It has been a tough year for California. The Golden State, known
for decades as an innovator and agent of change, had to issue IOUs to
pay its debts. Investment in the future, which used to be California's
guiding vision, has taken a back seat to plugging the many holes in the
leaky dike of our antiquated institutions.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone's not after you.
Over the last few months, a lot of writers have dusted off Richard
Hofstadter's classic 1964 essay on the paranoid style in American
politics just so they can explain away the loony rumors and conspiracy
theories coming from the far right. But no amount of intellectual
condescension is going to make those powerful untruths go away.
Once upon a time, Hollywood cinematographers, disenchanted with black-and-white movies, embraced color film to more faithfully represent what they saw through the lenses of their cameras. Now Hollywood has taken an equally innovative step to represent the preferences of those who make the movies.
Much hope has been invested in Barack Obama's ability to strike a new
course for the US following eight years of Bush administration
unpopularity. Yet many in the US and abroad are impatient with the pace
of progress under the Obama administration. The president made the
rounds on five news talk shows on Sunday as he pressed his policies and
vision, preparing for what is likely to be a difficult week.
