December 19, 2004
Recommended Reading:
A mixed bag
By Jack GrantPeople tend to post link-fests to other weblogs. I've got a lot of links, not just to other weblogs, to post here that I'd love to write about, but either don't have the time, the energy, or think that there are enough people out there reading this during the count-down to Christmas, so I'll just link to the articles and hope that folks think about them without my prompting.
Speaking of Christmas, James Wolcott has some pointed commentary on the annual "put the Christ back in Christmas" meme circulating in conservative-leaning weblogs.
While some Nobel Laureates have said some pretty stupid things, a winner of the prize for Chemistry in 1996 is now calling for more focus on research and development of energy sources that don't depend on fossil fuels, something I agree with completely, and something almost impossible for me to emphasize enough how important this is for our long-term safety and success.
The Christian Science Monitor usually has very thoughtful reporting. Here are a few recent articles that are well worth reading:
Some reporting on cultural diplomacy: What US emissaries are hearingA discussion on the monetary cost of war: The rising tab for US war effort
On a possible cultural chance in the Arab world: Democracy stirs in the Arab world
And on democracy closer to home: How far will Bush's domestic mandate go?
On domestic politics, there is quite a bit of writing about the prospect of revisions (aka reform) of the Social Security system in the United States.
The Economist asks "Should the American government borrow trillions to finance pension reform?" in Debt and DotageAt MSNBC, they discuss if there is really a "crisis" in Social Security at all in answering a reader question and another columnist discusses the government accounting involved and how the numbers don't add up
Matthew Yglesias contends that there is no crisis in Social Security, and questions why the Bush administration is so bearish on America
Finally, the Bull Moose posts an indictment of Republicans and their words versus their actions on national defense.
As you can see, I've been thinking about a lot of different things lately. The topics and positions in these links are all worth pondering, not necessarily agreeing with, but they definitely contain many things to consider.
