Don’t tug on Superman’s cape

Senator Al Franken, Capitol Hill Rookie, retired comedian, and failed radio talk show host, made a splash last week.

But last week the wheels briefly flew off of the collegiality cart when newly minted Senator Al Franken temporarily took the gavel to preside over the health care debate. Joe Lieberman — frequently a recent target of progressive ire — was concluding his remarks when he was abruptly informed that his allotted ten minutes had expired. Using a procedure common to all members, Senator Lieberman requested unanimous consent for “a moment” to wrap up his statement. Franken, in his capacity as the “senator from Minnesota,” took this opportunity to grab a few headlines with two simple words: “I object.”

Understand that Joe Lieberman was rejected by Franken’s party after years of service, lost his state primary, and still managed to stuff the Democrat’s candidate’s head up his own ass. 

Meanwhile, Franken was barely confirmed to his post after months of recounts and some very, very iffy poll shenanigans.

Who sounds more vulnerable to you?

As with most things in the world, Franken had a cost/benefit analysis to make:  Do I let this respected senator continue for a few minutes to finish his remarks, or do I make this insufferable embarrassment to the Party shut his piehole?

I suspect he chose poorly.

The Danger of Success

Bryan Singer has managed to fall into the same trap as Joss Whedon: He's been so convinced by his legions of fans that he can do no wrong that he is no longer capable of looking at his own work objectively.

in reference to:

"What was supposed to be a long retirement into the land of DC Comics ended up being just a short vacation for Bryan Singer."
- http://airlockalpha.com/news/6965/bryan-singer-returns-to-x-men-franchise.html (view on Google Sidewiki)

Why Movies Are Less Appealing

Without going into a discussion about Avatar, Howard Tayler just helped me to realize something.

I expect to enjoy it, but also to recall at least one or two better tellings of the same general tale, the same morality play. For most audience members, however, this will feel brand new and wonderful.

I’ve been considering why I don’t seem to go to nearly as many movies as I once did.  I fully realize that most stores can fall into a handful of general categories, but that doesn’t bother me as long as they try to tell the story in a new way.

Unfortunately, I think my expectations of movies has shifted.  I don’t think they’re trying hard enough to add something to the genre, especially when the director/writer uses the film as a soapbox for his personal views without acknowledging that there might be another perspective.

Here’s where I bake your noodle.  I like South Park precisely because it does that.  It can look at the use of a word and attack it from all sides, and defend as well.  In a recent episode they managed to examine, in a half hour, how the use of the term “fag” is inappropriate, historically negative towards many different groups, why it’s not a crisis of culture that the term is used, and why it’s only applied to certain types of groups.

That’s some complex shit.  Oh, and it was funny.

So if you can’t put a new twist on it, at least give it an uplifting ending.  Then, again, I may not be the target market any more.

Thought of the Day

I’ll bet even people who haven’t seen A Few Good Men will recognize this quote:

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

Why is it that the climactic monologue by the ostensible villian of the piece is the part that resonates so strongly with our culture?  Is it because deep down, we acknowledge that there are hard choices to be made, and that in reality we “want them on that wall”?

Or maybe Tom Cruise should have never been put head to head with Jack Nicholson?

The Gauntlet is Thrown

Via Instapundit, we have this:

It's time to face facts: San Francisco is spectacularly mismanaged and arguably the worst-run big city in America. This year's city budget is an astonishing $6.6 billion — more than twice the budget for the entire state of Idaho — for roughly 800,000 residents. Yet despite that stratospheric amount, San Francisco can't point to progress on many of the social issues it spends liberally to tackle — and no one is made to answer when the city comes up short.

The city's ineptitude is no secret. "I have never heard anyone, even amongliberals, say, 'If only [our city] could be run like San Francisco,'" says urbanologist Joel Kotkin. "Even other liberal places wouldn't put up with the degree of dysfunction they have in San Francisco. In Houston, the exact opposite of San Francisco, I assume you'd get shot."

You see that, Detroit?  Someone is trying to steal your title.  Perhaps I’m biased by proximity, but I think we have a really good argument that Detroit is the worst run big city, hell any sized city, in America.

Whether it’s inept graft, blatant thuggery, or outright theft, Detroit has the best of the worst.

So go ahead, Frisco, do your worst.  I’ll pit Detroit’s short-sighted ignorant self-interest and corruption against your starry-eyed idealism, myopia, and incompetence any day of the week.

Technorati Tags: kwame kilpatrick,detroit,detroit school board,detroit city council,corruption,san francisco

Snowbound Traffic Lights

The Law of Unintended Consequences rides again:

MILWAUKEE – Cities around the country that have installed energy-efficient traffic lights are discovering a hazardous downside: The bulbs don't burn hot enough to melt snow and can become crusted over in a storm — a problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death.

"I've never had to put up with this in the past," said Duane Kassens, a driver from West Bend who got into a fender-bender recently because he couldn't see the lights. "The police officer told me the new lights weren't melting the snow. How is that safe?"

Many communities have switched to LED bulbs in their traffic lights because they use 90 percent less energy than the old incandescent variety, last far longer and save money. Their great advantage is also their drawback: They do not waste energy by producing heat.

I'll be home for Christmas

You may remember that spot of excitement we had back in July:

And here are some photos of the aftermath:

Well it looks like the much maligned folks at MDOT have pulled off quite a coup as the bridge will be re-opening Monday.

HAZEL PARK, Mich. -- A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening of the Nine Mile Road bridge over Interstate 75 in Hazel Park is planned for Monday at 10 a.m.

I'm sure this comes as a relief to local businesses, some of which have seen their clientèle literally cut in half.