We’ve had 8 years of someone mispronouncing the word “nuclear.” Sarah Palin, I implore you to learn the phonetic pronounciation. As soon as is humanly possible. Like the vast majority of Americans, I strenuously believe you’re entirely unqualified to manage a zoo, let alone the vice-presidency, but you could appear just a tad more official [...]
So I finally figured out, today, why supporters of McCain piss me off so much, and it’s the same reason that many Obama supporters piss the other side off: Some people vote based on who they like, rather than what they think that person will do for the country.
If you’re a McCain supporter reading this, [...]
Seven years ago, this nation was viciously attacked by a group of Saudi Arabians working out of Germany, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. They hijacked planes and flew them into symbols of America, turning our own industry into weapons of mass destruction. Thousands of lives were snuffed out when the towers fell and when the walls collapsed [...]
So, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported recently that safe kids are becoming fat kids. Worth a read. But more important than the article itself is the premise that introduces the concept: the ubiquitous rubber matting that covers playgrounds was recently exposed to an intense heat wave in New York. This caused concerned uber-parents to [...]
The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.
That’s what Albert Bartlett, retired professor of physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, says. I saw a lecture of his (granted, a low-budget video recording of it) last night. The concepts are not staggering in their complexity, the results [...]
I get updates from Diana DeGette through the email machine tube. She tells me all the things that I want to hear, and lots of things I don’t want to hear. She’s told me about the evils of the war in Iraq, of the splendidness of Democracy, and so on. Today she’s told me about [...]
There was a particularly potent parade of nitwits, idiots, and assholes on the road today on my way to work. I nearly chewed my own arm off in frustration. Would have, too, if it weren’t for all the leather I wear–that stuff is exceedingly difficult to chew through. There were a few times when I [...]
So it seems that Tim Russert died today. Can’t say I’m too upset about that–I don’t know much about him, never watched any of his shows, and I am typically uninterested when news figures die (similarly, I didn’t wring my hands overmuch when Peter Jennings died).
That said, Wikipedia very briefly gave me another example of [...]
I am, by no reasonable metric, a fan of the armed forces. I don’t personally know anyone who has greatly benefited from being involved, nor can I come up with a particularly poignant reason why our current military has to be as expanded as it is. I fail to see why we need to dump [...]
Wayne Allard is an old white guy who works in Washington, a Senator elected from my state of Colorado. I write him often regarding his steadfast support and creation of legislation spelling out marriage as a union between one man and one woman. He wrote me back today.
Dear Stephen:
Thank you for contacting me to express [...]
Elections are necessary but not sufficient to establish genuine democracy. Aspiring dictators sometimes win elections, and elected leaders sometimes govern badly and threaten their neighbors. History demonstrates that democracy usually follows good governance, not the reverse.
- Rudy Giuliani, Sep/Oct issue of Foreign Affairs
I know Giuliani is talking about Iraq in this quotation, but… couldn’t he [...]
It appears that Dennis Hastert will not be seeking re-election for a return to his seat in Congress after 22 years.
But as a nice send-off, let’s talk about some of the things he accomplished, both as a Congressman and as Speaker of the House.
Objected to the usage of federal money to rebuild the black poorer [...]
I knew someone back in high school whose first name eludes me but whose last name was ‘Seaman.’ I can imagine he spent much of his life experiencing the mockery and jeers of peers. I imagine his parents never even considered that.
He was in the marching band with me. He played the Tuba, I [...]
I saw a homeless guy, recently. He was just standing on the corner outside my office, happy as can be, I imagine. Not a care in the world. Dirty clothes, sweaty face–didn’t bother him any. Wore a novelty American flag as a pseudo-mohawk on his head. Big, out of style sunglasses. I was downwind, could [...]