respublica

Collaring that storm drain

The other day while walking Speaker through the Concordia Seminary campus I came upon a couple of the building and grounds guys working with a storm drain.

I stopped and asked what was going on. 
They said they had been asked to lift the iron collar which surrounds the opening so that it was level with the street.  At some point in time the collar had settled about an inch or two below street level. 

You can see in this overly sunlit photo how the iron collar had sunk.  It was pretty cool to see how the old old drain surround had been built of brick.

Kurt and John hooked a strong chain onto one of the long steel prongs of a bobcat and lifted.  Boom.  In seconds that collar was back up to where it was supposed to be.  After a bit of shimming and concrete filling of the gap, it was good as new. 

I used to enjoy spending time with the Collinsville street department guys as well as watching and learning what was what with the water and sewer people as well.  This time I learned something which made me think, "oh, yuck."  Seems in Clayton many of the older neighborhoods have storm water lines and sanitary sewer lines which meet and combine.  In Collinsville these lines are different.

"This is not garden variety. This creeps people out."

Yes, indeed it does.  Creep people out.  Rep Mark Foley being "outed" this past week for sending sexually explicit emails and IM text messages to young male congressional pages is all the talk today and rightly so.

What makes someone act so carelessly when he has to have been aware of how impropriety in sexual matters have been the undoing of so many others in political life? 

It also appears as if others were made aware of his goings on some time ago.  Those party leaders will be asked the tough questions about why they let him get away with a promise to cease his destructive behavior.  Might I suggest one reason why.

We are in an era where members of congress, especially those in the House, are always running for office.  Their two year terms and the speed with which information gets publicized, do not leave any room for basing decisions on anything without factoring in the political fallout or the political opportunity.  The 2008 presidential race began the day after the 2004 campaign ended.  Somehow or other this must stop.  Political edge trumps good sense every time when a person is always campaigning.

Non politically, the Foley story concerns me because it sure appears as though we are living in a time when children, and young people, are more and more frequently the focus of adult sexual interest.  While there have always been those weirdos who preyed on children, they were scorned and treated as the lepers they are.  Now, you can hardly turn on the news without hearing of one adult or another, even women, found to have had sex with a child. 

Pedophilia.  That's what it is.  Creepy and disgusting.  But becoming so widespread in our culture that it won't be long before it won't shock us at all.  It will be the new normal.

McCaskill-"Obama's running for president"

What we all suspect might happen, Barack Obama making himself a candidate for the democratic presidential nomination.  But it seems we need to look to Missouri to get the real inside stuff.  Democratic senate candidate, Claire McCaskill told reporters yesterday that there is little doubt in her mind Obama is going to make a run for the White House.  Obama recently let the McCaskill campaign know he would be part of a fund raiser for her in Kansas City on October 7.

Here's what tipped off McCaskill to the Obama's plans:

"When Obama raises money for himself these days, the money no longer is going into his political action committee fund, but his Senate re-election warchest.

The distinction: Money that goes into the PAC is doled out to other candidates around the country. Money that goes into the Senate fund can be used for an '08 White House bid, McCaskill said.

If Obama runs, she predicted, he'll win."A McCaskill spokesman said today, "(1) McCaskill is not endorsing the junior senator from Illinois; and (2) McCaskill has no proof that Obama is running; she was just speculating on what seems to be happening."

Obama has such rock star qualities even Missouri politicos get all jazzy when he looks their way.

Via John Combest

Oddly disconcerting pieces of news

An Austrian airlines jet made an unscheduled stop this morning after a hamster which had been smuggled aboard escaped.  Worried about the animal chewing through wiring, airline officials had all passengers leave the plane so that employees could search for the hamster.  By midafternoon there was still no sign of it.

A study presented at a conference of the American Society for Microbiology showed that hotel guests leave lots of germs behind after checking out of their rooms. "A new study found viruses on TV remotes, light switches and even hotel pens after cold sufferers checked out."  "The germ testing was done before the rooms were cleaned, so it likely overstates the risks that most travelers would face. Nevertheless, it shows the potential hazards if a hotel's turnaround amounts to little more than changing the sheets and wiping out the tub."  EEEEEEEwwwwwwwuuuuu

Millions of anchovies, more than three tons, have died on a Spanish beach after an "unexplained mass beaching"  Well, there goes the pizza this weekend.

A stolen bust of George Brett was found today along a roadside near the Lake of the Ozarks.  The bust, valued at $10,000 to $15000 was taken earlier this week from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield. 

Questionaire for state candidates

Cal Skinner posted ten questions the Chicago Tribune sent to Illinois legislative candidates. Go over and read the questions and pretend you are running for office.  Can you answer them?  We too often think candidates for office haven't a brain in their heads, that they are tools of one party of the other.  But, at least when elections come around, they have to be able to think through issues which might not have as easy an answer as we would like to think.

The tenth question is probably a throw away, but since Chicago has been stewing over this issue, the Trib decided to end with a light touch.

10.  Should fois gras be banned statewide?

Metro East County clerks doing it right

Although Illinois state officials have not made an official push to enact legislation which would require a photo ID in order to vote like neighboring Missouri has, two local county clerks have spoken in favor of this kind of law.

Most who criticize these photo ID laws claim supporters are republicans who want nothing more than to shutout a segment of voters who would most likely vote democratic.  In the case of Madison County clerk, Mark Von Nida and St. Clair County clerk, Bob Delaney, both are strong local party democrats.  When they speak for a photo ID bill, they should be listened to.

Delaney wrote a letter to the editor of the Belleville News-Democrat taking issue with a previous letter writer who asked why two democrats would support such a thing.  His response:  "Speaking for Madison County Clerk Mark Von Nida and myself, because it is the right thing to do."

I don't have election experience with St. Clair county's Delaney, but I do with Von Nida.  He's the absolute best at what he does.  When you aren't sure of what the right thing to do is, look to those who do it right.  You won't go wrong.

"The squirrels will be back"

In our on going saga of 'squirrels attacking people', another tale tail, this time from California. 

An aggressive squirrel pounced on a 4-year-old boy in an attack last week in Cuesta Park in Mountain View, Calif.

The attack happened as the boy's mother unwrapped a muffin during a picnic.

At least 6 people have been attacked by squirrels in Mountain View this summer which led city officials to order the trapping and killing of the "aggressive tree squirrels." 

Some are not happy that the squirrels are being taken away and killed.  One viewer of local NBC affiliate, Channel 11 wrote:  "I come to the parks to watch the wild animals, not the humans. I will no longer visit your parks knowing that any of them have become a killing ground for natural wildlife."

Well, one of those natural wildlifes is the reason the 4 year old boy is now enduring a series of rabies shots.

Past squirrel episodes are here and here and here

Talent-McCaskill latest polling numbers

Zogby, as of their September 28 polling report, has Talent ahead of McCaskill in the race for senator, 46.9 to 45.3.  Can't get much closer than that.

Zogby also sees Talent leading among men and McCaskill ahead among women.  This is a change from the Illinois governor's race where Judy Baar Topinka has the men and Rod Blagojevich has the women.  Zogby sees a slight gain for Topinka as she trails 30.1 to 40.9.  This is better than the 12 point lead Blagojevich has had. 

McCaskill takes the urban areas and Talent outstate and suburbs.  According to Zogby, this will be the closest race in the nation.

The Advent of blurred lines

This is part clever and part off-putting.  For sale:  Election Advent Calendars which work like the traditional calendars.  Open a door each day for 29 days and inside you'll find a bit of election history.  The calendar doors begin October 10 and end on election day November 7.  $9.99

Are they mocking the Christmas-Advent calendars?  They say this:  "People can be understandably sensitive and protective about their religious customs. We mean to pay respect to the traditional Advent calendar while we adapt it to support the central ritual of civil society—voting."

We report, you decide. 

Via Capitol Fax

Added update:  Realistically, Advent calendars went secular many years ago when they featured not the Christmas story, but Santa.  This newest offering seems to provide a lot of facts we probably should know about voting.

Wireless rabbits

The DEMOfall 2006 conference, a springboard for tech startups featuring new gadgets and programs introduced Violet from Nabaztag.  Violet is a wireless rabbit which sits alongside the computer and is capable of performing a wide range of tasks.  And, most importantly, this bunny is fun.

"Its ears can twirl or point up or down to notify you of incoming e-mail or the rise and fall of stocks.  It can read e-mails or news headlines aloud, converting text to speech.   It can announce the time or play songs from your digital collection.  Color lights that glow from inside its belly can issue a weather report.  All yellow, for instance, can mean sunny; all blue can mean snow."

This is too cool.  Around $150, but not widely available yet.