Tags
abortion rights, Ayn Rand, Egypt, GOP, Humor, libertarianism, Middle East, right wing, Sarah Palin, world politics
Spring? Is anyone talking about spring yet?
Things have been decent here for some days. We are getting more snow next week and colder temperatures again, but frankly, we aren’t sure how bad.
It’s nothing, compared to the East. I sure do feel sorry for those poor folks. Well, sorry, but glad too. Glad it’s them and not us. Them and us. Comparisons are inevitable.
I haven’t been off the property for nearly a month now. It will be by next Thursday, which I am hoping will be a shopping day. The Contrarian has gotten out a couple of times and is out now, buying a few things to tide us over. We got blown out yesterday, since he didn’t quite make it out the driveway at the road. So we were officially stuck for the first time this year. Not bad all told, usually we have had at least 3 or 4 by now.
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One begins to wonder if we are on the cusp of something really big happening in the Middle East. Tunisia fell, and now Egypt is tottering. Not sure how that will play out, but it seems it’s either going to be a new government or a very ugly crackdown. Yemen is rumbling. No word yet if the Iranians have become emboldened again to try to break that regime.
Time will tell as they say. That’s a waste of words heh? Time doesn’t tell anything, and “they say” is just a cheap way of not researching to who actually said that. Anyway, the obvious is true. We will know more in the future. Like we would know less?
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Political Irony has your late night humor. Given that there is NO football, humor is a necessity here. Grumpy husband alert.
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Elizabeth Kaeton has a very important post on the proposed Rethug bill about non-funding of abortions. It re-writes what “rape” means, and thus seeks to limit abortions. It’s Machiavellian in its intent certainly. It hopefully will be opposed by all intelligent and compassionate persons.
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David Frum has a short piece on why the GOP, and its apologists need to let go of Palin. The new ERW (extreme right-wing) claims she would be a nobody without the Left. Frum disagrees and the comments are rather good on this one.
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Under the theory that everybody has a talent. Andrew Sullivan found a map of the US with notes on what each state excels at. Iowa is first in “sick days taken”. Go see what your state does best at.
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If I got this straight: We are sort of for people throwing off the chains of dictatorship and deciding their own fate. Some would argue that this is what is happening in Egypt. John Bolton was always a point man for Dubya’s “nation” building theories, always decrying “human rights violations”. But now Bolton backs Mubarak because he fears the Muslim Brotherhood may gain control in a democratic process. Sooo. What is this Muslim Brotherhood, and should we ignore our principles for expedience sake? The Brookings Institute explains the history of the Brotherhood and says the danger is not that great. One can see the predictable lines of debate on this one. Neo-cons versus rational people.
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Gosh, what would the world be without hypocrisy? I mean, irony is one thing, but hypocrisy, it fairly makes life worth living. To be able to point someone out and know with deep satisfaction, that the person at the end of your finger is someone who fails to live by any standard they themselves set. It’s purely delicious, enough to make you happy for the rest of an entire day.
Ayn Rand, beloved of the cockadoodle-do right-wing teabaggers, is one such person. Now, first let me say, that no teabagger probably ever heard of Ayn Rand before Beck or a colledge ejucated right-winger happened to remember reading her utterly forgettable tomb, Atlas Shrugged.
Rand, as you may remember ranted against the poor and most of the middle class as undeserving rabble, sucking the well-earned funds from the real people, the rich, who got to be rich because they were, well, just better in every way. Well, it turns out Rand, sank to the level of the much maligned masses: she drew both social security and medicare under another name, “Ann O’Conner”.
Paul Ryan, the GOP budget czar, credits her with being his guru. Rand, with two other women started American libertarianism. The other two women refused social security on principle.
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What’s on the stove: burgers and fries and coleslaw. It’s Saturday! Drat, the spellchecker isn’t working so hope I spelt awflea gooder than useyul. 🙂
Existential Ennui 
I just checked out Ms. Kaeton’s blog, and I enjoyed it a lot! Thanks for the tip.
She’s a lovely Anglican Priest with a lot of sense!
CNN was the Only TV News onsite in Cairo throughout. FOX had it’s less strident commentators in their studios, very carefully making bland observations. Fox Viership has dropped drastically, and many advertisers left them, so they have calmed radically.
CNN Onsite reported that Youth in Egypt can’t get a job, even with advanced degrees; can’t marry because not employed, etc., etc. Was totally Peaceful, like the Philipine uprising, where even some soldiers and police joined them. Everyone shouted PEACE, PEACE.
But, rooftop National Security shot some protestors, leaduing to Car and Building burnings. They only want Mubarak, the typiccal Dictator ally of ours, as always, as in Tunisia, and other ‘allies’, want True Democracy, with real elections.
We are viweing the Bad likely results of the GW Bush “Conquer/Repress all Muslim Countries into Our control ‘democracies, like afghanistan and Iraq. Sadly, Obama is handling it Much as GW Bush did, Not asking the Dictators to Resign, until too late.
Things appear to not be letting up in Egypt and it looks like Mubarak will fall. I am understanding that the people have been repressed for a very long time, and there is no middle ground for this now. It remains a difficult problem given the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. If that goes with a new govt., then things will be very dicey.
The Problem is Mubarack Refuses to resign. That will/can create Major Problems, violence, radicalism.
Egypt, like Iraq, Afghanistan, Many of our ‘allies’ Have Rigged Elections, etc, Are Not Democracies; Many reports that the Results are RIGGED; Phony.
Our supporting Dictatorships is catching up with us, and were Initiated as GOP Policies.
I agree. Mubarak isn’t going to go easily I suspect unless it is clear that he cannot prevail. Still, I suspect he will not use overt violence against the people. And we will have to work hard to create a new relationship with whomever ends up in control.
The Beautiful thing is in ALL these Nations is their People want True Democracy: Elect their own Leaders.
Egyptian Youth, people Are the ones Preserving Peace, preventing Theft, Violence. That’s what’s impressing Police, Armed Forces.
That IS Democracy!
I hope the best for the Egyptians. I hope that all comes out well with no further death or injury.