tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post4140816765863930076..comments2024-01-02T18:05:23.666-06:00Comments on Streak's Blog: Wednesday news Streakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443433745929880701noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-74708253358564826012009-01-08T23:33:00.000-06:002009-01-08T23:33:00.000-06:00These kids, almost every one, are shocked that [se...<I>These kids, almost every one, are shocked that [segregationist] policies existed not all that long ago.</I><BR/><BR/>One of my college roommates didn't believe that public institutions had "whites-only" sections in his mother's lifetime. It's good to catch kids early with stuff this counterintuitive.<BR/><BR/><I>I think people should be wary of too much power in any single branch of government.</I><BR/><BR/>A thousand times yes. Having three centers of power rather than one is a central pillar of the U.S. government's durability, since it forces ambitious control freaks (who I think are overrepresented in politics) to compete against each other, rather than just oppressing the people they happen to have control over.leightonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07821884432248870789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-15476852014924621852009-01-07T20:38:00.000-06:002009-01-07T20:38:00.000-06:0012 days- Thanks for the reminder, Streak. I don't ...12 days- Thanks for the reminder, Streak. I don't think it's possible to overstate the importance of Bush being removed from power, especially from the position of commander in chief. Who knows how we'll recover from his military legacy, but no longer having him and his neocon base in power has to be one of the pivotal moments of my lifetime.<BR/>Later-BBBootleg Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11842413990753418066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-35964941455362433792009-01-07T17:46:00.000-06:002009-01-07T17:46:00.000-06:00Streak, I know you didn't mean me. I was just wan...Streak, I know you didn't mean me. I was just wanting to point out that there are some people that are cautiously optimistic about Obama. He may not be good, but I don't think it is reasonable to get too worked up until he actually does something that is bad. <BR/><BR/>I will have to say, I am mostly impressed with the people he has picked. I was sad that Richardson had to back out, but I understand the reasons.steveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08862590608695420004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-40865607179705956122009-01-07T16:54:00.000-06:002009-01-07T16:54:00.000-06:00Steve, I don't think you are the conservative I wa...Steve, I don't think you are the conservative I was talking about. :) After all, you actually had concerns about Bush's expansion of power. I am really talking about those who justified everything Bush did (except for the nomination of Miers) but now will rediscover their "conservative" bona fides.Streakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01443433745929880701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-24139536625494478612009-01-07T16:49:00.000-06:002009-01-07T16:49:00.000-06:00Excellent piece by Sullivan. I don't always care ...Excellent piece by Sullivan. I don't always care for him, nor do I agree with all of his conclusions, but I think he is asking the right questions. While the military solution has only offerend more conflict and a short term peace, I don't see any other workable solutions as long as you have one side that is more than willing to use overwhleming force and another side that has said one of it's goals is the elimination of Israel. <BR/><BR/><I>We have just spent a year debating the state of our race relations. Not sure what conclusion we came to, except that we had made some progress</I><BR/><BR/>I agree, and I will offer some anecdotal evidence. Over the past week I have read several books on MLK to elementary students. These books all do a great job of explaining the segregationist policies the King fought against. These kids, almost every one, are shocked that such policies existed not all that long ago. I know this is no guarantee that some will not ever be racists, but I do believe we are becoming a less racist society.<BR/><BR/><I>Rejecting Burris was stupid on legal and political grounds.</I><BR/><BR/>I would tend to agree. My former Con Law prof makes the same argument <A HREF="http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2009/01/more_on_the_rol.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.<BR/><BR/><I>Perhaps this is not about race. Perhaps this is a continuation of what seems to be an encouragement of more brutal police tactics.</I><BR/><BR/>I think it is a little bit of both. I know some cops that work in the inner city. Some are great, but some are just plain scary. I think the militarization of the police is something that we should all be worried about.<BR/><BR/><I>Greenwald notes the very important change in policy Obama signaled with the appointment to the OLC of Dawn Johnson. Not only is she well qualified, but she is, as some have noted, the "un-John Yoo."</I><BR/><BR/>I have been hearing some good stuff about Johnson, and after reading a law review article she wrote, <A HREF="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1002111#" REL="nofollow">Faithfully Executing the Laws: Internal Legal Constraints on Executive Power</A>, I am ever more impressed. I should not that I would be impressed with anyone but Yoo, so my expectations were low, but she seems pretty sharp.<BR/><BR/><I>But just as we are seeing the end of this disaster, we are seeing conservatives suddenly recover their fear of a powerful President.</I><BR/><BR/>I wouldn't say that I am scared, but I am concerned enough to want oversight, though I said the same thing about Bush. I warned other conservatives to not be so compfortable with a strong Executive because they would eventually be out of power. I think people should be wary of too much power in any single branch of government.steveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08862590608695420004noreply@blogger.com