The Maverick Tribe

I haven't had a chance to update the blog in awhile, so here's a quick bulleted list of what I could have expanded upon had I been more diligent:

• Can we please get past the Moveon.org ad ("General Petraeus or General Betray Us?")?  Yes, it was over-the-top and more than a little silly, so let's just call it that and get on with our lives.  I don't think a highly decorated military general is going to go home crying to his wife or questioning his commitment to the nation based on something someone said in the New York Times.  I'm talking to you, Rudy Giuliani!
• On a similar note, part of Sally Field's Emmy acceptance speech has apparently violated standards of decency for the Sunday evening 9pm timeslot.  What she said was:  "If mothers ruled the world, there wouldn't be any goddamned wars in the first place!"  Whoa, Nelly!  Hide your children, what kind of twisted psychopath is this woman?!  The Fox Network apparently went beyond merely bleeping the expletive, and may have censored the message itself.  From the Don Imus flap, to the Dixie Chicks lynch mob, to the outrage over Kanye "GWB-Doesn't-Care-About-Black-People" West, I don't understand why we're so insecure about our values and principles that we regularly feel the urge to shut people up.  I'm glad we have the Bill of Rights, a document devised with the central purpose of saving America from Americans.
• As the presidential race kicks into high gear, the candidates are concentrating more and more on the "early contests":  Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.  I did a little a research in Wikipedia.  The most populous city within these three states is Columbia, South Carolina.  At about 120,000 souls, Columbia ranks 199th in the nation.  Of the ten most populous cities, only one (Philadelphia) conceivably plays a role in the general election since it lies in a swing state.  Is this enough to help you all understand why urban issues (especially conditions for the urban poor) are all but ignored by presidential candidates?  Is this enough to make you all favor electoral reform?
• Ok, ok, I know, I'm getting a little too wonky.  Here's your reward for making it this far...  Bill Maher's New Rule:  Jet Blew.