Politics and other nightmares

The best kind of laughter is the self-deprecating kind, when we acknowledge our foibles and limitations  and weaknesses and are willing to laugh at ourselves. That brings us closer to an appreciation of the human condition -- we are then able to understand those faults in others. The worst kind of humor is directed at those "others" -- the people who are not like us and are thus deserving of our scorn and derision. We don't have to understand anything, except that we are better than them. Such laughter says more about us than the people we laugh at.

Sometimes, I understand people who just want to get as far away from civilization as they can:

He built a fence, a retaining wall, a patio and a few concrete columns to decorate his driveway, and now Francisco Linares is going to jail for it.

Too many people think we are a pure democracy instead of a republic, that our legislators should just vote the way we want them to vote. As wrong as that is, it would seem a good idea for those in government to at least know what we think. But Florida has a different idea:

TALLAHASSEE - Florida elections officials will begin enforcing a law which changes the state's "rules of political engagement": campaigns can't ask voters about the issues.

I've died and gone to hell, Part 2:

Former President Clinton will appear on Oprah Winfrey's TV talk show next Tuesday, Sept. 4, his first interview to promote "Giving," a book on philanthropy and civic action coming out the same day.

Clinton's appearance was announced Monday in an e-mail - "The first interview about his new passion!" - sent to members of Winfrey's book club.

Economist Morton Marcus, formerly associated with Indiana University, writes about the "overly simplistic" argument that government consolidation will bring cost saving, using libraries as an example:

 Public libraries are often cited as ripe for consolidation. There are 238 of them serving Indiana's 92 counties. Why is it that Huntington County has but one school district but four public libraries? Grant County needs eight libraries to serve its needs?

The U.S. is in decline -- and has been for three centuries:

Hoosiers' "war on the property tax" makes the Los Angeles Times:

But when the bill arrived this summer, Hile's annual taxes were almost 200% higher than before -- an extra $3,000 a year. It's more than she can afford to pay.

Oh, for God's sake, the game is over, and you won. Give it up:

 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation Monday after months of draining controversy drew expressions of relief from Republicans and a vow from Democrats to pursue their investigation into fired federal prosecutors.

I love women, though some drive me crazy. I admire men, though some are jerks. I am not and never have been gender neutral, which probably means I would  be a bad fit in Vermont:

The University of Vermont's big new student center doesn't just have women's bathrooms and men's bathrooms.

The right not to be annoyed continues to grow:

The Environmental Court in Växjö has banned a woman from smoking in her own garden, Sydsvenkan reports. The 49-year-old single mother is enraged by the decision but says that she will obey the ruling to avoid having to pay a fine.