Roberts hearings begin

As the U.S. Senate opened hearings for the nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to be the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court today, the Democrats, who promised more grilling than a Labor Day picnic, seem to have started with a whimper. Perhaps they will gain momentum as the hearings continue; perhaps they will save their bombs for the hearings for the replacement of Sandra Day O'Connor, which will come later.

As Battlefield Shrinks, Democrats Mute Their Attacks

By Dan Balz

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 13, 2005; Page A07

The first day of confirmation hearings for Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to become the 17th chief justice of the United States proved to be a tepid opening to what once was billed as a battle of monumental proportions between left and right.

There may yet be some of the fireworks that were predicted when the first of two Supreme Court vacancies opened up two months ago -- particularly this morning, when members of the Senate Judiciary Committee begin to question Roberts. But with Roberts's confirmation seemingly assured, some of the fight appears to have gone out of the Democrats and they have been forced to shift their strategy.

Some conventional wisdom says that since Roberts' nomination is now for William Rehnquist's seat -- a conservative being replaced by a conservative -- it would seem fruitless for a Democratic minority to try to oppose the nomination without some substantial evidence of a compelling reason why Roberts should not be seated on the court.

Replacing O'Connor, on the other hand, means a shift. While she was generally conservative, O'Connor also could be counted on to move toward the center or to cobble together a majority of justices for varied reasons. Democrats likely will fight harder to ensure that O'Connor is replaced with someone who is not more conservative than she was. Meanwhile, O'Connor remains on the court until her successor is confirmed. That creates the situation where she will participate in selecting cases and hearing oral arguments but will probably vote or not write opinions because of the passage of time between arguments and decisions.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has a full calendar ahead of it. Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is no Bush loyalist, and he has spoken harshly about the Supreme Court's move in recent years to undermine the will of Congress. In his recent book, he asked who the hell they thought they were. Roberts will get no free pass from Specter and the Senators.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

What is the legacy of 9/11?

Four years ago, I started my day as everyone else did. It was just a regular Tuesday, a day early in the school year when I was fresh and ready and optimistic as I readied for teaching. It would be the last Tuesday for a long time that seemed "regular."

That morning, at just a couple minutes after 7 a.m., I turned on the TV to watch a few minutes of the "Today" show while I made my lunch. I heard Tom Brokaw's voice. I knew something was up. I went to watch and see what was happening, and I saw one of the Twin Towers fall live on NBC. My eyes were literally riveted to the images, and I struggled to understand what was happening. I forced myself to finish my routine and get to school. I knew it was going to be a remarkable day for the news media.

As I came to understand the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the resulting chain of events that occurred -- in New York City, in Washington, D.C., in Afghanistan and around the world -- I knew that "regular" had a new meaning. Aaron Brown, who was pressed into service ahead of schedule in his CNN debut that month, on his new show began to refer to life as "the new normal."

Four years after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, we have returned to a sort of normalcy, a "new normal." What, then, is the legacy of 9/11?

The legacy of 9/11 is a perpetual state of fear. The government relies on people to be fearful, and it maneuvers to guarantee that people will not feel safe. The color-coded terror-alert level and the periodic bulletins about "credible threats" ramp up the population's fears. Playing on these fears is how the powerful maintain power.

The legacy of 9/11 is political gain from finding a new demon. American history is full of examples of enemies who were demonized and dehumanized. We know the terms: FOB. WOP. Kraut. Nip. Gook. Kike. Nigger. Fag. Spic. Camel jockey. Towel head. Politicians gain from the subtle and sinister association of anything bad in life with something that is evil. To paraphrase one of my favorite movies: They aren't interested in solving your problems. They're interested in just two things: Telling you who is to blame for it and making you afraid of it.

The legacy of 9/11 is opportunity to overreach in government. The USA PATRIOT Act, the Department of Homeland Security and a laundry list of federal regulations are examples of government's rapid and extensive expansion in the Bush Administration. But this expansion is an overreach; true conservatives oppose this expansion because they loath the massive federal bureaucracy while liberals oppose the expansion because it is against traditional liberal ideals.

The legacy of 9/11 is economic instability for decades under the guise of security now. The federal expansion is being paid for with borrowed money -- the funds our government owes me and people in my generation and the generations to come. The late 1990s saw balanced federal budgets. Certainly President Clinton deserves much of the credit for a balanced budget, but the Republican Congress voted for these fiscally responsible budgets. Just a few years later, the federal government operates under record defecits. Even winning the Cold War was cheaper than this. What will be left of the federal government to pass on to future generations if this habit is left unchecked?

The legacy of 9/11 is a noose tightening around the neck of civil liberties and no one to grant clemency. An expansion of secret federal investigations, prisoners being held without an opportunity to hear a charge or consult with legal counsel, invasive searches in order to use the mass-transit system of commercial flight -- these are just a few of the myriad ways where civil liberties have been restricted in the months after 9/11. Additionally, the chill on America's airwaves and in its print publications -- where anyone questioning the government's actions is shouted down as unpatriotic -- is shocking. The forum where people could debate and consider and think is down for the count.

The legacy of 9/11 is a huge federal bureaucracy with a euphemistic title that teeters under its own weight. Homeland Security? The federal government last week bungled the effort to do exactly what it was supposed to do -- keep the homeland secure. With eyes searching the horizon for the next 747 headed for a skyscraper, the department was caught completely off guard in this crisis. The message to the world is obvious: Our homeland is not secure from natural disaster, and the government cannot move quickly to save its own citizens domestically.

The legacy of 9/11 is a president whose effectiveness depends on the lustre of handling a crisis from four years ago. A few days after the terror attacks, President Bush stood on a heap of rubble, placed his arm around a firefighter and shouted into a bullhorn that the world hears us loud and clear. It was a clarion call that America was resilient and would not be defeated. We all stood proudly alongside our leaders and our fellow citizens, firmly resisting the terror that we could easily have succumbed to. But that president has squandered his ability to lead by tilting at windmills in the Persian Gulf region, by making every issue about terror and by burnishing his reputation with a response team that he did not put in place. Now, just four years later, he handled another domestic crisis miserably. There was no enemy to blame, no one to demonize, no thing to scapegoat. In fact, the people realized a new fear -- that their government would not be there for them when they needed it. And the President is the one to blame.

The legacy of 9/11 is greater insecurity in the world as rogues line up to oppose American interests and to punish American allies. Iraq's insurgency is constant and building. Terror groups have successfully bombed targets in Spain and Britain. Reasonable leaders and citizens around the world wonder how America could have steered away from its responsibility as the last remaining superpower.America is seen as a superbully.

The legacy of 9/11 is seeing the predictions of Orwell and Bradbury come true. Each described, though their literature, events similar to the ones we have witnessed in the last four years. Government controls life. Authority demands conformity. Do not think as an individual. Do not question. Go along and be safe. But Orwell and Bradbury wrote as warning. It remains to be seen if someone will stand as Montague and question and defy and spark a dissent.

The legacy of 9/11 is fear and control and mismanagement and insecurity. The legacy of 9/11 is irony.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Goodbye, Gilligan

Nearly lost in the overwhelming amount of news out of the Gulf Coast region hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina is the news today that Bob Denver, namesake star of TV's "Gilligan's Island," has died at age 70.

His New York Times obituary.
His fan Web site (which uses Comic Sans but I will overlook).

I have long been a huge fan of the TV show "Gilligan's Island." I enjoyed sitting "right back to hear a tale, a take of a fateful trip." Each episode reliably provided comic antics and physical humor -- all in an episode where the seven castaways would grasp at a resuce or way off the island only to have some screw-up from Gilligan or just dumb luck dash their hopes. Denver, as Gilligan, never failed to deliver, always taking a smack on the head from the Skipper's cap for his foolishness.

There's a bit of Gilligan in us all, I think -- at least there is in me. There's an island in the Pacific gone dark tonight in memory of everyone's li'l buddy.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Attitude change and a ripple from Katrina

Sometimes attitude change comes gradually, a slow evolution.

Sometimes attitude change happens suddenly and because of a lack of other options, a forced change of view.

Sometimes attitude change comes from a specific event, a catalyst that changes perspective.

And so it was all three today at school, the first day of the 2005-06 school year, a day I had approached with little of the enthusiasm I had held in prior years. It was a day I did not dread, but it was also a day I did not celebrate. But this morning, as I awoke ready for a new term, I found that place inside -- a place we all have -- where I knew what this day was for, what my job is, how I had to change an attitude to move forward.

The change came gradually today. As I slowly got moving, showered, decided on the perfect shirt and tie for the first-day first impression, I felt myself changing attitude. By the time I was out the door and on my way to the grovery store to buy first-day snacks, I was bright-eyed and ready to tackle new challenges.

The change was forced today. In my awakening this morning, I knew I had to find the energy and enthusiasm that I owed my students and colleagues. I knew I needed to get there in a short time as classes were to begin in 90 minutes. I found that energy and enthusiasm, and I forced myself into a kick start. By the end of the first class, and continuing throughout the day, I gained momentum. At the end of the day I felt good about how I had started this year, my ninth.

The change came from a catalyst today. After my first class period, I stopped by the large classroom where the school's five counselors were working to repair, replace or construct schedules for dozens of waiting students. I knew the lines would be long all day, and I wanted to have an idea of the crowd. As I walked past the area, I greeted a counselor waiting in the hall with a student and adult. The counselor introduced me to a young man and said he was from Louisiana. In his Cajun-influenced speech, he told his story.

We chatted for a minute as he explained he had come from his town a few minutes south of New Orleans to Wenatchee to live with his aunt since his home was likely destroyed and his school was in unknown condition. Classes began about a month ago, he said; they ended abruptly last week. His mother is in the armed services, assigned to the area's relief efforts and moving locations frequently. He said his grandparents live in a rural area that was not close to a school. He did not mention his father.

So he sought his stable family in Wenatchee, thousands of miles away. I asked how long he thought he might be here in Wenatchee, and he said he expected to be here all year. If he did well and liked it, he said, he might complete his schooling here next year. Our school is already crowded this year with new students from all over, but we found room for one more student. How could we not? As I watched new programs tonight, I saw stories of similar situations in schools around the South, situations I knew would be replicated in schools around the country. Mothballed schools in Portland, Ore., are being readied for those who have fled the flood and devastation back home. Washington state has prepared for 2,000 "guests" -- people who will need food, shelter, comfort and, yes, education.

As I watched tonight on TV the compassion and sensitivity shown to the hurricane's victims as they entered new schools in Dallas and Houston, I found that place inside that changed my attitude for the year. It came both gradually and suddenly, from within and from a young man from New Orleans, but I found it.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Bearing witness: Reports from the newsroom

A friend of mine who works in the local newsroom sent this e-mail message to some of her friends a few days ago in an attempt to deal with some of the events of a tough week. The events have allowed festering thoughts to come to the surface and the frayed nerves allow a stronger reaction. But people are upset, and it's a frustrating situation all around.

It's been an emotional week in the news biz.... it's heartbreaking to bear witness day after day, story after story, picture after picture, to that mess down in the gulf, and not feel shame and disgust at the unnecessariness of it all -- or much of it.

I'm against rampant group emailing, and you'll note I RARELY pass along things but I am making an exception, because I think everyone needs to understand the depth of the emotion this tragedy has generated. And I'm not talking about a hurricane.

Did you hear Rush Limbaugh was criticizing people who stayed? He said if they had no car or money, they should have WALKED out of New Orleans. In the dark, in the middle of a torrential downpour, with their babies and their grandmas, i guess. What a horrible, vicious
man he is.

All I can say is, when everyone is safe (which astonishingly is still not the case, a WEEK later) and the immediate crisis is past, there had better be hell to pay in high places. If the RIGHT people aren't held accountable for this, and quickly, and with serious consequences, I fear there will be turmoil in this country for years to come.

My newsroom friend also included an e-mail from a friend, a former reporter, a black woman who lives in Houston and is going to school down there. I've edited it to some essential points.

As for Katrina ... it's heartbreaking, infuriating and just plain horrible. Houston is trying to deal with as best it can. They've shut the Astrodome down. It's too crowded. Mayor White is asking Houstonians to open up their homes to house people.

My aunt has opened up one of her rental houses and my family is gathering clothes to drop off at the donation centers. Our church has been feeding breakfast to the victims; my cousin's parish is feeding and another local church is a temporary shelter.

I find myself waffling between anger, fear and despair. I am fearful because the people are so angry and frustrated and desperate. Desperate people do desperate things when they don't feel like there's anything to lose. We've had some reports of looting and vandalism but HPD has been working overtime to curtail some of that.

I am so angry because this, at least to me, is a prime example of the class and race problem in this country. There is no reason Charity Hospital should still have patients inside, while Tulane, which is across the street, has been evacuated for days. No reason, except that Charity is the public hospital for indigent patients, most of whom are black. Tulane is a private hospital.

If this disaster had struck in Martha's Vineyard, the Hamptons, or Kennebunkport and rich, white vacationers were stranded there, those people would have been rescued the day after Katrina blew over, without any public prompting or outrage. But because it is New Orleans, where 2/3 of the residents are black and more than 20 percent live in poverty, they've been made to live among the feces, urine, stagnant water risking disease. They are thirsty, hungry and lived among decaying dead bodies throughout the convention center.

This event has caused many new discussions, and will have lasting implications more far-reaching than perhaps any other we have known.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Journalists as first responders

Michael Fancher, the executive editor at The Seattle Times, published an eloquent essay in the Sept. 4 edition in his regular Sunday column, "Inside The Times."

In this column, Fancher includes journalists among the first responders on the scenes of numerous disasters.

Think about the people we call "first responders."

Chances are you thought about the men and women in police, fire and possibly military uniforms. They are the ones first on the scene of any disaster, prepared to do their jobs under the worst circumstances imaginable. They are genuine heroes.

Now think about Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of entire communities along the Gulf Coast. When the wind and water were gone, so were homes, hopes and dreams.

...

Think about the people we call "first responders."

Chances are you didn't think about the men and women with notebooks, pens, cameras and microphones. They, too, are the ones first on the scene of any disaster, prepared to do their jobs under the worst circumstances imaginable.

Fancher writes that the journalists on the scene, particularly now along the Gulf Coast hit by Hurricane Katrina, have played an important role in the rescue and relief operations. Certainly, spreading the news of this calamity has resulted in an outpouring of resources and aid from people around the nation and world. The role of journalists is important to document, to notify, to call attention, to advocate.

When I think of those first responders, I think about the men and women of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, who were forced to evacuate their building Tuesday. At first they had no way to print and distribute their newspaper, but they continued to publish online even as their own homes and lives were torn apart.

By Friday, The Times-Picayune was being printed at the Houma Courier, a neighboring newspaper owned by The New York Times, and distributed to evacuees living in shelters. Jim Amoss, a New Orleans native and editor of The Times-Picayune since 1990, told CNN that people grabbed the newspaper like it was food.

First responders also help people before disasters, and The Times-Picayune certainly tried. In 2002 it published a five-part series that was prescient. The summary of the series said, "It's only a matter of time before South Louisiana takes a direct hit from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day."

...

You probably have your own unforgettable images and stories from the hurricane. Stop to consider what someone had to do to capture those moments.

Thinking about journalists as first responders takes nothing away from the men and women in police, fire and military uniforms. Without the courage, service and sacrifice of emergency rescue workers, we would be lost. They are genuine heroes.

But, as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina shows, so too are the first responders of the press.

It's been a week when I have turned to my newspaper, my television, my radio and my computer to get news from a place I have never visited about people I don't know. I have found comfort in the reliable voices informing me from this distance, and I have trusted them when they express frustration and outrage on behalf of us all. I have found myself missing the voices of comfort that I trusted in these times for so long: Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings. But Brian Williams and Aaron Brown and many others have supplied coverage so comprehensive and sensitive and rich that I believe a new generation of voices has risen to replace those that have faded.

These journalists have been first responders here, and I hope they will always be among the first responders in the future.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

New Year's Eve

It's New Year's Eve -- a new school year, that is.

Labor Day weekend is the traditional end of the summer, and this year is no exception. As I walked into the school this afternoon for a few final preparations for tomorrow's opening day, I noticed the floors, waxed and buffed to a high shine. Within a few weeks, that shine will fade, as new pencils are worn down, full notebooks become thinner and backpacks show the strain of use and abuse.

As I enter my ninth year of teaching, I find that I am less excited as I have been in the past. It's not that this year is less exciting; in fact, there are many things for which I am enthusiastic. I think it is that I have reached a point in this career that there are fewer new things to excite me, and at the same time, there are a lot more things to wear down me and my colleagues. This school year brings great accomplishments with our state test results -- results that are a bit misleading because many who might have been eligible for testing were excluded and will be included this year. The year brings new challenges with personnel and curriculum changes. The year brings the challenge of higher enrollment -- where to put the students, who to teach them and how will that affect everything else?

The year started a day early with the participation of our students in a football game, the Old Spice Emerald City Kickoff Classic, held today at Qwest Field in Seattle, the home field of the Seahawks. Our team lost, but it was a nice experience in the crisp late-summer air under the blue skies with wispy clouds. The facility is a jewel in the city, a public stadium that dwarfs everything inside. The band sounded fantastic, and it was nice to see som many people who had made the trek across the Cascades for one last fling before bucking down to the wearying routines of daily schooling.

But the bright spots for me are always the moments in my own classes. Tuesday morning, there will be a rush of thousands of shoes over those waxed and buffed floors, and students will shuffle to classes. Some will cruise the halls familiarly, while others will stumble to find a classroom at the end of a long hallway. We'll call the roll, go over the syllabus and start the teaching by cracking open those new notebooks and sharpening those new pencils.

So it is on New Year's Eve, the mixed emotion of a fading summer and the promise and excitment, though tempered, of a new term.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

SCOTUS Watch '05: Chief Justice Roberts?

President Bush announced he would nominate John G. Roberts Jr. as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, replacing the late William Rehnquist.

Roberts is likely to be confirmed quickly and without much of a fight. He's been out there meeting with senators for several weeks, since the president nominated him to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in July. He's a conservative, a former clerk for Rehnquist who will keep his legacy alive.

As for O'Connor, she gets a contract extension, if you will. Her retirement letter indicated she would serve until her replacement had been confirmed. Since Roberts will now replace Rehnquist, it means if he is confirmed this month, the court will open its term in October with a full complement, including O'Connor. That also gives Bush a chance to search for another associate justice -- perhaps a woman or a person of color -- while looking decisive and in control today as he moves Roberts into a new position.

Apparently, Bush had this idea in mind in case the situation came into being.

The autumn SCOTUS Watch just got very interesting.

-- Seattle

Mama, he's a lame duck now

With every twp-term presidential administration, there is a point where it is clear that the president is a lame duck. He can't run for re-election. Others are vying for his office. This usually happens somewhere just after the mid-term Congressional election. If there is ever doubt when George W. Bush became a lame duck, though, it might be recorded as Aug. 30, 2005, the day Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area of the United States.

This week showed that President Bush simply cannot be "presidential" at a time of crisis. He jokes about his party-boy past in the city, he declares he is looking forward to sitting on the porch of a rebuilt home belonging to Sen. Trent Lott in Mississippi, he flies over a disaster area confortably ensconced in his roaring jet, he congratulates his incompetent director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and he hugs a black family as if he can actually understand the loss they feel.

And it all just looks like a load of crap.

President Bush's policies have led to a city in absolute crisis, and the disaster is a signal to the rest of the world: America cannot simultaneously wage a war in a foreign land and also defend the homeland.

This is America, a shining city on a hill, a beacon of hope for tired and poor, huddled masses. This is America, a nation so mighty it won the Cold War through intimidation and force. This is America, a republic that serves as a model of democracy for developing countries around the world. In America we have come to know comfort. We accept that nature will wreak havoc and will cause problems. We know that nowhere is absolutely safe, and we work to minimize dangers. We feel the hurt in the world, and we generously share our wealth.

And so when we see refugees walking across a highway to get out of a flooded city; when we har about the stinking, festid waters rising too rapidly for some to escape; when we watch people climb to the rooftops, arms flailing for a rescuer, any rescuer, we have to say ourselves, incredulous: This does not happen in America.

We look to our leaders -- our president -- at a time of crisis. We seek comfort. We want assurance that government is working and will help. We want the resources to come swiftly, just as they have gone swiftly to Indonesia, to Somalia, to sites of calamities around the globe. But when we looked to our leader, we got a snicker, a fly-by and false words of hope. We did not get what we needed.

So, George W. Bush is a lame duck -- and he should be. The fall will be consumed by two major responsibilities: rescuing the Gulf Coast and filling two vacancies on the Supreme Court. Congress will head to the winter recess and return in January for an election-year session. If Congress is smart, it will discover, as thousands of Southerners learned the hard way this week, that the president is not a leader. Congress should move quickly to enact an aid package, without waiting for the president. In fact, the Congress should force the president to act in a responsible way.

This was a bad week for George W. Bush. Now, the president is the lamest of ducks, and we're already looking past him.

-- Seattle

Rodeo tradition

I love the rodeo. It's not so much that I love the sport of rodeo as much as I love the tradition of going to the rodeo. Today was my 31st year attending the Ellensburg Rodeo -- I have attended at least one performance each year I have been alive.

I have a few specific parts that must be included in my annual Labor Day Weekend ritual. First is the food. I always eat a barbecue beef sandwich and corn on the cob from the CMA church booth at the Kittitas County Fair. It's quite possibly the best eating of any food tent. I also buy a few Fisher Fair Scones. The little cakes with butter and raspberry jam inserted between flaky layers are so perfect that I can't resist taking home a bag full.

I love to watch the Grand Entry for the rodeo. Dozens of horses and riders lope into the arena, some carrying flags or waving regally, winding in serpentine fashon around positions set by the members of the King County Mounted Sheriff's Posse, themselves on Palomino horses and silver-clad saddles. Immediately after the Grand Entry is the National Anthem and then introductions along the track as each rodeo's royalty representative gallops along the track's stretch at lightning speed, waving to adoring fans and making sure to keep her hat on her head. Unlike royal court members for other festivals, including my own town's Apple Blossom royalty, these girls must be experts in horsemanship and riding in addition to being articulate representatives of rodeo.

I and my family have a long tradition of rodeo involvement. The Ellensurg Rodeo had its 83d year in 2005. But even before the rodeo had been created formally, the people I descended from were active in hosting rodeos at their ranches on the outskirts of Ellensburg. The Fergusons and Thomases were inducted into the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame for that involvement and key role in helping to establish a tradition of rodeo and the entity now known as the Ellensburg Rodeo in the early 20th century.

As a child, I remember attending the shows with my grandma, Edith Thomas, who saw the rodeo each of its four days, keeping score on her daysheet in her distinctive and careful writing and pausing every now and then to smoke a cigarette. She packed a great lunch each day -- fried chicken, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers and plenty of Coca-Cola. We all loved the home cooking even better than the fair food.

As I grew into early teenage years, I sold programs each day of the show for $1.50 apiece. I made 15 cents for each program, but the bonuses at 50, 100 and 150 were where the real money could be made. For a few years I was among the top sellers who were able to attend a Seattle Mariners game courtesy of the Daily Record, the newspaper that also published the rodeo program. My brother and I were in stiff competition for program sales, and I remember one year when he took our sister, aged maybe 6, out to the street to sell. I thought that was cheap, and he was selling programs as fast as he could make change. He was also able to carry 50 programs, where I was able to tote just one bundle of 25.

And so I return to the beautiful Kittitas Valley each year with fond memories of the rodeo. It's pretty predictable -- the same corny jokes, a few surprises with uncooperative animals, maybe an injury. But I love it, and I could not imagine a Labor Day Weekend without it.

-- Seattle

Farewell, Chief Justice

Chief Justice William Rehnquist died Saturday night after a long battle with thyroid cancer and missing several weeks of courtroom arguments. He was 80 and had served on the Supreme Court for 33 years, 18 as its chief justice.

His death causes major political upheaval on an already tumultuous court:

President Bush had already nominated John Roberts to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and Roberts' Senate confirmation hearings are set to begin in a matter of days. He is likely to be confirmed, and some believe he is not as conservative as his record might indicate. I suspect he'll be as unpredictable as the woman he replaces.

Just a few weeks before the new term is set to begin, the Chief Justice position is vacant. The court will operate with just eight justices until a replacement can be selected and confirmed by the Senate. Tie votes return a case to the lower court and can't establish a legal precedent. It is not immediately clear, to me at least, who will fill the role of chief in the interim; John Paul Stevens is the court's most senior associate justice.

President Bush will likely feel there is some political cover -- replacing Rehnquist with a conservative would not change the court's makeup as Rehnquist had been solidly and reliably in the conservative column. Yet Bush has an opportunity not seen since 1986, namely to appoint the person to guide the court for what could turn out to be decades.

The horserace: There has already been some talk -- and surely there will be more -- about elevating Associate Justice Antonin Scalia to the chief justice position. Scalia is one of Bush's favorite jurists along wi th Justice Clarence Thomas. Elevating Scalia would also allow Bush to appoint another associate justice, perhaps Anthony Luttig or Edith Clement, or even Alberto Gonzales, all people who were apparently very much in the running this summer to replace O'Connor. However, historically, such elevations are not particularly common. In fact, Chief Justice Earl Warren had served as California governor and never had been on a court.

So, if Bush wants a safe assurance that the court will remain in conservative leadership, he should appoint Scalia. It would be a fight in the Senate, especially along the lines of conflict of interest with previous cases, but he would likely be confirmed. If Bush wants to leave a mark for history, he will probably go with Clement or Gonzales. On of the talking heads pointed out that Clement is on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, from New Orleans, and that could gain Bush some politics points. But I doubt that.

Watching the Supreme Court just got a whole lot more interesting. The White House staff surely must be asking "What next?" Between managing the catastrophe along the Gulf Coast and a major nomination (Roberts'), they already had enough on their plate. But this will really spread the staff thin.

Meanwhile, look to Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania to be the man challenged with guiding all these nominations through the Senate. He could very well be the one who comes out of all this with a feather in his cap for brokering a deal among senators and the administration.

-- Seattle

Words seem inadequate

It has developed into a disaster of such proportion, such magnitude, such devastation, that words seem inadequate to describe the situation along the Gulf Coast in what used to be New Orleans, La., and Biloxi, Miss.

Like many Americans, I suspect, I have grown a bit immune to the seemingly endless reports whenever there is a natural disaster or some tragic calamity. Earlier this summer, the coverage of Hurricane Emily seemed almost comic as television reporters struggled to stay out in the windy storm to scoop their competition. So when I heard a few early reports about a hurricane, this one named Katrina, headed toward New Orleans last week, I paid little attention. My increasing activity at work meant less time for watching news, so I only caught bits of information in passing. But I have been drawn to this event in the last two days, and I have just come to realize the full extent of the damage, the devastation, the repercussions of this hurricane.

A few aspects have been especially troubling:
Those in such dire straits that they have resorted to opportunistic looting are despicable. Taking some food or bottled water or other supplies from a vacant grocery store is, I think, rational during an emergency. A person can come back later and pay, and it is likely the groceries would have spoiled anyway. But to grab toys, electronic entertainment equipment and such defies any understanding. There is no electricity to run the electronics anyway.

The pathetically slow response from the federal government is troubling. One reporter on CNN, speaking about the large number of people who trekked to the convention center in New Orleans hoping for relief, found little in the way of provisions or assistance. They followed the law, he said, they trusted their government to help them. They relied on the infrastructure and support they believed would be there for them. It wasn't. We have to find a way to do better -- or even more people will die.

Helecopter flights were grounded after officials realized that the flights were unsafe because people were shooting at the 'copters. Shooting! There is no humane explanation for such behavior. So, while resources were actually available and helping, some fool turned to violence and caused a disruption in the rescue system that likely led to danger or deaths.

Word came today that "Pvt. Katrina" had joined the fight for the Islamic terrorists. Leave it to extemists to use a natural disaster for propaganda purposes. Surely Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell can't be far behind in their willingness to blame this event on gays and the ACLU.

Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have been deputized again to coordinate the collection of funds to assist in the relief efforts. So the beggars in chief will hold out their palms -- this time for an area so hard-hit that it is beginning to look eerily like Indonesia or Sri Lanka of eight months ago.

The most outrageous snippet I heard today: That New Oleans should declare itself a separate nation and ask for global relief. Who knows?

In coming weeks and months, people will question the political decisions and such that contributed to the disaster. The cleanup will continue, and people will try to put their lives back together. We'll all suffer -- economically and with an influx of Louisianans determined to live somewhere else. For now, though, workers contend with flooding, with bullets and with hot tempers. I wish them the best.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

WTF? British school allows f-bomb

A British school says it will allow students to say the f-word in class, MSNBC reports:

As children throughout the country head back to school, many of them are probably muttering a few choice words about the prospect of returning to the classroom and the expected onslaught of homework. But can they utter those choice words and swear at their teachers? If they’re heading back to school in one town in England, then yes, they can.

According to a report in the U.K.’s Daily Mail, one school in the town of Wellingborough is allowing pupils to swear at teachers, providing they only do so no more than five times in a class. A tally of how many times the f-word is used will be kept and if the class exceeds the limit, they will be “spoken” to, the newspaper reported.

Wonder if it applies to teachers, too. I will probably have to stick to just thinking it.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

'Princesses' delights -- I told you so

One of the privileges of being a subsriber to the season at The Fifth Avenue Theatre in Seattle is the opportunity to see locally produced and touring company musicals. It has also brought new shows to Seattle, shows originating here in the hinterlands while working out bugs before heading to Broadway. Three years ago, "Hairspray" did just that and went on to win a shelf full of Tony Awards. This year, The Fifth helped stage "Princesses," a new musical originally planned for late spring and a possible trip to Broadway. When it confirmed an appearance on the Great White Way, the theater had to reschedule the show for August with the payoff being that the show would include its Broadway cast and would be fine-tuned for a New York debut.

But the reviewers all said "Princesses" is no "Hairspray." The reviewers poo-pooed the high-school plot and characters as thin and stereotypical. The reviewers influenced some people (like my companions). But I remained faithful, confident that the music would be good at least, considering it was to be hip and teen-oriented. I was not disappointed, and my friends were surprised.

The show tells the story of a girl sent to a boarding school, where she gets involved in a school production of "The Little Princess." The play-within-a-play offers some nice parallels, and the show overall has a great set of songs and a nice message. Sure, there are some thin spots, but perhaps those can be addressed in New York. But the music does rock and the characters arfe shockingly real -- based on stereotypes because the stereotype is based in reality. Kids really do those things, and I've seen most of it in the halls at my own school.

I summary, "Princesses" was a nice way to spend an afternoon -- some great music, some funny lyrics, some fun choreography and singing. Watch for it on Broadway.

Meanwhile, next season -- in February -- The Fifth has also scheduled a debut musical that will move from Seattle to New York. Mark your calendars for "The Wedding Singer," a musical adaptation of the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore movie from a few years ago.

Next year's Tony Awards should offer some familiar nominations.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Two very different movies, both enjoyable

Last weekend in Seattle I took in two movies -- two films that will never come to my little town. While they were each entertaining, they were significantly different.

"The Aristocrats" -- This film about how comedians tell an old joke was rip-roaring funny, It's not that I actually thought that what the comedians were saying was truly funny, it was that the material was so astonishingly outside what people generally accept. It was vile, inappropriate, disgusting, offensive. Funny. A friend of mine from way back in my student leadership program days developed a pyramid for humor. He consulted a bunch of actual comedians in his quest to determine what was funny, why and how to avoid offense. At the bottom of the pyramid is the self-depricating humor that rarely offends. At the peak is the racial and sexual humor that almost always offends someone. It is this type of humor that can be shared by people in similar groups. I sometimes get to this level with my friends -- making fun of things simply for the effect of the joke, not because we actually believe or value the sentiment. Friends at this level understand that the humor can be just an exercise. So it is with this film -- the humor is just an opportunity to get outrageous. The downside to this film is a slow middle section and the production quality, which is low-quality digital video. If you can appreciate outrageous humor, see "The Aristocrats." If you're easily offended, skip it, which is what the two people who walked out after 20 minutes should have done.

"Junebug" -- I would have probably overlooked this film if not for a recommendation from friends who had seen a trailer. A Chicago art gallery owner travels to her husband's native South to woo an undiscovered Appalachian painter and see his family along the way. It would be easy to show the urbane sophisticates from Chicago returning to the husband's roots and showing how much better off they are to be out of the dead-end lifestyle of the country. Instead, it simply shows life and relationships -- much of it through close-up angles and slight changes in facial expressions that communicate more than a page of dialog. It's a delightful look at people from different walks of life whose paths cross and who try to understand each other. The film portrays the Southerners not as flat stereotypical bumpkins but instead as complex and developed people. As the plot continued, I found myself increasingly drawn to the characters, especially Johnny, the loner with a stunted career and his wistful pregnant wife, Ashley. Ashley steals nearly every scene with her eagerness to be something, anything, that she is not; it's an attempt to alter the reality of her situation in any way possible and every way she can. My verdict: Absolutely worth the price of admission.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Our students improve test scores

It's back-to-school time, and that means the annual school reports of test scores. The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction this week released data about whether schools in the state had made national improvement goals under the so-called "No Child Left Behind" Act, called Adequate Yearly Progress. From the report:

Schools are expected to make AYP in up to 37 different categories, and districts can have as many as 111 categories. Regardless of Title I status, schools and districts are identified for “needs improvement” status if they miss making AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject areas (e.g., math in 2004 and 2005). And until they make AYP in all their categories for two years in a row, schools and districts continue to be identified for improvement. Making it one year and then missing the next means a school or district maintains its improvement status and must restart the two-year cycle of making AYP.

Six Washington schools made AYP for the second consecutive year and moved off the improvement list. One is Columbia Elementary in Wenatchee, a school with high instances of student mobility and language barriers in a lower-income section of the city. School staff has worked hard to find creative solutions to help students learn more and to make up the necessary defecit of test scores.

Wenatchee High School, meanwhile, remains on Step 2 of School Improvement along with 80 other Washington schools. From the report:

Step 2, School Improvement (81 schools)
Title I schools that have reached Step 2 must continue to offer school choice and add the option for low-income students to receive tutoring services from an OSPI-approved supplemental service provider. Again, these options are only required to be offered by schools that receive Title I funds. The schools in Step 2 are there this year because they 1) made AYP in 2005 and must make it again in 2006 to exit; or 2) were in Step 1 in 2004 and again missed AYP in the same subject in 2005; or 3) missed AYP in a different subject than in 2004 and do not move to the next step.

While WHS remained on Step 2, there is reason for being pleased with some results. A year ago, the school missed AYP in four cells: Hispanic reading, Hispanic math, limited-English proficient reading and limited-English proficient math. This year, the school met AYP goals in three of those cells, missing in just one cell: Hispanic math.

Meanwhile, WestSide High School, the district's former alternative high school, now a fully accredited school with an alternative design, moved to Step 3 School Improvement, explained here from the report:

Step 3, School Improvement (10 schools)
At this point in school improvement, federal law expects districts to take a more direct role in addressing the academic struggles in a particular Title I building. School districts must take “corrective action”, and they can choose from a number of options focused most often on curriculum and instruction changes that will improve student learning at their Step 3 schools that receive Title I funds. These schools must continue to provide school choice options and supplemental services. Step 3 schools are there this year because they 1) made AYP in 2005 and must make it again in 2006 to exit; or 2) were in Step 2 in 2004 and again missed AYP in the same subject in 2005; or 3) missed AYP in a different subject than in 2004 and do not move to the next step.

The full report is available from the OSPI Web site.

Finally, The Seattle Times had a Sunday report about the notion of "value-added" test scores reporting. In some Seattle schools, the low test scores do not fully indicate the level of learning that took place among students at certain schools. These students, while still falling short of AYP goals, made up more than a year's learning in a year's time, a notable achievement that deserves recognition. The article also faults higher-achieving schools for allowing higher-achieving students to slide back because the school had focused on helping students with lower proficiency. These situations are important to the discussion in education reform and should not be ignired.

-- Issaquah, Wash.

The media and vigilantes

A family in California is now a target after a television news personality announced that the family's home was housing Islamic terrorists. It wasn't. The news man had announced the address, resulting in vandalism and threats at the home. An Associated Press report from the Seattle Times:

Family fearful after Fox News airs mistake

By The Associated Press

LA HABRA, Calif. — A couple whose home was wrongly identified on national television as belonging to an Islamic radical has faced harassment, and police are providing protection.

Since the report aired on Fox News on Aug. 7, people have shouted profanities at Randy and Ronnell Vorick and spray-painted "terrorist" (spelling it "terrist") on their property.

"I'm scared to go to work and leave my kids home," Randy Vorick said. "I call them every 30 minutes to make sure they're OK."

John Loftus, a former federal prosecutor who appears on Fox News' "Inside Scoop with John Loftus," gave out the address during the broadcast. He said the home belonged to Iyad Hilal, whose group, Loftus said, has ties to those responsible for the July 7 bombings in London. But Hilal moved out of the house about three years ago.

The couple sought a public apology and correction.

"John Loftus has been reprimanded for his careless error, and we sincerely apologize to the family," Fox spokeswoman Irena Brigantes said.

Loftus told the Los Angeles Times last week that "mistakes happen. ... That was the best information we had at the time."

Fox News has also been known to whip up support for other vigilante-type issues, including the self-appointed protectors at the border known as the Minutemen. CNN's Lou Dobbs is just as bad.

Fox says in the story above that "mistakes happen." But why is a news agency reporting the spcific address of suspected criminals, even if the information was accurate? The news media also have a responsibility to know the effects of their actions, and it is a pretty easy assumption that reporting where terorists live will lead to at least a few crackpot idiots stopping by to "take matters into their own hands" in an Old West-style of vigilante justice. Heck, their model for such actions is the current executive administration -- it's the favored language of President Bush ("Bring it on," "Dead or alive," "With us or with the terrorists") and a policy of intervention is now United States foreign policy.

So when a home is targeted, should be be surprised that locals decided to handle it? No. But our news media should also not be reporting such items, at least until law enforecement officials have what they need or unless there is an imminent danger to the public. In the latteer case, perhaps a meth lab in the neighborhood or something, the announcement might be justified.

To the Fox News on-air personalities and all their brethren: Dial it down a bit, would you? It's not working.

-- Issaquah, Wash.

WWJS?

What would Jesus say? Well, if he were the keynote speaker at a Republican fundraiser, he might say something like this. My friend Tom Peyer had this piece published in Slate today. I laughed from the first line. It's a good satire, and worth a look.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Local cartoonist making it big

It has occurred to me that I need to help a friend of mine promote his cartooning ability. I have known Andrew Wahl for over five years, in my capacity as a media adviser and his as a copy editor/paginator then the features editor at The Wenatchee World newspaper, the daily paper here in town. Since last fall, Andy has also been producing a cartoon a week for The World. His agreement with The World apparently stipulates that at least one cartoon per month must be about a Washington state issue. This week's dealt with I-901, which would ban smoking in all public places.

I had known Andy's previous cartoon stints in college and in his prior work at the Longview, Wash., newspaper. But his work for The World has been top notch. His cartoons are not available at the newspaper's Web site. However, he has all the recent cartoons archived along with many from years past on his Web site: Off the Wahl Productions. Trust me, I know my cartoons. This is good stuff; we're lucky.

Andy comes at a time when readers are increasingly polarized. They see media coverage as slanted -- that is if they don't like the story or how it covers their issues. So, mix a liberal cartoonist into a moderate to conservative editorial page, and you suddenly have a few sparks. Andy tells me that the editorial page editor has fielded many calls the morning after one of Andy's cartoons lampoons W. Yet, the cartoons about the overbearing eye of Big Brother watching every move a person makes play as well with liberals screaming of civil rights eroding as with conservatives who want government off their backs.

The new cartoons come out Mondays or Tuesdays. There is a link at the site above to subscribe to the weekly e-mail list with the cartoon and a few notes from its creator. Sometimes that comes even before the toon is published. Or, just send e-mail to: toon@offthewahl.com

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Jury duty dodged again

Well, I am happy to serve, but I am also glad I don't have to.

For the third time in about two years, I was summoned to the jury pool, and for the third time I did not have to report. One of those times was for federal district court in Spokane. The most recent time was last week and the first part of this week, and again I don't have to report.

I love the idea of jury service. I want to be part of that at some point. And, at the end of August 2005, I had no excuse to get out of it. Still, it is the end of August, and I want to enjoy the last few unscheduled days of summer before it's back to the daily and challenging routine of school.

Like I said: I'm happy to serve but glad I don't have to.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Go Connecticut!

The State of Connecticut has become the first state to file a lawsuit against the United States government over the so-called "No Child Left Behind" Act, also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002. The main claim is that the federal law requires significant investment in school programs by local and state entities while the federal government provides inadequate funding.

The basic argument: Provide funding or stop the mandates.

The U.S. department responded to the threat of the lawsuit in April.

The best part is that this is a wealthy state, one that pays its teachers well. It is a state that has credibility on the issue of education. It's not a left-wing state on the West Coast or some liberal big city. And, the state of Utah as well as a number of local districts have made similar complaints. I expect a number of states to join the lawsuit in asking a federal judge to declare that local and state funds cannot be required to be used to meet federal mandates.

I have said that the years of 2003-2008 will be a sort of Purgatory for education reform. We have cast a die, and we don't yet know how the mold will turn out. As the ultimate deadline approaches in 2008 (for Washington state seniors to pass the state assessment to graduate) and another decade for national requirements to be met, we will begin to see people fed up with mandates say they aren't going to take it anymore.

Stay tuned.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Maybe it's just because it's August

It's well known that August in a nonelection year is a slow time for political news. So when someone actually makes some news, it gets amplified a lot. Two items are getting a lot of discussion on the shout shows from the inflated talking heads.

First, Pat Robertson, a man who ran for president in 1988 after founding a Christian broadcasting network, basically declared a bounty on the head of a foreign leader today. Robertson said the United States should assassinate Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, rather than spending $20 million on another war. Chavez leads a country that sits on huge oil supplies and which is also heavily involved in the South American drug industry. It's a lot of instability controlled by someone who really does not care much for the Yankees.

Robertson, meanwhile, is a huge supporter of President Bush, and also a major American Christian leader with a lot of influence over fundamentalist Christians. The call for assassination was met with a rather tepid official response -- basically that he has First Amendment rights and that of course we aren't planning to kill President Chavez. If Howard Dean or Jesse Jackson had said that, the Bushies likely would be spinning it out of all sense of proportion.

Second, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, a "Democrat" working for the Bush Administration, announced a great plan to help Americans save fuel. As gas prices climb to record highs -- an average of $2.61 per gallon nationwide -- it is good to know that the administration is on top of it. Their proposal? Higher fuel efficiency standards that will increase gas mileage among light trucks such as SUVs by about two miles per gallon by 2011. Now that is taking a stand. That's bold. Once again, the Bushies say they want to reduce the dependence on foreign oil, yet they don't push very hard for it. The best way to reduce the dependence on foreign oil is to reduce the need for oil at all. That means using less of it. Not just a little less by 2011, a lot less and soon.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Aug. 22 is National Punctuation Day

I learned of this special day late on Aug. 22, but I think that one could celebrate punctuation all year, and within a few days of the official observation is acceptable.

Visit the Web site for National Punctuation Day, a campaign to kick off the school year with a special emphasis on the importance of proper punctuation. We judge so much by a misplaced comma or apostrophe, and we take action, perhaps avoiding a business that doesn't know its it's.

So, without question mark your calendar, dash off a quick note and enter a period of rejoicing.

I can't wait for No More Comic Sans Day. Think that is on anyone's calendar besides mine?

-- Wenatchee, Wash

Immigration: A solution to the problem?

A reader posted a comment to my earllier post about immigration from Mexico. At his Weblog, Mark in Mexico, he gives a lengthy history of Mexico, explaining why the country has developed the way it has. His explanation of Mexico's corruption is interesting and informatiove.

Further down, he peoposes a solution to the illegal immigration. Some of the arguments are startlingly compelling, others are horrifying. I am not sure whether Mark, living in Mexico and teaching English, is a "compassionate conservative," a Libertarian or a Socialist. Maybe all three, maybe something else entirely. Nonetheless, the plan is worth a look if for no other reason than as a starting point in a lengthy debate.

People are beginning to say immigration is the issue for 2006 and 2008 elections. I join the chorus; they are right. It is.

See for yourself.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Is Iraq really another Vietnam?

Democrats and liberal interest groups critical of the war in Iraq have made Vietnam comparisons almost since the first bombs fell on Baghdad in 2003. But now, even skeptics in the president's own party -- people with far more credibility than any Neocon on the administration's war team -- are beginning to question the strategy of "stay the course." Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a decorated Vietnam veteran and a potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, said Sunday that the situation in Iraq was beginning to look similar to Vietnam. "The longer we stay, the more problems we're going to have," he said.

Another guest on the same Sunday morning talk show, ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," said after the show that the Iraq situation is actually comparable to the Normandy invasion near the end of World War II. Sen. George Allen of Virginia, himself eyeing the Republican nomination, made the remarks while speaking to media outside the studio. Meanwhile, other Senators on other programs, and the White House spokespeople, tried to shore up support for the president and his policy in Iraq.

Sen. Allen takes the cake for worst analogy, though. To say that somehow this war is as necessary as the Normandy invasion, a battle where thousands died and led to the ultimate fall of the Nazis along the western front, is horribly off. The Neocons will try to compare their war to whatever is necessary, rubbing the lustre of a just war onto this war of convenience. It smacks of Lee Atwater.

The Republicans have another few months or so to figure out what the strategy is in Iraq before the mid-term Congressional elections and the start of the 2008 presidential campaign. There has to be a clear position to either support or contradict, and if they don't want to see their fellow Republicans break their 11th Commandment -- Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican -- they had better get it straightened out. Otherwise, it will be like what happened to the Democrats in 1968 -- complete and utter chaos and infighting that led to Richard Nixon in the White House. But even he would be better today than who we have now. The American people never trusted him, so the betrayal hurt a bit less.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Constitution Day is Sept. 16

The John S. and James L. KNight Foundation is making a full-court press for educators to teach about the First Amendment on Constitution Day, scheduled this year for Sept. 16.

The Web site, Teach the First Amendment, contains an interactive quiz, lessons and resources for teaching and promoting the First Amendment in schools. The splash page lists three reasons why this is important:

• Three-fourths of high school students don't know how they feel about the First Amendment, or take it for granted.
• Nearly half believe the government can censor the Internet
• One-third think the First Amendment goes to ofar in the rights it guarantees.

We all must do what we can to promote the understanding and appreciation of our Constitution, especially its First Amendment. I am planning activities and lessons for my own classroom. Ideas?

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Sen. Cantwell impresses; Dems show strong

Friday evening, I traveled to Leavenworth for a reception with U.S. Sen. maria cantwell and a fundraiser on behalf of the Chelan County Democrats. The weather could not have been more wonderful with the sun poring over the tree-covered mountainsides. The host farm decked out in American flags and Cantwell campaign signs and a crowd of about 75 made the package complete.

Sen. Cantwell spoke for about 20 minutes about some of the issues important to her and some ideas she had and some bills she is sponsoring. In just a few minutes of listening, I knew she was the real deal. I've been a strong supporter for a while now, but this convinced me that she is not only a good choice because we need to keep Democrats in the Senate but also because she is honest and a person of convistion. I also was impressed with how smart she is. She had some applause lines that clearly worked with the usual Democrat groups -- in union halls, at Jefferson-Jackson dinners, at EMILY's List fundraisers. But more than those, she had thoughtful articulate responses to questions. I learned a lot, and I saw that she had deep knowledge and understanding about agricultural, economic, energy and world issues.

Sen. Cantwell's visit comes at a time when the Democrat party in Chelan County is coming alive. I spoke with someone I know, and we remarked about the energy and organization that has occurred in the last year. Sen. Cantwell related an anecdote about a conversation she had at a stop on the coast where she saw the state party chair. He said that when she got to Chelan County, she would see something special was happening. It is.

Chelan County has no elected Democrats in any office. It usually votes strongly for Republicans in state and federal races. It was the site of the contest for the gubernatorial election because Republicans thought they could gain favor here. They didn't. And, voter data shows that Democrats are making ground in Chelan County, and that in a couple recent races the results were actually close. There is a growing group of people who are eager to buck the trend in this area, who want to help people in rural areas by electing Democrats who actually care about the social issues and needs of people in those communities.

We'll see how things go in the next year with mid-term elections, with our Congressman on the ropes for his "leadership" of the House Ethics Committee, with growing discontent about the war in Iraq and on terror, with the scandals about accountability and oversight. We'll see if voters can see the right choice is to return Sen. Cantwell to the Senate and to kick some of the Republican bums out.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Immigration, immigration, immigration

Two rising-star Democrats have declared states of emergency in their states regarding border security and illegal immigration. Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico have sounded the alarm for these concerns. Even California's Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, supports the declaration even though he stopped short of a similar declaration in his own state.

Democrats seem to be "triangulating" this issue -- focusing discontent among Democrats, moderates and even those upset in the president's own base. Richardson is a potential presidential candidate himself.

The Arizona Republic analyzes the situation in a report this week. Of course, this story got good play on CNN, particularly the Lou Dobbs Tonight show, where border issues and various outsourcing crises get regular treatment.

Personally, I think the Democrats are right to raise this issue. Republicans use this as a wedge issue -- scaring Americans into voting for so-called "get tough" conservatives who, once in office, do little to solve any of the problem abroad or domestically. The move by Napolitano and Richardson is a very Clintonian strategy. Napolitano is a good example of the new Southwest voter -- a conservative Democrat who can win by cobbling a coalition of Hispanics and traditional liberals.

In 2008, the Southwest will be increasingly important, and with an incrase in Democrats in office in the West and Southwest, I don't think the Republicans can lay claim to the entire Sun Belt any longer.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Time to dump the textbooks?

A school in Arizona has eliminated the use of textbooks in favor of issuing each student a laptop computer. Empire High School, a new school in Vail, Ariz., near Tuscson, has provided each of its 340 students an Apple iBook computer instead of bulky books.

School officials said that they expect the computers will help students engage more in learning. However, they found that certain skills they expected -- organizational skills anad basic software proficiency -- were lacking. Still, the switch means the school won't use money on texts, which are often heavy, generic or quickly obsolete.

Read more

So is it time to dump textbooks in favor of other learning materials? Textbook publishers have increasingly provided supplemental resources, such as CD-ROMs or Web site access, for audio and video as well as online activities for students. But maybe we should at least consider eliminating some textbooks.

They are too big and unable to be customized, so teachers don't use them. My school adopted a new literature anthology two years ago for a class I teach. It was bigger than before (almost 1,000 pages) yet some of the major pieces, namely Homer's Odyssey, had been hacked even more than before. So now we don't even use the anthology for the Odyssey; we use a separate unabridged book. That does not make much sense. If publishers allowed total customization -- sort of like Build-a-Bear -- the problem would be solved, but the books would be exceptionally expensive or would not be durable.

Some courses benefit from constantly updated materials. In the sciences and social studies, information changes more rapidly than can be included in texts. Here is where Internet resources and current information would be more useful. Our school uses Newsweek magazine and UpFront, a current events magazine for teens from The New York Times, as classroom texts in its contemporary world problems course.

We should teach students how to navigate information in the digital world. Of course we should not eliminate books. But if we can access better information and do so faster while teaching students skills that will be useful in their educational and work lives, I think that is a good move.

I look forward to seeing how schools manage these problems and if there is an increase in learning. In the meantime, I will continue to try to supplement the textx in my own classroom.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Remember customer service?

Here's the situation: I just finished a 30-minute phone call with my credit card company, Chase. I had found a card from another company that I had signed up for a few months ago as part of a promotion but that I had never activated. I called the other company to cancel because I wanted to improve my credit score by reducing my available credit. This other company, Citibank, fell head over heels to keep me, but I was determined to cut up my card.

Then I called Chase, a company I have been with for several years. Longevity helps your score, too. I thought I would be able to reduce my rate just a bit -- from about 11 percent. So it took about 10 minutes to get an "adviser" to speak with. I told her that it was ironic that the phone message kept repeating that my call was valuable yet I had been waiting for 10 minutes. I explained I would like a lower rate. She said that, in fact, a letter had just gone out indicating my rate was to increase to over 14 percent. That set me off into my most calm cranky mode. I asked for a supervisor and was told it would be about a seven-minute wait.

So I waited. I got the supervisor, who told me she was not authorized to change my rate but that she could transfer me to a rate specialist. I agreed, but not until I had let her know that I was upset at the poor customer service today. Seven minutes (and the previous 10) had given me plenty of time to enumerate my displeasure. I wondered if Chase even wanted me as a customer. She explained that the delay in calls today was because Chase had just merged with another company and the computer systems were complicating things. She said it should be worked out in a month or so, and I replied I may not be around that long.

The rate specialist answered after just two minutes and quickly offered a rate of just under 11 percent, less than what I am paying now, and significantly less than what I would have been paying when the increase kicked in.

So I may still call Citibank back and ask for the same rate the offered, even just for a balance transfer -- like one percent interest on those. But when I am receiving an average of one pre-approval or other credit card solicitation every day, I would think that a company to which I have been pretty dang loyal would want to keep me as a customer.

Add to all of this that I tried to connect my cellphone to my computer to download pictures, and the software is only for Windows-based computers, not my Mac. So now I have to subscribe to a $5-per-month servoce or at least pay 25 cents per picture sent. That is a pain in the neck. Seems like if I bought the phone and I have the equipment, I should be able to get the pictures without paying the phone company to send them.

It makes one notice when we get good service. There are a few places where the service is exceptional. Les Schwab Tire Centers, for example, always have great service, even when the guys are super busy and stressed. They always run out to the car to greet you and they always want to help.

We need more of that.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Best Judge

A Seattle newspaper has named as its best judge of the year the Chelan County Superior Court judge who oversaw the gubernatorial election dispute trial. The Seattle Weekly named John Bridges as "Best Judge":

Best Judge
Chelan County Superior Court Judge John E. Bridges did a fantastic job with Dino Rossi's legal challenge of the 2004 election victory of Gov. Christine Gregoire. Bridges, of course, rendered the correct decision June 6 in Wenatchee when he skewered Rossi's case by affirming the election. In so doing, Bridges slammed the door on more such legal challenges that are based on partisan rancor rather than sound evidence. He also used his bully pulpit to call for a cultural change at the troubled King County Elections Division. The most important thing that Bridges did, however, was use his courtroom to educate the public on the troubled gubernatorial election. He permitted TV cameras to cover the entire proceedings, so they were broadcast on cable TV statewide and on the Internet worldwide. He admitted all the evidence offered by both sides, building a complete public record of the election's problems. Finally, Bridges managed to maintain a sense of humor and grace under very trying circumstances.
-- George Howland Jr.

I think The Weekly is right on. Nice job.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

Nonpartisan? I don't think so

The Boston Globe allowed an op-ed column to be printed without fully checking the background of the organization providing the opinion. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation published a reply to a new campaign where the National Education Association, the nation's largest teacher's union, has encouraged parents to avoid shopping for back-to-school items at Wal-Mart because of the retailer's employment policies, which pay employees so poorly that they must access public health programs for which we all pay higher prices.

The Washington Education Association has also been advocating to its members that they avoid shopping at Wal-Mart for its employment practices.

But the issue here is that the Globe called EFF a "nonpartisan, public policy research organization based in Olympia". That is about the funniest line I've read in a while. The EFF is a grouyp whose activities have been to splinter the WEA's membership, to engage the union in litigation to force the union to spend its resources in defense, to criticize the overworked and underpaid public school teachers, and to advocate loudly for school reforms -- namely charter schools -- that Washington voters voted down three times. The last item was also heavily funded with out-of-state money from a certain family based in Bentonville, Ark., the Waltons, owners of Wal-Mart.

So now, EFF comes to defend its patron. They call it ironic that NEA is for choice here but not in educational reform. EFF, check yourself in a mirror. The NEA and WEA are contributing to a robust public policy debate, a debate that could lead to better situations for its members and therefore all our kids.

The Globe has issued a correction, which it should have. A reader of the Romanesko column from the Poynter Institute posted a great letter asking some of the questions that the Globe should have asked before printing this piece. Let us all pass the word that EFF is anything but "nonpartisan" and its "research" is questionable.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.

The time has come for online classes

The Internet is the center of a boom in education. Students around the nation, and about 10,000 here in Washington took one or more classes online last year. Now, it's time for my own school to enter this new era and offer online classes to its students.

The Seattle Times reports in its Aug. 14 edition that Internet schools are rapidly entering education's mainstream. That comes as no surprise to me, as I have taken online courses for my master's degree for over a year now.

Most Internet schools were begun as a way to offer highly motivated students a chance to take courses they might otherwise not have acces to, especially in smaller communities. That's a philosophy shared by a real-time counterpart: Running Start. They're also helpful for homeschool students and those students who are also competitive athletes. Today, though, the Internet classes are also a chance to take courses to get ahead and open up some room in a schedule or to take courses a student failed or missed.

The online academies are a model of success, and a replica should be formed in Wenatchee. We face a schedule crunch where students are forced from certain electives, we face a shortage of staff in some areas, we face students who need alternatives to traditional classroom education. The Internet is a solution. By creating our own online school, we control the curriculum and can closely match the online classes to our traditional classes.

Not all learning can be done online, and a student should not be able to earn a high school diploma solely with online classes. The socialization necessary for a developing youngster happens through live interaction with peers, and that cannot be replicated online.

There is a pilot program slated for this fall at Wenatchee High School. A teacher has been assigned two sections of U.S. History to be taught using an online classroom software. Whether it works depends on student interest. The half-hearted effort by the guidance office and school administration would seem to indicate that enrollment would be limited. I think we should start small, but we need to fill a class, too.

So the time has come for us to move in this direction. It's good for our students, our staff and our community. I am ready to sign up to teach at least one class, too. We'll see who's ready to learn.

-- Seattle

Sen. Cantwell to come to Leavenworth Aug. 19

From the Chelan County Democrats:

Reception for Sen. Maria Cantwell Aug. 19

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell is coming to Leavenworth on Friday, Aug. 19, to meet with Democrats and all interested residents from Chelan and Douglas counties. YOU are invited! Her visit will be a nice opportunity for local Democrats to get together, and to raise money to support the Democrats of Chelan County’s increasing outreach in this historically Republican area.

Senator Cantwell will arrive around 5 p.m. at Two Rivers Farm (directions below). She will speak informally for a while with local Democratic leaders and citizens, as everyone mingles and enjoys refreshments. The senator then will deliver a short presentation about her accomplishments and goals in the U.S. Senate. She also will answer questions. After partaking of refreshments, Sen. Cantwell and her staff will leave at about 6:30 p.m. to return to Western Washington.

The reception is sponsored by Make Every Vote Count and the Chelan County Democrats. In addition to the opportunity to meet and listen to our Democratic senator (who is seeking re-election in 2006), the Aug. 19 event will offer entertainment, hearty hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The “Vote Rockers” will provide background music that’s a unique blend of rock, bluegrass, country and folk music – and it’s almost guaranteed that an eagle or two will fly overhead during the festivities.

Two Rivers Farm is situated on the Wenatchee River, just across from the Leavenworth Golf Course. From Icicle Road turn left on Wilson Street and go to the end of the road (less than a quarter mile). The 26-acre organic farm is owned by Nick Stemm and Nancy Denson, who provide organic produce to the restaurant trade and contribute to the local community supported agriculture (CSI) movement.

Tickets to the Sen. Maria Cantwell reception are $25. Proceeds will go to communication and maintaining the Democratic headquarters in Wenatchee. You may purchase tickets in advance by mailing a check to Democrats of Chelan County, P.O. Box 1061, Wenatchee WA 98807; by stopping by the Democratic headquarters at First and Mission streets in Wenatchee; or by paying at the door. For more information about the event, contact chairwoman Pat Notter at 663-7659.

We'll see you at this reception, an important kickoff to the re-election of an important Senator fighting for the rights and interests of all Washingtonians.

-- Seattle