When you hold resentment toward another,&
you are bound to that person or condition by an
emotional link that is stronger than steel.;
Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.
Catherine Ponder
Donald Trump: PLEASE SHUT UP!
I had a lot more respect for the Donald before he started ranting about China and got caught up with the birther nonsense (Celebrity Apprentice is great TV). I don't think you have to resort to obscure background checks in a desperate attempt to disqualify someone whom won the Presidency in 2008 fair and square, no matter how thin his resume. The American voters are responsible for voting an unqualified candidate into office. I KNEW Obama was lying about not knowing about Jeremiah Wright's radical sermons (I understood why he lied: personally, if I had political ambitions, I would have distanced myself, but it was a way of connecting with the black community in Chicago, his key support base) : but I thought McCain was right in not pursuing the issue during the general campaign: Obama's own rhetoric and style differed from Wright's. I looked at Wright like Obama's crazy old uncle: he embarrasses you. but what can you do? He's got a mind of his own, and he's family. (My own 21 nephews and nieces can probably relate),
I studied the original Karl Marx (and other philosophers) during my social philosophy class at OLL. This blog clearly is as far as you can getaway from collectivist.
There were rumors that Obama sold illicit drugs and/or had homosexual relationships during his college years (and/or the Obama's at one point were close to divorce), I'm not concerned with the mistakes people may have done in the past--after all, I voted Democrat during my salad days: I plead temporary insanity. Past behavior is not indicative of future performance. Most of this garbage simply reinforces people already against Obama--you risk a backlash from swing voters over dirty campaign tricks. Yes, I know that the Left is a bunch of hypocrites, trying to make issues of alleged high school pranks by Romney or how he transported his dog on a 1983 family vacation.
Romney is right to reject this line of personal attack. We are on track to add another $10T to the national debt over the coming decade, we have anemic economic and job growth; we have over $40T in unfunded liabilities and we are facing Taxmageddon on New Year's Day and Central-Planner-in-Chief Obama, without any substantive plan, is whistling "Don't Worry--Be Happy". If Mitt can't close the deal with the facts on the ground, Tabloid Politics won't get the job done either.
I have to admit Trump's hype had sparked my curiosity: what did he have that would constitute an October surprise? Say, a plot by Al Qaeda or Iran intended to help Obama win reelection? Or something that tarnishes the First Family's squeaky clean image: a Lewinsky-style sex scandal or spousal abuse allegations? No, it's a charity challenge involving Obama's grades and Ivy League admissions...
Not going to happen; among other things, Obama is set for life: pensions, book deals, speaking or appearance fees, his picks of company boards or university presidencies or endowed chairs. Arthur C. Brook's research shows progressives are relative tightwads when it comes to charity; they think they've done their fair share by getting the government to pick the other guy's pocket. But let's apply some common sense: the Obama campaign obviously feels it's not to their advantage to release this information or they would have released it by now. I have no information but what if, for instance, Obama took an economics class, failed it and had to retake it. That would be very embarrassing. Or perhaps he took classes with radical names or topics.
I can say he is reasonably bright and articulate; in the past I've embedded a 2001 WBEZ interview (e.g., on redistribution strategies) he did where he described the distinction between negative and positive rights); he was able to succeed where other candidates of color hadn't and he routed a field of more experienced, accomplished candidates in 2008. I can't speak to his ability as a lawyer, I don't think he clerked at SCOTUS, fronted major cases or was named partner. Presumably the University of Chicago reviewed his credentials before hiring him as lecturer; I'm not sure about the relevance of or the nature and extent of his legal scholarship beyond being an editor of Harvard Law Review (presumably this was not a tenure-track position); I'm not familiar with his evaluation by students or the administration. But clearly writing two commercially successful books and his public speaking prowess speak for themselves.
But regardless of how Obama got into Columbia and Harvard, these are not diploma mills. Still, I would think with impressive academic credentials other than his political success, he underachieved. You don't need a Harvard law degree to be a community organizer. An articulate young man of color with a Harvard Law Degree and editor of the Harvard Law Review--granted I'm not a lawyer and don't know the market, but in my academic field with analogous credentials, every school with a vacancy would have been chasing after him.
Most gifted academics, including myself, are aware of our limitations I don't doubt Obama is bright: he has done well in multiple debates over two election campaigns. But Obama has always been a little too full of himself. The unpopularity of ObamaCare he attributed to a messaging, not a policy issue (never mind the precedent of HillaryCare). He was sure he would not suffer a mid-term rebuke like Clinton (because he was a better politician). I'm not about to write what I would have done in his place during the 111th Congress and how I would have run a campaign against Romney but Obama made so many unforced errors obvious to an armchair strategist, but just to point out a few obvious things: It was idealism and then centrism that won him him the Presidency: you dance with whom brought you; sometimes you need to sacrifice lesser pieces on the way to checkmate; in computing batting averages, singles count as much as home runs; to catch a lot of fish, you need to cast a larger net.
Libertarian Credo
There are times, like in watching this video, when I think about going back to school and picking up a second doctorate in my first love, philosophy. My God, how I miss William Buckley. Notice Reagan and Buckley considered themselves like me: a fusion libertarian conservative. The most interesting question is at the end: for example, is there a role for government is, say charity hospitals are insufficient. I distinguish a number of factors--was there a breach of the common defense, an act of God or other factors beyond one's locus of control (e.g., birth defects), the imminent danger, nature and extent of illness and treatment, moral hazard considerations, etc.
Obama Channeling His Inner Don Rickles
(But the Real Joke Is His Presidency)
I would not embed campaign hype--this is a collage of actual soundbites effectively done. Nobody in the real economy would work for or with this guy (I wouldn't--even if I needed a job). I nominate John Boehner for living saint--I don't envy the tribulations with having to deal with this guy.
Entertainment Potpourri
- CWTV: "Beauty and the Beast". Thumbs UP! The storyline has changed from the late 80's classic: in this version, it comes across like a take of the Incredible Hulk meets the Fugitive. The introductory clip was embedded several posts back: Catherine called her mother after finding a dead car battery closing up at work late one night. For some reason, men have been tailing the mother and shoot her dead in front of Catherine. Catherine attempts to flee in a nearby forest but the men follow. The armed men track her down and are about to execute her when Vincent emerges and mauls the attackers. Flash forward . Catherine is now a detective, consumed with uncovering why those men attacked her mother. she encounters Vincent. Vincent explains that he was part of a military experiment gone wrong to develop super warriors. When stimulated (adrenal gland), he transforms into a Hulk-like beast. Officially he was KIA but escaped and (like other experimental subjects) is being hunted down. He is living in an abandoned warehouse with a trusted friend. Catherine is convinced there is some connection between her mother's and Vincent's cases. When I last checked, iTunes had the first episode available for free download and subsequent episodes are also available on demand on the CWTV website after scheduled Thursday evening telecasts.
- UConn Women's Basketball Coach Wants To Lower the Hoop: Thumbs DOWN! What's next--shrinking the 100M sprint ? It's bad enough women play fewer sets in tennis matches but demand the same prize money.... I have nothing against tall, pretty women with long legs (other than the fact they don't want to date shorter guys)--and today it seems like college female basketball centers start at 6'5"; by junior high and barely 5'0" before puberty kicked in (with female classmates up to a foot taller) I could routinely hit regulation layups, foul shots and long jumpers. If an average-height guy could at least touch a regulation net with mediocre jumping ability, what about a much taller woman with longer arms and legs? To be honest I almost never watch women's basketball (except maybe some Olympic games), I generally find the pace slower,the play less fluid, aggressive and.or acrobatic (there are exceptions, of course): boring. The last time I remember playing was a pickup game at UH Catholic Newman, and while we were all friends, it was very physical, lots of hard bumps. With all due respect to Geno Auriemma, lowering the basket or any other gimmick (e.g., widening the hoop, shrinking the basketball or the distances from the foul line or 3-point line) won't work. It has more to do with style of play, quickness, and shot artistry. It's like when the Bulls won their last championship with Jordan. Everyone knew Jordan was getting the ball and he would still drill the shot, nothing but net. There are some sports where I prefer to watch women--e.g., gymnastics, figure skating and beach volleyball
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Four Tops, "Still Waters Run Deep"
