As y'all know, I'm a fan of government... but... I'm still willing to call out when I see something deeply unethical or duplicitous being done. I've been growing more and more annoyed by some of the tricks that both parties have used over the last decade or so, to obscure what's actually happening. (If, btw, I've gotten any of this wrong, please ( Read more... )

Just a brief update on what is going on with me aside from staring at election news and feeling sad ( Read more... )

I'm a convinced social democrat. However, I do, sometimes, wonder if other systems of social and economic organization might not also be viable. As a thought experiment, today, I began to ponder what would be necessary to make a capitalist, free-market, small government system work. Here are a few thoughts ( Read more... )

I've just finished reading about the turnover in the Obama team, replacing several of the inner-circle advisers whose middle-of-the-road policies have most annoyed me by including some of the worst elements of both left and right. It looks, sadly, as if they will be replaced by more people whose views are pretty much the same ( Read more... )

I'll begin with a bit of silly. On the drive to the gym today, I saw two men on the lawn in front of an apartment. They were gruff-looking, hairy, and middle-aged. One was lying down by a tree, the other was holding a fishing pole, and was using that pole to tickle the man on the ground. They both appeared to be giggling like crazy ( Read more... )

I'm not happy about the political prospects for this November, and I'm not at all happy when I look back on the first portion of the Obama presidency. As I look ahead to the fall election, I see two political parties in crisis. The Republicans are being energized by this tea party effect, but the tea party effect is also fundamentally changing ( Read more... )

This is not one of my long, philosophical posts hoping for a better season of the soul, or anything like that. This is just my short thank you note to the world for once more ushering in a period of delightful cool crisp mornings, pleasant afternoons, and earlier evenings. Even as a youngster I looked forward to fall, with longer nights and ( Read more... )

Three moments from my day ( Read more... )

Apologies in advance for the following culture-babble (and in case I've posted something along these lines before... this is a topic that I keep coming back to in my own head ( Read more... )

Fall is approaching. This pleases me - I like being able to go outside without swearing. My classes start up again over the next two weeks - that'll be a good thing, I'm feeling a little antsy some days now ( Read more... )