Ben Stein in Midland Texas
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Politics
"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" - Thomas Jefferson

Ben Stein is a funny guy. I like him. So, when a friend invited me to attend his lecture tonight, I went. I know Ben's politics, but I try to keep an open mind. I also know that this being George Bush's hometown and a bastion of right wing ideology that most of the people in attendance would eat up everything he said in wide eyed wonder.

I did really enjoy the lecture and I did agree with him on several things. I plan to write about the experience for several days.

But for now...

He came down pretty hard on the press and I agree, sometimes they deserve it. News has become a sensationalist (not liberal as some claim, just sensationalistic) business. However, saying that the press should not ask questions when something goes wrong is ridiculous.

"No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will." - Thomas Jefferson

Asking questions does not in any way take away from helping others. The press is there to point fingers. I find it very funny that the Republican Party and Barry Bonds are both using the same spurious logic to protect themselves from hard questions.

In Barry's case of course it's about steroids. He thinks that the whole congressional investigation should be dropped because of the hurricane. He talks about people losing their lives as if stopping the investigations will save some of them. He does this right before going to bat. If he really cared why isn't he in the trenches helping? Because he has a job to do.

The right is hiding behind the same cry. Now is not the time to point fingers. Ben hit that point a couple times tonight. I have to disagree. As long as we are doing everything we can to help the victims we can do both.

Ben talked about how brave Bush was to take responsibility especially when it was incompetent people under him that was the real problem. Well, sorry Ben, Bush did not immediately take responsibility, he disseminated partisan rhetoric for days before stepping up to the plate. And as far as the incompetence under him, he is the one who appointed someone with no disaster experience to the head of FEMA. He is also the one who couldn't be bothered to leave his vacation for three days after the hurricane hit.

We all know Bush loves his vacations, he has taken more then any other president.

"Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error." - Thomas Jefferson

I was glad to hear that you love Al Frankin, even though you don't like him. I can not find any evidence of that quote you gave from Tony Blair, but I'll talk more about that later.