[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
/* I’m still a little surprised weeks later at the opposition to my proposition in ending the draft altogether, the arguments made great sense to me but still never overrode the triumph of individual liberty. It’s unthinkable in my American experience to force a young man into conscription as a killer, I suspect that proponents of the draft would think very differently if it were their soul and life forced to get shot in the face for British Petroleum.
[shrugs] I don’t know, I’m a small person. I remember a nuclear weapon scientist defending their creation because after WWII the global warfare death rate falls off a cliff and wobbles at our current low rate, not hard after a century of two world wars but still, the point remains that in the nuclear age an industrialized country is never going to arm with a freak and take on a continent again. That ultimately negates any need for a national re-arming and draft, the US is never throwing 30 divisions into a combat theatre in the future. As a people we would just be better off if we forgot Selective Service and embraced our ferocious deterrence.
/* Netroots Nation is in a few weeks and I almost feel like giving up my registration, not for some goodbye-cruel-world foot-stamping, nothing like that, it’s just that I’m embarrassed I feel so busted and lost. I spent my 40’s vomiting with an illness and now spend wandering days cluelessly trying to put some kind of life back together. My family is in a total uproar and ceaselessly taps my consciousness with inputs that confuse and upset me. My Party leadership isn’t with me at all.
Pareene of Salon and Digby of Hullaballoo speculate why MSNBC and liberal blog hits are hurting, well, it seems obvious to me the Big B, betrayal, is at the heart of the matter, it’s always some heavy shit. A Democratic President proposed cuts in Social Security, it was supposed to be a political third rail for a reason. Personally it reduced me to a babbling liberal begging anyone to listen about solar polar, it seemed to be the only political objective that made any kind of sense. I’m a huge believer in leadership and this is simply a disaster on multiple levels. How it’s going to happen (the first indication is getting smashed in the midterms next year) no one knows, but we as a Party and people are going to pay a horrendous price for that, omfg.
The plan is to take Netroots Nation all in and be a reporter for once, sort of. Of course my personality history is to chuck restraints and rules aside at the slightest encouragement, so I really have no idea what will happen. [sigh]
/* Speaking of solar power, a funny legislative and market quirk in California is currently giving away leases on electric vehicles, hell Honda is even giving away a personal power station and took off the mileage limit, it’s ridiculous. If you are looking for a new car in California you have to look at this.
Which reminded me, it’s still on The List to register with RedState and fuck with our Republican cousins about electric cars, the fools have no idea that owning one instantly grants them evasion on gasoline taxes, hey in California last I checked it was around .50 a gallon. Yes it’s manipulative and dishonest and exacerbates a policy problem, I don’t care, yes I know present harm for future good is a ridiculous rationalization, god, playing by the rules has granted us all so much, hasn’t it? It’s better than bitching about Democrats. Right?
[places palms together] I hope your Sunday is full of light and good things. I, well, I shall do my tiny routines, hope for the best, remind myself that surprises happen and that there are many, many great Americans all around me. We will not waste the time given to us.