The Meryl Streep Era

MSN has an article claiming that Meryl Streep should have won 13 Academy Awards besides the two she's actually taken home.

As I've said before, I just count myself lucky to be alive during the Meryl Streep Era.

Should Be Shunned

Glenn Greenwald points out correctly that Marty Peretz of the New Republic should be shunned by all respectable people.

On the Nuclear Front: The Threat of a Rogue America

In today's statement commemorating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, President Obama discounted the threat of nuclear war:

Today, the threat of global nuclear war has passed, but the danger of nuclear proliferation endures, making the basic bargain of the NPT more important than ever: nations with nuclear weapons will move toward disarmament, nations without
nuclear weapons will forsake them, and all nations have an "inalienable right" to peaceful nuclear energy.

Sure, there isn't much danger of the U. S., Russia, and China will exchange nuclear attacks. So, Obama's right. The main threat on the nuclear front has changed.

But the danger doesn't lie in nuclear proliferation either.

What's really dangerous is the possibility of a rogue government gaining control in a country that already has nuclear arms and then using its nuclear weapons to threaten or attack its enemies.

And what government is most at risk of such a takeover--Pakistan, India, France?

No! It has to be the United States.

Pakistan may be unstable because "elements" of the Pakistani military and intelligence services are sympathetic to al-Qaeda.

However, the situation is worse in the United States because neo-conservatives have enormous disdain for the United Nations, international law, and anything else that might inhibit its ability to wage total war. Neo-conservatives also speculate openly about nuclear attacks on Iran and the speculation should be taken seriously because neo-cons seem to be aching to break the taboo on nuclear weapons just as they were aching to break the taboo on torture.

Conservative America--the world's most dangerous and unstable political force.

The Sarah Party Split

One of the things I've picked up from talking with conservatives is that many conservatives activists have just as much contempt for Sarah Palin and the tea party types as any liberal. If Palin gets the nomination, there's going to be a simultaneous inflation and deflation of the Republican Party.

Killing Patriotism the Right-Wing Way

It looks like the right-wing is killing patiotism one shooting at a time.

Why not? The right's been destroying Christianity for years now.

According to reports on Pentagon shooter John Patrick Bedell, "Patriot” groups, steeped in antigovernment conspiracy theories, grew from 149 in 2008 to 512 in 2009." If that keeps up, the word "patriot" is going to be more associated with "nut," "weirdo," and "freak" than anything positive--"murderer" as well.