Monday Musings: March 21. 2011

Rep. Dennis Kucinich says that the air strikes in Libya could be ‘an impeachable offense’? Kucinich needs to take a deep breath. Along with a lot of other folks who see the bombing of Gaddafi’s forces as the beginning of the end of the world as we know it.

This isn’t to say that I don’t agree, on certain levels, with the shared concern over our role in assisting Libyan rebel forces as part of an honest U.N. sanctioned, multi-national effort. We’ve experienced the tragic legacy of mission creep. In fact, I wonder if it is too little too late.  I do think everybody who knew Gaddafi best - the Arab League particularly - could have gauged Gaddafi’s desperate response more accurately and earlier.

It’s easy to say that we shouldn’t be engaging in a third ‘front’ of Middle Eastern conflict and war in light of the realities in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But that train has left the station. Let’s pose a hypothetical here: What if there wasn’t Iraq and Afghanistan? Would helping the Libyan rebels be raising similar levels of concern in Washington - vis a vis Presidential powers according to the Constitution? Somehow, I don’t think so, particularly in light of the very real challenges facing the country right here and now.

Ultimately, there should be an open debate on the floor of Congress before we commit to any further action in Libya. But to start throwing the ‘impeachable offense’ bomb around - perhaps only serving to further hobble a marginally effective president during an especially critical time in our history - isn’t responsible either.

Hey, Dennis! Turn it down a notch, and offer us a course that will get it straightened out and back on track.

“At a time when other news organizations are cutting back and the voices of pundits are drowning out fact-based reporting and thoughtful analysis, NPR and public radio stations are delivering in-depth news and information respectfully and with civility. It would be a tragedy for America to lose this national treasure,” said Joyce Slocum, Interim CEO.

Ain’t that the truth! I know we don’t like those seemingly interminable fund drives, but here’s the way we deal with them. We put an automatic monthly donation to NPR (KUNR) in the online monthly payables at our Credit Union. You can also set up a monthly/quarterly payment on your credit card here. A modest amount, every month, and then we ignore the fund raisers. But we do this knowing that we have it covered - because it’s even more important now than ever before. If we all give a little, it will work.

A true democracy runs on the availability of factual, unbiased information - like the kind of thing you can’t/don’t get from the networks. This cut in federal funding could be disasterous to low population states like Nevada, and their public broadcasting media outlets, where it’s estimated that less than 10 percent of viewers/listeners actually contribute.  If you care about ensuring the continuing operation of stations like NPR, then even $5 a month is better than nothing at all.

Set it up now. Save your democracy via NPR.

The other day, after reading about the Reno Aces baseball team revenue shortfall ( they’ve asked the City of Reno for ‘financing alternatives’) , I sent a brief email to one well versed in local government, just to see what she thought:

“I wanted to write: “Are you out of your fucking minds?” but thought that would not sound ladylike in mixed company.”

Uh, that’s pretty clear. It seems like the City of Reno is in a deep, deep fiscal hole. That hole is filling with water. In fact, it sounds like the City of Reno could be in a predicament dire enough to warrant intervention by the State of Nevada. The Nevada Department of Taxation could, in essence, take over management of the City of Reno just as it did of White Pine County a few years back.

The City of Reno has been robbing from Peter to save Paul, playing a shell game with various funds, to make things look acceptable in the short term … but like all similar schemes, it’s not sustainable. Eventually the house of cards caves in. All it takes is a gasp! totally unforeseen! gasp! recession! We can’t do even the simplest things - fund pensions, medical benefit obligations, get the homeless off the streets, build bus route shelters - yet notice how there’s always more money out there for ‘redevelopment’.

At the risk of being branded a ‘nay sayer’, I’m going to suggest that ‘redevelopment’ schemes need to be held to the bright light of audit. Do they really produce the results they claim they can - if the taxpayers will just pony up a bit more here, and a bit more there.

Rather like a Ponzi scheme. Or since we live in Nevada, you can liken it to “Betting on the Come”. I’m just one little woman, but it sounds rather like convincing yourself you need a fancy new car to boost your professional self-esteem, while not factoring in the boring, un-sexy issues of house mortgage and property taxes.

I hope you will forgive me if every time I hear ‘redevelopment’ I have a mental picture of fat cats taking care of their swell new and shiny friends - while the boring old citizens go begging for the basics.

We went to breakfast this morning with some of our more self-satisfied “I’ve got mine” retired crowd. I thought that my head was going to explode, and that Ron might lose it and blurt out the obvious, after one friend said the following (I paraphrase):

“There’s no point to it. Life, I mean. All you do is get up, eat and shit. Do it all over again tomorrow. What’s the point?”

This from a guy with two relatively new Porsche Carrera’s in the oversized garage, who is bound next week for Germany - just to see a car show. The entire last month was in Australia - again. A sweet retirement from the Air Force/California Air Guard/the airline, great wife. Good health. Grown successful kids. Nice digs. Lifetime membership at the airline ’ sky club’. No worries. Doesn’t read the newspaper because “it’s too negative”. Thinks he pays way too many taxes - and keeps us supplied with bogus un-fact-checked scary forwarded rightwing emails.

Life just sucks, doesn’t it? He gives me the greasy fucking heartburn. At least our other friend sitting there - who could buy and sell all of us - had the good sense and common decency to keep his mouth shut.

Something neat happened yesterday. We got a whole flock of Red-Winged Blackbirds at the backyard bird feeders. They are usually over on the east side of Highway 395 in the wetlands of the Damonte Ranch area. I don’t understand what brought them in, but I was glad of it. I really enjoy their calls.

 

The new resident of one of my birdhouses seems to be wondering wassup?

I was actually headed out the door when I saw the blackbirds - dropping my armload of warm cookies to pick up the camera (parked ever ready on the counter next to the window). 

Keeping rolls of homemade, whole grain, cookie dough in the freezer is just the perfect solution to the last minute “what do I bring to the party?” We were headed out to two events yesterday, and slicing off frozen cookie dough is so fast, simple and fuss free … I don’t know why I didn’t think of it a long time ago.

Well, it looks like Spring weather might be delayed on account of weather this week, as one system after another rolls through. I hope I get one more shot - this time with camera in hand - to roam around and get some photos of the last gasp of winter.

In the meantime, stay tuned. I’ll always have something to say about … something.

-maven