Saturday evening open thread

Well, remarkably, my Internet connection on the new PC worked with the simple plug-in of an ethernet cable. Now I get to try to the new graphics card (since the old one didn't fit), and then see if I can figure out how to network my old laptop and the new desktop, both of which are connected via my wifi router. Suggestions are most welcome :-) Read More......

Amazing Frank Rich column

NYT:

The power of this minority within the Christian majority comes from its exaggerated claims on the Bush election victory. It is enhanced further by a news culture, especially on television, that gives the Mel Gibson wing of Christianity more say than other Christian voices and that usually ignores minority religions altogether. This is not just a Fox phenomenon. Something is off when NBC's "Meet the Press" and ABC's "This Week," mainstream TV shows both, invite religious leaders to discuss "values" in the aftermath of the election and limit that discussion to all-male panels composed exclusively of either evangelical ministers or politicians with pseudo-spiritual credentials. Does Mr. Falwell, who after 9/11 blamed Al Qaeda's attack partly on "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians," speak for any sizable group of American Christians? Does the Rev. Al Sharpton, booked on TV as a "balance" to Mr. Falwell, do so either? Mr. Sharpton doesn't even have a congregation; like Mr. Falwell, he is a politician first, a religious leader second (or maybe fourth or fifth).

Gary Bauer and James Dobson are also secular political figures, not religious leaders, yet they are more frequently called upon to play them on television than actual clergy are.

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Friday orchid blogging (for a Saturday)

Being sick and then dealing with my troublesome new computer took too much time yesterday, so the orchid fest is today :-)



Colmanara Wildcat "Jaguar"

This is another of the "not so difficult" orchids that I just love. Not the prettiest plant, foliage-wise (a problem with many orchids), but really pretty flowers, and the spike that the flowers grows on is about 2.5 feet tall, so it's pretty cool. This one likes medium light (dappled sunlight), water as it approaches dryness, and that's about it. Mine blooms once a year, so far. Enjoy. Read More......

Nearly Half in U.S. Say Restrict Muslims' Civil Liberties

Associated Press:

Nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, according to a nationwide poll.

The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.

Big surprise. Read More......

"It's My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America" - Or - Why does Christine Todd Whitman hate America?

I'll bet Christie Whitman won't be getting a Christmas card from the White House this year. I was never much of a fan of hers but I think I'm going to love this book. Start the countdown to the smear campaign. The Sunday talk shows will no doubt have a few chats about this topic.

"A clear and present danger Republicans face today is that the party will now move so far to the right that it ends up alienating centrist voters and marginalizing itself," Whitman writes in the book, obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

Whitman says fellow moderates, such as former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, were instrumental in Bush's re-election win, often campaigning with him in battleground states.

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