Extremism at Home

Wow. So Mike Huckabee wants to amend the constitution to adhere to "god's standards."



Scary, scary stuff. I wonder which god he means? There's thousands of 'em out there. Hopefully not Zeus. That guy was spiteful.

The Cliff

While most seem focused on the horserace or silly divisive issues like abortion and gay marriage, I'm growing incredibly concerned about the economy. Devilstower nails it.

Now or six months from now, there's little doubt that US economy has run out of steam, and unlike recent recessions, economists fear that we're going to be a long time recovering from this slump. Why? Because we've taken all the elastic out of the system.

* The conservative "shower the rich with gifts" strategy has drained the surplus and replaced it with a massive debt, while providing the middle class with no additional funds with which to build up a buffer against disaster.

* The "mystical magical invisible hand of greed will fix everything" conservative approach to the markets has allowed the housing market to devolve into a quivering mess, wrecking the investments of those who played it safe right along with those who gambled and lost.

* The "shop if you love your country" conservative philosophy has encouraged a negative savings rate, that leaves families, stores, and financial institutions all waving their arms at the brink of a cliff.

* The "preemptive strategy" of the neocons has ensured that the sands of Iraq have soaked up American dollars along with American and Iraqi blood. Funds that could be going to help US workers, are instead being spent paying mercenaries and bribing insurgents.

* The conservative "borrow against the future to satisfy my greed today" strategy has left international investors none too keen on the future of the US dollar, making our currency about as popular and stable as marks from the Weimar Republic.

With our treasury looted so completely that echoes and spider webs are all that remain, what can we do about it? Don't expect much movement from Bush. He's still busy praising the wonderful state of our economy and has nothing to propose except giving more money to the rich and rewarding the people who have screwed up the fiscal markets with less regulation.

Thanks George, for setting us up for a potential depression, not just recession. The debt-to-income ratio is higher now than it has been since the late 20s... And we all know what the late 20s led to.

6,000 Years

This guy, who's rising fast in the righty polls, is raising his hand to deny the 150 years of excruciating research and mountains of data backing up the theory of evolution, during a question posed to the candidates in a debate a few months back.

THIS MAN THINKS THE EARTH IS 6,000 YEARS OLD. I'd consider this a huge judgment issue. Forget faith. Should he really be the leader of the free world?

Science Debate 2008

I'm so sick of this year's debates. You just can't get into a substantive discussion about anything---all major policy positions must be explained in 30 seconds, regardless of their complexity or history. A horrible way to run a democracy.

Personally, I'd like to see where the candidates stand on Science. Well, at least the Democratic candidates (since of course the Repubs hate science...) If you'd like to see something like this too, check out Science Debate 2008 and add your name as a supporter.

Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, we call for a public debate in which the U.S. presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy.

Wow. This is exactly what I'm thinking. It might even expose some of the candidates whose scientific knowledge isn't all it's cracked up to be. And it'd certainly be better than some ridiculous "show of hands" to see whether or not you believe in creationism, like the Repubs have done.

If we are to survive the 21st Century, we need more focus on science, and less on religion and pseudoscience. We've got some serious issues to tackle and snake oil isn't going to solve 'em.

God Is (um, mostly) Absolute

Christopher Hitchens nails it spot on:

Until 1978, no black American was permitted to hold even the lowly position of deacon in the Mormon Church, and nor were any (not that there were many applicants) admitted to the sacred rites of the temple. The Mormon elders then had a "revelation" and changed the rules, thus more or less belatedly coming into compliance with the dominant civil rights statutes. The timing (as with the revelation abandoning polygamy, which occurred just in time to prevent Utah from being denied membership of the Union) permits one to be cynical about its sincerity. However that may be, it certainly makes nonsense of Romney's moaning about any criticism or questioning being "un-American." The Mormons have already had to choose—twice—between their beliefs and American values.

Hmmm... Kinda like how Romney was OK with abortion and gays when he was running for Governor in Massachusetts. But now, he has changed his mind as he courts the extreme religious right. I know there's no way he's going to win, so I'm not particularly worried about him. However, this is a perfect example of religious hypocrisy and the prevalent double-standards to which I was exposed as a child. Hey, I'm not against a person changing their mind---I do it all the time. But don't pledge allegiance to an absolute God and then tell me you had a "revelation" from him. Bullshit.