Monday, March 29, 2004

At CBN, the rubric for stories about Christianizing America is "Restoration."     From today's article: "There's a new bill in both the House and the Senate that would prevent judges from ruling on cases that involve the acknowledgement of God. In other words, judges would no longer be able to get involved in issues like the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance or school prayer."   "Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) said, 'To say that this country was not founded on the principles that acknowledge God is to completely deny history, and I think what's important to remember in all of this legislation that we're looking at.'"   Aderholt needs to brush up on his history, and these so-called conservatives in Congress need to quit messing with the Constitution. 1:42:34 PM    comment []

Saw this bumper sticker for the first time today, on an older-model car at the corner of Vanstory and High Point Rd:   1:27:40 PM    comment []

Thomas Frank has a brilliant but frustrating article in the April Harper's (not yet online) about his native Kansas, looted by corporate greed but more Republican than ever, with impoverished counties and dying towns that vote overwhelmingly for the GOP. He recalls the populism and socialism that once defined prairie politics, and defines a "Great Backlash" that leads people to vote against their own economic interests: "It is a working-class movement that has done incalculable, historic harm to working-class people. The leaders of the backlash may talk Christ, but they walk corporate." What I found lacking was a deeper explanation of why people behave as they do. The big unanswered question is, how did the Democrats and economic progressives lose their ability to communicate with these regular folks, and how can they recover that ability? 8:48:49 AM    comment []

Home. Delayed just long enough in Philly to watch GA Tech win in overtime. My NCAA pool would be a perfect 4-for-Final-Four if not for my religious prohibition against picking Duke. I've got UConn beating OK State in the final -- even so I was rooting for St. Joe's on Saturday night, and will pull for Tech next weekend. My mom is incredible. Tough. I think some of her friends down here picture her going it alone in Canada, just her and terminally-ill Andrew in their igloo, but she really has great support from family and friends up there. Not to mention a Canadian health system that charged them $2,300 for a 17-day hospital stay, and a top-tier neurologist who makes house calls. Andrew felt well enough yesterday to type a message: "Take care of your mom, she's a nice lady." He laughed when I brought him a beer instead of his nutrition drink. We sat there quietly with Sam the dog. Then I said goodbye, maybe for the last time, told him once more things he already knows about his grandchildren and his stepchildren, and headed for home. 8:35:36 AM    comment []