Okay, I've not posted in a while. Gurp. I'm in New York, out of my element. Without further ado:

A recent Globe editorial is a good little nugget that's helping me catch up with some of the domestic political goings-on. Republicans are having lots of trouble agreeing on a tax-cut plan. Good.

By the way, I've followed Chuck Grassley a little bit and he's a decent guy. Good to remember the not-so-terrible Republicans.

The US military is distributing playing decks to soldiers that bear the likenesses of 55 Iraqis than should be captured or killed on sight. I've got a Saddam Hussein flush. What about you?

deep regret -- intention

A white Republican state representative has helped me to delineate and explicate the nature of the "deep regret" chronic piece in real-time. The legislator, Fred Brummer, said during to another legislator during a House session that an intramural basketball game would be unfair because the Democrats would have all the black legislators. The mics didn't pick up the comment, but a few of those high-jumping, Harlem-globetrotting black legislators did.

Brummer then offered an oh-so sincere apology for his miscue, surely a one-time offense, which included the line, "It certainly was not my intention to be insensitive," which raises the question: When the hell does anyone mean to be insensitive? The whole problem of insensitivity is being ignorant and unthinking, not calculating and evil.

Ohmigod I'm ready to give out the real idiot of the year award. [Not like that fake one to Richard Perle a few days ago.] This is a real one.

The episode starts with a woman from Wisconsin who was misdiagnosed with breast cancer. Some medical folk then removed her breasts, including the nipples. No problem, says Dr Harry Metropol. "She did not lose her life, and with the plastic surgery, she'll have breast reconstruction better than she had before. It won't be National Geographic, hanging to her knees. It'll be nice, firm breasts."

The reps in the state House can't be all that convinced by Metropol's support of caps on damages in medical-malpractice suits.

color -- know your phalluses

Here is a dope comic Eric sent me [this is the second section out of four]. Here's the color: "Some women just haven't gotten used to having a pet Talib around the camp. They've been bitten by a snake, and they're afraid of a rope. I assure you, nobody wants to kill you."

Extra credit for applying this snake/rope metaphor to men.

deep regret -- let's call a spade a diamond

Here's one from a while ago that I wanted to put up on the blog before I forget. It's a good Molly Ivins story about corporate PR. Good quotes, such as, "There was this professor from someplace, and the theme of his talk was that the greenhouse effect is nothing but a scam being advanced by environmental terrorists to destroy business in America."

But the part that seals this story's entry into the annals of "deep regret" is the part about industry lobbies changing their straightforward, meat'n'potatoes names to nice, cuddly ones. "Nuclear Engineering"? No way, that's a thing of the past. They're "U. S. Ecology".

Here in the land of "deep regret", up is down and nucular means happy!

The latest in ethnic cleansing, brought to you by Ariel Sharon and his compassionless conservative supporters. How charming. Israel is now establishing settlements in the Arab part of Jerusalem. They apparently may cut off Arabs from having direct access to the Muslim holy sites.

Slate posted a story highlighting the current ad campaign for the new Hummer.

Key point: "But to think that either Hummer dealers or potential buyers would be somehow embarrassed is to misunderstand the brand. People who drive enormous, angry, military-style vehicles around city streets are never embarrassed. The whole point of the Hummer is a total—and aggressive—disregard for what anyone else thinks."

I think this might be slightly overstating the case, but not by much. The whole SUV mania vs FUV backlash melee is an interesting little microcosm of the libertarian / communitarian split. FUVs use a lot of resources. They are more dangerous for other drivers. [Even more dangerous for the people who drive them.] So is it a public nuisance?

I feel that the people who want government to actively jump in in this kind of situation and try to create a better society through group organization [you might call them "liberals"] too often ignore some of the reasons that people want to drive FUVs, own spring villas, own expensive gadgets, etc. Or maybe they don't acknowledge that there might be multiple reasons. Not every expensive purchase is just to show off. [Or is it? Maybe I'm wrong.] I have bashed FUVs as much as the next liberal but I like being able to see more around me by riding in a tall vehicle. [Of course, the FUV is much like the proverbial soap box in this regard.]

Maybe what I mean is lefties should get a little more in touch with consuming and enjoying. At least progressives are still much better connected with sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll than the conservatives. Now if we could only add money, then we'd dominate access to all the human race's pleasure buttons. But is money a bullshit social-construct pleasure button that we shouldn't worry so much about? This has now become too deeply philosophical for a blog and I'm out.