Right As Usual

While working to avoid work, I stumbled across something I hadn't seen before. At A Shot in the Dark , I found a link to Ronald Reagan's speech in 1964. As a long-time Democrat, I'd never heard the speech or read it. I was told what it was about from other Democrats. And, at the time, that was good enough for me. Since blogging, I have come to appreciate the value of checking out assertions by going to the source documents, if possible. Now, if someone references a speech by an opponent, I at least check out the text, if not the audio, to verify for myself. Over time, some of these people gain my trust for their reliability. A point the Gipper makes I had never heard before, but it resonates in my mind: Not too long ago two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, "We don't know how lucky we are." And the Cuban stoppe...

Lord, We ask your blessing in these days before the election. May the outcome lead to a reduction in bitterness and anger, no matter who wins the election. May the winner ask for your guidance in leading the nation. May he receive your assistance, and always seek to follow in your path. May we remember that it is YOUR will that shall be done, not ours. We often want so badly to see our candidate win, that we forget the outcome is ultimately in your hands. We can work and plan for a successful outcome, but we must have confidence that you will not abandon us in our hour of need. For all Americans, help us understand that it's more important to open our hearts than our mouths. Help us to listen to your voice, rather than to overwhelm you with our own speech. Help this to be an election that leaves us on the road to healing, not left with greater emnity and distrust.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm finding that this may be one of the most heated and contentious elections in recent history, and that is wild, considering the 2000 election. There are few political discussions anywhere, at least in the tradition of give-and-take. I'm hearing a lot of heated spews about the OTHER side (not, in general, about the merits of one's candidate) and the cataclysmic consequences of letting THAT PERSON steal the election. What on Earth is going on? I remember when the 100-year anniversary of the Civil War was celebrated. At that time (I was 10 at the start), I couldn't get a handle on WHY people became so filled with righteous bile that they couldn't calmly discuss the issues, and work together. I just couldn't imagine problems that people of decency couldn't handle in a reasonable way. I'm beginning to understand. It didn't happen all at once. It built over time, like today's situation. Both sides believ...

When I was very young (12-25), I strove for rationality. I obsessively read newpapers, listened to news, and, in general, tried to "find out the facts" before I made up my mind. Today, I mostly listen to my gut. My path to this point was meandering. During the VietNam and Watergate days, I relied on mainstream media sources for my information. Having no access to direct data, I really had no other choice. But, regardless of the source of information, my modus operandi was consistent - first, read all that I could, then, make up my mind (also discussing what I read with friends and family). I've changed. Part of that change is a little thing called experience. I've just lived long enough to have seen a few frauds exposed, liars unveiled, and con artists brought to justice. As Jane Marple (of the Agatha Christie books) said, sometimes you see something that reminds you of something else. When the 527s (don't know what they are? Here's a ...

In the discussion of immigration, one argument comes up repeatedly. That is, that immigrants, by taking low-level jobs, provide tremendous value to the US, and that, since they don't use services, this is a net plus. Consider the following (from Front Page Magazine That immigration is only to be considered from the standpoint of its economic effects has become such an accepted notion over the past 25 years that it has not occurred to many people what a bizarre idea it really is. The implication is that our well‑being as a society is solely a function of economic output. Matters of quality of life, social cohesion and continuity, aesthetic enjoyment, political liberty, national identity, and all the other intangibles that make up the life of a society—since these cannot be stated statistically, they don't count. The aggregate wealth of the nation is not the only factor to consider. that individual wealth does not necessarily increase, only the aggregate wealth. Mean...

I just read on Hugh Hewitt that we're down to 19 days left before the election. Thank Heaven! Even a confirmed political junkie like is getting overwhelmed by the rhetoric and general nastiness of this season. The vicious hatred of Bush is the most extreme level I have seen since the Nixon years. And that's just among my immediate friends and family!

I watched the early part of the debate (regretably, I was watching from my room, and I fell asleep. It wasn't that I wasn't interested, or that it was boring, but it was a bad idea to be in a horizontal position so late at night). Now that I think of it, I wonder whether this will have an effect on the numbers watching on the West coast. In future years, the networks should plan to have the debates start earlier, so the school-age crowd can watch. I can think of no better introduction to the workings of our form of government than to watch how we support open debate between the candidates. I caught up on the remainder of the debate through blogs (better living through blogging). I found this post on Right Wing Nuthouse , which, despite the name, is quite sane. A short excerpt: The other night on Larry King, Bob Woodward said that after Bush made his decision to go to war in Iraq, he told aides that he didn't care if the war was popular or not...he didn't ca...

The Gallup numbers released today indicate that the Presidential race has evened up to a dead heat. As reported by CNN, President Bush and his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, are about even among likely and registered voters in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, released Sunday. The poll showed Kerry and Bush tied at 49 percent each among likely voters interviewed. Among registered voters Bush had 49 percent and Kerry 47 percent. Independent candidate Ralph Nader was favored by 1 percent in each group. The questions I have are, are these numbers an accurate reflection of the mood of the country, and what does this mean? I found another site that explains why the numbers have changed, and it seems to be for a biased reason. it takes only a moment to determine that the October poll sampled 34% Democrats and 29% Republicans, while the September poll sampled 33% Republicans and 31% Democrats. So it's hardly a surprise that Kerry did better in the October s...

I watched the debates, and, in general, wasn't surprised by much. Kerry looked good, Bush didn't; big surprise - Botox, manicures, and ManTan did their job. I don't know who was responsible for timing the reaction shots - Bush always had a pained, WTF look on his face. Kerry looked calm and smiling, no matter what. I figure that Kerry had excellent advice from his coaches, who said "No matter what is said, smile. The people are idiots, they'll conclude that Bush never laid a glove on you if you do that". But, that said, Bush did look, and act, very tired. I don't know what's going on, but he clearly has something monumental on his mind. Wouldn't be surprised to hear that some family member has a medical challenge at the moment. My advice to his staff - cut back the traveling, appearances, and get the guy some quality R & R time. I'm looking forward to the next debate, partly because it's in Cleveland, and that's my t...