I was intrigued by the quotes from Eisenhower that I found while writing a previous post, and I decided I needed to learn more about this man. So I picked up the one-volume biography by Stephen E. Ambrose, an abridgment of his original two-volume work. (more…)
With the increasingly good news in Iraq over the last several weeks, I had been preparing for myself a tossed salad of crow, guarded optimism, and chagrin (at the benefit it might give John McCain’s candidacy). I thought all the progress attained up to a few weeks ago might unravel until Muqtada al-Sadr extended for another several months the ceasefire he had ordered for his Mahdi Army (JAM). I let myself get quite hopeful about the effectiveness of the surge. Then last week happened. (more…)
In the middle of reading Eisenhower: Soldier and President by Stephen E. Ambrose, I saw in the video store a picture of Eisenhower on a documentary called Why We Fight. It was the Grand Jury Prize Winner at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
The movie’s launch-pad is Eisenhower’s 1961 farewell speech in which he warns America of a military-industrial complex and draws that concept out to the current war in Iraq. (more…)
One of the definitions of pornography from Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com) is: “The depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.” This same definition can be applied to most political talk-shows. (more…)
Mitt Romney carried Utah with about 90% of the Republican primary vote. But since Romney dropped out of the race, lots of Mittlers have expressed their dislike of the obvious GOP nominee, John McCain. I have tried to ask why, but the answer is usually too emotionally-centered to be understandable to someone not in the same boat. However, I finally figured it out: In the eyes of Conservatives, McCain is too willing to (cover the children’s ears) compromise. (more…)
Entrepreneurship is a favorite subject of “conservatives,” who like to see people pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make something worthwhile of themselves. A lot of talk goes into how tax cuts and economic stimulus packages help “the small business owner.” But if you really want to encourage entrepreneurship and help the small business owner, vote for a Democrat. (more…)
Conservatives who want to reduce the occurrence of abortions in the United States should vote for a Democrat. (more…)
More of the same from the Washington set was made clear to me last night when I found out what “superdelegates” are. (more…)
Why not a single-payor, national, universal health-care system? (more…)
This is a speech given yesterday (Jan. 20, ‘08) by Senator Barack Obama at the Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. preached. (more…)