Today is Monday, August 25th. It's a day pretty much like any other day in the Washington DC-Maryland-Northern Virginia area, in that I expect both good and bad things.
On the good side: the new season lineup for Dancing with the Stars will be announced.
On the bad side: global warming will take a sharp increase as he Democratic National Convention begins in Denver. I fear for whatever snow is still left high in the Rockies.
On the good side: the Republican National Convention won't start for another week, so we don't have to suffer double the hot air at once.
On the bad side: the Republican National Convention will start in another week.
I sometimes feel badly about being so cynical and depressed over the state of our presidential campaign. But when I do, I take a moment to reflect on all the politicians of both parties who have striven manfully (and womanfully, too, of course) to help me develop my attitude. I can't believe that a nation of almost 305,000,000 people can't come up with two better candidates than Barack Obama and John McCain.
Senator Obama is an inexperienced lightweight who is, in my mind, utterly unprepared to be president at this point in his life and our history. He may be an appealing candidate, and the selection of Senator Biden as a running mate will help paper over some of the gaping holes in his resume, but his appeal is all superficial. The man just ain't ready.
Senator McCain is a very experienced person, and a genuine war hero in a Congress notably short of members willing to perform military service (consider that Mr Cheney had better things to do than serve in the military during his college years). The problem is that Mr McCain is a Republican, however much a maverick one (whatever that means), and the Republicans under George W. Bush have done a magnificent job of hosing up the country and squandering our international reputation. Whatever his positive points, Mr McCain represents this legacy, I don't want it, and I don't think the country can take it.
The worst part about the whole thing is that - despite my strong endorsement of Nobody as a candidate - I can't not vote in November. Grumpily sitting it out without voting simply allows others to make a decision that critically affects me, my family, and my world. My four wonderful grandchildren will grow up in a world shaped by the next president, and my only choice for leadership is between John McCain and Barack Obama.
I'm depressed. How do I chose between two candidates, neither of which I can support in good conscience?
If you've got any ideas, I'm listening.
In the meantime, your best voting options over the next few months will be on Dancing with the Stars. You may as well follow along. At least you'll know what you're voting for.
And your entire future won't depend on it.
Have a good day to begin this traditional last week of summer. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My Title's Better Than Your Title, Part 2
Some time back (in March of this year, actually) I wrote a post I called "My Title's Better Than Your Title," which turned out to be one of my more popular (or, at least, more frequently read) pieces. You may remember that's the one in which I mused that it would really be nice to have a formal title like Illustrious Potentate, as opposed to something more appropriate like Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.
Well, today I'm ready to take the title discussion one step further.
I want a coat of arms.
No, not a winter garment for an octopus, I mean a real coat of arms like all the noble people have. I'd like to have a real, colorful, no-kidding shield adorned with bears, unicorns, stars, knights, and all sorts of other neat stuff. I'd like people to be able to Google Bilbo on the Internet and learn that his shield has bars, gules, a pomegranate proper, roundels, goutes, dragons rampant d'or, and similar imposing things that would make salesmen, flacks for political candidates, and annoying itinerant preachers think twice about knocking on my suitably emblazoned front door.
Prince Charles of England has a coat of arms:
And so did the late Pope John Paul II:
Unfortunately, descending as I do from a long and illustrious line of working-class Eastern European nobodies, I don't really rate my own coat of arms in the traditional heraldic sense. But that doesn't stop me from being fascinated by the whole idea.
You can have a lot of fun with heraldic terms. Old-time children's cartoons were famous for including all sorts of adult puns and allusions that you couldn't possibly use today...one of my favorites was a villain in the old Underdog cartoon series - Simon Bar Sinister:
Today, being older and somewhat more educated, I know that in heraldic terms a bar sinister, meaning a line from the top right to the bottom left of a coat of arms, signifies that the owner of the crest is a bastard.
You can get a fairly good introduction to the arcane art and science of designing coats of arms here (more information than you probably want, but it's neat, anyhow). There are also lots of websites and companies out there that will happily design you a coat of arms for your family in exchange for a signature recumbent on a check of large denomination. Unfortunately, they'll just throw a bunch of stuff together that really doesn't necessarily mean anything...to be real, a coat of arms has to tell something about you and your family's history, achievements, lineage, and so on.
I'm still working on drawing out my idea for Bilbo's Coat of Arms, but in heraldic terms, it would be something like a debtor rampant on a field of unpaid bills, pursued by a tax collector, furious. I need a motto, too...perhaps something like capilla semper incendium ("hair always on fire").
I'll let you know when it's done.
In the meantime, you can just continue to call me Illustrious Potentate. It'll do fine.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Well, today I'm ready to take the title discussion one step further.
I want a coat of arms.
No, not a winter garment for an octopus, I mean a real coat of arms like all the noble people have. I'd like to have a real, colorful, no-kidding shield adorned with bears, unicorns, stars, knights, and all sorts of other neat stuff. I'd like people to be able to Google Bilbo on the Internet and learn that his shield has bars, gules, a pomegranate proper, roundels, goutes, dragons rampant d'or, and similar imposing things that would make salesmen, flacks for political candidates, and annoying itinerant preachers think twice about knocking on my suitably emblazoned front door.
Prince Charles of England has a coat of arms:
And so did the late Pope John Paul II:
Unfortunately, descending as I do from a long and illustrious line of working-class Eastern European nobodies, I don't really rate my own coat of arms in the traditional heraldic sense. But that doesn't stop me from being fascinated by the whole idea.
You can have a lot of fun with heraldic terms. Old-time children's cartoons were famous for including all sorts of adult puns and allusions that you couldn't possibly use today...one of my favorites was a villain in the old Underdog cartoon series - Simon Bar Sinister:
Today, being older and somewhat more educated, I know that in heraldic terms a bar sinister, meaning a line from the top right to the bottom left of a coat of arms, signifies that the owner of the crest is a bastard.
You can get a fairly good introduction to the arcane art and science of designing coats of arms here (more information than you probably want, but it's neat, anyhow). There are also lots of websites and companies out there that will happily design you a coat of arms for your family in exchange for a signature recumbent on a check of large denomination. Unfortunately, they'll just throw a bunch of stuff together that really doesn't necessarily mean anything...to be real, a coat of arms has to tell something about you and your family's history, achievements, lineage, and so on.
I'm still working on drawing out my idea for Bilbo's Coat of Arms, but in heraldic terms, it would be something like a debtor rampant on a field of unpaid bills, pursued by a tax collector, furious. I need a motto, too...perhaps something like capilla semper incendium ("hair always on fire").
I'll let you know when it's done.
In the meantime, you can just continue to call me Illustrious Potentate. It'll do fine.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Cartoon Saturday
Tropical storm Fay is drenching the southeast, Senator McCain doesn't know how many houses he owns, Senator Obama has picked Senator Biden as his running mate, and your name is probably on a watch list somewhere.
Yes, once again it's time to open a big can of industrial-strength Cartoon Saturday.
With four grandchildren and a bunch of oh-so-funny coworkers who never fail to remind me about my age, I thought this was a pretty good statement...
I love dogs. Most dogs, anyhow. A few weeks ago, lacochran sent me an e-mail with a wonderful collection of dog cartoons, from which I offer this great one...
You just can't be too careful any more what you say to whom...
If you've ever had the pleasure of potty-training a child (Amanda and Moosie), you'll enjoy this one...
And finally, I've had people like this working for me. Not you, Katherine...
It's going to be a busy weekend, with a morning full of running errands, dance coaching this afternoon, and Leya's first birthday party tomorrow. Life is good. Busy, but good.
Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Yes, once again it's time to open a big can of industrial-strength Cartoon Saturday.
With four grandchildren and a bunch of oh-so-funny coworkers who never fail to remind me about my age, I thought this was a pretty good statement...
I love dogs. Most dogs, anyhow. A few weeks ago, lacochran sent me an e-mail with a wonderful collection of dog cartoons, from which I offer this great one...
You just can't be too careful any more what you say to whom...
If you've ever had the pleasure of potty-training a child (Amanda and Moosie), you'll enjoy this one...
And finally, I've had people like this working for me. Not you, Katherine...
It's going to be a busy weekend, with a morning full of running errands, dance coaching this afternoon, and Leya's first birthday party tomorrow. Life is good. Busy, but good.Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Friday, August 22, 2008
Green Thumb Update
Earlier this summer, I blogged about this year's gardening effort at Chez Bilbo. Here's where we are a few months later:
- We are up to our armpits in basil, tarragon, thyme, chives, and rosemary. In fact, the basil is doing so well that I'm a little afraid of it...
- The parsley, dill, cilantro, and marjoram have died out. I have since learned that parsley is a biennial plant, which explains why it grew like mad last year, roared back early this year, then almost overnight went to seed and died out.
- The deer and rabbits have eaten all my tomato plants. Agnes and I have different views of this: she says the animals have to eat, too; I say they should go next door and eat at my neighbor's outdoor salad bar instead.
- The two yellow squash plants yielded exactly one big, beautiful squash. It's so nice I'm thinking of having it bronzed and displaying it on the mantlepiece. The zucchini plants yielded lots of pretty flowers, but no zucchinis.
- We have about five baseball-sized green and red bell peppers dangling from miserable-looking plants that have been munched down to stalks by the deer and rabbits.
Three words for next year: chicken wire fence.
The upside of all this is that the garden side of our house smells wonderful as the herbs bask in the summer sun. The downside is that the compost pile side of the house...well...doesn't. I'm also taking a bit less neighborly approach to the local wildlife...
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow when we celebrate this week's Cartoon Saturday.
Bilbo
- We are up to our armpits in basil, tarragon, thyme, chives, and rosemary. In fact, the basil is doing so well that I'm a little afraid of it...
- The parsley, dill, cilantro, and marjoram have died out. I have since learned that parsley is a biennial plant, which explains why it grew like mad last year, roared back early this year, then almost overnight went to seed and died out.- The deer and rabbits have eaten all my tomato plants. Agnes and I have different views of this: she says the animals have to eat, too; I say they should go next door and eat at my neighbor's outdoor salad bar instead.
- The two yellow squash plants yielded exactly one big, beautiful squash. It's so nice I'm thinking of having it bronzed and displaying it on the mantlepiece. The zucchini plants yielded lots of pretty flowers, but no zucchinis.
- We have about five baseball-sized green and red bell peppers dangling from miserable-looking plants that have been munched down to stalks by the deer and rabbits.
Three words for next year: chicken wire fence.
The upside of all this is that the garden side of our house smells wonderful as the herbs bask in the summer sun. The downside is that the compost pile side of the house...well...doesn't. I'm also taking a bit less neighborly approach to the local wildlife...
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow when we celebrate this week's Cartoon Saturday.Bilbo
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Digital Legacies
According to an article in yesterday's Washington Post titled "Capturing the Bush Legacy Online," an effort is underway to "capture snapshots of every federal government Web site before ... the next president moves into the White House and starts remaking the federal bureaucracy to fit his agenda." The goal of the effort, according to the article, is "to preserve millions of agency records in an online archive that librarians hope will provide a valuable trove for historians, government scholars, and the public."
Good luck.
Actually, an effort to capture the official websites of government agencies will probably fare much better than an attempt to archive actual paper or electronic documents. The Bush administration's penchant for secrecy and "executive privilege" is such that even if documents escape the shredder (or its digital equivalent) before January 20th, chances are that they'll be classified so highly that they'll be stored in an ice cavern on a lesser moon of Jupiter and guarded by Kozmo the Ultimate Monster, and no one will be able to read them before the sun goes nova. Historians everywhere are wringing their hands.
But the problem goes farther and is more insidious than just the secrecy fetish of a paranoid administration. The entire issue of how we transmit information into the future is one of critical importance to all of us.
Consider that libraries and museums around the world hold tens of millions of books, scrolls, drawings, and works of art, some of which are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Yet despite their age, we can still hold them in our hands, read them (if with difficulty), and put them to use. Now consider whether or not you can play those old 8-track tapes and 78-rpm records in your attic. Or open documents you created with the word processor in your old Wang computer, now stored on 7-inch floppy discs. Or look at the pictures you took at last year's family reunion if the computer is down.
See the problem?
I wrote about one aspect of this problem last September in my most-viewed-post-ever on this blog: Don't Dig Here! The issue there was the linguistic and cultural challenge of how we can warn people tens of thousands of years in the future of the danger of nuclear waste storage sites. The question of how we can access our accumulated knowledge when it's stored in hundreds of formats requiring many types of incompatible devices to read is not a trivial matter.
The Library of Congress is working hard on the problem of digital preservation. The LOC website (one of those which will be captured as discussed in the article with which we began this post) has a very good discussion of the problem and offers many sound pieces of advice on what you can do to preserve your and your family's own digital heritage. I encourage you to take a few minutes to think about the issue, read the LOC website, and develop your own digital history preservation plan.
Someday, my grandchildren may inherit my interest in the history of their family. I don't want them to have to wonder what I looked like because they can't recover pictures from a file no one knows how to open, or be unable to read what I wrote over the years in this blog because the records can't be accessed by Web 10.5. And I'd really like to think that they'll be able to access the records of the Bush administration.
But I'm not holding my breath.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Good luck.
Actually, an effort to capture the official websites of government agencies will probably fare much better than an attempt to archive actual paper or electronic documents. The Bush administration's penchant for secrecy and "executive privilege" is such that even if documents escape the shredder (or its digital equivalent) before January 20th, chances are that they'll be classified so highly that they'll be stored in an ice cavern on a lesser moon of Jupiter and guarded by Kozmo the Ultimate Monster, and no one will be able to read them before the sun goes nova. Historians everywhere are wringing their hands.
But the problem goes farther and is more insidious than just the secrecy fetish of a paranoid administration. The entire issue of how we transmit information into the future is one of critical importance to all of us.
Consider that libraries and museums around the world hold tens of millions of books, scrolls, drawings, and works of art, some of which are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Yet despite their age, we can still hold them in our hands, read them (if with difficulty), and put them to use. Now consider whether or not you can play those old 8-track tapes and 78-rpm records in your attic. Or open documents you created with the word processor in your old Wang computer, now stored on 7-inch floppy discs. Or look at the pictures you took at last year's family reunion if the computer is down.
See the problem?
I wrote about one aspect of this problem last September in my most-viewed-post-ever on this blog: Don't Dig Here! The issue there was the linguistic and cultural challenge of how we can warn people tens of thousands of years in the future of the danger of nuclear waste storage sites. The question of how we can access our accumulated knowledge when it's stored in hundreds of formats requiring many types of incompatible devices to read is not a trivial matter.
The Library of Congress is working hard on the problem of digital preservation. The LOC website (one of those which will be captured as discussed in the article with which we began this post) has a very good discussion of the problem and offers many sound pieces of advice on what you can do to preserve your and your family's own digital heritage. I encourage you to take a few minutes to think about the issue, read the LOC website, and develop your own digital history preservation plan.
Someday, my grandchildren may inherit my interest in the history of their family. I don't want them to have to wonder what I looked like because they can't recover pictures from a file no one knows how to open, or be unable to read what I wrote over the years in this blog because the records can't be accessed by Web 10.5. And I'd really like to think that they'll be able to access the records of the Bush administration.
But I'm not holding my breath.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Beloit College Mindset List
Back in August, 1969 (gasp!), 18-year-old Bilbo began his freshman year at Penn State University. The pterodactyls had recently gone off the endangered species list, having finally died out. Richard Nixon was president, war was raging in Vietnam, gas cost about 35 cents a gallon, and the first man had walked on the moon less than a month before.
Most students start their freshman year of college at the tender age of 18, and so most of those who head to leafy college campuses this month were born around 1990. The world in which they grew up is quite different from the one that shaped Bilbo in 1969.
Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College, Wisconsin, has released its annual Mindset List. Created by Beloit’s Professor Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, the list is designed to help the faculty and staff relate to the new students, and provides a unique annual summary of the rapidly changing frame of reference for each new generation.
You can read the Mindset List for the Class of 2012 here, and you can also link to the lists for each of the previous years the list has been published. It’s interesting and, for a person my age, a little sobering. Here are a few of the items from the list that particularly caught my attention:
Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino. In 1969, "service stations" offered "service." They would pump your gas for you, check the oil, water, and tire pressure, and wash your windshield. You usually paid cash; if you used a credit card, the attendant used a little machine that imprinted your card on a multi-part carbon receipt...and you didn't worry that someone was going to steal your card number from the carbon.
Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene. In 1969, girls made their political statements by not wearing bras or shaving their legs or underarms. The religious ones all belonged to the Campus Crusade for Christ and annoyed you by asking you about the Four Spiritual Laws while you were trying to ... well ... never mind.
The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents. Well, let's not be too hasty on this one...with Russia kicking Georgian butt, some truncated version of the old Warsaw Pact may yet be back. And the United Nations will continue to be just as vibrant and useful as the League of Nations.
Personal privacy has always been threatened. Thanks to Messrs Bush, Cheney, and Chertoff, we're doing a marvelous job of protecting ourselves from ... ourselves.
And,
The Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born. I typed all my term papers with a manual typewriter. My Computer Science 101 class involved laboriously writing out programs in longhand, then sitting at a loud machine to turn them into punched cards that a Staff Geek fed into a huge mainframe computer to generate a list of error messages. Today, I'm writing this blog on an iMac running OS-Leopard with a virtual machine inside running MS-Vista. No questions, please, I don't understand it, either...I just use it. And punched cards at least made useful bookmarks in a pinch.
I suddenly feel old. Not as old as Mike, but old, nevertheless.
This guy was a freshman in 1969:
He's a little older...and a lot more irreverent...39 years later:
How's your mindset? And for those of you reading this blog overseas, what were the things that shaped your mindset when you headed off to college?
Interesting to reflect, isn't it?
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Most students start their freshman year of college at the tender age of 18, and so most of those who head to leafy college campuses this month were born around 1990. The world in which they grew up is quite different from the one that shaped Bilbo in 1969.
Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College, Wisconsin, has released its annual Mindset List. Created by Beloit’s Professor Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, the list is designed to help the faculty and staff relate to the new students, and provides a unique annual summary of the rapidly changing frame of reference for each new generation.
You can read the Mindset List for the Class of 2012 here, and you can also link to the lists for each of the previous years the list has been published. It’s interesting and, for a person my age, a little sobering. Here are a few of the items from the list that particularly caught my attention:
Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino. In 1969, "service stations" offered "service." They would pump your gas for you, check the oil, water, and tire pressure, and wash your windshield. You usually paid cash; if you used a credit card, the attendant used a little machine that imprinted your card on a multi-part carbon receipt...and you didn't worry that someone was going to steal your card number from the carbon.
Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene. In 1969, girls made their political statements by not wearing bras or shaving their legs or underarms. The religious ones all belonged to the Campus Crusade for Christ and annoyed you by asking you about the Four Spiritual Laws while you were trying to ... well ... never mind.
The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents. Well, let's not be too hasty on this one...with Russia kicking Georgian butt, some truncated version of the old Warsaw Pact may yet be back. And the United Nations will continue to be just as vibrant and useful as the League of Nations.
Personal privacy has always been threatened. Thanks to Messrs Bush, Cheney, and Chertoff, we're doing a marvelous job of protecting ourselves from ... ourselves.
And,
The Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born. I typed all my term papers with a manual typewriter. My Computer Science 101 class involved laboriously writing out programs in longhand, then sitting at a loud machine to turn them into punched cards that a Staff Geek fed into a huge mainframe computer to generate a list of error messages. Today, I'm writing this blog on an iMac running OS-Leopard with a virtual machine inside running MS-Vista. No questions, please, I don't understand it, either...I just use it. And punched cards at least made useful bookmarks in a pinch.
I suddenly feel old. Not as old as Mike, but old, nevertheless.
This guy was a freshman in 1969:
He's a little older...and a lot more irreverent...39 years later:
How's your mindset? And for those of you reading this blog overseas, what were the things that shaped your mindset when you headed off to college?Interesting to reflect, isn't it?
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Public Speaking
High on the list of things that scare most people is "speaking in front of an audience." For most of us, getting up in front of an audience, whether it's to give a formal speech, act in a play, or give a toast at a wedding, is the hardest thing we'll ever do. For myself, I don't mind speaking in front of an audience...I get some butterflies up front, but never find myself paralyzed with terror. If you're one of those who is afraid of public speaking, you might try joining a Toastmasters Club - they're everywhere, and I can tell you from personal experience that they're excellent.
The reason I bring all this up is a fascinating article in the current (September 2008) issue of The Atlantic Monthly Magazine titled Rhetorical Questions. In this article, author James Fallows looks at the rhetorical styles of Barack Obama and John McCain and assesses how the men's respective speaking styles reflect their personalities and suggest the ways they might govern. He compares their rhetorical styles to those of great presidential speakers of the past (Reagan, Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt) and predicts how the men will stack up against each other in the coming presidential debate season. Briefly, Mr Fallows assesses that Senator Obama is a master of the set-piece speech, and shines in a setting that allows him to stand behind a podium and deliver already-prepared remarks. Senator McCain, on the other hand, is a much better impromptu speaker and excels in smaller, more intimate town-hall-type settings. Looking at these strengths and weaknesses of speaking style, Mr Fallows predicts how the debates will shape up, and offers some advice about presidential debates, including the Five Questions That Should Never Be Asked:
1. The will you pledge tonight question (which I always thought was utterly stupid);
2. The gotcha question (designed to catch the candidate in a dreaded flip-flop);
3. The loaded hypothetical question (such as when CNN's Bernard Shaw asked Michael Dukakis whether he would favor the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered);
4. The raise your hand question (which isn't really a question and, as Mr Fallows points out, is both intellectually vulgar and personally rude); and
5. The lightning round (in which the candidates are given only 30 seconds to address a point...which is usually a staggeringly complex policy question).
Regardless of what you think of the two candidates (and I don't think very much, as you know), and whether or not you enjoy public speaking, this is a fascinating article, well worth your time to read. Once you've read it, you'll be better able to see through the fluff and bluster of this season's "debates" and see whether or not your chosen candidate has actually answered a question or responded to a challenge.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
The reason I bring all this up is a fascinating article in the current (September 2008) issue of The Atlantic Monthly Magazine titled Rhetorical Questions. In this article, author James Fallows looks at the rhetorical styles of Barack Obama and John McCain and assesses how the men's respective speaking styles reflect their personalities and suggest the ways they might govern. He compares their rhetorical styles to those of great presidential speakers of the past (Reagan, Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt) and predicts how the men will stack up against each other in the coming presidential debate season. Briefly, Mr Fallows assesses that Senator Obama is a master of the set-piece speech, and shines in a setting that allows him to stand behind a podium and deliver already-prepared remarks. Senator McCain, on the other hand, is a much better impromptu speaker and excels in smaller, more intimate town-hall-type settings. Looking at these strengths and weaknesses of speaking style, Mr Fallows predicts how the debates will shape up, and offers some advice about presidential debates, including the Five Questions That Should Never Be Asked:
1. The will you pledge tonight question (which I always thought was utterly stupid);
2. The gotcha question (designed to catch the candidate in a dreaded flip-flop);
3. The loaded hypothetical question (such as when CNN's Bernard Shaw asked Michael Dukakis whether he would favor the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered);
4. The raise your hand question (which isn't really a question and, as Mr Fallows points out, is both intellectually vulgar and personally rude); and
5. The lightning round (in which the candidates are given only 30 seconds to address a point...which is usually a staggeringly complex policy question).
Regardless of what you think of the two candidates (and I don't think very much, as you know), and whether or not you enjoy public speaking, this is a fascinating article, well worth your time to read. Once you've read it, you'll be better able to see through the fluff and bluster of this season's "debates" and see whether or not your chosen candidate has actually answered a question or responded to a challenge.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Monday, August 18, 2008
Who Loves Who, Baby...?
Yesterday I offered a few brief quotes from one of my favorite writers - Eric Hoffer, the "Longshoreman Philosopher." One of those quotes was this:
"It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it."
When Hoffer wrote these words in 1973, they were true. Today, I'm not so sure.
It is undeniably true that Americans are our own worst critics. They demonstrate against whatever administration is in power, file lawsuits over proposed legislation, denounce foreign and domestic policies, and generally give the impression that they'd rather live almost anywhere else. New immigrants, on the other hand, have historically recognized what native Americans have not: that this country offers economic and social opportunities, security, and a general freedom virtually unheard of anywhere else in the world. The new immigrants vote with their feet, and they vote for America.
After all, ask yourself if such marvelous garden spots as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Burma (okay, Myanmar), and Mexico have a serious problem with illegal immigration.
But nowadays, the new immigrants don't love America as they have in the past. Many don't come here seeking the freedoms and opportunities they were denied at home, or in search of some mythical "American dream" - they come only for short-term economic benefit, in flagrant and shameless violation of the laws that set this country apart from all others. The outrageous demonstrations in favor of rights for illegal immigrants which feature protesters carrying Mexican flags are an insult to the nation from which they demand that which they have not earned.
Large numbers of Muslim immigrants arrive in a country which prides itself on equality of opportunity...and insist on keeping women as the second-class citizens they were at home - wrapped, robed, and hidden away under medievally twisted concepts of "honor" and protection. We see in America "honor killings" and other disgusting examples of barbaric behavior that previous generations of immigrants came here to escape...now, they bring it with them and insist in our courts on the freedom to pursue it.
To paraphrase the words of the old TV detective Theo Kojak, "Who loves who, baby?"
If you're not concerned at some of the changes taking place around you, or if you're stuck in the rut of reflexively denouncing America for all the ills of the world...well, you might be happier somewhere else. After all, pretty soon there should be plenty of space in all the countries whose populations leave for America because they see what we all too often don't.
And what we all too often don't try to protect.
Think about it. It's our future, after all.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
"It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it."
When Hoffer wrote these words in 1973, they were true. Today, I'm not so sure.
It is undeniably true that Americans are our own worst critics. They demonstrate against whatever administration is in power, file lawsuits over proposed legislation, denounce foreign and domestic policies, and generally give the impression that they'd rather live almost anywhere else. New immigrants, on the other hand, have historically recognized what native Americans have not: that this country offers economic and social opportunities, security, and a general freedom virtually unheard of anywhere else in the world. The new immigrants vote with their feet, and they vote for America.
After all, ask yourself if such marvelous garden spots as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Burma (okay, Myanmar), and Mexico have a serious problem with illegal immigration.
But nowadays, the new immigrants don't love America as they have in the past. Many don't come here seeking the freedoms and opportunities they were denied at home, or in search of some mythical "American dream" - they come only for short-term economic benefit, in flagrant and shameless violation of the laws that set this country apart from all others. The outrageous demonstrations in favor of rights for illegal immigrants which feature protesters carrying Mexican flags are an insult to the nation from which they demand that which they have not earned.
Large numbers of Muslim immigrants arrive in a country which prides itself on equality of opportunity...and insist on keeping women as the second-class citizens they were at home - wrapped, robed, and hidden away under medievally twisted concepts of "honor" and protection. We see in America "honor killings" and other disgusting examples of barbaric behavior that previous generations of immigrants came here to escape...now, they bring it with them and insist in our courts on the freedom to pursue it.
To paraphrase the words of the old TV detective Theo Kojak, "Who loves who, baby?"
If you're not concerned at some of the changes taking place around you, or if you're stuck in the rut of reflexively denouncing America for all the ills of the world...well, you might be happier somewhere else. After all, pretty soon there should be plenty of space in all the countries whose populations leave for America because they see what we all too often don't.
And what we all too often don't try to protect.
Think about it. It's our future, after all.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Eric Hoffer
If you've been around this blog for very long, you may recall that one of my favorite writers is Eric Hoffer, the so-called "Longshoreman Philosopher." My mother introduced me to his work many years ago, and I always enjoy going back and reading through his numerous books to enjoy his insights on all topics. My favorite of his books was his first, The True Believer, which was a penetrating look at the dynamics of mass movements and fanaticism (a topic in which I am hugely interested).
Anyhow...
While I was traveling last week, I needed a fairly thin book to take with me on the plane (you never know any more when they'll start charging for carry-ons), and I selected another of Hoffer's books, Reflections on the Human Condition...only 86 pages long, but crammed with wonderful insights into human nature. Here are some of my favorite quotes from this great book:
#46 - "It is cheering to see that the rats are still around - the ship is not sinking."
#88 - "An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head."
#141 - "People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them."
And...
#52 - "It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it." (I'll have more to say on this one tomorrow)
Eric Hoffer's books are short and most are divided into brief sections only a few lines or a short paragraph long. Individual sections may be short, but his writing style is clear and compelling and his comments and insight are marvelous. Next time you're in the library, check him out. You won't be sorry.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Anyhow...
While I was traveling last week, I needed a fairly thin book to take with me on the plane (you never know any more when they'll start charging for carry-ons), and I selected another of Hoffer's books, Reflections on the Human Condition...only 86 pages long, but crammed with wonderful insights into human nature. Here are some of my favorite quotes from this great book:
#46 - "It is cheering to see that the rats are still around - the ship is not sinking."
#88 - "An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head."
#141 - "People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them."
And...
#52 - "It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it." (I'll have more to say on this one tomorrow)
Eric Hoffer's books are short and most are divided into brief sections only a few lines or a short paragraph long. Individual sections may be short, but his writing style is clear and compelling and his comments and insight are marvelous. Next time you're in the library, check him out. You won't be sorry.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Cartoon Saturday
Russia is beating up on Georgia, Muslims still think it's all right to kill you if you're not a Muslim, everything you eat contains salmonella viruses, and hurricane season is in full swing.
You need a big dose of Cartoon Saturday.
I'm not sure this is what Shakespeare had in mind when he penned his 18th Sonnet, but on a Code Red day in DC with the temperature and the humidity both in the high 90's, it can make you wonder...
There are lots of cartoons that feature Mount Rushmore...this is one of my favorites:
Nothing like an unfortunate case of mistaken identity...
Charity is a good thing, but a little planning goes a long way...
And this one is for everyone out there who's wondered about some of the really stupid questions that come out of press conferences...
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
You need a big dose of Cartoon Saturday.
I'm not sure this is what Shakespeare had in mind when he penned his 18th Sonnet, but on a Code Red day in DC with the temperature and the humidity both in the high 90's, it can make you wonder...
There are lots of cartoons that feature Mount Rushmore...this is one of my favorites:
Nothing like an unfortunate case of mistaken identity...
Charity is a good thing, but a little planning goes a long way...
And this one is for everyone out there who's wondered about some of the really stupid questions that come out of press conferences...
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.Bilbo
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