Gentleman Agitator

The New IMF Chief, Christine Lagarde: Can the World's Financial Fire Chief Answer the Alarm?

FROM THE WC3PO NEWSROOM VIA CBS NEWS: Yes. I think she can. Here is an economic leader who has their act together. I just wonder if she can stop the arsonists from thowning more Molotov cocktails into the global economic crisis. I like her strength and leadership abilities. They show through in this interview.

 

 

The CBS Evening News: Walter Reed Army Hospital Closing

 

Sadly, this storied institution will close soon. Please stay until the end of this video to hear how one solider came back from the void of a coma.

War Veterans Find Peace of Mind with Pets

 

 

God bless this organization. Whether dog or cat, a loving pet can make a difference and save a life of one of our veterans.

Nevada Stuns Boise State In Overtime Football Thriller

College football is all a sham anyway. Does anyone really think Boise St. would have gone to the fake title game? No. Winning does not matter, only money does. All the chest pounding by the big school fans about how great they are is a farce. They are great because their TV contracts are go large and Nike or whomever sells a lot of their shirts and other gear. And the strength of schedule argument is truly laughable when all the big majors to the mid-majors look for the best patsies they can find to fill in their win columns and stats early in the season. And the patsies will play them because it is the only way their programs can make any money and survive. The BCS is rigged so that they can never reach a championship. I laugh and laugh on the rare times a small program knocks a big team down. Either have playoffs or drop the facade. Computers and coaches polls will never replace four quarters between two teams. The college football system is a corrupt joke.

Sharron Angle: 'Sometimes Dictators Have Good Ideas'

Yes they made vast improvements in the quality of living and the quantity of dying. No human achievement based on enslavement and repression and mass murdering is a morally defensible achievement.

Gay Pride Flag Burned At Albion College

The history of flags as symbols that groups use to represent themselves is long. In two quick searches I found this from the country of Namiba, "The National Flag is a symbol of our struggle for national unity. It symbolises peace, unity and a common loyalty to Namibia. The National Flag represents the nation in every aspect."

And from Canada, "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion."

We can see it here in the news story's topic. The Gay Rights movement has usurped the image of a rainbow to show that they are united with each other and the human family in diversity. We see it in the Tea Party movement's usurping of the Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flag from the American Revolution. One may agree or disagree with what a flag stands for, or who is using it. You could see that as causing division. None the less they are powerful symbols.

Lastly, as for the American flag I say, either it stands for all of us or it stands for none of us. No one political, social or religious group or any other subculture of Americans has ownership of the flag.

Ouster Of Iowa Judges Who Supported Gay Marriage Emboldens Conservative Activists

The idea of "judicial activism" is a conceit of what a judiciary does. It is merely that if a court rules your way it is fine and dandy. If it rules against you, it is some sort of sacrilege to the constitution and "what this country was founded on." Like conservative thought about big government, that too is a conceit. Both sides want government big government, it is just a matter of what kind of big government and how it will effect peoples lives. Conservatives of the last thirty years have introduced these notions and unleashed social and legal monsters. Liberals too, are quite willing to use the courts to justify issues they pursue, letting loose their own monsters. What both sides do not realize is that some of the monsters are like viruses let into the social bloodstream doing far more damage than whatever "good intentions" they may have had.

Bill Maher vs. Jon Stewart: Maher Takes On Rally To Restore Sanity (VIDEO)

It does prove Jon's point. That does not mean I do not like Maher's views at times. I think the dynamic duo of Stewart and Colbert were more about the level of civility in the discourse, not caving into what the other side believes or compromising one's beliefs. Lincoln was correct, a house divided against itself cannot stand. For 20 years now this country has been engaged in a civil war, not of bullets and battalions, but of fear, suspicion and the devolution of discourse and morality. Right now, the American house is jiggling more than a jello mold in an earthquake. If we can never find common ground as Americans we will cease to be Americans, just bitter people ensconced in out isolated sub-cultures of politics, religion, entertainment and information gathering.

Michele Bachmann's Leadership Bid Gets Cool Reaction

Is this going to be like that episode of the original Star Trek where they were all bad guys and rose in the ranks by taking out their superiors? Cause, Bachmann's strikes me as that kind of gal. Watch your back Boehner. And Michele, I am sure Boehner's enforcers will put the agonizer on you if you get out of line.

Bush Reveals His Most Embarrassing Moment From Drinking Days

Bush's most embarrassing moment was every moment after taking the oath of office. Well, with two caveats, his speech at Ground Zero and his insisting on appropriate attire in the Oval Office. Everything else was an embarrassment. President Obama has restored dignity to the presidency. I think that is something this society overlooks because there is so little of it to be found in the culture today.