I had an interesting thought this morning — and it’s probably because I haven’t yet had my first cup of coffee. The metric system. We don’t use it here in the United States. There was some effort in the 1970s to metricify the United States and join the rest of the world in solidarity, butContinue reading “On Metrifying the United States”
Category Archives: Politics
On Writing Political Tracts
Recently, I’ve been thinking of writing a book on politics. I go in the bookstores, and I see lots of books in the politics/current affairs section on being a libertarian or being a conservative, and how the future is with the Republican Party and its conservative/libertarianism. I see fewer books from the other side ofContinue reading “On Writing Political Tracts”
On Republican Policies and their Impacts
Like millions of Americans, I paid some attention last night to the State of the Union address and the two Republican responses, one from Paul Ryan of Wisconsin (who, much to my chagrin, did not mention the Fantastic Four at all), the other from Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. Abler commentators than I have parsed andContinue reading “On Republican Policies and their Impacts”
On the Repeal of Health Care Reform
Today, the House of Representatives will be voting on the “Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law Act.” This bill, written by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was passed by the last Congress, and, despite some requests that, in the wake of the Tuscon shootingsContinue reading “On the Repeal of Health Care Reform”
On Gun Control, History, and Alternatives
Today I was called a “fucking idiot” on Facebook by someone who goes by the name Steamboat Guy. The reason? I suggested that if we, as a society, are unwilling to regulate and restrict gun ownership because of the Second Amendment, then we need other solutions to the problem of gun violence in the UnitedContinue reading “On Gun Control, History, and Alternatives”
On a Facebook Comment Worth Preserving
One of the problems with political discourse today is that those on the right and the left not only see the world differently but they talk about the world differently. Words have different meanings on the left and the right. A friend, one that has, in my view, gone unfortunately off the deep end intoContinue reading “On a Facebook Comment Worth Preserving”
On the Ratification of an Arms Control Treaty
A long-time friend, though I hesitate to use the world since he went off the deep-end into wingnut batshittery, railed on Facebook today against the ratification by the United States Senate of the New START Treaty, an arms control treaty between the United States and Russia that continues the Reagan-era doctrine of “Trust, but verify”Continue reading “On the Ratification of an Arms Control Treaty”
On Obama’s Tax Cut Capitulation
Yesterday, President Obama and the Congressional Republican leadership agreed on a two year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. It’s not entirely a done deal — Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont, has threatened a filibuster, and the deal still has to be sold to wary Democratic legislators, some of whom were willing to take PaulContinue reading “On Obama’s Tax Cut Capitulation”
On Allyn’s Adventures at the Rally For Sanity
Along with well over 200,000 other people, I attended the Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the National Mall in Washington, DC yesterday. Jon Stewart announced about two months ago, after Glenn Beck’s “Rally to Restore Honor,” that he was going to hold his own rally on the National Mall, the Rally to RestoreContinue reading “On Allyn’s Adventures at the Rally For Sanity”
On Boycotts — and Why They’re Not Wrong
Peter David watched The View. The reason? He wanted to see the Bill O’Reilly/Joy Behar/Whoopi Goldberg incident: (Video from here) Peter mentioned that some commentators, including The View‘s Barbara Walters, have said it was inappropriate for Goldberg and Behar to get up and walk out on O’Reilly for being an inflamatory asshole: “This immediately promptedContinue reading “On Boycotts — and Why They’re Not Wrong”