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Some political links
Some political/topical links (most of which come, directly or indirectly, from Reason.com, a libertarian blog site).
There is only one atheist in Congress, which ties into the polls showing that Americans will vote for nearly anyone as long as it's not an atheist. (Like all polls, to be taken with a grain of salt ... and not that ANY of these should matter -- black, female, gay, etc -- still, it's kind of interesting that when it comes to public office, it seems that being gay is "better" than being an atheist.)
Interesting article about a successful slave revolt in Florida ... although it's kind of an over-simplification to call it that, if you read the article, but still cool. My great-grandfather's middle name was Osceola. There's no blood relationship to the historical Osceola that I'm aware of, but considering the racial climate of the times, it's interesting to think of the factors that went into naming your (mixed-race) kid after a known Indian rebel in the early 1900s. (Actually come to think of it, that particular ancestor of mine *might* have been full-blooded Choctaw, but I'm not sure.)
Anyway, the whole Florida thing, a tale of cooperation between escaped slaves and Native tribes, provides an interesting counterpoint to the recent kerfluffle about the Cherokees kicking out descendants of black slaves -- which points out a) why legislating civil rights at the ballot box is STUPID (*looks pointedly at the states, including my own, which are currently and STUPIDLY doing the same thing for gay rights*) and b) that when giving a nation sovereign rights within one's own nation, sometimes they will make decisions that go against the morality of the larger nation. Will the U.S. have the balls to hold to their promise of Cherokee sovereignty and grant the Cherokees the right to discriminate if they so desire?
Very depressing article about the Border Patrol ... "It's Our Job to Stop That Dream. While Bush backpedals merrily to mend fences with Central American countries, our national policies are focused on getting rid of their people as quickly as possible. Why not open up more immigration slots? Why not offer work-visas or amnesty to workers? Why indeed?
And finally, I'm including this one only because a very intelligent person I know, repeated the Barack Obama is a Muslim myth to me just the other day. This is a myth. It's been thoroughly debunked by CNN and AP. Whatever associations one happens to have with Muslim and Christian and whatever else, Barack Obama is a Christian and there's really no disputing it. If one is inclined to vote against him because he is a Muslim, then one is being very silly, because he is not.
There is only one atheist in Congress, which ties into the polls showing that Americans will vote for nearly anyone as long as it's not an atheist. (Like all polls, to be taken with a grain of salt ... and not that ANY of these should matter -- black, female, gay, etc -- still, it's kind of interesting that when it comes to public office, it seems that being gay is "better" than being an atheist.)
Interesting article about a successful slave revolt in Florida ... although it's kind of an over-simplification to call it that, if you read the article, but still cool. My great-grandfather's middle name was Osceola. There's no blood relationship to the historical Osceola that I'm aware of, but considering the racial climate of the times, it's interesting to think of the factors that went into naming your (mixed-race) kid after a known Indian rebel in the early 1900s. (Actually come to think of it, that particular ancestor of mine *might* have been full-blooded Choctaw, but I'm not sure.)
Anyway, the whole Florida thing, a tale of cooperation between escaped slaves and Native tribes, provides an interesting counterpoint to the recent kerfluffle about the Cherokees kicking out descendants of black slaves -- which points out a) why legislating civil rights at the ballot box is STUPID (*looks pointedly at the states, including my own, which are currently and STUPIDLY doing the same thing for gay rights*) and b) that when giving a nation sovereign rights within one's own nation, sometimes they will make decisions that go against the morality of the larger nation. Will the U.S. have the balls to hold to their promise of Cherokee sovereignty and grant the Cherokees the right to discriminate if they so desire?
Very depressing article about the Border Patrol ... "It's Our Job to Stop That Dream. While Bush backpedals merrily to mend fences with Central American countries, our national policies are focused on getting rid of their people as quickly as possible. Why not open up more immigration slots? Why not offer work-visas or amnesty to workers? Why indeed?
And finally, I'm including this one only because a very intelligent person I know, repeated the Barack Obama is a Muslim myth to me just the other day. This is a myth. It's been thoroughly debunked by CNN and AP. Whatever associations one happens to have with Muslim and Christian and whatever else, Barack Obama is a Christian and there's really no disputing it. If one is inclined to vote against him because he is a Muslim, then one is being very silly, because he is not.
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