Sorry for no post last night-my Dad suggested we go see the Durham Bulls play. I thought that was a great idea so off we went to Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Bulls beat the Scranton Yankee’s 9-3. You are always winning when the Yankees (any Yankee’s) are losing! Hot dog’s, beer, listening to young heckler’s behind us-that’s entertainment.
Actually, I find minor league baseball a great treat. Their games have become what the Major League games should have been. Lots of hitting, fielding, a lot of interaction with crowd-waving, yelling, and things to keep them interested-and most importantly, reasonably priced tickets. ( Most expensive ticket for a seat at the DBAP is $9.-Try finding that at a Major League park).
Did I mention that somebody hit the bull and won a steak? (If you have never seen Bull Durham-well go back and watch the movie).
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Today is National Train Day. Its kind of ironic really since for the most part, rail service in the USA sucks. It doesn’t have to-Europe and many places in Asia have proven that. However, Americans-so in love with their cars and being all spread out all over the place- just can’t seem to find it within them to do what it takes to interconnect their cities and their neighborhoods in their cities.
Take where I am now-in the Raleigh Durham triangle. Rail service between the three cities would pay big dividends-especially if it allowed folks to commute to the Research Triangle area. Imagine too-if there were high speed rail service between Chalotte, Raleigh, Winston Salem and Durham. Just between Raleigh and Charlotte alone would be a Godsend. But we won’t do it.
To get that kind of infrastructure started requires a government kickstart. And we all know in today’s current climate that just won’t happen-even though there are some belated efforts to start. They will die soon enough. Of that I am certain.
We’ve got time to make sure Glenn Tilton gets another 40-80 million though.
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I watched a TV report about the teabagger’s efforts to keep Sen. Bob Bennett from being re-nominated. If you ever want to see an example of how this so called “movement” represents an evil force in American politics, this is a good example.
By all accounts Bennett has served his state well. He’s also been what, until now, would have a been “core” part of the Repulican party. He’s anti abortion, voted consistently against gun control, voted against the Health Care bill. He is against affirmative action, is considerd a pro-business legislator and is well known for a having a deep grasp of all the major issues. Yet he is in big trouble in a state where being to the right of Atilla the Hun is considered liberal.
Bennett’s crime-not wanting the economy to slide into an even greater recession or possibly a depression. Actually believing it is a priority to govern-not just make stupid remarks about limited government and the Constitution. He also cooperated with a Democratic senator to develop a market-driven universal health-care proposal that would’ve covered every American with private insurance and abolished Medicaid.
In other words-he actually tried to get something done.
Bennett isn’t a liberal. He’s not even a moderate. But he’s a legislator: He’s willing to work with the other side to get things done. And he’s paying for it now.
This should really scare any serious American. ( Tea party afficionados do not fit that definition any more by the way). Because what they want to do-what they value more than anything else-is blind obiedence to their rattle brained notions of what America can and cannot be.
I did some research into the head of the Tea Party in Utah. He is a man named David Kirkham-who runs a niche business selling kit sports cars to those with money and time on their hands. Kirkham appears to be a great example of the kind of hypocrisy the tea baggers seems to thrive on.
Because in addition to making his cars-he outsources work to make himself more money:
And these workmen are the reason that the Kirkham Cobra should end up costing substantially less than equivalent replica. A typical engineer makes (the U.S. equivalent of) $4,000 per year, an aerospace worker $2,000. “I’m paying a dollar an hour for aerospace workers,” Kirkham says. “That’s why I’m here.”
Kirkham’s average price for a car? $56,669. Right there in the affordability range for most Americans-NOT!.
Yet Kirkham opposes saving the credit markets-on which I am sure his buisness uses. Talk about wanting to cut your own throat.
But that is the state of play in tea bag land these days. They only know the mantra that has been repeated to them. Never mind if it makes sense or not-and believe me its not hard to prove factually that a lot of what they advocate does not-just rise up and punish anyone who disagrees with them.
This is the future by the way. It will start first with crushing independent thought within the Republican party. Then, when they win high elective office, they will branch out and punish independent thinkers who are not in the Republican party. They already have a couple of really good models for how to do it. (Look up: Lee Kwan Yew and using the libel laws to crush dissent).
If the Republican Party kicks him out, then that is as clear and final a statement that they have no interest in good-faith cooperation as you could ask for.”
Ask me again why I despise the Tea partiers.
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Meanwhile-over in Japan-the “loopy” Prime Minister Hatoyama has thrown in the towel.
According to Hatoyama, he was forced to conclude that relocating the Futenma base outside Okinawa Prefecture was impossible in view of the need to maintain the deterrence power of U.S. forces in Japan. He also said it “became clear” that even if the base were to be relocated outside the prefecture, it could not be moved too far away.
Pretty amazing really. Closing Futenma and providing relief to Okinawans was key part of what he ran for office on. On the surface he has a lot of arguments in his favor-especially in light of the re-alignment of US forces in Japan and the fact that Japan pays a lot of US bills. As I have pointed out before there are alternatives that would be both beneficial to the US and Japan and enable him to keep his promise. They just are not looking at them.
Instead, at least in Hatoyama’s case, they are grasping at straws.
Ought to be fun to watch this little melodrama continue.
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And finally, something really good-that everyone can agree on:
That’s Marie Digby, a half Japanese acoustic guitarist popular on You Tube.
Time to go! Its sunny and nice outside and my Dad and I have things to do.