Obama versus Ryan

Updated Below.


Here is Paul Krugman's take on Obama versus Ryan.

And here is David Brooks take on it.

Would you believe they are talking about the same subject?

It's what passes for dialogue in partisan DC,
Liberal columnist versus Conservative columnist.

It's not dialogue at all of course. It's two opinionated
men talking past each other, playing the old blame game.

And we wonder why our society feels so toxic.

The two columnists quoted above write for the NY Times.
When I got to the Washington Post I found these two
diametrically opposed opinions.

Here is Charles Krauthammer's take.

And here is Eugene Robinson's.

All four of these columns are worth reading in full
and I urge my readers to do so because all four
writers are articulate and intelligent, and make
their arguments well. Agreeing or disagreeing with
them, it's important to understand their position
if you hope to be an informed voter.

Leanderthal

The Realist: Glenn Greenwald of Salon

My experience has it that Glenn Greenwald understands the writing on the wall better than most DC pundits. Here he pulls the wool back from our eyes on why the president seems to be, actually is, caving to the GOPhers on budget cuts, taxes and other GOPher demands.

It's his re-election strategy, and he's counting on not losing progressives even when he abandons them. Who else are they going to vote for; Romney, Trump, Gingrich, Pawlenty, Palin, Bachmann, Paul and other assorted clowns?

Is this what is called "realpolitik"?

Leanderthal

Juan Cole on Who Values Democracy

Here's Juan Cole's take on American's and Arab's commitment to democracy.

Leanderthal

An Indicator of American Level of Intelligence

And we wonder why America seems to be in decline.
This article says a lot about it.

The actors in the TV hit Jersey Shore are given obscene raises.
Why? It's simple. This sleazy show is watched by huge numbers
of Americans, and we have to assume that they vote.

It's hard not to believe that the level of intelligence of a
large segment our population must be considered
at least challenged.

It's no wonder that the wing nut
GOPher Tea Party fringe can fool so many voters with
their bald face lies, convincing the gullible to vote against
their own interests.

Leanderthal

It's Still the Oil Stupid

It's always all about oil. Noam Chomsky doesn't pull his punches. Leanderthal

B for Bastards, P for Pissers

If this news item doesn't piss you off I doubt that anything could.

It speaks for itself.

Leanderthal

Hate War? Don't Dismiss the Value of Physical Competition .

Talk about pie in the sky. How could we homo sapiens ever channel the aggressive aspect of our being which, clearly, we came to quite naturally and essentially through what is called Evolution?

That process depends and thrives on awarding the victor over the vanquished, the survival of the fittest, and, to use the more euphemistic and less barbaric term, Natural Selection.

But, as a retired athlete and participant in many competitions, I was part of how civilized people do channel their aggression in healthy ways.

Right now MLB has started again, the NBA is moving toward the end of its season and the men's and women's collegiate basketball season is ending with the usual March madness.
Football, which comes as close as any sport to the old Roman games, will start up in the Fall.

We've turned the Roman Colosseum fight to the death athletics into a mostly positive and mostly healthy activity.

Thinking outside the box, what countries like Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen
need is an active sports culture, for both men and women.

If my ancestors could have competed with today's homo sapiens sapiens in a sports arena, we Neanderthals just might have survived. After all we were bigger and stronger physically, though it seems perhaps not as smart. I bet you know some of today's athletes like that.

Leanderthal