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12 augustus 2004
30th Street Station
Two Macs and an Airport connection that was sharable over an ethernet patchcord. It still amazes me (yes, in that nerdy way) that I can have my G4 Cube at home mounted on my desktop in the middle of anywhere.
Sam dutifully downloaded lots of nifty porn medical-informational materials for the hour-and-a-half ride from Philadelphia to Manhattan. He's lovely. And tumescent.
Last night before bed, I went hunting for some bombast-free conservative blogs. I'm desperate to find someone willing to argue policy and ideology instead of the the standard, "Look at this funny picture of John Kerry looking funny! Isn't it FUNNY???". I'd love to find some places which understand the abstract, understand nuance, understand that an analogy is more illuminating than a dictionary-lookup.
I tried reading Andrew Sullivan for a while, and many of you know how that turned out.
Any pointers?
Posted by jeff at 07:39 am | Comments (0) | TrackBack
11 augustus 2004
Republican Drag
"Here's my impression of George W. Bush! Two big ears and nothin' but air between them!"
Sure, it's puerile, but it's all in good fun, unlike the bunco 'humor' I've seen aimed at Kerry. Connivance prevents such types from self-effacement.
Posted by jeff at 02:38 pm | Comments (0) | TrackBack
10 augustus 2004
Bill Clinton & Independence Hall
Sam and I were in Philadelphia, just driving around to check out the sights. We did many of the touristy things..well, tourist-lite, as we didn't pay to get in to see the Liberty Bell, etc. We stopped at Pat's and had cheesesteaks (I've had better—hey, they didn't have sweet AND hot peppers, so what kind of cheesesteak is that?), we drove around City Hall, we stopped at the Art Museum.
The only thing I really wanted to get near was Independence Hall. I'm not at all sure why; maybe it's been the books I've been reading about the Founders. I don't really know, because it wasn't until we actually got across the Ben Franklin Bridge that I decided that Independence Hall was something I wanted to see.
We got Doris Day parking; it's Sam's gift. I don't understand it, it just works. As we were catching first sight of Independence Hall, I heard a familiar voice coming from a loudspeaker across the street. Bill Clinton! It was his speech from the DNC playing out of a souvenir store two doors down. From the location where I took this picture of Sam, I stood looking at Independence Hall and listening to President Clinton's speech.
We haven't really changed all that much, it seems. It's still a society that holds ideals (if not practicals) in esteem. It's still some place where at least some people care about the future that lies beyond one's own lifetime (or the next four years, for that matter). To say that things need to be better in the future does not, should not come to mean that today is absolutely without merit or wonder. To say that things are bad right now is not, should not be a blanket statement of irretrievability for our country.
Just because the wheels finally came off the wagon because of the Bush Presidency does not mean that they can't be put back on by someone more interested in motion forward than who gets credit for the driving.
I miss Bill Clinton so much. I hope I miss John Kerry in the same way after Inauguration Day, 2013.
Posted by jeff at 04:21 pm | Comments (0) | TrackBack