reyonthehill

Yes, Bush has acknowledged a few of his misstatements, however, Toles insists Bush didn't go far enough...

Image: Yahoo!

We hear so much these days about bushisms, so-called bushisms, not-really-a-bushisms, and the potentially-a-bushisms, however, one of the biggest whoppers to have ever come out of the current Bush administration, in my humble liberal opinion, came from the mouth of former press secretary Ari Fleischer.

It was May 7, 2001, several months before the horrific events of nine-eleven, and the issue of (you guessed it) energy policy was on the front-burner. Gas prices were (relatively) high and the American people wanted to know what Bush planned on doing about it. While the vice-president secretly met with oil company executives in meetings we may never see the light of day on (blessed the future Freedom of Information Act requests in, say, 2015), the press secretary fielded questions regarding the president's pending energy policy during his daily briefing, and answered them (did he ever) with flair, purpose and definitiveness...

"That's a big no. The President believes that [consuming energy] is an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one. And we have a bounty of resources in this country. What we need to do is make certain that we're able to get those resources in an efficient way, in a way that also emphasizes protecting the environment and conservation, into the hands of consumers so they can make the choices that they want to make as they live their lives day to day.

[...]

"The President also believes that the American people's use of energy is a reflection of the strength of our economy, of the way of life that the American people have come to enjoy. And he wants to make certain that a national energy policy is comprehensive, that includes conservation, includes a way of allowing the American people to continue to enjoy the way of life that has made the United States such a leading nation in the world." (The White House)

The more we use, the more we make. Faith, energy, and the American way...

- Sonoma makes wine, Napa makes autoparts; either of them beat French wine, nonetheless, say French wine experts.

- A beautiful project.

- And I truly thought I was the only one (however, "the 10:50 syndrome" needs a better name)... "The 10:50 syndrome involves anxiety, dread, maybe even a hint of panic, but is by no means a negative state. It's a simple thing: You try hard not to look at the clock during a great show such as "The Sopranos," because you just want to sit there undistracted and enjoy it. You simply don't want it to end." I hate when I fall for the trap and check to see the time and realize that there is only 4 or 5 minutes remaining, so, of course, Vito isn't going to be killed in this episode. Damn it.

As the original San Francisco Chronicle article continues to be published at the farthest reaches of the web, and news that the City of Hercules has shown its hand in its monumental (and unprecedented) fight against Walmart reaches the tiniest news outlets, the issue hasn't been resolved. Walmart plans to fight back; hard and unjustly.

The Chronicle, today, published an editorial on the issue. The editorial rightfully concludes that my city, the City of Hercules, is correct in asserting eminent domain to stop the developmental plans of Walmart along the city's waterfront, but does take the not-so-subtle opportunity to rip on the suburban village from across the bay in San Francisco. The paper, it seems, must serve its readers, the urbane urbanites of elitist San Francisco.

Image: SFGate.com

Headline: Hercules' Fight to be Cute
Tagline: Urbanites may sneer at the town's look, but its choice to fight Wal-Mart deserves applause

First some bad: John King, the editorial's author, writes, "Hercules' old-fashioned new neighborhoods are downright unreal. The houses are too pristine, the landscaping too prim. They're modeled along the lines of a bungalow-filled village of yore, yet the result looks like a pastel launching pad for commuters." (They are new homes; the city is 20 minutes north of Oakland, 40 minutes outside of SF; makes sense...)

And some good: "Planners aligned with the New Urbanism movement crafted new neighborhoods that had the feel of a pre-World War II suburb, with pedestrian-friendly streets as well as parks and shops and restored wetlands." (Oh yea.)

And some middle-ground: "Wal-Mart's enemies depict the 5,200-store chain as a massive feral pig that uproots and devours everything from small-town economies to the national health care system. But Hercules' status as a suburb puts off smug urbanites, and the nostalgic air of the new district would strike condescending outsiders as Martha Stewart-esque." (Never heard of this Stewart person...)

And the author's mixed conclusion, which lends creedence to the master-planned community and then takes it away: "Personally, I'm not sure what to think when I visit. The built quality is worlds above what you find in other new suburban areas, such as American Canyon to the north in Napa County. The streets are orderly and the weave of parks and walkways is enticing. But there's an air of make-believe. Strangest of all is Sycamore Street near the bay, where attractively retro structures have storefronts on the street, living quarters up above ... and not a person in sight. Next door is land reserved for a sort-of Main Street that would include small shops and a waterfront park. We'll see when it arrives."

Point is, it is nice in Hercules, very nice. Especially on the waterfront. Overall, the editorial "did good" in my view. I am just taking exception to a few of the not-so-nice comments about my neighborhood. Not that it is all untrue: the development is still underway (and with a long ways to go, but I see that as a good thing); a ferry terminal (to SF) is still more than a half-decade from reality; and the few stores that have moved in are few and far in-between (and are mostly realty companies, which tend to be useless for happy residents). However, I live here...

When my fiancee and I were looking for a home, sure, we would have loved to have been able (e.g., afford) to live in the City (and then poke fun at little ol' Hercules and its fight against Walmart), but then again, you know what, we probably wouldn't have. A home on the waterfront in a town willing to fight the big guy sounds pretty inviting to me. It sounds like home. It sounds like Hercules.

An aide to the president responded to the notion that the upcoming midterm elections are a referendum on Bush's economy: "We would love to debate whether people are better off today than they were 5 1/2 years ago." Oh yes, surely. With a miked-up Bush at the podium and a hand-picked audience asking the questions... Hell, let Brit Hume moderate the damn thing.

The highly-intelligent readers of the Washington Post (I am serious, they could be reading the Washington Times, or even worse, USA Today) upon reading today's biggest news stories may have found this... a link to reyonthehill. Yes, the highly-intelligent readers of WaPo have found their way to this intelligently-written blog. And all because I made a joke about marijuana and its (endless) beneficial qualities. Go figure. No, seriously... I love you Technorati. And you too AP.

Image: washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post, the best of the best. (It makes me nostalgic for Deep Throat too.)

- The next Microsoft (or are they already Microsoft), Google, has teamed up with Dell so that "millions of Dell computers will leave the factories with Google software already installed." Where have we heard this before?

- Hmm, interesting... Researchers have found "no association at all [between lung cancer and marijuana use], and even a suggestion of some protective effect." Alright, I'm relieved...

- And I thought Bush wanted to be a cowboy: "Kind of tough talk, you know, that sent the wrong signal to people. I learned some lessons about expressing myself, maybe in a more sophisticated manner." Maybe?

- The small town I live in has made news, and I mean national news.

- And Scooter Libby on Cheney's involvement: "'He was very keen to get the truth out,' Libby testified, quoting Cheney as saying, 'Let's get everything out.'"

UPDATE: Additional national news coverage of the city of Hercules' fight against Walmart, of which I partook... MSNBC, LA Times, and Chicago Tribune. However, as we expected, Walmart plans to sue the city it says it wants to help.

I spoke during the public hearing at yesterday's unprecedented Hercules City Council meeting, where the council voted unanimously to use eminent domain to stop the development of a Walmart on the city's waterfront. And here's the video...

I would like to thank the academy...

A recent post of mine, But, mom., has been highlighted as part of the Carnival of the Liberals.

GIL: Well I'm going to let barb have the honor of introducing our last winner of the evening here...

barb: Thanks GIL, last but not least, GIL has selected have our "picture is worth a thousand words" Award go to Reyonthehill for his post But, mom.

GIL: Yep, I liked that one because... well, I thought it was just kinda funny.

Source: Lucky White Girl

In a letter I recently wrote to Ana Marie Cox (she hasn't returned the letter; hmm...), I mentioned how important it is to keep humor in our lives, especially when dealing with politics. "And truth-be-told, humor must always remain in political discussion. The people on the train who insist 'I hate politics' are the unfortunate ones who lack the sense of humor required to get excited by the tiniest bit of news."

Politics may be dark, and sometimes (okay, always) frustrating, however it makes the world turn and defines what we do everyday, so let's enjoy it...