As of 5pm today it became legal for county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. One of the first couples to be married in San Francisco have been together for the last fifty years. I think this fact is worth mentioning because of some of the objections that people have made over the concept of same sex weddings. They talk about the lack of commitment, promiscuity, etc. Here we have a couple that has been dedicated to each other for five decades without being able to legally join...

Breaking news on MSNBC that former VP Albert Gore will endorse Barack Obama at a rally tonight. I’m not sure this is as big a coup now as it would have been a few months ago. Gore is one of the leaders of the hard left in the Democratic party and Obama is pretty solid with that faction. I suspect Gore has timed his endorsement to make sure Obama stays ‘in line’ on the war issue rather than temper his views for the general election. Had Clinton won the nomination a Gore endorsement...

The title ‘Getting Gas In Mexico’ may sound like the opening line to a really bad joke about mexican food but it is actually part of a hidden secret for those who live near the US/Mexico border. In San Diego for example the average cost of a gallon of gas is running around $ 4.61, which is sadly typical for those of us living in the Golden State. But if you drive across the border to Mexico then the cost drops to about $ 2.54 per gallon and it’s even less if you convert over to...

As I learned the shocking news of the death of Tim Russert at the young age of 58 I could not help but think that we have lost a true class act. As I sit here listening to the tributes pouring over all of the news networks I hear the people talk about how wonderful of a person he was. Normally you might think that they are simply being kind to the departed, but in this case you get the real feeling that the setiments are genuine. The grief demonstrated by those who knew him is too real to be anything...

It has often been said that just as there is no such thing as a former Marine, there is also no such thing as a former Boy Scout. Well speaking as a Boy Scout for nearly 30 years I felt obligated to post a little bit about the recent heroics by a group of young Scouts in Iowa. This week a tornado ripped through a Boy Scout camp in Iowa. The storm killed four of the scouts and caused many injuries. Given that these are just boys, barely into their teens, it would not be at all surprising for them...

According to a report in The Hill, it looks like Senator McCain may be benefiting from perceptions over Senator Obama’s positions on Israel. We already had seen Senator Libeerman support McCain and it now looks like some top Clinton donors may also be changing partisan horses. Stephen Muss is a major real estate developer from Florida and has a long history of supporting Democratic candidates, including both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Since Clinton’s withdrawal, he has moved into the McCain...

My fellow bloggers both here and around the net have already given some excellent coverage to the Guantanamo Bay ruling today so I thought I would take another angle on the topic. I know that it a controversial decision and that we have plenty of people on  both sides of the decision. That is only natural as people of good will can disagree on subjects like this. But I think there is a deeper meaning to this decision. We are in the midst of a war on terror and have faced some of the worst attacks...

Earlier this week the US House held a vote on extending unemployment benefits by 13 weeks. The vote on the proposal was 279 in favor and 141 opposed, which would seem to be a win. But instead the headlines read ‘House Fails To Extend Jobless Benefits’ or more ominously  ‘Republicans Block Longer Benefits’. Now how would this be possible ? Isn’t a majority vote a win ? Well not when you have the House leadership playing games with the vote. They brought the vote up...

Today marks the 64th anniversary of D-Day when more than 150,000 brave Allied soldiers hit the beaches of Normandy, a day that marked the beginning of the end of World War Two. As they hit the beaches named Sword, Juno, Utah, Gold and Omaha, many of them did not survive. In the first day over 10,000 men including nearly 2,000 Americans were killed or wounded.  While I obviously would do nothing to reduce or diminish the sacrifices of our troops today, it is worth noting that in that first day...

  As I prepare to head to Southern California on a business trip I thought I’d offer a few observations on the upcoming summer travel season. With millions of schoolchildren heading out the doors it is traditionally the time for families to take off on the annual family trip. For many people it is the one time of the year that the family is able to get out and really build some special memories. In addition, just as many retailers depend on Christmas for their profit margin, elements of the...

We had previously reported on a controversy at a Woodland, California high school where a teenage cancer victim was being denied the right to participate in graduation ceremonies because she had fallen behind by one class during treatments. The school has now conceded, sort of, to allow her to be recognized during the ceremony, though she won’t be able to walk with her classmates or wear the cap and gown. Its not a perfect solution but it is better than nothing.

A high school in Woodland California is at the center of a controversy involving the graduation of a student with cancer. The facts are fairly straightforward. 18 year old Lenna Elizalde is a senior at Woodland High School and has been fighting cancer for the last six months. She has undergone two surgeries along with extensive chemotherapy since her diagnosis. This has caused her to miss a number of classes during her hospital stays. Most teachers understood the problem and gave her extra credit...

The California Supreme Court has just issued an order denying requests for a rehearing and stay in gay marriage case. Opponents to the ruling legalizing gay marriage in California had requested that the court issue an order that put things on hold until after the voters had a chance to vote on a proposal which would overturn the decision. The ruling means that counties can begin to issue marriage licenses at any time. Most counties had planned to wait until June 17th since the court had until then...

The final primary is over and the networks have all called Montana in favor of Senator/Nominee in Waiting Obama. No firm numbers yet but based on exit polls he will get around 55% or so. He did very well with male voters (63%) but not so well with women (47%).

Update: She just missed her cue to deliver her ‘victory’ speech in New York, a perfect symbol of a failed campaign. She delivered the closest she will get to a quasi concession but she aint going quietly Not that it really matters that much but it looks like Senator Clinton has won South Dakota. Early returns show her leading by a 57-43 margin but based on the data from the exit polls I would guess she will end up around 54-55%. This will give her a nice symbolic win but even with his...

  I must admit from the start to not being a big fan of Senator Obama. For reasons I will discuss in future posts I am quite concerned about his qualifications to be President. I also question whether his motives and personality are truly as noble and pure as some of his supporters allege. Indeed, just as I wonder about the so called Bush Derangement Syndrome, I also wonder about the Obama Evangalism Syndrome. However tonight is not the night for me to comment on those issues, there will be plenty...

Although it has been somewhat lost in the shuffle of the Democratic primary contest we are having a number of primaries and contests in California. Somewhat ironically, we used to have our Presidential voting in June but the powers that be decided to move things to February so we would have more of an impact. Had we kept things the way it used to be, California would be deciding the Democratic nominee today. Ah well, best laid plans and such. However, for the political junkies in the audience, I...

  Brain surgery on Senator Edward Kennedy has been completed successfully according to news reports. Kennedy travelled to Duke University in North Carolina for a procedure to reduce the tumor and will next undergo radiation therapy in Massachusetts. Interestingly Kennedy was awake during the entire procedure and doctors predict he will suffer no lasting effects. I do not often agree with Senator Kennedy on the issues but by all accounts he is a very good person and I wish him the best in his recovery

  CNN returns here  CNN exit polls here Polls have closed and it looks like Senator Clinton is the winner of the Puerto Rico primary. It is of course something of an empty victory since the nomination is all but wrapped up for Obama. Returns are starting to come in so it will be a while before we know for sure the exact results. CNN, Fox and MSNBC have all called it for her. Word seems to be it will be a fairly large win though with low turnout it may not help her much in the popular vote battle,...

CNN Video (preceded by a brief commercial) In another seemingly-perfect launch, the Space Shuttle Discovery is on its way to the International Space Station. Like many space geeks, I remained a bit tense until the solid rocket boosters were dropped but it now appears everything is right on target. The shuttle will be taking a Japanese-designed lab module to the space station, it weighs in at about 16 tons and will be installed in a series of space walks over the next week. In what may be a far more...

In watching the debate at the DNC rules committee I am starting to wonder if the Obama campaign is making something of a tactical mistake of being so aggressive in pursuing its position regarding Michigan and Florida. To begin with, I think they could have chosen a better spokesman from Florida. Perhaps it is just me but Congressman Wexler comes off as quite arrogant and seemingly unable to conceive that any fair minded person could disagree with him. Given the problems Obama has had on this topic...

A judge has ruled that the public is entitled to read a series of e-mails exchanged between New Jersey governor Jon Corzine and a union leader he once dated. They have become a source of major controversy in the state and could possibly threaten his position as governor. The issue goes back to 2006 and 2007 when the guv was dating Carla Katz at the same time that the state of NJ was negotiating with the union she heads. “The relationship created a clear potential for conflict,” Judge Innes wrote....

One of the legends of American comedy has died. Harvey Korman of the Carol Burnett show died today at the age of 81. According to early reports he died of complications stemming from a rupture of his abdominal aorta. Given that this is usually fatal at once, it is surprising he survived 4 months. I must say on a personal note that I grew up on Korman and Conway, two of the great comic geniuses of our time. Whether it was on Carol Burnett or in the many movies they shared, their timing was perfection....

With the two major party nominees all but settled, speculation has begun to flow as to the outcome of the November election. Almost every day we see polls from the key swing states which are analyzed by all of the pundits, and yet most of them are guessing from day to day who will win. Of course this is hardly a new situation; pundits have been trying to predict the outcome of the elections for decades and usually with mixed results at best. In the early 1980’s, a political scientist named...

The Secretary General of the United Nations has said that he ‘regrets’ that the government of Burma (also known as the whims of Than Shwe) will continue to keep Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Kyi has attracted the wrath of the Burmese leaders for daring to support the radical notion that the people of Burma should have the right to choose their own leaders. Of course the rest of the world has a somewhat different tack on the situation, seeing as how she was awarded the Nobel Peace...