Time for PEACE to take a stand

As reported by the Associated press (Arab Support for Hezbollah Grows) the conflict between the Israelis and the rest of the Middle East is moving further and further away from the ultimate goal which is peace. Nations that formally condemned Hezbollah are now sympathizing with the same group which they once condemned. From Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to Pakistan, leaders are starting to take their sides, all of which are against peace. Arabs in their respective countries are moving further and further away from the vision of peace as well. "The Jews and the Americans are killing our brothers in Lebanon!", crowds of people are chanting in Cairo. Anti-Jewish sentiment appears to be at an all time high in the Middle East. You would think that in America to set an example we would take a different approach. The sad news is we are not.
On any given night you can turn on FOX NEWS, CNN, CNBC and the rest and watch before your very eyes Americans instead of raising the bar, lowering ourselves to a similar level. Ann Coulter (as frequently mentioned in this blog) is calling for continued violence and an escalation into nuclear war, while happily sipping a diet soda. William Kristol, is appearing on multiple media outlets promoting similar sentiments. Even normally moderate programs such as ABC's "Good Morning America" are lending air time to radical end timers such as Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins promoting their books which conclude that all that is going on in the Middle East is a sign of the end times and the rapture. From war-mongers and trigger happy pundits, to religious fanatics, the American media is happily giving them a prime audience. Interestingly enough, no major media outlets are having guests who are directly effected by the situation, Jews and Arabs. Would it be too much to ask of the corporate media to feature as a guest some Jewish and Arab folks who promote peace and unity?
There are peace advocacy groups made up of Arabs and Jews working together by education and tolerance towards a solution. I would suggest the media take a little responsibility and invite some real humanitarians such as the Adams Institute or Gush Shalom onto these programs. Instead of lowering ourselves to the same level as Muslim fundamentalists and blindly supporting further war, it is in the best interest of the media to let the peace-makers be heard. Americans do watch a lot of television, and the media does indeed shape our views (as does talk radio) The voices of peace are not being heard in this country and I think it is time they should get their say before a huge audience of American television viewers, the same as the messengers of hate do. It is up to us, to demand different messages be brought into the discourse. We can do this by calling our media outlets and asking why peace makers are being ignored. Money talks and conscious Americans should have second thoughts before investing in any media outlets that promote hate and only hate.

Jared E Pachefsky

Done for the day?

Maybe. It depends on what last-minute Friday bad news drops. It's the last day before the Congressional 5-week break, so I'm sure they'll be something to bitch about.

I'll be at Ozzfest tomorrow on Randall's Island. \m/ to all!

-R.

The lunatic is just an ass...

"I don't know if [Bill Clinton]'s gay. But Al Gore -- total fag."

That was spoken by Ann "All the liberals can do is attack us personally" Coulter, on Hardball yesterday, when asked to respond to her comment the previous day regarding Bill's "latent homosexuality." She then went on to say that "everyone has always known, widely promiscuous heterosexual men have, as I say, a whiff of the bathhouse about them," and that her claim that Clinton is "in the closet" is "not only not a joke, it's not even surprising."

She also seems to believe, when asked for her thoughts on the UN peacekeepers getting missiled that most Americans were hoping to hear that something similar would have happened to "the installation on 42nd Street" - if you don't know, she means the UN building in NYC.

Yes, Ann, most Americans would be pleased as punch to hear of a MISSILE ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES. In case you haven't forgotten, that is where the UN building is.

You're a fucking genius, Ann; why none of us realized it earlier is still a mystery to me. (sarcasm switch now returned to OFF position)

-R.

$1,318

Exxon's profits.

PER SECOND.

-R.

Lobbying reform on its deathbed...

No surprise no one in Washington, especially not Republicans, wants to alter the status quo all that much. Lots of hot air, but very little action, from the windbags.

Thanks for being more concerned about America and Americans than your own wallet.

We're only voting for, and paying, you to put US ahead of YOU. But, really, it's just all about you.

-R.

Well, at least one Republican admits to it...

...that their sudden support for the first minimum wage hike in nearly 10 years is "just for political reasons."

The full quote, from Rep. Mike Castle: "There's a general agreement among Republicans (opposing the raise) that 'maybe we don't like it much, but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons'."

So, you're raising the minimum wage so that you don't look like so much of an ass when it's time to try to convince voters that you're on "their" side. Never mind that the bill you're trying to pass has a rider on it that could lead to many people working for small businesses to lose their health insurance. The Republicans' secret hope is that the screwing on the health insurance aspect of the bill will get Democrats to vote against it. Hopefully, Democrats will not be stupid and let the Republicans take the upper hand on an issue that is NOT THEIRS.

Republicans... stealing every good liberal/Democratic idea since 1996 - the last time they raised the minimum wage... in an election year.

Don't buy their crap. They're stealing credit for an idea that they vehemently refused JUST ONE MONTH AGO!

-R.

Some perspective on...

Israel and Lebanon

The U.S. and Iraq

-R.

The market swings back...

... in favor of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The public demand is there. Japanese car makers are right on the curve, as they were already making many fuel-efficient vehicles for their own market, where gas prices are much higher.

American car makers, however, are mixed in their response. They acknowledge the people want fuel economy. However, there are 10,000+ reasons why they would rather sell us gas-guzzling SUV's as opposed to family and economy vehicles. Each reason has a picture of George Washington on it.

-R.

4 out of 5 climatologists say...

... that global warming is for real, and we're causing it.

Actually, it's more like 4,999 out of 5,000.

Meet the one oddball - Dr. Patrick Michaels. And surprise, surprise... the only funding he can get is from industries that are actively causing global warming.

Quote from Dr. Michaels: "Last I heard, anybody can ask a scientific question."

You've already been answered, many times over. You, sir, are wrong.

-R.

This was just figured out?

I worked for a deli and catering service as a delivery man for a few months following September 11th (strictly by coincidence, my first day was 9/12/01), and I personally delivered plenty of food for Big Pharma reps in hospitals, clinics, etc. I even ran into an old high school classmate of mine, who was a rep for some drug company (as I'm not much for pharmaceuticals - I don't even like taking aspirin - I didn't bother asking which one).

This is nothing new.

I personally feel that what is worse than this is the advertising of pills directly to the consumer. I agree with a comment I once heard from Bill Maher - paraphrasing here - "When you are going to the doctor and telling him what drugs you need, the doctor isn't a trained professional, he's a glorified drug dealer."

Doctors are supposed to tell you what you need - not the other way around.

-R.

Justice for detainees?

A Russian-held detainee in Chechnya who was murdered by his captors received vindication yesterday.

It's nice to know that, somewhere in the world, there are countries that actually have to pay for human rights violations.

-R.

More unfinished business in Iraq

When can you do your job by not doing it, and still get paid for it?

When you're Bechtel, trying to build a children's hospital in Basra.

Where are the good things that are supposedly happening? Wasn't Basra supposed to be a model for what the U.S. would "bring" to Iraq? Seems like we brought a huge stack of empty promises to these people. "We'll destroy your country, inspire so much hatred in us that more people will come to help us destroy your country, and inspire so much hatred in you that you will also help us to destroy your country. Then, we go home. Have a nice day!"

-R.

Israel v. Lebanon, day 17

Well, the violence continues. Hezbollah has reached the longer-distance weapons, expanding their striking range to Afula, an Israeli town southeast of Haifa. Israel is still relentlessly pounding Lebanon.

The UN pulled eight more unarmed peacekeepers from two posts in southern Lebanon, as they rightly fear for the safety of UN troops in the area. Israel's bombing of the UN post this past Tuesday is looking more and more intentional on some level.

The Arab world, once slowly moving away from Hezbollah, is now rallying behind it because it has lasted this long against a far superior force.

Tony Blair is on his way here to convince Bush to support a UN resolution for an immediate ceasefire, as the British people are becoming less and less trusting of us. Good luck, Mr. Blair, but I think you'll find Bush as dumb as a brick as ever.

Our policies are doing nothing but creating MORE terrorism, and more hatred and distrust for the United States and Americans.

As always, I ask... Has George Bush's policies made this world any safer?

-R.

Condi Nasty, jet-setting world traveller.

Well, Condi is still on her whirlwind "non"-tour, taking a break from doing absolutely nothing to help resolve the Israel/Lebanon crisis to attend a summit in Malaysia. She said “Let me be very clear, I am going to return to the Middle East... The question is, when is it right for me to return to the Middle East? I do think it is important that groundwork be laid so I can make the most of whatever time I can spend there.” "As I'm sure you know, there are some wonderful shoe stores in Italy, and the most beautiful fashion in Paris, so I just have to have some more, but I have to get back to the States soon to be there for my husb... I mean... President Bush, while he's on vacation. You know, to work... and stuff."

OK, she didn't say that last part... Anyway, thanks for your dedication to the cause of LESS war, Condi. You're just a tremendous asset to the U.S. and the world. I'm sure you'll get around to it eventually, whenever you have time, it's OK, Condi, really...

-R.

(Condi quoted from this article, which will also be in my next post.)

Myspace in trouble?

Well, I went to open our Myspace blog and... wow, The Evil Liberals account was deleted. So was my personal account. And pretty much everyone else's account, apparently.

Good luck fixing Myspace, folks. Meanwhile, I'll be blogging right here...

-R.

*edit* checked @ 1PM ET - Myspace is back up.

Another indication we are less safe today.

Al-Qaeda is calling for a "Holy War" against Israel.

In addition, they are calling on all Muslims, and on the "downtrodden" (read: non-Muslims, too!), to oppose "tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America."

How easy could we get screwed over here?

Remember, folks, Dubai is STILL RUNNING 22 AMERICAN PORTS!!!

Thanks for keeping us safe, monkey boy. Thanks a LOT. Your absolutism, "stay the course" mentality, and unparalleled arrogance is going to get us KILLED.

-R.

Israel v. Lebanon, don't stop...

At least, that's how Condi feels.

Rice met with other world leaders to discuss plans on how to broker peace between Israel and Lebanon. European and Arab leaders, rightly, called for an immediate cease-fire. Condi stubbornly opposed any "temporary" cease-fire, saying, "[i]t doesn’t do anyone any good to raise false hopes about something that’s not going to happen... the fields of the Middle East are littered with broken cease-fires."

How can you expect both sides to rationally, reasonably hammer out their differences WHILE they are still kicking each other's asses? Well... to be fair, Lebanon is not kicking ass yet - Hezbollah is. However, we will never see a cease-fire as long as Condi is not even willing to INVOLVE THEM in a peace process that directly involves them. It's all about the "meet our demands, and then we'll stop" attitude (which I haven't seen since grade school) with these people. Condi - and, by proxy, anyone in the Bush cabal that agrees with her - is clearly insane. This will never work without INCREASED danger of terrorism.

This could also be part of an "October surprise," as the Republicans are seeing the writing on the wall for their Congressional campaigns. Another terrorist attack on U.S. soil? Arabs and Persians v. Israelis and Americans? If they keep the brutality (of both sides) going on in this conflict long enough, it is GOING to put everyone's lives in steadily-increasing danger.

The humanitarian corridor has opened, but that didn't stop Israel from blowing up a truck carrying medical supplies and food from the United Arab Emirates. It also seems more and more like they were intentionally taregting the UN peacekeepers from yesterday's post - the missile that struck the building was precision guided, and reports are that the peacekeepers had told the Israelis they were there when Israeli artillery fire came close to them days earlier.

We are NOT safe with the Bush cabal in power.

-R.

Another short day... sort of.

As mentioned yesterday, I have to make with the making of cash today, so I'm going to post the latest on the Israel-Lebanon conflict now, and maybe one more story; I should have one or two more posts prior to showtime tonight. Yeah, showtime! We'll be recording a "sample" show that will run, in sections, on "Good Vibes Radio" on Live365 this Sunday evening - time still to be determined.

-R.

Iraq - string of failures.

Apparently, we haven't been able to keep Baghdad secure. The U.S. Army is now redeploy... um, let me get my doublespeak correct... "repositioning" troops to Baghdad, sacrificing other areas (such as the hotbed that has been Anbar province) to bring a semblance of security back to Baghdad. More Iraqi civilians have died in the past two weeks than have died in the Israel/Lebanon conflict, and the violence only seems to be escalating between the Sunnis and the Shia.

Iraqi civil war, folks. Plenty of people predicted this would happen. Even Iraqi PM al-Maliki admits it is beyond his ability to prevent it, especially since his plan to secure Baghdad has turned out to be a failure. It's too bad for us, and especially OUR TROOPS, that the Bush cabal has repeatedly chosen to ignore any "discouraging" words, at any level, from any source, even from experienced military leaders. The Washington Post's senior Pentagon correspondent, Thomas E. Ricks, has just released a book, "Fiasco," which covers, amongst other things, how poor strategic planning, and the willful ignorance of the Bush administration, has led to conditions in Iraq spiralling further out of control than they necessarily had to.

At some point, our government MUST be held accountable for its poor decisions, lack of foresight, and, again, its willful ignorance at all intervals in its methods and plans.

-R.

Israel v. Lebanon today

Indiscriminate bombing can create an international crisis. Good job, Israeli bomb-chuckers. You blow up aid shipments; you blow up white-flagged vehicles fleeing Hezbollah "strongholds"; you blow up Red Cross vehicles. Now, you're blowing up a clearly marked UN observation post with four unarmed peacekeepers inside, killing them.

Who was it that you were fighting again? Hezbollah... or Lebanon... or...?

Israel wants to occupy a strip of land in southern Lebanon "until an international force is ready." As noted yesterday, everyone wants the force, but no major country plans on actually being the force. So, what's the deal?

Condi's presence there seems to be all about appearances. She said the "right" things to the "right" people without being proactive in attempting to bring about a cease-fire. It seems as if, every day, we give the Israelis a little more leeway in terms of just how long the major bombing of Lebanon can continue - now approaching 2 further weeks of bomb-dropping.

This is bad policy, considering that other Arab countries do not plan on sitting idly by as Israel bombs Lebanon back to the stone age. Saudi Arabia has already said they would throw down if the indiscriminate aggression against Lebanon is not ended. The path we are on right now is clearly the path to a true World War. Do we want to be seen as instigators... or problem solvers?
The Lebanese government has adopted four planks of Hezbollah's demands for a cease-fire:
1. The return of Shabaa Farms, a piece of territory formerly belonging to Lebanon that is one of the main reasons why there is so much public support in the area for Hezbollah's militias. Even Lebanese officials say that they were allowed to keep their weapons because they were "resisting continued Israeli occupation."
2. The return of three Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. Hezbollah, and their "sponsor" countries, were shocked by Israel's over-the-top response to what was viewed by them as another operation in a theater of "limited engagement." Hasn't this always been going on over there? "You have some of our people, we have some of yours... let's trade." Is it right? No. But it is a function of open - though mostly muted - hostility that has simmered for years.
3. An end to Israeli flyovers of Lebanon. Remove the threat of continued bombing until a lasting settlement can be reached. Creating and propagating fear is not conducive to peace.
4. A map showing the location of Israeli landmines on Lebanese territory. That part sounds totally fair to me. If you want them to secure the border, let it be THEIR security. Undetected landmines are also not conducive to peace.

Israel, admittedly, has underestimated Hezbollah, with one reserve Israeli Army general-cum-intelligence official, General Yaakov Amidror, describing them as "more like an army than the Palestinian militias." They are better organized, much more entrenched, and have more powerful weapons than the Palestinians. He even argues that the protracted air war may be unnecessary: "Only the ground forces can deal with these guys in the villages." Hezbollah soldiers are organized in such a way as to blend in with the civilian population, making air strikes inefficient, likely to miss their intended target, and likely to cause excessive collateral damage. An Israeli government minister and former paratrooper, Eitan Cabel, says that it will not be possible to "completely eliminate Hezbollah as an armed force in Lebanon."

An unnamed Western ambassador has said that "Israel does not have the overwhelming superiority it thought it had... Essentially, you are asking [Syria] to connive in their own demise... Persuading Hezbollah to commit hara-kiri doesn't make sense from Syria's point of view."

Both sides must be brought to the table. You cannot broker peace when the brokers refuse to talk to one of the combatants. Yet, this is exactly the foreign policy course the Bush cabal prefers.

War, war, war... I hate this broken record. Let's work towards throwing it away, instead of forcing it to keep skipping.

-R.

Only a few posts from me today and tomorrow

I have many actual money-making endeavors to fulfill in the next two days, so my blogging will be limited. Hopefully J. will start popping in and picking up my substantial "slack"... :)

It's not as if there are a lack of topics to discuss...

-R.

Feeling uppity today...

There will be more posts later. I've just been incensed since the first story I read today, and subsequent stories have added more fuel to my fire... some of which I have not yet commented on.

However, today J. and I will be heading to Hell. Hell Studios, that is, to record some promos for the internet radio show that will be debuting (hopefully!) Monday, July 31, 2006, at 10PM EDT on Indie Airplay radio.

After that, I am sure I will come home with more anger and vitriol to spit at these sorry excuses for human beings we call the Bush cabal.

-R.

"Americans don't want to milk cows..."

... not at the wages you pay the illegal immigrants you hire instead. That comment came from one Joe Wright, a dairy farmer in Avon Park, Florida.

See, Avon Park wanted to pass a law (similar to one proposed in Hazleton, Pa.) that fined landlords who rented to illegal immigrants and penalized businesses that hired them. The vote was very close to passing, until Councilwoman Brenda Gray (also the only black person on the Council) got "cold feet" and swung the vote against the proposal. Yes, I am questioning her motives, in case you don't get my sarcasm.

Let's be real here, people. Illegal immigrants prevent Americans from getting jobs because they provide a huge financial incentive (lower wages, since they are not subject to minimum-wage laws) to businesses. I would think that any proud American who owns a business would be proud to take a little less profit so that another fellow American can also work towards living out the American Dream.

However, in Bush's United Corporations Against Americans, Americans should be proud only to have mo' money, mo' money, and mo' money, regardless of how many Americans they hurt in acquiring that money.

I, for one, would be glad to pay more for a product when I know that product was made in America by Americans that were making a living wage. No one exists in a vacuum, no matter how much money one has. If you want society to get better, start by helping others in the society better themselves. All the rest will follow.

-R.

Another win for authoritarianism.

Because this is such an important debate in this country at this time, I'm not even going to mention it. It's very short, but very telling at what happens when someone REALLY makes a "federal case" out of something best handled on an individual/community level.

So much for less government. Oh, yeah, they meant less government for corporations. We get more and more and...

-R.

Republicans v. ... Republicans?

When the debates are over embryonic stem cell research (or other ethical dilemma debates), during an election season, Republicans go on the attack.

It's odd, though, that they have had to fight against members of their own party, in addition to their normal "godless liberal" dissenters. It just goes to show that they are truly the party of intolerance. Dana Cody, executive director of the Life Legal Defense Fund, one of a few groups suing California over the Govinator's pledge of $150 million to fund embryonic stem-cell research in the state, shows off his goose-stepping ability thusly: “Arnold is supposed to be a Republican, so I don’t understand his thinking here with President Bush. It seems like he’s going against the party line.”

It seems like it? Check that, it IS it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Illinois has reacted similarly, if with less actual cash, to Bush's first-ever veto. Republican candidates who support embryonic stem-cell research are being attacked for disagreeing with the President! *Gasp!* Like that should never, ever happen.

-R.

al-Maliki goes to Washington

There are really two highlights in this story (three, if you count the edit two posts down):

Firstly, one thing Iraqis would like to see is for U.S.-led troops in Iraq who commit criminal acts (noncombatant murder, rape, etc.) to be tried under Iraqi law. It seems the demand for this is great because no one else is even reprimanding the troops for such behavior, let alone punish them in some fashion. The people of Iraq are rightly outraged: How can they be sure we are there for their best interests if some of our troops (and I'm sure it is a SMALL number of troops) are committing heinous acts against civilians without consequence? If the consequence is not having a few American soldiers pay for their criminal actions, it may well be, in the end, even more dead American soldiers, and an eventually bloodier civil war. Of course, Bush will likely refuse al-Maliki's request on this issue. Hopefully, some compromise can be reached. Justice should not be dismissed just because the soldiers were American. Think if it was your family member on the wrong end of a criminal in another country's military uniform. You'd want him punished to no end, for sure, and especially so if you knew that his military (and, by proxy, his country) had no plans to do so.

Secondly, a comment from a senior administration official: "We hope [al-Maliki] comes with his own plan" for Iraq. Well, I guess the Bush cabal needs a plan to steal, since they have not had one of their own for upwards of three years now.

Yeah, let's stay the course. Right into that brick wall over there...

-R.

Somebody else's problem

Just about every country agrees that there should be an international force in Lebanon monitoring their borders.

Problem is, none of the major players are willing to send their own troops into Lebanon. One European official basically said that everyone is willing to help as long as they don't have to do the actual helping IN Lebanon.

The U.S.? "HAHAHA You're funny. We like you, but not that much."
NATO? "Overstretched. Sorry."
Britain? "Overcommitted. Sorry."

I'm sure those answers have a lot to do with all three's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan - our two other failing theaters. You're doing a heck of a job, Georgie.

Germany's answer, though, takes the cake. They'll send their troops there, if it's OK with Hezbollah.

Bush may be dumb, but that was clearly said without any sort of forethought as to how it would sound.

War, war, war, and more war.

-R.

More Israel v. Lebanon ugliness

OK, there is no cease-fire in sight. Condi will not push for one - which would be hard even if she were, as she doesn't plan on talking to anyone on one of the fighting sides - and Israel has no plans on letting up unless Hezbollah releases its Israeli prisoners first.

So, it's all come down to a game of chicken. Who blinks first? Israel says getting the prisoners back is an absolute prerequisite for a cease-fire; Hezbollah says a cease-fire is a prerequisite for a prisoner exchange - meaning they want some of THEIR people back, too, something Israel seems unlikely to agree to.

In the meantime, Condi also spoke to Palestinian PM Abbas. Seems like Palestine may soon be receiving the same treatment from the Israelis that Lebanon is currently "enjoying."

After talking with Iraqi PM al-Maliki, Bush reiterated his stance that no cease-fire will receive U.S. support unless it is "sustainable." You're a genius, Bush. How are you going to know a cease-fire is sustainable without giving it a chance to be sustainable? Oh... that's right... you're the boss of the world. YOU, and you alone, are the "decider" for everyone. So, therefore, whatever you decide is "sustainable" will be sustainable... of course, until it is no longer sustained... or, well, non-existant. More war for everyone!

The policies of the U.S. administration have done little but foster MORE terrorism. Iran's PM Ahmadinejad has said that Israel's aggression could set off a "hurricane" of violence in the Middle East. The Saudis, who have already given Lebanon $1.5 billion and Palestine $250 million in aid, has said it will join the fight against Israel if Israel continues in its "arrogance."
*Edit!* Even Iraq has something to say and do here. PM al-Maliki has said, “[Israel's] destruction of [Lebanese] infrastructure is not even consistent with the rules of war," and Iraqi deputy PM Barham Salih pledged $35 million of support for Lebanon.*End edit.*

Way to win the war on terror, monkey boy. Creating more of the problem you are fighting was not considered winning the last time I checked.

In other related news, 2 more Lebanese Red Cross trucks were bombed. And the Israelis are reacting with restraint? I fail to see it.

-R.

Condi's nuts.

Take that statement as you will...

Condi's Middle East "non"tour - a "diplomatic" trip on which she is refusing to talk to one entire "side" of the war - has taken some interesting turns. Note that I am writing this after reading 5 paragraphs of the Times story here.

- She got Israel to allow humanitarian relief into Beirut International Airport. Nice that she had to get Israeli PM Olmert to "promise" that Israeli forces would not destroy the planes.

- This Condi quote floored me, and inspired the title - again, taken as you will...
“It is time for a new Middle East,’’ Ms. Rice said, news services reported. “It is time to say to those that don’t want a different kind of Middle East that we will prevail. They will not.’’

WHAT?! Lady, since when does the U.S. get to decide what people living in other REGIONS, let alone countries, of this world do? WE choose what's best for them? Condi, you and your people can't figure out what's good for Iraq or Afghanistan, let alone America. What kind of Middle East are we going to...

... oh, that's right. We want the Middle East to be exactly like Iraq and Afghanistan: chaotic, war-torn, unstable... and (particularly with Iraq) not pumping much oil out of the ground. We have to keep those gas prices high so that ExxonMobil, et al., can break more profit records. We have to keep them busy fighting and using up their military might, so we can increase the profitability in the defense sector.

Never mind that you're running the actual governmental part of this country straight into the toilet, oh, who cares about that? Large government sucks, anyways... right?

When they talk about an "ownership" society, what they really mean is "We own all the money, and the rest of you, hell, you're on your own. We'd wish you luck, but luck can't help you not be peons."

This is what you are supporting when you support Republicans and their backsliding, corrupt policies.

I had to vent that. I'll have more info regarding the rest of the article in the next post.

-R.

Up to date.

At this point, this blog and our Myspace blog are both working. Hooray to the Blogger people for (apparently) solving their issues.

An interesting opinion piece.

I have this theory, growing up in Brooklyn, about street violence.

Let's say 5 people jump one guy and beat him badly - for something relatively insignificant, as most street violence usually is.

The guy who got his ass handed to him will inevitably return for revenge with 10 people. The original 5 take a good whuppin'. Then the original 5 go get 25 people to whack the original guy's group of 10... and so on, and so on.

Either that, or they start showing up with bats, pipes, guns... or both.

Apparently, researchers figured out that we're hard-wired for escalation in retaliation.

This does NOT make it a good thing. All it does mean is that we, as individuals, families, groups, nations, must do our part in exercising restraint in retaliation.

Somehow, somewhere, I hope Israeli PM Olmert is catching this story. I'd say I hope Bush sees it, but we know he doesn't read the papers - certainly not the New York Times, in any case.

-R.

Lawyers v. Bush

The American Bar Association has spoken out against Bush's use of the "signing statement" - a rider of sorts attached to a bill Bush is signing into law - as a sort of "line-item veto" in a manner far more aggressive than most other presidents.

As it stands now, our Congresspeople can agree on a bill, and Bush can sign it, and attach this statement to it saying, "...but this does not apply to what I will actually do." The ABA noted that many of these signing statements seem formulaic to such an extent that, in them, Bush offers little to no rationale or analysis on why he feels he should be allowed to skirt whatever restrictions Congress legitimately seeks to place on him.

It is sad that, in the 217 or so years of American government having a working checks-and-balances system in place, one monkey boy and an army of authoritarian oligarchs repeatedly throw wrenches into the works, render Congress unable to correct the system, and work to stack the Supreme Court with other authoritarian oligarchs just in case Congress finds a way to hold them all back. The ABA thinks that legislation providing for judicial review of all signing statements could help mitigate the effects of this practice. Hopefully, we can do this before another non-conservative justice retires.

We need to right the good ship America, and take back our country before it is placed on an inevitable collision with an iceberg called "reality".

-R.

It's getting hot in here...

... so take off all your...

Wait. Wrong blog... :)

Seriously, after a week which saw high humidity and triple-digit temperatures in St. Louis leave half a million people without power (only half of which has been restored) and similar conditions causing a blackout in the Astoria section of Queens (mostly restored, but most got it back late yesterday/early today) here in NYC, now central California is feeling the heat.

It seems 2006 is well on its way to being the warmest year on record, noting the remarkably mild winter we had in NYC this year.

Global warming is real, folks. Regardless of why it's happening, we should be leading the scientific community in studying it, not burying our heads in the sand, as the Bush administration would want us to.

I think they're afraid that they will have to give up their "Carbon dioxide - we call it life" bullshit line and get real in pushing for alternative energy sources (wind/water/solar). But, oh no! That's an idea espoused by the dirty, evil liberals...

-R.

"Fixing" FEMA

When my parents divorced in the early 1980's, the mother (who usually gained custody of the children) usually got screwed by the courts. At some point, because now-single mothers were struggling to survive, the pendulum swung hard in the other direction - men started getting excessively screwed financially in terms of alimony and support for their ex-wives.

In other words, change was necessary, but we're still not at an acceptable middle.

Something similar may be occurring at FEMA. After they got screwed by fraudulent claims last year, their defense is to make it difficult for individuals to file claims for money. Their system, however, may excessively delay funding, and they plan on giving less of it initially while claims are pending. Only time will tell on this.

In fairness to FEMA, it seems they have gotten a few things potentially right here.

- They clarified plans to help evacuate southern Louisiana.

- They clarified the method it would use to pay landlords for rent for displaced hurricane victims.

- They clarified to the states that they should no longer rely on the Army Corps of Engineers, and instead make their own arrangements for disaster relief.

Wait... that last part can't be right. We're all still paying taxes, right? I know my taxes didn't get cut. Now, the government says it will do LESS - actually, here, they're saying they will do nothing - for displaced Americans?

Wonderful. American Government - doing less with more since 2001.

-R.

Israel v. Lebanon... over soon?

At least one more week.

This is the implicit word that Israel seems to be receiving from the rest of the world. Keep the bombing up - no matter who you are killing - and we'll get back to you with further "advice." It doesn't even bother anyone that Israel may well be borrowing a page from the PLO's playbook, using terror to force international intervention.

Lebanon's government was viewed as weak. They were unable to control Hezbollah through political means, and military means (~50% of the military are Shia) proved innefective. Is viciously, indiscriminately bombing the country to smithereens supposed to help it be strong? I fail to see any logic in this argument.

How does a man in a plane - or someone monitoring a drone - identify which vehicles are civilian and which are not? Many Lebanese people who are fleeing are being missiled to death/injury by Israeli aircraft as they are leaving. Then the Lebanese Red Cross gets attacked by Israelis. Are the Israelis supposed to be able to see white flags or red crosses from their planes? Why were people instructed to do something that does them no good?

Hezbollah has authorized the Lebanese government to broker a deal with Israel for a prisoner exchange on its behalf. Israel says it will not make a deal that does not involve the disempowerment of Hezbollah.

They really don't understand diplomacy, do they? Absolutes are anathema to compromise. Look at how positions that are considered non-negotiable disable any compromise other than "my way, the highway, or I'll whine endlessly if I can't get my way and you won't let me have it." See abortion and gay marriage for examples of how absolutism gets no one anywhere.

-R.

Blogger having troubles?

Blogger has been freaking slow today. I'm posting on our Myspace blog in the interim, and copying over to here when it seems like Blogger is square.

http://www.myspace.com/evilliberals
http://blog.myspace.com/evilliberals

Thanks for your patience.

-R.