David Rodeback's Blog

Sarah Barracuda
Thoughts on Governor Sarah Palin's convention speech. My favorite lines. Selected good readings.

Early Thoughts on Sarah Palin, Running Mate
Yes, it's still early, but the end of the beginning is tonight at the Republican convention, when she gives a big speech.

Barack Obama's Convention Speech
Convention in another sense is what we got, but the packaging was excellent.

One Down, One to Go
My sigh of relief. Links to notes on the Democratic National Convention. Two names you're not hearing for Senator McCain's running mate.

Tyranny on Parade
Russia wants its empire back, and China, in its insecurity, is trying too hard to look perfect for the world.

The Perils of Historical Ignorance
"Don't Know Much About History" could be an Obama campaign slogan.

Infamous Scribblers and More
Notes from the Great Northwest, you might say.

July 4, Give or Take a Day
Obviously, Independence Day has a lot to do with freedom. But what does it have to do with bungee jumping?

A Short List of Recent Readings
. . . Mostly on themes mentioned in my recent comments on the election.

Mr. Spock, My Childhood Hero
Yes, that Spock. My mother thought he looked like Satan.

A Conservative's Guide to the Current Campaign
Here are some brief thoughts on working toward November, what needs to happen in November, and what to do after that.

My Tax Questions
The IRS is notorious for answering tax questions incorrectly more often than correctly -- but, either way, if you get it wrong, it's your fault. So I'm not asking them. I'm asking you.

Last Week an Angry Liberal, This Week a Right-wing Nut Job
This didn't turn out exactly as I planned. My original strategy proved to be too much like carpet-bombing some of my neighbors and relatives, so I shelved it. Something more surgical is indicated.

Peggy Noonan Is Worth Reading
. . . As usual, in this Wall Street Journal piece. Also, there's a bonus.

In the Meantime, About Moderates . . .
The best part of this post is that I point you to an excellent Orson Scott Card article about political moderates.

This Morning I Tried to Be a Liberal
. . . Not just any liberal, you understand, and not a thinking liberal like some of my friends, but a liberal like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and, yes, Barack Obama.

It Wasn't Supposed to Be Like This
Bad news for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Very bad news. I expect Disney-like pyrotechnics.

The 2008 Campaign's Second Great Speech
Barack Obama's Philadelphia speech yesterday did not change my vote, but it was a great speech, worth reading and remembering. It was a lot like Mitt Romney's speech in December.

What's in a Word?
When things continue at approximately the same speed, we're told that things "basically ground to a halt" -- if those things are economic. And the words "qualified, certified, and competent" can be used to resist improvement and reform, when the subject is education.

Fredette, Fairness, Fairlie, (Non)Fiction, and Further Thoughts
A miscellany of accumulated reading-induced thoughts, some about politics, some about sports, some about other things.

Obama and the Flag: What's Not in a Symbol
If you want to convince me that Barack Obama isn't sufficiently loyal to his country, you'll have to do better than to tell me he doesn't wear an American flag on his lapel.

A Riddle
. . . about math and Mike Huckabee, that is.

Ah, the Humanity!
I could use a vacation. Show them you're the most important person in the room. And mind those foreseeable opposite consequences. (A veritable verbal mosaic of awareness ribbons, congressional deserters, cell phones, state and local legislators, defenseless wild bunnies and birdies, zealous residents, and boring neckwear.)

Last-Minute Valentinish (and Other) Thoughts
A link to winning limericks. Some Valentine's Day thoughts. Things to read if you prefer politics. Something to watch if you prefer math. A note on delegate counts.

Romney Out, No Leader Left in the Race (and Other Post-Super Tuesday Musings)
Romney out. West Virginia Republicans. The presumptive McNominee. The anti-Hillary vote. State of the Union, stimulus, and compassion.

Primaries: Republicans after Maine, Before Super Tuesday
The outcome pales next to the delegate counts to come from tomorrow's "Super Tuesday" primaries, but Maine's Republicans preferred Mitt Romney.

Thoughts Toward Super Tuesday
A quick, opinionated look at the names on the ballot in Tuesday's Utah presidential primaries.

Presidential Primaries: Updated Running Totals
TheGreenPapers.com has updated its committed delegate totals for Iowa (Republicans and Democrats), New Hampshire (Democrats), and Michigan (Republicans). This post reflects those changes.

Presidential Primary Update: After Florida
After Florida, for the first time, John McCain leads in the delegate count. The Florida Democratic primary apportioned no delegates, leaving Barack Obama with a slightly-enlarged lead over Hillary Clinton after South Carolina.

Primaries: After South Carolina and Nevada
After today, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama still lead by small margins in the delegate count.

Presidential Primaries and Caucuses: Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Running Totals
The BMA typically tell us which candidates get the most votes, without worrying much about who is accumulating the most delegates to the two parties' national conventions. Here we look at the numbers that matter: the delegate counts -- but even those are soft.

NIE, AF, Gitmo, AF the Movie, and More
. . . including a lawnmower analogy and the phrase, "if headlines were fishes" . . .

Christmas Music and Christmas Politics
The two don't really go together, but they coexist in my last blog post of the year, along with a bunch of Mormons, a former Southern Baptist minister, and some (other) really nice people.

My Favorite Democrat
That Ornery American makes a lot of sense on immigration and other topics.

Bad Statistics: Denial and de Fanning of de Flames
Here I pick on the local and national media -- again -- for not getting their statistics right in the matters of violence in Iraq and local Boy Scouts of America executive salaries.

Provo's Municipal Broadband, and a Happy (Unrelated) Lawsuit Verdict
Two news stories of note.

Anniversary Notes
Here are a few relatively quick thoughts on today's auspicious anniversary.

Voldemort and Global Warming
On the uncanny resemblance of He-Who-Must-not-Be-Named and That-Which-Must-not-Be-Questioned.

Random Dissenting Thoughts
. . . on the war in Iraq, the local loan sharks, and yelling at the radio.

Orson Scott Card on How We Live and How We Ought to Live
Foreign oil, domestic poverty, and no highway is ever wide enough . . .

Moscow: July 4, 1987
Twenty years ago, rather by surprise, I celebrated American independence with a bunch of -- gasp! -- Soviet Communists.

Hannity vs. Anderson: The Virtual Experience
I didn't attend the big debate, but I watched it later on the Internet. Here are my thoughts.

The Arts, the Jazz, the Debates, the Veto
Had I done any blogging at all last week, here are some things I might have blogged about.

Briefish Thoughts on Several Subjects
Relatively brief musings on a time machine, Vice President Cheney's speech, his detractors, Superintendent Henshaw and the "extremists," and what could cause me to leave the Republican Party after tomorrow.

We Can't Prevent Another Virginia Tech Massacre by Passing a Law
32 dead -- 33, if you count the shooter. 29 wounded. Labels and accusations and proposed legislation are swirling everywhere in response. There is nothing in that maelstrom that will bring back the dead. There is nothing in it that will prevent this from ever happening again, either.

Congressman Cannon and Multiple Bloggers as Lab Rats, or An Uneasy Hybrid of Political Junkie and Web Geek
. . . But don't get the idea that I didn't enjoy it. It was interesting on several levels.

Grab-Bag: Music, Vouchers, Freedom, and a Conservative Daydream
You might say it's leftover night. I happen to enjoy leftovers.

Is Laughter a Form of Worship?
First, a bit about Mitt -- something to read, actually. Then something funny to read about Mormons generally. Also, I muse on Mormons who can't laugh at themselves.

Gasoline Prices: What Goes Down Must Come Up
Fair warning: In this word I use the word stupid twice and the word gullible once. But the post is short. Together, those two words comprise more than one percent of the entire post.

The Arrogance of Dominance, and Vice Versa
In this lengthy post, I rip on Capitol Hill Republicans briefly, then Republicans in the Utah Legislature very slightly and ever so briefly, then Capitol Hill Democrats a little less briefly. Then I unload on the public education lobby at length, on the subject of vouchers and institutional arrogance. Finally, after you have paid the price in cognitive dissonance for a moment, I give you permission to call me names and think me evil if you really want to, because of my politics . . . but I still end up claiming a small victory. (This is truth-in-advertising: a long teaser for a long post.)

Miscellaneous Political Thoughts
Recycling in American Fork. The UEA checks its manners at the Capitol door. Who really represents me? An Oscar and a Nobel. And, finally, I manage to work the phrase barking moonbat into a sentence.

I Ran Away to Chicago -- in February!
I'd do it again, too. Art, pizza, Russian bookstores, a Chicago hot dog . . . And a flight delay led to an excellent lunch in Houston. (Note: This is not about politics. Not everything is, you know.)

Infinite Shades of Grey
Some of our horror at the bad things which happen in "good" places, such as Salt Lake City, is rooted in our preference for black-and-white categories, instead of infinite shades of gray. That preference is actually dangerous.

The State of the Union, Part II: The War
Here is the bulk of the President's discussion of the war, with some passages highlighted and relatively few of my comments along the way.

The State of the Union, Part I: General Notes and Domestic Issues
The economy, health care, immigration, federal judges, energy independence, and more.

I Don't See . . .
I've tried. I just don't.

Iraq Study Group's Terms for US Surrender: It's Time for a New Official Acronym
CESM, that is, for Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys, with a bow to The Simpsons' Groundskeeper Willie.

Grandpa and Veterans Day (Again)
What I have to say on the occasion of Veterans Day is not new.

Every Game Is an Away Game
It was a defeat, not a disaster. I blame the Republicans on Capitol Hill more than the voters. They forgot that for them every game is an away game.

Here's How My Predictions Fared
I got all the easy ones and broke about even on the hard ones -- which is better than the Republican Party did nationally, by the way.

David's Little Election Guide
Here's a quick look at all the races and propositions on my ballot, plus a few more which might be on yours.

Of Nuts with Nukes, and Lesser, Local Things
I look for principles, patterns, and parallels in government and politics. Even if the scale and some essential attitudes are radically different, I think I see a similarity between US attempts to restrain North Korea's nuclear aspirations and the impotence of American Fork's boundary agreement with Pleasant Grove. I fear the explanation is somewhat lengthy.

Questions on My Mind
Here I muse on several questions of recent occurrence and dubious note, from the cosmic to the American Forkic. Watch for cameos by Oprah, Satan, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I Blinked for Two Days, and Look What I Missed
I missed Talk Like a Pirate Day, a coup in Thailand, tax tweaks, and angry Muslims. I didn't miss a good cartoon or an undeservedly obscure anniversary.

Thoughts on September 11
Miscellaneous thoughts on September 11, five years later.

And the Winners Are . . .
Here are the winners in the two primary races of national interest and the two American Fork issues I mentioned in today's earlier post.

Votes to Watch Today
Lieberman, McKinney, American Fork's tax increase, and that 900 West thing all are voted on today.

Little Rants
. . . about federal agencies and a piece of silliness local to American Fork.

Hoo-da Thunkit?
Just when you think you've seen everything . . . (I have never thought that myself. It's an expression.)

Israel and Its Enemies: The View from My Own 'Religion of Peace'
How many attacks must Israel absorb before fighting back? Here's my scriptural view.

Independence Day Thoughts
A few thoughts on the day, not especially profound or tightly linked together. If you want profundity, follow three links near the end and read some truly important words.

Notes from Ohio
Natural gas bills, water bills, and the voting machine blame game in Cleveland, Ohio.

Grab Bag
Short notes on several topics, at home and abroad.

Marriage Protection Amendment Dies on the Senate Floor
The Marriage Protection Amendment died today in a cloture vote. It will be back.

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part IV
I support the Marriage Protection Amendment for two reasons. One is structural and procedural, and the other has to do with religious freedom itself.

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part III
Here I discuss a recent letter from the First Presidency of the LDS Church, which doesn't say exactly what a lot of folks think it says, and list a host of reasons thinking people might cite for opposing both gay marriage and the Marriage Protection Amendment.

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part II
This article examines a host of arguments for and against the amendment by discussing these questions: Is amending the Constitution something to avoid altogether? Is gay marriage good or bad for society? Is it wrong to legislate morality? Is gay marriage or homosexuality in general morally wrong? Is it a slippery slope?

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part I
The first of at least three articles on the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment looks at the text of the proposed amendment, its apparent intent, and what may happen on Capitol Hill after the Senate debate.

Immigration Revisited
Diana West takes my notion that we may not actually have immigration laws any more and ups the ante. She's not sure we even have a nation any more.

How Illegal Are They, Anyway?
I see legal immigration as a national blessing, perhaps even a moral obligation. I'm not isolationist or xenophobic at all, as far as I can tell. And now that we've established that, let's talk about illegal immigration, because I'm not entirely sure there still is such a thing.

Happy International Workers Day (Are We Kidding?)
I think the choice of May 1 for the you'll-miss-your-illegal-alien walkout and demonstrations is almost as bad a PR move as all those Mexicans flags that we saw waved in the first round.

It's Earth Day. Let's Celebrate!
Who says you have to be a shallow, wacko-left, faith-not-facts type to celebrate Earth Day? Here are my suggestions for commemorating the day.

Scattered Thoughts
A bit of free association, almost, on income taxes, people who don't back up their data, a new local wetland, strong-arm tactics in South America and American Fork, and words that hurt worse than sticks and stones.

Socialized Medicine: Here We Go Again
This idea deserves a cinder block, a burlap bag, and a one-way ride to the bottom of the river. Again!

It Walks Like a Lame Duck (and Other Brief Thoughts on Seaports and Allies)
Ever wonder what a lame duck politician looks like? Are we going to have allies or not? Why don't our newly-donned scruples about foreign management of ports apply to China? And other questions and thoughts about the seaport debacle.

We Three Kings (Kong): The Really Big Lobbies
Here's a look at three oversized, hugely influential lobbies in Washington and state capitals.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear, Part CLXXIV
Numerous news reports today include a lead story about the US turning over major stateside seaports to the United Arab Emirates. That would like be as dumb as it sounds, but that's not what's proposed.

This Week's Readings
Suzanne Fields, Paul Greenberg, and George Will head the list. Jeff Jacoby has a great euphemism. Paul Greenberg (in another article) holds up an excellent example of civic activity with style and class. And you get to read the phrase "ahistorical thumbsucking." (Beat that!)

Help Me Evaluate Prof. Gingrich's Threats
In a recent speech, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich listed five major threat's to the United States' future. See if you agree. In fact, tell me whether you agree.

Quick Thoughts on Religious Freedom
Three quick thoughts on religious freedom.

The State of the Union Address: Education
My two previous posts discussed what President Bush had to say about foreign policy and several domestic issues. This one focuses on education.

The State of the Union: Foreign Policy First
I finally did it. I had put off discussing -- or reading, or even reading about -- President Bush's State of the Union speech from last week. I finally read it this morning, six days after the President gave it. Here are my notes on the first half of the speech, which addressed foreign policy.

Miscellaneous Short Thoughts
Quick comments on American Fork City government, the law of gravity, Mr. Justice Alito, a couple of bills before the Utah Legislature, etc.

When Democracy Goes Bad
Thoughts on Palestinian democracy and its regrettable fruits.

How Can Part of the Constitution Be Unconstitutional?
Some propose the repeal of the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides for the direct election of US Senators by the people of their states. At least a few of them call the amendment "unconstitutional." This doesn't seem to make sense . . . but we'll follow it where it leads.

The Rule of Law, or 'Living' Is Libspeak for 'Dead'
Our question today is, "Is the US Constitution a living document or not?"

Happy New (Blog) Year!
The 2005 blogging year ended for me much sooner than I intended. . . . Here are some thoughts on stuff that happened during my unexpectedly long absence from the blogosphere.

Smart Stuff to Read
Steven Spielberg, Republican moral cowardice, Peggy Noonan on Iraq, and a good piece on immigration reform.

Recommended Readings
Recommended readings on Iraq, the President, Wal-Mart, abortion, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the 2008 presidential election, good books, oil company profits, "stupidization," and more.

If These Aren't Weapons of Mass Destruction . . .

How Would You Vote?

The President's Veterans Day Speech

Local Gasoline Prices, a Pleasant Political Escape, and Good Readings on Many Topics

Grandpa and Veterans Day

Good Readings: Plamegate, Picking Judges, More Judges, and the Problem with Second Terms

Good, Recent Readings

More Good Readings

Iraq, Iraq, and Stuff to Read

Three Philosophical Matters about Representative Local Government

Some Overdue Housekeeping: Commander in Chief, Open Meeting Statutes, a Flyer, and Selecting a New Police Chief (Not Necessarily in That Order)

A Spectrum of Political Courage

Good Readings, Various Topics

What Mitt Romney Has Learned and Bill Bennett Hasn't

President Bush's Great Speech on the War: Better Late than Never

More Good Reads (and Procrastinating the President)

American Fork's Campaign Finance Rules More Rational than USA's

Math, Meyer, Manager, and I Can't Find a Word for UN that Starts with "M"

Miscellaneous Thoughts, Local and Larger

A Local Note, and Readings on John Roberts, Crisis Management and Katrina, Poverty, the Constitution, and China

Things They're Saying

The John Roberts Inquisition, Plus Good Stuff to Read

Scrambled Eggs and Boiled Spinach (or Why Primary Elections Matter)

Post-Katrina Notes, Some Local

Responsibility Starts at the Bottom, not the Top

Katrina and Contrasts

Evil People Doing Evil Things

Price Controls Are a Stupid Idea. Don't Fall for Them.

LaVaughn, LaVerl, Hurricane Katrina, and the International Community

On China, Mostly

Noteworthy Writing on Iraq

The West Wing

An Assortment: From Art and Language to Constitutional Law and Foreign Policy

How Much Dependency Is Too Much?

A Busy Day at the Blog, Part II: Justice O'Connor's Resignation

A Busy Day at the Blog, Part I: Krauthammer on Foreign Policy

Maybe They're not Completely Tone-Deaf, and Two Brief Notes on the War in Iraq

What Goes Around Comes Around: Justice Souder's Pretty Piece of New Hampshire

"We Won the War in Iraq"

Barack Obama's Great Speech

The Great American Fork Chili Cook-off, and Dick Durbin and John McCain Cook Off, Too

John Kerry's Grades

Language Matters in Politics, and Fact-Checking Matters in Journalism

Miscellany

The Un-Democratic Party and Its Imaginary Right Not to Lose

The Newsweek Dilemma

Immigration, the War on Terror, and a National ID

Common Sense: How not to Be Poor

Good Reading on Social Security

Earth Day and Recycling in American Fork

Parenting, Social Security, and Pope John Paul II

Redefining "Quarterly" - Again

A Christian Hero, a Modern Giant Has Left Us

Thoughts on the Late Terri Schiavo

Tom Hunter Goes, Jimmie Cates Comes

Groundhog Day and the State of the Union

The Greatest Inaugural Speech, IMO

Supporting Our Troops

Mormons, Abortion Policy, Harry Reid

Political Miscellany

Dignity and Grace

It Could Have Been a Lot Worse

How I Voted, and Some Predictions

Bin Laden Weighs In

Our Madrid

On Shortages of Leadership and Flu Vaccines

Some Loose Ends

Kerry/Edwards Should Worry About This Undecided Voter

Must Reading

What I Wish President Bush Had Said, Part II

What I Wish President Bush Had Said

Watching the Presidential Debate: First Impressions

I Haven't Watched the Debate Yet

The Electoral College

Paul Hamm, the Court, and Election 2000 Revisited

A Half-Baked Story about a Half-Baked Poll

More Moore

Michael Moore at UVSC

Quarterly Is Every Three Months, Except at the IRS

Looking Back: 9/11, Part Two

Looking Back: 9/11, Part One

We Passed 1000 Casualties a Long Time Ago

If Modern Islam is a Peaceful Religion, Where's the Outrage?

A Prediction: Bush by Enough

Campaign Finance: Last Day for What?

Stylianos Kyriakides

An Israeli Spy? A CBS Spy? Both?

It's Bush/Gore 2000 All Over Again

Kerry's Promise

"Hello, Freedom Man"

An Old Warning which Sounds Very New

Oil Prices in Real Dollars Aren't So High

The Dark Side of Universal Suffrage

Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention