Serious times

call for serious public policy discussions and solutions. Sarah Palin and the Republicans have so far offered neither. They've offered an awkward mix of opportunistic media-bashing, generic conservative rhetoric about taxes, and passing babies around.

Sarah Palin seems like a nice lady, I suppose. But, really?

Really?

To me, it seems that Republicans have recently forfeited their two most compelling arguments against a President Obama--that he lacks experience and doesn't offer specifics. By embracing Palin, they've revealed expereince isn't all that important to them after all. By staging a convention devoid of policy ideas after Obama laid out a forceful and specific plan during his, they look out of touch.

One last thought--are families off-limits or not? You can't have it both ways. I vote for off-limits.

It's probably only a matter of time

before psychologists coin a term for people obsessed with the Clintons.

For anyone afflicted with this syndrome; the cure is simple:
STOP. TALKING. ABOUT. THEM.

One other side note about the DNC: I wish the delegates in the audience would shut the f*ck up when someone's giving a speech.

Joe Biden's an excellent selection, imho.

Modern VPs have two roles: help the top guy get elected and help him govern if he wins. Biden, I think, can do both. He's passionate--that'll help on the campaign trail; somebody's got to highlight McCain's faults if Barack won't.

That same quality, along with his inability to mince words, will help a President Obama govern; imagine how differently the last eight years would have been if President Bush had surrounded himself with knowledgeable pragmatists rather than impatient ideologues.

From the archives: previous posts mentioning Joe Biden.

God is not a politician.

(In response to Rick Warren's recent Civil Forum at Saddleback Church)

To try to ascertain publicly someone’s very private faith is not only futile, but potentially very damaging to the Republic. Indeed, the increasingly public and troublingly superficial role that religion plays in US politics trivializes us as a people. If we perceive ourselves as wise enough to understand fully another man’s relationship with God (particularly by way of cable news forums and You Tube clips), then we fail in our pursuit of humility.

More specifically, trying to predict how a person’s faith will influence particular policy decisions undermines our own faith and inhibits our politics. The more I think and, yes, pray, the more deeply I realize how distorted our public perception of religion’s role in our politics really is.

In my own prayer life, I try as best I can to listen to God. I don’t hear voices, but what I do get is an occasional epiphany—a clearer and richer understanding of His will and His creation. Still—that type of experience more often leaves me with more questions than answers. Indeed, I’ve never prayed and walked away with a directive on how to feel about a specific public policy initiative. Of course one’s faith—indeed, one’s prayer life—and by extension their relationship with God—can influence their feelings about political issues, but, to claim understanding of how reveals personal pride and ignorance.

Prayer, for me, is not that particular. I don’t view God as political. I’m not completely convinced he really has an opinion about lifting an off-shore drilling ban, a federal marriage amendment, or tax cuts. Sure—he’s got something to say about stewardship, human love, and material wealth, but, God is not a politician.

Politicians, then, rely on free will. So, policy decisions are left to the feeble human mind. We must, then, fully expect our politicians to be well-informed about public policy. To ascertain one’s understanding of that is much easier, and indeed, more helpful.

Pretty sweet.

I've been far too busy with real life to be posting lately, but after Tuesday I felt the need. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but reading over my posts in the months leading up to the election, seems like I had a pretty good idea about the prospects of most of the candidates and a pretty good handle on the national mood--more so than Karl Rove, anyway.

It's just a little easier to sleep now knowing that checks and balances have been restored to this awesome democracy of ours.

Jim Webb's giving George Allen

a very serious challenge in Virginia. His perfromance in their debate on Meet the Press yesterday was among the strongest by a Democrat I've seen this election cycle. It'd be pretty sweet if both Santorum and Allen got pink slips this November.

Jim Webb for U.S. Senate

Remember that church sign

I posted about a while ago? I drove by the same sign this morning. Didn't like the message as much. It read, "We don't use God. He uses us." I guess I have a problem with the verb "uses." Makes God sound like some sort of Dorkus Maximus playing Dungeons and Dragons with humanity. Like, what's he using us for? His own amusement? If that's true, He's got a pretty twisted sense of humor.

I'm more into a laissez-faire type of Deity. I thank God for free will, and think the notion of a chess player God kind of trivializes His and our existence.

In remembrance.

The most moving movie I've seen

in quite a while is about paperclips. Do yourself a favor and see it.

U talkin' to me?

It's a shame about

Pluto.

"I have no idea how that happened.

But, it won't happen again."

Lieberman's ahead

by 5 points in Connecticut for the general election. I think he should quit out of repsect for the democratic process and his party. But, I certainly won't be unhappy if he wins.

I never paid much attention to the

House race in Pennsylvania's 7th distirct because I thought they'd be stuck with Curt "let's ship all the dirty Mexicans home and bomb everything that moves" Weldon forever and ever. Turns out the Dems have got a pretty strong candidate, though. Give him some money.

So, either

you think that Joe Lieberman was completely out of touch with his constituents

or

that the Democratic party is now controlled by crazy people.

eh. Little bit of A, little bit of B.

Really, only two things are clear:
1. Lieberman lost.
2. People are pissed about Iraq.

That's all we can tell right now.

Stupid Dork Alert!

Kiss fans protest outside Rock and Roll Museum.

"About 200 Kiss fans protested in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to demand that the band be inducted into the hall.

Fans, some from as far away as California, carried signs Saturday and had painted their faces in black-and-white to resemble Kiss band members....

...The foundation that selects inductees is based in New York City, not at the museum."

Mel Gibson is an Anti-Semite.

Confirmed. I never did see The Passion of the Christ, largely because I felt it unnecessary; I mean, if your faith's that strong, why do you need to sit through 2+ hours of such graphic and ultimately inflammatory violence to reinforce it?

But, if the reports are true, it's undeniable that the movie was made by a man filled with hate. What's worse is that the movie was promoted heavily in Middle Eastern countries, where anti-semitism is deadly. Apparently it's a powerful film. Indeed, many fundamentalist Christians claimed to have left the theater in tears. I wonder how many fundamentalist Muslims left inspired to kill.

Don't let cable news' short

attention span fool you:

"In the past two weeks, more Iraqi civilians have been killed than have died in Lebanon and Israel."

By most credible accounts, Iraq's getting much worse.

Heroes

in a half-shell.

The Governator

takes on global warming. Kudos.

Do you know anything about Hezbollah?

I didn't know much. Here's a brief introduction.

It's...

Can mushrooms

save us from ourselves?

Joe Lieberman just wiped

the floor with Ned Lamont. Despite the media's attempt to paint this race as a civil war between pro-war and anti-war Democrats for the soul for the party, that's not what it is.

This is a race between two fundamentally different types of candidates: one who reads lists of things his supporters want to hear, and one who believes deeply in the importance of principled beliefs.

If there is a battle for the soul of the Democratic party, that's what it's about.

There is no doubt that Joe Lieberman is a real Democrat. He votes with his caucus 90% of the time. That he might lose a Democratic primary for too strongly supporting success in Iraq is infuriating.

Vladimir Putin

is kind of creepy.

"I tell you honestly, I just wanted to touch him like a kitten and that desire of mine ended in that act."

Ummm. wtf?

Sounds like Al Gore

got it mostly right. Sadly, I don't think it really matters. Money quotes:

While more than 1 million people have seen the movie since it opened in May, that does not include Washington's top science decision makers. President Bush said he won't see it. The heads of the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA haven't seen it, and the president's science adviser said the movie is on his to-see list.

"They are quite literally afraid to know the truth," Gore said. "Because if you accept the truth of what the scientific community is saying, it gives you a moral imperative to start to rein in the 70 million tons of global warming pollution that human civilization is putting into the atmosphere every day."

A gift to Stewart, Letterman and Leno.

Poor Rush.

Moveon.org's attempt to defeat

Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary is infuriating. It's misguided, idiot-filled groups like these that undermine any chance the Democrats have of recapturing the hearts of mainstream America. I'm officially removing myself from their annoying e-mail list. At some point, liberal activists are going to have to figure out it takes a lot more than mass e-mails to change the world anyway.

Thanks, Rick.

So, Rick Lowenberg, my favortie drummer I've ever seen play is leaving Brothers Past to pursue law school. I wish him and the band the best for the future. It's always inspiring to see someone who beleives they have more to offer the world go off and try and to do it. Good luck, buddy.

Rick will be a special guest on my radio show this monday night to discuss his decision and take a few calls. Tune 'eem on in, 8-10 PM.

GDub makes fun

of a blind man.