Politics As Usual

The Democratic National Committee's decision on May 31 to allow Florida and Michigan delegates to cast half a vote at the party's convention this summer isn't about preserving democracy -- it's about undermining the process.
When the aforementioned states conducted their primaries before February 5, they did so in violation of party rules. Their eagerness to influence the outcome in what would become a historic race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama for the nomination led the DNC to strip their delegates of votes at the August 25-28 gathering in Denver. By reversing itself on this issue, Democrats appear to be more divided now than ever before ... and what makes matters worse is they can't reassure the public that a similar crisis won't happen in the future.
Watching the primary (and caucus) season turn into an overblown soap opera is bad enough, but seeing the DNC destroy itself is truly heartbreaking. This compromise doesn't unite the Democrats -- it moves them one step closer toward disintegrating. Clinton isn't doing herself or the party any favors by trying to secure delegates she agreed to give up when the DNC handed out their punishment against Florida and Michigan. In fact, her efforts to win the nomination by any means necessary make Niccolò Machiavelli look like Mother Teresa.
Changing the rules after the game has started casts a cloud of suspicion over the results, and that goes against everything democracy is supposed to represent. Having all of the delegates' votes count equally is a matter of fairness ... but when you break the rules, you must suffer the consequences. If party officials in Florida and Michigan had held their primaries as originally scheduled, they wouldn't be in this predicament.
When it comes to politics, Democrats and Republicans enjoy playing the blame game with each other. This time around, though, the DNC has no one to blame for this fiasco but itself.

S.O.S. (Signs of Summer)

New York is an exciting place to call home because there's always something going on ... and with Fleet Week comes the unofficial start of summer.
The arrival of thousands of Navy sailors, Marines, and Coast Guard officers coincides with the season of graduations and weddings. Movie premieres bombard the cineplexes and families host barbecues as the days get longer and the temperature rises. These gatherings bring people together to create special memories and form emotional bonds ... and while some moments are fleeting, others last a lifetime.
Dreams of finding a job or falling in love tend to blossom in the summertime. Goals that once seemed out of reach now lie within one's grasp as fear turns into fearlessness, which are reflected in events as deliberate as launching the USS Missouri into World War II (Japan signed its unconditional surrender to the United States on the warship) or as spontaneous as being the object of a sailor's desire (like the nurse in the Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph for LIFE magazine).
That historic occasion represented the culmination of sacrifice for a cause. As for that iconic image, it captured the need to live in the moment. While these philosophies -- taking on new responsibilities and indulging in carefree fantasies -- are applied on a daily basis, summer is the best time to see them on display. For those who spend most of the year playing it safe, now is the perfect opportunity to set sail for adventure.