Years ago I went to McDonalds, and was told that I was entitled to a second Quarter Pounder, because I ordered one. When I declined it, it upset the cashier. She insisted it was "free" and got really pushy, so much that I had I had to get really pushy too "I only want one"

Luckily for me it was one of my last trips to McDonalds, but also a telling view of consumerism gone mad.

Weird.....

There are credit card companies that do that too. “The more you spend the more we’ll contribute to good works, so please spend even more. A Portion of your self interest will go to doing good.”

Bob Geldof is a saint, not because he raised money for famine relief, but because he took his trust to Africa to personally dispense. None of this buy the album and feel good while our board of directors parses your contribution down!

I think it was Frank Herbert of the NYTimes who penned a beautiful op-ed contrasting our good works in Iraq, and the first shopping day after Thanksgiving. As long as we are free to spend, it does not matter what chaos we create.

Actually people should rent George Romero’s Land of the Dead, which covers the subject nicely.

Posted at July 16, 2007 12:59 PM in response to Young, Idealistic, and Oh So Corporate

It’s funny really. David Brooks looks and sounds like a conservative's stereotype of a pointed headed liberal circa 1950. I’ve always felt that when conservatives see him, this is how they see us liberals. You know, the arrogant whiney nasal I know more than you do Adelaide Stevenson wimpy type. I find it ironic and almost surreal. That a stereotype so out of touch and irrelevant can be so well embodied by man who himself is so out of touch and irrelevant.

Posted at July 6, 2007 10:59 AM in response to Letter to a Neighbor

The Silver Star Award turns the Swift Boat thing on its head. Bwift Soat?

Posted at April 25, 2007 1:08 PM in response to Pat Tillman as Emblem of Iraq Nightmare

Time for some vainglorious chest thumping!

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 19, 2007

President Bush Pleased with Attorney General's Testimony

White House News

President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General's testimony today. After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators' questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred. He admitted the matter could have been handled much better, and he apologized for the disruption to the lives of the U.S. Attorneys involved, as well as for the lack of clarity in his initial responses.

The Attorney General has the full confidence of the President, and he appreciates the work he is doing at the Department of Justice to help keep our citizens safe from terrorists, our children safe from predators, our government safe from corruption, and our streets free from gang violence.

# # #

-

Posted at April 19, 2007 3:02 PM in response to Reader poll: the end?

I doubt they'll ask for this resignation. Who else would they get? All the folks with the inside track are already part of the attorney purge. And if they brought in a true outsider, then we would get to the bottom of it, and thats not something the administration needs, or wants.

Posted at April 19, 2007 2:17 PM in response to Reader poll: the end?

I simply don't care about the Virginia Tech Massacre and the Media Driven Maudlin Sorrow.

We live in a country that stigmatizes mental illness, prizes gun rights over healthcare, all while we remake Iraq in our image?

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/2410/157_Dead_in_Four_Bombings_in_Capital

Posted at April 18, 2007 12:38 PM in response to MY REACTION TO THE TRAGEDY AT VIRGINIA TECH

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish-American_politicians

According to wiki, yes. You are correct -Harold Brown.

Posted at July 27, 2006 3:55 PM in response to If Lieberman Loses. . .

Wouldn’t that be a first? A Jewish Secretary of Defense! I wonder how Al Jazeera would cover that story?

Posted at July 27, 2006 1:06 PM in response to If Lieberman Loses. . .

Good question! Would I rather have 51 Democratic Senators weakly explain why we need to stay the course in Iraq, or 48 with a strong voice and clear conscious about the immorality of this war!

Iraq is a Republican problem, they made it, they own it! On this issue, the Democrats should let them have it!

Posted at July 26, 2006 5:33 PM in response to Question of the Day: Lieberman Edition

With the Clinton's involved, the plot thickens. If Lieberman fails to win the nomination, people are going to question Hillary's strength as a Presidential candidate.

I can hear John McLaughlin shouting at us now “Pat you’re wrong! While the incumbent Senator may yet remain in the Senate, the most under-reported story of the week is Hillary’s early demise as Democratic frontrunner. This week Ned Lamont did what Republican’s could only dream of, he beat not only Joe Lieberman, but Bill and Hillary Clinton too. By pushing Lieberman out of the party, the message the Connecticut Democrats sent could not have been more clear: they want a choice not an echo! They have effectively put their party establishment in Washington on notice and Hillary had better listen! Bye bye”

Lol

Posted at July 26, 2006 5:23 PM in response to Question of the Day: Lieberman Edition