Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Friday, November 05, 2010
Keith Olbermann SUSPENDED From MSNBC Indefinitely Without Pay
I think Olbermann should have followed the rules, but an indefinite suspension without pay for what appears to be a relatively minor rules infraction seems like overkill, especially since KO wasn't in trouble with MSNBC prior to this.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 02, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tea Party
In late 1773, patriots in Boston dumped tea from England into the harbor to protest the tea tax. In New York and Philadelphia, patriots turned tea-carrying ships back. In Charleston, citizens couldn’t even reach agreement on how to respond, finally deciding merely not to pay for the tea or the tax. The tea was off-loaded and stored. The “tea party” held in Greenville and other cities on February 27, however, is an even weaker imitation of the Boston Tea Party than Charleston’s feckless protest in 1773/74.
These “conservatives” supported a war in Iraq funded by massive deficit spending, and they supported the rebuilding of infrastructure in Iraq—again, funded by huge deficits. But when it comes to supporting their fellow Americans through investment in human capital and infrastructure, they call for weak symbolic protests and some even call for revolution. Where were their cries for revolution when George W. Bush was running the nation and the economy into the ground?
These people are not conservatives. These “conservatives” sound more like whiners than workers. They are a bunch of Neros tuning their fiddles while sparks are flying around. They are radical skinflints who would rather see the nation crumble, their neighbors homeless and jobless, the economy in disarray, their security threatened by rises in crime, and a generation of children raised in ignorance than see the government do anything about it. Do you really want your leaders to do nothing, or do you want action?
This nation has borrowed against its future many times in the past, and each time, we’ve managed to pay it off, or move toward paying down that debt. The last time was during the Clinton administration, and we saw that budget surplus transform itself into a huge deficit with no benefit to the American people under George W. Bush. I see no reason that that we won’t be able to pay this new debt if we can get the economy back on track. But empty protests and meaningless calls for revolution aren’t going to accomplish anything. If all the “conservatives” can offer is to do nothing, then they should get out of the way, because something must be done.
These “conservatives” supported a war in Iraq funded by massive deficit spending, and they supported the rebuilding of infrastructure in Iraq—again, funded by huge deficits. But when it comes to supporting their fellow Americans through investment in human capital and infrastructure, they call for weak symbolic protests and some even call for revolution. Where were their cries for revolution when George W. Bush was running the nation and the economy into the ground?
These people are not conservatives. These “conservatives” sound more like whiners than workers. They are a bunch of Neros tuning their fiddles while sparks are flying around. They are radical skinflints who would rather see the nation crumble, their neighbors homeless and jobless, the economy in disarray, their security threatened by rises in crime, and a generation of children raised in ignorance than see the government do anything about it. Do you really want your leaders to do nothing, or do you want action?
This nation has borrowed against its future many times in the past, and each time, we’ve managed to pay it off, or move toward paying down that debt. The last time was during the Clinton administration, and we saw that budget surplus transform itself into a huge deficit with no benefit to the American people under George W. Bush. I see no reason that that we won’t be able to pay this new debt if we can get the economy back on track. But empty protests and meaningless calls for revolution aren’t going to accomplish anything. If all the “conservatives” can offer is to do nothing, then they should get out of the way, because something must be done.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
SC Democrats
My email to Carol Fowler, chair of the Democratic Party of South Carolina:
Dear Ms. Fowler:
I read on salon.com that you had "commented that John McCain had picked a running mate 'whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion'." Then, further down in the article, I read your clarification/apology.
Stop apologizing! You were right the first time and you should have stood by your words. It was funny and while hyperbolic, it was an accurate metaphor for the realities of Republican politics.
Democrats should stop apologizing. Republicans routinely torture and murder the truth, and are never even called on it, forget being expected to apologize. It's time Democrats met their standard. This "above the fray" b.s. will cost us election after election. The party needs people who will say what's on their minds and stick to it. I was amazed and pleased when I read your statement, but then I read the update, and dismay set in.
The Democratic Party in South Carolina is the biggest underdog since David, and it's time we fought like underdogs: with ferocity and an attitude that we have nothing to lose, because in this state, it's true.
I read on salon.com that you had "commented that John McCain had picked a running mate 'whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion'." Then, further down in the article, I read your clarification/apology.
Stop apologizing! You were right the first time and you should have stood by your words. It was funny and while hyperbolic, it was an accurate metaphor for the realities of Republican politics.
Democrats should stop apologizing. Republicans routinely torture and murder the truth, and are never even called on it, forget being expected to apologize. It's time Democrats met their standard. This "above the fray" b.s. will cost us election after election. The party needs people who will say what's on their minds and stick to it. I was amazed and pleased when I read your statement, but then I read the update, and dismay set in.
The Democratic Party in South Carolina is the biggest underdog since David, and it's time we fought like underdogs: with ferocity and an attitude that we have nothing to lose, because in this state, it's true.
UPDATE: Got a response: "Thanks" (with no punctuation--and no comment)
Monday, August 25, 2008
What's more important?
Any so-called Hillary "supporter" who won't vote for Obama or who will vote for McCain is a traitor--not just to party but to country. They aren't really supporting anything but four more years of insanity, a perpetuation of the worst presidency in American history. Voting for McCain out of a heartfelt belief that he's better for the country is bad enough, but to do so out of spite--Spite?!--is absolutely beyond the pale. Not only does it devalue politics--a depreciated asset already--it devalues their entire belief system to the point that there are no beliefs remaining, just bile.
Monday, August 11, 2008
George W. Batman?
There was a lot of talk in the couple of weeks after the opening of The Dark Knight about how Batman represents George W. Bush. The talk was based on Batman's "rendition" of one of the bad guys and his use of technology to locate the Joker--by spying on everyone's cell phone.
A couple of ideas occurred to me as I thought about that after finally getting to see the film Friday night. First, we like our fictional heroes to be like Batman, or even Jack Bauer, heroes who will do anything to achieve their noble objective of protecting the vast ignorant citizenry. That includes me. I like Jack Bauer, and I like Batman, but I think I'm like a lot of Americans in being able to distinguish fact from fiction, and knowing that a fictional hero who can take out the bad guys without being held to standards of the law isn't the same as a president who operates as if he was above the law. At least, I hope so.
The second idea I had was how people like to take ideas from fiction and portray them as fact. There was a similar development following The Incredibles, which some took as a parable of present-day political correctness in the educational system. In it, the protagonists have to submerge their special abilities in order to fit into "normal" society, because their extra-ordinariness was considered a danger to regular folks--until a greater danger arose.
But as parables, movies don't always work. The person who sees a call for elitism in The Incredibles is missing the call for acceptance of difference as we witness the struggles of people outside the norm to fit in. The person who sees George W. Bush in Batman completely misunderstands the character He excuses the crimes of a troubled fictional character in order to excuse the crimes of a troubling real person.
A couple of ideas occurred to me as I thought about that after finally getting to see the film Friday night. First, we like our fictional heroes to be like Batman, or even Jack Bauer, heroes who will do anything to achieve their noble objective of protecting the vast ignorant citizenry. That includes me. I like Jack Bauer, and I like Batman, but I think I'm like a lot of Americans in being able to distinguish fact from fiction, and knowing that a fictional hero who can take out the bad guys without being held to standards of the law isn't the same as a president who operates as if he was above the law. At least, I hope so.
The second idea I had was how people like to take ideas from fiction and portray them as fact. There was a similar development following The Incredibles, which some took as a parable of present-day political correctness in the educational system. In it, the protagonists have to submerge their special abilities in order to fit into "normal" society, because their extra-ordinariness was considered a danger to regular folks--until a greater danger arose.
But as parables, movies don't always work. The person who sees a call for elitism in The Incredibles is missing the call for acceptance of difference as we witness the struggles of people outside the norm to fit in. The person who sees George W. Bush in Batman completely misunderstands the character He excuses the crimes of a troubled fictional character in order to excuse the crimes of a troubling real person.
Monday, August 04, 2008
History Detectives
I really like the History Detectives show on PBS, but I really think they should hire a historian. Currently, they have two appraisers (one of whom has a Ph.D. in Anthropology), a Sociologist, and an Art Historian. They do a great job and the stories are really interesting--I wish I could find some interesting artifact that would be worthy of the show in my father's attic, but he'd have to have an attic first--but the show is, paradoxically, a traveling version of the antiques "road show." As a historians, I deal with documents more often than with artifacts, but I think a deeper historical context would make this show more interesting.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I couldn't resist. Sorry about the Flash delay.
I couldn't resist entering this contest. I'd rather drive something efficient or even electric, but I can always sell it if I win.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Torture and the rule of law
Glenn Greenwald of salon.com reviews The Dark Side, by Jane Mayer of The New Yorker and comments on how the U.S. is no longer a nation of laws but a nation of men. "One cannot coherently sanction or even acquiesce to serious government lawbreaking and then feign outrage over illegal torture and other war crimes. The sanctioning of government illegality is precisely what leads to abuses like the American torture regime."
Thursday, July 10, 2008
I am Spider-Man
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Friday, June 27, 2008
Liberal Arts Undervalued? Umm, Duh?
Liberal Arts Undervalued by Education Department, Official Says After Quitting - Chronicle.com
You'll need a site pass or subscription to read this in its entirety, but here's the first sentence:
It's a debate, says Terry W. Hartle, who is a senior v.p. for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education, between the liberal arts and "employment-specific education," a debate, he said, "that people have been having for centuries."
You'll need a site pass or subscription to read this in its entirety, but here's the first sentence:
The Education Department is controlled by advisers who have insufficient regard for the liberal arts and instead are intent on judging colleges largely by their ability to provide economically measurable talent for industry, a recently departed top official told The Chronicle.I don't know why the liberal arts are so disparaged--maybe because of the word "liberal"--but it would seem to me that the ability to think critically, to analyze data, to write well, and to be able to understand and convey information effectively would all be skills that the business community values.
It's a debate, says Terry W. Hartle, who is a senior v.p. for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education, between the liberal arts and "employment-specific education," a debate, he said, "that people have been having for centuries."
Saturday, June 21, 2008
I still use semicolons; do you?
Has modern life killed the semicolon? - By Paul Collins - Slate Magazine recalls the history of the point-virgule and its lamented demise, except in its usual role as a winking emoticon.
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