worldwide pablo

Look who's quoted in this morning's Portland Tribune. Click and scroll down. Thanks for the nod, Phil.

Tomorrow Americans observe the 227th anniversary of the nation's birth, and with any luck, we'll remember the reasons for the occasion. No, it's not barbecues, beer and fireworks. (Think life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.) It would be a good day to dig out the flag from the coat closet, if you haven't done so already. Meanwhile, Worldwide Pablo serves up some Independence Day morsels:

What's your Independence Day I.Q.? Here's an interesting civics quiz, courtesy of MSNBC. Worldwide Pablo took the test and scored 9 out of 10. How 'bout you? (If you ask nicely, he'll tell you about the one he missed.)

It's all out there: Ain't the Internet grand? It's all out there, everything from the corny to the commercial. And then there's the simply whacked out and the outright bizarre. But then, that's what Independence Day is really all about, isn't it?

Reading material: Two good pieces of about the beginnings of our nation are online this week. There's a good read about Independence Day at PBS's website for "A Capitol Fourth." And Time magazine has an excellent set of articles about the printer from Philadelphia, the timeless and matchless Benjamin Franklin, always Worldwide Pablo's favorite founder.

Or better yet, take a twirl at the Declaration itself, always a good read (unless you're John Ashcroft).

Speaking of Ashcroft: Apropos of absolutely nothing, here's a Google search that is sure to elicit a smile. Go to Google and type in this phrase (complete with quotemarks): "weapons of mass destruction" and then click the "I'm feeling lucky" tab. Warning: Not approved for sourpusses.

A note: That's all from WWP for now. He's taking advantage of the three-day weekend to pursue some of those all-American things he mentioned above. He'll be back on Monday. Meanwhile, be safe. Please don't drink and drive. And, as always, take heed of the day's glorious purpose.

Oregon, O wretched Oregon! The Beaver state finds itself trashed again and again in the news media outside her borders, now the perpetual poster child for When Good States Go Bad. From New York to Los Angeles, the two Timeses chime in about Oregon's ever-dimming fortunes. (Registration required.)

Yesterday, in fact, was the beginning of the fiscal year for most states of the union. Seven started with no budgets, and, yes, dear readers, Oregon was one of them. It made news worldwide. Click here to see just how far and wide the bad news traveled.

The net result? Now, Oregon's once vaunted livability is being widely called into question, and worse, folks are beginning to talk about it.

Worldwide Pablo has first-hand information that many of our esteemed legislators have free time on their hands at the moment, with most of the action now having gone into closed-door meetings. WWP speculates that perhaps your legislator has time right now to hear your suggestions on the way out of this mostly self-created morass.

Tick tock: Six days, and GWB's still not talking. It cannot help his case that the whackos are doing his talking for him instead. WWP is slightly encouraged, though, at GWB's unflappable reunion recently with an old Yale pal … er, make that gal.

What happened? CNN had this online poll yesterday, but mid-day it mysteriously disappeared. Wild public mood shift? Ballot stuffing? No explanation from CNN. Either way, it looks fishy to WWP.

By the way, it is true that GWB's dollar signs are better than his re-election numbers, but nowhere near as paltry as the "poll" suggested. Even columnist Mark Shields concedes: "When voters are asked, as they were recently in a CNN-USA Today-Gallup survey, about giving Bush a second White House term, 50 percent said they would vote for the president and 38 percent said they would vote for his obviously unknown Democratic challenger." Sounds about right.

Deal 'em: Yes, WWP said he would stop posting these silly playing cards, but he can't help himself. Here’s just one more.

Here are two things Worldwide Pablo thought he'd never see, especially on the same day: Wal-Mart goes gay and Britannia ponders same-sex marriage. Strange world, ain't it?

By the way, WWP thinks it just a matter of time before gay marriage takes place in the states. Have your doubts? Consider this: When folks figure out how much money there is to be made on gay weddings, there will be a stampede to legalize them. And sooner than you might think. John Scalzi has some scathingly funny predictions.

Should Antonin Scalia stay? Ever since his dissent in last week's ruling in the Texas sodomy case, Lawrence v. Texas, commentators and pundits of all political stripes are wondering, out loud and in the various media, whether "Nino" is beginning to lose it. Readers of this page will recall that Worldwide Pablo himself, on the very day of the decision, wondered, given his blind eye to civil rights and the intemperance of his dissent, whether Scalia remains the sort of jurist who should be held up as an example for future federal judicial appointments – and for that matter, whether he remains fit for his current job.

It's not exactly impeachment talk, but there is a growing drumbeat of doubt. To wit:

From the left, columnist Maureen Dowd unflatteringly likens the justice to an iconic '70s television character. "Justice Scalia may play patriotic songs on the piano, but Justice Anthony Kennedy gave patriotism true meaning in time for the Fourth of July. … Antonin Scalia is Archie Bunker in a high-backed chair. Like Archie, Nino is the last one to realize that his intolerance is risibly out-of-date."

From the middle, columnist David Broder compares Scalia's rhetoric and tone with the rejected racial politics of another generation: "[D]issenting again from the decision overturning the Texas anti-sodomy law, Scalia railed against 'the so-called homosexual agenda' and declared himself on the side of those who 'do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children and teachers in their children's schools or as boarders in their homes.' That, too, echoes a favorite [Jesse] Helms theme. And it's not a model Bush should seek to clone."

The criticism even comes from the right. Andrew Sullivan, on his website and blog, opines: "The truth is: anyone whose views are that inflamed shouldn't be anywhere near a federal bench. A talk-show host or blogger, maybe. A politician surely. But not a judge."

Role model or rogue? You be the judge.

Whither GWB? Worldwide Pablo has opined that the Lawrence decision puts the White House in an awkward position: Stick with the social and religious conservatives, and risk losing the suburban moderates? Or side with the decision, and risk losing the support of the GOP's historic base? So, far GWB has been silent. But for how long, WWP wonders?

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Rosen, writing in The New Republic Online, has an alternative, and scary, prediction: "By resurrecting an unprincipled and unconvincing constitutional methodology, the Court will energize the conservatives who have lost the culture wars, and will allow them to cast themselves as judicial martyrs rather than political losers." The social and religious conservations as underdogs? Decide for yourself.

The strawberries are in: Of the entire multitude of seemingly endless delights about living in Oregon, it is the reward of summer produce that grants the greatest pleasure. And nowhere is that pleasure more excellently evidenced than the current bounty of Oregon strawberries. Oh goodness, these succulent gems always seem heaven-sent when they arrive, fresh off the farm not far from home. (Nix to those antiseptic, rubbery things plied in the usual grocery chains). This year's crop seems, well, let's just say they're from the highest ring of the food heaven. "Sweeter, redder, simply better," indeed. (Be sure to check out the recipes).

By the way, the occasion of this strawberry-induced euphoria was a long-delayed and well-received trip to the Aurora Colony Museum in Aurora, Ore., where a Utopian society was established in 1856 by a charismatic Prussian tailor and self-styled physician, Dr. William Keil. The museum and grounds provided for an informative and interesting afternoon. It's a must-see for anyone interested in Oregon history. Plus, there's a bonus just touring through the beautiful Willamette Valley setting.

Scene watch, Part I: They're straight, they’re hip and they’re moisturized - every marketer's dream. They’re the “metrosexuals.” The New York Times explores this latest urban trend.

(Ah, now WWP gets it. No wonder it's so easy being gay these days – even the straight guys are in on it. How … queer.)

Scene watch, Part II: Finally, a bumper sticker for the mayoral recall crowd. You knew it had to happen.

FCC watch: He's even crankier than Worldwide Pablo. William Safire continues his well-aimed and well-meaning crusade against the Federal Communications Commission's media monopoly giveaway. This scandal isn't over yet, not by a long shot.

Worth noting: Local blogger Jack Bogdanski pays tribute to one of his favorite jurists, also one of WWP's favorites. Happy birthday, Ted.

Speaking of blogs: WWP welcomes a few new local links in "our daily blogs" (at left). Be sure to check 'em out: About It All and The Oregon Blog, joining the previously added Jack Bog's Blog. All local, all the time.

The cat and dog dilemma: It's sorta like Macs vs. PCs, or blue states and red states. How else to figure out why a perennial Emmy winner would fail so badly to win over TV viewers' hearts?

So the Trailblazers are looking for a new name for the Rose Quarter Arena? Turns out the Blazers are experiencing something of a fiscal pinch and are scouting for a corporate sponsor to pony up big bucks in exchange for renaming the stadium. Hmmm. Why not just rename it "The Courthouse." Seems to Worldwide Pablo that's where many of the Blazers are already spending most of their time anyway. (Of course, there's probably not much money in it, government revenues being what they are these days.)

WWP invites your nominations. He promises to post them here and will kindly pass along your suggestions to Paul Allen.

While American gays are getting used to the idea that their sex acts (or their very being) can no longer be criminalized, gay Canadians are going several steps further and are actually getting married! When the moment finally arrived recently that gay Canadians could tie the knot, our neighbors to the north reacted with … a big yawn. Oh, as on our side of the border, the social conservatives have worked themselves up into a righteous lather, but nothing like the yelping heard in the U.S. Why the difference? WWP can point to at least two reasons: Canadian leadership is not politically indebted to (or some would say, financially and emotionally hijacked by) the religious conservatives as the U.S. counterparts are. And what’s more, Canada has a very long track record on immigration, diversity and tolerance, one that makes the U.S.’s claim to be a “melting pot” look pitiful indeed. Simply put, and in the words of a Toronto college professor: ''Canada, in the last decade or so, has become more accepting of difference." Read more about it in this Boston Globe article.

A saving grace in all this turmoil, Worldwide Pablo thinks, is the discernible trend stateside that when it comes to marriage, it's mostly gays and lesbians who are talking about the subject. Straights on the other hand, long accustomed to national divorce rates in the 50 percent range, have been "switching brands," as it were, adopting the various kinds of live-in relationships that gays have always been limited to. Interesting switcheroo, huh?

Oh, but put the words "same-sex" in front of marriage, then everyone, my dear, wants to talk about marriage. The irascible William Safire concurs and points out that henceforth all politicians can expect to be asked about the "s-s-m" question. He adds: "I used to fret about same-sex marriage. Maybe competition from responsible gays would revive opposite-sex marriage." How true.

Columnist Ellen Goodman suggests that gay marriage isn't as radical as you might think. She writes: "[Justice Scalia] and others clearly regard the gay rights movement as a threat to marriage, a fear that was behind the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 to limit marriage to heterosexuals. Gays don't want to attack marriage, they want to join it. While many see this as radical, it is, at heart, profoundly socially conservative." Read it for yourself. It's a beaut. (The "Texas Taliban." Who knew?)

While we're on the subject: Here's yet more analysis of the Supreme Court's decision last week on the Texas sodomy law.

Here is some startling information: The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to grow with 40,000 new infections each year. Among African Americans, the death rate is nearly 10 times higher than among white Americans (African Americans are 12 percent of the population, yet represent 38 percent of all reported cases of AIDS). The Latino community is also severely impacted - making up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 18 percent of all AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control. People under 25 are estimated to make up at least half of all new HIV infections. HIV has been the leading cause of death among young people since 1991.

In the crush of last week's news out of the Supreme Court, Worldwide Pablo neglected to remind readers about an important event, "Take the Test Day," aimed at encouraging increased awareness of and testing for the worldwide scourge we know as AIDS. Worldwide Pablo (trust him, he knows a thing or two about this subject) encourages you, your friends, your loved ones, every one – even if only as an example to others – to take the test, or please, at least consider doing so.

There is an AIDS activist saying, "Silence Equals Death." When it comes to HIV/AIDs, WWP thinks, ignorance also is a sure contender, too.