Iran

Over the past few days I have reading and following the events in Iran.  I am nowhere near any kind of expert and my thought probably include a good deal of baseless speculation.  However I have some thoughts on what is going on in Iran.  There certainly appear a lot of questions about the accuracy of the count but I do not know enough to claim fraud or a coup or anything else.

What is going on in Iran is not a blank slate that the U.S. can write its own wishes and desires on.  Mousavi, the reformist candidate, had the approval of the clerics who run Iran.  Many of those who are protesting look to be hoping that Mousavi can recapture the spirit of the revolution of 1979.  Mousavi supporters, in other words, are not agitating for Western style secular democracy but they demanding that Iran return, or perhaps newly embrace, a certain form of Islamic Republicanism.  Of course, the forces unleashed by these events might cause events to go further than Mousavi supporters ever imagined.

Since this a debate of the direction of Iran's particular version of Islamic Republicanism then the U.S. should stay out of these events as much as possible.  Over the past 60 years the U.S. and the U.K. have intervened in Iranian affairs.  The results have not been prodeuctive for eith side.  The U.S. endorsed a coup of a democratically elected governments and tolerated torture from the Shah's secret police.  History seems to indicate that the U.S. should stay out of Iranian affairs.  President Obama appears to get this and is acting in a wise manner, and I hope he continues to do so.

Flight Photos

Here are some photos from my flight in a 1942 Boeing Stearman

Backbencher of the Week

With Barack Obama in the White House, and Democrats firmly in control of Congress, there is a good chance that a lot of progressive legislation enacted.  Many Congressmen/women are working to enact energy and climate legislation, and one more specifically legislation aimed at the coal industry.  In particular the mining process known as mountaintop removal mining is target for increased regulation.  MTR is a process in which the tops of mountains are removed to allow miners to get to all the coal in a particular mountain.  This type of mining not only damages mountain ranges but the waste also presents environmental hazards. 

Two of those working on issues regarding coal mining are Rep. Frank Pallone(D-NJ-6) and Se. Benjamin Cardin(D-MD).  Rep. Pallone introduced the Clean Water Protection Act which would regulate the waste from MTR and protect water resources.  Sen. Cardin introduced the Appalachia Restoration Act which would regulate the waste material from MTR.

For their efforts to preserve the environment of Appalachia we are glad to award tis week Backbencher of the Week to Rep. Pallone and Sen. Cardin.

Thanks to dailykos diarist Devilstower.

As a Matter of Fact I Could See My House

A couple of months ago I won a flight in a 1942 Boeing Stearman and today I took that flight.  The Stearman is a turboprop bi-plane that the U.S. Military used as a trainer during World War II.  However, the particular plane I flew in was used by the Forest Service.  Two people can fit in the cockpit, and the plane is flown from the back but since the plane is a trainer there are controls in the front.  As the passenger on this particular flight, I sat in the front.  I strapped in and put on my leather helmet(like the ones pilots wore in World War 2) and we taxied out to the grass runway because the Stearman is designed to use grass runways.  

We took off from the Red Oak Airport heading northwest into the wind but quickly flew east towards Stanton, Iowa and Viking Lake State Park.  The take off was so smooth that I did really feel the plane leave the ground.  After turning east, we flew over the northern part of Red Oak.  In the distance I could make out the church next to my house, and I could see my roof.  We climbed to an altitude of 1,000 feet and headed east towards Stanton.  We skirted the southern edge of Stanton and approached Viking Lake.  

During the flight the I could feel the wind blowing through the plane.   Sometimes the wind buffeted the plane and pushed it from side to side.  It felt like the plane bucked and bounced through the sky.  The Stearman is not a fast plane(take off at 60 mph and cruising between 80-100 mph) nor does it cut a sleek figure; it felt a little lumbering and ungainly as it went though the air.  All of this, combined with the roar of the engine, made for a great ride that seemed to engage all of my senses. 

When flew over the lake, we could smell the campfires.  As we crossed the shoreline of Viking Lake, we turned on the smoke and left a smoke trail over the lake.  We flew over the lake and then turned around and come back over the lake.  As we came back towards the lake, we descended to about 500 feet and laid down another trail of smoke over Viking Lake.

Turning towards home, we climbed back to 1,000 feet.  This time we flew directly over Red Oak and I could see my house and other landmarks in town.  We then did a couple of roller coasters; we climbed and then descended quickly.  The effect was to give me a brief feeling of weightlessness.  We then turned toward the airport and landed.  We taxied to the tarmac and I took off my leather helmet so that I could hear the roar of the engine.  The pilot cut the engine and I hopped out of the plane.  Thus ended my flight and a really great experience.  

Book Review

I am constantly searching for good modern fiction to read.  At a Planned Parenthood book sale, I picked up a copy of Pete Hamill's North River.  Initially, the fact the book takes place in New York is what attracted me.  However, I am glad that I decided to pick up the book. 

The book focuses on Dr. James Delany; a New York city doctor during the Great Depression.  Dr. Delany is alone due to circumstances surrounding his return from World War I.  His only companions are the city of New York and the people of New York he knows through his work.  Dr. Delany's life changes when his daughter leaves his grandson almost literally on his doorstep.  The addition of his grandson, and a woman named Rose who comes to help with the boy, begin to open Dr. Delany's life to the joys of living.  

The story flows through the opening up of Dr. Delany's life.  The plot never comes to one climatic moment.  Instead, the the threads of the narrative, like the threads of Delany's life, are brought together in the gentle flowing prose of the story.  Hamill's language also brings forth a New York that no longer exists.  In doing so, the people and places of the Lower Westside become characters almost as important as James Delany.

A desire to discover some good modern fiction, and a love of New York City, led me to purchase North River.  I am glad I did and look forward to reading more of Hamill's books that take place in a bygone New York City.

  

Regulators, Mount Up

Today the Senate passed a bill that allows the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco related products.  The bill go to the House tomorrow before going on to the President to be signed into law.  A major sea has has occurred in Congress.  Not too long ago Republicans and Southerners would have blocked a bill like this.  Instead just one Democrat, Sen Kay Hagen(D-NC), opposed the bill and two Republicans, Sen. Mike Enzi(R-WY) and Sen John Cornyn(R-TX), strongly supported the bill.

As a liberal Democrat, I find myself getting frustrated sometimes at the legislative process.  However, it is worth remembering that this 111th Congress has passed the Lily Ledbetter act, voted to regulate credit cards, passed a stimulus, and extended the S-CHIP children's health care program.  This Summer, Congress is poised to pass a major health care bill, and with Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus(D-MT) playing hardball, I find myself cautiously optimistic that a good bill will pass.  All in all this Congress really has passed some good domestic legislation, and in the process proved that elections really do have consequences.   

Spaghetti Sauce

Earlier this week, I made a Summertime spaghetti sauce.  While making this recipe, I learned that adding a little bit of brown sugar to a spaghetti sauce adds a welcome touch of sweetness to any sauce.