My impulse was to here write, “It’s been an interesting week,” but in reality, it’s just been a week much like those that came before it. The social weather forecast: continuing craziness with scattered outbursts of outright insanity.
President Obama gave his final State of The Union (SOTU) speech on Tuesday, and so I find myself writing about how proud I was of my president for the second time in as many weeks (and, very possibly, the only two times since he was elected).
Watching that speech, I kept thinking, “Where has this guy been for the last seven years?”
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6 Comments | tags: cable news, democratic society, dialectic, Edward R. Murrow, election 2016, illusion, lies, Nikki Haley, President Obama, rhetoric, social change, social issues, social media, social mores, Walter Cronkite | posted in Politics, Rant
Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills
and put your helmet on
Ground Control to Major Tom
(Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six)
Commencing countdown, engines on
(Five, Four, Three)
Check ignition
and may God’s love be with you…
(Two, One, Liftoff)
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7 Comments | tags: David Bowie, Diamond Dog, Space Oddity | posted in Music
I really didn’t expect to like it at all, but I have to say that the CBS show Supergirl has really won me over. To be honest, they engaged me with the first episode, and they’ve engaged and charmed me ever since. They’ve found the necessary secret ingredient for telling stories about an invulnerable flying alien who wears red, yellow, and blue underwear: plenty of whimsy, sheer joy, and don’t forget the love.
Full disclosure, when I was in grade school, Supergirl in the comics was my first long-time crush. The kid in me is still head-over-heels. Some of my earliest sexy images involved Supergirl’s landings (which would cause her skirt to flip up). Yeah, I had it bad!
So maybe I’m just smitten but thumbs up on the show!
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11 Comments | tags: Calista Flockhart, Cat Grant, CBS, Chyler Leigh, Helen Slater, J'onn J'onzz, Jimmy Olsen, Laura Benanti, Melissa Benoist, Supergirl, superheroes, Superman | posted in Sci-Fi Saturday, TV
I have a great deal of respect for President Obama’s intelligence, character, and commitment, yet I’m not thrilled by his leadership or public speaking abilities (and I consider the latter an important part of the former). That said, he thoroughly impressed me at last night’s Guns in America town hall event on CNN!
Now already, in Philadelphia, we have news-worthy gun fire. In this case, despite numerous rounds fired, everyone (that is to say, both guys) lived. (Which, ironically, makes it kind of like TV.) To raise the public fervor ante, the shooter did it in the name of the Islamic State.
What was that curse about interesting times?
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11 Comments | tags: CNN, gun control, gun debate, gun laws, gun ownership, guns, Guns in America, President Obama, town hall | posted in Opinion, Politics
The thing about climbing up sand dunes is that you keep sliding downwards. If you slide downward one step for every step you take upwards, you stay in place and get nowhere. Worse, if you slide two steps down for every step up, you go backwards!
To climb a sand dune successfully, you have to take more steps upwards than you slide downwards. I’ve climbed sand dunes; it’s hard; it takes effort (or a dune buggy).
The thing about social progress is that, without real effort towards moving upwards, society tends to slide backwards. Or just stay in place.
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7 Comments | tags: gun control, gun debate, gun laws, gun ownership, guns, movie violence, Quentin Tarantino, The Dark Knight Returns, TV violence, violence, violence in movies, violent society | posted in Politics, Rant
Well, here we are in 2016, a Presidential election year, and — man, oh man — it’s going to be a weird one! High waters from several rivers seems to be converging to form a flood unlike any we’ve seen in modern politics. And while that’s kind of fascinating from a sociology perspective, as a citizen some of it seems kind of scary.
As I write this, actual rivers are flooding Midwestern cities in the USA, but the rivers I have in mind are reality shows, the interweb, and our social environment (where global unrest and terrorism is a primary topic). The flood here is a lack of sense, nuance, and thoughtfulness.
My question today: When did we so fully embrace lies and illusion?
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17 Comments | tags: Anyone But Trump, Bernie Sanders, cable news, democracy, Democratic Party, democratic society, dialectic, Donald Trump, election 2016, evil, GOP, Hillary Clinton, illusion, lies, Marco Rubio, politicians, Republican Party, rhetoric, social change, social issues, social media, Ted Cruz, Trump is a loser, Trump is a monster, truth | posted in Politics, Rant
Whether it’s Christmas, a related holiday, the Winter Solstice, or just the calendar year, many are celebrating a time of year that is meant to be filled with happiness, family, good wishes, peace on Earth, and goodwill to all. If this season ’tis meaningful for you, I hope it is filled with joy and laughter! May you be content and fulfilled. And safe.
But take a moment to think of those who are not safe. Or whose bellies are empty, or whose homes are lost. We have much to do before all are safe, content, and fulfilled. Miles to go before we sleep.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
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10 Comments | tags: Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Day | posted in Life
I’ve been watching the cable news a lot lately, and it fills me with dismay. I’m seeing coming to fruition a crop that I’ve been warning about for over 40 years. I’ve referred to it as the Death of a Liberal Arts Education.
As this crop of useless weeds chokes the life out of the nutritious and necessary political and social fauna and flora, I find that we’ve arrived at an even greater loss: Utter Dialectic Failure!
That’s a topic for future posts. Right now I want to ask:
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16 Comments | tags: Anyone But Trump, Bernie Sanders, democracy, Democratic Party, democratic society, dialectic, Donald Trump, election 2016, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, politicians, Republican Party, rhetoric, social change, social issues, social media, Ted Cruz, Trump is a loser, Trump is a monster, violent society | posted in Politics, Rant
So now we have 12/2 to go along with 9/11. And while the death and injury this time isn’t of the magnitude it was 14 years ago. The hysteria seems to be greater. Only five days after the tragedy, the leading Republican candidate engages in a form of hate speech not seen in mainstream American politics since Joe McCarthy.
To say that I’m appalled doesn’t begin to describe it. That people cheer on and support this blustering carnival barker speaks directly to the decline of real American values and principles. Trump is a childish clown seeing how much he can get away with.
It’s the people who follow him that scare the crap out of me. The ignorance and lack of critical thought is — as I have long said — very dangerous.
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46 Comments | tags: 12/2, 9-11, Anyone But Trump, democracy, Democratic Party, democratic society, Dick Cheney, Donald Sterling, Donald Trump, election 2016, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Joe McCarthy, Leon Wieseltier, Marco Rubio, politicians, Republican Party, social change, social issues, social media, Ted Cruz, terrorism, Trump is a loser, Trump is a monster | posted in Opinion, Politics
So what are the odds of reading two posts in short succession, both of which just demand to be reblogged? As I commented on the original post, speaking as a life-long deep reader, I agree with every word.
8 Comments | tags: intelligence, reading | posted in Books, Life
Logos con carne 