"No" to Arnold

California voters said "No" to their Governor, Arnold Schwarznegger, by defeating four initiatives he had promoted and put seveal million dollars of his own money behind, in voting on November 8, 2005. The voters made it clear they would not dump on teachers and unions, nor did they trust any Governor to trim the state budget unilaterally or three retired judges to carve up the legislative districts. This ought to put an end to the talk of amending the U.S. Constitution so Arnold, born in Austria, would be able to run for President. He will face a tough re-election bid next time out.
#260 (05-51)

J. Palmer Gaillard Jr.

On the evening of October 19, a native Charlestonian, World War II naval aviator, successful businessman and former mayor of the city spoke at the Friends of the Berkeley Library meeting in Goose Creek.
See J. Palmer Gaillard Jr. under Columns Current - above - for a full report on this entertaining speaker.
#259 (05-50)

Q#1

Is Ben Bernanke's checkbook balanced?
#258 (05-49)

Quick off the mark

The Iraqis have fullfilled George Bush's dream. They learned, all too quick, about voting. Two days after the Nationwide vote to decided the future of a proposed constitution inquires are underway in several districts where the vote was 99% favorable. Such a vote would have made Boss Tweed and Mayor Daley cry in their beer. Only Stalin had a greater percentage of victory.
#257 (05-48)
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Time to move on

Ok, it is time to move on to other subjects. The Red Sox are out of the playoffs.
The new questions: Where is the Bush administration master plan for rebuilding New Orleans? It was promised in that speech in the curtained off square in NO by Himself.
Will we let countries who practice censorship and thought control have any say-so in running the Internet? This is under discussion in the United Nations, and China, Iran and Saudi Arabia are lining up to have a major say.
Why do we have more than 2,000 young people locked up in prisons for life, something only two or three other nations do? Some of these people were sentenced when they were only 13 years old.
#286 (05-47)
Comment to: archinsc@knology.net

Red Sox in playoffs

The Red Sox split the weekend games with the Yankees and got into the playoffs as the fourth team. Yanks won on Saturday, Sox on Sunday. Cleveland lost to Chicago both days. It is now Red Sox and White Sox and Yankees Vs Angels.
#285 (05-46)
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It is down to two

Red Sox won last night and are even with the Yankees on the season. Today and tomorrow will tell the story.
#284 (05-45)
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It is down to three

The Red Sox and the Yankees begin a three-game set tonight in Fenway Park which will decide the Division race for the year. Yanks have good pitching and hitting at this time and the Sox have mediocre pitching and no so consistent hitting. None the less, hopes run high in the Red Sox Nation. It will be written in the wind by Sunday night.
#283 (05-44)
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Posting directly to this blog

Today I discovered how to post directly to this blog using the Google taskbar. This discovery came from reading a Google Friends Newsletter.
#282 (05-43)

Hurricane Names

CNN said on its web site today:
"The largest number of named storms ever recorded was 21 in 1933, a record that will be broken if just seven more storms develop in the next 12 weeks. And if that happens, the hurricane center will run out of names...
"The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z aren't used, because few names begin with those letters, so the 21st and last name on this year's hurricane list is Wilma."
How about Quentin (as in Tarantino), Ulysses (S. Grant), Xavier (Cugat), Yogi (Bera) and Zeus, (the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there.)
See there, simple.
#281 (05-42)
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Waiting for a Leader

Editorial - The New York Times

Published: September 1, 2005

George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end.
#280 (05-41)
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The Great Raid

Last night Mary and I enjoyed The Great Raid, the based-on-actual-events story of the greatest rescue in American Army history. In January 1945, 511 American POWs were rescued by Army Rangers aided by Pilipino guerrillas before they could be killed by the Japanese who had already burned to death more than 200 POWs in another camp. When this murder of prisoners occurs in the movie I had a "they deserved the atom bomb" moment but later remembered it wasn't the guys who did the killing who were in Hiroshima. The story of the Raid is told in an understated way and is devoid of any individual heroics so often seen in war movies (e.g. Rambo). We highly recommend this one.
#279 (05-40)
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Peter Jennings

Early this morning as I was finishing the night's sleep I had a dream. In it Peter Jennings was walking on a platform or patio that I was on. He was wearing a photographer's vest and had a couple of camera lens sticking in the pockets. He had a camera in his hand. He was signaling to another man to come over because he wanted to do some close-ups. He looked young, good head of hair. I spoke to him and said he was the favorite evening newsman for my wife and I. I told him we had been watching him for years. He thanked me and in a friendly way said he would be back on the air when his voice got better. This remark struck me, because it was the same thing I said to our parish pastor several years ago when he asked me to resume lectoring after I had carotid surgery. Peter turned to take a picture and stepped on my toe and I said, "You're on my foot." "Sorry," Peter said, and then he was gone and I awoke. A short time later I got my morning newspaper and learned he had died yesterday from cancer.

Later this morning I told this to my grandson, Steven Archibald, and he wrote in an e-mail, "Maybe since you were a loyal fan he came to visit you."

I will miss Peter Jennings, he was on each evening and over the years became to be looked on as a member of the family.
#278 (05-39)

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Pre-bridge opening gala

They had their fun and games in Charleston last month with all the festivities incident to opening the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, or as it is sometimes known: The Awendaw Connector. (For pictures see http://www.PLApix.com/) The new bridge in Charleston, the longest cable stayed bridge in North America, connects Charleston to Mt. Pleasant.
Not to be outdone, Hanahan last night had its pre-bridge opening gala celebrating the longest bridge on Murray Avenue which connects two parts of the city. Although slightly smaller than the 50,000 or so who participated in all the goings on in downtown Charleston and the Ravenel Bridge, the alcohol free crowd of about 1,200 in Hanahan had a grand time. There was a band, including Mike Davis, owner of the music supply house in Yeamans Hall Plaza, local public officials, including the Mayor and some members of council, the High School cheerleaders and high school band boosters who were selling hot dogs, chips, drinks, etc. None of that haughty stuff like Charleston with its $200 a person dinner on top of the Ravenel where the wind blew small people over.
The oldest person on hand was Doris Segrest, our neighbor, who will be 99 (that's right 99 years old) in December. We, Mary and yours truly, parked at the high school and walked the two blocks to the concrete bridge and walked across it. (Traffic barricades were still in place on the west side.) Just as the Ravenel has sidewalks so pedestrians and bicyclists can cross it and view the wide expanse of the Cooper River and the giant ocean-going ships, the new bridge on Murray Avenue has its sidewalk for use by pedestrians and cyclists to view the narrow expanse of Turkey Creek (best viewed at high tide) and the occasional kayak. In fact, there were several people on bikes there last night as well as roller skates and skate boards. One of the skateboarders, a young boy, made a loud noise with his board and a policeman urged him to pick up his board and go home. (What a downer).
Many people bought their dogs, including (our daughter) Martha Archibald, manager of the McAlister-Smith funeral home in Goose Creek, who had Charlie on a leash. McAlister-Smith gave away free water in the sweltering, humid, evening atmosphere and when they learned the band boosters were selling water they put a donation bucket on their table to help the band and minimize the competition. Some of the party-goers came in formal dress. One member of City Council had his tux shirt, tie and jacket on, along with his walking shorts. All in all it was a good time and we saw so many old friends that I am glad when I cleaned up after dinner I trimmed my nose hairs.
#277 (05-38)
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Soviet Humor - Too Rich for the Masses

Tiny Revolutions in Russia: Twentieth-Century Soviet and Russian History in Anecdotes By Bruce Adams, Publ: RoutledgeCurzon, 173 Pages. $97 is probably one of the better collections of humor in the Soviet Union and, in later days, Russia, but at $97 a copy it is obviously too rich for the masses.
#276 (05-37)

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Letter to the Editor

Excited, captivated
After walking in awe with thousands of other excited and captivated men, women and children across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge this past weekend, I can truly say I believe this is the best expenditure of taxpayers' dollars since the government started paying my pension.
FRANCIS X. ARCHIBALD 1128 John Rutledge Ave. Hanahan SC

Published in The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC, July 16, 2005
#275 (05-36)
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Fireworks at Ravenel Bridge

If you love the sight of fireworks high in the night sky then check out www.patrickarchibald.com This is my son's web site and he has recorded the largest display of fireworks ever seen in South Carolina. The event took place last night on the site of the Ravenel Bridge, to be dedicated on Saturday and opened to traffic late that day. This is the largest cable stayed bridge in North America.
If you want a copy of any picture note the enlarged number of the photo in the index of photos at the bottom of your screen and send an e-mail to pla@patrickarchibald.com.
Have a nice summer.
#274 (05-35)
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Enjoy the gulag

I received a con-job spam e-mail yesterday from a Yugoslavian woman (allegedly a former secretary to a big dog in Russia who is now in trouble - he's doing nine years in the joint) offering to cut me in on $423 million deposited in a Gibraltar bank that belongs to her old boss in Russia. All I have to do is give this woman my bank information and keep all this deathly quiet so we can profit. In my reply yesterday I said, "I am forwarding this to the FBI in America and the SRV in Russia where I am sure they will have an interest in your shenanigans. Enjoy the gulag."
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New York Times supports my suspicions

In an editorial today, The New York Times wrote, "John Bolton was a destructive presence in the State Department under Mr. (Colin) Powell, and his administration fans were lobbying to see him promoted to the No. 2 job. Ms. (Condoleezza) Rice avoided that disastrous possibility by backing Mr. Bolton instead for the job of ambassador to the United Nations. She chose the far more stable and grounded-in-reality Robert Zoellick, the former trade representative, as her deputy. Granted, siccing Mr. Bolton on the rest of the world at the United Nations isn't exactly the best way to sideline him, but at least he has been removed from dangerous areas like North Korea policy."

This echoes my view expressed in a blog on May 10, 2005, when I wrote "SecState Condie Rice wants him gone from Foggy Bottom where he is like a bull in a china shop." See Archives for May 2005.
#272 (05-33)

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Making of a Patriot

Thirty years ago I took three of my five young children to a theater in West Ashley that has long since closed to see "All the President's Men." I am sure they would have liked to see something more attuned to their age at the time, but my wife and I had followed the Watergate story from beginning to end and believed it was important in the course of American history.

The Post and Courier editorial June 3 supporting the contribution Mark Felt made to directing Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the right direction in their investigation emphasizes that importance. I believe now, as I did then, that "Deep Throat" performed a great service to America despite his personal misgivings, inner turmoil and anguish.

Today, we continue to enjoy the freedom envisioned by our founding fathers because a free press keeps the spotlight on government and because in a time of turmoil and testing, the heartland of America always seems to produce a patriot like Mark Felt. (The Post & Courier, June 10, 2005, Letters to the Editor)
#271 (05-32)

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