Ed Markey...Serious Thinker

John Tesh lookalike, Comrade Ed Markey (D-MA) was speaking to students in the Capitol the other day when he presented the well-thought-out proposition that Black Hawk Down was caused by man-created global warming.

While there's not a lot of serious dispute around the direction and broad implications of climate change, nor the proposition that the odds of a repeat would be diminished were Somalia the land of milk and honey, this kind of lie is pretty disgusting.

It'd be disingenuous of me to post this without acknowledging having read the Chicago Boyz (my new favorite blog) take on this, but let's not pretend that the place was a politically or ecologically stable place to begin with. While it's certainly plausible to argue that global warming could have exacerbated the existing problems, it's like crediting only my 30th cup of coffee today with the slight jitters I feel.

There are plenty of honest arguments to make about climate change without dumbing your arguments to children visiting the Capitol down to the point of outright deception. Markey's smarter than what he said suggests...and that's the problem.

Easter. The Other Winter Holiday

Picture courtesy of Thomas Ondrey of the Plain Dealer.  This was from yesterday's annual Easter Egg Hunt in suburban Chardon.  I wonder if that's on government property? ;-)

Last Saturday, I cut the grass.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, I comfortably wore shorts to work.

By Thursday, I was wearing long johns (and regular pants, thank you).

Yesterday, I cleared out a little snow, but it was pretty discretionary and more a function of wanting to get outside in the crisp air.

Now, I just came in from shoveling no less than 6-7 inches of snow that have fallen since last night.

It's starting to get a little bit silly around here.