The week's "Ralph Nader Overcoat Award" is hereby awarded to Reverend Wright. I believe we haven't heard the last of you yet. Will you be the Billy Beer of the new millenium? It's too soon to know.
Recently in Politics Category
CNN is reporting the score of the McCain/Romney match-up as 37-32. I have to say I am quite relieved to see Huckabee polling in the low double digits. I liked the movie ok, I don't like him for President.
Hillary also managed a surprise 39-37 edge over Obama. I though Obama was going to walk away with this one. I'm not sure what Hillary did differently, but I am curious to see if it will continue.
According to the Electoral Compass, it tends to reason I don't like any of the candidates since none of them align with my political beliefs.
You never caught Reagan rubbing down Thatcher. What the heck is this? Was this a decision born out of questionable intelligence? If that isn't good enough, read the article on what the open mike overheard at the same summit. This is why I always hit the mute button on conference calls - unlike some people I know.
Predictably, people are talking the "keep the Christ in Christmas talk" which is followed by Young Joel's annual "keep the Saturn in Saturnalia talk."
Ironically enough, some churches are cancelling their Sunday morning service because Sunday happens to inconveniently fall on Christmas Day. You can read an article on it in the NYTimes. (Sorry you'll have to register or something and this link will prolly only work for a week or so --talk to the NY Times about it.)
When Christmas Falls on Sunday, Megachurches Take the Day Off
You can add my church to the list. Good thing people are used to Easter falling on a Sunday.
Reminds me I haven't posted the link to the "Keep the Chan in Chanuka" t-shirt.
[Link Courtesy of The Revealer]
You've seen me post about the freedom to travel before. Here is another case that deserves scrutiny, checkout Deborah Davis, Want to Ride, Papers Please. I'm shocked that anyone in the situation described would ever challenge the official asking for ID since most people are obedient to authority figures.
There is another hearing in the Gilmore case coming up you might want to check out. In the notice for the court date is says, "Friends and supporters of John are welcome to attend this historic hearing, but are asked to please dress appropriately for court." I need to have more friends who would need this sort of advice. I hope this case goes all the way to the Supreme Court. I hate secret regulations.
[Link Courtesy of Dave's Picks]
Looks like the school levy for my school district, Centenial passed. I am very happy to see that happen. Not only did it pass, but it did so by a pretty wide margin (58% for, 42% against). If you know me, you know that I'm not fond of taxes and the amount I pay per day to stay in my own house staggers me. At the same time I don't really want to live in a place with lousy schools. Having the lowest operating levy of any school in the metro area, I'm really glad my neighbors saw fit to restore some funding to our schools.
About a year ago I wrote a little post about Theo Van Gogh. If you don't remember he was a Dutch film maker who died because he offended a religious fanatic.
It's sad to me to think the world doesn't seem to be a better place and there is no sign that it will be any better any time soon.
[Reminder courtesy of Metafilter.]
At one time, I honestly thought a wall separating Palestine and Israel was a very good idea. I had no idea people would create small islands of land, cut through orchards or any thing else that would make the situation economically unviable. On principle I still favor a wall, but not this one. I thought it would cool things down so that when people decide they can make a lasting peace they can tear it down just like they did in Berlin.
In the face of heartbreak occasionally great art is made. Check out this graffiti by Banksy. The last one where the girl is being lifted by the balloons especially speaks to me.
Adam Felber wrote recently about an editorial written by Pat Buchanan. His description of Mr. Buchanan was priceless.
Confession: I kind of like Pat Buchanan. He’s a little like that loopy and feared uncle that you only see on very special occasions, the guy who seems genial and reasonable and maybe even insightful at times and you start to wonder what all the fuss was about and why everyone avoids him and you start to make secret plans to sort of draw him back into the family fold because clearly everyone was overstating past problems and besides he seems to have changed and --
-- and then somebody accidentally mentions one of his "hot button" topics and your new favorite uncle suddenly turns into a frothing, raving madman, upends the dining room table, rips off his clothes and goes running naked out the door and down the suburban streets while singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at the top of his lungs."
Adam Felber, Winning the Vietnam War
I've been shocked at the number people that have rushed either to defend Mr. Nixon and his administration or to attack Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat".
I was aghast that someone of Peggy Noonan would abandon a core conservative value like "personal responsibility" and blame Pol Pot's murderous regime on Mark Felt. If any one is to blame for Cambodia, it is Pol Pot and his band of murderers. If anyone is to blame for the weakened presidency it is Nixon and his aides who conspired to keep their misdeeds in the dark. It just goes to show you that it's not really a great cultural war about about values; it's a game of us versus them. It's like the republicans with short memories who think it's ok to filibuster, but only when you are the minority party.
Chuck clearly is unhappy about the method and motives of Mr. Felt. It would really help if Mr. Colson and Mr. Nixon's henchmen weren't trying to do similar things like tampering with evidence, investigation and grand juries. I would also like to point out that going to prison seemed to have a done a world of good for Mr. Colson. I assume if he hadn't gone to jail he would be a "hatchet man" for Mr. G.W. Bush right now. I think Mark Felt may not have had the purest motives but acted in the most effective ways available to him at the time. If Mr. Colson would have gone public with what he knew from his own conscience then perhaps I might agree more with Mr. Colson. Since Mr. Colson is engaged in christian ministerial work it seems like I would be remiss if I didn't mention that whole "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone ..." Mr. Colson please don't rush to throw your stones at Mr. Felt.
In personal conversation with a relative the question has posed, had Mr. Felt broken his F.B.I. oath. I looked up the oath to see what I think.
"I, [insert name here], do solemnly swear to support, uphold and
defend the Constitution of the United States of America against
all enemies, foreign and domestic, to obey the lawful orders and
directives of those appointed before and above me, and that I
enter into this office without any mental reservation whatsoever,
so help me GOD."
I don't think that Mr. Felt violated this in his role as "Deep Throat". He may have in other roles for which he was later prosecuted, but we'll ignore that for the moment.
If nothing else, can I just point out that defending Nixon just sounds idiotic. Buchanan, Colson, and Noonan all agree Nixon and others broke the law, so defending him is just dumb. Is this setting us up for the next presidential election being about Watergate in the same way that Bush versus Kerry was about Vietnam?
The Moderate Voice does a better job summarizing this than I ever will.
I really would like to have a political party that better represented me. There appears to be none at the moment.
