Summer of Critters

It started slowly with occasional sightings of the familiar old woodchuck ("Woody"). His visits became more frequent and on several occasions "Woody" appeared much younger! Woody loves the green apples falling from an apple tree that last summer magically appeared entwined with my crab apple tree.

Then there was the odd cottontail rabbit or two hopping through the back yard. My yard is not large and I live in a city. Granted, it is a small city, surrounded by country, but still.

One night a few weeks ago I glanced out my back door into the fading light and spotted two adorable, white, fluffy-tailed creatures rummaging on the lawn. The light was not good and I was wondering what they were when one turned just enough so I could make out the black strip running down its back and up the tail - skunks! I was torn between continuing to watch and shutting every window. I shut most of the windows, then returned to watch through the open door, my hand at the ready to close it quickly. Shortly after I lost sight of them, a very mild tang of "skunk" wafted through the once again open windows. Very few signs of Stellar Stenchmaker and Polly Pungent since then.

Since that night, skunk sightings have increased throughout the neighborhood. Mercifully, the revealing scent has, for the most part, been subtle.

One afternoon about 6 p.m. I spied two black and white skunks wrestling in the yard, tails raised high. Torn between breathless fascination and worry about being sprayed, I bemoaned the fact my camera was downloading to my PC and I was unable to photograph Teddy and Tommy Tailbomber. I have spotted one or the other frequently since then, but never together and never close enough or in strong enough light to get a good picture.

No one seems to know why there are so many skunks around this year. I googled skunks and came up with some interesting information, including a wonderful brochure "Coexisting with Skunks" at http://www.nj.gov/counties/mercer/departments/pdfs/mcwc_skunk_facts.pdf.

The brochure describes the benefits of these frequently vilified creatures, safety concerns, and best of all, it contains a "Magical Skunk Deodorizer Recipe."

As for me, my camera is primed and handy, my hopes high that before the summer ends I will get some great pictures of my new neighbors. Need I add I intend to proceed VERY cautiously?

Racism on the Rise

Far from signaling the end of racism in our society, the election of Barack Obama seems to have reinvigorated it.

Fear of the "other" is as human as migration. Clans and tribes band together for protection against rival clans and tribes. The larger and more powerful tribes have better defenses that the smaller, weaker ones. Racism is an outgrowth of tribalism. For a diverse society like the United States, this presents a huge challenge. How do we unify as a "tribe," which we must do for self-protection and prosperity, when we are made up of such widely diverse elements? How do we identify fellow members of our tribe? Color does not work. We have many different shades of skin among us. Features don't work. We are made up of citizens from every corner of the globe. Language and accent don't work. Members of our society speak with a legion of regional and ethnic dialogs.

Faced with this uncertainty, we can become vulnerable to political factions that exploit racism. This behavior helps them cultivate their bases. Unfortunately, it also polarizes Americans into opposing camps and distracts them from real issues, weakening the fabric of our society.

The constant accusations that Obama is racist against whites are rationalized racism. Under this viewpoint, if he acts in any way that is beneficial to any African American or harmful to any white American he is pilloried in the media. That is an untenable code of behavior and yet many in the media hold him accountable to it.

There are many, many areas in which he deserves criticism. These accusations distract from more incisive analysis of the job he is doing.

The furor over the doctored video clip of Shirley Sherrod, the summarily dismissed Department of Agriculture Director of Rural Development in Georgia, was a case in point. There were no winners and it served to heighten racial tension.

For those interested, I have posted the link to the full speech below. I admit I have not watched the full speech, but have watched a longer version on a newscast.

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod/

The NAACP was another target of the aforementioned clip. The NAACP's mission has always been the integration of African Americans into American society. It has always striven to be mainstream. It has not always acted wisely but to characterize it as a racist organization is another way of stating its goal is racist and black people are not equal. I don't buy it.

73,000 Blogs Ripped from the Internet

Last week Blogetry.com "voluntarily" shut down 73,000 blogs in response to an FBI investigation. (Click on the title for one version of the story.) The linked article reports it was done because according to the FBI tens of thousands of users shared extremist, al-Qaeda sponsored hit-lists and instructions on bomb making.

Before the FBI story emerged, the most common speculation about the reason for the shutdown credited a Federal crackdown on music and video piracy.

Several weeks ago (6/24/2010) I wrote a blog about the Internet being Dangerous for Small People and federal officials' interest in bestowing control of access to it to a tiny handful of communications giants like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.

Several weeks before that Senator Joseph Lieberman suggested that the President needed the authority and means to "turn the Internet off" if the government believed this was necessary in the face of a terrorist threat. The alternative of fortifying this valuable resource against a cyber attack was not mentioned.

The Chinese have restricted Internet access from the get-go. Are they our model?

A cyber-terrorism attack that sabotages our banking, manufacturing, utility and defense grids is a real threat to our national security. To date, our federal government has done little to guard against it. There have been absolutely no indications that the massive blog shut-down had anything to do with that type of threat.

The widespread dissemination of personal information is another Internet threat, resulting in great part from security breaches of government and corporate databases. This serious hazard to individual welfare also goes largely unchallenged by the government. Instead we get constant, meaningless "Privacy Policy" statements from those who possess our most sensitive information.

But the government appears to be very concerned about the threat the Internet poses as a vehicle of free speech. The wild and woolly exchange of information in cyberspace is mind boggling. Its availability as a platform for expression of opinion, ideas, knowledge, experience and creativity is the last best challenge to the institutions that control our media, environment, lives, livelihoods and property. I am more than willing to share the space with those with whom I vehemently disagree in return for the right to express my own viewpoint. Besides, there is always the possibility I might learn something.

Controls can be put in place to prevent terrorist exploitation of this resource. But are there any controls to protect us from those who would muffle free speech?

In the meantime, it is probably a good idea to back up your blogs. I am.

Tough Times

Millions of Americans did everything right. They diversified their assets: purchased homes, contributed to 401ks or IRAs, worked hard, saved for rainy days, invested in bonds and stocks.

Millions of Americans made mistakes: they underestimated the cost of owning their own homes, used credit cards too freely, spent more than they saved.

Millions of Americans made one huge mistake - they bought into the dream. The dream that anyone could become rich. The dream that they would be better off than their parents. The dream that the real estate market and the stock market could go up forever.

The dream that all the cards were dealt from the top of a thoroughly shuffled deck. The dream the officials they elected represented THEM. The dream that a system based upon ever increasing consumption could go on forever.

Insurers Target Choice of Doctors and Hospitals

According a July 17, 2010 New York Times article, insurers are planning to limit choice of doctors and hospitals in the plans they offer under the new Health Care bill. (Click on the title of this blog to see the article.)

On the face of it, this makes economic sense for the businesses and individuals subscribing to the plans on the basis of cost. Perhaps it does.

Why do I doubt the policy will have any real financial benefit to the insured? Am I being too negative when I suspect the real intent of this policy is to force doctors and other health care providers to accept reduced compensation, while the insurance companies continue to reap outrageous profits?

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... .

Financial Reform: The End of Market Manipulation or Same Old Same Old?

This week Congress finally passed financial reform. Whether, after all the compromises, the bill has enough teeth left to end the kind of market manipulations that cause the financial meltdown remains to be seen. Critics are concerned that the legislation delegates most of the responsibility for writing the actual regulations to the oversight agencies.

Who did the financial market manipulators damage?

Homeowners, the retired, the gainfully employed, the unemployed, the underemployed. Small businesses, large businesses, local governments, state governments.

The moderately well-to-do, the middle class, the working class, the poor, the yet unborn. The United States, most countries around the world.

Who did the financial market manipulators benefit?

Market insiders, the super wealthy, "too big to fail" corporations.

Same-sex Spouses denied Annuity Benefits Under DOMA

My employer-sponsored annuity's last statement contained a disclaimer page. Under Section 3 of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), same-sex marriages currently are not recognized for purposes of federal law; therefore, same-sex spouses do not qualify for the favorable income-deferral options afforded to opposite-sex spouses under Internal Revenue Code sections 72(s) and 401(a)(9).

To the extent annuity contracts and certificates accord spouses other rights or benefits not affected by DOMA, same-sex spouses remain entitled to such rights or benefits to the same extent as any annuity holder's spouse.

A short and sweet statement that not everyone is equal under the law.

It is so reassuring that the same Congress that brought us an illustrious assembly of adulterers, sexual harassers, lobbyist errand boys and party hacks is assiduously watching over our morals.

Let's hear it for the good old boys.