Even as an Obama supporter, I freely admit that much of his appeal is based on personal, rather than strictly objective, factors. He has an engaging personality, a compelling life story, and a physical stature appropriate for the leader of the free world. His election is a historic event in the life of our nation, and a positive sign of the progress made in racial relations.
This is not to say that I feel his election was due solely to externalities. I happen to agree with many of his positions, and with most of his proposed solutions. I think the last administration has been so incredibly harmful to the country that it requires a stark and total repudiation.
The risk going forward is how to judge President Obama's progress, and here I call for caution, not from the right, but from the left. Obama could solve world hunger and bring about a golden age on Monday, and the Republicans would find something to criticize on Tuesday. Nor are they necessarily excoriated for doing so. It is their job, and a republic needs a free opposition.
The real danger is that those of us who supported him may not hold his administration to the kind of strict inquiry required of public affairs. Obama is incredibly popular, and much of his campaign was explicitly anti-establishment. We must be careful to avoid a cult of personality, and always remember that we elected him to effectuate policies we believed in. This charges us with the obligation to be objective; a burden far more demanding now than it has been the last eight years, but one we cannot evade.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Protean President
Barack Obama's inauguration as President of the United States, aside from a generational defining and historically sweeping event, was also one of the most impressive pieces of political theater I have ever seen. His speech was a measured, well-crafted and memorable statement of the principles by which he plans to govern, the challenges we are to face, and the ills he hopes to avoid.
Although given to a very friendly crowd, his performance was dignified yet still uplifting, and would have been well received by any objective observer. Even those critical of his positions or of him personally should still be compelled to admit that the inauguration as an event, and his participation in it, was quite impressive.
The task now for President Obama is to actualize the many goals he outlined during the campaign. His supporters, and indeed objective observers as well, understand that he has inherited a plethora of potential disasters from President Bush. The opposition, already unwilling to take responsibility for the last eight years, despite their total repudiation by the country at the polls, will be quick to pounce on any perceived weakness.
Obama was elected on a platform that promised change. It remains to be seen how much room he will have to maneuver, with the legacy he has been left by Bush. But even if he cannot fulfill all his campaign promises (and they never do), I expect him to continue to work towards those goals, even while resolving the problems left by the previous administration.
That may sound like a tall order, but nobody ever said being president would be easy.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Pointless Factoid XXVI
An international driver's license cannot be used to replace a suspended or revoked national license.
Ask me how I know that one day. It's a funny story.
Ask me how I know that one day. It's a funny story.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Salvation of the Elect
Well, we've done it. It's difficult to say really which is the most important point, so the following come in alphabetical order. We'll have an African-American president. We'll have a Democratic president. We won't have Republicans in power anywhere.
This last point needs a little explaining. Although I am opposed to virtually all Republican social and foreign policy positions, I think it is vitally important that whoever is in power has a capable and articulate opposition. The defeat suffered by the GOP in this election represents a significant rejection of their recent governance, and I hope that they come away from the experience chastened and committed to a platform supported by ideas and alternatives, rather than fear and obstruction. Still, I don't want to see them destroyed, and I happen to believe that it is through divided government that we are best able to govern.
There's no telling exactly what challenges President-Elect Obama will face in the next four (hopefully eight) years. Those who have noted that his campaign was long on rhetoric and a little short on substance have a valid point. In many ways Obama is the feel-good candidate. We voted for him because he articulates a vision of America that isn't defined by problems but possibilities.
Perhaps, to a certain extent, that is naive. Certainly much of Obama's support exists for reasons that, strictly speaking, have little justification in an objective sense. Even so, we are right to expect great things from him, because simply by securing election he has demonstrated the ability to unite behind his candidacy a large and growing segement of the citizenry. These are people who believe that, working together, we can overcome any obstacle.
Whether or not they are right awaits to be seen. But this much at least I know. We'll be better off on January 20th than we were on the 19th.
This last point needs a little explaining. Although I am opposed to virtually all Republican social and foreign policy positions, I think it is vitally important that whoever is in power has a capable and articulate opposition. The defeat suffered by the GOP in this election represents a significant rejection of their recent governance, and I hope that they come away from the experience chastened and committed to a platform supported by ideas and alternatives, rather than fear and obstruction. Still, I don't want to see them destroyed, and I happen to believe that it is through divided government that we are best able to govern.
There's no telling exactly what challenges President-Elect Obama will face in the next four (hopefully eight) years. Those who have noted that his campaign was long on rhetoric and a little short on substance have a valid point. In many ways Obama is the feel-good candidate. We voted for him because he articulates a vision of America that isn't defined by problems but possibilities.
Perhaps, to a certain extent, that is naive. Certainly much of Obama's support exists for reasons that, strictly speaking, have little justification in an objective sense. Even so, we are right to expect great things from him, because simply by securing election he has demonstrated the ability to unite behind his candidacy a large and growing segement of the citizenry. These are people who believe that, working together, we can overcome any obstacle.
Whether or not they are right awaits to be seen. But this much at least I know. We'll be better off on January 20th than we were on the 19th.
Monday, September 22, 2008
FUMBBL!
One of the best two-player boardgames I've played is a fast paced British take on American football called Bloodbowl. It's set in a fantasy world, so your team is made up of orcs, elves, ogres, and pretty much any other creature seen in The Lord of the Rings.
One of the best things about the game is that as you play more matches, your team advances. Individual players acquire new abilities, your team garners more fans, and newfound wealth provides access to wizards and other tricksey stuff. Of course, over time you also lose players to attrition, aging, and the occasional fist-through-the-face.
Although Bloodbowl is a fun game, I rarely get the chance to play it. That's what makes the discovery of FUMBBL noteworthy. It's essentially an online Bloodbowl community with it's own playable java client, sizeable user base, and complete record retention. Definitely worth a look for any fan of the iron ballet. If you do make it over there, look me up. I'm coaching under my nom de guerre LeperColony.
One of the best things about the game is that as you play more matches, your team advances. Individual players acquire new abilities, your team garners more fans, and newfound wealth provides access to wizards and other tricksey stuff. Of course, over time you also lose players to attrition, aging, and the occasional fist-through-the-face.
Although Bloodbowl is a fun game, I rarely get the chance to play it. That's what makes the discovery of FUMBBL noteworthy. It's essentially an online Bloodbowl community with it's own playable java client, sizeable user base, and complete record retention. Definitely worth a look for any fan of the iron ballet. If you do make it over there, look me up. I'm coaching under my nom de guerre LeperColony.
Friday, September 05, 2008
The Price of Independence
Well, Barack Obama has gone ahead and picked someone other than Hillary Clinton. I can understand why Obama would be looking to go in another direction. Given Hillary's popularity, committed base, and probable importance in the upcoming electoral contest, her clout could make her something of a co-president.
Unfortunately, in declining to name Hillary, Obama has created an opening which McCain quickly seized. It remains to be seen exactly who Sarah Palin is, and I do not think that there mere fact of her gender will necessarily sway that half of the electorate. Particularly since Republicans tend to be on the unpopular side of many women's issues.
Nobody can fault Obama for wanting to preserve his independence from the kind of entanglement a Hillary VP would necessarily bring. Now we can only hope that he, and we, don't live to regret it.
Unfortunately, in declining to name Hillary, Obama has created an opening which McCain quickly seized. It remains to be seen exactly who Sarah Palin is, and I do not think that there mere fact of her gender will necessarily sway that half of the electorate. Particularly since Republicans tend to be on the unpopular side of many women's issues.
Nobody can fault Obama for wanting to preserve his independence from the kind of entanglement a Hillary VP would necessarily bring. Now we can only hope that he, and we, don't live to regret it.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008
Tis better to have Loving and lost, than never to have had Loving at all
She didn't set out to change the country. She wasn't looking to become a standard bearer for civil rights. She just wanted to get married.
But it took an act of the United States Supreme Court for Mildred Loving to realize this simple ambition. Because she was black, her fiance was white, they lived in Virginia, and the year was 1958.
Mildred Loving died today. If, in her passing, we are must suffer the loss of another civil rights icon (a role she herself was very uncomfortable with), we at least have as consolation a legacy that lifts and ennobles all Americans.
But it took an act of the United States Supreme Court for Mildred Loving to realize this simple ambition. Because she was black, her fiance was white, they lived in Virginia, and the year was 1958.
Mildred Loving died today. If, in her passing, we are must suffer the loss of another civil rights icon (a role she herself was very uncomfortable with), we at least have as consolation a legacy that lifts and ennobles all Americans.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
One Failed Saving Throw
Gary Gygax
1938-2008
How provincial would my world have been, if I'd never found yours.
For what it's worth, I hope you're enjoying whatever lies past -10 hp.
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Undiscovered County
I am off to Bakersfield, a city which is, to put it nicely, in the middle of nowhere. After interviews at both the District Attorney's and Public Defender's officies, I'll be back.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Temporarily Libertarian
Recently I joined the Libertarian party long enough to sign a petition attempting to add the Libertarian candidate to the upcoming Congressional elections. In a few weeks, assuming I remember to fill out the paper work, I will resume my lonely status as an independent.
To be perfectly honest, I have always regarded Libertarians as a little crazy. This inspite of the fact that I actually agree, in a general sense, with their laisse faire approach to government and personal responsibility. Even so, I think their policies ultimately require a faith in the capacity of humankind to restrain itself, a religion whose orthodoxy I consider suspect.
One may fairly ask, then, why I would sponsor this particular candidate. The answer is really quite simple, but yet not entirely what would be expected. It is true that I believe in the importance of choices. I think people should be allowed the widest range of options, and with the documented advantage incumbents already have in the political process, it falls to us as ordinary citizens to keep things honest. Thus, I would likely have done the same thing for any prospective candidate who had asked, so long as I was not actually opposed to their positions.
However, more than a dedication towards some vague notion of the value of choices, the fact is I am at heart a contrarian. Nothing bothers me more than that something, anything, should pass without opposition. Whether this is a virtue or a vice has yet to be completely figured out, yet I cannot deny this deep and abiding opposition to certainty.
To be perfectly honest, I have always regarded Libertarians as a little crazy. This inspite of the fact that I actually agree, in a general sense, with their laisse faire approach to government and personal responsibility. Even so, I think their policies ultimately require a faith in the capacity of humankind to restrain itself, a religion whose orthodoxy I consider suspect.
One may fairly ask, then, why I would sponsor this particular candidate. The answer is really quite simple, but yet not entirely what would be expected. It is true that I believe in the importance of choices. I think people should be allowed the widest range of options, and with the documented advantage incumbents already have in the political process, it falls to us as ordinary citizens to keep things honest. Thus, I would likely have done the same thing for any prospective candidate who had asked, so long as I was not actually opposed to their positions.
However, more than a dedication towards some vague notion of the value of choices, the fact is I am at heart a contrarian. Nothing bothers me more than that something, anything, should pass without opposition. Whether this is a virtue or a vice has yet to be completely figured out, yet I cannot deny this deep and abiding opposition to certainty.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Even so quickly may one catch the plague?
I think it perhaps ill-advised to draft the following post, but it is my hope that finished words may, in their certainty, provide definition and dimension to my dilemma, and therefore make of it a lesser matter.
This weekend at Dundracon I met a woman. Although encountering a person of the female persuasion at a gaming convention is no longer exactly the banner headline it may have been ten or so years ago, still it must be said that the hobby is, if not dominated, at least held quite securely in the hands of men. Nonetheless, it was not for gender, but rather character (by which I mean, in perhaps the single instance wherein the clarification would be necessary, her nature) that calls her still to mind.
She was, or rather I suppose must be "is", as I doubt her favorable qualities are of such brief duration, a remarkably interesting individual. Over the six hours she played in my event, I found her to be intelligent, engaging, and though perhaps a shallow observation it may be, attractive to distraction. One may entertain the odds of encountering a beautiful, clever, and lively woman with a love of Shakespeare, experience with the epee, and interest in gaming, but I think it safe to say it would be an exercise in the unlikely.
Given my luck, perhaps it would be even impossible that such a specifically favorable combination should have occured, were it not for one other descriptor that served to balance the karmic scales.
Married.
To say that is simply the nature of life seems a little unsatisfying, as I'm stting here writing this in the middle of the night rather than catching up on sleep no doubt shows. Right now infatuation rules the mind, and other concerns must orbit the periphery. Fortunately, in my experience this sickness will run its course in a week or so, and provided the source remains distant, re-infection is unlikely. Given long enough, a month maybe, time will even produce a more or less permanent vaccine against this particular strain.
Which brings me, conveniently, to my other problem. As would be appropriate for such a commendable person, her husband was also a man of admirable integrities. Gaming is a social event, and the quality of the experience hinges upon the interaction of the players. Although any six people can sit at a table and crawl through a dungeon, when you get the right line-up the experience can be almost transcendent. It may seem odd to speak of something many people no doubt picture as little more than a collection of nerdy stereotypes (and certainly many of those would be accurate), but a great game is really just a collection of great conversations. Every thing else is window dressing.
Unfortunately, truly memorable gaming sessions are as rare as they are enjoyable, and in that much depends on the players. Rarely do I meet people I think I'd have a really great time with, and as fate would have it, my little mental distraction and her good husband fit the bill. They even have a gaming group that meets with some regularity and, through some fit of insanity, invited me to join.
Although I am undeniably interested in playing, and at the convention I even already accepted, I think it might be better to just decline. It's not so much that I fear anything untoward would ever happen (if you had ever seen me, you wouldn't be worried about that either for, though like all men I have my favorable natures, there is little in me to endanger a happy home), or that I think passion will make the experience of gaming with them unbearable. In actuality, I expect this little infatuation to run its course in a few weeks. Even still, for the time being at least, I think it best to avoid her.
Which sucks, because I could really go for a good game.
This weekend at Dundracon I met a woman. Although encountering a person of the female persuasion at a gaming convention is no longer exactly the banner headline it may have been ten or so years ago, still it must be said that the hobby is, if not dominated, at least held quite securely in the hands of men. Nonetheless, it was not for gender, but rather character (by which I mean, in perhaps the single instance wherein the clarification would be necessary, her nature) that calls her still to mind.
She was, or rather I suppose must be "is", as I doubt her favorable qualities are of such brief duration, a remarkably interesting individual. Over the six hours she played in my event, I found her to be intelligent, engaging, and though perhaps a shallow observation it may be, attractive to distraction. One may entertain the odds of encountering a beautiful, clever, and lively woman with a love of Shakespeare, experience with the epee, and interest in gaming, but I think it safe to say it would be an exercise in the unlikely.
Given my luck, perhaps it would be even impossible that such a specifically favorable combination should have occured, were it not for one other descriptor that served to balance the karmic scales.
Married.
To say that is simply the nature of life seems a little unsatisfying, as I'm stting here writing this in the middle of the night rather than catching up on sleep no doubt shows. Right now infatuation rules the mind, and other concerns must orbit the periphery. Fortunately, in my experience this sickness will run its course in a week or so, and provided the source remains distant, re-infection is unlikely. Given long enough, a month maybe, time will even produce a more or less permanent vaccine against this particular strain.
Which brings me, conveniently, to my other problem. As would be appropriate for such a commendable person, her husband was also a man of admirable integrities. Gaming is a social event, and the quality of the experience hinges upon the interaction of the players. Although any six people can sit at a table and crawl through a dungeon, when you get the right line-up the experience can be almost transcendent. It may seem odd to speak of something many people no doubt picture as little more than a collection of nerdy stereotypes (and certainly many of those would be accurate), but a great game is really just a collection of great conversations. Every thing else is window dressing.
Unfortunately, truly memorable gaming sessions are as rare as they are enjoyable, and in that much depends on the players. Rarely do I meet people I think I'd have a really great time with, and as fate would have it, my little mental distraction and her good husband fit the bill. They even have a gaming group that meets with some regularity and, through some fit of insanity, invited me to join.
Although I am undeniably interested in playing, and at the convention I even already accepted, I think it might be better to just decline. It's not so much that I fear anything untoward would ever happen (if you had ever seen me, you wouldn't be worried about that either for, though like all men I have my favorable natures, there is little in me to endanger a happy home), or that I think passion will make the experience of gaming with them unbearable. In actuality, I expect this little infatuation to run its course in a few weeks. Even still, for the time being at least, I think it best to avoid her.
Which sucks, because I could really go for a good game.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dundracon Report
Apologies for what will be a short and inartful post, but I just woke up, and even with eight or nine hours of sleep already accumulated, am still behind in the aggregate, considering the whole weekend. Thus, after I spit out these few words, it is back to bed.
Friday is the first day of the show, and it doesn't really pick up until people can get there from work. I signed up for a game of Vampire, and even got in, but gave my seat to another player so that she could play with her boyfiend. Instead, I went and joined my brother's The Napoleonic Wars event. We got out two games, both of which ended in the first turn. I played Britain and then Turkey, and lost both times. Par, I assure you, for the course.
Saturday was a lot of fun. The two games I ran, In Nomine and Serenity, both went really well. In Nomine started off rockey, as I arrived almost twenty minutes late. To my surprise, there were still around ten people waiting to play. After apologizing to four of them (my game only held six), the remaining players selected characters and we were off. The adventure, having been structured with inherent group divisions, was certainly stacked against the players. But all performed well, and in the end we all agreed it was six hours well spent.
Later in the day I ran my Serenity event. I was somewhat hesitant about using the actual TV characters, and as I hadn't seen many other GM's offer it, I figured maybe I was making a big mistake. However, we ended up with an excellent group of players who quickly dispelled all doubts. Although I feel that they ultimately spent more time on the rather simplistic and admittedly inane plot than the character based divisions which I had hoped would serve as the focus of the game, that is really a minor issue and shouldn't indicate that it was anything other than a fantastic experience.
On Sunday I pretty much just drifted from one group of associates to another, abstaining from all invitations so that I didn't take one and thereby cause offense to another. Not that my attentions are so demanded; in fact, they could probably care less. Even so, I would feel badly having played in one friend's game and not another. So I just sat in and watched several games at once, and even participated in smaller events from time to time. Even though it wasn't quite as good as Saturday, Sunday was still a lot of fun.
Early Monday morning I went back home, slept, and now having woken up I wrote the above post. Being now quite tired, I return to sleep.
Friday is the first day of the show, and it doesn't really pick up until people can get there from work. I signed up for a game of Vampire, and even got in, but gave my seat to another player so that she could play with her boyfiend. Instead, I went and joined my brother's The Napoleonic Wars event. We got out two games, both of which ended in the first turn. I played Britain and then Turkey, and lost both times. Par, I assure you, for the course.
Saturday was a lot of fun. The two games I ran, In Nomine and Serenity, both went really well. In Nomine started off rockey, as I arrived almost twenty minutes late. To my surprise, there were still around ten people waiting to play. After apologizing to four of them (my game only held six), the remaining players selected characters and we were off. The adventure, having been structured with inherent group divisions, was certainly stacked against the players. But all performed well, and in the end we all agreed it was six hours well spent.
Later in the day I ran my Serenity event. I was somewhat hesitant about using the actual TV characters, and as I hadn't seen many other GM's offer it, I figured maybe I was making a big mistake. However, we ended up with an excellent group of players who quickly dispelled all doubts. Although I feel that they ultimately spent more time on the rather simplistic and admittedly inane plot than the character based divisions which I had hoped would serve as the focus of the game, that is really a minor issue and shouldn't indicate that it was anything other than a fantastic experience.
On Sunday I pretty much just drifted from one group of associates to another, abstaining from all invitations so that I didn't take one and thereby cause offense to another. Not that my attentions are so demanded; in fact, they could probably care less. Even so, I would feel badly having played in one friend's game and not another. So I just sat in and watched several games at once, and even participated in smaller events from time to time. Even though it wasn't quite as good as Saturday, Sunday was still a lot of fun.
Early Monday morning I went back home, slept, and now having woken up I wrote the above post. Being now quite tired, I return to sleep.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Dundracon Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the start of Dundracon, a four day gaming convention held over President's Day weekend in San Ramon. I think, though I may be off by a year or two, that this will be my thirteenth attendance.
Every local convention has its own sense of identity. Conquest in September is more of a wargaming convention. Kublacon in May is a rising star with industry attendees and slick (or rather, slicker) production values. Dundracon, by contrast, is like an old shoe. Worn down by use, but still comfortable and functional.
Primarily a role-playing occasion, it can be hard to find a good wargame or CCG tournament at Dundracon. Although I think this, combined with its somewhat hostile and adversarial staff, inhibits its growth, to me it is a convenient liability. Because I do so little role-playing at the other conventions, I really look forward to Dundracon as an opportunity to indulge.
I am set to run two games this weekend. My first, The Innocent Must Suffer, is an In Nomine game centered around a group of angels hunting down one of their own. The second game is called Malcontents. It is a Serenity game that will use the characters from the Firefly TV show.
I hope to have a good time this weekend, which I usually do. Notes to follow upon my return.
Every local convention has its own sense of identity. Conquest in September is more of a wargaming convention. Kublacon in May is a rising star with industry attendees and slick (or rather, slicker) production values. Dundracon, by contrast, is like an old shoe. Worn down by use, but still comfortable and functional.
Primarily a role-playing occasion, it can be hard to find a good wargame or CCG tournament at Dundracon. Although I think this, combined with its somewhat hostile and adversarial staff, inhibits its growth, to me it is a convenient liability. Because I do so little role-playing at the other conventions, I really look forward to Dundracon as an opportunity to indulge.
I am set to run two games this weekend. My first, The Innocent Must Suffer, is an In Nomine game centered around a group of angels hunting down one of their own. The second game is called Malcontents. It is a Serenity game that will use the characters from the Firefly TV show.
I hope to have a good time this weekend, which I usually do. Notes to follow upon my return.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Pointless Factoid XXIII
Companies like Xerox and Kleenex make a point of distinguishing their brand name (Xerox) from their product (photocopiers) for fear of losing their trademark. In fact, many common words like elevator and escalator were once proprietary brand names.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Happy New Year
I think Chinese New Year is some time in the next week. I don't know what number the year is, but I think it's like five-thousand and something. In any case, happy new year.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Vermin Count: +1
Yes, I confess it so, I am now an attorney. I pray those of you who know me shall continue to despise me for other, more deserving inadequacies than my choosen profession.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Personal Factoid XXII
A subtitle was a common element of Elizabethan theatre titling conventions. Even so, only one of Shakespeare's plays, Twelfth Night has one (that being, "Or what you will").
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Pointless Factoid XXI
Disinterested actually means "neutral" or "divested of interest", as opposed to "unconcerned". Though it is likely that the weight of misuse in time will render error with a certain legitmacy.