Tea Baggers (try to) explain what’s wrong with this country
Apr 22nd
Which is worse, what the ‘Baggers don’t know? or what they do know that just ain’t so?
Patterns and slippery slopes
Apr 21st
I’m struck by the congruence of three different stories: (1) The Arizona bill (perhaps law by now) allowing police to stop and require documentation of anyone they “suspect” of being an illegal immigrant. (2) The viral video of police brutality at the University of Maryland. (3) President Obama’s having authorized U.S. agencies to murder American citizens in foreign countries if they think they have justification.
The first story is about authorizing the police to stop and hassle anyone they choose, for any reason they choose—or even for no reason at all, as long as they’re willing to lie about having been suspicious of that person.
The second story shows what police sometimes do when they encounter citizens toward whom they feel fear, distrust, or animosity. Not always, obviously. Most of the police we see in the video behave decently and with restraint. But as we’ve seen recently, far too often they brutalize, arrest the victims of their brutality, and then justify the whole process with outrageous lies.
The third story is about authorizing U.S. agents to take it the final level. They can murder U.S. citizens as long as they’re willing to lie about their reasons for doing so.
No, I’m not talking conspiracy theory here. I’m talking patterns and slippery slopes.
Interesting email solicitation from Kucinich
Apr 20th
I just received the following email from the Kucinich campaign. That one of his opponents is willing to buy the election for himself is noteworthy. But I’m equally as struck by the implication from the Kucinich campaign that having enough money will guarantee victory in any political contest.
That’s perhaps a Freudian slip. Regardless, it’s a disgusting thought. And, given the Supreme Court’s having invited big corporations to pay as much as they want in any contest they want, it’s a nightmare for anyone who cares about our democracy.
Dear supporter:
One of Dennis’ opponents recently wrote a $90,000 check to finance his own campaign!
This is more money than most people in the 10th Congressional District earn in a thousand days of work. If a candidate can contribute $90,000 in just one day, how much of his own money will he spend to try to win?
You can make sure that Dennis will win.
Please make a generous contribution today. Help to Re-elect one of America’s Most Courageous Leaders.
Thank you.
The Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich Committee
(The emphasis is mine.)
Messages from God
Apr 20th
Jerry Falwell claimed that the destruction of New Orleans was caused by God as a punishment against the city for having allowed homosexuals to live there.
A senior religious official in Iran said that the recent earthquake there was caused by God as a punishment against the country for having allowed women to dress in ways the cleric considers immodest.
With guys like these it’s always hard to tell whether they’re cynically using natural disaster to manipulate the gullible, or whether their religious fanaticism has driven them past the edge of reason and into ya-ya land. (Not mutually exclusive, I know.)
At the other extreme, in some respects, one wonders about the kind of people who see the face of Jesus or Mary in a piece of toast. Cynically looking for something to sell on eBay, or truly…
Anyway, it’s my opinion that what one sees in such phenomena reveals more about the one seeing than about the perceived image. Try it out. Here’s a picture of a crucifix from a Midwestern Catholic church. What do you see? What message is God sending?
