I’m playing around with themes here so don’t get confused. You’re at the right place. I was finding the text size difficult with the other theme. Or maybe it was an optical illusion related to the dark background…There’s just so much I want to say today that I’m having trouble editing it all in my head so that it can be reasonably — and thriftily — conveyed here…
Okay, first: Did anyone see this beautiful little smack down by the National Black Chamber of Commerce chair? Hot Air rightly notes it as a top pick because I think it’s one of those topics related to race in this country that people really don’t talk about — to wit: the most egregious offenders are generally the ones who appear to be the most sympathetic to your cause. I disagree slightly with Hot Air’s take on this; I don’t think it’s soft bigotry at all. I think it’s blatantly disrespectful and is absolutely and obviously proof that Boxer lumps people together based on how she views the world and panders to their associations rather than seeing them as individuals who have individual interests — in this case, energy policy. But the most disgusting part? She clearly is so elitist and obviously believes herself to be so superior intellectually that she’s taken aback when Alford not only gets it but — the horror! — calls her on it. I might be a bit too impassioned here but that was the most offensive to me, this woman’s surprise that her ridiculous little game was noticed and brought out into the light. Pitiful Boxer. Just pitiful. And, just as an aside, I laughed aloud when I watched this yesterday. It made an otherwise bleak day at work tolerable. Score one for the individual voice!
Second: Wow. ObamaCare is actually making me consider biting my nails again. And, lest you get all emotional about how much better things will be once employers are forced to buy health insurance, just remember this:
“Employment Tax: Both the House and Senate bills help pay for their new spending by instituting an employer mandate to buy health insurance that, as CBO director Elmendorf explained earlier this week is really just a job killing employment tax: “[I]f employers who did not offer insurance were required to pay a fee, employees’ wages and other forms of compensation would generally decline by the amount of that fee from what they would otherwise have been.”
So, you get you laser eye surgery but have less for groceries. I don’t know man…which one do you need to live…
Finally, the Gudger taught me some exciting choreography the other day to the lovely song below. Gudge, your choreography is on the short list of things that make me happy to still be here in our sleepy little town (oh alright, this town has been great but it’s just time to move on…). And I was reminded of a former life where I wrote about things like this. You’ll notice that the article details Ms. DiFranco’s actively progressive tendency and, make no mistake, I was at that time very well-formed in my conservatism (just ask my fellow reporters who worked with me just prior to the interim music editing gig at this magazine. In fact, just yesterday, one of them was lamenting that she — as a resident of Minnesota — may be regretting her Al Franken vote and I told her I really — seriously — wasn’t gloating. She said she was rethinking missing me…). But here’s the thing: after speaking with someone the other day about the nature of journalism — specifically whether or not the journalistic ethic belongs in the blogosphere — I reread this article and felt pretty good about the fact that I let the artist have her say without interjecting my own opinion in there. Cause it wasn’t about me you see. It was about her. And this is what I think the mainstream media has forgotten. There is still a place for the unbiased report and it’s almost definitely not in the world of blogs (although it is increasingly online. Sorry print but you’re too damn expensive…). So, get on it MSM. Your life kinda depends on it.
Also, Krauthammer talking about one of my favorite things. It’s just a convergence of awesome things and I try to promote that.
So I’ll be swing dancing tonight. Hope you find your Friday groove, too.
