To Vote For or To Vote Against

With another election day quickly approaching, and seeing a daily barrage of advertising in the Virginia's governor's race (vote for Kaine!), the issue of voting principles resurfaced in my mind. Specificially, the concept of voting for someone versus voting against someone. There is a difference.

Last November, when Americans were given the choices of Kerry and Bush at the ballot box, I believe the majority of voters who voted for Bush were voting for Bush whereas the majority of those who voted for Kerry, were voting against Bush. Any election that includes a candidate who is running for reelection to the position basically boils down to whether people think the politician did a good job or a bad job in their post. However, a candidate's campaign fuel cannot solely be based on hatred of the opponent. When there is a huge scandal with the office holder leaving in disgrace, sure it could work. However, especially in a close election like we knew the 2004 presidential election would be, a different strategy should have been employed. If a piece of broccoli had been the Democratic nominee, I bet the percentage of the anti-Bush vote would have been pretty close to what it was for Kerry.

In order to be a good American, you must vote. You may hate the candidates. It may be picking the lesser of two evils. But you must vote.

Here comes the challenge. Since you are voting regardless, never vote against somebody. That's right. You read me. Only vote for somebody. Instead of picking the candidate who is "not as bad" as the other, vote for the good, however little, in the candidate you select.

You may think they are boring. They may not have the proper grasp on the issues that you think they ought to have. They may have gone to a rival college (unless that is a dealbreaker in your candidate selection). But find something that you genuinely like about the guy or gal. There may be 99 bad things about them. But find the one. And vote for them because of it. Everyone has at least one good thing about them, right?

The simple swich to voting affirmatively for a candidate makes the whole process more enjoyable--with citizens voting for good charactistics of their candidate instead of against the bad qualities of the other. And if everybody started voting for candidates instead of against them, maybe we wouldn't be bombarded with the typical candidate's campaign ad which, if the disclaimer of "this ad was sponsored by..." were removed, you would only see attacks upon the other candidate without any mention of the guy actually paying for it. A bit idealistic on humanity and campaigns? Maybe. But I think it's worth a shot.

A November Smorgasborg

Today I had a couple topics I considered posting about, and after much deliberation, I decided to post them all (albeit briefly). That's right. Four for the price of one!

1. Samuel Alito

During my daily online newsbriefing, I saw this article in the Los Angeles Times that talks about how many Democrats actually like Alito. They say that he is not one of those conservative idealogues who have a particular ideology and when deciding cases, make sure that they do whatever it takes to reach that goal. He considers context and uses reason in arriving at his decisions. He even ruled against some "driving while black" cases. This sure doesn't like the maniac who is on a mission to take the rights of women and minorities away! Or at least the judge that MoveOn.com wants me to think he is.

Here's a clip:

"I grew up in New York City, and I'm a political independent. But I liked Judge Alito because he was a judicial conservative, someone who believed in judicial restraint and was committed to textualism," he said. "His approach leads to conservative results in some cases and progressive results in other cases. In my opinion, he is a fantastic jurist and a good guy."

Some of Alito's former Yale Law School classmates who describe themselves as Democrats say they expect they will not always agree with his rulings if he joins the Supreme Court. But they say he is the best they could have hoped for from among Bush's potential nominees.

"Sam is very smart, and he is unquestionably conservative," said Washington lawyer Mark I. Levy, who served in the Justice Department during the Carter and Clinton administrations. "But he is open-minded and fair. And he thinks about cases as a lawyer and a judge. He is really very different from [Justice Antonin] Scalia. If he is going to be like anyone on the court now, it will be John Roberts," the new chief justice.

2. Michael Steele

The more the Democrats hate Michael Steele, the more it makes me like him. And the more I hope he wins. I am very moderate politically, here supporting a Republican for Senate, yet supporting a Democrat (Mark Warner) for president in 2008. (Do people like me still exist?) Anyway, here is an editorial from the Washington Times on the whole hoopla over Steve Gilliard's racist blog posting about Steele.

Here's a clip:

The slurs are unfit for a family newspaper and cannot be reprinted here. But they are the same old sludge Democrats have been throwing at Mr. Steele for years -- attempts to equate Democratic talking points with the black agenda and suggestions that Mr. Steele isn't authentically "black." It's telling that Mr. Gilliard, a black New Yorker whose popular site gets an estimated 15,000 hits a day, is a newcomer to Maryland politics, since that confirms what practically everyone already knows: Mr. Steele unnerves liberals and Democrats everywhere simply by being a black Republican.

This has been going on since before Mr. Steele was elected as Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich's running mate. In 2001, Maryland State Senate President Mike Miller Jr. called Mr. Steele "an Uncle Tom."

In what must rank as one of its most shameful moments, the reliably liberal editorial board of the Baltimore Sun wrote during the 2002 gubernatorial campaign that Mr. Steele "brings little to the team but the color of his skin." It has since had to eat those words. Mr. Steele has gone on to be a leading member of Mr. Ehrlich's administration, as the Sun itself acknowledged Thursday in an editorial on Mr. Steele's Senate bid.

The political rabble has shown its ire in ugly racial terms, too. In 2002, during a campaign debate with then-Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Steele-bashers threw Oreo cookies at him.

An article entitled 'Party trumps race' for Steele foes, talks about the liberal double standard in politics when it comes to racial issues:

State Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, a black Baltimore Democrat, said she does not expect her party to pull any punches, including racial jabs at Mr. Steele, in the race to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.

"Party trumps race, especially on the national level," she said. "If you are bold enough to run, you have to take whatever the voters are going to give you. It's democracy, perhaps at its worse, but it is democracy."

Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black Baltimore Democrat, said Mr. Steele invites comparisons to a slave who loves his cruel master or a cookie that is black on the outside and white inside because his conservative political philosophy is, in her view, anti-black.

"Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community," she said. "His politics are not in the best interest of the masses of black people."

The article goes on to describe one of the "big" issues that some have with Steele:

Still, Mfume spokesman Joseph P. Trippi said Mr. Steele opens himself to such criticism by defending Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. for holding a Republican fundraiser in July at the all-white Elkridge Club in Baltimore.

"The facts are the facts. Ehrlich went to that country club, and Steele said it didn't bother him," Mr. Trippi said. "I think that says something ... and should be part of this debate."

Several club members told the Baltimore Sun that, though blacks are welcome as guests and there is no policy banning blacks from membership, the club never has had a black member in its 127-year history.

Democrats also have used the club for various events, including Peter O'Malley, brother of and adviser to Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, a Democratic candidate for governor. Peter O'Malley held his wedding reception there in 2003.

So it's okay for Democrats to use the same facility but not for Republicans? Or only if a black person joined the country club in Elkridge, it would make it alright for people to hold events there without being called racist? So, let's say that there is a country club somewhere and membership is solely whites and blacks, but no Asians are members. Would it be okay for me to say the members are racist because there are no Asians? I guess it would be okay!

And for all the talk that supposedly Steele was only chosen for his race, how does that figure into the equation for supporters of race based affirmative action? Wouldn't that then be a huge victory for AA supporters? And whoever is left standing after the Martin O'Malley/Doug Duncan battle for the Democratic nomination for governor, I think it is a forgone conclusion that his running mate will be black. So if a Democrat picks a black running mate, it is not racially motivated, but if he marks the box one inch over on his voter registration card and marks (R), it makes it so? I just don't understand.

3. Gene Weingarten

One of my favorite columnists for the Washington Post is, without a doubt, Gene Weingarten. He definitely has made many of those real life observations that once he says them, you see how true they are as they play themselves out over and over again, but before he writes one, you simply don't even think about it.

Here is a great article from last year which is extremely funny and true.
A Course in Wife Sciences: In the game of marriage, there are players, and there are men

4. John Kerry

One of my biggest regrets of 2004 is voting for John Kerry. Although I did hold my nose, close my eyes, and ask for forgiveness when voting for him, whatever respect I did have for him at the time has diminished each and every time I have seen him make a television appearance or read one of his emails.

The latest email sent to his enthusiastic "johnkerry.com community" is about his goal to "Help bring 20,000 troops home over the holidays." Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not opposed for troops being reunited with their families. Once they are no longer needed in Iraq, they should be brought home. But while there is stuff for them to do, it would make sense for them to be there to do it.

During his campaign, one of Kerry's pledges was to increase the number of troops on the ground in Iraq because according to all accounts that he heard, more help was needed. President Bush, after all, didn't know how to listen to the officers on the ground and their pleas for help. We were overextending our military, I thought.

But now, here we are with Kerry now saying we need to bring 20,000 troops home. I wish he'd just explain the significance of the number, and why he thought if less than a year ago we needed far more troops, and now we don't, if he wanted to either concede that the troops were making good progress or he was wrong in his initial assessment or if he was simply being Cindy Sheehan's voice in the Senate. With Kerry, you really don't know. It could be all or none of the above.

Some Mark Warner articles

So there have been a few articles about Mark Warner in the past couple months which I failed to read when they first came out so I could share them with all of you, faithful readers of my blog.

Chasing Bubba - The Mark Warner 2008 prospectus

A Chance Peak at Warner's Ambitions - Talks about the significance of Warner's PAC website.

House Democrats Hitch Wagon to Warner - Talks about the long, beautiful coattails of Governor Warner in Virgina

Netting an Elusive Breed - by Mark Warner last fall. Talks about education.

My Profile

1) Your name: Ryan Abel

2) Location: Washington, DC by day, Silver Spring, Maryland by night

3) Age: 23

4) Job: Somewhere deep inside the pharmaceutical industry

5) Horoscope sign: I'd have to look it up... December 15 is my birthday

6) Eye color: Oh so chocolately

7) Original hair color: Black

8) Current hair color: Black with a smattering of silver

9) Smoker: Fortunately, no.

10) Favorite food: Anything with grilled chicken, green peppers, and onions (i.e. chicken fajita from Chipotle)

11) Favorite ice cream flavor: Edy's Double Fudge Brownie

12) Favorite drink or beverage: Lemonade

13) Favorite restaurant: Chi Chi Chi Chipotle.

14) Favorite color: Orange

15) Favorite actor: Tony Shaloub

16) Favorite actress: Dakota Fanning

17) Favorite TV Show: Monk, The West Wing, Lost

18) Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

19) Favorite song: Currently, "Wholly Yours" by the David Crowder Band.

20) Favorite musician or group: I love some good music, so I can't just go with one. My top six: Donnie McClurkin, Shaun Groves, David Crowder Band, Israel & New Breed, Fred Hammond, and Shawn McDonald.

21) Favorite animal: The Diamondback Terrapin

22) Favorite subject: God, government, and politics

23) What are you listening to right now: The ice I'm crushing in my mouth.

24) Day or Night? Depends on what's happening. Definately not much of a morning person, but I do like the sunlight of the day and the relaxation of night.

25) Summer or winter? Summer, most definately.

26) Beatles or Elvis? Both. Or Neither.

27) What brings you the most joy: The moment you realize you have a true friend.

28) What’s your greatest fear: Winning the lottery.

29) Who/where do you go to for advice: God, my buddies MD or RC, or somebody depending on the need.

30) One word that describes you best: Ummm.. nice?

On Harriet Miers

Now that the whole Harriet Miers fiasco is over, and a replacement Supreme Court nominee has been put forward, there were two things that struck me.

The first was that as soon as Miers withdrew, all of the people who initially came forward issuing statements expressing disappointment were Democrats and liberal groups. Generally speaking, the theme of the comments dealt with the fact that President Bush's decisions were being dictated by the extreme right of his party. Specifically, Senator Harry Reid, Democratic Minority Leader stated, "The radical right wing of the Republican Party killed the Harriet Miers nomination."

Now, with the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, who Reid had previously warned President Bush not to pick said, "I think it would create a lot of problems."

That should tell you something. All issues aside, politically speaking Miers obviously was not a smart choice. People from the opposing political party were on your side and members of your own are against you. Bad decision. And now, with the new guy nominated, the leader of the opposition party opposes your decision and your own party supports it. Good decision.

If your party has a solid majority in the Senate, your really shouldn't need to condede anything. If the tables were turned, and we had a Democratic president with the Democrats controlling the Senate and the Republicans were significantly opposed to the president's selection, should the Democrats care or cave to Republican concerns? Would it be nice in terms of bipartisanship and political unity? Yes. Is it necessary? No.

The second thing that struck me was James Dobson's (founder of Christian evangelical Focus on the Family) initial glowing support of Miers, but after her withdrawal, his expression of reservations of her sitting on the bench.

Should he have waited until after she withdrew to express this? No. So this leads to the question of whether his leadership is truly about the issues or if it is merely the maintence of a Republican voting bloc. There is a great article I read this morning that examines this issue precicely by W. James Antle, III called: Dobson's Choice: Values Voting or Evangelical Identity Politics.

I believe that Christian voters should support candidates whose values that they share. And leaders of Christian organizations have a responsibility to make it clear that they actually support the issues instead of merely endorsing a candidate for political purposes.

The upcoming battle over the Alito (a.k.a. Scalito) nomination will surely be an interesting one. Let's see how it turns out.

The Sensible Center

A red-state Democratic governor explains how Democrats can win again with a positive agenda for the future.

By Mark Warner


Let me tell you about life in today's Washington.

In today's Washington, a fiscal conservative is someone who thinks the deficits can go on forever. He thinks that you can make the cost of the war go away by using Enronesque budgeting tactics of simply taking the costs off the balance sheet.

In today's Washington, politicians work deep into the night to try to write laws to interfere with the family of Terry Schiavo and ignore the fact that there are 45 million Americans with no health care at all.

In today's Washington, politicians refuse to unlock stem-cell research that could change the lives of millions of Americans with potentially curable diseases.

In today's Washington -- we see it day in and day out -- the heroes are political operatives whose only goal is to find the nastiest way to ruin their opponents, even if at the cost of our national security.

In today's Washington, it's all about the issues that divide us and about settling the scores of the past.

Yet in the heartland, in states like Virginia, folks are looking for something else, something I call the sensible center. The sensible center is wide open for any Democrat who can credibly make the case.

For years, the right wing of the Republican Party has asked its candidates to take socially extreme positions that are outside the mainstream. For the most part, those candidates took those positions, but once elected they only paid lip service to them. Some of that changed after the 2004 elections. They said, hold it: We control the White House, the Congress, the courts, the majority of the statehouses. Why aren't we getting our due? So now the right wing is asking for its pound of flesh -- on Terri Schiavo, stem cells, and a whole new series of litmus tests. Combine these actions with a failed fiscal policy and America's damaged reputation in the world, and that means a whole lot of moderate Republicans who consider themselves part of that sensible center are looking for a home. We Democrats can bring them back.

This is not some esoteric theory. I'm living proof of its accuracy. I'm very proud of the fact that I had a united Democratic Party behind me. But I would not be governor of one of the reddest states in America -- Virginia -- if I also hadn't been able to get support from a lot of independents and moderate Republicans. If Democrats are going to become the majority party in America again, we've got to do that all over the country.

How do we do that? We start by simply telling the truth; by being straight with people on issues from fiscal matters to America's role in the world. We do it by recognizing that in 2005, the issues in this country are no longer left versus right or liberal versus conservative; they are about the future versus the past. The Democratic Party has always been at its best when we've looked to the future. It's been our heritage. Roosevelt led us through the Depression and the Second World War. Kennedy challenged us to put a man on the moon. Clinton led us through the greatest economic expansion in American history. That is our Democratic record. We've done it before and we can do it again.

Sensible solutions. It's that legacy that inspired me. I came into office after a winning campaign that included a lot of folks in rural Virginia who hadn't voted Democrat in a long time. I've had some success in governing Virginia because we've focused on sensible solutions that look to that future.

When I was elected following a Republican governor, we first of all had to get our fiscal house in order. Virginia was a state in the red. My predecessor, who had been the chairman of the Republican National Committee, left me a budget shortfall six times greater than he publicly stated.

But we also used that crisis as a chance to totally reform Virginia state government.

We then went about reforming our tax code with a Republican legislature. That allowed us to make historic new investments in education, the key to our future. We kept the focus on making our academics more rigorous, and we made sure that those new dollars were held accountable in how they were spent in our schools.

Virginia today has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the whole country. Virginia has a booming economy. And after a two-year independent study by Governing magazine, Virginia was named the best-managed state in the country.

We did all this by focusing on what's important for the future of Virginia, not what's politically expedient. We did it with support from legislators of both parties. We found common ground in the sensible center. Imagine if that was the way it was done in Washington.

We live in an extraordinary time in America. Our challenges are enormous. American men and women in uniform are deployed around the globe on dangerous missions, in dangerous places, raising valid questions about the strength and size of our armed forces. We're in a struggle with a new enemy that can strike anywhere at any time, in a war unlike any that we have fought before.

Here at home, economic change is happening more rapidly than any of us thought possible. We feel like we're paying too much at the pump. We feel like we're spending too much time away from home. We worry that our jobs may be outsourced to Bangalore.

As a nation, we're getting older. Our social safety nets -- Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security -- need attention. Medicaid will bankrupt most states by 2020. Increasingly, there are going to be fewer workers responsible for more older Americans.

We actually run the risk of being the first generation in American history to leave behind a country weaker than the one we were born in.

A few months ago, I led a trade mission to India. I saw a number of things there that speak to me about where we need to be as a nation. I was struck by the crushing poverty. But I also saw something incredibly hopeful and inspiring. There was a project called the Hole in the Wall. Computers were literally placed in a hole in a concrete wall with a little tin roof over it. They turned on the computers in the morning; they turned them off at night. No teachers. I met a kid named Samir. He asked me how to spell my name so he could Google me. And these young people were emailing and instant messaging. They were doing exactly the same thing that my own daughters do with their computers at home.

The kids were remarkable. This experience said to me that the race is on for the future. Who's going to own it? Who's going to get there first? This is America's next great challenge, and we must start preparing right now.

I don't think we're prepared. Consider this: at a time when a commitment to education, technology, and research and development has never been more important, American R&D as a percentage of GDP has fallen to one-sixth in the world. The United States ranks 11th in the world in broadband deployment. Less than 15 percent of our high school students take enough science and math to qualify for any kind of engineering or advanced science in college. India alone produces four times more engineers each year than the United States. Our 15-year-olds now rank 28th in the world in math scores.

These are stark realities. We've got to face them. In Virginia, we have put down 700 miles of broadband in our rural communities so folks don't have to leave home to find a quality job. Even though our economy is booming, we still have 700,000 working-age adults -- nearly 20 percent of Virginia's workforce -- without a high school diploma. These people worked in jobs like textile, furniture, and tobacco. We partnered with NASCAR and started a "Race to the GED" program, encouraging people to go back and get a certificate so they can qualify for 21st century jobs.

In our high schools, no matter how rural, no matter how urban, we are offering the opportunity for students who are college bound to earn one semester's worth of fully transferable college credits -- get a jump start on college. We're saving parents $7,000 off the cost of higher education.

For non-college-bound students, we're saying, "Work with us." We'll guarantee you not only a diploma, but also an industry-recognized certification: computer technician, auto mechanic, nurse's aide. If that requires courses at the community college beyond high school, as part of our K-12 deal we will pick up the cost. We'll make sure you've got industry certification so that you can go out and get a good paying job as opposed to a minimum wage job.

We're also starting to reduce the perverse incentive that puts our least experienced teachers into our most underperforming schools. We're recruiting highly successful teachers and paying them a $15,000 bonus to go into our underperforming schools for three years.

Our goal is nothing less than to make the Virginia workforce the best educated, most innovative, best connected one in the country. We want Virginians to compete against anyone in the global economy. We should be doing it all over the country.

We don't have the luxury of waiting.

The last few years have seen the virtual elimination of time and space between Boston and Bangalore, between Shanghai and Chicago. These changes are affecting how we live, where we live, how we educate our kids, how we deliver health care, how we protect and preserve our national security. The rate of change is now on steroids. It's accelerating in an ever-quickening pace.

America no longer has the luxury of business as usual in Washington where they study, debate, disagree, go home, and put things off until the next Congress. The status quo is not going to cut it.

America is a country that was born of revolution, and Americans' best values are hard work and innovation. Our country has always been at its best when we've given everyone a fair shake and their own shot at the American dream.

It's always been Democrats who have always been able to see a little bit farther down that road. We are ready to shake things up. The time is right for us to lead again.

(DLC | Blueprint Magazine | October 21, 2005)

Rising Kaine

Yesterday, I was reading blog posts across the internet about the Michael Steele announcement when I stumbled upon a blog which was extremely racist. The News Blog is operated by some guy named Steve Gilliard (apparently he is a somewhat well known blogger). There was a post regarding Steele's announcement where there is a doctored picture of him with the caption, "I's Simple Sambo and I's running for the Big House." You've got to see it to believe it.

Obviously, Gilliard is a liberal democrat.

So today, Tim Kaine's campaign (Democratic nominee for governor in Virginia,) requested that the site stop running ads that they had previously paid for. No reason was given as to why they wanted to stop running the ads but it is a bit obvious. But according to Steve Gilliard, Kaine is a coward.

Gilliard is miffed that the Kaine campaign didn't ask him to explain his actions before pulling the plug on the ads. Because if they had actually engaged him on the issue, they would surely change their minds! It was merely satirical after all. How could the Kaine campaign be so rude?

I've read some comments about the picture from people from both sides of the political spectrum but something jumped out at me. Gilliard is (apparently) black. One of his defenses was that people didn't take the time to find out that he was black. So does that make it ok? So if he was white and made the same racist picture, would it then be wrong? What if the tables were turned and it was a white conservative blogger who made the same picture for a black Democratic candidate for office? No doubt there would be a huge uproar by liberals everywhere slamming how insensitive the blogger was being. Apologies would be demanded. Politicians would be required to denounce the remarks. But luckily, it is a liberal making the racist statement and the victim is a black Republican. Those types of blacks are sell-outs to their race anyway, right?

Tim Kaine, I am so glad that your campaign no longer advertises on that racist site. Too bad you couldn't have quit sooner, or rather simply not advertised on there in the first place.

The sad part is unlike skinheads who are knowingly racist, this new generation of racists simply can't understand how racist they are. And they actually think that their actions are good!

Sometimes actions are all you need. It doesn't matter how you feel you need to explain what you have done and why you think it is okay. Wrong is wrong. And you, Steve Gilliard, are wrong. Once the campaign withdrew their advertising, instead of realizing, "Hmm... maybe, just maybe I have done something offensive" he goes on the defensive saying the problem is with Kaine. Um, sorry buddy. It's jerks like you that are the problem.

While I am not a Virginian who can vote in their election, I would most certainly cast my vote for Tim Kaine. Not only because he is Mark Warner's Lt. Governor and actually has a positive message and results to back them up, but because he makes racists like Steve Gilliard angry. Now, if only I could find a t-shirt that said, "MAKE A RACIST LIBERAL MAD. VOTE TIM KAINE."

Antiwar Brit Funded by Saddam?

The US Senate is currently investigating whether anti-Iraq war British Parliament Member George Galloway received funds from Saddam Hussein via the UN Oil-for-Food program.

Here are the five allegations from the Senate subcommittee:

1. Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the Government of Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The Hussein regime granted Galloway and the Mariam Appeal eight allocations totaling 23 million barrels from 1999 through 2003;

2. Galloway's wife, Dr. Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately $150,000 in connection with one of those oil allocations;

3. Galloway's political campaign, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal under the Oil-for-Food Program;

4. The Hussein regime received improper "surcharge" payments amounting to $1,642,000.65 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal; and

5. Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the Subcommittee at its hearing on May 17, 2005;

Click here for the complete article from Vcrisis.

Here's an article from the British newspaper The Independent.

You can find a lot more information on this simply by searching for Galloway's name on Google. It would be quite interesting to find out if this is true, and if it is, whether it is an isolated incident or if there are other European leaders who were similarly anti-war whose special interest groups included Saddam Hussein.

Control Me

A friend sent me this article today. It is quite freaky.

Here's a clip:

The technology is called galvanic vestibular stimulation — essentially, electricity messes with the delicate nerves inside the ear that help maintain balance.

I felt a mysterious, irresistible urge to start walking to the right whenever the researcher turned the switch to the right. I was convinced — mistakenly — that this was the only way to maintain my balance.

The phenomenon is painless but dramatic. Your feet start to move before you know it. I could even remote-control myself by taking the switch into my own hands.

Remote Control Device 'Controls' Humans

Michael Steele for Senate

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele today formally announced he will run for the U.S. Senate, recasting the successful political partnership that enabled him to become the first African American elected to statewide office.

Article here.

Today Michael Steele made it official... he's running for Senate. Not that today's announcement was a surprise to anybody. But this race surely will be an interesting one, and one that I will follow closely.

I, for one, think that he will make a good addition to the Senate. Check out his website for today's announcement speech. The site really could use some work, though. I think even I could have made a better one...

All politics aside, every once in a while a politican comes around that seems like he or she is actually a decent human being. Mike Steele is one of them.

What is a Friend(ster)?

After years of deliberately not joining online communities, a few months ago I caved and joined Friendster. Previously, I regularly received those email invites to join and reassure somebody of our friendship, but I just wasn't having it. I just saw it as too much work to keep a personal page updated. Yes, I can be that lazy.

After finally giving in to joining, I decided it would be fine because since "everybody" was on it, I could at least maintain some sort of contact with old friends from high school, those who have moved away, as well as just people who I am connected with but just don't get a chance to see that often.

When I signed up, I was sure that everyone on my Friendster list would be people I personally knew. Or rather, those whose first names I knew and could pull out of a lineup if I needed to. But I learned with Friendster, this isn't really the case. It is possible to have a Friendster whose personality you couldn't describe or face you couldn't identify even if your life depended on it.

I learned that there is a difference between a friend and a friendster.

Here are some of the post-joining dilemnas that I currently face.

1. The Friendster rejection.
Often I have received buddy requests from people who I don't know. People who maybe I should know, but for some reason I don't. Or maybe they know me, but I don't know them. Whatever the case may be, once you receive one such request, you have to decide either to reject them or simply ignore them. Both of which seem to be rather mean responses to these purported friends of yours. And being mean is just, well... mean.

2. Insanity
Whenever you have a "community" where people are connected by keyboards and monitors instead of face to face contact, you are sure to find a higher than normal percentage of oddballs who want to be your friend.

Here is a message I actually received on Friendster:

Date: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 15:14:00
Subject: Join the Ryan Revolution!
Message: Hey. My name is Ryan. I notice yours is also. This
is not, as you may be thinking, a coincidence.
How, you may ask, is it not?

Well, I put your name into the search engine, for a
start.

Heres the deal. Last year I was insufferably bored.
So I amassed an army of Ryans well, 60 or so -
off the Friendster database. It was fun to watch
them all join me, and to look at their profiles, and
go: Oh, he seems interesting, for somebody who
shares my name. But then they wanted to know
where I was going with it. And I didnt know. So I
skulked off and pretended I never did anything.

But now, I know!

And alas, I return to Friendster to find that half,
maybe more, of my militia have not signed in to
their account for at least six months. The truth is,
in the absence of firm leadership, my namesakes
have deserted me. So, it has come to this I need
new blood.

I call on you, as a new recruit, to join the growing
ranks of Ryan, and participate in a creative project.
Every month Ill come up with a new task, and as a
collective group we Ryans will show all those other
names just how damn inventive we can be. Ill try to
keep this going for a year, and itd be cool if you
could help me do it.

Interested? Then join us. Add me as a friend, and
Ill return the favour.

Faithfully,
Ryan

I seriously considered changing my name after reading this. Maybe something like Horace? or Alpern?

3. Creativity
I have no creativity to make a cool looking profile. It makes me feel inadequate as a human being. People have professional looking pictures where they wear nice clothing and stare off to the distance. Or look at the camera seductively. I go with webcam pics that make me look like an alien. Life doesn't get much harder than that!


4. Friendster mongerers
I know I have been asked to become Friendsters with people only because they need to win the "I have the most friends" award. When getting such invites, I wonder to myself if I should be a participant in their game, or this obsession that the inviter has. Its kind of like getting with a player fulling knowing you are getting played. I mean, who wants to be one of 500 other friendsters on a list? I mean, you are nothing but a conquest to them. But yet, you go along with it anyway. And you are getting played online for goodness sakes, without any of the in person benefits.

5. The harm of cancellation
Every now and then, I think about cancelling my Friendster membership. But I don't go along with it simply because now that I have made contact with some people, it would be a shame to cut those ties. Even though they are online ties. But prior to joining Friendster, connections were lost but now that some have been regained, it seems a shame to lose them once again. Or what if by once being a friendster and then not being somebody's friendster later, the individual thinks that you don't want to be their friend anymore even though you are just sick of Friendster? Quitting is rough...

My conclusion is this: Friendster is a cult. Where else can you meet up with folks from the looney bin who obsess over the perception of themselves by others, fear rejection, who go all out with their membership, and keep you locked in the fold?

Don't join, because once you're in, you are stuck.

And you become a friendster. You feel a strange tingling and then it's done.

Save yourself. It's too late for me...I'm one of them now.

And don't worry. We can still be friends, but not friendsters. Being friends is cooler, anyway.

DC is No. 1 in Daytime Population Increase

As I spent about 1/3 of my weekday commute time driving into work this morning, I realized how great it would be if every day could be like today. Very few fellow suburbanites coming into town on a non-workday.

There is some news this morning about how certain cities see their daytime populations significantly increase as commuters come in to work. DC ranks #1 in this category (unsurprisingly).

Here's a link to the article.

Top Three Inventions of All Time

1. The wheel.
2. The steam engine.
3. TiVo.

Martha's Apprentice

I am an avid Apprentice watcher - both Martha and Donald.

Rebecca is my fave with the Donald.

But now, I have a favorite on Martha - Ryan. No, not because he and I share the same name, but because he really shined on this week's episode (I only saw it last night on CNBC... I have no idea when the first run of the episode is!). He really was easily the most effective project manager I've seen on that show, and quite possibly in recent all-around Apprentice history. He is one of those few apprenti who can connect with the customers crazily well (i.e. wedding cake sale) as well as lead a team of enthusiastic members without the backstabbing and footdragging others tend to create.

He's great. If only there were more Ryan's in the world... oh, wait a minute.

The Winter Olympics

I just realized today that the next Winter Olympics is less than 4 months away! For those of you who don't know, I live and breathe the Olympics - both summer and winter whenever they're on. I count down the days, and always toy with the idea of actually attending events. But for these Olympics, I guess I had just let them slip. I guess my focus on the 2008 Beijing summer games just consumed me.

So today, I will be looking at how much it would actually cost to fly to Italy, find a hotel this late in the game, and then find some tickets for a halfway decent event. Actually, any event would be great. (I am a PROUD curling fan!)

Worst case scenario, I can just tape hours upon hours of coverage on my newly working TiVo!

The Racist NBA

The NBA has a new dress code for this season.

On Monday, the NBA announced in a memo to teams that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the season. Saying players must dress in "“business casual"” attire, the league banned items such as sleeveless shirts, shorts, sunglasses while indoors, and headphones during team or league business.

The policy also requires players on the bench who are not in uniform to wear sport jackets, shoes and socks.

Necklaces worn over clothing have also been prohibited.

However, according to Stephen Jackson of the Indiana Pacers, this is extremely racist and an attack upon a culture.

It seems lately that the race card has been played way too much. When people keep crying race every time something that they don't like happens, it will make people want to listen less when racially motivated actions actually do occur.

Please note that these rules only apply at team or league functions. If the NBA was asking for each player to have a certain dress code when they are at they are at their mansions, when they send their shopping lists with their assistants to get groceries, when they are getting in free at the hottest parties in town, then there would be a problem. However, this is not the case. It basically comes down to, "when you are on the clock, you dress by the rules." It's really not that complicated.

Then you hear the argument that the definition of "business casual" varies by profession. I guess that's true. But please don't compare basketball players with construction workers or limo drivers as to its definition. Why not go with the typical millionaire's definition? Or just the definition used by the average American? Oh, wait a minute.

What about personal freedom? These rules are a significant restriction on the liberties of basketball players. I mean, whenever doing something work-related, having to wear what your employer wants you to wear, not something that expresses the "inner you" is very dictatorial. Oh, please.

Welcome to the real world. It's not personal, it's just business.

Does the rule apply only to the black players? Yes. Even those who are even part black.

Do white guys wear sleveless shirts and shorts? Of course not!

Do Asians use headphones? No, they are too busy reading their math books to listen to music.

Oh, you are right Stephen Jackson. The rule is racist. Only items that blacks wear are on the list of banned clothing. My mistake.

You can argue that the NBA doesn't need a rule, or that the rule itself might not help move the league in the more professional direction that David Stern hopes. But stop using the race card. The entire civil rights movement can't be trivialized into something as stupid as this.

My TiVo Adventure

So, I was at my buddy's house on Sunday watching football on TiVo when I was reminded of the wonders of technology. I remember when I moved into my apartment, I was extremely interested in getting TiVo , but the phone line requirement completely threw me. We didn't set up a landline because everyone had a cell phone and used it as their primary line. There was no need to incur the monthly expense of a phone line that nobody would use. After all, there were VCRs to tape whatever shows that we may have been missing. So the TiVo became one of those impossible endeavors that I simply wrote off.

But on Sunday as I watched the game, the ability to easily tape shows, pause live TV, fastfoward through commercials, and replay memorable moments renewed the TiVo passion in my heart. Now, since I live somewhere where we actually do have a phone line, the TiVo option reemerged.

Since I am an extremely sensible person and never rush into things, I waited 24 hours and bought my own TiVo on Monday evening. They have a great rebate deal going on where you get $150 of the $200 purchase price back. Not bad.

So now came the fun part... the initial setup. The whole process was rather simple, with the only messup occurring when somebody accidentally picked up a phone receiver in the middle of the initial TiVo download through the phone line.

As I read about TiVo, I learned that I can hook it up to our wireless network so that the phone line wouldn't have to be utilized for future updates. So yesterday, I found the cheapest adapter that was TiVo-compatible and bought it from CircuitCity.com. I selected the in-store pickup so I didn't have to wait any longer for my TiVo setup to be complete. The hours of the workday seemed to drag by as I eagerly awaited for 5 o'clock to roll around to I could make a quick stop at Circuit City to pick up the adapter.

Finally, after a typical rush hour commute, I picked up the adapter and headed for home. Eager to finally have the entire system setup, the moment I arrived home, I hooked up the adapter to the TiVo and waited for it light up in recognition of the bonding of my two new favorite gadgets in life. But nothing.

I quickly did some research on the internet to discover that it didn't work because my TiVo software was version 5 and I needed version 7. A quick TiVo phone line connection would resolve that. However, the download took an extremely long time so I was unable to finish the setup last night.

This morning when I turned on the news I quickly checked to see if the TiVo software had downloaded. And it had. I was thrilled.

So, I once again attached the USB wireless adapter to my TiVo.

But once again, nothing happened.

Puzzled, I did some further research only to find out that the software on the adapter was not the TiVo compatible type. The make and model were correct, but the SERIAL NUMBER was one that did not work with TiVo.

So now I need to find a new USB adapter. I found one at Best Buy which should theoretically work, however, I cannot be sure. I will stop by there after work today to make sure it is compatible, but who knows.

This evening will be extremely similar to yesterday evening. I will eagerly rush to an electronics store hoping that what I buy from them will work with what I have at home. But hopefully tonight, there will be a happy ending.

You're So Vain

You're so vain, you'll probably think this post is about you.
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this post is about you.
Don't you? Don't you?

Michelle Kosinski

So on Friday, while watching the Today Show, there was an extremely funny moment.

Michelle Kosinski was reporting on flooding in the northeast while riding in a canoe. But then suddenly, two men walked right in front of her, through the water. The water was about up to their ankles.

For pics, click here.

Post report, Matt and Katie hassled her asking whether she had reached ground yet. Later, when Al was doing the weather, instead of a weathermap, he used the footage of the men walking in front of Michelle.

It was quite the morning news moment.

On Thursday's show, Michelle, once again reporting on the flooding stood in waist deep water. Maybe she should have done her story from there.

Or, not been so dramatic.

I guess thats why they call it "news and entertainment." Because I certainly got both.

Rebecca

The best part about watching the Apprentice.

Another Rainy Day

Did you hear the one about the weatherman who thought he could forecast the weather?

Liars and/or Thieves

Back in May, I took my first child, or rather my car, to the Volkswagen dealership for an oil change. This was a part of the 70,000 mile check up to make sure all was running well on my car. I hadn't really experienced any problems except a squeaky belt whenever I started my car, so I didn't expect really much to be discovered during the physical.

So, it was a day off I had so I brought the car in, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. The longest oil change of my life. So finally, after the oil was changed, and the car inspected, I was informed of two HUGE problems with my baby.

The first one was that my break pads were in serious need of replacement. I was curtly informed that whomever I had put my pads in before had done a bad job. (At that point I gently reminded them that I had purchased the car from that very dealership as a "certified preowned vehicle" and asked why it wasn't discovered sooner, i.e. during their 70-point pre-sale inspection) I was then cautioned that my struts were bad. The service manager told me that normally, struts shouldn't be movable, but mine could be moved a quarter inch. He told me that if I didn't hurry up and get them replaced, he had seen cars brought in where the tire of the car had broken through the hood because of the problem that I apparently had.

Seeing that I had already wasted the entire morning there and had other things to do that day, as well as that fact that I just didn't have the estimated $900+ I needed to repair my car, I asked if it would be possible to have the work done the next time I needed my oil changed. I was told that they couldn't make any guarantees, and that the sooner I had the problems fixed, the safer I would be when I drive.

So May goes by, June, July. Time for another oil change. No cash so I just postponed the repairs and had my oil changed at the standard, far more convenient Jiffy Lube.

So then, here in October, I finally had enough saved up to use on car repairs (after making such life critical purchases such as a digital camera, mp3 player, and some new furniture) and make the appointment for the repairs.

I dropped off the car yesterday for the oil change, some recall work, and the brakes and struts. They didn't have a cost estimate for me when I dropped it off, but was informed that somebody would call me with how much everything would cost at some point later in the day. I waited for a call, but never received one. Late in the afternoon, I decided to call them up and see what the story on my car was. After having to leave a message for someone to call me back, I was called to be told my car was ready for pickup. Slightly nervous that I hadn't approved whatever cost of the labor would be, I asked what exactly was done to my car. I was told that the recall work had been completed, and the oil was changed.

And that my brakes and my struts were just fine.

So were they lying then or are they lying now?

I do know my brake pads will need replacing at some point soon as I do periodically hear a squeak or two. And when driving over potholes and rough roads, I do hear pops from my struts, so I can imagine that at sometime in the near future I will need to have something done to them as well.

But aside from the fact that the dealership, or the stealership as it is sometimes called, did not give me new brake pads when I actually had them listed on my service order just baffles me. First, I'm not planning to get them replaced and am told that I need to and am warned what would happen if I didn't. And then yesterday, I bring the car in for them to do it, and then they don't because apparently all is well!

My conclusion is that I will no longer take my car back to the dealership for service. Not because they are thieves and cost too much for work on my car (both time and money) since I already recognize that and still kept going back because I did appreciate the quality of the work. But no, I will not go back because they are liars.

And my belt still squeaks.

Same old story for Redskins, Gibbs

Terry Bradshaw has a great review of the Skins this year.

Here's a clip:

My point today is that we live in a world where we all want instant gratification. We want to jump on the Internet. We're on the cell phone going to work. Everything is now. We want everything now. Fast. Speed. Give me answers today. Right now. We have no patience.

Read the rest here.

Nick Novak

Proud to be a Terp, Proud to be a Redskin.

3-0

WOW

Hail to the Redskins!

Great game.

Chief Justice John Roberts

So Roberts gets the job of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Obviously, no surprise there.

It was a 78-22 vote, Democrats were 22-22, Republicans 55-0, and Independent Jim Jeffords voted yes.

Among those who voted against him were Clinton, Biden, Bayh, Feingold, and Kerry, a.k.a. 2008's presidential prospects.

If you want a complete breakdown, click here.

UPDATE 7:15 PM
Feingold actually voted FOR Roberts. The formatting on the C-SPAN page between a senator's name and vote was off causing a bit of difficulty trying to see how a vote was cast. Sorry! Thanks to Chris Matthews on Hardball when he actually asked about the same 5 senators I listed as the possible presidential candidates, and noted that only 4 of the 5 voted NO, with Feingold the one who voted YES.

David Crowder Band's Collision

Anyone who has seen my CD collection knows that it is quite large and diverse. And yes, I actually still do buy CDs. I don't download (legally or illegally). I just keep it very basic. I buy the vast majority of my albums through a music club, spending on average of $7 per CD. Normally, you have to wait about three to four months from an album's street date until you can purchase it from the club, but the savings are worth it.

However aside from the music club and my savings, there are a handful of artists whose albums I can't wait for, so I go buy them on their Tuesday release date, and then overplay them in my car for the next month or so.

One such artist is the David Crowder Band. The very first time I heard them was in March of 2002 at a youth conference I was chaperoning. They were extremely new at this point, their debut album having just been released the month before. They were great in concert, but, not ready to commit to a $10 "out the trunk" purchase of their CD, I waited for it to appear on my music club to save my 3 bucks. However, after I listened to it, I realized that I should have actually bought that CD right then and there. And would have been willing to pay more for it.

Since that first CD, they have become one of my favorite groups to listen to live or in the car, and several months ago when I got the first email that their new album would be coming out on September 27, I was already counting down the days until it was released.

Their new album is called "Collision." And this is what the cover looks like when you go out to buy it:



Having listened through it three times in its entirety so far (and several of the tracks having received repeat play), here's what I can tell you:

It is excellent.

This is definitely one of those landmark albums - a record that at the time of its release is unlike anything you've ever heard before, but in five years if you listen to it again, it will sound mainstream.

The songs are deep, lyrically and musically. Each song is crafted on multiple levels. Tracks are lush and rich sounding - and it's a rock album.

Usually, songs with a lot of stuff happening in them annoy me, sounding overproduced and like plastic (if plastic made a sound). Additionally, those little skits and other random banter between songs is annoying even more so. Surprisingly though, this album contains them. But they work. Normally, the high production level and interludes make for a truly artificial sounding album, and only rarely do they make a natural, organic sounding CD - this is certainly one of those rare occasions.

The theme of the album is "When our depravity meets his divinity, it is a beautiful collision." It is divided into three parts - A, B, C, and D. Each a unique step in the journey that is "Collision." Part A sounds like the normal David Crowder Band repertoire, with an edge, but by the time you arrive at part D, you have come through an experience of harder but relaxed, darker but hopeful, songs. There is a classic spiritual fused into a driving rock track culminating in some bluegrass. Sounds bizarre, but it actually works. There is a natural progression, both across the album itself, and by DCB as a band.

You can download a track or two from iTunes or buy the whole thing from Amazon. You can actually listen to three tracks in their entirety on the group's MySpace page. Whatever you choose to do, it is most definitely a worthy purchase.

It's great. You can take my word for it.

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

Welcome to my new and improved blog! Days of template monotony are gone!

How to Survive a Freestyle Rap Battle

On my Google start page, I get a daily "'How To' of the Day." Normally, they are pretty basic... helpful, but not exciting. For example, you can learn how to grill steak, how to excerise on a plane, or even how to create a makeup kit with a fish tackle box.

Every once in a while, however, you get a really funny one. Today, at the top of the list is, "How to Survive a Rap Battle." It is quite a read, and I'm sure helpful for many of you wanna be rappers out there... you know who you are.

The best part was the final warning:

"Spit" as used in the context of this article is a synonym for rapping, not the forcible expulsion of saliva from the mouth. Please do not practice the latter kind of spitting; it does not make you look nearly as cool.

To read the whole thing, click here.

JetBlue Flight 292

So I'm watching LOST when during a commercial break, I switch channels to see what else was on when I went by Fox and they had a split screen between an airplane and the regularly scheduled program. There was no indication as to what was going on with the airplane so I switched it to MSNBC where I learned about the problem with the landing gear.

So here on live TV we are watching an airplane with faulty landing gear. There are ambulances, fire fighters, and other emergency personnel waiting along the runway at LAX. It seems as if there might be a chance that the plane could crash land and we can all watch it live at home. How nice. But I was hooked.

As I am watching the plane flying in preparation to land, my thoughts immediately shifted to the passengers on the flight and what they may be thinking. So is this it? Are these my final moments? What is going on here? Am I dreaming?

Fortunately, it was one of the most relieving moments ever. Watching a smooth landing was amazing. When the wheels on the front of the plane (which were twisted 90 degrees from where they needed to be) were dragging on the ground, sparking and burning, I was prepared to see other parts of the plans catch. But thankfully this did not happen. The plane just went straight down the runway until it came to a final stop.

All I can say is that JetBlue has one incredible pilot.

MSNBC's coverage wasn't too bad either... Just moments after the plane landed, and the passengers exited, one was on the phone with MSNBC giving a first hand account of what happened. None of the other cable networks really had coverage which compared.

I have no idea how big a news item this will be tomorrow, but it was quite the event today.

A story with a happy ending sure is nice for a change.

Redskins Win!

Late in the midnight hour, the Redskins turn it around.

I love Mark Brunell. I love you, Santana Moss.

What a game last night! I have to admit, I was extremely doubtful late last night as I watched Dallas leading the Skins 13-0 with just a couple minutes left in the fourth quarter. The commentators frequently reminded us that Washington was 15-1 against the Cowboys in their most recent matchups, and that the last time we beat them in Dallas was back in 1995. Bill Parcells had an undefeated record when leading by 13 points or more in the fourth quarter - seventy some wins. Other "all odds against the Skins" stats were mentioned. Even when the stats are FOR us, it seems that the Redskins find a way to lose.

But no, not this time.

When I saw Brunell connect with Moss for the first touchdown, my first thought was "Whoa! That was CRAZY!" My second thought was, "And why are we waiting this long to pull this kind of stuff?!" But my thoughts were quickly interrupted by the second Brunell-Moss touchdown.

I've seen many comebacks in football before. But never with the Redskins. Never in this manner. Usually when there is a late 4th quarter insane comeback, its usually the Skins who are the ones defeated. It was such a surreal moment to see it happen for us this time!

Monday Night Football normally provides us with the best games of the season. For the first three quarters, it seemed that the Skins-Cowboys matchup would be an exeception. Fortunately not yesterday. This will go down as one of the best games in our team's history.

A comeback for the ages.

Tony Shalhoub Wins!

Congrats to Monk's Tony Shalhoub for winning the Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. I love that show!

In his acceptance speech, he said to the other nominees he was "not familiar with their work," and "I just want to say there's always next year, except for Ray Romano."

Funny guy.

Two Worlds Collide

The Skins sign Terp alum Nick Novak! Check it out.

Who's really to blame for $3-a-gallon gas?

Check out this very informative article by Jon D. Markman. Click here.

Interesting snippet:

Right now there is plenty of crude oil in the world’s pipeline, but a scarcity of gasoline. Katrina knocked a considerable amount of crude-oil production out of commission in the Gulf of Mexico, to be sure. But as a gesture of goodwill, and to make a buck, our allies in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, agreed to produce more than their usual allotments to keep world reserves stable. At the same time, the U.S. government agreed to release tens of millions of barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an energy piggy bank started 30 years ago after the Yom Kippur War between Israel and its Arab neighbors disrupted supply.

You can have all the oil in the world and still run short of gasoline, however, if major refineries are out of action. Refineries are large, smelly, unattractive plants that “crack” crude oil’s hydrocarbons into the stuff that makes modern life go, such as heating oil, kerosene, jet fuel, the feedstock for plastics, diesel and automotive gasoline. Few U.S. states have ever wanted these noxious beasts on their coastlines, so the ones built in loosely regulated Louisiana half a century ago make something like half of all the refined crude oil products in the country. When Katrina blasted through, her high winds and storm surge knocked these plants for a loop, and the partial shutdown caused 10% of the nation’s entire supply of gasoline to vanish in a weekend.

Comments on Opening Day

Being the political junkie that I am, I spent a bit of yesterday evening watching C-SPAN replay yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on John Roberts' nomination to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. There were a couple things that struck me as I watched.

The first was Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont. He commented that, "If anyone needed a reminder of the racial divide that remains in our nation, no one can now doubt that we still have miles to go. I believe that the American people still want, expect and demand their government to help ensure justice and equal opportunity for all and especially for those who, through no fault of their own, were born into poverty." His comment is an obvious reference to the criticism leveled against the Bush Administration that had New Orleans been a town of rich white folks, then the problems faced in recovery efforts (i.e. the delay) would not have been an issue.

There were problems with the recovery effort. The federal government, the state government, AND the local government all had their fair share of screw ups. However, this is not a result of a racial divide; it is merely a reflection of bureaucratic incompetence. When you have many different powers attempting to get something done in unison, there will always be difficulties. Ideally, in a post-9/11 world, the synchronization of the multiple levels of government would have happened without chaos, however we've got what we've got, and we've got a ways to go.

Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts noted, "The powerful winds and floodwater of Katrina tore away the mask that has hidden from public view the many Americans who are left out and left behind. As one nation under God, we cannot continue to ignore the injustice, the inequality, and the gross disparities that exist in our society."

The thing from this comment that jumped out at me was firstly, the reference to the racial criticism of the handling of Katrina victims, but more significantly the "Christian pandering" he evoked with the phrase "one nation under God." This is a contentious issue that he is generally regarded as being on the "other" side of, so it was quite interesting to hear him say it.

Also, New York Senator Chuck Schumer commented regarding the prospect of being Chief Justice at such a young age whose term of influence can last more than a generation, "I cannot think of a more awesome responsibility; awesome not in the way my teenage daughter would use the word, but in the biblical sense of the angels trembling in the presence of God."

The use of "awesome" describing God's greatness equated to that of holding a government job for twenty some odd years? I'm sorry, but that's not even close.

While confirmation hearing are supposed to be about a candidate for a post, it seems as if its actually more about the committee members. It is about what a Senator can say or do to score points with his or her base. The sad reality of politics - its never purely about the issues, but more about the power obsessed on their journey for more.

Redskins Win!

Thank you very much. We'll take it.

A Helping Hand

If you've got some cash or have something more long term to help out victims of Hurricane Katrina, check out the following:

American Red Cross - $5 minimum online contribution, or donate by phone or mail

FindShelter.org - dedicated to helping families affected by Hurricane Katrina by connecting them with churches and other organizations willing to assist them with long-term recovery.

The Power of One

The greatest power on earth is the power of one. The power of an individual. It is from a single person that the greatest feats on earth have been accomplished. While triggered by an individual, it is enhanced by the collective force created when others, in like mindedness come together to get something done. A group of people who are not of one accord is useless; accordingly, it is the role of an individual both severally or collectively that matters the most. A house built of brick is worthless if each brick is broken.

This power is can be used for good. However, this power can also be used for evil.

One such evil is the very first person who is driving and brakes to take a look at the cool flashing lights of a cop who has pulled over another driver, or to take a gander at someone changing a flat tire. This very first person has the power not only to add a couple additional seconds to their commute, but seconds, and eventually minutes, to all drivers behind them. If you add all the time each individual who is sitting in rubbernecking delays wastes, you would have a total time value of days, weeks, and maybe even months.

You as an individual have the power to break the rubbernecking chain that is created when a fellow driver needs to pull over. You can either choose to continue driving to your destination or to slow down the commute of everybody behind you.

Use your power for good.

Jordis Goes Home

I know that you watch Rock Star: INXS. I just know it. It IS the best show on TV this summer.

Anyway, imagining that you (for whatever reason) do not watch this show, here's what happened last night...

JORDIS WENT HOME!

You see, Jordis was the best singer on the show when it started. Easily. Hands down. I still think she's the best. However, in recent weeks, her performances were not quite on par with what she started, with the exception of "Knocking on Heaven's Door" which was phenomenal.

So, now it was down to the final five, and yesterday, when I thought about the performances from Tuesday's show and who would get eliminated, I knew for sure it would have to be Jordis. Not because she was bad obviously, but because she was not really the type of person who can get all glammed up and lead this existing rock band. She's 22 for goodness sakes. I doubt she even remembers the glory years of the band because I sure don't.

With that said, I knew she was going to get eliminated all day, and when she was called to the bottom three, and available for elimination by the band , I knew it would be her. After her performance on the elimination show, the band asked her if she could lead INXS. She replied, "I hope so." Right at that moment, I knew her fate was sealed. You don't say that!

Regardless, Jordis is far more than just a flash in the pan. I don't know what happened for her to start out so strongly and then fizzle, but she didn't have the same mindset as the other contestants did. They were always talking about adapting themselves to INXS, whereas Jordis never did. It was always more about Jordis is who she is, and she was just hoping for a match.

I said previously that I thought Marty would be the best fit for the job, and I still stand by that. I hope that he wins. I know he will win.

It still sucks to see Jordis go! But I am definitely expecting a modern solo career from her... none of this 80's band revival.

So I met Mark Warner...

Last Saturday evening, I had to chance to attend the West Virginia Jefferson Jackson dinner in Charleston where Governor Mark Warner was the keynote speaker. I drove just over 5 hours, was there for about 3, and then drove back the 5 hours, got 45 minutes of sleep, and then drove to the airport to catch a 6 AM flight. Hectic? Yes. Tiring? Sure. Worth it? Definitely.

So to those of you who have talked politics with me before have long known I've been plugging a Mark Warner candidacy for president in 2008. I have posted on this blog about this as well.

So basically, a couple months ago I hooked up with the Draft Mark Warner (DMW) organization. This event in West Virginia was the first "on the ground" operation at a political event by DMW, and since it was relatively close, I knew I had to be there.

After a scenic drive through western Maryland and into West Virginia, I finally arrived in Charleston where the dinner was just getting started. Many West Virginia democrats were honored, and speeches delivered, but the headliners were WV's Senator Robert Byrd and Governor Joe Manchin, and of course, Governor Warner.

Governor Warner's speech really made it clear that he is going to be actively involved in the 2008 election. He dealt with national themes, such as employing a 2008 strategy that involves more than 16 states on the electoral map (50 maybe?), the importance of being visionary, and the dilemma that the American education system is in. As I listened (being 20 yards away), I thought to myself "this guy is it." I had an out of body moment because here is a guy whose speeches I had seen video of and whose record I had examined but had never seen in person, and here he is, right in front of me, giving an address. I had a "what am I doing here" moment several times.

So right after the speech, people are standing and applauding, and guess where he comes down to first? That's right. The DMW table. That was a very cool moment.

But the cooler moment happened a bit later. After the event, we were handing out some flyers to enthusiastic post-address democrats about the prospect of a 2008 run. After the crowds leaving had died down a bit, the DMW folks were standing near the front doors of the convention center when I noticed Governor Warner and an staffer walking past. I see him looking over at us as he walked to the door, at which point he stopped, came over to us and said, "hey guys, we need to take a picture." At which point we did. It was really an amazing moment to have him come over and initiate the picture taking.

And let it be known here on out, that in January of 2009 when President Warner is sworn in, you saw the beginning of the journey right here.

Draft Warner organization begins campaign

Draft Mark Warner, the grassroots internet organization promoting Gov. Mark R. Warner for President in 2008, will conduct its first on-the-ground operation at a political event.

Warner will be the keynote speaker on Aug. 27 at the West Virginia Democratic Party’s Annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Charleston, W. Va.

Article here.

I'm the moderator from Maryland!

I love Shaun Groves.

That is all.

Living in Stagnant Water

Stagnant water is the worst kind of water there is. Water in and of itself is a pure, life giving substance. However, when allowed to stagnate, starts to become filthy, transforms into a breeding ground for blood sucking mosquitos, and can even pass along diseases such as malaria.

Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."

Everyone has the choice of living in either a puddle or a spring. I enjoy life in my spring. If you are happy in your puddle, that's fine with me. Just stop trying to splash me with your filth.

Democrats... STOP HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON!

It seems that the Democratic party doesn't know where its going from a national perspective. What are the key issues that are driving the party? There sure are plenty to choose from.

I am on many different political mailing lists and it seems like the vast majority of the ones from the Democratic party and related organizations seem to all be focused on what a bad job President Bush is doing.

Is pointing out the mistakes of an elected official a good thing? It sure is! Accountability of politicians is essential. However, the problem lies in the fact that the goal of the democratic party should not solely be to remind us of how awful the current government leaders are. What they should be saying is, "Mr. Bush is doing it wrong because____________. And here's what we are going to do about it-_______________.

It's funny because just this week I was thinking of how sick and tired I was hearing about Cindy Sheehan and all the liberal activist groups who are exploiting her, and how no solutions are being offered through it all, only attacks upon President Bush. Then I read an excellent editorial by David Ignatius in the Washington Post.

Here is a clip:

So where are the Democrats amid this GOP disarray? Frankly, they are nowhere. They are failing utterly in the role of an opposition party, which is to provide a coherent alternative account of how the nation might solve its problems. Rather than lead a responsible examination of America's strategy for Iraq, they have handed off the debate to a distraught mother who is grieving for her lost son. Rather than address the nation's long-term fiscal problems, they have decided to play politics and let President Bush squirm on the hook of his unpopular plan to create private Social Security accounts.


Because they lack coherent plans for how to govern the country, the Democrats have become captive of the most shrill voices in the party, who seem motivated these days mainly by visceral dislike of George W. Bush. Sorry, folks, but loathing is not a strategy -- especially when much of the country finds the object of your loathing a likable guy.

Top 3 Ways to Ruin a Relationship

1. Do not listen when having a conversation, and when recalling it later, be sure to include facts which were never mentioned. For those brief periods you were listening, do not use logic in your interpretation of what was said.

2. Create a far fetched story and accuse the person of lying when they don't admit to what you say they "did" despite the fact they have never lied to you before.

3. Never allow facts to get in the way of your emotions.

Top 3 Snack Combinations

Here they are, my top 3 favorite snack combos.

If you want to win me over for anything, presentation of these items would be a great first step.

1. Fresh squeezed lemonade and a soft pretzel with caramel dipping sauce
2. Iced tea and a soft, thick brownie
3. Sausalito cookies with original Pringles chips

Subconscious Imitation

People are the products of their environments. Sometimes this environment is a chosen one. Other times, it is something unavoidable.

In a chosen environment (environment being defined as all influential devices surrounding an individual) people many times feel that since they have chosen it, they are in control of it. And this control allows for whatever influence to have an effect as great or as little as the individual decides.

When one is deliberate, it is possible for this to be successful, such as working in an environment where everybody is, by default, very unfriendly and do not engage with one another on any sort of meaningful level. An individual entering this environment can either make an effort to interact with others or to simply "go with the flow" and this person who is otherwise engaging can be transformed. Alternatively, if an individual who hasn't either consciously decided to go one way or the other can be subconsciously changed into fitting in to the environment without realizing it.

There are many influences in life, and one of them is the television. Sometimes, you can learn more about a person simply based upon what their favorite, or rather, most watched TV shows are. This brings me to the point of today's rant.

Have you ever noticed that people who seem to be the drama kings and queens of the world are those who watch "The Real World" on MTV? Even the smallest thing to a normal person turns into a huge event by these members of drama royalty. There is always a heated exchange between two (or more) individuals, and the word "feelings" is mentioned, not only by the females, but even guys as well.

This is not to say that everyone who watches "The Real World" is a member of drama royalty. But I will say, if you know of somebody aged 16 to 30 who you would classify as either a drama king or queen, odds are that they are faithful watchers of "The Real World."

Some could argue that the inverse is true, that individuals are already drama-prone and only gravitate towards shows like that. But I believe that I have seen otherwise normal individuals utterly transformed simply by viewing this show. Do they deliberately decide, "Oh, I really want to be as dramatic as those people are!"? No, not at all. It is much more along the lines of by their constant viewing of this so called "real world," their perception of what actually is the real world, and how normal, sane individuals behave in certain situations is forever warped. They become these characters they watch on a weekly basis. It is subconscious imitation.

Spanglish

I recently saw the movie Spanglish. Going into it, I had really no idea what to expect... I vaguely remember seeing trailers for the film when it originally came out, but really (based on those) did not have a strong desire to see it. But I am so glad I did and did not have a preconceived notion of what to expect.

This is definitely one of those movies that the marketing division really didn't know how to market. Based on some reviews I read post-watching, people didn't know what this movie was all about. Some thought it was merely a "comedy" or a "romantic comedy" and felt somewhat disappointed. Others thought it was a movie about immigrating to the US and its challenges. While it is true that the movie did contain all of these elements, the big picture was actually a bit, uh, bigger.

Spanglish is a movie about parenting, about family, and about personal priorities. Plain and simple. Of course you can't really market a movie today saying, "this movie will show you what it means to be a good parent," which is rather unfortunate because those are surely needed.

If you haven't seen it yet, you should check it out.

How to be lazy... by the PG County Police Department

Mistakes are a part of life. We all make them. The most important aspect of a mistake, however, is not the mistake itself, but what you do in response when one is made.

The Prince George's County police department is not immune to mistakes. Periodically, when making a news release, the wrong city or town is cited within as where a crime took place. Obviously, the reporting of inaccurate information is not a good thing.

So what would be the logical thing to do to solve this dilemma?

Oh, I don't know. The county police department is exactly that - a COUNTY police department. Surely they, being overseers of all things within the borders of PG County would at least know where city and town lines are drawn. And if not, an officer or two (grab 'em from a speed trap if you need to find some) could actually go into the communities and find out exactly where a city or town's limits are and report back to police HQ.

Once all this information is gathered, a map could be made and the next time a crime is committed, whoever is writing the press release can refer to this map (color coded if necessary) and pinpoint the exact location of the crime. Then, this information can be utilized and actually used in the new releases.

Is that too much to ask of the police department? I really don't think so.

And let me say here that I really do appreciate what policemen do for us on a regular basis. If we had no police officers, we sure couldn't enjoy the quality of life that we currently have. (Although speed traps could surely be done away with.)

So what has the good ole PG County police department decided to solve their problem? Just eliminate all usage of city and town names in their reports? You got it! That is exactly what they are going to do!

I've said this before, and I will say it again. The police are excellent 99% of the time. It just seems that in the remaining 1%, they really know how to drop the ball. And if this is not an example of that, I don't know what is.


Backlash Spurs Pr. George's Police to Stop Releasing Crime Jurisdictions

As Prince George's grapples with a soaring crime rate, the hodgepodge of 27 jurisdictions that dot the county are increasingly sensitive about the stigma of homicides or carjackings that occur just outside their borders. They have repeatedly registered complaints with the media and the county police department when crime is inaccurately attributed to their city or town.

To address the growing discontent and avoid the possibility of getting it wrong, the county police have decided that their news releases will no longer identify the cities and towns where crimes occur. From now on, the department will release only street names and block numbers.

Road Bill Reflects The Power Of Pork

White House Drops Effort to Rein In Hill

I thought Republicans stood for being fiscally conservative. I guess these nowadays Republicans are just as bad as some Democrats who go crazy with our tax money as well! I want my money back!

Three years ago, President Bush went to war against congressional pork. His official 2003 budget even featured a color photo of a wind-powered ice sled -- an example of the pet projects and alleged boondoggles he said he would no longer tolerate.

Yesterday, Bush effectively signed a cease-fire -- critics called it more like a surrender -- in his war on pork. He signed into law a $286 billion transportation measure that contains a record 6,371 pet projects inserted by members of Congress from both parties.

Boredom Numbs the Work World

Ooops. The story of my life. By Amy Joyce in today's Washington Post.

Here's a bit.

"We know that 55 percent of all U.S. employees are not engaged at work. They are basically in a holding pattern. They feel like their capabilities aren't being tapped into and utilized and therefore, they really don't have a psychological connection to the organization," said Curt W. Coffman, global practice leader at the Gallup Organization, whose large polling group measured employee engagement.

And a bit more.

That problem -- a lack of autonomy and a job that has very specific instructions -- hits workers from the highest to lowest echelons of the working world. Many spend their days surfing the Internet, writing e-mails or taking care of personal business.

Read the whole thing. While working.

Jordis Rocks!

There is one television show that I know you are not watching this summer. And that show is Rock Star: INXS on CBS. How do I know you are not watching? Well, simply because the ratings haven't been too great.

Unfortunately for you, you are really missing something.

Contestant Jordis Unga has got to be the greatest performer on a television show that I have ever seen. While I cannot give her the title of greatest singer, because currently Tamyra Gray holds it, there are elements far greater than singing voice that makes a rock star great. And this gal has them.

Recently, People magazine noted that, "When dreadlocked Jordis Unga stepped on stage and ripped into a searing rendition of The Who's 'Baba O'Reilly,' she didn't just kick off another music competition, she outsang four seasons' worth of American Idols."

Rock Star: INXS is a much better show for music and musicians than American Idol is. You have a great house band that contestants perform and interact with. Performers really know how to work the crowd. Contestants here are much older than the teenagers of American Idol. They have performed professionally prior to becoming contestants and this fact is abundantly clear. Instead of turning amateurs pro, this show brings great performers to the international stage.

If you would like to see videos of Jordis, or any of the other performers for that matter, you can access them from the show's official site on MSN.

While I am still unsure if I would like to see Jordis win the whole thing (a record deal as a solo artist might be far better), she is truly worth watching, and I wish her best of luck in her forthcoming professional music career.

The Pizza Hut Ban

So last Friday I was responsible for dinner for a going away party. The menu? Pizza. Simple enough, right?

Previously for similar events where pizza was involved, we bought those "make it yourself" pizza kits from the grocery store which make having a pizza even more affordable than it normally is. So last week, after work, I went to the grocery store to go buy some pizza kits for 6 pizzas. Having to grab something on the way from work to the party, I had to stop by a Giant en route. To my dismay, they did not have the all inclusive pizza kits as they do at my ususal grocery store, but had each component which had to be purchased separately. After putting enough crusts, sauce, and cheese for 6 pizzas into my basket (They did not have any carts! And that surprisingly ties into my previous rant, but I digress...), I realized that the total grocery bill would be very similar if not more than how much I would spend at Pizza Hut using their special "Buy 1 at full price, and get up to 5 more for 5 bucks each" deal. So I returned all items to the shelves, and then had to lug several bags of chips and drinks to the counter using my arms, neck, and basket since all the carts had conveniently been "borrowed" already despite the fact there were no more than twenty other customers in the store. Plus, I think Pizza Hut pizza tastes better than the do it yourself variety (generally), and there is no work involved... so it was win-win.

And now, the "fun with Pizza Hut" evening begins.

In order to find out which Pizza Hut delivered, the internet was accessed, and after inputting the address, the website had not one, but two locations which apparently delivered to my address. Quite pleased with the prospect, I called one of the two, confirmed that they delivered to my address, and proceeded to order all six pizzas. After completing the order, I was then informed that they actually didn't deliver to my address. Slightly irritated, I hung up with them and called the second Pizza Hut because surely they delivered to my address... it did say so on the website. I went through the same process with them as I did with the first - first made sure they delivered, then ordered, and finally was then told they didn't deliver to me. I then asked for the number of a Pizza Hut who actually could deliver to my address, and I called that number. And they too could not deliver.

Finally, it was decided I place an order and pick up the pizza. The order was placed and I was told that the pizza would be ready in twenty minutes. Excellent news I thought. But then, traffic being unsually bad for a Friday afternoon, I arrived an at the Pizza Hut an hour after placing the order. I just hoped the pizza wasn't cold. I walked in, and gave the guy at the counter my phone number and my name, but he could not find it in the system. I then described the order to him, and he says, "I don't know of any order of 6 medium pizzas being placed, and I would know. Are you sure you are at the right Pizza Hut?"

Initially thinking I had actually come to the wrong place, I went back and confirmed that this actually was the correct Pizza Hut, and after a more thorough search in the complex Pizza Hut computer system, he was able to find my order only to tell me that it wasn't ready yet. It was at that moment I looked around the Pizza Hut to see very impatient people who had also placed orders quite some time earlier and were still waiting for their orders. So I sat there and waited. And waited. For fifteen minutes. All while getting annoyed because I had to take the guest of honor to the party, and it was more than an hour late of the scheduled start time, and people had arrived even earlier to suprise him when he arrived.

Finally, the pizza is ready, and the man at the counter gives me the pizza and proceeds to help the next people in line. But I realize that I had not yet paid for the pizza! And he didn't even know! So, here I am, compeltely fed up with Pizza Hut organization, already late for the party, and in order for me to pay for it, I have to wait in line again?!

So, guess what I did!

I walked off with the pizza!

No, I am lying. But I was extremely tempted to do so. But after I waited in line, and told the man at the counter I hadn't paid yet, he looked extremly grateful that I hadn't walked away. Too bad I didn't get a coupon for a free pizza or something!

So, the result of that day has led me to ban all future Pizza Hut purchases by me. Granted, I will still EAT Pizza Hut pizza when bought by others (it IS good stuff), but I will not buy any until they can get organized to the point where if somebody wants delivery, they can immediately tell if they deliver to the address AND when their in house computer system is capable of handling a simple name or phone number search to pull up an order with an at least 90% success rate.

Yes, I'm weird like that.