Paul’s Grab Bag

What’s in Paul’s grab bag?  Unconnected thoughts and observations which don’t rate separate blog posts, but when aggregated together might amount to something: Recently Overheard: “I knew the car companies were going under 20 years ago, when the union guys started making six figures and buying summer homes.” — attorney friend at a house party […]

Goin’ All Activist: a Nice Surprise

I’m not taking credit for this, but I spent a couple of hours on base yesterday for an annual physical and noticed that all the public area televisions were set to CNN and NBC.  Not one was set to Fox News. I wonder if the letter I sent in September 2009 had anything to do with […]

The Military’s Heterosexual Problem

As of today, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is implementing a military-wide modification to current Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, pending congressional repeal of DADT.  Gay servicemen and women who have been outed by jilted partners or third parties will no longer be forcibly discharged, so long as they don’t out themselves. Since President Obama […]

Goin’ All Activist: the Followup

I heard this morning from Amanda, a staffer for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, that the US Air Force had responded to my letter protesting the airing of Fox News on public televisions at USAF bases and the broadcasting of the Rush Limbaugh to military troops overseas by Armed Forces Radio. Here’s the link to everything that […]

Paul’s Grab Bag

Unconnected thoughts and observations which don’t rate separate blog posts, but when aggregated together might just amount to something: Much was made of Stephen Colbert’s rescue of the US Olympic speed skating team, and the Colbert Nation patches they were wearing in practice.  Has anyone seen a US speed skater wearing one in the Vancouver […]

Repealing DADT: Just Do It

I could fill this entry with hyperlinks to news articles about Obama’s push to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and the predictable conservative opposition, but if you’re that out of touch with current events you probably don’t read blogs either. DADT, summed up, says that being openly gay is grounds for discharge.  Therefore any gay […]

Goin’ All Activist (Updated)

Update (11/19/09): more than two months with no response.  Time to ramp it up a notch: The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords                       November 19, 2009 U.S. House of Representatives 1728 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congresswoman Giffords, I mailed the attached letter to the US Air Force Chief of Staff on September 16, 2009 […]

No Rational Discourse

Last night a neighbor came over with some work shirts he wanted Donna to embroider.  We asked him how things were going with his heating & air conditioning business.  He told us business was great.  With all the new green energy tax credits available to consumers, he’d been selling a lot of solar-powered water heaters. […]