"The Queen" and us

Thing is, in the large sheme ,a s bad as Borwn was, he wasn't all that consequentil, which may seem harsh. There have bene dire predictions for hurricanes hitting NO for ever. You can mention the Landrieu family treating levies like ana fterthough/jobs program/boondoggle to be looted, but that isn't an immediate a story. Brown's appointment and the others are instructive, but Miers made clear Bush hadn't a clue was "conservative" meant beyond George Bush being elected president. Like his father before him, he says what he thinks people want to hear to get elected, nothing more. Federalists know that SCOTUS seats are beyond solid gold; Bush was willing to sell one for Dalls dinner invites.

Interesting column. I agree completely with your analysis of "The Queen." But leave aside the politics of the Middle East for a minute. How is the Internet changing our thinking? Are we becoming more splintered and contentious? Do we dive deeper and deeper into narrower and narrower realms of thought? I think McLuhan would say it's a "cool" medium, but it's most popular bits seem to be "hot" little films by amateurs, along with "caught on tape" moments from the political scene and life in general. This seems quite different from "cool" TV. Our ability to choose and pass these samples around changes means we make an emotional investment, which makes them "hot." (Doesn't it?) Guess I'm off on a tangent, but I hope you take up this topic before too long. Need some guidance.

Rod, my post has nothhing to do about the movie about the Queen, although I am a fan of Ms. Mirren and would love to see it. I didn't know how else to contact you and to tell you that I'm reading A Confederacy of Dunces and I'm getting a kick out of it. I'm afraid I know a real-life Ignatius in my hometown. I'm passing the book onto my friends after I finish it. Without me saying a thing, they'll see the parallel between him and the character in the book.