Category: Among the Barbarians

  • California “here we come”

    The barbarians are at the gates, and Washington, D.C. may never be the same. If American voters thought the war in Iraq was the most pressing issue of the day, Barbara Boxer may soon be disabusing them of that notion. Likely to be the next chair of the Senate Environment committee, Boxer is ecstatically planning…

  • Special Election as fodder for theater

    John Warren from Unconditional Theatre invites us to hear stories about the upcoming special election: The Special Election is less than a month away. How much do you know about the ballot measures? Wondering whether it’s worth going to the polls at all? Unconditional Theatre is here to help! We’re hosting an evening of stories…

  • Got (moooo) Smog?

    A curious editorial in the Sunday New York Times points out that California’s agricultural heartland may be at the heart of an air pollution crisis that could require regulation of cow emissions as well as car emissions. It seems that the mammoth dairy farms of the San Joaquin Valley–where about twenty percent of the nation’s…

  • Schwarzenegger’s popularity down to Bush levels

    The Field poll says only 39% of respondents would vote for Schwarzenegger again. Going, going, ….

  • JC’s Unitarian Jihad

    RaptorMage noted this on RaptorMagic and it was so perfect, I felt compelled to repost here. Highly recommended.

  • How do you measure work ethic?

    In What’s so great about the work ethic?, Mark A. R. Kleiman wonders why the much longer hours we work in the US (as compared with Europe) should be interpreted as a good thing and a sign of a strong work ethic. Glad someone is questioning this.

  • California judge strikes down gay marriage ban

    A quickie (I’m at SXSW): California Insider – Court strikes down gay marriage ban: A San Francisco Superior Court judge has found the state’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. [Full story here in the Sacramento Bee].

  • St. Francis of the slots

    Our bay of St. Francis is primed to become the Monte Carlo of the West by the looks of all the recent casino proposals, a result of both intentional and unintended actions of legislators, disenfranchised tribes, and savvy money men who could smell the profits from three time zones away. In effect, the Bureau of…

  • casino california

    Source by https://kuviet.com/lo-de-online/ I blame Arnold. Well, why not. There really is nobody to blame but ourselves for the mess we’re in here. The casinos are coming to town whether we want them or not. Even online, casinos are everywhere, 666casinos offers real casino experience that let you play your favorite casino games online. A…

  • Torture is bad

    There. I’ve gone out on a limb and said it. I feel so brave. Quoting from the Nielsen Haydens’ blog (Happy New Year): Ogged of Unfogged: […T]his will become a “Democrats are soft and looking to score points” issue. I’ve given up. Complain, protest, organize and fund all you want; one more attack here and…

  • the fish must pay

    And so far, the fish owe the farmers of California $26 million for depriving them of their water rights during the drought years of 1992 to 1994, according to federal claims court judge, John Paul Wiese . Since fish don’t have bank accounts it’s the federal government that will have to pay. For depriving farmers…

  • gambling on your life

    Now that the referendum on war and family values is behind us I think it’s time we turned our attention to the center ring in this American circus and take a look at how the Republicans are planning to dismantle our social safety net. I read a little article in the San Francisco Chronicle last…

  • Blue Heartland

    “We officially no longer give a shit when family farms fail. Fewer family farms equal fewer rural voters.” (The Urban Archipelago, It’s the Cities, Stupid., by The Editors of The Stranger (11/11/04)) Whoa Nellie! The heartland isn’t as red as it might appear. Take Fresno. Please. The former Raisin Capital of the World is now…

  • Why cater to exurbanites?

    It’s the Greeks versus the Romans. This editorial from the Stranger (The Urban Archipelago, It’s the Cities, Stupid., by The Editors of The Stranger (11/11/04)) makes it clear: The Democrats are party of cities. The Republicans are the party of the heartland. Grow our base, say the editors of the Stranger. Press urban issues. If…

  • Conservative label poised for stigma

    Liberals often complain that the liberal “brand” has become sullied by its relentless tarring from the right as the philosophy of weakness, equivocation, elitism, wastefulness, and self-delusion. This is nothing new. Kennedy had to defend the term liberal long before Dukakis danced around it. Kerry ducked it and couldn’t resist the liberals’ favorite sophist tactic:…

  • Patient Earth & Dr. California

    Out here on the Left Coast things are looking curiouser and curioser. Detroit is threatening to sue us for requiring cars in California to pollute less. Do they really care that much? Yes, because four other states peg their auto emission standards to California’s, and three more intend to follow suit. And why does California…

  • American Emperor

    Some call it the Left Coast and others dismiss it as a fantastical realm of gurus and gayness but today I want you to think of it as the birthplace of the Republican Emperor on this the officially declared day of mourning for Ronald Reagan, late president of the Empire and former governor of the…