The Moral Painter

A Day of Frustration…

I suppose the near-fiasco we had over health insurance today has put me in a grumpy mood, but our current political landscape has me so frustrated right now. Here are a few links that capture many of my thoughts right now.  And yes, I realize that they are all taken from primarily liberal media outlets (although I do read Drudge for my daily amusement):

On Glenn Beck’s Need to Calm His Viewers:

“So, um, refresh my memory: When was the last time KO or Rachel Maddow felt the need to beg their audience not to kill anyone?”

On Astroturfing and Townhalls Gone Wild:

“This mob, sent by the local Republican and Libertarian parties, did not come just to be heard, but to deny others the right to be heard. And this appears to be part of a coordinated, nationwide effort.”

On the State of Journalism and The Disappearance of Facts:

“In a way this goes beyond my original point, which was the unwillingness of the news media to referee a controversy by actually reporting the facts. Now it seems that a fact isn’t worth reporting unless someone is prepared to deny it.”

Reform Cannot Wait…

On a day like today, when I was faced with the prospect of paying 30% of my gross income towards a health insurance plan that provides minimal coverage with expensive co-payments and deductibles in order to care for my family, a scathing response to the idiots holding up health care reform in Congress seems highly appropriate.

Here is a link to a recent video from the White House as well. While I personally favor a single-payer system, at minimum we need to see a strong public option. Reform can’t wait.

The Power of Popularity…

I went back and watched Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and was struck by the very different tone of the event from what we saw at this year’s dinner with Obama. The laughter is definitely stifled at the 2006 event, and I find myself wondering at the difference. Was it the sharpness of Colbert’s roast of Bush? Were the correspondents displeased by his portrayal of the media? Is this merely the result of the unpopularity of Bush at this time vs. the popularity of Obama at the time of his dinner? The result of a shorter period of time in office? Generally speaking, the audience was the same and I think Colbert was both funny and brilliant (I am always amazed by his ability to stay in character); yet the reactions differed greatly. Perhaps it was the topics he chose? Perhaps the mishandling of Iraq and Katrina hit too close to home? Or perhaps the act of a comedian that clearly opposed the president’s political views was just naturally awkward. Regardless, the question struck me when I revisited the video and it piqued my curiosity.

Quote of the day…

I found this recent quote by Bill Maher rather amusing:

When did the profit motive become the only reason to do anything? When did that become the new patriotism? [...] If conservatives get to call universal health care “socialized medicine,” I get to call private health care “soulless vampires making money off human pain.”

Now if only there wasn’t any truth to it…

Response to Pat Buchanan…

While I would certainly hope Pat Buchanan’s recent remarks don’t actually merit a response, I do like the way this video segment highlights the diverse contributions that have built this country. The history of the United States is amazing, but it is also complicated and often tragic. My only criticism of Rachel’s response is that she ignores the contributions of women to the building of this country; Pat apparently thinks it was only white men that made us great.

More Nerdfighting…

Have I mentioned how much I love this guy?  I might just have to buy his book.

A young Dave Grohl…

Nayeli spent the morning singing to her own playlist on my iTunes, and I couldn’t help but capture a video of her singing one of my favorite songs.  Not that she loves the camera or anything, right?  And my sincerest apologies for the shaky camera work; apparently I can’t keep myself still with Foo Fighters playing in the background.

Another trip to Outland…

When Patch 3.2 was announced with new druid artwork, I had to return to the class where it all began, although I eventually deleted my first druid character around level 30.  Regardless, here is a quick screenshot of Khatya passing through the Dark Portal after hitting level 58 yesterday.

This is my fifth character to make it to Outland, which only goes to show that I am a total nerd.  That being said, I still enjoy the game and it makes for a great non-literary hobby.  Everybody needs a break from the daily grind, right?  My goal is to get Khatya leveled all the way to 80 before Cameron gets himself back online, just to prove that I am infinitely cooler than him.  Not that it takes much.  He does play a lame night elf hunter, after all!

Preparing a legacy…

Elihu Hubbard Smith

I began reading through the diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith today, and I absolutely love his introductory note.  Tell me this isn’t awesome:

To those into whose hands my papers may come, when I cease to exist, they will be valuable: for my connections in many instances, have been with those, who either have been, or promise to be, in some good measure, distinguished actors in the scene around me. . . . this plan will not be limited to those who merit to be called my friends; but will be extended to a variety of characters—perhaps more interesting, on some accounts to the Historian and Philosopher.

It makes me wonder about the legacy I will one day leave.  Will the people I’ve associated with be “distinguished actors” on the world stage?  Will my writings, my actions, or my other contributions to society warrant the attention of historians and philosophers?  Will I even be diligent enough to leave something (perhaps some papers or writings, photos, digital files, etc.) for my posterity?  It makes for interesting speculation, eh?  And although I love blogging, it seems so fleeting—and so trivial—compared to texts like this diary.  Perhaps time, however, will prove me wrong.

Nerdfighting…

Thanks to Danny (@Senor_Artemio) I stumbled across the Nerdfighters and Vlogbrothers websites today, and I am now completely hooked.  This segment was one of my favorites:

John Green (@realjohngreen) is responsible for my new favorite quote: “You just got Edgar Allan pwned!” He also did an amusing video segment on Sarah Palin today.