The Somali pirate situation has me bothered on so many levels. First, it's alarming that pirates are now willing to attack major U.S. merchant ships (even considering their pathetically small and rundown boats they use to do this.) I'm a little tired of worrying about the state of our foreign policy, so I'm going to leave that one alone for the most part. Typically I would be on board with those who are crying to make an example of the surviving pirate who is now being held for charges in New York (because that is apparently where African crimes and issues are dealt with.) In a theoretical way I still feel that way. However, after seeing the pictures of him in the news all I really feel is sympathy.
People were outraged because he was smiling when he got off the boat and was being photographed on the way into the court house (or jail... I'm not sure which.) He was handcuffed and in a prison-type uniform, but was grinning like he just won the lottery. The reason being that in his mind he did. When outraged reporters grilled his lawyer about why he was happy, they replied "He had never seen a camera before." That breaks my heart. He was happy to be in America - to see its affluence and humane treatment of people... even a reviled prisoner like himself.
It is important to note here that the amount of money they took from the Maersk Alabama was only US$30,000. Now, $30k is nothing to turn your nose up at, but at the same time is $30k worth a lifetime in prison? Or the high probability of being killed in the process? Or having to commit atrocities that you don't want to do, but feel are necessary because you're so desperate for money?
That figure makes me sick. This is how impoverished Somalia is - $30k would actually have made a difference for those pirates. They would have felt as rich as I would feel winning a million. I can't even fathom such a place. This is another reason I feel sympathy for the pirate.
Going in to the charging proceedings, there remains great debate about his age. It has been reported as being anywhere from 15-26 with no accurate records to support any of them. It can generally assumed that he was at least of a cognizant age and that he therefore understood that his actions were wrong. This will most likely result in a lifetime prison sentence on the 4 felony counts he is being charged with having to deal with very old laws regarding piracy and hostages. Such a sentence is most likely fair. I wouldn't argue with it assuming the evidence proves them all. However, it still doesn't make me feel any better about the situation.
As Americans we are quick to judge... virtually everything and everyone. I don't know why this is, but I do think humility is a lost virtue for most Americans. Probably including myself. Yet, I can't stand to hear the people calling for the pitchforks and mob before even listening to the full story. Now, Captain Philips has the right to any opinion since he was the victim and acted incredibly heroically. He is the one light in this whole mess. He accepted his responsibility and handled it admirably saving the lives and well being of his crew. He deserves a Presidential or Congressional medal for his actions. I just wish that people would be willing to at least look at the situation to understand the piracy situation.
The Obama Administration talks about wanting to improve our image abroad and rebuild relationships with other nations. To make a safer, better world. I certainly do not disagree with those aspirations. However, instead of wasting time having photo ops with Russian and Venezuelan leaders, maybe we could think of a legitimate humanitarian assistance program for Somalia. I bet then they wouldn't be so eager to go after Western merchant vessels.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Untitled #4
I have been thinking a lot about contemporary art lately and most importantly why I love it so much when others have such great disdain for it. We went to the High Museum of Art two weekends ago (along with the rest of Atlanta and the surrounding areas apparently) to see the exhibit: The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army. I have been interested in seeing the Terracotta Army since studying it in 9th Grade World History. I think it's absolutely fascinating and an amazing artistic and historical discovery. Once upon a time I even dreamed of taking a trip to China to see them and the excavation site. So, when the High announced it was going to bring part of the exhibit here I was elated! Of course I would still love to visit China one day, but if it by chance doesn't work out I still got to see the army. The High did a superb job of curating the exhibit. Much better than any I have seen there in the last 3 years (the Impressionist exhibit was installed terribly despite some of the fine pieces as were most segments of the Louvre Atlanta exhibit.) The trip was worth the annoying throng of army-viewers that exploded from OTP like cockroaches running for cover when the lights are turned on. My husband conducted a random sampling while we were waiting and concluded that 75% of the visitors that day were obese. This did not assist in our efforts to view and appreciate the ancient artifacts. They also hovered within the museum etiquettely-correct 18 inches of a piece. It was quite infuriating. Thankfully it did not detract from the exquisite pieces themselves. This is not to say that I did not unwillingly shove my purse into the protruding bellies of several visitors attempting to suffocate me. Oops.
Upon completing our journey through The First Emperor, we decided to see the last Louvre Atlanta exhibit. It was massively disappointing, but at least there were no crowds. We then went to the main building of the High where the permanent collection is held. I was pleased to see the new acquisitions of modern and contemporary pieces. Despite my great appreciation for the classic painters, there is something about the contemporaries especially that I love. The more it looks like a pre-schooler had a tantrum and threw his fingerpaints against the wall, the better I say. I wish I could afford to buy real pieces of art and not the sad poster depictions of them, but unfortunately real art is not a luxury that is in my current budget. Maybe one day...
I was viewing the newly acquired pieces and was on cloud nine. There's nothing like beautiful art to put me in a good mood, although it caused me to think about why so many people not only do not appreciate modern and contemporary art, but actually hate it. The beauty I see in the "randomness" that I know is not random at all completely escapes those who say "Well, I could do that."Maybe you could, but you don't. That is the difference. Maybe we all could be contemporary artists in our own way, but most of us are not. We don't even try.
Now, I don't view myself to be an artist, merely an appreciator of art. I'm honestly not as well versed in art history as I would like, but I try to improve. So, I do not want to paint a giant canvass blue and call it "untitled abyss #7." I certainly appreciate the person who thought that was worthwhile though. And if art is truly a reflection of our age (in the generational/era sense, not actual years), then contemporary art is more telling than most of our mediums accurately reflect. Contemporary art embraces what we are and shows it to us. Maybe we are just blue paint on a square canvas, but what shade of blue? Why has the need to accurately portray people vanished? Are we so similar - or complimentary to one another - that our pixels merely combine to form a solid page? Perhaps. Or perhaps not - which is why the nature of the pieces vary. Or do we simply need a return to the basics to understand who we are and what life is truly about? I think the latter is why it speaks to me on such a profound level.
I'm in the initial planning stages of a possible summer vacation that has anywhere from 2-4 art museum visits scheduled. I can't wait.
Upon completing our journey through The First Emperor, we decided to see the last Louvre Atlanta exhibit. It was massively disappointing, but at least there were no crowds. We then went to the main building of the High where the permanent collection is held. I was pleased to see the new acquisitions of modern and contemporary pieces. Despite my great appreciation for the classic painters, there is something about the contemporaries especially that I love. The more it looks like a pre-schooler had a tantrum and threw his fingerpaints against the wall, the better I say. I wish I could afford to buy real pieces of art and not the sad poster depictions of them, but unfortunately real art is not a luxury that is in my current budget. Maybe one day...
I was viewing the newly acquired pieces and was on cloud nine. There's nothing like beautiful art to put me in a good mood, although it caused me to think about why so many people not only do not appreciate modern and contemporary art, but actually hate it. The beauty I see in the "randomness" that I know is not random at all completely escapes those who say "Well, I could do that."Maybe you could, but you don't. That is the difference. Maybe we all could be contemporary artists in our own way, but most of us are not. We don't even try.
Now, I don't view myself to be an artist, merely an appreciator of art. I'm honestly not as well versed in art history as I would like, but I try to improve. So, I do not want to paint a giant canvass blue and call it "untitled abyss #7." I certainly appreciate the person who thought that was worthwhile though. And if art is truly a reflection of our age (in the generational/era sense, not actual years), then contemporary art is more telling than most of our mediums accurately reflect. Contemporary art embraces what we are and shows it to us. Maybe we are just blue paint on a square canvas, but what shade of blue? Why has the need to accurately portray people vanished? Are we so similar - or complimentary to one another - that our pixels merely combine to form a solid page? Perhaps. Or perhaps not - which is why the nature of the pieces vary. Or do we simply need a return to the basics to understand who we are and what life is truly about? I think the latter is why it speaks to me on such a profound level.
I'm in the initial planning stages of a possible summer vacation that has anywhere from 2-4 art museum visits scheduled. I can't wait.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Sky Is Falling
Well, in my case it's actually the ceiling. Make that TWO ceilings. The first being the ceiling in my wonderfully sh*tty apartment. I loathe that apartment. We finally decided to suck it up, embrace adulthood, and buy our first house/townhouse/condo/treehouse/cardboard box (hopefully not the latter two, but I'm just bracing myself for the way things have been going.) I'm truly holding out hope that I can find a *nice* place less than 30 minutes from work. I'm really, really hoping. I don't care if it's a shoebox as long as there are 4 well-painted walls, some real tile, and has sturdy ceilings with no upstairs neighbors to rain down on them. This brings me to my point...
The first ceiling incident occurred Valentine's Day night. Some background: I was already peeved because my husband got a call the afternoon before asking if he was available to work ALL weekend (and by all I mean, every day until midnight or 1am.) He wisely told them he had plans for Saturday night with his wife for Valentine's day, but that he was free until 5pm that day and until midnight for the next century... So, he got home Saturday after being worn out from working. We got ready and went to Cirque de Soleil. Getting there was a mild disaster, but we made it... only 10 minutes late after walking around Atlanta Station for about 45 minutes trying to find the entrance to the damn tent. The show was interesting... not really my thing, but I'm glad we went. I would never spend that much money to see that show again. I thought it was going to be much more "show" than "circus." Unfortunately, "circus" prevailed and we're both incredibly freaked out by clowns. We were looking forward to going home and relaxing after the stressful day/evening, but when we walked into the aforementioned crap heap we call an apartment, we were met with a giant puddle in the middle of our sagging kitchen floor.
"Hmm, I thought. Where could this come from?"
I then made the mistake of looking up.
Long story short, the upstairs neighbor's dishwasher overflowed. And, since there's virtually no insulation separating our apartments (we hear every glorious peyote-induced praise fest, bongo drum song, toilet use, and aerobic workout), the putrid dishwasher water was flowing over my ceiling, running across my light light fixture, and splashing onto my Gucci glasses (before hitting the floor.) I was not pleased. We were genuinely afraid the ceiling was about to collapse, so we did the rational thing and called the after hours maintenance line. It was about midnight by then and the guy didn't show up until at least 1:30am. He was, of course, complaining. At least it wasn't his house.
That was the first ceiling disaster. The second happened today... I was sitting in my office minding my own business when I heard this "creak, creak, creak... pitter, patter" sound. At first, I thought it was background music in my headphones. Then I thought that the office upstairs had gotten a new printer. It continued. I investigated the rest of the office... no creaky sound. I sat back down and looked up. (Why do I never learn???) I saw some discolored areas in the tile, but they looked old. I couldn't tell if they were expanding while I was continually watching them, so I thought I would go to the bathroom and come back to see if there was a size difference or if I was hallucinating. Turns out, it was in fact another leak. (I was consoled that I wasn't hallucinating... the only upside.) The "shaded area" had grown to a steady stream of water falling onto my desk... about 6 inches away from my computer. Luckily, I grabbed the computer before serious damage was done. After letting out a slew of explitives, I threw a trash can under it and went up to the office management company's office. They were very helpful and had someone come out and take care of it immediately, which was great! He even cleaned up even though I told him not to. My kind of guy! :) He tried to patch the hole... and turned off the water to the dental chair that is directly above my desk on the floor above (it's a dentist office.) It's supposed to be fixed for now, but may leak more over night. I'm staying at the other desk until I go home for the day so as to not test my luck further.
So, that's my story. I think it just about sums up the state of things these days... except in the broader context, Obama is the leaky dental chair from the floor above me that I can't control and I'm the poor desk who can't get out of the way of the impending flood that will destroy all of my hard work.
The first ceiling incident occurred Valentine's Day night. Some background: I was already peeved because my husband got a call the afternoon before asking if he was available to work ALL weekend (and by all I mean, every day until midnight or 1am.) He wisely told them he had plans for Saturday night with his wife for Valentine's day, but that he was free until 5pm that day and until midnight for the next century... So, he got home Saturday after being worn out from working. We got ready and went to Cirque de Soleil. Getting there was a mild disaster, but we made it... only 10 minutes late after walking around Atlanta Station for about 45 minutes trying to find the entrance to the damn tent. The show was interesting... not really my thing, but I'm glad we went. I would never spend that much money to see that show again. I thought it was going to be much more "show" than "circus." Unfortunately, "circus" prevailed and we're both incredibly freaked out by clowns. We were looking forward to going home and relaxing after the stressful day/evening, but when we walked into the aforementioned crap heap we call an apartment, we were met with a giant puddle in the middle of our sagging kitchen floor.
"Hmm, I thought. Where could this come from?"
I then made the mistake of looking up.
Long story short, the upstairs neighbor's dishwasher overflowed. And, since there's virtually no insulation separating our apartments (we hear every glorious peyote-induced praise fest, bongo drum song, toilet use, and aerobic workout), the putrid dishwasher water was flowing over my ceiling, running across my light light fixture, and splashing onto my Gucci glasses (before hitting the floor.) I was not pleased. We were genuinely afraid the ceiling was about to collapse, so we did the rational thing and called the after hours maintenance line. It was about midnight by then and the guy didn't show up until at least 1:30am. He was, of course, complaining. At least it wasn't his house.
That was the first ceiling disaster. The second happened today... I was sitting in my office minding my own business when I heard this "creak, creak, creak... pitter, patter" sound. At first, I thought it was background music in my headphones. Then I thought that the office upstairs had gotten a new printer. It continued. I investigated the rest of the office... no creaky sound. I sat back down and looked up. (Why do I never learn???) I saw some discolored areas in the tile, but they looked old. I couldn't tell if they were expanding while I was continually watching them, so I thought I would go to the bathroom and come back to see if there was a size difference or if I was hallucinating. Turns out, it was in fact another leak. (I was consoled that I wasn't hallucinating... the only upside.) The "shaded area" had grown to a steady stream of water falling onto my desk... about 6 inches away from my computer. Luckily, I grabbed the computer before serious damage was done. After letting out a slew of explitives, I threw a trash can under it and went up to the office management company's office. They were very helpful and had someone come out and take care of it immediately, which was great! He even cleaned up even though I told him not to. My kind of guy! :) He tried to patch the hole... and turned off the water to the dental chair that is directly above my desk on the floor above (it's a dentist office.) It's supposed to be fixed for now, but may leak more over night. I'm staying at the other desk until I go home for the day so as to not test my luck further.
So, that's my story. I think it just about sums up the state of things these days... except in the broader context, Obama is the leaky dental chair from the floor above me that I can't control and I'm the poor desk who can't get out of the way of the impending flood that will destroy all of my hard work.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Literacy and the Digital Age
I was going to skip my weekly blog this week because I really didn't have much to say. I can't even look at the "Stimulus" bill with having to excuse myself to retch in the bathroom, so I didn't feel like writing about that... I was also confronted with a very disturbing case of homosexual discrimination that was put under the guise of an act of academic freedom. I have not felt that much rage in a long time. If there is one thing other than limited government I am in favor of, it is the full Equal Protection of the Laws as set forth in the 14th Amendment. I think this applies to all people in our nation and that homosexual discrimination (and anti-immigration policies) are the remaining holdouts in that area. And, people who use academic freedom as an excuse to slander and discriminate against another group is the worst abuse of such freedom. It makes me so unbelievable infuriated that I cannot write about it further today without suffering a heart attack from my heightened blood pressure, so I will move on to the topic at hand: the digitization of books (the product being called eBooks.)
Personally, I love eBooks for every possible reason. For the free sharing of ideas across generations, geographies, languages, and income thresholds. For the ability to publish your own thoughts and writings without having to go through a traditional avenue if that is not your goal. And, most importantly, to readily access information wherever you are. Obviously, the internet has opened this door, but eBooks continue it.
One of the best ways to access eBooks is through Amazon's Kindle (which was sold out by the beginning of December despite the economic slump. And it's not cheap.) Another, is through Google Books, which is making historic headway in coming to agreements with copyright holders to search and share information. Google Books also lets you add any title you publish (virtually or otherwise) to their site where it will be freely promoted and accessible through Book Search. I think this is wonderful... even though I don't necessarily look forward to having to sort through more items when performing a Book Search. Ultimately, more competition will increase quality because your work will have to be that much better (or at least have that much more buzz) than the others that are out there. People are also increasingly promoting their eBooks from their own blogs, website, and social media platforms. Good for them! The Internet Age is causing a societal shift in the way people interact and share information, and eBooks are only one way that is supporting this shift.
However, there are certain people who think this is terrible... that the mere act of holding the paper in your hands constitutes some kind of virtuous act and therefore all forms of digitized books should be done away with (you can't say banned because they don't want books to be banned in libraries... only online libraries.) They also think digitization will be the end of literacy and apparently Western Civilization as we know it because somehow this will cause all Publishing Houses to go out of business and libraries to be burned to the ground simultaneously. Then the government would obviously step in to prevent the digitized copies from being distributed to the masses and scourging them from the Internet and personal libraries and personal computers resulting in the mass eradication of all books in the world.
I'm sorry if I don't see the doom and gloom. This guy sure does though. And apparently 205 of his closest Internet friends.
I guess this all to say that I am incredibly pro-literacy and pro-technology. I think book digitization represents the best of both worlds because it provides broader access to literary tools... aka books... with less cost (to users and publishers.) Digitization allows for better and less expensive translation options which makes distribution wider as well. Also, physical libraries are not going anywhere. If they do, I will be the first person in line protesting the book burning. Until then, I can't wait until I save enough to buy my Kindle and will continue to fully utilize all online books that meet my interest or purpose. I encourage you to do the same. And if you don't know where these sites exist, just let me know and I can send you some great links!
Personally, I love eBooks for every possible reason. For the free sharing of ideas across generations, geographies, languages, and income thresholds. For the ability to publish your own thoughts and writings without having to go through a traditional avenue if that is not your goal. And, most importantly, to readily access information wherever you are. Obviously, the internet has opened this door, but eBooks continue it.
One of the best ways to access eBooks is through Amazon's Kindle (which was sold out by the beginning of December despite the economic slump. And it's not cheap.) Another, is through Google Books, which is making historic headway in coming to agreements with copyright holders to search and share information. Google Books also lets you add any title you publish (virtually or otherwise) to their site where it will be freely promoted and accessible through Book Search. I think this is wonderful... even though I don't necessarily look forward to having to sort through more items when performing a Book Search. Ultimately, more competition will increase quality because your work will have to be that much better (or at least have that much more buzz) than the others that are out there. People are also increasingly promoting their eBooks from their own blogs, website, and social media platforms. Good for them! The Internet Age is causing a societal shift in the way people interact and share information, and eBooks are only one way that is supporting this shift.
However, there are certain people who think this is terrible... that the mere act of holding the paper in your hands constitutes some kind of virtuous act and therefore all forms of digitized books should be done away with (you can't say banned because they don't want books to be banned in libraries... only online libraries.) They also think digitization will be the end of literacy and apparently Western Civilization as we know it because somehow this will cause all Publishing Houses to go out of business and libraries to be burned to the ground simultaneously. Then the government would obviously step in to prevent the digitized copies from being distributed to the masses and scourging them from the Internet and personal libraries and personal computers resulting in the mass eradication of all books in the world.
I'm sorry if I don't see the doom and gloom. This guy sure does though. And apparently 205 of his closest Internet friends.
I guess this all to say that I am incredibly pro-literacy and pro-technology. I think book digitization represents the best of both worlds because it provides broader access to literary tools... aka books... with less cost (to users and publishers.) Digitization allows for better and less expensive translation options which makes distribution wider as well. Also, physical libraries are not going anywhere. If they do, I will be the first person in line protesting the book burning. Until then, I can't wait until I save enough to buy my Kindle and will continue to fully utilize all online books that meet my interest or purpose. I encourage you to do the same. And if you don't know where these sites exist, just let me know and I can send you some great links!
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Brief Reprieve from Ranting
Since 95% of this blog involves ranting in some capacity, I thought I would jump on the facebook survey bandwagon (albeit on this blog) and list 25 random things about myself.
- I eat more ice cream (well... non-fat frozen yogurt these days) than any human probably should. It is without fail the best way to improve my mood.
- I love music and listen to incessantly... However, I do not listen to lyrics. This makes the actual "music" more enjoyable, but can prove to be embarrassing in the occasions when I've passed along some of my favorite songs to, lets say, a older family member without realizing the actual subject of the song. Oops.
- From my obsession with certain music, my husband has deemed me to be "emo." I find this hysterical since every other aspect of my life is the antithesis of emo.
- I love television. Getting cable (complete with HBO & Showtime) after a 2 year reprieve was probably the 2nd best thing to happen to me in 2008.
- I am - inadvertently - a plant killer. I don't understand how this can be considering all my family members have the greenest thumbs possible. I, unfortunately, can't keep anything green alive for much longer than 2 weeks.
- I hate extreme temperatures (probably because I have some kind of weird biological thing that doesn't allow me to properly regulate my body temperature.) I therefore hope to spend the majority of my life someplace far more temperate than anyplace I've landed thus far. San Diego or the Cayman Islands would be ideal.
- My family adopted 2 orphan kittens on the day John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s plane crashed. Subsequently, the cats were named John-John and Carolyn.
- I have only been out of the United States one time. I went over the border when I was visiting Niagara Falls. The Canadian side of Niagara Falls is like Kissimmee, FL (only worse) and they had seal figurines in the gift shop that were covered with real baby seal skin. I've never been so traumatized in my entire life.
- I love cheese and sometimes eat it with every meal of the day and for a snack. Especially if it is local cheese from Wisconsin. Amazing.
- My favorite color is green. I went through a brief period of purple in college, but that returned to the original green shortly after graduation and couldn't be happier.
- When I was in pre-school I lied and said my favorite color was orange. I didn't want to pick one because I didn't have a favorite, but they made me. I was subsequently forced to use orange crayons and have far more orange clothing and toys than I ever wanted. It never occurred to me that I could change my mind and tell people about that change.
- I wore braces for over 5 years. It was worth every excruciating moment. And, I got them off before high school which was definitely a plus.
- My favorite books are typically ones that I read prior to the age of 15. This is not to say I don't re-read them now when the "adult" books disappoint me.
- I would love to live overseas for a period of time. I've been trying to arrange this since high school and unfortunately it has not yet worked out.
- I usually wear shoes that I hate and that hurt my feet because I don't want to wear out my good ones. This is incredibly stupid on my part.
- I love jackets. I buy too many, but refuse to get rid of any. I probably have more jackets than shoes.
- I am obsessed with the character Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh.) Finding a Christmas-Elf Eeyore at Disney over New Year's was one of the happiest moments I'd had in months.
- I listen to songs (typically one at a time) repeatedly until I can no longer stand to listen to them. This ranges from hours to months and tends to drive anyone crazy that has to ride in the car with me.
- I love Christmas more than anyone would ever guess. I inherited this from my mother.
- I am the oldest child in my family and have one of the biggest Type A personalities you'll ever encounter. It even annoys me, but alas it is who I am. At least it makes me incredibly competent.
- I really wish I had followed my inclination Freshman year of college to at least minor in economics. The philosophy major was definitely a mistake.
- I want to have a huge family one day. At least 4 kids, but who knows. I do not, however, plan to actually give birth to all of these children myself. I feel like there are tons of kids all over the world that are already born and need good homes. I intend to give at least some of them one.
- I would like to make enough money to fund good orphanages abroad. And, I would like them to have direct ties to the US and access to schools for kids that aren't adopted.
- I love to bake from scratch. Watch out Martha!
- I love the Constitution (the actual document and the words espoused therein.) I went to visit it at the National Archives in DC and cried when I saw it. I then proceeded to give a lecture to the others around me who were asking questions about it.
Friday, January 9, 2009
This Just In: FDR and Lincoln to Make Appearances at the Inauguration
Let me preface this by saying that I truly hope that Obama is a successful president in that he restores the confidence of the American people in America itself... as a strong, just, constitutionally democratic nation. As a nation of hope, determination, prosperity, and hard work. As a nation that is worth being proud of... not one that we feel like burying in the sand and pretending to not see the giant mound it creates. I don't think this will necessarily be achieved through an FDR-esque "stimulus" package including a massive public works program. I'm all about having safe and reliable public works, but how about we work on making our current ones more efficient than simply throwing more money at it? That would imply that money, time, and other resources actually have value though, which obviously can't be the case... Oh wait, people were panicking because they were losing those things... right. As much as I philosophically understand that money only has the value that we input upon it, we happen to put a great amount upon it, therefore making it valuable and important to our personal lives and society as a whole.
As much as the proposed "stimulus" package is worthy of further analysis, I'm actually more interested in Obama's Cabinet and staff picks. Now, I am more than capable of doing real research with citations and all, but it takes time and I don't feel like going back and sourcing my observations at the moment. Those observations have caused me to draw certain conclusions (coupled with previous Obama speeches and behavior during the campaign... think Democratic Convention Stage if you need any clarification.) I've noticed that he has a certain affinity for a former president from Illinois - Abraham Lincoln. I spent much time studying Lincoln previously in my life and have great respect and admiration for him. However, it deeply bothers me that Obama seems to draw so many similarities between himself and Lincoln. I wish I had the quote in front of me... but a famous reporter or columnist said something along the lines of "Come on. You have to earn that comparison" following the Convention this summer. I completely agree.
I have several reasons why I think this is the case... but there was uproar a few weeks ago when he was announcing all the "fiscal" cabinet members... Secretary of Commerce, Labor, Treasury, etc. These people truly affect the way our money flows in the world and there's not much we as mere citizens can do to thwart their policies if we don't like them. What I found most interesting is the appointment of the Mayor of Dallas (I forget his name) who is regarded as a "fiscally conservative democrat" and how that was going to cause dissension among the other appointees. Optimists on both sides view this (and the retaining of Secretary of Defense Gates) and Obama's true commitment to reaching across the aisle and embracing everyone. I view it as a clever scheme that ultimately grants Obama more power. Last time I checked, while Cabinet members have much power, the President can pretty much do what he wants regardless of what the Cabinet has to say about it. And, if you get certain prominent Cabinet members disagreeing with each other, it opens up the way for Obama to unilaterally make the decision so that the dissension can end. Wonderful. More executive power - just what this country needs!
Someone (in the Journal I think) broke down how much money each person deciding where TARP funds are going is in charge of...at a minimum $2 billion of the collective tax payer dollars. He correctly stated that this is obscene for any one person to handle... especially under the pretense that they can better discern how to spend that money that the individuals it was taken from to begin with. I'm sure Obama will prove that theory wrong though, right? I mean, if you're channeling the spirits of FDR and Lincoln, what could go wrong? (Since they clearly weren't involved in 2 of the worst wars in American history.) Both did a great job of proving that they could do what they thought necessary without abiding by the constraints of the Constitution, so again, I guess all my misgivings are completely unjustified.
I started writing this entry last week and didn't have time to finish it, but since I was having this discussion with my husband (the ramifications of which are this entry) The Caucus blog in the New York Times has run with the Obama/Lincoln references. These range from reporting on the Obama family visit to the Lincoln Memorial to the list of all the performances and speeches that will be made at the Memorial on Inauguration Day. Obama also seems dead-set on pissing off everyone concerned with gay marriage on either side... first he asks Rick Warren to give the invocation at the Inauguration, but the first openly gay priest of the Episcopal church will be giving the one at the festivities at the Lincoln Memorial the day or 2 before. Or maybe this again illustrates where Obama's thinking lies. Personally, I think it's great to have the Episcopal priest and Rick Warren should be driven into a cave where he can't adversely affect any more people's ideologies, but that's just me and that has nothing to do with Inauguration politics. Also of note, Obama will be eating an inauguration lunch based on Lincoln's favorite foods. I'll refrain from comment on how ridiculous that is.
All of this is to simply say that I do hope for the best, but remain skeptical. And I still really, really like the Constitution, so I hope no one - presidential or otherwise - decides that we no longer need to practically uphold its edicts.
As much as the proposed "stimulus" package is worthy of further analysis, I'm actually more interested in Obama's Cabinet and staff picks. Now, I am more than capable of doing real research with citations and all, but it takes time and I don't feel like going back and sourcing my observations at the moment. Those observations have caused me to draw certain conclusions (coupled with previous Obama speeches and behavior during the campaign... think Democratic Convention Stage if you need any clarification.) I've noticed that he has a certain affinity for a former president from Illinois - Abraham Lincoln. I spent much time studying Lincoln previously in my life and have great respect and admiration for him. However, it deeply bothers me that Obama seems to draw so many similarities between himself and Lincoln. I wish I had the quote in front of me... but a famous reporter or columnist said something along the lines of "Come on. You have to earn that comparison" following the Convention this summer. I completely agree.
I have several reasons why I think this is the case... but there was uproar a few weeks ago when he was announcing all the "fiscal" cabinet members... Secretary of Commerce, Labor, Treasury, etc. These people truly affect the way our money flows in the world and there's not much we as mere citizens can do to thwart their policies if we don't like them. What I found most interesting is the appointment of the Mayor of Dallas (I forget his name) who is regarded as a "fiscally conservative democrat" and how that was going to cause dissension among the other appointees. Optimists on both sides view this (and the retaining of Secretary of Defense Gates) and Obama's true commitment to reaching across the aisle and embracing everyone. I view it as a clever scheme that ultimately grants Obama more power. Last time I checked, while Cabinet members have much power, the President can pretty much do what he wants regardless of what the Cabinet has to say about it. And, if you get certain prominent Cabinet members disagreeing with each other, it opens up the way for Obama to unilaterally make the decision so that the dissension can end. Wonderful. More executive power - just what this country needs!
Someone (in the Journal I think) broke down how much money each person deciding where TARP funds are going is in charge of...at a minimum $2 billion of the collective tax payer dollars. He correctly stated that this is obscene for any one person to handle... especially under the pretense that they can better discern how to spend that money that the individuals it was taken from to begin with. I'm sure Obama will prove that theory wrong though, right? I mean, if you're channeling the spirits of FDR and Lincoln, what could go wrong? (Since they clearly weren't involved in 2 of the worst wars in American history.) Both did a great job of proving that they could do what they thought necessary without abiding by the constraints of the Constitution, so again, I guess all my misgivings are completely unjustified.
I started writing this entry last week and didn't have time to finish it, but since I was having this discussion with my husband (the ramifications of which are this entry) The Caucus blog in the New York Times has run with the Obama/Lincoln references. These range from reporting on the Obama family visit to the Lincoln Memorial to the list of all the performances and speeches that will be made at the Memorial on Inauguration Day. Obama also seems dead-set on pissing off everyone concerned with gay marriage on either side... first he asks Rick Warren to give the invocation at the Inauguration, but the first openly gay priest of the Episcopal church will be giving the one at the festivities at the Lincoln Memorial the day or 2 before. Or maybe this again illustrates where Obama's thinking lies. Personally, I think it's great to have the Episcopal priest and Rick Warren should be driven into a cave where he can't adversely affect any more people's ideologies, but that's just me and that has nothing to do with Inauguration politics. Also of note, Obama will be eating an inauguration lunch based on Lincoln's favorite foods. I'll refrain from comment on how ridiculous that is.
All of this is to simply say that I do hope for the best, but remain skeptical. And I still really, really like the Constitution, so I hope no one - presidential or otherwise - decides that we no longer need to practically uphold its edicts.
Boudreaux on the Ponzi Scheme... Er, Social Security
This was published on New Year's Day... but I've been neglecting to blog due to holiday stress, travel, laziness, etc.
I also tried to "check out" from the news/politics for a while... although why I even tried with certain family members in town I'm not exactly sure.
Anyways, I was pleased that Bourdreaux saw it fitting to write an editorial that touched on the issues I addressed in my last entry. Here it is... http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20081229145240.aspx.
I also tried to "check out" from the news/politics for a while... although why I even tried with certain family members in town I'm not exactly sure.
Anyways, I was pleased that Bourdreaux saw it fitting to write an editorial that touched on the issues I addressed in my last entry. Here it is... http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20081229145240.aspx.
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