Toby's Political Diary - 'Let it Begin Here'I am from Lexington, Massachusetts. I believe the "war on terror" is a threat to democracy both here and abroad. Over 200 years ago, John Parker, Captain of the 70 Lexington Minutemen facing 700 heavily armed British soldiers said "Stand your ground. Don't fire until fired upon. But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." Thus began the American revolution. The spirit of this web site is to support the ideals of justice, equality, liberty and the pursuit of...Terrorism as Nuisance: War on Terror vs War on Terrorists- October 12, 2004 Kerry is being pilloried again by the bankrupt liars because he said he hoped that one day, through proper prosecution of the war on terror, that fear of terrorism would no longer dominate American political life. During the interview in the NY Times Magazine, Matt Bai said "This was a word that Kerry came back to repeatedly in our discussions; he told me he would wage a more ''effective'' war on terror no less than 18 times in two hours of conversations. The question, of course, was how....http://blogs.salon.com/0001282/2004/10/11.html#a221 Lakoff and the importance of Frames- October 1, 2004 I am reading a book called &147;the elephant in the room&148; by George Lakoff, which was recommended by Kos. It is fantastic. Lakoff is a linguist, and he makes the argument that the rightwing has won so many elections because they have been able to frame the discussion in a way that reflects their world view&151;so that even those who argue against their proposals end up furthering their cause, since like a splinter, they simply drive the argument deeper into the body...http://blogs.salon.com/0001282/2004/10/01.html#a220 Halifax Street Life- October 1, 2004 I have been up in Halifax Nova Scotia this week, speaking at a conference. Walking around this small, compact city, where the downtown lies mostly on a steep hill heading to the harbor, I have been struck by the vitality of the street life. This evening, there were dozens of groups of men and women hanging out on the sidewalk, mostly at the entrances of bars. It gave the city an open, lively, even tropical feel&151;even though it is cold. They were...http://blogs.salon.com/0001282/2004/09/30.html#a219 |