the smedley log - suburban scrawl

A simple prop to occupy my time

Truth is, I’ve been having dark thoughts lately. A couple personal ponderings about life, mortality and the future (long-term), that’s all. Not wanting to write about those thoughts just yet, and not wanting to over-focus on Katrina-related issues, I’ve resorted to cherry-picking a good R.E.M. line to jump start this post. It’s worked in the past, so why not this time?

I was recently reading Frank’s blog, when it finally dawned on me that the title of his site and the Churchill quote that appears just below the title combine to form a complete thought. I’m sure it was intentional, but for some reason I’d never put the two components together. For those too lazy to click over to his site, the title of the blog is iFlipFlop (“I flip-flop”), and the Winston Churchill quote that follows is “because I’d rather be right than consistent.” It strikes me as a good philosophy; in fact, I’ve often wondered why such a premium is placed on people (especially politicians) never changing their minds. Personally, I’d much prefer a President, or senator, or congressperson, who’s capable of, and willing to, admit being wrong about something. It gives me no comfort to think, “well, he may be wrong, but at least he’s sure of himself.”

On another local blog note, Scott at Blankbaby has officially slipped to the dark side of posting about politics. It actually happened the other day, and at the risk of encouraging him on a path he has always wanted to avoid, this post is pretty good. Don’t worry, he’s kept it civil…

And finally, since I have nothing better to add, when I read a headline link in the newsreader like, “Dog Saves Life of Man Threatening Suicide”, I expect a little more of a Lassie-type plot—not this.

ha! i never noticed that about frank’s site either. i was totally reading them as two separate thoughts as well.

Yeah, I like Frank’s quote too, and I despise the whole “flip-flopper” namecalling (it’s even worse than the old “waffling” accusation).

I like the dog story. Reminding the man of his wife and kids does nothing, but his dog? That works! The guy might end up dead anyway after his wife finds that out.

Here’s hoping you work out those darker thoughts, I get those too sometimes.

I hope it all works out for you too. I think Katrina is making alot of folks rexamine things…

I think I understand where you’re coming from (preferring willingness to be wrong than stubborn consistency), but I can’t totally agree with the way you worded it. The problem is not flip-flopping per se, but when a politician changes his stance based on public opinion rather than careful consideration and personal conviction. Being humble enough to admit to being inadequate and being wrong is admirable. Being a consumate populist is not.

Funny, I didn’t expect any response to a post like that.

The only problem with the whole flip-flopper terminology is that it’s normally applied from without, and with negative connotations—the people applying the label aren’t always in a position to tell where the change is coming from (whether it’s populist pandering or a true change of heart). In essence, Funky, it gets into the area of judging people’s motives.

More than that, though, I was just fascinated by the fact I’d never noticed the placement of the phrases on Frank’s website.

As for the dark thoughts, they aren’t so overbearing as to cause worry, though I appreciate when people are concerned, so thanks to anyone who has expressed it—I think I’ll be okay.

Howard, I’m honored. Yes, that’s the essence…I fired up iFlipFlop in response to Pubs calling John Kerry a “flip-flopper.” And I thought there have been some famous “flip-floppers” in the world – the Churchill quote being the best. (He also said one of my favorite quotes alltime: The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.)

I think well-considered thought means examining premises and making rational decisions. The War President, I fear, sits in the cave, looks at the shadows, and thinks he’s examining the world. A very scary proposition, indeed, when people think they are “right,” as if there’s only one truth.

Thanks very much for this post and you consistenly thought-proking writing. Cheers.

I think that Howard has a creative blog statement, too!

Frank’s title is what got me reading his blog.

Most people start discussing politics because they realize that political sites get a lot of attention. If only I knew how to intelligently approach an interesting political post…

Thank you and thank you very much.

I rarely enjoy sites that are only about politics. While many of the sites I like to read have that focus, they generally don’t focus on it to the point of leaving everything else out of the mix. Frank’s site is an example of that balance—adding in enough non-political seasoning to make the trip worthwhile. And Jessica, I don’t think you need more politics on your blog. There’s quite a bit of fascinating content there already.

Just wanted to chime in as one of the apparently few people who always understood Frank’s blog title and tag line as one thought. It was readily apparent to me, I don’t know why. Please, don’t chalk it up to superior brainpower, I just notice things like that. Weird me. You know what I love about Frank’s site? The constantly rotating pairs of flip flops. That’s my favorite thing. I should go over to his site and tell him myself. But maybe he’ll read this.

Howard, I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but my thoughts have been rather pretty dark too. I think it’s from watching the hurricane coverage, listening to all the blaming from both sides, and just feeling caught in the middle. I’m not extremely liberal, but I’m not a Bush apologist either. It’s hard watching and honestly, blog reading has been really rough lately. It’s hard finding sites that I can relate to. That’s probably the reason for the lack of interesting content on my site, I just don’t know what to say without pissing off somebody on one side or the other, so I’m just keeping my trap shut. Keep your chin up.

Thank you, Howard. I added you to my link list, too.

I love your random ten lists. They send me to Limewire to download a few tunes.