Family Gets Password of Deceased Marine

One news story that hit while we were enjoying Jazzfest down in New Orleans was the resolution of the dispute between Yahoo! and a fallen Marine's family over the password to his email.

Yahoo! had refused to give up the password, citing confidentiality; a probate court ordered the production of it last week, and Yahoo! promptly complied.

Not to say "I told you so" but this was what I had suggested on December 21.

Technology moves much faster than the law, so often we analogize as best we can. Email, like snail mail, enjoys a certain degree of privacy, but only under certain circumstances. There is no expectation of privacy, for example, if a letter is sent to a workplace. And an administrator/executor needs to review a decedent's mail in order to administer the estate: there may be bills, information on assets, even references to Wills or codicils in the mail. I thought those rules easily apply to email as well, and so, apparently, did the Michigan court.

I hope it bodes well for the family and that there are no unpleasant surprises awaiting them. (Which is something for everyone with a diary, hidden porn collection, etc. to remember-- after you go, somebody will likely be looking at it!)

Back From New Orleans

Took a quick family vacation to New Orleans. Just back. Wife wouldn't let me post about it before we left--security reasons, I suppose.

Internet connection failed in hotel room, so no during-vacation posts.

Lots to come over the next few days!

Friday Quickies

.....Read the story that the Pope has his own email address. I guess I never thought about it, but the Vatican has its own website.

It's not too bad.

Though I think they probably should remove the link for NAMBLA (the North American Man-Boy Love Association).

.... I am opposed to the filibuster, that Senate tactic currently under fire. It's undemocratic, and effectively changes the Senate from a majority-rules forum to a 60%-rules forum, which isn't what the Constitution envisions.

It's a tactic that has been used most notably to block Civil Right's legislation (ahh, Senator Byrd, you ol' KKK'er you), though its appearance in the Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" lent it some nobility.

I'm in favor of either scrapping the filibuster entirely, or, in the alternative, enforcing the old rules of the filibuster.

Make the speakers take the floor. Make 'em talk all through the night. Make 'em stand til they drop. No food. No water. No bathroom breaks.

How great would that be?

Sort of "Survivor" meets C-Span.

....I like dandelions. Sue me. I know they ruin the putting- green look of suburban lawns, but I like them. Saw a bunch yesterday along the parkway. They're a vibrant yellow. They're tough. They'll grow anywhere.

And what's better than blowing away the wisps of white after they've gone to seed? Is there anything more summer than that?

....There's a bunch of things in the news this week that I don't care about.

Bolton? Who cares? It's the U.N. Wake me when they're appointing somebody to something that will actually affect me, like the guy who should be timing the traffic lights on Hempstead Turnpike.

Tom DeLay? Other than the push and shove of partisan politics, nope, I got no dog in that fight. He's humorless. He's raw politics. He's apparently a financial pig. He certainly doesn't give two hoots about me or my neighbors, whether we are Republicans or not.

I've said it before. I like my conservatives friendly and optimistic, because I think that attitude truly reflects conservative ideals. I want someone with a smile, saying c'mon, study hard, work hard, you can do it! I want someone to say no to people, or to punish wrongdoers, not out of anger or hate, but with firmness and yet compassion.

I want my party to reflect the face of Ronald Reagan, not Pat Buchanan. Jack Kemp, not Tom DeLay. Theodore Roosevelt, not Bob Barr.

....And finally, a quote from the great Theodore Roosevelt:

"There are two things that I want you to make up your minds to: first, that you are going to have a good time as long as you live - I have no use for the sour-faced man - and next, that you are going to do something worthwhile, that you are going to work hard and do the things you set out to do."

Talk to schoolchildren in Oyster Bay, Christmastime 1898

<>

Here Comes the New Boss....

Will this be more of the same for American Catholics? Or, like Nixon to China, will the acknowledged conservative Pope Benedict XVI institute needed changes during his reign?

I heard a bit of an old interview with the Pope, obviously back when he was a Cardinal, and it wasn't encouraging. He was trying to lessen the impact of the sex scandals here by comparing them to the troubling times the Church had in the 800's, the 1100's and the 1500's. He said Christ ate with sinners, and that the Church was the place for sinners to come.

All true, I suppose, though not unexpected coming from a former Nazi. (OK, that was a cheap shot-- I'll try to refrain in the future...but, sheesh, a Nazi? What are there, about 6 left alive? What's next--did any Cardinals hang out with Stalin or Pol Pot?).

Still, it didn't sound as if Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was uncomfortable breaking bread with Cardinal Law, and that's a shame-- because it may mean we have another Pope who just doesn't get it.

We shall see.

The Curse of Nolan Ryan

On Friday, Aaron Heilman threw the Mets' 28th one-hitter in their 44 year history.

No Met pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter.

Which is truly amazing given that the Mets, in good times and bad, have almost always been known for having a good-to-outstanding pitching staff.

In fact, 15 pitchers who have played for the Mets have thrown 23 no-hitters while they were with other teams. For instance, Tom Seaver didn't throw any with the Mets, but went on to throw one after he left New York.

It's time for a new curse, since the Red Sox banished the Babe's.

Writers have speculated that as a result of the Mets' having traded Nolan Ryan (7 no-hitters) and 3 other players for Jim Fregosi, they will never have a no-hitter.

What we need is to create a back-story we can flood the 'Net with.

Fiction writers-- how about some help? Maybe something like Ryan, on hearing of his trade, walked to the mound at Shea at midnight, a full moon casting an eerie shadow, and as a single tear rolled from his eyes, splashing on the rubber, he swore that the tear would represent the one hit every opposing team would henceforth get against Met pitching.

Well, maybe something better than that.

The Mets should invite Ryan back for an exorcism.

For you baseball dweebs, here is the list of no-hitters I've come up with-- I did this myself, as I was having my first cup of coffee, so don't wager any bar bets on this list, until you've checked it yourself!

Don Cardwell
Warren Spahn (2)
Dean Chance
Dock Ellis
John Candelaria
Nolan Ryan (7)
Tom Seaver
Mike Scott
Bret Saberhagen
Alejandro Pena (combined with others)
Al Leiter
Dwight Gooden
Hideo Nomo (2)
David Cone
Octavio Dotel (combined with others)

My Favorite Popes

As the conclave starts, I thought I'd set out my personal Pope favorites, in no particular order:

Pope St. Linus (AD 64-79): Who was he? He was the John Adams of Popes, Number 2 right after Saint Peter [correction from Paul in the original post] the Apostle. Just as there is no monument to Adams in Washington, D.C., so too have Catholics forgotten the man who took up the mantle after Saint Paul died.

Pope Benedict IX (1032-1045) and (1045) and (1047-1048): Aah, this was a good one. His immediate predecessors were his two uncles. He became Pope at the age of 20 (some reports say 12-- but 20 is the now-accepted age). He was a partier, a womanizer and by all accounts a thoroughly disreputable young man.

He was chased at sword-point from Rome in 1045, and an anti-pope was installed (that's a Pope who hasn't been elected by the Cardinals).

Benedict raised an army and took the papacy back later that year.

But, as the Catholic Encyclopedia itself tells us: "...that he might marry, he resigned his office into the hands of the Archpriest John Gratian for a large sum."

Nothing like a nice dowery. (Actually, if he had just changed the rule about priests marrying, he might have averted a lot of strife in the Church over the ensuing centuries).

Apparently, Benedict tired of the civilian life, so in 1047 he seized the Throne of Peter once again, only to be driven away yet again by a German army in 1048.

Just think how that all would have played on CNN or Fox!

Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503): A Pope for the New World. His uncle was a Pope, but initially he chose not to enter the priesthood. However, as was common for the time, in his 20's he was appointed as a bishop and Cardinal of multiple jurisdictions, without becoming a priest. A reknown card player, he collected tithes from his districts, and became one of Italy's wealthiest citizens.

Already a Bishop and Cardinal, Alexander became a priest in 1468 at age 38, but, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia he continued his "evil ways...Towards 1470 [he] began his relations with the Roman lady, Vanozza Catanei, the mother of his four children: Juan, Caesar, Lucrezia and Jofre, born, respectively... in 1474, 1476, 1480, and 1482. "

Now some of you may recognize those names. Caesar, or Cesare, Borgia was a ruthless and cunning leader who used brutal force to unify much of Italy. His advisor-- Machiavelli.

Lucretia was a serial killer, poisoning lovers and husbands to consolidate gains and pursue the political and financial ambitions of her father and brother. Her name is synonymous with the term "Black Widow".

It is widely recognized that Alexander purchased the papacy. Although he was only one of a string of corrupt Popes, clearly the Borgias had much to do with Martin Luther and the impending Reformation.

Pope Joan: For centuries, scholars believed that around 1100 (or in another version, around 850) a woman, disguised as a man, rose through the ranks from priest to bishop to cardinal, and, ultimately, to Pope.

Unfortunately, today this is pretty much accepted as a myth. Too bad. It certainly would shed a different light on womens' place in the Church.

So, that's my list of favorites. I assume the new Pope will be made of sturdier and more moral stuff!

Friday Quickies

....So Wisconsin, faced with the loss of millions of songbirds per year to wild cats, wants to allow hunters to get 'em.

Can't imagine a stuffed tabby's head mounted on the wall is going to garner much macho respect.

"Yeah, we had just broken camp when she charged us from 100 yards...."

I just can't see that catching on.

Though I'm told the meat tastes like chicken, so who knows? (Add in your own Chinese restaurant joke)

.....The Yankees A-Rod saved a kid from darting out into traffic.

Lucky for the kid it was A-Rod, and not Mariano (bunch of blown saves) Riviera who was there-- the result could have been a lot different!

.....Marginal Revolution has a listing of a few sites that are placing odds on the new Pope.

Current favorite seems to be Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany and Cardinal Lustiger of France.

3 days is the favorite for length of time.

My best guess? A European, non-Italian Cardinal is named on Tuesday.

Still, I'm rooting for the Nigerian Cardinal, just to see the looks on the faces of the boys in the pubs and bars of South Boston, Bensonhurst and Massapequa.

....Congress just passed sweeping bankruptcy reform. The reforms are designed to make it a bit harder to write off all of your debt. Obviously this was pushed by banks and credit card companies. But it affects us all.

I don't disagree that the credit card companies, etc are hugely at fault for the runaway debt we see. Very often people deep in debt blame the credit card companies for continuing to give them credit, despite it being painfully obvious to anyone who looks at the debtor that he can never pay the money back.

But, let's remember-- nobody forced the debtor to run to the mall with the new credit card in his hot little hands.

In our practice, we see dozens of bankruptcy petitions each year. The OVERWHELMING majority of these are not because of medical bills (everybody tells the Trustee at the debtor's exam it was medical bills, but in reality very few of the petitions are medical bill laden)

And it's not because of failed businesses-- something we want to encourage-- we want people trying and failing freely, because that's how we get successes.

Nope, the vast majority of filings we see arise from people charging too much. Living beyond their means. Shopping, and vacationing and $100 cable bills in the face of not enough income.

Ultimately, we are hurt. Those of us who don't file, who pay our bills.

I would rather have seen the bill contain a component to allow discretion in the face of job loss, in the face of medical emergency, or even if the debts arose from a failed business venture.

But consider the case of X & Y, two 20-somethings whose filing we did a couple of years ago.

In the first two years of marriage, they burned through the wedding money, and ran up about $60K in credit cards-- vacations; furniture; clothes; restaurants; cars; cash advances for recreational drugs; electronics. A field day.

They had combined income of about 100K, but no assets, so they qualified for Chapter 7, a complete write off.

Why should they get to walk away clean? Why shouldn't they pay something going forward?

Sure, they were charged 18% interest for a bit, but they didn't come close to paying the principal.

So at the end of the day, they have a dicey credit report for a while-- lots of income to save; and lots of stuff left over. (It's not like the old days when they carted the stuff out of the house)

And you and I pay the debt.

This bill COULD be overkill--let's see how the Courts play it out. But having bankrupts go through a modified Chapter 13 isn't class warfare.

It's common sense.

And I'll bet you NO ONE thinks twice about spending in the face of this bill-- nobody ever thinks bankruptcy, or any bad thing, will happen to them.

....And finally, a quote from the great Theodore Roosevelt:

It is hard to fail, but it is
worse never to have tried to succeed.

- Chicago, Illinois April 10, 1899

Carnival Of Education

Busy day today.

If you get a chance, take a stroll along the Carnival of Education!

China, China Everywhere

The Education Wonks, consistently the best education site on the 'Net, recently discovered that the USO wristbands being sold at 7-11's to raise money for that fine organization are being manufactured in China.

Where does it end?

Every Memorial Day, my Kiwanis marches in our town's parade. We hand out little American flags, the 3" X 5" on a stick kind, as we walk along the parade route. Usually we hand out about 2,500.

After 9/11 we donated our inventory to various memorial groups, interfaith services, etc.

When I tried to buy flags for the 2002 parade, I found that supplies were extremely limited, and the price had skyrocketed. Flags we had purchased for 7 or 8 cents now were running 40 or 50 cents per flag, with no guarantee of timely delivery. Can you say price gouging?

One of our members located a source with plastic flags, not the cloth ones we usually used; they were about 20 cents per. I told him to order them as a back up, in case the gougers didn't deliver.

The plastic flags came in promptly. Just one problem.

Running the width of the flag, in bold, 3" letters which wrapped all the way around the stick, were the words "Made In China".

At least the letters were in blue.

We shipped them back less than 24 hours after we received them.

China, China everywhere. We're building their economy. We're educating their students, especially their engineers (and often on scholarship, by the way!). And other than the Walton family, is anybody really making any money from this trade?

I know with my head that free trade is good. Of course, that depends on a two-way exchange. Are we getting that? Depends on whom you read. It comes down to an issue of trust, and quite frankly, the way the past few Administrations, including this one, have handled illegal immigration, I'm not sure I trust either the Republicans or the Democrats to give me a straight answer on international trade and exchange issues.

I just don't know. I do know it is insane for us to train foreign students, especially in science and engineering which are the lifeblood of our economy, unless they are committed to staying here. It is suicidal to train Chinese engineers so that someday they can have all manufacturing, all computer technology, and whatever comes next.

That's not trade. The education of foreign students, (especially on scholarship!) is treasonous.

My head knows free trade is good. When I see "Made in China" wherever I look, my heart is unsure. I wish there was a source I could rely on.

China, China everywhere. How does this end?

Forget School Prayer--Why Not Work Prayer?

I just received an email petition from a good friend of mine, asking that I sign and forward it on.

The petition asked for support for a Constitutional amendment permitting school prayer.

(I don't know what the protocol is for these kinds of posts, but several months ago, long before anybody read this, I wrote the following on this topic):

I hate to be the skunk at the picnic, but here's what I think is the problem with school prayer. By saying there cannot be an organized prayer in a public school (key words--organized & public) we are guaranteeing freedom of religion.

You can pray anytime-- your kids can pray anytime. What you can't do is force my kid to pray at the same time, in the same way, as you want your kid to.

A moment of silence, a chance to silently pray, or meditate, or get your thoughts together? Fine.

But an organized prayer? Yes, I have a problem with that.

Here in NY, in my daughters' suburban elementary school, in a class of 25 there would regularly be 10 or so religions represented. Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews, Reformed Jews, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, (I don't recall a Baptist, but there may have been one or two floating around), Muslims & Hindus. That's assuming there weren't other denominations, or atheists, or Buddhists in the class. In our village of 35,000 people there are 12 houses of worship.

How are you going to develop a prayer for all of that?

Why would you want to?

Let your kid say a prayer, with his or her family, at the start of the day. This way, everyone gets the benefit (and, by the way, why don't I hear the clamoring for prayer at work? Work Prayer would deal with adults who, presumably, would be more able to withstand peer pressure, etc. Or, in fact, is that not the case? Do we not ask for an organized Work Prayer because we are afraid to offend the boss, or our fellow workers? If it's not OK for adults, why is it OK for a little kid?)

Put aside questions of kids feeling pressured and uncomfortable, etc. Put aside that public schools equal government as far as the Constitution is concerned. Put aside all of that.

My question is: why do we want to mix the two, religion & education?

Don't the schools have enough to do, what with reading and all-- do the teachers also need to be preachers?

I can understand people's concerns about morality & ethics. I certainly have expressed my opinion about the crassness and immorality flooded upon us. I realize that the conservative/liberal divide on this issue would make it appear that I am taking the liberal point of view here. I dispute that.

As a conservative, I ask this-- why are we involving the government in something so personal as religious belief? What's wrong with having the family, or the church, temple, congregation, etc, carry the ball on this one? Why do the schools have to be the point-person on every issue? Where is the call for "personal responsibility" my fellow conservatives often enunciate?

I'm sorry, but I'll support starting each class with a prayer when we agree to start each church service with a trilateral equation.

Friday Quickies

.....Saddam was reportedly upset watching the Iraqi election returns this week.

He was upset? He should have seen me watching Hillary getting elected.

.....So, let me get this straight.

Martha Stewart lies to the Feds about her actions, actions which, by the way, weren't in and of themselves a crime, and she gets prison time.

Sandy Berger steals and destroys classified documents in an apparent attempt to cover up the Clintons failed response to terrorist threats, and he gets a $10,000 fine?

That's not a good thing.

Think maybe ol' Sandy had a better recipe for citrus marinated quail to share with the D.A. and the Court?

......Apparently there was a bit of a dispute at the "Desperate Housewives" photoshoot for "Vanity Fair" magazine.

In the immortal words of Homer Simpson:

"Mmmmmmm, catfight!"

My wife is a fan of the show, and I do watch enough to follow the story lines. The difference is, I don't need the sound on to enjoy the show.

.....I wrote earlier in the week on what I perceived to be some of the failings of the late Pope John Paul II, mostly dealing with his handling, or mishandling, of the child abuse scandal here in the U.S.

Further proof that the Pope did little to correct the systemic problem: the Cardinals chose Cardinal Bernard Law, formerly of Boston, to lead one of the 9 official masses yesterday.

Talk about not getting it. Bad enough Law is going to get to vote on the next Pope, but the spotlighting of him by the Vatican is a slap in the face to every American Catholic.

He should not be behind an altar.

He should be behind bars.

.....And finally, a quote from the great Theodore Roosevelt:

No man is above the law, and no man is below it.

Cell Phones On Airplanes?

In its never-ending attempt to have cell phones intrude into every nook and cranny of our lives, the telecommunications industry is continuing its push to allow cell phones on airplanes, even in flight.

Oh, please, no!

The Pancake Pantry in Nashville, Tennessee is extraordinarily popular, and if you want some of the best pancakes you've ever eaten, you best prepare to wait on the sidewalk for at least a half hour.

I've stood on that line several times, usually on sleepy Sunday mornings while visiting my daughter at college. The people on line are either Church bound, or hung over, or just waiting for their first cup of coffee. The line is quiet, friendly, and sedate.

What do pancakes have to do with cell phones?

This Sunday, my little family visited the Pancake Pantry for some breakfast before we said goodbye to my eldest and we flew back to New York.

Did we enjoy our wait on line? Did we get to ease into the day? Did we get to chat softly with those around us? Did we get to murmer amoung ourselves, talking quietly, get to say our pre- pre- pre- farewells?

Nope.

We got to listen to a loud, inconsiderate twenty-something half-yelling into her cell phone, participating for over 20 minutes in one of the most inane, gum-snappingly stupid conversations I ever was subjected to outside of a sales meeting.

We've all been there. Society simply hasn't come to an agreed set of rules on cell phone use, yet. It may take decades.

I thought about that nitwit and her intrusive recap of her Saturday night while I sat on my two hour plane flight later that day.

Cell phones on planes? Only if they hand out parachutes with the bags of peanuts.

Carnival Of Education #9

Take a stroll along the Carnival of Education, if you get the chance.

It never ceases to amaze me how powerful a tool the blogosphere can be for the dissemination of information. Clearly it can be used for more than puerile rants and the toppling of aging Main Stream Press icons.

The Education Wonk is a leader in the use of this tool; the Carnival, now in it's 9th week, should be visited regularly by people in the education field, or people interested in education. Which should be all of us.

Other industries, including my legal profession, would be lucky to have a similar site.

Pope John Paul II-- A Good Man But.....

Pope John Paul II was a nice man. He was a good man. He certainly lent a strong voice behind the Reagan/Thatcher defeat of Communism. And I know it seems almost disrespectful, if not rude, to bring up negative things after a person has died.

But....

Where was this Pope while American children were being molested by his priests?

Where was this Pope when his Bishops and Cardinals were moving pedophiles around the country, like some kind of carnival shell game?

Assuming he didn't know there was a problem before it hit the newspapers, where was this Pope when the scandal broke?

It’s wonderful that this Pope was the first ever to visit a synagogue, and to apologize for the victimization of Jews by Christians. But why didn’t he visit America on a similar mission, to give solace, and to apologize to these victims of the Church (many of whom were young people in the service of the Church, as altar boys and members of youth groups)?

Why did the Church need to have a conference in Dallas to determine how to deal with pedophilic priests? Why didn’t this Pope rain down the thunder of God against those that harmed his most innocent, or who aided and abetted their harm?

Even Peggy Noonan noted, way back in March, 2002, that the Pope's issued statement decrying the priest's conduct was insufficient--she hoped it was merely his first. Unfortunately, it was his only.

Perhaps this all hit too late in his papacy. Perhaps a younger, more vibrant John Paul would have dealt with this disgraceful episode more forcefully. We'll never know.

Why did this Pope appoint three top aides of the disgraced Cardinal Law to the dioceses here in NY?

After 9/11 the Most Arrogant Cardinal Egan, late of Boston and unfortunately presently in New York, spent most of his time at the Vatican, instead of tending to his flock, even though many of those who died, especially the cops and firefighters, were Catholic. The Vatican said it was Egan’s choice; Egan said he was directed by the Pope.

Which story was true? If Egan was lying, why didn’t this Pope punish him? If Egan wasn’t, why didn’t the Pope send him home at such a trying time?

The Pope was certainly a man of peace, though it’s hard not to notice that the only war he didn’t oppose, World War II, was one which directly affected him, his family and his country.

And though his words were, at times, strong, is there a single conflict here on Earth that he defused or a peace he brokered?

I'm fascinated by the pomp and mystery that will surround his burial, and the choosing of his successor. But he's gone three days now and I've had it already with the unending platitudes. A little balance is called for. There is much to commend about John Paul II, but there was evil that happened on his watch as well.

Nobody is saying that on TV, or in the press, but it's something that needs to be remembered.

Catholic School Enrollment Drop a Threat To Taxpayers

Whether because of huge tuition increases, various sex and financial scandals, or simply changing demographics, the National Catholic Education Association reports yet another decline in enrollment in U.S. Catholic Schools.

The number of children enrolled has dropped from 2.6 million to 2.4 million in just four years. This has forced school closings, consolidations etc.

This is not good news for public schools, nor the taxpayers who support them.

Here in New York, public school districts must provide certain limited services to private school students: transportation, textbooks, special education services. But all of these are strictly limited. Public educators go out of their way to restrict resources to the private schools as much as they legally can.

Which means that when parents decide to send their children to private school, the taxpayer saves big dollars.

Take my school district, for example. Of the 7,200 or so students in the district, about 10% attend private school. We are spending about $15,100 per public school student this year ($100 million dollar budget divided by 6,600 kids). We are spending far less than $1,000 per private school student.

What happens if the 600 private school students "return" to our district?

We would need to construct the equivilent of an entire new school, at the cost of tens of millions of dollars. In addition to the construction costs, we would be looking at an increase of about $14,000 per student in annual expenditures-- about $8.4 million dollars.

Viable, vibrant private schools are a cost efficient way of educating students. So the news about the drop in Catholic school enrollment should prompt districts to seek ways of helping them. Unfortunately, the reality is that public educators see private schools as threats to their fiefdoms, so additional aid is not likely to be forthcoming.

Public educators may be gloating a bit about the drop in Catholic enrollment, but if this trend continues, public educators may see stresses on their resources that they weren't counting on. And taxpayers will, again, see huge increases.

(NOTE: I had originally posted this, for about an hour, on the day Terri Schiavo died, but I pulled it down when word came of her demise. With trial schedule, etc., I'm taking the liberty of re-posting!)

Friday Quickies

....Former Clinton advisor Sandy Berger will plead guilty to removing, and apparently destroying, classified documents from the National Archives. While we of a red mind assume it was to hide Clintonian misdeeds in the battle against terrorism, Berger says it was "an honest mistake".

An honest mistake?

The man hid the documents in his clothes.

That's like the husband who was caught in bed with his mistress saying it was an honest mistake. Who you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?

....I consider myself a red mind in this very blue New York state. But whenever I start thinking about whether my wife and I made the right decision to raise our children here, I read about some knuclehead town that wants to replay the Scopes monkey trial, or put stickers on biology textbooks, or waste time, effort and passion putting religeous symbols on public property, and I remember why the choice we made for our children was the correct one.

....The battle for the new Jets stadium in Manhattan has finished round one, with the Jets beating Cablevision/The Dolans. There is still a long road ahead.

I don't really have a horse in this race. Whether one group of millionaires or another makes some more money or not isn't really my concern.

But this is: I love big projects. Grand ideas. I love bridges, and tunnels, and dams. I love the space program, and I love environmental cleanups and preservations. A national water pipeline.

When I was in high school, there were a number of issues plaguing New York. There was a water shortage (since rectified by the building of more reservoirs Upstate); there was an energy shortage, and a nuclear plant being constructed and fought over on Long Island (eventually it was closed, at the cost of billions of dollars to ratepayers and taxpayers); and there was (and is) a transportation problem, as this Island of over 8 million people has few bridges and tunnels off it, and none in the eastern 75% of the Island, thus making transportation on and off here expensive and time consuming.

Dr. Brown, my biology teacher, had a solution. Dam the Long Island Sound.

Over time, the Sound would convert to a fresh water body, thus providing a huge source of water.

A roadway could be built over the top, thus providing transport.

And the dam could generate electricity,

It was a grand, politically impossible dream, but one which captivated me, and intrigues me til today.

Cablevision says it has a better plan for the West side, one which would include residences and offices, etc. But where have they been? And what's to make us believe that given the opportunity, it would ever get done? Too often projects get defeated because somebody says better use could be made of the resource, and then nothing gets done.

And how in the world can anyone in Manhattan seriously complain about overcrowding or development? If that small area of the world can't be built on, then nowhere can!

.....The battle over Title IX rages again. I am an ardent fan of Title IX. I keep a careful eye on the resources and attitudes of my local district.

But I also recognize that football throws the scheme off-kilter. It really is a different animal, and shouldn't be counted, fully, in analyzing a program's male-female balance. Title IX should help athletes have the opportunity to compete and participate, not hurt anyone. It needs to be tweaked, as does the methodolgy for determining if a college or school is offering equal oopportunity.

Too often, on too many issues, liberals look at the results to determine if the process was fair. And very often that's not an acccurate measure.

For example, the SAT test isn't unfair or biased simply because Asians and whites do better on it-- it may be simply that Asians and whites are better prepared for it. So rather than attacking the test, perhaps it is the preparation that needs attention. Likewise, on Title IX issues, it's not how many men are participating versus women, but rather what resources and efforts did the institution offer or expend that should count.

...Not very funny post today. With all that's going on, I just don't feel very humorous. Lot's going on at work, and we're off today to see Daughter #1 for Parent's weekend.

.....And finally, a quote from the great Theodore Roosevelt:

"Women should have free access to every field of labor which they care to enter, and when their work is as valuable as that of a man it should be paid as highly."

-An Autobiography, 1913

Roslyn Finally Ousts Corrupt Board Member, Sues Others

The scandal-plagued Roslyn School District finally did something I urged them to do several months ago--they removed Pat Schlissel, the school Board member who had used thousands of dollars of District funds. and turned a blind eye to millions of dollars of theft.

They also instituted suit against all of the Board members who had served while the miilions were stolen, as well as others.

Late. Very late. But at least they took action before another round of school budget votes took place here on Long Island (May 17th).

Other Roslyn posts