Friday Quickies

....So I'm watching the promos for "ShowBiz Moms and Dads" and "Sports Moms and Dads" on Bravo! and all I can think is: I hope there are people from Child Protective Services watching these shows and taking notes.

Of course, it's the same thing I think when I watch "women's" gymnastics during the Olympics. I mean, I don't see graceful athletes on the uneven parallel bars. I see half-starved-aenorexic-mind-controlled abused little children forced to do routines like trained monkeys under training systems that cry out for an investigation by Amnesty International.

....Speaking of insanity, why in the world did a Long Island animal shelter spend good money to rescue dogs from China this week? We don't have enough adoptable dogs here in the U.S.? Has there been an explosion of Korean restaurants here in America that somehow threatens our canine population?

I don't care who paid for it, or how much was spent. The North Shore Animal League is a non-profit, tax-deductible entity, which means contributions to it increases the tax burden of the rest of us. Normally, they do wonderful work for homeless pets. This venture, though, was a waste of limited resources that could have been much better spent.

.....Memorial Day Weekend is always a special one in my family. My mother's birthday is today; she is buried in a national cemetery. So we have in the past (though unfortunately not recently) helped put the flags on each grave at the cemetery.

I love the national cemetery. The symmetry of the graves, each one the same, is appropriate, and I think much more dignified than religious cemeteries with their varied headstones, mausoleums, etc. We all come in the same, we all leave the same, we are all equal in the end is the message I think of each time I visit.

When they were small my kids called it the park without swings.

On a community note I will march in the Memorial Day parade with my kids and my Kiwanis Club, handing out thousands of little flags to the 4 or 5 thousand people who line the parade route. Lots of fun.

Many thoughts of thanks this weekend for those gone by, and for those currently in harm's way to ensure our freedom.

....I have a new gmail account from Google, and 50 invitations to "spend". If anyone wants a Google email account, just let me know at tonyiovino@gmail.com.

.....I'm not a big fan of the Senate "deal" this week. I think it just delays the inevitable, and it cuts out the legs of Bush/Frist in the looming Supreme Court battles. We'll see if everyone abides by the spirit of the accord.

Sometimes battles need to be won decisively for peace to reign. Compare Japan/Germany to Korea/Middle East.

Sometimes you have to do what needs to be done, to use the muscle you have, to accomplish things.

Oftentimes appeasement seems statesmanlike, but in reality it just allows the problem to fester and worsen.

They should have gone for it, killed the filibuster and gotten it done.

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

To borrow a simile from the football field, we believe that men must play fair, but that there must be no shirking, and that the success can only come to the player who 'hits the line hard.'

-Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay, NY, October 1897

Temporary Scaledown

Tremendous pressures here at work & at home make it best that I temporarily scaledown my posts-- I'll definitely do Friday Quickies each week, but I can't see too may other posts over the next two or three weeks.

Many thanks for reading & commenting!

See ya Friday!

Friday Quickies

....So the judge in the Michael Jackson trial wouldn't let Larry King testify.

Should have seen that coming-- after all, can you rely on the credibility of anyone who works at CNN?

....In yet another example of the type of wrongheaded nonsense that comes from the so-called Religious Right which makes me want to scream, the House has inserted a provision in the 2006 Defense Appropriations Bill which would effectively ban women from combat support units.

Why? Why? Why, why, why?

The Defense Department opposes the ban. For a variety of reasons this proposal is inane, including the fact that we need the "man"power, that there is no safe place in a battleline-less theatre such as Iraq, and that women have served with distinction.

I don't get it. The Christian Right doesn't want women fighting; they don't want gays fighting. Who's next?

Maybe they are trying to get the U.S. to adopt a full-fledged Sermon on the Mount, turn-the-other-cheek foreign policy by shrinking our armed services one group at a time.

Sneaky bastards.

....Here on Long Island we had our school budget and school board votes on Tuesday. I ran the campaign of the successful school board candidate, and our budget passed. Many budgets here on Long Island did not. Of course, the districts in my county spend over $17,000 per student on average, so you need not take up a collection of used textbooks for us.

Still, even though the primary reason our budgets are out of control is antiquated, corrupt New York State laws which handcuff school boards, board members regularly become the whipping boys for County and State politicians looking to deflect tax-outrage.

I maintain however that, with very few exceptions, school budgets, which have to pass muster annually, are the leanest of any governmental body.

I would love to see what our town, county, state and federal budgets would look like if we got to vote on them each year! How many pork-barrel programs would face the knife in taxpayer-forced contingency budgets? The fear of a budget defeat imposes a great deal of discipline.

Ah, to dream of the day when school boards are free of wasteful political restrictions and other politicians have to account for their gluttony.

...A Constrained Vision had a post this week about how twenty-somethings expect to come out of school and enjoy the same lifestyle their parents currently enjoy--which leads, inevitably, to idiotic over-spending and lots of griping. The idea that it takes a while to build up assets and income seems foreign to them.

Whose fault is it?

It's ours. The parents.

My eldest is 19, but I can see it coming and it really isn't her fault.

Look what we've done to colleges. Yes, my wife and I are paying a fortune to educate our daughter. We're doing so willingly and proudly. But much of the tremendous increase in the cost of college is attributable not so much to simple inflation, or even industry-wide inflation, but rather to the expectations foisted on the colleges in order for them to compete.

Examples? I went to the University of Richmond in the '70's. Last year we toured the place with my daughter. I hardly recognized it--I certainly didn't recognize the tuition cost.

My dorm room had been tile floors, cement block walls, no air conditioning, no phone.

Today, that room is carpeted, has a dropped ceiling, is air conditioned, and is fully wired for the Internet, etc.

When I was at UR they couldn't guarantee housing. In order to compete, they have built several new dorms. The cost of that construction got added to the tuition.

We had decent fine arts facilities, sub-standard science facilities and a decent library.

All have been vastly upgraded in size, technology, comfort, etc--with plenty of bells and whistles.

College food was always on par with prison food. Not anymore. If you want to compete you better have excellent food, lots of cafes sprinkled about the campus, food courts, etc.

As we were visiting schools, the tour guides stressed the accommodations, the new construction, the luxuries. It got to the point where I had to remind everybody we weren't looking for a four-year summer camp, but rather an institution which would educate my daughter sufficiently so that she could obtain employment and move out of my house as quickly as possible.

To compare college costs today with those of a few decades ago is foolish. We were educated in Honda Civics. Kids today are educated in BMW's.

And it raises their expectations when they enter the real world. Why shouldn't they live well, eat well, party often, have health clubs readily available, travel frequently, etc? They did it at home, and they did it in college. Why change now?

We shouldn't be surprised, therefore, when the kids' expectations exceed their income and, ultimately, their credit limit.

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

The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.

-Proceedings of the Congress of Constructive Patriotism, 1917

Bad Hillary (Joke)

I feel bad-- I was one of the first members of the "Blogs Against Hillary", and I haven't written but a few things about her. I imagine that will change as the election season heats up.

In the meantime, here is a Hillary joke that hit my email today:

A stock broker, on his way home from work in New York City, came to a dead halt in traffic and thought to himself, "Wow, this seems much worse than usual.

He notices a police officer walking between the lines of stopped cars, so he rolls down his window and asks, "Officer, what's the hold up?"

The officer replies, "Hillary Clinton is depressed, so she stopped her motorcade and is threatening to douse herself in gasoline and set herself on fire. She says her husband has spent all her money and the Democrats told her to forget about running for President in 2008 . So we're taking up a collection for her."

The stock broker asks, "How much have you got so far?"

The officer replies "About 4 1/2 gallons, but a lot of folks are still siphoning."

Want Great Judges? End the Filibuster

Back in 2001, Chuck Schumer gave us all a preview of the Democrats' filibuster strategy. In a remarkably frank press release Schumer stated that not only is competence no longer the measure of a judicial nominee (no surprise since the despicable attacks on then-nominee Robert Bork) but that competence alone should not be the benchmark.

Schumer stated that ideology must be openly considered. The Democrats have followed his lead (or, as has happened so often with Chuck, he saw the parade and ran to the front of it).

In any event, if the Democrats have chosen to openly amend the "rules" of advise and consent to make it purely political, then why shouldn't the GOP? Want to play hardball? Then you better be prepared, and right now the Democrats aren't (though John McCain seems willing to give them a hand).

Putting aside whether the filibuster is a good idea or not, the Democrats have opened the door and the GOP needs to bust it in.

And, in the end, we will get back onto the road of great jurists--both Democrat and Republican.

In the "old" days, pre-Bork, Presidents could nominate outstanding jurists, judges who would not be defeated because of their stand on one or two political issues. But now with the rampant political use (and threat) of the filibuster, we have more and more looked to bland judges, the David Souters of the world, who have little or no attackable record. Mediocre is the word we hear so often.

The list of great judges who could not have survived the virulent use of the filibuster is long-- on both sides of the aisle.

Abolishing the filibuster will mean judges who are qualified will more likely pass, and will reflect the will of the people to a greater extent, yet will still allow the Senate to defeat judges who fail to show the requisite skill, knowledge, temperament, etc. to hold a lifetime job that impacts us all greatly.

The Power of Words, Part II

Newsweek has learned a lesson, paid for in other people's blood, that especially in time of war, words matter.

Back in October, I wrote The Power of Words following some loose talk by John Kerry which arguably cost lives. (I'm fairly proud of the piece, so if you have a moment...)

We're in a war. Why do people forget that (and, yes, unfortunately it is most often liberals who pooh-pooh that notion)?

It's not a game. People's lives are at risk.

Put aside the fact that Newsweek, and most of the MSM, have abandoned the old requirement of corroborative evidence; they simply took the opportunity to take a cheap shot without considering the fact that, with all due respect, many people in the Middle East are, in a word, insane.

And that lack of consideration, in conjunction with the lack of journalistic ethics, cost real lives and has substantially hurt this nation.

Operation Gratitude

I heard an interview on the radio yesterday that intrigued me.

Carolyn Blashek started Operation Gratitude in March, 2003. She operates out of her home and the local National Guard Armory.

The main thrust--she collects items for the troops and, more importantly, letters of support.

I've checked it out a bit, and it seems not only legit, but impressive.

Check out the site-- I'll be checking some more (if you've got some info, let me know!) If it all works out, I'll be proposing a Memorial Day project for my Kiwanis Club.

Friday Quickies

.....Is it just me, or is the Great Adventure/Six Flags guy really creepy? I don't see a "fun-lovin'-old-guy" when I watch those commercials-- I see somebody I assume is on some sex-offender watch list somewhere.

.....So last week I heard Prince Harry went into the service because he excelled in his military classes, although he finished dead last on his exams.

Now I hear he may have had help on those exams.

Help on his exams and he still finished last?

Oh, yeah--he's Prince Charles' kid alright!

.....A breakthrough in robotics is reported by Science Daily:

The machine called RABBIT, which resembles a high-tech Tin Man from "The Wizard of Oz," minus the arms, was developed by University of Michigan and French scientists over six years. It's the first known robot to walk and balance like a human, and late last year, researchers succeeded in making RABBIT run for six steps. It has been able to walk gracefully for the past 18 months.

Yes, but after a few hours of imbibing and watching the ballgame, can it walk from the bar stool to the men's room and back without spilling any beer from a mug? Huh? Can it?

Now that's balance! Talk to me when they've got that down pat, chump!

.....Earlier in the week, the site A Constrained Vision had an interesting post on our schools' failures vis-a-vis the teaching of history. (It is an outstanding site, by the way--intelligent, well-written, thoughtful, serious-- the exact opposite of this site most days-- I am always amazed at its quality--check it out!)

In most areas of the human endeavor we build upon our forefathers. In engineering, we pretty much steadily moved from the wheel to the space shuttle. In medicine, from incantations to MRI's. Even in the law, we have settled many areas of human conflict, with precedents forming the foundation for new rulings.

In just about every area you can think of we have taken our ancestors' experiences and built a better mousetrap--except one: human relations.

In dealing with ourselves we repeat the same mistakes, again and again and again.

Whether we are considering the relationships between peoples and nations (and calling it history), or the relationships between spouses and parents and siblings and friends (and calling it psychology), we pretty much reinvent the wheel in every generation.

In our armaments we have moved from fists to stones to arrows to swords to guns to bombs to nuclear weapons, and beyond. But in the ability to avoid sibling rivalry, for example, the mistakes of Cain and Abel pretty much can be found in almost every household and in every civilization.

The oft repeated quote from Santayana that "those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" is very true; unfortunately, most people believe, as did Henry Ford that:

"I don't know much about history, and I wouldn't give a nickel for all the history in the world. History is more or less bunk. It is a tradition. We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today."

But as one of my favorite authors, Machiavelli, a man unfairly and hideously maligned, said:

Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results.

Those passions animate us as much today as they did when he wrote. I wonder if we will ever overcome them. We have attained great knowledge about things, yet we can't seem to figure out how to deal with each other, day to day, in a "good" way.

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

There is not in all America a more dangerous trait than the deification of mere smartness unaccompanied by any sense of moral responsibility.

-Abilene, KS, May 2, 1903

Below Expectations

Yesterday I posted on things my wife & I have seen which exceeded our expectations, regardless how high or low they were going in.

Today, the opposite:

The first two both relate to George Washington: Valley Forge & the Washington Monument.

Valley Forge was a dud. Certainly compared to Gettysburg, for instance, it failed to impart any feel of history; there is no aura. Perhaps we should have gone there in the winter!

The other is the Washington Monument, though I haven't been there since it was refurbished. There's no history, nothing to teach any sense of the man. It compares badly with the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. (By the way, I should have added the Vietnam Memorial on my list yesterday-- I wasn't expecting anything, but by the time I was in the middle, with that sheer, stark black wall towering above me, I was choking back tears).

Capri and the Blue Grotto. Ugh. Crowded, loud, sweaty, cheap. The Grotto? Ever seen a built-in pool with a light in it? Add some Italians yelling at you to tip them "George Washington--you give me George Washington" and a row boat, and you've been there. (Another GW connection?)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa: My expectations were low--I figured this was a tourist trap. Unbelievably, as low as they were, they weren't low enough. A total waste of time.

The Amish Country: Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Amish. Please. It's all shopping outlets, congested roads and grumpy people. The "attraction"? A few Hassidim driving horse-drawn wagons. I'm firmly convinced the last Amish converted to Methodism in 1967, and that what exists now is the work of the local Chamber of Commerce. Just awful.

Plymouth Rock: Ever see it? You stand at a railing about 20 feet above a large rock (maybe 5 feet high? Hard to tell from way up there). And....that's it. Is it the real rock? Who knows? Anything to give you a sense of the history of the place? Nope. Feel like an idiot looking down at it? You bet.

Actually, my wife and I enjoy pretty much everywhere we go-- and even the disappointments generated wonderful memories:

At Valley Forge, we lunched with old friends, a couple who shortly thereafter divorced. It was our last afternoon with them, and while the history was a flop, the picnic in the wooded area was very pleasant;

We love Washington, D.C., so the trip is never a let down;

The side trip to Capri was horrible, but later that day, back at our hotel in Sorrento, we experienced one of the most glorious sunsets we've ever seen, and enjoyed a very relaxing evening floating in the water off the hotel's dock, while German girls sunbathed topless on the dock. A top ten evening;

Pisa? We snuck away and had a quiet lunch by ourselves;

The trip to Lancaster included a stop at Longwood Gardens, an amazing and beautiful place, worth the visit even if you can't tell a rose from a peonie;

And, we used Plymouth as our port for whale watching, making the trip there more than worthwhile.

Clouds and silver linings and cups half-full.

Beyond Expectations

My wife I were reminiscing about trips we've taken, things we've seen. We even went through a few photo boxes (we're not organized enough for albums, but we do put the packages of photos in boxes--of course, just try to find the right box!)

There have been a few things that have astounded us beyond expectations--regardless whether the expectations were high or low.

In no particular order (and nowhere near exclusive):

Grand Canyon: Our expectations were high-- the reality was surpassing! I'll never forget my first sight of the Canyon live. We parked in a little lot, walked about 20 yards down a little paved path, through some scrub trees and bushes, up to a rail, where the world fell away into overwhelming beauty.

On the same trip we stayed in Sedona. Someone told me before our trip that if you didn't believe in God before, one sight of the red rocks would convince you. Simply unbelievable.

Stonehenge: I was expecting a tourist trap, so the expectation level was low. We drove on a cloudy, misty day for quite a while, through empty fields, pretty flat, just a lot of green, gently rolling hills and plains. Then there, in the middle of nothing is this collection of HUGE sculpted rocks. Their power and heft was moving. I'm not articulate enough to explain it, but I felt their power, and stood there with my jaw open, in awe. I took this picture:

The Coliseum, Rome: Again, I was expecting a tourist trap, and was knocked over. Put aside that they built this huge stadium without the use of engines, cranes, computers, even surveying tools. The coliseum was dived into numbered sections and they issued tickets. One section had the gleaming white marble that once encased the whole structure-- it must have been magnificent. When they showed us how they pulled canvas across the top, effectively making it a retractable dome, I was stunned. I walked away feeling very humble.

I took this shot:

Finally, my wife added whale watching. We've done it twice, once out of Plymouth, once out of Provincetown. Unbelievable. Saw dozens of whales, many right up against the boat. We even saw a mother humpback teaching a little one how to slap his body. Simply incredible! (Can't find the Arizona or whale photos yet, but they're in the boxes! Maybe next winter we'll organize 'em)

Friday Quickies

...Fox is reporting a raging dispute between East European models and their Brazilian counterparts for dominance in the fashion world.

Much like the turf feud between Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, I don't care who wins this battle-- it's fun to watch!

....Story this week, one which runs annually about this time each year, calculates the value of a homemaker's services: cooking, cleaning, carpooling, etc. Estimates run between $70,000 and on up.

The list never includes romance nor "helpful advice". Perhaps the value of each cancels the other out.

....Saw HBO's "Warm Springs", the story of FDR's illness, and his re-entry into the world after losing the use of his legs to polio. Excellent, as usual, for HBO. Still, it made me again wonder why FDR is the darling of modern-day liberals.

Every great person has their strengths and weaknesses, both often exaggerated because these people are larger than life. Yet FDR's track record is a poor one:

1) FDR interred the Japanese-Americans. He never gets the blame for this, but it is he who is ultimately responsible for one of the worst breaches of our Constitution;

2) He never used his handicapped condition to better the lot of other similarly situated Americans. The Clintons made sure his memorial showed him in a wheelchair, as a testament to his courage and as a symbol to us all. Fine, but that wasn't FDR. Even after multiple re-elections, he never appeared in public in the chair, never allowed his photograph to be taken. The ADA was passed under a Republican President in 1990; how much sooner would it have come if FDR had been an advocate?

3) He never ended the Depression. He didn't. He may have made people feel better (and, as Republicans have often said about Reagan, that's no small thing) but he didn't (as Reagan did) solve the economic ills;

4) He didn't desegregate the government or the military-- it took Truman to do the latter and LBJ and a bipartisan Congress (with the Southern Democrat defections, Republican votes were needed) to do the former. And he allowed the KKK to flourish without check;

5) There were no great strides in women's rights--though, it is true he relied on Eleanor & Frances Perkins, thus cracking the door a bit. But he certainly left no record of a push towards equality;

6) Many of his makework projects were environmentally disastrous (compare to Teddy Roosevelt's sterling record);

7) And while his Lend-lease program was certainly outstanding, for which he deserves great praise, he left our forces in miserable shape; and

8) Both before and during the war, FDR's record regarding European Jews was atrocious.

So, putting aside the economics and the military (normally more conservative issues) FDR' s record on many key liberal issues is poor, to say the least:

He actively destroyed many American's Constitutional rights;
He failed on the civil rights of minorities, women and the disabled;
He failed on the environment; and
He failed to protect those undergoing genocide.

I understand it is unfair to judge a man except in relation to his own time. But as I think I show weekly, Teddy Roosevelt's deeds and words reflect our current ideals very well--on the environment, on women's rights, on religeous tolerance, etc.

So tell me again why FDR is the liberals' darling?

....My daughter goes to Vanderbilt, which is in the midst of a major controversy concerning the name on one of its buildings. Vandy took a donation of $50,000 from the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1935; in exchange, they named a building "Confederate Memorial Hall."

Vandy sought to drop the name and was sued-- the Court says in order to remove the name, Vandy has to reiumburse the donor the value of $50,000 in today's dollars--obviously a huge amount.

My daughter advises that everybody on campus refers to the building as "Memorial Hall"-- she didn't know it was preceded by "Confederate" until the story broke.

Here's my position: I find Confederate memorabilia to be abhorrent. I liken the Confederate flag to that of the Viet Cong's, and so I normally would say remove the name at any cost.

But my wife and I pay the tuition for my daughter. So I hereby formally ask Vandy to put up a little sign outside the building explaining their position to all who enter-- but to not spend the bucks until after we're done paying Vandy's budget!

....A Happy Mother's Day to all!

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

Alone of human beings the good and wise mother stands on a plane of equal honor with the bravest soldier; for she has gladly gone down to the brink of the chasm of darkness to bring back the children in whose hands rests the future of the years.

-The Great Adventure, 1918

Paula Abdul

OK, let me first admit-- I have never watched the show. Never. My knowledge of the show comes from watching the recaps on "news" shows, etc.

I did see an interview with the little rat that's causing all this trouble . Here's what I think:

First, he wrote a book. This isn't original, but it applies: shouldn't someone be required to read a book before he allegedly writes one?

Second, he is admitting to cheating on a game show. Isn't that a crime?

Third, I haven't seen this guy perform, but how much must he suck if he cheated and still lost?

Fourth, c'mon everybody, it's "American Idol". I mean, how insignificant is this in the scheme of things? All of this nonsense on TV and in the MSM makes me long for another story on The Runaway Bride!

National Teacher Week

According to the National Education Association, this week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. [Correction: The NEA designated 5/3 as National Teaacher Day: The National PTA designated this week as National Teacher AppreciationWeek-- thanks to The Education Wonks for the catch!]

Fair enough.

I've had some wonderful teachers over my K-12, college, & law school educational journey. Mrs. Benewitz (4th grade); Miss Hawks (7th Grade English); Mr. Mencher (9th Grade Social Studies); Dr. Ryle & Dr. Rilling at the University of Richmond; Dean Simons and Professor Davidian in law school.

Can I honestly say I had any one teacher who made a drastic difference in my life? Sorry, but no. Not really.

I think the higher I went in my educational career, the more frequent was my exposure to better teachers. Especially in college and law school, where we were paying and, ultimately, had the ability to leave, I found the system to be much more student-oriented.

Do I appreciate my excellent teachers? You bet I do. I remember them with admiration and fondness.

But, truth be told, I had many more bad ones than goods ones. Teachers and professors who just mailed it in, or bored me to tears, or who were, for no particular reason, simply cynical SOB's who were unhappy with their lives.

I think my daughters have had a higher percentage of good ones than I did.

Still, the problem with the "profession" is that it's an 19th century socialist model trying to survive in a 21st century free enterprise economy, and it is failing. Teachers want to be considered professionals, yet they refuse to let go of Teamster-style work rules and face one of the defining features of true professions: risk.

Attorneys, doctors, accountants--the traditional professions, (with few governmental exceptions) all labor under the following truism: if you do not stay current in your knowledge, if you do not produce, if you do not achieve favorable results, if you do not treat your client or patient with dignity, you will lose. You will lose the client or patient; you may eventually lose your job or practice. Pride and fear drive the true professions.

Unfortunately, although teachers demand respect, and call themselves professionals, they fall short, and thus our educational system falls short, because they seek the benefits without the risk, the rights without the responsibilities.

We need many things: better teacher training; continuing training (which attorneys, doctors, accountants, insurance salespeople, etc. are required to undertake, but from which most teachers are exempt); the abolition of tenure; the abolition of factory-style seniority rules; and an expansion of technology to supplement and, in some instances supplant live classroom teachers.

We need a system that reacts to changes in society much faster than the monolithic tanker we now have floating in our educational bathtub.

We need vouchers.

When parents, and to a certain extent students, are free to choose who will be providing education; when teachers accept the risk of professionalism along with the rewards, then the appreciation level of those teachers will soar.

Give us vouchers and every week will be Teacher Appreciation Week.

This is my submission to the Carnival of Education Week #13-- plenty of interesting, provocative & informative posts-- check it out!

Hillary Accountability Project

Michelle Malkin advises of a new "Hillary Accountability Project" being set up by a former Clinton contributor. About time.

The GOP missed the boat, badly, on Sen. Clinton.

After Rudy got sick, they put up a puppy with no experience and no teeth against her, and let her waltz into the Senate. That effectively insulated her from past misdeeds-- she could, and has, argued that anything that happened before her first Senate term is now old news, and can direct attention to her record (such as it is).

I hope the battle to be waged against her reelection will be better funded, and has a better candidate this time-- but I doubt it. The New York Republican Party hasn't shown any kind of real leadership or organizational skill--see the lame campaign against Chuck Schumer.

The problem with "outside" groups fostering attacks on Hillary is that if she survives she may look invincible-- and perception is reality in politics.

We'll see.

Friday Quickies (On Sunday Because of Vacation)

....Have seen way too much of Jane Fonda these past few weeks. Say what you want about her, she is an excellent business woman-- she really started the whole home-video workout craze, and she's flogging this book like a modern day Barnum.

I saw her yesterday on The Actor's Studio.

She is a full-fledged, no-holds-barred, top-to-bottom whack job.

Inside of ten minutes she had spouted just about every New Age pseudo-psycho babble nonsense cliche, from all about being a prisoner in her own soul, to ...ah, forget it. It's just not worth it.

She partially apologized for hamming it up on the anti-aircraft gun in North Vietnam, but for little else. At least that's more than John Kerry ever did.

I came away with two thoughts.

First, I once again felt regret that a decent talent, and an attractive one at that, is encased in such a silly liberal package. Then again, most of my favorite artists reside firmly on the fringe left.

And second, I regret not at all having peed on Hanoi Jane in the urinals of dozens of bars. There are some things for which apologies are just never enough.

.....On our trip to New Orleans, Daughter #2 and I took a swamp tour. The guide lured the alligators to our airboat by tossing marshmallows onto the still water, and then dangling pieces of chicken over the side.

Marshmallows and chicken. I'm thinking those aren't part of the alligator's natural food pyramid.

(taken by my daughter from our boat)

....While I was away, the comments section to one of my posts got a bit active. One of the commenters posted anonymously. I struggled when I started this blog about whether I would accept anonymous comments, landing on the side of "yes". But, I would urge people to have the courage of their convictions and, except where the comment would bring about harm to one's family or livelihood, give us a name to go with the opinion.

I also was accused of not being a "red mind" at all-- The commentator felt that since I seem to call for less government & for fiscal responsibility I am not representative of Republicans.

I can't deny that I have tremendous reservations about the direction of the party under W. I am not pleased that the deficits are back, and are so high. Some of the spending is clearly attributable to homeland security, and the ongoing, highly successful, wars in the Middle East. But W allowed too much pork to attach to necessary expenditures. There are any number of other fiscal concerns I have.

But I would submit, as did John Danforth this week, that my beliefs are closer to core republican values than the current Administration's or Congress'.

As for the scope of government, yes, I believe that the best government is the one that governs least. I recognize the need for expanded powers in times of war, but I also chafe every time I face what I call "false security".

But I think that is also a core Republican belief, one which is shared by most of us.

I, too, am very concerned about the rise of the Christian right's influence on my party. I fear it will bind us the way the various liberal special interests have caused the sclerotic condition of the Democratic Party.

Maybe some day there will be a true third party, one not run by a nut's ego (Perot), but rather on the concept that we need a strong government to do the things we cannot do ourselves and which the free enterprise system cannot handle alone. One which recognizes that on the whole we want a government which stays out of our pocket AND our bedroom; one which leaves religion to the churches and raising children to the parents; one which spends only the money it needs to spend to perform it's core functions; one which respects life and the value of each and every individual; and one which balances freedom and security with a mature hand, favoring the former over the latter in the close calls.

Until then, I still see most of my beliefs embodied in the red, not the blue, so here I stand.

....TheRunaway Bride. Why? Why do we have to be subjected to this? Why are the news channels devoting so much time to this?

She ran out on a 600 person wedding after appearing normal at several pre-wedding events.

Helloooo?!? Are they kidding? I've said this before, and I know I'll say this again. There are times I think there is simply too damn much money floating around this country, and not near enough common sense.

She got overwhelmed. She ran. Tell you what-- Let her and her fiance get hitched in the backyard with their friends and family, use the money saved to pay for the costs of the search, and call it a day.

And let's get back to something really important, like the freakshow trial in L.A.

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

I hold that in this country there must be complete severance of Church and State; that public moneys shall not be used for the purpose of advancing any particular creed; and therefore that the public schools shall be nonsectarian and no public moneys appropriated for sectarian schools.

-- Carnegie Hall address, 12 October 1915