American nuns face Vatican "visitation"

The NY Times has a fascinating piece this morning about a Vatican probe that aims to determine whether American nuns are “living in fidelity” with the Church and its doctrines.

Church historians said that the Vatican usually ordered an apostolic visitation when a particular institution had gone seriously astray. In the wake of the priest sexual-abuse scandal, the Vatican ordered a visitation of American seminaries. It is now conducting a visitation of the Legionaries of Christ, a men’s order whose founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, sexually abused young seminarians, fathered a child and was accused of financial improprieties. He died in 2008. But the investigation of American nuns surprised many because there was no obvious precipitating cause.

Nuns play a growing role in Roman Catholic life here in the North Country, even as their numbers dwindle.

In recent decades, a divide has existed between the Vatican's conservative approach to faith and the attitudes of rank-and-file American Catholics and many of their clergy.

No raise for me...

So yesterday I wrote a scoldy letter to state Senators, urging them to get back to work and urging you to copy the thing and send it to your lawmaker.

The letter demanded that our elected servants get back to work by noon today...or else.

Trust me: If a real session of the Senate had occurred before noon, I would have been demanding a raise. A big one.

The pen (or the blog) is mightier than the sword, and all that.

Alas, no such luck. The clowns are still clowning and I can't add Senator-wrangling to my resume.

But let's all remember these bleak days come election season. The pen may not be all-powerful, but the ballot is...

pension fund problems, demystified

This latest bit of news about New York's pension fund reminded me of a terrific and very educational podcast by the Planet Money folks. PM is a collaboration between NPR and This American Life that attempts to explain in human language the financial crisis and everything related to it. Some of their pieces you've already heard on NPR or TAL. But Planet Money is more conversational, experimental, and just as fun to listen to.

Anywho, a recent episode breaks down the New York State pension fund scandal. A must-listen.

A North Country dam comes down

The trend in hydropower these days is more dams are coming down than are being built. In Franklin County, the Fort Covington dam on the Salmon River is coming down this week. U.S. Fish & Wildlife is sending around photos of the progress...

Hat tip to Jon Montan, St. Lawrence County planner.

Republicans confer to pick a candidate

Next week is the week the region's Republican Party tries to learn from the past. Many criticized the way Jim Tedisco was quickly annointed candidate for the 20th Congressional district special election last spring, with little input from rank and file party members. (Tedisco, of course, lost.)

As Republicans prepare for a furious 23rd district race once John McHugh is confirmed as Secretary of the Army, the GOP is holding four meetings to vet the potential candidates. The meetings are for committee members only:

7/7 Southern Area Meeting: Counties of Fulton, Hamilton, 6:00 at Zeiser Restaurant, Speculator
7/9 Western Area Meeting: Counties of Madison, Oswego, and Oneida, 6:30 at Schneibles Restaurant, Verona Beach
7/14 Central Area Meeting: Counties of Lewis, Jefferson, and St Lawrence, 6:00 at VFW, Gouverneur
7/16 Northern Area Meeting: Counties of Clinton, Essex and Franklin, 6:00 at Plattsburgh Town Hall, Plattsburgh.

The field is thick; eight people has expressed interest in running for the seat under the GOP flag. One of them, longtime moderate Assemblywoman Dee Dee Scozzafava of Gouverneur, is reportedly hiring Tedisco's chief fundraiser, Howard Decker.

Fifty experiments in dysfunction

One of the arguments for federalism -- shifting more power to states and away from the Federal government -- is that we create 50 different experiments in democracy.

It's a great notion that has served us well: 50 different laboratories, all trying new things, making mistakes, cleaning up messes, and slowly crawling toward reform.

(Yes, with the occasional nudge from Uncle Sam...)

Readers of this blog know my general take on American democracy:

By any reasonable measure -- from openness and accountability to fairness and a lack of corruption -- our system works better now than it did a century ago.

In large part, that's due to experiments at the state level. Franklin Roosevelt first tinkered with his big ideas here in New York state, including the North Country's St. Lawrence Seaway.

Ronald Reagan test-drove his vision of America in California.

But these days, the laboratories seem to be breaking down. The political cultures in New York and California are gridlocked.

Alaska -- where I grew up -- is a banana republic without the bananas, unless you count members of Governor Sarah Palin's extended family.

South Carolina? Don't get me started.

What troubles me most about these failures is that state government is -- compared with our Federal system -- extremely responsive to the public will.

For all our groaning and complaining, we're getting the government we want and deserve.

Most of us now see our elected officials primarily as conduits of pork.

We want more and more services, more government jobs, and big cash payments to fund our local projects -- and we're outraged at the idea that we should pay for any of it.

But when times are hard, we need leadership not patronage.

We need thoughtful, creative politicians, willing to try new things and take risks.

Maybe in next year's election, more voters will go looking for fresh faces, fresh minds, people willing to renew the experiment.

-Brian in Westport

Rendez-vous TODAY in Old Forge

Don't forget, we'll be in Old Forge at noon today for a live, on-air roundtable discussion. Martha Foley will host.

I'll be on the panel, along with Betsy Folwell from Adirondack Life and Lani Ulrich, APA board member and community organizer.

This is part of our celebration of the Adirondack News Bureau's 10th Anniversary. (Yes, I have now officially spent 25% of my life working in these mountains...)

So...here's your invitation to join us at the Old Forge Library at 11:30...

Or you can put questions to us here on the In Box. Leave any thoughts in the comment section below and I'll check for them one last time before we go on air.

-Brian in Westport

And then there were 60, including Stuart Smalley

Democrats now control two-thirds of the U.S. Senate, a super-majority that redefines American politics.

Republicans will continue to have enormous cultural power, with a 50-50 presence in the media.

But the big debates over the next eight months or so will largely occur within the Democratic caucus.

Conservative and moderate Democrats will fight to downsize the Obama-Pelosi agenda; but so far the left-of-center big tent is holding.

This also gives President Obama a pretty open horizon for making Supreme Court choices.

It is a sign of how far the GOP has fallen that their final toe-hold was pried loose by a Saturday Night Live comedian, Al Franken.

The man who gave us Stuart Smalley toppled Minnesota's veteran Republican Senator, Norm Coleman.

For conservatives, the events of the past couple of weeks heighten to a fever pitch the importance of the 2010 mid-terms.

Those elections can only be viewed as a referendum on Barack Obama's agenda. If Democrats prevail again, expanding their majority and solidifying their mandate, Republicans will face a truly existential crisis.

If the party's leaders can't stop the scandals, the in-fighting, and the ideological nastiness, building momentum (and raising money) for next year's elections will be tough.

Is Scott Murphy vulnerable? The GOP doesn't seem to think so

Democrats have won NY's 20th congressional districts seat -- once a vaunted Republican stronghold -- three times straight.

Glens Falls Democrat Scott Murphy scored a huge upset this spring over Republican Jim Tedisco.

The Hill newspaper reported over the weekend that Murphy would likely be targeted by the GOP for his vote in favor of landmark climate change legislation.

But it turns out he's not on the Republican hit-list. Politico is reporting that the GOP plans to target "vulnerable" Dems -- a group that doesn't appear to include Murphy.

“There’s a reason why over 40 Democrats in swing districts voted against this,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. “They realized that voting for [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi’s bill wasn’t worth the price of millions of dollars in TV ads that would be required to put up what will ultimately be a futile defense of this vote. The question is: What were the others thinking?”

But Politico's list doesn't include any lawmakers from New York. With Rep. John McHugh's seat likely to be up for grabs soon -- he was appointed to serve as Army Secretary -- this is hardly the time for the GOP to play nervous in the Empire State.

But there are signs that Republicans (or independent conservatives?) are at least keeping half an eye on Murphy.

At this week's constituent gathering in Ticonderoga, a person who appeared to be a political "tracker" or oppo-researcher video-recorded most of Murphy's talk.

When approached by Murphy's staff, he refused to identify himself and a short scuffle ensued. Rep. Murphy ended it by telling his people to stand down.

November 2010 will be here soon enough. If a serious challenge is in the offing, we should see more evidence soon.

An open letter to every NY state Senator

Here's a form letter that I encourage you to copy, share, sign, and then send as an email to your state Senator:

Dear Senator ----,

Unless you go back to the Senate floor and resume business by noon on Wednesday, July 1st, I will vote against you in the next election.

I don't care if we're the same party or different parties. I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat.

Unless you go back to work, I will vote against you in all future primaries and general elections. I will never donate another dime to your campaigns.

I don't care what your party leadership says. I don't care who is holding the gavel.

You must go to work and vote to resume the people's business. If you have to sit there all by yourself, waiting, do that.

Prove once and for all that your loyalties are with your constituents, not with the clowns of Albany.

Politicians like to believe that voters have short memories. But if you remain complicit in this shameful soap opera, I'm one voter who will remember.

I will be going to work on Wednesday morning to earn my paycheck. If you don't do the same, I'll do my best to make sure that you're fired.

You have years of work ahead restoring our trust and your own dignity. That effort must begin tomorrow.

Sincerely,

XXXXXX.

-From Brian in Westport

New In Box Etiquette: Put yourself on the map

The last week or so we've had what appear to be a lot of comments to the In Box from outside the North Country -- and frankly, from outside our extended community.

All are welcome, obviously. But to clarify and shape the discussion here, I want to encourage commenters to say where you're from.

Tupper Lake? Massena? Glens Falls? Moscow or Washington DC?

Why does it matter where you're writing from?

On big national debates -- healthcare, the environment, etc. -- we've been getting more "political Spam."

That is, comments from people from outside our region who are spraying the internet with pre-canned, pre-chewed opinions.

(We first saw a lot of his during the Murphy-Tedisco race. A bunch more popped up after last week's climate change vote...)

Some are not really participating in the discussion here; others are simply uninformed about the issues and realities that shape life here in the North Country.

A second reason for outing yourself geographically is that we're big believers in the importance of place. Frankly, we're curious to know which parts of the region are joining the In Box conversation.

Again, this doesn't disqualify anyone. And this particular bit of etiquette is optional.

But if you end your comment by saying "writing from Potsdam" or "writing from Saranac Lake" we'll know where to place you on our mental maps.

Like this:

--writing from Westport

McHugh, Murphy vote Yes on Climate Change Bill

The U.S. House voted narrowly today to approve historic legislation that would cap the amount of carbon emissions produced in the country and allow various industries to trade pollution credits.

The vote was a slender victory for Democrats, who gathered 219 votes, just 7 more than the minimum needed.

They crossed the finish line with the help of eight crucial Republicans, including North Country Rep. John McHugh.

McHugh is a moderate who has staked out progressive positions on pollution and acid rain issues, often feuding openly with GOP minority leader John Boehner.

(Boehner attempted to filibuster the bill.)

It's also worth noting that McHugh recently accepted President Barack Obama's appointment to serve as Secretary of the Army.

Another crucial vote came from Democratic newcomer Scott Murphy, who represents a Republican-heavy district that stretches from Saranac Lake through the Adirondacks and the Hudson valley to Poughkeepsie.

Here's Murphy's statement, issued on Friday:

“Today, we passed significant legislation to break our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and transition our economy towards energy independence. This bill will make important green investments in the 20th district, making our district and New York State more competitive and attractive in the clean energy marketplace.”

Another New York Democrat who represents a slice of the North Country, Michael Arcuri, voted against the bill. As did newcomer Eric Massa, who according to Politico angered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for breaking ranks at the last minute:

A third member who has irked the powers-that-be: Rookie upstate New York Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), who voted "no" despite a photo op with President Obama. Massa has also alienated many in Pelosi's team by introducing a House pay freeze jointly with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.).

Little not ready to "give up" on Senate coup

Here's Sen. Little's full statement, emailed to reporters today:

“When I voted for a leadership change two weeks ago, I was voting against a system in the Senate that wasn’t working. The state budget process, its secretive nature and the end result, is probably the clearest example of what has gone wrong this year.

“Immediately following the leadership vote, I voted for rules changes that would empower all members, regardless of the party or the region they represent. For me that’s what this struggle is about. And it is not something I want to give up on.

“The stalemate is very frustrating. The last thing I want is an impasse that holds hostage bills important to the communities I represent as well as those of others.

“Both sides could go back and forth for days, weeks and perhaps months arguing procedure, parliamentarian rules and constitutional questions. But we are elected to consider and vote on legislation. We need a resolution.

“My colleagues and I have proposed binding arbitration to settle this issue. It is my hope that my Democrat colleagues will agree to arbitration and that at the end of this, we can get the work done that we are here to do and reach a compromise that includes long-overdue reforms to make the operation of the Senate more fair and open.”

We have fun, too

David Sommerstein and I got back last week from the annual conference of Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI), where we learned ALL about everything. Really, the agenda was deep, lots of things to absorb about the future of news, particularly the growing importance of local radio journalism, better coordination among all the beanches of the public radio tree, and "multi-platforming" -- otherwise known as doing everything you do except now for web, Facebook, twitter, etc. etc. too.
The entire news team won an award for best continuing coverage among stations our size for "The Impact of War...at Home." David also picked up a PRNDI award for best enterprise/investigative story for a piece on windpower questions.
Yes, the news team works hard! But we have our lighter moments, as you probably know. Here's one from a PRNDI friend...from the reception after all the hard thinking was done.

"Our" astronmer in the NY Times today

This just in, from SLU physicist Aileen O'Donoghue. She's been on sabbatical this year, but has been a semi-regular during the 8 O'clock Hour for years:

Hi,
When I was observing at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope in March, George Johnson spent an evening with us and his article is in tomorrow's NY Times Science section.
Cheers,
Aileen

Actually, now TODAY's NYT. Here's a nice quote from Aileen:

“It’s the real sky that matters,” she says. She describes how she makes her undergraduate students go outside and look at the Big Dipper at different times of the night. “They come back and say, ‘It moves!’ ” — words Galileo legendarily muttered after he was forced to recant. “You can tell students that the Earth rotates, but until they see that with their eyeballs, they’re not doing science,” she said. “You might as well be teaching theology and Scripture.”

And the Times gives Aileen's memoir, “The Sky Is Not a Ceiling: An Astronomer’s Faith,” a nice plug too. As do we here in The Inbox.

Another flurry of ATV deaths

We've had a lively debate here about ATV fatalities in New York. We've had two more kids die on 4-wheelers Upstate in the last week, young twins in Shaghticoke. From the Albany Times-Union.

'This is every parent's worst nightmare,'' said Mechanicville Mayor Anthony J. Sylvester, who knew the twins' father from his work in the city. ''And to lose two kids at once, and twins at that. Just horrible.'

The State Police are also reporting that a 48-year-old man died on Sunday in the North Country town of Louisville. Dennis Martin apparently hit some trees after failing to make a turn.

Take a hike

South Carolina voters are struggling to understand how their top official, Governor Mark Sanford, could simply vanish for four days. No one, apparently not even his wife, knew where he was.

Strange. His assistant said he needed to clear his head after the last legislative session.

Finally, last night his staff revealed that they believed Gov. Sanford was out hiking somewhere on the Appalachian trail -- which means they've pinpointed his location to a 2,100-mile region of the East.

He still hasn't been seen or contacted by telephone...

New York voters, meanwhile, wish their political leaders would join Sanford in the wilderness.

Maybe a couple of days trudging the Northville-Placid trail would clear the heads of our own gang of eccentrics.

Maybe in the backwoods the Lord of the Flies scenario playing out in Albany would finally reach some conclusion.

Whoever comes out with the conch shell gets to be Majority Leader...

What I hope to hear from President Obama on healthcare

When President Barack Obama takes to the podium today in the White House Rose Garden, here's what I want to hear:

1. Here's a plan that moves us substantially toward universal health care for all Americans, providing coverage that's portable, affordable, and includes mechanisms for cost-containment. Yes, that means a public option.

2. Here's how much it will cost. Don't fall into the trap of promising Americans that we can have big ticket items (two wars, say, or No Child Left Behind-style education reform) without paying for them.

3. Make sure the solution is pay-as-we go. No new debt. Yes, raising taxes during a recession is bitter medicine. But Americans are sick of debt. And giving millions of workers access to health care will push our entire economy into the 21st century.

A quick postscript:

Later this week, I'll be profiling four entrepreneurs who've started new businesses in the last year in the North Country.

They're filling store fronts, providing new jobs, paying taxes.

But not one of them had health care, or could offer health care to their employees. Not one.

My point? Health care reform isn't just for the tens of millions of Americans who are uninsured or under-insured.

It's also for companies that want to get out of the social-safety-net business, so they can focus on their products.

It will also help American firms compete more effectively with overseas companies that don't have to worry about being social-service agencies.

It's also for workers who want more flexibility to change jobs and take entrepreneurial risks in their own lives.