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I attack the bastion that Iowa should be the first primary… For one, it is not a primary. For two, it is not indicative of the whole United States, and three, it has been hyperbolated far beyond it’s own net worth.. In essence, both Iowa and New Hampshire, are harmful to the American voting process…. very harmful.
Essentially we allow less than 100,000 campaign volunteers, to determine the front runner. Not even close to the population of one entire state… The Iowa Caucus is not a contest that determines who is the best candidate for our nation. It is a contest of whom can organize the most of their supporters… buy them outright, if need be…..Hitler would win Iowa. Obviously the candidate who states, I will protect the wealthy’s money, has quite an edge….
How many is 100,000……?
And how does that compare to the entire USA?
(right click on picture to display full image)
The stats are as follows…
100,000 / 307,000,000 = 0.00033 or 0.033%….
African Americans make up just 2.8% of Iowa’s population. Worse, when Reagan won, in 1980 they were below 1.4%…
Iowa was ranked number two, behind Wisconsin as the worst place for blacks to live…
Latinos make up 5% of the Iowa’s population.
On a better note, 11.4% of Iowa’s are represented by unions… compared to the national average of 11.4%…
Iowa was estimated to be 56% metropolitan in 2007. Meaning 44% of it’s population is non metropolitan… The national rural/urban split is 21/79%.
In 2008, estimated $51,593,849 was spent by candidates on the 2008 Iowa Caucus. The 16 candidates for the 2008 presidential election raised and spent a grand total of $457,802,866 by the end of 2007, with the winners continuing on to spend in future races.
If there ever was an situation set up perfectly where an election could be bought, Iowa would become the perfect model.
Which could explain the extreme and excessive variables that Iowa has shown this cycle… First it was Michelle Bachmann who was hot… Then she disappeared as Rick Perry waltzed across the stage… Even his jobs record became outshown by the devil’s plan turned upside down, .. 999.… Until a too cocky Cain, resigned.. Gingrich lurched into favoritism… until he too discorporated … Suddenly a surge swept up number 2, Ron Paul.. but now, with the endorsement of a two single preachers, Rick Santorium, who I believe was originally under the 1% threshold at the beginning, is now rumored by ABC News to be able to win it all!!..
This is madness. This is Iowa. This is why we do not get qualified people into office… (from either party.) Are Iowa people dumb? Can Iowa people not make up their mind? Are Iowa people that uninformed? Are Iowa people that crazy? ….
Or,
…. are Iowa people being played by the press, and hoopla, and rest of the nations is stuck with their decisions…..
It is time another state issues a challenge to the prognosis that New Hampshire and Iowa need to be first.
ideally it would be state that was the first to ratify the Constitution. Ideally it would be a state that mirrors the national statistics a little better than some of the others. ideally it would be a state that has no television station. Ideally it would be a state where no one listens to the radio. Ideally it would be a state where one-on-one contact was possible with a large proportion of that state’s population. Ideally it would be a state with 11.9% of its workers represented by unions, equivalent to the national average of 11.9% of its workers represented by unions. Ideally its rural/urban split at 22/78% would mirror the nations rural/urban split at 21/79%… Ideally its African American mix (21.4%) would mirror that of America, 12.4%… Ideally its Hispanic population would do the same…. (8.2%/16.3%) and most particularly, in order to be representative of America as a whole, the non Hispancic white race should mirror that of the nation as a whole… 65.3% to 63.5%
There is a state that is far more similar to any pre campaign state out there.. it is the first state to ratify the Constitution….
It is time for courage to take over the wheel.. Those timid party reps who cow at the the National Political Machines, when it is nothing more than a self bloated paper tiger, need replaced by human beings who deeply care about the country.
Delaware losing representation at a convention, will make little difference in that convention’s outcome.. But sticking to our small state’s guns, and making Delaware the first state to hold a primary, would put a voice of reason, a system of control, and even sanity, back into our electoral process. It would also inspired a national media Maddow conversion, named after her experience in the Deer Park Tavern last cycle, where she was blown away that there existed a state, who’s citizens actually were well informed by sources other than commercials and the main stream media, and actually knew what was happening…. For it was a revelation: like “duh, common people aren’t stupid after all.” Perhaps the sanity that is Delaware, needs to become more mainstream… after all…
Looking at Iowa this year, it sure as hell couldn’t hurt….
Courtesy of Department of Defense
“By the first light of the third day, look to the East!”
Everyone knows that living starts on the weekend… That makes Monday the third day… It is my sincere hope to return this feature back to its original time-slot so those starting their week, have something worthy to follow… Of course that leaves “Around the Horn” to synopsize on Friday, so between the two of us, we have full weekly coverage….
I apologize to Deldem of Delaware Liberal if this first return edition bashes up against his on vacation version of what went down this week…
So what happened this weekend?
Shirley opens with a story of what being an American is all about. The teary eye part made me proud that America still recognizes its heroes, and goes out of their way to make sure they know it… All of us can learn a lesson from this post…. When was the last time you went out of your way to make a member of our armed services feel welcomed?
She carries another idea that I will be stealing shortly.. It’s from down under. and it certainly is worthy of the read, if you haven’t caught it earlier…. it’s just another way of self expression…. 🙂
Aside from seven videos of varying topics, one an hour and twenty-six minutes long, and four quotes, the memorable posts on Delaware Liberals this weekend are the following… (We only covered the full first two pages, lol)… Their best was this one, The Morning After….. which describes the cuts to the state budget… “The Morning After” in this case does not refer to contraception, but is instead, related to the budgetary announcement made by Jack Markell on Thursday…. It begins with….
March 19, 2009 will forever be remembered as the date that Delaware’s Gilded Age officially ended. An age that was literally ‘built on a house of (credit) cards’ is no more.
The interesting point is that ultimately, it is the responsibility of the wealthy to carry the weight of the rest of us. Pandora follows the same theme with “What’s In The Water At CNBC”: apparently someone argued on that show that Wall Street couldn’t be run by anyone making under $250,000…… the unsaid premise is that the wealthy, who are overpaid for their results, need to make sacrifices so those making less, do not have to…
However the most uplifting piece of the entire weekend, was on this blog and had nothing to do with the economy… or the wealthy… It is about race, and in a spirited fashion on the weekend that Battlestar Galactica ended its 6 year run, Cassandra puts this vignette forward… I’m impressed she saw it, since she admits she doesn’t watch the best show on television this decade. Next to Obama’s Philadelphia campaign speech on the reality of “race”, this is as good as it gets….
This blog has taken on new life with the economic crises swirling around us… In an amazing piece, Steve Newton (in real time) breaks down the implication of Markell’s budget cuts and other attempts to balance the budget, and illustrates how those cuts will affect our employees… I can proudly say, it as good, or better than that other Delaware blogger who is prone to such analysis…… Again the same theme comes out…..
But the reality doesn’t work that way. If you eliminate one unnecessary management position making $120K, then you have saved enough money to keep thirty employees at the $40K and below level from having to take a hit.
Again the message is simple: Cut off the top to save those on the bottom, holding everything up… The shocking truth of what happens when citizens are preoccupied with other matters than their government, showed up in this comment…. “a vacant position in my agency, one that had been vacant for 1 1/2 years got filled by someone on Minner’s staff. Let me reiterate. WE DID WITHOUT THIS POSITION FOR 1 1/2 YEARS. AND NOW WE FILL IT? Luckily it is not a merit position, so it’s possible that the position gets vacated anyhow. But this is one of those 120k positions. “
Again the message: cut the top to save the bottom….
Delaware Politics begins with their take on Markell’s budget… One noticeable trend has been the life recently pumped back into conservative blogs. I have not yet commented upon it, but…. they were pretty shoddy all election season and up until the inauguration…. But with the Democrats now in the driver’s seats, the conversation among the back seat drivers, has again become interesting to listen to… At least one can feel they are getting pumped up, perhaps stealing the energy leaking away from those liberal blogs, who are now getting tired, and starting to wind down in their ardor and intensity…
Dave Burris does his take on Markell’s budget… Most notably he notices the lack of cuts in services…
“But when the rubber hit the road, not only did they fail to cut an agency, they didn’t cut ANYTHING. That is a massive failure to lead. We got such a large deficit (I don’t believe the numbers, but maybe you do) because we grew our government at a rate of 2.5 times inflation during the Queen Worthless administration. If we don’t address that, we will continue to have this problem as more and more of the economy is eaten up by the government.”
I noticed there was no mention that the failure of the Bush economy has drastically reduced ALL sources of revenue pouring into state coffers on which our government used to thrive during the last 8 years… But he does agree with Markell on across the board cuts: “I agree with the administration that cutting pay across-the-board is better than across-the-board layoffs in this environment, because layoffs would cost the state unemployment money,”
Interestingly, being conservative in a time of crises, leads to some silly conclusions… This one for example: “the gain from the Gross Receipts Tax increase is a pittance compared to what the state would get if they would just get out of the way and let these small business owners grow the economy”. Really? Currently we have 7.5 % unemployed, and our largest employer, the state, is taking an 8% across the board pay cut? And paying more for medical? And more in taxes? Where is all that money going to come from to allow these small businesses to grow the economy? You can give them a zero tax rate, but it no one spends in their business, they don’t pay taxes anyway… Nope, you need to make people spend, before any type of business aid makes sense…. Small businesses aren’t going to grow… They are just trying to hang on and stay solvent! Screw growth!!!!! lol.
In another attempt at silliness the lovely Marie Evans is proposing the Greenville Casino… The land is available… Three casinos, she points out in a state 96 miles long, with some creative placing, puts one every 16 miles…( as I said: creative placing… lol).. Unfortunately since Greenville is too close to the northern edge, were one to go in up there, her 16 mile theory would be impossible…
Likewise the Special Olympians apology to our and their president, does crack a faint smile….
And I’m outraged, outraged that there is no mention of the Democratic Party in each of these instances.
And the DSEA? They also are outraged, outraged that while arguing for higher taxes on all other people, under Markell’s budget…. THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY HIGHER TAXES TOO… OUTRAGEOUS!!! lol….
Welcome back to the fight guys!
Dana carries the AFSCME demostration over the cutbacks… They want the rainy day fund tapped out so they have their jobs… The only question, besides that is must be repayed every year., is that once spent, then what gets done next year…
Nancy covers the controversy over whether pensions should be capped at higher rates, than those just years away from retirement….
Mike Matthews has a job interview today… GOOD LUCK from all of Delaware’s Blogosphere…
The same theme brought to you by Markell’s budget cuts appears in Byron Short is Wrong (IMO)
In short, the most disappointing thing about Gov. Markell’s proposal is he’s shifting too much burden on the poor, lower-middle class and, in reality, isn’t asking much of those state employees (cabinet heads, directors, etc.) who could stand a tightening of the belt. Or a complete axing of their positions.
Knock something off the top, to save the foundations supporting the bottom…. Where have I heard that before?…
Already two proposals are in state legislature that work to mitigate the effects of the cuts… One doesn’t allow retirees to have the lower wages be used as a determinant of their pension size, and the other, gives two state employee’s married to each other, less cuts than two single state employees sharing an apartment, would get… These bring up questions of fairness.. One can sense in both these proposals that these employees are “entitled” to earning more money.. It’s a valid point.. They are lucky to have jobs… and if they get a “by” or a “pass”, who is it then who gets hit with the charge for allowing them not to carry the load everyone else is being dealt… If they really wanted to have done something constructive… they could have worked for Kerry…. But nooooo, they didn’t.. and now they are paying the price…. We all are.
Where have we heard that sentiment before? I don’t know… but it sounds vaguely familiar…
And some wise words to AFSCME union wannabe’s who wish to increase their power within their organization… “Suck it up and be thankful you still have a job because others will be glad to take it.”
Mike Mahaffie went to the last of the Markell meetings before this budget proposal came out… What is interesting is how the theoretical side of the equation seems dreamlike when compared to the reality all all the posts following the Thursday budgetary announcement… But although Markell was unable to attend due to the death of his father, Mahaffie does capture many of the sentiments “flickering” around the room…. One that stands out, was this gem:
As things wrapped up, Senator Simpson and Representative Carey, both Republicans, made a point of praising Governor Markell, a Democrat, for his bipartisan approach to the budget problem and openness to working together. They pointed out that Sec. Kee is one of several republicans in the Markell cabinet.
“On my count… all hands pull on the ropes…. Heave!”
One of those heaving is Brian from the Mourning Constitution. He tackles sports betting from the revenue side, and argues income beats job cuts….. Bringing money into the state, by making us the Vegas on the east coast, could keep some people some jobs…
For some facing job cutbacks, some good advice on how to survive a panic attack, can be seen here… This lesson might come in handy…. and then again, if you start foreseeing your own death.………
As for the current vacancies at the Delaware DOC – just a month ago at a meeting of the Corrections hearing before the Joint Finance Committee, there were 33 vacancies in order to assure MINIMUM staffing – while in actuality there are over 330 vacancies that need to be filled to assure smooth, safe, and efficient operation of Delaware’s prisons.
Redwaterlily shows us what is occurring across the state simultaneously. Everyone is questioning their department, and wondering how they can afford any more cutbacks… Every department has needs… Every department has hard working employees who are not making the money they deserve… But as El Somnambulo points out above, by law,any extra money is spent in one sector, must be cut from another one…. The total amount is to remain the same… So each time one says they must keep their department open…. They are dooming another department somewhere in the State of Delaware, to double the amount of cuts….
Although quite prolific lately, this was a quiet weekend for the Colassus of Rhody… amounting to this list of what was NOT said by Obama on Jay Leno’s show….
Tommwonk’s weekend contribution deals with: Jack Markell’s budget…. Tommy focuses on how this budget will be perceived by the staff budget meetings…
We are open to discuss other ideas to meet our financial challenges, and in fact encourage your ideas, because the $750M [deficit] we face now may be our best-case scenario, if the fundamentals of the national economy do not improve.
Our best case scenario.. In this sobering piece,
..
The actual budget proposal made by Markell is here…
Looking at our problems…. it is easy to get overwhelmed.. sometimes it helps to realize through out history greater problems have befallen greater numbers of human beings…. But somehow we muddled through… We will muddle throughout this time, ….
And to give us a greater perspective, as always, Duffy weighs in with two sentences… Sentence One….. and Sentence Two….
Remember how this opened? It was a celebration of an American hero… Like them, today we need our wealthy to contribute more to the nation that gave them opportunity. Today we need our wealthy stepping up and heeding the call of their country. Like our young boys who are on foreign soil, they too must suffer the sacrifice, and without grumbling, willingly pay more to the state to cover those expenses incurred assisting those less fortunate than themselves…
Courtesy of Department of Defense
If there is any correlating theme coming from this past week, would have to lie deep within the meaning of this word: fragments.
Whereas before, the blogging community seemed to be one amorphous blob, with all of its patrons joined together in a fight for survival against the study of the illogical (illogogy)…. it almost seems that with the passing of the Bluewater Wind controversy and the closing of Legislative Hall for another 6 months, that without a common enemy, the blogging world is running all over the place, like a week’s worth of wind-up McDonald’s toys set loose at the same time.
It was different last summer. The evil Stockbridge was the ogre of that time. (Copeland and McDowell surfaced as the insidious ones later in the fall)… During those lazy, hazy days, one could always on a slow day count on someone posting something about Mitt Romney. Others could be counted on to praise Obama, or damn Mike Castle, and many Ron Paul supporters were just beginning to get the wind beneath their wings. Giuliani even had a supporter or two, and one Sussex County person, was anticipating the great Fred Thompson’s march all the way into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…. Last summer bred some exciting times. It was a great time to be a blogger…..
This week, each blog is on its own agenda. Even one fascinated with blogs as myself sometimes skims and clicks out if nothing jumps out like a fanged dog at me….That never happened last year… Did we overwork ourselves with all of our successful endeavors?
One difference between the two summers, lies in the march of events. Events have increased their frequency this summer. Every day destiny provides us with a fait accompli before we even get a chance to comment upon it. We will have a presidential campaign soon upon us with two conventions. We will have the Olympics starting on the ominous day of 8/8/8. We are hanging by just a thread from collapsing into the abyss of bank closures, unemployment, with a broke federal government unable to guarantee any other bailout. We will have a good Phillies’ team for once.
But for whatever reason each of us are starbursting, which is management speak for just bouncing around, making a scene, yet accomplishing little in the long term because of a lack of any follow-through…
Everyone is on their own agenda….. If you were new to Delaware’s blog scene and just happened to visit us for the first time this week, you might think Delaware Liberal was misnamed. Although they smatter their posts with some liberal content, most of their time within posts and comments was tied up on the global significance of the Thursday election of Delaware’s hottest blogger. Fortunately Donvitti provides pictorial relief from his blatant lobbying attempt to keep the title coming to himself….. This is worth the visit just to see what some rather famous names look like…..There are also some nice photo’s of some trees…..and portable chairs….. On a serious note, mark your calendars for the Thursday July 31st fundraiser for Tommy….. Voting will be done on site…..
One controversy stirring among Delaware’s elite, is over the use, or misuse of Democratic party funds to fund one candidate over its challenger.
In a detached way it almost seems like we are sifting too hard, forcing out controversies in otherwise everyday occurrences, then fanning the flames, just because we have too little to argue about… (and more like the main stream media than we would like to think)…… to draw attention to ourselves.. We are, after all, human beings too…. But when all is said and done, it still is the party’s money to spend as they see fit. But in judging it’s overall importance, after looking over each blog’s links, this giant controversy also covered by our main stream media, is mentioned in only two blogs, both of which lean towards Markell. Is it then really such a big deal if it is only being mentioned by just one side? Just asking…
Now, moving on……..
Delaware Watch jumps around between the national political scene and controversies occurring on the home front. Taking on the fickle Lee turnabout, it appears that the sentiments of the actual Republican Gubernatorial candidate, do not fall in line completely with his handlers. We in a glimpse see that their party’s flagship candidate, who until he was restrained by his programmers, actually had a moment of courage and credibility. With his reversal, we see we are now exposed to just another hologram, a human face put on some shady backroom dealings….He is truly just following his handler’s directions…… On the national front, Delaware Watch covers the real reason McCain reversed himself and went with offshore drilling…. It wasn’t for America’s interests……it was done in the interest of his campaign treasury… With his reversal…. his campaign treasury swelled with oil man’s money. No doubt this was noticed by Christine O’Donnell who thought she could get free money as well…… Continuing…..
Delaware Way has dived down deep into New Castle County Politics. While struggling to protect The Grange’s historical significance from the Scott- aided developers who are just itching to bulldoze that remarkable historical site under….. her commentary is long and full of information…. Truly this is corruption in its highest form. It is the local equivalent of Iraqi oil. We’ll take it because we can, thank you very much….. As one nation under God, we fought against this concept of entitled royalty during our Revolution War. No wonder Clark-Scott want to remove any local traces of that rebellion from Delaware’s future collective memory…. They are establishing themselves as the nouveau caste of elitists…. it’s Capano and the Highway Radisson all over again………
On a side, this controversy reminds me that for one week in late summer of 1777, thirty thousand troops were camped in New Castle County. (To get a visual of that amount, climb to the top of St. Francis Hospital’s parking garage and look out over all of Wilmington. Half of all you see, represents the number of troops, both British and American, being bivouacked here). Even more historic, is the fact that the war could have been settled here in the British’s favor, had the British capitalized on one of Washington’s errors….. They didn’t. Clark-Scott want it covered up…. $$$$$$$ Shall we let them?
Oddly since mentioning Scott and Clark in the same sentence makes one want to throw up, the local blogosphere, perhaps in a subtle tribute to Al Mascitti, has decided to go the route of food critic. DWA’s Dominique recommends juicy hamburgers, and Jason330 issues accolades for a tuna pineapple appetizer…. And for those who salivate at visual images…….
Next, getting to the spirit of political fundraising, we are shown two opposite approaches. Delaware Politics. Net has this article of one union shaking down its members to meet an arbitrary goal. Just when unions finally have an election season going for them, one of their members pulls a stunt like this…. Down With Absolutes has a tongue in cheek posting in similar vein. Apparently to facilitat their solicitation for donations, they need a mechanism that responds to sexual favors (see comments).
Meanwhile our favorite Curmudgeon is standing guard over our rights,… (naturally including our right give and receive sexual favors).(lol) Most particularly important to her, is the right to pursue our own form of happiness. That July 4th right is under attack by two local towns. A giant controversy, covered nowhere else, has its silence broken by Shirley. Apparently they do not have sex in Middletown. or at least certain elements of that city want to pretend that they don’t…. Banishing Waters and dropping Bernhardt seems like much ado over nothing. Surprisingly this has not gotten airplay from anywhere else… But such controversies will forever haunt the human condition. It is what happens when you let stupid people into government….. Personally I’m looking forward to the response to Newark’s singling out motorcycles for their noise abatement enforcement. I’ve never seen a million motorcycles before. I wonder if they could get that many to show? They have the mailing lists, and most bikers I know would drive at least 500 miles to an event like this….
On a side, I wonder how long it would take a million bikes to pass down Newark’s Main Street? Taking the average of 5 feet per bike and going with a tight 4 bike abreast formation with twenty feet separating each row…. To pass by one point, the answer is 79 hours; from noon on a Friday until 7 pm Monday evening. Now that would be an event worth seeing. I don’t think any other locality would dare venture so far as to single out motorcycles in the future, were bikers able to pull something like this off…….
The Colossus is starbursting from the other side… Now a movie critic they cover the The Great Debaters and The Dark Knight.. The latter was more of a Ms. Manners’ commentary on the behavior of those watching with him. (No wonder boot-legs sell well on the black market.) (lol) But to test your brainpower acumen, check out the trivia question included near the bottom of The Dark Knight... I wonder whether sight unseen if you can guess the winner? If you guessed “Mr. Trivia”, Allan Loudell, you are close….. almost.
Starbursting from the other side…. the staff of Colossus has decided to rule the Isle of Lost Causes and scours the media outlets for anything to throw at Obama. Most of them don’t stick….but the theme picture is worth commenting upon. Here is pitch one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, etc…. and a couple of small arms fire, one and two, aimed at Protack. Perhaps I’m nuts, but the only thing missing in this exhaustive anti-Obama coverage, is any substantial argument as to why someone in their right mind would ever want to vote for Obama’s opponent? Darn, after such extensive reading, I forgot his name…….
Third parties often are manned by well meaning dolts. One ducks and dodges them in any public event…..or fails to return their phone calls because of their tendency to focus on one narrow issue that appears to most, to be relatively unimportant. But,…. when a third party is manned by someone of superior intelligence, they offer a view of the other political parties unseen by those confined within…. Browsing through Delaware Libertarian recently, I was pleasantly surprised to find a rather good description of the Democratic Party…..
Using Delaware Liberal as a template, Steve Newton dissects the Democratic Party with a surgeon’s precision. As his discussion evolves it becomes self-evident that perhaps Progressives of all parties need to unite and elect intelligent candidates for a change, instead of the usual ones put up by parties whose sole appeal lies in the fact that they obey orders….. His proposal for an amalgamated Progressive Party made of many parts (smart Dem’s, smart Repub’s, and smart Indi’s), is a thinking man’s proposal for finding a way out of our cardboard maze we have chosen to place ourselves inside. It is proposal worth pursuing…..For both Steve, Shirley, and myself are pulling for one Republican: Tyler Nixon. Common Sense may need a little help in this race.
In my pick for the best post of the week, we have the breakdown of our Medicare System. By breakdown, I mean totally….broken…..down….. Our medicare system is busted and in this post we actually feel a father’s anguish of a daughter caught up in a bureaucracy-gone-wild under the current Republican unfunded mandates….. Read at your own discretion… It made me angry…. Just be prepared to laugh out loud when Copeland, Lee, Castle, and McCain say their administration has trimmed costs by reducing the rolls of those on Medicare. Be prepared to laugh them all the way down below 10%…. The post is truly non- partisan, but I guarantee your anger after reading it….will be partisan…..no matter what party you hail from…..
But be careful of what you say….. not.. Obviously Delaware Libertarian has been compromised by the Fed’s searching for information on face it, this and other local deviants, who they fear more than any blah-blah propagandist. For they have no defense against facts. Facts pertaining to what they have done wrong , facts showing they care not for their constituents, facts that will anger a population so much that their power base will shift to another…. They must find those who prevent their story line from being seriously taken at face value and take them out….
Commendation must be given to the Delaware Libertarian for following the letter of the law, but posting the warning for all to see is genius. I had not yet thought of that form of civil disobedience which is perfectly legal, ( I checked) since it is a blanket warning and is not one expressly tipping off the person that their records are being culled. I encourage all others receiving such notification to follow this defiant act. At this early stage, searching through the records of one blogger (obviously not a threat to this or any other nation, but equally obviously a threat to an already very dead political movement within this nation), may be legal, but is very hard to justify politically. Now is the time to push back, and not wait until after Israel bombs Iran and we go into Emergency Powers……
But running scared is the opposite of what we bloggers do. If you have ever trained as a United States Marine, you know that when you hear enemy fire, you race hell bent towards it… So that is what we are doing…. Causalities are a cost of doing battle with evil… To this poor soul, violating the laws of the Constitution of the United States, is about as close to treason and evil as anyone can get…..
Thanks Steve for finding that solution… Of course if it was done as a “punk”, it worked well enough so that we have acquired a defense against a Department of Homeland Security staffed only by sick Republicans….. if everyone posts a similar notice we can show the world that within our own country, our freedom is under attack…..
Joe M of Merit Bound Alley comes out of his two month sabbatical, no doubt, because of the hostility given to his view posted in Delaware Liberal‘s comment section regarding the pope. He applies scientific principals to the Catholic position, and proves that the church’s stand on this issue, is, if not completely unsound, still rather controversial.
Now on a lighter note… much needed I think after that…… Ok…we had our food critics….we had a movie critic…. and now, (drumroll please) from lower Delaware, we get our automotive critic. Mike Mahaffie has left the hybrid community. “What? No more mileage posts?” Gone is the Prius. Mike’s Musing‘s author has settled on a new Scion as his next best thing…..Being familiar with anime artistry, I laughed at his quote….”The styling is sharp; a colleague described the front view today as like a Japanese anime character. I can see that.” if needing a good game of golf to relax, you can find it here…. But making vehicle changes is not the only change his blog has undergone… the blog itself has received some major housekeeping….
Last but not least, as he prepares for Thursday’s Drinking Liberally accompanied by the sideshow of choosing Delaware’s Hottest Blogger, Tommywonk is getting his writing ready for the big time of national politics in Denver…. His three posts about Obama, naturally are sandwiched between three posts about energy…… Obviously Christine’s illogogy has gotten his dander up a little, as she did mine….. To paraphrase Dusty’s admonition to Bill, the tornado chaser in the 90’s thriller...Twister…. “(She)’s gonna rue the day (she) goes up against “The Extreme.” Better give it up Christine O’Donnel, challenger to Joe Biden’s Senate seat,…. By going against Tommywonk, you are simply competing out of your league………..
So you see…. we are all fragments… our blogosphere has lost its cohesiveness…. A vast pit of randomness is what we have become, disconnected, diverse, looking away from each other and chasing our own rainbows…
Which reminds me to take off my hat and give David Anderson a deep bow of respect for deciding to make a difference by running for office... Watching David’s writing change over the last two years, has been a pleasure. It’s been a while now, since he has started writing from his own heart, instead of his party’s standard talking points. I’m thankful for the insights which his view has provided, some of which have grounded my own views with a deeper truth… I know he ran before. But based solely on his writing, this time in my heart, I believe he is ready to do what is needed for his constituents, and not follow what is asked of by his party’s higher up’s. Thumbs up, David. You represent us all. Make us proud……
So fragments we collectively are.. and you know… as I processed all this information, I realize that being fragmented so is not all that bad, as you too can now see by this rather lengthy, exhaustive post…
Unless, of course, the economy has dealt you a blow. Unless, of course, you are desperately trying to make ends meet with no steady stream of finances. Unless, of course, by this time all you have left is fragments…. and it shows up in your writing style…. because that is how your life………………… is.
His image is on this week’s top blog…. 
His statue stands in the center of Wilmington.
He represents Delaware to millions of coin collectors. 
Just who is Cesar Rodney and where is his tomb?
Dana at Delaware Watch has laid the groundwork for the campaign to build a monument over his grave. Actually it is much easier to get done, than any of us realized. We know the location but just need to get the landowner’s permission to make it happen…..
Whereas originally, eminent domain was not an option being touted, in this case, it may be justified. After all, had that now famous ride not occurred, and the unanimity of Delaware’s vote not been upheld, the whole process could have folded, and today we would be exclaiming “eh?” like our Canadian brothers…
I for one would like to take my children there and give them the story, and impart to them the lesson, that sometimes, you gotta do…..what you gotta do…..
Delaware Watch has posted the original email, which is worth a full reading…
This excerpt was the clincher for me.
In his will, Rodney requested that his grave be marked with an appropriate memorial and that a brick fence be constructed around the family burial place. Unfortunately, the family’s fortune had been so drastically reduced as a result of their support of the Revolution, his heirs were unable to accommodate….
“as a result of their support of the Revolution”
“we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” still echoes from this year’s July 4th readings of the Declaration of Independence…..
As we look around at just how lucky we are compared to other citizens of other nations scattered across the globe……., to honor the one person who may have provided the tiny push which tipped the balance, would certainly be appropriate.
To many…. there is something special about being buried where one lived…. Perhaps when considering that, it may be better to rouse the entire citizenry of this state to rally around making some form of restitution to that one character, unwilling to disturb his own special bond with which he has with his own property….. so that he willingly acquiesces to the wants of history, and allows us to give a true patriot the honor he humbly requested….
Whoever wins the White House will need bipartisanship to move Congress off its ass. Like it or not, someone playing the center against the two parties benefits America better than a very strong political profile, where everyone is in lockstep, and a single agenda is pursued.
How do I know this?
Because the latter is what we have had the last 8 years, whereas the former, is what we had during the last six years of the previous administration. America has tumbled downhill during the last eight years, and has done so from from its peak which was achieved during the previous six…
So how does one find bipartisanship? One looks for one who works with the other side, (sort of the opposite of what McCain says he would do with Syria and Iran if elected)… In this capacity Biden brings tremendous resources to the table….
In a report by David Broder, mentioned on a lot of blogs recently, we see how Biden and Senator Lugar (a Republican), have kept a Senatorial committee running smoothly, irregardless of who is in charge, based on the composition of the Senate at a certain point in time.
These two professionals work together and their inter meshing has created a haven from the rife partisanship that often interrupts committee proceedings and makes a fool of our legislative branch. Consequently the entire committee has taken on the professional decorum exhibited by its two leaders, each of different parties.
Wise choices, but possible long shots for positions within the inner sanctum, both may not be in their spots next year.. Luger could be Secretary of State, for McCain or Obama, a man Luger recruited for foreign relations and a vocal admirer. Biden could be VP, based on rumblings still going on in Iowa’s aftermath…….. Both have run for the highest office, both work well together….
It is in this spirit of bipartisanship that Obama surprised progressives when he made his controversial decision to weigh in on the compromise hammered within the House which destroys our freedom of unreasonable search and seizure. Hat’s off to Delaware Dem for taking the issue dead on. Although initially disappointed, after reflection, I think this decision proves that Obama truly is the real thing. It has been several years since we have actually had a thinker in the White House. Obama sent a signal that he will approach every idea with an open mind.
His decision surprised me. Honestly, I didn’t think he would chose that route.. But with both the FISA bill and his recent choice to refuse public funding, Obama has made two correct decisions required for achieving his vision of long term benefits to this nation, and he has calmed the center and right at the same time. Even though it must have rankled every grain of his fiber, when his “Lawrence of Arabia” moment arrived and he was forced to make a decision between his personal attachment, and what was best to keep the country together, he chose the latter and pulled the trugger.
I know from experience ….that is very hard to do… But Obama did it, and my estimation of him just jumped off the scale… even though as a progressive I am opposed to what he did…vehemently. This guy’s got guts in the right places..
Totally unlike the current administration, who measures guts by holding on to an untenable position against 70, then 80, then 90, then 99 percent of the voting population, this guy measures guts by meeting with the other side, moving both sides to the center, finally hammering out an agreement, and then moving forward. Instead of repeated stalemates with which we have grown so accustomed, we get movement. And just by knowing that our country is headed by a rational and pragmatic individual, I feel safer that my basic rights will be protected in the future, despite the FISA decision, than I did when all security positions were hired, vetted, and staffed by kooks and partisan yokels….
It is in no way a perfect arrangement. I preferred that the telecoms squeal on the deal Cheney forced upon them and illuminate the criminal activities when and where they occurred, That won’t happen, and Obama is the reason it won’t.
A presidential candidate this shrewd will require a second in command solid and able enough to garnish considerable respect from the Senate floor. Biden and Dodd are two Democrats that meet that criteria. Lugar, Hagel are two from the other side who do as well. Instead of a party hack, (as one could certainly consider Cheney), Obama, by picking someone who embodies Democratic values, but respects the opinions of the other side, will be invaluable when the time comes to make the change forward that all America so desperately wants.
A year ago the idea of a Obama/Biden ticket would be preposterous. For those still embittered by conflict politics, it may still seem so.
But, Obama has shown us that even Progressives are just another scion of the political spectrum…..Tangible results are what matter. This country could use a few good men like these In fact the entire world would benefit from the spirit of bipartisanship exemplified by these few men. For each time America is unhealthy, so goes the world……
I got this idea 24 hours after reading Duffy’s post here.
Titled “My Most Popular Post”, it states simply that it is his most clicked post and provides a link.
I wanted to do the same. But……..my most popular posts, are rather embarrassing.
But if everyone else released theirs……..then to support FOIA……I will too..
We have lost momentum on Around the Horn.…..If everyone on Friday, posts their most popular first, second and third…..we should all get a weekend of laughs…and share some highs, as well as lows, within our clan.
The only rule, is “no spinning” of the results. A simple ….here is mine and a link……will do……
Looking forward to a “fun” weekend for a change………………….
Courtesy of Department of Defense
The most notable event that took place in our recent blogosphere, was the unceremonious “fuck you, assholes” sent by the Delaware House of Representatives (25 to 11) to those turds in the Senate, who are, and have been for too long,….. clogging up the plumbing of good government. By now, all should know that Charlie Copeland, Harris McDowell, Tony DeLuca, and Thurman Adams, are impersonating the Four Whoresmen (sp?) of the Apocalypse, responsible for keeping Delaware from becoming anything more modern than…………a feudal government.
Gloom and Doom opened the morning of the tenth. The News Journal and WDEL both took the fake, went chasing after a foul ball, and ran squarely into the right field fence. Anyone reading past the headlines would have instantly realized that something was wrong, There was nothing lurking in the background to back the headlines. It was a rumor gone wild. Someone had whispered that the wind farm was in mortal danger.
“What?” “The wind farm is in danger?” “Oh, No!”……..
But no report was out, said both news sources, but fortunately for us, four senators were squealing to the press about the issue.
What? Four Senators? Could it be?……Were we about to see the New Age reincarnation of the four Whoresmen of the Apocalypse? Was Armageddon just around the corner?
The News Journal named no names but gave background quotes from 4 sources…..Can we guess? “Desk Drawer” Adams? Harris McDowell? Tony DeLuca? Charlie Copeland? My………………………..how did you know? What amazing powers of prognostication you all possess! (That could, in part, be why you are bloggers).
So as we listened to Karen Petersen stammer from having been aroused too early in the morning (session went late the night before), things didn’t sound so good, Especially everywhere one turned, something was being said about the end of the windfarm……..
But those of us in the know, saw it as a concerted effort by four people. A quick look at the math, leaves 783,596 Delawareans still unaccounted for.
Any basketball team losing 4 to 783,596, would never be considered, even by its most ardent believers, as sitting on the edge of an upset!…………Some of us are wondering why those within the media, who should be immune to this type of fake out, were so gullibly sucked in……..
Tommywonk set them straight on Loudell’s Noontime broadcast, notable for being the first guest in recent memory, that Loudell has allowed to go over his time limit, during an interview without pulling the plug…….. Meanwhile, down south, Maria Evans was filtering through the News Journal story as well.
This flap had occurred just on the toes of Delmarva releasing their on shore prices for renewable wind energy. Or lets say they issues a perspective…..a rosy perspective…..an almost too rosy of a perspective to be taken with a grain of salt………This was quickly debunked by several of Delawares bloggers as purporting to buy wind energy from windmills whose building rights on the tops of mountains, were not even proposed?
And then, HCR 38 went to a vote. Tommy has the scoop on how it happened. as well as does John Kowalko. It came out………… in favor of Bluewater Wind by a vote 25 to 11. Almost all of the 11 came from Sussex County, and were Republican……..Looks like no help will be forthcoming from Dave for these notorious bashers of Dave Burris and backers of John Atkins. Sussex County is wind country. Don’t believe me? Just ask Lynn Bullock?
There is no doubt that Harris McDowell is tearing up all of the fabric of compromise within the second smallest state, in his all out scorched earth attempt to kick out Bluewater Wind.
Dana at Delaware Watch, sings the praise of one committed Legislator, intent on working for the people of his district, unlike his compatriots in the Senate, who have sold their people “out”. That’s the problem with keeping politicians in office too long. It is only inevitable that they eventually, they spoil like a ripe papaya
There has been a surge of spirit among those willing to take on the sad state of affairs known normally as Delaware Politics. Strange events are occurring. People are not willing to sit back and just take it anymore. Many will wonder where this spirit is coming from, and why it suddenly manifests itself among us……..But some of us know exactly from where it comes ….and will fight to keep that free spirit alive.
Delaware Politics.Net has absolutely nothing on Bluewater Wind this past week. Too occupied with “being bitter” and like the rest of us, they are nostalgic for 1999. When Republicans start fondly reminiscing about 8th year of a Democratic president, during the middle of the 8th year of a Republican one, you know something has broken down somewhere in their philosophy.
However all friendly kidding aside, they, along with JTTR, and Rick Jensen, are taking on the 10% cuts being forced upon our educational departments. This is an issue. Schools are being asked to give back money as well as every other state government entity. Dave asks if that is fair? Is it the best option on the table? Dana shows us where that money is going to. Take it from the schools and give it to………….Kilroy has a better answer…..Translate that feeling into action……Steve Newton takes the message directly to the source. Obviously our soon-to-be-retired Governor, having heard Allan Loudell who seems to be the only one mentioning the catastrophic food shortages, (that quite possibly has the potential to change our global political landscapes relatively soon), is worried that in her retirement, she will run out of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Stay tuned for a photochop of Minner enjoying her retirement dinner, with a twenty years stash stored behind her. Those of you who are parents, get yourselves ready for conversations such as this: “Dad,” “Yes, son,” “Why did you let the governor eat up all our school’s money?” If you are prepared, your answer should go like this……”Well, once upon a time…..It all started off when four people got together, and all of them had funny names. Their names were Tony “On The Take” DeLuca, Charlie “No Wind Here” Copeland, Harris “I love Delmarva” McDowell, and “Desk Drawer Adams”…………………” (more to come later)
From the Libertarian side of things, Shirley shows us that there are other people in this world who also have brains, balls, and the know-how to use both, other than Tyler Nixon. Figures this link would come from the “Live Free or Die” State. What is it with small states having the most vocal Libertarian contingents?
Thank heavens some one is finally getting wise.What a beautiful day
Bet it wasn’t a beautiful day for these people in Berks County, PA. (There is a highly recommended YouTube clip in this post’s comment section.) Obviously some laws are still subjective when it comes time to met out their punishments……
Alan Coffey lays the Republican hypocrisy right on the line with this post. Don’t forget, up until just last November, we were going to bomb them…….
Delaware Libertarian has a short post (Yes Duffy! It’s true……Check it out… 🙂 ) about how an above mentioned controversy will impact our local politics. Try as you may to simplify and reduce it further, it can’t be done……..
Along the same lines…..Duffy has some similar advice about finding simple solutions to big problems: always check the registry, and then, check it again………………..Duffy’s stories always make me feel human again; its nice to know I am not the only one upon who life is not always smiling….
On a more serious note, Duffy brings home just exactly what America is all about. Honor, Duty, and the willingness to sacrifice for a greater cause. Irregardless on how you feel about the war, you can feel nothing but pride after reading this tribute…….It infuriates me that back home, in Dover, we are forced to deal with those pursuing a narrow,specific, personal agenda, focused only on themselves and the accumulation of their own wealth, with not even a smidgen of responsibility to those who will suffer because of their actions.
What a huge difference between our military heroes, and those politicians who stay at home……………..
People ask me if I am worried…….I tell them no, I had an omen that in this week something great would happen……I was right. It did. Blue bug eyed aliens were discovered in and around Sussex County (must see picture). And after some trouble with a blood clot, Mahaffie is now in New Orleans, giving us a first hand look at the aftermath of Katrina. I was relieved to see the Cafe du Monde was still around with their awesome beignets. I hope he gets a chance to ferry over to Algiers, but his schedule may be a little too tight…….I’m still waiting for him to show up at the South Pole, to check out the accuracy of his GPS device. 🙂
And we need to keep Joe M. close to our hearts and in our prayers. Anytime one of us goes silent, I start to worry.
But a real event spinning off one of JTTR’s posts had be worried even more. Although I am fond of his analysis covering his taste in music, he did exceptionally well in reviewing this product. I was able to fight the power of suggestion for twenty one minutes before heading out to the nearest 24 hour location…………only to find, that because of the slowness of the economy, it had cut back its hours…….stranding me unfulfilled with JTTR‘s words echoing though my head….(By the way, his review is on target, and the purchase is worth the effort…) His mirror image, has finished his four years and like everyone who has traveled that path, looks backwards and says ………………..”ok”.
Matt Marshall is on TV. No not like water on Mars, this is the real thing. Those who follow DWA can also get a glimpse of the always articulate, and eloquent Dominique…..
But even bigger news it how Gene Reed, insurance commissioner gets his money……..and how the News Journal tried to hide it and cover it up……Just imagine the Pottersville this state would be in if it weren’t for us bloggers?
The Colossus of Rhodey points out that not all stupidity lies with our administration. The University of Delaware is getting ready for another national firestorm, especially during an election year, by putting this up for all to see….”The University of Delaware has revised a speech code that used to classify “[a]ny instance that is perceived by those involved as being racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, or otherwise oppressive” as an emergency equal to fire, suicide attempts, and alcohol overdose.” Hmmm…a little hyperbole we have there, perhaps? Perhaps the University of Delaware’s officials should watch Battlestar Galactica to learn how one deals with those having different viewpoints, even if that person is yourself. I’m telling you. It’s the best show on television.
Finally full circle back to Bluewater Wind. Jason at Delaware Liberal shows us that as we squabble away valuable time arguing with, instead of simply bypassing one Harris McDowell, the rest of the world is moving forward with Offshore wind very quickly. We have just days before the announcement that the East Coast Hub of Offshore Wind development, will no longer be in Delaware. Because we (1st Senatoral District, Wilmington) elect stupid asses to our Legislature.
.
Courtesy of Department of Defense
Delaware Liberal ran a virtual caucus on their site over this weekend past, and three people showed up….Delaware’s apathy is especially apparent when compared to our neighbor up north, who is getting ready for prime time on April 22nd, Earth Day. Pennsylvania voters have until March 24th to switch or join parties. In all 187 delegates, including 29 super delegates will convene in Philadelphia for the National convention. The Republican ballot will list McCain, Huckabee, and Ron Paul…..
What will be interesting for Delaware, is that the current Pennsylvania polling shows the state is divided exactly in half, with half of the population supporting Obama, and the other going to Hillary.
The swing area, the area no one know what exactly will happen, is the southeast corner of Pennsylvania, just south of Philadelphia. From Upper Darby to Boothwyn, from Chester to West Chester….all guesses are good. It would be an opportune time for all supporters of a primary candidate to volunteer and work to make a difference. For it looks like the difference may be decided within thirty miles of Wilmington.
In the next 5 and a quarter weeks, that area will have unlimited access to both candidates. It’s do or die for both.
Of course for political junkies, local television becomes the primary news source up until the last votes are counted. For those of you who hate political ads……I would advise you not to watch TV, except of course on April 4th, and every week thereafter, when Battlestar Galactica makes it seasonal debut…….
From the best that I can see, it looks like I scooped Hube on this one…..being the B.S. fan that he is. For those of you who refuse to watch science fiction, many of us have found that the underlying controversies are lifted directly from today’s headlines….well, with the writer’s strike this year, shall we say last summer’s headlines. But if I missed his post announcing it, I am sure he will let me know right about…………………………………now.
But what he did scoop me, as well as the rest of the Delaware blogosphere, was the fact that he wears glasses. His doing so prevented him from the fate of Ralphie (The Christmas Story) in getting his eye poked out…..
The Colossus jumps into the Obama church controversy, with both feet in right sided shoes. Just for the record, Obama answered his critics in a ninety minute interview in Chicago, and won the interviewers grudgingly stingy respect.
Far removed from the Obama controversy, the Delaware Curmudgeon has apparently been a good little kitten…….for she shall have some pie.…..Although from the looks of things, it looks like she wasted no time going back to her “curmudgeous” ways…..
Kilroy joins the ubiquitous team of Delaware bloggers quite unhappy with their state legislature. He pleads, as does Ellen on Tommywonk, to follow through with their commitment to the electorate that put them there…….Is it just me, or does there seem to be a problem here……?
Delaware Watch points out why all children are getting left behind. Bush is giving out tax breaks to the top 1% of the population that are more than the entire Department of Education’s budget…..Not only are we unfunding our “no child left behind, but we are unfunding our entire educational system.
At least I hope the money not going to education is being spent wisely………meanwhile our own Mike Castle, who sits on the Education Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education as the ranking member, looks at Bush like a deer facing oncoming headlights, and says…….”ok.”
The opposite extreme of the nonjudgmental Mike Castle, occurs in the “instant verdict” court of John Feroce. His attempt to Swift Boat Obama over the choice words spoken by his minister, slams itself solidly upon the sandbar of logic dredged up by Steve Newton at Delaware Libertarian. Based on the program notes provided by the “Libertarian”, I think if I lived in Chicago,…….I would want to go to that church as well. it is active and making a positive difference.
(Anyway, if one were to substitute the word “republicans” everywhere Obama’s minister says “Americans”, his statement would be mainstream, echoing the sentiments of 89% of the population.) Feroce provides two clips, an accumulation of the most evocative points taken out of context. The only thing obvious coming out of this whole controversy, is that Feroce has never been in a black church. The tapes are actually quite mild, compared to what is being said in most black churches across this country. Steve beat me to the punch, but were I Obama, I most certainly would not disassociate myself from my pastor of 20 years, because some kook named O’Reilly cut and pasted video clips together with Window’s Movie Maker upon his show…….If you think Rev. Wright’s words are over the top, try reading the angry words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul sometime; it is obvious O’Reilly hasn’t.
But while my topic is on religion, Joe M. takes us down an interesting road, on one at least I have never been. We are on his odyssey to discover his search for the absence of religion, having spiraled down through Catholicism, to Wicca-ism, and now through the mid-years. Somehow thorough the shallowness of his experiences I can sense why he feels he must pursue that quest…….were my life experiences the same as his, I wonder if logic would have taken me on a similar journey. But my experiences were quite different, and propelled me in a different direction. So to find out what was missed…we await the fourth Canto.
Religion, being a touchy subject, one must always respect others boundaries. Religion is personal. One’s opinion may or may not resonate in those next to him. Therefore to pull me out of this topic we turn to Mike Mahaffie, and his search for boundaries, especially those laid down by Mason and Dixon. We also get insight into his trip into Washington as well, as well as background from where he came…..
Speaking of being on the road, Liberal geek is in Arizona. Not much info yet, let’s hope for pictures, and political insight from the far West.
All in all it was a quiet weekend. As if we were sitting around waiting for the next big engagement. A quiet breeze blowing down upon us from a nearby super-cell, a magnificent cloud which will soon change our lives with a vengeance. It could just be a foreboding… a sixth sense that something big is going to happen, perhaps picked up unconsciously like a soft rumble of thunder many miles away. But the feeling is there. Something is coming. Something …….big………
Courtesy of Department of Defense
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. This will be the first post of Outside the Perimeter vis a vis the new round robin version of Around the Horn……..
If you missed it there can be no better way of catching up to where Delaware was last Friday than by visiting the Around the Horn Edition II posted at Merit Bound Alley. Next week, the edition will be posted by our favorite Curmudgeon, Shirley, Considering her weekend, it is something many of us are anticipating with fervor.
But the point of this posting is that as one steps back and looks at the large picture over the local arena, the prominent theme wallowing through every topic, is that WE, THE PEOPLE just don’t matter………..
It doesn’t matter how we vote………Primaries? Who cares?…..The use of super delegates and those coming from Florida and Michigan, two primaries where only one candidate ran…….to seal the nomination. After all the people don’t matter. Delaware Liberal has the breakdown here as well as a metaphor for one of Hillary’s staff meetings…….
And Joe M at Merit Bound Alley, has uncovered the real reason Obama is winning. Bill Clinton supports him….
Apparently our own Congressman cares little for the plight of the common man. If so, he is in good company. He can be joined by four state senators I know who have elevated the tragic up two notches to the realm of comedy. Shirley has a true story of one good local politician…….but click on the comment and “guess who” shows up with muck on his face? Once again obviously to those inside the General Assembly, WE, THE PEOPLE are scum who interfere with noble squandering the state’s resources in order to insure the economic power and security of that said Senator…… (Outside the General Assembly, it is called corruption.)
Tommywonk calls out Delmarva Power for their misstated calls that they are looking out for the people’s interests Obviously they have only their own interests at heart……..lest we forget,…..they ‘re a corporation…. And apparently they are not the only corporation in league with trying to stomp out wind before the public catches on that renewable energy can be cheaper and lex polluting too. Tommywonk comments on the silence of the national media as “fossil fuels” battle “The Age of Information” in the darkened chambers buried deep within the Delaware Senate.
This weekends two best examples of royalty’s disdain for the peasants among us both show up in Sussex County, the hot- bed of real homegrown politics. Delaware Politics.Net (FSP) has an interview that should be seen in its entirety. Those who previously saw videos of Copeland and Simpson, and politely say “Uh, no thanks” would be well advised to rethink their position. You can reach the interview from here or ……..here. (just to show the broad breadth of appeal.)
Worthy points:
“Once it became clear that it was the publics choice, a lot of misinformation came out.”
“Scare tactics by Delmarva…..none of that is true.”
“What does it say for business who want to come to Delaware and you have this project of Bluewater Wind that does not go forward because of this inside relationship……what does that say to other businesses, and we have politicians that are always saying we need more businesses coming to Delaware, ….it says that…that this realationsiip in Delaware, between legislators and their current business partners is a obsticle you will not be able ot overcome.”
if we fail to pass this project, and fail to move forward with Bluewater Wind, it sends a signal to a lot of voters……that you know,……even if you have 100%, and Bluewater has over 90% of the voters supporting it…..it doesn’t really matter. It really doesn’t matter to us. The only thing that matters to us is the cozy relationship between our current business partners, and us, legislators of the General Assembly…..
“No one took a vote. Russ Larson is the one who comes back and says we’re not going to do this. I think if you look at a lot of controversial decisions being made in Delaware’s legislature, you will see they are all decided without a vote…..It doesn’t get out of a desk drawer, it doesn’t get on the floor of the session, then you can say with plausible denialability……I didn’t kill that project……….”
The whole interview is one expose after another on how and why our government is hamstrung.
But, an even more illuminating case of ……….arrogance, perhaps? is this link provided by Maria Evans on her blog at WGMD. I wasn’t going to read the link, but after her second entreaty I said what the hell. Some exerpts you have to read in order to believe:
Now, am I correct in understanding that the
1 permit that we are talking about here expired in 1992?
2 MR. HANSEN: Yes.
3 MR. MULLER: Okay, 16 years ago?
4 MR. HANSEN: Yes.
5 MR. MULLER: Somehow that doesn’t seem
6 expeditious to me. I am not trying to be sarcastic.
7 MR. HANSEN: That’s absolutely correct.
8 MR. MULLER: Well, can you explain to us what’s
9 been, why 16 years have gone by?
10 MR. HANSEN: No.
11 MR. MULLER: You can’t?
12 MR. HANSEN: Not in the timeframe — I would be
13 happy to talk to you afterwards, unless everybody
14 wants to hear.
VOICE: Yes, yes! We want to hear!
16 MR. MULLER: I want to hear. That’s why I am
17 asking.
18 MR. HANSEN: Okay, it’s complicated. It’s a
19 complicated permit. It has taken us a very long time
20 to figure out what we needed to do to get to this
21 point. We have been working on this permit for
22 approximately ten years.
23 VOICE: Talk into the mike. We can’t hear.
24 VOICE: We need your name and —
20
1 MR. HANSEN: I’m sorry. Again, my name, as
2 stated before, my name is Peder Hansen. I am the
3 environmental program manager for the Surface Water
4 Discharges Section.
5 We have been actively working on this permit
6 for approximately ten years. It’s extremely
7 complicated. Rules and regulations over that course
8 of time have changed. It took time to get the studies
9 needed, to update the studies that were last done in
10 the seventies so we have got the current information
11 to be able to do it. And it’s complicated. We have
12 no other excuse than that.
13 MR. MULLER: Okay, thank you. Now, with regard
14 to expired permits, does the plant have a permit now
15 that’s legal —
16 MR. HANSEN: Yes.
17 MR. MULLER: — under which it is discharging?
18 MR. HANSEN: Yes.
19 MR. MULLER: Okay, can you explain how that
20 comes about? I mean if the permit expired 16 years
21 ago, but you are saying they have a legal permit, how
22 do we understand that?
And again:
13 MR. AUSTIN: Mr. Muller raised the point about
14 copper concentrations. I am sitting here looking at
15 the National Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the
16 U.S. That’s from the EPA website.
17 The ambient water quality criteria for copper,
18 for fresh water acute and chronic. For acute, it’s 13
19 parts per billion. The chronic for copper is nine
20 parts per billion. The limit in this permit is 5.5
21 parts per million. That’s 500 parts per billion.
22 They are not consistent with the ambient water quality
23 criteria, even after considerable allowing for
24 dilution.
41
1 MR. HAYNES: Thank you. The next person —
And finally an insight as to why we never hear of these things in the News Journal or otherwise……..
12 Along the same lines, I notice that the address
13 given in the public notice, Millsboro Senior Center,
14 322 Wilson Highway, Millsboro, Delaware. This is the
15 DelDOT official highway map of Sussex County, and on
16 there there is no mention of a Wilson Highway.
17 And if you look on the outside of this
18 building, it doesn’t say Millsboro Senior Center. It
19 says Indian River Senior Center, it’s something else,
20 and so it strikes me as possible that there might be
21 people not here tonight because they were unable to
22 find the meeting.
23 And I think that — I don’t know if it’s
24 illegal, but I think that DNREC has a good-faith
28
1 obligation to make it reasonably possible for people
2 to know about the hearing and to have found the
3 building, and I am not sure that that was
4 accomplished,
Nancy has some meeting times that need coverage by someone who represents us….THE PEOPLE.
It has become obvious that no one else gives a damn………………………………
kavips 
