Random Musings

Long time since I've posted anything but that is to be expected. Too many conferences in too few weeks. Either way, some thoughts have been floating around in the ol muser's head but nothing has gelled into a coherent picture that would make sense to anyone other than a postmodernist. First off let's push aside the elections. We won. End of story. Regretably so too did Lieberman and now he is walking around as if Congress orbited his saggy jowels, which it just might. He is now tossing around, refusing to deny, refusing to confirm, but in general using to his full advantage the fear that his lame ass might properly switch to the Republican party. I really hope he goes. I really do. I really wanted to win just one extra seat in the Senate so that we could do without his dull fuddy duddy ass. Such is not the case...

What else? Women on the rise? This is a good thing. Madame Speaker Pelosi sounds great as does Madame Royal in France when she represents the Socialists in next year's presidential elections. Toss in the possibility that Hillary Clinton might run (I am not endorsing that, mind you. She is far too centrist for me and would likely not get my vote. She has a lot of sucking up to do after she tried to brandish her 'family values' creds by cozying up to the now ousted Santorum) and one could be forgiven for thinking that the women are truly on the rise. If they are, bravo to them. But a good survey of the world might lead us to wonder if outside the big 7 that they weren't already on the rise. Still, I'm content.

South Africa! This just tickles me, well, pink. South Africa formally recognised gay marriage becoming one of just four countries to do so. Sure, many South Africans themselves are opposed but so what? I find this to be all the greater when we juxtapose this with Wisconsin's decision to amend their constitution to ban recognition of such marriages. Who'd have thought this would happen? 'Liberal' ol US versus formerly apartheid South Africa in a contest of progressive values. HA! If this doesn't get people to drag their backasswards images of Africa into this century I don't know what will. It ought to also force a realignment of the liberal heartland that gave us Sen Feingold. (This is not to say that any flaming homosexual should feel safe to parade about Joberg tomorrow. The continent remains deeply conservative and in most countries being gay is a crime- Uganda, for example. But still, I'm happy).

Anything else? Probably. But too much to cover here. Just a last point of note. It's good to see Ted Koppel get on the Daily Show and wax intellectual with Stewart about the damage being wrought by 24hour news channels. It brings to mind Niel Postman's point that television is rewiring the popular epistemology. Truth fits into a soundbite or it doesn't matter. If you have a TV I suggest watching Koppel's programme on Iran on the Discovery channel. I'm sure in the two hours it is running that a clearer picture of Iran will emerge and we will all be the better for it...

So thems the musings...