Random Thoughts: Politics Edition

Executive privilige, President Obama? Really? Though Drudge's morphing of Obama with Nixon is a bit much (or is it?. Here's more on his hypocrisy. 

It would be oh so ironic if Pawlenty gets the vice presidential nomination after his botched campaign.  Ironic because if he had stayed in, he never would be in contention. Though if he had stayed in, perhaps he would have beat Romney?

If Marion Barry wasn't so shameless, I could almost get behind the challenge to the streetcar.  And I hope that Catania's firm has been fully vetted. But after all of the investment and infrastructure, and the decrepit state of the X2 bus line, it's ridiculous that he is playing politics.

And is my home state in play? 

Oh yea, it is the summer solstice. Yes, I get sad as sunlight diminishes. Though this is interesting.

Lite Reading

So I broke down and ordered the Fifty Shades trilogy. Yep. I caved. It's horrible writing. and yep it's cliched and yep it's a waste of time. But it's addictive and dreamy and an escape from everything that is causing anxiety and stress. So it's ok to have an escape route every now and then, and it's ok to let your mind wander. A true guilty pleasure, correct?

I'm filling out of sorts. Tired. Needing a real escape, like a week or so on a deserted island with nothing more stressful to decide than what flavor of daiquiri to order. So failing that happening, this is what I get. An hour at Panera with a trashy book and a healthy salad. And it's ok to waste that time to give me some solace.

Weekend Rest

It was nice not to have many plans this weekend. We ate at Big Board on Friday night will Bill and Jen then did some paint homework. And I got my haircut on Saturday, ran errands, cooked, etc. It was nice and quiet and too short. Isn't every weekend too short? I value some quieter times more often, and I am looking forward to finishing this painting project.  God do I hope we get that done in the next couple of weeks. So much to do with all of that.

I also got a couple of decent runs in. It's about to get hot and humid, so no more of these 65 degree mornings for awhile. Boo. But I need to regain my running mojo to keep up with you know who.

Detroit Real Estate

Wow, really? $5/square foot? The Penobscot building went for $5/square foot?

A company controlled by the Apostolopoulos family, of Toronto, has purchased the landmark Penobscot Building, Detroit's third-tallest office tower, for $5 million. The price, which comes to $5 a square foot, is tiny compared with the $200 level that buildings on average are selling for nationwide and even well below the $28 range that downtown Detroit buildings fetched last year, according to Real Capital Analytics.

 There is a good reason why Detroit office buildings are so cheap: The city's downtown market has a vacancy rate of 26.5%, one of the highest in the nation. The city has made some strides fighting a decadeslong flight of businesses and residents to the suburbs, but significant challenges remain in the wake of the auto-industry bankruptcy filings and restructurings. The city's unemployment rate was 15.8% in April, compared with the seasonally adjusted national rate of 8.1% for April, and Detroit's population dropped by one-quarter to 713,777 in 2010 from 951,270 in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, in April the city took a controversial step to stay solvent when it agreed with the state to share financial power.

And in the latest news on the consent agreement dispute: Well, the challenge by the attorney isn't going forward.  Maybe the mayor or City Council will pursue it, who knows. But no one can argue that there's a fiscal emergency happening.  And fake accusations of racism won't help.

One of the Greatest Speeches Ever

25 years ago today, President Reagan uttered those immortal words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

For those who are old enough to remember the Cold War (and yes, there are a lot of people who aren't!), that speech with such moral clarity is still resounding all of these years later. Wouldn't it be nice to have a President who spoke with such force, such conviction? Who knew what good and evil was and was really to bear the testimony, to bear witness to that clarity? God bless him, and God bless America.

I think of the young Czech girl that I sat next to on my flight back to DCA. 25 years ago, she would not have been able to do this. Travel the United States, study wherever she wanted to.  It was because of moments like this one that she had that kind of freedom. I hope generations of others living behind their own versions of an Iron Curtain get that same kind of liberty, too.

Detroit

The long weekend was wonderful. It is amazing at how quickly the stress of DC returns. It's before you even get off the plane, really.  Having a few minutes quietly hanging out with Joe playing with his play doh, making videos, seeing him squeal and crack himself up as he watches himself--that was the most relaxed and happiest I've felt in a long time. Drinking a beer with my family, shopping with mom, catching up with Paul & Megan in downtown Detroit, eating lasagna...that is happiness.  And I am so glad they will return to DC soon!!

Mad Men Finale

A few great interviews on Mad Men's finale.

And an interview with Jared Harris after last week's shocking suicide episode. I had to watch the show again. It was completely expected, completely shocking, and completely real. The horror of him hanging was genuine; they had not seen him like that before.

I am really, really going to miss the show. It's the best written show in television, and the subtleties of it are things I cannot possibly catch the first time around. I will be anticipating the next season while re-watching some earlier episodes. And see where this journey of the 1960s--currently in the Spring of 67--takes us, before we hit 1970.

Will miss...Roger's wit, Don's handsomeness, Sally's sassiness, Ken's kindness, Peggy's drive, Joan's ballsiness, and Pete's patheticness.  All of it.

Scott Walker Wins

Stephen Hayes nails it in his column; Scott Walker won his recall race last night because he did what he promised to do.

Walker turned a $3.6 billion deficit into a $154 million surplus. Unemployment is down. So are property taxes. Businesses, even with uncertainty about the U.S. economy, are optimistic about the direction of the state. Even with the political divisions, it’s hard to imagine a more successful 16 months as governor.

Now on to governing, right, Wisconsin? And all of this empty rhetoric about unity is worthless if the left does not realize that an election of their choosing went disastrously for them. Elections have consequences.

Boys of Pointe de Hoc

Remembering Ronald Reagan's words, 28 years later, to remember a battle fought and won 68 years ago...It certainly is one of the most eloquent speeches ever written or delivered.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here, and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers -- at the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.

Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.

These are the boys of Pointe de Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war....

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

Napa 12

48 hours in California came and went pretty damn quickly.  We had two meals at Bottega, a lunch at Hurley's, and Redd Wood.  We enjoyed some St. Supery and tried their beautiful new tasting room.  And we stayed at the Lodge and were in and out in what felt like record time. And with about 250 miles of driving interspersed.

We didn't bring any wine home, though we do have some Elu enroute. And now I'm sad because I'm home alone for a few days.  Though that being said, I do have Michigan to look forward to. Sigh.