Random thoughts for September 2011

One of the first rules of blogging is "stick to one topic." When several weeks go by without an entry, it gets hard to live by that rule. So, let's take a chance and wander into a few different topics on my mind that might be on your mind too, either right now or in the near political future.

Most exciting moment of the political day: Elizabeth Warren's announcement that she's running for Senate in Massachusetts.

http://www.elizabethwarren.com/announcement?sc=nat_s_ad2_b&gclid=CJ75gKjCnasCFYbD7Qod7iitfQ

Am I with her? You bet. Why wouldn't we want a fighter like Elizabeth Warren in the Senate? Unlike some others we might name, she knows how to communicate with average people about difficult topics. It's not a matter of whether I'll contribute to her campaign, but how much. Think about it!


Best recent political reading (if you have a strong stomach): Confessions of a GOP Operative who Left the Cult (preserved on AlterNet). The question becomes Yes, I'm cynical, but am I cynical enough? (with apologies to David Foster Wallace). Mike Lofgren comes across as a Republican of the Eisenhower mold and suggests that Democrats should make Eisenhower's birthday a national holiday, to remind the voters how far from Eisenhower the Republicans have drifted. (I remember Susan Eisenhower, a granddaughter I believe, speaking at the Democratic Convention in 2008.) I'm not going to get an "I LIKED IKE" button, but I do think people are starting to notice the consistent craziness coming from the Republican ranks. Which brings me to commenting on the Republican debates:

Favorite Republican debate moment: It was really two moments: Jon Huntsman saying in the Reagan Library debate that it hurts their cause when candidates ignore facts and don't pay attention to science (he's not getting nominated, obviously). Then Rick Perry compared himself to Galileo (if I understood what he was saying), because Galileo was right when the Catholic Church insisted that he was wrong, just as he (Perry) is right in siding with those scientists who argue that there is no Global Warming/Climate Change against all of those people (scientists and others) who claim it exists. (Now, if Rick Santorum had just jumped in to defend the Catholic Church on this point, that would have been even better.) Governor Galileo then argued against doing anything about climate change because of what "some people" say because it would destroy the economy and cost jobs. No mention of what it might cost "if" say, that 90% chance the IPCC talks about turns out to be right! The moderator followed up by asking what scientists who dissent from the mainstream view he respects (on the assumption that if you stand against what trained scientists--perhaps 95%--of them accept, you must be able to point to other trained scientists who think they are wrong and have carefully reasoned arguments for why they are wrong). Surprise! He couldn't name any climate scientists at all, let alone some that agreed with him that we ought to do nothing until we are "certain." This was NOT as bad as Sarah Palin not being able to name a single newspaper while claiming she read "all of them" in the infamous Katie Couric interview, but it did make him look like he was in George Bush's league--not really concerning himself with what those eggheads think.

Local issues:Obviously, the biggest local story is the flooding associated with T.S. Lee and its effects. Thankfully, the forecast that the river would reach 30 feet at Lewisburg (and corresponding heights elsewhere on the West Branch) turned out to be wrong. I haven't heard an explanation for why the forecast was raised so abruptly (perhaps because of more rain anticipated?). That would be for the specialists to look into (perhaps using science). The actual crest of less than 27 feet was far less devastating, but still devastating enough for those who got water into their living quarters.

In my mind, the issue that needs attention is communication. I heard many many people say that they had no idea what the siren meant. Where are we supposed to get information when the sirens go off? Is it a storm? A nuclear disaster? A flood? Should we just guess? The school district pushes out phone calls to everyone in less than half an hour--perhaps the emergency system needs to look at ringing phones for people known to live in flood prone areas. Facebook also proved to be a method for fast communication during the flood, but not everyone is connected to that system.

If you weren't affected by the flood, consider giving some help to someone who could still use it. Many people are still dislocated from their homes, and many will not be able to return to them. Others could just use some help getting waterlogged carpets and other items out of their basements.

From what I hear, the opening of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail is still on track to open in early November. It will be interesting to see how fast it becomes a popular attraction, as I believe it will. I know I'll be using it!

I just saw that the League of Women Voters isn't planning an open candidates forum for the fall--not enough contested elections. Think about that whenever you interact with our local officials. They get very little reward (of any kind) for the work they put in on our behalf. We should appreciate them and help them when we can.

What stories are you thinking about?