aarontassano.com

Iv’e been waiting for an opportinity to mention a blog by a friend of mine, in a sense, Newley.com serves as a model for my blog here. Checking Newley’s blog, for me, is a modern day equivellent of what I imagine walking into a general store on Main Street might have been like in yesteryear. You get a bit of news, a few laughs, and even if you’re in a hurry end up staying for 15 or 20 minutes. And you always walk out with a smile on your face.
Nothing sexy here. Nothing explosive or even all that opinionated (something I wanted to take from Newley but haven’t). Just stuff like his recent Snack Report where he runs down a list of new snack items at his local 7/11.
I’ve also found out a number of good Web sites and blogs I never would have run into via his site. One recent fave is globorati, which Newley writes for frequently these days.

I had almost forgotten about Camille Paglia whose Sexual Personae changed my view of feminism (and women in general) when I read it six years ago.

I’d been meaning to search her online to see what she’s up to, but ended up finding a banner advertising “Sheeee’s Back” on a fantasy baseball Web site of all places. She’s been writing again at Salon.com for a few months now.
Paglia is a breath of fresh air. She unflinchingly critiques anything going on in the world, whether it be John Edwards, Anna Nicole Smith, educational reform, Ann Coulter, or the facial construction of Dick Cheney. But every opinion is absolutely her own. She’s describes herself as a Libertarian leaning Democrat, and her opinions, while they naturally challenge the current regime, are very critical of the lazy, comfortable leftist ideology that has enabled many of the current attrocities to happen.
For example she lauds the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. She also thinks global warming is largely a lie and is especially critical of Al Gore’s attempt to use it as a platform.
Here’s one sample, a relavatory look at the Bush/Cheney relationship.

“I detest Cheney for having led the country into this disastrous, wasteful war, whose repercussions will be felt for generations here and in the Mideast. I know absolutely nothing about Cheney’s family background, but I would bet on some ambivalent dynamic in his past with masculine authority figures, whom he internalized and carries around as a visibly heavy burden but whose oppression produced his sarcastic sneer, his one facial mannerism….”

“The relationship between Cheney and George W. Bush is also perplexing. Despite the nearness in their ages, Cheney acts like Bush’s father (no coincidence since Cheney served in George H.W. Bush’s administration). There’s something creepy about how Cheney, after heading the candidate search, insinuated himself into the vice presidency. He locked onto Bush like a limpet, using the more extroverted and physically dynamic president as his proxy. Bush’s independent judgment was paralyzed, as if by snakebite. It’s an unsavory, toxic relationship, a vampiric pseudo-marriage…”

She goes on to say she feels sorry for Bush, and describes him as a “tragic figure,” which is something I’ve always felt myself. That his presidency had some promise (mostly having to do with his affable persona), but he fell in with the wrong crowd.
Her opinions surprise. What a revelation! A columnist whose opinion you don’t know before you read what she has to say. Who would have thought?
Really looking forward to reading more.