The Non-Transferability of Human Experience

True or false?

 

Excerpt From Sam Harris Column

By Sam Harris | NEWSWEEK
Published Sep 20, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Sep 29, 2008

The point to be lamented is not that Sarah Palin comes from outside Washington, or that she has glimpsed so little of the earth’s surface (she didn’t have a passport until last year), or that she’s never met a foreign head of state. The point is that she comes to us, seeking the second most important job in the world, without any intellectual training relevant to the challenges and responsibilities that await her. There is nothing to suggest that she even sees a role for careful analysis or a deep understanding of world events when it comes to deciding the fate of a nation. In her interview with Gibson, Palin managed to turn a joke about seeing Russia from her window into a straight-faced claim that Alaska’s geographical proximity to Russia gave her some essential foreign-policy experience. Palin may be a perfectly wonderful person, a loving mother and a great American success story—but she is a beauty queen/sports reporter who stumbled into small-town politics, and who is now on the verge of stumbling into, or upon, world history.

The problem, as far as our political process is concerned, is that half the electorate revels in Palin’s lack of intellectual qualifications. When it comes to politics, there is a mad love of mediocrity in this country. “They think they’re better than you!” is the refrain that (highly competent and cynical) Republican strategists have set loose among the crowd, and the crowd has grown drunk on it once again. “Sarah Palin is an ordinary person!” Yes, all too ordinary.

We have all now witnessed apparently sentient human beings, once provoked by a reporter’s microphone, saying things like, “I’m voting for Sarah because she’s a mom. She knows what it’s like to be a mom.” Such sentiments suggest an uncanny (and, one fears, especially American) detachment from the real problems of today. The next administration must immediately confront issues like nuclear proliferation, ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and covert wars elsewhere), global climate change, a convulsing economy, Russian belligerence, the rise of China, emerging epidemics, Islamism on a hundred fronts, a defunct United Nations, the deterioration of American schools, failures of energy, infrastructure and Internet security … the list is long, and Sarah Palin does not seem competent even to rank these items in order of importance, much less address any one of them.

 

Yes oh yes Wonkette

What they said:

“Is This Tomorrow?”

 

Sarah Palin makes me want to scream. Part 1

If I have to listen to one more media type seriously and respectfully discussing Sarah Palin’s “qualifications” for office, as though there were any remote way on earth she has the intelligence, education, skills, or background to be even a cabinet member, I will just scream.

Sarah Palin is lamentably ignorant, narrow-minded, uneducated, small-minded, and lacks ANY experience in the kinds of thinking, analyzing, compromising, or big-picture seeing that a president or vice president does.
Let’s put aside (although it’s hard), the lies and misrepresentations in her speech, her ethical lapses in Alaska, all the family & baby dramas, and let’s even set aside (although it’s hard), her extreme right wing views on so-called “social” issues.
Putting all that away, the real problem is that there is NO indication that she has ever taken even a passing interest in foreign affairs or international relations, or has EVER engaged in thoughtful study of economic  policy, environmental science, globalization of labor and production, the social dynamics of largely Muslim countries, climate change, constitutional law, the role of the judiciary in our society, financial markets, the structure of our tax code, health care, space travel, infrastructure repair, educational issues, effective consensus building (she’s been a bully in Alaska), or any of the other issues that the next president & vice president will have to deal with.  Does she even speak a foreign language?
Honest-to-Pete, I could care less who is more “down to earth” or who has a “story” I can “relate to.”  Haven’t we learned anything from eight years of a president chosen on the basis of who would be more fun to have a beer with?
What is “elite” anyway, besides the newest insult?  If elite means more intelligent, better educated, more practiced and adept at analysis of complex multi-faceted issues, better spoken, better able to interact appropriately with world leaders, possessed of a greater fund of general cultural knowledge, and being the Law Review editor of Harvard – then, yeah, I want the elite one.  Field-dressing a moose, watching kids’ hockey games, firing state officials who won’t fire your sister’s ex-husband – these are neither the things the president does, nor are they preparation for being vice-president.  It’s not who has more “executive” experience, or who is the best speaker, whose family is the most engaging, or who is “just like us.”  Leading the free world – damn right, I want someone in the top percentile of everything.
Far as I can tell, Palin was overmatched as mayor of Smallville, Alaska.  I shudder to think of her with potential responsibility for the whole country.

 

Check KnitPurr Please

I’m not suggesting that anyone has any reason to check anyone’s blog to begin with, but on the off chance that someone has wandered by, I’m over here for the summer at Knit One, Purr Two   I’m going to start adding “real world” stuff there, not just knitting posts.  So . . . IYC, well, now you know!

 

Blog Infidelity

I’ve been using my knitting blog this summer.  Time to return to the porch swing at least some of the time!

 

Don’t Mess with this Movie

Saw “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” today with my son.

On the plus side, it was cool, air conditioned, and I did giggle frequently.

That said, what a dumb movie.  And, I usually like movies with humor aimed at boys.

 

Unintended Irony

I saw the following headline this morning:

“Opponents of Evolution Adapt, Adopt New Strategy in Schools”

So, the “opponents of evolution” are adapting to changed conditions and coming with a new approach.  Gee, they’re evolving!!

 

Obama!! Sweetie!!

1. The reason that Obama called that reporter “sweetie” is not because he’s a sexist — it’s because he has two daughters and probably says the word “sweetie” about a million times a day.

2. He can call me ’sweetie’ any time.

 

Hil – Don’t Go There

So, Hillary Clinton has been criticizing Obama for
not leaving his church after Rev. Wright said some bad things.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton ended her silence on Senator Barack Obama’s pastor on Tuesday, sharply criticizing Mr. Obama for not leaving the Chicago church where the pastor made inflammatory remarks about the United States, spread conspiracy theories about the government and made sensational comments about Mrs. Clinton.
“Given all that we have heard and seen, he would not have been my pastor,” Mrs. Clinton, of New York, said on Tuesday of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., at a news conference in Greensburg, Pa.

Wait.
Hillary is criticizing Obama for not leaving
after his preacher did something wrong.
Does anyone else see the irony?
Does Hillary really want to start a discussion about how
people should leave a situation after someone does
something wrong like, oh you know, maybe
has an affair with an intern and humiliates you in front of the world, something like that?

 

Hillary – Do the Right Thing.

It’s time for you to do what Bill Richardson and John Edwards already did – drop out and work for the Democratic party not for your own glory.

Thanks in advance,

Your Porch Swing Correspondent

 

Obama’s Crazy Preacher

So, okay, Obama belongs to a church whose preacher,
whom Obama admires and is friends with, has been known
to break bad with the crazy ‘white devils’ talk.   Eh.

Ultimately, this publicity will help him, not hurt him. Why?

1. It establishes him as one of the first Democratic candidates with bona fide religious credentials. With his embarrassing preacher and all, Obama is a real Christian, just like the right wing Christians. In comparison, Clinton seems like she just pretends to be religious, like everything else she pretends. How great – a Democrat on the hot seat for involvement with a crazy preacher, not for being an atheist.

2. It gave him the chance to make a wonderful speech about race relations.

3. It humanizes him. Now Obama isn’t just a symbol of Generational Change, he’s a flesh and blood person, complete with occasional lapses of judgment and embarrassing friends and/or relatives.

4. Raise your hand if you’ve ever been embarrassed by a relative or close friend’s *ahem* social views. Looks like everyone put their hand up!

 

Brina Surfaces!

Was it the blog post or coincidence?  I don’t know, but I was so glad to hear from her!

 

Where’s Brina?

In 1977 I took a job at a local bookstore.  The store was a beloved local landmark, the owners were related to more famous media personalities.  The job, however, was awful.  Hours that felt like days dragged on between the occasional live customer.  The customers tended to ask if we “had that book, you know the one that’s been on TV?” The career employees/lifers at the store squabbled constantly about nothing.  Four ancient “jazz” tapes played over and over.

Worst of all was the incredibly stupid rule that, no matter how dead the store, we were forbidden to ever ever READ the books.

One day a woman came by and applied to work there.  She seemed nice, so I told her the “right” answers  to the questions on the application and she got the job.  So, then there were two of us who hated working there.  After a few months I wandered down the street and got a job at a hippie health-food cafe.  Another local landmark which, like the bookstore, has been gone for a few years.  But, anyway, my friend from the bookstore also moved down the street, and we both worked at the restaurant.

We stayed in touch through several decades of my going to school, her going to school, my moving and then moving back, her moving to New York City, my getting married and raising a couple of kids, her involvements with men, theatre, costuming, and the academic life.  But now — alas!!  I don’t know where she is.

Consider this a virtual milkbox.  Have you seen this woman?

Brina, where are you??  Whatcha up to, kiddo?

 

HUGHES ENDORSES OBAMA!!

In a rare break with tradition, the author of this blog has decided to endorse Barack Obama for president in the 2008 race. Speaking to a reporter (myself), Ms. Hughes said:

Mr. Obama has vision, energy, and integrity. I have studied the candidates and conclude that he represents our best chance to turn the USS USA, before we slam into the melting iceberg.

More commentary will be forthcoming on this subject.

 

Political Progress – Gay Man Seeks Dole’s Seat

In my view, the fact that a gay politician feels free to run for public office is a sign of societal progress. Last week, Jim Neal, the Democratic challenger for the Senate seat held by Elizabeth Dole , announced both his campaign and his sexual orientation.

In response to a message on BlueNC.com asking whether he was gay, Neal is quoted as saying:

“I am indeed. No secret and no big deal to me – I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think otherwise.”
He continued: “I’m not running this race to make some social statement. I’m running to lead in the Senate for the voters in NC – something Sen. Dole has not done.”

He’s cute too, not that this is an important factor in political decisions, but just to mention it . . .

 

Happy Birthday to Me, Yesterday

I believe one should thoroughly enjoy one’s birthday. I relish the one day a year to be feted, wined, dined, and legitimately the center of attention. I find an excuse to tell every stranger and sales clerk that it’s my birthday. Yesterday was a lovely birthday day for me. There were flowers waiting at work, along with a once-a-year-is-okay chocolate cheesecake, cards, and a gift. After work Staples, Evan, and I ate at Flying Burrito, a Local restaurant and long-time favorite.
Before the Flying Burrito opened, it was the site of a combination convenience store & laundramat where I used to do law school homework while waiting for the dryers to finish tumbling. Sometimes my contracts professor, Walker Blakey
was also there, maybe doing his laundry too? He lived in the apartments across the street, so it was possible. Anyway, ONE DAY, as I backed out of the parking space in front of the then-laundramat, I was looking back and not paying attention to the front of the car and  scraped the car next to me.  It had never occurred to me that you had to look front when backing up, and I remember that as the moment I learned this important driving lesson.
Well, last night as I backed out, carefully looking both front and back, I realized that the parking spaces in that parking lot are too narrow and the rows too close together. Hmmph.
Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, lovely birthday and no car scrapes!

 

Bellingham Washington

The first batch of photos from

Bellingham Washington.

 

Return from the French Riviera

One question – why does anyone live anywhere else?
I took a million pictures, and will be posting them on a blog devoted exclusively to this trip.

 

McClellanville, South Carolina

Photographs
of McClellanville in the summer.

 

Protesters Succeed! Vang Pao Free!

This morning there was a demonstration by several hundred Hmong and their supporters, protesting the arrest of Vang Pao.

I confess to having no idea who Vang Pao was until someone told me he was “a man who was arrested in California by federal authorities.” The rally was LOUD, and went on for hours. After awhile it seemed goofy – what the hell could a state court thousands of miles away do about a guy in federal custody in California?
HA! LITTLE DID I KNOW!!
Vang Pao is a controversial figure in the tangled history of US-Laotian relations. He’s considered a hero by some, a drug smuggler by others. The Hmong are furious at his betrayal by a country formerly grateful for Vang Pao’s assistance in fighting communism.
Anyway, there have been Vang Pao demonstrations by Hmong and their supporters all over the place and I just didn’t know about it.
But, here’s the really amazing thing – IT WORKED!!
Tonight General Vang Pao is free on bail.
Honestly, I don’t know if Vang Pao is a drug dealer, a coup mastermind, a good guy, a bad guy, or all of the above. But, I gotta love a protest that gets results. You go, Hmong.

 

Just Checking In

Hello blog.  Long time, no see.   I wonder what language “long time no see” was taken from?
CYa later blog,
blogger

 

Brandi Carlile – The Story

A new discovery – Brandi Carlile.
Her new cd ‘The Story’ is getting good Reviews.
It’s good – check it out!

 

Elizabeth Kucinich – Giving Hope to Geeks the World Over!

Dennis Kucinich is running for president again. He seems like a nice guy, and I agree with most of his positions and policies (although I’m a little annoyed that he’s running when he-doesn’t-have-a-chance, instead of supporting
Barak Obama, who is my choice at least for now.) So, nice guy and pretty good views.
But.
Kucinich is NOT a hunk, a hottie, a ladies’ man, or whatever this week’s label is. He’s about 60 years old, short, and kind of nerdy looking. Last week after the Democratic candidates debated, their families milled around onstage. I wandered into the kitchen and told my husband that they all looked predictably bland, “except one of the candidates has a beautiful daughter. She’s taller than all the men, and has the most beautiful waist-length red hair I’ve ever seen.”
Boy, was I wrong.
The beautiful redhead was actually 28 year old Elizabeth Kucinich, Dennis Kucinich’s wife.
Imagine that!
A few pictures of the happy couple -

 

‘The Sugar’

I’ve always hated the word ‘diabetes’ so I’ve decided that, instead of saying I have “Type 2 Adult Onset Diabetes” I’ll put it the way old black ladies at church are wont to do – “I’ve got the sugar.”