Just watch this:

Hat tip: Chris Medlock on Facebook

I read that rather than vilifying Senator Specter, I should reflect on why he made the big leap. I have.

Says Specter:

I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

We could have told him that years ago.

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has ratified his several years’ of behavior and officially become a Democrat. It’s a silly notion, really, because Specter doesn’t fit really well in either party. My problem, though, has been that as a Republican who was out of step with the vast majority of his party on many things related to the judiciary, he has been allowed the very powerful Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. He should have been assigned chairman of a committee related to areas on which he was in agreement with his party overall.

And then there is the silly business about protecting incumbents. Though Specter was an all-around thorn in President Bush’s side, Bush refused to back a truly conservative primary opponent to Specter, so Specter clung to power. And power is what this is all really about.

When someone switches from the majority to the minority (without it shifting the balance of power to once again put the defector in the majority), I’ll be open to claims about their bravery and character. That is not the case here. Specter has admitted this is in a move to keep the power and prestige of his Senate seat:

I believe I have a significant contribution to make on many of the key issues of the day, especially medical research. … And my seniority is very important to continue to bring important projects vital to Pennsylvania’s economy.

Translation: I want to keep right on being a Senator, and I’ll bribe the people of Pennsylvania with federal money to make it happen.

His move is not surprising. He, like many—maybe most—politicians, has grown addicted to the power it brings. He stayed with the Republicans for the last few years because they were daft enough to allow him what he wanted, especially his chairmanship. He will now hitch his wagon to the Dems as long as they give him the concessions he wants. He’s a political opportunist (probably a redundancy in terms), and he capitalized on his opportunity to survive against a strong conservative opponent in the upcoming primary. No one said he’s not shrewd. It would just be nice to see such dedication to principle rather than survival.

Apparently President Obama has called to welcome Specter to the party. This is probably a blessing for conservatism. If you give President Obama a cloture-voting, 60-seat majority in the Senate (combined with a large majority in the House), their policies will be unstoppable. And nothing converts the citizenry to conservatism like life under a liberal regime.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele actually made an inteligible comment this time:

“Let’s be honest—Senator Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”

And so, it is what it is. No huge loss; just a small man serving his personal interests. You know, just another day in Washington, D.C.

In honor of MeeCiteeWurkor, who has chronicled his battles with his lawnmower (new one here), among other things, I have previously written of my battles with the Waterpik and MRSA. Tonight I add my battle with the air conditioner.

About two summers ago, in the hottest part of the season, I called a local air conditioner repair place because our A/C just wan’t keeping up. I thought it might need a charge or something. The repair dude came around and told me it was just too hot for anyone’s A/C to keep up well. I think he thought I was trying to keep the house too cold. He looked at it, put a little refrigerant in it, and hosed down one side of the outside box, noting there was a lot of dog hair. That seemed to do the trick (although it was never really able to cool like I thought it should in our well-insulated house).

At the end of last summer, I began to notice a noise coming from the outside unit. Upon looking, I saw the exhaust fan wasn’t turning. I could use a screwdriver to help it take off and it would work fine. It was really the beginning of autumn, so we just turned it off and did fine without. I knew I’d need to get it looked at this summer.

As it’s beginning to warm up, I figured it was time to test it out. Upon turning it on, I noticed the same symptoms. I’m not terribly handy, but I am able to figure basic things out (and I like to save a buck if I can), so I decided to tackle it today. Online research showed it was likely a “run capacitor,” which helps the fan motor get running. I decided also to remove the motor so I can have it tested just to be sure. I’m hoping it’s the capacitor because they are about $12. The motor could be over $100.

Unfortunately, my unit sits on the north side of the house, which stays wetter then anywhere else on the planet. It’s also the dogs’ favorite hangout because of said dampness. They like to lay there in the moist shade all summer long. I would too if I were a dog. With our recent rain and the dog traffic, that side of the house is a muddy swamp. I gave up trying to wear shoes and just went barefoot, and I finally got smart enough to spread some flakes of straw around to help me get some traction.

After disconnecting the power, I tore into my unit. It was fairly easy work removing the motor and capacitor, but it was crazy trying to keep my footing ankle deep in mud or something like it. Not to mention, there isn’t much work room, as there is only about a foot of clearance between the A/C and the fence.

In the midst of this procedure, having removed a portion of the unit’s cover, I noticed it looked like the innards of the A/C were wrapped in insulation (like a dishwasher is). That didn’t make sense to me, so I looked closer. It wasn’t insulation but dirt, grime, and a significant amount of dog hair (why is it called fun while they wear it and hair when it falls out and gets into trouble?). I also learned that the evaporator coils cover four sides of the unit, and as I looked, I realized that my A/C was wearing a beagle-fur coat. No wonder the capacitor and/or motor went out. There went the rest of my day.

The electric supply store wasn’t open anyway, so I set about removing the cover from the whole unit so I could do a good clean. That in itself was a feat, due to the aforementioned ankle-deep mud and about a 1,000 screws Rheem has apparently determined are necessary to keep the unit in one piece. Finally removing the cover, I was able to give it a good wash with the hose. The drain holes were even clogged, so I used the force of the water to clear them out. Then I bought some coil cleaner and sprayed it down, let it sit the recommended 15 minutes, and rinsed it all out again. All in all, it’s probably the cleanest its been since it was installed. When it was all over, I was a mess, covered head to toe in mud, and I had to hose off before I came in the house to shower.

So, it’s been a busy and productive day, and I am tired. I’ll get the new capacitor this week and get the motor tested. Once I have it all back together, if I remember how, I’m counting on a better-cooling, cheaper-to-operate A/C unit. I am also a bit miffed that the repairman I had come out didn’t recommend doing this then (or offer to do it for me). Online research has shown that it’s recommended to give your A/C a good clean at least once a year, and frankly, the manufacturers should make the coils easier to get to and clean without deconstructing the whole unit, but that might not sell as many units.

I would have tweeted pics, but Jeane threatened me. She somehow thinks it reflects badly on us. I’m just glad I got to the bottom of it. I’ll also be doing away with the dogs’ direct access to the A/C.

So, check your A/C’s evaporator coils—especially if you have dogs. I’d love to hear your stories.

My old pal MeeCiteeWurkor recently relaunched his blog, and in the last couple days he’s uploaded some videos about how Tulsa, struggling with filthy Arkansas River water, created its Spavinaw (and later the Oologah) flow lines. It’s a fascinating story about a monumental task. Here are the videos:

Previously in this space, I have shared that I have been in a dialogue with Bailey Dabney, publisher of the Claremore Progress, regarding Claremore’s tea party last week and the Progress‘ coverage of it. What I did not share was that Mr. Dabney was gracious enough to invite me to respond on the pages of his paper as a guest columnist, rather than in a letter to the editor. He certainly did not have to do so. And when he received my column, he didn’t have to print it, but he did. You’ll find it on the Op-Ed page of today’s (April 21, 2009) Progress and also online here.

Since my reports on the Claremore tea party and subsequent responses to the Claremore Progress‘ coverage of it, I have had occasion to be in communication with Bailey Dabney, the still relatively new publisher of the paper. I won’t be sharing many of the details of our dialogue, other than to saw it has been cordial, fair, and friendly. I find him a reasonable man. I am also impressed with his level coverage of what he say when he was in attendance at the Oklahoma City tea party. It’s as if he actually got out of his car and walked among those about which he intended to report.

The Tea Party crowd was friendly and lively, with an interesting array of witty and creative signs expressing dissatisfaction with our current national fiscal policies. As an eyewitness to this sizable gathering, I was surprised the way these groups have been portrayed by national media. There was no anti-government, anti-American, or anti-establishment attitude, as one cable news network described them. Taxpayers did want to be heard regarding their distaste for the current fiscal strategy. The tone was civil and friendly as I walked through snapping pictures with my Blackberry. Watching this group actually made me proud to live in a country where this type of civil communication is allowed. I haven’t seen official estimates, but my unofficial estimate puts 5,000 or more American patriots in attendance as our group walked through. By my estimation, this is an example for other protestors to follow.

That’s strikingly different from the report provided by his underlings in regard to Claremore’s event. It’s nice to see a reasoned head at the helm, and I am hopeful that he continues to improve the paper’s reporting and editorial pieces. His staffers should take a page from his book (or should that be paper?).

This is a good sign. I’ve been critical of the Progress many times, but I have to give credit where credit is due. At this rate, they may get me back as a subscriber.

[UPDATE—April 17, 2009 at 1:30 p.m.]

In response to my (and others’) claims that the Claremore Progress’ audio report posted on their site was inaccurate (see original post below), whoever Twitters for the paper as WillRogersPaper just tweeted this:

Some RC folks upset as being characterized as being “angry” while at TEA Party and not in street. Todays Progress

And as proof that participants were demonstrating in the intersection, they offer a link to this twitpic (click for big):

Let’s do a little analysis, shall we? What you see here are not tea party demonstrators protesting in an intersection, though the Progress intends you to think that. You see one man (”Born Free – Taxed to Death”) standing off the curb, though not being a hindrance to traffic, holding his sign. The rest of the people in this picture, which the Progress obviously intends you to interpret as protesters in an intersection, are actually crossing the street at the designated point (i.e., the crosswalk). You see a couple young men transporting signs (obviously not waving them) crossing from east to west, and another group, appearing to be mostly women, crossing from west to east. Notice they all have a raised foot, caught by the camera in the action of walking across the street, at the legal place to do so (presumably after receiving the illuminated “Walk” indication). The woman in the red hoodie holding up her sign is on the sidewalk (notice her height). All in all, a weak attempt to substantiate a fabrication with a misleading picture. Seems the Progress continues to ratify everything people have been saying.

This goes perfectly to my previous point. One can report what actually happened, or because of bias, agenda, or just sloppy journalism, they can report what they want and offer up a clearly mischaracterized picture  as support.

I reassert my previous points: protesters were not demonstrating in the intersection, the demonstrators were certainly not a disturbance to traffic, they were not angry, raving maniacs. It was an orderly demonstration by patriotic Americans, which–judging by the public response as it happened–has significant support. Guess it’s too much to ask that the Claremore Progress get it right, or at least correct the record when they are shown to be wrong.

Oh, and just one question for Progress reporter Krystal Carman, who received photo credit for previous Progress pictures and presumably this one: “Did you cross the street, and if so, where? If you were photographed doing so, would it be fair to accuse you of practicing the craft of alleged journalism (or photography) in the intersection?” Didn’t think so.

[End of Update]

[Original Post]

I was on the scene at yesterday’s Claremore tea party. Loyal readers will recall I provided audio reports from the scene throughout the morning demonstration. I did this using a nifty little program called AudioBoo. Lo and behold, today I see that the Claremore Progress has updated its report about the tea party by uploading an audio report using AudioBoo. I wonder where they got that idea? I don’t mind being a trendsetter. But, the Progress is missing the point. The beauty of technology is that it allows one (in this case, me) to do reports from the scene of the action as it happens. It’s a waste of the technology to use it as the Progress has.

What did they do? Well, according to the Progress website:

Progress Managing Editor Randy Cowling and Staff Writer Krystal Carman talk about the event.

Click the play button below to listen to their commentary.

What a joke! Were these people even at the same event I was? Aside from seemingly missing the metaphorical meaning of a tea party, they seem to be awfully concerned with the distraction to traffic. I was at the 11 a.m. event the entire time, and I never once saw anyone in any intersection. There were ROCO sheriff’s deputies on scene who I witnessed showing demonstrators where they could and could not stand (from the sidewalk out). If there were ever anyone in an intersection, the deputies would no doubt have dealt with it. Demonstrators were lining the streets at intersections, but that is not being in an intersection, and they were certainly not a distraction to traffic. In fact, if you listen to my reports from the scene, you will hear lots of honks of support from the allegedly distracted passersby.

Further, I spoke with several people there, and no one was emotionally angry. Sure, people are passionate about where they stand. But it was no hateful crowd ranting and raving. It was a very collegial and good-spirited gathering. Again, if these were raving lunatics, you could have heard that in my reports. Judge for yourself. It’s also shocking to hear the surprise in their voices as they share that the public is allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights without a permit. Maybe the Progress should be required to get a permit to exercise theirs.

And finally, I would challenge the numbers quoted. There were far more than 50 at the 11 a.m. event, and if they’re off by that much once, how many other things are being slanted by this rag? I’ve alleged the Progress‘ bias for a long time, and these two hacks have proved my point. For too long, certain papers (which are rapidly dying) have reported the news after the fact and after it has passed through a less-than-objective filter. And in print, they can use certain verbiage that makes them seem fair. Audio is another thing. You can hear the bias in the Progress‘ audio report. Just give a listen and judge for yourself.

[NOTICE: MUST CREDIT www.tysonwynn.com WHEN USING MY CONTENT. PLEASE SEE CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE.]

I was your man on the scene at the Claremore OK tea party today. I used a nifty little program that allowed me to post audio from the scene via my iphone. (I know this may be a little more geekiness than you need to know, but it uploads to my AudioBoo, which is linked to my Twitter, which is linked to my Facebook (search for me there)). For your listening convenience, here are all of today’s audio reports from the scene.

^Wayland Smalley speaks to the small crowd which gathered before the event began. He didn’t know there were approximately 100 others already demonstrating. (I wasn’t in especially close proximity to Mr. Smalley, so the audio quality isn’t as good as those below.)

^Denise Clinton (no relation), coordinator of the Claremore tea party talks about the event. She also didn’t know how many more were already gathered.

^Interview with demonstrator Steven Knight

^Interview with Sherri Stone, Rogers County GOP Chairman

^Interview with Erin, 16-year-old coordinator of Claremore Homeschool Young Republicans

^Interview with Don James, retired state trooper and tea party participant

^I provide post-tea party wrap up

Pics (Click to Bigify)

And This

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on AudioBoo

We fired up the mics for a new WynnCast tonight, wherein we were joined by Denise Clinton (no relation), coordinator of the Claremore, OK, tax-day TEA party and then Kristin Hoover, also known as The Redneck Diva. Some great President Reagan audio opened the show, and we talked about everything from tea parties to Twitter to tornadoes and trailer parks. Give a listen…

Click Here for WynnCast Goodness

I saw part of a video recently at a conference, and I was never able to find it when I got home. Thanks to Mad Okie over at Living on Tulsa Time, my search is over. Enjoy!