Just to clarify some of my earlier rants: I don't believe that Schwarzenegger is evil. I do, however, believe that he is a very canny, ambitious populist who will do what he believes is necessary to gain and keep power.

This is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. If the majority of citizens were intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate, able to understand the long-term ramifications of complex policy decisions and make choices that were in favor of the greater good to the greatest number of people, regardless of personal cost, then being a populist would be a wonderful thing.

Alas, I haven't seen much evidence of universal altruism in effect. Therefore, we need people in power who are willing to make the difficult decisions and make the effort to show people why they are necessary, rather than just following the polls.

In his favor, the new guv'nor obviously has financial acumen and/or knows how to pick advisors, so we'll see how it goes. Of course, I tried to give Dubya the benefit of the doubt, and we've ended up with:

• the head of the EPA resigning over the anti-environmentalist policies of the administration,
  
• the Patriot Act,
  
• a war that is costing us many, many lives, billions of dollars, and the goodwill of many in the international community, and
  
• a drastic, national economic recession.
  

Lovely. I hope Arnie does better.

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On a totally different note (literally): I've been listening to Tori's Scarlet's Walk and the Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack, and I once again realize that I simply adore 3/4 time. I keep telling Shawn that he has got to learn how to waltz so he can sweep me masterfully across a dance floor. There's a song by the Stranglers called "Golden Brown" that's glorious; the chorus is a staggered 3/4 time:
123/123/123/1234
123/123/123/1234....

Just transcendent.

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QotD

In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.
-— Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)