Frieddogleg

Denial: The River of No Return

2019-03-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

Recent events started me thinking about the level of insanity that makes up much of today’s political discourse. Sure, politics has always been a little bit crazy, but in today’s politics, the crazy is off the charts. What’s worse is that on those very rare occasions when the crazy lets up, the stupid takes over, thus ensuring that the assault on those-who-are-not-the-elite continues

Coming up Short

2017-06-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Trump Administration, in its entirety, is proof positive that the Peter Principle is the real deal; not one of Trump's Cabinet-level appointees has the knowledge, the experience or the dedication and commitment needed to effectively lead the department that he or she was appointed to run. The same can be said for all of his other appointees, as well. When Trump promised to drain the

An Open Letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

2017-05-03T22:58:00.001-07:00

Dear FCC Chairman Pai: Stop the incessant push to restrict Internet access by creating “fast lanes” for wealthy subscribers and “slow lanes” for everyone else. The Internet is more than just a channel for commerce; it's also an important channel for public communications that serves society on many levels. Citizens are not well served by regulations that favor the wealthy over the

We Have Met the Enemy

2017-03-23T01:29:00.001-07:00

One of the most appealing things about modern society and all its trappings is that irony abounds. While capitalist systems devour themselves, the global human population goes farther into serious overshoot, and the global ecosphere trends toward chemical imbalances that will destroy its ability to support life, it seems illogical to assume that the very things that brought the world to this

About that Wall

2017-03-06T23:56:00.001-08:00

Our so-called president is delusional if he thinks that just because good fences make for good neighbors, high border walls make for good allies. History shows us that high walls create bitter enemies, and exist as much to keep resident populations inside as to keep invading hoards out. Walls breed fear and distrust. Rather than building walls, we should be tearing them down and building

Fear and Hatred Never Sleep

2017-02-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

If it were possible to determine sexual orientation at the fetal stage of human development, you can be sure that abortions would not only be legal in the states now seeking to outlaw them, but for certain fetuses they’d be mandatory. Religion is the stimulant that keeps fear and hatred alive and awake. Fear the gay, fear the different, fear the other, and―above all―hate, hate, hate

Classy Comparisons

2017-02-13T03:40:00.000-08:00

Who knew that reviving a blog can be harder than building a new one from scratch? To ease the task and mark the beginning of my return engagement with Frieddogleg, here’s an inspiring 3-minute video that compares middle class to world class (with mellow background music that makes your meager time investment even more worthwhile), and subtly suggests in a tangential way that by changing your

Dear John (an open letter to Oregon's governor)

2013-09-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Governor Kitzhaber, Really? The public soundly rejected SB 633, so you'll just shove it down the public's collective throat anyway? GMOs are an economic dead-end, and the companies that seek to peddle that particular brand of snake oil to the public know it. If GMOs had real commercial value, the public would be clamoring for them, not trying to get them rejected; if GMOs had

Capitalism: A Criminal Enterprise

2013-09-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, a robust economy and a healthy environment are incompatible. If we rev up the economy, the environment suffers. If we protect

Words to Live By (Part 2)

2013-04-29T00:47:00.000-07:00