For the past 40 years, the conservative movement has welcomed only one kind of person: the true believer. Iconoclasm in the pursuit of moderation was no virtue; orthodoxy in the name of conservatism was no vice. But this weekend, Grover Norquist—the leading bouncer at the conservative club—announced a more relaxed entrance policy. In light of… Continue reading The 40-year-old secondary virgin
Category: politics
Inside Bush’s prosecutor purge
But at least three of the eight fired attorneys were told by a superior they were being forced to resign to make jobs available for other Bush appointees, according to a former senior Justice Department official knowledgeable about their cases. That stands in contradiction to administration claims that the firings were related either to job… Continue reading Inside Bush’s prosecutor purge
Londo Mollari on Iran?
The recent saber rattling with Iran has reminded of a quote from Londo Mollari of Babylon 5: “Only a fool fights a war on two fronts. Only the heir to the kingdom of fools fights a war on twelve fronts!” There are three classic military blunders. Getting into a land war in Asia. Opening a… Continue reading Londo Mollari on Iran?
OpenCongress
OpenCongress brings together official government data with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind each bill. More at OpenCongress This is a must bookmark site for political junkies that track bills and changes.
Race, poverty and skin-whitener
the very act of encouraging poor people to consume products that they don’t need may actually make them worse off. Instead of trying to get them to buy more stuff, argues Kulkarni, we should be striving to find ways to help them produce more, so we can buy from them. From How the World Works… Continue reading Race, poverty and skin-whitener
A New Yorker’s case against Rudy Giulian
the presidential bid Rudy announced last week is staked on more than that Churchillian moment. It is also based on the notion that he is an effective manager who tamed an out-of-control metropolis and ran it efficiently. The real picture is somewhat more complicated. Giuliani was a frustrated and not very popular mayor on Sept.… Continue reading A New Yorker’s case against Rudy Giulian
Gore Obama 2008
A Gore/Obama ticket could happen, and here is how. There is no reason why an undeclared candidate couldn’t be named in the Iowa caucuses. And there is no reason why Gore couldn’t come in a strong 3rd in Iowa, even if he isn’t a candidate. And; if Gore comes in 3rd in Iowa as an… Continue reading Gore Obama 2008
There’s trouble brewing in Tunisia
If you wanted to support democracy in the Arab world, why did you begin with your enemies instead of your friends? Why Iraq and Iran? Why not us? From Slate Magazine A must read. As a progressive and a fan of Karl Popper, I’ve long felt that the right way to spread freedom is by… Continue reading There’s trouble brewing in Tunisia
Cobol analogies
A Cobol analogy is to a technical discussion as a Hitler (or Stalin) comparison is to a political discussion. Cobol Corollary to Godwin’s Law: The first person to compare a technology to Cobol automatically loses the debate.
proof that voting matters
Want proof that your vote counts? There are now hearings on how money is being spent. Well, this is proof that my vote counted.