2009 archive
Truth. No Reconciliation. 0
Vs. Broderism. Eric Alterman in The Nation discusses David Broder’s reluctance to seek the truth about torture. Sadly, Broder is just one amongst many who view politics as some sort of game divorced from ethics, morality, and the rule of law:
Brand Loyalty 0
There was a Republican from Nantucket,
and ev’rything he touched he’d–never mind.
Read something from someone who knows writing:
Stray Question 0
If I were a Sharpie, now where would I hide?
Living in the Past (Update) 0
(When I read this story, I thought I was back in high school in the olden days when the fight was over boys having long hair.)
A local school district, which is down the road a piece and on the right, mandates that girls wear skirts or dresses at graduation.
But that’s what the school says she has to do.
High school graduations in this part of the world are usually held outside to accommodate the crowds and normally take place on a broiling hot day–even if all the surrounding days are cool, graduation day is broiling hot. It’s a law of nature.
Unless it’s cold and downpoury (it’s never just rainy on graduation day–on graduation day, it doesn’t rain, it monsoons–another law of nature). Then the ceremony is held in a broiling hot, steamy gym whose HVAC is incapable of dealing with the crowd.
Also, what the students wear will be covered by polyester graduation robes which are designed primarily to cut costs while raising the skin temperature by five degrees (I know the robes are polyester–I have two of them left over from various kids hanging in the attic), since polyester is to air circulation as a space suit is to a vacuum.
Let ’em wear shorts and halter tops (remember halter tops?) under their gowns if they want.
That would probably still be more formal than what they wear to school every day.
Addendum, the Following Tuesday:
They’re making an exception for the girls who are protesting. The girls have to wear slacks and ties, like the boys. They are going to “study” the graduation dress code.
The ACLU is looking at the case.
Put butter on it. The dress code is toast.
Another One Bites the Dust 0
Westsound Bank, Bremerton, WA, is no more.
Field Office 0
FDIC sets up shop in Florida, Because the southeastern banking system is so, you know, healthy.
(snip)
Throughout its history, the FDIC has used these offices to keep temporary asset resolution staff closer to the concentration of failed bank assets they oversee. As the work diminishes, the temporary satellite offices are closed.
Bonddad on the Stress Tests 0
Follow the links for the full analyses:
Part 1:
GDP is already performing more poorly than the Fed’s stress test.
The worse case scenario for unemployment is the most realistic possibility.
Home prices are already closer to the Fed’s worst case scenario than the median baseline forecast.
Bottom line: the worst case scenario is the most realistic scenario.
Part 2:
Let’s move to the latest report from the Treasury Department. It indicates several problems.
Let the Sun Shine In 0
Balmy weather. And just plain balmy:
Cars whizzed by on St. Paul’s Boulevard as the man raised his shorts aloft on a stick.
(snip)
Court staff pressed against the narrow windows that line the side of the building facing the street as sheriff’s deputies and police surrounded the man. Officers eventually covered him with a leopard-print blanket and took him away.
“At least he didn’t have a hula hoop,” said Clerk of Court George Schaefer.
Quake in Your Boots 0
I really can’t improve on this.
Tempest in a DoubleD-Cup 0
’nuff said.
(snip)
Under pressure M&S dropped its £2 surcharge last night, signalling a win for frustrated campaigners.
Not a Prayer 0
A friend of mine, knowing I would delight in the full wingnuttery of it, forwarded me this email referring to a report on CNN. You can read the full CNN story here.
Let’s see – covers up religious symbols at a catholic school, his car is named the beast, doesn’t go to church and now this –
Umm – what has America come too ????(CNN) — For the past eight years, the White House recognized the National Day of Prayer with a service in the East Room, but this year, President Obama decided against holding a public ceremony.
“Prayer is something that the president does everyday,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, noting that Obama will sign a proclamation to recognize the day, as many administrations in the past have done. Asked if Obama thought his predecessor’s ceremonies were politicized, Gibbs said, “No, I’m not going to get into that again.”
(snip)
I won’t even waste my time on the wingnut claptrap with which the original emailer prefaced the quotation. You can find more here, here, and here.
There’s some history here.
The United States was not founded as a “Christian nation.” Indeed, for most of the colonial period, the colonies were not particularly religious, with the exception of the descendants of the Puritans and the Pilgrims in New England. And their vaunted desire for “religious freedom” had nothing to do with religious freedom for others; rather, they wanted freedom for themselves, but were quite intolerant of those whose religious practices differed from theirs (they are the spiritual ancestors of today’s Religious Right).
Indeed, in most of the colonies, the Church of England was the established church; the fellow who founded the little Baptist Church in which I grew up spent time in jail for his missionary activities on behalf of Baptist beliefs. (Which makes it doubly ironic that many of today’s Baptists seem to want to return to the days of establishmentarianism. Ah, well, those who forget history and all that.)
In the mid-1700s and then again in the early 1800s, there were waves of revivalism, usually referred to as the First and Second Great Awakenings. In the succeeding years, the place of religion in the public square waxed and waned.
But, frankly, the National Day of Prayer has nothing to do with that.
Public religious observance increased right after WWII with the beginning of the Cold War. That’s when “under God” got added to the pledge of allegiance to the United States.
It was part of a larger effort to publicly differentiate between western democracy and “godless” communism. It was, if you will, religion as a Cold War weapon, not true religious feeling. I remember public service ads urging persons to “attend the church of synagogue of your choice,” as if some religion–any religion–were better than no religion.
The truth, as far as moral behavior is concerned, is that some persons’ religions are better than some other persons’ religions. In some cases, at least as far as public conduct is concerned, no religion is better than many religions.
One of my friends is relentlessly and fiercely atheistic. I will take her as an example of moral, humane, kind, and loving behavior over James Dobson and his flock of intolerant sycophants any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Three times on Sundays. I have another friend whose theology is extremely heterodox and would not pass the creed test for any mainstream church (except possibly the Unitarians)–certainly not the litmus tests of the Religious Right–but who is one of the kindest, most caring and considerate persons I know.
I also notice the descriptions of the Bushie “ecumenical” services in the CNN story refer to Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. No mention of Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Confucians, Sikhs, Rastafarians, or (gasp!) Muslims.
(Imagine the howls from the Religious right at a truly ecumenical service.)
Politically, no service is probably a lot safer than a truly ecumenical one.
Symbolic acts are important, but only insofar as they reflect sincerity. I prefer leaders who do not attend church but who try to lead with integrity and morality to those who loudly profess their religious beliefs while, say, for example, just hypothetically speaking you know, facilitating greed, condoning torture, and committing unjust war.
I reserve my respect for someone who quietly lives with integrity; I do not grant it to someone who believes in the kind of God that you have to wind up on Sundays.
Stray Thought 0
There is a doctoral dissertation lurking in the sociology of Facebook groups.
Big Spender 0
I first saw this song performed in its context in a high school play.
In its context, it is one of the saddest songs I know.
People Mag 0
I think I’ve read People Magazine once. I was trapped in a waiting room at the time.
This pretty much explains why I don’t read it.
Aside: There’s enough stupid that comes along as part of day-to-day life. I don’t have to send out invitations.
Intestinal Fortitude . . . 0
. . . and the lack thereof.