It's now reported that Somali pirates in the Middle East have successfully captured a Chinese fishing boat and taken its crew hostage. This comes on the heels of a story just a day earlier about a British military ship and boarding vessels laying waste to a trio of pirates on a Yemeni boat that was out marauding on what was undoubtedly the high seas.
The Captain Jack image of pirates being witty do-gooders (excepting for the zombie pirates, of course) is being sullied as swift as a gale in the Caribbean. Oh, wait, that was all make-believe. Pirates are really basically just like the ones who kidnapped the Chinese fishermen. They're savages out to steal, murder and if given the opportunity, rape. They do exclusively bad things because they're desperate human beings without any grasp of civil community.
Pirates are the biker gangs of the sea, and the only time anyone ever thought kindly of a biker gang was in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and that was after they almost killed Pee-wee.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Why the Franken recount story isn't about counting
Al Franken wants to be a senator, and he got so close to beating Norm Coleman for his job in Minnesota that the two are now fighting over every little detail of the election process in that state. How close? About 3 million people voted in the race, and Coleman beat Franken by about 200 votes, at least in the initial vote count.
It was so close that the state requires the votes all be counted again, to make sure there weren't any mistakes, or, say, ballots left in somebody's car (which apparently didn't happen.)
Either side could win more votes during the recount, which is starting in a few short days. That means either side has a good chance of winning the election. What's left, as is the true nature of politics, is splitting hairs. That's where Secretary of State Mark Ritchie comes in. He's the guy who runs the recount process, and happens to be a Democrat, just like Franken.
Naturally, this is a suspicious relationship. People are wondering, and some screaming like teenage girls at an [insert flavor-of-the-month band] concert, whether Ritchie is up to no good. Most of this complaining seems to be baseless, though, or should I say, based exclusively on the fact that Ritchie is from the same political party as Franken. Even the Wall Street Journal got into the act this week, asking in a headline whether there's "Mischief in Minnesota?" Spurrious accusations aside, the Journal's opinion made clear that Franken wasn't going to get away with a recount of any kind, regardless of how open and secure it was, without being considered either a sore loser or a fraud.
Here's the problem: Ritchie didn't create the system. People long ago did that, and he ran for office as a Democrat, and he won. A Republican could've done the same, but if Coleman were the one down by 200 votes right now, that Republican secretary of state would be getting accused of "mischief," though maybe not from the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal.
There is absolutely no evidence that Ritchie has done anything improper. The mere fact that he's got the job is enough. This is splitting hairs, or to put a more modern spin on it, this is false outrage.
Here's how it works: Want to make a point about something? Why merely say you're upset that the bricks were painted pink? You could say the decision to make the bricks pink reflects fundamental flaws in the judgment of the brick-painter's union representatives and that an honorable painter would immediately apologize for the color and denounce the decision to use pink paint.
Note the triple-whammy: the decision was criticized and the painter got slapped along with everyone associated with that painter. How's that for painting with a broad-stroke brush?
Unfortunately, in a world where there are so many people clammoring for attention, getting that attention is becoming more about theatrics and less about substance. It's most certainly not, in this case, a story about math. It's a story about false outrage and ad hominem attacks that have no bearing on the outcome of the election, and everything to do with modern politics.
In an ideal world, we would let the bi-partisan recount play out over the course of the next month, and sip some sweet tea until the final count was announced. Then the loser would concede in a gracious phone call, the winner would say his thanks, and government would commence anew. But hey, pink bricks.
It was so close that the state requires the votes all be counted again, to make sure there weren't any mistakes, or, say, ballots left in somebody's car (which apparently didn't happen.)
Either side could win more votes during the recount, which is starting in a few short days. That means either side has a good chance of winning the election. What's left, as is the true nature of politics, is splitting hairs. That's where Secretary of State Mark Ritchie comes in. He's the guy who runs the recount process, and happens to be a Democrat, just like Franken.
Naturally, this is a suspicious relationship. People are wondering, and some screaming like teenage girls at an [insert flavor-of-the-month band]
Here's the problem: Ritchie didn't create the system. People long ago did that, and he ran for office as a Democrat, and he won. A Republican could've done the same, but if Coleman were the one down by 200 votes right now, that Republican secretary of state would be getting accused of "mischief," though maybe not from the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal.
There is absolutely no evidence that Ritchie has done anything improper. The mere fact that he's got the job is enough. This is splitting hairs, or to put a more modern spin on it, this is false outrage.
Here's how it works: Want to make a point about something? Why merely say you're upset that the bricks were painted pink? You could say the decision to make the bricks pink reflects fundamental flaws in the judgment of the brick-painter's union representatives and that an honorable painter would immediately apologize for the color and denounce the decision to use pink paint.
Note the triple-whammy: the decision was criticized and the painter got slapped along with everyone associated with that painter. How's that for painting with a broad-stroke brush?
Unfortunately, in a world where there are so many people clammoring for attention, getting that attention is becoming more about theatrics and less about substance. It's most certainly not, in this case, a story about math. It's a story about false outrage and ad hominem attacks that have no bearing on the outcome of the election, and everything to do with modern politics.
In an ideal world, we would let the bi-partisan recount play out over the course of the next month, and sip some sweet tea until the final count was announced. Then the loser would concede in a gracious phone call, the winner would say his thanks, and government would commence anew. But hey, pink bricks.
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