Ward on Words

Ayn Rand is all the rage these days (and unbeknownst to me, has apparently been all the rage in certain circles since her career as an author began), with current interest jacked up thanks to the publication of Anne Heller's biography of Rand . In catching up with my reading this weekend, I noticed Newsweek had a review of Rand cleverly called "Atlas Hugged." As I read it, I found myself irritated by some of the thoughts of the reviewer, who found The Fountainhead "a stunning evocation of the individual and what he can achieve when unhindered by government or society." The reviewer pulls a quote from The Fountainhead to support the assertion, a claim by Roark: "I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life. Nor to any part of my energy. Nor to any achievement of mine. No matter who makes the claim, how large their number or how great their need... I recognize no obligations toward men except one: to respect their freedom and to ...

It's called Governor of one of our 50 states. How else can you explain the mental breakdowns of so many governors in such a short time? It's an issue that surpasses gender and ideological differences. Let's just take a look... *Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, forced to resign after quoting Kipling and being caught on tape trying to sell Obama's old senate seat. *South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who decided to head down to Argentina for some cuddles with his girlfriend - on Father's Day weekend, leaving his wife and children to wonder where he was on that day set aside to celebrate paternity. He will not resign from his position as governor, promising to be working on his marriage, even as he misses the Argentinian woman he calls his "soul mate." *And of course Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who took advantage of the patriotic feelings stirred up by the 4th of July to announce her resignation . She's apparently been driven mad by th...