What bokononists whisper whenever they think of how complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is.


By Elton Beard

There are two kinds of people in the world, those who divide people into two kinds and those who don't. I don't.


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Technorati Profile


ARCHIVE ARCHIVE ARCHIVE

Sunday, July 16, 2006
1:45 PM PT

Shorter Gregory Rodriguez:
The Democrats' Unreligious Fringe
  • Democratic politicians and elected officials must cease their constant derision of religion if they want people like me to vote for them.
Secular people don't count.
Plus: No, Really. From the piece:
It is no doubt too late to win back the religious right. Democrats aren't about to change their positions on issues such as gay or reproductive rights. But they can still woo the moderate religious voters who were turned away by the party's stridently secular rhetoric.
The party's stridently secular rhetoric. Think about that for a moment.

Gregory Rodriguez, like Barack Obama before him, is fabricating an unnecessary problem for Democrats here. Democratic politicians in the real world do not often publicly endorse irreligion nor are they given to fiery denunciations of popular religions. In scientific fact, the level of "stridently secular rhetoric" emanating from "the party" is roughly exactly zero.

So what's going on here? Rodriguez makes his real problem clear enough: he is not happy that "Democrats feel they must not offend the 22% of their core voters who claim no religious affiliation." Go ahead, offend them, he recommends. Tear down this wall separating church and state that only the activist base cares about. Piss on your secular supporters - where else can they go, anyway? - and in return you'll gain a whole bunch of shiny new religious voters like me, says Mr. Rodriguez.

Stark, but there you have it. Although there was no obvious good reason for stirring this particular pot at this particular time, the Democratic Party is now confronted with a choice. It can change course and become more theocracy-friendly on the advice of people who hear voices in their heads that others cannot discern - I refer, of course, to the "stridently secular rhetoric" - or it can continue to best respect all its diverse supporters by, as a party, neither endorsing nor rejecting any particular belief system or lack thereof.

In other words - walk away from your core voters, or not. Take your pick, Democratic Party.

Thursday, July 13, 2006
6:45 PM PT

Shorter Robert Kagan:
On Iran, Giving Futility Its Chance
  • If Mr. Bush puts on a great show of trying to bend Iran to his will through diplomacy and fails, no fair person will fault him when he reluctantly resorts to bombing.
Go ahead, it'll make my day.
Update: See Also No More Mister Nice Blog and Philosoraptor.

4:45 PM PT

The weight of the world on his shoulders.

Shorter David S. Broder:
For Bush, A World Of Worry
  • Poor Mr. Bush is beset by crises not of his own making, except maybe Iraq.
Plus: No, Really. Washington's most revered elder pundit, after ticking off seven current major world trouble spots and before proceeding to note the difficulties with Mr. Bush's free-standing pet project in Iraq, says this about the Leader of the Free World:
Bush is largely blameless for all these troubles. The nations involved have made their own choices for their own reasons and probably would be behaving that way no matter who was in the White House.
Because, you know, the spectaular disaster that is Mr. Bush's little war of choice has had no consequences outside of Iraq.

And what of the indispensable nation, the benevolent global hegemon? These days, it seems, not so much.

Monday, July 10, 2006
10:30 PM PT

Shorter Ruth Marcus:
Still Their Cup o' Joe?
  • If Lieberman is not nominated then the liberals will have won.
Such a nice young man, what's not to like?

Home


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2007
December          
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January  1  8 15 22 29
 
2005
December 5 12 19 26  
November   7 14 21 28
October 3 10 17 24 31
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August 1 8 15   29
July 5 12      
June   6 13 20 27
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March   7 14 21  
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January 3   17 24 31
2006
December          
November          
October          
September   11 18 25  
August   7     28
July 3 10 17 24 31
June 5 12 19 26  
May   8 15 22 29
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March   6 13 20 27
February   6 13 20 27
January 2 9 16 23 30
2003
December 1 8 15    
November 3 10 17 24  
October 6 13 20 27  
September 1 8 15 22 29
August 4 11 18 25  
July 7 14 21 28  
June 2 9 16 23 30
May 5 12 19 26  
April 7 14 21 28  
March 3 17   31  
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2004
December   6 13 20  
November 1 8 15 22 29
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September H 6 13 20 27
August I A T U S
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2001
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2002
December 2 9 16 23 30
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September   9 16 23  
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July 1 8 15 22 29
June 3 10   24  
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Busy, busy, busy.

What bokononists whisper whenever they think of how complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is.


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