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Monthly Archives: May 2007

Due Process on Gitmo

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Yesterday I linked to a couple of youtube videos, the creators of which were unable to appreciate the irony in Randy Newman’s songs. I now find myself having to admit that I’m not sure whether I can recognize irony when I see it. In this morning’s Times we read about the “trial” or “military hearing” […]

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No hell below us

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

There are times when being a non-believer has its down side. Jerry Falwell’s death has brought on one of those times. When I was back there in pre-seminary school, I believed that when you died you were judged by God (or his duly appointed deputy) and sent to a proper place. I took some satisfaction […]

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I detect a pattern

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

There appears to be a common disease among Republicans, a sort of compulsive hypocrisy. It seems that if you want to figure out what crimes your favorite Republican is committing, take a look at what he’s condemning. Some of my favorite examples: Newt Gingrich rises to power condemning an allegedly corrupt book deal. He is […]

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Political Science

Monday, May 14, 2007

When he’s not coining money writing relatively drecky stuff for the movies, Randy Newman is busy writing superb songs filled with wit and irony. I’ve been a fan since my long ago college days. For no reason in particular I present for your viewing pleasure this video (not really a song) I just found, in […]

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Another general weighs in

Monday, May 14, 2007

Steadily shredding Bush’s cover story: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw4jSZLkJqA[/youtube]

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Building bridges

Monday, May 14, 2007

Alaskans sure do like bridges. Frustrated in their attempt to build one bridge to nowhere, they are not attempting to build a bridge to almost nowhere: n 2005, Congress defeated the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” earmark spearheaded by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), which would have spent $200 million connecting mainland Alaska to an island home […]

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Silently longing

Monday, May 14, 2007

The Catholic Church, at least today, has a fairly good record on science. Having been burned by Galileo (figuratively that is, almost literally for him), the Church has kept a rather low profile on scientific issues. Officially, for instance, it has reluctantly accepted the scientific validity of evolution. However, that doesn’t stop it from adopting […]

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The few, the proud, the convicted

Sunday, May 13, 2007

We have a problem, as everyone knows, finding people to serve in the Armed Forces. A columnist in today’s Courant has the answer. Before the answer is revealed, however, he finds it necessary to libel every high school student and, by extension, every high school teacher in America: Military recruiters are wasting time and energy […]

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They shovel horseshit, don’t they?

Sunday, May 13, 2007

In today’s Times, an article on the new French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, begins with an extended, and ultimately baffling metaphor, in which the reporter riffs on the fact that Sarkozy rode a horse. As near as I can figure, the point is that while Sarkozy rode a horse-indeed, a white horse- he is not the […]

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Priorities

Saturday, May 12, 2007

It has been remarked elsewhere that the American media has taken a decidedly low key approach to reporting the fact that over half the members of the Iraqi Parliament want a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. The story leaked out several days ago, but it took the New York Times until this morning to mention it […]

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