Dragons and Bombs; or, Parental Thinking on Your Feet

Driving down a country road yesterday to pick up Papa and Napoleona:
SillyBilly asked, “Mama, what if a big dragon were coming here? What if it was flying up here from the south . . . from Los Angeles?”
Mama: “Hmmm . . . I wonder where it would land — in the mountains?”
SillyBilly: “Mama, what if [...]

What Was Your Job Description Again, Senator?

“I am not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate—not prepared to have that record decided by that jury.”
–Arlen Specter, US Senator from Pennsylvania
“Mr. Specter said he would not be an automatic Democratic vote, though he will be pulled in that direction since he [...]

Mixed Bag

Image via Wikipedia

Today’s New York Times Opinion section included the article “Ban the Breast Pump” by Judith Warner in her weekly column “Domestic Disturbances.”
Inflammatory title, no?
Even more inflammatory to me are some of her basic assumptions. Warner begins by describing her feelings, and those of other mothers, that using a breast pump is “miserable,” “a [...]

I Cried Today

as I watched the I Have a Dream speech with my kids.* Truly one of the greatest speeches in American history.

Then I wondered what Dr. King’s sermons must have been like, so I yet again put my trust in the Google.
I found the text of his sermon at the National Cathedral of 31 March 1968, [...]

When Good Ideas Go Bad

Have you heard of the PROTECT Act of 2003? This is a complicated piece of legislation that intends to prevent child abuse.
I think we can all get behind that general concept, right?
But . . . there’s a problem, specifically with the sections about child pornography.
In general, the intention was that child pornography, particularly on the [...]

The Shipbreakers of Alang

There’s this little piece of software/social networking/website recommendation engine/incredible time waster called StumbleUpon. You tell it what you’re interests are, and it finds applicable websites, blogs, images, videos, and so on. I like stumbling for photos, especially white sand beaches in Bora Bora just waiting for me to arrive and order a fruity drink.

But I [...]

Tired of It

An online article in the Christian Science Monitor a few days ago (about someone suing the pharmaceutical company Wyeth for insufficient warning language on a drug label–a musician who lost her arm because of side effects!) contained these two sentences:

Forty-seven states and an array of consumer advocacy, medical, and other groups have filed friend of [...]

Proud

Many others have said it, but I too am proud today. Proud to have participated, to have voted, to have done my civic duty. To have made a difference for our country, I hope.
I’m also proud to be living in a time where a Black man with Muslim ancestry can be nominated for president of [...]

Human Nature

I’m editing a book by a political scientist on “loss of faith in our social and governing institutions.” Seems pretty relevant right now!

I can’t got into detail about the author’s work as it has not yet been published, but I can write about a quote she included that caught my eye:
Your corn is ripe today; [...]

Smart Political Email

I’m not that involved with political groups, but email makes it easier to participate (or at least stay informed) in small ways. So I’m on a few mailing lists, and once in a while I might participate in a poll or send an e-letter to my congressional representative.

Image via Wikipedia

Today I got one of the [...]