Are Democrats Really That Bad?

Yesterday a man went into the office of Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney fatally shooting him.  So far there is nothing being reported as the motive for the attack, but the shooting reminded me of the right wing nut job Jim D. Adkisson and his attack on “liberal” people in church.  In fucking church.  What kind of republican attacks people while they are in church?  While I would never want to label republicans as people that approved of the recent lethal attacks on democrats, it does also bring to mind that fringe “pro-life” group operation rescue was a republican domestic terrorist that routinely intimidated and bombed abortion clinics.  They even bombed the Olympics in Atlanta!

Again, I don’t want to lay all of this at the feet of the average republican, but I cannot recall *ANY* democrats in America that have attacked republicans based on their “conservative” beliefs, be it on abortion or any other…  If I am wrong on that please comment with *SPECIFIC* instances.  This is a time when I’d love to be wrong.  I’d much rather chalk these attacks up to random chance aka if you have enough people in a group there are going to be some that are murderers.

Cheers,

Tom

John McCain’s Nuclear Dream

McCain is one of the people backing nuclear power as a way to fight energy prices and possible shortages. Somehow it seems a lot of people think this is a good idea.

It is not.

Nuclear power has *NEVER* come close to making a profit or breaking even- it has always been subsidized by tax payers, such as the $24 BILLION gift we gave the industry in December. And let’s not even get into the possible environmental catastrophes and leaks such as Chernobyl and the relatively small one France is dealing with right now– if you believe liquid contaminated with unenriched uranium spilling from a tank into the water supply causing a ban on drinking the water and using it on crops is no big deal. As far as Nuclear energy weening us off of fossil fuels, nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is you have to burn both coal and oil to produce enriched uranium, not to mention the transportation of the dangerous stuff to and from the site.

Speaking of “from” aka the waste, Harvey Wasserman writes, “Despite industry claims, VY’s high-level nuke waste is going nowhere. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Edward McGaffigan has told the New York Times he believes the Yucca Mountain waste repository cannot open for at least another 17-20 years, if ever.”

I oppose the use of more nuclear power.  At the very least we should find a way to make the current ones in service so efficient they come stop being supported by billion dollar gifts.  That’s OUR money people.  I know some of you oppose universal health care, but would you rather that money go to a proven energy loser that can lead to catastrophe or be given to the men and women that work every day in the country, keeping it running, but cannot afford to get sick?

The choice is clear in my book.  Investiment into solar and wind power along with the health of the nation.

To learn more about our energy options, check out Harvey Wasserman’s Solartopia site.

Cheers,

Tom

Lisl Auman

Yesterday I gave you the particulars of Lisl Auman’s case.  No one disputes that she was under arrest and handcuffed in the back of a police car when her partner, Matthaeus Jaehnig, shot and killed a police officer.  Jaehnig then killed himself so *somebody* had to pay for the policeman’s death.  This led the prosecutor to charge the Lisl with the murder and as 7 News in Denver wrote, “The jury had convicted Auman of felony murder, saying she had set in motion a chain of events that led to the deadly shootout.”

So even though she was totally innocent of the physical crime itself- by ALL accounts including police- she was found guilty of the murder largely because her partner killed himself.  Luckily, she wrote a letter to an aging Hunter S Thompson who had one more fight in him.  Thompson led a charge to free Lisl, calling in favors from lawyers around the country and having friends like Warren Zevon champion her cause.  All the hell raising sparked new interest in the case and her sentence was eventually reduced.

The story has been written by a variety of firsthand sources so I won’t bore you with my own spin.   Go here, here, here, here and watch “Free Lisl: Fear & Loathing in Denver” by Wayne Ewing.

Cheers,

Tom

When Your Waitress Becomes a Success

I was reading up on healthy eating and an article on Yahoo!’s front page fit the bill.  I read the well crafted article and noticed it was written by a lady named Sarah Fuss.  That sounded familiar.   Sarah.  Sarah Fuss.  Fuss.  I think I know that name.  I read her Yahoo! bio and saw her picture and was sure I had met her.  Upon reading the bio I discovered she used to sling plates at the Northstar restaurant in Columbus.  The Northstar is a bistro where casual organic meats, vegetarianism and hipsters collide.  It’s not for the non-adventurous eater nor a person with light pockets, but the food does pack a hell of a flavor.  My friend, and brief love interest, Kae Denino, author of “Glow” used to cook there.  I’m not sure if she introduced me to Ms. Fuss or we simply chatted while I downed their amazing meatloaf, but it is nice to see a person who slaved away in Columbus get their just rewards.

Cheers,

Tom

The Police Are Heroes, Mostly

The opinion of police officers working their beat runs the gamut from neighborhood superstar, annoying party pooper to murderous thugs shielded by the “blue line” and a system set up to protect them more than the citizens they serve.

Ok, with that introduction you probably know where I am headed, but let me emphasize what I do respect about law enforcement.  They work a tough job.  Can you image getting out of your car to talk to someone who didn’t use a blinker?  Sounds simple, just a leisurely stroll up to tell the soccer dad to slow down and use his turn signals.  Not for a police officer.  They must continually be on guard that some jackass will pull a gun on them, try to run them over or try to steal their gun, and let’s not even talk about the “oinks” and flashes of the middle finger they get- that you presume they didn’t see. Their home lives are often tough with spouses living in a fear that comes with marrying into a very few jobs.   When they serve with honor and meet the standards that our cities, counties and state put forth they are the apex of what a role model should be.

When they fail to meet that standard, however, they should be punished harsher than the common citizen.
Why you ask?  Because of the standard.  No one is forced to be a police officer.  The job is tough, but comes with power, responsibility, cache and an enduring respect by most Americans.  If you see a person in a military or police uniform they automatically command respect.  Their job, their sacrifice in keeping order in the crazy world demands it.  But when one of them runs afoul of the law we should make them an example.  A term called “fiduciary duty” is used a lot in financial circles.  Wikipedia defines it in part as the highest standard of care at either equity or law. A fiduciary is expected to be extremely loyal to the person to whom he owes the duty.  This standard should apply to police.  In cases when accountants run off with someone’s money they get stiffer sentences than if , say, their receptionist did, because the accountant has a fiduciary duty to not steal from his company/client.  Likewise, a police officer has a similar duty to us, the citizenry.  When they abuse the law they should not get paid administrative leave or early retirement (which is paid by the citizens they failed), they should get at least as much jail time, if not more than if an average citizen committed the same crime.  Yet this does not happen in many cases and I believe it is one reason public opinion of the police force suffers.  If we the people knew the police would police their ranks and give us a fair shake when one of them fucks up, it would go a long way to improving their image and likability.

On a related note, tomorrow I will write on the terrible tale of Lisl Auman.  She was sent to jail for murder even though she was IN THE BACK OF A POLICE CAR WHEN THE COP WAS SHOT DOWN!  The police even testified to such.  So look out for that one.

Cheers,

Tom