Base10Blog
Friday, June 30, 2006
 
Last Day
This is officially Base10's last day. He is, as it were, hanging up his Lieutenant's cap today, for the final time. Although he considered coming back to work the summer, that's not going to happen. Base10 will be pondering some imponderables as a result so blogging will be limited for the rest of the day.

Actually, Base10's going to pick up his penultimate regular paycheck and watch the World Cup. TTFN.
 
Detainees and Due Process
Judging only by the headlines, the recent Supreme Court decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld was either a judicial ruination of the war on terror or a conviction of President Bush for war crimes. It just depends on who you ask.

I haven't read the actual decision, so I don't want to comment on the substance, but I'd like to point out that Congress could enact a law providing for a tribunal system of the type that the administration wants and limit federal judicial review of such proceedings (subject matter jurisdiction is, after all, also only a creature of mere statute).
 
The Tour, and Other Sports
On the eve of the prologue, the Peloton officials ejected several of the top riders because of a doping scandal that occurred in Spain. The rejected riders include such starts as Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Joseba Beloki, among others. Because the Astana team may not be able to race with the recquisite number of riders now, Alexandre Vinokourov may not be able to race either. This is shocking news.

The Mets were swept for the first time this season with last night's 3-2 loss to Boston. What can you say? It was bound to happen. But the Mets are still number one in the NL and a full eleven games up on Philly, their closest NL East rival.

Besides, maybe the loss will get the Mets all fired up for their game tonight, the first in the Subway series against the Yankees in the Bronx. Interestingly, El Duque faces Mike Mussina. Click here for a preview.
 
Final Thoughts on Kerik
Political Hack


no, that's not it...


Corrections Commissioner


no, that's not it, either...


Police Commissioner


no, that's still not quite right...


Director of Homeland Security


no, definietly not that...


Convicted Criminal


Yeah, that's the ticket!

Thursday, June 29, 2006
 
Boob Cops Plea?
The NY Times is reporting that erstwhile Police Commissioner Bernard "I'm a Corrupt Boob" Kerik, is purportedly about to cop to a plea deal for his role in improperly accepting $200,000 in free renovations to an apartment he owned in the Bronx. Under the deal, Kerik would purportedly plead guilty to accepting gifts. Although this is being spun as merely "administrative violations" by Kerik's lawyer, bear in mind that the statute in question is designed to prevent corruption among municipal employees and is a misdemeanor which would result in your immediate dismissal from City service. The appropriate section of City Charter Section 2604 reads:
No public servant shall accept any valuable gift, as defined by rule of the board, from any person or firm which such public servant knows is or intends to become engaged in business dealings with the city, except that nothing contained herein shall prohibit a public servant from accepting a gift which is customary on family and social occasions.

And Section 2407 provides the penalty:
Any person who violates section twenty-six hundred four or twenty-six hundred five of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction thereof, shall forfeit his or her public office or employment.

Mere administrative violations? I don't think so. Remember, this wasn't accepting tickets to a hockey game, this was accepting $200,000 in home repairs!
 
Upping the Stakes in Gaza
The wire services are reporting that Israel has arrested several dozen Hamas parliment members, including the deputy prime minister. Of course the Guardian is engaging in typical hand wringing:
Can Israel's allies - I mean the US - allow it to take democratically elected officials hostage because one soldier is being held by as yet unknown parties within Gaza? Is there evidence that Hamas politicians are directly responsible for the kidnap? What was the soldier doing in Gaza? The latest press releases from CNN, CBS and Reuters suggest an all-out assault on Gaza from the land, air and sea, indicating that this has become more than a show of force to release one soldier.

The short answer: yes. Democratically elected or not, Hamas is at war with Israel. Hamas backed milities (sic) fire rockets daily into Israeli territory targeting civilians. Democratic elections doesn't give you a free pass to engage in terror.
 
This is Just Bizarre
According to the wires, visiting Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi is a big Elvis fan.
WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush will take time out in a state visit by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to give him a tour of the Elvis shrine at Graceland.

Koizumi arrived in Washington Thursday for talks on the Iraq war, Iran's nuclear program, North Korea's missile threat and global trade.

But Koizumi has been a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley, and shares a Jan. 8 birthday with the late rock star, so Bush agreed to take him to the Memphis landmark where "The King" lived and died, CBS News reported.

Such is Koizumi's regard for Elvis that he once put out a charity CD titled: "Junichiro Koizumi Presents My Favorite Elvis Songs."

 
Sports Morning
Base10 would like to formally complain to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club that Wimbledon just starts too damn early. Really. What's worse, their website doesn't provide schedules for the matches. C'est la vie. Anyway, Base10's favorite heartthrob tennis player, Maria Sharapova, advanced to the third round today by handily dispatching Ashley Harkleroad in the wee hours of EST.

Not such good news for the Mets though. Pedro was awful and the Mets lost an embarrassing 10-2 to the Bosox. Before I go into Pedro's performance, let me just say that Met fans shouldn't panic here. There had to come a time when the Mets would lose a road series. It shouldn't come as a surprise that this happened against one of the hottest team in the AL.

That being said, Pedro's recent performances are worrisome. Is it a nagging injury such as his toe? What's worse, could it be that age is finally catching up with him? Time will tell, but his accuracy is clearly changed.

Finally, in World Cup news, it has been reported that English soccer fans are drinking Germany dry. You know, if Base10 could live his life over, he'd live over a bar and grill.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
 
More on the Paper of Treason Record
The New York Times publication of sensitive information regarding banking investigations against terrorist groups appears to have legs and is taking on a life of its own. Basically, the defenders of the Times have these arguments:

Ultimately, as Andrew Sullivan points out in that last link, nothing will happen to the Times. But a Congressional hearing over the matter would sure make me feel better.
 
Tension in Palestine

or

Why It's Not A Good Day to Be Bashir Assad
Israel appears even closer to an open military incursion into Gaza. Over night, Israel hit power and water facilities and shelled a Hamas training camp. Israel is threatening to up the ante even more unless the kidnapped IDF soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit is returned safely.

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes buzzed Syrian Dictator President Bashir Assad's summer palace in a clear message to stop harboring Hamas. Reports indicate that he was home at the time. Syrian defense forces say they fired on the planes but apparently could not hit anything. Israel has previously threatened to hit Hamas leaders being harbored in Syria. It is apparent that the Israelis may be putting Assad in that category.

 
Flag Burning
Base10 hasn't really commented yet on the flag-burning ammendment now before the Senate. If you haven't been following the story, the House passed a Constitutional Ammendment with the required 2/3's vote that would empower Congress to criminalize flag-burning and basically overturning the US Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson. The bill goes to the Senate and it may very well get the required 67 votes to pass. It would easily win the 2/3's of the state legislatures required for adoption.

Base10 hates to admit this, but he largely agrees with James Taranto on this issue. Taranto wrote yesterday:
No doubt you are dying to know where this column stands on the flag-desecration amendment. The answer is, we are against it. Our view is that the Supreme Court got it right in 1989: Insofar as desecrating the flag is an act of political expression, it is protected by the First Amendment....Burning the flag is a stupid and ugly act, but there is something lovely and enlightened about a regime that tolerates it in the name of freedom. And of course it has the added benefit of making it easier to spot the idiots.

That said, the amendment would be essentially harmless, and we're awfully embarrassed by the overwrought rhetoric of some of its opponents, such as Newsweek's Jonathan Alter:

"My father, Jim Alter, . . . flew 33 harrowing missions over Nazi Germany during World War II. My father is not just a veteran who by all odds should not have survived. He is a true patriot. His litmus test is the proposal to amend the Constitution to ban flag burning, which will come up for a vote next week in the U.S. Senate. For dad--and me--any member of Congress who supports amending the Bill of Rights for the first time in the history of this country for a nonproblem like flag burning is showing serious disrespect for our Constitution and for the values for which brave Americans gave their lives. . . ."

The last time the Senate considered a flag-desecration amendment, in 2000, the vote was 63-37 in favor, four votes short of the needed 67. Among the senators voting "aye" was Max Cleland of Georgia. Thus Jon Alter not only is questioning the patriotism of a crippled Vietnam War hero; he actually has the effrontery to compare Cleland to Saddam Hussein. Meanwhile, the editorialists at the New York Times, who prove each day that monkeys with typewriters cannot produce the works of Shakespeare, also disapprove:

"With the Fourth of July fast approaching, Senate Republicans are holding a barbecue. Unfortunately, instead of grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, they are trying to torch a hole in the First Amendment's free speech guarantee by passing an amendment to the Constitution that would allow federal and state authorities to punish flag-burning. Some things should be out of bounds even in a competitive election year. Messing with the Constitution is one of them."

But the ability to amend the Constitution is part of the Constitution. "Messing with the Constitution" also ended slavery, gave blacks and women the vote, and repealed Prohibition. (OK, that last one is a wash.)

In fact, if the First Congress had refrained from "messing with the Constitution" by proposing the Bill of Rights, there would be no First Amendment. Forget flag-burning; if the Times were true to its principles, it would be against free speech altogether!

Here, here! While I tend to aggree with Taranto on the substance of the issue, you do have to wonder why people can be so opposed to this ammendment? The Constitution is very difficult to ammend. It requires overwhelming consensus and protects against the "tyranny of the majority." But in this case, there is broad-based bipartisan consensus that Congress should have the power to criminalize this act. This is not a threat to American freedoms. It is two branches of government (the tow most closely accountable to the people) telling the third that we have a say in what the Constitution means, too. It is also unfair of some pundits to pooh-pooh people who find this to be an important issue. Some people feel very deeply that there should be some law to stop desecration of the American flag.
 
Wide World of Sports
Base10 watched the Mets last night have a disappointing game at Fenway against a red-hot Bosox lineup. Final score: 9-4. Of note was the truly nice greeting given to Pedro Martinez by Sox fans--way to go guys. Base10 lived in Boston for a year and really liked the city. It's a true sports town.

Pedro, of course, pitches tonight against Josh Beckett. Click here for a preview.

Meanwhile, over in England, it was a good day for the tennis divas. Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo all swept their competition. On the men's side, Roger Federer crushed Tim Henman. Click here for an interesting story about wagering patterns on some matches at Wimbledon.

Across the channel, the round of eight is set in the World Cup. As Base10 predicted, Americans are showing little interest in the event.

The minicamps are hear, so there's a little news about football, too. Charles Robinson thinks that Chad Pennington's days as the starting QB are over. Base10 hopes young Pennington can return to top form, but it's clear that Eric Mangini will prepare for the worst. In fantasy news, Base10's top receiver Steve Smith has received pre-season accolades as the most desireable player in his position.
 
No Rising Star Here
Hardly big news, but talk-show diva Star Jones was basically fired from The View this week. According to Drudge, the claws are coming out. Base10 always thought she was basically drunk on her limited fame and has finally gotten her comeuppance. Ms. Jones, of course, is suggesting betrayal was the cause.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
 
Maybe a Hairstylist for Robberies?
"New York offers model for reducing murders" - The Tennessean.
 
The Situation in Somalia
Terrorist-backed Islamic leader Hassan Dahir Aweys--a known al Qaeda associate--is now the fearless leader in Mogadishu and is trying to set up a Taliban-style dictatorship there. They've already started planning such charming things like stoning criminals to death. Predictably, the United States will not deal with them. Let's hope the DIA has put this guy on the short list of people upon whom to drop a daisy cutter.
 
Soccer and Sensibility
Yewterday's World Cup match between Switzerland and the Ukraine proved, to Base10 at least, that soccer will never appeal to American sensibilities like baseball or football (the real kind). The two teams played to a draw to end regulation then played the overtime round. Still tied 0-0, the game was decided by "kicks"--similar to the NHL shootout system with the Ukraine winning. How lame is that? This is the World Cup! It's as if the Superbowl were played to a tie, and the teams decided, "Let's not play anymore. We'll decide the game by PAT's."

Of course, I won't go as far as this author who suggests that soccer is representative of European nihilism:
Mostly soccer is just guys in shorts running around aimlessly, a metaphor for the meaninglessness of life. Whole blocks of game time transpire during which absolutely nothing happens. Fortunately, this permits fans to slip out for a bratwurst and a beer without missing anything important. It's little wonder fans at times resort to brawling amongst themselves in the grandstands, as there is so little transpiring on the field of play to occupy their wandering attention. Watching men in shorts scampering around has its limitations. It's like gazing too long at a painting by de Kooning or Jackson Pollock. The more you look, the less there is to see.

Despite heroic efforts of soccer moms, suburban liberals, and World Cup hype, soccer will never catch on as a big time sport in America. No game in which actually scoring goals is of such little importance could possibly occupy the attention of average Americans. Our country has yet to succumb to the nihilism, existentialism, and anomie that have overtaken Europe. A game about nothing, in which scoring is purely incidental, holds scant interest for Americans who still believe the world makes sense, that life has a larger meaning and structure, that being is not an end in itself, being qua being.

Then again...
 
Man Bites Guard?
"Axl Rose allegedly bites security guard" - AP.
 
The Situation in Gaza
The situation in Gaza is getting ugly. Palestinian militants, apparently with the blessing of the Hamas government, infiltrated Israeli territory and kidnapped an IDF soldier. Israel has threatened a full-scale assault on Gaza in retaliation if the soldier is not released immediately.

All this comes on the heels of an implicit recognition of Israel by Hamas--whatever that's supposed to mean.

This is a bad situation, but frankly, Israel cannot let Hamas get away with speaking out of both sides of their mouth. They can't let them make sweeping statements condemning terror attacks while at the same time organizing and financing the very same acts.
 
An Amazing Act of Charity
While the pundits are trying to spin this into something it is not, Warren Buffett yesterday performed the largest philanthropic act ever. He is giving the bulk of his $44 billion fortune to charity--specifically the Gates Foundation--to alleviate poverty and disease. To get a persepctive on this act, this gift will value the Gates Foundation at roughly $73 billion. This is slightly more than the GDP of the nation of Syria.

UPDATE: Let's just say that not all of the Gates charitable projects seem well thought out.
Monday, June 26, 2006
 
Sports
In the middle of his air conditioning adventures, Base10 did manage to catch some sports action. The Mets once again won a series on the road, winning the rubber match yesterday against Toronto 7-4.

The boys are off tonight, resting up for a three-game series against the Sox in Fenway that Base10 is really looking forward to. Fans can watch the Yankees play the Braves tonight. Inter-league play creates strange situations like this. Met's fans must root for the Yankees to beat the hated Braves. Strange...

In World Cup news, the US team having been ignomineously eliminated, Base10 has adopted England as his team. Hey if they can send troops to Iraq to help us out, I can certainly spend a few minutes rooting for Her Majesty's football team. Hip! Hip! Anyway, they beat Ecuador yesterday 1-0.

Finally, speaking of Her Majesty's sporting events, in case you didn't realize, Wimbledon has started. In other tennis news, Andre Aggasi announced that he will retire after this year's US Open. Base10 will try to get out to Flushing this year to see him.
 
Education
Over the weekend, Jay Greene had an excellent piece in The American Enterprise about education myths. It's interesting and it's scientific. Here's a quote about the money myth of education:
If people know anything about public schools today, it's that they are strapped for cash. Bestselling books, popular movies, and countless lobbying groups portray urban schools as desperately underfunded, and editors of the New York Times write without fear of contradiction that "providing quality education for all America's children will take...a great deal of money." Bumper stickers declare, "It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." No matter what aspect of education is being debated, activists generally find the solution in more school spending.

This is the most widely held myth about education in America--and the one most directly at odds with the available evidence. Few people are aware that our education spending per pupil has been growing steadily for 50 years. At the end of World War II, public schools in the United States spent a total of $1,214 per student in inflation-adjusted 2002 dollars. By the middle of the 1950s that figure had roughly doubled to $2,345. By 1972 it had almost doubled again, reaching $4,479. And since then, it has doubled a third time, climbing to $8,745 in 2002.

Since the early 1970s, when the federal government launched a standardized exam called the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), it has been possible to measure student outcomes in a reliable, objective way. Over that period, inflation-adjusted spending per pupil doubled. So if more money produces better results in schools, we would expect to see significant improvements in test scores during this period. That didn't happen. For twelfth-grade students, who represent the end product of the education system, NAEP scores in math, science, and reading have all remained flat over the past 30 years. And the high school graduation rate hasn't budged. Increased spending did not yield more learning.

Read the whole thing, one quote doesn't do it justice.
 
North Korean Missiles
Unless you've been in a box since last week, you've heard that North Korea is threatening to test launch a Taepodong-2 missile. Intelligence information including satelite photos indicate that the missile has been fueled. The Taepodong-2 can reach parts of the United States (and from what Base10 has read, can reach all of the United States if it incorporates an additional booster stage). Japan is naturally very twitchy over this event.
US policy options are numerous:

 
The Paper of Treason Record
Michael Barone has a scathing piece on the NY Times incredibly irresponsible (and arguably treasonous) revelations that treasury agents--you know, the people responsible for investigating banks--are investigating terrorists using banks. A quote:
Why do they hate us? No, I'm not talking about Islamofascist terrorists. We know why they hate us: because we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, because we refuse to treat women as second-class citizens, because we do not kill homosexuals, because we are a free society.

No, the "they" I'm referring to are the editors of The New York Times. And do they hate us? Well, that may be stretching it. But at the least they have gotten into the habit of acting in reckless disregard of our safety.

I've said this many times: Michael Barone is the smartest guy in American politics. He is dead on here.
 
Handtruck = Empowerment
Base10 had a busy weekend. Along with Mrs. Base10, he upgraded the air conditioners in his apartment. Now prior to this, Base10 had a decent unit in his living room (no unit in the bedroom) but it is twenty years old now and is on its last legs. So anyway, Base10 hit Sears and purchased two A/C's, a small Kenmore for an amazingly low $89 for the bedroom and a monstrous 12000 BTU unit for the living room. But how to get these things home? The store being Sears, it seemed natural for Base10 to buy a handtruck as well.

It's good to have a handtruck. Base10 lives across the street from a Sears and within short walking distance from Target, JC Penny, Best Buy, PC Richards and the Queens Center Mall. I always hesitated on big ticket items, but no longer. It's just me and my handtruck. We can buy anything.

Anyway, the A/C's worked out okay, even though the big monster unit was a dud but was returned for a new unit. Base10 will be enjoying his cool, dry apartment.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
 
Exams Over

Base10 just took his last exam. Hey, a 'C' is good, right? Anyway, it's over so now is time for other things.

If you caught the Mets game last night you got quite a surprise. Jose Reyes hit for the cycle for the third time in the history of Shea. (Interestingly, the announcers said last night that while the number of no-hitters and the number of cycle-hitters is about the same, the Mets have had eight players hit for the the cycle in their history but no no-hitters. (Someday I'll get around calculating the odds off the Mets not having had a no-hitter). Alas, the Reyes effort was lot as Billy Wagner blew a save and allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

Well, Base10 made it to a cool spot to watch today's get-away game, the final game against Cincinnati. The Mets can even up the series today. The boys actually have a tough road trip ahead in inter-league play. The face an offensively powerful Toronto club, then go to play the Sox at Fenway (you know how fond the Fenway faithful have been of us since 86, right?) finishing the road trip against some baseball team up in the Bronx--their name eludes me at the moment.


Monday, June 19, 2006
 
Off For a Few Days
Base10 is going to take a break from blogging for a few days to prepare for an Micro exam. Here are some items to keep you busy while I'm gone:

Friday, June 16, 2006
 
Tech Links of the Day
Base10 came across these links: the first is about giant robot panda bears, the second about new technology to overcome stinky shoes. (Mrs. Base10 may insist that we get the latter).
 
Joy of Joys
The Mets did the unthinkable yesterday and completed a three-game sweep of the Phillies. Fonal score: 5-4. There may be some records involved here too, but Base10 is still too giddy to verify any of these. Two consecutive sweeps on a roadtrip. When was the last time that happened? It is also now official. The Mets are the best team in baseball, holding a comfortable 9.5 game lead over Philly and a 13 game lead over Atlanta. These numbers are not typos.

Base10 has a friend who is a Yankee fan. Every year we bet on the Yankees-Mets series. If one team wins the total series outright (so at least 4 out of 6 games) the loser has to wear his rival's t-shirt and hat for a complete day. The series against the Yankees starts next weekend, and Base10's friend is starting to sweat.
 
Why Do People Hate Wal-Mart?
Reuters has a "news" story about a "study" done by the so-called Economic Policy Institute that shows that Wal-Mart could pay their employees higher salaries and still make a profit--albeit a smaller one.

Why does junk like this masquerade as news? You get the impression that the EPI is some neutral thinks tank, but apparently the people over at Reuters don't think ordinary people know how to use Google. Although EPI bills itself as "a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy," a smattering of quotations from their website seem to prove otherwise:

"Income and wages are down, debt is way up, and poverty is on the rise to name a few things."

"Read EPI economist Jared Bernstein's interview for the blog Daily Kos in Viewpoints."

"Despite the Bush Administration's failed run at dismantling Social Security, it hasn't abandoned its attempts to shift the risks and costs of retirement savings onto some retirees."

"[In his book, All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy] Jared Bernstein, senior economist of the Economic Policy Institute, explores how modern-day hyper-individualism has trumped a sense of collaboration and joint responsibility and thus, distorted America's current political and economic debate. The book shows how runaway self-reliance not only has unbalanced the economic and political discourse, but also, and more importantly, has hamstrung efforts to develop effective solutions to shared social and economic problems."

Let's see. They're against individualism, they contribute to DailyKos, they oppose any form of privatization in Social Security and they think the economy is in the tank in spite of record-breaking economic growth (see yesterday's entry about tax revenues). I don't see that as being non-partisan. I guess Reuters does.

And I guess the "economists" over at EPI failed to read this story about Wal-Mart's now store in New Jersey that will create 350 new jobs, and the fact that over 8000 people applied for these 350 positions.

Finally, economists know that forcing down prices for consumer goods is, well, good. The measurement of this benefit is called consumer surplus. In other words, if I am willing to pay $10 for an item and I can buy it for $5, in effect I have $5 extra dollars I can use for other purposes. Doesn't Wal-Mart provide some consumer surplus? Indeed, by forcing competitors to keep prices low, it should even provide surplus for those that do not shop there. Do we have an estimate? Indeed, those wacky folks over at NBER (the National Bureau of Economic Affairs--a true non-partisan thinktank) estimate that the "compensating variation" (the fancy-schmancy technical term for consumer surplus) to be 25% in the market for food. In other words, if I you took Wal-Mart out of my market, you would need 25% more more money to spend on food to be as equally well-off. Click here for the citation. Figures quoted here.

Note that I will disclose information against my position. There is some evidence that Wal-Mart reduces local wages in the retail sector in the markets that they enter. It should be noted though that there is also evidence that Wal-Mart increases overall employment in those markets. You see, economists are not supposed to come to their conclusions before they do their studies.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
 
Even More Good News
Investor's Business Daily is noting that increasing tax revenues may reduce the deficit to 2.1% of GDP by the end of the year. This is astounding. Thank you for pointing this out, Arthur Laffer.

So while the Democrats bemoan that Bush's tax cuts have been increasing the deficit, they have actually increased federal tax revenue. So in some sense, the "tax cuts" were actually "tax increases." I wonder why there is no mention of this in the major media outlets?
 
Unprecedented Good News
Is it just me, or is there a wave of good news coming out of Iraq today? Information found in the not-so-safehouse Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was found in resulted in 452 raids and 104 terrorists killed. In addition, coalition forces seized 28 weapons caches. Read about it here in the Washington Post.

In a related story, some of the information recovered indicates that al Qaeda in Iraq was in a rather sorry state. Iraq's National Security Adviser described some of the information that was found:
[National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie] said the seized documentation indicates how al Qaeda is using virtually everyone as a pawn in its fight.

Al Qaeda in Iraq was planning to exacerbate already hostile tensions between Iran and the United States in order to climb out of a "bleak" situation in Iraq, according to al Qaeda in Iraq documents cited by the Iraqi government.

Such plans included the delivery of threatening messages attributed to Shiite Iranians and the carrying out of attacks under the guise of Iranian collusion, the Iraqi government cited the documents as saying.

Al Qaeda in Iraq also considered planting information that Iran has ties to terror groups, has been in possession of weapons of mass destruction, and is attempting to carry out terror operations in the West, the documents said, according to the Iraqi government.


In other news, coalition forces have identified al-Zarqawi's successor. The new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was announced by the terrorists to be Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. He has been identified as Abu Ayyub al-Masri. Let's hope he gets killed soon, hopefully in a more painful way than his boss. Click here for a photo.
 
Local News: Jackass Unbenched
Base10 is happy to report that Justice Laura Blackburne, the disgrace of a judge in Queens, will soon be seeking new employment. Blackburne was removed from the bench for helping a robbery suspect escape from a police detective in her courtroom. This is not the first time that Blackburne, a known cop-hater, has been involved in a controversy with law enforcement. In a very controversial 2002 ruling, she dismissed a case against a defendent who shot a police officer on speedy trial grounds. Her decision in that case was overturned.

Finally a little justice. Laura Blackburne is a blatant political hack who had no business on the bench. She is a great example of why the kind of one-party patronage system we have in NYC results in corrupt and incompetent government.

By the way, a lawyer gets disbarred. Does a judge get disrobed? In the interest of good taste, let's hope we don't see that.
 
Lack of Blogging?
Base10 took a day off from blogging yesterday because of his birthday. It was a good day. Mrs. Base10 got some fresh crab cakes from a gourmet store in Grand Central. Those, along with a bottle of pinot grigio, made for a nice dinner.

Base10 was further rewarded by seeing a Mets victory over Philly last night. The Mets took the second game in the series 9-3. The Mets have won their last seven games and eight of their last nine. They are 8 and 1/2 games ahead of Philly and twelve games over Atlanta. Wow! Trachsel takes the mound this afternoon for the get-away game at 1PM. Click here for a preview.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
 
This is Interesting
The City Council is holding hearings on the seemingly endless debate over DHS reduction is funds for counterterrorism grants to NYC. Commissioner Kelly testified before the Council and revealed an interesting tidbit involving Iran that Base10 had never heard before:
Iran has an "aggressive" spy program targeting New York City, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly warned yesterday as he protested the slashing of federal homeland-security funds.

"They [Iran] have an aggressive surveillance system, the Iranians do, and have had for a long time," Kelly said.

"The Iranians have done this in the past, but they are not going to other cities to do it. They are doing it here in New York. They are aggressively surveilling us," he added.

Kelly testified before a joint hearing of the City Council's Finance and Public Safety committees that was looking at the impact of the loss of over $80 million in funding from the federal government.

The city's top cop detailed for lawmakers 17 terrorist-related events in the city's recent past, including three incidents of Iranian diplomats spying.

In June 2002, Iranian security personnel at its U.N. mission were expelled by State Department officials after having videotaped landmarks and infrastructure.

The following November, cops caught two more people from that mission videotaping tracks and tunnels of the No. 7 subway line.

And in June 2004, the FBI caught two more security officials from Iran's U.N. mission taping landmarks and sensitive sites in the city. They also were expelled.

Just for the record, Base10 thinks Gotham is a terror target and should get a good share of federal courterterrorism money, but it seems to me that the Mayor and Police Commissioner will only be satisfied if they get all of it. What are the major cities in the US? New York, L.A., Boston, Chicago, Miami and D.C. Sure, you could make arguments for others but that's about it. Looking at it that way, figure New York should get about 20% or so?

Let's do a little math. Last years grants totalled $836 million of which Gotham got $207 million or 24.8%. This year, out of a $711 million pie, NYC got $124 million, or 17.4% of the pie. A decline certainly, but is this the security disaster that city officials are claiming? They have lost $83 million dollars in funding. The next time that city officials bemoan the loss of anti-terror funding, consider that this loss can easily be recovered by eliminating the Department of Cultural Affairs--an agency blatantly used for patronage that costs the city about $124 million annually. Isn't this the cultural capital of the world?
 
Local News: Boob Indictment Alert
While not exactly national news, former NYC Police Commissioner and erstwhile DHS Director nominee, Bernard Kerik is still under investigation by a Bronx grand jury for his involvement allegedly receiving gratuities in the form of well below cost renovations to an apartment he owned in exchange for his help getting business for a mob-connected waste carting firm. The firm, Interstate Industrial Corp., allegedly payed the bulk of $240,000 worth of renovations to an apartment that Kerik owned and later sold for almost a half a million dollars.

In addition, it was recently revealed that former Fearless Leader Mayor Rudy Giuliani testified before the grand jury in late April.

This just lends more support for Base10's prediction that this correctional facility will be the first ever jail to house the person after whom it is named.
 
The President in Baghdad
In a stunning surprise, the President showed up in Baghdad this morning to greet Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki.

Meanwhile, back in the States, it looks like Bush's evil puppetmaster will not be getting frog-marched to jail any time soon.
 
Not Made of Steel?
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident yesterday. He was purportedly riding without a helmet when he struck a car. No arrests were made. Roethlisberger was reportedly thrown from the bike and suffered, among other things, a broken jaw and nose. Two little facts: Roethlisberger had been lectured about this before by Steelers coach Bill Cowher and the motorcycle he was riding is supposedly the fastest production bike on the market. Sounds to me like there might be some reckless behavior here.

I certainly don't want to see anything happen to Roethlisberger, but you have to ask yourself, what was he thinking? You are a quarterback in the NFL. Your job is what most men dream about and you go jeopardizing life and limb because you like the wind in your hair?

Tidbit for fantasy owners: Roethlisberger also had what is reportedly a minor knee injury, as well.
Monday, June 12, 2006
 
Sports Weekend
This past weekend was a great two days of sports. First in tennis, Raphael Nadal--the clay court uber-player--won the French Open men's final. It is his second French Open and was the third title for woman's winner Justine Henin-Hardenne. Tennis fans can look forward to Wimbledon which starts on June 26.

The FIFA World Cup also started over the weekend. Base10 is actually in a pick-em' pool (for charity, of course) and is so far doing quite well. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the US team, playing right now. They are currently down 2-0 against the Czech Republic.

Not that Base10 follows it much, but the NBA finals are going on too, pitting the resurgent Pat Riley against wunderkind Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks. Unfortunately for Riley, the Mavs seem way to powerful. They destroyed Miami 99-85 last night in a game that was never even close.

Last. but certainly not least, the Mets are on a tear. Now consider if I uttered these words last season: The Mets played a seven-game West Coast series and won six. You'd be asking what bizarro-baseball world I was living in. The usual comments following west coast road trips involve remarks like,
West Coast series are always hard.

But the Mets not only won the series against San Francisco, they swept a four-game series against the Diamondbacks, absolutely smoking them 15-2 in yesterday's game.

As of today, the Mets are still in first place in the East and are also the best team in the National League. They are ten games ahead of Atlanta and 6 and 1/2 above Philly (who they face starting tomorrow). It is a good feeling, but be cautious, Met fans. It would be very easy to collapse as the season progresses. That being said, Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya appear to really know what they are doing. As it's turning out, this may really be the Met's year.
 
Great News!
According to this story on the AP:
A main ingredient in beer may help prevent prostate cancer and enlargement, according to a new study. But researchers say don't rush out to stock the refrigerator because the ingredient is present in such small amounts that a person would have to drink more than 17 beers to benefit.

Hey, I will do anything for good health. So if I have to drink seventeen beers for my prostate, I'm glad to do it.
 
A Couple of 500 Pound Bombs Will Do That To You
"Zarqawi beaten up: witness" - The Australian.
 
Nice Headline
"Two Iraqi children among dead in US raid" - ABC.

Actually, seven militants were killed when US air support fired on a position that was being used to fire on ground troops. This is, unfortunately, what happens when you insist on waging jihad while hiding behind the skirts of women and children.
 
My God, We're Making Them Depressed!
Check out this bit from an AP story about conditions at Guantanamo Bay in the aftermath of three recent suicides there:
Three British youths formerly detained at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay and now the subjects of a new film about their experiences say they were driven to desperation knowing others had tried to kill themselves at the camp.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Shafiq Rasul and his two friends — Ruhal Ahmed and Asif Iqbal — describe how they were held at Guantanamo for more than two years without charge. Many of the some 460 detainees accused of links to Afghanistan's Taliban regime or the al-Qaida terror network have been held for more than four years without charge.

"There is no hope in Guantanamo. The only thing that goes through your mind day after day is how to get justice or how to kill yourself," Rasul, 29, who waged a hunger strike at the camp to protest alleged beatings, said Saturday. "It is the despair — not the thought of martyrdom — that consumes you there."

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the idea of giving jihadis "no hope" and feelings of "desperation" the whole point of this global war on terror? What's next? The Taliban on Oprah. Osama bin Laden on Dr. Phil? Dr. Phil, please help me. My henchmen are dead and my terror network is in trouble. I really feel sad.

If all of these guys die hopeless, venal deaths, it is not even close to the attrocities they perpetrated on their own people.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
 
The Bay Side

The Bay Side, originally uploaded by base10blog.

Base10 had to go to Rockaway to pick up his glasses today and had lunch at The Wharf--a nice little bar-restaurant located right on the water on the bay-side of Rockaway. The Wharf is funny. It is located behind a gas station and is completely hidden from the street, so it's mostly locals who go there.


Thursday, June 08, 2006
 
Good News in Los Angeles!
While a win in baseball cannot possibly compare with the last item, it is nonetheless good. Last night, in an offensively charged game, the Mets won 9-7. Highlights include a score by Julio "The Old Guy" Franco who rounded the bases from first. Lastings Milledge had some heroics as well. He scored a two-run homer in the top of the eighth bringing the score to nine and made a one bounce throw from deep in left field getting Nomar Garciaparra out at second in the bottom of the eighth.

The Mets have now won the series in LA and go to Arizona to play a four game series there. Click here for a preview of tonight's game.
 
Good News in Iraq!
This morning, US forces dropped a very large bomb on al Qaeda-in-Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Also killed were seven of his henchmen. Good job, US military! On Fox News, John McCain described it as no less than the victory of good over evil. Fox is great. They had a picture of al-Zarqawi on the right side of the screen with the caption "Alive" and another of al-Zarqawi's remains on the left with the caption "Dead."

In what may be even more important news, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made the belated appointments of the Defense, Interior and National Security ministers. Iraq's got a complete government now. Let's hope they make it work.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
 
No Cycling Today
It is raining heavily in Gotham this morning, so there is little likelihood of cycling today. Perhaps that's better, since Base10 must hit the books a bit.

Anyway, the Mets could not stop the Dodgers last night, losing 5-8. Pedro just didn't have the stuff, last night and was charged with seven runs. They can't all be gems, you know.

Anyway, it's another late night outing tonight as Tom Glavine takes the mound. Click here for a preview.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
 
Islamic Terrorists...In Canada?
Following closely on the heels of a controversial London raid on a terrorist group, Canadian authorities arrested seventeen people involved in a terrorist plot to blow up several Canadian locations and even behead the Prime Minister. They had three tons of ammonium nitrate in their possession. (As a comparison, the Oklahoma City bombing used one ton).

Of course, thre will always be some nut cases who don't see a threat in three tons of ammonium nitrate. I suppose they just wanted to become farmers.

Caroline Glick has a terrific piece in the Jerusalem Post about the media description of the event. To quote:
Allegedly spurred on by images of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, and angered by what they saw as the mistreatment of Muslims at home, they became increasingly aggressive in their beliefs, according to media reports.

This is how London's Sunday Telegraph explained the decision of 17 Canadian Muslims to stockpile three tons of ammonium nitrate and plot acts of war against their country.

These men - all Muslims - who reportedly planned to blow up the headquarters of Canada's Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in Toronto, are what Canadian officials refer to as "home-grown terrorists," and products of the "jihad generation." Before their arrests on Friday, they had never visited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or the Palestinian Authority. They chose the path of jihad in the streets and mosques of Toronto. They learned how to build bombs from the Internet. They trained for their mission in a training camp in Ontario.

Like the Telegraph, most media reports claim that these men were prompted to wage a war against their country because they believe that their fellow Canadians are launching war against Islam. But why would they think this?

Canadians are outspoken in their anti-Americanism. They have contributed generously to the Palestinians. It only took the Canadian government a few weeks after the Palestinian elections to announce it would fund a Hamas-led PA. Canadians overwhelmingly oppose the US-led war in Iraq and President George W. Bush.

Ms. Glick's article is a great read and is frankly a true description of why liberal elites cannot see the true threat to western freedoms.
 
Haditha
Christopher Hitchens has a good piece in Slate about the recent media frothing comparing Haditha to the My Lai massacre in Vietnam.

Base10 thinks that the liberal media is just waiting to show their natural state: that of extreme distaste for the military. Deep down, in spite of the fact that they have to kowtow to the public by declaring their support for the troops but not for the war, the extreme left really thinks military people are just a bunch of homicidal maniacs. This accounts for the present fixation on My Lai. Check out this article by left-leaning Paul Campos:
This column was originally going to be about a couple of law professor-pundits, Hugh Hewitt and Glenn Reynolds, who specialize in defending the Bush administration. My learned colleagues are now busy claiming that the supposed "media frenzy" regarding the apparent massacre of civilians in Haditha, Iraq, is a product of liberal bias, rather than of a sense of professional obligation to report a major news story.

But in the end it's not very interesting to point out that Bush administration dead-enders are willing to defend anything it does. (Hewitt in particular seems past praying for: If President Bush came out in favor of compulsory late-term abortions for the wives of NASCAR drivers, I wouldn't be surprised if Hewitt found something to praise in the proposal).

What's more interesting are the following comments from Peter Beinart, editor in chief of The New Republic. After noting that Americans can be as barbaric as anyone, Beinart argues that "what makes us an exceptional nation with the capacity to lead and inspire the world is our very recognition of that fact." While it's true "we are capable of Hadithas and My Lais," America is nevertheless almost unique among nations because, when we confront such atrocities, we are "capable of acknowledging what happened, bringing the killers to justice, and instituting changes that make it less likely to happen again."

What's disturbing about this claim is that illustrates how a person in a position of considerable public influence can simply concoct an imaginary past to suit the propaganda needs of the present war.

Consider three of the best-known atrocities committed by American troops during the Vietnam War. (I say best-known rather than well-known, since the vast majority of Americans have only heard of one of them at most. So much for our supposed national willingness to "acknowledge what happened.")

Read the article, Campos proceeds to describe My Lai and some other incidents (and even manages to smear Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld). The anti-war anti-military left is starting to show its true colors.
 
Happy 6/6/6!
Well, it doesn't look like there's been any catastrophes yet today (except perhaps for the producers of this movie), so today's date seems to have no more than symbolic meaning.

Still, it probably doesn't hurt to stop by church today. Just to be on the safe side...
 
Mets Make Good
The Mets won last night, but Base10 was deep in the arms of Morpheus when that happened. Fans finally saw Alay Soler seemingly at his best. Soler alowed one run in seven innings against the highest scoring team in baseball. Pretty good, I say. Let's hope that this is the Soler that comes back to Shea. Anyway, click here for the recap.

Tonight, the Mets face the Dodgers. Click here for the preview. Since Pedro is pitching, Base10 might actually stay up for this one.
 
Big News
Base10 just got his appointment letter for a teaching position at John Jay College. Starting in the fall, Base10 will be hold a tenure-track position in the gradate program in Protection Management. Base10 is really looking forward to it.

Base10 thinks he will have to teach about six courses a year, but the plus is that I don't have to worry about publishing until I complete my PhD. In any event, it is a job that I would do long-term.

Will Base10 reveal his secret identity? You bet, just not right at this moment. Anyway, retired life is good!
Monday, June 05, 2006
 
Saudi Textbooks
There's been a story floating around about fundamentalist statements in Saudi Arabian school books. Clcik here for a discussion of the issue in an op-ed from USA Today. A non-profit called Freedom House has optained copies of Saudi textbooks and finds them outrageously unacceptable.

Interestingly, there's a response from the Saudi ambassador about the issue in USA Today. It's is well worth a read, but I'm curious if it will be translated into Arabic and appear in any of the Saudi state-run media outlets.
 
Mets Lose!
The Mets played another one of those extra inning extended games yesterday, only this time their luck seemed to have run out. They actually lost this one, 7-6 in twelve innings. The brightest moment however occurred in the bottom of the tenth, Armando Benitez fell apart in typical fashion and had just given up a homer to Jose Valentin, rookie Lastings Milledge came to the plate. Milledge hit his first homer to tie up the game. Nice.

(It should be noted that Milledge then proceeded to high-five all the fans along the first base line when he took the field. The baseball gods do not like hubris, Lastings).

The Mets play late tonight against the Dodgers. Click here for a preview. (Base10 hates west coast games)!
Friday, June 02, 2006
 
Cycling News

Base10 got back on the bike today, but was quickly sidelined with a mechanical. I usually carry tools, including CO2 pump and a flat kit. Anyway, I noticed my front tire was low and I went into a local gas station to fill it. No problem, yet. I go for another lap around Juniper Park and bam, I get a front flat. Oh well, these things happen. I walk back to the gas station for air. (You see, I was out of CO2). I get to the station, clear the tire, find the leak in the tub and get ready to patch it. Unfortunately, I have no more rubber cement (whatever was left was fry in the tube). Just great. So I trek on down to the local bike shop and pick up a new tube. Unfortunately, at this point my enthusiasm was waning and I opted for beer and Maria Sharapova in the French Open (she won), instead. Bottom line: About 8 miles on the bike and another on foot. More tomorrow.


 
No, I'm a Bigger Genocidal Maniac!
Jordanian-born terrorist Abu al-Zarqawi issued a lengthy audiotape condemning al Shiites and uging Sunnis to fight them. While this stuff has the usual amount of mad dog ranting, one bit is kind of funny. Al-Zarqawi apparently doesn't think much of his crazy Iranian mullah brethren. He roundly condemns Iranian Psychopath President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:
Much of Friday's tape was aimed at rallying Sunnis — who make up the majority of Muslims in the Arab world but are a minority in Iraq — against Shiites across the Mideast and Iran, which many Sunni Iraqis deeply mistrust for its influence with the Shiite parties that now dominate Iraq's government.

"There is no difference between Shiites of Iran and the Shiites in the rest of the Arab world either in Iraq, Lebanon. their beliefs are the same .. their hatred of Sunnis is the same," he said, adding, "The roots of Jews and the Shiites are the same."

"Anyone calling for reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites is either a man who knows the truth but is betraying his religion and his nation ... or a man who is ignorant and should be taught," he said.

He said Shiite leaders in Iran and Lebanon — including the Hezbollah guerrilla movement — only pretend to confront Israel and the United States. He mocked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for "screaming and calling for wiping Israel from the map," but doing nothing, referring to anti-Israeli comments earlier this year.

I also like how he worked the Jews in.
 
But the Radio is Still Going
"Iranian TV dismisses meeting in Europe" - Reuters.
 
Lance Armstrong and the French
Base10 is trying to catch up on recent events. Remember when Lance Armstrong called alegations of doping during the 1999 tour a "witch hunt?" I guess it was. Recently, a Dutch lawyer retained by the International Cycling Union (cycling's governing body) to investigate the allegations originally published by french paper L'Equipe were baseless. He exonerated Armstrong completely and recommended a further invetigation regarding ethical and possibly criminal actions on the part of French anti-doping officials. Witch hunt, indeed.

L'Equipe is standing by its charges.

Meanwhile, in a Reuters interview, Lance seems to be having a good time in retirement. He says:
Armstrong said he "completely let myself go" during a six-month period following his retirement but has now started working out again.

"The objective is to limit the slide," he said. "I'm 15 pounds heavier than when I finished the Tour. And just to feel good. When I exercise every day I feel a lot better."

Armstrong went cycling with President Bush last year and concedes he "took him easy."

"I have to say he tried," said Armstrong "He's very competitive, as you know. I actually like him, personally. He's a likable guy. I don't necessarily agree with his politics all the time."

Armstrong, a cancer survivor, thinks "all time time" about entering Texas politics but he is not sure he wants to expose himself and his family.

"I've seen a level of cynicism and dirty play in sport that I don't ever want to see again, and I think politics is maybe 100 times worse," said the Texan who was cleared earlier this week of doping during the 1999 Tour.

For now, Armstrong is still content to take it easy.

"For 20 years I lived like a monk, but now if you open a bottle of red, I'll be the first one at the table," he said."

 
Of Course I'm a Virgin!
"Virginity pledgers often dishonest about past" - Reuters.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
 
Grading Papers
Base10 has to grade finals and submit his grades today, so blogging for the rest of the day may be light. Inexplicably, Base10 has noticed that he has become a crawly amphibian in the TLB Ecosystem. Let's keep it up!
 
Haditha
Base10 refused to comment on Haditha until the investigation is concluded. It is deeply offensive for so-called hawkish congressman John Murtha to go screaming about a months-old investigation regarding Marine misconduct in Haditha. It is even more deeply offensive that this happened on Memorial Day.

A fair investigation an appropriate outcome for all concerned. Let's get to the bottom of what happened before throwing around accusations.
 
I Think it Looks Like the Virgin Mary
A friend of mine sent me a link to this story.
 
An Op-Ed from the Journal
The always interesting Peggy Noonan is suggesting that America may be ready for a third party. (Republican incumbents be very afraid when conservative pundits start talking this way!) Noonan argues that the great divide in American politics is not the polarization between Democrats and Republicans but between ruling elites and the people who elected them:
The problem is not that the two parties are polarized. In many ways they're closer than ever. The problem is that the parties in Washington, and the people on the ground in America, are polarized. There is an increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people--between the elites and the grunts, between those in power and those who put them there.
On the ground in America, people worry terribly--really, there are people who actually worry about it every day--about endless, weird, gushing government spending. But in Washington, those in power--Republicans and Democrats--stand arm in arm as they spend and spend. (Part of the reason is that they think they can buy off your unhappiness one way or another. After all, it's worked in the past. A hunch: It's not going to work forever or much longer. They've really run that trick into the ground.)

On the ground in America, regular people worry about the changes wrought by the biggest wave of immigration in our history, much of it illegal and therefore wholly connected to the needs of the immigrant and wholly unconnected to the agreed-upon needs of our nation. Americans worry about the myriad implications of the collapse of the American border. But Washington doesn't. Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican George W. Bush see things pretty much eye to eye. They are going to educate the American people out of their low concerns.

There is a widespread sense in America--a conviction, actually--that we are not safe in the age of terror. That the port, the local power plant, even the local school, are not protected. Is Washington worried about this? Not so you'd notice. They're only worried about seeming unconcerned.

I don't agree with Ms. Noonan on everything. For one, I think we need some sort of guestworker program and that this country should not be afraid of an immigration wave. But she does have something here. People are fed up, but it is not directed only at the ruling Republicans. One quote doesn't do the article justice, read the whole thing.
 
An Editorial From the Journal
Base10 came across an interesting editorial in the WSJ today. (Alas, subscription required. Why, oh why, do editorialists think that they can charge for other to read their opinions?) Noting that federal programs never seem to die, and the remarkable amount of govenment waste, WSJ editheads support a bill sponsored by Republicans to sunset federal programs:
Ronald Reagan used to quip that the closest thing to immortality in this life is a government program. We'd add one modern caveat, which is that under Beltway budget rules tax cuts automatically expire after five or 10 years, but spending programs and tax increases live forever.

The latter would change, however, if a group of House Republicans led by Texan Jeb Henserling and Mike Pence of Indiana succeed in pushing new rules to sunset out-of-date federal programs. Under their proposal that has been promised a vote this summer, Congress would have to reauthorize agency budgets every five years, or they would die. The legislation would also create a sunset commission to recommend program terminations, and Congress would vote up or down on the package. This procedure is modeled after the successful military base closing commissions.

It's a good idea. I'm surprised that this isn't getting more media play.
 
Immigration, Again
George Will has an interesting take on the immigration debate as have several others over the last week. Base10, frankly doesn't have any idea what will happen. Will thinks that a failure to arive a a compromise bill this session will not be a failure, but rather is evidence that American institutions are working:
But if Congress fails to pass immigration reform, that will not really deserve to be called a failure, for two reasons. First, the moment may not be ripe for reform because the country is of two minds -- actually, more than two -- about the issue. Second, the system the Framers created, with two legislative bodies having different dynamics because their constituencies have different characteristics, is in this instance performing approximately as the Framers intended.

Senators, only one-third of whom are ever facing imminent elections, are somewhat insulated by six-year terms from the public's fevers. And senators represent larger, less homogenous, more complex constituencies than most House members do.

There is more to democracy than government by adding machine -- merely counting numbers. There also should be institutional ways of measuring, venting and accommodating the intensity of factions. The Senate does that by permitting filibusters. In the House, two-year terms guarantee that intensities are registered. As Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., recently told The Washington Post, "House members' elections are not periods with us, they're just commas. We keep our finger on the public pulse all the time, not just every six years.''

The House is supposed to be the barometer that measures the political weather of the moment. It is not failing to do that.

This is certainly true, but could also spell disaster for the Republicans this fall. Many commentators have pointed out that the conventional wisdom about a compromise bill comming out of the diametrically opposite House and Senate versions are completlely deluding themselves. This is probably true. The question for Republicans is really whether the calculus about the damage. If more damage results from failure to pass a bill, compromise will result. Richard Brookhiser in the NY Observer has an interesting take:
But House Republicans are not the most unpopular people in America. That title may be reserved for Senate Republicans, or at least the 23 of them who joined 38 Democrats to pass the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. Illegal immigrants will not have to know English to understand this bill; it’s a welcome mat, and the Republicans who signed it are the doormats. It is not necessary for House Republicans to muster the energy they have shown on behalf of Congressional freezers to defeat the Senate bill. All they have to do is hunker down, and let House/Senate negotiations break down. If they do that, they may snatch some cred yet.

Is there one more possible savior in the wings for Congressional Republicans? Could it be Congressional Democrats? Frequent elections are the people’s security against rogues and bums. But if the other party also consists of rascals, how can voters, in good conscience, throw the rascals out? Yet we feel that there is a value in change for change’s sake, even as we drain swimming pools and lance boils. So it is with Congress.

 
Bicycle and Baseball (and a Little Football, Too)
Base10 took another 20 mile ride yesterday morning. Let's just say his groin-area is starting to rebel. I've been doing a cruising speed of about 14 mph, which actuallty isn't bad, but is far from the 18-20 mph that you hope for. Base10's problem is that even with the slightest incline, he has a difficult time. The other problem is that Base10 has been taking his rides in the morning before eating anything. This is terrific for weight loss since your blood sugar level is at its lowest and you immediately burn fat. The problem is what cyclists efer to as bonking. After only a short time you feel like you have run out of steam--not exactly the most enthusiastic ridesm, if you know what I mean. I'm still riding locally to practice basics, but I might take off today. Let's give the groin a rest!

Anyway, Base10 hasn't been writing that much for the last couple of days. Frankly, there hasn't been much happening. Some more comments follow.

Meanwhile, speaking of baseball, the Mets won their game last night against Arizona and the series. Pedro once again pitched beautifully, but was given a no-decision since the Mets were completely shut down by Diamondback pitching. Click here for a recap of last night's game.

The Mets are still in great shape, in spite of some injuries. The Mets are still no. 2 in the NL behind St. Louis and lead the NL East by 4.5 and 5 games ahead of Atlanta and Philly, respectively. They are off today, but face San Francisco over the weekend at Shea and then go on a ten-game roadtrip starting with the Dodgers. Reflecting on the Mets future, there's little to say. Lastings Milledge played really well, and gave fans a tast of things to come. Milledge is filling in for Xavier Nady who underwent an emergency apendectomy earlier in the week. What are the problem areas for the Mets? Well obviously they have a hole in the starting rotation. With Bannister and Maine out, the Mets have brought up Soler (who Base10 thinks has a giant upside but needs more work) and traded the lackluster Jorge Julio to acquire somewhat less lackluster Orlando "el Duque" Hernandez who won his debut. You know what? Doesn't matter. With two quality starters in Pedro and Glavine, and a somewhat lower but acceptable quality starter in Trachsel, they are still in good shape. It's okay so long as the Mets bats produce. What is troubling is the lack of offense during this series, but hopefully this isn't a sign of a deeper trend. Defensively, I can't think of anything the Mets need, other than a second baseman that can both hit and catch. All in all, we're in good shape.

There was a bit of Jets news this week as well. Gang Green made a couple of acquisitions. They signed former long-time Jet nickle back Ray Mickens to a one-year deal. They also signed WR Reggie Newhouse and CB Reed Rayshun. Not exactly the stunning off-season moves you look for in a rebuilding team, but hey, it's an incremental process. In other news, Chad Pennington participated in passing mini-camp. He was throwing in live drills, which is encouraging.

Base10 is actually starting to be cautiously optimistic about the Jets this year. They seem to be making all the right moves. They drafted well grabbing two future star offensive linemen instead of going for glory-boy Matt Leinart, and they seem to
be addressing other needs with these recent acquisitions and grabbing Patrick Ramsey and Kellen Clemens. The question marks? First, Curtis Martin is not getting any younger. Base10 thinks that he can still be productive behind a strong line, but this line will be half-rookie. The rest of the offense seems strong, as does the defense (I don't think John Abraham was such a huge loss). The bigget question mark, of course, is Pennington. If he can throw, they can have a productive season. If he can't, well, look to next year's draft.

Finally, on a sad note, Wayne Chrebet will officially announce his retirement tomorrow. So long, Wayne. We'll miss you. You were always Base10's favorite Jet (well, maybe tied with Vinny).

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