Why I’m a Liberal-part 2

Finally a continuation of this post.  More questions:

Do you believe there is a right way to do things? A liberal is a pragmatist and so does not believe there is a ‘right’ way to do things.  We believe in ideals and will try different things to accomplish it–whether it is by the market or by the [...]

Healthcare

I really don’t understand why the US doesn’t have universal healthcare–we’re about the only first world country that doesn’t (I’m too lazy to do the research to see if we are the only one). It obviously works. All these other countries have it and not only haven’t collapsed, but pay much less per capita and [...]

Supreme Court Non-Hearing

I should give credit when it’s due.  The Supreme Court has had a series of bad decisions, but here’s one that shows they do have their limits.  If you’re wondering about the limits of free speech for students, the site is a good place to start.

Fall Away

Another two-fer day:
A poem:
People wander in the sky
Blood draining from their mind
Hear their mouths opening
And falling down inside.
and a story (which goes with my elephant envy):
 An elephant was relaxing on top of Fred.  Fred allowed this so the elephant would not object to being sat upon in turn.  And it seemed to work, he had [...]

Elephants

I want to be able to hear messages from 13 miles away with my feet too.

Perjury Trap

I haven’t written about the US Attorney scandal, because TPM does it much better than I can.  Still, I couldn’t ignore this, where a senior administration official said:
“As far as the debate goes, often cited is that a transcript is not wanted because otherwise there would be a perjury trap. And, candidly, as everyone has discussed, [...]

Random 10 (duodecimal)

I haven’t  decided if this will be a regular feature, but I’m being lazy right now. 
Wrong ‘Em Boyo by The Clash 
Under The Weather by KT Tunstall 
Shake and Bake by The Dickies 
Individual by Bad Religion 
Behind Blue Eyes by The Who 
Six Shooter by Queens Of The Stone Age 
Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey by Little Richard 
Goin’ Back To Birmingham by Ten Years After 
Waterslide by The Dickies 
Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA by Devo 
So Hard Done By by The [...]

And Become President?

 Ooh ooh, should I go?
Dear John,
You are invited to be a part of the WGBH studio audience at a special
TV taping of a new program, The Secret Laws of Attraction: Design a
Plan to Achieve Exactly What You Want Out of Life, hosted by Jack
Canfield, the star of the hit film, The Secret, and author of [...]

From Newbury with Love

This sounds fascinating (via Maud Newton–look for her June 21 entry under politics). It shows how one person can affect another life.

Molasses, Petunias, and Potato Chips

Hmm, I have to throw in something of my own. Here’s a story: 
Am I out of my depth?  Plunging below, flying above, missing my aim in a fit convulsing through my toes, I try to decide what I know and why I should care.  Don’t believe anthing I might read, I filter out anything seeminingly amiss.  [...]

Guantanamo

This is an interesting time for such an editorial, since it was just a little while ago that an army reserve officer said that the process of military tribunals was deeply flawed (see my earlier post here).
If it was a response, I could see it but it just ignores it.
(Edited, I should watch my spelling.)

Ann Coulter

I try to stay away from Ann Coulter, and others like her, becauses she argues by insult not by logic.  You can look (from Crooks and Liars) if you want.

More Supreme

Another great decision by the Supreme Court (via Steve Benen at Washington Monthly).
I liked Justice Stevens’ takedown of some of the views of Justice Roberts.
Justice Roberts says:
Before Brown, schoolchildren were told where they could and could not go to school based on the color of their skin.
Justice Stevens notes the weird wording since it was only [...]

90’s Poetry

It’s going to be in the 90’s here in MA, so I will probably be lazy today (that’s what Thursdays are fore–look out). Anyways, here’s a poem:
And so the man was not here
But the woods were not gone
And the gale winds blew
But the words were lost no more.

The Conservative Court

Let’s look at the Supreme Court:

Judge Alito says:

I’m a very strong believer in the First Amendment and the right of people to speak and to write. I would be reluctant to support restrictions on what people can say,” Alito said at the National Italian-American Foundation luncheon.
Apparently, that’s what he believes for corporations but not for [...]

Melinda Henneberger and Abortion

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I don’t understand how some of them write for places like the NY Times.  In this article (which I got through Pandagon–Amanda’s second post on it is here), Ms Henneberger says that the democratic party needs to loosen up on abortion (ok, really make it stricter).  Somehow, she has come [...]

Michael Moore

I haven’t seen Sicko yet, but I will. I really started liking him back in the TV Nation days (I didn’t think The Awful Truth was as good, a half hour was too short). I remember one clip where they are looking at the selling of cosmetics in the Andes to Incans (or one of [...]

Washington Post

The WP has a good series on the VP, but then they have this horrendous column.  Well, they’re still doing better than they were a few years ago.

Torture

It would have be have been nice to have seen this (this is a series of articles about the VP, the link goes to the ‘About the Series’ overview) a few years ago when it really mattered.  VP Cheney really is pretty amazing–he seems to have basically made his own laws, set up the structure of [...]

Ye Of Little Feet

Ok, perhaps this should be a post about babies but it’s not.  It’s yet another bad poem by one of the many people who bother my thoughts.
The cat sleeps, claws withdrawn
A melancholy holds the air
As the orb is clenched tight
In word, in print, in deed.
 
And this is my first post in a couple days.  I [...]