Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

Kirsten Gillibrand is the new Senator representing NY. She's a Democrat but many are wailing that she is too conservative. Well, she was conservative because she was elected to a conservative district. Her evolution is immediately beginning, at least in the area of gay rights. I assume that she will soon move even further to the left, maybe even losing her "Blue Dog" status. At least she will if she wants to get re-elected in 2010.

GOP Worries

GOP worry number 1. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)is worried that attorney general designate Eric Holder might want to prosecute people who used torture in interogations. Basically, Republicans want an attorney general who will promise not to uphold the law. Holder is the first attorney general (designate) in awhile who has proclaimed that he believes torture is illegal.

GOP worry number 2. Barack Obama is not really president because he didn't take the oath of office word for word. Ok, Obama retook the oath in the White House just to be sure. New GOP concern, the new oath wasn't taken with his hand on a bible (not that the Constitution requires it).

GOP worry number 3. Barack Obama has ordered that our government should be more transparent and accountable. He recently ordered that Freedom of Information requests should be granted whenever possible. Rush Limbaugh, in particular, thinks this order smacks of a "Banana Republic". Someone might find some information showing that someone during the last 8 years did something illegal.

Mad Martigan for Arizona Governor?

Val (Mad Martigan, Batman) Kilmer is considering a run for governor of Arizona in 2011. Will all State governors one day be ex-superheros?

No Doubting the Crowds

4 million people at the Inauguration I've read. I was at an anti-war rally in Washington DC where an estimated 1 million people showed up to protest the Vietnam War. The above crowd dwarfs that anti-war crowd. Has there ever been such a large crowd gathered in one place?

Bye-bye Klaatu

I'm not a big fan of Maureen Dowd, but she does have a point in her column today.

It was the Instant the Earth Stood Still.

Not since Klaatu landed in a flying saucer on the Ellipse has Washington been so mesmerized by an object whirring through the sky.

But this one was departing, not arriving.

As W. ceased to be president, he flew off over the Capitol and across the Mall en route to Andrews Air Force Base, and then back to Texas.

I’ve seen many presidents come and go, but I’ve never watched a tableau like the one Tuesday, when four million eyes turned heavenward, following the helicopter’s path out of town. Everyone, it seemed, was waving goodbye, with one or two hands, a wave that moved westward down the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, and keeping their eyes fixed unwaveringly on that green bird.

Let the rule of law once more reign throughout the land.

Don't Let the Door ........

Inaugural Address

My favorite part:

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

The Presidential Limo

I wonder what this baby weighs? Only 8 mpg and not great pickup. But it does store a couple units of the Presidents blood just in case.

Best Song Ever Written

Here is Bruce along with a very spry looking, 90 yr. old Pete Seeger (and Seeger's grandson singing a socialist-worker organizing song at the big Inauguration Bash last weekend. It's hard to believe that we actually blacklisted Seeger in the 50's. The man has stood for international disarmament, civil rights and the environment. Talk about a man who deserves a Presidential Medal of Freedom - Pete Seeger.

Pete Seeger wrote Turn, turn, turn made popular by the Byrds. He also wrote Where have all the flowers gone and If I had a hammer.

SNL Ann Coulter - Torture is good

Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States

Does the oath "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States" apply only to Democratic presidents? It appears that way. The last Republican president to be held accountable for his illegal actions was Richard Nixon. That was back in the days when the Republican party stood for accountablity and believed in enforcing laws. Barack Obama apparently believes in the philosophy of "let sleeping dogs lie". Obams says, look forward and not back, forget about investigating any possible illegal activities by G.W. Bush or those in his administration. In other words the rule of law does not matter.

Unfortunately, if Obama goes down this road, it means breaking his oath of office. Did G.W. Bush defend the Constitution when he unilaterally broke treaties by allowing torture or suspending Habeas Corpus or ignoring laws or portions of laws he did not like? In my humble opinion, Bush broke his oath of office and he broke the law.

Letting Bush get away with ignoring the rule of law means that Barack Obama has every right to act just as Bush has acted. I will complain just as loudly if Obama decides to go this route. However, Republicans have given up the right to complain if Obama acts as Bush has acted.

Cold Adirondack Morning

As you can see above, it was cold last night out at the Adirondack Regional Airport. Oddly, it's gotten even colder over the last hour or there was something wrong with the weather instruments. Other temperature readings around the area for 8:30 AM include -12.2 at Petrova Middle School, -15.3 at Hurley Ave. in Lake Placid, -22 at the Mt. VanHovenberg bobsled run, and -4 in Keene, NY.

Calling Out Joe the Plumber

Yes, Joe (or is it Sam) the Plumber is now a "war correspondent" for Pajamas Media. Joe concludes that the media should not be allowed to cover war. CNN's Rick Sanchez disagrees and attempts to explain to Joe the role of the media in a Democracy.

Magic to Save Obama

You can always count on the "holier than thou" to show up to save us. But maybe someone can explain how smearing oil on a door is going to help President Barack Obama lead our country. It's also nice to know that a few of our congressmen, like Rep. (Dr.) Paul Broun (R-GA), are equally adept at delivering a sermon as well as a political speech. Let us all pray that Obama "listens" to God.

Believe it or not

This is for Mike at Trudeau.

Review of the "Imperial Presidency"

You can find a 487-page report which reviews the Bush presidency and possible illegal activities here (pdf file). The report was prepared for Rep. John Conyers and it recommends that an independent panel determine if any laws were broken by G.W. Bush. Will Bush finally be held accountable for something? In my opinion, it is unlikely. If there is an independent investigation, I hope they also investigate why Democrats let Bush get away with so much.

Cimex lectularius BEDBUGS

The bedbug problem continues to plague New York City and no one seems to be doing anything about it. There are several excellent websites that discuss Cimex lectularius. One of the best websites concerning bedbugs I've found is by Extension Entomologist Michael F. Potter at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Other websites include those of Dr. Stephen Kells at the University of Minnesota and Hardin M.D. at the University of Iowa.

Cambridge Soundworks Radio

We hardly ever listen to our 30 year old stereo system. The receiver is going and we no longer listen to tapes or records, although we listen to a lot of NCPR. So....I decided to invest in a stereo system that we would use. After a significant amount of research I decided on the Cambridge Soundworks Radio CD745i. This radio is significantly cheaper than a Bose Wave (I paid $250 before Christmas and it is now on sale for $199). So far I am very satisfied with the choice. It sounds as good a the Bose Wave I once heard, it comes with a nice little remote, it plays CD's and has an iPOD dock. Unfortunately it lacks controls for bass and treble not that it matters that much to me. The radio picks up 20 FM stations (counting the French Canadian stations) clearly. My old receiver only picked up very local stations. I'm playing a CD of African music (Amampondo) right now and it sounds great. So if you are looking for a nice, compact (but heavy) stereo radio/CD player, now is the time to purchase one from Cambridge Soundworks.

National Debt

I've added a National Debt clock to the right side of the blog. Who is responsible for most of the debt. One or two guesses would be sufficient for most people. The above image comes from zfacts.com. The vast majority of US debt comes from the party of low taxes, low spending and small government, primarily the 2 Bushes and St. Reagan.

I'm Still Here

Last semester pretty much drained me of all energy. But I'm beginning to recuperate. Spring semester should not be so bad as I will be teaching courses that I've taught before. I must admit that I really didn't have much interesting to say....or at least decided not to say what interested me, if that makes sense. But I will be making more regular posts starting Jan. 14th if not sooner.

One thing I do want to discuss is a book my daughter gave me for Christmas. It's Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything". This book is extremely readable and I could not put it down. In fact, I'm going to read it again. It should be required reading for everyone.