Sunday, August 31, 2008

Tucson Foothills Annexation

The folks in the Catalina Foothills just love living in Tucson…so long as they aren’t actually part of Tucson; never understood it, myself.


I’ve lived in the Foothills for thirty-five years and I think it would be nifty to be able to elect representatives to the Tucson City Council. I’d like to be able to have a vote in water issues, too. I’m okay with city police and fire protection; and the city’s solid waste fee is cheaper than what I pay for garbage collection.

There must be peristaltic waves of “annexation” anxiety sweeping through the lower reaches of the Foothills. I spotted these signs along River Road. What’s up?

Here’s the City’s annexation site: click
The sponsor of one of the signs is at: Bobbaker2@gmail.com


Saturday, August 30, 2008

Palin's Wikipedia Entry Gets Overhaul

Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!

The Palin candidacy is going to be an innocent source of merriment and mirth. Let me offer for your consideration the tale of the miraculously revising Palin biography. Did they think no one would catch this? NPR did!

All Things Considered, August 29, 2008 · If you happened to check Sarah Palin's Wikipedia entry Thursday, you might have had a good tip about today's (Friday’s) announcement. Someone — and apparently it was just one person — felt like the existing biography wasn't appropriate for a vice-presidential candidate.”

Arizona Legislative District 26

There are plenty of registered Independents who are really closet Democrats. I’m one of them, although as a very public old lefty I haven’t seen my closet for some time.

Some of us dropped Democratic registration because we were annoyed with what we perceived as the spineless behavior of the current crop of Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen; others left because they just wanted to get the full burden of every party’s mailings and robocalls; some like the opportunity to dip into a Republican primary and take a shot at warping the outcome.

If any Data Port reader is a District 26 registered Independent, or if you know one, let me suggest you or they vote (ugh) Republican in this primary.

Let’s help Democrat Cheryl Cage in her run for the state senate by giving her the weaker of two possible Republican opponents, Pete Hershberger and Al Melvin. Let’s help bump Pete and elect Captain Al.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Hershberger is moderate and has been good on a variety of social issues. But if he is elected his very first vote will be to hand leadership of the Senate over to the Republicans.

Cheryl will attract moderate Republicans who will prefer her to the very conservative Al Melvin; and Hershberger Democrats, who might otherwise split their vote, will be solidly pro Cage.

Cage campaign video here.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Return To The Fray

Two-and-a-half months out of the blogosphere! Well, almost. I did dip in just enough to note that Matt Foraker had played gadfly effectively and goaded the sluggish AzStarbeast into paying attention to cloth rooting about in the public trough. Good work, Matt!

I paid very little attention to anything political and spent a lot of time on the road. It was motorcycle heaven. How heavenly it was will be made clear in a few days over at the other blog: Data Port Two.


Here’s a picture of the divine one loading the hack after a glamorous night in Page, Arizona.
Of possible political interest is a comment about ethanol. I keep very careful gas mileage records on my bikes. I have found that the addition of ethanol to gasoline reduces gas mileage by a bit over 5%.

I was amused by a sticker on a BP gas pump that proudly announced that BP fuel was “enhanced” with ethanol. It was like going into a fish market and seeing a label proudly announcing that the salmon was enhanced with mercury.

C’mon, guys. If you must make alcohol out of corn, make bourbon and don’t pour it in your gas tank.