HE'S RIGHT ABOUT MISSISSIPPI

Charlie Rangel is a source of candor, that's for sure. That is one of the few things I like about him. And I think his voice is kinda funny.

He's already causing quite a stir about the 110th Congress, saying:

"Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

His reason for discussing this topic is that he wants to bring more money to New York. As if New York suffers from a lack of funding. I'm all for funding increases in Homeland Security and a need-based system for allocations. And I'm glad the DHS did away with the old system of funding homeland security projects that saw non-populous states get more money per capita than the big five states that realistically need the most protection. But is New York really suffering from a lack of federal dollars?

Mississippi admittedly gets more federal money than it pays in taxes, but in many aspects this is necessary as there is not enough money at the state level and in federal taxes from the state, to fund the same programs that exist around the country.

UPDATE (11/14/06): Rangel apologized and accepted an invite to go to Mississippi. He's a funny old guy.

DUMBASS

On NPR tonight, I heard Mike Wallace discussing the death of Ed Bradley. Wallace is 88 and Bradley was 65. The interviewer asked if Bradley got any flack for wearing an earring on television. Wallace said he didn't like it but that a lot of people probably started wearing earrings because of Bradley. Hahahahahaa. Um, no.

FIRST MISTAKE?

Obviously, the Democrats won both houses of Congress at least party -- and maybe entirely -- on the turmoil and fiasco that is Iraq. I agree with the sentiment that the war has been waged poorly and I go farther to say that the National Security team that ran it was dysfunctional. Thankfully Rumsfeld was fired; he was the biggest danger in the equation.

As for how the newly-minted majority may address the problem of Iraq remains to be reported. But there are a few stories out there that speculate, based on prominent Democrats' comments, on what is to come:

"The American people have spoken. They want an honorable solution in Iraq. They want to bring the troops home responsibly and not leave chaos behind," said [Sen. Joe] Biden, who's in line to become chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

This is a pretty germane comment, and something I do not disagree with. But what other leading Democratic voices are saying troubles me.

First stop next year will be legislation calling for an undetermined number of troops to come home immediately.

Withdrawal from Iraq, even just a partial one, is the wrong move, in my opinion. I think what is needed is to send more troops to Iraq. Sending too few was the biggest sin of former Secy. Rumsfeld's many mistakes and every price we pay in Iraq today is directly related to Rumsfeld's disdain for the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force. Quelling the violence in Iraq needs to happen before any political progress can be made in Baghdad.

I am sensitive to Iraqis seeing the American presence as an occupying force and what they rail against in their bloody streets. But withdrawing troops will only create a vacuum in which violence will only escalate to even more alarming rates. The militant Sunnis are not only fighting against the Americans who issued the idiotic de-Baathification policy putting them out of work, but also at having the trappings of minority status, something they are just not used to after strongarming the Shiites and Kurds for decades.

I hope the Baker-Hamilton report will push this option for the short-term when it is released in December.

THE NEW CONGRESS

I am very pleased at the outcome of the midterm election. That statement probably comes as a surprise to some people. Divided government, I believe, is crucial to producing the best government. The Republican Congress was doing a horrible job, anyway, oversight of the Executive Branch was non-existent, and there was zero fiscal discipline. Normally, the Democrats would not be the ones to take up these issues in principle, but the current crop of Dems campaigned on such issues as a balanced budget, ethics reforms, presidential oversight and a new look at the old problem called Iraq.

There will undoubtedly be bills passed by the Democrat Legislative branch that I disapprove of, but there will certainly be bills I support. There were bills passed under the Republican Congress that I didn't like: the Southern Wall, most recently.

As for Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, I welcome her to history. Her views on issues are generally much more liberal than mine, and moreso than most of the country I could argue, but as the leader of the House has to be a consensus-builder among her own party -- and don't forget that most of the Democrat victors that gave the party the majority are Blue Dog Democrats. I'm not too worried about radically liberal bills becoming policy, and if they do, well, at least I've got a forum in which to rant.

I trust that she will follow through on her rhetoric of working with Republicans, and that her deputies and committee chairmen do likewise. They certainly don't have to, but they should. She has said they will, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. I do not support some committee chairmen already named, like Barney Frank, Charlie Rangel and to a lesser degree John Conyers, but their committees are not their kingdoms. I only wish Pelosi would give the chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee to the current-Ranking Member, Jane Harmon. She's earned the post, and is considered the most informed House Democrat on intelligence issues. She's also Pelosi's fellow Californian and replaced Pelosi on the committee when Pelosi became minority leader. We'll see what she does.

I am looking forward to the first 100 hours. Progress is good, and the Republicans had their chance, and squandered it. On to the next!

Update (11/13/06): Harman is out. From a Washington Post article, dated today:

Pelosi has also all but decided she will not name the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) to chair that panel next year, a decision pregnant with personal animus.

That is the only reference to Harman in the article. What a strange, dangling comment. Too bad Harman doesn't have the support of Pelosi; I liked her and thought she was a great ranking member, strong but not partisan. I wonder why Pelosi doesn't like her.

ALWAYS BEHIND

I have 154 podcasts I haven't listened to yet. I have at least on data CD of music both old and new I have had for two months and see every morning on my dresser. There are 499 movies in my Netflix queue. I have books that are unread to read approximately 5 to 1. My room is carpeted with magazines I subscribe to but am a couple months behind in reading. I pile them up so they're not all over, but it's still clutter. Both of my DVRs are nearing capacity. I always feel like I'm a week behind in some to-do list.

It is possible that this is all good. I'm not sitting around whittling these things down because I'm busy doing other things. But when will it get to the point that I suffocate underneath all this weight of media? It's gonna be either very easy to pack up an move out in the next year, like I plan, or it will be mini Sophie's Choices over and over again. Sometimes I think the best option is to just throw it all away and follow Thoreau to Walden Pond.

I PUBLISH IN FITS AND STARTS

Yes, I know, I'm an inconsistent jerkwad. I'm a tease; I lead my few readers on only to turn high-tail and stay of the internets for months at a time. Well, I'm trying here. Be gentle.

I'm going to try to publish more. I need just to remind myself that these little burps of words are suitable; I needn't write an opus every time I sit down to the keyboard.

I hope to gain your trust again. I'm only half-kidding.

SO MUCH FOR GILDED STREETS

Man, that Bears game sucked ass today. I bought into the hype that it would be an undefeated season, though not a cakewalk, and was very annoyed at their performance today. Grossman is getting less consistent, kinda like last season. I'm getting worried about the Giants and the Pats now. C'mon Lovie, make it work again. Let's hope this was just a hiccup....

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY

I know it's not Tuesday, but that's the cliche, isn't it, so it'll just have to do.

I really like the four-song Tony Lucca EP "Through the Cracks." Anyone have an opinion? Who's even reading this anymore???

IS IT JUST ME?

I hate Paula Zahn. I really do. She's stiff, too tall, has an annoying voice and vocal ticks that drive me crazy. She stumbles over her words every other sentence, is too impatient in her tone, and asks roundabout questions as if she is unwilling to get to the point. She's one reason I like CNN less than I used to. Though crazy Ted's network got better the second it dumped the ridiculous "Crossfire," it lost some credibility in my eyes when it hired Zahn. She's just not up to the task.