Curtis Harris
Post-hurricane thoughts
By Curtis Harris
Real Power
We lost electrical power around 9:00 PM on September 18 as Hurricane Isabel moved into Maryland. We got it back in the late afternoon of the 24th. The experience was a great lesson in taking things for granted. No lights, no computer, no TV, no microwave, and, since we get our water from a well, no running water. Also, due to poor planning, no generator. We did fill our bathtubs with water prior to the storm, so at least the basic hygienic necessities were covered. After dark, reading by flashlight was entertainment.
Of course, the politicians and interest groups are starting the "inquiries" into the utilities' failures to plan for the storm, fix the damage quickly, and so on. I would rather see more appreciation for the people who did the work to repair the damage. They are the same people that keep the power on-line during normal times so that we can take it for granted.
Losing electrical power (being powerless) also gave me a feeling for the entrenched politicians and bureaucrats' need to hold onto power at all costs. Being without it is not pleasant.
Real People
Remember Richard Nixon's "silent majority"? That was his clumsy attempt to describe the bulk of the American people- - honest, hard-working people of many different races, creeds, etc., united by their desire to live good lives while achieving their piece of the American dream. I often see other attempts to label these Americans, usually by people in the media, politics, academics and business leadership. The labels they use indicate the attitude they have towards the majority of Americans. The usual labels are, for example, ordinary, common and average. Occasionally, derogatory terms, like "Joe six-pack," are used.
I started thinking about these labels when I tried to describe the audience I hope to reach with these columns and other written materials. In my opinion, there are really two classes of people in America, the power elites and the rest of us. The difference between the two groups is one of attitude. All of the rhetoric (rich vs. poor and race vs. race) that the elites use to divide Americans is just a smokescreen. The issue is that the powerful elites of America believe they are superior to the rest of us and are entitled to decide how the rest of us should live. Just like in Middle School, there are the "cool kids" and the rest of us.
In a nation that is supposed to be "of the people, by the people and for the people" it seems to me the rest of us are the people that really matter. The fact that politicians, media personalities, academicians and ego-driven business leaders have lost sight of America's basic principles does not make them elite. It makes them wrong. From now on, I will refer to the rest of us as "real people" and "real Americans."
Do Not Call
Our power-grabbing, lip-flapping and practically useless Congress took only one day to pass legislation that negates a court ruling against the FTC's Do Not Call list. They are able to act swiftly when the legislation costs them nothing and has emotional appeal to voters.
Underneath all the hype, the Do Not Call list is a paper tiger. Charities, pollsters, political groups, fundraisers and long-distance phone companies are exempt. In my experience, these groups are the source of the majority of annoying calls. A second court ruling, on free-speech grounds, will not be so easy to circumvent. According to Judge Nottingham of the Denver U.S. District Court, exempting some groups from the rule is choosing which kinds of speech are permissible, a violation of the First Amendment.
Will Congress act swiftly to save the Do Not Call List from this second court ruling? The quick solution is to drop the exemptions and apply the rule to all calls. The political influence of the exempt groups renders the quick solution dead on arrival. Do not plan on uninterrupted dinners anytime soon.
Rats
Headline in the LA Times- - Scientists in France successfully clone rat
Their choice of research subject is appropriate.
© Curtis Harris
Real Power
We lost electrical power around 9:00 PM on September 18 as Hurricane Isabel moved into Maryland. We got it back in the late afternoon of the 24th. The experience was a great lesson in taking things for granted. No lights, no computer, no TV, no microwave, and, since we get our water from a well, no running water. Also, due to poor planning, no generator. We did fill our bathtubs with water prior to the storm, so at least the basic hygienic necessities were covered. After dark, reading by flashlight was entertainment.
Of course, the politicians and interest groups are starting the "inquiries" into the utilities' failures to plan for the storm, fix the damage quickly, and so on. I would rather see more appreciation for the people who did the work to repair the damage. They are the same people that keep the power on-line during normal times so that we can take it for granted.
Losing electrical power (being powerless) also gave me a feeling for the entrenched politicians and bureaucrats' need to hold onto power at all costs. Being without it is not pleasant.
Real People
Remember Richard Nixon's "silent majority"? That was his clumsy attempt to describe the bulk of the American people
I started thinking about these labels when I tried to describe the audience I hope to reach with these columns and other written materials. In my opinion, there are really two classes of people in America, the power elites and the rest of us. The difference between the two groups is one of attitude. All of the rhetoric (rich vs. poor and race vs. race) that the elites use to divide Americans is just a smokescreen. The issue is that the powerful elites of America believe they are superior to the rest of us and are entitled to decide how the rest of us should live. Just like in Middle School, there are the "cool kids" and the rest of us.
In a nation that is supposed to be "of the people, by the people and for the people" it seems to me the rest of us are the people that really matter. The fact that politicians, media personalities, academicians and ego-driven business leaders have lost sight of America's basic principles does not make them elite. It makes them wrong. From now on, I will refer to the rest of us as "real people" and "real Americans."
Do Not Call
Our power-grabbing, lip-flapping and practically useless Congress took only one day to pass legislation that negates a court ruling against the FTC's Do Not Call list. They are able to act swiftly when the legislation costs them nothing and has emotional appeal to voters.
Underneath all the hype, the Do Not Call list is a paper tiger. Charities, pollsters, political groups, fundraisers and long-distance phone companies are exempt. In my experience, these groups are the source of the majority of annoying calls. A second court ruling, on free-speech grounds, will not be so easy to circumvent. According to Judge Nottingham of the Denver U.S. District Court, exempting some groups from the rule is choosing which kinds of speech are permissible, a violation of the First Amendment.
Will Congress act swiftly to save the Do Not Call List from this second court ruling? The quick solution is to drop the exemptions and apply the rule to all calls. The political influence of the exempt groups renders the quick solution dead on arrival. Do not plan on uninterrupted dinners anytime soon.
Rats
Headline in the LA Times
Their choice of research subject is appropriate.
© Curtis Harris
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