Favorite Quotes

We have always known that headless self-interest was bad morals.  Now we know that it is bad economy.  Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937.  From his second inaugural address.

Sherlock

Am I the only one a bit disappointed with season three of Sherlock?  The first two episodes weren't bad, but neither were they up to the standard set by shows from season one and two.  Especially the second season.  A Scandal In Belgravia and The Riechenbach Fall were two of the best times I've ever had watching television.

I think what bothered me about the first two episodes from this season was a lack of explanation for some of the deductions.  When convenient, Sherlock simply said what needed to be said to advance the plot.  One of the pleasures of good Sherlock, versus bad Sherlock is the  meticulously constructed edifice of logic.  Of course, Doyle himself often fell short on that, and don't get me started on the very entertaining, but not very Holmes like, Robert Downey, Jr. movies.  Still, now that it's been revealed that Moriarty is the third Holmes brother and that he'll be coming back for season four...well, I'm hooked.

Another reason I'm hooked for season four is that the final episode from this latest season set a lot of potential plot points in motion that, if not screwed up, can take Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in new directions while still maintaining the essential appeal of all things Holmes.  Still, I wonder about a married Watson, with a child, and a sociopath, contract killer for a wife.  Poor Arthur Conan Doyle, he must be spinning in his grave.  His Mary Marston wasn't a crack shot.

The New Definition of Treason

It's time to start calling it what it is.  It's not extortion, blackmail, an attempt to force negotiations, or a power grab.  It's an attempt to subvert the constitution, a coup, it's treason.

Yes, the Repugs are at it again.  There's a way to get rid of a law that 's not to one's  liking.  It's called repeal.  But what to do when that's not possible.  Why, subvert the constitution. Shut down the government, destroy the credit of the United States.  When small, far right (Or left.) parties try something like that in a third world country, we sniff, hold our noses and call it treason.  For the life of me, I can't understand why Ted Cruz and his followers aren't guilty of the same crime.

Of course, the Repugs have been pulling this stuff for awhile now.  Let's see, there's that whole voter suppression thing.  Five conservative thugs on the Supreme Court overturning an election.  And let's not forget the impeachment of Bill Clinton over a sexual indiscretion.  Bad taste, for sure, but a basis for removing a President from office?  I think not.

There's an important constitutional issue here.  If the Repugs can threaten the destruction of the country, if they don't get their way, then the country ceases to exist.  I hope President Obama fights this one to the end. Let's also hope that the Republicans are going the way of the Whigs.

It's Torture

It's no secret that there are homeless people in Hollywood.  I just saw an interesting story on the late news.  A charity has been running a food truck for the homeless. (And the housed hungry)  Okay, I get it.  Some of the local home owners are unhappy that the poor are getting fed, near where they live.  But sometimes, you just see a guy who is such a jackass that it requires comment.  There he was, the local resident saying that he was literally being tortured by the presence of the homeless.  I guess he's a bit unsure of the whole torture thing.  I can't imagine that  hungry people being fed a couple of blocks from his home is the equivalent of water boarding.  I have no sympathy for those who demonize the poor for entering their precious personal space.  He suggested that they should head downtown where the homeless belong.  Hmmm, if he doesn't want the destitute in his neighborhood, isn't that also true of housed people in a poor, downscale neighborhood?  Those poor people, they just don't know their place.  Like I said, a jackass.

Crazy In L.A. An Update

On June 17 of this year, I wrote a brief piece about a homeless woman in my neighborhood.  I wondered if she had started off sane but was going crazy from being separated from the greater community.  Yesterday, she was arrested by the LAPD.  I don't know why.  Yes, she had become a bit of a shouter, but from what I've seen of her behavior, she wasn't dangerous, just irritating.  Yet another example of dealing with social problems with a term in jail?  Probably.

The End of Government

I am not cynical about the Tea Party.  I don't think they care about their political future.  I don't think they worry about donor opinion, the well being of their constituents, or the idea of compromise.  They are driven by an extreme ideology, and care about nothing else.  To them, the sequester was a victory.  Shutting down the government is an honorable aim, and causing a default just another day at the office.

I am cynical about the main stream Republicans.  I think they'll cave to the extremist wing of the party out of fear that they'll be primaryed and lose their office.  In the end, the public may blame the Tea Party, but historians will blame John Boehner's cowardly refusal to stand for principal over political expediency.  That's a hell of a thing to be remembered for.

Someone should remind Mr. Boehner that the Speakership is a constitutional office and not a political one.  It's his duty to be a statesman rather than a party hack.

The Dumps

Christopher Dorner was in the navy, was dismissed, and went on a murder spree.  Aaron Alexis was in the navy, was dismissed, and went on a murder spree.  Is the military dumping, rather than treating it's mentally ill members?  If so, I wish they'd be a little more responsible and think about the consequences of their actions.  And by the way, it's not just the possibility of a man with a gun, and the training to use it effectively.  It's also about the homeless veteran, domestic violence, and self medication that results in alcoholism and drug addiction.

Speaking of bat shit crazy, NRA nutter Wayne LaPierre is at it again.  The mantra of the gun crowd is that bad guys with guns are stopped by good guys with guns.  The Washington Navy Yard was crawling with armed good guys,  two of whom were shot by Mr. Alexis, their guns added to his collection.  So what was crazy Wayne's response?  Not enough good guys with guns.  I can't believe that people actually take that guy seriously.