Good morning. 
Thursday in Whitewater will be clear with a high of thirty-four. Sunrise is 7:18 AM and sunset 4:54 PM, for 9h 36m 46s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 56% of its visible disk illuminated.
Good begins with normal: Today is a good day, in the District of Columbia, and across the nation.
On this day in 1954, the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut.
Recommended for reading in full —
Michael Gerson writes In his speech, Biden helps us believe he can make our rusty system work:
At a moment of historic firsts — the first female, Black and South Asian vice president, the first inaugural address given at a recent crime scene, the first passing of presidential power from a classless, unhinged narcissist who tried to destroy the constitutional order — the most compelling attribute of President Biden’s inaugural address was its moral normalcy. I had a cascading sense of relief at hearing a president take the “pro” side of empathy, compassion and inclusion.
After Donald Trump’s “American carnage” inaugural address — essentially declaring war on the whole congressional “establishment” that sat in uncomfortable attendance — former president George W. Bush reportedly commented, “That was some weird s–t.” Biden’s speech was neither. Behind the new president’s words you could almost hear the work crews rebuilding America’s moral and political guardrails. That infrastructure project is a precondition for the return of a politics that is normal and noble.
The address was more authentic to Biden than rhetorically ambitious, objectives that typically diverge. It was clearly intended to give a sense of the president as a man — upbeat, forthright, practical, welcoming. The speech was a rhetorical X-ray. It showed that Biden’s heart is in the right place — something that could not be assumed in Trump’s alien anatomy. It is usually not high praise to say that an inaugural address puts you to sleep. But I will sleep better at night knowing that a man of admirable character holds the presidency.
The Guardian reports Avril Haines confirmed by US Senate as first female national intelligence chief:
Haines, a former CIA deputy director, will become a core member of Biden’s security team, overseeing the agencies that make up the nation’s intelligence community. She succeeds John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican and Trump loyalist who was widely regarded as having too little experience for the position.
Praising Haines, Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who will chair the intelligence committee in the new Senate, said: “After being deliberately undermined for four years, the intelligence community deserves a strong, Senate-confirmed leader to lead and reinvigorate it.”
Marco Rubio, the acting outgoing Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said in a statement: “Our adversaries will not stand by and wait for the new administration to staff critical positions, and I am pleased my Senate colleagues joined me in swiftly confirming director Haines to this important post.”
Ron Wyden, a committee Democrat who has regularly criticised spy agency activities, said he voted for Haines after her response to questions, including how spy agencies treat whistleblowers and concerns he raised about how the CIA had spied on committee officials when they were working on a report detailing the agency’s use of harsh interrogation techniques, which critics described as torture.
During an intelligence committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Haines said the United States should take an “aggressive stance” toward the threat posed by an aggressive and assertive China.
How 715,000 Pounds of Cargo Moves Through Dallas Fort Worth Airport In 24 Hours:
John: Your interpretation that my comments about the City Goals process were describing. the CDA as a “top down” organization is not correct. I was stating that goals for the various public bodies should NOT be developed “top down” from the City Manager but should include input from the Common Council and those citizen’s who volunteer their time and efforts to make the city function. My point is that the City has never codified the role and responsibilities of the CDA. Past CDA Chairs, by default, have largely defined the CDA through the support of a small group of “City Fathers”. They have done some good things but are focused on a 1970s Industrial Development model that is dangerously myopic. Best Regards – Al Stanek. Want a good laugh. Look at the recently adopted 2021 City Budget document. The Community Profile (page 12) describes the CDA’s responsibilities as “protect and promote the health and safety and morals of city residents.” ?????
Good morning — yes, point well taken – and my apologies (obviously). I will adjust the post to link to your comments (above) and to make clear that it’s my view that the CDA is a top-down organization. More accurately, because top-down isn’t even quite right by my own view, to me it’s more like this: side-across, where a small group of people (some in government, some not) treat the CDA like personal property, and push it in a particular direction apart from broader input.
I’d suggest that (truly) no major goals for the city should be top-down. The city is small, and needs no particular, limited hierarchy. Some people have public offices, for limited times and purposes, but there’s no legitimate reason not to include as many residents as possible in decision-making. No one in Whitewater is so rushed for time, or pressed by crowds, that there isn’t time for others’ input.
I’d not noticed that Community Profile page, but now that I have, you have indeed given me a good laugh.
Thanks much for your comments; correction on original post now added.
[…] was contending that it should not be top-down. The original post had his views backward. Here’s a link to his full comment and my reply in the comments section. The original and erroneous remarks are below – […]