.
The money quote from Tom Friedman as he makes appearances promoting his newest book (Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America)...
from Meet the Press to this morning's Imus Show to "who's next?"(Larry King, tonight)...
surely has to be: drill, drill, drill is an IBM Selectric in an IT world. That these times call desperately for change, not more of the same ol', same ol'.
So what's it say about The Invisible Candidate, John McCain, who boasts that he knows nothing about computers and IT and totally awesomely relies on his staff and Cindy?
And what's it say about The Invisible Candidate that he selects as his Soul/Runningmate a politician who wants to teach creationism in the schools, opposes stem cell research, started a book banning effort in Wasilla and left the tiny town $22 million in debt so she could have her own personal Palin Palace hockey arena, is under investigation for using the power of her office to fire government officials, both as mayor of the village of Wasilla and Governor of the State of Alaska?
That's downright Machiavelli...or de Medici...or Pontius Pilate.
They may talk change...and as Friedman notes in promoting his book, it's real change we desperately need...but it's actually self-described Mama's-Boy-McCain's March Back to the Middle Ages.
Better watch out, Roberta...Carol could tell you...when you least expect it, when you're most vulnerable, John-boy could dump you, too.
.
h/t Thinkprogress for the MTP signpost
Showing posts with label Tom Friedman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Friedman. Show all posts
Monday, September 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Nation Building at Home: Medical Research
.
Issues won't be the topic insist the McCainiacs, character will. But issues have a way of dropping right in your lap when you least expect it. And no I don't mean premarital sex resulting in pregnancy and early marriage which seems to be the mother-daughter bond in the Palin family.
That's the kind of fluff that passes for news in too many circles these days.
For families who live with chronic disease, the news we care about, the news we set up our google alerts for, comes more and more from overseas these days.
Like this news story about research into genetic predisposition to develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL], the most common form of leukemia in the western world.
Earlier this week, Tom Friedman, on the Imus show, talked about the importance of Nation Building at Home. He cited physical infrastructure, talking about how the US lags behind other countries in such things as airports.
But there are a lot of other areas where we're lagging behind as well. Like medical research.
And the fact that John McCain has selected as his running mate Sarah Palin, who doesn't believe in a manmade cause of global warming, who threatened to fire Wasilla's librarian over banning books, who flouted the fishing laws of Alaska, who promotes abstinence-only sex education, who's literally and figuratively married to Big Oil...well, that gives me pause.
Reckless endangerment comes to mind, and I'm not just talkin' the puffery over Palin's supposed vast foreign policy experience from living right "next door" to Russia....
.
Issues won't be the topic insist the McCainiacs, character will. But issues have a way of dropping right in your lap when you least expect it. And no I don't mean premarital sex resulting in pregnancy and early marriage which seems to be the mother-daughter bond in the Palin family.
That's the kind of fluff that passes for news in too many circles these days.
For families who live with chronic disease, the news we care about, the news we set up our google alerts for, comes more and more from overseas these days.
Like this news story about research into genetic predisposition to develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL], the most common form of leukemia in the western world.
Earlier this week, Tom Friedman, on the Imus show, talked about the importance of Nation Building at Home. He cited physical infrastructure, talking about how the US lags behind other countries in such things as airports.
But there are a lot of other areas where we're lagging behind as well. Like medical research.
And the fact that John McCain has selected as his running mate Sarah Palin, who doesn't believe in a manmade cause of global warming, who threatened to fire Wasilla's librarian over banning books, who flouted the fishing laws of Alaska, who promotes abstinence-only sex education, who's literally and figuratively married to Big Oil...well, that gives me pause.
Reckless endangerment comes to mind, and I'm not just talkin' the puffery over Palin's supposed vast foreign policy experience from living right "next door" to Russia....
.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Nation Building at Home
.
This morning on the Imus Show, Tom Friedman introduced a theme he says is vital and not being addressed by either party in this election campaign: nation building at home.
I guess he wasn't listening to Barack Obama's Invesco Field speech and Obama's plan for funding innovation and entrepreneurship and new energy technologies. Maybe Friedman was jet-porting somewhere between Beijing and HongKong or something.
This morning we're seeing already in George W. Bush's infomercial for the Republican "drill, drill, drill" mantra that the Rethug solution is NOT innovation and new technologies. Nope. The same ol' same ol' party ain't going to be the one to heed Friedman's message that innovative energy technology and nation-building-at-home are what this election should be about.
For those who are landlocked inside our borders, quaking in the corner while Lou Dobbs thunders about keeping the "out" out, nodding in agreement with Cokie's calling our 50th State foreign and exotic, for those who suck up everything the Limbaugh - Hannity - reichwing talk radio is pissin' the way their SUVs suck up gas, the Rethuglican party is right on point.
But for those who stop and actually analyze the problem and educate themselves and vote for their best interests instead of against, this is a pivotal moment.
Do we want more of the same ol' same ol' that keeps us with the hands of Putin and Saudi on America's cojones puttin' the squeeze...cause that's what oil dependence offers us.
Do we want more of the same ol' same ol' that leaves us playin' catch-up...or worse yet, sitting on the side of the road as the world passes us by?
Friedman put it about as succinctly and so vividly even the shallow thinkers oughta "get it"...flying from Shanghai to LaGuardia is like flying from The Jetsons to The Flintstones....
So pick your issues this year, folks...I've got my take. Scarborough&Mika pushing the Palin pregnant kid story in the typical "we're so offended this is being talked about that we're going to talk about it" phony fashion.
In the long run, I don't care diddly-doo about whether somebody's kid is knocked-up.
I do care that too many in what Friedman calls "brain dead Washington" are perpetuating knocking all of us down.
.
Audio of Friedman not yet up on the website, but here's the page where Imus Show interviews appear as soon as available.
.
This morning on the Imus Show, Tom Friedman introduced a theme he says is vital and not being addressed by either party in this election campaign: nation building at home.
I guess he wasn't listening to Barack Obama's Invesco Field speech and Obama's plan for funding innovation and entrepreneurship and new energy technologies. Maybe Friedman was jet-porting somewhere between Beijing and HongKong or something.
This morning we're seeing already in George W. Bush's infomercial for the Republican "drill, drill, drill" mantra that the Rethug solution is NOT innovation and new technologies. Nope. The same ol' same ol' party ain't going to be the one to heed Friedman's message that innovative energy technology and nation-building-at-home are what this election should be about.
For those who are landlocked inside our borders, quaking in the corner while Lou Dobbs thunders about keeping the "out" out, nodding in agreement with Cokie's calling our 50th State foreign and exotic, for those who suck up everything the Limbaugh - Hannity - reichwing talk radio is pissin' the way their SUVs suck up gas, the Rethuglican party is right on point.
But for those who stop and actually analyze the problem and educate themselves and vote for their best interests instead of against, this is a pivotal moment.
Do we want more of the same ol' same ol' that keeps us with the hands of Putin and Saudi on America's cojones puttin' the squeeze...cause that's what oil dependence offers us.
Do we want more of the same ol' same ol' that leaves us playin' catch-up...or worse yet, sitting on the side of the road as the world passes us by?
Friedman put it about as succinctly and so vividly even the shallow thinkers oughta "get it"...flying from Shanghai to LaGuardia is like flying from The Jetsons to The Flintstones....
So pick your issues this year, folks...I've got my take. Scarborough&Mika pushing the Palin pregnant kid story in the typical "we're so offended this is being talked about that we're going to talk about it" phony fashion.
In the long run, I don't care diddly-doo about whether somebody's kid is knocked-up.
I do care that too many in what Friedman calls "brain dead Washington" are perpetuating knocking all of us down.
.
Audio of Friedman not yet up on the website, but here's the page where Imus Show interviews appear as soon as available.
.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
More Must Reading
.
To yesterday's weekend list, add Frank Rich, the uber columnist of the New York Times, writing about McCain's pastor Hagee.
For the media, it seems so far, it's the hypocrisy, stupid.
And Tom Friedman's back from book leave asking Who Will Tell the People? Maybe instead of focusing on the candidates, he ought to direct his question to his media colleagues who yet today persist in push-pastoring the pastor-who-shall-not-be-named.
And what's the what Tom wonders "who" will tell? Hey, while we've been cowering under our desks between shopping trips to the mall, the world's passed us by. Oh, we ain't North Korea, but we sure's heck ain't what we used to be, either.
So, what's the scorecard to be by the end of the day? Which Sunday pundits will have justified their existence? And which will have delivered just more of the same ol', same ol'? My money's on Schieffer.
To yesterday's weekend list, add Frank Rich, the uber columnist of the New York Times, writing about McCain's pastor Hagee.
For the media, it seems so far, it's the hypocrisy, stupid.
And Tom Friedman's back from book leave asking Who Will Tell the People? Maybe instead of focusing on the candidates, he ought to direct his question to his media colleagues who yet today persist in push-pastoring the pastor-who-shall-not-be-named.
And what's the what Tom wonders "who" will tell? Hey, while we've been cowering under our desks between shopping trips to the mall, the world's passed us by. Oh, we ain't North Korea, but we sure's heck ain't what we used to be, either.
So, what's the scorecard to be by the end of the day? Which Sunday pundits will have justified their existence? And which will have delivered just more of the same ol', same ol'? My money's on Schieffer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
