Run for the Border

No, I'm not referring to Taco Bell. It's "fall back" Sunday and I'm lying in bed with a miserable cold, catching up on the Times via computer. First I read Bob Herbert's (no relation) column on health insurance. Then I read Frank Rich's column on candidates, Iran, etc.

Herbert begins, "Lonnie Lynam, a self-employed carpenter in Pipe Creek, Tex., specialized in spiral staircases. Friends thought of him as a maestro in a toolbelt, a whiz with a hammer and nails. 'His customers were always so pleased,' his mother told me. 'There was this one family, kind of higher class, and he built them one of those glass holders that you would see in a bar or a lounge, with the glasses hanging upside down in different sizes. It was awesome.' Lonnie had a following, a reputation. He was said to have a magic touch. What he didn’t have was health insurance...." For the rest of the piece, go here.

Rich begins, "When President Bush started making noises about World War III, he only confirmed what has been a Democratic article of faith all year: Between now and Election Day he and Dick Cheney, cheered on by the mob of neocon dead-enders, are going to bomb Iran. But what happens if President Bush does not bomb Iran? That is good news for the world, but potentially terrible news for the Democrats. If we do go to war in Iran, the election will indeed be a referendum on the results, which the Republican Party will own no matter whom it nominates for president. But if we don’t, the Democratic standard-bearer will have to take a clear stand on the defining issue of the race. As we saw once again at Tuesday night’s debate, the front-runner, Hillary Clinton, does not have one...." For the rest of the piece, go here.

I hate to sound too dramatic, but I keep thinking that best gift I will ever have given 6YO is his permanent residency card and, hopefully, his Canadian citizenship.

Now, back to being Sparky, the barking seal...