Quote of the Day

I repost this quote every year about this time (because I can!).  It's one of my favorites. Although this was written in 1941, Agee certainly could have been talking about today's Republican Party.

"A civilization which for any reason puts a human life at a disadvantage; or a civilization which can exist only by putting human life at a disadvantage; is worthy neither of the name nor of continuance. And a human being whose life is nurtured in an advantage which has accrued from the disadvantage of other human beings, and who prefers that this should remain as it is, is a human being by definition only, having much more in common with the bedbug, the tapeworm, the cancer, and the scavengers of the deep sea."

James Agee,  Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Oh, Jeb, We Hardly Knew Ye

As the Jeb Bush's presidential campaign has unfolded, it's hard not to agree with the idea that W. was probably the "smart" one all along.

Some Carefully Thought-out Opinions

• Those of us white folks who consider ourselves supporters of Black Lives Matter, and civil rights in general, have benefited from white privilege just like our racist brothers and sisters. The white abolitionists of the nineteenth century reaped economic benefits from slavery, maybe not like the southern slave owners, but they benefited nonetheless. And if I have benefited, then it must have been at someone else's expense. This doesn't mean we have to question the sincerity of our beliefs, nor those of the abolitionists. But it is healthy to acknowledge this truth as a first principle.
• I find it very interesting how my conservative friends (including, of course, conservative Lutherans!) are so offended that the current pope seems to be butting his nose into some political issues. I don't recall quite the same discomfort when the previous two popes dabbled in politics. Perhaps they aren't opposed to the pope involving himself with politics, as long as they are politics that they agree with??
• Here's hoping that Carly Fiorina's apparent problems with telling the truth--Planned Parenthood videos; her implication that she worked her way from secretary to CEO like Melanie Griffith; her statements about HP selling in Iran--will warrant the same level of scrutiny from The New York Times that they have shown in their relentless (and so far pretty beef-less) pursuit of Hillary Clinton.

Headline of the Day

"The Return of Voodoo Economics"

from John Cassidy's (excellent) article in The New Yorker, discussing Jeb Bush's (un)new economic plan.

Details Please...

Dick Cheney (yesterday):  "I was right about Iraq....The world's a much better place without [Saddam Hussein]."

Me:  "Please explain, in detail, Mr. Vice President, exactly how it is such a better place."

Since a few thousand Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis lost their lives, I expect a very long and detailed list.  I can give you two examples off the top of my head that suggest the opposite. (1) On the day you guys invaded Iraq, you guaranteed that Iran would become the most important power in the Mideast (along with Israel).  (2) There were an estimated 1.5 million Christians living in Iraq under Saddam before the war. Most of them are gone, and that was true long before ISIS was around.  The Christians in Iraq were probably doomed when you invaded.

GOP, Ben Carson, and Dick Cheney

• It's kinda fun to watch all these "tough" GOP candidates whine about how the press (and everyone else, I guess) is picking on them.  Wah-wah!
• I have done a little Googling on the subject and haven't been able to find anyone on the Religious Right who has any misgiving--much less outrage--over Ben Carson using aborted fetal tissue in his research.  Can you spell M-O-R-A-L R-E-L-A-T-I-V-I-S-M?
• I see that Dick Cheney is going to give a speech this month opposing the Iran deal.  Is he really a closet supporter?  I think his speech will help the pro-deal cause.  Does anyone want to be on the same side as Dick Cheney on any issue?