Some interesting insight from the ever lively fellow Colgate Alum Chris Hedges. Money quote:

Our Versailles was busy this past week. The Democrats passed the FISA bill, which provides immunity for the telecoms that cooperated with the National Security Agency’s illegal surveillance over the past six years. This bill, which when signed means we will never know the extent of the Bush White House’s violation of our civil liberties, is expected to be adopted by the Senate. Barack Obama has promised to sign it in the name of national security. The bill gives the U.S. government a license to eavesdrop on our phone calls and e-mails. It demolishes our right to privacy. It endangers the work of journalists, human rights workers, crusading lawyers and whistle-blowers who attempt to expose abuses the government seeks to hide. These private communications can be stored indefinitely and disseminated, not just to the U.S. government but to other governments as well. The bill, once signed into law, will make it possible for those in power to identify and silence anyone who dares to make public information that defies the official narrative.

And so it goes…

Perhaps this is a better summarization of my feelings on Regents Grading Day:

Yeah, that’s better. And by better I mean…

Sigh.

A good rant for Regents Grading Day:

I feel better already. Wait, no I don’t.

In case you missed Moyers last night:

The other two pieces were excellent as well. And so it goes…

Check this out:

Hat-tip: ed4wb. I’m thinking about turning the blog into a tumblr for the summer. Thoughts?

In case you haven’t noticed, posts have been few and far between. In no particular order, the reasons why:

1. The weather is nice, and I’m playing outside more. Tras and I are training for the Boilermaker, and that’s been keeping me busy. This summer will be full of outside stuff, mostly High Peaks hikes, and the blog is just going to have to wait.

2. School stuff = massive busy-ness. This time of the year is really bittersweet. It’s almost over, yet the workload is massive and mostly a result of state accountability hoops. I always have to remind myself to hold onto meaningful closure with the kids. I wish I could end on a high note and not the Regents Exam. Sigh.

3. I’ve got a wedding to plan and a house to move into and fix up over the next few months. It will be really nice to work on something tangible for once. One of the frustrations of teaching is that it’s often difficult to actually see the fruits of labor. I need something concrete.

4. Digital apathy. I haven’t felt the need to write much and have been pulling back my online presence in general. Having said that, I still enjoy opening my reader and marginally keeping up. I just don’t feel like producing as much right now. I am more interested in real relationship development, and blogging has felt unreal. We’ll see how this feeling plays out in the future.

I imagine the bug will come back and I’ll start writing again, but in the meantime, a muse for the whole summer:

I hope that all is well and that life is good. Peace out.

This song always puts me into a great summer mood.

Summer break is on the horizon, and hiking in the ‘Dacks can’t come soon enough.

Man, I really hate those pesky elitists and their thoughts in the Wall Street Journal:

The most important–and unfortunately the least debated–issue in politics today is our society’s steady drift toward a class-based system, the likes of which we have not seen since the 19th century. America’s top tier has grown infinitely richer and more removed over the past 25 years. It is not unfair to say that they are literally living in a different country. Few among them send their children to public schools; fewer still send their loved ones to fight our wars. They own most of our stocks, making the stock market an unreliable indicator of the economic health of working people. The top 1% now takes in an astounding 16% of national income, up from 8% in 1980. The tax codes protect them, just as they protect corporate America, through a vast system of loopholes.

Silly Jim Webb, how dare you touch the third rail of politics.

Whelp, it’s a beautiful day outside. I’ve been taking a bit of a break from writing on the blog due to the nice weather, and today will be no different. I’m going outside to play, but expect some more writing soon. In the meantime, enjoy some R.L. Burnside:

Whoa.