|
Arizona's First Political Blog
E-mail Anonymous Mike at zonitics4-at-yahoo.com By Anonymous Mike, pseudonymously.
Archives
Links
Center
War Coverage
|
Monday, July 30, 2007
Our Long Wait is Over... No not for the Harry Potter book... ... but for Stephen Hunter's review of The Simpsons Movie. Tears for Strangers There are some bloggers who are pointing to stories in the media about people expressing their sympathy and respects at Indian Steele Park, site of last week's collision of two TV news choppers that resulted in the death of 4 people. Why such feelings for strangers? I really don't watch local news so I'm pretty much checked out of this story in the emotional department, but it does remind me of something from my younger days. When I was kid, we watched the same local news station out of Philadelphia. Devoid of most of the goofiness of the other local news telecasts and the production had, dare I say it, some gravitas. Well I had just started high school when the weatherman was killed in a sky diving accident. This was a guy I had watched since I was in pre-school and of course I was stunned. Now we lived too far outside of town to go drop off flowers or anything and Philly is too rough of a town to show such sentimentality but I will remember to my dying day the look on the face of the Sunday evening anchorman when he reported the story. He was calm, collected, and yet shattered at the same time... I had never seen such a look before or since Thursday, July 26, 2007
A Curious Statement From Andrew Sullivan... The New Republic's "Baghdad Diarist" outs himself this morning. "Scott Thomas" is ... drum-roll, please .... Scott Thomas Beauchamp. He's a soldier and fully accountable for the stories he has written. Obviously, my love for TNR and my respect for its new editor, Frank Foer, makes me hope that every single aspect of his stories is true. But I cannot know from where I'm sitting. I do know that TNR will be honorable and honest in following up. I also know that we have rarely been pleasantly surprised in this war by details of its reality. Perhaps this is just poorly worded, but why in a story that depicts American soldiers as depraved barbarians would Mr. Sullivan "hope that every single aspect of his stories is true." Giffords and Earmarks I must have missed this from the AZ Republic; in the Daily Star Giffords in About-Face, Releases Spending Plans Rep. Gabrielle Giffords released Friday evening what she said was her complete list of federal "earmark" requests after refusing to do so last week. The list of 42 projects, totaling nearly $327 million, was posted on her congressional Web site, and includes a single request for a $187 million in guided missiles for the Army. Many of the earmarks, submitted for fiscal year 2008, are for projects in the Democrat's Southeast Arizona district. The $187 million for the Javelin is a nice touch, especially as Rep. Giffords mentions on her Web site: $187,200,000 was requested for the Javelin missile which is being used regularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. This request came from the Army’s official unfunded requirements list which contains the projects the Army would spend money on if it had addition resources, and in which order. This was one of the Army’s highest priorities. Though the message is a little mixed: Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin said the reason the bulk of her requests are for military spending is because she is on the Armed Services Committee and has two military installations — Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base — in her district. This is either a misquote or C.J. is being a little thick because Huachuca is a signals post and Davis-Monthan is of course an air base and have little need for an anti-tank weapon. There does seem to be about $16 million worth of funding for Fort Huachuca; $5 million for an University of Arizona project to develop "Asymmetric Threat Response and Analysis Project (ATRAP) " in conjunction with the Army, another $5 million for an UAV sensor project, $5 million for the construction of a new base chapel, and about $1 million for San Pedro watershed studies. He (Karamagin) said there is no contradiction between her vote Thursday for a troop withdrawal from Iraq and her support for military spending. "Being in support of a strong defense is one thing. Questioning how the war is being conducted is something different," he said. That's awfully sweet of him to say that and of course good politics for a freshman legislator. What he doesn't say is that Rep. Giffords support for Javelin and AMRAAM missile purchases that were not funded by the regular appropriations process isn't just good for national defense, but also good for her district. Raytheon manufactures both missiles in Tucson. What a coincidence. Let's amend the above comment from the paper: Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin said the reason the bulk of her requests are for military spending is because she is on the Armed Services Committee, has two military installations — Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base — in her district, and has a large defense contractor that needs some sugar. In other words it's not so much about national defense but looking out for her district. Nothing wrong with that, but there is a difference. As for the rest of the requests, two stand out: Tucson Buses and Bus Maintenance Facility $10,000,000 was requested to purchase cleaner-burning fuel replacement buses and upgrade the bus maintenance facility. I never knew Tucson buses had such a large role in inter-state commerce. However my favorite is this: Tucson Convention Center Solar Energy Project $1,000,000 was requested that will be used to help install a photovoltaic solar panel array on the Tucson Convention Center (TCC) complex. This project will offset traditional electricity usage, saving $65,000 annually Spend a million to save $65,000 per year (let alone current dollar value and other metrics)? Only in Washington! Missed Opportunities Today's AZ Republic has a sports column penned by Homer Simpson, it's worth a grimace or two. However let's face it, the paper blew it. With about 400 episodes to pick from, Homer has provided us with rich and robust philosophy of sports and the Republic could have taken this novel tie-in for tomorrow's Simpsons movie and come up with something a bit better (the following were taken from the Simpsons Archive) On the Pursuit of Excellence: Lenny: Homer, last year, we were 2 and 28. Homer: Look, I know it wasn't our best season... Lenny: Actually, it was On Baseball Statistics Bart: [sees Homer's homemade bat] Wow! How many home runs you gonna hit with that? Homer: Let's see. We play thirty games. Ten at-bats a game. Mmm... Three thousand. On the Joy of Minor League Baseball Homer: You know, boy, some of the players you see tonight may make it to the big leagues someday. Bart: What? Aren't we going to see any washed-up major-leaguers? Homer: Sure! We get a nice mix here. On the Joy of Children Playing Team Sports Oh my God, Marge. A penalty shot with only four seconds left. It's your child versus mine! The winner will be showered with praise; the loser will be taunted and booed until my throat is sore! On the Joy of Children Playing Team Sports, Part II Hey! Apu just called. This Friday, Lisa's team is playing Bart's team. You're in direct competition. And don't go easy on each other just because you're brother and sister. I want to see you both fighting for your parents' love! It's Not If Your Children Win or Lose... Man 1: What the heck is a tie game? Man 2: Tie game? Woman 1: What the hell? Woman 2: This is outrageous! Marge: Oh, I've never been so proud of them Homer: [weeping] They're both losers. Losers! David Beckham Eat Your Heart Out TV Announcer: The Continental Soccer Association is coming to Springfield! It's all here--fast-kicking, low scoring, and ties? You bet! Bart: Hey, Dad, how come you've never taken us to see a soccer game? Homer: I...don't know. TV Announcer: You'll see all your favorite soccer stars. Like Ariaga! Ariaga II! Bariaga! Aruglia! And Pizzoza! Homer: Oh, I never heard of those people. TV Announcer: And they'll all be signing autographs! Homer: Woo-hoo! Soccer Fever, Catch it! TV Announcer: This match will determine once and for all which nation is the greatest on earth: Mexico or Portugal! Homer: Oh, I'll kill myself if Portugal doesn't win Sports as Art Homer: Barney's movie had heart, but "Football in the Groin" had a football in the groin. On Betting Smooth Jimmy Apollo: [explaining his poor prediction] Well, folks, when you're right 52% of the time, you're wrong 48% of the time. Homer: Why didn't you say that before!! Jesus Put Down a Deuce on the Pharisees to Cover Homer: Your mother has this crazy idea that gambling is wrong. Even though they say it's okay in the bible. Lisa: Really? Where? Homer: Uh... Somewhere in the back. This is Why I Go to Church at 7:30 AM Lisa: Can I watch football with you again next Sunday? Homer: Sure! You'll find it gets rid of the unpleasant aftertaste of church. Who Can You Believe? Football player: [being interviewed] This team is fired up. We came here to play! Homer: Aw right! [picks up the phone to place his bet] Lisa: [scoffing] He'll lose. Homer: What? Didn't you hear what he said? Some People Get Landmarks Named After Them.. Kent: But first: Springfield has come down with a fever. Football fever, brought on by the biggest game of the year: the Pigskin Classic between the Shelbyville Sharks and our own Springfield Atoms. If you have the fever, there's only one cure; take two tickets and see the game Sunday morning. Man: Warning: tickets should not be taken internally. Homer: See? Because of me, now they have a warning. Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Snore is On The last, yet hardly great, hope for the Phoenix mayoral election to be at least mildly entertaining disappeared yesterday when more than half of Al Sharpton protege Jarrett Maupin's signatures were tossed by the city clerk. The 20-year-old candidate turned in 3,920 signatures, but the majority were not from registered voters. Additionally, Gordon's campaign challenged hundreds of them, saying they had been gathered by convicted felons. Felons are ineligible to collect signatures because they cannot legally register to vote, City Clerk Mario Paniagua said. The city disqualified signatures from nine of Maupin's petition gatherers, invalidating 184 signatures that would have put Maupin over the top Basically Maupin got over half his signatures tossed. Too bad for me because I had a post outlining a plan for Maupin to make some headway in this campaign... but I don't think too bad for Maupin. Somehow he'll use this denial as a publicity platform. After all this was the same character who gained the public spotlight for calling Brophy racist and was arrested at a Phoenix Union High School District board meeting because he couldn't figure out how the public comment policy worked. So that leaves only one person left to challenge Gordon on the ballot.... Steve Lory Sigh... the election for the top spot in America's 5th largest city and we get all the competition and excitement of a school board election The Gambler Update since my earlier post on the NBA referee scandal and the Phoenix Suns.... SAJU points to an article in Slate regarding the type of gambling that implicated referee Tom Donaghy. Short summary, odds are that it involved point spreads or over/under and not win/loss. Bob Young of the AZ Republic reviewed Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs playoff series, the one that Donaghy worked and the one I mentioned in my post, and found Dongahy's role in the outcome peripheral. So I think the solution to this is to wait and see what happens. Donaghy is supposedly cooperating with investigators and NBA Commissioner David Stern has stated as of now it looks like there was only 1 corrupt referee.... .... but we'll see The Hatchet Man Can Has Mario Diaz gone to work for NY Governor Spitzer? Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s aides, including one of his closest advisers, improperly used the State Police to gather information about the governor’s chief rival, Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate majority leader, in an effort to plant a negative story about Mr. Bruno and damage him politically, according to a report on Monday by the attorney general’s office. Maybe Spitzer thought Mr. Bruno was covering up corporate crimes or something; way to go! Two points of background: 1) Spitzer made his political bones in New York as the state AG in pursuing corporate crime that was normally within the jurisdiction of the federal government. I guess your view of how he did depends on where you stand but the head of the US Chamber of Commerce said that Spitzer's actions were "the most egregious and unacceptable form of intimidation we've seen in this country in modern times" Read the whole article and you start to see a pattern 2) As far as Diaz goes, I'm joking.... well sort of. Yes I know in the Piestewa Peak case Mario Diaz didn't use law enforcement as a political hammer or perform any sort of criminal misconduct; he just called the employers of people who stood in the way of his boss's will. Sunday, July 22, 2007
Window Closed.... By a Ref? SAJU has a post up wondering with the Kurt Thomas trade if the Suns' championship window has already closed. I've always feared that given their luxury tax woes and Steve Nash's age and bad back, that the Suns were in year-to-year territory. Now comes the icing on the cake. This past year the Suns playoff series against the Spurs was, for all intents and purposes, the NBA Championship; Dallas had been knocked out and the East was pitiful. Key Suns players Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire were suspended by the Commissioner for Game 5 for a ticky-tack interpretation of leaving the bench. After losing Game 5, the Suns were cooked. Now the question is should they have lost Game 3 of the series? The Suns lost that game by 7 with Stoudemire reduced to 21 minutes because of foul trouble. Bill Simmons says maybe not because of one man who worked that game... referee Tom Donaghy. Donaghy, yeah that guy, the same guy who is under federal investigation for betting on games in which he officiated. Simmons links to a post he wrote soon after that Game 3: Congratulations to Greg Willard, Tim Donaghy and Eddie F. Rush for giving us the most atrociously officiated game of the playoffs so far: Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series. Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington and Violet Palmer must have been outraged that they weren't involved in this mess. Good golly. Most of the calls favored the Spurs, but I don't even think the refs were biased -- they were so incompetent that there was no rhyme or reason to anything that was happening. Other than the latest call in NBA history (a shooting foul for Ginobili whistled three seconds after the play, when everyone was already running in the other direction), my favorite moment happened near the end, when the game was already over and they called a cheap bump on Bruce Bowen against Nash, so the cameras caught Mike D'Antoni (the most entertaining coach in the league if he's not getting calls) screaming sarcastically, "Why start now? Why bother?" What a travesty. Not since the cocaine era from 1978-1986 has the league faced a bigger ongoing issue than crappy officiating. Suns win Game 3 and all of the sudden Game 5 doesn't look as critical. Suns don't have the 2 players suspended for Game 5 and we're looking at NBA Champions. Way to go NBA. This is why I stopped watching the NBA in favor of more honest sports... like professional bass fishing and ultimate fighting. Friday, July 20, 2007
Harry Potter Secret Revealed Tonight's release of the final Harry Potter book has all the markings of a series finale for a TV show. Given that we just went through this nonsense with the Sopranos and I have had to listen to my kids spout theories non-stop over the past 3 weeks about what will happen, let me offer my prediction: In the penultimate chapter there will be a spectacular final battle between Potter and Voldemort that will tie up all loose ends and see the death of not 1 but 2 beloved characters. The details of that chapter will unimportant because the real shocker comes in the final few pages when we learn that.... .... Harry Potter is really 35-years old and lives in his parents' basement in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He not only owns every Dungeons & Dragons book ever printed but dreamed the whole 7-book series a la Bob Newhart. Tale of Two Stories The Blogosphere is abuzz over the New Republic’s story “Shock Troops” which depicts American soldiers committing various atrocities (and just atrocious behavior) in Iraq including
The net result of the article is to make American troops in Iraq look like Tamerlane or Genghis Khan, reminiscent of John Kerry’s Winter Soldiers testimony. A second story was posted a few weeks ago by Web journalist Michael Yon who accompanied American and Iraqi troops as reoccupied a village abandoned by Al Queda. The village was deserted, though the streets were strewn with livestock and farm animals that were killed, presumably, by Al Queda, before it evacuated. Later soldiers found a mass grave containing women and children in a nearby palm grove and by the end of the day, at least ½ dozen bodies were uncovered with more digging to be done. What makes Yon’s story interesting is the fact that the media, who were busily covering the battle in nearby Buqubah, hardly picked up the story of how Al Queda devastated a local village in a cold-blooded and barbarous fashion. Now for my 2 points. First, the story of American atrocities and atrocious behavior is attributed to an American soldier whose identity is shielded by the New Republic. Despite this anonymous sourcing, the story is picked up and printed in a highly respected magazine. Yon’s story of the Al Queda village massacre is documented by pictures and on-site reporting and yet went largely unreported. Second, when Michael Goldfarb of the Weekly Standard smelled a rat in the New Republic story he posted a plea on the Web for commentary by those of military experience. What flooded in was a list of people who either served at the forward operating base in question over the past 18 months, were expert IFV drivers, or had experience as senior NCO within combat units. While they said depraved behavior was not unknown in the military, these commentators pointed out that:
In other words within a few days using public resources, Mr. Goldfarb cast considerable doubt on the New Republic story. You wonder if TNR's editors and fact-checkers exercised similar due diligence. Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The All-Seeing Eye of Skip If you haven't heard already, former Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza's house burned down the other night. While bummer doesn't begin to describe the feeling in the Rimsza family right now, no one got hurt; so let's be thankful. El Gringo has a post expressing curiosity on why Skip decided to live by Tatum and Shea instead of along the Central Corridor or the Biltmore. I can see two reasons why: First Skip lives south of the intersection in that area of Tatum my wife likes to think of as "north Paradise Valley" or in other words as close as you can get to living there but still be able to be run for office in Phoenix. Second, Dr. Franciosi writes: Heck, Tatum and Shea are probably not close to even the 50-year buildout of light rail. It's not even near the Dreamy Draw park-n-ride. I'm sorry to say but the light rail is scheduled to be completed as far as Paradise Valley Mall, a mere mile or so from Skip Manor, by 2025. Not even close to 50 years. Of course by 2025 we'll be using flying cars flown by monkey butlers and MAG will still be saying we're just one more light-rail extension from getting the whole system out of the red. Side-note: Planet Utah and Espresso Pundit have posts on the quixotic tragedy of Skip's aborted run for Secretary of State. Mayors and Election Dates My previous post on changing the date for mayoral elections in Phoenix has gotten some e-mail heat and the criticism have fallen into 1 of 2 general categories. First, the idea of amending 16-204 and adding yet another date for elections bothers some as somehow wrecking the integrity of the electoral calendar. Please... if there is one thing that is not sacred in Arizona is the scheduling of election days. You haven't lived until you show up during your lunch hour to vote in a May school bond election and find that you have been the fifth person to show up, with the first three probably being the poll workers. I still remember Mayor Gordon's crocodile tears from last year's March bond election when the turn-out was only 15% and he wondered why turnout couldn't be like the good old days when it was 21%. The question is when do you want to have the odd election date for the mayor's race? Do you want it to be the general election in September when there is actually something to decide or the occasional run-off election in January or February? Second, a few people said that if people don't want to take the time and trouble to follow the mayoral campaign and then vote then that's fine, leave the election to voters who actually give a darn. I'm a little more sympathetic to this argument but I reject it because the focus is misplaced. The question is not why people don't vote in September and May; rather the question is why they hold big elections at times of the year when they know people don't vote. Rock and a Hard Place In my household, when the words "sports" and horror" are used in the same sentence it is usually because Chad Tracy is at bat with runners in scoring position. However now it takes on a whole new, and much more serious, meaning. Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick has just been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to dog fighting. The business, I refuse to call it a sport, involves pit bulls who are bred and trained to fight one another within a pit. Such fights continue until either one dog submits or is killed with the living loser often killed by its owner through strangulation, drowning, or gun shot. It's supposed to be quite the industry with purses going upwards of $100,000, champion dogs sold for $40,000, and a whole industry of underground magazines and DVDs. When this story broke in the Spring, Mr. Vick admitted that such actions went on at his property but claimed that he had no prior knowledge of it. Now that he had been indicted, the questions is what becomes of Mr. Vick's career as an NFL QB? Lester Munson has an interesting piece over at ESPN.com outlining the legal odds facing Vick but even with the Richmond federal court's "rocket docket" it's doubtful any verdict will be reached by the end of the NFL season. Does the NFL wait under the presumption of innocence? I say no. I don't know all the technicalities of the agreement between the NFL and its players union and imagine lawyers at the NFL are right now looking at every comma and preposition in that agreement but the problem with Mr. Vick's actions is that he has made it close to impossible for the Falcons football team to approach its upcoming season with anything approaching normalcy. Keep in mind that Vick's initial court appearance is on the same day that training camp opens. The Falcons would then have to prepare for the season with Vick serving as a constant media circus. It's doubtful, he would be able to to do his job. Strike One Then there is the fact that this story has been circulating in the media for the past several months with reports that the Falcons ownership and the NFL Commissioner have asked Mr. Vick to come clean on the story and get ahead of it, but so far all Vick has done is blame others for the dog fighting on his property. Given a chance and with the NFL cracking down on criminal behavior throughout the league, Vick decided to make a fool out of the league brass and his own owner. Strike Two Mr. Vick is multi-million dollar industry; with his huge contract and numerous endorsement deals. He is the public face of the franchise, a face the team recommitted to this past off-season when they decided to trade back-up and heir apparent Matt Schaub to Houston. In short, Vick has been granted an enormous degree of public responsibility and was rewarded for it. In turn... he squandered it. Strike Three I won't go as far as to say he should be released outright, though the past four months provides enough evidence for it. Keep in mind that the Bears released Tank Johnson after he was stopped and arrested under suspicion of DUI, despite the fact that the charges were later dropped after blood tests proved Mr. Johnson was below the legal limit. When you are a public figure in the spotlight, earning massive amounts of money, the criteria for holding your job is tougher than the presumption of innocence within a court of law. So here's what I think the NFL and Falcons should do... tell Mr. Vick to take a leave of absence for the remainder of the season. Pay him for it if you must but tell him to go away and get his life in order. If he is proved innocence, welcome him back with open arms. If he is found guilty of a felony, whether he ends up in jail or not, cut him and then ban him from the league for the next season. To those who have been given much, much is expected. Monday, July 16, 2007
Phoenix Mayoral Electoral Tsunami There will be an election for mayor of Phoenix this September 11. Please contain your excitement Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the country, its mayoral election is two months away, and no one cares. Part of it is due to the fact that the incumbent, Phil Gordon, has a massive campaign fund and no serious opposition. However part of it is due to the fact that it's July and the weather is oven-like with a chance of extreme baking. Not only is it too hot to pay attention but a nice chunk of town clears out in July and August. Of course that is all the more reason to have an important election in early September so that everyone can spend the summer paying rapt attention to politics. The excitement shows as the 2003 mayoral election had the fantastic turnout of.... 21% Is this is a satisfactory state of affairs? To hold elections for the top job n the biggest city in Arizona in the September of odd-numbered years? If you wanted to suppress voter interest and hold down turn-out, you couldn't design a better election calendar. The official reason, or the reason I was told down at City Hall, was that the election is held in September so that a run-off election can be held in November, if needed. However the odds that such a run-off would be needed are outweighed by the fact that the early election date generates such miserable turn-out. So here's my proposal... First move the Phoenix city election to November. The let's go back and re-re-amend ARS 16-204 (yes we did just change it this year) and add one more provision; the option to have cities hold run-off elections in late January or mid-February following a November plurality. Rather than running an election in the stealthy heat of summer, we could actually have a real electoral campaign during the chilly 90-degree weather of autumn. Example One Million or Something of Why the UN is a Sick Joke From China Military Online: China began to get involved in the UN's peacekeeping operations in 1989. In that year, the Chinese government sent nonmilitary experts to join the UN Namibia transitional period aid group to oversee the Namibia general election. What in either experience or outlook would lead you to believe that the China would be qualified to oversee any democratic election? At least they were non-military experts and weren't fresh off this. Friday, July 13, 2007
A Day of Mourning My wife is walking around the house stunned and in grief for the end is nigh and the world as we know it will change forever... .... next year all D'backs games will be on cable. I guess we'll have to break down and get cable or just start eating family dinners in bars that are showing the games. The Problem with North American Professional Soccer The big sports (and probably entertainment) news of the moment is the arrival David Poshly Spiced Beckham in the US to play for the Major League Soccer Los Angeles Galaxy. I have no issue with Beckham coming, it would be good for soccer and it would be good for me -if I cared. What I do have an issue with is the money they are paying him, a 5-year contract worth about $32.5 million. The joke about the MLS and Beckham is that it reminds me of the North American Soccer League and the New York Cosmos- remember when Pele, Beckenbauer, and Chinaglia (I love you!) The team seemed to pay and over-pay for every over-the-hill foreign star, the NASL and the Cosmos enjoyed a few brief seasons of fame, and then the fan base realized they didn't like soccer and stopped coming. The MLS has sort of teetered around for the past 10 years as a minor-league professional sport but it seems to have a core fan base and a stable economical model based on the realization that it occupies the same niche as Arena Football and monster trucks. Nothing wrong with that... history is littered with professional sports leagues which didn't understand the limits of their appeal (think of the Canadian Football League expanding to Alabama.) Maybe Beckham will be different as the league is a single entity, but the basics are going to be the same. Despite millions of adults who played soccer as a kid, the MLS continues to draw at about the same level as a good AAA minor league baseball team. Personally I hail the arrival of David Beckham as beginning the process of ending our long national nightmare and finally ridding our great land of the curse of professional soccer. You want to watch good soccer on TV? Go to Telemundo.... and you can learn some Spanish while you are at it. The Return of Special Agent Johnny Utah Long-time Arizona blogger and Zonitics emeritus Special Agent Johnny Utah returns to the scene with a new effort.... Planet Utah Same great content, but this time on Typepad. I think his solution for Iraq will solve many other problems. Monday, July 9, 2007
Arizona's Paper of Record and Race Baiting My earlier post regarding AZ Republic columnist Joe Garcia's race baiting deals with a situation that is exceptional for the Republic because it is so open and blatant as opposed to stealthy and implied. Open and blatant because Mr. Garcia decided to come out and call those who were opposed to the recent immigration bill as not wanting "brown people" people. Doesn't matter what your reasons were for opposing the legislation in question, you are a racist for doing so. Stealthy and implied because for the past several years (at least) the Arizona Republic, which despite its cratering circulation is still the state's paper of record, has refused to call a spade a spade. When you were taught how to construct an argument in school, you learned that word choice is critical. Just because thesaurus kicks back 20 (or so) different synonyms for the word "good", doesn't mean that all 20 words can be used interchangeably. Each word has a specific definition for a specific context and that you ignored that definition at your own peril. Creativity was admired but precision in forensics was sacred. The problem with the Republic is that for the past several years, it has called illegal immigrants either "migrants" or "undocumented immigrants" or "undocumented workers." The term that you use to describe the people in question is critical because it will largely define your solution; it is not a frivolous choice. If the people are "illegal immigrants" then the question becomes what to do regarding their illegal status; do you legalize them, deport them, strengthen the border and tighten visa monitoring to stop future illegal immigrants, or some combination of all 3? The term focuses the debate on the critical aspect of the problem, the schwerpunkt if you will. If the people are "undocumented immigrants" or migrants, the question of their legal status becomes secondary or even delegitimized as a proper topic for debate. Twenty years ago, a migrant was thought of someone who was a legal worker and moved from state to state to work temporary jobs, primarily in agriculture. Now the term is being used to describe someone who moves across international boundaries as if the US-Mexico border is little different than the California-Arizona. To call someone "undocumented" focuses debate not necessarily on their legal status but instead on their lack of immigration papers, subtly implying that the proper course of action is some form of legalization. Different terms mean different questions. Different questions mean different answers. The Republic knows that... Joe Garcia knows that. It is as obvious a strategy as threatening to call anyone a racist who calls for tighter border enforcement, skeptical of blanket amnesty provisions, and pushing English language instruction; the surest way to silence someone in modern American society. They have poisoned the well. They should be ashamed of themselves. I am a Racist So says Arizona Republic columnist Joe Garcia Sigh... "They must learn English!" "They must learn English!" Anti-immigrant forces have that stipulation atop their laundry list of what must be done before Spanish-speaking newcomers can ever even be considered to become new Americans. I do have that stipulation as well considering that one of the requirements to become a naturalized citizen, with only a few exceptions for long-resident older applicants, is a working knowledge of English Meanwhile, lawmakers ended their 2007 session without addressing a federal judge's order to increase state funding for English-language learner programs. Arizona could face millions of dollars in fines for stubbornly failing to act. And how many phone calls of "They must learn English!" do you think legislators are getting? This is at best a strawman... I would suggest that Mr. Garcia dial-up fellow Republic columnist Robert Robb who has written extensively on the subject. The fact is the Arizona Legislature has appropriated money for English language learner programs but not to the extent that US District Court judge Raner Collins finds acceptable. The matter is up for review by the US 9th Circuit Court. You can disagree with what the Legislature has done, but you cannot say that they have failed to address the issue except in the sense that they failed to allow a federal judge to dictate specific amounts of appropriations. That would be my guess, too. This is just another item on a much-longer laundry list of hypocrisies that anti-immigration fanatics carry in their back pocket. Failure to do exactly as Mr. Garcia wishes or he will have you branded a hypocrite... The truth be told, they don't want more brown people coming here. Period. ....and he will have you branded a racist. That's right, Mr. Garcia and I differ on approaches to funding English language learner programs so I must hate "brown people." There is no reasonable room to disagree on policy. Sorry, but Arizona -- rich in Mexican culture and history -- will never be Wisconsin. Neither will be Mississippi or New Hampshire, states that are unique in their own rich local culture, but what's your point? That to make those who aspire to American citizenship learn English is a racist act? The Return of Luis Gonzalez Right about the time the D'backs were blowing a heart-breaker yesterday in Cincinnati, their future was on display in San Francisco during the Futures Game. The annual match-up, played the Sunday before the All Star Game, involves the top prospects in A and AA minor league ball; in other words the stars of tomorrow. The MVP of the game was a prospect in the Dodgers organization but the real story was the coming-out party of D'backs AA outfielder Justin Upton, the #1 draft pick of the 2005 draft. Upton is a 5-tool player in the words of an observer from yesterday's game, " Wow. I’m not sure that Justin Upton needs any more time in the minor leagues." He is projected to make the club by 2008, perhaps as soon as next month. The problem the D'backs face is the same as they did in 2006. Last year, fan favorite Luis Gonzalez was in the final year of his contract and the team had to decide whether to re-sign him or go with young phenom Carlos Quentin for the next year. Judging Gonzo by his age, his salary (even on a reduced contract he would make 10x Quentin's pay in 2007), and his lousy defense the team went with Quentin and cut Ghim loose. Now Gonzo is having a fine year and Quentin is back in AAA but the D'backs face the same decision with 2007 fan favorite Eric Byrnes who becomes eligible for free agency after this season. Byrnes , who is having an All Star-caliber season, is 31 and will be looking to make a killing on his contract; I'm thinking around 5 to 6 years at about $10 million per. The problems with signing Byrnes are: 1) His is 31, considered at his prime or just past it. Not only would you be paying him at the peak of his production, it is likely that he would significantly underperform the last few years of his contract (see Jay Bell and Matt Williams) 2) While he is on his way to a great season, this would mark the first time he has put together back-to-back quality seasons. Taking a look at his stats you see he has had only 2 previous quality seasons prior to this year. Hardly the track record you want before giving away the bank to a 31-year old ball player. 3) He's in the way The third point is the killer. Not only do the D'backs have Upton waiting down on the farm to come up but they have another outfielder, Carlos Gonzalez, who was the star of last year's Futures Game. While it's tricky to project prospects, both Gonzalez and Upton are blue chippers whose production would likely exceed that of Byrnes by their 2nd or 3rd year of their career with the added bonus that they would cost a fraction of the salary. However for either of them to play, somebody from the current outfield has to go.... Chris Young? With his talent and moxie, not a chance. Carlos Quentin? Maybe especially if he doesn't get untracked but everything about his minor league career and 2006 season scream solid ball player. That leaves.... .... Eric Byrnes. If you want an opposite opinion, read Bickley's column from the other week which makes the emotional case for retaining a fan favorite. However with a team that is still paying 1/3 of its payroll in deferred salary to fan favorites from the 2001 team and with a rich history of paying large contracts to players at the tail-end of their careers who didn't perform to their new salaries (Gonzo, Williams, Bell) there is only one prudent choice. Let the kid play. Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Man Cave Last week I applied a beating to the retail clones that have spread across the Valley, where cities throw money to lure malls and power centers filled with the same old stores and restaurants. I would like to tell you of an exception. Last Saturday I was introduced to a store located in a small cluster of buildings between Chandler Blvd and Chandler Fashion Square. Within 15 minutes: * I had selected a fine cigar from an extensive humidor * I had ensconced myself on a luxurious leather couch * I was served with a tasty beer (Stone Smoker Porter) * The D'backs game was on the big screen in the lounge * While it was 110 outside, I was in air conditioned comfort on the inside. Beer, tobacco, sports, and camaraderie... heaven is must be a grand place indeed. The place? Matchstix... give them your business and tell them Nadine Basha sent ya. DISCLAIMER: My term "man cave" should not be taken to mean that women are excluded though one gent showed up saying he had an hour before he had to return home for more housework. My wife loves baseball, enjoys a good beer, doesn't mind cigar smoke, and is only repulsed by the lack of peanuts and sunflower seeds with which to watch the game. DISCLAIMER 2: My reference to heaven is not imply the Father and Son spend their time lighting up stogies, drinking fine ale, and watching sports especially given the way the D'backs play. However I had such a simple yet enjoyable experience that not only did I think I had a religious experience but I did pay more attention at church on Sunday Friday, July 6, 2007
Welcome to the New Boss.... Laurie Roberts points to an article in the Arizona Daily News about Tucson Congressman Raul Grijalva and the $178 million worth of earmark requests for next year's budget. Some of the requested projects are: - $6 million to the University of Arizona to continue the U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Program. -$160,000 for programs at Wingspan, a -$200,000 to build a plaza at St. Augustine Cathedral in downtown -$550,000 for the National Student/Parent Mock election. - $1.2 million for streetscape improvements to Oracle Roadand a real potential winner: - $250,000 to Pima County for "Canoa Ranch" I wondered what Canoa Ranch was... as close as I can figure out it's a county park which has the formal name of: "Raúl M. Grijalva - Canoa Ranch Conservation Park" I wonder why the taxpayers across our great land are funding shrimp farming in the marine mecca of southern Arizona, nationally vital infrastructure improvements on Oracle Road, and construction of national importance such as plazas in downtown Tucson... not to mention what looks like county parks named after Mr. Grijalva. At least he didn't want a bridge to nowhere. Why do they do it? "If you fail to bring home the bacon, people will make a point of it in the campaign," Zimmerman said. That's why Grijalva says freshmen in vulnerable swing districts, like Giffords, will be taken care of best this year. Although Grijalva is now in the majority, he's in a safe Demo-cratic district, which affects his requests. "Obviously the freshmen in tight districts, to try to maintain the majority, they'll probably receive an inordinate amount of resources," Grijalva said. But he added, "I think need should continue to be a valid criteria, and it should be a factor with equal importance as anything else." The federal budget as an electoral piggy back? I thought that ended when the Republicans were booted out of the majority.... "I think need .... should be a factor with equal importance as anything else." Well thank goodness for that Thursday, July 5, 2007
Smoke N’Oakum News from our neighbor to the north … Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion served notice on Prime Minister Stephen Harper that he can forget the idea of persuading the three main opposition parties to agree on extending Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan past February, 2009. "This consensus will never exist," Mr. Dion told a news conference yesterday called to mourn the death of six more Canadian soldiers in southern Afghanistan…. … Earlier, NDP Leader Jack Layton said Canada should pull out all its troops now and not wait until 2009. "The strategy we're following is wrong; we should take our troops out," Mr. Layton said, asserting that NATO's presence in Afghanistan is only serving to increase civilian backing for the Taliban. A quick note of clarification. While Canada is one of many NATO nations that has sent troops to Afghanistan to be part of the International Security Assistance Force, it one of the few countries willing to put its soldiers in harm’s way. By all accounts the Canadians have fought well and have also taken its proportionate share of the causalities, While the number of troops Canada has deployed seems small, around 2500, the impact of its withdrawal will be large: The growing possibility that Canada's 2,500 troops will be out of Kandahar by February of 2009 is causing mounting concern at NATO headquarters in Brussels, according to Charles Heyman, an independent British defence analyst and editor of The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. "It's not panic yet but it's at the nail-biting stage," Mr. Heyman said in a telephone interview. The problem is that NATO cannot afford to lose the 2,500 Canadian troops in the south, when in fact what is needed are substantially more soldiers, he said. The argument that the Democrats have given for withdrawing from Iraq is that not only is the American presence is not only counter-productive, but that we are trapped in the middle of a civil war that we cannot win. Better we get out of the way between the Sunnis and Shiites, stop inciting the insurgents by being a presence in their country, and force the Iraqi government to get its act together rather than use American troops as cannon fodder. Most Democrats say that leaving Iraq will allow us to focus on…. Afghanistan. However why should Afghanistan be any different? The Canadian argument of 2007 regarding Afghanistan probably presages the future debate in the US. This is a war that despite crushing US victories shows no sign of ending with the enemy enjoying both protected sanctuaries in Pakistan and ethnic collaborators in southern Afghanistan, has a secure source of financing, and with the allies having too few troops to properly secure the country. In other words the enemy controls the tempo of operations. Add in the fact that the Afghan Army is far too weak to fight the war on its own and you start to get a quagmire that looks eerily familiar to Iraq Add in the fact that Afghanistan has rarely enjoyed any type of stable central government and you can forgive someone from wondering why we are there… certainly many people in Canada are with popular support for its military deployment dropping since the casualty rate went up. In fact if you apply the arguments the Democrats use for withdrawing from Iraq, you are left wondering why American forces should be fighting anywhere. That's a question to which few Democrats seem to have an answer to these days. Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Power Center Me Some links on yesterday's theme regarding the sprouting of retail clones throughout the Valley.... Exurban League has thoughts on the lack of diversity in dining options The East Valley Trib puts in its own 2 cents For the record... I would feel a lot better about the blandness if the cities that approve these projects would mandate better beer options at each and every development. Unlike gas stations and check cashing stores, you can never have too many places that have Sierra Nevada Porter on tap. Happy Independence Day A quick thought... Back in 1776 when the Founding Fathers gathered to sign the Declaration of Independence, they pledged their "life, liberty, and sacred honor." Let's take a moment to think what that meant. These men were for the most promiment men in the American colonies in terms of fame, wealth, and intellectual achievement. Take a quick sampling of the Fortune 500 and public intellectuals of today and you'll have a basic idea of the caliber of people who were present in Philadelphia. Yet each of these men in a supreme act of courage put all of that at risk by openly signing a document that made them rebels against the British Crown, an act punishable by death. In a piece last week for the Wall Street Journal, David McCullough pointed out that many of the signers did not affix their signatures to the Declaration until well after July 4th. That meant those men made this open act of rebellion after a massive British invasion fleet arrived at New York City. Perhaps some of them did not sign until after Washington's army was chased out of Manhattan, nearly escaping destruction. You wonder if those men felt the noose around their necks as they wrote their names. Men of honor and courage. Eat your heart out George Soros Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Btw... 4th of July is a date on a calendar.... tomorrow we celebrate Independence Day. Feel free to be petty and lecture anyone and everyone who tells you otherwise tomorrow. Oh and just because it is the day that celebrates the founding of our nation and everything that it stands for... doesn't mean I won't be celebrating it with homemade ribs and pie. I'm very sure Thomas Jefferson would be doing the very same thing if he was at my house; that Professor Witt and I probably would have some common ground to agree on. Chillin' in the Summer Time We try to get to Diamondbacks games on Wednesdays for 2 simple reasons: 1) We like going to games 2) Every Wednesday, kids get a voucher for a free popcorn, soda, and hot dog Add up the free food with the free parking and the cheap seats and you have a great night out for a family of four. Recently the D'backs have been keeping the roof open for night games, feeling that the air conditioning and the night sky will still keep fans comfortable while at the same time eliminating the dome atmosphere. The change in atmosphere is remarkable as Chase Field looks very different with the roof open. As far as the fan comfort though.... oh boy. I have heard D'back management say that the climate is just fine, but for us up in the cheap seats it was like baking in an oven. Given that the attendance for weeknight games is usually less than 30,000 that means we can always find a cooler seat. All in all a small price to pay for a better ballpark experience and please keep that roof open.... but don't tell me it's not just a bit uncomfortable. The Face of the Beast Yesterday Governor Napolitano signed HB 2515 which would penalize Valley cities that give tax breaks for retailers. For years, local city governments gave away millions in tax breaks to companies to build retail developments on their side of the city line. Coincidentally I went to the movies on Sunday, but more on that in a minute. Tempe Marketplace n at the corner of McClintock and the Rio Salado Parkway is a prime example of the problem HB 2515 tried to solve. Not only did Tempe use its power of eminent domain to force out local businesses so the proper amount of land could be assembled, but it also threw tens of millions in tax breaks at Marketplace. In short, the whole retail complex is a monument to the problems of municipal economic development policy. It's also lousy. Sunday night, I ended up at Marketplace to catch a movie and while the theater was about the only business open at this point, you can get a pretty good idea of what the development will look like... and it looks like crap. I understand that Tempe like many Valley cities chases sales tax dollars and the developers that build those shopping complexes like safe bets when it comes to signing long-term leases. That means yet another Red Robin or Best Buy. Yet another power center dressed up as a southern version of Desert Ridge but without the saving grace of an In-N-Out Burger or decent beer. Couldn't Tempe been a little more creative than this? Sic Simper Tyrannis The theme of the President as King George continues in the July 4th edition of the Washington Post as John Fabian Witt states that the Declaration of Independence was also about laws of war: Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia drew up charges denouncing King George III to the world. The accusations were to serve as the core of the declaration. The climactic final charges, for which the rest were prologue, indicted the king for war crimes. Britain's navy, wrote Jefferson and the Congress, had "plundered our Seas," while its armies had "ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People." Jefferson accused the British of employing legions of foreign mercenaries to commit acts of death and desolation "scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages," acts unworthy of civilized nations. He charged British forces with taking Americans hostage and compelling them to bear arms against their own country. Of course this lesson in history is used to make a current point, that President Bush is in violation of the spirit of the Declaration of Independence through his conduct in the War on Terror and the Iraq War. I'll leave aside the fact that the President has seen both conflicts as a fight for freedom in combating fine folks like Saddam, the Taliban, and Al Queda; certainly in line with "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. " Instead I'll make a simple point for Professor Witt.... Thomas Jefferson wrote those words outlining the deeds of King George III as the basis for America declaring its independence, not to make some universal statement on the proper conduct of war or to drag the British sovereign in front of an 18th Century version of a war crimes tribunal. He wrote them for the simple reason that there is little basis to stick around as part of a country when your taxes go to pay for war to be levied against you... sort of a hint that at best you'll be a second class citizen. |
