As some of you may know, I'm a writer, and recently I've had the opportunity to write for Silhouette Nocturne under a pen name. This is kind of an odd gig for me, because I've never written romance before. But there was a hook for me--and that was that they' [...]
I'm kind of a no-nonsense person. Or at least, I like to think I am. I have even been known to get through an entire episode of Extreme Home Makeover without bursting into tears. However, my work recently has got me pretty emotional.
As part of my volunteer work at [...]
So, a lot of my friends are upset that John McCain, who they were under the impression hitherto, was a fairly reasonable conservative has chosen a fringe right Republican as his running mate. They are even more upset that Sarah Palin is giving a cerain pastiche of celebrity to an [...]
Eliot Spitzer was one of my political heroes. He was a hard-charging do-gooder prosecutor who tried to inject the law into the Wild Wild West of Wall Street. His political hero was Teddy Roosevelt, and he spoke eloquently about ethics, responsibility, and the public trust.
He was also a complete fraud.
As [...]
There have been a lot of political presidential endorsements going around lately. I thought I'd add my own. I'm not going to rip up any other candidates in the process. I have deep respect for the Clintons and for John Edwards, and think either of them would make a [...]
Sometimes inspiration slips in where you don't expect it, and sometimes you can find faith from circumstances most mundane. That's the best way I can describe why I enjoy going to small local party club meetings in Maryland, because suffering through the uncomfortable chairs, the boring minutia and the oddball [...]
Of particular note this morning is Gloria Steinem's Op Ed piece entitled "Women Are Never Frontrunners" which is thought-provoking and dead on.
I do not take the position that women should vote for Hillary, and certainly not "just because" she is a woman. She has not been my first choice, [...]
President Clinton told Democrats that the Primaries are when you get to fall in love, but afterwards, you have to fall in line. Well, I've finally got a candidate in the primary to fall in love with.
Stephen Colbert is running for President, and I don't care that I don't [...]
Earlier this week, Chris Cevasco, the editor of Paradox Magazine, informed me that my story, "Somewhere, Sometime on the Nile" received an honorable mention in the just-released 20th annual Year's Best Fantasy & Horror collection (eds. Datlow, Link, Grant), which is devoted to short fiction published in [...]
Today, I was shopping for groceries. I wanted to make a spinach salad. I actually hesitated in choosing my produce. Sure, the chances of E. coli infecting my spinach leaves aren't large, but they may be larger than my chances of getting blown up by a terrorist, and we've gone [...]
Let me state up front that I don't agree with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on most things. His theory of government and mine do not match. Sometimes, I even think he's nuts. During the Terry Schiavo fiasco, he seemed to become completely unhinged.
But in an era in which political beliefs [...]
Global dimming is a new scientific theory that will warm every gas guzzling, toxin dumping, and smog-eating heart in America; in short, some climatologists now believe that pollution is saving our lives.
It's become part of the ritualistic liberal gnashing of teeth to reflect with frustration and outrage upon all that we've done to ourselves, and to the world, in the wake of September 11th. We can point to all the hundreds of mistakes we've made, all the disgusting discoveries we've made [...]
If you've been to the movies lately and watched the previews, you'll notice that Hollywood is right on schedule. It takes about three years to make a movie. That the Iraq War and much of our "War on Terror" has become a fiasco started to become clear about three years [...]
My fingers are crossed here, but it seems as if Jousting for Justice has been restored to its more festive appearance. I've also installed some safety features that should prevent spammers and make commenting easier on everyone.
Many thanks to my guru, Rachel Blackman, for all her help and dedication [...]
Before I launch into an analysis of O'Malley's move to make Tom Perez (of all people!) his point-man on the slots debate in Maryland, let me get a disclaimer out of the way:
Two years ago, I wrote a letter to then-mayor O'Malley encouraging him to offer limited support [...]
Rachel over at Tinkerty Tonk has assembled a fine collection of Maryland blog posts. It makes for a really neat snapshot of what's going on in the state.
And since I'm an unabashed fan of Maryland's Governor, Martin O'Malley, I have to take a small moment of amusement that the [...]
I'm a big proponent of volunteering, getting out there and meeting actual people in the community instead of focusing all our political attention in the blogosphere. As such, I noticed this article by Christie Bowers that outlines five opportunities to volunteer in Maryland this year.
I thought you might like to [...]
Sometimes, in Maryland, it's hard to notice the difference between an outgoing political administration and the one that's incoming. But after the 2006 elections in Maryland, that's certainly not the case. After winning a hard-won primary battle against legendary William Donald Schaeffer, a new Comptroller is in town, and the [...]
My alma mater has come under fire recently for booting Coca Cola off campus. I thought I'd spout off in their defense. I quickly penned an article explaining that due to Coca Cola's indifference towards human rights and their poor corporate citizenship, The Breakup Between Smith College and Coca-Cola [...]
This week I've given myself the rather thankless task of defending Martin O'Malley for having the temerity to seek votes from the center. He wrote an editorial with Harold Ford, and made an unfortunate connection between his good name and the DLC. My liberal brethren are outraged, and I've been [...]
I didn't hear anything startling in this floor speech, but Congressman Van Hollen wants it to be known that he's working on these issues, and since he's fighting the good fight, I thought I'd give him a little play:
I worked hard to elect Ben Cardin to the Senate last year, and I'm glad I did. He may not be handsome or charismatic, but he shares my basic beliefs and values. Torture is bad. The Constitution Matters. The Executive Branch is already too powerful and could use some more [...]
For reasons that escape me, but probably have to do with TechnoGods Curse that I'm operating under these days, I've been unable to post comments on any blogger account since they switched over to Google. (However, I've heard similar reports from other users, so if those of you who blog [...]
I run this website, which allows personal blogs. It's not the only website I'm responsible for, and not the only one with a forum. Because of this, I've been watching the feud between O'Reilly and the Daily Kos with some extra trepidation.
I wrote a quick piece outlining my thoughts, [...]
Personal caveat. My personal leanings are towards Edwards, with Obama hovering around third place at the moment in my "internal" poll.
However, after the CNN/YouTube debate the other night, I decided to write up a quick analysis of where I think things might stand in Maryland right now for [...]
So, you might have noticed, this site no longer looks like a jousting tournament. It's suddenly a washed-out blue.
I could say that this is an intentional design choice based on the fact that Jousting for Justice is a blue blog in a blue state in what I hope is soon [...]
While I love the design flexibility that drupal affords me in managing this site, I don't love the hours worth of maintenance I have to put into keeping spammers away.
At first, I thought simply requiring registration would make it stop, but apparently there are ways around that. In the past [...]
While I love the design flexibility that drupal affords me in managing this site, I don't love the hours worth of maintenance I have to put into keeping spammers away.
At first, I thought simply requiring registration would make it stop, but apparently there are ways around that. In the past [...]
My grandfather was an immigrant, so my family is not so long native to this country that I could be anything other than a selfish hypocrite if I wanted us to close our doors. I don't want to put a sign on Lady Liberty that said "Out of Business."
As [...]
My grandfather was an immigrant, so my family is not so long native to this country that I could be anything other than a selfish hypocrite if I wanted us to close our doors. I don't want to put a sign on Lady Liberty that said "Out of Business."
As [...]
Aaron Krager sent a message using the contact form. He says, "This week's interview for Faithfully Liberal is with Former Lt. Gov of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert Kennedy.
She recently released a new book entitled Failing America's Faithful. We were able to ask her a few [...]
Aaron Krager sent a message using the contact form. He says, "This week's interview for Faithfully Liberal is with Former Lt. Gov of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert Kennedy.
She recently released a new book entitled Failing America's Faithful. We were able to ask her a few [...]
Ben Cardin got to experience, first hand, the perils of voter fraud during the last election. The bussing in of homeless people from out-of-state to pass out deceptive flyers to African Americans was the low point of Governor Ehrlich and Lt. Governor Steele's careers.
They won't pay for it, that much [...]
Ben Cardin got to experience, first hand, the perils of voter fraud during the last election. The bussing in of homeless people from out-of-state to pass out deceptive flyers to African Americans was the low point of Governor Ehrlich and Lt. Governor Steele's careers.
They won't pay for it, that much [...]
My fellow MBA member at the Maryland Conservatarian brings up a host of interesting questions in his response to my account of how Maryland Democrats are poised to bungle the state's energy debacle. Unfortunately, his questions are obscured by what I consider to be a most unfortunate, and [...]
My fellow MBA member at the Maryland Conservatarian brings up a host of interesting questions in his response to my account of how Maryland Democrats are poised to bungle the state's energy debacle. Unfortunately, his questions are obscured by what I consider to be a most unfortunate, and [...]
I normally look forward to the little local Democratic Club meetings that happen all over the state. It's a feel-good way of meeting friends, learning to love your legislators, and taking pride in what your party is accomplishing.
Then there are nights like tonight.
I attended a meeting of the Northwest Baltimore [...]
I normally look forward to the little local Democratic Club meetings that happen all over the state. It's a feel-good way of meeting friends, learning to love your legislators, and taking pride in what your party is accomplishing.
Then there are nights like tonight.
I attended a meeting of the Northwest Baltimore [...]
New Polls Show Bush Faces Angry Electorate
Going into the State of the Union, Will it Make a Difference?
Whatever the merits of the upcoming State of the Union Address by President Bush, one thing is already certain. He'll be making his case to an angry electorate.
In the aftermath of regime-changing [...]
New Polls Show Bush Faces Angry Electorate
Going into the State of the Union, Will it Make a Difference?
Whatever the merits of the upcoming State of the Union Address by President Bush, one thing is already certain. He'll be making his case to an angry electorate.
In the aftermath of regime-changing [...]
Oh what a night!
I covered O'Malley's inauguration, complete with 19-gun salute, in detail over at Associated Content, but I thought I'd share the highlights here, and a little gossiping.
When it came to the incoming Governor’s Inaugural Gala, the emphasis was on popular affordability. Unlike his predecessor’s bash, [...]
Oh what a night!
I covered O'Malley's inauguration, complete with 19-gun salute, in detail over at Associated Content, but I thought I'd share the highlights here, and a little gossiping.
When it came to the incoming Governor’s Inaugural Gala, the emphasis was on popular affordability. Unlike his predecessor’s bash, [...]
I thought I'd revive this old diary of mine because I want to see it stored somewhere safer than the archives of the DailyKos.
I've put down the most influential off the top of my head. Feel free to add your own and tell me how they shaped your [...]
Happy New Year! Hopefully, you are well rested and ready to take on 2007 with a vengeance. This is a big week for Democrats – Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker of the House and Harry Reid will be the Majority Leader of the Senate. [...]
Ah, the new year approaches and it's time for years in review. This one caught my notice, and doubled my determination to change this country in the coming year. I hope it will do the same for you.
Some of the highlights?
3. Abuse of Jose Padilla
First, he was, according [...]
I have very powerful and poignant memories of Christmas from when I was a child. We had a big Italian family, and we did everything in a big Italian way. I still remember my parents bundling us up to go to my grandmother's house--a house always filled to the [...]
Maryland's Highest Court today ruled that executions in Maryland must be halted because the state's protocol for lethal injections is flawed. I am pleased with this outcome, because it's important that if executions are to be performed, that they be performed in a way that causes the least pain [...]
The estimable MoCoPolitics has written a rant about the perceived unfairness that the O'Malley transition team is perpetrating upon Montgomery County by not choosing, nor apparently pretending to be choosing, people that "count" as being from Montgomery County to serve in the incoming administration.
We jousted a bit on this [...]
