The last NY Times article I forwarded to someone demonstrated quite well that they are not liberally biased. They counted money from some lobbyists, and said McCain is the only Senator who takes more money than Obama. Not exactly the "Captain Change" story, though I know they both spout changeisms now. "Mr. and Mrs. Maverick" have been taking all kinds of PAC money, and she campaigned on the Bridge to Nowhere initially in her first gubernatorial bid. I think Hillary, the "Woman Wonder," got out-shined in the primaries because of that word "change." It didn't stick to her, but now it's not sticking to either of the official candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10fannie.html
On the other hand, I have a friend, a registered Democrat, who is more impressed by McCain more than Obama, simply because Obama talks more about change than his actual plan to do anything once he gets in office. Obama is losing in the specific plans department with people like my friend, and can see why.
I support Mark McCracken for Congress, and president. He says we can't fix anything domestic until we stop spending so much money overseas, cancel the Bush tax cuts, and start balancing the checkbook. I still stand by Obama, but I wish he had the power to excite me like that. The only thing my Democrat McCain-supporting friend and I can agree on unconditionally is this: the next president must balance the budget at all costs.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Republican convention comments
She came fom the pole north,
to help McCain poles headed south.
She'd polarized the election mayor,
and taken farms while running on prayer.
McCain elected and dead she'd be pharoah,
her good friends just call her Sarah.
If you don't know what I mean, read this NY Times article: Palin’s Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual
At the Republcan convention, Giuliani is recycling his "never run anything" lack of executive experience argument against McCain to use it against Obama and Biden. Palin is recycling the "guns and religion" argument from the primary against Obama.
A nonprofit with ties to McCain recycled the Weathermen argument against Obama. I think I've even heard a reference to Rev. Wright recently used against Obama. I hate Republicans. It's too bad they have such a solid, polarized platform and there are only two parties. Otherwise my hate would be spread out across a lot more people. I can hate you all the same if you're all the same. A diverse group moves around too much to aim at.
to help McCain poles headed south.
She'd polarized the election mayor,
and taken farms while running on prayer.
McCain elected and dead she'd be pharoah,
her good friends just call her Sarah.
If you don't know what I mean, read this NY Times article: Palin’s Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual
At the Republcan convention, Giuliani is recycling his "never run anything" lack of executive experience argument against McCain to use it against Obama and Biden. Palin is recycling the "guns and religion" argument from the primary against Obama.
A nonprofit with ties to McCain recycled the Weathermen argument against Obama. I think I've even heard a reference to Rev. Wright recently used against Obama. I hate Republicans. It's too bad they have such a solid, polarized platform and there are only two parties. Otherwise my hate would be spread out across a lot more people. I can hate you all the same if you're all the same. A diverse group moves around too much to aim at.
Monday, June 23, 2008
America is religiously tolerant
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/us/24religion.html?ex=1371960000&en=8eb65184ecce8ef8&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Great study by Pew. It looks like Bill Maher and Ben Stein may be wasting their time trying to uncover our conflicts. Americans don't want to fight each other over religion, much less condemn one another.
I say we are destroying destructive religion, one step at a time. One in five atheists believes in God. That's positive. 70% of people who have a denomination believe that theirs is not the only path to salvation. Most everybody wants everyone else to be saved. Doesn't that make them better people? American values are independent of our religions, deeper, and, I would say, better.
Great study by Pew. It looks like Bill Maher and Ben Stein may be wasting their time trying to uncover our conflicts. Americans don't want to fight each other over religion, much less condemn one another.
I say we are destroying destructive religion, one step at a time. One in five atheists believes in God. That's positive. 70% of people who have a denomination believe that theirs is not the only path to salvation. Most everybody wants everyone else to be saved. Doesn't that make them better people? American values are independent of our religions, deeper, and, I would say, better.
Monday, March 24, 2008
What inquisition?
Apparently, the Catholic church downplayed to death count due to inquisition while they asked to be forgiven for it. http://after-words.org/grim/mtarchives/2004/06/Jun161425.shtml
According to skeptics, religious violence has led to many millions of murders, not just through Christians or inquisition, in the past millennium. http://www.theskepticalreview.com/JAHPoliticsDeathToll.html
How then am I to reconcile the church's apology, the fact of the killings, Christians' destruction of sacrificial "pagan" beliefs around the world, skeptics' accusations about religion as a source of violence, and the assertions of other Christians I know personally that none of them would support such actions? How then, also, am I to handle the remains of my pagan heritage, destroyed as it were by evangelism? Should I claim the Catholic supplanters' faith, the older beliefs, both, or neither? Which path would gain me the richness of an established tradition which will live on for generations after me? Sometimes we cannot learn answers, only questions. The rest is up to us. I sure wish I had a narrative to guide me, but the clearest story in the Bible is actually composed of four viewpoints, and the ancient narratives of my culture appear to be lost.
I guess I should love each person, as Jesus would do. Then, I should judge their actions as closely as I can to how God would. It comes down to credibility, after all. We shall know them by their fruit, not what they say or what they believe. A Satanist who harms no one is a good person. A Christian who engineers the destruction of others is evil. My beliefs do not change. Like a skeptic, I say that I have a higher standard of morality than Christians. Knowing skeptics, I believe I am more truthful than they.
According to skeptics, religious violence has led to many millions of murders, not just through Christians or inquisition, in the past millennium. http://www.theskepticalreview.com/JAHPoliticsDeathToll.html
How then am I to reconcile the church's apology, the fact of the killings, Christians' destruction of sacrificial "pagan" beliefs around the world, skeptics' accusations about religion as a source of violence, and the assertions of other Christians I know personally that none of them would support such actions? How then, also, am I to handle the remains of my pagan heritage, destroyed as it were by evangelism? Should I claim the Catholic supplanters' faith, the older beliefs, both, or neither? Which path would gain me the richness of an established tradition which will live on for generations after me? Sometimes we cannot learn answers, only questions. The rest is up to us. I sure wish I had a narrative to guide me, but the clearest story in the Bible is actually composed of four viewpoints, and the ancient narratives of my culture appear to be lost.
I guess I should love each person, as Jesus would do. Then, I should judge their actions as closely as I can to how God would. It comes down to credibility, after all. We shall know them by their fruit, not what they say or what they believe. A Satanist who harms no one is a good person. A Christian who engineers the destruction of others is evil. My beliefs do not change. Like a skeptic, I say that I have a higher standard of morality than Christians. Knowing skeptics, I believe I am more truthful than they.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Video games in the attic which I still play sometimes
I was thinking about my favorite video game memories from bygone days.
Master of Magic's wizards, from memory: Lo Pan, Ss'Ra, Kali, Rjak, Sharee, Oberic, Jafar, Freya, Horus, Raven, Tlaloc, Tauron
I forgot Ariel! I never used her anyway.
My top 10 games of all time: Super Dodge Ball (NES), Chrono Trigger (SNES), Super Street Fighter 2 (SNES), Saturday Night Slam Masters (SNES), Master of Magic (PC), Mechwarrior 4 (PC), Kohan 2 (PC), Starcraft (PC), Star Control 2 (PC), Joint Ops (PC)
Master of Magic's wizards, from memory: Lo Pan, Ss'Ra, Kali, Rjak, Sharee, Oberic, Jafar, Freya, Horus, Raven, Tlaloc, Tauron
I forgot Ariel! I never used her anyway.
My top 10 games of all time: Super Dodge Ball (NES), Chrono Trigger (SNES), Super Street Fighter 2 (SNES), Saturday Night Slam Masters (SNES), Master of Magic (PC), Mechwarrior 4 (PC), Kohan 2 (PC), Starcraft (PC), Star Control 2 (PC), Joint Ops (PC)
Commie dairy farmers living the American dream
What's the difference if dairy farmers get a direct subsidy from the government, from taxes, or from the marketplace through a government price setting scheme? A price set by the government is still NOT a marketplace price, no matter what the dairy industry would have us believe.
Literature vs. politics
Imaginative literature - science fiction and fantasy - is much more than escapism. By creating new cultures and scenarios, we create a rare opportunity for people to step outside their own reality, and freely consider the real issues in their lives. The mythology we are creating in this age is the cure for ethnocentrism. And no, Virginia, we are not going to cram ourselves into the Western Judeo-Christian conception for our stories. I don't think a black and white fantasy world, no matter how many millions we spend on the special effects, is going to get people out of the current black and white thinking which dominates American culture and led us to be the largest negative influence on the world.
Smashing Pumpkins live on, sort of
I came to two conclusions today after reading about the Smashing Pumpkins two least popular releases, Machina and Zeitgeist. 1. Their style is described as "gothic-metal-shoegaze." That explains why I like some things in each of those styles, and I generally like everything the Pumpkins have done. 2. The Pumpkins have become Spinal Tap. If their bassist, lead guitarist or keyboardist dies under mysterious circumstances, they will probably continue touring anyway.
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