Imminent Theocracy in Minnesota

The Hotline's Blogometer has a little something about one of the candidates for governor in Minnesota. Read the last post.

Deepak Chopra on Peace

In a post titled Why Peace Isn't Pointless Deepak Chopra says,

In a recent blog I pointed out that making peace with the Muslim world was our only long-term option, given that every Islamic society is rapidly being instilled with permanent anti-Americanism, almost from the cradle.

He makes the following points:

--We can't stop Muslims from hating us by attacking them.
--To say that terrorists will be goaded by peace has no historical precedent. Terrorists are goaded by repression and aggression.
--We've successfully made friends with enemies in the past (Germany, Japan, China, the former Soviet Union).
...
--The American public has no stomach for war, protracted or short-term, that doesn't lead to victory. Since victory is nowhere in sight, the entire militaristic venture is politically self-defeating.

For me, it's a "take a deep breath and don't despair" kind of post, knowing that there are voices speaking these truths. It's ok that he presents no solutions, this is foundation.

Unitarian Jihad

The following is from the original communique of a group calling itself Unitarian Jihad, published last April by the San Francisco Chronicle, who received it via an anonymous spam remailer. They have no idea whether other media outlets received the communique, and, if they did, why they are keeping it under wraps.

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only one God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.

...

We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes.

...

We are Unitarian Jihad, and our motto is: "Sincerity is not enough." We have heard from enough sincere people to last a lifetime already. Just because you believe it's true doesn't make it true. Just because your motives are pure doesn't mean you are not doing harm. Get a dog, or comfort someone in a nursing home, or just feed the birds in the park. Play basketball. Lighten up. The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.

The entire communique is still online at The San Fransisco Chronicle.

Not the Worst President EVER

That would probably be Hindenburg, who was pressured into appointing Hitler to be Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and we all know how that turned out.

But our boy could be a close second, and that other war was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away, so there is no reason to stop referring to him as the Worst President Ever.

Republican Baby Toys

Here are some toys for advanced infant development, for your Republican friends with babies.

Strawberry Fields Forever

I happened to be in New York on October 9, 2003, John Lennon's 63rd birthday, and went to see Strawberry Fields.

I remember where I was when I heard the news of his murder 25 years ago. That ranks it in my lifetime with the JFK and Martin Luther King assassinations, the Challenger disaster, and 9/11.

Culture of Corruption

Josh Marshall covers a bit of the "corruption documentation wars" going on these days.  You know, where some "impartial" reporter or editor adds some Democrats to the steaming Republican corruption stew for "balance".

Which begs the question, how do you cover both sides of a one-sided culture of corruption?

National Incompetence Party

Larry Beinhart has a post over at Huffington pasting labels on the One True Party.

They ran for office promising to fix the country and fix the government.  What they did not say was that they meant "fix" like you fix a cat.

They don't believe in government.  Is it any surprise that when they run things government falls apart?

Can We Try Something Else Now?

The failure of "privatization" and "out-sourcing" of the Iraq war and reconstruction has resulted in billions of dollars going missing in Iraq. Contractors have been skimming profits - although considering the magnitude of the thefts, "skimming" may be too small a word.

The failure of "de-regulation" led to the California energy crime spree a few years ago - you can't call it a crisis, really, it was created by criminals at Enron and other energy trading companies.

We are now finding out why, over, oh I don't know how many years - 229? - why there was regulation and government run enterprises. Could it be that people are easily tempted, and need oversight?

The Hon. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter

I'm very happy with my representative in Congress, the Honorable Louise M. Slaughter. 

 

She has a diary at Daily Kos and generally stands up for what's right.

Worst President Ever

GWB is the Worst President Ever.

Causes of insanity

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, each time expecting a different result.

One cause of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and each time getting a different result.

Why can't the people I work with pay attention to detail?