Politics
The Amazon primary, as of March 23
Since February 3, John Kerry has collected $76,742 in the Amazon primary, while George W. Bush has collected $20,221. Since March 13, the Kerry advantage has been $21,441 to $2,013.
Steve Casburn
Me
St. Patrick's Day
Next March 17, I want to wear no green, and a button that says: Kiss me -- I'm not pretending to be Irish.
Books
Wallace by Marshall Frady
I recently read Wallace, a biography of George Wallace written by Marshall Frady (who died earlier this month). My two main reactions: 1. What a hatchet job... 2. ...but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
Politics
The Amazon primary, as of March 13
Since February 3, John Kerry has collected $55,301 in the Amazon primary, while George W. Bush has collected $18,208. Since February 24, the Kerry advantage has been $38,847 to $6,120.
Politics
One explanation for the Bush campaign's recent slump
According to 18th-century American politician Fisher Ames: A monarchy is a merchantman which sails well, but will sometimes strike on a rock, and go to the bottom; a republic is a raft which will never sink, but then your feet are always wet. When a political party is dominated
History
Ralph Nader: Not the first vanity candidate
In the last 50 years, several Presidential candidates who had been liberal or Left darlings during their serious runs for the office have been unable to resist going on to make a final vanity run that upsets and divides their erstwhile supporters. Adlai Stevenson sought the Democratic nomination in 1960,
Music
The Heart of "The Heart of the Matter"
The local Kroger's supermarket played Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter" earlier this evening. Henley wasted that song. It runs a bloated five minutes, 21 seconds. Cut the pretentious, meandering crap out of the lyrics, strip down the arrangement, and add a gospel
Politics
Why I prefer John Edwards
Put simply: it seems to me that John Edwards is a man who has a future, and John Kerry is a man who has a past. (Either, however, is better than George W. Bush, a man who has nothing.)
History
Supreme Court trivia
The membership of the current Supreme Court has not changed since August 1994. The 9½ years that the current members have served together is the longest such stretch without a change since the Court expanded to nine justices. (The Supreme Court went 12 years without a change from 1811 to
Politics
The Amazon primary, as of February 24
Before the results of the February 24 primaries and caucuses are announced, here are the current totals in the Amazon primary. Change since February 17: John Edwards $4,005 John Kerry 3,671 Dennis Kucinich 205 Al Sharpton 30 Total amount: John Kerry $35,610 John Edwards 18,337 Dennis
History
Draft Nader '72
Ralph Nader has declared that he is again a candidate for President. As this 1971 article from The New Republic shows, the "Nader for President" movement has a long history (though Nader did not finally run for office until 1996): A funny thing happened to Edmund Muskie in
Education
A familiar lament
From the lead article in the February issue of Atlantic Monthly: not The rising generation cannot spell, because it learned to read by the word-method; it is hampered in the use of dictionaries, because it never learned the alphabet; its English is slipshod and commonplace, because it does not