Barack Obama has always claimed his religious faith is one of the most important things in his life, and essential to his identity. It's therefore all the more disappointing that his choice of Rick Warren reflects a particularly American brand of incoherence and hypocrisy when it comes to public displays of supposed religious belief.Read the entire post - well worth it.
The incoherence is reflected by behavior -- such as choosing Warren to give the invocation -- that seems to affirm two propositions:
(1) Religious beliefs are enormously important.
(2) The actual content of those beliefs is irrelevant.
December 18, 2008
Coherence
A very coherent point lost in all the drama about the choice of Rick Warren to perform the invocation at the inauguration.
December 3, 2008
Concussion
Concussion.
I had recently thought of it as being beaten about the head and shoulders with a wad of conservative talking points.
Or what happens if you are actually brave enough to watch an entire hour of Bill O'Reilly's hate fest on Faux Newz.
No longer.
Yesterday while crushing down a bunch of left over cardboard boxes in our garage, I stepped on one that has that lovely waxy sheen over pretty colors advertising some product crucial to everyday life (in this case a mat that goes under a desk chair) and personally redefined concussion to something akin to its medical meaning.
That slick, shiny box flew out from under my feet and I went momentarily airborne, levitating horizontally above the hard concrete floor of the garage for what seemed like a full second to my time-dilated senses. I could envision in that long interregnum exactly what took place next: my butt, then my back, then neck and finally my head hit the floor with a truly sickening *thwock* noise, the kind of sound that makes the stomach churn just to hear it.
I lost just a hint of time after impact, until I became aware that my seizure response dog, Rufus, was frantically licking my face and covering my body with his. When later asked by the doctor if I had lost consciousness, I tentatively said yes, then measured the period missing by the amount of dog slobber I was covered in, which, fortunately, was not much. Perhaps a minute, likely even less time passed before I was aware that my head really fucking hurt, got the dog off me, and tried to regain my feet. I was horribly dizzy and my vision blurred. My head was completely numb and a large knot was already forming on the top part of the back of the skull. I was nauseous for a few minutes.
I had a phone with me (habit when outside or in the garage for any length of time) so called Rachel. I'd be hard pressed to recall what exactly I said to her, but she lit out from work right away. The fact I was able to stand and talk seemed reason enough not to call 911 and all that entails.
We went to St. John's Urgent Care which is associated with my doctor in the same complex. I was the only person there, so they got me in quickly. Medical history, poking and prodding, lots of questions, Darvocet and Flexeril, a neck brace plus X-rays followed, along with a lot of waiting around. Thanks to the brief period of unconsciousness I not only had to have the X-rays but also a CT scan. Though they had a machine there, it was not operated after 5pm so I was out of luck. Off we went to St. Francis Hospital emergency center.
The ER in any hospital is always a somewhat alarming place. I've been in a couple for my own medical problems and to take others for theirs. The worst was probably the night my friend Chris R. drove his 1970's era Lincoln ocean liner into a telephone pole in Virginia, breaking his nose and collar bone (annihilating both car and pole - the latter only stayed standing thanks to the heavy. demolished car still holding it upright). Marty and I were there for many an hour as Chris slept, passed out despite the pain of his nose and collar bone, as the ER doctors ran tests and also dealt with a more lethal car crash that came bursting through the doors after we arrived. That night also included the delicious irony of Chris being essentially let off the hook for a certain DUI by the improbably named Officer Bacon of the Fairfax police, something I've laughed about over the years whenever this particular incident comes up.
St. Francis wasn't terribly busy, though there was a decent crowd in the waiting room. I got checked in for the CT, waited, and was called in under 5 minutes. We were taken to a trauma room, seen by a nurse (where my blood pressure and temperature were taken for the second, though not last time for the night), had to recount the details of the fall yet again, then were made to wait. Rachel and I listened to the flow of chatter around us as nurses and the ER doctor attended to other patients. Judging by discussions amongst staff about visitors coming and going, there seemed to be either a lot of new people on rotation or a recent policy change concerning who could or should accompany a patient into the ER area.
Eventually the doctor stopped by, looked over my chart, assured me the wait for the CT would not be long but the time before it could be read might be, thanks to a shift change in progress. A little while later a nurse stuck her head in, asked if I was there for the CT. An affirmative response prompted her to ask us if we could wait at the end of the hall in the small seating area there. I said yes, then, as she walked away, I saw a woman who had previously been vomiting noisily in another room collapse into the hallway and onto the floor. The nurse didn't see her, so I said "excuse me" loud enough to be heard, and pointed to the prone body "That woman has collapsed". She called for help and went to attend to her. We moved to the end of the hall, where I was called shortly for the CT.
Being an epileptic I am more than familiar with the joys of CT and MRI machines. The latter are a particular favorite of mine. Trapped head first in a cool plastic and metal cocoon, head caged in place, with barely enough room for my shoulders and arms to lie in a relaxed state, I am bombarded by the weird post-techno beat of the machine as it produces high resolution slices of my broken brain. It is an entrancing, ever changing symphony of differently pitched knocks, hums, and repetitive low frequency tones and warbles most likely recreated in the outside world by a spastic child and an old ARP 2600 synthesizer. The earplugs prevent hearing damage, but nothing can drown out the sheer volume of the bone jarring trance generator that performs as a side effect of the near-magical workings of the MRI. Every time I'm in one of these monstrosities I totally zone out to the unique bursts of machine music.
Of course, I wasn't scheduled for an MRI. :)
The CT took about five minutes. A full MRI of the brain lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour, so I was pleased and relieved. It was also cool to be able to see the imaging elements spinning rapidly over head. More visually entertaining than the spare white plastic tube of the MRI.
It all came up clean, of course. The doctor at urgent care was pretty certain it would turn out that way, as was I, after the initial shock and pain of the fall had subsided. The short span of unconsciousness, the nausea, and the blurred vision combined to force the doctor, as a cautionary procedure, to order the extra tests. The necessity of it all doesn't in any way blunt the mind numbing waiting that accompanies any trip to the ER, unless you are mortally injured or in some other way in danger of immediate death or permanent harm. That waiting is punctuated by the blood pressure machine puffing up on my arm and restricting the flow of blood to my hand every ten minutes, by the bodiless pronouncements coming from the PA (including a recorded voice issuing a prayer for the hospital, its visitors, staff and patients as visiting hours came to a close), and the sporadic visits from nurses, hospital staff or the doctor.
That waiting time left me to wonder about the disposable nature of so many things in the hospital chain - even fingertip pulse takers have been made disposable, with the electronics embedded in flexible plastic, fitted over the finger, and plugged into a monitor. I understand about issues of sterility, but that seemed especially wasteful. The amount of trash generated by any given hospital in a single day must be enormous. And each time will appear in a full accounting of my little trip through the belly of the medical beast.
I can't wait for the bills for my portion to arrive.
Today my neck is stiff as the cardboard that tried to kill me, and my back, a chronic source of pain and trouble, is protesting most loudly about my garage escapade. The minor cognitive oddities that dogged me last night have passed completely, so all that is left is to heal the muscles of my neck and back, and I am honestly thankful I got away without a major injury.
The sound of my skull bouncing off the concrete will stay with me for the rest of my life.
So I'm whole, but concussed.
I had recently thought of it as being beaten about the head and shoulders with a wad of conservative talking points.
Or what happens if you are actually brave enough to watch an entire hour of Bill O'Reilly's hate fest on Faux Newz.
No longer.
Yesterday while crushing down a bunch of left over cardboard boxes in our garage, I stepped on one that has that lovely waxy sheen over pretty colors advertising some product crucial to everyday life (in this case a mat that goes under a desk chair) and personally redefined concussion to something akin to its medical meaning.
That slick, shiny box flew out from under my feet and I went momentarily airborne, levitating horizontally above the hard concrete floor of the garage for what seemed like a full second to my time-dilated senses. I could envision in that long interregnum exactly what took place next: my butt, then my back, then neck and finally my head hit the floor with a truly sickening *thwock* noise, the kind of sound that makes the stomach churn just to hear it.
I lost just a hint of time after impact, until I became aware that my seizure response dog, Rufus, was frantically licking my face and covering my body with his. When later asked by the doctor if I had lost consciousness, I tentatively said yes, then measured the period missing by the amount of dog slobber I was covered in, which, fortunately, was not much. Perhaps a minute, likely even less time passed before I was aware that my head really fucking hurt, got the dog off me, and tried to regain my feet. I was horribly dizzy and my vision blurred. My head was completely numb and a large knot was already forming on the top part of the back of the skull. I was nauseous for a few minutes.
I had a phone with me (habit when outside or in the garage for any length of time) so called Rachel. I'd be hard pressed to recall what exactly I said to her, but she lit out from work right away. The fact I was able to stand and talk seemed reason enough not to call 911 and all that entails.
We went to St. John's Urgent Care which is associated with my doctor in the same complex. I was the only person there, so they got me in quickly. Medical history, poking and prodding, lots of questions, Darvocet and Flexeril, a neck brace plus X-rays followed, along with a lot of waiting around. Thanks to the brief period of unconsciousness I not only had to have the X-rays but also a CT scan. Though they had a machine there, it was not operated after 5pm so I was out of luck. Off we went to St. Francis Hospital emergency center.
The ER in any hospital is always a somewhat alarming place. I've been in a couple for my own medical problems and to take others for theirs. The worst was probably the night my friend Chris R. drove his 1970's era Lincoln ocean liner into a telephone pole in Virginia, breaking his nose and collar bone (annihilating both car and pole - the latter only stayed standing thanks to the heavy. demolished car still holding it upright). Marty and I were there for many an hour as Chris slept, passed out despite the pain of his nose and collar bone, as the ER doctors ran tests and also dealt with a more lethal car crash that came bursting through the doors after we arrived. That night also included the delicious irony of Chris being essentially let off the hook for a certain DUI by the improbably named Officer Bacon of the Fairfax police, something I've laughed about over the years whenever this particular incident comes up.
St. Francis wasn't terribly busy, though there was a decent crowd in the waiting room. I got checked in for the CT, waited, and was called in under 5 minutes. We were taken to a trauma room, seen by a nurse (where my blood pressure and temperature were taken for the second, though not last time for the night), had to recount the details of the fall yet again, then were made to wait. Rachel and I listened to the flow of chatter around us as nurses and the ER doctor attended to other patients. Judging by discussions amongst staff about visitors coming and going, there seemed to be either a lot of new people on rotation or a recent policy change concerning who could or should accompany a patient into the ER area.
Eventually the doctor stopped by, looked over my chart, assured me the wait for the CT would not be long but the time before it could be read might be, thanks to a shift change in progress. A little while later a nurse stuck her head in, asked if I was there for the CT. An affirmative response prompted her to ask us if we could wait at the end of the hall in the small seating area there. I said yes, then, as she walked away, I saw a woman who had previously been vomiting noisily in another room collapse into the hallway and onto the floor. The nurse didn't see her, so I said "excuse me" loud enough to be heard, and pointed to the prone body "That woman has collapsed". She called for help and went to attend to her. We moved to the end of the hall, where I was called shortly for the CT.
Being an epileptic I am more than familiar with the joys of CT and MRI machines. The latter are a particular favorite of mine. Trapped head first in a cool plastic and metal cocoon, head caged in place, with barely enough room for my shoulders and arms to lie in a relaxed state, I am bombarded by the weird post-techno beat of the machine as it produces high resolution slices of my broken brain. It is an entrancing, ever changing symphony of differently pitched knocks, hums, and repetitive low frequency tones and warbles most likely recreated in the outside world by a spastic child and an old ARP 2600 synthesizer. The earplugs prevent hearing damage, but nothing can drown out the sheer volume of the bone jarring trance generator that performs as a side effect of the near-magical workings of the MRI. Every time I'm in one of these monstrosities I totally zone out to the unique bursts of machine music.
Of course, I wasn't scheduled for an MRI. :)
The CT took about five minutes. A full MRI of the brain lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour, so I was pleased and relieved. It was also cool to be able to see the imaging elements spinning rapidly over head. More visually entertaining than the spare white plastic tube of the MRI.
It all came up clean, of course. The doctor at urgent care was pretty certain it would turn out that way, as was I, after the initial shock and pain of the fall had subsided. The short span of unconsciousness, the nausea, and the blurred vision combined to force the doctor, as a cautionary procedure, to order the extra tests. The necessity of it all doesn't in any way blunt the mind numbing waiting that accompanies any trip to the ER, unless you are mortally injured or in some other way in danger of immediate death or permanent harm. That waiting is punctuated by the blood pressure machine puffing up on my arm and restricting the flow of blood to my hand every ten minutes, by the bodiless pronouncements coming from the PA (including a recorded voice issuing a prayer for the hospital, its visitors, staff and patients as visiting hours came to a close), and the sporadic visits from nurses, hospital staff or the doctor.
That waiting time left me to wonder about the disposable nature of so many things in the hospital chain - even fingertip pulse takers have been made disposable, with the electronics embedded in flexible plastic, fitted over the finger, and plugged into a monitor. I understand about issues of sterility, but that seemed especially wasteful. The amount of trash generated by any given hospital in a single day must be enormous. And each time will appear in a full accounting of my little trip through the belly of the medical beast.
I can't wait for the bills for my portion to arrive.
Today my neck is stiff as the cardboard that tried to kill me, and my back, a chronic source of pain and trouble, is protesting most loudly about my garage escapade. The minor cognitive oddities that dogged me last night have passed completely, so all that is left is to heal the muscles of my neck and back, and I am honestly thankful I got away without a major injury.
The sound of my skull bouncing off the concrete will stay with me for the rest of my life.
So I'm whole, but concussed.
November 27, 2008
Talk About Torture
The notion that there will be so much love and reconciliation in Washington (as evidenced by the Lieberman vote recently, and other nauseating trends) that nothing will be done to address the criminal activities of the Bush administration makes me ill.
Glenn Greenwald cuts through the bullshit:
A further interesting point is this one, made by Jonathan Turley on the Rachel Maddow show. Turley points out that the Bush administrations murmurs that pardons are unnecessary because the Justice Department torture memos sufficiently cover anyone who then participated in such actions from legal liability in fact calls the Democrats bluff on this issue:
Glenn Greenwald cuts through the bullshit:
All of this underscores a crucial fact: a major reason why the Bush administration was able to break numerous laws in general, and subject detainees to illegal torture specifically, is because the media immediately mimicked the Orwellian methods adopted by the administration to speak about and obfuscate these matters. Objective propositions that were never in dispute and cannot be reasonably disputed were denied by the Bush administration, and -- for that reason alone (one side says it's true) -- the media immediately depicted these objective facts as subject to reasonable dispute.
Hence: "war crimes" were transformed into "policy disputes" between hawkish defenders of the country and shrill, soft-on-terror liberals. "Torture" became "enhanced interrogation techniques which critics call torture." And, most of all, flagrant lawbreaking -- doing X when the law says: "X is a felony" -- became acting "pursuant to robust theories of executive power" or "expansive interpretations of statutes and treaties" or, at worst, "in circumvention of legal frameworks."
* * * * *
All of that is what has created the warped Beltway consensus that Bush officials who broke the law, committed war crimes and other felonies, should be absolutely immunized from the consequences of their crimes. That's because when government officials commit "crimes," they're not actually crimes -- they're mere "policy disputes among people in good faith." Only "incendiary" liberals believe that government officials who break the law should be subject to accusations as shrill and extreme as: "they committed crimes."
A further interesting point is this one, made by Jonathan Turley on the Rachel Maddow show. Turley points out that the Bush administrations murmurs that pardons are unnecessary because the Justice Department torture memos sufficiently cover anyone who then participated in such actions from legal liability in fact calls the Democrats bluff on this issue:
TURLEY: What the administration is doing is they know that the people that want him to pardon our torture program is primarily the Democrats, not the Republicans. The Democratic leadership would love to have a pardon so they could go to their supporters and say, “Look, there’s really nothing we could do.”I think this is about accurate. Those in power are predisposed to aid one another when it comes to questions of legality and liability. In this case, it is pathetic that the alleged beacon of democracy is less inclined then a third world country recently out from under the boot of brutal dictatorship to prosecute its own leaders for actions that are clearly, without question, war crimes.
Well, the Bush administration is calling their bluff. They know that the Democratic leadership will not allow criminal investigations or indictments.
November 17, 2008
Intelligible
It is mind blowing that I find it such an enormous relief that the new president is intelligent, articulate, curious and answers questions directly. The fact that he understands the questions asked instead of responding to an unasked query with a non sequitur talking point is also noted.
Pretty sad commentary on the current resident that these qualities come across as extraordinary in the leader of our country, rather than a prerequisite for the job.
Watch the Obama 60 Minutes interview:
Watch CBS Videos Online
Pretty sad commentary on the current resident that these qualities come across as extraordinary in the leader of our country, rather than a prerequisite for the job.
Watch the Obama 60 Minutes interview:
Watch CBS Videos Online
November 14, 2008
Creative Destruction?
Whiskey.
Tango.
Foxtrot.
Read this now.
The guy writing it makes some of the players out to be more heroic than they really are. Shorting a market you find reprehensible is full participation in reprehensible activity.
Still, a fascinating peek into what happened. This also explains some of what these financial instruments actually are. Which is a terrifying realization.
Regulation cannot come too soon, but I suspect nothing will actually happen.
Tango.
Foxtrot.
Read this now.
The guy writing it makes some of the players out to be more heroic than they really are. Shorting a market you find reprehensible is full participation in reprehensible activity.
Still, a fascinating peek into what happened. This also explains some of what these financial instruments actually are. Which is a terrifying realization.
Regulation cannot come too soon, but I suspect nothing will actually happen.
November 5, 2008
How Soon They Forget
Epic fail on the part of CNN last night. Threatening us all with the "one party rule" cudgel, they fail to name the last president who had control of both house of Congress.
Hint: he is still in office for a few more weeks.
Fucking idiots. Watch them run as hard as they can from an eight year legacy of sucking up to the Bush administration. Gotta coddle your only source of fucking news...
Campbell Brown: For those people who have been worried about the possibility of one party controlling Congress and the White House, the last president to do that, of course, was....?
John King: Ah, that was Bill Clinton, and...
Brown: Jimmy Carter! Jimmy Carter had... Bill Clinton had Democrats in the House and in the Senate?
King: Very briefly.
Brown: Very briefly. [Crinkles her nose] Didn't go so well.
King: No it didn't.
Hint: he is still in office for a few more weeks.
Fucking idiots. Watch them run as hard as they can from an eight year legacy of sucking up to the Bush administration. Gotta coddle your only source of fucking news...
November 4, 2008
Back
Just got back.
Mostly old folks at our polling place. About a ten minute wait - no biggie at all. Rachel waited for almost 30 minutes early this morning.
Heard lots of people saying that it was busier than they could remember ever seeing it - and the election volunteers, some of whom have been doing this a long time said they had more turnout already today at this polling place than in all of 2004. When you consider there was a gay marriage ban amendment on the ballot then, plus the fact that it is just after 2pm here, that is pretty amazing.
Mostly old folks at our polling place. About a ten minute wait - no biggie at all. Rachel waited for almost 30 minutes early this morning.
Heard lots of people saying that it was busier than they could remember ever seeing it - and the election volunteers, some of whom have been doing this a long time said they had more turnout already today at this polling place than in all of 2004. When you consider there was a gay marriage ban amendment on the ballot then, plus the fact that it is just after 2pm here, that is pretty amazing.
Off To Vote
It is a beautiful day here in Green Country - 74 degrees, sunny, with a good 25mph wind. My polling place is a church at the end of my street (about 5 blocks away), and since Rachel voted early this morning and has late meetings tonight, Rufus and I will be walking through the sunshine and drifts of leaves to cast my vote. Despite the fact this is some of the reddest territory in the US and my votes will have little to no impact at all on outcomes, I'm happy to cast them anyway. My way of making sure the door hits those bastards in the behind on the way out.
And, while Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate in purely political terms, he is closer than anything we have had at the national level in a very long time. Add in an ability to think clearly and make rational arguments (even for policies I may ultimately disagree with) and an obvious curiosity about the world around him, and you have the makings of what hopefully will be a very good president. Unlike 2004, I cast this vote as an affirmative act, not a purely defensive one.
Y'all have a great day.
And, while Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate in purely political terms, he is closer than anything we have had at the national level in a very long time. Add in an ability to think clearly and make rational arguments (even for policies I may ultimately disagree with) and an obvious curiosity about the world around him, and you have the makings of what hopefully will be a very good president. Unlike 2004, I cast this vote as an affirmative act, not a purely defensive one.
Y'all have a great day.
November 3, 2008
Polling addendum
A lot of seizures lately, so my brain is mostly mush. The post below reads like mush. No apologies from me - seizures are part of my milieu, and the brain bruising they cause (and the short circuiting of my already minimal English language skills) is part of this life of mine.
I also forgot to mention that I am shit eating grin happy to vote tomorrow, because the end is nigh for the thugs and criminals who looted the national treasury on behalf of their friends, set environmental policy back 20 years, started two wars on a foundation of intentional lies while ratcheting up the powers of the national security state. So even though my vote will not count but for the local issues questions on my ballot, I am casting it joyfully as my way of saying "fuck you assholes" and seeing them out the door.
Though too far short of impeachment and war crimes trials, I'll take it.
I also forgot to mention that I am shit eating grin happy to vote tomorrow, because the end is nigh for the thugs and criminals who looted the national treasury on behalf of their friends, set environmental policy back 20 years, started two wars on a foundation of intentional lies while ratcheting up the powers of the national security state. So even though my vote will not count but for the local issues questions on my ballot, I am casting it joyfully as my way of saying "fuck you assholes" and seeing them out the door.
Though too far short of impeachment and war crimes trials, I'll take it.
Polling
According to the National Weather Service it is 79 degrees here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hardly a fall day despite the leaves blanketing lawns up and down my street, which means it doesn't feel much like voting season to me. Yet tomorrow I go to the polls to register my votes for president, senator, congressperson and a few local races and issues. Though I live in the heart of red country (it still makes me chuckle, in this season where Barack Obama is routinely, and wrongly labeled a socialist that the color most often associated with that political persuasion is identical to that color used to code the most conservative states) and my vote will not in any way affect the outcome of the presidential race, I am still very much looking forward to casting my vote tomorrow anyway. Oklahoma may well turn out to have the widest margin of victory for John McCain, but in my own head I am adding my voice to millions of others in saying "enough" to those who have run this country into banana republic territory.
Similarly, the Senate race here is rather pathetic. This is the home of James Inhofe, one of the more rabid right wingnuts to ever occupy a seat in the US Senate. The last polls I could find indicate he is leading Andrew Rice anywhere from 16-22 points, so my vote there will also make no difference, but I'll happily cast it anyway. As for the 1st district, it seems John Sullivan will win re-election rather easily. Again, I'll happily cast a vote against him, even if it seems futile.
I've only been surprised by two things this election season. The first is one I am happy to have been wrong about. Very early on, in conversations with friends, I was asked if Obama could win the Democratic nomination, and if so, the presidency. I said "no", and emphatically on both counts. My reasoning is simple, and now utterly discredited. I felt Clinton had the money, the name recognition, and the organization to handily take the nomination. I also felt that there are plenty of very conservative democrats out there who would find voting for a black man difficult, if impossible to do. I presumed, wrongly, that people would get into the polling booth and say "hell, no, I'm not voting for a black man".
And I am deliriously happy to have been proved a dunderhead about this. Nevertheless, that same reasoning was part of my calculation should Obama manage to swing the nomination. In a general election against McCain, a man many Democrats have come to admire and consider a middle of the road, bipartisan kind of guy (which he certainly is not), those same conservative democrats would be peeled away to vote Republican, and it could comfortably not be about race at all, but rather a better fit with an alleged Republican reformer. Those who did find race to be a show stopper could talk themselves into McCain by buying into the centrist talk.
Again, it would seem, I am going to be wrong as all hell. and again, I am overjoyed that is the case. I am still not sure what any of this proves when it comes to politics and race, given the incredible blunders of the McCain campaign since the general election got underway, but it has altered the extent and depth of my cynicism about America.
The second surprise relates to the rather nasty campaign McCain has run. I fully expected there to be plenty of surrogates to bring back the ghosts of Ayers and Wright, and the inevitable "surrender to terrorists" meme that was so popular in 2004. And those things all materialized, right on cue. The distinction this time that turns this sort of standard issue Republican ugliness into something extraordinary was the extent to which these attacks came directly from the mouths of the Republican candidates for president and vice president. I admit to a bit of shock at how easily McCain and Palin both fell into a comfortable groove with the "palling around with terrorists" charge, the casual pronouncements about the lack of patriotism on the part of Obama, the rabid zeal with which they both attempted to paint the Democratic nominee as not only unfit for office but potentially treasonous. It was pretty revolting and I really was surprised that so much of it originated with the candidates themselves, and not the usual semi-anonymous surrogates, which would at least allow the pretense of disassociation.
So I've been completely wrong about how this campaign would turn out, and I am content to be so. I still have very serious problems with the Democratic party and its behavior in the Bush years. And to those lefties who feel Obama is going to be some sort of hard charging progressive liberal, all I can say is, get right with what he really is, politically, or those of you who remember 1992 will experience all over again that sense of betrayal when it turned out Clinton was not a real friend of the left, but a corporatist centrist. Obama, who is intelligent, thoughtful, and quick on his feet is the far better choice in this election, and I cast my vote for him unequivocally. I do so, however, in recognition that he is very much a Democratic centrist, and not a committed progressive liberal.
Similarly, the Senate race here is rather pathetic. This is the home of James Inhofe, one of the more rabid right wingnuts to ever occupy a seat in the US Senate. The last polls I could find indicate he is leading Andrew Rice anywhere from 16-22 points, so my vote there will also make no difference, but I'll happily cast it anyway. As for the 1st district, it seems John Sullivan will win re-election rather easily. Again, I'll happily cast a vote against him, even if it seems futile.
I've only been surprised by two things this election season. The first is one I am happy to have been wrong about. Very early on, in conversations with friends, I was asked if Obama could win the Democratic nomination, and if so, the presidency. I said "no", and emphatically on both counts. My reasoning is simple, and now utterly discredited. I felt Clinton had the money, the name recognition, and the organization to handily take the nomination. I also felt that there are plenty of very conservative democrats out there who would find voting for a black man difficult, if impossible to do. I presumed, wrongly, that people would get into the polling booth and say "hell, no, I'm not voting for a black man".
And I am deliriously happy to have been proved a dunderhead about this. Nevertheless, that same reasoning was part of my calculation should Obama manage to swing the nomination. In a general election against McCain, a man many Democrats have come to admire and consider a middle of the road, bipartisan kind of guy (which he certainly is not), those same conservative democrats would be peeled away to vote Republican, and it could comfortably not be about race at all, but rather a better fit with an alleged Republican reformer. Those who did find race to be a show stopper could talk themselves into McCain by buying into the centrist talk.
Again, it would seem, I am going to be wrong as all hell. and again, I am overjoyed that is the case. I am still not sure what any of this proves when it comes to politics and race, given the incredible blunders of the McCain campaign since the general election got underway, but it has altered the extent and depth of my cynicism about America.
The second surprise relates to the rather nasty campaign McCain has run. I fully expected there to be plenty of surrogates to bring back the ghosts of Ayers and Wright, and the inevitable "surrender to terrorists" meme that was so popular in 2004. And those things all materialized, right on cue. The distinction this time that turns this sort of standard issue Republican ugliness into something extraordinary was the extent to which these attacks came directly from the mouths of the Republican candidates for president and vice president. I admit to a bit of shock at how easily McCain and Palin both fell into a comfortable groove with the "palling around with terrorists" charge, the casual pronouncements about the lack of patriotism on the part of Obama, the rabid zeal with which they both attempted to paint the Democratic nominee as not only unfit for office but potentially treasonous. It was pretty revolting and I really was surprised that so much of it originated with the candidates themselves, and not the usual semi-anonymous surrogates, which would at least allow the pretense of disassociation.
So I've been completely wrong about how this campaign would turn out, and I am content to be so. I still have very serious problems with the Democratic party and its behavior in the Bush years. And to those lefties who feel Obama is going to be some sort of hard charging progressive liberal, all I can say is, get right with what he really is, politically, or those of you who remember 1992 will experience all over again that sense of betrayal when it turned out Clinton was not a real friend of the left, but a corporatist centrist. Obama, who is intelligent, thoughtful, and quick on his feet is the far better choice in this election, and I cast my vote for him unequivocally. I do so, however, in recognition that he is very much a Democratic centrist, and not a committed progressive liberal.
October 19, 2008
Some Sensible Words
Colin Powell is, in my view, a war criminal. His dishonest performance in front of the United Nations was the final push that a lot of fence sitters needed to agree to invade Iraq. The fact that he knew he was telling a very Big Lie constructed of hundreds of small ones annihilated any credibility he had, in government, and in public life.
On Meet The Press Powell endorsed Obama, a move that had been predicted for months. Turns out his comments just outside the studio were more interesting than those spoken in front of a national TV audience. His comments about taxation are particularly useful, and bear repeating amidst the constant insanity of tax-cutting-because-we-can mania. Too bad he didn't choose to say those on the air.
On Meet The Press Powell endorsed Obama, a move that had been predicted for months. Turns out his comments just outside the studio were more interesting than those spoken in front of a national TV audience. His comments about taxation are particularly useful, and bear repeating amidst the constant insanity of tax-cutting-because-we-can mania. Too bad he didn't choose to say those on the air.
October 18, 2008
"Liberal" Is Equivlaent To "Traitor"
This Representative from Minnesota is quite special.
The money quote:
The money quote:
What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or Anti-America? I think the American people would love to see an expose like that.Joe would be so proud!
October 16, 2008
Maverickism
I'm confused.
If John McCain is truly the maverick we are bludgeoned into believing he is, why was it left to Bill Kristol the choice of Sarah Palin as running mate?
Much has been said and written about how McCain failed the very first executive test as a presidential wannabe: the choice of vice presidential candidate. Palin was a truly odd, and now obviously reckless choice, but at least we believed McCain himself had made the pick.
Curiouser and curiouser.
If John McCain is truly the maverick we are bludgeoned into believing he is, why was it left to Bill Kristol the choice of Sarah Palin as running mate?
Much has been said and written about how McCain failed the very first executive test as a presidential wannabe: the choice of vice presidential candidate. Palin was a truly odd, and now obviously reckless choice, but at least we believed McCain himself had made the pick.
Curiouser and curiouser.
October 13, 2008
The Anti-Government Industry
I am nearly finished with a great little book by Garry Wills, entitled "A Necessary Evil: A History of American Distrust of Government". It is a concise treatment of the origins of modern anti-government thinking, and it is a delightful eye opening read. The most important thing I carry away from it (among many many useful things) is the practical streak that those who founded this country almost all shared. They had their beliefs and ideologies, but more than anything, a practical way of adapting their viewpoints to match reality, and thus create the best master governing document extant in the western world.
The book was published before W. took office, so it doesn't examine in any way the last frontier of anti-government sentiment in our country - the neo-conservatives who have been running it for the last eight years, and for longer at the congressional level. Wills may not have chosen to include them in his book had it been written later, and for that, we have Thomas Frank and his explosive "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule", which deconstructs what happens when those who believe the federal government is not a legitimate authority take possession of the levers of power.
This pair of books go very nicely together. I recommend them both heartily to anyone who enjoys learning something new.
The book was published before W. took office, so it doesn't examine in any way the last frontier of anti-government sentiment in our country - the neo-conservatives who have been running it for the last eight years, and for longer at the congressional level. Wills may not have chosen to include them in his book had it been written later, and for that, we have Thomas Frank and his explosive "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule", which deconstructs what happens when those who believe the federal government is not a legitimate authority take possession of the levers of power.
This pair of books go very nicely together. I recommend them both heartily to anyone who enjoys learning something new.
October 11, 2008
Exactly Right
Frank Rich sums up the McCain/Palin effort to delegitimize Barack Obama as a candidate for president.
All’s fair in politics. John McCain and Sarah Palin have every right to bring up William Ayers, even if his connection to Obama is minor, even if Ayers’s Weather Underground history dates back to Obama’s childhood, even if establishment Republicans and Democrats alike have collaborated with the present-day Ayers in educational reform. But it’s not just the old Joe McCarthyesque guilt-by-association game, however spurious, that’s going on here. Don’t for an instant believe the many mindlessly “even-handed” journalists who keep saying that the McCain campaign’s use of Ayers is the moral or political equivalent of the Obama campaign’s hammering on Charles Keating.
What makes them different, and what has pumped up the Weimar-like rage at McCain-Palin rallies, is the violent escalation in rhetoric, especially (though not exclusively) by Palin. Obama “launched his political career in the living room of a domestic terrorist.” He is “palling around with terrorists” (note the plural noun). Obama is “not a man who sees America the way you and I see America.” Wielding a wildly out-of-context Obama quote, Palin slurs him as an enemy of American troops.
By the time McCain asks the crowd “Who is the real Barack Obama?” it’s no surprise that someone cries out “Terrorist!” The rhetorical conflation of Obama with terrorism is complete. It is stoked further by the repeated invocation of Obama’s middle name by surrogates introducing McCain and Palin at these rallies. This sleight of hand at once synchronizes with the poisonous Obama-is-a-Muslim e-mail blasts and shifts the brand of terrorism from Ayers’s Vietnam-era variety to the radical Islamic threats of today.
That’s a far cry from simply accusing Obama of being a guilty-by-association radical leftist. Obama is being branded as a potential killer and an accessory to past attempts at murder. “Barack Obama’s friend tried to kill my family” was how a McCain press release last week packaged the remembrance of a Weather Underground incident from 1970 — when Obama was 8.
We all know what punishment fits the crime of murder, or even potential murder, if the security of post-9/11 America is at stake. We all know how self-appointed “patriotic” martyrs always justify taking the law into their own hands.
October 9, 2008
To The Reichstag!
Put Godwin aside, for the moment.
Consider the recent assertions by the McCain/Palin campaign that Senator Obama is "palling around with terrorists". It has been spoken by Palin at her rallies, spurring cries of "terrorist!" and "kill him!". The locals who introduce either candidate continue the disingenuous maneuver of using Obama's middle name every time they mention him, in an effort to paint him as "other". McCain has just released an ad for the web (which inevitably get lots of free air time on the various cable news programs - talk about return on the dollar!) which reaffirms that Obama is friends with a violent terrorist and "cannot be trusted" with the presidency.
They say this:
And people believe it:
I realize we are not in second grade any more, but go ahead and take a moment to read that over again, and really contemplate what it means. A major party candidate for the highest office in the land, and possibly the most powerful office on earth, is accusing his opponent of being a sworn enemy of his own country. That is exactly what those statements and ads amount to - an accusation of murderous treason on the part of a US Senator with aspirations on the presidency.
And those making these assertions know full well there is not a shred of truth in them.
So while I am not usually inclined to make a serious comparison between the Republican party and the Nazis, I am free to make it now, and it sticks. This is the "Big Lie" tactic, where one political party or figure asserts the other party or candidate is in fact, the enemy, a person who intends to commit treason and destroy his own country. Not content to frighten Americans with "the terrorists" from some foreign land, they have moved to equating a fellow serving senator with those who really would strap on a bomb or steal an airliner and murder American citizens. It is astonishing when you really consider the magnitude of the accusation, and the likely ripple effects it is engendering now that will be in play well after McCain loses the election and returns to the senate.
Bereft in this campaign without a policy leg left to stand on, they have descended to the lowest form of political discourse, beyond the usual shots at character involving hints and allegations of financial wrongdoing or sketchy family background. This entire "Obama is a terrorist" meme is directly on par with the "he's a Jew" or "he's a communist" labels used in Germany in the 1930's to paint people as enemies of the state and all good Germans everywhere. There is absolutely no substantive difference between what the Brown shirts were doing then, and what McCain, Palin, and their campaign surrogates are engaged in today.
Consider the recent assertions by the McCain/Palin campaign that Senator Obama is "palling around with terrorists". It has been spoken by Palin at her rallies, spurring cries of "terrorist!" and "kill him!". The locals who introduce either candidate continue the disingenuous maneuver of using Obama's middle name every time they mention him, in an effort to paint him as "other". McCain has just released an ad for the web (which inevitably get lots of free air time on the various cable news programs - talk about return on the dollar!) which reaffirms that Obama is friends with a violent terrorist and "cannot be trusted" with the presidency.
They say this:
And people believe it:
I realize we are not in second grade any more, but go ahead and take a moment to read that over again, and really contemplate what it means. A major party candidate for the highest office in the land, and possibly the most powerful office on earth, is accusing his opponent of being a sworn enemy of his own country. That is exactly what those statements and ads amount to - an accusation of murderous treason on the part of a US Senator with aspirations on the presidency.
And those making these assertions know full well there is not a shred of truth in them.
So while I am not usually inclined to make a serious comparison between the Republican party and the Nazis, I am free to make it now, and it sticks. This is the "Big Lie" tactic, where one political party or figure asserts the other party or candidate is in fact, the enemy, a person who intends to commit treason and destroy his own country. Not content to frighten Americans with "the terrorists" from some foreign land, they have moved to equating a fellow serving senator with those who really would strap on a bomb or steal an airliner and murder American citizens. It is astonishing when you really consider the magnitude of the accusation, and the likely ripple effects it is engendering now that will be in play well after McCain loses the election and returns to the senate.
Bereft in this campaign without a policy leg left to stand on, they have descended to the lowest form of political discourse, beyond the usual shots at character involving hints and allegations of financial wrongdoing or sketchy family background. This entire "Obama is a terrorist" meme is directly on par with the "he's a Jew" or "he's a communist" labels used in Germany in the 1930's to paint people as enemies of the state and all good Germans everywhere. There is absolutely no substantive difference between what the Brown shirts were doing then, and what McCain, Palin, and their campaign surrogates are engaged in today.
September 8, 2008
True Left
You read and hear all the time about how far to the left Barack Obama is. This is a standard canard of the Republicans during presidential campaigns, (never true) designed to convince stupid voters who cannot think for themselves that the Democratic nominee is some sort of flaming commie stooge. Of course it is a naked lie, no matter how many time they repeat it.
This year's version goes thusly:
"Senator Orrin Hatch appeared and took this recurring shot used by the Republican attack dogs: "In all honesty the two Democrats are very fine people but they both are extremely left. They are both to the left of Bernie Sanders, who is the socialist from Vermont, if that doesn't tell you something I don't know what does. If you use the term liberal it really means something here."
Of course, neither the candidate's voting records nor their stated and practiced political philosophy proves this point - to the contrary they explicitly debunk it.
And Bernie Sanders has something to say about this:
Link
This year's version goes thusly:
"Senator Orrin Hatch appeared and took this recurring shot used by the Republican attack dogs: "In all honesty the two Democrats are very fine people but they both are extremely left. They are both to the left of Bernie Sanders, who is the socialist from Vermont, if that doesn't tell you something I don't know what does. If you use the term liberal it really means something here."
Of course, neither the candidate's voting records nor their stated and practiced political philosophy proves this point - to the contrary they explicitly debunk it.
And Bernie Sanders has something to say about this:
Q: As far as this redbating goes, what do you think Republicans are trying to scare people about – about you?
A: First of all, is they assume that when people hear the word socialist what they are talking about is the Soviet Union and communism. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders wants to renegotiate permanent normal trade relations with China – and George Bush just loves it by the way, and corporate America loves and is very proud of investing tens of billions of dollars in China, rather than in the United States, which is an interesting irony. And the Chamber of Commerce is very upset that the Chinese government wants to liberalize labor law in China, interestingly enough. You know, clearly what they are trying to do is what they always do, is confuse the social democratic policies which have been very successful in countries like Finland, Denmark, Sweden, other European countries – which guarantee healthcare to all people through a national healthcare program; which make sure that preschool education is available to all working families regardless of income; where in most cases college education is free or very inexpensive; where workers have more vacation time than they do in the United States; where unions are stronger… So, instead of looking at what goes on in some of the social democratic countries, which have virtually eliminated childhood poverty, while we have the highest rate of childhood poverty in the industrialized world – instead of looking at those policies, what they do is say, "This is socialism." Socialism we equate with communism, or authoritarianism, and lack of democracy. So, it's not a new tactic, it's been going on for about 40 or 50 years.Now that's true left!
Link
September 3, 2008
Open mic night
I admit I am taking no small amount of glee in Republicans recent misfortunes, so many of which center around the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain's VP pick. Teen pregnancy aside (yes, abstain from ragging on the youngsters) she is the gift that keeps on giving, with an abuse of power investigation only the tip of the rotten ice berg.
Mike Murphy, a former McCain adviser, and Peggy Noonan, formerly a speech writer for Ronald Reagan and indubitably still in puppy love with him, are caught on an open microphone during a stint on MSNBC giving their assessments of the Republican National Convention.
The video with all of the unintended truthy goodness.
And for the video impaired, the transcript:
Chuck Todd: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we'll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We'll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she's the right woman for the job Up next, one man who's already convinced and he'll us why Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Mike Murphy, a former McCain adviser, and Peggy Noonan, formerly a speech writer for Ronald Reagan and indubitably still in puppy love with him, are caught on an open microphone during a stint on MSNBC giving their assessments of the Republican National Convention.
The video with all of the unintended truthy goodness.
And for the video impaired, the transcript:
Chuck Todd: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we'll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We'll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she's the right woman for the job
(cut away)
Peggy Noonan: Yeah.
Mike Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys -- this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it's not gonna work. And --
PN: It's over.
MM: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.
CT: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.
PN: Saw Kay this morning.
CT: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about this --
MM: They're all bummed out.
CT: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?
PN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --
CT: Yeah they went to a narrative.
MM: I totally agree.
PN: Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.
MM: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.
CT: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.
MM: Yeah.
August 20, 2008
Almost trivial
A very good article about how simple it can be to have your personal email and financial accounts hijacked. We are constantly reminded that everything we do online is permanent and searchable, but few people really contemplate the potential consequences involved.
August 12, 2008
...pretty as a picture, right in the very front row...
Errol Morris delves once again into the issue of photography as truth in the case of the Iranian "4 missiles or three" images.
Inevitably, he adds perspective and context that went missing from the many rounds of Internet gotcha! that followed in the days the alterations were revealed.
Inevitably, he adds perspective and context that went missing from the many rounds of Internet gotcha! that followed in the days the alterations were revealed.
July 14, 2008
Sober Rock
I haven't had a drink in over ten years, but Foghat's "Road Fever" from Foghat Live is still a down and dirty, head banging piece of loud slide guitar, four-on-the-floor rock nastiness.
Best played at volume setting 11.
That is all.
Best played at volume setting 11.
That is all.
June 26, 2008
Supremes Get It Wrong
I suppose the clumsy syntax of the Second Amendment bears some minor responsibility for leaving a crack of daylight through which the NRA have jammed a jackhammer, but it is to the Supreme Court's everlasting shame it chose to abdicate its responsibilities.
There is no coincidence that Scalia's majority opinion reads exactly like Bush administration talking points, as his hysterical dissent in the Guantanamo related case did.
There is no coincidence that Scalia's majority opinion reads exactly like Bush administration talking points, as his hysterical dissent in the Guantanamo related case did.
March 18, 2008
Self-Evidence
There is nothing more irritating then reading a column in a major national newspaper in which the author has that light bulb moment the rest of us experienced decades ago. You know, the one where he/she discovers that Republicans have no principles other than the Law Of Maximum Short Term Gain. The corollary to it is that those same fraudulent "free market" profiteers inevitably turn to government to assume the destructive debt they incur in the chase of imaginary money - derivatives, shitty loans, outright theft.
It is revolting in the extreme, but typical. I call your attention to the Enron-Arthur Andersen criminalities of the late 1990's early 2000's. Cast back a little farther and you run into the wall of the S&L rip off of the early 1980's.
But remember kids, regulation is evil and the government is the enemy. Except when it isn't.
EJ Dionne, this is your wake up call.
It is revolting in the extreme, but typical. I call your attention to the Enron-Arthur Andersen criminalities of the late 1990's early 2000's. Cast back a little farther and you run into the wall of the S&L rip off of the early 1980's.
But remember kids, regulation is evil and the government is the enemy. Except when it isn't.
EJ Dionne, this is your wake up call.
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