sirpaulsbuddy is chronicling a couple diametrically opposed approaches to gay rights issues in my home state here. Let me just say this about that: As a native of Davidson County, NC, can I just say how damned proud I am of the goddamned hillbillies running the place? Of course, you remember my post a few days ago where I said

Jim Booth has some musings on the logic of cover songs over at sirpaulsbuddy, and he’s right. You have your “makes perfect sense” category and your “wtf?” category. I have not much to add there. But it did make me think a bit about what makes a great cover. For me, faithfulness is not only not important, it can be

Our good friend J. Stephen O’Brien has an intelligent take on the whole creationism issue in Kansas (and beyond). JSO doesn’t run his own blog these days, so with his permission I have archived it here. Have a read, and if you would, post your comments here instead of there.

Thx to Cody at Mojo City News for passing this on. It seems that we frequently make the mistake of failing to understand what drives our enemies. Iraq is even tougher because of how fractured and incoherent the insurgency is. A good read….

There’s not any real meat to Larry Gelbart’s evisceration of Anne Coulter, but as pure, gratuitous, vitriolic blindsides go, it’s pretty entertaining stuff. It’s all about the truth, baby…..

The Today Show is on. Their musical guests are Styx. Right now they’re playing “I Am the Walrus.” I don’t want to reopen any sore wounds, but I’m sure this says something important on the Boomer portion of the lingering generational conversation we’re having…. 🙂

Gary Hart has it about right: …most Americans are not feeling secure. And that is because the realities of the twenty-first century, unlike the twentieth, do not lend themselves to military solution. Security in this new age must be understood much differently than just a few years ago. While he’s light on the details (so far, anyway, but this might

Somewhere out there the retail clothing industry is in possession of conclusive research demonstrating that I’m the only man in the entire feckin’ nation who would even think about purchasing a pair of cargo slacks in navy blue. There’s just no other explanation.

I’ve been thinking a bit about ethics and democracy lately, and the latest round of pondering was touched off by Jim Lampley’s inaugural broadside over at the HuffPost. I guess the ultimate question is this: what codes of ethics fuel democracy and what kinds are anathema to it? Whether or not I believe the GOP stole the 2000 and/or 2004

[THX: Dr. Will Bower at the CDC Atlanta Desk.] A brief evaluation of the Social Security plan, with animation!

Pastor Accused of Running Out Dems Quits WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – A Baptist preacher accused of running out nine congregants who refused to support President Bush resigned Tuesday. (Story.) Good. Now maybe the congregation can get back to the business of being a church instead of a local party ops office. [THX: beast_o_bourbon.]

Makes sense….

In a comment on the “To a friend, whom I have lately encouraged to blog” thread yesterday, I noted that: A study a couple years ago demonstrated that stupid people don’t know they’re stupid.” fikshun then replied: “this is the digital world. there is no noise. there are only idiots who scream loud enough to turn the zeroes into ones

Baptists Oust Non-Bush Backers WAYNESVILLE, N.C., May 8, 2005 (AP) Calling it a “great misunderstanding,” the pastor of a small church who led the charge to remove nine members for their political beliefs tried to welcome them back Sunday, but some insisted he must leave for the wounds to heal. The Rev. Chan Chandler didn’t directly address the controversy during