10 posts from October 2008

Yep, I think this election is pretty well sewn up.

Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan:

If you're a conservative on the fence, worth considering.

Edit:  if the above link isn't working, try the following: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-top-ten-rea.html

I am neither a conservative (any longer) nor on the fence, so I won't presume to judge for any conservative whether the points made should resonate with them.  Neither will I make any assertions as to which, if any, of these points I agree with.

But I will say this:  I have often joked that as a young man, I was a Republican moderate, and that now I am a Democratic liberal, while my political views have remained essentially unchanged.  So I do understand the dilemna that a thinking conservative faces in this election.  I watched as, in my judgement, my party and the party of my ancestors moved away from its intellectual underpinnings, and spun off into some distortion related to the inherent baby-boomer sense of personal entitlement.  I make no claim that the party of Jackson has aquitted itself, over the years, in a sterling fashion, particularly in Washington.  But the fundamental integrity of America has been tarnished by the extent to which the party of Lincoln has become willing to throw aside principles for temporary tactical advantage, whether in terms of politics or in terms of governance. 

Is there a place for conservatism in the dialogue of American politics?  Of course there is.  The pendulum swings both ways.  And true conservatives will be needed to lead the country away from the inevitable excesses of liberal governance, just as true liberals are now needed to lead the country away from the obvious over-reaching of current so-called conservative governance. 

I ask you, if you are a conservative:

Does being a conservative mean embracing the dimunition of personal liberty?

Does being a conservative mean casting aside the rule of law to allow torture?

Does being a conservative mean tearing down the wall between church and state?

Does being a conservative mean engaging in pre-emptive war against a country which is not demonstrably impeding, in an aggressive way, the national security interests of the United States?

Does being a conservative mean embracing an aggressively regressive income tax policy?

Does being a conservative mean placing multinational business interests above American economic interests?

Does being a conservative mean applauding judicial activism, merely because the political outcome of that activism supports your political goals?

Does being a conservative mean being more concerned about a person's religion, sexual identity, race, or ethnic origin than that person's work ethic and abilities? 

As a progressive, I expect to be disappointed by Obama, and I expect conservatives to be pleasantly surprised.  I know his background, his temperment, and his philosophy.  But that does not bother me.  Because Obama, on some levels, represents a return to American conservative values.  Were I still a Republican, I'd be worried.  Because, in toto, Obama truly is a centrist.  All this nonsense about socialism and extremism is noise designed to distract the public from that fact.  Better to vote for him, and get down to reforming the conservative movement in this country, which has lost its way.  So that when the inevitable liberal over-reach occurs, the conservative movement has both the personal and intellectual integrity to appeal to the center again.  McCain represents nothing other than his own ambition, and his victory would, if anything, simply delay that process.

I don't speak too much about it here. but I don't drink alcohol.  Not because I don't like it or because I am allergic.  But because I love it, so much so that it nearly destroyed my life.  Last Thursday was the anniversary of the last day I had a drink of alcohol.  The 21st anniversary.  In other words, it has been nearly as long since I had a drink as some members of my neighborhood have been alive.  (In case anyone is wondering, I don't care or mind if other people drink or not.  I had a lot of fun drinking before it all spun out of control for me.)

I don't remember much about that day.  I just know that the alcohol rehabilitation center I had agreed to enter told me that I had to be five days dry, if I didn't wish to go to detox first.  And I wasn't going to detox.  I wasn't that bad, or so I told myself.  So I held on for dear life for five days.  It was brutal.  To make a long story short, it's gotten a lot easier.

Why am I mentioning this today?  Because of a coincidence.  Back in September of 2007, I wrote a short story on here called The Bridge, as an entry to the 5 Word Challenge group.  It was a story about a soldier during the Korean War, and an experience he had.  I didn't mention that the story was a fictionalized version of a true story.  Told to me by a friend of mine, who was the soldier in the story.  He was a friend of mine from a group I attend to keep me on the sober beam.  My friend passed away in early 2005.  I used his real name, since I figured nobody would know him on Vox, it was a fictionalized account, and I wanted to honor him that way.

Friday morning, the day after celebrating my 21st sober anniversary, I logged onto Vox to check what was new.  And saw a comment on The Bridge.  "That's odd", I thought, given that the story was over a year old.  I clicked onto the comment, and the commenter mentioned that she had known Donal here in Philadelphia in the mid-to-late '80s, which was when I first met him.  The commenter had just joined Vox, and her profile was private.  And of course, only my closest friends on here know my real name.  A voice in the back of my head told me to comment back, and I also sent a private message to the commenter.  Guess what.  The commenter is a very dear old friend, who left Philadelphia in 1989, with whom I have had no contact in the last 19 years.

Let's recap:  On my 21st sober anniversary, a person I knew from that time, the person who introduced me to my friend Donal, who now lives on a different continent, and to whom I haven't spoken since she left here 19 years ago, decides to join Vox, and leave a comment on my blog to a post I wrote over a year ago, not knowing that it's me.

You bet your ass Happy Anniversary.  Wow.

You're out and about, and find that you have planned insufficiently to meet your body's needs.  What to do?

Here's what.

Congratulations!  You never need to panic again.

Purloined from

Cat:1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My great-uncle.  He paid for my dad to go to college, but my dad got kicked out (eventually got back in and finished).  I was the pay-off.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last week

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I love it.  Most others can't stand it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Not that I have it much, but Hot Pastrami.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?  One boy, Evan.  He's 9 years old, and owns my heart.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  Absolutely.  I'm good people.  And I know how to keep a secret.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Little ole me?  Not anymore.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep.  Only kid in the family.  That used to mean something.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?   Absolutely.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I almost never eat cereal any more.  But, if I had to choose, it would probably be Sugar Frosted Flakes.  They're grrrrreat! 

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? It depends on how tired I am.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I'm a rock. 

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? The original Rocky Road.  You know, the one with walnuts and little marshmallows.  The one with marshmallow swirl, which is the only one available on this coast, just plain sucks. 

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? How they treat other people. 

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT YOURSELF ?  I'll get back to you later, after I'm done procrastinating.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Geneva, my mother's mother.  She was an absolute hoot.  To tell you the most, I don't really miss her.  She's always with me. 

18. FAVOURITE INDULGENCE? An uninteruppted bubble bath in a Victorian lion-claw bathtub, with classical music playing in the background.  Hasn't happened in, oh, 20 years. 

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Dark grey pinstripe, with black wingtips. 

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?  The inside of a sandwich.  (It was an office lunch meeting; I ditched the bread).

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The sound of my fingers typing.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? Purple; the royal color.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?  OK, let's get wierd.  Street tar, asparagus pee, and a bakery.  Even I am mildly repulsed. 

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Lance, my future business partner (perhaps). 

25. BROTHERS AND SISTERS?  One of each.  I'm the youngest. 

26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? I love all sports.  Hell, I can even watch curling.  (It's one of the reasons I don't have cable; I would watch curling.)  On TV?  Football.  In person?  Tennis.

27. HAIR COLOR?  Blonde, although there's some grey creeping in.  And no, I will never, ever put dye on my head. 

28. EYE COLOR? I have spectacular blue eyes. 

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I can't even get eye drops in my eye.  So no.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?  Porterhouse steak. 

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy.  No contest.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Women.  Eh. 

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?  White.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter.  Summers can be brutal here.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? It depends on the person.  If I'm in love, kisses.  Otherwise hugs.  And I'm good.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?  Chocolate mousse pie.

37. TOP OR BOTTOM? Top, mostly. 

38. FAVOURITE SHOES: Any sneakers.   

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?   Private Screenings.  Written by my friend Larry.  Boy's got some talent. 

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD?  Sky High Travel. 

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? A DVD of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.  For easily the two hundredth time.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?  No Comment. 

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles.  I've always thought the Rolling Stones were no more that a glorified bar band. 

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Kauai. 

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can touch my nose with the tip of my tongue. 

46. WHERE AND WHEN WERE YOU BORN? Marin General Hospital, San Rafael, California.  It was late morning.

Anyone else want to give a go?

Honestly, watching the far right over the last few weeks is like watching Lee J. Cobb come apart like a cheap suit at the end of "Twelve Angry Men."

Keith Olbermann

I am grateful to Irish Lucky Lass for this post.  I don't agree with her choice on how to vote this time, but was struck by her determination to stay in her party, the better to change it.  This is a difficult choice, one I had to make many years ago.

I don't post much about politics here, but those few things I have posted leave little doubt that I am supporting the Democratic Party in this election.  But that is not where my political story started.

I was raised in a Republican household.  Both my mom and dad were Republicans, but it went deeper than that.  We weren't just members of the party.  On both sides of the family, we were Republican going back to the earliest days.  My great-great-grandfather served in the Union navy; his brother Edward was killed in the Battle of Pleasant Hill, during the Red River campaign in April of 1864.  I grew up with a large framed daguerretype of him in his Iowa Volunteer uniform, with the shaded eyes which, in those days, indicated death in battle.  The rest of mom's side of the family was Latter Day Saint, even back to the early days in New York in the 1820s.  Joseph Smith, the first LDS prophet ran for president, and included abolition in his platform.  We know less about my dad's side, but the family name was common in New England, and, given where the family ended up, it is likely that they were part of the Concord movement, some of whom went West to set up Indian schools, and all of whom were abolitionists.  Many of Teddy's Rough Riders came from the towns near where my mom grew up.  We referred to ourselves "Lincoln Republicans".

My mother's family was heavily involved in party politics.  Her aunt Hazel was the secretary of the Arizona Republican Party, Mom was an alternate delegate for Ike at the 1952 convention, and worked for Goldwater's campaign in Northern California. 

So it was natural, when it came time to choose a party, that I would choose the GOP.  I cut my teeth, before even being registered, working phones for the Ford campaign in the primary, and went to Kansas City as a youth delegate.  But I was already drifting away from the party.

It started with Nixon.  I was fully on board until Watergate.  But if there was anything I cared more about than the party, it was the Constitution.  And Nixon lost me one night, when he came on TV with the transcripts.  (Up to that point, I had been fighting daily with my friends, defending him).  Then there was the foreign policy.  I had been a huge Kissinger fan, but started to become disillusioned.  Reagan was the final straw.

Part of it was personal.  I had watched in Kansas City, as the Reagan supporters had deliberately sabotaged Ford, leaving him damaged just enough to lose.  He had been my governor as well, and I thought he acted in an angry way in a dangerous time.  And on economics:  The Laffer Curve, also known as supply side economics, was ridiculous.  Then there was his currying of favor from the Dixiecrats.  My ancestors hadn't died for states rights.

So I left the party, just as it was gaining ascendancy again.  And I have watched for years, sadly, as it has been taken over by religous nuts, whom Goldwater warned us about, kleptocrats, whom Teddy R. warned us about, and warmongers, whom Ike warned us about.  Not to mention those with contempt for Liberty, whom Jefferson and the rest of the founding fathers warned us about.

And now the butcher's bill is due.  The answer is not, in my opinion, for loyal Republicans to stand true to the party.  Let the party crash.  Let those who wrecked it suffer the consequences.  And build a new party, or, rather, the old party back up.  As Irish Lucky Lass says, vote knowledgably at the local level.  But throw the rest of the rascals out.

I had to leave the party, and look to build inside the Democratic party.  I am now comfortable there.  But I hope those of you who remain in the GOP will build it back to what it used to be.  So we can have a fair debate, not distorted by angry fanatics of either side.  Then the American people win.

And if you think I'm just saying this as a Democratic ploy, I understand.  But my father, who has always voted, in the 56 years he has been registered, for the Republican candidate, is not voting this year.  And my mother, who ran the Goldwater campaign in my home county, just re-registered as a Democrat.  Pigs are flying, hell has frozen over.  Take the opportunity to vote for change, not just as a slogan, but as a promise to yourself to reform your party, if you belong to one, or the system, if you don't. 

What's your favorite scent?

Street tar.  It's the smell of early childhood for me.  The street which went past my house was full of cracks.  Every few months, the town street crew would show up, and retar those cracks which needed it.  I used to love the smell of tar as they melted it in those big ugly machines.  Even now, whenever I smell it, I am instantly transported back to Sausalito in the early '60s,  I can almost feel the cold clammy air on my arms, and see the waves of fog rolling over the hills above the highway.

What word or phrase drives you absolutely nuts?
submitted by, revolt

Likeyouknow, youknow?

Show us your favorite park.

Yosemite.  Heaven on earth.