(Or: Rush Limbaugh should just STFU.) I believe we are witnessing the death of hatred on the public’s airwaves. Let me start by saying that I will defend, to the death, the right of anyone to say anything they damned well please, so long as they do not represent a public threat (the classic “shouting fire” rule). When Rush Limbaugh [...]
Dear Howler Monkey Chorus: The current national debt, totaling some $15.9 trillion dollars, is easy to understand. One third of it, $5.4 trillion, existed prior to 2000. That means, in 11 years, the debt has gone up about $1 trillion a year. Now, of that $11 trillion, fully half of that money can be attributed to two policies enacted between [...]
Or: Why people ignore celebrities, even when they’re right Dear Mr. Morgan, As a huge fan of NBC‘s 30Rock, I’ve grown accustomed to your on-screen persona, Tracy Jordan, spewing any amount of stupidity. So it really came as no surprise to me when I read on TMZ.com that you had taken to the stage at the Ryman Auditorium and unleashed [...]
Or: Demythologizing the Politics of the Gulf Oil Spill It seems like years ago that I was standing on the beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana, with a 4th generation shrimper who was watching wave after wave of oil-contaminated water lap onto the shore. In that moment, this nameless man was no longer a shrimper. He was a “contractor” working for [...]
NOTE: I’ve often heard or read of writers describing the vivid dreams that led them to write their great novels. Sadly, only twice have such dreams happened to me. The second occurred two nights ago. I’m just now writing about it. Enjoy. -md There was a great debate raging in that space that exists only in the distance between [...]
(What Would Ayn Do?) I’ve always heard people say negative things about Ayn Rand, the 20th Century writer and philosopher and, quite arguably, one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th Century America. Usually, the comments seem benign to the average listener. But to someone who grew up arguing about how to “properly parse that phrase,” and under [...]
UPDATE: 4:57 p.m. I erroneously suggested below that Mr. Rogers made claims about Jindal’s future plans beyond the Governor’s mansion. This is not the case, as Rogers made no such claim. Any such thoughts about a potential Jindal bid for the Presidency or some other high office is either speculation on my part or attributable to other members of the [...]
Last week, I spent 5 days on the Louisiana Gulf Coast to bring a first-hand perspective from a Louisiana journalist. While I intended to blog daily about it, by Day Two I was so overwhelmed with what I saw, it has taken me a week to adjust to the staggering devastation I saw and to prepare these final thoughts. If [...]
For the next few days, I’ll be blogging live from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, to bring a first-hand perspective from a Louisiana journalist. If you have specific questions, feel free to e-mail them to: me@michaeldevault.com. I’ll try to update this blog at least twice a day. One of the most impacted areas so far has been Grand Isle, La., [...]
For the next few days, I’ll be blogging live from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, to bring a first-hand perspective from a Louisiana journalist. If you have specific questions, feel free to e-mail them to: me@michaeldevault.com. I’ll try to update this blog at least twice a day. Day One: New Orleans, the sites, and Oyster Fest. New Orleans is a [...]