GOLDMAN REUNION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

It is both a tragedy and a violation of multi-national law that Sean Goldman and David Goldman forever lost five years together. The international convention on this topic is clear: the child is to be returned to the surviving parent.

As we watched this U.S. citizen suffer, it was easy to see the right thing. The Brazilian family played the Brazilian State Courts to keep the case away from the Brazilian Federal Courts and the Brazilian State Department did not intervene. It was, and is, heart-breaking and inexcusable.

We should all be proud that our country behaves in compliance with the convention, even when it's difficult and popular opinion within our country is otherwise. We do it even when we think it would probably be in the child's best interest to stay in the "Greatest Country in the World" (and we are probably right) because it is in keeping with multi-national law and, probably, Natural Law. We do the hard, right thing.

Sometimes the child's name is Elian Gonzales. We still enforce and follow the law.

Elian Gonzales is the difference between "us" and "them."

In a related story just in from Ely, Nevada, O.J. Simpson's publicist, Amad Jamaali, formerly known as "Booger" Brown, Recording Secretary of the Sacramento Chapter of the Bloods, released the following statement: "Mr. Simpson been steady contendin' that he never offed no Goldman dude. Now that boy's been on television someplace Souf of the Border. He ain't be dead. Mr. Simpson wantin' his trophy delivered to our day room here in Ely a-mediately!"

IRAN AND THE "INTRUDERS"

Red-blooded Americans are incensed about the Iranian detention of the three Americans who crossed over into Iran while exploring. It is a distressing tale and the young people seem very appealing. The Basin does not know who's right and who's wrong on that one but we have noticed something interesting.

The more angry and outraged an American is about this situation, the more adamant he or she is about the U.S. aggressively protecting its borders and doing so in the most punitive possible manner. So they are for the U.S. locking up border violators and otherwise punishing them but they are against Iran, an equally sovereign nation, doing the same kind of policing of its borders.

With due credit to Jerry Seinfeld...."Not that there's anything wrong with that...."

BIG TEN EXPANSION

The Big Ten wants to expand to 12 teams and Rutgers is the lead candidate.

There are things wrong with expansion at all but, if they must expand, there is a perfect candidate in "The Valley" SIU would make a perfect member of the Big Ten. But, it'll never happen. The Big ten would never accept a directional school.

All of this, of course, is to develop football playoffs. Which gets us to another issue: Do we want o make Ohio St. and Michigan anti-climatic?

Rutgers, my Aunt Fanny.

CORRECTIONS DIRECTOR, MEET UNDERSIDE OF BUS

The secret release program is no longer a secret. Letting out a domestic violence convict doing a one year stretch after 19 days is probably not a great ploy for the suburban housewife vote. Quinn sets up a plausible "I didn't know". Only way that sticks is if somebody walks the plank.

Hynes search for a Willie Horton in there has no doubt commenced.

text and vid here

EXCITING NEW CANDIDATE FOR NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL COACH

Ozzie Guillen...he'd throw the whole team under the bus!

THE GOVERNMENT JUST CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT, RIGHT?

Resolution/Claims adjustment/Administrative Costs:

Medicare: 3%

private plans: 26%

Hmmm, that would be 97% devoted to direct patient care versus 74% taking care of patients. Maybe all Government Agencies aren't the Post Office.

HOT LAPS REVISITED: WHERE "GREEN," "BLUE" AND "RED" (LIGHTS) CONVERGE

Click here

My ancestry is half Danish and I still don't get this as an effective protest, but it's amusing.

DAN HYNES AND THE LOAN IMPASSE

First, Full Disclosure: Your ever cordial Basin Considers Dan Hynes a friend and occasionally enjoys his company.

Dan Hynes has made a career out of making slow, cautious and wrong career decisions. He didn't make the leap ('98, Governor) when he should have. He did make the leap ('02--Senate) when history indicated he couldn't win a hydra-headed race. He didn't.

Still, he's a solid custodian of the public funds, a moral, decent guy and, at this moment, has nothing to lose. Everybody else in Springfield wants to borrow a boatload of money. Dan takes the quite sensible position that no has ever borrowed himself out of debt. That this happens in the context of Gubernatorial primary is interesting and adds more heat than light. It really, really annoys Pat Quinn--you know, the populist, consumerist, anti big government gadfly, That Pat Quinn.

Dan has the high cards in this hand. They can't borrow the money without his signature. He may be right. First, get a "big boy" solution. Then borrow the money has part of the comprehensive plan.

Doubt that he will get to be Governor. Still, it's interesting to contemplate how much different this loan would look from the Governor's chair.

Stay tuned to the adventures of the "Loan Ranger"

DEAR MOBILE PHONE PURVEYOR/COPYREADER

If you're going to sell cellular phone service, would you at least learn to pronounce the word "cellular"?

It's not "Say-lahr"

It's not "Say-you-lure"

It's "Sell-you-ler"

It's not difficult.

Thank you for your support.

NUMBERS ONLY VOICEMAIL

Gosh, all these years, I've thought "numbers only" voicemail just meant the owner was tech-challenged and couldn't put the voice on it.

Now I get it. You devils, you.

WEST POINT: SOMETHING TO PISS EVERYBODY OFF

The Righties are unhappy because there's an "best when used by" date on the War Plan. The lefties are unhappy because BHO is not going to plunk his magic twanger and end the war immediately. They are also unhappy because the Prez didn't embrace nation building.

Whether this is courageous or just splitting the middle, I have no idea. But your friendly Basin has a much more fundamental problem with the plan.

The first wave of new troops is largely Marines. The United States Marine Corps is the finest Light Infantry assault force in the history of man. You wanna capture a hill, you send USMC to do it. Light Infantry is not a "stay-in-one-place-and-build-relationships" force. The whole "Hearts and Minds" strategy is counter to what Marines do (Yes, I know they adopted some of this around Fallujah but that was the product of the personality of one officer in one unit, not unique training.). I am deeply concerned that we are asking the First Wave to do something outside of their training and expertise. When you want your appendix out, you don't call a plumber and when you need a new hot water heater, you don't call an optometrist.

I would have preferred some clear thinking about Where AQ is now and what talent packages we have available to do what jobs. I would have preferred somebody to tell me what victory will look like, so we can recognize it when we achieve it. But, of course, I hope this "works", whatever that may mean.