Viva la Revolution!

None of us knows the shape of the future. This half-century of disorders teaches us that the future is a secret which is divulged neither in the works of Karl Marx nor in those of his adversaries. But we can say this much to the future which a few impassioned young men are somewhere building: every revolution that stifles criticism, that denies the right to contradict those in power, that prohibits the peaceful substitution of one government for another, is a revolution that defeats itself - is a fraud. My conclusions will irritate many people. No matter: independent thought is almost always unpopular. We must renounce outright the authoritarian tendencies of the revolutionary tradition, especially its Marxist branch. At the same time, we must break up the existing monopolies - whether of the state, of parties, or of private capitalism - and discover forms, new and truly effective forms, of democratic and popular control over political and economic powers and over the information media and education. A plural society, without majorities or minorities: not all of us are happy in my political utopia, but at least all of us are responsible. Above all and before all else: we must conceive viable models of development, models less inhuman, costly, and senseless than those we have now. I have said before that this is an urgent task: the truth is, it is the task of our times. And there is one more thing: the supreme value is not the future but the present. The future is a deceitful time that always says to us, "Not yet," and thus denies us. The future is not the time of love: what man truly wants he wants NOW. Whoever builds a house for the future happiness builds a prison for the present.

- The Other Mexico (1972) by Octavio Paz (1914 - 1998)

No Obama/Biden gushing here...

Though my family is elated that THEIR candidates walked away with the election. I myself am once again scratching my head regarding the electoral college. I tend to be biased towards the founding fathers when the issue is debatable (e.g. the age requirements for President, US Senator) and idealistically libertarian when it isn't (e.g. slavery is NOT tolerable - period). With the popular vote for President much closer than the electoral college results - O=53% of the votes cast for O or M, and M = 47%, but, 349 to 147 electoral votes (0=70%, M=30%) - it just seems strange. Not as bad as 2000 with the popular vote and electoral college at odds, though. Nonetheless, I admit to being discomforted by yet another apples to oranges oddity but I'll go with the founding fathers' design...for now. Oh, and let's not forget the "third-party" candidates' votes. E.g. My candidate - Bob Barr with maybe 0.4% of the popular vote.

9/11

Oops, it's noon and I haven't put the flag up yet. Shame!

NASA Remembers

"The world changed today. What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked." So said Expedition 3 Commander Frank L. Culbertson, upon learning of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.
This image is one of a series taken that day of metropolitan New York City by the International Space Station's Expedition 3 crew that shows a plume of smoke rising from the Manhattan skyline.
Upon further reflection, Commander Culbertson said, "It's horrible to see smoke pouring from wounds in your own country from such a fantastic vantage point. The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are."
Image credit: NASA