BOSS logic

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

Asimov wrote that “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” George W. Bush took us to war long before it was a “last resort.” I’ve got to wonder, then, what does this imply for us as a people, a nation that stands by and watches as the atrocities continue to pile up. But at [...]

Ten things I’m looking forward to in 2007

Just your typical wish list for the coming year, in no particular order. (Once again, my resolution list isn’t that interesting: Achieve two more ranks in Karate, which would bring me to 5th Kyu, and spend as much time at the dojo as possible).

The impeachment of George Bush (yep, still hoping).

A few democratic candidates that [...]

Covering up the ugly truth

As Bush continues to cover up the ugly truth about his “war on terror” (aka his “crusade for oil”) his misdirections and outright lies are getting more and more blatant. For instance, does anyone believe that he underestimated the war casualty count by a factor of 20?
Talk about a numbers game! On October 11 the [...]

The Decline of Education in the Corporate Empire

I recently read The Decline Of Education In California by Sarah Knopp, a chapter in California Under Corporate Rule (Peter Miguel Camejo). As a treatise on the state of our education system it’s thought provoking but horribly dismaying. Education has been on a decline throughout the United States since the 1970’s and it’s not stopping. [...]

Idiot

Recently, this quote caught my attention. Attributed to the Editor of Vanity Fair magazine (Graydon Carter) on Ring Of Fire:
“You know how President Bush sounds like whenever he explains something that he understands, whenever he feels he has to give an explanation? He always sounds like he’s talking to idiots.
I think the reason he sounds [...]

Our newest worst president

When we think of our worst presidents, usually Richard Nixon and Ulysses S. Grant come to mind. But, as Mike Papantonio on Ring of Fire quite clearly expressed in his January 21 podcast, that’s all in the past. With Bush’s approval ratings hitting an all-time low, we learn that 80% of American historians now consider [...]

Imperial nation

We’ve all heard the stories of people vanishing in pre-collapse Soviet Russia or China, charged with vague crimes against the State. Saying a few words that criticize their government — something that we take for granted here in the United States — can land you in prison charged with treason. I’m glad we live in [...]

Democracy isn’t always the first answer

George Bush’s mantra has been “democracy good, terrorism bad.” So how does he reconcile the fact that Hamas, a terrorist organization, has won a democratic election process. Bush may have succeeded in convincing the Palestinian Authority to conduct a nonviolent election campaign with high voter participation — but with what results? Slate writer Fred Kaplan [...]

Cheerleading competition or paid advertisement?

I can’t decide. Was tonight’s State of the Union address a cheerleading competition between two rival teams or was it more a paid advertisement justifying Bush’s actions?

After the war

Howard Zinn is the co-author, with Anthony Arnove, of Voices of a People’s History of the United States and recently posted After The War, an article well worth reading, on The Progressive (and quickly reposted elsewhere). Here’s a short excerpt:
I don’t believe that our government will be able to do once more what it did [...]

Rah, rah, rah

I’m a bit behind on my blog-reading, but I have to put a link in to The Bait and Switch President, one of those rare blogs that is very hard to stop reading:
We just finished listening to the President’s speech announcing his new strategy in Iraq. But, hard as we tried, we heard little new [...]