Friday morning

And I have been sleeping badly for whatever reason. And dreamt that I had the perfect blog post--but now can't remember it.

Feh.

*****

Reading Eugene Robinson this morning and he says that the hard choices in the election are now. Once we get to the general election, we will have a choice between a Democrat who will most likely promise to work in rescuing families from the sub-prime mess, remove us from Iraq, and try to take our foreign and domestic policy away from what Bush has led us into. In other words, the Democrats will try to be competent and not alienate the rest of the world.

The Republicans, on the other hand, seem stuck with bad or worse choices. Most want to continue Bush's failed economic policies of cutting taxes primarily for the wealthy, deregulating everything in sight--as we did with lenders (thanks, Bush). On Iraq, they are more likely to stay the course, and if the country was foolish enough to elect Rudy--more wars to come.

Robinson is too kind on Huckabee (in my view) and calls him a "mixture of social conservatism and economic populism." I think Huckabee is far more dangerous than that. Perhaps because he is willing to pander to all manner of dangerous people to win? The Cato Institute blog notes the kinds of people Huckabee is willing to raise money with--including some Houston wackjob by the name of Steven Hotze who signed on to this document:

We affirm that the Bible is not only God’s statements to us regarding religion, salvation, eternity, and righteousness, but also the final measurement and depository of certain fundamental facts of reality and basic principles that God wants all mankind to know in the sphere of law, government, economics, business, education, arts and communication, medicine, psychology, and science. All theories and practices of these spheres of life are only true, right, and realistic to the degree that they agree with the Bible.

Reason, take a back seat to a fundy reading of the Bible. To say nothing of Huckabee cozying up to people like Rick Scarborough, who, if I am not mistaken, was the guy who said that God was removing great prophets from our midst (referring to Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy). Sigh. The same guy also said that the hpv vaccine

seems to signify that God's moral law regarding sex
outside of marriage can be transgressed without consequence.

Sigh.

Big Daddy Weave has a great post on the flag debacle that I linked to last night. He suggests that Huckabee actually doesn't believe in the racist position and quotes from an address he gave in Arkansas. But the fact that he would be willing to pander to the southern racists about their flag makes him even worse.

Anyone who thinks that Huckabee would make a good President needs to look at these people he surrounds himself with. Because electing him would be very similar to electing Jerry Falwell (liberals and gays caused 9-11) or John Hagee (bomb Iran now because God wants us to). Huckabee would make us remember longingly for the stupidity of George W. Bush.

Sigh

Mike Huckabee: Let South Carolina Decide About Confederate Flag - Politics on The Huffington Post

Al Mohler on women's education

He reads that in 2017, female graduates will outnumber male by a healthy margin. His response?

Christians committed to a biblical model of marriage and gender relations must look to this social revolution with a deeper level of concern. The most significant concern must be the long-term consequences of a new matriarchal world order. While Christians support the cause of higher education, the biblical worldview puts a higher priority upon the rightly ordered family and church. This dramatic social change will only serve to subvert that purpose.

H/t BDW

Hmm, how would conservatives respond if this were Clinton--example 2 million

Talking Points Memo | White House recycles backup e-mail tapes

Weird dream

I often dream about famous people. SOF thinks that is funny since she never does. I once chased Manuel Noriega on a motorcycle, and have met and talked with Bill Clinton and Emmylou Harris--all in my dreams.

Last night, I dreamt that I met Mike Huckabee. He asked me my name and then smiled and said he liked it. I then asked him about his views on Christian Reconstructionism. He frowned and said something about maybe me not being much fun after all. There was some tool next to him who tried to take over the conversation. Then the dream ended.

Great blog title--updated

Perhaps greatest. Well, maybe on the list with this one from Sarah. Anyway, damn good. And I haven't even read the entire post:

"LIGHTNING ROUND: ROMNEY PROMISES EVERYONE IN MICHIGAN A TERRORIST-KILLING PONY."

Updated--Mary comes through on her promise.

Say what now?--updated

From a Huck stop yesterday:

"'I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that's what we need to do is amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than trying to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.' - Mike Huckabee, January 14, 2008"

updated: There is more. MSNBC adds to the story:

"Huckabee often refers to the need to amend the constitution on these grounds, but he has never so specifically called for the Constitution to be brought within 'God's standards,' which are themselves debated amongst religious scholars. As a closing statement he asked the room of nearly 500 supporters to 'pray and then work hard, and in that order,' to help him secure a victory in Tuesday's GOP primary."

As Pandagon noted, this man has no business even running for President and would be a disaster in the White House. Huckabee is dangerous.

Morality vs. Politics and stuff

Over at TPMCafe there is a new book discussion with convicted New Hampshire phone jammer Allen Raymond:

"I was never hired by a campaign to be the moral compass. In fact, morality is a slippery slope and not a political dialogue I would willingly enter or incite. I was hired to engineer victory. With so much at stake, morality was not a luxury to be afforded candidates or their staff."

Wow.

As a Republican campaign operative at the Republican National Committee it was drilled into me that election law attorneys serve the purpose identifying the bright line of the law so it could be taunted but not crossed. Anybody who has a problem with that or doesn’t get it doesn’t understand America. America is about self interest, within the rule of law.

Damn. I hope that isn't the case. But I fear he is right. But if you are interested, check this discussion out. I have followed a few over the years and they are often very interesting and include a wide range of voices. In other words, unlike the right wing sites I see, this one actually includes conservative voices.

****

Evidently Huck tried to defend his earlier support for the SBC submission policy.

In one moment that could resonate with Christian conservatives who could dominate South Carolina voting, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee forcefully defended an earlier statement backing the biblical admonition that wives should submit to their husbands.

"I'm not the least bit ashamed of my faith or the doctrines of it," Huckabee said. "I don't try to impose that as a governor, and I wouldn't impose it as a president. But I certainly am going to practice it unashamedly.... "

But did so again by lying. Again.

He went on to explain that the Bible also commands husbands to submit to their wives and that marriage requires each spouse to give 100 percent to the other.

True. And that has always been the progressive response. But that isn't what the SBC voted for. And it isn't what Huck supported then. Evidently, this resonates with conservatives because they don't have a problem with a liar as long as he quotes enough Bible verses?

****

In other news, Bush's war has left our forces so depleted that we are at risk here on the home front. "But he is pro-military, Streak. Every winger knows that. Just as they know that God prefers Americans to non-Americans and that God sometimes removes his "covering" when we are nice to gay people."

/snark

But the realities of yet another massive Bush failure is there for the reading. I am sure they will blame all of this on Clinton, but Bush had the Presidency and complete control of Congress for 5 years. This is his world. We just live in it. And every conservative who defended him owes us an apology. And if you just turn around and vote for Huckabee, you are simply voting for a Bush who can speak in complete sentences.

****

Speaking of pandering, C&L has our friend Rudy discovering religion.

Not sure we have to say anything else. Except, I wonder if he ends his prayers with "Amen, 9-11"

Shorter Bush

I am the decider, and will decide which facts are relevant. Even if those facts are just in my head.

Talking Points Memo | Bush Disowns Iran NIE: "But in private conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week, the president all but disowned the document, said a senior administration official who accompanied Bush on his six-nation trip to the Mideast. 'He told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says, but that [the NIE's] conclusions don't reflect his own views' about Iran's nuclear-weapons program, said the official, who would discuss intelligence matters only on the condition of anonymity."

A circle in hell all his own

Or how Anglican described Karl Rove. And Rove shows no sign of changing.

The economics of social justice?

Coming home from the store, I heard this story on Muhammad Yunus. You may remember him as one of the Nobel prize winners in economics for his work on "micro-lending" where instead of having to borrow large sums, poor people had access to small amounts that they could use to build a small business or do something to help their impoverished state. It reminds me of what Heifer International does with small amounts of money--helping a poor family get a goat or something that could provide subsistence and possibly some extra income or barter. Yunus' new project is what he calls "social businesses;" a concept I am not completely sure of yet. It sounds much like a non-profit except it is a business.

I am a bit tired tonight and coming off of a horrible sinus headache, so I will be brief. But his idea hits me close to home. I have always struggled with the harsh amorality of capitalism, as well as the insatiable way that it demands more and more. Especially once you get into investment capital, a business that only succeeds but does not grow--eventually doesn't even succeed. The investors demand more for their money. That has always bothered me. That and the sense that profit knows not, nor cares how, that profit was made.

Yunus seems to be getting to some idea of adding a morality back into the economic equation. And that strikes me as something worth talking about. Why does the environmental cost of a product not show up in its price? Why does a company benefit from cutting labor costs? What if a company had as one of its goals--along with profit--the sustainable employment of certain numbers of people?

Perhaps this is naive. But it strikes me that in a world where CEOs made 364 times the average worker last year, that something needs to change.

Ok. Off to bed and something for the head.

Well, it is a start

David Brooks admits that Republican economic policies might not fit the current reality:

"Supply-side economics had a good run, but continual tax cuts can no longer be the centerpiece of Republican economic policy."

I am still waiting to see where "supply-side" economics did so well. Talking to an economics student friend of mine, he discussed an economist's study that proved that cutting taxes never makes up for the lost revenue. I think we are all agreed that there is such a thing as too much taxes and there is certainly such a thing as government waste. Republican concerns with those (well, they used to be concerned with government waste) are merited, but the fanciful belief that you can cut taxes and raise revenues is myth. Again, I have no doubt that you can squelch and shrink an economy with too much taxation, but the very belief in supply-side economics has started to rival the belief in America as a Christian nation and the existence of the yeti as favorite myths.

Part of that is the fault of Democrats for allowing the dialogue to be so controlled. They allowed the discussion of the public good to be supplanted with the basic rant that "taxes are bad."

At least Brooks admits that this constant call for tax cuts no longer works. I think he misunderstands his own party, as every Republican I see running for President uses tax cuts as a magical elixir and derides anyone who disagrees as someone who "will raise taxes." That is irresponsible--especially in a time when this President has spent 700 Billion dollars on two wars with seemingly no intention of paying for either.

The Economist on Ron Paul

Suggests that the person who wrote those hateful things in his newsletter is still part of Paul's circle of friends.

Huck the liar

Perhaps that is too strong. But as our friend Bruce Prescott notes, he certainly wants to revise SBC history. During a recent debate, he was asked about his denomination's stance on wifely submission. BDW grabbed this from the transcript (it is on Fox and you know how I hate to link there). Notice the dishonest way that Huckabee responds to the question.

HUCKABEE: You know, it's interesting, everybody says religion is off limits, except we always can ask me the religious questions. So let me try to do my best to answer it.

Yes, I am being persecuted by these questions about religion. It isn't as if I spend time preaching during my campaign. Oh, wait.

The whole context of that passage -- and, by the way, it really was spoken to believers, to Christian believers. I'm not the least bit ashamed of my faith or the doctrines of it. I don't try to impose that as a governor and I wouldn't impose it as a president. But I certainly am going to practice it unashamedly, whether I'm a president or whether I'm not a president. But the point...... the point, and it comes from a passage of scripture in the New Testament Book of Ephesians is that as wives submit themselves to the husbands, the husbands also submit themselves, and it's not a matter of one being somehow superior over the other. It's both mutually showing their affection and submission as unto the Lord.

So with all due respect, it has nothing to do with presidency. I just wanted to clear up that little doctrinal quirk there so that there's nobody who misunderstands that it's really about doing what a marriage ought to do and that's marriage is not a 50/50 deal, where each partner gives 50 percent. Biblically, marriage is 100/100 deal. Each partner gives 100 percent of their devotion to the other and that's why marriage is an important institution, because it teaches us how to love. (APPLAUSE)

Some weird mixed messages there. On one hand, the passage only applies to Christians--so those of you heathens in the audience, don't worry, I won't ask you to be moral like me.

And as Bruce and BDW point out, Huckabee is purposefully distorting the SBC's stance on submission. Had it been equal submission, few people would have disagreed, but the SBC clearly advocated a one-way submission where the wife submits to Hubby because he is in submission to God.

The view of mutual submission was not embraced by the drafting committee of the Family Statement which Huckabee signed his name to. Committee member Dorothy Patterson declared that "When it comes to submitting to my husband even when he's wrong, I just do it. He is accountable to God."

Not only did SBCers assert an unequal submission, some openly derided equality as --gasp-- feminism.

Just a few years ago, Russell Moore, theology dean and academic vice president at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary denounced the practice of "mutual submission." Touting "Biblical Patriarchy," Moore argued that evangelicals who practice "mutual submission" in marriage have been influenced by a "thoroughly feminized grassroots theology" which he says is "bubbling up" in academic and denominational life.

Huckabee is once again trying to toe a line--and a line that Bush didn't have to manage. Bush could simply throw out some code words to the faithful and be done with it. But Huck is trying so very hard to convince the church goers that he is their guy that he has to be far more explicit about his faith. But on the other side, he has to assure the rest of America that he isn't a fundamentalist--which of course, he is. Here (and I think that is why his initial response is irritation) he is forced to explain church language to the secular audience. And if they don't follow up, it sounds like the SBC is some bastion of feminine equality.

End of the day--Huckabee is just as much of a politician as Hillary or anyone else. He lies and dissembles and essentially tells the audience what they want to hear--even if that contradicts what he told the church last Sunday.

Sigh.

Thursday musings on Hillary and the election

SOF is on the road, so it is just me and the menagerie. Oh, that and computer problems. And calling AT&T only to find myself arguing with a computer voice:

CV: Tell me if you want to pay your bill, or discuss your bill.

Me: Neither

CV: I am sorry, I didn't understand you. Do you want to pay your bill or discuss your bill.

Me: Sigh.

*****

I have had numerous conversations with people about the election. Everything from conservative friends very lukewarm on their field, to liberals deeply worried that Hillary might win the nomination. And I understand the concerns. Few people ignite the right more than Hillary. A friend told me today that she was "scary"--whatever the hell that means.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a big fan. But given the fact that those same people making excuses for George "Torture" Bush, it makes me less than thrilled with our process.

And here is a flash. It doesn't matter who the Democrats put up, the right will go after them. Karl Rove is already making racist comments about Obama ("jive talking," lazy, etc.) and those will only continue. Those moderates or conservatives who tell us now that they "don't have a problem with Obama" will be repeating the "I heard he is a Muslim" mantra in a few months. I remember conservative friends and family telling me in 1992 that they "didn't have a problem with Gore--it was that Clinton they didn't like." Yeah. In 2000, Al Gore had become the anti-Christ. And the same people who thought John Kerry was well-spoken and reasonable (if maybe a bit liberal) in the 90s all of a sudden discovered that he was a horse-faced doofus who actually didn't serve his country.

The right will go after who ever. And I hate to say this, but it won't matter if Hillary is the nominee. We will have to fight back stupidity at every turn.

****

Tonight I turned on Austin City Limits to find an hour-long Crowded House concert. I really never listened to them that much beyond their hits, but I could not turn the TV off. That Neil Finn can sing. And write.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Bush and the Constitution

Sigh. Bush hates oversight I guess.

George Bush doesn’t like the Constitution. Especially that part where the Senate has to confirm his appointments. Remember when he wanted coal industry executive Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety agency? Stickler was turned down by the Senate twice. So in late 2006 Bush did what he does and gave Stickler a recess appointment. Now that the recess appointment has expired, Bush has found that by putting “acting” at the beginning of a job title, he can appoint people whenever he likes?

Volokh on Ron Paul

And I think, a good point:

In other words, Paul's campaign wants to depict its candidate as a naïve, absentee overseer, with minimal knowledge of what his underlings were doing on his behalf. This portrayal might be more believable if extremist views had cropped up in the newsletters only sporadically--or if the newsletters had just been published for a short time. But it is difficult to imagine how Paul could allow material consistently saturated in racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and conspiracy-mongering to be printed under his name for so long if he did not share these views. In that respect, whether or not Paul personally wrote the most offensive passages is almost beside the point. If he disagreed with what was being written under his name, you would think that at some point--over the course of decades--he would have done something about it.

Ron Paul on race

Sully has part of it here.

O'Reilly's buffoonery

Get this, O'Reilly: I Had No Choice But To Defend the Constitution. Oh, and he tells the staffer that "the whole world will see what he did." Because the whole world watches the buffoon?

More Huck and stuff

Hearkening back to our discussion on evolution, I read that Huckabee seems to echo the misunderstanding about the word "theory":

"Huckabee said he has no problem with teaching evolution as a theory in the public schools and he doesn't expect schools to teach creationism."

More of the "educated guess" approach to scientific theory. I think that is what bothers me the most about Huckabee's denial of evolution--he doesn't understand the basic arguments. He also suggests that his beliefs have nothing to do with his ability to be President. Yet, as President, he would oversee spending decisions on science--and my zoology friends tell me that grant money has dried up in the last 8 years. People may oppose evolution all they want, but they often ignore the role that the understanding of evolution plays in developing new medicines and understanding our world. Most I talk to are fine with the medicines, they just don't want to accept any connection to evolution.

And, as Chris Mooney suggests, this attack on science has become a cornerstone of the modern Conservative movement.

From Barry Goldwater's anti-intellectualism, through Ronald Reagan’s sympathy for creationism and Newt Gingrich's passion for science "skeptics," on through the present day, Republicans have shown a marked preference for politically inspired fringe theories over the findings of long-established and world-renowned scientific bodies.

That anti-intellectualism has become gospel among the religious right and Mike Huckabee is the logical outcome of that approach. A well-spoken and funny man who denies evolution, and thinks David Barton is the greatest living American historian. An anti-intellectual President? Of course, we only have to look at the current resident of the White House for what that looks like. And it isn't a pretty situation.

*****

Speaking of Bush, he has a very deluded view of his own place in history:

"I can predict that the historians will say that George W. Bush recognized the threats of the 21st century, clearly defined them, and had great faith in the capacity of liberty to transform hopelessness to hope, and laid the foundation for peace by making some awfully difficult decisions," Bush told Yonit Levi of Israel's Channel 2 News.

Bush added, "well, liberty is a good thing, unless you are an American citizen expecting your phone not to be tapped." Ok, I made that one up. But Bush also called himself a "realistic guy."

It is that kind of realism that denies science and believes that cutting taxes is a way to pay for a trillion dollar war.

*****

I post this with fear and trepidation, but the issue of the masculine Christianity is out there and part of our landscape. Bruce Wilson connects the Godmen idea to Christian Reconstructionists and the "Beautiful Girlhood" movement, both led by people like Doug Philips (who, if Huckabee can't get David Barton, would make a great Huckabee-like approach to education and history--in other words, he is an idiot). Philips

blames the "fatherhood problem" on early feminists and 19th Century Unitarians, the Industrial Revolution, and a lack of Olde Tyme Religion. Other parties, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, seem to feel the problem of wussy, irresponsible American males can be combatted via special "manly" Bibles.

Yes, that is right, they have "manly Bibles."

Tax cuts--updated

Sorry, had to post this.

Running errands today, I heard two different stories where Republicans--both nationally and here in Ok--are still pushing for tax cuts. Yeah, the deficit is growing and undermining our dollar, but we have to have more tax cuts.

Seriously? Are Republicans that bad at math? I am not good at it, but come on! Even I believe we should pay for things--even when those things are poorly conceived and managed wars. Is there something in the water? Oh, we have a surplus? Tax cuts. Oh, we have a deficit? Tax cuts. Economy is strong, you say? Tax cuts. Economy in the dumper? You know what will cure that? Some more tax cuts.

Just as long as your grandkids have to pay the bill. No wonder Republicans have the reputation for fiscal responsibility.

Updated--Turns out I was channelling Paul Krugman: "

When the economy was (sorta, kinda) strong, it showed that tax cuts work, and so we needed to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Now the economy is falling off a cliff — although according to the White House, nobody is predicting a recession (I seem to know an awful lot of nobodies) — and you know what that means: we’d better make the Bush tax cuts permanent."

Is this good for democracy?

Or another fix in search of a problem? Or is it creating more problems? Jeff Toobin suggests that the court will not fix this one:

As a general matter, in recent years the Court has been reluctant to find what is charged in this case: a violation of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the laws. (The notable exception, to belabor the issue, was for a plaintiff named George W. Bush.)

Theological superficiality--aka Joel Osteen--and other stuff

H/t to my friend Anglican for this Slate essay on Joel Osteen. Though calling Osteen superficial might be a bit kind. I love it when God causes rich people to get richer.

"For it turns out that the divine hand turns up everywhere, at least in Joel Osteen's life. God upgrades his reservations to first class on a long international flight; God spares his car in a water-planing wipeout on the Houston interstate; God allows Osteen and his wife/co-pastor, Victoria, to flip a property 'for twice as much as we paid for it' in a once-sketchy Houston neighborhood; God swings a critical vote on the Houston zoning board to permit Lakewood to move to its mammoth Compaq Center digs—and God even saw fit 35 years earlier to ensure the engineer who designed the ramps leading to the Compaq Center provided easy parking access for Lakewood. This is a long, long way down the road from the inscrutable, infant-damning theology of this country's Calvinist forebears—it is, rather, a just-in-time economy's vision of salvation, an eerily collapsible spiritual narcissism that downgrades the divine image into the job description for a lifestyle concierge."

*****

In what seems like an Onion headline, we learn that Bush seeks to restore America's tattered image by traveling? Yes, because the best antidote to Bush's creation of anti-American sentiment is, well, more Bush.

Sigh.

****

Speaking of Bush's America, the economy continues to struggle, especially for those not blessed to be rich. Perhaps all of that legislation aimed at protecting the rich has unintended consequences after all, right?

Unhinged

Glenn Greenwald has a great post in Salon about how conservatives responded to Obama's victory in Iowa. Many, it must be noted, celebrated the win without snark. But others could only do so by invoking racist assumptions about Obama's followers. And it isn't just about race, but about what feels like a real disconnect between reality and the way they see the world. In this case, conservatives like Jonah Goldberg suggest that if Obama were to lose, that

certain segments of American political life will become completely unhinged. I can imagine the fear of this social unraveling actually aiding Obama enormously in 2008.

As Greenwald points out, "unhinged political behavior" actually describes how conservatives have responded. He notes the Republican operatives flown into Florida to riot against the recount, or Rudy Giuliani inciting white cops to riot against then Mayor Dinkins.

This reminds me of how conservatives often talk about political partisanship--as if the major players are on the left. As steves has pointed out here, there are certainly those types on the left, but the list of right-wingers prominently displayed on the media who spew out vitriol on a daily basis is truly staggering.

Or, it reminds me of the people who justified voting for Bush because they feared what John Kerry or Al Gore might do. Might do? That is all well and good unless you look at what Bush and his crew actually have done. Even in 2004, we had ample evidence of incompetence, torture, dissembling, etc. We had growing debt, a poorly managed war with moving goal posts and moving justifications. We had early evidence of constitutional malfeasance, and we had absolute evidence of fiscal irresponsibility. Yet the fear was some lefty doing what? Feeding the poor? Actually attending to insurance reform? Daring to put together a fabric of government that might respond to man-made and natural disasters? Might actually ask the American people to pay for their current wars rather than simply shifting the cost to their grandkids?

Please don't misunderstand. I am peeved, so the scales look a little uneven this morning, but I understand there is much validity to conservative thought. I have said that here before. I remember hearing George McGovern talk about the creative dialogue between conservatives and liberals that informed our politics, and I agree. I also know that many liberal proposals have their own unintended consequences. But when the country has shifted so far to the right, and gotten us in such worse condition, don't you have to stop blaming the left? When even Democrats are right of center (in many cases) and the Republicans were in complete charge for at least 5 of the last 7 years, don't you have to start recognizing that conservatives have made some errors? At the very least, don't you have to stop pointing at some specter of left-wing socialism?

Of course, Jonah Goldberg has himself given us a new book entitled Liberal Fascism with lines like this:

The quintessential liberal fascist isn’t an SS storm trooper; it is a female grade-school teacher with an education degree from Brown or Swarthmore.

McGovern says Impeach Bush

And says these guys are worse than Nixon:

"As former representative Elizabeth Holtzman, who played a key role in the Nixon impeachment proceedings, wrote two years ago, 'it wasn't until the most recent revelations that President Bush directed the wiretapping of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans, in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) -- and argued that, as Commander in Chief, he had the right in the interests of national security to override our country's laws -- that I felt the same sinking feeling in my stomach as I did during Watergate. . . . A President, any President, who maintains that he is above the law -- and repeatedly violates the law -- thereby commits high crimes and misdemeanors.'"

Sigh

Watching football tonight, and heard Al Michaels joke about waterboarding. He is a Republican troll, but still...

But SOF heard Mara Liassen say that the "insurgents won" in Iowa. Yes. Because Obama and the idiot Huckabee are insurgents.

Sigh.

Speaking of the idiot, Tony said in the comments that Huckabee might pick David Barton as his Sec of Education. I am sorry that Ubub is out of the country for this one! It just cements Huckabee as a moron. Makes me wonder if he would choose Pat Robertson as Sec Def (can pray hurricanes away from us) or large hateful John Hagee (wants to bomb Iran). And I don't even want to think who would oversee government science grants. Perhaps Benny Hinn.

Huckabee makes Romney look better and better.

News review

Did you know there was a Wyoming caucus? Did you know Wyoming had delegates? Did you know Wyoming is a state? :)

Oh, and Romney won it.

*****

Eugene Robinson found some hope in Obama's victory:

The Iowa caucuses showed us the America we like to believe we live in, a country ready to embrace a man with brown skin as its leader.

Jon Swift, as only he can, explains the Iowa caucus

The other big winners were white voters and white members of the party establishment. By voting for Barack Obama, they were able to prove that they are not racist.

Oh, and Obama has a lead in New Hampshire polls.

****

Talk2Action notes how well the David Barton school has done in convincing most Americans that the founders intended the country to be a Christian nation.

*****

Oh, and this just in, Bill O'Reilly is still an ass.

Rudy's response to 6th place in Iowa?

"9-11, 9-11, 9-11"

More troubling Ron Paul news

I think people just want to believe that his assertions of constitutional rule and opposition to the war means that he is a reasonable person. But his track record on race is troubling. We discussed that here about his view on the Civil War, but there appear to be more. Like this:

About blacks in Washington, D.C., Paul wrote, "I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal." Paul said Wednesday that his comments came in the context of "current events and statistical reports of the time," and that he opposes racism.

But Orcinus connects him to white supremacists.

Iowa and 2008

Coming home last night from guitar (actually mandolin this time) I heard an interview with Merle Haggard--the same one who wrote "Okie from Muskogee" in the 60s as a response to the Hippie generation, so is hardly a liberal, yet he is completely shocked at where we are as a country. He said if we had another 8 years like this last 8, we wouldn't have a country left.

"Financially, we're broke," Haggard says. "Nobody has any confidence in the man in charge. We're torturing people; we're not known to be that kind of people. People all over the world look up to us, and we're not setting a very good example."

So, that really does make this next election interesting, and that begins in Iowa. And a very interesting Iowa caucus it was. Both Obama and Huckabee won

Josh Marshall says that the caucus reflects the non-establishment candidates from both parties doing well. Sure seems like it.

Sully is unimpressed with Huckabee's win and calls it a win for the Christianists

That's the obvious conclusion of tonight's amazing result. The two Republican leaders are both Christianists to their finger-tips, and the one who actually believes that the country should be run on Biblical lines won. I think he's under-estimated still. This is the party Bush and Rove built. And it isn't done yet.

Amanda from Pandagon is more blunt:

"I’m guessing the Republican party elite is currently experiencing pangs of regret about all the Bible-thumping politicking right now. Turns out the plebes that were supposed to show up and vote for the guy who screamed “Jesus” the loudest are just a little too good at their assigned role."

Huckabee has already proven to be a liar, but he does shout "Jesus" the loudest and the faithful turn out. That scares me just as much now as it did in 2004. Evangelicals haven't learned a damn thing from Bush. Not one damn thing.

But on the Obama side, many are noting the historical nature of his victory. One of Sullivan's readers wrote

My mother, born in Jim Crow Mississippi in 1930, just shook her head - she couldn't believe it.

Sully also quotes Rick Brookhiser from the National Review Online:

"Yes, it's early, yes, a lot could happen. But a man who could not have used certain restrooms forty years ago is in the center ring, not as a freak in the manner of Alberto Fujimori or Sonia Gandhi, nor even as a faction fighter in the style of Jesse Jackson, but as a real player. One of our great national sins is being obliterated, as the years pass, by the virtues of our national system. I don't agree with Obama and I don't particularly like him, but I am proud of this moment,"

I am hesitant to say that our "historical sin is being obliterated," but it is hard to not see this as a positive step.

The Recipe Patch

A good friend of ours just started a new recipe blog. I am already intrigued.

Huckabee says "I hate campaign stunts. Here is a stunt to prove it."

Print Story: Analysis: Huckabee may have gone too far on Yahoo! News: "After running an unconventional, surprisingly strong and sometimes strange race to the top tier of the Republican presidential campaign, the former Arkansas governor topped himself Monday with an eyebrow-raising campaign stunt.

He called a news conference to unveil a negative ad that he had just withdrawn from Iowa television stations because, he told a room full of journalists recording the ad, he had a sudden aversion to negative politics. Quite a convenient epiphany.

'If people want to be cynical about it,' Huckabee said, 'they can be cynical about it.'

If he loses Iowa's caucuses on Thursday, New Year's Eve will forever mark the day Huckabee blew it — the day a group of reporters stopped laughing with the witty Republican and laughed at him."

Happy 2008

Last night, SOF and I broke from our usual "watch a movie and maybe stay up to watch the New Year" to actually attending Oklahoma City's Opening Night celebration. Our family joined us for a cold night of walking around downtown from venue to venue (no, we did not see the Flaming Lips) until we shivered in the cold waiting for the ball to ....

Isn't the phrase, "watch the ball drop?" This one went up and was largely unimpressive. But then the fireworks started and they were very impressive. It was an evening enjoyed by all.

The highlight for me was watching the Red Dirt Rangers play for a while, though a close second was our visit to the old First National Bank building with the beautiful historic stone room, where we entered just as a chorale group was finishing Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American." Now people probably suspect that this is not my favorite song ("proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free"--at least? Damning with faint praise, I think.) But this group could have been singing Mein Kampf--The Musical and it would have sounded amazing in that room. We wondered around and heard a smaller barbershop group sing a few songs--all of which just rang in that room. It was truly amazing.

The crowd was well-behaved and diverse. When we returned to our car, we found a giant pickup nearly inches from the passenger side of my car--prompting a few curses at the people who still think that giant SUV-like vehicles are reasonable. But we made it. After a bit of a line coming out of the parking garage, we hopped on the freeway and home to warmth and sleep.

It was a great evening where memories were made--which was the point.

Happy New Years to you and yours!

Sunday morning

And the guests are still asleep. Time for some ranting....

*****

Once again during our drive into Texas territory, I am convinced that driving a large SUV turns people into a$&h@les. They drive on the road the same way people with very fast sports cars do--with a sense of entitlement. And a W sticker....

*****

I don't know where I read this, but someone really took Huckabee to task for his explanation of why he entered politics:

"I got into politics because I knew government didn't have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives... I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ."

So the answer isn't government, but he enters government and leaves the pulpit? 1

Me thinks that Huckabee is getting worse by the moment. I think he needs to go back to Arkansas and spend some time with his dog killing son.

****

The lefty blog world is abuzz with the news that the NY Times hired Bill Kristol to write a weekly column. As Sully notes, it can't be for his accurate analysis in Iraq:

"I think there's been a certain amount of, frankly, Terry, a kind of pop sociology in America, that, you know, somehow the Shia can't get along with the Sunni, or the Shia in Iraq just want to establish some kind of fundamentalist regime. There's almost no evidence of that at all. Iraq has always been very secular."

Yeah, that has turned out well. I heard Wolfowitz make a similar claim that Iraq lacked any kind of religious sectarianism, but thought that was just ignorance on his part. Sounds like it was neo-con doctrine. TPMcafe writer M. J. Rosenberg suggests that even after supporting this war and the 4,000 dead Americans and countless Iraqis, that the Times thinks that Kristol has some insight to offer:

He doesn't. The only thing I want to hear from bloody Kristol and the neocon thugs is an apology. But that won't happen.

Being a right-winger means never having to say your're sorry, no matter how much damage you do

*****

On the theocracy watch, Bruce Wilson reports that our military is increasingly receiving indoctrination from fundamentalist Christians.

Materials discovered by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, on the web site of Campus Crusade's Military Ministry at Fort Jackson, include pictures of US soldiers-in-training holding both assault rifles and Bibles (provided by Campus Crusade), and a promotional flier for the Ft. Jackson ministry's Bible study course, entitled "God's Basic Training", features a drawing of a Roman Legionnaire holding a sword and a shield emblazoned with a Christian cross. Frank Bussey, director of Military Ministry at Fort Jackson, has reportedly told soldiers at the base that "government authorities, police and the military = God's Ministers."

I understand the military imagery of God's soldiers has a long history, but I am not sure I want our military to think they are fighting for God. And the imagery in the context of battling portions of the Islamic world recall the Crusades. I am sure it looks that way to many in the Middle East.

****

Speaking of theocrats, Frederick Clarkson worries that the ex-gay ministry has morphed into a wing of the dominionists

"But by the end of that decade, Harrison had taken note of the movement's increasing radicalism, symbolized for him by the minister at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in San Pedro, Calif., who performed an exorcism on him in an attempt to cast out the 'demons' said to be the cause of his homosexuality. Harrison finally quit the movement in 1990 after deciding he could, after all, reconcile his sexuality with his Christian faith. Today, he speaks to parents of gay and lesbian children about the dangers he sees in the ex-gay movement. Harrison says the relatively recent alignment of Exodus International, one of the largest ex-gay groups with some 120 ministries in North America alone, with anti-gay Christian 'dominionists' -- people who want to impose Christian rules on the secular institutions of society -- has led to ex-gay ministers pursuing a hard-line message with young people that can only end in mental anguish and failure."

******

Sully points to an interesting questionnaire sent to Presidential candidates asking them their view on executive power. Giuliani didn't even respond (small man in search of a balcony) and evidently Ron Paul and John McCain were the only repubs to repudiate the Bush assertion that during war the President is essentially beyond oversight. Romney echoes Bush

On torture, he believes that the president can torture and is under no obligation even to answer questions about it

Sigh.


****

Speaking of Ron Paul and Sullivan, one of the Daily Dish readers weighs in on the revelation that Dr. Ron Paul doesn't believe in evolution and he is not happy.

Opposing evolution doesn't make Paul a bad person, obviously, but I am increasingly concerned about what electing a person who rejects the basic cornerstone of modern biology would mean for my scientific colleagues. As a zoology professor friend of mine suggested, evolution is the tree, the other scientific ideas are merely the ornaments.

This doesn't really change anything on Paul for me. I have decided that while he says many things that I like, there are a lot more that are frankly crazy. He adds a lot of good to this election debate, but would be a disaster as President.

Interesting post on masculinity

H/t to Ubub for one of the links from Jon Swift's best of the year posts. This series examines the masculinity issues behind school shootings and finds that many of them include young boys who don't fit into their friend's assumed proper masculine identity. Many of them, in fact, are derided with homophobic taunts.

“We found a striking pattern [while analyzing news] stories about the boys who committed the violence: nearly all had stories of being constantly bullied, beat up, and … ‘gay-baited,’” Kimmel wrote.

“And most strikingly, it was not because they were gay — at least there is no evidence to suggest that any of them were gay — but because they were different from the other boys: shy, bookish, honor students, artistic, musical, theatrical, non-athletic, ‘geekish,’ or weird,” he continued.

Nothing excuses their decision to use violence, but it does suggest that this issue of masculinity is complicated and especially difficult for many young men.

Jon Swift: Best Blog Posts of 2007 (Chosen by the Bloggers Themselves)

And here is how he describes it:

"Streak spends a long, profanity-laced day that will not be turned into a sitcom starring Tim Allen."

Heh. Thanks, Jon for your gracious support. And thanks to my readers here for weighing in on their favorite post.

Juan Cole on Iraq War myths

The one that caught my attention:

"Myth: The US overthrow of the Baath regime and military occupation of Iraq has helped liberate Iraqi women. Fact: Iraqi women have suffered significant reversals of status, ability to circulate freely, and economic situation under the Bush administration."

Institutional evil

I remember someone positing that anytime an institution started spending energy defending its territory (as opposed to doing what it formed to do) it started to move towards malevolence. At the time, we were thinking about the Catholic church becoming so defensive of Church history or Church secrets that it spent so much time with lawyers and politicians rather than feeding the poor. But it could apply to any institution.

But recently, I have started thinking of something similar. What if an institution starts to act counter to its beliefs even as its rhetoric suggests a rededication to those beliefs? And this is not really aimed at Bush, though there are aspects. Does Bush really believe that the warrant-less wiretaps and signing statements make us more free? Or does he just say that?

But I am thinking of this more from a slow decline and almost a subconscious--the ability for humans to delude themselves. On a personal level, I am reminded of that every time SOF and I talk through an issue. We often find that the topic that sparks the discussion rarely is the root issue, and it takes some self-honesty to get to that truth.

This is perhaps why the conservative church vexes me so. Not to pick on them, but I fear that the last 7 years has revealed a certain disconnect between what they say they believe and their actions. I have suggested for a time that Bush doesn't actually reflect conservative Christian values. But with the language of the Church, he essentially won their endorsement for a whole host of policies that are completely counter to their beliefs. Torture, wiretapping, secrecy, etc. But the real danger appears that the conservative church still doesn't actually see this fraud. Making the church complicit in torture is kind of like Amnesty International turning over suspects to be tortured while speaking about human rights. Or Greenpeace funding their operations by hunting whales, but the rank and file continuing to support the organization.

It is a warning to all of us, of course. We are all more than capable of self-delusion.

Damn

I am sure you have heard by now that former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. I have to say that this does not surprise me. TPM is also reporting that someone close to Bhutto suggests that Musharraf is responsible in one way or another. I hope that isn't true, but anything is possible.

Vote "caging" and the GOP

Yikes!:

"The Bush-Cheney operatives sent hundreds of thousands of letters marked 'Do not forward' to voters' homes. Letters returned ('caged') were used as evidence to block these voters' right to cast a ballot on grounds they were registered at phony addresses. Who were the evil fakers? Homeless men, students on vacation and—you got to love this—American soldiers. Oh yeah: most of them are Black voters.
Why weren't these African-American voters home when the Republican letters arrived? The homeless men were on park benches, the students were on vacation—and the soldiers were overseas."

Doesn't seem very good for our Democracy. Yeah, I know. Democrats have a bad history of vote irregularities--especially in the machine politics of Daly's Chicago and others. But the Republicans seem to have learned some lessons and taken them to new professional heights lows. Vote caging, jamming phone banks, and using government agencies to secure votes, and all very effective.

When you mix that with a super-religious message, you get a real stealth campaign that can undermine the system while waving a Bible.

Uh Oh.

I wonder if this constitutes a "blog attack." To the Bat Cave!

"GodMen is 'a place where men can discuss real issues such as passivity, isolation, and pornography 'in a safe environment.' The events, which include worship, have powerful sound systems and huge video screens showing he-man videos like martial arts displays and car chases.'"

For the Ron Paul fans

Let's see how he approaches history. Hint, he thinks Lincoln started the Civil War. Oh, and he would vote against the Civil Rights Act if it were before him today.

Huckabee is disingenuous

Again.

Huckabee makes no apologies for Christmas ad in sermon | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "'You can find Santa at every mall. You can find discounts in every store,' Huckabee said while speaking at the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. 'But if you mention the name of Jesus, as I found out recently, it upsets the whole world. Forgive me, but I thought that was the point of the whole day.'"

Finally got around to some decorating

The Christmas Tree, that is. We have had it in the house sans ornaments for a week or so. That is ok. It smells so nice and looks so nice it was almost a shame to put stuff on it. But of course, we did.

A few of my favorite ornaments. And I wonder if any of them get me in trouble with the GWOC crowd.

1) CIL and I visited the Alamo one fall and I found this little gem. A miniature longhorn skull (nothing to do with UT, btw) with a Christmas wreath over one horn and "The Alamo" written on it. One of my favorites.



2) In 2002, I visited Kansas City for a conference and found this at a Pottery Barn. Could not resist as it sure looked like Sooner colors on Santa here.


3) This one will get me in trouble with Anglican, but I can't resist. After purchasing as many coffees in these colorful cups, I can't help but smile when I see this little ornament. Yeah, yeah, I know it is commercial. And it is A commercial. But I like it. And it is our tree.


4) This one will most likely get me on the list of those endangering Christmas in this country. But I don't care. We have never had a good tree topper and while searching for some of my favorite ornaments, I came across Buzz. SOF bought him for me when I was writing my dissertation and he kept a watchful eye over the process. I figured he could do the same for our tree.

The tree looks great. SOF did a great job of picking it out and putting the lights and most of the ornaments on last night.


Now we are ready for Christmas.

Wow

Hoover sent this plan to Truman in 1950. Imagine how Bush/Cheney might have responded?

"A newly declassified document shows that J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had a plan to suspend habeas corpus and imprison some 12,000 Americans he suspected of disloyalty."

Damn liberals always trying to take away our rights.

GWOC redux

Linda Seger: Explain to Me Again: When Will the War on Christmas Start? - Living on The Huffington Post: "But, so far, there seem to be no signs here of a war on Christmas. Nobody has tried to remove my creche from my home. I've been reading the Nativity Story in the Bible, and not one person has burst into my home to tear the Bible from my hands. I hear the Christmas music in the grocery store that I've been hearing every year for most of my life - the same songs of 'Winter Wonderland' and 'Jingle Bells' and 'I'll be Home for Christmas'."

Green churches--about time

And from Texas Methodists no less:

"'In an apparently unprecedented move for a large religious group, United Methodist churches of North Texas have joined forces to buy 'green' electricity generated by windmills in the western part of the state.'"

Saturday review

On that story about the Icelandic woman detained by HSA, Sully notes a response from a Republican:

As someone who is increasingly and unapologetically isolationist in my attitude towards trade, immigration and global policing, I feel no sympathy for her. Let's translate her pity party in every language so future potential visitors understand one thing loud & clear: Follow our laws, or go home in disgrace.

Sully doesn't exactly sigh, but you get that he is not impressed with the GOP response:

"One thing people like me have to understand: the core of today's GOP is not merely indifferent to this kind of abuse, it actively supports it. Just as it actively supports and endorses torture. It's one reason I feel so alienated by the Republican party I once felt some loyalty and affinity for."

*****

Even here in Oklahoma, we hear about the GWOC. Rumors circulated that our AG had advised state universities to not use the word "Christmas." Our AG, of course, denies that, and the story seems ridiculous on its face. But it helps the religious right complain about how Christianity is under assault.

Sigh. One more bit of stupidity like this and I swear I am enlisting in the War on Christmas. I will punch the next caroler in the face.

(No I won't.)

****

Ah, the Huck. First, from Tony's blog, news that he will speak at the odious John Hagee's church. Next even Peggy Noonan thinks he is a sham which can't be good news for the Huckster. She rightly points out that the cross image in the ad was absolutely on purpose and is part of Huckabee's attempt to preach to one crowd while then claiming to do no such thing. And further, she sees him as an intellectual light-weight (my words)

Mr. Huckabee is clever. He puts forth his policies, such as they are, based on a faith-based understanding of public policy, and if you disagree with his policies, or take a hard shot at them, or at him, he suggests the reason is that you look down on evangelicals. This creates a new fissure in a party already riven by fissures. He has been accused by some in the conservative press of tearing the party apart, but it was being torn apart before he got on the scene. His rise is not a cause of collapse but an expression of it.

But she also notes the main reason why I distrust him:

In an interview this week with David Brody of CBN, Mr. Huckabee said people everywhere were coming to him and saying, "We are claiming Isaiah 54 for you, that the weapons formed against you will not prosper."

If George Bush has not taught me anything, it is that I loathe people who claim that God is on their side. Huckabee does that while claiming he doesn't. He is not to be trusted, and like Bush, will further undermine evangelical credibility. If that is still even possible.

****

More on the military. One blogger noted that the story on the declining Army officer base has more behind it. Not only have they now allowed criminals to join, but they bizarrely refuse to admit men and women who's genitals are not perfect. Best example, undescended testicles is a reason to exclude. And of course, there are the gays.

I have nothing but contempt for a policy that permits convicted criminals to serve while asking people to leave simply because their sexuality or gender does not fit neatly into society's binary system. I cannot say whether I have ever served with any gay or lesbian soldiers; DADT became law about a year after I was commissioned, and while I'm sure that the law of averages means that some of the men and women I worked with over the years were gays or lesbians, I'm equally confident they would not feel comfortable volunteering that information under the threat of DADT. But I can say with complete confidence that I would greatly prefer going into combat with a gay man than with a criminal, and the notion that homosexuality is in any way worse than criminal conduct is abhorrent.

I am sure this is the fault of the liberals too. Probably Ted Kennedy or John Kerry and their shenanigans.

Feministing's "Sexist Quote of the Year"

And it is our President:

"Q: Tell us about your future son-in-law, Henry Hager. Did he do right and ask for Jenna’s hand?
The President: “He kind of sidled up to me and said, ‘Can I come and see you?’ We were sitting outside the presidential cabin here, and he professed his love for Jenna and said, would I mind if he married her? And I said, ‘Got a deal.’ [Laughter] And I’m of the school, once you make the sale, move on. But he had some other points he wanted [to make]. He wanted to talk about how he would be financially responsible.”"

Because daughters are for sale.

Sigh.

2007 Top Albums

Returning last night from guitar, I heard this followup on the NPR poll for year's best music. I voted earlier and wanted to hear the results. (You can see their top 25 at the site, and hear the story as well.) Their top list includes most of my favorites as well. Wilco came in at number 4. Feist (an album that is growing on me) at 3, Arcade Fire at 2, New Pornographers 14, and Josh Ritter 19. Rilo Kiley came in at 25 and that is another album that is really growing on me.

They have a couple that I probably wouldn't have chosen. I like a couple of the Amy Winehouse songs, but also find many annoying. "Rehab" is a great song as is "Back to Black" but others grate on my nerves. I haven't heard the Modest Mouse but haven't been that much of a fan, and the same goes for the White Stripes (Though I loved the "denial twist" off their previous album).

But they list several albums that are late adds to my own listening. I resisted these for a while, but finally gave them a listen. I am not sure they all end up in my top ten, but they are all good.




I haven't listened to the Okkervil River album that much, and there are still songs I am not completely sold on, but it is a very interesting album and I think worth a little more attention.



Ubub gave me a few tracks of The National and I didn't really care for it. When I saw this album mentioned in several best lists (I think Paste Magazine had them number 1), I finally decided to give it a listen, and it is very good. Not great, perhaps, and I don't think would be my number one album, but a very good one.



I believe Zalm is a big fan of Andrew Bird, but like the National, I had listened to a few tracks that didn't really sell me. Since it was on Emusic, I finally decided to just download the
entire album and am very glad I did. Every new time through and I am impressed. I recently started using a playlist of stuff from this year and when Bird comes on, it is one of those moments when I run to the computer to see who is playing.




For some reason, Radiohead completely eluded me during their heyday. I remember hearing about them, but really didn't know who they were. This fall when the band released their album first to fans over the net, I was intrigued. I loved the entire idea having the fans set the price. I went to their site and bought it, mostly just to support the idea. I paid 10 bucks for the album, which is what I would have paid later.

After downloading, I listened to it a few times and then moved on. But as it kept coming up, I became more and more intrigued. Their last two songs--"Jigsaw falling into place" and "videotape" are as good as songs get. Seriously. Seriously good.

Speaking of women

If true, we don't treat visiting women in this country very well either.

I remember when we justified the invasion to help Iraqi women

Unfortunately, our own women over there are being raped by our own people:

"Jones said she was held against her will after she finished a doctor's exam that confirmed she was raped.
'The KBR security then took me to a trailer and then locked me in a room with two armed guards outside my door,' Jones said. 'I was in prison in the trailer for approximately a day. One of the guards finally had mercy and let me use a phone. I called my dad, who contacted Congressman Ted Poe, who took actions to get me out of the country. I believe he saved my life.'
Poe testified the State Department dispatched two U.S. Embassy agents in Baghdad within 48 hours after he contacted the department. The agents rescued Jones and returned her to Texas, he said."

These things do occur, I understand. But there is a atmosphere of lawlessness and lack of oversight in Iraq. Our own Justice Department refused to even testify at the hearings.

A little help, please

Our friend Jon Swift has asked me to submit what I think is my best post of the year for his own rundown. I have compiled the ones I like under the label Best of 2007 nominee and then added a poll to the right side. I have my favorites narrowed down a little, but would like to see what my readers think. Or if you have any other suggestions.

Army Officer retention

A fascinating article on a growing problem in the Army. Young officers are leaving in higher numbers than before, and especially the young and gifted ones. So as Bush or whoever follows wants to expand the army, they may be doing so with fewer good officers, and that is troubling.

The reasons are complicated and rather interesting. The strain on family (divorces have tripled since 2002), the geography of the military (stationed on bases like Killeen, Texas), and the changing role for women even within the military. Some goes to Bush himself. Diverting away from the initial goal in Afghanistan cost in troop morale, and the increased deployments is not helping.

Studies show that one deployment actually improves retention, as soldiers draw satisfaction from using their skills in the real world. Second deployments often have no effect on retention. It's the third deployment that begins to burn out soldiers. And a fourth? There's no large-scale historical precedent for military planners to examine—yet.

But part of it is the leadership who is there now. This writer suggests a long gradual decline that really started after Vn, when Army leaders decided that they would simply avoid counter-insurgency conflicts from now on. And that showed up within the military as conflict between older Generals and some of the young thinkers from the Point.

"You have a three-star general like John Vines come down to talk to us, and he says, 'Just go out there and shoot people,'" Kapinos said. "And you know that that is not how to fight an insurgency. Everyone who's ever read the most basic article on counterinsurgency knows that is not how you're going to win."

"Yeah," Morin agreed. "The general would come out and give these bellicose speeches, and every time he did that, I'd have to go back to my guys and say, 'What the general really meant to say was ...'"

It always stuns me when some of our commenters here or elsewhere continually say that liberals are soft on national security. While I certainly think that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have been lately--it is because of their capitulation to Bush, not for opposing him. I have always admired people who served and have been fascinated by the military. Not enough to want to join, mind you, but from the outside, I see so much positive there. I have had students from the military and some have been among the best and most thoughtful. One former student was a Navy Seal who, unlike some of his fellow students, could thoughtfully address issues like patriotism and masculinity. And while conservatives complain about higher taxes, I would gladly pay more to ensure that our returning vets are taken care of. It seems to me that it has often been conservative "chicken hawks" who have done far more damage to our military than any liberal.

Anyway. Read the article. It is a good one.

Politicized Justice

This is the Rove/Bush version:

"WASHINGTON — The Justice Department delayed prosecuting a key Republican official for jamming the phones of New Hampshire Democrats until after the 2004 election, protecting top GOP officials from the scandal until the voting was over."

Faith and Politics

Street Prophets has a very interesting post on historical trends in religious/political speak. They tracked the usage of religious speech from our Presidents from FDR forward and discovered that talking about God in speeches has soared since Ronald Reagan. What is more interesting, to me at least, is the type of invocation. Presidents prior to Reagan were far more likely to speak about God in a "please help us" type of way--what they term speaking as "petitioner." But recent Presidents are more likely to speak as "prophet; that is, the wording suggests that one has knowledge of divine wishes and desires."

This convergence of faith and politics is exactly what the nation’s Founders sought to avoid. Many of these men were deeply religious, but they were only an ocean removed from the religious strife that had plagued Europe for centuries. With these experiences in mind, they created a Constitution that doesn't contain a single mention of God and prohibits religious tests for those seeking office.

Their vision is at serious risk today. History has shown with tragic consistency that an intimate relationship between religion and politics does irreparable damage to both -- from the crusades of medieval times to the terrorism of modern times. Constant use of the God strategy by political leaders encourages just such a relationship. When George W. Bush justifies the Iraq War by saying that liberty is “God’s gift to humanity” (2003 State of the Union) and that America’s “calling” is to deliver that gift to the Iraqi people (countless times), he is offering something quite like a divine vision for U.S. foreign policy.

It is precisely this conflation of abstract claims about God with the concrete goals of the state that led esteemed religion scholar R. Scott Appleby to call the administration’s rhetoric about spreading freedom and liberty “a theological version of Manifest Destiny.” At a minimum, this approach risks repeating the errors of the original manifest destiny: unduly emphasizing the norms and values of white, conservative Protestants at the expense of those who will not or cannot conform.

Just as important, pairing religious doctrine with public policy encourages moderate citizens to conclude that the U.S. government’s actions are the will of God -- or at least congruent with such wishes -- and therefore beyond question. Dogmatic political voices and hints of divinely inspired policy are not the ingredients of a robust republic; they’re the recipe for hubris, jingoism, and the decline of democracy. These are disquieting possibilities, but the words of our political leaders in recent decades have moved America toward them. Both the Gospel of John and the record of evils past teach one thing: in the beginning, always, are words.

To concretely grasp what is at stake, we might recall John Kennedy's address before conservative Protestant clergy in September 1960. Unlike current candidates, the Catholic Kennedy declared: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute," "I believe in a president whose views on religion are his own private affair," and that he would make decisions "without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates." Such a presidency was essential, he said, because "Today, I may be the victim, but tomorrow it may be you — until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped apart."

At this rate we'll soon be there. Tragically, we may already be.

Torture and tyranny

Oops. Turns out that Bush people knew about these tapes a long time ago

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials.

****

Darius Rejali discusses the history of torture in America

If the spread of torture techniques suggests a blurry line between "us" and "them," it also teaches that there's no real boundary between "there" and "here." It would be ignoring history to assume that what happens in an American-run prison in Iraq will stay in Iraq. Soldiers who learn torture techniques abroad get jobs as police when they return, and the new developments in torture you read about today could yet be employed in a neighborhood near you.

****

H/T to Tony for Pastor Dan's great challenge to our political leaders:

Do not think that I will defend you against charges of insufficient Christian belief if you are not willing to fight with every fiber of your being the American practice of torture, the same practice that caused the death of the Savior and Lord you and I claim to follow. Nothing could be more opposed to the Christian faith than allowing torture, directly or indirectly. If you let our interrogators torture their prisoners, you place your claim to discipleship in serious jeopardy. Stamp this curse out, once and for all.

******

Perhaps the only Democrat with a spine has been Chris Dodd. He seems to have single-handedly stopped this ridiculous retroactive immunity disaster. At least for now.

****

More Huck. One explanation as to why the right fears Huckabee too

The fear is losing. On some level, they know that these positions freak out mainstream America. That’s why Bush fumbled about on Roe v. Wade during the 2004 debates and could only bring himself to speak in code (“Dred Scott”). The backlash shows that these people – like much of the GOP establishment – are ashamed of this coalition. They're happy to make out with them behind the football bleachers on Saturday night, but ignore them in the lunchroom on Monday.

Some interesting news items

First, it appears that yet another Bush argument is failing to meet legal muster. Remember when Dick Cheney made the visitor logs private? I think it was in response to calls to find out who Jack Abramoff visited and for how long, but it also included information on former gay prostitute Jeff Gannon and how he was able to bypass normal press vetting to sit in the front row and ask the President leading and stupid questions. Well, those logs are public documents, a federal judge ruled Monday:

rejecting a legal strategy that the Bush administration had hoped would get around public records laws and let them keep their guests a secret.
The ruling is a blow to the Bush administration, which has fought the release of records showing visits by prominent religious conservatives."

I am sure the White House will fight this as long as they can, but maybe these will come out. I have almost forgotten--who the hell do these people work for? I thought they worked for us, but that is probably just pre 9-11 thinking.

****

Speaking of pre 9-11, Sully points to recent evidence that suggests that Bush and his people have instituted a "surveillance state" that a tyrant would envy--oh, and he did so two weeks after taking office--not, as every Bushie parrots--after 9-11 "changed everything."

Sigh.

****

The Huck is starting to really bug me. Here is an "ad" where he gets to play again to the evangelical vote. Translation: "I am more Christian than anyone else running."

But, of course, don't ask him to actually live it out. Lucky for him, the evangelical base doesn't actually do that. And speaking of the Huck, the story about his son
killing a dog at Scout camp makes me sick. I know I am a dog person, but I don't understand such cruelty. And if this sick bastard (who then went on to make Eagle scout--gag) would have so little compassion for a stray dog, what makes you think he cares about humans?

So, every time Huckabee plays the "look at me, just a simple Baptist preacher" I will think about his sick son killing a dog. And Huckabee defending him.

****

More Bush. And this time we learn the cost of this president is in the trillions of dollars. Sure glad he is a conservative.

In a speech today at the National Press Club, he said, "If the federal government was a private corporation and the same report came out this morning, our stock would be dropping and there would be talk about whether the company's management and directors needed a major shake-up." Walker urged greater transparency and accountability over the federal government's operations, financial condition, and fiscal outlook.

--snip--

"The federal government's fiscal exposures totaled approximately $53 trillion as of September 30, 2007, up more than $2 trillion from September 30, 2006, and an increase of more than $32 trillion from about $20 trillion as of September 30, 2000," Walker said. "This translates into a current burden of about $175,000 per American or approximately $455,000 per American household."

American university faculty anti-American--says Tony Snow

And also a ‘war on God’:

The winsome and articulate Snow charmed his audience with wit: “The average Iranian is more Pro-American than virtually any college faculty in this country.” And with serious talk about the war on terror and “the second war in this country, the war on God.”

I am so tired of this crap. I guess Tony has forgotten that only 29 percent of the country thinks his old boss is competent.

Top Albums 2007: The Story--and Xmas Tree time

A combined post.

First, we had a nice Sunday. It was the first time we have seen the sun in many, many days. Everyone around us has power and we are grateful for that. The wreckage from the storm is everywhere.


But the wreckage is not as bad as I thought. As bad as it looks, there are so many trees that made it through relatively unscathed. Or not destroyed. Our maple, we think, will make it just fine. It, like the neighborhood, will look different, but it will be ok.

So, only a week delayed, we decided to get a Christmas tree (we wanted to go last Sunday, but the ice storm had already started). One little detail, this was the first Christmas to buy a tree sans pickup. But the Matrix is pretty space efficient, as you will see:

SOF had to sit in the back seat for the mile ride home, but the car worked like a charm. We also found that the twine wrap made for a much easier transport into the house and onto the stand:

Unbound, it looks a little more like a Christmas tree:

Decorating might take a little longer....

*****

Now for the music. A Christmas music aside, by the way. I have started disliking Christmas music. I think I have just tired of it. But this year, I made a playlist of Christmas music that were made more recently. Mindy Smith, Aimee Mann, and Sarah McLachlan make up part of it. I also have really enjoyed Sufjan Stevens 4 or 5 album Christmas set. I like his regular stuff, but think that his sound is just perfect for Christmas stuff.



*****

But for the best of the year.
I don't have that many artists in my collection named Brandi, but this one is a gem. We downloaded her single and waited anxiously for the release of The Story. Compared to her first album, this one really jumps. It was recorded in live sessions--not live in front of an audience, but not in piecemeal tracks. And that gives this album a fresh quality. Carlile's voice is another marvel. I can't recall a voice that has grabbed me like hers. Her power sometimes is scary, and often even sounds as if she is pressing it to the limit. I don't know if she will be able to sustain it, but this album has some great moments. If you can, listen to the title track.

As an album, it might not measure up to the great albums in our collections, but it is a very good one. Well worth an inclusion in this list.

On "wussification"

Our conversation with the pugilistic pastor has turned into a discussion on torture and recent history. But it began with a discussion on masculinity. He is a member (or something) of a group that hopes to fight against the feminization of Christianity.

Whatever.

I have read Eldridge (not convinced) and I have also read my history. I know that this is just the latest in a long line of people who decide that Jesus has to be more like the one they want--Billy Sunday did it when he wanted a brawling Jesus. Bruce Barton did it when he created a Jesus who would be a kick-ass salesman and businessman. The Promise Keepers did it too.

Whatever. As far as I am concerned, if these men want to beat drums and play soldier--that is their choice.

But the "wussification" intrigues me. "Wussy," of course, is probably a combination of "wimp" and "..." well, the "P" word. The word used to denigrate women as weak and therefor denigrate men who might be like those women. The misogyny is palpable and the fact that this "comedian" has an album dedicated to this "wussification" speaks volumes.

Forget political correctness, the word is simply a "Christianese" attempt to avoid saying something coarse. But the meaning is still there, as is the attack on women. And he embraces it and uses it to disparage others. Just as Jesus would do, we are told. Somehow, the Jesus who spoke with the woman at the well and stopped the adulteress' execution would disparage other men by telling them they are like women. That he would disparage the traits of forgiveness, kindness, nurturing, compassion, etc.

Are we asked to follow a Christ who would do this? I would suggest not. Anymore than we are asked to follow a Christ who would sit smoking in the corner while his compatriots waterboarded Judas. Anymore than we are asked to follow a Christ who would cheer the death penalty, or mock the poor.

I think we can do better. We can move beyond obvious and antiquated gender stereotypes. We can do better. We can discuss gender roles without disparaging women. I think we can do better than this comedian and his followers.