Disturbing

Like a bad sci-fi movie-view of a future world after the suicide of civilization.

Considering this display of pride, puissance, and artistic guile by Wu-Tang Clan, it is difficult to be optimistic in the last year of the first decade of this new millennium.

Af-clan-istan has shown every civilization in recorded history the power of a tribal system infected with corruption, ignorance, repression, and religion. Our current political, educational, and social infrastructure is not immune from these viral forces and will be hard pressed to fashion a culture where the mores expressed by this clan, and countless others, ain't nuthin.

I recognize that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter, but what is the freedom they espouse? To my ears, this Clan sounds just as unjust and offensive as the last Klan.

Perspective

In case you didn't read the book, here's the movie that shows everyplace else we know about in the universe. It seems that we ought to be able to figure out that either (a) we need to keep this place tidy or, if we want to use it as a dump, then (b) get busy finding other places to infest.

Video by the American Museum of Natural History.

Lessons Learned

• Pirates:
  • If the ship has an American flag, find another.
• Ship owners:
  • You get what you pay for:
    Discount registrations (from Liberia, Guatemala, etc.) don't include Navy Seals.

Who vs. What

Patricia Stiles in her introduction of Barack Obama in Philadelphia's 30^th Street Station this morning uttered a phrase that caught my attention because it succinctly captures a key part of the change that is afoot. Paraphrasing she said, [Barack Obama] embodies change from the politics of who is right to [doing] what is right.

There is no doubt that Barack Obama is an extremely powerful "who", yet his focus on facts and honest reflection is the polar opposite of the Blink approach of his predecessor. We are seeing the disastrous results of exercising The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. What we need and what we believe we will experience in the next administration is actual thought. I suspect that it will be a difficult challenge for his own party to accept this change, but the people are clearly in the lead on this. The continued low opinion of Congress contrasted with Obama's numbers demonstrate this point.

In his farewell address the other day, George Bush said, "... I've always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right." Unfortunately this is not what the oath he took as President required him to do. In a segment on NPR's Morning Edition last week the careful wording of the Presidential oath in the Constitution was discussed. In particular it was noted that the President swears "... to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The oath clearly directs the President to do what the Constitution says is right, not what the President thinks is right.

This brings us back to the point: it is more important what is right than who is right.

Quid pro quo ex post facto

I predict that if Roland Burris is seated in the U.S. Senate before inauguration day, then Rod Blagojevich (Milorad Blagojević) and his wife Patricia will receive tickets to it from him.