Politics

Politics

There are 1,056 posts filed in Politics (this is page 80 of 106).

The secrets of the Secret Service

268_In_the_President_s_pbk_high

I just finished reading Ronald Kessler’s book In the President’s Secret Service. It’s an eye-opening look at our presidents and the men and women who protect them.

Kessler shares stories about these “protectees” that were once only traded among agents. In the words of one agent, if Americans knew what their presidents were really like “they would scream.” Among the many things we learn: Kennedy was a philanderer. Johnson was a horny old man and a thief who “would have belonged in an insane asylum” if he hadn’t become president. Carter was untrusting and micromanaged everything. Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 were kind to the agents. Clinton was, too, and was frequently late to his appointments because he wanted to speak to everyone who came to see him.

The book’s other theme is that the agency is being run into the ground. Morale is low and management doesn’t seem inclined to turn things around. This theme is woven around the tales of heroism but seems a bit pasted-on at times. So do other anecdotes, which are sometimes tacked on to places in the text only tangentally related. It seems that the book could’ve used another good reading by an editor before it went to print.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as I’m a political junkie. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know what our leaders are really like when the eye of the public isn’t on them. Then again, perhaps it’s better if you don’t know!

Update: National security expert James Bamford has a similar review.

A real danger to driving safety

older-driver

I’ve been thinking more about the recent N.C. ban on texting while driving, specifically how utterly useless the law is. It got me thinking that if our legislators were serious about making the roads safer, perhaps they would pass a law requiring older drivers to submit to additional screening as they get older. Such a law might have saved the life of a 42-year-old motorcyclist as well as the life of a six-year-old girl getting off her school bus.

I generally support the efforts of the AARP but they were dead wrong in opposing this bill. I hope that Rep. Ric Killian and the rest of General Assembly gets bold enough to pass this bill during the next session.

Texting while driving

Effective today it is unlawful to “text” while driving. Any “additional technology” used on your cellphone (other than talking) can result in a $100 fine. While I hate distracted drivers as much as the next guy, this law is ridiculous. Completely unenforceable. How will anyone know at a glance if one is dialing their phone (legal) or texting (not legal)?

And shouldn’t this be common sense, anyway? When are we going to outlaw applying makeup while driving? Or reading the newspaper? I’ve seen both done (and more) by other drivers. Do we need a law for these, too, or should we just encourage folks to use their good judgement?

Laws that aren’t clearly enforceable should not be laws. Good ideas, maybe, but not laws.

My NBC 17 interview

Due to my role as the chair of the East CAC, I was interviewed today by NBC 17 regarding WakeMed and a nearby club, Black Tie. You can view the interview on NBC 17’s website.

Longtime MT.Net readers know what a huge fan I am of WakeMed. Our daughter spent seven weeks there as a preemie and is thriving in every way thanks to the incredible care she got from WakeMed. Even so, I have to admit I don’t think I’ve heard one complaint from residents about Black Tie over the past year. I’m hoping both parties can agree to work together to help strengthen our community.

Here’s a typical day for me

I thought it’d be fun to document the kind of day I’ve had, so here goes:

5:45 AM wake up (usually 5:15 but “sleep in” because I showered the night before)
6:05 AM take dog for walk around neighborhood
6:15 AM spot car at dog park before park opens. consider dialing 911 but let it go this time.
6:25 AM return home
6:30 AM read and send emails
6:40 AM read N&O
6:45 AM finish reading N&O Continue reading →

Former Garner mayor Don Rohrbaugh dies

Former Garner mayor Don Rohrbaugh died yesterday after a long bout with leukemia. He was 80.

Don was our neighbor for the five years we lived in Garner. He was kind enough to welcome us to the town the very day we moved in. He also talked me into serving on a town committee, so in a way he got me started with municipal politics.

More than that, though, he was just a genuinely nice guy. Condolences to his family.

Here’s his obituary from the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home:
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Grading Obama’s first quarter

Obama at Dover AFB

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Obama’s election. Obama was selling change and the people were willing to buy it. So how do I grade Obama for his first quarter performance? Let’s take a look:

The economy: still eeking along. It hasn’t cratered as feared and it may even be on the upswing again but things don’t bounce back as quickly as they crash. He’s probably doing as best as can be expected: B-
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N&O overreaches in its anti-Easley campaign

I know the News and Observer has had some kind of obsession with former Governor Mike Easley but today’s front-page story is really a stretch.

Easley was a member of the Old Chatham Golf Club in Chatham County, apparently getting his membership fees waived. While that’s nice to know and may have been worthy of a story, the latest story about the club getting water for irrigation during the drought of 2002 is a non-story as far as I’m concerned. The crux of the issue is right here:

Frantz, who did not return numerous phone messages, routed the request to the Chatham County commissioners, who unanimously agreed June 3 to let the club pump as much as 450,000 gallons a day for irrigation for up to three months. The water would be counted against the county’s daily allocation from Jordan Lake. State law considers pumping more than 100,000 gallons a day to be a major withdrawal.

The county was not drawing all the 4 million gallons per day it was allowed; there was no debate among commissioners about the request, according to minutes of the commisers’ [sic] meeting County Manager Charlie Horne.

See that? Chatham County wasn’t using its 4 million gallon allocation and the the Chatham County Commissioners unanimously agreed to let the club pump the water. It was Chatham County’s water and the state didn’t have a problem with Chatham spending it as it saw fit. The state’s “getting involved,” as the N&O alleges, amounted to the state shrugging its shoulders, and rightfully so.

The Governor can order state agencies to reduce water use but he or she does not have the power to order private businesses or individuals to conserve. It’s ludicrous for the N&O to suggest otherwise.

I’ll be happy when the N&O catches up to 2009 and starts covering the issues we face today. Then again, my faith in the so-called “Old Reliable” has pretty much run out.

Weatherford auction

Yesterday we drove home from T’s soccer game to see signs for an auction at a neighborhood house. We stopped by to see what was going on and found the auction was at a home near ours that belonged to the late Rebecca Weatherford, who used to own the property our house was built on. The house’s items were being auctioned.

I was looking through the home when I recognized Dan Blue, who is handling the estate affairs. He told me some history of the place: that it used to be a dairy farm from the 1920s to the 1960s that encompassed about 70 acres. There was a plantation-style home that dated from the late 1800s but burned down long ago. My neighbor once told me he used to play on the majestic porch of the now long-gone home. I was fascinated to learn that such an old home was once nearby, and saddened that it no longer exists.
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Post-election stress disorder

It was a long, long day on Tuesday when I volunteered to be a poll greeter for the campaigns of Rodger Koopman and Russ Stephenson. My feet hit the floor at 5 AM and I basically wasn’t off my feet until midnight that night.

After showering that morning, I threw my umbrella, a folding chair, and a bunch of campaign signs into the car and headed out to nearby polling places to make sure signs were out. Then I picked up more from Rodger’s house and headed north.

I arrived at my assigned polling place at 6:35 to find the parking lot full already. My Odom counterpart, Collin, was already there greeting voters. I set up my chair closer to the “no campaigning past this sign” limit, held up my sign and smiled in the drizzle at the disinterested voters who walked past.
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