gonewest

I’m heading back to Memphis for a short visit at the end of this month. Here is the basic itinerary for anyone who needs it. If you want to get together during a slot that is still free, give me a call and let me know before someone else takes it.

2005.10.26 Wednesday
morning/afternoon - flying to Memphis
evening - dinner at Amy’s

2005.10.27 Thursday
morning/afternoon - lunch with Dad
evening - dinner with friends

2005.10.28 Friday
morning/afternoon - lunch with Mike
afternoon - dinner out with Kris, Steph, and Amy.

2005.10.29 Saturday
morning/afternoon - free
evening - bonfire at Steph’s

2005.10.30 Sunday
morning/afternoon - free
evening - grill out at Mom’s.

2005.10.31 Monday
morning/afternoon - free
evening - dinner with Dad.

2005.11.01 Tuesday
morning/afternoon - lunch with Dad.
evening - flying to San Diego.

Politics in this country can be infuriating. The policies pushed by the Republicans in recent years have been so obviously damaging to [non rich] people that you wonder how they can remain in power, while the Democrats have been so pathetically poor at driving their issues that you wonder how the party has survived at all. When you listen to the opinions presented by average people who think they know politics (i.e. on shows like Washington Journal) and realize how simple minded and self destructive most of those opinions are, it seems to explain the current dominance of the Republican party but not the apparent mental deficiency endemic to today’s “average American” (mass lead poisoning maybe?).

I have for quite a while believed that the major problem with politics in America is that conservatives have so thoroughly redefined mis-defined and vilified liberalism that they have effectively cut an entire (and in my opinion quintessentially American) worldview off at the knees and pushed the whole political system dangerously off balance.

This article in the American Prospect is the best written explanation of this that I have come across so far.

There was a magnitude 4.6 offshore quake today roughly 70 miles from San Diego. It was strong enough for everything that was not very heavy in the apartment to shake for perhaps 30 seconds but not to knock anything over.

Here is the map and here is the notice, both courtesy of the USGS.