Friday, December 31, 2004
Factesque
You know, I'm happy that the Bush administration has decided to increase the promised aid substantially, but that's no reason for NPR to keep reporting that the Bush administration has increased aid from the "initial offer of $35 million." The initial offer was $15 million. If the Bushies want to claim that was never their final offer, that's fine, but it certainly was their initial offer.
I Never Thought
We'd be having serious conversations about the relative merits of various government issued "torture memos."
More Abortions!
This is great:
The "morning after" pill if taken soon enough will prevent conception from even occurring, or failing that it will prevent implantation. Whatever moral qualms one has about abortion generally, the morning after pill is far less "icky" than IVF treatments frequently undergone by our happy natalists. The consequence of keeping raping victims from the pill will inevitably be more actual abortions.
But, they don't really care...
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The U.S. Department of Justice has issued its first-ever medical guidelines for treating sexual-assault victims - without any mention of emergency contraception, the standard precaution against pregnancy after rape.
The omission of the so-called morning-after pill has frustrated and angered victims' advocates and medical professionals who have long worked to improve victims' care.
Gail Burns-Smith, one of several dozen experts who vetted the protocol during its three-year development by Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, said emergency contraception was included in an early draft, and she does not know of anyone who opposed it.
"But in the climate in which we are currently operating, politically it's a hot potato," said Burns-Smith, retired director of Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services.
The "morning after" pill if taken soon enough will prevent conception from even occurring, or failing that it will prevent implantation. Whatever moral qualms one has about abortion generally, the morning after pill is far less "icky" than IVF treatments frequently undergone by our happy natalists. The consequence of keeping raping victims from the pill will inevitably be more actual abortions.
But, they don't really care...
Daniel Pipes Hearts the Writings of Michelle Maglalang
One wonders if there's any racist idiocy that can't get into our liberal media these days...
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Tsunami
Obviously I encourage people to donate for this cause. I really don't have any knowledge about what organizations are the "best" ones to donate to. The ad to the right is a freebie ad, so don't think that I'm profiting from this in any way. For more suggestions, go here...
Incentives
Jerome talks about the horrible practice of paying campaign consultants a percentage of ad buys. This is just ridiculous. And, I just want to make clear that the issue isn't the total amount that these people are being paid, it's that their pay is linked to a certain kind of expensive campaign advertisng. Think Bob Shrum's worth $5 million? Go ahead and pay him $5 million - just don't link the money to ad buys.
Are Imports Inferior Goods?
This passage about the dollar in the FT is interesting:
I think it's been a standard bit of stock trivia in any Econ 101 class for years that "rising incomes tend to increase imports." The idea being that as your country gets richer, a greater proportion of income is spent on imported goods. But, I think Mr. Bennett is suggesting this relationship has flipped for the US -- as purchasing power/real incomes fall with the falling dollar, consumers will switch away from domestic spending and purchase more imports.
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Clifford Bennett, chief strategist at FxMax, was even more bearish, seeing a "real risk of a blowout" in the US current account deficit in the first half of 2005 as the falling dollar forces US consumers to spend even more on imports to maintain their standard of living.
I think it's been a standard bit of stock trivia in any Econ 101 class for years that "rising incomes tend to increase imports." The idea being that as your country gets richer, a greater proportion of income is spent on imported goods. But, I think Mr. Bennett is suggesting this relationship has flipped for the US -- as purchasing power/real incomes fall with the falling dollar, consumers will switch away from domestic spending and purchase more imports.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Everything's Terrorism Now
Yes, prosecute the bad guys and this guy (if guilty) is a bad guy, but here's where we're headed...
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New York's use of the statute to prosecute gang-related crime has sparked disagreement among lawmakers who voted for the legislation.
A spokeswoman for state Sen. Michael Balboni, who sponsored the bill, said he does not mind that prosecutors have decided gang violence is a form of domestic terrorism and are using the statute to prosecute Morales.
"Gangs are a forum to promote terrorism," said Balboni spokeswoman Lisa Angerame. "Therefore, the anti-terrorism statue would be applicable against them, even if the original intent for this law was not exactly to prosecute them."
Others say the law is not being used as intended.
"It is not that I want to defend gangs," said state Rep. Jeffrey Dinowitz. "But it should never be justifiable to use laws with purposes other than their original intent.
Iraq
The light at the end of the tunnel is just around the corner.
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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 28 people were killed in Baghdad overnight when insurgents blew up a house that police were raiding, flattening neighboring homes.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Blogs I Read Regularly But Don't Link To Enough
Not a complete list of course.
Off the Kuff
ArchPundit
alicublog
silt
slacktivist
echidne
Unqualified Offerings
Light of Reason
Off the Kuff
ArchPundit
alicublog
silt
slacktivist
echidne
Unqualified Offerings
Light of Reason
more thread
just 'cause i feel like it (and because the big A hasn't taken away my super powers yet)
"Stingy"
Link:
Context, context...
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The Bush administration yesterday pledged $15 million to Asian nations hit by a tsunami that has killed more than 22,500 people, although the United Nations' humanitarian-aid chief called the donation "stingy."
Context, context...
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The war on terror will take center stage at next month’s second inauguration for President Bush in Washington, D.C.
...
The estimated budget for the event is $30-40 million, but that will not cover security costs.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Well, we can talk about...
Daring the wrath of the blogging Gods, but noticing that the last thread about absolutely nothing is now bulging at 500+ posts, it seems to be time for a new open thread. At least.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
$1.36
Let the mighty Euro soar...
Back when I started blogging one of the favorite topics of discussion on conseravative blogs was the inevitable crash of the euro in favor of the mighty dollar. Most of this had nothing to do with any thought about economics but instead a general association between perceived penis size of your country and the value of its currency (American big and mighty! Europe flaccid and wimpy!), so it was all very amusing.
Not a lot of talk along those lines recently.
Back when I started blogging one of the favorite topics of discussion on conseravative blogs was the inevitable crash of the euro in favor of the mighty dollar. Most of this had nothing to do with any thought about economics but instead a general association between perceived penis size of your country and the value of its currency (American big and mighty! Europe flaccid and wimpy!), so it was all very amusing.
Not a lot of talk along those lines recently.
Free Market Follies
I do agree with Kevin Drum that there is an under-remarked upon irony that one of the biggest believers in faith-based free markets thinks that US capital markets, which for a variety of reasons should be the ultimate expression of the joys of free markets, seriously misallocate capital in a way which demands masssive government intervention.
That's one big slippery slope to take a flying leap down.
That's one big slippery slope to take a flying leap down.
LOTR Blogging
Watched the ROTK (thanks to a generous reader) special edition this weekend. Unlike the first two, for which I thought the extended version were better more complete movies, for the ROTK I thought the extra scenes, taken as a whole, made it into a worse movie. That's not to say all extra scenes were bad, or that they weren't fun to see, but the neat thing about the first two was that the additional footage really made them into better movies. For for the ROTK, they were (mostly) just "fun extras."
It's Academic, but...
I agree with Froomkin.
More generally, I think the potential costs of any mandatory private savings plan (even as a complement to, not substitute for Social Security) outweigh their potential benefits as public policy. But, I think in theory a responsible Congress (in the United States of Fantasyland) would be more likely to devise a trouble-free mandatory 401Kish plan than become a trouble-free direct player in the equities market.
More generally, I think the potential costs of any mandatory private savings plan (even as a complement to, not substitute for Social Security) outweigh their potential benefits as public policy. But, I think in theory a responsible Congress (in the United States of Fantasyland) would be more likely to devise a trouble-free mandatory 401Kish plan than become a trouble-free direct player in the equities market.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Tone Deaf
Josh Marshall gently suggests to Harold Ford that if he's going to be cynical, he should at least pick an issue that will win him some votes. I'll take it a step further and agree with Steve G. that jumping on the kill Social Security bandwagon won't just not help him win a Senate seat, it will also probably cause him to lose his seat in the House.
Look, this is our issue. This is one we should be confident about winning -- perhaps not the legislative battle, but the '06 election. Democrats shouldn't be running scared from this, they should be salivating at the prospect of being handed a gift on a silver platter. They just need to be a bit smart.
Look, this is our issue. This is one we should be confident about winning -- perhaps not the legislative battle, but the '06 election. Democrats shouldn't be running scared from this, they should be salivating at the prospect of being handed a gift on a silver platter. They just need to be a bit smart.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Democracy!
NYT:
Joking aside, there's nothing wrong with this. "Democracy" does not meanmob 50%+1 majority rules all. Minority rights should be protected in various ways specific to the country, including perphaps a little affirmative action in representation.
But, consider the howls from the right when such things are proposed here, except when they tend to benefit rural white voters. Imagine the bursting blood vessels on George Will's forehead if someone proposed instituting proportional racial representation, or even suggested interesting ideas to encourage more minority representation in government...
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The Bush administration is talking to Iraqi leaders about guaranteeing Sunni Arabs a certain number of ministries or high-level jobs in the future Iraqi government if, as is widely predicted, Sunni candidates fail to do well in Iraq's elections.
An even more radical step, one that a Western diplomat said was raised already with an aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, is the possibility of adding some of the top vote-getters among the Sunni candidates to the 275-member legislature, even if they lose to non-Sunni candidates.
The diplomat said even some Shiite politicians who are followers of Ayatollah Sistani are concerned that a Pyrrhic victory by Shiites, effectively shutting Sunni Arabs out of power, could alienate Sunnis and lead to more internal strife. Shiites make up about 60 percent of Iraqis and were generally denied power under Saddam Hussein.
The idea of adding Sunnis to the legislature after the election was acknowledged by officials as likely to be difficult to carry out, but they said it might be necessary to avoid Sunni estrangement. Sunnis Arabs make up about 20 percent of the population and formed the core of Saddam Hussein's power structure. Much of the violent insurgency is taking place in Sunni-dominated areas in the central part of the country, and some Sunni leaders have called for a boycott of the election. This has led to fears that large numbers of Sunnis will obey the call or be afraid to vote.
"There's some flexibility in approaching this problem," said an administration official. "There's a willingness to play with the end result - not changing the numbers, but maybe guaranteeing that a certain number of seats go to Sunni areas even if their candidates did not receive a certain percentage of the vote."
The idea of altering election results is so sensitive that administration officials who spoke about it did not want their names revealed. Some experts on Iraq say such talk could undercut efforts to drum up support for voting in Sunni areas.
Guaranteeing a certain number of positions in government for certain ethnic groups is not without precedent, though. Lebanon, for example, has a power-sharing arrangement among its main sectarian groups. The Parliament in Iran has seats reserved for religious minorities.
Joking aside, there's nothing wrong with this. "Democracy" does not mean
But, consider the howls from the right when such things are proposed here, except when they tend to benefit rural white voters. Imagine the bursting blood vessels on George Will's forehead if someone proposed instituting proportional racial representation, or even suggested interesting ideas to encourage more minority representation in government...
Friday, December 24, 2004
All This Begins With the Department Stores
Some holiday cheer from Henry Ford, 1921.
For more to remind us how nothing changes, see here and here...
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And it has become pretty general. Last Christmas most people had a hard time finding Christmas cards that indicated in any way that Christmas commemorated Someone's Birth. Easter they will have the same difficulty in finding Easter cards that contain any suggestion that Easter commemorates a certain event. There will be rabbits and eggs and spring flowers, but a hint of the Resurrection will be hard to find. Now, all this begins with the designers of the cards.
For more to remind us how nothing changes, see here and here...
DeLong Asks
Link:
I don't think this should be a big mystery. In the former line of thought, the falling dollar reduces demands for imports, shifting some expenditures towards more domestically produced goods (increasing wages) and perhaps some into additional future consumption, raising the national savings rate. In the latter, an interest rate spike does not lead to higher national savings because a significant portion of our country are net borrowers, even excluding their home mortgage or other secured debt, and not net lenders. Rising interest rates will raise interest payments for consumers with heavy consumer debt, and for people who got ARMs with shitty terms. The US continues to borrow from the rest of the world at ever higher rates.
My economist hat is getting rusty, but I think it's whether one is worried about the fallen dollar or the falling dollar. Presumably, had pure small economic agents expected a giant drop in the dollar over the past year, interest rates would have spiked back then. But, most likely because big players in the market are not pure small economic agents, but governments of significant countries, interest rates were kept low. If these players continue to prop up the dollar even as it falls, or if the dollar's value is expected to stabilize, then there's no reason for the dollar's previous fall to affect current demand for US financial assets.
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So why is it that those who focus on exchange rates ("falling desire to hold dollar-denominated assets reduces the value of the dollar") are more likely to see a happy, balancing-up resolution while those who focus on the circular flow ("falling desire to hold dollar-denominated assets leads to a sharp fall in the financing available for investment and a spike in interest rates") are more likely to see an unhappy, balancing-down resolution?
I don't think this should be a big mystery. In the former line of thought, the falling dollar reduces demands for imports, shifting some expenditures towards more domestically produced goods (increasing wages) and perhaps some into additional future consumption, raising the national savings rate. In the latter, an interest rate spike does not lead to higher national savings because a significant portion of our country are net borrowers, even excluding their home mortgage or other secured debt, and not net lenders. Rising interest rates will raise interest payments for consumers with heavy consumer debt, and for people who got ARMs with shitty terms. The US continues to borrow from the rest of the world at ever higher rates.
My economist hat is getting rusty, but I think it's whether one is worried about the fallen dollar or the falling dollar. Presumably, had pure small economic agents expected a giant drop in the dollar over the past year, interest rates would have spiked back then. But, most likely because big players in the market are not pure small economic agents, but governments of significant countries, interest rates were kept low. If these players continue to prop up the dollar even as it falls, or if the dollar's value is expected to stabilize, then there's no reason for the dollar's previous fall to affect current demand for US financial assets.
No Homos on Christmas Eve
NPR censors David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries, clips out "gay flirtation" passage.
This is the offending passage:
That liberal media strikes again.
(via Americablog)
This is the offending passage:
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The overall cutest elf is a fellow from Queens named Snowball. Snowball tends to ham it up with the children, sometime literally tumbling down the path to Santa's house. I tend to frown on that sort of behavior but Snowball is hands down adorable -- you want to put him in your pocket. Yesterday we worked together as Santa Elves and I became excited when he started saying things like, "I'd follow you to Santa's house any day, Crumpet!"
It made me dizzy, this flirtation.
By mid-afternoon I was running into walls. At the end of our shift we were in the bathroom, changing clothes, when suddenly we were surrounded by three Santas and five other elves -- all of them were guys that Snowball was flirting with.
Snowball just leads elves on, elves and Santas. He is playing a dangerous game.
That liberal media strikes again.
(via Americablog)
Whiner
Wow, Danny Boy Okrent thinks the media story of the year is the fact that the great unwashed dare to complain about the New York Times.
I don't know what the media story of the year is, but one of them sure has to be the fact that Judith "The Queen of All Iraq" Miller was quoted as saying about her Iraq fantasy WMD coverage:
Sleep tight, Danny Boy.
I don't know what the media story of the year is, but one of them sure has to be the fact that Judith "The Queen of All Iraq" Miller was quoted as saying about her Iraq fantasy WMD coverage:
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You know what? I was proved fucking right. That's what happened. People who disagreed with me were saying, 'There she goes again.' But I was proved fucking right.
Sleep tight, Danny Boy.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Santa
Not to knock the credulity of Mr. Offering or Offering, jr. but I'm a bit surprised that Santa disillusionment didn't come until 3rd grade or so for them. I was Santa-less far earlier than that. No doubt that was in part due to the presence of an older brother, but more importantly I'm pretty sure this was pretty much the norm in 2nd and 3rd grades.
Anyway, just curious. Chime in...
Anyway, just curious. Chime in...
Saint Rudy
Going down...
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Late Tuesday, a federal magistrate released testimony by Bernard B. Kerik and a former girlfriend in an employment discrimination case, one of the legal tangles from his years as a senior aide to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani that surfaced while his nomination as secretary of homeland security was collapsing.
For the Bloomberg administration, the case was just one more front in the municipal litigation that grinds along, regardless of national politics: dealing with the damages people claim to have suffered at the hands of Mr. Giuliani or his senior aides.
In the three years since Michael R. Bloomberg succeeded Mr. Giuliani, the city has spent close to $2 million to settle lawsuits brought by residents and city workers who accused the Giuliani administration of retaliating against them for exercising free speech or other constitutional rights.
Among them is a limousine driver, James Schillaci, who had complained in a newspaper article about a red-light sting set up by the police in the Bronx. The same day, police came to his home to arrest him for a 13-year-old unpaid ticket. The next day, the mayor obtained - illegally, Mr. Schillaci said - the record of his arrests from decades earlier and discussed it, inaccurately, at a news conference. The city settled with him for $290,000 in 2002.
A correction worker charged that he was bypassed for promotion because he supported a political opponent of Mr. Giuliani's and that city investigators videotaped the guests arriving at his home for a political fund-raiser. The city paid him $325,000 this year.
How the Jews Stole Christmas
Drudge tells us that Meet the Fockers "tops the holiday box office," and provides us with this picture:
paging William Donohue...
paging William Donohue...
Gregoire Wins
Republicans will scream fraud, because what matters isn't who really won but who won "first."
Happy Holidays
It is touching that the Right has managed to transform the holiday season into another hate fest. But, let me say this -- when the occasion arises, I tend to say "happy holidays." Not because I'm worried about offending people. Not because I'm trying to be overly inclusive to people of all faiths. It's because it really feels fucking stupid saying "Merry Christmas" on December 1 when Christmas is over 3 weeks away.
The "holiday season" is that period from Thanksgiving until New Years. If we count Thanksgiving, which we should given the ever-lengthening advertising campaign which seems to define the season, that includes 3 federal holidays, one of which falls on December 25. Now, some people may like wishing others a "Merry Christmas" over a 40 or so day period which encompasses the "holiday season," and good for them, but I personally like wishing people a "Merry Christmas" on or about the actual day. I even think it may be what the baby Jesus would want, though I'll have to check with Pope O'Reilly I.
The "holiday season" is that period from Thanksgiving until New Years. If we count Thanksgiving, which we should given the ever-lengthening advertising campaign which seems to define the season, that includes 3 federal holidays, one of which falls on December 25. Now, some people may like wishing others a "Merry Christmas" over a 40 or so day period which encompasses the "holiday season," and good for them, but I personally like wishing people a "Merry Christmas" on or about the actual day. I even think it may be what the baby Jesus would want, though I'll have to check with Pope O'Reilly I.
April Fools
A commenter, Bruce Webb, over at Max's place raises a very important point. There is a ticking time bomb which will explode the "crisis" rhetoric. The next report by the Social Security Trustees, due March 31, will inevitably bump the "insolvency" date for Social Security ahead (yet again) another couple of years given that productivity growth in 2004 has greatly exceeded the number the plugged into last year's model.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Fact-Checking My Ass
Tonight on the Majority Report I said that I thought the average monthly social security benefit (for retirees) was $850 (I think that's what I said. I may have said $800). I lied - it's $926.
Another Ally in the War on Christmas
Brent Bozell's Parents Television Council. A fundraising email:
(thanks to reader j)
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL! Give your children, and all the children of America, a holiday gift that can change their lives!
A tax-deductible gift to the Parents Television Council will help us eradicate graphic sex, gratuitous violence and profanity on broadcast TV and radio. Your gift will also help ensure that the FCC upholds broadcast indecency laws and that Hollywood and their sponsors take responsibility for the entertainment they produce as well as its potential effects on our children.
So this holiday season consider putting the gift of a world without unwelcome gratuitous sex, violence and profanity in every home. Visit our secure online gift site by clicking here
If you prefer, you can send in a gift by mail to the address below
The Parents Television Council ? 707 Wilshire Blvd Ste 2075 ? Los Angeles, CA 90017
www.ParentsTV.org
(thanks to reader j)
Busy Day
Sorry for all the quick posts today, been rather busy. I'll be on the Majority Report this evening (9:20ish) with Sam Seder and David Cross...
Hip to be Square
I love it when the Cornerites start discussing pop culture. Try again, Jonah:
(emphasis mine)
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I've always thought the Beetles will eventually decline in esteem because of a similar phenomenon.
(emphasis mine)
Duhhhh
Safire says:
Yes, if the facts emerge that prove I was wrong, I will admit it. This is a big step for conservatives?
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In return for today's grudging concession of tactical misjudgment, however, I claim this expectation: When and if we discover hidden supplies of germ weapons in Iraq or Syria, and as future confessions reveal the extent of connections between Al Qaeda and Saddam, the legion of war critics will forthrightly admit their certitude was misplaced.
Yes, if the facts emerge that prove I was wrong, I will admit it. This is a big step for conservatives?
Broder
This is the dean of Washington punditry. Washington's just a floating cocktail party for him, and he's upset that the parties aren't as good as they used to be.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Next Week in Pravda
WASHINGTON - President Bush's campaign to bring utopia to the entire planet is likely to involve incremental changes to the current system rather than a sweeping effort to scrap the existing system for a radically new approach.
CPI
Over at Max's place Dean Baker has a post covering various issues about the consumer price index. I like his closing line. Short version: lots of people think the CPI still overstates the true rise in the cost of living, blah blah blah.
While I remember reading quite a bit about this stuff in my grad school days, one dimension of the issue I don't remember ever being addressed was how the CLI - the "ideal" cost of living index of which the CPI is an approximation - varies throughout the income distribution. That is, roughly speaking, the CPI tracks the price of a fixed basket of goods purchased by a "typical" consumer. I've never seen any research, though presumably it exists, about how that fixed basket, and resulting index values, would be different if we looked at the "typical" consumer in each, say, income decile.
While I remember reading quite a bit about this stuff in my grad school days, one dimension of the issue I don't remember ever being addressed was how the CLI - the "ideal" cost of living index of which the CPI is an approximation - varies throughout the income distribution. That is, roughly speaking, the CPI tracks the price of a fixed basket of goods purchased by a "typical" consumer. I've never seen any research, though presumably it exists, about how that fixed basket, and resulting index values, would be different if we looked at the "typical" consumer in each, say, income decile.
O'Reilly's World
Merry Christmas!
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Hours after residents, local officials and clergy gathered at Veteran's Park to attend a rally against the recent vandalism to a Hanukkah menorah, the menorah was vandalized again.
Eight of the nine bulbs were ripped out of the menorah, which sits next to a Christmas tree and a nativity scene, and one was left hanging out of its socket, said Orangetown Police Sgt. Jim Brown.
Tear Down the Cross
Fascinating.
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This wintry season, as the faithful continue to receive alarming reports from the news that Republicans are all that stand between them and the outlawing of Christmas itself by hordes of secular humanists, the two presidents Bush have endorsed a powerful conservative interest group specializing in removing the cross -- not from schools or courthouses, but from churches.
Rather than the traditional egg hunt, this group, calling itself the American Clergy Leadership Conference, sponsored a nationwide "Tear Down The Cross" day for Easter, 2003. Last week, leaders in this radical cause presided over a Washington prayer breakfast featuring messages of thanks from the presidents. Former Senator Bob Dole came in person.
Bobo's World
Link:
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ATLANTA — A federal judge on Monday denied an appeal for reinstatement by a University of Georgia cheerleading coach accused of mingling religion with team activities. Marilou Braswell was fired in August, according to university officials, for retaliating against a Jewish cheerleader who had complained about pressure to participate in Bible study and team prayers.
The case has drawn attention to sports in Georgia, where coaches often lead players in prayer or worship.
In spring of 2003, the student, Jaclyn Steele, approached authorities with complaints about the cheerleading program. Cheerleaders, she said, were pressured to attend Bible study sessions at the coach's home, led by her husband, a minister. Steele also said Braswell led prayers before sporting events. And Steele complained that the listserv used by cheerleaders was a vehicle for prayer requests.
"She came in our office crying, saying: 'I just can't take this anymore,' " said Deborah Lauter, southeast regional director of the Anti-Defamation League. "She had dealt with this for a long time."
Unpopular
Boehlert has an article about just how unpopular our preznit is. I'm actually surprised -- I would have thought the post-election bump would have lasted at least a couple of months. Everyone loves a winner. Maybe it's all those Man Dates he went on.
Actually, I bet it was all the Sore Winners. Oh, and the fact that he's a truly awful preznit.
Actually, I bet it was all the Sore Winners. Oh, and the fact that he's a truly awful preznit.
Hope this is ok, Atrios.
Folks wanted a new thread and you're hopefully out at Jaleo by now for the after-party.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Happy Holidays!
From the president!
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NEW YORK -- A document released for the first time today by the American Civil Liberties Union suggests that President Bush issued an Executive Order authorizing the use of inhumane interrogation methods against detainees in Iraq. Also released by the ACLU today are a slew of other records including a December 2003 FBI e-mail that characterizes methods used by the Defense Department as "torture" and a June 2004 "Urgent Report" to the Director of the FBI that raises concerns that abuse of detainees is being covered up.
...
The two-page e-mail that references an Executive Order states that the President directly authorized interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation, stress positions, the use of military dogs, and "sensory deprivation through the use of hoods, etc." The ACLU is urging the White House to confirm or deny the existence of such an order and immediately to release the order if it exists. The FBI e-mail, which was sent in May 2004 from "On Scene Commander--Baghdad" to a handful of senior FBI officials, notes that the FBI has prohibited its agents from employing the techniques that the President is said to have authorized.
Immunity From Everything
I think certain protections for the press are necessary. I'm even slightly sympathetic (though I think they're wrong) to the arguments that the Plame journalists shouldn't have to testify. But, this comment by a lawyer regarding news organizations which have been sued by subpoenaed by Steven Hatfill is ridiculous:
You know, that basic argument didn't work for Bill Clinton, and he was president at the time. And, actually, he was only making the case that he was temporarily a wee bit too important and too busy to participate in civil suits, not that he should be immune for perpetuity.
UPDATE: Oops. I messed up. Hatfill isn't going after the news organizations, he's going after the FBI and Justice Department, which makes the quote even more silly...
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"News organizations are supposed to gather news, as opposed to spending their time performing research and testifying in court on behalf of various parties with axes to grind," Dave Tomlin, the assistant general counsel for AP, said in a report published by the wire service.
You know, that basic argument didn't work for Bill Clinton, and he was president at the time. And, actually, he was only making the case that he was temporarily a wee bit too important and too busy to participate in civil suits, not that he should be immune for perpetuity.
UPDATE: Oops. I messed up. Hatfill isn't going after the news organizations, he's going after the FBI and Justice Department, which makes the quote even more silly...
Herbert
Link:
Indeed. heh.
- From the earliest planning stages until now, the war in Iraq has been a tragic exercise in official incompetence. The original rationale for the war was wrong. The intelligence was wrong. The estimates of required troop strength were wrong. The war hawks' guesses about the response of the Iraqi people were wrong. The cost estimates were wrong, and on and on.
Nevertheless the troops have fought valiantly, and the price paid by many has been horrific. They all deserve better than the bad faith and shoddy treatment they are receiving from the highest officials of their government.
Indeed. heh.
New Script -- Quick!
So much for eco-terrorists:
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INDIAN HEAD, Md., Dec. 19 (AP) - Racial animosity and revenge are among the possible motives in the arson fires in a subdivision in southern Maryland on Dec. 6, a spokesman for federal investigators said Sunday.
Four men have been charged with arson in the fires, which destroyed 10 houses and partly burned 16 others, causing $10 million in damage. No one was hurt; many of the houses were still under construction.
A federal law enforcement official speaking on the condition of anonymity said two of the four men in custody made racial statements to investigators during questioning. The men are white, and many of the families moving into the development are black.
More Great Moments in Media
I'm sure there will be feverish calls for the WaPo reporter to be fired. Sexual torture? Check. Rape? Check. Anti-Christian persecution? Check. Facts? Apparently, no check, though I haven't read the Esquire article.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Right Idea
Josh Marshall has the right idea. Well funded primary challengers to right wing Democrats will beat them, even if they don't eventually win elected office. There are some issues about which I understand how geography dictates certain positions. Social Security is not one of them. And, frankly, who gives a shit if we lose a couple more seats.
The social security issue comes down to this: The Democrats should be able not only to beat the Republicans on this, but also to beat them over the heads with it. It needs to be the cornerstone of the identity of the Democratic party.
Without debating the wisdom of any of these things, I want to point out that the Democrats have been running from or are in the process of running from their core positions on: gay rights, gun control, welfare, trade policy, affirmative action, reproductive rights, church/state separation, public education, progressive taxation, etc... etc... etc...
While policies are not ideology, they are the real world manifestation of it. If there is one issue which the Democrats should be able to claim loudly and proudly as their own, without apologies, it's social security. If they can't figure out how to do that, and to get their members in line, then they really will have lost.
I overheard someone in a restaurant the other day saying something along the lines of "Bush captured the center by running to the Right." I'm not be sure how true this is, but the idea was that by running to the Right, Bush proved he stood for "something" and voters approve of that, even if they don't approve of the policies themselves. I don't know how much this matters, but I do know a party has to stand for something.
The social security issue comes down to this: The Democrats should be able not only to beat the Republicans on this, but also to beat them over the heads with it. It needs to be the cornerstone of the identity of the Democratic party.
Without debating the wisdom of any of these things, I want to point out that the Democrats have been running from or are in the process of running from their core positions on: gay rights, gun control, welfare, trade policy, affirmative action, reproductive rights, church/state separation, public education, progressive taxation, etc... etc... etc...
While policies are not ideology, they are the real world manifestation of it. If there is one issue which the Democrats should be able to claim loudly and proudly as their own, without apologies, it's social security. If they can't figure out how to do that, and to get their members in line, then they really will have lost.
I overheard someone in a restaurant the other day saying something along the lines of "Bush captured the center by running to the Right." I'm not be sure how true this is, but the idea was that by running to the Right, Bush proved he stood for "something" and voters approve of that, even if they don't approve of the policies themselves. I don't know how much this matters, but I do know a party has to stand for something.
SSA Refuses to Recognize Marriages
Well, these people are shit out of luck. I guess they could get divorced and then go get married somewhere else.
No word on Mass. marriages. Perhaps the SSA needs to set up a system of local crotch inspectors. Hey, John Ashcroft needs something to do...
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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- The Social Security Administration is rejecting marriage documents issued for heterosexual couples in five communities that performed weddings for gay couples earlier this year.
The agency is rejecting all marriage certificates issued in New Paltz, N.Y., Asbury Park, N.J., Multnomah County, Ore., and Sandoval County, N.M., during the brief periods when those localities recognized gay marriages.
Susie Kilpatrick, 30, of New Paltz, said the local Social Security office told her that no marriage documents from the town could be used to establish identity if they were issued after Feb. 27, when New Paltz's mayor began marrying gay couples. About 125 heterosexual couples have been married since then.
Kilpatrick said her marriage certificate was rejected when she went to get a new card earlier this month so she could take her husband's name.
"What concerns me is that the certificate is the only way to prove that we're married," she told The New York Times for Sunday editions. "If something happens to us, or some other couple from New Paltz, we can't prove we're married. We would not be able to draw benefits."
No word on Mass. marriages. Perhaps the SSA needs to set up a system of local crotch inspectors. Hey, John Ashcroft needs something to do...
Tucker Gets Primetime MSNBC Show
Because there just aren't enough conservative bowtied nitwits on TV.
HRC
Put me on the list of people who, for various reasons, aren't looking forward to the prospect of Hillary '08. However, it is important to recognize that while our media likes to project their own feelings of hatred against her, her support is actually fairly substantial.
BoBo's World
Natalism marches on...
The slaying of pregnant women will be yet another delightful consequence of either rolling back Roe or a campaign to shame women who have abortions.
Amy Sullivan says:
Yes, we should be apologizing for things we aren't ashamed of. Someone pour me a drink.
...for the dozens of people who inevitably drop into these threads to argue that they think that the pro-choice position that abortion should be legal after viability is wrong...
The Roe decision said states couldn't make abortion before viability illegal (excepting health/life mother of course). No pro-choice group that I'm aware of has argued for the legality of post-viability abortion. Though, obviously, some people, particularly those on long flights with many screaming children, have argued for keeping it legal until age 10 or so.
The slaying of pregnant women will be yet another delightful consequence of either rolling back Roe or a campaign to shame women who have abortions.
Amy Sullivan says:
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Democrats have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to their record of protecting life. But no one is going to listen to them if they're too busy chanting "I'm not sorry".
Yes, we should be apologizing for things we aren't ashamed of. Someone pour me a drink.
...for the dozens of people who inevitably drop into these threads to argue that they think that the pro-choice position that abortion should be legal after viability is wrong...
The Roe decision said states couldn't make abortion before viability illegal (excepting health/life mother of course). No pro-choice group that I'm aware of has argued for the legality of post-viability abortion. Though, obviously, some people, particularly those on long flights with many screaming children, have argued for keeping it legal until age 10 or so.
Why Does the Media Hate Social Security?
Peter Hart of FAIR tried to answer this question the other night on the Majority Report, but I have yet to hear an entirely satisfactory answer to this question. It reall is the case that 95% of what you hear/read about social security just makes you stupider about the topic. Big chunks of reporting are flat out wrong, and most of the rest is incredibly misleading, and at times just incomprehensible gibberish which is internally contradictory. This is one issue where I think it is completely inarguable that the "liberal media" is almost entirely united against the program.
I've asked this before, but I still really don't know the answer. Why do they hate social security?
I've asked this before, but I still really don't know the answer. Why do they hate social security?
United Front
Yglesias is right that there should be swift and painful retaliation against any Democrat who supports the plan to end social security under the banner of "bipartisanship." If, as he suggets, Joe Lieberman is just the man for this job, I hope others will join me in devoting our resources to the support of a credible primary challenger in 2006.
...to be clear, there are two issues here. One is Dem support for this monstrosity - obviously that's bad enough. But, the other issue is supporting it in a way which allows for the perpetuation of the idea that this is a truly "bipartisan" agenda, and that support for it is the "bipartisan" thing to do.
...to be clear, there are two issues here. One is Dem support for this monstrosity - obviously that's bad enough. But, the other issue is supporting it in a way which allows for the perpetuation of the idea that this is a truly "bipartisan" agenda, and that support for it is the "bipartisan" thing to do.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Bobo's World
The demands of natalism:
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A baby girl who was cut out of her murdered mother's womb and taken from the crime scene has been found alive in the possession of a Kansas woman who police charged with kidnapping resulting in death.
The motive for the bizarre crime remained unknown, investigators said on Friday, though local media in Kansas City reported that the alleged kidnapper had suffered a miscarriage.
Todd Graves, the U.S. Attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, released an affidavit detailing how computer sleuthing by FBI agents tracked down the baby to the town of Melvern in eastern Kansas where she was found in apparently healthy condition at the home of Kevin and Lisa Montgomery. Lisa Montgomery, 36, was named in federal kidnap-murder charges, which carry the death penalty.
Agents who made the arrest said Montgomery had told her husband that she had unexpectedly given birth. The couple has two older children but it was not clear from the document if she was also their mother.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Details
Big Media Matt has some good comments on social security:
I want to add that while any mandatory private savings plan is, to me, an abominably bad idea, whether it's just "abominable" or "super nuclear fuck abominable" will depend a great deal on the details of said plan. It's difficult of course to write about these details when the plan does not exactly exist. But, I'm not very optimistic that our media will be very up to the job once the magic plan is unveiled. They've been doing an admirable job screwing up the reporting on the details of a plan which has been around for quite some time now, so I don't expect them to get much beyond the press releases whenever the new plan is unveiled.
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Now if Sandy happens to die before retirement, this is quite true. But if Sandy makes it to retirement age, she's going to be faced with a problem under the Social Security abolition system. Let's say the market continues to grow nicely between now and then (in which case there would have been no need to change anything in the first place) so Sandy has a decent-sized nest egg. The problem is that Sandy doesn't know how long she's going to live, and if she lives a long time (as people increasingly do nowadays) may wind up outliving her investment. Under the current system, that's not a big problem -- she would have been guaranteed Social Security benefits proportional to the wages she used to earn for the rest of her life.
Abolition advocates say Sandy can solve this problem by buying an annuity from an insurance company. This is a sort of reverse life insurance that lets you hedge against longevity by converting your lump sum of savings into a guaranteed monthly benefit (just like today's Social Security). But if Sandy does this she won't have anything to pass on to Wynter after all, though Wynter will spend her working life paying taxes to repay the $2 trillion (plus interest) that Bush borrowed in order to finance the transition. Another major problem with the annuity proposal is that even if the market does perform well over the long run (it has in the past -- I should emphasize again that if it does in the future Social Security doesn't need any fixing), if Sandy happens to retire during a down year (and these happen pretty frequently, even in the context of long-term growth) then she'll be stuck with lower monthly benefits for the rest of her life.
I want to add that while any mandatory private savings plan is, to me, an abominably bad idea, whether it's just "abominable" or "super nuclear fuck abominable" will depend a great deal on the details of said plan. It's difficult of course to write about these details when the plan does not exactly exist. But, I'm not very optimistic that our media will be very up to the job once the magic plan is unveiled. They've been doing an admirable job screwing up the reporting on the details of a plan which has been around for quite some time now, so I don't expect them to get much beyond the press releases whenever the new plan is unveiled.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Just Imagine
How much fun the press could have had during the Bush campaign, where our boy Bernie was frequently by his side, if they hadn't been too busy peddling false Kerry quotes...
Hmmm....
September 16, 2000 NY Daily News:
Who was police commissioner then? Why, Bernard Kerik. And who is Anthony Bergamo? Oh, THAT Anthony Bergamo...
(thanks to a sharp reader)
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A homeless woman lying on the ramp of an upper East Side parking garage was crushed to death early yesterday when she was run over by a mammoth sport utility vehicle, police said.
The driver, real estate executive Anthony Bergamo, told investigators he did not see the woman from his driver's seat.
Bergamo was driving a 5,770-pound Ford Expedition.
Medics pronounced the unidentified woman dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined that she died of crushing injuries to her chest, said a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner.
The death was ruled accidental and Bergamo, 54, who manages the Milford Plaza hotel in Times Square for its owner, real estate magnate Howard Milstein, was not charged.
Who was police commissioner then? Why, Bernard Kerik. And who is Anthony Bergamo? Oh, THAT Anthony Bergamo...
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Rescue workers were combing through the World Trade Center rubble around the clock when Mr. Kerik called Anthony Bergamo, a well-connected vice chairman of the Milstein family real estate company and a police buff, and asked for help finding a place for the workers to rest during breaks, the executive said.
The family owned Liberty View, a 28-story yellow brick tower two blocks southwest of the trade center at the corner of West Street and Third Place.
According to the executive, who knows Mr. Bergamo, the vice chairman arranged for Mr. Kerik to have the use of an apartment there. Several apartments in the buildings had been used by rescue workers on breaks, and by Red Cross staff who were treating them, in the months after 9/11, according to a real estate executive.
(thanks to a sharp reader)
Real Crisis
If Congress wants to address a looming crisis, they can deal with the inevitable Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation disaster.
Fake Crisis
Sam Rosenfeld says regarding the Dem statement on social security:
Exactly right. Republicans are in charge. Unless the Democrats can completely overturn the fake idea that there's need for change this will be George Bush's change.
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What’s missing, above all else, is a strong and clear claim that this is a phony crisis -- something trumped up by the GOP. If the White House manages to win the argument that a real Social Security crisis exists, it seems likely that Democratic piddling over the details isn’t going to make any difference. Once there's agreement that something needs to be done to address a crisis, it'll be done on the president's terms.
Exactly right. Republicans are in charge. Unless the Democrats can completely overturn the fake idea that there's need for change this will be George Bush's change.
Knives out for Rumsfeld
I'm not surprised there are conservatives/Republicans after Rummy, but I can't quite figure out the shifting alliances. Bill Kristol and McCain I can understand, but Norm Coleman and Trent Lott are a strange addition.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Icky
What do pro-life Democrats want?
Do they want to outlaw abortion? If so, I'm not going to tell them that view is okay.
Do they want to add additional legal restrictions to abortion in response to the latest Republican icky-abortion-scare? If so, I'm not going to tell them that view is okay.
Amy Sullivan writes:
Well, I'm not pro-abortion. I'm not anti-abortion. I'm anti-unwanted pregnancy. Frankly, I'm not particularly concerned about abortion rates as any sort of morality issue. Nor am I interested in any political campaign which implicitly shames women who have them.
Sullivan writes:
Look, I just don't believe these people exist. There are probably large numbers of voters people who aren't one-issue voters who oppose abortion and who on the margin support Republicans because of their desire to make abortion illegal. These people might vote for a pro-life Democrat over a pro-choice Republican, but those battles are increasingly rare. And, then there are a very tiny number of people who are actively involved in Democratic party politics and who are pro-life and who don't like the fact that many of their friends and colleagues are rather disdainful of this particular viewpoint. Bummer for them, but this isn't about voters it's about a tiny number of people who due to their career choices are forced to interact with rather strident pro-choice people (such as myself) who really aren't very tolerant of those who aren't.
Stop projecting.
It seems like pro-life Democrats who honestly recognize that the platform of the party is unlikely to change just want people like me to admit that abortion is "icky" to make them feel better. Well, I'm not going to do that.
Do they want to outlaw abortion? If so, I'm not going to tell them that view is okay.
Do they want to add additional legal restrictions to abortion in response to the latest Republican icky-abortion-scare? If so, I'm not going to tell them that view is okay.
Amy Sullivan writes:
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If Democrats can change the perception that they are pro-abortion, they will finally be free to go on the offensive.
Well, I'm not pro-abortion. I'm not anti-abortion. I'm anti-unwanted pregnancy. Frankly, I'm not particularly concerned about abortion rates as any sort of morality issue. Nor am I interested in any political campaign which implicitly shames women who have them.
Sullivan writes:
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Democratic Party to realize that they continue to lose voters who aren't one-issue abortion voters but who feel unwelcome in the party because of their beliefs.
Look, I just don't believe these people exist. There are probably large numbers of voters people who aren't one-issue voters who oppose abortion and who on the margin support Republicans because of their desire to make abortion illegal. These people might vote for a pro-life Democrat over a pro-choice Republican, but those battles are increasingly rare. And, then there are a very tiny number of people who are actively involved in Democratic party politics and who are pro-life and who don't like the fact that many of their friends and colleagues are rather disdainful of this particular viewpoint. Bummer for them, but this isn't about voters it's about a tiny number of people who due to their career choices are forced to interact with rather strident pro-choice people (such as myself) who really aren't very tolerant of those who aren't.
Stop projecting.
It seems like pro-life Democrats who honestly recognize that the platform of the party is unlikely to change just want people like me to admit that abortion is "icky" to make them feel better. Well, I'm not going to do that.
Bobo's World
lovely:
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Among them is Van Golden, a Christian, anti-abortion Texan who has sold his house so that he can travel to communist, atheist China and have Huang inject a million cells from the nasal area of a foetus into his spine. According to Golden's doctors, his spine was damaged beyond repair in a car crash last Christmas. The damage to his nervous system was so bad that he has been in a wheelchair and racked by spasms ever since. But Golden refused to give up, even if it meant having to compromise his values. "This is the only place that offered us any hope," he says. "Everyone else offered only to help make me sufficient in that chair. But the chair is not my destiny. It is not ordained."
O'Reilly Says ADL is a "militant organization"
And then warns of "backlash against Jewish Americans."
No comments thus far on the backlash against falafels, sales of which have plummeted 30% in recent weeks.
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O'REILLY: I mean -- what I was distressed about here, and I think when you think about it, you'll see that I have a point. I mean, I'm not expecting you to agree with me, but I don't want your organization, or B'nai Brith, or even Foxman's organization, the ADL -- which I think is a militant organization -- I don't want you guys to be used.
Because I think that, if that happens, there'll be a backlash against Jewish Americans that is unfair and that I'm just gonna have to redouble my efforts to make sure it doesn't happen.
No comments thus far on the backlash against falafels, sales of which have plummeted 30% in recent weeks.
George W. Bush, International Economist of Mystery
oy.
Remarks, today ...
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There's a trade deficit. That's easy to resolve: People can buy more United States products if they're worried about the trade deficit.
Remarks, today ...
Quote of the Day
- Bernard Kerik is one scandal away from winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
(unattributed)
Spared
It looks like we'll be spared the Kerik biopic. Or, at least maybe we'll get the "juicier" version...
9/11 Symbolism
Truer words were never spoken:
How right he was:
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[O]ne presidential adviser pointed out that Kerik "brings 9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet."
How right he was:
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An apartment in Battery Park City that former Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik secured for his personal use after Sept. 11 was originally donated for the use of weary police and rescue workers who were helping at ground zero, according to a real estate executive who has been briefed about the apartment.
After the cleanup had settled into a routine that fall, the executive said, Mr. Kerik, who was still police commissioner, asked to rent the two-bedroom apartment for his own use. During his use of the apartment, Mr. Kerik and Judith Regan engaged in an extramarital affair there, according to someone who spoke to Mr. Kerik about the relationship. Ms. Regan published his best-selling autobiography in 2001.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
FCC Action Alert!!!
1. Go to http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rush.guest.html and find your Limbaugh station.
2. Send an email to fccinfo@fcc.gov with your own version of the following:
On Monday, December 13 in the 2nd hour of his program (1pm EST) broadcast on [CALL SIGN HERE], Rush Limbaugh used the vulgar, sexual term "dick" when referring to a Miss Plastic Surgery pageant. Specifically, Limbaugh said:
According to the FCC:
2. Send an email to fccinfo@fcc.gov with your own version of the following:
On Monday, December 13 in the 2nd hour of his program (1pm EST) broadcast on [CALL SIGN HERE], Rush Limbaugh used the vulgar, sexual term "dick" when referring to a Miss Plastic Surgery pageant. Specifically, Limbaugh said:
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"LIMBAUGH: Miss Plastic Surgery. (chuckle) And – I’d – I’d – I – I don’t – I don’t know what the winner – I – and, oh, I didn’t print out both pages, so I don’t know what the – I don’t know what the winner gets. Probably a certificate to go to San Francisco to have an add-a-dick-to-me operation. "
According to the FCC:
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Information regarding the details of what was actually said (or depicted) during the allegedly indecent, profane or obscene broadcast. There is flexibility on how a complainant may provide this information. The complainant may submit a significant excerpt of the program describing what was actually said (or depicted) or a full or partial recording (e.g., tape) or transcript of the material.
In whatever form the complainant decides to provide the information, it must be sufficiently detailed so the FCC can determine the words and language actually used during the broadcast and the context of those words or language. Subject matter alone is not a determining factor of whether material is obscene, profane, or indecent. For example, stating only that the broadcast station “discussed sex” or had a “disgusting discussion of sex” during a program is not sufficient. Moreover, the FCC must know the context when analyzing whether specific, isolated words are indecent or profane. The FCC does not require complainants to provide recordings or transcripts in support of their complaints. Consequently, failure to provide a recording or transcript of a broadcast, in and of itself, will not lead to automatic dismissal or denial of a complaint.
The date and time of the broadcast. Under federal law, if the FCC assesses a monetary forfeiture against a broadcast station for violation of a rule, it must specify the date the violation occurred. Accordingly, it is important that complainants provide the date the material in question was broadcast. A broadcaster’s right to air indecent or profane speech is protected between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Consequently, the FCC must know the time of day that the material was broadcast.
Bigamy?
He may not have been, but according to Kerik's autobiography he was a bigamist. With his secret first wife.
This is who Saint Rudy wanted to run the Department of Homeland Security?
This is who George Bush wanted to run the Department of Homeland Security?
Clowns.
This is who Saint Rudy wanted to run the Department of Homeland Security?
This is who George Bush wanted to run the Department of Homeland Security?
Clowns.
Sinclairaction.com
Protest Launched Against Sinclair:
You can read more about The Point here and here.
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NEW YORK — A coalition of liberal political groups is launching a nationwide protest against Sinclair Broadcast Group, charging that the 62-station TV broadcaster, which was also the target of intense criticism during the presidential campaign, is misusing public airwaves with partisan news programming.
The groups, led by Media Matters for America, today will announce a campaign to pressure Sinclair's advertisers with letters. The groups, however, are stopping short of demanding an advertiser boycott.
The campaign is one of the first broad attempts to reenergize liberal political activists in the wake of the Democrats' electoral defeat in November. Others involved include MoveOn.org, Free Press, Campaign for America's Future, Working Assets, Alternet, MediaChannel, and filmmaker Robert Greenwald, who made "Outfoxed," a film released in the summer that alleged Republican bias at Fox News Channel.
The anti-Sinclair campaign will be run through a new website, SinclairAction.com.
You can read more about The Point here and here.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Stupid Economists
Economists will tell you "free trade good for all countries." Now, theoretically at least, that's somewhat (though not actually entirely) true. But, too many implicitly, though they know better, make the additional rhetorical leap that "free trade good for all people." It shouldn't actually be a big deal for a news magazine to point out that freer trade doesn't actually benefit all people.
The basic issue is that, theoretically (depending on the model), the gains from free trade offset the losses. In other words, the size of the pie increases unambiguously. And, as long as the size of the pie increases, in principle the winners could compensate the losers (because they're so generous, or through forced redistribution, or whatever).
But, given this what can we make of the idiotic quote from Dartmouth economist Matthew J. Slaughter. He says:
By anxiety we of course mean "concerns about loss of jobs and income." So, Slaughter seems to take a fetishist's view of globalization/free trade. It's good in and of itself. But, if significant numbers, or even a majority, of voters are made worse off by 'globalization,' then we would expect them to vote their self-interest -- less free trade.
Or, let's put it another way. Suppose "free trade" increases GDP by 100 billion overall. However, 60% of the population actually lose a total of $50 billion income, while the other 40% gain a total of $150 billion. For a majority of the population this is a bad deal. Is it good economic policy? Well, that depends on your social welfare function. The problem we have these days is that the default social welfare function is simply equal to "GDP." Policies which make a majority of the population worse off shouldn't be enacted simply because they get Tom Friedman excited.
The basic issue is that, theoretically (depending on the model), the gains from free trade offset the losses. In other words, the size of the pie increases unambiguously. And, as long as the size of the pie increases, in principle the winners could compensate the losers (because they're so generous, or through forced redistribution, or whatever).
But, given this what can we make of the idiotic quote from Dartmouth economist Matthew J. Slaughter. He says:
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I'm worried that rising anxiety among higher-skilled workers will erode support for continued globalization in the U.S.
By anxiety we of course mean "concerns about loss of jobs and income." So, Slaughter seems to take a fetishist's view of globalization/free trade. It's good in and of itself. But, if significant numbers, or even a majority, of voters are made worse off by 'globalization,' then we would expect them to vote their self-interest -- less free trade.
Or, let's put it another way. Suppose "free trade" increases GDP by 100 billion overall. However, 60% of the population actually lose a total of $50 billion income, while the other 40% gain a total of $150 billion. For a majority of the population this is a bad deal. Is it good economic policy? Well, that depends on your social welfare function. The problem we have these days is that the default social welfare function is simply equal to "GDP." Policies which make a majority of the population worse off shouldn't be enacted simply because they get Tom Friedman excited.
Nanny?
Josh Marshall raises the amusing possibility that Kerik never had an illegal alien "nanny"...
CREW Sues FEC
Press release:
More info here.
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CREW SUES FEC OVER FAILURE TO ENFORCE ELECTION LAWS AGAINST
GROVER NORQUIST AND BUSH-CHENEY ‘04
FEC Found Norquist, Ken Mehlman and BC ‘04 in Violation of Federal Campaign Laws over “Master Contact List” but Failed to Take Action
Washington, DC, December 13, 2004 -- Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that the FEC abused its discretion by failing to enforce election law against Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform and Bush-Cheney ‘04.
In February of this year, CREW had filed a complaint with the FEC alleging that Norquist gave Ken Mehlman, the campaign manager for Bush-Cheney ‘04 a “master contact list,” including the names and information of conservative activists in 37 states compiled by Norquist over a period of 5 years.
CREW’s executive director Melanie Sloan said that CREW decided to sue the FEC over the dismissal because “the public needs to know that no one, including the President of the United States, is above the law. Congress clearly stated that the FEC must enforce campaign finance laws and the FEC cannot ignore its mandate.”
CREW's FEC complaint alleged that both parties, Mr. Norquist and Mr. Mehlman were in violation of the law regardless of whether Americans for Tax Reform or Mr. Norquist personally contributed the list. Americans for Tax Reform is a corporation and campaigns are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations. According to FEC regulations, Bush-Cheney could not accept the list if it came directly from Americans for Tax Reform. CREW further alleged that BC ‘04 violated FEC filing requirements by failing to record the contribution of the list.
On November 2nd, the FEC sent CREW a letter stating that the Commission agreed that all parties had, in fact, violated campaign finance laws, but stating that Commission had determined to dismiss the matter without taking further action.
More info here.
This is Odd
It's rare that I have occasion to accuse the Bush administration of, well, having an excess of diplomacy but here we are.
(thanks to guy)
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - A senior U.S. official said on Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is a ``rational’’ leader who would be able to transform his impoverished Stalinist state once he resolves the nuclear standoff with the international community.
``Many accusations that he (Kim Jong-il) is some sort of crazy person are not correct,’’ U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times at his office in the State Department. He said Kim’s leadership is one that is unique and rational.
Kelly, who heads the U.S. effort to deal with the North Korean nuclear crisis, dismissed the speculation the impoverished nation will collapse anytime soon.
``It would be a mistake to somehow suggest that the country is inherently unstable and its Army-first policy guarantees a kind of built-in stability,’’ said the leader of the U.S. delegation to the past three rounds of six-party talks aimed at peacefully resolving the crisis. The six parties are made up of South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S.
(thanks to guy)
Myths
Nick Confessore talks about a few so-called "myths." He's right to call them myths - in the sense that they have a metaphorical truth which is greater than their literal truth -- and the literal truth is much more complicated than the myth. Still, it's important to recognize that the metaphorical truth has a certain validity to it. But, I think this part here is where he really goes astray:
I'm not one who's ever been especially down on McAuliffe, and it's certainly true that under McAuliffe the small-donor fundraising ability increased incredibly. But, did McAuliffe really have much to do with that? And, even if he did should he be running around taking credit for it?
Members of the "grass roots" doesn't want Terry taking credit for the twenty bucks they sent in - they want the "grass roots" to be credited for it. And, more than that, I don't think most people who consider themselves to be "grass roots" or "netroots" or whatever else think they gave money because of Terry's inspiring presence or skilled leadership of internet outreach programs.
Did Terry show great leadership in this area? No idea, but less talk about Terry's great leadership and more talk about the great grass roots would be smarter. If you want to reach the "little people" you do it in part by giving credit to them, and not by making it sound like they were hoodwinked out of their money by the slick DNC chief.
Small shifts in rhetoric go along way towards making people feel empowered, that they matter, that their 20 bucks matters.
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Indeed, Terry McAuliffe, perhaps the uber-insider and the past master of collecting big checks from rich guys, did more to advance the DNC's small-donor fundraising ability than any party chair in recent memory.
I'm not one who's ever been especially down on McAuliffe, and it's certainly true that under McAuliffe the small-donor fundraising ability increased incredibly. But, did McAuliffe really have much to do with that? And, even if he did should he be running around taking credit for it?
Members of the "grass roots" doesn't want Terry taking credit for the twenty bucks they sent in - they want the "grass roots" to be credited for it. And, more than that, I don't think most people who consider themselves to be "grass roots" or "netroots" or whatever else think they gave money because of Terry's inspiring presence or skilled leadership of internet outreach programs.
Did Terry show great leadership in this area? No idea, but less talk about Terry's great leadership and more talk about the great grass roots would be smarter. If you want to reach the "little people" you do it in part by giving credit to them, and not by making it sound like they were hoodwinked out of their money by the slick DNC chief.
Small shifts in rhetoric go along way towards making people feel empowered, that they matter, that their 20 bucks matters.
Memories of Judith
From various Fox News appearances:
Sadly no transcripts exist of the Fox show she hosted for awhile.
Judith today.
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REGAN: Absolutely. I don't think there's any question. I mean, here's Hillary who's been standing by her man all these years and allowing him to behave in this reprehensible fashion.
REGAN: You know, look at Monica Lewinsky talking about being suicidal, being on antidepressants, you know, gaining this huge amount of weight. This is clearly a woman who has suffered and is suffering inside because she has no depth of feeling and no morality whatsoever. And so, I decided, after being involved in this ugly negotiation, which I found morally reprehensible, that we should make fun of the whole thing, and we should make a comment about the amorality of everybody.
REGAN: I would never tell. Unlike Monica Lewinsky, I keep my secrets and take them to the grave.
REGAN: I don't know. I mean, I think that they're going to move forward here, and I think it's alarming to me that the country is not concerned about having an amoral man in the White House.
REGAN: I said, "You know what? There's a really great morality tale here with a great, great moral lesson," and nobody's really said that.
REGAN: Well, partially, but it's also an "amorality tale" because the one thing that's missing from "Monica's Story" is, you know, deep thinking about her own amorality, which we saw -- was in ample evidence during the Barbara Walters love fest the other night. I mean, here's a woman who clearly knows a lot about sex, but knows nothing about right and wrong.
REGAN: You know, the amorality tale, "Monica's Untold Story," is about her amorality, and the amorality of all of the people in this ugly story. But one of the things that was remarkable about her two hours is her utter lack of sincere remorse. And in that case, I would say she is a true soulmate of Bill Clinton because the two of them -- she learned a lot about spinning. She learned a lot about publicity. You know, she learned a lot about changing her image. And she tried to do another Barbara Walters show, but I don't know if America's buying it. I'm sure not.
Ms. REGAN: Well, I think that the social fabric of this country has become completely unraveled. I think the sexual revolution had a lot to do with that. I think that we are in terrible shape. I think we have a country where half the kids are being raised by single mothers. A lot of that has to do with male behavior. We look at the men in this country who do not want to be accountable to their wives, do not want to be accountable to their children and we have as a president a man who could be a symbol of everything that is good; he could be a wonderful husband, he could be a wonderful father. He is in a position of great authority to show this country and to lead this country in a way that is much more important than economically.
Ms. REGAN: ...to this kind of fame, don't grow up thinking, You know, what I really want to do is to be a good citizen, to be loyal to my friends, to care about my neighbors, to get married, to be faithful to my husband, to have a family.' These are not the things that we're teaching.
Ms. REGAN: We can conquer others with force but to conquer ourselves we need strength.' And this is really what we need in America today. We need to conquer our own impulses. We need to understand that we can't act on them all the time because it feels good for us. We have to care about the other.
Ms. REGAN: Let me tell you something, my father has never cheated on my mother, my brothers have never treated cheated on their wives. I come from a big Italian Irish Catholic family and I have to say that for the most part, they have not cheated on each other. My brothers were virile...
Sadly no transcripts exist of the Fox show she hosted for awhile.
Judith today.
-
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik conducted two extramarital affairs simultaneously, using a secret Battery Park City apartment for the passionate liaisons, the New York Daily News has learned.
The first relationship, spanning nearly a decade, was with city Correction Officer Jeannette Pinero; the second was with famed publishing titan Judith Regan.
His affair with Regan, the stunningly attractive head of her own book publishing company, lasted for almost a year.
...
The tumultuous Regan-Kerik romance carried on for months, through the writing, publication and promotion of his autobiography, "The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice," which Regan's company published.
Saint Rudy
Gilliard says:
Indeed. "America's Mayor" is long overdue for some scrutiny by our fawning press.
-
The next set of questions should follow the way Giuliani raised money after 9/11. Giuliani Partners was formed in the wake of that, and he loaded that charity with his friends. No one questioned why the mayor needed a personal charity. Now, since the cloak of 9/11 is finally being lifted, it's time for some hard questions about Kerik and his patron.
Indeed. "America's Mayor" is long overdue for some scrutiny by our fawning press.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
+ 100b
oy.
And, yes my trolls, it's perfectly consistent to criticize the failure of this administration to properly supply the troops for an unnecessary war, and to also criticize them for the cost of this unnecessary, and increasingly catastrophic, war.
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Twenty-one months after U.S. forces entered Iraq, the Defense Department is only now coming to terms with the equipment shortages caused by the prolonged fighting there. The Pentagon has prepared an unprecedented emergency spending plan totaling nearly $100 billion -- as much as $30 billion more than expected as recently as October -- say senior defense officials and congressional budget aides. About $14 billion of that would go to repairing, replacing and upgrading an increasingly frayed arsenal.
And, yes my trolls, it's perfectly consistent to criticize the failure of this administration to properly supply the troops for an unnecessary war, and to also criticize them for the cost of this unnecessary, and increasingly catastrophic, war.
Flip Flop
So much for Republican free traders:
For the record, I'm roughly a free trader to the extent that means removing tariffs and quotas, though not in the sense that I support a lot of the "free trade" agreements which aren't really that and the attack on "non-tariff barriers" which are an excuse for all kinds of mischieviousness.
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Eighteen days before the end of a 30 year-old system restricting international trade in textiles and apparel, the Bush administration is imposing new barriers on imported clothing that is likely to curtail an expected flood of Chinese imports in the first few months of next year.
The administration's measures include an embargo that will be imposed throughout the month of January on some of the clothing shipped to the United States during the final months of 2004.
The new rules, scheduled to be published today in the Federal Register, were posted in recent days on a government Web site. Word of their impending imposition has stirred anger among clothing retailers and importers, who contend that the barriers contravene an international agreement to open the worldwide textile trade starting in 2005. Administration officials counter that the measures are justified because the amount of clothing shipped from some foreign countries in 2004 exceeded legal limits.
For the record, I'm roughly a free trader to the extent that means removing tariffs and quotas, though not in the sense that I support a lot of the "free trade" agreements which aren't really that and the attack on "non-tariff barriers" which are an excuse for all kinds of mischieviousness.
Mo Better Ideas
Mo Blues says:
Indeed.
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Well, here’s my own big, bold idea: Maybe some Democrat could stand up and say, “The president is lying when he says there is a crisis in Social Security.”
Indeed.
George Will Writes About Fisting, Dildos, and Enemas
I was researching something and came across this George Will column from 1987. Aside from the normal "what an asshole" reaction, I was actually kind of struck by the frankness of the language in the column. Anyway, for your anthropological entertainment:
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Earnestly, and with applause from journalists, politicians are saying about AIDS: candor, regardless of the cost. But truths are being blurred because they inconvenience a political agenda and shock sensibilities. The agenda is to avoid giving offense to any groups and to avoid the accusation of ''discrimination,'' even when the accusation is unwarranted.
In spite of much talk about the ''breakout'' into the general heterosexual population, AIDS still is and probably will remain predominantly a disease of homosexuals and intravenous drug users. It will decreasingly afflict educated, information-receptive homosexuals. It already is disproportionately, and will increasingly be, a disease of inner-city blacks and Hispanics.
Blacks and Hispanics, who constitute 11 and 8 percent of the population respectively, are 25 percent and 14 percent of AIDS patients. Those percentages probably will rise because AIDS is a behaviorally based disease and will disproportionately afflict those disadvantaged inner-city classes least able to acquire and act on information. After all, many people are caught in the culture of urban poverty precisely because they have never been given the basic skills of social competence: they do not regulate their behavior well, least of all in conformity with public-health bulletins.
Americans have a technology fixation generally. Regarding health, their thinking is shaped by the polio paradigm, the conquest of disease by Dr. Salk's silver bullet. But America's principal public-health problems flow from foolish behavior regarding eating, drinking, smoking, driving -- and, with AIDS, abuse of the body, especially the rectum.
Most journalism about AIDS reflects social and political squeamishness. In addition to an understandable reluctance to discuss certain sexual matters, journalism is infused with liberal values, including abhorrence of ''discrimination,'' which is defined (indiscriminately) to include all invidious distinctions among social groups, particularly those, such as homosexuals, that have a history of being badly treated.
Journalism seems reluctant to clarify that the primary reason for the AIDS epidemic is that the rectum, with its delicate and absorptive lining, is not suited to homosexual uses. The nation needs unsparing journalism of the sort found in the Chicago Tribune Magazine of April 26:
''. . . 81.5 percent of the second cluster of AIDS patients had engaged in the practice called 'fisting,' which causes rectal trauma, in the years before they fell ill. The researchers defined fisting as the insertion of a portion of the hand -- or even the entire fist -- into the anus of another person. The 27 men studied had a median of 120 sexual partners during the year before the onset of symptoms, with one man reporting up to 250 sexual partners in each of the three years before symptoms.''
Without here adding details about dildos and enemas, suffice it to say that the data suggest that receptive anal intercourse is the major, if not the only, important exposure by which homosexuals acquire the infection. In many cities, homosexual organizations have effectively taken the lead in distributing information about safe sexual practices. And, of course, not all homosexuals are promiscuous or given to high-risk behavior. However, even some who are not are dismayed by dissemination of information about those who are. And insufficient information about homosexual practices has impeded understanding of the epidemic.
Time and energy are being wasted on the political project of spreading the false message that the AIDS epidemic does not disproportionately involve particular minorities. British billboards proclaim: ''AIDS Doesn't Discriminate,'' a message designed to absolve homosexuals and addicts of disproportionate responsibility for the epidemic. In New York City, print ads portray a heterosexual couple tangled in sheets, with these words: ''Bang, You're Dead!'' Such ads are a disservice to the extent that they distract attention from the fact that fewer than 4 percent of AIDS cases have resulted from heterosexual contact.
Indifference and carelessness could lead to an exponential growth in AIDS cases among heterosexuals. However, today the rate of heterosexual transmission is increasing primarily among black and Hispanic teen-agers whose sex partners are intravenous drug users. New York City has one-third of all AIDS cases; 36 percent of the city's cases are IV drug users. Half of the city's 200,000 addicts are thought to be infected with the AIDS virus.
Of course anyone with AIDS deserves care and compassion. Of course testing is acceptable, if only marginally important, for applicants for marriage licenses and citizenship, and for prisoners. (Many rapes are homosexual rapes in prison.) But while it is politically safe and socially soothing to pretend that AIDS is now a democratic, meaning universal, disease threatening us all equally, that is false.
So is the notion that the most urgent task is to fund research for a vaccine. Of course research should be funded generously, but dollars spent getting addicts off needles and onto methadone will do more good, as will journalism that does not trim the truth to spare our feelings.
Stupid Times
Sometimes the cluelessness of the Times is incredible. So far, they've completely dropped the ball on the Kerik nomination, getting their asses kicked by other NY papers and gingerly whitewashing his sins when they do address them. Now that Kerik's out, what are they planning to do according to Drudge? Run a big story about Kerik's connection to a mob-connected company.
This isn't a new story, though perhaps the Times has done a thorough investigative job and actually has new information. However, running the story tomorrow is just going to propel the "liberal Times" narrative, as they're kicking a man when he's already down, even though they'd basically given Kerik a pass.
argh.
This isn't a new story, though perhaps the Times has done a thorough investigative job and actually has new information. However, running the story tomorrow is just going to propel the "liberal Times" narrative, as they're kicking a man when he's already down, even though they'd basically given Kerik a pass.
argh.
Anyone Want to Date Laura Ingraham?
Now's your chance...
(via scoobie)
...no, I don't know if this is real. Either way, cue Sully whining about privacy.
(via scoobie)
...no, I don't know if this is real. Either way, cue Sully whining about privacy.
Hagel Today
Blitzer:
-
HAGEL: Well, the secretary of defense reports to the president of the United States. I've had my differences with this secretary of defense, and I have been very clear on it.
I don't like the way he has done some things. I think they have been irresponsible. I don't like the way we went into Iraq. We didn't go into Iraq with enough troops. He's dismissed his general officers. He's dismissed all outside influence. He's dismissed outside counsel and advice. And he's dismissed a lot of inside counsel and advice from men and women who have been in military uniforms for 25 and 30 years.
One of the reasons we've got this problem, Wolf, in my opinion, is that we were unprepared for what we were going to face, what we are facing, in a post-Saddam Iraq. And this is just one more manifestation of the problem.
Listen, when I talk to these young troops that come back from Nebraska, National Guard Reserves, active duty, and I sit down with them alone in a room and no one there, no cameras, I ask them -- I was hearing some of these same things over the last year: not the right kind of weaponry, personal body armor they didn't have. They didn't have armor for their vehicles.
But yet too many of our leaders in this administration were going around the country telling and reassuring Americans our troops had everything they wanted. Certainly the Congress was passing a lot of money to make sure they had everything they wanted.
So there are a lot of pieces in this.
I do think there is some good news. I do think the military is working to resolve these issues. I do think we are putting more armor on those vehicles and we are getting the personal armor to these troops and the weapons.
But it goes beyond that, Wolf.
BIDEN: Hey, Wolf, can I make one...
BLITZER: I want to take a quick break, Senators. Hold on one second.
BIDEN: OK.
BLITZER: But very briefly to you, Senator Hagel, were you disappointed that the president asked Rumsfeld to stay on?
HAGEL: The president's decision is his decision. He will live with that decision. He'll have to defend that decision. And that's all I want to say about it.
BLITZER: All right, Senators, stand by. We have a lot more to talk about. We're going
Borrowing is Not Borrowing
As we wade deeper into this social security mess, it's going to be important to pay attention to how much the media buys the Bush administration's fabulous new argument that borrowing a couple of trillion dollars isn't actually borrowing a trillion dollars.
I'm reminded of the California recall election, during which the media reliably passed along the fake contention that California had a $38 billion deficit, when in fact that deficit was only $8 billion. And, all the while they marveled at Arnie's cunning plan to shrink the "deficit" by... borrowing money!
damn irresponsible bluggers
I'm reminded of the California recall election, during which the media reliably passed along the fake contention that California had a $38 billion deficit, when in fact that deficit was only $8 billion. And, all the while they marveled at Arnie's cunning plan to shrink the "deficit" by... borrowing money!
damn irresponsible bluggers
Volatility
Kevin Drum sends us to this LA Times story about rising household income volatility, particularly among those at the lower end of the income distribution. I think this is a very important overlooked issue, and gets at why even as some economic statistics over the past couple of decades have been somewhat rosy on the surface, there's still real economic pain out there.
This gets back to what I wrote about once before -- the rising incentives to hold most of your wealth in illiquid form. Obviously for the poor who have no savings at all this isn't all that relevant, but for those who are in more solid middle class terrain, it is a big problem. There is so much incentive to put your wealth in illiquid form - your house (somewhat offset by easy home equity loans, but they don't come cheap), 401K plans with huge early withdrawal penalties, etc... etc... Even for people who are a a bit higher up the socioeconomic ladder and who have a bit of "savings" in some sense, so much of that savings can't be tapped when needed. A moderate income hit or costly life event and you can be pretty screwed up.
It's important to note that there is a market failure here -- insurance markets don't and can't exist which would allow people to insurance themselves against the range of bad hits that can happen to them. While social insurance systems are not without their problems (bad incentives), this market failure is one reason we have them. As the social safety net slips away, and more and more uninsurable risk gets transferred to individuals, life at any particular level of average income gets unambiguously worse.
This gets back to what I wrote about once before -- the rising incentives to hold most of your wealth in illiquid form. Obviously for the poor who have no savings at all this isn't all that relevant, but for those who are in more solid middle class terrain, it is a big problem. There is so much incentive to put your wealth in illiquid form - your house (somewhat offset by easy home equity loans, but they don't come cheap), 401K plans with huge early withdrawal penalties, etc... etc... Even for people who are a a bit higher up the socioeconomic ladder and who have a bit of "savings" in some sense, so much of that savings can't be tapped when needed. A moderate income hit or costly life event and you can be pretty screwed up.
It's important to note that there is a market failure here -- insurance markets don't and can't exist which would allow people to insurance themselves against the range of bad hits that can happen to them. While social insurance systems are not without their problems (bad incentives), this market failure is one reason we have them. As the social safety net slips away, and more and more uninsurable risk gets transferred to individuals, life at any particular level of average income gets unambiguously worse.
They Get Letters
E&P gets feedback on the soldier's question to Rumsfeld. Support the troops!
-
Joe M. Richardson: "The duped soldier should be put at the very front of the action, no armor. The cooperating sergeant's career should be over and maybe become MIA. Pitts and all his cronies should be executed as traitors. We are fighting a war, the debate is over, you’re either for us or against us, there is no middle ground. I say start executing the leftists in our country, soon."
Hacktackular!
CNN's Barbara Starr yesterday:
Jeebus. Last week the talking point was that this is okay because it's normal in war for soldiers to improvise and make use of what's available just like they did in World War II!!! Now it's "the soldier might be lying."
-
What is very interesting is several days later now nobody is criticizing the soldier. He made a valid point but there's no real evidence yet that anyone has demonstrated soldiers are going through landfills finding scrap metal and bits of glass to bolt onto their vehicles. So, you know, truth always lies, as we know as reporters, always lies somewhere in between what everybody is out there saying.
Jeebus. Last week the talking point was that this is okay because it's normal in war for soldiers to improvise and make use of what's available just like they did in World War II!!! Now it's "the soldier might be lying."
Knuckleheads
On Thursday, Kerik was testifying in a "civil lawsuit about an alleged affair with a subordinate" (and subsequent abuse of power).
Kerik's attorney was whining about "personal attacks" on his poor client. Give me a break. Kerik got a big sloppy blowjob from the media like everything else connected to St. Rudy. Sure, some print outlets finally began to do their job with the guy, but on TV Kerik was treated like the second coming.
...gilliard has more.
...and, John says:
- Huh. Bush is appointed the top domestic counter-terrorism guy in the US and he doesn't even vet the guy to see if he is, well, a terrorist, or at least a bad cop. But hey, Keriks NEVER TOLD Bush the truth, and as we know, in this White House if you don't TELL the president something, then the president has no obligation to want to, or try to, find out the truth. The funny thing is that how did so many outside non-profits like CREW, and newspapers across the country, and bloggers/online reporters like John Byrne at RawStory get the inside scoop on Kerik all within a week? Yet the White House didn't have a clue, and had no way of getting a clue about Kerik? They didn't even do an FBI background check on the guy? They couldn't wait a week to do the same investigation everyone else did on the guy? Isn't homeland security worth that kind of due diligence from the White House? So where was the president while all this was happening?
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Memories... How They Fade so Fast...
From the commies at the History Channel:
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An Outlaw Christmas
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.
The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
Backlash
I've been thinking about how we can emulate Brent Bozo's little gang and start filing FCC complaints. But, we need a reasonable target. Daytime soaps?
Gaggle
As regular readers of "Holden's Obsession with the Gaggle" know, there are frequent newsworthy moments in the daily press gaggle with our dear Scotty.
How come those newsworthy moments rarely actually make the news?
How come those newsworthy moments rarely actually make the news?
Glad I'm an Adult
Oy.
Even before these types of enhancements, I imagine that a lot of teenagers very quickly regretted their new cell phone..
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BRADENTON - Retired Gen. Tommy Franks has signed on to be the spokesman for a company that uses global positioning system technology in teens' cell phones to let parents know how fast they're driving.
Franks, who as commander of U.S. Central Command based at MacDill Air Force directed the invasion of Iraq, will be the official face of Teen Arrive Alive.
The organization aims to get teens to carry a cell phone containing a GPS chip that sends out regular signals letting parents know where they are and how fast they're going.
If a predetermined speed limit is passed, an alarm goes off in the teen's cell phone and parents are automatically notified.
Even before these types of enhancements, I imagine that a lot of teenagers very quickly regretted their new cell phone..
Fake Ethics
I get so sick of people handwringing over a fake journalist code of ethics. Romenesko is filled with people tut-tutting a reporter for daring to help soldiers craft questions for Rumsfeld because he "inserted himself into the story."
The media is always a part of the story. Every single story which is written implicitly inserts the media into the story. Reporting the "news" is not a passive event without consequences, it shapes events.
Every decision to publish an anonymous leak by an administration official pushing an agenda inserts the media into the story.
And, christ, where were all these people when half of the Washington press corps became an adjunct wing of Starr's OIC?
The media is always a part of the story. Every single story which is written implicitly inserts the media into the story. Reporting the "news" is not a passive event without consequences, it shapes events.
Every decision to publish an anonymous leak by an administration official pushing an agenda inserts the media into the story.
And, christ, where were all these people when half of the Washington press corps became an adjunct wing of Starr's OIC?
President Liar
What will we tell the children?
No, it is not "headed towards bankruptcy." At worst, if zero changes are made andpessimistic growth assumptions come true, at some point around 2045 (depending on which estimate), the system is predicted to only be able to pay out 75% of promised benefits. Of course, that 75% of promised benefits is still going to be equal to or higher in real terms than current benefit levels. So, while there would have to be a drop in payouts if no changes at all were made in the system, that drop would still lead to benefit levels roughly equal to or even greater than current benefit levels. And, then, those affordable payouts would continue to grow...
Every Democrat should be on TV tomorrow saying some version of "The president is lying to the American people about this vital program..."
-
The system is headed towards bankruptcy down the road," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "If we do not act soon, Social Security will not be there for our children and grandchildren."
No, it is not "headed towards bankruptcy." At worst, if zero changes are made andpessimistic growth assumptions come true, at some point around 2045 (depending on which estimate), the system is predicted to only be able to pay out 75% of promised benefits. Of course, that 75% of promised benefits is still going to be equal to or higher in real terms than current benefit levels. So, while there would have to be a drop in payouts if no changes at all were made in the system, that drop would still lead to benefit levels roughly equal to or even greater than current benefit levels. And, then, those affordable payouts would continue to grow...
Every Democrat should be on TV tomorrow saying some version of "The president is lying to the American people about this vital program..."
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