Stuff, Etc.

The Future Green Zone

2008-05-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Orlando, Hawaii, Tahiti, and now... the Green Zone?

A $5bn (£2.5bn) tourism and development scheme for the Green Zone being hatched by the Pentagon and an international investment consortium would give the heavily fortified area on the banks of the Tigris a "dream" makeover that will become a magnet for Iraqis, tourists, business people and investors. About half of the area is now occupied by coalition forces, the US state department or private foreign companies.

So this is why we went to war in Iraq - to create the Tigris Woods Golf and Country Club. Apparently the elites want a little adventure, in the form of dodging bombs and bullets, when they look for R+R. Good thing we had that surge!

Indian Athlete Boycotts Torch Relay

2008-03-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hard for me not to be proud of this,

India's soccer captain has refused to carry the Olympic torch through the New Delhi later this month to protest China's crackdown on recent demonstrations in Tibet, a sports official said Tuesday.

One has to wonder if the U.S. or any of its athletes will protest in any form also. I imagine that the USOC has made it very clear to athletes that any dissent will not be tolerated, but I feel that there will be at least a few renegade athletes who will stand up for Tibet come this summer.

Coal to Fuel

2008-03-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

The Air Force wants in.

A step in the right direction for weaning us off of foreign oil, but a step in the wrong direction for reducing greenhouse emissions.

Sweet Pics

2008-03-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Over at Wired.

My fav:

Superdelegates

2008-03-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

Always remember: "The superdelegates weren't created to add fluff to the popular vote, but to make the educated decision that voters sometimes can't."

We are stupid. They are smart. Their vote should count more than ours.

This is democracy at work.

4000

2008-03-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

4000 too many.

End the war.

Perfect Timing

2007-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Just as we begin talking about border enforcement in my Immigration Law class, I read this article detailing Rudy Giuliani's stance on the matter.

Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani pushed the idea of a "virtual" rather than a real fence along much of the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday, an issue that's controversial in the Rio Grande Valley where many people oppose construction of a physical fence to stop illegal immigration.

And what is the best part of his approach?

Giuliani said his approach could end illegal immigration within three years.

Laughable to say the least. No fence will ever do the trick. Sure it will make things harder for people to come over from Mexico, but then again, if there is a continued economic imbalance between the US and Central America, then the inevitability of illegal immigration is overwhelming. Of course, what people often forget is that around 25-40% of the current undocumented population is actually made up of people who came here legally, through a visa of some sort. How exactly would a border fence of any type address those millions?

Increasingly though, it seems as if the Republicans are in a freefall on how best to one up one another on illegal immigration, just as they were doing on Guantanamo a short while ago. Similarly, the Democrats are trying to outdo each other with withdrawal from Iraq. One wonders how all of this will play out in a general election. Can the two party nominees race to the center in November with such records of pushing further and further outwards? It seems like the extremeness of the positions is unlike previous elections, but only time will tell how far to the right and to the left the candidates can go. Luckily there is only a few weeks for this to continue. Anymore and a viable third party candidate could emerge.

Probably Why I'll Support Obama

2007-05-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

It has been between Obama and Edwards for me for quite a while. I think that substantively, Edwards seems to across as a bit more policy oriented, but Obama seems to have the ability to unite all kinds of people. Now it is even clearer that Obama is right for all of America.

In his new memoir, "No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner," Shrum recalls asking Edwards at the outset of that campaign, "What is your position, Mr. Edwards, on gay rights?"
"I'm not comfortable around those people," Edwards replied, according to Shrum.

With that on the table, I feel no excuse but to support Obama, even if we are still a bit early in the primary season. However, Edwards has made some clear amends over his vote on the Iraq War, so if he comes clean on his tolerance of gays, then we shall see.

What I Wanted to see Asked at the Republican Presidential Debate

2007-05-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Two questions should have been asked, both which would have been pretty decent follow ups,

1. First, after being asked about evolution, the candidates should have been asked who believes that Adam and Eve were the first humans on the planet.

2. Second, after being asked about amending the Constitution to allow for foreign-born citizens to run for president, they should have been asked who believes in a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. This question would probably require more than just a raise of the hand though, as I would want to see people explain their positions.

Nail in the Coffin for Gonzales?

2007-05-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

I was at first quite skeptical that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would actually get fired for his role in the US Attorney Scandal. However, the evidence just keeps on mounting that this was indeed done for political reasons and that he was fully knowing of this.

Today, we learned that Gonzales gave two of his aides authority to hire and fire political appointees. Moreover, it appears that Gonzales, nor anyone in the Justice Department, disclosed this delegation of authority to Congress.

Additionally, according to National Journal, an original draft of the delegation of authority was so broad, that neither of the two officials needed to receive approval from Gonzales before dismissing officials.

One can only wonder how much longer Gonzales will be allowed to stick around. It seems that only more information will be recovered in the coming weeks and months and the Attorney General's actions will be further scrutinized. Of course, this also is a nice distraction from Iraq.

Been a while

2007-04-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I last posted, but here are a few sites that I have been frequenting lately,

http://gristmill.grist.org/

http://modeshift.org/

http://witnessla.com/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/

LA Times Goes Bat S$#* Crazy

2006-11-20T00:13:00.000-08:00

And endorses WWIII. Apparently anybody can write an Op-Ed these days.

WE MUST bomb Iran.

This is some pretty scary stuff.

What an Ass...

2006-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

Times Magazine

"A Challenge for Legal Liberalism"

2006-10-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Let the blogging begin...

"Ask a group of self-described liberal law students to articulate what they stand for and you’re likely to get either rambling, incoherent replies or blank stares. Those who do answer may touch upon issues ranging from equality to opportunity to reproductive freedom, but are unlikely to be able to unite these ideas under any consistent philosophical framework. Those who have a philosophical framework are lucky if they can explain it in less than 30,000 words.

The single greatest problem of contemporary legal liberalism is that too many of us are at a loss for words to describe what we stand for. One irony is that our past success may be to blame for this current failure. Many of us grew up in such liberal atmospheres that we were never challenged to defend liberal principles or to even grapple with the difficult questions at their core. As American society has polarized over the last generation—mine is the first for whom red and blue are defining traits—more of us have grown up in homogenous intellectual spheres. Instead of having our peers challenge our ideas, we play yes men to ourselves, nodding in agreement on what we believe without ever having to utter a definitive phrase..."

Read the Full Article Here.

Obama on Habeas Corpus

2006-09-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sure it has been 4 months since our last post, and probably nobody reads this, but I still liked what Obama had to say.

Mr. President, I am proud to be sponsoring this amendment with the senior senator from West Virginia. He’s absolutely right that Congress has abrogated its oversight responsibilities, and one way to reverse that troubling trend is to adopt a sunset provision in this bill. We did that in the Patriot Act, and that allowed us to make important revisions to the bill that reflected our experience about what worked and didn’t work during the previous 5 years. We should do that again with this important piece of legislation.

But I want to take a few minutes to speak more broadly about the bill before us.

I may have only been in this body for a short while, but I am not naive to the political considerations that go along with many of the decisions we make here. I realize that soon, we will adjourn for the fall, and the campaigning will begin in earnest. And there will be 30-second attack ads and negative mail pieces, and we will be called everything from cut-and-run quitters to Defeatocrats to people who care more about the rights of terrorists than the protection of Americans. And I know that the vote before us was specifically designed and timed to add more fuel to that fire.

And yet, while I know all of this, I’m still disappointed, and I’m still ashamed. Because what we’re doing here today – a debate over the fundamental human rights of the accused – should be bigger than politics. This is serious.

If this was a debate with obvious ideological differences – heartfelt convictions that couldn’t be settled by compromise – I would understand. But it’s not.

All of us – Democrats and Republicans – want to do whatever it takes to track down terrorists and bring them to justice as swiftly as possible. All of us want to give our President every tool necessary to do this. And all of us were willing to do that in this bill. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to the American people.

In the five years that the President’s system of military tribunals has existed, not one terrorist has been tried. Not one has been convicted. Not one has been brought to justice. And in the end, the Supreme Court of the United found the whole thing unconstitutional, which is why we’re here today.

We could have fixed all of this in a way that allows us to detain and interrogate and try suspected terrorists while still protecting the accidentally accused from spending their lives locked away in Guantanamo Bay. Easily. This was not an either-or question.

Instead of allowing this President – or any President – to decide what does and does not constitute torture, we could have left the definition up to our own laws and to the Geneva Conventions, as we would have if we passed the bill that the Armed Services committee originally offered.

Instead of detainees arriving at Guantanamo and facing a Combatant Status Review Tribunal that allows them no real chance to prove their innocence with evidence or a lawyer, we could have developed a real military system of justice that would sort out the suspected terrorists from the accidentally accused.

And instead of not just suspending, but eliminating, the right of habeas corpus – the seven century-old right of individuals to challenge the terms of their own detention, we could have given the accused one chance – one single chance – to ask the government why they are being held and what they are being charged with.

But politics won today. Politics won. The Administration got its vote, and now it will have its victory lap, and now they will be able to go out on the campaign trail and tell the American people that they were the ones who were tough on the terrorists.

And yet, we have a bill that gives the terrorist mastermind of 9/11 his day in court, but not the innocent people we may have accidentally rounded up and mistaken for terrorists – people who may stay in prison for the rest of their lives.

And yet, we have a report authored by sixteen of our own government’s intelligence agencies, a previous draft of which described, and I quote, “…actions by the United States government that were determined to have stoked the jihad movement, like the indefinite detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay…”

And yet, we have Al Qaeda and the Taliban regrouping in Afghanistan while we look the other way. We have a war in Iraq that our own government’s intelligence says is serving as Al Qaeda’s best recruitment tool. And we have recommendations from the bipartisan 9/11 commission that we still refuse to implement five years after the fact.

The problem with this bill is not that it’s too tough on terrorists. The problem with this bill is that it’s sloppy. And the reason it’s sloppy is because we rushed it to serve political purposes instead of getting the job done.

I’ve heard, for example, the argument that it should be military courts, and not federal judges, who should make decisions on these detainees. I actually agree with that. The problem is that the structure of the military proceedings has been poorly thought through. Indeed, the regulations that are supposed to be governing administrative hearings for these detainees, which should have been issued months ago, still haven’t been issued because we’re so intent to rush this through in time for Election Day. And so we are once again creating a situation in which this legislation is vulnerable to Supreme Court challenge.

This is not how a serious Administration would approach the problem of terrorism. And I know the President came here today and was insisting that this is supposed to be our primary concern. He’s absolutely right it should be our primary concern – which is why we should be approaching this with a somberness and seriousness that they have not displayed with this legislation.

But politics is what won today.

The only thing I hope for those who plot terror against the United States is that God has mercy on their soul, because I certainly do not. And for those who our government suspects of terror, I support whatever tools are necessary to try them and uncover their plot.

But we also know that some have been detained who have no connection to terror whatsoever. We’ve already had reports from the CIA and various generals over the last few years saying that many of the detainees at Guantanamo shouldn’t have been there – as one U.S. commander of Guantanamo told the Wall Street Journal, “Sometimes, we just didn’t get the right folks.” And we all know about the recent case of the Canadian man who was suspected of terrorist connections, detained in New York, sent to Syria, and tortured, only to find out later that it was all a case of mistaken identity and poor information.

And yet, in the future, people like this may never have a chance to prove their innocence. And they may remain locked away forever.

And the sad part about all of this is that this betrayal of American values is unnecessary. We could’ve drafted a bipartisan, well-structured bill that provided adequate due process through the military courts, had an effective review process that would’ve prevented frivolous lawsuits being filed and kept lawyers from clogging our courts, but upheld the basic ideals that have made this country great.

Instead, what we have is a flawed document that in fact betrays the best instincts of some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle – those who worked in a bipartisan fashion in the Armed Services Committee to craft a bill that we could have been proud of. And they essentially got steamrolled by this Administration and by the imperatives of November 7th.

That is not how we should be doing business in the U.S. Senate, and that’s not how we should be prosecuting this war on terrorism. When we’re sloppy and cut corners, we are undermining those very virtues of America that will lead us to success in winning this war. At bare minimum, I hope we can at least pass this provision so that cooler heads can prevail after the silly season is over. Thank you.

Conspiracy Theory #3

2006-05-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

A legal rights group, Judicial Watch, has successfully obtained the video tape of the Pentagon attack on 9/11. It should be released later today. Look on Google Video for the "documentary" that discusses conspiracy theories on 9/11. It should be interesting, to say the least...

BBC Article:
Judicial Watch said it wanted to obtain the video because "it was very important to complete the public record" on the attacks. "Finally, we hope that this video will put to rest the conspiracy theories involving American Airlines Flight 77," President Tom Fitton said.
Some theorists have questioned the official account of the Pentagon attack. French author Thierry Meyssan alleged that Flight 77 did not crash into the Pentagon and suggested a truck bomb or missile caused the damage.Such views are challenged by eye-witness testimony at the scene of an aircraft fitting the description of Flight 77 crashing into the site.

A More Dangerous World?

2006-05-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

A commentary piece found on Mother Jones' website believes that the world has become a drastically safer place since the early 1980s. However, I beg to differ. One only needs to look at their data collection and how they define certain conflicts to see the biased and blatantly wrong conclusions.

Less genocide. Notwithstanding the horrors of Rwanda , Bosnia , and Sudan, the number of genocides and “politicides” fell by 80 percent between the high point in 1988 and 2001.

Of course, if you exclude such atrocities as those mentioned above one could easily see how the the genocide rate declined. While we are at it, why don't we just exclude those deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan from official death toll counts as well?

The longest peace between major powers. The period from World War II to today is the longest interval of uninterrupted peace between great powers for hundreds of years.

Also known as Democratic Peace Theory. Yet, it fails to acknowledge that democracies go to war with non-democracies on quite a frequent occasion (by all accounts, the U.S. does not fight wars based on the four official declarations). The "great powers" of yesteryear may not be fighting one another, but rest assured they are still causing problems. ex. France's hand in Rwanda...

Definitions are quite a useful thing. Read the article for more blissful illusions about world security...

Energy Quote of the Week

2006-05-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Who said this?

"Hey, folks — you can't have cheap gas, big-hog automobiles and not want a refinery in your neighborhood…. You can't have all three of those simultaneously. And so we've got to start making some choices here."

Nancy Pelosi? Al Gore? John Kerry? Nope... Trent Lott.

A Field Guide

2006-04-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

I thought this to be quite amusing. While the anecdotes attack Republicans, they do apply to both parties. But humor is, err, funny like that...

Genus: Politiciae troglodyticus, common name “GOPpie”
Four distinct species, described below. The American genus is distributed widely throughout the continent, especially in the South and West Central regions. Extremely hardy and robust, populations occasionally increase to nuisance levels, degrading habitat and overwhelming other native Politiciae as well as Apoliticus apathiphilius. Although species differ markedly in many respects, all species and subspecies can be identified by the extremity of their distrust of any information that conflicts with a fantasy worldview specific to each species.

Politiciae troglodyticus species are all predatory, although specific prey differs. They tend to be opportunistic nesters, often settling in the territories or homes of other members of the order Politiciae, and displacing them to less desirable territory. They are also messy and destructive, fouling and/or accumulating waste in their nest sites. Upon exhausting the resources of a chosen site, or rendering it uninhabitable, they abandon the degraded sites and move on to new sites.

Immigration Quote of the Week

2006-04-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

I guess it is still the same week as the last one, but whatever. I like this one.

"I know if they didn't have a job, they wouldn't be here," said Peters. "But we all shop at Target and Wal-Mart, and all their stuff is made overseas with cheap labor."

It is just that simple.

Angelides Slowly Imploding

2006-04-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I thought Angelides had the Democratic Nomination for Governor in the bag. How wrong I was! He is trailing Westly in a number of polls and just keeps on saying the same things: I am gonna tax you! Broken record that nobody wants to hear.

Maybe it is a better thing that he lose the primary, it seems that Westly can draw in more independents. He also has a bit of flair to him that I like, even if he was pretty supportive of Arnold in the beginning. Still, if it is between a guy that keeps saying that he is gonna raise your taxes and one that says he is going to close tax loopholes, I'll choose the latter. And somehow, I don't think I am the only one.

Oh yeah, and if you are Angelides, it doesn't help having former Presidential Nominee Michael Dukakis send out an e-mail for you.

Tag: Angelides, Westly

Immigration Quote of the Week

2006-04-24T00:33:00.000-07:00

Rabbi Stephen Pearce on his grandfather's arrival to the U.S.,

"He learned three things: One, the streets were not paved with gold; two, they were not paved at all; and three, he had to pave them,"

Immigrants make this country run... even undocumented ones.

Worthy to Note

2006-04-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

Michelle, subbing in for Sully, reminds us that nuclear Power isn't all that bad...

My father has spent his entire career in the nuclear field—first in the Navy, then in nuclear power. He has long insisted that, despite what my lefty media colleagues might think, when environmental activists got serious about global warming they would concede that nuclear energy ain't all bad. I always thought he was nuts—not so much on the merits of his point as regarding his belief that any self-respecting green would embrace anything nuclear. Then comes today’s Washington Post opinion piece from Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore. Apparently, Moore has been moving in this direction for quite some time. Looks like I owe Dad an apology.

I am definitely in favor of more nuclear power plants. It is a zero-carbon source of immense electricity. However, there obviously needs to be more done to increase security and recycle spent fuel. I won't deny that the mining of uranium is "dirty", nor that the storage of spent fuel is a contentious subject, but this doesn't have nearly the same negatives as coal.

Tag: Nuclear Power

Xenophobia from the Left

2006-04-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Ezra hits this one on the head.

This31 is pretty disappointing stuff. A Senate bill, cosponsored by a variety of leading Democrats, to force call centers to identify their country of origin at the beginning of the call. Exactly why the United States Senate has to force the dude handling your tech support to mention that he's in New Delhi isn't really explained, but I assume it's just such a nice merging of protectionism and Clintonian incrementalism that opportunistic senators simply couldn't resist.
In the end, though, a bill like this doesn't penalize outsourcing, it doesn't help the unexpectedly unemployed, and it doesn't do anything about globalization -- it just whips up some resentment again foreigners. If Democrats want to seriously address the downsides of free trade, they should (it'd be damn well about time). Instead, they want to look like they're addressing the downsides of free trade, while not actually making any of the hard decisions or substantive trade offs a coherent policy response would require.

I don't really see the purpose in doing something like this either. People are just gonna end up being angry at foreigners and companies, without really having much recourse. Sure this may lead some to stop buying from these companies, but is that really the underlying reason for such a bill?

Immigration Smackdown

2006-04-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

For all those interested in the actual facts, here is an awesome rundown of some talking points from La Queen Sucia. Here are two of my favorites,

MICHAEL SAYS: 2. They overwhelm the public school system and not being property owners they pay no taxes to support the schools.

Of the 11 million or so illegal immigrants in the United States, 1.6 million are children under 18, according to the Urban Foundation. If you figure many of them are not yet old enough to be in school, we are talking somewhere around 1 million undocumented immigrant children in the United States – from every nation on earth.

According to the press office at the National Education Association, there are currently 48,132,518 children enrolled in America’s public school system. Assuming 1 million of them are undocumented immigrant children, this means 2 percent of America’s public school students are undocumented immigrants.

Besides which, most undocumented immigrants do, in fact, pay property taxes. Illegal immigrants who are not property owners live in rental properties for which the OWNER does, in fact, have to pay property tax. Unless the owner is extremely stupid, this tax is covered by the rent. (Real Estate 101, my friends.) Therefore the illegal immigrants, like all renters, are paying the landlord’s property tax.

Therefore, the number of undocumented immigrant children whose parents are not paying taxes who are enrolled in American public schools is probably miniscule. Somewhere less than a quarter of one percent of all illegal immigrant children in public schools have parents who do not pay for those schools.

Let us reflect on the Webster’s dictionary definition of “overwhelm,” the word you used to describe the illegal immigrant population in America’s public schools. It is: “Upset, Overthrow, to cover over completely, to overcome through superior force or numbers.”

Let us review another word from Webster’s: Exaggeration. “To enlarge beyond bounds or the truth.”

You are an exaggerator. Actually, exaggerator is a generous description of what you are. The best description goes like this: “One that tells lies.” You are a liar.

AND,

MICHAEL SAYS: 3. They do not register for selective service and do not serve in the military - forcing legal Americans to defend them.

ALISA SAYS: Sigh. According the U.S. government, all male immigrants – legal and otherwise – are required by U.S. law to register for selective service.

According to the National Center for Immigration Law, one in ten U.S. soliders who have DIED in Iraq have been immigrants. Five percent of those serving in our military are illegal immigrants.

The first soldier to die for the United States in the current war in Iraq was Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala.

He died for you.

You are not in Iraq fighting for anyone. You are home, sending lie-riddled missives to strangers at 3 a.m. on your computer.

Enough said.

Hat tip Atrios.

Plans for Iran Worthwhile?

2006-04-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Is going to war with Iran over possible uranium enrichment practicable or feasible? I can only imagine what the current Gulf War would look like if Saddam actually had WMDs. Yet, this administration is applying similar rationale to a blasphemous Iran. Haven't we learned from (recent) history? At least the Kennedy administration (not to exonerate all Dems; it was a liberal democrat who took us into Vietnam) had the foresight when it realized that not all missile sites could be eliminated at once. In hindsight, nuclear missiles in Cuba would have reached American soil after our first-strike. Yet, history has an eerie way of repeating (and reinventing) itself...

There is a growing conviction among members of the United States military, and in the international community, that President Bush's ultimate goal in the nuclear confrontation with Iran is regime change. Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has challenged the reality of the Holocaust and said that Israel must be "wiped off the map." Bush and others in the White House view him as a potential Adolf Hitler, a former senior intelligence official said. "That's the name they're using. They say, "Will Iran get a strategic weapon and threaten another world war?""

A government consultant with close ties to the civilian leadership in the Pentagon said that Bush was "absolutely convinced that Iran is going to get the bomb" if it is not stopped. He said that the President believes that he must do "what no Democrat or Republican, if elected in the future, would have the courage to do," and "that saving Iran is going to be his legacy."

One former defense official, who still deals with sensitive issues for the Bush Administration, told me that the military planning was premised on a belief that "a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government." He added, "I was shocked when I heard it, and asked myself, "What are they smoking?""..

The House member said that no one in the meetings "is really objecting" to the talk of war. "The people they're briefing are the same ones who led the charge on Iraq. At most, questions are raised: How are you going to hit all the sites at once? How are you going to get deep enough?"(Iran is building facilities underground.) "There's no pressure from Congress" not to take military action, the House member added. "The only political pressure is from the guys who want to do it." Speaking of President Bush, the House member said, "The most worrisome thing is that this guy has a messianic vision."

Good for America...

2006-04-07T01:57:00.000-07:00

Libby will be the fall man for this administration, but it is good to know that America is heading in the right direction (/end sarcasm).

President Bush personally authorized leaking classified information to deflect Iraq war critics at a time when declining public support for the invasion threatened his reelection campaign, according to testimony from a former senior White House aide.

The assertion, which came in a filing late Wednesday by federal prosecutors in the perjury case against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, connects the president for the first time to a case that until now publicly focused on the activities of senior aides and the office of Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, is facing charges related to the disclosure of a CIA operative's identity.

Kaloogian Shows his True Republican Colors

2006-03-30T17:17:00.000-08:00

Man, bloggers are amazing. Here is an okay Newsweek Piece on the matter.

Online sleuths can claim another victory. Howard Kaloogian, a Republican candidate in California’s 50th Congressional District, has removed a picture from his campaign Web site that he claimed was evidence that journalists are distorting how bad conditions are in Iraq. The photo purported to show a placid street scene in downtown Baghdad, including a hand-holding couple in Western dress and shoppers out for a stroll on a cobblestone street in an unmarred business district.

I first heard about it on Josh's site, but apparently it was up at Kos a bit before. Either way, this whole Baghdad debacle has really shown just how powerful the blogging world is. In a matter of hours, a bunch of people from all over the country, came together to show that Kaloogian was not being entirely honest. In fact, the picture was not even from Iraq, but rather from a suburb of Istanbul.

Kaloogian, being the real man that he is, decided to blame the webmaster and offered a rather unconvincing explanation for the mix-up. All in all, we have seen the dishonesty of Republicans (who can only blame the media for what is going on in Iraq) and the incredible power of online communities. And even Wikipedia is getting in on the action. Ha! He might not get elected (go Busby!), but at least he will always be remembered.

Here is an even better rundown of the whole Kaloogian unraveling.

Tag: Kaloogian, Iraq

Media Bias

2006-03-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

Atrios,

I know this has been said by others and no matter how many times it is restated paste-eaters like Jeff Goldstein will faily to comprehend but I'll give it one more try.

Imagine if 30 people were killed every day by car bombs in US cities. Monday, 30 dead in Denver. Tuesday, 30 dead in San Francisco. Wednesday, 30 dead in Philadelphia. You get the idea.

Now scale that roughly relative to population size. Make that 300 dead per day. Every day. Would the lead story on the evening news be about all the people who weren't blown up that day? No. The country would be completely hysterical.

Couldn't have said it better.

Fuck Tom Tancredo... Wait

2006-03-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

I think it is safe to say that this country has a problem with illegal immigration. And it would be even more safe to say that people want some sort of reform. However, reform requires that we approach the topic with at least a bit of an open mind, and more importantly, reason. Rationality, unfortunately, does not resonate with Right Wing. Instead, hate seems to be the key.

Tom Tancredo, the Republican congressman, the four-term Coloradan has positioned himself as the loudest, angriest voice against the estimated 11 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. They are "a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation," he says.

Fuck Tom Tancredo. This guy does not deserve to be a Representative of our government with the kind of hate he breathes. What is even more sorry is how powerful he has become - he is the head of the House "Immigration Reform Caucus", which is a sorry attempt by 89 Republicans and two Democrats to limit immigration and capitalize on the fear of 9/11. Tancredo is also considering running for President in 2008, if Republican candidates don't push immigration reform to the top of their agenda.

I hope he does end up running. He will show America how sick the right wing really is and will destroy the eventual nominee - securing an election that even Democrats can't fail to win. Although his views are disgusting, he may end up being a savior to the Democratic Party and a wedge for the Republicans.

So, on second thought, keep talking Tom Tancredo. Your extremism is alarming, and will only destroy your party's electoral chances in the future.

Newsweek Article on Tom Tancredo

Tag: Tom Tancredo

Priorities

2006-03-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

This is a quote from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma,

"The $72 billion appropriations bill could send 9.5 million children to Head Start for a year," Woolsey said. "It would give every child in the world basic immunization for the next quarter-century. Instead, we've damaged the trust of America and its leaders and destroyed basic human democracy."

It really is that simple.

Tag: Iraq War

SJC to Minutemen: Take Your Hate Elsewhere

2006-03-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

I love my city and today, I couldn't be more proud of San Juan Capistrano.

Organizers of the March 25 Swallows Day Parade in San Juan Capistrano said they wouldn't let the group march...

This decision comes on the heels of Laguna Beach also deciding against allowing the border vigilantes from marching in their annual Patriots Day Parade. The basis of the ruling is that the Minutemen are a political group - a category barred by the parade's bylaws. More importantly, the deicison was unanimous - the council voted 15 - 0 against the Minutemen! That is very impressive, especially with the kind of following the group has in South Orange County.

Overall, this is a victory for the citizens of San Juan Capistrano. Many of them will be able to go to the parade and not be hounded for their race or national status. After all, this is to celebrate our heritage as Capistranoans, a group that is much more diverse than the Minutemen wish it to be.

Tag: Minutemen, San Juan Capistrano

Politics of Oil

2006-02-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting article that reminds us how vital energy (and oil in particular) is to the smooth running of capitalist economies. So important that it cannot be left to the vagaries of the market...

You may have thought the age of empires was over, that in today's globalising world relations between states were governed by economics, market forces and free trade, rather than battles for political influence between the great powers. When it comes to the quest for, and control of, energy supplies, however, we still live in a partly 19th-century world...

One reason energy helps to revive the imperial urge for consumer nations is that, for all the growth of free markets and trade, energy security is paradoxically too important to the smooth running of capitalist economies to leave entirely to market forces. Our economic systems comprise a huge investment in infrastructure (including roads, cars, buildings and power stations) dependent on fossil fuels. The imperial temptation for producers is related: the political levers it creates can be too powerful to resist. The issue here is not just geographic concentration of fossil-fuel supplies but the fixed and monopolistic nature of energy infrastructure: pipelines supplying entire nations can be flicked on or off on a political whim.

Tag: Oil, Energy Security

Vote Fraud: Conservative Style

2006-02-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

Atrios has the goods,

Time to find out if the rule of law applies to Ann Coulter.

A Palm Beach poll worker says he tried to help GOP-loving pundit Ann Coulter vote in the right precinct last week. But, Jim Whited says, Coulter dashed out of the polling place when he told her she needed to file a change of address.

"I even ran out after her," he says. "But she was fast."

Later, elections records show, Coulter cast her ballot 2 miles up the road — in the wrong precinct.

Whited, a former candidate for WPB mayor, was posted at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Feb. 7 as a $185-a-day precinct adviser, records confirm.

"Ms. Coulter came to me, and the address we had for her in the computer didn't match the address I know she lives at," Whited says.

He says he remembered a Page Two story in April about Coulter, 44, buying a $1.8 million home on Seabreeze Avenue. Yet county elections records show Coulter gave an address in June at the northern tip of the island, on Indian Road, when she registered. Turns out the addresses are in different precincts.

So, I guess that its not really a matter of culture, language, or stupidity (well, maybe in this case) when it comes to vote fraud. Maybe we just need to make it easier for people to vote. I'm sure Coulter would agree that even brilliant people like herself have a bit of difficulty when it comes to figuring out where the correct polling place is. No matter the reason, reform is needed.

Tag: Ann Coulter

Dan Weintraub Makes an Excellent Point

2006-02-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

1On the recent ruling mandating an anesthesia expert at the execution of Michael Morales,32

So the state is going to pay a board-certified anesthesiologist33 to make sure that a convicted killer is put to sleep before he is put to death, so he will feel no pain. A federal judge so ordered, to protect the murderer's rights. But if I were terminally ill and wanted to hire someone to do the same for me, it would be against the law. Right.

We have some pretty whacked values. And the Death Penalty is still wrong.

Tag: Death Penalty34, Michael Morales35

Bottled Water

2006-02-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

In California, standards for bottled water equals that of tap water only if the selling of bottled water constitutes interstate commerce. Otherwise, water bottled in the state of sale does not meet the stringent standard of "as good as tap water." Yet, we all love our bottled water. Mmmm...

"Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing, producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy," according to Emily Arnold, author of the study published by the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington-based environmental group.
Arnold said although in the industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it can end up costing 10,000 times more." At as much as 2.50 dollars per liter (10 dollars per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline," the study says.
"In fact, roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water," the study says. "Often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefits."

Tag: Tap Water

Wiretaps et al.

2006-02-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

I just don't get it. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act does not prohibit wiretaps or surveillance of suspected terrorists. Rather, it imposes legal constraints in order to protect our 4th amendment right. Why then must this administration circumvent a law enacted to provide legal means for surveillance and information gathering?

The real questions in the NSA scandal, instead, are about accountability and responsibility: Is the executive focusing the awesome powers of the American state on real threats, and not against political or ideological adversaries? What independent check exists to ensure that innocent Americans' privacy is not violated, with information disseminated to other parts of government that can abuse it?...

Gonzales likely will resist questioning that elicits meaningful clarity about actual NSA activities. His answers will probably hinge instead on naked assertions of power and the conjuring of terrorist threats. But even these responses may yield revelations about the NSA's activities and the administration's deeply flawed legal logic.

Let us not forget the awesome power that J. Edgar Hoover wielded over his forty year span as Director of the FBI. History, it seems, has a tendency of repeating itself...

Tag: NSA Wiretaps

LA Times Checks the Facts on the SOTU

2006-02-01T00:37:00.000-08:00

The LA Times points out that Bush stretched the truth during a number of occasions in his speech tonight. Here are some of their disputes,

Defending the surveillance program as crucial in a time of war, Bush said that "previous presidents have used the same constitutional authority" that he did. "And," he added, "federal courts have approved the use of that authority."

Bush did not name names, but was apparently reiterating the argument offered earlier this month by Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, who invoked Presidents Lincoln, Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt for their use of executive authority.

However, warrantless surveillance within the United States for national security purposes was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972 — long after Lincoln, Wilson and Roosevelt stopped issuing orders. That led to the 1978 passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that Bush essentially bypassed in authorizing the program after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Also,

On his headline-grabbing pledge to decrease U.S. reliance on Middle East oil by 75% over the next 20 years, Bush's words seemed to suggest a dramatic new program to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

But experts point out that the U.S. gets only a fraction — about 10% — of its oil imports from the Middle East. In fact, the majority now comes from Canada and Mexico — and Bush said nothing on Tuesday about them.

And my favorite,

The president also seemed to ignore Supreme Court precedent when he called for Congress to give him the "line item veto." But Congress did that once, in 1996, and it was used once, by former President Clinton. But in 1998, a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional. That was affirmed by a 6-3 decision of the Supreme Court.

A pesky thing that Constitution...

Tag: State of the Union

John Edward's State of the Union

2006-01-31T22:12:00.000-08:00

With the Iraq war costing the United States approximately $9 billion a month, it seems that cutting costs at home is nonsensical. But we live in the United States, a land of paradoxes, where big-budget conservatism is the Washington credo. Enter John Edwards, a man who speaks well and from the heart. His State of the Union is more informative than anything you have heard in the past six years...

America is losing the most important element of our national character: We are no longer the land of opportunity for all.

Generations before us came to America for one reason. This is the land where everyone who worked hard would be rewarded, could raise a family and could make a better life for their children. But America has changed. Now, hard work does not guarantee a decent standard of living, and our children do not believe they can achieve the successes of their parents. It should not be that way....
When history judges us, as a nation and as individuals, it will ask: What did we do to end poverty? How we answer this call will forever define us as a nation—showing the world how America leads or how we fail to live up to our most cherished values.

Tag: State of the Union

Starr Agrees to Represent Death Row Inmate

2006-01-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

Didn't see this happening...

Conservative scholar and former federal judge Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, is representing California death row inmate Michael Morales in his bid for clemency.

What's up Kenny?

Starr said he agreed to represent Morales in his clemency case because the inmate has taken responsibility for the murder, expressed remorse and tried to atone for his crime while on death row. Starr also plans to argue in the petition that Morales' trial was tainted by an unreliable jailhouse informant.

I hope Starr knows what he is getting himself into: pissing off a lot of conservatives.

Tag: Death Penalty, Kenneth Starr, Michael Morales

The Pentagon Hates the Troops

2006-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

It seems that our own Department of Defense is trying to undermine our Grand War on Terror.

Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan , the Army has become a "thin green line" that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon .

Why does the Pentagon hate our troops?

Illustrating his level of concern about strain on the Army, Krepinevich titled one of his report's chapters, "The Thin Green Line."

He wrote that the Army is "in a race against time" to adjust to the demands of war "or risk `breaking' the force in the form of a catastrophic decline" in recruitment and re-enlistment.

They even admit they are encouraging the enemy.

Krepinevich said in the interview that he understands why Pentagon officials do not state publicly that they are being forced to reduce troop levels in Iraq because of stress on the Army. "That gives too much encouragement to the enemy," he said, even if a number of signs, such as a recruiting slump, point in that direction.

To recap: Army is stretched, but admitting it encourages the enemy. Best that we all live in a dream world where we believe the army does not need extra money or soldiers.

Tag: Pentagon, War on Terror

Who Needs Osama?

2006-01-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Robert Fisk does an excellent j0b articulating why Bin Laden is partly irrelevant. Fisk ties these ideas in the broader history of the war on terror. Many of these arguments have been heard before, but they bear repeating.

We invaded Afghanistan to find Bin Laden and we fight and die in Iraq to kill his supporters - yet still he eludes us, still he threatens us, still he taunts us.

How much longer can this nonsense go on? President Jacques Chirac warns that France - of all countries - might use nuclear weapons, if attacked. On whom, I wonder? America blows Pakistani children to pieces and claims it has killed five wanted men, including a bomb-maker. But there's absolutely no evidence. Bin Laden says that America will be attacked again unless it accepts a truce in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Weren't we supposed to be winning the "war on terror"? Oh no, the "experts" tell us, Bin Laden and al-Qa'ida are losing, that's why they want a truce. Some hope.

It's a game. Bin Laden has no intention of calling an end to his own war and nor has George Bush and nor has Tony Blair. The Bin Laden offer, almost certainly, is intended to be rejected. He wants Bush and Blair to refuse it. Then, after the next attack, will come the next audio tape. See what happens when you reject our ceasefire? We warned you. And we'll ask: is it him? So why no video tape? Never before in history have so many wanted men sent pictures and messages and video tapes out of the dark.

The irony, of course, is that Bin Laden is now partly irrelevant. He has created al-Qa'ida. His achievement - that word should be seen in context - is complete. Why bother hunting for him now? It's a bit like arresting the world's nuclear scientists after the invention of the atom bomb. The monster has been born. It's al-Qa'ida we have to deal with...

Witch Hunt at UCLA

2006-01-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

Talk about a student who received a bad grade or two from a "radical professor" at UCLA. Now, Andrew Jones, a recent UCLA student and former chairman of UCLA's Bruin Republicans, is conducting his own version of McCarthy's witch hunt against those professors who teach and proslytize extreme views (read against liberal and left wing professors). I have a feeling that Karl Rove and Dick Cheney would be quite smug.

A fledgling alumni group headed by a former campus Republican leader is offering students payments of up to $100 per class to provide information on instructors who are "abusive, one-sided or off-topic" in advocating political ideologies.

The year-old Bruin Alumni Assn. says its "Exposing UCLA's Radical Professors" initiative takes aim at faculty "actively proselytizing their extreme views in the classroom, whether or not the commentary is relevant to the class topic." Although the group says it is concerned about radical professors of any political stripe, it has named an initial "Dirty 30" of teachers it identifies with left-wing or liberal causes.

Domestic Spying Authorized Before 9/11

2006-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

It is evident that this administration feels that the executive branch trumps constitutional law. While the NSA (and other agencies) monitor citizens and foreign nationals on a consistent basis, it is the fact that the Bush administration repeatedly lies about its policies that makes this story appealing. Yet, how many more people will continue to support his policies? How many Americans will continue to be called un-patriotic for questioning the administration's policies? Yet, the evidence for misinformation is overwhelming...

The National Security Agency advised President Bush in early 2001 that it had been eavesdropping on Americans during the course of its work monitoring suspected terrorists and foreigners believed to have ties to terrorist groups, according to a declassified document.
The NSA's vast data-mining activities began shortly after Bush was sworn in as president and the document contradicts his assertion that the 9/11 attacks prompted him to take the unprecedented step of signing a secret executive order authorizing the NSA to monitor a select number of American citizens thought to have ties to terrorist groups...
Still, one thing that appears to be indisputable is that the NSA surveillance began well before 9/11 and months before President Bush claims Congress gave him the power to use military force against terrorist threats, which Bush says is why he believed he had the legal right to bypass the judicial process. According to the online magazine Slate, an unnamed official in the telecom industry said NSA's "efforts to obtain call details go back to early 2001, predating the 9/11 attacks and the president's now celebrated secret executive order. The source reports that the NSA approached U.S. carriers and asked for their cooperation in a 'data-mining' operation, which might eventually cull 'millions' of individual calls and e-mails."

National Guard Troops Return to California

2006-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

Good to have them back.

The Final Nail in the Coffin?

2006-01-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

Three strikes and you're out? How about six, eight, or even ten? It seems more damning evidence has been found against the Bush administration's justification for war in Iraq. But, of course, it is just more liberal hogwash (see January 14th blog post)...

James Risen’s State of War: the Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration, may hold bigger secrets than the disclosure that President George W. Bush authorized warrantless eavesdropping on Americans.

Risen’s book also confirms the most damning element of the British Cabinet Office memos popularly called the “Downing Street memos;” namely, that “the intelligence and the facts were being fixed around the policy.” The result is that it is no longer credible to maintain that the failures in the Iraqi intelligence were the product of a broken intelligence community. The Bush administration deliberately fabricated the case against Iraq, lying to Congress and the American people along the way...

Tag: Downing Street

Pat Robertson Petition

2006-01-14T23:50:00.000-08:00

Do you have to be Christian to sign?

Moratorium Bill Through Assembly Public Safety Committee

2006-01-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

This is a good start.

A state Assembly committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would impose a two-year moratorium on death sentences in California, allowing time for a state commission on executions to complete its review of the system.

Now then, there are still some other hurdles, like the Appropriations Committee and then of course the actual floor vote - if it gets to that. I am pretty confident it will get to the floor, but I don't know what will happen once it gets there. It looks certain that the Republicans will stand united against the bill, but will there be some cowardly Democrats that join them? I am sure that at least a few will. The most important hurdle, however, is the governor. It seems quite unlikely he will sign the bill - especially since it might be unconstitutional.

My favorite line from the hearing comes from good old Todd Spitzer.

"At the end of the day, justice has to be done," Spitzer said. "Someone has to speak for the victims."

Yes, someone does have to speak for the victims. Nobody is arguing that. What we are arguing is that the person "speaking" for the victim might be innocent. Or represented by an incompetent attorney. Or not given a fair trial. Or...

Hopefully we will have the guts to follow New Jersey's recent example.

Tag: Death Penalty

Still waiting for the answer [2]...

2006-01-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

More talk on the eavsdropping front. Some have an even more cynical view of the situation; one that seems to be more in line with reality. Others may criticize this as just a liberal rant but the evidence is overwhelming. I beg for others to show me evidence to the contrary...

When the reporters’ questions began, though, Gonzales faltered and twice spilled the beans. Asked why the administration decided to flout rather than amend FISA, choosing instead a “backdoor approach,” Gonzales said:

We have had discussions with Congress...as to whether or not FISA could be amended to allow us to adequately deal with this kind of threat, and we were advised that that would be difficult, if not impossible.

So they went ahead and did it anyway....
The most cynical and, I fear, the most direct answer can be gleaned from Vice President Cheney’s bizarre assertion—supported, no doubt, by a stack of in-house legal opinion, that in war time the president “needs to have his powers unimpaired.” As noted above, on Dec. 19, Gonzalez invoked the “inherent authority under the Constitution” of the commander in chief, as well as the equally ludicrous claim that Congress’ authorization of war after 9/11 trumps FISA—a claim that even The Washington Post has termed “impossible to believe.”
These extreme views are the same ones that underpin the president’s decision to flout international and U.S. criminal law by approving practices like torture, until now almost universally rejected by civilized societies. The answer may be simple—“imperial hubris,” one might call it. And if—as seems to be the case—senior leaders like Colin Powell acquiesce in torture and Gen. Mike Hayden in illegal eavesdropping, shame on them. This would merely show, once again, that absolute power truly does corrupt absolutely—indeed, that even closeness to absolute power can.

Still waiting for the answer...

2006-01-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

Atrios is wondering the same thing,

No one has yet managed to explain how revealing that the administration illegally spies on American citizens without obtaining warrants, instead of legally spying on people after obtaining such warrants, damages national security.

Anyone?

The process of getting warrants is certainly a formality and requires little extra than a small waiting period. Clearly though, the administration thinks that they scare people into letting them get away with anything. Sadly, many are okay with it.

Oakland Tribute Soliciting "1984" Copies for Congress

2005-12-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Who could blame them? (Via BoingBoing)

Bush is unapologetic. The president believes he has the legal authority to spy on American citizens without a warrant, and he plans to continue to reauthorize the program "for so long as the nation faces the continuing threat of an enemy that wants to kill American citizens." But when the enemy is poorly defined, who determines when the threat is over? In this case, the same government that secretly taps our phones.
Turns out the truth is no stranger than fiction. We think it's time for Congress to heed the warning of George Orwell. To that end, we're asking for your help: Mail us or drop off your tattered copies of "1984." When we get 537 of them, we'll send them to every member of the House of Representatives and Senate and to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Feel free to inscribe the book with a note, reminding these fine people that we Americans take the threat to our liberties seriously. Remind Congress that it makes no sense to fight a war for democracy in a foreign land while allowing our democratic principles to erode at home.
Remind President Bush that ours is a country of checks and balances, not unbridled power. Perhaps our nation's leaders can find some truth in this fiction and more carefully ponder the road we're traveling.

Bring or mail used copies of 1984 to the Oakland Tribune, 401 13th St., Oakland CA 94612. They're open from 8 am to 5 pm.

Ruling Against Intelligent Design

2005-12-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

In a rather blunt and agressive opinion, a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled that teaching Intelligent Design in a public school science classroom is unconstitutional. The federal judge was, dare I say, candid in his opinion (I also find it interesting that these I.D.s, creationists, etc. alwayss seem to be of the Christian flavor):

Jones' ruling came in Tammy Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Board, the first legal challenge to teaching intelligent design, which holds that organisms are so complex and highly perfected, a designer must have created them...

The school board asserted that it was merely attempting to present an alternative to Charles Darwin's widely accepted theory of evolution.

But Judge Jones, an appointee of President George W. Bush, ruled that the board was trying to mask religious teaching in the guise of science. He used unusually strong language for a federal judge, going so far as to excoriate some members of the school board for lying.

"We find that the secular purposes claimed by the Board amount to pretext for the Board's real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom, in violation of the Establishment Clause," Jones wrote.

"Repeatedly in this trial, plaintiff's scientific experts testified that theory of evolution represents good science, is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, and that it in no way conflicts with, nor does it deny, the existence of a divine creator [my bold]," the judge added...

"This case came to us as the result of the activism of an ill-informed faction on a school board, aided by a national public interest law firm eager to find a constitutional test case on ID, who in combination drove the Board to adopt an imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional policy,'' the judge said.

Moreover, Jones declared: "The breathtaking inanity of the Board's decision is evident when considered against the factual backdrop which has not been fully revealed through this trial," which lasted six weeks.

Read the Full Article @ LATimes

Bush Defeated on Two Counts

2005-12-16T12:41:00.000-08:00

It seems that our beloved president is losing more ground. Earlier today, the Senate rejected a proposal to reauthorize and make permanent several proposals from the Patriot Act. The bill was rejected 52-47. It is important to note that this bill would have passed if Republicans held true to their party line. Maybe, with president Bush having approval ratings at sub-40 levels, legislators are seeing the White House as a liability.

Holding true with his record for the past six years, president Bush has yet to veto a bill. And his dubious streak will continue. "By refusing to agree to an all-out ban on the torture of terrorist suspects held in U.S. custody, President Bush in recent months was triggering political problems for his administration at home and around the world. It took the assistance of an unlikely ally, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a rival in the 2000 Republican primaries, to give the White House the chance to repair the damage on both fronts." Now, the White House ha conceded to the will of Senator McCain. It will be interesting to see how the White House spins this concession to their benefit.

Senate Blocks Renewal of Patriot Act
Bush folds to Torture Ban

Another Death in Lebanon

2005-12-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

It makes me wonder if peace will ever come to this war-torn country. Death after death of prominent leaders have sparked massive protests where only several years ago it would have been unthinkable. Yet, what has changed since Hariri's death? Yes, Syria has left as an occupying force but its intelligence units still operate in the country. Enter Gibran Tueni. He was a beloved (anti-syrian) journalist and MP. However, on the first day of his return from France, he was killed in a car bomb. What will the people do? Protest. Will there be any change? Only if the people actually act to reform and create a functioning government (not run on sectarian lines).

Gibran Tueni's death
Lebanese reactions

Tookie's Execution

2005-12-14T01:06:00.000-08:00

For the third time, I made my way to San Quentin for another execution. Previously, I had been to see Donald Beardslee executed in January and a year prior was there to help save Kevin Cooper's life. But neither of those experiences could prepare me for what I saw last night.

I arrived around 8:15 and parked about a mile away. Right when I stepped out of the car with a few others from UCB, an older man in a minivan came up to us and asked us if we wanted a ride to near the entrance. About eight of us piled in. He explained that he had a bad leg and couldn't walk up the hill, so instead, he was going to shuttle people from their cars to where the police had setup a barricade near the entrance.

When I got near the entrance, I was amazed at the turnout. It already appeared that nearly 1,000 people were there, including many other UCB students (who might otherwise be studying for finals). I saw a few pro-death penalty hecklers had shown up, but were quickly surrounded by "security" who made sure that they were drowned out by chants.

For the next four hours, I just sat by and listened to the speakers, while the crowd swelled in size. People just kept coming - including Sean Penn who stood behind me. Around 11:30, people started to get a bit nervous. At that point the reality really set in for me that Stan was going to die. I think I had a whisper of hope that maybe, just maybe, something would happen and he would not be killed.

Midnight passed and most of the crowd, which was easily 2000, remained silent. It was surreal seeing so many people come out and pay their respects.

By 12:30, people accepted that Tookie was now dead. Most of us chanted and remained vigilant, as we knew that this was a fight that would have its defeats, but one that we would continue. By about 1 the crowd started to disperse Someone started burning an American flag and I was convinced that it was indeed time to leave.

The ride back to Berkeley was silent. The four others in the car were tired like me, but we were also confronted with the inescapable reality that a reformed man was just killed. Nothing seemed that important in comparison to the atrocity that we had just been a couple hundred feet from.

Almost a day later, I feel the same. More so, I really wonder what was gained from killing Tookie. Did it send some sort of a message? The only message I see is that people shouldn't renounce their past and reform themselves.

More Blacks in Polluted Neighborhoods

2005-12-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I'm not that surprised...

An Associated Press analysis of a little-known government research project shows that black Americans are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution is suspected of posing the greatest health danger.

And...

In 19 states, blacks were more than twice as likely as whites to live in neighborhoods where air pollution seems to pose the greatest health danger, the analysis showed.

People have been saying this for a while...

"There is no level playing field," said Robert Bullard, director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. "Any time our society says that a powerful chemical company has the same right as a low income family that's living next door, that playing field is not level, is not fair."

Schwarzy praises Davis

2005-12-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

First Susan Kennedy and now this.

He sure likes pissing off his base. I only hope the next thing is clemency for Stan.

Bring it home governor, bring it home.

Nobel Prize Winner's Creative Use of Mike Time

2005-12-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

Harold Pinter, this year's Nobel Prize winner in Literature, bashes president Bush and Tony Blair in his speech on winning the Nobel Prize. And unlike the Academy Awards, "they" can't cut to commercials or play obnoxious music to kick you off the stage. This is your time baby and no one can stop you...

George W Bush and Tony Blair must be held to account for feeding the public "a vast tapestry of lies" about the Iraq war, writer Harold Pinter said...

Most politicians "are interested not in truth but in power and the maintenance of that power", the 75-year-old said...

He said politicians feel it is "essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives".

Pinter said the US justification for invading Iraq - that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction - "was not true"...

Big Oil & Iraq

2005-12-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Mark LeVine, professor of Middle Eastern History at UC Irvine (and one we know so well), wrote two articles discussing big oil and the war in Iraq. Both are interesting reads. He establishes a timeline of when big oil execs met with Bush administration officials and the establishment of operational policies toward "rogue states."

Syriana and Iraq commentary

Given the increasing numbers of Americans who believe the Bush administration deliberately misled the country to justify the Iraqi invasion, many film-goers will no doubt be willing to accept the film's argument that America's thirst for oil—not the threat of terrorism, and certainly not a concern for human rights—drives the country's policies in the Middle East, even when those policies violate our core ideals...

# Newly discovered documents, reported in the Washington Post, revealing that as early as February 2001 senior executives of at least four of the country's biggest oil companies, ExxonMobil, Conoco, Shell and BP America, met with Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force.

# Documents from these meetings obtained by the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch—including a map of Iraq and an accompanying list of "Iraq oil foreign suitors" revealing Iraq to have been a major topic of discussion....

"Waist Deep in Big Oil"

While Iraq was absent from the oil executives' November 9 testimony, it is clear that the country and its immense petroleum reserves were on the minds of the Administration and its industry friends from the moment Bush assumed office, and for good reason: With Americans consuming one-quarter of the world's daily petroleum production of 84 million barrels, scientists and industry leaders were by 2001 increasingly considering the possibility that the "age of peak oil production" was approaching much sooner than had previously been acknowledged...

Instead, insuring a long-term US military presence in Iraq and a significant (if behind-the-scenes) role in managing and developing its petroleum sector together constitute a prize of immense economic and geostrategic value for the Administration and its corporate sponsors. In fact, at the very moment the first Energy Task Force meetings with industry officials were held, in February 2001, the National Security Council issued a directive for staff to cooperate with the task force in the "melding" of new "operational policies towards rogue states" with "actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields." No place on earth was more amenable to such melding than Iraq.

New Allies Against Capital Punishment?

2005-12-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

It seems logical that traditional pro-life groups would also be against capital punishment. Does caring for life end at birth? For this group of Catholics, it does not...

St. Francis is further along than most parishes in its commitment to the cause, but by no means alone; similar efforts may soon be commonplace. Last spring, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops—the public face of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States—launched an unprecedented education drive aimed at churches and schools, as well as a lobbying effort in state legislatures and the halls of Congress, to end capital punishment nationwide. “It used to seem so daunting to even think about trying to end the death penalty,” says Andy Rivas, policy adviser for the conference. “Now we see that it can happen, and it will, sooner rather than later.”

Anti-death-penalty sentiment has long been a staple among liberals within the church, many of whom also support abortion rights. But the growing opposition is being fueled in large part by churches like St. Francis, among congregants who are likely to follow the teachings of Pope John Paul II. Until his death last spring, the pope argued to Catholics around the world that an end to the death penalty is an essential part of a “culture of life” that would also halt birth control, stem-cell research, abortions, human cloning, and euthanasia.

Government to Sell Acres of Land in Western States

2005-12-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

... for mining.

House lawmakers added the provision, which ends an 11-year congressional ban on new applications to buy public land for mining, to their budget bill on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

At least some people are concerned about this.

Six Western governors and a growing number of senators say they fear a plan in a budget bill allowing the sale of millions of acres of public lands could do permanent harm to their states.
"It's got implications for hunters, sportsmen, people who use lands for grazing and basically anybody who uses public lands," said Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman for Wayne Allard of Colorado, one of a handful of Western GOP senators who say they are concerned about the proposal.

Of course the Dems are leading the assault on this ridiculous proposal.

In a letter Friday to the Senate Budget Committee, the Democratic governors of Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington said the bill is based on "absurd economics" and threatens people's access to parks and other public lands.

And here's the money quote from Rep. Richard Pombo's (Tracy) office.

Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., said the bill is about "sustainable economic development for rural communities in need" and that Pombo would be open to negotiating some changes.

Ah yes. Mining is sustainable development. That is brilliant. I mean if we really cared about these communities, we might actually try to give them the tools to make it in the 21st Century, instead of forcing them to do what they have done in the past. Certainly there is a romantic element of maintaing tradition, but when the tradition is exploitive of the land, unhealthy for the workers, and ultimately a dead-end economically... maybe we should try something else. Maybe wind farming?

Notice where most of the good - excellent wind is? Let's actually think about the future... now there is an idea.

Cunningham Pleads Guilty and Resigns

2005-11-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Not that surprising.

But this certainly makes me wonder how far this type of corruption extends. Steve Soto agrees and asks the appropriate question,

How many of you out there think that Randy Cunningham’s crimes are an isolated incident, that he was just “one bad apple”, and that the rest of the GOP House leadership knew nothing about his $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors, and weren’t getting rich off this war on terror since 9/11 in similar ways as well? There’s a reason why the House and Senate GOP refuse to investigate this war, the lies told to sell it, the disappearing Iraq reconstruction monies, and even Abu Ghraib. And that reason is purely to protect their own asses. Cunningham’s actions, along with the Abramoff/Scanlon cesspool, are just the tip of the K Street iceberg that guys like Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, and Grover Norquist have steered the GOP ship into.

GOP leadership should be terrified, but they probably have been working this all out with Cunningham to begin with. They probably directed him on when to resign and accept responsibility, but I am just speculating. Its quite clear that this is more than just politics, as Cunningham could be up for 10 years in prison - although I still suspect a bargain to be made.

As for the district, elections will probably be sometime early next year. I suspect that Schwarzy, who has ultimate authority on deciding when to have it, will not wait for the primary, as there will be a large Democratic contingent coming out to vote for either of the possible gubernatorial nominees: Phil "I am not an elite" Angelides or Steve "I am electable" Westly. Either way, the Republicans should be able to regain this one. Nonetheless, Kos says to vote for Francine Busby, so that is my pick.

Promoting Democracy, Monroe Style

2005-11-24T01:12:00.000-08:00

This article will be printed in the December 12th issue of The Nation. This is an interesting read that sheds light on U.S. foreign policy in general and the War on Terrorism in particular. Here it is in full...

History is repeating itself in Haiti, as democracy is being destroyed for the second time in the past fifteen years. Amazingly, the main difference seems to be that this time it is being done openly and in broad daylight, with the support of the "international community" and the United Nations. The first coup against Haiti's democratically elected government, in September 1991, was condemned even by the George H.W. Bush Administration. This although the CIA had funded the leaders of the coup and--according to a founder of the death squads that murdered thousands of people during the 1991-94 military dictatorship--also sponsored the repression. All this was covert, and the official position of the United States and most other countries was that the dictatorship was not legitimate.

But when in February 2004 Haiti's democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was overthrown for the second time by remnants of that prior dictatorship--including convicted mass murderers and former death squad leaders--this was considered a legitimate "regime change." The Caricom countries, showing great courage, objected strenuously, as did some members of the US Congress. But these voices were not powerful enough to influence the course of events.

The fix was in: The US Agency for International Development and the International Republican Institute (the international arm of the Republican Party) had spent tens of millions of dollars to create and organize an opposition--however small in numbers--and to make Haiti under Aristide ungovernable. The whole scenario was strikingly similar to the series of events that led to the coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in April 2002. The same US organizations were involved, and the opposition--as in Venezuela--controlled and used the major media as a tool for destabilization. And in both cases the coup leaders, joined by Washington, announced to the world that the elected president had "voluntarily resigned"--which later turned out to be false.

Washington had an added weapon against the Haitian government. Taking advantage of Haiti's desperate poverty and dependence on foreign aid, it stopped international aid to the government, from the summer of 2000 until the 2004 coup. As economist Jeffrey Sachs has pointed out, the World Bank also contributed to the destabilization effort by cutting off funding.

Now the coup government, headed by unelected Prime Minister Gérard Latortue, is trying to organize an election. But it is an election that would not be seen as legitimate in any country, not even Iraq. Everything is being arranged so that the country's largest political party, Fanmi Lavalas--which at any moment before the coup would have overwhelmingly swept national elections--cannot win. Many of the party's leaders are in jail, generally on trumped-up or nonexistent charges, including the constitutional prime minister, Yvon Neptune, and Father Gérard Jean-Juste, a Catholic priest and likely presidential candidate if he were not jailed. Jean-Juste has been declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. Other leaders are in hiding or in exile, since the murder of political opponents is common. In one massacre in August, witnesses described Haitian police arriving at a soccer match and pointing out people in the crowd, who were then hacked to death by civilian accomplices with machetes. UN troops have also been implicated in some of the violence, and the UN has promised an investigation.

The coup government, with an electoral commission that has no pretense of impartiality, is also set to disenfranchise a huge number of its opponents. There have been about one-twentieth as many registration sites for this election as there were for previous elections, and it is mostly Fanmi Lavalas voters who have been excluded. According to party spokespeople, the party has not registered any candidates for president, and many of its voters will boycott the election unless their demands for the release of political prisoners and an end to the persecution are met.

The election has been postponed three times, most recently to December 27. Setting the date two days after Christmas will also help minimize voter turnout.

Will the world accept this farce of an election? The Bush Administration and its allies seem to be hoping that Haiti is just too poor and too black for anyone to care about whether democratic, constitutional or even human rights are respected there. They have also cited the violence from both sides of the conflict to disguise the fact that most of that violence is directed at supporters of the ousted government to prevent them from returning to power through a fair election.

But if this election goes forward without the release of political prisoners and the restoration of basic rights and security, it will not only be a tragedy for Haiti. It will be a throwback to the days when the United States was able to destabilize, overthrow and replace elected governments that it did not like. It will be a huge step backward for democracy in this hemisphere.

Bombies: A Crime Against Humanity

2005-11-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

Like the U.S. campaign in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 1960s, the UK has dropped thousands of bombies in Iraq. The problem with bombies is that they have a failure rate anywhere from 10-30%. This, in turn, leads to ordinance that lays dormant beneath a dearth of soil. Children, farmers, and others detonate the bombies once they hit them with their tools or when kids toss them around as balls. Bombies lead to civilian deaths long after armed conflict is officially over. And it is tragedy that "western, civilized" nations use them in warfare at all.

It is feared that thousands of bomblets lie unexploded in Iraq, capable of maiming or killing innocent civilians. This week, more than two years after they were dropped, Britain is finally being held to account.

Tony Blair is facing fresh fury over the use of controversial munitions in the Iraq war. Campaigners lambasted the Ministry of Defence over its use of deadly cluster bombs and shells during the invasion, warning that they could contravene international law.

Freshman Schmidt Has No Manners

2005-11-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

She needs to learn how to play nice. But she is probably trying to make a name for herself.
From ThinkProgress,

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) today on the House floor, speaking about Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a decorated former Marine:

Yesterday I stood at Arlington National Cemetery attending the funeral of a young marine in my district. He believed in what we were doing is the right thing and had the courage to lay his life on the line to do it. A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance from this body – that we will see this through.

Seriously though, nothing is unbelievable anymore. They will smear anybody that expresses any sort of dissent. Period. These people are just delusional now - calling a decorated marine a coward. Just petty attacks.

Quicktime Video as well.

Man, they will not let up on Murtha. Remember, this guy had a 37 year career with the Marines.

As expected, this mobilized the sleazebags in the GOP to quickly begin its Rovian Swift Boat smear campaign, tearing Murtha down personally and attacking his patriotism. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said: "Congressman Murtha is a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting a strong America. So it is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party." (Hastert has never served in the military)

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (Ill) essentially called Murtha a coward and said he was delivering "the highest insult" to the troops," and that "Murtha and other Democrats want us to retreat. They want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world." (never served in the military)

VP Dick "Five-Deferments" Cheney said: "The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory or their backbone. But we are not going to sit by and let them rewrite history." (never served in the military)

Rep. David Dreier (R-CA): "It would be an absolute mistake and a real insult to the lives that have been lost." (never served in the military)

Majority Leader Roy Blunt (MS) said Murtha's views "only embolden our enemies." (never served in the military)

Rep. John Carter (TX) said Murtha wants to take "the cowardly way out and say we're going to surrender." (never served in the military)

Why We Swear to Tell The Truth

2005-11-18T01:34:00.000-08:00

Big Oil decides to lie to the American people, but gets caught by the Washington Post.

Crooks and Liars has the video.

Scarborough might be a little bit surprised, but this is something that we knew all along, this administration is synonymous with Big Oil and will not tell the truth about it. But, this must feel like every other day for the Bushies - just another scandal.

No to all

2005-11-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

It seems, Californians have spoken. Yesterday, during another arduous special election, the voters sruck down ALL EIGHT ballot proposals. It seems that the gubernator's grip is finally slipping (besides his approval ratings). More in the news, Democrat's won two gubernatorial races, one in New Jersery and another in Virginia. This could be a signal that the tide is changing...

Proposition - 73 Abortion Notification - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 3,465,145 52.55
Yes 3,129,340 47.45

Proposition - 74 Teacher Tenure - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 3,662,399 55.08
Yes 2,986,287 44.92

Proposition - 75 Union Dues - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 3,550,563 53.45
Yes 3,091,713 46.55

Proposition - 76 Spending Cap - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 4,114,787 62.00
Yes 2,521,709 38.00

Proposition - 77 Redistricting - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 3,919,919 59.46
Yes 2,672,882 40.54

Proposition - 78 Drugs-Industry - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 3,821,383 58.42
Yes 2,719,375 41.58

Proposition - 79 Drugs-Labor - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 3,949,942 61.02
Yes 2,523,419 38.98

Proposition - 80 Electricity Reregulation - 17637 of 17657 Precincts Reporting - 99.89%
Name Votes Pct
No 4,181,536 65.64
Yes 2,188,786 34.36

Full Election Results
Gubernatorial Races
BBC Overview of Nation-wide Elections

Martial is close by

2005-11-08T15:57:00.001-08:00

For those who haven't picked up a newspaper in the past week, France seems to be in a bit of civil disorder. Based on its rate of deterioration, I bet that martial law will be imposed in the upcoming weeks. But that could throw a wrench into de Villepin's succession...

The French city of Amiens has become the first to impose an overnight curfew under emergency powers passed by the government to curb the rioting.

The measures, which came into effect at midnight, give police extra powers and aim to stop under 16-year-olds going out unaccompanied after 2200 (2100GMT)...

The unrest was first sparked by the deaths in the run-down Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois of two youths, who were accidentally electrocuted at an electricity sub-station.

Locals said they were being chased by the police, but the police deny this.

More information @ the BBC

Delong and Klein Take on the Propositions

2005-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

They disagree over Prop. 80 but agree on the rest,

Ezra KIein votes against all California ballot propositions except 79 and 80. I disagree with him on 80: I vote against it.

Ezra Klein: Endorsements Squared: For all you Californians (and particularly Angelenos) bewildered by next week's ballot measures and elections, The LA Weekly is swooping in with a cape and a pen (a pen of TRUTH) to give you a hand.... [I] couldn't find a single recommendation to disagree with...

LA Weekly: News: We Endorse: State ballot measures.

Proposition 73: Abortion notification. NO: If your teenage daughter gets pregnant and is about to have an abortion, don’t you want her to tell you? Don’t you want the physician who is going to perform the procedure to tell you, at least 48 hours before it takes place? Of course you do. But let’s take it further. You don’t want her to get pregnant in the first place. You don’t want her having sex. You and she talk about this kind of thing, and that’s great. So shouldn’t you vote for the “Parent’s Right to Know and Child Protection Initiative”? No, because you and your daughter don’t need it. But girls who can’t talk to their parents, for whatever reason, still need to be able to talk to their doctors about their bodies without worrying that their family will find out and pressure them into bearing a child against their will. Good parent-child communication is essential, but it can’t be legislated.

Proposition 74: Teacher probationary period, also known as tenure. NO: A probationary period for a new hire might not be a bad idea, just to make sure the employee didn’t forget to include something important on the résumé, like “raving lunatic.” Thirty days sounds about right. Unless you’re a teacher, in which case we’ll make it — whoa! Two years! Okay, they’re with kids every day, so let’s play it safe. But to encourage more good people to become teachers, maybe we should change it to — yikes! Five years of job insecurity? That’s what Proposition 74 would do, because Governor Schwarzenegger knows that when schools are underfunded and overcrowded, it’s got to be because we just make it too easy for people to become underpaid teachers. He’s wrong on this one, just like he is with the other ballot initiatives he’s pushing.

Proposition 75: Public worker union dues restrictions. NO: In 1998 Californians rejected a ballot measure that would have blocked unions from spending an employee’s dues money to campaign for candidates or lobby for legislation that labor leaders believe is important. Now we have this one, which is pretty much the same except that it applies only to public employees. These workers currently can opt out of paying their union to do political lobbying and campaigning. Under Proposition 75, they would have to opt in — giving the edge to corporations that do not, after all, give their shareholders the power to opt out of having their investment used for anti-labor lobbying.

Proposition 76: State budget reform. NO: The state budget is a mess. Proposition 76 would make it messier, by giving the governor extraordinary executive powers to cut spending, even under a budget that is already approved and signed into law. And the Legislature would be unable to stop him. It would also permit the governor to roll back Proposition 98, a 1988 voter-approved constitutional amendment that guarantees a spending floor for public schools. This isn’t the way to go.

Proposition 77: Redistricting. NO: The Democrats and the Republicans divvy legislative and congressional seats between them to guarantee each other safe territory at election time. Only a handful of districts are ever really up for grabs, meaning the real decisions are made not by the full electorate in the general election, but by primary voters when they choose their nominee. Or even earlier, when party bosses anoint their candidates. In addition to the lack of choice, voters get districts drawn in the shapes of various circus animals. So why not break up this insiders’ game by giving line-drawing duties to a panel of nonpartisan, pure-as-the-driven-snow superheroes, also known as retired judges? Several reasons. Under this plan, the district boundaries would be set only after national parties spend millions, perhaps billions, to persuade voters to adopt (or reject) a proposal for district lines. Then the court hearings. Then back to the judges to try again, even though they already submitted their best effort. Some repair work is needed on districting, but this isn’t it. Back to the drawing board.

Proposition 78: Prescription drug discounts, pharmaceutical industry version. NO: Hey! This would allow drug companies to give some people discounts on costly prescription drugs, if they felt like it! That would be so very nice of them! The only purpose of this proposition is to cancel more generous Proposition 79.

Proposition 79: Prescription drug discounts, consumer version. YES: Like 78, this one gives California the clout to negotiate deep drug discounts with the big pharmaceutical companies. The difference is that this one reaches far more low-income people who need prescription drugs. It also carries an enforcement stick that in effect locks drug companies out of the discount program if they don’t come through with the best prices.

Proposition 80: Electricity re-regulation. YES: This would finally throw in the towel on the disaster that was the state Legislature’s 1996 energy deregulation program. You know — rolling blackouts, a sudden scarcity of power. There would be some negative consequences, like limiting the options that many institutional electricity purchasers still have when deciding when to buy and how much to pay. But consumers would once again be protected from wild market fluctuations. The measure also requires major steps forward on renewable energy programs.

I disagree with Ezra on Prop. 80: Severin Borenstein is against Prop. 80, and I listen to him:

Borenstein says though the structure of the energy market could use some improvements, Proposition 80 is not the way to make them.... "I would analogize it to the Food and Drug Administration putting on the ballot whether they should okay a certain drug as safe and effective, putting out all the studies and saying 'you decide,' to the voters." Borenstein says 80 includes three largely disconnected ideas.

End consumer choice of power provider.
Curtail the practice of charging different rates for energy at different times of day during different weather conditions.
Require the state to get 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2010.

(2) is definitely pernicious. (1) and (3) I don't know enough of to have an informed opinion about--so I'll borrow Severin's.

I am still not sure about Prop. 80 but I agree with them on the rest. I am growingly concerned that Prop. 73 might end up passing, as a lot of people seem a bit complacent about it. We'll know by the end of tomorrow.

It Was Only a Matter of Time

2005-11-04T11:39:00.000-08:00

Now they are starting to get desperate,

House Republicans are looking closely at ending birthright citizenship and building a barrier along the entire U.S.-Mexico border as they search for solutions to illegal immigration.

The whole barrier idea will likely be forgotten in a couple of weeks, as it is unlikely to garner much support. But the birthright citizenship provision, I fear, might actually get a lot of people behind it. People like Tom Tancredo, a representative from Colorado, who has praised the Minutemen for their work on the border with Mexico.

"This is the issue that motivated me to deal with immigration."

That is pretty sad to hear that this was the issue that motivated you. But, well, you are from Colorado, so its not like you are dealing with undocumented immigrants everywhere you go.

Regardless, this issue is probably going to keep coming up in the future. And we really are going to have to ask ourselves if we should be messing around with precedent, like that set in the Constitution. It states that all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens. This is applicable to back in the day when we were desperate for European immigrants to come over and start populating the vast territory that would be America. But now, we feel no obligation to let in others and will probably develop a citizenship system that will only permit automatic citizenship for people whose parent(s) were citizens themselves. This may turn out to be very problematic, as we might end up having a bunch of people in the U.S. that have no citizenship whatsoever. This is a risk that we shouldn't be willing to take.

Chronology of Empires

2005-11-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Interesting list; just some food for thought...

Dates are interpretative and meant to be suggestive; information mainly from the Times Atlas of World History

Ancient Period (BC)

Egyptian Empire (3100BC to 30 BC)
Norte Chico Empire (3000-1800 BC)
Akkadian Empire (2500-2000 BC)
Indus Valley: Empires: Harappa and Mohenjo-Darro (2550-1550 BC)
Babylonian Empire (1792-1595 BC)
Ancient Chinese Empires: Shang (1751-1111 BC), Chou (1000-800 BC), etc.
Hittite Empire (1500-1200 BC)
Assyrian Empire (1244-612 BC)
Persian Empires (550 to 637 AD) including Achemenid Empire (550-330 BC), Sassanian Empire (224-651 AD)
Macedonian Empire (359-323 BC)
Athenian Empire (461-440 BC, 362-355 BC)
Parthian Empire (247 BC- 224 AD)
Roman Empire (264 BC to 409 AD)
Carthaginian Empire (ca. 475-146 BC)

Pre-Modern Period (to 1500)

Byzantine Empire (610-1453)
Mongol Empire (1206-1405)
Carolingian Empire (ca. 700-810)
Bulgarian Empire (802-827, 1197-1241)
Novogorod Empire (882-1054)
Danish Empire (1014-1035)
Holy Roman Empire (1254-1835)
Habsburg Empire (1452-1806)
Ottoman Empire (1453-1923)
Andean Empires: Huari Empire (600-800); Inca Empire (1438-1525)
Mesoamerican Empires esp. Maya Empire (ca. 300-900) Teotihuacan Empire (ca. 500-750), Aztec Empire (1325-ca. 1500)
Islamic Empires esp. Umayyid/Abbasid (661-1258), Almohad (1140-1250), Almoravid (1050-1140)
Medieval German Empire (962-1250)
Mamluk Empire (1250-1517)
Indian Empires, including Chola Empire (11th cent), Empire of Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1039 AD), Mughal Empire (1526-1805)
Southeast Asian Empires: Khmer Empire (877-1431), Burmese Empire (1057-1287)
Chinese Pre-Modern Empires: including T’ang Dynasty (618-906), Sung Dynasty (906-1278)
African Empires: Mali Empire (ca. 1210-1490), Songhai Empire (1468-1590), Fulani Empire (ca. 1800-1903), Ethiopian Empire (ca. 50-1974)

Modern Period (after 1500)

Spanish Empire (1492-1898)
Portuguese Empire (ca. 1450-1975)
Russian Empire/USSR (1552-1991)
Swedish Empire (1560-1660)
Dutch Empire (1660-1962)
British Empire (1607-ca. 1980)
French Empire (ca. 1611- ca. 1980)
Modern Chinese Empire: esp. Ch’ing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Austrian/Austro-Hungarian Empire (ca. 1700-1918) [see also Habsburg Empire]
US Empire (1776-present)
Brazilian Empire (1822-1889)
German Empire (1871-1918, 1939-1945)
Japanese Empire (1871-1945)
Italian Empire (1889-1942)

Actually Lame

2005-10-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Over at the Prospect, they are beginning to see that the term Lame Duck is starting to mean more and more...

THE LAME DUCKS. I can't help but notice that more and more administration officials are having problems with lameness that are more than metaphorical. Since having surgery to remove aneurysms behind his knees, Vice President Dick Cheney has been photographed on crutches. His former aide Scooter Libby is currently on crutches, on account of what appears to be an injured foot. And the president himself gave up running some time ago on account of having quite literally gone weak in the knees. Three's a trend, right? What's going on here? Paging Robin Givhan...

6 Degrees of Corruption

2005-10-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

The who's-who family tree guilty of beating the war drums to Iraq. Click the link to enlarge...

Schwarzenegger Street

2005-10-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this parody of Arnold. It is like the Jibjab cartoons from the 2004 election.

Arnold's Neighborhood

Pretty funny.

Quote of the Day

2005-10-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

"This certainly seems like an attempt to pin this whole thing on Libby." - Josh Marshall.

I couldn't agree more. There are way too many unanswered questions and his resignation came a bit too easily. They really want the low-profile guy to take the hit so that others might be able to wrangle themselves out of it. Karl Rove escaped for now, but an indictment may still come his way.

2k Why?

2005-10-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

The day after the 2,000th U.S. soldier is declared killed in Iraq, people across the country will be taking to the freeways with signs of protest. 2k why?

The Question

2005-10-27T01:11:00.000-07:00

About Jim

2005-10-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say about Jim Gilchrist (for Congress)? He seems to be loved by all those who are ignorant of history and ignorant of how the economy actually functions. But he is also loved by my fellow classmates. In my thesis course, we were discussing certain belief systems and racism was brought up. I said something louder than expected but to the effect of, "Like Jim Gilchrist." I received some startling and dirty looks by my neighbors. It should make for a riveting discussion section. :) Nonetheless, this man makes me sick and his profile is convervative pandering...

Read and listen for yourself...
Jim's Bio

Frist Comes Clean

2005-10-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Or rather he comes clean Republican-style,

Didn't they teach Sen. Dr. Bill Frist in right-wing boot camp that you never admit you were wrong?
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist acknowledged yesterday that he could have been "more precise" two years ago when he told the public in a televised interview that he wasn't sure if he still owned any HCA stock because his holdings had been placed in a blind trust.

Frist claimed in 2002 and on television in 2003 that he didn't know how much HCA stock he owned, and might not have owned any. But in fact, since 2001, Frist received notification 15 times of sales or deposits into his trust accounts of various stocks, including HCA shares.
I guess "could have been more precise" is GOP-speak for "I could have told the truth, but chose not to." It's like 1972 all over again, except "could have been more precise" sounds a little better than "those statements are no longer operative."

In Sen. Dr. Bill Frist's defense, however, he hasn't really done much to help the family business. The GOP's Medicaid cuts certainly aren't good for business in states where HCA has big provider contracts. On the other hand, he hasn't done much to threaten the family business, either, such as open up the floor for debate on a single-payer national health insurance program.

Meanwhile, in his (and HCA's) home state of Tennessee more than 120,000 people just lost their health insurance when Tennessee's TennCare/Medicaid program was gutted. Haven't heard a peep from Sen. Dr. Frist on how he proposes to help these people.

I think that is as close as we will ever get to him admitting that he lied. So, pop open the corks.

Saw John Edwards Tonight

2005-10-26T02:01:00.000-07:00

Senator John Edwards made an appearance at UC Berkeley today as part of his Opportunity Rocks tour across the nation, designed at engaging young people in the fight against poverty. It is a tour sponsored by the Center for Promise and Opportunity, whose director is Senator Edwards.

The event was attended by somewhere around five hundred people, as all of the seats were taken and people were standing all around the room. Edwards came on at about 6:20 and spoke until about 6:45.

His main theme was that poverty is bad and that we should do something about it. He detailed it by talking about Katrina and talking about how we have 37 million people that are under the poverty line and how they live on a razor's edge, etc, etc. All of that was good and all, but he failed to take it a step further and really challenge any of us students to get involved. Instead, he sort of just kept saying a lot of the same things over and over. Repetition is certainly a key to learning, but this is Berkeley, we understand that poverty is bad.

Also, he made it seem like no politician could really be trusted to get anything done on this matter. Now, if this was some outsider or some ordinary citizen, I might take him seriously, but this was a former Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator who was saying this. Although I agree to an extent that there will have to be a movement behind this, there will have to be cooperative politicians who are at hand as well.

He also kept getting back to the theme of college students being the harbingers of change, as it has been that way with a number of movements in the past. I think that this is becoming a bit of a broken record to be honest. We are certainly very active and quite organizable, but we are also a bit overrated when it comes to change, as we haven't really been doing that much lately. Perhaps we are more apathetic on the whole or possibly just less idealistic as we used to be, but I think that we have become more of the default player when it comes to social change, the recurring character.

But for what is it worth, it is absolutely essential that we start talking about poverty again in this country. Edwards talked about the War on Poverty and how it really wasn't a complete failure, but is often construed to be. And he talked a little bit about some Democratic standard policy proposals, like increasing the minimum wage and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit. This was certainly better than nothing, but it still left me wanting.

Lastly, it was no surprise to me that Edwards mentioned Iraq only once. And it was in passing. And it still elicited enormous applause, although I am sure quite a few people were unimpressed by his bandwagoning. If you are going to mention Iraq, you can't just say (I'm paraphrasing), "And what is going on in Iraq is terrible", and be done with it. But Senator Edwards can. And then he can avoid confrontation on that issue by not allowing Q+A at the end.

Overall, he was a good speaker, not the great speaker some make him out to be. But, I could really tell that this mattered to him and that he believed it should matter to us. However, he just couldn't sell it all the way.

UPDATE: Wow, apparently there were about 1500 people there. I am pretty bad at estimating crowds, but that is just embarassing how off I was.

Wal-Mart Digging Its Own Grave

2005-10-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

Over at the Labor Blog,

Wal-Mart: Discriminate to Save Health Care Costs
The day after Wal-Mart's fake PR offensive to portray themselves as concerned about their employees health care and wages, Stephen Greenhouse -- who proves the NY Times still has some decent reporters -- reveals this internal memo from Wal-Mart. The memo calls for Wal-Mart saving money by forcing more employees into part-time work without benefits and discriminating against the unhealthy and disabled:

To discourage unhealthy job applicants, [the memo] suggests that Wal-Mart arrange for "all jobs to include some physical activity (e.g., all cashiers do some cart-gathering)."...
"It will be far easier to attract and retain a healthier work force than it will be to change behavior in an existing one," the memo said. "These moves would also dissuade unhealthy people from coming to work at Wal-Mart."
Wal-Mart has hopefully bought itself a nice Americans with Disabilities Act class action lawsuit. Or better, the publicity will force them to avoid any of the nasty proposals outlined in the memo, since any lawyer now has documented intent to discriminate in hand if they do.

Can somebody hand these guys a shovel? Man, this isn't just illegal, it's really really unethical as well. Too bad this won't change many people's minds who already shop there.

Interesting Take on Retired Judges

2005-10-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

This is from a Prop. 77 debate, courtesy of the SF Chronicle's Special Election Blog,

Dan Lowenstein is a professor at the UCLA School of Law, but he's probably not going to be getting many invitations to speak to retired judges anytime soon.

In a debate Thursday with Ted Costa, the man behind the Prop. 77 redistricting measure, Lowenstein suggested to a classroom of public administration students at the University of San Francisco that the only retired judges willing to serve on a redistricting panel will be those so inept that they can't find other work or so venal they'll be in it for the bribes.

Why would any retired judge volunteer for something "as onerous, arcane and incredibly boring" as the redistricting panel provided by Prop. 77, especially when it pays so little, Lowenstein asked.

As the students and their teacher, former Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy, looked on, Lowenstein then suggested that only three types of retired judges would be interested in that type of public service.

First, there are the judges "so incompetent they can't get a job with a law firm or as a private judge," he said. Then there are those "who have an ax to grind" and will use the panel and the redistricting power for their own partisan purposes. Finally, there are those who believe that there will be "something in it for him," judges who will be willing to sell their vote to whoever makes the best offer.

Of course, hyperbole isn't limited to one side of any political argument. Costa likened Prop. 77 to the women's suffrage movement in the way it will sweep the country and change the face of the nation if it passes on Nov. 8.

Rosa Parks Dead

2005-10-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

A sad day.

Rosa Parks, a seamstress from Montgomery, Alabama, who would not give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955, died Monday at the age of 92. Historians mark the date of her quiet-but-revolutionary act as the start of the modern civil rights movement in the United States.

She just sat there and started it all. Thank God for that woman. Hopefully we will never forget how important she was and always will be to the rights that all of us have.

Governor's Town Hall Meeting Tonight

2005-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

A lot of interesting things have been said, not the least of which was, "We need to build more teachers".

But what really struck me was when the Governor said that if there was a proposition that forced corporations to get an okay from stockholders before donating to politicians, he would endorse it. And he didn't dance around it either, he just said it. Thus far, I've been pretty impressed by his performance - honest, well-spoken, and comedic.

And none of this has been pre-planned.

Hopefully there will be a full transcript later.

Loving the past...

2005-10-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Something funny from our neighbors in the east (or west if in cali),

BEIJING -- A new line of condoms is grabbing headlines in China even as its sparks a debate about trademark law and promotion campaigns. The products' brand names: "Clinton" and "Lewinsky."

Preserving the Past...

2005-10-22T02:17:00.000-07:00

Amazing that stuff like this is still going on,

Thirteen-year-old twins Lamb and Lynx Gaede have one album out, another on the way, a music video, and lots of fans.
They may remind you another famous pair of singers, the Olsen Twins, and the girls say they like that. But unlike the Olsens, who built a media empire on their fun-loving, squeaky-clean image, Lamb and Lynx are cultivating a much darker personna. They are white nationalists and use their talents to preach a message of hate.

I hope that some of the wingnuts will condemn this.

3 Executions Scheduled for California

2005-10-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Stanley Tookie Williams

Michael Morales

Clarence Ray Allen

It will likely be one each month: December, January, and February... unprecedented for California.

More later.

Exploit-led Industrialization

2005-10-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is, shall I say, an interesting read for all you aspiring political economists. It makes me wonder how a nation can truly join the ranks of western economies. And the article, with many other historical examples, questions the rationalization of export-led industrialization and liberal policies in general.

Britain was the principal slaving nation of the modern world. In 'The Empire Pays Back', a documentary broadcast by Channel 4 on Monday, Robert Beckford called on the British to take stock of this past. Why, he asked, had Britain made no apology for African slavery, as it had done for the Irish potato famine?...

These are timely questions in a summer in which Blair and Bush, their hands still wet with Iraqi blood, sought to re-brand themselves as the saviors of Africa. The G8's debt-forgiveness initiative was 'spun' successfully as an act of western altruism. The generous Massas never bothered to explain that, in order to benefit, governments must agree to "conditions", which included allowing profit-making companies to take over public services. This was no gift; it was what the merchant bankers would call a "debt-for-equity swap", the equity here being national sovereignty...

Schroeder Disses Bush

2005-10-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Ouch.

"I can think of a recent disaster that shows what happens when a country neglects its duties of state towards its people. My post as chancellor, which I still hold, does not allow me to name that country, but you all know that I am talking about America."

-- Outgoing German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, quoted by the Washington Times, ripping President Bush.

Hopefully their next Chancellor, Angela Merkel, will carry that torch.

Right Wing Already Smearing

2005-10-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

This guy isn't your usual politician, he a district attorney. And he has prosecuted more Democrats than Republicans. But they are very scared...

Protecting their own. According to Roll Call (sub.req.): The Free Enterprise Fund is set to start running "saturation" anti-Ronnie Earle TV ads in Austin before taking the ads nationwide.

Admittedly he has had some issues in the past, but its clear that they wouldn't be doing any of the smearing unless they are scared - and they are terrified at the laundry list of people that could go down with Delay.

First Lady Okays Miers

2005-10-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

In that case...

Joining her husband in defense of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, Laura Bush today called her a "role model for young women around the country" and suggested that sexism was a "possible" reason for the heavy criticism of the nomination.

"I know Harriet well," the first lady said. "I know how accomplished she is. I know how many times she's broken the glass ceiling. . . . She's very deliberate and thoughtful and will bring dignity to wherever she goes, certainly the Supreme Court."

Well, if strict-scrutiny-Laura okays the nomination, then who could say no?! After all, she is a trustworthy and neutral observer of the process. I am sure that many senators will be persuaded by her fine reasoning...

Full Article at Washington Post.

The Threat of Fascism

2005-10-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Quite an interesting article (a bit long) on the notion that North America is on a path toward fascism. Whether one believes it or not, the article draws on several disturbing similarities. Read it for yourself before you jump to conclusions...

Observing political and economic discourse in North America since the 1970’s leads to an inescapable conclusion: the vast bulk of legislative activity favors the interests of large commercial enterprises... The exaltation of big business at the expense of the citizen was a central characteristic of government policy in Germany and Italy in the years before those countries were chewed to bits and spat out by fascism. Fascist dictatorships were borne to power in each of these countries by big business, and they served the interests of big business with remarkable ferocity. These facts have been lost to the popular consciousness in North America. Fascism could therefore return to us, and we will not even recognize it. Indeed, Huey Long, one of America’s most brilliant and most corrupt politicians, was once asked if America would ever see fascism. His answer was, “Yes, but we will call it anti-fascism”...

Neo-liberal intellectuals often recognize the need for violence to protect what they regard as freedom. Thomas Freidman of the New York Times has written enthusiastically that “the hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist”, and that “McDonald’s cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the U.S. Air Force F-15…”

Having said that fascism is the result of a flawed notion of freedom, I respectfully suggest that we must reexamine what we mean when we throw around the word “freedom”. We must conceive of freedom in a more enlightened way. Indeed, it was the thinkers of the Enlightenment that imagined a balanced and civilized freedom which did not impinge upon the freedom of one’s neighbor. Put in the simplest terms, my right to life means that you must give up your freedom to kill me. This may seem terribly obvious to decent people. Unfortunately, in our neo-liberal era, this civilized sense of freedom has, like the dangers of fascism, been all but forgotten.

Shame, Shame, Shame

2005-10-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Got this from Think Progress, via Josh:

Emotions erupted on the floor of the House of Representatives this afternoon as the right-wing-led Congress held open yet another vote to twist arms and pass a bill that would line the pockets of energy company executives. The House leadership held the five-minute vote open for almost 50 minutes until they could convince three lawmakers — Reps. Wayne Gilcrest (R-MD), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA) — to change their minds. The bill passed 212-210. As the vote concluded, opponents of the bill chanted in unity: “Shame, Shame, Shame!”

This isn't the first time they have left the vote open for so long, but I am a bit surprised that the vote was this close. Luckily, the Democrats held firm. Unfortunately, few will probably ever hear about the Republicans' dirty tactics, but they will see how dreadfully fiscally irresponsible the GOP really is, with their belief in handouts for every CEO. Or as Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) called it, the "leave-no-oilman-behind bill."

Also, video here.

Bush Gets Senate Democratic Leadership Approval for Miers

2005-10-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this at Huffington Post,

President Bush today nominated a Texas lawyer who serves as White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court – a pick that apparently was pre-approved by Senate Democratic leadership.

The wingnuts must be going crazy.

Anti-War speech: Etan Thomas

2005-09-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Take the time to read this impassioned speech that was given at the anti-war rally in D.C.

Today we may just have a figure to join their ranks in the NBA’s Etan Thomas...But this past weekend, Etan made a play for pantheon status. Etan took it to that Ali level, by delivering a blistering poetical speech as part of the weekend’s antiwar demonstrations in Washington DC....

Here is the transcript. Read and pass it along – it has the power to topple tyrants.
“Giving all honor, thanks and praises to God for courage and wisdom, this is a very important rally. I'd like to thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts, feelings and concerns regarding a tremendous problem that we are currently facing. This problem is universal, transcending race, economic background, religion, and culture, and this problem is none other than the current administration which has set up shop in the White House.

In fact, I'd like to take some of these cats on a field trip. I want to get big yellow buses with no air conditioner and no seatbelts and round up Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Trent Lott, Sean Hannity, Dick Cheney, Jeb Bush, Bush Jr. and Bush Sr., John Ashcroft, Giuliani, Ed Gillespie, Katherine Harris, that little bow-tied Tucker Carlson and any other right-wing conservative Republicans I can think of, and take them all on a trip to the ‘hood. Not to do no 30-minute documentary. I mean, I want to drop them off and leave them there, let them become one with the other side of the tracks, get them four mouths to feed and no welfare, have scare tactics run through them like a laxative, criticizing them for needing assistance.

I’d show them working families that make too much to receive welfare but not enough to make ends meet. I’d employ them with jobs with little security, let them know how it feels to be an employee at will, able to be fired at the drop of a hat. I’d take away their opportunities, then try their children as adults, sending their 13-year-old babies to life in prison. I’d sell them dreams of hopelessness while spoon-feeding their young with a daily dose of inferior education. I’d tell them no child shall be left behind, then take more money out of their schools, tell them to show and prove themselves on standardized exams testing their knowledge on things that they haven’t been taught, and then I’d call them inferior.

I’d soak into their interior notions of endless possibilities. I’d paint pictures of assisted productivity if they only agreed to be all they can be, dress them up with fatigues and boots with promises of pots of gold at the end of rainbows, free education to waste terrain on those who finish their bid. Then I’d close the lid on that barrel of fool’s gold by starting a war, sending their children into the midst of a hostile situation, and while they're worried about their babies being murdered and slain in foreign lands, I’d grace them with the pain of being sick and unable to get medicine.

Give them health benefits that barely cover the common cold. John Q. would become their reality as HMOs introduce them to the world of inferior care, filling their lungs with inadequate air, penny pinching at the expense of patients, doctors practicing medicine in an intricate web of rationing and regulations. Patients wander the maze of managed bureaucracy, costs rise and quality quickly deteriorates, but they say that managed care is cheaper. They’ll say that free choice in medicine will defeat the overall productivity, and as co-payments are steadily rising, I'll make their grandparents have to choose between buying their medicine and paying their rent.

Then I'd feed them hypocritical lines of being pro-life as the only Christian way to be. Then very contradictingly, I’d fight for the spread of the death penalty, as if thou shall not kill applies to babies but not to criminals.

Then I’d introduce them to those sworn to protect and serve, creating a curb in their trust in the law. I’d show them the nightsticks and plungers, the pepper spray and stun guns, the mace and magnums that they’d soon become acquainted with, the shakedowns and illegal search and seizures, the planted evidence, being stopped for no reason. Harassment ain’t even the half of it. Forty-one shots to two raised hands, cell phones and wallets that are confused with illegal contrabands. I’d introduce them to pigs who love making their guns click like wine glasses. Everlasting targets surrounded by bullets, making them a walking bull's eye, a living piñata, held at the mercy of police brutality, and then we’ll see if they finally weren’t aware of the truth, if their eyes weren’t finally open like a box of Pandora.

I’d show them how the other side of the tracks carries the weight of the world on our shoulders and how society seems to be holding us down with the force of a boulder. The bird of democracy flew the coop back in Florida. See, for some, and justice comes in packs like wolves in sheep's clothing. T.K.O.'d by the right hooks of life, many are left staggering under the weight of the day, leaning against the ropes of hope. When your dreams have fallen on barren ground, it becomes difficult to keep pushing yourself forward like a train, administering pain like a doctor with a needle, their sequels continue more lethal than injections.

They keep telling us all is equal. I’d tell them that instead of giving tax breaks to the rich, financing corporate mergers and leading us into unnecessary wars and under-table dealings with Enron and Halliburton, maybe they can work on making society more peaceful. Instead, they take more and more money out of inner city schools, give up on the idea of rehabilitation and build more prisons for poor people. With unemployment continuing to rise like a deficit, it's no wonder why so many think that crime pays.

Maybe this trip will make them see the error of their ways. Or maybe next time, we'll just all get out and vote. And as far as their stay in the White House, tell them that numbered are their days.”

Temporary Hiatus

2005-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

I (and i'm assuming AJ) will not be posting until after October 1, the day of our LSAT.

Cheers.

Losing Face (and more?) post Katrina

2005-09-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

After a several week hiatus, Thomas Friedman is writing again but not his usual pro-establishment rhetoric. His stint in Singapore has allowed him to witness first hand how the rest of the world is analyzing the aftermath of Katrina. And it is not looking pretty....

There is something troublingly self-indulgent and slothful about America today - something that Katrina highlighted and that people who live in countries where the laws of gravity still apply really noticed. It has rattled them - like watching a parent melt down...

The discipline that the cold war imposed on America, by contrast, seems to have faded. Last year, we cut the National Science Foundation budget, while indulging absurd creationist theories in our schools and passing pork-laden energy and transportation bills in the middle of an energy crisis...

Janadas Devan, a Straits Times columnist, tried to explain to his Asian readers how the U.S. is changing. "Today's conservatives," he wrote, "differ in one crucial aspect from yesterday's conservatives: the latter believed in small government, but believed, too, that a country ought to pay for all the government that it needed.

"The former believe in no government, and therefore conclude that there is no need for a country to pay for even the government that it does have. ... [But] it is not only government that doesn't show up when government is starved of resources and leached of all its meaning. Community doesn't show up either, sacrifice doesn't show up, pulling together doesn't show up, 'we're all in this together' doesn't show up."

The last two paragraphs succinctly summarize the mantra of neo-cons. Maybe, the likes of Fukuyama and Jervin shall honor us with an article in Foreign Affairs describing this belief system. Ah, but maybe it has already been accomplished....

Full Article @ NYTimes

Delay to Katrina Refugees: 'Is this kind of fun?'

2005-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Words escape me...From the DomeBlog,

U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's visit to Reliant Park this morning offered him a glimpse of what it's like to be living in shelter.

While on the tour with top administration officials from Washington, including U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, DeLay stopped to chat with three young boys resting on cots.

The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?"

They nodded yes, but looked perplexed.

With a group of reporters and press officers in tow, DeLay then moved on, chatting with others, including a local IRS representative. He then visited with job recruiters set up in Reliant Park.

Earlier DeLay spoke with volunteers and thanked them for their service.

"You are becoming famous all over this country and even the world," he said, adding that he's often approached by lawmakers commending Houston's response to the disaster.
--Purva Patel

Historic First Step...

2005-09-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the California State Assembly made history by passing the first bill in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage. While the governor has threatened a veto, I would not be suprised if, like many other pieces of legislation, he proposed a state-wide referendum.

With no votes to spare, California's lawmakers became the first in the United States to act without a court order to sanction gay marriages. The measure was approved after three Democratic lawmakers who abstained on a similar proposal that failed in June changed their minds under intense lobbying by bill author Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and gay and civil rights activists.

No Republicans voted in favor of the bill. Forty-one of the Assembly's 47 Democrats voted yes; four Democrats voted "no," and two abstained.

The bill, which would change California's legal definition of marriage from "a civil contract between a man and a woman" to a "civil contract between two persons," now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has signaled that he will veto it.

Full article at LATimes

Some Political Implications

2005-09-05T01:31:00.000-07:00

I don't really like the idea of bringing up old-fashioned politics into this, but I read something that I thought was really interesting from an article by Andrew Sullivan in the Times Online:

What harm can come to Bush? Not much: except a worrying weakening of his ability to carry the public for the war in Iraq. A competent Democrat could clean up with a message to restore government for the people rather than for special interests. But these days, a competent Democrat is an oxymoron. Hillary has been silent. She figures she need do nothing but let the anger vent on Bush.
But in Republican circles, one real change may have occurred. In a matter of days, Rudy Giuliani’s chances of becoming the next president improved drastically. What people want now is someone who can make the federal government work again. They want an executive who can fight a war and keep them safe. Nobody represents that kind of need better than Giuliani. His social liberalism — which makes him anathema to the religious fundamentalists who control the Republican party — would be overwhelmed by his appeal to law-and-order Republicans. Those Republicans know when an almighty error has been made. And last week, their president failed them. It will take enormous political work for him to win them back now.

Once again, there are many many bigger issues at hand, but I found his analysis to make perfect sense for '08 - especially since this disaster will surely be remembered for years to come.

Nonetheless, the bundling by this administration, despite all of their denials otherwise, has been incredibly revealing of their incompetence and inability to grasp public sentiment. More importantly, people will not easily forgive what happened here - this was not a 9/11 situation that caught us by surprise. We had the projections and the manpower to save lives but they, mainly the federal but also the local levels, could not put together the necessary steps to keep New Orleans afloat or at least get more of the residents out. As some people have said, watching what has been happening in the last week has almost been like witnessing the Twin Towers come down in complete slow motion - and we feel so helpless.