Where's The Humanity At Habitat?

It's election season in Kootenai County. The Coeur d'Alene race is well under way with three city council persons and the mayor all up for re-election. They all have challengers. Signs and billboards are popping up everywhere.

You'd have to be deaf, blind and dumb not to know just about every politically connected organization in town is holding candidate forums. Ads for them appear in the paper on almost a daily basis. We're inundated with it.

So what happens? A challenger of a council seat, the executive director for the local Habitat for Humanity, is notified that today is his last day on the job but he'll be paid through the end of the month. What?

It needs to be pointed out this same gentleman challenged an incumbent last time around and rumor had it his job was threatened. I can't verify this as anything other than rumor though I learned of it from another challenger. Where there's smoke there is usually at least an ember, if not a fire.

So this time he is fired. The board claims it's for fiscal reasons. It was time to go back to a managing board. A board of eleven. That will certainly simplify the decision making process!

Naturally the claim is that politics have nothing to do with it. Maybe yes, maybe no.

But you know what really makes me turn away in disgust? The board chairman claimed that not one of the eleven on the board knew a debate was coming up. Excuse me. The man who runs your organization is running for a council seat and you aren't aware of the debates?

The whole board ought to resign for gross incompetence!

See? I get mad. I stay away from this stuff and yet this week I've found myself venting twice. I know people on all sides of the political spectrum in these parts. They are as partisan in their beliefs as any on the national scene. They are also as intolerant of any who disagree with their stand. I've lost many who I had considered friends for not agreeing with them. It was not pleasant.

So, not living in town and therefore not able to vote, I keep my opinions to myself. Unless something so outrageous occurs I can't help myself. This is such an instance. And you know what? If I were voting I'd be voting for the incumbent!

The Unsavory Cheer!

I was listening with interest yesterday as Republicans latched onto the awarding of the Olympics to Rio as equating the downfall of Obama's presidency. Then there were the Democrats laying the blame on Bush. Compare this to we mere citizens who thought neither, but that the President's time and our resources could be better spent than on the games.

Alas, bubble walls are resilient and nearly sound proof. Only occasionally are our voices heard, yet we keep trying. It's what citizens do, having far fewer resources than those we are trying to reach.

I got to thinking about the three categories of people in our nation who live in a bubble, insulated and isolated from reality. One being the politicians who seem to be encased immediately upon being elected to office. Next comes the world of professional sports with their collegiate farm teams used to get potential pros well primed. Thirdly, and these are by no means in particular order, comes the world of celebrity.

Then I thought there is a fourth category. All the rest of us. The main difference is we are held to standards which the others ignore. I think that's why we cheer so mightily when the mighty take a prat fall.

Is this not why many cheered because Chicago lost? Because of the arrogance of many who acted as though it was a shoo in because of the celebrity of the First Lady, the President and Oprah?

Is this not why so many cheered when Michael Vick was brought to justice for his promotion of and part in dog fighting? And booed when the Eagles gave him a contract worth more than most of us will ever see?

Or why we're cheering that David Letterman is getting his and respectively John Edwards is getting his?

Is it why we're waiting with baited breath to see what the Swiss will do with Roman Polanski? One more who deserves to get the book trown at him. Not only for the rape of a 13 year old but for fleeing the country on top of it.

In our world, we'd pay dearly for such indiscretions but the likelihood of them getting news coverage is slim to none. If it did, it would be fleeting.

It's a strange world when we view the spectacular, and relatively infrequent, bad behavior, with more interest than the many more who behave well within the bounds of propriety. Are we jealous? I don't think so. Most of us are relatively satisfied with our lives though a few tweaks here and there might be desirable. We don't tend to extremes as a general rule.

I think maybe we'd just like all those bubbles to burst so we're on a level playing field. That people would be inclined to play nice. The rules are fair. It just doesn't work when someone tries to cheat. The more their compatriots within the bubble have the harder they're likely to fall. And the louder we will cheer.

Should Polanski Get A Pass?

I can understand why the woman in the Polanski sex scandal would like to keep it all in the past.

After all, it happened 32 years ago. She is now married with three children. Why reopen old wounds? I can't disagree with that except for Polanski to be brought to justice, those wounds will have to be reopened, the fire rekindled. Such is the way it is with the media and celebrity.

As much as I'd like to see the lady have her privacy, I'd like even more to see Polanski brought to justice. If a nineteen year old boy has sex with his underage girlfriend and gets caught he'll have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his days. There is no reason why a man who lied to a thirteen year old girl's mother, found his way to a friend's hot tub, plies her with champagne and a Quaalude then has sex with her should not have to pay a penalty equally as harsh, if not more so, just because he is a celebrity!

Granted he had some pretty serious emotional baggage of his own, having suffered through the aftermath of the horrendous murder of his wife and friends at the hands of Charlie Manson's nutcases, it is no excuse for what he did.

He skipped the country, finding safe haven in Europe. He went on to a career as an Oscar winning director while she dropped out of school at 18, got pregnant and married by the time she was nineteen.

Both were victims of media overkill, she being made out to be the "temptress" while he was the one who committed the crime.

I'm sure Polanski would like to put it behind also. There is one way to have that happen. Face judgement. Would the courts be lenient because he has lead an exemplary life since? I don't know if he has or not. If not, I can't think of a better time to begin.

It would be a powerful statement emphasizing that at least in one case, the perpetrator is not above the law, no matter how rich or famous. It might also give pause to others who think young girls are no more than fair game!

I'm Becoming A Conspiracy Theorist!

The headline on this morning's Wall Street Journal front page indicates how the paper has departed from it's origins as a financial daily. Or maybe not. Obama enters Olympic Race. The article is followed by the question of the day - Is it appropriate for Obama to push for the 2016 Olympics to be in Chicago?

My initial reaction is an absolute no. Even though it's said the President of Brazil is going to personally lobby for Rio, I think it's inappropriate for our President to do so. With our economic climate such as it is, it's a precarious road to be sure. I don't know what the economic status of either Chicago nor the state of Illinois is at the moment, but nationally it's in the tank. Will it recover by 2016? Irrelevant. All the infrastructure needs to begin the moment the games are awarded. Talk about a stimulus package! The problem is it's for the President's home town!

It's said that during the G20 and the opening of the UN session, Obama spent time wooing several African nations in hopes of obtaining their votes for the old home town. Excuse me? Here's where my downfall from reason begins. What did he promise those nations to secure their votes?

Mayor Daly has said no taxpayer money would be used to pay for the games. Other than for security and infrastructure! Security and infrastructure? And just how many millions of taxpayer dollars would this entail?

He went on to say funding would come from the private sector! What companies, what's less individuals, have that kind of money? The feds are buying up huge chunks of what once were private corporations under the guise of being a bailout. So would that be private sector money or taxpayer dollars? Those who are under the shroud of government bailouts are under the threat of having their salaries and bonuses fixed. These poor folks will have a tough time paying the mortgages on their summer homes across the world what's more ponying up for the Olympics.

How about those corporations who have been forced to give up sponsorships of various events because of the appearance of extravagance? Will it suddenly be okay to shell out for the Olympics?

He talks of the financial windfall for the city and the state. Remember how disappointing attendance was in Beijing? Who in their right mind will want to go through the security hassles that are bound to be procedure to thwart possible terrorist attacks? Our stringent travel requirements and visa requirements make vacationing elsewhere much more attractive. So what if Chicago throws a party and no one comes? Any financial shortfalls will be covered - by you know who. The taxpayer!

So far health care legislation is no where near the break even point. The war in Afghanistan will continue to cost us billions no matter what the new strategy might be. There are a myriad of other proposals in the working stages that are going to do little more than add to the national debt.

Where's the President on all of this? Leavin', on a jet plane - again. Beats having to sit at his desk and do his job. After all, he has another fellow from Chicago handling that for him. Actually Mr. Emanuel might have been the better choice to lobby the IOC. With a Chicago accent Rahm might sound pretty close to ram!

All Hat And No Cattle!

When our government finds itself with allies like Cuba's Castro and Venezuela's Chevez, one might think something is amiss. Well. maybe!

I felt from the first time it made news, that the U.S. condemning the ouster of Honduran President Zelaya was a mistake. It was an internal matter, and the idea that we can't support a coup no matter the reason was flawed. Well, maybe!

Especially since Zelaya was trying to thwart his own constitution a la Chavez to open the doors to becoming another President "for life". Never mind that their own courts, attorney general and their version of Congress acted in concert on the situation, calling in the military only to see Mr. Zelaya out of the country.

Well. He's back now, hiding out in the Brazilian embassy. It would seem, according to the Miami Herald the Honduran government has a better reason then the one mentioned for refusing to allow him to regain power. He's claiming Israeli mercenaries are torturing him with high frequency radiation! Israeli mercenaries? Likely to storm the embassy and assassinate him? Why? Whoooweeeooo!

I wonder how Obama and Hillary are feeling about their actions now! Of course Zelaya has his supporters; most despots do. They are creating havoc around the embassy as Zelaya calls for insurrection. Meanwhile the citizens cannot even get to grocery stores to buy the necessities for their families; a curfew makes it all the more difficult.

Zelaya has no plans to leave the embassy any time soon. He says, "A country can't have two presidents - just one."

Do you think he should take the hint? Do you think we should take the hint!

Huummmmm er....

A young French student left this comment on yesterday's post:

Hello !
I'm french, I'm 17 years old, and I study English at school. And in my English book, we speak about you and your blog. I think that's very original to whrite all your thoughs in a blog, and I think you've got a quality writing. You have to go on !

It's amazing how one comment inspires me not to change what I'm doing. It is what I do when it comes to blogging.

I dedicate today's post to my young reader.

What vehicle first comes to mind when you think of humongous gas guzzlers the administration wants to get off our roads? The Hummer, right? They'd like to annihilate it, right?

Imagine my surprise when I saw this headline in this morning's Wall Street Journal - Hummer Plans Headquarters In Michigan! It made me realize someone out there thinks there is going to be a market for them. Not GM. It's one of the brands they chose to get rid of.

How about the Chinese? They're the ones buying the brand! They'll no doubt sell a lot of them in China. Probably enough to wipe out and carbon emissions savings that would have occurred here had the brand disappeared.

The game plan, however, is not to contain it in China. The plans for the U.S. include the creation of 300 jobs with people working on design, marketing, engineering and distribution. To keep it in Michigan, the state has committed $20.6 over the next ten years! Wow!

You've gotta love it! GM sells the gas guzzler to China who in turn will devote millions in research, development and distribution tactics in the U.S.. Michigan in particular because they need the jobs, want to keep the reputation of being the automotive capital of the world and offered the greatest incentives.

Now that the cash for clunkers deal has ended, the used car business is in shambles and showrooms of car dealers sit silent, the foundation for an uprising has been laid! Hummer will live to see another day! America loves it's gas guzzlers. America needs it's gas guzzlers, especially during the winter months, just to get around. Especially here in the West! Try driving a smart car over some of our back country roads. Try going anywhere in a car that needs a charge every eight hours and it takes nearly as many hours to complete. Try paying the surcharge on your electric bill for the extra electricity that will have to be generated!

In time, be assured, when all this hype has once more settled down, Hummers will peek out of garages along with honkin' big pickups, SUVs of all types bearing familiar brands. The difference will be the ownership will be foreign and the profits will go off shore.

Our emissions may go down for a time but foreign emissions will increase to offset them. Then ours will creep back up.

These attempts at sweeping change seem to have a few flaws. Are we just a little at odds with ourselves?

When Winning IS Everything!

I watched the video of Brett Favre exiting his private plane on the noon news while the reporter enthused that he was in the Viking's training camp as he spoke. I was thinking to myself what a selfish, self indulgent man-child Favre is.

Last night while watching the pre-season football game, I listened while John Gruden, Ron Jaworski and Mike Tirico were practically drooling over the return of Michael Vick to the pro ranks.

I started thinking about how many people within the sports community are enablers when it comes to boys behaving badly.
Some are in the media. Others among the fan base. Owners. And yes, even coaches. However, I have to say when it's at the college level and a school gives a coach a pass for egregious behavior, it becomes perfectly clear why many of these young men have little knowledge of socially acceptable behavior.

Politicians, as sleazy as they can be at times, don't get the pass that Rick Pitino is getting from the University of Louisville! He's married and supposedly a devout Catholic. He's out with the boys. He gets drunk and while his assistant keeps watch he has sex with a woman he just met, in a restaurant yet. What? On a table? Reminds me of the tag line of a joke, "Oh well, we didn't want to come back to this restaurant anyway!"

She gets pregnant. She wants an abortion. He shells out the money. In a bazaar twist another assistant marries her and tries to extort $10 million from the coach. The whole sordid mess becomes public.

Under the moral code by which most of us live he would have been sent packing in nothing flat. But he wins basketball games. So what did the University do? Had him make a public apology. After all, people deserve second chances. Whew. It Mike's Mike Price's indiscretions while at Alabama seem like child's play!

And we wonder what influences spawn an O.J. or a Vick or a Bonds and so many more. The players' unions protect the players until the public gets fed up enough to demand some sort of punishment but by then the harm has been done, both to the athlete and their "victims". What about coaches?

Coaches are mentors and in many cases father figures to many of the young men in their charge. When their own kids are in trouble with the law, like Andy Reid's, you wonder. The players are kids themselves for the most part. Many never finish college so they can turn pro as quickly as possible. Then the "too much too soon" syndrome raises it's ugly head and infects them. The results are often tragic.

Okay, I'm not well versed in the fine points of the sports industry. I do know when things are skewed. When college coaches get nothing more than a knuckle rap for behavior like Pitino's it's reprehensible. The University needs to look at their president and parents need to look long and hard at the University before allowing their kids to attend. By the time they're ready to turn pro, it's too late.

Payback!

I've long speculated that Rahm Emmanuel is our shadow President. That he's not the one I voted for nor that I don't like the way he strong arms people Chicago style is of little matter. He is who he is and where he is. I'm somewhat gratified to learn The New York Times is in agreement. There are times I'd prefer to be dead wrong and this is one of them.

When Emmanuel took his time accepting the offer to be Chief of Staff, I always wondered if the delay was so he could put his head together with Nancy Pelosi to determine where he would be most useful. It seems he is quite comfortable in doing so, as is she! Snicker.

One of the biggest disappointments I've had about President Obama is what seems an unwillingness or inability to lead. Cheer lead, yes. Lead? I don't think so. That's coming from Emmanuel, Axelrod and Pelosi. Oh, I can hear the disagreement on this one. Never-the-less, it's my opinion and until I see evidence to the contrary it's unlikely to change.

I will say, in the likability category, the President wins hands down. It's not enough.

According to the Times article Emanuel is creditied with the "do everything at once" strategy. That may be his downfall in the end. He's making enemies for himself and therefore the President. It could boil down to Emmanual's job or the President's chance at a second term.

One thing for sure, he's doing little to please Hillary Clinton and she could be a formidable enemy. Sixteen years ago Hillary was instrumental in getting Rahm demoted because of his aggressive, feather ruffling ways. As Hub often says, "Don't get mad, get even."

It is Rahm's turn. Hillary wanted to bring long time ally, Sidney Blumenthal, on board. Emmanuel nixed it since he was involved in spreading harsh attacks about Obama in the campaign. In the campaign? Where Obama was running against Hillary? What would one expect?

It doesn't quite wash when the excuse is that the bad blood still runs deep. After all, Hillary is now Secretary of State! How much more bad blood was there than between Hillary and Obama?

I also wonder how she feels about have "Chief of Staff" deliver the dictum!

Hillary is not in the best frame of mind of late. She has been marginalized while the special envoys are dealing with the real hot spots around the world. This is why, I would suppose, we haven't seen much of her. Even Bill has upstaged her. Heck, he does that by being in the same room! However, when push comes to shove, if you make an enemy of Hillary you make one of Bill too. They have this bond, you see.

When it comes to the Clintons versus the rest of the party and everyone in it, I'll bet on the Clintons. Not because I like them or agree with them on much of anything. It's just the way things seem to be.

It's going to be interesting theater. The policies may in actuality be Pelosi and Emmanuel's but the name on them will be Obama's. If they fail, they will be Obama's. If the political world gets tired of being strong armed by a profanity spewing henchman, all the likability in the world may be for naught.

The nice guy could finish last.

Redemption

After the Monica Lewinski debacle I didn't much care for Bill Clinton. I was so angry because he brought such shame to the office of the Presidency. Had he been a member of the House or Senate, a member of the Cabinet or the Supreme Court that's the institution upon which he would have brought shame. Many have never found it within themselves to forgive him.

It isn't my place. When you consider how many politicians have committed similar indiscretions, he certainly does not stand alone. I'm not pardoning it by any means. Maybe these men do live in their own private Hell when caught.

What strikes me about Clinton, though, is that he has become an exemplary ex-President. At least in his public life. His private life is none of my business.

This is a man with tremendous ego and unmatched political skill. I was fascinated as he stood behind Al Gore at the homecoming of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. He did not speak yet he was the hero of the hour.

One day perhaps we'll learn what was said during the face to face with Kim Jong Il but from the body language of the two men I doubt Mr. Clinton, with his jaw thrust forward, was taking any guff!

Putting this accomplishment, the freeing of these two young women, along side all the work he is doing with his Foundation, I think someone has finally trumped Jimmy Carter as the "most presidential former President". No small accomplishment.

It's interesting to me that both these men seem to have come into their own as former Presidents. It's interesting, too, that both men have been far more successful as private citizens than they were as public servants. It's also great to see just how much "seniors" can contribute long after their physical prime and what most would consider the pinnacle of their careers.

The private sector is fortunate to have men such as these. The public sector, as in we the people, are also fortunate for they can "do" without being subjected to the most intrusive of scrutinies.

If I Were An Alarmist...

This is one I would watch. We know the Iraqi government has made demands of our military to which I would never have agreed. Like making them subject to Iraqi law and disallowing them to take any action without Iraqi approval beforehand.

Yesterday they really threw it in our face. While Secretary of Defense Gates was in country Iraqi forces stormed a camp sheltering Iranian members of an opposition group who had been instrumental in supplying us with intelligence.

It was alleged to be a brutal attack with American forces present. If true, due to Iraqi dictates they had no authority to intervene.

Do I trust the Iraqi government? Not on your sweet life.

What really alarms me is what Trudy Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes about the vision Maliki presented while on his recent U.S. visit. The Iraq Education Initiative. On the surface it sounds wonderful. After all education on any level is an American hot button.

What is proposed is the goal of introducing qualified Iraqi students to the ways of the western world and in turn bring what they learn back to their homeland. Maybe.

The plan is to send 10,000 students over the next five years to the US and other English speaking countries on Iraqi scholarships. American institutions will streamline admissions to accommodate these "students" and an English Language Institute in Baghdad will bolster their language skills.

This bothers me on a number of levels. One, our Universities are so strapped they can not even accommodate our own students and two, we haven't seen fit to help those English speaking Iraqis that served as translators for us by giving them entrance into this country.

I hate to dampen enthusiasm for such a program but when the prime minister says,

"We want and seek a strong and solid relationship which is open with the Americans and there are no internal politics of Iraq that prohibit us from having such a relationship with a great country like the United States,"

I balk.

When the Iraqis talk about "a great country like the United States" I'm immediately suspicious. I don't believe for one minute they like us at all.

And what a way to get their people into this country, with polished language skills to boot!

Since I'm really not an alarmist , and if you believe that..., I'll take all this at face value and consider how wonderful it is they want to learn all about us. Maybe they'll even learn how to quit hating each other just like we have.

Camel's Milk

Well, here we are. Day two of my promise to stay away from politics for awhile. At least in a sense.

I'm finding as I take a step back, some realities about our world become more focused. For instance, I'm finding, just like the health care reform issue that's raging, everyone is talking, shouting and screaming yet no one is listening, what's more, hearing.

That brings me to my topic for today. Camel's milk. According to the Wall Street Journal Camel's milk is going to be the next rage in health food. In some parts of the world it already is and an enterprising lady from North Carolina wants to bring it to the states. Big time. Why? It tastes good and it's better for you than cow's milk.

It is not only more nutritious than cow's milk, it's said to be an aphrodisiac, and help everything from diabetes to autism. The pharmas are going to hate it! Especially the makers of Cialis unless they consider filling those bathtubs with milk! Then the beauty industry, too, will hate them!

There is a market for Camel milk in the states. The entrepreneur, Millie Hinkle, gets nearly daily calls from a Somali shop keeper in Minneapolis who tells her he has at least 70,000 Somalian customers who would buy it immediately. Wow. One shop keeper with 70,000 customers! Great.

There are always problems with new ventures. Ms. Hinkle's main one would be the lack of camels on U.S. soil. There are a few around outside of zoos and circuses but they aren't exactly the ideal backyard pet. They aren't called ships of the desert for no reason. They're as big as one! There are risk factors too. It's said they can be ticklish around the udder and unless whoever is doing the milking is experienced, he may just find his subject laying down mid-milking. That could slow what is already a laborious task.

The United Nations along with many European, Asian and Middle-Eastern countries are already studying ways of increasing camels and the production of their milk. Biomedical research is being done for development of drugs based on antibodies found in camels called nanobodies. These wondrous creatures are a treasure trove, indeed! It would be fun to see pastures full of camels dotting the hillsides. They have a charm about them if you don't mind their spitting in your face should you get too close.

But whoa! Wait a minute. This is where the fact that everyone is talking, planning and researching and no one is listening comes in. Camels, just like cows and goats and llamas, and other produce methane! They are larger than cows. More methane? Now, here's where two diverse sides need to get together. They need to weigh whether a more healthy product that is a staple in a world wide diet, milk, is more important than the amount of methane that would enter the atmosphere as herds increase.

Whoops!

The 100% Perfect Solution

Sometimes things are so blatantly obvious I wonder why I haven't seen them clearly long before I do!

I was chatting with my neighbor this morning. We talked about the health of both our old dogs and laughed about our not having any white flour when her daughter came looking for a cup full and what good gravy whole wheat flour makes. We talked of the neighborhood deer that spent a couple of hours lounging under one of her pines just wiling away the afternoon yesterday and how we hope no one shoots her come hunting season. We 're both anxious for the Michael Jackson hoopla to fade and rolled our eyes over Sarah Palin's current escapades.

I had never come close to mentioning politics with her before. She was born and raised in Idaho, one of the most red of red states. I was a bit surprised. She went on to explain she and one son are the black sheep of the family. They are, she said, about as liberal as you can get.

It made me think of my parents. They too were at opposite ends of the political spectrum though politics weren't much of an issue in our household. Then it hit me!

Okay. It's Friday. Yard work is done for the day and I haven't posted one of my Dogwalk Solutions for at least a week. Today it's how to end partisanship in Congress! Be it male or female, make it a requirement that the spouse of the candidate be of the opposite party!

Think about it. Look at Mary Matalin and James Carville, probably the best known family of political opposites. They have a good strong marriage and a great family regardless of their political views. Why? Well, they probably love each other which isn't a bad place to start, but more importantly they've learned to work together for the good of their family regardless of party affiliation!

What better training ground than family? Those in Congress don't seem to understand the concept of putting differences aside, or compromising for the good of the country. Maybe they would understand it in terms of family! Perhaps they should think of us as their surrogate children.

Sure, there will always be those who will never put anyone before themselves. Those like the aforementioned Sarah Palin, or John Edwards, John Ensign, Roland Burris and Mark Sanford. But, as in real life, are not most members of Congress family men and women like you and I, or my parents, or my neighbors? Of course they are.

I realize that as soon as someone is elected to Congress they go through a brain wipe that removes all sensibilities other than party and self. Maybe we have been handling elections all wrong. Let's forget political ideology and focus on what one learns from being a member of a family. The most important is perhaps the art of compromise for the greater good.

It is so simple and so obvious. And that is exactly why no one has seen it!

Zip Trip

There are better ways to eliminate oneself from Presidential contention than the one taken by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford! After missing for days, leaving his state unattended, he finally resurfaced.

No one, not his wife nor his staff, had any idea where he had gone. Especially over the Father's Day weekend.

Someone ventured a guess he was off hiking the Appalachian trail. An idea he had purposely planted. Nope. He was in Argentina!

So begins an apology tour that makes Obama's apologies for all the country's sins of the past pale in comparison. You know, the tears and the apologies and the begging for forgiveness. One thing that was missing was the pained and betrayed wife at his side.

Good for her! Let him face it on his own. Bill CLinton, Eliot Spitzer, David Vitter, and of course John Edwards all come to mind when I think of recent political infidelities that rip families apart. There are always the tears. There is always the apology for letting the family down, not to mention the constituency who elected them. In truth, I firmly believe it is just because they've been caught.

Sanford, according to his home paper, The State , said the relationship would not work. Wonder why he didn't think about that before entering into it! Did he think because she was in Argentina no one would find out? Who knows. I can't figure these people out. I'm used to dealing with people who's brains are above their belt.

I've come to a couple of conclusions as I await the next indiscretion to hit the headlines. I would not want to go to the marriage counselors many of them claim to have consulted. And two, if I wanted to have a secure, loving marriage where I wouldn't be hurt and publicly humiliated, I'd steer clear of an ambitious politician.

I know, I know. The majority are good, family oriented men. It just seems that in a relatively small population of professional politicians there are inordinate numbers of those who are not.

Yesterday I spoke about how the price of freedom seems to be excessive death. Today I ponder about how the price for a successful political career should require little more than keeping it zipped!

I also find it interesting that the female of the political species rarely makes similar headlines. The closest I can recall was the rumor Sarah Palin had an affair with a business partner of her husband's. The story never gained traction. Thank heavens. If we want to eliminate prurient headlines from the political front maybe we should elect more women!

Writing As A Reflection Of The Author

I don't read nearly enough books. Most of my reading consists of newspapers and periodicals. Some on line though I prefer off.

I find it strange because so many of my blogging acquaintances are writers. Some published. Some not. Many, however, have put their work online. I haven't read any of them. I just can't get into a good story sitting at my computer. It isn't that comfortable and I prefer, as they say, to curl up with a good book.

Over the past couple of months two personal friends have had books published. Finally, an excuse to curl up! I was eager to get started because I had never read anything that had been written by anyone I know personally. It was a fascinating experience.

Both books are fiction. The subject matter is in no way similar. What I found fascinating, however, is how much the protagonists reflected the personality of their creators.

The first, When Wolf Comes, is the story of a young man who was shanghaied from a Boston pub in the early 1800s. After several misadventures along the way, he found himself a slave of the Makah tribe of the Northwest Coast of what is now Washington state.

I've know John Pappas for years. His wife, before succumbing to pancreatic cancer, was one of my best friends while we lived in Seattle. They were both my friends. We were always involving ourselves in projects of mutual interest. That's when I learned of John's deep curiosity about and interest in the Makah culture.

The book reflects it in the depth of research that is obvious. And his hero is a reflection of himself. A kind, caring, easy going fellow who had an easier time than he might have because he was, above all, pragmatic. John.

The other book's author is familiar to many of you. Sea Changes by Gail Graham who also authors the blog Driving Chairman Bao . Gail is as complex as the story she has penned. If a movie were made of it she'd have to play her protagonist, Sarah. Sarah is Gail and Gail is Sarah! The story is set in Australia where she lived for over thirty years and was not particularly fond of it. This isn't a review of the book, rather an observation as to how much the book reveals about it's author.

I enjoyed both books a great deal; both were intriguing stories that held my attention. But what really fascinated me was that while I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about my friends, it tells other readers a great deal. Dead on. I can't help being curious as to whether others have had a similar experience in a good read.

I guess that's why writers are encouraged to write about the things they know best. Including themselves!

Have You Hugged Your Hog Today?

Just yesterday I was complaining about the lack of hard news in newspapers. Today, I have to bring you proof positive of what should be the biggest non-story of the week and it's only Sunday!

First, I had to laugh at the picture I found when looking for a huggable "swine". What better than one hugging a little Chinese girl. Think Hong Kong, where the current Director General of the WHO, served as a civil servant. Think Hong Kong where masked police (I love the irony) were holding guests captive in their hotels because one guest had flu symptoms.

Now we're being told the pandemic is easing, people are on the mend. Take an aspirin, drink plenty of water and rest. Go ahead and have pork chops for dinner tonight.

Wait! Are Canadian pork chops safe? Hmmm. According to an AP story in today's Spokesman Review pigs on a Canadian farm may have been infected by.......a farmer!

The poor pigs can't win! The farmhand had been vacationing in Mexico and obviously came back with the bug. He's recovering nicely, no doubt after having taken his aspirin, water and rest. If no one panics the pigs should too recover. According to Slate, pig mortality rates from the flu are far lower than human.

I got to thinking we should treat our snouted friends with a bit more respect. After all, many tests are done on pigs before humans because of similarities between the species. How many of us have heart valves from pigs pulsing away in our chests? At times I am ashamed that I so love bacon and ham!

This is the time to put the media to the test. Slate tells us pigs get the flu much like we humans do - from sneezes and coughs from other pigs. They get a fever, cough, their eyes and noses run; they sneeze. They just plain don't feel good and are put in isolation where they'll recover in about a week with proper rest and hydration. Sound familiar? We could pop them an aspirin to speed up recovery but we really need to keep the farmhands out of the pen!

We are told the WHO insists there is no evidence pigs are passing the virus to humans or that eating pork products puts anyone at risk so basically this should be a non-story. That it made the paper, however, makes it a story. It will be interesting to see if it remains an AP filler story on page 5 or if it becomes headline news!

Why Are We Seniors Such A Puzzlement?

Back in November when Henry Alford , a contributor to the New York Times , among others, told me I was on his list of ten favorite blogs by or about seniors, I did some digging to learn more about him. It came as no surprise that he had written a book. The title tells it all: How to Live - A Search For Wisdom From Old People While They're Still On this Earth.

The title made me laugh and I vowed to read it. This is not a review of the book but rather an expression of curiosity as to just why "seniors" are viewed as some sort of mysterious beings.

One thing I did find interesting in the reading of the book is that he seemed to be searching for a definition as he was looking for his answer. Those he interviewed seemed mostly, not all but mostly, an eclectic hodgepodge of eccentrics. Granted, he and I do not run in the same circles, but I haven't found the seniors of my acquaintance to be as needy of attention or acceptance of their eccentricities as those in his book.

What I found most interesting, however, were the comments on Times review. It occurred to me that somewhere along the path of aging, younger generations lose touch with who we are and where we've been. We're like knick knacks sitting on a curiosity shelf and we need delicate handling. Do we?

We're referred to as libraries; full of knowledge that should be studied lest it be lost. But how should we be approached? What questions should be asked? Wow.

Of course, I am a senior myself so it isn't all that mysterious. In a book I actually did review a couple of years back there was a great deal of discussion about the disconnect between parents and their adult children. I never suffered that. I like to talk, my Mom liked to talk and when we visited, we did little else - but talk. It's called communication. It's no great mystery. Not just talking, but listening and more importantly - hearing - what one another has to say. There may be disagreements. It's a natural generational happening, but no great mystery.

I found the cover illustration particularly funny. The picture of a Shar Pei - full of wrinkles. I enjoyed the irony. As Shar Pei's age, they become less wrinkled. Would that be true for we seniors! Perhaps if we did a Benjamin Button and could reverse the aging process so we looked more like those studying us we wouldn't seem so unapproachable!

As it is, I guess we seniors hold a great secret among ourselves. We've all attained varying degrees of wisdom by merely being. Some of us have lived very well, others not so. It's all pretty much as to how the chips fell and what we did with them.

In other words, if it weren't for those wrinkles there would be no puzzle at all! We're just like everyone else.

Bonuses As A Way Of Life

The big complaint about the AIG bonuses was that they were supposedly rewarding failure. If the government hadn't stepped in, would anything have been said? No. It's a way of life that reaches far beyond top executives!

In a time of economic stress at all levels, how about signing bonuses for coaches at a time when university budgets are being cut to the bone, teachers are facing either pay cuts or job loss, and fewer students are being accepted? Take for example Washington State's basketball coach Tony Bennett jumping ship for the University of Virginia. His total package is around $1.7 million a year plus a $500,000 signing bonus! That would provide a lot of faculty pay and tuition for a lot of students! What's even more questionable is the fact he's an unproven entity considering the differences between a Washington State and a Virginia! Failure isn't even an issue here. It's for signing on with high hopes. Heck of a deal.

Even harder to swallow for a lot of students, I should think, is John Calipari's deal with Kentucky. His eight year deal will bring him some $31.65 million plus a $2.5 million signing bonus. Please don't tell me it's worth that kind of money because of what the program brings in for the school. If it was all that successful, why are the budgets being cut?

It goes even further. Let's go back to tax payer money. The Wall Steet Journal tells us of the practice of Congress giving sometimes substantial bonuses to aides - with tax payer dollars.

We're told that last year more than $9.1 million was awarded to over 22,000 staffers. These discretionary bonuses went to staff earning more than $100,000, as merit bonuses.

To repeat a theme I harp on often, Congress gives itself automatic pay raises and gives out staff bonuses. Coaches are receiving huge signing bonuses while their schools flounder. Meanwhile Social Security cost of living increases are going to be frozen for the next three years, if not longer.

Does anyone besides me see the hypocrisy in all this?

Obama - Messiah Or Dictator?

There is a difference between anger and worry. I've experienced too much of both lately as I watch the administration try to mend the financial crisis by trial and error.

Today, I'm halting the emotions at worry. Tomorrow it may well be back to full blown anger. I am extremely uncomfortable with the sanctions that are being heaped on corporations receiving bailout money without the ground rules being set at the get go.

Take for instance the exit of Rick Wagoner from GM. GM was to submit their reorganization plans by March 31. That's tomorrow. However, the "auto czar", who has no auto industry experience, decided it wasn't adequate. The President, on his own, told Wagoner if there was to be any chance for GM to get additional help he had to go. Did Obama have that right? Should he have that right?

Granted, the GM board should have removed Wagoner long ago. And yes, it's tax payer dollars being used to bail them out. But without preset rules and an arbitrary opinion from someone outside the industry, it makes Mr. Wagoner the scapegoat. For what? To make the administration look tough?

I listened to Obama say that for GM to go in a new direction it needed new leadership. Wagoner's number two took over. Is that new leadership?

Okay, there can be a lot of arguments for everything the administration is doing because of tax payer dollars. However, more and more it looks to be an attempt to change the way corporate America works and if so, you'll soon see us as a diminished nation even more than we already are.

The New York Times had a story which was even more frightening. They are considering regulating executive pay via regulation rather then legislation. This smacks of dictatorship.

Even worse, they are considering extending this practice to financial institutions not receiving bailout money and even to publicly traded companies.

Obama campaigned on regulation to give share holders a larger say in setting executive pay. Well, that's the responsibility of the board. If the shareholders don't like what the board is doing they can vote them out. The hitch here is the shareholders have to exercise their right and vote their proxy's if they can't attend the annual meetings.

Just like politics. You have to vote to have a say. The responsibility, in that respect, falls on the shareholders, not the executives.

"What about corporate greed?" you may ask. There is far too much of it to be sure. But if what the administration is attempting doesn't shape them up nothing will. They will just move off shore.

Speaking of greed, how about the greed for power? To have the ultimate authority to reshape an entire country into a vision not necessarily sanctioned by the people? To dictate what CEO's can and cannot do while giving Unions a pass? By doing an end run around Congress?

Think about it. We criticized the Bush administration mightily for all Bush's signing statements stating he was going to ignore parts of passed legislation. We criticized Bush for ignoring the Constitution on many occasions. We criticize the Christian Conservatives for trying to hijack the government so they can force their agenda on those of us who don't agree with it.

I'm worried. Oh, yes I am. I see our President running around the country and the world as head cheerleader while in truth the team is making up the rules as they go. Who's our cheerleader and how can we win? Without a say, we can't.

Looking For Terror In All The Wrong Places

I searched for the most grisly picture I could find to illustrate this post. Not because I like blood and gore and severed heads, but because I fear for what's happening on our southern border. Really fear it.

If you listen to the news at all you're aware of the war between the Mexican drug cartels. You've read about the execution style killings and the slaughter of members of the police and army who haven't been corrupted and are trying to quell the violence. If you really listen you realize that these atrocities are happening in the border towns. Our border!

This is a long way from the horrors in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's here and like it or not, it has crossed the border into our country. The cartels are having great success recruiting American teens to be their assassins. Does this sound familiar? Bored or disenfranchised kids looking for a little excitement? Do they not make up the terror squads in the Middle East? Yet this is here. In our country! Our kids!

The money is good and easy. Sometimes $50,000 and two kilos of cocaine for a successful hit. A $500 a week retainer and a $70,000 Mercedes to get around in. Our border. Our kids!

What's most frightening of all are the drug pipelines that wend their way throughout the United States. There is a big one that comes right up through Idaho. Unless we get a handle on it now, it's only a matter of time before our law enforcement officials will be found with their hands bound sans heads.

Terror is a tactic. You bet it is. It has been determined you can't wage a war on a tactic. It's time to stop worrying about descriptive semantics and get a grip on what's happening. This need not be one of uniformed troops against terrorists in civilian clothing. The Mexicans have found, as we have in Iraq and Afghanistan, it just makes the good guys easier targets for the bad guys. No matter what you choose to call it, it's here, it's now and if isn't contained on the border we'll have far bigger problems than finding Osama bin Laden!

A Come Back When We Really Need One!

Man starts company, man loses company, man wins company back. A cliched romance of the best kind has occurred just when American entrepeneurialism most needs a boost!

How long ago was it when brand name retailers began disappearing from the American landscape? I can remember when Federated acquired the May company stores and brands changed forever. Marshall Fields, Lord and Taylor, Robinsons,The Bon Marche, Frederick and Nelson, Pittsburgh's Kaufmanns where I worked for a time when I was fresh out of college. Over the years it seems like everything became Macy's! Then came the downsizing and stores across the country closed.

Thinking back on this, it has been going on for years and has ultimately lead to the retail doldrums of today. Look at the names that have closed their doors just recently. Circuit City and Linen n' Things to name but two. Other specialty stores are in trouble. Ann Taylor and Talbots. Wow. Will everything end up being Macy's?

Nope. I was picking up a stack of catalogs to take out to the recycling box this morning and there sat Owner's Manuel No. 67! J. Peterman! "Wow!" I exclaimed to Hub, "Why are you throwing this out and when did they come back?" He responded with an disinterested shrug.

I remember how saddened I was when they ceased operations in 1999. Now they are back. Their catalog is iconic. It's worth getting just to read of the romance behind the clothes they carry. I even used to purchase from them though infrequently because it was expensive. The J. Peterman duster. I have the jacket length version hanging in my closet awaiting spring temperatures. It has worn like iron over the years.

What makes the story of their return even better is that the original owner has regained the rights! Good old fashioned American effort combined with some hard learned lessons has provided a most happy ending. The best part of all, the government and it's bailouts had nothing to do with it! Left to our own devices, the deserving and able will survive; those entities who lack those attributes should be allowed to fail. It isn't the brand name that's the problem, it's the people calling the shots, and as long as they remain in those positions nothing will change. Why prolong the inevitable?