The Tory Party

Obama vs. the Kool-Aid

No wonder that some [White House] officials have occasionally found themselves thinking heretical thoughts. “From the crassest political viewpoint, we would be better off if we had 25 fewer House members, if those marginal seats were held by the Republicans right now,” one told me last fall. “Then we’d have 25 people who, instead of feeling like they have to demonstrate their independence by being independent of us, they’d have to demonstrate it by being independent of the Republican leadership, which means we could be bi-partisan on everything.”

The Lesson of Scott Brown’s Election — New York Magazine

Very interesting article. Lucky that Barack Obama is a golden god — young, beautiful, master orator, scandal-free in an unprecedented way — so he may be successful the in major peeing-up-a-rope he has undertaken.

Two wars?

Near-zombocalypse financial meltdown?

Massive budget deficit created by George W. Bush’s face-palming incompetence? (If you want a balanced budget, elect a Democrat.)

A Democratic party full of wet noodles because they drank the Moral Majority Kool-Aid in the 90s fractured and frustrated, giving the overall impression of wet noodles?

An opposition party whose leadership seems to be losing their minds? (McCain pro-torture? WTF!?)

A health care crisis coming to a head?

Major global problems we should be leading the charge in mending, but we’re tied up with putting out our own fires?

If you look at the path America has been on and see today we’re all still here, you may be as convinced as I am that BARACK OBAMA WAS SENT FROM GOD TO SAVE AMERICA.

Whoo! Excuse me! The GOP Manifest-Destiny Kool-Aid just looked so refreshing…

Why Honor the Rights of Terrorists?

We should do it not because we wish to coddle terrorists. We should do it not because we view them as anything but evil and terrible. We should do it, Mr. President, because we are Americans, and because we hold ourselves to humane standards of treatment of people no matter how evil or terrible they may be. America stands for a moral mission, one of freedom and democracy and human rights at home and abroad. We are better than these terrorists, and we will win. I have said it before but it bears repeating: The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don’t deserve our sympathy. But this isn’t about who they are. This is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies, and we can never, never allow our enemies to take those values away.

Senator John McCain, 2005 (emphasis mine)

It makes me emotional to read this. THIS is what’s at stake when we make decisions about torture (the topic of McCain’s quote), or legal jurisdiction (as we decide where to try self-professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.)

THIS is why Newt Gingrich’s words on Tuesday’s Daily Show made me so confused and hurt and angry. The idea that American values are just for Americans is so wrong-headed, so self-contradictory… so Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

If there’s a better analogue for Squealer than Newt Gingrich, I’d like to hear it.

Big Hair

Lenna has it.

Derivative music is derivative

So the White Stripes complained that the Air Force lifted “Fell In Love With a Girl” for their Superbowl ad. And, yeah, the lift is hard to miss.

But I think it’s disingenuous for the White Stripes to get bristly about a soundalike.

For instance, compare:

White Stripes’ “Ah-ahhhh-ah-ah!” from “Fell In Love With a Girl” (0:52):

to the guitar solo from Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” (2:27):

Ah, no big deal — there are thousands of songs in the world.

But then check this out:

The White Stripes’ “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)” :

To Alabama’s “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)” :

*finger-wag*

Code Diet

Sometimes my code gets too heavy. Eventually it gets some convoluted bug, and then it’s time to start paring it down.