New York, New York

In the city for this weekend, looking to peek some snowflakes. Its my second to last weekend before the semester ends so we're all trying to scramble and do as much as we can. I volunteered for the California contingent heading north. Catch you on the flip side!

America: Sunny Side Up

A great piece by David Brooks in the New York Times today rebuking the fear-mongering by many out there looking to mischaracterize the truth and prey on the American spirit. Anyone buying into the defeatest attitude being spewed by politicians and pundits alike should take a breather and read this enlightening piece. Take a peek:

So it’s worth pointing out now more than ever that Dobbsianism is fundamentally wrong. It plays on legitimate anxieties, but it rests at heart on a more existential fear — the fear that America is under assault and is fundamentally fragile. It rests on fears that the America we once knew is bleeding
away.

And that’s just not true. In the first place, despite the ups and downs
of the business cycle, the United States still possesses the most potent economy
on earth. Recently the World Economic Forum and the International Institute for
Management Development produced global competitiveness indexes, and once again they both ranked the United States first in the world.

In the World Economic Forum survey, the U.S. comes in just ahead of Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany (China is 34th). The U.S. gets poor marks for macroeconomic stability (the long-term federal debt), for its tax structure and for the low savings rate. But it leads the world in a range of categories: higher education and training, labor market flexibility, the ability to attract global talent, the availability of venture capital, the quality of corporate management and the capacity to innovate.

William W. Lewis of McKinsey surveyed global competitive in dozens of business sectors a few years ago, and concluded, “The United States is the productivity leader in virtually every industry.”

...

The American economy benefits from low levels of corruption. American culture still transmits some ineffable spirit of adventure. American students can’t compete with, say, Singaporean students on standardized tests, but they are innovative and creative throughout their lives. The U.S. standard of living first surpassed the rest of the world’s in about 1740, and despite dozens of cycles of declinist foreboding, the country has resolutely refused to decay.

Third, not every economic dislocation has been caused by trade and the Chinese. Between 1991 and 2007, the U.S. trade deficit exploded to $818 billion from $31 billion. Yet as Robert Samuelson has pointed out, during that time the U.S. created 28 million jobs and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.6 percent from 6.8 percent.

Could It Be? The Surge is... Working???

Just came across this editorial from that conservative bastion, the Boston Globe. Many good points have been made and it seems that the collective conscious of the media seems to be shifting. It's gone from doom and gloom to "hey, wait a minute." The question for Democrats who, as the columnist pointed out are "invested in defeat," is should they abandon a strategy of proclaiming failure that has thus far worked for them, or should they have an honest analysis of the facts and see this thing through? Here's the article with some of my favorite parts:

THE NEWS from Iraq has been so encouraging in recent months that last week even the mainstream media finally sat up and took notice. Can the Democratic Party be far behind?

In a story titled "Baghdad Comes Alive," Rod Nordland reports in the current Newsweek on the heartening transformation underway in the Iraqi capital:

"Returning to Baghdad after an absence of four months," he writes, "I can actually say that things do seem to have gotten better, and in ways that may even be durable . . . There hasn't been a successful suicide car bombing in Baghdad in five weeks . . . Al Qaeda in Iraq is starting to look like a spent force, especially in Baghdad."

The signs of life, Nordland acknowledges "grudgingly" - his word - are undeniable.

"Emerging from our bunkers into the Red Zone, I see the results everywhere. Throughout Baghdad, shops and street markets are open late again, taking advantage of the fine November weather. Parks are crowded with strollers, and kids play soccer on the streets. Traffic has resumed its customary epic snarl. . . . The Shorja bazaar in old Baghdad, hit by at least six different car bombs killing hundreds in the last year, is again crowded with people among the narrow tented stalls. On nearby Al-Rasheed Street, the famous booksellers are back in business . . . People are buying alcohol again - as they always had in Baghdad, until religious extremists forced many neighborhood liquor shops to close."

Newsweek's isn't the only big media voice bringing tidings of comfort and joy from the Iraqi theatre.

On Tuesday, The New York Times led its front page with a good-news headline - "Baghdad Starts to Exhale as Security Improves" - and a large photo of an Iraqi bride and groom, bedecked in wedding finery and accompanied by a band. Below that: a picture of smiling diners at Al Faris, a restaurant on the Tigris riverbank that is booming once again. Inside, across four columns, another photo showed an outdoor foosball game in Baghdad's Haifa Street, once dubbed the "Street of Fear" because it was the scene of so many lethal sectarian attacks.

In another Page 1 story the day before ("U.S. Says Attacks in Iraq Fell to the Level of Early Last Year"), the Times recounted some of the auspicious data: civilian fatalities down 75 percent in recent months, Iraqi security-force casualties down 40 percent, total weekly attacks nationwide down nearly two-thirds since June. The Los Angeles Times, too, fronted a story on the promising developments, reporting on an "unexpected flowering of sectarian cooperation" in which "Sunnis and Shi'ites are joining hands at the local level to protect their communities from militants." The results, reported the paper from the rural community of Qarghulia on Monday, "are palpable. Killings are down dramatically and public confidence is reviving."

Of course things could still change for the worse. In the Middle East there are few guarantees. Neither the US military nor the Bush administration plans to dust off that "Mission Accomplished" banner anytime soon.

Still: "By every metric used to measure the war," as The Washington Post editorialized on Nov. 18, "there has been an enormous improvement since January." The Post credits this achievement to American soldiers in Iraq, to General David Petraeus, "and to President Bush, for making the decision to launch the surge against the advice of most of Congress and the country's foreign policy elite."

With the media at last paying attention to the progress in Iraq, shouldn't leading Democrats think about doing the same? Perhaps this would be a good time for Hillary Clinton to express regret for telling Petraeus that his recent progress report on Iraq required "a willing suspension of disbelief" - in effect, calling him a liar. Perhaps Senate majority leader Harry Reid should admit that he may have been wrong to declare so emphatically: "This war is lost, and the surge is not accomplishing anything."

All of the Democratic presidential candidates have been running on a platform of abandoning Iraq. At the recent debate in Las Vegas, they refused to relax their embrace of defeat even when asked about the striking evidence of improvement. They continued to insist that "the surge is not working" (Bill Richardson), that "the occupation is fueling the insurgency" (Dennis Kucinich), and that the "strategy is failed" and we must "get our troops out" (Barack Obama).

Blind opposition to war that seems lost is understandable. But can Democrats be so invested in defeat that they would abandon even a war that may be winnable? With developments in Iraq looking so hopeful, this is no time to cling to a counsel of despair.

Now I for one still blame the administration for its handling of the war from the moment the government was toppled to the moments before the surge as one of the worst management examples in a long time. Let's not forget how absolutely horrible the war was, how much chaos there was in Baghdad and throughout the country, and how feeble the administration was in addressing needs. And last year I was the biggest proponent of just brining our troops home right there and then. But luckily the surge, coupled with the sheer will of the Iraqi people as a whole and by the fighting spirit of our men and women in uniform, is working as of now. The important steps at this point are to foster that success with continuous promotion of Iraqi independence in the military, and a swift kick in the behind to the Iraqi government. Success is attainable if we're all on the same page and we're all firing on all cylinders.
It is quite evident that our men and women in uniform have paid the ultimate sacrifice far too many times and would have been better off with better leadership from the onset, but from what I know from people personally involved in fighting the conflict, we owe it to our troops to continue to support them both here and abroad. And that means having a government that, should the executive branch change parties, doesn't run from our troops or the work they have accomplished. Hopefully all those that still accuse Americans who believe in our troops that we can't accept the fact we have lost a war will in turn realize their own hypocrisy and hear the good news that is *finally* streaming from even the media at this point.
Let's hear it for good news from Iraq. No reason we can't all be happy with good news. Unless you have too much invested in the bad...

Thanksgiving

May not be able to get on the blog tomorrow, so let this serve as my best Thanksgiving wishes to everyone. Remember to put a can or more in some collection boxes you may see during your day or a few dollars toward a local food pantry. While many of us are so blessed with everything and anything, please keep in mind that are down on their luck or just need some help.
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving with friends and/or family and look forward to blogging some more very soon!

Counting Down...

Hours away from a nice break for home for Thanksgiving. I can smell the apple pie already...

Twilight of His Career

No this post is not an attempt to prove the doubters wrong about Congressman Shays' future. He is running again and is very excited to do so. Rather, I read a blog post at a premier Red Sox fan board I frequent regarding the infamous quote allegedly made by then Red Sox GM Dan Duquette to slight future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens. Here it is for ya:

Infamous quote from former Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette, speaking about pitcher Roger Clemens.

Most members of the media (who have used the quote for years to ridicule both Duquette and the Red Sox in general) and fans believe Duquette was speaking about Clemens's last few years with the Sox and the decision not to resign him as a free agent. ... However, this is not completely accurate.

Here is the quote:

---

End of an Era - No return fire from Sox - Brass tried to keep ace

By Michael Silverman, Boston Herald

December 14, 1996

The Red Sox brass kept a mostly stiff upper lip yesterday, putting the shiniest gloss possible on the news that lifelong Sox Roger Clemens had left the fold.

Restraining themselves from returning the type of salvos that Clemens threw at the club, and particularly Dan Duquette, during his press conference in Toronto, the general manager and CEO John Harrington were more subtle.

The Sox were officially "disappointed" but far from devastated at losing Clemens, who, over 13 seasons, compiled a 192-111 record, three Cy Youngs, two 20-strikeout games and a share of the team lead with Cy Young for most wins and shutouts (38).

"The Red Sox and our fans were fortunate to see Roger Clemens play in his prime and we had hoped to keep him in Boston during the twilight of his career," said Duquette, who joined Harrington on a conference call yesterday afternoon. "We just want to let the fans know that we worked extremely hard to sign Roger Clemens. . . . We made him a substantial, competitive offer, by far the most money ever offered to a player in the history of the Red Sox franchise.

"Unfortunately, we just couldn't get together. We were hoping he could finish his career as a Red Sox and we also wanted him to establish a relationship beyond his playing career. We wanted him to have the status of a Ted Williams, but at the end of the day we couldn't get it done." ...

---

It turns out that the "twilight" Duquette was talking about was not 1994-96, but from 1997 on (if Clemens had decided to stay in Boston). And his "twilight" comment was made AFTER Clemens had signed with the Blue Jays, not during contract negotiations.

It is also worth nothing that in 1996, Clemens himself believed his career was coming to a close. On September 18, 1996, the day he struck out 20 Tigers, Clemens told the Globe: "If you work hard enough, good things will happen to you. I know I'm winding down. The wins haven't fallen my way this year."

For those that are mercilessly subject to the misrepresentation of this quote, it certainly is interesting, isn't it?

Free Rice

Here at Tavern Banter, charity is always welcomed as a means of helping our fellow man. This is a perfect, easy way to do that. It's a Web site called "Free Rice" where one plays a vocabulary game with winning answers earning free rice for the world's hungry through the United Nations. It's a perfect game to play as we get ready for this Thanksgiving season and a great way to fill in the time if you're a little bored. Please, check it out!

A-Rod Crawls Back? Hardly.

I'm still having trouble understanding the saga of Alex Rodriguez's off season. It began in October after the Yankees were nearly swept in the first round against the Cleveland Indians as questions surrounded the future of not only Rodriguez, but also closer Mariano Rivera, catcher Jorge Posada, ace Andy Pettitte, and manager Joe Torre. Quickly, those questions sorted themselves out as Torre was shown the door for former Yankee catcher/bench coach and NL Manager of the Year Joe Girardi, Posada was given a four-year deal that makes sure Posada's grandkids don't have to work again, Pettitte opted out of coming back, and Rivera has been offered the most lucrative contract of any reliever (though he has yet to accept).

But A-Rod's story has been, in a word, weird. His original deal signed with the Texas Rangers included a clause that allowed him to opt out of his contract after a certain period of time. After much speculation and a very fat offer from the Yankees to the tune of $350 million dollars, A-Rod and his agent Scott Bora$ announced during the later innings of the World Series that the star third baseman would not be rejoining the Yankees. As classless as a move as it was to announce that at that particular time, it seemed to me at least a pretty clear "F U" and the end of their faulty relationship. But it now turns out it wasn't the end. It's being portrayed in the media that Rodriguez crawled back to the Yankees without his agent Scott Boras advising him, but rather billionaire Warren Buffet. A-Rod would be making significantly less as the contract was negotiated on the Yankees terms, a 10 year/$275 million dollar deal. But this is in no way a loss for Rodriguez aside from his reputation. One has to wonder how much he had to grovel at the feet of Hank Steinbrenner to squeak out 10 year deal. And he gets a huge bonus should he set the all time home run record. So while the media portrays A-Rod as a big loser, forgive me if I don't buy into that story. I mean, the guy is loaded once gain and if anything looks like he REALLY wants to play in pinstripes. And let him. The richest man in baseball has yet to deliver a championship to the Bronx, and for a team that once was the dynasty of baseball, they will be playing catch-up to the Red Sox.

Neverland

It is hard to think that this semester is almost over for me. In under a month, I'll be on Christmas break and gearing up for a semester abroad in London and Greece where hopefully I can open my eyes to even more perspective in the world. But if next semester is anything like this, it'll be over before I know it. Even with the long days and constant flow of work, both in the office and in the classroom, it seems as if this semester has just slipped away from under me. To me, that's a pretty alarming realization as I'm sort of a romantic with my college experience: I love it so much, I want to to last as long as possible or at least seem that way. I know seniors in the program who are graduating in the spring but swear they were freshmen just last week.
I suppose I have to come to terms with the harsh reality of a college career creeping faster and faster toward the real work life. And not that I'm shying away from my future, I just wish I could better enjoy my present. If I have to have any major problem with my life thus far (which I absolutely know is a better shake in comparison to a lot of other folks' situation), its that I haven't made the most of each moment and lived it to the fullest. At the risk of sounding cocky, I know I am capable of great things and I hope more than anything to live out my potential. It's just way too easy for me now to avoid the future and hide behind the curtain of my college years. Can you blame me? Things are going beyond well, I really am blessed in almost every way. I'm comfortable with things the way they are now. I only wish that these good times can last a little longer. I don't want to blink and open my eyes to a diploma in my hand just yet.
Again, these concerns seem trivial to what others are putting up in their lives and no one realizes that more than me. As the brother of someone coping with muscular dystrophy, and the cousin of two Marines, I know I should feel incredibly lucky. And I am. I only wish I could better enjoy what has been given to me.

Here's to hoping that the skills I have developed and experiences I have achieved here in Washington, D.C. go to good use one day. But for now, I look forward to enjoying the innocent life a little longer. I'll take the responsibility one day, but if I have learned anything about working an 9-6 job for a semester, it's that i should savor what and be thankful for what I have. Because soon enough it'll be over, and there is no telling what the future holds.

Veterans Day

I got this Facebook post from my cousin the other day and it blew me away:

Joshua Lambert (Kansas City, MO) wrote

hey i got saw an article about you in a package your parents sent to me. Your a stud! your making the lamberts into a name that all will be in awe of one day.. = ] hope your takin good care of yourself. i hope to be able to send a letter back to your folks here shortly when we get a break. see ya bro.

Josh is a Marine currently serving in Iraq. His younger brother, Luke, also enlisted and is training to become an MP in the Marines. They are both my cousins and some of my fondest childhood moments were spent at their elbow in the ocean surf of Rhode Island or at their back hiking a trail at Yellowstone. Years have gone by since we were eating pears in my backyard or sitting side by side on my grandfather's lap, and our paths have diverged. But while time and memories have filled the gap between us, if anything my respect for my cousins has grown exponentially. They are heroes of mine in every sense of the word. On this Veterans Day, I'd just like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their sacrifice and in not-enough-words express how much they mean to me, how much they mean to my family, and how much they mean to our country.
So when I got this Facebook post from my cousin, forgive me if I shed a tear. Because while he's proud of me for being in the newspaper and for the work that I've done behind a desk, it doesn't come close in any way to what he has done in his life thus far. If anyone is honoring the Lambert family name, it is Josh and Luke.
Stay safe guys and know just how much you mean to everyone here in the States.

Rome

So I've been getting Netflix these past few months and have been ordering the TV series Rome. Unfortunately, only two seasons were made of Rome, but man is it a fantastic show. Blood, violence, sex, just overall poor morals... basically what one would forbid they're kid to watch. But the plots were great, it is (for the most part) historically driven, and it's never boring to watch. I highly recommend it to anyone of the appropriate age level interested in watching some quality TV programming. The only thing is, it's hard to just pick it up in the middle of a season and go with it. Hence why I started from the beginning. But I can't emphasize enough how awesome the show is. Too bad they only made two seasons... it's just gold.

And Just to Show I Am Bi-Partisan

Impeach me. I dare you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dennis and the Dems

The back office was giddy with delight today as the Democrats continued to derail their own majority. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and a host of other liberals brought forth to the United States Congress articles of impeachment for Vice President Dick Cheney. It was privileged, so it was not on the Democratic hierarchy's list of goodies for the day, and Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) was furiously trying to sink his own party's bill to avoid further embarrassment. The result? Chaos.
Like or dislike or Vice President, the debate as to whether he should be impeached is just down right foolish and it showed where the Democrats' priorities are with their agenda. Not only can they not grasp what the majority of American people want them to accomplish (hey, whats the progress on those Appropriations bills?), but they have to waste hours in the day doing a silly charade to distract the American people from the core issues. And they can't even get on the same page as to how to accomplish their goals? I mean really, impeachment? It got so bad, our office was hollering at the chance to merely debate the bill and blast the latest extremist liberal attempt at ruining the Constitution. It was like watching a train wreck. And lets not forget, this is the same Dennis Kucinich who claims to have seen a UFO. And, here's the kicker, he's running to be the Democratic nominee FOR PRESIDENT. Hahahahahahahahaha....

So suffice to say, my day was pretty great. I promise some more interesting stories should they come up, but I'm not sure many can top my new favorite DC variety act: Dennis and the Dems.

Home for the Weekend... Again

Back home until Sunday night as the parents are getting an award from the Bishop for service. I'll probably head over to Fairfield Republican HQ at some point too. Catch y'all on the flip side.

Indian Summer

Today I got to attend a hearing on wildfires in relation to global warming. Here are my notes on the hearing:

House (Select) Energy Independence and Global Warming (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Wildfires and the Climate Crisis.” Abigail Kimbell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service; Steven Running, professor of ecology at the University of Montana; Michael Francis, director of the Forest Program and deputy vice president of the Wilderness Society; and Michael Medler, member of Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology, and assistant professor at Huxley College, testify.

The hearing was much more contentious in the beginning than in the second session after votes. Ms. Kimbell pointed out many of the problems facing America’s forests, particularly in the West and the Great Lakes region, where rising average temperatures have led to shifts in the ecological system. This means increased life cycles for some particularly hazardous insect life that kills trees and leaves behind a wake of flammable tinder. Also discussed was the level of CO2 emissions that are released from wildfires and scientists have said that the current wildfires have spewed enough emissions into the air over the past couple weeks where they are at the same level all the power plants in California have emitted all year. What was generally accepted though was that global warming itself does not directly lead to wildfires in that wildfires do not start more frequently because the earth is warmer. However, people put themselves and forests at risk by developing deeper and deeper into forests known for wildfire activity. Many wildfires are allowed and run their course naturally without any risk to the population. But developments near fires can be filled with harmful air particles released by fires into the air causing severe illness. A few of the members attacked the administration for not giving Ms. Kimbell enough of resources to fight global warming caused by deforestization and a few questioned her policies in terms of focusing on suppressing fires versus preventing them. Thinning forests and removing brush was a widely hailed idea on both sides of the aisle for ways to contain forest fires and Republicans attempted to criticize liberal environmentalist groups who block the thinning of forests or the removal of dead trees after a fire so that a forest can be replanted. Ms. Kimbell complained that there is too much litigation her agency must go through to rehab forests after a fire and by the time they are allowed to do their work, it has lost its value. The rest of the speakers spoke in a panel after a recess and were in wide agreement global warming should be a concern for Americans in regards to wildfires and that new areas are becoming vulnerable to potential fire activity.

Global warming to me is silly to deny any longer. Climate change is quite obviously a fact, and whether or not humans are directly responsible and on what scale, it begs for us as a society to embrace more environmentally friendly policies to ensure our carbon emissions aren't ruining our planet. Environmentalism is a concern that to me transcends party lines as it belongs to neither side of the aisle; it is neither a Democratic issue nor a Republican one, though I would be the first to admit my party has done less than it should in terms of embracing environmentally responsible policies. And while some put it off as a less than immediate concern, like the bankrupting of our social security system, it does face potentially devastating consequences if gone unchecked in the present, again like social security. It's time for our government to not only embrace climate change for what it really is, but also to take steps NOW to curb global warming. It's encouraging seeing businesses begin to embrace the reality of what the American populace wants by going "green," but practical solutions go beyond alternative energies and fuel efficient cars. They touch on conservation of our land and preserving the healing powers of our planet by restoring mother nature to rule itself. When housing booms threaten these already strained forests, people not only risk the health of their environment, but risk their own health with the frequent wildfires that NATURALLY rip through a region. And when agencies like the U.S. Forest Service cannot thin forests of dry, choking brush and dead vegetation due to interest groups (liberal and conservative), we are asking for disaster. Like my notes mention, forest fires such as the ones in California, exacerbated by the consequences of global warming, produce tremendous amounts of CO2 and pollute the air with unhealthy particle emissions.

There are sensible solutions for fighting global warming that occur beyond carpooling or recycling, though the widespread practice of both are certainly effective. Its just up to the government to do its part in terms of protecting its population any way it can and not just rely on citizens to pick up the slack where the government can't deal with a tremendous problem itself. We all own this issue... it's about time the governing body caught up to where it's people stand and institute sensible global warming measures.