Democratic Nomination

I applaud Hillary Clinton for sticking it out this far. It takes quite a bit of guts to hang in there when everyone is telling you to get out. I do respect her ability to stick to her guns and keep pressing forward.

But...it's over. Very over.

She's done well enough to drag this out. Each time she needed a victory to survive, she's gotten it. I'm not sure how, since the more I've learned about Clinton the less I've wanted her to get the nod.

I'm still behind Obama. I think his unwavering poise (contrasted with Clinton's "You always give me the first question!" whining in the debates), his ability to talk tough truths (telling a teacher's union they'll have to accept merit pay, for instance), and the way he hasn't really run from anything (denouncing Wright as a wild and crazy man with misguided views, admitting his campaign has been too negative).

I hope Hillary has plans to bow out before the convention, mayhaps at the end of this month. I really don't want to see a divided party as the end result of this insane year of primaries, because that's precisely what John McCain wants.

What's wrong with John McCain? Not a whole lot...except he's absolutely not enough of a course correction after Bush. Eight years ago, McCain would have been fine I believe. Right now, we need to pull a 180 degree turn and McCain is not up to that task. Sorry bud.

Gas Prices

So I'm driving last week to buy Mother's Day cards (I bought a crazy amount of them, but that's another story for another time and blog) and I pass the Speedway on the corner. I'm stopped at a light, and I see something that reminds me to shut off my car till the light cycles around.

$3.79. Four dollar gasoline had hit Columbus.

I got pissed more than anything. I got really, really angry. I immediately assumed the prices went up to support the gas tax holiday certain politicians are trumpeting. The way I see it, if Congress actually DOES pass this hare brained nonsense, the gas stations and oil companies will simply keep the prices the same, and pocket the extra $14 cents a gallon that would have gone to support our roads and bridges. CT Bob puts it well, talking about crazy pills.

Paranoid? No, I don't think so.

So it got me thinking...about how I really, really, really need to start driving less. To hell with oil...everyone from that creepy guy who clerks the gas station to Hugo Chavez to the oil exec making huge bonuses are people I really don't care to support.

1. Walk -- That's a no brainer, right? Just the other week, Sarah and I walked to Max and Erma's for a drink. It was nice, since I was totally buzzed and walking took that pesky DUI thing out of the picture. Not easy in all areas...but it's the easiest and cheapest way to screw the oil companies.
2. Bike -- Most of us have a bicycle floating around, right? I don't...but that's a long story. I used to ride my bike a lot, it was the best way for a 12 year old to expand his horizons. It still will get you further and faster than walking...and doesn't use a drop of gasoline.
3. Mass Transit -- Is sort of a joke here in Columbus, and Cincinnati. From what I've heard Cleveland has it better...but I don't know for sure. But if you're lucky enough to be on a bus route, why not use it? Budget some extra time when you go to the mall or to a sporting event.
4. Standard Gas Economy Tips -- Uncle Sam provides us with some tips on how to improve our gas mileage here. Go check it out...some it it (like tire pressure) is so easy you really need a kick in the butt if you can't find time and motivation.
5. Buy a More Efficient Car -- I've told myself for a long time now, that my next car will run on something like electricity or maybe even leftover fryer shortening. It won't be a straight gasoline engine. I won't be counting on ethanol (that disaster of mamoth proportions). I'm hoping to drive my current car long enough to have plenty of options.
6. Write Elected Officials -- And find out what exactly they're so afraid of when it comes to weaning ourselves off the oil teat. I'd love to see someone seriously propose taxing the hell out of oil profits and funnelling the money into alternative energy. Brazil is on track to be gas-free by the end of the year(!) with their sugar cane alcohol fuel. Germany has managed to become the leader in solar energy thanks to their tough legislation on the matter.

It's really that last point that's going to have the biggest impact. The fact our country's leadership has chosen to engage in wars of aggression instead of being productive with our tax dollars and legislative energy is truly disgraceful. History will treat everyone in government since 2000 harshly, I'm trusting.

But don't whine...make changes in your lifestyle. Consumer economics, my friends. Democracy. They're two of the most powerful sources we have in this country, and we can't afford to not use them.

Papa John's...Oh You Silly People

So Papa John's decided to go above and beyond on Thursday by offering $ 0.23 pizzas as part of an apology to LeBron James. Apparantly, a franchise of the yummy pizza chain printed t-shirts calling James a "crybaby," and a public apology plus the pizza promo was the plan. The crazy-cheap pizza's were available (for a while) all over North East Ohio, from Columbus to Youngstown.

The problem with this situation is the pizza execs didn't think this through. When I worked for Wendy's, we held a customer appreciation weekend in the aftermath of that damn finger issue. This event included giving away free kid's size Frosties.

The difference between Wendy's and Papa John's? The Frosty giveaway was planned several weeks in advance. Our suppliers were able to bulk up on Frosty mix (though not enough) and we were able to order it in as part of normal shipments (again, though not enough). We were also able to sit down as a management team at each restaurant and plan how to do this, even experiment a little. This kept chaos and confusion to a minimum.

Papa John's threw all this together in about a week, from what I've read. They also kept adding markets. This made it impossible for stores to adequately prepare. The end result? Well...I know Sarah and I tried to get in on this, but their phones were all busy. When Sarah drove to the store, she found a line down the street.

I didn't realize how bad it was until I got a copy of the Columbus Dispatch on Friday. The fact is, pizza takes about 10 minutes to cook. That's after you get the order and prep the dough. Then you've got another couple minutes to cut and box it. You can only cook so many pizza's at any given time...the demand for this was insane. Even if they HAD planned this out further along, the result would have been very similar.

But really, I'm not disappointed in Papa John's that much. Go big, or go home. It was a seriously big hairy audacious goal, and I applaud that. I'm more disappointed in the people who were near to rioting over

!!!PIZZA!!!

Cops had to be called in to several stores. Cops had to provide extra patrols to make sure no one came back and vandalized the stores. I mean...c'mon people. Life is full of disappointment. Let's not act like animals, or peasants. Pizza is never a good reason for disorderly conduct, no matter what the price.

For shame.

Keywords!

So I'm curious what search terms are bringing people to my humble site...this leads me to Statcounter.com, where I log in and click on "Keyword Analysis." Here's a rare weekend post for you to enjoy!

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Number of Entries
Percent of Total
Search Term

7
10.77%
how to become a registered voter

4
6.15%
ohio governor mailing address

3
4.62%
voter id confirmation

3
4.62%
how candidates are chosen by party

3
4.62%
mailing address governor ohio

3
4.62%
voter registration confirmation

2
3.08%
governor strickland; mailing address

2
3.08%
wvxu

2
3.08%
2007 mcd election result

2
3.08%
check for voter registration confirmation

1
1.54%
contact governor of ohio phone number

1
1.54%
www.marriemont.com

1
1.54%
iran clip 3x

1
1.54%
how to become a voter

1
1.54%
results of voting in cincinnati school levy '08

1
1.54%
iran 3x

1
1.54%
harazquack times

1
1.54%
how do the candidates get chosen

1
1.54%
ohio legislators and earmarks

1
1.54%
where do i got to become a registered voter

1
1.54%
becoming a registered voter

1
1.54%
postcards across america by levy tedd

1
1.54%
types of earmarks

1
1.54%
richard bernat election result

1
1.54%
mailing address governor strickland's

1
1.54%
address/ted strickland

1
1.54%
migration out of hamilton county

1
1.54%
how do the candidates get chosen'

1
1.54%
mcd 2007 result

1
1.54%
become an ohio registered voter

1
1.54%
live on in infamy

1
1.54%
earmark us wikipedia

1
1.54%
candidates are chosen by counties

1
1.54%
governor strickland mailing address?

1
1.54%
world news 3-16-08

1
1.54%
how are candidates chosen

1
1.54%
my ideal county

1
1.54%
julie stautberg ohio

1
1.54%
how candidates are chosen

1
1.54%
mcd election results 2007

1
1.54%
international news 3/16/08

1
1.54%
how i'll check my name in voter registration

1
1.54%
checking my voter registration

1
1.54%
myworld news

65 Keywords
100.00%

***

What does it mean? I'm not sure, except that people are curious how to become a registered voter in Ohio (or confirming said fact) and are somehow getting to my blog before anything else.

I'm also seeing a trend over the last couple weeks of people wanting to mail Strickland a letter or two...curious. Maybe it's time to brush up on the state news, see what he's done to irritate people lately.

And did any of these lead you to my blog? Did I help? Have you kept coming back? Or am I typing this to no one? In any event, drop a comment!

Cinco de Mayo was Monday!

So I'm a lil behind the 8-ball...but so what?

On my Myspace blog Monday I asked if anyone knew what Cinco de Mayo is all about. Before you say it, NO it's NOT the Mexican Independence Day. Sorry.

It's actually celebrating the Battle of Puebla, which happened on (you guessed it) May 5th, 1862. While we were slaughtering ourselves up and down the Eastern Seaboard, the French were trying to make the Mexican government pay its loan interest.

The battle itself was kinda a mistake. The Mexicans thought the French walking wounded were attackers in violation of a withdrawal agreement...the French thought the complaints about the walking wounded were a ploy to start fighting...and all hell broke loose.

4500 or so Mexican troops with 18 artillery rifles ended up smashing the occupation force of 6300 French troops and THEIR 18 guns. Not too shabby. Think about that the next time you start whining about bi-lingual signs.

Segue into an opinion piece. About how "immigration reform" is the new racism. It's not politically correct to say "I hate those damn Mexicans," but is IS ok to say "I hate those damn illegal immigrants." How our only hope is to bring immigrants in, embrace them, get them in the system.

But really, there's no convincing anyone on this issue. The key of a persuasive piece is to be able to actually persuade...and people are too passionately caught up in this. No one is thinking anymore.

So all I have to say is fix the system. I think having this many people want IN our country is a great thing, it's a strength. No one is running from our country yet. We're still the best place in the world to live. How about we harness that and put it to work instead of bitching about having to "Push 1 for English?"

And for all of you genuinely concerned with the illegals? Fix the system. Then you can deport them, and they won't have any reason to hop the fence. You have to fix the system and develop a way for immigrants to come in, work, pay taxes, and follow the law. Until we have that, there's still going to be 100 people trying to hop the fence for every 1 we can deport.

Fix the system. Embrace the heritage of immigration. Each of us came from somewhere else. Each of us trace back to illegal immigration. Just ask a Native American what they think of our pesky influx willing and able workers.

Gay Marriage Bans = Jim Crow

Let me tell you about a visit I made to the King Center in Atlanta several years ago. I remember being in a gallery of information on the civil rights movement (as you might expect, since we are talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr here) and stopping to read a list of Jim Crow laws complied from across the South.

(If you're not familiar with the term Jim Crow, then we need to have a chat with your local school superintendent. For right now though, I've found the Dictionary.com and Wikipedia entries on the subject. Long story short: Jim Crow laws were enacted post-reconstruction to help institutionalize segregation of black and white Americans. )

I remember reading this list, and at first there was nothing in there I hadn't seen before. The famous bus seating laws, separate water fountains, separate schools, poll taxes, literacy tests, obstacles to ownership, and so on. Then I hit a new one of the list: it was illegal for a white man to marry/date/have sexual relations with a black woman, or for a white woman to do any of the same with a black man.

That brought the Jim Crow laws home for me. Until that point, it was hard to identify with the laws and their victims in more than a theoretical way (I was a white kid raised in a small Massachusetts town...I had no reference point). But once I realized that 50 years ago I could go to jail because I was seen kissing a black girl? It dawned on me just how instrusive, how demeaning, how out-and-out wrong the codes were.

It opened my eyes. I realized in a flash no matter what you may think, discrimination against one group really is discrimination against us all. Pretty deep stuff for a 16 year old kid.

What's this got to do with gay marriage bans? Simple: banning gay marriage, and the hundreds of other ways gays are discriminated against, are the same sort of mindless, habitual discrimination as Jim Crow laws were. It's one group of people telling another group "You're not good enough to do what we do." It's just as wrong as making blacks drink from different water fountains, and just as ludicrous.

I was out of the state when the vote on the Ohio constitutional ammendment happened. I was disgusted to learn it passed; I thought the voters in Ohio were more advanced. The ammendment is a human rights violation that demeans us all. Like most human rights violations, I expect this one to work its way through the court system and become a piece of history in due time. Not soon enough, but it will happen. There's simply no rational reason for ever creating second class citizens.

But that doesn't change the fact we're still currently living in a Jim Crow-esque society. We're still creating and enforcing second class citizenship. It's sad how many people don't even realize it.