Job Creation

I chuckled over the way this AP story is worded. Maybe President Bush should incorporate arson into his economic growth package:

“Fires create jobs for rural Alaskans“

Good news: fires = paychecks:

It’s a little known silver lining to the fires that have burned about 2 million acres in Alaska this year – they’re also putting paychecks in the pockets of hundreds of Alaskans.
This past week, close to 1,700 people were playing some role in battling eight major blazes raging throughout Alaska, said Brett Ricker, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center at Fort Wainwright.
. . .
“This is a good opportunity for us right now,” said Roberta Thomas, who’s working in a warehouse supply unit. “There are limited jobs available, so when fire season comes around it’s a good opportunity for men and women.”

Alas. There is a slight downside to the fires. You know, the fact that they burn things:

Fort Yukon residents worry the fires could endanger relatives, damage remote cabins where boats, snowmobiles and hunting and fishing gear are stored, and affect wild game they depend on to feed their families.

This is similar to the often stated view that war is “good” for the economy. Of course it’s not the war that helps the economy–the markets could find a far more productive use of capital than to blow things up. It’s the government spending that primes the economy. But people often fail to recognize that difference.

Hands

I watched the Kerry/Edwards Interview on 60 Minutes last night. I might comment on policy or something significant like that. But one of the things that struck me about the interview [not in the transcript] is when they showed John and Teresa Heinz Kerry not knowing what to do with their hands. Kind of weird to see given how long the two have been in the public spotlight now.

Back by Popular Demand: Bush Free Speech Zones

Things are getting so bad the president now travels in secret to his ticketed events:

Security will be tight this morning in anticipation of President Bush’s arrival in East Tennessee to visit the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
It’s so tight, in fact, that no one involved in the preparations Sunday would utter so much as a word about event details.
. . .
Lack of information about the president’s visit has upset many dissenters who normally show up at Bush visits to protest the administration’s policies.
Bush’s administration has differed from past presidencies in that protesters are forced under threat of arrest into “First Amendment zones” that are placed well away from where the president is expected to be.
But with no one from the White House letting the public know in advance where the zones in Oak Ridge will be – or if protests of any kind will even be permitted – some potential protesters said they weren’t going to show up for what seemed to be the certainty of jail time.
. . .
“They put us where no one can see us, and they let the Bush supporters up front. No one seems to know where the zones are, and that’s the whole point. It’s hard to organize demonstrations when you can’t even tell anyone where to go, and if they don’t know where to go, they’re going to get arrested.
“It’s ironic that we have a president claiming to be pushing democracy in Iraq while here in Tennessee the First Amendment only applies to a few hundred square feet.”

Resonance will remain a free speech bubble during Bush’s visit.

Convention Blogging

Several bloggers are headed to the Democratic National Convention.
Don’t get me wrong here: if I had the opportunity (and the money), I’d be inclined to go myself. I’m sure it would be quite interesting. But unless these bloggers are willing to give the scoop on inside stuff (and I’m not inclined to believe they are since some of it is negative) is their “coverage” likely to offer much in the way of news? The TV networks are offering minimal coverage of the conventions, in part, because they have largely become staged infomercials. And while they are fun for political junkies, I’m not sure how much “newsworthy” output bloggers will add to the coverage.
I could be wrong though. We’ll see.
UPDATE: Jay Rosen has a lengthy counterpoint arguing that the old regimes in convention reporting and commentary have contributed to their downfall and bloggers can bring rewneal. I think this overstates the current impact of blogging, but it’s an interesting read.

Ballot Access

Yet another Republican group, fearful of Bush’s chances straight up against Kerry, is working to get Ralph Nader on the Michigan ballot.
Too bad there’s not a way to require ballot petition signers to vote for Nader in November.
UPDATE: More:

Nearly one in 10 of Nader’s major donors — those writing checks of $1,000 or more — have given in recent months to the Bush-Cheney campaign, the latest documents show. GOP fund-raisers also have “bundled” contributions — gathering hefty donations for maximum effect to help Nader, who has criticized the practice in the past.
. . .
But the financial records show that $23,000 in checks of $1,000 or more have come from loyal Republicans. Among those who have given recently to Nader are Houston businessman Najid I. Fares, who donated $200,000 to President Bush’s 2000 inaugural committee; Richard J. Egan, the former ambassador to Ireland, and his wife, Pamela, who have raised more than $300,000 for Bush; Michigan developer Ghassan Saab, who has given $30,000 to the RNC since 2001; and frozen food magnate Jeno Paulucci, and his wife, Lois, who have donated $150,000 to GOP causes since 2000 alone.

Funny how all these Republicans are giving to Nader, since he’s going to draw from both Democratic and Republican voters, right?

Blogger Burnout

Wired News has a piece on bloggers suffering from burnout.
Yes, it can be draining posting trivial and mediocre musings day after day. I find the best way to deal with that is just take a break from posting.
Oh, if you read to the end of the above column you’ll discover that not everyone likes Glenn Reynolds. Shocking, I know.