Calblog

Latest Poll

New LA Times poll via Rough & Tumble.

Recall ahead 56-42
Arnold ahead 40-32-15

UPDATE: Of course, Prestopundit was an hour and a half ahead of me. I don't know, I'm suspicious of someone who was blogging the recall instead of watching the next-to-last 8 Simple Rules.

Latinos for Schwarzenegger

One story that I find is underreported is the number of Latino Republicans in the state of California and how active they are in the party. To get a handle on this story, Calblog has engaged in firsthand reporting and now brings you this interview with Karen Juarez Boyd:

What's your relationship to the Schwarzenegger campaign?

I am serving on the Latino Steering Committee which consists of Latino business leaders who are committed to getting AS elected. Key to this initiative is "getting out the vote" (GOTV) and educating Latinos about his vision for California. The key concern is that Latinos will vote for Bustamante as a fellow Latino and also since this is the first time in over 100 years a Hispanic has been on the ballot for governor. To better serve the state, our commitment is to elect the best man and not just for ethnicity.

How did you get involved in the Latino Steering Committee?

I was in the Hispanic Coalition during the Bush 2000 presidential campaign. Gary Mendoza, CA. co-chair of the Hispanic Coalition is also the state co-chair for the AS campaign. The Latino vote made a difference in the Bush campaign in California even though he didn't carry the state so that's why the state GOP is giving it the needed attention/support in this campaign. Latinos were attracted to the Bush campaign because of his track record in Texas in support of the Hispanic community.

Is it accurate to say that a lot of the Hispanics involved in this campaign were also involved in the Bush campaign?

I think it's fair to say that a lot have a history of involvement in the GOP at the state and national level. The Hispanic GOP is very organized and utilizing this grass roots effort for state and national elections

Does that mean Bush is influencing this campaign?

In no way. In fact, if you remember there was a lot written about Bush's sensitivity about getting involved in any way with a recall which is controversial but more importantly, the press was also speculating that the tougher things got with a Dem governor around the 2004 election, it might be easier to make headway amongst independent voters

Why are Republican Latinos behind Schwarzenegger?

Republican Latinos feel the Democratic party has not only taken the Hispanic vote for granted, they also haven't served our community well since many are small business owners and we know what Davis/Bustamante has done for the small business owner - nothing except higher taxes, higher workers compensation insurance and now an imposed mandate to provide healthcare to all employees (if the company is growing and providing new jobs). The Democrats are also playing the card of AS being "anti-immigrant" even though he is an immigrant. Arnold came to this state unable to speak English and with little money. He understands what it means to struggle in a new country to realize your dreams. His path is one millions of Latinos have traveled or are now traveling. He also has been active at the Hollenbeck Center in the heart of East Los Angeles for the last 12 years with no media coverage but only with the goal of improving the lives of Latino kids in the barrio through after school programs. His commitment to this community is not election driven but evidenced in his past actions.

Do you think that Latinos are a big influence in the Schwarzenegger campaign?

Absolutely. Sometimes we're referred to as the "sleeping giant." Latinos have not exercised our true potential/muscle in the political arena. The Latino population is increasing significantly and now we are force who wants their voice heard.

Do you get any negative reaction from other Latinos?

Sometimes. I think for many Latinos, there’s a visceral reaction when they are asked to vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger rather than Cruz Bustamante even when you lay out what Davis and Bustamante have not done for them. Key to the campaign’s appeal to Hispanic voters are the business owners since Davis/Bustamante/Dem Legislators have been very anti-small business .

Do you think Arnold can win?

Absolutely. He:
1. Doesn't come with the political baggage;
2. Is a smart businessman who can bring some of the fiscal responsibility back to the position;
3. Is a social moderate which is essential for a GOP candidate and fiscally conservative - which is appealing to everyone in California with a $35B deficit; and
4. Isn’t tied to special interests like the Indian casinos and can serve the interests of the people.

Recall position

Josh Claybourn weighs in on the recall -- in favor of Tom.

UPDATE: As I posted this, I got email from the McClintock campaign that starts out:

This race is far from over and like so many elections past the pollsters; when all is said and done, will be getting another egg facial. They will be asked, “how did you get this so wrong? “how could you screw up this bad…again?” “You said McClintock was done so why are we now watching him getting sworn in?”

Valerie Plame

For today's update, go to Hobbs Online and read his analysis.

Pope John Paul II

According to Fox News:

Cardinal Ratzinger has told a German magazine that Pope John Paul II is in a bad way and we should pray for him.

Ratzinger is very influential in the Vatican. It is quite surprising for there to be this admission from the Vatican. We have all observed the Pope's failing health for years. The Vatican has never discussed it. I suspect the Vatican is starting to prepare the world for the inevitable, which seems imminent now that we have this admission.

Valerie Plame

What luck. I hit the top of daypop on Valerie Plame and everyone is coming here to learn that I am thoroughly confused. Novak's statement today on Drudge should have cleared things up. Instead, both sides seem more entrenched. Visit the comment sections of Calpundit for a glimpse.

The Clinton scandal was easy for me. Sex. Perjury. Got both of those concepts.

Watergate was long and tedious but it came now to robbery and covering up robbery. I understood that.

I had some trouble with Iran-Contra and at the time, no one was asking for my opinion so I could slide by.

I don't see this as simple. Maybe it will be when there's more info. For now, I don't know what an analyst particularly does and how they differ from an agent or an operative. Clandestine, covert, undercover. Are they all the same or do they have different meanings in CIAspeak? Is it a leak if info is generally known in Washington social circles? Don't the bad guys have people in those social circles picking up the gossip?

I know she was working on WMD but there are guys over in Iran and Iraq working on that stuff and their names are reported a lot.

Now I have engaged in email exchanges with various folk on this subject and I get very reasonable, sensible and believable answers, most of which don't match up. I can only imagine the confusion when we start talking to people with a stake in the matter.

Reconsider the Ombudsman

The Bee ahould have kept its mouth shut. The Free Weintraub campaign was quieting down, reduced to a graphic in the corner of many blogs. Then the Bee Ombudsman defended the decision in an article yesterday. The furor rose again. For the less than pleasant reaction, see Fresh Potatoes, Infinite Monkeys, BoifromTroy.

Now to add fuel to the fire: I wonder why none of the Free Weintraub coalition has looked at this recent criticism of the Insider and suggested that the editor has indeed made things worse. Calpundit suggested it as proof that Weintraub needed an editor, neglecting to note that it was posted through an editor. I remember an earlier time when the Insider would have responded to such criticism and either explained or acknowledged the situation.

The Valerie Plame Story

Here's the short version: Valerie Plame's husband, former Ambassador Wilson, investigated the Niger claim that apparently formed the basis of those infamous 16 words in the State of the Union speech. After the 16 word flap, he apparently talked to some reporters about it and sometime after than Robert Novak reported that Wilson's wife was an undercover operative. Novak's source was allegedly the White House. There's been varying levels of interest and disinterest in this story.

I've been skeptical but mostly, I haven't paid attention. After all, neither Wilson nor Plame is running in the recall. Eventually I forgot about the story and even why I found it odd.

Then the Justice Dept. called for an investigation. I immediately went to check out Tom Maguire who usually has a good take. Alas, that got tedious two paragraphs in, and I remembered that none of these people were running in the recall.

Later, I read Instapundit's take that it was too complicated and I nodded in agreement.

On to another usual stop, Calpundit, who was incredulous that Instapundit did not understand it. It was simple. Wilson complains about WH and WH rats out his wife in retaliation. It does sound simple. What was my problem again? I thought for a millisecond and gave up.

Later, I tried to delve into it again and hit the Instapundit updates. Now I remember what doesn't make sense. 1. Isn't there a better way to retaliate and 2. how undercover was she if she was that easy to rat out?

In fact, the article quoted by Maguire says that Novak checked with the CIA and while they asked him not to print the name, it wasn't the usual "strong request".

So I am back to my original skepticism -- I just don't think that anyone was outing Plame. I think that she has a very tenuous business relationship to the CIA that isn't particularly secret. I think the wife's relationship was brought up to give some insight into how Wilson fit into the picture and Wilson either 1. thinks too much of his wife's importance or 2. wants to make the admin look bad or 3. both.

Phone Wars

Check out Ravenwood's Universe for the tale of a war between Tucker Carlson and Fox News. The original stories are apparently gone. Go look. I won't spoil it for you.

Travel Annoyances

When I travel for business, I take four bags. One for clothes and the like, a briefcase full of files pertaining to the matters, my purse, and a carryon full of medications and a nebulizer. The briefcase and the clothes bag roll and I clip the other two to them so I manage quite well.

I always buy souveniers for the Calblog family, who all profess to suffer without me home. This time, I decided to get the Calblog husband fresh fish from the Seattle Pike Place fish market. Pacific Northwest salmon is one thing I knew he'd appreciate. (SIde note: he did!).

The market advertised that they would ship anywhere overnight. I told the fishmonger (who fit well the image of the fishmonger) my plan. He advised me that I didn't want to do that. It would cost $45 to ship. He showed the box he'd pack it in, guaranteed to stay fresh for 48 hours. They'd deliver it free to my hotel and I could check it through as baggage. An extra box seemed daunting but his solution seemed sensible.

The box arrived on time and well packed. I figured out I could pile the box onto the rolling briefcase and still manage. It worked fine.

Then I got to the airport and checked my bags. Clothes bag, briefcase, fish box. Uh oh. Three bags. Extra bag charge. $50. Good thing I saved that $45 by not shipping the fish.

I looked at the bags. The briefcase was filled to the brim. There was room in the clothes bag but not enough for the fish box or the briefcase. I briefly considered packing my carryon into the clothes bag. It would fit but the thought of possibly losing my nebulizer and medications was too risky.

Finally, I managed to unpack some of the carryon contents into other bags and then squeeze my purse into the carryon. Then I dragged the rolling backpack onto the plane too. $50 saved. I spent $8 of it on a pina colada. At 9 am.

I hate that stuff. To not be charged $50, I took no more luggage onto the plane and in fact, took up more of the precious carryon space in the overhead bins.

BLAP in the news

SoCalLaw Blog has gotten a lot of press lately, most recently in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a local legal paper. In the Daily Journal piece there's discussion of BLAP -- Blogging Loosely Applied Practices -- which were compiled here at Calblog. Here's the quote:

But Lewis subscribes to a set of rules called the Blogosphere Loosely Applied Practices, or "BLAP," he said. One BLAP rule states that administrators should not change substantially the text of a musing after posting it, instead adding updates if corrections are needed.
"I would say that a Website that announces that it does not change its posts, like those that subscribe to BLAP, might be safe to cite to for limited circumstances. However, even sites that subscribe to BLAP are self-policing," Lewis said.

What the Journal doesn't say is that, to my knowledge, only SoCalLaw Blog and I subscribe to BLAP. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Catching up

Right before I left for Seattle, someone emailed me and asked me to add their blog to the side. I can't find the email and my limited memory has been unable to reconstruct the link. So if you've been ignored, email again!

Bear Flag Review part 3

So Cal Lawyer, back with a vengence, on court-packing.

Xrlq is running an under-attended caption contest. Go play.

Prestopundit on Cruz:

This is just what we want. Another politician in charge of the police powers of the state and our tax money with absolutely no respect for the laws of California.

Aaron's Rantblog smokes a pipe on occasion. I had my first cigar last month and found it wonderful.

Absinthe & Cookies wants to know where you come from.

And to round out the review, read Lex Communis on the Bear Flag League and what else? Tom McClintock.

Free Weintraub

The Sacramento Bee responded to the Free Weintraub campaign today. (Link via Rough & Tumble, which also mentioned this blog.)

Bear Flag Review part 2

Lest you think the entire BFL is piling on Tom, check out Howard Owens' post on why Arnold should drop out.

Angry Clam will never desert Tom, but he's apparently so angry that the front page holds nary a Tom mention. There is however, info on on a Tom project -- the referendum against licenses for illegal immigrants.

Back to the pile on:

Daily Pundit's gone fishing so we dip into the archives for this:

If McClintock clings to his ten-fifteen percent of the vote and carries it into the election, resulting in a Bustamante win, then his political career is finished.

And his deserved demise will serve as fair warning that the right wing of the Republican party in California is not only unfit to govern, it is incapable of even winning the opportunity to govern.

California Republic's blog has no individual links but make sure you check out the 9/27 post by John Fleischman entitled Primary's Over! (Hint: McClintock did not win).

Infinite Monkeys has this about Tom: if he doesn't take action very soon, he's going to be lucky to get a job as a commentator opposite Ariana on Public Radio.

Enough. I feel like I'm ragging on an ex-boyfriend.

Fresh Potatoes fires in a different, more deserving, direction: Cruz. Here's the summary of Cruz as a slumlord and Cruz as a politician.

Shark Blog, another fine California alum, has developed the Sharkansky Peace Prize. Read the post. I can't do it justice.

Slings and Arrows has an interesting analysis of the Democrats and labels. Most Bear Flag members know this already but we pay attention to other things and the slow march towards doublespeak continues.

Tone Cluster is an elusive member of the league. Only the Flag appears on their page. Still, with thoughts like this, we love them:

And speaking of elections, here in Recallifornia, if any additional proof was needed to demonstrate that Arianna Huffington (I) is competely mad it was provided last night. Whew!! She's nuts. Shrill, foolish, and such a narcissist that makes any politician standing within six feet of her look good.

Speaking of snarky little lines, check out e-claire on the debate: I liked the format and the debate was going rather well until about 7 minutes in when Reality was sent out of the room for the crime of inconvenience.

the who interchange??

Driving home from the airport yesterday (a process that took almost 2 hours due in part to the fire on the side of the 105), I noted the name of the interchange between the 105 and the 110.

The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange

Sunday Comics

I was going to include this in the Bear Flag review but Begging to Differ isn't a member of the league. No CA connection. Imagine that.

The Sunday Comics is a weekly feature! I was so impressed by the first week that I thought it was a one-time effort.

Today's comics page.

Bear Flag Roundup Part 1

Your occasional trip around the horn.

First, a league-wide call to action: Where's Molly? Everyone drop by and send her an email. We want to see her posting.

Pathetic Earthlings hosted the Carnival of the Vanities, the first Bearflagger to do so. By the way, the Carnival takes submissions. The roundup is my personal choices. If I had to get this group to all send submissions . . . .

Also significant is Master of None's First Ever Spherewide Short Story Symposium. An incredible innovation. Blogs + fiction?

Now the new members. The last review induced 7 more people to join. Seven! Reason #2 why we can't do the review more often.

BlogoSFERICS is a California alum who still has insight into the Bear Flag state, like this post:

McClintock either knows about the possibility that he's a Democrat stalking horse -- with the obvious implication on his character -- or he's simply too obtuse to notice, which isn't any better.

BoifromTroy has another leaguewide call to action. Vote for his Republican site as the best gay blog.

The Interocitor threatens a word-by-word fisking but relents and just tells us why the NY Times is stupid. BFL loves members like this.

Irish Lass has recall coverage and finds info that isn't on other blogs. No mean feat. Check out this post doubting McClintock's version of history.

Miller's Time gets best post title this week with Tom Mc Sour Grapes. Lots of other good stuff there but I was tickled by that title.

Patterico's Pontifications piles on McClintock with this post suggesting that voting for Arnold helps Tom.

Right on the Left Beach also has recall stuff but check out his take on the left's hatred of Bush.

Now for a break and some short posts. Take a look at these and I'll be back later with more around the league.

Drafting Dennis Miller for Senate

Calblog has reached a new low--the Calblog husband has been given access to post on the site. Today, in all of the drearyness of The Los Angeles Times (including an above the fold headline on page 1 entitled "Davis, Actor Go Head to Head"), is a very interesting article on page A25 entitlled "Republican Strategists Eyeing Dennis Miller for State Politics". The article goes on to state that certain Republican political consultants are coaxing Miller to run for U.S. Senate next year against Barbara Boxer (in my opinion, perhaps the most embarrassing Senator currently serving in the United States Senate). The article noted that the California Republican party has a very limited limited bench (which I attribute to its self-inflicted injuries).

So I am officially calling for everyone to get on the Dennis Miller bandwagon, and draft him to run. Even though "Monday Night Football" did not work out, I think the United States Senate could use Miller and his attitude. With all of the spin and other garbage that goes on In Washington, let's just put somebody there who thinks for himself, and who goes on a rant and tells it like he sees it. A little humor wouldn't hurt either. If we can have a action-movie actor for governor, then we can have a comedian for senator, particularly one who has been doing serious political comedy for years.

I had a coversation with someone yesterday who thought only a woman or a minority could seriously challenge Boxer--that a white male was dead on arrival. But I think that Miller could make a serious run. I would love to see him fillet Boxer in a debate.

Of course, if McClintock were to get out of the gubernatorial race, good Republicans would probably owe the Senate nomination to him. But McClintock, being the true believer that he is, would have little appeal to the moderate voters that a Republican needs to win California, and would probably poll 47% against Boxer, and go down in flames.

Remember that budget?

Uh oh.

Go ahead and call

A court has stopped the do not call list. I am not happy.

Hotel Safety

I am on the road, in Seattle. Last night, for the second time in two weeks, at two separate hotel chains in two separate cities, I have been booked into a room and given a key to a room that is already occupied. The first time I caught it when the printout that you sign had the other name. The second time (last night), I got to the room to discover someone else's suitcase open on the bed.

I really thought security had progressed to a point where such things don't happen. I stay at 3 and 4 star places. The SD hotel had recently hosted Schwarzenegger and President Bush. Both times though, I had been assigned a room at reservation and then it had been given out before arrival but the computer let them book me into it.

I now make sure to use all those extra locks. I think I always did use them but I am extra cautious now.

How to Upset Calblog

Issa may very well campaign against the recall now. Story on Political Pulse, California Insider (linking to the Chronicle) and Damn Foreigner (linking to the Daily Kos).

And the en banc panel says:

The district did not abuse its discretion. The three judge panel is overruled. We go forward!!!

Unanimous per curiam decision. That means that no one judge took credit for the written opinion.

There are no specific directions. Just a straight overruling of Pregerson's mess.

New Bear Flag Members

The League without rules or structure just keeps growing and growing. Soon a Bear Flag Roundup will be as much work as a Carnival. Nonetheless, look for one on the weekend. Now drumroll please:

The Interociter

BoifromTroy

How do you get in the Bear Flag? Well, it turns out that the only thing keeping this thing from getting more out of hand is not doing too much recruiting. If Kevin Murphy, new blogger at the Interociter can figure it out, you can too.

Frankly, though, I have my concerns that BlogoSFERICS hasn't made it yet.

Now, if you are in, do me a favor and cut and paste the latest list from my sidebar to yours.

9th Circuit ruling on its way

It's expected in 20 min. -- as soon as Bush stops talking.

More Musings on the Bee

First the news: Check out Kaus' report on his conversation with the Bee editor.

Now some final points before I get on a plane:

I do not believe Weintraub's quality will diminish. One iota.

I don't think the Bee had any need of editting him.

If I had my druthers, Weintraub would strike out on his own and have the Weintraub files where he has the same freedom as someone like Kaus.

All that said, if the Bee editor made the change for no other reason than he had a bad dream, I'd be as blase about it as I am now.

Here's why:

If you have a profession, it puts a crimp on your blogging. That's a fact. There are things I do not discuss because the mere discussion will upset a client or a judge or even an opposing counsel. Clearly, I have confidentiality duties as an attorney but I go beyond those rules and do not tread on areas that aren't confidential but would bother people that I deal with.

There are other things I discuss that I run by people first.

There are even things I want here that I can't get clearance for. There's one area that I would love to address that I have been discussing with someone for weeks.

In short, I think it's a myth that free reign is a necessity for good blogging.

Now have at it. I expect this discussion will evolve quite a bit over the next few days.

Czech it Out

A hilarious view of Tony Robbins from the Daily Czech.

New Blog Alert

Frequent commenter Kevin Murphy FINALLY has his own blog. Go visit the Interociter and give him plenty of support. Those first few days of blogging are like jumping off the high dive.

The 9th Circuit

I haven't mentioned today's en banc argument about the delay of the recall election today. Suffice it to say that I gave up predicting courts long ago. If you want analysis that counts, How Appealing is the place to be. Unfortunately, he's on blogspot and there are a lot of people at the place to be today so wait for the load. It's worth it though.

The Free Weintraub Campaign

Apparently, I stand almost alone on my relatively neutral view on the Bee's new policy. I do note that the L.A. Observed blog also adopts a neutral viewpoint. Kevin Roderick has a view that underlies my inability to get worked up about this:

It depends on whether Weintraub gets to say what he wants to say.

I'm pro editor and have yet to meet the journalist, myself included, who wouldn't benefit from a good collaborative editor.

Look, Dan's a real person and we haven't heard from him yet. I'm a tad uncomfortable speculating until we have. Not that discomfort has ever stopped me from running my mouth before. So here it is:

He's posting under the Bee banner. As I linked in my last post, the deal at the beginning was that an editor could step in. An editor reviewed everything post-blogging already (and, if people want something to get upset about, note that no editor suggested a retraction or change when the post in questionwas put up). The Bee looks at everything else that goes up and the ombudsman column notes that anything an editor writes will be viewed by another editor first.

As far as I'm concerned, the Bee has every right to run a "my house my rules". It's not like Weintraub couldn't find another gig. It's seems like he's on every other media outlet already.

Not the first time I've heard this

Stevie Nicks on the Madonna-Britney kiss: (via Drudge)

STEVIE Nicks rates the notorious Madonna-Britney kiss as the most obnoxious television moment ever.

"First of all, Madonna is too old to be kissing someone who is 22," the Fleetwood Mac singer told the Herald Sun.

Just so we're clear, she's ok with the gay thing but the age thing doesn't work for her? You'd think someone trying to avoid stating a prejudice would not mention another in its place.

McClintock view

An interesting editorial that I am late to link to:

In recent days, Tom McClintock, the "other Republican" in California's recall race, has accepted a million dollars spent on his behalf by a left-wing special interest group. He has claimed that a Democrat victory in the recall election would be desirable, as it would better his chances in 2006. And he has joined with Democrat Cruz Bustamante in a boycott against fellow Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is the man we're supposed to believe represents the conscience of conservatism? At the end of the day, Tom McClintock's Faustian Pact with the Left has made one thing clear - it's all about Tom McClintock.

The biggest attraction to McClintock for me was his principles, principles, principles. Guess how I feel about these political maneuvers.

Schwarzenegger and the Hummer

While looking around at the last story, I came across this bit:

Al Gore may have invented the Internet, but Arnold Schwarzenegger invented the Hummer--the civilian version, anyway. Or so he says [on O'Reilly] ...

Egomania aside, I actually think Schwarzenegger may be telling the truth about this. ..

Actually, he is. I remember all the press about it when it happened. Of course, the version he had was a tad closer to the military version than the current ones. At the time, it was presented as a sign of Arnold's paranoia. He and Maria believed they needed a bulletproof military vehicle just to take the children to preschool.

Changes at the Insider

Both Mickey Kaus and Instapundit are upset that the Bee has forced California Insider to run his posts through an editor. While I don't agree with the decision, Weintraub said long ago this was a possibility.

For Weintraub, it will be a judgment call he'll make alone. Right now, he can post items on the Weblog without an editor's oversight -- though Mark Paul, his print editor, sees each item right after it's posted. That kind of freedom is rare in a big news organization, though it could change. Right now, the Bee's blogging foray is in its infancy, and editors consider it an experiment before setting rules in stone.

Besides, it may be a tad slower but I doubt we'll see any dimishment in quality. You have read his columns, right?

Saddam rumors

According to the Sunday Mirror, link via Drudge, Saddam is trying to make a deal with the US.

The Iraqi dictator is demanding safe passage to the former Soviet republic of Belarus. In exchange, he has vowed to provide information on weapons of mass destruction and disclose bank accounts where he siphoned off tens of millions of dollars in plundered cash.

I wish they'd make the deal. Get the WMD info, find the WMD, and then if he wasn't lying, give him passage in exchange for the info on the money.

Just bizaare

This story is unlike any I have ever heard. The CHP is treating it like a threat against Davis but the last sentence suggests to me it was intended to discredit Republicans.

How hard is it to track down? Someone has to pay for the phone number.

Bear Flag League Expands

I am happy to welcome Breaker who runs Right on the Left Beach, who has the best slogan: Throwing away any chance of becoming a judge.

Blogging's better.

Confidentiality Agreement

Number One rule of the Scwarzenegger is you don't talk about the Schwarzenegger.

The Instalanche, cont.

Bill Hobbs, following up on Wizbang's how-to, gives the condensed version of how to get an Instalanche.

The secret is, write something good and original about something lots of people might be interested. And then send the email in that narrow sliver of time once per week when Glenn is A) at his PC, and, B) not buried under a ton of email.

It's as easy, and as hard, as that. Even though getting an Instalanche won't make your blog a success, working on step one will.

The Instalanche

Instapundit has a humble and accurate view of his influence.

For Your Reading Pleasure

The Lala Times is a little over the top, but I am certain you will find something you want to blog about in its stash of articles.

I Thought You Should Know

My inner child is six years old!

Look what I can do! I can walk, I can run, I can
read! I like to do stuff, and there's a whole
big world out there to do it in. Just so long
as I can take my blankie and my Mommy and my
three best friends with me, of course.


How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hat Tip: One Name Left

That BBC story

Remember this story? The dossier was "sexed up" to promote war. Dr. Kelly committed suicide. Blair was in trouble. Apparently, the BBC is not clean.

Andrew Gilligan, the reporter at the heart of the row between the Government and the BBC over Iraq, today confessed to a catalogue of blunders - and one serious act of misconduct - in his handling of the story.

Carnival is up!

It's the one year anniversary and Bigwig is hosting it himself! There's a reason the Carnival rotates:

Tired, very tired. Bloody productive Blogosphere.

BLAP revisited

Recently, there was a discussion in the comments about the propriety of self-promotion of your blog in the comments of another blog. To the right there's a link entitled BLAP. Check it out. BLAP stands for Blogosphere Loosely Applied Practices, which I compiled, not invented or wrote, but compiled, with the participation of many people, some of whom were pretty annoyed I even wanted to discuss the matter.

No one in the discussion ever brought up self-promotion as a banned activity. Not once. Not even in passing. So until the self-promotion becomes so annoying that bloggers start to react and then the practice of banning self-promotion becomes commonplace, it won't make it into BLAP.

This site applies BLAP. Conduct yourselves accordingly.

Moving Along

9th Circuit considers en banc review. (Hat tip: Right wing vegetarian in the comments). Let's hope Kozinski slaps some sense into all of them.

More tidbits

Mickey Kaus:

In part, the Ninth Circuit decision seems another example of the nefarious effect of the practice of "consent decrees." Apparently the previous California Secretary of State, upon being sued, entered into such a "consent" agreement under which he agreed punch cards were unacceptable, and agreed to phase them out by the March 2004 election. Now his successor as Secretary of State is prevented (by his agreement to that consent decree) from arguing that punch card ballots are OK. But somehow the ACLU is not barred by its seeming acceptance, in the same deal, that elections between now and March 2004 might involve the use of punch cards.

LA Times:

During his confirmation hearing in 1979, Pregerson said that if the law conflicted with his conscience, he would vote with his conscience.

Keep reading

Prestopundit also brings you a fine compendium of blog coverage, covering different blogs than Robert Tagorda, referenced below, as well as his usual fastpaced reporting of events.

Now what

Another fine mess they gotten us into. Now the March election is screwed up.

And since I've stepped into this hole, let me dig it deeper. What about the increaased chances of voter fraud when the new driver's license bill take effect on Jan 1?

Will Wonders Never Cease?

The LA Times came out with an editorial urging the US Supreme Court to step in and correct this bad decision. (Hat tip: Kevin Murphy in the comments)

The Best Solution

I mentioned this in my initial post but I think it deserves highlighting. No one but aphrael seems to have reacted yet. I'd like to see blogosphere discussion.

The decision prevents the election from going forward on Oct. 7. The outrage is not only over the delay but also because 1. there's judicial intervention, which has started to grate on everyone's last nerve and 2. it'll be in with the March election, also known as the Democratic primary, which strikes some as political maneuvering.

Kevin Shelley, who has impressed me as eminently reasonable throughout this process, and who stands a very good chance of receiving all my future votes in gratitude, should step in now. Delay the recall but get those new machines in before March and hold the recall election separate from the March election.

Both criticisms will be diminished and we can return to our usual level of recall hysteria.

US Supremes?

Robert Tagorda, over at Priorities & Frivolities, has an excellent roundup of the blog coverage of the delay. An excelent starting place for those who can't get enough news.

The question on the table now is will the US Supreme Court take it? I gave up predictions the moment Arnold announced he was running. So all you're getting is analysis:

1. Yes, they will.

The main reason floating in favor of yes, they will is that it's such a bad decision. It's not that bad. I disagree with it but it's not that bad. It's on solid footing in an area that is evolving. A delay is not the end of the world. It wouldn't surprise me if the Supreme Court wanted to see some of this law develop and then take a case when we have a split in the Circuits.

2. No they won't

The main reason for no they won't is that they are gunshy after Bush v. Gore. To that, I say pshaw.

They are appointed for life. To step back because of the Democratic reaction to Bush v. Gore would be an admission that their critics were right.

In addition, this is not the same. This is not a state court decision. This is the 9th Circuit, a federal court, intervening already. The feds are in it. No reason to stop at the Circuit.

If they decline to take it, it will be because a delay isn't a big deal.

Don't Panic

My initial reaction to the delay of the recall was frustration. Then derision. I don't think it's a particularly good decision because they did not stop punch cards in 02. However, I was a little surprised at the reaction statewide.

This is not Bush v. Gore. In Bush v. Gore, there was no right answer. Either you believed that the Us Supremes had overstepped or you believed that the Florida Supremes had overstepped. If anyone was neutral in that battle, hands please. If you see a comment from my father claiming he didn't care, he's lying. I have his emails saved.

We're still having a recall election and if 5 months can save Davis, so be it. I don't think it can. Here's a man who signed the driver's license for illegal immigrants bill to help his chances. He'll continue to do things to screw up the state between now and then.

Deep breath everyone. We're going to have a recall election. Sooner or later.

Recall Delayed

The Ninth Circuit has indeed delayed the election until March to allow the counties more time to replace antiquated voting machines. Apparently, the antiquated voting machines (which I have voted with every year in my part of the state) were not a concern when we elected Gray and a full Democratic slate last November. No indication that we'll delay the March election if they are not replaced.

Not coincidentally, March is the Democratic primary, expected to increase Democratic turnout.

The 9th Circuit has stayed its decision for 7 days to allow an appeal. Will the Supremes step in?

UPDATE: I'm halfway through the opinion. The opinion states that punchcard voting is so bad that the error rate in the 2002 gubernatorial election increased over the 92 election. Perhaps we should invalidate that election? As Glenn Reynolds would say, heh.

UPDATE: Still skipping around the opinion. The order is that the SOS cannot hold an election on Oct 7th. I wonder if Kevin Shelley, who has bent over backwards to remain neutral throughout the recall, will try to draw the middle line again and hold the recall election later w/o punchcards but before March?

Morning Pet Peeve

I don't think of myself as a romantic. I prefer electronics to jewelry, scotch to flowers. Long walks on the beach are good for thwie aerobic effects. You get the picture. Yet I can't stand it when the guy doesn't get the girl or the girls doesn't get the guy. I rewatched the Star Trek Next Gen episode"Perfect Mate" in which Picard falls for the metamorph about to be married in an arranged political marriage. I hate the ending. I suppose the choice of duty was the proper choice given the show but I hated it. If Riker could have his Troi then Picard could have had his Kamala.

That Confusing Ballot

Condorblog looks at the recall ballot and complains that the recall ballot is long and confusing. (hat tip: Rick Hasen). He thinks voters in a rush will have difficulty understanding that a YES vote ousts Davis and/or finding their candidate on part two.

Terrible. Terrible. We should do something about this. Perhaps we can send out a sample ballot to everyone, say, a month before, so they can study it at their leisure. They could even mark it up and bring it to the voting booth. Better yet, maybe we could give them the option of mailing their ballot in so they can skip the harried voting booth altogether.

Wait. We already do all that. I guess the solution then is to demand that voters take their vote seriously and pay attention.

Bigfoot

You would have thought that the deathbed confession of the man who perpetrated the Bigfoot hoax would have ended the matter but apparently not.

Both Sides Now

Via Calpundit, we find these three tales of parents ignoring their children because of cel phones.

I'm not shocked. Parents have found ways to ignore their children for millenia.

At lunch recently, my cel phone rang. Yes, in the restaurant. Yes, I was very rude to my lunch companion and I answered it. One of the Calblog twins was on the line calling between periods at jr high on her new cel phone. Something was going on in the halls and she was having difficulty getting to her next class. In a wave of frustration, she vented her whole story rapidly, then said "gotta go" and hung up. I hung up and relayed what I could understand of the tale to my lunch companion, who immediately questioned the wisdom of cel phones for children who used them such. I disagreed and explained "if she's feeling frustrated in the middle of the day, I want her to call me and get it off her chest. It helps. It's one of those things I do, making myself available no matter what."

For every parent avoiding their children via phone, I suspect there's more using it to connect.