said Monday that the department's promise to speed interim payments to Indians who live off their trust accounts "is still a mess."
"Many, many of our constituents have received only one check," Loveland said. That's despite promises from Interior officials that more than 7,100 payments were in the mail to thousands of Indians who depend on the accounts.
It's definitely spring. 65°F yesterday, and it's now 15° with an inch of fresh snow. We don't every really get 'spring' here. It battles back and forth between winter and summer until finally summer wins. The skirmishes regularly extend into June. Then they have a re-match in the fall.
It does keep things interesting. I've left home in 80° weather and been trapped by a blizzard more than once. I've also started the day in long underwear and finished up in shorts. I like those days better.
And come to think of it, I've started the day in shorts, switched to long underwear and then back to shorts a few times too..
Those folks you see in Wyoming that look like street people? They're just natives who've given up trying to figure out what the weather's going to be like this afternoon and wear a winter coat all year-round.
Via Indianz.com comes the first knock-off on the Fightin' Whities, from John Potter of the Billings Gazette:
".. have you heard about this team I'm putting together?
It's open to Indians and non-Indians alike, and our goal will be to blot out racism and other forms of stupidity. I'm having T-shirts made, which I'm sure will DRAW some criticism, but who cares!
All hail, "The Combative Cartoonists!"
The pen is mightier than the mascot!"
His logo does have the Whities beat, although I note that the Whities jerseys now say "Fightin' Whites," an improvement over the original design.
Monday, April 01, 2002- - -
What a strange sensation. The sight of the Norwegian flag with hammer and sickle made my hair - or what's left of it - literally stand on end for a few seconds. Like goose bumps on the head.
George Will (not yet online) agrees with Bill Quick and me in his column today, that our government exhibits a distressing degree of disregard for the little niceties, like the constitution.
Will has one very telling point: "Just five years ago, 38 senators who supported reforms contained in McCain-Feingold voted to amend the First Amendment to empower Congress to abridge political speech." That's 38% of the pricks who would shut you up right now if they could.. Think about that.
Juvenile Amusements are still the best kind
Dr. Weevil liked my reference to Harry Butt Weasel Browne. But I must admit I didn't start out to make a play on words. The 'Butt Weasel' part came along originally in reference to The Rat and was orphaned when it became apparent that beating on pathetic Johnny Taliban was just too easy.
Later the topic of Browne came up and 'Butt Weasel' attached itself to him as if by its own volition. I'd realized this would betray my generally juvenile sense of humor and I'd tried to avoid using the full appellation, but it eventually got away from me.
What can I say? Harry is to politics as Jim and Tammy Fay are to religion, except that Harry could use a little more makeup.
Update: The original Butt Weasel is a friend's cat - so fat it has to sneak up on its own butt.
Sunday, March 31, 2002- - -
Things are coming to a boil in the Middle East, in typical modern media fashion. The Israelis have Arafat's compound surrounded while Arafat's giving interviews to FoxNews. It's as if the plot were scripted in Hollywood. Strange editing on this Fox article, too. They've transcribed Arafat's speech and then edited it as if it were a written document.
I think it's safe to say that for better or worse, things are going to change a great deal in the Middle East in the near future.
Joanne Jacobs says she's never gotten a dime from Enron. Fortunately, I can't say the same.
She has some very interesting observations on education majors from one of her readers. I have thought the education curriculums I've seen have been a little odd. Great emphasis on the vocational aspects and 