama met with China's Hu Jintao yesterday, and secured the country's support in levying sanctions on a nuclear Iran, a major step in the process. There was also an agreement from the Ukraine, which has said it will completely rid itself of weapons-grade uranium by 2012.

This is obviously all over most people's heads, but the key factor here is that nuclear weapons, which generally have no other use except totally wipeout of cities, are being limited. The ultimate goal, as I mentioned yesterday, is to keep this weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

Speaking of the nuclear summit, Dick Morris, once a Clinton ally turned anti-Clinton, railed against the president this morning, saying Obama, "might be the first anti-American president." Umm, I had to go check on that to make sure. The context was the non-proliferation agreement which says that the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons against any country that doesn't not have them. His specific case was a biological weapons threat.

Well, funny thing is, we've heard this one before, right there on Fox News. The U.S. reserves the right to amend the policy in the event of a chemical attack and the rules do not apply to countries not signed onto the agreement (such as...wait for...North Korea and Iran). Oh, and as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said last week, any country can pull out of a treaty at anytime. For comedic value, I refer you to Mr. Stewart.

He calls that, "willful ignorance of the policy." Back in the day, they might have called it treason. Surely calling the president the, "first anti-American president," would have violated the sedition acts, but this is a new day right? Well, the thing I always think when I read things like that is this: if he is so "anti-American," he either just pulled the greatest fraud of the public in history, or option two. Some 66 million people, including GOP strongholds of Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, disagree.

--

- Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt came out yesterday against a policy in the new health care bill that forces insurance providers to cover those with pre-existing conditions. He says that the policy makes other Americans pay for the health insurance of those that don't take care of themselves until the last minute. As in, it gives no incentive to have insurance in the first place.

Besides being categorically false - since the point is that, if someone has, say, diabetes, they should be able to change jobs and not lose their insurance - it also makes a pretty good case for another Democratically-backed part of the bill: the mandate. In addition, it gets to something I've been using in every argument I've had with conservatives over this issue, which is that it is far cheaper for the American public to pay for someone's health insurance from day one (and therefore keep them healthy), than for repeated emergency room visits. Another argument for the mandate (and the public option as well).

- A 14-year old girl picked up a microphone at a Whole Foods and told all of the black people to leave the store yesterday in New Jersey. Authorities think it was a copycat of two similar incidents at Wal-Mart stores.

- Took this story directly from this morning's Politico Pulse:

Boston Globe's Mark Shanahan reports: 'Barney Frank has enemies, even 30,000 feet in the air. Flying back to Boston from LA yesterday, the congressman was assailed by a pair of ophthalmologists upset about the health care reform bill. An argument ensued that prompted some passengers to wonder if the plane might be forced to land. ... Accustomed as he is to being conservatives's favorite bad guy, Frank mostly ignored the doctors's taunts ... but the congressman's partner, Jim Ready, did not. The problem started soon after the ophthalmologists - two sisters on their way to a conference in Boston - boarded the Virgin flight. When they discovered that Frank was sitting nearby, the women loudly dissed the landmark health care bill as an 'Obamanation.' 'They wanted to talk to me, but I apologized and said I like to read and watch on planes,' Frank told us today. 'They began to talk louder and that's when Jimmy (Ready) said, 'If you're trying to be bitchy, you're doing a good job.' Needless to say, the women didn't appreciate the remark, and things got heated.'

Alright, work time. Hey, can someone go down to Safeco and lean into one tonight. Anything to get the Mariners a baserunner. You know, Roger Dorn style. (Just stay away from his wife).

I'm done. I promise.

Bare well, Lusty Lady!

A Working Teacher Policy? In DC?

2010-04-12T09:19:00.000-04:00

Good Monday morning, where we are trying to be Forever Young (livin' life like a video).

May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.

The biggest piece of news I read yesterday was actually sent to me by a friend of mine who knows my interest in education policy. Last week, DC schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced that she had reached a tentative agreement with the Washington Teachers' Union, the culmination of two years of closely-watched talks in one of the most scrutinized districts in the nation.

While it still needs to be ratified by the union and approved by the D.C. City Council, represents and fundamental shift in how teachers are paid and evaluated in the district. Rhee came to this position with much hype, but this agreement would seem to validate much of that.

The agreement includes a voluntary pay-for-performance program that will allow teachers to earn annual bonuses for student growth on standardized tests and other measures of academic success. It also calls for dramatically expanded professional development opportunities for teachers -- including school-based professional development centers -- and mentoring and induction programs for new educators.

Under the program, teachers could make up to $130,000 a year, but would need to submit themselves to more rigorous evaluation, much of wish would be based on their students' success.

Teacher tenure was obviously one of the centerpieces here, as it always is when teachers' unions are involved. Rhee spoke directly to that point: ""What has evolved is our common understanding of what is important and what is not important. The thing that is important is that everyone understands that tenure doesn't mean a job for life."

The agreement does so as well:

The pay package covers five years, with base salary increases of 3, 3, 5, 4 and 5 percent. If the council ratifies the deal, the first 11 percent will be paid retroactively to the District's 3,800 teachers, who have not had a raise in nearly three years. The other major piece of the deal would allow officials more freedom in deciding whether to retain teachers who are "excessed" when schools are closed because of budget or enrollment issues. Under the proposal, teachers would be cut according to a formula that gives greatest weight to the previous year's evaluation. Seniority would receive least weight.

Obviously this is a new type of program, especially for a public school district. It will be heavily scrutinized, if not for all of the previously mentioned reasons, then because it will rely heavily on private donations (which it attracted mostly because of the structure of holding educators responsible). Some will say it amounts to privatization of public schools.

No district in the country spends more per student than the DC school district. Over decades, however, this city has languished as one of the nation's worst. In fact, more students in this district attend private or charter schools than public ones.

Will this scare some of the best teachers away? Maybe. What it also might do is bring in some of the most driven teachers who may see this as a district ready to give its teachers the necessary resources, and compensation, in exchange for results. Kind of like any other job. As always, the most important details will probably lie in the evaluation system, which is essentially impossible to perfect. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, however.

Kudos to this district and to Rhee. In reality, Washington ought to be one of the most advanced districts in the country given its vast resources and proximity to brilliant minds. Maybe a corner has been turned.

--

The other big news in Washington today is actually an event, the president's nuclear summit, to take place at the convention center beginning today. It will be the "largest assembly of world leaders hosted by an American president since 1945," when the U.N. was formed.

Started today, 47 world leaders will do nothing but focus on how nuclear weapons can be kept out of conflict and out of the hands of terrorists. It is a noble, if slightly unattainable goal, that nevertheless must be embarked upon. Keeping the weapons out of conventional war may be very possible. The second part is still a question mark, yet remains the largest threat to the security of any country, including the U.S.

Interestingly, and often forgotten, is this simple fact: only one country in the history of the world has ever used a nuclear weapon in conflict. If you don't know who it is, open up your U.S. history book to WWII, then go ask your history teachers how they got their jobs.

Not surprisingly (because this is DC), the focus for the vast majority of the people who aren't taking part in the conference is the major inconvenience. The Mount Vernon metro station is closed (the convention center sits above the station). I walked past one of the diplomat hotels yesterday and couldn't get within a block. Streets are closed and dozens of parking spots are lost. A nearby school even had to close just two weeks before it is scheduled to administer its No Child Left Behind Act mandated standardized test.

That said, this quote says all you need to know:

"The timing's unfortunate," Boyd said of the nuclear summit. "But we accept it as one of the prices that you pay for being in the nation's capital and having world governance unfolding before you."

Indeed. When something happens in this town, the world watches.

--

Two bits of congratulations:
- First to Phil Mickelson, who won his third green jacket yesterday, in the same year that both his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Tiger Woods may have been the ratings draw and the big story, but Mickelson, as he always is, was the fan favorite. This time was also sentimental for Lefty.

- Second to the Washington Husky softball team, for sweeping away the Arizona Wildcats over the weekend. The top-ranked, defending national champions won 2-1, 7-0 and 9-3 against No. 2 Arizona, the first time the program has ever recorded a sweep over the Wildcats. Arizona came in as the top scoring team in the country, yet was outscored 18-4 by the Huskies and reigning national player of the year, Danielle Lawrie, was at her best just a week after her grandmother died.

The games were all in front of sold-out crowds at Husky Softball Stadium. Washington is now 33-3 on the season and has started the Pac-10 regular season 5-1 against No. 5 UCLA and No. 2 Arizona. Would not be surprised to see them return to their perch as the unanimous top-ranked team, the way they started the season.

--

In case there was any question, Mitt Romney is the leader for the 2012 Republican president nomination. It comes down to dollars. Consider that he won the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference when he didn't even go.

That same story has more bad polling for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

- Finally, I have the MLB app on my iPhone that allows me to listen to Mariners games wherever I am (unless I'm in the metro). The cool thing is that I get to listen to the local broadcast and therefore the local commercials. Specifically I have heard the one against the so-called beverage tax about 100 times. It is an awful commercial. The tax may or may not have merits, but this country taxes a huge percentage of things that are bad for you, like carbonated drinks are. That isn't the point though - it's just a bad commercial. And as down to earth as it may seem, paying a couple of extra cents for a Diet Coke is not the biggest problems Washingtonians have right now. Not even in the same ballpark.

Oh, and with the amount of money spent running the commercial during a Major League Baseball game, I'll be the entire tax bill could've been paid. Just saying. (Alas, it's about "principle. Yet, the state with enough millionaires - many of whom are billionaires - to fill the professional sports stadiums has budget shortfalls and that isn't the problem?)

Hey, stay up and remember, stay young forever. We will get there.

Week in Review - The High Court

2010-04-11T11:57:00.000-04:00

Stop me if you've heard this before: the next issue to go before the legislature is going to start a big, possibly bruising and long-lasting fight. Republicans have floated the possibility of a filibuster, asking for "fair" hearings and representation of the American people. Democrats are trying to avoid saying anything that will muddy the debate, while privately wishing they had any idea of what is going on at the White House.

Sound familiar? Well, the issue changed, much to the chagrin of anyone who had something lined up in Congress (energy, immigration, financial reform, etc.), back to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS).

On Friday, after much speculation, longtime Justice John Paul Stevens announced that he will retire from his seat, effective at the end of this session. He said that he does so in order to give time for a replacement to be appointed before the beginning of the next session.

You could almost feel the focus instantaneously shift from whatever else was going on, to this. Immediately, the appointment of a new justice took precedence. That is not to say that Congress is incapable of accomplishing more than one thing at a time, but we've seen no evidence of that so far.

Justice Stevens is what they call a "liberal lion". He is the far left of the court, though if you asked him, he'd say he hasn't always been. In fact, when he was appointed, Stevens was quite the moderate and he'll tell you that he didn't change, the court did.

This is a man from a different era. David Brooks just told the story about how Stevens was sitting in Wrigley Field when Babe Ruth called his shot. That was a long time ago folks. He turns 90 soon. He is one of the longest serving members in the history of the court, having now taken his seat in five decades.

(Side note about longevity: I heard last night that Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer started his big league career in June 1986. Not only does that make his career one of few in history that have pitched in four decades, it makes his career older than me. Yeah.)

The questions will persist as to whether the president will nominate someone with a progressive background. Or will he look for someone outside of the establishment (the Yale, Harvard fraternity), as many see likely. No matter what, this will be long and drawn out. In the long run it will seriously test Congress. There are no less than three extremely important issues demanding time right now. Will they be brushed to the side by this one-thing-at-a-time legislature?

One thing can probably go without saying, but better be made clear: there will be no replacing John Paul Stevens. He is in remarkable shape for a 90 year old. He was confirmed 98-0 by the Senate. Thinking of the scope of decisions he has been apart of since being seated in 1975, he has had as much of an affect of on law today as anyone.

Now his retirement may, finally, be the thing that shapes the midterm elections in November.

--

Couple of other notess:

- Sadly, on Friday night, search and rescue teams in West Virginia found the bodies of the remaining four miners still missing in that deadly mine blast.

- In a somewhat surreal, and devastating accident (that I haven't really absorbed the scope of yet), the president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, was killed in a plane crash Saturday morning, along with 96 other dignitaries. It really is hard to grasp the enormity of the situation, the death of the president of a country in a plane crash. Seems like the definition of sudden.

- God will no longer be able to watch "His team" through the hole in the roof of Texas Stadium. It was imploded this morning.

Have a great Sunday and God Bless.

START, A Fox News Reality Check (Again)

2010-04-09T09:35:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I lied. This Jon Stewart piece on the new START treaty is just too good.

Best part is Sarah Palin simply ignoring Sean Hannity's question to talk about Ronald Reagan, then getting shot down by Stewart.

Also, Rasmussen Reports, generally a right-leaning pollster, finally has Sen. Patty Murray up against Dino Rossi, though still short of 50.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

The Big Bang Treaty

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

On Revolution...and the Economy

2010-04-09T09:02:00.000-04:00

"You can call this revolution. You can call this a people's revolt. Either way, it is our way of saying that we want justice and democracy."

Those words, though sounding stunningly like those spoken by our founding fathers, were instead uttered yesterday, by Roza Otunbayeva, former foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S. and now interim leader of Kyrgyzstan.

For the past few days the country is been in the midst of a takeover that left its leader exiled on his own plane and riot police huddled next to each other while being attacked. Yes, it was bloody.

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is a natural manure."

Those, famous words of Thomas Jefferson, speak to the difficulties of revolution, and the realities too. Although, none may have ever spoken so eloquently on the subject than Malcolm X, who reminded that "revolution" is not a word to be thrown around lightly.

"...you don't have a peaceful revolution. You don't have a turn-the-other-cheek revolution. There's no such thing as a nonviolent revolution.

A revolution is bloody. Revolution is hostile. Revolution knows no compromise. Revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way. And you, sitting around here like a knot on the wall, saying, "I'm going to love these folks no matter how much they hate me." No, you need a revolution. Whoever heard of a revolution where they lock arms, as Reverend Cleage was pointing out beautifully, singing "We Shall Overcome"? Just tell me. You don't do that in a revolution. You don't do any singing; you're too busy swinging.

Without specifically endorsing his politics, I can say that this was one of the best speeches Malcolm X ever gave, and the one I agree with the most. Revolutions are bloody, not peaceful. They overturn things. As happened this week.

--

What I was going to write about today, until I got wrapped into revolutionary talk, was far more technical, yet equally important: the economy.

Washington Post writer Ezra Klein wrote a piece yesterday, detailing the significant uptick in the economy since Barack Obama became president. And it is FULL of graphs and charts - awesome. One thing before I get into it: some of this can absolutely be attributed to George W. Bush. He didn't want to pass a bailout, but he had to and it appears to have worked. Now we need tougher regulations to ensure that is never needed again, but at that time, it was.

This first chart started circulating a couple of months ago, but has since been updated. It is a job growth chart for the last two years.

Now, just like unemployment rate, these are hard to look at without some context. First, jobs are often the last thing to recovery after a recession, simply because businesses want to make sure they are actually out of it before they start taking on payroll. Included later in his post was an unemployment chart, which may be an even worse indicator. Not only is it held down (up?) by the late recovering job market, but there is another line on that chart that shows what the "real" unemployment is - including people who have stopped looking or are working less than full-time. As that number (which no one pays attention to) comes down, the other one goes up, as a result of more people going back into the job market. So no matter what, the unemployment rate is still going to be high in November.

Just two other graphs I wanted to share, the first being probably the biggest indicator of wealth in this country: housing values.

Why are these important? It is like I said, housing values are a major indicator of wealth. A large portion of this country has their personal finances tied up in their house. I have had multiple friends with parents who, after getting them out of the house finally, sold their house and moved into a condo, or something like it. You see how high those values got after the Clinton administration, meaning people were taking significant profit on a house purchased a decade before. Few places saw this as starkly as Seattle.

When housing values go up, wealth goes up. Spending follows and economies recover.

And finally, GDP growth. This graph covers the entire Obama administration by quarter. It sort of speaks for itself, but the underlying point is that the economy is getting better. Just know that.

--

Couple of other notes on this no-so-sunny, not-nearly-as-warm Friday:

- Check this blog out. It is written by a former teacher of mine, Steve Miranda. He is no longer at Garfield, but at a community school where he does a ton of thinking on how education can actually work for students. By all means disagree, that's part of the point.

- President Obama called Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's omission of slavery "unacceptable".

- Rep. Bart Stupak, who obviously made himself the leader of the Democratic pro-life movement in the last year, before being called a "baby-killer" on the floor of the House of Representatives by a Republican, is retiring from his Michigan seat.

- Also, pay attention the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Newt Gingrich is there, saying that Republicans actually need to offer real, alternative plans to the "secular, socialist, machine now running Washington." Is that not a good enough tease?

Alright y'all, it's been a long week. I may sleep until Monday. Or I might find something else good to write. The possibilities...

What was "Significant" in the Confederacy?

2010-04-08T09:10:00.000-04:00

You just had to know there was going to be more to this story.

On Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a proclamation declaring April to be Confederate History Month (not to be confused with the Emancipation Proclamation).

I'll just let that sink in for a minute. Because it gets better.

Apparently, in his original proclamation, the Republican governor left out what is obviously an insignificant (his own word) detail in this whole Civil War thing: slavery.

Bob McDonnell left slavery out of his proclamation, saying he had included the "most significant" issue. Wait for it, 3...2...1 and BAM, apology.

"The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission. The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell said in a statement.

So it went from being insignificant to "major omission". Here's what he said before his apology, in response to missing slavery:

"There were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia."

Alright, you are the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, correct? This is the same state that housed the capitol of said Confederacy. Also, without question, its most famous son was none other than a slave-owning, "All Men Are Created Equal" writing, founding father - who just happened to have a few kids with one of his slaves. So obviously this isn't significant for Virginia. (Full disclosure: I live in Virginia - sort of. I live in Arlington, which might as well be DC.)

I should also add that I did like another part of McDonnell's apology:

"Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation."

I'll say one thing: this guy has great writers. That's how he got elected to that seat in the first place. But here's the thing, and take this really serious because my readers here know that I very rarely speak serious ill of elected officials: I don't think he really believes that.

No, I am not saying McDonnell is wishing the days of slavery would return. I'm just not sure he thinks Virginia has much of a "stain" from slavery. I'm not sure I do either, but I'm not from here. When you think about slavery though, you think Thomas Jefferson sure, but then attention moves to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, etc. That said, McDonnell had absolutely no business leaving it out.

If you're sitting there thinking, "how in the world did this guy get elected," just stop. Here are the answers: an awful Democratic candidate named Creigh Deeds, who couldn't seem to get off of McDonnell's extremely conservative leanings, which did include a thesis that says working women are hurting America. Second, a toxic health care debate. And third, Virginia's ridiculous need to be "different" from everyone else. You know, like leaving the Union to do whatever it was that was more significant than slavery.

All of this is why I went down to the mall to visit my guy Abe on the way home last night. Engraved into the north wall of the memorial is his second inaugural address, which, despite McDonnell's statements about the insignificance of slavery, says this in its opening lines:

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.

And, with all that is given to the Gettysburg address, about whether a nation so charged could survive, it was the end of that inaugural speech that provided the road map.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

We would all do well to remember that more often than not. Not, "with malice in our hearts," but, "with malice toward none."

--

I really just have a couple of links, because I wanted to leave you with all of that above.

- Mine safety concerns were raised at the same mine in question on the day of the explosion that has so far killed 25, with four missing and likely dead as well. Contrary to the lead in the article, rescue workers have been forced to stay out of the mine due to high levels of toxic gases, namely methane (CH4).

- And presidents of what were once the world's most dominant superpowers signed onto an historic new START treaty this morning in Prague. Despite all that has happened domestically with President Obama, this is yet another sure symbol of his influence abroad.

- This has to be the dumbest person in the world. Seriously.

- Finally, here is the newest Tiger Woods ad from Nike. Almost sickeningly brilliant:

California Education Budget Cuts

2010-04-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hot for Teachers w/ Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green from Megan Fox

Perfection: Connecticut 78-0

2010-04-07T08:45:00.000-04:00

Kicking off this Wednesday, when it is supposed to hit 91 here in the Washington area, with two quick notes.

First, in what can only be considered an American travesty, astronaut Buzz Aldrin was booted off Dancing with the Stars last night. No, I did not watch. I've already seen video of him moonwalking.

Second, a huge congratulations to what may very well be the greatest team in the history of women's college basketball. Topped only by John Wooden's UCLA Bruins teams in the 60's and 70's. The Wizard of Westwood lead seven-straight national championship groups and presided over an 88-game winning streak.

Well, last night, Connecticut and its head coach Geno Auriemma, pushed their streak to a mind-boggling 78 games, while winning their second-consecutive title and capping off back-to-back 39-0 seasons. The Huskies are the first women's program to ever do that. It is the fourth undefeated season for the program, all under Auriemma, and six championship since 2000.

And it wasn't easy. UConn had just 12 points at halftime against Stanford, who finished the season with just two losses - both to the Huskies - and looked completely lost. But a 41-point second half, dominated by superstar Maya Moore, left no doubt. The only question mark was whether the win would be by more than ten, as the previous 77 were. It wasn't, for once.

Let it be recognized that this is the greatest women's team of all time and quite possibly the greatest overall program, given how much harder it is to win so many games in this age of college basketball.

- Staying with the sports tilt - in a rare occurrence, the University of Washington Athletic Department reported a $5.5 million loss last year, something that would raise eyebrows during this economy.

UW is known as one of the less than 20 or so schools that operates in the black on a regular basis. Obviously having a struggling football program does not help. However, AD Scott Woodward said it was mostly based on a couple of one-time occurrences that won't happen again, and cited a couple of upcoming money-making opportunities for the department as reasons he is not overly concerned.

Washington is also one of the few self-sustaining programs in the country, drawing money from the University and state only for tuition wavers and Title IX compliance.

--

The search and rescue mission continues for four miners in West Virginia, who are hoped to be locked in an airtight room in the mine, built just for instances such as these. The longer it goes, the more hope wains. Anderson Cooper continues to have great coverage on CNN, with this video providing a great breakdown:

--

Moving on to just some other news:

- A story about Glenn Beck is gaining more and more traction. After he admonished congressional leaders, including one Civil Rights leader, for comparing themselves to members of the C.R. movement, Beck appears to compare himself to Rosa Parks in this clip.

The interesting thing about Beck is that I don't think anyone really believes he is some big leader for change. Actually, I know they don't. And even further, because of the channel he is on, many people simply see him is part of the conservative eco-chamber. Now, if you listen what he says, he really does say some different things, all with anti-government tilt. But he even admonishes the church and other hardcore conservative ideals. What he isn't, however, is any sort of leader.

- Bob McDonnell, the governor of Virginia, has brought back a famous pastime in the state: Confederate History Month. One must realize that Virginia was the capitol of the confederacy and I was told yesterday that there is actually a street in Richmond line with statues of famous Civil War heroes. There was even some controversy years ago when the city wanted to add a statue of legendary black tennis player Arthur Ashe, the man for whom the U.S. Open stadium is named. The move was blocked.

Because it is history, and particularly the history of that commonwealth, it should be studied and not forgotten. A month might be in excess, but it absolutely should be state-based textbooks. Someone I know argued that that would be like having a "Hitler history month." Completely disagree. We study WWII in America. We also study the Civil War. And if you live in Virginia, a major part of that war was that you were on the other side of it.

Two other things. One, that same conversation also turned into an argument about the "three-fifths" rule, because the constitution of the confederacy explicitly endorsed slavery. In my opinion, the three-fifths rule may have been the best decision made when writing the document. So many say that it was to appease the South, but I can't believe that. Southern slave owners would had to have know that a) slaves would never vote and b) the larger the slave population, the more representation they get in Congress. Can you imagine if the south had the majority it should've had? I don't want to.

And two, maybe I'm awful for this, but one of my favorite part of the Civil War was William Sherman's march through the South, specifically his stop in what is probably the region's greatest city now: Atlanta.

"Behind us lay Atlanta smoldering and in ruins, the black smoke rising high in the air and hanging like a ball over the ruined city."

History nerdism right there.

- A Yakima man was arrested yesterday for threatening to kill Washington state Senator Patty Murray. He is believed to be the first person arrested on such a charge since this backlash to health care reform began.

I'm stopping because I need to do work, but if you end up needing a laugh at some point today, you can't wrong with 10 minutes watch Charles Barkley's best moments on television.

Great Interview - Unless You're Steve Cohen

2010-04-06T15:09:00.002-04:00

And Death Followed with Him

2010-04-06T08:50:00.000-04:00

Good morning.

There's a verse in the Bible, Revelations 6:8, which I've always read, over and over again, and wondered what it meant. It was in the West Wing at some point, which is where I got it, but today, I particularly feel it grabbing me.

And I looked, and, behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Death followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Admittedly, I know very little about Revelations, especially this verse. But every so often it sticks in my head and I cannot let it go.

This morning it is being reported that the death toll at a West Virginia coal mine, where an explosion ripped through late yesterday, has reached 25. Four workers are still missing.

It is the worst coal mining accident in more than 25 years.

Seven of the bodies have been recovered and, though rescue workers had hoped miners would make it into one of the airtight chambers inside the mine that are stocked with food and water for up to four days, the one that has been checked so far was empty.

"There's always danger. There's so many ways you can get hurt, or your life taken," said Gary Williams, a miner and pastor of a church near the southern West Virginia mine. "It's not something you dread every day, but there's always that danger. But for this area, it's the only way you're going to make a living."

I adamantly refuse to rail on Massey right now, although it will happen in due time. Safety in coal mines must be addressed, but the fact of life is that they are just dangerous places to work. They could be better, but they are, short of the military, one of the world's most dangerous professions.

Ironically, the front page of the Express today:

The main image is of the rescue operation at a Chinese coal mine that flooded last week. Some 115 workers were pulled from the mine alive, a feat that even the Chinese are referring to as a "miracle." More than 30 still remain inside that mine.

More than 2,600 workers died in Chinese mines in 2009, in a country where mine safety is not taken very seriously. China has become notorious for its mining accidents. Since 1900, more than 100,000 people have died in U.S. mines, but the number has decreased sharply over the years. Should the four people still in the West Virginia mine die, making the toll 29, the industry would almost eclipse the entire 2009 total, 35.

The problem with looking at raw numbers, however, is that far less people work in mines than 100 years ago. But obviously safety has improved. Unions have forced that.

Here is a video from Anderson Cooper from last night:

--

Other news:
- In an interview yesterday, Arizona Senator John McCain (remember him?) said that he had never actually considered himself a "maverick". So, Sarah Palin's entire persona is shot now, right?

- Best line White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has used in a long time: "Michael Steele's problem is not the race card, it's the credit card." Awesome. And a look at that, arguing that Steele doesn't have a race problem, his party does.

- Speaking of which, the RNC is falling apart around its embattled leader.

- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid continued to poke fun at Palin yesterday, when he said, "I was going to give a few remarks...but I couldn't find it written all over my hands."

People need to get over this. It's a bonafide joke. I'll bet Palin thinks it's hilarious. It doesn't say anything bad about anyone.

- A report shows that the TARP program is turning a profit for the U.S. government, despite what all the pundits are saying.

- One of these seemingly little things that goes unnoticed, but will fundamentally change the way the U.S. responds to things. President Obama limited the events in which the U.S. would use nuclear weapons, clarifying an intentionally ambiguous law.

- The other thing that will start to become bigger news is that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has said that he "will surely" retire during the Obama administration, giving the president a second chance to nominate a justice, albeit to replace a pretty liberal one. Stevens turns 90 soon.

And finally, my blog recommendation for the day: Senatus

Congratulations to, ugh, Duke, for winning its fourth national championship after a great game last night. If that shot had fallen at the buzzer, it may have been the greatest shot in the history of basketball, at any level, Jordan included.

Really excited to watch the Connecticut Huskies against Stanford tonight in the women's title game. Greatest team of all time?

Oh, and nice job M's. Way to get the season started off right.

A National Championship and A Tragedy

2010-04-05T23:08:00.000-04:00

All day I've been mulling over an article I read about whether or not Butler playing in the national championship game will be a major turning point for the teams we once called mid-majors. I'm still going to write about that, but two other things have come to my attention that I need to report.

First, the story scrolled across my email at about 4:30 this afternoon, 30 minutes after an explosion ripped through a West Virginia coal mine. At the time there was little detail and I calmly passed the story around the office, allowing for the collective concern to build.

Rest assured that not a single person here turns and says anything along the lines of, "See! This is why coal is so bad!" We know coal is bad and we know it is dangerous. But we're not here to play politics with the seven people who died and the 19 who are still trapped in the mine.

The mine is owned by Massey Energy, the arch enemy of environmental groups, and operated by Performance Coal, a Massey subsidiary. The mine is nonunion, but the largest union sent help. The fact is that, if it is two dangerous to rescue the miners, this could be an even bigger tragedy than it already is now.

--

The second thing, which also isn't so popular, is the release of a video, showing an apache helicopter in Iraq, shooting at a crowd of people on the ground, in what has turned into a an investigation here in the U.S. The military said the soldiers were acting within the rules of engagement.

I am absolutely not going to second guess the military here. I am not a soldier and it isn't anywhere near my area of expertise. The radio conversation could have been a little more serious, but we cannot act like we haven't trained these guys to be calm, collected killers.

Taken as a whole, the video is disconcerting. But unless someone I know and respect tells me otherwise, it looks like the realities of war.

--

Finally, I begin this as I watch the second half of this highly entertaining, competitive basketball game betweek Butler and Duke at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Much of the conversation, after how great it is that Butler is getting play the national championship game in its home city, is around what this means for "mid-majors".

My answer: nothing.

Allow me to explain. First, look at Butler as a program. It isn't your classic mid-major program. It is a well-respected program nearing of a decade of success that came into the season highly ranked. But the real x-factor for this team with a 33-year old coach that plays in maybe the most historic basketball arena in the country: it's in Indiana.

Why does that matter? The state of Indiana is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country and Butler is a desirable place to play basketball. Throw in the years long struggle Indiana, formerly coached by Bob Knight and the recipe for their success was basically cooked for them.

Now, as far as the nation as a whole, the statement is not being made in this game. Whereas recruiting used to be regional and home-school loyalty strong, that is no longer the case. All recruiting is national. This particularly helps schools like a Butler, which take advantage of bigger programs recruiting out of state and fill up with in-state recruits. In addition, the guys that leave the state, but miss it and want to come back have a perfect situation in Indianapolis.

The table is set for many teams to do this. It won't be like it was with George Mason a few years ago. It will be with really good basketball teams that deserve to be exactly where they are. It would be hard to classify any of Butler wins in the tournament "upsets", except maybe Syracuse. This team is for real. They belong where they are.

With the way recruiting works now, and with how widely syndicated college basketball is these days, this will not be rare. In fact, in case many of your forgot, Gonzaga has been knocking on the door for quite some time as well. I am not surprised by what we are watching right now.

--

If you're from Seattle, this is pretty cool. The 98118 area code, most of South Seattle, is the most diverse in the country. Take a look at a map of it and you'll understand why.

--

Keep praying for those in the mine in West Virginia. Night.

"Just a bit outside"

2010-04-05T13:47:00.000-04:00

President Barack Obama threw out the first pitch on Opening Day at National Stadium today. Watching it live looked a lot worse than it looks on replay. Still, it was just a bit high and just a bit outside. But he got it there.

Watch:

Monday, Monday - Prayers to Ballard

2010-04-05T09:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday!

Sadly, I have to open this with some disheartening news, as I learned yesterday that a deadly car accident in Ballard claimed the lives of three recent BHS grads early this morning. A fourth passenger is fighting for her life at Harborview. I am still trying to find out who was in the car, but reports are they are in their early 20's, meaning it is likely I knew them. Scary and sad.

UPDATE: The Seattle Times has an updated story today. All members of the BHS Class of '08.

--

On a far happier note, I was able to watch Connecticut take on Baylor in the women's Final Four last night, in what was supposed to be a test for the Huskies. It was. Baylor crawled to within three in the second half. But let's get real here. UConn won by 20. They have won their Elite 8 and Final Four games by a combing 60 points. This is a team that hasn't allowed more than 50 points in the entire tournament. They will play Stanford, a team already a 12-point victim earlier this season, a Tuesday's national championship game.

What will I be doing on Tuesday? Watching the game of course, but only after coming down from a double dose of Monday excitement, which will include the Mariners' Opening Day, as well the men's title game. Fittingly, the Red Sox and Yankees kicked of 2010 last night with a thriller at Fenway.

--

How about some politics huh? The thing that caught my eye this morning was an op-ed from yesterday's Washington Post, written by former Vice President Dan Quayle, who knows a thing or two about third party politics. Quayle was George H.W. Bush's veep and on the losing end of the 1992 election, thanks largely to the 19 percent who voted for Ross Perot.

What started as a grass-roots phenomenon ended with 19 percent support at the ballot box -- and a majority of those voters would probably have gone Republican in a two-party race. Speaking on behalf of the Bush-Quayle campaign, to this day we firmly believe that Perot cost the Republican Party the White House.

Quayle's claim is that there is evidence this scenario could play out again this year. In reality, it already has, in the NY-23 district, where the Tea Party and the establishment clashed, to the benefit of Democrats.
Interestingly, he points out the Tea Party's close focus on fiscal policy:

The tea partiers are concerned, above all, with fiscal matters and national security; they are not focused on the social issues that bring together other parts of the Republican coalition.

I say interesting because, as has been pointed out many times, many of these people receive federal benefits. Some have readily admitted such to newspapers. Which begs the question about rural America and how decisions on voting actually occur. It seems widely believed that rural (and mostly Southern, white) voters pick candidates do to born-again social policy. In other words, pro-life, etc. Because if these people voted based on their financial situation, they'd all vote for the welfare that is received by more rural, white mothers than any other demographic. Yet, they defy their own pocketbooks for tax cuts that they wouldn't even get. So many of them are out of work, but they are supporting the party that continues to block their unemployment benefits.

With many of these factors in play, Quayle could very much be right, which would obviously be good for Democrats.

Other links:

- There was actually a lot about the Tea Party today, as many people are trying to figure out just who they are. Well, here is a report showing that they lean heavily conservative, white and older than 34.

- And this response, claiming that 40 percent of Tea Party members are Democrats (uhh), while saying that 80 percent of them dislike Obama, pointing out that number is higher than it is for Republicans. Well yes, considering the group was created to oppose Obama, that makes sense...

Also, the media is covering the Tea Party groups pretty well. Especially Fox News. This writer could be a little more factual himself, given that the report actually states that 40 percent are non-Republicans. Not even close to that number (13 percent) claim to be Democrats.

- I thoroughly enjoy the New Yorker, simply because everything in it is so blatantly partisan. Take this article on climate change, in which the author is clearly advocating for legislation and against meteorologists (or their television personalities at least) who believe it doesn't exist. In response to one weatherman's view on the subject: "Bastardi’s position is ridiculous (which is no doubt why he’s often asked to air it on Fox News)." Awesome

- A map of the Senate races in 2010 still shows Patty Murray as likely D. That will likely change at some point.

- Recently the federal government awarded money from the $4 billion Race to the Top program to just two states. Some are now wondering whether the effort to apply for the second round is worth it.

- And RNC Chairman Michael Steele is claiming that his race is part of the reason he is being held to a higher standard as party leader. Not the party's reimbursement of strip club receipts. Or the lack of money in the bank despite good fundraising. I realize there are some racial things going both ways right now, but Steele hasn't been called a racial slur or spit on for taking a vote. He's been staying in ritzy hotels.

- In the interest of full disclosure of Washington, most of today's conversations will probably revolve around the Redskins, who have just landed a Donovan McNabb in a trade with the Eagles.

- Closing in off with a great story about a man who parked his car and had a ticket within 30 seconds - before he could pay the meter.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

My Redeemer Lives!

On this day, the happiest of the year, marking the rise of Jesus, I remember a man that also fought and today was killed. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed outside of his Memphis hotel.

Which reminds me of a line that sums up Dr. King so well, while drawing from the life of Jesus Christ as well.

"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant."

Today, remember the Drum Major Instinct. Remember the life and death of Jesus Christ.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." He didn't have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.

"Say that I was a drum major for justice...I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

See the entire sermon below.

his morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: "The Drum Major Instinct." "The Drum Major Instinct." And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words: "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would ye that I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’" And then Jesus goes on toward the end of that passage to say, "But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."

The setting is clear. James and John are making a specific request of the master. They had dreamed, as most of the Hebrews dreamed, of a coming king of Israel who would set Jerusalem free and establish his kingdom on Mount Zion, and in righteousness rule the world. And they thought of Jesus as this kind of king. And they were thinking of that day when Jesus would reign supreme as this new king of Israel. And they were saying, "Now when you establish your kingdom, let one of us sit on the right hand and the other on the left hand of your throne."

Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.

And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.

And you know, we begin early to ask life to put us first. Our first cry as a baby was a bid for attention. And all through childhood the drum major impulse or instinct is a major obsession. Children ask life to grant them first place. They are a little bundle of ego. And they have innately the drum major impulse or the drum major instinct.

Now in adult life, we still have it, and we really never get by it. We like to do something good. And you know, we like to be praised for it. Now if you don't believe that, you just go on living life, and you will discover very soon that you like to be praised. Everybody likes it, as a matter of fact. And somehow this warm glow we feel when we are praised or when our name is in print is something of the vitamin A to our ego. Nobody is unhappy when they are praised, even if they know they don't deserve it and even if they don't believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else. (That’s right) But everybody likes to be praised because of this real drum major instinct.

Now the presence of the drum major instinct is why so many people are "joiners." You know, there are some people who just join everything. And it's really a quest for attention and recognition and importance. And they get names that give them that impression. So you get your groups, and they become the "Grand Patron," and the little fellow who is henpecked at home needs a chance to be the "Most Worthy of the Most Worthy" of something. It is the drum major impulse and longing that runs the gamut of human life. And so we see it everywhere, this quest for recognition. And we join things, overjoin really, that we think that we will find that recognition in.

Now the presence of this instinct explains why we are so often taken by advertisers. You know, those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion. And they have a way of saying things to you that kind of gets you into buying. In order to be a man of distinction, you must drink this whiskey. In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car. (Make it plain) In order to be lovely to love you must wear this kind of lipstick or this kind of perfume. And you know, before you know it, you're just buying that stuff. (Yes) That's the way the advertisers do it.

I got a letter the other day, and it was a new magazine coming out. And it opened up, "Dear Dr. King: As you know, you are on many mailing lists. And you are categorized as highly intelligent, progressive, a lover of the arts and the sciences, and I know you will want to read what I have to say." Of course I did. After you said all of that and explained me so exactly, of course I wanted to read it. [laughter]

But very seriously, it goes through life; the drum major instinct is real. (Yes) And you know what else it causes to happen? It often causes us to live above our means. (Make it plain) It's nothing but the drum major instinct. Do you ever see people buy cars that they can't even begin to buy in terms of their income? (Amen) [laughter] You've seen people riding around in Cadillacs and Chryslers who don't earn enough to have a good T-Model Ford. (Make it plain) But it feeds a repressed ego.

You know, economists tell us that your automobile should not cost more than half of your annual income. So if you make an income of five thousand dollars, your car shouldn't cost more than about twenty-five hundred. That's just good economics. And if it's a family of two, and both members of the family make ten thousand dollars, they would have to make out with one car. That would be good economics, although it's often inconvenient. But so often, haven't you seen people making five thousand dollars a year and driving a car that costs six thousand? And they wonder why their ends never meet. [laughter] That's a fact.

Now the economists also say that your house shouldn't cost—if you're buying a house, it shouldn't cost more than twice your income. That's based on the economy and how you would make ends meet. So, if you have an income of five thousand dollars, it's kind of difficult in this society. But say it's a family with an income of ten thousand dollars, the house shouldn't cost much more than twenty thousand. Well, I've seen folk making ten thousand dollars, living in a forty- and fifty-thousand-dollar house. And you know they just barely make it. They get a check every month somewhere, and they owe all of that out before it comes in. Never have anything to put away for rainy days.

But now the problem is, it is the drum major instinct. And you know, you see people over and over again with the drum major instinct taking them over. And they just live their lives trying to outdo the Joneses. (Amen) They got to get this coat because this particular coat is a little better and a little better-looking than Mary's coat. And I got to drive this car because it's something about this car that makes my car a little better than my neighbor's car. (Amen) I know a man who used to live in a thirty-five-thousand-dollar house. And other people started building thirty-five-thousand-dollar houses, so he built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house. And then somebody else built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house, and he built a hundred-thousand-dollar house. And I don't know where he's going to end up if he's going to live his life trying to keep up with the Joneses.

There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive. (Make it plain) And that's where I want to move now. I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one's personality to become distorted. I guess that's the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn't harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting. Have you ever heard people that—you know, and I'm sure you've met them—that really become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. (Amen) And they just boast and boast and boast, and that's the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct.

And then it does other things to the personality. It causes you to lie about who you know sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) There are some people who are influence peddlers. And in their attempt to deal with the drum major instinct, they have to try to identify with the so-called big-name people. (Yeah, Make it plain) And if you're not careful, they will make you think they know somebody that they don't really know. (Amen) They know them well, they sip tea with them, and they this-and-that. That happens to people.

And the other thing is that it causes one to engage ultimately in activities that are merely used to get attention. Criminologists tell us that some people are driven to crime because of this drum major instinct. They don't feel that they are getting enough attention through the normal channels of social behavior, and so they turn to anti-social behavior in order to get attention, in order to feel important. (Yeah) And so they get that gun, and before they know it they robbed a bank in a quest for recognition, in a quest for importance.

And then the final great tragedy of the distorted personality is the fact that when one fails to harness this instinct, (Glory to God) he ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. (Amen) And whenever you do that, you engage in some of the most vicious activities. You will spread evil, vicious, lying gossip on people, because you are trying to pull them down in order to push yourself up. (Make it plain) And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.

Now the other problem is, when you don't harness the drum major instinct—this uncontrolled aspect of it—is that it leads to snobbish exclusivism. It leads to snobbish exclusivism. (Make it plain) And you know, this is the danger of social clubs and fraternities—I'm in a fraternity; I'm in two or three—for sororities and all of these, I'm not talking against them. I'm saying it's the danger. The danger is that they can become forces of classism and exclusivism where somehow you get a degree of satisfaction because you are in something exclusive. And that's fulfilling something, you know—that I'm in this fraternity, and it's the best fraternity in the world, and everybody can't get in this fraternity. So it ends up, you know, a very exclusive kind of thing.

And you know, that can happen with the church; I know churches get in that bind sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) I've been to churches, you know, and they say, "We have so many doctors, and so many school teachers, and so many lawyers, and so many businessmen in our church." And that's fine, because doctors need to go to church, and lawyers, and businessmen, teachers—they ought to be in church. But they say that—even the preacher sometimes will go all through that—they say that as if the other people don't count. (Amen)

And the church is the one place where a doctor ought to forget that he's a doctor. The church is the one place where a Ph.D. ought to forget that he's a Ph.D. (Yes) The church is the one place that the school teacher ought to forget the degree she has behind her name. The church is the one place where the lawyer ought to forget that he's a lawyer. And any church that violates the "whosoever will, let him come" doctrine is a dead, cold church, (Yes) and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.

When the church is true to its nature, (Whoo) it says, "Whosoever will, let him come." (Yes) And it does not supposed to satisfy the perverted uses of the drum major instinct. It's the one place where everybody should be the same, standing before a common master and savior. (Yes, sir) And a recognition grows out of this—that all men are brothers because they are children (Yes) of a common father.

The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one's thinking and can lead one to feel that because he has some training, he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. Or because he has some economic security, that he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. And that's the uncontrolled, perverted use of the drum major instinct.

Now the other thing is, that it leads to tragic—and we've seen it happen so often—tragic race prejudice. Many who have written about this problem—Lillian Smith used to say it beautifully in some of her books. And she would say it to the point of getting men and women to see the source of the problem. Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior. A need that some people have to feel that they are first, and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first. (Make it plain, today, ‘cause I’m against it, so help me God) And they have said over and over again in ways that we see with our own eyes. In fact, not too long ago, a man down in Mississippi said that God was a charter member of the White Citizens Council. And so God being the charter member means that everybody who's in that has a kind of divinity, a kind of superiority. And think of what has happened in history as a result of this perverted use of the drum major instinct. It has led to the most tragic prejudice, the most tragic expressions of man's inhumanity to man.

The other day I was saying, I always try to do a little converting when I'm in jail. And when we were in jail in Birmingham the other day, the white wardens and all enjoyed coming around the cell to talk about the race problem. And they were showing us where we were so wrong demonstrating. And they were showing us where segregation was so right. And they were showing us where intermarriage was so wrong. So I would get to preaching, and we would get to talking—calmly, because they wanted to talk about it. And then we got down one day to the point—that was the second or third day—to talk about where they lived, and how much they were earning. And when those brothers told me what they were earning, I said, "Now, you know what? You ought to be marching with us. [laughter] You're just as poor as Negroes." And I said, "You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because through prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same forces that oppress Negroes in American society oppress poor white people. (Yes) And all you are living on is the satisfaction of your skin being white, and the drum major instinct of thinking that you are somebody big because you are white. And you're so poor you can't send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march."

Now that's a fact. That the poor white has been put into this position, where through blindness and prejudice, (Make it plain) he is forced to support his oppressors. And the only thing he has going for him is the false feeling that he’s superior because his skin is white—and can't hardly eat and make his ends meet week in and week out. (Amen)

And not only does this thing go into the racial struggle, it goes into the struggle between nations. And I would submit to you this morning that what is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy. And if something doesn't happen to stop this trend, I'm sorely afraid that we won't be here to talk about Jesus Christ and about God and about brotherhood too many more years. (Yeah) If somebody doesn't bring an end to this suicidal thrust that we see in the world today, none of us are going to be around, because somebody's going to make the mistake through our senseless blunderings of dropping a nuclear bomb somewhere. And then another one is going to drop. And don't let anybody fool you, this can happen within a matter of seconds. (Amen) They have twenty-megaton bombs in Russia right now that can destroy a city as big as New York in three seconds, with everybody wiped away, and every building. And we can do the same thing to Russia and China.

But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. "I must be first." "I must be supreme." "Our nation must rule the world." (Preach it) And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I'm going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.

God didn't call America to do what she's doing in the world now. (Preach it, preach it) God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I'm going to continue to say it. And we won't stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.

But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. (Amen) The God that I worship has a way of saying, "Don't play with me." (Yes) He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, "Don’t play with me, Israel. Don't play with me, Babylon. (Yes) Be still and know that I'm God. And if you don't stop your reckless course, I'll rise up and break the backbone of your power." (Yes) And that can happen to America. (Yes) Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.

But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"

But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."

And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared." (Amen)

And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.

And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.

I know a man—and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I'm talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn't have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." He didn't have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.

This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. (Amen) It's the only way in.

Every now and then I guess we all think realistically (Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.

If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)

I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)

I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.

I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)

I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)

And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)

I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)

I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that's all I want to say.

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,

Then my living will not be in vain.

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,

If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,

If I can spread the message as the master taught,

Then my living will not be in vain.

Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.

Peace to This Young Warrior - Without the Sound of Guns

2010-04-01T09:32:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I've ever been more excited to open a blog post. Last night, Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker stayed awake until past midnight. He wanted to be wide-eyed when the calendar turned to April.

That is because, just a day after a deadly drive-by shooting rocked Southeast Washington, D.C., Newark received far better news on that front. For the first time since 1966, a calendar month went by without a murder.

Fitting that I heaped so much praise on the mayor in my post yesterday morning, as he truly is turning that city into something it hasn't been a decades. It has been 32 days since a homicide was committed in New Jersey's largest city.

Just three years ago, Newark's murder rate was more than five times the national average. In 2010, the city is on pace to better than halve that number.

The news is especially enlightening when taking a look at the recent developments in the case here in Washington. Reports today are that police believe a stolen bracelet was the motivation for the back-and-forth violence that led to Tuesday.

Police are saying they believe the murder last week of a man, over the bracelet, led to retaliation days later, which then led to this most recent shooting. Over a bracelet.

--

This is a tough transition to make, but I'm doing it on purpose. Saturday, two teams will tip off against each other in the Final Four. One, just six miles from its campus, which holds one of the most storied gyms in all of basketball, against one, honestly not much farther away, with an iconic coach.

For the last couple of decades, basketball has been an "out" for kids in the hood trying to live a better life. These are freak athletes, given a scholarship to come play basketball, make money for the school and hopefully move to the next level. That last thing obviously happens less than it doesn't happen, but in the grand scheme, where many of these kids could have been standing in front of that apartment building (one of the men the police arrested was 20), this is a step in the right direction.

For several decades, dating back to the 1920's at Butler's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, basketball has not been an out, but instead a right of passage. Like football in Texas, basketball in the Hoosier state is the thing that identifies you. While some absolutely play it as an escape, many play it because it's what you do when you're from Indiana.

The reason I bring this up is that, Butler, the little school in Indiana, is full of these types of players. And there has always been a part of me that said that, if players from inner-cities, where basketball is as much an escape as a passion, were more the latter, our athletes would be more successful, both on the court, but more importantly off of it. Butler understands that, as its star player is a first team academic All-American.

I have always thought that sports can strengthen a community. Where many stand separated, sports can unite. Where many stand disheartened, sports can encourage. Where many stand weak, sports can empower. But only in situations like that in Indiana, where it is sport, specifically basketball, that is loved, not the lavish rewards. That desire for lavish rewards and the "respect" that comes with them seeps into our most vulnerable communities - and leads to a situation where six people die - over a bracelet.

A gun does not make one any stronger than a basketball does, just more violent. But guns incite passions where often basketball doesn't. Maybe one day we can make shooting into a hoop more common than shooting into a body.

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- ESPN's Pat Forde writes about the small school in the Big Dance.

- On health care again, it appears that many Republicans are backing off the "repeal the bill" language, fearing it could harm them in November. Instead some are turning to "strengthening" the bill, something that is exactly the point of major legislation like this.

- The recess town halls have begun, meaning a daily roundup of who got drilled by constituents and who had a funny, Barney Frank-like "kitchen table" response. Yesterday it was Carol Shea-Porter.

- All you Washington state people should really pay close attention to what Rob McKenna is doing. Contrary to the crazed belief of some health care opponents right now, suing the federal government is not going to make this well-liked and respected lawmaker look good. Especially when his governor and state legislature disagree with him. Also, it takes what was a perceived moderate (pro-choice, great environmental record) and drives him to the right. His ability to win the governorship everyone knows he covets in 2012 is centered on him being less Dino Rossi, more Dan Evans.

- Finally, this is awesome only because she was okay. Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span hit his own mother with a foul ball during a spring training game. He then ran into the stands and stayed with her until the paramedics checked her out (like I said, she was fine). After the delay, Span returned to home plate to finish his at-bat. Only in spring training...

Health Care Success

2010-03-31T15:22:00.000-04:00

Today has been a rather eventful day in the area of energy and offshore drilling. Lost in it somewhat was this video, released by the DCCC, about the most significant piece of legislation to pass in decades.

Often I say things at the risk of whatever my reputation might be politically. However, no matter what my many friends on both sides of the aisle will say about it, I really have never been more proud of where I stand politically - fully in support of this bill.

"LIKE A WAR ZONE"

2010-03-31T09:16:00.000-04:00

Short and sweet today, mostly because I started late, but also because it's sunny outside and I am going to run grab breakfast. So happy Wednesday.

Yes, I know there has been a stretch of negative things that have happened in the last few days - although frankly, I thought the Michael Steele thing was hilarious - but today I have to lead off with a local incident from last night.

Noticed it on Twitter not long before I walked out the door that DC EMS were responding to a shooting on the 4000 block of South Capitol SE, along with two words at the end, "mass casualty."

The headline in today's Washington Post is "LIKE A WAR ZONE". A gunman, in an apparent drive-by shooting, sprayed bullets into a crowd outside of an apartment building, killing four and leaving five more wounded. In an ensuing police chase that led to three arrests and the recovery of a weapon, four more police officers were slightly injured.

Two quotes from witnesses are chilling:

A man who said he was in the area at the time recounted the sounds he heard as "pat, pat, pat, pat, pat," followed by a loud boom.

Then, "all I saw was bodies dropping," he said. "It was like Vietnam."

Another witness said that as bodies fell, "it was like a pileup at a football game."

Police are saying that the shooter may have used an AK-47 assault rifle. The four officers were injured when two cars crashed during the police chase in what I can only imagine looked like a scene from a movie.

This was by far the most violence that has happened, in a city known for gun violence, since I moved here. Police are saying this may be the largest shooting since 1994 and actually goes against current trends. In 2009 the city logged "just" 143 homicides, its lowest total since 1966. Washington, D.C. was once known as the nation's murder capital. Some might recall that the late Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin changed the name of the team from the Bullets during the 1990's, just as he was building a new arena in what was once a very bad part of the city just blocks from the capitol (and my office).

And speaking of the Wizards, this shooting comes just days after former superstar Gilbert Arenas was basically embraced by a federal judge who gave him just probation and 30 days in a halfway house, stemming from gun charges earlier in the season. Arenas had several guns in the Wizards locker room, a felony in Washington, while also carrying them across state lines from Virginia into the district, another felony.

A look at 2008 data shows Washington as fifth in the country in murders per capita, behind New Orleans, St. Louis, Baltimore and Detroit. Baltimore is obviously just a short drive away and often considered part of the same region called the "DMV" or D.C.-Maryland-(Northern) Virginia. Seattle, in case you were wondering, is way down on that list, with just over four murders per capita (D.C. was 31.4, a far cry from New Orleans more than 63) and just above Portland. That number to my knowledge, however, climbed in 2009, but so did the city's population.

One city also notably low on the list is New York City, which is not far above Seattle at 6.3.

A little bit more on this D.C. situation: the area where this occurred is not actually in the main part of Washington, but much closer to a well-known area called Anacostia. It is "across the river", both figuratively and literally. It happened just blocks from the line between the district and Prince George's County, the wealthiest county in the nation with a black majority. From 1985-2006, Prince George's County accounted for some 20 percent of the murders in the entire state of Maryland, but the total number plummeted in 2009, to just 99.

PG county, as it is known out here, is also home to one of the richest basketball and football recruiting bases in the country, producing players like Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley.

The point of this is that, it didn't happen close to me, but it still happened in the same town and that is something that gets ignored around here. People in this town will go on with their daily lives, because that is what is done here. One of the cities in this country hurting the most is the one controlled by this country's government. However, that said, there is no city in the world with more law enforcement and stricter gun laws and these murder rates are in decline.

Days like yesterday just remind us that, not only do we still have much work to do, but we have to remember that "across the river" is part of our city too. I remember when I was younger we used to hear stories about how poverty was rampant just blocks from the White House. I can personally attest to the falseness of that statement. But within miles? Absolutely.

If we look to build our cities from the ground up, we will build in these places too. Because we things like property values climb in what were once the poorest and most crime-ridden areas in our cities, the rise all over the city.

One person I suggest everyone follow and really pay attention to is the mayor of Newark, New Jersey - Cory Booker. He is tackling crime head in the city, with the real goal of building one of the nation's worst cities into one that can compete with nearby New York City for business. Full disclosure: I've been to Newark. It's a mess. I've been to or driven through a lot of ugly cities, including Detroit, Baltimore and Oakland. Newark is by far the worst I've ever seen. Yet, Booker is tackling it. During his campaign he moved into a slum in the middle of the city to build awareness. This is a man who graduated from Stanford.

The world needs 1,000,000 million Cory Bookers.

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My only other thing from today relates to my work, as President Obama will announce today at Andrews Air Force Base that he will support off-shore drilling off of the east coast. Could be a long day.

Voyeuristic Republicans

2010-03-30T09:52:00.000-04:00

"Honey I forgot to duck."

The words of President Ronald Reagan on this date in 1981, after he was shot by John W Hinckley III. He made the remark to his wife.

This was actually a pretty big day in history as Texas became the last confederate state readmitted to the union in 1870. How many flags did that make?
- The first U.S. golf course opened today.
- Manhattan and Queens were linked by the Queensboro bridge. Original name huh?

But back to Reagan for a minute, specifically Reaganomics, which I believe called for reduced government spending, reduced taxes, reduced regulation and reduced money supply to control inflation - you know, good, sound, Republican economic policy. Now, we might not quite call this government spending, but one might wonder how the late president (he died in 2004 at 93) would feel about the current state of his party - specifically the leadership of its national committee, the RNC.

This is one of those "a picture (or headline) is worth 1,000 words" moments:

Don't adjust your screen. The headline says, "Party of Yes!" Yes, that is RNC Chairman Michael Steele next to photos of women at the Voyeur West Hollywood in Los Angeles, where bondage is the activity of choice. And people thought Steele only talked a good game...

Yesterday in the Daily Caller, a conservative website started by Tucker Carlson (formerly of Crossfire), there was a story about the spending habits of the RNC under Steele. The main point of it was how the committee is bleeding money (not really news here in Washington) through private jet rentals and such. But tucked into the fifth paragraph is where the lines that may end the chairman's run can be found.

Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

Without actually making a statement, Steele's only real message was that sometimes luxurious accommodations are necessary to woo big donors. You know, like porn stars. I went back and read the Republican commandments yesterday, just to see if this violated any of them. Looks like it may not. Which is probably why no one thought twice about Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's statement that, "women in Congress don't cheat because they don't have time." So, there's no moral issue there, just a scheduling one.
Hey, people have vices. They just don't generally spend the money of their political contributors to exercise them.

The Fix led off with this today, unpacking what happened and what it means. The first thing to be pointed out, and in good journalistic ethics I probably should've done it earlier, is that Steele wasn't actually in attendance for the night club shenanigans, and claims to have no knowledge. However, as The Fix points out, that doesn't really matter - it is his organization. Remember, Steele is already much maligned around here, more in his own party than to Democrats.

The Fix also says that it is highly unlikely that Steele will be voted out of the RNC Chairmanship (it takes two-thirds) and there is no way that Michael Steele is resigning, so again, probably should've said that earlier.

This is where this really matters: the ballot box in November.

The more ammunition Republicans -- including but not limited to Steele/RNC -- give to Democrats to make this a choice between the two parties, the less likely it is Republicans will be able to fully capitalize on a terrific national environment for them.

In other words, this could be an ugly situation that drags on for a long time. Unless something else happens of course.

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Inevitably I am going to get asked why I didn't first mention the horrific events in Moscow yesterday, where two suicide bombers devastated the subway system, in a return to the most recent types of large-scale terrorism around the world. There is a theory that the location of the attacks, near the country's top security agency, makes it possible that this was aimed at Russian intelligence.

The fact is that I just don't know that much about it. As of the this morning the death toll is, "at least 38." It happened near the Kremlin.

One I do know is that this is probably the scariest type of terrorist attack (if any is more scary than another - sorry, the word choice here is tough). Subway systems are basically impossible to protect. In one story I read yesterday, an expert was quoted, basically say that in order to protect a subway system the way we would need to, the system would become useless. It would be too slow and the security measures too much of a hindrance. As a result, these subways are "sitting ducks."

Obviously I'll continue to read as much as I can about all of this and write accordingly.

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- Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed new K-12 legislation into law yesterday. In a rare occurrence, the bill had Republican support. Originally these bills were supposed to help the state in President Obama's Race to the Top program, but Washington wasn't even a finalist. Gregoire says these bills will enable the state to compete for more federal funding in the second round. Only Delaware and Tennessee received any funding in the first round.

Teacher tenure was a part of the bills, which is surely to spark some debate, as was the method of evaluation for principals and teachers.

All for now.

Monday: Recap Obama's Best Week

2010-03-29T07:18:00.000-04:00

President Obama landed in Kabul yesterday for a surprise visit to Afghanistan and meetings with President Hamid Karzai. He also spoke in front of American troops at Bagram Air Force Base. I do find it somewhat interesting that he opened his remarks with his familiar "How's it going [city name]," as if he were at a campaign rally. Then again, few presidents have ever been the campaigner he is and his public events are always about stirring excitement, rarely about being serious. Obviously his last military speech, when he announced the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan notwithstanding.

The visit, however, capped off a huge week for the president as he takes advantage of renewed momentum, while at the same time making his first visit to a place that is drawing more U.S. attention than anywhere else.

In a move many have been waiting month for, President Obama announced 15 "recess appointments" over the weekend. For those who don't know, this is an executive appointment made while the Senate is not in session, meaning there is no confirmation. Eventually there will be, but this way these people can actually get to work instead of constantly being blocked by Senate Republicans.

One of the key appointments, Craig Becker, who was actually already rejected by the Senate once, was again appointed to the National Labor Relations Board. Just last week, Chief Justice John Roberts, in hearing a case involving the NLRB, said these nominees needed to be appointed during the recess. Right now, only two of the five positions on the NLRB are filled.

The president has more than 200 pending nominations, with 77 awaiting floor action.

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- An interesting column that shouldn't be judged by its headline. It has a good wrap-up of the protesting of health care, along with analysis about who is protesting and why. The best point: how can you not call it racist when a black member who wasn't even close to a major player was spit on by a protesters and slurs were throw at both another black member and a gay one? You can't.

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- Which brings me to another thing that actually peaked anger in me, a Glenn Beck clip, where he takes a shot at Nancy Pelosi for the Democrats locking arms to, "compare themselves to Civil Rights activists. "How dare you," he said. Well, ignore Pelosi for a minute and look at who is standing next to her. That is Rep. John Lewis, the member who was called the "n" world by a protester.

Glenn, John Lewis sat at those lunch counters. At 23 years old he was the chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC - pronounced "snick"). He was a Freedom Rider beaten bloody in Montgomery. And he spoke in front of the same crowd that heard Martin Luther King, Jr. say that he had a dream.

John Lewis led that group Glenn, arm-in-arm with Pelosi. So how dare you, Glenn. That's a real American hero you're talking about.

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- And speaking of the Tea Party, one of the questions I often find myself asking during Tea Party rallies is: "don't these people have jobs." That is a reaction to their middle-of-the-week, middle-of-the-day protesting. Well, the short answer is no. Many of them actually rely on government assistance - a head-scratching irony. The real question, however, is what happens when the economy picks up and these people get jobs. Are they no longer such a force?

This also reminds me of something that frustrated me while watching Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio debate today. Some said Rubio was impressive. Maybe. But I noticed that when the question of the health care bill arose, their answers were different. Obviously, they both called for its repeal. Rubio said, "we can't afford it." Crist said, "we can do better and here is how we already are in Florida."

While I disagree with the "repeal" part, Crist seems like the one actually prepared to govern. I am so sick of the "we can't afford argument." Fine, you think we can't afford. So give me a better idea, because I know you think something needs to be done. But all I hear is, "we can't afford it." Well, watch us.

Note: Rubio is up 11 in a recent poll for that seat.

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Chinese company to buy Volvo from Ford Motor Company.

It appears Iran will begin work on two new nuclear sites, both in the mountains, a clear defiance of the United Nations.

Finally, an interesting tradition from the White House. Love these little anecdotes, though.

Let's have a great week!