The Republican Party has exacted a pound of flesh from the people of New York and New Jersey.
It’s more than a slap in the face. It’s a kick in the teeth. Continue reading
Republicans Self-Destruct; Speaker Boehner Is Finished; Or Maybe Not
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Category Archives: News
U.S. Congress Implodes; President Escapes To Hawaii
What a bizarre spectacle of irresponsible brinkmanship! The ultimate House and Senate votes may have narrowly averted immediate fiscal crisis and tax increases, but they do not restore one iota of confidence in the legislative branch of American government.
President Barack Obama, after failing to exert the leadership the American people hoped for, immediately boarded Air Force One to resume a Hawaiian vacation with his family. What can he be thinking?
To put the cherry on top of the whipped cream, Continue reading
News Media Disappoints In Reporting Connecticut Mass Murder (Plus 18 Comments)
Note: An interesting discussion — mostly about mental health issues — follows this brief post.
It’s nearly a week now since the tragic shooting and loss of innocent life in Connecticut. Like many, I’m hesitant to write about this most recent mass murder out of respect for the families, and because so much information is unknown.
Two observations stand out, however, regarding television news coverage:
First, a great deal of speculation has been aired about mental illness. Never before have the words “autism“ and “Asperger’s” been spoken so often on television in such a short time. It’s probably misleading to even classify autism and Asperger’s as mental illnesses, at least not without clarification. They certainly should not be associated with conditions such as Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I’d wager that many people are hearing about Asperger’s Syndrome for the first time, and half-baked information is apt to create an undeserved stigma for both autism and Asperger’s. Continue reading
December Sunshine @ The Beach
Seventy degrees in December! It’s not unheard of in Maryland, although normal temps would be in the 40s during the day, maybe 30s at night.
But throughout the northern U.S.? Seventy degrees in December in Chicago? Temperature records are being broken in some places. Winter’s off to a mild start. (Reality check: Don’t get too excited. Winter doesn’t officially begin until Dec. 21.) I’m trying not to be complacent. A blizzard might slap us in the face when we least expect it.
December is always a variable month here in Maryland. We rarely get snow before Christmas. But we don’t often enjoy 70 degrees, either. The photo above was taken a few days ago at the south end of the Ocean City boardwalk. Too bad there’s not many people here to enjoy it, except us year-rounders.
Seventy in December. Global warming? You think?
— John Hayden
Related articles
- UK weather: snow prompts bets on white Christmas (theweek.co.uk)
- 1st December 50s in 11 years; “Average Front” Tuesday; Weekend snow trending south? (minnesota.publicradio.org)
Returning Now To Our Regular Program, “The Fiscal Cliff”
Photo by John Hayden
It’s 10 days since I last posted on Work In Progress. The Earth continues to spin. Gen. John Petraeus and Paula Broadwell, et al., were pushed from the front pages by a deadly rocket battle between Israelis in Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.
Full-out war appeared imminent, according to cable TV news. But a ceasefire was called in time for Thanksgiving. (Appropriate that it’s an American holiday. We have so much to be thankful for, compared to the rest of the world. And we take it all for granted.)
The waning of the Middle East crisis made room for a seasonal story: Walmart employees threatening to disrupt kickoff of the Christmas shopping frenzy. (Starting time for the frenzy advanced from Black Friday to Thanksgiving Day, henceforth to be known as Black Thursday.)
The Walmart protests fizzled, naturally. They had as much impact as Y2K. Walmart workers stand exposed as powerless against the energy of American consumerism.
Now we return to the dreaded “Fiscal Cliff,” at least until the next distraction. Be not faint-hearted! In the grand scheme of things, the fiscal cliff is a bump in the road.
Most importantly, the fiscal cliff provides a unique opportunity to put the brakes on the runaway military-industrial defense complex. Seize the day! Continue reading
The Real Scandal — Petty Corruption Destroys Institutions And Families
Do we care if Gen. David Petraeus’ ego is so big he has to have a personal biographer follow him around a war zone? Do we care if a smart, beautiful, and physically fit Harvard doctoral student “works her magic” on a general? Not really.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Is it scandalous? Based on the definition of “scandal,” the answer is technically, “Yes.”
But realistically, matters of ego, ambition, and romance are simply “human.” It’s strictly a private matter.
Until it begins to corrode the quality of work being done by important institutions, such as the U.S. Military.
Petty corruption pervades modern society, from highest to lowest. Continue reading
Lives of the Rich, Famous & Stoopid
Aside
“LIVES OF THE RICH, FAMOUS & STOOPID” — Tentative working title for my proposed reality TV show starring Gen. David Petraeus, biographer Paula Broadwell, and socialite Jill Kelley. Roles reserved for Gen. John Allen, Natalie Khawam, attorney Abbe Lowell, and crisis manager Judy Smith, if they can prove they qualify.
Link
The David Petraeus scandal: Cast of characters is a slide show featuring 14 photos on the Washington Post Web site.
The Fiscal Cliff — Seize the Day, Cut Military Spending Now
The U.S. defense budget, worldwide military overreach, and the influence of the military-industrial complex — these are the root of America’s economic and debt crisis.
Not Social Security, not Medicare, not Medicaid, not government pensions, not anything else you want to label as “entitlements.”
Gen. David Petraeus & The Dragon Lady
Fox News is already comparing the Petraeus Affair to Watergate. White House paralysis is gleefully anticipated at Fox, just days after the election. What did the president know, and when did he know it?
To what can we compare the misadventures of Gen. David H. Petraeus, director of the CIA, no less, and Paula Broadwell, his esteemed biographer from Harvard (and herself a former Army officer)?
Living Simply And Still On The Grid 