Lax, Brah!

The Lukester at this year's pre-season tournament.

Majority Now

Caveat: It's a little semantic, but I've never liked the popular notion of "Majority Rules". In a democracy the majority decides the question at hand; the decision of the majority carries the day. But in a democracy, nobody 'rules' anything or anybody at any time.

Also, I think it's important to remember that we've seen some bad shit going on because of Majority Rules. Jim Crow for one example. And let's not forget that the most popular car in the world in 1971 was the Ford Pinto.

Just because you can get 51% to go along with your idea doesn't necessarily mean your idea is a good one.

That said, here's a pretty good one from Mark Fiore:

Who Speaks For "The Church"?

Catholic nuns urge passage of Obama's health bill

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (AP) – 21 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Catholic nuns are urging Congress to pass President Barack Obama's health care plan, in an unusual public break with bishops who say it would subsidize abortion.

Some 60 leaders of religious orders representing 59,000 Catholic nuns Wednesday sent lawmakers a letter urging them to pass the Senate health care bill. It contains restrictions on abortion funding that the bishops say don't go far enough.

The letter says that "despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions." The letter says the legislation also will help support pregnant women and "this is the real pro-life stance."

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

As usual, big organizations have factions;  people who aren't just gonna go along with whatever the suits decide.  So the nuns are standing up and calling 'bullshit' on their leadership.  Go nuns!

Hooda Thunk It

This is Dick Armey? The guy who "oops-ed" on Barney Frank's name, calling him Barney Fag? This is that guy?

That Magnificent Bastard

Alan Grayson, in response to Sarah Palin's appearance at a Lincoln Day fund raiser in Grayson's district; when Palin told the crowd she'd like to take a few shots at Grayson, but she didn't want to say anything that her daughter Piper shouldn't hear.  This is always a good way to avoid the simple truth that you're just not quick enough to come up with anything good that can then go on network TV.  Or was she admitting she's really a potty-mouth?

Grayson knows a good opening when he sees it, and he shot back, saying that he was impressed she was able to fit his entire name on her hand.

"I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them," Grayson said. His campaign added that "[s]cientists are studying Sarah Palin's travel between Alaska and Florida carefully. They hope to learn more about the flight patterns of that elusive migratory species, the wild Alaskan dingbat."

Climate Change

Here on the east coast, we're just coming out of a tough winter.  And of course, some folks have had lots of fun ridiculing Al Gore because of it. (the guy practically invites abuse - it would be rude to deny him)  Anyway, aside from the Politics of Schtoopid, there's an attitude here that seems to get people thinking a) whatever is happening here is happening everywhere; and b) whatever is happening here is all that matters, because the East Coast of the USA is the center of the universe and everybody secretly wishes they were us.

In the meantime, some interesting things were actually taking place up there in Canuckistan.  Here's that story.

Smartly Sexy

If there's anything hotter than a smart chick being smart, it hasn't been discovered yet. Wouldn't it be nice if we got this kind of programming on TV instead of crap like Judge Judy and Jersey Shore?

God And Country

The 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco says the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance is OK because it's a patriotic thing and not a religious thing.  Fine.  But the ruling itself is a nice bit of hair-splitting - aimed at mollifying both sides rather than trying to get to a point of Settled Law - and so it's mostly bullshit.

I'm conservative, so I think first and foremost, that there's no way I'm going to hold myself liable to taking a Loyalty Oath.

Second, even if I go along with this crap, I much prefer the original.

Third, I have no allegiance for bed sheets or underwear or upholstery, so I intend never to pledge my allegiance to a flag.  The ideal itself is what's important - not the symbol.

Finally, if I ever feel the need, I'll recite my own version:
"I pledge allegiance to The United States of America. One nation; indivisible; with liberty and justice for all."

The Cost Of "Living"

"Healthcare Reform" right now is all about "reforming" the way we do the insurance part of it.  I've been thinking the process has to deal with 2 main parts - the cost of insurance, and the cost of care itself.  Now I think we're looking at breaking it down a little further and directing the effort first at getting as many people covered as possible, and then taking another look at what it all costs so we can start trying to figure out ways to push down on those costs.

Here's a look at what's been happening to the premiums we pay if we get insurance thru our employers:

Quote For The Day

The Mustache of Understanding gets one right.

“Message from America to the Israeli government: Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. And right now, you’re driving drunk. You think you can embarrass your only true ally in the world, to satisfy some domestic political need, with no consequences? You have lost total contact with reality. Call us when you’re serious. We need to focus on building our country.”  Tom Friedman - NYT