The Citizens

Bell Curve

The Law Talking Guy

Raised by Republicans

U.S. West

Well, he's kind of had it in for me ever since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly," and replace "dog" with "son."

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Senate Votes 90-9 to Improve Treatment in Military Prisons

Friends! Is Democracy fighting back? Is Liberty reasserting itself?

The Senate voted by a vote of 90-9 to impose stricter limits on the treatment of detainees in US Military Prisons. The measure is a rider added by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to the enormous DOD spending bill. This was added despite warnings from the President that he would veto the bill. Here is the CNN.Com article. The White House is saying Bush will be giving a "major speech" about it soon.

If Bush vetoes this bill his first veto of his Presidency will be declared to defend torture. Think about that. Think about it twice if you ever voted for this man.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Whaaaaa?

This just came out of left field.

LTG and I have been talking about how the Bible cannot be taken literally for a while now. But I have a very hard time believing that the Catholic Church came out and said as much. Good for them. Read the article, and note this part:

They go on to condemn fundamentalism for its “intransigent intolerance” and to warn of “significant dangers” involved in a fundamentalist approach.

“Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against others.”

I'm impressed.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Military Response for the Flu?

Hi All,

A week or so ago I commented on this blog that I was concerned that the Bush administration seemed to be ensuring that the only federal agency that could do anything effectively was the military. Having accomplished that they want the military to take over everything from disaster relief to law enforcement and now Bush is suggesting that if the Bird Flu hits the US, it may require a military response. Wouldn't it be easier to cancel the highway bill pork fest and pay for the vaccine!? But why prepare when an "unforeseen" disaster would be an excuse to put the US military out on the streets nation wide! Medical professionals have been ringing the alarm bell about this flu for a couple of years now. They are comparing its potential to kill with the influenza pandemic in 1918. And now there are reports that it has mutated in exactly the way it needed to start a pandemic!

OK, that was a lot of links. But it's a complicated issue about which we've said little on this blog.

Comments?

Yup.

This diary on Daily Kos, I think, hits the nail right on the head. Check it out, report back here and leave a comment.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Loyal Lackey Rewarded with Plum Appointment

President Bush's decision to appoint personal counsel and long-time yes-woman Harriett Miers to the Supreme Court is another example of his leadership style: acquaintances get minor, ceremonial posts like FEMA chief, while good friends get the juicy jobs that really jazz up the resumé. It's an old tradition that goes back at least to Andrew Jackson, "To the victor belongs the spoils." I suppose we should be grateful that at least she has some excellent legal credentials, even if she brings no judicial experience to the table.

What does she think about abortion, gay rights, gun control, separation of church and state, and assisted suicide? What is her view on federalism, and to which constitutional schools of thought does she subscribe? I don't know if Mr. Bush really even cares. According to Political Moneyline, she contributed money to Gore and Bentsen in '88 (later, of course, she contributed heavily to Bush.) She's not a conservative ideologue; she's just someone who finally found the right horse to back.

Bush said he consulted with "80 Senators," but according to the NY Times, Democratic Senators complained that the conversations lasted about five minutes and were consultations "in name only." But get this: apparently it was White House Counsel Ms. Miers herself who called some of the Senators to "consult" with them. Did Bush ask her to make those calls as one last practical joke on her? The man loves to smirk at everyone.

Should the Senate confirm her nomination? In a perfect world, no. But in the real world, yes. Because if they don't, Bush will nominate a highly qualified Scalia-clone--that's the unspoken threat: give my girl a good job or I'll send in the Enforcer. So unless we discover that she has a hidden agenda, the Senate might as well confirm her and move on.

Because I'd rather have an opportunist than an ideologue on the bench any day.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

A Comment On Schwarzenegger

Hi Everyone,

This LA Times article about Governor Schwarzenegger describes the Governor's grab bag of policies and concludes (based on analysis from a respected Political Scientist) that Schwarzenegger is socially liberal and fiscally conservative. However, I read the story (combined with other things I know about the Governor) and came to nearly the opposite conclusion. Schwarzenegger is socially conservative/populist and fiscally liberal. Here is why I think that.

Indicative Schwarzenegger social policy positions:
1) Anti-equality re: marriage for homosexuals
2) Pro-vigilante re: illegal immigration in the desert
3) Refusal to repeal recent tax cuts (this is often seen as exclusively "fiscal" policy but really tax code structure is a social policy too)
4) Education at all levels is cut heavily (K-12, community colleges, Cal State system and UC system)

Indicative Schwarzenegger fiscal policy positions:
1) Budgets are not balanced but are made to appear so by heavy borrowing
2) Spending on favored constituencies goes up despite little demonstrable benefit to broader society (I'm talking about the governor's slavish devotion to the Prison Guards Union and the prison industry)
3) Refusal to repeal recent tax cuts (to the extent that they affect revenue, they are fiscal policy).

Schwarzenegger frequently claims to be a leader that transcends partisan identity. "I represent all the people" or "What California needs is a single strong leader for all the people" or similar comments are common from the governor. These are NOT encouraging. Such claims to personalized legitimacy is the foundation of populist/fascist ideologies not democratic politics. Corporatist populism is a common ideological position in Austria. Schwarzenegger fits in that tradition far more than he fits with the socially liberal Californians who just want their budget balanced!

Comments? Alternative Perspectives?

Friday, September 30, 2005

Social Security Outrage

I received my annual social security statement this week. It included this footnote to my expected benefits, "These benefits may change because by 2041, revenue will only be sufficient to cover 74% of the benefits under current law." That is, of course, Total Bush B.S.

The truth is that under *some* studies, if the tax rate of social security is not increased, and if social security is funded only from a separate tax, rather than the general fund, there will be a shortfall in expected revenue. But look at predictions from 1995 and see how accurate they were for 2005 before predicting 40 years into the future. In fact, the whole thing teeters on what expected increases are in the annual COLAs. The Social Security Administration should not be promoting political propaganda like this.

Obviously, Congress can do many things, e.g., raising the tax, extending it to all income (rather than only the first $90,000 earned) or just make up the shortfall from the general fund until the boomer generation is no longer on the books and demographic stability returns.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Good.

Judge orders release of Abu Ghraib photos

Hellerstein said in his 50-page opinion that he respected Myers' arguments. But he added that his job was "not to defer to our worst fears, but to interpret and apply the law, in this case, the Freedom of Information Act, which advances values important to our society, transparency and accountability in government."

This is why I'm glad I joined the ACLU.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

DeLay Reactions

I don't think we're breaking this news here, but it's worth repeating: Tom DeLay was indicted and will step aside (for now) as House Majority Leader. Let's take a tour of the blogosphere and see what people are saying:

Atrios is shocked and prepares for the Republican reaction.
Kos is similarly surprised, using words I won't repeat on this blog.
Josh Marshall has evidence that DeLay plans to come back to a leadership position.

The Free Republic is taking aim at the prosecutor, Ronnie Earle.
As usual, on RedState.Org, the comments are more interesting than the post. They wonder what the reaction will be to a "gay" House Majority Leader (Dreier).
Powerline also predictably takes aim at Ronnie Earle.

What do our fans in cyberspace think?

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Heck of a Job Brownie

Did you all hear former FEMA director and former Horses' Ass inspector, Brown testify before the Republican led House committee on Katrina? Brown blamed the whole thing on the Democratic leadership of Louisiana. He said that things went smoothly in Mississippi and Alabama which are governed by Republicans. He also said that he was at a loss as to what else he should have done other than advise the governor and mayors to evacuate. That he said constituted his duty to "coordinate" the response. There are many even more outrageous statements by this ass but I get too mad to type when I think about them.

To their credit, House Republicans - especially one from Mississippi - did not let him get away with it. Only a Texas Republican came to his defense (what a shock!). Of course, criticism was limited to Brown who is being set up as a fall guy for the Homeland Security Agency (or as I like to call it "Heimatssichersheitsdienst") and the Bush administration in general.

The combination of rank incompetence and arrogance present in Brown is astounding. How Bush could even think about putting this man in a position of responsibility, let alone praising him on TV while he is obviously completely out of his depth is proof of Bush's unfitness for his own position! But what should I expect from a current President and former Governor who claims to need to observe the Rita response in order to find out how state and federal authorities interact!? I can only guess that the rumors that Bush is hitting the sauce again are true.

By the way, Brown got his BA from Central State University. Central State University is a traditionally black college in Ohio. I'm a little puzzled that Brown would have gotten his B.A. there in the 1970s judging from his age. Perhaps he really got his BA from the University of Central Oklahoma. Brown got his law degree from Oklahoma City Univerity School of Law - LTG or Seventh Sister please advise as to quality and/or existence.

Oh, and get this....He's still working as a "consultant" at FEMA!!

Monday, September 26, 2005

Because we have nothing better to do

Recruits Sought for Porn Squad

Still waiting for this administration to do one thing I don't think is asinine.

Another Rant About What Liberalism Is

I have a pet peeve. The abuse of the word "liberal" by Americans. Americans, both on the right and the left, use the word "liberal" to mean left-wing. American conservatives abuse it further by equating liberal with socialist which they further equate with communist. But this is not what liberal means to political scientists, economist or anyone outside of the United States. To everyone else in the world "liberal" refers to a group of political parties around the world that emphasize individual liberty (thus the name). These parties are all secular (unlike the American Republican party which is de facto a Christian Democratic party) and all espouse strong support for civil liberties (again unlike the Republicans and their Democratic supporters who passed the Patriot Act). Liberal parties also tend to support market based solutions over statist solutions thus distinguishing them from Social Democrats, Christian Democrats, Conservatives and Fascist parties who all espouse various combinations of corportism and mercantilism.

Anyway, my new favorite party is the British Liberal Democratic Party. If you want to see a good argument against the British Labour Party's version of the Patriot Act and against the war in Iraq read this address by Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy.

I fear I'm waging a pointless struggle but I think Americans would naturally take to a truly Liberal Party if only they were given the option. Back in olden tymes, both the Democrats and the Republicans were essentially Liberal parties in the classical sense. They disagreed about which aspects of the Liberal ideology should be emphasized but they were both Liberal. Now neither party is Liberal but the Democrats are closer than the Republicans. The Democrats have a large faction that are essentially Social Democrats and a faction that has the potential to be a true Liberal party (the Democratic Leadership Council - see link to the right). The Republicans have completely abandoned Liberalism in favor of corporatist economic policy merged with "Christian" social policy. That's why I hope that the Democratic party will embrace its Liberal origins and challenge the Republicans' new anti-market, pro-corporate, anti-liberty ideology.

Going after the wrong people

(Lynndie) England convicted on six of seven counts

No surprise there. But are we supposed to believe that she was really the ringleader? Or that this was all done without higher-ups knowing anything about this? Andrew Sullivan discusses this, bringing up RbR's favorite theme, accountability.

Effects of Katrina

I just received an interesting e-mail from a friend who has lots of relatives in New Orleans; he is now taking care of them in Austin, Texas. Here's a little excerpt:

It's interesting; it seems the effect of Katrina is somehow worse now than it was initially. I guess the transition from acute survival mode to a more long-term change in living condition is a hard one to make. My father and siblings seem lost at this point, and it may take a while for them to figure out where they want to/can be and what they can/want to do.

This is something that the rest of us are going to have a hard time understanding, as we have never really gone through anything like this. Just a bit of food for thought.

Militarizing the Police and FEMA

Hi All,

As Rita bypassed Houston and central Texas slamming instead into the Texas-Louisiana border area, Bush was among the first responders...to San Antonio. There he gave a valiant press statement where he advocated making the military the primary responder to natural disasters. Other Republicans have started making noises about repealing the 130 year old law that prohibits the military from being used a police force inside the United States (a main component of making the military the primary "first resonder"). Even Arlan Specter asked pointedly last week if this law was the reason that the Defense department destroyed evidence that they had collected on Mohammed Atta (in connection to the brewing "Able Danger" story).

So here is the strategy of the New Republican party: Step one) make sure that every federal agency other than the military is incapable of doing its job. Step two) argue that the military take over those jobs. Step 3) ....Trust us.

Folks, I'm not saying that Bush is trying to pull off a coup d'etat, yet. But this is what coups d'etat look like when they happen slowly.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Resurrection

An article in Der Spiegel describes a genuine medical miracle. Under full anaesthesia, pigs and dogs are bled nearly to death--the blood is collected and kept warm--and their veins are filled with a saline solution cooled to just above freezing. Then the pigs hearts are stopped by electric shock.

Wait an hour.

Then begin pumping back in the warm, oxygen-enriched blood, and use electric shocks to re-start the heart. The animals come back to life over a few hours, with no detectable neurolgical damage. The animals perform just as well on behavioral tests as they did before! Preliminary animal trials report 87% success. This number will significantly improve as the trials continue.

Human trials are set to begin in 18-24 months. The idea is to save patients from bleeding to death during surgery, to give the doctors time to finish their work. It's a form of suspended animation... but if the heart stops dead and no blood flows in the brain, and then they come back to life--that's resurrection.

Forget about cloning. Now we're really playing god.

Common Ground Collective

I was listening to NPR this morning when I heard what must be one of the best quotes of the year. The reporter asked a volunteer to describe the efforts of the Common Ground Collective, the first organization on the ground (yet still 1 week after Katrina hit!) in one of the poorest parishes in New Orleans, St. Algiers. She explained simply,

The anarchists came down and set up a free medical clinic in a mosque at the request of an ex-Black Panther.

Using their loose network to organize, the people of the "Common Ground Collective" arrived from all across the country on their own nickel. They have already helped over a thousand people receive much-needed medical assistance, and are now trying to set up a permanent primary care clinic for the people down there. Now that's America coming together.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Storm in Iraq

The NY Times reports that the Saudi family is deeply concerned that Iraq is falling apart. It is the bleakest assessment of Iraq I have heard from any ally.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said Thursday that he had been warning the Bush administration in recent days that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration, a development that he said could drag the region into war.

"There is no dynamic now pulling the nation together," he said in a meeting with reporters at the Saudi Embassy here. "All the dynamics are pulling the country apart." He said he was so concerned that he was carrying this message "to everyone who will listen" in the Bush administration.

Combine this with statements from former Iraq prime minister Allawi (which I quoted on an earlier post) that Iraq is "practically in stage one of a civil war," and the Sunni/Shia religious-ization (what is the word?) of the conflict, with al-Zarqawi leading thousands or more, and things are looking grim. While Katrina and Rita wreak devestation, is the storm in Iraq upgrading to a Category Four?

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

This is what we were afraid of

This eminent domain thing might just be getting silly.

Jersey City, New Jersey wants to force a tavern to sell its property to help a Catholic school expand its athletic fields. Yes, you read that right. Please go read the article.

Tune in next week when someone wants to raze an abortion clinic to put in a "Straight Camp".

Monday, September 19, 2005

SPD and CDU-CSU Virtually Tied in Germany!

Hi All,

You may have missed that there was an election in Germany over the weekend. Apparently, the ruling SPD (34.3%) was barely edged by the opposition CDU-CSU (35.2%). The CDU-CSU was hoping for a clear victory. But a late surge by the SPD eliminated the early lead the CDU-CSU had enjoyed. The current chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder (SPD) is refusing to concede defeat. Given the overall results he may be right.

Here is the total picture:
CDU-CSU = 35.2% (225 seats)
SPD = 34.3% (222 seats)
Free Democrats = 9.8% (61 seats)
Left Party = 8.7% (54 seats)
Greens = 8.1% (51 seats)

So here is the reason behind Schroeder's statistician like claim of victory with a 1 percent deficit. The CDU-CSU (Christian Democrats, a heavily Catholic, Christian conservative party with factions ranging from "compassionate conservative" to "Mel Gibson") has been in coalition mostly with the Free Democrats (a secular, classical Liberal party favoring business and markets). There was once a CDU-CSU coalition with the SPD and there has been speculation of such a "Grand Coalition" in this situation.

Now, here is the situation on the left. The SPD (Social Democrats, a center left party with ties to labor unions) has been ruling in coalition with the Greens (a "new left" environmentalist party) for years. In addition, the SPD has been in local collations (on city councils etc) with the Left Party (used to the Party of Democratic Socialism which used to be the old East German communist party - SED).

HOWEVER! The German constitution REQUIRES A MAJORITY GOVERNMENT. This is important because if this election result happened in a country like Denmark, the CDU-CSU would be the clear winner. But in Germany the majority requirement means that there three options:

1) A CDU-CSU/SPD "Grand Coalition" with 69.5% of the seats.
2) An SPD/Green/Left coalition with 50.1% of the seats.
3) An SPD/FDP/Green coalition (Trafic Light Coalition: Red, Yellow, Green) with 52.2% of the seats.

The BBC is reporting a fourth option, a Christian-Liberal coalition (CDU-CSU/FDP). This is a traditional coalition in Germany. The problem is the BBC forgot to check the German constitution especially with regard to the majority government requirement. CDU-CSU/FDP coalition would only have 45% of the seats. Oops!

The FDP has been in coalition with the SPD and I believe has even worked with the Greens at the local level. But the FDP is a party much like the Libertarians here in the USA. They may not like working with the Greens on the national stage. But they've been out of government for a long time after being in nearly every government since World War II so...

So you see the problem. While the CDU-CSU won the plurality of the votes, the left over all won the majority. That means that, unless the FDP comes out and says they'll work with the Greens, Scrhoeder is in the drivers' seat. He can choose which coalition he wants: a left coalition with the Greens and the former East German Communists, or a Grand Coalition with the Christian Democrats. Schroeder has been an advocate of reforms that were often opposed by the Left Party. The CDU-CSU has been taking the position that Schroeder hasn't gone far enough. From a policy point of view, the Grand Coalition makes the most sense. But would Schroeder give up his position as chancellor to get such a coalition?

Let the games begin!!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)