An interesting news story is brewing just in time for May Sweeps (or Boob Week! as we call it here in the Johnson house)about the Washington DC madam and her 46 pounds of phone records. Considering the kind of spin and talking points the subjects is receiving from the conservative news sources the past few days, I'm guessing there must be quite a few Republicans names on the list. I have never heard hookers being defended so gallantly by a bunch of people who are usually so quick to point fingers at behavior they deem immoral. I guess they've changed their stance on married guys buying BJ's. It was married guys getting them for free that was a problem. That young girl was vulnerable, whereas the sex workers are paid professionals. I actually see their point and agree.

I don't care who is paying for sex, though I prefer them not to be using my tax dollars no matter what side of the aisle they sit on.

Aunt Mimi's comment to my post yesterday may be even more relevant. On yesterday's NPR, they mentioned that the Assemblyman from Sherman Oaks had proposed to the California State Assembly a bill that would ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs in the State of California by 2012.

WTF is going on with people????

I am all for the compact florescent bulbs. I use them. But only in places where the quality of light is not the most important issue, such as the closets and the hallway where the laundry area is. I know Ben has put them out in the garage. We have actual florescent bulbs in the under counter fixtures, but sometimes, you need nice light, and florescent light just does not cut the mustard.

I could see a bill that encourages the sale of the efficient bulbs, perhaps making them non-taxable at the register or imposing a "gas guzzler" tax on the currently much cheaper incandescent bulbs. But the outright banning of a product that is neither harmful or dangerous, but merely wasteful? How about starting with oversize SUV's, direct mail and plastic clamshell packaging? You might even get the SUV's and the packaging on the dangerous!

Was this guy just trying to get a little media attention during Earth Day Week? He is only going to end up a joke on the Daily Show.

Again, like the Eco-Socialites and Ms. Crow, I appreciate the sentiment behind these heartfelt and impassioned solutions. I believe in Think Globally, Act Locally. But as Mimi said, is it all just a smoke screen to keep up from focusing on the much larger corporate polluters?

The recently released British sailor hostages are getting a bunch of grief over how they behaved during their capture. I guess England is less than pleased with how they appeared, all namby-pamby apologetic and polite.

It has been put forward that perhaps the sailors were not trained properly on how to behave during a possible capture. I find that hard to believe, as it was revealed yesterday that that sub was on an "intelligence gathering mission" aka someone on board was a spy. Whatever the reason, I don't think anyone was fooled by their over polite, veddy British apologies to the world. It was pretty obvious the game that was being played. The Iranians scored their own points by sending the sailors home in the Borat suits.

The American myth of the captured soldier is "Name, Rank and Serial Number" and that's it. We also see our captured soldiers a little more beat up and dazed when eventually paraded for the cameras. I'm not saying that the Brits gave up any info, but perhaps their willingness to go along with the parlor game of Let's Pretend We're So Very Sorry On Camera, was the first step in the dance that is diplomacy. The whole incident reminded me of gang warfare anywhere else in the world. It's all about keeping face and respect, be it Drag Queens, Bloods vs. Crips, Socialites, Asian Street Gangs or Muslims.
An elaborate charade of public politeness and back room negotiations, and no one gets wacked.

Maybe that's what's been missing from our foreign policy of late. Fake Kissy Face for the cameras, real deals behind the scenes, with a final round of Kissy Face. It's how real business gets done. The kind of businesses where no one wants to get shot, but could.

A national ID card (in addition to your driver's license) may be on the way, and soon.

National ID Card News Story

It's a little too Big Brother for my tastes, but our civil rights and privacy has been eroded away so much in the past decade or so with the advent of technology and our fear of terrorism that a national ID card seems as quaint of violation of privacy as the bruhaha over Nixon trying to find out the Democrats secrets at the Watergate Hotel.

What ACTUALLY makes me crazy about it, is that Homeland Security believes that it will take you only 44 minutes to obtain your birth certificate, drive to the DMV and get the new document. What DMV branch does Homeland Security use?

Let's just say you DON'T have to obtain a new, certified copy of your certificate from your home state. You reach into a well labeled file in your organized home office and pull it out. (1 minute) Then get in the car and drive somewhere. In the best of circumstances, that takes 15 minutes, including parking the car. (16 minutes total so far)

You now enter the 4th Circle of Hell known as the DMV. For this scenario, there are no other customers there. You now have to wander around looking a signs hanging from the ceiling looking for the one with NATIONAL ID CARDS HERE hanging above the counter. (2 minutes for 18 minutes total) A knowledgeable person who speaks English greets you immediately and hands you a form, clip board and working pen. (1 minute, 19 total) You then stroll over to the chairs, sit and fill out the easy to understand form, using the information you brought from home (6 minutes, 25 total) then go back to the counter to have the worker process it. (3 minutes 28 total) They are completely comfortable with the new paperwork and computer system, and nothing goes wrong. They hand you back your papers and send you to get your photo taken. You now have to stroll all the way around to the other end of the gigantic DMV room to the photo taking area (2 minutes 30 total) where you approach another counter, with helpful staffer and no line (no other customers in this hypothetical situation) They take your papers, examine them, double check against the computer and ask you to stand in front of a camera and take your picture. (2 minutes 32 total) They ask you to sit, while the picture develops and they make your ID card. (10 minutes, 42 total) Your name then appears on the computer tote board hanging from the ceiling, you stroll over to the counter with helpful worker, they check your papers once more, then hand you your Brand New National ID Card, and you stroll on out to the parking lot. (2 minutes for a total of 44 minutes) It doesn't include the 15 minute drive home, but it can be done!

I don't know what fantasy world the Homeland Security people live in, but I have NEVER EVER been to a DMV that has been run like that. Not to unfairly pick on the DMV. If I was the only customer in the room, I'm sure it would go as quickly as described, but what about all the other customers waiting in line? Computer systems that don't work? Staffers who don't understand what they are doing? Any trouble with your paperwork? There is a reason why people like to renew by mail or try and get stuff done at the AAA office instead. I wonder if the DMV even knows that this whole thing is about to fall in their laps. Unless their budget is going to go up significantly, they can't be too overjoyed with the prospect.

I don't think it will be too hard for motivated people to forge whatever documents, magnetic strips and computer files they will need to establish fake identities. They might have a 4 to 6 month lag time, but they will do it. Unless we start using eyeball or finger scanners, and I bet they can even get around them, bad guys will get fake IDs. I guess we shouldn't give up, but perhaps it's time for us to by stock in whatever companies make all this equipment. Wanna bet it's a division of Haliburton?