A Season of Stories from the White House

"This year's holiday theme combines the wonder of the season with the magic of those classic children's stories that have captured our heart and shaped American culture. Just like the holidays, great stories have a way of bringing families together.

On winter nights, children enjoy curling up with a loved one for cocoa and a story. And parents beam with excitement when their children unwrap a new book which just happens to be one of their childhood favorites.

Since stories bring us together, we've brought some favorite children's storybook characters to the White House to celebrate the holidays."

Be sure to check out the BarneyCam II.

Andrew Sullivan - Daily Dish - BUSH 1, KRISTOL/KRUGMAN 0

"What a relief to hear the president forthrightly defend his decision to bar Germany, France and Russia from competing on Iraq reconstruction contracts. There is a difference between being magnanimous and being a patsy. Germany, France and Russia are completely free to donate money and troops to help Iraq's transition away from a dictatorship they defended and bankrolled. (They have, of course, delivered nothing.) But, after doing everything they could to undermine the U.S. at the U.N. and elsewhere in order to protect their own favored dictator, they have absolutely no claim on the tax-payers of the United States. The idea that we should reward them for their obstructionism out of our own coffers on the same terms that we are rewarding countries that gave money and lives to help the liberation is a preposterous one. It's tantamount to inviting exactly the same kind of intransigence and betrayal in the future. France in particular went much further earlier this year and last than simply opposing the U.S. on Iraq. The French government did all it could to rally world opinion, lobby foreign governments, and delay the war to Saddam's benefit in order to isolate and humiliate the U.S. They didn't just object; they opposed, plotted and lied to our faces. Forgetting this is absurd. Rewarding it is obscene. The president is right. Let the real allies of the U.S. benefit from the alliance. Let France, Germany and Russia live with the consequences of their own moral bankruptcy and strategic error. The alliance is indeed not what it was. Nor can it be. And the responsibility lies squarely in Paris, Berlin and Moscow."

Well said.

Snowmaking_Update_12-8 (Song Mountain)

"Snowmaking crews work 24 - 7 to blast Song Mt with 2000 gallons of water per minute."

Who Is Brian Kolb?

Update to last Monday's Town Board Meeting.

Betty Pitman mentioned that she received $5,000 from Brian Kolb for signs in Preble. This prompted me to ask who Brian Kolb was. With a certain amount of glee, Betty said he was our assemblyman, and she was surprised that I, of all people, would not know that. Everybody had a good laugh, including me, about my ignorance of the man. Truth is, I don't pay much attention to politics at the state level and only recently paid any attention to county politics. In either case, I was glad to be the comic relief for the board. After all, I would, and have, made fun of them for similar infractions in the past.

Kolb, Brian M.
Assemblyman - Republican
Assembly District: 129
District Office: 481 Hamilton Street, Geneva 14456
315-781-2030
Albany Office: LOB 720, Albany 12248
518-455-5772 (voice)
518-455-4650 (fax)
Email: kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us

Barden Homes to Make Major Expansion in Cortland County

"December 2003

Barden and Robeson Vice President Kevin Tomko joined Senator James L. Seward, Empire State Development Vice President Thomas Gillson and Town of Preble Supervisor Elizabeth Pitman at a press conference on November 14 at the Cortland County Country Club to announce a major expansion by the company in Cortland County.

Barden and Robeson, the Northeast's leading manufacturer of custom designed pre-engineered homes, will be investing approximately $4.5 million to acquire land and construct a new 100,000 sq. ft. manufacturing, storage and office facility, as well as purchase related machinery and equipment for a move to the Town of Preble. The company, which ships throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest, considered other options both in and out of New York State before selecting Cortland County for this project.

"The buildings in which we hope to occupy by June 2004 will give us the advantages of state of the art equipment, improved product flow and a technically advanced communication environment," according to Tomko. "We will instantly be able to double our production capability thus creating opportunities for further employment gains.""

More...

Town Board Brief Meeting Report 12/8/03

It was a brief meeting and this is a brief report and I'm writing it in my briefs. Just kidding, I'm naked.

The meeting started with the normal stuff, pledge to the flag and accept the minutes from the last meeting etc. Don Armstrong talked about the need for businesses that get building permits to prove that they have workman's comp and disability insurance. I guess the law has been on the books for awhile but nobody knew about it. You will be able to get the details from Doug Staley and Betty Pitman when the need arises. Then a brief note about the nitrate test wells which are still not in and the hope now is by Christmas. Brenda Brooks was appointed to fill the vacancy on the board of assessment. Doug Staley's contract came up and Betty wanted to insist that Doug be at the Town Hall for a specific time of one to two hours each week. They will talk to Doug about that. Otherwise they seemed happy with his contract. Bob Rittenhouse had his lawyer Mike Schafer send a letter to the town asking that Rittenhouse Square be turned over to the town. The discussion was brief because there were things that Rittenhouse has to do before they could start the process. Survey, stake out the area etc. Then it will be turned over to someone at County to review. Betty said that the town board had a problem last time with Bob's proposal because the road did not meet up with the right of way and that would have to be fixed before they could do anything. I guess Don is going to contact Bob's lawyer about it. Doug Staley wants the town to hire a structural engineer to review the plans for Barden Homes because Doug is not able to provide that service.

I had a discussion with the board about Song Mountain and their building permits, or lack thereof and the road. I have some more research to look into before I go into that further.

Joyce Snavlin asked the board a zoning question that no one could answer so I did. Then she asked another and Armstrong deferred to me and I again answered her question which annoyed Peter and prompted him to ask if she was asking the board or me, to which I replied that Don deferred to me and that I answered as the presumed resident expert. Peter dropped it at that. I don't know about you but I got a chuckle out of that.

ZBA Public Hearing 12/17/03 7:30PM (Someone wants to build on a half size lot in the R1L district on the north end of Song Lake Road) , Planning Board 12/18/03 at 7PM, Year end meeting 12/29/03 at 1PM, all at the Town Hall.

Less than an hour after it started, the town board adjourned for another month. Oh Joy.

U.N. control of Web rejected

"GENEVA - The United States, backed by the European Union, Japan and Canada, has turned back a bid by developing nations to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments." "The draft declaration to be issued at the end of the conference Friday also includes strong references to freedom of the press and freedom of information online, despite protests by Vietnam and China, which pushed for more restrictions."

In other words, the commies wanted to limit freedom, how novel.