H.G. Miller Political

General - Typos are Fun

2009-02-07T10:52:00.001-08:00

clipped from www.cnn.com• $30 million for SD salaries • $100 for distance learning • $98 million for school nutrition• $1.25 billion for project based rental • $2.25 for Neighborhood Stabilization • $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing I love typos. Above are a couple of clips from CNN's list of

Covering an Obama Victory

2008-10-27T16:06:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.slate.comReporters do their least self-conscious work when they're startled by a story they hadn't prepared to write. Think of the astonishing coverage of the 9/11 attack, natural disasters, and the 2000 election-that-would-not-end. But giving a reporter (or a pundit) too much time to think about a

Political - Please Use Fact Check

2008-09-10T16:54:00.001-07:00

My Dad just gave me a great quote, which I'm surely getting wrong:"The Republicans started out using weapons of mass destruction. Now they are using weapons of mass distraction."As the presidential race really heats up in the next month, please take a few minutes each week to go to FactCheck.org and browse the articles they post. It's independent and it gives you the actual facts, with no

Politics - History of Pigs and Lipstick

2008-09-10T09:21:00.001-07:00

This story from CNN is what makes me love and hate the political process at the same time.Love: The fact that everybody is up in arms about whether or not Obama was referring to VP candidate Palin when he used the common colloquialism "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."Hate: That people will probably think he's attacking all working mothers by saying they are pigs who put on

Politics - Colbert Can't Run

2007-10-24T14:37:00.001-07:00

Haven't written anything political for a while, but with the primaries finally drawing near, I'll probably start piping up with my blue-state, liberal muckety-muck.I'm a big Steven Colbert fan, and have been watching his run for president with what I feel is an appropriate amount of bemusement. I found the story below about the legalities behind Colbert's entrance into the South Carolina primary

Neil Young's "Living With War"

2006-05-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Since the Royals are beyond terrible and legitimate football is still a ways off, I'll probably start paying more attention to the political arena in the coming months. Just to reinforce my blue-state leanings, I'm posting a link to the fantastic new Neil Young album "Living With War."By clicking HERE, you can listen to a free stream of the album.

Quick Draw Dick

2006-02-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

After watching Dick Cheney's interview from FOX News earlier today, I was compelled by the subtle shift in his demeanor as the discussion went from the actual shooting to the subsequent release of information.I think that shift probably represents very closely what actually happened over the weekend:1.) The Gunshot - I have no doubt that Cheney was shaken by the incident. It's easy to make fun of

2006-02-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline is back in court.This time, he is defending his decision to require that all "doctors, nurses, counselors, and all other care providers report--as abuse--any sexual interaction between teens under 16."Or course, as Dahlia Lithwick points out, this is merely another ill-conceiveded attempt at eradicating abortions under the guise of caring about

Twelve Tribes of American Politics

2006-01-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic Monthly has an interesting sidebar this month about political "tribes" in the United States.I have stolen the following chart from their website so that it may be shared with the world.What bubble do you fit into?What I like about this analysis is that it attempts to account for the separate cultural and economic values that most people have. There's a reason even the most-popular

Harriet, we hardly knew ye

2005-10-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Look, I know that the Bush administration's hallmark has been a stubborn refusal to acknowledge any semblance of logic when making policy decisions, but even they had to know that there was no good way for the Harriet Miers nomination to end, right?(The author shuffles nervously.)Right?

John Roberts Confirmation Hearing

2005-09-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Dahlia Lithwick is reporting from the John Roberts confirmation hearings on Slate.com this week. Dahlia is one of my favorite writers for the webzine, as she makes me feel like I just might understand anything about constitutional law on a good day. Since the overall vibe on the hill seems to be that Roberts will breeze through a Senate vote with little trouble, he is refraining from answering

They want us to leave

2005-07-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Fred Kaplan at Slate writes an interesting article about a point that is too often overlooked in the "War on Terror."They don't hate our freedom. They want us to leave.Kaplan reviews three different studies of suicide bombers which all try to understand why they blow themselves up in the first place.The overwhelming conclusion is that suicide bombers are motivated by "a specific secular and

Good-bye, Sandy D

2005-07-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Fighting goes both ways, but right now, the ball is in Bush's court. Now is his chance to have an inclusive discussion with Democrats before nominating a Supreme Court Justice. Ignoring the sentiments of half the country by nominating an ultra-conservative jurist and then spouting off about up or down votes will do nobody any good.

Some Thoughts

2005-07-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been quiet for a while, but wanted to throw out some random thoughts about the political stories of the day:Bush's Speech - I agree that we should put the decision to go to war behind us and look for ways to make progress in Iraq, but whenever the president links 9/11 with the invasion of Iraq, it makes my blood boil. The war in Iraq was NOT the war on terror. I'll agree that it has become

"It's good to be the king"

2005-06-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

CNN.com - Swazi king waits two weeks for wife No. 12 - Jun 13, 2005

LA deputies to be punished over shooting

2005-06-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

I think what frightens me most aboutthis story is that the police fired more than 120 rounds at the suspect and only managed to hit him four times. I can't decide if those percentages make me feel more or less safe in Los Angeles.

Villaraigosa Defeats Hahn

2005-05-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

Of my many New Year's resolutions, one of them was to vote in every election that I was eligible for -- state legislature, county clerks and even the local sanitation commissioner. While I made it to the first mayoral vote for Los Angeles, work kept me from casting a ballot in today's run-off. One more failed attempt at being a better person, I guess. As is usually the case with these campaigns

Paranoia for Fun and Profit

2005-05-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

A great look at how Disney and Michael Moore split up the money from Fahrenheit 9/11. I want to write more about this, because I have a host of mixed-feelings regarding Moore's particular brand of filmaking. For now, I'll just say that this article sheds a little more light on the fact that both corporate giants and individuals can be less than sincere when politics and money are involved. I'm

Iraq, Afghan wars reportedly strain U.S. fighting ability

2005-05-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Still feeling safer with Bush in charge, all you Dubya fans?

Joe Friday could not be reached for comment

2005-04-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Do the people who report the news realize they don't have to reprint the administration talking points word for word? From today's CNN.com article: "More than 10,000 fugitives from justice have been captured in a nationwide, weeklong dragnet, law enforcement sources said" Fugitives from justice? Who caught them? Batman? "'We're really amazed. We had no idea we'd apprehend more than 10,000 bad

In lighter news...

2005-04-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

I just checked the news, and it looks like the Pope is still dead.Okay, a bad joke. Anyway, I though I'd do a quick hit on a political decision concerning player playing cards that were given away at the Angels game Saturday Night. The following people had their headshot assigned to the following playing card values:Wild Card - Brendan DonnellyAce - Vladimir GuerreroJack - Chone FigginsQueen -

Douglas County alone rejects ban

2005-04-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

I often tell people that if God forsakes you to live in Kansas, then you want to live in Lawrence -- where it's close to Kansas City and features an educated, forward-thinking population. Sadly, I can't say the same for the rest of the state.

The "Sanctity" of Marriage

2005-03-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

Great story by Dahlia Lithwick on Slate today.Basically, she discusses how the same Conservatives who used the sanctity of marriage to fearmonger their way back into office during the last election are now trying to eliminate the binding legality of 'legitimate' marriges in the Schiavo case.From near the end of the story:Without any strong federal constitutional claims on which to rest, the

The Hassle of Privatized Social Security

2005-03-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

A nice, non-partisan quote about the new Bush plan for Social Security: "In real life, we ignore our Social Security. That's the glory of it. We have the freedom not to think about it. With all the time I have not to think about my "private" account, I can turn on the Cubs game." The article is here.

Hey, "God" wrote another book!

2005-02-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like the Pope has just okayed a new wave of hate crimes. Somebody told me the other day that since I was baptized Catholic, then I'm a Catholic for life, whether I like it or not. Is there anyone who knows this for sure? Is there some kind of soap I can get to wash this off?

Bush Square to Open in Baghdad... Sometime

2005-02-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

Richard Perle had a shoe thrown at him during a debate with Howard Dean yesterday. The assailant was dragged out of the auditorium screaming "liar, liar." No word on whether he thought Perle's pants were on fire.As for the debate, both sides made somewhat childish remarks that did little to move the conversation forward.Dean used a tough line about defense being "a lot broader than swaggering

Is it just me...

2005-02-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

Or has our administration stopped even trying to be deceptive? "The next steps are in the offing." So says Condoleezza Rice. She follows that with "And I think everyboyd understands what the 'next steps' mean."

I... um... wow....

2005-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Bushism of the Day I know it's unfair to expect our president to speak straight to us, but this is a little ridiculous. I mean, has he even read his own plan on Social Security?

The State of the Union

2005-02-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

I'll leave the more in-depth commentary to people who know what they're talking about. (I'm a big fan of Slate's coverage) For my own thoughts, two things stick out. We are going to war with Iran. I think most of us with functioning brain stems have been aware of this for a while now, but Bush called them out pretty specifically last night. I'll say it over and over again, and I am 99.9% sure I

And we wonder why they make fun of us in France

2005-02-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Remind me to stay out of South Dakota. CNN has an article about the many innovative ways a strip club owner has managed to continue providing service to his patrons. It never ceases to amaze me how much energy people will put into controlling what happens between consenting adults behind closed doors instead of looking into problems like unemployment, health care and education. My thoughts:

Dubya Does Stand-Up

2005-01-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

Following are excerpts from the president’s second inaugural address. My comments are in bold. At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half-century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of

Ready for Round Two?

2005-01-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Looks like Seymour ruined the surprise. I think the Bush administration wanted to wait at least another month so the WMD news out of Iraq could fade away from people's minds (most of whom probably still think it's happening). Then there are a few weeks of news conferences talking tough about the weapons in Iran.Then the "election" in Iraq so we can quietly back out and go after the real threat

Brave New World

2005-01-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

Well, at least it was four or five years ago. The national press has spoken, and "bloggers" are now considered the most influential people in the world, just after the Tool in the White House and Hindu cows. Never one to miss a trend, I have decided to expand my website - http://www.hgmiller.com/ - in order to more effectively provide content to my supporters (Mom, Kevin... thank you). I have