Guardian of the Non Sequitur

Library Petition by the “GOP”

The Republican Party over on the GOP.com are asking for you to sign a petition (quick follow the link now) to open up Hillary Clinton’s library (by which they mean Bill Clinton’s presidential records).

I’m sure they realize that the Bush Administration, when they came into office in 2000, locked down all the Reagan era documents that were all due to start being released (20 years later) according to law.

Of course, some (lots) of the current administration were working in those times, and letting panty-raiding liberals dig through their dirty laundry would be undesirable politically. So National Security was invoked.

Generally speaking irony is lost on politicians.

January 31st, 2008 Posted by bshirley | politics | no comments

Paul and Kucinich

If neither Dennis Kucinich nor Ron Paul is your first choice in this year’s civic decision that you should be making, I suggest that one of them should be.

There is no doubt that democracy has been diminished for their exclusion from multiple debates. The reasoned arguments from the edges are what sometimes steers a ship of state in the right direction.

If you won’t support either of them, you owe your country at least to listen to them. You don’t have to agree with them. Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are voices we need.

And maybe when you listen, you’ll remember how media is supposed to work. An airing of ideas, not a lashing of tongues. It’s hard not to interpret the exclusion of candidates by large corporate “sponsors” of debates to be anything but silencing of voices of dissent.

This country was built on dissent.

I’ve put Bill Moyer’s Journal in my RSS aggregator, and the audio podcast in my iTunes. If you still prefer the cathode ray, they do allow him on the air waves, but only on a station funded by the public.

There are several other ways to expose yourself to real discourse,… if you choose civic responsibility.

January 30th, 2008 Posted by bshirley | corporations, politics, television | 6 comments

James Madison

Next step on my attempt to see if the past history of pre-Presidential experience can be a guide to what it takes to be president: James Madison.

I have to admit that while the first three presidents came easily to my tongue, I struggled to remember number four to no avail. I just haven’t used that information (which is somewhere in my head) recently, so could not access it. But, of course, four and five are the Jameses. I’m sure my experience is not unique among Americans.

Like all of the initial presidents, he was one of the Founding Fathers.

Born 1751 in Virginia, he served two terms from 1809-1817, and he died in 1836 (age 85) in Virginia.

Experience:

• born to tobacco plantation owners, the oldest of 12 children (7 living to adulthood)
• attended College of New Jersey, graduating in half the time, age 18-19
• studied with the college president for an additional year, age 20
• Virginia legislator, protege of Jefferson, age 25-29
• persuaded Virginia to cede claims of northwest territories (modern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois) to the Continental Congress, age 32
• drafted Virginia Plan, which became the basis of the 3-branch system of government, and the US Constitution, age 36
• authored 1/3 of the Federalist Papers, age 36-37
• orated for Virginia ratification of the Constitution, age 37
• US Representative for Virginia, age 37-45
• see-sawed on the Creation of the Bill of Rights, eventually authoring them, age 38
• organized Democratic-Republican party with Jefferson, age 42
• unsuccessfully opposed Alexander Hamilton’s Bank of the United States, funding of state and national debts, and the Jay Treaty, age 42-43
• married Dolly Todd, age 44
• Secretary of State for Jefferson, age 50-57
• tried to balance relations between waring Britain and France
• attempted an embargo against foreign nations - caused hardship for Southern ports
• oversaw purchase of Louisiana Territory
• party in the Supreme Court case Marbury v Madison

As president, Madison was the first president to have a vice president leave office. Both of his vice presidents died in office and were not replaced.

He left office at 65. He retired to Montpelier, his tobacco plantation in Virginia; his finances were in a failing state.

He became obsessed with his legacy, anxiety riddled over his finances, and was often in poor physical health because of it.

At 78 he helped Virginia redraft its state constitution.

He died at 85, ignored by the modern polity, the last remaining signatory of the US Constitution.

January 29th, 2008 Posted by bshirley | presidents | no comments

Living in Our Own Filth

plastic bag nightmare 004

Originally uploaded by Zainub

Twice today as I commuted I saw cars with plastic bags entwined beneath them. Yes, your US$50,000 car looks very nice. Just like your new pair of heals with toilet paper hanging off of them.

What’s wrong with us? Minimally we need to start taking the bags back to the stores and leaving them there.

Cities have banned them, and some stores have stopped using them.

Have you ever walked close to the bayous in Houston? They are by far this biggest wash-off problem. And they get tangled high in the trees for that year round enjoyment.

Salon.com tells me they’re killing us.

Maybe I’ll wean myself from them. Hopefully before I suffocate.

January 28th, 2008 Posted by bshirley | houston | 2 comments

Presidential Aside: First Amendment

Q: What was the first amendment proposed to the United States Constitution?

(more…)

January 28th, 2008 Posted by bshirley | government, politics, presidents | no comments

Thomas Jefferson

The third president, twelve years into a new government, Thomas Jefferson had plenty of work ahead of him when he came into office. He presided over the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the addition of the Ohio Territory to the Union.

Born in 1743, Jefferson became president in 1801 (age 56), presided for eight years, and lived seventeen years longer dying in 1826 (age 83), a few hours before John Adams, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Experience:

• born and raised in Virginia
• began studying Latin, Greek, and French, age 9
• received classical education, heavy in history and science, age 15-16
• College of William & Mary, studied mathematics, metaphysics, and philosophy, graduating with highest honors, age 16-19
• studied law under George Wythe, age 20-24
• admitted to the Virginia Bar, age 24
• Wrote A Summary View of the Rights of British America in 1774, age 31
• in a twist of fate, named to replace the intended but sick original author of the Declaration of Independence, age 33
• Virginia legislator, drafted 126 bills, age 33-35
• Governor of Virginia, barely escaped British capture, generally disapproved of, age 36-38
• minister to France, age 42-46
• Secretary of State, under Washington, age 46-49
• co-founded the Democratic-Republican party, to counter the Federalists
• spent Washington’s second term opposing him and Alexander Hamilton, and encouraging James Madison
• lost 1796 election, but became Vice President, age 53-56

After his presidency, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia. Much of the design and architecture was led by him, and he was involved in it as much as possible in its early years.

January 25th, 2008 Posted by bshirley | presidents | no comments