Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie.

Doggie diary: The story of Rosie and Sophie Do they think I’m a scratch-off ticket

Rosie, in a bout of exuberance, scratched me pretty badly, leaving a long mark across the side of my face like a G.I. Joe doll from childhood.

I’m at a loss as to how to stop them from nipping, jumping and scratching.

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Runner’s diary, Wednesday

I need to get a new pair of sneakers. The Brooks Adrenalines I’m using are old and showing their wear badly. I pulled them back out of the closet, out of retirement, a few weeks ago after I decided to ditch the Sauconys in which I’d been running for several months.

I like the Brooks shoes — I don’t mean to offer an endorsement; there area lot of great shoes out there. But the Brooks seem to fit my feet best, minimizing the joint problems that can accompany long-distance running.

That said, I ran today with a sore shin, raising concerns about shin splints. Otherwise, my three miles on the treadmill were uneventful — I watched the Mets on SNY Mets Rewind and listened to R.E.M.’s Accelerate disc on my Nano.

That makes eight miles for the week, so far, with at least one more running day coming up. I’d like to do four tomorrow and then see if I can sneak in another day before Sunday.

Earning his way onto the team

Apparently, if Arlen Specter wants to be a Democrat — and I think the jury is still out on whether that is what he really wants — he is going to have to earn his perks. That’s the message that Senate Democrats sent their new colleague today, voting to deny the 29-year veteran seniority on five committees. Given his recent votes and statements — he is opposing the Employee Free Choice Act, voted against the president’s budget and his almost aggressive nose-thumbing at his new colleagues — it probably was important to send the new Democrat a message.

Specter’s initial warm welcome from his new party has given way to a more tepid greeting, as liberal groups chafe at Specter’s continued opposition to key elements of the party agenda — like the $3.4 trillion budget, which he voted against last week, and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Specter did little to ingratiate himself with his new party colleagues over the weekend, when he disputed a Wall Street Journal report that said he promised President Barack Obama he would loyally support his agenda.

“I did not say I would be a loyal Democrat. I did not say that,” Specter insisted Sunday on “Meet the Press.”

So, what exactly does he bring to the table for the Dems?

If Specter was being principled, rather than just seeking to save his political life, he would have done what Joe Lieberman did (did I actually just write that?) and run as an independent, rather than switching party affiliation but acting like his old Republican self.

And the Democrats, reviewing Specter’s not-as-moderate-as-he-says record, would have extracted a lot more promises from him — like support for EFCA.

But we’re talking about Washington, a city where party affiliation is more important than almost everything else.