Biden on The Today Show Thursday: I would tell members of my family-and I have - I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now," Biden said on NBC's "Today" show.. "It's not that it's going to Mexico. It's (that) you're in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft.
Later in the day W.H. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told this whopper about the above comment: I think what the vice president meant to say...if you feel sick, if you are exhibiting flu-like symptoms-coughing, sneezing, runny nose-that you should take precautions, that you should limit your travel..."
This is, of course, not at all what Biden said.
Now, I wonder if a McCain W.H. press secretary would have been forced into such a bald lie on the 101st day about anything his V.P. might have said.
On an adjacent point I must say I don't trust any of these people regarding swine flu. The Australian Government is now calling on citizens to stockpile food and water for an impending pandemic...while also saying "don't panic". Admittedly these two instructions are not mutually exclusive. However, the mixed signals are becoming distressing.
Television is, without a doubt, the most pervasive and powerful tool for propaganda that man has ever devised. Though there is extensive scholarship on the power and social effects of television - it is barely a blip on the consciousness "screen" relative to the overwhelming power of television itself. Critiques of television do not get an airing in the public square because well...uh...they are not on television...
Last night, while watching television, I noticed a series of ads explaining how to convert TV sets in time for the coming digital switchover in June. If fact, the ads were pleading with people to make the switch, giving no less than 3 options for obtaining the appropriate information and promoting a day long "broadcast event" devoted to explaining how to convert your TV. One has to wonder - is anyone really THAT stupid or have we been infantilized to such a degree that it takes a day to explain how to plug a box into another box.
Back when the conversion was to happen in February and the same types of commercials were running non stop a friend expressed the opinion that the ads were creepy. Last night I found myself in agreement with him.
This switchover has been in the works for a very long time. The ads are directed at the less than 5% of TV watchers who are not connected to cable or satellite services. Why is pleading needed? Why is it so important to ensure that every living soul with a TV be able to watch without interruption? What if some people - god forbid - could not tune into TV for a day or two????
I am a TV watcher. I like certain shows a great deal: South Park, 30 Rock, Mad Men, lots of history channel stuff - the nerdier the better, Bones, football, baseball, rugby if I can find it, if he gets too rowdy, I threaten my dog with Cesar Milan...and of course, there is always my beloved Green Acres reruns in which pigs play piano, ducks bark, chickens lay square eggs, characters pause for and comment on the opening credits, and lovely Hungarians complain about the Infernal Revenue Service... you get the drift...I WATCH.
If you, like me, are a WATCHER I recommend unplugging for extended periods. Considering how many opinions and world views we are force fed to us - NOT watching television may be the most rebellious action one can take. Once the TV is OFF for a few days, it is amazing how quickly the mental noise fades. The calmest and least neurotic people I know all have one common denominator - they do not care about or watch television.
If you are in a certain type of gloomy, doomy morning mood you will get off on what is linked here. (pdf), the "web bot" predictions for 2009. The web bot computer program predicts future events based on the use of language on the internet. The 2 men behind this say they have correctly predicted major events including 9/11, the '04 tsunami, and the 2008 financial meltdown. I have not found any proof otherwise, but I have not looked hard for any. They did predict a pandemic in 2009 - though they stated it would be in the Fall. The concept itself is fascinating. I believe in Jung's collective unconscious. Therefore I assume one could make reasonably accurate guesses of future human caused events based on what a goodly chunk of us have on our minds consistently. Predicting earthquakes and such...not so sure...but, again, why not? Intuition is powerful stuff - probably hardwired after millions of years of evolution.
And, as we all know, the world does not end until December 21, 2012, (around 3pm Pacific Standard Time - ruining the last episodes of both Oprah and Judge Judy.) So we still have some time for distractions such as the Web Bots.
The most intriguing predictions for 09? The "summer of hell", "global coastal events" in May - that would be tomorrow, the decline of the markets through Feb 09 - they were correct here, the destruction of the U.S. dollar. There are even worse tidings in the report. (I make few predictions myself, as my ego is too tender. I called the election for Obama in early October but that was not exactlypsychic.)
The web bots are certainly more reality based than Nostradamus, and probably have a better record of correct prediction than nearly all mainstream economists.
The only Obama you need to see tonight is below. Does Obama even exist if a rapturous crowd or boot licking media is not there to see him? I am beginning to wonder.
You'll notice after dismissing the highest rated cable news channel he then talks down the hundreds of thousands who recently protested. This is followed by Chicago Slim stating he is willing to talk, he then gives a short list in which he says that only HIS views would be part of any such conversation. Even now it is hard for me to fathom the depth of this man's narcissism.
Finally! a positive usage of that sick, deluded, Orwellian, Obama poster. A reader sent this snap from West Hollywood, CA: Assault with battery: This is not funny, and yet I laughed. Rapture medical note:Feeling poorly? It may be symptoms of your impending ascension! And I thought it was just low blood sugar. (HT: Jay Floyd) End of suburbia note:Phoenix home prices down 51%. I place Phoenix just behind Las Vegas as places most likely to disappear in the next 30 years. (I put my hometown, L.A. 3rd or 4th on the "doomed places" list. The LA Basin has a fighting chance, the inland valleys - not so much. )
Yesterday was my birthday, so I took the day off. My birthday present to me was a webcam, so if I can ever figure out how to get YouTube to accept an upload, we may have some visits from Granny Bee.-Caro
OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS: How the President Fared In the Press vs. Clinton and Bush (Project for Excellence in Journalism) As he marks his 100th day in office, President Barack Obama has enjoyed substantially more positive media coverage than either Bill Clinton or George Bush during their first months in the White House, according to a new study of press coverage.
Obama's first 100 days showed rhetoric loftier than actions (By Vince Warren, The Progressive Media Project) As President Barack Obama hits the 100-day mark on Wednesday, it's time to take stock. Many of Obama's words have been inspiring. His rhetoric represents a relief to those who watched with horror as the Bush administration systematically dismantled the U.S. Constitution and ignored international human rights standards. Yet in many areas of critical importance - like human rights, torture, rendition, secrecy and surveillance - his words have been loftier than his actions.
Obama Has Missed His Moment (by Chris Hedges, Truthdig.com) Barack Obama has squandered his presidency. He had a fleeting moment to challenge the casino capitalism and financial recklessness of our economic and political elite. He could have orchestrated a state socialism that would have provided a safety net for tens of millions of Americans faced with dislocation and misery. The sums he has doled out to Wall Street could have been used to force companies to keep workers on the job or create new banks to open up credit. But he lacked the foresight and the courage to challenge entrenched power. And now we are headed down one of two frightening roads—massive deflation or hyperinflation. Neither will be pleasant.
Obama's Report Card (Foreign Policy) We asked some of the best foreign-policy minds in Washington and beyond to rate the U.S. president's first 100 days in office. The result? 11 As, 16 Bs, 7 Cs, and a D.
Click here for more politics and media news headlines.
Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com
Music: I have posted a version of this song from one of my favorite movies before - however I love it and sometimes I sing it to my dog while doing chores...sadly, I never sound like Johnny Mathis:
I intended to post a few thoughts on Arlen Spector this morning but after sleeping on it I realize that I don't give a sh*t about Arlen Spector. In saving his ass he ruined his honor (laughable, I know) and has rewritten the first line of his biography to include not one, but two inanities: switching parties at the age of 742, and the magic bullet theory.
Onward!
The spirited debate in the comment section of yesterday's Lunch Break post was unexpected and inspiring. Along with 59% of the American people, I stand firmly with the Single Payer contingent. (Of course, all views are welcome in the comment section.)
I hope everyone contacts their "representatives" (HA!) and insists that single payer be put on the agenda. An easy way to contact Pelosi is linked in Cine's great post on the issue here. She also links the pro single payer sites and sets out the next steps. This fight has been going on since Truman was POTUS - and if you want it done beleive me when I say: this is -THE LAST CHANCE. You can take that to the bank - provided yours is still open.
I love a good war movie. Not because I love war, but because I love good movies.
I don't appreciate stridently anti-war movies. If you want to make an anti-war movie, just make an accurate one. Don't beat me over the head with your MESSAGE. Nor am I a fan of gung-ho, macho gore-fests. A machine gun may be able to fire 1,000 rounds per minute, but Rambo isn't carrying 1,000 rounds.
My fondness for war films caused my leftist friends called me a fascist war-monger. Hey, they all loved The Hours-does that make them "suicide-mongers"? A subject as important as war, and how we as individuals and societies cope with it, is worthy of exploration through art. Just don't get all jingo or maudlin on me.
My suggested viewing list, in no particular order, (with some films to avoid):
Das Boot (1981)
I'll never forget the reaction of the young couple in front of me in the theater. After a few minutes of making out, the girl had her eyes glued to the screen, her hand blocking the boy's kisses. By the end of the movie, she was bawling those eyes out over the deaths of "the enemy." I think he was sniffling, too.
Das Boot succeeds because it shows the German submariners as humans facing extreme danger and tribulation-brave, afraid, vulnerable, witty, crude, sensitive. In other words, people like us.
Tense action combined with a minimalist depiction of battle. Not made in Hollywood, so no happy ending. If you can, catch the 6 hour mini-series from which the feature was was edited down.
Glory (1989)
Sophisticated take on the illustrious negro regiment, the 54th Massachusetts. Good work turned in by Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, and Denzel Washington. Big issues are treated with a deft touch-one image, one line, one expression speaks volumes. Battle scenes depicted accurately with permissible poetic license. One cannot understand the Civil War without understanding what it was like to fight in the Civil War-mutual slaughter at a distance measured in yards.
Ted Turner's Gettysburg (1993) was also a lot like the Civil War-poorly directed and lasting way too long. But if you're into fake beards, fat reenactment guys performing evolutions, and characters abruptly launching into extended soliloquies on the metaphysical questions of the Age, go for it.
Paths of Glory (1957)
Kirk Douglas, all pecs and chin, as a french colonel in WWI defending soldiers under court martial for refusing to fight. Kubrick directs. Not commonly known is that nearly the entire French army mutinied in 1917, in response to horrific losses at the hands of idiotic generals.
When young men are asked to risk their lives for their country, their country has the obligation not to frivolously spend those lives. By early 1915, the Germans on the Western Front had radically altered tactics, but the British and French continued mindless head-on attacks right until the end.
Breaker Morant (1980)
During the Boer War, Australians given the task of ethnic cleansing for the British Empire under the unwritten "Rule .303". Based on a true story and successfully adapted from a play, exposes the hypocrisy of asking soldiers to do the dirty work, then washing our hands of them.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Fictionalized account of the bungled 1994 intervention in Somalia. Plenty of heart-pumping action, with no small measure of gore. Without hectoring, reveals how vulnerable our high-tech war machine is to "asymmetric warfare." Also underscores the insanity of UN "peacekeeping" ops when there's no peace left to keep.
The soldiers' camaraderie in Black Hawk rings true. A refreshing break from the usual treacle of men bonding to the strains of an harmonica, swapping stories of sweethearts, mom's cooking, and Bessie the cow.
With that in mind, watch the Normandy landing scene that opens Saving Private Ryan (1998), then stop. By the end of this turgid mess, I was ready to award the Iron Cross to anyone who'd take out Ryan. Writer Robert Rodat The Patriot is a hack who sprinkles scraps of historical fact into a gruel of cliched pap. FYI: It was not US Army policy to assign one GI from Brooklyn to each platoon.
Enemy At The Gates (2001)
A standard Hollywood drama that also faithfully depicts 20th century street combat, despite some inaccuracies (Bob Hoskins is way too old to play Krushev in 1942; if the Germans really had the hundreds of tanks at Stalingrad shown parked in neat rows, the town'd be called Hitlerburg today.)
Ed Harris is deliciously cool as the apocryphal König, while Jude Law is brave yet scared as the real-life Saitsev.
The extended scene of Saitsev's arrival to the battlefront perfectly captures the insanity and chaos of war, and stands out as one of the best of all time.
Don't waste your time with Stalingrad (1993). Purportedly made by the same team as Das Boot, I suspect it was actually a bunch of 10-year old boys filming one of their play sessions.
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
Two brothers are conscripted at the outbreak of the Korean war. Far too melodramatic, with preposterous coincidences, but the battle scenes are raw and unadorned. Death is random: cowards are just as likely to die as heroes. But when does heroism become numb brutality? Flawed, but offers a unique perspective on having to choose (or being forced to take) sides in a civil war.
When Clint Eastwood plagiarized the opening scene of Tae Guk Gi for his poignant Letters From Iwo Jima (2006), he must've figured no one would notice.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
While not a combat film, this masterpiece is a searing examination of war's physical, mental and emotional effect on three veterans adjusting to peacetime life. The hardened, realistic Hollywood atmosphere that made Best Years possible would be banished in just a few years by 1950's cheery abundance, never to return.
A similar hard look was attempted following Vietnam, with Coming Home (1978), and later, Born On the Fourth of July(1989). Both tried too hard and failed. Only The Deer Hunter (1978), with its quiet analysis of how different personalities respond to the crucible of war, is worthy of the legacy of Best Years.
Single Payer Now : As is true for a majority of Americans I want Single Payer Healthcare for all. Tell Congress here that you do, too. (HT emjaybee) There will be a march in D.C. for single payer in May Flu note: Kissing banned in bars in Scotland. Larry, Larry quite contrary:Summers Says U.S. Economy to Decline "For Some Time" Prepare Ye the Way of the Model: Elle Magazine- yes Elle - on getting in shape for the coming storms-psychologically, economically, and environmentally Delusion watch: Is it either the most delusional Obama piece written yet - or BHO has a "secret plan" to let the banks collapse. (Some people just won't accept that Obama is an errand boy, sent by bank clerks to collect a bill.) Latter Day Pin Ups: Mormon beefcake calender will be followed by sexy Mormon moms calendar. Can a Catholic choir boy calender be far behind? The Episcopal church's plan for a "pudgy middle aged men golfing shirtless" calender has been put on hold until either Christmas or Easter when their might be 12 men at church willing to pose. Obama's 3 stooges: Larry, Tim and Steven Music: Swing low chariot come down easy, taxi to the terminal zone...
I have a Facebook page which amuses me as I have made it a mission to make "friends" with everyone around the world who has my name. L.R. has a Twitter page as well. This, too, amuses me and gives me the chance to blurt out whatever I want and - I thought - would drive traffic here. It has to a degree.
Facebook and Twitter are fascinating sideshows that have a place - as sideshows. It is very important to know this: "Virtual Community" is pretty much oxymoronic. If a community is virtual it is not a community. Facebook and Twitter are a way of communicating with people while remaining alone.
I expect in the next few years social networking sites will fade. Not because people don't like or enjoy them - but because real networking - and real communities - will reemerge.
Among those in regular attendance are David Brooks and Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, Gene Robinson and Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post, NBC's David Gregory, ABC's George Stephanopoulos, PBS's Gwen Ifill, the New Yorker's Jane Mayer, Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum, former Time managing editor Walter Isaacson and staffers from Bradley's Atlantic and National Journal, including Ron Brownstein, Andrew Sullivan and Jonathan Rauch.
Who is missing from this list? If you guessed any representative from conservative leaning outlets you are correct. By and large I do not care for most conservative views. However, it is intriguing that none would be invited to what is intended to be a dinner party open to a frank discussion of ideas. Further if you think the MSM is an echo chamber that is, in essence, worthless except as an echo chamber you are correct. Or if you think the media is, in essence, Chicago Slim's lap dog - you are correct: The networks have given President Obama more coverage than George W. Bush and Bill Clinton combined in their first months - and more positive assessments to boot.
Iceland's economy imploded last year forcing the government to resign. Sigurdardottir was appointed as the care taker prime minister and has now been elected outright.
So congrats to Ms. Sigurdardotti. Let's wish her well. She has struck a blow for equality.
From Yahoo: 'The Truth' by Painter Michael D'Antuono which will be unveiled on President Obama's 100th Day in Office at NYC's Union Square.
What is the most repellent thing about this painting? So much to chose from.
Let's see:
It is religiously offensive.
It equates BHO with Jesus. Which is horrifying.
It further implies that said BHO will be killed. Which is horrifying.
It is "art" I would call Post Modern Pre Martyrdom. A sort of sick wish for a "He was too good for this world" gnashing of teeth episode.
The "person" depicted here is in a "Solid Gold Dancer" Diva curtain call pose. Though his hands are placed in the traditional "nailed" to the cross position.
The painting as a whole is revolting. Other than the fuck you it unloads on Christians it also is quite clearly suggests that the President of the United States is being - or will be - crucified.
I am very liberal minded when it comes freedom of expression but I hope, in fact, I might just pray, that this dung is vandalized.
The weekend usually brings a big drop off in visits here. Frankly, I have little to say today after spending the day watching the USC Spring football game I am now in the mood to kick back and relax into the evening.
So FILLER in on tap!
As the first 100 days of the Obama administration approaches please give a letter grade to his performance so far. I will tell you my vote: D.
Personally, I am not a fan.
On the foreign policy front he gets an F from me. The worst elements of his personality are on display whenever he goes overseas. The apology tours are displays of weakness. Instead of just claiming he knows everyone hated Bush but he's not Bush- he ought to also make the case for American leadership as well. Believe it or not, we existed as a nation before Bush and - even - before he was born. Shocker! And we did a lot of good. Shocker!
He's blowing his chance to reinvigorate foreign policy. The leaders of the nations who will present him with the biggest problems don't give a rats ass if he's sorry. Sarkozy has already said he has no "backbone". The French President knows a thing or two about people with no backbone. He's leads a nation of them. Promote yourself loudly and carry a jello stick is Obama's policy.
On the domestic front I give him a C. Mostly because he seems determined to revamp healthcare in his first year. About this fear of rationing - all I can say is our healthcare system is already rationed. People go who get sick go bankrupt, poor people choose between the doctor and dinner. That is rationing of resources. This issue must be dealt with NOW.
The rest of his agenda is drags him down in my book. Dishonesty and corruption is still the norm. TARP is the biggest swindle in our history - and will only lengthen our pain - extending it over generations.
In the middle distance one can see two camps emerging during the Obama era. On one side are what can only be described as the status quo elites and their supporters. On the other are "tea party" types with libertarian instincts. (On the home front, at least.)
As I wrote earlier the tea parties may have been astroturfed by conservative establishment types but they nevertheless hit a nerve - and people did show up in the thousands. The legitimacy of this nascent "movement" won't be known for a while and outside economic events will certainly play a role going forward.
The over the top condescension and attacks on the tea parties from the media elites, most recently the uber smug Bill Maher, should be seen as proof not of dismissal - but of genuine concern that real blow back could be brewing and needs to be checked. It is odd but true: Unlike the mainstream talking heads, I find the Left confused and disoriented at this point and the Right slowly recovering and becoming coherent again. The Left with a few exceptions is still caught in the headlock of the Obama cult and people like Maher are unable to see, or unwilling to admit, that they are the tools of the elite now. Drooling over Obama is, in effect, drooling over those who paid for him - Soros and Goldman Sachs.
Both sides of the emerging debate offered examples of "gut check" responses. The elites/status quo types...(In a nod to Orwell they are currently under the banner of "change" - though the chief "change " agent has busied himself - with a few notable exceptions - with extending and expanding Bush era policies on all fronts.) ...responded from their collective gut - and blasted the tea parties at every turn. Large dollops of snottiness clogged the airwaves - except Fox News which is run by a man with the preternatural ability to clue into gestalts the elites would just as soon ignore.
The tea party types I observed - except those who scream "socialism!" at every turn - were also coming from the gut. Some had specific policy concerns but many - if not all - simply felt something was going very wrong in the country. Certainly Bush kicked this feeling off . The complaint that those people in D.C. don't listen to us, always a feature in American life, has now crystallized with 2 subsequent elections, trillions in bailouts, and financial cave ins - into a sense among some that the monster is out of control. Obama has accelerated this by downplaying his true intentions during the campaign and passing out billions in borrowed money since his inauguration. Like it or not - people did not expect the scale of his ambitions - and the media elites had no intention of playing them up. He was their guy and, by God, he was going to win.
Of course, recent polls argue that I am wrong. 60% are fine with Barry so far. I would argue back that we are in a holding pattern now and that most won't turn until enough time has passed for people to divorce themselves from their recent vote.
The coming arguments will be ruthless on all fronts from Health care, to Carbon taxes, to torture (Obama's first severe self inflicted wound. Soros and Move On have broken from him on this already.). All this will be played against a back drop of increasing unemployment and Israel's growing impatience with Iran.
I suppose the coming fights could be chocked up as the norm in our history - going all the way back to the Federalist versus the Jeffersonians. But the view from the middle distance causes me to see this rendition of the American argument differently in both complexity and tone. Dismal as it sounds, both sides are fighting for the idea of a country which - for different reasons - does not and can not exist. The elite establishment cannot continue to expand its purview with no consequences while expanding our investment in it with health care for all and bromides about credit cards. We just don't have the money. In fact, without the Chinese picking up the tab, we don't have any money. FYI: Credit card company gangsterism is a symptom. Credit itself is the disease.
Conversely the "tea partiers" need to refrain from the delusion that the collected power that they are, in fact, confronting will not fight to the death to keep the system in place. They will. Everyone from Ben Bernanke to Bill Maher will do their part. Whether the "tea partiers" are aware of it or not this is not a fight against taxes or big government - they are arguing against the system itself. That is the were logic leads - and neither side seems to "get it."
Maher can mock (calling them fat white people) the seemingly defuse nature of the first round of blow back because, frankly, it is defuse. But that is because it is frustration with the whole monster - and not focused on its variousparts. More than even that - underneath some of this resentment is disappointment and revulsion against the entire lifestyle conjured in America since at least the 70s is brewing. We've been entertained by bobbles as wages stagnated. The bobbles are losing their ability to distract.
Though elites anywhere can sniff out potential insurrection from 50 paces and blindfolded - the Pelosis and Obamas don't yet grasp the potential gravity of a middle class revolt. But to fight against an unresponsive government at this point is not about making adjustments to the system. The system is set up to be unresponsive to anyone other than those at the top. That is its point. It it what it has evolved into.
The logical end of a new "states rights" movement is a kind of civil war, if not an outright one. The Wall Street Journal had an oped yesterday promoting the idea of a constitutional convention that would reassert the 9th and 10th amendments and repeal the income tax, which would cut off the elites power and lifeline. I recommend reading it, wherever you currently stand. The last 2 times "states rights" became a major issue in this country there was, literally, blood in the streets. Add the jet fuel of economic dislocation and all bets are off for the fire next time.
If I sound gloomy, it is because I am. I tend to agree with Gore Vidal who said "Republics don't restore themselves." They become authoritarian or break apart - which are the 2 options I see just past the middle distance.
The real promise of Obama was that he would heal. Nothing like healing will happen. This is the true betrayal so far.
Update: Readers please take note of this story and this one. A deadly strain of flu has broken out in Mexico, California and Texas. This is not a L.R. being silly in any way - the links are legit. and scary. The LA Times has a story here on how this flu spreads among people.
Food for the Thoughtless has a piece about farming up. The "grow your own" movement is something to keep an eye on. As is Food For The Thoughtless - he keeps posting gems and scattering them across the weber-inter-net-tubes.
Petty with Palin: I will be more than happy to hold forth on why Sarah Palin should not be President when and if the times comes. I am not a fan of her right wing social stands. But the derangement some Dems still have about her is sad and ugly. And yes, I do think there is an unconscious sexism and fear of the middle class underneath it all. Something about conservative women in leadership positions hits a raw nerve with people like Andrew Sullivan and Huffington readers. Actually, let's face it, any woman in a leadership position is open to being called "a big fucking whore" by the "new" left. It is weird that the GOP fears ambitious women less than the Dems at ths point. How did THAT happen? (Pelosi not withstanding - her unnerving quotes about being "blessed by God with Obama" and general inability to be authentic about much of anything makes her, in many ways, a glorified Marin County PTA President who can't quite give up her Bobby Sherman posters.)
Music: Coldplay bashing has taken on a strangely consistent joke life ever since a punchline connected being a fan of the band with being gay in The 40 Year Old Virgin. Recently a vaguely homophobic reference to Coldplay popped up on my beloved Bones. The joke there being equally heterophobic - as it implied that no straight men could possibly care about dressing well or conversation with women...or enjoy Coldplay. One of the participants in the snide moment being the resident psychiatrist, no less.
It bugs me that saying some "thing" is connected to gay subculture is meant as a short cut for the worst insult a straight man can endure - he might be GAY!!! Horrors!!! I am sure many homosexicals (warning: link will be offensive to some) like Coldplay. Just as many like country music.And some straight guys are a bit soft around the edges. And more gays guys than you'd think are obsessed with cars. And some straight men have wicked good design sense...And I know 2 gay men who served honorably in Iraq....and so on and so forth... So screw everyone! I like Coldplay.
Trojans on the beach I understand...but Huskers? The USC women's beach volleyball team won the national championship this week. Two reasons for this blurb: 1. In my book, and speaking generally, watching good looking, fit, nominally dressed adults playing volleyball on the beach is one of life's simple pleasures. I'm quite egalitarian on this front in terms of gender...and am, no doubt, well on my way to dirty old manhood... 2. Nebraska came in second. I find this inspiring somehow...it gives "Omaha Beach" a very different spin. Go Husker womens' beach volleyball team!
Let sleeping hot dogs lie: Now a photo Demi Moore posted on her twitter page that, somehow, ties together tonight's themes.
Larry Summers falls asleep during Obama's meeting with credit card executives. (Think Progress) (Thursday) President Obama met with credit card industry officials at the White House. After the meeting, he pledged to push for a law that would offer "strong and reliable" protections for credit card users in the United States. He called the session with the industry executives "open and productive conversation." However, one person who seemed less than interested in the meeting was White House economic adviser Larry Summers, who fell asleep.
What, me worry?
Obama tells bankers: End credit card abuses (McClatchy) Armed with letters from Americans hit hard by soaring credit card fees and rates, President Barack Obama warned credit card executives Thursday that he'd happily sign into law tough new regulations that are working their way through Congress.
Where Credit Is Due (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News) Sitting in the Roosevelt room in the private meeting, Mr. Obama told the executives that every day he reads 10 letters, winnowed from the thousands the White House receives...and on average one of the 10 is someone complaining about unfair credit card company practices...
Mr. Obama outlined four core proposals that he'd like to see: -Banning unfair rate increases and forbidding abusive fees and penalties; -'No more fine print; no more confusing terms and conditions"; -Having every credit card company "issue a plain- vanilla, easy-to-understand, simplest-terms-possible credit card as a default credit card that the average user can feel comfortable with"; and -Requiring more accountability in the system, more effective oversight and more effective enforcement.
Some of the attendees from the credit card industry said the meeting was more "political theater" than anything else, more for the cameras than about substance. Right. Stopping gouging can't possibly be about substance.-Caro
The Great Credit Card Battle To Come (by Robert Reich) Getting tough on the banks' credit card lending practices has great appeal for the Administration, politically. It puts the White House on the side of the people rather than Wall Street, on an issue that the public is becoming more and more upset about. And the Administration's push could be enough to get reform legislation through Congress.
The bankers were to tell Obama Thursday that any new constraints on credit card lending will cause the banks to reduce the amount of credit card lending they do, which will hurt the economy. But it's a weak argument because it presupposes that any lending is good for the economy-even lending to people who don't know what they're getting into and can't repay the loans. It's the same argument banks used two years ago, when prescient observers warned that constraints had to be placed on mortgage lending practices. What may hurt the economy in the short term, we now know, may save it from even larger pitfalls to come. I'm reminded of the arguments over fighting climate change. The anti-change forces say that any attempt to mitigate the consequences of pumping tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will slow down the economy. But sometimes making an investment slows things down in the short run while paving the way for a huge new industry to establish itself. The objections aren't based in science or even rationality, they're based in partisan strategery. Right wingers are afraid of any success that might be attributed to any other ideology but theirs, so they believe they must fight the fight against climate change. As Jared Diamond showed us in Collapse, when ideology stops people from facing the truth about their environment, the environment wins devastating victories.
Think about the choices: If we do something about climate change, we may slow the economy (more), but there's a good chance of building a whole new economy with a sound basis on alternative energy sources; if we do nothing, all life on earth could be destroyed. That's no choice at all, except to the dogmatically blind.-Caro
The evidence is starting to come in, evidence that will be denied, skewed, and rejected by the ideological right: Cap-and-Trade Program Creates Green Jobs (Scientific American, thanks to Economist's View) The cap-and-trade program created by 11 Northeastern states has begun to deliver revenues that are being used to pay the salaries of new "green collar" workers Click here for more politics and media news headlines.
Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com
Music: Lemonheads "It's about Time". I m stuck on Evan Dando this week.
As we round the bend to the 100 days mark expect another hullabaloo from the premiere astro turfing machine the world has ever seen: The Obamamedia.
Apparently he'll have another press conference to mark the longest period he's ever worked consecutively - 100 days - in which we will learn much about credit cards read from a TelePrompTer. CNN, The LA and NY Times and most especially MSNBC will froth about how popular he is.
Don't believe it. He hovers around 60% which is utterly unremarkable and places him even with George W Bush and behind Nixon. He is below average based on polling done since Eisenhower, and way, WAY behind JFK.
Obama does come in first place in one category: He is the most polarizing President in memory. Perhaps since Lincoln. From RCP : The polarized view of Obama would hardly be notable if not for the tenor of Obama's candidacy...Transcending the two tribes of Washington was the nucleus of Obama's campaign.
But hey, 40% of the population, including Black conservatives, must be racist.
The noise will be ramped up again by the boot licking Obamamedia. Statements about his "popularity" will be yelped - with no context - relentlessly
I am still keeping to my revised guess that he falls below fifty percent in September.
I must admit sometimes celebs have meltdowns on the air that so delight me I can't even get up a head of steam -which is a job requirement for bloggers. Garofalo's statement on Countdown last week defies comparison. In my book it ranks as one of the funniest and stupidest things ever said.
In the 80s I knew a young man who walked up to Rita Moreno at a party and asked her is she ever thought about dancing and told her, with no irony or insult intended, that she might give it a try since she had the "look of a dancer". But that, alas, can't really compete with Garofalo's inanity. That guy at the party was just tacky and dumb. Garofalo set a new standard for minor celebrities making asses of themselves. Randi Rhodes take note! You have competition!
J.G. on Countdown: JANEANE GAROFALO: Thank you. You know, there's nothing more interesting than seeing a bunch of racists become confused and angry at a speech they're not quite certain what he's saying. It sounds right and then it doesn't make sense. Which, let's be very honest about what this is about. It's not about bashing Democrats, it's not about taxes, they have no idea what the Boston tea party was about, they don't know their history at all. This is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up. That is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks. And there is no way around that. And you know, you can tell these type of right wingers anything and they'll believe it, except the truth. You tell them the truth and they become-it's like showing Frankenstein's monster fire. They become confused, and angry and highly volatile. That guy, causing them feelings they don't know, because their limbic brain, we've discussed this before, the limbic brain inside a right-winger or Republican or conservative or your average white power activist, the limbic brain is much larger in their head space than in a reasonable person, and it's pushing against the frontal lobe. So their synapses are misfiring. I find this quote perfectly delightful. It is stupid on an epic scale. What is so charming - and yes in a weird way I find it charming - is that J.G. has clearly made an effort to become stupid. I commend her on a successful endeavor. I mean anyone can trot out racism at this point. J.G. shows no pluck or imagination there. But limbic brain? Really, Janeane, go for it. That, dear one, is stupid with panache. Right up there with Al Campasis saying blacks were bad swimmers because they are not "buoyant." Oh, who am I kidding. Garofalo puts Campanis to shame. And what about "we've discussed this before" ??? They have? When? Can you just imagine Garofalo and Olbermann having the heated midnight phone chat about limbic brains while channel surfing and downing Hot Pockets. Ah life. When Obama Delusion Syndrome makes it into the psychiatric DSM surely this quote will get a footnote. And she has me inspired to write a few more "Headlines you may have missed!"
REVEALED! Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and American "actress" Janeane Garofalo the same person! The ruse is discovered when both are scheduled to appear at "Surviving Self Hatred Through Tattoos" workshop in Jersey City.
Medical News: Cedars Sinai set to open Garofalo Center for the Study of the Brain. American actress donates tool shed, a couple a three Magic Markers, a white board (now called a European-American board) and a vintage Operation game to help Med students uncover the mysteries of the human brain.
Flash from Hollywood! Janeane Garofalo set to star in the remake of 70s film Trilogy of Terror as the rampaging Zuni Doll. Karen Black will reprise her roll as the woman trapped in her own home by the killer doll. When asked about working with Garofalo on the project Black said "Obviously Janeane is perfect for the roll of the crazed doll. Everyone agrees she was born to play it."
A Lexicon of Disappointment (by Naomi Klein, The Nation) All is not well in Obamafanland. It's not clear exactly what accounts for the change of mood. Maybe it was the rancid smell emanating from Treasury's latest bank bailout. Or the news that the president's chief economic adviser, Larry Summers, earned millions from the very Wall Street banks and hedge funds he is protecting from reregulation now. Or perhaps it began earlier, with Obama's silence during Israel's Gaza attack. Whatever the last straw, a growing number of Obama enthusiasts are starting to entertain the possibility that their man is not, in fact, going to save the world if we all just hope really hard. This is a good thing. If the superfan culture that brought Obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent political movement, one fierce enough to produce programs capable of meeting the current crises, we are all going to have to stop hoping and start demanding. The first stage, however, is to understand fully the awkward in-between space in which many US progressive movements find themselves. To do that, we need a new language, one specific to the Obama moment. Here is a start. Click through for the definitions of Hopeover, Hoper coaster, Hopesick, Hope fiend, Hopebreak, Hopelash, and Hoperoots. "Sample sentence: 'It''s time to stop waiting for hope to be handed down, and start pushing it up, from the hoperoots.'' Need I say that The Nation was one of the hopium pushers during last year's primary? But at least they didn't trash Hillary the way some others did.-Caro
Wednesday: Foxhole Liberals (by riverdaughter at The Confluence) I suspect that there are a lot more people out there who in the next couple of years are going to discover their inner liberal. After all, it's one thing to rail about deadbeats on unemployment when times are good. It's quite another thing to be ON the unemployment line, realizing you haven't done anything wrong but that the wealthy shareholders of your company preferred a juicier dividend to your wage slavery...That social safety net doesn't look so bad now that we're all sitting in the same foxhole, does it?... And really, are the proscriptions against gay marriage that important when we're all struggling to keep our heads above water?
Keep it in mind as you watch the tea party phenomenon develop. There is an opportunity out there to turn this country on its head for the persons who seize it. And it won't be long before Americans all over the country demand more of their government to do something. Liberalism may become the next new religion for Republicans too. Right wingers are fond of saying that a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged-presumably by a dark-skinned person on welfare. But can we now say that a liberal may be a conservative who was mugged-by Republican policies?
The opportunity that Riverdaughter points to is being squandered, however. The party poobahs still don't understand that you can't create and sustain a long-term movement based on a person or by strategizing to win just the next election. The right wing is successfully diverting the resentment shown in last week's tea parties from the people responsible for our current predicament and to each other. Democrats, so-called progressives, and so-called liberals are looking down their noses instead of trying to educate, trying to help people understand what damage the Republicans have done.- Caro
Report Gives New Detail on Approval of Brutal Techniques (New York Times) A newly declassified Congressional report released Tuesday outlined the most detailed evidence yet that the military's use of harsh interrogation methods on terrorism suspects was approved at high levels of the Bush administration...The Senate report documented how some of the techniques used by the military at prisons in Afghanistan and at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as in Iraq - stripping detainees, placing them in "stress positions" or depriving them of sleep - originated in a military program known as Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape, or SERE, intended to train American troops to resist abusive enemy interrogations.
According to the Senate investigation, a military behavioral scientist and a colleague who had witnessed SERE training proposed its use at Guantánamo in October 2002, as pressure was rising 'to get 'tougher' with detainee interrogations." Officers there sought authorization, and Mr. Rumsfeld approved 15 interrogation techniques.. "The paper trail on abuse leads to top civilian leaders, and our report connects the dots," Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said on Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "This report, in great detail, shows a paper trail going from that authorization" by Mr. Rumsfeld "to Guantanamo to Afghanistan and to Iraq," Mr. Levin said.
President Obama Discusses Possible Prosecution of Bush Administration Officials (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News) "For those who carried out some of these operations within the four corners of legal opinions or guidance that had been provided from the White House, I do not think it's appropriate for them to be prosecuted," President Obama said (Tuesday). "With respect to those who formulated those legal decisions, I would say that that is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws, and I don't want to prejudge that. I think that there are a host of very complicated issues involved there." The White House also suggested, for the first time, that any public investigation of interrogation policy should be like the 9/11 Commission. The 9/11 Commission. Great. It settled ALL the questions about 9/11.-Caro Click herefor more politics and media news headlines.
Chicago Slim has unleashed a hornet's nest. This must be chocked up to unconsciousness of Obama's part. He has made his pledge to "move forward" nearly untenable. The political attempt to play the middle off the ends with the torture memos is already biting back.
In less than a week: 1. The memos are released.
2. Obama states "There will be no prosecutions of CIA officers - as we must look forward". 3. Knowing he's damaged his standing with the CIA he held a pep rally. Though the damage is done.
4. The Left is not satisfied with the "no prosecutions" meme - this would have been anticipated by a seasoned politician. Obama is not seasoned. Levin and others in Congress will open further - public - inquires.
5. The Right now has red meat and is fully prepped to attack Obama on national security. Obama has thoughtlessly opened the door for public thrashings of Bush Admin officials which the GOP will find intolerable. This now goes as high as former SOS Rice. The former V.P. certainly knows the law was broken as well.
(Scholar Jonathan Turely is unequivocal:There is an undeniable claim of a crime here, a war crime. The evidence is insurmountable.)
As a general rule I would not mess with Cheney types if I expected to have a successful Presidency. If Levin decides to take on Rice expect the GOP to circle the wagons. Obama's background is ripe for all sorts of blowback that is waiting for exposure. It's there. It's real. Plenty of people in the political establishment are not "gentlemen campaigners" like McCain. His personal popularity will not matter if certain types decide he needs to be taken down a notch. Ask Bill Clinton.
6. The Chief of Staff states there will be no prosecutions. The President rebuffs him - then states he would be "open to" investigating those in the Bush White House who approved the methods. This does not directly contradict his previous statement - but the phrase "mixed message" hardly covers it. The only logical result of this is to put high level Bush officials in the dock. Again, Obama apparently does not understand or care about the implications of his latest statement. He is, in fact, acting like a community organizer trying to settle a minor tussle.
The wound is now open and bleeding. Unless an "event" overtakes the news cycles - either a real one or one concocted - the bleeding will continue. It seems Obama simply did not play this through using his much admired "intelligence".
Obama being Obama I would not be a bit surprised if some time down the road we get a "Truth Commission" that rips the Bushies to shreds - followed by blanket Presidential pardons.
That will be the ultimate Obama moment: Punk your enemies while insisting you are "rising above it all". That is the Obama way.
The release of the torture memos is proving to be a fine example in narcissistic personality disorder causing havoc. I repeat myself AGAIN on this point: There were two choices before Obama last week. Both had merit.
1. Do not release the memos. State without equivocation that they will remain classified and he will fight any attempts to declassify. Further state that the U.S. abides by international standards and laws now with all its prisoners. Move on.
2. Release the memos. Take responsibility for the uproar that would follow. State without equivocation that America must comes to terms with terrorists, and how to deal with them, and he would follow the law wherever it lead, including holding people responsible if they broke it.
Obama did neither.
I have no doubt that he felt he needed to be "loved" by his base and therefore released the documents to prove something. But he knew he did not have the stomach to man up and let things play out legally. The Justice Department - or at least some in it - think otherwise.
From the Daily Beast: that senior Justice Department lawyers were "incensed" at the Emanuel and Gibbs statements, as one put it-not because they disagreed with Obama's apparent opposition to an investigation and prosecution, but because the statements violated well-established rules separating political figures in the White House from decisions about active criminal cases.
Punting is the Obama way. This unfortunate habit is in evidence through out his first 100 days. He seems unable to retain clarity of vision on anything of importance. He, in effect, punted on the memos, trying to please everyone and pleasing no one. The banking plan refuses to nationalize rotten banks but, in effect, does so by making the taxpayer the owners - though, since he won't nationalize, we have little say in what the banks do with our money. He most certainly punted on the stimulus bill, the result being a hodge podge mess.
"Punting" plays out differently in the foreign sphere. He punts by apologizing at every turn. Again - this is an indicator that he thinks being personally liked is more important than a coherent policy. "We're sorry about W, please like me" does not make for a foreign policy anyone can respect.
It is interesting how thoroughly his aura has been shredded in 100 days. Congress appears to be the lead branch of government now - a few short months after his "historic" election to head the executive branch. No doubt Congress will be the captain of the torture memo ship going forward. He has caused resentments galore with the CIA, and now, his Justice Department.
People need to understand that this comes from a fundamental lack of Executive skill. And this lack of skill comes from having things handed to him through out his life and having others do the heavy lifting. The gravity and the blowback potential of releasing the memos seems not to have occurred to him. I have no doubt that he convinced himself of the righteousness of his muddled stance and assumed everyone else would go along.
It is hard to imagine a President McCain or Hillary Clinton misunderestimating the potential problems. The reason? One word: experience.
Obamaisapathlogicalliar: Can we just say it now: Obama is a liar: NQ's piece calledi was running for president, there you go really gets at what a liar Chicago Slim is. Pathological. He really does not care about what he said a year ago...or last month..or last week...it's all about being loved in the moment.
Noonan on "Austerity Chic" - not much of a fan of Ms. Noonan but this piece is wonderful. They didn't look like people trying to figure out how to survive as much as people trying to figure out how to live. The picture that accompanied the article showed a happy family playing Scrabble with a friend.
Poll: I think suburbs and exurbs are going down in the years ahead. What do you think?
Some are insisting that "torture works". This line is being presented as an argument for the techniques referenced in the torture memos being acceptable. No one should argue that torture cannot work is some cases. It does. It has. I cede this point entirely to those who argue for some torture. (For the record: it seems not to work in most cases.)
If one wants to silence a witness murdering said witness also "works". The human experience is nothing but a series of "choices" that people believe "work" toward an end.
The fact that some torture may "work" some times is a distraction from the issue at hand: What are the acceptable limits of our behavior? Ours, not theirs. The phrase "fight fire with fire" is invoked all the time in situations like this. But the truth is that 95% of the time the best way to fight fire is with water.
What are the acceptable limits of our behavior?- is not an easy question and may have some flexibility over time. But it must be asked.
An email from a dear friend, recently wed, contained some pleasant news: "Yes, we are expecting." This was in response to my query: "How's married life treating you - are you knocked up yet?" If my colloquialism was pedestrian, my friend's was downright quaint. Yet I much prefer hers to the current fabricated PC turn of phrase, "we're pregnant."
"We're pregnant" is silly. Yes, yes, it's a way to indicate the man's commitment and acceptance of responsibility. I get it. But "we're pregnant" strikes me as yet another pretentious attempt to talk our way into behavior. Admittedly, how we phrase things can influence perception. But this is preaching to the converted. I doubt we'll ever see Jay-Z release a song titled "Me and My Bitch Have a Shared Problem."
I have never been pregnant. Knocked up any of my partners, that is. I have, though, always quietly accepted the potential risk & consequences inherent to having sex. My approach for those special third dates is: if I'm always "prepared", then we're always prepared. Contraception is a mutual responsibility, and in a steady relationship, a mutual decision. I really appreciate that, if my partner uses oral contraception, she's taking on the inconvenience and screwed-up hormones for the both of us. I can express my appreciation without declaring, "we're on the pill!"
If one of my little swimmers ever completed its mission, by intent or accident, I'd step up to the plate. Still, while I may be half of the chromosomes, I don't face anywhere near half the consequences. Including me in the "we" of "we're pregnant" belies that lop-sided burden. I'm not the teenager with the diminished reputation, or the difficult choice. I'm not the one who'll be spending the next nine months waddling around, throwing up, etc., or the one enduring hours of labor. And, however diligent and attentive I father I may be, the children will never impact my life, on a day-to-day, hour-by-hour basis, as much their mom's.
So, could we please stop saying "we're pregnant"? It's technically inaccurate, and while aiming to underscore one sentiment, obscures other important points. For a welcomed pregnancy, what's wrong with "we're expecting?" It neatly expresses the joint investment of both parents, along with their joyful anticipation.
*After voting in this online poll Jeanine Garofalo screamed "racist!" at her computer, inadvertently spewing Chunky Monkey all over the screen. Approve/disapprove: Those who strongly approve of Chicago Slim and those who strongly disapprove are now even. Also - Mass. gov. numbers WAY down. *After this poll was released Janeane Garofalo appeared in front of the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd dressed as Barney the Dinosaur and yelling "racist!"at surprised tourists who where not assuaged when, immediately after hurling the insult, she attempted to sell them Chiclets for 10 cents.
*After being told of the Baroness's comments on the set of 24, Janeane Garofalo belched old people suck and are racists who should die to the tune of Lady Madonna, delighting her coworkers, but aggravating her acid reflux.
Chicago Slim Trims Budget: Prez demands a cut of 1/37,000 of his 2010 budget!!!
*When Jeanine Garofalo heard this news she made a public vow to personally accuse 37, 000 people of racism within in 10 days, honoring the President's brave budget cuts and breaking her own world record of accusing 9000 people of racism at the Sundance Film Festival where her documentary film, Trampoline Terror: The Secret History of Racist Trampoline Owners in America, premiered in 2005.
Nickname Runoff: The top four vote getters in L.R.'s quest to give Mrs. Obama a nickname - so as to avoid so much use of the word "Obama", thereby skewing the google ads - need your second round pick...or os it the 3rd round?
I have nothing to say this morning, therefore I am posting a photo of the illustrious Bob Barker. Yesterday, as he walked me, Bob decided that stopping on top of a subway grate - which was pumping cool air up - was in order. Though we embarked early to avoid the worst of the heat, Bob found this spot irresistible and proceeded to do his best Marilyn Monroe. (or is it The Flying Nun?)
Bratty Brats and other Huffington types did not like Tea Parties. Normal people did.Check it out....oh...you say you want a revolution...
How many funny queens will dress as "The Gathering Storm" this Halloween? Rich on the last stand for bigots here.
ye old Olden News -
This "lunch Break" was ready to go last Thursday. Delayed but not forgotten. Some good reads. Email Hoot: I got this email recently:
We wish to inform you of the Yearly Award program that your Email Address has won an Award sum of Two Million Dollars Contact Pieter Vaart Claim Agent mail; payagency4@netscape.netRefrence No.NW234F221,Ticket No:HW4321-534K,Serial No:LU267-65-117,Batch No:W331-783-009.Sincerely Mrs,Irena verloot, Mrs. Irena Verloot, no less! I love it.
Not so straight talk express: Anderson Cooper, who is gay, takes an obviously gay bashing cheap shot in order to service Obama. "IT'S HARD TO TALK WHEN YOU'RE TEABAGGING." There is no way around interpreting this remark except to assume that Cooper could not speak because his mouth had testicles in it. You go, Andy. What a professional! Keep taking the high road as the country goes down in flames.
* there will come a time when the anger directed at wasteful spending will become rage directed at CNN and MSNBC....continuing to mock, bash, trash, and dismiss millions of people will cause blow back...blow back that I am sure CNN and MSNBC will mock, bash, dismiss, or if it is large enough - act "shocked". Many modern revolts begin by surrounding TV stations....have you noticed this?
Who are the Oligarchs?Read it. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and the 2008 Bilderberg Meeting: Read it. The lie gusting behind the blowback: Rove hits on something essential in his recent post at the WSJ - Now Americans are reacting to runaway government spending that they were not told about before last year's election... Poll: More nick names for M. O. from you guys... runoff later...remember this is not to be excessively mean to M. and/or B. O. but just so I can avoid writing "Obama" so much...okay, WAIT...let's be honest...it is also fun to be a bit mean to M and B...vote early, vote often...
There is a faint meme circling the webernets that the release of the torture documents was a "diversion". I must respectfully dissent. I commend Obama for releasing the documents and I condemn him for refusing to investigate and prosecute those who committed war crimes.
As I've stated - the result of the latest Obama DoubleThink is to elevate lack of accountability and enshrine it as American policy.
The diversion here - if there is one - is the latest leg of the Obama "please like me the most-est of all the Presidents" apology tour of Latin America. The handshake with Chavez is a diversion - because, frankly, at least he didn't bow. Chavez may be a prick but he is an elected prick. Don't misread me. I happen to think Chavez is 99% bluster and not worth getting worked up about. If we didn't need his oil he would not matter at all. Nevertheless, Obama has now coated a fourth of the planet's land mass with his narcissistic apologetics. Which don't even carry the benefit of being genuine attempts at accountability. They are, as is always the case with him, all about being loved.
The issue remains - Who are we if we ignore brutality? The example given by Jay Bybee as to what is actually torture is what the Libyan secret police did to prisoners. That was the standard. Muammar Qaddafi's state police. Who are we?
Those who make excuses for what is considered "legal" in these memos have abrogated the right to invoke the moral compass on any issue. Screaming about Cuba's 200 political prisoners while excusing Americans who put prisoners heads in boxes with insects - is untenable. The legal readings concocted by the Bushies are not a justification so much as they are permission slips for depravity.
The legal fine tuning to cover for what is self evident torture is moral relativity taken to its logical, rancid, conclusion.
Obama has made the worst possible decision regarding the torture memos. I risk contradicting myself - but so be it - I thought this last week and I think it now: If he had no intention of holding anyone responsible - then THERE WAS NO GOOD REASON TO RELEASE THE MEMOS. It was, in fact, stupid and dangerous. If Obama is opposed to the techniques then he could simply have stopped them. Releasing the documents, while negating any chance that we, as a nation, can expunge the blot they have left on us - is POINTLESS. It is worse than pointless. It is damaging to national security. The question a seasoned leader would have asked was this: Is the coming fallout and prosecutions from the release of these documents worth the potential damage to national security? Obama ducked this question. He is too inexperienced or too much of a lightweight to be President.
Since the memos are now in the public domain we must respond within the law. Avoiding a full airing now of how the "war on terror" was conducted is the worst outcome. Affix blame. Claim credit. Avoid accountability. The American way since 2001...
Now Obama is in an a box. He's released the memos which are being rightfully met with revulsion - yet he has fallen back on the "looking forward, not back" bromide. Remember: as the Katrina blowback unfolded the Bushies did not want to play the "blame game".
Responsibility is not a game. Either we believe in it or we do not. Announcing a crime has occurred is not accountability or justice.
