Author Archive

Truth and Consequences »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Oct 26, 2009 in Current Affairs | 77 Comments

I have been accused by some of my more radical colleagues, of being a ‘moral relativist’ ( trust me, they’re using the term pejoratively). Like most things in life that’s both right and wrong: some things are relative to time and circumstance, others are pretty much set in stone so far as I’m concerned. [...]

Healthcare letter: for viral distribution »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Sep 1, 2009 in Current Affairs | 160 Comments

I’ve written a sample letter I’m hoping to get out to as many people as possible. This is the last week of the Congressional recess and your Senators and Representatives may think they can relax. We need to keep the pressure on to make them painfully aware that we - their constituents - are mightily [...]

The Days of Our Lives »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 29, 2009 in Current Affairs | 27 Comments

These are the days we have, the ones we number, the ones we’ll always remember, the ones we want to forget, the ones we’ll never forget. There are some we don’t talk about – ever. Some are painful, some are hilarious, some hurt, some make us cry- every time we think of them. They come [...]

Remembrance of Things Past - Part 3 »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 21, 2009 in Current Affairs | 70 Comments

What’s it all mean?

The truth will set your fee…
Well, you’re not paranoid if they really are after you. In 2008 David Rothkopf published a book called “Superclass” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) wherein he discusses the 6,000 or so people who run the world, how they got to be there and what they intend to do. [...]

Remembrance of Things Past - Part 2 »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 20, 2009 in Current Affairs | 59 Comments

Crud Layer 2
The intention of it all.
What a catastrophe, they cried. What a horrific financial debacle, the sky is truly falling and we must have all your money right this instant lest even more dire events come to pass… how could this have happened? Who could have foreseen this… Whoa!, wait just a minute, it [...]

Remembrance of Things Past - Part 1 (of 3) »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 19, 2009 in Current Affairs | 35 Comments

I think we need to remember how we got into this domestic politico/economic mess. We have a tendency to put one foot in front of the other and just Keep on Truckin’, but sometimes it pays to turn around and review what’s been happening - gives you sense of perspective.
This is a multi-layered mess, like [...]

Healthcare Followup »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 15, 2009 in Current Affairs | 38 Comments

My Congressman held two teleconference townhall meetings this week and I got to listen in but wasn’t able to get to ask a question. That was probably better in the end because I would likely have used bad language and offended a lot of the little old ladies who were also listening.
The meeting was [...]

The Penny Drops »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 11, 2009 in Current Affairs | 72 Comments

“The Health Insurers Have Already Won” reads the Business Week title. Go here for article.
“Is Obama Punking Us?” reads the title of Frank Rich’s column in the NYT. Go here for article and please see Ani’s post here for a more in-depth look at Rich’s column.
Rich actually has an epiphany:
“The larger fear is that [...]

ObamaBots Anonymous »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Mar 11, 2009 in Current Affairs | 75 Comments

I think it’s time to start preparing to ease the Obamabots back into the real world. The signs are starting to appear here and there, like signs of Spring.
Living, as I do, in The People’s Republic of Portland (Hawthorne Soviet, Richmond Collective) I’ve been in the thick of Obamabot zombieland. During the primaries there were [...]

Ragnarök »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Oct 17, 2008 in Current Affairs | 87 Comments

Ragnarök – the world tree, Yggdrasil uprooted, the road to Hel opened, the Bifrost bridge destroyed and Asgard forever rent asunder from us, Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent bound around the world – writhes free, Fenris breaks his mighty chains and Garm, the Helhound is loosed at last. Heimdall sounds his horn as the Aesir assemble [...]

A Little Light Reading »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Sep 14, 2008 in Current Affairs | 135 Comments

A young colleague asked me to draw up a list of books I liked… he had no idea what he was in for.

Great Books and Shows
I don’t know your level of intellectual involvement, so I’m going from the ground up – no insult intended
Cultural Classics
The Iliad & The Odyssey
Get the translations done by [...]

A Distant Sound of Thunder »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Aug 29, 2008 in Current Affairs | 204 Comments

In the old, old days before the cities and the highways, before the smokestacks and the chimneys, before we knew the sea and the sun, the sky and the stars for what they truly are - even in those ancient days - we knew what leadership was and we know it still. We feel its [...]

Red Dirt Talk - Part 4, the Conclusions »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Jul 6, 2008 in Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Supreme Court | 95 Comments

Previously in this series: “Red Dirt Talk - Part 1, the Setup,” Red Dirt Talk - Part 2, the Positions,” and “Red Dirt Talk - Part 3, the Positions (2).”

Choices to Make:
Ok, we’ve set the stage, How does it play out for the presumptive candidates?
Obama
For BHO, this is The Land of Dreams Come True. He [...]

Red Dirt Talk - Part 3, the Positions (2) »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Jul 2, 2008 in Barack Obama, Economy, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Immigration Reform, Nuclear Power, Supreme Court | 196 Comments

Previously in this series: “Red Dirt Talk - Part 1, the Setup” and Red Dirt Talk - Part 2, the Positions.”

Health Policy
Obama
Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
Lower Costs by Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System
See Economic policy and advisors, above.
This one’s been gone over so many times that everyone on the planet probably knows [...]

Red Dirt Talk - Part 2, the Positions (1) »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Jun 30, 2008 in Barack Obama, John McCain | 84 Comments

Note: All text in blue is taken directly from the candidates’ websites.

Foreign Policy

Obama

Ending the War in Iraq
Iran
Renewing American Diplomacy
Nuclear Weapons
Building a 21st Century Military
Bipartisanship and Openness

Foreign policy is not BHO’s strong suit. He has trouble remembering how many states there are in the US, not to speak of confusing Arabs, with Iranians with Afghans (they [...]

Red Dirt Talk - Part 1, the Setup »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Jun 29, 2008 in Barack Obama, Bolshevikization, Bush/Cheney, David Axelrod, Democratic Party, Electability, Hillary Clinton, Iraq, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Obama's Thugs | 225 Comments

So it looks like Hillary and Bill, kinda, are going to be good Democrats and try to lead the Unity Donkey down the garden path. A lot of folks will sigh “Oh well, we tried.” and trudge back into line because they been told (and so they believe) that Obama is the lesser of two [...]

Speaking with Dragons »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Jun 7, 2008 in Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton | 507 Comments

When speaking with dragons, it is wise to know the names of things. True names have great power and if you know the dragon’s name…
I’ve been sitting back, these last few days, watching the dust settle and seeing all the old song and dance routines, the familiar pressures brought to bear in the name of [...]

The Covenant They Made »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on Jun 1, 2008 in Barack Obama, Current Affairs, DNC, Delegates, Democratic National Convention, Democrats, Hillary Clinton | 30 Comments

Hmmm… let’s see if I understand this:
The Democratic Party is just sick of li’l ol Iowa and New Hampshire stealing the spotlight for all those months of pre-primary campaigning. After all, these puny states have only a relatively few delegates between them and their population is only tiny percentage of the Democratic voters.
So, the DNC [...]

The Moment of Truth »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on May 29, 2008 in Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Current Affairs, DNC, Democracy, Democratic National Convention, Democrats, Hillary Clinton | 293 Comments

TO HILLARY AND BILL CLINTON:
I have written to you before and I post regularly on my journal: The Heraclitan Fire and at No Quarter
It seems to me that the fix is in, I think that Mr. Obama has already been chosen by the Democratic party ‘elders’ as their nominee. You know that [...]

Obama’s Foreign Policy Tragi-Comedy »

By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on May 28, 2008 in Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy | 73 Comments

Thanks to V for the video discussion.
Recent events surrounding some of Sen. Obama’s advisors, especially Greg Craig, have prompted many of us to take a closer look into what substance (in any) there might be to Obama’s pronouncements about his ‘transformational’ foreign policy initiatives. First, we should take a look at the advisors he listens [...]

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