It’s a word that gets thrown around far too freely by some people, used as a broad epithet for anything they don’t like. It’s a loaded word that fills some people with suspicion, dread, and deep levels of paranoia. It’s used as a conversation ender — just say “that’s socialism”, and that’s it, no further … Continue reading »
Tagged with hot coffee …
The More Things Change
“We’ve reached a poor state when people are afraid that doing the decent and right thing is going to help the communist conspiracy… I’m sure a lot of people are held back just on that point.” – Unnamed coffee shop owner, quoted in Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin Griffin wrote down those words … Continue reading »
Anarchy Now! (Makers and Takers Remix)
Here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, citizens can apparently now pick and choose which laws they feel like obeying, and the city attorneys can likewise pick and choose which laws they feel like enforcing. A local restaurant owner, you see, has decided that he’s not going to comply with the new minimum wage law and continue … Continue reading »
Inconvenient News
Is there ever a good time to watch the news? With the traditional broadcast networks, you can roll out of bed, click on the TV and get a dose of war, disaster, murder, tragedy, and the allegedly responsible adults charged with running the world calling each other names, allowing you to immediately ruin your day. … Continue reading »
Podcast: Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me
Another NPR show that I unfortunately don’t get to listen to when it’s on. Ironically, I often get to listen before it’s broadcast locally, as new episodes are available by Saturday evening and it airs here on Sundays. Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me is the NPR News Quiz, nominally a game show, more of a … Continue reading »
Thoughts: I Was Worth 50 Sheep
The first line of this documentary begins “When I was 10 years old, my father sold me to a 60 year old man.” It proceeds to follow a young woman in Afghanistan named Sabere, who has left her husband and who, through an organization called Safe House, is seeking a legal divorce. Her husband is … Continue reading »
Fact Check: Assault Weapon Ban, and a Modest Proposal
There’s a lot of rhetoric coming from both sides, so I wanted to find out what was actually going on. It turns out that there’s really no good news for anyone. The assault weapon ban being proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein is pretty much identical to the one signed into law by President Clinton in … Continue reading »
The United States Constitution, or, Only the Sith Deal in Absolutes
The U.S. Constitution is sacred, inviolate, an unchanging. That’s the current argument against gun control: yell “Second Amendment!”, drop the mic, BOOM, walk off stage, end of discussion. Except, of course, a good portion of the people I know who are dropping that bon mot aren’t so defiantly defensive about absolute nature of the Constitution … Continue reading »
The Personal and Professional Ethics of Political Opinions
Katie and I have known about a certain chicken chain’s religious and political stances for a while, and we’ve made our decision as to whether or not to eat there. Yet we haven’t made a point of broadcasting our stance all over the internet. It’s come up in conversation with friends, and it’s lead to … Continue reading »
Algebra is Rubbish
When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I took algebra. While I was an honors student and eager to learn new things, I still questioned the value of learning this as most kids do. Sure, the teacher provided real-world examples of how algebra was used, but I planned on doing none of those things … Continue reading »
