Sunday, September 19, 2010

Kindle 3

My Kindle 3 arrived and I couldn't be happier with it.

For years I've resisted buying an e-reader. I love the feel of paper, the look of books, the art of choosing one book from hundreds, but space constraints and the lower cost of Kindle books convinced me that I should relent (a little). The Kindle will supplement, not supplant, my buying of paper bound works.

Happy reading!

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Unfrigging Believable

In general, I don't post about anything other than books, but it's getting to the point where I can't hold my tongue anymore.



I can't believe the DOJ dropped this case. See one of the many articles concerning the voter intimidation cases being dropped, here.

A former DOJ attorney testified recently that the cases against the individuals in this video




were dropped because of lobbying and political pressure by groups like the NAACP. Shame on them all. Racism is unbecoming in any shade. Though individuals have a right to say whatever they want, they do not have the right to engage in voter intimidation.

I fear the type of voter fraud/intimidation that individuals like this will engage in this November given the likelihood of their failure to gain or maintain seats in Congress any other way.

No people, by birth or nature, are superior to others. Hatred shouldn't be in vogue or fashionable just because of who you hate--that's how myriads of wars have started. Uh, hello World War frigging II. Your racism isn't OK because it's yours.

People must stand up and start speaking out against these sorts of activities. We don't, because we don't want to be labeled as racists or bigots. That sort of intellectual dishonesty and name-calling as a means to silence valuable opinions, reasonable opinions, must stop. To be frank, if you support Obama, you support what he supports. He and the Attorney General he nominated sanction Black Panthers interference with the fair, open elections that we are Constitutionally guaranteed. He either supports the interference or he is so weak in his convictions, that he cannot uphold his oath to preserve, protect, support and defend the Constitution of the United States against enemies, foreign and domestic. I hope that neither of these two things are true; I hope that I've misunderstood what happened; I hope that there was some reason to drop these cases at their sentencing stage; I hope that groups like the KKK and others don't see this as permission to attempt to intimidate voters this November.

We are a nation of laws. If were are not that, our Republic will fall. No one is to be above reproach, to be above the law, and, if we create a category of view points, a race of people, or a sect of religion that cannot be criticized or that will be held immune to the law, then we are a nation of fools.

Though we sometimes elect fools, I don't believe we are fools. I am hopeful. Even in temperatures breaking 100 degrees, I feel the cool, sweet wind of change moving through my neighborhood. Indeed with acts of voter intimidation and fraud being perpetrated by those who are unable to compete in an open, peaceful exchange of ideas, many Americans will still step forward, braving being hit by a night stick or being called a racist because its the least that we can do when so many better, honor worthy men have come before us, pledging their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor so that we could have the liberty to vote at all.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Tomorrow is Hump Day

Only two court appearances tomorrow...

So much work.

So little time.

Bill has to get a commission done this week.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

Needs Editing

5,000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen is actually a very quick, enjoyable read. I agree with its overall sentiments; nevertheless, it has some structural and grammatical issues. Skoussen's ideas are not fully formed out, the piece lacks flow, and it is in dire need of some editorial tidying. Its issues detract from what is a really strong survey piece. How can things go to press with errors like the use of "it's" where the author means "its" etc.? Overall, it's a good survey of American Constitutional History.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Bauhaus

From Bauhaus to Our House by Tom Wolfe

Loved it--an essay about navel gazing and what happens when groups of people navel-gaze and gather together to prove which one of them is more perfect at navel-gazing. Wolfe critiques modern architecture, but it isn't just about the negative effects of the Bauhaus style as much as the dangerousness of a group of people who attempt to rid themselves of pesky intellectual and moreover, ideological, competition. You don't have to hate modern or post modern architecture to like the book, but it probably doesn't hurt if you are a bit of an iconoclast.