The blog you take is equal to the blog you make

Well, folks, if you've noticed the lack of updates lately, there's a good reason. After a post-comps return to blogging, I happily began a post-comps return to writing--actual writing that I want to pursue and try to publish. It feels like it's been forever.

So I've decided to put on some clothes, move out of my mother's basement, and shut down Crazy Little Thing Called Blog. But before I close the thing down for good, I'm going to do a "Best Of" series of posts, in which I dredge through the archives and repost my favorite things. This is very self-indulgent, I know.

I'm starting by linking to the posts that really started it all: reviews of David Horowitz's shitty book, The Professors. The posts are way too long to include in one post, so here are the links:

The review

Leftover thoughts

****

In completely unrelated news, after last night's debate, I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton if she is the Democratic nominee.

Where have I been? Why do you keep coming?

Sorry to be so lax in updating. But between weatherproofing my basement and getting some real writing done (NB: this is not real writing; you aren't experiencing this right now), I haven't had time to post.

Also, according to L-Bo, my beard looks "terroristy." Good to know. See pic below.

Bloggers gone wild!!!!!

Spring break!!!!! Wooooooooooo!

Ahem. Excuse me. We're going radio silent for about a week, as I'll be away from my favorite drugs (tv, computer) and enjoying the desert. And dessert.

Kudos to Chris Wallace

It's rare that I'd show a video from Fox News, but Chris Wallace brings down the hammer on his own network. Watch and enjoy.

Journamalism at its finest

ABC News' Brian Ross, so hard-working he has his own Investigative Unit (teehee, unit), has uncovered the single-most important issue of the campaign. I'll let the headline and subhead tell the story:

Hillary At White House on 'Stained Blue Dress' Day

Schedules Reviewed by ABC Show Hillary May Have Been in the White House When the Fateful Act Was Committed

Oh my God! She may have been in the same building! Stop the fucking presses! Finally, American journamalism cracks open this crucial issue! You can call Brian Ross and leave him a message praising his investigative unit at 212-456-7612 (seriously, it takes less than two minutes to leave a message). Suburban Guerrilla and Glenn Greenwald have more on this.

Blowjobs, blowjobs, blowjobs! Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!

I haz a ball

Too much and too little to say

I've intended to elaborate on race and Geraldine Ferraro, but I've been busy. I apologize to all three of my readers.

But today Barack Obama gave a truly incredible speech, one that a) deals with race in a beautifully nuanced way, and b) reinforces why I will vote for him. Given that nuance, I'd like to mention a few words and phrases about race that demonstrate how shallow American discourse is:

• the race card: I've written about this before, so I'll just link to that post and mention one other thing. Stanford law professor Richard Thompson Ford published a book in January called The Race Card: How Bluffing about Bias Makes Race Relations Worse. I haven't read the book yet, though I want to. But I hate the title; it reinforces this stupid notion that talking about race is a game. Ford's black, and that's really what disappoints me. He's allowing a term designed to short-circuit discussion a certain weight in a book that is, by many accounts, intelligent and nuanced.
  
• racist: When asked about Geraldine Ferraro's idiotic comment that Obama is only a serious candidate because he's black and whether her comments were racist, he said he hesitates to use the term. And here's why: overt racism isn't as easy to identify these days. Does Ferraro look racist next to, say, the KKK? Or, for a less extreme comparison, to Rush Limbaugh?
• race baiting: If you want to feel ill, go read the National Review blog "The Corner." (I won't link to it; you know how to use google.) For some reason, and I just can't figure out why, the writers there compare Obama to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson; one approvingly cites an email that says Obama is practicing race baiting. This term is similar to "race card," similar enough that I don't feel compelled to explain why. (But if one of my three readers wants an explanation, I'll append one.)

And one more sad thing: Obama gave a great speech today, and writers at Slate and The New Republic worry that the speech is too nuanced for Americans and might put voters off. Sigh.