I've never read Howard Zinn, but I love me some contrarians. Even (and sometimes especially) the ones I don't agree with myself. So here's hoping that someone will be around to write the people's history of the 21st century, and do it justice. [Ed: Barry if you are reading this, I think that last phrase must have drifted from your FB page into my subconsciousnees...didn't mean to rip you off.]

more of this from the left, please

The First Amendment is not and never has been outcome-dependent; the Government is barred from restricting speech -- especially political speech -- no matter the good results that would result from the restrictions. That's the price we pay for having the liberty of free speech. And even on a utilitarian level, the long-term dangers of allowing the Government to restrict political speech invariably outweigh whatever benefits accrue from such restrictions.

--Glen Greenwald.

Read the whole thing.

(And yes, I realize that Greenwald would probably be the last person to characterize himself as being of "the left", but he is clearly no Republican apologist.)

when smart people say stupid things

It would appear that the President, for all his faults, at least understands the American system of government better than Paul Krugman does.

something smart i said yesterday

...which means I seriously doubt I said it first.

"Evolution does not optimize, it satisfies."

I like to think this is what Don King would sound like if he were a biologist.

quick ones

--This is why you should care about the 2nd Amendment, even if you don't care about (or for) guns (and for the record, I neither particularly care about or for guns, myself.) If "shall not be infringed" means anything other than exactly that, then "Congress shall make no law", etc., don't mean a whole hell of a lot, either.

--This seems to be under the radar in the national media, but marijuana possession in the City of Seattle is now effectively decriminalized. (Hooray Seattle!)

--The only basketball league that will suck worse than the WNBA.

dept. of "i told you so"

I think I called this one pretty damn well.

outrage

I could fill a blog with nothing but reasons why I think the human species is doomed, but near the top of that list is the fact that "we" seem capable of mustering much more outrage over professional athletes* taking steroids and old white guys talking like old white guys tend to do than we do over our nominal leaders killing innocent people in our name and spending us into oblivion.



*Per the great John Kruk, I'm only referring to McGuire this way to make the comment more general.