Follow-Up on Benson Porn Shop

Well, for those interested, I've been able to find out a little bit more on the new porn shop moving into Benson.  It won't be a Dr. John's but rather something called "Naughty or Nice."  Same idea,  different name.  I drove by the other day to take a look, and they have the whole thing papered up so you can't see in.  The Benson Business Association is pretty much powerless to do anything- Dr. John's fought the battle to sell porn legally in Omaha and rightfully won- and even if they wanted to, the owner of the building is apparently hidden behind a bunch of lawyers.  They can't even figure out how who owns the building or who will own this new "retail" business.  Merchandise is being moved in and the store is being setup, and that's pretty much it. 

Personally, while I do believe they have the right to sell their stuff, main street Benson hardly seems like the proper place to do so.  I realize that the bar scene is their main draw right now, but it's still a place where they hold parades for kids, farmers markets, etc.  Just doesn't seem to me that it belongs there.  But if people support it and keep it in business, then there's really not much you can do, as the people have spoken.  I find it hard to believe that these kinds of places can even do good business with the Internet out there, but I guess we'll find out.  I'll post something if anything else of note comes up, but I think this pretty much sums it all up. 

Puff, Puff, Pass

On Thursday, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives that would end the federal ban on marijuana. Today, it was reported that a petition will be circulated right here in the Cornhusker State that would put on the ballot a constitutional amendment that would also legalize the drug. For those like me who have long questioned this country’s legal stance on marijuana, this is much welcome news. While Barney Frank, one of the representatives who introduced the House bill, has admitted he doesn’t expect the bill to pass, the momentum appears to be shifting towards legalization in this country. As noted by the OWH, 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. California recently put legalization to a vote, with 46.2% voting yes. I suspect without doing any research on the subject that once those voters who came of age before the 60s pass away, marijuana legalization could very well receive majority support in this country. So while I am highly skeptical that here in conservative Nebraska a bill like this will pass, especially at this time, I applaud the Nebraska Cannabis Coalition for working on this goal against seemingly overwhelming odds. I for one will be signing my name to this petition and will vote yes if it makes it on the ballot. I encourage others to do the same. There was a time when federalism was a meaningful concept in this country; wouldn’t it be great if Nebraska was the first state to really stand up on both legs against the federal government and its hypocritical, deleterious, immoral persecution of marijuana users by voting yes to this amendment?

Breaking News - Dr. John's Moving to Benson?

I received word from my co-blogger Arch Stanton that Dr. John’s, a peddler of licentious merchandise, is moving into Benson where True Value Hardware formerly resided. This is sure to inspire much controversy over the coming months. We believe that the Benson Business Association intends to fight to keep Dr. John’s out of the area, in a similar fashion to their fight with Carl Gullotta who was rumored to have an interest in opening a strip club in the same building. This story has been substantiated by two independent parties. I’m sure we’ll have more on this developing story in the future.

And Now For My First TD Ameritrade Experience....

Well, much like Leo had his first trip to Werner Park over the last week, I had my first trip to the other new ballpark around town- TD Ameritrade.  I had intended on checking it out at some point at a Creighton game, but just never got around to it, so a CWS game was my first trip.  I was a little nervous about going down and wasn't really looking forward to fighting the crowds.  Sure, you had to fight them at Rosenblatt, but at least I had a handle on where to park and I knew my way around the area for the most part.  Since I get lost taking the trash out to the curb, I was just glad that I wasn't the one in charge of driving down here.  And yet, turns out I had nothing to worry about.  But we'll get to that shortly.  (I should point out that Husker Mike has great coverage of his experiences as well, for another take on how things are going.)

Anyway, I think rather than making this into a narrative, it might be better to just break down the pros and cons and go from there:

Pros

Traffic:  Almost non-existent.  I was worried that there had been a bomb threat or something- we were literally the only car getting off on the Qwest Center exit and pulled right into our parking spot.  Sounds like it was nothing like what is going on at Werner.

Concourses:  The concourse at Rosenblatt on a hot, humid day was frankly disgusting, and difficult to move through.  Not so at TD Ameritrade.

Restrooms:  Say what you will about me, but I despise peeing in a trough at a stadium.  I'll take a solo urinal any day.  If you want to quibble, it would've been nice to have a separate entrance and exit for the restrooms though, and they could probably prop open the doors on hot days for airflow.

Sight lines:  We sat up in the second tier for our game, and the action was easy to follow.  I had a lot easier time following balls and strikes and the path of the ball then I ever did before.  Although judging by the way some people reacted to foul balls that were 50 feet away from them, I may be in the minority here....

PING- Gone:  I'm not necessarily a "baseball traditionalist" (whatever that means) but the PING just never represented baseball to me (the Ping I'm talking about is the sound the ball made off of the aluminum bats prior to this season).  This has nothing to do with the new stadium, but I'm glad they improved the makeup of the bats so that they play more like wood and just wanted to throw that out there!

My First Werner Park Experience

So I went to the Omaha Storm Chasers game on Thursday at the new Werner Park in Papillion. At least I think it was still Thursday when I got to the game, I cannot be sure. I’d been looking forward to catching a Storm Chasers game all spring not only to see the new park but to scout two of the Royals’ top young prospects, first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas. Unfortunately due to lingering cold weather and early calls from Kansas City I missed both of those prospects. Needless to say the opportunity to see longtime major league journeyman Jeff Suppan start the game did not assuage my disappointment though the Storm Chasers do retain a few other solid young prospects. Anyway, I thought I would review my experience with the hopes that others can avoid the same pitfalls I fell into.

I’ll begin at the point when a friend of mine picked me up after work and we headed out to the game. After taking a left off 144th street onto Highway 370 an ominous sight appeared before our eyes, a line of cars without an end to be seen. To be fair to the Storm Chasers it was 6:50 at that point so we were running a bit late for a 7:05 first pitch, but I never would’ve expected to be in a line of cars for something like 45 minutes and after that length of time we still hadn’t even made it to the parking lot. We were only some ten cars back when a Storm Chasers employee came walking by to tell everybody that the lots were full and we would have to go to Papillion – La Vista South down the street and catch a shuttle if we wanted to get to the game. A friend of ours who managed to get to the game a little bit earlier than us had already bought us tickets so we figured we would go down and catch the shuttle while wondering if it would even be worth it. After waiting with a few hundred other people we were able to catch the third shuttle (which was a 64 passenger school bus) and get to the game at the bottom of the 3rd inning.

After having missed a third of the game, we took advantage of it being Thirsty Thursday and got a couple of $1 beers and walked out to the berm to stand as we were unable to secure box seats. It was difficult following the game that far from the action, but we made due until the bottom of the fifth. At that point, we wanted to grab a couple more $1 beers because for whatever reason they stop selling them before the 6th inning even though alcohol sells don’t stop until the 7th. Of course while waiting in line the 5th inning ended so they immediately cut off the $1 beer sells and I had to drop $12 on two Bud Lights instead. I thought it would have been gracious of them to extend the $1 beer sells since they knew a lot of fans made it to the game late, but I guess that didn’t cross their minds. The one highlight of my attempt to get inebriated was the cool Bottoms Up beer dispenser which I had seen on TV but had never seen in real life. Soon after that the game ended and we headed home after bumming a ride back to the school rather than having to wait for the bus.

So, while my first experience at Werner Park was a bit of a disaster, I don’t want to be too negative towards the Storm Chasers here. I’m sure they’re still working out some of the kinks during the inaugural season of the new stadium. One thing I thought would have been better is if they could have started sending cars far back in line to Papillion - La Vista South earlier instead of waiting until the lots were completely full. I also wonder with all that land around the stadium why they couldn’t buy some land to put in a cheap gravel lot to cover the busier days. With all that land around them it doesn’t seem like they should ever run out of parking. All of that being said the stadium was really nice. The concourses were pretty cool and there were plenty of places to buy food and drinks. There is definitely plenty for the kids to do if you have a family. I was surprised at how small the stadium looked from my vantage point standing out in the berm, but supposedly that’s the way to go for a minor league stadium. I think overall this is a worthwhile addition to the area and I will certainly make it out there a few times a year.

So to sum up, if the weather is great and you decide to try and catch a game at the last minute, especially if it is a Thirsty Thursday, I would recommend clicking on the TV and watching a ballgame at home instead. If you’re determined to go, leave early. If you find yourself way back in line you might be better off just driving straight to Papillion-La Vista South so you can catch the first shuttle. You might try 114th street instead of getting on Highway 370 from 144th like we did but I can’t be sure on that. If anybody has any other tips feel free to leave them in the comments.

Follow up: OPS and Sexual Harassment

I just wanted to follow up on my previous post and point out that OPS has decided not to change its policy regarding the reporting of potential child abuse to law enforcement, the same policy which led to Shane Knutsen being allowed back on the job after three allegations of child abuse in three consecutive years. According to Attorney Elizabeth Eynon-Kokrda, OPS policy is that “if there is any reasonable belief [that child abuse has occurred], staff are to report it, or cause it to be reported, to law enforcement or Child Protective Services.” That does seem like the appropriate policy to me. That being said, if Shane Knutsen is found guilty of sexual assault stemming from the first two cases that administrators were aware of before law enforcement became involved, it will be difficult for me to believe that the standard of “reasonable belief” was not met when those allegations against Knutsen were initially brought forward by the students to the administrators. At that point I will have to assume that administrators ignored OPS policy and Nebraska law in failing to report the allegations of child abuse to authorities. If that is the case they should be fired and charges should be filed against them. Needless to say I will be keeping a close eye on Knutsen’s trial, as should the higher-ups at OPS and the Attorney General’s office.

Checking For A Pulse #2

For the most part, we've avoided talking sports on this blog, and for good reason- it's covered well elsewhere (for example).  But this letter to the Pulse by Rick Fetters from Council Bluffs is to ridiculous to pass up.  Talk about apples and oranges.  

Quite a few people are happy over Tom Osborne’s firing of Nebraska baseball coach Mike Anderson, who had a winning record.
Some of these same people were probably mad as could be when then-Athletic Director Steve Pederson fired Husker football coach Frank Solich, who also had a winning record.

Firstly, the author neglects to mention that there was some evidence that the NU football program was improving under Solich with his new coaching staff (which of course starred Bo Pelini, who would go on to win a National Title as a defensive coordinator) although Husker football was certainly not at the level that we were accustomed to (and spoiled by).  Conversely, the baseball program hasn't even qualified for the Big 12 conference tournament over the last two seasons, which should have been a slam dunk.  Nor did they have anything close to a winning record in conference play- which is a better sign of the competitiveness of the team.  

In My Lifetime..... A 100-Year Flood

Isn't it kind of funny that you hear talk about 100-year and 500-year floods when it comes to emergency preparedness for nuclear power stations, and you kind of think "gee, we're in good shape, that won't happen in my lifetime- stick it grandkids!!!"  And yet, here we are.

For those who missed it, the World-Herald ran a somewhat chilling photo today on the front cover showing the waters of the Missouri approaching the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power station.  Chances are, we're going to be in good shape.  While this could potentially be a serious issue, I do have faith in OPPD to prevent a disaster and protect it's shareholders- us.  That said, it does raise questions- again- about the safety and sanity of nuclear power as it is currently constructed (no, currently was not an intended pun).  Of course, I've made it clear that I'm all about the solar and wind, but I'm not naive enough to think we can simply flick a switch and move on.  The simple fact is that if we want to continue to sustain our standard of living at this time, we're in bed with nuclear.  

One thing that nuclear power can point to in this country- with no shortage of pride- is that there have been only three deaths in this country as a direct result of nuclear power, and that was more than likely from a chilling murder-suicide.  And they would be 100% right to do it.  That said, we're seeing in Japan what happens when these things go bad.  I just hope that my trust in OPPD is not misplaced and that the safety measures that have been put in place will protect all of us in the event of a worst-case scenario.  Obviously a flood that can be predicted to a degree differs quite a bit from a tsunami that gives hours of notice in a best-case scenario, so I don't think we have anything to fear, other than the potential of a higher electric bill if they aren't able to get the plant back online (it is down for planned maintenance at the present time).  I will be following events here to the best of my ability in the event of anything unexpected.  It should also be mentioned that the nuclear station in Brownsville will likely be in the path of the flood as well, and they've faced more serious safety issues during exams that Fort Calhoun.

I'd also like to take a quick second and offer my condolences to anyone who is faced with losing or leaving their home right now.  I'll be hoping for the best as we deal with this so-called 100-year event.

Two Thumbs Down For Thumbs Up Program

I might lose some people with this rant, but I have to comment on an article in the OWH yesterday about the new Thumbs Up program started here in Omaha that is intended to “encourage Omahans to give police and firefighters a ‘thumbs-up’ as an expression of their gratitude and support.” One thing I have never understood is this worship of police and firefighters. Police and firemen are not all selfless human beings, sacrificing for the common good. The truth is that for most of these men in uniform their occupation is just that, a job. A good friend of mine is a cop, and his primary motivation for becoming a cop was the simple fact that he couldn’t see himself working in an office 8 hours a day. He certainly did not become a cop to be a hero, or to give service to the community. He viewed it as a solid career that fit his personality and actually paid quite well. Heck, he actually makes more than I do and more than most of my college educated friends as well. (My cop friend also has a college degree. I’m just pointing out that these friends I’m comparing him to aren’t bums). So it’s hard to see where he’s making such a grand sacrifice for the rest of us to the point where we need to thank him. We already do a pretty good job thanking these men and women with our hard-earned tax dollars.

In fact it is ironic that in this city, where we are forced to pay a special restaurant tax to make up for a huge shortfall of the police and fire pension fund, that local citizens would have the desire to go above and beyond to show gratitude to our police and firefighters. Remember, that shortfall exists because of the pervasive pension spiking that occurred for years that allowed police officers to retire with exorbitant pensions. If anything they should be thanking us for this windfall they reaped at our expense.

Another point I want to address is this idea that cops and firefighters have such dangerous jobs and that is why we should be so grateful for what they do. This article by Radley Balko, Senior Writer for Huffington Post, addresses this misconception. He points out that a law enforcement career is not “among the top ten most dangerous professions, falling well behind logging, fishing, driving a cab, trash collecting, farming and trucking.” (Note that firefighting did not make the top ten either.) Trash collecting is also vital to any community, and yet when do you ever hear about the danger garbage men face everyday? Of course if a garbage man gets killed on the job it doesn’t receive nearly the same amount of media attention that a cop getting killed does. Now I’m not saying that police and firefighters don’t have dangerous jobs, and those who actually have sacrificed their lives for others deserve all of the praise in the world. I just want to point out that most police and firefighters will in fact never have to make that sacrifice and actually do so less than many other professions.

One last point I want to make is this, in most collective groups of people there are always good and bad actors. You could be giving a thumps-up to a David Kofoed who is committing fraud to put innocent people in jail, for all you know. So my advice is this, if a cop or firefighter personally does a great job assisting you in his duties, especially if he seemingly goes above and beyond his duties, by all means shower him or her with praise and expressions of gratitude, but don’t shower with praise every cop you ever run into. You have no way of knowing whether he deserves it or not. If you still feel the need to do that, then I ask that the next time you see your local garbage man, give him a thumbs up as well.