I have finally managed to set up a convenient, straightforward way (I hope) for folks to support this Web site by sponsoring one of the stadium pages. Just click on the Sponsor page and check to see which stadiums are available. Just like last year, it's ten bucks a pop, but without discounts for multiple sponsorships. (Current sponsors have the first option to renew, for the next week or so.) Or, if you'd rather contribute a smaller amount, just click on the "Donate" button. For non-PayPal people, alternative payment mechanisms are in the works. Thank you for your past and future support!

This Bud's for who?

I've been reading Andrew Zimbalist's new book In the Best Interests of Baseball: The Revolutionary Reign of Bud Selig. It was exactly eight years ago today that Bud Selig became permanent commissioner of baseball. Between 1992 and 1998 he was generally referred to by sports journalists as "acting commissioner," but that was never an official term. In fact, he was merely the the "chairman of the MLB executive council," an office that was traditionally held by the commissioner. The forced resignation of Fay Vincent in September 1992 was what brought on the strange circumstance of a franchise owner serving simultaneously as the overseer and guardian of Our National Pastime. The portrait of Selig painted by Zimbalist is hardly flattering, shedding harsh light on his hardball tactics in getting cities to pay for new stadiums. It is a fair depiction, nonetheless, calling attention to Bud's commendable political and communication skills. In spite of his weak formal position while "acting commissioner," he did manage to cajole the MLB owners into agreeing to expansion in 1998, beginning interleague play, and holding games in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Japan. Mr. Selig has a lot to answer for, I think, but his critics need to think about who could have done any better in maintaining a semblance of unity and order in baseball.

Reactions to Soriano non-trade

Isn't it something how a last-place team like the Nationals can attract such a media feeding frenzy? David Pinto remains skeptical of the whole Soriano thing:

The idea that Washington would flip him for talent after his great first half made me like the original deal that brought him to the Nation's Capital a lot more. Signing him long term doesn't appeal to me at all. He's past his peak and playing for a contract. Washington's likely seen the best they're going to get from Alfonso.

As usual, Tom Boswell (Washington Post) gets it:

But even if Soriano ultimately leaves town, the Nats may have made the right choice anyway because they did the right thing for the right reasons. Many will remember it. The small loss Washington may suffer in personnel -- the difference between the good-but-not-great prospects they could have gotten yesterday and the two draft picks they'd receive as compensation if Soriano leaves -- may be dwarfed by the credibility they immediately gain with their fans, their players and their biggest star.

Exactamundo. The Lerners would do much better in attracting fans to Nats games by spending their money on a better team, not on silly ballpark amusements.

August 1, 2006 [LINK]

Fidel Castro is gravely ill

It is unseemly to celebrate the impending demise of a human being, but one could forgive the Cuban exiles in Miami for dancing in the streets last night. Yesterday the aging dictator of Cuba transfered to his brother Raúl power over three institutions: the Communist Party, the armed forces, and the Cuban government. (Raúl has served as defense minister and vice president for many years, and is the "heir apparent.") Fidel also transfered responsibility for guiding the general course of health policy, education policy, and energy policy to respective cabinet-level officials. Oddly, the only word about Castro's condition as published by the official Communist newspaper Granma (or its Web site, at least) was from Fidel himself. His message to the Cuban people explained that the decision to turn over governing power to his brother was prompted by severe intestinal ailments, including bleeding, that was provoked by the stress of his recent visit to the MERCOSUR summit in Argentina. (The seriousness of the surgery makes one wonder whether the statement was ghost-written.) In any case, it ended by proclaiming:

Imperialism will never be able to smash Cuba.
The Battle of Ideas will continue forward.

Fidel's need to rest and recover from the intestinal surgery has forced the postponement of the planned 80th birthday party for him on August 13. The country's provisional leader Raúl Castro is 75. Fidel came to power on New Year's Day, 1959, and even though he quickly established relations with the Soviet Union, he did not openly declare himself to be a Marxist-Leninist until 1961. Whether he was a closet communist all along, or a nationalist who gravitated in that direction because of U.S. pressure, is a hotly debated question in academic circles. To me, it is a secondary question and in any case can never be answered satisfactorily.

For the United States, the long-anticipated hypothetical question of how to respond to Castro's demise and promote a transition toward a free democratic regime now becomes very urgent and real. Countless times in the past, well-intention U.S. programs aimed up lifting up countries in Latin America or elsewhere in the Third World have failed because U.S. "experts" failed to recognize the nationalistic spirit and wounded pride of the recipient nations. This occasion also provides an opportunity to reform U.S. immigration laws, which contain special preferences for Cuban exiles. People from other Latin American countries resent the Cubans' privileged status, which seems to reward a country for going communist. (!) Given that the Communist regime in Havana appears to lack any provision for a leadership succession beyond Raúl, those immigration provisions would become obsolete as soon as Castro dies, and should be repealed.

Above all, officials in the U.S. government must resist any temptation to gloat over Castro's brush with mortality. For better or (more likely) worse, most people living in Cuba seem to revere him as a nationalist hero. (In a closed, tyrannical system such as Cuba's, however, there is simply no way of accurately gauging true public sentiment.) However sincere or widespread the affection of his people may be, Castro can at least die a happy man knowing that his cherished cause of revolutionary anti-Americanism lives on at the other end of the Caribbean Sea -- in the "Boliviarian Republic" of Venezuela led by Hugo Chavez.

August 2, 2006 [LINK]

Turmoil worsens in Mexico

After several days of increasing protests, blockades, and turmoil, President Fox urged the Mexico City officials to order police to clear the streets. Thus far, Mayor Alejandro Encinas has declined to force the protesters to leave. He belongs to the Party of Democratic Revolution of which losing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is the leader, and no doubt supports the protesters' cause. See CNN.com. A spokesman for winning candidate Felip Calderon accused the PRD of "kidnapping" Mexico City. "AMLO" has spent the last three nights "camping out" in the main plaza, El Zocalo, with thousands of supporters in his PRD. He tries to show a dignified public image, calling on city officials to act with "patriotism, sensitivity, and rectitude." (La Jornada) Meanwhile, he tacitly encourages confrontation with authorities, risking violence and anarchy. The heart of the capital city remains choked by the blockades, causing great annoyance and lost sales for many businesses. To emphasize their determination to reverse the results of the July 2 election, or at least force a complete recall, PRD members pitched tents on the main boulevard, el Paseo de la Reforma, and blockaded the offices of the Secretariat of Social Development. (El Diario de Mexico) This is obviously the most perilous moment in Mexican history since the 1968 protests. The country's political institutions and leaders face a severe test to see whether the protests can be endured, and any legitimate grievances addressed, without resorting to overt repression.

I am unaware of any reputable outside observers who have lent credence to the PRD's accusations of vote rigging. Unfortunately, the Carter Center seems not to have had any involvement in monitoring the Mexican elections, perhaps preoccupied with the recent election in Congo and the upcoming election in Nicaragua.

Meanwhile, the prolonged teachers' strike in the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca goes on, and may be spreading. Most tourists have fled the area, putting severe stress on the local economy. About 500 women surrounded a government television station, demanding the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz (who belongs to the once-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party), charging that his 2004 election victory was fraudulent. Two years later? See CNN.com.

August 2, 2006 [LINK]

Did Floyd Landis use steroids?

After Lance Armstrong retired last year, I figured the American dynasty of winners in the Tour de France would come to an end. Without a hot rock star like Cheryl Crow accompanying our team, it just wouldn't be as exciting. Greg LeMond became the first American to win that competition in 1986, inspiring many Americans (including me) to achieve great feats of cycling endurance. During the 90s, Europeans reclaimed the Tour de France, most notably Miguel Indurain. Then came Lance Armstrong with his record-breaking seven consecutive Tour triumphs from 1999 to 2005: the Americans were back! It was hard to know what to make of the accusations of steroid use by Armstrong, which seemed at first like sour grapes spitefulness by the French, but the possibility cannot be ruled out entirely. With the fanatic training regimen and vitamin supplements that most world-class athletes take these days, it's hard to draw a sharp line between cheating and fair play. Almost all championship-level cyclists take some kind of dietary supplement, apparently.

So, the news that this year's Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis, tested positive for steroid use is both distressing and not entirely unexpected. The sports doping problem may extend well beyond Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Jose Canseco. Landis comes from a Mennonite family in rural Pennsylvania, and cheating would seem quite out of character for someone with such a background. I have given him the benefit of the doubt up till now, but I may have to rethink that. A chemist blogger named Derek Lowe (via Instapundit; Glenn is on vacation) explains why the blood test casts a dark shadow on Mr. Landis. He says that his testosterone level is naturally elevated, but that does not account for the high ratio of testosterone to isomeric epitestosterone in his blood system. "[T]oo high an imbalance is physiologically unlikely and arouses suspicion." Dr. Lowe explains how carbon isotopes (C-12 vs. C-14, etc.) are used in the dope tests, which is very intriguing.

Every once in a while, I deign to comment on pop culture news. So, here goes:

Is Mel Gibson anti-semitic?

It sure looks that way to me. At the very least, he seems to be an alcoholic in need of major behavior modification. Meanwhile, culturally conservative Catholics are mortified at his lapse of judgment, and the movie Passion of the Christ is likely to be reevaluated by many other people. That being said, Mel's episode has gotten about ten times as much attention in the press as it deserved.

Does America really have talent?

Absolutely. It has a severe shortcoming, however, in terms of understanding the meaning of the word reality.

Brad and Angelina: Who cares?

Not me.

August 3, 2006 [LINK]

Chavez visits west Africa

During his trip to Africa, Hugo Chavez signed an agreement on energy with President Amadou Toure of Mali, but the details were not disclosed. Presumably, it involves bargain prices for petroleum, such as the special deal reached with Castro's Cuba. Mali has potential oil reserves, however, so there may be some exploration work involved in this agreement. Chavez emphasized that integration with Africa was necessary to resist "imperialism." He then went to Benin and signed an agreement with President Yayi Boni by which Venezuela will invest surplus petroleum funds in that country. Chavez was recently quoted as declaring, "Imperialists belong to an inferior class of human beings or even sub-animals because they dropped an atomic bomb on a city and bombed Hanoi." (El Universal of Caracas) He hopes these diplomatic initiatives will win him (or his country) a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council for the next two years, but such off-the-wall rhetoric makes that prospect less likely.

Peru legislators resist austerity

As promised, new President Alan Garcia is following through with his austerity measures, eliminating the office of the First Lady. Members of Congress belonging to the opposition parties deny reports that they are resisting Garcia's proposed cut in congressional salaries, clearly being on the defensive. Essentially, the pay cut (already in effect for the executive branch officials) is a gesture aimed at restoring credibility among Peruvians who remember what Garcia did the last time he was president. Garcia's APRA and Ollanta Humala's Union for Peru (which is now firmly allied with the Nationalist Party) are engaged in an intense struggle to make deals with smaller parties, divvying up congressional committee assignments. (El Comercio)

August 3, 2006 [LINK]

Glossy ibis visits the valley

Several local bird watchers have reported seeing a Glossy ibis at a farm pond in recent days, the first one ever seen in Rockingham County. It seems that whenever such a rare bird is reported (Sandhill crane, Harris' sparrow), I get there too late, but this morning (hot!) I lucked out. As soon as I stopped my car, I could see the Glossy ibis in plain view. The long bill and green feathers quickly established the identity. [Correction: I thought this was a life bird, but Jacqueline and I had already seen one at Chincoteague in 1999.]

To see a different angle, showing the green color more clearly, roll the mouse over the image. Much better photos of the Glossy ibis were taken by Brenda Tekin.

A Sora was also reported at the same pond, but I didn't see it. I did hear some strange calls in the reeds, however, so perhaps it was hiding in there. Today's list:

Glossy ibis
Green herons (2)
Solitary sandpiper
Goldfinch (M)
Indigo bunting (M)
Red-wing blackbirds (F)

Glossy ibises breed along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts as far north as Maine, and then some of them head inland to forage for a month or so before returning south for the winter. Question: Will the planned large-scale industrial development of the Weyer's Cave area, just a few miles south of this spot, deter such migratory wonders from visiting the Shenandoah Valley?

August 4, 2006 [LINK]

Nats prevail over Giants

It was a good sign that the Nationals bounced back from getting swept by the Dodgers, winning two of three games at AT&T Park. Once again, Barry Bonds was not a factor. You could tell that Alfonso Soriano wanted to sweep the Giants for a second time in two weeks, as he hit two home runs in the third game of the series. Tony Armas pitched poorly, though, giving up six runs in less than four innings. Ironically, the Nats were rallying in the ninth inning, but their former relief pitcher, Mike Stanton, struck out Alex Escobar to end the game. Stanton was just traded to San Francisco last week, so it was a bit strange. So now the Nats are headed to San Diego, able to relax and focus once again now that all those trade rumors are behind them.

Off to Baltimore

Jacqueline has wanted to go to the aquarium in Baltimore for years and years, and this weekend we're finally going to do it. Could it be a mere coincidence that the Yankees are playing the Orioles in Camden Yards? May-be. Anyway, no blogging this weekend.

E-mail list

One of the imminent upgrades to this Web site will be an E-mail list, enabling stadium page sponsors (and registered users, eventually) to share information and opinions about ballparks. That will be a lot more efficient than waiting for me to get caught up with the latest e-mail tips from fans. Stay tuned!

August 4, 2006 [LINK]

House GOP ditches principles

When confronted with unpleasant choices and a tight deadline, most politicians do what average human beings do: punt, that is, let someone else worry about it. Most Republicans in the House detest the minimum wage, believing that in a market economy such as ours, any such attempt to manipulate the price of a good or service is liable to backfire and make most people worse off. But it's an election year, and the minimum wage is one of those "feel good" issues in which the effort to explain why it's bad policy just isn't worth it. To them, the minimum wage is a classic "politically compelling policy." (R. Douglas Arnold) Fear of losing the next election overcomes their doubts that the proposed measure will help the intended beneficiaries the way it's supposed to.

That's why the Republicans resorted to procedural hijinks, following Arnold's precepts, putting the Democrats in a position where they would be pressured into voting against the minimum wage hike: They tied that provision (increasing from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over three years) to a cut in the estate tax, and to a variety of special tax breaks for favored corporations. That way, the Republicans win a partial victory in either case while being shielded from class-baiting criticism. Then they left town for summer recess. If the Senate goes along with the bill, Republicans get their death tax cut, and if not, at least they stopped the minimum wage from going up. (Washington Post) Ugh. In the Chicago Sun-Times, Robert Novak blamed outgoing House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (CA) for pushing through a measure he didn't really believe in, just to avoid the heat. (But if Thomas isn't running again, what is his motivation?)

There are probably a dozen or more hidden agendas in the bill Thomas put together, and I wouldn't pretend to care very much about who gets what. I would agree with Novak that the GOP moderates' desire to escape criticism from Democrats over the minimum wage issue is a waste of time. Doing so only makes people think you really don't believe in the principles of market economics. If not, what's the point of being a Republican?

In fact, the Senate voted down the measure on Thursday, which is just as well, given the insincerity of it all. See CNN.com.

August 4, 2006 [LINK]

Israel invades Hezbolland

According to the Mainstream Media, Israel has invaded "Lebanon" -- a putatively sovereign nation-state -- in clear violation of international law. It is true that Israeli forces have crossed the line on the map where Lebanon is supposed to begin, but the southern part of that country has not been under effective control of the government in Beirut for years. It is no secret that Hezbollah -- the "Party of God" which consists of Shiite muslims -- is the true supreme authority in much of southern Lebanon. What is striking is that the Lebanese government is objecting to the entry of Israeli forces into an area where its own forces are not even permitted to go! Why hasn't anyone pointed out that no soldiers from the Lebanese army have been killed or wounded in this conflict? Because it is so obvious that Lebanon is not an effective nation-state in any meaningful sense of the word. You may not find it in any world atlas, but the de facto reality is that Hezbollah is a virtual state unto itself, with a territory it controls on an exclusive basis; call it "Hezbolland."

Austin Bay wrote that this conflict shows that the Westphalian system of nation-states has "failed." That system assumes that each sovereign country has control over its own territory, unchallenged by armed groups. Strictly speaking, however, systems cannot "fail," because they are not deliberately constructed by anyone. They simply evolve from the interaction of their component parts. The Westphalian system was more of an idealized abstract than an accurate depiction of international reality, and in any case was superseded to a large extent by the United Nations in 1945. Still, Col. Bay is correct to point out that the transnational nature of terrorism, especially the modern Islamo-fascist variety, renders obsolete our traditional notions of national security.

Semantics aside, what is taking place in Lebanon is an awful tragedy, not just in the popular sense of great sadness and pity, but in the deeper, classical sense of an unavoidable clash of human wills thwarting each others' purposes, leaving everyone worse off. At first glance, the widespread criticism of Israel for the disproportionate use of force, responding to the abduction of two of its soldiers, seems quite valid.

Indeed, one of the biggest moral issues in this war is civilian casualties, and who is to blame for them. Red State notes that U.N. official Jan Egelund called the Hezbollah fighters "cowards" after he learned first hand that they were actually proud of avoiding losses to their own forces by blending in with Lebanese civilians. Belmont Club deals with asymmetric warfare, in which there are vast disparities in the physical capabilities of the two adversaries, who therefore operate under radically different moral and tactical guidelines. It's an extension of the old quandary about whether "guerrilla" forces should be held to the same rules of war as regular soldiers. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (via C-SPAN) alternated between voicing outrage at the "massacre" in the town of Qana and sneering at the Israelis' inability to find all his rockets. Doesn't he know that it is obvious to everyone that his forces have been concealing their arsenal in civilian homes, using innocent Lebanese people as "human shields"?

The artillery attack by Israel that wounded several U.N. peacekeepers is believed by some people to have been deliberate, but there is an easy explanation for it: Hezbollah fighters were stationed right next door, as Andrew Bolt notes. Beyond that, many people are inclined not to believe a fundamental truism about war, which is fought in a "fog" of incomplete knowledge and deception: Mistakes are made, all the time.

A unique combination of weapons and tactics being used in this war, reminding us that war constantly evolves in unpredictable directions, as opposing sides keep innovating to outwit each other. Israel's initial response to the kidnapping of its soldiers, bombing Beirut and various towns in southern Lebanon, seemed quite inappropriate to me. What is (or was) their strategy behind such a massive retaliation? Philip Gordon (Brookings Institution) argued that Israel's frustrated campaign against Hezbollah shows, once again, that "strategic bombing almost never worked." He cites World War II and Vietnam, to which I would add Bosnia and Kosovo, when Clinton tried to win "on the cheap" with air strikes so as to minimize friendly losses. Actually, I don't think Israel's bombing campaign qualifies as a "strategic" endeavor; I think it is a combination of targetted attacks on suspected Hezbollah bases and semi-random punitive raids.

The novel but truly awful aspect of this war is the constant, intensive use of rockets to rain terror upon Israeli civilians. It's a lot like the V-1/V-2 missile campaign of Germany against England in 1944 and 1945: then as now, little was accomplished militarily, but it did paralyze Londoners with fear, and it forced Churchill's government to divert resources toward defending against the V-1 "buzz bombs." (Nothing could stop the V-2s.) Strategy Page summarizes the Hezbollah arsenal of rockets, most of which are Russian Katyushas, or derivatives thereof. Iran has been sending thousands of these rockets, and some bigger, longer-range ones for ten years or more. I would expect the Israeli people to hold up at least as well as did their counterparts in England 60-odd years ago, but one cannot discount the possibility of escalation by Hezbollah in terms of the type of warhead -- as in WMDs. From an apocalyptic, jihadist point of view, why not go for broke?

It was an encouraging sign when the Israelis shifted from reliance upon bombs to sending their commandos (via helicopters) on a bold strike deep into Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Bill Roggio has been following that operation. We don't know what they accomplished, but without "boots on the ground," they will never neutralize Hezbollah's rocket-firing capability, much less their command infrastructure. Western intelligence agencies apparently underestimated Hezbollah's military forces.

Donald Sensing reviewed the four military-political objectives set by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on June 17, and thinks that none of those goals are likely to be met any time soon. He concludes on a pessimistic note:

The only way Israel can recoup the diplomatic setbacks it has suffered in the last several days, of which the Qana deaths were the capstone, is to impose political conditions through military successes on the ground. Let's hope Israel's renewed seriousness is not too little, too late.

The question of "who wins," ultimately, lies in the realm of mass psychology more than physical reality. War is a clash of wills, and Israel's difficulty in southern Lebanon thus far seems to have raised confidence among the Hezbollah militiamen. The Washington Post interviewed several of them who are beaming with pride at having withstood a direct frontal assault by Israeli mechanized forces. Aside from the first few days of the Yom Kippur War (October 1973), no Arab army had ever held its own against the Israeli Defense Forces. Times have changed.

Paradoxically, increased confidence among Arabs may just be the key to striking an eventual peace bargain between the Israelis and their bitterly resentful, marginalized neighbors. In almost every war since 1948, Israel has outwitted or overwhelmed Arab forces, leaving them utterly humiliated and craving revenge. It also has instilled in them a tendency to blame outsiders for their failures -- hence the hatred of the United States which led to the 9/11 attacks. The longing for power is never satisfied, however, and it is just as likely that making a gesture of respectful concession to Hezbollah at this point would only encourage further aggression and acts of terror. As with most things human, which course they take simply cannot be predicted with any reliability. In the Washington Post, David Ignatius develops this line of thinking:

Yet in the long lens of history, the importance of the 1973 war is that it opened the door to peace. The Arabs, humiliated by earlier wars with Israel, could now claim a measure of dignity because of Anwar Sadat's bold attack across the canal. The Israelis learned that their Arab adversaries wouldn't run from battle as they had in the 1967 war. That gave them a stake in making peace, too.

The idea that Hezbollah could quickly reform itself and mature into a responsible political organization capable of making compromises with its adversaries is far-fetched, but that may be one of the long-term solutions. Scholars who study the history of state formation in Europe know that the royal families that came to dominate during the early Modern Era were often former thugs. It's like the hordes of Visigoths settling down to rule in Spain during the Dark Ages, or retired Mafia goons deciding to make an "honest" living in Las Vegas. Stranger things have happened.

The worst part about this war is that, only one year ago, there were high hopes for the spread of democracy in Lebanon. The forced exit of Syrian troops had many of us thinking (see May 26, 2005) that Lebanon would be the next "domino" to fall in a democratizing Middle East. Unlike the Neocons, I never saw that process as being swift or sure, but it must be admitted that democracy in that part of the world has stalled, at least for the moment.

Finally, as the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, and as North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela escalate their haughty, bellicose rhetoric, the near-term prospects for world peace are about as lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Some evangelical Christians are even talking about Armageddon as a serious, imminent possibility. The United States probably can't do much to influence the course of events in Lebanon for the time being, but there will no doubt be some serious revisions in U.S. foreign policy. To me there is no doubt that Israel deserves or full moral support in this conflict, even if many of us have reservations about how it is conducting the war. That is why this might be an opportune time to consider -- just to consider -- reducing the annual multi-billion dollar subsidy Israel has been getting from Washington since the 1970s. It would undercut the argument of paranoid Arabs and Islamicists that Israel is a client state of the United States, which makes us look responsible for their actions. This would also be a good time for President Bush to read some of Winston Churchill's memoirs from World War II, especially the speech where he could promise nothing but "blood, toil, sweat, and tears."

UPDATE: Hezbollah fired at least 230 rockets into Israel yesterday, the biggest total yet for one day. Donald Sensing has a thorough rundown on Israel's military strategy and the latest news on unit deployments, complete with a map. Eight Israeli brigades are now inside Lebanon, ~~at least 30,000 men~~. Sensing sounds more encouraged that Israel is prepared to wage a serious war against Hezbollah, but he admits that Israeli forces have barely penetrated across the border, making very little net progress on the ground.

August 7, 2006 [LINK]

Gorgeous day at Camden Yards = Nightmare for Yankees

Wouldn't you know it? The day I finally go to see a game at Camden Yards, officially ending my "boycott" after all these years, the team I was rooting for gets shut down cold. There must have been at least as many Yankees fans in the stadium as Orioles fans on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, as the game was completely sold out, with nearly 1,000 "standing room only" fans. Jacqueline and I were sitting in the front part of the upper deck near the left foul pole. Some guy in back of us kept yelling "Yankees suck!" and finally got ejected by the usher, but the way the New York team was playing on Saturday, quite frankly, it would be hard to argue with him. We got to our seats just after Bobby Abreu got a single in the top of the first inning, and for the rest of the game, there were no further hits by the Yankees! What a disgrace. Well, let's give credit where credit is due: Orioles rookie Adam Loewen threw eight strikeouts in six-plus innings. [Two of those were to Abreu, who struck out a third time in the ninth inning. The Yanks'] starting pitcher Mike Mussina (a former Oriole) got pummeled in the second inning, and was lucky that only three runs scored. In the two games I've seen the Yankees play, they have scored a total of one run; at least they won the first time.

Ironically, the Yankees had just taken the lead in the AL East for the first time in at least two months. The Yankees did win their other two games in Baltimore, and on Sunday four of them hit home runs: Jeter, Giambi, Damon, and Cabrera. Heck, I would have been satisfied to see just one Yankee homer...

As expected, I was indeed impressed by the architectural beauty of the Orioles' home; it's reputation is well deserved. I've added the above photo and a couple others to the Camden Yards page, and hopefully more will come. Unfortunately, however, I did not take any photos from inside the ballpark. I plan to tweak the Camden Yards diagram slightly in the near future as well.

Nats end road trip

In spite of two more homers by Ryan Zimmerman (one of which reached the upper deck in left field), and one by Alfonso Soriano, the Nationals managed only one win in their series against the Padres in San Diego. They won three and lost six while in California. Tomorrow they face the Marlins back home in RFK Stadium, hoping to pull ahead of the slumping Braves and get out of the cellar, where they have dwelt since the Fourth of July.

You can call them Rays

Photos of the new aquarium tank featuring live rays can be seen via MLB.com; hat tip to Mike Zurawski. While at the Baltimore aquarium before the game on Saturday, I learned that there are two categories of rays: fast-moving ones that flap their wings like birds, and slow-moving ones whose wings make a rippling motion.

UPDATE: Livan is traded to Arizona

I thought the passing of the waiver-clearing deadline meant that the Washington Nationals' roster would remain stable until year end. Not! Livan Hernandez has been traded to the Diamondbacks for two young prospects: right-hander Garrett Mock and left-hander Matt Chico. See MLB.com, which does not explain how Hernandez cleared waivers so quickly. And so, yet another former Montreal Expo parts company with the transitioning franchise. That's a real shame. I suppose that the Nationals' front office figures that at age 31, he might not have many more productive years. Either that, or they are trying to save on payroll so as to meet Soriano's likely demands for a raise. As if by magic, the image of Livan that used to be on the masthead of the Nationals' Web page has already been replaced by that of Ryan Zimmerman! They may have to replace Jose Guillen's face, as well.

Speaking of that masthead image, has anyone else noticed that the swooping curve of the word "Washington" in the Nationals' team logo matches the swooping profile of the roof at RFK Stadium? Is that just a coincidence?

Adjusting Chase Field?

Speaking of the Diamondbacks, Chase Field is gaining a reputation as "a hitter's paradise" this year, and some people in Phoenix are wondering whether the uniquely-shaped left- and right-field corners should be eliminated, to cut down on the number of extra base hits. For heavens' sake, that's one of its most interesting features! See azcentral.com, thanks to Mike Zurawski. Surprisingly, RFK Stadium ranks as the fourth hitter-friendliest MLB stadium.

August 7, 2006 [LINK]

Apocalypse now in Iraq?

On Thursday, top U.S. generals warned that the civil strife in Iraq is becoming so bad that civil war is a real possibility (see Washington Post). Gen. John Abizaid, who commands U.S. forces in Iraq, and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave similar appraisals of the deteriorating situation in testimony to the U.S. Armed Services Committee. In response, the U.S. 172nd Stryker Brigade has been redeployed from Mosul, which is relatively peaceful, to Baghdad, where the bloodbath gets worse every day. From a strategic point of view, such incremental shifts of military assets from one sector to another are unlikely to regain the initiative. Unfortunately, President Bush has been reluctant to call for major national sacrifice or devote sufficient resources to crush the insurgency, which is one of the few apt parallels between this war and Vietnam.

The possibility that the situation will get totally out of hand would put the United States in a very awkward position. There would no doubt be much gloating and recrimination from various partisan commentators, but the most pressing question is how to minimize our losses and still achieve partial success in Iraq. I have long emphasized that the United States must make it clear to the Iraqi government that ultimate success or failure in defeating the terrorist insurgents is up to them. If the Iraqi army cannot gain control of its own cities in the near future, the sectarian militias would thereby inherit the mantle of quasi-legitimate authority in much of the country. Unless President Bush is willing to spend what is left of his political capital to muster all our might at this point, the best course for us to take would be to accommodate a de facto partition of Iraq, pulling our forces out of the Sunni Triangle and letting the Shiites and Sunnis go at it. That prospect might be frightening enough to encourage flexibility on the part of the Sunni leaders, or it might not.

The complicating factor here is the war in southern Lebanon (or "Hezbolland," as I call it). Iran supports the Shiite militias in Iraq as well as Lebanon, and remains the primary enemy force in the region. The more we support Israel, the less we can count on Shiites in Iraq to cooperate in pursuing a pluralistic political settlement with the Sunnis.

Our Gold Star mother writes

Rhonda Winfield, mother of fallen Marine Lance Corporal Jason Redifer, has written a book on her experiences: When Johnny Doesn't Come Marching Home. It reminds us, once again, that the real battlefield in the war on Arab-Islamic terrorism is right here on the home front. Hat tip to Steve Kijak, who is also very busy with a local program to support our troops with donated goods: "From Our Hearts." The main coordinators of that effort are Benny and Dianne Rankin, owners of the T-Bone Tooters restaurant in Churchville.

August 8, 2006 [LINK]

Showdown heats up in Mexico

It's hard to say how much longer Mexico can endure the tense stalemate over the disputed July 2 election. The Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled that a partial recount should be held, involving 11,839 of the 130,500 polling stations, or about nine percent of all votes that were cast. Losing presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rejected that outright, however, insisting on nothing less than a complete recount of every ballot that was cast, reopening all of the sealed ballot boxes. He is really going out on a limb, wagering that he can get enough public opinion on his side to force the authorities to give in to his demands. Doing so would set a dangerous precedent for the credibility of and respect for government insititutions in Mexico. Supporters of AMLO seized control of toll booths on some of the major highways leading into Mexico City, allowing motorists to pass through for free. That probably won't be enough to offset the deep anger they have stirred by shutting the city down for over a week. The final decision on the election results are due no later than September 6. (BBC)

Apparently fearful that he is quickly losing support among educated Mexicans, AMLO invited his opponents to an "assembly" on Sunday, at which he says he will lay out the reasons for leading the campaign of civil resistance. He repeated his claims that the elections were fraudulent. (El Universal)

August 9, 2006 [LINK]

Stadium controversy in Japan

Last Friday's Washington Post had a story on the controversy over where to build a new stadium for the Hiroshima Carp baseball team. Location seems to be the main point of dispute, rather than who will pay for it:

But most Hiroshimans support rebuilding at the current location across the street from the Peace Park and the iconic Atomic Bomb Dome, the burned-out building still standing from the Aug. 6, 1945, U.S. bombing. When asked about the ballpark, many residents talk about the postwar days when the birth of the Carp, in 1950, and the construction of the stadium, in 1957-8, restored hope and self-worth to the people.

There was a photograph of Hiroshima Municipal Stadium in the National Geographic 15 or 20 years ago. It is symmetrical and very rounded, but with the main grandstand running parallel to the foul lines, with lots of foul territory and a small, uncovered upper deck. Trivia time: It so happens that Hiroshima was the first professional team that Alfonso Soriano ever played for.

Marlins beat Nationals

Hopes that returning home would energize the Nationals proved in vain last night, as the Marlins beat them, 4-2. I suppose the loss of Livan Hernandez must be pretty demoralizing for the team. Apparently a deal tentative deal with the Diamondbacks was reached before the waiver-clearing trade deadline, but was kept secret while the details were ironed out. He said he was sad to leave Washington, and we are sad to see him go.

Camden Yards photo

I've added a panoramic photo at the bottom of the Camden Yards page, and modified one of the earlier ones. Back to diagram updates soon...

August 9, 2006 [LINK]

Uribe's second inauguration

Although the ceremonies were overshadowed by the tumult in Mexico City, Alvaro Uribe was duly sworn in as president of Colombia for a second time. It is the first time in many decades that a sitting president has been allowed to serve for more than one consecutive turn. From a conservative perspective, Uribe's triumph is one of the few heartening developments in Latin America for the past year. The concluding sentence in the AP story by Joshua Goodman reprinted in the Washington Post raised my eyebrows:

Uribe made no bold proposals for improving the lot of the 50 percent of Colombians who live below the poverty line -- on less than three U.S. dollars a day -- even as the rich benefit from the increased foreign investment that improved security has brought.

It almost sounds like talking points for the guerrillas. Uribe is quite aware that as long as the civil war continues, any proposals to ease poverty are unlikely to accomplish very much.

Protesters shut down banks

Supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have blockaded the entrances to three foreign-owned banks in downtown Mexico City, including U.S.-owned Citibank. They seem to realize that time is running against them, and that if they cannot force the electoral authorities to give in to their demands soon, public opinion will likely turn strongly against them. (CNN.com)

August 9, 2006 [LINK]

Baltimore: "Charm City" indeed!

I have compiled a batch of ten photos from our recent weekend jaunt to Baltimore, three of which are multi-image montages taken from video freeze frames. Four of those photos are already included on the Camden Yards page. My favorite one is the tropical fish, coral, and sea anenomes we saw at the National Aquarium. If such awesome, exotic beauty doesn't turn you into a nature lover, nothing will.

Clockwise, from top left: The main entrance to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, tropical fish and coral, the Washington Monument (!), and the USS Constitution docked in the Inner Harbor.

This was the first time I had actually stopped to seriously visit Baltimore since the late 1980s. Its "charm" and unique character no doubt stems from the fact that it is a genuine self-generated urban center, not a contrived imperial parasite that sucks in wealth from the rest of the country, as Washington does. (Hey, let's be honest.) We paid a visit to the Peabody Institute Conservatory, home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, located next to the Washington Monument. We also took a quick peek at the Public Works Museum, which I believe was used as the police headquarters when the first-class TV drama Homicide was filmed. We missed Fell's Point, Fort McHenry, and many other cultural and historical points of interest, however. Word of advice: Get your tickets to the National Aquarium very early in the morning if you have plans for the afternoon, such as a baseball game. On busy days, such as when there are literally thousands of New York Yankees fans milling around, the lines for the Aquarium and other main attractions are long.

While strolling past the Baltimore Convention Center, we saw large numbers of teens and young adults wearing bizarre, fanciful costumes, and some were carrying pretend swords and other paraphernelia. I learned that those folks were attending the Otakon convention, "the biggest and best celebration of Japanese animation, manga, J-pop, and east Asian culture in the world." Okay, whatever...

Speaking of Japan, we should remember that it was 62 years ago today that the second atomic bomb was dropped, destroying most of the city of Nagasaki.

August 9, 2006 [LINK]

Lamont beats Lieberman

If you're a partisan first and foremost, whether on the left or on the right, you should be delighted at the primary election defeat of Senator Joe Lieberman by the wealthy newcomer Ned Lamont. The margin of defeat was only about four percent, less than the polls had predicted, so that is some consolation. Unfortunately, enough Connecticut voters were apparently persuaded by the "progressive" (i.e., defeatist, America-hating) rhetoric of the Daily Kos to give their incumbent senator the boot. For anyone who puts a priority on national unity, however, Lieberman's loss is a real shame, because he was one of the last few truly independent, conscientious voices in the Democrat Party. We need a strong moderate element in Congress to get things done via sensible compromise, and to avoid getting carried away by rash sentiments. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity tried to spin Lieberman's defeat as good news for the Republicans, but I'm not sure. Lieberman filed papers for running as an independent today, and there is a real danger that a Republican running for that seat would take away enough votes from Lieberman to give the election to Lamont. At a moment of national peril, as we face multiple deadly threats to our national security -- from Lebanon to Iran to Iraq to North Korea to Venezuela, and now perhaps even Mexico -- we simply cannot afford to let partisan extremists undermine our strength from within.

UPDATE: McCain-Lieberman 2008?

Austin Bay calls for a McCain-Lieberman ticket in 2008. He thinks they are both committed to waging a protracted political war against the Islamo-fascists, and would be uniquely qualified to lead the nation in that endeavor:

A McCain-Lieberman presidential ticket would be the closest thing a national unity government the American system can produce. It would make an international political statement of enormous significance. The McCain-Lieberman statement: "We're fighting, we'll continue to fight, and we will finish it."

It's a compelling argument, but I'm not so sure. McCain is just too unreliable to be my first choice, but then Bush was not one of my favorites in the 2000 primaries, so who knows? Wouldn't that be something: both of those potential candidates were defeated by George W. Bush in 2000!

August 10, 2006 [LINK]

The future of RFK Stadium

What will become of RFK Stadium after the Washington Nationals and the D.C. United soccer team move out? The National Capital Planning Commission is in studying that question, and the only thing certain is that the 190 acres of waterfront property in that neighborhood will not be sold for commercial development. Some combination of public sports, recreation, and nature preserve seems most likely at this point. The city's lease on the land ends in 2036, but that is contingent upon continued use of the site for sporting events. See Washington Business Journal, via Mike Zurawski.

As for D.C. United, they are still waiting for D.C. government approval on their plan to build a new stadium on the south banks of the Anacostia River, across from the future home of the Nationals. The four-time champions of soccer played in an exhibition match against the vaunted Real Madrid team last night at Qwest Field in Seattle, managing a 1-1 draw. That is a huge accomplishment. With a record of 13-2-6, D.C. United holds an almost insurmountable lead in the MLS Eastern Conference. Just thought you'd like to know...

Groundbreaking in the Bronx

Groundbreaking for the future version of Yankee Stadium, or whatever they plan to call it, has been set for August 16. Now the question is whether the Yankees or the Mets will be able to finish construction on their respective new homes first. See Sports Illustrated, via Mike Zurawski. Why has there been no groundswell of fan support for the grand old basilica of baseball, like there was for Tiger Stadium and Fenway Park? After checking the Year-by-year stadium chronology page, I've determined that this will be the first time ever that two major league baseball stadiums have been under construction at the same time in the same city.

Reds cry foul over trade

Less than two weeks after being traded from Washington, Gary Majewski has been put on the disabled list by the Reds, who are angry at Nats GM Jim Bowden for not disclosing that the reliever had taken cortisone shots. Majewski's right shoulder has been bothering him, but tests indicate that there is no serious injury. According to MLB.com, the Commissioner's office stated that "Cincinnati may have no recourse on the dispute. Spokesman Richard Levin said ... It's essentially buyer beware." Nevertheless, opines David Pinto, "Obviously, this doesn't reflect well on Jim Bowden."

August 10, 2006 [LINK]

Staunton "beltway" is completed

The final four-mile section of the long-awaited bypass loop around Staunton was opened this morning, and I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremonies. The weather was gloomy, not what you would call auspicious. Congressman Bob Goodlatte was the main speaker at the event, and Delegates Chris Saxman and Steve Landes, Staunton Mayor Lacy King, city council members Richard Bell and Bruce Elder, Augusta County supervisors Larry Howdyshell, Jim Bailey, and Nancy Sorrells, as well as various VDOT officials were there.

Looking southbound on the new section of Route 262, near the U.S. Route 250 exit. Click on this image to see Congressman Goodlatte.

The entire bypass will be designated "Route 262," which means that the northern stretch of the "Woodrow Wilson Parkway" will no longer be called "Route 275." (See VDOT.)

An obvious question arises: Is this highway project an example of wasteful "pork barrel" spending? I'm hardly one to answer that question objectively, but I can say without hesitation that there was a pressing need for a way to get around Staunton without getting stuck in the congested streets of downtown. There was simply no practical alternative route to or from the west side of town. When returning from Appomattox last March, I was amazed to see the brand-new, super-sized Route 29 bypass east of Lynchburg. By comparison, Staunton's bypass is much more modest in scale, and presumably more economical. The massive new bypass system in Blacksburg-Christiansburg? Don't get me started.

August 10, 2006 [LINK]

Brits foil airline bomb plot

Many Americans have grown complacent about the threat of terrorism, so perhaps today's announcement of the arrest of dozens of terrorist conspirators in Great Britain will serve as a needed wake-up call. If the purported ten airliners had indeed been brought down, the death toll might well have exceeded that of September 11. Many of the suspects were born in Britain, though most are from Pakistani families. (Assimilation? Not!) The plan was to use liquid explosives triggered by an MP3 player or similar device (iPod???), showing that the "passion and cunning" of terrorists (to cite Conor Cruise O'Brien's book on that subject) will keep our security experts on their toes for decades to come. See BBC. Whether or not the conspirators were actual members of al Qaeda is beside the point, because the Islamo-fascist movement has evolved into a decentralized operation (see below), with many self-starting "entrepreneurs" who have only weak ties to Osama bin Laden or his lieutenants. This changed circumstance should remind us why the proposed alternative of focuing exclusively on rooting out terrorist bases in the wilderness of South Asia could not have accomplished much.

Donald Sensing observes that North Korean agents blew up a South Korean airliner with such a device in 1987, and speculates whether they may be involved with this plot in some way. North Korea has been collaborating with Iran over ballistic missile technology and WMDs, so this possibility cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, eleven Egyptian "students" who were supposed to be attending the University of Montana are at large, subject to deportation for having violated the terms of their student visas. This should remind us that immigration reform is an urgent matter of national security, and -- at least in my view -- the first order of business should be to get everyone who is currently here illegally registered immediately, or else forfeit any future opportunity to gain legal resident status here.

Fallows: Just declare victory

During the middle part of the Vietnam War, some congressman suggested that the best course of action for the United States would be to just declare that we had won and go home. That is similar to what James Fallows proposes in the September issue of The Atlantic Monthly: "Declaring Victory." Though known for having a rather dour outlook on the war (see Dec. 14), he really does think that we have accomplished a great deal in the campaign against terrorists thus far. He notes that Al Qaeda and its Islamic extremist allies have started to bicker over killing fellow Muslims, and that the initial "romantic" appeal of jihadism is fading as the corpses pile higher and higher in Baghdad. Furthermore, which is what is so relevant to the events of today, the command structure of Al Qaeda has been largely dismantled, and their ability to do us serious harm has been crippled. Fallows believes that their biggest weapon, now, is in goading us into overreacting, either through unduly aggressive military action or by unduly defensive homeland security measures. Challenging the Bush administration's approach, he writes, "Perhaps worst of all, an open-ended war is an open-ended invitation to defeat." Thus, he concludes, our interests would be best served by recognizing the great achievements we have won, and moving on with "quiet confidence."

From a purely rational perspective, it indeed sounds like an appropriate way to make the best of a difficult situation in Iraq, but there is a slight problem: Could the average person tell the difference between that course of action versus "cutting and running," a la Howard Dean and Ned Lamont? It would take an extraordinarily gifted communicator in the White House to convey such a subtle message with just the right tone.

Memorializing war

Prior to the Yankees-Orioles baseball game at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday, I came across this shrine to American servicemen and women, a reduced-size recreation of the huge metal plaque that used to adorn the south end of Memorial Stadium:

Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.

"The citizens of the state of Maryland dedicate this memorial to all veterans who so valiantly fought and served in our nation's wars with eternal gratitude to those who made the supreme sacrifice to preserve democracy and freedom throughout the world."

Does that last phrase (italics added) sound familiar? It should.

UPDATE: Sullivan on Dems & war

Andrew Sullivan has become one of the loudest conservative critics of the way the Bush administration has handled the war on Islamic terrorism, so he is in a special position to respond to criticism from the Democrats. (The victory of Ned Lamont over Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primary makes this question more salient, at least temporarily.) Sullivan responds to a Democrat reader's vague alternative approach to the threat of terror in a very direct fashion:

But, for all Cheney's and Rumsfeld's flaws, they are at least proposing something serious, however ineptly carried out. I have yet to hear anti-war voices on the left propose a positive strategy for defeating Islamist terror at its roots, or call for democratization of the Arab Muslim world. ...

Until the opposition party presents a progressive, democratic agenda to reform the Middle East - as Blair has done in Britain, for example - there's no reason to take them seriously on national security.

August 11, 2006 [LINK]

Nats bullpen crumbles again

When the Nats got four runs in the seventh inning last night, I thought it was a sign they were determined to prevail and at least take two of three games from the Marlins. Well, it didn't turn out that way. Once again, the bullpen fell apart under the stress, giving up five runs in the last three innings, and Florida won, 9-6. I know the Washington team is "rebuilding for the long term," but can't they afford at least a few reliable relief pitchers in the mean time? What a contrast from the first half of last year, when the bullpen was the Nationals' strongest spot! Who wold have thought the one game the Nats did win in that series was the one in which Dontrelle Willis was pitching? The Nats welcome the high-flying New York Mets to RFK Stadium this weekend, and the best they can probably hope for is to avoid a sweep.

Twins lose Liriano

For any team in a division with two teams over .600 winning percentage, any hopes of making it to the postseason would seem far fetched. That was the situation the Twins were in as of a month ago, but it didn't stop them from fighting hard and pulling to within one game of the slumping White Sox in the AL Central. The Twins earned a reputation as true-grit underdogs in the last few years, proving they deserved a new stadium. That is why the loss of their rookie All Star pitcher Francisco Liriano for the rest of the season is so tragic. See MLB.com.

Seals Stadium update

For want of time (as always), I decided to redo the easiest one of the stadium diagrams on my "to-do" list, and that was Seals Stadium, temporary home of the Giants in 1958-1959. Aside from the reorientation to conform to the new standard, there are a few minor corrections.

The mail bag

Chris Kassulke informed me that the minor league Atlanta Crackers played their games at Atlanta Stadium in 1965, one year before the Braves and Falcons moved in. Duly noted!

August 11, 2006 [LINK]

Politicizing the war on terror

If there is one consistent theme in all my blogging for the past four-odd years, it is that I respect honest differences of opinion over serious policy issues. Likewise, I shun ad hominem attacks on other people, and I emphatically renounce dogmatic positions of any sort. That is why it really burns me up when hyper-partisan bloggers like Joshua Marshall take to slandering Joe Lieberman for allegedly "claiming that any serious questioning of our policy in Iraq is a victory for the terrorists." That is a ridiculous misrepresentation of what Lieberman has been saying. Hell, I seriously question our policy in Iraq some times. Marshall is incensed that Lieberman said that an abrupt withdrawl from Iraq as advocated by Ned Lamont would signify a victory for the terrorists in England who were plotting to blow up airliners. For anyone who recognizes the psychological dimension of the broader conflict between the Islamo-fascists and the West, such a conclusion is self-evident. If you don't see the conflict in those terms, you will obviously reach a different conclusion. That doesn't mean that those of us who see this conflict with terrorism as a genuine global-scale war (not just as a form of organized crime) are bad people, however; it just means we are thinking and acting upon a different set of premises. Marshall's hyper-sensitivity to such criticism may reflect gnawing inner doubts about his position on these critical issues.

Again, I say this as someone who grants that some of the criticism of Bush's conduct of the war is valid, and who tries to be realistic about our prospects for a meaningful "victory." In the long run, it almost certain that the West and the Western values of freedom, modernity, and pluralism will prevail over the medieval theocrats -- but it might take decades before such a victory becomes apparent to most people. In the short term, we may find it in our interests to regroup and consolidate our position, "shrugging off" the burden of global hegemonic stabilizer until enough countries realize how valuable we have been to them in that role. That is basically what James Fallows suggests, as I noted yesterday. Ironically, those on the Left who demand a quick pullout from Iraq make such a move politically impossible. It is a hard-headed strategic question, not a sentimental patriotic one.

Perhaps all these polemics are a simple reminder of the point made by Halford J. Mackinder in his classic work on geopolitics, Democratic Ideals and Reality (1942):

Democracy refuses to think strategically unless and until compelled to do so for purposes of defense.

Unless more people in Joe Lieberman's party have the courage to stand up for what is right, you might as well replace the word "Democracy" in that sentence with "Democrats."

August 12, 2006 [LINK]

AMLO seeks foreign help

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leftist-nationalist whose campaign stressed the need to resist foreign intrusion into Mexico's economy, has called on foreign countries to back up his demands for a complete recount of the July 2 elections. Ironic? Perhaps even more amusing was his excuse for the attempt by his supporters to shut down Mexico City: It was the only way to draw attention to his cause because "he can't afford mass advertising." CNN.com As if Mexicans' nerves weren't already stressed to the limit by the prolonged political showdown, the capital city was shaken by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake today. It was centered 125 miles to the southwest.

¿Felíz cumpleaños, Fidel?

Hugo Chavez is due to visit the Cuban dictator on Sunday for his 80th birthday. Castro is said to be recovering well from his intestinal surgery. See BBC.

El viejo barbón ya tiene ochenta (80) años. ¿Y cuando va a dejar en paz al pueblo cubano?

August 12, 2006 [LINK]

Wikipedia: true or false?

I grudgingly admit to being a regular user of Wikipedia to get fast information, but I've learned to take its content with a grain of salt. No doubt, it is usually correct (like the New York Times! ) and it is probably getting better with time, but I still refuse to consider it a valid source for scholarly work. Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert recently abused the free-wheeling editing functions of that "open-source" quasi-encyclopedia, just for kicks. He coined the term "Wikiality" -- if you claim something to be true and enough people agree with you, it becomes true." See Washington Post. Well, in this post-modern era, the very meaning of the word truth is pretty much up for grabs, a mere "social construction." Everything is subjective. It's no wonder kids don't believe what they're taught, or don't care about the factual basis of arguments. "Whatever!"

August 12, 2006 [LINK]

U.N. resolution: what effect?

I haven't been paying much attention to the diplomatic front in this crisis, and the haggling with France and other Security Council members only reinforces the perception that the "global community" lacks the will to confront the problem of Islamic extremism. Condoleeza Rice has not been accorded much respect from the warring parties during her efforts to mediate, it would seem. Likewise, it was clear that the U.N. Security Council would not pass a resolution until Israel had launched a full-scale invasion of ~~Lebanon~~ Hezbolland, which finally came to pass in the last couple days. Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a cease fire, which is supposed to take effect on Monday. We'll see. (BBC) Lebanon's prime minister Fouad Siniora wrote an editorial in the Washington Post demanding that "Israel must be made to respect international law," but the sad truth is that the internal chaos in Lebanon poses a mortal threat to Israel, and prioritizing respect for international law in these circumstances would be suicidal.

Olmert, who hesitates, is lost

It has been puzzling why Israel has been so timid with the use of its ground forces even as its air forces are pulverizing large portions of Lebanon. It doesn't make much strategic sense, and the foot-dragging seems to be rooted in domestic politics. Donald Sensing has been following these developments very closely, and predicts that Ehud Olmert will resign as prime minister very soon:

The slapdash, haphazard and wholly indecisive way he has handled the Hezbollah war has doomed his chances of remaining in office past the end of this year, probably before then and maybe very soon. Olmert entered office with no national-security credentials and clearly still has none. Israeli editorialists all around are already calling for him to go.

Olmert's weak leadership in this crisis puts at risk the strong consensus among nearly all Israelis -- hawks and doves, the religious ones and secularists alike -- that Hezbollah must be decisively defeated.

On August 4 I wrote that "at least 30,000 men" were already inside Lebanon, based on the number of brigades that had been deployed there (eight). Apparently, however, there were only elements of eight Israeli brigades, because the total number of troops at that time was only about 10,000. The discrepancy may be part of deliberate disinformation, or perhaps the confusion on the part of the Israeli military command, which is apparently quite angry with Olmert. The above-cited BBC story reports that 30,000 Israeli soldiers are in Lebanon now.

August 13, 2006 [LINK]

Catching some rays

Especially during molting season, George likes to sit in the sun and fluff up his feathers. I'm not sure whether the warmth sooths his irritated skin, or if the sunlight wards away mites. Whatever the reason, it looks rather odd when he's in that pose. He and Princess remain in a low-key, restful state for the time being: no singing, no nest-building, and relatively little romancing.

August 14, 2006 [LINK]

Hostage released in Brazil

After their demands for a broadcast message complaining about bad prison conditions were met, the "First Capital Command" criminal gang released television reporter Guilherme Portanova, whom they had kidnapped two days earlier. Portanova said he was fed and not harmed while under captivity. See CNN.com and O Globo. This case draws attention, once again, to the erosion of governmental authority in Brazil under the government of leftist President da Silva, and the rise of organized crime, which draws much of its wealth from contraband traffic along the poorly-guarded border with Paraguay.

August 14, 2006 [LINK]

Barone on McCain-Lieberman

Michael Barone expands upon Austin Bay's suggestion of a McCain-Lieberman "dream ticket" for 2008. Both McCain and Lieberman might alienate many conservatives, but Lieberman is no longer beholden to the Democrat Party, so he can now vote his conscience and establish a less-liberal voting record in the Senate. Furthermore, both candidates are probably too old to want to run for reelection in 2012, enabling them to govern in the name of national unity without suspicions of seeking political advantage. Here's another advantage that Barone didn't explicitly mention: Such a bipartisan ticket would demonstrate to the American people that the Party of Lincoln is serious about building a long-term governing majority consisting of conservatives and moderaters. That might be anathema to the true-believing inheritors of the Barry Goldwater tradition, but given the current political dynamics, it is probably the only way the Republicans can hold on to power. The longer they stray from conservative principles and rely on crass pork-barrel spending measures and dumbed-down fear-mongering -- flag burning! gays! -- in their campaigns, the less most Americans will respect them.

GOP at Augusta County Fair

Steve Kijak was holding down the fort for the local Republicans at the Augusta County Fair last week, and has a boatland of photos and text about all the visitors there. Among them was Rhonda Winfield, mother of local fallen hero Marine Lance Corporal Jason Redifer (see Aug. 27. 2005), and Army Reserve Sgt. Herb Harman, who is most of the way through a one-year deployment to Iraq (see Oct. 17, 2005).

August 14, 2006 [LINK]

The Guns of July/August, 2006?

The confluence of security crises in several parts of the world has many observers in a panic, fearing we are on the precipice of World War III, or World War IV if you believe that the Cold War was World War III. The astonishing escalation of violence in and around Israel since the border attack and abduction of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah last month reminds many people of how World War I got started from the comparatively minor assassination of the Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand. In the Washington Post, Richard Holbrooke cited Barbara Tuchman's classic The Guns of August, which focused on that chain reaction, and declared, "Preventing just such a trap must be the highest priority of American policy." He bitterly laments "American disengagement from active Middle East diplomacy since 2001," but his plea for negotiations with Syria and Iran misses the whole point of the Bush Doctrine: To press for fundamental liberal reforms or outright regime change, as the indispensible precursor to an enduring peace. It may not seem like a probable outcome at this point, but nothing short of that can be expected to accomplish anything of lasting value. The conflict we are in is a very l-o-n-g one, but some people have yet to grasp the implications of that. Holbrooke's call for "containing the violence" and "finding a stable and secure solution" is strikingly out of touch with the psychological dynamics in that region. Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah is claiming a historic victory, and he is obviously in no mood for a compromise "solution." The current cease fire is just a time-out for both sides as they prepare for the next round. In the current situation, diplomacy might help prevent a "chain reaction" à la 1914, but it would be delusional to think that there is any point to negotiating a broad peace settlement right now.

In the July 30 edition of the Washington Post, military historian John Keegan belittles the parallels between the current situation and August 1914, singling out Newt Gingrich's warning along those lines. Whereas all of the major powers in Europe were locked into firm treaty obligations to come to one anothers' aid in case of attack, he says that in the world of today, "there is no parallel system of alliances in place." True, but it is unthinkable that the United States would stand aside if Israel were on the verge of defeat, and there are strong informal ties among Islamofascist groups in nearly country in the Middle East. The danger is not that the governments of Egypt or Saudi Arabia might declare war on Israel, but rather that they might be toppled from within by Islamic extremists in a spasm of grisly, large-scale terrorist attacks. There seems to be no reason for either Iran or Syria to send their armed forces into battle at this point, and we would certainly rather not attack them except as a last resort. Keegan may be too focused on old-fashioned state-centric conflict.

As for the gloomy outlook many in the West have, Austin Bay looks on the sunny side, pointing to Japan's increased role in East Asian security in the wake of North Korea's nuclear threats and missile tests, the quick return to normalcy in Mumbai (Bombay) after the terrible train bombing, and the fact that Iraq's government is now a solid force for stability in the region, something that many people neglect. He thinks the differences between the current global conflict and what transpired in Europe in the summer of 1914 and what is transpiring in the Middle East now outweigh the similarities.

August 14, 2006 [LINK]

Return to North Mountain

Yesterday (Sunday) I hiked the loop trail (3+ miles) on the east slope of North Mountain near Elliott Knob, on the road to Augusta Springs about 15 miles west of Staunton. Jacqueline and I hiked there a couple years ago, and it was every bit as strenuous as I remembered, with a net climb of about 1,200 feet. This weekend the temperature was mild and humidity was low, fortunately, and I really needed the exercise. The last leg of the loop follows the steep, rutted gravel road that leads up to the summit of Elliott Knob, which I climbed two years ago. Here's what I saw this time:

Downy woodpeckers (F, M)
Pewee
White-breasted nuthatches (A, J)
Worm-eating warblers (several!)
Hooded warblers (F, M)
Black-throated blue warbler (M)
Black and white warbler
Towhee (J)

I also heard some Pileated woodpeckers and an accipeter hawk (Cooper's or Sharp-shinned). I was hoping to see a other warblers, or perhaps even a junco, but no such luck.

Last Thursday morning, I stopped at Bell's Lane and saw several good birds:

Orchard orioles (3+ F/J)
Indigo bunting (M)
Goldfinches
Catbirds
Willow flycatcher
Phoebe
Red-winged blackbirds (F only!)

August 15, 2006 [LINK]

Chipper Jones hits 3 HRs at RFK

Chipper Jones did his part to erase what is left of the perception that RFK Stadium is pitcher-friendly last night, hitting three home runs, as the Braves trounced the Nationals, 10-4. (Over and out!) If the Nationals are going to end this season at or above .500 (the only realistic goal left), they will have to pick up at least two of the next three games against the Braves. The Nats did about as well as could be expected in the weekend series against the Mets, winning the first game and losing the next two by close margins. The win in the first game (2-1) was thanks in large part to a superb pitching performance by rookie Billy Traber, who gave up only four hits and no walks in seven-plus innings. I neglected to mention that, in the Nats' win against the Marlins last week, new player Brandon Harper hit a double in his first career at-bat in the major leagues. Good going! Maybe there is a lot ot be hopeful for in the team's future, after all.

Two California teams -- the Dodgers and the Athletics -- are in a hot streak, winning nine of their last ten games to take the lead in their respective (evenly-matched) divisions. Meanwhile, the Cardinals remain in a slump, clinging to a slim lead over the Reds. In the AL East, the race between the Yanks and Red Sox is as close as ever. That's the way baseball should be in a good year.

Latin American players

I have updated the Latin American Leagues page with a more complete list of players from various countries "south of the border." There are probably a number of missing retired Latin American players, however. Stay tuned...

August 15, 2006 [LINK]

Pandas (and birds!) at the zoo

Even though the highlight of our recent visit to the National Zoo in Washington was, no doubt, the three Giant pandas, the aviary was pretty spectacular as well -- hence these photos, most of which are actually video freeze-frame images. Some of them are from the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Clockwise, from top left: Lilac-breasted roller, Puffin, Bald eagle, Grackle (?), Parakeet (?), Blue-gray tanager, and in the center, a Red ibis.

Roll mouse over the image to see two of the Giant pandas: Tai Shan, who just celebrated his first birthday, and his mother, Mei Xiang.

As an aspiring nature photographer, I feel a bit guilty about displaying photos of animals held in captivity. It's kind of cheating. On the other hand, they are in captivity precisely so that more humans may appreciate the Wonders of Nature -- or what is left of it. Anyway, I put the bird photos from the National Zoo and National Aquarium on a new separate photo gallery page: Zoo Birds. Panda fans should take a look at the National Zoo's Giant Pandas page, which includes a Web cam.

August 15, 2006 [LINK]

Ted Nugent on the French

This quote is almost too good to be true, except that it is true, according to snopes.com: Ted Nugent, the clean-shaven hard rock guitarist and hunting enthusiast from Detroit, was asked by an interviewer what a deer would be thinking just before he released the bow to kill it. Nugent replied,

They aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, What am I going to eat next? Who am I going to screw next? and, Can I run fast enough to get away? They are very much like the French in that.

Touché! Hat tip to Chris Green.

This just goes to show that not all rock stars are PC lefties. Another right-wing rocker is Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who played guitar for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. He started a second career as a defense analyst, and wrote a briefing paper on ballistic missiles for the Pentagon. See the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

George Allen's puzzling slur (?)

What in the world was George Allen trying to say to that campaign worker for Jim Webb? Does "macaca" mean "macaque" (a genus of Old World monkeys)? The incident took place in the Appalachian town of Breaks, near the Kentucky border. It is strange because Allen is known to have aspirations for Higher Office, and has been polishing his image and building his gravitas in the last year or so. The guy working for Webb, S.R. Sidarth, has been stalking Allen at campaign stops with his video camera, which is common practice these days. Allen must have found the guy's presence annoying, however, or else he wouldn't have made the remark. Ironically, Allen used the expression just after declaring he was "going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas." See Washington Post.

Personally, I don't think this incident itself is such a big deal, but it does suggest a certain lack of judgment on Allen's part. I'm not one of those PC folks who bends over backwards to avoid offending anyone who is not a white male etc., but I do believe in common courtesy. For a party that is pushing hard to reform immigration, the slightest hint of derogatory words directed at people of foreign ancestry is liable to raise suspicions of racism. The fact that Allen used to display Confederate flags only adds to such suspicions. For me, reforming our immigration laws and practices is a high priority issue, and I take pains to disassociate myself from anything that smacks of nativism or xenophobia. That magnifies the impact of Allen's unfortunate, cryptical quip, making me less motivated to engage in partisan politics.

Jim "Born Fighting" Webb's Webb site called attention to this incident by including a link to the above Post story, without comment. Elsewhere on that site, Webb used cheap-shot demagogic rhetoric to criticize Allen for giving tax breaks to "price-gauging oil companies," as if all of them were colluding to fix prices. For me, that negates any advantage Webb may have gained from Allen's gaffe.

August 16, 2006 [LINK]

Astacio shuts out the Braves

What a turnaround from Monday night's game! Pedro Astacio, who missed the first half of the season due to injury, more than lived up to his potential on Tuesday, pitching a complete game 2-hit shutout against the Atlanta Braves. Adam LaRoche and Jeff Francouer got singles, and no one else from Atlanta even reached base! Astacio was only two batters away from a perfect game!! See MLB.com. Complete games by pitchers are a rare commodity these days, and Astacio deserves big kudos for that alone. The Nats scored five runs, two of which were unearned (errors!), so this gave the Nationals' battered and bruised bullpen some much-needed rest. The win also got the Nationals back to within 20 games of first place. Not that it matters, but it just looks bad when your team has a "minus twenty-something" listed next to it in the standings. The farthest they fell behind first place last year was eleven games.

Perhaps Brian Schneider's angry, chair-throwing retort to journalists after Monday's loss ("I'm not hurt!") was the kick in the rear that the Nationals needed to get motivated again. He's usually a pretty mild-mannered guy.

According to my (semi-)meticulous records, that was the first complete game shutout in Washington Nationals history. John Patterson apparently came the closest to that feat, allowing three hits in eight-plus innings in a 4-0 win against the Colorado Rockies on July 19, 2005.

Mail bag: Fenway!?

A. Young informed me that the actual capacity of Fenway Park is much less than I had indicated. He has been to many Red Sox home games this year, and "The ballpark announcer always [says it's] another consecutive sellout @ 36,000+ at the games I've attended." So what was my source? On Feb. 11 I cited a news item from MLB.com that was clearly quite misleading:

The capacity for this season, according to the fire code, will be 38,805, up from 36,298 last year. After the club finishes all upgrades -- this is the fifth one so far under current ownership -- by the park's 100th birthday in 2012, the capacity is projected to be 39,968.

Perhaps the fire code sets a legal limit to attendance, as opposed to the practical limit. In the box scores published by the Washington Post, Fenway's capacity is listed as 36,392, which is slightly more than what is indicated on the Red Sox Web site, so it might include standing room. I'm going with that for now. Many thanks to Mr. Young for the fact check.

UPDATE: Mike Zurawski points to an August 1 interview at bostonherald.com in which the 38,805 capacity figure is cited by a Red Sox planning official, Janet Marie Smith. If that number is correct, why does the reported attendance at Fenway Park never exceed 37,000?

August 16, 2006 [LINK]

Muslims resent link to fascism

British police have learned that some of the money sent to help earthquake victims in Pakistan last winter was diverted to support the terrorist plot that was foiled at the last minute. You're welcome! Why is it that Western charity doesn't seem to earn much goodwill in the Muslim world? See CNN.com.

Meanwhile, many Muslims in this country and abroad are objecting vociferously to President Bush's recent use of the term "Islamofascist." (See Council on American-Islamic Relations.) Contrary to what they say, Bush has never suggested that most Muslims are fascists, and he has been very hesitant even to call attention to the fact that some Muslims are fascists, for fear of offending potential allies. Why don't moderate Muslims give him more credit for being so deferential to their delicate sensibilities? Something is just not adding up here.

More on the Allen flap

Chad Dotson has a roundup of Virginia blogospheric reactions to Sen. George Allen's strange put-down of a Webb campaign worker that raised the ugly specter of racism. He calls it a "manufactured controversy," which may well be true, but it doesn't excuse Allen for the tacky way he held Mr. Sidarth up to ridicule. Nonetheless, I agree with Chad that there's no use in rehashing the incident any further, or trying to figure out what Allen really meant by "macaca."

August 17, 2006 [LINK]

Groundbreaking in the Bronx

"Say it ain't so!" On the 58th anniversary of the death of Babe Ruth, a ceremony was held to begin the process of replacing the stadium that was built for him. (Some preliminary tree-cutting and clearing away of Macombs Dam Park, where the new stadium will be built, had already begun a few days earlier.) Gov. Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Mr. Steinbrenner, Commisioner Selig, and the others made the obligatory reverential praises for Yankee Stadium, and then cheerily urged everyone to move on to the Brave New World of fan amusements, comforts, and luxury suites. The new "Yankee Stadium" is scheduled to open in 2009. According to MLB.com,

The new Yankee Stadium will seat fewer than the current stadium, but it will have 60 luxury suites, including three outdoor suites and eight party suites. It will have many restaurants, larger concourses and entertainment areas.

But the Yankees will also carry over some of the time-honored traditions of their current stadium. The field dimensions will be the same, and Monument Park will be transferred to the new park.

The design will even go further back to recreate some of the original park's features. It will have the tall cathedral windows, auxiliary outfield scoreboards, a right-field Yankees bullpen and a frieze on the roof, which is commonly known as the façade and was a feature of the original stadium.

Well, at least they're trying. I just hope the architects know what a slim margin for error they have when trying to recreate historical features. New Yorkers are a very demanding audience, and will have no patience for cheap imitations. Some purists argue that this travesty doesn't really matter because the "real" Yankee Stadium was dismantled thirty years ago, and they have a point. The post-1976 rebuilt version of Yankee Stadium may be only a pale imitation of the original, but I'll tell you what: It's a lot closer to the original than the next Yankee Stadium will ever be. I resigned myself to the unstoppable steamroller of "Progress" many months ago.

Perhaps this occasion was a bad omen for the team: They dropped the last two games of their home series against the Orioles, including an embarrassing 12-2 loss today. Now they begin another high-stakes series in Boston against the Red Sox, five games altogether, making up for rain-outs.

Nats split series with Braves

I figured the Nationals had to win at least two of their games in their home series with Braves to maintain a modicum of competitive spirit, and that is exactly what they managed to do. Young Billy Traber won his third game last night, an exciting back-and-forth 9-6 slugfest, beating John Smoltz of all people. This afternoon's game -- a dull 5-0 loss -- was broadcast by TBS nationwide, except in the Orioles/Nationals territory, where it was blacked out. Boo-oo-oo!

August 17, 2006 [LINK]

Michael Totten in the war zone

Having relocated from Beirut to northern Israel via Tel Aviv, Michael Totten explains how living in the midst of an ongoing battle tends to mitigate the natural fear instinct. It is the kind of insight that only first-hand experience can bring:

Fear forces you to think hard and fast about what you can do to protect yourself. As soon as you become 100 percent convinced that there is nothing more you can do to protect yourself, fear becomes a useless emotion. Then it goes away all on its own. You can't talk yourself into or out of this mental space. It's just something that happens.

This is the fatal weakness of terrorism.

In other words, the random destruction of Hezbollah's rockets is not only militarily useless, but the terrorizing impact tends to dissipate over time as well. His photos and descriptions of what life is like in northern Israel are as riveting as anything you'll see on the evening news. In an earlier post that was chock full of amazing up-close war photos, he referred to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as "catastrophically unfit." He's asking for contributions to support his independent journalistic endeavors, and I chipped in a little.

George Will on "unrealism"

In Tuesday's Washington Post, George Will rued the delusions that underlie the contemporary conflicts taking place in various parts of the world. Hezbollah has suffered heavy casualties but remains intact, demonstrating, he says, the futility of Israel's previous policy of unilateral withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Gaza, and parts of the West Bank. The United Nations is pressing ahead with plans for a peacekeeping force, notwithstanding the fact that its past resolutions calling for Hezbollah to disarm itself have been ignored. Never mind! Meanwhile, Iraq seems to be descending into tribalistic civil war, with Shiite death squads allegedly operating out of the Interior Ministry. When asked about the need to step up cooperating with police agencies in foreign countries in response to the airline bomb plot in England, a Bush administration official sniffed that the international "law enforcement approach" of John Kerry doesn't work. Goodness. Just because this strange, amorphous conflict with Islamic terrorists is most usefully regarded as a war does not mean that the tools of law enforcement should be arbitrarily set aside.

Will links these various examples of self-defeating policies as indicative of a blind, dogmatic attitude of unrealism, and I think he is on to something. President Bush deserves credit for displaying firm resolve and occasional diplomatic tact in the war on Islamic terrorism, but he is often too stubborn to listen to alternative suggestions. As his second term unfolds, time is running out for him to tap new advisers who might fashion a more realistic strategy for winning the war within the limits of our resources.

August 18, 2006 [LINK]

Humala may be charged in Peru

Prosecutors in Peru have asked a judge to charge Ollanta Humala, the losing candidate in the June 4 presidential election, with human rights violations over his role in counterinsurgency operations against Shining Path terrorists in the early 1990s. See CNN.com. Rumors about such abuses by Humala had been floating around ever since Humala became a leading opposition figure in recent years, and were a major issue in the presidential campaign. Humala's Union for Peru party (formerly led by Javier Perez de Cuellar, who used to be Secretary General of the United Nations) has more parliamentary seats than any other party. The possibility of political influence over the prosecutor's office cannot be denied, and this move may be part of an effort by Alan Garcia's Aprista party to form a legislative majority.

Copper strike in Chile

The Escondida copper mine in Chile, the largest privately-owned copper mine in the world, has been forced to shut down because of a labor strike now in its twelveth day. The workers are demanding a ten percent raise, less than the 13 percent they originally demanded. Given the sharp rise in the price of copper over the past year, there would seem to be ample room for management to give them most of want they want. See BBC.

Stroessner is dead

Alfredo Stroessner, the former military dictator who ruled Paraguay from 1954 until he was overthrown in 1989, passed away in Brazil, having spent the last 17 years of his life in exile. See BBC. Though many credit him for stabilizing and modernizing the backward landlocked country, he probably deserves much of the blame for the culture of corruption that allowed the contraband "industry" to flourish.

August 18, 2006 [LINK]

Liberal judges run amok

Federal judges in two different states issued very bad rulings yesterday, reminding us of the dangerous consequences if the Democrats were to regain control of the Senate. In Michigan, U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor (a Carter appointee) ruled that the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program is unconstitutional. Her order that the program be halted was put on hold until a hearing on September 7, however. The Washington Post reported that impartial legal observers questioned the flimsy analytical basis for the ruling. Furthermore, it seems clear that there is a political agenda behind the lawsuit:

ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero called the decision 'another nail in the coffin' of the Bush administration's anti-terrorism strategies.

Well, those ACLU folks certainly aren't afraid of being accused of subverting the war against terrorism, are they? Legal blogger Eugene Volokh believes that the judge's ruling based on the First and Fourth Amendments is mistaken, and that "the strongest argument ... against the NSA program is that it violates not the Constitution, but the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." I come down on the middle of this issue. It should be obvious that in war time, the president needs extra discretion to defend national security, and there are emergencies when the law cannot be adhered to 100 percent. On the other hand, the Bush administration has not always been consistent on the applicability of the FISA statute, and has wrongly resisted suggested legal frameworks so that necessary anti-terrorist operations can be carried out in accordance with the rule of law to the maximum extent possible.

In the second case, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler (no relation to former Food and Drug Administration chief and anti-tobacco zealot David Kessler) found that American tobacco companies violated racketeering laws by conspiring to deceive the public about the health risks of cigarettes, and ordered them to undertake a massive public education program to rectify the problem. (She said she would have ordered them to pay monetary damages, but was constrained by an appellate court ruling in 2005.) I have zero sympathy for tobacco companies, but I could have sworn that this issue was already decided several years ago. In fact, it was decided, as the Washington Post indicates:

Eight years ago, the industry agreed to pay states $246 billion in compensation for the public money spent on treating the health effects of smoking. A year later, the Justice Department filed its racketeering suit in federal court. Anti-tobacco activists predicted that government and private litigation would ultimately cripple the industry.

Aside from the obvious "piling on" abuse of the government's legal powers via these multiple punitive procedures, there lies the more fundamental problem of letting individuals off the hook for the consequences of high-risk lifestyles. Anyone in the last thirty years who did not know that smoking was dangerous and potentially lethal was an idiot. Of course, many did know, but lacked the will power to stop. All tobacco advertisements since the 1960s have been required to carry health warnings, and that should have been enough. It's called personal responsibility.

Last word on George Allen?

This controversy just won't die down. Given that his mother is of French North African colonial heritage, the fact that he speaks French, and that "macaque" is a common French slang deriding people of African descent (see the newly updated page at wikipedia, which is "usually" accurate), the likelihood that Sen. Allen did not know that "Macaca" was a racial epithet is very low. The more I think about it, the more I fear that his silly gaffe on the campaign trail in Breaks, VA will end up making reforms in our immigration laws and practices much more difficult, giving rhetorical ammunition to apologists for the status quo. That is just awful. Another thing: Is Sen. Allen aware that India, from whence Mr. Sidarth's family originates, is the world's largest democracy, and that it is one of our allies in the war to resist Islamofascist expansion? I hope so, because the United States needs all the allies it can get right now. Some of Allen's apologists ask whether he would really be so stupid as to use a racial insult when he knew he was being recorded. I think he was just trying to impress his audience by showing that he was not intimidated by the presence of the video camera, and went just a little too far with his swaggering bravado. 'Nuff said?

Virginia pork-barrel projects

The nicer term is "earmarked" spending, but whatever you call it, a list of all such projects in the Old Dominion can be found at: examiner.com. I noticed that Larry Sabato's University of Virginia Center for Politics raked in a cool million-plus bucks. Sweet! Oddly, Staunton and the rest of the Shenandoah Valley (except for Winchester) missed out entirely. Hat tip to Chad Dotson.

August 19, 2006 [LINK]

Missile controversy in Bolivia

The former provisional president of Bolivia, Eduardo Rodriguez, is upset that the United States is not backing him up in the renewed uproar over the hasty removal of 28 shoulder-fired ground-to-air missiles made in China last October. This controversy came to light in December and is intensifying once again, and Rodriguez may face charges of treason. See CNN.com. Bolivians are engaging in a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution more to the liking of new President Evo Morales, the same path Hugo Chavez took to consolidate power in Venezuela. Fear that such weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists is what prompted the U.S. government to persuade Bolivian military officers to give up the missiles before Morales came to power.

Where is Peru's ex-first lady?

A judge in Peru has asked police to help locate Eliane Karp, the semi-estranged wife of former President Alejandro Toledo. She has been out of the country since the middle of July, even before her husband's term ended -- first to visit her family in France, then to Israel. Prosecutors want to interrogate her about the forged signatures on nomination petitions for Toledo's Peru Posible party. The request that Interpol help track her down is considered unusual, because she is not a fugitive, but only a potential witness. See La Republica (in Spanish). Ms. Karp, a native of Belgium who is a scholar of Indian languages, earned a reputation for being brash and ambitious. Justice is often politicized in Peru, as in much of Latin America, so someone may be trying to earn brownie points from the new President, Alan Garcia.

August 20, 2006 [LINK]

Nats' comeback falls short

The Nationals looked excellent in their Friday night game in Philadelphia, building a nice lead early and holding on to win 6-4, but then the Phillies got their revenge yesterday, 10-2. Today's game started out the same painful way, and Pedro Astacio stunk, quite frankly, in sharp contrast to his last outing. After the fourth inning, the Nats were down 10-1, but did they let that stop them? No! They clawed their way back into the game with six runs in the sixth inning, and could have easily tied in the eight, with two runners on and only one out. Alas, it wasn't to be, as they lost 12-10. Well, at least they showed a lot of spunk and put the heat on the Phillies. Let's give a big round of applause to Brandon Harper, the 30-year old "rookie" who hit a double in his first at bat last week, and today hit his first and second home run of his major league career, accounting for four of the Nationals' ten runs batted in. Let's also welcome back Jose Vidro, who has been on the DL for the past couple weeks.

But of course, the big question on most baseball fans' minds is whether the Yankees can complete a sweep of the Red Sox in their five-game series at Fenway Park. Wouldn't that be something?

Mile High Stadium

I've just updated the diagrams on the Mile High Stadium page. I realized that was the last stadium whose thumbnail diagram did not conform to the ~~new~~ standard, and decided to rectify that gap at once. (To hell with my "to-do" list sequence! ) As with other "super-sized" stadiums, I've left the original "sideways" versions intact so that the entire stadium can be seen.

Stay tuned for more new "goodies" in the coming week...

More on Fenway Park

According to wikipedia.org (hat tip to Bruce Orser),

Reported attendance is generally 1,500 to 2,000 below capacity, though, due to the distribution of complimentary (e.g., to players, advance scouts, overflow press passes) and promotional tickets by the team, as well as no-shows. Capacity for day games is also reduced by 410 seats in the center field bleachers to provide a better hitter's background.

It sounds strange, and I didn't know that was common practice, but I guess it would explain the discrepancy. It seems to be the opposite of the situation in most stadiums, including RFK, where the official attendance includes tickets sold but not used, mostly for corporate and lobbyist entertainment accounts -- the "phantom fans," I call them. That page has a link to my Fenway Park page, so I guess I shouldn't make fun of Wikipedia's sometimes-shaky reliability.

August 20, 2006 [LINK]

Montgomery Hall Park rocks!

This morning I took a chance on a local nature area which I hadn't visited in a while, and for the first half hour or so, I thought it was a complete waste of time. All I saw were a couple Cardinals, and the rest was silence. After I reached the northeast side of the big hill upon which Montgomery Hall Park is situated, however, I struck pay dirt: a cluster of warblers! I also saw a Yellow-billed cuckoo for the first time this year, the latest such first sighting since I started keeping records ten years ago. Todays' highlights:

White-breasted nuthatch
Red-bellied woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker (F)
Downy woodpecker (F)
Black-throated green warblers* (JM)
Blackpoll warbler* (F/J)
Black & white warbler
Worm-eating warbler
Redstart (F/J)
Yellow-billed cuckoo (FOS)
Pewee
Titmice, chickadees, etc.

* Two of those warbler species are not known to nest in this area (lowlands), so I assume this means that fall migration season has begun.

We have been lucky to have hummingbirds visit our feeder out back on a regular basis for over a month now. A male dominates the area around our back yard, but sometimes a female (or young male) shows up to sneak a few sips before the older male zooms in to chase the "intruders" away.

August 21, 2006 [LINK]

Oaxacan teachers press demands

The public school teachers in Oaxaca who have been on strike for the last three months raised the stakes once again, taking control of 12 privately-owned radio stations. Just to make sure that no one thinks about sending their children to a private school instead, they broadcast a warning to parents not to take their children to school. (How in the world are teachers who act like that supposed to instill discipline in their students?) The takeover was in response to the wounding of one of the strikers by a gunshot. The fact that journalists who have reported negative things about the state government have been shot at raises the possibility that the teachers may have valid grievances. Gov. Ruiz belongs to the once-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). President Fox, of the National Action Party (PAN), has decided not to send in Federal police for the moment, saying it is a problem of the state of Oaxaca. According to CNN.com,

"We're fed up with neoliberalism," one said, using a term for free-market economics. "We are fed up [sic] gringo ecotourism."

Oh, oh. What in the world did we do to offend them? We did notice a few Marxist protesters in the city plaza when we visited Oaxaca three years ago, but the situation has become much worse since then.

In the capital city, meanwhile, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador continues to escalate his rhetoric, warning of "ultimate consequences" if his demands are not met, and the streets remain clogged with camped-out protesters. On a brighter note, the state of Chiapas held an election on Sunday that is supposed to herald a new era of democracy. See El Universal (in English). That is where the Zapatista uprising began in January 1994, and the social discontent has evidently spilled across the border into the states of Oaxaca.

Peru negotiates free trade

In another sign that new president Alan Garcia is serious about pursuing pragmatic, market-based economic policies (unlike his first term), he has named Hernando de Soto to negotiate trade matters with the United States. De Soto is the author of The Other Path, which advocates -- among other things -- radical reduction of bureaucracy and tax burdens in Peru and other Third World countries. See La Republica.

August 2006 Archives

Annual archives (by topic)

Monthly archives (all topics)

Stadium sponsorship renewals

This Bud's for who?

Reactions to Soriano non-trade

Fidel Castro is gravely ill

Turmoil worsens in Mexico

Did Floyd Landis use steroids?

Is Mel Gibson anti-semitic?

Does America really have talent?

Brad and Angelina: Who cares?

Chavez visits west Africa

Peru legislators resist austerity

Glossy ibis visits the valley

Nats prevail over Giants

Off to Baltimore

E-mail list

House GOP ditches principles

Israel invades Hezbolland

Gorgeous day at Camden Yards = Nightmare for Yankees

Nats end road trip

You can call them Rays

UPDATE: Livan is traded to Arizona

Adjusting Chase Field?

Apocalypse now in Iraq?

Our Gold Star mother writes

Showdown heats up in Mexico

Stadium controversy in Japan

Marlins beat Nationals

Camden Yards photo

Uribe's second inauguration

Protesters shut down banks

Baltimore: "Charm City" indeed!

Lamont beats Lieberman

UPDATE: McCain-Lieberman 2008?

The future of RFK Stadium

Groundbreaking in the Bronx

Reds cry foul over trade

Staunton "beltway" is completed

Brits foil airline bomb plot

Fallows: Just declare victory

Memorializing war

UPDATE: Sullivan on Dems & war

Nats bullpen crumbles again

Twins lose Liriano

Seals Stadium update

The mail bag

Politicizing the war on terror

AMLO seeks foreign help

¿Felíz cumpleaños, Fidel?

Wikipedia: true or false?

U.N. resolution: what effect?

Olmert, who hesitates, is lost

Catching some rays

Hostage released in Brazil

Barone on McCain-Lieberman

GOP at Augusta County Fair

The Guns of July/August, 2006?

Return to North Mountain

Chipper Jones hits 3 HRs at RFK

Latin American players

Pandas (and birds!) at the zoo

Ted Nugent on the French

George Allen's puzzling slur (?)

Astacio shuts out the Braves

Mail bag: Fenway!?

Muslims resent link to fascism

More on the Allen flap

Groundbreaking in the Bronx

Nats split series with Braves

Michael Totten in the war zone

George Will on "unrealism"

Humala may be charged in Peru

Copper strike in Chile

Stroessner is dead

Liberal judges run amok

Last word on George Allen?

Virginia pork-barrel projects

Missile controversy in Bolivia

Annual archives
(by topic)

Monthly archives
(all topics)