Isaac's First Song

I'm not Joe

but I can pretend to be a plumber if I try. I spent the better part of Monday digging around the sewer line in preparation for the real plumber to fix the deteriorated 60 year-old ceramic pipes. I took the pictures while standing on the sidewalk (now bridge). All was going well until we discovered that the city's records don't seem to match with the reality of the backyard. Notice the not-90-degree angle of the pipe in the top picture. It appears to head for our neighbors backyard. Suspicion has it that our line might be connected to the neighbors - after all our houses alike and we share a garage that straddles the property line!


Continuing in the backyard & driveway, after a few hours digging and three large holes later, we decided to quit the excavation and wait until the public works department can come. With their wonderful expertise, they send the mini-cam into the main sewer line. I flush some fluorescent dye, or some such thing, down the toilet while the camera waits in the sludge pipe and then lets the workers know where our line meets the main line in the alley. Hopefully, it is then just a straight line from the that point to where it enters the house. Oh the suspense....

Why I am voting for Barack Obama

I know there are some among my readers that just can not understand why I would vote for THAT ONE, so I'm going to tell you.

Foreign Relations - Barack Obama will reestablish our positive relations throughout the world. Positive diplomacy is necessary for preventing conflict and having support when conflict is necessary.

Iraq & Afghanistan - Obama knew from the beginning that we had no business invading Iraq. He has agreed that we will have to have some troop presence there for a long time, but that we need to end the occupation. It is immoral for us to be in Iraq. There were no WMDs and there was no connection between Sadam Hussein and Al Queda. Bush's pet war has killed thousands of U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens.

Abortion - Obama is not pro-abortion and neither am I. I think abortion is horrible. But I am the child of a man who had funerals for girls who died in botched illegal abortions and I think that will always affect me. Studies show that abortion rates are about the same whether abortion is legal or illegal, the difference is in the amount of young women who die because of the abortions. I would like for us to focus on reducing the numbers, which is exactly what Obama said in his acceptance speech. Cutting funds for homes for unwed mothers is not the way to do that.

Sarah Palin - Are you people serious? Sarah Palin would make a fine VP, as long as we could guarantee that McCain would stay alive for the next 4 years. But she is not in any way ready for the presidency. She has proven in her interviews that she has no clue about what is going on in the world or in the economy, for that matter. She's not dumb, but she can't even name a newspaper that she reads regularly. Now, let's talk about her ethics. The report from Alaska makes it clear that she used her position in an unethical manner. She also goes on and on about ending the earmarks, but she lobbied for that "bridge to nowhere" money and accepted it when it came.

The economy - It was clear that McCain had no idea what to do during the crisis. He blundered around looking lost. Meanwhile, Obama knew what had happened and how it happened. He was the calm in the storm. He has some ideas for how to fix the problem, including ideas for stimulating the economy and providing more regulation that will keep this from happening again. I know republicans hate that word, regulation, but this mess makes it clear that there have to be some checks and balances on our capitalistic system or businesses run amok.

I could go on, but the main point is that Barack Obama is a good man. He's intelligent and has common sense. He's looked at the issues closely in the senate and is ready to lead. The republicans have led us so far astray in the last 8 years that it will be difficult for anyone to lead us back, but I think Obama is the man to do it. McCain may change a few things, but he has shown that he believes George Bush's policies to be sound. The policies that led us to two wars, the largest financial crisis of the century, and numerous violations of personal freedoms. Let's get someone in office who respects the constitution, who is willing to listen as well as talk, and who believes that our weapons are the last resort after all efforts have been made in diplomacy.

Most importantly, I would hope that you would all join me in hopes for a fair and safe election.