ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

I've been told recently that I sometimes hammer away too much on particular issues and need to "move on" to other things. Recently, from a listener...and another time from an employer about the Monticello graduation controversy.

I continue to believe that I must be from another era...when our attention span was longer than in the 2-hour news cycle we currently live. I'd love it if sometime one of these scientists would tear themselves away from their study of coffee long enough to do one on apathy. I think it's one of the biggest problems the country faces. But I understand now how politicians can get away with many of the things they do...and keep getting elected.

Here's the email:

I usually like what you say — but your relentless triad (I think that's supposed to be tirade) about the felon vote is getting very old. Is there nothing else for you to talk about? Is it a slow moving news day?

Enough is Enough — get onto something else. You sound like a kid who nags because he isn't getting his way.

My response was measured, careful, and I think sarcastic enough without missing the point:

Comment noted. I talk about the things I care about...and one of those are the values that I see disappearing more and more for the sake of political expedience. I'm sorry if I occasionally break the usual 20-minute attention span most people have, but we keep letting our leaders get away with too much simply because we're "tired of hearing about it"...

By now, that would include Jetsetta Gage, Iraq, sex offenders, Social Security, and illegal immigration. I'll start reporting live from Aruba and the search for the missing girl next week.

When a politician like Governor Vilsack can get away from the supreme wrong of giving felons who don't pay their fines and restitution the right to vote by citing "studies" and "research that shows" felons are less likely to re-offend if they vote, I get a little perturbed. In fact, the Governor is COUNTING on public apathy...in the hopes that nobody calls his bluff. I did.

I felt it important that people actually know what the study says...so I read it. Here are some excerpts from the University of Minnesota study:

"…establishing a casual relationship between voting…and recidivism would require a large scale…survey that tracked released offenders in their communities and closely monitored changes in their political and criminal behavior. At present no such data exists." (emphasis added)

No data exists? What's that, Governor Vilsack? No data? So it's just a guess. Well, according to the study, it would appear to be...

"...Although the issue has received scant research attention in the study of desistance from crime, reintegration as a voting member of one's community would appear to be a logical analog to work and family reintegration."

The only DATA from this whole "study" and "research that shows" are from felons who were interviewed for the "study" that Vilsack mentions. And even the ex-cons don't buy it...

"...while many...regretted the loss of their ability to participate as citizens in their communities, they were often skeptical about drawing any direct connection between voting and subsequent criminality."

"...our interviews showed us that while many convicted felons care deeply about disenfranchisement and other civil disabilities, they were on the whole unconvinced that voting in itself would affect subsequent criminal behavior..."

What could possibly be easier to understand? People forget that these convicts HAD the right to vote before they committed their crime! The right to vote didn't prevent that, did it?

But, the listener is probably right. Give felons who have not paid their fines the right to vote. I quit.

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ON A LIGHTER NOTE

I got an interesting email today from another listener. Barb let me know about a rock in Iowa that has an interesting background.

I'm told that there is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing it's character many times. A few months back, the rock received it's latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight.

Do you know where it is?

In fact, I do. It's a little south of I-80 on Highway 25 in Adair County. Here's a photo of the always changing rock.

By the way, that is NOT a real flag draped over the rock...it's also part of the painting. There are a number of websites in Iowa devoted to the rock, chief among them is the creator, Ray Michael Sorensen...who prefers to be called "Bubba" and here's his Official artist's website; www.sorensencrew.com. Make sure to check out the "Official" website of the rock; Freedom Rock Website and a family collection of photos; good collection of the photos

Here are the directions to the Freedom Rock:

I-80 West to exit 86 South...Highway 25 toward Greenfield. It's about a mile South on Highway 25 in Adair County.

Here's a MAP version

Kids these days...there's no hope for them.

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I WANT

In the wake of the terrorist bombings in London and after watching a lot of coverage (and primarily because I have a good memory), here are a few things I want from some people.

I want...

1. You leftist loonies to stop harping on President Bush's appearance shortly after the attack on America September 11th. Tony Blair looked awful and sounded worse in his first media appearance this morning. He was obviously shaken and emotional...even searching for words of any meaning. These guys are leaders...but they're human.

2. People to knock off the conspiracy theories about "Bush knew" and could have prevented the attacks B.S. Despite the rumors that there were warnings, no one can possibly prevent every single one of these things from happening. Non-specific warnings about a "possible attack" are meaningless. Which leads me to number 3...

3. I want that fatboy Micheal Moore to withdraw his comment that, "There is no terrorist threat" and go and work as a candy striper in a London hospital.

4. I want the Democrat idiots to continue telling the American people that Gitmo needs to be shut down. This is exactly the kind of stuff those prisoners would be doing if they weren't there. Continue as you are, and it'll only be a matter of time until you destroy your party and place it on the ash-heap of history along with socialism, nazism, and communism. Where it belongs.

5. I want the talk about it somehow being connected to the Olympic announcement to stop. It's silly and nobody cares about the Olympics anyway. The announcement that London would get the games was only made yesterday and this kind of coordinated attack takes weeks...perhaps months to pull off.

6. Anyone even contemplating saying that this is somehow a defeat for America's war on terrorism to also join Micheal Moore in his job as a surgical intern in a London hospital. Bush has continually warned there would be other attacks. On the other hand, if you're a Democrat loon, go ahead and shout it from the hilltops.

7. I want the Bush administration to seriously reconsider the "sensitivity" toward the Muslim religion. That includes using white gloves when handing prisoners at Gitmo their copies of the Koran.

8. I want Bush to continue sending Karl Rove to more speaking engagements and to give the same address he gave to the Conservative Party of New York. He's absolutely right on the differences between liberals and conservatives in the war on terror - "Conservatives saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers."

It may help you to check out the MoveOn.org website for anything resembling any kind of statement or press release on the attacks in London. As of this writing...nothing. That may be because they helped spread a petition on September 12th of 2001 that read in part: "use moderation and restraint in responding...and to use, wherever possible, international judicial institutions and international human rights law to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks, rather than the instruments of war, violence or destruction."

9. I want an American-led relief effort of some kind...preferably not run by that outfit called The United Way. The United Way is a scam as far as I'm concerned. They screwed up the collections after the attacks in America and they don't deserve to have anything to do with this one.

And finally...

10. In additon to the ole Stars and Stripes, I want to start seeing some Union Jack's displayed on the backsides of vehicles.



Feel free to add to the list with some things YOU want following the attack in London. Leave a comment below.