Archive for July, 2009
Friday, July 31st, 2009
Practicality vs. Principles
Probably what bothers me most these days about the political dialogue in the United States is the full circle from the politicians’ cynicism and hypocrisy to an enabling establishment media, the willing public who eat it all up, and finally back to the politicians who justify their bogus positions based on the manipulated media and […]
No Comments » - Posted in Essays, Obama 44 by eric
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Clash of Spanish Civilizations
Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (aka, ZP), has been promoting an Alliance of Civilizations as the solution to the so-called Clash of Civilizations that he and some others believe to be the root of violent extremism (aka, radical Islamic fundamentalism). Just which “civilizations” he is talking about is anyone’s guess, considering that Islam, […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Essays, Living la vida española by eric
Monday, July 27th, 2009
Arm the Senate!
If you are not from the U.S., you surely find the American fascination with guns odd. Now factor in the large support amongst congressmen for legislation permitting the possession of concealed fire arms in a wide array of public places, and you have to wonder if America really is like the Wild West of the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Essays by eric
Sunday, July 26th, 2009
On Racial Profiling
Regardless of the overwhelming facts, statistics and every other indicator in between that point to the ongoing problem of racial profiling in America, there are groups of people, mainly on the right, who somehow think the problem rests alone in one Harvard professor’s mind or in President Obama’s “stupidly” comment. It is not surprising that […]
29 Comments » - Posted in Essays, Living la vida española, Obama 44 by eric
Sunday, July 26th, 2009
Yusef Lateef on Oboe
Here’s Jazz multi-reedist Yusef Lateef on oboe with the Cannonball Adderley Sextet. Cannonball on alto, Nat Adderley on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums.
No Comments » - Posted in Jazz by eric
Friday, July 24th, 2009
Is Obama Worse Than Bush?
I was passionate about Obama becoming our 44th president, and while I recognize that in the short term Obama greatly improves the U.S.’s standing abroad, I am starting to wonder whether Obama is actually becoming more dangerous for the world than George W. Bush.
Regardless of what Dick Cheney may think, Obama has fully embraced the […]
7 Comments » - Posted in Obama 44 by eric
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
A Perfect World
1 Comment » - Posted in Essays, Obama 44 by eric
Sunday, July 19th, 2009
Meet the Idiots
For the most part, I have stopped watching Meet the Press altogether. To begin with, David Gregory is pure mediocracy in motion, the embodiment of an establishment press that is too self-interested to ever ask truly relevant questions. Rather Gregory feigns “journalism” with the initial gotcha question, but then never follows it up with anything […]
6 Comments » - Posted in Essays by eric
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Illegal, and Pointless
Today’s New York Times editorial.
July 17, 2009
Editorial
Illegal, and Pointless
We’ve known for years that the Bush administration ignored and broke the law repeatedly in the name of national security. It is now clear that many of those programs could have been conducted just as easily within the law — perhaps more effectively and certainly with far […]
9 Comments » - Posted in Essays by eric
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Viva Corporate Welfare
Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are back. The rest of us will have to wait.
