The Week in Review

I haven't posted all week, in part because it's the first week of the semester, in part because I don't have anything useful to say.

But of course there have been things that have "stirred" my emotions.

1. The anniversary of "No Child Left Behind" came and went, and I talked to myself of the shallowness of the "punitive" approach to changing behavior so typical of the Bush administration and conservative Christianity--change or I'll beat you, invade you, or remove your funding (in the latter case of course simply compounding the problem rather than helping). I muttered to myself in the car how a more informed and intelligent approach tries to inspire and equip for change rather than simply hold a stick over you if you don't change.

2. I got angry both at conservatives and Democrats during the Alito hearings. At conservatives for thinking that a strict constructionist, small government, libertarian is automatically what God thinks. I muttered in imaginary debates the possibility that on some issues God is a liberal.

I got angry with Ted Kennedy for being a moron and at stupid Democrats (not meaning all Democrats but the ones that seem to be steering the Democratic party) who can even turn an advantageous climate to their disadvantage.

3. I got angry with the Bush administration again for invading Iraq now that a much more real threat--Iran--is at hand. We scarcely have the resources to take military action because we have squandered it in Iraq.

4. And I had a wonderful week of reading in preparation for classes. I read things I've wanted to read for years but didn't have the "inspiration" of a class overhead to prepare.

My potentially-but-not-blogged week in minature.