One Health Care Plan, Sunny Side Up!

Obamacare Sunbeam, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

President Obama's health care plan is currently under review by the Supreme Court, and one terrier issues a favorable ruling in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Mitt loses game of 'Fetch A Sketch'

By: Daisy

For dogs, and for presidential candidates, life can't be all fun and games.
On Saturday I went to Singing Beach in the town of Manchester-by-the-Sea with my human friends Rich and Laura. I enjoyed pressing my paws into the soft sand, getting in a little beach running, and navigating the rocks reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands that are the ancestral turf of us Westies. While on the rocks, I noticed some of the other dogs on the beach were playing "fetch" with their human companions ... even splashing into the water to pursue whatever stick or doggy toy got tossed into the sea.
Well, last Wednesday, one of Mitt Romney's advisers, Eric Fehrnstrom, made reference to another type of toy -- the Etch A Sketch, which kids use for drawing. (You can see a photo of it here.) This is how Fehrnstrom described the difference between the primary season and the general election campaign:

Everything changes ... It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.

Now, in general, I'm not one for toys. I don't play with squeaky rubber bones ... I don't chase tennis balls ... and when Rich has tried to get me to fetch a stick, well, I just look quizzically at it. (I do know one doggy trick -- how to "shake hands.") I would add, with all modesty, that this shows I possess a certain degree of maturity. At the beach, for instance, while other dogs played fetch, I attended to more serious issues, patrolling the rocks and making sure no bigger canines came too close to Rich, Laura and myself (although it was nice to say hi to a friendly Tibetan terrier about my size).
Being a leader is a little like me standing on that rock; you have to look out for everyone else. And while it does help to show you have a lighthearted side, leadership certainly does not mean treating issues like toys you can just "shake up," but rather as serious subjects.
Mitt and his staff learned these lessons the hard way after losing the Louisiana primary to former Sen. Rick Santorum on Saturday. About 20 percent of voters reported the Etch A Sketch comment influenced their decision ... and that 20 percent largely supported Santorum. Even though Louisiana is the land of Mardi Gras madness, its residents surely remember how bad Republicans are when they act irresponsibly, like former President George W. Bush when he fumbled the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
So it is time for Mitt to put away the toys and act like a grownup. Playing "Fetch A Sketch" is a game that he can only lose.

PS - Thank you to Laura for suggesting the name for this column.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column appears regularly.

Terrier's thoughts on green energy

By: Daisy

Walking through the historic Malcolm Preserve in the town of Carlisle, Mass., with my human friend Rich today, my thoughts turned to the issue of alternative energy.
"Green" energy such as solar, wind and water power is a hot topic. And why not? Gas prices are up; they stood at $3.80 per gallon of unleaded when I sat in the back seat of Rich's Corolla and watched the gas-station attendant fill up the tank yesterday. And the environment is down; all these motor vehicles spew harmful fumes into the air my sensitive canine nostrils breathe.
So it was nice to get a breath of fresh air in the Malcolm Preserve. (It was hot, so I panted out much of that air while hiking.) I sniffed fallen tree branches; navigated moss-covered stones across a brook; and exchanged greetings with a friendly black Lab mix named R.J. (I admit, we got there by car.) And I wondered, wouldn't it be nice if the same natural forces that power our environment could also fuel our economy?
It is good that Sen. John Kerry and Energy Secretary Steven Chu held a summit on this very topic at the Museum of Science in Boston Monday ... and good that the Massachusetts Legislature wants state utilities to use more renewable energy. As a dog who's affected by the sun and wind (and sometimes water) each day, I want to add my own thoughts on green energy.
SOLAR POWER
The morning sun causes me to get up from my doggie bed and stretch ... and it is not a stretch to say solar power is taking root here. A company called SunCatalytix, which got started at MIT and which Kerry and Chu visited Monday, is using sunlight and water to create what the Boston Herald calls "affordable solar energy." Yet I wonder just how powerful solar energy really is. It tends to have a de-energizing effect on me. After our hike on a sunny morning, I had to take one nap when we looped back to the parking area ... and another when we got back home.
WIND POWER
Massachusetts already has lots of wind turbines. I can see them from the car window on Route 93 ... and from the heights of Mount Wachusett. (I usually look for more interesting subjects, like birds or squirrels.) We could have wind turbines on Nantucket Sound through the Cape Wind project, and more tax credits for wind-energy providers thanks to Sens. Kerry and Scott Brown. I myself can attest to the might of wind power, as a mere breeze on my second nap today was enough to ruffle the fur on my shaggy winter coat.
WATER POWER
It is awe-inspiring to see the waterfalls of western Massachusetts with my human friends Rich and Laura. In the wilds of Bear's Den, New Salem, we watch torrents of water splash into a pool with a mighty roar ... while I stand sentinel for any actual bears that might prowl these woods. (Beware my fierce Westie bark.) Farther north, near the New Hampshire border, are Doane's Falls, which power past what look like relics of an old mill. So in a sense, water power would borrow a page from the past to create a cleaner future.
NUCLEAR POWER?
I must add that under no circumstances will I support nuclear power. We have the terrible reminder of the Fukushima tragedy in Japan, just over one year ago, to remind us of the dangers of nuclear energy.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column appears regularly.

Santorum Takes Heat on Global Warming Remarks

Santorum-Puerto Rico, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

So you're Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum. You've made the following remarks on global warming: "The dangers of carbon dioxide? Tell that to a plant, how dangerous carbon dioxide is." Well, what about the plants in the El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico, the island whose Sunday primary Santorum is looking to win? Read more in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Warren's pet strategy must go 'Beyond the Pond'

By: Daisy

Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for Senate in my home state of Massachusetts, has opened up a promising new front in her campaign against Republican incumbent Scott Brown. But it needs a little tweaking.
First, some background: On March 1, Brown scored kudos from one of my favorite organizations, the Humane Society, when it awarded him its Legislator of the Year for working on two bills: one protecting marine mammals in the Bay State (like the grey seals I've seen at Marconi Beach, Cape Cod) and the other prohibiting mistreatment of horses. Even though I'm a Progressive Pooch, my sense of fairness prompts me to commend Brown.
Well, one week later, Warren tweeted a photo of her Golden Retriever, Otis, at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, to show that she, too, cares about animals. (Thank you to the source who informed me about these developments!) As I mentioned, this is a promising first step ... but it needs some thought for future steps.
You see, yesterday I myself went to Fresh Pond with my human friend, Rich. It was a beautiful early-spring day and the pond looked like a perfect place for me to romp. The sight of a Golden Retriever (was it Otis?) playing on the grass led me to utter a plaintive "can-I-join-him" howl from the back seat of Rich's Corolla. When we disembarked, I was treated to the sight of three V-shaped squadrons of geese above us (yum!), and when I got onto the grass, two dogs rushed up to me for a sniff, one on each side. One was a German Shepherd at least twice my size!
Up to this point, all was OK. I was ready to give Professor Warren an A-plus for her choice of a dog walk. We dogs like visiting places of natural beauty -- not to mention areas where we can mingle with each other.
The trouble was, Fresh Pond is too much Cambridge ... at the expense of everywhere else. All around the two parking lots were signs reading: "RESERVED PARKING, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING, NO VISITOR PASSES! OR CAMBRIDGE WATER DEPT. PERMIT PARKING, VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO FINE/TOW." You might as well have put up a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign and a mean-looking Rottweiler to scare away the out-of-towners.
Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of Warren taking Otis out for some nature and socialization. Yet I feel she is sticking too much to familiar territory and not taking the extra steps that would increase her visibility. We all remember how that doomed the last Democratic Senate hopeful, Attorney General Martha Coakley, who sneered at Brown for doing voter outreach at Fenway Park.
To Warren, I would suggest that the next time Otis wants to go for a walk, take him somewhere different, where you can connect with voters outside Cambridge. If you like bodies of water, why not try Spy Pond in nearby Arlington ... the Mystic Lakes in Medford ... or Castle Island in South Boston? You might even venture to parts of the state that tend to get overshadowed by the east -- places like Central and Western Massachusetts. Surely the Worcester area must have some prime dog-walking areas ... and as for Western Mass., well, this is one of my favorite parts of the state, with my fond Westie Rescue memories out in Palmer before my move to Cambridge. I should also note that these regions actually have municipalities named "Warren" (Central Mass.) and "Otis" (Western Mass.). Check 'em out, Liz!
So, to recap: Professor Warren, you took a good first step with Otis in your neighborhood. Now it's time to take the next step by thinking outside the box ... or in this case, beyond the pond.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs regularly.

Holder 'Shepherds' USA Into Despotism

Holder-Shepherd Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

So now it's OK to use "targeted killings" against American citizens in the War on Terror? That's what Attorney General Eric Holder said in a speech at Northwestern University this week. Time to raise a howl of protest, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Terrier: MA embraces Mitt, rejects revolutionary spirit

By: Daisy

Lately, I must confess, I've been a bit snappish. I have growled at my human friend, Rich, for daring to try to dislodge me from my sunny perch atop the bed (I think it was probably unintentional) ... and I have stuck my paws in the ground and refused to budge -- even slipped out of my leash -- when he has tried to redirect me on our morning walks on the North Cambridge bike path.
I believe this frustration is a sign of a deeper malaise: That Massachusetts, the so-called Cradle of Liberty, has dared to vote for its former governor, Mitt Romney, in the Republican presidential primary, one of 10 contests in play yesterday on "Super Tuesday."
Have Bay State Republicans forgotten their revolutionary roots? It was only last weekend -- on two occasions, actually -- that I got to scamper across the North Bridge in Concord, where, on April 19, 1775, a brave band of patriots fired "the shot heard 'round the world" against the tyrannic government of King George III of England.
While at the time I was more interested in frolicking in the snow and gazing at the birds near the Concord River, I am now saddened by how far Republicans have strayed from their state's revolutionary heritage. Their forebears rebelled against a tyrant king and Parliament ... yet the Republicans of today embraced an even bigger tyrant, a man who outrageously drove cross-country with his Irish setter Seamus in a crate atop the family station wagon in 1983. Talk about "Intolerable Acts"!
What is even more intolerable is that not only did the Bay State GOP vote for Romney, it did so by an overwhelming margin. Romney earned over two-thirds of the primary vote -- more than 70 percent -- and thus got all of the 41 Massachusetts delegates in play. Truly, Massachusetts Republicans acted like a dog that licked the hand of a bad master. After all, the New York Times reported, Romney "chose not to seek a second term as governor, announcing that decision more than a year before he left office and spending much of that final year outside the state." And the Boston Globe noted that the last time Romney ran for president, in 2008, "he regularly made Massachusetts the punch line in his remarks because of its liberal social culture. He told the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2007 that Massachusetts was 'sort of San Francisco East, Nancy Pelosi style.'"
Sigh ... I guess it's not like there were much better alternatives out there. This Republican contest is sort of like the lesser of four evils. But it did pain me to see Romney voting at a senior center in Belmont, right down the road from revolutionary Concord ... and celebrating his win at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, across the Charles River from my home in Cambridge.
And I leave you with this, faithful readers: If cars had existed in 1775 ... and Paul Revere had one on his famous "Midnight Ride" before the Battles of Lexington and Concord ... and his little doggie wanted to come along ... don't you think Paul, unlike Mitt, would have found a way to put the dog in the car and not on top of it?

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs regularly.

Weasel Words in Wolverine State

Wolverine Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

So let's get this straight. The winner of the GOP Michigan primary is Mitt Romney -- a man who opined against the auto bailouts on op-ed pages. And the second-place finisher is Rick Santorum -- who publicly opposed those bailouts of GM and Chrysler during last week's Arizona debate. (He also pretended to back those bailouts while courting Michigan Democrats' support!) Looks like Michigan Wolverines have some competition in their weaselly ways, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!