"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
Edward _ So The Pew Internet and American Life Project suggest that the majority of bloggers are somewhat casual about the whole thing. “The impression out there is that a lot of the blog activity is very feverish,” said Lee Rainie, the Pew project’s director. “That’s not the case. For most bloggers, it’s not an all-consuming, all-the-time … Read more
A telepathy charge is quickly gaining ground around here and Tacitus.org lately. Every time someone suggests the Bush Administration has some unexpressed motive as the only way to rationalize seemingly contradictory or otherwise inexplicable evidence, Bird Dog starts handing out his coveted Carnak Awards, and Slartibartfast virtually hurls the Tarot Cards from the card table. … Read more
Steve Mumford, an artist I know, has now made at least three trips to Iraq to document the war. He’s very good at mixing with our troops, and more and more he’s getting up close to some serious conflict. He’s also very good at getting Iraqi’s to share their experiences with him. The last time … Read more
Andrew Sullivan (who doesn’t have a comments function on his blog) has been posting letters from folks alarmed by the President’s announcement about the FMA. This one from a Republican Lawyer suggests there’s a much larger objective than stopping gay marriage behind it. Pertinent paragraphs: Under the Constitution of the United States there is no … Read more
My first, very partisan response to seeing this: Bush Tightens Rules on Travel to Cuba was “He’s such a whore!” What other voter block is he going to throw a meaningless bone to? Then, I stopped and thought, well, what if he’s right. What if “Fidel Castro government [really] has taken steps to destabilize relations … Read more
There’s no way around it. The FMA is either 1. anti-Liberty 2. anti-Sanctity or 3. anti-Equality To defend the FMA, you must own up to one of these stances. 1. Anti-Liberty In this context, anti-Liberty means anti-gay. One must believe that sexual orientation does not fall under the umbrella of the “liberty” we believe is … Read more
Part II: What the Experts Say This is the second in a series on Bush’s environmental record. Part I: Mission Statement is available here. Feedback to the first part of this series got a bit muddled, for which I’ll take responsibility, but to summarize the point: The EPA has a mission, a raison d’etre, and … Read more
So the only thing I can focus on this morning is my blaring inability to focus due to a wee bit too much consumption last night. Having misspent at least 5 lifetimes of youths, I’m seasoned in the art of overcoming a hangover, but you’re never too old to learn something new, so I’m wondering … Read more
Part I: Mission Statement This is the first in a planned series on Bush’s environmental record Environmental protection is a progressive obligation. By that, I mean specifically that rolling back regulations should not be the focus of the EPA. (It’s similar to the logic that explaining to employers how to work around overtime regulations should … Read more
So Chief Justice Roy Moore might not approve, and Paula, Randy and Simon already cast their “No” votes, but the rest of the country seems to be sidestepping these authorities and creating their own Idol out of UC Berkeley student William Hung. If you were (un)fortunate enough to miss Hung’s audition on the Fox show … Read more
Found this nice idea on Patrick Nielsen Hayden’s blog. Send flowers to a random couple waiting in that San Francisco line.
Ever begun to wonder (somewhere between that 2nd and 3rd cocktail) if you’d make a good president? Yes, you? Political Junkie, blog-addict, arm-chair pundit…it’s had to occur to you, even if only to imagine yourself with access to the WH’s infamous kitchen or to search out the supposed secret tunnels under the Rose Garden. (Does … Read more
Disclaimer: My father’s labor union paid a substantial chunk of my college tuition through a scholarship I received, so I’m far from unbiased on this topic. John Kerry is expected to receive the endorsement of the AFL-CIO tomorrow. Surprise anyone? This, from the AFL-CIO’s website, surprised me: Unions’ political work is not about electing Democrats … Read more
About a half hour after I had closed my gallery in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) the other day, an aggressive knock at the door revealed a Hasidic gentleman looking somewhat anxious. I let him in and he looked around, rather confused, asking “Is this a spa?” “No,” I replied. “It’s an art gallery.” “What do you do … Read more
I was somewhere between one of my many lives (translation: travelling without web access) when Obsidian Wings was born, so I missed the first few weeks of postings here. I was snarking ferociously on Tacitus when someone cited Moe’s own blog. What? A blogchild of Tacitus? And by the incomparable Moe Lane, no less? I … Read more