Happy New Year!

Have fun and stay safe.

Crazy busy

Between work, travel, and the general holiday chaos, I have had damn little time to string together a coherent thought, much less a whole post. I should be back into the swing of things soon.

Norris Hall to become a Peace Center

This seems entirely appropriate to me.

I was going to let this go but…

I cannot help myself. OMG, the Spears family - let’s recap, shall we? So one daughter, Brittany, is a disaster of intergalactic proportions; she is crazy, irresponsible, and completely out of control. The other, ostensibly good daughter, Jaime, is sixteen and pregnant. Publication of their mother’s Christian parenting book has been understandably postponed. So I have to ask, if you were mother to these two, would it not be a better use of your time to actually parent these kids rather than write and peddle a book about same? Obviously, no one is a perfect parent, myself most definitely included, but this is too absurd.

By the way, I am dying to me the publishing exec that gave this project the green light. If Lynne Spears can get a contract, anyone can, and Daddy needs a book deal!

Not getting the whole “journalism” thing

I just read what must be one of the worst articles I have seen in a while. Jonathan Weisman and Paul Kane of the Washington Post somehow managed to write a piece about the Democratic Congress’s less than stellar record of accomplishment in the just concluded session without once mentioning the word filibuster in reference to obstructionist Republican Senate minority. In fact, the only time it was used was to highlight the Democrat’s failure to build a filibuster-proof majority on Iraq. WTF? In this session, the Senate Republicans set a new record for number of filibusters. And somehow, these two manage to write an article completely devoid of that crucial piece of info. That isn’t just sloppy or lazy, that is journalistic malpractice. Maybe these two are hoping to land jobs writing editorial copy for Fox news or press releases for the RNC…

Diversion

Given the somewhat depressing tone of the past couple of days, I needed something to lift my spirits. What I found was the best ever French language punk rock performance by a Belgian national. This, I grant you, is a very narrow field of endeavor but one that can be, nonetheless, quite enjoyable. Without further ado, Plastic Bertrand's eponymous "Ca Plane Pour Moi".

Justice

For my own reasons, I like to maintain a degree of anonymity here so I rarely get into specific details of my personal or professional life. Generally speaking, I write about things that I want to write about and the topic is rarely me for one good reason; I am just not that interesting. I consider that a good thing. One need only to remember the old Chinese curse, that one live in interesting times, to see why. Unfortunately, this has been a very interesting year for my family. Suffice it to say, I have had more dealings this year with insurance companies and the criminal justice system than I would have liked. Yesterday, thankfully, some of that was resolved. And before I proceed any further, please understand that I write this as cautionary rather than an effort to garner sympathy or throw myself some sort of pity party. This is the story of how our former day care provider endangered my child, as well as several others, and landed herself in the state pen.

When J. was just 12 weeks old, we put him in the care of what we thought was a licensed, reputable, and hence sane, day care provider. She had oodles of references, twenty-five plus years experience and a lovely home-based environment that just what we were looking for. We thought that, after much research, we had found the perfect setting for our child. It turns out that we, like several other parents, were hoodwinked by a greedy charlatan with money troubles, piss-poor judgment, and few qualms about imperiling children for financial gain.

You see, instead of providing the love and attention we had expected and indeed, paid for, this horrid woman was placing our children, a half dozen at a time, in a hidden, unventilated, sound-proofed room built into the garage. This room, the entrance to which was secreted behind a carefully placed sheet of plywood, was chock-a-block full of Pack and Plays, a hot water heater, and nothing else. It was used to hide children during inspections by the state licensing agencies because our provider was “caring” for eleven kids BY HERSELF, far beyond the legal ratio of 5 kids per person. As many as seven children were locked into this stifling ten by ten box, unattended and ignored. To add insult to this injury, the proceeds from this deception were used to remodel our provider’s kitchen and master bathroom. Miserable bitch…

No one outside of that house really knows how long this lasted but in April, someone notified Child Protective Services. That tip led to the discovery of the room, our provider’s arrest and subsequent plea to seven misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Yesterday, she was sentenced to seven years in the state penitentiary, with three years suspended. In all likelihood, she will do two years time, in addition to losing her house, her livelihood, and her reputation. Even with those punishments, I consider her (and us) lucky for what could have but did not happen. There was never a fire. A child never suffocated while unattended in that room. There are a million dreadful situations one can conjure up in that circumstance. I try not to dwell on it for obvious reasons.

Thankfully, none of these nightmare scenario occurred. If any had, some poor parents, perhaps my wife and I would be mourning a loss so profound that I can hardly bring myself to think about it and our provider, at the very least, would have faced manslaughter charges. That fact, however, does nothing to dissolve the guilt we feel for putting our child in that situation. Neither does the realization that we were duped into believing that everything was in good order and above board. As one of the other mothers in court said, you only get one shot at raising a child. Putting it my way, it breaks my heart to think that we were one accident away from completely fucking it up.

So my sage and experienced words of advice on this matter are be ye not so gullible as I. If you have questions about your provider, ask. Most states have licensing boards and every jurisdiction has something equivalent to Child Protective Services. They were invaluable resources in our case. Next, make sure that when your provider says that they have an open door policy, it really is an open door policy. Our provider hid the true number of children in her care by enforcing a rather elaborate pick-up and drop-off protocol. If you are made to wait for more than a couple of minutes on a regular basis, demand to know why. We failed to question the routine and in doing so, perpetuated the ruse. And last but not least, if you harbor any suspicions about your provider, follow your gut. In retrospect, so many of the oddities that should have raised reds flags to me, I conveniently explained away. This was exactly the wrong thing to do. I should have known to trust my instincts rather than my rationalizations; so should you.

In the end, everything has worked out, in a fashion, at least. J. is in a wonderful new pre-school where I know he is safe and happy. He does not appear to have suffered any long term effects from the neglect, though we will never really have an answer to that. The parents that I have talked to said much the same thing. They also share the same guilt and desire for retribution that Lo and I feel. Thanks to the fine work of Virginia CPS and the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, I believe justice was done. As for the guilt, well only time will tell. I know that I failed my child. The knowledge that I did so inadvertently, deceived by someone I trusted, does little to alleviate the sting of that failure. This is now water under the bridge. The only thing that I can do now is learn from this ugly episode and maybe warn others that when it comes to those that would care for your children, one cannot rely on a sterling resume and a solid reputation as I did. I was led down the primrose path, but my complacency fueled my willingness to follow. Or to borrow a phrase from Ronald Reagan, trust but verify. Your kids are too important not to.

Dodd beats Reid

Majority Leader Reid has pulled from consideration the FISA bill granting amnesty to the telecoms for their role in domestic spying. This is a win for the good guys.

Dodd steps up

Chris Dodd is set to lead the filibuster of the FISA bill. He should so not have to be in this postition.

While I am on the dissatisfied Democrat tip...

I second what Kos says. It is time to ditch Harry Reid. I am sick and tired of the Senate buckling to the will of the GOP minority and our thoroughly unpopular President. Seriously, if you are the Majority Leader, then lead the fucking majority. Don't submit and don’t sell out your own team.

Glenn Greenwald is all over this:

Worse still, Reid is completely disregarding the "hold" placed by Chris Dodd on any amnesty bill -- simply refusing to honor it, even as he respectfully honors literally scores of "holds" from GOP Senators such as Tom Coburn. And while Dodd is interrupting his campaigning to fly to Washington to lead the filibuster he vowed, Reid has ensured with scheduling manuevers that the filibuster will take place only over the weekend -- when all of the members are away raising money anyway and journalists aren't paying attention -- with the intent to try to force cloture once everyone returns on Monday.

There are two key objectives for today: (1) do as much possible to pressure Reid to honor Dodd's hold and (2) do as much possible to encourage the presidential candidates and others to actively support Dodd's filibuster, not merely in a cursory way, but through authentic leadership. At least as of now, Reid is the clear villain here, doing everything possible to enable the Bush/Cheney FISA agenda on telecom amnesty and surveillance powers, and doing everything possible, yet again, to ensure that Senate Democrats stand up to nobody except their voters and their base who put them in power.

Dodd gets it. Feingold does too. It is shameful that the leadership does not. As has been said before, we need more and better Democrats.

Cleanin’ house

When the next Senate convenes after the next election, presumably with a comfortable Democratic advantage, can we please kick Benedict Joe Lieberman out the goddamn caucus? It was bad enough when he dumped the Party in service to his own ego during his last campaign. But for him to endorse John F-ing McCain, because no other Democrat supports his idiotic view on Iraq; that, my friends, is an unpardonable act. Time to kick his turncoat ass to the curb…

YouTube fun

The Clash performing "I Fought the Law". Awesome...

The coming Clinton implosion

There is lots and I mean lots of chatter about problems in Hillary’s campaign, that the long knives are out for her top advisor Mark Penn, that she failed to seal the deal and now Obama is coming for her. After looking at the latest numbers, all that chatter may well be justified.

Many political observers saw Clinton as the "inevitable" Democratic presidential nominee a few months ago, but Obama has steadily chipped away at her lead in recent months.

In a CNN/WMUR poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire and released Wednesday, Clinton and Obama are in a statistical dead heat in New Hampshire, which will hold the nation's first primary January 8. Clinton's 1-point lead over Obama, 31 percent to 30 percent, is within the poll's margin of error of 5 percentage points. Edwards came in third at 16 percent.

Recent polls also show the race tightening nationally. When the Democrats debated last in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November, Clinton led Obama 44 percent to 25 percent, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. Now, a CNN/Opinion Research poll shows Clinton with a narrower lead nationally over Obama, 40 percent to 30 percent.

Now that her lead in Iowa and New Hampshire has all but evaporated, expect to hear even more talk of her campaign cratering. More to the point, with Hillary trending down and Obama moving up, she could very well lose the first four contests. If that happens, Hillary is all but done.

Hitting the nail on the Huckabee

Yesterday, Gail Collins, in a single sentence, encapsulated the resurgence of the Huckabee campaign.

The Huckabee strong suit is morality and the Republican voters are clearly yearning for someone without a record of spectacularly public adultery who also does not remind them of a snake-oil salesman.

Bingo! The GOP base craves a moralizing theocrat with a consistent track record on the social issues and Huck fits that bill. But as Collins points out, the former Governor carries baggage of a different sort:

It turns out the guitar-strumming, good-humored populist has never met a present he didn’t want. Huckabee managed to pile up $112,000 in freebies in a single year as governor. I can see how he would feel constrained to politely accept a picture of a duck or a cowboy hat, but $48,000 in clothing? A discount card for Wendy’s? A chainsaw?

Wedding gifts are exempt from ethics restrictions in Arkansas, and when Mike left office, the Huckabees — who have been married for more than 30 years — were signed up on the Target wedding registry so fans could help furnish their new 7,000-square-foot home. “Message from the couple: Target GiftCards are welcome,” added the registry helpfully.

While the morals issue clearly helps Huckabee, his penchant for receiving gifts may open him up to ethical questions similar to those that once dogged another former Arkansan presidential contender. Anyone remember Whitewater?

“The Arctic is screaming”

Just in case you still think the jury is out on Global warming.

WASHINGTON - An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years.

Greenland's ice sheet melted nearly 19 billion tons more than the previous high mark, and the volume of Arctic sea ice at summer's end was half what it was just four years earlier, according to new NASA satellite data obtained by The Associated Press.

"The Arctic is screaming," said Mark Serreze, senior scientist at the government's snow and ice data center in Boulder, Colo.

Now, one would think that news like this, aside from scaring the shit out of anyone within 100 miles of an ocean, might increase the likelihood that some sort of carbon reduction plan could come out of Bali but apparently not. Worse still, Al Gore says it is our fault that little progress is being made. If only he were wrong…

Intransigence

W vetoed another SCHIP bill because he is ideologically-driven dick. What else you expect from the douchebag that said of the uninsured, in true Marie Antoinette “Let them eat cake” fashion, “After all, you just go to an emergency room”?

It should go without saying that we deserve far better than that.
Worst. President. Ever.

Lunch

I don’t mean to brag but I may have invented the GREATEST SANDWICH EVER.

Split one crusty sourdough roll.
On the top half spread French’s Yellow mustard and layer with dill chips. On the bottom, spread some spicy brown mustard (trust me, the two mustards are critical).
Stuff with even parts of Pepperoni, Hard Salami, and Black Forest ham.
Add a couple of slices of smoked Provolone on top of the meat.
Heat until the cheese is melted and enjoy the spicy, salty goodness.

Try it. You will want to thank me later, I promise.

Obstructionism and wuss-dom in the Senate

In a previous post, I noted that the House had passed a not awful Energy bill that contained some fairly modest yet much needed conservation measures as well as killing some subsidies to Big Oil. And really, why in the hell does Big Oil need government largesse when the industry is posting record profits? Yet another example of just how corrupt our system has become but that is a topic for another post. Anyway, the Republicans, ever vigilant in defense of the corporate masters, refused to allow a vote on the bill until the subsidies, tax breaks essentially, were restored. Predictably, the Democrats caved on the subsidies, fearing the mighty veto pen of the Decider. So on the one hand, we get a bill passed that will do some good. On the other, the Dem leadership, after yet another capitulation, looks weak and timid. Good on the policy, bad on the politics – all together, I call it a wash.

Special Election results

Both Democrats lost big in yesterday’s special elections which really is not all that surprising given that both seats were in Republican strongholds. What is somewhat surprising, however, was the amount of cash the National Republican Congressional Committee dumped into these races, over 120K in Virginia and nearly half a million in Ohio. And this is money that the NRCC can ill afford:

The National Republican Congressional Committee has poured in more than $428,000 — nearly one-fifth of the committee’s entire campaign account — for advertising, direct mail and phone banks within the last week.

When a Party must spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave to retain a seat on its home turf, that Party has problems. Dumping twenty percent of your available cash into ONE race means one thing and only thing only – the movers in the GOP were desperate for a win, so they decided to buy one. Looking on the bright side, that is not a practical strategy with 435 seats up for grabs next year. So while we may not have scored an upset yesterday, things are still looking rosy for next year.

Bellwethers

House districts VA-01 and OH-05 are holding special elections today. Both are very, very Republican and in a normal year, the GOP should romp. This is, however, not a normal year. I expect the Democrats to have better than average showings in both contests and while I doubt either will win, even keeping these close spells further problems for the GOP in 2008. And if one of our guys should actually win, the Republicans in the next cycle are straight up doomed. At any rate, we will know a lot more about the electoral climate this time tomorrow.

Run Huck, run

Although Mike Huckabee’s support has surged among Republican Primary voters, that support does not translate to the public at large. Indeed, liberals can take heart in the fact that the former Arkansas Governor will get destroyed in the General by all three leading Democrats.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is surging in new polls of GOP candidates, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday shows he would lose to all three leading Democratic candidates by double digits in hypothetical contests.

In head-to-head matchups -- the first to include Huckabee -- the former Arkansas governor loses to Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York by 10 percentage points (54 percent to 44 percent), to Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois by 15 points (55 percent to 40 percent) and to former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina by 25 points (60 percent to 35 percent).

Not that I need to put too fine a point on it but this really highlights how out of touch the Republican evangelical base is with the rest of the country. Here is the new GOP frontrunner, propelled largely by the consolidation of the wingnut base, and he gets his clock cleaned against the Democratic field. Up against Edwards, another populist (albeit one of a liberal-ish stripe), Huck posts his worst numbers. It would seem that Huckabee garners his support by being more conservative than Giuliani and more authentic than Romney (one the religion thing, Huck is a true blue Bible-banger) rather than having his message resonate with voters. To me, that translates into pretty tepid enthusiasm for Huckabee and a whipping in the General if he wins the nomination.

Saving the Bay

This is what good governance looks like.

Kaine broached the farm proposal at the annual meeting of bay state governors, who guide the regional bay restoration effort. It comes on the heels of a commitment from farmers to ante up private funds to help the bay.

"We ought to take advantage of that cooperation [among farmers] when we have it," he said. He said he will give details on the amount set aside for farm runoffs at a Dec. 17 budget planning meeting with state legislators.

A coalition of farm groups says it will put up more than $600 million to control farmland pollution if the state will use tax money to generate $100 million for the effort.

The money would pay for conservation tilling equipment designed to reduce erosion and combat the bay's chief pollutant -- nutrients. It also would subsidize planting of forest buffers and cover crops that capture nitrogen and phosphorous found in fertilizers and animal manure.

Farmland generates about 40 percent of the nutrient pollution that reaches the bay. There, it acts like a fertilizer to fuel algae blooms and other problems that harm water quality.

The state has used incentive funds for years to help farmers improve their practices, but farmers say the fund is chronically underfunded. Typically, farmers who want to participate are rejected because of a lack of state funds.

This year, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation has a record $18 million at its disposal to help farmers.

Felony?

Giuliani is in deep trouble. Judith Nathan was using the NYC police force as her personal taxi service well before their relationship was disclosed, discrediting the Mayor’s previous explanations for her extraordinary treatment.

Thursday, Giuliani aides changed their story. They said Nathan had received previously undisclosed "threats" earlier in 2000, and that protection was provided at those times.

They refused to provide dates, describe the nature of the threats or confirm - as witnesses and a law enforcement source now contend - that the protection began before she was publicly identified as the married mayor's girlfriend in May 2000.

That would make the threat justification all the more puzzling, because she wasn't a public figure.

This smells an awful lot like the Mayor used the NYPD for personal gain, otherwise known as misappropriation of public funds.

Crazy takes flight

The Ron Paul blimp is scheduled to take off sometime next week. As of today, it is still unclear whether the airship will use the traditional helium as a loft medium or something more unorthodox like Paul’s supporters’ fiery rants of against the IRS.

Half a loaf

The House passed a decent, though by no means great, energy bill that will increase fuel efficiency standards for this first time in thirty year, cut oil and gas subsidies, and enhance government investment in renewable and alternative energies. The White House has, of course, threatened to veto the bill.

This would make it a race

Rep. Thelma Drake (R) of Virginia’s Second District may be in for a challenge in 2008 if Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe decides to run for the seat. From the Pilot:

Sheriff Bob McCabe said he may challenge U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake in November.

“There are some Democratic leaders who are encouraging me to run,” McCabe said Wednesday. “It wasn’t on my radar screen six or seven weeks ago, but I’ve been overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from grass-roots people and friends in Richmond and Washington.”

McCabe, 49, is a Navy veteran and former Norfolk police officer who was elected sheriff 15 years ago. He was elected as a Republican, with Drake’s support, and still has photographs of GOP stalwarts Oliver North and George Allen in his office at the City Jail.

However, he left the GOP several years ago, saying elements of the party had become too extreme. He later joined the Democratic Party.

If McCabe gets into the race, then the 2nd District could be up for grabs, especially if the State Party throws its support behind his campaign. This one just got interesting.

Trouble for Huck

Mike Huckabee has been on fire lately. He has finally emerged as a viable candidate for the bible-thumping wing of the GOP, is looking good in debates and may even be in first place in Iowa. More impressive, he did so by spending like $27, which is by necessity because he is being outraised by the local Girl Scout troop. But as any politician knows (see Hart, Gary), the moment you get out front is the moment people start to dig into your history.

That means trouble for Mike Huckabee, who aside from a pile of ethical problems, appears to have helped free Wayne DuMond, a convicted rapist, who upon release, committed another rape and a murder. Worse still, this would seem to go far beyond any sort of Willie Horton “soft on crime” troubles the plagued the Dukakis campaign. That was a generic policy question. In the DuMond case, Huckabee personally intervened to get him paroled and then denied that he had done so. Showing poor judgment is bad enough, lying about it is even worse. As the old saying goes, it is not the crime but the cover-up that gets you. Time will tell.

Fear-mongering idiot

With the latest National Intelligence Estimate stating the Iran shelved its nuclear (or nucular if you must) weapons program in 2003, can we please stop all of this talk that the Iranian regime is somehow an existential threat to us? Pretty please with sugar on top? Oh who am i kidding...

Bush said Tuesday that he only learned of the new intelligence assessment last week. But he portrayed it as valuable ammunition against Tehran, not as a reason to lessen diplomatic pressure.

"To me, the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) provides an opportunity for us to rally the international community — to continue to rally the community — to pressure the Iranian regime to suspend its program [Ed. note – they did, in 2003, like the report says]" the president said. "What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons program."

He also asserted that the report means "nothing's changed," focusing on the previous existence of a weapons program and not addressing the discrepancy between his rhetoric and the disclosure that weapons program has been frozen for four years.

Bush said he is not troubled about his standing, about perhaps facing a credibility gap with the American people. "No, I'm feeling pretty spirited — pretty good about life," Bush said.

"I have said Iran is dangerous, and the NIE doesn't do anything to change my opinion about the danger Iran poses to the world."

So let me get this straight. Before the report was issued, Bush thought Iran had a nuclear weapons program. Then, the new report makes it pretty clear that they do not and yet that changes nothing. Or to put it another way, Iran is just as dangerous with or without nuclear weapons because they still know how to make one? It appears that Bush’s diplomatic solution is for Iran to unlearn how to make a nuke or else. Not only is that mind-blowingly stupid, it makes no fucking sense. Let's all pray that we can get through the next year without W starting another war.

Worst. President. Ever.

Beyond repair

The Politico’s Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei have a piece up outlining the Administration’s plans to rehab the President’s image and burnish his legacy. I know, I almost spat out my coffee when I read that too. Look, there are some things in life that are too far gone to salvage, too damaged to renovate. In the real estate world, properties that dilapidated are called “tear downs”. As is often the case, something structural has given way, either to rot, or termites, or water damage. Essentially, the bones of the place are just no longer solid and to reclaim the land, the house must be demolished.

Presidencies, like houses, are temporal things. Over time, they can be built upon, or torn down and rebuilt, or simply left to their own devices. This Administration has but a bit more than one year left and then, thankfully, it will be swept aside by something most assuredly better. Whatever the reasoning behind this effort to gild the lily of his Presidency (I would hope it is shame but that might be asking too much), the work is all for naught. No matter how much they gussy up the exterior, the core is still rotten. This Bush Presidency is a tear down, with almost nothing sound enough to be built upon.

Where did the time go?

I just realized that it was twenty years ago that U2 released The Joshua Tree (FWIW, one of the best album from the 80’s). Does that make anyone else feel a bit older than they did when they got up this morning?

A boost for Democracy

It is good to see Venezuela reject Hugo Chavez’s bid to become President for Life.

CARACAS, Venezuela<, Dec. 3 — Boisterous Venezuelans celebrated in Caracas early today after voters narrowly defeated a proposed overhaul to the constitution in a contentious referendum over granting President Hugo Chávez sweeping new powers.

It was the first major electoral defeat in the nine years of his presidency. Voters rejected the 69 proposed amendments 51 to 49 percent, according to the Election Commission.

Whenever a citizenry can thwart a naked power grab by exercising the right to vote, faith in the system grows. For a country with a somewhat spotty democratic resume (three coup attempts since 1992), this is doubly true.

Go Hokies!

Revenge, an ACC Championship, and an Orange Bowl berth against #8 Kansas. Saturday was a very good day at our house.