Good morning, everybody. The guy who blackmailed Letterman learned he was nominated for an Emmy while in jail. Now, your morning constitutional: Too early for good news? Well, oil has stopped spilling out of the busted well in the Gulf, and while it may be premature, any good news is exciting. Financial reform passed Congress yesterday, another big win for the Obama administration. But will Americans notice or care? A new Pew Research poll finds that only 34 percent of Americans are aware that the government\’s bailout of the banks was actually under President Bush, while 47...
Continue reading...July 2010
Poem of the Week
Billy Collins is one of my very favorite poets. His writing is accessible and readable, and I appreciate those things, along with his wit and good humor and insight. Litany by Billy Collins You are the bread and the knife, The crystal goblet and the wine . . . Jacques Crickillon You are the bread and the knife, the crystal goblet and the wine. You are the dew on the morning grass and the burning wheel of the sun. You are the white apron of the baker and the marsh birds suddenly in flight. However, you are...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today\’s is from Gail \”The Colander\” Collins, who in her column...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Thursday, 15 July 2010
Good morning, folks. Landon Donovan is not having a love child. Now, your morning constitutional: Financial regulation reform to be voted on in the Senate today and likely to pass. Former SEC Chair Harvey Pitt thinks it will create more problems than it solves. Paul Volcker gives it a \”B.\” Why are some financial instruments called \”exotic?\” BP has fixed an equipment problem on a new cap for the broken well in the Gulf and will move ahead with a test which could lead to stopping the oil spill. Argentina approves same-sex marriage, making it the first...
Continue reading...Candidate for Congress Ed Martin thinks Barack Obama wants to stop you from being saved
Via TPM, we learn that Ed Martin, who seems to get his energy from the tea party movement, is afraid that the president wants to take away your freedom to worship. His logic? Well: One thing I like to say is: America is great, not because of our genetics. We’re great because we created a place and space where people can be free. And they can choose Christ, they can choose to be faithful. They can worship, and they find their way to the Lord. And — or some of them don’t. We sure want them all...
Continue reading...Good News from Nebraska
Well, that was quick. Today the US District Judge in the Nebraska biased counseling case I mentioned yesterday issued an order– just a day after hearing oral arguments. She agreed that the clinic filing the suit has a likelihood of prevailing on its claims, and agreed to block the state from enforcing any of the bad provisions of the statute until the case is resolved. Victory! Judge Smith Camp noted that the NE legislature explained its motivation for the law as concern that the existing preabortion screening and counseling procedures were not accurate– and then pointed out...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today\’s is from Thomas \”Tommy Boy\” Friedman, who in his column...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Happy Bastille day, everybody. Bristol and Levi are engaged (again). Now, your morning constitutional: President Obama has nominated Jacob Lew to be the next director of the Office of Management and Budget. Lew had previously held the same position in the last few years of the Clinton administration, and most recently was deputy secretary of state. BP has placed a new cap on the broken oil well in the Gulf and has high hopes for its success. However, testing has been delayed. The NAACP passed a resolution on Tuesday condemning what it feels is rampant racism in...
Continue reading...Biased Counseling
I’ve talked before about my frustration at the skillful ability of the right-wing to harness language. This comes out all the time in regard to abortion, and sometimes, the issue is that the other side does a really good job of making something sound rational when it really isn’t. An example is the wave of so-called “informed consent” laws, which sound not only innocuous but also inarguable. Who could oppose making sure women have given their informed consent before undergoing an abortion? Not me, nor, I’m sure, any other pro-choicer, including anyone who provides abortions. And in...
Continue reading...Summer Reading
I’ve been intending for a while to start writing some book reviews for the blog, but hadn’t gotten to it yet. And now it’s summer, which is always the Season of Reading for me, because in my mind if not reality, summer is still vacation time, which obviously means curling up with a good book on the couch, on the beach, in the car, and so forth. If you’re casting about for something to read, here are a couple I’ve read recently and highly recommend: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. This book is superb, and I don’t say...
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