10.24.2004
Fire this president
Lansing State Journal:Fire this president
Just a few short days till we can say "You're fired!"
Sad to see the editorial board at the Plain Dealer overturned by their boss. Hope the editors tone down their boss' endorsement of Bush. Here's the backstory
From DailyKos:
"'And more than thirty years ago, I learned an important lesson--when you're under attack, the best thing to do is turn your boat into the attacker.'
John Kerry
John Kerry hears or suspects that Alex Machaskee is going to endorse Bush because of his animosity toward Richard Holbrooke, a key Kerry advisor and probable cabinet member.
John Kerry turns his boat into the attack, sends Holbrooke to talk to Machaskee face to face. Kerry is saying, "If you have a problem with Holbrooke, say it to his face."
In this way, Kerry confronts the attacker with the question: Are you going to endorse George W. Bush because of something one of Kerry's advisors did several years ago? Because if you are, your editorial board, all your reporters, the city of Cleveland and the whole world are going to know that's what you did and that's why you did it.
I have doubts that Machaskee would have allowed a Kerry endorsement under any circumstances. He is a Republican in a Democratic city, a mini-Murdoch, who in no way should be regarded as a moderate or neutral publisher.
Like it or not, this appears to be John Kerry's method. I expect it will characterize his presidency.
NB - I am a Cleveland native and lived there during the Kosovo campaign. The Plain Dealer was the only major city newspaper in the country that was markedly pro-Milosevic."
Just a few short days till we can say "You're fired!"
Sad to see the editorial board at the Plain Dealer overturned by their boss. Hope the editors tone down their boss' endorsement of Bush. Here's the backstory
From DailyKos:
"'And more than thirty years ago, I learned an important lesson--when you're under attack, the best thing to do is turn your boat into the attacker.'
John Kerry
John Kerry hears or suspects that Alex Machaskee is going to endorse Bush because of his animosity toward Richard Holbrooke, a key Kerry advisor and probable cabinet member.
John Kerry turns his boat into the attack, sends Holbrooke to talk to Machaskee face to face. Kerry is saying, "If you have a problem with Holbrooke, say it to his face."
In this way, Kerry confronts the attacker with the question: Are you going to endorse George W. Bush because of something one of Kerry's advisors did several years ago? Because if you are, your editorial board, all your reporters, the city of Cleveland and the whole world are going to know that's what you did and that's why you did it.
I have doubts that Machaskee would have allowed a Kerry endorsement under any circumstances. He is a Republican in a Democratic city, a mini-Murdoch, who in no way should be regarded as a moderate or neutral publisher.
Like it or not, this appears to be John Kerry's method. I expect it will characterize his presidency.
NB - I am a Cleveland native and lived there during the Kosovo campaign. The Plain Dealer was the only major city newspaper in the country that was markedly pro-Milosevic."
10.19.2004
Review: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson uses A Short History of Nearly Everything to wryly remind us that we are lucky.
His spirited review of everything we know about the universe tells of oft-ignored original discoveries by scientists ridiculed in their day, naturalists who delight in killing nature and the lengths gardeners will go to keep the International Association for Plant Taxonomy away from their beloved Chrysanthemum.
For those who think the cup is half-empty, there are chilling looks at the supervalcano that is Yellowstone National Park, the wonders of global warming, the destructive practices of commerical fishing and the use of 55-gallon drums to dump nuclear waste at sea.
But Bryson makes most interesting the concepts that can't be fathomed.
From the vast distances between our solar system and the next, to the number of bacterial cells on and in the human body (100 quadrillion bacteria cells vs. 10 quadrillion "human" cells in your body), this is an enjoyable look at the awe-inspiring gift life is.
His spirited review of everything we know about the universe tells of oft-ignored original discoveries by scientists ridiculed in their day, naturalists who delight in killing nature and the lengths gardeners will go to keep the International Association for Plant Taxonomy away from their beloved Chrysanthemum.
For those who think the cup is half-empty, there are chilling looks at the supervalcano that is Yellowstone National Park, the wonders of global warming, the destructive practices of commerical fishing and the use of 55-gallon drums to dump nuclear waste at sea.
But Bryson makes most interesting the concepts that can't be fathomed.
From the vast distances between our solar system and the next, to the number of bacterial cells on and in the human body (100 quadrillion bacteria cells vs. 10 quadrillion "human" cells in your body), this is an enjoyable look at the awe-inspiring gift life is.
