“ It’s a risky strategy.”
Karl Rove on Palin’s resignation. “Strategy.”
SquasheD
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So, apparently, Palin is resigning
The strangest things happen, when I’m trying to travel for the holidays. Of course, it isn’t really a coincidence. If you want to bury a news story, announce something on a Friday. If you want to really bury it, announce it on a Friday before a holiday weekend when even the bloggers think they have something more important to do.
I’ve seen three theories on why she is resigning. (I’m not counting the bit about not wanting to be a lame duck governor as a real reason. That doesn’t even make sense. Do lame duck Presidents resign? No.)
1) She wants to run for President. This theory is also pretty nonsensical—but of course it gets tossed out because it gets tossed out every time Palin does anything. Randomly resigning partway through a term that will end before serious Presidential campaigning would even begin isn’t a very clever move.
2) She’s crazy. Well…maybe. But I doubt it. She’s made it too far for just random craziness.
3) There’s a scandal. A big one. And it’s probably steamy. You don’t have to resign in Alaska over little financial scandals. Occam’s razor says this is what it is.
I could add a fourth possibility. She’s got a family—including a baby with some special needs. If the timing didn’t look so conveniently orchestrated to minimize the story, I might wonder whether the traditional “spend more time with my family” bit actually made sense. But my bet is on door number three. Something big will appear. Soon.
“ More harm has been done by people panicked over societal decline than societal decline ever did.”
A guy with a white hat in XKCD. It certainly works as an aphorism. Does it hold true in fact?
Judge tentatively dismisses case in MySpace hoax that led to teenage girl's suicide | L.A. Now | Los Angeles Times
I wrote about the injustice of the conviction last December; this dismissal would be very good news.
I also wrote about this ridiculous conviction. Confusing what is wrong and what is illegal is as harmful as mistaking what is legal for what is right.
Injustice and Civil War
Civil war is an awful thing. Whether it’s our civil war, with the Battle of Cold Harbor and Sherman’s March to the Sea or a civil war in Somalia or the Congo, the consequences can be devastating. President Lincoln’s first priority, as passionately as he hated slavery, was avoiding civil war. Casualties are measured in millions. A country is torn asunder, and it could take decades or centuries to mend it back together. How bad must an injustice be before we consider a civil war a preferrable outcome?
I ask this in the context of Iran. As open and peaceful demonstrations are near impossible, should the reformists continue resisting? How far should they take things?
“ [T]he majority of Americans have no reason to be familiar with the armed forces…. While there are downsides to this, it seems as if it - not having to constantly display your power over your own citizens - is one of the signs of success of a nation.”
Kyle Bingman
Turning the Sky Green
The protests in Iran have changed. As far as I can tell, the increased violence by and against protestors have decreased those willing to protest on the street. The protestors are looking for safer ways to keep their message alive.
Today’s method involved releasing green balloons at 1:00 over Tehran, hoping to turn the sky green. It can be done quickly and anonymously—but it’s highly visible.
Prioritizing Politics
One of my least favorite aspects of politics is the tendency of politicians (and worse, pundits) to see everything in terms of political gain or loss. I think some things are too important to be a political footballs. I think dissent is always okay—if you have something to dissent about. But at some point, if you don’t a real alternative proposal, it’s time to either shut up or offer something constructive.
This pipe is in my basement. From what I can tell, it’s primary purpose is to spew water into the basement when there is a record storm fall. Were basement flooding pipes were fashionable in the sixties?
