http://harrisonlives.com Railing Against the Setting Sun Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:34:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/08/who-are-or-what-is-the-elite-politics-today/ http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/08/who-are-or-what-is-the-elite-politics-today/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:50:44 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=379 What is it to be a member of the “elite”?  How does one become an “elite”?  And why are people against the “elite”? The word comes from the Latin, eligere, “to elect.”  In general usage, the elite is a relatively small and dominant group within a large society, having a privileged status perceived as being envied [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/08/who-are-or-what-is-the-elite-politics-today/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/04/teabagger-politics-in-the-off-year/ http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/04/teabagger-politics-in-the-off-year/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:20:51 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=370 Teabaggers.  Disgruntled with everything Washington, everything politics.  No one is safe from their ire, and they will equally aim at either major party.  They’re mostly independent voters, and their choices next fall will be based upon the candidate who best represents their views, regardless of party. The movement has a big weekend conference coming up in [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/04/teabagger-politics-in-the-off-year/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/03/duty-to-listen-critically-politics-today/ http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/03/duty-to-listen-critically-politics-today/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:02:38 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=365 Listening is good, and more people should spend their listening time wisely.  By wisely, I mean both discerningly and critically listen to what is being said.  Witness yesterday’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearings and the testimony of the heads of the major U.S. intelligence agencies. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair answered the question of future terrorist [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2010/02/03/duty-to-listen-critically-politics-today/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/25/what-now-mr-president-politics-today/ http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/25/what-now-mr-president-politics-today/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:53:39 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=359 There’s nothing wrong with running for public office because you want to win.  Winning is good. There’s nothing wrong with running for public office in order to become the first African-American person elected as President of the United States.  This is also good. As political and social statement, winning and being the first to win, are both [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/25/what-now-mr-president-politics-today/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/20/thank-goodness-its-over-politics-today/ http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/20/thank-goodness-its-over-politics-today/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:25:13 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=352 If you live in Massachusetts, you are most likely glad the campaign to fill the U.S. Senate seat is over.  Chances are if your phone rang in the last five days, it was one of those really annoying automated calls from one of the candidates.  Don’t you just hate them? Rarely do they come at a [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/20/thank-goodness-its-over-politics-today/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/04/democrats-have-nothing-on-limbaugh-the-entertainer-politics-today/ http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/04/democrats-have-nothing-on-limbaugh-the-entertainer-politics-today/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:19:04 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=338 At his press conference outside the hospital where he was treated for chest pains last week, Limbaugh the Entertainer pronounced the American health care system sound and solid, the best in the world. “The treatment I received here was the best that the world has to offer,” Limbaugh said Friday. “Based on what happened here to [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2010/01/04/democrats-have-nothing-on-limbaugh-the-entertainer-politics-today/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2009/12/04/for-what-purpose-to-what-end-part-2-war-politics-today/ http://harrisonlives.com/2009/12/04/for-what-purpose-to-what-end-part-2-war-politics-today/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:29:09 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=325 Three nights ago, President Barack Obama told the American people why he was sending more of our brothers and sisters into harm’s way in Afghanistan.  In the days since, few have offered whole-hearted support for his stated reasons. It’s often said that a decision pissing off both sides in any controversy is probably a good one.  [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2009/12/04/for-what-purpose-to-what-end-part-2-war-politics-today/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/24/political-parties-still-eat-their-young/ http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/24/political-parties-still-eat-their-young/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:01:26 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=314 It is a generally accepted fact of politics that each party eventually eats its own, and most of the time it eats them alive.  At the moment, this is the notion that sustains me as I wrestle with both my curiosity about and confoundedness with Sarah Palin. Last year, voters fell in love with the notion [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/24/political-parties-still-eat-their-young/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/18/political-spam-and-wasting-time/ http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/18/political-spam-and-wasting-time/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:10:34 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=306 I received one of those chain emails this morning, which by the way, I can’t stand. There’s enough crap circulating on the Internet, well over 1 billion pieces of spam per day sent around the globe, that it irks me to receive a piece so misguided no matter how well-intentioned. This one took a shot [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/18/political-spam-and-wasting-time/feed/ 0 http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/12/politics-and-religion-still-dont-mix-well/ http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/12/politics-and-religion-still-dont-mix-well/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:47 +0000 Harrison http://harrisonlives.com/?p=299 “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.” K, Men in Black “Seek other people’s approval and you will always be their prisoner.” Tao Te Ching What has any of that to do with politics today, you ask? Each one of them has stuck with me since I read or heard them [...]]]> http://harrisonlives.com/2009/11/12/politics-and-religion-still-dont-mix-well/feed/ 0