“I am one of those insecure people that drag the “luggage that needs wheels” onto the plane. Clearly, you are fortunate enough to make a living writing little snippets on a computer in the comfort of your pajamas at home, and have no need to travel on a regular basis. But a big chunk of travelers out there are like me: people who have to commute cross country on a regular basis, who have to spend 10 to 40 hours a month on an airplane or in airports. To us, its game of odds. If one travels 10 times a month, its pretty likely the airline will screw it up at least once and destroy your plans for that day or week. And even if the airline does not lose your luggage, the extra 30 minutes to an hour to stay on the longer line to check in your luggage (even the gate checks can be pretty painful nowadays) and the extra 15 to 30 minutes to pick up the luggage adds up. And you only need one time a month, when the line goes out the door to learn to bring your bags on board. On average, a 2 hour flight becomes a 3 hour flight, and if you make the trip twice a week, you are talking a lot of hours. The fact is, being able to pack a week’s clothing into a carry-on is a godsend, and well worth it. One hour of a road warrior’s time is worth 5 minutes of a wait for the Memorial day traveler, even if he has a blog to bitch on.” – more feedback on the Letters Page, edited by Reihan Salam, who gets a credit and a small amount of your cash.
THE TRENT LOTT DEFENSE: Rep. Chip Pickering, Charles’ son, is trying to rally local black leaders behind his father by promising that he would lobby for a “diversity candidate” to replace his father on the federal court in Hattiesburg. More consistency from Republicans on race. From a cynic’s perspective, it looks as if they’re against affirmative action if it hurts white people; but in favor of it if it indirectly helps white people, especially old white people from the South. I’ve now read several long stories about Charles Pickering. The intricacies of his treatment of a delinquent racist cross-burner have left me queasy and with an unfortunate impression: that this relic of an old South still feels the need to cater, even mildly, to white prejudice. Why on earth is the Bush administration going to bat for this guy a second time around?
The Dish 