Lacrosse Trumps Law of the Sea

I recently signed a petition asking Bill Frist to push the "Law of the Sea" treaty, that has been languishing for the past ten years, through the Senate. Apparently, the Senate is "too busy" to hear this treaty because they are had an emergency resolution to pass. What is this urgent matter of state that is delaying the protection of one of the world's most important food sources? The Senate has been busying itself with Resolution 368, "A resolution commending the University of Virginia Cavaliers Women's Lacrosse Team for winning the 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse National Championship." Who needs Atlantic Cod when you've got the Cavaliers?

So here's my addendum to the petition:

Dear Dr.Frist:

As a medical doctor, I'm sure you understand the health benefits of fish in the diets of an increasingly overweight and unfit American public. You no doubt are also keenly aware of the importance that fish has to many local American economies, not to mention the global marketplace. And you probably have an inkling of the looming environmental disaster facing our country and the world if the oceans are polluted and robbed of their plant and animal life.

As a woman of childbearing years, I face an ever-growing list of items that I cannot eat or to which I should limit exposure. As someone who does not eat meat or poultry, fish were a great source of protein for me - a source that is almost entirely foreclosed now because of mercury and PCB toxification, as well as overfishing of many staple species.

This treaty could be our final chance to rescue the world's oceans, the very essence of the "Blue Planet," and return these vast expanses to their former bounty. Signing the treaty will demonstrate that both parties are in agreement that the environment plays a crucial part in the health and welfare of our citizenry. A ratified treaty will signify to others that despite other recent actions to the contrary, the United States is deeply committed to our partnership with all nations in caring for the home that we share.

If you're interested in learning more about the treaty, see Grist's Muckraker and sign the petition on the Petition Site.

Summer Vacation Sweetest for the W

I recently debated with an individual to who I am related (but will not name) on the dubious nature of Jacques Chirac's moral character, which apparently is a clear cause of France's steep economic decline. What do you, nameless relative, know about Jacques Chirac, you may ask. To which said relative replies, "All I know is that when those people were dying over there, he was cool on vacation in Canada. If any American President had been on vacation like that, he would have been run out of office." Overlooking (at least for the moment) the questionable claims about France's economy and whether Chirac, morally flawed or not, has much to do with their alleged fiscal problems, I think we can safely say that Americans Presidents, particularly the current one, have had their share of lengthy and disruptive vacations.

According to an April Washington Post article (about Powell's comments on Iraq casualities, strangely), Dubya has taken all or part of 500 days in his presidency for personal time:

"This is Bush's 33rd visit to his ranch since becoming president. He has spent all or part of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking office, according to a tally by CBS News. Adding his 78 visits to Camp David and his five visits to Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush has spent all or part of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats, or more than 40 percent of his presidency. "

The Dubya will probably exceed his father's vacation time, which was also outrageous, before the end of his first (and hopefully his last) term. So insofar as vacation time is concerned, Georgy Porgy is more like Chirac - more European really, than American heartland. The records for the longest vacations are held by the early Presidents, with James Madison taking off for four months in 1816 and John Adams running the country from his farm for seven months because Abigail was ill. So our early patricians had a touch of the lazy in them. But apparently Bush's month-long siesta down in Crapford is the longest POTUS vaca in thirty-two years (since Nixon). According to ABC, the Prez is vacationing far more than the average American, who takes only 10.2 days per year (less than half of what most other first worlders get and five days less than even China ).

Here is an August 2003 comparison of recent Presidents:

According to an August 2003 article in the Washington Post, President Bush has spent all or part of 166 days during his presidency at his Crawford, Texas, ranch or en route. Add the time spent at or en route to the presidential retreat of Camp David and at the Bush family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, and Bush has taken 250 days off as of August 2003. That's 27% of his presidency spent on vacation. Although to be fair, much of this time is classified as a "working vacation."

Bush isn't the first president to get away from his work. George Bush Sr. took all or part of 543 vacation days at Camp David and in Kennebunkport. Ronald Reagan spent 335 days at or en route to his Santa Barbara, California, ranch during his eight years in office. Of recent presidents, Jimmy Carter took the least days off -- only 79 days, which he usually spent at his home in Georgia. That's less than three weeks a year, which is closer to the average American's paid time off of 13 days per year.

What about Clinton? As of December 1999, President Bill Clinton had spent only 152 days on holiday during his two terms, according to CBS News. A former staffer noted Clinton was such a workaholic that "it almost killed Clinton to take one-week vacations during August." In 2000, Clinton cut his summer vacation short to just three days, so he and his wife could concentrate on her Senate race and fundraising for Democrats. While we couldn't find the exact tally for Clinton's last year in office, it's reasonable to expect he didn't increase his vacation rate. And in barely three years in office, George W. Bush has already taken more vacation than Clinton did in seven years.

So what can we discern from these statistics? Americans apparently don't care about their own leaders taking unusually long respites, but we have a problem when foreign leaders take the same amount of time as their compatriots. The Bush men like their quality time, even if (or maybe especially when) their Frenchified R&R means distracting them from Americans dying abroad. Good thing vacation is not a French word, or Dubya would be going on a "Freedom Jaunt" or "Operation Party Down."