Frank McCourt

I fell in love with teaching all over again because of a thrown sandwich.

Stunned a student would waste food no matter how angst the adolescent point, new teacher Frank McCourt utilized the situation as what we in education call a discrepant event.

He picked up the sandwich and ate it.

From his memoir, Teacher Man: A Memoir:

"And there's the bologna sandwich. What are you going to do about a situation like that? No professor at NYU told us what to do about flying bologna sandwiches. They don't get into that. They have higher level philosophy of education. There's a sandwich. What are you going to do?"

Teachers often find themselves sandwiched between the politics of education and the minds seated before them, students hungry for knowledge, but many, just hungry. As I write, a family lives tucked within the scrubs of a large vacant expanse, just a a couple of sandwich throws away from my home. My son stumbled across the camp one day while out walking the dog. Clothes hang from branches as if hung out to dry and a single unlit candle serves as a poor man's lantern. A can of mosquito repellent stands guard over toys scattered beneath a pine tree where a child's teddy bear nestles in the fork of two branches. We've yet to sight the family during the day, but as darkness falls, our dog's low growl and glance toward the door serves as a doorbell to a world very much unlike ours.

If a child is indeed sleeping beneath the sky and is of of school-age, in a few short weeks, he or she will enter a classroom, likely hungry for knowledge but mostly, just hungry. These kids are easy to spot--tired, worn out, wearing a hang dog look of everyday desperation, yet school is the very best part of their day, a haven, if only for a few hours. As the best and brightest teachers well know the stomach is a direct link to the brain, my guess is, if that bologna sandwich were thrown today, Frank McCourt would eat half and save the other for the kid whose eyes lingered a bit too long during the ceremonial unwrapping of the cellophane.

Frank McCourt lost his battle with cancer Monday, July 19th. A teacher for nearly thirty years, his legacy lives on through his memoirs, his family and his extended family...

...his students, in particular, McCourt's first, who learned on one long ago day that education is sometimes "... layered with slices of tomato, onions and peppers, drizzled with olive oil and charged with a tongue-dazzling relish."

May the road rise up to meet you, Teacher Man.

"Instead of teaching, I told stories.

Anything to keep them quiet and in their seats.

They thought I was teaching.

I thought I was teaching.

I was learning."

--Frank McCourt
1930-2009
Teacher and Author
Angela's Ashes, 'Tis and Teacher Man

Read what students have to say about Mr. McCourt over at the New York Times.

Weekend Zen

And you better pick yourself up from the ground
Before they bring the curtain down...

Princes Trust Concert, Hyde Park 1996.

Eric Clapton.

Badge.

Political Squawk: The Secret of Bees

With all the political posturing (and moaning and groaning) over at The Bee Master (7/14/2009), right-leaning Talk to Me readers have seemingly skirted over one glaring disconnect.

Sworn in as Director of the CIA on February 16, 2009, Leon Panetta did not learn of "...the secret terrorist-assassination program..." until June 23, 2009...

... four months after he assumed the role as Director.

Explain that away.

Oh, many will offer the argument that the essence of the CIA is cloaked with the challenge of protecting this nation. But when the very Director of the CIA is left out of the loop of his own agency?

Not buying the flag-waving, folks.

Panetta informed congressional intelligence oversight committees of the "plan" that never came to be the very next day, June 24.

TIME (7/15/2009) gave the Director kudos for his quick action.

"Distancing the agency from a project with Cheney's fingerprints was politically astute. "As a good politician, Panetta probably knew that [Cheney's involvement] was precisely the reason we should get nervous about it," says Paul Pillar, a former deputy director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center.

Some argue that Panetta's tendency to look through a political lens is a weakness. "He's a decent guy, but I think he doesn't fully understand the intelligence business, and that hurts," says a former high-ranking operations official. An intel veteran, he argues, would have recognized the program for what it was — little more than an idea — and not rushed to inform Congress. But others, like Zegart, say Panetta's political chops may have saved the agency from even greater criticism. In any case, she says, "we don't know the counterfactual: How much worse would it have been [for the CIA] if Panetta was not the director?"

But as the Right would say, that's buzzing backwards.

"A person who is too nice an observer of the business of the crowd, like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees, will often be stung for his curiosity."

--Alexander Pope

The Bee Master

Busy bees have figured out a way to ruin honey. Dilute it with something equally sticky.

(...)

Nancy Gentry of Interlachen, owner of the Cross Creek Honey Co. and a member of the state honey technical council, said, "Honey is a magical food from an insect that comes to us pure right from the beginning."

"Unfortunately," she said, "We've had a lot of people decide they want to make more money from the product they got so they cut it (mix it)."

(Yep. I hear you, Nancy. Sort of like mixing a failed businessman with a crafty former CEO of Halliburton and electing both to the White House, with one thinking he's the President while the other guy actually did the job from the shadows.)

But back to honey. As a result of the addition of corn syrup and who knows what else to sweet delectable honey, Florida is the first state in the country to impose a standard on honey. "Under the new regulation, honey containing anything other than "natural food product resulting from the harvest of nectar by honeybees" is considered adulterated or mislabeled." (Read more over at (FloridaEnvironments.com, 7/13/2009)

And here's hoping, an investigation of former VP Dick Cheney and his sticky CIA secrets will set the constitutional standard on executive authority, i.e.checks and balances which ensure that the United States government will never again bee adulterated by a one man bee hive.

Is Charlie Crist a Quitter?

Gov. Sarah Palin has taken plenty of incoming regarding her decision to abandon Alaska's ship.

But quite frankly, isn't Gov. Charlie Crist doing the same? Quitting a job Floridians fully expected him to retain for two consecutive terms?


The Orlando Sentinel seems to think so.

In their minds, they're leaders; in ours, quitters.

How else to describe Sarah Palin and Charlie Crist? Ms. Palin announced last week that she not only won't seek a second term as Alaska's governor, she's planning to leave office more than a year before her first term expires.

Mr. Crist announced in May that he won't seek a second term heading Florida's government, making him the state's first sitting governor to decline a re-election bid since the state constitution was changed in 1968 to allow two terms.

(...)

There's still time for him as governor to repair the damage to the growth-management laws he helped weaken. Still time to wrest more efficiencies from state agencies. Still time to make positive, long-lasting changes that can strengthen his legacy and the state he still runs. We encourage him to do so.

But we understand that with Mr. Crist, he's always looking to the next job. He's given up each of his statewide posts — education commissioner, attorney general and now, governor — after just one term to seek higher office.

That's Bunyan-sized ambition. But unfortunately it's also the mark of a quitter, one who's concerned that chronic problems he might not be able to solve could tarnish his smaller achievements.

And, as a consequence, block his path to the top.

(...)

Read more here Palin & Crist abandoning ship, 7/10/09.

Ouch.

But the game is different this time around Political Musical Chairs. With the number of Floridians registering as Republican plummeting, will Florida Democrats (who outnumber Republicans by 700,000)--tired and weary of a Republican stronghold on the state since the days of Lawton Chiles--really cross over and pull the lever for GOPPER Charlie Crist, a man who would've certainly bailed out on the state even earlier if McCain had bestowed him with VP second fiddle status?

And, as jumping ship appears to be a deep-seated career path pattern demonstrated by the Governor, if elected to the U.S. Senate, will Crist bail out on that seat as well to run as a Republican candidate for President 2012?

Without a doubt...

...Yes He Would.

Weekend Zen

Deep Purple. 1973.

Smoke on the Water.

Political Squawk: Center Staging a Dead Guy

Personally, I feel the presentation of a posthumous humanitarian award to the late Michael Jackson by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee(D-Texas) at his recent memorial reeked of poor form.

Jackson--love him or hate him--gave more than $50 million worldwide to charities worldwide. Most of us remember his We are the World project which raised millions to help fight hunger in Africa. As a result of that effort and many others--and at the peak of his legal "liabilites"- the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association, (AASA) awarded the artist with the 2003 Humanitarian Award.

But in his own country, a member of Congress waits until the guy is dead before bestowing any sort of recognition.

Because now, it's politically safe to do so.

Or is it?

Per Politico (7/7/09) :

(...)

Between high-stakes fights over climate change and health-care reform, Democrats will now have to moonwalk through the minefield of Jackson’s oddball behavior, drug abuse and relationships with young children — all in the politically perilous geography of race relations in America.

“There’s no appetite for this,” one House Democrat told POLITICO. “We have too many other things to deal with right now.”

But it’s not as easy as that.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) needs to stay in the good graces of the Congressional Black Caucus. And while CBC members were reportedly lukewarm on Jackson-Lee’s resolution initially, they now may have little choice but to rally around it.

Staffers say CBC members don’t want to be seen as caving in to Rep. Peter King, the New York Republican who called Jackson a “lowlife” and a “pervert” in a widely viewed YouTube video. And it will be hard for caucus members not to back Jackson-Lee’s resolution after she held a framed copy aloft during the late pop star’s nationally televised memorial service.

Still, Democrats from conservative districts are almost visibly queasy about the prospect of honoring Jackson further. When CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) members called for a moment of silence for Jackson on the House floor last month, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) walked out. He said he was “nauseated” by the tribute — and that he was hardly the only Democratic member who felt that way.

“The cloakroom was pretty well packed,” Yarmuth told a Los Angeles radio station. “I think there were a lot of people who were disgusted by it.”

Democratic aides said privately Tuesday that it’s unlikely the House will pass Jackson-Lee’s resolution, which includes a recitation of nearly every charitable contribution Jackson made in the past quarter-century. And King vows to make the process as painful as possible by demanding a roll call vote.

(...)

Like I said. Poor form. On both sides of the aisle.

Meanwhile, people in Africa are starving.

Read more about Jackson-Lee's Resolution 600 here.

Senator Al Franken

Al Franken is in the House, 'er the Senate.

I'd like to say better late than never, but for almost 250 days, the state of Minnesota remained under-represented, short-shrifted a vote while the courts pried a certain someone's death grip off his previously held Senate seat.

All post-election ugliness aside, the highly contested race between Franken and opponent Norm Coleman is now one for the history books. The swearing-in of the most junior Senator filibuster-proofs the Democratic majority with an all-important 60th vote.

For Coleman--who conceded the loss of his Senate seat to Franken last week--an opportunity left otherwise unconsidered is all the talk among those who call the Land of 10,000 Lakes home.

Coleman is reportedly mulling about a 2010 run for Governor. (Of Minnesota, although Alaska is up for grabs in a couple of years....PLENTY of time to establish residency, Norm).

"It is easy to criticize, particularly in a political season. But to lead is something altogether different. The leader must live in the real world of the price that might be paid for the goal that has been set."

Wise words spoken by...

...none other than Norm Coleman himself. The interpretation of his remarks, I'll leave up to you.

And with that, Election 2008 is officially over.

Onward and forward.

Colin Powell's Press

As a coffee-lover newly fascinated with the French Press, the findings of a recently released University of Florida study swirls the cream in my cup.

Drinking five cups of coffee a day could reverse memory problems associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The study- which was carried out on mice who were exhibiting signs of dementia- also showed that caffeine helped slow the production of the protein plaques which show up in people who develop the disease.

The study did not address convenient memory, such as those spun by former secretary of state Colin Powell during an interview this past weekend with CNN's John King.

Professing to still believe in limited government and limited taxes, Mr. Powell--lambasted by the GOP for his endorsement of then-candidate Barack Obama-- suggested dropping such "slogans" in exchange for a "...government that works."

(...)

"Keep it as small as possible. Keep the tax burden on the American people as small as possible, but at the same time, have government that is solving the problems of the people.”

(...)

"And I never would have believed that we would have budgets that are running into the multi-trillions of dollars, and we are amassing a huge, huge national debt that, if we don’t pay for in our lifetime, our kids and grandkids and great grandchildren will have to pay for it."

Hmm.

If my memory serves me correctly, Mr. Powell's recollection of the facts is a bit of a selective trip down Fiscal Memory Lane.

Time for that fifth cup of coffee, sir.

Political Squawk: The Palin Resignation

It's just not a picnic without the ants.

And it won't be politics--petty or otherwise--without Sarah Palin.

(Who is no picnic herself.)

Which causes me to ask...is she really gone?

Is she EVER really gone?

As July 4th Tea Party attendees nationwide scratch their heads today over the unexpected resignation of the Alaska governor--effective at the end of the month--I "visited" with the people who know her best, her Alaskan constituents.

For the real skinny, visit the real people congregating over at The Mudflats post and present.

(...)

Yes, it’s true. Governor Sarah Palin, at a hastily called press conference this morning, has announced that she will be stepping down from office on July 25, and turning the reins over to Lt. Governor Sean Parnell “for the good of Alaska.”

(...)

Of course, those who have been follwing the Alaska blogosphere closely are aware of the rumors bubbling up that there’s something big…something really big that’s headed her way; the iceberg that’s headed for the S.S. Palin. We’ll see."

And the following Mudflats update pretty much answers my question posed at the beginning of this post.

(...)
Okay, I’ve now been able to get independent information from multiple sources that all of this precedes what are said to be possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin’s house and the Wasilla Sports Complex built during her tenure. Both structures, it is said, feature the “same windows, same wood, same products.” Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources.

Heck yeah! Expect to hear about (and most likely from) Sarah Palin for some time to come.

Political Squawk: GOP Goes Feral on Palin

In my opinion, Alaska governor Sarah Palin is the last person on this earth who needs any additional publicity, especially from this blogger.

However...

...as the squawk for the past few days has been all about Todd Purdum's Vanity Fair profile on SP, I'll give her a Political Squawk, if only for old times sake.

As with anything Sarah, the hiss is expected. But my guess is Purdum himself never fathomed the meeeooww yeeooww Palin caterwauling would from within the internal ranks of her own Republican party.

Per Politico: (6/30/09)

(...)

Rival factions close to the McCain campaign have been feuding since last fall over Palin, usually waging the battle in the shadows with anonymous quotes. Now, however, some of the most well-known names in Republican politics are going on-the-record with personal attacks and blame-casting.

William Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard and at times an informal adviser to Sen. John McCain, touched off the latest back-and-forth Tuesday morning with a post on his magazine’s blog criticizing the Todd Purdum-authored Palin story and pointing a finger at Steve Schmidt, McCain’s campaign manager.

Kristol cited a passage in Purdum’s piece in which “some top aides” were said to worry about the Alaska governor’s “mental state” and the prospect that the Alaska governor may be suffering from post-partum depression following the birth of her son Trig. “In fact, one aide who raised this possibility in the course of trashing Palin’s mental state to others in the McCain-Palin campaign was Steve Schmidt,” Kristol wrote.

Asked about the accusation, Schmidt fired back in an e-mail: “I'm sure John McCain would be president today if only Bill Kristol had been in charge of the campaign.”

“After all, his management of [former Vice President] Dan Quayle’s public image as his chief of staff is still something that takes your breath away,” Schmidt continued. “His attack on me is categorically false.”

Asked directly in a telephone interview if he brought up the prospect of Palin suffering from post-partum depression, Schmidt said: “His allegation that I was defaming Palin by alleging post-partum depression at the campaign headquarters is categorically untrue. In fact, I think it rises to the level of a slander because it’s about the worst thing you can say about somebody who does what I do for a living.”

But Kristol’s charge was seconded by Randy Scheunemann, a longtime foreign policy adviser to McCain who is also close to the Standard editor and was thought to be a Palin ally within the campaign.

“Steve Schmidt has a congenital aversion to the truth,” Scheunemann said. “On two separate and distinct occasions, he speculated about about Governor Palin having post-partum depression, and on the second he threatened that if more negative publicity about the handling of Governor Palin emerged that he would leak his speculation [about post-partum depression] to the press. It was like meeting Tony Soprano.”

Sounds like these gentlemen (and I use that term loosely) are suffering from a bit of post-election-man-o-pause, i.e. the McCain's candidacy put such a pause in my career, let's be real men and blame this whole thing on the female VP and her hormones.

Read more about the GOP cat fight here.

Happy 4th.

Florida's 152 New Laws

Ah. July 1st.

The official date to effect new Florida laws.

Although the state legislature had a plate full of budget woes this past session, 152 bills managed to side dish their way onto Gov. Charlie Crist's table to be signed into law.

My favorite this year?

Subleasing Florida's prison population to nearby states.

Instead of addressing zero tolerance laws that have severely overcrowded Florida prisons, the Department of Corrections now has the legal blessing to contract our prisoners out to states with housing vacancies. (And you all were worried about Guantanamo....)

Per The Sentencing Project, no matter how gracious a sister state's hospitality, room at the inn may prove difficult.

"The United States is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.1 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails -- a 500% increase over the past thirty years...."

Also among the 152, the passage of the Rachel Hoffman law tightens up law enforcement procedure previous to the recruitment of suspects or offenders for use as informants. Rachel was 23 years old when killed while working undercover as a drug informant for the Tallahassee Police Department.

Read the 2009 Session Summary over at the Florida House here.

Real Climate

As an observer who is neither a) a scientist or b) an armchair scientist, I find the sharply divided politics of climate change quite fascinating. For the life of me, (or the life of us) I just can't figure out why We as a People, can't get on the same page regarding the good of our planet.

That being said, the latest global warning (ahem) discussion beating a path throughout the blogosphere is atmosphere is mostly water vapor, so it can't be CO2.

I'm thinking the opposite--that CO2 and water vapor both tuck a way-too-warm blanket around the Earth--but hey, what do I know? So, I visited the blog of those who do.

The climate scientists over at Real Climate.

Upon review of the study "Anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and strong water vapor feedback increase temperature in Europe", conducted by Rolf Philipona et al. (GRL, 2005), this is what those in the scientific know had to say regarding the media's interpretation of the Greenhouse Gas Wars: water vapor vs. CO2.

(...)

"The accuracy of the media coverage of Phillipona et al. is decidedly mixed. The BBC got the scientific story straight (warming due to water vapor amplifying anthropogenic effects, everything working as it should, no worries about the physics, mate.), but their otherwise sound article was published with the unfortunate sub-header, "Water vapour rather than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main reason why Europe's climate is warming, according to a new study." This gives the casual reader the erroneous impression that the study concludes CO2 is unimportant. It feeds the old, discredited skeptics' notion that the water vapor greenhouse effect is so dominant that there's no need to be concerned about CO2.

National Geographic is a little breathless: " The latest villain on global warming's most-wanted list is all wet—and a little surprising. Water vapor, experts say, is the culprit behind Europe's rapidly rising temperatures." However, they get the basic scientific story straight, quoting Philipona as saying "It is an experiment that clearly shows which factors are driving the higher temperatures. It is not the clouds, not the sun, not the aerosols. It is the increased greenhouse gases and the strong water vapor impact."

UPI is probably the worst of the bunch. They state "Swiss scientists say Europe's recent rapid temperature increase is likely due to an unexpected greenhouse gas: water vapor." Unexpected?

If they were readers of Real Climate, they'd know better."

And now, We in Brevard County do.

Bookmark Real Climate here.

Insuring Sookie Stackhouse

Sookie Stackhouse is one girl in serious need of health insurance.

The heroine of the hit HBO series True Blood finds herself bludgeoned, bleeding or attacked physically at least once a week. As a waitress for a local watering hole, it's doubtful her employer offers a company health plan or that on her earnings, she herself could purchase health insurance.

But let's say, Sookie waitresses for kicks and pays for her own coverage with money from her trust fund. At this point, her meanderings between the worlds of vampire and human are causing the plucky Louisiana native to look a bit high risk. And we all know what health insurers think about risk.

If it's not safe for them, no insurance will be sold.

Sounds like Sookie's night life is about to get her health insurance canceled.

Speaking of blood-sucking creatures....

America's Health Insurance Plans--the chief lobbyists for this country's health insurers--recently did an about face regarding coverage for the high risk who dwell among us. As reported by The Economist (6/27-7/3/09), insurers are willing to accept "taking all comers", a reform targeting the unfair burden placed on firms that attract old or sick people, if....

...the reform is accompanied by a requirement that all Americans must purchase coverage.

What's your "stake" on such a counter?

Talk to Me.

Weekend Zen

These are the days it never rains but it pours....

Queen. 1986.

Under Pressure.

Ozzy and the Jackson 5

My mother once surprised my brother and I with a Jackson 5 album.

Just cutting my rock and roll teeth via Black Sabbath, any music played over traditional airwaves was considered in teen circles, as most definitely uncool.

I took in the album cover, featuring the pudgy cute kid face of Michael Jackson, and just cracked up. My brother--a future Kiss aficionado (funny in itself)--laughed right along me, not really sure why but sure enough to remember that his older sister sometimes allowed him to play her what-are-now-considered-classic-rock-albums upon the condition he agreed with everything she did or said.

Which--in this case--included hurting our mom's feelings.

Immediately feeling guilty--after all, mothers do trump Ozzy--we took the Jackson 5 for a spin. I dropped the teen cool at my bedroom door and before too long, my brother and I were Goin' Back to Indiana, cutting the rug right along with this kid prodigy and his own brothers.

Just like I did last night when MTV replayed the old clip.

Historically, the 1970 Jackson 5-Third Album, proved quite the commercially successful pop album.

Proving yet another point.

Mothers are always right.

Farewell, Michael.

Michael Jackson

The website TMZ (owned by Time Warner) is reporting that Michael Jackson has died.

The post in its entirety.

***

Michael Jackson Dies

Posted Jun 25th 2009 5:20PM by TMZ Staff

We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.

La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

***

UPDATE

The LA Times is reporting his death.

Farrah

Charlie's Angels is likely one of the most politically incorrect shows to ever air on television.

But that didn't keep us from watching.

The show (and a certain red swimsuit poster) catapulted unknown Farrah Fawcett into that section of the stratosphere known as iconism.

If reports from the entertainment world are accurate, those same heavens wait to receive the 62-year-old actress as she approaches the end of her battle with cancer.

Life--even the lives of those society deems larger than those of us ordinary mortals--has a way of coming back full circle.

Farrah had planned the re-release of the red swimsuit poster to raise money for cancer charities. Should that wish come to fruition...

...get four thumbtacks ready for a good cause.

As we look back, our thoughts are with families everywhere who have lost a loved one to terminal disease.

Political Squawk: Mark Sanford: "Honey, I'm Home!"

South Carolina's governor sounds a lot like a teenager who told his parents he was sleeping over at a friend's house, only to learn the next morning that Mom and Dad had called said friend's parents to check up on him.

(Ah, the good old days before cell phones.)

Where in the World is Mark Sanford? has been the guessing game of the press over the past few days. Even his wife was unaware of his whereabouts.

The best rumor of a Sanford sighting? Hiking the Appalachian trail nude on Naked Day.

Anyway, the Governor is no longer AWOL. Returning today from a "secret trip to Argentina", his explanation sounded much like, well...a teenager.

Per Reuters, 6/24/09:

(...)

Sanford flew to Atlanta early on Wednesday and told reporters for The State, South Carolina's biggest newspaper, he had decided at the last minute to go to Argentina and drive along its coastline.

"I wanted to do something exotic ... to get out of the bubble I am in," he told the paper, adding he had traveled alone.

And the dog ate his homework.

Pop! goes Sanford's 2012 Presidential aspirations.

Smoke That Cigarette

A smoker himself, President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law Monday afternoon.

Among the regulations granted the FDA is the authority to order "...manufacturers to reduce — though not eliminate — the amount of the addictive chemical nicotine that's in cigarettes."

I'm no chemist, but that sounds like a lot less kick in the habit, a lot less bang for a smoker's buck.

Speaking of bucks...

Much like the old cartoon where a smoker lights up several cigarettes simultaneously to ease the incessant gnaw of nicotine addiction, I suspect the hopelessly addicted will purchase more packs to procure the much-needed punch, passing off their hard earned bucks into the deep pockets of Big Tobacco.

Which would be their choice. I'm no fan of smoking, but last time I facetiously looked, it's as legal as its sister vice--drinking alcohol.

On that note, Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune may or may not be a smoker, but he's fairly clear on what he thinks of this law.

Butt Out!

(...)

An individual decision to take up cigarettes is a private event, not a public one, and its health effects are almost entirely confined to the individual making the choice. Swine flu warrants government intervention because it is transmitted to people without their consent. Not so with tobacco addiction.

That's not the only Orwellian touch in this measure. It is called the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which raises the obvious question: What does "family" have to do with it? Answer: nothing, but doesn't it sound sweet?

Like many intrusive government actions, this law is supposed to protect children. That's the pretext for telling tobacco companies, in exhaustive detail, how and where they can communicate with consumers, actual and potential -- allegedly to prevent the contamination of young minds.

So: Cigarette-makers are forbidden to use color in ads in any publication whose readership is less than 85 percent adult. They are barred from using music in audio ads. They are not allowed to use pictures in video ads. They may not put product names on race cars, lighters, caps or T-shirts. From all this, you almost forget the fleeting passage in the Constitution that says "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech."

When it gets in a mood to regulate, Congress doesn't like to trouble itself with nuisances like the 1st Amendment. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for Massachusetts to ban outdoor ads within 1,000 feet of any schools and playgrounds. So what does this law do? It bans outdoor ads within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds.

The court said the Massachusetts law was intolerable because it choked off communication about a legal activity. "In some geographical areas," complained Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, "these regulations would constitute nearly a complete ban on the communication of truthful information about smokeless tobacco and cigars to adult consumers."

(...)

You know what they (whoever they is) say.

Passing a law is easy.

It's the overturning part that proves tricky.

Talk to Me.

Smoke Smoke That Cigarette--Tex Williams

***

"Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics."
--Author Unknown

Back Paging North Korea

I completely detached from 24/7 news coverage during my vacation from the keyboard.

Well, that is, until my cousin lobbed North Korea into a kitchen table discussion of family gossip.

I let it drop. Flat. "Sorry. On vacation."

Impressed by my complete disconnect, he totally ignored me and proceeded to catch me up on reports of NK's intent to test-fire a missile with a 4,000-mile range toward Hawaii around July 4.

Concerned that another cousin had landed on the islands just that morning for two weeks of fun in the sun, I begrudgingly picked up the local paper. The headlines screamed discontent alright, but locally, not globally.

Nothing on Page 2. Or 3.

Thumbing through, I eventually located the AP story on Page 14. The very last page.

Where to place news within the black and white is a sort of media caste system of journalistic perspective, an assignation of rank to stories considered important (or immediate) enough to headline while relegating others of secondary interest to the inner--or in this case--the outer sanctum.

Online, all stories--whether a face-snatching chimp or civil discontent in Tehran--roll on the fast break of look look look read read read now now now important important important....

Discerning which news goes where carries a powerful implication of what's hot--

and, as evidenced by the exile of the North Korea story to the back page Netherlands of what will soon face the working end of many a parakeet...

...what's not.

Weekend Zen

For what it's worth...

Buffalo Springfield. 1967.

On the Back Forty

I've hightailed it out of Dodge.

After two and half years of straight shooting for the ole FT Corral, I'm away on vacation.

It's the sun and the moon and the skies up above for me this week.

For those who cross my path during my idle perusal of the back pasture, I'll throw them this piece of hardtack:

How can We as Citizens work together to term limit members of Congress?

I've already reshoed the horse with a couple of folks, nailing down a couple of good ideas, but as always, I want to hear from you. I'll peek through the fence during the week to see what ideas you're kicking around.

Meet me back here at High Noon next Monday and we'll line 'em up, shoot 'em down and see which viable ideas remain intact.

See you next week.

Happy Trails.

Weekend Zen

Gary Wright. 1976.

My Love is Alive.

Political Squawk: Letterman

Would someone please talk to David Letterman?

As if we needed to hear anymore from Alaska's governor, Dave crosses over and way beyond the line of his Top Ten list, making a crack about Sarah Palin's daughter that caused every parent in America to wince. (Read what he said here).

Palin proved herself every bit the self-described pit bull, chewing up Letterman over his ill-considered commentary like a copy of The New York Times.

Big Hollywood made lemonade out of the public's sour reaction to the Willow Palin hit way below the belt by contributing a Top Ten List of Possible Letterman Rebuttals.

10. Listen, I didn’t know Willow Palin was 14. She was born in 1995. I thought she was still 13.

9. Why’s everyone so mad? I wasn’t making fun of Barack…?

8. I understand some offense was taken over my remarks last night. If that’s the case, I’d like to offer an apology to A-Rod. Tonight on the show, we have…

7. Careful buddy. You’re criticizing the guy who almost got the “Tonight Show.”

6. I’m a comedian and therefore not responsible for anything I say … ask Jon Stewart.

5. See, you all spoiled it. The plan tonight was to come out and tell a similar joke about Barack Obama’s daughters. But you can forget it now…

4. Everyone just needs to relax. Page, six, paragraph seven of the “Democrat Handbook” clearly states Republican children are fair game. Or is that the “Mainstream Media Handbook” … I get them confused.

3. It’s just been brought to my attention that during the campaign Barack Obama declared Sarah Palin’s children off limits. So, I would just like to say that this will never happen again and I hope the President will accept my apology.

2. Would you believe I was hoping to be Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World”?

1. If what I said was so wrong, why haven’t feminists complained?

In the end, Letterman apologized (sort of) and invited Ms. Palin and the First Dude out to NYC to appear on the show.

Best policy? To quote Pink Floyd...

...Dave, "leave those kids alone."

Lifeguard on Duty

I am no fan of the Atlantic.

Yet, I hold a deep respect for the old girl.

As did my parents.

Although my brother and I were both strong swimmers, our mother and father did not allow us to wade in the surf past our ankles.

One ridiculously hot beach day, the heat (or our incessant nagging) finally got to them both as the gift of the sea was bestowed upon us. We plunged into the water, two deliriously happy specks engulfed by a glorious expanse of teeming life.

Mom used lunch to lure us back and I didn't need to be asked twice. My brother needed more than a peanut butter sandwich to drag him out of the water, so I headed in to get back-up in the form of our father.

Three steps out of the water, I noticed my mother scramble off the blanket, stand and point toward the water. Her face is contorted. She is screaming. My eyes follow my dad as he screams by me, yelling my brother's name over and over.

A shark swims between my brother and shore. Caught in the tide, this bad boy cut the surface with razor precision, back and forth, back and forth as my father paces the beach, back and forth, back and forth, never taking his eyes off my bobbing brother.

A small crowd gathers. One bystander smacks the water further down the shoreline, successfully attracting the shark's attention. My dad seized the moment. Swimming furiously to my totally unaware brother, he pulls his first born son safely past the shark and into our mom's frantic grip.

That was the last time we ever swam in the ocean as children.

My parents let their guard down that long ago day on Canova Beach.

With no lifeguard on duty, not such a great decision.

I think it pays to have a second set of eyes.

Support keeping lifeguards in the big chair.

The North Korean Exchange Program

Most everyone remembers attending high school with an international exchange student.

After heading home at the end of semester or school year, many stay in touch with their host families, both having established bonds that span a lifetime.

North Korea has initiated an exchange program of sorts. Criteria for inclusion is more of the we snatch, we grab world media spotlight variety. Those who manage to survive their stay, never look back with fond memories.

San Francisco journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee--sentenced by their host country to twelve years hard labor on unspecified "grave" (trumped-up) charges--are new members of North Korea's most recent authoritarian exchange.

The question being...

...in exchange for what?

Read more over at the LA Times.

Opinion Matters

Gabe over at Right Turn and I must be doing something right.

We're about to have company.

Beginning today, Florida Today will launch Opinion Matters, an online opinion page blog featuring the viewpoints held by a fresh cadre of community bloggers. At last count, sixteen Brevard County residents will log in to "...jumpstart a discussion of the issues facing our community, state and nation."

Anyone boasting an opinion is invited to "... join the conversation."

Hmm. That phrase sounds vaguely familiar.

But then, you know what they say.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Head on over and introduce yourself to the new voices on the block, each who bring an area of subject specificity to the keyboard. Look who's talking here.

Go on. Go make your voice heard. To quote the old skating rink stand-by, the Hokey-Pokey, that's what it's all about.

Communication. It's a beautiful thing.

Weekend Zen

Lynyrd Skynyrd. 1975.

Every Mother's Son.

Political Squawk: Cairo

"I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo..."

And with those words, President Obama delivered his much-anticipated remarks to the Muslim world while the rest of the planet listened in.

I offer these highlights for discussion:

• On Afghanistan:

Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case.

• Iraq:

Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world. Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said: "I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be."
Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better future – and to leave Iraq to Iraqis. I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. That is why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August. That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all our troops from Iraq by 2012. We will help Iraq train its Security Forces and develop its economy. But we will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron.

• On torture and the abuse of detainees at GuantÁnamo:

And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter our principles. 9/11 was an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our ideals. We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year

• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

For decades, there has been a stalemate: two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive. It is easy to point fingers – for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought by Israel's founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond. But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth: the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.

That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest. That is why I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience that the task requires. The obligations that the parties have agreed to under the Road Map are clear. For peace to come, it is time for them – and all of us – to live up to our responsibilities.

Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and does not succeed. For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America's founding. This same story can be told by people from South Africa to South Asia; from Eastern Europe to Indonesia. It's a story with a simple truth: that violence is a dead end. It is a sign of neither courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a bus. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is surrendered.

At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.

Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society.

On nuclear weapons:

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation – including Iran – should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

On democracy:

I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear: no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other.

That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.

On religious freedom:

Among some Muslims, there is a disturbing tendency to measure one's own faith by the rejection of another's. The richness of religious diversity must be upheld – whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt. And fault lines must be closed among Muslims as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.

Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. We must always examine the ways in which we protect it.

(...)

Indeed, faith should bring us together.

On women's rights:

Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.

On economic development and opportunity:

"...no development strategy can be based only upon what comes out of the ground, nor can it be sustained while young people are out of work. Many Gulf States have enjoyed great wealth as a consequence of oil, and some are beginning to focus it on broader development. But all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century, and in too many Muslim communities there remains underinvestment in these areas. I am emphasizing such investments within my country. And while America in the past has focused on oil and gas in this part of the world, we now seek a broader engagement.

(Read the full text of the President's speech HERE.)

Talk to Me.