A seething mass of turgid drama.

It's abundantly clear that the A's ownership were never negotiating in good faith. Negotiating is not "give me what I want". (Except in Congress, where bipartisanship is defined as "you agree with me." But that's a different rant.) The A's were never really interested in a new ballpark except with all the subsidies and free stuff they've been demanding from the start. Their proposed location is terrible - next door to a metal-crushing plant and in the path of a thriving commercial port. As opposed to the current Coliseum, where they have their own BART station, easy access to two freeways, and could build a stadium even before they tear down the old one.

(If "waterfront location" and "downtown environment" are must-haves, how do they plan to get that somewhere outside Las Vegas?)

In a more ideal world, I would prefer that the A's stay in Oakland. Ideally under ownership that wanted to keep them here, and was willing to run the team as more than a way to extract money from fans. But if a forced sale isn't possible for other team owners to require (see: SF Giants move to St Petersburg) then I would rather see them go. It's not worth yet another massive bailout by the city and county to people who can afford it.

I won't spit on their memory the way I do Al Davis' Raiders, but I won't regret them leaving.

Yesterday I got an e-mail from an undergrad classmate - a different classmate is running for governor and she's trying to drum up donors for his Bay Area fundraiser.

However, he's running for governor of Montana.
I don't appreciate California being used as a fly-by political ATM. Whether I support or oppose the candidate is irrelevant.

"San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom are celebrating the birth of a healthy baby daughter, Montana Tessa Newsom."

Firing up the anagram generator for "Montana Tessa" produced "A statesman? No!"

Ultra-Orthodox Jews riot in Jerusalem

Here's what bothers me the most about the situation:

"In recent weeks, ultra-Orthodox Jews and authorities have clashed repeatedly over the Jerusalem mayor's plan to open a municipal parking lot on the Sabbath. Ultra-Orthodox Jews oppose the idea because driving is forbidden on the Sabbath, saying the move would violate the city's religious status quo."

This offends me for the same reason imposing any religious restrictions offends me. Driving is forbidden on the Sabbath? Great - don't drive. But don't tell me, a non-adherent of your faith, that I am forbidden (or compelled) to do so. The same goes for eating fish on Fridays, wearing a niqab or burqa, displaying images of Mohammed, having an abortion, and so forth.

Don't tell me what to think or what to believe. Especially don't tell me how to behave based on your morality. I am capable of making my own choices.

What I'm reading: Brandon Sanderson, Warbreaker

Obama to Limit Pay for Wall Street, NFL, NBA, MLB

(2009-03-22) — With the debate over AIG executive bonuses nearly bringing official Washington to a standstill in the past three weeks, the Obama administration today expanded its plan to control Wall Street executive pay, adding provisions to limit compensation for star performers in the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB).

"Some of these sports stars, like AIG execs, have negotiated sweetheart deals paying them millions of dollars, and yet they lose games," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. “The president shares the outrage of the American people at these obscene salaries and bonuses. There's nothing that makes the little people feel littler than the thought of these fat cats getting fatter just because that have specialized skills that are in high demand in a free-market economy."

Indeed, the White House released a recent poll showing that 75 percent of Americans answered 'Yes' to the following question:

"Do you believe President Obama should personally limit the compensation of anyone who earns a lot more than you do?"

"How hard can it be to show up on Sunday and toss a few passes?" said Mr. Gibbs. "The fact that some people earn a lot more money than others just demonstrates the savage inequalities inherent in a capitalist system, and explains why the president has taken deliberate action to end it."

Under the terms of the pay-limit plan, the president would appoint a panel of university economists, union leaders, and "ordinary American community organizers" to establish paycheck parity between average hourly-wage workers and the people "who have carved out for themselves an unequal portion of the pie."

"In America you can dream as big as you want, but everyone agrees we need strict controls on those whose dreams have come true," Mr. Gibbs said. "The people deserve a system in which there are no limits to your potential, only to your achievements."

Yes, it's satire. Plausible, though.

"We've had eight years of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Before that, we had eight years of Clinton Derangement Syndrome. And though people forget it now, President Reagan inspired a lot of anger and hatred, too. Can I ask that, regardless of who wins, we tone things down a bit?"

Good advice.

Curious as to how the subprime mortgage mess started?
Here's the unedited SNL skit that is a dead-on satire. NBC pulled it and later re-released a tamer version, doubtless under some heavy pressure.

Senators attached a provision repealing a 39-cent excise tax on wooden arrows designed for children to an historic $700 billion financial-markets rescue that passed tonight by a vote of 74-25. The provision, originally proposed by Oregon senators Ron Wyden (D) and Gordon Smith (R), will save manufacturers such as Rose City Archery in Myrtle Point, Oregon, about $200,000 a year. It's one of dozens of tax breaks benefiting Hollywood producers, stock-car racetrack owners and Virgin Islands rum- makers included in the broader legislation.

As it is, there are more Democrats here so sometimes I appear to tilt Republican. For the record, I'm not aligned with either party.

I completely agree with the Democratic talking heads and (some of my friends) who have said that McCain's choice of Palin is condescending to women - if the GOP expects women to blindly vote for them based on gender.

By the same token, it's equally condescending to expect minorities to vote Democratic because there's a non-white male on the ticket.

Do the research and vote for a ticket that most closely aligns with your priorities and beliefs, not because of gender/race/attractiveness/height/etc.
Think for yourself, schmuck!

"If worthless men are sometimes at the head of affairs, it is, I believe, because worthless men are at the tail and the middle."

-John Adams, 1805