Michael Hanscom

Enthusiastic ambivert. Geeky, liberal, friendly, curious, hopepunk; trying to be a good person. (he/him)

Sarah Six-Pack, Part Two

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A bit of an update to Sarah Six-Pack, thanks to an article reposted by my dad that’s been carried on a few news sites.

Sarah and Todd Palin, who are just like everyone else, and going through hard economic times just like everyone else…

  • Have a combined income of nearly a quarter-million dollars, five times the median household income for Wasilla.
  • Own a single-engine plane, two boats, two personal watercraft and a half-million dollar custom built home on lakefront property.
  • Have an established 401(k) retirement account.
  • Own four other lakeside private recreation sites, covering 35 acres and recently appraised at $102,700.
  • Pay $7,662/year in taxes on their five properties.
  • Report no debts other than their home mortgage.

See? Just like everyone else.

Sarah Six-Pack

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I’m expanding on a earlier tweet mentioning a new Sarah Palin interview, this time with radio talkshow host Hugh Hewitt. I’ve not heard of Hewitt before, but from the tenor of the interview, the ads, and the bio on his site, it could easily be because I don’t pay as much attention to the conservative side of things. Be that as it may, he managed to get a short interview with Palin, and has posted the segment as an .mp3 along with a transcript.

I was curious as to whether Palin might be any more coherent when she was a little more in her element and “among friends,” so to speak, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all — at least, not from where I stand. A few bits stood out to me…

HH: Governor, your candidacy has ignited extreme hostility, even some hatred on the left and in some parts of the media. Are you surprised? And what do you attribute this reaction to?

SP: Oh, I think they’re just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it…

First off: someone needs to clue Palin in that “Joe Sixpack” is a pejorative. It’s the lowest common denominator of the lowest common denominator. And while you could say that I’m “taken aback” by the prospect of someone who describes themselves that way gaining the VP slot, “ticked off” isn’t quite right. More like “frightened.” “Offended.” “Aghast.”

The thing is, I don’t want “Joe Sixpack” in office. I don’t want someone “just like me” as the Vice President–or President, for that matter. I want someone better than me. I want someone more experienced, more intelligent, more educated, and more able to deal with the situations to be found in and around the Oval Office. I can barely manage my own finances, let alone those of the entire country, why in the world would I want someone “just like me” in office? What a frightening thought.

…it’s motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe six-pack like me, and we start doing those things that are expected of our government, and we get rid of corruption, and we commit to the reform that is not only desired, but is deserved by Americans.

It’s really scary how accurate the Saturday Night Life spoof of the Palin/Couric interviews was. Palin appears constitutionally incapable of specifics, only able to spout out the broadest generalizations possible. They will do “those things that are expected” — not just vague, but vague in the passive voice. They’ll “get rid of corruption.” How? “Commit to the reform.” What kind of reform? She doesn’t actually say anything!

HH: Now Governor, the Gibson and the Couric interview struck many as sort of pop quizzes designed to embarrass you as opposed to interviews. Do you share that opinion?

SP: Well, I have a degree in journalism also, so it surprises me that so much has changed since I received my education in journalistic ethics all those years ago.

A Bachelor of Science in Communications-Journalism, according to Wikipedia, completed over five stints at four colleges. Admittedly, more than I have with my AA, so perhaps I’m not qualified to ask questions. Still–you’d think someone with any sort of journalism degree would expect professional journalists conducting interviews to actually ask questions with some amount of substance. She’s (not very subtly) accusing her interviewers of being unethical in their questioning, which I’m sure will go over quite well with any other journalist who gets a chance to interview her at some later date.

HH: Governor, you mentioned the people who are struggling right now. Have you and your husband, Todd, ever faced tough economic times where you had to sit around a kitchen table and make tough choices?

SP: Oh my goodness, yes, Hugh. I know what Americans are going through. Todd and I, heck, we’re going through that right now even as we speak, which may put me again kind of on the outs of those Washington elite who don’t like the idea of just an everyday working class American running for such an office.

“Even as we speak.” At that very moment, the Governor of Alaska (a position which in 2001 offered a salary of roughly $81,648) and her husband Todd Palin (who works at BP, owns his own fishing business, and earned roughly $92,790 in 2007) were struggling through rough financial times.

And you know, even today, Todd and I are looking at what’s going on in the stock market, the relatively low number of investments that we have, looking at the hit that we’re taking, probably $20,000 dollars last week in his 401K plan that was hit. I’m thinking geez, the rest of America, they’re facing the exact same thing that we are.

Because the rest of America — all those “Joe Sixpacks” that are just like Sarah Palin — are watching their investments and taking $20,000 hits in their retirement plans. Um, Sarah? Got news for you. Joe Sixpack doesn’t have investments. Joe Sixpack’s retirement plan is to hold onto his job for as many years as he can, because he has no other way to live. Joe Sixpack doesn’t have $20,000 in investments, the bank, or anywhere else to lose. If he has $20,000, then losing it isn’t “taking a hit,” its ending up on the streets. That’s not the “exact same thing.”

This line of thought continues…

HH: Governor, when you say things are tight right now, is that simply because of Todd being off not working? Or is it because of extraordinary demands on the fiscal resources of the Palin family? What’s the situation there?

SP: No, it’s just the great financial crisis that America is in as our savings accounts also, and a 401K, they’re being hit.

HH: Sure.

SP: Our stocks, you know, they took a hit yesterday. And then of course, just the same thing that other Americans are asking themselves today. We’ve got three teenagers. How are we going to pay for their college education? How are we going to make sure that we’re investing wisely today. …[McCain] wants to increase [the FDIC] deposit insurance cap of all of our money, our savings, from $100,000 dollars up to $250,000 dollars, so that families like mine, so that we don’t have to worry about our money being safe or not under FDIC.

Once again: this is not how “Joe Sixpack” thinks. It’s not even how much of middle America thinks. The Republicans accuse Obama of elitism, and yet they’re elitists of a far nastier bent. Obama’s elitism is the Jed Bartlet style of elitism: he’s one of the elite, more educated, better prepared to lead the country than most other people. The Republican’s style of elitism is mean, cruel, and condescending. McCain pegging “rich” as making $500,000 (or whatever ludicrous number it was, I’m trying to wrap this up and don’t have the time to search for the quote), not knowing how many homes he has or how many cars he owns–and they accuse Obama of elitism? It’s disgusting.

There’s more in the interview, but I need to break away for dinner.

I know Joe Sixpack. I’ve been friends with Joe Sixpack. And Ms. Palin, you are no Joe Sixpack.

Links for September 29th through September 30th

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Sometime between September 29th and September 30th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Capitol Hill club files suit to stay open: Neighbours nightclub, a longtime institution in Capitol Hill and Seattle's gay community has filed a lawsuit to keep the music going at the club. In a suit filed in King County Superior Court Sept. 23, the club's attorney said the owner of the building where Neighbours operates is trying to terminate its lease. On Aug. 12, Tim Giacometti, representing the building's owners, wrote the club that it was terminating the lease, alleging a number of violations. (Sigh — while I haven't been in Neighbours proper in a few years, the current incarnation of the old Vogue is at the Neighbours Underground on Saturdays, and it's looking really nice. It would suck if they were forced to try to find a new spot…again.)
  • You CAN see Russia from here!: The island is called Little Diomede. It looks like a rock plopped into the Bering Strait. Only about 150 Alaskans live on the whole island. And just about two miles away; in full view of every single house on the island is the nation of Russia. Specifically, it is the Russian Island of Big Diomede which sits about 25 miles from the Russian Siberian mainland (which you can also see from the American island). We were curious if Sarah Palin has ever visited this island. According to the natives, the answer is no. The island’s mayor has heard of her though. No American mayor resides in a city closer to Russia then Andrew Milligrock, and he says being two miles from Russia doesn’t give him any foreign policy expertise.
  • John McCain Owns VoteForTheMILF.com?: Apparently my earlier assumption was wrong, and that voteforthemilf.com really is controlled by McCain's campaign. Classy. Really classy.
  • Nasty as they wanna be? Policing Flickr.com: Lest your inner libertarian objects to…interventions, [Heather] Champ is quick to correct the idea that the community would ultimately find its own balance. "The amount of time it would take for the community to self-regulate — I don't think it could sustain itself in the meantime," she says. "Anyway, I can't think of any successful online community where the nice, quiet, reasonable voices defeat the loud, angry ones on their own." (via Waxy)
  • FactCheck.org: FactChecking Debate No. 1: McCain and Obama contradicted each other repeatedly during their first debate, and each volunteered some factual misstatements as well. Here’s how we sort them out.

Links for September 27th through September 29th

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Sometime between September 27th and September 29th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Christopher L. Bennett — Star Trek: Ex Machina Annotations: This document explains the many continuity references, allusions and in-jokes contained in Ex Machina (ExM), as well as the various scientific ideas addressed therein and the reasoning behind many of my conjectures and extrapolations…along with corrections or rationalizations for various errors and continuity glitches. I assume that the reader is familiar with the basic characters and background of the Trek universe. (Saving this for future reading, as I'm reading the novel now, and this document — unsurprisingly — contains a number of spoilers.)
  • xkcd: Height: And in-joke heavy logarithmic map of the universe. I thought it was great when I saw it on its own, it's funnier knowing the source inspiration. (second link via Waxy)
  • Carrington WordPress Theme: Carrington was built for the entire WordPress community, both developers and end-users alike. Some people will appreciate the unlimited potential the new theme organization offers. Others will love the way AJAX optionally loads the comments right on the homepage. In any case, we’re confident that this new framework is the best thing since the wheel and sliced bread.
  • Roger Ebert on McCain’s behavior during Friday night’s debate: What was your problem? Do you hold this man in such contempt that you cannot bear to gaze upon him? Will you not even speak to him directly?
    Do you think he doesn't have the right to be running for President?
    Were you angry because after you said you wouldn't attend the debate, he said a President should be able to concern himself with two things at the same time? He was right. The proof is, you were there. Were you angry with him because he called your bluff?
  • Website Grader – SEO Tool – Report For www.michaelhanscom.com: A website grade of 98.4/100 for www.michaelhanscom.com means that of the hundreds of thousands of websites that have previously been evaluated, our algorithm has calculated that this site scores higher than 98.4% of them in terms of its marketing effectiveness. The algorithm uses a proprietary blend of over 50 different variables, including search engine data, website structure, approximate traffic, site performance, and others. (The first time I ran this report I scored a 97. A few template tweaks here and there, and I've pushed it up to 98.4. I think that's good enough for now.)

Obama, Meet Bartlet

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There’s a New York Times column where West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin writes a bit of political ‘fanfic’: what advice could Barack Obama get from former president Jed Bartlet?

OBAMA They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?

BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.

I love that line: “The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.” So sadly true.

Then, leading into a rant more than worthy of some of the best West Wing episodes…

OBAMA The problem is we can’t appear angry. Bush called us the angry left. Did you see anyone in Denver who was angry?

BARTLET Well … let me think. …We went to war against the wrong country, Osama bin Laden just celebrated his seventh anniversary of not being caught either dead or alive, my family’s less safe than it was eight years ago, we’ve lost trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, thousands of lives and we lost an entire city due to bad weather. So, you know … I’m a little angry.

OBAMA What would you do?

BARTLET GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

Oh, but how I miss Jed Bartlet. What I wouldn’t give to see Martin Sheen step back into character and let that little rant fly.

(via MeFi)

Stephen King on Short Stories

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I’ve always been a big fan of short stories, will happily snap up a collection from any author I know, and have often found some wonderful gems in various “Best of” collections. In the introduction to Skeleton Crew, Stephen King has a nice little bit on just why they’re so fun…

…most of you have forgotten the real pleasures of the short story. Reading a good long novel is in many ways like having a long and satisfying affair. I can remember commuting between Maine and Pittsburgh during the making of Creepshow, and going mostly by car…. I had a reading of The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough, on eight cassette tapes, and for a space of about five weeks I wasn’t even having an affair with that novel; I felt married to it….

A short story is a different thing altogether–a short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger. That is not, of course, the same thing as an affair or a marriage, but kisses can be sweet, and their very brevity forms their own attraction.

Links for September 26th from 10:12 to 14:47

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Sometime between 10:12 and 14:47, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Sarah Palin’s Dead Lake: "Sarah's legacy as mayor was big-box stores and runaway growth," said Patty Stoll, a retired Wasilla schoolteacher who once worked in the same school with Palin's parents, Chuck and Sally Heath. "The truth is, Wasilla is just plain ugly, it's not a pleasant place to live. It's not thought out. And that's a shame. Sarah fouled her own nest, and I can't understand why. I hate to think it was simply greed or ambition." (The most common nickname for Wasilla when I was growing up in Alaska was "Wasyphilis", and that was before Palin got her hands on it.) (via Halsted)
  • The Wheels Come Off Sarah Palin’s Not So Straight Talk Express: From calls from the National Review for her to drop out of the race (!) to the New York Times saying that she owes voters an explanation on the rape kits issue to news that she accepted $25,000 in gifts from lobbyists as governor to stories about anti-Semitic leanings by her pastor, it's just not turning into a good end of the week for Palin either.
  • The Palin interview: The Economist: "…she rambled, she edited her own sentences recursively, she looked away from time to time, and her answers did not make sense—and I don't mean political sense; I mean they made no grammatical or logical sense." Sounds a lot like what I posted a day or two ago. (via gruber)
  • Still think your single vote doesn’t matter? Think again.: Statistical analysis shows that in 2004, 57,787 votes would have given us President Kerry; and in 2000, 269 votes would have given us President Gore. In all there have been 12 US Presidential elections that were decided by less than a 1% margin; meaning if less than 1% of the voters in certain states had changed their mind to the other candidate the outcome of the election would have been different. (via Slashdot)
  • Cisco home page FAIL: Cisco’s home page this morning: looks like they ran out of their allocation of lowercase letter ‘t’.

Links for September 25th through September 26th

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Sometime between September 25th and September 26th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Welcome WaMu: We're proud to welcome you to one of the nation's largest banks; as of September 25, 2008, JPMorgan Chase & Co. has acquired the deposits, loans, and branches of Washington Mutual. Your deposits remain insured by the FDIC and are now also backed by the strength and security of JPMorgan Chase. Our combined company will offer superior banking convenience – over 5,400 branches and 14,000 ATMs in 23 states. Here's what this means for you…
  • FDIC: Bank Acquisition Information – Question and Answer Guide for Washington Mutual Bank, Henderson, NV and Washington Mutual Bank FSB, Park City, UT: It boils down to a name change, nothing to worry about, go about your business, nothing to see here.
  • Election 2008 | powered by Twitter: Neat real-time stream of election-related tweets. Watch everything, or filter by the four main candidates.
  • Palin On Foreign Policy Video: Oh, dear lord. This interview is a trainwreck. Palin's answers could be dropped into a political spoof and fit right in, they're that nonsensical. How anyone can listen to this woman and seriously think that she's capable blows my mind.
  • Nina Katchadourian: Sorted Books Project: The Sorted Books project began in 1993 years ago and is ongoing. The project has taken place in many different places over the years, ranging form private homes to specialized public book collections. The process is the same in every case: culling through a collection of books, pulling particular titles, and eventually grouping the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom. (via unlibrarian)

Links for September 25th from 06:45 to 12:22

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Sometime between 06:45 and 12:22, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • McCain cancels Letterman. Letterman rips McCain: It’s one thing to irritate your opponent. It’s another to irritate a newsperson. But when you irritate the guy who’s made a living out of making people laugh for more than 26 years, any criticism may pack more of a punch. So when John McCain cancelled on Letterman – at the last minute – you could hardly expect that the comic would take it easy on him. He didn’t.
  • Hack the Debate // Current: Current & Twitter have teamed up for the very first time to integrate real-time Twitter messages (aka "tweets") over major portions of a live television broadcast. Hack the debate by adding your Twitter posts to our live broadcast of the 2008 Presidential Debates. We will broadcast as many of your debate tweets as possible right over Obama & McCain, in real time, on our live broadcast.
  • Retro Futurism: Crazy 1980s “New Wave” Princess Leia Poster: Very Nagel, pretty slick!
  • Don’t drive iPhone developers away, Apple: If developers are afraid to write programs for the iPhone that aren’t games, to-do lists, and tip calculators, for fear that all their hard work will be wasted by a malicious or capricious Apple rejection notice, they will stop writing programs for the platform. And the well of innovative, interesting iPhone software will dry up. (via Daring Fireball)
  • YouTube – David Letterman Reacts to John McCain Suspending Campaign: Heh — McCain ticked Letterman off. Letterman spends about six minutes laying into McCain for suspending his campaign and ditching his scheduled guest appearance on Letterman's show…and that's before he finds out that instead of "flying back to Washington" to work on the crisis, McCain's actually live with Katie Couric during the taping of Letterman's show.
  • ⌘C ⌘V Character: Simple, fast way to use the most common extended characters (things like © or ½, but also including less common things like ‽, ♀, ☂, or ).