Yes, they are (see: should be) committed.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Here's to a New Depth!
Two things happened after I watched this clip. First, my respect for John McCain has gone back up again. Second, my level of disgust for the Right has achieved a new depth that I didn't think was possible.
They'll Never Back Down From Fiction
The last few years have seen me shocked and amazed at the lies the Right will believe. I suppose they have to because they have nothing else left. Of course, being pompous, stubborn and filled with biblical levels of pride works against them constantly. The recent flap over Chuck Hagel and the Friends of Hamas show that they completed their descent into utter madness and are now incapable of distinguishing reality from fiction.
The whole thing started with the New York Daily News’ Dan Friedman.
On Feb. 6, I called a Republican aide on Capitol Hill with a question: Did Hagel’s Senate critics know of controversial groups that he had addressed? Hagel was in hot water for alleged hostility to Israel. So, I asked my source, had Hagel given a speech to, say, the “Junior League of Hezbollah, in France”? And: What about “Friends of Hamas”?
The names were so over-the-top, so linked to terrorism in the Middle East, that it was clear I was talking hypothetically and hyperbolically. No one could take seriously the idea that organizations with those names existed — let alone that a former senator would speak to them.
Or so I thought.
The next day, the right wing blogsphere, hyper focused on trying to "win" on something, exploded. Ben Shaprio at Brietbart put out a story that Chuck Hagel spoke at a Friends of Hamas event and got 25,000 dollars. When it came out that Friends of Hamas did not exist, Shapiro said the following.
The story as reported is correct. Whether the information I was given by the source is correct I am not sure.
Uh....huh? Talk about Newspeak! But this is illustrative of a much larger problem.
The Right is filled with such a titanic level of hubris that they simply can't admit when they get something wrong. There is no such organization as "Friends of Hamas" in reality but, inside the bubble, somehow, there is such a group and, by gum, Chuck Hagel spoke at their event because we want to WIN DAMMIT!!!
Of course, it doesn't stop there. Now Shapiro and the rest of the asshats at Brietbart are attacking anyone trying to get them to admit their mistake. Hmm...sounds awfully familiar...:) And he and the rest of his merry band are doing the "just release all the records" dance like the good little liars that they are.
Oh well. I guess I can't take comfort in the fact that if this sort of insanity continues, we'll take back the House in 2014.
The whole thing started with the New York Daily News’ Dan Friedman.
On Feb. 6, I called a Republican aide on Capitol Hill with a question: Did Hagel’s Senate critics know of controversial groups that he had addressed? Hagel was in hot water for alleged hostility to Israel. So, I asked my source, had Hagel given a speech to, say, the “Junior League of Hezbollah, in France”? And: What about “Friends of Hamas”?
The names were so over-the-top, so linked to terrorism in the Middle East, that it was clear I was talking hypothetically and hyperbolically. No one could take seriously the idea that organizations with those names existed — let alone that a former senator would speak to them.
Or so I thought.
The next day, the right wing blogsphere, hyper focused on trying to "win" on something, exploded. Ben Shaprio at Brietbart put out a story that Chuck Hagel spoke at a Friends of Hamas event and got 25,000 dollars. When it came out that Friends of Hamas did not exist, Shapiro said the following.
The story as reported is correct. Whether the information I was given by the source is correct I am not sure.
Uh....huh? Talk about Newspeak! But this is illustrative of a much larger problem.
The Right is filled with such a titanic level of hubris that they simply can't admit when they get something wrong. There is no such organization as "Friends of Hamas" in reality but, inside the bubble, somehow, there is such a group and, by gum, Chuck Hagel spoke at their event because we want to WIN DAMMIT!!!
Of course, it doesn't stop there. Now Shapiro and the rest of the asshats at Brietbart are attacking anyone trying to get them to admit their mistake. Hmm...sounds awfully familiar...:) And he and the rest of his merry band are doing the "just release all the records" dance like the good little liars that they are.
Oh well. I guess I can't take comfort in the fact that if this sort of insanity continues, we'll take back the House in 2014.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Best Picture: Life of Pi
My daughter and I went to see Life of Pi a few months back and both of us were very, very moved by this inspiring story. I remember several points throughout the film looking over at her and watching her face run the full range of emotions...wonder...terror...sadness...joy....intellectual satisfaction...all of these are present in this amazing film.
The films tells the story of Pi Patel, first in his quest to know God and become a devotee of all religions and then in his fight to survive after the ship he is on sinks, killing his entire family. We left the film with many, many things to talk about. My daughter thought it was amazing that he was a Hindu, Christian and a Muslim at the same time. Pi, in the movie, explains this.
"I just wanted to be as close to God as possible."
She was very moved by his spiritual quest.
The rest of his journey across the ocean is filled with adventure and suspense coupled with that innate, human characteristic to survive at all costs. Life of Pi is definitely one of the best of the nine films that have been nominated for Best Picture.
The films tells the story of Pi Patel, first in his quest to know God and become a devotee of all religions and then in his fight to survive after the ship he is on sinks, killing his entire family. We left the film with many, many things to talk about. My daughter thought it was amazing that he was a Hindu, Christian and a Muslim at the same time. Pi, in the movie, explains this.
"I just wanted to be as close to God as possible."
She was very moved by his spiritual quest.
The rest of his journey across the ocean is filled with adventure and suspense coupled with that innate, human characteristic to survive at all costs. Life of Pi is definitely one of the best of the nine films that have been nominated for Best Picture.
Republican War on Women Continues Unabated
A Republican-backed bill introduced in the North Carolina legislature would make exposing "the nipple, or any portion of the aureola, of the female breast" a crime punishable by up to six months in prison for a first offense. This bill is a direct response to topless women's equality protests that had been held in Asheville, NC in 2011 and 2012. In other words, it's a blatant attempt to criminalize a form of political statement that applies only to women.
Why are Republicans so afraid of titties? Why is an exposed breast so much more dangerous than carrying a loaded weapon in public? In the last year tens of thousands of people have died from gun violence, but there are apparently no deaths caused by bared breasts. (Though there is that case from 1998 where a Florida man claimed he got whiplash from a stripper with 60-HH breasts who tit-slapped him upside the head.)
I can see passing a law that prohibits the exposure of hairy manboobs out of concern for the sanity of anyone who might see such a horror. But under this law such a man could freely flaunt his grotesquely huge mammaries in public, while a slender woman with far smaller breasts would go to jail. A simple nipple slip could land a mother breastfeeding her child in the slammer for 30 days. A young woman flashing her breasts during Mardi Gras could go to prison for six months.
Are Republicans in North Carolina completely oblivious to the realities of modern life? Any 10-year-old boy can find countless naked breasts to ogle just by doing an image search on the Internet. Go into any art museum and you'll find numerous paintings and statues of the naked female form. Go to the library and dig through back issues of National Geographic and you'll find pictures of topless African and South American indigenes.
This is exactly the same Taliban mindset that kept Afghan girls out of schools, prevents women in Saudi Arabia from driving and forces women in some Muslim countries to wear head-to-toe chadors. This kind of thinking blames women for "inciting" lust in men, but it is in fact men who are incapable of controlling their basest impulses and want to blame and hurt those who they feel are tempting them.
By stigmatizing the female body as indecent they're programming their children to think that women are somehow unworthy and inferior. Half those kids will have breasts when they grow up, and -- I presume -- these Republican lawmakers will want the other half to marry someone who has breasts. And as any parent should know, they more you try to keep things away from kids, the more they want the forbidden fruit. So it's ultimately counterproductive.
Sadly, it's not at all surprising that this happened in North Carolina. They, like several other conservative states, passed a law that required invasive vaginal ultrasound probes before having an abortion. And last year Steven Colbert mocked the state for outlawing science when they passed a law that banned the sea level rise that's occurring due to higher ocean temperatures.
There's an old saw, usually attributed to Mark Twain, that goes, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." It needs to be updated to, "No woman's freedom, body and privacy are safe while Republicans control the legislature."
Why are Republicans so afraid of titties? Why is an exposed breast so much more dangerous than carrying a loaded weapon in public? In the last year tens of thousands of people have died from gun violence, but there are apparently no deaths caused by bared breasts. (Though there is that case from 1998 where a Florida man claimed he got whiplash from a stripper with 60-HH breasts who tit-slapped him upside the head.)
I can see passing a law that prohibits the exposure of hairy manboobs out of concern for the sanity of anyone who might see such a horror. But under this law such a man could freely flaunt his grotesquely huge mammaries in public, while a slender woman with far smaller breasts would go to jail. A simple nipple slip could land a mother breastfeeding her child in the slammer for 30 days. A young woman flashing her breasts during Mardi Gras could go to prison for six months.
Are Republicans in North Carolina completely oblivious to the realities of modern life? Any 10-year-old boy can find countless naked breasts to ogle just by doing an image search on the Internet. Go into any art museum and you'll find numerous paintings and statues of the naked female form. Go to the library and dig through back issues of National Geographic and you'll find pictures of topless African and South American indigenes.
This is exactly the same Taliban mindset that kept Afghan girls out of schools, prevents women in Saudi Arabia from driving and forces women in some Muslim countries to wear head-to-toe chadors. This kind of thinking blames women for "inciting" lust in men, but it is in fact men who are incapable of controlling their basest impulses and want to blame and hurt those who they feel are tempting them.
By stigmatizing the female body as indecent they're programming their children to think that women are somehow unworthy and inferior. Half those kids will have breasts when they grow up, and -- I presume -- these Republican lawmakers will want the other half to marry someone who has breasts. And as any parent should know, they more you try to keep things away from kids, the more they want the forbidden fruit. So it's ultimately counterproductive.
Sadly, it's not at all surprising that this happened in North Carolina. They, like several other conservative states, passed a law that required invasive vaginal ultrasound probes before having an abortion. And last year Steven Colbert mocked the state for outlawing science when they passed a law that banned the sea level rise that's occurring due to higher ocean temperatures.
There's an old saw, usually attributed to Mark Twain, that goes, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." It needs to be updated to, "No woman's freedom, body and privacy are safe while Republicans control the legislature."
Indeed, David
David Frum's recent piece on guns is simply brilliant. He's right. The president does need a Plan B. What should that be?
First: The president can direct the surgeon general to compile a scientific study of the health effect of individual gun ownership.
The second step that might be taken -- again without the need for any congressional vote -- is for the Senate to convene hearings into the practices of the gun industry analogous to those it convened into the tobacco industry in the 1990s.
Agree and agree.
Actually, we need more than just one scientific study on the health effects of guns. As Frum notes in an earlier piece, there's a whole lot of lying going on. And bad social science. This jibes with a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor that illustrates, despite the convoluted bullshit from the Right, there is very little date to support the assertion that guns make us safer.
As a 2012 Congressional Research Service report on gun issues points out, law enforcement agencies do not collect self-defense information as a matter of course, and the available research thus depends on limited numbers of surveys and other self-reported information.
That's why Frum points out the obvious in his comment regarding Gayle Trotter's testimony before Congress.
Thrilling. Also wholly imaginary. Such Rambo-like defenses of home and hearth do not happen in real life, unless the home also happens to contain a meth lab. (The oft-cited statistic that gun owners draw in self-defense 2.5 million times a year is a classic of bad social science.)
Yes, managing a fantasy. These types of situations are pure fantasy but that certainly won't stop the right wing media industrial complex from brainwashing their all to willing followers whose brains are already hard wired for more fear. So, we need to fucking bury them in scientific studies that show the effects that guns have on public health.
The other important step is to unfuck the gun makers.
Gun makers often design their weapons in ways that present no benefit for lawful users but that greatly assist criminals. They don't coordinate the issuance of serial numbers so that each gun can be identified with certainty. They stamp serial numbers in places where they can be effaced.
They reject police requests to etch barrels to uniquely mark each cartridge fired by a particular gun. They sell bullets that can pierce police armor.
They will not include trigger locks and other child-proofing devices as standard equipment.
They ignore new technology that would render guns inoperable by anyone except their approved purchaser.
Why? Why? And why?
Seriously, WTF, gun manufacturers? I had no idea that any of this was happening.
Frum's piece draws an important comparison with the cigarette industry and I think we may be seeing the nascence of a very effective way to deal with gun violence in this country. If we do to the gun manufacturers what we did the tobacco lobby, we're going to reduce the gun violence in this country. If we combine that with dealing with mental health more effectively, it's going to make for an even further reduction in gun related deaths.
First: The president can direct the surgeon general to compile a scientific study of the health effect of individual gun ownership.
The second step that might be taken -- again without the need for any congressional vote -- is for the Senate to convene hearings into the practices of the gun industry analogous to those it convened into the tobacco industry in the 1990s.
Agree and agree.
Actually, we need more than just one scientific study on the health effects of guns. As Frum notes in an earlier piece, there's a whole lot of lying going on. And bad social science. This jibes with a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor that illustrates, despite the convoluted bullshit from the Right, there is very little date to support the assertion that guns make us safer.
As a 2012 Congressional Research Service report on gun issues points out, law enforcement agencies do not collect self-defense information as a matter of course, and the available research thus depends on limited numbers of surveys and other self-reported information.
That's why Frum points out the obvious in his comment regarding Gayle Trotter's testimony before Congress.
Thrilling. Also wholly imaginary. Such Rambo-like defenses of home and hearth do not happen in real life, unless the home also happens to contain a meth lab. (The oft-cited statistic that gun owners draw in self-defense 2.5 million times a year is a classic of bad social science.)
Yes, managing a fantasy. These types of situations are pure fantasy but that certainly won't stop the right wing media industrial complex from brainwashing their all to willing followers whose brains are already hard wired for more fear. So, we need to fucking bury them in scientific studies that show the effects that guns have on public health.
The other important step is to unfuck the gun makers.
Gun makers often design their weapons in ways that present no benefit for lawful users but that greatly assist criminals. They don't coordinate the issuance of serial numbers so that each gun can be identified with certainty. They stamp serial numbers in places where they can be effaced.
They reject police requests to etch barrels to uniquely mark each cartridge fired by a particular gun. They sell bullets that can pierce police armor.
They will not include trigger locks and other child-proofing devices as standard equipment.
They ignore new technology that would render guns inoperable by anyone except their approved purchaser.
Why? Why? And why?
Seriously, WTF, gun manufacturers? I had no idea that any of this was happening.
Frum's piece draws an important comparison with the cigarette industry and I think we may be seeing the nascence of a very effective way to deal with gun violence in this country. If we do to the gun manufacturers what we did the tobacco lobby, we're going to reduce the gun violence in this country. If we combine that with dealing with mental health more effectively, it's going to make for an even further reduction in gun related deaths.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Chinese Cyberwar against US Heating Up
China now appears to be waging all-out warfare against the United States in the technology arena. Mandiant Corporation has analyzed cyber attacks on American companies and have determined that many of them originated in a Shanghai office building owned by the People's Liberation Army. Not only have they infiltrated high-tech companies, critical infrastructure like dams and the power grid, they've gone after companies like Coca-Cola to get information about business deals in the works. Thus, any American company is at risk.
Not long ago it was discovered that Chinese hackers had been going after The New York Times to learn the identities of sources who told the Time about the Chinese prime minister's relatives accumulating billions of dollars through questionable business dealings.
And the Financial Times reports that Shane Todd, an American engineer working in China, may have been murdered after he became concerned about the advanced gallium nitride technology (useful for military communications technology) he was working on would fall into the hands of the Chinese military.
The technique used in many of these infiltrations involve "spear-phishing" attacks, in which an email is sent to an employee containing an attachment or link, which contains some kind of Trojan horse that allows the attacker to gain access to the company's network.
Which raises the question: why do these government and corporate email systems even allow attachments on emails? And why do companies allow employees to access unknown web sites from computers on their internal networks? And why are people foolish enough to open said attachments and visit said links in the first place?
These techniques aren't used just by Chinese army hackers, they're also used by criminals trying to steal your bank account information. So everyone, not just corporate and government employees, needs to understand the risks of attachments and links.
A big part of the problem is the "easy and automatic" mindset that has possessed software developers since Apple first implemented the auto-execute floppy disk that allowed viruses to propagate simply by plugging a floppy disk into a drive. It's only gotten worse with ubiquitous USB flash drives (all made in China, by the way) and web browsers that automatically launch applications and documents at the click of a mouse button.
Operating systems like Windows Vista and 7 have some safeguards, such as bringing up an extra dialog that force you to enter an administrator password when an application is about to modify the system. But since users are inundated constantly by such prompts for regular software updates, they always just click Yes because they have no idea what they're supposed to do.
There are some steps you can take to protect yourself.
Not long ago it was discovered that Chinese hackers had been going after The New York Times to learn the identities of sources who told the Time about the Chinese prime minister's relatives accumulating billions of dollars through questionable business dealings.
And the Financial Times reports that Shane Todd, an American engineer working in China, may have been murdered after he became concerned about the advanced gallium nitride technology (useful for military communications technology) he was working on would fall into the hands of the Chinese military.
The technique used in many of these infiltrations involve "spear-phishing" attacks, in which an email is sent to an employee containing an attachment or link, which contains some kind of Trojan horse that allows the attacker to gain access to the company's network.
Which raises the question: why do these government and corporate email systems even allow attachments on emails? And why do companies allow employees to access unknown web sites from computers on their internal networks? And why are people foolish enough to open said attachments and visit said links in the first place?
These techniques aren't used just by Chinese army hackers, they're also used by criminals trying to steal your bank account information. So everyone, not just corporate and government employees, needs to understand the risks of attachments and links.
A big part of the problem is the "easy and automatic" mindset that has possessed software developers since Apple first implemented the auto-execute floppy disk that allowed viruses to propagate simply by plugging a floppy disk into a drive. It's only gotten worse with ubiquitous USB flash drives (all made in China, by the way) and web browsers that automatically launch applications and documents at the click of a mouse button.
Operating systems like Windows Vista and 7 have some safeguards, such as bringing up an extra dialog that force you to enter an administrator password when an application is about to modify the system. But since users are inundated constantly by such prompts for regular software updates, they always just click Yes because they have no idea what they're supposed to do.
There are some steps you can take to protect yourself.
- Never directly click on links in unsolicited emails -- even from people you think you know. That friendly note and the link to the hilarious video may have been sent by a virus that infected your friend's computer, and going to that website may infect your computer as well.
- Never directly execute attachments in emails or from the Internet. Always save them in quarantine directory until you've ascertained their reliability.
- Make sure that your computer installs security updates on a regular basis.
- Get anti-virus software and make sure it stays up to date.
- Just because your anti-virus software doesn't flag a file doesn't mean it's safe. Anti-virus software works by searching for patterns of known threats, and new malware won't be in the anti-virus program's database. Some day a clever programmer will write a virus that "mutates" every time it propagates, and there will be no pattern for anti-virus programs to detect. You should assume that has already occurred.
- Change your computer's settings to prevent the automatic execution of "autorun" files on removable media such as CDROMs, floppies, USB thumb drives, etc. In Windows 7 go to your Control Panel and click AutoPlay. I've set all my devices to take no action so I have to initiate potentially dangerous transactions. Also, don't double-click the icons of CDROMs since under some versions of Windows that will invoke the autorun feature.
- Whenever you click a link on the web, first hover the mouse button over the link and look at the website's URL, usually displayed at the bottom of the browser window. If it's not what you expect, take extra care. Hackers frequently use domain names that are close to legitimate ones, so be on the lookout for extra characters or misspellings. Automatically distrust all "bit.ly" links.
- Don't send friends emails containing unsolicited jokes, links to funny videos or cute pictures, or attachments including photos and videos. Sending large attachments is an imposition in the first place, as the receiver will have to download them. If you want to share files, it's better to place them on a shared and trusted location on the web, such as Facebook or Dropbox. If attachments and links are rare in emails the bad ones will be easier to spot.
- An most importantly: if something pops up and you're not sure what it is, stop, read it carefully and don't let it run. If you don't know what it is, you probably don't need it.
Best Picture: Amour
I've seen some pretty depressing films in my time (Melancholia being the winner of that particular award) but I have to admit that I wasn't quite prepared for the stark realism of Michael Heneke's Amour.
The film tells the story of an elderly Parisian couple named Georges and Anne. One day, Anne has a stroke and becomes mentally and physically disabled. Georges now must take care of her. In a deeply sad way, the film depicts her slow descent into infirmity and, ultimately, death.
With its typical European existentialism, Amour moves slowly in both theme and style. The camera lingers without a cut on many shots much longer than it seems it should but that is Heneke's point. He successfully illustrates the physical, mental and emotional strain of end of life care. It's a tough film to watch for a number of reasons but well worth it as I walked out of there realizing that my wife and I are woefully behind in our later life planning.
I'd recommend Amour only if you are prepared to watch a slow and maudlin film.
The film tells the story of an elderly Parisian couple named Georges and Anne. One day, Anne has a stroke and becomes mentally and physically disabled. Georges now must take care of her. In a deeply sad way, the film depicts her slow descent into infirmity and, ultimately, death.
With its typical European existentialism, Amour moves slowly in both theme and style. The camera lingers without a cut on many shots much longer than it seems it should but that is Heneke's point. He successfully illustrates the physical, mental and emotional strain of end of life care. It's a tough film to watch for a number of reasons but well worth it as I walked out of there realizing that my wife and I are woefully behind in our later life planning.
I'd recommend Amour only if you are prepared to watch a slow and maudlin film.
Science!
I've always thought that conservatives are simply wired differently than liberals. Now we have the proof, courtesy of...
(drum roll please)
Science!
Conservatives Big on Fear, Brain Study Finds
I suppose we could simply file this one under NO SHIT but the details of this study are quite fascinating.
Peering inside the brain with MRI scans, researchers at University College London found that self-described conservative students had a larger amygdala than liberals. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain that is active during states of fear and anxiety. Liberals had more gray matter at least in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain that helps people cope with complexity.
Yep.
This would be why conservatives are so hard to understand by other people. Their fight or flight reflexes are at DEFCON 1 more often than not. It must really suck to be in such a state all the time. It's no wonder they are such assholes about everything! This study also shows why they have such a difficult time understanding more complex issues and have trouble with qualitative analysis. They simply don't have the brain matter to handle it.
In many ways, this study is a relief. Now we truly do know that conservative will never change their minds. They physically can't!
(drum roll please)
Science!
Conservatives Big on Fear, Brain Study Finds
I suppose we could simply file this one under NO SHIT but the details of this study are quite fascinating.
Peering inside the brain with MRI scans, researchers at University College London found that self-described conservative students had a larger amygdala than liberals. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain that is active during states of fear and anxiety. Liberals had more gray matter at least in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain that helps people cope with complexity.
Yep.
This would be why conservatives are so hard to understand by other people. Their fight or flight reflexes are at DEFCON 1 more often than not. It must really suck to be in such a state all the time. It's no wonder they are such assholes about everything! This study also shows why they have such a difficult time understanding more complex issues and have trouble with qualitative analysis. They simply don't have the brain matter to handle it.
In many ways, this study is a relief. Now we truly do know that conservative will never change their minds. They physically can't!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Why Did Mindy McCready Still Have a Gun?
Yesterday former country star Mindy McCready committed suicide by shooting herself in the head. She had attempted suicide at least three times since 2005. Just last month David Wilson, her boyfriend and the father of their nine-month-old child, shot himself in the head. McCready apparently killed Wilson's dog before shooting herself.
McCready had a long history of drug abuse and alcoholism, arrest for fraudulently obtaining prescription medications, probation violation, and misdemeanor assault. She had been in "Celebrity Rehab 3," and is the fifth participant in the show to die and the third from season three alone.
McCready had a long-running custody dispute with her mother, who undoubtedly feared for the lives of her grandchildren — it is not uncommon for suicidal people to kill their children, spouses, girlfriends and boyfriends before taking their own lives. McCready had just regained custody of her son Zander in December. Thankfully, McCready just killed a dog.
You're twice as likely to die of gun suicide than you are to be shot by someone else. In 2010 20,000 of the approximately 30,000 gun deaths in the United States were suicides:
Guns are particularly lethal. Suicidal acts with guns are fatal in 85 percent of cases, while those with pills are fatal in just 2 percent of cases, according to the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.Gun suicides accounted for half of the 38,000 successful suicides in 2010. Poisoning and suffocation each accounted for about a quarter, but those methods are much less effective. There are an estimated 11 suicide attempts for every successful one, though this statistic is tricky to compute because not all attempts are reported. The risk of suicide is three times higher in homes with guns than it is in homes without.
The question is, why did McCready still have a gun? And would the NRA and the Republican Party defend her right to have one? Why doesn't the "pro-life" Republican Party's demand that people in such a tenuous mental state have their weapons confiscated not just for their own safety, but especially for the safety of their loved ones?
Sunday, February 17, 2013
299
One of my great joys on Sunday is to crack open the paper and have a nice, long and leisurely read. Today, though, there was nothing pleasant about this headline.
Appeals of denied permits get guns into questionable hands
Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Toni Beitz said the reason for some reversals is that the carry-permit law puts a high burden on a sheriff to prove that someone shouldn't be issued a permit. Under the carry-permit statute, for example, criminal allegations that are not investigated and documented aren't grounds for denial. "The statute is very limited as to what evidence the sheriff can look at. He's got a very short period of time, and there's only a very narrow room for him to use discretion," Beitz said. "That was the big shift when it used to be in the hands of chiefs of police. They had a lot of discretion to look at maybe whatever they wanted to look at."
Interesting. So, the gun lobby, who was spent the last couple of years screaming at the top of their lungs about gun walking, is now essentially doing the same thing. In their fervent zeal over their warped interpretation of the second amendment, 299 people who have a criminal history get to have guns in my home state.
Perhaps they should heed their own warnings about laws and unintended consequences.
Appeals of denied permits get guns into questionable hands
Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Toni Beitz said the reason for some reversals is that the carry-permit law puts a high burden on a sheriff to prove that someone shouldn't be issued a permit. Under the carry-permit statute, for example, criminal allegations that are not investigated and documented aren't grounds for denial. "The statute is very limited as to what evidence the sheriff can look at. He's got a very short period of time, and there's only a very narrow room for him to use discretion," Beitz said. "That was the big shift when it used to be in the hands of chiefs of police. They had a lot of discretion to look at maybe whatever they wanted to look at."
Interesting. So, the gun lobby, who was spent the last couple of years screaming at the top of their lungs about gun walking, is now essentially doing the same thing. In their fervent zeal over their warped interpretation of the second amendment, 299 people who have a criminal history get to have guns in my home state.
Perhaps they should heed their own warnings about laws and unintended consequences.
Praying For His Death
Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal made me think about Voltaire again. In an email to supporters, O'Neal wrote
At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!
and then recommended Psalm 109:8 which reads
Let his days be few; and let another take his office
This verse is followed by this, in Psalm 109:9
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
As Volatire astutely noted, religious intolerance always leads to fanaticism and savage, inhuman action.
At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!
and then recommended Psalm 109:8 which reads
Let his days be few; and let another take his office
This verse is followed by this, in Psalm 109:9
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
As Volatire astutely noted, religious intolerance always leads to fanaticism and savage, inhuman action.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Best Picture: Silver Linings Playbook
Just got back from a matinee with the missus and we saw the absolutely wonderful Silver Linings Playbook. Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a man released from a mental institution for beating the crap out of his wife's lover after discovering them in the shower together. Jennifer Lawrence plays a woman who lost her husband in an automobile accident. The two end up finding each other in their mental and emotional challenges and, of course, love.
In addition to capturing Philadelphia's culture perfectly, the focus on mental health and how it affects people's lives is most welcome. There are several points in the film that drive home how complex this problem is and how each family struggles with it in their own unique way. There need to be more films like this so our culture can see that there is no stigma to mental health issues. Everyone has them and seeking to be more mentally healthy is something that should be vigorously pursued throughout one's lifespan.
In addition to capturing Philadelphia's culture perfectly, the focus on mental health and how it affects people's lives is most welcome. There are several points in the film that drive home how complex this problem is and how each family struggles with it in their own unique way. There need to be more films like this so our culture can see that there is no stigma to mental health issues. Everyone has them and seeking to be more mentally healthy is something that should be vigorously pursued throughout one's lifespan.
Everything is the Holocaust
So, in addition to any changes in gun laws being like the Holocaust, I guess we can add Obamacare to the whole "Jews being taken away on trains" meme.
The insurance companies are creating their own tombs. Much like the Jews boarding the trains to concentration camps, private insurers are used by the feds to put the system in place because the federal government has no way to set up the exchange. Several years from now, the federal government will want nothing to do with private insurance companies. The feds will have a national system of health insurance and they will pull the trigger on the insurance companies.
Yes, and then the anal probes will begin with the express purpose of building a warrior race to enslave us all.
And take away our guns.
The insurance companies are creating their own tombs. Much like the Jews boarding the trains to concentration camps, private insurers are used by the feds to put the system in place because the federal government has no way to set up the exchange. Several years from now, the federal government will want nothing to do with private insurance companies. The feds will have a national system of health insurance and they will pull the trigger on the insurance companies.
Yes, and then the anal probes will begin with the express purpose of building a warrior race to enslave us all.
And take away our guns.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Why Do Meteors Like Siberia So Much?
Earlier today a meteorite exploded over Siberia, near the city of Chelyabinsk. The meteorite, called a bolide, was captured on cell phones and video cameras by numerous observers, many of whom immediately uploaded their videos to YouTube.
The explosion caused an intense flash of light, a loud boom and a shock wave that broke windows over a large area. More than a thousand people were injured, mostly by broken glass caused by the explosion's shockwave, as they rushed to see what caused the flash.
The Chelyabinsk event calls to mind the Tunguska explosion of 1908. That meteorite flattened all the trees in 770 square-mile area. People have theorized all sorts of causes for the Tunguska incident, from mini black holes to alien spacecraft. But as the Chelyabinsk event shows, the most likely explanation is just a larger bolide, estimated to be 100 meters across.
So why do meteorites like Siberia? It's big. Siberia covers almost 10% of the earth's land surface. It's 77% of Russia's territory, and also includes parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.
It's estimated that the Chelyabinsk bolide was the size of an SUV, just a few tons. A bolide is a meteorite that explodes in the atmosphere with an apparent magnitude of -14 or brighter. Apparent magnitude is an astronomical term that describes the relative brightness of celestial objects. Magnitude is a logarithmic scale, and negative numbers are brighter. The sun as seen from Earth is about magnitude -27, or 400,000 times brighter than the full moon, which is almost magnitude -13. Planets like Venus and Jupiter are magnitude -4.89 and -2.94 at their brightest. The brightest star, Sirius, is magnitude -1.47, and the dimmest star visible to the human eye is about +6.50 under the best expected conditions.
Because there are nuclear weapons facilities nearby, there was initially some concern that the Chelyabinsk event was some kind of nuclear weapon. Russian news reports have repeatedly stated that "background radiation is normal."
YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the Internet in general get a lot of heat for spreading rumors, misconceptions and lies across the world at the speed of light. But in this case cellphone technology and the Internet served to provide direct and immediate evidence of a natural cause for an event that in different times, say November, 1962 during the height of the Cuban missile crisis, could have sparked nuclear war.
The Chelyabinsk event comes on the same day that an asteroid, 2012 DA14, will pass within 17,000 miles of the earth (the two incidents are apparently unrelated). That's closer than geosynchronous communications satellites orbit the earth.
DA14 is estimated to be 45 meters across, or half the size of the Tunguska bolide. If it were to hit the earth, it would have the potential to kill thousands. But since most of the earth is covered by water, and a lot of the earth's land surface is empty like Siberia, the chances of a major death toll are low.
But the explosion over Chelyabinsk is a concrete reminder that the threat of asteroids and comets hitting the earth is not just science fiction. A relatively small asteroid could kick up enough dust and smoke into the atmosphere to start an ice age, as some scientists believe happened 2 million years ago. Sixty-six million years ago a bigger one hit the earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. At some point we will know that an asteroid or comet is going to hit the earth and we'll actually have enough time to do something about it.
And we should make sure we're ready. NASA has the Near Earth Observation program to track such objects and predict their paths. President Obama's plan for an asteroid mission is exactly the sort of thing we should be doing. And it's exactly the kind of thing you need a big government and international cooperation to do, because no business or single country should be held responsible for protecting the planet.
With all the arguments about the deficits and tax cuts everyone should take a step back. Some things are bigger than our petty squabbles about who really won a mandate in the last election. Instead of wasting all our energy on bickering we should start building things, going new places and making the world a better, safer place.
The explosion caused an intense flash of light, a loud boom and a shock wave that broke windows over a large area. More than a thousand people were injured, mostly by broken glass caused by the explosion's shockwave, as they rushed to see what caused the flash.
The Chelyabinsk event calls to mind the Tunguska explosion of 1908. That meteorite flattened all the trees in 770 square-mile area. People have theorized all sorts of causes for the Tunguska incident, from mini black holes to alien spacecraft. But as the Chelyabinsk event shows, the most likely explanation is just a larger bolide, estimated to be 100 meters across.
So why do meteorites like Siberia? It's big. Siberia covers almost 10% of the earth's land surface. It's 77% of Russia's territory, and also includes parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.
It's estimated that the Chelyabinsk bolide was the size of an SUV, just a few tons. A bolide is a meteorite that explodes in the atmosphere with an apparent magnitude of -14 or brighter. Apparent magnitude is an astronomical term that describes the relative brightness of celestial objects. Magnitude is a logarithmic scale, and negative numbers are brighter. The sun as seen from Earth is about magnitude -27, or 400,000 times brighter than the full moon, which is almost magnitude -13. Planets like Venus and Jupiter are magnitude -4.89 and -2.94 at their brightest. The brightest star, Sirius, is magnitude -1.47, and the dimmest star visible to the human eye is about +6.50 under the best expected conditions.
Because there are nuclear weapons facilities nearby, there was initially some concern that the Chelyabinsk event was some kind of nuclear weapon. Russian news reports have repeatedly stated that "background radiation is normal."
YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the Internet in general get a lot of heat for spreading rumors, misconceptions and lies across the world at the speed of light. But in this case cellphone technology and the Internet served to provide direct and immediate evidence of a natural cause for an event that in different times, say November, 1962 during the height of the Cuban missile crisis, could have sparked nuclear war.
The Chelyabinsk event comes on the same day that an asteroid, 2012 DA14, will pass within 17,000 miles of the earth (the two incidents are apparently unrelated). That's closer than geosynchronous communications satellites orbit the earth.
DA14 is estimated to be 45 meters across, or half the size of the Tunguska bolide. If it were to hit the earth, it would have the potential to kill thousands. But since most of the earth is covered by water, and a lot of the earth's land surface is empty like Siberia, the chances of a major death toll are low.
But the explosion over Chelyabinsk is a concrete reminder that the threat of asteroids and comets hitting the earth is not just science fiction. A relatively small asteroid could kick up enough dust and smoke into the atmosphere to start an ice age, as some scientists believe happened 2 million years ago. Sixty-six million years ago a bigger one hit the earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. At some point we will know that an asteroid or comet is going to hit the earth and we'll actually have enough time to do something about it.
And we should make sure we're ready. NASA has the Near Earth Observation program to track such objects and predict their paths. President Obama's plan for an asteroid mission is exactly the sort of thing we should be doing. And it's exactly the kind of thing you need a big government and international cooperation to do, because no business or single country should be held responsible for protecting the planet.
With all the arguments about the deficits and tax cuts everyone should take a step back. Some things are bigger than our petty squabbles about who really won a mandate in the last election. Instead of wasting all our energy on bickering we should start building things, going new places and making the world a better, safer place.
They Deserve A Vote
On Monday night, 34 year old Nhan Tran stood at a busy intersection in Oakdale, a suburb of St. Paul, and started shooting. 9 year old Devin Aryal was shot several times and killed in the back of his mother's minivan. Now, Melissa Aryal becomes yet another parent in a collection of far too many who have lost a child to gun violence. And the response from the Right?
It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans – Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment – have come together around commonsense reform – like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.
One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.
Hadiya’s parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence – they deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I’ve outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, and uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government.
We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country. We should follow their example.
Indeed, we should. So why hasn't their been a vote?
In listening to the chest thumping bravado and imperial declarations of the gun rights folks, one would think that all changes to existing gun laws will fail. Fine. Prove it. Put your vote where your mouth is, ass hats. The Republicans in the House should put together a bill and vote on it. Harry Reid should do the same thing in the Senate. In short, get it fucking done.
Let the American people see where their leaders stand on the issue of gun violence. I want to see who is going to vote no and stand with the old gun laws that are clearly not effective anymore. You can add Melissa Aryal to the list of people who deserve a simple vote. You can rest assured that there will be more added to the list each and every day that passes until there is a vote.
The time is now.
Fuck you. Don't take away my gun, Hitler.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama said the following.
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.
One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.
Hadiya’s parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence – they deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I’ve outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, and uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government.
We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country. We should follow their example.
Indeed, we should. So why hasn't their been a vote?
In listening to the chest thumping bravado and imperial declarations of the gun rights folks, one would think that all changes to existing gun laws will fail. Fine. Prove it. Put your vote where your mouth is, ass hats. The Republicans in the House should put together a bill and vote on it. Harry Reid should do the same thing in the Senate. In short, get it fucking done.
Let the American people see where their leaders stand on the issue of gun violence. I want to see who is going to vote no and stand with the old gun laws that are clearly not effective anymore. You can add Melissa Aryal to the list of people who deserve a simple vote. You can rest assured that there will be more added to the list each and every day that passes until there is a vote.
The time is now.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Sheriff Joe's B Movie Solution to Real Life Problem
Apparently inspired by the Magnificent Seven, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona thinks the only thing that will stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. So he's started training armed posses. But it turns out that Sheriff Joe doesn't verify that his posse members are actually good guys.
From a story from KPHO in Phoenix:
Arpaio wants his army of 3,000 volunteer posse members to look like sworn deputies and sometimes perform the same duties. But an in-depth project by CBS 5 Investigates uncovered a number of posse members with arrests for assault, drug possession, domestic violence, sex crimes against children, disorderly conduct, impersonating an officer - and the list goes on.Putting guns in the hands of people and deputizing them is serious business. If these people are incompetent or criminal you've only made the problem worse.
It's just a matter of time before one of these loose cannons shoots some cocky teenager who mouths off, drops his gun when he drops his pants and shoots himself or the kid in the next stall, or molests the very children he's supposed to protect.
If we're really serious about putting people with guns in schools to protect children, we can't do it on the cheap. These people have to be trained, vetted and meet the same qualifications as the police. They have to be professionals and not some goof who likes plinking away at tin cans.
To ensure his posse has a solid basis in law enforcement Arpaio hired washed-up B movie action star Steven Seagal to train them. Seagal, who's 60 years old, claims to have put "hundreds of thousands if not millions of hours" into weapons training. A million hours is 114 years.
Apparently Arpaio's standards do not require his trainers to have a basic grasp of arithmetic. Or his trainees to have a clean criminal record.
The sad thing is that when this blows up in Arpaio's face there won't be any stuntmen, squibs and blanks like there are in Seagal's flicks. It'll be real live kids.
And by the way, Sheriff Joe, if you didn't see the Magnificent Seven to the end — spoiler alert — all the good guys with guns get killed.
Yay!
I'm glad I have a 12 year old and a 10 year old with whom to celebrate Valentine's Day so we can join the rest of the children out there in America who place emotional significance on February 14th.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
SOTU Bite Size Chunks (Part Three)
Here's a segment of the SOTU that won't get much press coverage.
But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. And that has to start at the earliest possible age.
Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can’t afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives.
Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own. So let’s do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let’s give our kids that chance.
It's actually much more than the president is saying. The social cohesion in this country would be vastly strengthened if we started spending more money and time on ECFE. In the long run, it saves us much more money because people that learn the value of an education at a very early age end up being more successful in society.
In short, they become more responsible.
But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. And that has to start at the earliest possible age.
Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can’t afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives.
Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own. So let’s do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let’s give our kids that chance.
It's actually much more than the president is saying. The social cohesion in this country would be vastly strengthened if we started spending more money and time on ECFE. In the long run, it saves us much more money because people that learn the value of an education at a very early age end up being more successful in society.
In short, they become more responsible.
SOTU Bite Size Chunks (Part Two)
This one really struck me.
After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.
Say what? Apple is making Macs in America again? Yes, it is true. That is very good news!
After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.
Say what? Apple is making Macs in America again? Yes, it is true. That is very good news!
SOTU Bite Size Chunks (Part One)
I'm going to be taking the SOTU speech in smaller chunks throughout the day and focusing in on particular passages. First up, is this one...
On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.
Wow. That's certainly going to piss off a lot of Democrats. And it's way past time that he did this!
On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.
Wow. That's certainly going to piss off a lot of Democrats. And it's way past time that he did this!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Two Responses?
So, Marco Rubio is going to deliver the Republican response to the the presidents SOTU speech tonight. And then Rand Paul is going to deliver the response to that response? Or the response to the president? I'm confused.
It's a good thing the GOP is united and firing on all cylinders these days.
It's a good thing the GOP is united and firing on all cylinders these days.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Not Fake
62-Year-Old With Gun Only One Standing Between Nation And Full-Scale Government Takeover
Bailey, who keeps his gun on his person at all times and regularly patrols his property in his truck, has reportedly struck dread into the very highest-ranking members of the U.S. government. According to sources, top government and military officials are fully aware that they remain unable to commence with their oppressive, systematic subjugation of the American populace as long as the 62-year-old owner of a rifle exists.
I guess The Onion stopped running fake news stories...
Bailey, who keeps his gun on his person at all times and regularly patrols his property in his truck, has reportedly struck dread into the very highest-ranking members of the U.S. government. According to sources, top government and military officials are fully aware that they remain unable to commence with their oppressive, systematic subjugation of the American populace as long as the 62-year-old owner of a rifle exists.
I guess The Onion stopped running fake news stories...
Cashing in on the Ron Paul Name
Now that Paul is retired some of his former supporters are trying to cash in on his name. Literally. Paul has filed a complaint with an arm of the UN to wrest control of the RonPaul.com domain name away from his own fans:
But something odd is definitely going on with RonPaul.com. A check of the whois database indicates that the RonPaul.com domain is registered to JNR Corp, which is located in Ciudad de Panama, Panama (the record was last edited yesterday). RonPaul.org is registered to Martha Roberts, DN Capital, Inc., also in Panama City. If these guys are grassroots American patriots, why the Panamanian shell corporations and the Australian domain registration? What are these guys trying to pull?
A Ron Paul presidency was always a pipe dream. By 2012 he was too old to serve. Paul himself was always too idiosyncratic, outspoken and honest about his real opinions. The great thing about him is that he had something for everyone: he was against the war in Iraq, the UN, the Federal Reserve, abortion and the war on drugs. And he was never afraid of angering his own base. Just last week, after American sniper Chris Kyle was killed at a gun range, Paul tweeted:
If the RonPaul.com guys really were Paul supporters, you'd think they would gladly give up the domain names to the guy that they respected and admired so much. The idea of Ron Paul as president was always just a lark, and a fun time was had by all. Let it go. But instead they're trying to extort him out of a quarter million bucks.
This is not a betrayal by Ron Paul. He owes these people nothing. For years they've been cashing in Paul's cult of personality, and now that his star is setting they're looking at declining influence — and revenues. The only thing more pitiful than a has-been celebrity are a has-been celebrity's sycophants. This is their last-gasp attempt to gouge Paul for a few dollars more.
People on the right are constantly yapping about god and county and tradition and principles and rights, but at the end of the day it's always about the money.
And I still can't stop laughing that Ron Paul is going all UN his supporters' ass.
The authors of RonPaul.com see the move as the ultimate betrayal from a politician who, more than many others, depended on an astounding level of grassroots support on the Internet in order to keep his longshot presidential campaigns running.It's a little ironic that the famously isolationist libertarian would go to the World Intellectual Property Organization to resolve a tiff with his supporters. But Ron Paul is completely within his rights to demand this domain name. WIPO is how such disputes are resolved. The guys at RonPaul.com are at best bitter disillusioned diehards, and at worst cybersquatters or extortionists.
"Last month, after Ron Paul expressed regret on the Alex Jones show over not owning RonPaul.com (in an interview titled "Ron Paul: The Internet Is Our Last Chance to Awaken America"), dozens of supporters urged us to contact Ron Paul to work out a deal," the owners of RonPaul.com write.
They say they offered Paul the use of RonPaul.org as a "free gift" but wanted to keep RonPaul.com. Their price, should Paul really want RonPaul.com, was $250,000.
But something odd is definitely going on with RonPaul.com. A check of the whois database indicates that the RonPaul.com domain is registered to JNR Corp, which is located in Ciudad de Panama, Panama (the record was last edited yesterday). RonPaul.org is registered to Martha Roberts, DN Capital, Inc., also in Panama City. If these guys are grassroots American patriots, why the Panamanian shell corporations and the Australian domain registration? What are these guys trying to pull?
A Ron Paul presidency was always a pipe dream. By 2012 he was too old to serve. Paul himself was always too idiosyncratic, outspoken and honest about his real opinions. The great thing about him is that he had something for everyone: he was against the war in Iraq, the UN, the Federal Reserve, abortion and the war on drugs. And he was never afraid of angering his own base. Just last week, after American sniper Chris Kyle was killed at a gun range, Paul tweeted:
Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense.In short, Ron Paul has enough baggage to sink the Titanic even if it had missed the iceberg.
If the RonPaul.com guys really were Paul supporters, you'd think they would gladly give up the domain names to the guy that they respected and admired so much. The idea of Ron Paul as president was always just a lark, and a fun time was had by all. Let it go. But instead they're trying to extort him out of a quarter million bucks.
This is not a betrayal by Ron Paul. He owes these people nothing. For years they've been cashing in Paul's cult of personality, and now that his star is setting they're looking at declining influence — and revenues. The only thing more pitiful than a has-been celebrity are a has-been celebrity's sycophants. This is their last-gasp attempt to gouge Paul for a few dollars more.
People on the right are constantly yapping about god and county and tradition and principles and rights, but at the end of the day it's always about the money.
And I still can't stop laughing that Ron Paul is going all UN his supporters' ass.
Best Picture: Les Miserables
I'm not much for musicals but Tom Hooper's Les Miserables is absolutely stunning. All of the actors are dazzling. Who knew that Russell Crowe could sing?
Anne Hathaway completely gives every iota of her heart and soul to her portrayal of Fantine and I have to admit I was moved to tears by her performance. It was devastating.
I remember how I rolled my eyes when I saw the trailer and thinking, "Again, with this story?" Boy, was I wrong!
Anne Hathaway completely gives every iota of her heart and soul to her portrayal of Fantine and I have to admit I was moved to tears by her performance. It was devastating.
I remember how I rolled my eyes when I saw the trailer and thinking, "Again, with this story?" Boy, was I wrong!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Good Words
The party right now is a holding company that's devoid of a soul and it will be filled up with ideas over time and leaders will take their proper place. We can't be known as a party that's fear-based and doesn't believe in math. In the end it will come down to a party that believes in opportunity for all our people, economic competitiveness and a strong dose of libertarianism
--(former Utah Governor, Ambassador to China and GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman)
Agreed. But how long will it take to clear out the clown car?
--(former Utah Governor, Ambassador to China and GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman)
Agreed. But how long will it take to clear out the clown car?
Saturday, February 09, 2013
A Perpetual Adolescent Power Fantasy
Bill requires all Idaho kids to read ‘Atlas Shrugged’
Fantastic! Now, it will be a law that young people have an indefinite adolescent power fantasy.
And doesn't this subvert the whole point of the book? Like I have been saying....most libertarians are closet fascists. Re-education camps are fine as long as we are doing it!
Fantastic! Now, it will be a law that young people have an indefinite adolescent power fantasy.
And doesn't this subvert the whole point of the book? Like I have been saying....most libertarians are closet fascists. Re-education camps are fine as long as we are doing it!
Best Picture: Django Unchained
I have no earthly idea why Quentin Tarrentino's Django Unchained was nominated for Best Picture. It's a good film and is very typical Tarrentino but certainly not as strong as Inglorious Bastards. Definitely not Oscar level material. Christopher Waltz shines once again, this time as a bounty hunter who rescues Django, played by Jamie Foxx, from slavery. The two end up teaming up, making money, and going after Django's wife who is still a slave.
Along the way, they shoot a lot of bigots with giant amounts of blood spurting out from every imaginable orifice. The acting is very good. Who can go wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson? The violence is way over the top but not nearly as bad as Bastards or Reservoir Dogs. I was cautioned by many of my friends that it was "really, really violent." Had they ever seen a Quentin Tarrentino film before? Probably just the usual over sensitivity that seems to get worse and worse every day in our culture.
If you like revenge flicks and some serious gun play, this is the film for you.
Along the way, they shoot a lot of bigots with giant amounts of blood spurting out from every imaginable orifice. The acting is very good. Who can go wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson? The violence is way over the top but not nearly as bad as Bastards or Reservoir Dogs. I was cautioned by many of my friends that it was "really, really violent." Had they ever seen a Quentin Tarrentino film before? Probably just the usual over sensitivity that seems to get worse and worse every day in our culture.
If you like revenge flicks and some serious gun play, this is the film for you.
Friday, February 08, 2013
There Was Nothing Free About Them
If only people were allowed to carry their guns wherever they felt like it, spree shootings would never happen, gun free zone detractors whine in typical adolescent fashion. It continually amazes me that the core of their argument about this and many other issues revolves around the same basic emotion: I wanna do what I wanna do when I wanna do it and if I don't get my way, bad things will happen. See?!! Told ya!! Fuck you, dad!! (stomp stomp stomp...SLAM!)
Setting aside this perpetual, childish outburst, the assertion that spree shootings are more lethal because they are in gun free zones is patently false. The idea that we can somehow get into the mind of these people and (ahem) reason that they pick these places so they can have the largest body count is one of the finest examples of projection and confirmation bias I have ever witnessed. You would think that they were presenting a conclusion to an argument without having any facts to support it. That couldn't possibly be true!
When Cookie Thornton shot up Kirkwood City Hall, he began his spree by shooting a police officer, taking his gun, and then heading inside to continue his path of destruction. The fact that there were guns in the building had no effect on Thornton's mindset. He went in anyway. Thornton, by the way, was yet another individual with a pathological hatred for government. Jared Loughner walked in to a parking lot that was not a gun free zone and had no compunction about shooting up the joint. People were allowed to carry arms around that area and that certainly didn't stop him. Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL and heavily armed and trained, when he was shot, along with his friend Chad Littlefield, at a gun range (see: not gun free) by Eddie Ray Routh.
And armed security was present at Columbine when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on their rampage, killing 12 people.
So, this notion that getting rid of gun free zones will somehow be a panacea is ludicrous. The above are just a few examples. Whether guns are present or not present has no bearing on whether or not people go on shooting sprees. It's simply another in a nauseating series of proclamations by children who are trying to get their own way.
Setting aside this perpetual, childish outburst, the assertion that spree shootings are more lethal because they are in gun free zones is patently false. The idea that we can somehow get into the mind of these people and (ahem) reason that they pick these places so they can have the largest body count is one of the finest examples of projection and confirmation bias I have ever witnessed. You would think that they were presenting a conclusion to an argument without having any facts to support it. That couldn't possibly be true!
When Cookie Thornton shot up Kirkwood City Hall, he began his spree by shooting a police officer, taking his gun, and then heading inside to continue his path of destruction. The fact that there were guns in the building had no effect on Thornton's mindset. He went in anyway. Thornton, by the way, was yet another individual with a pathological hatred for government. Jared Loughner walked in to a parking lot that was not a gun free zone and had no compunction about shooting up the joint. People were allowed to carry arms around that area and that certainly didn't stop him. Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL and heavily armed and trained, when he was shot, along with his friend Chad Littlefield, at a gun range (see: not gun free) by Eddie Ray Routh.
And armed security was present at Columbine when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on their rampage, killing 12 people.
So, this notion that getting rid of gun free zones will somehow be a panacea is ludicrous. The above are just a few examples. Whether guns are present or not present has no bearing on whether or not people go on shooting sprees. It's simply another in a nauseating series of proclamations by children who are trying to get their own way.
Best Picture: Beasts of The Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is an extraordinary film. It tells the story of a father and his daughter who are part of a community that lives off the grid down in the Bayou near New Oreleans. When a storm floods their little island, their already impoverished life becomes even worse.
I found myself sitting in judgement of these people throughout the film and, quite frankly, didn't like the things I was feeling. Hush Puppy, the main character of the story, is treated horribly by her father and the mandated reporter in me wanted to haul his ass to jail. Yet the entire community seemed to function perfectly well on their own, albeit in squalor. When a relief organization comes in to bring them medical aid and shelter, they react strongly against the assistance. It is a fascinating thing to watch as they reflect on how it's the outside world, not them, that are trapped.
In many ways, this film is a testament to libertarianism and, if you can stand the miserable living conditions, freedom is indeed a beautiful thing.
I found myself sitting in judgement of these people throughout the film and, quite frankly, didn't like the things I was feeling. Hush Puppy, the main character of the story, is treated horribly by her father and the mandated reporter in me wanted to haul his ass to jail. Yet the entire community seemed to function perfectly well on their own, albeit in squalor. When a relief organization comes in to bring them medical aid and shelter, they react strongly against the assistance. It is a fascinating thing to watch as they reflect on how it's the outside world, not them, that are trapped.
In many ways, this film is a testament to libertarianism and, if you can stand the miserable living conditions, freedom is indeed a beautiful thing.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Hand Grenade Man
The Tick was a superhero comic first published in the early Nineties. The Tick was a parody of Superman, Batman, Hulk, Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, the Punisher and the rest of four-color universe — and it was published in black and white. The Tick was turned into a half-hour Saturday morning cartoon on Fox for three seasons.
In one issue Tick and his sidekick Arthur go to New York where superheroes are hanging on every wall, lamp post and flag pole. They're packed so tight they have to reserve street patrol times by the hour and schedule their next colossal confrontation with the gigantic tentacled blob Thrakkorzog and his army of gelatin zombies a week in advance.
Tick and Arthur encounter the Mighty Agrippa, Roman God of the Aqueduct, who invites them to the Comet Club, the exclusive superhero hangout. While Arthur is sent down to the sidekick's lounge, Tick meets superheroes like Skateboard Viking, Four-Legged Man, Fishboy, the Ant and Hand Grenade Man.
Tick asks what Hand Grenade Man's super powers are. "Super powers? Bah! Who needs 'em? I've got a hand grenade! ... You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish when people know you've got one."
Which brings us to Jimmy Lee Dykes, the man who killed a bus driver, kidnapped a boy and held the child for almost a week. Dykes was shot dead after the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, a "counterterrorism tactical team," threw a flashbang into his bunker and briefly exchanged gunfire.
Dykes was a real Hand Grenade Man. Everyone knew he was going to explode some day. He pointed his gun at kids coming near his land. He patrolled his property at night with a long gun and a flashlight. He beat a neighbor's dog with pipe. He piled dirt in the road to create a speed bump, and when someone messed it up he started shooting at them. That precipitated a court appearance. And that's when Dykes pulled the pin.
Dykes apparently harbored anti-government, anti-police views. His neighbors found him to be increasingly paranoid and violent, frequently brandishing weapons. Before the incident Dykes gave a neighbor his manifesto, but authorities have yet to release it so we don't yet fully know what his deal was.
But the mild reaction of law enforcement to Dykes shooting at a woman and her child was proof of his paranoia. They simply scheduled a court date and left him at large. It makes you wonder: if Dykes had been black or Muslim would the police have been so accommodating?
Here was a man who was obviously a danger to himself and others, someone who had made terroristic threats, yet the authorities went out of their way to allow him to exercise his Second Amendment rights even after he'd abused them.
Jimmy Lee Dykes was the poster geezer for the NRA. He is the kind of guy we all think of when we conjure up the term gun nut: a grizzled, paranoid isolationist who's constantly ranting about the government and is on the verge of exploding.
Dykes is exactly the kind of guy that the NRA caters to and riles up with their apocalyptic visions of home invasions and arming themselves for the imminent collapse of society. They propagate the myth that an AR-15 is some kind of super power that will fend off drone strikes and Abrams tanks when the government attacks, or protect them from disease and starvation in the desolate landscape of Armageddon.
If it turns out that Dykes' manifesto is a rehash of NRA propaganda, how will they respond? Will they own up to their part in this act of domestic terrorism? Because the guy was a terrorist, no different than any Al Qaeda or Red Army terrorist. He was also crazy, like all terrorists and people who use violence against innocents to push their agendas.
Or will the Hand Grenade Men in the NRA blame his neighbors, the local police, liberals and society at large for threatening to take away his toys and driving him over the edge?
My money's on the latter.
In one issue Tick and his sidekick Arthur go to New York where superheroes are hanging on every wall, lamp post and flag pole. They're packed so tight they have to reserve street patrol times by the hour and schedule their next colossal confrontation with the gigantic tentacled blob Thrakkorzog and his army of gelatin zombies a week in advance.
Tick and Arthur encounter the Mighty Agrippa, Roman God of the Aqueduct, who invites them to the Comet Club, the exclusive superhero hangout. While Arthur is sent down to the sidekick's lounge, Tick meets superheroes like Skateboard Viking, Four-Legged Man, Fishboy, the Ant and Hand Grenade Man.
Tick asks what Hand Grenade Man's super powers are. "Super powers? Bah! Who needs 'em? I've got a hand grenade! ... You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish when people know you've got one."
Which brings us to Jimmy Lee Dykes, the man who killed a bus driver, kidnapped a boy and held the child for almost a week. Dykes was shot dead after the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, a "counterterrorism tactical team," threw a flashbang into his bunker and briefly exchanged gunfire.
Dykes was a real Hand Grenade Man. Everyone knew he was going to explode some day. He pointed his gun at kids coming near his land. He patrolled his property at night with a long gun and a flashlight. He beat a neighbor's dog with pipe. He piled dirt in the road to create a speed bump, and when someone messed it up he started shooting at them. That precipitated a court appearance. And that's when Dykes pulled the pin.
Dykes apparently harbored anti-government, anti-police views. His neighbors found him to be increasingly paranoid and violent, frequently brandishing weapons. Before the incident Dykes gave a neighbor his manifesto, but authorities have yet to release it so we don't yet fully know what his deal was.
But the mild reaction of law enforcement to Dykes shooting at a woman and her child was proof of his paranoia. They simply scheduled a court date and left him at large. It makes you wonder: if Dykes had been black or Muslim would the police have been so accommodating?
Here was a man who was obviously a danger to himself and others, someone who had made terroristic threats, yet the authorities went out of their way to allow him to exercise his Second Amendment rights even after he'd abused them.
Jimmy Lee Dykes was the poster geezer for the NRA. He is the kind of guy we all think of when we conjure up the term gun nut: a grizzled, paranoid isolationist who's constantly ranting about the government and is on the verge of exploding.
Dykes is exactly the kind of guy that the NRA caters to and riles up with their apocalyptic visions of home invasions and arming themselves for the imminent collapse of society. They propagate the myth that an AR-15 is some kind of super power that will fend off drone strikes and Abrams tanks when the government attacks, or protect them from disease and starvation in the desolate landscape of Armageddon.
If it turns out that Dykes' manifesto is a rehash of NRA propaganda, how will they respond? Will they own up to their part in this act of domestic terrorism? Because the guy was a terrorist, no different than any Al Qaeda or Red Army terrorist. He was also crazy, like all terrorists and people who use violence against innocents to push their agendas.
Or will the Hand Grenade Men in the NRA blame his neighbors, the local police, liberals and society at large for threatening to take away his toys and driving him over the edge?
My money's on the latter.
No One Killed The Electric Car This Time
Here's some more good news that has flown under the radar.
A green secret: It was the year plug-in car sales accelerated
Plug-in vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius PHV, and all-electric Nissan Leaf are on pace for combined sales of about 50,000 by year-end – far ahead of what hybrid sales were at the same stage of market development – and a 280 percent jump in sales over 2011, according to data from Baum & Associates, an auto industry research firm. Next year will bring 33 models from a dozen companies.
When you consider how much of a pummeling the electric car takes every day, this is truly fantastic. This will have an impact on the climate, no doubt, and that's despite the notion that we are trading one form of polluting for another. Electric power is coming from more diverse sources than ever before these days so any less carbon emissions in the atmosphere is a net gain.
A green secret: It was the year plug-in car sales accelerated
Plug-in vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius PHV, and all-electric Nissan Leaf are on pace for combined sales of about 50,000 by year-end – far ahead of what hybrid sales were at the same stage of market development – and a 280 percent jump in sales over 2011, according to data from Baum & Associates, an auto industry research firm. Next year will bring 33 models from a dozen companies.
When you consider how much of a pummeling the electric car takes every day, this is truly fantastic. This will have an impact on the climate, no doubt, and that's despite the notion that we are trading one form of polluting for another. Electric power is coming from more diverse sources than ever before these days so any less carbon emissions in the atmosphere is a net gain.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
My Dream Realized
Remember how often I fantasize about people on the Right going off to form their own country? Well, Glenn Beck is now making that dream a reality!
Well, follks, what are your waiting fer? Just think of it...you could leave all of us commie fascist takers behind and have your own little paradise. Everything would work out perfectly. I just know it!
Well, follks, what are your waiting fer? Just think of it...you could leave all of us commie fascist takers behind and have your own little paradise. Everything would work out perfectly. I just know it!
Relief is Spelled C-O-U-L-T-E-R
Universal background check means universal registration. Universal registration means universal confiscation, universal extermination. That’s how it goes in history.
Well, shit. I was a little concerned that we wouldn't get anywhere on refining our gun laws but now I know for certain that we will. Hell, we might even get an assault weapons ban if we see more stuff like this!
I'm beginning to see a pattern that has developed over the last four years...the Right says something loony tunes, America reacts with revulsion and....good things happen:)
Well, shit. I was a little concerned that we wouldn't get anywhere on refining our gun laws but now I know for certain that we will. Hell, we might even get an assault weapons ban if we see more stuff like this!
I'm beginning to see a pattern that has developed over the last four years...the Right says something loony tunes, America reacts with revulsion and....good things happen:)
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Epistemic Closure Summary
I forgot to put this piece up by Bruce Bartlett last year but it's obviously still relevant. Bartlett used to work for Ronald Reagan as his chief economic adviser and has since sworn off of supply side economics as well as admitted how he wrong he was on many things. I wonder if this will ever be the case for some of my regulars here...
He makes several good points in this column, among them are these:
Until that moment I had not realized how closed the right-wing mind had become. Even assuming that my friends’ view of the Times’ philosophy was correct, which it most certainly was not, why would they not want to know what their enemy was thinking? This was my first exposure to what has been called “epistemic closure” among conservatives—living in their own bubble where nonsensical ideas circulate with no contradiction.
Contradiction is treason!
Among the interesting reactions to my book is that I was banned from Fox News. My publicist was told that orders had come down from on high that it was to receive no publicity whatsoever, not even attacks. Whoever gave that order was smart; attacks from the right would have sold books. Being ignored was poison for sales. I later learned that the order to ignore me extended throughout Rupert Murdoch’s empire.
That's because you were disobeying their will...oops, VILL!
The final line for me to cross in complete alienation from the right was my recognition that Obama is not a leftist. In fact, he’s barely a liberal—and only because the political spectrum has moved so far to the right that moderate Republicans from the past are now considered hardcore leftists by right-wing standards today. Viewed in historical context, I see Obama as actually being on the center-right.
Huh. Now who has also said that before?
So here we are, post-election 2012. All the stupidity and closed-mindedness that right-wingers have displayed over the last 10 years has come back to haunt them. It is now widely understood that the nation may be center-left after all, not center-right as conservatives thought. Overwhelming losses by Republicans to all the nation’s nonwhite voters have created a Democratic coalition that will govern the nation for the foreseeable future.
But they don't care, Bruce. As long as the win the argument and/or make money off of rubes.
At least a few conservatives now recognize that Republicans suffer for epistemic closure. They were genuinely shocked at Romney’s loss because they ignored every poll not produced by a right-wing pollster such as Rasmussen or approved by right-wing pundits such as the perpetually wrong Dick Morris. Living in the Fox News cocoon, most Republicans had no clue that they were losing or that their ideas were both stupid and politically unpopular.
They still don't have a clue as is evidenced by my comments section. Of course, none of this could be their fault, right!?
I am disinclined to think that Republicans are yet ready for a serious questioning of their philosophy or strategy. They comfort themselves with the fact that they held the House (due to gerrymandering) and think that just improving their get-out-the-vote system and throwing a few bones to the Latino community will fix their problem. There appears to be no recognition that their defects are far, far deeper and will require serious introspection and rethinking of how Republicans can win going forward. The alternative is permanent loss of the White House and probably the Senate as well, which means they can only temporarily block Democratic initiatives and never advance their own.
Yet they still believe...
He makes several good points in this column, among them are these:
Until that moment I had not realized how closed the right-wing mind had become. Even assuming that my friends’ view of the Times’ philosophy was correct, which it most certainly was not, why would they not want to know what their enemy was thinking? This was my first exposure to what has been called “epistemic closure” among conservatives—living in their own bubble where nonsensical ideas circulate with no contradiction.
Contradiction is treason!
Among the interesting reactions to my book is that I was banned from Fox News. My publicist was told that orders had come down from on high that it was to receive no publicity whatsoever, not even attacks. Whoever gave that order was smart; attacks from the right would have sold books. Being ignored was poison for sales. I later learned that the order to ignore me extended throughout Rupert Murdoch’s empire.
That's because you were disobeying their will...oops, VILL!
The final line for me to cross in complete alienation from the right was my recognition that Obama is not a leftist. In fact, he’s barely a liberal—and only because the political spectrum has moved so far to the right that moderate Republicans from the past are now considered hardcore leftists by right-wing standards today. Viewed in historical context, I see Obama as actually being on the center-right.
Huh. Now who has also said that before?
So here we are, post-election 2012. All the stupidity and closed-mindedness that right-wingers have displayed over the last 10 years has come back to haunt them. It is now widely understood that the nation may be center-left after all, not center-right as conservatives thought. Overwhelming losses by Republicans to all the nation’s nonwhite voters have created a Democratic coalition that will govern the nation for the foreseeable future.
But they don't care, Bruce. As long as the win the argument and/or make money off of rubes.
At least a few conservatives now recognize that Republicans suffer for epistemic closure. They were genuinely shocked at Romney’s loss because they ignored every poll not produced by a right-wing pollster such as Rasmussen or approved by right-wing pundits such as the perpetually wrong Dick Morris. Living in the Fox News cocoon, most Republicans had no clue that they were losing or that their ideas were both stupid and politically unpopular.
They still don't have a clue as is evidenced by my comments section. Of course, none of this could be their fault, right!?
I am disinclined to think that Republicans are yet ready for a serious questioning of their philosophy or strategy. They comfort themselves with the fact that they held the House (due to gerrymandering) and think that just improving their get-out-the-vote system and throwing a few bones to the Latino community will fix their problem. There appears to be no recognition that their defects are far, far deeper and will require serious introspection and rethinking of how Republicans can win going forward. The alternative is permanent loss of the White House and probably the Senate as well, which means they can only temporarily block Democratic initiatives and never advance their own.
Yet they still believe...
Spelling Issues
I especially like the second photo and the woman behind the sign. Sort of reminds me of (ahem) something...:)
Monday, February 04, 2013
They Want A Mailing List
A nice summation of what happens when you allow hucksters to run your political party. As I have been saying, they don't want to win elections anymore. As Bill says below, if they are Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or Bill Whittle, they just want a mailing list. Sadly, if they are your average voter, they just want to "win" arguments and flock all to willingly to these mailing lists.
Oh, and good Lord, was the montage of the same exact book being sold over and over again fucking hilarious! I wonder how much longer they will fall for it...
Oh, and good Lord, was the montage of the same exact book being sold over and over again fucking hilarious! I wonder how much longer they will fall for it...
A Very Stale Conflict
The recent conflict over the nature of social studies curriculum is tired, old and very, very stale. Yes, we know that the liberals can't stand the fact that America has actually done a whole lot of wonderful things in including the spread of free market economics around the world which has clearly raised prosperity in such remote corners that it's likely world hunger will be eliminated within 50 years. Or that our military has ensured this freedom across the globe and saved countless lives from a whole host of threats, both human and natural. And we know that conservatives are literally foaming at the mouth even at the mere hint of America being at fault for anything in its 200+ year history. Whenever anything bad happened (slavery, coup in Iran, Vietnam, Iraq II), it was no one's fault. Shitty things just happen sometimes and if you blame America, well, you're a fucking commie!
What both sides in this debate completely fail to realize is that they are having the wrong argument and are wasting an enormous amount of time. The discussion shouldn't be about content. It should be about rigor. The same level of attention that is applied to math and reading should be applied to social studies. That includes high stakes testing with severe repercussions for those districts who fail to achieve the basic standards set out by the state in history and civics.
I'd wager that none of these people has been in a classroom in the last decade because the simple fact is that young people don't give a shit about civics or history. Without the priority placed on it by the state, why the fuck should they care? Our education department, as well as others across the nation, is hammering it into them that math and reading are more important than any other subject. Certainly, they are important but when many of the kids I get into class don't know who the vice president is or how a bill is passed or that there are even three branches of government, that should be a strong indicator for change.
The first thing that needs to happen is that the conclusion of 9th grade should bring with it a basic civics and history exam to be taken by all students. By that time, they should have taken both a US History and a government class so they should have the knowledge. The data we could glean from such exams could be an excellent metric for the pedagogy of today's social studies teachers. It's long been my belief (and the data would likely bear this out) that social studies teachers skate by on doing the minimal amount of work. They don't have a fire under their arses that really needs to be there if we are actually going to get young people to have enduring understandings about history and civics. We have enough to compete with anyway with all the other social influences in kids' lives.
By the time they get to me, I see the results. They don't remember much of what they have learned and had instructors that spent a lot of time showing movies or going on field trips. I'm really sick and tired of people living the stereotype of the social studies teacher being just a slight jump up from the gym teacher. Hell, I'm tired of people living the gym teacher stereotype as well. I'd say that they have done a pretty poor job as well when you consider how rotund our nation's children have become although I know it's not entirely their fault.
So, let's forget this stupid debate about the content of social studies and what political view needs to be studied and focus on the fundamental goal: mastery of basic civics and history. We've gone far too long with young people not understanding the history of our government, how it functions, and the people that have been and are involved making decisions that affect all of our lives. Connections need to be made to their daily lives and the importance of what happens in government and in history must be illustrated in new and exciting ways for each and every student.
It's time for social studies to be taken much more seriously.
What both sides in this debate completely fail to realize is that they are having the wrong argument and are wasting an enormous amount of time. The discussion shouldn't be about content. It should be about rigor. The same level of attention that is applied to math and reading should be applied to social studies. That includes high stakes testing with severe repercussions for those districts who fail to achieve the basic standards set out by the state in history and civics.
I'd wager that none of these people has been in a classroom in the last decade because the simple fact is that young people don't give a shit about civics or history. Without the priority placed on it by the state, why the fuck should they care? Our education department, as well as others across the nation, is hammering it into them that math and reading are more important than any other subject. Certainly, they are important but when many of the kids I get into class don't know who the vice president is or how a bill is passed or that there are even three branches of government, that should be a strong indicator for change.
The first thing that needs to happen is that the conclusion of 9th grade should bring with it a basic civics and history exam to be taken by all students. By that time, they should have taken both a US History and a government class so they should have the knowledge. The data we could glean from such exams could be an excellent metric for the pedagogy of today's social studies teachers. It's long been my belief (and the data would likely bear this out) that social studies teachers skate by on doing the minimal amount of work. They don't have a fire under their arses that really needs to be there if we are actually going to get young people to have enduring understandings about history and civics. We have enough to compete with anyway with all the other social influences in kids' lives.
By the time they get to me, I see the results. They don't remember much of what they have learned and had instructors that spent a lot of time showing movies or going on field trips. I'm really sick and tired of people living the stereotype of the social studies teacher being just a slight jump up from the gym teacher. Hell, I'm tired of people living the gym teacher stereotype as well. I'd say that they have done a pretty poor job as well when you consider how rotund our nation's children have become although I know it's not entirely their fault.
So, let's forget this stupid debate about the content of social studies and what political view needs to be studied and focus on the fundamental goal: mastery of basic civics and history. We've gone far too long with young people not understanding the history of our government, how it functions, and the people that have been and are involved making decisions that affect all of our lives. Connections need to be made to their daily lives and the importance of what happens in government and in history must be illustrated in new and exciting ways for each and every student.
It's time for social studies to be taken much more seriously.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Now, Maybe?
FORMER SEAL, 'AMERICAN SNIPER' CHRIS KYLE KILLED AT TEXAS GUN RANGE
So, can we perhaps now refine our nation's gun laws so that mentally ill people (especially those with PTSD) don't have access to guns?
So, can we perhaps now refine our nation's gun laws so that mentally ill people (especially those with PTSD) don't have access to guns?
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Dow Up, Fox Down, Hillary on the Mark!
Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its highest level since May of 2008, topping out over that magic 14,000 mark at 14,009.79. Nasdaq climbed to its highest level since December of 2000. And the S&P 500 finished at a six month high after seeing gains of almost 7 percent this year.
Huh. I guess the president isn't destroying the economy after all:)
Meanwhile, while our economy continues to improve, the ratings at Fox News continue to plummet. Coincidence? I think not. You can only say so many things that are so completely false for so long, you know, before people say, "Hey, they don't know what the fuck they are talking about!" Those people being in that magic 25-54 demographic group. Apparently, viewers are going to Rachel Maddow and Piers Morgan (thanks, Alex Jones!) and away from Sean Hannity and Greta van Susteren.
I think Hillary Clinton summed it up best when she said, in her last interview:
There are some people in politics and in the press who can't be confused by the facts. They just will not live in an evidence-based world. And that's regrettable. It's regrettable for our political system and for the people who serve our government in very dangerous, difficult circumstances.
She was talking about the Benghazi attack but it obviously applies to pretty much everything the Right does these days. Don't like the facts? Make up your own! And then personally attack anyone who questions their love of larping.
Because that's just what they are doing!!
Huh. I guess the president isn't destroying the economy after all:)
Meanwhile, while our economy continues to improve, the ratings at Fox News continue to plummet. Coincidence? I think not. You can only say so many things that are so completely false for so long, you know, before people say, "Hey, they don't know what the fuck they are talking about!" Those people being in that magic 25-54 demographic group. Apparently, viewers are going to Rachel Maddow and Piers Morgan (thanks, Alex Jones!) and away from Sean Hannity and Greta van Susteren.
I think Hillary Clinton summed it up best when she said, in her last interview:
There are some people in politics and in the press who can't be confused by the facts. They just will not live in an evidence-based world. And that's regrettable. It's regrettable for our political system and for the people who serve our government in very dangerous, difficult circumstances.
She was talking about the Benghazi attack but it obviously applies to pretty much everything the Right does these days. Don't like the facts? Make up your own! And then personally attack anyone who questions their love of larping.
Because that's just what they are doing!!
Friday, February 01, 2013
Trotter Testimony
Here's some video to go along with Nikto's post below. I love how she uses all too familiar framing techniques and Newspeak to redirect from completely disproving her own point.
False Courage from a Gun Barrel
In her testimony before Congress attorney Gayle Trotter said that the story of Sarah McKinley "proves" that women need AR-15 assault rifles. McKinley used a gun to fend off two attackers breaking into her home. Trotter lied by implication in her testimony: McKinley used a shotgun, not an assault rifle, which as one senator pointed out would continue to be completely legal under the proposed law.
Trotter then went on to say:
Young women are speaking out as to why AR-15 weapons are their weapon of choice. The guns are accurate. They have good handling. They’re light. They’re easy for women to hold.
And most importantly, their appearance. An assault weapon in the hands of a young woman defending her babies in her home becomes a defense weapon, and the peace of mind that a woman has as she’s facing three, four, five violent attackers, intruders in her home, with her children screaming in the background, the peace of mind that she has knowing that she has a scary-looking gun gives her more courage when she’s fighting hardened, violent criminals.Liquor is often called courage in a bottle, and often as not just gets you killed. The courage that comes from a gun barrel is just as deceptive.
Trotter's moving story of a widow defending her home from crazed druggies quickly moves into outright fantasy. If a woman's home is truly under siege by a gang of five hardened, violent criminals, they've probably bought AR-15s themselves at gun shows or through straw buyers, because the NRA has made that so convenient for criminals. If they don't have the cash to buy guns, they can steal guns from houses posted "Protected by Smith & Wesson" while the owners are off at work.
Now think how hard it will be for that lone woman wielding an AR-15 with screaming kids clutching her knees to keep out five guys with AR-15s, or even 17-shot Glocks or pump-action shotguns. Like medieval armies storming a castle with siege towers, battering rams, catapults and trebuchettes, the five marauders won't all line up outside her front door and wait to be shot. They'll attack from multiple directions simultaneously, breaking down the front door and smashing in windows, while one surreptiously jimmies the lock on the back door and sneaks in behind her in all that racket.
The truth is, if you're alone and five guys really want to get into your typical house, they're going to get in. The only things that will keep them out is strong bars on the doors and windows and a call to 911.
The NRA keeps yapping about slow 911 response times and being able to defend ourselves if civil society breaks down. If the 911 response is slow, that's the problem we should fix. If there's danger of looting after a tornado, then we need to make sure that FEMA and the National Guard have enough funding to get boots on the ground yesterday. But around the country the right is cutting the state and local taxes — starving the beast — that police departments and first responders depend on, and they want to eliminate FEMA outright.
The right seems to be itching for society to collapse, pushing fantastical "what if" scenarios, building gated communities and bunkers and amassing massive gun hoards.
Instead we should strengthen our civil institutions, make sure that our first responders are well-funded, end the foolish war on drugs that creates those hardened criminals, improve education and eliminate the poverty that drives people into crime in the first place.
An Example of Why The Libertarian Fantasy is Just That
The recent tragedy at the Santa Maria nightclub in Brazil serves as a stark reminder of what would actually happen if the world were run by libertarians.
There was no fire alarm, no sprinklers, no fire escape. In violation of state safety codes, fire extinguishers were not spaced every 1,500 square feet, and there was only one exit.
So, regulations were lax or nonexistent. And I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked, that the owners of KISS didn't simply just follow them of their own accord. Packing an extra thousand people in over fire code is bad but the free market will sort all of that out, right?
Brazil has a democratic republic with the states, the municipalities and the federal districts sharing a balance of power. In this case, fire and health codes fall under the authority of the state level government (state, not federal? Hmm...:)). Clearly, they failed but it's also quite apparent that there is a need to do their fucking job in the first place.
Yet this is exactly the ideal set forth by the less government crowd. Regulations suck. People don't need a government telling them what they can or can't do with their private business. They can handle it on their own. Private enterprise can police itself. If only they were left well enough alone, things would turn out...
Well, like this did...
There was no fire alarm, no sprinklers, no fire escape. In violation of state safety codes, fire extinguishers were not spaced every 1,500 square feet, and there was only one exit.
So, regulations were lax or nonexistent. And I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked, that the owners of KISS didn't simply just follow them of their own accord. Packing an extra thousand people in over fire code is bad but the free market will sort all of that out, right?
Brazil has a democratic republic with the states, the municipalities and the federal districts sharing a balance of power. In this case, fire and health codes fall under the authority of the state level government (state, not federal? Hmm...:)). Clearly, they failed but it's also quite apparent that there is a need to do their fucking job in the first place.
Yet this is exactly the ideal set forth by the less government crowd. Regulations suck. People don't need a government telling them what they can or can't do with their private business. They can handle it on their own. Private enterprise can police itself. If only they were left well enough alone, things would turn out...
Well, like this did...
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