Category Archives: Politics
Multiflush Environmentalism
If there’s one thing I cannot stand, it’s a first-generation low-flow toilet. It’s almost enough to make a Republican out of me.
Yet Another Persian Word For Self-Preservation
This is a continuation of our discussion on ketman. I just read a well-timed feature article on Iran in the August 2008 issue of National Geographic Magazine, which emphasizes yet another social practice used by Persians for self-preservation through self-concealment: tárof: Tárof is an Arabic word, writes author Marguerite del Giudice, that represents a Persian [...]
Bipartisan Theocracy
As if the federal government weren’t already big enough. As if the moral domain of the federal government weren’t already broad enough. Federal government? More like Central government. We now have both so-called-liberals and so-called-conservatives supporting the use of tax dollars to fund religious organizations. I suppose this means I can save a check. Rather [...]
I’ve Been Slimed!
I was ready. I was set. Obama was my man. He’s for pluralistic politics, and so am I. He’s an apostate, and so am I. He’s for change, and so am I. Now that I’ve finally met the real Barack Obama, I’m thinking I’ll take the other guy; you know, the two-faced war monger down [...]
Heraclitus Down Under
Here’s Alan Saunders, host of the Australian program The Philosopher’s Zone, reflecting on the influence of Heraclitus on Australian philosophers John Anderson and John Passmore. I find that what Passmore talks about most is not so much Anderson as Anderson’s lectures on the Greek philosopher Heraclitus and in fact not so much Anderson’s lectures on [...]
I’m not asking Clinton to quit …
… but I sure wish she’d shut up. So much for the “dream ticket”. It’s beginning to resemble a political nightmare. How many times is Billary going get caught with her foot in her mouth? Well at least she’s got the American specter of assassination to give her campaign hope. Hmmm … Should we just [...]
California Takes the Moral High Ground
Bravo, California! This calls for a party. You can bet that I, my wife, and our kids will celebrate this one. This moment gives comfort in the face of all the terrible news we’ve been buffeted with of late. Though I don’t look to the state for moral guidance, I am relieved when the state [...]
I Wanna Be Autonomy
Awe, come on! A little anarchy never hurt nobody! Be a devil! Give it a try, won’t you? Just this once. Anarchy in the NZ This here is your real scarlet letter. It stands for some pretty nasty ideas: anarchy, for starters. Likewise, we have atheism, the theological equivalent of anarchism. Then there’s that rarely-employed [...]
Just call me Bubba
Last weekend, we finally cracked and gave Bubba Gump a try. I can’t think of a more cynical Hollywood spinoff, but we were hungry, and the Aquarium restaurant was stuffed. Bubba’s food was not bad. The kids actually ate—there’s something to blog home about. What struck me was one of the myriad bits of nostalgia: [...]