palmerpink

It is no secret that a good deal of my personal philosophy is rooted in principles of self-determination and such. So when I read this article in The Atlantic, " If Afghans Want to Reject the U.S. and Embrace Theocracy, That's Their Right ", I was pleased as punch. That part of the article's title--"That's Their Right"--is philosophically delicious. In this article, Max Fisher argues that whatever path Afghans choose, regardless of whether it is "right" or "wrong", it is their right to make that choice, not ours. This whole Afghan outrage itself may signal the end of our continued presence's justifcation. "If Afghans reject the international force then the most basic conceit of this decade-long war -- Westerners partnering with Afghans to rebuild their country -- will have collapsed, and the U.S.-led mission along with it." That analysis may sound rough-handed, I guess, but it's honest. Frankly, I agree with it. ...

So I remember when I read about this whole war on contraceptives/religious liberty in a New Yorker article and thought "Ah, well that's a sucky red herring", and kinda expected that to be that. Apparently it's, like, a big deal or stuff . Although I'm sure many conservatives legitimately oppose this--that is, as a matter of personal beliefs and not simply  political sleight of hand --it still feels shifty to me. As the USA Today article points out, despite all the infighting and bloodletting in the Republican Primary, this issue "was a battle cry the divided party could bellow in unison". It seems, too, like a case of a loud minority acting like a victimized majority. USA Today quoted a Fox poll demonstrating "61%, of Americans approve of requiring employer health plans to cover birth control for women". Approve.  Only 34% disapprove. I hope, as that New Yorker article I originally read had, that it isn't an enduring distraction...

I posted this to my facebook earlier, but I couldn't help blogging it, too. This video is touching in so many ways. I love her honesty, her warmth. I also love that she supports gay marriage, of course. I won't lie, if more republicans--if more politicians--were as cool as her, I think the country would be a different place. I'm sure that if I looked I'd find she could very well have some terrible track record as a conniving bitch or something awful like that, but I like believing in these things. Especially when they agree with my beliefs.

Thank you, Jon Stewart. Not only do I actually believe in this thing's message, but it also sounds like a really good time. As you said, "It'll be like a chatroom....only real." The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Rally to Restore Sanity www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party I can't be the only guy kinda annoyed at how extremists and partisanship muck up attempts at progress. You know, good ideas that get called stalin-esque and filled with porky 'compromise' until they're just plumply hitler-esque. I also love Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and anything they wanna do in my town, I wanna be there to fuck shit up with them...in moderation, of course.