Slim Thoughts |
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My thoughts on whatever
Contact address cm44134 at gmail dot com blogs I read on a far too regular basis
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Monday, March 31, 2003
Most of my hits recently have come from searches for the Bush primping video, and as a thank you, I am renewing the link. The videos you are looking for are called bushgroomed and bushgroomed2. To the person referred here by the Google search "haircuts that slim the face", all I can say is, "You can never miss with a mullet". Mark A. R. Kleiman lays out his thoughts on drugs. I can't say I agree with all his ideas. For instance, a dollar tax on each beer seems excessive. However, none of his thoughts are completely insane, and they certainly start an important dialogue. Thursday, March 27, 2003
Do you think the Bush administration would have allowed the manipulation of power prices in Texas? Paul Krugman does a little gloating (deserved) on the "California Power Crisis." Monday, March 24, 2003
Has there ever been a presidential administration more laden with access capitalists? I have only been politically sentient for about 15 years, but I can't remember anything like this administration. Filling your cabinets with ideologues is one thing, but influence peddlers? I saw the link on CalPundit but I just couldn't accept it. I mean the idea of good advice from Steven Den Beste caused me, quite fittingly (this is Operation Inigo Montoya after all [Thanks to Tbogg for the great name]), to quote Wallace Shawn's character, Vizzini, "Inconceivable." But, I had a stiff drink, I steeled my resolve, I put on my cup and I looked and you know, he was right, it was good advice. My only question is, "Can SDB plead temporary sanity?" So, it seems the war is going to cost $63 billion a month, give or take. Doesn't it seem like the total cost is going to be far beyond the $100 million dollars that got Larry Lindsey fired (aside from his girth, of course Can't have a sloppy fat guy around. bad for moral.). Yesterday, on Fox News, I heard a talking head talking about one of the major problems of the invasion of Iraq. Apparantly, we would come to a location with a large force, seemingly take it and then leave only a small force behind while we moved on. It seems at this point, hidden Iraqi soldiers would rise up. The talking head seemed to intimate that there was really no solution. I thought up one in about 3 seconds. We could not try to defeat a large highly militarized country of 25 million people in a week. Just a little food for thought Friday, March 21, 2003
I am really starting to like Howard Dean. I am not sure yet if he can win, but he doesn't seem like a dumbass and he doesn't give me the willies like Joe Lieberman. It seems to me that it is going to come down to Kerry, Edwards and Dean. With the impending health-care crisis, it sure seems like Dean would have a natural advantage in that area. Anyway, I am not making up my mind anytime soon. Hell, it doesn't actually matter anyway. Our primary is late and if Dubya was caught with a live boy or a dead girl, Idaho would probably go Libertarian. By way of Calpundit, we get a piece from Reason on the Bush Administration position on North Korea. The piece argues that US policy is not the result of neglect, but rather is intentional. Had the Bush administration shown a deft touch in any other area, this might have a glimmer of viability, but these people rule with the subtlety of a jackhammer. The only way this could be true is if the rest of the administration just doesn't care at all and has left it up to Colin Powell or similar reasonable people. While that would probably be better than North Korea having Richard Perle's attention, it does not inspire confidence. For those who are interested in science, science policy, and science funding, What's New by Bob Park is an interesting mailing list. Well, it looks like turkey is going to start invading Northern Iraq and oppressing Kurds. Why does it seem to me that anyone with any sense at all could have predicted this? How great would it be if John Kerry or Wesley Clark were running against Bush and made a compare-and-contrast commercial titiled "Preparing for war" with themselves in combat regalia and these videos of bush primping and mugging for the camera before announcing the the start of this war of aggression? Thursday, March 20, 2003
Would it seem petty and inappropriate if I said all this war talk has caused me to forget to fill out my NCAA bracket? It would? Ok, forget I said it. I really think I can still be objective. Can someone please explain to me how angering a whole lot of muslims is in our best interest? Is Osama bin Laden going to be less outraged if we move our troops from Saudi Arabia to Baghdad? Anything is possible I guess. A guy that works downstairs from me was opining on the war with Iraq and he suggested that we should start by bombing the UN. Diplomatic problems aside, I thought it odd he was suggesting we bomb New York City. Then I realized that rather than a drawback, he considered this a bonus. All I can say is, "Please help me. I am trapped in Idaho." Another fine piece from Brad Delong on Justice Scalia. If I may copy what I wrote in his comments: I find controversy about Justice Scalia to be quite interesting. He is just a bowl full of contradictions. The question of abortions and capital punishment only scratches the surface. He decries judicial activism, while actively seeking to transform the United States from the bench. He lectures endlessly on "strict constructionism" and "original intent" while twisting the words and actions of the framers to be whatever he wants. Finally, my personal favorite, he is thought by many, including himself, to be a genius, but he prefers to belittle people with insults and bullying. Didn't Jesus say something about the meek? IMHO, Justice Scalia doesn't deserve to be on the Supreme Court. If there was any justice in life, he would be teaching social studies at a second rate Catholic school somewhere. Then again, I wouldn't force my worst enemy to sit in his class. Speaking of anti-war protests, I know I must be naive, but I have been astounded by the intellectual dishonesty of some on the pro-war side. Disagreement with the political leadership of our country does not in any way indicate a lack of support for our men and women in uniform. I have a brother on active duty in the military. I would not wish harm on him or any of his comrades in arms. That having been said, I think this war is one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the US. Maybe I have been living in denial, but I have never thougth of the US as a bully, as one who takes another's lunch money. Well, that is what we have become. Dubya and his partners in crime have decided they know what is right and good and they are going to demonstrate this for other countries if they have to destroy them in the process. Meanwhile, North Korean whack job Kim Jong-Il is preparing to open the biggest illegal fireworks stand in history. Things are just peachy. More than 1000 people were arrested during anti-war demonstrations in SF. They probably refused to sing John Ashcroft's song. Atrios references a Times article proving that "Prince of Darkness" is the nice thing people call Richard Perle to his face. Behind his back it's "He whose name brings darkness and plague upon the Earth" Well, I am inspired to begin blogging again. I am not sure why. I think it might be because I found out that my weekly paycheck comes from one of the military/industiral complex companies that was asked to secretly bid on divying up Iraq. I really feel that I should give something back. In any event, let's see how long I make it this time. |
