Archive for the ‘Eureka!’ Category
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
[Update 28 October 2005: Now that we top the charts at Google for this phrase, it seems appropriate that we provide the original lyrics to the theme song from MisterRogers' Neighborhood — see below.] I had a moment earlier when I was a bit gloomy and reflecting on how uncivilized Americans and American politics seems […]
My Religion
Come to think of it, I don't think I've mentioned so far in this venue my own, personal lack of religious faith (i.e., that null set of beliefs which some people persist in confusing with a religion of its own, even though I think that that metaphysical conundrum is much simpler to resolve, say, than […]
In: All, Eureka!, Such Language!
Conservative Queers Need Self Respect
What in the world, many of us wonder, is really the driving force behind all those Log Cabin Republicans? I know, I've listened for too many years to rationalizations that go along these lines: "Some of us [i.e., conservative queers] just feel that there are more important things than our private sexuality." There are (at […]
Dobson's Group Not "Religious"
Via John Aravosis at AMERICAblog First, Microsoft caves to anti-gay radicals in the name of diversity, and before that, ABC refused to run a pro-diversity ad for the United Church of Christ. The reason ABC gave the UCC for denying their ad: "The network doesn't take advertising from religious groups. It's a long-standing policy," said […]
In: All, Eureka!, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
On-Topic Blogging
At TalkLeft I read There's cat-blogging (see here, here and here), basset blogging, orchid blogging and all sorts of off-topic blogging in the blogosphere on Fridays. I find that a curious thing to say: ".. all sorts of off-topic blogging…". And what, precisely, would be "on-topic blogging"? I told Isaac last night that I knew […]
In: All, Eureka!, Splenetics
Design Notions
Two pieces from The Panda's Thumb converge on a single issue for me when it comes to "intelligent [so-called] design": In a posting on the Center (for the Renewal of) Science and Culture Media Complaints Division PR man Rob Crowther whines that a recent story in the Seattle Times disses Intelligent Design “theory” by saying […]
In: All, Eureka!, Splenetics
A Federal Case
If it weren't that the issues are rather serious, as are their implications, one could almost chortle with a gleeful sense of schadenfreude at the way some Republicans are revealing so clearly that their sanctimonious rhetoric is just so much hot air. This past week, against the backdrop of the attempted emotional exploitation in the […]
The Homosexual Agenda
I have, for more years than I can remember, been part of the Homosexual Agenda; I can even remember back more than 20 years when it was the militant homosexual agenda. I don't think we were ever very clear at the time just what was on the homosexual agenda — lists have surfaced from time […]
In: All, Eureka!, Splenetics
Erring for Future Life
This past weekend, I've heard the phrase "culture of life" quite a bit more than before, not to mention quite a bit more than I'd like. We've also seen the introduction of the Bush Doctrine of Erring: with tough questions, one should err on the "side of life" (which is all for the best in […]
In: All, Eureka!, Splenetics
Special Marriage
Another Eureka! moment, thanks to the NYTimes via the International Herald Tribune ("Exploiting Terry Schaivo"). …supporters of Schiavo's parents, particularly members of the religious right, leaned heavily on Congress and the White House to step in. They did so on Monday with the new law, which gives "any parent of Theresa Marie Schiavo" standing to […]
In: All, Eureka!, Splenetics
Market Morality
Paul Ruschmann wrote a very nice opinion piece ("Shifting standards plague TV and radio indecency rules") about the silliness of indecency rules. First, the basic theme: This [new indecency] bill once again proves an old adage: Bad laws beget worse ones. The bad law in question is the broadcast indecency rule. It dates back to […]
Number Phase-Out
I was pondering the deservedly lackluster success of the current administration's attempts to sell its privatization/"personalizing" scheme for Social Security. My train was running smoothly along these tracks, thinking that perhaps an approach that used annuities, perhaps initially delivered with the baby, might meet with more success and might even be sensible. Then, in a […]