Memorial Weekend Transit

This blogger will be gone for the long weekend in upstate New York for my sister's graduation from college. No new posts until Monday.

My daughter and I are headed up there together, for the last trip we will take alone before the addition of a step-mother and step-sister at the wedding in July. While I may miss the adventures my daughter and I have had with a two-man family squad, I've got nothing but dorky glee about the two members joining the team.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday. Semper fi.

Saudi king hospitalized, may have pneumonia - Middle East and North Africa - MSNBC.com

Saudi king hospitalized, may have pneumonia - Middle East and North Africa - MSNBC.com: "One official said doctors believe the monarch has pneumonia. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of his position."

Skeptics On Europa

From the Guardian UK:

French sceptics, meanwhile, fear the charter will entrench an Anglo-Saxon vision of a ultra liberal union that puts free market economics ahead of social concerns.

That's the British spelling of 'skeptic' and the European definition of 'liberal' - which to their mind means a generous appreciation for capitalism and free markets. Which in turn is viewed as a bad thing, especially by the French. In other words, the proposed EU constitution which is currently up for approval by member nations, and expected to earn a 'Non!' from the Gauls - is insufficiently socialist.

So I took a few minutes to skim the draft charter. My response? Well, clearly I must be a cretinous, oppressive American - because to my way of thinking, the document is the rosiest most politically-correct example of liberalism (in the American sense) that I have ever seen. It's filled with sustainable development, inclusion, diversity, the rights of children, animals, and the differently-gendered. And God, of course, is entirely absent. There is a word or two about markets, but in general you couldn't come up with a more socialist document if you roped tougher faculty at Ann Arbor or Madison and gave them a long weekend with a word processor and a truck full of weed.

The real issue, as others have noted, is that the European constitution puts the services and obligations of the state above the rights of the individual. But there I go with my quack American ideas.

Tempus Rerum Imperator

Tambourines and Kumbaya

David Brooks:

The natural alliance for antipoverty measures at home and abroad is between liberals and evangelical Christians. These are the only two groups that are really hyped up about these problems and willing to devote time and money to ameliorating them.

The faint whiff of compromise and congeniality might be a good springboard for other issues that should, at least on paper, be matters of agreement for ur-Christians and the Left.

Of course, Brooks notes that this would require that evangelicals set down their vivid abortion placards, and can the malarkey about creationism for a few moments. And presumably the Lefties would need to take a break from distributing condoms and Michael Moore books to kindergarteners.

I guess I shouldn't be so sarcastic. I should instead ask: What would Bono do? And the truth is we could do much, much more to provide food and medicine to millions of impoverished people, especially children. It's sobering, but it's a direct challenge and a huge opportunity to griefers from both political extremes.

Taxonomy of Oddballs

The word "moderate" is showing it's limitations as a political modifier. While the Republicans control (at least on paper) each branch of the federal government, these quixotic creatures, moderates, apparently wield enough power to broker deals like the filibuster compromise. What gives?

I'm reminded of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who watch the superposse get closer on their tail and ask each other, bewildered, "Who are those guys?" I don't think there's any off-the-shelf answer, but here's a cheat sheet that may help in the classification of miscellaneous politicos.

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Weakly Affiliated - Folks in this category are the best candidates to be called RINOs or DINOs (Republicans or Democrats In Name Only). Consider pale Lincoln Chafee, who when asked about his affiliation with the Gang of 14 on the news just shrugged his shoulders and said "What do you want, I'm a Republican from Rhode Island.". When the interview got tougher he mumbled something about Jim Jeffords. You get the feeling he could eat a bad taco, experience indigestion, and switch parties for the hell of it.

Picky Independents - These are the people that are choosy about political issues. They might believe strongly in national defense, but feel less keen on a fundamentalist view that the Old Testament should be appended directly to the Constitution. Arnold Shwarzenegger belongs in the category, along with South Park conservatives and probably Spacetropic. Nutbag former Georgia senator Zell Miller appears to be a DINO because he is conservative on all of the issues, but because he's nothing like the lily-livered Chafee, I think he belongs here.

Vain Opportunists - Polls, approval ratings, and the fluttery swoon of beltway insiders and coastal elites motivate these people. Bill and increasingly Hillary own this category (although Bill is also motivated by OPP). Rush Limbaugh tells his audience that McCain lives here too, but without any solid supporting evidence.

Hideous Compromisers - In days of yore these were the deal brokers and hustlers that could assemble a brilliant senatorial compromise out of tin foil and duct tape. These days we are left with the well-intentioned but mewling Joe Lieberman, who appears to be dragged around by guilt and fear.

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I'll leave it to readers to determine which circle of Dante's hell these oddballs belong - among the dissemblers and lecherous. This post began as a response to NixGuy's thoughts on the compromise - and I will have more to say on that later. Practical concerns intervene ...

Armageddon Frustrated

Some people like their politics hardcore and without compromise. They believe the last sound we hear from the floor of the debate should not be cheers of agreement but a loud snap - when a boot crushes their opponent's spine.

If this seems slightly over-the-top I urge you to surf around today. Examples are easy to find from both the Left and the Right. Rush Limbaugh in particular can be expected to be royally miffed about the filibuster compromise. (I hope to find time to listen.)

Sorry folks - I am one of those idealists that believes that the culture war is getting tiresome - and if it keeps getting out of hand, the extremists from both sides could really do as much to harm to the United States as a foreign threat.

In this case, while I have some reservations, I believe the deal was a wise one. Let's try for as long as possible to maintain one small pocket of the federal government - one half of the legislative branch - where people conduct themselves with the ultimate objective of agreement, not vicious mutual destruction.

I'm familiar with the argument that moderates and compromisers are a group of spineless wimps who "want to be liked". This is a masculine argument, and it reminds me of the characterization of Republicans as 'the Daddy party' and Democrats as 'the Mommy party'. It's a tidy conclusion, and perhaps true on the balance, but any father worth his salt can be a hard-ass at times and also (hopefully) demonstrably caring towards the kids. Neither families nor nations should be run on the sole principle of cracking heads together.

But rest assured, there won't be peace in the backseat of this political car ride for very long. Hyper-partisans need only wait until a Supreme Court justice announces his or her retirement. At that point all of this will become prelude.

UPDATE: No! Those dirty moderates have intervened to prevent mayhem. It's a rough night for diehard wonks, switching between network news and the foxy terrorist chick on the show. More updates as the situation develops in this rare Spacetropic version of "liveblogging".

UPDATE: Senator John McCain (R - Arizona) has terrorist mastermind Habib Marwan in a headlock. Wait, this is getting confusing.

UPDATE: Foxy terrorist chick was bluffing. She intends to push through a vote on parliamentary procedure after all. Harry Reid (D - Nevada) just flipped open his cell phone.

UPDATE: Under threat of torture, Robert Byrd (D - West Virginia) has completely caved in to the Chinese and named Jack Bauer as the primary leader against the attack on the Chinese consulate.

UPDATE: Edgar and Chloe were able to triangulate the constitutional position of judicial nominee Janice Rogers, and she was shot down over Los Angeles at the last second.

UPDATE: At the end of the series Jack Bauer is nominated to the Supreme Court. How unexpected! But I suppose it's better than war with the Chinese ...

Nuke You Later

This year I began watching the Fox show '24'. It's a bunch of crazy hooey about terrorists, technology, and implausible romantic subplots, but essentially the story goes like this: Ambush, gunfight, brutal interrogation, escape, government officials yelling at each other, plot twist, rinse and repeat.

So yessiree, it's similar to what we are seeing from Capitol Hill. Except instead of a fictional nuclear missile looming somewhere over the country (which is the current cliffhanger on 24) - we've got Bill Frist and company getting ready to get radioactive all over the Democrats with regard to the (not actually constitutional) "right" to use filibusters, which for many years has been used by the party out of power to constipate the people's business - like a pound of cheddar and bananas right down the legislative gullet.

So once you're done watching Jack Bauer get blowed up (or not) - switch right over to C-SPAN for more high adventure. They're rolling out cots in the Strom Thurmond Lounge for an all-nighter. It's comforting to think that our noble Senators will have a place to rest once they expel enough gas that they turn purple, sputter, and need a little nappy.

Also, fans should note that cracking jokes about 24 is pointless. Dave Barry writes about it after each episode on his blog, and he's about ten times funnier than anybody, anywhere.

UPDATE: No! Those dirty moderates have intervened to prevent mayhem. It's a rough night for diehard wonks, switching between the news networks and the foxy terrorist chick on the show. More updates as the situation develops in this rare, Spacetropic version of "liveblogging".

UPDATE: Senator John McCain (R - Arizona) has terrorist mastermind Habib Marwan in a headlock. Wait, this is getting confusing.

UPDATE: Foxy terrorist chick was bluffing. She intends to push through a vote on parliamentary procedure after all. Harry Reid (D - Nevada) just flipped open his cell phone.

UPDATE: Under threat of torture, Robert Byrd (D - West Virginia) has completely caved in to the Chinese and named Jack Bauer as the primary leader against the attack on the diplomatic consulate.

UPDATE: Edgar and Chloe were able to triangulate the constitutional position of judicial nominee Janice Rogers Brown, and she was shot down over Los Angeles at the last second.

UPDATE: At the end of the series Jack Bauer is nominated to the Supreme Court. This was unexpected, but better than war with the Chinese. Time for bed.

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - '24' Promises Surprising Finale

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - '24' Promises Surprising Finale: "'Some of our military contacts have told me, 'You don't know how close to reality you guys are,' and it's stuff we've made up. And to hear that, I mean, on one hand, that's great. On the other hand, it's spooky,' '24' producer Tim Iacofano told FOX News."

"Some of our military contacts have told me, 'You don't know how close to reality you guys are,' and it's stuff we've made up. And to hear that, I mean, on one hand, that's great. On the other hand, it's spooky," "24" producer Tim Iacofano told FOX News.

Death by Distraction

The Enquirer has an editorial today about the inability of teenage drivers to multitask, and the high mortality associated with kids on the road.

Spread the Alarm

Wake up, webloggers! Dust the Apple Jacks from your pajamas and write a letter to the FEC immediately! Read more about it at Instapundit, Kos, or RedState - suffice to say bloggers of all varieties can agree on the need to act now before the government attempts to regulate political speech online. My letter:

I am writing to express my grave concern about the proposal to broaden campaign finance regulation to include the realm of Internet-based communication.

Political weblogs have become an extremely important element of American civic discourse. They are the latest and best example of first amendment rights being exercised through the benefit of technology. They extend the voices of average citizens, groups, and corporations alike on equal terms. Indeed they can even function in an important corrective role to the errors or excesses of larger organizations, such as corporate media. And weblogs are consistent with an American heritage that includes patriot Thomas Paine, one of our original independent voices.

While I appreciate the need to monitor campaign finance matters, I am far more troubled by the damage that new regulation could do to this vital new avenue for participatory civic debate. And I have some concern that the information presented to the commission doesn't represent a modern understanding of the ecology of communication that takes place among weblogs. It is an area where the credibility of the participant is much more of a salient factor in attracting attention than whatever financial backing he or she may enjoy. This dynamic is a safeguard against abuses and allows our online environment to flourish without the need for regulation.

As a citizen, weblogger, and true believer in democracy, I urge the commission to dismiss the proposed amendment to 11 CFR 100.26.

Here’s the email address for commentary. At the end of your message make sure and add your real name and postal address, and don’t include any file attachments that are not .PDF or .DOC. You only have until June 3rd to act in defense of your rights.

Feeling All Churchy

Wes Flinn has posted in response to a piece by local columnist Maggie Downs. Maggie writes about the exhibit at XU about JPII and his relationship to Judaism - an exhibit I hope to see, and expect to write about here. It rated an article in the Washington Post.

But Wes picks up specifically on the topic of reactions people have to various houses and styles of worship. Both writers share the idea that church should be a sober place, with an ambiance of suitable gravitas to promote spiritual reflection. And they both don't relate to the big-box megachurches, which, I certainly agree, have the feel of a wellness seminar mixed with a pep rally - infused with a hint of Jesus.

Mosques, Zen monasteries, cathedrals - even pagan sites like Stonehenge - these seem to be deliberately constructed to promote a serene contemplation of the divine apart from the noisy razzle of daily human commerce. And Jesus - a guy who wasn't generally known for a volcanic temper - became pretty ticked off at the merchants in the temple. The message suggests that these should be sober locations.

Overall I tend to agree that it's better to leave the accordions and cappuccinos at the door to the temple and take worship seriously. But the greater challenge might be in returning back into the world with that sense of church. The directive of active faith (for those that choose to attempt it) would appear to lie in using our complete senses - including wit and intelligence - to perceive goodness and divinity in all people and experiences that surround us in the gritty modern world.

Confessions of a Former Jedi

The day I stopped being a little kid happened when I was in fourth grade. It was 1980 and The Empire Strikes Back was in theaters. I was in my room pretending to wield a lightsaber, and making that 'zhusss' sound as I flailed around fighting that battle on the catwalk in Cloud City over again, this time to win. I was in the zone.

Then I noticed my mother in the hallway. She had paused for a few seconds to watch me through the doorway. I can't recall the exact expression her face. I don't think it was disapproving. But the fact that somebody had been looking at me as I had reenacted this scene with so much intensity made me deeply self-conscious. I recall standing still in the middle of my room for a few minutes, unsure of what to do next.

So childhood ends in the smallest moments. I don't think I ever played so avidly with my imagination after that - at least not in a physical way. Now I watch my nine-year-old daughter skipping and loping as we walk though the grocery store, a flibbering fourth grader herself devoid of any nervous self-awareness. Soon enough she will be like the junior high school girls I see at her school - arms crossed, shoulders slumped, and often never showing their teeth in pictures because of the braces.

This Star Wars coverage has me thinking of all of this. At least I can be thankful I'm not now one of those grown ups that wait in line dressed in character. And my lightsaber moment happened when I was 9 years old, not 15, and in such a way that it got all over the Internet.

NOTE: My earlier post on Star Wars and mythology is included in the Carnival of the Force on A Small Victory. Go check it out.

Newsweek Scandal Factoids

Two items to keep in mind as we smash each other over the head in this debate over media, religion, and responsibility.

First, the Quaran is more sacred to a Muslims than the Bible is to Christians. It is not the word of God written and interpreted by people and scribbled down by monks over the ages - but the actual words of Allah directly with no middleman taking a cut. This distinction is made in today's WSJ by Kenneth J. Woodward, who is not only an editor at Newsweek (one wonders if he got cc'd on the original draft article) but more importantly a writer on cross-religious topics.

Second, and this is from Instapundit - Al Qaeda operatives are supposed to lie about the handling of the Quran. It's actually in the damn training manual [PDF]. Remember this when you see the second wave of critique - people on talk shows braying about how, even if this incident is false, U.S. interrogators have done other terrible things. Right or wrong, the source is released detainees or lawyers acting in their defense.

Unrelated (or ... is it?) - today on Fountain Square there were white men singing in reverent baritone voices about old-time religion and Jesus. There appeared to be no obvious explanation - no signs or flyers.

Transcendental Mythologies

My freshman year at Xavier University included a class on 'rhetoric'. It basically taught literary analysis, the fundamentals of critique, and how to write a good argumentative essay. This was a solid grounding for the poststructural claptrap that English Majors are forced to endure in the later years of the curriculum. But for me, to be honest, I'd already had those skills beaten into me during high school.

I recall a feeling of boredom and malaise at the time. So for about a week I went to the library and watched the PBS documentary 'Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth'. Bill Moyers interviewed him in the last years of his life at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch. Campbell brilliantly explains how myths and archetypes convey eternal meanings across time and culture, strengthening core values with recurring themes and character types. The sheer depth of his knowledge is breathtaking - moving with deft ease from Sumerian myth to tales from Polynesia to Arthurian legend.

And it's no surprise the interview took place at Skywalker Ranch. Lucas, while writing Star Wars, was heavily inspired by the works of Joseph Campbell. In case it isn't obvious, Obi Wan, Vader and Luke are each common archetypes, lined up with Meriln, Sauron and Frodo - and hundreds of other story characters that go back to the dawn of civilization.

And that's really what has me thinking. Two of the largest cinematic epics of the past thirty years - both wildly successful - are essentially tales of spiritual journeys. Lucas may be a California new ager, and Tolkien was a Catholic with a fixation on the monarchy - but essentially they are peddling the notion that truth is transcendental. Is this an escapist fantasy, or enduring wisdom that has animated the human spirit for thousands of years? After all, Tyler Durden and the nihilist ethic that claims we are nothing more than atoms and sensation - this brutal self-centrism is a much more recent invention, and hardly seems to raise itself to the level of myth.

(Truth to be told, the latest Star Wars movies haven't inspired me. In the area of space opera I prefer the new 'Battlestar Galactica' - a surprisingly smart noire reinvention of the hopelessly schlocky 1970s series. But even this show has religious themes, as God, humanity and it's creations wrestle with problems that go back to Faust and the original Shelley Frankenstein.)

From the Morning

True story: On the Isle of Sheppey in the south of England a man was found wandering down a beach in a suit, soaking wet. All of the labels were cut from his clothing. He wouldn't speak to police or social workers, and often wept. Finally he drew a detailed picture of a piano. So the doctors provided one. Now, to calm his nerves, he plays for hours. All attempts at communication are met with silence.

Maybe it's a sham. But it sounds like poetry. A lost, too-sensitive soul at large in the world alone, and probably a victim of something insidious - even if it's only himself. Shades of Nick Drake or Elliot Smith. And anyone with the thinnest scrap of interest in storytelling, cinema, or narrative can't help but begin to embroider his story.

Multiculturalism 101

The Newsweek blowup could be worse than Abu Ghraib. The reasons why are taught by the doctrine of multiculturalism.

Imagine a culture with religion at it's core. The notion will seem peculiar and even backwards to people with a secular mindset. As offensive as the electrodes and kitty piles were, the prison abuse was ultimately a gross assault on human dignity. The Quran in the toilet is an even greater desecration because unlike the media and some portions of America, many Muslims put a high value on the divine.

And since these nations were very recently totalitarian states (or they still are) the media was (or is) directly controlled by the government. The people are accustomed to this, and very likely suspect that things work that way everywhere - a key teaching of multiculturalism.

Had Abu Ghraib taken place in Syria or Egypt for example, the immediate response would have been that the pictures were forgeries, the result of a plant by some foreign intelligence agency. When people in Islamic countries see the U.S. president, the congress, or the Secretaries of Defense and State apologizing for the prison abuse repeatedly in public - I think this may seem simply very strange, like some weird American mix up.

Given that context, when Newsweek comes along and offers a retraction it's meaningless. This situation much more closely jibes with what they assume to be the case about media and government. To them, the correction made afterwards is simply a sign of the U.S. government putting together a coverup. And since the countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan are already on the verge of explosion - owing to fundamentalist minorities that won't go quietly in to the night - news like this is like a match in a tinderbox.

It's already happening.

Holy Desecrations

Some caller on the radio this morning who claimed to be an ex-soldier said the military rules for handling the Koran are strict: A cleric or at least another Muslim should touch the book. It should be wrapped in a towel to protect it from the dust, etc. Furthermore, he claimed that this policy was actually a way to "break" a suspect. The sight of Americans acting in such a way - demonstrating, physically, a respect for Islam - would often cause jihadist to lose it, and break down. The message in these actions are implicit that despite what they have been told, Islam is truly respected by Americans; it's the bloodthirsty terrorism that is the problem.

Now several of my readers are annoyed: "Some caller on the radio?!" A poor source of "news" right? But can it be worse than reporting from a major newsweekly that resulted in 15 deaths? Many people, sadly, would more comforted by news that the military is always at fault.

The failure is twofold. First, many people in the media have a Nixon-era conception of the military. They seem to live in a Robert Redford movie, where the general never removes his jacket, and the hippies love America more. Nobody should trade one extreme for the other, but how about simple impartiality?

And the second failure is that they can't get out of Washington, either physically or mentally. Reporting consists of leaks from medium level officials at government agencies, many of which - news flash - are bitter because they have been passed over for higher posts. Why couldn't the sources have consisted of a dozen ex-military (like the guy on the call-in radio how) in addition to the disgruntled policy wonks, all checked against each other for consistency?

So fifteen people dead, and calls for Jihad have been renewed around the globe. Newsweek really blew it royally. For all of us.

Nerds Against Mullahs

Slashdot describes itself as news for nerds. It's a news-aggregation site and public forum - but it's really more like the lounge area in the worlds largest engineering dorm. And amid the various subspecies of geek you can often witness some of the brightest minds on the planet engaging very difficult problems with the playful curiosity and quirkiness of people that are deeply technical.

So today somebody posts: "I'm working with some dissidents who are looking for ways to use the Internet from within repressive regimes ..." and goes on to ask for technologies that will protect those dissidents and their friends on the outside when they use PCs and networks. The mullahs and other repressive regimes recognize the danger of course, and routinely restrict access as needed. So naturally enough Slashdot community responds, and chatters away about encryption, packet routing, and operating systems that won't leave a trace on a hard drive.

What just transpired here seems so ordinary since the Internet became ubiquitous. But - just maybe - information was exchanged that could assist bona fide freedom fighters to organize, receive help from the outside, and actually fight totalitarianism. In the right hands, and smartly applied, it could be more potent than years of diplomacy and posturing by leaders in the West. And consider this conversation took place over the Internet, a system originally designed to route data around nuked military assets in a Cold War nightmare scenario.

Are we too jaded to recognize this is remarkable?

Friday Variety

At what point did it become socially acceptable to conduct 'in-stall' cell phone conversations while using a public restroom? While using the facilities in a business environment I actually overheard a person talking from behind a shut door in the commode - a discussion which ended with 'Mom. Mom. Mom. I said I'd call you back.' in louder and louder tones.

Also, this news story out of Asia simply boggles the mind.

Goodbye Blue Sky

Hill staffers and policy flacks were told to drop everything and run today in Washington DC when the news broke that a small plane had violated the no-fly zone. The footage on Aaron Brown tonight and the story of Nancy Pelosi being lifted from her shoes and carried away by her security detail - well, it certainly seems a little funny now that we know it was a pilot who couldn't reckon the transponders.

I'm a former resident in that town, and I have friends and loved ones who live there today. There's a lie-awake-at-night factor that stirs at the base of the cranium and becomes aroused in situations like this. Eight years elapsed between the first attack on the World Trade Center and the time terrorists returned to their target. And we all understand that Flight 93 ended in a field in Pennsylvania instead of the Capitol Building or the White House.

In these security situations we should remember this is our government, these are our institutions, our people - regardless of whatever schmuck happens to be the president at the time. I expect to see political 'hit editorials' tomorrow from the usual suspects about how this might have been handled better by the Bush administration. But I'm convinced national security would be a lose-lose situation after 9/11 regardless of who is in power.

Pick one: Convenience or safety. It's a difficult choice, but there's no reasonable way to completely secure both objectives.

The Consequences of Disco

While expressing his intense desire to become shod with footwear suitable for dancing, Wayne Casey, boogie-prone leader of K.C. and the Sunshine Band, fell off a stage a few days ago and sustained major head injuries.

In other disco-related foolishness, this video clip (45MB) began making the rounds a few weeks ago, and features adult human beings in an enthusiastic 70s-era remake of The Ventures' 'Apache'. If you're feeling blue I recommend trying to mimic the shoulder movements and wide smiles of the keyboard player while stopped at a red light.

This raises the question - can't we develop some sort of chemical warfare agent that causes unrestrained dancing? Imagine two B52s cutting across the blue skies of Pyongyang, the first one dispensing some kind of nerve gas, and the second thumping out 'No Parking On the Dance Floor' from industrial sized speakers. All of the folks in the street, citizen and soldier alike, would throw down their weapons and the baskets of tree bark they have collected to feed their family and begin twirling in the streets and throwing each other in the air.

It seems likely that democracy would be the inevitable result.

Transacción Completa

Today began by banging my head hard against an unseen low-hanging light in a dark parking garage. It was very awkward and painful. I staggered around for a few moments seeing stars, and finally looked up to see a woman sitting in a nearby minivan talking on the phone, pushing the last of her breakfast into her mouth, and looking at me like I was a murderer.

My day didn't get much better after that. The only highlight occurred when I figured out that it's possible to negotiate all of the ATM prompts in Spanish, even if you don't know the language. I may choose to do all of my banking in Spanish in the future - and there will be mysterious excitement in the prospect that I could screw up, and accidentally obtain a loan for a jet ski instead of the $40 'fast cash'.

Spring now appears to be over. It's brevity and the humid oppressive weather that follows are at the top of the list things I dislike about Cincinnati. Every day seems to grow heavier and stickier, and all I can think about is Maine and the ocean and the clean air that comes in from the water in the morning.

Need A Kamera

A cell phone camera is a fun device. And since I'm a tech dweeb I had to sign up for Mobile Blogger. Now pictures travel automagically from my camera phone to weblog with nary a click.

But since I didn't want to crowd my useless semi-daily bloviations and rambling, I setup a parallel blog, Spacetropix. There find useless imagery - pictures of myself in elevators, pictures of the lunch counter dude, and pictures (naturally) of Rachel, my soon-to-be wife, and ... forthcoming images of the events leading to our impending nuptials, the event itself, and honeymoon.

So it's for friends and family, mostly. Unfortunately there will be no pictures of the two photogenic youngsters that otherwise occupy our attention. I have a full appreciation of the principles of privacy and (take note) self-defense. Otherwise ... enjoy the frivolity.

Muse Sick Mess Age

The blogging impulse is weak. I'm tired of electronic information - I don't want read it, think about it, or create any more of it.

Over the weekend I have been cleaning, digging through junk, boxes of material belongings that either need to be pitched, given to charity, or drastically pared-down. It takes stern self-questioning" "Do I really need this ass-ugly end table?" But there is comfort in working in atoms instead of bits. My home is essentially a heap of books, PCs and equipment, a few paintings, and my daughter's belongings; it was due for a drastic reinvention in light of the fact that my family will grow from two to four in July.

To take a break I visit the home improvement centers, and walk for miles in the cavernous air conditioned spaces. In each aisle, it seems, there is a clean-cut Midwestern couple, in jeans, sneakers and a marathon sponsorship T-shirt, together choosing a caulking gun or some potted soil. It's the Saturday American consumer moment. I try to gamely participate by buying some tile cleaner and standing in line by the checkout counter while Jackson Browne sings about hungry hearts in between in-store advertisements on the sound system.

Barns and Ignobles

A reader and close friend suggests that critique of the Democratic Party is "like throwing rocks at a barn" these days, and my blogging efforts more rightly belong with other topics.

To be clear, it's not the Democratic Party necessarily that fails to impress. It's the leaning of both parties towards an radicalized base on certain issues. Social matters and culture war reflexively cause the Republicans to cede far too much influence to the knuckle-dragging clinic bombers, while foreign policy tends to make Democrats assume the rump-forward position, as if the alternative to Donald Rumsfeld is the Brown University English Department.

I'll pass on both, thanks. But practically speaking I can't always qualify my political musings and stick an elbow in every direction. I try to keep it short and snappy, and usually this results in making everyone annoyed, equal time, sooner or later.

Having said all of that, I am weary of politics. I would much rather be writing about people, experiences, and curious aspects of American society. Lately even applied Catholicism and compassion seem like a better subject. But as an editorial matter I don't understand if people have any interest in reading those topics on a weblog.

Election Bomb Throwing

The toy bombs at the New York office of the British consulate on the day of the election seem like a weak joke. But they have given me cause to reminisce. I'm thinking back to last year, when one of the more nettlesome questions for my friends with advanced leftist beliefs was simply who don't the bad guys want to be our leaders in the West?

(I know, right away this question presumes that judgments like 'good' and 'bad' are permissible, and that people like al Qaeda, al Zarqawi, and the tin-pan dictators and mullahs trying to build nukes all fall under the 'bad' category. I know there are many who feel that those folks are simply misunderstood, or their threat has been overblown.)

So last fall my leftist friends patiently explained to me that the "bad guys" would much rather have George Bush in power, and not somebody like John Kerry or, uh, Nader. You see, Bush - with his notable tendency to blast people into smithereens - is a good recruitment tool to bolster the ranks of the violent and aggrieved from the Arab Street, whereas a leader like Kerry, owing to his eminent rationality and restraint would be more effective in fighting the war on terror.

Well, this argument always seemed a little ass-over-teakettle to me, and more of a projection of their own immense disgust with Bush, but I let it stand. I even read the inevitable links they sent to articles on antiwar.com and the like.

Then the train attack happened in Madrid, hundreds died, and a few days later the Bush-friendly leadership was dropped for a socialist who promptly removed the Spanish troops from Iraq. I couldn't help but ask - doesn't this run counter to the claim that the terrorists would prefer warmongers in power? What, did these bombers skip the meeting?

An explanation sprang into existence to explain why this still somehow fit the theory, but it was very elaborate. When younger children tell magical stories, they often have that conjunctive aspect of fictitious narrative, the "and then, and then" quality which becomes required when a 4-year-old needs an ad-hoc explanation why the butter fairies worship the marmalade. I recall the explanation for the Madrid bombing seemed very similar, but less endearing.

Stars and Arcades

My PlayStation gathers dust in a nest of cables. Yes I'm 34 years old, but videogames are not beneath my dignity. I'm just not going to waste my scarce recreation time on games that I've seen produced time and again.

The gaming industry surpassed Hollywood in 2004 with over $10 billion dollars in total revenue. How much more money could they make if they could create games with deep appeal to wider demographics?

But movies also have advantages which result from the unique way they plug into our culture. Consider chick flicks, offbeat comedies, dramas that can be discussed with your date over dinner afterward. There are no equivalents with videogames. Friday entertainment for the family (all ages) can't be solved with the Xbox, whereas the right Pixar DVD might do the trick. And the lives of movie stars are infinitely interesting to many people - and the subject of entire sub-industries. There is no comparable glamor behind videogames.

Narrative, conflict, and drama will never go out of style. If videogames ever expect to grow deeper roots (and get deeper in our pocket books) - they are going to need those sophisticated elements. For now, if I have any extra time, I'm going to play Katamari Damacy, a game which apparently became popular last year. The premise is not complex, but it's deeply, satisfyingly wierd and Japanese.

Screwtape Visits Sharonville

Reaction to Karl Rove's trip to Ohio has been amusing. It fits a common assumption among Democrats - that Republicans must come in two flavors: Evil or stupid.

Clearly any intelligent person would recognize that the Left has much more to offer the average citizen. Don't you want a government that cares, and will take care of you? Don't you think all of this talk about bringing freedom to other parts of the world is too much? Do you honestly believe that most wealthy people earned their money? And who would you prefer to show up at your party - Hollywood stars and sophisticated Europeans or racist bigots, hillbillies, and Christians?

Isn't it eminently reasonable? But it doesn't explain why 62 million people didn't agree. That's a big heap of folks that are either evil or stupid. So the next phase is bargaining: They were somehow fooled by the Rove strategy, tricked by fear and glitzy marketing.

I would politely suggest that Democrats could listen a little more respectfully to those that disagree - assuming they hope to win another election eventually.

But I guess that's probably where I make a lousy Republican devil. Under Secretary Rove (the master tactician) would instead be tickled at the sight of the partisans as they chatter away, slowly tightening their minority to the exclusion of others with their endless caricatures and vilification.

Albuquerque Alternative

Would there be any sympathy if the groom went AWOL on the eve of the wedding? If he just became overwhelmed with all of the planning and expectations and flower arrangements? But people are making excuses for Jennifer Wilbanks, for reasons I cannot fathom.

Many women have imagined, in advance, an opulent, overindulgent fantasy that involves dozens of bridesmaids, champagne waterfalls, orchestras, flowery trellises, and stars that re-arrange themselves in the heavens to spell out the happy couple's name. If they consider the marriage which is theoretically to follow, it may be seen as delightful footnote to the ceremony. They will acknowledge that an adult male will likely be necessary, and that he should possess positive traits.

These are often intelligent people, who become activated - as if with a pre-programmed code, like the Manchurian Candidate - when the idea of a wedding presents itself during those stressful 20s or 30s.

My intended and I are currently planning a wedding. We do want a memorable day for family and friends - with flowers, pictures, cake and music. Due to the second-time nature of the proceedings, it's true, we are a little more worldly-wise, and things are scaled back. Rumors to the contrary, we're not going to be picked up outside the church in a white zeppelin draped with flowers and piloted by an amusing midget. And I'm sorry to announce the Tibetan monk choir has been nixed from the program.

We both know the vows are important - and how they are lived each day thereafter. It's strange, unexpected, and a little alarming, but the truth is, we're looking forward to the marriage. But there I go once again with my old-fashioned ideas.