When the Levee Breaks

Incredible amounts of rainwater, when it falls upland, runs down towards the ocean through rivers and lakes. This basic science is obvious to any fourth grader who ever build one of those sandy dioramas for a school project, and watched as water poured on one side flows down through the miniature topography. Now it seems so obvious in retrospect, as the waters of Lake Pontchartrain break though the levee and rise even after the hurricane is over.

Conditions inside the Super Dome are worsening, and now there are plans to evacuate. Looters have taken to the street - and it's impossible to feel anything more than sadness at the vanity and greed. What good is that pile of T-Shirts and TV sets going to do these people? It's easy to feel disgust too - but how righteous can we be from the comfort of our living rooms?

One thought keeps occurring to me. This would be a deadly time for any terrorists to sucker punch the United States. All it would take would be an explosion at any key piece of infrastructure, or even a London-style bombing - and an economy already battered by multiple oil shocks would completely flip upside down.

Also, NixGuy is right when he observes that it's the drive for wealth that allows us to live in a society that creates things like SuperDomes and FEMA in the first place. It annoys the daylights out of liberals to point this out. ('How could you at a time like this?' they will ask.) For many it is an article of faith that human virtue is only possible if the government forces it upon citizens.

But whether it's the result of direct charity (which is commencing a massive effort to respond to Katrina) or federal agencies that exist due to taxes collected on our vigorous capital-driven economy (the fruit of which can be seen in the rooftop helicopter rescues all over TV) - ours is a society that built the majesty of places like New Orleans and the Gulf Coast using wealth. And the same wealth will help us to rebuild.

Vive La Difference

The reasons why people choose to reside in the exurbs are not difficult to understand. Reasonable property values, green horizontal space, and the perception of safety are important for many people as they create homes or raise families.

But what I have encountered, sometimes - is an ongoing need (especially among males) to discredit, disparage, or go on at length about the city and it's supposed shortcomings. I have witnessed this firsthand recently - the scoffing disgust and you-must-be-crazy attitude that sees every news story about a mugging as some cosmic validation of their perspective.

This - to pour gasoline on the debate - makes no more sense to me as people who see any killed-in-action soldier in any war as proof positive that reasons behind that war must be invalid. You are free to interpret the news that way, of course - but it should be noted that generations in the past took a different view. My point is, that there is a context behind events, and the warp zone of our pre-formulated opinion acts as a filter for incoming knowledge; it seeks to line things up according to conclusions already drawn and annotated in our brains with reams of partisan supporting material. Examples abound - and everyone has favorites.

I don't knock people who live in the exurbs. I can explain (and often do) why I prefer the city, and why I see value in raising my children with as much diversity of experience (including rural and suburban settings) as possible. Why feel the need to bark about it?

Now the good news - there appears to be a greater influx of non-white transplants to the outer counties. It may be a recent phenomenon in Cincinnati, and it appears to be happening in relatively small numbers - but it's still a positive trend. I'm a believer in little 'D' diversity - not socialistic programs or preachy liberalism - just a classroom full of Johns, Marys, Ravis, Yoshikos, and Kwesisis - who I expect will eventually do a better job than the grownups at learning practical-minded respect towards one another.

NOTE: As a sidebar to this topic, the Washington Post published this piece about the rapid growth of Muslim communities in rural and exurban locales. This is a slightly more provocative topic - and one which agitates the wackos.

Thermal Cajun Bouillabaisse

If you back up and think about it, this is the result of living on a watery planet close to the sun. Most disasters - with the exception of earthquakes - are ultimately the end result of an avalanche of electrons interacting with a highly excitable water molecules. In the case of a hurricane, the summer sun beats down and warms the ocean and convection currents begin to weave themselves into a thermodynamic knot with tremendous power.

And the end result, from the standpoint of TV viewers, is a pixelated satellite feed of some B-team journalist trying to hold down his toupee in a raging gale of wind and rain. It seems to be a rite of passage for ambitious members of the media, who risk getting impaled by debris to deliver johnny-on-the-spot coverage. (This famous footage of Brian Williams comes to mind.)

Despite the hyperbole (Chris Matthews kept using the word 'biblical' last night) it sounds like New Orleans might avoid the worst of it. Oil and natural gas prices, however, won't be spared.

The Big Uneasy

News networks have switched to disaster mode as hurricane Katrina intensifies to a Category 5 monster. I've spend Sunday morning around the house with the TV on mute - and every few seconds they show the satellite footage of a big, circular bruise ready to slam into the Gulf Coast. Mayor Ray Nagin - not a contender for the Giuliani award for disaster leadership, in my mind - finally ordered a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.

The hype may be warranted. A study done by Joe Suthayda suggests that the potential for disaster in The Big Easy could exceed the earthquake scenarios that are regularly imagined when San Francisco experiences the next "big one". There are 2,000 miles of levees built by the US Army Corps of engineers - and when they fail, large portions of the peninsula in Louisiana may be underwater or destroyed.

Based on coverage I've seen of similar "weather events" these hurricanes sometimes fizzle at the last second, or veer unexpectedly towards less-populated areas. Considering that there are supposed to be about 100,000 people in New Orleans without the means to transport themselves away from the danger zone, we should pray (or hope with secular intensity) that this deadly bullet can be dodged.

And lets not forget our (literally) precious oil supply. Drilling platforms and refineries are sprinkled along the Gulf Coast, and they are all closing. Any major disruption to service could send prices into an even deeper tailspin. This - along with the news that we will almost certainly be footing a billion-dollar FEMA bill - should unleash havoc on the markets this Monday.

UPDATE: The Weather Underground seems to be the place to go for hardcore meteorology. Dr. Jeff Masters and Steve Gregory are blogging the hurricane with expertise. Unfortunately it sounds very likely that New Orleans as we know it could soon be a memory.

Blown Electric Ladyland

Mrs. Spacetropic blew a fuse this morning while using the hair dryer.

But this was not the only factor. Her nerd husband, with his stack of PCs, external drives, and cable modems (a dizzying galaxy of blinking LEDs) was a part of the problem. But the biggest culprit is our house, which was built in the 20s and wired for power before anyone imagined that the average citizen would fill their home with so many electrical devices.

We all use copious amounts of electricity, every day - more than any time before in history. Some are naturally inclined to assume this is a bad thing - and they invent reasons why Bush is to blame with his meanspirited wars. Of course, this conveniently ignores the fact that most electricity is generated by coal - a resource that is mostly obtained from geopolitically friendly sources - like Montana.

We can't get enough electricity. Take the news, yesterday, that Intel has developed a new series of microprocessors that are vastly more power efficient. How green of them, right? Wasn't this done in a Carter-like spirit of highmindedness over using less energy? Not really. These processors are intended for use in portable devices , which consumers expect to offer astonishing features at the expense of limited battery technology.

Are gas prices obscene? Yes. Will the Boston Globe be filled with angry editorials linking the high price of winter heating oil (used mostly in the Northeast) to Bush? Count on it. Energy - like economics - is a topic on which the most ill-informed Americans feel entitled to opine. Natural gas prices are on the rise too, for example, and this fuel is also derived from mostly domestic sources - or Canada. These inconvenient facts will not get in the way of dis-informed debate.

Power in the form of electricity is very similar to freedom and democracy. We are so accustomed to having it in abundant supply and using it to it's fullest extent that we take it for granted.

This doesn't stop some people from fretting over developing countries - wondering, hypocritically, "if they are ready to handle it". In places like China they are rapidly building out infrastructure while simultaneously promoting efficiency and clean technology - because they are using massive amounts of electricity - more each year. They clearly understand that energy efficiency does not mean using less in total - it means making the most from our need for more.

Wahabi Imam Robertson

If we are lucky, Pat Robertson's next airline trip will be "accidentally" routed through the United Kingdom, where he will be picked up at the terminal and brought to jail under the new, stringent laws against inciting hatred with religious rhetoric - which, thankfully, can applied to folks from other countries.

Robertson, of course, suggested that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez should be assassinated. Admittedly Chavez is a thug, and farther to the Left than the New York Times. But Robertson deserves nothing more than scorn for these foolish comments, and he has received it from all corners of the political arena. And this form of firebrand rhetoric is nothing new - this is the nutbag who suggested that 9/11 was the result of God's hatred towards homosexuals.

Robertson, apparently, peddles a compassion-free kind of Christianity.

Worse, he has caused all of us to endure the Public Ire of Jesse, who has jumped into the spectacle with his boilerplate expressions of moral outrage. As we all know, publicity for the Good Reverend is like donuts for a cop. Nobody should be surprised to see him on a flight to Venezuela to meet with Chavez and offer overblown, sanctimonious apologies on behalf of America, with CNN crews in tow.

UPDATE: Now there's news that this kerfuffle may help Chavez win re-election. Hey, thanks again for your 2 cents, Pat. This is why foreign relations are better left to the paper-chrurning slow-wits at State, who at least know enough to be ineffective.

Trouble In Exurbia

Warren County Ohio - recently the subject of national attention for the pivotal role it played in the 2004 election - is back in the spotlight. The forces of white flight, rapid growth, big-box retailing, and inescapable social ills have collided.

The problem? They have too many criminals. So there's talk of building a jail in a Wal-Mart that will soon be abandoned. Officials claim that the facility would house nonviolent offenders. But residents of a nearby subdevelopment are nevertheless aghast. Many of them relocated to leave these unpleasantries back in the city.

Mothers like Ashley Gifford understand the need, but having a big store as a neighbor is one thing, a jail is another.

"When we moved here, that's not what we would've anticipated," Gifford said.

The rise of the American exurbs is the result of many factors - notably our deep cultural appreciation for wide-open spaces and the end of the era of centralized industry. But there's also some denial at work among the transplants - as if discomforting pathologies (that are so visibly on display in city life) can be neatly swept under the rug.

County officials should have asked about turning over the management of the jail to Wal-Mart directly. Their superstores already offer almost everything. Why not jail space too? That way, when your card is rejected at the register as you attempt to buy a product manufactured overseas, the clerk can simply lead you to a cell in the back of the store - thereby "closing the loop" on high speed, debt-fueled consumer capitalism.

Solar Beanstalk

Space elevators. This crazy idea actually works on paper. Imagine a simple cable connecting the earth to space. Once this tether is draped though the atmosphere the trip could be made with "cars" that would crawl up and down it's length. GPS satellites, Mars rovers, astronauts - all of it simply rides up the elevator.

But the first obstacle is material science. This elevator must be built to support it's own weight - hundreds of thousands of tons between the surface of the earth and geostationary orbit. Carbon nanotubes are the answer. This substance is comprised of a lattice of carbon atoms in tubelike structures. Nanotubes have many exceptional properties - among them is a material strength that greatly exceeds the most advanced composites. And researchers have recently devised methods for producing this material in large quantities.

The second obstacle is, of course, money. Until now, estimates have been in the hundreds of billions for such a massive project. But now - based on the rapid advances in nanotechnolgy and a new sensible plan, the price tag is down to a mere 20 billion. If this seems pricey, consider that NASA already receives about 15 billion a year, and a massive portion of that budget goes towards simply lobbing things into space. The rickety contraption known as the space shuttle costs half a billion each pop.

I constantly read editorials about how the manned space program is a huge waste of money. Many concerned scientists would prefer the resources were spent uncovering the origin of the cosmos or engaged in the hunt for Earth-like planets around nearby stars. Now a federal program to construct a space elevator is becoming very plausible - and it will be a gateway to the solar system for exploration of all kinds. Why not make those huge, expensive, and mostly disposable rockets a thing of the past?

VIA INSTAPUNDIT

Mad Science

WSJ / wah wah wah
http://matthewholt.typepad.com/the_health_care_blog/2005/08/pharma_wsj_on_h.html

Wired / Cell Phone Junk Science
http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,68600,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_9

Harry Reid
http://www.commonvoice.com/article.asp?colid=2584

Airstrike Immunity Challenge

The Wall Street Journal today has an article about the Iraqi cable network al-Sharqiya, an effort to create an entertainment-only media outlet in a country distracted by more serious concerns.

One of the offerings on this fledgling network is a lighthearted reality show called "Labor and Materials" which follows the rebuilding efforts of families whose homes have been bombed into sticks. You gotta admit - an off-target JDAM courtesy of the United States Air Force is the ultimate extreme home makeover. And it's presumably a lot of boffo laughs watching the interactions of building contractors, locals, and the TV film crew as they try to put the place in order while insurgents and Marines chase each other around in the background.

Some may think that this conflagration of the unintended consequences of U.S. foreign policy and reality entertainment is perverse. I prefer to think it's evidence that the folks in Iraq have a highly refined sense of humor. The al-Sharqiya network, which also has sketch comedies and Newlyweds-type shows, is reportedly more popular than al-Jazeera.

Mean-spirited Ingratitude

The men aboard the USS Iowa fought like a two-fisted hurricane. Their enemy was nothing less than a group of honest-to-goodness racists/fascists. Late to the fight in the Pacific, they nevertheless held firm against the last stalwart surge of an imperial Japan in the throes of yamato damashi.

Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein from California has enough good sense to recognize that these sailors fought with honest courage. We might disagree over the events of the day in Iraq, or the necessity of Afghanistan - or even about the circumstances that precipitated Hiroshima. But the reasonability test would seemingly suggest that the sailors aboard the USS Iowa deserve tribute and thanks.

The city of San Francisco doesn't agree. They have rejected the attempts of their (again, Democrat) senator to make the battleship part of a commemorative exhibit at the famous Fisherman's Wharf. You see, they feel like putting the this battleship up as a monument would be an implicit endorsement of the War in Iraq at a time when we should, y'know, be building monuments to peace and stuff.

I haven't checked the conservative press on this one - I can only expect they are ablaze. I saw an AP article about this in a newspaper at a lunch counter, and I deliberately avoided searching other blogs. I have been away from the news this week - I can only guess at the excuses and piety that are being set forth in defense of those famous socialists-on-the-Bay.

Now don't twist the issue; I am not attacking their right to dissent. I know people play bait-and-switch with the 1st Amendment - by protesting that if I say the people of San Francisco are a group of pathetic silly nitwads that I am actually somehow trying to deny their right to be silly nitwads.

I am doing no such thing. But I am saying that they are insulting brave old men who fought with dignity against a foe that deserved to be defeated. And these folks in San Francisco have abandoned common sense in defense of liberty in favor of a blind and bitter ideology.

Dispatch from Castine, ME

Weather in the low 80s, little humidity, and a cool breeze coming from the ocean; these are the reasons why Maine in the summer is about as far removed from southwest Ohio as Neptune. Sure there are seaside lunch stands that want to charge you $10 for some lobster-flavored broth in a paper cup (described on the menu as "stew"). But any savvy Downeast traveler knows which places to avoid, and which beaten paths need to be left behind.

We did have an unfortunate encounter with some folks from the the New York Yacht Club (NYYC). The problem is less with the buff, windswept young crewmates that are hired to service and attend the boat - and one suspects, the wealthy matrons, on occasion. The problem is with the some of the yacht-owners who stand around the village and seem disgusted by the fact that the extra hot latte and perfect cell phone coverage is unattainable in these parts. And yes, there is "nothing" to do by Manhattan standards.

The locals are sometimes heard to dryly remark that they would be awfully pleased if these jaded sophisticates would go back to New York and tell any prospective future visitors exactly how much they disliked the place. And there was talk of hanging a sign on the bell buoy near the harbor entrance with the words "Red Sox Rule" for the benefit of the departing NY boats.

These things are so alien to Ohio. You have a better sense of being a part of the dynamic natural world, where the atmosphere cycles every day instead of hanging low and unchanged. When I was little I lived in New England, and I still have family here. When I am old I hope to return for longer periods of time, and read books, and care increasingly less about the world. I haven't even looked at the news in days - and I hope my readership hasn't evaporated because of the lack of pithy commentary on these pages of late.

(The webpage for Castine, Maine is here. I think the image of unappealing Winter scene on the homepage was a calculated decision by the locals.)

Ructicators At Large

There's no such thing as fun for the whole family.

Jerry Seinfeld

Logan Airport is one of the most wretchedly awful places on earth. Designed by the bong-wielding socialists who run local government - in conjunction with the corrupt bosses of the local construction cartels - any flight in or out of Boston's primary airport involves delay, confusion, and the possibility of runway collisions. One bumper-to- bumper access road seems to always snake though the maze of terminals, from which the deafening nose of horns and multi-lingual profanity can be heard 24-hours a day.

And there - when our flight lands tomorrow - our vacation will begin. We will attempt to escape through the nest of highways, traveling northwards to Maine. We will then join other family rusticators at the shore and soothe ourselves near the salty balm of the Atlantic.

It's the first trip with the recently blended family - Rachel, my daughter, and stepdaughter. The criteria for success is simply that we return home without lingering hatred towards one another or third-degree sunburns. If the children emote delightedly with smiles and laughter as sea urchins are plucked from tide pools - then that is simply a bonus. For my part I hope to kayak, quaff a few lagers, and enjoy some hardcore fresh seafood.

Select cell-phone images may be appearing on the secondary, picture blog; not of the kids, though - that's a policy. Regular Spacetropic posts will be intermittent if the vacation is a success.

Wack Tax

Smut has been an integral part of the Internet from it's earliest days. Historians have recently discovered that residents of the Sumerian River Crescent used to exchange emails on cuneiform tablets - and often these were addresses to places in Mesopotamia where various 'adult' services could be rendered for a fee of a few goats.

So given the fact that these types of interests are so deeply ingrained it seems odd that now, all of a sudden, busybody legislators have proposed a tax on pornography - the Internet Safety and Child Protection Act of 2005. The rate would be a clobbering 25%. But the basis for levying this tax raises constitutional concerns. Scholar Eugene Volokh (of the Volokh Conspiracy blog) has this to say:

Content-based taxes, like other content-based restriction, can generally be upheld only if the government can show that the law is necessary to serve a compelling government interest.

Now it's the Democrats who want the tax; the compelling government interest is revenue - ostensibly to pay for the expenses to monitor the behavior of pornographers to ensure they don't market to children. Some conservatives are actually against the tax - but only because they don't want to "legitimize" pornography. If porn is put on the shelf with alcohol and tobacco it becomes an vice that can be legally indulged, but at a price. These strict cultural watchdogs don't want lose a chance to ban it outright.

Don't get me wrong - kids are too easily exposed to this. But I can't decide which is worse - the craven spendaholics who want to make tax money on your private business or the scolds who want to try the prohibition trick all over again. Once again discretion, restraint, and responsible parenting don't seem to be among the qualities our civic leaders are willing to endorse.

VIA WIRED

Customer Unfocused Service

My apologies to regular Spacetropic readers who have been unable to access the site. In the past few months I have had sudden, unexpected outages with my hosting plan. Lately the company I use, VizaWeb, has been unreliable. While they have been making an effort to improve their customer service it's still frustrating to have my site inaccessible for hours at a time on several occasions each month.

Many in corporate America are enthusiastic about delivering exceptional customer service. I think it offers a psychological relief from the relentless focus on profitability and hockey-stick growth. Certainly retaining customers probably means something more than offering the best price (or getting the server back up again) but these concepts don't translate well into the trench-warfare of daily operational business.

Even in when a company has a plan to deliver customer service, employees lack the basic skills necessary to understand simple courtesy or common sense. The following is a true story, from when I recently visited the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I was waiting very patiently in line behind a woman who was speaking to the clerk at the counter.

Clerk (interrupting the woman and looking over her shoulder at me): Yes, can I help you?
Me: I'm here to pick up a prescription.
Clerk (impatiently): Well, I'm busy helping this customer. I'll be with you in a minute.

Just think about that. Another true story, from the post office:

USPS Worker: May I help who's next?
Me: I think I'm next. I'd like to buy some stamps please.
USPS Worker: Hang on. One thing at a time.

I am working on my gentleness and congeniality towards others. But everyday exchanges like this have me worried that the human race is increasingly being overrun by boneheads. I lament the fact that jobs are outsourced overseas. During my last transaction purchasing Delta Airline tickets on the telephone it sounded like I was speaking to someone from India. He said his name was 'Peter Parker' - which seemed oddly insulting. And the process was breathtakingly slow, as he clacked away on a keyboard for several minutes between questions. But at least he was polite and the conversation followed a sensible pattern.

I don't rant often. Vizaweb ticked me off.

Bad Chickens and Hogweed

The Plague by Camus is a ripping yarn about a Algerian town under seige by the spectre of a full-blown Bubonic epidemic. It's filled to the lid with grisly death and suffering, existential conversations, and lanced boils. Think Michael Crichton, but with more French ennui. (Need some beach reading this summer?)

I think of 'The Plauge' novel - I read it years ago - when I read the news stories about the migrating birds. Or when I gaze suspiciously at my Chicken Chow Fun from the local takeout. Because the scientists are telling us we're overdue for a deadly pandemic, and the Avian Flu is the hot new contender. All it will take is one silly migratory goose from Southest Asia and a few twists of the nuclear material in the virus - and presto, you've got something transmittable to humans.

A stockpile of vaccines? Don't bother to ask.

While we're worrying about the threat posed to us by nature itself, don't forget the giant hogweed. This sucker is large and ugly, and if you cut into the stalk it sprays a noxious goo that will cause second degree burns and eventually destroys your skin's ability to protect itself from the sun. And (locals take note) the spores are spreading into Ohio from the East.

Thanks to Mrs. Spacetropic, who alerted me to the Hogweed Peril after hearing about this one on local public radio.

Giant hogweed's spread a real horror tale

Giant hogweed's spread a real horror tale: "'It's an amazing thing, really, but a dangerous thing,' said Alan Tasker, coordinator of the USDA's Federal Noxious Weeds Program."

Not Fade Away

Sorry for the abrupt change in seriousness, but I just read a somber, eye-opening article about health care for the very old. Everybody needs to read it immediately.

It was written by a geriatric physician Jerald Winakur. He's an expert in the field. He knows too well what the future holds for his ailing and dementia-addled father of 85. All of the options are ultimately fruitless, extremely painful for the family, and expensive. He knows the numbers and the bleak reality of managed care. He is even haunted by the unthinkable:

Often, in fitful sleep, I dream that when the time comes, I go to my father's bed, quietly fill a syringe with morphine and stroke his arm as I tie the tourniquet.

Given the astronomical numbers of elderly that we will face as a society over the next 20-30 years, given the double-edged sword of advancing treatment and prolonged life expectancy - and given the fact that (if we are lucky) - we will all pass this way sooner or later, this is an issue that needs to be discussed without partisanship.

It's an uncomfortable topic. But by avoiding any active decision, as a society, we have handed the process over to institutions and the adult children of the aged - who are usually too wracked by grief to think clearly. I am not one of those who instinctively hiss at the shadow of every health care company - any reasonable policy must utilize them. But citizens and their representatives need to have a serious discussion. Winakur points out:

Our parents will become our children if they live long enough. Perhaps if we looked on our elderly in this way, we would be kinder to them.

The Baby Boomers are about 60 now, and they are all headed towards the precipice en masse. My generation, "Generation X" is now collectively around 35. We will be the adult generation on duty when that time comes. It might be a peculiar legacy - but what if we could help agree upon a dignified, reasonable, and humane way to spend our final days?

UPDATE: The full article by Dr. Winakur can be found here.

Pink Boys

What if, instead of bitching about the city, affluent people with a European heritage and fair skin tried muttering the lyrics to their favorite songs as they walked down the street?

There's nothing that says "don't mess with me" like a 50-year-old CPA slouching along wearing headphones and rapping out Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rose" under his breath.

And while were on the subject of urban fashion, it seems like the oversize white T-shirt craze is still popular among teens, at least in my city. But some youngsters need more guidance on the finer points of doing laundry. There's nothing that ruins the hypermasculine adolescent tough-guy routine like the "oversize pink T-shirt" look that is the result of putting your white clothes in with your new red underpants.

Childish Red Herrings

Okay people. I've been on the Internet since the early 90s. Back in the days of Usenet newsgroups I played along when, post by post, people debated all sorts of issues by the glow of VAX terminals. I was there when people were obsessed with Kibo, and The Well and the early throes of cyberpunk. It was a heady time.

I've witnessed the various forms of online debate in it's multitude of Vishnu-like forms. Sorry if I sound cocky - but none of the back-and-forth on weblog comment pages is really new.

Pepper Meets Flakes

As I joined the crowd of bloggers and indie-media types that accumulated for the meeting with mayoral candidate David Pepper it occurred to me that on strictly visual terms we don't make a very impressive group. The mainstream press has a reputation for being a little scruffy - but the "alt-press" looks like they're going to ask you if you know anyone who is holding.

Don't get me wrong, I include myself in their number - and I don't make a very good pseudo- journalist myself. I kept on feeling a strange compulsion to ask Pepper vague questions like "Why on earth do you want to bother being mayor?" Or "What was the most difficult job you ever held?" Or "Where do you want to be in 20 years?" These inquiries can spur some revalations if posed to ordinary people in the context of a job interview. But any experienced politician will answer in smooth, ingratiating tones - saying all of the right things.

So Pepper got asked about campaign finance, the system of city government in Cincinnati, and his plan for public safety and downtown. Too often the conversation spiraled back towards topics that seem secondary - the personalities of council members, the technical details of taxation. I think the public would benefit from knowing if candidates have the leadership skills necessary to take on an executive role and push through an agenda that clearly addresses real issues. (Maybe I'm old-fashioned like that.)

Pepper appears to have an actual plan. He has some answers on safety and development. I'm not sure yet if he has the perfect combination of leadership skills; although I was impressed with his adept answers to some of the screwball questions. His body language betrayed a certain nervousness (leaning back, fidgeting) - but he always answered without losing his cool. I suppose this is the result of a great deal of practice in public council meetings, where shouters and kooks are too often granted a microphone.

My neighborhood has too many closed shop fronts. My nieghborhood has too few families on the sidewalks. But my neigborhood does have people that want to make the city strong and vibrant. Can Pepper, or any candidate, step up and take full advantage of that?

More coverage of this event at The Dean's website.

Marine Bites Elephant

Money, blogs, and operational excellence – this proved to be a powerful combination in Democrat Paul Hackett’s challenge to Jean Schmitt in the Second District of Ohio. But the Republicans are looking at these factors – and the fact that he’s a pro-gun Iraqi war veteran with a nice smile and a cleft chin - and not expressing any surprise.

Democrats are likewise doing back flips, energized by the fact that there is still life in their political party. Hackett’s loss by a narrow margin seems was like a science experiment that worked; given the right combination of energy, time, and message – it’s theoretically possible to win a few votes in the dark Red heart of America.

Both sides, it seems to me, are ignoring some of the more uncomfortable truths of practical politics. Republicans should take this narrow-miss as an opportunity to hit mute on the Fox Network and consider the possibility that a large chunk of voters are neither Hannity-listeners nor Baptist snake-handlers. They may be conservative, and they may support the war in Iraq, but they might have diminishing faith in our current leadership.

Likewise Democrats may want to check themselves before they assume that everybody out there in the sticks is secretly disgusted with George Bush and snarling along with Al Franken. People have really come to resent the French edge of the Democratic Party and their reflexive self-hatred when it comes to America, our defense, and foreign policy. The religious fringe of the Republic party doesn’t quite engender that level of instinctual distrust – but they might be on their way.

It seems to me that a careful reading of these election returns suggests that a newly-emerging moderate ideology might be the actual winner of this special election. Anyone looking towards 2008 can ignore this lesson at their peril. As the parties get deeper in the nomination process many will continue to fool themselves into believing that all it takes is more and more red meat for the base.

So ask yourself, conservatives: What could your arch-enemy Hillary be thinking this morning as she ponders these results? And which party is more strongly positioned to field a more moderate candidate in 2008?

UPDATE: Mike Barone is one of the shrewdest and most evenhanded pundits in the business of political analysis - and he's started blogging. This post about turnout in the 2nd OH special election should give Republicans pause. (VIA INSTAPUNDIT)

A Very Special Election

Folks, it's election night here in southwest Ohio. Time to fire up some weenies, crack open a can of our native Hudepohl, and sit around pressing 'Reload' on the trusty Firefox Browser. (Give the kids some leftover fireworks from July 4th and make 'em play in the back yard.)

Those of you geographically removed may ask: Ohio - cripes - why should I care? The answer can be found in Paul Hackett, Democrat and Iraqi war veteran. If he loses by a thin enough margin in the the political spinmeisters will claim that the blue/red balance has shifted in favor of sense and sensibility. The days of the neo-con nutjobs and their religious allies will give way to Hillaryesque moderation ... and Jupiter aligns with Mars.

Note that Hackett doesn't need to win - few people expect that. He only needs to be less-than-resoundingly thrashed by Jean Schmidt.

Where to get coverage? Well, the Cincinnati Enquirer, midmarket newspaper outlet for Gannett Uber Alles put up a webpage with election results by precinct. They've also got a "best of the blogs" page with quotes and links to blogger posts around the Interweb. Few of them appear to be local bloggers, unfortunately, but give them credit for making the intern work late.

UPDATE: NixGuy is liveblogging the returns. It's a squeaker.

Tuesday's Unrelated Questions

1. What if, instead of bitching about crime in the city, affluent people with a European heritage and fair skin tried muttering the lyrics to their favorite songs as they walked down the street? There's nothing that says "don't mess with me" like a retired CPA slouching along wearing headphones and rapping out Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rose" under his breath.
   
   
2. Do you understand the traumatic potential involved in being sent off to the 3rd grade with a 'Six Million Dollar Man' lunchbox in 1980 a full two years after the original series went off the air? Boys that age jump on every vulnerability.
   
   
3. Does Zig Ziglar ever have one of those days when he wakes up around 10:45AM, putters around the house for a few minutes, goes back to bed, gets up again around 1:20PM, rummages around in the kitchen for something to eat and finally sits down in front of Comedy Central with a bag of Doritos?

Monday Roundup

A steamy mix-up of topical jambalaya:

• Ten years since the Netscape IPO, and the average web user is female and in their forties. Kevin Kelly brings it old-school with a look back and forward. It's good to know I'm not the only one that remembers some of the crazy talk from the early 90s - or holds out hope that a small portion of it might come true.
• But the media reality is such that we are owned by conglomerates. So the wife and I willingly surrendered our entertainment dollars to New Line Cinema and it's financial backers, saw Wedding Crashers, and laughed our proverbial butts off. Vaughn and Wilson are funny, but the few seconds of screentime they gave to Will Ferrell left me without oxygen.
• An offseason election in the second district means wall-to-wall TV coverage. Nixguy offers some thorough analysis (his own and others) on why Paul Hackett can't win. Brian Griffin peddles his trademark 'extremist' routine and appears to take solace in the fact that Democrats still have a pulse.
• Meanwhile, over at the Axis of Evil, Iran has threatened to start enriching uranium again, and our friends in North Korea - cheeky bastards - are demanding concessions before they are willing to give up their nuclear program.

They are said to be fond of Sno-Caps and Gummi Bears.