Craig's Corner

The Transportation Security Administration ’s slogan “Your Safety is Our Priority” became more of a question than a goal on my most recent airport experience a few weeks ago.   Forced to change gates with the same airline at Newark meant leaving one ‘secure’ area and going through security a second time.   This long line was being managed by an agent who was not having a good day.   She would scream out to people “stay to the left” and somebody wouldn’t (or their bag would be in the aisle) and she would keep screaming and pointing at the person to move.   Then the line got backed up when a young woman, traveling alone with her baby, had to dislodge the child from its stroller.   The agent wouldn’t let another passenger hold the baby while the mother folded the stroller and placed it on conveyer belt.   Nor would the agent allow somebody else to help with the stroller.   Another TSA agent tried to help the woman and the managing agent screamed “Don’t you help her.   This is her thing t

Next week (Aug 24-27) the Republican Party is expected to nominate Mitt Romney as its candidate for President.   A week later (Sept 4-6) the Democrats will do the same for Barak Obama.   Last Memorial Day Gary Johnson got the nomination for the Libertarian Party and Rosanne Barr is the Peace and  Freedom Party candidate.   The nomination process is archaic.   It’s as outdated as American’s idea that they play a part in the process. Most people have a simplified view that the vote they cast determines which candidate wins.   Delegates are selected based on a variety of methods, unique to each state.   Sometimes the delegates reflect voting results, but in many instances the delegate is not pledged to a particular candidate.   At the quadrennial political conventions delegates nominate a candidate for President and Vice President.   It’s been a long time since the selection process was not predetermined.   In 1952 when most states chose delegates by state conventions (

I am geographically challenged. And that’s being charitable. It’s not just that I have difficulty in pointing out where Idaho is on a US map, but in making my way around town. After nearly a quarter of a century living in Los Angeles I still needed assistance in getting around parts of town. Moving to the Twin Cities in January I became even more dependent on GPS. The few times that the app was down resulted in adventures best left to the “Amazing Race.” I am acutely aware of the irony that my reliance on satellite navigation is made possible because the U.S. Government (Defense Department) first realized an effective use for the technology. The military usage allows for efficient and accurate delivery of weapons, troops against targets. The system operates in real-time and was made available for commercial use under the Clinton administration. The technology has wide uses in military and civilian life. As a smaller government libertarian it’s unlikely that I would philosoph

Tuesday night of this week was “National Night Out” – where communities gathered to be neighborly and to work with local law enforcement to protect their homes.   Beyond security where people live validates the  adage “Home is Where the Heart Is” which originated with Pliny the Elder in AD 76 .   Cavemen (and women) earned their moniker even earlier than that because of whetre they created shelter.   Where one lives symbolizes so much of who we are.   My recent move to St. Paul, MN from Los Angeles, CA proved the theory. Neighborhoods help define individuality by the types of shops, cafes and amenities there are – or are not.   I have been fortunate that even in the most challenging times in my life I’ve always had a place to stay.   They’ve varied in quality and I’ve experienced enough sketchy situations to be grateful for what I now have.   Not everybody has that luxury.   According to the National Alliance to endHomelessness there are 636,017 Americans who are homeless.  

London has the world’s attention this week, not New York, thanks to the Olympics which chose the British capital over NYC as host city.   The gold medal for chutzpah, however, goes to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.   He already holds the award for self-financing a campaign ($108 million)   against an opponent who spent less than one-tenth the dollars and came within 4.5 points of beating him.   The mayor’s penchant for dictating what New Yorkers can consume made headlines again this week. The billionaire businessman turned politician first had New York City restaurants ban the use of trans fats in 2006 .   The mayor’s next proposal this past May would ban large sodas from being sold in the Big Apple. This week the mayor suggested that hospitals stop feeding baby formula to newborns as a way to encourage breast feeding.   From a health and medical perspective having fewer trans fats, consuming less sugary soda and having babies breast fed is probably the healthier alternative