Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Secular Victory

This is very significant -- and completely ignored by the media:

In the 2006 election, Democrats netted 6 new governors, 6 new senators, 30 new house members, and flipped 10 new legislative chambers.

In the 2004 election, Republicans netted 0 net new governors, just 4 net new senators and 3 House members, and a net loss of state chambers. That was the election, remember, where everyone was screaming about the power of the evangelicals.

Uh huh.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

WHEW!

Tough game last night, but Carolina pulled it out over Duke. Unbelievable stat: Carolina's first lead in the game was with 5 minutes left in the game! When Duke was leading and playing great defense, I kept telling myself that they'd run out of gas and that our bench was so deep, we could keep taking it to them when they tired -- which it seems is what happened. Anyway, another great game on tap tonight -- the #2 Carolina women take on the #1 Duke women. Go Heels!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Remember This

As the "Iran is bad and must be stopped" rhetoric increases, keep in mind that Iran is Shia. The majority of the insurgency problem in Iraq is Sunni, probably fed by wealthy individuals in Sunni Saudi Arabia. But the Saudis are Bush's "friends." So Bush is trying again to manipulate the press as he pounds the drumbeat for an attack on Iran. While Iran is most likely involved in Iraq, as must be Syria and who knows what other Middle East players, the thing to keep in mind is that the attacks on Iraqis and Americans are coming from Sunni insurgents who have nothing to do with Shia Iran.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

When the Rapture Comes...

A local TV station recently revamped its website and comments are now allowed. The level of discourse is absolutely in the gutter for the most part, since its mainly right wing nutjobs who clearly do little other than listen to the comedian Rush Limbaugh and to the Fox Noise Channel.

However, I did laugh at this: some idiot posted something along the lines of "God bless the great Christian President Bush and pray because the Rapture is coming soon." To which a commenter replied "When the Rapture comes, can I have your car?"

Sad News

So sad about Molly Ivins. Her wit and wisdom will be sorely missed.

Randy Newman's SOTU

Ah, the great Randy Newman, published in the NY Times Jan. 24 and available in song version from his website:

A Few Words in Defense of Our Country

By Randy Newman

I’d like to say a few words
In defense of our country
Whose people aren’t bad nor are they mean
Now the leaders we have
While they’re the worst that we’ve had
Are hardly the worst this poor world has seen

Let’s turn history’s pages, shall we?

Take the Caesars for example
Why within the first few of them
They had split Gaul into three parts
Fed the Christians to the lions
And burned down the City
And one of ’em
Appointed his own horse Consul of the Empire
That’s like vice president or something
That’s not a very good example, is it?
But wait, here’s one, the Spanish Inquisition
They put people in a terrible position

I don’t even like to think about it
Well, sometimes I like to think about it

Just a few words in defense of our country
Whose time at the top
Could be coming to an end
Now we don’t want their love
And respect at this point is pretty much out of the question
But in times like these
We sure could use a friend

Hitler. Stalin.
Men who need no introduction
King Leopold of Belgium. That’s right.
Everyone thinks he’s so great
Well he owned The Congo
He tore it up too
He took the diamonds, he took the gold
He took the silver
Know what he left them with?
Malaria

A president once said,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”
Now it seems like we’re supposed to be afraid
It’s patriotic in fact and color coded
And what are we supposed to be afraid of?
Why, of being afraid
That’s what terror means, doesn’t it?
That’s what it used to mean

The end of an empire is messy at best
And this empire is ending
Like all the rest
Like the Spanish Armada adrift on the sea
We’re adrift in the land of the brave
And the home of the free
Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.