A Contemporary Dilemma for Agnostics

Technorati Tags: Agnostics,afterlife,Emma Darwin,religion,myths

Given the limitations of language, a good argument can be made for defining everyone as agnostic.  No matter whether or not we believe or don’t believe, we don’t, and we can’t, know.

It doesn’t take much observation, however, to know that eliminating some of the myths about religion have the potential for devastation to the lives of many believers.

To some it seems logical that the sooner such ideas as some sort of “life” after death, a life that is a continuation of whatever life had been lived while on earth, the better off the human race will be with that particular political tool removed from discourse. 

What, though, would be the effect of an overnight elimination of “life after death?”  How would that play with the millions of people who are not engaged in politics?

Page 233 of The Cabal, by David Hagberg, Hadid speaks of his recently killed wife and son, ”They are waiting for me in Paradise.  This I truly believe and it gives me comfort.”

Emma Darwin so wanted to believe in afterlife that she is reported to have influenced her husband’s writings to mitigate the obvious nihilistic conclusions of his theory of evolution.

Virtually daily reminders of the promises of rewards in afterlife remind us of how this myth can be used as a tool to ensnare believers into political acts.

But what about the families of those so deluded?  What can be offered to them to ease their pain?

Where is their comfort?

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Ain’t gonna no mo’ [buy ‘em]

Technorati Tags: James Patterson,book publishing

For several years now, a colleague of mine has been expressing doubts about the quality of the fiction produced by James Patterson.

It turns out there’s reason, and it’s been around for almost a year now.

Patterson, last September, signed a contract to produce 17 books by the end of 2012.

Not bad, eh wot?

Not necessarily good, either, if one considers the quality of the product.  Books, successful books, well-written [i.e., well-thought-out] books can be produced in such quantity with such a timeline?

We’ll see.

It might be wise, though, to let someone else pay for those books as they come out.  Let someone else be the reading public’s guinea pig.

Perhaps my friend won’t be so willing to buy the latest by “a New York Times” best seller.

 

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How’s this for strange? (Updated)

Technorati Tags: The Desert Sun,USA TODAY,Gannett,Palm Springs

Went out to retrieve the paper this morning and had a surprise.  Instead of The Desert Sun, I was greeted by USA TODAY.

WTF?

No warning.  Just USA TODAY. 

I don’t like USA TODAY.  I think it’s a little too facile.  No depth.  And certainly no information about Palm Springs or the Coachella Valley. 

I wonder if Gannett, which publishes both papers, thought we wouldn’t notice.

I also wonder what the advertisers, whose ads are not on several hundred driveways this morning, think about the switch.  Or if the advertisers were told about it.

Refunds, anyone?

My subscription cost some $200 a year.  Money in the bank for me if this wasn’t some sort of monumental screw-up.  7 bottles of Bombay Gin—on sale at Ralphs.  I can live with that.

(Business hours begin at 10:00a.m. today.  I can hardly wait.)

UPDATE:  TF Turns out it was a delivery problem.  Only some of us got USA TODAY.  That doesn’t explain why the local coin box didn’t have today’s paper, but that’s a different WTF.

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The Final Word on Same-Sex “Marriage”

Technorati Tags: Same-Sex Marriage,Rights,The Desert Sun,Jodie Griffin

Finally, Dear Gentle Reader(s), someone has come up with the absolutely last, ultimate, final word on why “gay people” should not be allowed to call their committed relationships “marriage.”

From The Desert Sun:

As far as I'm concerned, (gay people) can and should have all the rights as anyone else, except to call their union “marriage.”

When they call the union married, it infringes on my right to be identified as being married to one from the opposite sex.

When asked or questioned if I'm married, I shouldn't have to explain whether it is to a male or female.

Jodie Griffin
Palm Desert

Makes sense, eh wot?  Really.  How is it possible to forge a refutation? 

The right not to have to say, “I’m married to a male” is surely embedded in the Constitution…somewhere.  Now, if I could just find my copy to read it…

Congratulations, Jodie Griffin of Palm Desert.  You’ve earned a spot in philosophical history books!

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Political Inanity of the Day

Technorati Tags: John Beoit,Riverside County,Budget,Diction

It comes in The Desert Sun, and from the inimitable supervisor for the 5th District of Riverside County, John Benoit.

Regarding a newly approved budget, Benoit says, “[Citizens] are going to see some levels of reduction of service, but we hope they're not really visible.”

Perhaps we citizens will have X-ray eyes of some sort.

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OK By Me

The newest wrinkle about the “Ground Zero” mosque?  A gay bar next door which would cater to Moslem gays with an “alcohol free” floor.

OK by me.  There should be a gay bar next to every church, mosque, synagogue, and temple on earth.

Let Freedom Ring.

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Sad

Technorati Tags: Tea Party types,Friends,Protests

Just spent a few moments surfing Facebook likes/dislikes.

Found one which had the following: 

American Patriots:
Rush Limbaugh
Glen Beck
Sean Hannity
Sara Palin
(Honorable Mention)
Fox News Commentators

Hard to believe.

Unless, of course, he was reverting to his old prank of hustling others to do something he wouldn’t think of doing himself:  Once he led a march at college protesting the Kent State shootings, except when it looked like the police were going to take some action, he scooted, leaving some of our mutual friends to be tear gassed and arrested.

I hope it’s just the prankster returning.

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A Tale of Two Ideas about one subject

Technorati Tags: New York Times,Paul Krugman,Ross Douthat,Climate change

The New York Times today carries a mini debate between Paul Krugman and Ross Douthat concerning global warming.

They both discuss, essentially, how we got to the point at which we find ourselves.  Both raise interesting points which converge ironically, in the final paragraphs.

Krugman ends with “Greed, aided by cowardice, has triumphed;” Douthat with “sometimes it makes sense to wait, get richer, and then try to muddle through.” (Emphasis added.)

Two mentions for greed, one for cowardice. 

Greed wins.

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Wanted: Spell Check for frmr gov, near veep

Technorati Tags: Palin,Republicans,Language

Of all the gaffes, this is the best one in years:

Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate

The idea of a new verb, to refudiate, might be a good one. 

Let’s hope the Republican electorate puts it to good use in the near future.

Trust, but verify.  (And Spell Check can help with that—although maybe Facebook doesn’t have that app.)

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Social Security at 70? Maybe.

Technorati Tags: Social Security

There are discussions about deficit reduction, entitlements, saving Social Security and Medicare.  One of the ideas floated recently is raising the Social Security retirement age to 70.

From this side of 70—72—I can see a benefit to this, with some qualifications.

When I retired at 60 in 1998, I figured to start an “early” Social Security withdrawal at 62, and that’s what I finally did.

At the time I had an option of starting an early withdrawal at a considerable reduction in benefits.  I don’t remember the exact amount, but I’d say it was in the 50% range. 

My needs are small.  My teaching pension is small-ish, but doable.  The extra couple of hundred bucks was very helpful, and I saw no benefit to wait three years for plus five hundred dollars.  I’ve been lucky, got a break in housing five years ago.  And now, at 72, with a bit of Depression Era mind set from my parents, I’m not in trouble unless California truly succumbs to the Republican mantra of “starve the beast.”  (!)

If the retirement age for Social Security were to be enacted, along with a similar draw-down for “early” withdrawal pensioners, and some good luck along the way, surely there would be enough who would decide to take a smaller payment, and, thereby, the system would be a bit more sustainable.

With enough education, and enough time to develop private pensions, the system will be OK.

Let’s begin a discussion.  Speak with Social Security recipients.  Maybe we can help.

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Harsh Short Stories

Technorati Tags: Burning Bright,Ron Rash,Short Stories,Southern Gothic

Burning Bright, a collection of short stories by Ron Rash, is worth your time, Dear Gentle Reader(s).

The first couple are somewhat harsh to read.  They do, however, inoculate against the remaining stories, making them easier to take.

If Southern Gothic doesn’t fit these, it should.

Enjoy.  If that’s the correct word.

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Boom! Bust! Saving Grace…meh

Technorati Tags: Saving Grace,TV writing

The series finale for Saving Grace was a partial disappointment. 

The whole Grace-as-off-the-tracks first part lacked sense.  All during the series Grace Hanadarko was her own person, in charge.  During the penultimate scenes she was acting out a moment in the life of the little girl who died under the wheels of Grace’s car, but whose death was the result of a series of normal activities, none of which could be assigned ultimate responsibility.  Yet Grace assumed the total burden to the point of virtual suicide.

What was that about?  If there was a rationale for the arc, writers, you didn’t get your point across very well.

The whole angel angle of the series was amusing and interesting.  It is, however, a lose-lose proposition.  The presence of angels is speculation.  And the presence of “evil” which bleeds and can be wiped out in an explosion is speculation to the nth degree.

At least we got to see Ken Johnson once more as a sweat (or baby oil) drenched lover.

(Corny saluting bit, too.)

Loved the series; not so much the finale.

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Brachytherapy 28 months later

Technorati Tags: Brachytherapy

As part of the brachytherapy treatment for prostate cancer is a prescription for certain hormones which assist the remnants of the prostate gland.  A side effect of this prescription is “breast enlargement.”

Guess what that means.

Alas.

:-{

(Actually it’s :-)…what a joke!)

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Fathers’ Day

Technorati Tags: New York Times,Nicholas Kristof,Father's Day

Hie the hence, Dear Gentle Reader(s), and get thee over to The New York Times website to Nicholas Kristof’s column today and read about a wonderful rat.

And Fathers’ Day.

And this wonderful quote:  “Father’s Day tends to be less a celebration of fatherhood than a triumph of commercialism.”

You’ll be glad you did.

And Happy Everybody’s Day.

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If you don’t like puns…

Technorati Tags: Steve Rushin,The Pint Man

…or word play…or stale jokes which have been revived, then don’t read The Pint Man by Steve Rushin.  You won’t like it.

If you do like puns, etc., this is the book for you.

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Great names in women’s sports

Technorati Tags: WPGA,Lesbia Lobo

Lesbia Lobo.

Beat that, if you can!

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A 60’s Lesson for the 2010’s

Remember, Dear Gentle Reader(s), the 1960’s?

No?  Yes?

Well for those of you who do, here’s a reminder; for those of you who don’t, here’s a tidbit.

There was a wonderful bumper sticker with a good lesson for us today.  For the “entitlement” generation, whether we’re new to it or not, the lesson on the sticker is:

“Ass, Gas, or Grass!  No one rides for free”

There’s always a price to be paid by someone.

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April in Paris

Back on April 23, on a lay-over in Paris, I came across this building near the Eiffel Tower.  It faces the Seine, and has the most interesting facade.

                                                

                                   

                                            

 

All vegetation for some three stories.

Wonder how they do that.

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April Fool!

Technorati Tags: US Centcom,Sweden,pirates

They thought they’d get away with it.

From Centcom, the story of a pirate attack gone awry.

Enjoy the read.

Hurray for our team!

(Of course, it begs the question of what drives a person to go from a 7 pound infant to a pirate.)

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A theological question (Seriously!)

Technorati Tags: Box Turtle Bulletin,Old Testament,Jesus,Molotov Mitchell

In Box Turtle Bulletin, a website I visit daily, appears this quote (attributed to a particularly virulent homophobe): “Because, God makes the rules and Jesus didn’t abolish the Old Testament.” (Actually, the Bulletin doesn’t use the quotes, I’m doing a little creative editing, but the sense is not violated.)

The question, in the Easter season of 2010, then, is, “If Jesus didn’t abolish the Old Testament, what was the point of his life and death?”

Just askin’.

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Let me offer a thought…

Technorati Tags: Child abuse,Religion,Sin,Crime

…about the current brouhaha about abuse of children by religious persons.

Centuries ago religions, rather than deal with evil, got ensnared in the concept of "sin," which encompasses the concept of redemption.

 
The problem today is that criminal activity has been hiding under "sin," and the church has been responding the only way it can respond as an institution dedicated to the eradication of sin.

If we insert evil whenever we discuss sin, we’d have a better moral compass for daily life.

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Ah, the finger

Technorati Tags: Brachytherapy,Digital exam

As you might recall, Dear Gentle Reader(s), two years ago there was a little tussle with “the old man’s” disease, during which I learned of the suffix brachy.  (It means, more or less, short.)

The GP who got the show on the road once blithely informed that the digital prostate exam was not on his plate because his “finger is too short” to reach the affected organ.

Many a dinner party has been enlivened by the sharing of that bit of information, as you can well imagine!

Upon hearing of a cramping in the general prostate (or what’s left of it) area, said doctor recently sent this as part of an email exchange:  “If you are continuing to have pain than I would suggest
Antibiotics x 10 days and if not better a urology finger thingy.”

“finger thingy.”

Ya have ta love it!

More dinner party fodder.

Thanks, Doc.

:-)

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Did Tebow or Fockus on the Family or CBS punt?

[Tebow ad,Focus on the Family,CBS]
I saw only one ad by the Tebows.  It was tame; it didn't really raise the issues which have been discussed for the past week or so.
Who punted?
Who had the most to lose?
Or was that the intent all along?  (To get people upset?)
Strange.

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Super Bowl 44 (Who remembers Roman numerals?) Ads

[Superbowl ads]
The ads during the first half were better than the game; the 2nd half starts with a great two minutes. 
Kia ad strange. 
So far the Snickers, Monster.com, and Doritos non-bark collar  are winners.  Ms Tebow looks a little brittle.
Vizio ad very interesting, if a bit scary.
Emerald snacks a bit cheesy.
Dante's Inferno game...why al the scifi?
Bud calf and colt ad cute; animals are always cute in the ads.
Denny's screaming chickens another strange one.  Funny...but...
3:24 to go and the Saints are leading.  Who woulda thunk?
Audi green police ad very good message.
Sir Charles, selling Taco Bell...um...well, it pays.
Three things can happen with a pass, and two of them are bad.  the Colts just learned that lesson in spades.
Tim's Doritos ad very funny.  Looks like Doritos wins the Ad Super Bowl 44!
Bud's Book Club ad is funny...a bit demeaning, but funny.
(LXIV)
Wow!
Congrats, Saints.

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McChrystal takes a turn

Technorati Tags: Afghanistan,McChrystal,Centcom

General McChrystal, Dear Gentle Reader(s), has come out with a different statement about the situation in Afghanistan than the one he issued last spring.

You’ll find the complete article at Centcom’s web site.  Here is the beginning:

Although he stopped short of saying the worst is over for troops as they prepare to surge into some of the toughest Taliban-held areas, the top NATO and U.S. commander in Afghanistan said here today that conditions no longer are deteriorating.

“I am not prepared to say that we have turned the corner. I am saying that the situation is serious. But I think we have made significant progress in setting conditions in 2009, and … we’ll make real progress in 2010…”

One hopes that his words are prescient.

Trust, but verify.

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Alas, even my favorite digital cartoonist…

Technorati Tags: Ann Telnaes,Washington Post,Diction

…has fallen to the enemies of good diction.

Ann Telnaes, Political Animation cartoonist for The Washington Post, has a very astute eye, and I recommend her insight even when I (rarely) disagree with her point.

That willingness to embrace her philosophy does not, however, extend to her occasional gaffe, in my opinion, regarding diction and the representation on the page thereof.

In today’s animation, Telnaes depicts President Obama’s signature slogan, “Yes We Can” re-written as “Yes You Should Of.”

Once again, Correct-Man points out that the vocalization of the abbreviation of the verb have is something like “uhv.”  In other words “’ve” has the same vocal attributes as “of.”  So it is more correct to write “should’ve” from a phonetic point than “should of.” 

Telnaes, you wonderful person, ya shoulda known better.

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Vocabulary lessons abound

Technorati Tags: Supreme Court,Legal Times,vocabulary

The Supreme Court has become a forum for vocabulary lessons.  Try this bit of amusement over at BLT  (it isn’t a sandwich) which discusses romanette and orthogonal.

(Well, I found it amusing.)

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Pleeze forgeeeve me…

Technorati Tags: Senator Reid,Judy Canova,Stepin Fetchit,Accents,President Obama

…for speakin’ een your face, Senorita.”*

Using quotes from a soon-to-be-released political book, the e-zine Salon quotes Nevada Senator Harry Reid saying, in 2008, that candidate Obama as a black man "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one” could be elected to the White House.

Such a brouhaha has arisen.

My Deep South, East Texas, Southwestern Louisiana childhood informs my response to this kerfuffle:  it’s a tempest in a truthful teapot.  *The quote is from very popular radio program in the 1940s.  It’s a worker on one of the Judy Canova radio shows; it was his signature entry speech.  It got laughs every time he delivered it.  It was a popular radio show using dialects as a comic tool.

Does anyone think for a second that if Mr. Obama’s voice was similar to that of Jessie Jackson’s or Stepin Fetchit’s that he would be the President of the United States today?  Surely he would have been dismissed out of hand.

We have built-in vocal biases that we work to overcome.  We deal, although not always honorably, with Southern accents, Appalachian accents, Boston accents, Brooklyn accents, and “Ebonics” (remember that?), just to name a few.  Each one of those accents give background to how we respond to what is said.  Some responses are positive, others not so much.

What Senator Reid said, and remember, it was a private conversation, makes perfect sense to me.  The President’s rhetorical skills and cultured voice and diction went a long way to assuaging the American public that he was not a figure to be feared.  That allowed many to overlook racial and class barriers and to cast their votes as they did.  (Just how many did not are legion and have kept up the yammering are there for the world to see on a daily basis.)

Political correctness was better for the nation when it was conscientious awareness.  Those were the days when you tried not to be offensive out of respect for fellow human beings.  Nowadays we’re pilloried for forthrightness which is not soaked in pablum.

Let’s get real.  Let the good Senator work on real problems without distraction.

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Who Knew?

Technorati Tags: Obituaries,Friends and Lovers

Here’s a mildly interesting line from an obituary which appears in a local paper:

“He was preceded in death by many who knew and loved him.”

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Words, Words,Words 12/10/09

Technorati Tags: Los Angeles Times,Henry Chu,language,idioms

Ya gotta love ‘em, our idioms.  You can’t really turn off a light; you can move a switch to the off position.

“Pre-sale” by now is ubiquitous, although it’s nonsense.  There’s another one which is not quite so widespread, but only because, one supposes, there’s not that frequent an opportunity to use it.  Henry Chu of the Los Angeles Times delves into his easy phrases in “Epilogue to tale of novelist’s success” and trots out this curiosity:  “untimely death.”

“Untimely death,” eh?

One wonders exactly what a timely death would be, and who would decide upon the timeliness of it.

At least it isn’t used quite as often as pre-sale.  It’s almost as much fun, though.

Just wonderin’.

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Fun Words

Technorati Tags: Language,TV ads,LOGO

There’s an ad running on LOGO which touts the benefits of the “Shake Weight.”  One shakes the weighted object much like one would shake a martini, but with both hands.  It’s supposed to assist in firming up the upper under arm muscles.

Fine.

What’s fun is the use of a new “technique” called dynamic inertia.  

Dynamic inertia.

A wonderful oxymoron for a mere $19.99.

 

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Fun moments

Technorati Tags: Quick memories,movies,Jurassic Park

Fleeting:  the scene in one of the Jurassic Park movies where the camera captured the passenger mirror reflecting a dinosaur’s eye with the warning:  Objects are closer…

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Here a monk, there a monk, everywhere a monk, monk

Technorati Tags: Benedictine Order,Townhall.com,Monks,Penises,Parents,Euphemisms

Apropos of absolutely very little, The Muckroom over at Townhalldotcom features an anti-choice article which uses a Benedictine order as a platform.

The article references an ad by the monastery which queries “Got Monks?”

My parents, Dear Gentle Reader(s), for reasons which I never questioned, when discussing…um…privates with my brothers and myself, referred to the penis as a monk.

How many times I heard some variation of “Wash your monk,” “Did you wash your monk?” “Be sure to…” is lost to the ages; but it was at least once a day until I was old enough, and trained well enough, not to have to be asked or reminded.

I’d never seen the Benedictine ad (which was designed as a recruiting tool—no pun intended—for the Order), but the answer to the question is “No.” 

Plural penises?  Ridiculous.

Reasoning out parental euphemisms?  Impossible.

Writing about Monks/monks?  Quite fun, actually.

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Ya gotta love…

Technorati Tags: Orbitz,American Express,BBC Ameica,Jamaica

…the Orbitz commercial with the hovercraft (is that what they call those things which fly over land?) guy greeting “The Hernandez..es..es..” 

Perfectly captures the American problem with plurals of names ending in the “s” or “z” sounds.

On the other hand, American Express and BBCAmerica show and have their names associated with an ad for Jamaica—possibly the most homophobic country in the Western Hemisphere.

Ah, well.

With joy comes sorrow.

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From Whence?

Technorati Tags: TNR,Michael Crowley,President Obama,Nobel Peace Prize,language

Well, Dear Gentle Reader(s), it didn’t take the nay-sayers much time to toss their little water balloons at President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.

One of the many amusements attendant on their usual divertissements, is the way they use the language.

Take this example, from the on-line presentation of TNR:  from whence it comes.

Even though cited as used by Graham Greene, from whence is redundant.  It’s more “green” to say “whence it comes” since the definition of whence includes from.

Save ink, bytes, paper, and energy.  Learn the nuances of the language.  It’s patriotic.

Oh, and congrats to President Obama for the Prize and for the very nice speech at the White House Rose Garden this morning.

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Good luck with that

Technorati Tags: Afthanistan,Britain,New York Times,Taliban

It seems, Dear Gentle Reader(s), that there is some faith in the eventual success of NATO (read: U.S.) bringing some sort of democratized stability to Afghanistan.

The New York Times reports that British authorities have returned some 2,000 artifacts of Afghanistan’s history to Afghanistan’s National Museum.

Now, if Britain will step up and help NATO (see supra) secure the political situation in Afghanistan so those treasures will be safeguarded against a Taliban return to power, all will be truly well.

Yeah.  Well…

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Final moments of a bar

How much pleasure there is in eking out the last little bit of use of a bar of soap!

                                    

At least 5 or 6 more hand washings, don’t you think?

Ahhhhh.

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So, What is “is”?

Technorati Tags: National Law Journal,Federal courts,President Clinton,President Bush,truth

Ah, Dear Gentle Reader(s), who will ever forget the immortal words of the President when he said, “It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is…”

Now we have a new phrase to contemplate.  Because of what a judge felt was some prosecutorial misconduct, she ordered a new trial for a defendant.  The prosecution is arguing that the judge should not grant a new trial because the testimony of the witness whose testimony was involved in the brouhaha was “truthful, but inaccurate.”

It’s a federal case.  The title of the article cited reads “Prosecutors defend false testimony as 'truthful, but inaccurate'.”  It’s fun to read.

Truthful but inaccurate.

Well, that lets the Bush administration off the hook for a great many supposed ills.  “What I said in court was truthful, your Honor, but a tad inaccurate.”  “When I spoke of weapons of mass destruction, I was being truthful, but inaccurate.”

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Here a Czar, there a Czar…

Technorati Tags: Czars,Republican Party,Right wingnuts.

Of all the inanities of the right wing blather, nothing makes less sense than the “czar”-ing of the Obama administration.

Google search indicates that possibly Nixon was the first person to use the word—unofficially. 

It’s just a shortcut way of talking about a person’s responsibilities.  Yet the right wing blathosphere would have us believe that there’s a Russian cabal running the country out of the West Wing.

Nutty people.

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This cannot be good

Technorati Tags: Free Speech,Corporations,US Supreme Court

First Amendment’s protection of “free” speech is poised to allow the false metaphorical “Fire!!!!” in a crowded theatre to become, for the first time, protected.

How a corporation came to be regarded as an entity entitled to the same protections as human beings is a mystery to all who aren’t minions of mega-profits, but there it is.

And here, from the website of The National Law Journal, is the first whiff of the possible demise of politics as we know it:

After an extraordinary 90 minutes of oral argument in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, it seemed likely that the [Supreme] Court, swayed by arguments in favor of First Amendment rights for corporations, was ready to embark on a new course that critics say could unleash a flood of corporate wealth into elections that are already awash in more regulated kinds of campaign spending.

If “We, the people” have been guaranteed that our voices will be heard in the halls of government, we are about to lose much of whatever influence our voices may have to the virtually unlimited treasuries of corporations, whose money equals speech in the eyes of the Supreme Court.

Shhhhh, Dear Gentle Reader(s).  Practice being quiet.

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O Afghanistan

Technorati Tags: Afghanistan,Tom Friedman,Nicholas Kristof,President Obama,George Will,Charlie Wilson,The New York Times,The Washington Post

All of a sudden, there is a spate of political pundits focusing on the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, and what they are saying isn’t pretty.

On September 1, George F Will offered “Time to get out of Afghanistan” in The Washington Post.

Today, September 6, Thomas L. Friedman offers “From baby-sitting to adoption” and Nicholas D. Kristof “The Afghanistan abyss” in The New York Times.

Friedman and Kristof are both progressives, Will isn’t.

Friedman and Kristof suggest debate and caution regarding increasing American troop levels.  Will suggests off-shore military involvement.

Iraq is/was a war of “choice.”  Is Afghanistan a war of futility?

How does President Obama deal with the unintended consequences of Charlie Wilson’s War?

Trust, but verify.

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Ohh, Wasp! Wherefore thy sting?

Technorati Tags: NPR,Wasps,Orchids,Sex

Um, here’s one for you, Dear Gentle Reader(s).  Back on August 22, NPR broadcast an item, “Orchids: 'Inflatable Love Dolls Of The Floral Kingdom.'”  Basically it discussed the way certain orchids trick unsuspecting bees into a pollination tryst.

Down in the story occurs this referring to a certain type of wasp which also is fooled by an orchid: 

"having sex with anything that moves, on balance, is a good reproductive strategy for males." A male wasp that's overly picky about its mates will end up leaving less offspring than a male that goes off and has sex with anything that looks like a wasp.

“…anything that moves…”

Hmmm.

Sounds like some people I’ve known.

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Oligarhy? And this guy’s influential?!?

Technorati Tags: Glen Beck,SCOTUS,Spelling,Fox News

Glen Beck needs help.

Here’s a link to a You Tube video taken from his newscast of last Thursday. 

Watch closely—well, not really; don’t watch if you don’t want to—to see Mr Beck make a fool of himself on national television, and think about how easily it would’ve been to prevent that moment if only he’d had some intelligent backup from his assistants, and editors, and the Fox directors, and just about anyone else who is working behind the scenes.

Watch Beck cleverly come up with the word du jour for his telecast.

And then weep for the right wing who hail this guy as an intellectual hero.

Weep for the rest of us, too.   We have collectively fallen so far.  Thank SCOTUS for their 2000 interference.

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50 years?

Technorati Tags: U.S. Supreme Court,David Souter

The BLT (blog of Legal Times) tells us that retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter has put a hold on his papers for 50 years.

That means the machinations of the Rehnquist Court during the time of the 2000 Bush v Gore deliberations will not be available to most people who cared—like those whose relatives died in Iraq.

Say it ain’t so, Dave.

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Tory/Spectator::Republican/Townhall.com

Technorati Tags: The Spectator,Conservative Pundits,British NHS

It is, Dear Gentle Reader(s), ubiqitous.

One might think the Republican right might be the only group of people who would rather snipe and cavil than enter into a serious discussion about matters of import.

Wrong.

For an example of how the right wing Tory (ooops, Conservative) Party of the U.K. thinks, just trundle over to the website of The Spectator.  Much smoke and quip, little substance.

Read, for a sentence or two, you won’t need more, the article entitled “If the NHS is ‘fair’, give me unfairness any day.”  It’s written by one James Delingpole, possibly a leading quipster for the Spectator stable.  He’s not quite WFBuckley supercilious, but he comes close.

Ah those conservatives.  As dependable as the rising sun.  But infinitely of less worth.

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Would you pull the switch?

Technorati Tags: Death Penalty,Supreme Court of West Virginia,The New York Times

A bit of a controversy, Dear Gentle Reader(s), has arisen over the death penalty, and it comes from recent writings by two members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Here’s the original link.  It’s a New York Times article referring to a recent Court decision to hear a death penalty case.

Here are two interesting viewpoints:

1) “The substantial risk of putting an innocent man to death,” Justice [John Paul] Stevens wrote in a concurrence joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer, “clearly provides an adequate justification for holding an evidentiary hearing.”

2) “This court has never held,” Justice [Antonin] Scalia wrote, “that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is ‘actually’ innocent.”

While the first example seems a given; the second seems somehow illogical. 

Don’t we all, by now, understand that “a full and fair trial” is more of a goal to which we might aspire but might never know if we have attained? 

Full?  Has every last iota of evidence been offered and considered?  Fair?  Is the prosecution interested in Justice or conviction rate?  Is the defense interested in Justice or manipulating the system?

If Justice Scalia’s statement is correct, and the Constitution does not forbid the execution of a person in the situation described by him, ought it so to do?

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R.I.P.

Technorati Tags: Atomic energy,Atomic bomb

Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945.  Estimated 39,000 instant deaths.  2nd atomic bomb attack on an enemy city.

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A must read

Technorati Tags: Andrew Sullivan,Right Wing Populism

Hie thee, Dear Gentle Reader(s), over to Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish to be enriched a submission by one of his readers.

It’s a response to one of Sullivan’s entries in which he asks “Is your bubble bursting?” a reference to the dismay some progressives are evincing about the slowness of Mr. Obama’s progressive campaign agenda.

The unnamed reader explains, quite accurately, the right wing populism now sweeping the country. 

If you’ve ever wondered about those people, this writer nails ‘em.

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Hiroshima

Technorati Tags: Hiroshima,World War II,Atomic energy

Remember, Dear Gentle Reader(s), that today is Hiroshima Day—64 years ago the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

A pause for reflection is in order.

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Deja vu—all over again. Alas.

Technorati Tags: Robert Littell,Islamic Republic of Iran,Stalin,torture,"confessions",show trials

The news today, in part, deals with the “confessions” and show trial of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s dissidents. 

The world has seen these confessions and trials before.

There’s a new book out, The Stalin Epigram, by Robert Littell which depicts the Soviet judicial system in the 1930s, especially the way torture, “confessions,” and show trials were used to cleanse the system of dissidents.

One wonders, Dear Gentle Reader(s), how the religious leaders in Iran cannot see the parallels between their treatment of their countrymen and the way Stalin treated his countrymen during his regime.

There is a difference in magnitude, but not in historical similarity.

Trust, but verify.

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Boko Haram—More widespread than you’d think?

Technorati Tags: Religious Extremists,Education

The phrase, Dear Gentle Reader(s), means, in effect, education is sinful.  Well, that’s one way to interpret it.  Go here for a more detailed and, probably, more accurate discussion.

It’s a name given to a particular Islamist cult in Africa currently wreaking havoc in Nigeria.

The cult is more interested in “Western” education, to be sure, but too many religionists are leery of modernizing education for their potential adherents.

In California, fundamentalist Christians helped to destroy a move for more creative thinking in the 1990s; in Afghanistan and Pakistan the Taliban and other Islamists destroy girls’ schools; text books from Saudi Arabia often seem lodged in the 7th century.

The war against terror won’t be won in the military battlefield; it needs must be won in the classroom.

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11.14.2139

Note to self:  Suggest to nieces and nephews they put a clause in their wills for their grandchildren that there be established a national holiday on November 14, 2139, in honor of the master rapscallion of greed, Bernie Madoff, who would’ve been released from prison on that day, had he lived out his sentence.

Have a good B.M. Day, everyone!

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ERP?

Technorati Tags: Dentist,Pain,Cost,MetLife

A dilemma, Dear Gentle Reader(s) has descended.

It seems one was ensconced in a dentist’s chair, preparing for a routine replacement of a rather superficial filling (one not requiring extensive drilling) when one responded to a packing of string under the gum area with a wince.

“Too much pain?”

“Um, well, I feel it.”

“OK.  Let me give you another shot.”

“Thank you.”

Skip ahead four weeks.

“Explanation of Dental Benefits” from MetLife:  “For benefit determination purposes, procedure D9110 is not a covered dental expense since it is considered a part of procedure D23 91 and benefits are not separately payable for this procedure.”

“Hmmm,” one hmmms.  “What is D9110?  Dunno.  Let’s look.”  Referring to the procedure code at the top of the page, D9110 is…Wait for it…Emergency Relief of Pain.*

So one didn’t get enough “relief of pain” from the first shot, and the second shot cost $100!

Perhaps one ought to seek the services of a different dentist.

Perhaps.

Too bad, though.  It was a pleasant 2 year relationship.

*Hence, ERP

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Huh?

Technorati Tags: Ave Maria School of Law,Ministers,Professors,Logic

There is a law school, Dear Gentle Reader(s), which goes by the name of Ave Maria School of Law, that is currently engaged in a wrongful termination law suit and, in so doing, is raising some interesting diction (in the sense of word choice) issues.

You can read about it on  the web site of The National Law Journal.

What is most interesting is this:  [Ave Maria School of Law] is trying to declare law professors as ministers to avoid a wrongful termination suit from proceeding.

The professors aren’t ordained, but somehow they’re ministers because they work for a religious institution.

Word games—the bane of logic.

Fun times.

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Enough, Already!!!

Technorati Tags: Governor Palin,Senator McCain,Republican Party

Dear Gentle Reader(s), how much more do we have to know about Governor Palin?  Better, has anyone read anything, anything at all, new about her in the past month or so?

There can’t be very much interest in her political future.  Except for extremists in the right wing of the electorate—and there aren’t enough votes there for her to be a serious contender—no one seriously considers her a “contender.”

There might still be enough of a concern for people to begin to ask serious questions of Senator McCain, i.e., “What on earth were you thinking?”  Other than that, let the woman do whatever she wants to do. 

It’s time for the punditry to let go.  We’ve already paid enough attention to that particular train wreck.

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Eye-rolling Smiley

Technorati Tags: Keith Olberman,Bill O'Reilly,Townhall.com,sheep,jackasses

Sometimes, Dear Gentle Reader(s), it’s so easy, that one thinks an effort is hardly worthwhile.

Case in point—over at the Townhalldotcom Muckroom, Bill O’Reilly’s column starts with this titbit:  “In fact, we are becoming a nation of braying sheep…”

Ah, Bill-o—to use the Hallowed Keith’s word—, sheep, my boyo, don’t bray, they bleat.  Jackasses bray.

Either way, though, Bill-o’s covered.

Happy Fourth, America.  Remember the troops.

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Lest the Natives Be Restless….

Technorati Tags: The Washington Post,Iran,Cuba,China,Burma,Protest

Interesting take on the Iranian protests, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is noted in today’s The Washington Post.

It seems the regimes of China, Cuba, and Burma have been trying to keep the news about the Iranians’ protest away from the people of those benighted countries.

Never let it be said that petitioning the government is futile.  Sometimes the gain is not immediately observable.

It’s always good to see thugs become nervous.

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Sly Puss

Technorati Tags: Daniel Politi,Slate Magazine,Iran,Hebrew

Today, Dear Gentle Reader(s), let us salute a man with a sense of humor, and a sly one at that.

Our hero’s name is Daniel Politi, and he writes a summary of leading newspapers’ front pages for Slate Magazine.  His wit is on view with today’s* subject line:  “Iran's Guardian Council: Election Was Kosher.”

It’s like the first sip of a very cold, very dry Bombay martini, eh wot?

To Daniel Politi—today’s funniest person in the worrrrrrld!

*Posted Tuesday, June 23, 2009, at 6:33 AM ET

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Hie to another place for a different view

Technorati Tags: Andrew Sullivan,Marty Peretz,The New Republic,Iran,Hugo Chavez

Transparency, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is the catch word du jour, so one must strive for as much of it as possible.

As a follow up to yesterday’s post encouraging you to visit Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish, today there’s encouragement for you to visit The New Republic’s online site to read Marty Peretz’s take on the Iranian elections. 

Peretz holds that the elections were, indeed, valid because of the widespread support of the vast numbers of poor people out in the smaller towns and villages.  (Interesting to note that Hugo Chavez’s government was one of the first to congratulate Ahmadinejad.  Poverty has a voice which is too often neglected by politicians.  Otherwise Hugo would be a footnote rather than whatever he is now.)

Of course, note, too, that Sullivan’s coverage is just short of live—tweeters tweeting and cell phone videos in real time--while the Peretz comment is based on public polling which occurred some two or three weeks ago.

Stay tuned.

Keep reading.

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Hie thee to Andrew’s place

Technorati Tags: Andrew Sullivan,Iran,Vote,State Suppression

Andrew Sullivan is doing yeoman’s work publishing reports out of Iran.

Get over to his website, The Daily Dish, for up to the minute tweets.

Yea, Sullivan!

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Muckroom Follies—Desperately Seeking…Something

Technorati Tags: Townhall.com,Linda Chavez,Brent Bozell,Republican Pundits

Alas, Dear Gentle Reader(s), the editors and commentators over at Townhall’s Muckroom are not having a good year.

The racism card isn’t working, the gender card isn’t working, the anti-same sex marriage card is losing its trumping ability.  So what’s a desperate pundit to do?

Grab onto the nearest puff of smoke, it seems.

The June 5 Muckroom email has these two entries: 

1.  Linda Chavez has this lede--“The diversity crowd doesn't really believe in diversity. In fact, what they're really aiming for is conformity of opinion.”  This, DGR(s), from a spokesperson from the party which is going through a period of expelling what some call RINOs (Republican In Name Only) from the party.  If that isn’t aiming for conformity of opinion, nothing is.

2.  Under the title of “MTV’s Shock and Fraud,” Brent Bozell works himself into a lather over the “Bruno-buttock-Eminem” joke.  When a representative of MTV says, “That's all anyone wants to talk about, so let's get it out of the way. They rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show then,” Bozell fulminates “Can you believe the chutzpah of MTV, disparaging the media they're shamelessly exploiting, that "all anyone wants to talk about" is that they'd manufacture this new low, this shock-jock-strap plot?”

It is to laugh, then to sigh, then to worry.  The paucity of legitimacy of the right has never before been so easily observed.  With serious decisions being made and the right wing commentariat floundering, we could be in danger of making mistakes without the vision of all parties concerned with the big picture.

Get serious, Muckroom denizens.

A loyal opposition isn’t worthy if there’s nothing to which one is opposed.

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Get a room, George!

Technorati Tags: George Will,Taxes,Eroticism

Here’s a rather intriguing lede, Dear Gentle Reader(s), from George Will’s contribution to Townhall.com:  “Epiphanies are a dime a dozen among congressional Democrats as they discover urgent new reasons to experience the almost erotic pleasure of commandeering other people's money.”

One has to wonder, just how can Will make the declarative statement that there is an “almost erotic pleasure” in taking charge of the money paid into the government’s treasury by taxpayers?  How does he know there is a near-erotic pleasure to taxing?  What sort of foreplay gets ol’ George going? 

Maybe it’s a case of wishful projection?  (“I love money!  I loooovvvve money!  Gimme!!!  Oooh.  Ahhhh. Ummm…”)

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Ah, Truth or Truthiness

Technorati Tags: Mary Bono-Mack,Republican Party,Energy,The Desert Sun

There is, Dear Gentle Reader(s), a full page ad in today’s The Desert Sun* (Palm Springs/Coachella Valley) which gives credit to Representative Mary Bono for her vote in favor of the recently passed energy plan.

It’s a wonder of circumspection in part, and in something else in small part.

“Leading businesses and moderate conservation groups” is the lead phrasing.  The catch word there is “moderate.”  No tree huggers, folks.  Circumspection.

The second para begins with “Despite enormous pressure to toe the Washington line…”  Key word—Washington.  The pressure didn’t come from Washington.  Whatever that is.  It came from the Republican party.  Something else.  Fudging?

Bono-Mack (her married name) voted outside of the Republican caucus.  The ad nimbly sidesteps that fact.  This is, after all, a bastion of Republican thinking (Prop Hate, er, 8 passed easily in the area).

Republican pressure becomes Washington pressure.  OK.  That’s doable.

*May 30, 2009, A14

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Facts? We don’ need no stinkin’ facts!

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pugno,Proposition 8,Air Talk

Of all the claims which the pro-Prop 8 folks present, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is one made by Andrew Pugno a spokesperson for Protectmarriage.com.  Speaking on Public Radio’s Air Talk on May 27, 2009, he said this, “Marriage predates government.”

Really?  Any proof of that?  Certainly not in any anthropological study can that statement be substantiated. 

It went something like this (OK, my conjecture, but it certainly makes more sense than his):  First came mating; Second came family—with someone making decisions (and that process could have been shared); Third came tribe—with someone making decisions for several families—one of which was controlling the mating processes); Fourth came some dissatisfaction with decisions which went against some common practices (Whadda mean, we can’t eat pork?); Fifth came superstition to use as a tool against the dissatisfaction (Because It told me to tell you not to do that); Sixth came the refinement of superstition into religion. 

Perhaps a bit fanciful, but that’s the lineage according to the anthropological studies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Government, rudimentary, to be sure, existed prior to marriage because until government came into existence, what we call marriage today was coupling for the purpose of propagating the species.  Cultural differences between tribes came later, but “government” arose out of need to protect the tribe.

For certain, “Marriage predates government,” stated with such certainty by Pugno, is at best a virtual fib.

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Really?

Technorati Tags: Linda Chavez,Townhall.com,President Obama,George W Bush

Ah, Dear Gentle Reader(s), sometimes they make it so easy.

Take, for instance, today’s Townhalldotcom muckroom.  There’s a piece by Linda Chavez titled “When in Doubt, Blame Bush.”  It contains this softball, “you have to wonder what [President Obama] would do without George W. Bush to kick around.”

Um…

Nope.  Not really.

Perhaps eal with the economy?  Health care?  Greening power?  Securing Afghanistan?  Modernizing Islam?  Third World poverty?  Inner city poverty?

How many more examples would you think Chavez needs?

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A dollar 98? A dollar 400?

Technorati Tags: $

Does one suppose, Dear Gentle Reader(s), that the seller of this car learned to write cost numbers somewhere other  than here in the U.S.?

                                          

IN case it seems fuzzy, that is a period after the 1.

What fun!

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Could’ve, Would of, Shoulda (“Ve” are watching!)

Technorati Tags: George Pelecanos,dialogue,nits,articulation

George Pelecanos, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is the newest “old” writer of note to cross this desk.  One down, one in progress, a few to go.  The reason for this post isn’t George so much as his editor and some other editor of years past which let the –of pass as indicator of character instead of insisting on ‘ve.

The writer, naturally, tries for some sort of verisimilitude while writing dialogue.  Even the perfect sentences of Jane Austen take on “color” when delivering language of certain characters.

The use of could of, however, is suspect as a genuine replication of non-standard articulation.  The f and the v are both fricatives.  They are produced by passing air between the upper front teeth and the bottom lip, the difference is that the v uses a sound from the larynx along with the friction of air.

Thus, the author who uses could of might as well be using could’ve.  The resulting sound is exactly the same—of has the pronunciation of ‘ve no matter the education of the speaker.  The more precise effect of character indication would be achieved, if articulation is to be used as an indication of character, by the use of coulda—or its almost as popular variation—could-a.

In Pelecano’s case, the editor of The Big Blowdown allowed, on page 289, a “could of" in mid-page and then, a couple of (coupla?) lines down, a “could’ve.”  Hedging a bet?  Indifference?  Not paying attention to speech patterns? 

Somebody got paid nice bucks to edit the book, not to mention the author’s royalty.  That’s good money in exchange for…what?  This error cannot be let pass unchallenged.  Therefore, aspiring authors and editors, be warned:  The “ve” patrol is on alert.

(OK, so this is a nit.  In these times, though, focusing on a nit or two is a valuable tool in averting meltdown.)

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A Hopeful Step to the Trash Heap of History

Technorati Tags: Hate Crimes,Thoreau,Twinkie Defense,Matthew Shepard

Thoreau’s confinement in a New England jail resulted in a nice little epigram—the body might be jailed, but thought, once uttered, cannot be recalled or squelched.

Which brings us, torturously, to the current debate, Dear Gentle Reader(s), of the Matthew Shepard Act, which purports to punish certain acts as “hate crimes.”  It is surely foolish to try to criminalize hate, but that really isn’t the primary purpose of hate crimes  legislation, is it?

What such legislation does is to foster a discussion about the genesis of hate, at least as regards certain social situations.  How long has it been since there was a white on black killing where the perpetrator escaped justice?  Or since the perpetrator was able to claim a “Twinkie defense?”  Or a homosexual panic defense?

The more we speak of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, the more light is shone on these topics, and the less it is possible for bias to develop into a murderous rage.

What we need is more thought, and more people willing to speak their thoughts.  At some point in the near future the hate crime laws will be erased from the books.  That erasure is another “consummation devoutly to be wished.”

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America’s Soul Is the Soul of All of Us

Technorati Tags: Paul Krugman,Bush Administration,New York Times,War Crimes

If, Dear Gentle Reader(s), you are one of those who is divided about whether or not the justice system of The United States should initiate and pursue possible war crimes of some previous administration personnel, then hie thee to Paul Krugman’s piece in today’s The New York Times.  It should go a long way toward helping your make up your mind.

Krugman falls definitely on the side of justice moving forward.

…America is more than a collection of policies. We are, or at least we used to be, a nation of moral ideals. In the past, our government has sometimes done an imperfect job of upholding those ideals. But never before have our leaders so utterly betrayed everything our nation stands for. “This government does not torture people,” declared former President Bush, but it did, and all the world knows it.

In the name of our “moral ideals,” the investigation of the previous administration’s activities must be allowed to go forward.  We owe it to ourselves, to our history, and to our future.

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Juvenilia Revived

Technorati Tags: Townhall.com,Tea Parties,Tea Bags,Tea Bagging*,Tea Baggers*

Oh my, Dear Gentle Reader(s), it seems those embarrassing moments of “in-the-know” from one’s youth which result in red-faced giggles never really fade into oblivion.

Take, for instance, the current reich-wing spate of “tea parties” being held to protest taxing plans of the Obama administration. 

Add a smidgen of…(ahem)…”adult” entertainment information, namely the use of “tea bag” as a metaphor for…(ahem #2)…scrotum.

Then mix with a headline from the Townhall(dot)com email advertisement which reads “Your Tea Bag Might Be on TV April 15th!” and you have a very successful recipe for an episode of smirks, titters, and tee-hees.  “Really?!!?  Will there be tea baggers and tea bagging?  On TV?  Whee!  We’ve come a long way, baby!”

Thanks, Townhalldotcom.  I needed that fun fitlet.

 

*Set your imagination loose.

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We are everywhere

Technorati Tags: Southland,NBC,Conspiracy Theories

The TV show, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is Southland on NBC.  The scene is between two police cars, one a cruiser on patrol, the other a vice squad sedan.  There’s a man sitting in the back of the vice car.  A disbelieving cop in the cruiser is saying, “There’re signs every two feet;” the LAPD has a park under surveillance.  How could a guy get arrested?  There are signs and warnings all over the place.  But there sits the unhappy fellow.

The penultimate scene is in a bar, and the fellow in the cruiser is saying, “I had a shitty day.  I got arrested.”  Unnoticed a few feet away, the cop who couldn’t believe someone would be stupid enough to get arrested in a park which was known to be patrolled by LAPD says, “I had a shitty day, too.”  (It was a tough patrol.)

No mention of the fellow from the park’s infringement, just a reference to the arrest.  No particular overt signs in the bar, but you’d have to be blind, DGR(s), not to know that the officer and the fellow from the park have something in common.

“We are everywhere” is a slogan du decade (or more).  Is it such a truism that there’s no longer any need to “spell out” the officer’s dating habits?  Or is NBC a participant in the “great conspiracy,” the “great agenda,” about which the fundies keep bleating?

Stay tuned.

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Dowd’s Seduction?

Technorati Tags: New York Times,Maureen Dowd,Mr Obama

It might not last long, Dear Gentle Reader(s), so you’d best hie thee over to The New York Times’ presentation of Maureen Dowd’s paean to President Obama in today’s Op-Ed section.

Dowd has made a 180 degree turn since the days of Obambi.  Doubtless she will eventually steer a more centrist course, Mr. Obama can’t help but stumble in her eyes at some point, but right now it’s “killer smile” time—that European trip has turned into a seductive coup.

Celebrate with me.

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4.2.38

Technorati Tags: Gifting,Gifts

A couple of years ago, a brother sent me a wonderful Christmas gift:  he’d made a contribution to the group which buys milk cows for distribution to the poor  in poverty stricken areas of the world.

This year a teaching colleague of mine gave me a wonderful birthday gift:  she’d made a contribution to Doctors Without Borders which will provide 250 people with antibiotics to fight bacterial infections.

Not to belittle gift-giving on special occasions, but isn’t there a time when we, as adults, would really profit more from donations to worthy charities than we would from candy or flowers or…?

Thinking good thoughts and helping the less fortunate are wonderful ways to celebrate a memorable moment.

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