Friday, May 29, 2009
Sotomayor, Ricci and White Male Privilege
It is now asked whether Sonia Sotomayor has empathy for Frank Ricci. It's a question larger than the first Latina nominated to the Supreme Court, larger than the first black president who selected her and larger than the case before the high court of a firefighter who did not get a promotion because he was white and male.
The first Latina nominee is now not the discriminated but the discriminator...
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NYT: Sonia Sotomayor Has a 'Compelling Life Story' -- Clarence Thomas Didn't
Sotomayor's rise from a housing project in the East Bronx to Supreme Court nominee was "a compelling life story" in Thursday's lead article by Peter Baker and Adam Nagourney.
And Scott Shane and Manny Fernandez even celebrated the life history of Sotomayor's mother, in Thursday's "A Judge's Own Story Highlights Her Mother's -- A Tale of Rising Out of Hardship."
And Sheryl Gay Stolberg's gushing 5,000-word "Woman in the News" profile of Sotomayor Wednesday positioned the judge's rise as "Her up-by-the-bootstraps tale, an only-in-America story...."
By contrast, the lead July 2, 1991 story by Maureen Dowd, then a White House reporter, was rather curt when it came to extolling the conservative Thomas's riveting life history. Dowd dispensed with Thomas's inspiring rise from poverty in Pin Point, Ga., where he was raised by his grandparents, in two and a half paragraphs, and suggested a cynical political motivation on the part of President George H.W. Bush. Thomas's life wasn't necessarily inspiring but was merely "offered as inspiring" by the president:
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Sotomayor Ruled That States Do Not Have to Obey Second Amendment
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor ruled in January 2009 that states do not have to obey the Second Amendment’s commandment that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
In Maloney v. Cuomo, Sotomayor signed an opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that said the Second Amendment does not protect individuals from having their right to keep and bear arms restricted by state governments....
[Just like states can add restrictions to federal abortion laws? Inane. Activist. Wrong.]
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Gibbs on 'burgeoning...controversy'
The issue didn’t go away with the campaign, and now it’s found its way into the West Wing. At Robert Gibbs’ Wednesday briefing, radio host Lester Kinsolving asked whether the White House would satisfy several hundred thousand petitioners by releasing “a certified copy of [Obama’s] long-form birth certificate.”
Gibbs appeared incredulous."It’s on the Internet, Lester.”
“Long-form, listing his hospital and physician,” Kinsolving clarified...
[This entire 'controversy', 100% of it, is due to Obama's abject refusal to release his full {many say 'actual', with some cause} birth certificate to the people that hired him on condition he was a US citizen.
Why?]
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Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid of the Obama Administration’s Scary Trial Balloon
In yesterday's Washington Post, the White House floats a really scary trial balloon—a new national Value-Added Tax (VAT) to pay for out-of-control spending and a Washington take over of health care.
We need to draw a clear line in the sand that no new national taxes will be put in place without eliminating—not cutting, but permanently eliminating—our existing income tax...
[Correct, and actually preferable as it puts all consumers on the same side of the tax table vs. the class warfare being waged now, and allows citizens to choose to save their money tax free (by not consuming) rather than having it taken from us by force.
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Then>
"VAT -OR- INCOME TAX - NOT BOTH"
Whitehouse: mailto:president@whitehouse.gov
Senate-Reid: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
House-Pelosi: http://speaker.house.gov/contact/
YOUR Senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
YOUR Congressman: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
or: Speed Message them with your personal distribution list...
and as always, pass it on...
..
The Silence of MoveOn
The most powerful grassroots organization of the peace movement, MoveOn, remains silent as the American wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan simmer or escalate
What was MoveOn's explanation for abandoning the peace movement in a meeting with a president the peace movement was key to electing? According to Ruben and MoveOn, it was the preference of its millions of members, as ascertained by house meetings and polls.
But on none of these 'polls' were Afghanistan and Pakistan even listed as options which members could vote on. Nor was Guantánamo nor the administration's torture policies. ("Investigate the Bush Administration" was the first option.)
MoveOn is supposed to be an Internet version of participatory democracy, but the organization's decision-making structure apparently assures that the membership is voiceless on the question of these long wars - at least not while a Democrat is President...
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Hamas funder jailed in Texas
A founding member of what was once the biggest Muslim funding organization in the US has been given a 65-year jail sentence. Shukri Abu Baker, 50, was convicted of assisting the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which the US lists as a terrorist organisation. He is the first of five people from the Holy Land Foundation to be sentenced.
[GWOT]
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AP Calls Terrorism Financier a 'Muslim Charity Member'
If you saw the headline "Muslim Charity Member Gets 65 Years In Prison," would you assume his crime was funding terrorist activities, or possibly something totally unrelated?
Given that this "charity member" was convicted last November on 108 charges surrounding the transfer of more than $12 million to the terrorist group Hamas, one would think a stronger, more direct and informative headline would be in order.
Apparently not to the Associated Press...
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CBS Reports Islamic Extremism in U.S. Prisons, No Mention of Gitmo Detainees
At the top of Friday’s CBS Early Show co-host Julie Chen declared: "New details about that foiled terrorist plot in New York. Are American jails becoming breeding grounds for home-grown terrorists?"
In the report that followed, correspondent Kelly Wallace explained:
"Three of the suspects are U.S. citizens, all are Muslim. Three of the four are said to be jailhouse converts...One study estimates that as many as 175,000 inmates of American prisons converted to Islam since September 11th."Despite such a shocking statistic, from a 2007 Indiana State University study, Wallace made no mention of President Obama’s plan to release Islamic fundamentalists from Guantanamo into American prisons...
[Oh c'mon; a simple oversight - it's not like a professional journalist can be expected to connect (the-most-glaringly-obvious) of dots...]
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Pelosi appeals for China's help on climate change
BEIJING — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Beijing on Thursday to cooperate on climate change, calling a safe environment a basic human right. "We have so much room for improvement," ... "Every aspect of our lives must be subjected to an inventory ... of how we are taking responsibility."
[Scarier and scarier.]
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New U.N. Climate Treaty Expected to Restrict U.S. While Exempting United Arab Emirates and China
A new Uni
ted Nation's global warming treaty is expected to give some of the world's worst polluters--such as the communist People's Republic of China--and some of the world's wealthiest nations--such as the oil-rich United Arab Emirates--a license to continue freely pumping carbon into the atmosphere while restricting the emissions of the United States
Countries categorized by the United Nations as Annex 1 Parties, including the United States and much of the industrialized world, are considered developed nations that will not be harmed by controlling carbon emissions. Non-annex I Parties, on the other hand, are countries considered to be “developing” or have “economies in transition.”
These Non-annex 1 countries such as China – which emits the most carbon emissions of any country in the world, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Top 20 Countries for CO2 Emissions--will be able “sign on” to the treaty but will not be legally bound by it. And some of the world’s wealthiest nations, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are on the Non-annex 1 Parties list.
"It's very political. ... It has as much to do with what nations are willing to accept than per capita wealth or per capita usage of fossil fuels"
said Ben Lieberman, senior policy analyst on energy and the environment at the Heritage Foundation.
Lieberman said allowing some countries to sign the treaty gives it clout without requiring those countries to actually cut emissions. He also said without some of the worst polluters being held accountable--like China (No. 1), India, (No. 4), South Korea (No. 9), Mexico (No. 13) and Saudi Arabia (No. 14)--an international treaty will not have any impact...
[a) it's not really about the enviornment (and never was), b) no harm or impact are untrue: it will have severe impact on America's global competitivness - and ability to keep companies here...]
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As Dollars Pile Up, Uneasy Traders Lower the Currency’s Value
The dollar was on a roll just a few months ago, bounding higher against foreign currencies as investors sought a safe hiding place for their money amid a global downturn.
But now, many are rethinking their decision to buy American. The dollar skidded to its lowest point in five months this week, battered by creeping fears that Washington’s costly efforts to stimulate the economy are growing harder to finance...
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Demand doesn’t justify oil runup, Exxon chief says
DALLAS— The recent run-up in crude prices to $60-plus from under $40 earlier this year isn’t necessarily evidence that the economy is recovering, Exxon Mobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson said Wednesday. Oil demand remains down while supply is robust amid the lingering global recession, so those fundamentals don’t support crude’s slow uptick.
No, it's more a function of OPEC communications and our weakening dollar...
[I.e., spending like drunken sailors on everything but our own oil reserves.]
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Banks find ways to boost fees; checking accounts latest target
For the past year, banks have raised credit card rates to levels that sparked consumer outcry, regulatory scrutiny and congressional action. (snip) For example, banks are making it easier and more punitive for consumers to spend more than they have in their checking accounts, just as they allow consumers to spend past their card limits and charge them a steep fee for doing so.
[SHEEPLE. Vote with your feet like a responsible consumer and they won't do anything we don't let them do.]
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What Happened to the Right of the Patient to Choose?
The parents of a 13 year old Minnesota boy, Daniel Hauser, who with their support refused chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, have now told Judge John Rodenberg that they will agree to the treatment. Previously, they had missed a court date and fled the state in order to avoid judicially imposed chemotherapy.
Their recent reversal came after they were given a choice; agree to chemotherapy for their son or lose custody of him...
[A: it was stripped from us years ago, and will require sustained action at the poles to reverse.]
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The new GM: Government Motors?
A new name for Detroit's weakened auto giant GM is making the rounds, sometimes with irony, sometimes with dread, suggested by the deepest Washington industrial intervention in a half-century.
The Obama administration is planting itself at the wheel of General Motors with a major ownership stake -- and all that goes with it for the U.S. taxpayer...
[That's right, when we complain about the costs of union benefits, we'll now be talking about your money whether you ever bought a chevy or not.]
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The Guideline of Law
The President mentioned the Rule of Law in a speech last week. At the National Archives about his policies on terrorism, he said:"From Europe to the Pacific, we've been the nation that has shut down torture chambers and replaced tyranny with the rule of law."
But the previous week the administration blew off the Rule of Law in the Chrysler bankruptcy.
It stiffed the senior secured creditors in favor of a junior creditor, a labor union. That's probably unconstitutional, because the US Constitution calls for "uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States." You can see why the founding fathers might think uniform bankruptcy laws were a good thing. It would provide protection for creditors, never the most popular people in society, against a politically favored special interest like a labor union.
If you are not going to favor secured creditors over a politically powerful interest, why bother having laws, or a Rule of Law at all? Just let the unpopular people go to the wall. Tell them to hire a politician next time.
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Stimulus Overhype?
The Obama administration on Wednesday issued a booklet heralding the accomplishments of the $787 billion stimulus act 100 days after it was signed into law. Without question the book lists many projects that are having an impact of one way or another on the economy.
But the first one of the projects featured in "100 Days, 100 Projects" doesn't seem to withstand the scrutiny of its description. The project is described by the Obama administration this way:"Using $27 million of Recovery Act funding, a public housing development in Washington, D.C., the Regency House, has undergone a green retrofit. As part of this upgrade, the building installed solar panels, a 'green' roof, a rainwater collection system, energy-efficient lighting as well as water conserving toilets, showerheads, and faucets. The greening of this building will allow the Regency House to save money in energy costs, while lessening their impact on the environment."
In reality, the work done on the Regency House that was funded by the stimulus package amounted to $59,000 in parts and labor, according to Dena Michaelson, director of public affairs for the Washington DC Housing Authority... [snip]
The response of the White House to questions about the claim in the book evoked a critique of journalists...
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WHAT IS NOT WRONG WITH U.S. HEALTH CARE
Barack Obama says he wants to make reforming health care one of his administration's top priorities. Change in health care is certainly needed. There is a danger, though, that the new president will be unduly influenced by political advocates peddling the same tired myths that have dogged the health care debate since the Clinton years.
These myths are founded on selective data, doubtful sources and faulty science. For anyone with an open mind and a passion for accuracy, they are easily dispelled, says Dr. Roger Stark, a health care policy analyst at Washington Policy Center.
We hear a lot about how terrible the infant mortality rate is in the United States, supposedly the worst in the civilized world. Is this true? Not really:
- U.S. health officials count all live births, while many other countries only count full-term births or infants who live at least 28 days.
- Obviously, premature infants, who are counted in the United States but not in other countries, have a much higher risk of mortality.
- A panel of doctors reviewed the hospital data and found the great majority of these deaths occur at the end of the patient's natural life, when the outcome would have been the same regardless of what hospital staff did or did not do.
- In other countries, these older, desperately ill people often are not even sent to a hospital, dying at home instead, and are not included in national medical statistics.
- A comparable, population-adjusted study in Canada found 200,000 "unnecessary" hospital deaths, even though political activists regularly push Canadian-style health care as the model for the United States.
- Three of the five criteria used to rate nations were biased in a favor of nationalized, single-payer systems, and U.N. officials admit they have an 80 percent uncertainty level in their data.
- Amazingly, none of the five criteria included actual health outcomes, such as cancer or heart attack survival rates.
- The United States tops all countries in favorable health outcomes.
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The era of state-controlled media commeth
Another line has been crossed by the Obama administration: state-controlled television reports only of a news event at the White House. ABC's invaluable Jake Tapper writes at the Political Punch:
On April 27, President Obama welcomed the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies, who had just won the NCAA women's basketball championship.
After the event, President Obama went to the White House basketball court to shoot hoop with the Lady Huskies. The White House press corps was not allowed to attend.
Instead of a pesky free press, who photograph whatever they want and ask whatever they want, the American people will see only what the President wishes them to see. Should his vaunted reputation as a basketball whiz not be supported by his shooting with the ladies, he will have no embarrassing bowling moments.
It is true that in the past some events have been kept private, with only White House photographers present. But, as Tapper notes, this new video production operation has its own broadcast TV-like logo and other accessories of a major media operation.
Starting out with a sports team visit makes the whole enterprise seem non-threatening. But make no mistake, a line has been crossed.
Even the nearly universal adulation of the press is not enough for The One. Keep a sharp eye open for other events excluding the press, but open only to state-controlled media.
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Voters Triumph in California; Nets Cover Protesters
Nobody can accuse the broadcast networks of objectivity when it comes to gay "rights."
ABC, CBS and NBC combined devoted nearly 11 minutes of air time during their evening and morning news shows to the May 26 California Supreme Court ruling that upheld Proposition 8, the 2008 state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage.
The networks gave gay rights activists more than seven minutes of air time, through interviews and footage of their protests, while they gave Prop 8 supporters less than one minute to talk about their victory.
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Palin Campaign Clothes Complaint Dismissed: Little Coverage in Old Media
Remember how everyone in the Old Media delighted in lambasting Governor Sarah Palin when the GOP bought all those clothes for her use during the McCain campaign? Remember how it was reported as nearly a foregone conclusion that these purchases must have somehow been illegal? It was even bigger news when the left-wing group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an ethics complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against the GOP. The whole thing was the talk of the Old Media, as you may recall.
Well, as of May 15, the FEC ruled that there was no ethics violation and the clothing spending was deemed legal. One would think that this news concluding the story would make as big of a splash with the Old Media as the beginning of the tale did. Naturally, crickets have been heard throughout the media establishment as little notice has been paid to this story.
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Rahm's threat
New York's City Hall News reports that President Obama's request that Steve Israel stand down from a New York Senate primary was accompanied by blunter words from Rahm:
According to several sources familiar with the conversation, the White House chief of staff made it very clear to Israel that the administration didn't want him to run and that they would use their considerable political might to ensure his defeat if he did...
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The Polls Show That Reaganism Is Not Dead
Barack Obama won the White House by campaigning against an unpopular incumbent in a time of economic anxiety and lingering foreign policy concerns. He offered voters an upbeat message, praised the nation as a land of opportunity, promised tax cuts to just about everyone, and overcame doubts about his experience with a strong performance in the presidential debates.
Does this sound familiar?
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So Where Are the NCOs in Star Trek?
I just cannot get behind this Star Trek rebirth. The whole thing is just so unrealistic. Not the warp speed or phasers or beaming about the universe - those are at least remotely plausible. I am talking about the fact that the starship Enterprise is composed entirely of officers and yet it still seems to function. Where are the non-commissioned officers (NCO), the petty officers and sergeants who actually make any military organization run? No, I can suspend disbelief over Klingons and tribbles, and I actively support the notion of green alien hotties.
But the idea of a functioning military unit without sergeants is just a wormhole too far...
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