Looting the Spanish Main:

Today (September 19th) is national "Talk Like a Pirate Day" and ye should all be talkin' like pirates, or else!

Now I'll swagger over to the grog barrel for more o' that swill!

Anxiously awaiting my letter of marque!
Dirty Sam Flint
Arrrrr!

My pirate name is:
Dirty Sam Flint



I'm the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean, not to get rid of me, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Like the rock flint, I am hard and sharp. But, also like flint, I'm easily chipped, and sparky.


Arr!


Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Politics:

Sorry for so many political entries lately, but with only 55 days left until the Virginia State General Elections, I feel it is critical to convey some information. If you have not yet registered to vote, you only have until October 7th to do so! The election is November 8th. Virginians will be electing new Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and Delegates to 100 House seats (though a few of those are uncontested). Your vote counts more in this statewide election than it does in a national congressional or presidential election because typically far fewer people vote (usually only one in eight presidential voters). That is 8 times as much voting power, before you factor in that your state laws have more impact on you day to day than the federal laws (which tend to get more rigorous review before passage).

On to the order of business, found a new website that brings into very sharp focus exactly what Delegate Bob Marshall of the 13th district has been doing in office: bobmustgo.org is very well researched, with details about most of Bob's bills and statistics about Bob's ineffective role as Delegate.

A second website (though it's been around longer) has details about Del. Bob McDonnell and Del. Dick Black as well as details about Del. Bob Marshall. I had been unable to find out much about the candidate for Attorney General, and www.vafamilyvalues.org shows me exactly what sort of extremists are running on the Republican ticket. It is deeply disturbing that in all three state-wide office races the extremist neo-cons have completely swept aside their moderate, fiscal conservative counter-parts of the G.O.P. I insist that we can no longer call the Republican party the GOP, at least not in Virginia. It is clear that the party has changed, and that social restrictions and bigotry and hatred are more important to the new Republicans than running an efficient government and staying out of people's lives.

U.S. Constitition out the Window:

I really don't feel that the recent decision by Federal Court to uphold the president's right to hold U.S. Citizens without charges indefinitely has shocked enough people. This case amounts to throwing the Bill of Rights (amended into the U.S. Constitution) out the window or down the drain. If our government can hold us in jail indefinitely, denying us council because they have not charged us, and delaying pressing any charge because the president has arbitrarily declared us an "enemy combatant" then how can any of us answer those charges in a court of law? This prevents the truth from being heard, and it wraps things up too nicely for an easy coup and dictatorship, right here in the United States. Please read more about this here.

This abbrogation of our rights must be stopped. Jose Padilla probably deserves to be locked away, but only after a fair trial with legal representation and a jury of his (and our) peers. If his appeal is not heard by the U.S. Subreme Court, it is time to start brown-nosing the dictator, folks... because your freedom is only at the whim of el presidente!

Politics:

The Prince William County Committee of 100 is hosting debates between candidates for two House of Delegates districts, the 13th and the 50th, on Thursday, September 22nd, from 6:30pm until it ends. There is a $20 for dinner (served at 7pm) and I am trying to find out if there is a charge for just attending the debates (which start at 8pm). They'll be held at the Manassas Holiday Inn (map), and you should RSVP to pratt1@comcast.net.

• Bruce Roemmelt v. Bob Marshall - 13th District
  
• Donald Shuemaker v. Harry Parrish - 50th District
  

Environment:

On a lark I dropped by the local Toyota dealer last week to see if the AT-PZEV rated Prius was easy to get in Virginia. It turns out that all the Prius cars being sold at the local dealers have the AT-PZEV rating in case you have to move to California after you buy your Prius here in Virginia! Awesome.

Then I dropped by a second time with my HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gt (recumbent bicycle) in my Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon to see if it would fit in the Prius. It does! It is a very close fit, and I have to load the bike in rear end first (the Prius luggage space narrows at slightly at the back of the car), but it does fit. This is great news, and we put one on order this past Saturday.

The main goal is to dramatically reduce my personal contribution in greenhouse gasses, and with an AT-PZEV rating the Prius is vastly cleaner than my not even LEV rated 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero. Additional benefits are:

• approximately double the mileage (~57mpg versus ~27mpg)
  
• Prius uses regular unleaded versus the Aero needing Premium unleaded
  
• CVT transmission instead of the Saab's manual transmission (traffic)
  
• having a real, turn-by-turn Navigation system instead of crappy On-Star
  
• wireless key system so I can leave the keys in my purse
  
• bluetooth phone connection for my wife's mobile phone

The only drawbacks I see at this point are that I am giving up the Saab's wonderful ventilated seats (a six pack of "muffin" fans in each front seat behind perforated leather, very cool). It will be hard to survive hot summers in Virginia without the cooled seats, but perhaps I can aftermarket something into the Prius. I'll also be giving up some unneeded horsepower (I should never have bought the Aero), possibly a few other luxury features (climate controls for each side?).

I am re-negotiating price with the dealer now, but look forward to swapping out the Saab for the Prius once our special options package comes in.