Blogging Grand Rapids, Cont.

Yesterday, I did my usual napping, reading, and working out.  In addition, I also went to the Gerald Ford Museum.  I enjoyed seeing the mock-up of Ford's Oval Office and his Cabinet Room.  The two most interesting items were some of the tools used in the Watergate break-in, and the stairs to the helicopter pad from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon.  My only disappointment was that the gift shop did not have any WIN(Whip Inflation Now) buttons.

A brief note about the food so for.  The first night I ate at an Irish pub.  I ordered a chicken sandwich but the bacon on the sandwich overwhelmed everything.  Last night I ate at the Sundance Grill and this place was much better.  I had a ribeye and a slice of key lime pie.  The consensous around the table was the pie was to die for.

Blogging Grand Rapids, Day 1

Liturgygeek and I are in Grand Rapids Michigan.  She  is attending the 27th UCC General Synod and I am in Grand Rapids.  I have one rule about attending religious conventions and that is too attend as little of the convention as possible.  

You can follow liturgygeek's synod activities at her blog or at the blog of the Iowa delegation.  If you want to know what the husband of a Synod delegate does then stay tuned as I adventure around Grand 

Rapids.

Unless some current event catches my attention then I am going to take a little break from following world affairs.

Today I went to the airport to rent a char, checked out a bookstore, ate lunch at Moe's(Welcome to Moe's!), worked out in the hotel fitness room, read, napped and watched Brazil vs. South Africa in Soccer.  Tonight I will probably eat supper with liturgygeek and friends.  Tomorrow I plan on visiting the Gerald Ford Museum and perhaps later I will Take the Skinheads Bowling.

Keep Your Clothes On

The Supreme Court ruled today that an Arizona school district violated a 13 year old girl's constitutional rights when they conducted a strip search on the girl to try to find prescription strength Advil.  The court did say the officials who conducted the search are not liable and the lower courts need to rule on the issue of school district culpability.  The Court's decision came on an 8-1 vote.  The lone dissent by Justice Clarence Thomas who must believe that strip searches should be required before even setting foot in a school. 

This good news for those of us who think paranoia over drugs and no tolerance policies lead to more problems than they actually solve.  In an effort to protect kids from the dangers of ses and drugs the law has routinely allowed authorities to overstep their bounds and stomp on the rights of children and youth.  It's good to see the Supreme Court starting to halt this madness.

Between today's ruling, and the ruling earlier this week upholding much of the Voting Rights Act, I think temporary legal sanity might have broken out on the Robert's Court.

Book Review

While living in Fitzgerald, I read Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club as part of a book club lead by a church member. The story captivated me and so I was excited when liturgygeek bought a copy of The Poe Shadow.

The Poe Shadow tells the story of a young Baltimore lawyer determined to discover the truth of Edgar Alan Poe's death.  He becomes obsessed and travels to Paris to enlist the aid of Poe's model for the famous detective in The Murders in the Rue Morgue.  The story returns to Baltimore where it twists through cases of hidden identities and plot twists.  Along the way, the book explores various theories surrounding the death of Poe.

The first part of the book is a little slow getting started and it is marked by what appears to be an attempt to write in the style of the 19th Century.  Also the main character, Quientin Clark, comes off as obsessed to the point of irritating.  However, as the story moves on to Paris, and various theories surrounding Poe's death are explored, the plot really picks up.

I knew only the basic facts about Poe's death but that did not dampen my enjoyment of the book.  Instead I read the book not as someone who is trying to solve a mystery but as someone trying to gain a wider understanding of Poe.  If you want some Summer reading that also works out the brian muscle then I recommend The Poe Shadow.  

Habemus Speaker

The House of Commons elected a new Speaker today.  Longtime Conservative backbencher John Bercow became the 157th Speaker of the House.  In a series of votes, Speaker Bercow defeated 9 other candidates in an election that for the first time in Commons history used secret ballots.  

The Speaker is a Tory who has has gradually moved  left; especially on social issues.  The Speaker is also the first Jew to hold this position.

The Backbencher wishes to congratulate Speaker Bercow on his elevation to the Speakership of the mother of all Parliaments.   

Backbencher of the Week

Uighers are a Muslim group from China.  As an apparent favor to the Chinese government, the U.S. government placed the Uighers on the list of terrorist organizations.  In the hysteria over the War on Terror, 17 Uighers were arrested and placed in Guantanamo for 7 years; even though they are not considered a threat.  The Uighers could not be released back to China because the State Department said Uighers face cultural and religious repression.  Instead the Uighers were sent to Bermuda.  

Republicans demagogued the issue in an attempt to score points over national security.  One of the ring leaders of this GOP cabal was former Speaker Newt Gingrich.  Gingrich said they posed a security threat because they were affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Uighers should be sent back to China. 

One Republican Congressman would not have his party take the side of the Chinese.  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher(R-CA-46) is an ultra-conservative uber-hawk, and China is one of his usual targets.  Rohrabacher said Gingrich belonged in the "Hall of Shame" for his stance on the Uighers.  

For standing up to his party elders, and defending victims of the U.S. War on Terror, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is this week's Backbencher of the Week 

Nancy's Victory

This week the Senate efforts on health care reform resembled a keystone kops movie.  Mark-ups began in the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions committee on a bill that did not include a public option and was preliminarily scored by the Congressional Budget to cost more and covered fewer people than hoped.  Over in the Finance Committee, the 1st draft of their bill does not include a public option or employer mandate but it does include reduced Medicaid coverage, an individual mandate, and instead of a public plan it included health co-ops.  The most charitable description of the Finance Committee's draft was that it represents "comprehensive incrementalism." 

Then yesterday the House presented its health care proposal.  In an effort to reduce turf battles, the Ways and Means, the Commerce and Energy, and the Education and Labor Committees all combined to produce a joint bill called "tri-committee" plan.  This bill is much more in line with progressive goals.  It includes a public plan, increased Medicaid Coverage, and a insurance exchange.  The House has now staked out a progressive position and Speaker Pelosi declared that she is committed to a public plan.

If a progressive healthcare reform bill passes then it will be a victory for liberals in the House.  People like Speaker Pelosi, Ways and Means chair Charlie Rangel, Education and Labor Chair George Miller, Commerce and Energy Chair Henry Waxman, Rep. John Dingell will have done most of the work to get health reform passed.