Mass. follies

I try not to write too much here about routine politics, especially meaningless endorsements, but once in a while something makes me grin or grimace enough to pass it along.

The scene: Peoples Republic of Massachusetts, today.

The live players: Two rich statist and antigun lawyers: Martha Coakley and Vicki Kennedy. The former is running for the spectre's senate seat. See below.

The spectre: Former free diver Ted Kennedy, former husband of Vicki.

The line: Vicki emotes that Martha Coakley will go to Washington to help pass more national health care because: "Health care is the moral issue of our times."

The response: No, dammit, Vicki. Health care is the control issue of our times.

MSNBC played this like a breaking news story of monumental import. WTF did MSNBC think Vicki would back? WTF at that network thinks anyone who didn't already know could give a sweet rat's behind?

Pretty World

If you haven't seen it you might want to click on this version of the "atomic" clock for a pretty bell. It is also useful in explaining to little kids the idea of endless days and nights at the poles.

Bye-bye Chris; Hello Peter Schiff

Dodd of Connecticut is the latest to scramble for the Senate exit, and libertarian types have an opportunity in Peter Schiff who, nine months ago, ran just four points behind Dodd in a trial-heat poll.

Chris, like his old man, Senator Tom, is being felled by a family gene which creates the illusion that election to public office is God's way of telling a man to get rich and paw waitresses.

Schiff is a Ron Paul supporter who claims plenty of libertarian high ground as he tries for the GOP nomination.

He also carries some baggage in the form of a tax-protesting father who served time for annoying the IRS. The left will try to tar him with that, but we have developed a national strategy to cope.

When the Democrats start shrieking "like father like son" and detailing the senior Schiff's record on disputing his taxes, the National Association of Sentients Committed to Antiauthoritarian Reform (NASCAR) approves and authorizes one -- and only one -- response:

Tim Geithner

Dolores River

No special reason for this except to call attention to beauty.

One of the good road trips in North America is the few-hour (four or five, maybe) jaunt between Grand Junction and Nucla in Colorado. Blue Highway 141 carries you along the the spectacular Dolores River Canyon which is easy to think of as the Grand Canyon rendered as haiku.

It's mostly the West as God made it, although some ancient scaffolding and other hard-rock mining paraphernalia here and there provide evidence of human ambition even on sheer cliffs.

Fill the tank and take on water and vittles before you start. The canyon is full of a thousand nice things, but settlements aren't among them.

In Nucla maybe you can duplicate a pleasant hour Bob Kerr (ÅP, Denver) and I spent there when I discovered the place during mulie season in about 1973. We found an open business, a trading post with bar which happened to have some .30-30 Winchester rounds I was looking for. We bought them, then stepped into the bar area where our attention was politely directed to the "Check Your Guns" sign. I handed over my issue 1911A1 and Bob his big Ruger. We made one beer last and enjoyed trading a few words with the bar patrons -- three or four Indian persons, locals, pleasant guys.

Nice addition to your bucket list.