"Birther" as metaphor...

...for everything that's wrong with the Republican Party, that is.

New research out from DailyKos (a liberal site with a respected polling operation) shows that 58% of Republicans either aren't sure President Obama was born in the U.S. or don't think he was.

That compares with 77% of Americans overall who see Obama's birth as a dead issue. That's a pretty massive disconnect.

When you look at the details, the GOP rank-and-file looks even more out of touch: The lion's share of "flat-earth-birthers" live in the South and a bunch of them are older, age 60+.

The problem here is pretty simple: Big confident political movements have to know how to control their fringes.

But with this rural, Southern white tail wagging the GOP dog, progress toward some kind of revival is difficult to imagine.

These numbers prompted Glenn Thrush, with Politico, to ask, "When do we start a serious dialog about the Birther movement being a proxy for racism that is unacceptable to articulate in more direct terms?"

When you roll the birther-nonsense into the larger PR nightmare that is Glenn Beck ("This guy [Obama] I believe is a racist." and Rush Limbaugh, it's bleak.

This is tough because if there's one thing Democrats need right now it's a strong, responsible opposition party -- one that can challenge the Obama agenda on its merits, not on bizarro stuff.

McHugh: "no delusions as to the tough challenges ahead"

I'm watching this morning's confirmation hearings for John McHugh to become Secretary of the Army. They're archived here on C-SPAN.

No surprises. The most interesting parts are when Sen. McCain grills McHugh for accepting campaign contributions from PMA Group, a lobbying firm that's under FBI investigation, and when McHugh says it'll take 5 or 6 years to fill the gap in mid-level officers.

I'll have a report this afternoon on All Before Five and tomorrow on The 8 O'Clock Hour.

UPDATE: Hey, it's almost Friday, right? Get a sneak preview of the story now.

Help on the way for dairy farmers? (Updated)

I found an e-mail in my inbox this morning from the grassroots dairy farmers' group, United States Dairy Farmers (this is the group that demonstrated in Iowa in June). It says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is telling lawmakers he's going to raise the support price for dairy farmers. It's attributed to Arden Tewksbury of the Progressive Agriculture Organization:

I have been notified by Senator Specter’s staff that US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met today with about 15 US Senators. The Secretary announced that he was going to raise the support price on manufactured dairy products. However, although he did not say how much he was going to raise the support price, he indicated he wanted to have an answer before the August 7 recess. Some anticipate he might announce the amount of the increase this week.

At its rally in Iowa, USDF called for Vilsack to raise the price support immediately to $18/hundredweight. That's what the farmers say they need to "cash flow" (actually make some money to pay their bills rather than lose money). Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Governor Paterson's out with a statement praising Vilsack, so it appears to be true. Reports say Vilsack's still negotiating with Office of Management and Budget over how much the price support will increase. From the Gov's statement:

The slowed economy coupled with an antiquated pricing system at the federal level has left the dairy industry in shambles. Our dairy farmers are struggling to keep their farms open as the price of milk continues to plunge and costs continue to rise. Currently, the average New York dairy farmer is losing $.50 for every gallon of milk produced, which equates to roughly $18,000 a month for a 100-cow farm. Our farmers cannot continue with prices at these levels and therefore, I hope Secretary Vilsack is able to negotiate a swift and effective price with the Office of Management and Budget that will help our farmers across the nation, particularly those in Upstate New York.

The Democratic Party's tricky new message

The message out of Washington DC the last few weeks has been loud and clear:

The Democratic Party is bigger than Barack Obama.

Unlike the Republicans, who have doggedly pursued a stripped-down, ideologically pure platform -- one that offers scant welcome for moderate Republicans -- Dems have made it clear that their party is a coalition.

That means compromise, it means some factions will lose occasionally, and it means Mr. Obama won't get everything he wants.

The lesson that Democrats are taking to heart is the experience of parties under the last two administrations.

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both left their respective parties in shambles.

Republicans and Democrats saw their majorities evaporate, thanks in large measure to the behavior and leadership of the Commander in Chief.

The question will be whether Dems can keep their disparate coalition together, finding ways that true liberals can co-exist with Blue Dog conservatives.

If they manage that trick, the formula could be a tough one for Republicans to crack:

A truly centrist political movement, one that's competent and eager to make government work efficiently while also reflecting the broad, sometimes clumsy and contradictory aspirations of the American people.

Or Dems could disintegrate into warring and dwindling factions as the Republicans have done. Stay tuned...

Republicans a 'rural party and a southern party'

Appearing on the MSNBC show "Hardball" with Chris Matthews, former Virginia congressman Tom Davis laid out a pretty stark assessment of the Republican movement.

Politics has been defined by culture over the last few cycles, and we've become a rural party and a Southern party. We've been losing inner suburbs and the like. A lot of this was the policies of the Bush administration.

Davis points out, rather bleakly, that conservatives are winning the counties with the lowest education and economic achievement, while Democrats are winning in the high-achiever counties.

As we move to cultural politics, that's been the shift. It's a terrible move. It's also rural vs. urban in the Northeast and the Midwest and everywhere else.

Davis concludes that hard-right activists such as Rush Limbaugh "want a private club with an admissions test. They don't want a party which is by definition a coalition."

Here in New York state, this begs the question: How long can the GOP position itself as the 'Party of Upstate" and the "not-NYC" party?

Is that a working formula for future majorities in the Assembly or Senate? Or for winning statewide races?

Is Scott Murphy in the clear?

Republicans have been sending a lot of signals the last few weeks about battleground districts they plan to challenge in 2010.

They've launched anti-healthcare reform ads in select districts, designed to soften up Democratic incumbents.

They've also unveiled a list of "Young Gun" challengers recruited to pick off vulnerable Democrats.

In key districts, the National Republican Congressional Committee has already lined up candidates and rolled out big fund raising operations.

So far, though, not a peep about the 20th congressional district. A lot of Republicans got burned during the special election, including national GOP chairman Michael Steele.

But this is a historically Republican district, which Scott Murphy from Glens Falls won on a squeaker.

It's hard to imagine the GOP will sit this one out.

Murphy is already getting a solid headstart. First, there's the obvious advantage of incumbency. By next year, he'll be a lot better known in the district.

He has also been raising cash aggressively to prepare for any challenge. The Albany Times-Union reported in mid-July that the Democrat hauled in $567,000 from April 1st-June 30th.

For the GOP to mount a credible fight to retake this turf, some names need to emerge soon.

After all, we're just 16 months out from election day 2010!

Dems list 11 possible candidates for 23d race

Here's the statement from the Dems in Jefferson County, with all eleven names at the bottom:

Democratic County Chairs Issue Statement on 23rd Congressional District Nomination Process

Watertown, NY – This evening the Democratic County Chairs in the 23rd Congressional District released the following statement after their weekly conference call. The County Chairs are moving forward with a process to nominate a Democratic candidate for the upcoming election to replace Congressman John McHugh (NY-23).

"On this evening's conference call we laid out a plan to move forward and select a strong Democratic candidate to run for Congress in New York's 23rd District. We agreed to meet with each candidate on Monday, August 10th at Syracuse University's Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake before we vote on the nomination later that day. We will announce our selection on the evening of August 10th shortly after the vote takes place."

"Listed below are the names of the 11 candidates we are considering."

"In the meantime we will continue to review the applications we have received. We will nominate a strong candidate who will campaign aggressively and win this special election before heading to Congress to work to create jobs in our district and get our economy back on track."

Candidates:

Andy Bisselle, Essex County
Stu Brody, Essex County
Steve Burke, St. Lawrence County
Danny Francis, Jefferson County
Bob Johnson, Jefferson County
Rudolph Johnson, Franklin County
Brian McGrath, Lewis County
David Ryan, Franklin County
John Sullivan, Jr., Oswego County
Michael Oot, Madison County
Bill Owens, Clinton County

Can the GOP elevate its game for 2010?

For the Republican Party, 2010 could be the beginning of the end, or the beginning of a new, more engaged and complex political movement.

After two vicious political cycles -- in 06 and 08 -- there are signs that the GOP might just compete effectively next year.

Democratic governors are stumbling in places like New Jersey, New York and Virginia that have been Dem strongholds in recent contests.

The musical chairs that followed President Barack Obama's election also left a number of Democratic US Senators vulnerable, in Illinois, Maryland and New York.

Added to these tactical openings, Democrats are confronting new public animosity over their deficit spending and their handling of the economy.

Good times for Republicans?

Maybe. The question now is whether the GOP can marshal its forces and present a new, more modern and inclusive platform.

Not just a P-R message.

That old gambit -- hiding the hard-line conservative agenda behind a few moderate talking points -- won't play anymore.

Republicans need some real ideas about healthcare, climate change, job creation and the economy.

They also need to figure out what to do with all their baggage. From the Obama Birthers to Sarah Palin. From scandal-icons like Sen. John Ensign and Gov. Mark Sanford

Republicans understand that their brand needs an overhaul, in ways that just opposing Barack Obama can't touch.

Here's Ohio Senator George Voinovich, speaking with the Columbus Dispatch:

“We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.).s th It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go ‘errrr, errrrr.’ People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?” said Voinovich.

Not very delicate, but there's some truth to what he's saying.

For Republicans to seize big opportunities in the Northeast -- Connecticut, New Jersey, New York -- they have to assure voters that their party is moving in the right direction.

The on-line journal Politico is generally bullish on the GOP's chances, but they include a coujple of caveats:

-Republicans still poll horribly in generic surveys, meaning individiual candidates aren't being helped by their party labels.

-There's been no significant surge in GOP voter registration, a growing problem in competitive districts.

-Despite some openings, Republicans will also be defending a lot of turf in 2010, thanks in large part to scandals and resignations. The GOP may even lose one or two more Senate seats.

In the town of Peru, local politics at their worst

I spent several days this spring talking with Peru town supervisor Donald Covel, his wife Linda and others in their community.

The topic? A great little town in free-fall, wracked by political in-fighting.

Peru used to be famous for its apples, and its Jamaican pickers. Now? Donald Covel has been convicted of official misconduct.

My sense talking to Mr. Covel was that he was in way over his head and had made some pretty bad choices.

But he also seemed like a local son who truly loves his community.

The good news here is that small, local governments can be far more resilient than big institutions like New York's state Senate.

As Mr. Covel moves out of the headlines, a lot of locals will have to step up and try to rebuild the goodwill and competence that once defined Peru.

Obama and the "birthers"

This morning's "on Point" made our Ottawa-area correspondent Lucy Martin mad. She grew up in Hawaii:

Hawaii, where I lived for 37 years, isn't big. People talk. And the informal 'coconut wireless' was even more effective back in the early '60s. There are still people alive today in Hawaii who 'know the truth' (as the conspiracy theorists like to say).

My Great-Aunt, Honolulu Realtor Lea Thropp, was once a high-rise neighbor of Madelyn Durham, Obama's Grandmother. Durham was a distinguished, hard-working pioneer in a very conservative industry (banking). Not someone who would perpetrate a serious and longstanding fraud. (And why would anyone have any need to do so, back when the conspiracy would have had to be set into motion?)

My dear Aunt died a good while ago, so it's not like I can use her as a secondary source. I'm just saying, Honolulu was a small town! There are plenty of ways to check this stuff out. And folks across Hawaii are well and truly satisfied that Obama was born on the island of Oahu, on Aug 4, 1961.

That means he was automatically a US citizen, by right of birth, and by right of his mother's citizenship. (Place of birth and parental status are how I claim my U.S. citizenship, how about you?)

There are some some fairly tortured explanations out there about his father's citizenship making Obama less than a full citizen. Or about being adopted by his Indonesian step-father, all of which strike me as irrelevant to Barack Obama's rights and status under any interpretation of law: is there any doubt his mother was American?


Obama's birth notices were printed at the time in two respected, long-standing local papers The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star Bulletin. They look just like the clippings in our family scrap book announcing the arrival of my oldest brother, who was born at the same maternity hospital (Kapi'olani) a few years earlier.

Obama's new-fangled State of Hawaii Department of Health birth certificate is identical to the birth certificate issued for my son, born in Honolulu in the 1990's. If my elderly Mom or Dad went and asked for their Territory of Hawaii birth certificates today, what they'd get would look the same as Obama's - that document is the current standard issue for anyone & everyone.


Two-term Republican Governor Linda Lingle has stated this is an unfounded issue.

It's just plain insulting to keep suggesting there's anything foreign, or suspect, about the citizenship of people born in Hawaii, as addressed by a former neighbor of mine in her Honolulu Advertiser blog:

Check the rumors, examine the hysteria and get real!

Several months ago I read some pop-psychology claim that people tend to make many decisions based on gut emotion, and then cast about for supposedly factual rationalizations that support that emotion-based preference.

That seems close to the truth in this case. Some people just don't want Obama to be American, or to be eligible to serve as President.

He is. Get over it!

APA chairman draws fire

This spring, APA chairman Curt Stiles unlocked a gate to the seasonal Lake Lila road and drove with his party to a public camping area.

He told reporters that he found the key under a rock near the gate.

Critics of the Park Agency -- particularly those unhappy with some of Stiles' votes against motorized recreation in the Adirondacks-- say the move reflects hypocrisy and elitism.

Here's Steve Piatt, writing in the New York Outdoor News.

Consider: a guy who plays a lead role in deciding who goes where and how within remote areas of the Park, who has time and time again taken firm stances against motorized access, 'finds' a key to a gate, helps himself and then drives into an area which at the time - the gate is opened later in the year - was closed to motorized access.

This is a guy who should be taking the parking spot furthest away from any trailhead, who should be following park regulations to a T and, when in doubt, erring on the side of caution.

Stiles hasn't been ticketed or fined. According to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, state officials determined that no laws had been broken.

Here's Stiles' own take, given to the Enterprise:

"I don't know whose key it was, but it certainly fit the lock," Stiles said. "I went in and registered like you should - didn't trespass. Somebody may have said, 'you probably shouldn't have gone through the gate,' but I certainly didn't get a ticket or anything else."

Report: Gillibrand pushing for hearings on 'don't ask-don't tell'

The on-line journal "Daily Beast" is reporting that New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has convinced lawmakers to hold hearings on the Clinton era military policy in the fall.

After determining she didn’t have enough votes in support of a temporary suspension of the ban on gays in the military, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand tells The Daily Beast she has secured the commitment of Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” this fall.

It would be the first formal re-assessment of the policy since Congress passed it into law in 1993.

With moves like this one, Sen. Gillibrand continues to tack to the left, shoring up her support among more liberal groups and voters in New York City.

That could be key if she faces a primary fight in 2010.

On Sarah Palin and big government

When Sarah Palin quit her job over the weekend, she gave a final, farewell speech as Governor of the state of Alaska.

In her address -- trumpeted on conservative and mainstream media across the U.S. -- Palin warned Americans "be wary of accepting government largess. It doesn't come free."

That small government approach is a perfectly legitimate political philosophy, but there's no evidence, beyond her finger-wagging rhetoric, that Palin believes it.

In 2008, with Palin in charge, USA Today and Taxpayers for Common Sense reported that Alaska was the number one state in the country in terms of total Federal spending per capita.

Alaska received more than $500 in Federal money for every man, woman and child.

The vast majority of that money came from taxpayers in other states, from California to New York.

Here's the irony: Conservatives prefer Palin over her former presidential running mate, Sen. John McCain, by overwhelming margins.

But McCain has been the true opponent of pork, refusing to sign up for wasteful earmarks and fighting to kill unneeded defense projects like the F-22 stealth raptor.

Unlike Alaska, Arizona a "net donor" state, which means that Arizonans contribute more in Federal income taxes to the national treasury than they receive back in Federal spending.

How much Federal money did Arizona receive per capita in 2008?

$18.70.

Americans are leery of Republican hypocrisy, whether it's "family-values" sermonizers sneaking off to Argentina or deficit hawks hoovering up pork.

For Palin to emerge as a true leader of the conservative movement -- more than a right-wing "Joe the Plumber" icon or a budding author and talk show host-- she'll have to put this question to rest.

How do you get from $18.70 to $500 a head and still call yourself an enemy of big government?

Scozzafava wins Independent support

The New York Daily News is reporting that State Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay is throwing his support behind Dede Scozzafava in the 23rd House seat race.

MacKay issued a press release saying that his party preferred Democrat Darrel Aubertine; but with Aubertine bowing out, Independents will back Scozzafava:

"In polling our state executive committee this morning, I can say with certainty that we will support our local leaders in the 23rd Congressional District and today we throw the support of the Independence Party behind Assemblywoman Scozzafava," MacKay said.

The article quotes Watertown Mayor Jeff Graham, a member of the Independence Party's state committee:

"She will be an able and exemplary representative of the people of the 23rd, and I heartily support her candidacy for the seat held by Rep. John McHugh, whom I have also had the privilege of supporting over the years."

This is good news for Scozzafava on a day when she's getting slammed by the Conservative Party.

Obama's no good very bad week

It's been a tough cycle for President Barack Obama. His healthcare initiative is stalled, thanks in part to the White House's muddled leadership.

His supporters want to rally around The Obama Plan, but the truth is there isn't an Obama Plan to support.

There's a Pelosi Plan, a still-unwritten Reid Plan, and a constellation of vague policy arguments that add up to a big muddle.

In his press conference this week, Mr. Obama was cool and thoughtful, rather than inspiring. Within 24 hours, Senator Harry Reid had pulled the issue off the agenda until September.

Ouch.

In a rare instance of message-confusion, the President used the same press conference to speak publicly about the "stupid" arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates.

Mr. Obama admitted repeatedly that he didn't know the facts and then dove smack into the middle of a racial controversy that had been fading.

It may be that the police were stupid in arresting Prof. Gates. It may be that they acted properly and were beyond reproach.

What's certain is that the President had no idea what he was talking about. Never a good thing for the CiC.

My prediction is that Mr. Obama will still get some kind of healthcare reform in the Fall. Democratic moderates don't want a crippled leader.

But this week's fumbles suggest that the White House has a long way to go building the kind of disciplined political juggernaut that George W. Bush wielded during his first term.

Scozzafava's brother problem

There's been a lot of attention already to Dede Scozzafava's role in the venture capital firm, Seaway Valley Capital Corp., owned by her brother, Thomas Scozzafava. The company owes almost $200,000 in back taxes and is tied up in two civil lawsuits. Democrats and some Republicans have been working to make her ties to the firm a campaign issue.

"There is nothing nefarious here," Dede Scozzafava told me yesterday, "the public company [Seaway Valley Capital Corp.] I have nothing to do with." You can listen to Dede Scozzafava explain some of this in this audio clip from our interview yesterday.

Based on that conversation, and an e-mail I received from Thomas, here's what we know:

• In 2003, Dede and Thomas Scozzafava formed Seaway Capital Partners, or "SC Partners, Inc. LLC", as an investment firm to create the North Country retail chain, Wise Buys. This happened shortly after Ames department stores closed, and local residents were clamoring for more retail options. (There was lots of clamoring for underwear, specifically.)
• Dede Scozzafava says she was, and still is, the vice-president and COO of "SC Partners". That's why she includes it in her official biography and on her resume to Republican party leaders. Scozzafava says another brother, Fred, owns a 51% share of the company and is the president. She says her brother, Thomas, is not currently a shareholder or investor in the company.
• Dede Scozzafava was a board member and corporate secretary of Wise Buys until March 2007.
• In October 2007, Seaway Valley Capital Corporation, with Thomas Scozzafava as CEO, acquired Wise Buys. Investors in "SC Partners"/Wise Buys, including Dede Scozzafava, were given shares in Seaway Valley. Other than this "passive investor" status, Dede Scozzafava says she has no connection to Seaway Valley.
• In November 2007, Seaway Valley acquired Hacketts, the Ogdensburg-based retail chain that's been around since the 1830s. Hacketts stores have been closing in Watertown, Pulaski, Massena, Canton, and Gouverneur (new reports say Massena and Gouverneur will remain open). Thomas Scozzafava wrote me that Hacketts was "distressed", with losses of $400,000, when he bought it. Hacketts has been struggling to pay back a $5 million loan.
• In June 2008, Seaway Valley acquired North Country Hospitality, which included Sackets Harbor Brewing Company, Good Fello's and Alteri Bakery, more distressed companies. Together these businesses owed $192,000 in state and federal taxes. Thomas Scozzafava says he did not know about the tax liens when he bought NCH.

So in summary, candidate Scozzafava owns some shares in brother Scozzafava's Seaway Valley Capital Corp., but she's not a director, manager, employee, or officer of the company.

Will Scozzafava still face tough questions in the eventual 23rd congressional district campaign? Absolutely. Will her brother's financial dealings affect her political aspirations? That's up to voters.

For the record, I asked Scozzafava if she thought her brother should have to pay back those taxes immediately. She said: "I think he's trying to turn the companies around and do that. But it's a business transaction and you should ask him about it."

Gillibrand embraces 'public option' for healthcare

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is using the progressive blogosphere to rally support for a so-called "public option" for national healthcare -- something akin to Medicare that would be available to everyone.

Her essays have appeared in the DailyKos site and on Huffington Post.

I truly believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and that the time for real reform -- including a public option -- is now. As the President said last night, the status quo is not an option and with you by my side, I intend to continue to fight for the real reform that Americans deserve.

Gillibrand first declared her support for the public option in May.

BREAKING: Aubertine NOT running for Congress

This came from state Senator Darrel Aubertine at 6:15pm:

“There has been a lot of speculation as to whether I would run in a special election for the 23rd Congressional District.

“My priority must continue to be the work I have started in the state Senate, representing Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties. My commitment is to the people of the 48th Senate District and has been all along. Before I could even consider the possibility of serving another eight counties, I had a duty to finish out this year’s session.

"This seat in Congress belongs to the people who live in these 11 counties, not any elected official or political party.

“Unfortunately, the National Republican Party has viewed the seat differently. National Republicans have demonstrated their belief that party registration matters more than the issues by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to attack and vilify me. They never mentioned the important issues we care about here in the 23rd, whether it’s our military and Fort Drum, border security and international trade, agriculture, energy and the economy of the future, or rural healthcare.

“It’s no small wonder why the Washington Republicans are going extinct, and contributors should question why the money they’ve given was squandered here for no good reason at all.

“I support the process that the Democratic Party has put in place to come up with a candidate to run for the expected vacancy in the 23rd Congressional District. I’m certain the 11 county chairs involved in the process will continue to move toward finding a qualified candidate who understands the issues here and will embark on an honest campaign that puts people before politics.”

At the Ironman in Lake Placid

Just checking the political blogs today, and I ran across this, about contestant Matt Long. He's the son of Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long, and his story is remarkable. Keep an eye out.

A pie that takes-the-cake

Here's my recipe for Rhubarb-Strawberry-Rosemary Pie. It won the pie contest at the Saranac Lake Rhubarb Festival last Saturday. If you still have some rhubarb in the garden or freezer – give it a try!

I used Ina Garten's pie crust recipe and won’t mess with perfection. I tweaked it by adding a tablespoon of orange zest.

Some tips from Ina: First, the butter, shortening, and water must all be very cold. Second, let the dough sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling (bakers call this "relaxing" the dough). Finally, don't stretch the dough when you're placing it into the pan.

12 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

1 tablespoon orange zest

6-8 tablespoons ice water (about 1/2 cup)


Directions:


1. Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.


2. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.


3. Add the butter and shortening.


4. Pulse about 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.


5. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.


6. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball.


7. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


8. Cut the dough in half.


9. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board.


10. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan.


11. Repeat with the top crust.


Okay, now my recipe for the rhubarb, strawberry, rosemary filling:


3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces


3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced


1 1/2 cups sugar


1/3 cup minute tapioca


1 tsp orange zest (yes, there’s some in the crust, too)


1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary


1 egg


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the
filling ingredients, tossing to coat the rhubarb and
strawberries with sugar. Let this mixture amalgamate while you
prepare the pie crust dough. I used a ten inch, deep-dish
glass pie pan. (Put any extra dough and filling into ramekins
for rhubarb potpies!)


Roll out the bottom crust layer and drape it over the pie pan.
Let it extend about a ½ inch over the rim.


Fill the pie with the rhubarb, strawberry, rosemary mixture.
Brush the edge of the bottom crust with beaten egg so the top
crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and crimp the
edges along the outside. Brush the entire top with egg wash
and sprinkle with sugar. Cut four or five slits in the top crust.


Bake for about an hour until the crust is browned and juices
begin to bubble out.

USDA: Farmers benefit from climate change bill

As a part of the Obama Administration's defense of the climate change bill, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified yesterday before Congress. He said the bill would help farmers more than hurt them. Here's excerpts from his testimony:

"Although we realize there are a variety of specific approaches that can be used to achieve clean energy and climate goals, over the last several weeks, USDA has analyzed costs and benefits of the House-passed climate legislation for agriculture. Our analysis demonstrates that the economic opportunities for farmers and ranchers can potentially outpace - perhaps significantly - the costs from climate legislation.

"The agriculture sector will benefit directly from allowance revenues allocated to finance incentives for renewable energy and agricultural emissions reductions during the first five years of the HR 2454 cap and trade program. Funds for agricultural emissions reductions are estimated to range from about $75 million to $100 million annually from 2012-2016.

"HR 2454's creation of an offset market will create opportunities for the agricultural sector. In particular, our analysis indicates that annual net returns to farmers range from about $1 billion per year in 2015-20 to almost $15-20 billion in 2040-50, not accounting for the costs of implementing offset practices.

"So, let me be clear about the implications of this analysis. In the short term, the economic benefits to agriculture from cap and trade legislation will likely outweigh the costs. In the long term, the economic benefits from offsets markets easily trump increased input costs from cap and trade legislation. Let me also note that we believe these figures are conservative because we aren't able to model the types of technological change that are very likely to help farmers produce more crops and livestock with fewer inputs. Second, the analysis doesn't take into account the higher commodity prices that farmers will very likely receive as a result of enhanced renewable energy markets and retirement of environmentally sensitive lands domestically and abroad. Of course, any economic analysis such as ours has limitations. But, again, we believe our analysis is conservative - it's quite possible farmers will actually do better.

"What does this mean for the individual farmer? A Northern Plains wheat producer, for example, might see an increase of $.80 per acre in costs of production by 2020 due to higher fuel prices. Based on a soil carbon sequestration rate of 0.4 tons per acre and a carbon price of $16 per ton, a producer could mitigate those expenses by adopting no-till practices and earning $6.40 per acre. So, this wheat farmer does better under the House passed climate legislation than without it. And, it's quite possible that this wheat farmer could do even better if technologies and markets progress in such a way that allows for the sale of wheat straw to make cellulosic ethanol.

"We recognize that climate legislation will affect different landowners in different ways. This is an important point. USDA can help smooth this transition by using our Farm Bill conservation programs to assist landowners in adopting new technologies and stewardship practices. It is also worth noting that the House bill includes important provisions regarding how to adapt and increase resiliency to climate change impacts, which will be important for our nation's farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. Ensuring that landowners and communities have the tools and information they need to adapt to climate change is a priority for this Administration."

Farmers out there, what do you think?

23rd race: Ready... Set...

Not quite yet. The Democrats still have a deadline of 5 pm this afternoon for candidates to declare their interest (it seems mostly they're waiting for Darrel Aubertine to decide if he's going run).

But, as we reported this morning on The 8 O'Clock Hour, Gouverneur's Dede Scozzafava is the Republicans' choice to try to hold the 23rd congressional district.

It'll be a high stakes, multi-million dollar race with national exposure and big political implications, especially for the GOP, which is clinging to a toehold in the Northeast.

Tomorrow morning on The 8 O'Clock Hour, Martha Foley and I will be setting up the race and what's at stake. Hopefully, we'll have news from the Democratic camp, too. Tune in.

Scozzafava already drawing attacks

Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava may be the GOP's frontrunner to hold onto John McHugh's congressional seat. She's already won the endorsement of two of the largest counties in the district (population-wise). But even at this early stage of the game, she's getting hit hard from members of her own party.

Conservative blogger, Red State, has been hammering away at Scozzafava, calling her a "socially and fiscally liberal loser". Scozzafava's a moderate Republican who supports the right to an abortion and same-sex marriage. Several years ago, she reversed her stance on death penalty - now she's opposed to it. Red State even vowed to support Democrat Darrel Aubertine - who opposes same-sex marriage - if the two faced off in an election.

Red State and other political insiders, including the online magazine, Politico, are also bringing up Scozzafava's ties to her brother's troubled company, Seaway Valley Capital, which started Wise Buys and now owns the once-venerable North Country retailer, Hacketts. (Hacketts is shuttering stores in Canton, Gouverneur, Pulaski, Watertown, and Massena.) Seaway faces lawsuits contending it owes its suppliers millions. The company also owes over $192,000 in unpaid state and federal taxes.

In the Politico article, Scozzafava says she has nothing to do with the company, even though she was listed as COO of the company's investment arm.

Scozzafava accused one of her leading Republican rivals, Matt Doheny, of being responsible for the late wave of attacks against her. Doheny, considered her main competition for the nomination, is an investment banker who has already poured $500,000 of his own money into the campaign.

Wow. If this is how Republicans plan to defend this congressional seat, Democrats will sure take it. And McHugh hasn't even resigned his seat yet.

RCPA: a clarification

Last week, we aired a story and wrote here that an environmental group called the Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks was "defunct." After feedback from the RCPA's board and membership, we agree that our coverage warrants clarification.
We first reported last winter that a financial crisis had caused the Residents Committee to lay off staff. The organization's executive director, Michael Washburn, stepped down, citing an inability to pay his own salary.
The RCPA then agreed to merge with another organization called the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks; subsequently, the RCPA shut down its website.
The new group -- called Protect the Adirondacks! -- will be led by the AFPA's board president and executive director. It will also be headquartered at the association's headquarters in Niskayuna.
When the consolidation is complete, both the AFPA and the RCPA will cease to exist as independent organizations.
Members of the Resident's Committee board will continue to serve in leadership positions within the new group. The RCPA's old headquarters will remain open as a satellite membership office, and some RCPA programs and litigation are expected to continue.
In a letter to NCPR, RCPA board president Robert Harrison wrote:
"This consolidation has created one organization in which the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts."

DEC vs. APA? And what does it mean for Lowes Lake?

Researching my article for the Adirondack Explorer about the lingering tensions over the State Land Master Plan was a fascinating journey.

But telling that kind of tale is tough. For one thing, it's wonky.

Everybody understands a debate over where and when someone can ride their snowmobile or land their floatplane in the Park.

But digging into a 40-year-old bureaucratic debate over a set of regulations commonly known as "The Slump"?

Hardly the stuff of which dramatic stories are made.

But in this case I found that there were some compelling themes.

A massive and still controversial philosophical shift in the state's approach to the Adirondack Park.

Lingering resentment over the lines of authority and decision-making inside the blue line.

And a deep cultural tension between the Department of Environmental Conservation -- which has historically recruited its people locally -- and the Adirondack Park Agency, which has tended to bring in outsiders.

One other aspect of this story that's tough: People don't like to speak publicly about conflicts like this.

What broke the story was a series of former state officials, from APA board member Peter Paine to former DEC staffers who wanted to recount their experience.

Finally, a thought about 'what it means'.

My research left me convinced that the DEC has some legitimate concerns about the State Land Master Plan.

Rather than try to work around those concerns, maybe it's time for state officials to say clearly that they think the SLMP needs reform in Albany.

A case in point is Lowes Lake. Some DEC officials clearly think that Lowes isn't good material for a wilderness classification.

For one thing, the lake is man-made. It has a massive dam, roads, homes on the shore, a Boy Scout camp, motorboats...

But the SLMP designation established decades ago is unambigious: Lowes is meant to be managed as a primitive/wilderness canoe destination.

Rather than try to shoe-horn floatplane flights in for another few years, state officials should consider an open debate over the lake's future.

The time is ripe for this to happen.

Hearings are underway over a final land designation for Lowes.

Thanks to some political horsetrading between DEC and APA, state officials are leaning heavily toward a 'wilderness' classification.

Do DEC officials really think that's the right way to go? I'm not so sure.

Who needs healthcare reform? Let's start with the babies

Here's the question that I would love for opponents of healthcare reform to answer:

How is it okay that thousands of babies are dying unnecessarily in the U.S. because of our broken medical system?

How many babies? Let's do the math.

According to the CIA's World Factbook, our country has an infant mortality rate of roughly 6.26 per thousand.

That's about on par with Lithuania and Croatia.

What this means is that between 6 and 7 babies out of every thousand born die before they reach their first birthday.

There are roughly 4 million babies born each year in the U.S. That means 25,040 babies die under our system every year.

How does that stack up?

It turns out that our infant mortality rate is far worse than countries like Cuba, Italy, Taiwan, Sweden, and Macau -- worse, in fact, that more than forty other nations.

Put bluntly, our medical system allows more babies to die than any other developed country in the world.

In large part, this is because tens of millions of women and children in the U.S. don't receive pre-natal and preventative care.

They can't afford their medications. They lack access to clinics and doctors.

As a consequence, they arrive in our hospitals malnourished, sick, and often burdened with developmental challenges that will last their entire lives.

And that's if they survive.

It's easy to get caught up in the debate over free markets, rationing and "big government."

But the simple fact is that countries with single-payer national healthcare systems, like Britain and Canada, see about a fifth fewer babies die each year per capita.

What if America had a really first-rate healthcare system, say as good as Norway's -- another of those dreaded socialized systems?

The answer is pretty heartbreaking: 15,000 more of our babies every year would live to see their first birthday.

Let me do the math one more time.

In every state of the Union, on every single day of the year, a mother and a father wouldn't have to grieve their son or daughter's death.

The Voice

All us NPR listeners wonder about The Voice, the guy who does all the underwriting credits on NPR's programs and newscasts. What does he do all day, other than read 40 seconds? And who is he anyway? Is he this guy? Or this guy:

The Voice - watch more funny videos

Is Gillibrand's highest-profile challenger imploding?

From the day Kirsten Gillibrand was elevated to the US Senate, Rep. Carolyn Maloney has threatened a primary challenge in 2010.

This should have been a great news cycle for Maloney, with former President Bill Clinton hosting a fundraiser on her behalf.

But then it was reported that she used a racial epithet, during an interview, while gossiping about Gillibrand. Here's her full quote from the New York Daily News:

"I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education].

And he said, 'It was like saying [full N-word] to a Puerto Rican.'

I don't know, I don't know if that's true or not."

Maloney was out with a quick apology. Here it is:

"I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting. It's no excuse, but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated."

Maloney had very little margin for error in this race. This misstep erased a big chunk of it.

As bad as her use of the "n-word" -- as she tries to rally support from Democrats -- was her echoing at second hand gossip about a powerful Senator from her own party.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/07/21/2009-07-21_carriedaway_carolyn_maloney_went_over_the_line_in_repeating_a_racial_slur.html#ixzz0LuEMomMk

WWDD?

Two new stories this morning about Darrel Aubertine preparing for a run for Congress. Both cite inside party sources (The Hill, which mistakenly positions the 23rd district along the shores of Lake Erie, mentions unnamed "reports from New York".)

I guess the news tag for these stories is Democrats, who had set a deadline for declaring candidacy last week, extended that deadline to this Thursday. Hence, a lot of "Aubertine is talking very seriously with his wife and children" kinda stuff today.

The political parameters haven't changed much. Republicans desperately need this seat, just to show they can win an election in the Northeast. Aubertine is the frontrunner for the Democrats, but his departure from the State Senate could plunge that august body back into leadership chaos.

What Will Darrel Do?

Meanwhile, it's increasingly likely a special election wouldn't be held until November, since confirmation hearings for John McHugh to be Secretary of the Army - the domino which started it all - haven't even been scheduled yet.

Big Cable v. Localism

The Rogers Cable decision to displace the Watertown public TV station WPBS from its Ottawa line-up and to replace it with a Detroit PBS station is a cautionary tale on the threat to localism posed by an increasingly wired world, and a media environment dominated by "pipeline" owners who have little committment to relevant local service.

WPBS has a decades-long relationship with its Ottawa audience, more than 1600 of whom are contributing station members. Ottawa businesses are well-represented in the station's underwriting lineup, and programming at the station is formulated with a Canadian audience in mind. Ironically, WPBS has shown a level of respect for Canadian audience that could serve as model for all US border broadcasters. Canadians have long complained of arrogant self-centeredness in US media, which treats the nation (to quote Jon Stewart), as "that country we keep in the attic."

The same players that dominate North American cable TV also dominate broadband internet, and have been lobbying vigorously for a two-tier Internet to ration bandwidth--giving priority to their own media properties and those of their contractors, over media produced elsewhere. HD reruns of Gilligan's Island"--fast lane; NCPR broadcast stream--slow lane.

One would think that the new environment offering thousands of audio and video channels would usher in a Golden Age for localized niche content providers. One would think wrong. So far anyway.

Murphy "tackled" by Capital security guard

Congressman Scott Murphy from Queensbury is profiled in today's edition of Politico, offered up as a "newby" face in the Washington scene.

In the on-line Q&A Murphy says his most embarrassing moment was being grabbed by a security officer.

...a security officer tackled me. I thought it was amusing, but the security officer was pretty embarrassed.

Murphy also seems to endorse the go-slow approach on healthcare reform. Here's his answer to a question about health reform and taxes:

As the health care debate continues, I think there’s a lot more work to be done. There are a number of things in the plan that are going to save money, but we can do a lot more to figure out how to pay for this before we turn to cash-strapped New Yorkers, who are hard hit already, and ask for more of their tax dollars. We need to have real reform before we turn to taxes.

Cross blog promotion

Note to Inbox readers: check out our front page neighbor, Common Wealth, Common Wisdom. Our four teenage interns are on the job -- talking to elders about their lives during the Great Depression. They're blogging, there's audio and pictures, they're on Twitter.
The idea is to hear about how people who were growing up THEN survived and even flourished despite the economic obstacles. And then think about how that relates to NOW.
They've visited a local senior citizens picnic. They were at Roger Huntley's last auction. It looks like they've been to bingo...take a look, give a listen.

Looking for River stories

It's mid-summer, and I'm looking for interesting St. Lawrence River stories. If you have any good ideas to highlight the past, present, or future of the river and the people who live along it, send me an e-mail to david-at-ncpr-dot-org. Thanks!

McHugh faces the 'murder boards'

Congressman John McHugh probably isn't spending too much time thinking about the 23rd district right now. According to The Hill newspaper, he's cramming for his yet-to-be scheduled confirmation hearings. McHugh's toughest questioning will likely focus on "don't ask, don't tell".

Can the North Country age gracefully?

There's an interesting article in today's edition of Slate about Japan's aging and shrinking population, expected to drop from 128 million in 2004 to 90 million by mid-century.

Such a decline is cataclysmic for an indebted country that values infrastructure and personal service.

Sound familiar?

A recent report compiled by the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages shows that much of the North Country is also graying.

And while our population has been stable the last few decades we could face a kind of demographic cliff.

Park residents average just under 43 years of age, older than any state for median age. By 2020, only the west coast of Florida will exceed the Adirondacks as the oldest region in America.

It's worth pointing out that much of the developed world is following the same trajectory, but they've made up for their lack of baby-making zeal by importing millions of immigrants.

Japan hasn't done this because they're not big fans of immigrants; and the Adirondacks haven't followed suit because immigrants aren't huge fans of our cold, rural climes...

Which leaves us with the big question: What do we do?

Here's my thought: The Adirondacks should begin modeling ways for large-scale communities to age gracefully.

Frankly, it's good for the planet for there to be far fewer humans running around. And in an age of automation we just don't need as many people to maintain our high standard of living.

But economists haven't yet figured out a good way to shift communities from a growth dynamic, where every generation has to be a little bigger and a little more industrious.

A healthy, sustainable equilibrium seems desirable, but the numbers just don't add up.

So maybe the biggest question facing human society -- perhaps even bigger than climate change -- goes something like this:

How do you establish a dynamic, prosperous and vibrant culture with zero population growth?

Since the North Country seems to be going down this road anyway -- and has an established history of modeling environmental and social ideas -- maybe we should think about trying to "answer" this question.

What's certain is that whole nations -- from Italy to Japan -- are looking for new ideas. Here's the nut of the Slate piece:

Chalk it up to age or to culture, but Japan strikes me as strangely passive about the huge changes it is facing. I heard plenty of bromides about the need for new policies toward both immigration and work-life issues but no real policies.

"The ongoing issues of the lower birthrate and the aging society have been going with such speed that the national design of how to respond to that has not caught up yet," said Yuriko Koike, a TV reporter turned politician (Japan's first female defense minister) and one of the most prominent women in public life.

The AATV report suggests that we in the North Country don't have the luxury of being passive.

We either look for ways to do this well -- and pretty quick, too -- or we might just age our way out of existence...

Fortunately, we have some interesting entities that might just be capable of thinking in interesting ways about this problem, from the AATV itself to the Adirondack Park Agency and Paul Smiths College.

Your thoughts?

Yes, Virginia, there is a summer

If you think our summer's been bad (and you're right), it's been even colder and more dreary north of the border.

I just caught a little back and forth on the CBC with a Canadian meteorologist. He said across Ontario, July is four degrees (Celsius!) cooler than normal. He also said Nunavut has been warmer, on average, than Toronto lately.

You know Nunavut. On most maps, it's the perma-white band of northern Canada, next door to Greenland. They recorded three centimeters of snow there over the past 24 hours.

And Torontonians are shivering with envy.

The meteorologist compared this summer to "the summer that wasn't." For most of the northern hemisphere, this was 1992. Mt Pinatubo in the Phillipines erupted the year before and sent so much ash skyward, it lowered average temperatures by almost 2 degrees Celsius and caused more rain than normal.

So what's behind our current cold summer? The meteorologist blames a swirling low pressure "mass" that's sitting over Ontario (and us). He said it's like a big stone in the eddy of a river that just isn't moving.

But, like forecasters with the U.S. National Weather Service, he says we should have a nice fall.

And, like so many scientists now facing pointed skepticism over predictive modeling, the Canadian meteorologist says this low pressure mass has little or nothing to do with climate change.

In short, what we're experiencing is weather not climate. At least, not yet.

What's the difference between weather and climate? Well, you're online. Look it up or just click here.

Is space worth it? Roger, Houston.

I grew up in the cultural afterglow of the Apollo program, weaned on Star Trek episodes, coming of age in the first Star Wars era.

Okay, yes, I was Luke Skywalker two Halloweens in a row. And space still fascinates me.

I know, I know. Vast distances and unimaginably hostile environments await humans outside of our safe terrestrial bubble.

This gorgeous earth of ours is, literally, irreplaceable.

But four decades after we briefly touched the moon, I remain convinced that some essential answers to basic human questions await us Up There.

Secular mysticism? Yeah, there's probably some of that.

When I look through our family telescope in our back field in Westport, I'm experiencing what a lot of my neighbors must feel on Sunday morning when they settle into the pew.

There is one significant difference though.

If we find away to colonize and make practical use of the resources outside our atmosphere, it won't be the product of divine intervention.

We will have clawed our way into space through our own ingenuity, grit and curiosity.

I think that spirit of exploration and possibility could prove invaluable in a society as restless as ours.

Put bluntly, America needs a frontier.

Obviously, there are some missing pieces. We need better practical reasons to go aloft. Tourism and a kind of Post-Apollo Manifest Destiny won't cut it.

Without better commercial pay-offs, the expense and danger will make space flight seem like the fantasies of a schoolboy on Halloween.

We also need some radical new innovation, developing vehicles that use truly modern technology.

The space shuttle fleet was built using 1970s concepts and materials. The "newest" shuttle, launched 15 years ago, was literally built using spare parts.

To bring down the costs and dangers of space, we need to leapfrog out of the Carter Era.

To pay for that kind of wholesale upgrade, we'd need some new priorities. And maybe that's worth thinking about, too.

The money we spent on the war in Iraq? That line-item alone would have allowed the U.S. to double NASA's budget for the next half-century.

Just imagine the places we might have gone.

Renting the right-wing industrial complex

I've written before about what I call the right-wing industrial complex.

That is, the network of lucrative business deals -- speaking tours, books, radio shows, think-tank berths, etc. -- available to conservatives who toe the Right's line.

My concern is that the strict requirements for dogmatic (and even ultra) conservative positions skews the Republican Party's political approach.

What satisfies the RWIC doesn't necessarily resonate with voters...

The lure of big $$$s also gives prominent politicians such as Sarah Palin a disincentive to stick with the thorny, complex and less-well compensated business of rebuilding the GOP.

Now Politico has broken a story that takes this trend one giant step further.

The on-line political journal has uncovered evidence of a conservative group literally trying to sell its political influence to the highest bidder.

The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group’s endorsement in a bitter legislative dispute, then flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.

The ACU describes itself as the nation's oldest lobbying group devoted to conservative principles.
But the term "lobbying" here may be a bit misleading.

ACU isn't your typical K-Street corporate shop.

It is one of the leading right-of-center idea and agenda generators in Washington. Its board includes movement luminaries such as Grover Norquist and the organization hosts the influential CPAC conference.

Here again from Politico:

The conservative group’s remarkable demand — black-and-white proof of the longtime Washington practice known as “pay for play” — was contained in a private letter to FedEx that was provided to POLITICO.

Mapping the GOP's dwindling clout

Irene Jay Liu at the Albany Times-Union has mapped the amount of member item $$$ spent in each Senate district.

She contrasts the distribution in 08-09 -- when Republicans were still in the majority -- and the handouts in 09-10.

Go here to see the graphic.

It's pretty dramatic. Here in the North Country, Senators Betty Little and Joe Griffo lost ground, while Senator Darrel Aubertine won more cash for constituents.

No real surprise in this, of course, but it's a pretty stark visual aid.

APA and Ski Bowl boosters win one in North Creek

The now-defunct Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks sued the APA in 2006 over a unit management plan that cleared the way for the North Creek ski bowl interconnect project.

The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Olympic Regional Development Authority were also named in the suit.

The project aims to tie the local ski bowl to the Gore Mountain resort area for the first time, with a new ski lift and trails.

The RCPA argued that New York state failed to complete a full environmental review that factored in the impact of the ski development on state land and the nearby Front Street condo project.

Environmentalists also argued that the project exceeded the legal limits for development on Adirondack forest preserve set out in the State Land Master Plan.

In a ruling dated July 13th, state Supreme Court Justice Michael Lynch rejected those arguments and dismissed the suit.

...this Court has determined that the State respondents' determination that the proposed developemnt would not degrade the physical, biological and social resources of the area was rationally based...

This represents another big step for boosters of the North Creek ski development project.

APA loses another round to farmer Lewis

The headline on Essex farmer Sandy Lewis's website this afternoon trumpets: "We won again, 5-0 in the appeal."

The Associated Press is confirming that a NY appeals court has endorsed Lewis's claim "that his housing for laborers is exempt from Adirondack Park Agency Regulation."

The Agency had sought to fine Lewis for building single-family homes for his workers in the town of Essex in the Champlain Valley.

Lewis -- a former Wall Street executive -- challenged the fine in court. He won a first round ruling, but the APA appealed.

A second unanimous ruling was handed down today.

According to the AP, the court determined that the state's "strong pro-farming policy" applies to farms in the Adirondacks just as much as it does to farms elsewhere in New York.

APA officials -- and green groups -- have argued that such a ruling would blow a hole in the state's ability to regulate new home development in the Park.

Farm-advocates, meanwhile, have described the Agency's enforcement effort as a bureaucratic over-reach.

It's unclear whether the APA and NY's Attorney General will appeal again.

Is it time to downsize America's military budget?

That may seem like a crazy question. We're still in the middle (or final chapter maybe?) of two ground wars, Afghanistan and Iraq.

But with the Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, in Watertown and our own John McHugh expected to take the Army Secretary post, it's worth floating the question:

Is our military spending out of whack?

The truth is that the United States doesn't face a significant traditional military threat.

The conservative Weekly Standard has an article in yesterday's web edition talking about the collapse of the once-resurgent Russian military.

China -- the only other quasi-superpower -- lacks the internal stability to compete with the United States militarily. Here's the NY Times treatment of China's capabilities:

Its ground forces field 1980s vintage armor and suffer from significant shortcomings in command and control, air defense, logistics, and communications.

Its air force, too, lags behind those of Western powers, though China flies about one hundred top-end Russian Su-27 warplanes and has contracted to purchase newer Su-33s, which are capable of carrier-based operations.

China plans to build aircraft carriers domestically, but currently has none under construction.

Obviously, the pre-eminence of the United States military confers enormous diplomatic and economic benefits.

And no one questions the commitment and sacrifice of our service-members.

But does it make sense that we spend as much on war-preparation as most of the rest of the world combined? Can we afford to spend eight times as much on defense as China?

The U.S. faces budget deficits of epic proportions. With our aging population, we'll certainly need more resources for things like healthcare.

So what do you think? Stay the course? Or do we turn some of those swords into plowshares?

What I wish Sonia Sotomayor would say...

American democracy is never more oblique and dull than during Supreme Court confirmations.

Sonia Sotomayor's review is taking prevarication and fudgery to new levels, as she side-steps years of her own speeches, judicial decisions and activism.

Here's what I would love to hear Judge Sotomayor say, so that we can have a fair and open debate about what her appointment means:

Senators, thank you. We all know how this process works. It's political. We now have a strongly pro-choice Democrat in the White House and a solid Democratic majority in the Senate.

When Republicans dominated Washington, you got John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Now you've got me.

I stand before you as a progressive judge.

That means I believe in the rule of law but I also believe that the judiciary has a decisive and forward-looking role to play in a changing American society.

Yes, that will put me at sharp odds with many of the opinions written by my more conservative colleagues on the bench, who worry that America has strayed too far from its traditionalist roots.

So let me speak frankly about some specific concerns raised by this committee.

I said that sometimes a "wise Latina" would make better choices than a white man.

Why do I believe this?

Because for two centuries white men have held a privileged position in our society. For much of our history, they alone held the power to vote and own property.

In recent decades, institutional racism and, more recently, soft racism have tipped the playing field in favor of white men.

Sometimes people who have come up from very bottom, clearing those hurdles, have more insight into the challenges of life faced by women and people of color.

What's more, many white men -- I offer you the US Senate as Exhibit A and the Republican Party as Exhibit B -- are out of touch with the demographic revolution underway in our country.

By mid-century, whites will no longer be the majority population in the US. And white men will represent only a small component of the overall tapestry of our society.

We need to adapt our institutions -- and perhaps our interpretation of our laws -- to a new emerging culture that no longer resembles the WASP establishment of the 1950s.

One example is affirmative action, which I support and view as a successful experiment.

Affirmative action produced me. It also produced Colin Powell. We need to help elevate more Sotomayors and Powells.

Not as payback or to right racial wrongs -- though I view racial justice as an important moral value -- but because the new America will need talented and educated people of color if we are to be a strong and successful society.

Does that mean whites will occasionally feel the sting of unfairness? Yes.

And because I have experienced prejudice, I understand the pain of that experience.

Which means that I will look at affirmative action cases closely and carefully, weighing carefully the law and the societal benefits at stake.

But there is a clear and stark moral and legal distinction between Jim Crow and affirmative action. A distinction that has been muddied by many conservatives.

The one was created to protect a divided and unfair society. The other was created to restore a more perfect union.

Finally, let me say that as a judge, I will of course respect the law and the Constitution.

Moreover, I will apply myself to interpreting the Constitution as it was meant to be interpreted:

Not as sacred writ, but as a living, breathing human document, designed intentionally by living, breathing men.

Not as scripture but as a legal framework, erected with enough wiggle room to accommodate changing values and attitudes.

I acknowledge that this kind of judicial approach entails risks. It is possible to interpret the Constitution in ways that lead in dangerous directions.

The Supreme Court was created to take on the most challenging cases, to walk the finest of lines.

But the brilliance of the Founders was that they didnt believe in dogma. They believed in democracy, debate, and human progress.

They believed that we must have the courage to keep moving forward, even when the changes that surround us appear frightening.

I will bring those values of the Founding Fathers to my role as Justice.

One final thing. Just like every white man who ever sat on the Supreme Court, I will be influenced by my culture, my ethnicity and my heritage.

But like those men, beginning with the Framers, I will also strive for fairness and open-mindedness. Of course I will fall short at times.

But the principle of equality is one that I cherish.

Now that would give our society something to chew on: something real to argue with, debate, disagree with, learn from.

I know, I know -- she'll keep mumbling and dodging. But if sports fans can have fantasy baseball, can't political wonks like me have fantasy confirmation hearings?

--Brian, Westport

Where the state Senate goes next

I spent a few hours in Albany yesterday hanging around the Senate, watching protesters, talking to lawmakers and staff.

Here are four impressions:

1. Everyone's pretty sheepish. The last month was a fiasco and everybody knows it. Would have been bad enough if Rome weren't burning, but it is. We needed statesmen and we got barbarians at the gate. Now the barbarians are trying to piece everything back together, including their dignity.

2. Unless Republicans can win some elections, this was nothing more than a last-minute tantrum. And I don't see any sign that the GOP is focusing on winning elections. Time is running out. Another loss or two in 2010 would lock in Democratic control of redistricting. That would lock in a permanent Democratic majority. Game over.

3. Lawmakers from both parties are still trying to play by a rulebook that just doesn't apply anymore. That is, keep giving New Yorkers (and New York government employees) far more goodies than taxpayers are willing to pay for.

4. Lawmakers from both parties talk about reform. But they're unwilling to challenge the leadership of their own parties, men who are clearly unfit to lead. The end result of the last month is that three utterly discredited politicians -- Republican Dean Skelos and Democrats Pedro Espada and Malcolm Smith -- are running the party machines.

Dems REALLY don't want Maloney to challenge Gillibrand

I received an email yesterday from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee linking to three new stories about Kirsten Gillibrand's re-election effort.

The headlines that the Democratic establishment wanted to resonate?

"Gillibrand's cash advantage" (Politico)

"Gillibrand outraises Maloney By Nearly 3-to-1 (New York Daily News)

"FEC Senate reports flowing in; Gillibrand builds lead" (The Hill)

In the early game chess-match of an election campaign, building a war chest -- and the impression of inevitability -- is a big deal.

So far, Gillibrand seems to be winning that round. She's also polishing her profile whenever possible, introducing Sonia Sotomayor at the Judiciary hearing and (according to her latest press release) accopanying President Obama to the NAACP conference.

That's a lot of Democratic muscle for Carolyn Maloney to overcome. But her team released a poll last month suggesting that she would win a primary contest against Gillibrand by a narrow 2% margin.

Why are Dems so eager to avoid this contest? They're convinced that Republicans will mount a full-throated effort to take this Senate seat and they think a centrist from upstate like Gillibrand has a better shot than Maloney in the general election.

Rainy summer blues

I was sitting on an outdoor patio last night having dinner and I realized I was shivering. Okay, granted, it wasn't raining...yet.

The Glens Falls Post-Star has a piece in today's paper acknowledging the impact of July's autumnal weather on tourism.

"This (recession) is by far and away the worst of all; the other ones I barely even noticed," said Phil Jackson, owner of Adirondack Balloon Flights. "And then you toss the weather into it and you kind of want to say ‘uncle.’ "

I'm not usually a weather-moper. But after last year's soggy weather, and a long winter, I'm ready for some scorchers.

It's been tough finding days to mow the lawn. And I feel a particular sympathy for those dogged motorcyclists (usually with their long-suffering girlfriend/wives installed on the back) plowing through the gale.

So enough already. Here's my request for the weatherman:

I want one full week of straight warm weather, including the weekends on both ends. A little rain after midnight is alright, so I don't have to water the garden.

The keenest hound in the Adirondacks?

My family adopted a hound-mutt a few years ago from the Humane Society shelter in Saranac Lake.

Sara the Dog was famous for a while for scouring garbage cans in Lake Placid. Now she's a wonderful, gray-muzzled part of our clan.

She is not, however, particularly keen.

She loves rambling with me in the woods, but she's oblivious to wildlife: deer, squirrels, rabbits, they just don't register.

With the exception of one very nasty porcupine, her nose is set on "garbage can" and not "critters."

But last week Sara took obliviousness to new heights.

We were sitting down on our creek when she flopped in the tall grass and stretched out to snooze.

I looked over and saw an enormous toad sitting on her face. I mean ON her face -- not an inch from her eye.

I'm not entirely sure how it got there, but it seemed perfectly content. Sara never noticed.

A good half-minute later, she pawed lazily at a deer fly and the toad hopped away.

Sara still didn't notice.

But rattle a potato chip bag half a mile away? That dog is on it.

The mayor's blog

Watertown mayor Jeff Graham is a fun political guy to talk to. He hosts his own radio show, The Hotline, and remains - and acts - very much an independent in today's bipartisan political world.

I just came across his blog. Check it; it's a good read.

Gillibrand cut short

New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer introduced Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor at confirmation hearings yesterday.

Gillibrand, a newbie (in office only since January when then-Senator Hillary Clinton became U.S. Secretary of State), was in the midst of her rambling introduction--seemingly oblivious to her five-minute time limit--when Patrick Leahy (D-VT) tapped his gavel and told her to wrap it up.

Gillibrand told reporters afterward that she didn't know she had to fit her remarks into a five-minute window.

You can see video of the introduction, the interruption and the rest of it here.

Back on the road

After a week off for summer break, I'm in a diner this morning on the way to an interview. Here's a snippet from a conversation overheard at 4:40 am:

Waitress: You all want to come to my wedding?

Customer: I don't like to dress up.

Waitress: Oh, we're not dressing up. This is a white trash wedding. My mom was making tuxedos for my roosters and the dogs ate them. (Unclear whether the dogs ate the costumes or the birds.) I took that as an omen. Not that I shouldn't get married. That we shouldn't dress up...and we shouldn't include the chickens.

Whatever else I do today won't top that bit of dialogue.

Martino from ANCA takes top Park Agency post

Veteran Adirondack activist and community developer Terry Martino has taken the executive director's post at the APA.

The Agency has operated with interim directors for months. Here's board chairman Curt Stiles' statement:

“Terry Martino brings an incredibly rich background and understanding of the Adirondack Park, its people and its needs,” said Chairman Stiles. “We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Terry’s established management abilities, leadership skills and demonstrated success in the key leadership position at the Agency,” he concluded.

Espada: leader or lout? or both?

Now that the state Senate appears to be functioning again with a 32-member Democratic quorum, we can get a better sense of Pedro Espada--the central figure in the month-long standoff.

Love him or hate him, he has controlled New York State government for the past 31 days. And now that he's Senate majority leader (the title he demanded for returning to the Democratic fold), he'll probably remain one of the most powerful men in Albany.

He's been indicted in the past and is now the subject of new investigations into the financing of his non-profit health care centers and his election campaign. Opponents and critics have called him just about every name in the book.

But there he was Thursday, hailing himself as a reformer. Saying the standstill in the Senate was an important and valuable phase that lawmakers (and the rest of us) had to endure in order to become better, more productive and inclusive.

In this, Espada demonstrated a kind of damn-the-torpedoes leadership. And he revealed how that quality is lacking in Governor Paterson and former majority leaders Malcolm Smith and Dean Skelos.

The problem, of course, is those torpedoes that Espada was damning aren't inconsequential. His naked power grab--and let's be honest, that's what it was--cost us millions of dollars and who knows how many jobs. And it created a blueprint that any Democratic Senator can follow.

Which means the Senate can be confounded by any lawmaker who wants a longer title and the money that comes with it.

This is the legacy of Espada's adventure into leadership.

Before the upheaval in the Senate on June 8th, the Governor and several lawmakers warned that New York State was headed for an abyss. They said the state is losing money, talent and status.

If they're right, the only thing Espada and the Senate accomplished over the past 31 days was to make that abyss a little bit bigger.

Biden in region to tout stimulus

Vice President Joe Biden will speak in Clifton Park on Thursday, according to the Glens Falls Post Star.

The invitation was extended by Saratoga County Democratic chairman Larry Bulman. Rep. Scott Murphy told the newspaper that he plans to fly home to attend the speech.

"It’s not that there’s a big project that he’s coming to announce. He’s just going to be talking more generally there," Murphy said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Murphy said he will fly in from Washington for the afternoon event and then fly right back, as the House is in session on Thursday.

"I might miss a vote depending on how the schedule works," he said.

The Revolution (Yes, more on Sarah Palin)

I've been convinced for a long time that the one, true revolution in Western society in the last century has been the rise of female power.

Every other -ism and -ology -- every other religious movement and political reform -- has been seen before in one form or another.

The tides of human endeavor wash in and out and very little of substance changes.

But never in the known history of mankind have women aspired to and claimed co-equal power with men.

There have, of course, been "primitive" tribal matriarchies and realms ruled by queens.

But even in those societies men generally commanded the most powerful religious and economic institutions.

Except in small, fragile enclaves, women as a whole remained the property of men.

In much of the world, that structure remains firmly locked in place, particularly in parts of the world where traditionalist religions hold sway.

But in the West, women have broken out. They hold some of the highest positions of power.

At the grassroots level most are as free to determine their own fates as men.

It's an astonishing event, a kind of massive social experiment that affects every aspect of our lives, from the way we reproduce and raise our children to the way we earn our livings.

And we have the great good fortune to experience it at first hand.

On the whole, it has been a powerful force for good, liberating the creative energies of half our population.

But the experiment is also remarkably new: In the US, women only gained the right to vote 87 years ago.

That means there are tens of thousands of women alive today born into a society where they were disenfranchised.

Title IX, which fostered the explosion of female athletics in America, was signed into law in the early 1970s.

Naturally, a lot of men (and yes, women) are still pretty uncomfortable with women who wield serious power.

Hillary Clinton was portrayed by the media as shrill and bitchy on the campaign trail. Journalists focused their cameras on Condie Rice's thigh boots.

These days, Nancy Pelosi is caricatured as a botoxed ice queen. And Sarah Palin is lampooned as a ditzy poser.

In point of fact, they're all revolutionaries.

Setting aside their particular political views and unique talents (or inadquacies), they represent a society in mid-transition.

It's possible that Gov. Palin would flinch at the idea that she's a feminist symbol, as well as a conservative icon.

But long after the current culture war is forgotten, historians will remember this era as the Age of the Woman.

Who knows? Palin might still emerge as one of the Founding Mothers.

See the man who keeps America rollin'

President Obama's Secretary of Transportation (and "team of rivals" Republican), Ray LaHood, will be in Massena Friday for the Seaway's 50th Anniversary. The big shindig's at 3 at the Eisenhower lock visitors' center on Barnhart Island. From the press release:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will mark the 50^th anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the U.S. - Canadian binational waterway, at a ceremony at the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, New York. Secretary LaHood will be joined by Representatives James Oberstar (D-MN) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Susan Eisenhower, and Canadian government and transportation officials.

(Insert your sports cliche here) for the 23rd CD seat

Here's an update on the much-anticipated opening in the North Country's delegation in Washington. There's news that John McHugh's name was on the list of Obama nominations sent to the US Senate yesterday. The Daily News choice phrase? "Start Your Engines."

Sarah Palin & the Right-Wing Industrial Complex

Sarah Palin shocked the political world last week when she announced that she would step down as governor of Alaska at the end of July.

Speculation remains about Why. But one very real possibility is that Palin simply couldn't reconcile the two wings of the conservative movement.

I don't mean the Right and Center of the party.

I mean the policy wing -- the group of Republicans who actually engage in the business of government -- and the Right-Wing Industrial Complex.

The RWIC is made up of conservatives who feed (very well) at the trough of book contracts, think-tanks, non-profits, political action committees, speaking tours, syndicated talk shows, etc.

Republicans can't get elected to save their souls, but their books, their radio shows, and their TV news networks top the charts, raking in big bucks from millions of alienated traditionalists.

The problem for the GOP is that the RWIC and its lucrative network of funders, donors and consumers is available only to the most ideologically pure.

If you've ever raised taxes, accepted stimulus money, signed environmental legislation into law, or partnered with Democrats on significant legislation, you need not apply.

If you are pro-choice, it's no dice. If you flirted with immigration reform, you're off the dance ticket.

Which makes it very hard indeed for conservative lawmakers trying to navigate a new America, one where most young people are comfortable with gay people, where more and more Americans are people of color.

There was a time, in the pre-Reagan era, when Republicans faced a huge disincentive to be conservative.

The GOP "establishment" offered huge benefits to moderates who didn't rock the boat.

Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay and Rush Limbaugh ended that tradition, battling fiercely against "country club" Republicans.

But now they've installed a new disincentive.

These days, there's a disincentive to navigate the hard choices, the compromises, the awkward gray zones of governance.

There is a disincentive to choose policy and practicality over ideology.

After Palin quit, Ann Coulter described the culture war between the Republican policy wing and the RWIC this way:

People are acting like leaving a governorship is a step down. Who is bigger and more important? Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge and Bill O'Reilly vs. Mark Sanford (before the fall), Bobby Jindal, and Tim Pawlenty?

Put simply, this conflict is destroying the GOP.

In the modern era, accomplished centrists such as George Pataki, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charlie Crist are sneered at by "the base."

A moderate like Arlen Specter is literally driven out of the party.

When John McCain went looking for a VP candidate to run at his side, he wanted a Joe Lieberman or a Tom Ridge.

But the RWIC demanded that he take on a character like Sarah Palin.

And now Palin is elevated to the status of saint and martyr, even as she quits the fight to improve the lives of Alaska's citizens.

Make no mistake: By following in the footsteps of Ann Coulter and Phyliss Schlafly, Palin now stands to make far more money with a far bigger national profile among the conservative faithful.

There will be book deals, speaking tours, perhaps her own talk show. Among the faithful, her image will remain unsullied by encounters with the real world.

But will Palin's decision help lead her brand of conservatism back to power? Even most Republicans can hardly wish that on the country.

Aubertine sues Assembly

The North Country's own Darrel Aubertine provided the latest twist in the Senate stand off today. He's suing the state Assembly.

I'll repeat that: Darrel Aubertine filed a lawsuit with the New York State Supreme Court demanding the Assembly recognize the bills passed by the Senate on June 30th.

You remember the events of June 30th. That's when Republican Senator Frank Padavan walked through the chamber to get a drink.

The Democrats--who were already in session--siezed on this, declared a quorum and started passing bills.

After this session, Governor Paterson said he wouldn't sign any of the legislation because:

A) The Democrats' claim of a quorum was shaky, and
B) He said any bill passed under the circumstances could too easily be challenged and struck down in the courts.

If you're wondering why Aubertine would sue the Assembly, it appears to be a procedural move.

Forcing the Assembly to recognize the bills triggers a chain of events that would also put the legislation on the Governor's desk for his signature.

But, since the Governor already said he wouldn't sign these bills, Aubertine's lawsuit raises more questions. Like this one:

If Aubertine is willing to go to such extraordinary lengths to get 'Power for Jobs' and other bills passed, why doesn't he simply walk into the Senate chamber during a Republican session and vote?

This wouldn't require him to switch parties. It would get these bills passed. And it wouldn't require taxpayers across New York State to pay for another lawsuit.

You can hear Aubertine explaining his court filing in this clip sent to radio and TV stations Monday evening.

Bad time to close a bridge

The international bridge at Cornwall's been closed for more than a month now, due to the stand-off between Canada and the Akwesasne Mohawks over arming customs officers. The AP had a feature story this weekend about the economic fall-out. Pretty ugly stuff considering the recession's bad enough as it is.

The Seaway at 50

We've got special coverage coming this week on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It was a huge project, that changed lives on both sides of the St. Lawrence River. Islands disappeared -- villages, farms, homesteads, cemeteries -- all under the water rising behind the big Moses Saunders power dam. And it's recent history...lots of those people whose lives were never the same are still alive. My life wasn't changed, but my grandmother, Pearl Fincham Vallance was born on Croil's Island (now mostly underwater) and I remember driving from home near Glens Falls to Massena to catch a glimpse of the island as the river came up. Years later we visited my great aunt Grace on Wilson Hill, in a camp/house that took the place of the house she lived in before it was flooded.
We'll hear about the "Lost Villages" in two stories this week, Wednesday and Thursday.
Tomorrow we'll hear about the people who built the massive locks and hydro dam.
Share your story, or your family's, in the comment box. Or e-mail radio@ncpr.org

Another week in Albany

The holiday (not Groundhog Day) is over. After a weekend away from hourly check-ins with the news and blogs from Albany, we're back. Seems like they never left. While we were away, state senators had more quick "extraordinary" sessions, again without debating or acting on any bills. Our reporter Karen DeWitt e-mailed this morning, sketching out her schedule for the next few days (she has vacation scheduled next week...). Who knows what will happen, or not happen before then? As she wrote, "I can't believe this is still going on, it's summer, for God's sake..."
The NY Post's Fred Dicker had a particularly gloomy take yesterday on the Senate stalemate, from his particularly longtime-insider perspective. Not for the faint of heart, even among political junkies. "I give up," he wrote.

Childstock: rockin' out on the farm July 18th

I met Ralph Childs last year when I took a Franklin County farm tour. We had lunch at his place - one of the only large-scale lettuce, spinach, and other greens farms in the North Country.

His employees were dismantling a big stage from the front lawn. Ralph explained had just missed "Childstock", a day-long music festival he starting organizing a few years ago. I told him to let me know before the next one.

So here we are and the 4th annual Childstock is a couple weeks away. Here's a link for more info.

I love the idea of a homespun rock concert on a North Country farm... Thanks, Ralph!

Massena pellet mill leading "green"

Curran Renewables in Massena started its first test run of wood pellet production last week. The plant, owned by Pat Curran - who also owns Seaway Timber Harvesting - will make up to 100,000 tons of wood pellets a year from wood scraps from the timber business.

The business garnered a national first recently when the Rainforest Alliance gave it green certification from the Forest Stewardship Council. From the press release:

With the increasing importance of biomass as a source of energy, businesses are recognizing the risks that could result from placing increased pressure on finite forest resources to fill the demand for their production," explains Dave Bubser, SmartWood regional manager for the Rainforest Alliance. "The FSC/Rainforest Alliance certification acts as a guarantee to consumers and producers that their efforts to promote energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not compromised by destructive impacts to forests, communities and wildlife that can result from overharvesting. Curran Renewable Energy's efforts establish FSC certification as a guide for balancing environmental and social values with the production of forest-based biofuels.

Pat Curran says he's been approached by more interested buyers since the certification was announced last week. But he's waiting to make commitments until the Massena plant goes into full production mode. He says that could happen by the end of the month.

American nuns face Vatican "visitation"

The NY Times has a fascinating piece this morning about a Vatican probe that aims to determine whether American nuns are “living in fidelity” with the Church and its doctrines.

Church historians said that the Vatican usually ordered an apostolic visitation when a particular institution had gone seriously astray. In the wake of the priest sexual-abuse scandal, the Vatican ordered a visitation of American seminaries. It is now conducting a visitation of the Legionaries of Christ, a men’s order whose founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, sexually abused young seminarians, fathered a child and was accused of financial improprieties. He died in 2008. But the investigation of American nuns surprised many because there was no obvious precipitating cause.

Nuns play a growing role in Roman Catholic life here in the North Country, even as their numbers dwindle.

In recent decades, a divide has existed between the Vatican's conservative approach to faith and the attitudes of rank-and-file American Catholics and many of their clergy.

No raise for me...

So yesterday I wrote a scoldy letter to state Senators, urging them to get back to work and urging you to copy the thing and send it to your lawmaker.

The letter demanded that our elected servants get back to work by noon today...or else.

Trust me: If a real session of the Senate had occurred before noon, I would have been demanding a raise. A big one.

The pen (or the blog) is mightier than the sword, and all that.

Alas, no such luck. The clowns are still clowning and I can't add Senator-wrangling to my resume.

But let's all remember these bleak days come election season. The pen may not be all-powerful, but the ballot is...

pension fund problems, demystified

This latest bit of news about New York's pension fund reminded me of a terrific and very educational podcast by the Planet Money folks. PM is a collaboration between NPR and This American Life that attempts to explain in human language the financial crisis and everything related to it. Some of their pieces you've already heard on NPR or TAL. But Planet Money is more conversational, experimental, and just as fun to listen to.

Anywho, a recent episode breaks down the New York State pension fund scandal. A must-listen.

A North Country dam comes down

The trend in hydropower these days is more dams are coming down than are being built. In Franklin County, the Fort Covington dam on the Salmon River is coming down this week. U.S. Fish & Wildlife is sending around photos of the progress...

Hat tip to Jon Montan, St. Lawrence County planner.

Republicans confer to pick a candidate

Next week is the week the region's Republican Party tries to learn from the past. Many criticized the way Jim Tedisco was quickly annointed candidate for the 20th Congressional district special election last spring, with little input from rank and file party members. (Tedisco, of course, lost.)

As Republicans prepare for a furious 23rd district race once John McHugh is confirmed as Secretary of the Army, the GOP is holding four meetings to vet the potential candidates. The meetings are for committee members only:

7/7 Southern Area Meeting: Counties of Fulton, Hamilton, 6:00 at Zeiser Restaurant, Speculator
7/9 Western Area Meeting: Counties of Madison, Oswego, and Oneida, 6:30 at Schneibles Restaurant, Verona Beach
7/14 Central Area Meeting: Counties of Lewis, Jefferson, and St Lawrence, 6:00 at VFW, Gouverneur
7/16 Northern Area Meeting: Counties of Clinton, Essex and Franklin, 6:00 at Plattsburgh Town Hall, Plattsburgh.

The field is thick; eight people has expressed interest in running for the seat under the GOP flag. One of them, longtime moderate Assemblywoman Dee Dee Scozzafava of Gouverneur, is reportedly hiring Tedisco's chief fundraiser, Howard Decker.

Fifty experiments in dysfunction

One of the arguments for federalism -- shifting more power to states and away from the Federal government -- is that we create 50 different experiments in democracy.

It's a great notion that has served us well: 50 different laboratories, all trying new things, making mistakes, cleaning up messes, and slowly crawling toward reform.

(Yes, with the occasional nudge from Uncle Sam...)

Readers of this blog know my general take on American democracy:

By any reasonable measure -- from openness and accountability to fairness and a lack of corruption -- our system works better now than it did a century ago.

In large part, that's due to experiments at the state level. Franklin Roosevelt first tinkered with his big ideas here in New York state, including the North Country's St. Lawrence Seaway.

Ronald Reagan test-drove his vision of America in California.

But these days, the laboratories seem to be breaking down. The political cultures in New York and California are gridlocked.

Alaska -- where I grew up -- is a banana republic without the bananas, unless you count members of Governor Sarah Palin's extended family.

South Carolina? Don't get me started.

What troubles me most about these failures is that state government is -- compared with our Federal system -- extremely responsive to the public will.

For all our groaning and complaining, we're getting the government we want and deserve.

Most of us now see our elected officials primarily as conduits of pork.

We want more and more services, more government jobs, and big cash payments to fund our local projects -- and we're outraged at the idea that we should pay for any of it.

But when times are hard, we need leadership not patronage.

We need thoughtful, creative politicians, willing to try new things and take risks.

Maybe in next year's election, more voters will go looking for fresh faces, fresh minds, people willing to renew the experiment.

-Brian in Westport

Rendez-vous TODAY in Old Forge

Don't forget, we'll be in Old Forge at noon today for a live, on-air roundtable discussion. Martha Foley will host.

I'll be on the panel, along with Betsy Folwell from Adirondack Life and Lani Ulrich, APA board member and community organizer.

This is part of our celebration of the Adirondack News Bureau's 10th Anniversary. (Yes, I have now officially spent 25% of my life working in these mountains...)

So...here's your invitation to join us at the Old Forge Library at 11:30...

Or you can put questions to us here on the In Box. Leave any thoughts in the comment section below and I'll check for them one last time before we go on air.

-Brian in Westport