January 31, 2008
January 21, 2008
Happy MLK, Jr. Day
I was looking at some old photos from the Civil Rights Movement online and I thought the reminder of where we came from was very interesting.Dr. King gave a eulogy at the funeral of 4 young girls who were killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth St. Baptist Church in which he said the girls were "the martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity" (see photo). He had a wonderful way of expressing himself. People don't seem to talk like that anymore.
While viewing the photos and reading about their work, I'm struck by his dignity and by the impeccably high standards that Dr. King and his peers had for themselves. I wonder what Dr. King would have said if he lived to see today's world, where gangsters are the role models for every suburban teenager and the crusade for freedom and human dignity seems to have faded into a memory. I think Dr. King would be dismayed by the incarceration rate of African American men in America and the issues that African American leaders like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson choose to speak about.
Regardless, there is no question that we're all better-off for the changes Dr. King advocated. We can all travel freely and stay in hotels and eat at restaurants. Our kids sit next to each other in school. The number of African American CEO's is growing and includes companies like American Express, KMart, Time Warner, and Merrill Lynch. And the first serious African-American candidate for President of the United States is working hard in South Carolina today.
January 10, 2008
Ouch
Every time President Bush says or does something stupid, I think "after this, nothing this man says or does will surprise me." Unfortunately, I stand corrected - again.Today in a press conference, President Bush called for the end of the "occupation" of Arab lands by Israel. Huh??? That may be the biggest crock of hypocrisy I've ever seen. When the President of the United States of America looks in the mirror and thinks about ending occupations of Arab land, he thinks of . . . Israel?
I'm not commenting on the merits of the war here, but does he not see how that might be an odd statement for the U.S. Commander-in-Chief to make while standing at a podium in the West Bank?
We're 88% through his tenure as President.
January 09, 2008
Civic irresponsibility
Almost a half million victims of Katrina have filed lawsuits against the US government for damage arising from the flooding of New Orleans. Their claims equal $3,014,170,389,176,410.00.
How do you even say that number? One claim alone was for 3 quadrillion dollars. Thee QUADRILLION? What could that one guy have lost or suffered that is worth that much money? The entire gross domestic product for the US was only $13.2 trillion in 2007 - FAR short of just the one claim.
What New Orleans went through was horrific and shameful, but is bankrupting the United States government the answer? Does one hapless victim's claim outweigh the security and commerce of an entire nation?
How do you even say that number? One claim alone was for 3 quadrillion dollars. Thee QUADRILLION? What could that one guy have lost or suffered that is worth that much money? The entire gross domestic product for the US was only $13.2 trillion in 2007 - FAR short of just the one claim.
What New Orleans went through was horrific and shameful, but is bankrupting the United States government the answer? Does one hapless victim's claim outweigh the security and commerce of an entire nation?
January 08, 2008
January 07, 2008
The word of the year is . . .
Subprime?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22514839/?GT1=10755
The American Dialect Society voted "subprime" the Word of the Year for 2007. The finalists were: Facebook, green, Googleganger and waterboarding.
Never fear, my Earth-loving friends - "green" won the subcategory of "Most Useful Word of 2007." I've been thinking that "green" is just another instance of how the 24-hour news media monster has taken a decent, upstanding word and corrupted it by assigning another (ahem, incorrect) definition to it and then using the word incessantly until my head explodes. Clearly I'm not as hip as the American Dialect Society.
And the article was compelled to define "Googleganger" for us, since no one other than the 80 members of the American Dialect Society have probably ever heard of it. Its a noun that refers to the guy (other than you) who appears in the search results when you Google your own name.
I question the judgment of people who voted "plutoed" as the Word of the Year for 2006. Apparently, it means "to be demoted or devalued."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22514839/?GT1=10755
The American Dialect Society voted "subprime" the Word of the Year for 2007. The finalists were: Facebook, green, Googleganger and waterboarding.
Never fear, my Earth-loving friends - "green" won the subcategory of "Most Useful Word of 2007." I've been thinking that "green" is just another instance of how the 24-hour news media monster has taken a decent, upstanding word and corrupted it by assigning another (ahem, incorrect) definition to it and then using the word incessantly until my head explodes. Clearly I'm not as hip as the American Dialect Society.
And the article was compelled to define "Googleganger" for us, since no one other than the 80 members of the American Dialect Society have probably ever heard of it. Its a noun that refers to the guy (other than you) who appears in the search results when you Google your own name.
I question the judgment of people who voted "plutoed" as the Word of the Year for 2006. Apparently, it means "to be demoted or devalued."
January 04, 2008
I'm no politico
Early in the very early campaign for President, I was thinking I'd probably vote for Hillary Clinton. I think she has all of the tools a great President needs -- she's smart, she knows how the system works, she's been burned and learned from it, and she appears to think about the issues before she takes a position. Plus, and added bonus is that she's a woman. I think it's about damn time we had a woman in the Oval Office.
And . . . I'm embarrassed to admit, but I think it would be a lot of fun to see Bill Clinton appointed to the Supreme Court. He has the credentials and the intellect for it and there is a precedent for a former president on the Court (Taft).
The more I watch the spectacle, though, the less appealing Hillary is. I said before the beginning that she's divisive -- I sent her an email (more likely, I sent an email to her 4th Undersecretary of Checking Email) asking her to please not run if she thinks she can't unite the country. We've have 7 long years of division and are visibly hurting from it. We have to face facts -- there is a group of people in the U.S. who just hate Hillary for some reason not tied to a specific event or trait -- I guess it's a vibe that she gives off. They seeth with hatred when you say her name and it would take an act of God for her to win them over in the general election. We'd be basically asking anti-Hillary Democrats to vote for a candidate who doesn't believe in evolution (take your pick which one) -- but don't get me started on that.
And her "Let the Conversation Begin" handlers are oppressive. I think we have to assume that the strategy is approved by Hillary, but it's clear that Hillary is suffering from the same syndrome that hurt Al Gore's campaign -- she's handled and you can hear it and see it in everything she does and says. If Al Gore had stood on a campaign podium and spoke the way he does today, he would have won in a landslide. He never did, presumably because he took the advice of his handlers to never pick a side or commit to anything.
But the biggest issue I have with Hillary today (still early in the process) is that she, like all the candidates, appears to lack civility or, for that matter, any respect for the process and her own integrity. Whatever it takes to win, right? Say anything, do anything, so long as we win. Integrity, compassion, and civility be damned . . . unless they can get you 2 more points in the polls.
And then the strangest thing happened -- dare I say it. Barack Obama was civil to his opponents. Seriously - the man was civil to his opponants two days before the Iowa caucus when common political wisedom said he should be using every weapon in his arsenal. He could have lambasted Hillary's dirty tactics (she said something nasty about him), but he said lets talk about why you should vote for me. He didn't make a grand statement about his integrity and why he doesn't play dirty - he just did it. He's well-read, smart, knows how Washington works . . . and civil? Maybe it doesn't mean anything and you can be sure that I'll keep watching, but it's about time we elected someone who has integrity.
How do you measure integrity? That's a tough question when all you have to go on are sound bites and scripts. Recent history tells me that the majority is also having a hard time finding this trait in a candidate. I think all we can do it look at the little things and how a candidate responds to crisis and criticism -- do they deny and dodge, or do they react genuinely. Maybe it's instinct . . . but I think Senator Obama might have it. And lets face it -- its about damn time we had a black man in the Oval Office.
And . . . I'm embarrassed to admit, but I think it would be a lot of fun to see Bill Clinton appointed to the Supreme Court. He has the credentials and the intellect for it and there is a precedent for a former president on the Court (Taft).
The more I watch the spectacle, though, the less appealing Hillary is. I said before the beginning that she's divisive -- I sent her an email (more likely, I sent an email to her 4th Undersecretary of Checking Email) asking her to please not run if she thinks she can't unite the country. We've have 7 long years of division and are visibly hurting from it. We have to face facts -- there is a group of people in the U.S. who just hate Hillary for some reason not tied to a specific event or trait -- I guess it's a vibe that she gives off. They seeth with hatred when you say her name and it would take an act of God for her to win them over in the general election. We'd be basically asking anti-Hillary Democrats to vote for a candidate who doesn't believe in evolution (take your pick which one) -- but don't get me started on that.
And her "Let the Conversation Begin" handlers are oppressive. I think we have to assume that the strategy is approved by Hillary, but it's clear that Hillary is suffering from the same syndrome that hurt Al Gore's campaign -- she's handled and you can hear it and see it in everything she does and says. If Al Gore had stood on a campaign podium and spoke the way he does today, he would have won in a landslide. He never did, presumably because he took the advice of his handlers to never pick a side or commit to anything.
But the biggest issue I have with Hillary today (still early in the process) is that she, like all the candidates, appears to lack civility or, for that matter, any respect for the process and her own integrity. Whatever it takes to win, right? Say anything, do anything, so long as we win. Integrity, compassion, and civility be damned . . . unless they can get you 2 more points in the polls.
And then the strangest thing happened -- dare I say it. Barack Obama was civil to his opponents. Seriously - the man was civil to his opponants two days before the Iowa caucus when common political wisedom said he should be using every weapon in his arsenal. He could have lambasted Hillary's dirty tactics (she said something nasty about him), but he said lets talk about why you should vote for me. He didn't make a grand statement about his integrity and why he doesn't play dirty - he just did it. He's well-read, smart, knows how Washington works . . . and civil? Maybe it doesn't mean anything and you can be sure that I'll keep watching, but it's about time we elected someone who has integrity.
How do you measure integrity? That's a tough question when all you have to go on are sound bites and scripts. Recent history tells me that the majority is also having a hard time finding this trait in a candidate. I think all we can do it look at the little things and how a candidate responds to crisis and criticism -- do they deny and dodge, or do they react genuinely. Maybe it's instinct . . . but I think Senator Obama might have it. And lets face it -- its about damn time we had a black man in the Oval Office.
January 02, 2008
Happy 2008
Well, it's 2008. Happy new year!
I was talking to a co-worker today and he asked me what my resolutions are for this year. I always wondered how many people actually make new year resolutions (and now I know it's at least one). I don't. I tell myself that I would do something if it is worth doing, regardless of the date . . . I wonder if that's true. There are so many things worth doing that I just don't do. There are examples -- losing weight, volunteering on the weekends, saving the planet from impending doom . . . the usual things people talk about when they talk about resolutions.
The truth is that I want to do all those things -- I've done them before at different times (not the doom one) and not stuck to them. I wonder if I can order some "stick-to-it" online.
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