I get a kick out of what I call everyday irony—small contradictions, often so small they pass without notice—that make me laugh. For example, the other day a friend of mine pointed out the everyday irony of those radio ads that ask for donations of old cars to benefit the blind. Undoubtedly a worthy charity, but it still brings to mind Mister Magoo. [Read more →]
“It is not so hard to thaw. Or to be drawn.
Our intimacy seems like the memory of a strange dream to me. A dream that probably would not translate to the real world, but this was never my desire. There was something unusual about our interaction. It is almost as if I had scripted it and left my fingerprints in the ink. I’m not concerned with your messy reality. I don’t want to see it and I confess I could not place you in mine. But I still want to see you in isolation. I am unconcerned with the context since time and your silence has made me philosophical; but when I first wrote the heat of your breast pressed against me was still vivid in my mind.”
Sadly, Bernie Madoff loses the top spot for Swindler of the Era. That’s right, there’s someone out there who lies, cheats, and steals more than him. Who? It is the modern socialist who populates every corner of public discourse from the United States Congress and White House to the European Parliament and beyond. [Read more →]
The House just passed a billto extend tax cuts another 2 years, and extend unemployment for several more months. The press, president, and some in congress seem to be lauding this legislation as some great achievement. The Republicans wanted to extend tax cuts for the rich, and the Democrats wanted to extend unemployment benefits for the lazy and or unfortunate, and they both got what they wanted. The compromise makes sense at first look. However, with the debt as swollen as it is now, wouldn’t the best compromise have been the opposite? [Read more →]
Imagine a small country with a native population known as Culture A with new residents from another country known as Culture B. Culture A has been in existence for a couple of centuries and enjoys a prosperous lifestyle with all the modern conveniences from cars to dishwashers to lavish vacations. Culture B comes from a place with less material comforts. Educational opportunities abound for Culture A children in their native land while Culture B children were mostly stuck in a restrictive class structure that offered few chances for self-betterment. [Read more →]
From the blog of Bruce Schneier comes this absolute gem that paints an accurate, though petrifying, picture of what our great country has become. The kicker is that the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were a catalyst, but the transformation was all our doing. [Read more →]
“WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Virginia threw out the controversial plank of President Obama’s health-care law that requires Americans to buy coverage… In a ruling issued yesterday Judge Henry Hudson struck down the so-called “individual mandate” provision as unconstitutional. He said the federal government does not have the authority to order people to purchase coverage.”
This sounds right. Can we really force citizens to purchase financial services? That is essentially what the new health-care law does by fining adults who do not purchase health insurance by 2014.
10. Sarah Palin would be the tenth worst choice to elect President of the United States
Bob Sullivan’s Top Ten Everything appears every Monday.
LA Weekly has a story about a Special Ed student, Jeremy Marks, who appears to be being railroaded by the legal system in the City of Angels. Jeremy Marks appears to be facing a seven year prison sentence for little more than being a witness to an incident between a high school campus police officer and a student. Either through what appears to be mistaken identity caused by the chaos of the situation or willful malice, Marks has been held for seven months in county jail. If, after reading the above you’re as horrified as I am, Katherine Russ (the writer of the article) informs me that the Congress of Racial Equality of California (Core-CA) is accepting donations for legal defense and/or bail.
Courage can be expressed in different ways. Some demonstrate courage by, on the day terrorists struck their greatest blow against America, finding it in themselves to resist the very human instinct to flee somewhere far away and safe, but instead stay nearby and try to help their fellow man, and then continue to stick around in subsequent days and weeks and months and years as it becomes clear that while Al Qaeda won’t be attacking again any time soon their attack has left behind a toxic legacy. Others demonstrate courage by denying these people health benefits. The Republican Party is in the latter camp. [Read more →]
I’m back, dear readers. I hope you’ll forgive my little gentleman’s intermission of the past few weeks–let’s just say that I do not recommend moving in the middle of Thanksgiving. And let’s just say that I’m a little underwhelmed with the traffic of celebrity gossip this month. No celebrities hot-footing it to rehab, no nasty divorces (except Eva Longoria, to whom I have to say: Really? You’re divorcing him because of text messages?). I’m like a man without a country; a nun without a calling. Luckily, when Hollywood lets me down, there will always be an even more dysfunctional town in this country that needs me. My advice this week goes out to you, Washington, specifically to two former foes who are dancing on my last two nerves. [Read more →]
10. refudiate
9. handinotes
8. hypocriticizer
7. evoludiculous
6. governoresigner
5. tea-parfection
4. mamagrizzly-fication
3. abstinonsense
2. Obomination
1. youbetcha-rific
Bob Sullivan’s Top Ten Everything appears every Monday.
The lame duck Congress took flight last week. Man, it’s going to be hard for the country to soar with the eagles if it has to flutter with this bunch of turkeys. To be fair, some of the big players are promising title fights between now and Christmas. Let’s hold back judgment on this bit of trash talk as we review two important measures they took up since the election. Oh, they were busy, alright. Critical legislation hit the floor to honor Penn State’s Joe Paterno and Yankees announcer Bob Shepperd. Holy Toledo! The government means business! [Read more →]
From Yahoo News: Inspired by TEA Party success, Latinos float ‘Tequila Party’ grassroots movement.
Latino leaders in Nevada and around the country are floating the idea of breaking traditional ties with the Democratic Party and creating a grass-roots independent movement tentatively called the Tequila Party. According to Delen Goldberg at the Las Vegas Sun, the leaders want to pressure the Democratic Party to deliver on Latinos’ priorities much in the same way the tea party has done with the GOP over the past few years.
I’m at a loss… Can someone please explain to me how established leaders can spark a grassroots movement? Or how it can be independent if its goal is to pressure (lobby) only the Democrat Party to deliver on Latino priorities?
When I look at my children, I shudder.
They have lived their entire lives in the so-called “age of superheroes.” They are too young to remember a time before the likes of Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman forced us to accept their “protection.” They didn’t ask to live in this world – they had it forced upon them.
The rest of us should have known better. We should have seen this coming. We have given up our sovereignty to people (if in fact they are “people;” many of them are not even of this world) who, by virtue of their enormous physical strength or possession of amazing weapons capable of mass destruction, believe they have the right to decide what is best for the rest of us.
At what point did we, the average and non-superpowered individuals, decide to just let this happen? When did we become sheeple, just placidly accepting the notion that because some people have the ability to destroy things efficiently they can make the rules for all of us?
Earlier this month, Gotham City’s wealthiest and most powerful resident, Bruce Wayne, held a press conference in which he revealed that he has been financing the extra-legal activities of the vigilante known as “Batman.” If there were any sense to our world, Mr. Wayne would have been immediately arrested and brought to trial. Taking the law into our own hands is a crime. [Read more →]
“Sancho followed on foot, leading his donkey — his perpetual companion in prosperous and adverse fortune….” — Don Quixote
In these threadbare days, what kind of future do we foresee for that homeliest and homiest of institutional beasts, the public library? It is surely the donkey of the American cultural menagerie — toothy, overworked, belittled, yet stubborn to the point of endearment. How else, other than out of sheer stubbornness, can we account for the fact that libraries continue to supply communities all over the country with books… made of paper…to the public… for free?
But for residents of Santa Clarita, California, this persistent belief in community education in the age of the bottom line may at last be coming to an end. Thanks to the city’s controversial vote to outsource its libraries to a private for-profit company, the donkey may be going the way of the dodo.
