Politics
evolvingthoughts | December 5, 2006This is one of the few tests that gives me a ranking I agree with. Even if the questions are too simplistic and the alternatives not exclusive.
Your Political Profile:
Overall: 15% Conservative, 85% Liberal
Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal
Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal
How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?
grrlscientist | December 5, 2006Speaking as a person who is currently in a nuthouse, who has met all kinds since I've been in a nuthouse (ooo, the stories I could tell you ... !), I wonder why Bush is allowed to not only roam freely throughout our country at the taxpayers' expense, but why he is in the White House, of all places, with his finger on the red button? What am I blabbing on about? The recent interview with Brit Hume, that's what. Part of the transcript follows below the fold. (Italics are my comments).
Hume: "I've just spent some time in the company of people who were for you, who are worried about you, just as…
jrosenhouse | December 5, 2006Here's Bill O'Reilly pretending to be outraged by Jim Webb's lack of respect for the presidency (see yesterday's post for the details):
Now that was rude on Webb's part. The president, knowing Webb's anti-war sentiments, went out of his way to engage the senator-elect about his son. That was a nice gesture, was it not?
Webb took the occasion to politic. That was inappropriate, especially at the White House. And then he turned disrespectful.
Now, we've invited Senator-elect Webb on “The Factor” to talk it over, but so far, he has not accepted. But I will say this directly to him: It's fine to…
jrosenhouse | December 5, 2006I'm a big government kind of guy, but this is insane:
The New York City Board of Health voted today to ban artificial trans fats in the city's eateries, establishing more rigorous limits than any other American city on an ingredient considered by doctors and nutritionists to increase the risk of heart disease.
The new requirements will mean that the city's 20,000 food establishments, from high-end bistros to neighborhood delis, will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July 1, 2007, and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of their…
clock | December 5, 2006Bonior Would Lead Edwards Campaign :
Former Rep. David Bonior, a one-time leader in Congress who has close ties to labor unions, has signed on to manage a future John Edwards presidential campaign.
Edwards hasn't announced a repeat of his 2004 presidential bid yet, but an Edwards adviser said Thursday that Bonior will run the effort if Edwards decides to run. In the meantime, Bonior has signed on as a senior adviser to Edwards' leadership PAC, the One America Committee.
Bonior represented Detroit's northern suburbs for 26 years in the House, rising to be the No. 2 Democrat before stepping…
clock | December 5, 2006This post (from May 10, 2005) was deliberately written to provoke, by asserting that the "victors write history" rule gets into trouble when there are too many victors writing too many histories. Thus, it was written deliberately as an opposite extreme to what kids learn in school in the USA, as well as a report on what many Europeans think and say over beer in a bar (I have heard it many times), not a report of yet another "Truth" that I actually believe in. So, I also re-posted the comments and hope that some real WWII experts chime in this time around (Orac? Archy?) and straighten-up the…
pharyngula | December 5, 2006I like 'em. There are a few you absolutely must read today.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden on why she blogs.
Zuska on why she isn't polite.
Digby on our government's unforgivable inhumanity.
clock | December 4, 2006Former Sen. John Edwards Set For Pasadena Appearance
The site of Edwards' appearance, All Saints Church, has received a summons from the Internal Revenue Service for all documents and e-mails it produced during the 2004 election year with references to political candidates in an investigation of whether it violated federal laws prohibiting churches and other tax-exempt institutions from endorsing or opposing political candidates.
The IRS probe was triggered by an antiwar sermon delivered by the church's rector emeritus, the Rev. George F. Regas, two days before the 2004 presidential election…
jlynch | December 4, 2006
"Unable to win Senate confirmation, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will step down when his temporary appointment expires within weeks, the White House said Monday" (source). Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
oracknows | December 4, 2006Everyone seems to be taking this quiz, so I thought, what the heck:
Your 'Do You Want the Terrorists to Win' Score: 81%
You are a terrorist-loving scoundrel who hates our dear leader and the values he defends. There are few redeeming qualities about you. You most likely celebrated when the evil-doers hit us on 9/11, then opposed the Iraq war when we tried to pay them back. You hurt us at every step and cause troops to die in the field by questioning Bush's decisions. You are most likely a lost cause, doomed to be a brainwashed victim of free thought and liberalism forever. No dose of…
grrlscientist | December 4, 2006Do you remember Ken Starr? Well, having failed to convict Bill Clinton of a blow job, Kenny Starr is now helping an Alaska school board attack the 1st Amendment against high-school senior, Joseph Frederick, in the "kids will be kids" escapade, the infamous "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner case -- and Starr is doing it free of charge.
Click here to see this evil, evil banner in its own window.
Frederick was suspended in 2002 after he unfurled the 14-foot-long banner -- a reference to marijuana use -- just outside school grounds as the Olympic torch relay moved through the Alaskan capital headed…
grrlscientist | December 4, 2006Botlon will step down from his UN ambassadorship soon and now the National Review is supporting Rick Santorum as our next UN Ambassador??
Santorum speaks (He's a rather windy chap, isn't he?).
clock | December 4, 2006Brookings Hamilton Project Issues New Papers on Science and Technological Innovation:
Experts Address how Education, Patent Reform, and Inducement Prizes in Science and Technology can aid Competitiveness and Growth.
Focusing attention on the importance of science and technology innovation to U.S. growth and competitiveness, The Hamilton Project, an initiative at the Brookings Institution, today released policy proposals to spur investments in innovation, research and the education of a highly skilled American workforce. The proposals were released on The Hamilton Project website ( www.…
jrosenhouse | December 4, 2006I was more than a little surprised when Jim Webb defeated incumbent George Allen in the recent Virginia Senate election. I voted for him happily, but didn't rate his chances very high. My confidence in him has only soared in light of recent events. Here's George Will:
Wednesday's Washington Post reported that at a White House reception for newly elected members of Congress, Webb “tried to avoid President Bush,” refusing to pass through the reception line or have his picture taken with the president. When Bush asked Webb, whose son is a Marine in Iraq, “How's your boy?” Webb replied, “I'd…
tsmith | December 4, 2006In the comments to my Republicans want to legislate when fetuses feel pain" post, David notes:
What really gets me is if they were interested in preventing abortion, the most effective way seems to be by providing people with the tools and education to not get pregnant in the first place. If they are not willing to help prevent unwanted pregnancy, they have no moral ground to stand on when it comes to abortion, because as far as I'm concerned, they are the ones responsible for many of the unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
What good timing: Evil Monkey at Neurotopia has a post up…
pharyngula | December 3, 2006Since Wilkins, Lynch, and Mike are doing this, I must follow (my mom said something about friends and cliffs once…I'm hoping that they don't ever decide to jump off one). The two mad biologists achieve parity!
Your 'Do You Want the Terrorists to Win' Score: 100%
Â
You are a terrorist-loving, Bush-bashing, "blame America first"-crowd traitor. You are in league with evil-doers who hate our freedoms. By all counts you are a liberal, and as such cleary desire the terrorists to succeed and impose their harsh theocratic restrictions on us all. You are fit to be hung for treason! Luckily…
jlynch | December 3, 2006Over at Framing Science, Matt notes that the WaPo is running a series of pieces by historians putting Bush's presidency in historical context. Back in May 2004, History News Network reported that "eight in ten historians [...] rate the current presidency an overall failure." In particular, the George W. Bush presidency was seen as being the worst since:
In terms of economic damage, Reagan.In terms of imperialism, T Roosevelt.In terms of dishonesty in government, Nixon.In terms of affable incompetence, Harding.In terms of corruption, Grant.In terms of general lassitude and cluelessness,…