Analog TV Worked Just Fine, Thanks

Caved in an bought a digital TV today only to get it home and find out that it picked up about half as many channels as my old TV with the converter box. Well I already put the old one in the attic and I guess I'll leave it there. I'll return the new one tomorrow. Couldn't get either to work with VCR to record. Broadcast TV is just the latest thing that the government has screwed up...not sure whether to blame the NRA, the ACLU, OctoMom, Obama, Bush, LBJ, illegal aliens, space aliens, organized labor, Tea Baggers, fluoride in the water, or possibly North Korea. Hhrumph!

NRA Bullies the TN GOP House

The NRA lobbyists were invited to bully legislators in the GOP caucus lest any should oppose guns in bars. Aside from the fact that this is a horrible piece of legislation, the idea that Representatives elected by the people are more inclined to listen to a bunch of hired guns just stinks.

The basics of politics are (a) it takes wads of cash to get elected, (b) being elect-able is not the same as having the ability to govern, and (c) the conglomeration of junk attached to a lot of bills means having to throw out some babies along with bathwater all too often.

This week the British Parliamentary elections produced split results the likes of which have not been seen for decades. The result will very likely be a coalition government unlike anything the US has ever seen and of a nature which the UK rarely sees. It will be interesting to watch. Conservative party leader David Cameron has said the system is broken. Indeed it is. And on both sides of the Atlantic.

Third parties in the US have rarely achieve much beyond the notoriety of being a spoiler. Given the vitriolic demonization of partisanship in our country and given the notorious influence on both sides of special interests, from NRA to ACLU and a lot of alphabet in between, I think that many people in the US will now be disgusted enough to seek alternatives. The day of the two party system will, hopefully, pass.