Below are some quick comments about things I have either not said anything or very little for various reasons.
Re: Outing of CIA Operative. Not everything that needs to come out about this incident of naming a CIA employee has come out. So perhaps it would be a good idea to name an independent investigator to look at this. What I can say for sure is just because someone works at Langley does not mean they are not working under cover. There are many operatives at Langley who never go to foreign countries but are nonetheless put in mortal danger when their covers are blown. Hence, to say that she worked only at Langley and therefore, by definition, can not be working under cover is naive at best. At worst, she and the people she ran could now be in danger. One can only hope no one, in any administration, would be so immoral and cynical as to put someone in danger for political gain.
Re: California Recall Election. I am pro democracy. I am pro referendum, initiative, and recall. Further, I believe that the answer for any problems with democracy is more democracy. So how do I square that with the circus that is California politics?
I have no good answer for this. But I think one of the lessons of this recall election is that 30 percent is too low a number to start a recall. One has to wonder how it is 30 percent of the electorate can nullify the will of the 51 percent that elected the Governor in the first place?
Secondly, what future governor will ever make the hard, controversial decisions that is best for the state knowing he or she will be recalled by a vocal minority? Conversely, politicians do their best to avoid making decisions anyway and, to a great extent, the problems the present governor is dealing with came from previous decisions not made. But I think this situation is made even worse by the lessons of this recall.
As an aside, I am sickened by the dirty tactics displayed against one of the candidates. I don't think it is a coincidence that the alleged charges of sexual harassment have come out a mere week before the election. I don't think it is a coincidence that the charges come so late in the campaign as to not give the candidate time to adequately respond. Whether or not the charges are true, to wait until the very end to come out with this dreck is despicable and, I think, could very well back fire on the people who are making these charges.
I don't know what the answer to all this is. The problems that whoever is governor of California has will not be solved by 30 second sound bites or slick campaign ads. But I know this, if the citizens of California don't solve this soon, things will only get worse. A lot worse.
Re: US Baseball. CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!
Aloha!
