TITLE: Opening guns
DATE: 02/23/2004 08:06:40 PM
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BODY:
I always thought that my writing strengths lay in the area of non-fiction. I could never imagine stories. I had no plots, no tales of terror, humor, wisdom, entertainment.
But I could argue, oh yes! My mother wanted me to be Sandra Day O'Connor. Fortunately, I avoided that fate by refusing to go to graduate school.
I'm afraid my web log will be a soapbox -- a curiously tilted and eccentric soapbox.
Later I will be adding sidebars with links to the things I read almost every day. And no doubt I'll take up linking to some of the things I read. But I have been thinking far too much, so it is time for me to write my first offensive post.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: A Sacrament
CATEGORY: Religion
DATE: 02/23/2004 08:36:26 PM
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BODY:
Do you believe that marriage is a sacrament?
If you do, the *primary* place to work for change is at Church rather than in the political arena.
Catholics believe that marriage is a sacrament -- and they *do not* believe that the state has the right to put asunder what the Church has joined together. A Catholic must get an annulment through the Church, or remarriage (within the Church) is forbidden. Moreover, a remarriage outside the blessing of the Church remains a sin, and legitimate partaking of communion is denied to those who trespass in the eyes of the Church.
A sacrament that the state can void is no sacrament.
Probably one of the worst "good things" to happen in the last 30 years has been the advent -- the tsunami -- of no-fault divorce.
The main thing this kind of divorce provided was an easy out for all the folks who found someone they preferred to the current spouse. Sure, battered wives could now more easily leave their batterers (let's pretend here that restraining orders and safe houses always work). But how many of these rescues have been offset by the abandonment of fault-free wives, husbands, children because the other spouse suddenly found someone who was a lot more fun?
Sometimes, I feel that either churches or the civil courts should constrain remarriage after a divorce -- rather like getting credit cards is constrained after a bankruptcy. Three years of good, continued child support, for example, gives back the right to civilly marry -- or possibly the right to participate in a sanctioned church sacrament of marriage once more. The current merry-go-round only works for those who are the most irresponsible -- the battered folks still have bitter problems with their violent spouses.
So. I am sure those who want to make it stop by inviting others in and creating poly families won't get applause from either the church or the state; but both the church and the state contribute to the disgraceful state of marriage, and neither has offered a remedy of any kind.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: A Constitutional Amendment
DATE: 02/24/2004 05:36:26 PM
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BODY:
Last time there was a serious effort to amend the Constitution, the issue was equal rights for women.
Remember what happened? The ratification number fell far short of the 3/4 of the states needed to pass the amendment.
Civil union is already law in Vermont and New Jersey. Massachusetts has ruled that civil union represented "separate but equal" and struck it down in favor of some kind of marriage legislation. More efforts like these are in the works. By the time a possible Constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage comes around, maybe enough states will have joined the movement for equal treatment of such families to make the possibility of an amendment moot.
Sometimes it seems that every time the right wants to stamp its tiny feet, it does so to the tune of "Constitutional Amendment." Hey, if women can't have simple equal rights, why should the restrictive and petty partisans get their whiny issues into the Big Document?
If there is any justice, this measure won't even make it through Congress.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Litmus, anyone?
DATE: 02/25/2004 05:19:09 PM
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BODY:
Atrios refers us to a wonderful web site today.
The Fidelity Pledge site is asking legislators to publicly state that they walk the walk in defense of marriage.
The folks at this site have asked Colorado legislators in favor of a Constitutional amendment to ban homosexual marriage to sign a pledge that they are already defending marriage by being faithful.
The Fidelity Pledge site has counters to tally how many days it takes each legislator to sign, and has e-mail addresses and phone numbers so people can encourage good leadership habits in the individuals who think that a Constitutional amendment is a good idea.
Honestly, starting with something relevant and substantive, like the behavior of marriage partners, is far more critical to a defense of marriage than the political maneuver endorsed by the President this week. The marriage of the Jonses-down-the-street has *never* made a difference to the sanctity of the Smith marriage.
The need for a separation of church and state has never been clearer than it is now. Members of some churches want to penalize "those people", and they have legislators who are willing to go along.
Let's spread the word about "Fidelity Pledges" and help our legislators clearly publicize what they are doing to defend marriage in their own lives as well as via supporting legislation Whatever they do in response will be instructive.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Applying intelligence
DATE: 02/26/2004 08:18:15 PM
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BODY:
In science it often happens that scientists say, "You know that's a really
good argument; my position is mistaken," and then they would actually
change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They
really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists
are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I
cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or
religion. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)
It's too bad that Sagan didn't live to see the campaign that is shaping up. First it was Dr. Dean. As a person whose training was devoted to the empirical treatment of disease, Dr. Dean had a mindset that required that he sometimes change his mind for the good of the patient. When he took the same rational approach to politics, the words "flip-flop" were spoken and printed.
Senator Kerry, as a young man, did military service with distinction. When he came home, he had seen war and it had changed him. He protested against it for a couple of years, and then did the *most* rational thing -- ran for office so he could make a difference. Flip-flop? Why would anyone consider a change in learning and perspective as a weakness? Why is applying intelligence to a stand a Bad Thing?
Has no one recently quoted "consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"? Does no one believe it anymore?
The little minds have been a prominent part of our national landscape for far too long. When they implement an ineffective policy, to do it again, and then continue doing the same thing in case it works *this* time is quite mad.
It will be interesting to see if the consistency argument comes up in the next few months. It's time to stop enshrining consistency, however; because consistency in the face of failure is lunacy.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: The Language Dance
DATE: 02/27/2004 11:50:37 AM
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BODY:
It is interesting to watch people use language to dance around taking a stand.
For example, people in financial services freely use the term "high interest rate" to avoid the term "usury" -- after all, the Bible is against usury.
Does anyone questioning candidates about civil unions versus "gay marriage" seriously expect even an honest politician to say "I'm against discriminating freely against an entire class of people, but I am also reluctant to offend all the biblical literalists in my district, therefore I favor civil unions rather than marriages for same-sex couples." Really! That would be too clear for most of the people who do the Language Dance.
So much legislation has had dancing titles in the last three years that one could practically use an old-fashioned Dance Card to keep track.
It would be interesting to see the government get entirely out of the marriage business -- to offer civil unions that are not religious to all people, and leave "marriages" to the field of religion.
Then each church and each state could do its thing without any more debate than there already is among religious sects.
Just remember -- Jesus whipped the money changers out of the temple. There is no recorded instance of him taking a whip to a homosexual, a Lesbian, or a prostitute.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Overreaction
DATE: 02/27/2004 07:08:43 PM
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BODY:
Orson Scott Card has written a tract on marriage.
I am amazed that Card, a member of the only US church to ever have a revelation that polygamy was the true way God intended Man to live, asserts that the only successful societies were those where marriage was between one man and one woman.
As a Mormon he should know better. His Church caved in to the US government. His people were massacred for their different view of marriage, but it took the force of the US Cavalry to make the Mormons deny the doctrine of plural marriage.
Many other societies have had marriage patterns that are not of the monogamous variety. They have not fallen apart. Such societies are even discussed in the Bible as meritorious. King Solomon and King David were on the side of the Lord, in case Mr. Card has forgotten that, and neither was monogamous -- nor "faithful" to their multiplicity of wives.
So now Mr. Card is in the wonderful position of wanting the cavalry to make these obstreperous homos behave. It's not going to happen. His state (NC) may make laws freezing the status quo, but those laws are not going to be universal.
I have often wondered what polygamous wives were called, and whether they still constituted a family upon the death of their patriarch. Card would not think so; but then, Card has shown himself to be incredibly naive and unthinking in his essay.
No "elite" is going to impose on Mr. Card. But the cavalry is not going to come break up those thousands of new families whose existence so distresses him, either.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Looking Glass Land
DATE: 02/28/2004 03:45:38 PM
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BODY:
I actually started my political life as a Goldwater Republican. We had "debates" in high school during the election year. I remember riposting to the head of the Student Council that if he thought Goldwater was going to "start a war" and that Johnson would not do so, he was incredibly naive. He was a redhead, and he turned a satisfying shade of puce. And of course, his candidate -- elected by people who seemed to believe that line -- forged ahead in Viet Nam for all those years in office.
I was too young to vote, of course. I was also too young the next time, turning 21 eleven days after the general election. And then during the next one I was living in Europe and my absentee ballot never arrived.
By the time I could cast a vote, Nixon was history. I registered as an Independent, and I have never changed that.
Sometimes a Libertarian position seems very attractive. The only problem with being a Libertarian is that time after time corporations have done despicable and illegal things. Who could vote to take all controls off companies and financial institutions after the S&L scandals, WorldCom, Enron? Only someone as naive as the president of the Student Council those many years ago.
Why is it that people believe that Democrats tax and spend while Republicans are fiscally conservative? The evidence is exactly opposite. Kennedy *removed* the huge taxes on the top income brackets. Reagan, Bush pere and Bush fils have done enormous amounts of spending.
Clinton balanced the budget and accumulated a surplus while using "it'sthe economy, stupid!" as a motto. Bush fils, in his effort to destroy everything that pertained to the Clinton administration, presided over a sliding economy, and spent us into an ocean of debt -- and that ocean represented by the budget does not even include the funds to keep our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan supplied!
The party that uses "personal responsibility" as a lash has no one who will stand up and be responsible for the myriad of ways that citizen privacy is being invaded (see Ashcroft on wanting to invade the medical records of women whom he is persecuting over their doctor's possible abortion styles). There is no one who will stand up for the *actual* cuts to veterans benefits, military dependent education, and other real things that would help those who have been sent to fight.
And there is no personal responsibility over the Plame affair so far. None over the unemployment of millions. None over the sinking wages for those who still have jobs through the destruction of overtime pay laws -- though that, as an "administrative" change, can be laid directly on the party who spawned it.
My roots in conservatism, and my love of personal liberty and responsibility are going to compel me to join the "Anybody but Bush" movement.
We are truly beyond the Looking Glass.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Quite the Specimen
DATE: 02/29/2004 08:39:18 PM
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BODY:
Alan Greenspan. Mr "Let's fund the Boomer's Retirement By Raising the Amount Withheld From Everyone" (via Calpundit). So for twenty years, theoretically we have been saving for our retirement by paying extra payroll taxes to beef up the fund.
And now? "Oh, let's give tax cuts to everyone who makes more than $200K." And where did this money come from? From dumping Social Security in to the General Fund and wiping out both the General Fund and the surplus.
Greenspan. When you want to know who helped take a lot of it in the first place, look at him.
So it's gone. Someone (who makes over $100K) spent it on a new Jag, a Hummer, a vacation, a boat, Christmas shopping at Saks, at Tiffany's, at Neiman-Marcus -- at places you will never shop, getting things with money that would have bought you food and medicine as you got old.
/ begin fantasy/ There *is* a remedy. Let's go back to the tax structure of that fine Republican President, Dwight David Eishehower. 90% tax on everything over one million dollars. Tax on dividends. Even the old "luxury tax" on makeup, furs, jewels, and high end vehicles.
I wonder how soon there would be adequate funding for Social Security, the military's veterans benefits and medical benefits, the schools, and other things that have been marginalized by the current administration. /end fantasy/
The best we can possibly get in the immediate future is a Democrat in the White House and a coalition of Democrats and *real* conservatives in Congress who have the guts to go through and undo the Bush Disaster -- roll back his tax cuts, reinstitute capital gains and estate taxes, put Head Start back in place ... anyone with a search engine could figure out the drill.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Look Over There
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
DATE: 03/01/2004 05:56:50 PM
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BODY:
To the left you will find a list of weblogs. The ones listed are the ones I read every day. I have a much longer list of others that I visit, as well.
No, I'm not myopic. I read web logs that belong to moderates and to people on the right, as well as ones that are left.
Some on the list are not even thoroughly political.
I gave up watching television years ago, so I have not been exposed to the greater part of the cultural swamp that the last few years have been. I have not watched Fox since the first season of the Simpsons -- and then I *only* watched the Simpsons.
I like quiet, so I get most of my news in writing.
What I like most about weblogs is the way they can revisit a topic without becoming boringly repetitive. And they act far more like a conscience than editorial pages or radio have for over a generation now.
We have needed a national conscience for quite awhile. Our usual media, controlled almost totally by a class dedicated to its own cultivation, has become a cheering section for the interests of the monied class above any interests that might contribute to the genuine and general well-being of US citizens.
Web logs are almost all written without the welfare of corporations being the highest consideration of their writers.
We have needed something like that for a long time, and I have to thank the writers of the web logs on the left for giving me back some hope that our ability to cause change is not quite dead yet.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jeff
EMAIL: jhouck2@tampabay.rr.com
IP: 68.202.75.232
URL: http://sidesalad.blogspot.com
DATE: 03/02/2004 05:36:47 PM
Thanks for the blogroll mention!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: julia
EMAIL: jmhm@livejournal.com
IP: 165.247.44.157
URL: http://jmhm.livejournal.com
DATE: 03/03/2004 04:04:52 AM
aw.
thanks.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Scorpio
EMAIL: eccentric_00@hotmail.com
IP: 67.64.41.59
URL: http://scorpio.typepad.com/eccentricity
DATE: 03/05/2004 09:24:48 PM
You are both quite welcome. The Santas were outstanding.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Asking for Trouble
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/02/2004 07:42:41 PM
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BODY:
I live in a district that uses paper ballots.
I remember how surprised I was when I first moved to the midwest to find that people still made X's on paper with pens.
I grew up on the east coast, and even in our school elections we used voting machines with levers. You made sure that levers were moved next to all your candidates, When you pushed the master lever, the votes were recorded on paper rolls, the switches were reset, and the curtain opened.
As far as I am concerned, that is about as high-tech as a voting machine should get -- *some*thing should be making X's on paper.
People who trust an all-electronic system are flat-out denying that a recount might be desirable. That is wrong. Almost all places have laws to deal with recounts. What will these places do when, for example, the exit polling and the vote count are exactly opposite from one another?
That has happened in quite a few places. How stinky does it have to get for municipalities to realize that a system with no checks is a system ripe for corruption, cheating, and just plain error?
Spare me from a system whose code has not been opened for inspection, that does not make a paper duplicate that can be audited, that is therefore unreliable. And may the rest of you make so much noise that you, too, are spared!
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Feeling Safe and Being Safe
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
DATE: 03/03/2004 10:21:06 PM
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BODY:
Rivka, over at Respectful of Otters, has a rather long post that ends with a paragraph that states:
"I wouldn't be giving Dr. Simon such a hard time about his precise wording if it weren't for the fact that the confusion of "feeling safe" with "being safe" is so often a deliberate PR move. " The 'feeling safe and being safe' portion links to an article on SUVs.
When I saw the hilighted link, my mind did not immediately leap to SUVs, but to both the state of the nation and to the state of air travel.
We are wallowing so deep in feelgood that we are pretending that a lot is being done in the "war on terror".
But let's look at real things. How much inspection of container ships is being done? How porous are our borders? How many wire-guided missle launchers are in enemy hands?
Banning tweezers and tiny nail scissors in hand luggage does not make us safer. Things to make is feel safe that do not actually make us safer are a PR stunt. This applies in large measure to the post-9/11 airport rituals. Taking the plastic guns from GI Joe dolls reminds one of mad school administrators who expel kids for having aspirin in their backpacks -- none of that makes anyone either feel safer or be safer.
Likewise there are all sorts of bills that have been passed in the last couple of years -- bills with titles that are crafted to make people believe that Things Are Being Done [instead of that Things Are Being Destroyed, which is more accurate]. Clear Skies, Healthy Forests, No Child Left Behind -- when you see a feelgood title like that, it's time to see if the silverware is still in the drawer.
Likely it has just been redistributed to a corporation or to an individual who makes over $300 K a year.
As we go into the campaign season, be sure to ask yourself if something the incumbent says makes you feel better. If it does, and you make less than $300 K, start reading the fine print. Is this thing effective? Is it funded? Where will the burden fall? Are any of these things just invented instead of being true? Think about what you hear, and question all of it. That is the only way to work toward being safer.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Finding a Style
CATEGORY: Remembering
DATE: 03/04/2004 08:04:58 PM
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BODY:
I have been thinking about how much I really enjoy the different weblog styles -- Making Light, Teresa Neilsen Hayden's web log, is graceful, personal, and interesting.
Avedon Carol at The Sideshow is always both entertaining and thoughful. I especially tend to like her choice of links, and I was immensely startled when she linked to me earlier in the week because I do so faithfully read the things she points to.
Atrios's Eschaton is a must-read, morning and night. He links to the places in the news where we need to pay attention.
I honestly must spend about 20 hours a week on the web. And I spend a lot of it admiring the wonderful ways that people write about current affairs, about their lives, and about the things they observe in the world.
I expect that eventually I will find my own voice. I don't think it will normally have that many links. Maybe I'll just point everyone to people who do a wonderful job of linking, and spend my time speculating and editorializing.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: skaterina
EMAIL: dotcom1@citlin.net
IP: 170.215.67.203
URL:
DATE: 03/06/2004 04:21:42 PM
i came over to see your blog from a comment of yours at Eschaton / you are doing well / i am an old lady fascinated with the cyber world and political blogging in particular / thank goodness for good blogs
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: BUSH */// NADER
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/04/2004 10:09:40 PM
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BODY:
No More Mister Nice Blog reports the results of an AP poll today:
Bush 46%
Kerry 45%
Nader 6%
So. That makes it very clear. We need to start pushing out a flood of signs that say BUSH */// NADER so that the real destination of a Nader vote is clearly defined.
There is no such thing as a wasted vote -- a Nader vote will clearly go directly to Bush's victory.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Whistle if You Work
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/05/2004 05:51:27 PM
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BODY:
I suddenly realized why the administration keeps insisting that the economy is recovering, even though most of us who make under $300,000 annually don't agree.
To the people who surround the President, "the economy" consists of the stock market, dividends, bonds, and estates. In their eyes, jobs have nothing to do with the economy. If they ever saw a minimum wage check, it was because they were handing it to "the help" (though they probably, personally, never had to do anything so crass). And besides, for many of them jobs have always been available with the pulling of a string or two. [Not for all of them. Colin Powell's opinion of this phenomenon has been widely quoted.]
They see corporate health as the bottom line; and whatever it takes to fatten that up is a Good Thing. This is, of course, why stock prices rise as workers are dumped, a phenomenon that has been a hallmark of this administration.
Stock prices are back up where they were before the slide began. This means "recovery", never mind that unemployment continues without improvement according to figures released today. The public sector added 21,000 jobs, and the private sector added nothing. Numbers from last month were also revised downward.
And of course, no one is allowed near the President unless that person is willing to smile and smile. I imagine that a visit to New York for several days is going to be -- interesting. Will the National Guard be called out? Will the city honor the First Amendment, or will only Potempkin Placards be allowed near event sites?
Ah, interesting times.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Looking Backward
CATEGORY: Remembering
DATE: 03/05/2004 09:09:31 PM
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BODY:
Randy Barnett at The Volokh Conspiracy has a dissertation on how much he dislikes the older Boomers who make a fetish of the 1960's. Funny enough, I'm not so fond of it myself, and I'm in the group he points to.
The 1960's had one of the darkest undercurrents of any time in my life. It wasn't just body bags on television, but two murders, one of them live, played over and over in a loop in 1963. More assassinations. War. Bloody riots. Terrorist bomb threats to US military bases overseas. (Oh yes -- there was a bombing in Frankfurt that killed at least one colonel, Andreas Bader and Ulrike Meinhoff, terrorists-for-real). Two Israeli wars as well. Body searches before boarding a plane in Frankfurt after the Olympic kidnappings.
No, the 1960's was not an ideal time.
A friend and I took a multi-day car trip, and when she got hold of the CDs in my car, she was stunned to find no oldies; no Beatles, no Doors -- nothing from the era that so many revisit as party themes and nostalgic laments.
I don't like 60's themes, parties, radio stations.
I see no reason to glorify and revisit the dark.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: QuickSauce
EMAIL: quicksauce@yahoo.com
IP: 207.69.139.146
URL: http://quicksauce.blogspot.com
DATE: 03/06/2004 11:37:36 AM
I wasn't born yet during that period of history, but I can understand how glorifying it would be offensive to someone who lived through it. Yet, the music (I consider the "Golden Age" of rock to have taken place between '67 and '72) has had such an influence on so many people. I find that it has always resonated with me. My hypothesis is that interesting times may be hell to go through, but they produce great art that trancends its era and speaks to something more universal. I don't have to have lived through the '60s to feel a sense of freedom listening to the Dead, Hendrix, CSNY, etc.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: The Hollow Men
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/06/2004 11:22:19 AM
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BODY:
Was Pearl Harbor the defining peak of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency?
I don't think so.
It does not say good things about this administration that a successful attack on the US is a defining moment.
Cleaning the Taliban out of Afghanistan (especially had it been done in a thorough way) was a reasonable response to the attack.
A war on Iraq was not necessarily the next best step to make the US less vulnerable. The fact that there was speculation about attacking Iraq as soon as the Bush administration was in place makes it even more likely that this step had nothing to do with the alleged defining event.
Roosevelt, with the Great Depression on his plate, did the best he could to create jobs and feed the hungry through his many work programs. The best Bush seems to be doing to that end is getting draft boards up to full strength so that if he is re-elected, a frightening number of young men can be impressed into attacking other enemies on his list. We have all heard him list those enemies. They are all more enemy in philosophy and culture rather than in ability to damage us.
Let him stay in the White House for four more years? Insanity!
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Quite a Racket
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 03/07/2004 11:34:16 AM
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BODY:
A story from the Associated Press has really made me wonder what kind of insantiy this year's campaigns will bring.
The story in the link is about the Republican National Committee "asking" 250 television stations not to play the Moveon.org advertisements lest they be sued for violating campaign finance regulations.
Say what?
This "request" jeopardizes the livelihood of thousands of people by suggesting that the licenses of all these stations could be revoked. It is a threat. A threat directed at one's livelihood is usually termed "blackmail". The chief counsel of the RNC is using the law as a cudgel. No use to chastise a lawyer for this kind of behavior -- lawyers see themselves in mirrors as clearly as do the vampires of legend.
The RNC should be ashamed -- but of course an organization has no conscience. Perhaps, as someone suggested, they are baiting opposition organizations into challenging the campaign finance laws so that they can then exercise even more muscle while someone else foots the bill for giving them that ability. Perhaps they are asking to be sued for violating the First Amend... naaah, that's not possible. Insinuating that since all the branches of government are predominantly Republican, that they can have licenses revoked with a mere request is -- what? -- bullying? revolting? threatening? outrageous? all of these things?
First it was strongarming CBS about the Reagan biographical dramatization. Now it is 250 television stations in the sights of the RNC. What next?
Thanks to Suburban Guerrilla and Sisyphus Shrugged.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Reworking the Meme
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/08/2004 07:20:50 PM
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BODY:
The word "liberal" is too often used as a demon-label by people who believe it means all sorts of things that actually are *not* applicable. From my point of view:
I believe that the budget should be balanced -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that we need strong defense -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that people in the service are entitled to medical care for themselves and their dependents, life insurance, food when hospitalized no matter what ration status they otherwise have, a decent G.I. Bill commensurate with the in-state cost of the average state university, and retirement pay -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that judges should use more discretion to dismiss frivolous lawsuits -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that juries should be instructed in the process of jury nullification -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that what our lawmakers think is best for *them* should spill over onto the least of us; therefore, the minimum wage should be pegged to Congressional salaries; Congressmen should only get retirement in the amount of one year of retirement for one year of service; and that otherwise they should be given the same Social Security option as every other citizen -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that "sting" operations and entrapment should be illegal -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that the death penalty should be permissible with positive DNA evidence -- and I'm a liberal.
I believe that Federal legislation that is lenient should not trump State legislation that is more demanding -- and I'm a liberal.
This is just a start -- everyone is invited to participate. I am sure I will think of more things that represent a relatively liberal point of view to me.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Tuesday
CATEGORY: Religion
DATE: 03/09/2004 07:19:06 PM
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BODY:
Ah me -- the fun of living in a bright red state. Today at work the person from the next cubicle came to visit me to tell me she had seen the Gibson movie. This resulted in a fairly long discussion on religious topics -- someday I promise I *will* learn better.
It strikes me that I have always viewed the Crucifixion the way I viewed the child in misery in LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." Do *not* try to explain this to an extremely Christian co-worker :)
As South Knox Bubba would say. "OK, then."
Scorpio
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Amy in MI
EMAIL: amynrob@yahoo.com
IP: 216.93.13.225
URL:
DATE: 03/10/2004 01:31:32 PM
Exactly. I haven't thought of that LeGuin story in a long time, but I used to teach it in a freshling comp course. The arguments that would arise--amazing.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Positive
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 03/10/2004 07:19:01 PM
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BODY:
Gosh! I got to thinking today when I saw a complaint by Republicans that Kerry was being negative ...
/ musing / How positive can one be about the leak of a CIA agent's name? The whole topic is negative. And I suppose the stolen computer files are off limits as negative, the Ashcroft campaign funds investigation is off limits, and the possibility that a Congressman was blackmailed/bribed into a Medicare vote is also just so much negative noise, hm? Well, how positive can our candidate be about the private sector generating no new jobs in February? That whole topic is negative, too. And the proposed Constitutional Amendment thing? Is that positive? It is positively divisive, and it positively tries to police moraliaty via the Constitution. And that particular morality is is the books of what religions? OK, I suppose that for all of you who like the Constitution the way it is, that is also negative. Hm. So what if our man promises to roll back tax cuts to reduce the deficit? I suppose, by implication, that is negative. / sigh /
Ohhhh -- I get it now. Anything positive he wants to do that is the opposite of the Republican position is *negative*! And facts -- inconvenient facts are negative! How *neat*! How -- egocentric!
When almost everything about the current administration is negative, it is difficult to discuss issues without mentioning the bad news. If comparison hurts the Republicans, perhaps it should say something to them about their policies. But meanwhile, do we really need to find some cheerful way to say that the Constitution is being stepped on with "free speech zones" and arrests with no charges? Do we have to be cheerful and positive about the fact that a "jobless recovery" is no real recovery?
Last Halloween, a friend had a party where people were supposed to come as their worst fears. A lady dressed in raggedy layers came in carrying a shopping bag. When the host offered to put it someplace she snatched it back and said "Don't you touch that! It contains all my worldly goods. Don't you have a 401(k), sonny?" The host laughed, but more than one person looked uneasy.
I am positive that cries of "negative" should be met with "There is something good about this? Tell us what's positive about massive job loss!"
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: New and Improved
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 03/11/2004 06:38:01 PM
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BODY:
Today one of my very young co-workers asked me "Why do companies keep 'improving' things? It doesn't make them better. 'Even More Peanuts!' don't make a Snickers taste better. It had enough peanuts."
I could just hear the quotes on "improving". And it whammed on my "New and Improved" button. Every time I see a favorite product with a "New and Improved!" banner on it, I am sorrier than I can say. It means I am going to have to do major product comparisons again to find out what I can live with, because it is almost guaranteed that whatever I liked about the product, it will have been destroyed.
Flavors go wrong. Textures go bad. Scents are removed from the market if they are tolerable, and replaced with stink bombs. One that made me crazy was when Hot Pockets advertised a "New and Improved Heating Sleeve!" Instead of the old sleeve (the same length as the sandwich), the so-called "improvement" made the sleeve 1/2 inch too short at each end. Grrrr. To this day I sneer as I insert a Hot Pocket into its inadequate "improved" sleeve.
Remember New Coke? Ah yes, the marketing disaster of the last century. Coca-Cola "improved" its product and withdrew its beloved formula. Not for long, of course. Classic Coke was put on the shelves just so they could have their market share back. Seen any New Coke in the last five years? Me neither.
But I did see something else. As soon as Classic Coke went on the market, I went over to the house of someone who hoards things. When New Coke was announced, she started buying her Coca-Cola by the case, and had stacked a room full so she had something to drink during the marketing disaster. I looked at the ingredients on a bottle in her stash. The second ingredient was "sugar". That's right. Just "sugar", not "high-fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose" as it says on the can of Coca-Cola Classic. So. Were the old ingredients rendered innacurately, or did the company change the formula just *slightly* during the re-entry of the "Classic" product?
The almonds are missing on a 5th Avenue candy bar. So many other items shrink and shrink until they are brought back at a Giant Size just a bit larger than the original, but with a Giant Price. And let me not get started on paper goods and the fun of cutting costs -- last week I measured a roll of bath tissue and found out that the company had shaved the width of the roll by half an inch -- so the empty piece of cardboard from the old roll informed me.
If your bath tissue is sliding on the roller, it is not your imagination. The Incredible Shrinking Product is feathering some corporate nest, and you -- lucky you! -- have a New and Improved product at an old and unremarked price.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Allison
EMAIL: Allisonhart55@hotmail.com
IP: 64.40.46.120
URL: http://www.hartsongs.blogspot.com
DATE: 03/14/2004 01:15:48 AM
You may want to visit www.cockeyed.com
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: It's Been That Kind of Day
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
DATE: 03/12/2004 09:37:57 PM
-----
BODY:
This has not been a good day for computing. The web log is not loading. A job at work went ka-boom at 3 PM today. This has been a good day to take off from trying to make machines cooperate.
I thought it was almost time to do campaign bumper stickers, but the list isn't long enough yet. I do think, however, that this one needs to be out in the world while it is still fresh:
BUSH: 2 GOOD 2 WALK ON DIRT
Breslin has the whole story. Unbelievable. But it does explain why those pictures of Bush cutting brush always show his upper body -- all those little paths through his "ranch" must make it look pretty odd.
Josh Marshall via John-Paul notes that the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives is using its web site as a tool to campaign against John Kerry. Presumably this is an official site supported by tax money. John-Paul says:
"Why not call them and tell them how you feel about it? The Resource Committee Communications Office number is (202) 226-9019. The woman who answers the phone is very polite. You can also email them at resources.committee@mail.house.gov. The chair is Richard Pombo, who looks eerily like an extra from a Clint Eastwood Western. You can contact his office at (202) 225-1947, fax him at (202) 226-0861, or email him at pombocommunications@mail.house.gov."
So I did.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Long Day
CATEGORY: Remembering
DATE: 03/13/2004 11:26:26 PM
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BODY:
First a memorial service, then a wake.
Someone who was caring. Someone with a wicked sense of humor. Someone I liked.
May she continue as "The Happy Phantom."
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Other Heinlein Ideas
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/14/2004 05:51:54 PM
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BODY:
Most of the time, when someone mentions the works of science fiction writer Robert A Heinlein, one of two topics is going to be the cause -- the military (because the book Starship Troopers is famous for being pro-military, unlike the appalling cinematic pretender) or polyamorous relations (possibly a whole different essay). I am more interested, this time, in discussing some of his other topics.
A topic hardly anyone discusses at all is reflected in a very few stories, plus his "untold tales". In the "Future History" timeline there are two stories that Heinlein did not write. One was called "The Sound of His Wings". It is the story of how the United States became a theocracy. [The second, "Pillow of Stone", tells of the underground movement's hidden years fighting to take the U.S. back as a democracy.]
Heinlein decided not to tell this story because he found it depressing to consider that the United States might fall into dictatorship by a televangelist-become-politician. Like all science fiction visions, this one had a route to a future that is not quite real -- but today the root causes that made Heinlein think this was possible are clearer than ever in mainstream politics. Who can read "If This Goes On --" without thinking about how it happened in the first place? Who can hear the Religious Right and pretend that Heinlein was imagining impossible things? The more paranoid citizenry may think we are too close to something similar already.
A second untold tale in Heinlein's writing that people sometimes point to is a throwaway line in Number of the Beast. In this book, our characters visit an alternate United States called Beulahland. In the history of this place, rendered in somewhat idyllic terms by Heinlein, there is an historical event that our characters cannot gain information about. The event is referred to as "The Day They Hanged the Lawyers."
Consider -- what could make that happen?
Lawyers seem to be the major contributors to almost all Congressmen and Senators in the U.S. (see for yourself at the Open Government site). And many of these representatives are from the legal profession, as well.
Lawyers take a lion's share of malpractice awards. They take a large share of class action suit awards. They take a lot of the money paid for actual and punitive damages that their clients are awarded.
Lawyers use the power to sue as a weapon, and make no mistake about it, even if the lawyers in question are wrong, the victim of a lawsuit threat needs to find a lawyer right quick to stand as a paid champion against being taken to court -- or as a spokesman if the first lawyer successfully files a suit. Every citizen is under threat from lawyers. Somehow, the mythical history of Beulahland resonates with those who have been threatened.
What size outrage would it take to make the citizenry strip lawyers of their power? I keep trying to imagine what sort of catalyst would make it possible to rein in the threat represented by lawsuits.
And when I try to think of something that would even out the playing field, something that would better protect citizens against legal predators, I'm at a loss. So far, I have not figured out anything that is really fair or just. Nevertheless I do think about it.
Scorpio
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: QuickSauce
EMAIL: quicksauce@yahoo.com
IP: 207.69.137.36
URL: http://quicksauce.blogspot.com
DATE: 03/14/2004 08:47:46 PM
It's been awhile since I read any Heinlein, but I've thought of that theocracy stream of his Future History, too. I hope it doesn't happen, of course, but when you hear the things that Pat Robertson and Billy Graham say, and then consider how large their devoted audiences are, it can seem a bit scary.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: bigwig
EMAIL: bigwig@nc.rr.com
IP: 66.57.84.96
URL: http://silflayhraka.com
DATE: 03/17/2004 10:48:46 PM
Oh, how I hated, hated, hated The Number Of The Beast. It was the only Heinlein book I've ever skipped pages on.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Scorpio
EMAIL: eccentric_00@hotmail.com
IP: 204.167.177.68
URL:
DATE: 03/18/2004 11:10:43 AM
Thanks for the comment, QS.
Bigwig, you are not alone in your opinion. The lawyer line was probably the best thing in the book.
The worst? Brain-dead characters, like a schizophrenic quartering of Heinlein with all the segments arguing. Twinning of more women -- in his later years Heinlein is even more obsessed with twins than he was earlier. The mixing of all his universes into a hideous, final chapter hodge-podge.
On the other hand, The Cat Who Walked Through Walls may have been even worse. It did not have even one worthy line.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Bumper Stickers
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/15/2004 10:07:34 PM
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BODY:
Instead of pursuing the good stories today, I thought I would just post a list of bumper stickers I would like to see:
BUSH: 2 GOOD 2 WALK ON DIRT
BUSH: AN ECHO, NOT A CHOICE
BUSH: HALF THE FACTS, MA'AM
BUSH: FACT CHECK HIS A$$
BUSH: JOB RETRAINING CANDIDATE
BUSH: LET HIM CUT BRUSH
BUSH: ROSE IS MY COLOR
BELIEVE BUSH? WANNA BUY A BRIDGE?
Maybe tomorrow I will get my teeth into the topic of safety and terrorists.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Strategy
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/16/2004 08:59:37 PM
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BODY:
Today via Body and Soul comes the question:
"Why would Bush consider finding Osama bin Laden more important than dealing with the fact that North Korea may be less than a year away from producing a nuclear weapon?"
I am not sure that Bush gives a whistle for either finding bin Laden or dealing with the fact that North Korea could be a year away from having a nuclear bomb.
I am getting dizzy trying to figure out what would be the best things that could happen for Bush, and what would be the worst. To my mind, of course, if there were another attack on US civilians on this continent, I would consider it proof positive that the "security" measures that have been taken since 9/11 were wildly inadequate. One of the biggest problems with secret arrests (with no charges and no lawyers) is that the entire process is invisible. There have been no trials in the USA of terrorist suspects. (The shoe bomber was hardly what I consider a "suspect" -- one put "alleged" in sentences about him from habit rather than from reasonable doubt that he tried to light up his shoe soles. Likewise, declaring Padilla an "enemy combatant" and denying him a trial was a real mistake on the part of the administration. A trial would have been a showcase for anti-terrorist activity.) Aside from the lines at airports, any security measures have been well-nigh invisible. They have probably been funded less than the Iraq war.
Many think that an attack would be politically "good" for Bush so he could show off his "tough" reputation. I can't really understand why people think that way, but it is apparent to me that many do.
Meanwhile I worry that the administration is setting things up so that we don't have security precautions in place whether or not Bush is elected in 2004. After all, if it breaks loose after 2004, what does he lose? He is a lame duck who can play tough without the need to be effective *no matter what happens* -- unless US civilian interests are hit again before 2004 and the fullness of "he is not making anything safer" becomes the meme. If he loses and someone else gets a look at our security structure, I wonder how long it will take to plug the holes. I wonder if an attack before holes can be plugged, and the resultant chaos from our own right wing, would be a joy to a terrorist -- but of course very few Republicans will admit to the vicious, ongoing campaigns run in their name, even though the whole of Clinton's second term was vent-and-spew.
I think a Democratic president would easily be as tough about our security as a Republican -- the pretense that one would not is despicable in light of the leadership of Roosevelt and Truman. I wonder whether a Democrat would make it a priority to have trials and representation restored to the forgotten prisoners taken after 9/11. I wonder whether all the compiling of surveillance on citizens who just plain disagree with this administration will cease.
We aren't safer. If the Homeland Security Department is told to spend time hunting for Bush photo ops, (link via Pandagon) they are not spending time working on security. If Homeland Security is working on our ports and infrastructure, maybe we will start to be more secure, but I won't hold my breath.
It is said that a strategy where you win no matter what disaster befalls is an effective strategy. Even if we get hit again, many people will think that the man who wants Homeland Security photo ops is embodying the substance of safety and toughness -- Oz the Great and Terrible, not "that man behind the curtain."
Think about it.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Updates
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
DATE: 03/17/2004 11:41:34 AM
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BODY:
Today is the day that Kevin Drum moves his major blogging efforts from Calpundit over to the Washington Monthly web site. I wouldn't want to miss Kevin's daily writings, so I have added his new home to all my lists.
When I was doing updates awhile ago I managed to delete some of my blogroll by accident, and then I had to reinstall them. Sigh. It is going to be one of Those Days.
I'd say I'll write more later, but I hesitate to promise that. Some days I am better off staying away from computers.
And besides, it seems that the great mind of Avedon Carol at The Sideshow is running about 12 hours ahead of mine, and has been for several days. I've been contemplating a little piece called "I'd rather grow up to be Molly Ivins" -- and when I looked at The Sideshow today, it was a piece by Molly that was right at the top. Security. Lies. We seem to think a lot about the same things.
So go enjoy the things that are out there, and we'll see how the rest of the day goes.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Cynical ?
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 03/18/2004 03:58:59 PM
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BODY:
A cynic is really a disappointed optimist.
I feel *most* cynical when I hear that Vice President Dick Cheney is criticizing John Kerry's stand on Iraq. After all, it is Cheney's old buddies who have their noses deepest into the Iraqi $87 billion dollar trough.
Unserved dinners. Unsanitary kitchens and spoiled food. Major overcharging. Slow infrastructure repairs. It's no wonder that Mr. Cheney does not want the current administration to lose.
This is the company that is still paying Mr. Cheney himself $100K a year. That and his tax savings after Bush's cuts, and Mr Cheney has in his pocket an amount almost greater than Bush's own salary every year.
Duck hunting with Scalia. Secret energy agreements. Buddies with Ken Lay.
How can one believe even a single word that comes out of this man's mouth?
Incredible.
Scorpio
-
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Terror
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/19/2004 04:53:10 PM
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BODY:
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin Roosevelt
1933 Inaugural Address
What a brave and reassuring face.
And what of the President we have now? Terror! Terror! Terror! Our president is our foremost national fearmonger. No outline of *effective* things to do to reduce threats, just more harping on fear for the purpose of being elected.
Why would anyone vote for someone who plays to his fears? Why is terror his foremost political point when three anniversaries will have passed by November? Hasn't there been substantive progress toward reducing the threat? If there has been, why the harping? If there has not been, whose watch is responsible?
Let's look at Spain. Those who say that Spain was "giving in to terrorists" are blowing hot air. The Spanish president, after a bombing, lied to his people about who was behind it.
Turning out a liar is hardly "giving in to terrorists". One gives in by yielding to fear and prostituting every value to try to hide from that fear. This cannot be said of Spanish voters.
"Al Quaeda said" is becoming as stupid a game as "Simon Says". Who knows what the bombing was intended to accomplish, if anything, in the electoral arena? ( See Ungodly Politics for some rather interesting and convoluted discussion.) Do you *believe* what Al Quaeda says? If so, why? Bin Laden said he wanted the USA out of Saudi Arabia. George Bush has *taken* the USA out of Saudi Arabia. What does this say? Do you apply the same standards to others as you do to our government, and in both these cases?
Those who said the Spaniards "should have cancelled the election" (no officials or major news outlets, just little bloggers here and there) are those who really believe in giving in to fear. Cancel freedoms based on the actions of terrorists? That would be spineless -- that would be giving complete aid and comfort to the enemy -- that would be letting terrorists "win".
If the US were attacked before the election, would it make a difference? What kind of difference? What you believe about the answers to this says a lot about how you view your fellow citizens. Please consider 9/12/01. How did we behave? Is this in line with the views you have about how we would vote, should such a thing happen? Fortunately, there is no precedent in US law for deferring an election. Lincoln didn't do it. Wilson didn't do it, nor Roosevelt, Truman -- none of the *real* leaders during wars ever considered it.
We should never, *ever* permit an election to be deferred. If we do that, we have lost our souls. The soul of Spain as a democracy is safe for another round. Terror did not deter them.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Today's Conspiracy Theory
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/20/2004 04:48:40 PM
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BODY:
"I deeply resent the way this administration makes me feel like a nutbar conspiracy theorist."
-- Teresa Neislen Hayden
[in the comments of Electrolite]
Today's conspiracy theory comes straight from Ungodly Politics, quoting Matthew Yglesias:
"But of course logic has nothing to do with this. The right would like to set up the following argument: If there are no attacks between now and the election, then Bush has defended us from terror and deserves re-election; if there is an attack between now and the election, then voting for Kerry would be appeasement.
Spain is just the dry-run."
Chen Shui-bian, the President of Taiwan survived an assassination attempt on the day before elections this week. He won re-election. So far, there is no suspected Al Quaeda involvement. The Taiwanese president did not declare that his most despised bete noir was responsible for the attempt, as Alvarez did in the Spanish bombings.
So.
I am starting to wonder if there is a subtle experiment going on to interfere wholesale in elections. This is real tinfoil hat territory, folks.
I hope against hope that Yglesias is wrong, but his argument is something I have been wondering about for a long time. His point of view is solid but dismal. I would like to suggest a wildly different skew: if we were attacked, would we be stuck with the hideous Bush administration as a majority decided Bush was right and imagined that his election would be a slap to Al Quaeda? Or would we boot him for lies, for trampling the Constitution while not making our country safer, for impoverishing our grandchildren, for approving of the exporting of jobs and failing to support those who have been thus harmed -- would we say goodbye to him as a slap to Al Quaeda for an attempt to interfere in our democratic process?
I wrote earlier that the political situation is real Looking Glass Land, and this is only one more example. I suspect that this sensation is only going to get stronger as folks on the right frame arguments that are upside down from my world view.
Gosh, I hope I look good in a tinfoil hat.
Scorpio
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: QuickSauce
EMAIL: quicksauce@yahoo.com
IP: 207.69.137.36
URL: http://quicksauce.blogspot.com
DATE: 03/21/2004 07:48:21 AM
Scorpio,
Don't pull out that hat too soon. Most of the time when a person is accused of being a conspiracy theorist, the accuser is confusing speculation with certainty. You, Yglesias, Howard Dean, and others are a far cry from some of the Mason-obsessed conspiracy theorists I've heard on the local radio. You're merely wondering; they "know" that the U.N. is part of a centuries-old satanic plot to rule the world. The CT label, in this case, is being used to dismiss reasonable hypotheses that some would rather nobody entertained.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: An Approach to Biography
CATEGORY: Remembering
DATE: 03/21/2004 09:34:36 AM
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BODY:
LeeAnn at The Cheese Stands Alone does what she calls "The Friday Five" -- asks five questions. I think they are what the "About Me" link should point to on a regular basis! So here it is -- LeeAnn's Friday Five for 3/19/04:
If you...
1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
Basic Italian fare.
2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
Cards, posters and artwork/sculpture.
3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?
I still want to grow up to be Molly Ivins -- but it needs work.
4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?
Basic composition and reading.
5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
Instrumentals -- especially brass played by someone else!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: LeeAnn
EMAIL: leeann@cheese.mu.nu
IP: 68.111.165.241
URL: http://themonkeyboylovescheese.mu.nu
DATE: 03/21/2004 09:39:19 AM
To be entirely fair, I must not take credit for this, as I don't write the questions. I get them from the regularly published meme site, The Friday Five, to be found at:
http://www.fridayfive.org/
But thanks for thinking I could be that persistently clever. :)
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Refuted Points
CATEGORY: Politics
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 03/22/2004 09:55:15 PM
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BODY:
Many, many things that make headlines are refuted a few days later. The most recent was the Kerry "foreign leaders" flap. Colin Powell and Dick Cheney were right out there, still chanting the same old crap even after the reporter stated that he incorrectly transcribed Kerry's statement.
I've come to think of that as "throwing poo" and of each twisty adjective as a separate, lovingly fondled turd. Demanding that someone back up something that is fictitious is base -- especially after the retraction has been issued -- and we will be seeing the flinging of poo all campaign season.
Throwing poo occurs all sorts of places -- for example, when Bush did a FL launch in front of an audience of special toads, he went on once more about the Kerry/foreign leaders line, even though by that time the author of that line clearly retracted it two days before the Bush event. Lines that have been discredited are prime poo -- and we can see who knows how to throw it.
Hey, the fact that the Al Quaeda bombers in Spain endorsed Bush isn't getting any play at all; and that "endorsement" was just as useful as one from Kim Il Jong. How dumb do you have to be to make this kind of monkey poo a talking point?
Oh well, when you have a record of abysmal failure, I suppose you have to talk about something.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: John-Paul
EMAIL: pvtpyle@hotmail.com
IP: 68.163.59.100
URL: http://everythingsruined.blogspot.com
DATE: 03/25/2004 09:50:29 PM
awesome
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Turnabout
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/23/2004 05:01:20 PM
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BODY:
We have all heard the phrase "what goes around, comes around".
A few years ago, the Supreme Court struck down a piece of legislation that would have permitted line item vetos. At the time I thought that was too bad, but the world has changed, and that change compels me to admit I was wrong.
I was wrong because I got to imagining the power of the line item veto in the hands of our current president.
/fantasy on/ With a line item veto, George (Our Third) would not be genially allowing all Congressional offerings to pass into law with blithe cheer. He would be scouring each piece for bits of "waste" meant to benefit areas that did not vote for him, or for those bits proposed by demonic Democrats.
His eagle eye peeled for any step by anyone either "against him" or even lukewarm in their enthusiasm for his acts, a line item veto would have become one of his mighty weapons. /fantasy off/
I suspect that soon the Republicans will wish they had been less sanguine about extending snooping, prying, and secret arrests. Then ...
/fantasy on/ When the blonde, fiftyish Attorney General -- who left her Senate seat to take the position -- starts investigating malfeasance, and turns the basilisk eye of her Justice Department upon acts of the George (our Third) administration, there will be those who wished they had never, ever given more power to the government. Bringing Federal fraud charges against energy, telecommunications, and other executives, persecuting poor corporate hacks who took contracts without having to bid, and who then took payment for services unrendered ... ah! the pain! /fantasy off/
All of us should be careful what we wish for.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: John Brunner
CATEGORY: Books
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/24/2004 03:34:13 PM
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BODY:
One of my favorite Science Fiction writers was John Brunner. Even his early potboilers were good, but some of his later ficiton was pointedly cautionary and satirical.
It's a real pity when satire is more real than today's news reports, isn't it?
No, I'm not thinking of Shockwave Rider, with its worms and its hackers.
No, not Stand on Zanzibar, with good sense being driven underground, genetic engineering causing hysteria, and the usual murders and wars.
I'm thinking of the book with which I have a love/hate relationship -- The Sheep Look Up. This book describes the most complete, dismal ecological disaster imaginable.
Filthy air. [echo -- "Clear Skies"] The escape of gas from containers that were dumped into the ocean. A neurotoxin seeping into groundwater. [Our government wants to dump "neutralized" VX into the Delaware?] A pest worm that kills crops gets loose and breeds. [For us, about 80% of crops have been contaminated by crossbreeding with engineered strains. Some pesticides are alleged to kill butterflies. Fire ants head north. Africanized honeybees head north.] A contaminated batch of food that makes the affected people homicidal, then kills them. Unsafe appliances.
And then there is Prexy. Who could forget Prexy? The only statements that the fictional President of the United States makes to the press in this book are sound bytes computed to float the best with the electorate.
At one point in the story, Prexy says something that is not 'comped', and the reporter he is talking to says "can I quote you on that?"
"You'll quote what's comped for you!" Prexy fires back. [Prexy was supposed to be an impossibly awful parody, not a role model!]
It is just amazing how twenty year old fiction looks like the news -- and horrible, too.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: natasha
EMAIL: natasha_l_c@hotmail.com
IP: 4.5.82.111
URL: http://www.pacificviews.org
DATE: 03/30/2004 09:50:25 PM
I've thought about that grim, pinched little novel a number of times over the last three years. Too many times it's been with the same sense of wondering how long it will continue to sound at all fictional.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: RJHall
EMAIL: jhall_lux@hotmail.com
IP: 10.254.194.212
URL:
DATE: 02/16/2006 08:32:21 AM
Alas, nowhere in this book (The Sheep Look Up) does Prexy say "You'll quote what's comped for you"; the term "comp" doesn't even appear in this book. Are you maybe thinking of another book? I read somewhere that Brunner's character Prexy appears in two of his books, but I don't know what the other book is.
Anyway, I agree that The Sheep Look Up is a great and wonderful book. (Though actually, the ending of this book was upbeat compared to some REALLY complete dismal ecological disasters I can imagine!) Prexy in particular is uncannily way too close to our own president. Not only are his policy pronouncements uninspired one-liners he delivers on the way to a vacation or celebration, but, when an environmental disaster becomes too extreme to deny, he declares the country is under attack by terrorists, imposes martial law, and throws liberals into chain gangs, which is all too close to what paranoid observers fear our own president might do if bird flu or something strikes!
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Snarl!
STATUS: Publish
CATEGORY: Random Events
DATE: 03/25/2004 07:37:54 PM
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BODY:
While trying to put something into the header of this web log, I must have done Something Bad. All my posts have been eaten. Since I can still see them in some views, I hope someone at TypePad has answers for me about recovering, and I hope there will be more later.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Only He Matters
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 03/26/2004 07:34:53 PM
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BODY:
The Guardian has and extensive article that Atrios summarized with the teaser "Did the War On Iraq Divert Resources from the War on al Qaeda?"
Personally, I can't see how anyone could doubt that it did. Has anyone seen an $87 billion appropriation for Afghanistan that I missed? Found Osama in a hole? Seen a large concentration of folks "rebuilding" there? I didn't think so.
The Guardian characterizes the position of the Bush administration as "running scared" because facts about mismanagement of the "war on terror" are seeping out, despite the fact that this administration is viciously vindictive toward anyone who has information they are willing to share about the time leading up to 9/11.
The most obvious thing about Clarke is that he served Reagan, George (our Second) and Clinton, as well as the current Bush. But the only thing -- the *only* thing -- that matters to the current George is that his handling of the time leading up to 9/11 is getting bad publicity. So Clarke's opinions are suddenly trash. Only George (our Third) matters.
It does not matter that Richard Clarke served the three preceeding administrations. It does not matter that the White House had the galleys of this book for three months and signed off on the contents. Nothing matters except that Bush and his attack animals try to tear Clarke apart. It has even been mentioned as their Number One Priority [via Hesiod]. Considering that they had three months to prepare, they are doing a pitiable job. When O'Neill's book came out, they were more coordinated. O'Neill has already been hammered. Clarke is doing a much better job of being resistant. It's probably very hard to get claws and teeth into the truth.
It does not occur to the administration that demonstrations of frothing venom are bad publicity. Bush is not showing strength -- he is showing bad managment and the fear of being caught at it. The administration is having a giant tantrum. We have a country whose high officials are beginning to resemble Ugly Clowns From a Volkswagen every time someone writes a book.
:: shaking head ::
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Computer Fun
CATEGORY: Random Events
DATE: 03/28/2004 12:31:58 PM
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After getting the blog back into its usual configuration, I took time offline to back up my hard drive preparatory to installing a new operating system. Windows 98 is just too obnoxious and unstable. So after that's accomplished, perhaps the subjects I've been collecting citations on will have matured. One can hope.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Bad Machine Day
CATEGORY: Random Events
DATE: 03/28/2004 08:16:26 PM
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BODY:
Well, I managed to actually make my main computer spit sparks -- so now the power supply, the mother board, or the hard drive has died.
I took out the laptop, and realized that if I installed broadband on it, I was likely to kill its ability to dial in to work.
OK.
So I set up the old machine that was sitting around being parts. At the moment, parts work better than anything else. As Heinlein said, "If you find the man who invented the screwdriver, send him to me. Meddler!"
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Halfway Back
CATEGORY: Random Events
DATE: 03/28/2004 10:32:48 PM
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Sigh. At least a breaker tripped, and all the parts of the PC that spit sparks still work. Unfortunately, the Windows installation was a bust. We are going to have to cart new driver files from this machine to the other via the external zip drive in order to restore functionality. Oh well -- at least my old. low-tech desktop can still do the things I need -- but I think I have had enough of onrey machines for one weekend.
The other good news is that my notes for more topics are things I can reach despite the fact that the installation was bad. By tomorrow I am sure that the current administration will have done more things to disgust and offend a rational person.
There are some things one can count on.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Decisions
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 03/29/2004 03:43:50 PM
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BODY:
How many bad decisions can a person make before we decide it is time to replace him?
The personnel decisions that our government has been making could really use improvement. The Senate majority leader? Accusing Richard Clarke of lying *even though he doesn't know whether or not that is true* is not the mark of a good leader.
The vice president? Taking "deferred compensation" from a corporation that should be competing for government contracts, but is instead getting them without *having* to compete. The least he could have done was deferred payment until he was out of office!
Speechwriters? Incorporating lies? Last week Bush again claimed that the deficit started during the Clinton administration, even though there are *no* indicators that agree with this assessment. It started in February of 2001, once Bush was firmly in office -- that is the start of the slide, and no amount of lying is going to change the numbers. This is one huge piece of poo I expect to smell every time he mentions the economy, and honest folks should start calling him on it.
Tom DeLay. Coming up on charges soon, this story is still running under the radar.
John Ashcroft. Took funds from illegal sources.
Valerie Plame. *Some*one in the White House outed her. The Grand Jury is still chugging along. Amazing that not a peep is coming out of it, and especially amazing when you consider the one Monica Lewinski testified in front of.
Oh yes. Linda Tripp was reimbursed for her legal fees over the Clinton witch hunt. Monica Lewinski was not reimbursed. Tripp is the one who comitted a crime in recording a private conversation. Rewarding those treacherous to the previous administration is a great part of this administration's agenda.
Awarding Halliburton great globs of cash while troops were having to buy personal armor themselves -- this is another administration decision. Letting the Missouri National Guard collect contributions to get their HumVees armored while HalliBrownRoot pretended to feed troops and committed fraud -- the decision that Guard troops are less important than regular troops is one of the worst any administration has made.
Go over to The Daily Kos and just read the list of crimes, new and old, that this administration has associated with it. The Medicare Bill lies. The theft of documents from Congressional Democrats. And on, and on ....
Bush has surrounded himself with people who will not hesitate to dive into criminal behavior when it suits them. It's time and past time to get rid of the man who can make so many bad personnel decisions.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Security -- Probably Part One of Many
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
DATE: 03/30/2004 06:09:45 PM
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BODY:
Atrios mentions that Rice took back the statement that was "much mocked" about no one foreseeing an attack via aircraft impact.
Indeed. The first time I ever read about that scenario was in Phillip Wylie's The End of Dreams -- an early ecological disaster book.
Today, in the comments of Teresa Neilsen Hayden's Making Light article on Richard Clarke, some commenters are amazed that US ports are not secure. Another commentor tries to explain that the tonnage of goods makes it difficult to secure the ports.
I'm afraid that the ports are going to be a real Achilles' heel. I do not believe that the US has tried hard enough to secure our ports, either. If anyone in our government *ever* makes a statement like Rice's -- "no one could have predicted that there would be a small nuke in the oil tanker Ibn-Saud" that person should be set to cleaning up the damage literally with their tongue. That kind of statement is a "classic" lie -- the lie that is total truth. That doesn't make it less of a lie.
"No one could have predicted that the coffin coming into the US contained an Ebola victim."
"No one could have predicted that the parts of a dirty bomb could be smuggled to the top of the Sears Tower."
No one who isn't pretending to be a psychic *ever* frames statements that way. The airplane as missle is not that new an idea. There are all sorts of horrible ways to try to create disasters. It is the duty of disaster recovery groups to frame exactly those sorts of scenarios and try to come up with ways to deal with the results. One should hope that Homeland Security is gaming Very Bad Things and starting to plan for ways to recover. Of course, the ad they were running for a publicity position at $100K makes me worry that their idea of security and mine don't begin to resemble each other.
I think that someone should be tackling the problem of ports. Someone should be putting detectors in the elevators of the tallest building to sniff for nitro and/or radioactives. Someone should be inspecting incoming coffins. Someone in the US with a much uglier imagination than mine should be thinking of ways to attack, and Homeland Security should be thinking of ways to prevent the same.
Just because the job is huge doesn't mean it shouldn't be tackled.
PING:
TITLE: Yeah, pretty much what he said.
URL: http://www.punningpundit.com/archives/2004_03.html#001135
IP: 64.94.227.1
BLOG NAME: The Punning Pundit
DATE: 04/01/2004 01:28:19 AM
Eccentricity: Security -- Probably Part One of Many...
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: Security -- More and Worse
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
DATE: 03/31/2004 03:49:14 PM
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BODY:
In the comments of Teresa Neilsen Hayden's Making Light article on Richard Clarke, many people speak of being frightened by the way our current administration's members behave. When people are frightened, one of the normal reactions is anger.
To people whose ability to listen to others is impaired, anger looks like hatred.
The first thing we must remember when we think about the way our country has gone is that the majority of voters did not vote to seat the incumbent.
Remember that. The administration's supporters will twist and scream, but that is still a true statement. The majority of voters chose otherwise.
Security has to do with a lot of things. Much of our security derives from our faith in the electoral process, and that faith has been shaken. Add that to the massive abuse that the current administration has made into its primary agenda -- tearing apart all the programs and legislation that came about during the eight years of his predecessor -- and that majority that did not vote for him has a just grievance.
As well as losing faith in the process after the 2000 elections, bring in the factor of "black box" voting. If there is a questionable vote, how can ballots be recounted from a "black box" whose programming has not been inspected and that does not put out a paper trail? Why, no recount is posssible. There go your laws to ensure a fair election and a fair count. Right now the best advice for people who live somewhere with Diebolt products as the vote method is to get and use an absentee ballot. At least that can be counted before witnesses.
When someone is really out to get you, you cannot actually be diagnosed as paranoid. An institution with cracks in it cannot afford to create circumstances even more questionable than those that led to the 2000 debacle. And of course, Florida is leading the way with questionable technology, with California not too far behind. Those places with black boxes and no paper trail are places where democracy may become moot. Look it up -- moot means something specific.
Seeing how flagrantly corrupt the currrent administration has been, it is hard to imagine how far they will go as lame ducks -- or as a putative "state of emergency" imposition. What a horrible thought!
Look in a mirror and swear to yourself that you will not just stand back and let it happen. Time and money are both critical this year. Do something. Do your best to make that majority from 2000 grow significantly.
Scorpio
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: April 1
CATEGORY: Politics
CATEGORY: Rants
DATE: 04/01/2004 05:24:35 PM
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Ah me -- the best April fool joke I read was online yesterday -- probably at the DNC web log. It was a suggestion for the 9/11 committee. They suggested that while the committee had a member of the administration under oath, that they ask if that person had any knowledge of or had heard any discussions regarding who revealed Valerie Plame to Robert Novak.
Cute, but I am sure that such a question would go unanswered in a perfectly reasonable way.
OK, let's talk about how we are fooled every day. We all know that disinformation comes out of our administration daily, and comes over the airwaves from all sorts of fellow travelers who either spin their own or who fail to question the originators of lies that are reported verbatim.
So.
There are three ways to lie while telling the exact and literal truth.
The first way, blogged a couple of days ago, is the 9/11-spawned way -- overspecify until the statement is literally true but thoroughly misleading:
"If we could have predicted that coordinated terrorists would launch airplanes against multiple targets early on a weekday morning in September, of course we would have stopped them!"
The second way to lie by telling the truth is to make a statement that leaves out crucial parts of data. This is the administration's favorite way of lying. Oh yes -- examining the voting record of any long-term senator will yield many times that people vote for tax increases or other things that are bundled together with something abhorrent.
The hodge-podge method of putting all kinds of issues into one bill make this inevitable. It's truth that's dirty pool when most of the facts are ignored for the one convenient smear.
The written version of this kind of truth often uses ellipses -- beware of them.
The third major way to lie with truth is to take two true statements and juxtapose them so that the comparison of data in the two leads the listener to an incorrect conclusion. This is the method by which the Administration keeps reinforcing the false link between Al Quaeda and Iraq. Mention them in tandem often enough to drill the association into the popular discourse, and the link is falsely forged even *after* both Bush and Rumsfeld publicly admitted that Iraq had no responsibility for 9/11.
Bush is back to the tandem mention, coupling Iraq with 9/11 consistently. There are some things he never stops doing, even when he has to know for certain that it is generating false impressions.
Generating a false impression is called lying.
It is attempt to make fools of the citizenry. The Bush administration is beginning to make Nixon look like an honest statesman, which is very scary indeed.
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AUTHOR: Scorpio
TITLE: All Jokes Aside
CATEGORY: Current Affairs
CATEGORY: Politics
DATE: 04/01/2004 06:12:08 PM
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Here is the source article about homosexual loss of Federal job protection:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/03/031704fedWorkers.htm
The first move was removing gays from a listing of those who should not be
discriminated against:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A4
9392-2004Feb17¬Found=true
Jeanne at Body and Soul summarizes it nicely:
Republicans say it's okay to fire gays
About a month ago, I mentioned that the newly appointed head of the office that's supposed to protect federal workers from retribution had removed all references to discrimination based on sexual orientation from its website, brochure, training materials, and complaint form. He said at the time that it was not clear whether language banning discrimination "on the basis of conduct which does not adversely affect the performance of the employee or applicant" applied to gays.
Why, first you remove the references to non-discrimination, and then you can
freely discriminate! How Orwellian!
If I were gay and Republican, I would definitely change party or go for counseling. Supporting someone who wants you to be unemployable is self-destructive in the extreme.
Scorpio
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