Freethinkers
Last September I read a book called What’s God Got to Do With It? that introduced me to the life and writings of Robert Ingersoll, a famous politician and orator of the late 1800s who was an advocate of secular government and a leader among those who described themselves as Freethinkers.
I enjoyed that book very much, and started searching for more on the same subject matter. Ingersoll left a voluminous written legacy, and I considered digging more deeply into his works. But my searching led to to a broader view of the subject that appealed to me, Freethinkers; A History of American Secularism.
Everywhere you look in America today, the religious-right is working to inject religion into government. George’s Bush’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and efforts to teach “Intelligent Design” in classrooms, are but a few examples.
Frequently, proponents of such change argue that attempts to separate church and state go much farther than our founding father’s originally intended. Freethinkers is a fascinating history of that reveals what a monumental accomplishment it was for America’s founders too succeed at creating a secular government, and traces the role of freethought through wartime, the woman’s and civil rights movements, and up to the present day, that I heartily recommend to anyone.
In the Sunday Washington Post
Going to see my picture on the cover
Gonna buy five copies for my mother
Gonna see my smiling face
On the cover of the Rolling Stone
Cover of the Rolling Stone
by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
I’m not likely to ever be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, but as the familiar chorus of Dr. Hook’s classic song describes, it’s a dream held by many performers.
But today I enjoyed an analogous accomplishment for someone who works in politics like myself. My opinion piece appeared in the Sunday Washington Post, in the ‘Close to Home’ section dedicated to local issues.
You won’t see my smiling face. And it’s online, so I won’t have to buy five copies for my mother. And I’m not creative enough to write new lyrics that will rhyme. But if you catch me humming ‘rolling stone’ this week… well, know you know why.
My Rights Aren’t A Matter of Address
The Washington Post, Sunday, January 22nd, page B08
Screen Shots from the Attic
Last week I was invited to speak at the Internet Advocacy Roundtable on the subject of Congress and the Internet. In gathering my thoughts, and preparing for that presentation, I perused the deep and dusty corners of my hard drive to review presentations I’ve given on the topic in the past. In doing so, I came across a collection of screenshots I had grabbed and used previously, many of them now already a decade or more old. For me, looking through them was like looking at old photos in a family album, with each bringing back memories from way back in the day. So I thought I’d throw them all up on my Flickr account, and share a little Congressional web history there.
Happy New Year!
We rang in 2006 with our neighbors, and skipped the traditional champagne for some Kamikaze shots, which proved to be a very fine choice. After the party broke up, we hit the hot tub for the first dip of the year. And this morning, surprisingly hangover free, I made pancakes and sausage.
All in all, a very promising start to the year. A win by the Redskins today would be nice too.Fantasy Football Fluke
I have participated in football pools for years. I’ve long been a football fan, but only by participating in a pool am I able to stay interested in what happens with every game each weekend. The friendly competition with others in the pool, and the random chance that the right picks could put some extra bucks in my pocket, greatly increases my enjoyment of football season.
I have never previously participated in a fantasy football leagues, but this year I found myself invited to join two different ones, and so I gave it a shot. In each case, my approach was based on my own cluelessness and an inactive approach towards trades and managing my bench. Rookie mistakes such as leaving players in my lineup during a ‘bye’ week reflected my ineptitude as a fantasy owner/coach.
I named my teams Old Guys Rule and the Montclair Mopes. I made a few good picks in the draft. I had #1 ranked Quarterback Carson Palmer leading the Old Guys, and Peyton Manning for the Mopes. But my key player was one I had on each of my teams, Kansas City running back Larry Johnson.
The Mopes went 7-6, and I made the playoffs as a wild card team. After two playoff victories, I found myself in the big game. And I made my fatal mistake in trying to coach. I benched some players in favor of some other newly acquired replacements, thinking I could improve my score. But my replacements choked, leaving me in second place where I would have won it all if I had stuck with my original starters. But the Old Guys did indeed Rule! With a 10-4 record on the season, the Old Guys rolled over most challengers, and we won the big game against the boss last week.
I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed these leagues. Where my regular pool peaks my interest in how each team does each week, the fantasy league created new interest in the performance of individual players. It got tricky sometimes. You might find yourself looking for a good performance from your Quarterback, but not wanting his receivers to do well. Regardless, it was fun and the fact that I did as well as I did my first time out was probably enough to hook me for seasons to come.
Bored by Wicked
My reading comes and goes in spurts. Sometimes I’ll tear through books quickly, and sometimes life’s distractions just won’t allow me the time that I rather be spending reading. My pile of books ‘on deck’ is growing higher.
And because I don’t get as much reading time as I’d like, I really don’t like it when I’ve wasted any of it. If I start a book, I’m gonna finish the book. But not this time.
I wanted to read the book Wicked in anticipation of seeing the musical while it’s in Washington. But the musical is sold out, and the book has bored me to tears. I got a little more than halfway through it before admitting defeat. I wanted to like this book, and the idea of a prequel to give background to The Wizard of OZ had real appeal to me. But it just never grabbed me. So I’m setting this one aside to move onto other volumes.
To the person who bought the book by following the Amazon link on my site, well, I hope you like it better than I did. And thanks for the 51 cents referral fee.
Merry Christmas!
The buildup has been fun this holiday season. From decorations, parties, Christmas movies and caroling… and it has all led to a very Merry Christmas.
With best wishes… We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Return of the Capitol Tree Cam
Last year, I wrote about the demise of the U.S. Capitol Treecam. It was a sad event for me to see the Treecam not come back for Christmas 2004, as it was a tradition that I was personally involved in starting.
But there’s good news this year, the Treecam is back. The picture isn’t so great. It’s too far back and very unclear. You can see reflections from within the Senate Chaplain’s office on the glass (that always has interesting possibilities). Still, I’m glad to see it back. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who missed it. And someone with enough authority told someone else, “Bring back the Treecam!”
And just so I’m clear about my position on this vital Washington issue. Compared to the Capitol Tree, the White House Tree just doesn’t measure up. It looks like something done by an interior designer. The Capitol Tree is bigger, and looks like it belongs in a family room, a very large family room. And I’m glad it is once again being called what it is, a Christmas Tree.
for further reading: Three Trees, but Only One Star?
The Washington Post, 11/30/05
Destroy the County to Defend It
Last Friday the New York Times broke the story that the Bush Administration has been eavesdropping on Americans without a warrant since shortly after 9/11/2001.
The Times had delayed reporting the story for a year, at the request of the Administration which claimed that disclosure of the news would be harmful to national security. More likely, such disclosure would have been harmful to President Bush’s re-election prospects. In early December of 2005, Bush summoned the editor and published of the Times to the Oval Office, to again attempt to halt the story
Has Bush’s arrogance and disregard for the Constitution finally gone too far? Calls for an immediate investigation of Bush’s warrant-less wiretapping are coming from Democrats and Republicans alike in Congress.
9/11 was a tragic day. But to George Bush and Dick Cheney, it was their golden ticket to justify any action, defend any failure, and disregard any law. The horrible losses of that day have been amplified to incalculable levels in further loss of life and the tearing down of America by these men who claim to be defending it.