McHenry Blames Dems For Foley

North Carolina District 10 asshat Patrick McHenry has decided that House Democrats are to blame for Republican ex-Congressman Mark Foley’s interest in young studs. In a tired political stunt, McHenry yesterday called on House Democrats to testify under oath about what they knew about Foley. Never mind that the GOP leadership apparently was alerted several times and did nothing. Now its somehow Nancy Pelosi’s fault.

Enjoy your last days in Congress, Pat. In a little over a month, you’ll be free to take that dream job delivering pizzas in Cherryville.

China Blinding Our Spy Satellites

China has apparently been blinding our spy satellites with lasers as they pass overhead. No word on whether the lasers are mounted on the heads of frickin’ sharks, but I digress.

Of course, the orbits of our spy satellites aren’t much of a secret, so its pretty easy to predict when they’ll be overhead. But still you’d think that with all the cooperation America has had with China this kind of stuff would be a thing of the past. I guess its just another reminder that our communist trading partner doesn’t necessarily have our best interests in mind.

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The Real Scandal

Wow, could the timing of the Mark Foley scandal be any more perfect? I mean, while the news media is falling over themselves to cover yet another Washington sex scandal, no one will notice that the Republicans’ Detainee Bill has gutted habeas corpus. This little bill sets the American legal system back, oh 800 years or so.

So while we know all about Foley’s attraction to little boys, we hear little about our Republic crumbling around us. Our Dear Leader now has the right to lock up anyone he so chooses, indefinitely, with absolutely no legal recourse available to the victim. Isn’t that a little scarier?

What happened to the America I once knew? How is it that the freedoms we used to enjoy – those earned through two hundred thirty years of standing up to injustice – can be so easily dismissed, with not so much as a whimper from the populace? How is it the country I was proud to represent when I wore the uniform is so easily defeated – from the inside? America has turned into the Cold War foes it once faced down. Freedom vanishes with a stroke of a pen.

Every one of the cowards in Congress who allowed this to happen deserves to be handed walking papers next month. And if the door hits them on the way out, all the better. Its well past time to get this country back on track.

Globe Hopping Again This Week

Its another week of globe-hopping as I start in NYC today. Tomorrow and Wednesday will be spent at the company HQ in Somerset, NJ. Thursday will be Boston before returning home Friday. Currently I’ve got a ticket putting me back in Raleigh Wednesday night and back to Boston Thursday morning, though that might change. If I can save some time I may just fly (or take the train) from NJ to Boston.

I’ve got a few more weeks of this kind of schedule before things settle down again. The good news, though, is that its being noticed. I’m getting results, and that makes it all worthwhile.

Active Recreation In North Raleigh

There has been lots of debate on active recreation facilities in North Raleigh, particularly surrounding the awesome natural Horseshoe Farm Park on the Neuse River. As recounted on MT.Net, even though a City Council-appointed committee worked for many many months to craft a plan for Horseshoe Farm, and even though that committee recommended to keep a gymnasium off the property, the city Park’s committee ignored the master plan committee’s recommendation and stuck in a gym anyway. This is in spite of a large, impressively organized group of concerned citizens opposed to spoiling the natural beauty of the park.

Now arguments are being made for putting said gym in Durant Nature Park, which is a park right next to my neighborhood. Durant Park would be more accomodating than Horseshoe Farm, yet it would be a shame if its two lakes and wooded trails were paved over for parking lots and basketball facilities.

My question is this: there are plenty of citizens opposed to active recreation. Where are the citizens in favor of it? Why does the Horseshoe Farm Master Plan Committee get thrown a gym they didn’t want or request? Who is driving this supposed need?

I don’t know of any citizens who are driving this need. It seems to be driven from the top down, starting perhaps with Jessie Taliaferro and going through the city’s parks and rec committee. Parks don’t have to have big buildings in them to be parks.

With Horseshoe Farm, Durant Nature Park, and the newly-announced park near Falls Lake, does North Raleigh have a lot of natural parks? Absolutely. Is there anything wrong with it? No. Is anyone complaining that these parks are “too natural?” Not to my knowledge, and that’s the rub. Outside of some city leaders, I haven’t heard anyone who is opposed to keeping these parks natural.

There is no need to plow under our wonderful, natural parks – these wildlife sanctuaries – to build pavement and palaces. A huge tract of park land is due to open up when (if?) the North Raleigh landfill finally closes. If anything deserves to be paved over and developed, its the landfill. I would trade a smelly landfill for a park any day. With this supposedly on the way, why the rush to do something else?

The people have made their preference known. It’s time to respect it. Quit trying to give us something we don’t want and don’t need.

Half-Baked Screening Rules Cause Delay

Just as I suspected, the lines at the airport screening point were five times as long as they normally are this time of day. In spite of two TSA screeners set up at a table to assist people with removing their liquids (nice effort, actually), the line was still far too long.

I looked around at the people in line and didn’t see one overnight bag anywhere. Why the delay? It seems that the X-ray person was carefully screening each bag for liquids, even though the TSA said on Monday that liquids posed a “very unlikely” threat. As he looked at the lady’s bag behind me, the X-ray operator commented to the screener behind him, “is that a drink?” So clearly liquids are still being screened, in spite of their unlikely threat. At least they aren’t rocketing bags through the machine like they were a few weeks ago.

Another thing I noticed is that the airport is still covered with signs saying liquids are prohibited, even though as of Monday that’s no longer true. People may still be dumping their expensive colognes and perfumes (in some cases not a bad thing) needlessly. I took it as another example of how the new screening rules are half-baked.

Gaithersburg

I’m off to Gaithersburg tomorrow for the day. For those keeping score at home, I have just five weekdays in Raleigh for the next three weeks, and some Sunday travel thrown in, too. The good news is I’ve got some frequent flyer credit, though with no obvious kidsitting solution K and I won’t be going anywhere together anytime soon.

At least this one’s just for the day. See you on the flipside, y’all.

Fuggeddaboutit

I had an interesting limo ride from the hotel to the airport this afternoon. It was the same guy who picked me up from the hotel this morning, only he had his dad in the front seat with him.

We’re driving along and they’re shaking their heads at all the idiot drivers pulling out in front of us. One truck full of kids comes close to hitting us, drawing the ire of the father. “Yeah, go ahead and laugh,” he mutters as they drive by. “Step out of the truck and I’ll show you laughing.”

Oooooookay. I’m raising my eyebrows at this point and trying to occupy myself with the passing scenery. Next thing I know the dad asks him about his sports bets.

“Last month I made fifty-eight hundred, and it was a slow month,” he’s telling his dad.

Damn, I think to myself. Why would a guy who makes six grand a month doing something else also drive a limo? Then I remember how useful running a cash-based business can be.

Talk turns to some schmuck who’s overextended on his betting. The driver and his old man shake their heads at the thought.

“A guy like that deserves to get mushed,” the dad says. Ooooookay Moment Two.

At that point, the driver remembers I’m here and laughs. “So you’re getting a ride to the airport and a little bit of Sopranos, too, huh?”

“Welcome to life in the big city, ” his dad laughs, adding he forgot I was here. With a nervous laugh I tell them I’m just enjoying the ride, all the while wondering what I’ll hear next.

We were soon at the airport. I told him I’d call him for a lift the next time I’m in town, not having had this much entertainment in a while.

Did I leave a big tip? You bet. And if you ever need a ride around Boston, give Gerry a call and tell him I sent ya.