Better Than Machines

"By all means, let's have a beer. Have t...

2012-05-27T16:16:37.552-04:00

"By all means, let's have a beer. Have the brewmaster bring us a variety of his wares."

Thanks for the bone, David! I always enjoy readin...

2012-03-17T09:14:38.282-04:00

Thanks for the bone, David! I always enjoy reading your blog and the insight you share about current issues. And yes, Romney is big time weird and awkward.

It's been a long BTM drought! You have to won...

2012-03-15T22:39:55.053-04:00

It's been a long BTM drought! You have to wonder about the Repubs. I can only think that the saner members of the party figure they couldn't survive the lunacy of their "I'm-even-crazier-than-my-opponent" primaries.

You forgot "he's Mormon" in your lis...

2012-03-15T22:13:31.129-04:00

You forgot "he's Mormon" in your list of weirdnesses.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. A common error of the ...

2011-11-17T16:12:59.963-05:00

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. A common error of the lazy thinker.

Are we surprised? Uh huh, I didn't think so. I...

2011-11-12T15:34:25.962-05:00

Are we surprised? Uh huh, I didn't think so. I think the violence being unleashed on the protesters should be getting more new coverage.

I haven't been by here in a while and have mis...

2011-10-21T00:39:14.938-04:00

I haven't been by here in a while and have missed a lot of good stuff.

I'm adding you to my blogroll so that doesn't happen again.

This was certainly a travesty -- as a former Georgian, it made me feel sick.

There is no credible evidence that the death penal...

2011-09-29T14:47:12.171-04:00

There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. And states that have abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in either crime or murder rates. The death penalty has no deterrent effect. Claims that each execution deters a certain number of murders have been thoroughly discredited by social science research."
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
"The Death Penalty: Questions and Answers," ACLU.org
Apr. 9, 2007

I agree Veronica. All executions are wrong. I ju...

2011-09-28T19:41:53.137-04:00

I agree Veronica. All executions are wrong. I just hope the ones where there are serious questions about guilt will bring attention to how arbitrary and reckless the whole system is.

I was glad to read there was a small protest outside the Texas execution of Lawrence Brewer that night. And in that case, the victim's family was pleading for the state not to execute Brewer.

The victim's son said, "You can't fight murder with murder. Life in prison would have been fine. I know he can't hurt my daddy anymore. I wish the state would take in mind that this isn't what we want."

When I heard the news, I was likewise horrified an...

2011-09-22T22:49:57.665-04:00

When I heard the news, I was likewise horrified and stunned, and I was also wishing that my citizenship in a country that I admire in so many ways did not make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.

And though it is much more difficult to rally around the cause of the man they executed in Texas on the same night, I still wish that our country would decide not to execute ANYONE -- and that we would all decide to be horrified by all executions, and not only the executions of the (possibly) (probably) innocent. Perhaps the horror of what happened in Georgia will help people rally to make a big change?

Thanks all. Speaking of the third party idea, I t...

2011-08-17T00:34:13.884-04:00

Thanks all.

Speaking of the third party idea, I think at some point we need the rise of a progressive third party whose base is labor and environmentalists. In the short run it would probably lead to Democrats losing and Repubs winning some election cycles. But in the long run, it might remake the Democratic party and/or break the two-party system, both of which would be good.

But in the very short-run, I would like to see a symbolic primary challenge for Obama--maybe Bernie Sanders or Russ Feingold.

I love it when Perry starts his crazy talk. It ma...

2011-08-16T11:15:44.833-04:00

I love it when Perry starts his crazy talk. It makes me giggle like a school girl.

Yes, it seems like Obama needs a true progressive ...

2011-08-15T21:26:26.225-04:00

Yes, it seems like Obama needs a true progressive to run a strong campaign against him and drag him left a bit. Or I don't even know if that's how this works.

I laughed at your saying that Perry is "literally crazy about guns."

Interesting stats. I have recently been feeling li...

2011-08-15T12:07:08.715-04:00

Interesting stats. I have recently been feeling like I wish there was a really interesting third party candidate out there -- someone actually liberal, progressive, etc. For one thing, I'm definitely in that depressed and disinterested state, and would love to consider voting 3rd party; also, I'd love to see what would happen to Obama's campaign and presidency if people started rallying behind some real liberal and progressive policies.

He's adorable. Congratulations!

2011-08-15T12:03:34.352-04:00

He's adorable. Congratulations!

The depressed, non-volunteerism part perfectly des...

2011-08-15T11:15:31.769-04:00

The depressed, non-volunteerism part perfectly describes me. I'm so tired of his compromising. I want him to bang on a podium & welcome some hatred, is what I want. Yr son is too scrumptious, congratulations, enjoy.

Thanks Mary! Glad you found us. And I agree... tho...

2011-08-13T05:59:12.618-04:00

Thanks Mary! Glad you found us. And I agree... those Matrons are quite addicting.

And that baby is CUTE.

2011-08-12T18:30:56.799-04:00

And that baby is CUTE.

Don't forget about the FAA. Barely even made ...

2011-08-12T18:30:38.898-04:00

Don't forget about the FAA. Barely even made the news.

You got the high points. Probably just as well th...

2011-08-11T21:48:51.993-04:00

You got the high points. Probably just as well that you missed every thing else. Gabriel is the hope of the nation. (I don't think I have overstated that.)

Dave, you rock. Love this post. (I found you throu...

2011-08-01T23:11:13.377-04:00

Dave, you rock. Love this post. (I found you through your sisters' very addicting blogs.)

Oh, snap. I loved this. Thanks, Dave. And wow--Jas...

2011-07-17T07:57:40.454-04:00

Oh, snap. I loved this. Thanks, Dave. And wow--Jason and I have never discussed the debt ceiling on our dates.

good reminder of the benefits of "big governm...

2011-07-11T20:22:24.243-04:00

good reminder of the benefits of "big government"

Bravo, Dave! Well said! We live in a society. We n...

2011-07-11T18:31:10.482-04:00

Bravo, Dave! Well said! We live in a society. We need services that enhance our lives in a million ways. We have a government that can do for us those things that we could not reasonably do for ourselves. I just heard on tv that there are now fewer federal employees than there were when President Obama took office. I believe that a robust government improves the lives of our over 330 million citizens. Endless cutting and shrinking of government workers, agencies, regulators, and functions will have consequences that will make life harder and probably shorter.

I genuinely don't understand how anyone, howev...

2011-07-11T09:57:39.591-04:00

I genuinely don't understand how anyone, however greedy and shortsighted, fails to look down the road and see that squeezing the American middle class out of existence is a bad idea for everyone. The middle class is the result of government policies, from the homestead acts, public education, social security, tax deductions for interest on mortgages, the GI bill, to Pell grants. In every case American became a richer and better place because the federal government's involvement in the economy on befalf of "the general welfare."