The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair, Moshik Temkin, Yale University Press, 2009.
There are many Ph.D. dissertations that do not deserve publication no matter how many revisions they attempt. This is not one of them. It is a truly fascinating account of the still often debated Sacco-Vanzetti electrocutions, a scholarly and well researched work that puts the “affair” in an international context rather than the more typical work on the subject that concentrates more often than not on whether Sacco and Vanzetti were actually guilty as charged, or sometimes on whether or not they received a fair trial. The fact that they were both electrocuted in 1927 does nothing, in and of itself, to answer these questions.
This book traces the arrest in 1920 of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants, who were also anarchists, for the robbery and murder of a factory paymaster and security guard in an industrial suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. To this day it has never been clearly established they were guilty, but they were found guilty in 1921 and finally electrocuted in 1927. What began as a rather routine criminal “case” in 1921, began to change into a national “affair,” and by 1926 had become an international affair of monumental significance. This book traces the history of this transformation and what it meant to the emergence of the U.S. as an international power after the first World War.
The Sacco-Vanzetti affair did not die subsequent to their electrocutions. Indeed, it is still alive and well as this book and others testify. At first Sacco and Vanzetti were supported only by anarchists and those who believed in overthrowing governments and throwing off the yokes of the capitalists, etc. But as the two languished in prison, waiting to be executed, others became interested in their case, including many of the most important liberals of the time who then tried to influence the Massachusetts courts to either free them or at least give them another trial. There were very good reasons why many influential people believed they had not had a fair trial, the trial judge had been shown to be terribly biased toward “wops” and other immigrants, for example. And the quirky Massachusetts laws at the time only allowed for appeals to go to the same judge that had sentenced them (who, of course, stood by his earlier decision). The affair became one in which laborers (the proletariat) were believed by many to be unfairly discriminated against by the (bourgeois) capitalists. Many others were simply outraged by what they believed were the unconscionable actions of the prosecutors and the trial judge. Still others were concerned because they did not belief Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty in the first place. This all took place during the “Red scare” that gripped the United States at that time. Stalin, and the communist party, who were in fact sworn enemies of the anarchists and were at that moment actually jailing them in Russia, seized upon the Sacco-Vanzetti case as an example of labor revolutionaries fighting for the rights of workers everywhere. Mussolini, who was coming into power in Italy, was torn between wanting to defend his fellow Italians and his obsequious desire for good relations with the U.S. In France the affair was seen as another example of their own infamous “Dreyfus affair.” England and other countries were outraged because they thought American laws were unfair and discriminatory against immigrants, especially Italians. Many thought that six years in prison, just waiting to be executed, was enough in itself to free them.
It is somewhat difficult to follow all the nuances of this affair now because, among other things, for all intents and purposes, there are no anarchists today. But there were then, they were organized, and were in opposition to communism as well as other forms of government. It is also difficult for us to understand the importance of the Red scare, but McCarthyism also played into this affair as is not too hard to imagine. Out of this incredible mix of various interests eventually emerged a pretty solid consensus that Sacco and Vanzetti were indeed sacrificed by a paranoid U.S. society, the question of their actual guilt or innocence became largely irrelevant to this wider political context. This view went largely unchallenged until the 1950’ and 60’s when the far right, enchanted by McCarthy, attempted to challenge it. Led by William Buckley and a few others they tried to prove that Sacco and Vanzetti were rabid revolutionaries and deserved to be put to death, etc. This controversy has not completely disappeared even now.
I have not done justice to this fine and compelling book. My opinion, having read it, is that there is no doubt whatsoever that Sacco and Vanzetti did not get a fair trial and should never have been executed. The behavior of the judge who sentenced them, as well as the decision by the review committee that was finally established, was outrageous almost beyond belief and could not happen now. In fact, the Massachusetts law that allowed appeals to go only to the sentencing judge were changed after this awful tragedy. Basically, Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted and executed because they were Italians (“wops”), immigrants, poor, laboring class, and anarchists, critical of government. Their guilt with respect to the crime involved was not established beyond any doubt (nor was any attempt even made to consider their innocence). Nor is it clear that they ever seriously participated in trying to overthrow the government. This shameful episode in our history has much to do with the original creation of anti-Americanism around a world that expected much better from us.
The 1920's and 30's were a truly interesting period in the United States, as it was a time when we were emerging for the first time as a world power. This book makes much of this history much more understandable, and actually helps to understand our current situation as well.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Iranian hysteria
Felon accidentally shoots off
his own testicle, avoids jail,
Judge says he suffered enough.
I absolutely do not understand this hysteria over Iran and its possible nuclear bomb. First of all there is no evidence that the Iranians are actually pursuing a bomb. Second, what would happen even if they did have a bomb? With one or two or three bombs would they try to destroy Israel and Western Europe? This is a simply absurd assumption, especially as Iran has not attacked anyone for over two hundred years, and Israel and the U.S. would presumably respond massively. Then some say it would set off an arms race in the Middle East. It conceivably could do that, but why assume that Iranians and Arabs are so crazy or irresponsible they would start blowing each other up with nuclear bombs? Even the West versus Russia was not that stupid, and there is no reason to assume any difference for those in the Middle East (unless, of course, you are a bunch of racist paternalists still daydreaming about the “white man’s burden.”). As Israel has had nuclear bombs for years, the only nation in the Middle East to do so, I am rather surprised there hasn’t already been a nuclear arms race in that part of the world. I don’t think it’s because the Arab states are too poor. Anyway, this whole approach to the Middle East seems to me to be predicated on the assumption that Iranians and Arabs must be really stupid and unable to manage their own affairs. Besides, if there were to be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East it would probably not mature until after global warming had already done us all in.
Another article I saw today says that “diplomats” (unnamed diplomats, of course) say that Iran could conduct an underground nuclear test within six months. There is absolutely no evidence for this as far as I can see. Furthermore, the same article then goes on to point out why the Iranians would not do this even if they could (it would tip off Israel which would immediately respond and etc.). The article also suggests that the Iranians are nowhere near having the capacity to launch a nuclear weapon even if they had one, and then goes on, interestingly enough, to point out, it will be years before Iran would be in a position to have and use nuclear weapons. So why, I ask you, all this continued talk about an Israeli attack on Iran, with the blessing of the U.S., and so on? Why do people like Hillary and Gates keep repeating that “nothing is off the table,” and they should not think the U.S. is weak, and blah, blah, blah. At the same time they keep threatening, they also indicate that an attack on Iran is not imminent or planned or whatever. And why do we try to frighten Europeans by pointing out that if Iran had a bomb it would threaten them also? They probably have better intelligence than we do (not a difficult achievement these days) and know more about the situation than we do. Having been following this for months, even years, I have to conclude that it is mostly racist Israeli paranoia which results in nothing but gobbeldy gook instead of common sense on the part of most everyone. I have no doubt that if the West and Israel would reach out diplomatically to Iran, without preconditions, and without assuming they are just irresponsible children, this “problem” would turn out to be mostly a figment of Israeli and U.S. imagination. I believe this would be true no matter who is in charge of Iran at the moment.
As far as I know the American public (at least that portion of it that is actually awake) is in favor of a single-payer health care system. And many of those who are actively involved in trying to negotiate a new health care system also favor a single-payer plan. Obama himself, as a candidate, also favored a single-payer plan. It now seems to be pretty much universally understood that a single-payer system would be much, much less expensive than any other plan, much more cost effective and efficient, and would eliminate the enormous profits that just go to the Insurance industry (an organization completely unnecessary for health care, basically a form of parasitical bloodsuckers). Thanks mostly to Dennis Kucinich it is apparently going to be possible for individual states to opt for a single-payer system should they so desire. The Obama administration, and others, believing there was no chance for a single-payer plan, have opted to create a public option so people, if they wished, could by-pass the insurance leeches entirely. The Insurance and Pharmaceutical and Hospital industries are predictably opposed to even this form of public option. Obama remains determined to get some kind of plan this year, and is talking of just ramming one through without the help of Republicans (and a few Democrats being heavily bribed by the corporations). I don’t know how possible this may be, but if it is possible, why not ram through a single-payer plan and have done with it? If they succeed in getting a public option it will almost inevitably turn into a single-payer plan eventually, so why wait? Why would anyone, especially any Congressperson, who is supposed to have the public interest foremost in their minds, oppose the most efficient and practical plan? Because the Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industries are paying them big bucks to do just that. It is, alas, that simple, and that disgusting.
LKBIQ:
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
Aesop
TILT:
Alexander the Great’s horse, Bucephalus, was said to have died of old age at thirty. Alexander named a city after him, Bucephala.
his own testicle, avoids jail,
Judge says he suffered enough.
I absolutely do not understand this hysteria over Iran and its possible nuclear bomb. First of all there is no evidence that the Iranians are actually pursuing a bomb. Second, what would happen even if they did have a bomb? With one or two or three bombs would they try to destroy Israel and Western Europe? This is a simply absurd assumption, especially as Iran has not attacked anyone for over two hundred years, and Israel and the U.S. would presumably respond massively. Then some say it would set off an arms race in the Middle East. It conceivably could do that, but why assume that Iranians and Arabs are so crazy or irresponsible they would start blowing each other up with nuclear bombs? Even the West versus Russia was not that stupid, and there is no reason to assume any difference for those in the Middle East (unless, of course, you are a bunch of racist paternalists still daydreaming about the “white man’s burden.”). As Israel has had nuclear bombs for years, the only nation in the Middle East to do so, I am rather surprised there hasn’t already been a nuclear arms race in that part of the world. I don’t think it’s because the Arab states are too poor. Anyway, this whole approach to the Middle East seems to me to be predicated on the assumption that Iranians and Arabs must be really stupid and unable to manage their own affairs. Besides, if there were to be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East it would probably not mature until after global warming had already done us all in.
Another article I saw today says that “diplomats” (unnamed diplomats, of course) say that Iran could conduct an underground nuclear test within six months. There is absolutely no evidence for this as far as I can see. Furthermore, the same article then goes on to point out why the Iranians would not do this even if they could (it would tip off Israel which would immediately respond and etc.). The article also suggests that the Iranians are nowhere near having the capacity to launch a nuclear weapon even if they had one, and then goes on, interestingly enough, to point out, it will be years before Iran would be in a position to have and use nuclear weapons. So why, I ask you, all this continued talk about an Israeli attack on Iran, with the blessing of the U.S., and so on? Why do people like Hillary and Gates keep repeating that “nothing is off the table,” and they should not think the U.S. is weak, and blah, blah, blah. At the same time they keep threatening, they also indicate that an attack on Iran is not imminent or planned or whatever. And why do we try to frighten Europeans by pointing out that if Iran had a bomb it would threaten them also? They probably have better intelligence than we do (not a difficult achievement these days) and know more about the situation than we do. Having been following this for months, even years, I have to conclude that it is mostly racist Israeli paranoia which results in nothing but gobbeldy gook instead of common sense on the part of most everyone. I have no doubt that if the West and Israel would reach out diplomatically to Iran, without preconditions, and without assuming they are just irresponsible children, this “problem” would turn out to be mostly a figment of Israeli and U.S. imagination. I believe this would be true no matter who is in charge of Iran at the moment.
As far as I know the American public (at least that portion of it that is actually awake) is in favor of a single-payer health care system. And many of those who are actively involved in trying to negotiate a new health care system also favor a single-payer plan. Obama himself, as a candidate, also favored a single-payer plan. It now seems to be pretty much universally understood that a single-payer system would be much, much less expensive than any other plan, much more cost effective and efficient, and would eliminate the enormous profits that just go to the Insurance industry (an organization completely unnecessary for health care, basically a form of parasitical bloodsuckers). Thanks mostly to Dennis Kucinich it is apparently going to be possible for individual states to opt for a single-payer system should they so desire. The Obama administration, and others, believing there was no chance for a single-payer plan, have opted to create a public option so people, if they wished, could by-pass the insurance leeches entirely. The Insurance and Pharmaceutical and Hospital industries are predictably opposed to even this form of public option. Obama remains determined to get some kind of plan this year, and is talking of just ramming one through without the help of Republicans (and a few Democrats being heavily bribed by the corporations). I don’t know how possible this may be, but if it is possible, why not ram through a single-payer plan and have done with it? If they succeed in getting a public option it will almost inevitably turn into a single-payer plan eventually, so why wait? Why would anyone, especially any Congressperson, who is supposed to have the public interest foremost in their minds, oppose the most efficient and practical plan? Because the Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industries are paying them big bucks to do just that. It is, alas, that simple, and that disgusting.
LKBIQ:
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
Aesop
TILT:
Alexander the Great’s horse, Bucephalus, was said to have died of old age at thirty. Alexander named a city after him, Bucephala.
Friday, July 17, 2009
No Numbskulls Allowed
Police seek man with
sexual fetish for slashing
exercise balls.
Should some kind of credentials be required before running for public office? I mean, you know, you have to take a test just to get a driver’s license, and many jobs require either oral or written tests. It seems there is nothing required of those who aspire to public office. Unfortunately, this shows. The Sotomayor confirmation hearings offered glimpses at Senators who seem to be truly dim bulbs. Senator Sessions is a good case in point, and Inhofe has repeatedly revealed his apparent lack of contact with reality. Just now some ten Congresspersons have signed on to some ridiculous “birther” statement. Obama has done everything necessary to prove he was born in Honolulu, part of the United States, but these dimwits refuse to believe it, claiming his birth certificate, certified by the State of Hawaii, must be a fake, and so on. In short, nothing anyone can do or say can make these people believe Obama is a bona fide citizen of the United States. This reveals, to me at least, an absence of common sense, if not the ability to reason. There are probably thousands of examples of our Senators or Representatives saying and doing absolutely boneheaded things. Many of them do not believe in evolution, an indication of genuine ignorance. Even our past President said he wasn’t sure about it. Michelle Bachman comes out every day with some new absurd claim that makes you wonder how in the world she was ever elected to high office. Of course even bright people occasionally make some stupid mistake, but in some cases this is a consistent pattern that indicates something is missing when it comes to brains.
Nothing is required for someone to be elected to office other than just the ability to get elected. Thus our elected officials can have all kinds of backgrounds: haberdashers, schoolteachers, pest controllers, and what have you. Many elected officials come from legal backgrounds, sometimes having never actually practiced law, and still others may be doctors who for whatever reason became politicians. Some of these turn out to be effective public servants, but some do not. The question becomes, how do we screen out the occasional loonies who manage to get elected to high office, then prove themselves over time to be stupid and/or incompetent, but for some reason continue to be elected? I do not know the answer to this question, but I believe it is an important issue we should consider more carefully. I would not suggest that having a college degree necessarily helps, nor is there necessarily anything wrong with having been a comedian, plumber, exterminator, or even governor. But how in the world does someone like Bachman get elected? Or Inhofe? Or Sessions? I confess that watching the performance of these individuals, and others, during the recent confirmation hearings, was an embarrassment, virtually too painful to watch. I do not believe my feelings about this have merely to do with the fact that I disagree with them. There are many people I disagree with that I still admire, but some individuals just do not inspire admiration at any level. They are, in my judgment, truly “dim bulbs.”
Could we not at least consider mandatory classes for anyone who aspires to high public office? That is, once someone decides to become a politician and run for office might they not have to take some courses in politics, current events, the Constitution, things like that, just basic information they should need to know, or is it enough they can see Russia from their front porch? Of course many candidates already possess such knowledge and could be exempt from tutorials. Sarah Palin is a good example of someone who was running for very high office with virtually no qualifications at all, other than a brief governorship of a sparsely populated state, where she has been accused of multiple ethics violations. She knows far less about the world and world affairs and the functions of government than most of my acquaintances and friends. That she could be considered a serious candidate for President of the most powerful country on the planet is not only shocking, it’s terrifying. I’m not certain that in Palin’s case tutorials would make much difference as she shows no inclination to learn or be told anything. But did we learn nothing from eight years of know-nothing Bush? Is that something we should be eager to repeat? If wanting to have someone as President who is intelligent, reasonably well educated, and well-informed, with at least, ideally, some relevant experience as well, makes me an elitist, so-be-it. I do not want my future dependent upon Joe the (non) Plumber, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin or even Sessions and Inhofe. We seem to have evolved a system in which politics has been completely divorced from both common sense and responsibility, and certainly from any sense of trying to improve the public well-being. Perhaps it might help if there was a sign over the entrance to the Senate: “No Numbskulls Allowed.”
LKBIQ:
“…the level of American elementary school education in America is not high enough for her immense possibilities and her limitless aspiration…The insufficiency of the American common school is a danger to the peace of the world.”
H. G. Wells (in the 1920’s)
TILT:
Walter Cronkite died today. He was 92. There will never be another one like him, not even close.
sexual fetish for slashing
exercise balls.
Should some kind of credentials be required before running for public office? I mean, you know, you have to take a test just to get a driver’s license, and many jobs require either oral or written tests. It seems there is nothing required of those who aspire to public office. Unfortunately, this shows. The Sotomayor confirmation hearings offered glimpses at Senators who seem to be truly dim bulbs. Senator Sessions is a good case in point, and Inhofe has repeatedly revealed his apparent lack of contact with reality. Just now some ten Congresspersons have signed on to some ridiculous “birther” statement. Obama has done everything necessary to prove he was born in Honolulu, part of the United States, but these dimwits refuse to believe it, claiming his birth certificate, certified by the State of Hawaii, must be a fake, and so on. In short, nothing anyone can do or say can make these people believe Obama is a bona fide citizen of the United States. This reveals, to me at least, an absence of common sense, if not the ability to reason. There are probably thousands of examples of our Senators or Representatives saying and doing absolutely boneheaded things. Many of them do not believe in evolution, an indication of genuine ignorance. Even our past President said he wasn’t sure about it. Michelle Bachman comes out every day with some new absurd claim that makes you wonder how in the world she was ever elected to high office. Of course even bright people occasionally make some stupid mistake, but in some cases this is a consistent pattern that indicates something is missing when it comes to brains.
Nothing is required for someone to be elected to office other than just the ability to get elected. Thus our elected officials can have all kinds of backgrounds: haberdashers, schoolteachers, pest controllers, and what have you. Many elected officials come from legal backgrounds, sometimes having never actually practiced law, and still others may be doctors who for whatever reason became politicians. Some of these turn out to be effective public servants, but some do not. The question becomes, how do we screen out the occasional loonies who manage to get elected to high office, then prove themselves over time to be stupid and/or incompetent, but for some reason continue to be elected? I do not know the answer to this question, but I believe it is an important issue we should consider more carefully. I would not suggest that having a college degree necessarily helps, nor is there necessarily anything wrong with having been a comedian, plumber, exterminator, or even governor. But how in the world does someone like Bachman get elected? Or Inhofe? Or Sessions? I confess that watching the performance of these individuals, and others, during the recent confirmation hearings, was an embarrassment, virtually too painful to watch. I do not believe my feelings about this have merely to do with the fact that I disagree with them. There are many people I disagree with that I still admire, but some individuals just do not inspire admiration at any level. They are, in my judgment, truly “dim bulbs.”
Could we not at least consider mandatory classes for anyone who aspires to high public office? That is, once someone decides to become a politician and run for office might they not have to take some courses in politics, current events, the Constitution, things like that, just basic information they should need to know, or is it enough they can see Russia from their front porch? Of course many candidates already possess such knowledge and could be exempt from tutorials. Sarah Palin is a good example of someone who was running for very high office with virtually no qualifications at all, other than a brief governorship of a sparsely populated state, where she has been accused of multiple ethics violations. She knows far less about the world and world affairs and the functions of government than most of my acquaintances and friends. That she could be considered a serious candidate for President of the most powerful country on the planet is not only shocking, it’s terrifying. I’m not certain that in Palin’s case tutorials would make much difference as she shows no inclination to learn or be told anything. But did we learn nothing from eight years of know-nothing Bush? Is that something we should be eager to repeat? If wanting to have someone as President who is intelligent, reasonably well educated, and well-informed, with at least, ideally, some relevant experience as well, makes me an elitist, so-be-it. I do not want my future dependent upon Joe the (non) Plumber, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin or even Sessions and Inhofe. We seem to have evolved a system in which politics has been completely divorced from both common sense and responsibility, and certainly from any sense of trying to improve the public well-being. Perhaps it might help if there was a sign over the entrance to the Senate: “No Numbskulls Allowed.”
LKBIQ:
“…the level of American elementary school education in America is not high enough for her immense possibilities and her limitless aspiration…The insufficiency of the American common school is a danger to the peace of the world.”
H. G. Wells (in the 1920’s)
TILT:
Walter Cronkite died today. He was 92. There will never be another one like him, not even close.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sotomayor 100, Republican Clowns 0
Anthrax scare in embassy turns
out to be woman’s ashes, with
request they be strewn in Rome.
Well, it’s finally over and it appears there is no doubt Sonia Sotomayor will be confirmed. I think it is perfectly safe to say Sotomayor 100, Republican clowns 0. After asking her the same trivial question over and over for four consecutive days (and apparently expecting to get a different answer each time), they finally gave up, and several of them indicated she had a fine record and they might be inclined to vote for her. What a charade and a four day waste of time (of course there is no other pressing business for the Senate to worry about these days). Most everyone seems to be pretty satisfied with the outcome, except Pat Buchanan.
I have never liked Buchanan, mostly because he is a conservative Republican, but once in a great while he says something that sort of makes sense. His tirade against Sotomayor is not one that makes sense. Buchanan is so blinded by his absolute objection to affirmative action I fear his head may become unscrewed. He insists that she is an affirmative action appointment and is not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. This, in spite of the fact that she is known to be far more experienced and qualified than any nominee for the past 70 years. According to Buchanan she was admitted to the University as an affirmative action choice (which is true), and he implies she made her outstanding grades only because, he says, “half the students nowadays graduate summa cum laude.” Her record of collegiate success and her years of experience on the bench seem to mean nothing to Buchanan because he keeps insisting, “she is an affirmative action choice, a Puerto Rican.” He also argues that she is not a brilliant legal mind, having not written any outstanding books or articles, and Supreme Court Justices should all be extraordinarily brilliant (like Clarence Thomas, I guess). While I don’t know offhand whether Roberts or Alito have written brilliant legal books, I rather suspect not. When challenged by Rachel Maddow as to why only 2 Justices out of 110 have been non-white, he ranted and raved about how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written by white men, the war of Independence was fought by white men, and it was white men who stormed the beaches at Normandy. To him this seems to mean white men rule forever, never mind that conditions are hardly the same as they were back then (actually, I think there may have been Blacks fighting back then, but probably only in small numbers). Buchanan is apparently unaware of the profound changes in American life that have occurred during his lifetime. Maddow said he was “dated,” and she is dead right.
Affirmative action is a complex and difficult issue. It is sometimes true that a somewhat more qualified white person is passed over in favor of a minority. After so many centuries of discrimination against minorities this strikes me as unfortunate but not exactly criminal. It also raises questions in my mind about how or why the reasons for admittance even matter (as least theoretically). In Buchanan’s racist mind it apparently doesn’t matter how well you do once you are admitted, if you were an affirmative action choice you are doomed no matter how well you perform (I wonder if he would use this same criterion for Obama). When Maddow pointed out how well Sotomayor had done, Buchanan just dismissed her success as a gift from the lowered University standards these days (a questionable assertion in the first place). I wonder if he thinks the same thing about Obama’s success. More importantly, what does he think about so-called “legacy admissions?” George W. Bush certainly did not get admitted to Yale on the basis of his academic record or performance. He was admitted because he was a Bush and his father was important. And apparently he was not awarded high grades just as a matter of policy as he was, by his own admission, a “C” student. Thus we have a situation of obvious discrimination (some other better student, surely white, was not admitted because of Bush), and the individual so admitted was a relative failure (but his name was Bush and he went on to become President of the U.S., certainly a bit of irony there). I would argue that why you were admitted is basically irrelevant if you subsequently succeed (success is apparently not possible for affirmative action appointees, no matter what they do as far as Buchanan is concerned). His idea seems to be: affirmative action candidate = minority person = diminished capacity = failure = blatant racism (he does not stress this latter). There is no doubt that the Sotomayor confirmation hearings were shot through with racism, however disguised, but Buchanan does not even bother to disguise his racism. Perhaps we should give him credit for exposing himself as a bigot. The Great Chain of Being, with white Western-Europeans at the apex, does not disappear overnight, and perhaps never in the eyes of some true believers like Buchanan. The confirmation of Sotomayor, like the election of Barack Obama, are new important steps toward a new and more realistic paradigm.
LKBIQ:
The world knows of Rosa Parks because of a single, simple act of dignity and courage that struck a lethal blow to the foundations of legal bigotry.
Bill Clinton
TILT:
Carp were domesticated and used for food in Europe and Asia thousands of years ago.
out to be woman’s ashes, with
request they be strewn in Rome.
Well, it’s finally over and it appears there is no doubt Sonia Sotomayor will be confirmed. I think it is perfectly safe to say Sotomayor 100, Republican clowns 0. After asking her the same trivial question over and over for four consecutive days (and apparently expecting to get a different answer each time), they finally gave up, and several of them indicated she had a fine record and they might be inclined to vote for her. What a charade and a four day waste of time (of course there is no other pressing business for the Senate to worry about these days). Most everyone seems to be pretty satisfied with the outcome, except Pat Buchanan.
I have never liked Buchanan, mostly because he is a conservative Republican, but once in a great while he says something that sort of makes sense. His tirade against Sotomayor is not one that makes sense. Buchanan is so blinded by his absolute objection to affirmative action I fear his head may become unscrewed. He insists that she is an affirmative action appointment and is not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. This, in spite of the fact that she is known to be far more experienced and qualified than any nominee for the past 70 years. According to Buchanan she was admitted to the University as an affirmative action choice (which is true), and he implies she made her outstanding grades only because, he says, “half the students nowadays graduate summa cum laude.” Her record of collegiate success and her years of experience on the bench seem to mean nothing to Buchanan because he keeps insisting, “she is an affirmative action choice, a Puerto Rican.” He also argues that she is not a brilliant legal mind, having not written any outstanding books or articles, and Supreme Court Justices should all be extraordinarily brilliant (like Clarence Thomas, I guess). While I don’t know offhand whether Roberts or Alito have written brilliant legal books, I rather suspect not. When challenged by Rachel Maddow as to why only 2 Justices out of 110 have been non-white, he ranted and raved about how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written by white men, the war of Independence was fought by white men, and it was white men who stormed the beaches at Normandy. To him this seems to mean white men rule forever, never mind that conditions are hardly the same as they were back then (actually, I think there may have been Blacks fighting back then, but probably only in small numbers). Buchanan is apparently unaware of the profound changes in American life that have occurred during his lifetime. Maddow said he was “dated,” and she is dead right.
Affirmative action is a complex and difficult issue. It is sometimes true that a somewhat more qualified white person is passed over in favor of a minority. After so many centuries of discrimination against minorities this strikes me as unfortunate but not exactly criminal. It also raises questions in my mind about how or why the reasons for admittance even matter (as least theoretically). In Buchanan’s racist mind it apparently doesn’t matter how well you do once you are admitted, if you were an affirmative action choice you are doomed no matter how well you perform (I wonder if he would use this same criterion for Obama). When Maddow pointed out how well Sotomayor had done, Buchanan just dismissed her success as a gift from the lowered University standards these days (a questionable assertion in the first place). I wonder if he thinks the same thing about Obama’s success. More importantly, what does he think about so-called “legacy admissions?” George W. Bush certainly did not get admitted to Yale on the basis of his academic record or performance. He was admitted because he was a Bush and his father was important. And apparently he was not awarded high grades just as a matter of policy as he was, by his own admission, a “C” student. Thus we have a situation of obvious discrimination (some other better student, surely white, was not admitted because of Bush), and the individual so admitted was a relative failure (but his name was Bush and he went on to become President of the U.S., certainly a bit of irony there). I would argue that why you were admitted is basically irrelevant if you subsequently succeed (success is apparently not possible for affirmative action appointees, no matter what they do as far as Buchanan is concerned). His idea seems to be: affirmative action candidate = minority person = diminished capacity = failure = blatant racism (he does not stress this latter). There is no doubt that the Sotomayor confirmation hearings were shot through with racism, however disguised, but Buchanan does not even bother to disguise his racism. Perhaps we should give him credit for exposing himself as a bigot. The Great Chain of Being, with white Western-Europeans at the apex, does not disappear overnight, and perhaps never in the eyes of some true believers like Buchanan. The confirmation of Sotomayor, like the election of Barack Obama, are new important steps toward a new and more realistic paradigm.
LKBIQ:
The world knows of Rosa Parks because of a single, simple act of dignity and courage that struck a lethal blow to the foundations of legal bigotry.
Bill Clinton
TILT:
Carp were domesticated and used for food in Europe and Asia thousands of years ago.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The circus is not over
Toddler floats eight miles
In B.C. river on toy truck,
when found, wants to continue.
The circus is not over yet. Too bad, I was beginning to truly enjoy not watching it. The little bits and pieces I’ve seen today simply indicate more of the inane questions that have already been answered several times over. The Republican obsession with Sotomayor’s trivial “wise Latina woman” remark appears to be the only thing they have going, and it is not going so well. Why the Republicans are doing what they are to delay her confirmation is somewhat of a mystery to me. It does seem pretty pointless as they all know she will be confirmed. Tomorrow she is said to be having another series of private interviews with Senators and presumably on Friday a date will be set for her confirmation. Sessions, the airheaded leader of the Republicans, wants to delay as long as possible. He says they need the time to read and analyze all of her opinions and publications and so on. This, of course, is nothing but a delaying tactic as her record is already extremely well known, and Sessions lacks the mental capacity to understand any of it anyway. What is going on is so obvious and such a complete and utter waste of time it makes me want to scream at the TV (a bad sign). I guess what is going on here is the last gasps of White racists who cannot tolerate the idea that anyone but White males is capable of being a Supreme Court Justice (or President or Attorney General or much of anything else).
We still do not seem to know precisely what Dick the Slimy’s private assassination group was all about. Today I heard that it not only was meant to target al Quaida members, but also supporters of al Quaida. There may be more to it than this but it remains a bit of a mystery. In any case, it is most interesting. How, for example, would one know for certain who supported al Quaida and who did not? I guess it would be up to Cheney to decide (think carefully on this). I wonder if it was so secret that even Bush didn’t know about it, something that would not surprise me either way.
It appears, at least at the moment, that we might actually get some kind of health care bill, and it looks like it will have a public option. Obama seems to have finally come to his senses and realizes that trying to get bipartisanship our of the remnants of the Brafia is a lost cause. But remember, if we do now get a new health care bill it will not because of any altruism or empathy on the part of Washington, but, rather, because our big companies finally had to realize that having to pay for their employees health care made them less competitive, so they finally succumbed. You might notice that we will not get an efficient, sensible, and cost-effective single payer system, the Insurance and Pharmaceuticals do not give up that easily. What will ultimately happen with our new system is hard to predict, but it could hardly be any worse that what we have now (unless you are either rich or a Congressperson or both).
Here at Sandhill we have developed a problem with cats. The basic problem is one of our own making. I should say my wife’s making, as she is the one who insisted we get four cats to begin with. If you own cats you no doubt understand the problem. We had three cats, two of which died of natural causes. That left one cat. So then we acquired two all gray cats, sisters. The one cat didn’t take very well to the two gray kittens but over time it worked out. Then this young black male cat appeared in the neighborhood. He was aggressive, tore a hole in our neighbors screen door in his attempt to get in, then decided he liked our house better and essentially just moved in (we have a cat door). I didn’t want him but my wife fell in love with him and he with her (he knows a sucker when he sees one). Even after we had him fixed he still bullied our oldest cat and one of the sisters. The other sister, the smallest of our cats by far, was not intimidated and now dominates him along with the others. This has been a problem for some time but in recent weeks has sort of simmered down. However, now there is another cat, Spencer by name, who supposedly belongs to one of our neighbors. He has decided he likes our house and our cat food better and now regularly comes here meowing to be fed. And he always seems to be famished. We are trying to keep him out of the house but I predict this will fail. He is all white with blue eyes and he stands at the door looking in at our other four cats no doubt wondering why he cannot come in. I feel sorry for him, he’s being treated rather like a leper, but we really don’t need a fifth cat tearing up our furniture (the other four have already done that job very well). So Spencer shows up on the porch, he gets fed, but then he goes away (he is apparently learning about his second class status). Now we are threatened with a sixth cat, a gray and white creature that is turning up virtually every day. We haven’t fed him but he sometimes discovers food on the porch that we forgot to bring inside. So, you see how it goes. I like cats okay, but I really wish we didn’t have any. I know people who routinely kill them. I could never do that. Taking them to the pound is not an option (unless I was tired of my marriage), killing them is out of the question, no one I know wants one (there are always kittens available here), so we just go on being adopted by cats we don’t really want but are too soft-hearted to turn away. We should never have allowed the cats in the house, but it is too late now. Well, we could be homeless, displaced, refugees, or even worse, Republicans (they have compassion for no one).
LKBIQ:
Women and cats do as they damned well please, and men and dogs had best learn to live with it.
Alan Holbrook
TILT:
There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goats.
In B.C. river on toy truck,
when found, wants to continue.
The circus is not over yet. Too bad, I was beginning to truly enjoy not watching it. The little bits and pieces I’ve seen today simply indicate more of the inane questions that have already been answered several times over. The Republican obsession with Sotomayor’s trivial “wise Latina woman” remark appears to be the only thing they have going, and it is not going so well. Why the Republicans are doing what they are to delay her confirmation is somewhat of a mystery to me. It does seem pretty pointless as they all know she will be confirmed. Tomorrow she is said to be having another series of private interviews with Senators and presumably on Friday a date will be set for her confirmation. Sessions, the airheaded leader of the Republicans, wants to delay as long as possible. He says they need the time to read and analyze all of her opinions and publications and so on. This, of course, is nothing but a delaying tactic as her record is already extremely well known, and Sessions lacks the mental capacity to understand any of it anyway. What is going on is so obvious and such a complete and utter waste of time it makes me want to scream at the TV (a bad sign). I guess what is going on here is the last gasps of White racists who cannot tolerate the idea that anyone but White males is capable of being a Supreme Court Justice (or President or Attorney General or much of anything else).
We still do not seem to know precisely what Dick the Slimy’s private assassination group was all about. Today I heard that it not only was meant to target al Quaida members, but also supporters of al Quaida. There may be more to it than this but it remains a bit of a mystery. In any case, it is most interesting. How, for example, would one know for certain who supported al Quaida and who did not? I guess it would be up to Cheney to decide (think carefully on this). I wonder if it was so secret that even Bush didn’t know about it, something that would not surprise me either way.
It appears, at least at the moment, that we might actually get some kind of health care bill, and it looks like it will have a public option. Obama seems to have finally come to his senses and realizes that trying to get bipartisanship our of the remnants of the Brafia is a lost cause. But remember, if we do now get a new health care bill it will not because of any altruism or empathy on the part of Washington, but, rather, because our big companies finally had to realize that having to pay for their employees health care made them less competitive, so they finally succumbed. You might notice that we will not get an efficient, sensible, and cost-effective single payer system, the Insurance and Pharmaceuticals do not give up that easily. What will ultimately happen with our new system is hard to predict, but it could hardly be any worse that what we have now (unless you are either rich or a Congressperson or both).
Here at Sandhill we have developed a problem with cats. The basic problem is one of our own making. I should say my wife’s making, as she is the one who insisted we get four cats to begin with. If you own cats you no doubt understand the problem. We had three cats, two of which died of natural causes. That left one cat. So then we acquired two all gray cats, sisters. The one cat didn’t take very well to the two gray kittens but over time it worked out. Then this young black male cat appeared in the neighborhood. He was aggressive, tore a hole in our neighbors screen door in his attempt to get in, then decided he liked our house better and essentially just moved in (we have a cat door). I didn’t want him but my wife fell in love with him and he with her (he knows a sucker when he sees one). Even after we had him fixed he still bullied our oldest cat and one of the sisters. The other sister, the smallest of our cats by far, was not intimidated and now dominates him along with the others. This has been a problem for some time but in recent weeks has sort of simmered down. However, now there is another cat, Spencer by name, who supposedly belongs to one of our neighbors. He has decided he likes our house and our cat food better and now regularly comes here meowing to be fed. And he always seems to be famished. We are trying to keep him out of the house but I predict this will fail. He is all white with blue eyes and he stands at the door looking in at our other four cats no doubt wondering why he cannot come in. I feel sorry for him, he’s being treated rather like a leper, but we really don’t need a fifth cat tearing up our furniture (the other four have already done that job very well). So Spencer shows up on the porch, he gets fed, but then he goes away (he is apparently learning about his second class status). Now we are threatened with a sixth cat, a gray and white creature that is turning up virtually every day. We haven’t fed him but he sometimes discovers food on the porch that we forgot to bring inside. So, you see how it goes. I like cats okay, but I really wish we didn’t have any. I know people who routinely kill them. I could never do that. Taking them to the pound is not an option (unless I was tired of my marriage), killing them is out of the question, no one I know wants one (there are always kittens available here), so we just go on being adopted by cats we don’t really want but are too soft-hearted to turn away. We should never have allowed the cats in the house, but it is too late now. Well, we could be homeless, displaced, refugees, or even worse, Republicans (they have compassion for no one).
LKBIQ:
Women and cats do as they damned well please, and men and dogs had best learn to live with it.
Alan Holbrook
TILT:
There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goats.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Why would he not?
Brazilian woman claims she
spent ten hours with husband
in hotel room, unaware he was dead.
It is being said that Attorney General Holder is thinking about appointing a special investigator to look into the torture issue. Thinking about it? What’s to think about? How can he not appoint an investigator? He is confronted with obvious flagrant violations of the law and constitution. He is the head of our Justice Department. There have been multiple and obvious war crimes committed, some of which have already been admitted to, so what’s the problem? Personally, I believe this whole business has been a charade. Obama does not want to appear vindictive and has insisted all along that he does not want an investigation, but only to look forward. Holder has been biding his time, waiting for the best opportunity to announce his intention, as our chief law enforcement officer, to investigate what both he and Obama have had to know all along were crimes of great magnitude. Dick the Slimy has now made it easy for them to finally investigate. If, after the revelation that Cheney was conducting a secret (probably assassination squad), and had instructed the CIA to not inform the Congress about it, our Attorney General would look like an absolute and incompetent fool if he did not investigate. And once the investigation begins there is no telling where it will ultimately lead. Justice delayed is justice denied.
John McCain, probably speaking for most or all Republicans, insists that to open up an investigation of the wrongdoings of Bush/Cheney, and especially releasing the torture photographs, will just cause our enemies to hate us all the more, so we shouldn’t do it. I disagree entirely. It is no doubt true that revealing the depths of our depravity in this matter will (and should) create even higher levels of anti-American animosity, but to not investigate what the whole world knows were serious war crimes, because they were committed by Americans rather than Germans or Japanese, will lead not only to more revenge but also to utter contempt for our nation, a contempt that will linger probably forever. The only way we can avoid the worst of the fallout from our crimes, and to exonerate at least most of our citizens who were unknowingly dragged into this mess, is to investigate and prosecute and hold accountable those who were the guilty parties. In this case Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/Yoo, and many others. And if what we think we know already about their crimes can be legally demonstrated they must be suitably punished just as any other war criminals have been punished. You cannot seriously try to maintain a case for American exceptionalism based upon a foundation so teeteringly rotten as this one.
What useful purpose is being served by the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings? It cannot be her confirmation which everyone, including Republicans, knows is going to happen. I am proud to say that I did not watch this dreary and wasteful performance (although I did catch a few snatches of it). Why do we need to waste days in listening to every Senator pontificating about the duties of judges (to a judge), the story of Sotomayor’s life and accomplishments, tales their own lives and accomplishments, Row vs Wade, past nominees, and whatever else pops into their heads. Don’t they realize just how silly they look, both Democrats and Republicans? Of course in the case of Republicans they not only look silly, they look positively obnoxiously idiotic. This is especially true of Hatch, Graham, Inhofe, and overwhelmingly true of Sessions. The fact that Sotomayor can sit there and tolerate the levels of stupidity being expressed is enough by itself to assure her confirmation. She appears to me to be so far above the level of her inquisitioners as to be virtually saintly. Shouldn’t we have some kind of rules, regulations, or laws that insist states cannot elect senators unless they can demonstrate intelligence beyond the level of ground squirrels? The level of discourse being currently demonstrated during these farcical hearings is embarrassing, even shameful. If there are any kind of supernatural beings looking down on us they must be laughing hysterically, along with the rest of the world. Racism, sexism, and paternalism live! Intelligence and reason, not so much.
LKBIQ:
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
Ambrose Bierce
TILT:
The average life expectancy of a Tasmanian Devil in the wild is estimated at six years.
spent ten hours with husband
in hotel room, unaware he was dead.
It is being said that Attorney General Holder is thinking about appointing a special investigator to look into the torture issue. Thinking about it? What’s to think about? How can he not appoint an investigator? He is confronted with obvious flagrant violations of the law and constitution. He is the head of our Justice Department. There have been multiple and obvious war crimes committed, some of which have already been admitted to, so what’s the problem? Personally, I believe this whole business has been a charade. Obama does not want to appear vindictive and has insisted all along that he does not want an investigation, but only to look forward. Holder has been biding his time, waiting for the best opportunity to announce his intention, as our chief law enforcement officer, to investigate what both he and Obama have had to know all along were crimes of great magnitude. Dick the Slimy has now made it easy for them to finally investigate. If, after the revelation that Cheney was conducting a secret (probably assassination squad), and had instructed the CIA to not inform the Congress about it, our Attorney General would look like an absolute and incompetent fool if he did not investigate. And once the investigation begins there is no telling where it will ultimately lead. Justice delayed is justice denied.
John McCain, probably speaking for most or all Republicans, insists that to open up an investigation of the wrongdoings of Bush/Cheney, and especially releasing the torture photographs, will just cause our enemies to hate us all the more, so we shouldn’t do it. I disagree entirely. It is no doubt true that revealing the depths of our depravity in this matter will (and should) create even higher levels of anti-American animosity, but to not investigate what the whole world knows were serious war crimes, because they were committed by Americans rather than Germans or Japanese, will lead not only to more revenge but also to utter contempt for our nation, a contempt that will linger probably forever. The only way we can avoid the worst of the fallout from our crimes, and to exonerate at least most of our citizens who were unknowingly dragged into this mess, is to investigate and prosecute and hold accountable those who were the guilty parties. In this case Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/Yoo, and many others. And if what we think we know already about their crimes can be legally demonstrated they must be suitably punished just as any other war criminals have been punished. You cannot seriously try to maintain a case for American exceptionalism based upon a foundation so teeteringly rotten as this one.
What useful purpose is being served by the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings? It cannot be her confirmation which everyone, including Republicans, knows is going to happen. I am proud to say that I did not watch this dreary and wasteful performance (although I did catch a few snatches of it). Why do we need to waste days in listening to every Senator pontificating about the duties of judges (to a judge), the story of Sotomayor’s life and accomplishments, tales their own lives and accomplishments, Row vs Wade, past nominees, and whatever else pops into their heads. Don’t they realize just how silly they look, both Democrats and Republicans? Of course in the case of Republicans they not only look silly, they look positively obnoxiously idiotic. This is especially true of Hatch, Graham, Inhofe, and overwhelmingly true of Sessions. The fact that Sotomayor can sit there and tolerate the levels of stupidity being expressed is enough by itself to assure her confirmation. She appears to me to be so far above the level of her inquisitioners as to be virtually saintly. Shouldn’t we have some kind of rules, regulations, or laws that insist states cannot elect senators unless they can demonstrate intelligence beyond the level of ground squirrels? The level of discourse being currently demonstrated during these farcical hearings is embarrassing, even shameful. If there are any kind of supernatural beings looking down on us they must be laughing hysterically, along with the rest of the world. Racism, sexism, and paternalism live! Intelligence and reason, not so much.
LKBIQ:
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
Ambrose Bierce
TILT:
The average life expectancy of a Tasmanian Devil in the wild is estimated at six years.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Great Mortality - book
The subtitle of this book says most of it: An Intimate History of the Black Plague, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time. The Black Plague, something of a misnomer, is commonly used to refer to the three types of plague that exist: Bubonic, Pneumonic, and Septicemic. These vary in their intensity and symptoms, with bubonic being the least likely to inevitably kill, to pneumonic, a much more serious form, and septicemic which almost always kills and does so very quickly. These various forms can sometimes be found at the same time, especially bubonic and pneumonic, septicemic being, thankfully, much more rare. For the people that lived through this terrible time the plague was known more commonly as the “Big Death,” or the “Great Mortality.”
Kelly attempts to trace the spread of the Black Plague from its presumed origins somewhere in inner Asia, spreading slowly to the west through the Middle East and thence to Europe. It also spread eastward into China, following the international trade routes that existed in the 1300’s. Virtually no nation was spared. Before this version of the plague ran its course in the 1350’s it had spread throughout Europe, both from north to south as well as from east to west. It devastated China as well as Syria, Egypt, Iran and Iraq, and extended all the way to Greenland and Scandinavia. No one knows how many died but it is estimated that at least 33% of the entire population of Eurasia, with some places losing anywhere from 30 to 70% of their citizens. Only WW II exceeded the total number of deaths. Not bad for a disease primarily of rodents: turbots, marmots, rats, squirrels, gerbils, prairie dogs, and some 200 other rodent species, where human deaths were basically collateral.
For people like me, who knew very little about the plague, this is a very informative work. The author traces the movement of the disease from country to country, and in some cases virtually from city to city. Because of the nature of transportation in the 14th century the disease spread rather slowly, by caravans and ships, while it made its way steadily across Eurasia. Cities often were aware that the disease was coming, but as they had no idea what caused it, whatever precautions they tried to take were pathetically ineffective, as were their attempts to cope with it. It is difficult to imagine how overwhelmed people were in the face of this epidemic, even though Kelly does a fine job of describing the situation. People commonly refused to help each other, parents deserting their children and vice-versa because of their fears. There were, of course, some who sacrificed themselves to help others but this was more rare than not. Deaths on such a massive scale completely disrupted the ordinary ways of life of those caught up in it. People made out wills but often by the time they might have been used all the beneficiaries were themselves dead. Church services had to be modified as so many clergy succumbed. Funerals were often abandoned completely because there were not enough living to carry them out, and so on. Business and agriculture was directly affected because the labor pool shrank, driving wages up, and banks were in trouble and were unable to collect on their loans, or make new ones, and so on.
What I personally found of the most interest, however, was not the plague itself, but the relationship of the plague to the cultural practices of the time, especially those dealing with sanitation and cleanliness. It is difficult for us to imagine people who bathed only rarely, if at all, who changed clothes perhaps once or twice a year, who threw the contents of their chamber pots directly into the streets, and who were perennially lice infested and diseased in many other ways, making them even more susceptible to the plague. Factors of weather, diet, personal hygiene, and many other customs and beliefs were all involved in the movement, even in a sense the inevitability, of the Black Death.
Perhaps of even greater interest to me was the scapegoating. As the people had no idea what was causing this terrible carnage they tended to blame others, sometimes lepers and other diseased persons, but much more commonly, the Jews. Rumors abounded that the Jews were poisoning the wells because they wanted to take over the world, and they were also targeted because of being moneylenders, and because they were believed to want to kill Christian children, and so on. Jews were rounded up and killed, often burned to death, by the thousands, all over Europe. Indeed, this was so common I wonder that the Jews and Judaism survived at all. Even when it was pointed out by some of the more reasonable people that the Jews could not be responsible for the plague because they, themselves, were dying of it in large numbers, few paid any attention, It was not a time for reason. I think my favorite example might be the claim by some that the Jews were killing Christian children because they all suffered from hemorrhoids which could only be cured with Christian blood.
There have been many plagues since the Great Mortality, they still occur periodically, but they are generally more localized and result in far fewer deaths. And we have learned much more about the causes and nature of the plague, as well as much more about preventive measures. Reading about how our ancestors lived in the Middle Ages, and even up to the 1900’s, makes me wonder how the human species has survived at all. This is a fine book for those interested in such disasters, and certainly makes one thankful for living in somewhat more enlightened times. Of course we have our own serious problems at the moment.
Kelly attempts to trace the spread of the Black Plague from its presumed origins somewhere in inner Asia, spreading slowly to the west through the Middle East and thence to Europe. It also spread eastward into China, following the international trade routes that existed in the 1300’s. Virtually no nation was spared. Before this version of the plague ran its course in the 1350’s it had spread throughout Europe, both from north to south as well as from east to west. It devastated China as well as Syria, Egypt, Iran and Iraq, and extended all the way to Greenland and Scandinavia. No one knows how many died but it is estimated that at least 33% of the entire population of Eurasia, with some places losing anywhere from 30 to 70% of their citizens. Only WW II exceeded the total number of deaths. Not bad for a disease primarily of rodents: turbots, marmots, rats, squirrels, gerbils, prairie dogs, and some 200 other rodent species, where human deaths were basically collateral.
For people like me, who knew very little about the plague, this is a very informative work. The author traces the movement of the disease from country to country, and in some cases virtually from city to city. Because of the nature of transportation in the 14th century the disease spread rather slowly, by caravans and ships, while it made its way steadily across Eurasia. Cities often were aware that the disease was coming, but as they had no idea what caused it, whatever precautions they tried to take were pathetically ineffective, as were their attempts to cope with it. It is difficult to imagine how overwhelmed people were in the face of this epidemic, even though Kelly does a fine job of describing the situation. People commonly refused to help each other, parents deserting their children and vice-versa because of their fears. There were, of course, some who sacrificed themselves to help others but this was more rare than not. Deaths on such a massive scale completely disrupted the ordinary ways of life of those caught up in it. People made out wills but often by the time they might have been used all the beneficiaries were themselves dead. Church services had to be modified as so many clergy succumbed. Funerals were often abandoned completely because there were not enough living to carry them out, and so on. Business and agriculture was directly affected because the labor pool shrank, driving wages up, and banks were in trouble and were unable to collect on their loans, or make new ones, and so on.
What I personally found of the most interest, however, was not the plague itself, but the relationship of the plague to the cultural practices of the time, especially those dealing with sanitation and cleanliness. It is difficult for us to imagine people who bathed only rarely, if at all, who changed clothes perhaps once or twice a year, who threw the contents of their chamber pots directly into the streets, and who were perennially lice infested and diseased in many other ways, making them even more susceptible to the plague. Factors of weather, diet, personal hygiene, and many other customs and beliefs were all involved in the movement, even in a sense the inevitability, of the Black Death.
Perhaps of even greater interest to me was the scapegoating. As the people had no idea what was causing this terrible carnage they tended to blame others, sometimes lepers and other diseased persons, but much more commonly, the Jews. Rumors abounded that the Jews were poisoning the wells because they wanted to take over the world, and they were also targeted because of being moneylenders, and because they were believed to want to kill Christian children, and so on. Jews were rounded up and killed, often burned to death, by the thousands, all over Europe. Indeed, this was so common I wonder that the Jews and Judaism survived at all. Even when it was pointed out by some of the more reasonable people that the Jews could not be responsible for the plague because they, themselves, were dying of it in large numbers, few paid any attention, It was not a time for reason. I think my favorite example might be the claim by some that the Jews were killing Christian children because they all suffered from hemorrhoids which could only be cured with Christian blood.
There have been many plagues since the Great Mortality, they still occur periodically, but they are generally more localized and result in far fewer deaths. And we have learned much more about the causes and nature of the plague, as well as much more about preventive measures. Reading about how our ancestors lived in the Middle Ages, and even up to the 1900’s, makes me wonder how the human species has survived at all. This is a fine book for those interested in such disasters, and certainly makes one thankful for living in somewhat more enlightened times. Of course we have our own serious problems at the moment.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sexy
Elderly Ohio woman finds
fawn in her flower garden,
beats it to death with shovel.
Let me begin, however immodestly, by saying this is going to be a really “sexy” essay. In the course of pursuing my hobby (collecting sex tips on the covers of womens’ magazines) I have discovered another phenomenon I find of considerable interest, the use of the adjective, “sexy.” It seems that nowadays virtually everything can be described as sexy. Without even trying I have discovered sexy picnics, sexy photos, sexy stocks, sexy strapless dresses, sexy dreams, sexy summer styles, sexy pets, sexy legs, sexy arms, sexy baths, sexy losers, sexy guests, sexy people, sexy pictures, crazy sexy cancer tips, sexy books, sexy strappy sandals, sexy armpits, and an absolute obsession with sexy hair. I am reasonably certain, although I have not stumbled across them yet, sexy eyes, sexy hands, sexy thighs, sexy buns, sexy shoes, sexy handbags, sexy cars, sexy sandwiches, sexy pizza, sexy massages, and I wouldn’t even bet against sexy feet. About the only thing I might feel confident betting against would be sexy insurance policies or bowel movements (I’m not so sure about this latter). In other words, the adjective sexy seems to have little meaning anymore. According to an online dictionary, sexy is supposed to be an adjective for being sexually attractive, sexually suggestive or stimulating. I notice they have now hedged a bit and added a second meaning which is simply attractive or interesting. I believe there is more to it than this. For example, it would be easy, and perfectly acceptable, to speak of attractive hair, or attractive shoes, or interesting handbags and books, along with many other things. But people don’t describe things as interesting or attractive, they prefer to describe them as sexy. Obviously there is something titillating about sexy that goes beyond attractive or interesting. The word sexy seems to be a magical term that brings to mind (however unconsciously) some kind of basic sensuality that is not necessarily even remotely present in what is being described. This seems to hold true even when speaking about things that could not reasonably be considered sexy, stocks, for example, or cancer tips, or pets (questionable, perhaps in some cases). There is also now something called sexpresso stands. I guess this is because the servers are dressed in bikinis and bikinis are, of course, sexually attractive, even though there is little or no chance one would ever engage in actual sex with these dispensers of coffee. We all know, after years of advertising, that sex sells, hence the pictures of scantily clad women leaning over car hoods, riding bicycles, and being featured in ads for just about everything for sale, including sex itself. I guess the adjective sexy, no matter where used, conjures up images that go far beyond the particular item involved. I guess one can only conclude that the use of sexy to describe anything and everything is just part of the American obsession with sex (think Viagra, Enzyte, Cialis, etc., along with rampant pornography and so on). I am bothered with this ubiquitous use of sexy only in the sense that I view it as an example of the increasing impoverishment of our language. I feel pretty confident in predicting that it won’t be too long before there are only two words to describe virtually everything: fucking and sexy. I do not view this as a positive development.
Just another piece of irrelevant trivia? It has now been shown that Dick the Slimy, himself, ordered the CIA to not inform Congress of a secret program that apparently went on for eight years. This was so illegal and/or unconstitutional Panetta stopped it when he first heard about it. So we can add this bit of apparent trivia to the discovery that it was Bush himself who ordered Gonzales to Ashcroft’s hospital bed to get him to sign on to an unconstitutional program. Does anyone care about any of this? Apparently not, least of all the Obama administration. Congress is too busy trying to figure out how they can change our health care system without actually changing anything, that is, when they are not trying to figure out if Michael Jackson should be given a Congressional Medal or something, or Saint Ronnie’s face should be carved on Mt. Rushmore. And Karl Rove was grilled for eight hours the other day about his potential role in the Department of Justice scandal, but so what, we’ll probably never hear about it again. All this will just disappear along with the other infinite number of scandals that occurred during the Bush/Cheney nightmare years. The powers that be know the American public has an attention span of only a few minutes at most, and the memory of amnesiacs. War crimes? What war crimes? Lies? What lies? Elephant? What elephant? And so it goes. I am beginning to conclude that Barack Obama is not really our White (and Black) Knight after all. I’m pretty sure that if he fails to get a “Public Option,” after failing to prosecute Bush/Cheney, his public esteem will probably be pretty much finished.
LKBIQ:
There are times when one would like to end the whole human race, and finish the farce.
Mark Twain
TILT:
True oysters, as opposed to pearl oysters, are incapable of producing pearls.
fawn in her flower garden,
beats it to death with shovel.
Let me begin, however immodestly, by saying this is going to be a really “sexy” essay. In the course of pursuing my hobby (collecting sex tips on the covers of womens’ magazines) I have discovered another phenomenon I find of considerable interest, the use of the adjective, “sexy.” It seems that nowadays virtually everything can be described as sexy. Without even trying I have discovered sexy picnics, sexy photos, sexy stocks, sexy strapless dresses, sexy dreams, sexy summer styles, sexy pets, sexy legs, sexy arms, sexy baths, sexy losers, sexy guests, sexy people, sexy pictures, crazy sexy cancer tips, sexy books, sexy strappy sandals, sexy armpits, and an absolute obsession with sexy hair. I am reasonably certain, although I have not stumbled across them yet, sexy eyes, sexy hands, sexy thighs, sexy buns, sexy shoes, sexy handbags, sexy cars, sexy sandwiches, sexy pizza, sexy massages, and I wouldn’t even bet against sexy feet. About the only thing I might feel confident betting against would be sexy insurance policies or bowel movements (I’m not so sure about this latter). In other words, the adjective sexy seems to have little meaning anymore. According to an online dictionary, sexy is supposed to be an adjective for being sexually attractive, sexually suggestive or stimulating. I notice they have now hedged a bit and added a second meaning which is simply attractive or interesting. I believe there is more to it than this. For example, it would be easy, and perfectly acceptable, to speak of attractive hair, or attractive shoes, or interesting handbags and books, along with many other things. But people don’t describe things as interesting or attractive, they prefer to describe them as sexy. Obviously there is something titillating about sexy that goes beyond attractive or interesting. The word sexy seems to be a magical term that brings to mind (however unconsciously) some kind of basic sensuality that is not necessarily even remotely present in what is being described. This seems to hold true even when speaking about things that could not reasonably be considered sexy, stocks, for example, or cancer tips, or pets (questionable, perhaps in some cases). There is also now something called sexpresso stands. I guess this is because the servers are dressed in bikinis and bikinis are, of course, sexually attractive, even though there is little or no chance one would ever engage in actual sex with these dispensers of coffee. We all know, after years of advertising, that sex sells, hence the pictures of scantily clad women leaning over car hoods, riding bicycles, and being featured in ads for just about everything for sale, including sex itself. I guess the adjective sexy, no matter where used, conjures up images that go far beyond the particular item involved. I guess one can only conclude that the use of sexy to describe anything and everything is just part of the American obsession with sex (think Viagra, Enzyte, Cialis, etc., along with rampant pornography and so on). I am bothered with this ubiquitous use of sexy only in the sense that I view it as an example of the increasing impoverishment of our language. I feel pretty confident in predicting that it won’t be too long before there are only two words to describe virtually everything: fucking and sexy. I do not view this as a positive development.
Just another piece of irrelevant trivia? It has now been shown that Dick the Slimy, himself, ordered the CIA to not inform Congress of a secret program that apparently went on for eight years. This was so illegal and/or unconstitutional Panetta stopped it when he first heard about it. So we can add this bit of apparent trivia to the discovery that it was Bush himself who ordered Gonzales to Ashcroft’s hospital bed to get him to sign on to an unconstitutional program. Does anyone care about any of this? Apparently not, least of all the Obama administration. Congress is too busy trying to figure out how they can change our health care system without actually changing anything, that is, when they are not trying to figure out if Michael Jackson should be given a Congressional Medal or something, or Saint Ronnie’s face should be carved on Mt. Rushmore. And Karl Rove was grilled for eight hours the other day about his potential role in the Department of Justice scandal, but so what, we’ll probably never hear about it again. All this will just disappear along with the other infinite number of scandals that occurred during the Bush/Cheney nightmare years. The powers that be know the American public has an attention span of only a few minutes at most, and the memory of amnesiacs. War crimes? What war crimes? Lies? What lies? Elephant? What elephant? And so it goes. I am beginning to conclude that Barack Obama is not really our White (and Black) Knight after all. I’m pretty sure that if he fails to get a “Public Option,” after failing to prosecute Bush/Cheney, his public esteem will probably be pretty much finished.
LKBIQ:
There are times when one would like to end the whole human race, and finish the farce.
Mark Twain
TILT:
True oysters, as opposed to pearl oysters, are incapable of producing pearls.
Friday, July 10, 2009
What difference does it make?
Drunk Florida woman undercooks
potatoes, burns bread, assaults elderly
live-in companion for complaining.
It has now been established that it was George W. Bush himself that ordered Gonzales to visit Ashcroft’s hospital room, while he was recovering from surgery, and insist that Ashcroft sign a statement that he had already refused to sign on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. Much to Ashcroft’s credit he still refused to sign it. This was a blatant attempt to circumvent the law by authorizing something that was illegal. But knowing this, I am tempted to ask, what difference does it make? Apparently no one is going to do anything about it anyway. No one is going to try to hold Bush accountable. I heard it said today by one analyst (I forget who) that the reason the Obama administration will not go forward with an investigation of the Bush/Cheney war crimes is because they know if they do so it will inevitably lead to Bush and no Democrat wants to go after Bush. What a terrific argument! We won’t arrest any minor drug dealers, or even more important ones, because it might lead us to the Drug Lord himself. If this is not a classic example of moral bankruptcy I wouldn’t know what is. Even without this new information there is a mountain of evidence of the war crimes of Bush/Cheney and their minions, evidence that just goes ignored by the Obama administration. They apparently believe that if they do nothing the public will soon enough forget about the terrible deeds that can be directly traced to Bush/Cheney.
Most probably nothing will come of the recent revelations that the CIA has been misleading Congress for years, not even this recent revelation that the CIA has been involved in some program about which Congress was never informed and was apparently so illegal and/or unconstitutional that Panetta immediately stopped it once he learned of it. We won’t learn what it was because it is all super hush-hush and all that. I must say that I am not in the least bit surprised that the CIA has been less than forthcoming about their activities, or that they have been engaged in programs that are probably grossly illegal. They have always been super-secret and have gone unsupervised for so long as to have become a nation to themselves. I’m pretty sure that Panetta’s assurances that they won’t do such things anymore will just be accepted by the Congress and that will be that. So, again, what difference does it make?
Levi whats-his-face, who was once to become Sarah Palin’s son-in-law, has said that the reason Palin resigned is because she wants to get rich off book deals and speaking engagements. In other words, she wants to grab the money and run. Of all the excuses I have heard so far this one makes the most sense. She wants to cash in on her 15 minutes of fame, so to speak, and must know that she realistically has no chance of ever becoming President (or most anything else). Those who say Palin is finished in politics I believe have it right. Aside from the small but passionate following she has, no one else is going to support her or vote for her, not right-minded Republicans (if there are any), certainly not any Democrats, and also no Independents. With her pitiful following of gun and religious nuts she can go nowhere. Too bad, I would have liked to see her try to run, there isn’t really much in the way of amusement these days. I doubt that even the Republican Party, as loony as it has become, will have the gall to try to run Gingrich, which would also be amusing, and I doubt they will run the comedian, Huckabee, which probably means it will be Romney, the lying Mormon. Unless something exceptionally strange happens I doubt it matters much who they run. Of course predictions of what might happen in U.S. politics are pretty questionable. How long ago was it that everyone predicted Hillary would walk away with the nomination? But I still think it will be Romney, if only by default.
LKBIQ:
Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them.
Paul Valery
TILT:
Marmots are highly social animals and communicate by whistling.
potatoes, burns bread, assaults elderly
live-in companion for complaining.
It has now been established that it was George W. Bush himself that ordered Gonzales to visit Ashcroft’s hospital room, while he was recovering from surgery, and insist that Ashcroft sign a statement that he had already refused to sign on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. Much to Ashcroft’s credit he still refused to sign it. This was a blatant attempt to circumvent the law by authorizing something that was illegal. But knowing this, I am tempted to ask, what difference does it make? Apparently no one is going to do anything about it anyway. No one is going to try to hold Bush accountable. I heard it said today by one analyst (I forget who) that the reason the Obama administration will not go forward with an investigation of the Bush/Cheney war crimes is because they know if they do so it will inevitably lead to Bush and no Democrat wants to go after Bush. What a terrific argument! We won’t arrest any minor drug dealers, or even more important ones, because it might lead us to the Drug Lord himself. If this is not a classic example of moral bankruptcy I wouldn’t know what is. Even without this new information there is a mountain of evidence of the war crimes of Bush/Cheney and their minions, evidence that just goes ignored by the Obama administration. They apparently believe that if they do nothing the public will soon enough forget about the terrible deeds that can be directly traced to Bush/Cheney.
Most probably nothing will come of the recent revelations that the CIA has been misleading Congress for years, not even this recent revelation that the CIA has been involved in some program about which Congress was never informed and was apparently so illegal and/or unconstitutional that Panetta immediately stopped it once he learned of it. We won’t learn what it was because it is all super hush-hush and all that. I must say that I am not in the least bit surprised that the CIA has been less than forthcoming about their activities, or that they have been engaged in programs that are probably grossly illegal. They have always been super-secret and have gone unsupervised for so long as to have become a nation to themselves. I’m pretty sure that Panetta’s assurances that they won’t do such things anymore will just be accepted by the Congress and that will be that. So, again, what difference does it make?
Levi whats-his-face, who was once to become Sarah Palin’s son-in-law, has said that the reason Palin resigned is because she wants to get rich off book deals and speaking engagements. In other words, she wants to grab the money and run. Of all the excuses I have heard so far this one makes the most sense. She wants to cash in on her 15 minutes of fame, so to speak, and must know that she realistically has no chance of ever becoming President (or most anything else). Those who say Palin is finished in politics I believe have it right. Aside from the small but passionate following she has, no one else is going to support her or vote for her, not right-minded Republicans (if there are any), certainly not any Democrats, and also no Independents. With her pitiful following of gun and religious nuts she can go nowhere. Too bad, I would have liked to see her try to run, there isn’t really much in the way of amusement these days. I doubt that even the Republican Party, as loony as it has become, will have the gall to try to run Gingrich, which would also be amusing, and I doubt they will run the comedian, Huckabee, which probably means it will be Romney, the lying Mormon. Unless something exceptionally strange happens I doubt it matters much who they run. Of course predictions of what might happen in U.S. politics are pretty questionable. How long ago was it that everyone predicted Hillary would walk away with the nomination? But I still think it will be Romney, if only by default.
LKBIQ:
Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them.
Paul Valery
TILT:
Marmots are highly social animals and communicate by whistling.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Science and survival
Man arrested for arriving
five days late, and naked,
for dental appointment.
There is a new book out called Unscientific America How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future, by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum. I have not yet read this book, perhaps I won’t read it. If I don’t read it, it will not be because I think it might not be worthwhile, it will be because I’m pretty sure I know what it will say, and it will all be true. The current dismal state of our U.S. educational system, plus the anti-intellectualism that has made it so, if not changed, and quickly, will inevitably see us falling even further behind the rest of the modern world. I do not believe this is merely my opinion, I believe it is a matter of fact. If our interest in science, and accompanying technology, does not change dramatically we are going to be relegated to the status of a third world nation. There was, more than a hundred years ago now, a fine book entitled, A History of the Warfare Between Science and Theology in Christendom by Andrew White, one of the founders of Cornell University. Interestingly enough, and sadly enough also, this book may well be still relevant now (I assume it is out of print).
It is well known that the United States is now by far the most religious of the major nations. Nowhere in Europe does religion dominate as powerfully as it does here, and nowhere will there be found as many fundamentalists and evangelists, clinging to their fanatic beliefs about the literal truth of the bible. I realize we pride ourselves on the freedom to practice any religion we wish, but the influence of these kinds of religious beliefs is actively harming our nation, and has the potential for dramatically altering our position in the International Community. It is known that during the Bush/Cheney administration scientific knowledge was in many cases suppressed for political reasons, very often having to do with global warming or other environmental issues, and always in favor of corporate interests and profits. This is not only frightening, but also exceedingly dangerous if we are to continue to compete on the world stage. Science was just not valued by the late administration and, in fact, has not been very highly valued in the U.S. for quite some time. Education in general has been disvalued, a fact that can be verified by simply examining the condition of our schools and the salaries paid to our teachers. There has been for years a strong element of anti-intellectualism that has permeated our culture. Just remember the attitudes displayed towards Presidential candidates, denigrated as “eggheads,” or “pointy-headed intellectuals,” and such. Consider how Kerry was denigrated because he could (horrors) speak French. And think now of many voters who want a President who is “like them” (ignorant and uninformed about most everything), or who is someone they would like to have a beer with, and so on.
We have individuals who wish to run for President of the U.S. who do not believe in evolution (think Huckabee, for example). Bush himself, said he thought the issue of evolution was still open. To elect such people to high office is simply insanity. Just now a State Senator in Arizona announced, seriously, that as the earth was only 6000 years old, and had done very well without environmental regulations, there was no reason to oppose (potentially harmful) uranium mining. And then there are individuals like Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma announcing (with no evidence whatsoever) that global warming was just a great hoax being perpetrated on the American Public. People like this are not, of course, going to bring down our country tomorrow, or even next week or next month, or perhaps even next year, but over time if such people maintain positions of influence and power they will, in fact, destroy us. Other nations, especially nations like Japan, India, and China (and others as well) are rapidly outpacing us when it comes to scientific matters, space technology, computers, robots, nanotechnology, engineering, physics, and other fields. Again, this is not merely my opinion, it is a matter of fact. Education, especially scientific education, is highly valued in other countries. Not so, here in the U.S. This is a national disaster in the making. Scientific knowledge and the technological sophistication that comes with it allowed European nations to conquer most of the world and create empires that allowed them to enrich themselves at the expense of other, less technologically sophisticated people. I know I mentioned this once before, but I think it is relevant here again as an example. Found on a handgun turned over to the police was an engraving that read: “Be not afraid of any man, no matter what his size, just call on me, my friend, for I will equalize.” In a world that is now beginning to embark upon robotic and drone warfare, and will probably end up militarizing space as well, science and technology are going to become the great equalizers. The size of armies and the numbers of tanks and soldiers will be far less relevant. We simply cannot afford to fall behind as these developments unfold. This is going to require a drastic change in our attitudes towards education in general, and scientific education in particular. There is truth in the bumper sticker: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
LKBIQ:
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
Stephen Jay Gould
TILT:
The most likely ancestor of the domestic horse was the tarpon, which roamed in Eurasia at the time of domestication but became extinct.
five days late, and naked,
for dental appointment.
There is a new book out called Unscientific America How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future, by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum. I have not yet read this book, perhaps I won’t read it. If I don’t read it, it will not be because I think it might not be worthwhile, it will be because I’m pretty sure I know what it will say, and it will all be true. The current dismal state of our U.S. educational system, plus the anti-intellectualism that has made it so, if not changed, and quickly, will inevitably see us falling even further behind the rest of the modern world. I do not believe this is merely my opinion, I believe it is a matter of fact. If our interest in science, and accompanying technology, does not change dramatically we are going to be relegated to the status of a third world nation. There was, more than a hundred years ago now, a fine book entitled, A History of the Warfare Between Science and Theology in Christendom by Andrew White, one of the founders of Cornell University. Interestingly enough, and sadly enough also, this book may well be still relevant now (I assume it is out of print).
It is well known that the United States is now by far the most religious of the major nations. Nowhere in Europe does religion dominate as powerfully as it does here, and nowhere will there be found as many fundamentalists and evangelists, clinging to their fanatic beliefs about the literal truth of the bible. I realize we pride ourselves on the freedom to practice any religion we wish, but the influence of these kinds of religious beliefs is actively harming our nation, and has the potential for dramatically altering our position in the International Community. It is known that during the Bush/Cheney administration scientific knowledge was in many cases suppressed for political reasons, very often having to do with global warming or other environmental issues, and always in favor of corporate interests and profits. This is not only frightening, but also exceedingly dangerous if we are to continue to compete on the world stage. Science was just not valued by the late administration and, in fact, has not been very highly valued in the U.S. for quite some time. Education in general has been disvalued, a fact that can be verified by simply examining the condition of our schools and the salaries paid to our teachers. There has been for years a strong element of anti-intellectualism that has permeated our culture. Just remember the attitudes displayed towards Presidential candidates, denigrated as “eggheads,” or “pointy-headed intellectuals,” and such. Consider how Kerry was denigrated because he could (horrors) speak French. And think now of many voters who want a President who is “like them” (ignorant and uninformed about most everything), or who is someone they would like to have a beer with, and so on.
We have individuals who wish to run for President of the U.S. who do not believe in evolution (think Huckabee, for example). Bush himself, said he thought the issue of evolution was still open. To elect such people to high office is simply insanity. Just now a State Senator in Arizona announced, seriously, that as the earth was only 6000 years old, and had done very well without environmental regulations, there was no reason to oppose (potentially harmful) uranium mining. And then there are individuals like Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma announcing (with no evidence whatsoever) that global warming was just a great hoax being perpetrated on the American Public. People like this are not, of course, going to bring down our country tomorrow, or even next week or next month, or perhaps even next year, but over time if such people maintain positions of influence and power they will, in fact, destroy us. Other nations, especially nations like Japan, India, and China (and others as well) are rapidly outpacing us when it comes to scientific matters, space technology, computers, robots, nanotechnology, engineering, physics, and other fields. Again, this is not merely my opinion, it is a matter of fact. Education, especially scientific education, is highly valued in other countries. Not so, here in the U.S. This is a national disaster in the making. Scientific knowledge and the technological sophistication that comes with it allowed European nations to conquer most of the world and create empires that allowed them to enrich themselves at the expense of other, less technologically sophisticated people. I know I mentioned this once before, but I think it is relevant here again as an example. Found on a handgun turned over to the police was an engraving that read: “Be not afraid of any man, no matter what his size, just call on me, my friend, for I will equalize.” In a world that is now beginning to embark upon robotic and drone warfare, and will probably end up militarizing space as well, science and technology are going to become the great equalizers. The size of armies and the numbers of tanks and soldiers will be far less relevant. We simply cannot afford to fall behind as these developments unfold. This is going to require a drastic change in our attitudes towards education in general, and scientific education in particular. There is truth in the bumper sticker: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
LKBIQ:
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
Stephen Jay Gould
TILT:
The most likely ancestor of the domestic horse was the tarpon, which roamed in Eurasia at the time of domestication but became extinct.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Newsworthy?
Left by girlfriend in bar,
drunken German steals tractor,
leads police on low-speed chase.
One might reasonably think that when the two arguably most powerful men on the planet meet for the first time it would be newsworthy. It didn’t seem to be. For hours on end it was once again Michael Jackson. This time his memorial ceremony. With no disrespect, I do find myself wondering if he is really dead or if he will be continually spotted here and there, like Elvis. I also wonder if the second coming will receive quite as much attention. Is there something wrong with me? Michael Jackson was a “Pop Star,” not a Pope or President or Dictator, or conqueror of the world, and certainly not some kind of supernatural being. Anyway, I would like to think that this might be the end of the Michael Jackson marathon, but I know it won’t be. We’ll be hearing about his will, his children, his money, his legacy, his drugs, his death, his brain, and so on probably for years. But maybe, just maybe it will slow down a bit now that he is dead and buried. I don’t know if it was the Michael Jackson obsession that kept us from hearing about Obama/Putin, or if perhaps the meeting did not go well and they don’t want to tell us about it, or what. But I did find the lack of information about it somewhat surprising. It would be nice to have some serious news companies that were interested in news rather than infotainment, but I guess that is something gone forever. It is possible that I just do not watch the right stuff (‘cause I don’t watch very much).
Another thing about the so-called news that can be infuriating is when they tell you something but don’t tell you everything you would like to know. For example, on the Rachel Maddow show tonight there was an anecdote about an artist, enraged at the sight of McNamara lounging in a Ferry bar, who asked him outside for a false message and tried to throw him overboard to his death. I thought this was most interesting, but the guy obviously failed in his attempt, but they didn’t tell you what happened to him. Like, did he go to jail for attempted murder? Did no one press charges? Was it not reported? What? We know the guy lived because he was subsequently interviewed much later, but we were told nothing of what happened to him after his failed attempt. I found this very strange to say nothing of rather disconcerting.
We’re not going to hear the end of the Perils of Palin very soon either. She is not going to let us, and the MSM are going to help her stay in the news. After claiming that the media has been unfair to her, and picked on her unreasonably, and so on, she invited all the major networks to interview her while she was fishing. There she was, dressed in waders, apparently involved in netting fish, but giving interviews at the same time. She had nothing to say except the same nonsense she gave before about doing it all for Alaska, saving the state money, and blah, blah, blah. I must say, for an absolute airhead with absolutely nothing to offer, she does well for herself. I also think that now the media, especially Letterman, will in fact probably butcher her as she seems to be bringing it on herself.
Does anyone remember the Israeli/Palestinian problem, or has it just become lost in the Michael Jackson, Sanford, Palin news? I do not believe the present Israeli government has any interest whatsoever in solving the problem, preferring instead the status quo that allows them to go ahead with their illegal settlements and slow genocide year after year. This raises an interesting question of time. I cannot see that time favors the Israeli position. They simply cannot get away with what they are doing forever. At some point in time their contempt for international law and Arabs is going to catch up with them and they will no longer exist. How long this might take I do not know, but I believe it is inevitable. Thus if they really wish to survive as a Jewish state they had better change their ways now, before it is too late. I wonder if Obama remembers that he told them no more illegal settlements? They certainly are not paying attention and are blissfully going ahead with whatever they want, as they always have, contemptuous of world opinion and apparently safe in their belief that the U.S. will always support them no matter how dishonest, imperialistic, racist, and genocidal they may be. Will Obama actually seriously try to curb them or is it just all talk as always?
Sometimes I believe that Obama really is spreading himself too thin. Granted the problems he has are manifold, can he really juggle Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the economy, health care, gays in the military, immigration, etc., etc.? Obviously it is easier to talk about all of these problems than to take action against all of them at the same time. I fear that because he is trying to deal with too many things at once he is much more likely to agree to compromises that will result in unsatisfactory results everywhere. Compromises rarely result in the best solutions.
LKBIQ:
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.
Robert Fritz
TILT:
The Platypus is one of the very few venomous mammals.
drunken German steals tractor,
leads police on low-speed chase.
One might reasonably think that when the two arguably most powerful men on the planet meet for the first time it would be newsworthy. It didn’t seem to be. For hours on end it was once again Michael Jackson. This time his memorial ceremony. With no disrespect, I do find myself wondering if he is really dead or if he will be continually spotted here and there, like Elvis. I also wonder if the second coming will receive quite as much attention. Is there something wrong with me? Michael Jackson was a “Pop Star,” not a Pope or President or Dictator, or conqueror of the world, and certainly not some kind of supernatural being. Anyway, I would like to think that this might be the end of the Michael Jackson marathon, but I know it won’t be. We’ll be hearing about his will, his children, his money, his legacy, his drugs, his death, his brain, and so on probably for years. But maybe, just maybe it will slow down a bit now that he is dead and buried. I don’t know if it was the Michael Jackson obsession that kept us from hearing about Obama/Putin, or if perhaps the meeting did not go well and they don’t want to tell us about it, or what. But I did find the lack of information about it somewhat surprising. It would be nice to have some serious news companies that were interested in news rather than infotainment, but I guess that is something gone forever. It is possible that I just do not watch the right stuff (‘cause I don’t watch very much).
Another thing about the so-called news that can be infuriating is when they tell you something but don’t tell you everything you would like to know. For example, on the Rachel Maddow show tonight there was an anecdote about an artist, enraged at the sight of McNamara lounging in a Ferry bar, who asked him outside for a false message and tried to throw him overboard to his death. I thought this was most interesting, but the guy obviously failed in his attempt, but they didn’t tell you what happened to him. Like, did he go to jail for attempted murder? Did no one press charges? Was it not reported? What? We know the guy lived because he was subsequently interviewed much later, but we were told nothing of what happened to him after his failed attempt. I found this very strange to say nothing of rather disconcerting.
We’re not going to hear the end of the Perils of Palin very soon either. She is not going to let us, and the MSM are going to help her stay in the news. After claiming that the media has been unfair to her, and picked on her unreasonably, and so on, she invited all the major networks to interview her while she was fishing. There she was, dressed in waders, apparently involved in netting fish, but giving interviews at the same time. She had nothing to say except the same nonsense she gave before about doing it all for Alaska, saving the state money, and blah, blah, blah. I must say, for an absolute airhead with absolutely nothing to offer, she does well for herself. I also think that now the media, especially Letterman, will in fact probably butcher her as she seems to be bringing it on herself.
Does anyone remember the Israeli/Palestinian problem, or has it just become lost in the Michael Jackson, Sanford, Palin news? I do not believe the present Israeli government has any interest whatsoever in solving the problem, preferring instead the status quo that allows them to go ahead with their illegal settlements and slow genocide year after year. This raises an interesting question of time. I cannot see that time favors the Israeli position. They simply cannot get away with what they are doing forever. At some point in time their contempt for international law and Arabs is going to catch up with them and they will no longer exist. How long this might take I do not know, but I believe it is inevitable. Thus if they really wish to survive as a Jewish state they had better change their ways now, before it is too late. I wonder if Obama remembers that he told them no more illegal settlements? They certainly are not paying attention and are blissfully going ahead with whatever they want, as they always have, contemptuous of world opinion and apparently safe in their belief that the U.S. will always support them no matter how dishonest, imperialistic, racist, and genocidal they may be. Will Obama actually seriously try to curb them or is it just all talk as always?
Sometimes I believe that Obama really is spreading himself too thin. Granted the problems he has are manifold, can he really juggle Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the economy, health care, gays in the military, immigration, etc., etc.? Obviously it is easier to talk about all of these problems than to take action against all of them at the same time. I fear that because he is trying to deal with too many things at once he is much more likely to agree to compromises that will result in unsatisfactory results everywhere. Compromises rarely result in the best solutions.
LKBIQ:
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.
Robert Fritz
TILT:
The Platypus is one of the very few venomous mammals.
Monday, July 06, 2009
I feel better
“Bored” young woman makes prank
calls to Grandmother 45 times in one
day, threatening to kill her.
I feel better today. I know most things are still not going very well, but I can’t help it. The Press conference today in Moscow between Obama and Medvedev seemed to me to go very well indeed. I realize much of it was for the camera but even so I think I detected a genuine aura of responsibility and trust that was refreshing after the poisonous eight years of Bush/Cheney. And there were, in fact, some positive accomplishments announced: the significant reductions in our respective nuclear armaments, Russian acquiescence to our use of their air space, agreements to convene and talk again, and so on. I have no idea how all of this will eventually play out but I must say that at the moment I am very pleased and I think Obama has done a truly remarkable job of diplomacy.
And how could I not be pleased that Al Franken, after eight months of nonsensical Republican footdragging, has finally made it to the U.S. Senate. While this does not guarantee 60 votes for every Democratic proposal it certainly will make it easier to get most things done. Those who criticize Franken for being a comedian I think fail to see his more serious and thoughtful side. He is not going there to entertain but to conduct serious business and I believe he will be a genuine asset to the Democratic Party.
I still have no idea why Sara Palin resigned so precipitously. I’m not sure anyone does, but of course there are all kinds of rumors floating around. One good sign, if you are a Palin despiser as I am, is that her attempt to bully Alaskan bloggers with threats of lawsuits is falling on deaf ears. Indeed, they seem to want her to sue them so they can potentially reveal even more about some of her questionable behavior. I confess I cannot stand her, and the very idea that there are people in the U.S. that would consider her Presidential I find terrifying. I do think (or at least hope) she is finished as a potential candidate, but that does not mean that the right-wingers will not pay her exorbitant speaking fees and keep giving her exposure. That’s fine with me, as the more exposure she gets the more she comes across as another Republican ignoramus, or worse. I find it interesting that no one has suggested Boener for a candidate for President. I guess he is too idiotic even for the Republicans. That is quite an accomplishment
There is an unusually fine article on Buzzflash today, by Carmen Yarusso, on why the phony and useless “War on Drugs” needs to be ended. I think he makes the case very clear as to what is wrong with this misguided attempt to too tightly regulate human nature and behavior. Unfortunately, he also spells out why there will be unrelenting and powerful opposition to doing anything so sensible. There are too many people and organizations dependent upon the billions of wasted funds to want to see it abolished. This is the U.S., after all, we don’t do sensible things here. And we have long since abandoned doing anything “in the public interest.” Corporate interests are another thing entirely, as has become indisputably obvious.
If the Democrats cannot pass a Universal Health Care Bill (with a public option), with a supermajority in Congress, a sympathetic President, and a majority of the American people in favor of it, we might as well just throw in the towel and start sending our checks directly to the Insurance Companies. It is now said that the Health Care Lobby has hired 350 lobbyists, most with personal ties to members of Congress, and is spending 1.4 million dollars a day to prevent a public option. Insurance companies are totally unnecessary for a decent and sensible health care policy, indeed, they are absolutely parasitical. As this is true, it is no wonder they are willing to spend so much to maintain their status quo. As I said above, this is the U.S.A., we don’t do sensible things here. Let’s face it, the days when our elected officials acted in the public interest are history, a history that does not seem about to repeat itself. If the corporate elite that now controls the world cannot be overcome we can resign ourselves to serfdom, a history that might well repeat itself. The slogan “Power to the people,” has now become identified as socialism, and you know what that means…or do you?
LKBIQ:
We have among us a class of mammon worshippers, whose one test of conservatism or radicalism is the attitude one takes with respect to accumulated wealth. Whatever tends to preserve the wealth of the wealthy is called conservatism, and whatever favors anything else, no matter what is called socialism.
Richard T. Ely
TILT:
The Black Plague is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of Asia.
calls to Grandmother 45 times in one
day, threatening to kill her.
I feel better today. I know most things are still not going very well, but I can’t help it. The Press conference today in Moscow between Obama and Medvedev seemed to me to go very well indeed. I realize much of it was for the camera but even so I think I detected a genuine aura of responsibility and trust that was refreshing after the poisonous eight years of Bush/Cheney. And there were, in fact, some positive accomplishments announced: the significant reductions in our respective nuclear armaments, Russian acquiescence to our use of their air space, agreements to convene and talk again, and so on. I have no idea how all of this will eventually play out but I must say that at the moment I am very pleased and I think Obama has done a truly remarkable job of diplomacy.
And how could I not be pleased that Al Franken, after eight months of nonsensical Republican footdragging, has finally made it to the U.S. Senate. While this does not guarantee 60 votes for every Democratic proposal it certainly will make it easier to get most things done. Those who criticize Franken for being a comedian I think fail to see his more serious and thoughtful side. He is not going there to entertain but to conduct serious business and I believe he will be a genuine asset to the Democratic Party.
I still have no idea why Sara Palin resigned so precipitously. I’m not sure anyone does, but of course there are all kinds of rumors floating around. One good sign, if you are a Palin despiser as I am, is that her attempt to bully Alaskan bloggers with threats of lawsuits is falling on deaf ears. Indeed, they seem to want her to sue them so they can potentially reveal even more about some of her questionable behavior. I confess I cannot stand her, and the very idea that there are people in the U.S. that would consider her Presidential I find terrifying. I do think (or at least hope) she is finished as a potential candidate, but that does not mean that the right-wingers will not pay her exorbitant speaking fees and keep giving her exposure. That’s fine with me, as the more exposure she gets the more she comes across as another Republican ignoramus, or worse. I find it interesting that no one has suggested Boener for a candidate for President. I guess he is too idiotic even for the Republicans. That is quite an accomplishment
There is an unusually fine article on Buzzflash today, by Carmen Yarusso, on why the phony and useless “War on Drugs” needs to be ended. I think he makes the case very clear as to what is wrong with this misguided attempt to too tightly regulate human nature and behavior. Unfortunately, he also spells out why there will be unrelenting and powerful opposition to doing anything so sensible. There are too many people and organizations dependent upon the billions of wasted funds to want to see it abolished. This is the U.S., after all, we don’t do sensible things here. And we have long since abandoned doing anything “in the public interest.” Corporate interests are another thing entirely, as has become indisputably obvious.
If the Democrats cannot pass a Universal Health Care Bill (with a public option), with a supermajority in Congress, a sympathetic President, and a majority of the American people in favor of it, we might as well just throw in the towel and start sending our checks directly to the Insurance Companies. It is now said that the Health Care Lobby has hired 350 lobbyists, most with personal ties to members of Congress, and is spending 1.4 million dollars a day to prevent a public option. Insurance companies are totally unnecessary for a decent and sensible health care policy, indeed, they are absolutely parasitical. As this is true, it is no wonder they are willing to spend so much to maintain their status quo. As I said above, this is the U.S.A., we don’t do sensible things here. Let’s face it, the days when our elected officials acted in the public interest are history, a history that does not seem about to repeat itself. If the corporate elite that now controls the world cannot be overcome we can resign ourselves to serfdom, a history that might well repeat itself. The slogan “Power to the people,” has now become identified as socialism, and you know what that means…or do you?
LKBIQ:
We have among us a class of mammon worshippers, whose one test of conservatism or radicalism is the attitude one takes with respect to accumulated wealth. Whatever tends to preserve the wealth of the wealthy is called conservatism, and whatever favors anything else, no matter what is called socialism.
Richard T. Ely
TILT:
The Black Plague is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of Asia.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Entitled?
New husband deserts wife
in airport for taking too
long In the bathroom.
Joe Biden reportedly said that it is up to Israel to decide if Iran is an existential threat and that Israel is somehow “entitled” to attack Iran. If this is true I suspect Biden’s sanity. This is a remark every bit as stupid and mindless as Albright’s claim that the massive deaths of Iraqi children was “worth it.” Israel has claimed for years that Iran is working on a nuclear bomb even though there is no evidence for such a claim. The Israeli claim is nothing but paranoia writ large on the international scene. Even if Iran did acquire a nuclear bomb, and the missiles necessary to launch it, on what basis would anyone with half a brain conclude they were going to drop it on Israel (or anyone else). Iranians are not crazy, although our media are doing everything they can to make them appear so. And personally, I have never seen any evidence that Iran is backing terrorism around the world. It is true they support Hamas and Hezbollah, but those are not merely terrorist organizations, they are bona fide political parties that just don’t happen to agree with the U.S. and Israel (indeed, Hamas is the legitimately elected government of the Palestinians). As near as I can tell, Israeli terrorism is far more serious than either Hezbollah or Hamas. I suppose one might argue over the definition of terrorist, but what Israel is doing to Gaza is far worse than mere terrorism, and much more like genocide. If Israel is entitled to attack Iran, on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, then it must have been true that the U.S. was entitled to attack Iraq. In fact, any country would be entitled to attack any other country just on their own opinion, if they chose to do so. This is crazy talk, and Biden should know better. The Arab countries are also opposed to Iran. No one seems to ask why. Could it possibly be because the Arab countries are Sunni and Iran is Shiitie? Does religion play into this at all? Why else would the Arab countries be so concerned about Iran, a nation that has attacked no one for over two hundred years and cannot be proven to be planning any attacks at the moment. Obviously they do not want Iraq to become a Shiite controlled nation (preferring to have it controlled by the Sunni minority as it was for so long). But with the Arabs on the side of the Israelis in wanting Iran to be controlled, and with the U.S. apparently sympathetic, what are the Iranians supposed to do? Thus, If they aren’t trying to build a bomb, this kind of pressure will certainly motivate them to do so. Obama must open up a dialogue with Iran no matter who the leaders turn out to be, anything else is going to lead to disaster.
At the golf tournament today, sponsored by and won by Tiger Woods, military personnel and children under 12 were admitted free. At one point there was a soldier in a wheelchair on the sidelines watching. He apparently has lost all four of his limbs and, I believe, also one eye. There was a shot of his being wheeled down the fairway and being cheered by the crowd. One announcer said this terribly wounded soldier still has a sense of humor. I guess one may argue that is a good thing, as he has nothing else left to look forward to. I confess to not having a sense of humor about it. The truth is often a terrible thing, and the truth is, this young man should not have been in Iraq or Afghanistan in the first place. It must be virtually impossible for these returning wounded not to believe they suffered, not in vain, but for their country, but the truth of the matter is, they suffered and killed and maimed for Bush/Cheney and the Oil companies. I wonder how many of the suicides might be related to this sudden realization once they return home. Of course in a sense it is true they died and fought for their country, and in that sense they deserve their nobility, but in this case it should not have been asked of them. As Bush/Cheney and others are apparently going completely unpunished for this war crime, apparently others think it was a worthwhile “war.” It did, it appears, open up the Iraq oilfields for exploitation, the original, if never admitted goal, so perhaps it has been a success, especially if you approve of “blood for oil.”
In no
part of the earth
can I
find my home
to joyously savor one single
instant of initial life.
I seek an innocent
country.
Giuseppe Ungaretti
TILT:
Kokura was the primary target for the second atomic bomb. Nagasaki was the second choice.
in airport for taking too
long In the bathroom.
Joe Biden reportedly said that it is up to Israel to decide if Iran is an existential threat and that Israel is somehow “entitled” to attack Iran. If this is true I suspect Biden’s sanity. This is a remark every bit as stupid and mindless as Albright’s claim that the massive deaths of Iraqi children was “worth it.” Israel has claimed for years that Iran is working on a nuclear bomb even though there is no evidence for such a claim. The Israeli claim is nothing but paranoia writ large on the international scene. Even if Iran did acquire a nuclear bomb, and the missiles necessary to launch it, on what basis would anyone with half a brain conclude they were going to drop it on Israel (or anyone else). Iranians are not crazy, although our media are doing everything they can to make them appear so. And personally, I have never seen any evidence that Iran is backing terrorism around the world. It is true they support Hamas and Hezbollah, but those are not merely terrorist organizations, they are bona fide political parties that just don’t happen to agree with the U.S. and Israel (indeed, Hamas is the legitimately elected government of the Palestinians). As near as I can tell, Israeli terrorism is far more serious than either Hezbollah or Hamas. I suppose one might argue over the definition of terrorist, but what Israel is doing to Gaza is far worse than mere terrorism, and much more like genocide. If Israel is entitled to attack Iran, on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, then it must have been true that the U.S. was entitled to attack Iraq. In fact, any country would be entitled to attack any other country just on their own opinion, if they chose to do so. This is crazy talk, and Biden should know better. The Arab countries are also opposed to Iran. No one seems to ask why. Could it possibly be because the Arab countries are Sunni and Iran is Shiitie? Does religion play into this at all? Why else would the Arab countries be so concerned about Iran, a nation that has attacked no one for over two hundred years and cannot be proven to be planning any attacks at the moment. Obviously they do not want Iraq to become a Shiite controlled nation (preferring to have it controlled by the Sunni minority as it was for so long). But with the Arabs on the side of the Israelis in wanting Iran to be controlled, and with the U.S. apparently sympathetic, what are the Iranians supposed to do? Thus, If they aren’t trying to build a bomb, this kind of pressure will certainly motivate them to do so. Obama must open up a dialogue with Iran no matter who the leaders turn out to be, anything else is going to lead to disaster.
At the golf tournament today, sponsored by and won by Tiger Woods, military personnel and children under 12 were admitted free. At one point there was a soldier in a wheelchair on the sidelines watching. He apparently has lost all four of his limbs and, I believe, also one eye. There was a shot of his being wheeled down the fairway and being cheered by the crowd. One announcer said this terribly wounded soldier still has a sense of humor. I guess one may argue that is a good thing, as he has nothing else left to look forward to. I confess to not having a sense of humor about it. The truth is often a terrible thing, and the truth is, this young man should not have been in Iraq or Afghanistan in the first place. It must be virtually impossible for these returning wounded not to believe they suffered, not in vain, but for their country, but the truth of the matter is, they suffered and killed and maimed for Bush/Cheney and the Oil companies. I wonder how many of the suicides might be related to this sudden realization once they return home. Of course in a sense it is true they died and fought for their country, and in that sense they deserve their nobility, but in this case it should not have been asked of them. As Bush/Cheney and others are apparently going completely unpunished for this war crime, apparently others think it was a worthwhile “war.” It did, it appears, open up the Iraq oilfields for exploitation, the original, if never admitted goal, so perhaps it has been a success, especially if you approve of “blood for oil.”
In no
part of the earth
can I
find my home
to joyously savor one single
instant of initial life.
I seek an innocent
country.
Giuseppe Ungaretti
TILT:
Kokura was the primary target for the second atomic bomb. Nagasaki was the second choice.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Babbling Sara
DVD for Elementary School memories
accidentally contains six seconds
of teacher having sex on a couch.
I saw Sara Palin’s resignation speech. She was babbling. You know how it is when a child is caught red-handed doing something wrong, refuses to confess the truth, and just starts babbling. That’s the way it was with Palin. Her non-stop rapid delivery, her rather incoherent claims, and the Friday afternoon timing, suggest to me there is much more here than meets the eye. I do not believe she is resigning to save the state of Alaska money, nor do I believe she is doing it in any way for the state of Alaska. I also do not believe she is doing it to prepare to run for the Presidency in 2012. All of what she said sounds like reasons made up to explain a decision made for some completely different reason. Will we ever know the truth? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone finds out before long. I’m pretty sure there must be some kind of scandal involved and she wants to try to clear the air (or muddy the waters, as the case may be). Anyway, it’s pretty certain she will not be running for President, too bad as it would have been such fun watching her stumble, fumble and fall (oh, no I meant running down the court and passing the ball off for victory). I suppose it is possible that she really believes that resigning after only two and a half years as Governor of Alaska will give her time to cram for the Presidency. If so, she is even dumber than I thought (that is hardly possible).
In any case another Republican hopeful goes down the tube. They are not doing well. Sanford has proven himself to be an idiot, Ensign also “sinned,” Palin is probably finished in politics, Jindall’s pathetic performance has rendered him inoperative, Gingrich makes Ensign and Sanford look like angels, Giuliani already proved himself to be a disaster, Cantor is too much of a lightweight, Santorum is gone, as is Allen of Macaca fame, Huckabee is a kind of clown, and McCain will surely be too old this time. I guess that leaves Hayley Barbour with all the charm of a giant toad. Maybe they can get that other famous black conservative to run again, you know, Alan Keyes, he’s a real winner. Watch out for Colin Powell. If he wants to run I bet the Republicans will forgive him for backing Obama, especially if it looks like he might be able to win. And with Obama flunking out right and left, and the Democratic party unable to agree even on what kind of donuts to order, Powell might actually win and redeem himself from his uncommonly dishonest promotion of the Iraqi “war.” He has just surfaced again with some (fatherly?) economic advice for Obama. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s Mitt Romney. He’s got oodles of money and lots of houses, in addition to all the charm of a pathological liar. He’s also a Mormon. I thought they didn’t lie. Oh well, what do I care? Maybe if he got to be President he could reinstate polygamy. I think that would be fine with me, as long as I didn’t have to participate. Any man who would want more than one wife at a time, in my opinion, has to be a bit “tetched.” Live and let live, that’s what I say. I say it first thing every morning. No one seems to listen.
Of course none of this will even make a ripple in the ongoing Michael Jackson sunami. Even if Palin’s resignation turns out to be because of some scandal it will only get lost in the Michael Jackson hysteria (that may be what she is counting on), the Sanford story has pretty much already run its course, and it is hard to see what could possibly happen that would interrupt the non-stop Michael Jackson saga. The Iraqi, Iran, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestinian situations certainly haven’t, and it looks like Obama’s trip to Russia will also fall by the wayside (who cares about nuclear bombs anyway). And so, dear readers, you might as well settle in for months of Michael Jackson. Aaaaaaaagh!
Meanwhile, back in Realityland, the coal companies continue to rip off the tops of mountains and pollute the streams, unemployment is still rising, banks and insurance companies are making money, Gays are still getting kicked out of the military, California and some other states are going bankrupt, the Bush/Cheney obsession with secrecy is alive and well in the Obama administration, our blatant war criminals go about getting rich and boasting of how well their torture worked, everyone is trying to ignore North Korea as simply a spoiled child, along with global warming, the Gaza genocide continues unabated, as do the illegal settlements, and the hasty execution of Saddam Hussein allows Bush Sr. and Rumsfeld, among others, to escape all kinds of embarrassing questions. But think on the bright side. The earth is still in orbit (I think), the sun still rises in the morning (or has been), all of the songbirds have not yet disappeared, surgically enhanced vaginas are “in,” gangster movies are making a comeback, the totally failed “war on drugs” rages on pointlessly, and it’s the Fourth of July holiday weekend (whoopee, for anyone who still has a job or any money). Life is…well life is.
LKBIQ:
What to do if you find yourself stuck with no hope of rescue: Consider yourself lucky that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your present circumstances seems more likely, consider yourself lucky that it won't be troubling you much longer.
Douglas Adams
TILT:
A watched pot will eventually boil.
accidentally contains six seconds
of teacher having sex on a couch.
I saw Sara Palin’s resignation speech. She was babbling. You know how it is when a child is caught red-handed doing something wrong, refuses to confess the truth, and just starts babbling. That’s the way it was with Palin. Her non-stop rapid delivery, her rather incoherent claims, and the Friday afternoon timing, suggest to me there is much more here than meets the eye. I do not believe she is resigning to save the state of Alaska money, nor do I believe she is doing it in any way for the state of Alaska. I also do not believe she is doing it to prepare to run for the Presidency in 2012. All of what she said sounds like reasons made up to explain a decision made for some completely different reason. Will we ever know the truth? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone finds out before long. I’m pretty sure there must be some kind of scandal involved and she wants to try to clear the air (or muddy the waters, as the case may be). Anyway, it’s pretty certain she will not be running for President, too bad as it would have been such fun watching her stumble, fumble and fall (oh, no I meant running down the court and passing the ball off for victory). I suppose it is possible that she really believes that resigning after only two and a half years as Governor of Alaska will give her time to cram for the Presidency. If so, she is even dumber than I thought (that is hardly possible).
In any case another Republican hopeful goes down the tube. They are not doing well. Sanford has proven himself to be an idiot, Ensign also “sinned,” Palin is probably finished in politics, Jindall’s pathetic performance has rendered him inoperative, Gingrich makes Ensign and Sanford look like angels, Giuliani already proved himself to be a disaster, Cantor is too much of a lightweight, Santorum is gone, as is Allen of Macaca fame, Huckabee is a kind of clown, and McCain will surely be too old this time. I guess that leaves Hayley Barbour with all the charm of a giant toad. Maybe they can get that other famous black conservative to run again, you know, Alan Keyes, he’s a real winner. Watch out for Colin Powell. If he wants to run I bet the Republicans will forgive him for backing Obama, especially if it looks like he might be able to win. And with Obama flunking out right and left, and the Democratic party unable to agree even on what kind of donuts to order, Powell might actually win and redeem himself from his uncommonly dishonest promotion of the Iraqi “war.” He has just surfaced again with some (fatherly?) economic advice for Obama. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s Mitt Romney. He’s got oodles of money and lots of houses, in addition to all the charm of a pathological liar. He’s also a Mormon. I thought they didn’t lie. Oh well, what do I care? Maybe if he got to be President he could reinstate polygamy. I think that would be fine with me, as long as I didn’t have to participate. Any man who would want more than one wife at a time, in my opinion, has to be a bit “tetched.” Live and let live, that’s what I say. I say it first thing every morning. No one seems to listen.
Of course none of this will even make a ripple in the ongoing Michael Jackson sunami. Even if Palin’s resignation turns out to be because of some scandal it will only get lost in the Michael Jackson hysteria (that may be what she is counting on), the Sanford story has pretty much already run its course, and it is hard to see what could possibly happen that would interrupt the non-stop Michael Jackson saga. The Iraqi, Iran, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestinian situations certainly haven’t, and it looks like Obama’s trip to Russia will also fall by the wayside (who cares about nuclear bombs anyway). And so, dear readers, you might as well settle in for months of Michael Jackson. Aaaaaaaagh!
Meanwhile, back in Realityland, the coal companies continue to rip off the tops of mountains and pollute the streams, unemployment is still rising, banks and insurance companies are making money, Gays are still getting kicked out of the military, California and some other states are going bankrupt, the Bush/Cheney obsession with secrecy is alive and well in the Obama administration, our blatant war criminals go about getting rich and boasting of how well their torture worked, everyone is trying to ignore North Korea as simply a spoiled child, along with global warming, the Gaza genocide continues unabated, as do the illegal settlements, and the hasty execution of Saddam Hussein allows Bush Sr. and Rumsfeld, among others, to escape all kinds of embarrassing questions. But think on the bright side. The earth is still in orbit (I think), the sun still rises in the morning (or has been), all of the songbirds have not yet disappeared, surgically enhanced vaginas are “in,” gangster movies are making a comeback, the totally failed “war on drugs” rages on pointlessly, and it’s the Fourth of July holiday weekend (whoopee, for anyone who still has a job or any money). Life is…well life is.
LKBIQ:
What to do if you find yourself stuck with no hope of rescue: Consider yourself lucky that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your present circumstances seems more likely, consider yourself lucky that it won't be troubling you much longer.
Douglas Adams
TILT:
A watched pot will eventually boil.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Vietghanistan
Mistaking screams of
pleasure for sexual attack,
four teens assault her lover.
Well, it’s nice to know that things are going so well in Vietghanistan. The additional 21,000 troops Obama so thoughtfully provided are now engaged in a massive operation to clear an area of Taliban. I find this most interesting in that I thought our enemy in Afghanistan was Al Quaida, but over the years it has morphed into the Taliban. You might recall that it was the Taliban that rousted Al Quaida before, and would quite likely do so again if they were given a chance. This is not to defend the Taliban, they are far too conservative and nasty for my taste, but they are not Al Qaida. It does make me wonder what we are still doing in Afghanistan anyway, we don’t seem to be looking for Osama bin Laden anymore. I guess maybe we’re still trying to eventually install that pipeline (we probably won’t even be using gasoline by the time we get that baby going). Our campaign, or whatever it is, in Afghanistan has always been, and continues to be doomed to fail. Everyone seems to know this but we just go on anyway. It’s clearly Obama’s “war” now, and it will be his graveyard as well, just as it was for the Russians.
I guess everything is going to be okay on the Governor Sanford front. He has announced that he’s going to try to fall in love with his wife all over again, and she has announced that she will forgive him. What more could anyone want? I think she might have figured out that he doesn’t seem to know what the hell he’s even talking about, what with all these crossing of the lines, true love, and whatever. He’s just a confused little boy who needs more attention, or so it appears to me.
Of course things are still very active on the Michael Jackson front. Neverland is not going to become Graceland West (or is it). Michael’s mother will get custody of the children (or will she), Michael’s will may be honored (but it may not), there are videos of his preparation for his last big show that demonstrate he was in good shape and it was going to be a blockbuster hit (or was he, and will it). He is also now said to have had a secret girlfriend (or did he), some say he was addicted to drugs (or was he), he is not the father of his children (or is he), the mother is not the mother (or is she). Believe me, we’re not going to hear the end of Michael Jackson probably until the end of this century, so be prepared. The Rachel Maddow show, about the only one worth watching on TV anymore, was canceled in favor of a special on you-know-who. I like to believe that Rachel is too intelligent to want to participate in the Michael Jackson madness, but it probably isn’t true. I like Allison okay, but she’s not Rachel.
Sometimes I think the NRA is just pulling our leg, trying to see just how outrageously far they can get. I don’t know how else to explain their insistence that we should have guns in church, in the National Parks, and even in bars. These demands seem to me so basically irrational, to say nothing of unnecessary, that I cannot believe anyone takes them seriously, other than trying to see if they can get away with it. The same goes for their insistence that everyone should be entitled to their own machine gun. There’s no telling how far they might go if completely unchecked. I think we should go back to the happy days of the Wild West when men had to check their guns at the door. Naw, I guess that was too civilized.
I guess Bush/Cheney, and no doubt others in their failed administration are going to get lucrative contracts for their memoirs. I thought there was a law against criminals being able to capitalize on their crimes. Of course under the Obama administration laws don’t seem to be any more important than they were under Bush/Cheney. We certainly aren’t seeing much of the much-vaunted transparency we were promised. In some ways Obama seems more secretive than Bush/Cheney. I know, we should know better than to put any faith in campaign promises, but we don’t, every time we fall for them and every time they are broken. It’s just like Charlie Brown trying to kick the stupid football.
LKBIQ:
Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakeable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time.
Richard Dawkins
TILT:
The population of Uruguay is 94.7 % of European descent.
pleasure for sexual attack,
four teens assault her lover.
Well, it’s nice to know that things are going so well in Vietghanistan. The additional 21,000 troops Obama so thoughtfully provided are now engaged in a massive operation to clear an area of Taliban. I find this most interesting in that I thought our enemy in Afghanistan was Al Quaida, but over the years it has morphed into the Taliban. You might recall that it was the Taliban that rousted Al Quaida before, and would quite likely do so again if they were given a chance. This is not to defend the Taliban, they are far too conservative and nasty for my taste, but they are not Al Qaida. It does make me wonder what we are still doing in Afghanistan anyway, we don’t seem to be looking for Osama bin Laden anymore. I guess maybe we’re still trying to eventually install that pipeline (we probably won’t even be using gasoline by the time we get that baby going). Our campaign, or whatever it is, in Afghanistan has always been, and continues to be doomed to fail. Everyone seems to know this but we just go on anyway. It’s clearly Obama’s “war” now, and it will be his graveyard as well, just as it was for the Russians.
I guess everything is going to be okay on the Governor Sanford front. He has announced that he’s going to try to fall in love with his wife all over again, and she has announced that she will forgive him. What more could anyone want? I think she might have figured out that he doesn’t seem to know what the hell he’s even talking about, what with all these crossing of the lines, true love, and whatever. He’s just a confused little boy who needs more attention, or so it appears to me.
Of course things are still very active on the Michael Jackson front. Neverland is not going to become Graceland West (or is it). Michael’s mother will get custody of the children (or will she), Michael’s will may be honored (but it may not), there are videos of his preparation for his last big show that demonstrate he was in good shape and it was going to be a blockbuster hit (or was he, and will it). He is also now said to have had a secret girlfriend (or did he), some say he was addicted to drugs (or was he), he is not the father of his children (or is he), the mother is not the mother (or is she). Believe me, we’re not going to hear the end of Michael Jackson probably until the end of this century, so be prepared. The Rachel Maddow show, about the only one worth watching on TV anymore, was canceled in favor of a special on you-know-who. I like to believe that Rachel is too intelligent to want to participate in the Michael Jackson madness, but it probably isn’t true. I like Allison okay, but she’s not Rachel.
Sometimes I think the NRA is just pulling our leg, trying to see just how outrageously far they can get. I don’t know how else to explain their insistence that we should have guns in church, in the National Parks, and even in bars. These demands seem to me so basically irrational, to say nothing of unnecessary, that I cannot believe anyone takes them seriously, other than trying to see if they can get away with it. The same goes for their insistence that everyone should be entitled to their own machine gun. There’s no telling how far they might go if completely unchecked. I think we should go back to the happy days of the Wild West when men had to check their guns at the door. Naw, I guess that was too civilized.
I guess Bush/Cheney, and no doubt others in their failed administration are going to get lucrative contracts for their memoirs. I thought there was a law against criminals being able to capitalize on their crimes. Of course under the Obama administration laws don’t seem to be any more important than they were under Bush/Cheney. We certainly aren’t seeing much of the much-vaunted transparency we were promised. In some ways Obama seems more secretive than Bush/Cheney. I know, we should know better than to put any faith in campaign promises, but we don’t, every time we fall for them and every time they are broken. It’s just like Charlie Brown trying to kick the stupid football.
LKBIQ:
Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakeable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time.
Richard Dawkins
TILT:
The population of Uruguay is 94.7 % of European descent.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Thank god for celebrities
Young woman hit by train
while lying on railroad tracks
to “clear her mind.”
Thank god for celebrities! Why, I bet that if it weren’t for celebrities we’d all but up to our ass in real news. You know, what’s going on in Iraq, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Darfur, Europe, places like that. Or similarly, we might be inundated with information about Health Care, Global warming, Energy, Immigration, Education, Inflation, Deflation, the Economy, and whatever. It is obvious that these bits of news are of little consequence alongside the death of “Pop Star” Michael Jackson, at least as far as the MSM are concerned. It’s just Michael Jackson this and Michael Jackson that, and Michael Jackson all day long. The MSM hasn’t had a feeding frenzy like this since Anna Nicole what’s-her-face, and Michael Jackson dwarfs that by a hundredfold. I fear this is just the beginning, we are going to hear about Michael Jackson probably for the next several years. What I would like to know is if the American Public in general is as obsessed with Michael Jackson as the media is. Does anyone know? Has anyone taken a poll and asked people on the street if they are so overwhelmingly interested in every detail of Michael Jackson life? I’m sure there are many people who are interested in this news marathon, and would stand in line just for a chance to see Michael Jackson’s chauffeur or bodyguard or even his gloves. But is this true of most ordinary Americans? I confess (being of another generation entirely) that I have never seen Michael Jackson or even one of his albums. From the little bits I glimpse on TV I would never have attended one of his performances. I am, to put it bluntly, not interested in Michael Jackson, his life, death, will, mother, father, children, home life, or celebrity. Nor am I interested in how much he weighed, what drugs he ingested, what he ate for breakfast, or what kind of toothpaste he used. I am a TV watcher (albeit a somewhat limited one) and I do not want to see stuff about Michael Jackson 24/7 (or at all, for that matter). Of course if the media want to announce that he died and he will have a funeral, fine. Leave it at that. I am so disgusted with this coverage I refused to watch any news at all today. And if the first thing I see in the morning is more Michael Jackson I won’t watch it tomorrow either. This is sick. Our so-called news media is sick. America is sick. It’s no wonder we are going down the tube, so to speak. There. I’ve said it. I feel better. But I probably won’t feel better tomorrow.
I think another measure of our sickness can be seen in the Sara Palin case. Here we have a woman who was totally unqualified to be Vice-President (which is now being admitted even by some of those who chose her) who now is being touted as the next Republican candidate for President. The thought that Sara Palin could be President of the U.S. is just plain sick. Governor Sanford of South Carolina has now taken himself out of the possible running for President. Not because of his affair with his Argentinian friend, but because he hasn’t been able to keep his mouth shut and comes across as some kind of nut. He admits to having “crossed the line” with any number of women, but not including sex with them (except for the Argentinian), whatever that is supposed to mean. And he has announced he will try to fall back in love with his wife (I don’t know what she thinks about this but she has announced that his career is not a vital matter with her). Now how would we know if he has fallen back in love with her? It must be easier to fall in love with strangers than to stay in love with your wife. Related to that, I saw a bumper sticker this morning that read: “Married men don’t really live longer, it just seems that way.” My guess is that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate, if only by default, as far as we know he has never committed adultery. Some Mormons don’t commit adultery anyway, they just have “celestial marriages.” Of course if you don’t fancy Romney you can have that paragon of virtue, Newt Gingrich, or perhaps Giuliani again. I must say that at the moment the future looks pretty bleak for the Republicans, but, then, the Democrats may blow it once again, what with Obama’s hypocrisy approaching that of Bush/Cheney and his accelerating Vietnam experience in Afghanistan. Obama seems to throw down the gauntlet but then try to retrieve it before the Republicans can pick it up. His ridiculous quest for bipartisanship will probably sink his ship of state before he realizes that it’s a completely lost cause, given the current crop of Republican thugs.
LKBIQ:
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.
Sir Winston Churchill
TILT:
There is archaeological evidence that the Date Palm may have been cultivated as long as 6,000 years ago.
while lying on railroad tracks
to “clear her mind.”
Thank god for celebrities! Why, I bet that if it weren’t for celebrities we’d all but up to our ass in real news. You know, what’s going on in Iraq, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Darfur, Europe, places like that. Or similarly, we might be inundated with information about Health Care, Global warming, Energy, Immigration, Education, Inflation, Deflation, the Economy, and whatever. It is obvious that these bits of news are of little consequence alongside the death of “Pop Star” Michael Jackson, at least as far as the MSM are concerned. It’s just Michael Jackson this and Michael Jackson that, and Michael Jackson all day long. The MSM hasn’t had a feeding frenzy like this since Anna Nicole what’s-her-face, and Michael Jackson dwarfs that by a hundredfold. I fear this is just the beginning, we are going to hear about Michael Jackson probably for the next several years. What I would like to know is if the American Public in general is as obsessed with Michael Jackson as the media is. Does anyone know? Has anyone taken a poll and asked people on the street if they are so overwhelmingly interested in every detail of Michael Jackson life? I’m sure there are many people who are interested in this news marathon, and would stand in line just for a chance to see Michael Jackson’s chauffeur or bodyguard or even his gloves. But is this true of most ordinary Americans? I confess (being of another generation entirely) that I have never seen Michael Jackson or even one of his albums. From the little bits I glimpse on TV I would never have attended one of his performances. I am, to put it bluntly, not interested in Michael Jackson, his life, death, will, mother, father, children, home life, or celebrity. Nor am I interested in how much he weighed, what drugs he ingested, what he ate for breakfast, or what kind of toothpaste he used. I am a TV watcher (albeit a somewhat limited one) and I do not want to see stuff about Michael Jackson 24/7 (or at all, for that matter). Of course if the media want to announce that he died and he will have a funeral, fine. Leave it at that. I am so disgusted with this coverage I refused to watch any news at all today. And if the first thing I see in the morning is more Michael Jackson I won’t watch it tomorrow either. This is sick. Our so-called news media is sick. America is sick. It’s no wonder we are going down the tube, so to speak. There. I’ve said it. I feel better. But I probably won’t feel better tomorrow.
I think another measure of our sickness can be seen in the Sara Palin case. Here we have a woman who was totally unqualified to be Vice-President (which is now being admitted even by some of those who chose her) who now is being touted as the next Republican candidate for President. The thought that Sara Palin could be President of the U.S. is just plain sick. Governor Sanford of South Carolina has now taken himself out of the possible running for President. Not because of his affair with his Argentinian friend, but because he hasn’t been able to keep his mouth shut and comes across as some kind of nut. He admits to having “crossed the line” with any number of women, but not including sex with them (except for the Argentinian), whatever that is supposed to mean. And he has announced he will try to fall back in love with his wife (I don’t know what she thinks about this but she has announced that his career is not a vital matter with her). Now how would we know if he has fallen back in love with her? It must be easier to fall in love with strangers than to stay in love with your wife. Related to that, I saw a bumper sticker this morning that read: “Married men don’t really live longer, it just seems that way.” My guess is that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate, if only by default, as far as we know he has never committed adultery. Some Mormons don’t commit adultery anyway, they just have “celestial marriages.” Of course if you don’t fancy Romney you can have that paragon of virtue, Newt Gingrich, or perhaps Giuliani again. I must say that at the moment the future looks pretty bleak for the Republicans, but, then, the Democrats may blow it once again, what with Obama’s hypocrisy approaching that of Bush/Cheney and his accelerating Vietnam experience in Afghanistan. Obama seems to throw down the gauntlet but then try to retrieve it before the Republicans can pick it up. His ridiculous quest for bipartisanship will probably sink his ship of state before he realizes that it’s a completely lost cause, given the current crop of Republican thugs.
LKBIQ:
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.
Sir Winston Churchill
TILT:
There is archaeological evidence that the Date Palm may have been cultivated as long as 6,000 years ago.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Obama's unbelievable hypocrisy
Welsh artist gets grant
to make plaster casts
of women’s bottoms.
The unbelievable hypocrisy of President Barack Obama is more than I can bear. He has come out with a statement that says the U.S. is committed to punishing torturers and helping the victims. And he has listed some countries believed to be offenders. He has vowed to uphold the International rules about torture and said that the U.S. will accept no excuses for torture, no exceptions. Except, of course, when it comes to the U.S. itself and the obvious case of Bush/Cheney torture policy. He continues to oppose a Truth Commission or an Independent Investigator and insist we must look only forward. Apparently his main reason for this is that he does not want to appear vindictive. Got that? He will not prosecute known war criminals because he does not want to appear vindictive. He apparently believes this is in the same universe as someone stealing his basketball or cheating at bridge. THESE ARE WAR CRIMES OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE! Thousands of people have been killed, both Americans and Iraqis, millions displaced from their homes, who knows how many tortured and even murdered, human misery too immense to be grasped by the human mind, and he’s worried about being seen as vindictive? What kind of person is he? Actually, to claim he doesn’t want to be seen as vindictive is really just a cover story for what is the real reason, politics. To act against Bush/Cheney and their torture machine would be used by some to paint Obama as vindictive, conveniently ignoring the underlying reality of the torture. Torture is illegal and is supposed to be punished under the law. In some sense, in the very nature of law, prosecutions are always vindictive. Obama wants to jettison morality and justice in favor of politics, as he knows that to do what is right in this case will threaten to split the country. The neocons and Republicans will accuse him of being vindictive, of course, as they have abandoned morality and justice long ago in favor of power. Thus from a purely political view Obama is doing what he feels he needs to do, but he must know that what he is doing is just plain wrong in a moral and legal sense. Perhaps he can get away with letting this terrible moment in our history just fade away, and let the obviously guilty go unpunished, but if he does he certainly won’t ever get another vote from me. Of course I would never vote for a Republican, I just won’t vote, and I know there are others who feel much the same way.
I knew it would just be a matter of time before there would be a problem with knives. There is apparently some attempt to change the definition of switchblade knives that would potentially outlaw quite a large number of knives. There have been rules about switchblades which cover only knives that open with a button so they can be operated with one hand. The NRA (who else, of course) is arguing that changing the definition might even apply to Swiss Army Knives (although I don’t see how) and many other knives as well, which would, in their logic, seriously affect hunters. To me this is just another tempest in a (hot) teapot. If you have ever been in stores that specialize in hunting equipment, guns, and knives, you will know that there are usually dozens, sometimes even hundreds of knives of all kinds. Some of these knives are, in fact, hunting knives, useful for skinning and dressing game, and some are various versions of useful pocket knives. But there are also many, many knives that obviously have no purpose whatsoever other than as potential weapons, knives so huge as to be useless for any other purpose, and knives designed obviously for stabbing, ripping, frightening, and whatever. Occasionally you see knives with a handle of brass knuckles. Many of these knives, indeed, probably most of them, are not particularly sharp, are not of very good quality, and are mostly for show. Some of them are engraved and sometimes dedicated to someone like Kit Carson or Daniel Boone or whomever. I understand there are large numbers of people who collect these knives, just as there are people who collect swords. I am certain there is a large element of fantasy involved in the interest and ownership of knives, probably often a carryover from the wooden swords and knives that fascinate children. You do read about occasional stabbings but never with the same emotion as deaths from handguns. Knives do not seem to me to have been (or are) much of a problem. To single out switchblades from this mass of potentially lethal hardware strikes me as absurd. And banning knives in general would obviously be absurd. If banning switchblades makes anyone feel safer, fine, but in the overall context of the universe of knives and knife lovers it is simply rather fruitless, even petty. What would come next, forks?
LKBIQ:
Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
James Russell Lowell
TILT:
The Appaloosa is the official horse of the state of Idaho.
to make plaster casts
of women’s bottoms.
The unbelievable hypocrisy of President Barack Obama is more than I can bear. He has come out with a statement that says the U.S. is committed to punishing torturers and helping the victims. And he has listed some countries believed to be offenders. He has vowed to uphold the International rules about torture and said that the U.S. will accept no excuses for torture, no exceptions. Except, of course, when it comes to the U.S. itself and the obvious case of Bush/Cheney torture policy. He continues to oppose a Truth Commission or an Independent Investigator and insist we must look only forward. Apparently his main reason for this is that he does not want to appear vindictive. Got that? He will not prosecute known war criminals because he does not want to appear vindictive. He apparently believes this is in the same universe as someone stealing his basketball or cheating at bridge. THESE ARE WAR CRIMES OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE! Thousands of people have been killed, both Americans and Iraqis, millions displaced from their homes, who knows how many tortured and even murdered, human misery too immense to be grasped by the human mind, and he’s worried about being seen as vindictive? What kind of person is he? Actually, to claim he doesn’t want to be seen as vindictive is really just a cover story for what is the real reason, politics. To act against Bush/Cheney and their torture machine would be used by some to paint Obama as vindictive, conveniently ignoring the underlying reality of the torture. Torture is illegal and is supposed to be punished under the law. In some sense, in the very nature of law, prosecutions are always vindictive. Obama wants to jettison morality and justice in favor of politics, as he knows that to do what is right in this case will threaten to split the country. The neocons and Republicans will accuse him of being vindictive, of course, as they have abandoned morality and justice long ago in favor of power. Thus from a purely political view Obama is doing what he feels he needs to do, but he must know that what he is doing is just plain wrong in a moral and legal sense. Perhaps he can get away with letting this terrible moment in our history just fade away, and let the obviously guilty go unpunished, but if he does he certainly won’t ever get another vote from me. Of course I would never vote for a Republican, I just won’t vote, and I know there are others who feel much the same way.
I knew it would just be a matter of time before there would be a problem with knives. There is apparently some attempt to change the definition of switchblade knives that would potentially outlaw quite a large number of knives. There have been rules about switchblades which cover only knives that open with a button so they can be operated with one hand. The NRA (who else, of course) is arguing that changing the definition might even apply to Swiss Army Knives (although I don’t see how) and many other knives as well, which would, in their logic, seriously affect hunters. To me this is just another tempest in a (hot) teapot. If you have ever been in stores that specialize in hunting equipment, guns, and knives, you will know that there are usually dozens, sometimes even hundreds of knives of all kinds. Some of these knives are, in fact, hunting knives, useful for skinning and dressing game, and some are various versions of useful pocket knives. But there are also many, many knives that obviously have no purpose whatsoever other than as potential weapons, knives so huge as to be useless for any other purpose, and knives designed obviously for stabbing, ripping, frightening, and whatever. Occasionally you see knives with a handle of brass knuckles. Many of these knives, indeed, probably most of them, are not particularly sharp, are not of very good quality, and are mostly for show. Some of them are engraved and sometimes dedicated to someone like Kit Carson or Daniel Boone or whomever. I understand there are large numbers of people who collect these knives, just as there are people who collect swords. I am certain there is a large element of fantasy involved in the interest and ownership of knives, probably often a carryover from the wooden swords and knives that fascinate children. You do read about occasional stabbings but never with the same emotion as deaths from handguns. Knives do not seem to me to have been (or are) much of a problem. To single out switchblades from this mass of potentially lethal hardware strikes me as absurd. And banning knives in general would obviously be absurd. If banning switchblades makes anyone feel safer, fine, but in the overall context of the universe of knives and knife lovers it is simply rather fruitless, even petty. What would come next, forks?
LKBIQ:
Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
James Russell Lowell
TILT:
The Appaloosa is the official horse of the state of Idaho.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Corelli's Mandolin - book
Corelli’s Mandolin, by Louis de Bernieres (Vintage International, 1994).
I rarely read novels anymore, but having time while trying to recover from a terrible bout of Strep Throat, I read this one. Having read it, I decided to comment on it, although it is now some fifteen years old and has been widely reviewed and praised. It has also been translated into more than fifteen languages and was also made into a motion picture.
If you read the comments from various sources, you will find the book has virtually everything: “Brims with all the grand topics of literature – love and death, heroism and skullduggery, humor and pathos, not to mention art and religion…” Then more: “de Bernieres dances nimbly from bawdy humor through parody, satire, chronicle, idyll, romantic comedy and epic chant.” Still more: “His work encompasses cruelty, humor, love and friendship, hope and horror…”
It seems virtually nothing is left out of this tour de force of a novel and it has received high praise indeed. It has within it everything mentioned above and more. It offers a most interesting look at the Italian occupation of Greece as well as some observations on Italian, Greek, and German military prowess and interaction. There is a humorous and rather insulting portrait of Mussolini as well as a not very flattering picture of the Italian army. It features some marvelous characters. On the one hand it is a novel of considerable complexity, but the basic story is simple, revolving around four main characters: An intelligent and philosophical “doctor,” his beautiful and somewhat willful daughter, her Greek fisherman fiancé, and Captain Corelli, the mandolin playing Italian army officer who falls in love with her (the eternal triangle). There are other well-created but somewhat less important characters as well: A huge homosexual man who has to hide his sexuality and love, a physically unattractive older woman, the mother of the fiancé, a small girl who challenges the doctor to do things he would not otherwise do.
I confess that I truly enjoyed this book and it lived up to the descriptions of it above. I must also confess that I found it rather “weird,” for want of a better word. I think the reason for this may lie in the fact that the book does contain so many different themes and so many different styles or forms. For example, in the first chapter, and in other places also, I began to wonder if it was a serious novel being written in the style of Max Schulman. On a couple of occasions I wondered if the author was sitting there with his worn Thesaurus by his side. There were moments when I thought the humor was perhaps out of place or inappropriate. Sometimes I thought the author was trying to do too much in a single novel. At times it appeared to me the author was employing humor to compensate for the more horrific and realistic scenes that were to follow. I found it truly strange that the two leading men both disappeared from the text for a long time. The fiancé fights for the Greeks although we hear very little of him for long periods of time. His rival, Captain Corelli, also disappeared for quite a long time. One rather expected there would ultimately be a confrontation between the two, but conveniently, a contrived ending manages to solve this problem. I guess you might say the book has a happy ending, but it depends upon your particular interpretation. I thought it was a strange ending, having the two men appear as they did, having been gone so long, and I actually began to wonder if the author had actually planned it that way or just remembered to retrieve the two men at the last minute.
None of this kept me from enjoying the story and I believe I actually learned something from it, especially about a theatre of operations I knew little about. I also thought that many of the doctor’s observations on life and love and death were quite profound. As de Bernieres was both young and English when he produced this complex tale, he could have had little actual experience with either the characters or the situations. I am fascinated with how he managed to write such a remarkable tale and cannot help but wonder how it came about. I have not seen the movie but I believe this might be a case where the movie is better than the book, mostly because the movie would not be able to cope with the complexity of the book and thus would be a more straightforward and purer tale. My son, a true movie aficionado, assures me this is the case.
I rarely read novels anymore, but having time while trying to recover from a terrible bout of Strep Throat, I read this one. Having read it, I decided to comment on it, although it is now some fifteen years old and has been widely reviewed and praised. It has also been translated into more than fifteen languages and was also made into a motion picture.
If you read the comments from various sources, you will find the book has virtually everything: “Brims with all the grand topics of literature – love and death, heroism and skullduggery, humor and pathos, not to mention art and religion…” Then more: “de Bernieres dances nimbly from bawdy humor through parody, satire, chronicle, idyll, romantic comedy and epic chant.” Still more: “His work encompasses cruelty, humor, love and friendship, hope and horror…”
It seems virtually nothing is left out of this tour de force of a novel and it has received high praise indeed. It has within it everything mentioned above and more. It offers a most interesting look at the Italian occupation of Greece as well as some observations on Italian, Greek, and German military prowess and interaction. There is a humorous and rather insulting portrait of Mussolini as well as a not very flattering picture of the Italian army. It features some marvelous characters. On the one hand it is a novel of considerable complexity, but the basic story is simple, revolving around four main characters: An intelligent and philosophical “doctor,” his beautiful and somewhat willful daughter, her Greek fisherman fiancé, and Captain Corelli, the mandolin playing Italian army officer who falls in love with her (the eternal triangle). There are other well-created but somewhat less important characters as well: A huge homosexual man who has to hide his sexuality and love, a physically unattractive older woman, the mother of the fiancé, a small girl who challenges the doctor to do things he would not otherwise do.
I confess that I truly enjoyed this book and it lived up to the descriptions of it above. I must also confess that I found it rather “weird,” for want of a better word. I think the reason for this may lie in the fact that the book does contain so many different themes and so many different styles or forms. For example, in the first chapter, and in other places also, I began to wonder if it was a serious novel being written in the style of Max Schulman. On a couple of occasions I wondered if the author was sitting there with his worn Thesaurus by his side. There were moments when I thought the humor was perhaps out of place or inappropriate. Sometimes I thought the author was trying to do too much in a single novel. At times it appeared to me the author was employing humor to compensate for the more horrific and realistic scenes that were to follow. I found it truly strange that the two leading men both disappeared from the text for a long time. The fiancé fights for the Greeks although we hear very little of him for long periods of time. His rival, Captain Corelli, also disappeared for quite a long time. One rather expected there would ultimately be a confrontation between the two, but conveniently, a contrived ending manages to solve this problem. I guess you might say the book has a happy ending, but it depends upon your particular interpretation. I thought it was a strange ending, having the two men appear as they did, having been gone so long, and I actually began to wonder if the author had actually planned it that way or just remembered to retrieve the two men at the last minute.
None of this kept me from enjoying the story and I believe I actually learned something from it, especially about a theatre of operations I knew little about. I also thought that many of the doctor’s observations on life and love and death were quite profound. As de Bernieres was both young and English when he produced this complex tale, he could have had little actual experience with either the characters or the situations. I am fascinated with how he managed to write such a remarkable tale and cannot help but wonder how it came about. I have not seen the movie but I believe this might be a case where the movie is better than the book, mostly because the movie would not be able to cope with the complexity of the book and thus would be a more straightforward and purer tale. My son, a true movie aficionado, assures me this is the case.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
What's in a name?
Running red light, improper
lane change, no seat belt, 100
pounds of marijuana in casket.
What’s in a name? This can be a problem. For example, my name is Lewis. I have never liked it. My entire name is even worse but that is not for here. No one else in my Elementary School or High School was named Lewis. They all had real names like Jim, Bob, Tom, Dick, Joe, Pete, and such. I always thought Lewis was a sissy name. But I’m not certain I just had a sissy name or if I was really a sissy. And, as I recall, the villain in the book Little Women, I believe was named Lewis. That bothered me for years. Now that Lewis Black is doing so well I feel a little better about things. But anyway, this is not just my problem. I know lots of people who do not like their names for one reason or another. I know a young man named Julian. He wants to be called Jack. He thinks that is more masculine. I also had a friend once named Harold. Harold, for reasons I do not understand, is actually funny. Elmer, too, is funny, as are Louie and Archibald. Anyway, Harold wanted desperately to have a nickname. He was a small Jewish lad from somewhere in the Midwest, St. Louis or Kansas City or someplace like that, and could probably be fairly described as a kind of milquetoast. He wanted to be nicknamed “Spike.” He was serious. Everyone he tried this out on became hysterical.
There are, of course, some names that have problems just built in to them. Dick, comes to mind. Dick, like Harold is just funny to begin with, but as a slang term for penis it becomes even funnier. John, too has come to have its own problem, like “I have to go to the John.” And guys like me, who want to go by Lew, run into the same problem, especially in England. Sometimes it is the context that renders someone’s name problematical. When I was in High School, for example, during WWII, we had a classmate named Adolf. Adolf was an unusual name in the U.S. even then, but in the context of the war, poor Adolf was absolutely miserable, and through no fault of his own. Similarly, we had a girl named Goldie Glasscock. Now having such a name in our rough little town was bad enough, but Goldie also had the misfortune of being blond, nice looking, really stacked, and looking older than her years. I doubt that a day went by that poor Goldie didn’t suffer from her name. Having struggled with Lewis all my life I have developed empathy for people with strange names and never make fun of them. Indeed, I often truly admire them, especially if they are names of longstanding, like Featherstone, Sidebottom, or Snodgrass, or even Hogg, Snipes, Marx, Pratt or Butts. I admire them even more if they have family names that are unusual or embarrassing but refuse to change them.
There are lots of foreign names that Americans regard as terribly funny. But to deal with them I believe is cheating. And it is possible, of course, to change your name if you wish. Many people do, especially people in show business. W. C. Fields I believe was born William Claude Dukinfield. Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky, John Wayne as Marion Robert Morrison, Cary Grant as Archibald Alec Leach, and Marilyn Monroe as Norma Jean Mortenson. Sometimes, especially in the early days of the 20th century, people sometimes changed their names so as to be not easily identified as Jewish. Sometimes people changed their names to make them fit better on a marquee. Sometimes the studios changed their names for them. I don’t know if it makes much sense, but it does seem to me that Norma Jean Mortenson or Benjamin Kubelsky would not have helped. Some people change their names for the simple reason they are too common, or because they don’t like the diminutives. Patricia might not like to be Pat. Joseph John might not like to become J.J., and Theodore might not like being called Teddy. Short of changing your name legally there is not much you can do about your name or nickname. And you don’t always get to pick your nickname, sometimes people just do it for you and you are stuck with it. “Kid Slick,” for example, or “Charlie the Hook,” or “Fat Albert,” or “Red Grange.”
There do seem to be names that are so ideally suited for their purposes as to be virtually magical. Could there possibly be a better name for a football quarterback than Joe Montana? How about Sugar Ray Robinson for a great boxing champion? These names just seem to fit somehow. Billie Jean King for a woman tennis champion? To me it just seems right. And there are nicknames that seem to fit also, think of Satchmo, Satchel, Tiger, Dizzy, Two-Ton Tony, Radar, Cher, Babe, The Little Tramp, Chico, Harpo, and Groucho, and many more.
Often someone changes their name to something so strange, obvious, or common you immediately recognize it as a change. If someone wants to change their name to “Uncle Sam,” for example, or even “Jesus Christ” you would recognize it for what it was. I recently came across the name “Crescent Dragonwagon” that I thought was unusually creative. There really is such a woman, a writer with many books to her credit. I think she is a musician as well. I have no idea what the background of this name change was but she has been successful with it. It wouldn’t do for me, it has too many letters, in general, I like shorter names. Even so, you have to admit it’s a pretty great name.
In rare cases someone has a name that fits them perfectly. Joe Montana I already mentioned, but others as well. I may be entirely wrong about this, but I believe I could pick out of a crowd someone with a name like Polly Pudlak, Bennie Groseclose, Uno Johnson, or Ivan Sebastian, even if they were not wearing their name tags. These strike me as the kinds of names that just have to fit.
I cannot tell you why, but I have envied the name Otis Birdsong since the day I first heard it. He was born Otis Birdsong, actually Otis Lee Birdsong, and as you may know was a great professional basketball player. There is a purity or something about the name that has always attracted me to it. I wish my name could have been Otis Birdsong instead of Lewis Langness, but, then, it probably wouldn’t have mattered much. Otis Birdsong has that ring to it, such a lovely name. I don’t believe a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
“He had a conservative mind but a liberal penis.”
Jon Stewart
TILT:
The octopus is the most highly intelligent invertebrate.
lane change, no seat belt, 100
pounds of marijuana in casket.
What’s in a name? This can be a problem. For example, my name is Lewis. I have never liked it. My entire name is even worse but that is not for here. No one else in my Elementary School or High School was named Lewis. They all had real names like Jim, Bob, Tom, Dick, Joe, Pete, and such. I always thought Lewis was a sissy name. But I’m not certain I just had a sissy name or if I was really a sissy. And, as I recall, the villain in the book Little Women, I believe was named Lewis. That bothered me for years. Now that Lewis Black is doing so well I feel a little better about things. But anyway, this is not just my problem. I know lots of people who do not like their names for one reason or another. I know a young man named Julian. He wants to be called Jack. He thinks that is more masculine. I also had a friend once named Harold. Harold, for reasons I do not understand, is actually funny. Elmer, too, is funny, as are Louie and Archibald. Anyway, Harold wanted desperately to have a nickname. He was a small Jewish lad from somewhere in the Midwest, St. Louis or Kansas City or someplace like that, and could probably be fairly described as a kind of milquetoast. He wanted to be nicknamed “Spike.” He was serious. Everyone he tried this out on became hysterical.
There are, of course, some names that have problems just built in to them. Dick, comes to mind. Dick, like Harold is just funny to begin with, but as a slang term for penis it becomes even funnier. John, too has come to have its own problem, like “I have to go to the John.” And guys like me, who want to go by Lew, run into the same problem, especially in England. Sometimes it is the context that renders someone’s name problematical. When I was in High School, for example, during WWII, we had a classmate named Adolf. Adolf was an unusual name in the U.S. even then, but in the context of the war, poor Adolf was absolutely miserable, and through no fault of his own. Similarly, we had a girl named Goldie Glasscock. Now having such a name in our rough little town was bad enough, but Goldie also had the misfortune of being blond, nice looking, really stacked, and looking older than her years. I doubt that a day went by that poor Goldie didn’t suffer from her name. Having struggled with Lewis all my life I have developed empathy for people with strange names and never make fun of them. Indeed, I often truly admire them, especially if they are names of longstanding, like Featherstone, Sidebottom, or Snodgrass, or even Hogg, Snipes, Marx, Pratt or Butts. I admire them even more if they have family names that are unusual or embarrassing but refuse to change them.
There are lots of foreign names that Americans regard as terribly funny. But to deal with them I believe is cheating. And it is possible, of course, to change your name if you wish. Many people do, especially people in show business. W. C. Fields I believe was born William Claude Dukinfield. Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky, John Wayne as Marion Robert Morrison, Cary Grant as Archibald Alec Leach, and Marilyn Monroe as Norma Jean Mortenson. Sometimes, especially in the early days of the 20th century, people sometimes changed their names so as to be not easily identified as Jewish. Sometimes people changed their names to make them fit better on a marquee. Sometimes the studios changed their names for them. I don’t know if it makes much sense, but it does seem to me that Norma Jean Mortenson or Benjamin Kubelsky would not have helped. Some people change their names for the simple reason they are too common, or because they don’t like the diminutives. Patricia might not like to be Pat. Joseph John might not like to become J.J., and Theodore might not like being called Teddy. Short of changing your name legally there is not much you can do about your name or nickname. And you don’t always get to pick your nickname, sometimes people just do it for you and you are stuck with it. “Kid Slick,” for example, or “Charlie the Hook,” or “Fat Albert,” or “Red Grange.”
There do seem to be names that are so ideally suited for their purposes as to be virtually magical. Could there possibly be a better name for a football quarterback than Joe Montana? How about Sugar Ray Robinson for a great boxing champion? These names just seem to fit somehow. Billie Jean King for a woman tennis champion? To me it just seems right. And there are nicknames that seem to fit also, think of Satchmo, Satchel, Tiger, Dizzy, Two-Ton Tony, Radar, Cher, Babe, The Little Tramp, Chico, Harpo, and Groucho, and many more.
Often someone changes their name to something so strange, obvious, or common you immediately recognize it as a change. If someone wants to change their name to “Uncle Sam,” for example, or even “Jesus Christ” you would recognize it for what it was. I recently came across the name “Crescent Dragonwagon” that I thought was unusually creative. There really is such a woman, a writer with many books to her credit. I think she is a musician as well. I have no idea what the background of this name change was but she has been successful with it. It wouldn’t do for me, it has too many letters, in general, I like shorter names. Even so, you have to admit it’s a pretty great name.
In rare cases someone has a name that fits them perfectly. Joe Montana I already mentioned, but others as well. I may be entirely wrong about this, but I believe I could pick out of a crowd someone with a name like Polly Pudlak, Bennie Groseclose, Uno Johnson, or Ivan Sebastian, even if they were not wearing their name tags. These strike me as the kinds of names that just have to fit.
I cannot tell you why, but I have envied the name Otis Birdsong since the day I first heard it. He was born Otis Birdsong, actually Otis Lee Birdsong, and as you may know was a great professional basketball player. There is a purity or something about the name that has always attracted me to it. I wish my name could have been Otis Birdsong instead of Lewis Langness, but, then, it probably wouldn’t have mattered much. Otis Birdsong has that ring to it, such a lovely name. I don’t believe a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
“He had a conservative mind but a liberal penis.”
Jon Stewart
TILT:
The octopus is the most highly intelligent invertebrate.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Obama and torture
Jealous rage and simple
misunderstanding result in
death of innocent woman.
Since 1997, June 26th has been set aside as a day to reflect on and help victims of torture. Leaders from around the globe usually make statements condemning torture. This certainly put Obama in an awkward situation. He had to make a statement condemning torture while at the same time doing absolutely nothing to hold our already confessed torturers accountable. I absolutely cannot understand Obama’s refusal to go along with a Truth Commission or Independent Investigator or whatever. Bush/Cheney have admitted to torture and even go around boasting about it and how effective it was. Both Obama and Holder have said waterboarding is torture. They know it happened. They know who authorized it. They know other forms of torture were also involved. And yet they do nothing about it. I find this not only impossible to understand but also infuriating. More importantly, as I understand it, their failure to take action on this is both illegal and unconstitutional, and in effect makes them also guilty. I might be able to understand Obama’s failure to end don’t ask, don’t tell, I might also forgive him for his opposition to gay marriage, his failure to act on gun control, and perhaps even his inaction towards ending the ridiculous war on drugs. But I will never forgive him if he fails to deal with the war criminals flaunting their crimes right in front of him, never. Furthermore, if he doesn’t take action against Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/et al, I will never vote for him again even if he solves the economic crisis, gets universal health care, ends all the wars, and walks on water. What he is doing (or failing to do) is not only illegal and unconstitutional, it is immoral. Politics may trump morality for our current administration and Congress, but it doesn’t for me.
Of course we don’t have to concern ourselves with this, or much of anything else, because we’ll always have Michael Jackson (for no doubt a very long time), and also (at least for a while) Governor Sanford, who is now comparing himself to King David of biblical fame. Appealing to the bible seems to be one of the standard practices for these hypocrites when they get caught. I guess they think they deserve to be forgiven because they read (or have read) the bible at some time or other. This actually seems to work in some cases. I’ll be surprised if it works for Sanford.
Are there still fools who listen to that fat bucket of slop, Rush Limbaugh? I mean, really, he has become so far out and divorced from reality that I would think anyone would see it by now. His latest blathering pig pucky is that Obama caused Sanford to cheat on his wife in Argentina. How pathetic does someone have to become before being abandoned? And why does the media keep giving time to hopeless creeps like Coulter, Hannity, Beck, and Gingrich?
I suspect that Rachel Maddow’s absence from her show last night and tonight was purely serendipitous, but I would like to think that she simply refused to go along with the Michael Jackson marathon. My TV viewing for some time now has been Olberman/Maddow and Stewart/Colbert, but I think it is about to become just Maddow and Colbert. Maybe I can eventually give it up entirely. Oh, happy day!
LKBIQ:
I seek an
innocent country.
Giuseppe Ungaretti
TILT:
The adults of cutworms are night flying moths that do no damage.
misunderstanding result in
death of innocent woman.
Since 1997, June 26th has been set aside as a day to reflect on and help victims of torture. Leaders from around the globe usually make statements condemning torture. This certainly put Obama in an awkward situation. He had to make a statement condemning torture while at the same time doing absolutely nothing to hold our already confessed torturers accountable. I absolutely cannot understand Obama’s refusal to go along with a Truth Commission or Independent Investigator or whatever. Bush/Cheney have admitted to torture and even go around boasting about it and how effective it was. Both Obama and Holder have said waterboarding is torture. They know it happened. They know who authorized it. They know other forms of torture were also involved. And yet they do nothing about it. I find this not only impossible to understand but also infuriating. More importantly, as I understand it, their failure to take action on this is both illegal and unconstitutional, and in effect makes them also guilty. I might be able to understand Obama’s failure to end don’t ask, don’t tell, I might also forgive him for his opposition to gay marriage, his failure to act on gun control, and perhaps even his inaction towards ending the ridiculous war on drugs. But I will never forgive him if he fails to deal with the war criminals flaunting their crimes right in front of him, never. Furthermore, if he doesn’t take action against Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/et al, I will never vote for him again even if he solves the economic crisis, gets universal health care, ends all the wars, and walks on water. What he is doing (or failing to do) is not only illegal and unconstitutional, it is immoral. Politics may trump morality for our current administration and Congress, but it doesn’t for me.
Of course we don’t have to concern ourselves with this, or much of anything else, because we’ll always have Michael Jackson (for no doubt a very long time), and also (at least for a while) Governor Sanford, who is now comparing himself to King David of biblical fame. Appealing to the bible seems to be one of the standard practices for these hypocrites when they get caught. I guess they think they deserve to be forgiven because they read (or have read) the bible at some time or other. This actually seems to work in some cases. I’ll be surprised if it works for Sanford.
Are there still fools who listen to that fat bucket of slop, Rush Limbaugh? I mean, really, he has become so far out and divorced from reality that I would think anyone would see it by now. His latest blathering pig pucky is that Obama caused Sanford to cheat on his wife in Argentina. How pathetic does someone have to become before being abandoned? And why does the media keep giving time to hopeless creeps like Coulter, Hannity, Beck, and Gingrich?
I suspect that Rachel Maddow’s absence from her show last night and tonight was purely serendipitous, but I would like to think that she simply refused to go along with the Michael Jackson marathon. My TV viewing for some time now has been Olberman/Maddow and Stewart/Colbert, but I think it is about to become just Maddow and Colbert. Maybe I can eventually give it up entirely. Oh, happy day!
LKBIQ:
I seek an
innocent country.
Giuseppe Ungaretti
TILT:
The adults of cutworms are night flying moths that do no damage.
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