Tag: politics

This, too, shall pass.

Public confidence in the integrity of the Government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for.  ~ Adlai E. Stevenson

I’ll attempt to make this the last bit of politics that you hear from this corner for some time.  I know that you’re tired of it.  I certainly am.  The truth is that you’re either overjoyed at yesterday’s events or you’re dismayed at the turn of the tide.  But, as Mr. Stevenson so ably put it, you cannot lose faith in the system.  It is imperative that we find common ground in the idea that our system of government works. May I also point out that because we are a government of the people, we should be a government that is educated and desirous of great things.  We should not be a government that simply wants to relish the competition and vanquishing of an opponent.  We should yearn for a connection that binds us as one people with united goals and not dissolve into cliques and backstabbing like so many middle school lunch tables.

To be frank, I’m disappointed a little in my state.  Not terribly surprised, mind you, but disappointed.  Still, if Senator-elect Rand Paul is who the people trust to lead the commonwealth, then we should stand behind him until he proves himself incapable of that charge.  I’d also like to take a moment to be proud of Jack Conway‘s concession speech when he could easily have turned his back on the idea of a united people, but instead graciously accepted the will of the citizens and issued the challenge to support his opponent.  However, the other races that I had an above average interest in went the way I expected them too and I can only hope that I, along with the rest of the majority, made the right decision in those respects.

But democracy isn’t a state of perfection. It has to be improved, and that means constant vigilance.  ~ Antonio Tabucchi

See you in the funny papers!

Long time no write…

Yes, yes, it’s been a long time since I posted.  Too long, in fact, and I apologize.  But, let’s not dwell on the past shall we?  As Satchel Paige once said: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”  So, in the spirit of the great baseball sage, I’d like to introduce a new segment called Here’s what I don’t get

Here’s what I don’t get…the popularity of Sacha Baron Cohen.  I understand satire and I understand comedy, but to me, this man just does it poorly. Now apparently, I’m in the minority here, considering his films rake in millions.  Still, my concern is that there is simply a wealth of ignorant humans who don’t understand that he’s simply pandering to their basest instincts for a laugh.  I’ve never found that type of humor to be engaging, rather it simply sets us back decades as a species.  Or maybe, just maybe, Cohen is on the cutting edge of breaking down walls of bigotry and hatred…but it seems as if he’s simply causing the less educated to revel in their ignorance and pass it on to future generations.

Here’s what I don’t get…why haven’t we been back to the moon?  Or possibly, an even better question, why did we even go to the moon in the first place?  Don’t get me wrong, I think that the science behind sending people to the moon is incredible and has been slowly dwindling over the last 40 years.  I stand in awe of those who have transcended the earthly bond of gravity and risked pretty much everything they know and love to get to something so far away.  But, why did we go?  Given NASA’s archive of President Kennedy’s speech, the entire venture was based not on science, but on politics.  Wow…we’ve come so far in 40 years! Aside: See, now that’s sarcasm. Basically, we were being trounced by the Soviets in “The Great Space Race” and having just looked like a bunch of dorks following the Bay of Pigs incident, we needed something to really turn our image around.  So, let’s put a man on the moon.  Nothing scientific about it…merely politics and saving face.  But, why haven’t we been back?  We have the technology, or at least we did.  Surely we haven’t gotten rid of it.  Not just that, but the technology has come a long way since transistors and vacuum tubes.  Now, we could go back to the moon and do something useful instead of just bounce around, pick up rocks, and play golf.  We could set up instruments to visualize weather patterns on Earth; we could discuss terraforming a moonbase as a waypoint between here and Mars if we decide we really want to go there; there are probably thousands of scientific options, but we seem to have been content with simply making a few footprints and claiming the win.

That should cover us for now.  Be sure to tune in next time when I’m bound to not get something else.  In the meantime, check out the Movie Reviews page which has been updated recently.

See you in the funny papers!

Open letter to critics of the new administration

Dear people,

Far be it from me to engender any more unnecessary and comical delusions that the Obama administration will bring about the fall of the United States.  Certainly you’ve held a loose rein on that particular strain of vitriol in recent days.  It has become such an imbecilic pose that we’ve already stopped listening to you.  If you have valuable insight into why we, as citizens of this country, should cower in fear of an administration that has been on the job less than one week, please feel free to share.  However, if you’re going to continue to trot out implacable positions that denigrate and instill doubt, please keep them to yourselves.  The continued double standard which is so blatantly obvious in your tone, posture, and desires for your own ego will no longer be tolerated by me or anyone else with half an ounce of sense.  We’re tired of the same old claptrap and we will no longer be subjected to it, via the media or via our own friends.  You’ve had your chance over the last eight years and not only did you start wars that can never possibly have a winner, you’ve destroyed a robust economy, made enemies of our allies, and have crafted policies that obliterate the fabric of our rights as human beings.  

Basically what I’m saying is this…give it four years.  Hell, give it more than a week and see if it’s not a better world to live in; a better world for your children and grandchildren.  If it’s not, I’ll be the first to offer help packing up and moving out of the White House.  But, if there is an inkling of hope…and I believe there is…then please, let it blossom into a fire of change for good on this little marble we call home.

Sincerely…

The Conspiracy of Happiness.

NaBloPoMo 6

nablo1108120x240I’ve spent most of the afternoon mulling different post topics in my head.  I’m trying desperately to avoid any more politics…I’m just on overload.  However, I do wish to say that I’m still very excited by the turn of events on Tuesday night and I’m glad that my guy has hit the ground running.  Even announcing a chief of staff today.  Anyway, enough politics for the moment.

And, the sports scene is woefully bereft of anything interesting for me at the moment.  The Louisville Cardinals don’t seem to have quite the same momentum or entertainment value that I usually seek out.  Baseball is in its “hot stove” days and, while I’m anxiously awaiting info on how a Jason Varitek deal with the Red Sox might pan out…there’s not much else to be interested in from my point of view.  I don’t watch the NBA or the NFL.  I could get into rugby or cricket, but oddly ESPN doesn’t show much of that anymore.

My running is going okay, but the last couple of runs have been lackluster and not anything to brag about by any stretch.  I have another run tonight and I’m hoping that I can manage something great.  I’m still sore from Tuesday’s run though, so I’m not holding out a lot of hope.

This is probably the final warm day of the year…tomorrow it is supposed to rain and be colder which can only mean the onset of winter, my least favorite season.  I sincerely hope that I’m not in these sort of doldrums until March.  That would be a fairly long and depressing winter.

So…I guess, in the search for a topic, I wound up giving you not much of anything and a basic wrap-up of life in general.  Hopefully tomorrow’s post goes a lot smoother.

See you in the funny papers!

NaBloPoMo 5

nablo1108120x240This is the moment we’ve been waiting for; the moment that has taken more than seven years to arrive.  This is change that we’ve worked for, hoped for, and striven for.  This is the moment where we can finally sit back and say that was well-earned and we are elated.

349 electoral votes is pretty much a demand from the people of this country that we want Barack Obama as our leader.  We want Obama as our guide for AT LEAST the next four years.  We believe in him as he has believed in the power of the people to elect him.  The last two years have not been easy and there have been some moments where we’ve felt down or disappointed…but this is the dawn of a new era in government, in politics, and in life.  

I truly believe that this country has come to a crossroads and beyond a shadow of a doubt is now following the path that will lead it back to greatness.  Not greatness, necessarily, in the vein of military might and empire expanding desires…but greatness in the sense of becoming a nation, once again, that people look to in hope for themselves and their children.  A nation where steaming into New York Harbor with your eyes on Lady Liberty is the first step in achieving a new world.  But I also believe that our nation can be more than its once great self.  I believe we can also aspire to be more than we were…a nation where we are proud to stand arm and arm with each other and call one another equal.  We still have work to do in this area, but I believe we’re headed in that direction.

A new hope for a new day!

NaBloPoMo 2

I’m pretty sure that we’re in the midst of Indian Summer now.  It’s not a very politically correct term…but it is what it is.  The term, apparently, used to be known as St. Martin’s Summer and ended on St. Martin’s Day, November 11.  And, there are several etymological theories as to why it’s called Indian Summer now.  Regardless, though, of what you call it, it’s a short-term warm spell in early autumn that makes for a wonderful couple of days outside before the weather turns bitter and cold.  That said…it’s a beautiful Indian Summer day out today and the leaves have shed their spring greens for the brilliant hues of autumn.

In other news, C. and I saw Bill Maher’s Religulous last night with S. and S. and I’ve got to say that it’s not a great film.  Not from the standpoint of his desire to shake the foundations of religion, but because he goes about it the wrong way.  Maher needs to decide if he wants to be a comedian or a filmmaker, because the two did not go hand in hand, other than to create a poorly directed film.  I’ll say this, I saw his point (assuming that he had one), but his heavy handed rudeness brutalized the people he was interviewing.  If you want to pick a fight with religion, go ahead…but don’t insult while doing it.  It doesn’t help your cause.  Plus, it might help if you actually visited with some religious institutions that weren’t so far to one end of the spectrum or the other.  There are many (at least in my opinion) people who “buy into” religion that are making a wonderful difference in the world and have no desire to see it destroyed in the name of their chosen faith.  But, I doubt if the 16% of Americans who profess no faith are going to start a cultural revolution in the name of nothing in order to save the world from religion.  There are some issues with religion, but economics and politics have a lot more to do with the problems of the world in my opinion.

See you in the funny papers!

It’s gonna get uglier

Let me start this post by saying I was aware of the Sarah Palin effigy and I wasn’t amused by that.  I consider it to be in poor taste and supremely ignorant on several accounts.  However, the Barack Obama effigy found on the University of Kentucky campus has legitimate historical precedence as being offensive and dangerous.  I don’t want to get into a debate about hate crimes Aside: all crimes are hate crimes…they’re hateful and criminal, therefore, hate crimes. or double standards Aside: I find both instances offensive., but here in the South (or close enough to the South), a Black person hanging by noose from a tree has historical significance.

According to some information from Tolnay and Beck A Festival of Violence: An Analysis of Southern Lynchings, 1882-1930, during those years, 118 Blacks were lynched by predominantly White mobs in the state of Kentucky.  This number pales in comparison to places like Mississippi and Georgia, but is nonetheless statistically significant and morally depressing.  

Events like the Obama effigy serve as reminders of this awful period of history.  As well, to have it happen here in this state dredges up even more memories.  1930 wasn’t that long ago and the civil rights movement is even more recent history.  Plus, for better or worse, the people of Kentucky are assumed racist by the general population given this history.  There’s no need to add fuel to the fire on this one.

Effigies are popular forms of dissension for a lot of reasons.  Guy Fawkes comes to mind Aside: Look it up and there may even be humorous reasons for effigies, though I can’t think of a single one at the moment.  And had the Obama effigy been burned without hanging, or even just taped to the wall somewhere, probably not as offensive…but I believe that there was some underlying hatred here that evokes some painful images.  As such, the ignorance associated with such an event should be brought to light and punished.

See you in the funny papers!

Wading through the muck

With a mere 5 days until the election, one wonders which will be scarier Halloween or November 4.  As the onslaught of negativity continues from both sides in all elections, the undecided vote looms larger.  Now, most of us have already chosen a candidate, but the sheer numbers of people who have not yet come to a decision is worrying.  Now, the candidate that I’ve chosen, Senator Obama, has what seems to be an impressive lead going into the last days of this election season.  All the polls indicate that he is leading or tied with Senator McCain in at least eight battleground states.  However, I’m not the only kid who remembers seeing a picture of Truman holding up the infamous “Dewey defeats Truman” headline in school.  I’m also not the only kid who remembers that the last two elections were basically stolen by the Republican party.  I have my doubts about the “truthiness” of the entire election system.  I’m also not wild about the electoral college, but that’s another post entirely.  

My point is, if you’re still undecided at this point, you really need to sit down and carefully consider your options and make a choice.  Five days is a short amount of time to really make an informed decision, especially with all the mudslinging that’s going on.  I would suggest that you take a moment to go to each candidate’s website and view their positions on the issues (assuming that issues are still important to each campaign) and make up your own mind about how you feel regarding these issues.  To that end, I’m offering a link to each campaign.

  

In five days, the course of this country will be altered, regardless of who is elected.  It’s up to you to be part of that decision.  This, democracy, is what sets us apart from regimes around the world whose citizens are oppressed and persecuted.  Be a part of this process and vote for your life.

See you in the funny papers!

Running Update

Well, as I mentioned in a previous post, I did a lot of walking in Philadelphia.  And on Tuesday night, I went rock climbing with S. the Neighbor which was pretty cool.  I didn’t know if I’d enjoy it, but I had a pretty good time.  Turns out, I’m not nearly as strong as you might think.  As a matter of fact, if I needed to hang on to something for an indefinite period of time, I’m not sure I could manage.  Thank goodness for running. I can at least do that.

Since the last update, I’ve put on almost 17 miles.  My weight is down to around 208 which is a pretty great by-product of running.  And, according to the map, I’m near Middleton, IL which doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry, so it makes you wonder what is there that was worth naming a village for.  I’ve also changed the map layout so that it’s easier to see.  You didn’t need all that topographical information anyway.  We all know that from Illinois to Colorado is pretty damn flat.

#17

So, there it is…a running update.  I was hoping to do a little more politics…but I just can’t keep up with the stupid things being said.  I mean, from Palin saying she would be “in charge of the Senate” to Bachmann starting up McCarthyism all over again, there’s just too much to cover.  I will be doing some more, but it just won’t cover everything.

Also, people asked me if I was sad about the Red Sox.  Well, yeah, a little, but y’know, you can’t go to the “magic barrel” all the time and expect there to still be fairytale dust inside.  At some point you use it all.  We came up short against a good team and a Phillies/Rays series should be very interesting.  As my mother always said, “Somebody has to lose.”  Also, I don’t want to win so often that we become like the Yankees…*blurg*  So, yeah, sad…but it was a great season and I look forward to pitchers and catchers (hopefully Varitek!) reporting in February.

See you in the funny papers!