I know it's been a while, but life has been busy...

with regards to the state of the union: parts of it were frightening, parts of it were pleasing to hear. bush's focus on alternative energy sources is extremely encouraging, and he's right about america's addiction to oil. we'll get pissed if gas prices are raised or if gasoline is taxed, even though every other comparable nation in the world has higher gas prices than we do, and even though it's probably necessary to decrease our consumption. I wish people didn't think cheap gas was an entitlement.

I didn't like his staunch defense of wiretapping. I don't know the ins and outs of national security and its necessities, so I don't want to judge too much, but I don't feel like sneaking around the american public in surveillance is very effective.

I particularly didn't like his cutting of "non-security discretionary spending." this means we'll cut after school programs and education in favor of bulking up the military and fighting unnecessary wars. why do I feel like America's becoming more like Sparta?

here's to hoping Congress becomes a little more politically balanced so things like pbs won't get cut...

It's an old thesis that's been kicking around for a while now. That even during the Cold War, America was more akin to the Spartans and the Soviets to the Athenians. The Athenians, after all, were the innovators, and the Spartans kept prattling on and on about "the freedom of the Hellenes" and so on.