As the photo might indicate, Dad is a member of "The Greatest Generation." Last December, he celebrated his 87th birthday. His wife (my stepmother) died at the beginning of March, and Dad has been undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer since the beginning of the year. At one point, I thought that I might write some sort of tribute to him after he passed, but the old guy believes in living. I could wind up waiting a very long time writing that tribute. How much better if I have the opportunity to tell him what I think of him while he's still here with us.
This is going to be short, but there's been some discussion of the "news" media over the last couple of days, and something occurred to me which will easily bring CBS out of the toilet and back into prominence. I give this idea freely to CBS. They don't have to pay me a cent. In fact, I would prefer that they didn't because having my name connected with one of the television networks is something that I'd never do to my family.
Yesterday I saw some very disturbing comments in dKos diaries, and some disturbing diaries as well. These were presented, primarily, on the subjects of Don Imus and the three Duke lacrosse players accused of rape.
1. It's been awhile since I've written a diary, and one occasionaly gets the urge to fire up that Rube Goldberg machinery that clicks diaries down the list and off the chart.
2. I'm pissed off and I wanted to be really sarcastic, but there was nobody around.
What we know, as expressed very well by Rush Limbaugh, is that "The Path to 9/11" clearly shows that we cannot trust the Democrats with national security. It's interesting how well that theme plays with the expressed Republican campaign strategy for November. The single driving message from the Republicans, no matter what else Democrats chose to discuss, will be that Democrats got us into this fix, and only Republicans are strong enough to get us out of it.
I checked briefly, but couldn't find a previous diary on this. But today is Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's 60th aniverary. Jimmy and son Jack have been marvelous friends of this site, and I think it's up to us to wish them a glorious day.
I haven't seen this diaried, and it's very short, so I appoligize. I think it is very important that we pay attention to this before it slides off the radar.
There is a growing quiet civil war against the Constitution of the United States. In the name of fighting terror, it has been attacked by everyone from George W. Bush to Hillary Clinton. It is time for all of us, as Americans, to make a stand. For baby boomers, we often felt that our time was in the 60s, but our war "to save America" is now.
Oh, don't get excited... It's not that impressive. I used to be a regular writer on the internet when I had more time to steal from my real job. I started writing during the Clinton persecution, and continued until I was no longer able to take the time, a couple of years after 9/11. You could read my work on Online Journal, the Smirking Chimp, Bartcop, and several other sites. Many of my works are still floating out there on the internet somewhere.
However, one article that I wrote back then is relevant to the current discussion of conspiracies on dKos. I would urge that we always use healthy scepticism when discussing a conspiracy theory, but it is always a mistake to discount them out of hand. I wanted to get my original comments back on the record.
There has been much discussion of Al Gore on this site, and many are sick and tired of hearing it. Still, it is important to me to put my opinion on the dkos record.
Okay, I admit it. I'm white. For me to write a diary on racism, as Armando recently requested we all give a try, my opinion is immediately tainted as coming from the "privileged class." I can't help this. One has to bear the load of their racial burdens. But I'll try to be brief. Brief enough to encourage discussion.
The link I will provide after the jump will be a time machine of sorts. We spend a lot of time grousing about what we've lost with the current standards of politics and the press. I feel that it is extremely important that we do not forget that image of what we're missing.
As we approach Harriet Miers' confirmation hearings, this time let's remove one of the straw men right off the top. Senators will question Miers about her views (most particularly on privacy and abortion), and she (like Roberts before her) will refuse to answer. She will claim that ethics will not allow her to opine on a subject which may come before her on the bench. And the senators will back down, bowing (of course) to her superior ethics.
The press succeeded in making a marginal liar out of Lincoln during the Clinton years, and in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections, regarding Lincoln's statement that "Truth is generally the best vindication against slander." No fault of Lincoln's, as the press simply refused to report the truth.
Well, I finally have to admit it. It's true. I hate George W. Bush. When I've criticized Bush in the past, my conservative friends would ask, "Why do you hate Bush so much?" I'd explain that I had no particular emotions for the man, because I didn't even know him. But I should certainly feel free to criticize him. Well, even though I've never met him, I now know him well enough.
About a week ago, in a short diary on the Political Compass, I touched briefly on the obligations held by a generation to both the prior and next generations. I'd like to offer up my favorite quote on that subject, which comes from a founding father. There's more.
