Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Snowzilla:  Christmas Hero or Neighborhood Menace?

by W. T. Howes

Politicians aren’t the only residents of Alaska who have stirred up enough controversy to become national news in 2008.  Ted Stevens made headlines with his trial, conviction and narrow election defeat.  Sarah Palin made headlines when she seized the nation’s attention during her run for Vice President.  Neither Steven nor Palin can match Snowzilla for sheer stature.  Snowzilla the giant snowman now rises 22 feet above the street in Anchorage on which he resides, and his mere existence has raised a Yuletide ruckus in Anchorage.

Snowzilla was 16 feet tall on Sunday.  He was reduced to rubble as the result of a cease and desist order issued by the City of Anchorage.  Like Frosty, he came back to life.  Someone - perhaps Santa’s elves going rogue - rebuilt him overnight.  He now stands at a height of 22 feet.  No good deed goes unpunished, however.  The legal struggle between Snowzilla’s family and the city will no doubt resume after Christmas.  As such, a website has been started to support Snowzilla.

Some see Snowzilla as a menace to the neighborhood.  His notoriety apparently creates traffic and noise in the residential area.  Some see Snowzilla as a hero.  That’s up to you.  Merry Christmas.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Camelot Barbie Chronicles:  The Voting Record Red Herring

by W. T. Howes

The New York Daily News created some buzz in the press and on the web when it obtained and released the official record of Caroline Kennedy’s voting history.  Their analysis was that she had missed nearly half of the elections that she has been eligible to vote in since she registered to vote in New York.  Frankly, this is a red herring.  Instead we need to focus on her lack of experience and learn what we can about her policy positions.

Caroline Kennedy has only voted in half of the elections in which she was eligible to vote since registering in New York, according to The New York Daily News.  Big deal.  The key to this little statistic is that almost all of the elections that she missed were primaries.  You don’t need a PhD in Political Science from Harvard to know that almost all primary elections are uncontested.  It is hardly a sin to miss voting in an uncontested primary election.  It is hardly unusual either.  (That being said, I never miss voting in even an uncontested election.)

The voting record analysis is a red herring.  The focus should be on her lack of experience and any policy positions we can discern.

From what we can see so far, she is an unabashed West Side Lib:

Gay marriage - SUPPORTS

Gun control - BRING IT ON

Union card check - SUPPORTS

Immigration - Supports the Kennedy-McCain Plan (Go figure)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

‘09 Battlegrounds:  Bob McDonnell runs with United Virginia GOP

by W. T. Howes

Virginia and New Jersey are scheduled to be the top two battleground states in 2009.  Viriginia will hold statewide elections.  At the top of the ticket for the GOP is Attorney General Bob McDonnell.  Bob McDonnell is running at the head of a united GOP, which will enable out-of-state stars like Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal (pictured left) to visit the Old Dominion on his behalf.