Good Riddance 2008, Happy New Year

Thank God 2008 is finally over, however it is not going out with a whimper. Problems with the economy, war in the Middle East and political strife in the US Senate. Even though the market has been up the last several days, it is still going to close about 4000 or 5000 points lower than its highest point of the year. The Detroit 3 automakers are still in trouble and the help they have received is little more than a band aid. The banks are still being very tight with money, and the housing market is still upside down. More and more Americans owe more than their homes are assessed for. Until the housing issue is resolved the economy will continue to be bad.

The fighting in Gaza is troubling to watch and the lack of compassion on either side is terrible. The only winners are the arms merchants and the US is a major supplier to the Israeli's. I for one am getting sick and tired of watching the news and seeing American built AH-64 Apache helicopters and and F-16 fighters making bombing and rocket runs on Palestinian homes. I agree with my government that Israel has a right to exist but Israel needs to agree that so does a Palestinian State. I know that Hamas has been shooting rockets into Israel but the comparative levels of damage aren't even on the same page. The concept of an eye for an eye doesn't work, has never worked and will not work in the future. I believe that there needs to be an arms embargo on both Hamas and Israel. No American arms for Israel until they sit down and have meaningful talks to form a Palestinian State. The US needs to work with a multinational force to stop the random rocketing of Israel by Hamas.

The comic soap opera that is Obama's Senate seat is just too much. The appointment of Roland Burris is only the latest piece in a drama that shows American politics at its worst. The Senate Majority leader said that they would not seat Burris as is their right per the US Constitution. This right has been used in the past to keep out unqualified persons ,however that was in the 1870's during re-construction and was used by white democrats to keep out blacks that had been elected to the Senate from the South. So a white democrat is going to keep out a black democrat, sounds like we haven't changed all that much in the last 130 years.

Yes, good riddance to 2008 and all the controversy and hello 2009. I hope that "no drama Obama" is up to the task.

Snowfall

I have been watching the snowfall for the last several days and just thinking how peaceful it all looks. Having worked as a 911 dispatcher for 24 years however, I know that it is anything but peaceful. Auto accidents, slide offs and old persons with heart attacks after shoveling snow not to mention all the broken hips. Even still there is a peacefulness if you can sit inside and look out a window by the fireplace and just watch the changing landscape.

The yard is now covered in 6 inches of snow and it looks great. I'm not the best lawn and landscape guy in the neighborhood so believe me the snow helps. By the window I'm looking out of is a large spruce tree. In and around the tree are bird feeders and they are alive with birds and squirrels. The tree is dusted with snow and the white and blue green highlights are just beautiful. The tree is also full of birds. The birds are using it to get out of the snow and the wind so inside of the tree is alive with movement. The squirrels are so bold, running up and down the feeder poles. There are at least seven of them out there all jockeying for position at the bird feeders.

The backyard is also looking more peaceful and beautiful than it ever has. The backyard is normally full of trees and weeds and yard work tools. Did I mention that I'm not the best landscape person in the world. It is just amazing what 6 inches of snow can do to beautify your yard. One of the apple trees at the back of the property has many Granny Smith apples on it that we never got around to picking. The birds and the squirrels have been feasting on them all Fall and now Winter. The apples covered with snow make it look as if we decorated the tree white and reddish brown round ornaments. The yard is looking just great and wait "Tee Tucker can you explain all this yellow snow?" "Harriet what are you doing? O gawd do you have to do that there!"

Anyway the yard looks just great if I remain inside sitting by the fireplace. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody

Comfort Food

A family member has started a Church, The Donut Church. Now before anyone gets upset this is all tongue in check, but it has gotten me thinking about food. All societies have favorite foods, comfort foods, which are made in times of trouble and celebration. All these foods have one thing in common, they are all high in fat and calories and we love them. We eat them when we are happy. We eat them when we are sad and troubled. We eat them because they almost always make us feel better or they bring back memories of our childhood and the comfort our parents and family brought us.

I know that the reason we like these high calorie high fat foods is buried deep in our subconscious mind and has to do with self-preservation. It is why our species has survived through the eons. Pack on the fat and make it through the hard times. Unfortunately that has become a problem for our society. The hard times used to mean no food but that is not something we in the present day Western World have to deal with. So we are becoming a society of overweight unhealthy individuals.

My love of comfort food which includes maple bars, ice cream, bread and just about anything chocolate has helped me become a type 2 diabetic and at least 80 pounds overweight. I know that this is going to hard to do but we need to start to rewire into our subconscious just what a comfort food is. Celery instead of maple bars, apples rather than ice cream and salad instead of chocolate. This will of course take thousands of years to change but we need to start or we will start to resemble the humans in the Pixar movie Wall-E.

So I will start to change my habits before the clarion call of Donutarianism makes me throw in the towel and run screaming to the nearest Krispy Creme.

A Little Fish Story

While watching Carter this afternoon we started doing some arts and crafts. We had just read a book about unusual fish so Carter had me cut out paper fish for him. We then began to color the cut outs. I got the little fish and Carter got the large shark. While coloring the shark Carter asks me what is the name of the little fish that live with sharks and eat the scraps. I told him that they were called remora. So he starts drawing remora on the shark. A small one by the tail and a larger one by the mouth. It was larger because it was closer to the mouth and got more food scraps. He then turned the cut out over and drew a very large remora. When I asked him why it was so large he tells me it has a health problem. It has a health problem because it eats only a 1/4 pound of fish a day and yet it still gets bigger. I tell him maybe it is because it is eating fried fish. "Grandpa there is no fried food in the ocean. I told you he has a health problem!"

Just Looking For A Clue

For years now Caroline has sang the Scooby Doo theme song to the kids. She has sang it for our boys and all the grand kids. She sang it on a snowy night drive from Middleton to Boise with numerous made up verses for over an half a hour for our granddaughter Grace. She has sang it as a loud raucous anthem and all the kids have gone to sleep with her singing it at as a lullaby. It is not surprising that the cartoon shows have been favorites with all the kids. Carter has especially enjoyed the shows but of all the kids he has given it his own spin. He and Carol while out walking the dogs and carrying a flashlight would stop every hundred yards or so and Carter would shine the light on something and say "look another clue". When they got back home he would then solve the mystery after they sang the song. It was usually the neighbors spying through the knot holes in the fence. He also plays a mean game of Blue's Clues but there is no singing in that game.

A Little Politics

I have been following the Detroit Bail-Out talks with interest and just little amusement. The same Senators that didn't even bat an eye to the 770 billion dollar Wall Street Bail-Out with no assurances and no oversight now are worried about how the Detroit Three will use 15 billion dollars. These are the same people that brought us the biggest deficit ever and now they are preaching fiscal responsibility. Then there is the Car Czar. Whenever there is a problem that the congress can't legislate us out of they want a Czar, a Drug Czar, a Security Czar, an Education Czar and a Health Czar. It sounds good and may even look responsible on paper but what have these czars ever done. Do any of them have the tools they need to do the job. No, congress and the president always manage to strip them of any real power to deal with the problems.

There is also a class warfare element to this. The congress is made up of mostly rich people that have held their offices for 12-18 years and most held other federal or state elected office before they made it to the house or senate. They are white collar workers. Wall Street is made up of white collar workers which the congress moved very quickly to help. The Detroit Three are made up of mostly blue collar workers and congress which has not done an honest day's work in years doesn't understand or care what happens to these workers.

Then there is the governor of Illinois. It is hard to know if he is the nation's biggest crook or just a dumb, venial jackass. I think he is a combination of them all. I was listening to Sean Hannity and laughing myself sick as this wacko tries to spin this story into a giant conspiracy with Obama at the center. I will agree that if Obama is even at the periphery of this it will not be good for Obama but I can't believe he is stupid enough to have anything to do with that idiot. So Sean, just this word of advice, no matter how loud or often you say it this is not going to be the undoing or downfall of Obama.

A Carter Christmas

The year Carter was 3 was a big one for Carter. He received so many gifts it took almost 2 hours to open them all. Of course he had to play with all of the toys as he opened them and he wanted pictures of him wearing the clothes he got. Before we were going to eat his mom and dad told him he needed to start putting away some of the toys. This of course brought tears and him sitting stubbornly in the living room playing with the toys. Carol said she would help him put the toys away in his room. So they started moving arm loads of toys into his room and into the closet. This was still taking some little time as he and grandma were still playing with the toys too. His mom told him that if he didn't hurry up he would lose his toys and wouldn't be able to play with his favorite toys. So as he and Carol are putting the last toys into the closet he pushes Carol into the closet and closes it. Yes, he put away his favorite toy, grandma because she would play him. To this day there is a closeness with those two that even I envy.

Remembering Christmas Past

After writing my last post I got to remembering other Christmas's past. We were stationed at Wiesbaden AFB in Germany. Two of the gifts the boys got were bubble pipes and dark glasses. At some point they got two of my uniform hats out and put them on with the bubble pipes and glasses. Bobby struck a very Douglas MacArthur like pose, the picture is priceless.

The next year we were at Ramstein AFB, it was late on Christmas Eve and the boys were still up. The door bell rang and Carol and I looked at each and shrugged but Bobby says "it is Santa Claus" and runs for the door. He opens the door and there stands Santa. His eyes just about fell out of his head and he ran and hide behind Carol. It was one of the guys that I worked with and he just decided to play Santa. It was great and the boys really liked it and didn't forget it for many years.

The most memorable for me recently were the times I played Santa Claus for the Boise Police Department. We went to many parties and small gatherings, they were all fun. For me the most fun was seeing the look in the eyes of the littlest kids. They were so open and trusting and it was always just great to hear them yell " Santaaaaaa!" One of the best was a gathering of kids that all had type 1 diabetes. I was given a large bag of sugar free candy canes and in I went. Most of the parties I would have the kids sit on my lap and they would tell what they wanted but at this one they wanted me to read them a story. I read the "Polar Express" . I had never heard that one before but I read it and it was great and the kids loved it.

Christmas Time in the City

I think it is official now but I listened to Christmas music today so it must be Christmas time. The older I get the harder it has been to get really excited about Christmas. When the boys were little it was easy just to sit back and enjoy it all through their eyes. As they got older, read that as teenagers, they lost some of their enthusiasm for the holiday. The grand kids made it more fun again but with only Carter here in town it is just not quite like it was when the boys were younger.

I remember when they were both not in school yet and every present was the best thing they had ever gotten. So were the boxes they came in. We had just gotten back from Germany and were living in Seattle with Carol's parents and that first Christmas back was big. Grandpa Ben, Carol's dad, woke the boys up at around 0530. All of Carol's family was there, Carol is number 5 of 8 kids, and all their wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends and just friends were there. It was huge. The boys were so excited. A couple of days later one of Carol's really good friends came by with a present for the boys. I remember Bobby, 4 years old at the time, ripping the wrapping paper off in a frenzy and saying, "Aunt Nancy it is just what I always wanted", before it was even totally unwrapped. Now that is the kind of enthusiasm I wish I could feel these days. 

I think the last Christmas that we did really well with the boys was the year Bobby was 14 or 15. We got him a drum kit. His eyes were as big as I ever remembered them being when he saw it sitting there in front of the tree. I can't remember just what we got John but he was really happy too. 

We have over the years parred down who we buy gifts for. With as many members of Carol's family as there are the logistics were just becoming overwhelming. Now we buy things for the kids. If you are under 19 you will get a gift. Once we had grandchildren of our own it became more fun again to go a little overboard with gifts but that may change this year with me being retired and the economy being what it is. 

So I will put the Christmas songs on the stereo and work really hard to have a Holly Jolly Christmas while I enjoy Christmas Time in the City with all those Silver Bells.

Thanksgiving Pig Out

I believe that I have mentioned that I'm a type 2 diabetic, so I had fun trying to keep my blood sugar in line this last Thursday. Believe me it is harder than you would think. I only did sort of okay. My blood sugar was at about 151 mg/dL after eating for most of the afternoon. For those of you that don't know, normal is between 80 and 120 mg/dL. Its hard with all the foods that are rich in carbohydrates that are sitting there just waiting for you to eat them. I took my insulin but it is truly hard to know just how much you are eating and if it is something you didn't make just how much hidden sugar there is. The last thing you want to do is take too much insulin and pass out.

The other thing that makes the holidays hard are well meaning relatives. I have never hidden that I'm an insulin taking diabetic and that I need to monitor what I eat rather closely but I don't need anybody else to keep track for me. You know the people, the ones that ask you if you should be eating that or that grabs your hand as you pick up something to eat. I know they mean well but it is maddening and at least with me, can be counter-productive. Believe me I know what I'm doing when I eat something, especially if it is high in sugar or other carbohydrates. Telling me only brings out the stubborn little boy in me that is going to do it anyway.

So there is one more big holiday left and it is the hardest, Christmas and all the cookies and candies. I will be counting the carbohydrates and taking my insulin and testing my sugars. You can watch me and even shake your head but rest assured that I know what I'm doing and am taking the measures I need to keep my sugars in line.

A Carter Story

Someone asked for a Carter story, you know who you are, so here goes. When Carter was in kindergarten I took him to school many times. We would drive up and park and I would walk him up to the front doors. So when I took him for the first time this year I stopped the car and started to get out. Carter immediately says, "Grandpa this is not kindergarten. This is 1st grade! I do it myself, you just stay in the car". So I stayed in the car and wondered about just how fast they grow up and declare their independence. 

My youngest granddaughter in Wenatchee is the same way. My son tells me she throws a first class fit if he tries to walk her into her kindergarten class. The oldest granddaughter is 15 years old and she is asking about driving and taking herself to school. I sure don't envy my youngest son and the next few years as Amber starts to drive. 

I have always said that as a parent you need to enjoy your kids from when they are potty trained up to about 6 years old. If you don't enjoy them then, you never will. Once they start school they no longer look to you for all the answers. From ages 1-5 you are the person that has all the answers but once they start school they learn that there are other adults that they can turn to for answers. Also once they are in school they find that there is more than one way to look at  the world and there may be views they like better than yours. 

I'm Back

I'm back after taking a break. The election coverage and all the silliness that made up this election just finally got to me. I hope that Obama will do all the things that he promised and be an agent of real change. The economy though may make it impossible to do all the things he wants to do. Health care, Social Security and all the rest take money and right now that is in short supply. The country can't just keep printing more money to fix its problems. We need to get the economy moving, create real jobs, shore up the auto industry, work to remove the strangle hold of foreign oil and show investors that things are getting better so that the stock markets will start working again to provide capital for business to grow. Without economic growth and the money it brings in, Obama will be unable to do any of the things that he promised. 

Now that the Democrats have both houses of congress and the oval office many people think there is nothing that they can't do. That may be true but it had better be the right thing and it had better work or the mid-term elections may give one or more of the houses in congress back to the Republicans. If nothing else Americans' are an impatient people. Also there has been so much gridlock and political posturing by the congress, I think people are sick of it. We want our government to work and for far too long now it has not.

So I hope that Obama gets off to a good start. I hope that Congress  will work together to solve issues. I hope that the Republicans can find their soul or whatever and get their act together. We need to two parties or more for our form of government to work and right now the Republicans aren't really a party. Here's hoping that we get out of Iraq and can find a way to solve Afghanistan without having to kill more American service people. Here's hoping that 4 years from now we don't look back and say "that Bush wasn't really all that bad". 

VP Debate

I listened to the Vice Presidential Debate this evening and it was another big yawn. Both candidates did their very best to follow all the talking the points and to hit every single campaign slogan they have. I know that the polling shows that Biden was the winner but for me neither one said or did anything that was all that important or new. Lets face it people aren't going to make up their minds about president based on what the vice presidential candidates say. We vote for president not vice president.

The experience issue keeps coming up and it is a bogus issue. When Franklin Roosevelt picked Harry Truman as his Vice president it was not to round out the ticket or to cover a weakness FDR had. He picked Truman because he was a Senator and WW1 veteran and was younger than FDR's previous VP. Truman was told nothing and did nothing until FDR died. When he became president he didn't know about the Manhattan Project or much about the war plans that were being used. In spite of this handicap and lack of experience I believe that most Americans would say that Harry Truman did a pretty good job. So, boys and girls, lets put this bogus issue to bed and leave it there.

The candidates this evening spoke long and loud about the issues and what they would do. But other than break ties in the Senate the vice president has no other constitutional job unless the president gives them one or the president dies. That's it and Gwen Ifill didn't ask them any questions about tie breaking or being ready.

McCain/Obama Debate

I was watching the debate this evening but it finally became more than I could stand. What a lot of hot air about nothing. McCain for the most part looks lost and confused, rather like Grandpa Simpson. His answers ramble on and seem to not be related to the question asked. Obama is even more a big bag of hot air. He is just repeating lines from his stump speeches. You could just put up a picture of him and play back a speech of his and it would be the same effect. Jim Lerher is trying to keep them on issue but he is not really all that effective. Instead of trying to get them to engage each other the format should be more like a college debate, question, answer and rebuttal.

McCain at least seems to be somewhat dignified in his responses and overall demeanor. Obama is trying, a little too hard, to look and act like an average guy. He keeps using first names and such but he is coming off as a little disrespectful. I did notice that the flag pin was back in his lapel, for what ever that is worth. Who picked out McCain's tie, it is not bad just a little too loud for TV.

The biggest disappointment is the total lack of substance. I know the first debate was to be on foreign policy but with the financial news this last week a change of topic was surely called for. Even so neither candidate is doing a bang up job or even relating a position that they haven't already stated 100 times before. We do understand that Obama believes that the Iraq war was a mistake, so lets hear how we get out of it. How do we regain our lost status as a world leader for right and good. Obama is rather silent on those issues. McCain has nothing to say about Afghanistan, but that is where the war against terror started. What about bin Laden? Again neither candidate has talked about him or finding him. What about Pakistan? For a debate on foreign policy there has been very little said about it.

The problem is using members of the news media as moderators. They are throwing them softballs just like they always do. I would rather there be questions from the public in a free form manner. Then there would be questions with some meat on them. There also needs to be a way to make them answer and not just give their stump speech or the party line. We have been being feed platitudes and double talk for the last year. We want and need to hear some real answers and plans to the real issues we are facing.

Bailout Debates

So the economy is in trouble and McCain wants to do his job as an elected official and Obama just wants to talk. Obama feels that the debate is more important than doing the job he was elected to do. McCain has suspended his campaign and returned to Washington to work on the bailout plan. This means that Friday's debate would have to be postponed. I agree that the debates are important but so is the economy and the financial markets. Bush wants a blank check right now with no questions asked and surprisingly both Republicans and Democrats think that is a bad idea. After the rush to Iraq that is probably not an unreasonable position to take. Bush has no credibility so Congress for once is doing the right thing.
At the start of this campaign I had high hopes that Obama would be the guy and that he would really be different. I was wrong. He is so wrapped up in being elected President that he has forgotten that he is a Senator. If he doesn't think that being a Senator is important why should I believe that he will take the Presidency any more seriously. Obama is just a a talker. So far he has done nothing but talk about hope and change but with no real details and we all know that the devil is in the details. Obama believes that we really want to hear him talk rather than see him act in the best interests of the country.
McCain is no angel either. His campaign is in trouble and he is frantically looking for an issue to get his poll numbers up. I had thought that his choice of Palin as his running mate was a game changer but that really isn't working out for him. So much of what she has said is just wrong. If you are going to bend the truth you should at least say something that isn't so easy to disprove with just a simple Google search. But at least McCain understands that he has a job as a Senator and he understands his duty to that job and the people that elected him.

Excitement Close to Home

We had lots of excitement just across the street from us this morning. Around 0330 I heard several loud pops and bangs so I got up to see what was going on. As I got into the living room I could see that the house across from us was on fire. There was flames and smoke coming from the garage and the Chevy SUV in the driveway was on fire. I called 911 but someone else had already called. I woke up Caroline and went out to make sure the occupants had gotten out. They were just coming out coughing but otherwise not hurt. Their pit bull was also there so I had them put him in one of the cars parked away from the house.

The firemen arrived very quickly and got a pretty good stop on the fire. The attached garage is a total loss but I don't think that the living areas of the house are that badly damaged. There is a fire recovery company there right now boarding up the open garage. I believe that the garage area will have to come down and be rebuilt but the rest of the house, unless there is damage I'm not seeing should be okay.

I did go out and take pictures of the firemen doing their thing and of the trucks. I talked with Chief Bruce Rankin and had fun looking. I didn't miss the excitement at all. It was fun calling in a real call instead of taking them though.

Remembering 9/11

I was listening to talk radio this morning and of course all the talk is about 9/11/01. It is important that we remember those that lost their lives on that tragic horrible day. On that morning I was in my car on my way to have breakfast before going to work. The announcer on the classic rock station was saying that he was glad that his father hadn't lived to see this day. That really confused me so I listened more closely as he explained his father had been a Marine in WWII and he had not fought for our freedom so that something like this could happen and then the news guy broke in to say that a second plane had hit the other tower of the World Trade Center. I switched to one of the all news stations and listened numbly as they explained about the attacks on New York and Washington and that there were reports of a plane crashing in Pennsylvania. At the restaurant we all listened to the news on radio and ate food that tasted like ashes in my mouth.

At work, in the Ada County 911 Center, we all just looked at each other and wondered how the dispatchers in New York could deal with something like that. And then the towers collapsed. We had a TV set up in dispatch that was by my work station and we all watched with a collective groan. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. The rest of my 10 hour shift was taken up with the unfolding news and the calls for help that always come regardless of how you feel or what is happening in the larger world. Some of the things on TV were of course played over and over again. The towers collapsing and the shots of the plane hitting the second tower, which for me is the worst. I believe that I saw that at least 20 times that day. Now whenever that comes on I change the channel, I just can't see that without emotionally being taken back to that day.

I was a fire fighter for 7 1/2 years. I was a volunteer fireman and was also a crash rescue fire fighter in the USAF. I watched the men going into the towers and I wanted to be there myself. Then as the towers came down I realized that those brave heroes were losing their lives and something in me died with them. That has affected me more than anything else these last 7 years. I can't think about that day and those men without tears filling my eyes.

This morning the callers were talking about their emotions and feelings. Some wanted the news clips played over and over again so that we would not forget. Believe me we will never forget. This was our generation's Pearl Harbor, sinking of the Maine and Alamo and unlike with those events we saw them as they happened. The nation didn't really learn how bad Pearl Harbor was until after the war. We saw the tragedy play out in real time and without any censorship. We will never forget and yes, we will always remember. We don't need to see those images over and over, for the vast majority they are indelibly etched into our minds eye.

Many callers talked about how we were safer now with Homeland Security and TSA and President Bush watching out for us. There were those that thought it could happen again and weren't so sure that we were safer. I believe we are safer now but no thanks to Bush and Homeland Security. People now pay more attention to what is going on around them and report those things that seem wrong or out of place. TSA can frisk as many grandmothers that shuffle through the security checkpoints at the airports without shoes on as they want but that doesn't make us more secure. Taking a pen knife from Senator John Glenn or strip searching an elderly male with a hip replacement that set off the metal detectors is no replacement for security measures that look for known terrorists or people that fit the understood profile of a terrorist. Hassling people at the airport doesn't help when you realize that the ocean ports are mostly wide open. Less than 10% of the containerized cargo that comes into this country is ever checked or inspected. We can talk all we want about the border with Mexico but the 9/11 terrorists came into this country from Canada. If we are going to secure our borders it had better be both of them.

Remembering 9/11/01 should be the first step in a long journey to making our world safer not the only step. So as we think about those that lost their lives on that day give some thought to how to make this country safer. Ask questions of our elected officials about preparedness and what we can do. Call the police if you see something that you know is wrong or out of place. Demand from Obama and McCain real answers about our foreign policy and security and don't settle for the same old platitudes and answers that they have been giving us for the last 2 years. Demand that both our borders be secured and that security at our ocean ports be increased. Ask why shuffling through airports with no shoes, rings , belts and hair clips makes us safer. As long as we ask these questions and more 9/11/01 will be remembered.

I'm Sick of Election Coverage

After listening to both the Democratic and Republican Conventions I'm sick of the news media and their coverage. I've had it with Chris Matthews, David Gregory, Wolf Blitzer, Andrea Mitchell and all the rest. The endless speculation and false concern about experience, vetting, the Religious Right and all the endless polls have made me realize just how pointless and hopeless it is to base any decision on media coverage of the candidates. This evening while watching "Washington Week in Review", one of the panelists when talking about if the questions about Sarah Palin were fair or sexist said that there was only 60 days till the election and the media didn't have the time to be nice while digging up the truth for the public. God I will sleep better tonight knowing that the media is in charge of the truth. 

I know that we need a free media to be informed about the workings of our government but they also need to be impartial. The media is anything but impartial these days. Fox and to a lesser extent CNN are pro Republican and MSNBC and NPR are very pro Democratic Party. So it is hard to get an unbiased and impartial story from any of these organizations. In fact ever since Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein took down Nixon most reporters are looking to do the same. "Gotta you" reporting is about all there is anymore, but gotta you reporting is not fair or unbiased or impartial.  I will make my decision from reading blogs, official web sites and maybe the debates and Chris Matthews can take his hardball and play in some other sandlot. 

Once Again About Experience

Sarah Palin is not ready to be president, she has no experience. At least that is what all the Democrats are trumpeting about her and in the long run it really doesn't matter. First off the majority of the voters are voting for president, not vice president. Neither Obama or McCain have experience as president either. Only Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush have any experience as president of the United States. Obama if elected will have to start from scratch. He will have to pick a cabinet, advisers and any number of other appointments just to start. He will approach this task having never done anything larger than setting up an office staff as senator.
The same set of circumstances face McCain if he is elected and he has no more experience than Obama. Unless something happens to McCain in the first few months after the election Sarah Palin will not have to set up the office. That's right she will have a cabinet and advisers already in place if something happens to McCain. Of course in due time she will bring in her own people but she will not have to start with nothing. Also as a mayor and governor she has experience as chief executive. She has had to make appointments, work on budgets and deal with all manner of emergencies large and small. I know that there is a difference of scale but she does have experience no matter how meager the Democrats try to make it look.
No, the Democrats are not worried about her lack of experience, they are worried because she is a game changer. This move makes McCain look progressive and forces people to look again at John McCain. The Democrats are going to have a harder time saying that McCain represents the past. In fact Sarah Palin make Joe Biden look like a step back to the same old same old for Obama and the Democrats. Sarah Palin makes it harder for Obama to be the agent of change with a running mate that has been in the senate since 1972.
The Democrats need to back off the experience issue and start asking about what Sarah Palin really believes. Ask about her views on Right to Life, gun ownership, taxes, reform and the War on Terror. When you find out about her stances on those issues then maybe her experience can become an issue.

Reading the Blogs

I have discovered that I really enjoy looking at other peoples blogs. I like looking at the pictures that they have posted, maybe because I so enjoy photography myself. I also like reading other peoples thoughts and ramblings. Most of it just conversational musings about what is going on in their lives but some of it is pretty insightful. Though something of an agnostic myself, it is interesting to read what other people say about their faith and believes.
I'm totally mystified by the blogs that are in a foreign language. I look at the pictures and try to get a feel for what they may be saying or thinking in their blog. I wonder if they look at my blog and wonder the same things about me. I think that there is something of the voyeur in all of us, so we all get some sort of thrill looking at other people.

Obama, Who?

I have been only half listening to all the convention coverage and I have to say I'm more than a little confused. All the pundits are saying that Obama needs to introduce himself to the public so that the voters can know who he is and what he stands for. I rather thought that was what he has been doing for the last 18 months. Apparently I missed something. The pundits all believe that only those people that have been voting in the Democratic Primaries know who he is and the rest of just haven't been paying attention.
Another thing that I have missed is that the Convention in Denver is about the Clinton's. Again according to the pundits the Clinton's must convince Hillary's supports to move over to Obama. Also Bill must be seen to support Obama unconditionally or the Party may fracture. I thought it was the Democratic Party not the Clinton Party. Bill Clinton is just a former Democratic President, you know just like Jimmy Carter but again there must be something that I missed. Obama got this far without the help of Bill and Hillary Clinton I fail to see why he can't go the rest of the way without them. Isn't Obama running as the candidate of change and don't the Clinton's represent the politics of yesterday and the last century for that matter.
Obama if he is to win must continue doing what got him to this position. He needs keep talking about change. He needs to show that his ideas and policies will help make America safer and respected in the World. He needs to show how he is going to help improve the economy. He needs explain his energy independence plan. He needs to show how his diplomacy will work with Iran and the re-emerging Russia. He needs to talk about what he is going to do rather who he is.

My Review of Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG APO OS (Optical Stabilizer) HSM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS Cameras

Originally submitted at Adorama

Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG APO OS (Optical Stabilizer) HSM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS Cameras

Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG APO OS (Optical Stabilizer) HSM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS Cameras

Love it

By Bob in Boise from Boise, ID on 8/27/2008

 

4out of 5

Pros: Sharp Focus, Easily Interchangeable, Durable, Strong Construction, Rugged, Consistent Output, Easy To Clean

Cons: Heavy

Best Uses: Sports/Action, Wildlife

Describe Yourself: Hobbyist/Enthusiast

I just purchased this lens 3 weeks ago and am very happy with it. I know it is rugged as I dropped it within the 1st week but it never missed a beat. The image stabilizer works just fine and the auto focus is nice and sharp. The only complaints I have are its weight and auto focus is a little fussy in low light, but the so are 2 of my Canon lenses. Overall a great lens.

(legalese)

Large Fire in SE Boise Makes Me Miss Working

Tonight there was a large fire in SE Boise. The fire started around 7pm as a grass fire with structures threatened. Upon arrival it went to a 4 alarm and then general alarm fire. 10 homes were destroyed and 9 homes badly damaged by the fire. 7 BPD officers were taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. I was listening to dispatch on my scanner and thinking that I was glad that I wasn't working but you know I kind of missed not being there. I know I'm retired and should be moving on in my life. Sorry, though I'm an adrenalin junkie. It would have been fun to work that large an incident. 

I have been thinking about working again. I had thought that I wanted a different job but after tonight I'm not so sure that is the case. I do rather miss taking calls and helping people even if they don't act very grateful for the help. I miss the excitement that goes with a really big call. I also have to admit that I do miss the most of the people down there in the 911 center. Of course I can't go back until the first of November and then only if they will have me. 

I really need to start looking for a job. I should look into working for one of the two hospitals in town. I could work security or even mop floors. Both Home Depot and Lowe's would be good for me too. As much money as I have spent on camera stuff I should look into working for Idaho Camera. I guess I just need to start looking and see what I can find. But I will still miss the excitement of the 911 Center.  

Busy Week

Not sure just what to write about tonight. We had a busy week. Went to northern Idaho and visited with our youngest son and the granddaughters. We went to a small water park in Hayden, Idaho and had a good time even though I'm no swimmer. It was good to see our son and the girls. We boarded the dogs this time and that was harder on me than Tee Tucker and Harriet. Now that I know we can trust the kennel we boarded them at maybe we will take some longer trips without them. I would take them if we had a RV or travel trailer. Maybe if gas prices go down.
Obama has picked his running mate and I'm not sure Joe Biden is a good choice or not. Right now I tend to think that he is a bad choice and rather diminishes the candidate of change that Obama had started out to be. If Obama wanted an attack dog to do and say things that he can't, then Biden is a good choice. But attack dog politics sounds like "politics as usual" in Washington. Maybe McCain will make a better choice of running mates, however I can't help but see "Grandpa Simpson" every time McCain speaks.
I have received several comments on my blog lately and it never ceases to amaze me that people read what I have written. I really enjoy the comments and read them all several times. It is really something to think that people I have never seen or am likely to see are looking at what I say.

The Return of the Russian Bear

The fighting this week in Georgia marks the return of the big bad Russian Bear. He has slowly been reawakening for the last several years and now with Putin pulling the strings it has reawakened with a roar of defiance. The bear has been slowly flexing his muscles with the fighting that has taken place in Chechnya over the last several years under the guise of fighting Islamic terrorists. Now all pretense is gone and the Russians are letting all the new republics that formed after the fall of the Soviet Union know that they had better toe the line or else.
The Georgian president, Saakashvili, while a problematic leader had been trying to align his country more closely with the US and NATO. The Russians and Putin were very upset with this. In fact Russia has been upset when any of the former Soviet Block countries that have made overtures to NATO and the US. Saakashvili made the mistake of taking military action to try and bring back two break away areas of Georgia. The people in these two areas have always felt more in common with Russia than Georgia and Russia has used this to their advantage. So when the Georgian military marched in they asked the Russians for protection and the Russian's are using this as a way to rid themselves of a leader that they don't like and can't control.
Saakashvili made several big mistakes in this crisis. First and foremost he completely misread the Russian response to his military actions. Secondly he thought that he would get more support from the US and NATO. The US is so tied up in Afghanistan and Iraq that there is nothing that we can do because we have nothing to spare. NATO can do nothing without the US, so Georgia has nothing but sternly worded messages and general but nonspecific condemnation of the Russian's actions.
There are larger implications here beyond the suffering of the Georgian people. Russia is back and badder than ever and they are spoiling for a fight or at least a confrontation with the West. The fighting in Georgia is the first act in the New Cold War. The next president is going to have more to worry about than withdrawal timetable from Iraq and the economy, he is going to have a confront a resurgent Russia. Yes, the Russian Bear is back and looking for trouble.

Olympic Coverage and is that a Sport

I know that I have said that I was interested in the Olympics this time but I do have a complaint, the total over coverage. The local station, Channel 7 KTVB, has had pretty much nothing but the Olympics and that is okay. On cable MSNBC is also carrying the Olympics for about 2/3's of the day. Today when I looked at KTVB they were showing some of the women's swimming events and some gymnastics. MSNBC so showing badminton and women's beach volleyball. Badminton and beach volleyball are Olympic sports? With all that is happening in the world right now I fail to see how beach volleyball and badminton are that important.

I know that CNN, Fox and Bloomberg are all covering world events for cable but MSNBC is trying to cast its self as a the source for all the election news, "The biggest event this Year" they keep trumpeting in their ads. So I find it hard to believe that they are covering badminton in the middle of the day with Russia and Georgia putting the world on the brink of a larger global war.

Another thing is NBC is tape delaying the events. I know that many of them are being played in what is the middle of the night for most of America but in this day of instant communications and 24 hour news, internet updates and screen crawlers it is hard not to know the outcome of an event before NBC gets around to showing it. There is nothing like watching the USA basketball team take on China knowing that USA wins by 31 points. In fact NBC is streaming many of the events in real time on their own web site. So come on NBC show them as they happen. 

Boise in the News

Why is it that any time Boise or Idaho is in the national news it is not for anything good. The last two days the national media have carried stories about Brandi Swindell being detained for protesting in Tiananmen Square. I know that she is a "good Christian" that is trying to save souls and all that but she is helping add to the picture of Idahoans as just a bunch of racist rednecks and double talking fools. What sort of Christian goes to another person's house to make a scene. I think the Chinese government should revoke her visa and send her home where maybe someone can teach her some manners.

Then there is Larry Craig, the punch line that just wont go away. He is yet again in the news fighting his guilty plea for soliciting airport bathroom sex. He says he is not going to the Republican Convention because he is not running for re-election and he is still fighting his case in court in Minneapolis and he doesn't want to be a distraction at the convention. This could have been all over if he had just quit like he at first said he would and then fought his case as a private citizen but no he has to remain in office so as to be a punch line that again shows Idaho in the worst possible light.   

In the early part of this decade we had the Boise City Travel Gate scandal. While that was mostly a local story it did generate some stories in Washington, Oregon and Utah. Yet again Boise and Idaho shown in a less than flattering light.

In the 1980's and 90's we had the White Supremacists at Hayden Lake with all their prejudices and hatred. They were good for almost 20 years of showing Idaho in the worst possible light. Add to that the Ruby Ridge Incident and the resulting Federal trials for all involved and we once again come out at the bottom.

I know that there has to have been some stories that show Boise and Idaho in a good light but for the life of me I can't come up with one right now. There are local stories about good kids in school but those are just that, local stories. We need some good national press and not just some top 10 listing as a good city for walking. Maybe the Special Olympics next year will be our chance to show the nation and the world what a great place Idaho and its people really are.

Paris Hilton for President

I just watched the Paris Hilton answer to the John McCain ad about celebrity and I laughed my head off. I think that she will have the last laugh on this issue. That being said I did rather like her answer to the energy crisis. Limited off shore drilling with tax incentives to the auto makers for hybrid and plug in technology cars. This actually is not a bad plan and in the great scheme of things in Washington DC, it is doable.  It is sad that a celebrity has a better thought out plan that can work than either of the two candidates. I now want to hear her plan for affordable health insurance. 

The old white haired dude and the serious talking guy really need to stop trying to one up the other guy and start thinking about and articulating about the very real problems that we are facing as a nation. Energy, Social Security, health care, education, the environment and the mess that is Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead we have the old white haired dude mocking the serious talking guy and handing out tire pressure gauges to the media thinking it is a joke.  The serious talking guy pulls out the race card and prattles on about changing politics as usual. 

If either one of these clowns wants to win on the issues and ideas they had better start having some ideas and look at the issues. Energy is easy compared to Social Security and health care and so far neither of them have talked about those. I know that there is still 3 months until election day and that anything can happen in that time but I'm just pessimistic enough to believe that all we are going to hear is name calling and the same old party line. So lets hear it for Paris Hilton, she at least saw a problem and came up with doable, workable solution. 

Bikes and Spandex

I went walking with the dogs this morning in the foothills. We had a good time and the girls were actually pretty good considering it was someplace they had never been and it was all new to them. We took the Kestrel trail and I swear it was mostly uphill, both ways. There were two different groups walking dogs, one dog on a leash and three dogs off leash. They were all very well behaved but I still believe all dogs should be on leash when in that environment. Then there were the mountain bikers. The ones going up hill were all fairly polite and courteous. The ones going downhill was another story.
At the trail head there is a sign that talks about trail etiquette. The sign advises that pedestrians have the right of way at all times and that bikers going downhill need to yield to all persons going uphill. It also mentions letting people know that you are coming up behind them either verbally or with a bell or horn. The verbal, bell or warnings were never used by any of the bikers but that was okay as I was keeping and eye on the trail and reeling in the dogs and moving off the trail as I saw bikers coming. As for yielding to people going uphill that never happened.
I was going uphill and there was another walker coming down and there was a spandex clad biker behind her. I moved off the trail and waited. The biker was moving really fast as he went by me and he blew by the lady walking without a word or sound of warning. Why is it if the biker is wearing spandex pants, a bike jersey, gloves and a helmet they always act as if the rules don't apply to them? Whether in the streets, on the greenbelt or the trails the spandex clad bikers ride as if the devil is chasing them. If there is a bike lane the spandex crowd never uses it, they are always in traffic. When in traffic they never follow the traffic rules, at least they rarely stop at stop signs.
Don't get me wrong here I know that not all spandex bikers disobey the rules, though I have never meet one, and not all non-spandex riders are law abiding. It just that to this casual observer spandex seems to bring the worst out in the bike rider.

Nothing to Say

I'm not sure why I have been so silent lately. I had started this blog thinking I had all sorts of things to say. Since I have retired I find that if it is not politics I have nothing to say. Lately even politics has been letting me down. So much of what passes for politics in this country is nothing more than members of opposing parties mouthing their party line. Obama and McCain while quick to blame the other for our economic problems have no real answers or solutions to our difficulties. McCain wants to help the rich and big business, the normal Republican party line. Obama keeps saying that we need a new politics to answer the problems but he is very short on explaining what this is or would entail. As long as this is what they do for campaigning it holds little appeal for me.
I rather find myself looking forward to the Olympics and for me that is strange. I'm an auto racing and football fan not a track and field or gymnastics fan. Maybe it is the fact that it is in China. I have always wanted to see China and walk the Great Wall and see the Forbidden City. Also I want some real Chinese food. I know that what passes for Chinese food here in America is only a pale shadow of what the Chinese really eat. Don't get me wrong I'm no Andrew Zimmer looking for the really odd and mostly repulsive things to eat but I want more vegetables, fish and tofu and less batter dipped and deep fried chicken and pork. So I will watch the Olympics and dream of traveling.
I'm 2 months into my retirement and I have only missed going to work a couple of times. I still think that I will eventually reenter the work force but for now I'm okay with staying at home and trying to become a house husband. I do know that if I work again it will be a no stress job. After 24 years of working as a Fire/EMS 911 operator I really don't want a job that entails me making decisions that could affect a person's life. But for now doing little house work and walking the dogs is just fine with me.

Obama and Time Horizons

It seems that Obama is not the only person who wants to see a timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq, it seems the Iraqi government wants one too. In fact I believe that this is not the first time that the Iraqi's have stated that they want US troops to leave. Now Bush is talking about a "time horizon" for withdrawals. Like most people I'm wondering what a time horizon is. I believe it is just playing with words. When one is looking to see when the sun will rise or set on the horizon you consult a timetable. So lets just call it what it is, a timetable for withdrawal.
The problem for Bush and McCain is that they have painted themselves into the corner by saying that withdrawing troops is losing. They are trying to have it both ways by saying that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq but to withdraw would put the surge in danger of failing. Bush and McCain have never defined what success would look like. I believe that Obama is correct when he says " Bush and McCain have no plan for success in Iraq only a plan to stay in Iraq". Why else would McCain be willing to stay in Iraq for 100 years.

Impeach Congress

The recent shameful vote by Congress to allow President Bush to tramp the Constitution into the ground and provide cover for the Telecoms is grounds for impeachment. The President and every member of Congress is sworn to uphold the Constitution and the last time I looked the 4th Amendment is still part of that document. The bill that was passed basically tells the President that he can ignore the law and the Constitution and deprive the citizens of this country the protection of the law and due process. Additionally the President was able to protect his partners in crime with a blanket immunity. While this President has worked tirelessly to destroy the Constitution this one Bill is the largest loss of rights for the citizens of this Country ever enacted and it was done with the help of the Congress.
The 4th Amendment guarantees our right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The Amendment says that the government must go to the court and show probable cause to search or seize evidence in a criminal case. The President says that he needs the power to search and seize without the courts because this would impede the ability to capture dangerous terrorists or stop terrorist attacks. There is a court that was set up for just this situation. The government can even start the search before going to this court. They have 48 hours to do this after the search starts. The court has approved 99% of the requests that have come before it over the 30 years that it has been in operation. Bush still maintains that this is to intrusive and slow for the needs of national security.
This Administration has maintained since September 11 2001 that the courts. the laws and especially the Constitution have tied the hands of law enforcement and national security. This President has run rough shod over the Constitution and the courts and has given himself more power than any president has ever held. The President wants us to be afraid of terrorists but we have more to fear from our own government.
Senator Obama voted for this travesty saying that it is a compromise. He had started his campaign for president saying that he was against the blanket immunity that Bush wanted in the bill, now its a compromise. What compromise, the Bill gave the President everything he wanted and no protection for the citizens of this country from eavesdropping and loss of privacy. Senator McCain has backed the President without question since 2001, so his support is understandable. So we can expect no help from either of these two to help restore the Constitution. The Congress brought articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton for lying. I say not upholding the Constitution is also impeachable. So impeach George Bush, John McCain and Barack Obama and the rest of those that don't believe that the Constitution is worth upholding.

Not Sure What to Call This

The 4th was not as bad as I thought it would be. I think the Village Idiots were out of town. That is not to say there was no fireworks but it was more quiet than I thought it would be. Tee Tucker still had lots to bark at and Harriet still hide and shivered for all she was worth. There were at least two mortars in the area launching some rather impressive rockets. Again no police or fire department people in the area to stop or ticket them. At least this year the aerial display in the neighborhood only lasted about 30 minutes and not the 2 hours of several years ago.

I'm getting rather tired of the presidential election. It just seems to drag on and on. McCain and Obama have been sniping at each other but nothing really definitive or important has been said on either side. The pundits and talking heads are just speculating and looking for hidden messages and motives behind statement or action on the part of the candidates. While I would rather see Obama win than McCain there is precious little difference between them. They are both playing to the center and being very cautious. 

I know that many people thought that the war would be the big issue but it has been over shadowed by the economy. Gas prices are still going up and food prices have been jumping up also. People are out of work and the mortgage problem is still not getting any better. Neither candidate has a very well thought out economic plan and so far they are just spouting the party line. They need to get a well thought out plan and start talking about it. As I have stated before people will vote their pocketbook before just about anything else.  

 

Obama and Clinton 2008 ?

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama appeared together in Unity, New Hampshire today in and effort to mend fences and to display that there is unity in the Party. It was a very polished and well coordinated appearance with all the right imagery and words being spoken. There was a somewhat self-depreciating Hillary and a gracious Barack standing together and working the mostly bussed in crowd. To the cynic it may have all appeared to be just a little too rehearsed and contrived but I believe that we may have just witnessed a new turn in this election.

Obama is still looking for a running mate and today may have very well have been a dress rehearsal for Clinton. They looked good together. The crowd liked them together. They said the right things together. Barack looked and sounded presidential. Hillary spoke glowingly of his strengths and she attacked McCain. She looked and sounded like a running mate. 

Several weeks ago I would have said that Obama would be crazy to have her as a running mate but after today I'm not so sure of that. Obama needs the 18 million people that supported Clinton to vote for him. Right now he only has 6 out 10 of her supporters in his camp. He needs her access to old Democratic money as much as she needs his help paying off her debts. Lets face it Bill Clinton is a great campaigner. The Clinton's can bring in lots of voters that may otherwise stay home in November. Yes, Bill Clinton comes with some baggage but we already know about it and for the most part never cared that much about it. We did vote him in twice. I also believe that Bill will not get in the way after the election either. He could continue to be the elder statesman of the party and a general goodwill ambassador, a role he is already playing.

What will Barack Obama do? I don't know but if today was a rehearsal for Hillary she aced it.  

Diabetes and Me

I was watching the news this evening and one of the topics was the prevalence of diabetes in the USA. There are now 25 million Americans that already have it or are at risk. I too have diabetes. I was diagnosed in 2000 and started taking oral medication. I worked at doing the right things but believe me it is not easy. I blamed my job and the difficult hours. I blamed the fact that I was working mostly nights and my wife was on days. I blamed everything under the sun for what was happening to me. It didn't help and in 2006 I started taking insulin.
I was depressed and felt like a total failure. My doctor told me that it was not a failure and that for some people the medications and carbohydrate counting just didn't help. He told me that in some ways it was freeing. It meant that I could eat that cake and ice cream every now and then without the damage that it would do to my blood sugars. He told me that if I was good and worked hard I would not have the large swings in blood sugar that I had been experiencing.
It was still several months before I started to feel better about myself and start to understand how the insulin worked with my body. I'm still not as compliant as I could be but I have brought down my A1C from 8.8 to 7.2. I know, not good but better and I have been at 6.8 on my A1c once so I can do it again and get it even lower. Now that I'm retired from my 911 job I have more time to walk and plan meals. Hell, I may even really try to lose some weight.

Walking the Dogs

I was walking the dogs last Saturday at Ann Morrison Park. Tee Tucker and Harriet love it because of all the smells and the river. Tucker was the first one in the river and she had a great time splashing and running. Tucker is the only dog I have ever seen that really can't swim. She dog paddles for all she is worth but when she can no longer feel her feet on the bottom she gets scared. She then starts to sink and all you can see is her nose sticking out of the water. 

Harriet is a good swimmer but she is a real chicken. Every little thing scares her. So she is very tentative at first. But once she is going she gets braver and braver. She will actually get up on the bank and jump in, something that Tee Tucker will not do. Since the river is so fast moving and deep towards the center I don't let them off their leashes. I have two 24 foot reel type leashes and they are always on them. Unlike other dog owners I don't let my dogs free-range nor do I believe that everybody loves my dogs just because I do. 

I have taken them to the fenced dog park and have let them off their leashes there but I would never do it any place else. I know that people let their dogs off leash on the trails in the foothills but I believe that is a recipe for disaster. The chances of a two dogs fighting or scaring a person or child that is scared of dogs anyway is just too great. Even if the person likes dogs not everybody wants to be jumped on or licked either. You may know how your dog will react to another dog but do you know what the other person's dog will do, of course you don't so why would you take the risk with an animal you claim to care for. 

Fireworks

The dogs and I were watching the news at noon today when there was a series of loud bangs from fireworks somewhere in the neighborhood. Tee Tucker went crazy. She was bouncing around and barking wildly in all directions at once. Harriet curled up into a small ball and laid beside me and shivered so hard you could have mixed paint. The reports from the fireworks were over in less than 5 minutes but it took the dogs over a half hour to calm down.
I'm not sure just what the attraction is with setting off fireworks that just make noise. I understand and enjoy the large aerial displays that happen at New Years, the 4th of July and at some sporting events. I just don't see the allure of the noise makers that are sold as "Safe and Sane" for the 4th of July from stands all through the area and of course the bottle rockets, sky rockets, roman candles and the M80's M90's and M100's . They start fires and cause no end of trouble in the neighborhood for the residents and the police. They have also made the last two Independence Days a pure hell for my two dogs.
I know that all the fireworks sold here are to be of the "Safe and Sane" variety and that if you buy the other kind in Canyon County you sign a paper saying that you will not set them off in areas that are prohibited. Well guess what, that doesn't work, never has never will. The police almost always take the calls of illegal fireworks as area information and then go look for more fulfilling police work. The fire departments don't have enough personnel to stop it all and frankly they don't try any harder than the police.
The only way this will end is for the rest of us to put a stop to it. We need to educate people about the damage that is done by all fireworks. We need to make the politicians change the laws to stop the sale of illegal fireworks anywhere in the state. We need to make the possession of them illegal. We need to demand that the police act on the calls they get and not just blow them off. We need to find other ways to celebrate the 4th other than with thousands of small explosions for days on end. We need more parades, more discussion of the history and a community sponsored aerial display rather than the village idiots playing with bottle rockets.

Gas Prices and What To Do

Gas is now $4.07 a gallon for regular at most of the Chevron stations in Boise. Not as high as in some areas but a record for Boise. I retired at the start of this month and had hoped to do some traveling. In fact I had wanted to get a travel trailer and do some serious touring. Not sure that will happen now. Oh, I will travel but the trips will be shorter and very targeted. I will not be getting a trailer anytime soon either. I know that the prices are not set by the individual stations but it is hard to rage against a corporation that you can't talk to. Talking to the politicians doesn't help. They are all about protecting the big corporations. No, all we can do it tighten our belts and hope we can get by.
I know that is just a little pessimistic. So we should let Congress know that we want the big oil companies to use this windfall money to find a solution for this energy problem. Better batteries for electric cars. More wind and solar power. Hydrogen engines and hydrogen refueling stations. More fuel efficient cars not just smaller cars. Public transportation for all cities not just the largest metropolitan areas. More trains both for freight and passenger service. We need more ride sharing and flexible working hours. More working at home instead of traveling to an office.
There are also some less obvious things we can do. How about growing a vegetable garden. Reading a book rather than watching TV. Turning off and even unplugging appliances and other electronic equipment in your home. Replacing light bulbs with more efficient ones. Recycling. How about just walking and using the stairs. Riding a bicycle to work even one day a week. Using a scooter instead of your car. Yes, lets tighten our belts and do something to make a difference and for once have our voices heard and felt by both the big corporations and the government.

What Now

So Obama has won the nomination for the Democratic Party, now what. I have been watching the coverage on the CNN and MSNBC and the pundits are having a field day or a feeding frenzy. They are wildly speculating and ruminating on just about everything. It doesn't matter that Obama has not even had time to think about what's next or that most of them have never even meet Hilliary Clinton. They all either know what they are think or they know just what they need to do next. Is it just me or is the media the real driving force in politics in America.
It was 4 years ago that the media declared that Hilliary was the Democratic front runner, even though she had yet to say she was running. Then when Obama appeared on the scene they immediately started speculating on whether or not he would run, again even though he had said he was not running because he had no real experience. No matter where Obama went they were there asking if he had decided to run. Remember Rudy Giuliani, that's right the media made him the front runner at least 18 months before the first voting even happened.
When did the media stop reporting the news and start making or shaping the news. I believe that there needs to be more reporters and less pundits and analysts. There should be more "News Hour's" and fewer "Hardball's". More debates and fewer interviews. Lets have an election and not a media event.

Retired

Last night was my last night at work. In fact I only stayed 4 hours and then went home. My co-workers gave me a really nice party and an unexpected but very nice gift. Several of the firemen came down and Rob and Carter were there too. It was just nice. The last call I took was a straightforward "I just don't feel well" call. I sure wish I could remember what the very first call I took was.
There are lots of things that I will not miss about being an emergency call taker. Callers that have no idea where they are but you had better hurry. Neighbors complaining about neighbors. Mothers that hold their screaming children while talking to 911. Cell phones, if your a 911 operator you know what I mean. I will miss the people. I have worked with some really great people over the years both in the room and in the field. I will miss each and everyone of them.
I knew it was time to hang it up several months ago as I started to more and more lose my sense of humor and perspective about the job. So I knew I was fast approaching my "Monty Python" moment. And so "Now for something completely different".

A Little More Politics

The Democratic primary season will just not end. There is no easily apparent way that Clinton can win but Obama lacks the killer instinct to close the deal. So we are made to watch as Clinton shows what a poor loser she is and Obama flounders around showing that he really isn't the winner we thought he is. In the end Obama will win but he may be so damaged that McCain will win by default.
The vote in West Virginia shows that Obama is not universally liked within the party. It really does show that his appeal is within a segment of the electorate and that he lacks the broad appeal that it will take to win in the Fall. I believe that Clinton's appeal is that she is willing to talk about specific plans and policies and Obama is still talking about changing the nature of politics at the presidential level. The country right now is hurting on several levels due to the economy and we need to hear about plans that will help us now.
That is not to say that the nature of politics in Washington doesn't need to change. The Bush presidency has really polarized the national discussion on policies of the government. Bush has made policy by buzzword and fear. If we are to regain our standing in the World we need to have open discussions about what we are doing and why without demonizing those who speak out against the administration. That is what Obama wants to do and believe me it is needed and the sooner the better. But Obama needs to win first and do so in a way that shows he is a leader and that he really wants to be president. He needs to campaign and win in the remaining contests and win big. He needs to show us he is president and why Clinton would be not be the president that she tells she wants to be.

A Sad Anniversary

Today was the 5th Anniversary of the "Mission Accomplished" speech on the aircraft carrier deck. I know that we Americans like our wars to be short and decisive and so Bush's desire to declare the end is understandable but he should have checked to make sure that we had actually won. The number of service men and women who have giving their lives since this is a sad commentary on Bush's lack of understanding of just what he got us into. Since the whole war in Iraq was an overblown lie and intelligence work that was nothing more than a house of cards, it is easy to understand how Bush missed that we had not yet won anything.
The saddest part of the whole adventure in Iraq is that we had no apparent plan about what to do once we had beaten the Iraqi military and toppled the government. The fact that we just stood around and watched people wreck and loot the government buildings, hospitals, museums, shops and schools showed that we had both either not expected it to happen or had no plan if they did. The fact that there was no immediate work to fix the broken infra-structure shows just how flat footed we were. I know that usually that is not the job of the military but it is the job of our Defense Department and State Department.
The fact is the military are not the people who make war, it is the civilian government. The Congress, the President and all the people that make up the State Department, Defense Department, CIA and the rest of the intelligence gathers are the ones that plan and put our military in harms way. To a man these people have let down our military. Their lack of foresight, planning or even to check their facts is one of the most criminal acts of this whole sad debacle. So on this sad anniversary let the American People demand the truth and an accounting of what has happened. Then we need a real plan, not just stay the course, that gets our men and women out of there and doesn't destabilize the region more than we have already done.

I'm not the Only One

As my last day approaches I must admit that I'm becoming more impatient to just get it over with. I'm the last of 4 senior dispatchers to leave in the last 5 months. The 4 of us have about 100 years experience between us. My 24 1/2 years is only the 3rd most years. Last Sunday was the party for the latest person to go and we had a nice time. We had a potluck dinner and several people came into dispatch to say their goodbyes. One of the police sergeants who plays the bagpipes came in a played. The pipes always make me cry. He played several songs and ended with "The Campbell's are Coming". It was really nice but it still made me cry.
As people have been retiring I have started thinking about calls that I have taken over the years. The first neat call that I did was a childbirth shortly after I was on my own. I remember telling the father to assume the catchers position. He did just in time and caught the baby before she fell off the bed. He wanted to name her after me, luckily I was able to talk him out of that. Some of the dumbest calls were just after September 11th and the white powder/anthrax scare. Without a doubt the dumbest one was from one of the two hospitals in town. Caller was one of the nurses and she was concerned about white powder on the floor in the maternity ward locker room where they stored the diapers and baby powder. We sent the Hazmat Team and they swept the floor for them . We can laugh about it now but that was one long and frustrating day for dispatch and the Hazmat team.
I have done more code blue calls than I care to remember. So few of those are ever successful. SIDS deaths are the worst mainly because of all the emotions. Though I have to say that deaths involving old married couples are the saddest, at least for me anymore. It must be so hard to see the person you have lived with for the last 50+ years die.
Anyway I'm ready to go. 32 more days and I'm done with this phase of my working life.

Retirement

Well, I finally did it. I have turned in my letter of retirement/resignation and have signed the papers to retire. My last day of work will be 2 June 2008 and after using up my comp and vacation time I will start my actual retirement on 1 August 2008. I'm not sure just what I will do but I have lots of things to keep me busy. I would like to do some volunteer work for Meals on Wheels and the Idaho Birds of Prey Center. And of course there are all the things that need to be done around the house and yard. The only thing that I have planned so far is to sleep for a couple of days to get my body off the graveyard routine and maybe a quick trip to Seattle before the gas prices get too high. Maybe working more on this blog would be a good idea also.

Clinton vs Obama

I have been listening to the ever increasing war of words between Obama and Clinton with a growing sense of dismay. I really believe that the Clinton's would do or say anything to get Bill his 3rd term. Yes, that's right a 3rd term. If anyone believes that this is about Hillary just listen to Bill on the stump. He is not a surrogate, he is campaigning like he did for himself in the past. If Hillary wins we will see more of Bill than her. Face it of the two he is the more likable and the better politician. Hillary may be Madam President but Bill will be right there as Mr. President just as he has been for the last 16 years. 

While Obama has been trying to stay above the fray he is getting just as dirty as the Clinton's. The items about the Rev. Wright are going to hurt him and will haunt him until election day. Race and religion are the two biggest hot button issues we have and he has done nothing to defuse either. Obama doesn't need to distance himself from the Rev. Wright he needs to denounce him and in no uncertain terms. 

The issue of the Super Delegates is also going to be contentious and has the power to rip the party apart. I'm not sure how either candidate can stop to that but the party leadership needs to try. Also the unseated delegates is also going to hurt. In this one both Clinton and Obama need to work together to get either a re-vote or some agreement on division of those delegates between themselves and get them seated.

While John McCain is not the strongest of Republican candidates as long as the Democrats keep bloodying each other McCain will be the winner. Already some national polling is showing McCain as the winner over either Clinton or Obama. As long as the Democrats show that they are no better than the Republicans in their battle to be the nominee the Republicans will win in the Fall. 

Retirement

After a lot of thought and being pissed off just one more time I have decided to retire from Ada County 911 Communications Center. I have worked there for the last 24 and a half years and it is time to hang up my headset. I have dispatched Fire/EMS the entire time I have been there and handled my share of ugly calls. O, I have helped birth several babies but lately it is the deaths that I'm remembering. Also I have been loosing  my sense of humor more and more. I do believe that this is one of those jobs that you can be at one day too many. More and more I have to stop myself  from telling people to just grow up and start acting like adults. So I have reached my Monty Python moment and am ready for "something completely different". 

I know that I have to continue working but I want a job that has no stress and no life or death decisions that have to be made immediately. I also need a job that has health benefits. I'm covered under Carol's policy with City of Boise but I would really like to have one of my own just in case. Being an over weight, high blood pressure Type 2 diabetic I really need to have a policy that covers me till I'm 65 and hopefully MediCare kicks in. It is a little scary to have to start looking for a job at my age and after working for as long as I have for one employer. 

I'm not sure yet just when my last day of work will be but it will be sometime in June as I have about 6 weeks of vacation that I will take. My actual retirement day is 1 August 2008. I plan on taking some time off and to just try and relax. I'm not sure how long I will be able to do that. We have really let the yard and house get away from us. So I have a "honey do" list that is book length. I also plan on taking pictures and walking the dogs. Actually the dogs are demanding that I walk them and the longer the better. I would also like to do some woodworking just for the craft of it. I have always wanted to learn how to build some simple furniture items. I would also like to have a garden again. We have a 1/2 acre lot so I have lots of room for that and hopefully the time I need. 

A New Shift, Finally

On Thursday we had a meeting with the Sheriff and the Dispatch Commander and we were told about all the things that have been swirling around the schedule process. We were also given two different shifts to look at. Schedule 1 was a 5 day 8 hour shift with 2 days off. The advantages are less overtime by about 300 hours a month and no mandatory overtime required to make it work, though there would be overtime to be signed up for. Schedule 2 was a 4 day 12 hour shift with 3 days off. There is 8 hours of overtime a week built into the schedule that everybody would work. That is over 1100 hours a month built in when we have only been averaging 800-1000 hours month. There is no other overtime required unless a large number of people are off at the same time for illness or what have you.  

After talking about the merits and drawbacks of both schedules we were told to vote for the one we wanted. If this was how the Sheriff wanted to handle this why did we have to wait so long to do it. I really didn't care what shift we ended up with but I did vote for the 12 hour shift. I rather thought that the 8 hour shift would be the one that won but to my surprise the 12 hour schedule won. So starting April and going at least through June that is the shift we will work. I for one am not really looking forward to 48 hour weeks but I will take the extra money and run to the bank. This also helps with my retirement as it is based on the highest earnings you have had. So I will pad my retirement out a little bit. 

The funny thing about all of this is that it was the gross amount of mandatory overtime we had been working that started all this. So the answer is a schedule that builds in more mandatory overtime than we had ever been asked to work. Go figure.  I wonder how all this will work out when we do the employee satisfaction evaluations later this year. We were told this was a temporary thing until we had more people trained and we could reach some agreement on what minimum staffing was. That's right we really don't know what the staffing levels should be for any given time in the center. Strange way to run a business especially since all the previous overtime was to meet minimum staffing levels. So how are we going to know when we can go back to 10 hour shifts. Also we are still going to lose about 10 people before the year is out. So we could be on this shift for some time to come.    

No Respect

It has been awhile since I last wrote here and sorry to say little has changed at work, in fact things are worse. We have been fighting an up hill battle to get a shift schedule that will remove some of the overtime that we have each month. We have had as much as 1000 hours with 700 being about average each month. The biggest reason is that we are short of people. Last year the department spent over $300,000 for overtime in dispatch. and this year really doesn't look much better. Back in January we were promised that the administration was going to do something about it and soon. Well, here it is the 4th of March and still no new shift. In fact the decision was put off again today at the supervisors meeting.
The sticking point is the shift. We have been working 4, 10 hour shifts with 3 days off. It seems that is one of the least efficient uses of the limited manpower we have. The shift right now that makes the most sense and has the least amount of overtime is 5, 8 hour shifts with 2 days off. You can believe me that is not a popular idea but, most of us realize that it is necessary for the time being. We have been promised that it is only a temporary fix till we get some of the 10 people that are in training out and on the floor. I for one believe them when they say that. Right now we have only 37 dispatchers that are working. The last time we had only 37 dispatchers was in 1987. So we need to get those people trained and if working 8 hour shifts helps that happen and takes away some the the overtime then lets do it.
The problem seems to be a combination of the Sheriff and a series of outright lies that are being spread around by the Boise Police Department. The Boise police are saying that the dispatchers will mutiny if we are put on 8 hour shifts. I'm not really sure were they got that one but what a load of rubbish. They are the only ones I have ever heard of using work slow downs and the blue flu to get what they want. The Sheriff received several e-mails from dispatchers saying that they were unaware of the shift change. This is an outright lie. The shift change has been the only topic of discussion on the floor for over a month. The Sheriff by dragging this out and listen to all the untruths that are floating around is only making what is a difficult decision worse. He is also undercutting the authority of his supervisors by not listening to the information that they have been giving him about the different shift schedules that are up for discussion. He is being disrespectful of the workers and our needs to know just what is happening to our jobs and to plan how we are going to make this work for our families. The Sheriff needs to make a decision and make it soon. He talks a big battle about leadership well now is the time to back up his works with action.

State of the Union

I listened to the State of the Union Address this evening was very disappointed by what I heard. I heard a lame duck president give a lame duck speech. He hit a few high spots but for the most part just recycled his older speeches. He is right about illegal immigration, until we put in place a mechanism for people to come here and work at those jobs we don't want to do we will never solve the illegal problem. He is also right about the earmark spending projects that find their way into every bill. Either the president gets a line item veto power or he has to start vetoing whole bills. I'd rather he have the line item veto. 

We heard the same old talk about tax cuts. His threat about passing his stimulus plan was, for him, just politics as usual. Reviewing and rebuilding Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac are good on the surface but don't really address the problem. 2 years ago I couldn't afford the new house now I can't get the loan. The problem is the cost of the new house and what is being passed off as the American dream home. What we need is affordable housing not cheap loans to get the 3000-4000 square foot monsters that are being built. 

The most disturbing part of the speech was his talk about the military role in Iraq moving to one of staying in place to assure the Iraqi government's ability to remain in power. What he is doing is placing us in a endless war of attrition for god knows how many years. We need a clear path out of Iraq and diplomacy that insures the Iraqi government can do what it was elected to do. The Iraqi's need to make peace with themselves and their past and try to work together for the future and we need to help them do that with diplomacy not with guns propping up an unpopular dictatorship. 

All the pundits are saying that he didn't ask anything of the American people. How can you ask when you have no plan or idea of what the country is about. That's right Bush  and the people around him don't understand this country at all. All they have done is gather power about themselves and then used it to further their own ends. The Constitution is not upheld by these people but rather it is worked around or totally ignored. They only understand power not the power of ideas and ideals. I doubt that Bush understands what John Kennedy was asking when he said "Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country". All Bush can do is make a lame joke about people who don't mind paying taxes by saying "the IRS accepts both checks and money orders". No George Bush will never ask anything of the American people because he is totally without a clue about the strength, vision and desire of the American people. 

A Little Politics

As we work our way to Super Tuesday I can only hope that people will wake up and see that the last thing this country needs is 4 more years of yet another Clinton. I have nothing against Mrs. Clinton but if she wins it means that we go Bush, Clinton, Bush, Mrs. Clinton. Does that mean that the Republicans will roll out Jeb Bush in 2012 or 2016 if we are unlucky enough to have 8 years of Mrs. Clinton. Dynastic politics is not what this country needs or I fervently hope wants. Especially two dynasties that are so polarizing and devoid of new ideas. 

I was heartened to see Obama win this weekend and by such a large amount. Now only if this momentum helps come Super Tuesday. Do I think that Obama is the best candidate. No, not really but at least he is new and maybe he could help send a different message to the rest of the world by his being black. We like to think that we are beyond race but we all know that is not really true. But if he is elected it would send a message that we can change and look beyond ourselves. 

Now if only the Republicans could find a new candidate this election would be about change. I know that all candidates talk change but very few are ever able to effect change. I'm not sure John McCain works as an outsider and rebel after having served for 30 years in the Congress. Rudy is just a one issue guy and Mitt has no credibility since he is just another white millionaire. Huckabee is interesting but he is to closely tied to the religious right and I think many people aren't ready for another former Arkansas governor. 

Getting Old

I must be getting old. This morning it was cold and just dreary outside. My back hurt and for some reason my knee is hurting. I haven't done anything that would have hurt it so I just must be getting old. There is nothing in the growing older handbook that prepares you any of this. The gray hair, the bifocal - trifocals glasses, the aches and pains and how about the first real hangover. Yes, this growing old is not for the faint of heart.
I was going to go see the eagles at Bald Eagle Days but as you can guess from the above I didn't. We spent the day with our grandson and I worked on pictures that I took at last year's Bald Eagle event. I'm still pretty new to PhotoShop and it is not an easy to learn program without help. It seems many of the books and built in help file is written in a language I like to call "Intuitively Vague". I try not to let that stop me and will post several of the pictures that I took last year of the raptors. Maybe I will see if there is another event later in the year that would promise better weather, not just for pictures but for me too.