Sunday, October 23, 2005
The Beatles Rock!
40 years later they are still the best band in the world - they changed everything. They completely rock - and I use the present tense because recording media make them ever present.
Ditto on Stem Cells
Balloon Juice perfectly articulates my views on the stem cell "debate."
When I say debate, I actually mean fight, because there is no debate for me. A stem cell is not a person, it is not murder, and it is not immoral or amoral to use them. People who make the claim that conducting research on a stem cell that will otherwise be destroyed or discarded is akin to taking a human life have, IMHO, queered this debate so needlessly that it is pointless to even attempt to reason with them. Besides- they only understand brute political force, which is what they are trying to use to impose their moral code on the rest of us, so why ‘debate’ them.
I'm Back
I took a little time off to read the latest Harry Potter. It was thoroughly enjoyable, but of course my next fix won't be for another year or so. I had been putting off reading it until I finished the other books I'm reading (Blinded by the Right by David Brock and The Fermata by Nicholson Baker)but couldn't put it off any longer. I needed an easy, entertaining novel and this one sure delivered. If you haven't read the series, you should consider it. Each novel is better written than the last.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Good News in the War on (Some) Drugs: Pot is Good for You
The Globe and Mail: Study turns pot wisdom on head
It turns out that the effects of pot use are dependant on dosage and amount used. However, no matter how beneficial marijuana is, the Lifestyle Police are against pot use because it's fun (and therefore bad) and because legalization would devastate many industries: alcohol, paper, prison and prison-related (like construction). Pot illegality is originally based in racism, and the refusal to change our drug laws must at least partially be based on racism as well as the factors above.
The Lifestyle Police are right in that marijuana is a gateway drug. It's a gateway to people thinking for themselves - once someone enters the black market to purchase pot, tries it and likes it, they generally tend to question authority more. Questioning authority is something the Lifestyle Police (TM) discourage because they control the levers of the Republican party and key social institutions, thus giving them power. Their authority is essentially based on "because we said so" and not in any rational philosophy. I say rational philosophy because they claim to be inspired by God and try to justify their political influence through God. In their collective mind, questioning authority in general leads to questioning God and his role in our Republic. Therefore any they try to quell any questioning of authority.
It turns out that the effects of pot use are dependant on dosage and amount used. However, no matter how beneficial marijuana is, the Lifestyle Police are against pot use because it's fun (and therefore bad) and because legalization would devastate many industries: alcohol, paper, prison and prison-related (like construction). Pot illegality is originally based in racism, and the refusal to change our drug laws must at least partially be based on racism as well as the factors above.
The Lifestyle Police are right in that marijuana is a gateway drug. It's a gateway to people thinking for themselves - once someone enters the black market to purchase pot, tries it and likes it, they generally tend to question authority more. Questioning authority is something the Lifestyle Police (TM) discourage because they control the levers of the Republican party and key social institutions, thus giving them power. Their authority is essentially based on "because we said so" and not in any rational philosophy. I say rational philosophy because they claim to be inspired by God and try to justify their political influence through God. In their collective mind, questioning authority in general leads to questioning God and his role in our Republic. Therefore any they try to quell any questioning of authority.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Why the UN Should Change
Lincoln, Calhounand the U.N.'s Dilemma
McClellan makes an interesting point about why Americans of all stripes distrust the U.N: It treats all states as equal to each other and does not privilege democracies or freedom. The U.N. thus allows Syria to sit on the Human Rights Commission, and is slow to authorize action against aggressor states or states that ill-treat their citizens.
McClellan makes an interesting point about why Americans of all stripes distrust the U.N: It treats all states as equal to each other and does not privilege democracies or freedom. The U.N. thus allows Syria to sit on the Human Rights Commission, and is slow to authorize action against aggressor states or states that ill-treat their citizens.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
My Soundtrack for the '90s
So I was sitting in bed this morning trying to come up with the ultimate soundtrack for the decade, which of course would accompany some John Waters movie set then. Songs had to popular enough that most people would recognize them, if not the artists. I started doing this in April of 2000 with a friend, and continued on and off for a while. Here's the best I've come up with so far.
1)Sell Out - Reel Big Fish
2)Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
3)What's Up? - 4 Non-Blondes
4)Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
5)End of the World as We Know it -- R.E.M.
6)All Shook Down - Paul Westerburg
7)Today - Smashing Pumpkins
8)Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
9)Stay - Lisa Loeb
10)Here Comes Your Man - Pixies
11)Positive Bleeding - Urge Overkill
12)Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
13)Give it Away Now - Red Hot Chili Peppers
14)Ch-Check it Out - Beastie Boys
15)Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground
16)Right Here, Right Now - EMF
17)Zoot Suit Riot - Cherry Poppin Daddies
18 Roll to Me -- Del Amitri
1)Sell Out - Reel Big Fish
2)Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
3)What's Up? - 4 Non-Blondes
4)Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
5)End of the World as We Know it -- R.E.M.
6)All Shook Down - Paul Westerburg
7)Today - Smashing Pumpkins
8)Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
9)Stay - Lisa Loeb
10)Here Comes Your Man - Pixies
11)Positive Bleeding - Urge Overkill
12)Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
13)Give it Away Now - Red Hot Chili Peppers
14)Ch-Check it Out - Beastie Boys
15)Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground
16)Right Here, Right Now - EMF
17)Zoot Suit Riot - Cherry Poppin Daddies
18 Roll to Me -- Del Amitri
Harriet is what WE Want!!!
Ok. Harriet is what we asked for: a previously elected official who spent most of her career in private practice. This means that she understands how the law impacts business and also realizes where the votes stand. Basically, she is an excellent choice for Bush. He never really wanted another Scalia or Thomas. And of course... President Bush knows her heart. Basically, someone who would uphold Roe v. Wade on the sly.
"Experiential"... is how McLaughlin described her.
I still think that he fucked up. Pretending that the 6-year itch is not going to manifest is sheer blindness. This time it will be due to the President's and Congressional Leader's indictments/staff indicitment problems.
"Experiential"... is how McLaughlin described her.
I still think that he fucked up. Pretending that the 6-year itch is not going to manifest is sheer blindness. This time it will be due to the President's and Congressional Leader's indictments/staff indicitment problems.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Harriet Has a Blog!
Ok, it's not really her, but the initial posts are funny. Unfortunately, the humor quotient decreases as the week goes on.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Conservatives Rage!
Buchanan
Kristol
Krauthammer
Christianists in General
These complaints boil down to two things: cronyism and ideology. The Miers appointment clearly passes the duck test in regards to cronyism. It also raises fears that Bush's appointment of her and Roberts will skew the court more liberal and thus enshrine Roe v. Wade as settled law. Nothing would make me happier, except the possibility that her nomination is withdrawn and she be replaced by a hispanic Souter such as some believe Gonzalez would be.
Kristol
Krauthammer
Christianists in General
These complaints boil down to two things: cronyism and ideology. The Miers appointment clearly passes the duck test in regards to cronyism. It also raises fears that Bush's appointment of her and Roberts will skew the court more liberal and thus enshrine Roe v. Wade as settled law. Nothing would make me happier, except the possibility that her nomination is withdrawn and she be replaced by a hispanic Souter such as some believe Gonzalez would be.
Monday, October 03, 2005
I Love The War at Home
There is no way the Lifestyle Police will allow this to remain for a whole season. The first episode revolved around the daughter offended that her boyfriend wouldnt't go down on her; the second revolved around boomer yuppie (and other) pot smokers; and the third around maturbation jokes. And they were all funny, but I doubt the Pat Robertson crowd would agree.
I Love Charmed
Ok, how post-modern is this quote?
..."All is did is inputted [SIC] it all [the data] into the computer, I hooked the cystal up to the GPS system,I started scrying for the demon, and whala, that's where he was."
Piper:"She was scrying with a computer? It's pretty State of the Art."
Briliant.
..."All is did is inputted [SIC] it all [the data] into the computer, I hooked the cystal up to the GPS system,I started scrying for the demon, and whala, that's where he was."
Piper:"She was scrying with a computer? It's pretty State of the Art."
Briliant.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
I Love Desperate Housewives . .and Postmodernism Rocks!
SoI was watching the E! True Hollywood story about the Women of Desperate Houswives, and they showed video footage of Eva Longoria in the Miss Corpus Christi pageant. The interesting bit isn't the highlighted footage of Ms. Longoria's choreography performance, but that of "the woman in the green dress" who is at least half a beat behind. We'll call her Sandy.
Sandy must have wanted to do well in the pageant or she wouldn't have entered. We don't know how she did, but we're sure that this was Sandy's worst part of the pageant, and of which she surely was embarassed at the time.
Ok, so Sandy goes through life happy despite not winning the pageant (Eva Longoria did). She even tells her friends that she lost the Miss Corpus Christi pageant to Eva Longoria - why wouldn't she claim this small part of fame. And then E! obtains footage of the disastrous performance. Is she aware of it? Does she laugh at herself? Do her friends laugh at her or with her?
What a post-modern conundrum. Being presented years after the fact with an embarassing event that receded into memory and was only available in the present because video recorders have added partial permanence to the perishable events of our lives.
We'll never know how Sandy reacts, but we hope she laughs.
Sandy must have wanted to do well in the pageant or she wouldn't have entered. We don't know how she did, but we're sure that this was Sandy's worst part of the pageant, and of which she surely was embarassed at the time.
Ok, so Sandy goes through life happy despite not winning the pageant (Eva Longoria did). She even tells her friends that she lost the Miss Corpus Christi pageant to Eva Longoria - why wouldn't she claim this small part of fame. And then E! obtains footage of the disastrous performance. Is she aware of it? Does she laugh at herself? Do her friends laugh at her or with her?
What a post-modern conundrum. Being presented years after the fact with an embarassing event that receded into memory and was only available in the present because video recorders have added partial permanence to the perishable events of our lives.
We'll never know how Sandy reacts, but we hope she laughs.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
EU Free Rides Again, and Now Wants Control
The Internet is the quintessential American invention - first built by academics and the Defense Department, and later made incredibly user friendly by grad students and young entrepreneurs. The rest of the world just sat back and watched as the hypertextual universe suddenly had a decent (and constantly improving) visual interface.
It was such a powerful invention that it swept the world, with many nations trying to keep it out, or monitor its usage. Most of the world didn't contribute significantly to its development, but the whole world has been a free rider on this greatest of all American inventions.
Information inherently wants to be free, and Americans value freedom more than any other people on the planet. It is this ethos that lead legions of American enterpreneurs, libertarians, communitarians and even socialists to do their part to make the internet the useful tool it is today.
But because of the usefulness of the internet, other nations are trying to jump on the bandwagon and attempt to steer where it might go. This should be a non-starter for the United States. Letting the UN control the internet invariably means that nations such as China or Germany which do not value the free flow of information, will have a voice in setting the parameters of the internet, and its usefulness will decrease. It is the very ethos of American freedom that made the internet what it is. Compromising this ethos will only result in a less useful hyperreality that is more full of propaganda than of actually useful information.
I specifically mention Germany above because while it shares many American values, the Germans do not brook any publication etc. that touches on Nazism or Neo-Nazism. Americans, while appalled by such an ideology, believe in freedom of the press with no exceptions. Because the rest of the world does not embrace our liberal attitudes towards freedom of the press, they should not have access to control the content of the global press, despite the best efforts of of China and others to do so.
The UN deserves no role in controlling the internet.
It was such a powerful invention that it swept the world, with many nations trying to keep it out, or monitor its usage. Most of the world didn't contribute significantly to its development, but the whole world has been a free rider on this greatest of all American inventions.
Information inherently wants to be free, and Americans value freedom more than any other people on the planet. It is this ethos that lead legions of American enterpreneurs, libertarians, communitarians and even socialists to do their part to make the internet the useful tool it is today.
But because of the usefulness of the internet, other nations are trying to jump on the bandwagon and attempt to steer where it might go. This should be a non-starter for the United States. Letting the UN control the internet invariably means that nations such as China or Germany which do not value the free flow of information, will have a voice in setting the parameters of the internet, and its usefulness will decrease. It is the very ethos of American freedom that made the internet what it is. Compromising this ethos will only result in a less useful hyperreality that is more full of propaganda than of actually useful information.
I specifically mention Germany above because while it shares many American values, the Germans do not brook any publication etc. that touches on Nazism or Neo-Nazism. Americans, while appalled by such an ideology, believe in freedom of the press with no exceptions. Because the rest of the world does not embrace our liberal attitudes towards freedom of the press, they should not have access to control the content of the global press, despite the best efforts of of China and others to do so.
The UN deserves no role in controlling the internet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
