No, but I have followed common sense advice and have kept my foot elevated which has prevented me from working on my computer. Now, having spent the last three days applying the bourbon and cheesecake home remedy—washing down half a cheesecake with a cup of bourbon three time a day—I find that while my toe still aches, but I no longer care. Baring other serious side effects from this treatment or institutionalization for alcohol detox, I will return with a regular blog post tomorrow.
Nietzsche noted—Mature manhood: One had rediscovered the seriousness one had as a child at play.
]]>He should have kept it in his pants wrapped inside a cotton sock;
If he’s going to leave it out that way, he should rub it with sun block
A penis is in the news!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
A penis is in the news!
Republicans in Congress say that Weiner must resign;
His sexual behavior ‘tis not pure like yours and mine;
But David Vitter’s use of hookers they say, with them is mighty fine!
Hypocrisy marches on!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Hypocrisy marches on!
Don’t think with your penis is advice men must obey;
It will keep us out of prison and helps us get through the day.
Anthony forgot this, but in congress he should stay!
His penis doesn’t dictate his vote!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His penis doesn’t dictate his vote!
Many, if not most or even all, men compartmentalize their sexual fantasies and behavior. That is how “family values” politicians, those who take strong moral stances against homosexual marriage and other forms of behavior which, to their minds, is immoral are capable of behaving in ways that would make a satyr blush. (Senator John Ensign—who resigned recently just as it was clear the Senate Ethics Committee was apt to recommend his expulsion from the Senate, and Senator David Vitter, who is still embraced by the Republican Party, are two recent examples.
This compartmentalization allows men such as Ensign and Vitter to keep from gagging at the site of their own reflections in the mirror and permits men to function rationally in mixed sex workplaces. It is this sexual compartmentalization that has kept the US House and Senate—which have historically been almost all male—from voting to require women’s ID pictures to be taken in the nude—full frontal preferably. Were it not for the compartmentalization of the male sex drive, I guarantee such a bill could garner substantial bipartisan support.
This compartmentalization of the male sexual identity also allows a man’s sexual proclivities and peccadilloes have little effect on his judgment and reasoning in other areas. This means we should not over generalize from a man’s failings stemming from his sexual behavior. That Anthony Weiner, John Ensign, and David Vitter showed poor judgment around sexual behavior, does not mean their judgment was poor in other areas.
Undeniably in the case of David Vitter, and likely in the case of John Ensign, the inability to inhibit unacceptable sexual urges may lead a man into breaking the law, which should be a border that elected officials refuse to cross—even when thinking with their penises. Anthony Weiner’s behavior, although creepy and outside our social norms, remained legal as far as we know.
True, when caught, Anthony Weiner did lie to us all, but if we were to make that a criterion for remaining in Congress, every Congressman who pretends to believe that lowering taxes on the wealthy will lead to job growth would have to resign immediately. That is a lie which threatens to screw our economy, and that is sexual behavior far worse than Weiner’s.
]]>I hope to get posts out at least every Monday and Wednesday, and more often as the spirit moves me. I probably will not be posting Friday through Sunday as I will be taking 3 day weekends off for fishing.
]]>That reality is governed by the Republican filibuster—the need to craft legislation which will attract the support of two or more Republican Senators needed to reach the 60 vote threshold to break the Republican filibuster of virtually all legislation.
]]>Dear Senator (Name)
I am a staunch liberal/progressive, and I am asking you to support President Obama’s Tax Cut compromise. Frankly, the current liberal/progressive brouhaha over the President’s proposed compromise is the kind of partisan posturing that so offends independent and Democratic crossover voters and does nothing good for the American people. If it results in this compromise being defeated, it actually risks doing real harm to the economy.
In the current political situation, a pragmatic progressive/liberal politician, with the good of the American people at heart, forges the best compromise he or she can, and that is what President Obama has done.
]]>Saying this is not intended as finger-pointing, but only an acknowledgement of facts. This lame duck session does not have the time for a prolonged fight over the extension of the Bush tax cuts or the other measures contained in the compromise, nor do any of the liberal and progressive Representatives and Senators screaming about this compromise like they were mortally wounded have a competing compromise to offer.
Frankly, the current liberal/progressive brouhaha over the President’s proposed compromise is the kind of partisan posturing that so offends independent and Democratic crossover voters and does nothing good for the American people. If it results in this compromise being defeated, it actually risks doing real harm to the economy.
]]>Does Obama understand that he has taken the United States in the wrong direction? The answer seems to be, and should be no! The CBS exit polls show that while 61% of voters feel the country is on the wrong track, there is little agreement on what the right track is. Only 39% think the highest priority for the next Congress should be reducing the budget deficit, 37% think Congress should first use increase spending to create jobs, and 18% think Congress should focus on cutting taxes.
This figures are surprisingly similar to the voters’ positions on the Bush-era tax cuts. Here, 39% want them extended for everyone, 37% want them extended only for the 98% of families earning $250 thousand or less (actually the cuts would cover up to the first $250 thousand of family income for everyone), and 15% who are most serious about reducing the deficit want the cuts to expire for everyone.
Which instructions like these, what direction does Obama turn?
]]>My wife just managed to hit me with two horse tranquilizer darts—I knew I shouldn’t have stood still at the computer—so I will have to make this brief.
For the rest of the week we will all have to hear all the talking heads clacking about why the voters tossed Democrats aside like used Kotex. Boy that is hard to figure out—it was the jobs and the economy—period. Oh yeah, and the Democratic coalition that swept President Obama into office stayed home and swept their floors.
Tea Party types may rant about the deficit, healthcare, and the size of government, but the voters expected Obama to perform some kind of economic miracle producing jobs (preferably without more spending) and pulling the economy back from a near depression almost overnight—oh and it would have been nice if he could have cured Washington of its partisan disease at the same time. That didn’t happen and the Democrats in congress took it in the shorts.
According to CBS News exit polls, 61% of the voters feel the country is on the wrong track, but there was no agreement on what the right track is. According to the poll, 39% of voter want the next congress to focus first on reducing the budget deficit, while 37% percent want Congress to increase spending to create jobs (and you elected Republicans for this?) and 18% want Congress to focus on cutting taxes.
Oh, and on the Bush-era tax cuts, 39% want them continued for everyone, 37% want them continued only for families who earn less than $250,000 a year, and 15% who are serious about cutting the deficit want Congress to let them all expire. (With the Republicans owing big debts to the wealthy who financed ads attacking the Democrats, don’t hold your breath for that one. Look forward to hearing a lot about the death tax too.
It all reminds me of an old western movie where a posse has run out of water and everyone has a different solution and many of them wander off into the desert alone to die. I can’t help but think the country would be better served if that would only happen to this new crop of Congresspersons.
The tranqs are kicking in and I am fading fast. Getting sleepy. To sleep perchance to dream—oh metaphorical god no—I think I see Hunter S. Thompson coming for me. He doesn’t look happy. Arggh!
]]>Pardon me while I go get myself a beer stein full of 96 proof Bellringer Gin and go hide under the bed. Goodnight all and God (I wish he existed) help us all.
]]>I have to agree with Keith that he and his colleagues at MSNBC are nothing like the commentators at Fox. Which MSNBC does have a liberal/progressive bent, it is also a usually reliable news source. It is not merely a progressive political mouth piece. Olbermann et al often criticize President Obama, and when they make an error in their reporting (which can happen to any news organization) they correct the information as soon as possible.
That being said, MSNB commentators can help “restore sanity” by refusing to lace their analysis with name calling and ad hominem attacks. Suspending the “Worst Persons” segment can be part of this change, but Keith should not expect any similar change in the commentators at Fox News. The best (Olbermann and MSNBC) should not let their behavior be dictated by the worst.
]]>