UPDATE: As expected, the interview was excellent! Great job to the P&S crew and especially to Phil Plait! I’ll pop a link to the podcast as soon as I can for the folks who, like me, have WMMR blocked at work.
Well, somewhere in the midst of all the Halloween frivolity, I seem to remember some kind of election coming up tomorrow. I have a little something to say about that.
House District 21, this is for you! I got the chance to usurp some of Mike’s valuable foot time while he was visiting houses in my neighborhood. I saw Mike driving around for the better part of three days, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he met a good deal of us face-to-face.
When Mike dropped by, it seems that he thought he was going to do a quick lit drop to an uninterested Democrat, as I had my Markell sign on the lawn. However, Mike got me instead, and graciously elected (pun!) to talk a couple of issues with me. The decider for me, other than the fact that he was meeting people face-to-face and I hadn’t even seen a Creedon volunteer in the area, was his views on open government. Mike was well informed on the issue and seemed passionate in his support of bringing the GA under FOIA as a public body. When I mentioned John Kowalko’s constant fight in this regard, he mentioned his high esteem for John based on John’s good ethics and boundless energy in keeping the GA clean. He also mentioned the complete travesty that is the “desk drawer veto”.
Mike gave me the impression that he would be a tireless ally to John and Karen Peterson in getting the Assembly opened up to public scrutiny. In Delaware, I don’t know if we have a more important issue. For that, Mike gets my vote, and he should get yours, too.
Now, some may wonder why I chose this topic with which to break my month-long silence on politics. It’s because no one else is talking about it. We’ve seen a bit about the 21st on DE Lib and kavips, but just as a glossing-over, taking the Democrat’s win as a foregone conclusion, which I found odd, since we’ve had a Republican representing us for years, Pam Meiers, and if she wasn’t moving to a new location, this year would have seen her re-election.
I have created a Facebook group for all of the Delaware bloggers and the folks kind enough to read us and comment. If you’re on facebook, join the group and add us to your friends. If you’re not on Facebook, then what the hell do you do while you’re at work?
So, our next VP is going to be Delaware Senator Joe Biden. I still think a more suitable position for his experience would have been Secretary of State, but this is a good pick! Check out this vid that I saw on De Liberal.
I can’t help but wonder what this is going to mean for our little state. As I said last night to liberaleek, I would expect their hit count to skyrocket, but that’s small potatoes. I imagine every local DE campaign is calling Biden for an endorsement, but I wonder who will get it. Biden has sered in the senate for over 30 years, so is he going to go for the established John Carney? Or will he go with Jack Markell, who has taken up Obama’s call for change?
This has turned our local elections into a whole new game, as a Biden endorsement will carry heavy weight!
Well, I have left local politics out of M-BA for quite a while now. Maybe (but probably not) some of you are wondering who I support. Well, here it is:
Jack Markell for governor
Matt Denn for Lt. Governor
Well, damn, that’s a short list. so let me go into detail. Bill Lee has been a ghost this entire election. I may be willing to vote for him if he would make himself known or participate in, say, debates or public functions. However, to the best of evidence, he does not want to run an actual campaign. Mike Protack, well, I’ve made my thoughts on this guy clear in comments on other blogs. Mike has spent the last two years soliifying his reputation as a petulant child, and does not have what it takes to run the executive branch of this state.
John Carney? Well, if the Delaware Democratic Party wasn’t already spending their supporters money on this guy, then he might have had my vote. However, there’s just a little bit too much slime supporting and giving him money (Hi, Daniello!)
What about Copeland?
Look at that face! Dont’ you just want to slap it? As a former DuPonter, it’s difficult for me to think of anything that they don’t feel that they are entitled to in gthe great state of Delaware. I think Charlie is resting on the laurels of his name and his perfect triangle head to get him into the office of Lt. Governor. No thanks, Chuck, I like squares.
Well, that’s about it on this subject. I fyou want more in-depth reason to support my guys, then I suggest you check out Delaware Liberal. They’ll give you facts along with making fun of Copeland’s salon exterior.
There are some things that are absolutely great about living in Delaware: the one-degree of separation we all experience, Deerhead Hot Dogs, Deer Park, the beach, but most importantly to me is the annual rite of spring when The Dairy Palace reopens.
On Thursday, March 27th, The Dairy Palace takes the plywood off its windows and starts making the best damn milkshake in Delaware for 51 years running. If you haven’t experience the soft ice cream milkshake plain or mixed with a candy of your choosing, you have not lived. Seriously, you haven’t.
This Thursday, after lunch, I will journey down to Basin Road in New Castle, mosey up to the counter and order my usual, a medium vanilla milkshake. I can’t wait. See you there.
Update
What the hell? Last night after dinner, I took the wife and boy down from North Wilmington to New Castle for a milkshake and the windows were still shuttered at The Dairy Palace. My wife saw a notice about the opening the News Journal and the mother-in-law heard that The Dairy Palace was on on JBR.
I just got off the phone with them and they are open now as of 1:20 PM on Friday.
Two events occured over the last week that pertained to Bush’s war. The first was Vice President Cheney’s cavalier answer when confronted with the fact that most Americans are not in favor of the war (video). The other event that occured was the fact the we reached 4,000 combat deaths in Iraq.
Well, Mr. Cheney, below are the men and women of Delaware who are my answer to your question.
Lancee Cpl. Anthony P. Roberts
Bear, DE
Died: 06 April 2004
Age: 18
Spec. Jarrett B. Thompson
Dover, DE
Died: 07 September 2003
Age: 27
Lance Cpl. Richard C. Clifton
Milford, DE
Died: 03 February 2005
Age: 19
Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki
New Castle, DE
Died: 07 January 2007
Age: 23
Cpl. Stephen M. McGowan
Newark, DE
Died: 04 March 2005
Age: 26
Sgt. 1st Class James S. “Shawn” Moudy
Newark, DE
Died: 11 December 2005
Age: 37
Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon
Newark, DE
Died: 03 June 2006
Age: 44
Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Garyantes
Rehoboth, DE
Died: 18 May 2004
Age: 34
Spec. Ryan P. Long
Seaford, DE
Died: 03 April 2003
Age: 21
Cpl. Cory L. Palmer
Seaford, DE
Died: 06 May 2006
Age: 21
Lance Cpl. Richard Z. James
Seaford, DE
Died: 13 May 2006
Age: 20
Sgt. Brian D. McGinnis
Townsend, DE
Died: 30 March 2003
Age: 23
Sgt. Keith E. Fiscus
Townsend, DE
Died: 02 December 2006
Age: 26
You may remember an earlier storyof mine about the former Superintendent of Christina School District, who bankrupted the district and headed off to sunny Florida. Well, this has even my skeptical mind considering the possibility of karma.
Brought to you by the WNJ, it seems Mr. “Pockets” made a nuisance of himself and got summarily and unceremoniously canned. Sincerely, my heart goes out to him and I truly hope he makes it through this rough patch and rises from the… pfffffHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Whew, couldn’t even make it past that bit of sarcasm.
In all seriousness, Joey, tough break with your cushy job going tits-up and all! Don’t come back!
This was a very exciting day for me as it was my first trip down to Legislative Hall. For live blogging, I was able to make most posts from my cellphone, with only a little cleanup once I got home. Those damned keyboards are small.
I arrived in Dover at around 2:30 and met up with Mike Matthews and one of our resident anons in the cafeteria shortly thereafter. We also met up with Mark Brunwick and Rep. Gilligan as we waited for the session to begin, and Mike brought up the subject of Civics courses in the public schools. Gilligan said that he thought that the Government and Economics classes offered in the 12th grade were enough, at which point I mentioned that if there were still Civics courses, we may not see so many unchallenged incumbents. I don’t think he likes me anymore. We were then joined by Dana Garrett and Richard Korn.
We moved into the house chamber to see that all of the seats on the floor were reserved for the families of Representatives and the naysayers to SB5. There was some half-serious speculation that the chairs were marked reserved to keep the bloggers off the floor, but that seemed eerily portentous when later in the night, Mike was removed from the floor for using his cellphone. Through the night, we were also joined by Karen Hartley-Nagel, Michael Dore, Tyler Patrick Nixon, and (not surprisingly considering SB5) Jordan Warfel.
The big news is, of course, Dave Burris’ last minute Indiana Jones shit on HB177. Dave explains what happened, but neglects to mention the poison darts and giant boulder. Everyone owes Dave a round of applause and some deep respect for his quick thinking and persuasive arguments. Let’s hope that Dave clues us in on what conclusion he came to about why the Dems were pushing so hard for this bill, other than the general “for power” offered by opponents or the ridiculously childish catchphrases offered by the Dems in support of the bill. As for the vote itself, Mike and I looked at each other in amazement with each vote of “no”, and like a flash of light Democracy had won.
Outside of the chamber, our little cadre was all smiles and hugs. I can’t remember ever feeling so good about something that went down in the government. Two things that I will always remember from last night are Karen’s wonderfully big smile, and Tyler dancing a spontaneous jig on the front steps outside of Legislative Hall. The feeling was that good!
What I’ve learned from this:
It’s worth quitting smoking just to avoid having to go through security 17 brazillion times.
Rep. Gilligan is not above sitting and chatting with people who vigorously oppose his legislation. That takes class.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have the energy and drive that Dana has, but I’d like to.
It’s amazing how all of our time spent talking, debating, and in some cases agonizing over a bill can come down to about a minute and a half of floor time.
I am vindicated in my opinion that, despite our disagreement on some matters of policy, Dave Burris is one of the good guys.
UPDATE: It occurred to me that I have given a lot of credit to Dave without mentioning everyone else who worked against this bill: Dana Garrett, Mike Matthews, Tyler Nixon, Karen Hartley-Nagel, Mark Brunwick, and Nancy Willing, among many others. It was not my intention to do so, and I am very sorry. Dave may have spiked it, but the ball was perfectly set for the win.
Last night, Meg and I ditched the kids with my father-in-law and his partner and went to see Video Games Live at the Kennedy Center in DC. We first had a couple of drinks at the Watergate, and discussed some plans for the future, then headed on the the beautiful concert hall where we saw the National Symphony Orchestra play some of my favorite pieces from games, both old and new.
Many may feel differently, but when I play a game, one of the first things that strikes me and can make or break a game experience is the music. In the last 10 years or so, technical advancements in gaming have allowed music to evolve from primitive bleeps and bloops to huge orchestral pieces of amazing depth and wide dramatic scope. It’s not hard anymore to argue against those who protest the burgeoning artistic merit of the video game industry.
Long story short, Video Games Live was an amazing experience and it was thoroughly enjoyed by both Meg and me. I highly recommend this experience to anyone!
In other news, I will be heading to Legislative Hall this afternoon for an evening of startling revelations, threats, and possible bodily harm visited upon someone by our resident Legislative Hothead, John Daniello.
Look at that face! Dont’ you just want to slap it? As a former DuPonter, it’s difficult for me to think of anything that they don’t feel that they are entitled to in gthe great state of Delaware. I think Charlie is resting on the laurels of his name and his perfect triangle head to get him into the office of Lt. Governor. No thanks, Chuck, I like squares.
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