Have you ever had the awful experience of applying for a job and being told that you were overqualified? That's just happened to John Roberts. Nobody's really been able to find anything bad about Roberts, which is now being given as a reason to distrust him.
While we're waiting to see if we get any Katrina survivors here, we can see how a nearby Indiana town is handling it. About 50 evacuees are being taken care of in Marion, the county seat of Grant County, which has had some economic woes of its own. When people who can least afford it are willing to help, it doesn't leave many excuses for the rest of us.
Tonight's lead editorial is about the need to be prepared to take care of yourself for three days if disaster strikes the area. In doing some research for the piece, I discovered that September is National . . . well, you won't believe it. See for yourself.
Now that insensitive Joel Silverman is talking about moving the Southgate license branch out by the airport, which will really inconvenience those of us on the south side of town. Silverman obviously doesn't care, and Gov. Daniels backs him, so he's not likely to do anything. The General Assembly? Please. That means only one person can give us relief. So why haven't we heard from President Bush? Is he out having a photo op, or what?
I've tried to convey the idea in several posts that President Bush is not solely to blame for the poor execution of post-Katrina relief -- not that he is blameless, but that plenty of others at all levels made mistakes as well. But perhaps I'm wrong if even God is a Bush-basher.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said an odd thing as he vowed to veto the bill that would make California the first state to recognize gay marriage by legislative action:
The Republican governor had indicated in previous statements that he would veto the bill, saying the debate over same-sex marriage should be decided by voters or the courts.
Three states have put tougher restrictions on the taking of private property. It's looking more and more like the Supreme Court's Kelo decision will have the overall beneficial effect of waking people up to how far eminent domain has gone in this country.
You remember our old friend Fred Phelps, who has brought his vile Westboro Baptist Church members here and lately has been picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq (including Indiana ones). He's at it again.
In case you thought Morgan Spurlock was the dumbest "live among the real folks" documentarian around, check out this clueless writer. Where is George Plimpton when we need him?
If you're at all interested in Fort Wayne history, you really need to check out this site, even bookmark it. It has several collections of old photos of Fort Wayne's past (and Indiana's, too, for that matter), digitized by the Allen County Public Library. I spent several hours looking at the pictures, even after I looked up Central High School, the old bus station and several other landmarks from my past.
No matter what you think about illegal drugs, you have to start asking if the war against same is working. Or maybe we should bring back the war against alcohol.
On the death of Bob Denver, some interesting trivia about "Gilligan's Island" in the New York Times obituary: The relationship of Gilligan and the Skipper was based on Laurel and Hardy. Gilligan's first name, seldom used, was Willy. The Minnow was so named in homage to FCC Chairman Newton Minnow of "vast wasteland" fame. And the show was cancelled after three seasons, though still high in the ratings, so that CBS could stretch "Gunsomke" from a half-hour to a full hour.
I should probably lament this development as another sign of civilization's decline -- see, nobody's reading anymore! But it seems like an interesting way to add interest to the magazine. I read a lot of comic books as a kid and graduated to Mad magazine and National Lampoon, checking out a few Classics Illustrated along the way. If I could find a good illustrator, I'd add a graphic novel to this blog.
Concerning Supreme Court nominations, a couple of questions:
1. For President Bush: How tough is it really going to be to "take a good, long look" at a second nomination necessitated by the death of William Rehnquist, since you went through every single possibility thoroughly after Sandra Day O'Connor said she wanted to quit and before you selected John Roberts? You know whom you're going to name, so quit fooling around with us.
I bow to no one in praise of Mitch Daniels' attempts to bring state spending under control. But isn't this a little short-sighted? All agencies can benefit from eliminating waste and inefficiency, but at some point, a department's responsibilities need to take precedence over orders for across-the-board cuts.
If you doubt how nice Headwaters Park has become with the addition of the permanent pavilion, you should check out one of the many festivals that are held there. I went to Fiesta Fort Wayne over the weekend and had a great time.
A piece on THE Great Lost Album. Like most pop criticism, it's overthought and overwrought, but it's right that the Beach Boys' importance and Brian Wislon's talent often get overlooked. And I defy anydody to find better driving-around music.
More reasonable comments on Katrina, including thoughts on "refugees," "the homeless," partisanship and the remarkable Brendan Loy, who turns out to have been smarter than all the pundits and politicians combined.
More post-Kelo America stuff. I hope eminent domain becomes a campaign issue in Indiana politics, too.
