Follow Up On Pistol Packing Randy Kuhl

Congress John R. (Randy) Kuhl (R-NY) a while back “thought about packing” a gun because of local anti-war demonstrators. Yesterday, because of the alleged threats, Kuhl has decided to lock the doors of his local offices, so if you would like to talk to Kuhl or a staffer, now you can’t just drop by. You have to make an appointment.

Was there a threat made? Or is Kuhl just trying to take the initiative somehow, and strike back at the protesters?

Had there been an actual threat, there would be a police report. In addition, had there been an actual threat, Kuhl would have spoken to the media to decry those crazy protesters. It’s the Republican way. But there is no police report and Kuhl and his staff are not speaking to the media to detail the threats that have been made. There has been no threat.

Rottenchester makes a fine point over at Fighting 29th about Kuhl’s locking of the doors. “This is a classic case of ‘look what you made me do’.”

Un-Compassionate Conservatives

This story, from California, shows just how uncaring Republicans can be. Faced with a need to cut the California state budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cuts $527 million from social services, while leaving intact a $45 million tax loophole that allows Californians to avoid paying taxes on yachts, airplanes and recreational vehicles. Seems as if Rethuglicans are pathologically unable to make decisions that take things away from rich people. Taking services away from ordinary (non-rich) citizens however is standard procedure. Here are two links.

Ret. Maj. General John Batiste on The Brother Wease Show

This morning, Retired Major General John Batiste appeared on the Radio Free Wease radio show. Batiste, who commanded the First Infantry Division in Iraq, walked away from the Army after 31 years in order to speak out against the Iraq War. He recently sent an editorial to the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times, and both newspapers refused to publish the editorial, which called upon Republicans to help end the war, saying that these Republicans had forgotten the very important principles that the Republican party and Conservatism stand for. You can read the editorial here.

Today, Batiste spoke on Rochester radio. He said: (all quotes are paraphrased)

• Waging war is like a four legged stool that includes military action, diplomatic action, political solutions, and taking care of the civilians in the war zone. Right now, only one leg of the stool is in place (and that leg, the military, is the finest military in the world). Without the other three legs, we cannot win.
• Iraq is in a civil war.
• The money spent on having Haliburton build huge bases gave the impression that we were going to stay for a long time. This was an unnecessary expenditure and that money could be better spent on projects in Rochester (or in the United States).
• When the United States intervened in Bosnia under President Clinton, a lot of people didn’t agree with that, but all four legs of the stool were in place, and we did it the right way.
  

Useful New Google Maps Feature — Dig a Hole In The Earth

According to a new feature at Google Maps, if you dig a hole in the earth from Rochester, NY (the green marker), you would come out in the Indian Ocean, off the southwest coast of Australia (the red marker). How about that!

And your mother always told you if you dug a hole through the earth, you would wind up in China. She was off by a few thousand miles!

Why You Should Ignore On-Line Polling

From Larry King’s website:

Pitcher’s Duel For The Ages: Osterman vs Finch

If I lived in the Chicago area, I would have taken Wednesday off from work to watch the National Pro Fastpitch game between Chicago and Rockford today. Why? An epic pitcher’s duel between two of the best (if not the two best) pitchers in the world, Cat Osterman and Jennie Finch.

This was like watching Ed Walsh versus Addie Joss; Sandy Koufax versus Juan Marichal; Frank Viola versus Ron Darling; Jack Morris against John Smoltz.

Osterman and Finch lived up to the billing. The game went scoreless into extra innings, before Finch’s Chicago team scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the ninth. Osterman, the losing pitcher, struck out 13 and allowed only two hits. Finch struck out 18 and also only allowed two hits.

ESPN’s Graham Hays:

…these rivals possess a competitive chemistry that can turn an ordinary night into an unforgettable memory.

“What these young ladies will understand 10 years from now, 15 years from now, is this is like watching Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan go at it,” Chicago manager Mickey Dean said. “And that’s what it is. And just to be able to be a part of it, to watch it — 20 years from now, you’re going to tell your grandkids.”

I wish I had been there.

Don’t Drive Over NY State Bridges!

A reader of Rick Perlstein’s blog Common Sense writes:

I worked for the NYS Highway Department in the structures division for about 8 years. During that time I was told that almost all the overpasses and bridges in the state were constructed rather badly. In fact a large section on a four tiered overpass dropped over a foot recently. My supervisor told me that if I ever saw an 18 wheeler stopped in the middle of the Kaydeross Creek bridge not to try passing it as the bridge would likely collapse under our collective weight. I inspected parts of that structure and it sure looked dangerous to me. Ten years later and it's still there, unrepaired.

Phil Rizzuto, 1915–2007

Ted Williams said of Phil Rizzuto that if he had played for Boston instead of New York, Boston would have won sever World Series championships.

Rizzuto won the American League MVP award in 1950. This was in a league that had Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams playing in their prime.

I grew up listening to Phil Rizzuto when he had become the Yankees announcer and he was always entertaining. One time, a new announcing partner looked at Rizzuto’s scorecard and saw the cryptic abbreviation DNW. The other announcer asked Rizzuto what DNW meant, and Rizzuto replied “Did not watch”. Another time, Rizzuto mistakenly introduced himself as Bill White, his long-time partner.

To me, the most memorable moment was the 1983 Pine Tar game. Rizzuto: “Holy cow, home run for George Brett! … Billy Martin wants to them to take a look at that bat and I told you I had nightmares about this thing. There’s a rule that the pine tar can only be a certain height. He’s out!” Bill White: “I can’t believe that”. Rizzuto: “Wait a minute, they did that to Thurman Munson in Minnesota.” While chaos reigned, among one of the most astonishing and unbelievable endings ever to a baseball game, Rizzuto knew exactly what was going on and was able to explain it to viewers who most likely had never heard of pine tar until that moment.

Congressman Randy Kuhl and “Pistol-Gate”

I write a letter:

Representative John R. Kuhl, Jr.
1505 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Kuhl,

I see that the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Editorial Board Blog quotes you as saying that because of protesters, you have “thought about packing” for more security.

It is my opinion that threats of “packing”, or threats of any other type of violence, are never acceptable by a Congressman towards his constituents. I call upon you to publicly and clearly disavow these comments. Even if they were intended to be a joke, they are still an unacceptable thing for a Congressman to say in regards to his constituents. Anything less than a clear and total disavowal of this comment is reprehensible, and makes you unfit for public office, in my opinion.

Sincerely,
your constituent and regular voter

[signed] Paige Miller

Giuliani’s Non-Plan For Health Insurance

Rudy Giuliani doesn’t really have a plan to fix our national health insurance crisis. He says he does, but its more of a tax break, a non-plan, rather than a fundamental improvement in the way America pays for and delivers health care.

Now, let’s see ... Giuliani is a Republican. I wonder who benefits most from his proposed tax breaks. Why, surprise, surprise, low-income people get zero benefit from this non-plan. Even families that earn a respectable $50,000–$70,000 a year get very little benefit from Giuliani’s non-plan. It’s only the rich people who benefit.

Who would have expected that from a Republican?

Rochester Light-Rail?

People have been promoting light-rail in Rochester for years and years, often wishing to use abandoned railroad right-of-ways that are still mostly intact. Needless to say, there are no plans right now to build such a light-rail system in Rochester, and its doubtful that the money for such a system could ever be appropriated anyway.

My opinion: given the cost of such a system, this is a “nice-to-have” system, but given that our society has much more pressing issues, I don’t want the money spent on a light-rail system. I would greatly prefer a much less expensive alternative, which is to greatly expand regional bus service.

Over at Roch-a-Cha Rant, a debate has begun over light-rail in Rochester, beginning with Man About Town’s post in favor of a light-rail system. In comments, I explain why I am against such a system right now. In addition to those comments, we are a society that does not have the political will to ensure all children have health insurance, nor the political will to plan for a future where petroleum products will be a scarce and costly commodity. Furthermore, our society has bridges that are falling down, underground pipes that are exploding, and an infrastructure that crumbles every day due to neglect and budget cuts.

Then, we open the September, 2007 edition of Trains Magazine, and what do we see on pages 24 and 25?

• “Sad saga continues for SEPTA; From one funding crisis to the next, the nation’s fifth largest transity system eeks out an existence”
• “Pittsburgh’s Port Authority Transit … already has initiated draconian cuts”
• “The Chicago Transit Authority has presented a plan that would eliminate 63 bus routes and two rail lines and raise fares to as much as $3.25 a ride on trains if no new state funding is provided.”
• “Charlotte Area Transit System’s … LYNX line is slated to open this fall. Backers hope the line opens before the Nov. 6 elections, as transit opponents want voters to reject the half-cent sales tax that supports the transit system.”

Let’s call Rochester Light-Rail what it really is: a pipe dream. It will never happen. Let’s put that energy towards more achievable goals.

Bush Promises To Help Rebuild I35W Bridge

President Bush, after touring the scene of the I35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, has promised to help cut red tape and speed the construction of a new bridge.

Please note: Bush doesn’t have a very good track record in this area. Anyone ever heard of a city called New Orleans? Remember when Bush stood in Jackson Square and promised to “do what it takes” to help the residents of New Orleans? Remember how he promised to learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina? How did that turn out? Is New Orleans rebuilt yet? No. Are the levees safe if a Category 4 hurricane springs up tomorrow? No.

Of course, even if Bush follows through on his promise to Minnesotans, its like locking the barn door after the horse has left. What about the hundreds (thousands?) of other bridges around the country that may be in danger of collapse? As has been documented in many places, Bush and his tax-cutting Republican/Conservative buddies have cut to the bone money available to either replace or shore up aging bridges. Disasters like this are bound to happen again, thanks to Bush and his party. They are the ones truly responsible in this situation, and will be responsible for other deaths as well, as more of our infrastructure crumbles away to disastrous consequences.

Not to be lost in all this are the choices that we as a country make. For better or worse, we have needlessly sunk nearly $1 trillion (yes trillion) into the extreme disaster known as Iraq, with possibly more to come. That money has not made us safer. That money could have been used to actually make us safer, by building new bridges, dams, etc. That is the hidden cost of George Bush’s war.