This may be the most horrible thing I have ever heard of in my adult life. Dr. Catherine Hamlin is most assuredly reserved a spot in heaven.
Archives for 2003
Stupid Cuba Comments
I was having trouble falling asleep, so I had the 2 am version of Hannity and Colmes on, and Colmes made one of the most blockheaded arguments I have heard in a long time. His argument (and I am paraphrasing- I will get the transcript up when it is posted- should be fun to see how close I get this quote):
“If we make an exception for Cuban refugees fleeing from their dictator, don’t we have to do the same for North Korea, Iran, Syria, and any other dictator? How will we apply this universal principle?”
Um, moron, as a nation, WE make our immigration policy. It doesn’t have to be based on universal principles, but should probably be metered with a fair dose of pragmatism. In other words, we can have any immigration policy we want. We could have an immigration policy that only allowed in one-eyed individuals fluent in six languages who can rub their belly and pat their head at the same time. I am not sure what sense that would make, but neither am I sure why you are incapable of understanding that we can make an exception for Cuban refugees.
Do these guys think? Ever? It is hard to make Hannity look quick on his toes, but Colmes sure was doing his best tonight.
Damnit!
My DVD player just died while trying to watch Catch Me If You Can. I have added several to my wish list, so if anyone is so inclined, it would me much appreciated. Otherwise I am going to have to wait a while to watch DVD’s. I am not sure when I will get to Pittsburgh (no Best Buy or Circuit City here in town- although we are getting a Super-Target- I have never been to one of those yet.).
Also, I missed the damned eclipse beacues it was so cloudy. Grumble.
A Mixed Bag
I am happy to see this:
According to John Alvarez of Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood (PABAAH), who just e-mailed me, Disney has come to its senses regarding the Michael Moore project just recently dropped by Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions (see story). Alvarez said he had just spoke with Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s secretary, who was very familiar with the Moore controversy and she told him that Mr. Eisner has decided that while they and Miramax WERE considering a movie project, they have decided that it is NOT something they would want to be associated with.
Unfortunately, I am sure this means we will have to listen to the usual suspects whining about censorship inAshcroft’s America.
Cuban Policy
I watched in horror today as the Cuban men tread water for hours in a desperate attempt to reach Ameriica, and it seems to me our Dry Land policy simply has to go. I understand that these men are committing a crime- but I don’t recall ever throwing anyone over the Berlin Wall into the hands of the totalitarian Soviet Bloc. Either we end the policy so there is less incentive for them to reach shore, or we simply open up our borders to Cuban refugees. I understand the costs and the trouble this will cause Florida, but I am in favor of the latter- we are a big and prosperous country, and we have room for those fleeing tyranny. That is why we are here, isn’t it?
Affirmative Action
Because of the Jayson Blair/NyTimes scandal, a great deal of talk about affirmative action has been generated. In the spirit of candor, let me state that I am opposed to affirmative action, in that it seems fundamentally wrong to use skin color to base preferences on anything. I understand why it is in place, but I disagree with it. At any rate, having stated my opposition to affirmative action, I must address what I think is the most annoying argument against affirmative action, which goes something like this:
“We should end affirmative action because when Americans see black people in positions of power they think they are only there because of special treatment.”
In a word, bullshit. You may think that, but I don’t. I don’t think most people in favor of affirmative action think that. I have met lots of people in positions of power (in the university system, in the military, in the corporate world), and I don’t recall ever thinking “Gee- he/she must be in this job simply because they are black.”
In short, when someone says that, the only response I can think of is- “Hey, just because you have issues about race does not mean we should end affirmative action.” There are enough valid reasons for ending affirmative action. This simply isn’t one of them.
The More I Read
The more I read, the less convinced I am that Scott Peterson killed his wife. Statistics alone would lead me to believe he is guilty, and I still think there is no way in hell he will get a fair trial. We shall see.