Still alive, if not kicking. Just terribly tired and depressed. Also alarmed about tomorrow's endoscopy. I know it needs to be done, but the thought of a camera being dangled down my throat gives me the willies!
The new endoscopes are nothing like the old ones, Cat. I'd worry about you if you were looking forward to it, but it shouldn't be all that uncomfortable. Maybe puddle can talk on the basis of personal experience.
Does anybody here read True West? I tried out the July issue and went back for August. Think I'll add it to the list of magazines I read regularly...not that I've been reading too many magazines regularly in recent months. I do like The Economist, but that requires a lot of concentration, and sometimes takes me all week to read. Still, one must make an effort, at least sometimes.
Based on the two months I've read, it appears they have a theme or major focus for each month. For example, the focus for July was Billy the Kid and for August was the Hole in the Wall Gang aka the Wild Bunch. I donno. If you already know a lot about Western history it might be too simplistic. But, they snagged me with an article in the July issue on the time Edgar Rice Burroughs spent in Arizona as a young man. I knew he served in the army, but not that he was in the Seventh Cavalry, that he was an enlisted man and served with the buffalo soldiers* or that he wrote two historical novels told from the Apache point of view.
*He was quoted as saying the black sergeants were better to work for than the white ones. That's particularly interesting, given the blatant and sometimes distressing racism of some of his books. The Casback trilogy springs to mind.
Elizabeth Warren’s Radical Idea [Click] “She believes that if voters are given the opportunity to support an agenda that’s both coherent and compassionate, they will take it.”
I've never understood this knee jerk reaction that the Electoral College needs to be abolished. It works reasonably well. It would work a whole lot better if more Americans voted.
The other day I saw a throw-away line in The Economist that said that in Argentina - I think it was Argentina, it might have been Brazil - every citizen from sixteen years of age and up is legally compelled to vote. That's not a bad idear. Personally, I think if you miss a certain given number of presidential elections, like maybe four, you should be stripped of your citizenship. After all, voting is the fundamental right, duty and responsibility of the citizen. If you can't be bothered to exercise that right, duty and responsibility, you don't deserve to be a citizen.
Could be, I suppose. I'm not familiar with those laws. But in practice, they're not needed. The rare occasions when an elector has voted for someone other than his pledged choice have never changed anything. In fact, that they wouldn't change anything was crucial to the action taken.
How Australia's compulsory voting saved it from Trumpism [Click] This isn’t the article I remember reading several weeks past, but will do. As memory serves me, people who fail to vote have to produce an acceptable excuse or pay a modest fine ($20, I think).
So, if I understand this correctly, no candidate for the Democratic nomination is allowed, on pain of punishment, to participate in *any* debate in which a) their plans for dealing with climate change can be discussed or b) they can question other candidates on their plans. No debate, held under any auspices. If the DNC doesn't want to hold one, that's fine. I can see their point. But who the hell are they to say no candidate may participate in any such debate? The candidates are not slaves held by the DNC!
The resolution was about creating a specific exception to current rules, but exactly what the current rules say was never clearly spelled out. As far as I can tell they forbid any debate not sponsored by the DNC, but I don't see anything in the article that spells out what constitutes a "debate."
I would love to see the Electoral College abolished because they overturn the popular vote. And who have they given us? George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump, both idiots.
Missing Catreona.
ReplyDeleteI sent her a private message on Facebook and an email, but no response yet.
SnailMail is my next resort. 🙂
Hi everybody,
DeleteStill alive, if not kicking. Just terribly tired and depressed. Also alarmed about tomorrow's endoscopy. I know it needs to be done, but the thought of a camera being dangled down my throat gives me the willies!
The new endoscopes are nothing like the old ones, Cat. I'd worry about you if you were looking forward to it, but it shouldn't be all that uncomfortable. Maybe puddle can talk on the basis of personal experience.
DeleteThanks, Alan. Deep, calming breaths...
DeleteGood luck and keep us posted.
DeleteNope, not uncomfortable at all.
DeleteDoes anybody here read True West? I tried out the July issue and went back for August. Think I'll add it to the list of magazines I read regularly...not that I've been reading too many magazines regularly in recent months. I do like The Economist, but that requires a lot of concentration, and sometimes takes me all week to read. Still, one must make an effort, at least sometimes.
ReplyDeleteNot me. If you like it, I will have to check it out.
DeleteBased on the two months I've read, it appears they have a theme or major focus for each month. For example, the focus for July was Billy the Kid and for August was the Hole in the Wall Gang aka the Wild Bunch. I donno. If you already know a lot about Western history it might be too simplistic. But, they snagged me with an article in the July issue on the time Edgar Rice Burroughs spent in Arizona as a young man. I knew he served in the army, but not that he was in the Seventh Cavalry, that he was an enlisted man and served with the buffalo soldiers* or that he wrote two historical novels told from the Apache point of view.
Delete*He was quoted as saying the black sergeants were better to work for than the white ones. That's particularly interesting, given the blatant and sometimes distressing racism of some of his books. The Casback trilogy springs to mind.
Did you all see where UE United Electrical Radio & Machine Workers Of America Endorsed Bernie Sanders For POTUS at PIT Convention?
ReplyDeleteI missed that. Excellent!
Delete“I want to be clear, I’m not going nuts.”
ReplyDelete— Joe Biden, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, after a verbal stumble.
“When you’re explaining, you’re losing.”
— Ronald Reagan
===============================
Warren Manages to Woo the Democratic Establishment [Click] And Biden didn’t show up.
"80 percent of success is just showing up" —Woody Allen
What Warren Is Quietly Telling Democratic Insiders [Click] Backed up by actions, which speak louder than words.
Elizabeth Warren’s Radical Idea [Click] “She believes that if voters are given the opportunity to support an agenda that’s both coherent and compassionate, they will take it.”
Iowa Starting Line Poll: Elizabeth Warren Jumps Out to Big Lead in the Iowa Caucus [Click]
History Suggests the 2020 Election [most likely] Won’t Be Close [Click]
However:
Appeals Court Opens Door to Electoral College Chaos [Click]
FEC No Longer Has a Quorum to Conduct Business [Click]
The Next Recession Will Destroy Millennials [Click]
I strongly disagree with Feldman about the Electoral College. The current system has _not_ led to chaos and I see no need to rewrite the Constitution.
DeleteI don't know how many there are, but I believe quite a few states have laws forbidding faithless electors. Maybe that's the issue?
DeleteI've never understood this knee jerk reaction that the Electoral College needs to be abolished. It works reasonably well. It would work a whole lot better if more Americans voted.
DeleteThe other day I saw a throw-away line in The Economist that said that in Argentina - I think it was Argentina, it might have been Brazil - every citizen from sixteen years of age and up is legally compelled to vote. That's not a bad idear. Personally, I think if you miss a certain given number of presidential elections, like maybe four, you should be stripped of your citizenship. After all, voting is the fundamental right, duty and responsibility of the citizen. If you can't be bothered to exercise that right, duty and responsibility, you don't deserve to be a citizen.
Could be, I suppose. I'm not familiar with those laws. But in practice, they're not needed. The rare occasions when an elector has voted for someone other than his pledged choice have never changed anything. In fact, that they wouldn't change anything was crucial to the action taken.
DeleteHow Australia's compulsory voting saved it from Trumpism [Click] This isn’t the article I remember reading several weeks past, but will do. As memory serves me, people who fail to vote have to produce an acceptable excuse or pay a modest fine ($20, I think).
DeleteDNC Votes 222-137 Against Allowing Candidates to Participate in Climate Debate - Click
ReplyDeleteSo, if I understand this correctly, no candidate for the Democratic nomination is allowed, on pain of punishment, to participate in *any* debate in which a) their plans for dealing with climate change can be discussed or b) they can question other candidates on their plans. No debate, held under any auspices. If the DNC doesn't want to hold one, that's fine. I can see their point. But who the hell are they to say no candidate may participate in any such debate? The candidates are not slaves held by the DNC!
The resolution was about creating a specific exception to current rules, but exactly what the current rules say was never clearly spelled out. As far as I can tell they forbid any debate not sponsored by the DNC, but I don't see anything in the article that spells out what constitutes a "debate."
DeleteThat's right. It was all vague.
DeleteI would love to see the Electoral College abolished because they overturn the popular vote. And who have they given us? George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump, both idiots.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that Cat came by. I hope puddle can connect with her about the endoscopy, assuming her phone system is friendly tonight.
ReplyDeleteWe'll be waiting to hear, Catreona, When Time Permits. XOXOXXX