Lincolnite

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the saline wetlands... Lincoln's favorite insect, the salt creek tiger beetle, is back in the news. Admit it, you thought we were done with that issue, didn't you? Did you slip into the "if I ignore the problem, it will resolve itself" mentality? I have to admit I did, though I do snap out of it when I drive up North 27th Street (which isn't often). I have a difficult time feeling sorry for the little critter. On the other hand, I'm all for preserving at least some saline wetland habitat. Not necessarily for the beetle, mind you, but because I think it's a good thing to keep some of these habitats around. I wonder where the City Council candidates stand on this issue? Sure it's not the most critical issue. Yet wouldn't it be interesting to know who belongs to the "plow 'em under" mindset, who thinks we should save species at (virtually) any cost, and who waffles in the middle without actually taking a stand?

Unlike a lot of folks, I don't have a big problem with money in political elections. (My problem with politicians and money comes after they've been elected.) So when I see an article that describes how much City Council candidates have raised, I find it interesting, not worrisome. The one number that really jumps out at me, however, is Jayne Snyder's impressive $35,000 self contribution. Yowza! I don't have any problem with her spending her money however she likes, but dang, that's a lot of cash to be putting toward a seat on the City Council.

I'm having a difficult time getting too worked up over swine H1N1 flu. I probably should be more concerned, but I'm not. I am fascinated by watching the spread of the illness, and the reactions from politicians around the world are a hoot. Nothing gets knees a-jerkin' like a good (perceived?) crisis. Not to say that we should just sit back and mock this little bug. It has killed people, after all. Still, the mortality rate is extremely fuzzy right now. "Normal" flu (whatever that means) kills a fraction of 1% of infected persons in the United States. The current outbreak may or may not have a rate substantially higher than that; we just don't know. At least all of this attention has allowed people to get treated early, an action which so far seems to be squishing the bug pretty easily. Now that Nebraska has its first confirmed case of swine H1N1 flu, and now that Nebraska has declared a state of emergency, how long will it be before we follow Texas' lead and shut down events across the state?