The World Around You

Or is it Arnold Schwarzeneger? Or Arnold Scwarzeneger? Or Arnold Shwarzeneger? (just for all those Google searchers) The punchline is about to become reality. Let me state the obvious. The California recall is going to be the subject of historians and political scientists’s research for decades.

UPDATE:

Those of you that care will already know, but Michael Moore’s latest book, Dude Where’s My Country, is out today. I picked up a copy at my local bookstore this evening and dove into the first 50 pages. As always, good stuff, with some overboard conclusions.

Check it out if you have room on your nightstand. And if you haven’t seen Bowling for Columbine, rent it today.

Talk Left notes the latest reports that Wes Clark’s campaign manager has quit and former Clinton advisor Eli Segel will take over. Exteremely interesting development, but the ramifications are a bit difficult to hash out at this point. The campaign has barely begun for Clark and this could be just a part of the normal shaking out.

UPDATE: Steven thinks this is further evidence of “political rookie” syndrome.

The Indianapolis Colts showed they are ready to be placed among the elite in the NFL, with an incredible come from behind victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on MNF.

The Indianapolis Colts, overcoming a 21-point deficit to the Tampa Bay Bucs in the last 5 minutes 9 seconds of the fourth quarter this morning, completed the knockout punch in overtime against the defending N.F.L. champions.

Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 29-yard field goal 11:13 into overtime to give the Colts a stunning 38-35 victory before 65,647 at Raymond James Stadium.

Tampa Bay had taken a 35-14 lead with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter on a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ronde Barber.

Indianapolis became the first team in N.F.L. history to win after trailing by 21 or more points with less than four minutes to play in regulation. The Colts, playing without their star running back, Edgerrin James, who has a back injury, improved to 5-0; Tampa Bay dropped to 2-2.

Vanderjagt had missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt, but the Bucs’ Simeon Rice was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for “jumping” on a teammate while trying to block the attempt, according to Referee Johnny Grier. As this nearly four-hour game entered overtime, the Bucs were without their top running back, Michael Pittman (cramps), and one of their top receivers, Keyshawn Johnson (left thigh bruise).

This win should make believers out of all the Colts fans out there.

GO COLTS!

Cross-posted at Sportsblog.

There’s a good illustration of the beauty of local politics in this morning’s Mobile Register,

Sheriff Tracy Hawsey is suing Conecuh County commissioners, claiming they are breaking state law by not granting his budget requests for this fiscal year.

According to the lawsuit filed Sept. 29, commissioners cut more than $150,000 from Hawsey’s request of $621,328 for the Sheriff’s Department and $720,379 for the jail budget. Hawsey is asking for a judge to order the county to grant his original budget request.

The commission ordered Hawsey to cut his jail staff from 20 jailers to 16, but Hawsey refused, saying the cuts would mean he must break state mandates on inmate care. County Administrator Harry Still III said Hawsey is already breaking federal labor laws by working part-time employees in excess of 40 hours a week on a regular basis.

Hawsey claims in the lawsuit that any cuts will risk the safety of officers, inmates and the public.

“He’s claiming we have repeatedly failed to adequately fund the sheriff’s office and the jail,” Still said Monday. “I guess he feels his department shouldn’t have to be affected by the funding cuts every other department is facing.”

I hope the Sheriff wins. The issue that must be addressed at all levels of government is, “What is the minimum level of services the government must provide?” There is no doubt we are testing those limits in Alabama. Services and personnel have been cut back to such an extent in many localities that the government is no longer able to perform its most basic services.

If the Sheriff is taking a stand for the right reasons, I applaud him. If he just can’t bring himself to fire some of the employees he has been asked to terminate, then we are talking abut something completely different.