Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I Can't Leave May Behind Me ...

... without commenting on the death of Osama bin Laden.

1.  Good riddance.  May the families of the 9/11 victims find as much closure in this as they can.

2.  Someone needs to tell Charles Krauthammer and his ilk that this happened 100% because Obama made it a priority.  Bush could have done so, and didn't.  He wanted bin Laden alive, as an excuse for building a warfare state.  It's interesting that Krauthammer was happy to offer in print his tortured (no pun intended) explanation of why Bush should be credited with bin Laden's death, but ducked the opportunity to appear on "Inside Washington" and defend his views in person.  I'm guessing that even he did not think his views could stand up to an in-person rebuttal.

Which tells you all you need to know about how seriously to take the argument in the first place.

3.  Finally, the political consequences.  Democrats need no longer worry about their credibility with regard to national security and defense.  Republicans, on the other hand,  need to explain why the deficit they ran up not catching bin Laden is an excuse for throwing seniors to the wolves.

I won't wish them luck with that argument, even though I'm sure they'll need it.

Happy June, everyone.  Looks like the weather is going to make the climate change argument that couldn't cut through Al Gore's personal problems, and that the Democrats are too scared to make for themselves.  Think folks in Joplin might be believers now?

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Everything's Connected

Not just nations, but policies, economic and/or foreign.  Take a look.

Are We Really An Anti-Immigration Country?

This makes you wonder.  Maybe we can still remember that, deep down inside, we're a nation of immigrants after all.

We CAN'T Afford A Welfare State?

But we can afford this?

If Texas politics are going to be running the country, as often seems to be the case, I'll be happy to mess with it any time, as long as it keeps producing idiocies like this

How Liberal Is President Obama?

Not as liberal as he needs to be, as this article shows.  Obama needs to understand, and the rest of us desperately need for him to understand, that, in order for this country to truly get back to the middle, it needs a good, swift kick to the left.

Can Science Outrace The "Pro-Life" Movement?

Perhaps it can.

Maybe Turning Medicare Into Generational Warfare Wasn't Smart After All

Cheer up, sane people.  A government united in sanity may be just around the corner.

Is God Withdrawing His, Her, Its Or Their Protective Hand(s) From The Red States?

Or is climate change just a fact?

You decide.

Something To Be Said For The Tea Party ...

They still want to keep the government's hands off Medicare, even when they control the government.

This Is Why Liberals Have No Choice But To Fight!

Because, if you don't, you'll have no choice at all.

We DON'T Have A Welfare State!

And here's the proof.

This Is Why Unions Will ALWAYS Be Needed ...

Because, contrary to Saint Ronald, the rich aren't interested in sharing.

It's Tough To Have Faith In Capitalism ...

... when even The New York Post doesn't have much faith in it.  And, in the same column, suggest balancing the budget by getting out of the war business.

It might be easier, in that case, to have faith in liberalism, regardless of what you think of liberals personally.  Would that be so much to ask?  I mean, if you're going to borrow our ideas, at least admit that that's what you're doing.

On The Other Hand, When Does It Make Sense To Do Nothing?

Maybe right now.

Sorry, Congressman Ryan ... (Part 2)

... but even your side's economic experts aren't buying it.

Fascinating And Scary At The Same Time

Here's an article suggesting that people's political orientation depends on how their brain is structured.  On the one had, it suggests a logical reason for our political differences.  At the same time, who doubts that this information could be used--by either side--as an efficient, "logical" way of identifying and eliminating political opponents.

Don't think that this issue is only a problem in totalitarian or authoritarian societies.  The answer to the question "Can it happen here?" is always yes.

Sorry, Congressman Ryan ...

Tax hikes are coming.  It says so here.  It says so here.

And, as long as TRH is around, it will always say so here.

Good News And Bad News From Mr. Krugman

About climate change, that is.  The good news is that a leading skeptic overcame his own skepticism in testifying before Congress.  The bad news:  His former fellow skeptics did everything they could to trash his testimony.

I wonder if Mother Nature will be patient long enough for enough skeptics to come around in time to make a difference.  No offense, people, but she has no reason to give a damn about your skepticism.

Clarence Thomas: Advocate Or Idiot?

You can ask that question about the other members of the current Supreme Court's right-wing Gang of Four:  Scalia, Roberts and Alito.  Only an advocate would deny damages to a wrongly-convicted man, and only an idiot would ignore the trial record to do it.

What Do You REALLY Learn From Watching Woody Allen's Movies?

Here's one view.

Here's mine:  Being a nebbish doesn't prevent you from being a narcissist; in fact, it enables it.  And, once, you've traveled that road, it's easy to use sex for power instead of love.

They Shouldn't Have Been Fired In The First Place!

Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened.  Proof that if you only care about scoring political points today, people's lives will be needlessly risked tomorrow.

Thirty-Nine Days Later ...

... I'm over my cold, and over my broken tooth, and am slowly getting over the loss of my black lab, Taj, who had to be put down this past week.  Which is, briefly, an explanation of why I haven't blogged for the past few weeks.  Obviously, a lot has been going on, and I've been collecting a lot of material, which I'm about to go through as fast as I can, to get TRH back up to speed.

So, here goes!