Category: culture

Reflections On the 4th of July: A Personal Statement

Posted on July 3, 2012July 3, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

I am not given to setting out pronouncements like this very often, but in light of the last several years I thought it might be worthwhile to do so on the occasion of the 236th anniversary of our declared independence.

I donâ€™t think in terms of demonstrating my love of country. My affection for my home is simply a given, a background hum, a constant, foundational reality that is reflexively true. This is the house in which I grew up. I know its walls, its ceiling, its floors, the steps to the attic, the verge, and every shadow that moves with the sun through all the windows.…

What Ails Us

Posted on July 2, 2012July 2, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

Senator Bernie Sanders is a voice of conscience. When he stands on the floor to tell us what ails us, we should listen. A lot of people won’t—they’re too busy trying to prove Obama is a Muslim or not a citizen or that Obamacare is socialism run rampant or some other absurdity that does nothing but distract from the real problems. We have as a nation become obsessed with sideshows. We seem incapable of coming together to actually solve the problems that we have. It’s easier to bitch about what is unaddressable than to do the hard work to understand real problems and deal with genuine issues.…

Education

Posted on June 27, 2012June 28, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

We seem to have lost sight of a simple truth of late.Â Not all things we do should or ought to be money-making enterprises.Â Yet we should do them anyway, because, to put it simply, without them we lose everything that makes making money worth the bother.

A string of university decisions in the last few years—most recently the forced resignation of the president of the University of Virginia and now the announced cutting of the University of Missouri Press— underscore how far we have drifted from this truth.Â None of these decisions have been about bad decision-making or scandal or anything that might impair the work of education.Â …

Petty Stuff, Harlan Ellison, and Therbligs

Posted on June 14, 2012June 14, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

I am inspired to write this because of two things, one significant, the other merely annoying.Â I start with the merely annoying.

I’m hopelessly behind the curve tech-wise.Â I can barely make my way around the internet, and if something melts down on my computer I run in panic from the room wondering who to call to fix it.Â Partly, this is a result of being too busy the last three decades to keep up, partly it is a response to the incessant demands of the digital marketplace to constantly, eternally acquire the latest gadget, the newest thingie, the most recent incarnation of Nousmasticator 3.1, all of which is both time consuming to install and maintain and often pretty damn expensive.Â …

Denying Reality.

Posted on June 11, 2012June 11, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

The North Carolina state legislature has adopted new guidelines to address the impact of climate change on their state.Â Namely by banning the use of the term “climate change” or the term “sea level rise” unless “authorized.”Â In section 2 of their House Bill 819 the prohibitions are laid out very clearly—no state agency is to use those terms when studying, commenting on, or otherwise addressing the impact of…well, you know.

Virginia is following suit.Â At least there an answer as to why is offered.Â Supposedly, such terms as climate change and sea level rise are “liberal code.”

Excuse me?Â Code for what?…

The Martian Chronicler

Posted on June 6, 2012June 6, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

Ray Bradbury died today.

He hadn’t been well, a stroke many years ago left him damaged, doubtless uncomfortable.Â But he hung around, the world gave him a few more awards, celebrated him in the small and varied corners where writers of moment get celebrated.Â Some people probably thought he’d died already, years past.

But, ironically, he published an essay in the New Yorker a few days ago, autobiographical.Â I say ironic because of the title.

I met Ray Bradbury a couple of times.Â On neither occasion was it enough to become first-name basis camaraderie.Â But he was gracious, friendly, and generous with his time.Â …

Honor and Duty

Posted on May 26, 2012May 26, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

They go where they are sent and do what is necessary, so the rest of us don’t have to.Â That’s the idea, anyway.Â Sometimes they get sent places they shouldn’t be and told to do things that shouldn’t be done, but that’s not their call.Â They have promised to be a shield, to stand between us and the dark places.Â It’s our job to know where the dark places are and how much a threat they pose.

It’s our duty to use them wisely so that their honor is our honor.Â When it goes well, they return, those that do, and they are admired and we take a collective pride in the job, the sacrifice, the honor which their actions transfer to us.…

For Those Who Think I Have No Problems With Mr. Obama

Posted on May 19, 2012May 19, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

This is an article by journalist Christopher Hedges about a historic court case just recently which overturned an egregious and unconstitutional provision of the Defense Authorization Act with which I and anyone with a clue about the nature of abuse of power in this country have had a deep concern since it was initially enacted under President Bush.Â I bristled when it was originally enacted, but quite frankly I was unsurprised at the time.

What offended me was Obama’s reauthorization.Â Mr. Obama is a constitutional historian.Â He should know better.Â Section 1012 of the NDAA effectively suspends habeus corpus.Â It is as unAmerican as it is possible to get and still claim rule of law.…

Devaluing Fame In Missouri

Posted on May 15, 2012May 15, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

”Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society. ”

”They oughta change Black History Month to Black Progress Month and start measuring it.”

”We’re not sexists, we’re chauvinists — we’re male chauvinist pigs, and we’re happy to be because we think that’s what men were destined to be. We think that’s what women want. ”

”The only way to reduce the number of nuclear weapons is to use them. ”

Anyone care to guess who said all of the above?

Yes, I’m cherry-picking, I admit it.Â Still, it’s not that difficult a question.Â …

Enough Is E #$%*& Nuff

Posted on May 13, 2012May 14, 2012 By Mark Tiedemann

Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona has apparently signed a bill into law that allows employers to interrogate their female employees about their sex lives.

Details, as far as I’m concerned, are not as important as one overriding principle:

When I work for someone, they pay me for the work I do and THAT IS ALL. This should not be controversial in the least. If health insurance is part of my compensation for the work I do while I am engaged in work for said employer, it is none of that employer’s business what I do with it. The employer does not own any other part of my life or my time.…