Volume 2 Issue 21
March 3, 2003
New Hampshire Stories
Greg's experiences in the Granite State, Fidel is coming to save the day, and stealing Claritin
UPDATE: Yes, the "Quiet American" link to the Post story did not work in today's e-mail version. The link will work below. Sorry for the problem!
To make it easier to find, all your Iditarod 31 action is at the bottom today! Find out why you'd rather live in Alaska! After all, they've had a warmer winter with less snow than us in DC!
Hey today is 03/03/03!
So last week I laid out the old Delaware plan for redoing the primary system, so that we could stop this constant jockeying for #1. Below you'll see that Michigan has uped the ante, and this could actually be the most serious challenge to New Hampshire and Iowa in some time. I actually like the idea of having New Hampshire go first, because it is a place where a personal touch can make a difference (so money isn't everything, your "ground game" is.) More importantly, if any candidate can survive an extended time in New Hampshire, that's a major test of whether or not they can be President. Because surviving that much time in New Hampshire ain't easy.
For those of you who may not know, I spent about 3 weeks total up in New Hampshire in the Fall of 1999, and the Winter of 2000, working for former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, who challenging Al Gore for the nomination. While it's definitely a quaint place, and some areas are nice...overall it's a scary, scary place. Let's look at Manchester first. OK, the tallest building in Manchester (and in New Hampshire)...is the Holiday Inn "Center of New Hampshire". That's its actual name. It is also I think the only space in the entire state where you can have a large event. I went to at least 2 or 3 there, and you could be there one day for one candidate, and the next for another, and so on.
When I would go to New Hampshire, I would fly up from Baltimore into Manchester's "airport". This facility is basically a small building, I think it has like 5 gates, with a McDonald's in it. One time, I was returning to DC early in the morning. I went through security, and left my bags with a colleague at the gate, and then went back out to the main lobby to the McDonald's to get breakfast. As I carried it back through security, the guard (who was easily at least 70) said, "Hey, didn't you just come through here?" I responded that I had, showed him my bag and coffee, and proceeded to put the bag on the X-Ray machine. He then told me "you don't need to go through again, you already did" and then waved me around, so I didn't even pass through the metal detector again. Boy...I hope the TSA's taken over that one.
New Hampshire also has a preponderance of liquor stores, especially along the "seacoast", which is the 12 mile strip of the state that borders the Atlantic Ocean between Massachusetts and Maine. I mean, they're literally everywhere. I guess they have cheaper booze or less strict laws or something, though I've been told that the stores are state owned. If that's the case, the state is therefore urging people from other states to come and buy it's liquor. Of course, New Hampshire has no income tax, so I guess they just get the revenue from boozing up the other states.
Then there are the people. For a state that supposedly welcomes the Presidential candidates with open arms, the people there sure are nasty to people working for them. I mean, anytime you're canvassing, or calling people on the phone, or walking down the street with a button on...there are some really nasty folks up there, especially among the Republican contingent. I mean, this is a state that voted for Pat Buchanan in much stronger numbers than any other place in the nation. The motto is "Live Free or Die." And it's everywhere. But you never see many people, because during a campaign, I think at least 25% of the people in the state must be political workers from out of state. That's the real reason New Hampshire wants to keep it's primary. The money. Think of all the office space rented, hotels, cars, etc. It really ads up.
And finally, you think it's cold in DC nowadays? I remember the first time I went up with a bunch of folks from DC, it was October. In DC, that means 70 degrees still. In New Hampshire, it's unusually after the first snow. At one point, my canvassing group was so frigid we ended up going into a fire station to get coffee and warm up. Hmm...maybe the first primary should be in Alaska instead... In anticipation of all the New Hampshire people getting annoyed, remember, I think it's still good for them to be first, but it's a strange, strange place. Then again, I'm from New Jersey...anyway, onto the insanity!
Fun with Homeland Security: With all the heavy stuff around nowadays, we need to laugh. So take a look at these suggested captions for some of the graphics on the Government's new "Are you ready?" website -
http://board.crewcial.org/t.php?id=16330&r=57
The First War: Big accomplishments for the US this weekend in the war on terror, with the arrest of the planner of 9/11. Oh, and he's not being sent to the US, so that way we can, um...make him talk -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2813245.stm
A report today says that Al-Queda is targeting Pearl Harbor -
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030303-104.htm
And local prosecutors in the DC area area annoyed that the FBI has stopped pursuing all other crimes since they're busy with terrorism. Another reason we need an MI5-like agency that just deals with internal security, and then the FBI can go back to stopping crime -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30569-2003Mar2.html
Of course, Bush is promising to rebuild Iraq like he did Afghanistan. If you ask Afghani's, they may not say things too promising for the Iraqi people -
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/5301859.htm
The Second War: Can Canada stop the march towards war?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2079497/
But thank God for small favors...the potential war has canceled at least one reality TV show!
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2003/02/28/entertainment2307EST0840.DTL&nl=fix
Greg's Pick of the Day: In Sunday's Washington Post, a former war correspondent from Vietnam discussed the lessons from Graham Greene's The Quiet American, and how they applied to the war in Vietnam (which he predicted would end in failure for the US - in 1955), and to the war in Iraq. A great article from someone who's been there. It reminded me to read the book, which I'd been meaning to do for sometime, I'm about half-way through, and it is excellent writing. You'll note you can buy it here! A quick note about those Amazon ads. Obviously, I'm never going to charge you for this site, but it does cost money to maintain. I'm also not going to take donations, but you can help pay its expenses by simply doing what you already do: buying books, CD's or movies from Amazon. You don't even have to buy the one's featured, if you click on it, and buy something else, we'll still get part of that sale. OK, NPR-style break over, I won't do that often. Here's the article -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A18959-2003Feb28¬Found=true
And that Other Country: A new Korean war would be no picnic -
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-02-27-nkorea-military-usat_x.htm
But Fidel is going to save the day -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2813725.stm
Look Who's Running for President: Well, Duh, the President is. And he views Edwards as his toughest opponent. Interesting...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30858-2003Mar2.html
Look Who's Not Running for President: Chris Dodd is out...the field narrows -
http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/newsat3/hc-dodd-noprez-0303,0,6166341.story
Look Who's Running for Vice President: David Rebovich is pushing Jon Corzine or Bob Mendenez for Vice President -
http://www.politicsnj.com/rebovich030203.htm
Look Who's Voting for President: The Michigan threat to the primary system continues -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23460-2003Mar1.html
And they want everyone else to get in on it! Yes! Let's all go beat up New Hampshire!
http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0303/03/d01-98095.htm
If you're a student, politicians don't really care about you. Except if you're a student in New Hampshire. Then you mean something -
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/061/nation/With_N_H_primar y_in_view_candidates_turning+.shtml
With Friends like these... Illinois Senator Peter Fitzgerald must feel loved. Today's headline in the Chicago Tribune: "GOP finds Fitzgerald irritating, but crucial" -
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-0303030152mar03,1,4492006.story
Energy Scam Redux: Apparently, it has been proven that the energy companies really did fleece California in 2000. Hmm...glad we have an administration that is cracking down on corporate malfeasance. Oh wait, sorry, that was me living in my alternative universe again -
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/03/03/MN85082.DTL
The Malpractice Debate: A thoughtful column on the Jesica transplant case and the arguments over medical malpractice. What he doesn't mention though is the fact that doctor's are not held responsible for their mistakes -
http://nj.com/columns/ledger/mulshine/index.ssf?/base/column s-0/104658907964230.xml
Unsafe at any speed? So the auto industry claims that SUV's are just about as safe as cars. Yeah, but if one hits you and you're in a car... -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/02/weekinreview/02HAKI.html
To Explore: A Chinese history expert discusses why we shouldn't pull back from space exploration -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19119-2003Feb28.html
And the Chinese want to go to the moon -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/03/02/china.moon/index.ht ml
Riding on the railroad: Once again the freight railroads are standing in the way of good passenger rail service -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13676-2003Feb27.html
The smallest railroad in America:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/02/nyregion/02RAIL.html?8hpib
Well, at least he got free donuts: Bill Clinton had jury duty in the Bronx last week -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/01/nyregion/01COUR.html
Slumming it: Are College students ruining many of America's college towns?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-03-02-college-slums-usat_x.htm
Achoo! Hey! Get Back here! The hottest new shoplifted item? The new over-the-counter Claritin. Stealing Claritin...wouldn't that make a good name for a rock band? -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/03/03/stealing.claritin.reut/ index.html
Wow.: OK, this is a good one. Two twins, separated at birth in Mexico...both adopted by American families, and then...they run into each other at random in college, each not knowing the other existed. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/03/nyregion/03TWIN.html
I'm running out of time: The energy crisis in Venezuela has resulted in all of the nations clock's being screwed up, so no one knows what time it is. -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/02/28/offbeat.venezuela.t ime.reut/index.html
Travel Notes: Internet dating has entered the mainstream, but if you're in Iran, might be a good idea not to try it -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2813953.stm
And in Germany, watch out...a pack of dogs is terrorizing Munich and attacking cars -
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20030228_215.html
The Swamp: Your place for all the Iditarod 31 action!
The 31st Iditarod started this weekend in Anchorage, Alaska. And they didn't have enough snow. Um...they can take some of mine...Oh, by the way...as of publication time...it is 43 degrees in Anchorage. In DC this morning, the Wind Chill at Dulles Airport was 1. And I hate to point this out...but as of Friday, Anchorage had received 29 inches of snow for the winter. DC has received 48 at Dulles, and around 40 I think at National.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/03/01/iditarod.race.ap/index .html
http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/2698791p-2739189c.html
They'll restart in Fairbanks today at 3pm Eastern -
http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/2709115p-2755635c.html
But don't worry...they may still get some cold weather in Alaska, after all, Winter lasts until April -
http://www.adn.com/front/story/2698480p-2737896c.html
And...your Iditarod photo of the day. -
Sorry...couldn't choose, so here's two: 
What the hell? When did we get to the Capital Beltway?
Hey, can I get a lift? I have a tee time at 2!
(By the way, the actual caption for this photo was just as scary: "Mitch Seavey of Seward passes the Klauder family and friends' flamingo brigade on Cordova Street. The group usually sets up 360 flamingos five miles out from the Wasilla restart. This year, they have sent 50 flamingos to Fairbanks for Monday's restart." )
Mush! See you tommorow!
