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Stuck on the keyboard watching CNN

Today is day one of a four-day weekend. So what I have I been doing? Sleeping until 10 a.m. was one activity, or inactivity if you will. I probably would have awakened a little earlier had I not stayed up until 2:30 this morning watching coverage of the commuter plane crash in suburban Buffalo, N.Y. Unlike the first reports heard after the crash, it has been confirmed a total of 50 people died in the crash including one person who was inside the house hit by the aircraft.

Except for taking an hour’s walk today I have been glued to CNN most of the time watching even more coverage of the crash in between reports on the progress of the stimulus bill. House Minority Leader John Boehner tried to ride his high horse, using the old “big bill throw-down” shtick in which a politician has a particularly thick piece of legislation and when he finishes pontificating he throws the bill down with a thud. Boehner said no one in Congress read every page of that bill although other reps pointed out that most of the pages have been around awhile and aren’t exactly hot off the press. Oh well. I enjoy watching Boehner about as much as I like watching CNN’s Rick Sanchez, who is on right now, so I better change the channel.

Well, the NTSB is about to have a press conference so I guess I will stay on CNN long enough to watch that. I really need to get away from the TV though. And the Internet. So I will start with the Internet. 49 bye-byes.

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Commuter crash in Buffalo


A Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 such as the one that crashed Thursday night near Buffalo.
A Continental commuter flight from Newark to Buffalo crashed into a home tonight in Clarence Center, NY. It was a Colgan Air flight which is a Continental Connection partner. Apparently the weather conditions included sleet. Colgan is the only company we can fly out on in my city, from Beaumont-Port Arthur to Continental’s hub at Bush International in Houston. Authorities say 48 passengers and crew were on board. It doesn’t look good at all. My best wishes for all those involved and the families. The plane was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, a 74-seat turboprop. CNN reports that NY state police confirm all 48 on board were killed. One person on the ground has also been reportedly killed.

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Gregg says he does not want to be Commerce head

The blood is in the water and the sharks are attacking!

I am referring to the announcement made by Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire saying he was withdrawing his name for Commerce Secretary. This bit of news is, metaphorically, the blood of the Obama administration and the sharks are the punditry and anti-Obaministas.

Every time Obama’s heart beats it is examined in depth by the pundits to detect a murmur. I wish the same pundits and some of the media had been that dogged with Bush the Younger leading up to the Iraq war.

It will be interesting reading someday to know why Gregg REALLY dropped out, but right now I am not all that curious to hear rampant speculation.

I do admit the Census Bureau thing is odd. I don’t know enough about the proposal — which is to share the 2010 Census leadership with White House senior staff as well as the Commerce Secretary. Politically, it could be a political job machine, not to mention a lock on congressional redistricting were the Census Bureau to be put under the White House. I am not much in favor of creating more political jobs, being the good union man that I am. But the White House insists it isn’t taking control of the Census so who are going to believe? Me? Ha! You crack me up.