Target Centermass

Tragic footnotes to a tragic story, left by those trapped in a mine to their loved ones now trapped in dealing with loss and the aftermath.

Some of the 12 coal miners who died following an explosion left notes behind assuring family members that their final hours trapped underground were not spent in agony, a relative said Thursday.

“The notes said they weren’t suffering, they were just going to sleep,” said Peggy Cohen, who had been called to a makeshift morgue at a school to identify the body of her father, 59-year-old mining machine operator Fred Ware Jr.

Cohen said a note was not left with Ware’s body, but that she planned to retrieve his personal belongings later Thursday to see if he left one in his lunch box. But she said the medical examiner told her notes left with several of the bodies all carried a similar message: “Your dad didn’t suffer.”

Ware was among a dozen miners who were found after 41 hours inside the mine. They were found at the deepest point of the Sago Mine, about 2 1/2 miles from the entrance, behind a fibrous plastic cloth stretched across an area about 20 feet wide to keep out deadly carbon monoxide gas.

Cohen said her father had the peaceful look of someone who died from carbon monoxide, and the only mark on his body was a bruise on his chest. “It comforts me to know he didn’t suffer and he wasn’t bruised or crushed. I didn’t need a note. I think I needed to visualize and see him.”

The sole survivor, 26-year-old Randal McCloy, remained in critical condition in a coma in a Morgantown hospital Thursday with a collapsed lung, dehydration and other problems.

My best wishes to all of the involved families.

It’s time for another iteration of the celebrity-for-governor election story.

Lynn Swann, whose acrobatic receptions took him to four Super Bowls and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, made another leap last night as he formally launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.

Before a cheering crowd of about 500 at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, the former Steelers receiver promised to bring leadership and change to his adopted state.

“I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, and tonight, I’m drafted by Pennsylvania to be governor,” Mr Swann said, shortly after making his entrance to the strains of Van Halen’s “Right Now.”

Speaking for 25 minutes without text or notes, a relaxed and engaging candidate pledged an administration that would deliver lower taxes in general and a reformed property tax system in particular. As in earlier appearances in his campaign, however, Mr. Swann offered few specific details of his polices amid the broad, thematic promises.

“I want to cut taxes in a responsible way and I’d like to reform property taxes … getting rid of the millage system and giving us real property tax reform,” he said. “If you want change, I’m your guy.”

In an interview before his appearance, Mr. Swann dismissed suggestions that he had been any less forthcoming than his Republican rivals in fleshing out his policy vision.

As the Legislature struggled without apparent progress to craft some solution to the controversial property tax issue, Mr. Swann said, “I’m competitive. So even if I had that play today, if I laid it out for you today, don’t you think that my opponents and other people would then say, ‘We can adapt that plan, too’?

“I don’t think this is the time to roll out the details,” he added while saying that he would provide more policy specifics as the campaign moves forward.

Swann’s grace has been on display for years on the gridiron and behind the microphone, but certainly the political realm is a different playing field. It certainly seems that the media is already looking for shortcomings and missteps.

At least in the case of Swann, as opposed to other recent celebrity candidates, the interest in politics doesn’t seem to be overnight or whimsical.

This is Mr. Swann’s first run for public office, although he has been active in Republican politics, campaigning extensively for President Bush in the 2004 election.

While he seeks to follow in the path of political outsiders who have won statehouses such as Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, Mr. Swann’s candidacy boasts the support of many members of the state’s GOP hierarchy, such as Mark Holman, who was former Gov. Tom Ridge’s chief of staff, and former state chairman Alan Novak.

Mr. Swann, born in Tennessee in 1952, was raised in California, and earned a degree in public relations and a place on the All-American football squad while attending the University of Southern California. He appeared last night with his wife, Charene, and their sons, Braxton and Shaffer. His parents, Willie and Mildred Swann, sat beaming in the first row as Mr. Swann spoke in a makeshift theater in the round amid the center’s artifacts of Pennsylvania history.

In an interview, Mr. Swann said that when he first registered to vote, it was as a Democrat, as his parents still are. He said he switched his registration to Republican after he moved to Pittsburgh, where he was active in civic affairs, including serving on the board of the Pittsburgh Ballet and as a spokesman for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

Okay, now there will be some reason for this sports fan to have a little interest in the Keystone State’s voting this year, though I would need some more specifics from Swann for that interest to actually change into support. I’m sure that’s a common thought in Pennsylvania right now.

Okay, it’s not my usual style, but here’s a blonde joke that actually made me chuckle, courtesy of long-time blogroll resident Chapomatic.

Enjoy.

How do I know? The New York Times has decided that opposition to his nomination stems from “liberal” groups.

Liberal Groups to Release Ads Attacking Court Pick

The battle over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. turned personal Wednesday with the announcement of new commercials that sharply escalated liberal attacks on him, moving beyond his legal views to attack his character and credibility instead.

The commercials come less than a week before confirmation hearings begin Monday. Steve Schmidt, a White House spokesman handling the nomination, called the commercials “dishonest” and “a desperation tactic.”

Separately, the American Bar Association on Wednesday rated Judge Alito “well qualified” for the court, its highest rating, as expected. His supporters hailed the rating. Liberal groups said their complaint was his judicial philosophy, not his professional qualifications.

A commercial by one of the liberal groups, MoveOn.org Political Action, depicts Judge Alito as an actor receiving makeup and coaching.

Okay, per the NYT, MoveOn.org is now officially a liberal group. It should serve as a relief to all that the Old Gray Lady can still, on occasion, accidentally stumble into an obvious political truth … and even publish it.

No more casting of MoveOn’s stances as mainstream or populist, right? Well, don’t hold your freakin’ breath.

Hey, it’s their headline, not mine.

Campaigning is under way in the first Palestinian parliamentary election for 10 years. But the talk in Gaza is not so much of issues and policies and the prospects for parties.

The focus is more on the law and chronic problems, and whether the polls will be held at all.

Foreigners have been kidnapped. And every day there are angry anti-government protests. Public buildings are stormed as armed demonstrators demand jobs, or sometimes the release of prisoners.

There have been attacks on police stations, clan feuds and clashes between militia groups.

This looks bad. It’s time to spin.

All this has to be kept in context. Much of the upheaval has been confined to the south, and to the town of Rafah in particular – and much of the turmoil has about it an element of show.

There have been few casualties, and very little serious, sustained violence. Protesting gunmen who occupy government buildings often leave as soon as they have made their point.

Yes, the violence is only about making a point. If only we could find somebody to blame …

But the disturbances are more frequent now, and they are generating a sense of insecurity that deeply disturbs people here.

The chaos has its roots in many problems.

This society has been radicalised and traumatised by its confrontation with the Israelis, who occupied Gaza decades ago and only evacuated their settlers and troops last summer.

Yeah, it’s the fault of the Jews in Israel. That’s why the Palestinians have no problems with any of their other neighbors. For those who believe this, stop reading now.

Palestinians steal bulldozers, smash through border wall

Hundreds of angry Palestinians streamed into Egypt on Wednesday after militants with stolen bulldozers broke through a border wall, and two Egyptian troops were killed and 30 were wounded by gunfire in the rampage.

About 3,000 Egyptian Interior Ministry troops who initially had no orders to fire swarmed the border but were forced to withdraw about a half-mile, said security forces Lt. Sameh el-Antablyan, who announced the casualties.

Gen. Essam el-Sheikh said Egyptian forces later began firing back.

The scene was one of utter chaos. An Egyptian armored vehicle was burning and hundreds of Palestinians could be seen crouched in farm fields just inside Egypt.

The militants’ rampage through the southern Gaza town of Rafah underscored the growing lawlessness in Palestinian towns, especially in Gaza, and represented the most brazen challenge to the authority of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Yup. Sounds like Israel is the only speedbump stopping the Palestinians from forming a civilized society. The Egyptians (and, decades past, the Syrians) are obviously just tools of the dreaded Zionists.

Give the Palestinians a state already. They’re cool, and their fashions are so sheik at anti-almost-anything protests.