Rep. Russell Pearce wants to run for something.
Run for what? You know, something.
He is mulling a run for Governor, or maybe a run against Rep. Jeff Flake in the Republican primary. You see, Jeff Flake is a dangerous birkenstock wearing, leftist, unamerican commiesymp. Well, that's what Pearce says. Funny what passes for liberal these days.
If he runs against Flake, look for Pearce to connect him to that other unrepentant socialist, Sen. John McCain. Some of the people pushing for Pearce to run are already trashing Flake for working with Sen. Edward Kennedy. Imagine, respecting and working with a colleague.
Funny, Pres. Bush bragged about working with Kennedy on No Child Left Behind. I guess that makes Bush a bolshevik too.
Pearce is still talking about running for Governor too. He has been talking this up for a while. His current line is that Gov. Napolitano has not done anything on immigration. For Pearce and his friend Randy Graf, anything short of landmines in Naco and putting a bounty on scalps of swarthy people with accents is not enough.
However, there is often a barrier to people like Pearce running for higher office. Often, Valley pols think that people in the rest of the state know who the heck they are, and are as conservative as they are. They stick their toe in the water and are flabergasted that people in the rest of the state don't actually like or even know them. Most of them could win a statewide election with a little work, but the shock of knowing they aren't the most important person in the life of a family from Douglas or Parker is often too much to bear. The way that legislators like Pearce get elected, pretty much by hard-right primary voters, lets them buy the illusion that folks in their districts, and by extension the whole state, share every aspect of their mossback politics. He'll be shocked to know that there are moderates in this state, liberals even.
Look for Pearce to forgo the Governor's race, where he may need to speak with moderates and people whose last names end in "o", "a" or "z", and he'll run against Flake in the primary. I would be watching from down here, but the race between Graf and Rep. Jim Kolbe will be more fun. I expect Shrimplate and Desert Rat Democrat to keep me informed.
(Note I couldn't figure out where to fit in above: Pearce has a tendency to "speak his mind." When you don't a well developed mind, that tends to lead to dumb-ass bigotted comments.)
(N. B. - Right-wing legislator Rusty Pearce should not be confused with Rusty Pierce, who plays right-wing for Real Salt Lake. This is a soccer reference I only put in to bother Slim.)|W|P|112281940482066691|W|P|"I'm Running for Congress, No, Wait, Governor, No, Congress. Would These Handicapped People Stop Bugging Me?"|W|P|prezelski@aol.com
shrimplate|W|P|I don't get the photo. Is it maybe Justin Pearce, of selling-fake-state-ID's fame, or is it the soccer player? Too much hair to be dear old Russ. Tedski|W|P|It's the soccer player. I put it in as a joke only I would find funny.I completely forgot about Justin Pearce. Funny, the press doesn't seem to know about that one or the horrible state he left the MVD in.
|W|P|What's cracking me up is that some people are predicting that Flake is going to get his ass kicked next year. What, do you need to vote for $2m sugar subsidies to be considered a "real republican" anymore? Or is it the Cuba thing (treating them like we treat China? Oh no!) shrimplate|W|P|The Dems could Swift-Boat this guy by association, tying him to his uncle's less-than-currently-popular positions on gay rights and the like. But Dems are too nice and they'd rather lose than fight.
We'll end up with the biggest, stupidest prick the Repubs can muster. Manuel Noriega comes to mind. I think he's busy, though.
The Irish Republican Army has just announced that it will destroy all its weapons and become a purely political organization.
Any bets on how long it will take Bush to claim that somehow this is because of his war in Iraq?|W|P|112255469479722522|W|P|Breaking News: IRA to Disarm|W|P|prezelski@aol.com
Simpson and her husband Nick, they of bad reality TV, did a variety special for ABC where they visited with troops in Iraq. Simpson is upset now that ABC has claimed to have "misplaced" footage that she felt portrayed the realities of day-to-day life for the troops. She thinks its important that people see what is really going on there. Imagine that!
(NB - I have to give some props to ABC, since Nightline got into some hot water for dedicating an entire program to listing the names of our dead troops.)
Simpson has also lashed out at a so-called Christian group called The Resistance for how she dressed in a video. A quick perusal of the web-site shows these guys to be total wing-nuts (one feature is entitled "September 11th was an inside job", the site also claims that L'Enfant's layout of the DC streets is part of a satanic plan), so I admit that it is easy to take on these guys.
(NB - Bizarrely, The Resistance then sent out a press release asking Simpson to join their group. Then, they note that one of their members has a crush on Simpson's sister, Ashlee. Are these guys for real?)
But Simpson's response seems to be directed at most of the current so-called Christian right:
"It didn’t really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash,” Simpson said, according to World Entertainment News Network. “That’s why I didn’t end up going into the Christian music industry. I think that if they're really good Christians the judgment wouldn't be there.”Interestingly, Simpson's father and manager is a preacher. Okay, it's a stretch. But if the war in Iraq and the theocrats have pissed Jessica Simpson off, maybe that is sign that this whole thing has finally gone too far, eh?|W|P|112255269227508604|W|P|Jessica Simpson and Rebellion|W|P|prezelski@aol.com
|W|P|I'm glad you are back after taking a disheartening day off, but 4:55am? I'm still worried about you.... Tedski|W|P|I woke up realllllly early. No point in going back to sleep when there is a blog to write.
As most of you know, the SEIU and the Teamsters have disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO. This is going on while they are having their convention, which makes this very high profile. This could be followed soon by UNITE-HERE, and possibly the UFW and my abuelo's old brothers, the Laborers International.
I have a great deal of trouble following the ins and outs of this whole thing, but a fella named Jonathan Tasini, who is a former head of the National Writers Union is attending the convention and has an excellent blog detailing the goings on there.
I have no idea what this means long term, short term it really sucks though. Not as bad as I thought it would, since it seems that local AFL-CIO leaders are interested in keeping their affiliations with SEIU and the Teamsters. Which leads me to wonder what power the national group actually has, and also what is going on locally that is keeping these differences from being catastrophic?|W|P|112239578634801389|W|P|Leaving the AFL-CIO|W|P|prezelski@aol.comThe typical logic of one of these guys goes like this:Members of the Hamblen County Commission recently suggested that Hispanic immigrants were to blame if property taxes have to be raised next year -- though commissioners insisted they were talking only about illegal immigrants.
County Commissioner Tom Lowe, who says "we do not want (all) Hispanics stereotyped as illegal," estimates as many as 85 percent of Hamblen's Hispanics are -- and he fears they carry drug-resistant disease.
"We could be two or three aliens away from an epidemic that would sweep through our county and state," the retired pharmacist said.
One thing that disturbs many is that the is man who is leading this movement in Tennessee is a Native American activist, Carl "Two Feathers" Whittaker. He ran for Governor (a bunch of times) claiming to want to represent African Americans, Native Americans, and wait for it...Hispanics. This is an indication at how quickly people can turn on this issue. Or, he could just be a crass opporitunist. I mean, people can understand a Native American being concerned about immigration, although it would be more understandable if they were mad at immigration from France, Britain and Spain. Maybe it's a little late for that, I don't know. At least it seems that the Native American community in Tennessee is not supportive of this guy. There are even questions about whether or not he is a Native American at all (the rather stereotypical monkier "Two Feathers" and the fact that he claims to be Cherokee should give us a clue). It seems that this is a cheap way to get back into politics for Mr. Whittaker. Speaking of cheap politics, it looks like Rep. Tomás Tancredo thinks he's running for President. He hasn't said so, but why else visit Iowa and New Hampshire? Yes, a vacation to one would be pleasant, but both is too much coincidence. Ronald Reagan's campaign treasurer, Bay Buchanan has been helping him out, which moves him from wing-nut to actually dangerous. Señor Tancredo suggesed last week that it would be a great idea to bomb Mecca. He quickly retracted. Well, he never really retracted, but he "clarified." "Clarified" is now defined as claiming you never said it in the first place, or that you didn't actually mean what you said. If Tancredo had the cojones his supporters say he has, he would have either said "Yes, I said it, and it was dumb," or "Yeah, I said it, and it is what I believe." The guy acts like some sort of rodent though, you half expect him to blame the media. Way to tell it like it is, Tomasito. Of course, we have been hearing the chorus of people in the media asking Republican leaders to condemn this statement. Wait, are those crickets I hear chirping? A group callled the Interfaith Alliance has asked the President to say something. Far as I can tell, he has said nothting. The right-wing communitariat has been engaged in all sorts of contortions to make excuses about this, but I do have to congratulate the folks at RedState.org, who have written several articles calling this guy out. Once again, the bloggers, even the conservative ones, are in front of the establishment. I can only imagine what would be happening right now if Howard Dean said something like this. The press would be wetting themselves trying to find leading Democrats who would distance themselves. Heck, they wouldn't even be finished putting the batteries in their cameras before Biden and Lieberman would be banging on their doors. But outrageous things said by people on the right are excuseable; it's we lefties that have to be respectful and measured.|W|P|112204254155900753|W|P|Guarding the Border of Tennessee from Marauding Kentuckians|W|P|prezelski@aol.com"I don't hate Latin-teenos, just illegals." "So, how do you know that a person is an illegal alien?" "Well, if they are a Latin-teeno, they are probably illegal..."
“This institutionalized disorganization within the Arizona Democrat Party is why Republicans will win back the Governorship and Senator Kyl will be overwhelmingly re-elected next year. Pederson’s checkbook couldn’t buy Democrats victory last year, and won’t buy a Senate seat next year.”Yes, Matt, it couldn't "buy" a victory last year, but did in the election before that. Say, who was that loser that Janet Napolitano beat in that election? And Matt, I may not be a big time political opperative like you are; I'm just one of those dumb ass Democrats. But, maybe you need to have an actual candidate before you start declaring that you will "win back the Governorship." But what the heck do I know? I like the complaints about the "disorganization" in the party. Well, that may be. But, instead of worrying about our disorganization, he should worry about getting a stable executive director, stopping public bloodletting at his conventions and quit putting out exaggerated figures about the number of volunteers they have. (40,000? Come on, Matt!) An earlier badly punctuated press release took Pedersen to task for donating so much money to the Democratic Party. Glad to know that the Republicans are as angry about big money and politics as the rest of us are. I take it that this means that they will be helping us keep the Clean Elections System, right? (Eerie silence from the right side of the room...) Guys, are you still there? They also tried to get some mileage from the fact that the Carpenters Union staged a protest against one of Jim Pedersen's projects, unrelated to the party. Salmon said "From what we've seen of the Carpenters Union picketing his office, it sure appears that he is just like Ted Kennedy and other limousine liberals: they talk a good line, they just don't walk it." And Salmon can say this because the Republican Party has a very strong record of supporting organized labor. I am smirking when I say that. I keep reading these Republicans say how the Democrats are so negative. A quick perusal through their press releases and you would be hard pressed to find anything positive. Not their fault, really. Trying to be positive would leave them trying to find something, anything, constructive that Senator Kyl has done while he's been in office. Much easier to go after Pedersen. PS - Ever notice how Kyl claims to be up for every possible opening in DC? His folks even claimed he was under consideration for the Supreme Court. Gawd. I half expect to see a press release next time a receptionist position opens up at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.|W|P|112196084434768007|W|P|Arizona Republicans Versus Jim Pedersen|W|P|prezelski@aol.com
Elizabeth Rogers|W|P|No what makes us different is when one our own does something like what this woman did, we admit it, condemn the act publicly and privately and work to insure it does not happen again. The other side however only admits when they absolutely have to, only condemn it when they are forced to, and privately encourage the behavior.
The following is an e-mail that went out to party volunteers:
Dear Arizona Democratic Party Member, This letter is to inform you of my decision to resign as Chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP), effective immediately. It has been a great honor to have had the opportunity to serve with you and other local community leaders to build our party and our state. Together, we have written a record of progress of which we can all be proud. In an era in which our national politics too often is characterized by withering partisanship and brittle ideology, Arizona Democrats have kept our focus on solving problems. With Governor Napolitano leading the way, we have advocated mainstream solutions to the pressing challenges facing families across our state. Whether it is health care, immigration, job creation or education, we are presenting workable, common sense ideas to improve the lives of all Arizonans. I assure you that while I am leaving this position, I am not leaving the fight for a better, stronger Arizona. And to that end, I look forward to continue working closely with you in the months and years to come. Thank you for your friendship and support, Jim PedersonWe'll be seeing a bit more of Jim over the next couple of months though. I mean, I'm not privy of anything like that it has something to do with running against the junior senator...what is his name again. Oh, can't have anything to do with that. When I was a vice-chair, I used to joke that I would be in charge if there was a major bus accident. That isn't quite the case. The first vice-chair can only be in charge on a temporary basis. There is a meeting already scheduled for Flagstaff in August, and the bylaws allow a successor to be elected there. Back in November and December, when Pedersen was mulling around with not running, the names that had been floated were Pima County Chairman Paul Eckerstrom, Phoenix activist Rick McGwire, and Howard Dean's Arizona campaign chief Frank Costanzo. The "next in command" would be Vice-Chair Peggy Toomey-Hammann, but some questions recently arose about her eligibility to serve in that office. She made it through that fight, but it can't help her if she wants a promotion. When Steve Owens resigned back in 1995, he recruited Rep. Sam Coppersmith to take his place. The Republicans also turned to a recently retired big-name elected official when they picked Rep. Matt Salmon to be their chair. There doesn't seem to be anyone like that around to do this though. I have a sneaking suspicion that Fred DuVal won't make the race for Secretary of State after all, which would leave him free to take this job. Hey, this is what bloggers get paid the big bucks to do: idle speculation.|W|P|112187698113794300|W|P|Pedersen Resigns|W|P|prezelski@aol.com
|W|P|You forgot another possible candidate: former Tempe Mayor and State Senator Harry Mitchell. This would give Arizona the only Party Chairman commemorated with a statue in Downtown Tempe. Elizabeth Rogers|W|P|Oooh Tom can I play with your "hip hair." Hahahahaha Sorry could not resist. I hope that Harry does go for it. He would be cool in it.
As for the Sec. of State's office. This state likes women in that office so why do we not look of for a woman to kick Brewer's ass?
For those of you that missed it, financial planner Keith DeGreen has dropped out of the race for the chance to lose against Governor Janet Napolitano.
Of course, his press release had to contain a self-congratulatory line. According to the Republic he finished off the release with:
his decision is "consistent with his family focused beliefs: focus on his own family and put political aspirations aside."Geez, pandering until the very end. Funny how Republicans can be divorced but still be all about family values. Must be why he needs to talk about it so much. I kept reading that this guy is big because he has a radio show and television show, watched by about as many people as who read this blog. Let's face it, NO ONE watches shows about finanical planning, unless they are in a hospital recovering from an apendectomy and can't reach the remote. Lately, he has started to tackle policy issues on his show, which means if he kept going he would have had the ratings of Arizona Illustrated or Horizon. Some Republicans, believe it or not, were actually excited about this guy. Some conservative bloggers are angry that the only person with heft to actually declare is the ideologically unacceptable Sen. John Greene (still no website!). They kept saying that DeGreen "almost beat DeConcini." Hmm...let's see. DeConcini was never that popular in the first place, at the time embroiled in a scandal regarding the CAP, was weighted down by a hugely unpopular presidential nominee and running against a huge Republican trend in Arizona at the time, and HE STILL WON. Yeah, heck of a candidate, that DeGreen. DeGreen would have had some trouble winning a primary, but not for the reasons you would think. Joe Sweeney almost won the District 7 primary in 2002, and actually won the primary in 2004. I have been told that this is because of Sweeney's "name ID," you know, all of those signs he's wheat-pasted on any free vertical space every election since 1984. So, if Republican primary voters are so confused by this as to vote for a guy who is obviously racist and insane against otherwise competent candidates, what hope did DeGreen have running against a guy named Greene? (NB - It's gotta be Sweeney's name ID, right? Otherwise, I would have to interpret the fact that the only two primaries he's ever won have been against Hispanics as some sort of racism on the part of Republican primary voters.) Conservatives still have some options, former Symington aide Jay Heiler, Sen. Ken Bennett and House Speaker James Weiers are still being talked about, and Teresa Ottesen is an actual announced candidate. I think the serious talk about Surgeon General Richard Carmona has finally stopped, but expect the media here in Tucson to still keep talking about him because they love him so. Whatever happened to Marilyn Quayle? Poor Janet, she may not have a candidate to run against. Isn't it sad?|W|P|112178445706487167|W|P|I'll Chew You Up and Spit You Out (Reprise)|W|P|prezelski@aol.com
shrimplate|W|P|If Deforest Kelley, of Star Trek fame, and Ernest Borgnine, of McHale's Navy fame, ever spawned a love child he would have to look just like Keith DeGreen.It's uncanny, really.
Tedski|W|P|Wow...that is scary...and I like Borgnine and Kelley. You have ruined it for me now. Elizabeth Rogers|W|P|I am glad I cannot think of what either of those two look like. Tedski|W|P|Elizabeth...geez...DeForest Kelley
Ernest Bognine
I mean, it's okay not to know who DeForest Kelley is, that just means you aren't a total geek. But, Ernest Borgnine? Not knowing who he is is as un-American as not knowing who Thomas Jefferson or Clint Eastwood are.
Elizabeth Rogers|W|P|I know who they ARE just not what they LOOK like.
Embarassingly, the First Lady decided to use the opporitunity to lecture world governments on spending more money on the African AIDS pandemic. This finger-wagging would be welcome if her husband had met his own promises on this issue. Some of you may remember that in 2003, Bush pledged to spend $15 billion on AIDS in Africa. His "pledge" was mostly money that was already being spent (that guy Clinton again), and wouldn't be fully funded until after the end of his term. To make matters worse, his budgets have consistently not met his own pledges. When a normally stingy congress tried to spend a bit more money, the administration fought it tooth and nail.
To most of us in this country, this is an obscure budget fight. But for the leaders that Mrs. Bush met, this issue is paramount. It shouldn't suprise any of us if these leaders stop trusting anything that this President or any future President says.|W|P|112165198076585174|W|P|Shafted in Africa|W|P|prezelski@aol.com |W|P|This is totally off-topic, sorry.New Survey-USA poll on Napolitano's approval rating shows that Napolitano is more popular in Phoenix (58% approval) than in Tucson (52% approval). WTF?
Going back to June, you can see that the change in her Phoenix numbers is within MOE, while in Tucson her approval rating has clearly plummeted.
Any thoughts? Just off the top of my head, I have to wonder if it has anything to do with the immigrant bashing she's taken to lately.
The Operating Engineers, United Steel Workers and Teamsters are simultaneously striking against ASARCO operations in Tucson, Sahuarita, Kearney and Amarillo, Texas. This is the first major Arizona copper strike in more than a decade.
Workers at Sahuarita have been working without a contract for a year. ASARCO, despite higher copper prices, are claiming that the workers have to take a cut in pay and benefits. The Steel Workers are saying that ASARCO has not negotiated in good faith.
ASARCO is now owned by a Mexican firm, Grupo México, and is looking to bring up scab workers from down there. Funny how those guys will be able to get papers quickly, eh?
Despite this, ASARCO is saying that production will be cut in half at the Silverbell mine. Well, yes, that is the idea.
Students of Arizona history will tell you that many of our copper strikes have ended badly for the unions. It sounds like this one is going well so far, all three unions are working closely together. If they can keep up the solidarność, this should go well. It's a mine, they can't pick up and move the copper to Gujarat.
The picture at left is one I got from a site that the Univeristy of Arizona Library has about the Bisbee Deportation. For those who don't know, in 1917, the IWW held a massive strike in Bisbee and Butte, Montana. They had the aim of both improving conditions as well as ending US envolvement in World War I. The "wobblies" were rounded up and loaded into train cars and dropped off in New Mexico. The site has a short history of the events, plus a load of documents and effemera.|W|P|112087264057665172|W|P|Incipient Revolution|W|P|prezelski@aol.com |W|P|19 bucks an hour. That is the average pay of a copper miner. I don't make that and I have a college degree.Bring in the mexicans! Teach those union bastards the beauty of living next to the border.
Send those union guys to one of the communist closed shop states.
Elizabeth Rogers|W|P|I make 11 bucks an hour sitting on my ass in an office with nice air conditioning and a comfy chair. They have to work in a dark mine with only human ingenuity keeping them alive. I think 19 bucks is a little cheap if you ask me. Especially when the managers and owners get around 40 an hour and they can sit in a nice clean air conditioned office with a comfy chair. shrimplate|W|P|If uocef is that upset about a few hard-working miners making a few bucks more than he does, then I guess I am justified in assuming that he really has a problem with corporate CEO's with their wildly inflated salaries, stock options, and golden parachutes.I am sure uocef is agitating night and day to see these unjust inequalities rectified.
Elizabeth Rogers|W|P|By the way people, the Young Demcorats of Arizona are going to be walking the picketline at the Silverbell mine (25000 W. Avra Valley Road, Marana, AZ) this weekend...four hour shifts starting at 6 AM. Please come and bring lots of ice and water.Because we should not just say we support the miners who are striking, but also SHOW we support them.
Jeff "Slim" Simpson responded to my post about the profile of Kathleen Dunbar in the Arizona Daily Star with some further facts about Dunbar and legislation to fight the meth problems in our state. Jeff pointed out a few things to me:
- She was the only vote on the council against a resolution supporting a state house bill to regulate the sales of pseudoephedrine.
- Dunbar actually travelled to Phoenix to lobby against the bill. She still has floor privleges from her days in the legislature. She did this at the behest of the big retailers, acting as their lobbyist on while being paid by city taxpayers.
- Now that her opponent, Karin Uhlich, has started to make this an issue, Dunbar has been having town hall meetings on meth and her picture taken with police officers.
- Arizona Daily Star: letters@azstarnet.com
- Tucson Citizen: letters@tucsoncitizen.com
See you all later, keep up the good work.|W|P|112069140706570260|W|P|Gee, It's Worse Than I Thought|W|P|prezelski@aol.comIn the July 5th "Know Your Candidates" feature, Councilmember Kathleen Dunbar is quoted as saying: "It is becoming apparent that methamphetamine use leads to significant crime in our community." I'm glad that she says that it is becoming apparent now, it wasn't as apparent to her in March.Back then, she had the chance to vote for a resolution in support of legislation to limit sales of pseudoephedrin, a key ingredient in the illegal manufacture of crystal methamphetamine. She voted no, the only council member to do so. Not only that, she travelled to Phoenix to stand with the big retailers and lobby against the legislation.Only now that she is starting to feel the heat on this issue does she decide that it "leads to significant crime." She didn't know this a couple of months ago?
shrimplate|W|P|I don't have the bill in front of me, but I think I recall that right now the legal limit on the purchase of sudaphed tablets is 24 grams. That's probably about 1000 tabs, give or take. The more restrictive bill would've knocked that down to 9 grams of pseudoephridine (am I remembering this right? I just worked a 12-hour shift so I may have to bone up on this later.) Still talking about 300 tablets, a lot of cold medicine, that.
Only a meth lab would purchase that much.
I use the parentheses because there's no limit if you purchase gel tabs or the liquid (which is a kid friendly) forms of the drug. The tabs are easier to make into crystal, though, so I'm told.
There is just no way, other than meth production, to rationalize such large purchases.
God, I hate meth. It absolutely just kills off your dopamine receptors. Meth addicts are nothing but manipulative drug-eating machines. The stuff steals a persons personality, for god's sake anything we can do to limit the production of this garbage is OK by me.
I prefer chamomille for colds and runny noses, anyways.
Tedski|W|P|This was the point that folks were trying to make in the legislature: it's hard to justify why a legitimate customer would need to buy a dozen or more boxes at a time. The retailers claimed that such restrictions would kill their buisnesses. In other words, they are dependent on the money from the illegal meth industry.I guess serving out-of-state retail chains trumps their anti-crime stance.
|W|P|The retailers claimed that such restrictions would kill their buisnesses.Could this possibly be true? Is meth single-handedly propping up big drugstore chains? Is meth behind the obscene proliferation of Circle-Ks on every corner? Is meth fueling the big-box boom? Wouldn't it be great if we could kill all these birds with one stone?
Sadly,no. I think we are just going to have to come to terms with the fact that, rather than being some endangered species clinging to life on the edge of extinction, they are just garden-variety lying corporate sacks of shit.
...
You said it, shrimplate. Or as I prefer to put it - There's nothing like meth to take a perfectly good human being and turn them into a complete asshole.
|W|P|Here in Oregon we have to talk to a pharmacist and fill out our vitals if we want to obtain any amount of pseudoephridine products. They keep records of who buys what how often. I'm just glad I don't have allergies. |W|P|But at least in Oregon it is tax free....
I read this morning that Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale died. The guy was a Republican, but I really admired him. When he was a prisoner of war at the infamous Hanoi Hilton (the same place where Senator John McCain was held), he actually wounded himself, almost dying in the process, so that he and his fellow prisoners would not be used for propoganda purposes. The story goes that when the North Vietnamese saw this, they were so taken by his courage that they ceased torturing the prisoners. For this, Stockdale was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
H. Ross Perot picked him as his running mate durring the 1992 election. People don't remember that at one point, Perot was ahead in national polls, meaning Stockdale was almost vice-president.
I was never a fan of Perot, but he lost any possibility of respect from me when he put Stockdale out on to the stage with Vice President Quayle and then-Senator Al Gore totally unprepared. Perot and his aides apparently didn't think that Stockdale needed any briefings and instructed him to just go out there and it would work out (it was this sort of attitude that led serious and experienced aides like Ed Rollins to quit the campaign). This man, an genuine American hero, ended up looking like a buffoon. Most of you reading this probably still think of the "Who am I?" line or Phil Hartman's impression, rather than the incredible life this man led.
He was an accomplished historian and was an avid reader of philosophy, particularly the stoics. This, no doubt, is what got him through his experience in Hanoi. When he returned, he told his wife that his leg injuries gave his walk "a certain sense of style."
I saw one interview with Stockdale's wife, Sybil. Well, she wasn't the one being interviewed, but she showed up and pushed James aside and started answering questions. I saw that and loved it,we had a campaign with three strong spouses. She and James wrote a book together called "In Love and War" that was made into a TV movie.
Stockdale was played by James Woods in that 1987 TV movie, Perot was played by Richard Crenna in a 1986 mini-series. If that doesn't prove Stockdale was cooler, I don't know what does.
And yes, his middle name really was "Bond."|W|P|112065933046752516|W|P|James Bond Stockdale|W|P|prezelski@aol.comBut, we do get to find out that Councilmember Kathleen Dunbar loves the movie Best in Show. Wow. I like that movie too, mostly because it makes fun of people like Kathleen Dunbar.
She also says that "It is becoming apparent that methamphetamine use leads to significant crime in our community." Good to know you have been paying attention during your years on the council. Maybe you should have worked on this instead of building more dog runs.
I don't have a lot of respect for Dunbar. I first encountered her when she was in the legislature. I had been playing phone tag with her, and I finally gave her my work number. The receptionist handed me the message and said, "I don't know who this is, but she sounds very confused."
When she ran for city council, she showed up at a hearing of the sign code committee and proceded to address not us, but the audience. It was such total pandering. But it worked, it always does.
She, well, her staff, also tried to have me thrown off of that same sign code committee after she got into office. Her office claimed that I couldn't serve on the committee, since I am in the legislature. The trouble is, I am not in the legislature. They must have confused me with someone else. Word got back to me, and her office was mad that it wasn't handled by city staff with more "discretion." The most discrete thing to do would have been to check my first name. They tried to throw me off again later, for an equally shaky reason.
This incident led to the best retraction of all time. The Tucson Weekly (which my brother and I both called when this happened) published an item about this in the Skinny. Then, they messed up our names. They printed a retraction the next week that started with "I guess we are as stupid as Kathleen Dunbar..."
Hey, I didn't call her that, they did.|W|P|112058186318725639|W|P|At Least She Didn't Say Spinal Tap...|W|P|prezelski@aol.com |W|P|On the issue of meth, Dunbar is a shameless hypocrite. No one in this community has done more to hurt the efforts of law enforcement to control meth production. Accross the country, states and cities are passing laws requiring drugstores to keep pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) - a principal ingredient in meth production - behind the counter. Not only was she the only councilmember to vote against a resolution in support of such legislation, she successfully lobbied legislators in Phoenix to water down the bill. But it's really unfair for me to give her all the credit. She was actually just joining an effort spearheaded by WAL-MART. It seems that putting pseudoephedrine behind the counter dramatically reduces sales of the drug. It also dramatically reduces meth production and VIOLENT CRIME. According to TPD, 85% of Tucson's violent crime is linked to the production and distribution of meth.
Now she's trying to make it a campaign issue, and we need to make sure she chokes on it.
Dunbar should be run out of town on a rail.
Michael Bryan|W|P|Well, I do agree that Dunbar is a whore for every special interest that gives her a passing nod, but I don't think she should be mocked for the only public service she's ever performed that seemed to come from the heart: the creation and support of dog parks. For those of us who love our dogs (and don't we all?), dog parks are a serious quality of life issue. Dunbar has a genuine interest in the issue which seems to have little to do with political gain, so let's give her credit for the one thing she deserves credit for... and trash her on everything else. Tedski|W|P|Geez, Mike, if I can't be a cynical and unfair on my blog, where can I be?
Former State Senator Sandra Day O'Connor (R-Phoenix) has announced her retirement from the Supreme Court.
Let the games begin...|W|P|112022964733744679|W|P|Breaking News!|W|P|prezelski@aol.com shrimplate|W|P|My cat is saying that Bush will try to replace her with the biggest a$$hole he can find.But any cat would tell you the same.
|W|P|The paper this morning suggested Sen. Kyl. Wow.. your cat must be psychic!My new kitty just wanted to know where the litter box was.