Month: January 2008

“The American People will take Socialism, but they won’t take the label.” — Upton Sinclair Truer words were never spoken, and the above are from the author of the book on which a great film I saw last night was based. I see a lot of films, but I don’t usually write reviews of them.…

Via Dr. Helen, Jonah Goldberg explains how the culture war drives politics: What Americans really want when they look into a politician’s eyes is to see their own images reflected back, like in Narcissus’ pool. The presidency in particular has become the highest ground in the culture war. Americans want a candidate who validates them…

I don’t know whether this makes me a chronic complainer or some kind of crank, but if there’s one thing I hate more than being lied to online, it’s being lied to in the newspapers. Especially when they’re blatant. One of the reasons that so many cranks like me take up blogging is because we…

If you like Fred’s attitude Send Fred Some Money.

An interview with R. Buckminster Fuller – Bucky to his friends I had the honor of meeting Bucky at a number of his lectures and the supreme honor of living in his dome home in Carbondale for two weeks around 1974.This was after he sold it to Mike Mitchell who I worked with on a…

This is the second time I’ve linked Rick Moran’s Fred Thompson Blogburst (which Glenn Reynolds linked earlier today), and I’m linking it again because I feel strongly that Fred Thompson — while not perfect — is the best all-around Republican candidate for people with views similar to mine. As I stressed the last time, I…

Quick question. Does anyone understand the ethics of “separation and reaggregation of blastomeres of cleavage-stage embryos“? Because that or something similar is what I (a hopeless layperson) suspect is going on with this breakthrough development: WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A company that devised a way to make embryonic stem cells using a technique it said does…

I’ve been a bit upset by some of the vituperative attacks on Obama coming from the right, because they tend to cloud intelligent discussion of the man’s many serious shortcomings. Worst of all, to the extent that they become full-blown irrational Obamaphobia — this email I received earlier today being a perfect example — they…

If this isn’t the outrage of the day, I don’t know what is: Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corp has decided to implement their own form of gun control, refusing to process credit card transactions between firearms retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, according to a press release issued by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a…

Earlier I was thinking about how contentious things are getting, but then I reminded myself how in just a year there will be a new president, and whoever it is will have just been sworn in! Unless the election was another ballot-counting cliffhanger, in theory that would mean that the election will be completely behind…

MSNBC Reports first plasma on the WB-7 Reactor. Bussard’s mantle has been picked up by a small team led by Richard Nebel, who has taken a leave from Los Alamos National Laboratory to head up Bussard’s EMC2 Fusion Development Corp. Backed by a Navy contract, Nebel’s five-person team is trying to pick up the technology…

I just got a call from the Campaign to Restore Morals and Values 1-877-266-6277. They were asking me if I knew about all the sex offenders living in the neighborhood. Then some one came on the line and asked me what my first name was and as soon as I began to give it they…

Via, Justin (who directed me to Tim Blair’s link), I found a wonderful new accessory. I’m told that Coco wants one. UPDATE: In light of Sean Kinsell’s post, I’m thinking the above might be the perfect weapon for “the vanguard of the Army of Fatal Cuteness poised to attack.”

Hillary is considered to be a woman who has ’em. She’s rough, she’s tough, she’ll stand up to the right wing attack machine, and she stopped the “unstoppable” Obama right in his tracks. Right? Was it all balls? Or might it have been something else? ….Clinton’s voice quavered at one point when asked how she…

Now that the dust has settled a little, it seems pretty clear what had been pretty clear before the outburst of Obamamania — the Clintons are consummate professionals who can handle whatever is thrown their way. The Republicans would do well to remember that. Will Hillary be easier to beat than Obama? M. Simon thinks…

Now that tonight’s live blogging is over, how about a little Dead blogging? Not quite the Dead, but Dead light — Jerry Garcia, making a comeback of sorts. Not just because Garcia has been completely dead these twelve years, but considering that the last time I linked this video it disappeared, I’m delighted to have…

Confused? Click below to see what it once looked like.

Hillary is ahead 38% to 36%. McCain leads Romney 37% to 28%. Fox projects that McCain is the winner. MORE: Good for McCain, I’d say; he’s the only Republican who can beat either Hillary or Obama. MORE: Regarding Edwards, while he has no chance of winning, he’s poised to be the kingmaker. (I imagine he…