Head still buzzing from yesterday’s events. Some other stuff to keep an eye on:
- Continuing his barnstorming of the blogs, Sen. Kerry talks about the energy bill at Grist:
The energy bill, as it stands, is not nearly strong enough, so there are a number of amendments that must be adopted to give us a bill that actually gets us started on that path of dealing with our energy crisis and our climate crisis.
But when we tried to bring up the Bingaman amendment that requires the use of alternative energy sources, the Republicans in the Senate simply refused to vote up or down on it, essentially demanding that these amendments get 60 votes to even be considered. The procedural details of what they’re doing and our responses get pretty arcane pretty quickly, but as I type this in the midmorning we’re currently locked in a battle to move all of this forward.
What Republicans can we talk to, to dislodge the Bingaman amendment?
So like a good liberal, I bought Al Gore’s new book, and was reading it on the 96 bus the other day, when at Davis a guy gets on and sits down next to me — reading the same book, only 15 pages further on. Just part of the hive mind …
I’m only partway through the book; it’s good polemic, but I think we could stand to define our terms: What is reason? How do we make better and more effective use of it? How do we recognize good reason vs. irrationality?
So I’ve been having fun with another book: “Thinking from A to Z” by Nigel Warburton. It’s basically a little dictionary, or encyclopedia of various logical techniques and fallacies, all the better to diagnose and combat unreason.
- More Al: Here’s Gore’s summation of the G-8 summit, which due to President Bush’s intransigence avoided setting any specific, enforceable goals for fighting climate change: “A disgrace disguised as an achievement.”
- Apparently, John Edwards plan for reshaping how pharma patents are issued is not quite as radical as it may have seemed. On the other hand, this is some serious — and seriously needed — regulation: “Reforming the insurance industry by setting national accounting standards requiring insurers to spend at least 85 percent of their premiums on patient care.” I like the instinct.
- Update: Oh, just one more. Here’s Andrew Sullivan on the GOP punditariat — and indeed the GOP itself: “They are much less interested in defeating al Qaeda than they are in using al Qaeda to defeat Democrats.” Ironically but unsurprisingly, they’re succeeding at neither.
I just got it as it gift for my birthday, haven’t started reading it yet and was ambivilant about whether I wanted to get it: I started growing tired of sensationalist polemics years ago, and Al Franken’s “Lies and the Lying Liars who tell them” (or whatnot) was the end of the line (give me Franken’s “Why Not Me?” or Moore’s “Canadian Bacon”, serious masterpieces of political satire, over repeatedly stating the obvious with anger and exaggerated victimhood anyday). But of course I know Al Gore will be much more solemn and serious so I’m interested, and I’m glad I got it as a gift so I can give it a chance.
He’s got a lot of ammunition, and seems ridiculously well-read, so it’s worthwhile.
Thanks for recommending the books. Perhaps it’s something we could do more of on here? “Beach reading for the Liberal Mind”? I find it hard to walk into a bookstore or library, not knowing what I’m looking for, and picking something I’ll enjoy. Most of the books that I end up liking were recommended by other people.
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“A disgrace disguised as achievement” – heh. Sounds like my college years…;)
that sounds like the start of a Reading Liberally club!
maybe there could be a side bar section like Upcoming Events, where people can recommend a book and give a mini review if they want. WOuld be fun.
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Say not “disguised” -for you lend creedence to the idea that many are being fooled- but rather say “paraded”, for that is what it is… Reason calls for seeing things as they are…