September 2012

There were 103 posts published in September 2012 (this is page 1 of 11).

N&O’s Steve Ford gets it right

I took a swipe at the N&O for its coverage of the firing of Tony Tata the other day and I stand by my criticism. If I’m going to point out the bad, though, it’s only fair that I should also praise the good.

Editorial page editor Steve Ford took up the issue in his column today and does so with a fairer, far more deft touch than most anything else I’ve read in the paper. Ford’s sober consideration of the issue was what I’d been looking for from the newspaper.

That I can say this even while not necessarily buying into every point he makes shows Ford struck the right balance. More of this, please.

Campaign consultant Perry Woods, who often pops up to assist Democratic candidates hereabouts, does his best to rebut the notion that the firing of Wake County school superintendent Tony Tata was an exercise in partisanship.

In a letter that we ran yesterday, Woods – noting he had advised all five of the Democrats who won seats on the school board last fall and who now have told Tata to make himself scarce – said that from a partisan political standpoint, the timing was wrong.

via Ford: The battle Tata couldn't win – Ford – NewsObserver.com.

Rights, wrongs, and royalties

So for my audition Friday night I decided to buy the sheet music for the song I sang, Somebody’s Baby by Jackson Browne. An outfit called sheetmusicplus.com sold me the song’s sheet music for $5.

After thinking it over a bit I realized just how absurd a price that is. I can buy the song in MP3 form for a buck with Jackson Browne singing and playing it (far better than I can), or I can spend five bucks and do all of the singing and playing myself. Seems a bit backwards that with the sheet music I’m paying more and getting less.
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Israel and Iran

Oh, Israel. You have a right to exist, but you don’t have a right to be a bully and an asshole to the countries around you. Or towards the United States, for that matter.

If Israel wants to pick a fight against Iran, let them have at it. Being involved in yet another war is the last thing the U.S. wants or needs right now. If Israel wants to flex its muscles, it can do so without our help.

I’ve got no problem with America defending Israel if Israel is ever attacked. I do have a problem with Israel dragging America along on a misguided, ill-timed adventure against Iran. Yes, Iran is a rogue nation, supports terrorism, and doesn’t like us much. There are better ways of dealing with that than war. If Israel wants to start its own war it can fight it, too.

If nukes are so dangerous and destabilizing, why not renounce the possession of them, dismantle them, and find other solutions to our problems? It’s funny how hypocritical nuclear-armed countries are about other countries becoming nuclear-armed. This includes Israel and the United States, too.

Log Cabin Republicans for Romney?


I found this tweet today that raised my eyebrows:

Britt Marsh
@designlessthts

the facebook says that two of my gay friends “like” mitt romney. I’m gonna hope that was some fluke. now I really want to puke even more.

Reply Retweet Favorite
9:21 AM – 27 Sep 12 ·

Could this be more Hacked by Mitt Romney hijinks?

Our partisan school board and the N&O

I was about to call out N&O editor John Drescher on his opinion column today regarding a “partisan” school board. Drescher had this to say:

No doubt, Tata made some mistakes. But he was the person who did the most these last few years to unify the Wake schools community. In his first year, Tata visited nearly every school and scores of community groups. He listened hard. He was pragmatic and constructive. He calmed a system in turmoil and brought hope that this community could reach consensus. He provided a powerful example of effective public leadership.

As chairman, Hill had a chance to lead the board toward nonpartisanship. He chose otherwise.

There’s a reason we describe the Wake school board as partisan. Because it is.

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Auditioning for A Christmas Carol

Number 38

Well, that isn’t something that I do every day.

I just got back from auditioning for a part in the ensemble for Ira David Wood’s A Christmas Carol. I was number 38 of 39 people auditioning tonight and it felt like a whirlwind, and not just because the staff was trying to wrap up an undoubtedly long day.

I had just arrived at the theatre after visiting the Titanic exhibit at the Museum of Natural Sciences with my family. We spent an hour wandering through the exhibit, learning about the various passengers who would soon die horrible, drowning deaths. In hindsight it wasn’t the, uh, best way to put me in a jovial mood to sing my upbeat song.

I decided to audition a few weeks ago when a friend forwarded me an email with the details. Yes, I’m crazy busy: holding down a job with ever-increasing demands, chairing two city boards, occasionally helping out with campaigns, and trying to save some time for the wife and kids. It is nuts that I even considered it.

But you know what? Acting is something that’s been on my bucket list for many, many years. My life may be busy now, but I intend for it to one day get a lot busier. If I don’t take the opportunities that come my way, I might not ever get a chance again. You’re damn straight I was going to show up.
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Cheesy sports bar anniversary

Kelly mentioned that yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the high school reunion at which we met. I pointed out that we actually met for the first time at the icebreaker the night before the reunion, at a sports bar called Champs in Reston, VA. Thus, Wednesday was the anniversary of our meeting.

I’m sure I blogged about this before, but Kelly and I chatted only briefly that fateful night before she bailed on me to go to another party. So Wednesday was also the anniversary of Kelly dumping me at a cheesy sports bar!