Op-Ed Columnist: Who’s Nader Now?
If we’ve learned anything in this past decade, it’s that the right-wing scandal machine will find a way to smear anyone, and that a lot of the media will play along.
mjh’s Weblog Entry – 07/20/2003: Some Democrats fear Dean may be next McGovern
”The Republicans will have enough money to paint Santa Claus as a lifelong criminal.” — Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh
Everybody likes New Year’s Eve — don’t they? It’s the biggest party of the year, when
auld langes syne. Though I appreciate the mix of celebration and introspection, my heart is moving towards the Winter Solstice. Isn’t
that really the beginning of the new year? For most of my life, the gifting frenzy of Christmas and the rather arbitrary calendar change
(New Year’s used to be in March, I think) have distracted me from the real day, and night, of great moment, a day whose significance
does not depend on human beings for declaration, celebration or even notice. A great milestone on the circular track of the real year.
The moment the pendulum swings back from its extreme; the promise of spring to come.
But humans are self-centered and determined to
detach ourselves from nature. We follow our own calendar and no longer need to follow the larger, older rhythms. When you measure time in
nanoseconds, you digitize life into equal, undifferentiated units. Happy Next Second? No time for that, it’s all the same.
Still, we
can’t help ourselves, born of this world and steeped in its movements. We know this is a time to be thoughtful, grateful and giving. We
know this is a turning point that keeps returning with hope of bright, warm days ahead. We gather, we chatter, we lighten up. A few days
early, a few days late — it’s all the same.
Happy New Calendar! mjh
And another thing:
A few years ago, I was surprised to learnthat the latest sunrise and earliest sunset are NOT on the winter solstice. They’re not even on the same day, but different days a
couple of weeks either side of the solstice. Blows my mind. How can it be? And how can it be that I was well past 40 before I learned
this (and not by observation). That’s the price of arbitrary time.
I have to pass on this story of ‘living a charmed life.’ Happy New Year to us all!
mjh
Dr. Koop- Is There a Doctor on Board? Yes, 15 of Them
If you’re going to have a heart
attack on a transcontinental jet, make sure there’s a doctor on board.
In 67-year-old Dorothy Fletcher’s case, there were plenty of
them — and not just doctors, but cardiologists.
When the Liverpool grandmother started having severe chest pain aboard the England-
to-Orlando flight, a stewardess yelled out, “Is there a doctor on the plane?” According to an account from BBC News Online, 15 passengers
shouted, “Yes.” Turns out they were on their way to a cardiologist convention in Florida.
Bush’s brother opens first ‘faith-based’ prison
Christmas in Florida ushered in America’s first ”faith-based prison” a sprawling jail in rural northern Florida, in which 800 inmates from 26 faiths are blending hallowed time with hard time.
Governor Jeb Bush, President George W Bush’s younger brother, dedicated the prison on Christmas Eve, saying it would encourage spirituality and – he hoped – cut reoffending. …
In addition to regular prayer sessions, the jail, which holds “mid-level felons” – men convicted of burglary, hold-ups, car theft and assault – will offer religious studies, choir practice and religious counselling seven days a week. There will also be job training and classes in subjects such as “parenting” and “character building”. …
Like his brother in the White House, Gov Bush believes that the best way to rehabilitate criminals is to “lead them to God”.
Don’t laugh: there are many on the Right who hope Jeb will be the third President Bush. No, this is not a Saturday Night Live skit. God help us. mjh
Edwards Sets Work Safety Plan By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD, NYTimes
Accusing the Bush administration of failing to protect workers, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina will announce a plan to decrease workplace deaths and injuries by strengthening laws and hiring more federal safety personnel, his campaign said Tuesday. …
”George Bush did not enact new laws or increase funding to protect our workers,” Mr. Edwards said in remarks released by his campaign on Tuesday for delivery in Iowa on Wednesday. ”He did not push employers to better protect their employees. He did the exact opposite. He rolled back worker safety standards, and made them voluntary. He proposed cutting OSHA’s work force by 77 people. And he continues to ensure that breaking existing laws amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist.”
Bush’s Campaign Finds Platform on Local Radio By JIM RUTENBERG, NYTimes
While the Bush campaign maintains a low profile on the national campaign stage — content for now to watch the Democrats beat on one another — it is aggressively working the expansive hustings of Republican-friendly talk radio, priming the grass roots faithful for battle next year. …
It is a network that the Democrats do not have — though they are trying to cultivate one — and one that Mr. Bush’s campaign strategists believe will give him an edge in an election that could go to whichever side best mobilizes its core voters.
Presidents have used radio to reach voters virtually since its invention. But strategists and radio experts say the Bush campaign has taken it to a new level of sophistication, using it far earlier in the campaign cycle and appearing regularly on shows with even the tiniest of audiences. …
The Republican courtship of talk radio began in earnest in 1994, when Newt Gingrich used the medium to push the “Contract With America” and, ultimately, bring about a Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
Mr. Bush’s political staff further perfected the strategy in the 2002 midterm election, when they invited radio hosts to the White House to interview top officials less than a week before the vote.