Centerfield

Open Desperate Washington Post Thread

This is sad. You know what all this desperation is about? It's because, after centuries of monopoly rent, papers have to be lean and competitive. But that means firing a ton of people they should never've hired, especially well-paid executives and editors, who're ol' buddies and sons or of those who need to swing that axe, so it ain't happenin'. So, they're mostly just piling on more and more and more debt. Bye, bye newspapers! We'll miss you!

Hope you have a much less desperate July 4th weekend than the Post's! Our plans are to hang in a nearby mall parking lot with a good view of downtown that attracts a just-right-sized crowd. I've been liking to make the effort to go downtown about every third year, so probably next year.

What are your plans?

Are Coups Are Meant To Be Mellow?

An Austin history professor and blogger happens to be on the scene in Honduras. The blog has rather more posts as well if you scroll down. And they've promised more upcoming updates.

There was a quote from his post that brought an echo from my memory, though: "...here, no one seems to care. It's the most mellow coup I've ever been involved with. Perhaps because it's the only coup I've ever been involved with."

What pinged my memory was the mellowness. In fact, the Profesora had described a Thai coup she'd run across at the Bangkok Airport a while back in the same terms, mellow. And, bloggers also described the most recent Thai coup as surprisingly mellow. No doubt, we're expecting a show of military force - a tank on the road or military plane sounds in the air. But, now I'm wondering now if coup planners try for that mellowness, to maximize the idea that their reigns are natural.

I hope this coup can be undone, though each side has drawn enough of a legal line in the sand to make me wonder if it will be. On the other hand, as Erik points out, Nicaragua is pretty dependent on the US. Withrawing aid and pointing out the American companies that dominate the Honduran economy will be unhappy may turn it yet. No doubt our ambassador in Tegulcigalpa's busy pointing some of these things out.

Hunter Gatherer Societies Were Incredibly Violent

What he wrote. Hat tip, Brad DeLong.

Romantic ideas that H/G life was better annoy the living hell out of me, too, because like him, I've been paying attention and seeing the same kind of evidence coming up. And, they didn't hardly have no bug spray, dependable shelter, dependable food, guns, antibiotics, antivirals, or any theory of anything that didn't make things worse.

Some of this comes from overromanticized projections from anthropology of modern eskimo. But, modern Eskimos do have alot of those above-mentioned goodies. They also have coevolved prey species and thousands of years more time to get things right. Maybe most importantly, they have a relationship with settled civ that lets them send surplus people down south instead of forcing them to battle or die, so they don't have the tons of battles and deathrates from battles past H/Gs did.

Texas Gubnorblogging

The GOP side of the governor's race has long been clear: Gov Perry vs Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Gov Perry's remark about secession, of course, was 100.5% aimed at the rightie base, to bring them strong on his side. Kay Bailey, of course, is a famed moderate, so it's likely to be a split between GOP wings. The current weakness of GOP moderates and tendency of them to think of themselves as independents instead could kill Kay Bailey.

The Dem side of the race is alot less clear, though at least it's down to the likeliest suspects. So far, only one man's definitely in - one Dem Bush buddy, Schieffer, who was in on the Texas Rangers deal, and whom he appointed ambassador. But he's getting about as much enthusiasm as taxes and jury duty, and I'm thinking his Bush buddydom might not even be the biggest reason. It's been a few ages since he ran for public office, and it looks to me like he's lost track of the knack that got him 'in.'

My favorite potential candidate, Kirk Watson, has an exploratory committee going, and's been endorsed by another senator who was being talked up, but hasn't decided yet if he's 'in'. He's a former mayor of Austin I liked, and's now representing a chunk of the city in the TX Senate. Unfortunately, the Profesora and I are thinking he's too sensible and liberal to have much chance.... It'd still be an uphill, almost impossible slog if he had Obama's voice and drama. In fact, he's already lost a statewide race, though it's easier now because he has more experience at it, and the GOP's generically unpopular and fragmented within Texas as in much of the South, unlike his last run against Bush' coattails.

Kinky hasn't said if he's in yet, though he's been joking in bad taste at Perry's pain (see first link).

"I Am Morally Obligated To Destroy You."

Gotta watch out for those golfers, because that's what one Edwin Dailey said while golfing, pointing a gun at slower golfers here in Austin Monday.

Not to defend Dailey, but I can attest it was pretty durned hot that day, since we didn't have A/C back yet, above 100. Fortunately, we got it repaired first thing Tuesday - very fortunately, because it's been getting hotter still.

So, remember, just say no to golfing!