Memorial

You have heard it said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? Ad if you greet only your brothers, what your doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:43-48.

GO OUTSIDE (some more), or What's Your Walking Score?

Gas prices are rising. Carbon dioxide fills the air. We are not energy self-reliant. We also often are not very healthy.

We should walk more.

My family and I are blessed to live in a very walkable, pedestrian friendly neighborhood. We and our neighbors walk to great restaurants, cheap restaurants, coffee shops, cinema, banks, dry cleaners, clothing shops, the Y, two colleges, lots of churches, parks, playgrounds and lots of friends. We love it dearly.

In fact, we got a 66 walking score. It's not Boston, but it's pretty good for a sprawling Southern city.

It's a beautiful summer so far.

Classy

No, I mean, don't take this the wrong way, I'm just saying. . .

Regressive

In 2006, the poorest 20% of Alabamans paid just over 11% of their income in state taxes. The average annual income of this group was $9,500.

The richest 1% paid 5% of their income in state taxes. The average annual income in this group was $999,400.

See more ripe fruit at this chart from Doc's Political Parlor, one of my new favorite blogs and news sources.

GO OUTSIDE!

Good grief. This is the sort of thing that leads to tumbrels in the streets.

It's not the years. It's the mileage.

I just started having a bad feeling about Indiana Jones. It's all the fault of the Phantom Menace.

First, George Lucas approved the script and the story, and that just doesn't bode well in light of the increasingly disappointing Star Wars prequels.

Second, although the trailers are exceedingly cool and hit the right notes, they clearly rely on on some CGI effects. Part of the great charm of the first Indy movies was the grit and guts, knowing that Ford and friends were doing their own dirty stunts. Also, Lucas relied so much on CGI in the Star War prequels, that they almost became cartoons.

Third, Shia LaBeouf. Really? Maybe he'll surprise me, but Disney-boy is gonna have to work hard. (Also, let us hope to forget the dialog Lucas gave to this poor kid.)

Maybe I'm just trying to pull a Clintonian expectations tactic, but I am wary.

Expectations

The Clintons are the champion masters of raising and lowering expectations for strategic effect.

Tonight, Obama took it to them. Early in his victory speech in Raleigh, he congratulated HRC on "what appears to be" her victory in Indiana. Of course, no one had called the race. HRC is delaying her speech until the results are clearer. Most networks have it too close to call, with the Chicago outskirts still to report.

Now, what in the world was Obama doing, virtually conceding the primary?

I'll tell you what he was doing. He was smirking inside.

Even if HRC wins with 2 - 4%, she loses the expectations game, but if Obama pulls it out, if Gary and Hammond respond like they well might, Obama may finally have put her out of the game.

Yes, we can.

UPDATE (30 minutes later): HRC is speaking right now, and lo and behold, she just claimed victory in Indiana, before virtually anyone has called the vote and before Obama's strongest counties report, with only 40,000 votes separating them. That's not an expectations game. That's a reckless gamble, in my opinion. She's betting her bottom dollar, and if Indiania somehow slides to Obama, I think she's done.

UPDATE: President William Jefferson Clinton is standing behind his wife, but he is not listening. He claps when he realized everyone else is clapping. He's watching the audience over her shoulder. He's plotting and daydreaming. Whoa, he just woke up. Chelsea must have stepped on his foot. He's biting his lip. He's planning a vacation.

UPDATE: Not only do the Chicago suburbs still have to report, but so does Bloomington, home to IU. Obama may win Indiana, and if so, after that speech, she will be reaching out for a gentle resolution. They both laid the foundation tonight for a sweet reconcilation.

UPDATE: Pat Buchanan agrees, have mercy. He even talked about BC clapping at the wrong times. As I live and breathe.

Nearly Mexico

I'm in Arizona, a new state for me. After a few hours, here are my first impressions:

1. Tucson seems pleasant enough, but humanity has tricked itself into living in the desert.

2. Golf courses are a worse idea in the desert than a million people.

3. Sprawl is sprawl, and I'm always surprised to find the same shopping options in every suburb from sea to shining sea.

4. Tex-Mex has transcended, and Moe's is just fine.