On the Sunday Question for Liberals

14 comments on “On the Sunday Question for Liberals”

1. You know it’s a catastrophe when a New Age meanie like me actually feels sorry for the candidates. I think I mentioned how some New Agers are in the habit of putting pictures of particularly disagreeable politicians on their alters and try to feel loving compassion toward them. Ram Dass is famous for having W on his alter and admitting that the best he could muster each morning was a “hey, George.” I think I actually could send real loving compassion to all the candidates because they’re just so damn pathetic. So who to put on my alter?

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   • Might as well put Romney since he’s widely believed to lack any sympathetic human qualities, and also because he’s very likely to be around longer.

     Oh, also because he could be a lot worse to look at.

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     • “Because he could be a lot worse to look at” would be a reason not to put him on the alter. It’s supposed to be challenging. I think you’re right, though. It has to be Romney because it would help me deal with my…um…how to put it?…”issues” with Mormon beliefs, and the effect that can have on how I feel about the person believing them.

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       • Didn’t realize that self-torment was part of the deal, but, no worry really: Romney is “handsome” in such a mainstreamy Ken-doll way that you’ll grow to hate his face much more than you would almost any other kind of face. You’ll end up wishing it was the horribly disfigured half-flayed face of someone who hadn’t survived an industrial accident, or such like.

         Altar! Altar! Altar! (Sometimes you are such a right-brainer.)

         One last thing, you should visit the “plain blog about politics” on Fridays, since Jonathan Bernstein (whom I refer to as Dr. Plain) is a hardcore baseball and especially Giants fan, and loves complicated theoretical discussions of nuts and bolts baseball strategy, sort of post-Sabermetric stuff. In fact, it’s beyond nuts and bolts: It’s the equivalent of the study of the design and manufacture of nuts, bolts, and associated implements and devices. Remind me to remind you.

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         • I will you remind you to remind me and please remind my left brain about the alter thing because I’ve been doing that altar thing my whole life. It’s embarrassing. Altar, altar, altar. Can’t learn Spanish either. I have a song I sing about my inability to learn Spanish. This would be a lot funnier if you could hear the tune that goes with it but it only has these words because they are the three words I say over and over again during my Spanish conversations with Laura:
           Que, Que, Que, Repeata, No Comprendo, Que, Que, Que, Repeata, No Comprendo.

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           • Oops, four words.

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             • twofer too?

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           • You can try this: “Altar” is etymologically linked to “alta” – as in “high” (altitude, etc.), the altar being a raised platform or dais, also meant to turn our attention to the heights (in another derivation to the place for “burnt offerings” to God above).

             “Alter” as a noun means other (alter ego); adj “alternate” or “alternative”; verb “alter as in “turn into something different.”

             If it’s any comfort, in Old English “altar” was also sometimes spelled “alter.”

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             • all are related, some less directly

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               • alter cocker

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             • So cool! What was that Saffire guy’s name. Probably misspelled it. You’re better than him, but you fail to grasp the whole ADD thing. Think Glen Beck. Remember my ADD post. Without yoga, I’m Glen Beck and if I were Glen Beck, the last thing we would be doing in regards to my problems would be discussing alter and altar in respect to burnt offerings.

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               • probably was Sapphire Safire, Scott

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2. I can understand to impulse to have W altered, but attribute it more to compassion for possible future generations.

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3. None of this tests the boundries of my faith in the American people to vote for the president they deserve.

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