Intelligent Life on Earth
Jacksonville, Florida. Greetings from Jacksonville where I am attending a conference with a bunch of smart people. The only attendees who do not have PhD's are those that will get them within a few months. One rather interesting event involved perhaps 130 people in a large room where each round table was a particular topic, and those interested in that topic would take a seat and then the table would discuss the topic. I chose state appropriation funding mechanisms to improve state-to-state congruence in the financing of higher education, which is actually a very pertinent issue as state budgets get slammed by the impending recession/depression. If you think tuition is high now, wait a few years.Obama's election last night is an event of historic proportions, one that will be taught in government and history courses for the rest of the future. In addition to showing the rest of the world a possibility that shines as a beacon for all of humanity in terms of creating organization and governance that can break barriers, forge new paradigms, and allow the people as people, not empire building hot shots, to have a voice.
Barack Obama did not take money from lobbyists. For the first time in eight years, the White House will not be run as a corporate whore house. Already today, and it is beautiful to witness, we can feel the intellectual horsepower of our government rising. It's time for the White House to get a brain and leave the bush leagues.
posted by x4mr at 4:37 PM
3 Comments:
Well, X4mr, you are in my hometown. Nice picture of downtown Jacksonville from across the St. John's River.
So where in Jax are they having your conference?
I grew up on the southside, about ten miles inland from the Atlantic ocean. In fact, my whole life was spent on that side of town, except for going downtown to go shopping. I would argue with anyone that Florida beaches are the best on the mainland. But I would imagine that the population density along the coast is unbearable. Like where did Florida get 27 electoral votes?
When I was growing up it wasn't like that. My sister and I used to drive down A1A to Daytona and there would be these long expanses of vacant coastal land. Not anymore.
Well, you can't tell now, but northern Florida was once part of the Jim Crow south, indistinguishable from Georgia.
Obama was in Jacksonville on Monday, and then just yesterday Florida's 27 electoral votes went to the first African American president. I'm still kind of lost in the historical moment.
Somehow it makes me feel so old, but that's okay.
It was a long time coming...
Hey x4mr,
I think I know the conference you are attending, and if so, you are with a distinguished group. I am friends with someone there you may have met. I don't want to say her name, but she recently signed a book deal with Harvard University Press to convert her dissertation into book format for publication.
Liza, if he is where I think he is, he's at the Hyatt Regency right on the waterfront downtown.
I completely agree that Obama's election has changed the "feeling" of the government. I was watching television today and they were talking about an Obama administration. Stupid extremists need not apply. What a historic moment.
Maybe that is ultimately what George Bush accomplished. He created a presidency and party so horrible and repugnant that it gave Obama the energy to create the necessary momentum.
When I saw Obama speak in 2004 at the convention, I remember thinking, "This guy is really good."
We will never really know what would have happened had Gore become president in 2000. I doubt we would be in Iraq. It's possible 9/11 might have been thwarted, since under Gore there would be some level of competence instead of pure dysfunction.
Nav is right about the conference. We're at the Hyatt right on the water. What an incredibly ethnically diverse group. Listening to the various individuals will slam dunk destroy any notions that other races or women are less intelligent.
As one would speculate, virtually all (or perhaps truly all) were pleased with the election. It's nice to see the good guy win for once.
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