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06:16 PM - One last (study) time... Tomorrow, my wife takes her final exam - ever. I do not know what she is going to do with all her free time after tomorrow. (
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October 27, 2004
04:16 PM - Team America Finally got around to watching the newest movie from Parker & Stone today, while on a so-called lunch break. This movie operates two levels, more-or-less like a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats. One's inner child is entertained by the scatological humour and other such immature (yet shockingly effective) taboo-breaking, while one's more mature sense of humour is tickled by the (only slightly more subtle) political satire and commentary. (
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October 26, 2004
11:45 PM - Moody Tues. As a corollary to Murphy's law, I propose the following: This lesson was hammered home for me this evening like a fitty-penny nail into a balsa-wood airplane. I spent over an hour in preparation for the evening, attempting to install I settled in at Panera just in time to enjoy a productive class session, I'd call tech support, but on this particular hardware/software (
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October 23, 2004
11:10 PM - Rockwell & Edmond This morning was a quintessentially hometown experience. Firstly, we went downtown to open up a checking account with the oldest bank in Edmond. Turns they have two downtown locations, one of which is open on Saturdays - guess which one we chose first. Of course, everything in downtown Edmond is within walking distance of everything else, was an unseasonably pleasant morning so we went a walking. It seems that the downtown stores have survived in a WAL*MART town by following a two-pronged strategy of specialization and price gouging. There was one empty storefront, however. (I wonder what will take its place.) The bank building itself can only be described as ultramodern, which is of After leaving the bank, we strolled on down to the Around the Corner Restaurant, a hometown greasy spoon which may have been more aptly named the “Kitsch Kitchen,” if only the proprietors had had the necessary perspective and sense of self-deprecating humour. That place makes Cracker Barrel look like an unadorned and bleakly corporate fast food joint - truly, it must be seen to be believed. Hardly a square decimetre of the walls is to be found sporting mere wallpaper, for all available surfaces have been covered with Americana gathered over the last ¾ of the 20th century. (
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October 22, 2004
10:10 PM - Stolen Honor Our local FOX station is not airing Stolen Honor tonight, but rather a meta-documentary about the influence of such documentaries on the electoral process. Blogger Jay Rosen characterizes this as a "tactical decision...to back off a showing of Stolen Honor." Now, I've seen Stolen Honor and °F 9/11 each more than once, since I have them both right here on my laptop's hard drive. Both films are clearly biased propagandistic attack pieces, but one of them more closely resembles a documentary. (
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October 20, 2004
08:10 PM - Panera Bread Spent the evening with my wife and her best friend just hanging about. While out at Panera bread, my wife kept exchanging glances with a pretty woman seated nearby who looked a good deal like Amy Grant, stage makeup and all. I assumed that we must have known her from church, and then assumed that this was a silly assumption based on her appearance. Turns out the second assumption was the silly one, and the woman in question knew my wife from way back in the day when they both sang at HHBC. This would help explain , of course, why the mysterious woman in question seemed to be eyeing my Darwin cap so warily. I suppose that Darwin is not well-favored by the anti-science folks in the Southern Baptist Church, that is to say, pretty much all of them. (
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October 19, 2004
07:10 PM - Debate @ Rose State Carson is off to a smooth start, enumerating the various ways in which he will “fight for Oklahoma” to receive more federal tax dollars. Coburn, by contrast, is off to a rocky start, stumbling over his opening statement about Oklahoma’s (non-monetary) values and his affiliation with George’s Own Party. It gets worse, though. The first question was, in effect, why did Coburn vote against support for victims of the OKC bombing. Coburn’s answer was straightforward enough; he said the money was already budgeted through FEMA. Carson’s first question was on prayer in public. He answered equivocally, supporting every student’s right to pray as he or she pleases without taking a stance on the judicial/legislative subtext of the question. Are the candidates against abortion and gun control? Both candidates answer in the affirmative, although Coburn is clearly more enthusiastic about it. I find myself wondering if Carson has read his party’s platform on these issues. The next question is basically fluff on constituent services. I’ll take a break on this one. Coburn is asked about his position on the presidential advisory council on HIV/AIDS and how it relates to his anti-”gay agenda” agenda. He artfully dodges the dynamic tension inherent in the question. Carson will fight “tooth and nail, night and day” to get more federal dollars for public schools. Coburn argues that fighting will not help unless one is willing to trim the fat from the federal budget as a “citizen legislator in Washington.” Both candidates looked good on this question. I almost completely tuned out on next question on until Coburn went on the attack, claiming that the new deal in energy policy is being stalled by evil Democrats. Carson disagrees as to who is holding up the bill’s passage, and makes the case for bipartisanship. It would seem that he got the better of it on this exchange. Coburn remains on the defensive as he is questioned on underfunding Okie roads. He responds with an attack on deficit spending (ironic in light of his opening statement praising Bush’s plan for America) and by noting that he managed to get more “cents back out of every dollar” during his tenure in the U.S. House. The crowd seems appreciative. Now they are getting on to each other over negative campaigning. Half of the crowd is actually booing, though it is hard to tell which half. Yee haw! Rehashing Social Security. First quotable quote of the evening comes from Coburn, “They need to be thinking about the next generation instead of the next election.” Carson calls Social Security “one of the most successful programs that this nation has ever seen.” He may well have cinched my vote for Coburn right then and there. As a result of a query on teacher pay, Carson and Coburn mix it up on the role of the federal government in public education. Here we have a genuine difference of opinion. Predictably, Carson wants much more federal funding and regulation, and Coburn wants far less. Neither addresses the fact that teacher pay in Oklahoma is roughly commensurate with pay for most other fields, on account of the lowered cost of living. Coburn comes out and says it, “Carson is a liberal.” Coburn calmly shoots back, “Everybody in American politics is a liberal compared to Tom.” Zing! Carson does expend some effort trying to refute the charge of liberalism, though, and I would think that this rapid backpedaling away from the Democratic party demotivates the activists who so avidly supported Carson by demonstrating outside this evening. Carson mentions that Coburn embarrases our state with gaffes like the one which made the papers worldwide on Monday, regarding rampant lesbianism in Oklahoma schools. Good one, Tom! Coburn knows that Oklahomans overwhelmingly prefer Bush over Kerry, and he rightfully capitalizes on his partisan connections to the Bush team by asking Carson whom he supports for president and why. Carson artfully dodges and once again plays the bipartisan card, claiming that he will work with either party to roll the porkbarrels home to Oklahoma. Good for him! Closing statements offered a recap of the candidates respective positions: Carson is going to fight for Oklahoma dollars, Coburn is going to fight for Oklahoma values. Honestly, I cannot tell which proposition I personally find more disturbing. (
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October 18, 2004
09:19 AM - шальная жизнь Contrary to all outward appearances, and contrary even to best laid plans, a good buddy of mine is really quite the player. It seems that every other month or so he has another exotic love interest, and now it seems that he has (once again) been gallivanting about the globe with some primo trim. Now this is pretty much business as usual, but what makes it particularly interesting this time around is the possible relevance of an executive order issued by President Bush in April 2002. Let us pray that is never comes to that, though, since the fact pattern at hand does not lend itself readily to exoneration. (
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October 17, 2004
11:45 PM - Estrogen & Capsaicin Tonight, I volunteered to baby-sit four demanding and mischievous wee ones, in order to avoid going out for Mexican food with my wife, her mother, sister, and sisters-in-law. I had a fairly exhausting time of it, but all told, I think I got the better end of the deal. The youngest child soiled herself, cried, and begged for cuddles until she fell asleep, while the next youngest spill the dogs’ food & water all over the kitchen, much to the delight of the dogs. The two eldest children generally tore about, tearing things up and having wonderful time. This was pretty much as expected. On the whole, though, there were fewer tears and more fun to be had with the children and the dogs than with the women folk out at the restaurant. 05:10 PM - Sunday sermon This morning, apologist Dr. James White delivered a sermon entitled "The Truth About Truth," in which he characterized our modern society as being uncomfortable with uncompromising truth of the sort which he preaches around the nation. (
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October 15, 2004
11:45 PM - Hell House! I learned a valuable lesson about heaven & hell at the second annual OKC Hell House sponsored by Destiny Christian Center. After seeing the movie last year, I was eager to see the real thing. (
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October 14, 2004
11:45 PM - Borders vs. IHOP It seems clear to me that IHOP is a vastly superior venue for an AU meeting, for the following reasons: 1) IHOP patrons do not mind animated discussion or children overmuch Just some thoughts to bear in mind, since our meeting at the book store fell far short of being productive and worthwhile. Hey, at least I got the chance to sample some German pancakes. (
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October 13, 2004
09:31 PM - Closing statements Both candidates gave strong statements, but I'd say that Bush's was more heartfelt. Indeed, I'm gonna say that Bush came out slightly ahead on this debate overall. Frankly, I'm shocked and fairly impressed. 09:19 PM - The Faith of GWB & JFK Bush says that you are equally an American regardless of whom you choose to worship, or even if you do not worship at all. Kerry echoes Bush here. Good for them. 09:15 PM - "Affirmative" action etc. John Kerry comes out strongly in favor of systemic reverse discrimination. He evidently has no idea how such programs engender the very discrimination they are intended to assuage. G.W. Bush briefly derides quotas, and then goes back to education. He seems really happy to be here tonight. 09:08 PM - Supporting the troops Bush says the thing to do is to train Iraqis to create a secure and democratic Iraq. Kerry claims that we should increase the size of the active duty military and stop the backdoor draft. For once I agree with both. :p 09:03 PM - Judicial litmus testing Kerry will not appoint a judge who will take back any constitutional right, whether it is firmly rooted in the constitution or not. Bush avoids the Roe v. Wade issue by simply answering that he has no particular judicial litmus test. 09:00 PM - Wage laws Kerry says that the GOP won't let them vote on minimum wage. He is torn up over this. Bush glosses over the wage issue, and goes back to education. He is really getting into it tonight. This is just weird. 08:56 PM - Immigration Kerry wants to reform immigration by enforcing immigration laws and providing amnesty for those who have been here awhile. I think he just managed to flip-flop in the same sentence. Whoa. Bush wants a temp. worker card, and Kerry does not differ on this point. 08:50 PM - Tax-based retirement Bush says that I should be allowed to privately invest more of my money instead of being forced to pay into the "social security" program. Kerry says that would be disasterous. I do not suppose he is jockeying for my vote. 08:37 PM - Health care Bush takes the opportunity to hit on tort reform and defensive medicine, and he also talks to privatising the system and promoting consumer choice and consumer-based spending. Kerry talks to a lack of socialism in the system, "We gotta have health care for all Americans." Bush notes that the expansion of government-funded medicine incentivizes a decline in corporate benefits. He is more on (and less moronic) tonight than ever he has been in a debate. 08:36 PM - Queer eye for the Top Guy Bush speaks of tolerance, respect and dignity in a free society, and in the same breath he lauds the constitutionalization of "traditional" marriage. Ergh. Kerry stumbles over "lesbian" in his answer, and fails to explain why he is not in favor of allowing same gender marriage. 08:21 PM - Jobs "Go back to school!" says Bush to those who lack the skills which are in demand here in the U.S. and have lost their jobs to overseas competition. To the same folks Kerry says, take my wife's money! 08:17 PM - Prez. debate (III) Both candidates off to a strong start, but on the security question they have not said anything that they've not said time and again. Bush managed to slip in tort reform early on, and got in his first good jab, "A plan is not a litany of complaints." Kerry retorts with his plan to roll back tax cuts for the rich and various tax loopholes, thereby generating wealth which he hopes to redistribute. (
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October 11, 2004
04:16 PM - ¡Boriquén! It is Columbus Day here in the States, and according to my Outlook Calendar, in Puerto Rico as well. This naturally sets me to thinking about the historical consequences of Christopher Columbus’ voyages (and subsequent Spanish expeditions) upon the land of my ancestors, which was called Boriquén by its aboriginal inhabitants. According to one source, upon seeing the outlines of their native island on November 18th, 1493, several of Columbus’ Amerindian captives exclaimed “Boriquén” as they jumped overboard and swam for shore. One might well hope they reached the island well in advance of Columbus’ landfall and the following day returned to their families and their freedom, at least for a time. It would seem that they were none too thrilled with their first exposure to Spanish ways, an exposure would later be raised to the level of a lethal dose for many of the peoples living in the Greater Antilles. As a child, I was taught that the indigenous Taíno peoples of Puerto Rico were more or less culturally and genetically extinguished as early as the 16th century, as a result of genocide and epidemic promulgated by the Spaniards. In a 2002 study, however, Dr. Juan Martinez-Cruzado of the University of Puerto Rico has found that over 61% of his 800 test subjects (a randomly selected, representative sample of the Puerto Rican population) exhibited maternally transmitted mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of indigenous origin, putting the lie to formerly prevailing extinction theory. Only ⅛ of those tested has mtDNA of Caucasian origin, and the remaining ¼ of the test subjects exhibited mtDNA of sub-Saharan African origin. This implies that I am more than likely descended from Amerindians of the region. Given the phenotypic traits of my paternal grandparents, such as tightly curled hair and green eyes, it would seem that the Africans and Caucasians must also be represented in my lineage, and so my ancestry may well include all three of the groups that make up Puerto Rico’s unique genetic mix. Colombian poet William Ospina wrote of the “naciones mestizas y mulatas de América,” and the cultural complexity thereof, in contrast to the relative cultural and ethnic homogeneity of North America and Argentina. Growing up in the whitest of white bread suburbs, my child has even less of an appreciation of this complexity than I did growing up in and around Chicago. On the upside, he'll have no problem getting into a good college. (
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October 10, 2004
01:26 PM - Thomas the tank engine The family braved torrential rains today in order to visit Thomas the tank engine at the Oklahoma Railway Museum. Boo got his first train ride ever, and he got the chance to see Thomas and Sir Topham Hat in person. It was thoroughly exhausting. (
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October 09, 2004
07:19 PM - Red River Shutout We were more than a bit nervous throughout the first half of the game, but in the end the Sooners handed the Longhorns their first scoreless defeat since Jimmy Carter was in office and Baylor was a winning team. Woo hoo! 12:34 PM - Sooner Football The first half was downright disconcerting, but in the end OU put UT to shame, handing them their first shutout in my wife's brother's lifetime. Woo hoo! (
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October 08, 2004
10:46 PM - Prez. debate (II) The sitting president did a much better job tonight of presenting himself to the American people, although I doubt that it helped overmuch with the undecideds. I’ll check the spinners here in a bit to get their take. Probably the most frustrating bits of the show for me were the those in which Kerry hammered on about Bush's fiscal policy, as if the jobs lost were the result of bad governance rather than the vicissitudes a free economy, not to mention the downturn precipitated by the September 11th attacks on NYC and D.C. Also annoying were the segments where Kerry claimed that we ought to have done more to deter Iran and N. Korea, and less to deter Iraq. If he cannot see the obvious differences between these cases (such as the minor matter of which nations have actually invaded their neighbors or broken cease-fires of late) then he is not fit to lead. Since he shows such an obvious mastery of the relevant facts, we must assume that he is cynically exploiting the ignorance of targeted voters. No big surprise here. 08:00 PM - Home at last Made it back from Newton, KS in good time, considering the construction and the thunderstorms. Made it home just in time to see the debate, but my wife is not here to greet us. Bummer. 04:16 PM - Newton Flava Spent the day in Kansas today, visiting with my Aunt and her family. Newton is a charming little town which reminds me of my own home town around the time of my birth, back before it became a nesting place for OKC's white flight set. It has the same quaint sort of downtown area overlooked by the same sort of grain elevators. With any luck, they will be able to put off becoming a suburb of Wichita for awhile longer yet. We spent an hour or so this morning at “convocation,” where the students gathered to hear Arthur W. Marks belt out showtunes to the skillful accompaniment of Mory Ortman, both Bethel graduates from the class of 1993. Judging by how well these guys meshed, it would seem as though they have been making beautiful music together for over a decade now. Those of us counted among the latecomers had to settle for some of the least comfortable seats in the house, on the stage behind the performers themselves. Evidently the Krehbiel Auditorium was not designed to draw such a crowd. Keeping a three-year-old in quiet on the stage while a musical duo from NYC attempts to perform without so much as the benefit of a PA system is quite a chore, and one which I hope not to accomplish again. After the performance at convo, we went for lunch at a local pizzeria, and then we had some time to kill while my cousin attended a seminar of some sort, so we went to a nearby park and just hung about for a bit. We then drove back to the campus to witness a spectacle unlike any I've ever seen. The events which took place defy description, but I must say that had I not known them to be voluntary I would have assumed that they were a series of elaborate hazes and intitiation rituals. In this shot, we see my cousin racing across a football field wearing a two-piece suit and huge diaper full of creamed corn. I suppose that is about all I need to say about that, except to note that the fellow on the far left in a blue dress certainly trannies up well. He looked like any ordinary guy when we ran into him last night. After the hilariously humiliating hijinks, we reconvened to my cousin's dorm room, which is an archetypal sort of place. Computers and guys in towels everywhere, and even a dude that sleeps on the couch. Also, loads of fairly well-done amatuerish Orwellian artwork decrying Bush and his facist attempts to liberate Arab peoples and their oil. It was a very friendly place, and I would have loved to stay longer and chat with everyone, but Boo was getting homesick and his mother was getting heartsick, so I could not in good conscience keep them apart any longer. (
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October 07, 2004
10:47 PM - Taste of Newton Boo & I spent the evening at the Taste of Newton festival in Newton, Kansas. More precisely, we spent the better part of the evening waiting around a coffee shop for Aunt Di & Uncle Jeff to show up. Thankfully, we found my cousin exactly where and when we were told to meet him, and he hit it off very well with my son. You can even see a little of the Simmie family resemblance if you look closely... Apparently Moka’s is quite the happening place, as we witnessed a steady stream of customers coming though during the course of the evening, over which I must have consumed at least half a dozen mugs of coffee. Even now I am feeling the wonderful effects of the caffeine, which explains why I am typing away on the keyboard rather than snoring fitfully into my pillow. Not to worry, though, there is no danger of Di & Jeff trying to get an early start, no doubt they are exhausted from the drive down into the red states from the the solidly blue great lakes region. We did not spend the entire time in the coffee shop, though. We also wandered about the "Taste of Newton" festival which was swarming with students, townies and a few political activists to boot. We had a couple bierocks, which were fairly tasty and a wee bit mysterious (how do they get that stuff into the roll?) and sampled some other local flavor. Probably the most striking thing about the evening to me was the way in which my cousin seemed to be constantly running into his buddies while we strolled about downtown. I doubt I ran into those many friends wandering about the terrazzo between the dorms and the cafeteria on any given day. Ah well. (
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October 06, 2004
11:45 PM - Vermin! I thought the mice were disgusting and annoying before, but now they've crippled the dishwasher and must be made to pay. Spent the evening trying to study law and completely failing to do so on account of my father-in-law's heroic but unnecessary efforts to fix the dishwasher. In the end, I ended up on the floor groping about elbow deep in soaking wet mouse droppings trying to attach a hose that was never intended to fit. Probably the most revolting this I've done all year, and I work for a government contractor. (
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October 05, 2004
09:46 PM - Spin I'm gonna go ahead and say that Cheney came out ahead on this one, but just barely. Certianly he was stronger on foreign policy, and he was not so weak on domestic policy as to make up the balance of the debate. I'm guessing that most of the spinsters are going to call this one for Cheney. As far as popular bounce is concerned, I'm guessing 1-2% for the Bush team, that is, well within the margins of error for more of the pollsters. 09:23 PM - Rehashing For the last five minutes both candidates have been rehashing points made by Bush & Kerry during the last debate. Ungh... 09:18 PM - A heartbeat away? Edwards says he is qualified to be VP because he will provide the American people with: 1) Security These are not exactly qualities to which we look to the personal injury attorneys, but who needs good history when you have good rhetoric? Cheney refuses to countenance a question about Edwards' qualifications, but focuses instead on what he brings to the Bush team. Somehow, he makes this look like a humble thing to do. 09:12 PM - See Dick Shine Edwards counters with “Halliburton” which is evidently a magic word for warding off evil whenever Dick gets on a roll. 09:07 PM - Med mal Edwards says that we should put more responsibility on the lawyers, to see to it that only meritorious claims are filed. Note that the candidates are addressing completely different problems here, the former speaking to the problem of increasing payoffs from medical malpractice suits, while the latter spoke to the increasing number of such suits. 09:02 PM - Same sex unions Cheney reiterates that "freedom means freedom for everybody" but notes that marriage ought to be an issue for the states. He also noted that he supports the president but does not himself claim that gay marriage ought to be constitutionally banned at the federal level. Edwards counters “I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and so does John Kerry,” but he believe that same-gender couples deserve the legal rights and benefits afforded to married couples. This is downright bizarre doublespeak. He also condemns the DMA as an effort to divide America on a non-issue. 08:53 PM - Jobs Edwards rattles off stats regarding unemployment and blasts globalization. Cheney counters with tax cuts, No Child Left Behind, Medicare reforms, and over 1.5 million jobs added of late. Nothing much new here. 08:47 PM - Israel Edwards says that Israel has a right and obligation to defend itself. Cheney mentions that Saddam financed suicide attacks in Israel, and that Bush supports a Palestinian state. Both agree that the current Palestinian leadership is insufficient to move forward in the peace process. Both also agree that they would rather rehash earlier questions at this point in the debate. :p 08:36 PM - Is your plan naïve? Moderator notes that the French and Germans will not commit troops regardless of whom we name commander-in-chief, and asked Edwards how his administration will go about coalition building. Edwards deftly ignores the question and goes back to the point that American forces were under equipped. Cheney counters that they were far more equipped than they would have been had Kerry and Edwards’ votes on DoD funding prevailed. He then hypes the coalition as it stands and puffs up Allawi and his people. Noted that Edwards “won’t count the sacrifice and contribution of our Iraqi allies” and states that “to demean their sacrifice is beyond the pale.” First blood. 08:28 PM - Emboldening terror Cheney (for the third time) hammers home Kerry’s history of anti-war and anti-DoD funding positions, “He doesn’t display the qualities of one who has conviction.” Cheney notes that Kerry/Edwards voted for the war and then voted against funding the war, and suggests that they acted in the latter case to appease the Deaniacs on the far left. Edwards counters by mentioning his alleged “plan to win the peace” and dropping the name of Halliburton. Nothing much substantive here. In his next counter he again drives home the non-connection between Qaeda and Iraq. Nothing new here. 08:17 PM - Axis of Evil Edwards seems to say that we should go on the offensive against the entire axis of evil and not just Iraq. Interesting... 08:16 PM - Afghanistan Cheney lauds the progress towards democracy in Afghanistan. Edwards reiterates the point that we let Osama slip through our fingers. 08:14 PM - Iraq (II) Edwards continues to hammer on the non-link between Qaeda and Iraq. Cheney counters strongly by dismissing the claim that he ever said there was, then goes on the counterattack by detailing Kerry's history of unconditional pacifism. 08:10 PM - Iraq The first question was fairly complex but basically came down to the matter of why we are in Iraq. Cheney leads with his arguments that Saddam's regime was variously linked to international terrorism. He calls Iraq the "most likely nexus" between terrorists and WMD. Edwards leads with Kerry's line about more losses this month than last, last month than before, etc. He then blamed the incompetancy of the Bush admin. and notes our lack of a "plan to win the peace" something which I've yet to see fleshed out by either party. Cheney recounters with the progress of Iraqi training and democracy, which he claims are well underway. Edwards goes non-sequtiur and mentioned the lack of direct connection between Queda & Hussein. Cheney is not given a chance to respond. (
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October 04, 2004
09:12 PM - Senatorial Debate Spent the evening passing out libertarian propaganda outside of the Oklahoma senatorial debate. With the exception of the UCO students who were corralled into attendance by their political science profs, probably everyone there was fairly strongly (major) partisan to begin with, but at least they know that the libertarian party is out there and we are pissed off that we cannot run our candidates in this race. After participating in the protest, I and a fellow traveller attended the debate itself. I'll probably watch it again this evening on CSPAN2. First impressions to follow... (
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October 03, 2004
04:16 PM - Zoomies @ the café I ran into an old friend and squadron mate today at Panera bread, working diligently on her masters in international politics via Tufts university. I've mentioned previously in this space that this particular café is like a little slice of Europe here in Edmond, particularly the sidewalk seating area, so I suppose it makes sense that an international studies major would be drawn to it, even from forty minutes up the road. We spent our meal chatting away and generally catching up, a most pleasant time. If I were to accidentally run into another `96 grad completely at random while lunching out with my family, probably she would be the best choice. Hopefully, we will get the chance to hang with their family a couple more times before they book out of town, as military families are prone to do. (
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October 02, 2004
10:00 PM - Haircuts, Sooner football, & afternoon naps... (
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October 01, 2004
04:16 PM - Appraisal (II) I managed to spend a minimul of mental effort fretting over the appraisal at work today. Evidently it went well, but we will not know the for sure until Monday. Naturally, I'll be somewhat relieved if everything works out. Otherwise, I'll be completely unsurprised. |
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