Friday, February 11, 2011

Obama Is A Closet Republican?

Is Obama Karl Rove's puppet? Who knew?

The New York Times has an editorial, entitled "Beyond Reason on the Budget", excoriating the irresponsible Republicans in the House for draconian cuts to the holy budget. As the editors say "these are the wrong cuts, to the wrong programs, at the wrong time... The new list...promises to be one of the most irresponsible budget documents ever issued by a House majority." I do agree with their final sentence: the "quality of the nation’s civic life is at stake", altho they may not like my reasons.

One of the commenters says:
If Obama were not a closet Republican, he could fight this and come out ahead — the Republicans would look like the fools they are if he forced them to shut down the government. Instead, he'll go along with their chicanery, they will come out looking great, he'll come out looking weak and like a traitor to his base, and the American people will come up short, way short.

Next time, let's elect a Democratic president.
Obama: a regular Tea Party kind of guy, clinging bitterly to his religion and his guns.

The Unholy List of proposed budget cuts which are the wrong cuts, to the wrong programs, at the wrong time include:

High Speed Rail: $1,000,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide transportation?
Family Planning: $327,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide family planning?
Agriculture Research: $246,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide research for private, profit seeking industry?
Amtrak: $224,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide transportation?
Farm Service Agency: $201,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide welfare for private, profit seeking corporations?
Nuclear Energy: $169,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide welfare to private, profit seeking corporations?
Fossil Energy Research: $31,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide welfare to private, profit seeking corporations?
National Endowment for the Arts: $6,000,000. What authorized the Federal Gov't to provide puppet strings for the arts? Better to live free in a garret than dance to their political masters' tunes. So much for transgressiveness in the arts.

The list goes on, as well it should. Even our closet Republican in the Oval Office apparently recognizes that.

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Abstract Photo-realism

Here.

It's a Cool Space Pic of the Day. In this case also known as Orion's Bow Ties.

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Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Mayor Daley, the Chicago Political Machine, and John Lott

The most successful member in the history of Chicago's Daley Political Machine is now the President of the United States.

Should that worry you?

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Monday, February 07, 2011

Museums Identifying American Indian Artists

It's a huge project, long past time, but the job has begun.
WHEN the Denver Art Museum’s signature American Indian art galleries reopened last week after a seven-month overhaul, the biggest change wasn’t the new display cases or the dramatic lighting. Rather, it was in a less obvious place: the wall labels.

For the first time many of the works on display are attributed to individual artists instead of just their tribes. It is a revolution in museum practice that many scholars hope will spread, raising the stature of American Indian artists and elevating their work from the category of artifacts to the more exalted realm of art.
Maybe the Milwaukee Public Museum will someday follow suit.

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Sunday, February 06, 2011

Roman Numerals

Roman numerals are a whole lot more complicated than I thought.

A bunch of usages aren't/weren't even Roman.

Another cherished illusion shattered.

Thus is life.

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