FORWARD--with thematic unity! (of battleships and bayonets)

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Monday October 22, 2012 · 8:29 PM PDT

2012/10/22 · 20:29

I'm a writer and, in my better moments, a musician.

One of the things that I look for, in good writing and in good music, is thematic unity.

That is, does the entire piece, of writing or of music, hang together? Does the author or composer keep coming back to the main point, but in different ways? Does almost every word, or every note, reinforce the main idea?

If you have thematic unity, you pack a powerful punch.

Did President Obama pack some thematic unity tonight?

More below the forward-with-caution signal.

jcbdem

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Wednesday July 18, 2012 · 5:15 AM PDT

2012/07/18 · 05:15

This will be a brief diary; or perhaps short-form diary is the better phrase.

I'm picking up from several sources--Comedy Central, word of mouth as to a Facebook cartoon--that there's a new Romney meme gaining some traction.

More below the curlicue.

jcbdem

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Friday July 22, 2011 · 10:55 AM PDT

2011/07/22 · 10:55

So. This morning, the Cut, Cap, and Kill Medicare bill died a quick death in the Senate. And Majority Leader Reid has said that the Senate will await a further bill from the House, because the Constitution requires that revenue measures originate there.

That's a bit of a fig leaf--Reid has a few House bills on the Senate calendar he could turn to if he needs to--but it looks as though he's telling Speaker Boehner, "After you, Alphonse."

The question is, how is all this going to play out? Let's think the current situation through a bit.

Poll

19 votes Show Results

What do you think--is this the end game?

19 votes Vote Now!

What do you think--is this the end game?

Yes

4 votes

2 votes

Beats me

11 votes

Pie--peach, raspberry, or especially rhubarb

1 vote

Wake me when it's over

0 votes

US Court Rules Bush Admin Misread Law: Congress Did Not Intend Medicare Part D Limit

jcbdem

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Saturday March 12, 2011 · 7:34 PM PST

2011/03/12 · 19:34

Are you covered by Medicare Part D, the prescription-drug insurance program? Does any of your relatives have Part D coverage?

Are you a doctor, or a health-care professional, frustrated at rules that limit which prescriptions Part D will pay for?

Are you a victim of an orphan disease, wondering whether Part D will pay for your medicine when you retire?

If so, then a decision this past week by a federal judge in New York may be of interest.

The judge ruled that a regulation that has governed Medicare Part D, since the program's inception, is unlawful and a misreading of the statute.

The regulation, written by the Bush Administration, says that to be paid for by Part D, a prescription has to be for a use of the drug that is recognized in "compendia"--that is, privately published guides to pharmacological research.

Two Medicare beneficiaries, however, argued that the Bush Administration's compendia requirement is inconsistent with the law. And a federal judge has just agreed, and has held that "Congress did not intend to impose the compendia requirement."

Poll

0 votes Show Results

0 votes Vote Now!

Wacky GOP theopolitics in Davenport, IA

jcbdem

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Saturday October 11, 2008 · 10:49 AM PDT

2008/10/11 · 10:49

There's an alarming report from John Deeth at The Iowa Independent about the invocation at Senator McCain's Davenport rally this morning. According to Mr. Deeth, the pastor delivering the invocation said the following:

"There are plenty of people around the world who are praying to their god, be they Hindu, Buddah, or Allah, that (McCain’s) opponent wins. I pray that you step forward and honor your own name." Ends with "in Jesus’ name."

Leaving aside the objectionable implicit theology of this -- that Christianity is the only way to God, and everyone else is doomed to hellfire -- the politics of this invocation are, if possible, worse. The suggestion that God should "honor [His] own [N]ame" by racking up votes for Senator McCain is troubling on a number of levels.

The one that I'll focus on is the corrosive effect that this kind of theopolitics will have on those people who actually believe that this is how God acts in human affairs.

jcbdem

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Wednesday September 03, 2008 · 8:37 AM PDT

2008/09/03 · 08:37

One thing that I have not seen reported, in all the Palin flailin', is Governor Palin's record of political contributions. The Federal Election Commission maintains a database where one can search for the contributions made by individuals. A search for Palin, Sarah reveals surprisingly little.

jcbdem

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Tuesday September 02, 2008 · 10:29 AM PDT

2008/09/02 · 10:29

At the rate things are going, there might be a floor fight when Governor Palin is nominated for vice president. At the very least, it will be a dicey moment.

A number of questions come to mind as to how the GOP will handle nominating her. Will someone move that the convention nominate Governor Palin by acclamation? Will someone object to that motion? Will they have to have a roll-call vote? And who will be chairing the convention at this rather important moment? In other words, who will have to ignore the cries of protest from the floor? How loud will those cries be?

And when might all this go down? Inquiring minds want to know -- so that they can watch history being made. And know whom to blame.

jcbdem

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Saturday August 30, 2008 · 5:18 AM PDT

2008/08/30 · 05:18

The National Weather Service has just put out its 8 a.m. public advisory for Hurricane Gustav. And the news is as bad as we feared. Perhaps worse.

Gustav -- which has a pattern of dramatic intensification -- has done it again. Yesterday at 8 a.m., Gustav was a tropical storm with winds of 65 mph and minimum pressure of 988 millibars.

Today at 8 a.m., Gustav is a "large" category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph and pressure of 955 millibars. In other words, the pressure has dropped at a rate of more than 1 millibar per hour.

jcbdem

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Wednesday August 27, 2008 · 6:09 AM PDT

2008/08/27 · 06:09

So . . . we don't have that much left in the Convention. The keynote's done, Teddy's done, Hilary's done. There's Barack's speech. And there's also . . . the roll-call vote. You know: They start with Alabama, then Alaska, then Arizona, and so on, down the list. In whatever order, alphabetical or not.

Back in the day, the roll call used to give a bloviating politician from each state the chance to trumpet his state's virtues. So, for New York, the mayor or governor or local ward heeler would reach for the mic and say, "Madam Secretary, the proud and honorable State of New York, the home of Lady Liberty, of Ellis Island, through which half of America came to America, the home of Wall Street bulls and Broadway shows, is pleased as punch to cast" some electoral votes for candidate FuturePresident, some other electoral votes for VibrantChallenger, and a few for AlsoRan.

The roll-call vote is normally a bit of a snoozer, and it takes a lot of time. So we need a more disciplined, and dare I say, humorous approach to liven it up. I would suggest that the delegations make McCain's real estate empire the theme.

jcbdem

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Tuesday August 26, 2008 · 3:19 AM PDT

2008/08/26 · 03:19

As good Democrats, we should focus on our Convention in Denver. But at the same time, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans from Texas to Florida need to keep a weather eye on Hurricane Gustav.

At 11 a.m. EDT yesterday, Gustav was still an unnamed tropical depression. As of 5 a.m. this morning, it is now a Category 1 hurricane, with winds near 85 mph. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Gustav will become a Category 2 hurricane before it crosses Haiti's southwestern peninsula.

Haiti's deforested countryside can ill endure the torrential rains that Gustav will bring. Even worse is what Gustav could do after it leaves Haiti.

UPDATE: 8am public advisory from Nat'l Hurricane Ctr. puts winds at 90mph, almost cat 2 . . .

UPDATE 2: Five computer model runs at 8am show Gustav heading for Louisiana or Texas . . .

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FORWARD--with thematic unity! (of battleships and bayonets)

no, we want the long-form tax returns

the debt-limit end game

US Court Rules Bush Admin Misread Law: Congress Did Not Intend Medicare Part D Limit

Wacky GOP theopolitics in Davenport, IA

Gov. Palin's two [federal] political contributions

Still No Convention Schedule on Official GOP Website

At 8am ET Gustav "large" cat 3 storm, 120 MPH winds

McMansion hijinks for the roll call?

Hurricane Gustav threatens Gulf Coast: UPDATE-8AM winds, models