Sententiae

Without Comment

2012-01-26T11:14:00.003-05:00

If you want comment, go here.

Without Comment

2012-01-26T11:11:00.001-05:00

from another liberal shill - Jesse Ventura's official facebook page.

Question of the week

2012-01-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

Romney victory celebration

2012-01-21T21:05:00.002-05:00

This evening, GOP primary election day, in South Carolina.

gee ... I guess religion really is important down here.

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I'm sorry I left you....

2012-01-21T20:12:00.003-05:00

... the blog that is. I had temporarily sought new fields among the Facebook crowd. Quick and easy. No thought required. And in fact, none really allowed when you consider the format. Cinco is still trying to turn it into a platform for an extended development for his political thought. Isn't going to work. It's great for maintaining contact with lost friends, family, and other groups but you are not going to be able to say much more than "Hi. Just had a grilled cheese sandwich."

So, I should pay more attention to Sententiae. I've been at it for years now and it serves its purpose for me even though the day of the blog seems to have passed and the few readers I had have passed on to other venues. Or simply lost interest.

It looks like a busy semester though - it is certainly starting off with a bang with six job candidates coming to our department in the first two weeks. There is a lot of work involved, much of it work I detest.

Look forward to a spurt of posts as I desperately try to procrastinate.

you know I can do it!

Truer words...

2012-01-06T14:58:00.003-05:00

... written in a funny article about how all the big shot conservative pundits had no use for Rick Santorum. Until, of course, he nearly beat Mitt Romney in Iowa. But one of them actually saw it coming:

The American Spectator’s Quin Hillyer, for one, was into Santorum before being into Santorum was cool. In early November, when Santorum was still pulling single digits in national polls, Hillyer wrote that Santorum could be “the sharpest, most accomplished, most campaign-savvy “It’s a good thing for Rick Santorum that conventional wisdom, especially in politics, is usually preternaturally stupid,”, and most full-spectrum conservative in a quarter-century of presidential contests . . . working harder than anybody, making at least as much intellectual sense as anybody, never blowing a debate, and never failing to stand on principle.”

Even earlier in July 2010 the same guy wrote these words that should be remembered every time you listen to a political pundit:

“It’s a good thing for Rick Santorum that conventional wisdom, especially in politics, is usually preternaturally stupid.”

So there.

coming soon: the empire strikes back ... and Santorum tanks. Or not.

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Shocking News about Canada!!!

2011-12-29T12:06:00.002-05:00

It is now part of the US. At least according to the man who would be president:

Rick Perry in Iowa: "Every barrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil that we don't have to buy from a foreign source."

But I believe this is yet another Republican statement that is "not intended as a true statement." So the one Canadian who reads this blog (if he is still out there) can relax.

... but about Mexico.

With support like this ...

2011-12-14T16:38:00.001-05:00

... Romney picks up a key endorsement:

"That’s one of the things that I like about him — because he’s been consistent since he changed his mind,” - Christine O’Donnell, on her endorsement of Mitt Romney.

Oh, the hell with it. Go ahead and vote Ron Paul.

But .... but ... it's not about race!!

2011-12-12T17:41:00.002-05:00

At least, so they keep saying.

And in the real world a Tea Party web site has this:

Patriot Freedom Alliance, a tea party group in Hutchinson, Kansas, made a statement on its website recently, depicting Obama as a skunk. “It is half black, half white, and almost everything it does, stinks,” the site reads, according to a screen grab posted by The Hutchinson News.

To the Patriot Freedom Alliance, this is simply political satire and no worse than what Palin was subjected to.

well, then that certainly makes it ok.

The Left Speaks!

2011-12-04T13:29:00.004-05:00

Well, the Rightist speaks on the left's behalf over on my new favorite blog, crack skull bob.

The artist's left hand goes out of control and commits a comic strip on love. Here is the explanation the Rightist gives:

This was a comic drawn many years ago by my left hand unbeknownst to the rest of my body. This was a frequent problem during my youth, my left hand being sullen and resentful because of the adulation showered upon my right hand. Kind of a Left of Eden scenario. Righty got to do all the spectacular cross-hatching and trumpet-fingering and imperious gesticulating, while Lefty was given menial jobs such as holding my penis while I urinated. Over the years he has mellowed somewhat, but every so often I will feel a vicious pinch on my left side, and will have to stop what I'm doing and stroke my left hand gently, crooning "Never you mind, left hand. Never you mind."

In my own corporeal dispensation it is the other way around. Occasionally I take the right hand out for a trot around the writing pad just so it won't get too sulky.

Though it shouldn't since I grew up in a rightist imperialistic dictatorship (aka the family) that forced, forced I say, me to learn to play all sports with the right hand.

PBS! PBS!

2011-11-27T13:48:00.004-05:00

Without comment

2011-11-27T11:38:00.002-05:00

The Self-Absorbed Americans

2011-11-26T15:02:00.002-05:00

TOTALLY self absorbed.

At least according to the editors of Time Magazine, USA edition.

I really, really wish I didn't believe this...

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Question of the week

2011-11-24T19:32:00.004-05:00

That last post was too nice. So here.

From Crack Skull Square Space.

Thanksgiving. The Unbelievable

2011-11-24T19:10:00.002-05:00

Gabby Giffords. A hero just for being more than merely alive.

Brother-in-law joke.

2011-11-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

A simple question from Pat Robertson. Carmen will understand.

at least he is not appearing in the Republican debates this time.

Do they have ethics?

2011-11-22T23:31:00.003-05:00

Little dogs, that is. Or is loyalty an instinct rather than an ethic? And besides, the dog is Chinese so it is inscrutable in any case.

In other words, I don't know.

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Sometime you get what you asked for ...

2011-11-22T23:11:00.004-05:00

... and don't like it. Really don't like.

The state of Alabama has spent millions on attracting foreign auto companies to come to their state, mostly in tax incentives. It has been so successful at this that Mercedes Benz and other foreign companies hire almost 7% of the state's workforce.

So then Alabama passes one of the harshest anti-illegal immigrant law in the country.
Bingo!

An Alabama police officer snags himself a real live undocumented alien driving a rented car who is immediately hauled off to the nearest jail. He was booked for violating the new immigration law.

They had arrested a German executive of Mercedes Benz who had left his passport in his hotel room.

As the local police chief said of the arrest: "I'm not surprised at the amount of attention this has drawn. I expected it would take something like this to get attention." Keep in mind that most police forces were opposed to the new law.

But there is an upside to this story. There is now evidence that at least one Alabama state senator is not a complete fool. State Senator Slade Blackwell told the New York Times:

"The longer the bill has been out, the more unintended consequences we have found," he told the paper. "All of us realize we need to change it."

no word yet about what the Germans think of this.

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Schadenfreude: foreclosure edition

2011-11-21T22:21:00.004-05:00

Remember the Steven J. Baum P.C. firm that specialized in foreclosures? The one whose employees mocked the folks they foreclosed on at the Halloween party? This one.

It had to go out of business. Something about that rotten no good Nocera writing a column about them resulting in lost business.

Of course, the legal hassles over the years with the federal gov't and the NY AG's office may not have helped.

Nocera seems unrepentant.

I need to seriously work on my Christian charity.

A Republican speaks

2011-11-21T10:29:00.004-05:00

Well, self-defined Republican. He, like a few others, have been read out of the Republican Party as surely as Buckley got rid of the Birchers (premature Tea Partiers).

Of course, I am talking about David Frum. Here is a squib from his latest.

America desperately needs a responsible and compassionate alternative to the Obama administration’s path of bigger government at higher cost. And yet: This past summer, the GOP nearly forced America to the verge of default just to score a point in a budget debate. In the throes of the worst economic crisis since the Depression, Republican politicians demand massive budget cuts and shrug off the concerns of the unemployed. In the face of evidence of dwindling upward mobility and long-stagnating middle-class wages, my party’s economic ideas sometimes seem to have shrunk to just one: more tax cuts for the very highest earners. When I entered Republican politics, during an earlier period of malaise, in the late seventies and early eighties, the movement got most of the big questions—crime, inflation, the Cold War—right. This time, the party is getting the big questions disastrously wrong.

You should read the rest of it, but I warn you: the photo in bright red tones that will open on your screen is not fit for children or small animals.

well, he should know.

NASCAR and Southern Hospitality

2011-11-21T09:56:00.003-05:00

Now that Michelle Obama has been booed during an event honoring our troops some folks are wondering whatever happened to southern hospitality.

Any 62 year old southern white who is honest knows the answer.

It was for whites only.

And even then, only for a certain class.

And, I have to point out, it was at Homestead-Miami in that unnamed state to our south. Making the homefolks proud.

maybe I could move back to Minnesota.

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Without Comment

2011-11-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

The Bank of America saga continues...

2011-11-17T22:24:00.004-05:00

We started off talking about a few mistakes the Bank of America, the once well regarded bank from North Carolina (it was actually Nations Bank which acquired B of A). That was right after they wanted to charge everyone a $5 bank card fee.

It seems the folks at the Bank of America are still covering themselves with glory. Even while they face layoffs of 36,000 employees they can still make little mistakes. Like these:

Konstantinos Alexopoulos opened up an account at Barnett Bank -- which was ultimately acquired by BofA -- in 1992 when he came to the United States for college, the Tampa Tribune reports. He returned to Greece in 1997 and continued making deposits to the account totaling $59,000 in 2003, but when he checked his balance in 2005, it had dwindled to $1,400.

Alexopoulos alleges that's because the bank mixed up his account with that of another man of the same name, who subsequently withdrew the money, according to the Tribune.

If Alexopoulos' claims hold up in court, it would be far from the first BofA mix-up. The bank also gave the same 10-digit account number to two customers in Riverside, California, according to a July report by the Los Angeles Times. One of the customers -- an 88-year old World War II veteran -- ended up losing out on $30,000 worth of social security payments as a result. After an investigation by the San Bernardino County district attorney's office, he ultimately got the money back.

In September it was reported that a Hawaiian woman sued BofA after she received computer-generated calls as often as every 15 minutes from the bank over a missed mortgage payment, while she was grieving for her recently deceased husband.

BofA has also had some notable blunders issuing foreclosures. The bank threatened to foreclose on a Utah couple's home earlier this month, after they had already sold it. The bank also tried to foreclose on a home last month that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008. In addition, the bank asked a Massachusetts man in August to pay a $0.00 balance to stave off foreclosure.

You will note that since Mr Alexopoulos is having to sue the bank, the good folks of BofA have no intention of making good his losses. It's not their fault they gave away his money to someone else. It's HIS fault for having the same name as another customer (and presumably the same account number, and the same Social Security number, etc.)

BTW, this was after you and I put up a LOT of money to save their asses not that many months ago. Gives me an especially warm feeling when I see their giant headquarters building when I drive to Charlotte.

O'Reilly. That didn't take long

2011-11-15T17:29:00.003-05:00

As Maire predicted, O'Reilly insists that his book about Lincoln is being savaged by 'enemies.'

Like historians.

My favorite quote:

"We well understand our enemies are full of rage at that success," he said. "We also know the media lies at will these days with little accountability."

I think we can all agree with that last bit.

America the Meritocracy

2011-11-14T20:42:00.001-05:00

News item:

Chelsea Clinton has been hired by NBC News, joining George W. Bush’s daughter, Ronald Reagan’s son, John McCain’s daughter, and Tim Russert’s son.

I am really tempted to make an unforgivably snide and rude comment ...

... but I'll wait til next time.

The Elites have failed

2011-11-14T10:13:00.002-05:00

I know, it is something I have been harping on for some time. But I believe it is true and important to recognize. It could be the start of an epic civilizational change a la Toynbee, or the alarm bell that sparks some genuine reform. Or both? I'm not sure, but it should be an interesting time.

Every now and then I see something Steve Pearlstein has written that I like, partly because he hits the Democrats as hard as the Republicans in a logical honest way that pulls me back towards a more centered universe. I have a positively Hellenic passion for the Golden Mean.

Today's column by Pearlstein is a case in point. Just the title deserves a place on Sententiae. "The Epic Global Leadership Fail." Love it. The content is even more pointed:

The global financial system teeters on the edge of collapse because European politicians refused to tell citizens of their crumbling economies that they could no longer guarantee them “la dolce vita” - the sweet life - they had come to expect.
Top executives at Olympus, one of Japan’s leading companies, resign in shame after acknowledging that for nearly 20 years they used a complex accounting scheme to hide billions of dollars in speculative trading losses.
A revered coach and a respected president at Penn State are fired because they were more concerned about protecting their own reputations, and that of their school, than protecting young boys from an alleged sexual predator.
And a former governor, senator and head of Goldman Sachs resigns as chief executive of MF Global after bankrupting the broker-dealer with overleveraged bets on European sovereign bonds.
Welcome to this week’s exciting episode of “Failures in Leadership.”

Read the whole thing. Unlike most of the stipendiary punditocracy he offers some solutions. Let's hope he is as realistic as I think.

me, as an historian: I'd just as soon miss a civilizational change.

Greatest headline. Ever.

2011-11-14T09:36:00.004-05:00

This morning as I scrolled through the Washington Post web page I saw an article with this headline:

"The Story You Are Looking For Was Inadvertently Published."

A few minutes later when I scrolled back to click on it - it was gone!

oops.

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Without comment

2011-11-13T22:35:00.002-05:00

New phrase alert

2011-11-06T18:40:00.002-05:00

Actually, it is an old phrase but one I only heard for the first time a few years ago and still find interesting. It economically implies a host of things economic.

And political. From Wikipedia:

The simplest definition of rent-seeking is the expenditure of resources attempting to enrich oneself by increasing one's share of a fixed amount of wealth rather than trying to create wealth. Since resources are expended but no new wealth is created, the net effect of rent-seeking is to reduce the sum of social wealth.

Rent-seeking generally implies the extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity. The origin of the term refers to the gaining control of land or other pre-existing natural resources. In the modern economy, a more common example of rent-seeking is political lobbying to receive a government transfer payment, or to impose burdensome regulations on one's competitors in order to increase one's market share

Of course, it is more complex than this. Much more complex than poor Clemens can figure out. So I think I will go lay down to think about it.

Why you are not needed

2011-11-06T17:54:00.002-05:00

By the big banks anyway. This is why 5 November for the big boys was simply an opportunity to shed a lot of individual little customers who are more of a nuisance than a revenue source. It is the big bucks that count, not your little piddly accounts. So get thee to a Credit Union! Unless, of course, you are someone I am not aware of personally knowing.

Someone who is ready to invest in the new Wells Fargo bank. Unless you have $50 million or more you aren't wanted. What do they focus on for the folks who pass the entrance exam?

Abbott Downing is named after a 19th century custom carriage builder who catered to the wealthy, according to UPI. The firm has $27.5 billion in client assets and about 300 people on staff -- including psychologists and staff dedicated to building family genealogies, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
"Abbot Downing goes beyond traditional wealth planning analysis by focusing on clients' values, goals and vision," James Steiner, who will run Abbot Downing, said in a statement. "Our advisors and Family Dynamics consultants focus not only on traditional wealth planning, such as cash flow, investments and wealth transfer, but also on human dimensions, such as family legacy, governance, leadership transition, family education and risk management."

Sounds good. Values beyond traditional wealth planning. Human dimensions. Good. Let's see, family legacy, governance, leadership transition, family education and risk management.

In other words, for the truly rich, "values, goals and vision" are all about ... "Me, myself, and my family." Hence the family genealogies, which at first I thought were strange in this context. Charity, community, giving, the public weal, none of that is on the list. I am not sure but I think that 'governance' here means lobbying and rent taking rather than public service.

Even the notoriously socially inept, long suspected aspergers child Bill Gates learned to do better than this. Much better. No sarcasm intended on that - Gates deserves great respect for his public giving. These Abbot Downing folks and their ilk, not so much.

the me generation with money. great.

It's academic now...

2011-11-06T12:09:00.003-05:00

This morning which should have been afternoon except for the blessing of daylight savings time Carmen asked me a question that I am sure comes up around your breakfast table from time to time.

"Where did the expression "Ye gods and little fishes come from?"

I pondered this for a moment and replied, as is my wont, "How the %^$& should I know!"

Then we both ran off to the Machine and googled it.

No definitive answer. But there is a very British, and VERY academic article on the Oxford Journal web page. I read it out loud to Carmen in my plummiest voice and we discovered that it is also howlingly funny.

Just read it.

bloody scholars

Where do they find these idiots?

2011-11-06T00:28:00.004-04:00

I am not just talking about Republicans, but this time it is one: this idiot. I'll put his original comments aside. They are not a question of stupidity but of his apparently sincere religious beliefs. The issue of stupidity is when he insults everyone who is a Hindu and THEN DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY COULD BE OFFENDED.

The director of the Hindu American Foundation talked to him and sent him this reply:

“It is difficult to understand how an individual of your education, experience and position would think that calling ‘gods’ of another religion ‘false’ and its practices ‘idolatry, and stating that your hope was that ‘Hindus open their eyes and receive Jesus as their Savior’ would not be taken as offensive…. While you say that you did not intend to offend Hindus, it is apparent that you did. Still, I appreciate the time you personally took to clarify your perspective.”

After reading about this impenetrably smug doofus I can only imagine someone like, say, Christ, walking out of the thoroughly disrupted money changers' section of the Temple and wondering "Was it something I said?"

When you think your religious views are so mainstream that calling anyone else on their religion is simple common sense you have wondered far from the Gospels. What sacrifice, what burden, what cross have you picked up if you are that smug and self-satisfied.

Is there something we have been feeding politicians lately? Is it the water?

money changers. that would be ancient bankers. another remarkably smug lot.

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What books to a desert island?

2011-11-05T23:48:00.004-04:00

Ever considered that question? If you were to be abandoned on a desert island, what books would you want with you? One of my favorite historians was faced with exactly that choice.

I came away with no more than half a dozen books in my suitcase -- not knowing, when I left Ganthorpe in August, whether it was for three days or three years, and not packing a heavier load than I could carry myself at a pinch. As it turned out, it may, I suppose, be three years. Among what I did bring were Saint Augustine's Confessions, Pilgrim's Progress, Saint Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Imitatio Christi.

Arnold J. Toynbee to Father Columba Cary-Elwes, monk of Ampleforth. 19 October 1939, shortly after he left his home to do war work at the start of World War II.

Neither he nor anyone else knew how long the war would last nor how destructive it would be. He and his correspondent judged the war would be a disaster for Western society if it lasted for as long as three years. It lasted for twice three years.

You might wonder why he didn't just take the Bible. He'd memorized it when a kid. I am listening to Confessions on my commute. It's complex on many levels. Don't share his enthusiasm for Pilgrim's Progress though I once listened to a recorded version by John Gilgud which by itself was almost a religious experience. Toynbee was, of course, absolutely right about the Book of Common Prayer. I should start reading it again daily.

or maybe not. I am already reading 4-6 pages of Study of History almost every day.

Light at the end of our tunnel?

2011-11-05T23:37:00.001-04:00

"Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow."
Steve Jobs upon dying.

AND ..... just before Midnight of 5 November!

2011-11-05T23:33:00.002-04:00

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot."

Taught to me many years ago by English Will.

Barely got that one in on time.

I know. The story of my life.

I haven't done anything with movies for awhile...

2011-11-05T23:21:00.002-04:00

.... so, since I am taking today off here it is.

The 15 worst movie titles of all time. In English anyway.

Who can forget "Santa Clause Conquers the Martians."
Who knew the jolly old elf was an imperialist warmonger.

Or "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies."
Apparently, a musical.

And "Freddy Got Fingered."
With a subtitle of "This Time You Can't Change the Channel," which sounds like a threat. Once you are in the theatre - you're stuck!

Last night Carmen and I saw "Puss n Boots" with Miggs, Maeraed and Murty. It was fun. Miggs especially liked the sword fights. I liked the flamenco dancing. Maire was off in Charlotte doing wild things like drinking whiskey and visiting museum gift shops.

Enjoy your next movie.

no matter how bad the title.

Truth or Consequences, political edition

2011-11-05T13:42:00.004-04:00

The Washington Post fact checks Republican candidates.

Of course, one Republican pol is on record as admitting that one of his statements was "not intended as a factual statement." Maybe they meant the same.

And for what it's worth, to be a politician is to be dishonest. It's a Darwinian process.

By that measure Romney turns out to be the most-nearly- getting warm- might-one-day- be -honest of the candidates. The Post gives him a Pinocchio almost reflexively for "some shading of the facts."

but there are no consequences anymore. Welcome to the post-modern world where what you want to believe is exactly the same as what you have to believe.

But I exaggerate, I believe.

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Bank of America, the home state bank

2011-11-05T12:25:00.004-04:00

Once North Carolinians were proud to call Bank of America a Tarheel bank. It seemed well run and actually avoided many of the moral and professional lapses of most other banks. The ones that nearly destroyed the world economy and put paid to Western Civilization.

That was then.

Now - they are an embarrassment. This is just the latest installment of the Bank that can't shot straight.

not only too big too fail, too big to run efficiently: Clemens' First Law of Bureaucratic Growth.

Gee. He's not a Republican after all

2011-10-29T11:42:00.003-04:00

The Pope that is.

This from NPR:

Those who read the pope's 2009 encyclical "Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)" will not be surprised by this new document. In that encyclical, the pope decried "corruption and illegality" among economic and political elites in both rich and poor countries. He told financiers they must rediscover the ethical foundation of their activity and stop abusing savers. He wants a radical rethinking of economics so that it is guided not simply by profits but by "an ethics which is people-centered."

Benedict notes that economic "inequalities are on the increase" across the globe. He does not accept the trickle-down theory, which says that all boats will rise with the economic tide. Benedict condemns the "scandal of glaring inequalities" and sees a role for government in the redistribution of wealth.

Katherine Jean Lopez is NOT pleased.

I, on the other hand...

Those wonderful folks who helped break our economy

2011-10-29T11:23:00.006-04:00

This time let's focus on one of the "foreclosure mills" that selflessly works to kick people out of their homes, the Steven J. Baum law firm.

Yes. I know. Attacking lawyers is too easy and I should be ashamed of myself.

And I would be if I hadn't read this little column by Joe Nocera about the firm's Halloween costume party. The one where they made fun of the folks they were foreclosing on.

I don't know who Steven J. Baum is, but I'm sure he is very proud to have his name attached to it. Or he would be, if a spokesman for the firm hadn't denied that it ever happened.

Now about those pictures....

UPDATE: After I posted this TPM ran a story, or rather reposted Nocera's story. You should look at it for the reader's comments. Here's a few for your entertainment.

I'm not shocked easily anymore but this took my breath away. The most uncivilized behavior I've seen by supposedly educated and successful people. I pity them for having to live with that kind of darkness in their hearts.

***

I am (nearly) speechless. In my time as a labor organizer, I have seen too many detestable companies, some familiar household brands, do too many despicable things, up to and including murder. This is the first time I have heard of such crass and amoral celebration of misery. Not only are the decision makers/profit takers making light of our national shame, but the workers/wage earners, who you can bet are one or two paychecks from being in the same predicament are reveling in it as well.

****

I just sold my house at a loss. I lost all my assets. The bank, my realtor and my lawyer all made a nice little packet off me, though. Maybe they'll throw a party with the proceeds.
Somehow, I doubt I'll be invited.

Some people have no sense of humor.

Rubio: of course, I could have been wrong

2011-10-24T22:32:00.003-04:00

Carmen tells me it has happened before. But I don't remember it.

Sort of like Marc Rubio not remembering, or maybe never knowing, when his parents left Cuba. But, as Carmen, and many others have helpfully pointed out, every Cuban knows the day he left Cuba. And as I can personally report, having heard it a number of times, if two Cuban-Americans meet, one of the first things they ask is "When did you leave?" No explanation needed.

I've never heard any one say in response, "uh, I don't remember" or "gee, my folks never really said."

So maybe I was too easy on the guy. Now even Andrew Sullivan is thinking the same.

I was just trying to hide my true commie, hippie, Leftie, fascist nature. I won't do it again.

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OMG! They'er fighting ....

2011-10-24T22:11:00.002-04:00

.... well, like cats and dogs.

except cats and dogs are smarter, more honest and a lot cuter.

The Newt

2011-10-24T22:00:00.003-04:00

I know some smart people.

Smart people are friends of mine.

You sir, are no smart person.

So why do so many "smart" commentators think this over fried clown is the idea man of the Republican party.

oh. you mean in comparison.

Warrants?! We don' need no stinkin' warrants!

2011-10-24T17:01:00.006-04:00

At least not if you are ICE. And are dealing with Mexican looking folk.

So here is a question for you. Where are the folks who prate that they just want to go back to the Constitution?

This one, I mean.

Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Now here, 'people' clearly means American citizens, and certainly, white, non-Mexican looking American citizens.

I mean really, that was understood back in Pat Buchanan's day.

Bonkers over (White) America

2011-10-24T16:38:00.003-04:00

I think that Pat Buchanan is working to become a caricature of himself. And after his Hitler-friendly last book had taken it about as far as it would go. I admit it. I was wrong.

Read a few snippets from his latest volume in which, among other thing, he laments the fall from power of the great white race which in his mind is synonymous with 'Americans."

For those few of you in our family, he is lamenting the appearance of, among others, our beloved sister-in-law, our niece and nephew, my little friend Miggs, our cousin in Colorado's family and ... well, just keep filling in the blanks.

Remember the good old days when this paleo-clown was considered too extreme and distasteful for the Republican party? Oh c'mon. It was not that long ago.

although I admit, I've often thought certain family characteristics spelled the doom of Western Civilization as we have known it.

More on Rubio

2011-10-22T23:18:00.002-04:00

Over at the Frum Forum the crowd is having a minor meltdown over a Frum post chastising some on the Right for defending Rubio's 'exaggeration.' Some are seeking to claim that Rubio's parents are real exiles because they somehow 'sensed' that things were going to go bad - at a time when Fidel was still hanging around cheap cafeteria's in Mexico City writing his latest manifestos (please see small print).

So far, my favorite comment is this from Watusie:

But what the WaPo has revealed is that he is not the son of exiles; he is an anchor baby for economic migrants.

Which as far as I can tell is literally true.

But of course there are Hispanics, and then there are Hispanics. Get to land as a Cuban and you are welcomed with open arms. Get to land as a Mexican - and you are forever an illegal who should be sent back with your children. A curious dichotomy.

NOTE: I ate at one of the cafeteria's famous as a Castro hangout. He used to pen his famous 'manifestos' there. By an odd coincidence Carmen's godmother and her husband were couriers for Castro. The godmother had the typescript of one of el maximo lider's manifestos with corrections in his own hand. Small world.

About Marc Rubio

2011-10-22T12:01:00.006-04:00

I don't like the guy, wouldn't vote for him under any circumstances that I can realistically imagine, and, as Carmen tells me, "All Cubans know the date they left Cuba."

But Andrew Sullivan provides some perspective as he often does on his slip-up about being a refugee from Castro.

No, he wasn't. And he played artfully around the truth for political ooomph in south Somewhere. But he had said publicly on a number of occasions that his family came out of Cuba before the "Revolution."

In other words, not quite the lying bastard I would like to make him out to be. It may be a lot of huffing and puffing about little.

Oh well. It's only a matter of time. And he was both silly and dishonest in his reaction to the death of Qadaffi in not mentioning the role of American forces and the prez.

Hooray for our Troops

2011-10-22T11:46:00.002-04:00

For lots of reasons, not least for doing a nasty dangerous job in a nasty dangerous place (just ask the Macedonians, or the British, or the Sassanians or the Indians or...). And for doing it while most of us sit in comfort with full tummies in front of our entertainment devices and refuse to even notice that you are out there.

And, of course, for this.

can I have a falafel with that?

The Republican Candidate Speaks

2011-10-21T12:46:00.003-04:00

Andrew Sullivan's quote for the day:

"Muammer Qaddafi, the dictator of Libya, declared that 'we'd be content and happy if Obama can stay president forever.' Such lavish praise...tells you much of what [Obama's] approach to foreign policy is and the audience to which he is playing," - Mitt Romney, in his book No Apology.

Probably explains why some Republicans couldn't bring themselves to mention the US, either our troops or our prez, when commenting on the dictator's sudden exit from office.

Marc Rubio, from that state down there, was particularly silly.

about whom more in a moment.

The allure of immigrant labor

2011-10-20T23:31:00.005-04:00

I have been pointing this out to people for some time. When you hire immigrants, legal or illegal, you get hard working adults, many of whom are trying to raise a family. They work under conditions and for less pay than the same kind of folks from America will work for.

Now that Alabama is determined to fill all of its agricultural jobs with citizens and legal immigrants, some farmers are discovering this.

Potato farmer Keith Smith saw most of his immigrant workers leave after Alabama's tough immigration law took effect, so he hired Americans. It hasn't worked out: Most show up late, work slower than seasoned farm hands and are ready to call it a day after lunch or by midafternoon. Some quit after a single day.

And from Georgia, which passed similar laws?

In south Georgia, Connie Horner has heard just about every reason unemployed Americans don't want to work on her blueberry farm. It's hot, the hours are long, the pay isn't enough and it's just plain hard.
"You can't find legal workers," Horner said. "Basically they last a day or two, literally."

I heard this over the years from other small businesses. Of course, one solution would be pay higher wages. But that seems to be anathema to all concerned, including the politicians who are determined to clean up the illegal alien mess.

be careful what you wish for.

Two interesting news bits I heard today.

2011-10-20T23:11:00.001-04:00

1. Muammar Ghadaffi was dead.

2. Beer helps prevent osteoporosis.

I think you can see the next line coming.

He could have been president

2011-10-20T23:08:00.001-04:00

...but, alas.

I especially like the 'ranch.'

It's not about race

2011-10-20T14:55:00.000-04:00

The new South Carolina voter ID laws.

Tea Party Jobs Plan

2011-10-19T12:32:00.003-04:00

Let there be none.

Proposed oath for small businesses from Tea Party Nation:

I, an American small business owner, part of the class that produces the vast majority of real, wealth producing jobs in this country, hereby resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped.

I hereby declare that my job creation potential is now ceased.

"I'm on strike!"

It's about nothing sane. And when you find a small business owner who intends not to hire to make a political statement, as opposed to making a living, please get in touch.

they've been drinking the John Galt tea nonsense again.

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Just because I like it

2011-10-17T22:24:00.001-04:00

Do I need another reason.

What? It's my blog.

Question of the week

2011-10-16T22:11:00.004-04:00

How many New York police officers does it take to prevent one young woman from leaving the bank where she is a customer?

Talk it over among yourselves, then write down your answer.

The correct answer is here. Though I don't think that with sidearms and billy clubs they were well enough armed. It's a bit like the vacuum cleaner and the kittens - or clowns in a car. Can you actually count all of them?

We'll file this one under 'malicious twits'

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The King James Bible, once again

2011-10-15T22:20:00.002-04:00

Having heard something read from the King James Bible in at least one or another of its versions almost every week of my childhood, I often have posted something about it here.

Here is another one, complete with a neat little video I can use in class. It is the 400th anniversary of the work.

Enjoy.

Who am I writing for?

2011-10-15T20:36:00.004-04:00

Sometimes this is a good question. I have often wondered when I do my Matins, my morning writing for 30 minutes (too often they turn out to be Nones or Vespers). It is a fast write of stream of consciousness thoughts. In fact sometimes they are not so much thoughts as simply whatever my hand does - kinetic thought. Yet I always end them with "That's all for today, folks." That is the way I end most of my lectures but why do I use it for my writings? The ones that are supposed to be virtually unconscious and for no one? I started doing it years ago for no reason I was aware of.

Joseph O'Neill explained it in The Atlantic last month, to my delight. We write "to find respite from the intellectually and morally chaotic buffoon who goes through the world minute by minute, and to bring into being that better, more coherent human entity known as the author."

There are always two people, the 'folks', reading what I write. Me the author and me the reader. They aren't exactly the same person.

though they are close friends.

Without Comment

2011-10-12T16:55:00.002-04:00

From Andrew Sullivan.

Irony does not get better then this

2011-10-12T16:43:00.002-04:00

Actual headline from TPM:

Tennessee Guns-In-Bars Law Sponsor Arrested For DUI...With A Gun

at least he really really believed in his legislation.

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Lives of the rich and famous

2011-10-12T16:38:00.004-04:00

The Obama family dog.

how will this play with the Occupy Wall Street set.

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Update on Pinellas Co. Stupidity

2011-10-09T10:41:00.002-04:00

It was even worse than I first thought.

Read it and weep.

The decision came as a surprise because the county just started fluoridating water eight years ago, so it was considered a debated and settled issue.

It was also unexpected because the 4-3 vote came at a workshop on what was billed as an update on fluoridation.

Why listen to dentists.

"Hillsborough County has been fluoridating water since 1994. The City of Tampa also fluoridates its water."

No evidence it has lowered the intelligence of the population.

but then, how could they tell?

Without comment

2011-10-08T12:27:00.002-04:00

Republican Truthiness

2011-10-07T22:43:00.006-04:00

Also known as counting chickens before they hatch. Michelle Bachman's crack press team released a press release (well, what else do they do?) 30 minutes before her big speech saying she spoke before a standing room only crowd. Attached is a picture of the crowd as Bachman started her pitch.

but if you look carefully, most of those folks ARE standing!

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It's Working

2011-10-07T22:33:00.002-04:00

From that big state to our south:

Pinellas County, Fla., will stop adding fluoride to its drinking water after complaints by anti-government activists. Dentists protested the decision, arguing that fluoridation has dramatically lowered tooth-decay rates across the U.S., but Tea Party activists said it was part of a plot by the "world government to keep people stupid."

Tea Party activists may have complained, but it took elected officials to listen to them. They sure can elect 'em down in that benighted swamp hole to our south.

from The Week

don't get me started on the governor.

Question of the week

2011-10-07T10:51:00.003-04:00

Or the month, or the year, since I don't do this often. But - here it is:

What famous Arab-American who had an enormous impact on the way you live your life recently died?

Answer will be revealed whenever I feel like, or until someone tries to answer it.

UPDATE: The Old One got it! Don't know how that happened. But here is the answer, straight from Stephen Colbert.

second question: what Arab-American says he will run for president, has run for president, and will never be president?

Another Republican speaks

2011-10-05T10:30:00.004-04:00

I like reading David Frum, thought sometimes he comes across as a (slightly) more mature and much smarter version of that guy in high school that though Ayn Rand was a brilliant writer. He is a Republican having served in the Bush administration and a true conservative. Here he is unloading on the economic idiocy of the current crop of Republicans and faux conservative:

On the most urgent economic issue of the day – recovery from the Great Recession – the Republican consensus is seriously wrong.

It is wrong in its call for monetary tightening.

It is wrong to demand immediate debt reduction rather than wait until after the economy recovers.

It is wrong to deny that “we have a revenue problem.”

It is wrong in worrying too much about (non-existent) inflation and disregarding the (very real) threat of a second slump into recession and deflation.

It is wrong to blame government regulation and (as yet unimposed) tax increases for the severity of the recession.

It is wrong to oppose job-creating infrastructure programs.

It is wrong to hesitate to provide unemployment insurance, food stamps, and other forms of income maintenance to the unemployed.

It is wrong to fetishize the exchange value of the dollar against other currencies.

It is wrong to believe that cuts in marginal tax rates will suffice to generate job growth in today’s circumstance.

It is wrong to blame minor and marginal government policies like the Community Reinvestment Act for the financial crisis while ignoring the much more important role of government inaction to police overall levels of leverage within the financial system.

It is wrong to dismiss the Euro crisis as something remote from American concerns.

It is wrong to resist US cooperation with European authorities in organizing a work-out of the debt problems of the Eurozone countries.

It is wrong above all in its dangerous combination of apocalyptic pessimism about the long-term future of the country with aloof indifference to unemployment.

Did he leave anything out?

of course, his conclusion is that Mitt Romney is the best thing they've got.

Battle of Ball's Bluff

2011-10-05T09:41:00.001-04:00

OK- by Civil War standards it was a skirmish - but it was the nearest battlefield to our farm when I was a kid. And it has a certain salience for Sententiae.

Another Republican speaks

2011-10-04T12:39:00.002-04:00

From Andrew Sullivan:

"Several recent studies have found that 95 percent of climate scientists are convinced that the planet is rapidly warming as a result of human activity. But a George Mason University-Yale University poll in May found that only 13 percent of the public realizes that scientists have come to that conclusion. You would expect conservatives to stand with 95 percent of the scientific community and to grow the 13 percent into a working majority. Normally, we deal in facts, we accept science and we counter sentiment," - Former Congressman (2010 Tea Party casualty) Bob Inglis (R-SC).

95% - that's as close as it ever gets to consensus.

The True Timelord!

2011-10-01T21:58:00.003-04:00

From icanhazcheezburger.com.

Tell the truth. You always suspected, right?

Vikings in the News!!

2011-10-01T11:33:00.003-04:00

In Ireland a re-date has pushed back the date of a recently discovered burial site. Irish hyperbole ensues.

Researchers said a journey back to 7th century Ireland could reveal some surprising
similarities to recent boom times in the country.
Dr Aidan O’Sullivan of UCD school of archaeology said: “This society that emerges out of the darkness of late prehistory was the first Celtic Tiger economy.

It's fun though. Ireland before the Scandinavians messed it up.

not that there is any Norse DNA in the present population. No sir. We're all Celts here.

How many clowns fit on top a vacuum cleaner?

2011-09-30T13:10:00.001-04:00

Furry clowns. Take a look.

Now quick. How many were there?

no cheating and watching it again.

In case you were wondering who is in charge here

2011-09-26T22:10:00.003-04:00

It's the oil companies. Want proof?

(AP) PASADENA, Texas -- Three commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry may grant some of the nation's largest refineries a tax refund of more than $135 million - money Texas' cash-strapped schools and other local governments have been counting on to help pay teachers and provide other public services.

Just in case you had any doubts. But don't let this stop you from supporting the Governor! No indeedy.

after all, unlike G.W. Bush, he is the real thing when it comes to being Texan.

So. How do you spend your day?

2011-09-24T14:39:00.002-04:00

Fascinating. Here are some charts loaded with data about how Americans spend their day. Not much to my surprise, time spent on 'correspondence' and 'sports and recreation' don't even show up on the charts. More to my surprise, neither does 'religious activity.'

well, maybe if you blow the chart up by about 500% you could see something.

The Obama Doctrine

2011-09-23T23:19:00.004-04:00

From a Pakastani journalist writing for Dawn:

The real lesson to be learnt from the OBL raid — that is if we wish to learn — is that the US can find its enemies, no matter how long it takes, and with impunity eliminate them.

I'd rather our true friends and our enemies hear that than some premature "Mission Accomplished."

but then, I have always been a 'realist' - I hope.

They're different from you and me

2011-09-19T14:08:00.002-04:00

They lack a sense of proportion.

"By the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over," - Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), in an interview on MSNBC, on why as a small business owner he can't afford a tax increase.

When I retire I hope I am down to my last $400,000.

Another species goes extinct

2011-09-17T12:40:00.002-04:00

Another species went extinct today when its last living representative died. Lovers of the exotic species nation-wide are distraught.

It will be missed.

Run for President!! Samad Pashean!!

2011-09-17T11:56:00.004-04:00

Didn't like that last modest proposal? Here's another one: repeal the amendment preventing the foreign born from becoming president so this guy, the official court jester of an Afghani warlord, can run for the Republican presidential nomination next time:

Atta boasted proudly of Pashean’s many talents, telling me that in addition to his prowess as an entertainer, he was also a professional blackmailer, a master thief, and a prolific murderer, with an estimated fifty victims killed by his own hand. As Atta related this last statistic in delighted exclamation, the other men and boys in the room laughed and stared reverentially at Pashean, who grinned and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Yeah!!

Read the whole article - some of it has medieval historical content!

what? That's not a come-on for you?

A modest proposal to save Social Security

2011-09-17T11:26:00.003-04:00

"Being uninsured means foregoing necessary care, especially preventive care, which annually causes the premature deaths of at least 50,000 people." [Joe Conason, RealClearPolitcs]

“There are simple solutions - just not easy ones.” Ronald Reagan

A very conservative jury

2011-09-16T11:11:00.003-04:00

And the verdict on Michelle Bachman is in (via the Washington Monthly- a very liberal rag):

While this isn’t new to many of us, the vaccine story appears to be uniquely damaging, in part because she was perceived as faltering anyway, making the controversy a poorly-timed setback. Jim Dyke, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee unaffiliated with any candidate, said, “This is the nail in the coffin in her campaign.”

That may sound excessive, but just over the last few days, Bachmann’s anti-vaccine comments have come under fire from, among others, Rush Limbaugh, the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, Bachmann’s former campaign manager, and the American Association of Pediatrics.

Well, bring out the forks. She's done.

Next week, exactly where is Ms Palin?

Without comment

2011-09-15T19:49:00.002-04:00

Tea Party

2011-09-14T14:44:00.003-04:00

White, over 60, mostly southern and mostly Protestant. Put that way, I am one of them.

Veterans

2011-09-12T22:22:00.003-04:00

Pictures of the 9/11 rescue dogs. Some still survive. They look haunted, but that is because they are old, and the photographer wanted them to look that way.

what else could it be.

Chinese army cats

2011-08-31T22:17:00.003-04:00

They want to run a country?

2011-08-31T16:23:00.004-04:00

Tea Party types. They have a bit of an organizational problem with Palin and O'Donnell which seems to get crazier as the day wears on.

I never thought of the Republican Party as comic relief before.

as for running a country, I hear that is an opening in Libya, and perhaps Syria soon.

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Academia: Budget Crisis edition

2011-08-31T14:28:00.004-04:00

Here we are in the worst budget crisis of my career and we are all wondering what to do about it. Or rather, we are all wondering what our administration will do about it. This is particularly worrisome since our new chief administrator, the Provost, has not shown up for the job yet. So we soldier on with our old interim provost and end up paying for both salaries for at least a few months.

Which brings up and interesting question. What are we cutting in the way of administration? We already know that staff, the local working folks who usually make less than $30K a year, will be 'riffed.' That comes from 'RIF', for 'reduction in force', a polite way of saying 'layoffs.' I had to explain this to Commandante Cinco, our labor historian (if we had a labor historian). We have suffered a small but real pay cut due to health insurance, we have a firing freeze, and will probably be furloughed for a day or two like last year (elsewhere these days are known as 'pay cuts').

So imagine my surprise when Maire's sister (private snark!) put the following article at my fingertips: "Administrators Ate My Tuition" in the Washington Monthly. If you have any interest in higher education and budgets, not to mention the tuition rates for your nearest and dearest, you should read it. Here is a bit of it:

Every year, hosts of administrators and staffers are added to college and university payrolls, even as schools claim to be battling budget crises that are forcing them to reduce the size of their full-time faculties. As a result, universities are now filled with armies of functionaries—vice presidents, associate vice presidents, assistant vice presidents, provosts, associate provosts, vice provosts, assistant provosts, deans, deanlets, and deanlings, all of whom command staffers and assistants—who, more and more, direct the operations of every school. If there is any hope of getting higher education costs in line, and improving its quality—and I think there is, though the hour is late—it begins with taking a pair of shears to the overgrown administrative bureaucracy.

It's a fun article in many ways, depending on your idea of fun. It certainly supports my contention that all elites have disgraced themselves in the last dozen years or so. My personal favorite is this one, which has some salience for my history department:

At one school, an inventive group of administrators created the “Committee on Traditions,” whose mission seemed to be the identification and restoration of forgotten university traditions or, failing that, the creation of new traditions.

Ding dong, for whom the bell tolls.

well, you get what you pay for.

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History Lessons

2011-08-31T13:30:00.003-04:00

I thought about entitling this "When we die, this is who will replace us."

This is from a friend's facebook page talking about just one day, and one question of one day, in his history class:

Most disturbing question of the day: While discussing ancient migrations from Siberia to Alaska, a student in my U.S. History class asked if this means we now think that the Puritans were NOT the first people to settle in America.

Yes. We now think that.

One of the comments was from another teacher: "I have you ALL beat. A student of mine asked me if I had served in WW2, and she was serious."

Years ago another friend of mine had students in her North Carlina history class who didn't know which came first, World War I or World War II. Another one thought the Civil War (ours, presumably) came after World War I.

ed. majors, learning to mold the minds of our future.
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News from my home town

2011-08-29T20:42:00.002-04:00

Leesburg, Virginia.

A local inventor has created a weird little car that runs on pedals and batteries.

The last big thing to happen there was the War of 1812.

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Clemen's notebook

2011-08-29T12:11:00.005-04:00

I want this where I can find it for class. It is an interesting map of the ethno-linguistic state of Europe in 1914. After August of that year things changed rapidly. It's a bit large.

The Storm in New York

2011-08-28T10:58:00.006-04:00

The storm formerly known as Irene hits New York. Our ace reporter on the scene reports that the city needs an emergency airlift of turkey baby food (preferably Gerbers).

[picture from today's New York Times]

REAL class warfare

2011-08-26T10:47:00.003-04:00

... and it ain't from the Left.

For supporters of Perry, who grew up poor in rural Texas, the Texas twang adopted by Mr. Bush, a product of elite East Coast schools, rings false. Supporters of Mr. Bush, meanwhile, view Perry as an unsophisticated "hick," according to author R.G. Ratcliffe, who is writing a book on Perry. (It's worth noting that when asked recently what differentiated him from his predecessor in the governor's mansion, Perry pointed out that he went to Texas A&M, while Mr. Bush went to Yale.)

By the way, you should read Perry's magnum opus, Fed Up. It's a hoot coming from someone who wants to run for president.

Representing that Unnamed state to our south....

2011-08-25T22:29:00.003-04:00

Rep. Steve Southerland. Apparently he is not that happy representing the good folks of ... that place down there. Here's what he has to say in the Tallahassee Democrat, a paper I remember well if not fondly:

"They cut me off from my small business, a business that my grandfather started 60 years ago and that I'm the president of, that I've worked my career to build," he said. He added that "if you took the hours that I work and divided it into my pay," the $174,000 salary would not seem so high.

Yep. They are so underpaid.

On the other hand, he worked pretty hard to get elected. Read the whole article, it's worth it.

where do they find these guys?

Without comment

2011-08-20T11:16:00.003-04:00

Without comment!

2011-08-19T19:38:00.003-04:00

They're different from you and me....

2011-08-19T11:20:00.000-04:00

They run for Congress.

to make the economy safe for millionaires

Getting a little nervous are we?

2011-08-18T22:47:00.004-04:00

It ought to be pretty simple to defeat Obama since the economy is going down the tubes again. But there seems to be some worry among the Right's stipendiary pundits:

Consternation on the right about the lack of a viable candidate next year is gaining traction. Jonah invokes the Buckley rule (one should support "the most rightward viable candidate") and warns the GOP to err on the side of electability:

There follows a quote from Jonah on Andrew Sullivan.

As Budweiser once told me about politics, "you can't beat something with nothing." So let's see what they have after the primaries. Remember last time?

By the way, Buckley is famous for driving the John Birch Society and others of the ilk out of the conservative movement. Basically, if I remember correctly, because he thought they were so crazy and repellent they would permanently damage the movement.

They're back.

The hombre-ette speaks

2011-08-18T22:38:00.004-04:00

A quote from Michelle Bachman from Andrew Sullivan's quote of the day:

"We need one strong hombre or hombre-ette, and I'm the hombre-ette to go and stand for you in Washington DC!" - Michele Bachmann, campaigning in South Carolina. As Brian Montopoli points out, "The Spanish word for woman is mujer."

Uf-dah!

And not that it matters, but -ette is the feminine ending only in French.

and you know who the French are: the guys who lost to Mexico on Cinco de Mayo. Something about an Austrian emperor.

Conservatives in that unnamed state down there

2011-08-18T21:07:00.005-04:00

You know the one, the one with Lex Lothar as governor. I noticed a curious thing when I was down there among the family and my one friend there.

The friend, Budweiser, and I had our usual meeting at the club al fresco under the swaying palms of the shopping center. As we were drinking our Czech beer it occurred to me: Budweiser and I have know each other for over forty years and he has always loved to talk politics. He became a stalwart supporter of Bush and all the wars. In fact, virtually anything Bush did. He began to loathe the liberals and Democrats in general.

But this time, not a word about politics. Said he doesn't follow it anymore and has no interest in it.

OTOH, my brother-in-law, of the same political persuasion and also usually having an opinion, wasn't particularly interested in discussing politics either.

And my brother the war vet, who I always assumed was either a moderate Repub or completely apolitical suddenly started talking - a lot - about how crazy the Republicans are! Haven't seen him this animated about the news since the "Paul is Dead" rumor on WKBW. Worse, even my other brother the Confederate Nut, usually pining for the good ol' days of George Wallace even began to make some sense.

What's going on? Is it just me? Or them? and if so, why? Embarrassment to admit they were Palin fans? What?

UPDATE: apparently I was wrong about my brother the Confederate.

the comment about the Czech beer was thrown in simply as a sop to any beer snobs who might be following this blog lest they think I only drink working class beer like PBR.

It's not about race

2011-08-18T21:01:00.003-04:00

Tim Coburn, Repub Senator from OK, on President Obama (Tulsa World via TPM):

Responding to a man in Langley who asked if Obama "wants to destroy America," Coburn said the president is "very bright" and loves his country but has a political philosophy that is "goofy and wrong."
Obama's "intent is not to destroy, his intent is to create dependency because it worked so well for him," he said.
"As an African-American male," Coburn said, Obama received "tremendous advantage from a lot of these programs."

Yes, I was just telling a friend of mine the other day how lucky he was to be black.

I didn't really understand his response.

Personal stuff

2011-08-18T20:42:00.003-04:00

Well, Carmen and I are back. And you didn't even notice we were gone.

That visit to the unnamed state to our south was filled with the usual fun n games, capped by temps in the 90, a deluge of epic proportions (while we were on the road) and my mother's 92nd birthday. Why yes, she's fine. Still makes more sense than most of the family who are much younger (though not as much as it used to seem - when I was born I was 1/30 her age, now I am 2/3 her age).

So - onward to another delightful year at a university that is going broke because the good folks of North Carolina figure that paying for their children's education is optional. At least by using taxes. They will pay for it one way or another whether or not their own kids go to college or simply start working at McDonald's or Wal-Mart.

just as soon as the Republicans can get rid of the minimum wage that is clearly dragging down the economy.