Archive for September, 2004

WHAT???


Posted by Bruno on September 30th, 2004

Apparently the Bush Administration toyed with using the CIA to buy off favorable candidates in the upcoming election.
Ok, where to start with this…well, first, we should note that using the CIA to influence elctions is nothing new for our country. And that’s what’s so shocking about it. President Bush has, on many occasions, [...]

A Third Rationale for Government?


Posted by Matski on September 27th, 2004

As those of you who follow our program know, I have long held the opinion that there are only two proper reasons for the existence of government: 1) To correct market failure and 2) to enforce contracts, including the social contract.
I’ve been reflecting on this lately, and — very uncomfortably — I believe I’m [...]

A Note on Language


Posted by Matski on September 27th, 2004

Bill Cosby gained a few extra seconds of fame recently when he decried the self-perpetuating cycle of negative and stereotype reinforcing behaviors among African-American youth.
For this Cosby was criticized, and that’s understandable. But — love it or hate it — Cosby has a point. When people use negative words to describe themselves and [...]

A Tangled Web of Treachery


Posted by Matski on September 27th, 2004

By now the scandal at CBS News over the documents that purported to show that Bush never completed his National Guard service has nearly played its course. Rumors are swirling that the venerable Dan Rather will be out of CBS by spring, a victim of his own courage to stand by his decision to [...]

The Case for Fair Districts, Reason No. 462


Posted by Bruno on September 24th, 2004

As longtime listeners/readers are aware, the creation of fair voting districts is an obsession of ours. Gerrymandered districts, in Texas, Colorado, and elsewhere, are the root cause of what is wrong with our Congress, and, by association, our government. This system entrenches incumbents and disenfranchises voters. For background on the problem, visit [...]

Baby, if you’ve ever wondered …


Posted by Matski on September 24th, 2004

Ah, Cincinnati …
The most reactionary city in America lives up to its reputation, as this article in the Cincinnati Enquirer indicates.
Couple interesting things here. One is that people are protesting outside of CBS affiliates for Rather’s head. I sort of don’t believe that. Which leads to interesting thing number 2, [...]

Bruno & the Prof: WAY ahead of the CW


Posted by Bruno on September 23rd, 2004

Well, I’ve gotta congratulate myself. It took a year, but I’ve finally managed to leapfrog the conventional wisdom:
That said, I’ve become more or less resigned to a Bush victory. I’m becoming very zen about the whole thing. If re-elected, Bush is going to inherit a mess of his own making. It’ll be fun to [...]

Candidates to Support


Posted by Bruno on September 23rd, 2004

I usually delete most of the MoveOn.org mailings that arrive in my inbox, but this one caught my eye.
I love the idea of people getting together nationally to support candidates in local races.

Sony to Support MP3


Posted by Bruno on September 23rd, 2004

This isn’t political, really, but as a techno-geek sometimes the cup runneth over, as they say. C|Net is reporting that Sony will finally support the industry-standard MP3 format in addition to it’s technologically superior, though ill-conceived ATRAC format.
Sony has a history of creating proprietary formats only to see them whither. The [...]

Civil Liberty Paranoia Watch


Posted by Bruno on September 22nd, 2004

For the longest time, I tried to be skeptical about all these protesters getting arrested for protesting the president. I thought, sure, the “Free Speech Zone” is absurd, but it can’t last.
Now, however, we seem to have reached a boiling point with the new enforcement of an old law that’s being used to bring [...]


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