Small doses absorbed daily

The Facebook is taking over America. Well, at least college-aged Americans at somewhat large institutions of higher education. I've given in.

This is why Janeane Garofalo hates the Right. Her argument is pretty persuasive, and dead on about a lot of the charges. On a related note, I read an article today in the conservative Christian rag World today that asserted that issues like abortion and gay marriage were moral ones about which no conversation is necessary, while ignoring the plight of the poor is not a moral issue but rather a question of means and extent. The writer was essentially defending single-issue voting, but made the mistake of most 'Red state' religious conservatives in not considering the nuance behind questions of eugenics and the beginning of life. Aren't these the same people who acknowledge at least in theory that God is omniscient and they're not? Then, by logic it follows that while we have an idea about a lot of issues, we can't ever completely know the mind of God on this side of perfection - hence the grey area in moral issues. Perhaps the most disturbing implication of a thought process like the one exhibited by World Magazine Dude is that it rejects the notion that Christians can have diverging, yet simultaneously theologically defensible views on issues - again an assumption that they know the mind of the Creator and know who is indeed among the elect, to use a Presbyterian term. This type of arrogance has no place among God's people. I'll tackle some more issues that the religious right failed to consider in the past election in following posts.

The Defense Science Board's latest report about the conflict in Iraq hits the nail on the head when they identify the PR crisis that America faces among Muslims in majority Islamic countries around the world. Indeed, addressing the concerns of the region is the only way to end terrorism supported by followers of radical muslim ideologies like Wahabism. Primarily this means a more even-handed approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and a greater sensitivity to their religion and historical grievances against the West. Despite the not-so-private comments of some high level Bush administration advisors, there is no need for a Fukyama-esque clash of civilizations between the west and Islam. Bush, a late-life convert to conservative Christianity ideology, has embraced this end of time theology to the detriment of American foreign policy and our credibility around the world.

Marijuana was the topic du jour before the Supreme Court yesterday. It will be interesting to see how they rule on the rights of states like California to allow its use by referendum. Justice Breyer seemed skeptical of medication 'through referendum' instead of the current FDA policy of 'medicine through regulation'. There are lots of implications for state's rights in this case; similar to the argument used by - you guessed it - religious conservatives in Alabama during the election for voting down the removal of educational segregation clauses in the state's constitution. Imagine that - states rights as more important than doing what is right.

My final item in this news roundup is an article from the Charleston Post & Courier in which South Carolina state senator Altman is threatening to harangue South Carolina Educational Television Network (PBS) for airing a documentary describing what life is like for gays in the south. Here's my favorite quote:

'[the show] was just one 26-minute show out of 8,700 hours of programming.' - SCETV President Maurice Bresnahan


It's a golden age for music lovers like myself due to wonderful programs like Bittorrent. Google it for yourself and find out what you've been missing. More music commentary and bittorrent links to come shortly.

Steve Spurrier is amazing - gain some perspective by reading this article . And now he's our head football coach.

Your love is teaching me how to kneel

clintonlibrary, originally uploaded by lotifoazurri.

From stereogum.com - 'imagine them all wearing iPods'

U2 performed at the opening of the Clinton library, and reached across party lines, as the last four presidents show

When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire

This week's column - a pitiful, last minute effort that i'm not entirely happy with.

Sen. John McCain has indigestion.

However, it's not from what he ate in the Capitol cafeteria, but from the direction his party is taking. Instead of being the party of fiscal responsibility and small government, principles Republicans have always championed, the party of Lincoln and Reagan has overseen the biggest expansion in federal spending and in the size of the bureaucracy since Lyndon Johnson. President Bush has succeeded in blindly leading the party he claims to be a part of from its core principles to a new ideology based entirely on a sectarian moral and arrogantly empirical view of the world.

While much has been made in recent weeks of the crisis of direction that commentators claim is facing the Democratic Party following its institutional failure to make any semblance of gains on a national level, the winners have not had a critical eye trained on them. Part of this is our American inclination to view the successful as blemishless, but it does little to advance the discussion of where our nation is heading. But just because the Right was able to dupe middle America's isolated masses into voting for an agenda they can least afford to support, does not mean their viewpoint is correct. After all, the Nazis were roundly supported at home during their ascent to power. The ultimate irony of the Bush White House is that Karl Rove has the utmost disrespect for the voters he manipulates, or he would not reduce the level of political discourse down to images of 9/11 that do nothing other than stir up the fears of hard-working Americans.

Voters are served an apocalyptic view of a future for their children in which their country is devoid of churches, and the landscape is dominated by strip malls full of gay bars, abortion clinics, and movie theaters serving up Hollywood's newest bloodbath. Leading the phalanx firmly against this onslaught of 'anti-family' culture is our 43rd president, who we're assured in 30-second television spots is a moral crusader and will soon be sainted by Jerry Falwell. Conveniently absent from the facts presented are reminders of his DUI conviction, or the charges of unethical campaign practices pursued by his first lieutenant in the House of Representatives and fellow Texan, Tom DeLay. You have to question your sanity if you buy into this slice of fiction in ignorance of four years of precedence.

Reality is that no president is, or thankfully will ever be, powerful enough to change the direction American culture is taking. Our protections against censorship ensure MTV and Janet Jackson will continue to push the envelope of acceptability while forcing individuals to think for themselves instead of having their beliefs dictated to them by government or mainstream media.

In many ways, the president is forcing Republicans implicitly to reject more than 150 years of historical stances on the issues and adopt a view of government that embraces growing government at an unfettered pace to fight endless moral wars at home and wars against world opinion abroad. So go ahead and proclaim your love for our "Republican" president and rock your "W always" stickers on your Ford Explorer, but at least realize that in doing so you're giving up what you are supposed to stand for. It is a far greater travesty to willingly give up your independence to those who are loathe to protect it.

Welcome to the phyrric victory celebration

The Facebook is a terrible time waster. Or maybe I should say that it's good at wasting my time. Whatever, just find me and add me to your friends, so I can read all the inane things you write about yourself.

One hundred reasons why I didn't vote for Bush.

I'm gonna miss Colin Powell as Secretary of State, and I really wonder what Condi Rice's policy orientation is like.

Meanwhile we've re-invaded Iraq, since apparently we didn't get the job done the first time around when we had 'sufficient ground forces.'

There's guards at the onramps, armed to the teeth

canada20, originally uploaded by lotifoazurri.

The new, post November 2nd map of North America.

What does it take to get a drink in this place?

Dear America,

This is a letter from a concerned admirer. I’m writing you because I’ve been watching you of late and your actions have me worried. You don’t seem to be the country I fell in love with those many years ago; you’re just not acting like your normally optimistic self. I guess I have seen this coming for a long time, but the newspaper headlines on November 3rd forced me to do something more than just sit by and watch your destructive tendencies take over.

Maybe it is the crowd you’ve fallen in with – I never really liked that George W. when you first brought him home back in 2000. He always struck me as a man with something to prove, but that’s no surprise considering how he got into Yale and Harvard Business School due to his father’s influence. I’ve tried to keep quiet over the past four years, since we all have to live together, but I can’t hold my tongue any more. All you have to show for his time is more bruises than a few falls down the stairs bring.

I have always thought that these Presidential relationships were supposed to make you a better person and teach you some truth about yourself that you never knew you had in you. Look at it on balance – we’ve lost a bunch of soldiers way across the ocean in a place that never even picked a fight with us, we have less civil liberties than before, and there are still tons of our own in poverty and without adequate health care. I know you say he makes you feel safe, but from what? When will you wake up from your delusion and realize that he is a bigger threat to your safety than Osama ever was?

Speaking of Osama, what has George done to keep him from popping back in at a moment’s notice? Unconditional support for Israel’s territorial expansion into Palestinian lands and for totalitarian regimes in the Middle East that support us like Saudi Arabia only leave us more exposed to radical Islamic terrorists. Don’t you see that the only way to truly end terrorism is to address the underlying causes like poverty and a lack of economic options in third world countries, and that killing young radicals while trying to ‘export’ our own form of democracy will only make us more hated?

Chiefly I am disappointed in you that you fell for George’s sweet-talk rhetoric of fear. Can you honestly tell me that you think his us-versus-them view of the world and crusade mentality reflect the kind of rational thought that you’ve always fallen before in your previous presidents? Sure, it’s a great way for him to keep you interested in him for the short-term, but trying to win you over out of fear will eventually rip your heart apart and leave you lonely and divided.

That’s another thing – all your friends are wondering what has happened to your once principled leadership in the international arena. You used to think that because you were the biggest kid on the block you had to act with greater forethought and the interest of others in mind. Now it’s like you’re just trying to piss off France and Germany and most everybody else in the world. They’ve been through a lot with you, and just want to see you at your best. It’d do you well to listen to them every now and again instead of just turning away arrogantly.

I know this letter will upset you, but you can’t let George walk all over half of the country while claiming a mandate and advancing a narrow-minded agenda for the next four years. While I know you’ll see the light and change eventually, I hope for all our sakes you’ll do it sooner than later. There will be less pieces to pick up that way.

So this is what a mandate looks like?

purple_america_2004, originally uploaded by lotifoazurri.

The map is pretty self-explanatory. Red counties/parishes went majority Bush, blue counties went majority Kerry, while purple were evenly divided. Other shades indicate the county's leaning. Notice how the only clear-cut counties are in low-population rural states. Other than that, the country is indeed very divided. Don't listen to the rhetoric about how Bush won with more votes than any president before or was the first pres since his father to win a majority - while true, they hide the more important, un-spun reality that he won by a narrow percentage margin, well within the margin of error for uncounted and outstanding ballots.