Deleted by Mahablog

I try to read the opinions of many, and sometimes those opinions are quite contrary to mine. Today I spent some time at the Mahablog and found it interesting. One of her posts from today asks readers to read this. It's an essay by UCLA Associate Professor, Philip E.Agre that states that conservatism is "the domination of a society by an aristocracy" and it is "incompatible with democracy, prosperity and civilization in general". Several of her readers left comments about how incredibly long the piece is. I left a comment that was something like: "This from a UC professor? Why am I not shocked? As for its length, liberals love to hear themselves talk (write in this case)." Maha deleted my comment.

Had I been rude or vulgar? Was I completely off-base with my comment? I'm just a newbie blogger, but I thought one allowed comments to encourage the exchange of ideas and have a little fun. Perhaps she lacks much sense of humor. Maha did write this:

Sorry about deleting your other comment. I considered leaving it to serve as an example of the truth of the essay. But ... nah. We know you righties have been programmed to make fun of liberals. Next time, try to be original.

As for "the truth of the essay," she admits that she hasn't read the whole thing herself. Who links to something without first reading it? Never mind.

Stay "insufficiently delirious"

It's fine if folks want to remain emotionally reserved over the Iraqi election. The success in Iraq Sunday is only a step toward a new democracy and a safer world. If Maha at the Mahablog wants to remain "insufficiently delirious with joy", fine. But please, we cannot go back to this.

Democrats will say anything

Apparently democrats oppose anything President Bush favors regardless of their positions in the past.

Case in point: Today Nancy Pelosi accused Bush of a "false declaration of a crisis" with respect to Social Security. Earlier this month Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said "we have no crisis" and Teddy Kennedy exclaimed a crisis is "nonexistent".

But didn't all these democrats line up behind President Bill Clinton in 1998 when he said said Social Security was in trouble? In an address at Georgetown University, Bill referred to "the looming fiscal crisis in Social Security". "The fiscal crisis in Social Security affects every generation." Gore, Gephardt, Kennedy, Boxer, et al sang Clinton's mantra across the country, "Save Social Security first."

So, Social Security was in a state of "fiscal crisis" seven years ago but it's miraculously just fine today? Fascinating.

New to the Blogosphere...

While most of America slept, Vavoom was busy creating his new blog, Tedrowdrive and writing his first ever post. So confident am I that this spankin' new blog will be a worthwhile read, I've already awarded it a place of honor on my blogroll. Blog on Vavoom.

It's springtime in Oakland 

Huh?

“No one in the United States should try to over-hype this election.”

“I think this election is important. I was for the election taking place.”

“The [Iraq] elections don’t mean that much.”

John Kerry, demonstating exactly why he lost his Presidential bid in November, flip-flopped twice before noon today alone. All three of the above quotes were made by Kerry today during "Meet the Press" or to reporters immediately afterward.

Congratulations!

Iraqis walked great distances to stand in line to commit an act that could get themselves killed. Then they stepped out into the streets and ostentatiously displayed their badges of courage, the blue ink on their fingers that showed they had voted. Whatever the final tally, it's already clear that the world, and terrorists in particular, underestimated the resolution and bravery of the Iraqi people. Congratulations!

KU, back on track

KU crushes Texas 90-65 

Hangin' out with friends on Saturday night. He scored 98 on the Nerd Quiz! 

Another sunset

Today's sunset behind San Francisco. Oakland and The Bay Bridge in the foreground. 

 

I drove up to Napa Thursday to meet a client and snapped a couple of photos. The yellow flowers are mustard. The grape growers plant it to augment the soil this time of year. 

Sore losers or is it more serious?

It's been quite a week for democrats like Boxer, Kennedy and Ted Turner. Barbara Boxer continued her assault on Condoleezza Rice and got Ted Kennedy to slam her as well. Ted Turner's complaint included a comparison of Fox News to the Third Reich. These three simply cannot come to grips with the fact that Bush has been re-elected and they are out of control with bitterness.

Democrats were unable to defeat a very vulnerable President Bush because they nominated a ticket that was too far to the left. Slightly toward center and dems would have walked away with the White House and, most likely, house and senate seats too. Now the dems making headlines are more radical than ever and they're hurting their party.

Barbara Boxer didn't win over any red-staters by assailing Secretary of State, Condoleezz Rice. And neither did Kennedy by calling her a liar and going on to call our military "part of the problem" in Iraq. (It's still unclear how much Scotch was involved). What can you say about Ted Turner making comparisons of Fox News to Nazis as his own CNN has been losing market share to Fox by the bucketload?

The remarks from Boxer and, especially, Kennedy coming just a few days before the election in Iraq have caused much speculation about the timing. Speculation, hell. It has all been timed to undermine the election and give insurgents (AKA, terrorists) an advantage. Democrats want the Iraqi election to be unsuccessful. Screw world peace.

No smoking in Berkeley?

Mayor Tom Bates of Berkeley, when asked about the new smoking ban in public parks in San Francisco, said he loves it and will seek to make it illegal to smoke in a cars carrying young children in Berkeley. "I'd like to say you couldn't smoke in Berkeley," said Bates.

There's a movement gaining momentum in the Bay Area to legalize marijuana but Bates didn't say if he was only referring to banning tobacco. After all, we're talkin' about Berkeley.

If it had only been a Wal-Mart

About a dozen Costco employees are credited with helping pull injured Metrolink passengers from the train wreck in Glendale on Tuesday. Wal-Mart, the other big warehouse store, has been struggling to improve its image, especially in California where it has been the subject of great criticism. Can't you just hear the boardroom conversation in Bentonville: "Why can't we get a massive train wreck outside one of our stores?"

Too much inbreedin'

Maybe the trouble with American politics is there's not enough new blood, literally. There are just too many marriages within the same gene pool. Here are a few examples.

Andrew Cuomo, who plans to run for Attorney General of New York, is the son of former Governor Mario Cuomo and is married to Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, sister of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. They were separated last year.

Senator Barbara Boxer's daughter, Nicole Boxer married Tony Rodham in a White House wedding in 1994. Tony Rodham is Hillary Clinton's brother. They were divorced in 2000.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is married to Maria Shriver, daughter of Sargent Shriver whose wife is Eunice Kennedy Shriver whose mother is a sister of President John F. Kennedy.

John Kerry took a run at marrying into the Kennedy clan in 1962 when he dated Janet Jennings Auchincloss, Jacqueline Kennedy's half-sister. That romance didn't go any further, but Kerry would later marry Teresa Simoes-Ferreira Heinz, best known as heiress to the ketchup fortune. But Teresa's deceased husband, H. John Heinz, was also a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a Republican.

Millions to clean up grocery bags?

San Francisco's environmental commission is contemplating "an ordinance requiring a 17-cent fee on each bag provided at supermarket checkout counters to reduce the proliferation of unnecessary bags and provide funds to mitigate the negative impacts caused by them." In order to remain calm about the proposed ordinance, one must understand the facts.

Paul Goettlich, who wrote this story for the Open Forum section of today's San Francisco Chronicle, says that the city spends "tens of millions of dollars annually" cleaning up the mess of grocery bags littered across San Francisco. C'mon Paul, are you serious? There are many who would argue that San Francisco doesn't spend tens of millions of dollars cleaning up anything, much less grocery bags. That number is just unbelievable.

Not included in the reckoning of the 17-cent fee are the direct effects of the bag litter on a wide range of public programs. In addition, there are six times more plastic particles than plankton by weight floating around in the middle of the Pacific; there are two such floating-plastic garbage patches in the Pacific that are each the size of Texas. The plastic fragments collect pollutants, which are biomagnified up the food chain when they are mistaken for planktonic food, according to the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

Two "floating-plactic garbage patches in the Pacific that are each the size of Texas"? I've got to see these!

Paul Goettlich is an analyst and writer on technology and health issues for Mindfully.org based in Berkeley. Mindfully.org, by the way, does not believe that the twin towers of The World Trade Center were brought down by jet airliners, but rather, it was "a demolition job".

Living in Northern California has distinct drawbacks. However, while half the country is covered with snow, this is what we saw on our walk today. 

Barbara Boxer and Willie Brown

Barbara Boxer, interviewed by former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown (now there's a pair), said that she questioned Condoleezza Rice the way she did because "it would have been condescending to Dr. Rice, a black woman, not to".

Huh? First of all, it was more grandstanding than questioning and what in the world does Dr. Rice's race have to do with anything?

Hotel California

 

This is probably not what the Eagles' song was about. It looks like a really nice hotel, and I'm sure it once was. But now it's in a really crappy part of Oakland and is inhabited by people who have never seen a blog.