Odds and Ends

I would like to be able to tell you that the mid-week rant will be an inspiring bit of rhetoric that will undoubtedly move you in ways that you have yet to comprehend.  I would also like to be able to tell you that I am in my mid 30's, am in the best shape of my life, and possess the wisdom and riches of Solomon. Unfortunately, neither of the above statements is true.  

This week's writing efforts have in fact consisted mostly of sitting in front of a keyboard and waiting for inspiration to stop in for a visit.  Since she doesn't appear to have me on her social calendar, it seemed that it might be a great time to 'take out a little trash'; hoping that in doing so, the whole might prove greater than the sum of the parts.

Earthquakes

There have been three earthquakes this week in the US (and another in South America).  All were about the same magnitude, but the ones in Colorado and California were greatly overshadowed by that which was centered between DC and Richmond, VA.  Certainly it's unusual to have an earthquake along the East Coast, but it's equally unusual to hear of one in Colorado.  Perhaps the importance granted to this eastern quake is because like most everything else in this country, something is only important if it happens in Washington or New York.

I would normally be greatly concerned by such events, seeing them in terms of the imminent approach of the Apocalypse (or at least as signs of Global Warming),  especially when coupled with the mass hysteria of the recent London riots; but since I haven't seen any dogs and cats living together, I find that I am in fact less concerned than I probably should be.
 
The East Coast quake did at least provide us with a laugh, as paraphrasing a couple of postings in Facebook: "The Obama Administration, in conjunction with the USGS, today announced that the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake near Washington DC may have occurred along one of three rather obscure fault lines, the "Bush's Fault", the "Tea Party's Fault" or the "Not My Fault".  The press release went on to state that this event can be largely attributed to seismic displacement in the area caused by a number of the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves."


A Tangled Webb of Lies

Toledo District 6 City Councilwoman Lindsay Webb is currently embroiled in a rather interesting controversy.  Apparently the incumbent Councilperson failed to turn some required paperwork in to the Lucas County Board of Elections by the required date to be included on the ballot for re-election to her post.  Her opponent, Douglas DeCamp asked that she be removed from the ballot for violating provisions of the City Charter in regards to this paperwork; to which Webb responded that she had mailed it on time from Ann Arbor, MI and that the Post Office had routed the document through Detroit, causing it to be a week late.

An alleged copy of the envelope used for that mailing has surfaced through the news department of 1370 WSPD AM, showing that this piece of mail in fact had a Toledo post mark and was mailed one day before being received by the Board of Elections (which would in fact make it a late filing under both strict and substantive compliance considerations).  These "dog ate my homework" inconsistencies with Lindsay Webb's statements (and excuses) may prove problematic for this candidate, even as a Democrat in Toledo.  The fact that she was placed on the ballot without having the proper paperwork in place may prove equally troubling for a Lucas Country Board of Elections that is already under fire.

This situation is now currently under review by both that same BOE, as well as the 6th District Court of Appeals.  It's likely that there will be a good bit of tap-dancing music being played in the coming days as Ms. Webb attempts to earn a spot on the Olympic back-peddling team (and the final ballot) trying to explain this apparent web of deceit.


Republican Primary Entertainment

We are still months away from any actual voting in Republican primaries, but pollsters are busy a couple of times a week trying to figure out who the leading candidates for the Republican nomination are.  (None of them has yet discovered why we should care who's in the lead this early in the game, but I guess they're not hired for that.)

In between important stories about why we shouldn't vote for Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, or Mitt Romney; they barely noticed that Ron Paul took second place in the Iowa straw poll, the only official voting (well, kind of official anyway) yet done. Of course Rep Paul is still accused of being on the crazy train for wanting to get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan (you know, like Democrats), for wanting to reduce taxes (like Tea Party members), and for trying to put entitlement programs on a sound fiscal footing (like Republicans in Congress).  It's hard to argue with the concept that this dark horse candidate (no racism intended) may not only be running with the pack, but on the verge of taking a lead.

But it's far too early to  tell any of what's going on, which is why the talking heads are spending so much time trying to do so.  This endless statistical analysis, coupled with the apparent disregard for the actual score of the game leads me to believe that a real opportunity is being overlooked here.  

Perhaps what primary politics needs is a Fantasy League where candidates can be drafted in office pools, twice weekly polling numbers can be compared for points, trades made, and prizes awarded based on who actually makes it to the big game.  

If the Fantasy League thing isn't workable, maybe we could put the whole bunch in a big house with lots of cameras, and film them at each others' throats as a Political Reality Show. (I'm betting the networks would fight over it, and the Republican Party could certainly use the revenues from such a show for the Presidential campaign war chest.  It's the only way that they're going to be able to compete with the amount of money that President Obama is raising.)  As boring as primary season is, perhaps some co-opted form of mindless entertainment might be just the ticket to make the process slightly more bearable until the actual voting begins.