tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64333482011-06-07T23:24:07.853-07:00We are random liberals (who knew?). Collectively, we make up the greatest blog in the history of ourselves. We will blog about anything that suits us; mostly politics, with a little bit of religion and randomness to make the blog exciting.randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.comBlogger1291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1175229383392798052007-03-29T22:35:00.000-07:002007-03-29T22:37:30.066-07:00

Last week, I noticed in the paper that a member of the Texas Legislature was proposing that we add the words "under God" to the pledge to the Texas flag. And I remembered how ridiculous I've always thought it was that Texas even had pledge of allegiance.When I was in high school, towards the end of my educational career there, the Texas Legislature passed a law saying that all Texas

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1154406503192376882006-07-31T20:33:00.000-07:002006-07-31T21:28:23.620-07:00

Well, it's been a long time since I've written. But recent world events have pushed me to want to write again.All day today I've been listening to NPR and keeping up with the situation going on in Israel and Lebanon. It's awful. Israel promised a 48 hour cease of air strikes, but broke that promise after Hezbollah rockets hit an Israeli tank. Add up that incident with the air strike on the town

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1128960319600843472005-10-10T09:02:00.000-07:002005-10-10T09:05:19.606-07:00

OK, posting has been non-existant recently, but that all changes tonight (possibly) when I have my first ever Fisking of a stupid article. You won't want to miss the next exciting episode of Random Liberals, when David Brooks' incredibly dumb column from yesterday gets taken apart, point by point. Stay tuned.As a side-note, tomorrow, October 11th, is National Coming Out Day.Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1127106691464099312005-09-19T13:52:00.000-07:002005-09-19T14:32:23.613-07:00

I listened to This American Life yesterday with my dad (it was actually last week's episode). Ira Glass did long interviews in New Orleans with several survivors of Hurricane Katrina. One of the interviews was of Denise Moore, who rode out the hurricane in her home, walked to a nearby hospital where the rest of her family was after the storm ended, and then was taken with her family to the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1126759674983155602005-09-14T21:24:00.000-07:002005-09-14T21:47:54.990-07:00

I believe that now would be an appropriate time to resurrect one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes jokes of all time (originally posted here, very early in the life of this blog):I pledge allegiance to Queen Fragg, and her mighty state of hysteria...Today, a district court judge ruled that teacher-led recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools are unconstitutional because of the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1126288267987908482005-09-09T10:42:00.000-07:002005-09-09T10:51:07.993-07:00

I don't really have anything to say myself about the tragedy. I just want to point everyone to this story, (via Workbench) which has been reprinted in many places. It is the personal experience of two EMTs who were vacationing in New Orleans when Katrina struck. They were stranded in the city for several days, and during that time they -- along with other people they banded together with --

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1126155611096512822005-09-07T21:40:00.000-07:002005-09-08T06:47:29.886-07:00

Yesterday was a day of celebration for GLBT-rights activists in California, as the Assembly narrowly voted in favor of a bill that would give same-sex couples full marriage rights and responsibilities. However, the celebration was short-lived, as the Governator indicated today that he intended to veto the bill:Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday he will veto a bill that would have

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1125458279254558302005-08-30T20:12:00.000-07:002005-08-30T20:19:26.286-07:00

I don't normally steal wholesale from other blogs, because I like to try to find original material. However, I'm making an exception here. Note the oh-so-subtle differences between the captions for these two pictures (and yes, I realize it's two different news agencies. I don't care.):A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug.

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1125336356015370232005-08-29T10:21:00.000-07:002005-08-29T12:14:13.763-07:00

Shamelessly stolen from FeministeRobert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1125069900109278172005-08-26T08:21:00.000-07:002005-08-26T08:25:00.110-07:00

The blog is undergoing a template change, and I am going to be tinkering with it for a bit. I would like to add a blog roll, both so you can see what I read, and also to link to my classmate's blogs (and my new blog) for my English class. This blog will still be my main political blog, but I want anyone who reads this (hi Dad and Katherine) to be able to read my English assignments and other

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1124908928857881722005-08-24T11:32:00.000-07:002005-08-25T06:56:14.606-07:00

So I guess it's kind of been awhile since I've done this. Oops. One of these days, this blog will be updated a lot more often than it has been over the last year. This isn't one of those days. Today is the first day of class at the university, and while it hasn't been especially busy (I have only two classes, and they're 5ish hours apart--sorry, I don't feel like doing the math), the school

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1118782343759776192005-06-14T13:29:00.000-07:002005-06-14T13:54:08.250-07:00

The verdict is in. The trial is over. IT DOESN'T F---ING MATTER ANYMORE! Instead of covering unimportant bullshit like that (or the latest WWWA* story), why not devoting more time to this?Or this?Or maybe this?Or perhaps even this?*WWWA=Where the White Women At?Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1118687838088135032005-06-13T11:18:00.000-07:002005-06-13T11:37:28.493-07:00

This past weekend, partially as a reward for my making Dean's List (woot woot), and partially because they know I have an interest in such things, my parents got me a book called Ideas of the Great Philosophers by William S. and Mabel Lewis Sahakian. (By the way, thank you Dad and Katherine.)It's an introduction to philosophy, and since I know diddly-squat about philosophy, it's a good one for

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1118083812627460142005-06-06T11:45:00.000-07:002005-06-06T11:54:37.110-07:00

Today is the 61st anniversary of the Allied forces' invasion of Normandy during World War II. Here is the Wikipedia entry on the invasion. Not comprehensive by any means, but definitely a good starter.Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1118070193804142942005-06-06T07:35:00.000-07:002005-06-06T12:27:08.373-07:00

Just a large majority of us, apparently. Governor Rick "Goodhair" Perry came to my very own Funkytown (Fort Worth, for the uninitiated) to sign a bill requiring parental consent for a minor to get an abortion and a new hate resolution (registration required), which I mentioned in my previous post. The abortion bill will become law, but the anti-gay resolution was just a symbolic "fuck you", as

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1116866458580949612005-05-23T09:32:00.000-07:002005-05-23T11:06:38.523-07:00

On Saturday, in an effort to prove to the rest of the country that Texas really, seriously is not gay, without a shadow of a doubt, the Texas Senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban marriage rights for same-sex couples. The amendment, which has already passed in the House of Representatives, will now go to the voters as a referendum on this November's ballot. While

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1116447089789622022005-05-18T15:09:00.000-07:002005-08-28T20:05:59.643-07:00

So, from today's press gaggle, we find that if you are a pseudo-Communist dictator with ties to the former Soviet Union, and you jail 75 members of the opposition, the United States will rhetorically beat the crap out of you; however, if you are a pseudo-fascist secular dictator with ties to the former Soviet Union, and you kill hundreds of unarmed Islamic protestors -- but in the name of the war

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1115781934749566662005-05-10T20:07:00.000-07:002005-05-18T17:12:54.976-07:00

Alright, so according to the AP, United Airlines is going to be allowed to default on its pension payments as part of its plan to dig out of bankruptcy. This will leave the federal government to pick up the tab, which as you might could guess will not be able to pay all of what was guaranteed to the retirees. This was a defined-benefit pension, much like the current social security system. Now

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1114814358170554992005-04-29T15:35:00.000-07:002005-04-29T15:39:18.170-07:00

Today is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp at the end of World War II. My grandfather was part of the force that arrived in Dachau that day to boxcars full of dead and emaciated prisoners. Here's to the bravery of my grandfather and those who fought with him.Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1114182037559514502005-04-22T07:17:00.000-07:002005-04-22T08:02:49.056-07:00

Spain's lower house of parliament adopted a bill today allowing for marriage rights for gays and also allowing for adoption by gay couples. The bill will be implemented in a few months, after the Spanish Senate--which like the English House of Lords is a mostly ceremonial legislative house--adopts the bill. While the Netherlands and Belgium have previously passed laws allowing gay marriage, Spain

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1113601723894723402005-04-15T14:46:00.000-07:002005-04-15T14:48:43.896-07:00

I meant to say something last week, but for the past week or so I have been guestblogging at Feministe, which is why I haven't been posting here so much. Head on over and check out what others and I have been talking about. You'll like it...I hope.Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1112376010379391572005-04-01T09:16:00.000-08:002005-04-01T09:20:10.380-08:00

President Bush has been spending an awful long time out and about promoting his not-yet-a-plan for Social Security, which raises the question: Who's running the country right now? While Bush is up on his stages lying to us about the trust fund and putting down PhD.'s, who is holding the briefcase in Washington?Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1111469849968815422005-03-21T20:46:00.000-08:002005-03-21T21:37:29.970-08:00

So. Last week was my Spring Break. Yes, that's right, the implication is that I'm back in school. Hooray for me. More on that development later. First, Spring Break. The Texas Moratorium Network, in conjunction with the Austin chapter of Campaign to End the Death Penalty, held an anti-death penalty alternative Spring Break. Together with about 20 other high school and college students, I went to

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1110961859138832982005-03-16T00:08:00.000-08:002005-03-16T00:30:59.140-08:00

I was really bored tonight and was looking at old (well, not that old) newspaper articles with one of my friends. I happened to run across an editorial in the Dallas Morning News complaining about a picture they used of a soldier smoking a cigarette. The lady was complaining the paper should have used a better picture because the soldiers are role models to children. For a moment I was angry and,

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1098143569570872712004-10-18T16:24:00.000-07:002004-10-18T20:41:11.530-07:00

I, the writer of this blog, hereby officially endorse John Kerry for President. I also officially endorse Morris Meyer for U.S. Congress, Darrel Cox for state representative, Andrew Hill for state senate, and a "no" vote on the Arlington Cowboys stadium referendum. Not that it's going to make one whit of difference. Chances are decent that, at least in this county, I'm going to lose every

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1096994311242046492004-10-05T09:05:00.000-07:002004-10-05T09:38:59.873-07:00

So. The Texas Republican Party thought that it would be a good idea to send my household a list of their goals, taken from the state party platform. I can't tell you why exactly they would do that. All three members of my household (my father, my step-mother, and me) voted in last March's Democratic primary, and my father and step-mother have both been Democrats for at least a decade (I can't

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1096652856937158132004-10-01T11:28:00.000-07:002004-10-01T10:47:36.936-07:00

So. I watched the debate last night, albeit belatedly. I had band practice, so I missed the first 45 minutes. Fortunately, my dad and step-mom taped it for me, so I saw the first 45 minutes after watching the last 45 minutes. In my opinion, Senator Kerry did a much better job than President Bush. The president was petulant, and appeared annoyed often when he was not speaking. I wanted to focus

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1094154538814827632004-09-02T12:04:00.000-07:002004-09-02T12:48:58.813-07:00

So. When I first set out to write this, I was going to present a highlight from all three days so far, then add hopefully biting commentary...but I can't remember any of Monday. Wait...now it's coming back to me. McCain and Giuliani. I didn't really pay attention to either of their speeches. Truth be told, I haven't paid attention to any of them. I can't really watch for more than three or

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1092424906589107922004-08-13T11:04:00.000-07:002004-08-13T12:21:46.590-07:00

Today is my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. My father's parents were married on Friday, August 13, 1954 in Miami, Florida. Yes, Friday the 13th. I only found that part out last week. I'm not quite sure why they did that, but if their sense of humor is anything like mine or my dad's, they probably did it to be funny. Now, they celebrate 50 years of being together. Unfortunately, it

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1092279486496578532004-08-11T19:33:00.000-07:002004-08-11T19:58:06.496-07:00

Last Friday, I went to a concert that my old roommate's band played at. They are called Shadowed Beneath, and they play doom metal. Doom is one of my absolute favorite musical styles. It is very dark, and very melodic. I can't really give a good example of who they sound like, because mainstream radio doesn't play their style of music. Ever. But that's another gripe for another day. The closest

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1091491729266611622004-08-02T17:10:00.000-07:002004-08-02T17:08:49.266-07:00

So I was watching ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings' Replacement (I never caught her name), and they did a segment on the latest ABC News poll. In it, Kerry leads by wide margins in several categories, including the economy, and who would make the best "commander-in-chief," and by a slim margin in the "who best to lead us on the war on terror" category. Not that any of that really

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1089331126425903882004-07-08T16:56:00.000-07:002004-07-08T16:58:46.426-07:00

Today I was able to see two examples of the people in this world in McDonalds, of all places. After my stepmom, my kid sister, and I ordered our meals and sat down, a lady walked over to our booth and placed a couple of cards on our table. The card read "Hello! I am deaf. I am selling this card for a living. Pay what you wish, $1.50 or $2.00." My stepmother immediately dug two dollars out of her

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1085726392572721992004-05-27T23:35:00.000-07:002004-05-27T23:39:52.573-07:00

I just saw a clip of Gore's speech from Wednesday. He was saying, in a loud, boisterous, and energized voice, that Rumsfeld, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, and Stephen Cambone should all resign. Watching him yell, rant, and rave (in a good, Howard Dean kind of way), I couldn't help but think: Where was this four years ago? Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1085725104288403992004-05-27T23:00:00.000-07:002004-05-27T23:18:24.286-07:00

Linda Campbell (about whom I have written before), wrote a column in Thursday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram (sorry, requires registration) discussing the recent statements by a few Catholic leaders saying that pro-choice Catholic politicians cannot receive Eucharist. As I said in the previous post about her, Campbell is one of my favorite columnists, and she did not disappoint me here: It's

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1085636546835976102004-05-26T22:25:00.000-07:002004-08-12T17:27:30.600-07:00

The Boston Herald (among others) is reporting that John Kerry will formally accept the nomination of the Democratic Party at the Democratic National Convention in July, ending speculation that he might delay formally accepting until the Republican National Convention in August. He was considering the delay so that he could continue to spend unlimited amounts of money on the campaign, just as

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1085634976560443802004-05-26T22:07:00.000-07:002004-05-26T22:16:16.560-07:00

I have really dropped the ball on this blogging thing. My apologies. First, exciting news: I am going to the Texas Democratic Convention as a full delegate. When last I wrote here, I still thought I was going to be an alternate. Last week, I found out that one of the delegates from my precinct cannot go, so I am taking her place. The convention is going to be in Houston, at the downtown

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1085280758302961422004-05-22T19:11:00.000-07:002004-05-22T19:52:38.303-07:00

I cannot fathom what some people are thinking about the abuses at Abu Ghraib. They're not offended that our soldiers are taking advantage of the prisoners, they're offended because our oh-so "brilliant" president apologized. First of all, Bush didn't even apologize when he first spoke about the abuses. Then Shrub apologized to King Abdullah II of Jordan, not the Iraqi Governing Council or the

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1084250003309240962004-05-10T21:18:00.000-07:002004-05-10T21:33:23.310-07:00

This past weekend, I met with a few people in order to help start a group called "No More Son of a Bush." It is a group for young political activists who wish to see George Bush's sorry butt ridden out of Washington on a rail. We are going to try to reach out to young potential voters in the area, and get them to first register to vote, and then vote for John Kerry. To that end, we want to put

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083953777089059272004-05-07T11:13:00.000-07:002004-05-07T11:20:45.403-07:00

Go read this. It is from Baghdad Burning, a blog which I have referenced before. In case you don't know, it's written by a woman in her mid-20s who lives in Baghdad. In writing about her own reactions to Abu Ghraib, she captures the outrage of many average Iraqis. I can't really add anything to it. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083875895698214772004-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:002004-05-06T14:17:53.543-07:00

Bush said today that he apologized to Jordan's King Abdullah II for the atrocities in Abu Ghraib prison. Also, he stood behind Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying that Rumsfeld "is an important part of my Cabinet, and he'll stay in my Cabinet." I'm glad he finally actually apologized. As for Rumsfeld, we'll see what Bush has to say after Rumsfeld testifies in front of the Senate Armed

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083813570587245672004-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:002004-05-05T21:57:02.670-07:00

In a somewhat surprising development, President Bush is expressing "annoyance" with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Bush is upset with how Rumsfeld, and the Department of Defense in general, has handled the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. According to the linked article, Bush has said that he knew of general accusations of abuse of prisoners as far back as January, but did not know

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083645203976689372004-05-03T21:12:00.000-07:002004-05-03T21:37:49.623-07:00

According to this article from Reuters, six officers involved in the atrocities at Abu Ghraib prison have been given written reprimands, and a seventh got a less serious written admonishment for their abuses. According to the same article, six regular soldiers are the subject of criminal investigations that will likely result in courts-martial. I do not understand why the regular soldiers are

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083259894686773872004-04-29T10:21:00.000-07:002004-04-29T11:16:29.060-07:00

In his brilliant stand-up movie, Bill Cosby Himself, Bill Cosby talks about wanting to have a child. Speaking of himself and his wife Camille, he says "We sat in the back seat of a car..........and discussed it." The audience roared. It was definitely one of the best moments of the routine. President Bush came out of his interview with the 9-11 Commission this morning to make public remarks.

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083257740674326272004-04-29T09:47:00.000-07:002004-04-29T09:59:57.293-07:00

Everybody listen to Morning Edition tomorrow morning. It will be Bob Edwards' last broadcast before he is moved into the "senior correspondent" position. I really don't have the connection with him that other people do. I only really started listening to NPR in the last couple of years. However, Edwards is something of an institution, having started at the show five years before I was even

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1083100680830132612004-04-27T14:11:00.000-07:002004-04-27T14:22:15.496-07:00

This month marks the tenth anniversary of the first free elections in South Africa since the end of Apartheid. This week, NPR's All Things Consedered is running a five part series produced by Radio Diaries on Nelson Mandela and his role in the struggle for democracy. Go listen to the first parts and read more about Mandela. Or, you can listen from here. This is a very important part of recent

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082921968544844342004-04-25T12:23:00.000-07:002004-04-25T12:45:51.356-07:00

Who would've figured? Apparently, people/soldiers are fungible, according to Donald Rumsfeld. Fungible means something along the lines of an object or thing that can be easily replaced. When I heard that Rummy had gibly said that statement, I was furious and yet almost ready to start laughing at his stupidity. It's so sad when someone can convince themselves that the soldiers don't really count

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082830360453354902004-04-24T11:10:00.000-07:002004-04-24T11:16:50.903-07:00

I have moved comments to the bottom of each post instead of the top. It appears that the last commenter was a little confused as to which comments link was for which post, so now that I understand html a little better than I did when I started, I have moved it around. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082679019838829432004-04-22T16:50:00.000-07:002004-04-22T17:14:27.903-07:00

The Michigan House of Representatives has voted to pass a bill that would allow "health care workers to refuse service to anyone on moral, ethical or religious grounds." It was passed for the express purpose of allowing doctors and nurses to refuse to treat homosexuals. It now has to pass the Senate, which is Republican dominated. Fortunately, the governor (Jennifer Granholm) is a Democrat, so

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082671106217618922004-04-22T14:52:00.000-07:002004-04-22T15:02:33.513-07:00

Volunteer for a local campaign. Whether it's for your candidate for state representative, senator, U.S. Rep, city council, or your local John Kerry campaign, volunteer. I plan to do so for both state representative candidate Darrel Cox and John Kerry. It will be the experience of a lifetime. Also, encourage a couple of friends to help you out. Write letters to your local paper. Make your

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082667007597205312004-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:002004-04-22T13:56:19.280-07:00

The Democratic National Committee is holding an essay contest in conjunction with MTV's Choose or Lose campaign. (So is the RNC, but I figure not many people reading this will care about that one.) Anyone between the ages of 18 and 24 is eligible to enter. The essays are to be 300 words or less, on the following topic: Why should politics be important to youth and how can youth get more

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082666117273974262004-04-22T13:33:00.000-07:002004-04-22T13:39:24.936-07:00

Today is Earth Day. Go hug a tree for me. I'll be doing the same. Don't be ashamed to admit that you're a bleeding heart, tree-hugging, environment-loving liberal. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-108243686747001642004-04-19T21:33:00.000-07:002004-04-19T21:58:31.076-07:00

Today is the anniversary of two very important events in my lifetime. The first is the raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX in 1993. I was living in Waco at the time, though I was only 9 years old when it happened. I remember very little about the stand-off, and I haven't really done my research on the event, so I still know very little about it. The second, of course, is the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082435594618836302004-04-19T21:19:00.000-07:002004-04-19T22:04:08.826-07:00

From The Guardian, British Prime Minister Tony Blair today condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi by Israel. This marks the first time that Blair has shown that he has a mind of his own not attached to that of President Bush's. Hopefully, this becomes a trend. I've always wanted to like Blair. He's well-spoken, and is much more willing to listen to the other side than

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1082005931313929172004-04-14T21:57:00.000-07:002004-04-14T22:16:08.686-07:00

Today at a joint press conference with Israeli crook...I mean, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, President Bush endorsed Sharon's plan to pull Jewish settlements out of the Gaza Strip. In addition, Bush announced his endorsement of Sharon's plans to keep most of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank. This effectively marks a complete abandonment of the so-called "road map" peace plan, though Bush

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081971239836661222004-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:002004-04-14T12:37:56.310-07:00

Everybody, say it with me. U-nigh-ted States. Not Amurca. United States. How much harder can it be to say "United States" than it is to say "America." As I said in my first ever post (here, third paragraph down), our country is not America by itself. It is one of many countries in America. Our country is the United States, and we should be proud of it. Quit shortcutting our name, Mr.

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081825449174683202004-04-12T19:32:00.000-07:002004-04-12T20:08:03.750-07:00

President Bush has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow night at 8:30 EDT. It will be nationally televised. If you can stand his lack of enunciation, and the probability that Helen Thomas will not be there (or will be relegated to the back row), therefore assuring that the President will not have to answer any questions harder than "When is your next photo op," then you should watch. I

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081463014771738972004-04-08T15:08:00.000-07:002004-04-09T12:39:14.200-07:00

It ain't my fault (did I do that?). That was the general theme of Condoleezza Rice's testimony this morning, just like it was for almost all of the testimony two weeks ago. George did his dead level best with the info he had, even though he didn't consider al Qaeda to be the threat that he now considers it to be, but wait yes he did, even though he had zero cabinet principals meetings about

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081394847276686522004-04-07T20:10:00.000-07:002004-04-07T20:31:14.796-07:00

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the assasination of the Rwandan president, whose plane was shot down. The next day, April 7, 1994, extremist Hutus began the genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus. 800,000 people died in 100 days. Think about that. 8,000 people per day, slaughtered. To me, that's unimaginable. Yesterday, I heard a one-hour radio program on NPR produced by American

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081375434650316162004-04-07T14:59:00.000-07:002004-04-07T15:07:42.076-07:00

According to River at Baghdad Burning, Sunni and Shi'a mosques in Iraq are calling for Jihad. This is just great. I don't see how we're going to be able to get out of this. Everything in Iraq has gone to hell. FUBAR. (For the uninitiated, that's "Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition") Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081224078534497282004-04-05T20:55:00.000-07:002004-04-08T13:48:51.733-07:00

UPDATE: From Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1964: | "Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. Negroes of the United | States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is | not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social | transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to | discover a

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1081223714141842722004-04-05T20:48:00.000-07:002004-04-05T20:58:58.450-07:00

In case you did not notice, I have added a blogger to my rolls. Joshua will be blogging on a semi-regular basis, as he sees fit. Hopefully, between the two of us, this site will keep updating regularly. We will do our best to continue to give you good commentary and analysis of what is important to us, and to people in general. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080966690150278242004-04-02T20:14:00.000-08:002004-04-02T20:35:10.653-08:00

I was reading the Dallas Morning News last Sunday and an editorial about Richard Clarke caught my eye. A man wrote in and said that the apology Mr. Clarke gave to the families of the victims of 9-11 was obscene. Mr. Clarke's apology went somewhere along the lines of he apologized that our government failed us. The man immediately accused Mr. Clarke of saying Bush is a bad president (not that I

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18121884856471962873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080959134270589752004-04-02T18:11:00.000-08:002004-04-02T18:29:14.746-08:00

NOW with Bill Moyers is a great show, and should be required watching for everyone. Today, Bill conducted an interview with former Richard Nixon staffer John W. Dean, whose book Worse than Watergate was just released this past week. Dean contends in this book that the Bush administration shrouds itself in a cloud of secrecy thicker than any in United States history, including Nixon's. He also

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080793837453063532004-03-31T20:19:00.000-08:002004-03-31T20:34:15.233-08:00

Tomorrow, this will be a headline on the front page of the Washington Post: "Top Focus Before 9/11 Wasn't on Terrorism" No kidding. Good to see that the pundits are slowly catching up with the times. The article references a speech that Condoleezza Rice was to give on September 11, 2001 on the threats that the White House deemed important. Terrorism was to be mentioned, but in the context

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080625210113140852004-03-29T21:24:00.000-08:002004-03-29T21:43:45.060-08:00

The Massachusetts legislature today gave initial approval to an amendment that would ban gay marriage but allow for civil unions. In the words of Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees (R), "We are providing every right, responsibility and benefit for same-sex couples with the exception of the word marriage." The amendment still has to gain the approval of the next legislative session and be passed

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080608910821015532004-03-29T16:56:00.000-08:002004-03-29T17:12:05.983-08:00

A $1 billion lawsuit was filed today in New York by descendents of slaves against eight U.S. and British corporations for profiting on the genocide of their ancestors. This is going to be tough to win. According to the story, a similar suit was dismissed by a federal judge in Chicago in January. The anti-corporationist in me really really wants this suit to succeed. However, I just don't see

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080602589881236272004-03-29T14:43:00.000-08:002004-03-29T15:26:44.716-08:00

I'm finally back to the blog. It was a very busy weekend for me, which is why I have not been updating the blog. My apologies. Saturday, I went to the Tarrant County Senatorial Democratic convention. I was one of ten delegates from my precinct. In my (not very good) estimation, there were probably somewhere between 500 and 1000 people who attended. It started at a little after 10:00 AM,

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080255541841915132004-03-25T14:37:00.000-08:002004-03-25T15:02:30.670-08:00

Y'all know what time it is. Please rise and put your right hand over your heart, and recite with me: I pledge allegiance to Queen Fragg, and her mighty state of hysteria...(Sorry folks. It's a Calvin and Hobbes joke.) The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over whether the phrase "under God" is a violation of the establishment clause of the 1st Amendment. It has already been ruled that

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1080019078243077642004-03-22T21:04:00.000-08:002004-03-24T19:22:32.700-08:00

Starting sometime in the next two weeks, I am going to have a guest blogging here from time to time. My guest is a very good writer who pays very close attention to current events. This will be the first blogging opportunity for the writer, as it was for me, and so our hope is that we can critique one another and improve our writing and analysis skills. As soon as possible, a better

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079986065315403992004-03-22T11:40:00.000-08:002004-03-22T12:11:10.606-08:00

My dad and step-mom's wedding on Saturday was absolutely beautiful. The ceremony was in my home church, a large Baptist church that looks more like a Catholic cathedral. It was a mostly traditional wedding, but included some details that were new, at least to me. There were no groomsmen or bridesmaids, at least not officially. My dad and step-mom actually sat for most of the wedding, during

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079795113812757182004-03-20T06:59:00.000-08:002004-03-20T07:08:36.076-08:00

Last night marked the one year anniversary of the beginning of the campaign in Iraq, as everyone knows by now. I don't have much to say on it right now, but I would like everyone who does read this to observe a moment of silence (and pray, if you're a praying person) for those who have lost their lives. Not just the Americans, but also the Iraqis, whose lives have been needlessly lost. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079794242371052682004-03-20T06:43:00.000-08:002004-03-20T06:54:04.013-08:00

Captain James Yee, the Muslim chaplain arrested last September on suspicion of espionage, has had all charges against him dropped. This case smelled to me from the start, though I can't really put my finger on why it smelled. He was officially charged with mishandling of classified material, disobeying orders, making a false statement, and, of all things, adultery. He was charged in military

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079793385615090842004-03-20T06:23:00.000-08:002004-03-20T06:39:47.436-08:00

As most people will recall, NATO went into Kosovo about five years ago in an attempt to keep the peace after what was then Yugoslavia was bombed into oblivion for trying to clense Kosovo of ethnic Albanians. It is for this that Slobodan Milosevic is on trial in The Hague, Netherlands for war crimes. Now comes this. This week, the ethnic Albanians appear to have tried to turn the tables on the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079792557308191032004-03-20T06:07:00.000-08:002004-03-20T06:25:59.296-08:00

I am finally back to blogging. I've been out of commission for the past week because, frankly, this has been a frantic, long, and weird week for my family and me. My father is getting married to a beautiful, incredible woman today. We his family are all very happy for both of them. We have spent most of the last two days meeting the rest of her family, and last night, our family came over

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079303140203680872004-03-14T14:23:00.000-08:002004-03-14T14:28:54.403-08:00

That's right folks, I'm headed down to beautiful Waco for a couple of days. Chances are less than good that I'll get to update my blog during that time. Don't worry, I'll be back Tuesday with more of my biting(?) commentary on politics, religion, and whatever else I feel like posting on. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079240349866893482004-03-13T20:17:00.000-08:002004-03-13T21:10:57.153-08:00

John Kerry today formally challenged President Bush to eight debates, one per month from now till November. Not surprisingly, the Bush campaign said no. Now, I understand that Shrub is afraid that Kerry will beat his face in if they were to debate every month, and that he would like to have no debates at all. (Fortunately, he's obligated to participate in three debates, if for no other reason

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079152230745375882004-03-12T20:14:00.000-08:002004-03-13T20:20:44.123-08:00

I haven't posted on Spain yet because I really don't know what to make of it. However, I found this very interesting. 8 million people took to the streets in peaceful marching throughout Spain today. According to the article, 2.3 million people gathered in Madrid alone. I have never heard of a protest/vigil this large. Ever. This is a tremendous, incredibly moving show of solidarity in

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079057727254813742004-03-11T17:57:00.000-08:002004-03-11T18:18:37.763-08:00

Conspicuously missing from all of the analysis I have seen is the connection between Kerry's statement and the fact that he met with former candidate Howard Dean yesterday. If Kerry hadn't known that his mic was hot, then I would say that it was a coincidence. With the revelation by the Kerry campaign that he did in fact know that his mic was on, however, I don't think it was pure chance.

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079051117051436632004-03-11T16:05:00.000-08:002004-03-11T16:28:27.356-08:00

Today, the California Supreme Court ordered the city of San Francisco to halt same-sex weddings immediately. The Court decided not to wait for the lower courts to rule, but instead to immediately to hear arguments on whether Mayor Gavin Newsom has the authority to issue same-sex wedding licenses in the absence of a ruling on whether the law banning such marriages is unconstitutional. The Court

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1079026952610382562004-03-11T09:27:00.000-08:002004-05-28T22:24:35.300-07:00

John Kerry had a really good sound byte yesterday. I don't think he intended for the world to hear what he said. According to NPR, Kerry didn't realize that his microphone was still on when he called his critics in the Republican Party "the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen," and when I heard him say that, it sounded like it was a private conversation, not part of a speech.

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078962896513825112004-03-10T15:31:00.000-08:002004-03-10T15:58:04.903-08:00

Yeah, so I stumbled onto an Ann Coulter column today. I didn't mean to, honest. I had never actually read her before, so I figured I ought to see what she wrote. After all, she couldn't be all that bad, could she? Yeah she could be. After that, I need to go through some sort of ritual cleansing. Gack. And no, I'm not going to link to it. Nobody should have to read that junk. If you

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078890292360824802004-03-09T19:35:00.000-08:002004-03-10T13:58:11.450-08:00

As I said I would, I went to the Democratic caucus here in Arlington. There were ten available seats from our precinct to the senatorial/county convention, and as it turned out, there were only 11 people that showed up to our caucus. (What can I say, I live in Texas.) One of them was Darrel Cox, who is running for the state House of Representatives. Candidates for office cannot be delegates

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078876942871388502004-03-09T16:00:00.000-08:002004-03-09T16:05:30.623-08:00

I'm going to the precinct caucus tonight. I think I'm going to run for the senatorial delegation (I think that's what it's called...I probably should know what I'm running for before I run). I'll have a post tonight about how that goes. Yes, I did already vote, but I can still go to the caucus...I just can't vote again. Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078876657129741252004-03-09T15:40:00.000-08:002004-03-10T20:32:44.686-08:00

Today is an important anniversary in the history of journalism. Specifically, TV journalism. 50 years ago today, Edward Murrow, on his show See It Now, called Senator Joe McCarthy on his bullcrap. Up until then, McCarthy had run almost unchecked with allegations of Communism in the United States. He ruined countless lives with his unbased accusations. Murrow spent months researching for the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078427230494491922004-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:002004-03-04T11:10:11.046-08:00

River at Baghdad Burning has a wonderful post about the attacks in Karbala and near Baghdad. I think it captures perfectly the sense of tragedy in Iraq, but also the way it has united the Sunnis and Shi'a, at least temporarily. This is not a reaction that I expected from the Iraqi people, but now that I think about it, I should have. Catastrophe tends to bring people together, at least in the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078354149657757972004-03-03T14:14:00.000-08:002004-03-03T14:52:32.530-08:00

With the Democratic nomination wrapped up by John Kerry, I'm going to focus on a couple of points. First, after listening to parts of a speech that GWB gave yesterday, I believe, I think I finally have put my finger on what exactly is so irritating about our "president". It has nothing to do with his political views or anything of substance. Those things upset me about the man, but they don't

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078282084205980002004-03-02T18:27:00.000-08:002004-03-02T19:28:25.090-08:00

It is not yet official, and will not be until a press conference or some such tomorrow, but John Edwards has decided to drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination. It's a crying shame. He is charismatic, a wonderful speaker, and from all accounts, a good person. We need more of those in politics. Here's hoping he gets the vice presidential nod. Oddly, my man Howard Dean won the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078280160879681482004-03-02T17:58:00.000-08:002004-03-24T19:23:09.996-08:00

I was horrified when I first heard about the attacks in Iraq. Hell, I still am horrified. To understand how truly terrible this was for Shi'ites, imagine someone killing hundreds in the Vatican on Good Friday. Ashoura, which is what all of the people who were in the shrines for, holds the same significance for Shi'ite Muslims that Good Friday does for Christians. It is an observance of the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077917689412370942004-03-01T20:27:00.000-08:002004-03-01T20:34:03.920-08:00

BUMP and UPDATE: According to this Reuters article, the Governator does not back a Constitutional amendment banning marriage rights for gays. This isn't too significant, except insofar as Ah-nold is not following the right wing line of GWB. Good for him. He's still a horse's backside. ---Original post--- The rights continue to spread. Now the push for marriage rights for homosexuals shifts

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1078201370240657612004-03-01T20:14:00.000-08:002004-03-01T20:25:46.966-08:00

This has little to do with politics or religion, but science, and especially astronomy, absolutely fascinates me. According to this story from the United Kingdom, NASA is set to announce that they have found significant evidence that there once was abundant water on Mars sometime tomorrow (the story says today, but in the UK, it is already March 2). If there was once water, that means that Mars

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077916304278014772004-02-27T13:10:00.000-08:002004-02-27T13:14:36.670-08:00

I now have comments! Now, if only I knew what Trackback was for and how to use it... Robert

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077841731671107712004-02-26T15:56:00.000-08:002004-02-26T16:32:26.013-08:00

From the San Francisco Chronicle (actually, written by the AP, but I got it off of the Chronicle's site), Howard Dean says that the Democratic Party must continue to show its recently gained spine. In his words, the Democrats must: | "not paper over its differences with the most radical administration in our | lifetime. In order to win, the Democratic Party must aggressively expose | the

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077684619863535442004-02-24T20:48:00.000-08:002004-02-24T20:53:07.996-08:00

That's right. I voted yesterday, in Texas. I voted early, and I intend to vote often. OK, maybe not. In case you're curious, I voted for Edwards. Not that it's any of your damn business. :-) Robert randomliberal@email.com

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077684475982903592004-02-24T20:44:00.000-08:002004-02-24T20:50:44.153-08:00

That, and I figured out that I'm smart. I figured out how to link my e-mail address, so you can click on it and it will go to Outlook, if you have that, and automatically put my e-mail address in the "To:" line. Try it, and see if it works. Robert randomliberal@email.com

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077683880854646102004-02-24T20:24:00.000-08:002004-02-25T08:03:52.263-08:00

"President" Bush today said that he will fully support the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). Several blogs have commented on this, but my favorite was from conservative pundit and homosexual Andrew Sullivan. His sense of betrayal is very real, and is strong enough to make me feel sorry for the guy. He, and many other gay conservatives, are shocked that their leader would hang them out and

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077589377996816072004-02-23T18:13:00.000-08:002004-02-23T18:25:45.076-08:00

I watched Ralph Nader's interview with Jim Lehrer tonight (here's the transcript), and I have to say that I came away more impressed with Nader than was before. Don't get me wrong, I still think that he's running for egotistical reasons, but I'm less hostile to him now than I was. He has a good message, and this year I think he will not hurt the Democrats as he did two years ago. His goal, and

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077554954111234592004-02-23T08:43:00.000-08:002004-02-23T18:38:15.936-08:00

That's what I was after I read this. Rebels in Uganda attacked a refugee camp and killed 192 people. Many of the people were burned alive when the rebels set fire to the huts they were living in. Why? Why do people do this? They were innocent civilians who had been displaced by the rebellion, which has been raging for 17 years. This is not the first instance of brutality by the rebellion,

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077554575346335362004-02-23T08:28:00.000-08:002004-02-23T08:45:41.530-08:00

According to this article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there is a major challenge in the works over lethal injections. Several people sentenced to die in the next year have claimed that one of the three chemicals used in lethal injections, pancuronium bromide, can cause major suffering for the person it is used on, but no one would know, because it is a paralysing muscle relaxant, and

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077507392769680282004-02-22T19:14:00.000-08:002004-02-22T19:40:48.360-08:00

This morning, I watched the CBS political show Face the Nation. On the show were DNC chair Terry McAuliffe and RNC chair Ed Gillespie. For most of the show, McAuliffe smacked Gillespie up and down the table, sticking it to him on every issue. I was even inspired to pull some cheers for McAuliffe, he was so good. However, at the very end of the show, McAuliffe made a HUGE mistake. The

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6433348.post-1077504064975797542004-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:002004-02-22T18:43:50.373-08:00

OK, not really...Ralph Nader is going on another ego trip. Or running for president. Call it what you like. Incidentally, I don't care that he's running. If the Democrats can't beat Bush with what they have, even if Nader is running, they wouldn't deserve to win even if he wasn't running. I'm not with those people who think Nader should stay out of it. He has a right to make an ass of

randomliberalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581553311165709899noreply@blogger.com0