Comments for distal muse

Comment on Bread and Sacred Cows by Samuel John Klein

Samuel John Klein — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:51:49 +0000

Well, boy howdy, the highest paid public employee in the Great State of Oregon here is … wow, a football coach. I don’t even have to look it up to figure it’s whoever’s currently at the head of the University of Oregon Ducks, who storm the standings every season with nothing more than a well-funded, over-pampered and mollycoddled (by NIKE, fagoshsakes!) football program.

But the U of O program is just a mound of recruiting violations just waiting to detonate. It almost did this last year, but it looks as though they’ll dodge *that* bullet. But that luck runs out eventually. The shrapnel from that hive of scum and villainy flying apart should level about half of Eugene.

I hope they have emergency plans in place for that.

Comment on National Day of Idiocy by Samuel John Klein

Samuel John Klein — Fri, 03 May 2013 01:01:26 +0000

I would pretend to be one of the benighted ignorant if it would get me lunch with Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Hell, I’d temporarily register Republican.

I am not entirely unserious.

Comment on Coming Up On… by The Men of Tomorrow » distal muse

The Men of Tomorrow » distal muse — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:01:01 +0000

[...] So, the other night, the 22nd to be exact, I committed Public Performance. I had help. Two brave musicians, both of whom are better at their respective instruments than I am at mine, joined me to play jazz-like music at the Mad Art Gallery where Left Bank Books and other St. Louis Independent bookstores celebrated World Book Night. I mentioned this in a previous post. [...]

Comment on Afterimage by Mark Tiedemann

Mark Tiedemann — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 03:42:21 +0000

Thank you for such a gracious response to my work. I appreciate your appreciation. I hope you enjoy “my” novels as much as the ones I did in the Good Doctor’s sandbox.

Comment on Afterimage by Rick Tewell

Rick Tewell — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:47:23 +0000

Mark, I recently discovered your Asimov robot mystery books and they are absolutely BRILLIANT. I am a huge Asimov fan and have many early / first editions of the Foundation / Robot series. You captured Asimov’s robot world perfectly. I am SO happy that you are continuing to write novels. I am collecting all of your novels one by one . Keep writing!! Your books are an absolute delight to read. Thank you for inviting us into “your worlds!”

Rick Tewell

Comment on Wrong Is Right: Political Absurdity Incarnate by Mark Tiedemann

Mark Tiedemann — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:16:26 +0000

Not the Bill of Rights but the main body of the Constitution had a significant effect on state mandates for religious tests. In 1787, 11 states, 9 in their constitutions, imposed religious qualifications for government officials. No state constitution specifically barred religious tests. Soon after ratification of the federal constitution, that changed. In the decade after 1788, all but of the states moved toward openness of religious practice. Three eliminated all constitutional language imposing tests. I believe the last state maintaining government support for a church was Massachussetts(if memory serves) and that changed around 1833, but the majority had decades earlier eliminated tax payer support for any denomination along with the tests. The vast majority of the United States was, at least in its governmental practice, secular, which is one of the root causes of the Second Great Awakening.

Comment on Wrong Is Right: Political Absurdity Incarnate by Tom Dillingham

Tom Dillingham — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:45:53 +0000

The widespread effort among tea party influenced legislatures to refuse or block federal law has its own advocates here in Missouri, including efforts to block ACA and even to criminalize the DISCUSSION of any limits on weapons. The crazies are actively moving toward reversing many areas of established law, in addition to trying to overturn parts of the Constitution (even state constitutions) they don’t like by asserting “federalism” in their bizarre version. A different but analogous case is moving in Virginia under the certifiably insane “leadership” of their attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/03/1198966/-Ken-Cuccinelli-asks-court-to-reinstate-Virginia-sodomy-law-Wait-what.
Linda Greenhouse’s column today (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/trojan-horse/?hp) on the Supreme Court and DOMA offers a chilling picture of the potential successes of these neo-secessionist efforts.

Comment on Wrong Is Right: Political Absurdity Incarnate by John

John — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:28:52 +0000

It’s the 14th Amendment which settles this case, not really anything before it. I have read elsewhere that there were established religions in several states well into the 19th century.

Comment on Undeserved Entitlement by Chuck Messer

Chuck Messer — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:42:07 +0000

Which comes back to my original point, Blue. Rape is rape, just as you say. And none of this ‘boys will be boys’ bullshit.

No consent = rape. Doesn’t matter what she was wearing, where she was, if she was drinking, etc.

Comment on Undeserved Entitlement by Mark Tiedemann

Mark Tiedemann — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:35:10 +0000

Excellent questions, bluerabbit. No, I would not host such a party. I have, in fact, been chaperone at such parties, though, and think it a good idea that at least one responsible, sober adult be present. Nothing you can do if kids just get together somewhere on their own, but one should have a say over what goes on in their own house. And I agree, the issue is simply rape, statutory or otherwise, as well as a climate that has let certain people think (a) it’s always the woman’s fault and (b) “boys will be boys” is some kind of valid excuse.

As to your last remark, I meant no judgment on that score. That, too, is a choice. My concern is that choice is optimized and if you choose to remain virgin till marriage, great. I don’t see there being a preferred position on that. No one should be ridiculed for their choice. My concern is that it is, in fact, your choice.

Thanks for chiming in.