Redistricting: A preview

New estimates on population from the U.S. Census give a sense of where we may be after the 2010 Census. One of the most important aspects of the Census every ten years is the congressional reapportionment. Apportionment is the distribution of congressional seats to states based on their population. Each state, regardless of whether they lose, gain, or maintain their seats, must go through redistricting: redrawing the congressional district lines to have equal populations in each district. This will all happen for the 2012 elections.

Generally, it appears congressional seats (and electoral college votes) will shift from the Midwest and rust belt to the West. Southern states like North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida may continue to gain seats too. California, for the first time in its history may not gain a single seat, or even lose a few. The shift to these states also corresponds to growing competitiveness. The next presidential election, and more likely in subsequent elections, will have new swing states in Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, and maybe even Arizona. Florida will remain competitive and North Carolina and Virginia may be bona fide swing states within the next decade.

Minnesota may very well lose a congressional seat, going from 8 to 7. Because most of the population growth in Minnesota has been in the outer suburbs and exurbs, the district boundaries will most likely shift towards that large donut around the Twin Cities. The Greater Minnesota districts of 1, 7 and 8 will get geographically larger by taking territory out of the current 2nd and 6th (and possibly the 3rd). The urban 4th and 5th districts will have to be collapsed together or expanded outward dramatically.

• View map of current districts [pdf]
  

Option 1 would be to create a single urban district made of Minneapolis and St. Paul and a little slice of suburbs. The 2nd, 3rd, and 6th "inner" boundaries wouldn't shift dramatically in this scenario. Using the district numbers of the current districts (missing the 4th) would look as follows:

• 1st: Taking territory from the 2nd probably won't shift this district very dramatically from a political standpoint. It may become slightly more Republican. It will remain a competitive district.
• 2nd: Losing some Republican voters in the southern, more rural parts of the district will make this Republican-leaning district more competitive.
• 3rd: Losing some western or northern territory to the 6th will mean this Republican-leaning district will become slightly more competitive as well.
• 4th and 5th merged: The single urban district would be overwhelmingly Democrat. A district where the Green candidate would get more than the Republican. Still, highly unlikely for the Greens to make a real run at it.
• 6th: The conservative district may lose some more conservative areas to the 7th and/or 8th districts, replacing some of the voters with slightly less conservative voters in the current 3rd district and a few liberal voters from the current 4th. It will be more competitive as well, but still one that favors a conservative Republican.
• 7th: Will become more conservative and Republican and be a competitive district once the incumbent, conservative Democrat retires.
• 8th: Also will become more conservative and Republican, but will remain a Democratic-leaning district.

Option 2 would not merge the 4th and 5th districts, but instead have the two urban districts expand into the current 2nd, 3rd, and 6th. Both districts would have a majority of suburban voters. This might scare some Democrats, but the 5th would remain Democratic because it would be adding mostly Democratic suburbs from the 3rd. The 4th would be shifted more dramatically with more conservative voters from the 2nd and 6th districts, but would still be a strong Democratic district. In this scenario, the current 3rd is what would probably disappear, giving its territory to the 5th, 6th, and 2nd districts. The breakdown:

• 1st: Same as Option 1. Competitive.
• 2nd: Similar to Option 1. Will offset some voters lost to the 1st with voters in the southern part of the 3rd. Little change.
  
• 3rd: Eliminated
  
• 4th: As stated above, would be a majority-suburban district. More conservative depending on whether new voters from the 2nd or 6th. But still a Dem seat.
• 5th: Near parity between urban and suburban voters, but the most Dem seat in the state.
  
• 6th: Like in Option 1, the conservative district may lose some more conservative areas to the 7th and/or 8th districts, but would also shed more liberal voters to the 4th. New voters from the 3rd lean slightly Republican. The district would remain a Republican-leaning district.
• 7th: Same as Option 1. Competitive, Dem-leaning.
  
• 8th: Same as Option 1. Dem-leaning.

Of course, the maps can be drawn in a million ways. These are two ways that do the most to preserve the current boundaries. The big question is what will happen to the urban voters? Republicans may be inclined to "pack" the liberal, urban voters into a single urban district, but they face having liberal inner-ring suburban voters left over, making the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th competitive. Democrats may wish to keep the urban districts "cracked" into separate districts, giving them two certain seats, but giving the Republicans better chances with the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th.

The devil is in the details. In Option 1, the 6th could "pack" it's Dem-leaning voters around St. Cloud to the 8th, giving it freedom to give Rep voters to the 2nd to shore it up. In Option 2, if the 4th's new voters come from the Dem areas of the 2nd instead of the 6th, it would allow the 2nd to replace them with Republican voters from the 6th or possibly the 1st.

Politicians always want to hedge their bets. It's possible Republican and DFL legislators could agree on a compromise map that maintains the 4th and 5th districts, and eliminates the now competitive 3rd. This would be largely an incumbent-protection map (except for whoever then serves the 3rd, who would face stiff odds no mater who's district they were now drawn into).

Last time around, the courts decided the Minnesota districts because the Legislature failed to do their job. I am aware of only one state that passed a legislative compromise map. It was Wisconsin, who also lost a seat and ended up drawing an incumbent-protection map.

Presidential Predictions

I do enjoy making political predictions, but can't claim to have a great track record. I think I somewhat accurately called the results of the 2006 election, and I knew (like everyone else) that 2004 was going to be a close one. I also remember confidently declaring a few days before the 2002 election that Tim Pawlenty would come in third in the three-way gubernatorial race in Minnesota. Gov. Pawlenty is currently serving is second term.

I was all but avoiding the presidential politics up to just a couple of months ago. Not having poured over polling data or anything like that, I still have suspicions on how the race is going to go based on my appraisal of the candidates, conventional wisdom, and gut feeling.

How I think the Iowa Caucuses are going to go down on January 3rd:

DEMOCRATS
Clinton will win the Iowa caucus. Her name recognition, near-solid campaigning, and ability to deal with the electability question will get her to the top. Obama and Edwards will trail in the 5-15 point range, with Obama squeaking into second place. Even if I'm off by a bit here, it will all likely remain a three-way race after Iowa. My guess is that all other Democrat candidates besides these three (and Kucinich and other fringe candidates) will drop out before February 1st. Clinton, Obama, and Edwards will all stay in the race into February at least.

That being said, I can't see Edwards winning the nomination. I think he'll have an impact on the contest between Clinton and Obama. Already, he and Obama are splitting the anti-Clinton vote (whatever amount of the Democratic electorate that is). Endorsements usually don't mean much, but an endorsement from Edwards could make a difference at a key moment in the race.

Early on, I thought Richardson would do better than he has. He might be a good running mate pick. A Latino, western governor with foreign policy experience is a good combination for either Clinton or Obama. Though the Dems may be skittish if it looks like the Republicans are going to make this race about immigration since they have no other issues.

REPUBLICANS
The polls say Huckabee. And maybe they're right. He may win Iowa, but he's not going anywhere beyond that. As has been the conventional wisdom the last few months, the contest for the Republican nomination is between Giuliani and Romney. McCain has new strength in his campaign and may very well be a contender again, which certainly surprises me. Quick question: Who has bent over backward the most to appease leaders of the religious right: Romney, McCain or Giuliani?

So, I think Huckabee is the most likely winner in Iowa. Romney will be second by a range within 15 points of Huckabee and McCain will trail as a close third. Giuliani will come in fourth. If McCain comes close to Romney (say, within 5 points), that will boost him significantly in New Hampshire. All four of these candidates will stay in the race after Iowa, but Huckabee will be the first to bow out after a presumed poor showing in New Hampshire (and South Carolina if he gets that far).

I've long said that I couldn't see Rudy Giuliani getting the nomination. Not only does he have the wrong positions, the wrong constituencies, and personal skeletons in his closet, he is a thoroughly unlikable guy. That being said, I'm surprised he's made it this far, and he'll stay in the race into February unless he does horrible in New Hampshire by coming in a distant fourth place or worse.

Romney is still the most likely Republican nominee. I guess McCain isn't out of the picture though. Huckabee might be a reasonable running mate pick for a nominee needing to shore up cred with the religious right.

There you have it. I'll be out of touch next week right after the caucus, but will return to the subject at some point to see how right or wrong I am.

Beer

A silly video I stumbled upon. The song is by the wonderful They Might Be Giants. It's possible they're being sarcastic at times in this song.

Packers drop the ball, literally

Facing the second to last game of the regular season, the Packers were just one game behind the Dallas Cowboys in gaining home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Football fans may know that the Packers do have a history of successful home games in Green Bay during the cold season. Unfortunately, the Cowboys won the previous night. Still, if the Packers could win their final two games against mediocre opponents and the Cowboys lost their final game, the Packers would be on top. With the Cowboys diminished playing recently, this was a very plausible scenario.

And during one of their best seasons ever, the Packers played one of their worst games. Besides losing the chance for home field advantage, Packer fans also were saddened by the embarrassing loss to the Chicago Bears of all teams.

The final score was 35-7. Favre threw for a mere 153 yards (and only 9 in the first half). He threw 2 interceptions (one run in for a touchdown). Two punts were blocked (one run in for a touchdown). And the Packers generally couldn't hold on to the ball at all.

Sure it was cold. It was 16 degrees with snow falling and wind gusts exceeding 40 mph. It looked like a difficult game. Still, it's an ominous sign for Packers fans hopeful for a Super Bowl appearance.

Minnesota needs a new transportation commissioner

Before the bridge collapse, there was much to criticize in the performance of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's management. Whether it was bungling up vital road projects, poor communication on traffic control, or putting private license driver information on unsecured servers, it has been a mess during the Pawlenty administration.

Lt. Gov Carol Molneau, who also serves as the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation has not shined in the the aftermath of the bridge collapse. Her staff member for coordinating emergency responses had to be fired for essentially not doing her job for the last few years. She has been ill-informed on the bridge collapse aftermath. She essentially told Minneapolis to go to hell when it suggested the new bridge design include light-rail transit capability. Two of the losing new bridge design bidders sued the DOT after they chose the MOST expensive design, previously telling the vendors that the cheapest route was the way to go. While underwater searches were still underway, she appeared at a press conference with a nautical-themed shirt. Oh, and though the investigation of the reason for the bridge collapse is still underway, it appears the DOT bears some responsibility to poor and ultimately dangerous decisions in their response to known structural problems.

The Star Tribune has recovered her work schedule for the past three months and wrote about it's contents, or lack there of. It suggests, at minimum, the commissioner is not really involved in a lot of decision making. Worse, it appears that the commissioner may not be really doing much work at all.

• Where was the MnDOT chief?

Several prominent DFLers in the Legislature have called for her resignation from the DOT. Molneau and her boss, Gov. Pawlenty, have stood firm. The governor remains popular, but that didn't stop the Legislature from (wisely) firing his Education Commissioner.

Quote of the Moment: Clinton (Bill)

ABC reporter Jake Tapper quotes Bill Clinton being interviewed by Charlie Rose, talking about Barack Obama. Clinton said regarding Obama's supporters:

"[as thinking] we're willing to risk it ... we're prepared to roll the dice."

Tapper recalls a similar quote in 1992 from George Bush campaign adviser, Robert Black: "This is not a time to gamble with our future. Electing Bill Clinton president would be rolling the dice."

Tapper is a decent journalist who has been with ABC for a while. I much preferred when he wrote for Salon.com. He's a much better writer than a television reporter. It's nice he has a blog at least (along with everyone else under the sun).

Monty Python Moment

Greeks vs. Germans

Best line: "And Marx is claiming it was offsides."

DC can't get no respect

Inserted among a million other things in Congress' giant omnibus spending bill is a measure that will add minted quarters to feature Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and the District of Columbia. By next year, all 50 states will have a special quarter with their state featured minted. The District of Columbia and U.S. territories were not included in the original program passed by Congress in the 1990s.

Locals in the District of Columbia are excited to get a little bit of respect. Often people in western states complain about being pushed around by the federal government. But truly, the people living in our nation's capital are the ones with a darn good reason to complain. Congress foists itself on every local issue (school vouchers, needle exchange programs, the public hospital, gun control). Their budget can be tampered by Congress and they don't have a single vote in Congress. More people live in the District than in Wyoming, which incidentally has one Representative and two Senators serving their interests. An effort to grant the District a single Representative in the House (but not the Senate) narrowly missed out this year.

So, before the bill is signed, locals are apparently talking about what should go on the quarter. Several in a Washington Post article echew placing any federal landmarks like the Capitol or Washington Monument. But then what should they put on it? Those who have spent time in DC will probably find humor in the suggestions to put Ben's Chili Bowl (a great place near the U Street Metro stop) or the motto "Taxation Without Representation." The quarter would be issued in 2009.

So congratulations to Washington, DC for getting a little overdue respect. Now if only we could get off our butts and give them statehood.

Time Person of the Year: A Tsar is Born

Time magazine announced their "Person of the Year" in the current issue: "departing" Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The flowery, longish piece doesn't necessarily go into depth. But that is the nature of the mass audience weekly that Time magazine is. It's worth a read though.

In the first paragraph, Time reporter Adi Ignatius begins to paint a picture of the "new tsar":

"No one is born with a stare like Vladimir Putin's. The Russian President's pale blue eyes are so cool, so devoid of emotion that the stare must have begun as an affect, the gesture of someone who understood that power might be achieved by the suppression of ordinary needs, like blinking."

It's a very different description than one would attribute to our president, who also has a spooky stare. Bush's stare involves lots of blinking and is more of the deer-caught-in-the-headlights variety.

A running theme of the piece is the conventional wisdom that Russia's economic and diplomatic resurgence is related to Putin's authoritarianism. My impression is that is the conventional wisdom within Russia as well. But I wonder if it really does bear out. Certainly, Putin has slid closer and closer to totalitarianism. A recent potential political opponent had to withdraw from the presidential election because the government had successfully prevented his nomination convention from occurring in time.

Yes, the political opposition in Russia apparently doesn't have their act together. But it can't help that Putin's government jails press and opponents and controls all the institutions. And I don't know how much allegedly following those who are vocal to other countries and murdering them with radioactive poison can be linked to economic success of Russia in recent years.

Though, I'm only a casual, ill-informed American and don't really have an idea what is the real story in Russia. I'd be interested to hear from those who know better than I.

Why dogs are Democrats

(Does this mean cats are Republicans?)

As has been noted all over the place, there have been some stories dealing with the maltreatment of dogs linked to the Republican presidential candidate frontrunners.

Rudy Guiliani's wife, Judith, apparently demonstrated the application of medical staples on dogs that were then euthanized in sales pitches for the U.S. Surgical Corporation. This was about 30 years ago.

Mitt Romney is apparently proud of the piece of family lore, when he stuck his dog in a carrier on top of his car on 12-hour family trips to Canada. On one such occasion, the poor dog lost control of his bowels on the window. Mitt Romney calmly pulled over, borrowed a hose, sprayed down the car and dog, and continued on as before. Says the Boston Globe which published this story earlier in the year: "It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management." Emotion-free, yes. But I think dogs in particular would draw additional conclusions from this story. (Interestingly, Romney is becoming more "emotional" on the campaign trail; tearing up on occasion.)

And most recently, Newsweek has dug up the story previously reported in Arkansas press, that Mike Huckabee's then 17 year-old son, David, was fired from his position as a Boy Scout camp counselor for violating the Scout Law to be "kind." Allegedly, David and another counselor who was also fired, led a group of campers to torture and eventually kill by hanging and/or stabbing a stray dog that had come on to the camp. The grisly details are disputed, and ultimately, David was never charged with animal cruelty.

What reflects even worse on the candidate Mike Huckabee, is the allegation that members of the governor's staff pressured the director of the state police to decline the request to investigate the incident. The director was eventually asked to resign. He claims Gov. Huckabee told him one of the reasons for his requested resignation was: "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem."

These are stories that have surfaced regarding the three current front-runners. One wonders what other dog cruelty shows up with the other Republican candidates and their families. It would be hard to see the anti-torture John McCain with any dog skeletons in his closet though.

Voters of course should come to their own conclusions on if and how any of these stories should impact their votes. I'm not voting in the Republican primary, so I don't have to worry about that yet. I would say, personally, that the story around Mitt Romney does have an impact on how I would view his character. I think the press needs to investigate the allegations of Huckabee personally interfering with criminal investigation to protect his son.

I don't think the story of what his current wife did 30 years ago should matter in Rudy Giuliani's case. What worries me more about Giuliani is his virtual enthusiasm when it comes to torturing humans. Giuliani is beyond the arguments of whether "harsh interrogation techniques" protect the nation. He thinks it's funny, suggesting that sleep deprivation torture is just like running for president. Ha ha. Giuliani, like the rest of the GOP candidates save McCain, has no problem with waterboarding, the act of suffocating a person underwater, but stopping short of killing them.

So, my absurd assertion from all this is that all dogs are Democrats, Greens, or independents. (Dogs are too dependent to be Libertarian.) Well, maybe Dogbert is a Republican.

The eco-friendly Christmas tree

Slate.com runs a piece on what is the best choice for the environmental-conscious consumer when it comes to Christmas trees. They look mainly at what materials are made in production and the amount of petroleum needed to transport trees. In their view, real trees narrowly edge out artificial trees. Of course, no trees or potted trees would be even better options.

For the last several years, we've gotten "sustainable" trees from the co-op. The trees are grown on a family farm just across the border in Iowa, near Decorah. (A couple hours' drive.) "Sustainable" in this context means no fertilizer and no mowing around the trees. This farm, as well as most tree farms, are sustainable in so much that they are renewable. Cut trees are replaced with newly planted trees.

• Slate's Green Lantern: Should I Buy a Fake Fir?

Also, the article notes that if you live in San Fransisco, you can rent a potted Christmas tree that will be retrieved after the holidays.

Muppet Moment: Beaker

Beaker belts...

Choice quotes

I listened to much of the Democrat Presidential debate yesterday. Two of my favorite remarks...

1. From Sen. Obama, when asked his priorities for his first year in office. The first was to order the Joint Chiefs to draw up a plan for, " in a responsible, careful way" withdrawing troops from Iraq. Number three was for a plan to extend health care coverage to all Americans. My favorite part:

"Number two, I'll call in my new attorney general to review every single executive order that's been issued by George Bush. And any of those that have undermined our Constitution or subverted our civil liberties are going to be reversed."

2. Sen. Clinton answered the same question and mirrored Obama's remarks. But my favorite part is emphasized below:

"I will review every executive order, rescind those that undermine the Constitution and betray the rule of law, and issue some, like, for example, not interfering with science and ending Bush's war on science."

Clinton also said she'd ask Congress to quickly resend her the bills Bush vetoed: stem cell research funding and children's health insurance program.

Community helpers

Meredith has been learning about "community helpers" at school. People like doctors, teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

Today's Star Tribune takes a look at an unnamed community helper who didn't seem to live up to the "helper" part of "community helper." The column, by Nick Coleman, is called Minneapolis cop dug a hole for himself in shovel dustup. I'm generally not a fan of Coleman's writing, but this piece does make you shake your head.

The general story is that a woman was trying to help dig out a bus stuck in the snow, full of people from the casino, at midnight. She spotted a shovel leaning against the police station and asked to borrow it for 15 minutes. The response she got was not so much in the "helpful department." The incident culminates with a citation and court date.

Profiles of offensiveness: ESPN.com

ESPN reportedly placed a readers' poll on their website last week with the following question:

What would you rather see?

• The Steelers beat the Patriots.
• Twins star Johan Santana be traded to a team other than the Red Sox.
• Kevin Garnett blow out his knee.

According to the Star Tribune, arbiters of good taste, the poll was gone by late Friday and ESPN put out a statement apologizing. They acknowledged using "poor judgment" with the question wishing a star athlete to blow out their knee, stating: "Obviously, we wish good health to all athletes."

Well, based on that question, I don't think it is obvious, but more of an open question.

Wishing a painful injury on anyone is twisted, much less someone who relies on their good health for their career. Even if the Packers make it all the way to the Super Bowl, I wouldn't wish Randy Moss of the Patriots an injury. This is despite my loathing of Mr. Moss, the New England Patriots, and the city of Boston.

And speaking of Boston, the above poll didn't give any good choices to fans of the Boston teams (New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Celtics respectively). I guess it was a topical question or something. Maybe it should have been "Which professional sports team in Boston do you loath the most?" As perfectly as they are playing this year, my pick would be the Patriots. But I do wish good health on all their players. I also wish that Tom Brady start throwing some bad interceptions. Hopefully, that's not too mean spirited.

Quote of the moment: Cuban Missile Crisis

Last week White House Press Secretary Dana Perino was asked about a comparison Vladimir Putin made between the current effort towards a European missile shield and the Cuban missile crisis. She did the job of the White House press secretary and stalled and gave a non-answer answer.

Then as a guest on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Dana Perino admitted she stalled because she didn't understand the reference.

"I really know nothing about the Cuban missile crisis. It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure."

As a history junkie, I often am surprised at what intelligent people don't know about history. But really is it too much to expect the White House press secretary, who has spent a career in politics and journalism to know at least the outlines of the Cuban missile crisis? According to her Wikipedia profile, Perino was born 10 years after this event--but still. At some point in high school history didn't she have a test with a fill in the blank question to the effect of Q. ___________________ (3 words) occurred in 1962 in the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union after spy planes discovered nuclear missiles being built in a Caribbean nation within striking distance of the United States.

(Thanks to Salon.com's War Room blog for this quote.)

"Cute" headlines

It's a long standing tradition for newspapers to be clever with their headlines. I often bristle when they go too far into groaner territory--a frequent occurrance.

The Twin Cities Star Tribune is guilty of this trend as any other. Sometimes, their headlines cross from the lame territory to the offensive. This happens when their tongue-in-cheek headline seems to make light of a horrible situation.

Today's example comes from the disturbing random murders in Colorado of young people at a Christian missionary training campus. One victim was a Minnesota native. So, the illustrious Star Tribune puts the headline of the top lead of its website as Victims didn't have a prayer of a chance.

It appears as I am writing this, that they have changed the headline to 2 Colorado shootings, same gunman? Maybe an editor thought better. We'll see what goes in the hard copy tonight. In any case, I think it's a little sickening that someone at the Star Tribune would publish that headline in the first place.

Google supports alternative energy development

It seems like once a week we learn another way that Google is going to revolutionize the world. Whether it's making grants for the development of private space travel or supposedly taking over the cell phone market, their ambition is unconstrained.

One of the latest bits from Google is their goal to develop mass-scale alternative energy production that is cheaper than coal. Google's press release quotes Larry Page, Google co-founder and President of Products:

"Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades." (One gigawatt can power a city the size of San Francisco.)

Google will initially focus on solar thermal, wind power, and geothermal energy technologies. They will not be going at it alone, but hope to work with many partners. They are simply going to set the goal, pour "tens of millions" of dollars a year, and take some credit should they succeed.

I'm no expert on alternative energy technologies, but it sounds like a difficult goal in a short timeframe. A worthy goal all the same, I suppose. Imagine if they were able to develop one or a combination of the alternative energy sources into a large scale system that was cheaper than coal? Their focus is on technologies that can be replicated around the world. I was under the impression that geothermal energy is not a great possibility except for a small number of locals around the world. Then again, I'm not an expert on this stuff.

Last week, Bill Weihl, Google's "alternative energy czar," was interviewed on NPR's Science Friday

• Listen to Science Friday segment

Update II on Tuesday's quote

Again, the War Room blog at Salon.com posts the journalistic follow-up with a portion of today's press conference transcript.

Quote of the moment: Hillary Clinton

This quote about Hillary comes from Matt Taibbi, in his current Rollingstone article "The Battle for Iowa:"

"In person, Hillary sometimes comes across as a caricature of the modern career woman who's had to go too far to prove that she's tough enough to hang."

What do you think; fair or not?

Quote of the day: I hope he's lying

Update: It looks like I'm not the only one to find Bush's insistence of being ignorant on an important matter troubling. Salon.com's War Room blog asks:

What's worse -- the idea that George W. Bush continued to ratchet up his rhetoric on Iran after he was told in August or September that Iran may have halted its nuclear weapon program, or the idea that Bush was told then only that there was some kind of "new information" on Iran and didn't bother asking what that information might be?

The top story in the news today is the Bush administration's acknowledgment that Iran is not actively putting together nuclear weapons and Bush's press conference this morning. The national intelligence estimate (NIE) on Iran had been long delayed, presumably due to internal arguments over it's conclusions.

At the press conference this morning, Bush was asked why he was continuing the war-mongering remarks at Iran just weeks ago, as the NIE was being finalized. His response was he didn't know about the conclusion regarding Iran's not actively seeking nuclear weapons until last week. Another reporter followed up:

Q Mr. President, thank you. Just to follow, I understand what you're saying about when you were informed about the NIE. Are you saying at no point while the rhetoric was escalating, as "World War III" was making it into conversation, at no point nobody from your intelligence team or your administration was saying, maybe you want to back it down a little bit?

THE PRESIDENT: No, nobody ever told me that. Having said -- having laid that out, I still feel strongly that Iran is a danger. Nothing has changed in this NIE that says, okay, why don't we just stop worrying about it. Quite the contrary. I think the NIE makes it clear that Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace. My opinion hasn't changed.

This is a spectacular remark on so many fronts. The continuing insistence in light of evidence from his own administration shouldn't surprise anyone, but troubling all the same.

But what I think is most spectacular is the "No, nobody ever told me that." Huh? I hope and believe that he is lying here. As the intelligence community has been undoubtedly debating the conclusion regarding Iran's lack of a nuclear weapons program for many months, if not years. This isn't some random country we're talking about. This has been one of the big diplomatic focuses of this administration. And he just heard of this conclusion last week?

Certainly, it's not hard to believe that this president would lie to cover up another lie. "No, I really didn't know that the intelligence community is confident Iran hasn't been seeking nuclear weapons for four years when I was saying we were going to get into World War III." It kind of looks bad.

But, couldn't one say it looks worse that our president (and the rest of the administration) was pursuing a key foreign policy track based on incredibly false assumptions? (Hmmm, sounds familiar...) Oh wait, this incredible reversal from the intelligence community doesn't change a thing. He tells us right away, "My opinion hasn't changed." We can't let pesky facts get in our way. Especially when they may interfere with war and the threat of war.

Totalitarianism Today

Today, in the totalitarianism versus democracy match, we have a tie with single victories each.

• Chavez Loses Constitutional Vote - Washington Post, Dec 3, 2007

From the article:

President Hugo Chavez suffered a stinging defeat in a vote on constitutional changes that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely, the chief of National Electoral Council said Monday.

• Russian Voters Turn Out for Putin - Washington Post, Dec 3, 2007

From the article:

"Our result shows that voters gave their support not only to United Russia, but also to the course set by Vladimir Putin," Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the outgoing Duma and the head of United Russia, said on Russian television. "The elections were a referendum on Putin, and we can say he has won the first round."

Although 60 percent represents a major victory, it was still less than some in United Russia had expected and may leave the party with only marginally more seats in the next 450-seat parliament, according to early projections. But that would still be enough to change the constitution at will.

The presidential election will be held March 2, and the candidate Putin endorses is expected to sweep to victory. But the winner's power is likely to be constrained by Putin's enduring influence. Putin is constitutionally barred from serving three consecutive terms, but he could return in 2012, or sooner if the next president were to resign early. He has not said what role he will assume next year or whether he will seek to return to the presidency.

Know where your UFOs are

If some half-inebriated yahoo sees lights in the sky and has Internet access, you can find out here: UFO Maps

Quote of the day: "the most arrogant, incompetent administrations"

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) is retiring next year and is feeling free with what he can say.

Though, he's always been independent-minded, he's still a Republican.

Honey Bunny Funnybunny and Skippyjon Jones

It should be no surprise that there is just as much variety in quality in kids books and movies as adults. There are definitely books and movies that I find annoying or objectionable. Veggie Tales for instance...

This week, Meredith brought home one such book. It's one of those "I can read it all by myself" Beginner Books (with the Cat in the Hat picture in the corner). It's called Honey Bunny Funnybunny* and is written by Marilyn Sadler.

The book follows the familiar theme of sibling rivalry. Honey Bunny Funnybunny has a big brother, named P. J., who is always picking on her. The narrator catalogs the transgressions:*

Every morning,
P. J. pulled the covers
off Honey Bunny's bed.

Sometimes he poured orange juice
on her cornflakes.
He liked to tie knots
in the sleeves of her pretty dresses.
He poured blue paint
in her yellow paint jar.
And yellow paint
in her blue paint jar.

He even switched the heads
on her dolls.

And every night at the dinner table
P. J. smashed mashed carrots
on poor Honey Bunny's head!

After dinner, he put
her favorite fuzzy bunny blanket
in the freezer.
At bedtime, he hid under her bed
and yelled, "Boo!"

The only place she feels safe is her room, but then he sneaks in the middle of the night and paints her face bright green. She tells on him.

Mr. Funnybunny was very angry.
He sent P. J. to his room.
"You are a very bad bunny!"
Mrs. Funnybunny said.

After that, things were different
at the Funnybunny house.

She's now able to eat her cereal with milk, not orange juice and her dolls keep there own heads, etc. She's happy at first, but sad that she doesn't have her brother's attention. She waits for all the opportunties he has to play pranks on her, but he doesn't do anything to her and she is "as sad as sad can be."

The next morning she wakes up and tells her mom that "P.J. doesn't love me anymore." Her mom assures her that her brother does love her and proceeds to lift Honey Bunny in front of the mirror where she sees that "her face was painted blue with yellow polka dots!"

"P. J. loves me!" she cried"
Honey Bunny Funnybunny
was very happy.

She ends the book by hugging her brother.

I have a few responses to this book. First and foremost, is this modeling healthy relationships? Kids that are younger take things quite literally. The only kind of attention that is possible is negative attention. The idea of an alternative is ignored, having the effect of denying its very existence. Add the fact that the victim is a girl just makes the potential message to girls that much clearer.

Like lots of books written in the 60s and 70s, there are political/social/gender messages that aren't squarely where I'd like them. With the reference of dolls' heads being switched, I figured this was written in 1967 or something like that. I was surprised to discover the book was actually first published in 1997. So the author thinks today's dolls and stuffed animals have detachable heads. She thinks that beginning readers understand irony, or she has some pretty messed up notions of what an acceptable relationship is.

The way that P. J. is admonished is another surprise in a book written within the last 10 years. "You are a very bad bunny!" his mother tells him. Today's parents get to hear from source after source that the more effective and less abusive message is "what you did was bad" or "you did a bad thing" versus "you are bad." A demand for an apology is usually more effective than punishment in the room. But, I for one, think a time-out in the room can be very effective.

Now, I don't get so riled up with these books that I don't read the them. I read them with enthusiasm. But maybe I roll my eyes and grit my teeth a little; and gently suggest alternative books. It's the same thing with Skippyjon Jones. (What's with these dumb, silly name books?) That book features a cat pretending to be a chijuajua fighting bean hording bandits in Mexico. The Spanglish-inspired book includes a lot of bean references and other Mexican food references. His alter-ego, "Skipito," makes words Spanish by adding Os to the end.

It's not that the book is offensive. (Though I am troubled that Skippyjon's mother resorts to name-calling when she's frustrated with him.) It's just that a four year-old will take this message to heart and think they can speak Spanish the same way, by adding Os. I know sometimes this might be effective, but you don't want to do it indiscriminately. Meredith is taking Spanish class. She's probably more likely to remember the lessons of this silly book than stuff from her daily class.

A post script. Apparently, First Lady wannabee, Michelle Obama, got to read Skippyjon Jones to a group of Iowa kids recently for the first time. Salon.com's Rebecca Traister humorously describes the scene in her recent article Michelle Obama gets real.

* Honey Bunny Funnybunny is copyright 1997 by Marilyn Sadler. It is partially quoted here for the sole purpose of providing a review.

Go Packers!

Thursday night is the big NFL game featuring the Green Bay Packers against the Dallas Cowboys. The game will be played in Texas.

The Cowboys are favored to win by 6 points. It should be a competitive and key game.

Not only is a potentially key game for the two best teams in the conference, but an opportunity for the Packers and Brett Favre to beat the Cowboys in their own stadium. Something that hasn't been done in 10 odd games in the last decade. In the 90s when the Packers were losing to the Cowboys over and over again, I thought the Cowboys played kind of dirty. That was through the eyes of an objective resident of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

At least they don't spy on opponents' coaching staff...


Showing some green and gold spirit!


A self portrait.

Quote of the Day: Rush

After reading Al Franken's Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot, I got my dose of the stupidity of what this blowhard says. What I find most distressing about Limbaugh is that it's so obvious he's not a true believer. He's in it for the money. He knows that this is something he's good at. I'd probably be less bothered if it was clear he actually thinks this stuff or had any sort of consistency.

Of course, what this ignores is the depressing fact that regardless of what he himself believes, millions of Americans listen to Rush every day. I try to not let that get me down.

One tries to ignore the crazy nonsense he spouts. But every once in a while he puts out a good one. Today, courtesy of Salon.com's War Room blog, is this doozy:

Rush Limbaugh declared Monday that Democrats are "unqualified to lead the nation" because they've been "proven wrong about the war in Iraq." "We cannot allow them off the hook on this," Limbaugh said. "We cannot allow history to be rewritten. "

Who needs the government for double-speak when guys like Limbaugh do it for free? I don't think Orwell even foresaw this.

Be nice to the missus, or pay up!

The Washington Post carries a story about the state of marriages in Japan and how new pension regulations may be leading to a dramatic increase in divorce. I have no knowledge on how marriages in Japan work, or whether the picture painted in this article is accurate, but it has a few eyebrow-raising quotes.

From a 60-something married woman:

"Up until my 60th birthday, he had not given me anything at all. But on my 60th, he sent me 60 flowers."

"There was only one time he said he loved me. And that time, he was standing behind me."

Learn to Be Nice to Your Wife, or Pay the Price

Mr. Lott retires

Former Republican Senate majority and minority leader, and currently number 2 in the Senate GOP caucus, announced today his retirement. It is effective by the end of the year.

Much has been made of the comments five years ago at Strom Thurmond's birthday that got him booted from the leadership by his former and eventual friends George Bush and Bill Frist.

What I think is more noteworthy is Lott's past in the Clinton impeachment mess and his ties to white supremacist groups throughout his career, into the 1990s. In 1998, there was a lot of attention paid to his ties to the Council of Conservative Citizens, which has been described by some as a successor to the KKK or also the "uptown KKK." Unfortunately, most of the media and public's attention was on Bill Clinton's personal flaws for the entire year.

The Southern Poverty Law Center documented Lott's and other Republican ties to the CCC in 1999. FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) documented Lott's career in race relations in 2006 when he returned to the Republican leadership.

Lott has reportedly been frustrated with the Bush administration's continuing boggling of the Katrina aftermath. (He lost his own home on the Gulf Coast.) But he claims they're all good friends and he is departing 1 year into his 6 year term because it is simply time.

Quote of the day: Fools

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

Douglas Adams

Website of the day

If you're looking to order some beautiful notecards, check out this site. It's a college friend of mine who does wonderfully-detailed, nature inspired work. It's different from anything else I've seen. Contact her accordingly to order the cards.

• Abigail Woods Anderson

Her site is under construction. You can see more of her work at MNArtists.org.

Web TV series of the day

A creative series of shorts out of Portland, Oregon, called The Bicyclist. It follows several 20somethings in a used bike shop in Portland, featuring a recent transplant from Middleton, Wisconsin. The series should appeal to Portland and bike fans in particular, but even a Minneapolitan who doesn't get on his bike all that often found it worth while.

There are about two dozen short episodes. Apparently a second season is in the works.

Catch the cat

I caught the cat just once. Pesky little thing...

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/chatnoir/chatnoir.html

Toys: 2007 Hall of Fame inductees

I learned recently that the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, are inducting three classic toys into the hall of fame. I know you're waiting with baited breath. What will they select for the ages this year? Will it be controversial? Who will go home disappointed?

For your reading pleasure, the 2007 inductees:

1: Raggedy Andy

Raggedy Andy proceeds his sister, Ragedy Ann, who was honored in 2002. Hall of Fame statement: "The dolls are reunited in this place of honor—where they belong, together of course, for always." Isn't it sweet? Brother and sister reunited after a five year separation.


2: The kite

A dark horse candidate for several years running, the kite has finally won it's well deserved honor. The Frisbee and the Duncan Yo-Yo were both selected in past years when all eyes were on the kite. It was suggested that bad weather in those years had kept the electors indoors and unable to enjoy the experience of flying a kite on a windy day. Then there was the year when the easy bake oven was inducted over the kite was responded with jeers and calls for a recount. Only, the decision to honor Barbie caused as big of a stir as the easy bake oven squeezing by the kite.

In a recent year when the cardboard box was selected as an inductee over the kite, Hall of Fame officials prepared for an onslaught of criticism. It turns out nearly everyone has some fond childhood memory of doing something fun with a cardboard box and the entrant remains one of the most popular displays at the Hall of Fame.

So, finally after many years of waiting, the kite receives its due honor.


3: Atari 2600

From the Hall of Fame: " Because computer technology advances so rapidly, video game systems often have short lives. The Atari 2600, however, proved surprisingly long-lived. Its widespread popularity, relative affordability, and abundance of software titles kept it in production for fifteen years. Eventually it succumbed to newer, faster, more powerful competitors, but not before it made video games a staple of everyday play."

So, I guess we have Atari to blame for kids' lack of attention span and other video gamer-related social and personal ills. But seriously, the Atari was great! I loved playing Millipede, Asteroids, Mario Brothers, and Jungle Hunt. (You swam across crocodile filled rivers and stabbed them in the face with a knife. The graphics were so great that I thought you were merely punching the crocodiles in the face.) Maybe that explains my long standing nightmare of wild animals biting my hands...

Eventually, the Atari got boring as it seemed like every one of my other friends got a Nintendo and could play Super Mario Brothers and Congo. Oh, how I longed for a Nintendo! Oh, how I still long for a Nintendo!

Disturbing television

From VH1 comes a one-hour documentary about 6 year-olds in beauty pageants. Great. It's sad enough that these events take place at all. But VH1 is jumping in to broadcast girls competing to look like spooky, tarted-up dolls to the masses.

I have not seen the show and don't plan to. So, I can't really comment on the content. Needless to say, labeling a six year-old girl as "the Flirt" doesn't bode well. Who are these people who feel comfortable tartin- up kindergarteners?

(Thanks to Feministing.com for highlighting this sad show.)

little beauties: ultimate kiddie queen showdown



Directly from the VH1 website:

Move over Miss America! The Little Beauties are coming to town! They're gorgeous, they're talented, they're six-years old and with the helping hand of eager moms, determined pageant coaches, fabulous spray tan artists and "flipper" (fake teeth) makers, not to mention a couple of Pixie Sticks for energy, these girls are taking the stage at pageants all over the Southeast U.S for the chance to win cash prizes and crowns!

Little Beauties: Ultimate Kiddie Queen Showdown is a one-hour documentary special that will take a light-hearted look into the wonderful world of children's beauty pageants through the eyes of four, precocious six-year old girls. This documentary reveals the humor and love behind an American tradition; the always colorful characters on the pageant circuit; and the "sparkle" it takes to win a crown.

What We Will See:

The girls preparing for and competing in two of the biggest pageant on the circuit

Interviews with girls, mothers, a coach, pageant directors, spray tanner and "flipper" (fake teeth) maker,

Narration by "The Voice of Pageants" himself, the fabulous Mr. Tim

Glamorous crowning ceremonies

Practice sessions at home and with the indomitable Miss Nikki, one of the best coaches on the pageant circuit

The girls at home/at school in their normal environments, with family and friends, participating in extracurricular/sports activities

Spray tanning sessions

"Flipper" (fake teeth) fittings

Who We Will Meet:

Joanna, 6 years old - The Reigning Champ

Aleena, 6 years old - The Flirt

Kynnedy, 6 years old - The Diva

Jordan, 6 years old - The Longshot

Terry - Aleena's mom / Spray tan artist

Kim - Kynnedy's mom

Eddie - Kynnedy's dad

Charlene - Jordan's mom

Laurie - Joanna's Mom

Mr. Tim - Narrator / Pageant emcee

Miss Nikki - Pageant coach

Michael Booth - Director, America's Fabulous Faces

Carol Stephens - Director, International Total Miss

Ray Smith - Pageant judge / entertainer

Quote of the day indeed

Today's quote via Salon.com's War Room blog:

"The way he helped get us through 9/11 really sold me."
-- 23-year-old Jeb Bush, Jr., on why he's supporting Rudy Giuliani for president.

Cat cold

There is nothing quite like a baby when it comes to attracting stranger attention out in public. I'm always perplexed by the people who think it is perfectly fine to touch a stranger's baby in the grocery store. (Actually, what's worse is the occasional person who will SEE the sleeping baby and then speak in a loud voice something clever, like, "OH! SOMEBODY'S SLEEPY!!" Yes, this has happened more than once.)

Elaine has a cold. I would blame one of these recent stranger touchings, but in all likelihood it was probably from her shoving a shared baby toy into her mouth on Thursday.

Today, Elaine accompanied me to Walgreens to pick up a prescription. A woman in her 50s observed that Elaine had a cold. She then earnestly told me her cat also has a cold right now. But what's more difficult about a cat having an upper respiratory ailment (versus a baby) is that you can't teach a cat how to blow their nose, she explains. She tells it to me in such a way that I wonder perhaps she has actually attempted to teach her cat how to blow it's nose, giving up only after hours of snotty struggles.

I decide not to suggest to her that 7 month old babies don't know how to blow their noses either, fearful that she may offer to teach Elaine right there like I imagine she tried to teach her cat. Instead I give an understanding smile and nod and move on to the register.

Halloween Pet Peaves

I remember when I was about 12 or 13 years old. A friend and mine thought it would be funny to go trick or treating. So we quickly assembled some pathetic costumes and visited perhaps a half dozen houses. We got several of the "Aren't you old for this?" questions, which were more disapproving than I realized at the time.

Nowadays, it seems like some teenagers trick or treat until their 18 years old. I wouldn't mind it so much, but teenagers tend not to be aware of others beyond them. (Granted, this is a problem for a lot of adults too.) So they don't realize their loud, boisterous behavior or aggressive shenanigans are frightening and disruptive to the young kids out. (I'm trying to sound old with using "nowadays" and "shenanigans." Does it work?)

In past years, the older kids often come out later, introducing another whole problem. People knocking on my door and ringing the bell until past 9:00 PM. I put out a note, but that's been largely ineffective. We'll see how late it goes this year. In the city I grew up in, they set an official trick-or-treat time. It ended around sunset. (Something like 4:00-6:30.) In this neighborhood, I don't think people get started until 6:30. I suggested something to my city council member last year about having official hours and he politely regarded it as the strangest, silliest idea he had heard in a long time.

Then there's all that darn candy. I'm not a candy person, so the sight of it makes me sick to my stomach. It's none too healthy either. It seems we have half a cabinet devoted to the musical chairs of Halloween, Christmas, Valentines, and Easter candy. The candy largely sits there until I notice that it's hardened to the point of being able to crumble concrete if applied with enough force. The stale candy is then quietly disposed to make room for the next holiday. I read recently that the U.S. produces and imports twice as much calories as the population needs. Clearly, we Americans do end up consuming a lot of these unnecessary calories; but I wonder what percentage of it is discarded or goes bad--and what percentage of that is Halloween candy. Just think, there must be tons and tons of candy corn alone that goes uneaten every year.

(Though, maybe it's recycled...)

Just in time for Halloween: Superbugs

Though, hardly a brand-new development, news of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, has been out in the news recently, including a handful of tragic incidents involving children.

You can find lots of articles from multiple media sources, but here is a good one from Reuters via Scientific American, called Two reports show "superbug" bacteria spread.

Now, I'm not normally prone to worrying over all the worldly threats out there. I have mixed feelings about warning my four year-old about "being careful of strangers." (But that's a topic for another day.) There is something about these constantly evolving bacteria that gives me the heebie jeebies. It's the kind of thing that makes one fantasize about moving away from civilization to in order to protect one's self from all the ills and potential ills of the world. Of course, there is no escape.

As always, all we can do is minimize risk. It amazes me how much better we can do. A couple of surveys on personal hygiene shows much is desired. In this survey only 90% of women and 75% of men were observed on average washing their hands after using a public restroom. The disparity between men and women's cleanliness should surprise no one who has been in a men's restroom. My guess is that the number is much lower in the home, where people don't have peer pressure and probably feel more sanitary that at an Atlanta Braves game. In another survey last year, 2 out of 3 adults admit that don't consistently wash their hands. This CBS News article sums up the findings nicely.

I must be clear that the "superbug" MRSA bacteria aren't alleged to be spreading in the restrooms of public sporting events. What's more, this strain requires some sort of skin puncture to get into the bloodstream and infect the person. It's just that it seems we can be cleaner on many fronts, as well as maybe not overuse antibiotics.

Of course, there is some suspicion out there that raising young kids in sterile environments doesn't allow them to develop healthy immune systems and makes them more prone to allergies. It just goes to show you can't win.

Blog (and podcast) of the moment

Check out Grammar Girl on why it's okay to start a sentence with "hopefully."

This is part of a weekly podcast, but each episode is transcribed to a blog entry. In this issue, one learns that the attacks on "hopefully" are ill-informed.

Rescue shelters

I'm not a regular viewer of the Ellen DeGeneres show. Apparently last week she teared up on air because the local animal rescue organization took back a dog because it was living with an 11 and 12 year-old when the contract stated it could not live with any child under 14.

I read about this in a piece called Ellen, the dog bullies and me at Salon.com. It's noteworthy how many reader responses the article has had. The responses weigh heavily in the direction of those who've had negative experiences themselves with rescue organizations. I've certainly heard similar stories from friends and acquaintances. Though good rescue organizations certainly exist, there seems to be a trend of people using their position of animal rescuers to lord over other people as part of their puritanical quest. I wouldn't say some screening isn't in order when it comes to adopting out pets, but overly-rigid requirements applied with personal biases doesn't seem to serve anyone.

We keep on talking about getting a dog. We'd probably get a medium-sized dog that most rescue organizations would deem inappropriate for young children. What we'll do is learn about the specific breed when it comes to children and only adopt a dog who's personality seems to fit. We'll leave the dog bullies behind.

Feminist girls rock

Imagine that! Equality, respect, and choices are good for relationships...

Feminism And Romance Go Hand In Hand

Being an at-home dad

A couple of weeks ago Newsweek had an essay about stay-at-home/involved fatherhood. It's a decent piece called, "Just Don't Call Me Mr. Mom." In the daily hustle and bustle, I sometimes forget that at-home fatherhood is still a relatively novel concept. Though, it seems to be at a tipping point. This article is just one of many recent media mentions on this "trend." (It makes me feel trendy!)

It's not an in-depth piece, but a good quick read. Two items I like in the piece: (1) The take down of Parenting magazine being subtitled "What Matters to Moms." The publication, which we got for a year or two, not only ignores dads on its cover, but about 99.9% of its content ignores the contribution of dads in parenting. (2) The title's request to not use the term "Mr. Mom." Few men, even the liberated, at-home dad types, like to be called a woman. It's no disrespect to women or moms of course, but dads want to be dads.

I think there is probably a strong generational component to attitudes around fathers being the at-home parent (or the broader trend of fathers being more involved with their children). I haven't experienced too much judgment from people of any age, but those my own age generally don't seem to view it as unique or of note at all.

Meredith has occasionally asked where I worked (mostly after I quit my job last spring). I tell her my job now is to be at home to take care of her and sister. She seems to get it. It helps that there are other examples of at-home moms and dads of friends of hers.

I don't know how long I'll be at home full time. Jen was home during Meredith's first year, and took the lead on many of the household stuff during her 3 years of law school. So now it's my turn. Elaine is 6 months old and Meredith is 4. She'll start kindergarten next year. (Hard to believe!) It's a demanding (and sometimes dull) job, but we're having a blast.

Podcast of the moment

This is story of interest to parents and others. The public radio program "The Story" did a bit about a male nanny who cared for a toddler during his dad's losing battle with brain cancer. Despite the unfortunate use of the word "manny," it is a touching story.

• Click here for the description

• Click here to listen to the story

And if you like the show, you can subscribe to its podcast (5 days a week) here.

Fathers as Mothers

My better half receives Self magazine. The October 2007 issue contains an interesting essay entitled: My husband is a better mother. I am usually not thrilled with the notion of a father involved in his child's life is like a mom. But the point of this essay is an investigation of the writer's conflicting attitudes on her and her husbands roles.

In short, both the parents work full-time out of the home, but the 20 month-old daughter has developed a close and even preferential relationship with her father. The writer (mother) has conflicting responses to it, but ends the piece in a predictable, but nice realization that it's great that her daughter has such a strong connection with her father.

In my experience, young kids may shift back in forth between mommy and daddy preference. For children over 12 months, usually it is the parent with whom they don't get to spend as much time. I don't think either of my daughters exhibit a strong parental preference, but that hasn't always been and won't always be the case.

I assume I'm not referring to anything groundbreaking for parents, particularly in families where there is a lopsidedness in time with one or the other parents. Though it is a paradox, observed in this essay, that often you'll have one parent who seems to be the fun, preferred one, but the other is better equipped to respond and anticipate issues.

I've only dealt with the first four years. I'm sure new dynamics come into play at later years. Indeed, my observation of families with teenage girls has me anticipating a couple years where the mother-daughter relationship will be challenged while I may have a comparatively easier time. We'll see.

Bathrooms

When I was a kid in a public place with my mom and would have to go to the bathroom, she would have me accompany her in the women's for the longest time. This was a frequent event as I had the world's smallest bladder and had to go to the bathroom all the time and everywhere. I don't know how old I was before she let me go in the men's by myslef, but it took long enough that there were a couple awkward years there. She was worried about creeps in the men's room.

Senator Craig reminds us again of the creeping kinds of things that can go on in public bathrooms, but are we paranoid? Are we really taking much of a risk by letting our child go into a bathroom alone while we camp out mere feet from the bathroom door?

Recently I had lunch with a friend. When the 4 year-old announced a bathroom need, my friend nicely offered to accompany her to the women's bathroom. I thought it was nice mostly so I could keep an eye on the baby. I bring her in the men's bathroom when she needs to go again an hour or so later. I've heard from one source that parents should feel comfortable bringing their opposite-sex children in public bathrooms up to 7 years in age. I think 'M' is almost there though. Mostly, she needs to learn to flush and wash hands every time. I should probably stop dragging her into the men's room pretty soon. Am I thinking about this wrong?

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