I'm always surprised at how eager John McCain is to remind everyone that al Qaeda is in Iraq, along with like-minded supporters of the foreign policy catastrophe, such as the White House incumbent whose personal motives and lies created it in the first place. One might assume they'd shy away from this fact. After all, the dawn of al Qaeda operations in Iraq was roughly concurrent with the U.S. invasion of 2003. When George W. Bush ordered the bombing of Baghdad, he also should have ordered a red carpet for the likes of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who doubtlessly saw great opportunity for his terrorist network in a place out of reach until we arrived and established anarchy.As such, I'm perplexed by the zeal with which the presumed GOP presidential nominee has attacked Sen. Barack Obama's comment during his debate with Sen. Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night. The remark, McCain claims, indicates that Obama is unaware of the terrorist organization's presence in Iraq and "the size of the threat." Of course, the once-respectable Arizona senator pays no heed to the reality that this threat is one of our own creation; and he'd have well-intended voters believe that he was right about the troop surge, which really represents a bandage on a gaping wound that will again bleed profusely once the patch is removed.McCain's Iraq policy is but one reason why he's unacceptable to me and should be unacceptable to America. Some might call his stance courageous. But real courage would be to admit the depth of this foreign policy blunder and the toll it has taken on our nation. With more than 40 million Americans who have no access to health care, and with millions more who can't afford to go to college, and with the funds already devoted to this war of choice that could have been used to address both those problems and many others, it's inexcusable to suggest that we should continue to pour our resources into this debacle that has no end in sight. There's a fine difference between "surrender" and responsible admission of our mistakes with an eye toward damage control and recovery. McCain can't seem to make that distinction — or perhaps he simply doesn't want to.Having mentioned health care, I'd love to move on and discuss why McCain is also unacceptable in that regard. My better judgment tells me that's an entirely different post — but an equally compelling reason as to why change-seeking American voters should steer clear of John McCain.
Here's a job I could handle. I wonder what sort of benefits package comes with it. Does he have free access to the fitness centers at these hotels to work off the beer gut he acquires? How about his performance reviews? How do they critique someone whose sole job is to sample craft beers from the comfort of his home? As appealing as the position sounds, it does seem rather absurd to actually pay someone to do it. In fact, I'd feel guilty in such a role. How does he modestly explain to someone that he supports himself that way?Nonetheless, I'll make a point to stay at a Four Points by Sheraton hotel the next time I'm on the road.
Nevertheless, it's exactly what I'm doing at the end of this week. Moving, in my view, is a bit like eating a bowl of rice. No matter how much rice you eat, there's always more left at the bottom of the bowl — always those few remaining grains, and it's seemingly impossible to pick up every last one.Similarly, when you're moving, it doesn't matter how much of your junk you remove from your old place. When you walk back in, there's always more left, as though the items replenish themselves while you're outside loading the car.I don't even have many personal belongings. Some have expressed bewilderment at my refusal to purchase certain items — like, for example, a bed that isn't an air mattress. Here's part of the reason why: An air mattress can be deflated and transported effortlessly. A full-fledged bed — well, you get the picture. And I usually sleep just fine with my current arrangements. If I have insomnia, it's not because of the sleeping surface I'm using. I'll purchase a Serta when I'm living in a place I know I'll be for a long time — and at such point as both of my air mattresses are punctured and no longer serve their purpose. Neither criterion has yet been met.I will send out my new address by the end of the week. Posting it on a publicly accessible blog seems somewhat unwise.
The winter of 2008 is shaping up to be one remembered for some time to come, assuming this season's meteorological patterns don't mark the beginning of a trend. Residents of the upper Midwest doubtlessly hope not; I've read continuous reports of near-record seasonal snowfalls and days of sub-zero temperature readings in the region I call home. In the Seattle area, winters are generally milder due to the moderating influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. But just 30 miles east of here in Washington's North Cascades, this winter has broken records for snow accumulations, even in a region already widely regarded as one of the snowiest places on earth. At points this season, more than two feet of new snow in a single night at the higher elevations was common. The state's eastern and western regions were cut off from each other by mountain pass closures.In the midst of this harsh weather across the country, I'm hearing the chorus of climate change deniers: "If global warming is real, how come it's so damn cold and snowy?" (View this Des Moines Register article and scroll down to some of the readers' comments.) Making such an argument, of course, is somewhat akin to photographing a lone flower or tree in a vast desert and asking why the place is considered barren and inhospitable. Indeed, an inconvenient and potentially devastating problem is easy to refute when any exceptions to the rule are treated as gospel. Skeptics are taking weather patterns from tiny regions of the world over an insignificant period of time and giving them more weight than quantitative data collected over several decades in places all across the globe. Perhaps we should ask people in drought- and flood-ravaged Southern Africa and Southeast Asia whether human-driven global warming is a myth.As a point of reference, the coldest temperatures ever recorded in my home city of Chicago didn't happen in the 1800s or earlier — they happened in the early and mid-1980s, within my lifetime. Clearly, it's ridiculous to argue that an air temperature of 27 degrees below zero in one single city in one single region during one time period is proof that climate change isn't happening. To do so is to ignore the bigger picture — one that depicts a rapidly rising average global temperature that has already wreaked havoc on the earth's ecosystems and populations. Let's stop using anomalies to make specious contentions that distract and preclude action against a potentially catastrophic international problem.
This AP article was posted on MSNBC one day following last week's fatal shootings at Northern Illinois University. Its opening paragraphs read as follows:"Bloody students fleeing in terror. Bodies carried out on stretchers. Candlelight vigils and makeshift shrines. Another campus, another deadly attack with a sickening senselessness that now borders on routine ... Despite a national push to secure schools after the Virginia Tech shootings, the rampage at Northern Illinois University this week proves a gut-wrenching reality: Unless colleges are willing to turn themselves into armed camps, they're helpless against these kinds of attacks."
If I've ever seen two paragraphs written in a so-called news article that had the ability to ooze fear, these two would be it. Last week, I initially wrote a blog post in response to the shootings that blasted the mainstream media for exploiting tragedies like these and leveraging public fear for the sake of selling a headline — all while virtually ignoring other instances of human suffering all around the world and even right here in the United States that are equally or even more horrific, but sadly, don't elicit the same emotive response from people.I later withdrew that post out of concern that it would be misinterpreted as insensitivity toward the tragedy that had just occurred. But my original point stands. The premise behind the article above is that, unless college campuses turn themselves into "armed camps," they remain vulnerable to the type of violence witnessed last Thursday. I suppose such an idea is somewhat akin to arguing that, unless everyone stops driving, we are inherently susceptible to serious and sometimes fatal car crashes; or, that unless everyone avoids walking in open public spaces, we are all sitting ducks to a sniper who might randomly open fire.The point of this article — and so many others just like it — is not that there is a practical solution to the inherent risks we face in everyday life, such as the possibility of a mass shooting on an open college campus. The point is that we should simply be afraid of such possibilities. That's what sells headlines.
Please take a moment to keep in your thoughts and prayers those whose lives are devastated by random acts of violence — including, most recently, the campus shootings at Northern Illinois University.
Exactly one year ago last weekend, I was gathered with several friends in the family room of my parents' house in Illinois on a frigid February morning. We were there to see a play in Chicago that weekend — Twelve Angry Men, to be exact. The temperature outside hovered around zero, not including a brutal wind chill that was even worse. It was typical weather for northern Illinois in mid-February.What wasn't typical about that weekend was what we all watched on television that frosty morning. It was live coverage of Sen. Barack Obama's announcement that he was running for president of the United States, delivered on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. As has been the case ever since, his speech was inspiring and memorable, and those hearty enough to brave the biting winds and fiercely cold temperatures gave him a thundering reception.Even from the comfortable recliner in my parents' nicely heated home, I felt moved on that day. But I do have a confession to make — and I suspect I'm not alone. On Feb. 10, 2007, I never would have thought for one minute that the man whose speech I was hearing would still be a serious contender for the presidency one full year later. "Maybe in 2012," I said to myself. "But now, he simply doesn't have the recognition or political prowess. They'll say he's too young. He might come close in a few primary states, but he'll be done after the first real test." More to the point, I never would have entertained the notion that, 12 months henceforth, his popularity and electoral success would be burgeoning, not declining. I would have dismissed as overly optimistic the idea that, in 2008, "Barack Obama" would be a household name in American politics — a gifted speaker and brilliant individual able to inspire, draw support, and win without being divisive and antagonistic. A first-term African American U.S. senator with a real chance of collecting the Democratic nomination and perhaps winning the White House. In short, a phenomenon.Obama now likes to refer to the announcement he made that February morning as "the whisper that began in Springfield." Truly, it was. How many Americans outside of Illinois were paying attention? How many in Illinois legitimately believed he would come this far? As Obama's February sweep continues with his latest victories in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., I consider myself pleasantly stunned. We could be on the verge of bearing witness to a defining moment in American history. In fact, we already are — regardless of how this race ends.
Last Friday, I had the honor of listening to a speech delivered by Sen. Barack Obama at Key Arena in Seattle. This, coupled with his decisive victories Saturday in three states — Washington, Nebraska, and Louisiana — reinforced my support for his candidacy. Here in King County, where Seattle is located, Obama swept all 16 legislative districts. Statewide, every reporting county indicated Obama as the winner, according the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.Friday's speech could have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. When we arrived, the line of people was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was impossible to discern where it began or where it ended — largely because it didn't end anywhere; it just kept expanding as more people arrived. After the crowd was allowed inside, it took no time at all for the arena to reach and exceed capacity. Ultimately, more than 3,000 people still outside were turned away. This was the reason given for the fact that the crowd inside waited for more than two hours for Obama to arrive; apparently, when he saw supporters outside who were denied entry, he stopped to visit with them. Admittedly, when I heard Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" for the third time, I started to grow a bit weary of it.The speakers who finally introduced Obama included Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Washington Rep. Adam Smith, and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. (The governor hadn't previously endorsed anyone, leaving me wondering whom she would support.) Obama's speech itself, of course, was amazing. He focused on messages of unity and hope and touched on some of the key points of his campaign — health care, global warming, and Iraq, to name a few. In a gesture of goodwill, he interrupted his speech and tossed a water bottle to a woman in the front row who apparently fainted shortly after he walked on stage. The overwhelmingly young audience — teenagers through 30-somethings — gave Obama a deafening reception throughout his 50-minute talk. The mood was electric.I think American history has rarely seen a political candidate of Obama's brand — charismatic, inspirational, and a gifted orator with an uncanny ability to draw and energize crowds. At this stage, Democrats would be categorically stupid to nominate Hillary Clinton — a representative of establishment politics, dynasty, and the status quo — over Barack Obama. If you don't believe me, simply picture the Illinois senator on stage with the veteran senator from Arizona who is the presumed GOP nominee. Such a comparison isn't kind — to McCain.
For a political junkie like myself, it doesn't get much better than primary seasons during presidential election years. There's plenty to talk about, write about, and get pissed off about. And I've been waiting for Super Tuesday for a long time. I'm ready to simply sit back and watch events unfold, but there are a few interesting items I'd like to point out before I do:- It looks like Barack Obama has virtually closed Hillary Clinton's once-commanding lead in the national polls. According to the latest CNN figures, the two are now statistically tied. I'm not about to uncork the champagne, though. I'll believe the polls the next time they actually translate into reality. We've already learned once this campaign season that polls can be completely inaccurate. And national polls don't matter on Tuesday; state ones do. Coveted California will still be a very tough fight.
- Clinton apparently got teary-eyed once again on Monday while visiting Yale University, her alma mater. This will no doubt award her with at least a couple thousand more votes on the big day.
- Republican candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney are now bickering over which of them is "conservative." In other news, Romney is still a phony and McCain is still a sellout.
- Speaking of "conservative," someone recently forwarded me this interesting article. Now, I don't read The Christian Post — and surely wouldn't consider it an unbiased source of information — but if the survey described within contains even a slight degree of accuracy, this year may prove to be not a very good one for the GOP.
As an alumnus of the University of Iowa, I've always loved Iowa City, Iowa, which is located along the Iowa River near Iowa County. (For those reading this from the Pacific Northwest and other regions of the country, Midwesterners tend to appreciate consistency in geographical names.) It has a robust local culture, a vibrant downtown, and the conveniences of a small town with the perks of a much larger city.But one quality Iowa City has always lacked is a good daily newspaper. The choices are The Daily Iowan — the student-run publication I worked at for two years during college — and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. For a college newspaper, the former isn't bad; it does far better than its counterparts at most other large public universities. It's not great, but it's not bad (and again, I'm judging it against other college publications — not The Washington Post). The latter, on the other hand, is just plain terrible by any standard. I cringe almost every time I read the Press-Citizen. It's a paper that might be well suited to a rural community one-third the size of Iowa City that isn't the cultural and intellectual center of the entire state. It features lame front-page stories that are rarely worthy of the space. And the editors? There must not be any, because I've seen more typographical errors and factual inaccuracies in the Press-Citizen than I've seen in almost any other publication.Now, I'm not a journalism professor — but I do have at least a basic understanding of proofreading. When a five-graf article contains three glaring typos (see below), it's hard to believe that the story received even a cursory editorial glance before publication. We aren't talking about subtle style errors here; and this article represents a story that is actually newsworthy — unlike the stories about underage-drinking tickets I'll usually read in the Press-Citizen. One would think the staff there would put a bit more effort into this piece. My former college town deserves better.(By the way, they fixed the errors online after I posted this — but the fact that said errors were published at all speaks volumes.)The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating two deaths in rural Johnson County.
According to the sheriff’s office, police received a call about 5:43 p.m. Friday. The caller indicated that there was possibly one person dead at a rural residence. A second call indicated there were two bodies.
An investigation into the call revealed that the victim’s [victim's what?] were Wendy J. Peck, 44, of 5551 Johnson-Muscatine Road – where the bodies were found, [should be an em dash there, not a comma] and Gene Loventinsky, 50, of Iowa City.
DCI has brought its mobile lab team to the home, five miles west of West Liberty and about seven miles northeast of Lone Tree. The cause of their deaths is unknown at this time; however, the incident is being treated as suspicious.
Autopsies are expected to be preformed [formed in advance?] over the weekend at University Hospitals by the assistant state medical examiner. No other information is available, according to the sheriff’s department.
