Best photo ever
(Someone emailed this to me. Not sure where it came from. Don't sue me)....Continue
November 03, 2004The Election is Finally Over
George W. Bush will be our President for another four years. I'm stating the obvious for I'm having a difficult time grappling with the reality of the situation. Bush didn't just win the electoral college vote, but the popular vote by a healthy margin. And frankly, I'm dumbfounded, amazed, and uneasy. With the exception of the political cartoons, movies, and...Continue
October 28, 2004A Three Hour Vote
After months of waiting, reading, watching, and discussing, this morning I cast my vote in the 2004 general election. Georgia is one of the lucky states offering early-voting, and from the looks of it, the turnout this year is going to be huge. My wife and I arrived a little after 7 a.m. -- a few moments after they opened...Continue
October 13, 2004W - The President
Lately I've been noticing these stickers on vehicles all over Atlanta. For a while I didn't pay much attention to them, for I assumed they were advertisements for W Hotels. It wasn't until seeing one up close that I realized they were actually a clever, and in my mind groundbreaking political ad for George W. Bush. The design is what...Continue
November 12, 2003Democracy Now
My daily commute home from the office has maintained a predictable pattern for nearly a year -- brake, gas, and a radio dial that constantly flips between NPR's All Things Considered and the myriad of conservative commentators on AM radio. ATC (and public radio in general) has always been a personal favorite, but AM radio is a more recent interest,...Continue
April 23, 2003Drug Tax Stamps
Consider yourself warned - if you live in Kansas, and make a living peddling cocaine, pot, methamphetamine, or any other substance, then according to this document from the Kansas Department of Revenue, you have to pay state taxes on all your sales. Seriously. Now let's imagine the roundtable meetings politicians must have had for this brilliant idea. Obviously drug dealers...Continue
March 20, 2003Strangelove
Between the non-stop newscasts about the launch of the war last night, I keep mentally reverting back to this famous scene from Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. Surprised more people haven't used this imagery as political fodder....Continue
March 19, 2003Tony Blair Debate Video
First, a disclaimer: I have never cared for Prime Minister Tony Blair. For years I viewed the man, or at least his caricature in the mass media, as yet another slick politician cut (not accidentally) from the same mold as Bill Clinton. Lately however, my opinion has literally flipped a 180. Blair's quick wit and laser-guided eloquence is all the...Continue
February 15, 2003The Iraq Debate is Over
Though I was unable to watch Hans Blix's report to the UN Security Council yesterday, I listened to quite a lot of it on the radio while driving around town on various appointments. Soon thereafter, Colin Powell delivered one of his most passionate, searing, seemingly improvised retorts to the complacent. His emotions were rooted in one rather obvious development -...Continue
February 06, 2003Prebuttal
After watching Colin Powell's presentation at the United Nations yesterday morning, I was quite annoyed - and borderline incensed - with the situation that immediately followed. In case you didn't watch it all, each nation around the table recited their "official" response to the presentation that Colin Powell gave mere minutes after he finished. Did they all have a writer...Continue
December 17, 2002Zen and the Art of Politics
For the past couple of days I've been watching the various press conferences and talking heads on cable news, all concerning Al Gore's decision not to run in 2004. The surprising decision was, in my mind, much more than just one bid for the Presidency, but a life changing experience for both a career politician, and a common man who...Continue
November 13, 2002WSJ: Technology Prevented Accurate Election Polling
The days following last week's GOP sweep of the Congressional elections have been quite interesting to watch. Pollsters, politicians, and talk show hosts have repeatedly asked why nobody was able to predict the power-shifting outcome of the election, and the various reasons for their collective blunder. Some media outlets, like Salon.com, have adopted rural rednecks in Georgia as one of...Continue
November 06, 2002A New Day
As I slug coffee and rub my eyes after a late night of flipping between Judy Woodruff, Brit Hume, and (my personal favorite) Chris Matthews, today feels like a new day. I rarely discuss or even mention politics on this site, mainly because it isn't a pleasurable or comfortable topic for people to discuss (unless of course you're in like-minded...Continue
October 25, 2002Get Me Out of Here
I simply cannot believe that garbage like this actually gets produced, let alone sold and elevated to the status of a supposed "hit single." Unbelievable. [via Andrew Sullivan in Salon]...Continue
February 13, 2002Microsoft Lobbying Eclipses Enron
We need more articles like this. ZDNet today posted a very interesting article, "Microsoft's lobbying efforts eclipse Enron," which does a little politcial contribution bean counting to see how Microsoft compares to Enron, and other major corporations. The results aren't surprising to those who follow the Microsoft anti-trust case(s), but they are damning. Choice quote: Microsoft's direct lobbying has also...Continue
January 26, 2002Lazy Media with Enron "Suicide?"
After watching enough cable news this evening concerning the supposed suicide of a former Enron employee, I can't help but think the news media is asleep at the wheel. Perhaps it was bordom, or the heat, but the news outlets ran wild with Chandra Levy and the whole Condit nonsense for months on end this past summer, with virtually nothing...Continue
December 23, 20012001 - What a Year
2001 was a year we'll never forget. Today, after weeks of media speculation, Time Magazine named Rudy Giuliani as their 2001 Person of the Year. It's an amazing transformation of a political figure, especially one as polarizing as Giuliani, into a national leader in time of crisis. He was smart, calm, and gracious when handling both the tragedy itself, and...Continue
December 04, 2001American Taliban
Joshua Micah Marshall nails the irony of the so-called "American Taliban" in the news recently....Continue
November 29, 2001No New Internet Taxes
I have my differences with President George W., but I cracked a big ol' smile after reading this....Continue
September 16, 2001Ugly Americans
I remembered the words of a close friend's late father this morning. He told his son many years ago that "travelling" was just as beneficial to his pre-adult development as a formal education. To associate, communicate, and exchange ideology with people from foreign lands helps clarify your own role in the world, and appreciate what life is like for those...Continue
September 15, 2001Falwell
In this time of unity, it's unforgiveable that morons like the Rev. Jerry Falwell can open their mouths. How this man ever became a "leader" for certain pockets of middle America is beyond me. It's sickening to think there are people out there, like Falwell, who believe that gay people are to blame for the attacks. Pat Robertson, quickly backpeddling...Continue
September 14, 2001Bush Rallying the Troops
On site at ground zero today, President Bush addressed the firefighters with a megaphone. One firefighter a few yards away yelled "We can't hear you!", to which Bush replied, "I can hear you - all of America hears you - and the people who knocked these buildings down, will hear from all of us soon!" Thunderous applause and 'USA' chants...Continue
The Clinton Connection
Through the haze of round the clock news coverage, the sadness, and the disbelief, I had totally forgotten about Bill Clinton. First of all, he is the "former" President, and should not be a vocal figure in this ongoing tragedy -- that role is clearly for Bush. But after seeing Clinton on television yesterday wandering the streets, just off a...Continue
September 13, 2001Giuliani
I have always held mixed feelings about Rudy Giuliani, specifically his ridiculous battle with the Brooklyn Museum of Modern Art, and his bend-over relationship with corporations like Disney. However, in this worldwide moment of tragedy, a leader has emerged. And it ain't Bush. Rudy Giuliani has been tireless, accessible, blunt, and a calming presence amidst the rubble. Without prepared notes,...Continue
