Volume 2 Issue 5
February 7, 2003
Seeing Orange
Be on alert for Al-Queda throwing snowballs, Secret Service "protection", and it seems everyone needs another math class.
So it looks like the national security traffic signal has been moved up to Orange, which means that we will have to endure countless hours of commentators trying to figure out what that means, and that your trip to the airport just got more complicated. Here's a note...if we are listening into these conversations, shouldn't we be able to figure out who these people are? Similarly, in Powell's UN presentation, he talked alot about a Al-Queda guy in Iraq, and this house he lived in, and all the terrorists that came to see him. Um...if you know where he is, kill him. I mean, I can understand that we can't take Saddam out because a) we have no idea where he is; and b) if we happened to kill a double instead, that would be bad. But if we know where these people are, lets take them out! Similarly, we know where these missile testing facilities in Iraq are, we even have photos' of them. Bomb them! Strategic bombing of the things we don't want him to have would be better than destroying the whole place. I mean, yes we'll hit a baby milk factory or something from time to time by accident, but that's better than wiping out the whole nation, isn't it?
I thought it was interesting though that as soon as they announced the terror alert level was going up, the market crashed 50 points. From my last look around 3pm, it was down 90. Man, just wait until the war starts...didn't Osama short-sell on the market just before 9/11 and make a bundle?
Today is another efficient and accomplishful day in the federal government. DC got about 8 inches of snow, resulting in a 2-hour delay, and 75% of the workforce taking another liberal leave day. But all the recent hires with limited days are enjoying the light day here in the office, and I must say I was impressed that the city is actually moving quite well, and the roads are pretty good. The quote of the day though was from my new roommate Sal, most recently from Colorado, who came in last night at about 11pm (about an inch or 2 had come down by then, it started here about 8 or so) and asked "um...don't they plow the streets here?" Welcome to DC, Sal.
Oh, and if the winter weather in the East bothers you today...Oakland and Seattle pitchers and catchers report tomorrow! Onto the insanity...
Greg's Pick of the Day - "We're on a mission from God": The "handshake man" struck again yesterday. This is a guy, a Sacramento Minister who routinely is able to crash presidential security. He shook hands with Clinton in the Capitol right after he was inaugurated, then did the same thing with Bush in 2001. Yesterday he snuck in to the National Prayer Breakfast, hung around for a while, then slipped through security to give the President a 8-page anti-war letter. This is a great article about how the Secret Service dealt with him. Apparently when you do that, they even give you a ride to the airport! -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37895-2003Feb6.html
Stop saying that! Adlai Stevenson's son would kindly like everyone to stop comparing Colin Powell's speech at the UN to his father's. Please -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/opinion/07STEV.html
Fudging the Numbers: Looks like we need some more math education out there...
A former government worker says she was fired when her casualty numbers for Iraqi civilians in the 1991 Gulf War were too high. Can't wait to see what they cook up for this war!
http://www.msnbc.com/news/869570.asp?0cv=CB10
How do you predict disasters? How do you predict them on something like the Space Shuttle? A primer -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/06/technology/circuits/06risk .html?8hpib
And the Democrats are accusing Bush of "fuzzy math" in his budget -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38146-2003Feb6.html
Speaking of the budget, many GOP leaders won't back parts of Bush's package -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38036-2003Feb6.html
Look Who's Running for President: John Kerry's wife, the former Teresa Heinz, will change her name for the Presidential Campaign -
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/038/nation/For_campaign_He inz_opts_for_a_name_change+.shtml
Look Who's Running for President 2: The 6-pack is having trouble with the NAACP's boycott of South Carolina over the Confederate flag, since South Carolina will have the first primary in the South...
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/politics/campaigns/07FLAG. html
Look Who's Running for President 3: Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich will make his announcement next week in Iowa, and the money is on him being in -
http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1044528 042216452.xml?cleve
Bad John Edwards Photo of the Day: "So how's this eyebrow shrug? Move it up higher? Lower?" -
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030129/capt.1043 873313.democrats_edwards_wx115.jpg
Shuttle Columbia investigation: NASA has found a large part of a wing near Fort Worth, which is currently about as far west as the debris field goes -
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Shuttle-Debris.html
Reports also say that there is a good Air Force video that may show the shuttle breaking up -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38794-2003Feb7.html
NASA is no longer taking the lead in the investigation -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/national/nationalspecial/0 7SHUT.html
Slate features Gregg Easterbrook (a Swamp favorite writer) and Nathan Myhrvold in a discussion over the future of the space program. You'll remember Easterbrook's 1980 article calling the space shuttle a death trap, and his article from this week's
Time calling for an end to the shuttle program, and a return to expendable rockets for now (make sure you read both Thurs and Friday's entries) -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078157/entry/2078222/
Alternate pick of the day: Eileen Collins, like many mothers, had to figure out what to tell her 7 year-old daughter and 2 year-old son about the Columbia disaster. But for her it was a bit more difficult, since Col. Eileen Collins is the most decorated woman in the space program, the first woman to pilot (1995) and command (1999) a shuttle mission, and is scheduled to be the commander of the next shuttle flight. (STS-114; Atlantis; scheduled liftoff was March 1...and was supposed to bring a new crew to the Space Station) -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/national/nationalspecial/0 7ASTR.html
After the spotlight: Former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who pardoned the entire death row in his state before leaving office, is finding life nowadays to be very lonely -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/politics/07RYAN.html?pagew anted=all&position=top
What if they had a vaccine that no one wanted? Looks like there aren't too many takers among medical professionals for the smallpox vaccine -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/health/07SMAL.html
Better odds than one of her marriages: Jennifer Lopez apparently won quite a bundle on her Super Bowl bet -
http://www.msnbc.com/news/869502.asp?0cv=CB10
Flushed away: New Jersey will close Howard Stern's rest stop, because they can't afford it. I swear, NJ is so screwed up... -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/5125006.htm
http://www.wnbc.com/traffic/1960566/detail.html
In fact, the Governor, Jim "One-Term" McGreevy, was assailed at some diner stops yesterday, including by a bunch of doctors. Man, those doctors can be nasty when they're being forced out of practice by insurance costs -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/07/nyregion/07JERS.html
McGreevy has even pissed off the casino's, to the point where one gaming company is stopping work on an expansion project in the middle of it! Of course, this is also a tactic to keep him from raising taxes on them -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jer sey/5126285.htm
Can I see some ID?
Guess the ads are working...people are writing fewer checks, and they have fallen to only 60% of all non-cash payments. As a result the Federal Reserve, which process checks and ensures banks get paid, is closing 13 of its check processing sites and laying off 400 workers -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38002-2003Feb6.html
Event planners, take note: Looking for a place to have an event? Why not rent out Liechtenstein? Yep, the whole nation is available for your function! -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/02/07/offbeat.liechtenstein.r ent.reut/index.html
Just one more: Don King couldn't get a street named after him in Atlantic City, but he did get the key to the city of Managua, Nicaragua. Read the proclamation from the President (the Nicaraguan one...) -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/02/07/offbeat.don.kin g.ap/index.html
Have a great weekend!
Gregory S. Gadren
