"The World Must Learn That What We Say Goes..." or Academic Freedom?

You may have read about the firing of University of Colorado Prof Ward Churchill? Well, it is all because of this essay. They say it is about other stuff, but I've followed this story for awhile, and I suspect that had he never wrote this essay, he would be continuing to build his retirement nest egg and pissing off rich kids in gen ed classes. Once again, do read the essay (here or here , or if you really want to get audited, buy his book here).

So, since when is it strange for an academic to point out the wars and disparity that result from globalism and capitalism? Whether you agree with the "radical leftist" views from many profs or not, this sort of firing should creep you out. The deck is already pretty stacked against any of these lefty messages even taking serious root, so why is it so scary to the establishment? I thought part of college was to expand your views, and most of us have had those few radical and/or screwball and/or brilliant profs that espouse stuff that blows away your reality. That is a vital part of getting something out of college. I read the essay, and I guess I've been enured to lefty stuff (and agree with plenty of it), because it didn't seem that shocking to me. The basic premise? If you go out and try to tell everyone what to do, and while doing so, you enact policies that hurt and kill many people, people will end up resenting and hating you... Churchill quotes Bush the Elder when he says "The world must learn that what we say goes..." which was also in the title of a Chomsky book and this essay. Remember, no one likes a bully, especially one that pitches like a girly girl...

The Great Golden Digger

Okay, a break from the politics... When my good friends Steve and Kerry were visiting, we were all intrigued by this totally groovey (groovy?) bug that was occupying a small hole dug in the dirt beneath the overhang of the Ho Hum House. I was battling a carpenter ant issue (they were nesting in the logs propping up a flower bed) and wondered if the expensive evil poison I left for them had sent the queen flying... yes, this bug was that wierd and big, and since I've never seen a pissed off ant queen, I thought it might be her (and readily available for a easy demise). So, I went on line and with the help of my guests, we determined that this "bug"ger was most likely a Cicada Killer Wasp (YEAH!!!), but I dare say, my wasp is much more handsome than most of the pics of CKWs I found on line (but perhaps I'm a bit biased). This wasp is not only pertty, but it has a very cool movement, reminding me of some of the little stick insect creatures from Pan's Labyrinth. The color scheme for the CKW was just not right, though, and with some further searching, I determined it was a Great Golden Digger Wasp. Yes, no doubt now. And I even confirmed that they are in Iowa.



Here are some sights with pics of the GDW... click here and here and, after looking at my pics below, tell me if you agree... in fact, we saw this wasp with a green bug just like this scene, and the wasp dragged it into it's cave (no doubt to fill it full of eggs... yum!). And if you haven't had enough, go see my entry at dave's garden.

Here are some pics I took. Pardon the fuzziness, because I'm nervous around wasps, and the overhang of the house kills light... I'd estimate the size to be between an inch and an inch and a half from noggin to ass (pardon the technical jargon).

The GOOD, the fat, and the ugly

Howdy to the teeming millions of ho hummers out there... my laziness with the with the blog is only abated by the many ringlets that comprise my sporty bouffant. What did get me going, though, was hearing a clip from Wolf Blitzer (who, by the way, was a lobbyist for the evil AIPAC... conflict of interest? Hmmm...) being effectively and totally called out by Michael Moore for being part of the worthless and/or complicit corporate media. (do hit that "totally called out" link and watch it... witness a rare seem in the corporate stranglehold on our media being ripped out)

Have you noticed how Michael Moore is consistently marginalized by the media as a preface to any interview or anything said about him? Why? (Because he isn't the one lying...)



Look, I showed a pic of Michael Moore morphed with Fat Bastard... Do you see now? He's the evil one and Bush and the corporations are lookin' out for us...

Now for some real news, this gourd has a face on it... it is an Asian varietal (and quite tasty when my lady cooks it) so it must be Buddha...