Rainbow Warriors

So I think I understand why everyone takes vacation n August. Nothing happens. Pretty sparse list of topics this week.

Two weeks ago, the first and former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (also known as the creator of the asinine rainbow warning system) raised a few eyebrows when excerpts from his upcoming memoir were released to the media. In one passage in particular, Ridge states that he was pressured on several occasions by senior members of the Bush administration to elevate the threat level at times when he felt neither the intelligence nor the evidence warranted such action, most egregiously, on the eve of President Bush’s re-election. He claims it bothered him so much that it eventually led to his resignation. Apparently believing that “senior administration officials” referred specifically to him, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld replied through his spokesperson that perhaps now would be a good time for Ridge to break out his roll of emergency duct tape.

Are Ridge’s assertions true? I don’t know. I’m inclined to believe they are. The previous administration - particularly the former Vice-President and Secretary of Defense – have shown no qualms about using terrorism, or the threat of terrorism for their own political gain. Since September 12, 2001 President Bush has been constructed his legacy around his response to external threats, so the idea isn’t that far fetched. Adding fuel to the speculative fires has been the curious responses of implicated officials to the accusations. They respond not by emphatically denying the accusations, but by insisting the accuser adhere to some code of silence and shut up, or else. It’s almost like the administration is some sort of gang far more concerned with its members snitching to the authorities than with the damage they’re doing to the community with their activities.

I wasn’t going to mention this. But in light of the madness being espoused by anti-Obama protesters in various forms across the country, I think it is worth mentioning. Speaking to a recent gathering of supporters in her state, Kansas Republican Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins made the following remark in response to a question she received about future Republican House leadership: “Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope. I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington.” She then went on to defeat her the point she was trying to make by naming House Minority Whip Eric Cantor one of those bright young minds. But the part of the response that made news was her choice of the phrase, “great white hope” in reference to leadership.

For those of you who don’t know, the phrase “great white hope” entered the American lexicon circa Boxing Day, 1908, when African American boxer Jack Johnson defeated the white Tommy Burns for the Heavyweight Championship. Whites were so incensed with the outcome, that many began to call for a “great white hope” to return the title to its “rightful place” with the “superior” white race. I’m hesitant to ascribe motives to people with no public history of bigotry. So while it seems incredibly unlikely that Jenkins was – as she claimed – completely unaware of any negative connotations of the phase, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she’s really not a racist. Maybe she’s just stupid. Maybe it really never occurred to her that searching for a “great white hope” to combat the current non-white leadership might seem suspect to more than a few people. Maybe she just prefers white hope. Like vanilla ice cream. Strawberry hope and rocky road hope may be all well and good, but a little vanilla hope really hits the spot. Who knows. Whatever the truth is, the incident highlights a common problem with politicians; too much talking, not enough thinking beforehand. It’s okay to think stupid things. It’s not always a good idea to say them.

Thomas Edison must be rolling over in his grave. September 1 was the last opportunity for European distributors and retailers to stock up on 100W incandescent light bulbs. From now on, said lamps will no longer be produced in or imported to Europe, and once supplies run out, will no longer be available. They are to be replaced with either fluorescent, halogen or LED bulbs, all significantly more efficient (and for the time being, more expensive) than the old standard. The United States is scheduled to follow suit in 2012, a move expected to save millions of tons of carbon emissions and millions of dollars on electricity bills. Many people unhappy with the new rules are hoarding bulbs in their basements, perhaps preparing for the day when throwing money away on a light bulb that produces more heat than light becomes fashionable again. I say good riddance. No more burning my fingers on these stupid things every time I go to change one.

Finally, According to reports from various “watchdog” groups that monitor such things, texting while driving has become a serious problem in America. This is astonishing to me. We really needed studies to tell us that using both hands to type instead of steer and both eyes to focus on a 4 inch LCD screen instead of on the road in front of us is insanely dangerous? Really? I can’t believe people actually do this. Note to compulsive texters and tweeters. You ARE NOT that damn important! PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND DRIVE YOU IDIOTS!