PLEASE vote for John Kerry

Please get out and vote on election day. I urge to you vote for John Kerry. He's a good, honest man who has dedicated his life to public service and the good of our country. I hate to say this, because several of my friends and a couple of close relatives are going to vote for Bush, but I'm convinced that a vote for Bush is immoral, irresponsible, and bad for our country. Mr. Bush has flat-out lied to support his campaign, he has stolen our liberties, and he shows nothing but disrespect for our military volunteers and people who are less fortunate than he.

Even if you don't vote very often, and especially if you're in a "swing state" that may be decided by only a few votes, I hope you make time to go vote for John Kerry.

For me, it will be the most important action I take this year.

Thank you.

Red Sox win series!

This is unbelievable. The world seems different now. The Red Sox lifted themselves out of the cloudy curse just as the sun began hitting the moon after last night's total eclipse. Mom was online with me as the last out was recorded and pointed out that even the moon was red tonight. How nervous must the pitcher and first baseman have been while they were executing the third out in the bottom of the ninth? How interesting that the last out was made by Edgar Rentaria, who wore Babe Ruth's #3 on the back of his Cardinal uniform. How amazing that we aren't lamenting the Sox this year. This doesn't seem right, but I can get used to it.

Pair A Dice

Went to visit the Pair A Dice Ranch this morning. Drove right by it three or four times before we actually found it. It's nestled between a self-storage park and the San Gabriel River. I learned that one can ride a horse to the beach and back from this place, all along the river. It's a two-day trip. You can also go all the way up to Mount San Gorgonio, a four-day trip. Sounds like fun, nights would be spent camping. The ranch is all wet and muddy today. Horses in stalls, goats, dogs, and chickens running around. A pit bull is in a tarp-lined cage filled with bedding and other personal items belonging to Martin, the ranchhand who lives at the place, in the cage with the pit bull. The owner showed me a trailer that he bough for Martin to live in, but Martin would rather live in the cage. Once in a while he slaughters a chicken or goat for food, and cooks it in the burn barrel/grill. This is a life far removed from my experience.

LA

okay, so we woke up early, met at 4 am, and drove through the pouring rain to LA to visit Hansen Dam by 8. Got there 45 minutes early so we had breakfast at McDonald's. Some guy held the door for me and then asked for some spare change on my way out. I said no thanks, so he started giving me crap about it and talking to a bunch of people, apparently other beggars, about me. The bathroom was full of apparent live-ins, so I held it and went to order my food. Normal McD food: sausage biscuit, greasy hashbrowns, and too-hot coffee. Ugh. On my way out, the beggar said have a nice day, then thanked me for my smile. I don't remember having smiled. Maybe he saw me smiling inside that I was leaving the place.

Turned out that our 8:00 appointment was cancelled. I guess you can't visit a dam when it's raining. We walked out to the dam control house and noticed a stream of water passing under the dam, but it really didn't seem like much was going on. Lots of people were walking or running along the top of the dam, which was at least a mile long and 90 feet high. Not sure what the big deal was about the water, but it cancelled our 10:00 appointment at the Sepulveda Dam as well. Basically, we did nothing all morning but drive around LA. Got some nice views of the city, so it wasn't all bad. Then again, it's not the best looking city in the world either.

After a lunch in the food court at the Montebello Mall, we visited the water reclamation plant in Whittier Narrows. Nice place, if you like sewer water and chemicals. Having Curtis along made it worthwhile. He's an old timer with tons of experience running water reclamation plants. He felt like it was old home day, reliving his days at his own plants. Very enthusiastic, and informative as well.

In the evening, we arrived at the Residence Inn only to find that our confirmation number had been lost. Great. Fortunately, they had a few rooms at the same rate we had originally, so we're here.

Now that I've had a lousy day, it's time for the Red Sox to change the world and make it all better.

Nebraska

Nebraska is pretty nice. Beautiful evening tonight as the sunset produced brilliant collors in the trees. The open spaces here are such a contrast compared to just about anywhere else I've been. The City of Lincoln is nice too, with the campus nearby and lots of good looking restaurants (although I've only tried a few of them). Lots of nice coffee shops too. Only two Starbucks in the city. Seems they're just starting to take over the place.

Restaurants I've tried here:
Runza- Good salads, weird sandwiches.
Manhattan Deli - Good sandwiches. Pastrami reuben is better than the regular reuben.
The Oven - Indian food, not bad. I had some sort of pork dish. Get the naan, it's great.
Valentino's Pizza- Excellent.
Papa John's Pizza - the usual, pretty good.
Taco Inn - okay.
Fireworks - Good dinners. I had the traditional brisket.
Pulled pork barbecue sandwiches at the Huskers game. Good.
Fairfield Inn breakfast - not great.

SOX !!!

Well, what a nice turn of events. Sox in the series. Satisfying yes, but enough, not quite. Four more wins in 2004 would be nice.

Sigh.

Red Sox down 12-6 in the 5th. Purdue lost a crazy game to the "we don't need no stinkin" Badgers. At least the day started out well, as I got to attend a college football game in perhaps the greatest college football town in the country: Lincoln, Nebraska. Ever since the 1960s, watching football games with Grampa in Holden, I remember associating Nebraska with college football. I wasn't disappointed. The level of fanaticism and the glare of red in the stadium were like nothing I'd experienced before in a football game. It was nice to be there on this perfectly crisp fall day.

13-6 now. Sigh...

Torrey Pines

Had a great run today on Torrey Pines beach, and I got there just in time. I was a bit late, actually, as the parking lot had already closed. After a couple of U-turns, I found a spot on the beach and ran down to flat rock at sunset. The beach was surprisingly crowded with people walking along the cliffs. I noticed a few new rockslides and some rock stacks. (I think these piles of 3-8 or so rocks are made by the same person or people each week or so and subsequently knocked down by the waves on the high side of the tidal cycle.) The tide today was high and I had to run on the soft sand, but it didn't make much difference, as I was able to keep up a 10 minute mile pace (my usual slow jog). The wind was light and fresh and the waves large enough to be interesting. I felt good the whole way, but didn't push it too much. The sun set as I was making my turn at Flat Rock, about 1..3 miles from my starting line. I ran back during twilight.

Interestingly, I got a phone call near the end of my run. It turned out to be Tom calling from Massachusetts. He's coming out here in November for the first time in 13 years. Amy will here too; her first time in San Diego since moving from here 33 years ago. It was nice talking with him as I walked back to my car. By the time we were done talking, it had become dark outside. I'm glad I got out there for some exercise.

Fahrenheit 911

Well, I just saw Michael Moore's movie for the first time tonight. Now that I've seen it, my opinion of Michael Moore is that he's a person who loves our country and respects our military soldiers more than most people in the country do. He realizes that the people who become soldiers are people from less affluent families and that they defend our country honorably. I don't understand how anybody can see this movie and think that Moore is anything but a patriot.

The movie scares me. I don't want my kids being sent to war for "intelligence" reasons against a country that didn't attack us. People will say that's what Michael Moore wants me to think, but is there anyone who would think differently?

I did not know that the protests on inauguration day were so strong. I did not know about the arguments in the Senate from black people and that no Senator supported an investigation into their plight. Why is that, anyway? Why did no Senator sign whatever it was they needed a Senator to sign? That disturbs me.

Why doesn't Bush feel bad for the Iraqis or for the families of the dead and wounded soldiers? That disturbs me too. I see no evidence to contradict Moore's assertions. All I see lately is Bush twisting John Kerry's words to his own advantage. I see Bush lying about what Kerry says. That disturbs me.

Maybe I'm just disturbed.

Poway Preview

The band tournament today was great. Our field show went very well; the music is great and the marching is fun, a lot more fun than last year. The band sounded strong and marched pretty well. I think our color guard is excellent this year too. Rancho Bernardo's band sounded pretty good, but their music was boring and their marching was rather unchallenging. Poway's show was terrific. Their music featured each section better than I've ever heard in a marching band. They seemed to have a great time doing their show, and we had fun watching and listening to it. I got lots of good photos and videos of all three bands (not of the earlier bands).

Scott's hair is just long enough to be very difficult to stuff up into his shako. He looked fine once it was up there. Matt looked great as always. He spent much of the afternoon getting gifts together for the rest of the trumpets. I'm glad we're involved with the band.

Debate #2 - Friday night

...written in real time during the debate...

Kerry, good answer to first question about wishy-washiness.
Bush, same old words. He still has no idea that he also did not support, then did support the $87 billion vote. Tax cuts - not for unmarried childless middle class people.

WMD - Bush? Diplomacy first? You've got to be kidding. 75% of Al Qaeda? Bush is whiny.
Kerry has to answer Bush's mind-changing charges all the time, but he answered well.
Bush - Still doesn't understand what "global test" means.
Great answer by Kerry.

Iraq nation building. Kerry's plans for Iraq. Nice that he mentions Republicans saying that Bush is incompetent. Kerry's plans for bringing allies together are sensible.
Bush talks about Iraq elections and reconstruction, that they love to be free. Bush knows "how these people think." He talks to them all the time.
Kerry good answer about the "right war" against Osama.
Bush whiny. Twists Kerry's words: "War on terror is not 'only Osama Bin Laden'." Kerry never said that.

Aggravation from other countries. (Is this a domestic policy debate?)
Bush? Values? Oh come on. Unpopular decisions. Right thing to do. Funny that he mentions The Hague; maybe he'll be forced to stand trial there someday. That would be justice.
Kerry brought up Bush's debate here four years ago. Excellent. Bringing up Hans Blix was a good idea.

Bush joke about scowling. Dumb. He's a whiner. Nucular ambitions...ugh.

Draft. Well, it's nice to hear Bush say we're not going to have a draft. Transform military, bringing people back home. When?
Somebody must have told Bush to just stare at Kerry the whole time.
Kerry says stop-loss policy is a backdoor draft.
Bush interrupted the moderator. Not cool.
Bush says Kerry is denegrating the alliance.
Kerry: 8 countries are leaving. Missouri would equal 3rd largest country. Kerry would be a better Commander in Chief. That has a nice ring to it.

Intelligence comes from cooperation. Good idea. Bush doesn't get it.
Bush: mind furiously working working working...
Homeland security budget tripled. 1993 vote to cut intelligence budget. Working hard. Patriot Act, vital. Iraq haven for terrorists. Bush still doesn't understand. He says it requires complete understanding. All he wants to do is run over the enemy wherever they are.
Kerry. Good response. Not enough time.

Domestic policy.
Drugs from Canada. Bush wants to make sure they're safe.
Kerry. Four years ago. Bush wants drugs from Canada. Tells us about the Senate bill that Bush vetoed.
Bush says Clinton does the same thing. What has Kerry done in 20 years in the Senate.
Kerry says "we did something that you don't know how to do: we balanced the budget."

Question about Edwards. Kerry says Edwards is author of patients bill of rights. They're both for tort reform. Kerry: "I have a plan..."
Bush: Kerry is most liberal Senator. Bush doubts Kerry's plan. Frivolous lawsuits - doctors practice defensive medicine. Government sponsored health care would lead to rationing.
Bush says Kerry hasn't addressed it because the trial lawyers won't act on it.

Bush hasn't vetoed a single spending bill. $700 billion spent and not paid for by taxes.
Bush says the deficit is because of the recession and war. Bush doesn't veto because they work together.
Kerry says Bush started with a $5.6 trillion surplus. Now we have $2.6 trillion deficit. Bush says he cut taxes for everybody.

Tax burden question. Kerry will raise child care credit, new tuition tax credit, lower health care. He's shown how he will pay for things. Kerry 1990s pay as you go. Nice mention of three people who would be negatively affected by Kerry's plan. Bush calling Kerry a liar. New spending. Bush: "battling green eye shades." huh?
Kerry says Bush's figures aren't accurate. Kerry and McCain to close corporate loopholes.
Kerry: balanced budget. Did Republicans vote for this? Bush: Kerry voted 98 times to balance the budget.

Environment. Bush talks about off-road diesel engines, increasing the wetlands "by 3 million". Inner-city sore spots. Clear skies initiative. Farm bill conservation reserve program to improve wildlife and habitat. Healthy forest bill; forests not harvested become like tinder boxes. Technology: hydrogen autos, clean coal technology. "Good steward of the land."
Good answer by Kerry.
Bush: Kyoto would cost jobs. Air is cleaner.
Kerry was in Kyoto. Bush didn't try to fix Kyoto; he walked away from 160 nations doing 10 years of work. He declared Kyoto dead.

Manufacturing, wages, competitiveness. Bush does a lot of blinking. Kerry talking about sending jobs overseas. Cost of health care is big cause of lack of competitiveness. Kerry brought up education, energy independence, entrepreneurial spirit.
Bush: Medical liability reform, pooling of small businesses. Energy plan. Less regulations. Legal reform. Don't tax job creators.
Kerry. 96% of small businesses not affected by Kerry plan. Bush and Cheney are counted as small business.
Bush doesn't know that he owns a timber company. "Need some wood?"

Patriot Act. Bush says it's necessary to give law enforcement every tool necessary. He says it doesn' t abridge your rights at all.
Kerry doesn't like the way the Patriot Act has been applied. People's rights are being abused. "Never let the terrorists change the Constitution."

Stem cells. Nobody has been cured using embryonic stem cells.
Kerry. Michael J. Fox "Don't take away my hope." Chris Reeve exercises every day and thinks he can walk again. Embryos frozen from fertility clinics will be destroyed or left frozen.
Kerry stumbling a bit fishing for words today. Bush: blank stare is unappealing.
Bush says embryonic stem cell research involves destruction of life to save lives. Wants to be careful in balancing the ethics and the science. Science is important but so is ethics.
Kerry says the 22 lines of stem cells that are active are contaminated by mouse cells and are not enough. He will open things up.
Bush says the 22 lines already existed. He says he's balancing science and ethics. A lot of people would like this.

Supreme Court. Bush: "I'm not tellin." He wants all of the judges to vote for him. He would pick someone who would not allow personal opinions to interfere with their decisions. He brought up Pledge of Allegiance, Dred Scott case (slavery and personal property rights). Judges interpret the Constitution.
Kerry. Bush said "What we need is some good conservative judges, and that his favorite justices are Scalia and Thomas." Kerry likes Potter Stewart: "mark of a good judge is that when you're reading their decision, you can't tell who wrote it." Kerry brought up women's right to choose.

Abortion is murder. Kerry is religious. He cannot legislate his faith for someone who doesn't believe what he believes. Kerry wants represent all people in the Nation. Kerry doesn't want a rigid idealogical limitations on world-wide family planning. He respects the question.
Bush says we won't spend taxpayers money on abortion. He didn't understand Kerry's answer. Bush signed "unborn victims of violence act". Every child protected by law and welcomed into life. Maternity group homes. Partial birth abortion. Kerry is against, but wants exemption. He doesn't want parental notice. Bush doesn't understand. Kerry understands more possibilities.

Bush's thousand decisions affect millions of lives. Cite three examples of wrong decisions? Okay, is Bush gonna answer this? Maybe not. Today's report confirmed Bush's decision to invade Iraq.
Kerry: President made a huge mistake in not living up to his own standard to build a true coalition and not go into war unless it was a last resort.
Bush: mentions the vote against the $87 billion. "Saddam Hussein was a risk to our country, mam."

Closing statements.
Kerry. Our country is strongest when we lead the world.
Bush. Presidential election is about the future. He just doesn't understand that he's taking liberties away rather than standing up for liberties.

first post

Here's a post on my new blog. Not sure what I'm going to do with this yet, but this is a start. I went to a band boosters meeting tonight. We're going to have 41 bands at our tournament this year. Should be fun.

Politics are on my mind lately. Wondering why anyone likes our President. Nobody has been able to tell me, and I'm liking him less and less every day. His lies about Kerry's words in the debate are infuriating. How could anyone who watched the debate not see what an idiot Bush is, how he lost the debate and is now lying about it?