If they had just had a little more warning
At the dawn of the holiday season, it’s nice to reminisce about the happier, simpler days of yore - the age of our grandparents.
Like 1927. Anyone remember?
Charles Lindbergh flew solo over the Atlantic Ocean.
The first trans-Atlantic telephone call was made between New York and London.
The Yankees, led by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.
Henry Ford unveiled the sleek, new Model A.
And shipyards in the Bay Area gave birth to a small fleet of then-state-of-the-art “diesel-electric” ferry boats - among them, the Klickitat, Nisqually, Illahee and Quinault, all purchased 24 years later by what we now know as Washington State Ferries.
Let the record reflect that the four boats, overhauled during the ’80s, were finally beached, just last week, by state officials shocked to learn that the steel hulls were pitted and cracked to the point of being unseaworthy. And that state officials charged with planning our transportation future were somehow left with nary a single backup to put in their place.
Given that 80 years’ lead time was insufficient to plan this ungraceful retirement, a helpful suggestion to the folks in Olympia: Maybe now would be a good time to start planning to replace the rest of them?
Other sinking feelings:
Stars in Our Eymans: It’s easy to blame bureaucrats for failing to keep the ferry fleet afloat. But let’s not forget that eight years ago, we voters snatched back one of the prime sources of ferry funding. Enjoy those cheap license tabs as you make the drive around the Sound in the Escalade.
Invisible Fence: It’s Not Just For Dogs: Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, R-Vera Wang, is pushing the idea of a “virtual” fence along much of the U.S.-Mexico border. We like his idea, but we just don’t see how he’s going to get all those border-crossers to wear the collars with the protruding electrodes.
Been There, Done That: Giuliani’s announcement prompted claims of intellectual-property infringement from the White House, where aides pointed out that President Bush has already shown virtual leadership for seven years under a virtual majority in a virtual representative democracy.
Speaking of W: Former mouthpiece Scott McClellan has become the last rube on the planet to realize Bush cronies Karl Rove and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby lied to him about the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. It just goes to show you that W will, after all, make good on his campaign pledge to “restore integrity to the White House” - by leaving it.
Speaking of the Election: Isn’t it about time to put Obama and Hillary in the Jell-O pit and let them get it over with?
Veep Thoughts: Bill Clinton, always out front, already is insisting Hillary’s running mate should be Kucinich. Elizabeth Kucinich.
Sweet Dreams, Baby: In a surprise decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has found Seattle’s public television outlet, KCTS, guilty of violating the Geneva Conventions for torture by showing “Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night” more than 1,100 times in the past nine years.
Setting Sun: Special note to Japanese whalers out conducting “research” by hunting and killing thousands of whales: If you shoot one with an explosive harpoon, sooner or later it’ll die. See the notes from your last “scientific” expedition.
And Finally: Washington State University has turned down a chance to host a vice-presidential debate in hopes that the school might land a presidential debate instead. We admire the ambition, but let’s be honest: Isn’t that sort of like shutting down the Lentil Festival in hopes of landing the Tournament of Roses Parade?Ron Judd’s columns appear in Sunday’s
A section and Thursday’s Northwest Weekend section. Email: rjudd@seattletimes.com