Alex Rodriguez has decided he wants to play for the New York Yankees. The MVP has apparently realized that there's little glory in being a superstar if your team never wins. The members of the White House press corps have shown signs they may be learning that same lesson. Here's the most encouraging thing I've heard from that group of reporters, via a transcript of the gaggle posted by Josh Marshall: "QUESTION: Can you answer Mark's question. Can you answer... Read more
The Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Independent Commission would like to ask President Bush: What defensive action did you personally order to protect our nation during the crisis on September 11? What time were these orders given, and to whom? What orders were carried out? What was the result of such orders? Were any such orders not carried out? Read more
The Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Independent Commission would like to ask President Bush: On the morning of 9/11, who was in charge of our country while you were away from the National Military Command Center? Were you informed or consulted about all decisions made in your absence? Read more
So in this story you have an old uncle who lives in a mansion outside of town. Your uncle owns the valuable mansion outright, but has little else in the way of assets and income. He proposes a deal. If you will provide him with money to live on, a percentage of your wages, you will be allowed to move into the mansion when you retire and he will leave the grand old house to you. It seems like a... Read more
It's remarkable, and disturbing, how quickly local news can broadcast an interview with grieving family members following a fire, crime, accident or other calamity. The victims' loved ones often appear to be in shock, seeming too traumatized even to demand the privacy they require and deserve in the immediate aftermath of tragedy. Rarely is there any legitimate news value in these interviews, only raw emotion and the voyeuristic thrill of watching some unfortunate soul in the grip of one or... Read more
Driving home last night (or, I guess, this morning) I heard a BBC radio interview with Brent Mann, author of 99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders. I sat down prepared to write a plea for what I thought was a glaring need in the world of music: a punk-rock cover version of Nena's classic 1980s hit. Somebody, I thought, needs to break down and rebuild that song the way the Ramones cut to the giddy heart... Read more
I watched San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom last night on CNN's Larry King Live, where he repeatedly argued that the same-sex marriages being performed in his city were fully constitutional: KING: Were you challenging, Mayor, the wishes of the people of California? NEWSOM: No, I was actually upholding my constitutional oath to bear full faith and allegiance to the constitution of the state of California. And Larry, nowhere in that constitution does it allow me to discriminate against people. And... Read more
In searching for the letter below, I also came across the following letter from Lincoln to Herndon. In this letter the congressman defends his vote against the Mexican War while rebutting two charges of alleged inconsistency. Lincoln opposed the war as "unnecessarily and unconstitutionally commenced by the President," yet he voted in favor of supplies for the war. Lincoln, like many contemporary senators, does not consider this a contradiction. He also speaks favorably of those who fought honorably in the... Read more
I posted the following letter from Rep. Abraham Lincoln (W, Ill.) to his law partner William H. Herndon twice during 2003, but the archives appear to be bloggered. The letter is still relevant and I'm reposting it here. The text of the letter can be found in Vol. 2 of the Complete Writings of Abraham Lincoln. The letter came to my attention when Sen. Robert Byrd (D, W.V.) read it on the Senate floor. TO WILLIAM H. HERNDON. WASHINGTON, February... Read more
Michigan and Vermont figured out a way to save money on the cost of prescription drugs purchased by those state's Medicaid programs. By joining together to increase their buying power, the two states were able to negotiate lower prices for the medicines they purchased. The Bush administration seems to think reducing the cost of prescription drugs is a bad thing: The Bush administration rejected a program that saved Michigan and Vermont millions of dollars by allowing them to negotiate jointly... Read more
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