March 2011
4 posts
Heretic moves!
Please note that Heretic has moved to http://thesilenceseeker.wordpress.com. See you there!
I can never stick to a position...
I am a constant doubter when it comes to most political issues. With the labor struggle in Wisconsin, I still stand firm in my belief that there is an enormous need for reform among how public employees are managed. Basically, they should be subject to the same system of incentives as private employees. But the more I think about what Walker is trying to do, the more I doubt my original stance.
...
It has come to my attention that I had unknowingly set up Heretic such that comments were not allowed on my posts. This seems contrary to the spirit of the blog and, really, blogging in general.
Anyhow, I think I fixed it so that commenting is allowed. If it isn’t, just tell me…which you won’t be able to do….Hopefully, I fixed it.
McCarthyism? Let's hope not...
I watched an interview this morning with Keith Ellison, muslim Congressman from Minneapolis, and Pete King, Congressman from New York and chair of the House’s Committee on Homeland Security. The issue is that Rep. King is starting congressional hearings on March 10 on the radicalization of American Muslims. He points to a string of recent thwarted terror attempts whose perpetrators were all...
February 2011
11 posts
Need for change
A few years ago, back when I was a bleeding heart, I would’ve been cheering the unions on in their battle against the governors who are trying to reform the public sector. Those days are over. There are plenty of good, hard-working public employees; I work with many of them. Overall, though, it is so difficult to terminate public employees that the incentive to work hard and work well is...
Ghadaffi is nuts. He is a textbook case of what happens when you stop drinking your own Kool-aid and resort to rubbing the powder on your gums. That being said, his is not a new psychosis. He is the same kind of crazy as any other dictator who has spent decades trying to convince his people they are not “ready” for democracy and that they “need” him. It is impossible, I...
Some context for Libya →
This is a good primer from al-Jazeera on the tribal structure of Libya and how it relates to Ghadaffi’s reign.
Orwell's Rules of Writing
For those who are interested, here are the fundamental rules that Orwell highlights:
1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2) Never use a long word where a short one will do
3) If it is possible to cut a word out, cut it out
4) Never use the passive when you can use the active.
5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a...
What's in a name?
You’ll notice that the name of this here blog is no longer Homo Publicus. I have changed it to “The Heretic” and I thought I should explain why. I read an essay by George Orwell, last night, called “Politics and the English Language.” In it, he describes everything he thinks is wrong with Modern (as of 1945) English. The gist of it all is that he thinks people get so...
The triumph of non-violence
Advocates of non-violence are receiving powerful evidence of the legitimacy of their views. Cynics often dismiss pacifism as naiivety, saying that it is a nice idea but has no bearing in a violent world. As we watch the glorious upheaval going on everywhere from Gabon to Libya (and there are even reports of renewed protests in Iran), let us note the fact that not only are these uprisings more...
Not just the Middle East →
Looks like the struggle for liberation is spreading throughout the rest of the African continent as well.
Who else?
There is a fair amount of cynicism going around about the fact that the Egyptian military have been handed the reins of the country. True, it could turn out that this results in the downfall of the revolution. Months from now, when it comes time to give control of the country back to the people, the military may well refuse. However, we should not be too quick to jump to postures of cynicism. It...
Have a seat
This is one of those unremarkable things that just sort of struck me. I was enjoying a lazy Sunday morning at Spro (great coffee) down on the Ave. I managed to secure a table and spread out my things (New York Times, book, moleskine), before the place got packed. It took a while, but finally a guy came over and asked if he could sit down as there were no other available tables. I said yes. We...
“Demonstrations marked by non-violent behavior that constituted a national...”
– http://globalmbreport.org/?p=3964
Sic semper tyrannis
Today is a great day, not just for the Egyptian people, but for freedom-loving people everywhere. In an age of pervasive cynicism, we have witnessed a peaceful overthrow of an entrenched dictatorship. It serves as proof that ordinary citizens, when mobilized, can have a profound impact on the surrounding world. In spite of my joy and optimism for the Egyptian people, I am still troubled by the...
December 2010
1 post
things
I stopped posting again. Mea culpa.
I am delighted to see the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. My hope is that this will not only be a boon for the rights of our GLBTQ troops, but will also energize the gay rights movement throughout the country. This is a great day for America.
In spite of its passing, though, Obama’s support continues to lag among liberals which is utterly...
November 2010
2 posts
Brother, can you spare a goddamn penny? →
I was in the midst of wikipedia-ing “Newfoundland and Labrador,” as young swingers in their twenties spend so much of their time doing, when I noticed a link at the top of the screen to a “personal appeal” from the founder of Wikipedia. I am not inclined to respond to these sorts of appeals, but when I finished reading his letter, I found myself doing something rather...
Morning After...
Within two minutes of waking up this morning, my mother called me in a fit of rage. She was looking for someone to console her on the results of the election. She also wanted contrition for my and the rest of the family’s support of Tom Horner, given how close the MN gubernatorial race is. (I couldn’t actually vote in MN, but I attribute 10 of Horner’s 14 percent of the vote to...
October 2010
2 posts
The wrong David →
(click on the title of this post to see the article I am referencing)
This is too much. Ever since the Citizens United ruling, Democrats have been wringing their hands and wailing to high heaven about how special interest campaign spending will be their undoing. They are David to Corporate America’s multi-billion dollar Goliath. It is worth remembering that there are plenty of entrenched,...
Every so often, I randomly get the feeling that I need to go to church—usually in the midst of some sort turmoil. Yesterday morning was such a time. There is a Lutheran church a few blocks from my house. I decided it was finally time to investigate.
The service is held at 10 a.m. I arrived around 9:57, worried that I would be late. I walked into the Church to find about 10 people scattered...
September 2010
3 posts
....
“Once there was a way to get back homeward, once there was a way to get back home.”
No news on future plans. Life is persisting. The list of grown-up experiences grows daily. The only revelation is that there is no going back. I can move back to Minnesota. I can even move back into my old room at my parents’ house, but I can’t go home. Never again to be who I was or to...
Smattering of quick notes
I have only a few quick observations today, so no long diatribes.
First off, three cheers for Stephen Colbert. If you missed it, go on C-Span’s website and check out his testimony before the House Sub-committee on Immigration and Border Security. He was testifying—in character, mind you—in favor of the AgJobs bill that would make it easier for undocumented workers to come fill...
MN Governor's race: Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Smug
Being so far from home, I have not been able to track the Minnesota gubernatorial race as closely as I would like. I finally took the time to watch YouTube footage of the Almanac debate the three candidates held. The debate did little to alter my preconceptions and stances, but it was interesting to see. My thoughts on the candidates are as follows.
Mark Dayton: I genuinely dislike Mark Dayton. I...
August 2010
7 posts
Longing still for an alternative
It looks like things are beginning to deteriorate even more for the Democrats. There is a new wave of polls out that show storm clouds gathering. Although it would be easy to bemoan that fact, I think it goes to show yet again how frustrating it is to be trapped in a two party system. The only way to protest the economic policies of the current administration is to hand power back to the hooligans...
Life update
It occurs to me that the purpose of this blog was meant to be twofold: both a soapbox for my rambling and also a way to keep folks up to date on my life. I have not put much time into the latter. So, I thought I would briefly do that now.
There is not a whole lot to report. I recently took a trip home to Minnesota. My girlfriend tagged along for the first couple days. She is from DC and I had the...
Love the Market? Perhaps not....
Over the past year, I have felt myself grow a bit more fiscally conservative and have warmed to the idea of the free market. I must, however, take issue with the current Right Wing love affair with Free Markets, amidst their anti-Socialist fervor. I simply think that it is worth noting that the Free Market is the reason why there is smut on television, your job got shipped to Bangladesh, and that...
Running the numbers for an anti-Gay Marriage...
In the face of “Judicial Activism,” many conservative activists are calling for an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage. This would entail Congress approving such an initiaive and then sending it out as a referendum to the states. Two thirds of our 50 states would have to then approve the initiative. For those reaching for their calculators, no need. I’ve done the...
A citizen's dilemma
I have been struggling with something lately. I am debating whether I should vote. I would ideally like to vote in Minnesota, but I changed my official residence to Maryland. I could try to falsely change it back, but you need to have been a resident of the state for 6 months prior to the election in order to vote. (I would feel comfortable voting in Minnesota, despite the fact that I do not live...
Case in point →
As always, to see the link I am referencing, click on the title of this post and you will be redirected.
This is a case in point for my last post. Although it is possible (perhaps even probable) that the quotes found in this article were filtered by the author to convey her point, it still stands as an example of the fact that a large portion of the Palestinian population is focused on bread and...
The tactics of tolerance
I don’t think it is possible to overstate the importance of the current debate regarding the proposed building of an Islamic Center near Ground Zero. The Right, true to form, has correctly identified the gravity of the situation, but has chosen an utterly misguided response. I could rebut their Islamophobic diatribes with a moral defense of religious tolerance, but in this instance it is...
July 2010
2 posts
Exasperated
With Financial Regulation passing, I feel like I should be happier than I am. Wall Street’s conduct in the lead up to the crash was reprehensible to the point of being evil. The fact that there will now be regulation to keep that behavior in check should give me comfort. It doesn’t.
The main reason why I cannot bring myself to embrace the regulation is that it relies on regulatory...
I have been taking a greater interest in my garden, lately. I was negligent for a long time and got away with it, but we are getting hit by a massive heat wave. Additionally, the tomato cages I was treating as being “optional” are in fact vital. It also turns out that sticks and those rods you use to close blinds, when stuck in the ground alongside tomato plants, are not in fact...
June 2010
1 post
The admirable assailant
I have been watching the popular response to the Gulf Oil Spill and found myself growing increasingly baffled. It appears as though all of our popular angst is being directed against Obama and the Federal Government’s response to the disaster. Now, it is entirely rational for people to take issue with both the perpetrator and the response of the officials charged with regulating the perpetrator’s...
May 2010
1 post
What's changed?
“Back in the day, black people were never supposed to cross 25th St.”
“Why?”
“They thought they’d get shot.”
“What about today? Do white folks cross 25th St.?”
“Of course not.”
“Why?”
“They think they’ll get shot.”
“So, what’s changed?”
“Not too much, I suppose”
...
March 2010
3 posts
Ghettos, Porches, and a Happy St. Patty's Day to...
I recently had one of those realizations in which you come to see something with your eyes and feel it in your gut, despite the fact that you already know it in your head. I went for a run, the other day. Rather than follow my normal route, I decided to explore more of the adjacent neighborhoods, on the other side of the highway.
There is a trend that I have begun to see, just in my life in...
The greatest act
I was at a community association meeting, last night, in one of the wealthier neighborhoods in our area. The president of the association is a real nice, young guy, with a couple of little kids. They are just a few years away from having to decide to which school they will send their kids. I was standing around talking with him and one of the older residents. She was asking him whether or not he...
Where did the movement go?
I just listened to a Fresh Air podcast, featuring a writer from the Washington Independent who covers the Conservative/Tea Party Movement. I was amazed as I listened to him describe their sophistication. I didn’t realize this, but they are having activists run for the lowest of offices—school board, city council, etc. They embody the very definition of a grassroots movement. When you...
February 2010
5 posts
Simple things my parents have been trying to teach...
Just a brief check-in. This has been a good week for me. I was kind of a mess, last week. I had been very disorganized and made a fool of myself more than once. At the start of the week, I decided to finally set-up the file cabinet next to my desk and organize the paper strewn across my desk. All of a sudden, there was a complete 180. I have been on top of my game all week. People have started...
Observations From Around the Neighborhood
Life is slowly returning to normal, here in Bmore, after the Snow-pocalypse. By and large, most folks have finished digging out their cars. In the city, there are very few places to put snow that has been shoveled away, so people shovel out just enough snow at the front and back of their cars—allowing room to move in and out of the space. What is left is a crooked column of snow, reminiscent...
Snowpocalypse
It’s been a while since I last posted, which is interesting because I have been trapped inside doing nothing for the past week. I would fill you in as to why that is, but apparently it’s been all over the national news. The average snowfall for Baltimore is 18”. This winter we have gotten somewhere around 5 feet. In other words, my attempt to seek out a quasi-milder climate has...
My body
Yes, my body. Back to anecdotes from my personal experiences. This week (week loosely defined as it is Tuesday) has been marked by two major physiological changes: a) starting to exercise again and b) quitting coffee, cold turkey.
To explain how this is playing out, it is best for me to walk you through a given day.
8 am: I wake up feeling less groggy than one would expect. I pause as I walk...
Haircuts and heartbreaks →
First, I am told that I am letting my blog go to the weeds, so I will try to post more regularly.
Now, on to the post. So, I don’t normally give a hoot about politicians’ sex scandal, and John Edwards was really no exception. That was until I read some analysis that pointed out the fact that this is the starkest contrast between the private and public persona of any politician we have...
January 2010
4 posts
Foreign language education →
Very interesting piece. I am happy to hear that Chinese programs are growing, but the rest of the piece is disheartening. I have been blessed by receiving a strong education in Spanish and it fundamentally altered my life’s trajectory.
Stand up for languages in schools. In the modern world, kids without access to foreign languages get left behind.
Old Year, New Year
I wanted to make a post before New Years, looking back on the last year, but never got a chance. Instead, I will use this as an opportunity to look back on the last year and look forward to the coming one.
It goes without saying that the last year was a mess. Hard times have not been so palpable in a long time. It was said over and over that it was the worst recession since the Great Depression,...
Homeland Insecurity
I just got back from a community meeting in one of the northernmost neighborhoods in the city. The meeting, which included the Chief of the Fire Department, several City Council members, and the City Council President (who is to become mayor upon Sheila Dixon’s resignation), was called to discuss the closing of the local firehouse. The Fire Department is dealing with a 6 million dollar...
You'll always wonder: A New Year's Resolution
I’m back in Baltimore. My flight home was a complete mess, but the one back was smooth by comparison. The only aggravating part was that they held us on the ground in Milwaukee for about 25 minutes and then another 20 minutes after we touched down in Balmer, in addition to taking 45 minutes to get our bags to the baggage claim.
I overheard the girl in the middle seat, across the aisle from...
December 2009
6 posts
I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about the controversy over the e-mails between climate change scientists that seem to impugn their findings. Before I begin, let me state the obvious: this does not disprove the theory of climate change. It still seems to me that there is a profound amount of evidence supporting the existence of climate change. What has been left shaken by the whole ordeal is my...
addendum
I’m considering vegetarianism for economic reasons. I made a meal tonight of vegetables, beans, and potatoes. Not bad.
check in
I have no diatribes to go off on, but I thought I’d do a little Sunday night check in.
Life here is pretty good. My job is still sort of ambiguous. For the time being, I’m still just meeting people and helping out at various community functions. Yesterday, I was an “elf” at the Waverly Main Street Christmas event. Baltimore has five different “main streets,”...
Strangely familiar
I just got done reading the transcript of Obama’s acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize. It was eloquent as always, but it gave me pause. All throughout the campaign, Obama maintained a consistently militaristic line when it came to Afghanistan. The Right refused to accept the authenticity of this aggressiveness, and dismissed it as posturing–going so far as to suggest it was a rouse, a...