Leighton made the point in the comments that the GOP wants to make this about sex, rather than the real issue of how he abandoned his job and his state. And I think that cannot be ignored. He didn't tell his staff where he was. He didn't tell his LT Governor where he was. He might not be the head of the free world (though he clearly wanted to be before this), but he has obligations as the head of SC, and sometimes those executives have to make decisions immediately in the event of a natural disaster or some similar issue.
And that actually leads me to this point about "family values" and the faux Christianity that has permeated the Republican party. (Sanford's fellow SC Republican colleague Bob Inglis thinks this is an opportunity to ‘Lose Stinking Rot of Self-Righteousness’ ). And I think that would be a great step. But Leighton's comment brought to mind the real problem I see with the current GOP. Their governing principle is that "government is evil." What positive policies can you provide with that principle? Very few, I would suggest, and that has encouraged the GOP to make themselves popular with the Bible Belt.
But Sanford is a great example of that. Yes, he is a hypocrite about "values," but he is very representative of the destructive approach to government. He preferred to take no stimulus money even when he has schools in disrepair. And, as Leighton pointed out, he put his personal life above his responsibilities as Governor.
If the GOP wants my respect (not my vote, mind you, but at least my grudging respect) they have to articulate policy goals that are not inherently destructive. And they have to stop this mindless appeal to family values. Of course, Christian conservatives created this mess too, by making their personal faith another political card to be bought and sold and spun.
Unfortunately, as we saw last fall with the response to Palin, and the increasing radicalism and dilution of the GOP, I don't see any of that happening anytime soon. Neither the Christian right nor the GOP seem ready to learn that lesson.
June 25, 2009
21 Years!
Today is our 21st anniversary. As I joked on Facebook, our marriage is now old enough to drink. It is hard to believe that we have been together so long, and harder still to believe that she puts up with me after all these years.
So here is to SOF! Happy Anniversary, sweetie.
So here is to SOF! Happy Anniversary, sweetie.
June 24, 2009
Another conservative for family values for other people
Turns out that SC governor Mark Sanford wasn't hiking the Appalachian trail, after all. And his wife wasn't lying when she said she didn't know where he was. He was in Argentina supposedly breaking up with his girlfriend.
Look, I am not an idiot. I know this kind of thing happens. It doesn't make it right, but it is part of the human experience. What bugs me the most is the hypocrisy of the right wing. When the Clinton or Edwards affair came to light, the right wing was absolutely merciless. Including, of course, good people like Mark Sanford. Newt Gingrich criticized Clinton's affair even as he had an affair. Promise Keeper John Ensign had an affair with his staffer's wife. All of these people love to play the family values card, but when those values are broken by Democrats, the knives come out and phrases like "if he can't be truthful to his wife, how can I trust him in office." When Republicans are caught doing it (heterosexually, of course), then Republicans call for tolerance and forgiveness.
I am all for that. Let this family manage this trauma. Those young boys and wife are not props for political gain. But maybe discover some compassion for others, and save the self-righteousness. Eh, Sally Kern?
Look, I am not an idiot. I know this kind of thing happens. It doesn't make it right, but it is part of the human experience. What bugs me the most is the hypocrisy of the right wing. When the Clinton or Edwards affair came to light, the right wing was absolutely merciless. Including, of course, good people like Mark Sanford. Newt Gingrich criticized Clinton's affair even as he had an affair. Promise Keeper John Ensign had an affair with his staffer's wife. All of these people love to play the family values card, but when those values are broken by Democrats, the knives come out and phrases like "if he can't be truthful to his wife, how can I trust him in office." When Republicans are caught doing it (heterosexually, of course), then Republicans call for tolerance and forgiveness.
I am all for that. Let this family manage this trauma. Those young boys and wife are not props for political gain. But maybe discover some compassion for others, and save the self-righteousness. Eh, Sally Kern?
June 23, 2009
On Iran and the conservative response
From Iranian filmmaker Kouross Esmaeli on John McCain's lack of credibility:
And this from Joe Klein:
"KOUROSS ESMAELI: What is interesting about the criticisms that are coming from the right is that it’s been coming primarily from Senator John McCain. The Iranians know Senator John McCain as the man who sang “Bomb, bomb Iran” during the elections of last year. The man holds no credibility as far as supporting Iranians or seeming like he’s got the best interests of the Iranians at heart. And that, for Iranians and for this issue, that discredits him altogether and discredits this whole attack on President Obama.
President Obama’s stand, I think, has been the most sensible, and it’s amazing that the President of the United States is taking such a sensible stand. And that—everyone I’ve talked to in Iran has said the same thing, that we do not need any symbol of Western, especially American, interference in Iran’s internal politics."
And this from Joe Klein:
McCain, who spent the entire 2008 election making misleading statements about the nature of the Iranian government (I wonder if he still thinks Ahmadinejad is more powerful than the Supreme Leader), has been at the forefront of this. It is very unseemly. I have yet to hear what possible good it would do for the President of the United States to encourage the protesters, except to give the Iranian regime a better excuse for killing more of them. McCain's bleatings are either for domestic political consumption or self-satisfaction, a form of hip-shooting onanism that demonstrates why he would have been a foreign policy disaster had he been elected.What a disaster McCain would have been on foreign policy, and what in the hell has happened to Republicans over the last 12-18 years? Where are the muted and calm voices? What is it with this blustering "grab a big stick and whack them hard or you don't love America" approach to dealing with others?
To put it as simply as possible, McCain--and his cohorts--are trying to score political points against the President in the midst of an international crisis. It is the sort of behavior that Republicans routinely call "unpatriotic" when Democrats are doing it. I would never question John McCain's patriotism, no matter how misguided his sense of the country's best interests sometimes seems. His behavior has nothing to do with love of country; it has everything to do with love of self.
Again, the crucial fact about the protesters is this: they may hate the Khamenei-Ahmadinejad regime--who wouldn't?--but that doesn't make them particular fans of the United States. I have yet to meet an Iranian who does not believe that the United States gave poison gas to Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, gas which injured thousands upon thousands of Iranian men, who still live, incapacitated, in the shadows of that society. (Indeed, the attention Ahmadinejad has paid to the Iran-Iraq war veterans and their families is a major source of his extensive support among the Iranian working class.)
June 22, 2009
Monday morning
Hey. Remodel moving right along, and we are hoping to have tile installed by the end of the week. That means finalizing electrical and plumbing fixture purchases in the next few days.
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Couple of news items caught my eye this morning. Last week, Greg (at the Parish) caught this item regarding Thomas Kinkade. Evidently, the self-proclaimed "Painter of Light" has some very shady business practices. Reading about Kinkade reminded me of a situation SOF and I ran into with some very religious business people. They merged their business philosophy with their Christian faith--which sounds fine, until you realized they weren't quite clear about those two different sides. Their response to others around them tended to vacillate between Christian ministry and hard-nosed business decision. Reminded me of the saying about baseball and management--"when you say it is a game, they say it is just business. When you say it is business, they say, "hey, it is just a game." In the case with our religious friends, it was "when you say it is a business, they call it a ministry, but when you need to get paid for that overtime, they call it a ministry."
Wasn't that they were bad people, in any way of thinking. But they weren't clear about their motives. I am more and more convinced that most Christians (especially of the evangelical type) over-simplify their religious faith and actually just assume that those "in relationship" with God will automatically learn about morality and ethics. A spiritual osmosis, as it were. But it does not work that way, and the most recent debate about torture is the best example. Ethics and morality, I am more and more convinced, require an open conversation and dialogue. These issues have to be introduce and framed, or most people will not even really consider them. Many I have seen understand the basics of "not stealing" and not "sleeping with the neighbor's wife." But they haven't really examined how their Christian faith might translate into business ethics, and they certainly haven't grappled with how their Christian faith might not be in line with American patriotism or capitalism.
Which, to switch topics ever so slightly, might explain how so many churches have adopted the advertising and marketing gimmicks to attract people to their churches. In this case, evidently parking some Nascar racing cars outside the church, which Greg makes funnier than I thought possible.
_____
Lord knows Peggy Noonan annoys me quite frequently, as she did when she said of torture and the Bush people that somethings in life needed to remain "mysterious." But she is correct here when she points out the silly nature of the McCain/Republican criticism of Obama on Iran.
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Speaking of Republicans, I had an interesting conversation (or at least began one) last week on the issue of tort reform and health care. I am coming around, at least in principle, to the idea that we need to do something to protect against some of these lawsuits as they are contributing to the rising cost of care. But I don't understand the Republican impulse to both rein in lawsuits, and also deregulate industry. How can you say to the American people that they shouldn't be able to sue the manufacturer of some item, but they shouldn't expect some reasoned oversight and regulation of that same item? I could understand one or the other, but both?
It, added to the mantra from the right about health care, make me very suspicious that Republicans (talking about those in Congress, not everyone in the country) care really only about corporate profits.
____
Ok. Enough of that. My contractor just lent me his Sawzall and I am going to use it on a stubborn overflow pipe in my garden pond. Heh.
Later.
___
Couple of news items caught my eye this morning. Last week, Greg (at the Parish) caught this item regarding Thomas Kinkade. Evidently, the self-proclaimed "Painter of Light" has some very shady business practices. Reading about Kinkade reminded me of a situation SOF and I ran into with some very religious business people. They merged their business philosophy with their Christian faith--which sounds fine, until you realized they weren't quite clear about those two different sides. Their response to others around them tended to vacillate between Christian ministry and hard-nosed business decision. Reminded me of the saying about baseball and management--"when you say it is a game, they say it is just business. When you say it is business, they say, "hey, it is just a game." In the case with our religious friends, it was "when you say it is a business, they call it a ministry, but when you need to get paid for that overtime, they call it a ministry."
Wasn't that they were bad people, in any way of thinking. But they weren't clear about their motives. I am more and more convinced that most Christians (especially of the evangelical type) over-simplify their religious faith and actually just assume that those "in relationship" with God will automatically learn about morality and ethics. A spiritual osmosis, as it were. But it does not work that way, and the most recent debate about torture is the best example. Ethics and morality, I am more and more convinced, require an open conversation and dialogue. These issues have to be introduce and framed, or most people will not even really consider them. Many I have seen understand the basics of "not stealing" and not "sleeping with the neighbor's wife." But they haven't really examined how their Christian faith might translate into business ethics, and they certainly haven't grappled with how their Christian faith might not be in line with American patriotism or capitalism.
Which, to switch topics ever so slightly, might explain how so many churches have adopted the advertising and marketing gimmicks to attract people to their churches. In this case, evidently parking some Nascar racing cars outside the church, which Greg makes funnier than I thought possible.
_____
Lord knows Peggy Noonan annoys me quite frequently, as she did when she said of torture and the Bush people that somethings in life needed to remain "mysterious." But she is correct here when she points out the silly nature of the McCain/Republican criticism of Obama on Iran.
_____
Speaking of Republicans, I had an interesting conversation (or at least began one) last week on the issue of tort reform and health care. I am coming around, at least in principle, to the idea that we need to do something to protect against some of these lawsuits as they are contributing to the rising cost of care. But I don't understand the Republican impulse to both rein in lawsuits, and also deregulate industry. How can you say to the American people that they shouldn't be able to sue the manufacturer of some item, but they shouldn't expect some reasoned oversight and regulation of that same item? I could understand one or the other, but both?
It, added to the mantra from the right about health care, make me very suspicious that Republicans (talking about those in Congress, not everyone in the country) care really only about corporate profits.
____
Ok. Enough of that. My contractor just lent me his Sawzall and I am going to use it on a stubborn overflow pipe in my garden pond. Heh.
Later.
June 19, 2009
SCOTUS rules that man has no right to post-conviction evidence
Even though the man offers to pay for the testing, and it could conclusively prove his guilt or innocence.
Perhaps someone can explain this to me, because as it is, it simply looks like conservative justices don't give a rat's ass if a state or the feds convict an innocent man.
Perhaps someone can explain this to me, because as it is, it simply looks like conservative justices don't give a rat's ass if a state or the feds convict an innocent man.
Friday home improvement and political revulsion
The remodel is going well. Yesterday, our builder cut the access into the new rooms and hung the door. The Solatube guy installed two such devices--one in our new bathroom and one in our living room area.
Today we install the big window, which will be really cool. Our builder will continue to finish the sheetrock taping and SOF and I will try to pick out some of the fixtures we need for electrical and plumbing.
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On the political front, I continue to be completely frustrated with Republicans. No offense intended to those reading here, but I am increasingly convinced that most of Republican thought is predicated on myths. The myth of self-reliance and small government. And the myth of Republican wisdom on matters military and foreign policy. How else did we end up with torturers and Republican defenders of those torturers?
And as Larsion notes, Republican leadership is completely out of ideas, and has demonstrated that with their blustering on the Iranian issue:
On self-reliance and small government, the conservative desire to crush health care reform moves forward with the killing of the "public option." Republicans seem to be so wedded to their mythology of small government and their own autonomy, that they have no connection to those without health insurance or who have lost their homes and life savings to a catastrophic illness. I have spoken to those completely unwilling to push forward on reform if it means any cost to them--regardless of if that meant those 40 million might now be covered. After all, if no one is helping Republicans, then why should they help others? It isn't as if their faith asks them to do anything about it.
Oh wait.
Conservatives and Republicans have a strong history and legitimate philosophical backing. The leadership of this party are now miles from both and completely unaware how far they have drifted from any legitimate conservative thought. And with each day they demonstrate that they have devolved to a defender of corporate power, and an enabler of religious anti-intellectual and radical thought.
 |
| From Progress |
Today we install the big window, which will be really cool. Our builder will continue to finish the sheetrock taping and SOF and I will try to pick out some of the fixtures we need for electrical and plumbing.
----
On the political front, I continue to be completely frustrated with Republicans. No offense intended to those reading here, but I am increasingly convinced that most of Republican thought is predicated on myths. The myth of self-reliance and small government. And the myth of Republican wisdom on matters military and foreign policy. How else did we end up with torturers and Republican defenders of those torturers?
And as Larsion notes, Republican leadership is completely out of ideas, and has demonstrated that with their blustering on the Iranian issue:
"All of this comes back to the problem of Republican denial about why they lost power. They are supremely confident about their views on national security and foreign policy, and they cannot conceive that a majority of the country would reject them because of the policies they advocated and enacted. Worse still, they remain wedded to the hectoring, moralistic and aggressive approach of the last administration, in which sanctions and condemnation are the only “soft” tools they understand. They are so wedded to this approach that that they think this is not only the best kind of foreign policy, but that anything other than this is fecklessness and surrender."
On self-reliance and small government, the conservative desire to crush health care reform moves forward with the killing of the "public option." Republicans seem to be so wedded to their mythology of small government and their own autonomy, that they have no connection to those without health insurance or who have lost their homes and life savings to a catastrophic illness. I have spoken to those completely unwilling to push forward on reform if it means any cost to them--regardless of if that meant those 40 million might now be covered. After all, if no one is helping Republicans, then why should they help others? It isn't as if their faith asks them to do anything about it.
Oh wait.
Conservatives and Republicans have a strong history and legitimate philosophical backing. The leadership of this party are now miles from both and completely unaware how far they have drifted from any legitimate conservative thought. And with each day they demonstrate that they have devolved to a defender of corporate power, and an enabler of religious anti-intellectual and radical thought.
June 16, 2009
And yet another GOP racist joke
And another fake apology. Or in this case, the mistake was not sending out the email, it was sending it to the wrong people.
June 15, 2009
Quick blog post
As I am shopping online for a pedestal sink and getting ready for Wilco tonight!
Sarah Palin just refuses to go away. Her right, of course, but she seems to be lessening her appeal rather than the opposite. I didn't hear the Letterman joke about her daughter, but it did sound tasteless and out of bounds. I like him, but like all good comedians, he will push the boundaries. This one went over the line, and Palin is correct to respond. But when you see her willingness to use her own children and family for her own political future, her outrage seems just more of the same political grandstanding. Saw this quote about her from Ta-Nehisi Coates that sums her up for me:
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Now, back to work on the house.
Sarah Palin just refuses to go away. Her right, of course, but she seems to be lessening her appeal rather than the opposite. I didn't hear the Letterman joke about her daughter, but it did sound tasteless and out of bounds. I like him, but like all good comedians, he will push the boundaries. This one went over the line, and Palin is correct to respond. But when you see her willingness to use her own children and family for her own political future, her outrage seems just more of the same political grandstanding. Saw this quote about her from Ta-Nehisi Coates that sums her up for me:
"Sarah Palin is in tenacious possession of a small mind."Not just this, but just about everything she speaks to. Raging against socialism as she brags about redistributing oil revenues to Alaskan residents. Or saying that the cause of climate change doesn't matter, or that we should have the "Under God" phrase in the Pledge because it was "good enough for the Founders." She has generally reflected a lack of curiosity about the world around her, and yet John McCain thought she was good enough to put that close to the Presidency.
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Now, back to work on the house.
June 14, 2009
GOP activist says escaped gorilla was "ancestor" of Michelle Obama
Post racial? I guess not. And why do they "apologize" the same way?
Moron. Not apologizing for calling the First Lady a gorilla. Apologizing if any of us were offended by it.
We spoke with DePass over the phone Friday night. He said, "I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest."
Moron. Not apologizing for calling the First Lady a gorilla. Apologizing if any of us were offended by it.
June 12, 2009
More on the right wing's hate problem
Eugene Robinson on the right's overreaction to the Homeland Security memo:
No, that right doesn't care. As I have been saying for years on this blog, it is time for the grownup Republicans and grownup conservatives to stand up against these people and kick them to the curb. Denounce Hannity and Limbaugh and Glen Beck for the hatred they spew. Do it, and reclaim the legitimate place on the stage where we debate legitimate arguments about Obama's health care proposals and government philosophy.
"And it wasn't just the Sean Hannitys, Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of the world who pretended to be outraged. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele accused the administration of trying 'to segment out Americans who dissent from this administration, to segment out conservatives in this country who have a different philosophy or view from this administration, and labeling them as terrorists.' Steele seems to have decided that telling the truth isn't nearly as important as the high-temperature exercise known as 'firing up the base.'The thing is, the idiot right doesn't care. And the idiot right includes Hannity and Limbaugh, and the Coulter's of the world. They don't care. Add Sarah Palin to this list. Remember how she seemed to get a rush from pushing those crowds to a frenzy? Even McCain seemed troubled when he ran into it on the campaign, but Palin never seems to make that connection. I used to dislike her intensely, but assumed she was at least smart and capable. Her most recent interviews and posturing suggests that she is every bit as dumb and as unconscionable as Hannity and Limbaugh.
The thing is, though, that words have consequences.
There's profit for the pundits, and perhaps personal advantage for some politicians, in calling President Obama a 'socialist' and calling Judge Sonia Sotomayor a 'racist Latina' and claiming that Democrats want to 'take away your guns' -- in creating and nurturing a sense of grievance among those inclined to be aggrieved. But what about those who might not understand that it's all just political theater?"
No, that right doesn't care. As I have been saying for years on this blog, it is time for the grownup Republicans and grownup conservatives to stand up against these people and kick them to the curb. Denounce Hannity and Limbaugh and Glen Beck for the hatred they spew. Do it, and reclaim the legitimate place on the stage where we debate legitimate arguments about Obama's health care proposals and government philosophy.
June 11, 2009
The right's problem
Is that the mainstream Republican party uses very similar language with the far extreme right--the people who are now putting their violent talk into action. Here is a good piece by Joan Walsh on this topic. (H/t Anglican).
More from Shepard Smith on crazies emailing him at Fox
And interesting what he doesn't say--that his colleagues at Fox (Hannity and O'Reilly) are part of this right wing echo chamber. And that even Chris Wallace continues the "Obama as socialist" meme.
June 10, 2009
Wow, that Homeland Security Report was ridiculous, wasn't it?
Or maybe it wasn't. Today, a crazed right winger famous in the white supremacy world opened fire in the Holocaust museum. Sure glad that there isn't a real problem of right wing violence in this country--just less than a week or so (I have lost track) of George Tiller's murder in Kansas. Before that, we had multiple shootings by people waving around conservative propaganda. Yeah, I know, these individual people are responsible for their crimes, but the entire right wing establishment has contributed to this. Right wingers comparing abortion to the Holocaust, to say nothing of the wingnuts from Limbaugh to O'Reilly who daily stoke the flames of anti-other fear. God knows I hate to link to anything with Fox News, but here is Shep Smith showing himself yet again as the only sane person over there.
____
And apropos of, well, I guess, idiot conservatism, this from Palin land. She first brags about her state's ability to spread oil revenues to the individual residents, and then complains about Obama leading us toward socialism. Is she just really, really dumb? Or is this something else?
____
And apropos of, well, I guess, idiot conservatism, this from Palin land. She first brags about her state's ability to spread oil revenues to the individual residents, and then complains about Obama leading us toward socialism. Is she just really, really dumb? Or is this something else?
Terrorism works--at least on abortion clinics
God knows that I am not happy with abortion, but ultimately, I believe that decision has to be made by a woman in control of her own body. And whatever we think of it, you should not be able to shut down a clinic by murdering the doctor. Bitch Ph.D. has a very nice post on this subject, and for those interested, Sullivan has been running a lot of reader stories on every side of the abortion debate. I understand that Bill O'Reilly has been comparing this murder to the murder of the Army recruiter--a truly tragic and awful event as well. But as many have noted, the main difference is that the man who murdered Dr. Tiller is getting encouraging notes from around the country cheering his terrorism.
June 7, 2009
Suspect in abortion doctor death warns of violence - washingtonpost.com
Shouldn't we be waterboarding him to find out what else he knows? Or is that just reserved for non-white extremists?
Sunday notes
Perhaps, one of the reasons that the Republicans are in trouble can be found here.
____
Evidently, Sarah Palin is out there again railing against taxes and government control. Here is a good indicator of the reality of Alaska, but it also applies to a lot of other "red" states who love to complain about high taxes but actually take in more federal dollars then they contribute.
____
Here is a thought. I think one of the toughest jobs in Washington has to be as communications secretary for Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe. I called Senator Inhofe's Washington office the other day as well, and was told by the nice young woman who answered the phone that the Senator had been misquoted. Evidently, he was not misquoted. He still thinks that it is not clear which side our American President prefers. You know, whether Obama sides with the terrorists or the American troops.
Sigh. What an idiot.
____
I am not sure how to describe this phenomenon, but it seems to me that a lot of American woes go directly to them being convinced of the exact opposite. So convinced of their own moral superiority, they cannot imagine enacting the very same torture policy of some third world dictator. Or, so convinced of their democratic superiority, it never dawns on them that their own elections might need monitoring. Ezra Klein notes a problem of stagnant wages and increasing wages. In my conversations with people, most don't seem to think that wages have stagnated, and focus only on federal income taxes as the source of their woes, even as the cost of government is simply shifted into other areas. Anyway, as Klein notes, that disconnect may be the reason we are still moving slow on health care reform:
____
Evidently, Sarah Palin is out there again railing against taxes and government control. Here is a good indicator of the reality of Alaska, but it also applies to a lot of other "red" states who love to complain about high taxes but actually take in more federal dollars then they contribute.
____
Here is a thought. I think one of the toughest jobs in Washington has to be as communications secretary for Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe. I called Senator Inhofe's Washington office the other day as well, and was told by the nice young woman who answered the phone that the Senator had been misquoted. Evidently, he was not misquoted. He still thinks that it is not clear which side our American President prefers. You know, whether Obama sides with the terrorists or the American troops.
Sigh. What an idiot.
____
I am not sure how to describe this phenomenon, but it seems to me that a lot of American woes go directly to them being convinced of the exact opposite. So convinced of their own moral superiority, they cannot imagine enacting the very same torture policy of some third world dictator. Or, so convinced of their democratic superiority, it never dawns on them that their own elections might need monitoring. Ezra Klein notes a problem of stagnant wages and increasing wages. In my conversations with people, most don't seem to think that wages have stagnated, and focus only on federal income taxes as the source of their woes, even as the cost of government is simply shifted into other areas. Anyway, as Klein notes, that disconnect may be the reason we are still moving slow on health care reform:
"That slumping line isn't normally called wages-minus-health-premiums. It's called wages. And most workers think stagnant wages mean their employer is paying them less. They don't know that the main reason for stagnant wages is that their wage increases are going to pay for their health insurance premiums. If they did -- if they realized that compensation is pretty much a zero-sum endeavor and their employers don't so much buy them health insurance as garnish their wages to pay for their health insurance -- you'd probably see a lot more general anger at rising health care costs."
June 5, 2009
Wiley Drake is back on the crazy
I started to write this post and the line "back on the crazy" came up as a former post title, so I went with it. But "crazy" kind of implies eccentric or kooky. This guy is much worse than that, as he shows when he says that he is praying for the President to die. Yep, another of his imprecatory prayers. At times, I wonder if God regrets that so many of his followers seem stuck in the OT vengeful God, and seem to have missed the entire message of Jesus. Not that I know exactly what that entire message is, but I am pretty sure that it isn't Wiley Drake.
Oh, and if that isn't bad enough, Drake says that he thinks that the Obama camp had Tiller killed to undermine the pro-life movement. Oh sure, he is glad the doctor is dead and had prayed for him to die too, but he thinks that the admin did it to further the pro-choice agenda.
As BB said when he sent this to me, "WTF?"
Oh, and if that isn't bad enough, Drake says that he thinks that the Obama camp had Tiller killed to undermine the pro-life movement. Oh sure, he is glad the doctor is dead and had prayed for him to die too, but he thinks that the admin did it to further the pro-choice agenda.
As BB said when he sent this to me, "WTF?"
June 4, 2009
June 3, 2009
Abortion wars
The murder of George Tiller has sparked a new debate about the abortion issue. Perhaps timely, I don't know. Fred at slacktivist has a great post on this which I recommend as a must read. It includes the video of Frank Schaeffer on the Rachel Maddow show talking about the fact that words have consequences, and the words he and others used in the 70s and 80s are partly responsible for this kind of violence.
As we discussed in the comments, this is not a first amendment issue. Randall Terry has the right to gloat over the death of this doctor, just as we have the right to be appalled and to find him contemptible. But Shaeffer and slacktivist make the same point--that once you have elevated the rhetoric on abortion to compare it to the Nazi Holocaust, and those who support it as the equivalent to Hitler, you know full well that some nutjob is going to take that to an extreme. You have taken the subtlety out of it. There is no more nuance or gray area--abortion becomes pure evil and you stand for pure good.
I didn't realize that our slacktivist writer came from that background (though his running series on the Left Behind books should have tipped me). I knew that Frank Schaeffer's late father was the Dr. Francis Shaeffer who helped radicalize the right, and even justified violence in response to Roe. Perhaps this post caught me at a tired moment this week, but I was reminded of my own small role in the religious right. Not really on the abortion debate--for whatever reason, that issue was not front and center in the churches of my youth--but in the presentation of absolute certainty. I just remember asserting absolute certainty on issues like homosexuality or abortion. It is interesting to read these other authors who came out of that kind of experience. At some point, that certainty became less understandable to me. For Fred, it was the realization that those mouthing the language of the holocaust either didn't mean any of it, or all of it. For me, it was driving through the poorest parts of Houston, and reading about failed attempts to provide decent pre and post natal care to the poor. No protestors. No religious right up in arms about the infant mortality rate of a developing nation. That was it for me.
I hope we can find someway to talk to each other. We are ill served by the public face of religion these days, and even less well served by the way the religious right has radicalized one of our two parties. We all want fewer unwanted children. We would hope for none. We all want that. Comparing abortion to the Holocaust isn't helping anyone except Randall Terry and the crazies.
As we discussed in the comments, this is not a first amendment issue. Randall Terry has the right to gloat over the death of this doctor, just as we have the right to be appalled and to find him contemptible. But Shaeffer and slacktivist make the same point--that once you have elevated the rhetoric on abortion to compare it to the Nazi Holocaust, and those who support it as the equivalent to Hitler, you know full well that some nutjob is going to take that to an extreme. You have taken the subtlety out of it. There is no more nuance or gray area--abortion becomes pure evil and you stand for pure good.
I didn't realize that our slacktivist writer came from that background (though his running series on the Left Behind books should have tipped me). I knew that Frank Schaeffer's late father was the Dr. Francis Shaeffer who helped radicalize the right, and even justified violence in response to Roe. Perhaps this post caught me at a tired moment this week, but I was reminded of my own small role in the religious right. Not really on the abortion debate--for whatever reason, that issue was not front and center in the churches of my youth--but in the presentation of absolute certainty. I just remember asserting absolute certainty on issues like homosexuality or abortion. It is interesting to read these other authors who came out of that kind of experience. At some point, that certainty became less understandable to me. For Fred, it was the realization that those mouthing the language of the holocaust either didn't mean any of it, or all of it. For me, it was driving through the poorest parts of Houston, and reading about failed attempts to provide decent pre and post natal care to the poor. No protestors. No religious right up in arms about the infant mortality rate of a developing nation. That was it for me.
I hope we can find someway to talk to each other. We are ill served by the public face of religion these days, and even less well served by the way the religious right has radicalized one of our two parties. We all want fewer unwanted children. We would hope for none. We all want that. Comparing abortion to the Holocaust isn't helping anyone except Randall Terry and the crazies.
June 2, 2009
June 1, 2009
Back. Bleary-eyed, and avoiding grading, but back
Week three of intersession starts today. On the remodel, the framing will be inspected this week, and we might do heat and air, electrical, and even start insulation and dry wall. Or not. Who the hell knows?
*****
There was a lot in the news last week. I hope to catch up on some of it. Some was stupid--like some conservatives complaining about how Sonia Sotomayor pronounced her name, or that she actually likes Puerto Rican food. In fact, the Sotomayor nomination appears to be a real problem for the Republicans. They cannot figure out how to respond, and we even have Senator Cornyn telling Newt, et al., that calling Sotomayor a racist is inappropriate. Newt, of course, responded with more claims that Sotmayor is a racist.
But this morning, I was reminded of the news of an abortion doctor, shot down in church. Shot as he was serving as an usher in church. They now have a suspect in custody, but one of the reasons we have this kind of domestic terrorism is the rhetoric of abortion as murder.
Shot in church.
Sigh.
*****
There was a lot in the news last week. I hope to catch up on some of it. Some was stupid--like some conservatives complaining about how Sonia Sotomayor pronounced her name, or that she actually likes Puerto Rican food. In fact, the Sotomayor nomination appears to be a real problem for the Republicans. They cannot figure out how to respond, and we even have Senator Cornyn telling Newt, et al., that calling Sotomayor a racist is inappropriate. Newt, of course, responded with more claims that Sotmayor is a racist.
But this morning, I was reminded of the news of an abortion doctor, shot down in church. Shot as he was serving as an usher in church. They now have a suspect in custody, but one of the reasons we have this kind of domestic terrorism is the rhetoric of abortion as murder.
Shot in church.
Sigh.
May 26, 2009
Obama To Pick Sotomayor For Supreme Court
Today at 10:15 eastern. If confirmed, she will be the third female and first Hispanic on the bench. Thoughts on how the Republicans will paint this as somehow undermining the traditional family?
May 23, 2009
Patriot Bible?
Ugh.
From our friend Bruce Prescott, this story about a publication of The American Patriot's Bible, (because their version is different than the commie version, I guess).
From our friend Bruce Prescott, this story about a publication of The American Patriot's Bible, (because their version is different than the commie version, I guess).
Greg Boyd, author of The Myth of a Christian Nation, also criticized the publication as "one of the most disturbing things I've ever witnessed coming from a Christian publishing house." In particular, Boyd objects to the mixing of nationalist war images with the Gospels.Not sure I can say how much this disgusts me.
"Most remarkably, each Gospel (The Good News of Jesus Christ!) opens with a picture that includes soldiers struggling to raise a flag under the words 'In God We Trust,'" noted Boyd, senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn. "When you consider the uniform and emphatic teaching of Christ and the New Testament authors that followers of Jesus are called to love and do good to our enemies, laying down our lives for them if necessary, this overt celebration of America's violent victories over our national enemies is absolutely stunning."
May 22, 2009
Now, if only Cheney would try this out
I remember when Dick Cheney referred to waterboarding as a "no brainer," and still run into conservatives who defend waterboarding and other torture. Cheney's impact is felt all around the country, especially when you hear someone like Elizabeth Hasselback tell Jesse Ventura that "torture is wrong, but enhanced interrogation techniques are different." Elsewhere on Jesse's tour (and I really hate quoting Ventura as some kind of voice of reason), those dweebs at Fox and Friends defended torture because of the evil men we fight.
Sigh.
Then yesterday, we see Dick Cheney defending torture in his non-stop tour to, well, I have no clue. Is he trying to actually get us to do more waterboarding? Waterboarding that even his boss stopped authorizing toward the end of his term? Is he trying to control the debate on their legacy? Is he trying to avoid war crimes charges?
Either way, I see Dick Cheney and feel a chill as if we are seeing something spectacularly soul-less right before our eyes. I don't know that he is evil, but he has certainly encouraged and defended evil.
Today, I read that ridiculous right-wing radio jock "Mancow" decided to allow himself to be waterboarded to prove that it was no big deal. He didn't last more than a few seconds and said that it was absolutely torture. This, by the way, with no additional stress, no sleep deprivation or hypothermia, and with an EMT standing by to make sure he was ok. And, of course, with people he knew didn't want to kill him.
Next up on the table, Mr. Cheney? I have to say, that as much as I despise the former VP, I would never wish that on any human being. I certainly would not waterboard him. I just wish he would stop saying it was fine to do.
Sigh.
Then yesterday, we see Dick Cheney defending torture in his non-stop tour to, well, I have no clue. Is he trying to actually get us to do more waterboarding? Waterboarding that even his boss stopped authorizing toward the end of his term? Is he trying to control the debate on their legacy? Is he trying to avoid war crimes charges?
Either way, I see Dick Cheney and feel a chill as if we are seeing something spectacularly soul-less right before our eyes. I don't know that he is evil, but he has certainly encouraged and defended evil.
Today, I read that ridiculous right-wing radio jock "Mancow" decided to allow himself to be waterboarded to prove that it was no big deal. He didn't last more than a few seconds and said that it was absolutely torture. This, by the way, with no additional stress, no sleep deprivation or hypothermia, and with an EMT standing by to make sure he was ok. And, of course, with people he knew didn't want to kill him.
Next up on the table, Mr. Cheney? I have to say, that as much as I despise the former VP, I would never wish that on any human being. I certainly would not waterboard him. I just wish he would stop saying it was fine to do.
May 20, 2009
Gitmo over-reactions
No, not about Gitmo itself, but about those detainees. I am very disappointed with Republicans and far too many Democrats who are talking about "releasing these inmates into our communities." We are not talking about moving KSM and other known terrorists into half-way houses in Oklahoma City. We are talking about putting them in SuperMax Federal pens where, among other very hardened criminals, we already house known terrorists.
What does it say about America that we are so scared of these terrorists that even shackled and locked under glass, we are still afraid of them? Doesn't it suggest that we are giving them far too much power over ourselves and giving them exactly the kind of status they want?
As Jon Stewart joked last night, we have guys who have committed canibalism. We have guys like the Unabomber and even the co-conspirator for the Oklahoma City bombing--all in federal stir.
Come on!
What does it say about America that we are so scared of these terrorists that even shackled and locked under glass, we are still afraid of them? Doesn't it suggest that we are giving them far too much power over ourselves and giving them exactly the kind of status they want?
As Jon Stewart joked last night, we have guys who have committed canibalism. We have guys like the Unabomber and even the co-conspirator for the Oklahoma City bombing--all in federal stir.
Come on!
May 19, 2009
Ok, one more
Because we live in weird times, let me note that one of the voices of reason this week has been Jessie Ventura. That's right:
And since we are quoting people like Jessie, let me note that the season finale of 30 Rock seems to have inspired a lot of blog posts on the best Tracy Jordan Lines. There are so many. Just so many.
"Yes, and I was waterboarded [in training] so I know... It is torture...I'll put it to you this way: You give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders"
And since we are quoting people like Jessie, let me note that the season finale of 30 Rock seems to have inspired a lot of blog posts on the best Tracy Jordan Lines. There are so many. Just so many.
A few items
As I am completely worn out from teaching intersession.
First, the news that the GOP is losing ground in every demographic except for church goers and those over 65.
Though, I have to say that given some other stories, I am not surprised. Michael Steele pronounced today that the the era of apologizing for Republican mistakes is over. As every other blogger has suggested, I missed those apologies. You know, when Republicans apologized for torture or two wars...
And then this must read from GQ about Donald Rumsfeld and his penchant for using Crusade style Biblical quotes to adorn updates from the Iraq war. Why? Because President Bush liked that kind of stuff. He liked the Biblical quotes about the "full armor of God" while he authorized the torture of detainees. Read this story. It will make you regret the last Sec Def, and be amazed at the CINC who refused to fire him.
Pathetic.
If this is the GOP, then they should be losing supporters.
First, the news that the GOP is losing ground in every demographic except for church goers and those over 65.
Compared to 2001, when George W. Bush first took office as president, GOP self-identification has fallen by ten points among college graduates, nine points among those 18-29 years of age, nine points in the Midwest, six in the East, five in the West, and even four points in the South. Married people identifying as Republicans have decreased by five points, and the difference is eight points among the unmarried. The list goes on and on.Interesting.
Though, I have to say that given some other stories, I am not surprised. Michael Steele pronounced today that the the era of apologizing for Republican mistakes is over. As every other blogger has suggested, I missed those apologies. You know, when Republicans apologized for torture or two wars...
And then this must read from GQ about Donald Rumsfeld and his penchant for using Crusade style Biblical quotes to adorn updates from the Iraq war. Why? Because President Bush liked that kind of stuff. He liked the Biblical quotes about the "full armor of God" while he authorized the torture of detainees. Read this story. It will make you regret the last Sec Def, and be amazed at the CINC who refused to fire him.
Pathetic.
If this is the GOP, then they should be losing supporters.
May 16, 2009
Saturday and Music
I started to blog this morning. I know it has been a while. And I was in a sour mood this morning. Stressful week, and just wiped out, I guess. Or maybe anticipating my birthday tomorrow. So I started to blog about the things that have really annoyed me this week--mostly having to do with the fact that Republicans have decided that Nancy Pelosi knowing about torture is worse than Dick Cheney authorizing torture. That still seems like a pretty stupid thing to suggest.
But I decided to post on music instead. Why focus on torturing Republicans and weak Democrats when I can focus on something that gives me hope?
So here is a long overdue post on the music I have been listening to or obtained of late. And btw, if you are wondering how I afford to buy so much music, I don't. I subscribe to Emusic and for the cost of one album per month, I download 50 individual songs. Much of my new music comes from that service. And then I occasionally purchase individual albums. (If you are interested, you can either go browse, or send me an email and I will send you an invite. If you decide to stay with Emusic and subscribe, I get free downloads. But I have plenty, so do what you want.)
Ok, so here are the albums I have been listening to from Emusic.
1) Jeffrey Foucault's cover album of John Prine songs, Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes. Long a Prine fan, I must say I love this album. Foucault's voice is smoky and perfectly fit for folk music. I am least happy with his cover of "Speed of the Sound of Lonliness" (which Nancy Griffith covered very well, btw), but have just found myself listening to this album over and over.
2) Greg Laswell, Three Flights From Alto Nido. The guy at my local liquor store mentioned Laswell, and I have enjoyed this album very much.
3) Gomez, A New Tide. I have really loved some of this bands old stuff, though would not put it in any classic territory. This album is in that vein, but very enjoyable.
4) Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels. This group is really growing on me. Very smooth and folky, with nice harmonies. Another very enjoyable little gem.
5) Samantha Crain, Songs in the Night. Oklahoma and Native singer Samantha Crain is pretty impressive. I downloaded her EP and liked it, but this album is better.
6) Raul Malo, Lucky One. Not my usual fare, but I just love this Maverick's lead singer's voice. Think Roy Orbison, and not all of the songs are great, but the voice is always impressive.
7) And I should have put this higher, but Mark Erelli's Delivered is one of my favorites. We saw him locally several years ago, and just loved his show. This album is very solid with a couple of great driving tunes--a bit more rock and roll than I expected from a folkie, but that is not a complaint. Mark is great and you should catch him when you can.
Now for the few albums I have purchased of late.
1) Slaid Cleaves, Everything you love will be taken from you. Dark album, don't get me wrong, but Slaid is one of those genuinely great folk artists or singer/songwriters that more people should hear. This album is very good, and the lead song "Cry" is amazing. We saw him last fall here in Norman. I purchased this album directly from his website because I like to support artists like him. Slaid is the gold standard, really, and his voice is so good live it will make you cry.
2) I have not listened to this album all the way through yet, but have been anticipating Steve Earle's album of Townes Van Zant covers for sometime. And if you notice, the price from Amazon's mp3 download is pretty hard to beat. As of this writing, it is $3 for the entire album. Hard to beat that price. I love Townes writing, but really prefer his music covered by other people. Steve Earle was very close to the man, and the songs I have heard show that kind of connection.
Ok. Enough for now. Lot of good music out there. I just now clicked the download button for the new Scott Miller album. Will let you know. Wilco has a new album out the end of June.
Peace, and listen to more music.
But I decided to post on music instead. Why focus on torturing Republicans and weak Democrats when I can focus on something that gives me hope?
So here is a long overdue post on the music I have been listening to or obtained of late. And btw, if you are wondering how I afford to buy so much music, I don't. I subscribe to Emusic and for the cost of one album per month, I download 50 individual songs. Much of my new music comes from that service. And then I occasionally purchase individual albums. (If you are interested, you can either go browse, or send me an email and I will send you an invite. If you decide to stay with Emusic and subscribe, I get free downloads. But I have plenty, so do what you want.)
Ok, so here are the albums I have been listening to from Emusic.
1) Jeffrey Foucault's cover album of John Prine songs, Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes. Long a Prine fan, I must say I love this album. Foucault's voice is smoky and perfectly fit for folk music. I am least happy with his cover of "Speed of the Sound of Lonliness" (which Nancy Griffith covered very well, btw), but have just found myself listening to this album over and over.
2) Greg Laswell, Three Flights From Alto Nido. The guy at my local liquor store mentioned Laswell, and I have enjoyed this album very much.
3) Gomez, A New Tide. I have really loved some of this bands old stuff, though would not put it in any classic territory. This album is in that vein, but very enjoyable.
4) Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels. This group is really growing on me. Very smooth and folky, with nice harmonies. Another very enjoyable little gem.
5) Samantha Crain, Songs in the Night. Oklahoma and Native singer Samantha Crain is pretty impressive. I downloaded her EP and liked it, but this album is better.
6) Raul Malo, Lucky One. Not my usual fare, but I just love this Maverick's lead singer's voice. Think Roy Orbison, and not all of the songs are great, but the voice is always impressive.
7) And I should have put this higher, but Mark Erelli's Delivered is one of my favorites. We saw him locally several years ago, and just loved his show. This album is very solid with a couple of great driving tunes--a bit more rock and roll than I expected from a folkie, but that is not a complaint. Mark is great and you should catch him when you can.
Now for the few albums I have purchased of late.
1) Slaid Cleaves, Everything you love will be taken from you. Dark album, don't get me wrong, but Slaid is one of those genuinely great folk artists or singer/songwriters that more people should hear. This album is very good, and the lead song "Cry" is amazing. We saw him last fall here in Norman. I purchased this album directly from his website because I like to support artists like him. Slaid is the gold standard, really, and his voice is so good live it will make you cry.
2) I have not listened to this album all the way through yet, but have been anticipating Steve Earle's album of Townes Van Zant covers for sometime. And if you notice, the price from Amazon's mp3 download is pretty hard to beat. As of this writing, it is $3 for the entire album. Hard to beat that price. I love Townes writing, but really prefer his music covered by other people. Steve Earle was very close to the man, and the songs I have heard show that kind of connection.
Ok. Enough for now. Lot of good music out there. I just now clicked the download button for the new Scott Miller album. Will let you know. Wilco has a new album out the end of June.
Peace, and listen to more music.
May 9, 2009
Democrats in Congress and torture
I have been hammered by two people of late saying that since Pelosi was briefed on torture, that somehow it changes the scenario. I am unsure why that is the case. Say Pelosi and others were briefed? Does that change the fundamental error and immorality of the Bush people's decision to torture? No. It simply adds more to the list of people that should be held accountable in some manner.
I am with Sullivan on this. We need some kind of independent investigation. Let's air it out, and find out who authorized the torture of others. If that net includes Nancy Pelosi, then so be it.
I am with Sullivan on this. We need some kind of independent investigation. Let's air it out, and find out who authorized the torture of others. If that net includes Nancy Pelosi, then so be it.
Interesting new book on evangelicalism
By Warren Cole Smith:
Other themes that look interesting include "the Christian Industrial complex--examining a Christian retail industry that generates billions." That has been an interest of mine for a long time.
I may have to preorder this book.
"'American evangelicalism, for all the good it has done, is in need of a modern reformation,' Smith states. 'There is something toxic in the soil of the evangelical garden, and the poison has been building up over time, tainting everything. It is evident in our quick condemnation of homosexuality or alcohol or gambling, but our indulgence of greed and envy in the form of careerism. It's there in the hypocrisy of religious-right political leaders quick (and right) to condemn big government and its corrupting power, but who think that the big ministries and megachurches they have created are somehow immune to the same corrupting power.'"
Other themes that look interesting include "the Christian Industrial complex--examining a Christian retail industry that generates billions." That has been an interest of mine for a long time.
I may have to preorder this book.
May 8, 2009
National Day of Prayer
Was yesterday, I believe. Not that I have anything against prayer (though I am not sure I understand it), but I have always found these public days and public displays off-putting. Evidently, Colbert understands and has a wonderful critique of the day.
"By closing the door on his prayers, Obama is letting us down almost as much as Jesus did, when he said in the Gospel of Matthew: 'Whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door.'"
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Clasp Your Hands Say Yahweh | ||||
| ||||
Gay marriage
Eugene Robsinson says it is time for Obama to support it, and the New England states (plus Iowa) are already heading down that path.
I have been fascinated to watch this story change. From 2004 when the specter of gay marriage helped get religious conservatives to the polls, to the defeat of gay marriage in supposedly liberal California, the issue seemed to be some kind of third-rail for American culture. But as states have slowly allowed it, Americans, I think, have seen that it has not led to some kind of catastrophic scenario, and it is getting harder to scare people about gays marrying leading to social disorder or decay. It is a hot button issue, to be sure, as several recent controversies prove.
First, was the "hate crimes" legislation before congress. The Family Research Council sent out all sorts of scary mailings telling people that if this bill passed, it would make pastors in the US subject to criminal prosecution if they preach against homosexuality. I read the bill in question, and it is specifically addressed to physical violence, and also specifically and explicitly says that the bill would not limit First Amendment protected free speech. We can argue about the idea of "hate crimes" but shouldn't that argument at least be on the merits, and not on some fantasy of the right?
Second, was this bizarre storyline about Miss California, Carrie Prejean, who, I guess, spoke out against gay marriage in her pageant. The response was predictable and stupid, with the left calling her a bigot and pointing to mildly risque modeling photos the young woman took years ago as proof of her hypocrisy (whatever) and the right (along with Ms. Prejean) claiming that this was just an attack on her Christian faith. (I like Feministing's take on the photos as an attempt to fight homophobia by invoking the misogyny of shaming Ms Prejean as some kind of "slut.")
Perhaps it is time for us to move past the beauty pageants, for one thing. But that is for another time, I guess.
Here are my predictions. 1) Gay marriage will happen. I think it is just a matter of time.
2) The right wing will be apoplectic and try to scare people with images of open fornication in public and human's marrying animals, but gay marriage will happen.
3) The right will even threaten to secede, or invoke "nullification." Oops, they are already doing that over a 3% tax increase.
4) Gay marriage will not change America one bit, except to perhaps communicate that we can move past this. Straight people will still get married and divorced in large numbers. The right will either cede this and start focusing on the incredibly high divorce rate of its own people, or it will beat itself into further irrelevance by railing against that gay couple down the block who are just about the best neighbors you could ask for.
Can't we all just get along? :)
I have been fascinated to watch this story change. From 2004 when the specter of gay marriage helped get religious conservatives to the polls, to the defeat of gay marriage in supposedly liberal California, the issue seemed to be some kind of third-rail for American culture. But as states have slowly allowed it, Americans, I think, have seen that it has not led to some kind of catastrophic scenario, and it is getting harder to scare people about gays marrying leading to social disorder or decay. It is a hot button issue, to be sure, as several recent controversies prove.
First, was the "hate crimes" legislation before congress. The Family Research Council sent out all sorts of scary mailings telling people that if this bill passed, it would make pastors in the US subject to criminal prosecution if they preach against homosexuality. I read the bill in question, and it is specifically addressed to physical violence, and also specifically and explicitly says that the bill would not limit First Amendment protected free speech. We can argue about the idea of "hate crimes" but shouldn't that argument at least be on the merits, and not on some fantasy of the right?
Second, was this bizarre storyline about Miss California, Carrie Prejean, who, I guess, spoke out against gay marriage in her pageant. The response was predictable and stupid, with the left calling her a bigot and pointing to mildly risque modeling photos the young woman took years ago as proof of her hypocrisy (whatever) and the right (along with Ms. Prejean) claiming that this was just an attack on her Christian faith. (I like Feministing's take on the photos as an attempt to fight homophobia by invoking the misogyny of shaming Ms Prejean as some kind of "slut.")
Perhaps it is time for us to move past the beauty pageants, for one thing. But that is for another time, I guess.
Here are my predictions. 1) Gay marriage will happen. I think it is just a matter of time.
2) The right wing will be apoplectic and try to scare people with images of open fornication in public and human's marrying animals, but gay marriage will happen.
3) The right will even threaten to secede, or invoke "nullification." Oops, they are already doing that over a 3% tax increase.
4) Gay marriage will not change America one bit, except to perhaps communicate that we can move past this. Straight people will still get married and divorced in large numbers. The right will either cede this and start focusing on the incredibly high divorce rate of its own people, or it will beat itself into further irrelevance by railing against that gay couple down the block who are just about the best neighbors you could ask for.
Can't we all just get along? :)
May 7, 2009
Couple of things
As I once argued, one of Bush's legacies will be how he undermined the credibility of conservative evangelicals. This new poll suggests some early indications with young people avoiding church in record numbers--partially, at least, because they associate going to church with being politically conservative. Chickens roosting, in other words. As I have expressed many times and many places, growing up evangelical, I understand the concern about a believer's witness, and remember it being invoked to suggest that people should not drink beer or do other things that might lead another person astray. Much of that, I always thought, was over the top, but I still wonder where that sentiment is when the most visible evangelical authorizes the torture of other human beings, and the evangelical church supports that torture in the highest numbers?
On torture, btw, I am more inclined to accept the argument that prosecutions would result in a very messy result. I am still a bit annoyed that conservatives seem perfectly willing to proceed with a clearly partisan prosecution (Clinton, for example) but invoke the horror of partisan prosecution to protect torturers.
But the real problem for conservatives right now is that they are not clearly opposed to torture. As I see it, conservatives are divided into roughly three groups. The first says that torture is wrong and always wrong, but can't quite stop themselves from asking the ticking time bomb question. The second group says that torture is wrong, but what if it works? And the third group just openly embraces our torture because they believe the enemy is so evil that it doesn't matter. Think Rush Limbaugh in that spot, but many at the NRO have openly defended waterboarding.
Republicans and conservatives don't know what to do with all of these different groups, and until they do, they will struggle with this issue of torture. They need someone to stand up to the Rush Limbaugh wing and denounce their open embrace of torture. Call it their Sister Souljah moment, if you will. But unlike Clinton's rather theatrical and artificial denunciation of the good Sister, the problem with conservatives is that their movement has been so identified around loyalty to conservatives, that anyone who speaks out against other conservatives is, by definition, no longer conservative, and therefore lacks the credibility to critique the movement.
On torture, btw, I am more inclined to accept the argument that prosecutions would result in a very messy result. I am still a bit annoyed that conservatives seem perfectly willing to proceed with a clearly partisan prosecution (Clinton, for example) but invoke the horror of partisan prosecution to protect torturers.
But the real problem for conservatives right now is that they are not clearly opposed to torture. As I see it, conservatives are divided into roughly three groups. The first says that torture is wrong and always wrong, but can't quite stop themselves from asking the ticking time bomb question. The second group says that torture is wrong, but what if it works? And the third group just openly embraces our torture because they believe the enemy is so evil that it doesn't matter. Think Rush Limbaugh in that spot, but many at the NRO have openly defended waterboarding.
Republicans and conservatives don't know what to do with all of these different groups, and until they do, they will struggle with this issue of torture. They need someone to stand up to the Rush Limbaugh wing and denounce their open embrace of torture. Call it their Sister Souljah moment, if you will. But unlike Clinton's rather theatrical and artificial denunciation of the good Sister, the problem with conservatives is that their movement has been so identified around loyalty to conservatives, that anyone who speaks out against other conservatives is, by definition, no longer conservative, and therefore lacks the credibility to critique the movement.
May 1, 2009
New Wilco cover of a Guthrie tune
You can download it here and contribute to the Woody Guthrie foundation, or there are other options for the unemployed or broke. My favorite option is this one:
Heh.
I am/was a banker/hedge fund manager/credit default swap trader. I know times are tough, but I'm just fine thank you. (Suggested minimum donation $100.00)
Not good news for evangelicals on morality
At least from my perspective. This Pew Forum poll examines the breakdown of how Americans approach torture. They break down the question to can torture be justified, "often, sometimes, rarely, or never."
Overall, 49% of Americans say that torture can be often or sometimes justified. I find that number rather appalling. But then when you see how it breaks down by religion and church attendance. 62% of white Evangelical protestants say that torture can be often or sometimes justified, and include the lowest percentage (16%) who say that torture can never be justified. Mainline protestants are on the other end of the scale, with 46% often or sometimes, and 31% saying never. Those who attend church at least weekly support torture more than those who do not attend church at all.
I don't think this poll reflects very well on us as a country, to be honest, but am just amazed at how evangelicals respond to this question. It explains why that group stayed with Bush, but does not bode well for those who claim to be part of the "moral values" voting bloc.
Overall, 49% of Americans say that torture can be often or sometimes justified. I find that number rather appalling. But then when you see how it breaks down by religion and church attendance. 62% of white Evangelical protestants say that torture can be often or sometimes justified, and include the lowest percentage (16%) who say that torture can never be justified. Mainline protestants are on the other end of the scale, with 46% often or sometimes, and 31% saying never. Those who attend church at least weekly support torture more than those who do not attend church at all.
I don't think this poll reflects very well on us as a country, to be honest, but am just amazed at how evangelicals respond to this question. It explains why that group stayed with Bush, but does not bode well for those who claim to be part of the "moral values" voting bloc.
April 29, 2009
Sigh
I watched the Daily Show's interview with Cliff May. You can watch the entire thing at their website if you want. It was infuriating to watch, and I am reminded why I dislike Cliff May. It isn't just that he rationalized and defends torture (though he claims he is anti-torture), but because he cheats with his arguments. He presents Geneva Conventions as if they required us to start our interrogation with KSM by asking his name, rank, and serial number. No one is arguing that, and he further argued that according to the Geneva Conventions, we could not make prisoners even uncomfortable or bored, as if there is no Common Article 3, and as if there is no problem with humiliating and degrading treatment. A good example of his disingenuous style of arguing, can be found on the NRO last night when talking about the show:
"Jon kept talking as though the war we’re fighting, defending ourselves against the militant Islamist jihad, is over. It is not.Jon did not suggest that we have no enemies, and he did not suggest that our conflict with terrorism is over. He isn't an idiot (though I suspect that May is). Further, he never, and no one has argued that all we have to do to captured terrorists is ask them their name and rank. This straw man style of argumentation may be the only way to defend torture and the torturers, but it is annoying as hell.
And the policy he prefers – granting full Geneva protections even to al-Qaeda leaders we know possess knowledge of future attacks, which really means asking (nicely) only name, rank and serial number — is a return to the policy we had in place after the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center."
April 28, 2009
Tuesday and a post-op dog in pain, but recovering
Been a bit of a stressful day. Had to take my dog (Streak) into the vet to have an abscessed tooth removed. He is home now and the removal went fine, but the poor little guy is completely out of his head and in pain. He is sleeping right now. Man, I hate that. I hate seeing animals confused and in pain. But he will be better in a few days.
----
Busy day in news, of course. Swine flu capturing a lot of attention and anxiety, and deservedly so. Any student of history is well aware of the past outbreaks and just how serious they can be. I am glad to see Americans--and the rest of the world--taking this one seriously, even if it produces some inconsistencies along the way. Yesterday, Rick Perry, who has been threatening secession to woo his idiot base, asked the feds for extra doses of anti-virals in preparation for the outbreak. Perfectly reasonable and prudent, but not terribly consistent with the anti-washington mantra the right has perpetrated over the last 20 years. If the government is evil and the enemy, then shouldn't Texas be responsible for their hurricanes, fires, borders, and viruses? Why are they taking tax money from hard working Oklahomans?
Of course, when speaking about the swine flu and unbelievable stupidity, it is hard to match Michelle Bachmann, who suggested that swine flu outbreaks occur under Democratic presidents. You know. Like Gerald Ford. She is so dumb it really hurts to watch. Not much dumber, of course, than the leader of Concerned Women for America, who suggested that the Democrats were hyping the swine flu to get Kathleen Sebelius confirmed as HHS Secretary. Ouch. That hurts too.
Michael Steele didn't exactly show himself well, as he defended Republican opposition to pandemic preparedness under the stimulus with the defense of: "we didn't know about the pandemic threat when we voted that way." Kind of the point, Michael. Sort of like spending money on volcano monitoring.
Of course, it is not a great time to be a Republican. Polls showed yesterday that those identifying as Republicans has fallen to a 25 year low. That kind of thing is cyclical. I remember when being a Democrat was not very popular. But the GOP is not showing itself very well right now. They seem to be diluting themselves down to the very craziest of the crazy. Sorry, but that is how it looks. Those who don't listen to Limbaugh or dare to criticize him are not welcome in the party any more.
Take Arlen Spector, who switched parties today. Again, I remember the cycles. I remember when Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched the other way. I resented it then, very much. And I can understand those who resent Spector's change. More indicative than Spector's switch (which has more to do with the Pennsylvania primary than anything else) is how one of his moderate Republican colleagues, Olympia Snowe, responded.
I am under no illusions that his switch will dramatically change the landscape of the national political battle. Democrats are not like Republicans, they include a lot of different camps--and camps that vote their own mind. Republicans seem to get lockstep support, while Evan Bayh and other Democrats go against their party routinely. But it is not a good day for Republicans.
-----
And just a reminder that the the right continues to defend torture. So much so that they can no longer clearly identify torture done to Americans in the past. And now they are asking if torture is any worse than warfare itself. Larison responds:
Sigh.
I am going to tend to my dog. Him, I get.
----
Busy day in news, of course. Swine flu capturing a lot of attention and anxiety, and deservedly so. Any student of history is well aware of the past outbreaks and just how serious they can be. I am glad to see Americans--and the rest of the world--taking this one seriously, even if it produces some inconsistencies along the way. Yesterday, Rick Perry, who has been threatening secession to woo his idiot base, asked the feds for extra doses of anti-virals in preparation for the outbreak. Perfectly reasonable and prudent, but not terribly consistent with the anti-washington mantra the right has perpetrated over the last 20 years. If the government is evil and the enemy, then shouldn't Texas be responsible for their hurricanes, fires, borders, and viruses? Why are they taking tax money from hard working Oklahomans?
Of course, when speaking about the swine flu and unbelievable stupidity, it is hard to match Michelle Bachmann, who suggested that swine flu outbreaks occur under Democratic presidents. You know. Like Gerald Ford. She is so dumb it really hurts to watch. Not much dumber, of course, than the leader of Concerned Women for America, who suggested that the Democrats were hyping the swine flu to get Kathleen Sebelius confirmed as HHS Secretary. Ouch. That hurts too.
Michael Steele didn't exactly show himself well, as he defended Republican opposition to pandemic preparedness under the stimulus with the defense of: "we didn't know about the pandemic threat when we voted that way." Kind of the point, Michael. Sort of like spending money on volcano monitoring.
Of course, it is not a great time to be a Republican. Polls showed yesterday that those identifying as Republicans has fallen to a 25 year low. That kind of thing is cyclical. I remember when being a Democrat was not very popular. But the GOP is not showing itself very well right now. They seem to be diluting themselves down to the very craziest of the crazy. Sorry, but that is how it looks. Those who don't listen to Limbaugh or dare to criticize him are not welcome in the party any more.
Take Arlen Spector, who switched parties today. Again, I remember the cycles. I remember when Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched the other way. I resented it then, very much. And I can understand those who resent Spector's change. More indicative than Spector's switch (which has more to do with the Pennsylvania primary than anything else) is how one of his moderate Republican colleagues, Olympia Snowe, responded.
Specter's switch to the Democratic Party "underscores the blunt reality" that the GOP is not a welcome place for moderates, she said.If you are a Republican grownup, you have to look at this kind of change and wonder what is happening to your party.
So far, she said, she's staying put. "I believe in the traditional tenets of the Republican Party: strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, individual opportunity. I haven't abandoned those principles that have been the essence of the Republican Party. I think the Republican Party has abandoned those principles.
I am under no illusions that his switch will dramatically change the landscape of the national political battle. Democrats are not like Republicans, they include a lot of different camps--and camps that vote their own mind. Republicans seem to get lockstep support, while Evan Bayh and other Democrats go against their party routinely. But it is not a good day for Republicans.
-----
And just a reminder that the the right continues to defend torture. So much so that they can no longer clearly identify torture done to Americans in the past. And now they are asking if torture is any worse than warfare itself. Larison responds:
I have started doubting whether people who are openly pro-torture or engaged in the sophistry of Manzi’s post are part of the same moral universe as I am, and I have wondered whether there is even a point in contesting such torture apologia as if they were reasonable arguments deserving of real consideration. Such fundamental assumptions at the core of our civilization should not have to be re-stated or justified anew, and the fact that they have to be is evidence of how deeply corrupted our political life has become, but if such basic norms are not reinforced it seems clear that they will be leeched away over time.And we get a nice little hypocritical quote from our former President:
"War crimes will be prosecuted, war criminals will be punished and it will be no defense to say, 'I was just following orders,"Unfortunately, Obama seems to think that following orders is a "get out of jail free" card as well. And we know what the Republicans think--that prosecution of torture enablers is pure politics.
Sigh.
I am going to tend to my dog. Him, I get.
April 26, 2009
Republicans still defending torture
And David Frum has been one of the few reasonable right wingers of late. Even he says that torture might be ok if it works. This morning on "Wait, wait, don't tell me," someone joked that this debate was similar to the shoplifter arguing, "call it what you will, but look at all this stuff I got!."
Just amazes me that the people who criticized liberals for their moral relativism, now embracing the tactics of the former Soviet Union and third world dictators. And, as Joan Walsh points out here, Ronald Reagan was notoriously soft on terrorists and too concerned about the rights of evil people to torture them.
Sigh.
Just amazes me that the people who criticized liberals for their moral relativism, now embracing the tactics of the former Soviet Union and third world dictators. And, as Joan Walsh points out here, Ronald Reagan was notoriously soft on terrorists and too concerned about the rights of evil people to torture them.
Sigh.
And speaking of stupidity
Texas Governor Rick Perry has smartly requested federal assistance as a precaution for the swine flu. That part is smart. But didn't he just threaten to secede to great cheers from his Texas Republican brethren? Because the Federal Government is inept and always inefficient and taxes are bad and regulation is bad and federal agencies are bad.....
I keep telling you. That great Republican gambit of claiming that government is evil has permeated into the base to the point that they have no clue how much they rely on and need the federal government. Even as they bash it.
I keep telling you. That great Republican gambit of claiming that government is evil has permeated into the base to the point that they have no clue how much they rely on and need the federal government. Even as they bash it.
Because sometimes stupidity hurts to watch
You have to check out Texas' own Joe Barton asking Steven Chu "how all that oil ended up under Alaska. Barton later brags on Twitter that he "baffled" the Nobel laureate. And I think he really did baffle Chu. Chu was genuinely baffled to such a question from a grown man.
I know Democrats have their share of stupid people. Trust me, I know. But Republicans seem to have elected more than their share. Way more.
The stupidity hurts...
I know Democrats have their share of stupid people. Trust me, I know. But Republicans seem to have elected more than their share. Way more.
The stupidity hurts...
Facebook Follies, volume 3ish
Been a little busy with the remodel (see SOF's blog accounting of this here), but Friday night we enjoyed dinner with our friends. During our conversation, I was reminded of another Facebook story.
As i have previously mentioned, I have reconnected with some high school friends on Facebook. Some of those interactions have been positive, but most have been brief and meaningless, and a few have been weird. One, as I noted, occurred when I reconnected with a friend from high school, and then experienced a bit of flashback when he criticized, or mocked, my music tastes. My insecurity kicked in, and I thought to myself, "maybe my music tastes are lame." Irrational, in that music tastes are completely subjective, and further because it really doesn't matter if my old friend likes my music or not. We like it, and that is all that matters.
Well, last week, I opened my email one Friday morning to find that Wilco is coming to OKC this summer. I immediately purchased tickets and posted as much on my Facebook page. Several of my friends either proclaimed their jealousy, cheered our decision, or said they were going too. But my old high school bud--the same one who had suggested that my music tastes were lame when I was listening to the Fleet Foxes--asked "who is Wilco and why would you pay for it?"
Confession time. Just as my initial response to his first comment on my music taste was insecurity, this time it was different. I smiled and thought to myself: "He doesn't know Wilco?
No sin in not recognizing Wilco, mind you, but for someone who claims a bit of musical snobbery in the indie and alternative scene, it is a bit of a glaring omission. In some ways, my response was petty and juvenile, but in others, it was a good recognition that I didn't need to really care what my old high school friend thought of anything about my life.
Especially someone who mocks the Fleet Foxes, but doesn't even know about Wilco! :)
As i have previously mentioned, I have reconnected with some high school friends on Facebook. Some of those interactions have been positive, but most have been brief and meaningless, and a few have been weird. One, as I noted, occurred when I reconnected with a friend from high school, and then experienced a bit of flashback when he criticized, or mocked, my music tastes. My insecurity kicked in, and I thought to myself, "maybe my music tastes are lame." Irrational, in that music tastes are completely subjective, and further because it really doesn't matter if my old friend likes my music or not. We like it, and that is all that matters.
Well, last week, I opened my email one Friday morning to find that Wilco is coming to OKC this summer. I immediately purchased tickets and posted as much on my Facebook page. Several of my friends either proclaimed their jealousy, cheered our decision, or said they were going too. But my old high school bud--the same one who had suggested that my music tastes were lame when I was listening to the Fleet Foxes--asked "who is Wilco and why would you pay for it?"
Confession time. Just as my initial response to his first comment on my music taste was insecurity, this time it was different. I smiled and thought to myself: "He doesn't know Wilco?
No sin in not recognizing Wilco, mind you, but for someone who claims a bit of musical snobbery in the indie and alternative scene, it is a bit of a glaring omission. In some ways, my response was petty and juvenile, but in others, it was a good recognition that I didn't need to really care what my old high school friend thought of anything about my life.
Especially someone who mocks the Fleet Foxes, but doesn't even know about Wilco! :)
April 25, 2009
Smart Girl Politics?
A conservative women's movement, and their first interview is with Michelle Bachmann.
Um, I hate to break this to you, but if you interview Michelle Bachmann as a symbol of your movement, you will have to take the "smart" out of your title.
Um, I hate to break this to you, but if you interview Michelle Bachmann as a symbol of your movement, you will have to take the "smart" out of your title.
Someone in OK calls out the Oklahoma Republicans on the Flaming Lips and more
My state has not shown itself well of late, at least as seen through the legislature. They attacked Richard Dawkins' speaking on evolution, and have attempted to stop stem cell research in the state. They keep trying to promote voter id cards, and promoting their religious extremism. And let's not forget Sally Kern saying that my gay friends are a bigger threat than terrorism.
Jeesh.
One of the other realities of Oklahoma is that here in the OKC metro era, the local media has been dominated by right wingers for recent memory, and that has included our metro paper, the Daily Oklahoman--nickname, the Daily Disappointment. But, this morning, SOF sent me this video from the editor, calling out the Oklahoma Republicans for what they are. Amazing.
Jeesh.
One of the other realities of Oklahoma is that here in the OKC metro era, the local media has been dominated by right wingers for recent memory, and that has included our metro paper, the Daily Oklahoman--nickname, the Daily Disappointment. But, this morning, SOF sent me this video from the editor, calling out the Oklahoma Republicans for what they are. Amazing.
Who Defends ‘Torture’?
That is an amazingly easy (and sad) question to answer. And I apologize, by the way for the fact that this blog has become a constant flood of stories on torture. I am just amazed that torture has been turned into a "policy debate" about which reasonable people can disagree. You know, like the difference between a 36% tax rate for the highest earners and a 39% rate. Oh right, even that is considered "tyranny" by the right.
But not torture. Not torture. Watching and reading the blogs it is amazing how many people out there are defending these actions. Here is a partial list. And here, Chris Matthews interviews a Republican congressman who defends torture and further denies that anyone higher up ordered the same kind of atrocities at Abu Ghraib. (Even though retired Maj. General Antonio Taguba says otherwise. But as Yglesias notes, he is clearly some kind of hippy leftist.)
Liz Cheney told Norah O'Donnell that since we developed this program from SERE, and SERE was used on our own people, it cannot be torture. Watch Lawrence O'Donnell's head nearly asplode trying to make sense of such stupidity. (And here is O'Donnel on why Hannity thinks that torture works. Oh, I do love a righteous and well deserved rant!)
As I have said repeatedly, I grew up Republican and evangelical. I cannot tell you how disturbing it is to see those two groups endorsing the techniques of the former Soviet Union as compatible with American (or Christian) values. That is a disconnect that I am not sure I will ever reconcile. Truly astounding. And yet, each day, people from the right go on the media to assure us that, while they might not like those individual techniques, they were employed to make us safe by people acting in good faith. And further, those people should not be prosecuted by any court. They deserve a medal instead.
Sully quotes from AL
OU's own David Boren attended a briefing on our techniques and came away shaken.
Sully reminds us that when Bush introduced McCain at the RNC convention, he studiously avoided calling the VN treatment of McCain "torture." After all, if what the Vietnamese did to McCain was torture, then so was what Bush ordered, and Republicans now defend.
And here, a musical version of the torture memos. Chilling.
It is hard to not believe that the Republican party has become completely morally bankrupt. My own party has not shown itself particularly well either, but at least most of my party are not out there defending torture as moral and American. Until the Republican party repudiates torture, they will be the party OF torture.
I am a little sick.
But not torture. Not torture. Watching and reading the blogs it is amazing how many people out there are defending these actions. Here is a partial list. And here, Chris Matthews interviews a Republican congressman who defends torture and further denies that anyone higher up ordered the same kind of atrocities at Abu Ghraib. (Even though retired Maj. General Antonio Taguba says otherwise. But as Yglesias notes, he is clearly some kind of hippy leftist.)
Liz Cheney told Norah O'Donnell that since we developed this program from SERE, and SERE was used on our own people, it cannot be torture. Watch Lawrence O'Donnell's head nearly asplode trying to make sense of such stupidity. (And here is O'Donnel on why Hannity thinks that torture works. Oh, I do love a righteous and well deserved rant!)
As I have said repeatedly, I grew up Republican and evangelical. I cannot tell you how disturbing it is to see those two groups endorsing the techniques of the former Soviet Union as compatible with American (or Christian) values. That is a disconnect that I am not sure I will ever reconcile. Truly astounding. And yet, each day, people from the right go on the media to assure us that, while they might not like those individual techniques, they were employed to make us safe by people acting in good faith. And further, those people should not be prosecuted by any court. They deserve a medal instead.
Sully quotes from AL
...the Republican party has allowed itself to become a party of torture apologists. This is the kind of "analysis" that used to spill forth from the politburos of our communist enemies. It's really rather shocking to me that there aren't more conservatives out there who are embarrassed by this, that movement conservatives are so invested in protecting the reputation of the Bush administration that they're willing sign their names to this kind of morally bankrupt rationalization. It's beyond sad.It is beyond sad.
OU's own David Boren attended a briefing on our techniques and came away shaken.
Boren, who chaired the Senate intelligence committee from 1987 to 1993 and is now president of the University of Oklahoma, said that attending the briefings was "one of the most deeply disturbing experiences I have had" and that "I wanted to take a bath when I heard it. I was ashamed of it." He said he concluded that "fear was used to justify the use of techniques that violate our values and weaken our intelligence" and that the agency did not prove those methods "are particularly effective at getting the truth."
Sully reminds us that when Bush introduced McCain at the RNC convention, he studiously avoided calling the VN treatment of McCain "torture." After all, if what the Vietnamese did to McCain was torture, then so was what Bush ordered, and Republicans now defend.
And here, a musical version of the torture memos. Chilling.
It is hard to not believe that the Republican party has become completely morally bankrupt. My own party has not shown itself particularly well either, but at least most of my party are not out there defending torture as moral and American. Until the Republican party repudiates torture, they will be the party OF torture.
I am a little sick.
April 24, 2009
Our torture policy
And the more we learn about it, the worse it gets. Likewise, I might add, the more we see the right defending torture to a sickening degree. Some cling to the idea that what we did wasn't actually torture by downplaying stress positions and hypothermia and making jokes about getting slapped. But still others openly embrace our torture and say that the techniques honed in the KGB and Nazi regime are perfectly at home in our society--all because of the evil we fight. Techniques designed, of course, to elicit false confessions.
Sigh.
Now, as Obsidian Wings notes, we learn that the administration had very little knowledge of the history of the SERE program, and seemed to have no interest in learning. They simply wanted a program that would give them what they already believed. That is right, according to other reports, the torture was used to get proof of the connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda to justify the war. Hmm. Using a technique designed to produce false confessions? To get proof that didn't exist?
TPM interviewed a sleep expert who was very surprised to find his work on sleep deprivation quoted in some of these torture justifying memos. The guy was pretty saddened that his work on sleep deprivation became a justification for torture. And further, he noted, that sleep-deprived people have very reduced mental abilities.
Yet, when they were in power, they certainly did not appear to see those who said it was torture, or those who said it was wrong as "agreeing to disagree." According to former Bush State Dept lawyer, and Condi Rice advisor, Philip Zelikow, he wrote a memo criticizing the techniques and arguing that it was "unlikely that any federal court would agree (that the approval of harsh interrogation techniques) ... was a reasonable interpretation of the Constitution." He was told by colleagues that the White House ordered all copies of that memo destroyed.
As I have said, I am most disappointed in the large number of Americans and conservatives who really don't have a problem with torture. Oh, they may not want to call it torture, but they have no problem with those techniques. All of it is framed in the moral equivalency of applying these techniques to people who are evil. As if, as we keep saying, our moral standard is now set by the terrorists who hate us. It is utterly baffling, and especially disappointing when Tony reports that SBC ministers have defended torture as consistent with Christianity.
Lawrence O'Donnell was in rare form last night on Olbermann. He said that people like Sean Hannity believe that torture works because it would work on Hannity. He didn't have a very good explanation why these people are so morally challenged that they then endorse torture.
I have no idea what we should do now. I think a good start would be to impeach Jay Bybee, under the idea that we don't appoint war criminals to a lifetime bench seat. I don't know if prosecutions will actually work or ever happen. But I would like for those who defended torture to feel a modicum of shame.
We shall see.
Sigh.
Now, as Obsidian Wings notes, we learn that the administration had very little knowledge of the history of the SERE program, and seemed to have no interest in learning. They simply wanted a program that would give them what they already believed. That is right, according to other reports, the torture was used to get proof of the connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda to justify the war. Hmm. Using a technique designed to produce false confessions? To get proof that didn't exist?
TPM interviewed a sleep expert who was very surprised to find his work on sleep deprivation quoted in some of these torture justifying memos. The guy was pretty saddened that his work on sleep deprivation became a justification for torture. And further, he noted, that sleep-deprived people have very reduced mental abilities.
"I don't understand what you're going to get out of it," he said. "You can no longer think rationally, you just become more of an automaton ... These people will just be spewing nonsense anyway."Meanwhile Dick Cheney is on a full court press to prove that their tactics saved us from an attack. Republicans everywhere are scrambling to defend torture and call it "policy differences." See? Reasonable people can disagree. Some say it is torture and that is ok, and others disagree. Everything is ok.
Yet, when they were in power, they certainly did not appear to see those who said it was torture, or those who said it was wrong as "agreeing to disagree." According to former Bush State Dept lawyer, and Condi Rice advisor, Philip Zelikow, he wrote a memo criticizing the techniques and arguing that it was "unlikely that any federal court would agree (that the approval of harsh interrogation techniques) ... was a reasonable interpretation of the Constitution." He was told by colleagues that the White House ordered all copies of that memo destroyed.
As I have said, I am most disappointed in the large number of Americans and conservatives who really don't have a problem with torture. Oh, they may not want to call it torture, but they have no problem with those techniques. All of it is framed in the moral equivalency of applying these techniques to people who are evil. As if, as we keep saying, our moral standard is now set by the terrorists who hate us. It is utterly baffling, and especially disappointing when Tony reports that SBC ministers have defended torture as consistent with Christianity.
Lawrence O'Donnell was in rare form last night on Olbermann. He said that people like Sean Hannity believe that torture works because it would work on Hannity. He didn't have a very good explanation why these people are so morally challenged that they then endorse torture.
I have no idea what we should do now. I think a good start would be to impeach Jay Bybee, under the idea that we don't appoint war criminals to a lifetime bench seat. I don't know if prosecutions will actually work or ever happen. But I would like for those who defended torture to feel a modicum of shame.
We shall see.
April 23, 2009
More on torture--another interrogator speaks out
Great interview on NPR with someone who was shunned and essentially threatened for stopping torture. What kind of culture did Bush create?
Meanwhile...
Most Texas Republicans approve Of Rick Perry's Secession Remarks according to a new poll. Maybe the poll is poorly written. Or maybe the Republican party is off the rails.
Wow
Just wow. Fox News' Shep Smith says it better than I could: "We do not f***ing torture!.
F-bomb warning, by the way. But he articulates this very forcefully and rejects what is the most unseemly part of this entire torture "debate." Many Republicans want to make this a matter of "policy," as in just another policy like taxation or agency management. Never mind that those same Republicans accuse those who disagree with their policies on taxes or marriage as being disloyal, but let's just remember how ridiculous it is to debate the morality of torture. Or at least, it used to be ridiculous. Karl Rove wants it to be about policy, because that makes torture prosecutions political. Unfortunately, I have heard that same line from conservative friends. Torture is just another policy. Like wiretapping or preemptive war. Or, hypothetically, like genocide.
I like Shep Smith's take better. It doesn't matter if it works or not, "we are America. We don't f***ing torture."
Exactly.
F-bomb warning, by the way. But he articulates this very forcefully and rejects what is the most unseemly part of this entire torture "debate." Many Republicans want to make this a matter of "policy," as in just another policy like taxation or agency management. Never mind that those same Republicans accuse those who disagree with their policies on taxes or marriage as being disloyal, but let's just remember how ridiculous it is to debate the morality of torture. Or at least, it used to be ridiculous. Karl Rove wants it to be about policy, because that makes torture prosecutions political. Unfortunately, I have heard that same line from conservative friends. Torture is just another policy. Like wiretapping or preemptive war. Or, hypothetically, like genocide.
I like Shep Smith's take better. It doesn't matter if it works or not, "we are America. We don't f***ing torture."
Exactly.
April 21, 2009
April 20, 2009
A friend of Dan Pearl's on torture
MyDD :: On the Waterboarding of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed:
Listened to the BBC today, only to hear some tool former agent denigrating Obama on his "making the US less safe" nonsense. Worse, was shouting at the radio whenever the BBC announcer (normally, they are so much better than our people) referred to waterboarding as "simulated drowning." There is nothing simulated about it. They drown people--they just don't let them die--most of the time.
we have descended to the level of that butcher.
Listened to the BBC today, only to hear some tool former agent denigrating Obama on his "making the US less safe" nonsense. Worse, was shouting at the radio whenever the BBC announcer (normally, they are so much better than our people) referred to waterboarding as "simulated drowning." There is nothing simulated about it. They drown people--they just don't let them die--most of the time.
Something wrong with this
Something wrong with a country where an idiot like Pat Robertson gets to air his insanity to millions of "fans." Speaking on the new DHS report (I over heard a Republican in a coffee shop complaining about this, saying that with his voting record and gun ownership, he was considered a threat?--I considered telling him that his low intelligence was his biggest threat to our country, but decided to go my own way), Pat Robertson says that the person who wrote the report is
"either a convinced left winger or somebody whose sexual orientation is somewhat in question."Stupidity combined with tremendous arrogance and bigotry makes for a very bad combination.
April 19, 2009
Why we should prosecute torturers
From a counter-terror expertand SERE trainer:
Sadly, Obama appears to want to move past this. Why? I am not sure. Perhaps he believes that such prosecutions will cost him valuable political capital when he is trying to fix the economy and healthcare. Perhaps he recognizes the full outcry that the idiots at Fox will pull out. Hell, they are talking about tyranny for a 3% tax increase (and a tax cut for the rest of us). Imagine what Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck would pull out if Obama prosecuted Al Gonzales.
This week is a very busy one for me. But I am going to try to sit down and write a handwritten letter to the Obama Administration urging prosecution for these crimes. America is better than torturers and sadists. We should goddamn well act like it.
Write a letter. Make a phone call to key Senators.
We are better than this.
Now, at long last, six years of denials can now be swept aside, and we can say definitively: America engaged in torture and legalized it through paperwork.And, as Sullivan reminded us today, many conservatives have cheered this all on. Deroy Murdock, for example, asserted in the NRO in 2007:
Despite all the gyrations - the ducking, dodging and hiding from the facts - there is no way to say that these people were not authorizing torture. Worse yet, they seem to have not cared a wit that these techniques came from the actual manuals of communist, fascist and totalitarian torturers. It is now clear how clearly - how coldly - Bush's lawyers could authorize individual techniques from past torture chambers, claim they came from the safe SERE program, and not even wet their beds at night. That many U.S. service members over the years have died as a result of these same techniques was never considered.
--snip--
If it were aimed at a U.S. Pilot, soldier or diplomat, I have no doubt all those defending the Bush Administration now would label these tactics torture. At SERE, I learned and taught that breaking the prisoner for compliance and instilling "learned helplessness" was our enemies' terminal learning objective.
Waterboarding is something of which every American should be proud.
Sadly, Obama appears to want to move past this. Why? I am not sure. Perhaps he believes that such prosecutions will cost him valuable political capital when he is trying to fix the economy and healthcare. Perhaps he recognizes the full outcry that the idiots at Fox will pull out. Hell, they are talking about tyranny for a 3% tax increase (and a tax cut for the rest of us). Imagine what Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck would pull out if Obama prosecuted Al Gonzales.
This week is a very busy one for me. But I am going to try to sit down and write a handwritten letter to the Obama Administration urging prosecution for these crimes. America is better than torturers and sadists. We should goddamn well act like it.
Write a letter. Make a phone call to key Senators.
We are better than this.
April 18, 2009
Saturday remodel etc.
It has been a stressful week. Concrete guy poured our safe room foundation on Wednesday, and the room itself is scheduled to be installed on this coming Wednesday. Spent much of this last week dismantling things in the garage, and my back and neck show the signs. But it is all coming along. Just a little stressful for me, as I feel out of control at times and worry about my decision making. Our neighbor came over to inspect, and really urged me to just relax. That helped a lot.
Today is our spring cleaning day where the trash people pick up stuff they don't normally pick up. Most of the stuff is picked over by local Normanites driving around in trucks or towing trailers. Our own version of Freecycle, I guess. Speaking of Freecycle, they have been a real help. Our city trucks say they won't pick up remodel or construction trash, so I just posted some of the planking I removed from the garage and had 10 or 15 hits just last night. Pretty cool way to keep stuff out of the landfill a little longer.
And this week hasn't been all stress, btw. Some humor along the way. Yesterday, we participated in closing on a loan, and our company sent out a local notary who does this kind of thing. He was great. Had a sense of humor and liked our animals. He caught me, however, scratching out an error on one of the million times we had to sign and date. He had me put a line through it, redo it, and then both of us initial. This was to assure the company people that he, the notary, had not made the change himself. We laughed about that, and he noted that those kinds of things often just seem to confuse the company people.
By the end of all the forms, I was pretty worn out, and my normally illegible signature was getting even less so. On the very last page, I had to initial, and messed that up too. I looked up and said, "do I have to scratch out my initial, redo it, and then initial that?"
Our notary just looked at me and then really started laughing. He had never run into that. We just submitted a different clean form, and I was able to successfully initial that last page.
Today is our spring cleaning day where the trash people pick up stuff they don't normally pick up. Most of the stuff is picked over by local Normanites driving around in trucks or towing trailers. Our own version of Freecycle, I guess. Speaking of Freecycle, they have been a real help. Our city trucks say they won't pick up remodel or construction trash, so I just posted some of the planking I removed from the garage and had 10 or 15 hits just last night. Pretty cool way to keep stuff out of the landfill a little longer.
And this week hasn't been all stress, btw. Some humor along the way. Yesterday, we participated in closing on a loan, and our company sent out a local notary who does this kind of thing. He was great. Had a sense of humor and liked our animals. He caught me, however, scratching out an error on one of the million times we had to sign and date. He had me put a line through it, redo it, and then both of us initial. This was to assure the company people that he, the notary, had not made the change himself. We laughed about that, and he noted that those kinds of things often just seem to confuse the company people.
By the end of all the forms, I was pretty worn out, and my normally illegible signature was getting even less so. On the very last page, I had to initial, and messed that up too. I looked up and said, "do I have to scratch out my initial, redo it, and then initial that?"
Our notary just looked at me and then really started laughing. He had never run into that. We just submitted a different clean form, and I was able to successfully initial that last page.
April 16, 2009
Yikes
Some scenes from the "tea parties" yesterday. Yeah, I am aware that some people on the left referred to Bush as a fascist too. But most of those could at least say why.
Watch the video here and see the logical conclusion of right wing talk radio and anti-government sentiment. People hate government even though they rely on it for so much, and would throw a fit if those services disappeared. Their political philosophy has been reduced to the bare minimum Palinesque sentencing. "He is a fascist." Why do you say that? "Because he is." Why? And the idiot with the 2 year old has no clue what his government does to allow him to make money.
Watch the video here and see the logical conclusion of right wing talk radio and anti-government sentiment. People hate government even though they rely on it for so much, and would throw a fit if those services disappeared. Their political philosophy has been reduced to the bare minimum Palinesque sentencing. "He is a fascist." Why do you say that? "Because he is." Why? And the idiot with the 2 year old has no clue what his government does to allow him to make money.
Elizabeth Warren on the Daily Show
And as good of a short articulation of why we need regulation as I have heard. Watch this at about the 2:00 minute mark. She connects regulation to the long history of boom and bust and instability, and how we approached that during the New Deal. All of those regulations have been undermined by conservatives who like to bash regulation, but as Warren says, if we continue with boom/bust economics, "good luck with your 401k."
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Elizabeth Warren Pt. 2 | ||||
| ||||
April 13, 2009
Monday and a remodel week
And it looks like a busy week. The contractor is coming by this morning to take the garage side door out. I removed the stairs in the garage on Saturday. We are actually starting to tear shit up. :) Concrete guy comes on Wednesday and the safe room install is a week later. This isn't really week 1 as we have been working on this for sometime, but this is the first week in which we have removed something.
I think I am going to need a lot more coffee.
But before I do that, and before I prep for my week lectures, and before I plan how to pick up the new windows... a few news items that caught my eye.
We just finished Easter, but the news for some American Christians is not good. As Newsweek's Jon Meacham reported, "the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades." One can't help but wonder if conservative Christianity's love affair with Republican politics, and even the torture regime of George W. Bush aided that. Of course, it goes well beyond Bush, and from my perspective, it has been a complete upside down approach to traditional Christianity. How else to explain how the rich, powerful, and gated communities became hotbeds of Christians following an itinerant populist preacher who cautioned against accumulated wealth and challenged the, well, rich and powerful?
Or perhaps it is as simple as the tone taken by so many on the far right. As many of you probably heard, James Dobson is retiring from Focus on the Family (damn shame, mind you) and he recently gave a speech where he said that religious conservatives had lost the culture war. Look at how he describes the battle:
Sigh.
Some of this has to do with the paranoid style in American history. As the late-great Richard Hofstadter noted, this theme is not unique to either side of the political spectrum. And one can argue that it played part of the angry left during Bush and Reagan. (Though, we have to note, how paranoid were we about W when everything we thought about his legal staff and his approach to torture is being born out?)
There is no doubt that leftists can be paranoid, but it seems also patently clear that those on the right are paranoid, at least right now. The tone from the right reminds me very much of the Clinton years where grown men took to the woods to play dress up army against Janet Reno's "jack booted thugs." In just three short months, the right has discovered its fear of deficits, but then leaped all the way back to 1953 to try and stoke up the newest version of the Red Scare. And one of the best bogie-men for the right, evidently, is ACORN. Kos diarist, Hunter, has a very cogent take on all of this:
Unfortunately, the right has lost its intellectual and skeptical moorings. Conservatives who used to have their policy grounded in principle and morality have endorsed and defended torture and the undermining of our constitution. The thinkers have been replaced with the shouters. We have those on the left too, I am quite aware. But the right seems to have only those. And meanwhile the surge of gun ownership continues....
I feel safer already.
I think I am going to need a lot more coffee.
But before I do that, and before I prep for my week lectures, and before I plan how to pick up the new windows... a few news items that caught my eye.
We just finished Easter, but the news for some American Christians is not good. As Newsweek's Jon Meacham reported, "the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades." One can't help but wonder if conservative Christianity's love affair with Republican politics, and even the torture regime of George W. Bush aided that. Of course, it goes well beyond Bush, and from my perspective, it has been a complete upside down approach to traditional Christianity. How else to explain how the rich, powerful, and gated communities became hotbeds of Christians following an itinerant populist preacher who cautioned against accumulated wealth and challenged the, well, rich and powerful?
Or perhaps it is as simple as the tone taken by so many on the far right. As many of you probably heard, James Dobson is retiring from Focus on the Family (damn shame, mind you) and he recently gave a speech where he said that religious conservatives had lost the culture war. Look at how he describes the battle:
Dr. Mohler mentioned the pornography struggle; we made a lot of progress through the Eighties but then we turned into the Nineties and the internet came along and a new president came along and all of that went away and now we are absolutely awash in evil.The Internets and Bill Clinton are the cause of decline? Seriously? We can torture and bomb, evidently, and be consistent with right wing theology.
Sigh.
Some of this has to do with the paranoid style in American history. As the late-great Richard Hofstadter noted, this theme is not unique to either side of the political spectrum. And one can argue that it played part of the angry left during Bush and Reagan. (Though, we have to note, how paranoid were we about W when everything we thought about his legal staff and his approach to torture is being born out?)
There is no doubt that leftists can be paranoid, but it seems also patently clear that those on the right are paranoid, at least right now. The tone from the right reminds me very much of the Clinton years where grown men took to the woods to play dress up army against Janet Reno's "jack booted thugs." In just three short months, the right has discovered its fear of deficits, but then leaped all the way back to 1953 to try and stoke up the newest version of the Red Scare. And one of the best bogie-men for the right, evidently, is ACORN. Kos diarist, Hunter, has a very cogent take on all of this:
ACORN fills a vital role in this conservative sphere of constant, imminent destruction -- but not as real danger. Instead it is a catch-all bogeyman, an avatar representing an unseen and generic enemy. The reason it is "ACORN" that is going to surreptitiously disrupt conservative Tea Bag festivities is because "ACORN" is the only nefarious bogeyman most conservatives know.The entire essay is worth reading. As Fox News becomes a sponsor for the ironically named "tea bag" parties, and Glenn Beck expresses sympathy for mass murderers, you start to see how this "big lie" can be so easily spread and consumed.
--snip--
It could be any name, because the name is unimportant, only the narrative of all-powerful, omnipresent enemy. Before ACORN, it was the ACLU. Before the ACLU, it was McCarthy's invisible Communists.
As we have noted in the wake of the recent shooting, it is a dangerous game. Preying on fears as prime political philosophy runs the obvious risk of convincing your audience that those fears indeed exist. --snip--
In the end, it is enforced, carefully stoked paranoia, and it is made powerful precisely by months of repetition. It is the Big Lie, the easy lie. At some point conservatives decided, based on demographics and perhaps the existing general bigotries of their most hardcore supporters, that their ideas could no longer stand even minor scrutiny unless they were couched in terms of urgent disaster.
Unfortunately, the right has lost its intellectual and skeptical moorings. Conservatives who used to have their policy grounded in principle and morality have endorsed and defended torture and the undermining of our constitution. The thinkers have been replaced with the shouters. We have those on the left too, I am quite aware. But the right seems to have only those. And meanwhile the surge of gun ownership continues....
I feel safer already.
April 11, 2009
Because I bet one of us will see this email somewhere
Be on the watch for an email saying that Snopes is run by a liberal couple, because, of course, they are anti-conservative, or some other such nonsense. I keep thinking about Colbert's brilliant line a few feet from Bush, "the truth has a well-known liberal bias."
The right continues to make parodies of them redundant.
The right continues to make parodies of them redundant.
April 10, 2009
Sigh
And people wonder why I have lost all respect for the GOP? Republican Representative Spencer Bachus told his Alabama constituents that there were 17 unnamed socialists in the US House.
Well, why not go back to the old playbook. It worked for a long time. And I even have friends telling me that Obama is heading toward socialism.
Well, why not go back to the old playbook. It worked for a long time. And I even have friends telling me that Obama is heading toward socialism.
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