Good Friday & Earth Day

-------------------------
Ever heard someone try to disparage the term 'environmentalist'?
Did that sound ignorant, intolerant and silly to you?
But, there are also others who would disdain the observation of any type of religious faith, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or others.
I sometimes wonder how much overlap exists between these two groups?
Maybe more than I wish to know, which would be a real shame.
-------------------------




Did it ever occur to you that today was the first time these two special days were coincident?

Per Wikipedia, Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, which is calculated differently in Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity (see Computus for details). Easter falls on the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, the full moon on or after 21 March, taken to be the date of the vernal equinox. The Western calculation uses the Gregorian calendar, while the Eastern calculation uses the Julian calendar, whose 21 March now corresponds to the Gregorian calendar's 3 April. The calculations for identifying the date of the full moon also differ. See Easter Dating Method (Astronomical Society of South Australia).
In Eastern Christianity, Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25 on Julian Calendar (thus between April 4 and May 8 in terms of the Gregorian calendar, during the period 1900 and 2099), so Good Friday can fall between March 20 and April 23, inclusive (or between April 2 and May 6 in terms of the Gregorian calendar). (See Easter.)

Good Friday Calendar:

2011 = April 22

2012 = April 6

2013 = March 29

2014 = April 18

2015 = April 3



Of course, Earth Day is a much more recent special day, as Wikipedia again records.



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Remember this POGO poster by Walt Kelly?
Think Pogo was right?




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Blog Index

--------------------------------
Today's posts brings the total published to 366, one for every day of a leap year.
Maybe enough to keep some sleeping pills in their bottles.

When I started blogging it seemed something of a mission; to document issues, facts, opinions, perspectives, ideas, problems & public processes, and to file all this in one place -where I, and interested others, can find the stuff.
The labels and search function really do help.
Some posts are dated, but most have some lasting meaning.

It has been mostly fun -and still is- so I'll keep at it, but maybe without too many self-imposed deadlines.
--------------------------------
Date
Title
Labels
Blog No.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007
My First Blog Posting: GMA & Comprehensive Plan Update
PlanningGrowth
1
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
2nd Posting - The UGA Land Supply Debate
PlanningGrowth
2
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Mea Culpa and Apologies
Elections
3
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Straight Talk About Lake Whatcom
Lake
4
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Candidate Questionnaire & Decision Making
Elections
5
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Annexation: Asset or Liability?
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
6
Monday, July 30, 2007
BTV10: Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants
Sunshine
7
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Is Charter Review Important?
Charter
8
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Last Night's Forum:Mayoral Candidates Opening Statements
Elections
9
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: Mayoral Candidate Forum Responses
Elections, Waterfront
10
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Solar Power Case Study: An Old Idea With New Economics
Environment
11
Friday, August 3, 2007
On Integrity and Competence
Elections
12
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Pooh Bear's Easter Party
Greenways
13
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Politics for Dummies?
Elections
14
Monday, August 6, 2007
Parking Is Not Free
Library, Parking
15
Monday, August 6, 2007
Either Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!
Elections
16
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance - Citizens Task Force Recommendations
Lake, PlanningGrowth
17
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Public Water Supply Management 101: A Short Primer and Call to Action for Newcomers and the Newly Involved
Lake
18
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Feeling Smart? Test Your Watershed IQ
Lake
19
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Water Source Protection Plan: Shelf Art or Management Tool?
Lake
20
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Water Source Protection Plan: Comments & Questions

21
Monday, August 13, 2007
Surface & Storm Water Utility: Rates & Rationale Revisited
Lake, Stormwater
22
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Between Iraq & A Hard Place
War
23
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Growth Management & The Art Of Pedantry
PlanningGrowth
24
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Growth Management 102: Dealing With Uncertainty -And Fantasy!
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
25
Friday, August 17, 2007
A Tale of Two Cities: Watershed Protection Law Case Studies
Lake
26
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Benzene in Lake Whatcom: Some Questions & Answers
Lake
27
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The Bellingham & Whatcom County Public Facilities District: Redux
Government, PFD
28
Monday, August 20, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: Incorporating Waterfront Futures Group Recommendations
Waterfront
29
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Growth Management: Ahwahnee Principles for Resource-Efficient and Livable Communities
Lake
30
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Lake Whatcom: BLOG Feedback & Lake Tahoe Ideas
Lake
31
Friday, August 24, 2007
Lake Whatcom Storm Water Management: Entranco Report Redux
Lake, Stormwater
32
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Lake Whatcom: Valuable Real Estate for Whom?
Lake
33
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Cost of Growth: Impact Fees & Feelings
PlanningGrowth, Taxes
34
Monday, August 27, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: Clean & Green or In-Between?
Environment, Waterfront

35
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Accentuating the Positive: Qualities to Reflect in Library Design
Library
36
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Lake Whatcom: A Lilliputian Response to a Gulliver Proposal
Lake
37
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Lake Whatcom: Goal Statements & Methodology Aren't Enough!
Lake
38
Friday, August 31, 2007
Lord of the Rings - Bellingham Style
Annexation, Charter, Elections
39
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Public Trust or Public Trough?
Budgets, Taxes
40
Sunday, September 2, 2007
On Baking a Cake: A Generic Wish
Elections, Government
41
Monday, September 3, 2007
Civic Field Sports Complex: A Bellingham Success Story
Parks
42
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Big Box Theory: Attacking Mall-Wart
Annexation, PlanningGrowth, Taxes, WAL-MART
43
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
People for Lake Whatcom Questionnaire: REDUX for the General Elections
Lake
44
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: BEYOND LEED to a Triple Bottom Line
Environment, Waterfront
45
Friday, September 7, 2007
"To Err is Human, to Forgive, Canine"
Parks
46
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: Navigating Charbydis & Scylla
Waterfront
47
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: Mother Goose & the Doctors of Spin Revisited -PART 1
Waterfront
48
Monday, September 10, 2007
Mayoral Elections: I Like Pike!
Elections
49
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Lake Whatcom: An October Surprise?
Lake, Parks
50
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Reconveyance Feedback
Lake, Reconveyance
51
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Growth Management: Meaningfully Involving Neighborhoods -Part 1
PlanningGrowth
52
Friday, September 14, 2007
More Reconveyance Feedback: No Secrets or Surprises
Lake, Reconveyance
53
Sunday, September 16, 2007
"You can't teach what you don't know, and you can't lead where you won't go"
Personal
54
Monday, September 17, 2007
Kathryn's SWAN SONG: A Tribute
Personal
55
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Dan Pike: An Unabashed Endorsement for Mayor
Elections
56
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Follow the Money!
Budgets
57
Friday, September 21, 2007
Reconveyance: RCWs to Read & Questions to Ask
Lake, Reconveyance
58
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Budgets 101: An Introduction to the Public Purse
Budgets
59
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Pork Barrel Heaven: Reflections on the City’s "Living Wage" Ordinance
LivingWage
60
Monday, September 24, 2007
The 10th Street Parking 'issue': A Tempest in a Teapot
Parking, Parks
61
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Reconveyance: No September Surprises
Lake, Reconveyance
62
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Economic Development: 2003 versus 2007 - What has Changed?
Annexation, EconomicDevelopment, PlanningGrowth
63
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Growth Debate Revisited: BIA versus Eben Fodor
PlanningGrowth
64
Friday, September 28, 2007
Ever Heard of LIDAR?
PlanningGrowth
65
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Waterfront Redevelopment: Economic Development on Steroids
EconomicDevelopment PlanningGrowth, Waterfront
66
Sunday, September 30, 2007
WRIA-1: Whatcom County's Unfinished Water Business
Lake, WRIA-1
67
Monday, October 1, 2007
Turn! Turn! Turn!: (To Everything There Is a Season)
Personal
68
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Lake Whatcom: Water District Fiefdom or Community Treasure?
Lake
69
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
WLV Forum: Ad Libs, Glibs & Fibs
Elections
70
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Mitch's Kool-Aid: Special FISHY Flavor for Election Time
Elections, Reconveyance
71
Friday, October 5, 2007
Thoughts: All Politics Really Are Local!
Elections
72
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Mayor: A Living Wage Job In A Fishbowl
Elections
73
Sunday, October 7, 2007
IT'S BUDGET TIME AGAIN! -A $200 Million Exercise
Budgets
74
Monday, October 8, 2007
Lake Whatcom Reservoir: A Necessary Restructuring
Lake
75
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Lake Whatcom: City's Stormwater Plan - Phocusing on Fosphorus
Lake, PlanningGrowth
76
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A Political Rant: It's Not the Cream of the Crop, It's the Pick of the Lot!
Elections
77
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Operation Overlord & Landlord Accountability
Landlords
78
Friday, October 12, 2007
Silver Beach Neighborhood: Wading Into Uncharted Waters - Again
Lake, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth
79
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Growth Management: Neighborhood Planning - Whose Job Is It?
Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth
80
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Growth Management: Neighborhood Unrest Means People Aren't Happy!
Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth
81
Monday, October 15, 2007
What is Consensus Decision-Making?
Neighborhoods
82
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Mayoral Elections: Which Dan and Why?
Elections
83
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Campaign Rhetoric Versus Institutional Memory: A Litany of Concerns - Part 1
Elections
84
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Campaign Rhetoric Versus Institutional Memory: A Litany of Concerns - Part 2
Elections
85
Friday, October 19, 2007
Whatcom County Park, Recreation, & Open Space Plan: Draft or Daft?
Lake, Parks, Reconveyance
86
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Campaign Rhetoric Versus Institutional Memory: A Litany of Concerns - Part 3
Elections
87
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Campaign Rhetoric Versus Institutional Memory: A Litany of Concerns - Part 4
Elections
88
Monday, October 22, 2007
Politics Without Principle? We Can Do Much Better Than That!
Elections
89
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
South Hill Neighborhood: Views Become Vision
Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth
90
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Library Planning Update: Citizen Input Wanted!
Library
91
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My Goodness! Should Today's Weakly be Considered An In-Kind Campaign Donation?
Elections
92
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Library Planning Update 2: Working Hard or Playing Games?
Library
93
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The Nightmare Before Elections
Elections
94
Sunday, October 28, 2007
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: Mark Twain on Written Interviews
Elections
95
Monday, October 29, 2007
HALLOWE'EN
Elections
96
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Truth or Consequences: Not Just A Town In New Mexico
Elections
97
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tricking & Treating: Reflections on Elections
Elections
98
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Today's Headlines: It's Come to This!
Politics
99
Friday, November 2, 2007
Lake Whatcom Mis-Management Non-Program: It's Time To Get Serious!
Lake
100
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Some Comments & A Review of Green Principles
LEED
101
Sunday, November 4, 2007
DNR Land Swap: What Would Rev. Spooner & The Capitol Steps Say?
Humor, Reconveyance
102
Monday, November 5, 2007
City Council: New Tools for 2008 & Beyond
Annexation, Budgets, PlanningGrowth, Sunshine
103
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Gutter Politics & Political Gutterballs
Elections, Water/Sewer
104
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Death & Taxes: Two of Life's Certainties
Taxes
105
Friday, November 9, 2007
All Elections Are Important: Some More Than Others
Elections
106
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Lake Whatcom: Is It Time to Consolidate Water & Sewer Services?
Lake, Water/Sewer
107
Friday, November 16, 2007
Growth Management: Options for Closing the 'Gap' on UGA Boundaries
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
108
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Photos: A Few Favorite Places
Personal
109
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Municipal Budgeting: Care & Feeding of the Fiscal Monster
Annexation, Budgets, Taxes
110
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Growth: Are You Ready For Some Bootfall?
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
111
Monday, November 26, 2007
Is The Only Thing Constant, Change?
Personal
112
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The 'News': Breaking or Broken?
NEWS
113
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
"The News Business: changes, challenges.....and do we care?"
NEWS
114
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Breaking Good News About NOAA
PlanningGrowth, Waterfront
115
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
116
Friday, November 30, 2007
Growth: Following A Predetermined Path to A Foregone Conclusion
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
117
Saturday, December 1, 2007
B&O Tax News: The Missing Headline
Budgets, Taxes
118
Sunday, December 2, 2007
'Making Plays': Exercises in Frustration
Humor, Politics, Sports
119
Monday, December 3, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 1st Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
120
Monday, December 3, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 2nd Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
121
Monday, December 3, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 3rd Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
122
Monday, December 3, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 4th Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
123
Monday, December 3, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 5th Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
124
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 6th Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
125
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 7th Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
126
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance Redux: 8th Meeting Citizens Task Force
Lake, PlanningGrowth
127
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Silver Beach Ordinance - Citizens Task Force Recommendations
Lake, PlanningGrowth
128
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Lake Whatcom: Watershed Land Acquisition Program -Rationale & History
Annexation, Environment, Lake, PlanningGrowth
129
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Landlord Accountability: Defining the PROBLEM & What to do about it?
Landlords
130
Thursday, December 6, 2007
District Only Voting: Are You Kidding Me?
Elections
131
Friday, December 7, 2007
District Only Voting: No Rotten Boroughs!
Elections
132
Saturday, December 8, 2007
District Only Voting: Constituencies & Voting Systems
Elections
133
Sunday, December 9, 2007
On Taxes in the State of Washington
Taxes
134
Monday, December 10, 2007
Farewell Comments & More on District Voting
Elections, Personal
135
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Something's Gotta Give
Personal
136
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Olympic Pipe Line Disaster: Reflections
OlympicPipeLine
137
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Growth Management Act: A Refresher & Rant with Local Footnotes
PlanningGrowth
138
Monday, December 17, 2007
Modern Sports Scene: Rooting or Ranting ?
Sports
139
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Today was the first day of the rest of my life.
Personal
140
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Growth Management: Deer Creek Water Association
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
141
Saturday, December 22, 2007
La Dolce Vita... e Il Dolce Far Niente
Humor
142
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 1
Humor
143
Monday, December 24, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 2
Humor
144
Monday, December 24, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 3
Humor
145
Monday, December 24, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 4
Humor
146
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 5
Humor
147
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 6
Humor
148
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 7
Humor
149
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Flame Warrior Archetypes: Part 8 ~FIN~
Humor
150
Friday, December 28, 2007
More On Green Design: Principles, Future & Practical Advice
LEED
151
Saturday, December 29, 2007
On City Finances & Direction
Budgets, Government
152
Sunday, December 30, 2007
The Future of Architecture: 2005-2015
LEED
153
Monday, December 31, 2007
The Future of Architecture: 2015-2025
LEED
154
Monday, December 31, 2007
The Future of Architecture: 2050-2100
LEED
155
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
Personal

156
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Sustainability & Buddhist Economics
Buddhist, Budgets
157
Thursday, January 3, 2008
ANNOYANCES...
Humor
158
Friday, January 4, 2008
Driving our KARMA & Curbing our DOGMA
Buddhist
159
Saturday, January 12, 2008
On City Government, Football & Other Contact Sports
Government, Lake, Library, PlanningGrowth, Waterfront
160
Sunday, January 13, 2008
On Libraries & Football
Library
161
Saturday, January 19, 2008
On Libraries, Hiking & A Bobcat!
Library, Personal
162
Monday, January 21, 2008
A Few Belated Responses on MLK Day:
Library, PlanningGrowth
163
Monday, January 28, 2008
A New Bellingham Public Library: A Real Need
Library

164
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Cost Effective Watershed Protection
Lake, PlanningGrowth
165
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Politics
166
Friday, May 9, 2008
Lake Whatcom: Reconveyance & Park Plan -A Few Unanswered Questions
Lake, Reconveyance
167
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Lake Whatcom: A Convergence of 3 Issues
Lake, PlanningGrowth, Water/Sewer
168
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Important County Water Programs Funding: Decision Alert!
Lake, Stormwater, WRIA-1
169
Friday, May 16, 2008
Lake Whatcom: People For Lake Whatcom Meeting & Some Reconveyance Answers
Lake, Reconveyance
170
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Myanmar: Remind You of Anything?
Politics
171
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Lake Whatcom: Bellingham's Moratorium
Lake, PlanningGrowth
172
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Lake Whatcom: Potential Moratorium Actions
Lake, PlanningGrowth
173
Monday, May 26, 2008
Lake Whatcom: DNR Reconveyance & Park Plan Questions
Lake, Reconveyance
174
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Reconveyance & Park Plan: More Feedback & Other Thoughts
Lake, Reconveyance
175
Friday, May 30, 2008
Integrity Versus Loyalty
Politics
176
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
On Impermanence & What Counts
Personal
177
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Real Life Reality: Grandma & the Chicken
Personal
178
Monday, June 30, 2008
Funnies?
Humor
179
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Word Games: Taxes versus Fees
Budgets, Politics, Stormwater, Taxes
180
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Reassessing this Blog
Blog, Personal
181
Saturday, July 26, 2008
What Makes a Headline?
Politics
182
Saturday, July 26, 2008
In the Valley of Elah
War
183
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Adapting Woodstock Farm: Home of Inspiration Point
Parks
184
Thursday, July 31, 2008
On Gaps & Gundecking
Budgets, Government
185
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Dilemma or Fallacy?
Parks, PlanningGrowth
186
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
On Student Housing
Landlords
187
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Giddy Gato: The Passing of a Dear Little Being
Personal
188
Friday, August 8, 2008
Reconveyance & Park Plan: City Council Presentation by Tom Pratum
Lake, Reconveyance
189
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Chuckanut Ridge: Land Supply Implications
Greenways, PlanningGrowth
190
Thursday, August 14, 2008
More on Land Use Efficiency: Chuckanut Ridge, Birch Street & Otherwise
Annexation, Greenways, PlanningGrowth
191
Monday, August 18, 2008
On Decision Making: Remembering a Colleague
Personal
192
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Waterfront Redevelopment: A Rant About Election Games
Elections, Waterfront
193
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lake Whatcom: Possible City Club Questions
Lake
194
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thoughts & Impressions: Sarah Palin as VP?
Politics
195
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Politics & Entropy: What's in a Name?
Politics
196
Monday, September 8, 2008
She Whose Name Should Not Be Spoken Would Ban These Books
Politics
197
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Lipstick: Asset or Distraction?
Politics
198
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Maverick is His Name: Gambling is His Game
Politics
199
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Fall Hiking at Mt Baker: Chain Lakes Loop
Personal
200
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Got Lipstick?
Humor
201
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Crying Wolf
Politics
202
Monday, September 22, 2008
Not so fast Mr Bush!
Politics
203
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Who's Leading & Who's Following?
Politics
204
Monday, October 6, 2008
Bailing Out: Preferable to Sinking?
Politics
205
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Dismal Science & 15 Minutes of Fame
Politics
206
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Looking Out The Window
Personal
207
Friday, October 10, 2008
Large Doses of Realism
Politics
208
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
This & That
Politics
209
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Letter from a former Lt Governor of Alaska
Politics
210
Friday, October 24, 2008
Term Limits: Great Taste or Less Filling?
Charter, Politics
211
Sunday, October 26, 2008
On Warriors & War
War
212
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
More Sun Tzu: The Healing Arts
War
213
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
America Awakes!
Politics
214
Monday, November 10, 2008
Property Taxes: Bellingham's Dilemma
Budgets, Taxes
215
Monday, November 10, 2008
Waterfront Redevelopment: Impasse or Opportunity?
Waterfront
216
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Do We Really Want 'Ready, Fire, Aim' Approaches To National Problems?
Politics
217
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Lovely Letter from Alice Walker to Barack Obama
Politics
218
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla
Politics
219
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Freedom or Free Dumb?
Politics
220
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Time for Big Changes at the Port of Bellingham!
Waterfront
221
Monday, November 17, 2008
Auto Rescue: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Politics
222
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Waterfront Redevelopment: Can We Get On With It Now?
Waterfront
223
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Taxes: A Parallel Universe?
Annexation, Budgets, Taxes
224
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Beggars Banquet: A Lesson for Bellingham?
Budgets
225
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Lake Whatcom: A Thanksgiving Blessing
Lake
226
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Triaging Detroit
Politics
227
Thursday, December 18, 2008
On Becoming a Septuagenarian
Personal
228
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve Reflections & Aspirations
Personal
229
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Ringing in the New
Politics
230
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Global Warming: Is This Really A 'Debate'?
Environment
231
Friday, January 9, 2009
Are You Ready For Some Football?
Sports
232
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Football Blues
Sports
233
Friday, January 16, 2009
Greenways: Keeping the Process Honest, Equitable & Public
Greenways, Politics, Sunshine
234
Monday, January 19, 2009
Lake Whatcom: Questions about Proposed Private Road
Lake, PlanningGrowth
235
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Inauguration: A Few Thoughts
Politics
236
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Greenways: Are We A Unified Community Or A League of Single Interests?
Greenways
237
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Greenways: Wishing Does Not 'Make It So'
Greenways
238
Friday, January 30, 2009
Serious Business in Seattle
Personal
239
Sunday, February 1, 2009
America: A Fair to Middling Place
Politics
240
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Jim Webb's Great New Book
Personal
241
Monday, February 16, 2009
Presidents Day Observations
Politics
242
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Obama's Home Foreclosure Plan
Politics
243
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Stimulus: Show Us The Money
Politics
244
Friday, February 20, 2009
Gristle: Excellent GMA Article
PlanningGrowth
245
Sunday, February 22, 2009
America: A Place You Can Rant!
Personal
246
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Greenways: Lies, Damn Lies & Plain Levy Language
Greenways, Politics, Sunshine
247
Friday, February 27, 2009
A Remarkable Week
Politics
248
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Eschewing Obfuscation & Espousing Elucidation
Annexation, Greenways, Politics, Sunshine
249
Monday, March 2, 2009
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Part I
Budgets, Taxes
250
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Part II
Annexation, PlanningGrowth, Taxes, Water/Sewer
251
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Part III
PlanningGrowth, Taxes
252
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Parks: Their Care & Feeding
Lake, Parks
253
Monday, March 9, 2009
Lake Whatcom: Reservoir or High Rent District?
Lake, PlanningGrowth
254
Thursday, March 19, 2009
March Madness & Gladness
Humor, Sports
255
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Picking The Top Teams
Sports
256
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer: Want Fries With That?
Lake, Water/Sewer
257
Sunday, April 12, 2009
T-Party or P-Party?
Politics
258
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Whatcom County Planning: An Oxymoron
Annexation, PlanningGrowth
259
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Local Politics: One Tough Profession!
Government
260
Thursday, April 16, 2009
On Piracy
Government
261
Friday, April 17, 2009
Census 2010: Honest Count Or Partisan Issue?
Census, Government
262
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Polarization: What Does It Mean & Who Decides?
Government
263
Monday, April 20, 2009
Pirate Economics & Social Contracts
Government
264
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Making Government More Effective & Less Costly
Government
265
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Executive Sessions: Necessary Secrets Or Inconvenient Law?
Sunshine
266
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Waterfront Redevelopment: A Grecian Flat Earth Day Theory?
Waterfront
267
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Library: Contingent on Waterfront Redevelopment?
Library, Waterfront
268
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Calling A Charade A Charade
Environment
269
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Waterfront Redevelopment: Are Circadian Rhythms To Blame?
Waterfront
270
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Whatcom County Budget Deficit: Surprise?
Budgets
271
Thursday, April 30, 2009
How Swine Flu Is Transmitted -OR- How Lipstick Gets On A Pig
Humor
272
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A Name Tag That Says 'SURVIVOR'
Personal
273
Monday, May 4, 2009
Library: Facts or Attacks?
Library
274
Sunday, May 10, 2009
It's Local Election Time Again
Elections
275
Monday, May 11, 2009
HamsterTalk: Labels
Blog
276
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Olympic Pipe Line 'Incident': Personal Reflections
OlympicPipeLine
277
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
'Politics Without Principle'
Elections, Politics
278
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Politics: What Kind of Science?
Government, Politics
279
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
California: Terminal or Just Normal?
Budgets, Government, Politics, Taxes
280
Saturday, May 23, 2009
WRIA-1: Wasted Resources or Important Asset?
Environment, Government, PlanningGrowth, Politics, WRIA-1
281
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Budget: FAST or Famine?
Budgets, Government, Politics
282
Monday, May 25, 2009
Citizenship: Pen Versus Sword
Citizenship, Government, Landlords, Neighborhoods, Politics, Sunshine
283
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Waterfront Redevelopment: Changes in the Wind?
Budgets, EconomicDevelopment, Elections, Environment, Government, LEED, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Taxes, Waterfront
284
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Leopold: Barbers of B-Ville
Humor, Personal
285
Thursday, June 4, 2009
WAL-MART: Hate to Say 'I Told You So', but....
Budgets, PlanningGrowth, Taxes, WAL-MART
286
Friday, June 5, 2009
Growth Management: Choosing Our Sprawl & How To Pay For It
Budgets, Elections, Government, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Taxes, WRIA-1
287
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Economic Development: Why Not Combine City & Port?
Annexation, EconomicDevelopment, Government, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Waterfront
288
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Olympic Pipe Line -Versus- Lake Whatcom Reservoir
Elections, Lake, OlympicPipeLine, Politics
289
Sunday, June 14, 2009
More Library Volleys
Government, Library, Taxes
290
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Center For Watershed Protection: Helpful Articles
Environment, Lake, PlanningGrowth, Water/Sewer
291
Monday, June 15, 2009
Local Labor Boss Issues 11th Hour 'Warning'
Budgets, EconomicDevelopment, Government, LivingWage, PlanningGrowth, Sunshine, Taxes, WAL-MART
292
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS: Can They Work?
Environment, Government, Lake, PlanningGrowth, TDRs
293
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Draft Sewer Plan: Perpetually Unfinished Business
Annexation, Budgets, PlanningGrowth, Water/Sewer
294
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Population Forecasts: Numerology or Just Mind-Numbing?
EconomicDevelopment, Government, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics
295
Saturday, June 27, 2009
On Kings & Things
NEWS
296
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Tale of Two Cities: Role Models for Bellingham?
Citizenship, Government, LEED, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics
297
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cheap Versus Free
Citizenship, Government, PlanningGrowth, Politics
298
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Toolkit Complaint
Citizenship, Government, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics
299
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Healthcare & Walmart
Citizenship, Government, Healthcare, Politics, WAL-MART
300
Monday, July 6, 2009
Triple Bottom Line: What Does TBL Mean?
EconomicDevelopment, Elections, Environment, Government, LEED, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Waterfront
301
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Politics: Paleontology & Palintology
Elections, Government, Politics
302
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Budget Reporting: Whatcom County's Home Charter Mystique
Budgets, Elections, Government, Politics, Sunshine
303
Friday, July 10, 2009
Climate: Global Warming, Local Anomaly or Normal?
Environment, LEED, Sunshine
304
Saturday, July 11, 2009
On Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth
305
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Healthcare: Simple or Complicated?
Government, Healthcare, Politics
306
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Gloom, Despair & Agony on Me...
Humor, Personal, Politics
307
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
“The Ship the Nazis Had to Get”
Personal
308
Friday, July 17, 2009
Under Promising & Over Delivering
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Politics, Sunshine
309
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Blue Dogs & 'No Hogs'
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Healthcare, Politics
310
Friday, July 24, 2009
More on Healthcare: Knowledge as Truth
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Healthcare, Politics
311
Friday, July 24, 2009
Port: Populist Instrument or Bete Noir?
EconomicDevelopment, Elections, Environment, Government, Politics
312
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Lake Whatcom: Is TMDL a Waste of Time?
Citizenship, Elections, Environment, Government, Lake, Politics
313
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Water Meters: It's About Time
Government, Politics, Water/Sewer
314
Monday, July 27, 2009
HamsterTalk's 2nd Birthday
Blog, Government, Politics, Sunshine
315
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Gorilla
Humor
316
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Famous Pig
Humor
317
Thursday, July 30, 2009
On 'Town & Gown' Issues
Government, Landlords, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics
318
Friday, July 31, 2009
Lake Whatcom: How Does Your Garden Grow?
Citizenship, Environment, Government, Lake, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Water/Sewer
319
Saturday, August 1, 2009
August: Getting Started on the Right Foot
Citizenship, Environment, Government, Lake, Personal, PlanningGrowth, Water/Sewer
320
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
N.O.A.A: Crying In Our Beer?
Elections, Government, Politics, Waterfront
321
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Healthcare: The Status Quo Has Got To Go!
Healthcare
322
Friday, August 14, 2009
Entertainment: Pulp Fiction & Port Sport
EconomicDevelopment, Elections, Government, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Sunshine, Waterfront
323
Monday, August 17, 2009
Healthcare: More Heat Than Light?
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Healthcare, Politics
324
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A Potpourri Of News: Port Primary & County Growth Management
Elections, Government, Lake, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Waterfront
325
Friday, August 21, 2009
Healthcare: More Perspectives
Government, Healthcare, Politics
326
Friday, August 21, 2009
Humor: Genealogical Convolutions
Humor
327
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Parks: Woodstock Farm & Inspiration Point
Greenways, Parks
328
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Three Topics: Healthcare, Climate, NOAA
Environment, Healthcare, Waterfront
329
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Growth Management: An Exercise In Futility?
Annexation, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Waterfront
330
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Waterfront Redevelopment: How Long Can You Tread Water?
Waterfront
331
Monday, August 31, 2009
Library: From Top Priority To Something Less
EconomicDevelopment, Government, Library, PFD, Taxes
332
Monday, September 7, 2009
More on Cake Baking
Government, Healthcare, Personal, Politics
333
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Library: Consolidation Via Deus Ex Machina?
Government, Library, NEWS, Politics
334
Friday, September 11, 2009
On Peak Oil
Energy, Environment, Government, Politics
335
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Local Politics: 25 Reasons?
Elections, Government, Politics, Stormwater, Water/Sewer, WRIA-1
336
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Bellingham's New Transportation Commission
PlanningGrowth, Transportation
337
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fairhaven Highlands: Entertainment for Silly Season
Government, Greenways, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics
338
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Fairhaven Highlands: DEIS Summary Findings
Government, Greenways, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Sunshine, Transportation
339
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Chartreuse?

340
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Healthcare: Trick or Treat Time
Government, Healthcare, Politics
341
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Endurance & Politics
Elections, Government, Politics
342
Saturday, December 12, 2009
County Council: Who Would You Appoint?
Elections, Government, Politics
343
Monday, December 14, 2009
Affordable Housing Toolkit: Inclusionary Zoning
Government, Neighborhoods, PlanningGrowth, Politics
344
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
US Healthcare: Big Tent or Big Top?
Government, Healthcare, Politics
345
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Hallelujah, Halleluyah and Alleluia!
Healthcare
346
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
County Council: Appointment or Disappointment?
Elections, Government, Politics
347
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Welcoming 2010
Personal
348
Friday, January 8, 2010
Lake Whatcom: Little Ducky Duddle's Fault?
Elections, Environment, Government, Lake, PlanningGrowth, Politics, Reconveyance
349
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Lake Whatcom: Fiddling with Phosphorus
Environment, Government, Lake, PlanningGrowth, Politics
350
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Healthcare & March Madness
Healthcare, Politics, Sports
351
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Cycles & Recycles
Blog, Government, Lake, Landlords, Parks, Politics, Waterfront
352
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
BP's Deja Vu Squared
Energy, Environment, Government, OlympicPipeLine, Politics
353
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
What A Difference 238 Years Make
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Politics
354
Friday, August 20, 2010
History: A Zero Sum Game?
Citizenship, Government, Politics
355
Monday, August 30, 2010
Individual Rights & 'Right Things To Do' Aren't The Same.
Citizenship, Government, Politics
356
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Caveat Lector & Voter!
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Politics
357
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Elite Or Effete?
Government, Politics
358
Monday, November 1, 2010
For Whom Will The Polls Toll?
Elections, Politics
359
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Trouble With Liberty?
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Politics
360
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Politics, Popularity & Priorities
Budgets, Government, Politics, Taxes
361
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year's Jabberwocky

Government, Politics
362
Monday, February 28, 2011
Ill Fares The Land
Citizenship, Elections, Government, Politics
363
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear...
Coal, EconomicDevelopment, Energy, Environment, PlanningGrowth
364

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Budgets & Policy: Tomorrow's Just Your Future Yesterday
Budgets, Government, Politics, Taxes
365

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
BLOG INDEX
Blog
366
================================

Budgets & Policy: Tomorrow's Just Your Future Yesterday

---------------------------------------
Craig Ferguson wrote a catchy theme song for his Late, Late Show:

It's hard to stay up
It's been a long, long day
And you got the sandman at the door
But hang on, leave the TV on
And let's do it anyway
It's ok
You can always sleep through work tomorrow, OK?
Hey hey
Tomorrow's just your future yesterday

That last line somehow stuck with me.
---------------------------------------
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. - Voltaire

“When one admits that nothing is certain one must, I think, also add that some things are more nearly certain than others” - Bertrand Russell

The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is unchangeable or certain. -John F. Kennedy

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are so confident while the intelligent are full of doubt. - Bertrand Russell
---------------------------------------

A leading blessing -and curse- of our political system is its very dynamics, which encourages constant change.
This makes some folks feel uncomfortable while giving others something to fight for and welcome.
But, since hope springs eternal, each change attempted or made carries with it a promise to help solve some problem or benefit some cause.
The problem comes when people have different ideas about what is good or necessary and what is not.
And, since all things are ultimately connected and fairly delicately balanced, it matters that an honest effort at fairness and sustainability be made in our decision making.

Just think for a moment about budgets, whether Federal, local, global or individual.
Why do we have them and why do they matter?

Isn't there a practical limit to our resources, whether fiscal, ecological or social?
Isn't there also the question of reliably meeting established needs and anticipating future requirements?

Even though most real time decisions are made in the present moment, shouldn't these consider the continuum of time?
After all, radical disruptions/dislocations to businesses, climate or society do cause painful and worrisome effects.

Wouldn't it be nice if a clear majority of citizens could agree, once and for all, what is truly essential in life and set that aside from tampering by greedy, short-sighted or criminal elements?
That way, at least some lasting degree of certainty could be established to benefit us all.

Businesses like certainty; just ask any owner, CEO or shareholder.
People like certainty; just ask any employee, family member or investor.
Nature likes certainty; just ask any farmer, hunter, seaman, aviator or species- for that matter.
---------------------------------------

Our current budget debates in Washington, DC simply reflect what is happening at other levels of government, as well as businesses, households, institutions and charities.
This is integral to our priorities; meaning those things we consider most essential.
But it is also about our ability -and willingness- to pay for what we get.
To expect otherwise is wishful thinking at best, and patent ignorance at worst.

When budgets are established, debated, approved and adopted, are they written in stone -never to be altered?
Maybe more like written in Jello, as my Oncologist once described experimental treatment protocols.
But regardless of where and how budgets are written, we don't expect having to repeat EVERY argument each time budgets are revisited in the future.
There simply has to be SOME degree of constancy that can be relied upon in matters of importance to our society.
Don't you agree?

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All that seems indispensable in stating the account between the dead and the living, is to see that the debts against the latter do not exceed the advances made by the former. - James Madison

Each generation should be made to bear the burden of its own wars, instead of carrying them on, at the expense of other generations. - James Madison

In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority. - James Madison

There is no maxim, in my opinion, which is more liable to be misapplied, and which, therefore, more needs elucidation, than the current one, that the interest of the majority is the political standard of right and wrong. - James Madison
---------------------------------------

When I started this post, linking to multiple articles to illustrate points crossed my mind, but I ditched that idea.
Too many words on a complicated subject are hard to write and even harder to read.
So, instead, a few more quotable sources are cited.
---------------------------------------
"The present is the only reality and the only certainty." - Arthur Schopenhauer

For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future. - Barbara Jordan

If you aren't in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret. - Jim Carrey
---------------------------------------

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear...

Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad was a railroad that was built in northwest Washington State, between the town of Bellingham, Washington, to the town of Sumas, Washington to connect with the Canadian Pacific Railway for a continental connection.

The company was incorporated in California on June 21, 1883. After the Northern Pacific Railroad chose Tacoma over Fairhaven, Washington on Bellingham Bay, local railroad boosters along with Nelson Bennett at their head started the B.B. and B.C. Railroad in 1891.

A line around the north side of Lake Whatcom to the Blue Canyon coal mines was completed as many short lines to numerous logging camps. Signs of these old roads can be found through out the county.

The B.B. and B.C. was taken over by the Bellingham and Northern Railway in 1912, which in turn was taken over by Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway in 1918.


----------------------
NW Citizen's article posted recently poses some potentially very plausible scenarios regarding the proposed coal exporting terminal at Cherry Point, plus some other useful links.

But the ideas discussed aren't really new; they are recycled from various parts of our history, beginning about 1883 or so, then repeated at intervals from the beginning of the 20th Century, when JJ Donovan proposed a direct rail route to Spokane through Glacier and Cascade Pass, to the 1980's, to the present - with other whistle stops in between.

For those who remember the 'Lone Ranger' radio broadcasts, this latest coal hype sounds a lot like a "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear."
As much as we may have liked the Lone Ranger and his good exploits, he was a fictional character.
So is the concept of 'Clean Coal', which tries to substitute Mr Clean for the real Coal Miner with his blackened lungs.
Of course, 'yesteryear' was also a time when natural resource extraction was paramount in these parts, and dreams of making Bellingham a major west coast rail terminal were actively promoted.

Why, any enterprising entrepreneur could become almost as rich as a railroad robber baron, with a little luck and access to the bountiful timber, coal, gold/minerals, fish and other local natural resources!
Alas! The railroads instead followed more logical routes, relegating Bellingham largely to a secondary, spur status.
But hope springs eternal, and demand for raw materials - as well as value-added goods - follows dynamic market forces.

Now, China -which already supplies many of our value-added products- wants cheap raw materials/fuel to expand its ability to create more jobs to expand its burgeoning economy.
And, who in the name of free markets can blame them?
After all, who really believes in 'triple bottom line accounting?
[For those unfamiliar with the term, it means paying more than winking attention to actually balancing critical social and environmental aspects as integral parts to an economic evaluation]

It is distressing that even after over a century of so-called growth and progress, we [some of us anyway] are still dreaming about making huge corporate profits by strip mining a fossil fuel, hauling it 1500 miles by train, then several thousand miles by ship, and delivering it at $14 per ton to our major competitor.
And that's not counting the impacts of laying new track over rich farmland, building a huge marshaling yard and terminal to handle continuous train loads of coal, and further distressing our scenic and sensitive coastal and inland waters with a monstrous ship loading facility, and its attendant noise, airborne dust and, stormwater pollution and run-off directly into a rich aquatic breeding ground for species that feed our valuable salmon. [and us]

All of this effort is to expand the continued burning of coal, at a time when we already know its polluting costs!
Any economic benefits from local [short term] construction, jobs and operations will be enjoyed by very few, and likely be dwarfed by the air pollution and jobs created in China, not to speak of local public infrastructure subsidies likely required and negative impacts to our living environment.

And, let's don't forget the mitigation and/or adaption costs to Bellingham and Whatcom County, and quality of life that has promoted us to multiple 'Best Places' lists.
What do you expect happens when continuous, noisy trains are unleashed to dump their poisonous loads onto awaiting mega ships to ply our local waters on their way to polluting foreign air -which will eventually return to us bearing particulate matter and ever more green house gases?

You'd think that a country/region so technologically advanced as ours would think more than twice about returning to those short-sighted practices of the past century.
After all the visioning, planning and effort/expense that has into sustaining a viable economy, environment and quality of life, it would a shame to nullify our collective investment as a community.
But hey, the incentive for indiscriminate corporate profits still seems to reign supreme, doesn't it?
Small wonder since our highest court has ruled corporations are equivalent to people!
---------

Some of us recall the idea of a bulk terminal at Cherry Point to haul trainloads of grain across northern Whatcom County from Canada.
That scheme was being promoted by Port of Bellingham Commissioner Scott Walker, among others, about 10 years ago, which reflected a long term fixation on building big industrial facilities in that area.

Unfortunately, that particular fixation refuses to die, despite the expensive economic development report -commissioned by the Port- which recommended dramatically different strategies, like allowing infill from regional businesses to occur more naturally in the corridor between the Vancouver, BC and Seattle.
In fact, the Port was so surprised by the [$250k] Deloitte & Touche Report that they actually asked the consultant to reconsider/alter its recommendations! [They refused]

Subsequently, the Port & City have collaborated in trying to redevelop our waterfront, with the existing shoreline BNSF Railroad a significant impediment. [It's hard to imagine the Railroad permitting -or building- a second track along this route, anyway, due to multiple factors, not the least of which are safety and ecologically related]

In the meantime, Whatcom County has not been supportive of either the Waterfront Redevelopment or the Port's role as lead agency for economic development. You have to ask, 'what does each jurisdiction have to gain or lose' from the proposed Coal Terminal?
I suspect the Port will be involved in some capacity, since products would be entering and leaving Whatcom County across borders and shorelines, but I don't know.
Whatcom County's position is likely more political. First, they will welcome ANY additional jobs or revenue, almost without regard to details like negative impacts. Second, since northern County cities like Sumas, Lynden and Ferndale see themselves as potential beneficiaries, the County administration will likely be happy to claim any credit for the Terminal going forward, especially during economic hard times - which do provide some political cover.
----------------

Without access to any more facts that we have now, I don't believe the Coal Terminal proposal is a good thing for us, either now or in the future. Like Cinderella's slipper, it just does not fit her ugly step-sister!
While economic health is something that does benefit our community, it should not be necessary to accept EVERY idea that comes down the pike without critical examination. Sometimes, it is necessary to just say NO.
-------------------
OF INTEREST:
In light of the recent earthquake-caused tsunami that created the most recent radioactivity problem in Japan, this link provides information that puts our global situation in truer focus:

From one perspective, nuclear power has been remarkably safe. The 1986 Chernobyl accident will ultimately kill about 10,000 people, mostly from cancer.
Coal plants are much deadlier: the fine-particulate air pollution they produce kills about 10,000 people each year in the United States alone.

Whatcom County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. Its name ultimately derives from a Nooksack word meaning "noisy water."
Think we ought to make some noise about this issue?
We can do better - much better!
--------------------

Ill Fares The Land

-------------------------
It's been a while since I've posted, but that's not due to a lack of worthy subject matter.
Rather, I've been absorbed lately in reading, thinking, and trying to reprogram myself a bit- physically, mentally & emotionally.

A most welcome visit by my son, Tom, was accompanied by the passing of my dear little sister, Mary.
So, my joy was counter-balanced by some sadness, as is often the case.

But, life does go on and we must accept it as we can.
-------------------------
"Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey; Where wealth accumulates, and men decay." - Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village (1770)
-------------------------
One thing that should NOT be acceptable to us is continuing to neglect our situation of growing political and economic dysfunction.
While a certain amount of conflict and controversy is built in to our system, we have exceeded healthy levels.
Even more troubling is the threat of escalating contentiousness, at the very time we need to come together with a sense of urgency.

With so many serious problems, like unemployment, health-care needs, international wars & turmoil, environmental threats, severe fiscal realities, regulatory failures, educational challenges, immigration worries, corporate & union misuse of power, banal & biased media misinformation, rampant lobbying, manufactured brinkmanship and political shenanigans of every stripe, we desperately need to get our elected officials' attention!

And, then focus them on coming up with practical solutions that respect prior programs, and provide for future needs as best we can, starting with the problems in bold, above, then moving to others.

What has evolved over time is not likely to be set right quickly, but we can develop a plan and mandate the discipline to follow it.
All this self-serving petty posturing, hypocritical rhetoric, clever wordsmithing, dodging candid answers, partisan bickering, fear mongering, blame games, lying and selective truth-telling, parliamentary trickery, legalistic nonsense, saber-rattling, and demagoguery needs to stop, at least long enough to achieve some real progress on what truly qualifies as a multi-dimensional national emergency!

-------------------------
I recently read -and recommend-Ill Fares The Land by Tony Judt, which projects lessons learned forward, challenging readers to debate "what comes next?" and makes the case for renewed social democracy. Here are a few excerpts of book reviews:

Judt's death in 2010, occurred at exactly the moment when the use of fear and anger by the right is reaching dangerous proportions.
He deserves praise for carrying out what he himself described as the historian's task "to tell what is almost always an uncomfortable story and explain why the discomfort is part of the truth we need to live well and live properly. A well-organized society is one in which we know the truth about ourselves collectively, not one in which we tell pleasant lies about ourselves".

Written under the debilitating effects of ALS, Ill Fares The Land, has been described as Judt's "most overtly political book" and a "dramatic intervention" in the decline of the progressive ideals of the 20th century. Judt laments the breakdown of the post-war Keynesian policy consensus, the rise of Austrian Neo-liberal economics in the West and its political manifestations under Thatcher, Reagan et al.

He notes the limited triangulation achieved by the Third Way and the paradoxical resurgence of the Right after the Global Financial Crisis.

He asks: where to now for social democracy?, and concludes that nothing less than a radical restatement of the values of equality and community can stem the challenge of the hegemonic Right.

He explored how the social contract that defined post-war Europe and the US and the guarantee of security, stability, and fairness was no longer considered a legitimate social goal and how a social democratic vision could win back the disaffected by creating a "civic language" that could support a renewed social contract between governments and their citizens.

Editorial Review

Something is profoundly wrong with the way we think about how we should live today.

In Ill Fares The Land, Tony Judt, one of our leading historians and thinkers, reveals how we have arrived at our present dangerously confused moment.
Judt masterfully crystallizes what we’ve all been feeling into a way to think our way into, and thus out of, our great collective dis-ease about the current state of things.

As the economic collapse of 2008 made clear, the social contract that defined postwar life in Europe and America – the guarantee of a basal level of security, stability and fairness -- is no longer guaranteed; in fact, it’s no longer part of the common discourse.
Judt offers the language we need to address our common needs, rejecting the nihilistic individualism of the far right and the debunked socialism of the past.
To find a way forward, we must look to our not so distant past and to social democracy in action: to re-enshrining fairness over mere efficiency.

Distinctly absent from our national dialogue, social democrats believe that the state can play an enhanced role in our lives without threatening our liberties.
Instead of placing blind faith in the market—as we have to our detriment for the past thirty years—social democrats entrust their fellow citizens and the state itself.

Ill Fares the Land challenges us to confront our societal ills and to shoulder responsibility for the world we live in.
For hope remains. In reintroducing alternatives to the status quo,
Judt reinvigorates our political conversation, providing the tools necessary to imagine a new form of governance, a new way of life.
---------------
About the Author
Tony Judt was born in London in 1948 and died in NYC in 2010.
He was educated at King's College, Cambridge and the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and has taught at Cambridge, Oxford, Berkeley and New York University, where he is currently the Erich Maria Remarque Professor of European Studies and Director of the Remarque Institute, which is dedicated to the study of Europe and which he founded in 1995.

The author or editor of twelve books, he has been a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, The New Republic, The New York Times and many other journals in Europe and the US.
Professor Judt was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Permanent Fellow of the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (Vienna).
He is the author of Reappraisals: Reflections On The Forgotten Twentieth Century and Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945, which was one of the New York Times Book Review’s Ten Best Books of 2005, the winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

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"Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall."~ Oliver Goldsmith
-------------------------

New Year's Jabberwocky

------------------------------
"Deficits don't matter" -Dick Cheney

"I'm not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself." - Ronald Reagan

"I know that you think you know what I said. But I'm not sure whether you understood that what you heard is what I meant." - Alan Greenspan

"Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the confiscation of wealth." - Gold and Economic Freedom - Alan Greenspan, 1966.

"I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I said." - Alan Greenspan
------------------------------

Who is right? Does anyone know what impacts are actually caused by deficits?

Can they explain, simply and in layman's terms, what these impacts are?

If so, the explanations are overdue, and necessary to have an honest, objective public discussion on this subject!

[That is, if real objectivity and/or honesty are now possible]

At some level, I knew that that waiting [and surviving] long enough would enable me to somewhat describe what the year 2011 may mean.
========================

 
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.



“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!

”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.



And as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!



One, two! One, two! and through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.



“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
”
He chortled in his joy.



’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

Lewis Carroll -Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1872).

When Alice has finished reading the poem she gives her impressions:
'It seems very pretty,' she said when she had finished it,
'but it's rather hard to understand!'
(You see she didn't like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn't make it out at all.)
'Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas— only I don't exactly know what they are!
However, somebody killed something: that's clear, at any rate'
--------------------

Actually, I could not have described our current situation better than that!

What does that say about our current status?

Does it mean, as H. L. Mencken said; "Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.
" ?

Or, does it mean "Politics is the most concentrated expression of economics."
 - V. I. Lenin

Or, possibly, "Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day."? - Theodore Roosevelt, April 19, 1906

Or, “So they [the Government] go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful for impotence.” - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965

Or, "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Or, maybe "You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."- Yogi Berra

Or, "Sometimes it is not enough to do our best; we must do what is required." - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
---------------------------

Who really knows what 2001 will bring?

My hope is that it brings more good than some [maybe most] people expect!

Happy New Year!
---------------------------
"Write drunk; edit sober." - Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
---------------------------

Politics, Popularity & Priorities

-----------------------
"The purse of the people is the real seat of sensibility.  Let it be drawn upon largely, and they will then listen to truths which could not excite them through any other organ." - Thomas Jefferson
-----------------------

There are {2} easy and {2} difficult things about politics as we know it;

Easy: cutting taxes & offering services, amenities & programs desired by citizens

Difficult: raising taxes & cutting services, amenities & programs desired by citizens

Can you identify any inherent conflicts with this situation?

[My blog of Saturday, November 22, 2008 also touches on this dilemma]

As Walter Cronkhite used to say; 'and that's the way it is'
-----------------------

Think what you will about politics, government and our ability to effectively deal with public problems in general, the system we have is what we -individually and collectively- make it to be.

Having a victim's mentality about politics helps nothing but perpetrating a perceived bad situation and discouraging good people from performing public service.
So, while complaints are OK, excessive complaints only exacerbate the problem.

Despite the obstacles, we do have a good number of dedicated public servants with the competence and courage to conceive, advocate and make the difficult decisions most likely to sustainably endure and benefit citizens.

Unfortunately, things often have to get bad enough that politicians have no choice but to really deal with the situation that has evolved.
Such seems to be happening now, and simultaneously at multiple levels of government.

A recent example is this opinion piece by Washington Governor, Christine Gregoire, in Crosscut.

You can read it and decide for yourself, but I think the Governor has very few options, given both legal restraints and inescapable realities.

Of course, this is also true of the situations which our local and federal governments are facing.
The main difference is the feds have much broader and more diverse responsibilities, plus no mandate to balance the budget.
Plus, the Fed can also legally print money.

Some may remember the well-intended, but tepid exercise the City of Bellingham underwent a few years ago.
It was called 'Priorities of Government' [POG]. and while most elected officials gave it lip service as 'an interesting concept', not many really wanted to seriously touch it to implement its clear implications.
Believe me, I know - I was there!

Anyway, it's too bad that an absolute crisis seems absolutely needed for governments to seriously confront such intractable questions as defining what is necessary, fair and sustainable as public policy.
Unfortunately -or otherwise- that is the situation we find ourself now.

-----------------------
"A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the object of the government; secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects can be best attained." - James Madison, The Federalist Papers Federalist No. 62 - 1788
-----------------------

The Trouble With Liberty?

--------------------------
"Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" - Patrick Henry 1775 **[see note below]

"Certainty is the most vivid condition of ignorance and the most necessary condition for knowledge." - Kedar Joshi
--------------------------

Before this year is history, this link is worth a read.
For those mainly interested in the gist, a few excerpts are quoted below:

• Libertarians, of both left and right, haven’t been this close to power since 1776. But do we want to live in their world?

• For all the talk about casting off government shackles, libertarianism is still considered the crazy uncle of American politics: loud and cocky and occasionally profound but always a bit unhinged.

• Ayn Rand is the gateway drug to Libertarianism, though many toke into adulthood.

• Libertarianism is a long, clunky word for a simple, elegant idea: that government should do as little as possible.

• Libertarian minarchy is an elegant idea in the abstract. But the moment you get specific, the foundation starts to crumble.

• There’s always tension between freedom and fairness. We want less government regulation, but not when it means firms can hire cheap child labor. We want a free market, but not so bankers can deceive investors. Libertarianism, in promoting freedom above all else, pretends the tension doesn’t exist.

• “There’s something about libertarians where working as a team is inconsistent with the whole concept of being a libertarian,”

• Lindsey compares libertarians who preach purity to the “Underpants Gnomes” in South Park, a popular analogy in wonk circles: “Step one, articulate Utopia. Step three is Utopia. Step two is a big question mark.”

• Consider the social side of Libertopia. It’s no coincidence that most libertarians discover the philosophy as teenagers. At best, libertarianism means pursuing your own self-interest, as long as you don’t hurt anyone else. At worst, as in Ayn Rand’s teachings, it’s an explicit celebration of narcissism. “Man’s first duty is to himself,” says the young architect Howard Roark in his climactic speech in The Fountainhead. “His moral obligation is to do what he wishes.” Roark utters these words after dynamiting his own project, since his vision for the structure had been altered without his permission. The message: Never compromise. If you don’t get your way, blow things up. And there’s the problem. If everyone refused to compromise his vision, there would be no cooperation. There would be no collective responsibility. The result wouldn’t be a city on a hill. It would be a port town in Somalia. In a world of scarce resources, everyone pursuing their own self-interest would yield not Atlas Shrugged but Lord of the Flies. And even if you did somehow achieve Libertopia, you’d be surrounded by assholes.

• Libertarianism and power are like matter and anti-matter. They cancel each other out.

-----------------------

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd". - Voltaire

"To learn which questions are unanswerable, and not to answer them: this skill is most needful in times of stress and darkness." - Ursula K. Le Guin

••[Ear-witnesses to Henry's hypnotic orations remarked that while they always seemed to be convincing in the moment, they had a difficult time remembering exactly what he had said immediately afterwards: according to Thomas Jefferson, "Although it was difficult, when [Henry] had spoken, to tell what he had said, yet, while speaking, it always seemed directly to the point. When he had spoken in opposition to my opinion, had produced a great effect, and I myself had been highly delighted and moved, I have asked myself, when he ceased, 'What the devil has he said?' and could never answer the inquiry."
[ from wikipedia at this URL.
-----------------------

For Whom Will The Polls Toll?

------------------------------
'Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?' -- Robert Orben

'Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.'
- Dan Rather

'A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.'
- Dan Quayle
------------------------------

One of the better polls has made its last prediction before tomorrow's elections:

HOUSE: +55 R
SENATE: +8 R
GOVERNOR: +8-9 R

The accuracy of this forecast will be known soon enough, as will the plethora of other forgettable speculations.

While I applaud the remarkable advances in technology and techniques for creating, conducting and interpreting polls, the idea has now been thoroughly co-opted for crass propaganda purposes.

Imagine that!
------------------------------

'There is no well-defined boundary between honesty and dishonesty.  The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and he who attempts to tread this dangerous ground may be sometimes in one domain and sometimes in the other.'  -- O. Henry, Rolling Stones, 1912

'The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.'  ~Thomas Jefferson

'


If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed.  If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.'  ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Mark Twain or Thomas Jefferson
------------------------------

Elite Or Effete?

-----------------------

A democracy is a government in the hands of men of low birth, no property, and vulgar employments. - Aristotle (384 - 322 BC)

The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it's so rare. - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

A little disrespect is not a bad thing. Skepticism is essential to chasten what Walt Whitman called "the never-ending audacity of elected persons." But, carried too far, ridicule of the people we choose to govern us may undermine self government itself.
- Arthur Schlesinger (1917 -)

-----------------------

Conservative pundit Peggy Noonan recently published an article entitled Why so many of us resent the 'elites'.
It is worth a read regardless of your political persuasion.
============

Per Mr Google, the word 'elite' is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect".
In sociology as in general usage, the elite is a hypothetical group of relatively small size, that is dominant within a large society, having a privileged status perceived as being envied by others of a lower line of order.

The elite at the top of the social strata almost invariably puts it in a position of leadership, whether it be expected or volunteered, and often subjects the holders of elite status to pressure to maintain that leadership position as part of status.

In elite theory as developed by political scientists like Michael Parenti, all sufficiently large social groups will have some kind of elite group within them that actively participates in the group's political dynamics.

Meritocracy is a facet of society that tries to promote merit as a route to the elite.
-------------------

Does it seem to you that folks who so casually dismiss 'elites' in government service are being just a tad disingenuous?
For example, which of the following would you prefer to NOT be elite?:

military personnel
police/fire/EMS
lawyers/judges
professors/teachers/ministers
doctors/nurses
diplomats/ambassadors/envoys
scientists/engineers/technicians
journalists/reporters/bloggers
public servants/elected officials/regulators
financial advisers
sports figures/entertainers
builders/repairers/workers
employers/employees
farmers/manufacturers
mechanics
---------------------

Maybe you would prefer people better defined as 'effete'?

Here, Mr Google suggests this particular word means 'having lost character, vitality, or strength', or
'marked by weakness or decadence', or 'soft or delicate from or as if from a pampered existence'

Examples: 'effete members of the aristocracy', or 'the soft, effete society that marked the final years of the Roman empire'

Origin of EFFETE is from the Latin 'effetus', from ex- + fetus fruitful
First Known Use: 1660

Synonyms: decadent, decayed, degenerate, overripe, washed-up
------------------------

Thomas Jefferson’s letter to John Adams, dated October 28, 1813 contained this phrase:

There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents; for with these it would belong to the first class. The natural aristocracy I consider as the most precious gift of nature for the instruction, the trusts, and government of society. And indeed it would have been inconsistent in creation to have formed man for the social state, and not to have provided virtue and wisdom enough to manage the concerns of the society. May we not even say that that form of government is the best which provides the most effectually for a pure selection of these natural aristoi into the offices of government?

Sounds like old TJ much preferred an aristocracy of the 'natural' kind, doesn't it?
=========================

Christine O'Donnell - who claims she's NOT a witch -has recently bragged about NOT going to Yale.
What is that about?

This article attempts to explain the strange 'Start Poor. Work Hard. Do Well. Be Hated Anyway' dynamic that we are hearing as campaign rhetoric these days:
Why do Americans resent upward mobility?
=========================

If there's one epithet the right-wing seems to never tire of, it's "elitism."
If you'd like hearing what the likes of Sarah Palin and John McCain have to say about this, check out this URL:
Elitist Nonsense

Elitism, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder.
===========================

"It is impossible to tell for certain the difference between genuine stupidity and a parody of stupidity."
- The General Case of Poe's Law

===========================

Caveat Lector & Voter!

---------------------------
(Let the reader/voter beware!)

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself!" - FDR

"The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold." - Aristotle
---------------------------

Stephen Colbert's tongue-in-cheek rally to 'keep fear alive' is scary, but not because it will happen at Halloween time.

Its because we are being 'treated with too many tricks' and getting literally worn down by it.

This article explains it better than I can.
A few excerpts:

• Stephen Colbert, relax: Mother Nature is on your side, already working hard to keep fear alive.

• Your brain is continually looking for bad news. As soon as it finds some, it fixates on it with tunnel vision, fast-tracks it into memory storage, and then reactivates it at the least hint of anything even vaguely similar. But good news gets a kind of neural shrug: "uh, whatever."

• In effect, the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones.

• All this makes human beings super-sensitive to apparent threats. Basically, in evolution, there are two kinds of mistakes: (1) You think there is a tiger in the bushes but there isn't one, and (2) You think the coast is clear, no tiger in the bushes, but there really is one about to pounce.

• These mistakes have very different consequences. The first one will make you anxious, but the second one will kill you. That's why Mother Nature wants you to make the first mistake a thousand times over in order to avoid making the second mistake even once.

• This hard-wired tendency toward fear affects individuals, groups (from couples to multinational corporations), and nations. It makes them overestimate threats, underestimate opportunities, and underestimate resources.

-------------------

As if this natural trait of fear weren't enough to strongly influence us, here's another article about a particular pervasive, insidious practice that further distorts our ability to process information correctly - the avoidance of basic truth.
Again, a few excerpts to illustrate the point:

• These three different but overlapping concepts — accuracy, honesty and intellectual honesty — are honored by our political culture in reverse order of their actual importance.

• Intellectual dishonesty, meanwhile, is so built into the Washington [DC] culture that you have to force yourself to notice it.
It even has a more familiar and less pejorative name: “spin.”
Spin is not just another word for lies.
A better definition might be “indifference to the truth.”
The really great spin artists, like Karl Rove and James Carville, are celebrated as masters of their craft.
Journalists crowd around them, longing to get spun.

• Far from being a “low bar,” absolute intellectual honesty is something I’ve never actually seen in anyone inside Washington or out, politician or journalist or diplomat. I aspire to it, as do many.

-------------------

A third article brings the first two into the digital age, specifically involving the Internet.
Excerpts follow:

• The Web has given partisans license to find only the “facts” that fit their prejudices.

• Nowhere, perhaps, is the gap between the romance and the reality of the Internet more evident than in our politics. In the idealized narrative of digital democracy, greater connectivity has bequeathed more governmental transparency, more grass-roots participation and even a more efficient rendering of political justice.

• The explosion of accessible media and information on the Web, with its potential to give civic discourse a factual baseline and hold politicians accountable, has also given partisans license to find only the “facts” that fit their prejudices.

• ....“the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will” was supposed to be upended, so it would be “easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns.” Instead, he concluded, we ended up with the reverse: social media increase the efficiency of the existing order rather than empowering dissidents.

• .....cyberspace is a “wild social ether where nobody knows who anybody is.”

• ....look at the political environment in our election year of 2010. The Internet in general and social networking in particular have done little, if anything, to hobble those pursuing power with such traditional means as big lies and big money.
Perhaps what’s most remarkable this year is the number of candidates who have tried to create fictitious avatars like the Facebook impostors in “Catfish.”
These candidates and others often fashion their campaigns to avoid real reporters (and sometimes real voters).
Some benefit from YouTube commercials paid for by impossible-to-trace anonymous donors.
In this wild political ether where nobody knows who anybody is, the Internet provides cover, not transparency.

• What you might call our “Catfish” Congressional candidates are a perfect match for the phantom donors. The power of the Google search hardly deters those politicians intent on fictionalizing their identities.

• ....In each of these cases it was old-fashioned analog reporters, most of them working for newspapers, who finally penetrated the falsehoods.

• When Christine O’Donnell ran an ad last week with the improbable opening line “I’m not a witch,” we once again had to marvel at the Delaware primary triumph of a mystery candidate with a falsified résumé, no job, and apparently no campaign operation beyond out-of-state donors and out-of-state fans like Palin “writing” Twitter endorsements.
O’Donnell’s Facebook page is by far the most palpable presence of an aspiring senator who shuns public events and the press in Delaware. In a brave new political world where candidates need only exist in virtual reality, it’s no wonder that Donald Trump believes he’s qualified for public office because of his relative gravitas as a heavy on a television “reality” show.

----------------

Does any of the above sound or seem familiar? Any local candidates avoiding public forums? Any support groups using 'spin'?

With our elections coming soon, I hope voters will be very careful about what they read, what they decide to believe, and the sometimes hidden connection with what -or whom- they are voting for.

Voting is our Constitutionally guaranteed right and a valuable direct link to our democracy, so let's not waste it.

Otherwise, we should consider changing Halloween to Election Day, because it's more scary!
----------------

"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us.  But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger."  - Tad Williams

"Losing my anonymity in this world I think is something that I find terrifying." - Alex O'Loughlin

"Liars when they speak the truth are not believed."
 - Aristotle

"The glory which is built upon a lie soon becomes a most unpleasant incumbrance. How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again!"
 - Mark Twain, in Eruption

"The freedom to connect to the world anywhere at anytime brings with it the threat of unscrupulous predators and criminals who mask their activities with the anonymity the Internet provides to its users." - Mike Fitzpatrick
====================