Thank you for contacting me about the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me on this critical issue.
As you know, on April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, leaving 11 workers dead. The rig caught fire and sank, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is a travesty -- it has devastated the environment, the economy, and the way of life for many communities along the Gulf Coast. I was deeply disappointed by BP's neglect of safety and lack of progress in stopping the leak in the Gulf. This accident has also exposed the federal government's woefully inadequate oversight of the drilling industry.
BP must be held responsible for all costs incurred as a result of the oil spill. By all accounts BP had no viable plan in place to deal with an accident of this magnitude. This is unacceptable, and taxpayers must not be left holding the bag. That's why I've cosponsored S. 3472, the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Unlimited Liability Act, which would eliminate the oil spill liability cap that currently limits economic damages paid by oil companies to $75 million. I am also an original cosponsor of S. 3462, which would grant subpoena power to President Obama's Oil Spill Commission that is investigating BP. This will ensure that the bipartisan commission has access to all the evidence it needs to fully investigate the causes of the spill and make meaningful recommendations on how to prevent similar disasters.
This spill is a call to action -- it is time to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation to end our country's dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean, renewable energy sources like wind, biofuels, and biomass from Minnesota. For this reason, Senate Majority Leader Reid introduced S. 3663, the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act. This bill would eliminate the $75 million liability cap for oil spill damages, improve the claims process for victims of the spill, provide for better regulation of the oil and gas industry, and improve oil spill response and prevention programs. The legislation would also authorize the Home Star energy-efficiency retrofit program, provide tax breaks for natural gas vehicles and infrastructure, and boost funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
I'm glad this legislation would finally hold BP accountable for the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and I support the provisions to provide rebates for Minnesotans to retrofit their homes and to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. While it is an important first step, this bill falls far short of the comprehensive energy bill that I had hoped to see this year. It fails to put a price on carbon and does not include a Renewable Electricity Standard, which is critical for the growth of Minnesota's wind and other renewable energy industries. I am currently reviewing this legislation as well as the various other energy and climate proposals before Congress.
Please be assured that I will continue to closely monitor the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup and will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation regarding offshore drilling come before the Senate for consideration.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Pending BP Legislation in the United State Senate
From the Office of Senator Al Franken, in response to an inquiry from me:
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Second Round Win for Health Care Reform in the Court Challenges
Virginia's federal judge Norman Moon ruled on Monday that the Health Insurance Reform legislation passed last year is legal under the Commerce Clause of the constitution.
Judge Moon also categorized the fines as “penalties,” stating that they are not intended to raise revenues, but to “enforce the requirement that individuals and employers purchase or provide health insurance.”That is the second win, out of some twenty challenges to what critics call 'Obamacare', wins that had been predicted. In the Michigan decision in October,
Judge George C. Steeh of Federal District Court in Detroit ruled that choosing not to obtain insurance qualified as an example of “activities that substantially affect interstate commerce.” That is the standard set by the Supreme Court for Congress’s compliance with the Commerce Clause.
Judge Steeh, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, agreed with the federal government that not obtaining health coverage is effectively an active decision to pay for medical care out of pocket. “These decisions, viewed in the aggregate,” Judge Steeh wrote, “have clear and direct impacts on health care providers, taxpayers and the insured population who ultimately pay for the care provided to those who go without insurance.”While I am pleased that these decisions have been on the side of health care reform, I'm much more interested in the 'big one', the court challenge filed in Florida by conservative state Attorneys General, where it was anticipated to have the greatest chance of success. Ultimately, this is an issue that is more likely than not to be decided in front of the SCOTUS, the question remains........when?
Celebrate World AIDS Day Today, December 1, 2010 - Part I
Obviously we do not exactly celebrate the existence of this terrible viral disease. What we celebrate is an awareness of this pandemic, a pandemic that is our closest modern equivalent to the black death, the bubonic plague of the 14th century in Europe. Following the premise that when we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it, I would like to share with you a brief overview of other pandemics, (as distinct from epidemics) before focusing on ours. The purpose of the historic overview is to establish common patterns in the past as a foundation, a frame, a focus for looking at our approach to AIDS, in the hope of finding greater insight and understanding for our response to it.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Minnesota Governor's Election Recount: I Was There!
As of this morning (Tuesday, 11/30) we are beginning the second day of the recount. The majority of the 87 counties in Minnesota finished yesterday, with only a few of the largest, most populous counties having votes that remain to be recounted. Those should be concluded in the next couple of days; certainly at the present rate of completion, I would expect them to be concluded by the end of the week at the very latest.
After the completion of the local process, those challenged ballots go 'up the ladder' of the process, for final determination. But THAT will be a separate post; I don't want to get ahead of myself.
There were significantly fewer votes cast in the 2010 election, compared to the 2010 elections.
Minnesota gained a certain notoriety and became the butt of national jokes for the 2008 recount that resulted in the eventual confirmation of Senator Al Franken, after more than six months. Most of that time was the result of a lengthy court challenge by bad loser Norm Coleman. That challenge to Minnesota election findings was lost, by unanimous court decisions, over and over and over.
After the completion of the local process, those challenged ballots go 'up the ladder' of the process, for final determination. But THAT will be a separate post; I don't want to get ahead of myself.
There were significantly fewer votes cast in the 2010 election, compared to the 2010 elections.
Minnesota gained a certain notoriety and became the butt of national jokes for the 2008 recount that resulted in the eventual confirmation of Senator Al Franken, after more than six months. Most of that time was the result of a lengthy court challenge by bad loser Norm Coleman. That challenge to Minnesota election findings was lost, by unanimous court decisions, over and over and over.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Condoms and AIDS/HIV, and the Papal position
A seminarian once posed to a group of which I was a part the provocative question, "When is religion good and when is religion bad?" The resulting discussion looked at both major and minor examples of how we human beings had done great harm, in the name of religion. In the course of the discussion, contemplating harm from our beliefs was the point. I believe this is a belief which does harm, tremendous harm. I had that question in mind as I wrote this post.
From a March 2009 article in the Guardian, referring to a meeting in 2005:
"Addressing bishops from South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Lesotho who had travelled to the Vatican for papal audience, he[Pope Benedict] said: "The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only fail safe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.
He also warned them that African life was under threat from a number of factors, including condoms"
With all due respect, the traditional teaching of the church of abstinence and fidelity has not prevented the spread of any disease, including HIV and AIDS. It is not condom use that is the threat to the lives of people in Africa. Condoms can prevent the transmission of these and other sexually transmitted diseases.
It remains to be seen if the recent discussion about limited condom use will reflect a change in the Roman Catholic church. In the meantime, we still need to see a similar change in the policies of our government that have been dictated by the religious right.
From a March 2009 article in the Guardian, referring to a meeting in 2005:
"Addressing bishops from South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Lesotho who had travelled to the Vatican for papal audience, he[Pope Benedict] said: "The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only fail safe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.
He also warned them that African life was under threat from a number of factors, including condoms"
With all due respect, the traditional teaching of the church of abstinence and fidelity has not prevented the spread of any disease, including HIV and AIDS. It is not condom use that is the threat to the lives of people in Africa. Condoms can prevent the transmission of these and other sexually transmitted diseases.
It remains to be seen if the recent discussion about limited condom use will reflect a change in the Roman Catholic church. In the meantime, we still need to see a similar change in the policies of our government that have been dictated by the religious right.
Bomb Throwing
On November 16th, John Kyl (R-AZ) announced his intent to block ratification of the "New START" treaty. The key provisions of this treaty would limit both the United States and Russia to no more than 1550 strategic nuclear warheads on no more than 700 launch platforms.
I had written a very long post on this subject which frankly provided a lot of background, but in the interest of brevity, I'll try to summarize below:
1. In the 1950's and on into the 1960's, the United States practiced a doctrine called "massive retaliation", we were supreme, and we expected to devastate the Soviets in any nuclear exchange.
2. Sputnik signalled the start of the strategic nuclear arms race. We and the Soviets, over the next 15 or so years, built thousands of launch platforms (ICBM's, submarine launched missiles and bombers).
3. In 1967 the US completed the last of it's "new" launch platforms
4. Four times between 1948 and 1970 the Soviet Union offered to unilaterally disarm if we would also agree to eventually disarm
5. In 1972 we signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (now known as SALT I), this treaty, among other things, limited the number of Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) sites to 2 per country.
ABMs were seen as a massively destabilizing weapon because they might falsely give confidence to one side or another about the ability to attack without much damage in response.
6. From the middle 1960's on, each side began building many more nuclear warheads (in the case of the US - deploying them as MIRV's or Multiple Independent Re-Entry Vehicles), and launchers, in the case of the Soviets. Both sides topped out around 2400 launchers and 8700 warheads in the late 70's and early 80's. This gave each side the ability to wipe out all life on earth some 40 times over.
7. President Carter was criticized by the right for halting the B1 Bomber program in 1977. At the time, Carter commented the bomber would be obsolete before completion, was needless, and would spend money we didn't have and/or would be better spent on the "next generation" (he knew of the development of the B-2). Carter's observations were dead-on. The B1 is a horrid, useless bomber. Despite being built 30 years after the B-52, it will be retired long-before the B-52 and it cost $250 Million per plane. The money for the B1 program would have bought 12 B-2's, a bomber we are struggling to pay for now.
I had written a very long post on this subject which frankly provided a lot of background, but in the interest of brevity, I'll try to summarize below:
1. In the 1950's and on into the 1960's, the United States practiced a doctrine called "massive retaliation", we were supreme, and we expected to devastate the Soviets in any nuclear exchange.
2. Sputnik signalled the start of the strategic nuclear arms race. We and the Soviets, over the next 15 or so years, built thousands of launch platforms (ICBM's, submarine launched missiles and bombers).
3. In 1967 the US completed the last of it's "new" launch platforms
4. Four times between 1948 and 1970 the Soviet Union offered to unilaterally disarm if we would also agree to eventually disarm
5. In 1972 we signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (now known as SALT I), this treaty, among other things, limited the number of Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) sites to 2 per country.
ABMs were seen as a massively destabilizing weapon because they might falsely give confidence to one side or another about the ability to attack without much damage in response.
6. From the middle 1960's on, each side began building many more nuclear warheads (in the case of the US - deploying them as MIRV's or Multiple Independent Re-Entry Vehicles), and launchers, in the case of the Soviets. Both sides topped out around 2400 launchers and 8700 warheads in the late 70's and early 80's. This gave each side the ability to wipe out all life on earth some 40 times over.
7. President Carter was criticized by the right for halting the B1 Bomber program in 1977. At the time, Carter commented the bomber would be obsolete before completion, was needless, and would spend money we didn't have and/or would be better spent on the "next generation" (he knew of the development of the B-2). Carter's observations were dead-on. The B1 is a horrid, useless bomber. Despite being built 30 years after the B-52, it will be retired long-before the B-52 and it cost $250 Million per plane. The money for the B1 program would have bought 12 B-2's, a bomber we are struggling to pay for now.
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Bush Tax Cuts, or...What the Hell is Wrong with Republicans' Math?
The Right is pushing the retention of the Bush Tax Cuts like an evangelical preacher pushes the Gospel, at an old fashioned Bible-thumping tent revival meetin'.
Except that the Bush Tax Cuts, for the wealthy, are anything but an economic gospel. They are ruinous. While an amazing number of middle and working class seem to have missed the tax cuts they already have received under the Obama administration.
George W. Bush is trying to rewrite the history of his two administrations to make it look like he was not an enormous aching, throbbing, hemorrhaging disaster. He was.
He WAS a walking, talking disaster, one of the all-time worst presidents in history. The Bush policies left us with disastrous financial collapse, AND some of the worst unemployment in the history of this country. An approximate total population of more than 300 million, we have in the vicinity of 25 to 27 million unemployed, which doesn't count the underemployed who are qualified for better jobs, but who instead find themselves among the working poor below the poverty line. These figures represent FAILED REPUBLICAN POLICIES - FAILED TAX POLICIES, FAILED JOB CREATION POLICIES.
The ONLY people who benefit, and then only short term not long term, are a few of the wealthiest 1% to 2% of the population. THEY have gotten richer while everyone else suffered and struggled and the economy collapsed under these policies. THEY pay the Republicans (and occasionally a few conservative democrats too) to parrott these lies, and they pay well. They STEAL elections by funding of these lies. (more on that in a future post)
These numbers have slowly but steadily improved under Democrats and the Obama Administration. Too change horses in mid stream NOW is folly, it is self-defeating impatience. The third quarter results for corporate profits are the highest since records were kept; this administration is not, by any meaningful metric, anti-business, (despite the litany of misinformation and disinformation you hear from the right - especially Faked cable News.
Georgie Porgie is making the rounds of the talking heads circuit, bragging about how his tax cuts created 1.1 million jobs. Hello? That is NOT a good result in job production over EIGHT years in a nation the size of the USA!
What he leaves out are two important things - the good jobs, the factory and other production jobs, the IT jobs, those were being outsourced at unprecedented rates. The piddling few jobs that were created were almost entirely low paying jobs.
But worse than that - if you look at the numbers, while Georgie Duh-b'ya may have created those 1.1 million jobs in the private sector.........he lost many millions more of those jobs in the final years of his presidency, resulting in an overall LOSS of jobs to our economy that was devastating; it was outrageously, avoidably catastophic.
AND 'W' and the Republicans saddled us all with monumental national debt.
Want to SEE how badly those losses hit this country? Click on this:
http://computationallegalstudies.com/2009/05/29/visualizing-job-losses-from-2007-2009/
Except that the Bush Tax Cuts, for the wealthy, are anything but an economic gospel. They are ruinous. While an amazing number of middle and working class seem to have missed the tax cuts they already have received under the Obama administration.
George W. Bush is trying to rewrite the history of his two administrations to make it look like he was not an enormous aching, throbbing, hemorrhaging disaster. He was.
He WAS a walking, talking disaster, one of the all-time worst presidents in history. The Bush policies left us with disastrous financial collapse, AND some of the worst unemployment in the history of this country. An approximate total population of more than 300 million, we have in the vicinity of 25 to 27 million unemployed, which doesn't count the underemployed who are qualified for better jobs, but who instead find themselves among the working poor below the poverty line. These figures represent FAILED REPUBLICAN POLICIES - FAILED TAX POLICIES, FAILED JOB CREATION POLICIES.
The ONLY people who benefit, and then only short term not long term, are a few of the wealthiest 1% to 2% of the population. THEY have gotten richer while everyone else suffered and struggled and the economy collapsed under these policies. THEY pay the Republicans (and occasionally a few conservative democrats too) to parrott these lies, and they pay well. They STEAL elections by funding of these lies. (more on that in a future post)
These numbers have slowly but steadily improved under Democrats and the Obama Administration. Too change horses in mid stream NOW is folly, it is self-defeating impatience. The third quarter results for corporate profits are the highest since records were kept; this administration is not, by any meaningful metric, anti-business, (despite the litany of misinformation and disinformation you hear from the right - especially Faked cable News.
Georgie Porgie is making the rounds of the talking heads circuit, bragging about how his tax cuts created 1.1 million jobs. Hello? That is NOT a good result in job production over EIGHT years in a nation the size of the USA!
What he leaves out are two important things - the good jobs, the factory and other production jobs, the IT jobs, those were being outsourced at unprecedented rates. The piddling few jobs that were created were almost entirely low paying jobs.
But worse than that - if you look at the numbers, while Georgie Duh-b'ya may have created those 1.1 million jobs in the private sector.........he lost many millions more of those jobs in the final years of his presidency, resulting in an overall LOSS of jobs to our economy that was devastating; it was outrageously, avoidably catastophic.
AND 'W' and the Republicans saddled us all with monumental national debt.
Want to SEE how badly those losses hit this country? Click on this:
http://computationallegalstudies.com/2009/05/29/visualizing-job-losses-from-2007-2009/
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Winning Versus Whining
Update: In keeping with the previous pattern of right wing politically oriented contestants on Dancing with the Stars, it is rumored that one of the contestants for season 12, which will air in early 2011, will be failed Senate candidate for Delaware, "I Am Not a Witch" Christine O'Donnell. Salary for the 10 week show is reported to be in the vicinity of $200,000.
I guess it's not like she has anything better to do until there is another political race; and no one else is going to pay her that kind of money. Rumor has it she needs it; she hasn't done any kind of job for a long time, other than living off of political campaign donations, if reports are true..
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No, I'm not writing about the Minnesota governor's election woes this time.
I'm writing about the tea pot tea party tempest around Bristol Palin and the reality television series, Dancing with the Stars that ended Tuesday night with Bristol Palin loosing to Jennifer Gray, star of the 1987 cult classic movie Dirty Dancing.
I guess it's not like she has anything better to do until there is another political race; and no one else is going to pay her that kind of money. Rumor has it she needs it; she hasn't done any kind of job for a long time, other than living off of political campaign donations, if reports are true..
*************************
No, I'm not writing about the Minnesota governor's election woes this time.
I'm writing about the tea pot tea party tempest around Bristol Palin and the reality television series, Dancing with the Stars that ended Tuesday night with Bristol Palin loosing to Jennifer Gray, star of the 1987 cult classic movie Dirty Dancing.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thumbs Down, Tom Emmer
I don't believe that Norm Coleman endeared himself to any but the most die-hard belligerents on the right with the extent to which he dragged out the contested decisions that unanimously over and over came out in favor of Senator Al Franken.
Effectively, Coleman made it clear that his own pursuit of the power of the office of Senator for Minnesota was more important than Minnesota's preference in voting - albeit a narrow one - AND more important than the importance of Minnesota having any second senatorial representation. It is the same obstructive mind set that would rather shut down government than engage in genuine political compromise.
Then as now, Coleman claimed errors; his supporters continue to claim fraud, despite it being made as painfully clear as clear can be that there was no evidence of fraud, that you need to demonstrate fact, not simply a fictional narrative wishing it were so. This despite the Supreme Court of Minnesota specifically stating that there was no evidence of fraud. Coleman had nothing - NOTHING - to sustain such a claim.
And that is because there is no fraud to claim, there is no evidence because fraud is not a systemic problem; fraud has not 'stolen' any elections from a lawfully elected voter. The real issue is that the republicans are consistently simply incredibly poor, and not very honorable losers.
Effectively, Coleman made it clear that his own pursuit of the power of the office of Senator for Minnesota was more important than Minnesota's preference in voting - albeit a narrow one - AND more important than the importance of Minnesota having any second senatorial representation. It is the same obstructive mind set that would rather shut down government than engage in genuine political compromise.
Then as now, Coleman claimed errors; his supporters continue to claim fraud, despite it being made as painfully clear as clear can be that there was no evidence of fraud, that you need to demonstrate fact, not simply a fictional narrative wishing it were so. This despite the Supreme Court of Minnesota specifically stating that there was no evidence of fraud. Coleman had nothing - NOTHING - to sustain such a claim.
And that is because there is no fraud to claim, there is no evidence because fraud is not a systemic problem; fraud has not 'stolen' any elections from a lawfully elected voter. The real issue is that the republicans are consistently simply incredibly poor, and not very honorable losers.
Laws of Politics
I have been watching politics for rougly 35 years, maybe a little less. I guess I started caring much in 1976 or 77.
In that time there have been some patterns of behavior which seem so inviolate that they can be called axioms or laws. There are more than just these I list below, but I hope I make my point with the list. Similar to the Laws of Thermodynamics (of which there are four), these are observations which seem to be true in all cases.
1. Democrats, specifically liberals, propose governmental regulation or programs as solutions to almost any problem.
2. Republicans will claim to stand for National Security, but will sacrifice that security for extra-military spending, especially on hardware, even if such hardware is unnecessary.
3. Democrats, especially the Green Party wing of the Democratic Party, will reflexively oppose military action, even if justified (to wit, Afghanistan).
4. Republicans will sacrifice anything, including the debt, the deficit, anything to gain tax cuts for the rich. Not the middle-class, the rich.
It's this last one that I think is currently especially appropriate to discuss, though #2 is topical at the moment as it relates to John Kyl's opposition to the "New START" treaty and #3 is topical as it relates to Obama's plans for Afghanistan.
So, as regards #4, I have watched, watched and watched, since 1980 at least, as promises of balanced budgets, of "real" cuts in spending, deficit "hawks", in infinite amounts promised the budget "should be run like you run your own budget at home" and "was the gravest threat to national security out there" and so on. I've also watched as those who repudiated Keynesian economics did an about face, as Dick Cheney did in 2003 when he said that "Deficits don't matter" in response to questions about how Bush was going to pay for the tax cuts enacted in 2002 as the projected surpluses disappeared.
In that time there have been some patterns of behavior which seem so inviolate that they can be called axioms or laws. There are more than just these I list below, but I hope I make my point with the list. Similar to the Laws of Thermodynamics (of which there are four), these are observations which seem to be true in all cases.
1. Democrats, specifically liberals, propose governmental regulation or programs as solutions to almost any problem.
2. Republicans will claim to stand for National Security, but will sacrifice that security for extra-military spending, especially on hardware, even if such hardware is unnecessary.
3. Democrats, especially the Green Party wing of the Democratic Party, will reflexively oppose military action, even if justified (to wit, Afghanistan).
4. Republicans will sacrifice anything, including the debt, the deficit, anything to gain tax cuts for the rich. Not the middle-class, the rich.
It's this last one that I think is currently especially appropriate to discuss, though #2 is topical at the moment as it relates to John Kyl's opposition to the "New START" treaty and #3 is topical as it relates to Obama's plans for Afghanistan.
So, as regards #4, I have watched, watched and watched, since 1980 at least, as promises of balanced budgets, of "real" cuts in spending, deficit "hawks", in infinite amounts promised the budget "should be run like you run your own budget at home" and "was the gravest threat to national security out there" and so on. I've also watched as those who repudiated Keynesian economics did an about face, as Dick Cheney did in 2003 when he said that "Deficits don't matter" in response to questions about how Bush was going to pay for the tax cuts enacted in 2002 as the projected surpluses disappeared.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Travel Lightly or Lighten Up
UPDATE, 11/25/'10: The much ballyhooed protests predicted in the media for Wednesday, November 24th at airports around the nation failed to materialize. While air travel was up 11% from last year on the same day before Thanksgiving, the actual numbers of protesters of the TSA policy were minute, tiny, nearly non-existent at less than 1%. The response to that disastisfaction should be proportional, not over-responsive; and it should be constructive, not reactive or appeasing.
A few figures noting scanner opt-outs possibly in protest (although not specifically), in no particular order, listing available data:
Boston: 300 out of 56,000
Los Angeles: 113 out of 50,000
Detroit: 57 out of 25,000
Atlanta: 39, out of 47,000 air travelers
Charlotte: 1, out of 18,000
Cincinnati: 15
St. Louis: 7
New Orleans: 6
Memphis: 5
Dallas/Fort Worth: 1
A few figures noting scanner opt-outs possibly in protest (although not specifically), in no particular order, listing available data:
Boston: 300 out of 56,000
Los Angeles: 113 out of 50,000
Detroit: 57 out of 25,000
Atlanta: 39, out of 47,000 air travelers
Charlotte: 1, out of 18,000
Cincinnati: 15
St. Louis: 7
New Orleans: 6
Memphis: 5
Dallas/Fort Worth: 1
Joe Scarborough: What Is It About Keith Olbermann's Experience You Don't Understand?
Or the discipline for misconduct or lapses from the ethics standards in place in every serious journalistic organization? That of course, excludes Fox News.
Even Jonathon Berr, of Daily Finance put it, in his article arguing for a lesser enforcement of the MSNBC standard - suggesting a warning would be more appropriate, "The fact that Fox News has no such restrictions in place does not mean they are right."
Even Jonathon Berr, of Daily Finance put it, in his article arguing for a lesser enforcement of the MSNBC standard - suggesting a warning would be more appropriate, "The fact that Fox News has no such restrictions in place does not mean they are right."
Friday, November 19, 2010
The False Voter Fraud Accusation in Crow Wing County MN - the NEXT faked ACORN-like story on the right?
I have been following the course in the media set by Montgomery Jensen, and those who seem to be in cooperation with his message. That media course seems to me to be all about Monty Jensen and promoting the notion of voter fraud, and not really about the supposed merits of his bogus complaint.
I believe that message to be as contrived and false as the version of events concocted by Jame's O'Keefe, the now-discredited right wing's media darling of the last election cycle. I believe that Montgomery Jensen is being positioned to be the right wing media's darling of this election cycle; the only question remaining in my mind is, will this be just Minnesota state-wide, or is it intended to be part of a larger attempt to shrink the number of people who may vote, and to make it more difficult. I do not believe from my research into this so far that Montgomery Jensen just happened to be voting, and that he saw something that upset him. My research suggests he was looking for something to happen, and when it did not, he created a false accusation to fit his agenda - his pre-existing political agenda.
I believe that message to be as contrived and false as the version of events concocted by Jame's O'Keefe, the now-discredited right wing's media darling of the last election cycle. I believe that Montgomery Jensen is being positioned to be the right wing media's darling of this election cycle; the only question remaining in my mind is, will this be just Minnesota state-wide, or is it intended to be part of a larger attempt to shrink the number of people who may vote, and to make it more difficult. I do not believe from my research into this so far that Montgomery Jensen just happened to be voting, and that he saw something that upset him. My research suggests he was looking for something to happen, and when it did not, he created a false accusation to fit his agenda - his pre-existing political agenda.
Thanksgiving Today, not next week
This came into my private email today.
I want to pass it on to our Penigma readers, hoping you will all join me in saying thanks to our service men and women, in time for the official Thanksgiving Holiday next Thursday. While the email I received was set to help us thank yous from residents of Minnesota, I have reset the link to the national USO Thank You page instead. So if you are not from Minnesota - this still works for YOU to say thank you! Wherever you are - please take advantage of this opportunity. And if you can make a donation in support of our troops, please do that as well.
I want to pass it on to our Penigma readers, hoping you will all join me in saying thanks to our service men and women, in time for the official Thanksgiving Holiday next Thursday. While the email I received was set to help us thank yous from residents of Minnesota, I have reset the link to the national USO Thank You page instead. So if you are not from Minnesota - this still works for YOU to say thank you! Wherever you are - please take advantage of this opportunity. And if you can make a donation in support of our troops, please do that as well.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
False Claims of Voter Fraud II
Hard on the publishing of the gutless anonymous email came another claim, a claim of widespread voter fraud in Crow Wing county. This is another one of those right wing claims that doesn't come out too well upon close scrutiny. Not that they care. There are always justifications, rationalizations, and excuses.
But let me provide some context to my anger, anger at what I see as a witch hunt. A witch hunt is where people are agitated to start looking under their beds for commies. A witch hunt is where people are seeing voter fraud because they have been told to see voter fraud, not because it is really there. A witch hunt is where it is more important to score a possible 'hit' on the dread much-ballyhooed (mostly hooey) target than it is to look critically or to consider what harm might come from your actions. In this case, the harm is the embarrassment and added difficulty to people who face tremendous challenges, added difficulty that comes from an apparently (so far) groundless accusation made in the most public way possible.
Follow with me.
But let me provide some context to my anger, anger at what I see as a witch hunt. A witch hunt is where people are agitated to start looking under their beds for commies. A witch hunt is where people are seeing voter fraud because they have been told to see voter fraud, not because it is really there. A witch hunt is where it is more important to score a possible 'hit' on the dread much-ballyhooed (mostly hooey) target than it is to look critically or to consider what harm might come from your actions. In this case, the harm is the embarrassment and added difficulty to people who face tremendous challenges, added difficulty that comes from an apparently (so far) groundless accusation made in the most public way possible.
Follow with me.
False Claims of Voter Fraud by the GOP, the Tea Party, and other Conservatives, Part I
I sit at the computer writing this post, so angry I have tears in my eyes.
I have been reading about the claims of voter fraud this election. They are the same as the unsubstantiated claims of the last election alleging theft of the elections in various races by widespread voter fraud. These false claims are based on not legitimate, they are not true, they are not accurate, they are not valid.
But they ARE repeated, over and over and over, so as to appear to have substance, so as to persuade they are true.
Last week, I was very angry with a friend of mine, a conservative blogger for writing this.
I have been reading about the claims of voter fraud this election. They are the same as the unsubstantiated claims of the last election alleging theft of the elections in various races by widespread voter fraud. These false claims are based on not legitimate, they are not true, they are not accurate, they are not valid.
But they ARE repeated, over and over and over, so as to appear to have substance, so as to persuade they are true.
Last week, I was very angry with a friend of mine, a conservative blogger for writing this.
Monday, November 15, 2010
 |
| "Too Many Laws" |
Thanks to the wonderful strip 'Shoe' for having such an 'eagle eye' for appreciation of current events; Shoe was created by the late cartoonist Jeff MacNelly, and continued by Susie MacNelly, Gary Brookins, and Chris Cassatt.
In an era of disappearing print media to present our cartoons, please take a moment to appreciate the comic format for all the things it does so much better than dry words could ever hope to do. Murphy's Law perfectly sums up my feelings about the 2010 election (and not in a good way).
(I'm probably the only person looking at this, wondering if Chris Cassatt is any relation to famous American impressionist painter Mary Cassatt....)
Cold Political Calculation
George Bush recently made the rounds promoting his new book, "Decision Points." In this book he (apparently) talks about his second-thoughts and moral tugs-of-war over things like the invasion of Iraq, water-boarding, and the financial collapse of 2007-2008 (and on into 2009).
On water-boarding, he says he approved the decision, responding "Damn right" to the question of whether he approved it directly. Ironically, it's the same line fictional Colonel Nathan R Jessup used in "A Few Good Men." discussing whether he approved a "code red" to beat a soldier (unintionally causing his death).
On the question of the financial collapse, Mr. Bush replied that he was "totally blindsided." He went on to suggest that if Congress had passed his reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the problems might have been avoided.
In both cases, I am reminded why this man was so manifestly and absolutely repudiated in 2006 and 2008. I am also reminded why eight years of colossal mismanagement and political deceit isn't easily undone in twenty months. Bush came across as he always has, saccharin, fake and clearly politically calculated in every reply.
On water-boarding, he says he approved the decision, responding "Damn right" to the question of whether he approved it directly. Ironically, it's the same line fictional Colonel Nathan R Jessup used in "A Few Good Men." discussing whether he approved a "code red" to beat a soldier (unintionally causing his death).
On the question of the financial collapse, Mr. Bush replied that he was "totally blindsided." He went on to suggest that if Congress had passed his reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the problems might have been avoided.
In both cases, I am reminded why this man was so manifestly and absolutely repudiated in 2006 and 2008. I am also reminded why eight years of colossal mismanagement and political deceit isn't easily undone in twenty months. Bush came across as he always has, saccharin, fake and clearly politically calculated in every reply.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Insight into Language and Thought; Charles Alan Wilson's Sentencing for Threatening Senator Patty Murray, and the Role of Glenn Beck
Updated 11/15/'10
I read something earlier today which impressed me with the quality of insight and observation.
It was this.
It resonated for me particularly, because I had been thinking about how to write about the sentencing of Charles Alan Wilson. Wilson was sentenced on October 22nd to one year and a day in prison, and three years probation during which he is not allowed to own firearms, amon other provisions and restrictions.
I wrote about Wilson in the Other Charlie Wilson War posts here and here
Wilson had made daily threats against the life of Senatory Patty Murray of Washington, over his misinformed ideas about the 2010 health care reform legislation. Those messages included more expletives and slurs than even the threats of violence. It offers a perfect example of how slurs are intended to intimidate as well as demean.
Friends and family described the chain of events that led to the threats resulting in Wilson going to jail, as a sequence where Wilson had lost his job and become ill. While homebound, he became convinced that the misinformation regularly disseminated by Glenn Beck on Fox Nuissance represented a legitimate concern.
Apprently Mr. Wilson was not aware of how to fact check statements made on Fox.
Family and friends directly attribute Wilson's actions to the program content presented by Beck.
I read something earlier today which impressed me with the quality of insight and observation.
It was this.
It resonated for me particularly, because I had been thinking about how to write about the sentencing of Charles Alan Wilson. Wilson was sentenced on October 22nd to one year and a day in prison, and three years probation during which he is not allowed to own firearms, amon other provisions and restrictions.
I wrote about Wilson in the Other Charlie Wilson War posts here and here
Wilson had made daily threats against the life of Senatory Patty Murray of Washington, over his misinformed ideas about the 2010 health care reform legislation. Those messages included more expletives and slurs than even the threats of violence. It offers a perfect example of how slurs are intended to intimidate as well as demean.
Friends and family described the chain of events that led to the threats resulting in Wilson going to jail, as a sequence where Wilson had lost his job and become ill. While homebound, he became convinced that the misinformation regularly disseminated by Glenn Beck on Fox Nuissance represented a legitimate concern.
Apprently Mr. Wilson was not aware of how to fact check statements made on Fox.
Family and friends directly attribute Wilson's actions to the program content presented by Beck.
'A cousin suspected that Charlie, who became housebound due to his poor health, spent too much time watching TV. Another friend agreed. "His brother got him a computer and he was able to stay connected with family. And he watched television and found Glenn Beck." The friend said he, too, found Beck, a Washington native son, about the same time.
"I understand how [Charlie's] fears were grown and fostered by Mr. Beck's persuasive personality.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Michele Obama's Message to the Nation on Veteran's Day
Veterans Day provides us with the chance to mark the debt of honor we owe to all those who have worn the uniform of the United States. We remember those who gave their lives beneath our flag, in service of our freedom.
And with so many still fighting, we owe special thanks to the courageous families of those who serve.
Because when our servicemen and women deploy overseas, their loved ones are left to undertake heroic battles of their own at home. The unique challenges they face in support of men and women in uniform allow us all to enjoy the freedoms of our democracy.
And with so many still fighting, we owe special thanks to the courageous families of those who serve.
Because when our servicemen and women deploy overseas, their loved ones are left to undertake heroic battles of their own at home. The unique challenges they face in support of men and women in uniform allow us all to enjoy the freedoms of our democracy.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
'Doing it Wrong' (Yes. Sex.)
This blog post from the New York Times had me laughing out loud. But part of it is serious.
The serious part is that while the average age for first time sexual experience is 17 on both sides of the Atlantic, how our human sexuality is handled is very different. That difference is more successful on the European side of 'the pond' by a variety of measurements than what we do here. In view of the recent election results which some believe mandate social and cultural conservatism, those numbers deserve a review here.
The serious part is that while the average age for first time sexual experience is 17 on both sides of the Atlantic, how our human sexuality is handled is very different. That difference is more successful on the European side of 'the pond' by a variety of measurements than what we do here. In view of the recent election results which some believe mandate social and cultural conservatism, those numbers deserve a review here.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Where There's Smoke.....There Is Smoking
Thanks to FindLaw.com for the idea for this post. If you follow the Slate.Slate.com link for this story, you will find an excellent interactive map of the United States showing how smoking habits vary by both age and geography. There has been an overall decline in smoking, attributed in part to smoking bans. However that decline leveled off in 2004; in response, the Federal government has proposed changes in the warning labelling and packaging of cigarettes.
I appreciate smoking bans. Having grown up in a household where both adults smoked, fairly heavily, I was surrounded by cigarette smoke. I developed allergies to cigarette smoke, and I am one of those individuals who cannot express how much relief there is in being able to enjoy retail establishments of all kinds without having to suffer from the smoke of others.
Smoking seems to define the essential conflict of competing rights in a microcosm that reflects other issues. There is the legal right of the smoker to enjoy a legal activity. But I have yet to see any smoker who was able to control the smoke he or she enjoys so that it is not an irritant, or worse, a health hazard, for others. If it is true that one person's right stops at the end of another person's nose, then clearly smoke does not stop short enough to avoid irritating my nasal sinuses. Nor does another person enjoying cigarette or cigar smoking stop short of making non-smokers' hair and clothing smell like an ash tray.
For all the screams about some people paying for the health care expenses of others, no individual has ever to my knowledge successfully paid out of pocket for health care costs related to smoking illnesses. We have all paid and will continue to pay; the only question at issue is how direct or indirectly. Smoking is a legal practice which to a high statistical degree has been shown to contribute to people becoming ill. It is voluntary air pollution for pleasure. An important issue is not only keeping safe the rights of smokers to enjoy their legal activity, but the question presents - would reversing the smoking ban, if only partially, send a mixed message, a public policy contradiction?
Our esteemed commenter and sometimes contributor, Dr. Michael Kirsch was kind enough to post something on this topic in an especially timely manner with the FindLaw post; his post this week is entitled "Can CAT Scans Prevent Lung Cancer? Smoke and Mirrors";
I appreciate smoking bans. Having grown up in a household where both adults smoked, fairly heavily, I was surrounded by cigarette smoke. I developed allergies to cigarette smoke, and I am one of those individuals who cannot express how much relief there is in being able to enjoy retail establishments of all kinds without having to suffer from the smoke of others.
Smoking seems to define the essential conflict of competing rights in a microcosm that reflects other issues. There is the legal right of the smoker to enjoy a legal activity. But I have yet to see any smoker who was able to control the smoke he or she enjoys so that it is not an irritant, or worse, a health hazard, for others. If it is true that one person's right stops at the end of another person's nose, then clearly smoke does not stop short enough to avoid irritating my nasal sinuses. Nor does another person enjoying cigarette or cigar smoking stop short of making non-smokers' hair and clothing smell like an ash tray.
For all the screams about some people paying for the health care expenses of others, no individual has ever to my knowledge successfully paid out of pocket for health care costs related to smoking illnesses. We have all paid and will continue to pay; the only question at issue is how direct or indirectly. Smoking is a legal practice which to a high statistical degree has been shown to contribute to people becoming ill. It is voluntary air pollution for pleasure. An important issue is not only keeping safe the rights of smokers to enjoy their legal activity, but the question presents - would reversing the smoking ban, if only partially, send a mixed message, a public policy contradiction?
Our esteemed commenter and sometimes contributor, Dr. Michael Kirsch was kind enough to post something on this topic in an especially timely manner with the FindLaw post; his post this week is entitled "Can CAT Scans Prevent Lung Cancer? Smoke and Mirrors";
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Factoids and Fact-turds
Back in the day, my high school debate coach was unhappy with our practice efforts and our debate research. We were sitting around after school, and he decided we needed to be given a speech.
In that off-the-cuff speech, accentuated with banging on the desk-top podium with his fist, he pointed out that we would never willingly put a turd in our mouths and swallow it, or shove one up our nose and inhale it. So, why the hell would we insert one into our eyes or ears accessing our brains, in the form of poorly researched information? He wasn't going to accept shit research from us, and we shouldn't accept it from anyone else.
In that off-the-cuff speech, accentuated with banging on the desk-top podium with his fist, he pointed out that we would never willingly put a turd in our mouths and swallow it, or shove one up our nose and inhale it. So, why the hell would we insert one into our eyes or ears accessing our brains, in the form of poorly researched information? He wasn't going to accept shit research from us, and we shouldn't accept it from anyone else.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Dear Keith Olbermann, What Part of the Recent Juan Williams Incident Did You NOT Understand?
Update - Keith Olbermann has returned to broadcasting on MSNBC.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few.”
Wendell Phillips
American Abolitionist and Orator
1811-1884
“I sometimes think that the price of liberty is not so much eternal vigilance as eternal dirt.”
(and)
"All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome."
Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell
English Journalist, and Author of 1984 and Animal Farm (among other works)
1903 -1950
“Burke said that there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate, more important far than they all.”
Thomas Carlyle quotes
Scottish Historian and Essayist,
1795-1881
Keith Olbermann has been suspended, indefinitely, without pay from his broadcasting duties on cable news network MSNBC. Olbermann made political donations to three democratic candidates in the recent election: Senate contender Jack Conway in Kentucky (who lost to Rand Paul), and Congressional candidates from Arizona Raul Grijalva (who won in a narrow election still contested, by some 6,300 votes) and Gabrielle Gifford (who as of this morning, 11/6, announced she won by a similarly contested election by some 3,000 votes).
Olbermann released this statement to Politico regarding his conduct:
MSNBC has a policy for its employees that permit donations to political candidates with prior approval. Mr. Olbermann did not seek or receive that approval before making those three legal donations. In contrast, morning news host Joe Scarborough donated to a Republican candidate in the 2006 election WITH prior approval; MSNBC was at the time under different management, but the policy has remained the same.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few.”
Wendell Phillips
American Abolitionist and Orator
1811-1884
“I sometimes think that the price of liberty is not so much eternal vigilance as eternal dirt.”
(and)
"All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome."
Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell
English Journalist, and Author of 1984 and Animal Farm (among other works)
1903 -1950
“Burke said that there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate, more important far than they all.”
Thomas Carlyle quotes
Scottish Historian and Essayist,
1795-1881
Keith Olbermann has been suspended, indefinitely, without pay from his broadcasting duties on cable news network MSNBC. Olbermann made political donations to three democratic candidates in the recent election: Senate contender Jack Conway in Kentucky (who lost to Rand Paul), and Congressional candidates from Arizona Raul Grijalva (who won in a narrow election still contested, by some 6,300 votes) and Gabrielle Gifford (who as of this morning, 11/6, announced she won by a similarly contested election by some 3,000 votes).
Olbermann released this statement to Politico regarding his conduct:
"One week ago, on the night of Thursday October 28 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the re-election campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky. I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level."
MSNBC has a policy for its employees that permit donations to political candidates with prior approval. Mr. Olbermann did not seek or receive that approval before making those three legal donations. In contrast, morning news host Joe Scarborough donated to a Republican candidate in the 2006 election WITH prior approval; MSNBC was at the time under different management, but the policy has remained the same.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
2010 Elections - Who Voted? What Did It Mean?
Republicans and Tea Partiers are claiming victory in the 2010 elections, believing erroneously that this was a condemnation of the policies of President Obama, and believing even more erroneously that this is some sort of approval of their proposals.
They couldn't be more wrong.
Why? Look at the demographics, not only of who voted, which made a huge difference, but also look at the exit polls.
They couldn't be more wrong.
Why? Look at the demographics, not only of who voted, which made a huge difference, but also look at the exit polls.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Bucking a Trend (and trying not to get kicked)
Last night Minnesota didn't follow the national trend. It re-elected and elected a straight Democratic slate at state-wide offices (Governer, SecState, Auditor, AG). This includes (seemingly, and by a narrow margin) the election of a Democratic Governor for the first time in 20 years. Mark Dayton holds about a 9200 vote lead, and barring a pretty unprecedented turn-around in a recount, is likely to hold that lead through the recount and be confirmed as Governor-Elect Dayton.
I didn't like Mark Dayton as a candidate, wasn't enamored of him as a Senator, but compared to the neo-con, slash and burn alternative offered by the Republicans (Tom Emmer), I guess I'm glad he won - ok, I'm really glad, we've had an obstructionist Governor (Tim Pawlenty) for eight years, and during that time the budget was a catastrophe. Pawlenty pushed debt off to future generations and future administrations, used shell-games to hide his debt, took advantage of inflation-based growth in revenue while holding flat (in real dollars) the outlays for programs which cared for the most vulnerable. He was a disaster as a Governor for the state's finances, and likely has no hope in his bid for the Presidency.
I didn't like Mark Dayton as a candidate, wasn't enamored of him as a Senator, but compared to the neo-con, slash and burn alternative offered by the Republicans (Tom Emmer), I guess I'm glad he won - ok, I'm really glad, we've had an obstructionist Governor (Tim Pawlenty) for eight years, and during that time the budget was a catastrophe. Pawlenty pushed debt off to future generations and future administrations, used shell-games to hide his debt, took advantage of inflation-based growth in revenue while holding flat (in real dollars) the outlays for programs which cared for the most vulnerable. He was a disaster as a Governor for the state's finances, and likely has no hope in his bid for the Presidency.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Don't Worry, We'll Do Nothing (REALLY!)
In what is likely to be a Republican landslide, the GOP is set to take-over control of the U.S. House of Representatives and probably draw to near parity in the U.S. Senate later today when election results are announced.
When Barack Obama took the Oath of Office a little more than a year and a half ago, the Republicans were terrified. Here was a President elected on a platform of potentially radical change, threatening to reign in the financial sector, manifestly remake health care, and to institute a movement toward renewable energy which would at the same time directly attack the death-grip the oil industry has on the US domestic energy markets. They hoped, at that time, to forestall Obama until the 2010 elections to hopefully then have the votes to keep Obama from moving ahead with his plans. As Rush Limbaugh, the most influential spokesman for the GOP famously said, "I hope you fail!" in one of his radio shows, the goal of the GOP was to delay and stall the Democrats, both to keep the changes they desired from being passed and to paint them as incompetent and incapable of getting anything done. Even though, Hank Paulsen said that without the bail-out and subsequent stimulus, unemployment would have topped 25% - that' s Hank Paulsen, a financial conservative and appointee to deal with collapse in the waining days of 2008.
When Barack Obama took the Oath of Office a little more than a year and a half ago, the Republicans were terrified. Here was a President elected on a platform of potentially radical change, threatening to reign in the financial sector, manifestly remake health care, and to institute a movement toward renewable energy which would at the same time directly attack the death-grip the oil industry has on the US domestic energy markets. They hoped, at that time, to forestall Obama until the 2010 elections to hopefully then have the votes to keep Obama from moving ahead with his plans. As Rush Limbaugh, the most influential spokesman for the GOP famously said, "I hope you fail!" in one of his radio shows, the goal of the GOP was to delay and stall the Democrats, both to keep the changes they desired from being passed and to paint them as incompetent and incapable of getting anything done. Even though, Hank Paulsen said that without the bail-out and subsequent stimulus, unemployment would have topped 25% - that' s Hank Paulsen, a financial conservative and appointee to deal with collapse in the waining days of 2008.
Vote. Just DO IT.
V O T E
It is our duty.It is our privilege.
When you vote - thank those who spend such long hours at our polling locations to make it possible, our election judges.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thank You, Gary Trudeau
This isn't new, but then neither is the chronic claim by Republicans about making spending cuts or smaller government - something they never, ever, actually do. I hope voters will not emulate another iconic cartoon character, Charlie Brown, attempting to kick the football in the cartoon strip Peanuts, perpetually disappointed. His results never change either - just like the Republicans never living up to their claims about cuts in spending.
Middle Class! Your attention please! The Republicans, and the Tea Partiers as they are now, ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS! Since the Obama administration took offices tax cuts for the middle class have gone into effect, more of the money earned by the majority is in your paycheck for you, not taken out as taxes. It was Republicans, so called conservatives (fiscal and otherwise) who passed legislation filled with unfunded mandates, avoidable wars not funded in the regular budget, and let us not forget the costly doughnut hole in medicare. Most of all, let us not elect representatives and senators who will accelerate the increasing gap between the 2% of the our population who are obscenely wealthy and eveveryone else, with more tax cuts for the wealthy which have never, ever been documented to increase job creation and which will drastically expand the deficit from the Bush administration years. Remember? Remember those tax rates that provided us a surplus instead of a deficit under Clinton? The wealthy were not suffering in the slightest with that rate of taxation, nor were the rest of us.
That last frame? The one that says "this isn't Greece"? It is not, at least - not yet, but part of the problem with Greece - beside the problems the U.S. helped cause financially - has been widespread corruption. WE, here in the U.S. have now dropped below the top 20 countries that are least corrupt (Canada, in comparison is 6th).
The 2010 Elections - and Halloween: the Bogeyman in the Politics of Fear
Halloween Trick or Treating ended on Sunday, but the terror of the bogeyman remains in the 2010 elections past October 31st, carrying over to November 2nd.
I spent part of the weekend volunteering for a candidate I support, making telephone calls from a political party office phone bank. This was not the first volunteering I had done this campaign, from helping with the writing of LTEs for people less confident in their writing to making phone calls to get out the vote. In the course of those phone calls, I've smiled-and-dialed hundreds of registered voters who voted in the 2008.
In the course of those conversations, I've referred many misinformed and dis informed potential voters of the resources of politifact.com and factcheck.org. Those who didn't have home internet access or internet expertise I referred to their public library reference librarians. Thank god, in most places the libraries haven't been privatized yet, and are still non-partisan. Politifact.com declared the loser in the 2010 elections appears to be truth,
I spent part of the weekend volunteering for a candidate I support, making telephone calls from a political party office phone bank. This was not the first volunteering I had done this campaign, from helping with the writing of LTEs for people less confident in their writing to making phone calls to get out the vote. In the course of those phone calls, I've smiled-and-dialed hundreds of registered voters who voted in the 2008.
In the course of those conversations, I've referred many misinformed and dis informed potential voters of the resources of politifact.com and factcheck.org. Those who didn't have home internet access or internet expertise I referred to their public library reference librarians. Thank god, in most places the libraries haven't been privatized yet, and are still non-partisan. Politifact.com declared the loser in the 2010 elections appears to be truth,
A (Probably Not) Final Word On Juan Williams
I work in the financial services sector. I have been advised by my employer that while I may have an expert opinion, offering that opinion without the prior approval of my employer, if I represent myself as being from my employer or speaking on behalf of my employer, is strictly prohibited. In fact, I've been advised doing so could imperil my employment if my comments would somehow purport to speak for the company without its approval or might even be seen to embarrass or otherwise compromise the company's stance on a topic.
Juan Williams, as a paid correspondent for NPR, undoubtedly has been given similar instructions about what the limits of his authority to speak as an NPR correspondent are. He presented himself on Fox News as an NPR correspondent, thereby speaking on behalf of NPR. Whether or not he intended to speak on their behalf when he made his now famous remark is not material.
He was identified as an NPR correspondent; that meant that he was presenting himself as affiliated with NPR and therefore his words could be reasonably seen as in part being reflective of the people at NPR. I strongly suspect Williams had been previously warned not to do so, further, I'm about 100% certain he had the same general warning all employees nowadays get, namely, don't speak for the company unless you have the company's approval to say what you say. Williams didn't.
If I had done what Williams had done, I'd have been fired for speaking without the approval of the company. What NPR did was no different and no different than something those on the right would have otherwise approved of. Williams isn't entitled to say anything he likes when he's a paid correspondent and presented as "from NPR", he's entitled to say what NPR has agreed with him he can say as speaking on their behalf, and nothing more. He violated (almost certainly) company policy, written warning and probably verbal warning - and for it he rightly deserved to lose his paycheck from NPR. Freedom of speech doesn't extend to your employment, if you think so, go tell your boss she or he is an idiot, or go tell a member of the opposite sex you think they've got a hot body, or go out on the street and tell company secrets or say your company thinks Muslims are scary. See what happens. Williams did the latter, whether you recognize it or not.
Juan Williams, as a paid correspondent for NPR, undoubtedly has been given similar instructions about what the limits of his authority to speak as an NPR correspondent are. He presented himself on Fox News as an NPR correspondent, thereby speaking on behalf of NPR. Whether or not he intended to speak on their behalf when he made his now famous remark is not material.
He was identified as an NPR correspondent; that meant that he was presenting himself as affiliated with NPR and therefore his words could be reasonably seen as in part being reflective of the people at NPR. I strongly suspect Williams had been previously warned not to do so, further, I'm about 100% certain he had the same general warning all employees nowadays get, namely, don't speak for the company unless you have the company's approval to say what you say. Williams didn't.
If I had done what Williams had done, I'd have been fired for speaking without the approval of the company. What NPR did was no different and no different than something those on the right would have otherwise approved of. Williams isn't entitled to say anything he likes when he's a paid correspondent and presented as "from NPR", he's entitled to say what NPR has agreed with him he can say as speaking on their behalf, and nothing more. He violated (almost certainly) company policy, written warning and probably verbal warning - and for it he rightly deserved to lose his paycheck from NPR. Freedom of speech doesn't extend to your employment, if you think so, go tell your boss she or he is an idiot, or go tell a member of the opposite sex you think they've got a hot body, or go out on the street and tell company secrets or say your company thinks Muslims are scary. See what happens. Williams did the latter, whether you recognize it or not.
Friday, October 29, 2010
On Behalf of Mark Ritchie
In the summer of 2006, I was invited to a fund-raiser at the Kaplan's (Sam and...), both big-time power-players in the Democratic Party in Minnesota. This was at the Kaplan's condominium in downtown Minneapolis near the river in a gentrified section of the old warehouse district. I had been invited as a guest to accompany a friend of mine who happens to know several prominent politicians in Minnesota. The fund-raiser was for Keith Ellison, the Democratic nominee for MN's 5th Congressional District. Given that the district nearly completely covers Minneapolis, Ellison was a virtual shoe-in, but it was still really cool to go to a swank party.
When I arrived, I got introduced to lots of folks intimately involved in party activities. Larry Pogemiller was there, as was R.T. Rybak (MN Senate Majority Leader and Mayor of Minneapolis, respectively). As well, and very much to my great pleasure, Walter Mondale was there. I even got five minutes of Vice President Mondale's undivided time. I was awestruck and humbled by his decency. When I criticized Norm Coleman personally, he drew me up short and said, "I think we can focus on Norm Coleman's public stance without needing to discuss his personal conduct." It was a very clear that Mondale prefers civil discourse and keeping things about policy. I had just seen this man read the Gettysburg address the preceding Sunday at Minnesota's Orchestra Hall. His reading was terrific, and here I was telling him how much I enjoyed it, and when I tried to engage in a discussion of my frustration with Coleman, a man who had personally disparaged him, he defended Coleman's right to privacy.
Another person I met, and spent much of the evening talking to, was a man named Mark Ritchie.
When I arrived, I got introduced to lots of folks intimately involved in party activities. Larry Pogemiller was there, as was R.T. Rybak (MN Senate Majority Leader and Mayor of Minneapolis, respectively). As well, and very much to my great pleasure, Walter Mondale was there. I even got five minutes of Vice President Mondale's undivided time. I was awestruck and humbled by his decency. When I criticized Norm Coleman personally, he drew me up short and said, "I think we can focus on Norm Coleman's public stance without needing to discuss his personal conduct." It was a very clear that Mondale prefers civil discourse and keeping things about policy. I had just seen this man read the Gettysburg address the preceding Sunday at Minnesota's Orchestra Hall. His reading was terrific, and here I was telling him how much I enjoyed it, and when I tried to engage in a discussion of my frustration with Coleman, a man who had personally disparaged him, he defended Coleman's right to privacy.
Another person I met, and spent much of the evening talking to, was a man named Mark Ritchie.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Father's Little Dividend, Part VI: Fear and Assumptions
"Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery,
author, "The Little Prince", 1943
(1900 - 1944),
"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five."
(and)
"My mother loved children -- she would have given anything if I had been one."
Groucho Marx
(1890 - 1977)
My godmother who is also my aunt, has told me over the years that I was a fearless child, and that I was even fearless as an infant. By fearless, she said that I was not afraid of things that adults expected to frighten me. I did not flinch or cry at sudden loud noises, for example at a few months old; instead I would look for the source, out of curiosity; sometimes I would even laugh.
So perhaps there is some genetic component, rather than purely a choice of character, that underlies my difference of opinion, and my approach to fear. I DO recall on more than one occasion expressing a certain exasperation to my parents when something I had done upset them, asserting, "Daaaaaaaaad, I'm brave. I'm NOT stupid." I did many things, especially with animals (my parents had no rapport whatsoever with animals) that gave them rip roaring fits of fear, sometimes full-blown panic for my safety. The other areas besides my interactions with animals which gave my parents pause (read near heart attack) were my curiosity about other people, especially people different than those I was accustomed to being around, and challenges to my physical skills and endurance. Wherever we were, but especially when traveling, my parents never knew when they would turn around to find me having wandered off to speak with someone who intrigued me. Sometimes the people who intrigued me upset my parents. By 'sometimes' I mean often.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery,
author, "The Little Prince", 1943
(1900 - 1944),
"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five."
(and)
"My mother loved children -- she would have given anything if I had been one."
Groucho Marx
(1890 - 1977)
My godmother who is also my aunt, has told me over the years that I was a fearless child, and that I was even fearless as an infant. By fearless, she said that I was not afraid of things that adults expected to frighten me. I did not flinch or cry at sudden loud noises, for example at a few months old; instead I would look for the source, out of curiosity; sometimes I would even laugh.
So perhaps there is some genetic component, rather than purely a choice of character, that underlies my difference of opinion, and my approach to fear. I DO recall on more than one occasion expressing a certain exasperation to my parents when something I had done upset them, asserting, "Daaaaaaaaad, I'm brave. I'm NOT stupid." I did many things, especially with animals (my parents had no rapport whatsoever with animals) that gave them rip roaring fits of fear, sometimes full-blown panic for my safety. The other areas besides my interactions with animals which gave my parents pause (read near heart attack) were my curiosity about other people, especially people different than those I was accustomed to being around, and challenges to my physical skills and endurance. Wherever we were, but especially when traveling, my parents never knew when they would turn around to find me having wandered off to speak with someone who intrigued me. Sometimes the people who intrigued me upset my parents. By 'sometimes' I mean often.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Cincinnati Sr. High School Accused of Bribing Students Voting with Ice Cream? Left or Right, Wrong is Wrong.
UPDATE: I always like to check out the most local sources I can find when fact checking a news story. While any news outlet can get details wrong, they tend overall to be more reliable than partisan sources (you know - like the version of these events that is being promoted by Fox-Not-the-News).
So here are answers to at least a few of my earlier questions. There were only 'several' students involved, riding on one bus of the three buses/ church vans transporting other members of the community to a polling location, per television station WCPO channel 9's news coverage of the event. Students who are old enough at this Cincinnati High School are encouraged every year to register to vote at local polling places - no one was actually voting that I can confirm - as part of their Government Course. The official school statement by their lawyer is:
So here are answers to at least a few of my earlier questions. There were only 'several' students involved, riding on one bus of the three buses/ church vans transporting other members of the community to a polling location, per television station WCPO channel 9's news coverage of the event. Students who are old enough at this Cincinnati High School are encouraged every year to register to vote at local polling places - no one was actually voting that I can confirm - as part of their Government Course. The official school statement by their lawyer is:
"The lawsuit was filed less than seven hours ago and we are still investigating the allegations. CPS has long encouraged its students as part of its Government Course curricula to register to vote and to vote. CPS does not endorse candidates or political parties. Some years when the funds can be found CPS has arranged the transportation of students to the Board of Elections for early voting by finding sponsors for bus tokens for student transportation. This year, our bus token sponsor could not find any money in the budget. A group volunteered church vans to drive some students and we accepted the offer. No CPS personnel engaged in the promotion of candidates or any political party.This version of events is distinctly different - and I would add more plausible - than the Fox News, Hugh Hewitt broadcasts, or the Shot-in-the-dark.info blog post where I first learned of this alleged incident. While the government course encourages students to register to vote. It is not clear if this activity was actually PART of the class (which seems doubtful for only several students) or if it was something those students chose to do on their own time such as lunch or study hall. Given that there were three buses full of other community members being transported, it would also seem more plausible by way of explanation that the several students (so far, appears to be three of them) simply were included as a courtesy in being provided ice cream as part of some sort of outing for the other participants of the church van trip. It does not appear to be some sort of bribe to vote Democratic after all.
Juan Williams and Rick Sanchez, Adios, and Good Riddance
On September 30th, Rick Sanchez, formerly a news commenter on CNN, made an offensive outburst in which he called comedian / pundit Jon Stewart, who is Jewish, a bigot, and made anti-Semitic statements about Jews generally in the media industry.
This week Juan Williams was fired from NPR, for having made offensive statements about Muslims and fear.
This week Juan Williams was fired from NPR, for having made offensive statements about Muslims and fear.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Right Claims the Democrats Are Trying to Steal Elections, Again
UPDATE: As of today, 10/22, six felons have been charged in Hennepin county with voter fraud. That goes with the 9 or 10 in St. Paul, MN for a total of 16 -- which IS an unusually high number, for this kind of crime, but not enough in anyone's wildest imaginations to sway the outcome of an election.
I can't wait for further details to unfold, particularly any details which suggest they were persuaded to vote illegally by Democrats, or if they were offered any sort of inducements to vote illegally (by Democrats) or even any statement which might, in the course of the trials, indicate what party they voted for illegally in 2008. You know - those details which are essential to the so-far unsupported accusations of voter fraud to steal elections by Democrats that are so casually being tossed around by the right.
________________________
The right has made the utterly false, misleading and demeaning claim about Democrats stealing elections for years now. Repetition of the lie by moral panic profiteers has not made it any more true. These accusations undermine the validity and legitimacy of our election system. They smear our form of government for political gain by one side of the political spectrum - that is shameful.
I can't wait for further details to unfold, particularly any details which suggest they were persuaded to vote illegally by Democrats, or if they were offered any sort of inducements to vote illegally (by Democrats) or even any statement which might, in the course of the trials, indicate what party they voted for illegally in 2008. You know - those details which are essential to the so-far unsupported accusations of voter fraud to steal elections by Democrats that are so casually being tossed around by the right.
________________________
The right has made the utterly false, misleading and demeaning claim about Democrats stealing elections for years now. Repetition of the lie by moral panic profiteers has not made it any more true. These accusations undermine the validity and legitimacy of our election system. They smear our form of government for political gain by one side of the political spectrum - that is shameful.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Christine O'Donnell, Stephen Colbert, and Homer Simpson - what do they have in common?
The first is a very funny cartoon, the second is a very funny comedian, and the third is Senatorial candidate who is a laughingstock - the subject, the source, of many very funny jokes.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Dear Tom Emmer, It Simply Hasn't Worked
Tom Emmer, Republican candidate for Governor in Minnesota, is now running advertisements about how he'll "attract jobs to Minnesota by lowering taxes" and that "he's the only one with a plan to balance the budget and the only one who won't raise taxes, but he'll be sure priorities like our schools are fully funded."
Sounds great, sounds painless, after all, more jobs, lower tax bills, better funded schools that aren't cutting teachers (either pay or numbers). Yep, sounds terrific - no pain except...
Tom Emmer seems to have not lived in Minnesota in the past 8 years.
Sounds great, sounds painless, after all, more jobs, lower tax bills, better funded schools that aren't cutting teachers (either pay or numbers). Yep, sounds terrific - no pain except...
Tom Emmer seems to have not lived in Minnesota in the past 8 years.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sanity, Not Hannity: The Jon Stewart Rally and the Press
My friend Sara, who frequently gives me some of the best ideas for posts here on Penigma, brought an Upshot story to my attention from the Yahoo News blog Upshot, "News outlets caution staffers about Stewart-Colbert events", by Michael Calderone.
Serious news organizations, like National Public Radio, NBC News, the Washington Post, and the New York Times have policies about neutrality by their staff. An example is the WaPo memo to their newsroom managers, quoted in the Calderone piece:
Serious news organizations, like National Public Radio, NBC News, the Washington Post, and the New York Times have policies about neutrality by their staff. An example is the WaPo memo to their newsroom managers, quoted in the Calderone piece:
"Events, like those organized by Glenn Beck or involving Jon Stewart and Steven [sic] Colbert, are political, and therefore Post newsroom employees may not participate. By participate, we mean that Post newsroom employees cannot in any way put themselves in a position that could be construed as supporting (or opposing) that cause. That means no T-shirts, buttons, marching, chanting, etc. This guideline does not prohibit Post newsroom employees from observing — that is, watching and listening from the sidelines. The important thing is that it should be evident to anyone that you are observing, as journalists do, not participating, whether you are covering the event or not."The article mentions this obviously applying to recent rallies - Beck's evangelical political rally on the date and site of the Martin Luther King event in August, and the progressive "One Nation" rally featuring MSNBC host Ed Shultz among the roster of other speakers.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
TPaw, Obamacare Litigation, Crickets? Where are you now, Governor Pawlenty?
Update: On Thursday, October 14th, federal Judge Roger Vinson greenlighted the challenge to the Health Care Reform legislation which was signed into law last spring to go forward to trial. Florida had been selected for the filing by the group of filing parties as being more likely to give a favorable ruling. A similar challenge was thrown out by a federal judge in Michigan last week, Judge Caram Steeh ruling in Detroit.
Now that the constitutional challenge is definitely going forward, it is even more appropriate than ever to ask Governor Pawlenty if he is going to follow through on his media-slut appearances last spring, much of it contributing to fund raising. This becomes a more interesting question in view of Pawlenty's interest in being a presidential candidate in 2012, in the midst of that position declining in popularfity by all but the more ultra-conservative base.
A cynical person, like myself, wonders if this is because it is no longer expedient for Palwenty to try to profit from this particular 'Moral Panic'. If that is the case, then it is all the more entertaining to press the question, what is TPaw going to do about his much promoted health care legal challenge? Tick tock tick tock tick tock.....
_________
Last spring, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was all over the media, especially Fox News, making boastful claims that he was going to sue on behalf of Minnesota, that he was joining the legal challenge by 20 other states to the Health Care Reform Legislation.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, said "Whoa!" and "NO!" She is the only constitutionally designated, elected, legal member of Minnesota State government who could make that decision ---- and she supported the health care reform.
Now that the constitutional challenge is definitely going forward, it is even more appropriate than ever to ask Governor Pawlenty if he is going to follow through on his media-slut appearances last spring, much of it contributing to fund raising. This becomes a more interesting question in view of Pawlenty's interest in being a presidential candidate in 2012, in the midst of that position declining in popularfity by all but the more ultra-conservative base.
A cynical person, like myself, wonders if this is because it is no longer expedient for Palwenty to try to profit from this particular 'Moral Panic'. If that is the case, then it is all the more entertaining to press the question, what is TPaw going to do about his much promoted health care legal challenge? Tick tock tick tock tick tock.....
_________
Last spring, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was all over the media, especially Fox News, making boastful claims that he was going to sue on behalf of Minnesota, that he was joining the legal challenge by 20 other states to the Health Care Reform Legislation.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, said "Whoa!" and "NO!" She is the only constitutionally designated, elected, legal member of Minnesota State government who could make that decision ---- and she supported the health care reform.
He's A NERD, Not a Nazi, Damn It! In Defense of Rich Iott's Historic Reenactment Hobby
UPDATE: Criticism of candidate Iott has continued, most recently with Glenn Beck being designated as Keith Olbermann's 'worst person' for supporting Richard Iott's choice of hobby.
There has been far too fast and loose Nazi name calling; in this campaign, and regarding previous politicl figures. Sadly, far too few of the name callers seem to be conversant with WW II history; they don't actually know very much other than Hitler equates to generic 'bad', and is vaguely despotic.
I give credit to Iott for taking a hard look at who the Nazis really were, actual individual people, not simply relying on vague and largely erroneous notions about Nazis and Hitler that appears to be the case with those most recently carrying Tea Party signs portraying Obama as Hitler. It was equally wrong to portray other American political figures as Hitler.
Why believe that the choices of individuals who were grouped under the heading of being Nazis is more nuanced, more complex, more appropriately a subject for closer scrutiny and study?
The best example I can offer is the current Pope. John Ratzinger was conscripted into the Hitler Youth movement when he was 14. He was technically a Nazi; when he was older, he was in the anti-aircraft Luftwaffenhelfer corps. He was a real Nazi, not a pretend Nazi. I doubt that anyone reasonably believes that he embraced the Nazi cause, at any time. Particularly in view of his cousin with Down's Syndrome having been taken by the Nazis, and killed, as part of the Nazi eugenics program.
Many of those who did at one time embrace and support Hitler changed their allegiance. I would remind readers that there was a conspiracy of Hitler's generals to assassinate him, at great personal risk. They were Nazis too. To fail to understand and acknowledge the strengths of the opposition, the instances of courage, or even gallantry, simply because those others are the opposition is stupid, small minded, and ignorant of the reality of history. Likewise, anyone who refuses to acknowledge what we did on the allies side that was less than wonderful is failing to understand history. I applaud Iott's interest in complexities, and the realities of WW II history, instead of stupid oversimplification.
For people to continue to try to extrapolate an interest, a curiosity, about this era of world history is wrong. Just plain wrong, the worst kind of well-meaning ignorant wrong that has, unfortunately, so characterized the entire 2010 election cycle.
___________________________
Candidate for Congress in Ohio Richard Iott is being badly treated by the left for having participated in the very legitimate history reenactment hobby. To play the role of one of the participants in this era of history does not automatically equate to supporting what those participants did. There is not necessarily any identification with their politics, there is not necessarily any support or approval of their actions by the participating reenacters, aka re-creators.
Possibly the very worst example of the ignorant statements that have been made - so far (they could get worse) - has been Chris Matthews on his MSNBC cable show Hardball. Matthews asked if dressing up in WWII Nazi Germany clothing was some kind of homoerotic behavior,wondering if it involved 'dancing around'. Ed Shultz,on the same network, claimed this was a 'big deal' to some Americans.
It shouldn't be.
There has been far too fast and loose Nazi name calling; in this campaign, and regarding previous politicl figures. Sadly, far too few of the name callers seem to be conversant with WW II history; they don't actually know very much other than Hitler equates to generic 'bad', and is vaguely despotic.
I give credit to Iott for taking a hard look at who the Nazis really were, actual individual people, not simply relying on vague and largely erroneous notions about Nazis and Hitler that appears to be the case with those most recently carrying Tea Party signs portraying Obama as Hitler. It was equally wrong to portray other American political figures as Hitler.
Why believe that the choices of individuals who were grouped under the heading of being Nazis is more nuanced, more complex, more appropriately a subject for closer scrutiny and study?
The best example I can offer is the current Pope. John Ratzinger was conscripted into the Hitler Youth movement when he was 14. He was technically a Nazi; when he was older, he was in the anti-aircraft Luftwaffenhelfer corps. He was a real Nazi, not a pretend Nazi. I doubt that anyone reasonably believes that he embraced the Nazi cause, at any time. Particularly in view of his cousin with Down's Syndrome having been taken by the Nazis, and killed, as part of the Nazi eugenics program.
Many of those who did at one time embrace and support Hitler changed their allegiance. I would remind readers that there was a conspiracy of Hitler's generals to assassinate him, at great personal risk. They were Nazis too. To fail to understand and acknowledge the strengths of the opposition, the instances of courage, or even gallantry, simply because those others are the opposition is stupid, small minded, and ignorant of the reality of history. Likewise, anyone who refuses to acknowledge what we did on the allies side that was less than wonderful is failing to understand history. I applaud Iott's interest in complexities, and the realities of WW II history, instead of stupid oversimplification.
For people to continue to try to extrapolate an interest, a curiosity, about this era of world history is wrong. Just plain wrong, the worst kind of well-meaning ignorant wrong that has, unfortunately, so characterized the entire 2010 election cycle.
___________________________
Candidate for Congress in Ohio Richard Iott is being badly treated by the left for having participated in the very legitimate history reenactment hobby. To play the role of one of the participants in this era of history does not automatically equate to supporting what those participants did. There is not necessarily any identification with their politics, there is not necessarily any support or approval of their actions by the participating reenacters, aka re-creators.
Possibly the very worst example of the ignorant statements that have been made - so far (they could get worse) - has been Chris Matthews on his MSNBC cable show Hardball. Matthews asked if dressing up in WWII Nazi Germany clothing was some kind of homoerotic behavior,wondering if it involved 'dancing around'. Ed Shultz,on the same network, claimed this was a 'big deal' to some Americans.
It shouldn't be.
Because Sometimes Fact IS Stranger Than Fiction, and Sadly Sometimes Fact is Missing from the Resulting Discussions
The September 2, 2010 edition of Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the United States Armed Forces, carried one of the strangest true stories I have ever read, written by Travis J. Tritten, from the Sasebo Naval Base in Japan.
I'm an avid fan of history, all periods and places. So, I have at least a passing familiarity with World War II history in the Pacific. In World War II, the Japanese captured and occupied the island of Guam, along with many other islands in that part of the Pacific. Prior to the fighting on Guam to end the Japanese occupation, the island was subjected to a tremendous naval bombardment. For nearly two weeks before the land battle, the navy shelled the island; nearly every building was destroyed. To give you an idea of how intense the jungle warfare was in World War II, before this story, I thought the account - which I remember from the time - of WWII Japanese Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi finally surrendering in 1972, all those years after the war was over for everyone else, was the strangest military story that could come out of Guam.
Fast forward from July, 1944 to September 2010. Guam has not only rebuilt, it is an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, with a representative to Congress (who cannot vote - currently, a Democrat); they cannot vote in Presidential elections, and they have no electoral votes either. The biggest single segment of their economy is the tourist industry, ironically mostly Japanese. The second largest component of the economy is the U.S. military, which takes up almost a third of the island of Guam.
The military population will grow even more between 2010 and 2015, when U.S. forces leave Japan, moving to Guam.
With that background, imagine my surprise at finding there was another more recent military bombardment of Guam, by our navy, reported widely..........a bombardment of dead rodents instead of shells, rodents 'weaponized' with acetaminophen as deadly ammo. The invaders this time have been nocturnal arboreal venomous snakes, instead of soldiers.
I'm an avid fan of history, all periods and places. So, I have at least a passing familiarity with World War II history in the Pacific. In World War II, the Japanese captured and occupied the island of Guam, along with many other islands in that part of the Pacific. Prior to the fighting on Guam to end the Japanese occupation, the island was subjected to a tremendous naval bombardment. For nearly two weeks before the land battle, the navy shelled the island; nearly every building was destroyed. To give you an idea of how intense the jungle warfare was in World War II, before this story, I thought the account - which I remember from the time - of WWII Japanese Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi finally surrendering in 1972, all those years after the war was over for everyone else, was the strangest military story that could come out of Guam.
Fast forward from July, 1944 to September 2010. Guam has not only rebuilt, it is an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, with a representative to Congress (who cannot vote - currently, a Democrat); they cannot vote in Presidential elections, and they have no electoral votes either. The biggest single segment of their economy is the tourist industry, ironically mostly Japanese. The second largest component of the economy is the U.S. military, which takes up almost a third of the island of Guam.
The military population will grow even more between 2010 and 2015, when U.S. forces leave Japan, moving to Guam.
With that background, imagine my surprise at finding there was another more recent military bombardment of Guam, by our navy, reported widely..........a bombardment of dead rodents instead of shells, rodents 'weaponized' with acetaminophen as deadly ammo. The invaders this time have been nocturnal arboreal venomous snakes, instead of soldiers.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Left or Right, Wrong is Still Wrong - Fact Checking Foreign Money
UPDATED 10/12/2010
A lot of fuss on the left is being made over the Chamber of Commerce and foreign money. Wrong is wrong. There is the kind of misleading representation of facts here that I objected to when right-winger politicos like Bachmann and Pawlenty (and of course, Fox Not-News) tried to represent Democrats as felons committing voter fraud stealing elections.
Let me be clear here. I don't like the big money being dumped into elections. Individuals have limits on donations, and most ordinary people who make up the majority of the voting-eligible in this country do not have the nearly unlimited funds that the wealthy few possess. After the Citizens United decision, Corporations don't have those limitations that apply to individuals, and they have much more money to make any donations to influence the outcome of elections than individuals. The result is that the wealthy, and corporations, unions, and special interest groups have a louder voice than individuals. That louder voice is a voice heard far more often than the ordinary individual,in the form of repeated advert messaging.
So, while I am standing up here for the Chamber of Commerce getting an unfair deal from the Democrat's campaign attention, I still don't like their spending, or any spending like it, from either side. There is enough influence peddled by big money -- ALL big money -- through lobbying and other means. Worse, far too often that influence is used to spread misinformation and disinformation to voters to achieve that influence. We need transparency, we need full disclosure, we need limits to big money - ALL big money.
A lot of fuss on the left is being made over the Chamber of Commerce and foreign money. Wrong is wrong. There is the kind of misleading representation of facts here that I objected to when right-winger politicos like Bachmann and Pawlenty (and of course, Fox Not-News) tried to represent Democrats as felons committing voter fraud stealing elections.
Let me be clear here. I don't like the big money being dumped into elections. Individuals have limits on donations, and most ordinary people who make up the majority of the voting-eligible in this country do not have the nearly unlimited funds that the wealthy few possess. After the Citizens United decision, Corporations don't have those limitations that apply to individuals, and they have much more money to make any donations to influence the outcome of elections than individuals. The result is that the wealthy, and corporations, unions, and special interest groups have a louder voice than individuals. That louder voice is a voice heard far more often than the ordinary individual,in the form of repeated advert messaging.
So, while I am standing up here for the Chamber of Commerce getting an unfair deal from the Democrat's campaign attention, I still don't like their spending, or any spending like it, from either side. There is enough influence peddled by big money -- ALL big money -- through lobbying and other means. Worse, far too often that influence is used to spread misinformation and disinformation to voters to achieve that influence. We need transparency, we need full disclosure, we need limits to big money - ALL big money.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Coming Out, Out, Out, Wherever They Are
UPDATE: GOP Candidate for Governor of New York, Carl Paladino, who's homophobic statements are linked below, and who did multiple television appearances after making them, took an intransigent position to criticism. Now, he has flip-flopped, appearing to change his previous adamant position against the LGBT community.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Instant Karma!, Happy Birthday, John Lennon
Prompted by my colleague Pen, from a chat about John Lennon, the forces which shape us as children and young adults into who we become when we are grown up, and........memory for song lyrics, I'm posting the lyrics here to Instant Karma. As background context, was a discussion about the rights and wrongs of the Cranick's fire.
So, rather than bloviate here, John Lennon himself said and sang it better, about who we are, about karma 'knocking us on the head, knocking us off our feet", about "recognizing our brothers" and "why are we here", and what we do about pain and fear. Happy birthday, John Lennon. Your words and music live on.
So, rather than bloviate here, John Lennon himself said and sang it better, about who we are, about karma 'knocking us on the head, knocking us off our feet", about "recognizing our brothers" and "why are we here", and what we do about pain and fear. Happy birthday, John Lennon. Your words and music live on.
UNAmerican Tea Party Candidates for Office Who Don't Support or Approve of Our Constitution
I came across this article on AOL news this morning, over my first cup of coffee for the day:
"8 Candidates Who Want to Amend the Constitution", by writer David Knowles, AOL News Surge Desk.
The provocative first sentence particularly caught my attention, along with photos of Tea Party candidates I recognized, Sharron Angle, Joe Miller, and Rand Paul.
"Does the U.S. Constitution grant Americans citizens too many rights?"
"8 Candidates Who Want to Amend the Constitution", by writer David Knowles, AOL News Surge Desk.
The provocative first sentence particularly caught my attention, along with photos of Tea Party candidates I recognized, Sharron Angle, Joe Miller, and Rand Paul.
"Does the U.S. Constitution grant Americans citizens too many rights?"
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Om Mane Padme HohhhhhmMMMy-Gosh
A friend spends some of her lunch break each day perusing the internet for diversion from life in 'Corporate America'. She kindly shares some of the more amusing cyber-nuggets with me.
Today's bit-o-gold and glitter shared from the internet was about yoga images on parking tickets as a soothing exercise in public art.
Today's bit-o-gold and glitter shared from the internet was about yoga images on parking tickets as a soothing exercise in public art.
BLEEP My Dad Says
There is a new television show starring William Shatner titled "$#@! My Dad Says." As you might expect, it is a show about the tensions and situations between a Dad (Shatner) and his sons. I watched one episode. It was not nearly as clever as the last Shatner vehicle, "Boston Legal".
It brings back memories of my upbringing. My father is an impeccably honest and decent man. I've had my rocky times with him; he is like Shatner, he says things which are harsh and critical, but meant to teach, said always in love. He is very bright, and has made a number of observations which I carry to this day that I've heard no where else. One he made a long time ago, I still use as an ethical yardstick.:
The difference between a true conservative and others is that when asked for food (or money for food) by a starving man, if the conservative feels the man could otherwise work, they will say "no."
It brings back memories of my upbringing. My father is an impeccably honest and decent man. I've had my rocky times with him; he is like Shatner, he says things which are harsh and critical, but meant to teach, said always in love. He is very bright, and has made a number of observations which I carry to this day that I've heard no where else. One he made a long time ago, I still use as an ethical yardstick.:
The difference between a true conservative and others is that when asked for food (or money for food) by a starving man, if the conservative feels the man could otherwise work, they will say "no."
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Gene Cranick's Home Burned: Why Margaret Thatcher and the Political Right Are Wrong
"There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families." - Margaret Thatcher
"Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we've put it in an impossible situation." - Margaret Mead
"We make our own criminals, and their crimes are congruent with the national culture we all share. It has been said that a people get the kind of political leadership they deserve. I think they also get the kinds of crime and criminals they themselves bring into being." - Margaret Mead
In Tennessee recently, Gene Cranick's home burned to the ground, while fully equipped firefighters stood by their fire trucks and hoses watching, doing nothing to stop the fire. The 'left wing media', like MSNBC's contributor Chris Hayes, Washington editor of The Nation, questioned on the 10/5/'10 edition of Keith Olbermann's Countdown if those firefighters would have stood by and done nothing if there were potential loss of life involved, not just property. That poses a very good question about the philosophy of government, and its proper relationship to individuals.
"Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we've put it in an impossible situation." - Margaret Mead
"We make our own criminals, and their crimes are congruent with the national culture we all share. It has been said that a people get the kind of political leadership they deserve. I think they also get the kinds of crime and criminals they themselves bring into being." - Margaret Mead
In Tennessee recently, Gene Cranick's home burned to the ground, while fully equipped firefighters stood by their fire trucks and hoses watching, doing nothing to stop the fire. The 'left wing media', like MSNBC's contributor Chris Hayes, Washington editor of The Nation, questioned on the 10/5/'10 edition of Keith Olbermann's Countdown if those firefighters would have stood by and done nothing if there were potential loss of life involved, not just property. That poses a very good question about the philosophy of government, and its proper relationship to individuals.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Zealous Ignorance, Part II: Nut Leroy Gingrich, Update - 10/5/2010
The family values hypocrite Newt Gingrich is coming to Minnesota, along with some of the other 2012 presidential wannabees, to encourage and rouse the base for the 2010 elections, including family values claiming candidate for the GOP, Tom Emmer. I would think that Emmer would be embarrassed to have Gingrich next to him, given his past -- and present.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
We Need Scott Paul, NOT Rand Paul
Many of our readers are probably wondering.....who the heck is Scott Paul? Is he running for something in the 2010 elections? No, although he ran for the Indiana General Assembly, way back in1992.
Scott Paul is a former intern with Republican Senator Richard Lugar, an adviser to former House Democratic Whip, Congressman Bonier; he was a staffer for two other Democratic congressmen. He is a former labor lobbyist, and is more recently (2007) the founder and executive director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. He is a widely published author, and has provided his expertise on the manufacturing sector of our economy in numerous media interviews, and has testified regarding it before Congressional committees. I believe it would be accurate for me to characterize Scott Paul as an advocate for American Manufacturing and for American jobs.
Scott Paul is a former intern with Republican Senator Richard Lugar, an adviser to former House Democratic Whip, Congressman Bonier; he was a staffer for two other Democratic congressmen. He is a former labor lobbyist, and is more recently (2007) the founder and executive director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. He is a widely published author, and has provided his expertise on the manufacturing sector of our economy in numerous media interviews, and has testified regarding it before Congressional committees. I believe it would be accurate for me to characterize Scott Paul as an advocate for American Manufacturing and for American jobs.
Tea Party Hot, Tea Party Cold? How much does it really matter?
Has the Tea Party peaked, and begun to decline into oblivion, or at least, history?
Polls and pundits have stressed the enthusiasm factor in who will win in the 2010 elections on November 2nd. Some indicators suggest to the media the conservative political movement may be losing steam. For example, the Tea Party Nation's Las Vegas convention, previously rescheduled for lack of attendance was recently cancelled due to lack of interest, just a short time before the event. The New York Times quotes an email from Barbara Kinnison, one of the event activists in Las Vegas, asserting that other large Tea Party events were declining in both attendance and donations. You can read more here.
Polls and pundits have stressed the enthusiasm factor in who will win in the 2010 elections on November 2nd. Some indicators suggest to the media the conservative political movement may be losing steam. For example, the Tea Party Nation's Las Vegas convention, previously rescheduled for lack of attendance was recently cancelled due to lack of interest, just a short time before the event. The New York Times quotes an email from Barbara Kinnison, one of the event activists in Las Vegas, asserting that other large Tea Party events were declining in both attendance and donations. You can read more here.
Friday, October 1, 2010
PACman Karl Roves Everywhere But Near the Truth in Political Ads, per factcheck.org
Max Baucus, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, requested this week that the IRS do a full investigation into Karl Rove's "Crossroads" PAC for improperly using their tax-exempt status to manipulate elections, along with other corporate 'front' not for profits.
So, it is no surprise that in my daily email there was another update from one of my favorite genuinely non-partisan organizations, factcheck.org.
Conservative 'super PAC' makes false and misleading claims in a blizzard of ads.
October 1, 2010
Summary
The latest ads from the American Crossroads “super PAC” attack Democrats running for Senate seats in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Nevada, Missouri and New Hampshire.
The ads contain a number of misleading and false claims.
So, it is no surprise that in my daily email there was another update from one of my favorite genuinely non-partisan organizations, factcheck.org.
______________________________
Crossroads Jam-UpConservative 'super PAC' makes false and misleading claims in a blizzard of ads.
October 1, 2010
Summary
The latest ads from the American Crossroads “super PAC” attack Democrats running for Senate seats in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Nevada, Missouri and New Hampshire.
The ads contain a number of misleading and false claims.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Moral Panic, and the Right's Culture Wars
Moral Panic is a term used in sociology, coined by Stanley Cohen and Jock Young back in the early 1970s. I'm going to be really lazy here and deviate from my usual research, and just give you the definition from wikipedia.org. Their article on moral panic is a pretty good one, and tracks with what I know from other sources. The wikipedia article opens with a definition of moral panic that sums it up nicely:
Moral panic, in sociology lingo, occurs per Cohen, when a
"A moral panic is the intensity of feeling
expressed in a population about an issue that
appears to threaten the social order."
expressed in a population about an issue that
appears to threaten the social order."
Moral panic, in sociology lingo, occurs per Cohen, when a
"condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges
to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests."
to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests."
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Christine O'Donnell, or a Telletubby- Which would be the better candidate?
Teletubbies are cute, and genuinely pure, and best of all, they don't say as many stupid things.
The political right has a fascination with telegenic candidates, apparently giving their physical appearance greater importance than their other qualifications, or lack of them.
The candidates' ignorance, and their stupidity, and their lack of the intellectual curiosity to research information prior to speaking, are appalling. An example would be Christine O'Donnell, who recently happily, mindlessly babbled criticism that President Obama had violated the U.S. Constitution by granting titles of nobility to the various administration Czars.
Never mind that Czar is a quasi-slang term for advisers, most often used by the press, but sometimes used by political figures, dating back to the 1930's and 1940's in the Roosevelt administration.
O'Donnell, who has delusions about being a legitimate contender for the Senate, representing Delaware, is apparently unaware that the term Czar is not used in the context of an actual patent of nobility. I am amazed that O'Donnell hasn't criticized Obama for creating RUSSIAN nobility, rather than good old fashioned AMERICAN nobility.
The political right has a fascination with telegenic candidates, apparently giving their physical appearance greater importance than their other qualifications, or lack of them.
The candidates' ignorance, and their stupidity, and their lack of the intellectual curiosity to research information prior to speaking, are appalling. An example would be Christine O'Donnell, who recently happily, mindlessly babbled criticism that President Obama had violated the U.S. Constitution by granting titles of nobility to the various administration Czars.
Never mind that Czar is a quasi-slang term for advisers, most often used by the press, but sometimes used by political figures, dating back to the 1930's and 1940's in the Roosevelt administration.
O'Donnell, who has delusions about being a legitimate contender for the Senate, representing Delaware, is apparently unaware that the term Czar is not used in the context of an actual patent of nobility. I am amazed that O'Donnell hasn't criticized Obama for creating RUSSIAN nobility, rather than good old fashioned AMERICAN nobility.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Land of Nod
The Land of Nod is the land Cain (biblical guy, kills his brother) settled in and is east of Eden. It is also often referred to as that land of dreams, e.g. as we "nod" off to sleep.
It's the land where I go when I want to live in a fantasy world. It is where my mind wanders, my farcifal spirit walks, when I want to consider what the world could be like, good and bad, if we did silly things.
Last week, the Mayor of Enoch, in the Land of Nod, suggested we vote on whether left-handed people are allowed to breathe. After all, if they breathe, the rest of us likely will have less air in the Land of Nod, where air might possibly run out some day. And the Governor of the Land of Nod, well he last week had us vote on whether children should be allowed to grow, because after all, if they grow, their parents will be denied the right to keep their cuteness for as long as they want. Finally, the Dinosaurs are roaming around the "Big Dig" in the Land of Nod, looking for people to scare (RAWR!!!) into doing whatever the powerful people need, because after all, powerful people need a lot of help becoming even more powerful, in the Land of Nod. You see, in the Land of Nod, tyranny of the majority is entirely acceptable, and trickling money upward is a workable economic model. Whatever the majority wants today, they get. If the rich want to use Dinosaurs and scary stories to influence the majority into stripping away basic liberties, well, that's perfectly fine, because "that's how it ought to be", there are no moral imperatives nor anyone who worries about them, in the Land of Nod.
It's the land where I go when I want to live in a fantasy world. It is where my mind wanders, my farcifal spirit walks, when I want to consider what the world could be like, good and bad, if we did silly things.
Last week, the Mayor of Enoch, in the Land of Nod, suggested we vote on whether left-handed people are allowed to breathe. After all, if they breathe, the rest of us likely will have less air in the Land of Nod, where air might possibly run out some day. And the Governor of the Land of Nod, well he last week had us vote on whether children should be allowed to grow, because after all, if they grow, their parents will be denied the right to keep their cuteness for as long as they want. Finally, the Dinosaurs are roaming around the "Big Dig" in the Land of Nod, looking for people to scare (RAWR!!!) into doing whatever the powerful people need, because after all, powerful people need a lot of help becoming even more powerful, in the Land of Nod. You see, in the Land of Nod, tyranny of the majority is entirely acceptable, and trickling money upward is a workable economic model. Whatever the majority wants today, they get. If the rich want to use Dinosaurs and scary stories to influence the majority into stripping away basic liberties, well, that's perfectly fine, because "that's how it ought to be", there are no moral imperatives nor anyone who worries about them, in the Land of Nod.
American Library Association's Banned Books Week
A tip of our blog-hat to FindLaw.com, from our blog roll, for this information; for more information on Banned Books Week, please follow the linke to FindLaw:
(here is a 'teaser')
"By Tanya Roth on September 28, 2010 6:02 AM
(here is a 'teaser')
"By Tanya Roth on September 28, 2010 6:02 AM
'I never knew a girl who was ruined by a book'. -- James Walker
Nor a boy either for that matter. Yet even now, people seem to fear this exact thing. September 25 to October 2 is Banned Books Week in the land of the free. Each year since 1982, The American Library Association (ALA) has sponsored this week as a teaching moment to bring to the attention of all that some censorship, or attempts at censorship, still exist in the libraries and schools of our country."
Left or Right, Wrong is Wrong
UPDATE: I wrote the following post before the news broke of an alleged attempt by James O'Keefe to engage in an attempted event involving a CNN reporter, a boat, and a lot of sex paraphenalia. O'Keefe denies having a role in this. If O'Keefe is telling the truth - for a change - then this is a very wrong attempt by someone to treat O'Keefe in the same way he has treated his victims. For more details, read about it here. I find O'Keefe's claims that this really was an escapade generated by CNN, or the notion that the attractive CNN reporter had attempted to seduce weasel-faced, proven liar O'Keefe highly implausible.
I had intended the next factcheck.org item that I would review here on Penigma would be about the Republican 'Pledge' to/ with / against America (hint - it doesn't holdup well to fact checking), but instead, I think this merits comment first.
I had intended the next factcheck.org item that I would review here on Penigma would be about the Republican 'Pledge' to/ with / against America (hint - it doesn't holdup well to fact checking), but instead, I think this merits comment first.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Stimulate THIS!
Regular readers are familiar with my devotion to fact check sources.
I love politifact.com.
I adore factcheck.org.
I was delighted to see this in my email today; "New Fact Check Article: Did the Stimulus Create Jobs?".
Contrary to the FALSE claims by the Right this election campaign cycle, turns out ........... IT DID.
IT DID.
I love politifact.com.
I adore factcheck.org.
I was delighted to see this in my email today; "New Fact Check Article: Did the Stimulus Create Jobs?".
Contrary to the FALSE claims by the Right this election campaign cycle, turns out ........... IT DID.
IT DID.
Today I Am Sad
My wife left for three days, and I'm sad enough for that, but I just learned that one of my boy-hood heroes has died.
George Blanda was the NFL's all-time leading scorer when he retired, which isn't too surprising for a kicker who played 26 years (until he was 49 years old!) - but what most folks don't know or remember, was the season which made me a Raider's fan. In 1970, as a 43 year-old, with a body beaten up by 21 prior seasons playing quarterback, Blanda brought the Raiders back from defeat 5 times late in the season, coming in as a replacement and rallying the team each time - they went 4-0-1 during those final games.
He was a warrior, persevering, affable, amiable and humble, and while it isn't something which most people will remark upon, I will. I truly admired his will and grit. Rest In Peace, George.
George Blanda was the NFL's all-time leading scorer when he retired, which isn't too surprising for a kicker who played 26 years (until he was 49 years old!) - but what most folks don't know or remember, was the season which made me a Raider's fan. In 1970, as a 43 year-old, with a body beaten up by 21 prior seasons playing quarterback, Blanda brought the Raiders back from defeat 5 times late in the season, coming in as a replacement and rallying the team each time - they went 4-0-1 during those final games.
He was a warrior, persevering, affable, amiable and humble, and while it isn't something which most people will remark upon, I will. I truly admired his will and grit. Rest In Peace, George.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sex and Windex
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness."
2nd century Hebrew proverb
Rabbi Phineas ben-Yair
(per Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 14th ed.)
"Honni soit qui mal y pense."
Motto, English chivalric Order of the Garter,
founded 1344
King Edward III of England
I have been following the Simon-Simpleminded-Simon-purity statements that are enjoying a new resurgence in the right-wing culture wars of the current season of political campaigns with alternating amusement and distaste.
While I bless and thank my parents often in my heart for having insisted that an attention span and ability to concentrate is like a muscle which must be exercised to remain strong, a premise I bring to many tasks..........there are certain activities which produce for me a tedium which is almost physically painful to endure. It is just one of the reasons, I - along with many people - dislike the necessary task of washing windows. Unlike other domestic tasks, there is no 'domestic godess' gratification in it; it is an annoying necessity to be reluctantly endured and gotten over with as quickly as possible.
Until recently, I just cringed when thinking of the smirking, leering pseudo-purity promoted by professional right wing political parasites like Christine O'Donnell who make a living off of saying any drek the right wants to hear. Instead, in response to a news item about her anti-masturbation crusade on the news in the background, I played an old CD while washing windows, selecting the most lust-inducing music available in my collection. In this case it was from 1991, a local group, Mick Sterling and the Stud Brothers. My friend Sara introduced me to their music a few years ago (thank you Sara!) simply describing Sterling's vocal quality as 'beefy', but said with an edginess in her expression which implied much more. I would describe the mixture of rough and smooth in his delivery as the auditory equivalent of a caress followed by the feel of a lover's fingernails lightly but firmly dragged across one's skin, making it tingle.
2nd century Hebrew proverb
Rabbi Phineas ben-Yair
(per Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 14th ed.)
"Honni soit qui mal y pense."
Motto, English chivalric Order of the Garter,
founded 1344
King Edward III of England
I have been following the Simon-Simpleminded-Simon-purity statements that are enjoying a new resurgence in the right-wing culture wars of the current season of political campaigns with alternating amusement and distaste.
While I bless and thank my parents often in my heart for having insisted that an attention span and ability to concentrate is like a muscle which must be exercised to remain strong, a premise I bring to many tasks..........there are certain activities which produce for me a tedium which is almost physically painful to endure. It is just one of the reasons, I - along with many people - dislike the necessary task of washing windows. Unlike other domestic tasks, there is no 'domestic godess' gratification in it; it is an annoying necessity to be reluctantly endured and gotten over with as quickly as possible.
Until recently, I just cringed when thinking of the smirking, leering pseudo-purity promoted by professional right wing political parasites like Christine O'Donnell who make a living off of saying any drek the right wants to hear. Instead, in response to a news item about her anti-masturbation crusade on the news in the background, I played an old CD while washing windows, selecting the most lust-inducing music available in my collection. In this case it was from 1991, a local group, Mick Sterling and the Stud Brothers. My friend Sara introduced me to their music a few years ago (thank you Sara!) simply describing Sterling's vocal quality as 'beefy', but said with an edginess in her expression which implied much more. I would describe the mixture of rough and smooth in his delivery as the auditory equivalent of a caress followed by the feel of a lover's fingernails lightly but firmly dragged across one's skin, making it tingle.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
In the Age of Dinosaur Policies (and Persecuting Gays in the Military)
I turned 46 last week. It's not a momentous birthday for most people, for me it was a little wistful, I'm closer to 50 than 40 now. Closer to old than young.
I thought back this morning on the things I've seen, which honestly have been extraordinary in this age of change. I watched (as a four year old) Niel Armstrong step onto the surface of the moon. I watched race riots in Detroit, the Age of Aquarius, flower-power, an Arab Oil Embargo, our Embassy in Iran violated, the toppling of the Soviet empire symbolized by the tearing down of the Berlin wall, the advent of computers, cell phones, and microwaves, the opening up of China, and the age of the Internet (which may ultimately surpass all the others as being our "Gutenberg Printing Press" accomplishment). Frankly, it's a remarkable set of events and changes in such a comparatively short time. I sit here writing out my thoughts which someone on the other side of the world may read later this morning. When I was 25 years old, that concept was, well.. inconceivable.
When I was 25 years old I had been in the military just short of 5 years. At that time (1989), gays weren't allowed in the military, no matter what. You were asked as you enlisted if you were gay, if you answered "yes", that was it, you were done - no enlistment. We were still in the Cold War, but our military apparently felt it would be better off by preventing participation of gays. At that time (at least) the pretext for such a policy wasn't about perversion or mental illness, but rather that it might well be dangerous and disruptive to have gays in the military because the "red neck" nature of many in the military might cause them to be upset about, and maybe even violent toward, gays. The term of the day was that it was not "conducive to good order and discipline of the service."
This attitude was a stark change from when I was 5 (or when I was born). The attitude then was that gays were deviants, perverts, sick in the head, and any found in the military were normally summarily discharged as mentally unfit, but even worse there was a chance they'd be prosecuted for criminal conduct for violating sodomy laws the military still had when I joined it in the middle 80's. That attitude of revulsion and fear (and through fear, hatred) which created such laws and such views about gays still exists today in some parts of America. In America, in this age of remarkable change, some things haven't moved very far at all. Ask a social conservative privately about his or her view of gays, and many still comment that they are perverts and deviants, after all, "doesn't the bible say so?"
Since then, thankfully, our social conscience has moved forward. Somewhere between "Philadelphia" and "Brokeback Mountain" we began to see gays as human beings, rather than portraying them as "cowards" or deviants (well most of us anyway - see below). Somewhere between Rock Hudson, Gore Vidal (a WWII veteran) and Matthew Shepard, we began to see both that gays were admirable, even heroic, and that our "red neck" ways were not just something we needed to "quit" to quote the song, but were morally repugnant and ethically repellent.
I thought back this morning on the things I've seen, which honestly have been extraordinary in this age of change. I watched (as a four year old) Niel Armstrong step onto the surface of the moon. I watched race riots in Detroit, the Age of Aquarius, flower-power, an Arab Oil Embargo, our Embassy in Iran violated, the toppling of the Soviet empire symbolized by the tearing down of the Berlin wall, the advent of computers, cell phones, and microwaves, the opening up of China, and the age of the Internet (which may ultimately surpass all the others as being our "Gutenberg Printing Press" accomplishment). Frankly, it's a remarkable set of events and changes in such a comparatively short time. I sit here writing out my thoughts which someone on the other side of the world may read later this morning. When I was 25 years old, that concept was, well.. inconceivable.
When I was 25 years old I had been in the military just short of 5 years. At that time (1989), gays weren't allowed in the military, no matter what. You were asked as you enlisted if you were gay, if you answered "yes", that was it, you were done - no enlistment. We were still in the Cold War, but our military apparently felt it would be better off by preventing participation of gays. At that time (at least) the pretext for such a policy wasn't about perversion or mental illness, but rather that it might well be dangerous and disruptive to have gays in the military because the "red neck" nature of many in the military might cause them to be upset about, and maybe even violent toward, gays. The term of the day was that it was not "conducive to good order and discipline of the service."
This attitude was a stark change from when I was 5 (or when I was born). The attitude then was that gays were deviants, perverts, sick in the head, and any found in the military were normally summarily discharged as mentally unfit, but even worse there was a chance they'd be prosecuted for criminal conduct for violating sodomy laws the military still had when I joined it in the middle 80's. That attitude of revulsion and fear (and through fear, hatred) which created such laws and such views about gays still exists today in some parts of America. In America, in this age of remarkable change, some things haven't moved very far at all. Ask a social conservative privately about his or her view of gays, and many still comment that they are perverts and deviants, after all, "doesn't the bible say so?"
Since then, thankfully, our social conscience has moved forward. Somewhere between "Philadelphia" and "Brokeback Mountain" we began to see gays as human beings, rather than portraying them as "cowards" or deviants (well most of us anyway - see below). Somewhere between Rock Hudson, Gore Vidal (a WWII veteran) and Matthew Shepard, we began to see both that gays were admirable, even heroic, and that our "red neck" ways were not just something we needed to "quit" to quote the song, but were morally repugnant and ethically repellent.
Monday, September 20, 2010
In Defense of the Constitution of the United States of America
Sadly, Friday, September 17th, 'Constitution Day' and 'Citizenship Day', largely went uncelebrated and unremarked. Although belatedly (sorry about that) I'm going to address it here, under the premise of better late than never.
For those Penigma readers who have enjoyed the '_________(day) in history' posts, the 'Penigma's Day in History' blog is now linked in our blog roll, just ahead of 'Shot in the Dark'. Please continue to be patient just a little longer, as it is at this time a partial list of past posts, but becoming more complete daily, and should be current fairly soon.
- Dog Gone
- Dog Gone
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Tweedle Dumber, Twaddle 'Donnell
"American scientific companies are crossbreeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains,"
- Delaware's GOP Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell
2007, Bill O'Reilly interview
This is the woman that the GOP is endorsing for the senate seat previously held by Vice President Biden. It is not the craziest thing she has said, not by a long shot.
So.........what is the reality that Ms. O'Donnell-the-Dumb got so very wrong?
You can read it here. It has to do with chimeras used in stem cell research.
- Delaware's GOP Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell
2007, Bill O'Reilly interview
This is the woman that the GOP is endorsing for the senate seat previously held by Vice President Biden. It is not the craziest thing she has said, not by a long shot.
So.........what is the reality that Ms. O'Donnell-the-Dumb got so very wrong?
You can read it here. It has to do with chimeras used in stem cell research.
Tax Cuts for the Rich Won't Do What the Right Says They Will Do
Moody's Analytics, Inc. data were quoted in a recent Bloomberg article - read it here.
The article is very clear that an analysis of information all the way back to 1989, shows that tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 under Bush resulted in an increase in savings by the wealthy, not by more spending, not by more investment in new business or more jobs. One of the economists involved in the analysis, Chris Cornell, made the statement, “Spending by the top 5 percent of households seems much more closely tied to business- cycle issues than it does to tax-cut issues.”
The article is very clear that an analysis of information all the way back to 1989, shows that tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 under Bush resulted in an increase in savings by the wealthy, not by more spending, not by more investment in new business or more jobs. One of the economists involved in the analysis, Chris Cornell, made the statement, “Spending by the top 5 percent of households seems much more closely tied to business- cycle issues than it does to tax-cut issues.”
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
They Are Not Your Friend
"Misfortune shows those who are not really friends."
from 'Eudemian Ethics'
Aristotle
384 BC - 322 BC
Putting the differences between the Republican plan as promoted by House Minority Leader, Republican Congressman John Boehner, and the tax measures re: the Bush Tax breaks advocated by President Barack Obama into a visual graph makes clear what it means by the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words.
This becomes significant when you keep in mind that the tax cuts for the middle and lower income earners will directly benefit job growth and economic investment and developments; while the Republican large 'gifts' to the wealthy will not.
from 'Eudemian Ethics'
Aristotle
384 BC - 322 BC
Putting the differences between the Republican plan as promoted by House Minority Leader, Republican Congressman John Boehner, and the tax measures re: the Bush Tax breaks advocated by President Barack Obama into a visual graph makes clear what it means by the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words.
 |
| Obama tax plan,on the left,with the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for all but the top 2 to 3 % ; the Republican / John Boehner endorsed extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, reflecting the disproportionate tax advantages provided to the upper 2 - 3% of the wealthiest Americans |
This becomes significant when you keep in mind that the tax cuts for the middle and lower income earners will directly benefit job growth and economic investment and developments; while the Republican large 'gifts' to the wealthy will not.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
When the Right is Wrong; Failed Conservative Economic Ideology, and Republican Math That Doesn't Add Up
The 'Right' as represented by House Minority Leader John Boehner advocate for policies that favor the extremely wealthy few, at the expense of the rest, especially at the expense and decline of the core of this country, the middle class.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
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