From Rev. Al Sharpton: “The Bush tax cuts are like Jim Jones’ Kool-Aid–it tastes good, but it’ll kill you.” Whoever wins the nomination should hire him as a speech writer.
Best quote from the first Democratic presidential debate
Cover lightly with gentle earth
05.02.03 | Permalink | Comments Off on Cover lightly with gentle earth
From Wealth Bondage. “As a Corporate Voice, her last assignment was a press release justifying the layoff in which she lost her job, then her home, her marriage, health insurance, and her life. Reading that press release at her funeral, I found it more than adequate — it breathed openness, candor, and a concern for the well-being of the consumer, the employee, and the cosmos. Her words brought peace to those who had come to say goodbye. The corporation sent no flowers. She was buried in a pauper’s grave.”
Finally, an alternative viewpoint in foreign policy
04.30.03 | Permalink | Comments Off on Finally, an alternative viewpoint in foreign policy
John Stewart of Daily Show fame stages a debate on foreign policy between two men with opposing ideas on how the US should conduct itself globally: George W. Bush 2003, the 43rd POTUS, and George W. Bush 2000, the Governor of Texas. Priceless.
Will I still need my Nader fix?
04.30.03 | Permalink | 7 Comments
I like to think I had some small part in helping the Green Party establish an Atlanta presence. (Thank you. Thank you very much.) And, well, I voted for him too. (No hate mail please. I’m not in a swing state.)
But I may go back to the Dems for this one because of one Howard Dean. If you’re not a political junkie, you may not have heard of him yet. He’s a doctor and a recent governor of Vermont (think Ben & Jerry’s and gay marriages). He’s pro-environment and (still) anti-Iraq War. And he’s fond of saying “I want my country back.” I couldn’t think of a better way to sum up how I feel about the Bush administration.
And he calls John “bad hair” Kerry the “anointed one.” I like Kerry (I met him during his 1996 Senate run, and he’s very tall), but he’s letting his fear of being labeled a “Massachusetts liberal” keep him from using his political clout as a Vietnam veteran and Vietnam protester. He’s plainly not Dukakis, but if he keeps playing it safe, he’ll become Dukakis. And if I’m going to vote for a candidate with bad hair, John Edwards has far, far worse hair. I like Empire Strikes Back too, but that’s no reason to still have a Luke Skywalker do.
So I’m adding Dean’s weblog to the links section. And I’m thinking about attending a Dean campaign get-together next week, especially if it’s at Manuel’s. (There’s probably a meeting at a bar near you too.)
I’m not commiting yet, but I’m growing cynical about my political cynicism. I would love a multi-party system, but I’m starting to think the Green party is the Bizarro World version of the Christian Coalition. As much as I like their platform, I can no longer give them benefit of the doubt. And I’d like to think the spineless Democratic party can get their shit together and change things. Because, damn, they have to.
California city wants to ban parolees
04.29.03 | Permalink | Comments Off on California city wants to ban parolees
Now that you’ve paid your debt to society, you can no longer be a part of society. Go away.
While they’re at it, why don’t they make them wear yellow arm bands so that keeping track of them will be that much easier?
Persuasion
04.28.03 | Permalink | 9 Comments
Like Richard Rorty, I’m not convinced that logic and argument are finally persuasive. Rationality is like the foundation and framing of a house. There are as many different rationalities as there are ideological houses–even if personal ideologies in some neighborhoods all look the same. The measure of a good rationality is whether or not it works at holding the house together. As long as it does, you can move on to other considerations: aesthetics, utility, location, price, etc.
And for most folks, those are the criteria that count, for better or worse. Most folks expect to do some maintenance and repairs along the way, as the house settles and the north wind blows. Anyone expecting a perfect or self-maintatining house is in for a disappointment, and even the best laid foundations can crack.
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