Since it has been in the news of late, I have been pondering the issue of the illogic of the current Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy with regard to our Armed Forces.As I understand it, the theory is that having openly gay men and women serving in the military would cause disruptions to morale because people would be uncomfortable having a gay person living and working with them. Now setting aside the fact that most military people I know have said this is a bunch of hogwash, I have to wonder...

As I watch both the local and international reaction to the Iranian election I can’t help but wonder what idiots decided that they needed an old Soviet style outcome with such a huge margin of victory. While he never admitted to rigging elections, old Mayor Daley knew how to do it right. According to one story he said the key was to give your man a margin of victory big enough that it couldn’t be challenged in court yet small enough that even your biggest enemies couldn’t be 100%...

ABC has recently started showing the new animated series The Goode Family, brought to you by the same people who brought you King Of The Hill. Personally I find it quite entertaining, it’s basically the same thing as King Of The Hill but instead of poking fun at the right it takes jabs at the left. What I find interesting in surfing the net is the reaction on the left. People who found King of The Hill funny suddenly find The Goode Family offensive. They attack it for being full of stereotypes...

Given all our debates of late, a little lesson in humility as we examine the beauty and vastness of the Universe (to the wonderful music of Vangelis)

When settlers first came to the colonies of North America in the 16th and 17th centuries they were amazed by the tremendous natural resources and the rich soil that seemed to make everything grow. Unfortunately they took it for granted that these bounties would last forever. Southern farmers in particular adopted a very bad policy of using up the land until it was barren and then simply moving on to new property where they started the process again. The problem was that eventually they were going...

With less than 24 hours to go until the digital transition takes place it seems that some people are still not ready for the big change. According to a report today on MSNBC (which follows similar reports on the other networks) as many as four million Americans are not ready for the digital switch and of those as many as one million remain somehow unaware that any sort of change is taking place. I must admit to being somewhat stunned by this news, especially the idea that a million people who regularly...

In his monologue last night, David Letterman made a joke about Willow Palin, the 14 year old daughter of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, being ‘knocked up’ during the game. Of course politics is about making jokes and politicians need to have thick skins. But what happened to families being off limits? Can you imagine if someone made a similar joke about the daughter of a Democratic politician? I remember when people made jokes about Chelsea Clinton and they were quite properly told to...

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds has won the Democratic primary for Governor in Virginia which means he will face Republican nominee Bob McDonnell in the fall election. Deeds had been considered an underdog but connected with voters through his common touch style. Jody Wagner will be the candidate for Lt. Governor. Traditionally the party out of control in the White House has won the race for Governor in Virginia but the recent Democratic trends could change that. Voters may also be influenced by the fact...

It seems like these days all we have are problems that seem to evade a solution. Immigration is probably near the top of the list when it comes to such an issue. I certainly recognize that there are two sides to the debate and that both sides do have some very valid points. On the one hand there are many problems associated with illegal immigration, not the least of which is the impact it has on state and federal budgets. Obviously there are a number of factors to account for the current crisis in...

As a student of history, I am always interested to find a new look at an old subject and, if there is any topic that has been fairly well covered, it is World War Two and the rise of the Nazis in Germany. But Richard Evans, in his ambitious three-volume epic, has given us some interesting new takes on the era. His first book, The Coming Of The Third Reich examines the history of Germany from its beginnings in the 1870 through the First World War and the aftermath and ends with the Nazi takeover...

Yesterday I posted about the British Labour party losing badly in local elections and today things have gone from bad to worse as results of elections to the European Parliament come in. The exact numbers are still being hashed out but it looks like Labour has lost (and the Conservatives have won) a vote in Wales for the first time since 1918. In 2004 Labour had won two of the four seats in 2004 with 32% of the vote. But five years on Labour has seen its vote fall to just 20%. The Tories edged ahead...

UPDATE: Doesn’t look like Kim is trying to be moderate in response. He just sentenced the 2 journalists to 12 years in prison for ’spying. According to Secretary of State Clinton, the US is considering putting North Korea back on the list of nations that are suspected of sponsoring terrorism. She stated that recent behavior by the rogue nation has dashed hopes that we could improve relations with them. It will be interesting to see whether this is a real threat or if it is a diplomatic...

One of the more interesting oddities of world politics has been the long going debate over the dueling governments of the Peoples Republic of China (aka Mainland China) and the Republic of China (aka Taiwan). For those not entirely familiar with the history I’ll offer a brief review. For much of the first half of the 20th century the nation of China was embroiled in a civil war between the Nationalist government and the Communist opposition. The war ended in 1949 when the Communists won and...

In local elections in the United Kingdom the ruling Labour party has suffered another bad defeat,  losing control of councils that in some cases they have controlled since the 1970’s. The party is rapidly on the way to making the losses by the GOP look mild in comparison. Four years ago when these same councils were elected the Conservative party got 34%, the Liberals got 30% and the Liberal Democrats got 25%. This time around the Conservatives moved up to 36%, the Lib Dems got 28% and the...

A recent study seems to support the idea that sexuality is, to a large degree, hardwired into people at birth. The study showed that the brains of gay men are similar in structure to those of straight women while the brains of gay women are similar in structure to those of straight men. The study will no doubt prompt debate from those who feel sexuality is entirely learned.

In New Jersey the Republican primary for governor has been won by former US attorney Chris Christie. This sets up a contest between Christie and the fairly unpopular Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. New Jersey is one of two states to have a statewide election this fall. The other is Virginia, where Democrats will choose a nominee at a primary on June 9th, the frontrunner being former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. The winner will face off against Bob McDonnell who won the GOP nomination last week. In...

Minnesota Governor Pawlenty has announced he will not seek a third term in 2010. This move certainly gives the Democrats a big pickup opportunity given that the state is quite blue in most elections. There is also considerable speculation that the centrist Republican might run for President in 2012. He refused to confirm or deny any such rumors at his press conference today. Looking to the 2010 campaign it is expected that a number of candidates will be in the race. The Democratic (or in Minnesota...

The confession came a short time ago and was broadcast on the news networks. But not exactly in the way you might have thought. The occasion was a ceremony to sign a bill establishing a commission to honor the centennial of the birth of President Ronald Reagan. The guest of honor was Nancy Reagan who watched as Obama signed the bill and quipped ‘You’re a lefty too’ (in reference to fact that Reagan was left handed). Obama smiled and responded ‘yeah I’m a lefty but i...

Let me begin my making it clear that I do understand the concepts behind the GM bailout (as well as the earlier Chrysler package). I realize that failing to do anything to assist these large corporations could have a drastic impact on the economy in terms of job loss, down the pipeline business failures and so on. But that does not take away from my frustration in helping out businesses who have failed in their basic purpose, to make money and succeed.Yet they are being given a second or third chance,...

From the Huffington Post Cheney expresses support for same sex marriage and yet most of the left still rips in to him (credit to HP for giving him some praise but not all of the readers agree) Obama still opposes it but many make excuses. Isn’t politics fun ?

According to media reports, North Korea’s number one mental case, Kim Jong Il, has moved to name his presumably equally deranged and evil son Kim Jong Un to be his heir. This is, by North Korean standards, a somewhat late move. Jong Il was groomed for decades to succeed his father Kim Il Sung but Jong Un may only have a short time to prepare to take over. It is possible this is a move to prevent power from moving entirely out of the hands of the family. By the way, I have been asked by some...

From time to time we all need to have a good laugh, especially in times like these. One of my favorites programs (or perhaps I should say programmes) is the absolutely brilliant BBC series Yes Minister and it’s successor, Yes Prime Minister. For those not familiar with the programs, they follow the trials of a UK government minister named James Hacker as he works hard to accomplish change and reform. At the same time his chief aide, Sir Humphrey Appleby works just as hard to prevent him...

It now looks like GM is heading down the bankruptcy path, probably as soon as next week. A deal with bondholders may have made things a little easier but will not prevent the filing for a reorganization. Word is that the government will be the major owner of the new company. So we have seen one company sold to the unions and one to the government. It will be quite interesting to see the ultimate impact of this.

With Jay Leno heading wrapping up his time at the Tonight Show I have been watching more of the program than I normally do. Generally my viewing of late night TV is limited to when they have a good guest or to watch the opening monologues. But in that viewing I have noted a distinct difference between Leno and Letterman, which I think can be traced, at least in part, to their backgrounds. While neither man has officially stated his political affiliation I think it is safe to assume both are fairly...

BUMPED AND UPDATED For what it’s worth I’ve had the chance to review the decision and I have posted my thoughts and opinions under the fold. Also, Bush v Gore rivals Ted Olson and David Boies will file suit in Federal Court to seek an injunction on Proposition 8 so the courts can review if the measure violates federal law. I am not sure if the court will take the case and if they do I doubt they will impose an injuction. Federal courts tend to be pretty conservative on these issues and...