Splendiferous!

The debate between Orrock and Kenney was last night. I took a ton of notes, and have not yet compiled them into a proper article. The Free Lance-Star did. It's a fairly good article, and fairly accurate. Two points I want to make.

The article starts off with this:

[D]uring a two-hour debate that occasionally grew emotional

No kidding.

The article reviews that idea later:

Education ended up producing the most personal question of the night, when an audience member pressed Kenney on his background, specifically where he went to school.

He explained that while he attended Catholic University, then Germanna Community College and then the University of Mary Washington—studying biology and philosophy while at times working three jobs to pay tuition—he did not finish college.

That’s because he chose to get a full-time job when in his senior year, he and his wife learned they were going to have a child.

“I made sure my wife had enough money to be able to go to college,” Kenney said. “We could have taken the easy way out and had an abortion, but we didn’t and we have a beautiful boy over there because of that experience.”

The audience member in question, wearing an Orrock sticker by the way, seemed eager to press home the point that Kenney has not yet finished college. Very eager. Why is that?

Orrock also disclosed his educational background, admitting that in his first two quarters at Virginia Tech, he was perilously close to flunking out, so came home and spent his sophomore year at Germanna, before returning to graduate from Virginia Tech.

It should be explained here that Orrock answered this question (the last question of the night) from an audience member that was clearly with (and the whole thing was planned ahead to make this point) the individual who asked the previous question. Orrock answered the question this way after this gentleman referred to Kenney as a college drop out. The audience, the moderator, and Orrock all came down on this person. And rightfully so. His comments were clearly out of line, disgraceful, and an embarrasment. Sir, whoever you are (and I have a good idea who), you should be ashamed of yourself. Having a degree in no way makes you qualified for being the Delegate of the 54th District. I have a degree in Mathematics. Does that make me at all qualified for being a delegate? Absolutely not! Shoot, I didn't know what half the crap they were talking about even was. I never learned about Dillon Rules in my institute of higher learning. You sir, are an idiot.

He didn't even stay to apologize.

Kudos to Bobby Orrock for supporting Shaun Kenney when he was viciously attacked.

Then there is this quote about a question asked just before that disgraceful business above.

[Orrock] said the solution is bringing higher-paying jobs to the area, although he acknowledged—when a member of the audience pointed it out—that it’s hard to do that when some businesses decide not to locate in Spotsylvania specifically because of its traffic problems.

I am that audience member! Woo. It wasn't so much me pointing out that it's difficult to do that. Orrock himself had already pointed it out. I just pointed out that his solution for solving the traffic problem is to bring more jobs, but than an hour later he says the jobs won't come until we fix traffic. Interesting circular reasoning. He thinks the way to fix it is through more exits on 95, something I'm not all that sure is going to work.

This gentleman suggests bringing Metro all the way down to Fredericksburg, something neither candidate mentioned.

A full breakdown of the debate will be forthcoming.

The Free Lance-Star has had a few stories about or mentioning Shaun Kenney recently. Again, he's running against Bobby Orrock for delegate. (author bias disclosure: I know both men and their families, and live with Shaun's cousin) Bobby Orrock has a website now, by the way. It's about time.

Here is a story discussing Berkeley Elementary School (author bias disclosure: my mom teaches there)

Shaun Kenney, who is challenging Del. Bobby Orrock for the 54th District seat in the House of Delegates, mentioned Berkeley at a March public hearing on the Spotsylvania budget.

Kenney said the county spends ample taxpayer money on schools, yet Berkeley Elementary can’t get accredited.

Baker and others put out a more positive message to students this week.

Is Kenney too negative? A subtle hit from FLS?

And then there was this story, that Jason picks up something about.

And Shaun? Well, no mention of his crowd was made AT ALL. Nevermind the fact that EIGHTY people were there, not counting the many children families brought to the event. And no mention of any speeches made because the reporter left before the event really began.

Could the FLS be pro-Orrock?

Of course, there have been quite a few letters to the editor posted. More for Kenney than Orrock. Who knows how many were sent in though. I don't think the FLS is biased towards Orrock, it's just an interesting thing to note.

Go see Kenney and Orrock debate this Wednesday!

Last Star Wars (Washington) post before I see the movie. I promise.

The review of Episode II, Attack of the Clones opens with a great and rousing endorsement of the movie:

The emotional climax of "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" is fabulous. Soaring and majestic, it reaches deep inside you to stroke chords of fond memory, to reaffirm the pleasure and healing power of narrative, to liberate the imagination.

Seriously? What movie did this guy watch?

Unfortunately, it comes in the first two seconds. That's when the legendary words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . ." materialize on the screen and John Williams's familiar music rises thunderously. After that, the movie doesn't go downhill or uphill; it doesn't go anywhere. It flatlines.

Oh, right.

Ugggg. Anyway, Stephen Hunter (GREAT reviewer by the way!) keeps up the entertainment with this great line:

But the mythic source he seems to have based this episode on is . . . "The McLaughlin Group."

Wrong! (love that show)

Hunter keeps up the pressure on Attack of the Clones, hitting it hard with this all too true non-sequitor:

It's like reading the latest dispatch on the Mongolian parliament, as reported by Elizabeth Drew in a really cranky mood.

And this very accurate one:

Not even the action sequences truly stir; too often, they simply resemble "Jetsons" shtick

There are so many good quotes from the article, you should really read the entire thing. One last zinger:

Anakin Skywalker (played by 'N Sync star Justin Timberlake -- no, no, played by Hayden Christensen, who looks like an 'N Sync kid but doesn't have as much talent).

No offense, Betty.

All in all, this line sums up the entire first two episodes:

Agh! It's so frustrating to see so much pictorial energy wasted.

So that's it. Episode III is coming up. Lucas, don't disappoint me.

The Washington Post (sensing a pattern?) has a bunch of its old reviews of the Star Wars films online for viewing. Pretty damn good reviews. One of them is not all that pleasant. The main review raves about Empire Strikes Back. The one in the Weekend section by Judith Martin (actually the first of two reviews) is not complimentary. In fact, Judith Martin says Empire sucks. (Blasphemy!) The funniest part of the review (unintentional of course, as I am reading it 25 years later and we all know how it ends up) is this:

Its originator, George Lucas, has revealed that the two pictures are actually parts four and five of a nine-part saga, as if audiences will some day receive the total the way devotees now go to Seattle for a week of immersion in Wagner's complete Ring Cycle.

Nonsense, This is no momumental artistic work, but a science-fiction movie done more snappily than most, including its own predecessor. A chocolate bar is a marvelous sweet that does not need to pretend to be a chocolate souffle; musical comedies are wonderful entertainment without trying to compete with opera; blue jeans are a perfect garment that shouldn't be compared with haute couture . There are times when you would much rather have a really good hot dog than any steak, but you can still recognize that one is junk food and the other isn't.

How ironic.

Now, I'll be the first to say the Ring Cycle is a fantastic bit of work. But, wow. Devotees go to Seattle for a whole WEEK to see the Ring Cycle?

What about waiting in line for an entire YEAR for a Star Wars movie?

I wonder what Judith Martin is up to now?

I like the Washington Post. There are a number of reasons I could list, but this one takes the cake.

In his review of Revenge of the Sith, Stephen Hunter provides the ultimate movie reference to explain why Anakin and Amidala can't act their way out of a paper bag with each other:

It would also help if Christensen and Portman were more expressive actors and if the dialogue they were forced to utter didn't sound like it was stolen from "The Black Shield of Falworth," starring Tony Curtis, in 1954

All hail peasant boy!

Fox News has the list of base closings. Interesting results.

Washington Post has a great article today on women in combat. They're not supposed to be on the front lines. But in Iraq, there are no front lines. They're fighting the enemy, and they're performing well. Women are up to the job.

Congress is moving forward to make restrictions on women more stringent.

I don't understand why we have this grandfatherly patronizing attitude towards women. Women are people too. Let them serve.

BRAC List
Army bases currently proposed for closure or realignment in 2005 include:
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Fort Monroe, Virginia
Natick Soldier Center, Massachusetts
Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey
===================================================================
Naval base closures and realignments include:
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Virginia
===================================================================
Marine base closures and realignments include:
Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California (realign or close) ===================================================================