Monthly Archives: February 2009

The City Within

2/26/2009 – 2:47 pm

Before his execution, Socrates was visited in prison by his friend Crito, who told him the bribes for the guards were ready and Socrates could escape whenever he wished. Socrates refused to go. Crito, angered, argued Socrates would a) leave his children orphans and b) bring shame on his friends, because people would assume they […]

By floegel | Posted in Civil Liberty, Commentary, Economy | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Stupid Political Games

2/19/2009 – 11:42 am

Some people don’t like politics because it often seems so stupid and immature. Strike that – people don’t like politics because it often is stupid and immature. In the month since Barack Obama’s inauguration, we’ve been (mis)treated to some of the worst displays of puerile politics in recent memory, which might be amusing, if the […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Everything Converges

2/12/2009 – 1:52 pm

I’m in Rochester, New York, my hometown, today. I don’t get here much and it’s been a while since I last visited. I can still find my way around, more or less. I have the experience common to ghosts when I look for things where I expect them to be and see they’ve been replaced […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Economy, Global Warming | Tagged | Comments (0)

The Arrogance Virus

2/5/2009 – 10:37 am

This time last week, Barack Obama was calling Wall Street bankers “shameful” for taking huge bonuses a) in the midst of an economic crisis that b) they caused and c) using taxpayer money that was meant to stabilize their banks. How could these guys be so clueless and out of touch? Sure, they shuttle between […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , | Comments (0)