June 15, 2004

Toot, toot!

Via Virginia Postrel, I note that the fourth season of "The Simpsons" is now out on DVD. Included is a classic episode in which Marge battles a runaway monorail project – something we Seattleites can savor as the city council settles the route details of our own train to nowhere. This Simpsons episode dates from 1993. As so often, Marge was ahead of her time.

Posted by tbrown at 11:24 AM

Bush and the Pope

Maybe it's time we stopped worrying about Catholic candidates, most of whom go out of their way to avoid an appearance of "divided loyalties" between their church and their country (for JFK's classic answer to this question, visit this page), and started quizzing Protestants about their relationships with the Pontiff. "Hey, Papa, some of your bishops aren't supporting me yet. They're not banning enough Democrats from Communion. What's up with that? And, oh -- here's a Bush/Cheney bumpersticker for the Popemobile." Well, I made up part of that (but only part). What Bush really said is here (free site registration may be required).

Posted by tbrown at 11:23 AM

Just the bill for the Gipper

Instead of evicting Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill to make room for Ronald Reagan, why don't we create a new $3 bill for the voodoo economist? Just asking.

Posted by tbrown at 11:20 AM

229 and counting

Thanks to blogger (and former Army officer) Phil Carter for the reminder that this is the 229th birthday of the U.S. Army. "Today, the U.S. Army turns 229 at a pivotal time in its history. Technology has fundamentally changed the nature of warfare in the late 20th and early 21st Century, creating questions about the continued viability, importance and role of large ground forces. … Nonetheless, the great strength of the U.S. Army (in my opinion) is its capacity for change," says Carter.

Posted by tbrown at 11:19 AM

Halliburton watch

"As vice president, I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts let by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the federal government." -- Vice President Dick Cheney, who still receives more than $100,000 a year from his old employer and holds 433,000 Halliburton stock options That was an eye-roller well before the latest news, which is that Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith – the guy "who put the FU in FUBAR," as Josh Marshall's bon mot has it – advised Cheney's office that Halliburton was going to be getting big bucks in Iraq. I'm sure the veep's staff kept the news from him, though. Meanwhile, Halliburton's sweeheart cost-plus contract is still all about turnover – at taxpayer expense.

Posted by tbrown at 11:18 AM

But let's not forget Enron …

… that other poster child for contemporary business ethics. The Snohomish County Public Utility District here in Washington, which was had like so many others, estimates from newly released Enron documents that the Houston-based energy scammers made more than $1.1 billion manipulating West Coast markets during the shortages of 2000-2001. Naturally, Enron is now suing for $122 million over a contract the utility district cancelled when it figured out it was probably being defrauded.

Posted by tbrown at 11:15 AM