It seems to me the standards for sexual harassment are many and mixed.  We don't even know exactly what it is Herman Cain has done to raise such a hue and cry.  He made someone feel 'uncomfortable'.  What does that mean? I think back to my younger days and how many guys I dated, or didn't, at whom I could aim such accusations by today's standards.  I guess because none of them ever came into the public eye I didn't bother.  I just avoided them. The thing that is bothersome is not knowing exactly what we're supposed to be so angry about.  Everything is skewed.  Plus it's his word against those who have lawyered themselves up. I remember when the harassment movement first began.  A woman would walk past a construction site and if she were attractive she'd elicit wolf whistles and catcalls. That became politically incorrect so the guys would stand by silently, undressing her with their eyes.  They couldn't be sued for that.  If one is harassment isn't the other?/Dogwalk Musings. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Has the definition of sexual harassment changed? Where do you think the line is?

So Hillary Clinton is the most popular national figure in America.  I've even heard there has been a movement for her to challenge Obama in a primary.  She could, you know.  And probably win because all her fans would come out in force.  But I doubt she will unless things get far worse than they already are.  She's too good a soldier. Hindsight being 20/20, I do believe either she or McCain would have been the better President.  Both look at the country more like most of us.  They'd be trying to strengthen it from the damage done before rather than trying to change it to match an ideology of mediocrity/Dogwalk Musings. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Do you want Hillary Clinton to challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 Democratic primary?

The debt ceiling has been raised.  What that means is the government is now able to spend more money.  Yet the country's unemployment rate still hovers just under 10%.  Future prospects remain dismal. So what does the President do to empathize with the people he governs?  Throws a birthday bash where it costs ten grand to have a picture taken with him and over thirty five thousand to gain entry to the dinner.  Just one of many celebrations to be held around the country hosted by various insiders.  Of course it's a campaign event.  So why the heck would he want to burden the rich with more taxes?  It would mean less for him. Him.  Him.  Him.  It's always him/Dogwalk Musings. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Is President Obama a narcissist?

The current debt ceiling/deficit debate going on is important to be sure.  I've been doing a lot of ranting and raving about it for days now.  I must thank the former speaker, however, for adding some much needed levity with the comment, “What we’re trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget … We’re trying to save life on this planet as we know it today.” Oh, don't I wish!  I wonder if she has a clue how idiotic that sounds.  It's right up there with her comment when health care passed; she said we could then all read it and find out what was in it!  To think this woman is one of the most powerful in the country/Dogwalk Musings. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Which statement made by one of the congressional partisans re: the debt ceiling showdown do you consider the silliest?

Michele Bachmann is a headache!  Maybe even a migraine.  She certainly creates, in me, as per possible side effects of a migraine,  a degree of nausea and (a) disturbed vision! Now, it seems she has left her church.  She is ~ was ~ Lutheran. After having belonged to the church for at least ten years even if she hasn't attended, in favor of another, for the last two.  It seems, after all those years, she finds herself questioning the Lutherans stand on the Pope and the Catholic view of how one attains salvation. I left the church when I was in college for a number of reasons, not the least being witness to this doctrine being preached from the pulpit to numerous in the congregation from other countries and religions. I thought it showed an insensitivity to those exploring various religions, including Catholicism/Dogwalk Musings. More here. (AP photo of Bachmann in Aiken, S.C., this week)

Question (for former church goers who no longer attend church of any kind): What was the deal breaker that caused you to quit going to church?

Dogwalk Musings offers this drawing of Ganesha symbolism in a blog post today that decries the silliness of the protest and petition drive against the public art in downtown Coeur d'Alene by the Kootenai County Constitution Party and a misguided religionist. You can read her report here. (Illustration source: Ganesha Utsav)

• 10 things you could find at our 7th annual 4th of July party/A Butterfly Moment
• You light up my life/Idaho Dad, A Family Runs Through It
• Casey Anthony trial: Murder by the numbers/Atmospheric Ruminations
• Why Bayviewites don't do vacations/Bay Views
• Casey Anthony trial: A travesty of justice/Community Comment
• Children getting older/From A Simple Mind
• Congress's dirty water act/KEA Blog
• Time flies/Slight Detour
• BBQ idea: Summer food, and: Child labor in Idaho schools/Stebbijo's Place
• Yantra & yogibogeybox/Tumblewords

Hucks Numbers (for Wednesday, July 6): 7968/4866

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the possibility of a long departed carousel making a return to its home town. I'm happy to report a very generous couple has purchased it from the current owners and are already packing it for the trip. The question is where should it go. Many have suggested it be incorporated into the plans for the revitalization of McEuen Park.  When suggested the Mayor commented,  “We're not looking at buildings, per se, so I don't know if it could fit.”  My question is if the plan they were unveiling was merely a concept, why not? Her statement, knowing the council's history, suggests an already done deal.  Nothing more to be done than go through those pesky motions/Mari Meehan, Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Is it too early in the planning process for McEuen Field to say that Mayor Sandi Bloem and the City Council aren't listening to suggestions (like putting the Carousel at McEuen) from the public?

My one other love is blogging. It's nearing obsolescence with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, but I still enjoy it. I want to keep at it. I'd miss it. Today I've put my Facebook Zoo Mates on notice I'm cutting way back. It has become an addiction I need to break. My “friends” count will probably dwindle. The real ones will stay. I hope. Yesterday I spent the afternoon unsubscribing to sites I'd joined for no really good reason. Linkedin. It's for business networking. I have nothing to offer or gain/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: How have your social networking habits changed in the last 3 to 5 years?

Remember too how the boomers wanted men to be more like women? Softer. Sensitive. More open with their feelings? Now it appears we may have one about to become the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner . I rather like seeing that in a man. One who can tear up over the Star Spangled Banner or even just from watching a sentimental movie. Of all things that can make a politician ‘one of us’ I think a genuine display of sentimentality just might be it. Forget the beer and bowling shtick/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Do you prefer politicians who can tear up — and show their human side?

I’ve seen these signs around brilliant red northern Idaho and wonder if the Republicans are so worried about their candidate losing they have to stoop to this. Or do the Democrats have a death wish? Curious, I asked a friend who is a mover and shaker with the Dems and was advised to note the sponsoring name on the poster. Hmmm. Seems the name is that of a VP of the Reagan Republicans! Whether or not his organization gave it’s blessing is something I don’t know. He certainly has the right as an individual to do as he pleases. If it’s a personal issue or a party issue, the party is tarred with it/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Have you decided whether this is a clever idea or a dirty trick yet?

The evening broadcasts have been deteriorating for some time now. I often wonder how people get their news if they aren’t armed to the teeth with computers and all the variations thereof. I don’t have any of those fancy gadgets, just my computer and I do have to rely on it for a lot of what I need to write a post. That’s because the papers, all two of them, are lacking/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: How much of your news do you collect from the social media?

Attorney General Eric Holder, in a speech to Justice Department employees, said the United States is a nation of cowards on matters of race and that most Americans avoid discussing awkward racial issues. That begs me to question if such is the reason Roland Burris is still a member of the United States Senate. A spotlight seeking egomaniac with questionable abilities, he has been controversial from the start as Obama’s replacement. He convinced everyone, at the outset, that he was squeaky clean when it came to his appointment by “Pay to Play” Blogojevich. Well, as squeaky clean as one is when involved in Illinois politics. Which would seem to be not very/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Is the United States a “nation of cowards” on matters of race?

The irony did not escape me that I was going to introduce a new life to her as she was losing hers. It was a bittersweet thought; one not to be fulfilled. Mom didn’t make it through that first day. So there we were, Bacchus and me. We stayed a month taking care of everything that has to be done to close out a life. Funeral arrangements, estate sale, getting the house ready and putting it on the market. The two of us together. At night, when exhausted, he’d snuggle up with me and give me the comfort I sorely needed. We formed a very special bond/Dogwalk Musings. More here. Update on Bacchus here.

• Set Design 101/Accidental Rabbit Trails
• The queen speaks to the masses/Community Comment
• While Congress postures, Hillary earns her pay/Dogwalk Musings
• Top 10 reasons why I want spring to arrive/Gathering Around The Table
• I know what I saw, so shut it/Marmitetoasty

Question: Have you ever had a pet that you loved almost like family?

Now, the Spokane Police Department is back in the headlines. An officer gets reinstated with back pay after arbitration ruled firing was too stiff a penalty. For what? For driving his city assigned car after having been drinking and using his city issued cell phone to snap pictures of a bare breasted woman then having sex with her in her car. According to arbitration, the penalty was too stiff. He deserved punishment but not dismissal. Here’s Dogwalk’s take. There was no policy regarding cell phone pictures. Come on! It was city property. A Mayor was ousted for cruising gay web sites on a city computer! He was nowhere near legally intoxicated. Just when was he tested? He’s a police officer for crying out loud!/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Could police officers and sheriff’s deputies get away with as much as their counterparts do in Spokane County?

Item: How to avoid paying taxes and get a pass? Get appointed to a high-level position in the Obama administration/Dogwalk Musings

More Info: I’m sorry, but owing back taxes amounting to $128,000 is inexcusable. Geitner, as our new Treasury Secretary, was bad enough. Now Daschle. The Senate has given them both a gentleman’s pass. Rather like the passing grades Bush got at Yale and Harvard! And don’t tell me it was an “honest” mistake! Especially Daschle - he helped make the very laws he has chosen to scoff! Plus the fact, no matter how many “people” he has, he has to sign the return. Just like the rest of us. I’m even more disappointed with the idea that Obama has allowed these passes to be given. Poor Bill Richardson must be scratching his head in wonder.

Question: Should the U.S. Senate approve Daschle’s nomination despite the significant amount of money he owes in back taxes?

How do you effectively fight a war when our guys stand out like beacons because of their armor and uniforms while the opposition fades into civilian crowds because they don’t dress for war! They surely do match us in weaponry. I’m just a bit edgy these days but I’m tired of these governments scolding us when it’s our young men and women who are being maimed or slaughtered to keep their sorry selves in power. War is Hell. Civilians get killed. If they don’t want their civilians killed stop the wars! Quit blaming us. If they don’t want us there, let’s oblige them. I’m sure all our Johnnie’s would be more than happy to come marching home/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: How soon will President Barack Obama get troops out of Iraq & Afghanistan?

The vetting process aside, I’m wondering what it says about these men who have been chosen to serve! Richardson knew he was under investigation, Blair knew what his activities were in East Timor and certainly a potential Treasury Secretary, Geithner, would remember he had failed to pay his taxes! If he doesn’t remember, being a money man, I don’t want him managing mine! Is the urge to be part of the power base so strong it precludes honesty? And if it does do we want these men serving?/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Who’s to blame when fatal flaws are found in nominees for important positions — the president who nominated them and his vetting process? Or the nominees for not being forthcoming?

Wow! The fewer qualifications you have the better job you can get! Heck, I ought to be Michelle Obama’s Press Secretary! I was browsing around and found this AP headline: Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent. Yep. He’s being sent to Israel to cover the Gaza war. Let’s see. Samuel J. Wurzelbacher. He could be Jewish. Which would give pause to the credibility of his reporting. But then if he’s German, that would too! Never mind the fact that he’s not even licensed as a plumber what’s more a journalist!/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Would you be interested in hearing a Gaza war report from Joe The Plumber?

I am fascinated by the story (of the moose rescue at Priest Lake). Fish and Game officials, who weren’t on the scene, would have left the moose to die. Their thinking is that it is a potentially dangerous animal and the risk of human life for one moose isn’t worth it. This is the same agency who won’t remove a carcass from the highway because it isn’t their job. The rescuers were also chided for feeding the beast because the food was contrary to the moose’s winter diet and could kill it. Somehow I don’t imagine the moose ate enough to make much difference other than to warm her innards/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Did you residents who saved the moose from Priest Lake act properly? Or should they have opted for safety and allowed the animal to die?

There seem to be more and more talk regarding the role of first lady. Whether there should be a job description and whether or not she should receive a salary. The latest was a column in the Spokesman Review by Lauren Stiller Rikleen . Ms. Rikleen is a partner in a law firm and executive director of the Bowdich Institute for Women’s Success. I was pretty sure I knew where it was going before I read it! This is one of those times I find myself smack in the middle of the generational divide! I don’t think there should be either/Dogwalk Musings. More here.

Question: Should a job description be written for Michelle Obama and other First Ladies who follow her? And should they be paid during their time in the White House?