Annoying drivers

On my way home from work, there is a stretch of road that has two closely spaced intersections with traffic lights that have large amounts of cross traffic. So naturally when I approach the first intersection, I stop at the lights even when they are green if I see that the traffic is backed up ahead so that I cannot clear the intersection. This is for the obvious reason that if I have to stop in the middle of the intersection and the lights change, then I would be blocking the cross traffic which has green lights. [Read more…]

Has Glenn Greenwald become more shrill?

If Edward Snowden is causing problems for liberals and Democrats because of what his revelations say about president Obama, Glenn Greenwald’s role as his main chosen conduit has increased their discomfiture. Greenwald has become a thorn in the side of liberals and Democrats because of his unsparing criticisms of the actions of the Obama administration . The problem is that even the most loyal supporters of Obama have difficulty countering his criticisms because they are based on facts and reasoned analysis. So, as often happens, when you cannot criticize on content, you shift your criticisms to style and tone. Greenwald used to be good, they say regretfully, and he still says some good things but the problem is that he has become much more rigid and shrill and this undermines his message. [Read more…]

More Snowden revelations

The Guardian has released video of the second part of the interview that Edward Snowden gave on June 6 to Glenn Greenwald. Laura Poitras, and Ewan MacAskill. (The first part can be seen here.) In this seven-minute clip, he explains what made him do what he did, saying, “I don’t want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded. And that’s not something I am willing to support, it’s not something I am willing to build, and its not something I am willing to live under. So I think anyone who opposes that sort of world has an obligation to act in the way they can.” He says he acted because the people who should have spoken up or stopped it did not do so. [Read more…]