"A Colossal Error in Judgement."

Kerry 1, Bush 0.

I'm partisan, but as a debater I say that he left no significant point unchallenged while putting Dubya on the defensive for 90 minutes. He even worked at disassembling some rightwing lies.

Kerry looked presidential as he skewered Bush. Some people feared that he would go on at length with difficult-to-follow answers while Bush would have some "there you go again" zinger, but Kerry spoke plainly and directly. It's as though he reverted to his role as a prosecutor in Massachusetts. Bush, on the other hand, was often at a loss for words as he hunched over the lecturn, searching for a response. Early on, he repeated a few stock phrases when he lost his verbal footing. "It's hard work!" he said several times referring to rebuilding Iraq and keeping it secure. Sure, Mister President, any task out of your league is hard.

Two points I wanted Kerry to rebut were on the security forces in Iraq and Libya's disarmament. Bush repeated 100,000 as the number of Iraqis in the security forces. Last I heard, a third of those--the foreign-trained police--have not actually been trained yet. Maybe 5,000 have been trained so far. Moreover, it has been reported that Iraqi security forces turn a blind eye to the kidnappers and the insurgents, and some even switch sides. Yes, Virginia, we're arming the insurgency. So, even if 100,000 is the correct number, it's a force of questionable effectiveness.

On Libya, Bush claimed credit, again, for Libya's disarmament. He wants people to believe that Gadaffi turned over his bio and chemical weapons because the fall of Saddam struck fear into his heart. Such BS deserves its own special pasture. The international community, including the U.S. under Bill Clinton, has been working on Libya to turn itself around. Gadaffi has wanted to remove all the trade sanctions and modernize his country. (Not that Gadaffi is an altruist; making the populace happy reduces his own chance of being assassinated.) Moreover, by taking undue credit, Bush disses Britain, France, and the leaders of the Middle East who did all the heavy lifting with Libya.

Those are minor points, however. Kerry said, at least twice, that Bush was misleading Americans about Kerry's stance on Iraq. Kerry said that he was consistent, and he made the point well. Kerry also bitch-slapped Bush on Tora-Bora and the escape of OBL. Speaking about handing over the search to Afghani warlords, Kerry said that Bush "outsourced that job, too." Ouch!

Kerry also gave a short, sweet explanation of how Dubya has screwed up our relations with N. Korea. We had observers, we had cameras in their nuclear reactors. Bush obliterated the agreement that Clinton had made with them, causing the eviction of the observers and the cameras. So, Bush went after imaginary WMD in Iraq while allowing the creation of actual nuclear weapons in N. Korea. Kerry made this point clearly and scored .

Oh, and another lie I wish Kerry had taken up (but didn't have time for) was Bush's assertion that they had broken the AQ Khan "ring." AQ Khan of Pakistan had been providing startup labs to countries to develop nuclear weapons. In fact, Khan was the supplier for N. Korea. Pervez Musharref pardoned Khan, with the blessing of the Bush Administration. (All of this was to ensure that Pakistan, which sponsored this money-making business in covert nuke development programs, would continue to "support" us in Afghanistan.) Nothing prevents Khan from starting it up again the next time the winds shift.

Anyway... tonight was an excellent night for Kerry. And when you consider that Iraq/terrorism was supposed to be Bush's strong suit, Kerry has two more excellent nights to come.

It's Up Here... Somewhere.


Check out the Wayback Machine, the web's dusty, musty attic stuffed with billions of pages of embarrassingly bad layouts. It has all of mine, anyway.

Hurricane Jeanne

Indian River County government has a helpful website. I'm grateful for this slideshow; even though it doesn't have pictures from Mom's neighborhood, it gives me a sense of the damage she might face when she returns to Sebastian.

Ypsilanti Public Schools and the Superintendent Who Cried Wolf

Our little school district, 4000+ students strong, apparently operates on the brink of financial crisis. Last spring, the superintendent commissioned the Citizens Advisory Panel (comprised mostly of friends and supporters of the superintendent rather than of parents and teachers active in the schools today) to evaluate the district in all areas and make suggestions for improvement. The CAP members were concerned because the superintendent had warned them of a looming financial crisis. The panel responded with suggestions of draconian cuts, like shutting down the high school pool, to avert disaster.

In June, the superintendent proposed a balanced budget for 04-05 that reflected a mere $600,000 in cuts in a $45 million budget. Financial crisis? Who said anything about a financial crisis? How silly to contemplate shutting down the pool.

Then, a few weeks ago, the superintendent announced in a press release that because the district had an unexpected loss of 440 students (a loss that was actually predicted by my friends Ann and Chris), which translates to a loss of roughly $3.3 million in state aid, Ypsilanti Schools were in a financial crisis. (Interestingly, the news was released just prior to the special election for a Special Education millage increase. Coincidence? You make the call.)

Last Thursday at a special Board of Education meeting, the superintendent announced that the district is not in financial crisis after all. We lost 334 students rather than 440. The district will take a one-time deferment on $1.6 million in expenses and will receive roughly $1.2 million from the newly passed millage.

Whew. What a rollercoaster ride.

At last night's Board meeting, I proposed a Financial Security Alert System so that we can better keep track of how near we are to the brink. I proposed an alternate, but similar, system that the Administration might prefer, considering how well they think of parents in this district.

I also dropped on the table a chunk of sidewalk concrete. It seems to me that if your budget assumptions are conservative and consistent, your budget proposals will be based on something solid, not on ether.

Finally I demonstrated a prototype model of the Last Resort. When all else fails, get back to basics.

Despite my over-the-top performance last night, I'm serious about our loss of credibility. Why would parents bring their children to a school district that appears to live on the brink of financial ruin? How can the teachers trust anything the Administration says in their contract negotiations?

If I recall my parables correctly, The Little Superintendent Who Cried Wolf only had two chances before he was abandoned by the villagers. Perhaps this is a cautionary tale for Ypsilanti.

Can a mere political cartoon summarize this election?

Yep.

In case you missed it...

Here's last night's Top Ten List, read by John Kerry, on Letterman's show:

Kerry's "Top 10 Bush Tax Proposals" are:

10. No estate tax for families with at least two U.S. presidents.

9. W-2 Form is now Dubya-2 Form.

8. Under the simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton.

7. The reduced earned income tax credit is so unfair, it just makes me want to tear out my lustrous, finely groomed hair.

6. Attorney General (John) Ashcroft gets to write off the entire U.S. Constitution.

5. Texas Rangers can take a business loss for trading Sammy Sosa.

4. Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa (Heinz Kerry) to cover the whole damn thing.

3. Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent.

2. Hundred-dollar penalty if you pronounce it "nuclear" instead of "nucular."

1. George W. Bush gets a deduction for mortgaging our entire future.

On Polls

If Jimmy Breslin has it right, the polls drastically underestimate the support for Kerry in this country.

Polls are taken via land line telephones. There are 169 million cell phones out there, some percentage of which are owned by people without land lines. Breslin says it's likely that these cell phones are owned by young people, people who are more likely to vote for Kerry, people who won't be represented by the polls.

If this is true, you just have to laugh at the media, the parties and the campaigns themselves. Maybe you can even see a ray of hope poking through the calendar on Nov. 2.

46 days to go, friends.

Where is my heart, anyway?

The reactor decommissioning continues...

Here's the press release from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission signaling the beginning of our actual decommissioning. Note the last sentence: "Successful decommissioning could result in termination of the reactor’s license and NRC’s release of the site for unrestricted use." (emphasis mine)

It seems that the only way to call a decommissioning successful is by terminating the license and unrestricting the site. I mean, that would be my definition of successful, and it happens to be the U's goal. Look for the termination notice in another five years.

Really, Really, Really Good News. Really.

Keith surveyed the damage at Mom's last night. No damage. Windows and doors are intact. No shingles missing from the roof. The screened enclosure around the pool is intact. He didn't say whether his own home survived as well; I read that his town of Fellsmere, further inland, was badly flooded and the roads were passable only by big trucks and SUV's.

Next up: Ivan.

I've been waiting for the right time to break the news....















No, I didn't give them any money, even after they sent me this super neat-o postcard. Sure looks like Dubya has that brush thing under control, wouldn't you say?

The lack of information is frustrating but understandable.

I'm watching and waiting for damage assessments for Sebastian. No power, no cable and no telephone contact means that you have to just wait for news. Generally, Indian River county sustained less damage than Martin and Port St. Lucie counties to the south. That's little comfort to the families who are anxious about their specific property, of course, or to those who are trying to contact relatives:

"I am in Massachusetts, but have an oceanfront condo at Baytree, about 4 complexes north of John's Island on A1A, the barrier beach island, Vero Beach. I have had the TV on nonstop rotating among CNN, NBC and the Weather Channel. I can't understand why a TV station hasn't photographed the shoreline from its helicopter. If anyone sees video of the shoreline, please let me know on what channel, and what it revealed. Thanks so much!"

"Does anyone know how much damage there is in Oakmont Park (off 6th Avenue; specifically 19th Lane)?"

"If anyone can get in touch with my parents, Dr. Grant Gilmore Jr. and Marilyn Gilmore and my brother Randy Gilmore and get news to me that they are ok in Vero Beach that would be great. My home town is devestated it looks like. I am in London, UK.

"TO THE AUTHORITIES - POLICE - MAYOR - FEMA ETC... We are in Canada and have a home in Village Green in Vero Beach. why is there no information available on damages done by FRANCES. It took 5 days for the hurricane to come ashore. There was time enough to plan for the aftermath of the hurricane. This was not a earthquake! Where are the local journalists ??? Is everybody on vacation down in Vero Beach? Does anybody have any info on Manufactured Home Park near I-95 and SR60 ??? Will we have a home to go to next winter ??? Where can we get info.? Thanks a million" (emphasis added)

Found in the tcpalms.com forums. (registration required)

I imagine that if the people in Canada thought just a little harder they'd realize that no one has time to answer such questions. And yet I can understand their frustration. I want to know whether Mom will have a home when she returns. Pictures from Vero reveal some structural damage. Flooding seems to be a bigger problem, however.

So, to summarize: waiting and hoping and trying not to be obsessed with something that I can't affect at all.

Looks like the eyewall has collapsed...

But there's plenty of wind and rain to blast any number of Weather Channel reporters. Sure, it's dramatic live video, but it doesn't go far enough. I want to see someone reporting while lashed to a post in the surging surf, waves breaking across their brow. Kind of a "Passion of the Christ" for meteorologists, you know.

I haven't yet heard of any major damage or loss of life in Sebastian, Vero or Ft. Pierce. Keeping my fingers crossed for them.

Just spoke with my brother, Keith


Keith is a detective lieutenant in the Vero Beach police department. They're hunkered down in the police station, which serves as the operational center for the area during Frances. Indian River County Sheriffs have lost power, so all 911 calls are being routed through Keith's group. However, unless it's a life-or-death call, Vero Beach police aren't putting an officer on the road.

I like how Keith described the storm as "grinding" against Vero. So far, it appears that the eye, large as it is, will pass south of them. So they're getting the strongest winds and the most rain without respite as the storm slowly moves through the state. When you look at the Nexrad map, the eye resembles the blade of a circular saw. "Yeah, a circular saw with a dull blade," Keith says. His family is in Fort Pierce with his in-laws. I wish all of them the best of luck.

Fear and Loathing in Ypsilanti

Or maybe, "anxiety and loathing," but I can't resist HST.

Frank, my father-in-law, appears to be cancer-free, after several surgeries on his bladder. He now must get a check-up every three months (or so) for monitoring. I understand his mood has improved tremendously and he now wants to play 18 holes of golf, although I'd recommend that he start with just nine due to his inactivity during testing and surgery. Add this concern, now lessened somewhat, to our concern over his last four heart/bypass/angioplasty operations as well as his loss of hearing and you get a feel for our mood: we're waiting for another shoe to drop. We just don't know which pair of shoes to look for.

Hurricanes, jeezuschrist! Who wants to live where you're likely to abandon your home at least once a year? And let's not even mention the six varieties of venomous snakes (canebrake rattlers, pygmy rattlers, eastern diamondback rattlers, corals, cottonmouths and copperheads) or alligators, either. Who would want to live in Florida?

My Mom, that's who.

Fortunately, she chose to drive to Virginia to be with Lisa during Frances. Before every hurricane I call to find out what her plans are. Usually I hear a sigh then, "I think I'm just gonna ride this one out." Often, she recites what happened to her the last time she tried to evacuate Florida.

She loaded her mother, hypercritical her entire life and, at that moment, deep into Alzheimer's decline, and her three cats (just as bad as Grandma) into her ancient Geo Prism. Northbound Interstate 95 was a parking lot. Her air conditioner gave out in the 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity.

Grandma and the cats wanted to know why the hell they were being subjected to such torture. Mom explained it to them, but they complained even louder. She got off I-95 at the Kissimmee exit, endured more traffic jams, and headed home on I-95 south. The whole event took most of the day. Mom vowed never to do it again.

I am pleased that Mom is en route to see Lisa.

Lisa is in the midst of a horrible divorce. Her dipshit husband, Steve, refuses to acknowledge his own children-- Emma, 11, Maggie, 9, and Samuel, 4. The problem with Steve is that he never grew up. He never grew out of that teenage/early 20's ethic of earning enough money for cd's and booze. After 11+ years of parenting, he thinks it's reasonable to demand time for himself--time without children. Last I heard, when you become a parent you're on-call 24/7.

So, Steve moved out. He moved two or three doors down to live with Debbie Downer, a mom who is in the midst of her second divorce. Yo, Steve. Attention. Listen up. Most people, after their first divorce, do a lot of soul-searching. They figure out what went wrong, what their expectations were, and whether those expectations were realistic. They proceed with caution into their next marriage, hoping never to go through another divorce. [cue "Psycho" theme by Bernard Herrman] There are some people, however, who are incapable of this self-examination. They blame their ex-spouse and move on to the next one. After the second divorce, I call them Serial Spouses. My father was a serial spouse-- four marriages --so I think I have a good basis for my theory. Steve, wake the hell up. Get out of her house for all the damage that she's doing to you and the damage that your relationship with her is doing to your children.

Of course, that's really the point of it all. Steve wants to hurt his kids to get back at Lisa. He escorts them home if they show up at Debbie's unannounced. He disassembled Maggie's bunk beds so he could have one to sleep on (as though he weren't sleeping with Debbie) and one to give to Debbie's daughter. Yes, he's that low: he wants to take his daughter's bed and give it to the daughter of his girlfriend. Scum scum scum.

Anxiety is fear about things you can't change, I think. I fear for Lisa and her kids, I fear for my Mom, I fear for Frank. I have no fear for myself in that regard.

I do fear for myself at work, however. My job goes to 50% appointment on Nov. 1, 2004 and 0% appointment on Feb. 1, 2005. I'm looking, of course. I'm looking at the UM job postings daily because I already have 18 years toward retirement here. This week there's a Financial Analyst job with Psychiatry at three paygrades below my current paygrade...and that's the best I've seen in two months.

Yesterday I met with the Reduction In Force--RIF--Coordinator. She's a lovely person and an advocate for laid-off UM employees. I just wish that the power of her office matched the power of her convictions.

Without further ado, let me talk about loathing. Let me talk about the Swift Boat Veterans for Bush Who Make Sh*t Up.

Amazingly, cable news shows and internet blogs forced this topic up into the mainstream. Most newspapers didn't want to touch the story. Many major market newspaper editorial boards evaluated the SBVFBWMSU's claims and decided that they were unfounded. But the 24/7 news cycle on cable kept the group's charges in the public view....

I am weary of defending against their charges. They are liars, for sure, colluding with the Bush campaign. The problem is that people aren't focused on my words, or the words of the Kerry campaign ...they're focused on the words of handsome liars on TV. I loathe them all.