March 26, 2007
A country, behaving badly
Japan, denying a piece of its history, again. Seems to be a recurring theme with Japan, Turkey, the US, heck lots of folks in the news recently.
March 19, 2007
Zimbabwe in the news
It's been largely under the radar in the States, but the political situation in Zimbabwe is perhaps approaching its logical conclusion. We might just see some real democratic change there. Someday.
- Diplomatic posturing.
- The beatings continue until the economy improves?
- The Beeb has most of the coverage. Follow the links.
- The Zimbabwe Independent.
- Beating with iron bars. Let's not give the Republicans any ideas though.
- A different view from Harare's middle class.
March 04, 2007
January 29, 2007
December 19, 2006
December 06, 2006
November 30, 2006
Your terrorism score, as compiled by the government
Oh wait, it's not accessible, though they will keep it for forty years. Comforting to know that they include your meal choice (Halal?) as part of the scoring process. Another illegal operation brought to you by the "freedom" folks, a.k.a. the good guys.
November 27, 2006
November 20, 2006
Bush's choice to head the Family-Planning Post?
Yup, you guesses it, someone who opposes contraception. At least for white people.
Meanwhile at the CIA...
..."no evidence" of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. And Bush isn't a fan of Seymour Hersh's it appears.
Brilliant military thinking!
Though the "decider" hasn't decided whether he wants to send more troops or bring them home. That's decisive!
November 13, 2006
November 08, 2006
Okay, now I'll say something about the election
I think I'd like to learn a whole lot more about exit polls and computerized voting. Why did the exit polls now agree with official tallies, but not in the 2004 election? Anyway, that's a subject for a different day...
Today, we have to ask ourselves the most burning question, why did so many incumbent Republicans manage to keep their ill-deserved seats? Look, Orrin Hatch and Trent Lott are not actually good for the country, folks. Minnesota looks a touch bluer than it did before, though Pawlenty seems to be staying. And we're really sorry about sending Michele Bachmann to DC, though I suspect some number of people voted for her in order to get her away from Minnesota.
Dirty tricks? Well, the racist TV ad in Tennessee might have worked, and we have two interesting stories on voter suppression and odd (and dirty) tricks in Maryland:
- This is what voter suppression sounds like. Someone got a Virginia recording of Republican voter suppression efforts.
- And the bizarre efforts in Maryland to convince voters that the Republican was the Democrat. Or some such.
And the ballot measure results were interesting too.
November 07, 2006
November 06, 2006
Confused by right-wing "reasoning?"
National Review columinst David Frum eplains why wingnuts should keep their faith. Essentially, a gay bashing, closeted homosexual, meth user is still a better person than a principled, gay, liberal who advocates drug decriminalization. Snow talked about two cultures, but I'm not sure that this was what he was thinking. Heck, he probably wouldn't have seen any "culture" in those folks.
November 03, 2006
Another day, another hypocritical fundie Republican
Head of the National Association of Evangelicals, a man who frequently rants about the evil of gays and drug addicts, wait for, yep, regularly pays for gay sex and methamphetamines. Oh well, it's not as if his followers would have learned anything from previous examples.
Ahead of this election, let's remember this little op-ed
The Day the Enlightenment Went Out, by Gary Wills. Written right after the 2004 election.
November 01, 2006
"The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."
That was Martin Luther King talking about his country shortly before his murder. Still true today with Iraq in a state of chaos, at least 300 000 dead Iraqis (best estimate of over 600 000), 90% of Iraqis reject the presence of the US "liberators." The war must be ended and the damage to this country undone. And we must resolve to create no more killing fields.
October 30, 2006
October 29, 2006
So here's just about the weirdest thing I've seen recently
Dubya's new ranch of 98,000 acres in Paraguay. Okay, here is where it gets weird. Is that his little hiding spot to avoid prosecution for war crimes? Of does the 2.2 mile long runway (look on google earth) mean he's moving full-time into the cocaine exporting racket? Weirder still is the connection with the Moonies and their purchase of land in the same area. Okay, and then the Jenna connection? Too strange for words.
October 26, 2006
October/November Surprise and torture
Karl Rove has promised it to the Republican faithful, there will be an October Surprise again this election cycle. As Osama Bin Laden hasn't missed a US election in years, that's certainly possible, either a new video or death "evidence" from Pakistan. Also of note is the amazing coincidence that the Saddam Hussein verdict (guilty) will be announced two days before the election. That gives a day for the talking heads and Dubya to be in the media. Any other brilliant ideas? Something new maybe? A terrorist attack against Norfolk, VA? Redmond, WA?
We're also now seeing countries saying, "hey, if the US does it (torture) we can too." A city on a hill.
October 25, 2006
Election day 2000 details
The full story is so much more complicated than what we thought was happening at the time. And that's even without Diebold in the picture.
October 23, 2006
October 21, 2006
October 18, 2006
November surprise
I think we've all noticed that the Iraqi court has scheduled Hussein's "guilty and we sentence you to die" for November 5th. That way we'll have a full news day for Dubya the day before the election. Noted at the Nation online.
October 17, 2006
A different Darfur solution
Okay, so the US, the UN, and the African states aren't going to do anything about the ongoing genocide. There are lots of petitions and the like floating around in the US, but those aren't going to accomplish anything. The army there has just suffered some defeats and is reactivating the Janjaweed Arab militias. So I have a horrible idea. If we're not going to intervene and help the people of Darfur, let's send arms and munitions instead.
October 12, 2006
Further thoughts on the 655 000 Iraqis
655,000 sounds like a lot, but at an exchange rate of 1,471 Iraqi Dinars per US Dollar, it's as if just 445 Americans had died. Or, put another way, since 1 Iraqi vote equals 0 American votes, it just doesn't matter at all to Dubya.
Putting the 2.5% of the Iraqi population lost into perspective..."The five boroughs of NYC, at 8 million people, contain 2.67% of the total US population."
October 11, 2006
Someone pointed out that I didn't quote Goerge Bush enough
George Bush's March 2003 speech. My favorite part?
"Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I have a message for them. If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you. As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and medicine you need. We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free. In a free Iraq, there will be no more wars of aggression against your neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms. The tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near. "
Ooops!
October 09, 2006
And the new Bush space program
Politics is probably a better category than physics and astronomy, alas. The new Bushie space policy was announced. It's all about Moon, Mars, beyond, and "access to space." Okay, that's maybe partly complaining about Chinese laser illumination of US satellites (look it up!) and maybe also about a nuclear rocket? What do you think, time to resurrect Project Rover/NERVA? Wait, here it is! Triton from my Dad's old employer, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft.
Additional scary bits? "The policy calls upon the Secretary of Defense to..." Yup, Rummy gets to decide that Astronauts go into space with the food they have, not the food they want. Or air.
Son of Star Wars. Hmmm...filthy lucre...
Religious institutions in the US...
...have long had special rights. No property taxes, non-profit status even when they build theme-parks, salons, and bookstores. They aren't subject to OSHA, state child protection, EEO, or EPA guidelines. Recent iterations of the federal government have funnelled more money to the churches (under the banners of "stop abuse of xtians" and "faith-based initiatives) and given them additional right beyond those of individuals, non-profits (that are non-religious), and corporations.
The New York Times is running a series of articles on these issues. The first two have appeared already.
- Religious institutions being exempted from regulations. The focus here is on child safety and property rights.
- Employee rights discussed here.
Why shouldn't churches pay property taxes? They receive fire protection, police protection, and are connected to city water, gas, and sewers where applicable. Here in Minneapolis, they run apartment buildings, a nightclub, and bookstores and repay nothing to their community. A sorry state of affairs.
Addedon October 10th: The third part of the story, with a focus on property taxes and tax breaks for those with religious affiliations.
October 06, 2006
The religious right worries that their children won't follow them
Some of the discussion in abstracted in this New York Times article. Do note the t-shirts that the girls in the photo are wearing. Electrical outlets. There are corresponding electrical plug shirts for boys...
Anyway, I think this highlights again the oddity of indoctrinating children with theology. Christianity (or Islam or Hinduism or Jainism) is right because your parents happen to be members of that cult? And everyone else is wrong? I think the time will come (and not soon enough) when the concept of "catholic child" or "jewish child" can only have a cultural meaning. Theological indoctrination of the young by authority figures will come to be regarded as no more acceptable than other forms of child abuse.
October 04, 2006
The "victory" party
$20 million for the victory in Afghanistan and Iraq festivities. Originally in this year's budget, moved to next year.
October 03, 2006
Gamble with logic and lose
"Gambling is a serious addiction that undermines the family, dashes dreams and frays the fabric of society," said Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader.
"Except for Indian Casinos, thank you for your contributions. And state lotteries. Gotta keep those colored folks from learning math or we'll have to raise taxes! Oh, and Vegas Casinos, they donate money to the GOP also. And the stock markets of course, they aren't really gambling if someone tells you to get your money out of Enron before the news appears. And insurance? Nope, the insurance industry is one of the largest financial supporters of the Republican party," said Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader, to himself.
Oh, I almost forgot, Frist also noted that the Afghan War is lost and suggested that the Taliban be invited into the government.
October 02, 2006
September 30, 2006
What we did while the President fiddled...
Do they think that the Supreme Court has been packed to the point where the Constitution is irrelevant? Just what was in the antiterrorism bill? Meanwhile, Woodward, previous caught up by the Bushite's propaganda (did you read Bush at War from 2002?), has gone in and seen the horror of crazed incompetence of his certainty, of his vision thang. What a mess. And no impeachment in sight.
September 28, 2006
Today's news: Friendly fascism
"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air however slight lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." - William O. Douglas, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
If you're not outraged that Habeas Corpus rights are disappearing, and that torture is being legalized, then you must not be following the discussions in Congress this week. Znet. UPI. Washington Post.
It looks increasingly clear that Al Queda's September 11th, 2001 coup of the US government was successful.
September 27, 2006
What we value
We value freedom of speech, so so an opera which beheads Muhammad (along with Jesus, Buddha, and Poseidon). "It is a signal to other stages in Germany, or even elsewhere in Europe, to put no works on their programs that criticize Islam." Once again religion gets a free ride due to its threat of violence.
We value reason and rationality, so a report on how the US is failing the war on terror is hidden away, to avoid discussion, or critical voting in November. It seems as though there should be a real discussion here as the "war on terror" has produced two wars that the US is in the process of badly losing. Not to mention setting the state for other wars to come.
September 26, 2006
Different schemes for increasing power
The EU is looking at adding Romania and Bulgaria.And the US? Moving ahead with plans for the attack on Iran with possible use of nuclear weapons.
September 22, 2006
War signs?
I think that The Nation here is being rather premature to write about "war plans" as another US carrier group heads to the Persian Gulf. It would be interesting timing to be in place just ahead of the mid-term elections...
Still, longer-term, it seems difficult to imagine that there will not eventually be US or Israeli strikes on the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Negotiations appear to not be really desired either in Tehran or Washington. We'll see how this turns out, but the concept of beginning a third war while losing in the other two seems rather silly.
September 20, 2006
What does second-hand cigarette smoke and global warming have it common?
Some of the same folks bankrolling the "scientific" opposition to them. What a strange world!
September 19, 2006
The Zimbabwean disaster continues
It wasn't that many years ago when I visited, camping in the parks, walking through the cities, enjoying the hospitality of the people. This is a country that has been destroyed. The bakers have been arrested for charging more than the governement says they should for bread.
- Life expectancy 30 years
- High dependency on food aid (This was the "bread-basket" of Africa!)
- 20% adult HIV prevalence
- Shortages of basic foodstuffs (No bread on the shelves now.)
- High unemployment
- Inflation 1,200%
It's been a while since I've seen any US coverage, though there are comments from Zimbabweans living in Minneapolis if you click into the BBC's articles, though there isn't much for a full-on genocide in Sudan either...
September 17, 2006
Prisons for the disappeared
Including an AP newservice photographer detained for five months now. No charges.
September 13, 2006
Iraq's continuing toll
If you don't like the answer, change the question. Last month's drop in the Iraqi body count was due to a minor omission. Car bombs, suicide attacks, mortar attacks, rocket bombardments, and roadside bombs didn't count. If you were killed by one of those, you were out of luck. To be counted, you had to be tortured to death, shot by a death squad, or killed in a drive-by-shooting. That's the rules!
And Iraq's largest province is now officially a lost cause. The US was defeated.
Making new history the right-wing way
Don't like history? In this case, want to put all of the blame for 9/11 on Clinton? Make a movie and have Disney and ABC show it for you. "Not a documentary," but how many of the viewers are fooled? Maybe the same ones that thought there was a connection between Iraq and bin Laden?
September 05, 2006
Fear of war crime prosecution
The Bushites are running scared, trying to remove the War Crimes Act to avoid any possibility of being charged with gross violations of the Geneva Conventions. It's nice to think about, but Henry Kissinger hasn't been dragged to the Hague yet, so Cheney and Gonzales probably have a few decades to go.
September 01, 2006
Today's good guy: Wal-Mart!
Who would have ever guessed? Wal-Mart is launching a plan to try to sell 100 million compact fluorescent lightbulbs to its customers. This sort of scale distribution could have a quite measurable energy-use reduction nationwide! (Horrible confession: I have a stack of CFLs that I haven't installed yet. I know, I know, but I just haven't gotten to it.)
August 31, 2006
When all else fails, crackdown on "crime" online
Zimbabwe plans to use Chinese technology to monitor telecommunications. It does seem to be the refuge of failed dictatorships and nascent ones perhaps as well...
August 25, 2006
¡No Pasarán!
There hasn't been much coverage in the US of what has been happening in Mexico since the presidential elections there. This relatively poorly written article at least gives a feel for what it's like on the ground.
The continuing struggle of science & education against theocrats & ignorance
Lawrence Krauss has a decent, albeit brief editorial in the New York Times after the Kansas School Board skewed back towards reality. I'm not sure in what forum his disagreement over "scientifically inappropriate attempts by some scientists to discredit the religious faith of others" appeared. Will have to take a look. Though I can see tactically why scientists might feel that, I think that it is hypocritical to argue for a reasoned, scientific approach in all matters other than other people's theology. The logical holes are there along with the incoherence of major religions, their ahistoricality, and their pernicious nature in practice (and perhaps in theory). I see little benefit in doing this, but little harm either. Deeply-held beliefs, whether sensible or not, are not likely to be changed by simple logic.
Just the other day, we see an evolving piece of the religious attack on reason and science. Due to a "clerical" (hmmm...that has two meanings...) error, evolutionary biology has disappeared from a federal list of university majors approved for federal student grants. Yup, follow the link and you can still (8/25/06) see the missing line, a blank line, for 26.1303. What a coincidence.
August 21, 2006
Interesting little bit in the NYT on Devon Avenue
When I lived in Chicago I thought of it mostly as a place to find good Indian food. The article discusses how this Pakistani-American neighborhood differs from the terrorism incubators similar neighborhoods in England have become.
Hey Joe, where you going with those Republican dollars
The "Democrat" that the Republicans got to defeat a Republican got defeated by a Democrat. The continuing unholy alliance of Lieberman and Rove.
August 02, 2006
Religion and politics
An interesting article about one church which has separated fundamentalist Christian beliefs from support for fascism. It's interesting to see how controversial this is. We'd really have to look to Franco's Spain to see such an antimodernist, pro-statist movement so closely associated with theology. Hmmm...that's following the Christian model of course, we could also look to Iran or the Taliban's Afghanistan for a comparison with the US religious right.
In good news, Kansas school board members opposed to the real world lost out. It amazing that in 2006, the school board is only 6-4 against superstition and nonsense. Guess it poins out the need for better education.
Internationalist republicans, Abe Ribicoff, Lowell Weicker, and the CT senate race
It will nice to see no more of Joe Lieberman and his Forbes buddies. A compromised and desperate Lieberman indeed.
August 01, 2006
"Because I wanted to kill people"
Just why do soldiers want to go to Iraq? The interviewee has since been charged with rape and murder. Unlike his fellow soldiers.
July 29, 2006
Great success stories in Iraq
Even recovering bodies from the morgue has become life-threatening.
The US aid agencies in Iraq deliberately hid the real costs of their programs.
July 28, 2006
And in Las Vegas...
you need to have money in order to be invited to a picnic. Yup, feeding the homeless in a park is illegal.
July 27, 2006
July 26, 2006
Public opinion now and during the Second War
I had no idea, but FDR conducted secret polling of the American public during the war. What does it show? People knew what the war was about, setbacks had little affect on their views, and support was high. Compare and contrast... It's also interesting seeing that the public correctly saw Stalingrad and the other coincident events as the turning point. I hadn't realized that it was obvious at the time.
July 21, 2006
Nasrallah's Game
From the Nation article of the same name. I feel a little uncomfortable not seeing much to surprise me in Israel's reactions. What are they going to do? Rolling over doesn't work. Negotiating doesn't work. I'd like to support peace (as a good liberal) but find room for last resorts when needed.
July 17, 2006
The Real Bushite Agenda
"One result has been a frayed democratic fabric in a country founded on a constitutional system of checks and balances. Another has been a less effective war on terror."
July 16, 2006
July 09, 2006
June 29, 2006
Tales from two city media outlets
"U. S. Guantanamo trials illegal" reads the BBC coverage headline. In the NYTs "Supreme Court Blocks Trials at Guantanamo". The SCOTUS found that the Bush regime violated the US Constitution and the Geneva Conventions.
No word on when indictments are expected...
The anniversary of the return of the death penalty
Let's not forget that this week marks the 30th anniversary of the return of the death penalty to the United States. 1026 deaths. 123 death row exonerations.
June 28, 2006
Al Gore's presidential moment
Okay, truth be told, he's had several presidential moments and we all know that's a few more than the current occupier of the oval office. Still, what to say about An Inconvenient Truth? I saw the movie over the weekend and came away with a string of opinions and a fear that someone would note that I had driven to the movie theater rather than walked...
- The science looked accurate. Scientists in the relevent field agree with a few minor caveats. Still, it's an interesting experience to hear a politician get facts straight.
- The animated bear and frog are just ridiculous.
- Not a bad powerpoint (or Keynote) presentation. I suspect that the interns/staff has a lot to do with it.
- Apple advertising! (Thanks Anne for the thought.) If this movie gets the US working towards lowering carbon emissions, someday Apple will use it in an ad.
- The bear and frog? Drop them in the director's cut.
- The whole human interest bit with Gore's son, hit by a car, reeked of cheap manipulation. The story of his sister (who died as a smoker of lung cancer while the family farm grew tobacco) was much more effective.
- There's a decent review of what's happening here from the New Haven Advocate.
- And the NYT talking about geoengineering "solutions" to ameliorate the global climate change.
June 26, 2006
More "success" in Iraq, or was it the war on terror?
The "grand plan" is about limiting damage during the mid-term elections.
And more illegal US government spying operations are revealed.
Who's really screwing America?
A little exerpt from The Nation. I like the non-obvious nature of some of these listings. Dan Brown and Dick Cheney together at last.