In light of recent or soon-to-be events, this might make you think twice about voting for Romney.
Believe me, it should.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Can Obama Hold On In Swing States?
He was doing so, about 10 days ago. Let's hope he still is doing so, and can do so for nine more days.
I'm going to go hunker down, and wait out the storm. May we, and everyone we care about, be safe.
I'm going to go hunker down, and wait out the storm. May we, and everyone we care about, be safe.
The REAL Source Of Voter Fraud
The Republican Party has a right to be concerned about it. Because they are the chief cause of it.
Why Obama and the Justice Department hasn't gone after Ohio for using Romney-owned voting machines is beyond me. It's as if they want to forfeit the election.
Why Obama and the Justice Department hasn't gone after Ohio for using Romney-owned voting machines is beyond me. It's as if they want to forfeit the election.
Cheer Up, Liberals!
Even if the Republicans get an across-the-board sweep on November 6th, they will only own the government. We own the culture, and real progress has always come from the bottom up, not the top down.
It was true in 1972, and it remains true today. We will regroup, and move ourselves, and America, forward.
It was true in 1972, and it remains true today. We will regroup, and move ourselves, and America, forward.
Does This Surprise Anyone?
It shouldn't. I've been saying this all along, and I'm certainly not alone. Now, however, we have empirical proof.
Makes you wonder what the backlash against African-Americans is going to be like, if the Republicans return to power.
Wonder no more, thanks to Colin Powell's brave decision to endorse Obama for a second term. Another brave man has confirmed that it will happen, while an idiot has illustrated how it will begin to play out.
One wonders, along with Victor Hugo, if the future will ever arrive.
Makes you wonder what the backlash against African-Americans is going to be like, if the Republicans return to power.
Wonder no more, thanks to Colin Powell's brave decision to endorse Obama for a second term. Another brave man has confirmed that it will happen, while an idiot has illustrated how it will begin to play out.
One wonders, along with Victor Hugo, if the future will ever arrive.
But Will A President Romney Agree?
According to Eliot Spitzer, the Grover Norquist firewall against tax increases may be crumbling, now that business leaders are coming out in support of them.
While I'm grateful to learn that the American business community still, to some extent, lives in the real world, its principal political agent, the Republican Party, does not. This is why its Presidential candidate still talks about piling tax cuts on top of tax cuts.
If he actually reaches the White House, and is paired with a Republican Congress, they may conspire to deficit-spend the American business community, and the American way of life, out of existence.
But don't worry. They'll still be in charge, and that's all they really want, anyway.
Unless, of course, you do something about it.
While I'm grateful to learn that the American business community still, to some extent, lives in the real world, its principal political agent, the Republican Party, does not. This is why its Presidential candidate still talks about piling tax cuts on top of tax cuts.
If he actually reaches the White House, and is paired with a Republican Congress, they may conspire to deficit-spend the American business community, and the American way of life, out of existence.
But don't worry. They'll still be in charge, and that's all they really want, anyway.
Unless, of course, you do something about it.
MSM Guilt: Working Overtime To Elect Romney
This was predicted, over a month ago. And, if you look at the media coverage since Romney's dishonest, cheating, hypercaffeinated performance in the first debate, you can see that it's come true.
Never forget that freedom of the press belongs to the person who owns one. It's as much a property right as it is a civil right. And major property owners don't tend to be liberals.
Never forget that freedom of the press belongs to the person who owns one. It's as much a property right as it is a civil right. And major property owners don't tend to be liberals.
The Gathering Storm ... And The Day After Tomorrow?
I write this on Sunday afternoon, within hours of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, which is expected to have a devastating human and economic cost. The headlines, on and off-line, are filled with the usual stories about advanced precautions, accompanied by the usual pictures of those precautions being taken (windows being bordered up, lines of vehicles headed inland, rapidly emptying store shelves, and so on). All of the focus, understandably, is on the immediate danger, as well as our inability to know the exact extent to which we are in harm's way.
I, too, share the concern for the immediate danger. At the same time, I am more than astonished--and, frankly, disgusted--about the fact that no one seems to want to connect the climate dots.
Until a decade or so ago, we were accustomed to being occasionally visited by powerful storms, and to cleaning up the aftermath and moving on. We accepted this as part of nature's status quo. But there is nothing "occasional" about these storms anymore, nor are weather extremes in general extremes anymore. For all practical purposes, they are the "new normal." Except for the fact that they are exponentially more dangerous and costly for all of us than they have even been.
And, in spite of that, we go on pretending that we can just keep cleaning up the mess, even when the messes get bigger and bigger.
We pretend that, as a species, we are so frail and helpless that we cannot control our behavior, and must rely on God to sort things out, to ensure that the wicked are punished and the righteous are protected. Anything else somehow smacks of socialism.
That overlooks the fact that government, in both the Old and New Testaments, is an institution established and even ordained by God. It overlooks the fact that the Constitution was established to ensure domestic tranquility, and promote the general welfare. And, in the context of our climate, it grossly overlooks the fact that we have a serious problem, and it will take government of the people, by the people and for the people to set it right. Government is the only segment of society capable of taking the long-term interest of everyone into account. And, right now, whether it is Sandy or the next storm not yet on the horizon, government that thinks beyond the next fifteen minutes is needed more than ever.
It is, therefore, more than shameful that neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney have even talked about climate change in their debates, or otherwise in their campaigns. There has never been a greater need to talk about it. Because Mother Nature is speaking very loudly, and we need to start listening.
It may take getting past our pioneer mentality, with its myth of a limitless wilderness, as David Attenborough has suggested. Or, as he also suggests, it may take disaster.
But, for the sake of the human race, and its Creator, let it be SOMETHING.
I, too, share the concern for the immediate danger. At the same time, I am more than astonished--and, frankly, disgusted--about the fact that no one seems to want to connect the climate dots.
Until a decade or so ago, we were accustomed to being occasionally visited by powerful storms, and to cleaning up the aftermath and moving on. We accepted this as part of nature's status quo. But there is nothing "occasional" about these storms anymore, nor are weather extremes in general extremes anymore. For all practical purposes, they are the "new normal." Except for the fact that they are exponentially more dangerous and costly for all of us than they have even been.
And, in spite of that, we go on pretending that we can just keep cleaning up the mess, even when the messes get bigger and bigger.
We pretend that, as a species, we are so frail and helpless that we cannot control our behavior, and must rely on God to sort things out, to ensure that the wicked are punished and the righteous are protected. Anything else somehow smacks of socialism.
That overlooks the fact that government, in both the Old and New Testaments, is an institution established and even ordained by God. It overlooks the fact that the Constitution was established to ensure domestic tranquility, and promote the general welfare. And, in the context of our climate, it grossly overlooks the fact that we have a serious problem, and it will take government of the people, by the people and for the people to set it right. Government is the only segment of society capable of taking the long-term interest of everyone into account. And, right now, whether it is Sandy or the next storm not yet on the horizon, government that thinks beyond the next fifteen minutes is needed more than ever.
It is, therefore, more than shameful that neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney have even talked about climate change in their debates, or otherwise in their campaigns. There has never been a greater need to talk about it. Because Mother Nature is speaking very loudly, and we need to start listening.
It may take getting past our pioneer mentality, with its myth of a limitless wilderness, as David Attenborough has suggested. Or, as he also suggests, it may take disaster.
But, for the sake of the human race, and its Creator, let it be SOMETHING.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
What Is "Self-Interest"?
Is it making ourselves a slave to our appetites, at the expense of others. Or does it mean helping others in ways that ultimately help ourselves?
Evolution--that is to say, science (as opposed to Ayn Rand)--gives a rather surprising answer.
Or, at least, it might be to you. Not to me.
Evolution--that is to say, science (as opposed to Ayn Rand)--gives a rather surprising answer.
Or, at least, it might be to you. Not to me.
"Frivolity" Is In The Eye Of The Consumer
Until, that is, the consumer is injured. Then, in the eyes of other consumers, he or she becomes a frivolous litigant, reaching into consumer pocketbooks.
Actually, if the companies providing the injuries cared a little more about people than they did about profits, consumer pocketbooks would be pretty safe. Then, again, there's nothing like a little blame-shifting to run interference for your greed.
Gasoline cans, for example, have the potential to be extraordinarily dangerous if not designed properly and/or explained properly. Doing so is far cheaper than the cost of trying and/or settling cases. Unfortunately, not every company feels this way.
So called "tort reform" is never really about protecting the economy or the consumer. It is always about protecting the shortest possible path to profits, at the expense of your ancient right for a redress of your grievances. The famous Shakespeare line about killing all of the lawyers was spoken by a character who wanted to do so because of the good that lawyers do.
It's bad enough that we sell away the rights of foreign workers by buying goods made in sweatshops. Are we so craven that we're willing to clip our rights away like they were coupons?
Actually, if the companies providing the injuries cared a little more about people than they did about profits, consumer pocketbooks would be pretty safe. Then, again, there's nothing like a little blame-shifting to run interference for your greed.
Gasoline cans, for example, have the potential to be extraordinarily dangerous if not designed properly and/or explained properly. Doing so is far cheaper than the cost of trying and/or settling cases. Unfortunately, not every company feels this way.
So called "tort reform" is never really about protecting the economy or the consumer. It is always about protecting the shortest possible path to profits, at the expense of your ancient right for a redress of your grievances. The famous Shakespeare line about killing all of the lawyers was spoken by a character who wanted to do so because of the good that lawyers do.
It's bad enough that we sell away the rights of foreign workers by buying goods made in sweatshops. Are we so craven that we're willing to clip our rights away like they were coupons?
The Case For Obama, Part 3
As eloquently made by a former Senator, a Vietnam Veteran, and a Reagan Republican.
Historic Buildings Helping The Needy?
Sounds like a great synergistic solution to me. For a person with my interests, it's a real win-win. Take a look.
The Keystone XL Pipeline Is A Bad Idea
And not even TransCanada can pretend otherwise.
You want to ship foreign oil overseas at the expense of the American heartland? Go ahead. Build this sucker. But just remember, when the price of grain-related products shoots sky-high because the pipeline had a little "oops," don't pretend that no one warned you.
You want to ship foreign oil overseas at the expense of the American heartland? Go ahead. Build this sucker. But just remember, when the price of grain-related products shoots sky-high because the pipeline had a little "oops," don't pretend that no one warned you.
Conservatives Used To Learn From The Past
But not anymore. Modern conservatism is all about standing athwart history and yelling "Halt," as if it is possible to deny life itself its essentially changing nature. Even worse, modern conservatives imagine that no one else has tried this before.
As this book shows, it has been tried. And it has failed. And, if we continue to try it here, not even American exceptionalism will prevent it from failing again. Because American exceptionalism at its best is all about embracing change and making it work for ourselves, not wishing it away or bullying it down.
As this book shows, it has been tried. And it has failed. And, if we continue to try it here, not even American exceptionalism will prevent it from failing again. Because American exceptionalism at its best is all about embracing change and making it work for ourselves, not wishing it away or bullying it down.
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