Tuesday, July 22, 2003

My Favorite Online Comic Strip

The Green Monkeys by Betty and Mickey Paraskevas.

• Posted at 11:28 PM · LINK

Recall Stuff

As I've mentioned here, I think the recall of California governor Gray Davis is an enormous waste of time and money, as well as being a grand way to get someone into office who's even less effective and has even less of a mandate. I don't think much of Davis but I can't imagine what anyone expects his successor to accomplish, especially if that successor is a Republican with 18% of the vote.

But it may not go that way. There's an interpretation of the law that, if it were to prevail, would allow Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamente to merely declare that he is next in line if Davis is ousted, and that no election for his replacement need occur. This article explains the situation.

I have no idea of the legality but even the possibility adds another layer of uncertainty and expensive court challenges to the process. And it just about guarantees that unless Davis beats back the recall, half the state will be screaming that the new governor is not entitled to the office. That will sure improve things.

• Posted at 10:38 PM · LINK

Recommended Reading

I think Joe Klein may be on to something in this article. It suggests that G.W. Bush's problem isn't that he lies but that he believes passionately in a lot of things that aren't true, even after a more reasonable person might conclude they are not true.

I dunno if this is true of Bush, but I think it's a characterization of him that could be very easily accepted by much of America. I have never bought most of the statements about the importance of "character" in our elected officials. It would be nice if we could judge them by such a thing but I really don't think anyone who runs around discussing what kind of man George W. Bush is (or Clinton or Gore or Cheney, et al) really has that much insight into the subject's true character. At best, they look at the image that his handlers manage to concoct, weigh it against the unflattering caricature that his opponents try to sell, and decide which they prefer to believe. That becomes the subject's "character."

Bush's backers are defending him against the notion that he lies. I think they can do that with some success. I'm not sure they'll be as able to dismiss the charge that he takes in bogus data that confirms what he wants to believe and refuses to question it. But I suppose we'll find out.

• Posted at 3:44 PM · LINK

Free Access

Here's a free link to the Wall Street Journal article on Harlan Ellison. (Thanks, Larry) By the way, despite what it says, I doubt Harlan said he would "hawk" his house. I suspect he said he would "hock" his house. The Journal's editorial page is about this accurate.

• Posted at 2:06 PM · LINK

Harlan in WSJ

Big front page article in The Wall Street Journal about Harlan Ellison and his many battles to protect his work, most notably his current lawsuit against AOL. Here's the link but you have to be a paid-up subscriber to read the piece. If anyone finds a free link somewhere, let me know.

• Posted at 12:22 PM · LINK

The Saga of Stan Lee Media

Here's another article on the collapse of the company for which I briefly worked. This is a pretty good overview of what seems to have caused the operation to crash and burn.

• Posted at 2:33 AM · LINK