Friday, November 11, 2005
Don't Blame Imperialism That's Soooo 19/20th Century
I remember getting in a very heated debate in graduate school over this topic, why imperialism is bad. It seemed kind of obvious to me but I guess people from Wawautosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, find these arguments very inconvenient.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
BBC Reports On CRIME OF THE CENTURY!
Lula watches pirated movie!!! A first world headline if there ever was one. Does this mean every time I humm Brown Sugar I have to send Mick and Keith 10 cents? Yes it's their labor and intellectual workers should get paid but once you make your movie, painting, song, etc... sell it and then it's all of ours to do with it what we will. Should I have to give an auto worker a check everytime I drive my car?
As an intellectual worker I would be pissed if my lecture was videoed and then sold but if someone wanted to give it away I think they should be able to.
As an intellectual worker I would be pissed if my lecture was videoed and then sold but if someone wanted to give it away I think they should be able to.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
IRS Goes After Anti-War Church
Just imagen if a Democrat was in office and the IRS went after one of the many right wing churches that are pimping for the Bushes?
Major Victory For Civil Liberties In Britain
Parlimentarians choose civil liberties over fear as Tony Blur's 90 days without charge "terror laws" go down to defeat. Hip-Hip!
Cool Idea
The Forbes (I'm a coporate whore) people are making an email time capsule. Check it out. They will send you an email in twenty years.
No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No
Not as good as Headless Body Found In Topless Bar or Vanessa The Undressa but catchy. The LA Times skinny on Aaarnold's defeat.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
If I Were Voting in California Today
In the end Arnold is a right wing populist but I do think he is honest. Here's a critique of his ballot measures.
If I were voting today:
-- Proposition 74 would increase from 2 to 5 years the time it takes for public school teachers to get tenure and job security. This measure would devastate public schools by dramatically increasing teacher turnover and severely weakening the power of the teachers' union to protect its members. As a major attack on a union whose leadership showers Democratic legislators with contributions (for very little in return), Schwarzenegger calculated that he could intimidate other unions to boot.
YES-I'm a proud union member and a public school teacher and I support tenure. I support due process for all workers. But what is needed in many school systems is a process to attract and retain GOOD teachers. It starts with small class size and decent pay and benefits. But one of the major problems I see is that there are very few decent administrators. This means that a significant minority of teachers do what they want, which is very little. I am not calling for a boss driven system but one that holds both administration and teachers accountable for teaching students SOMETHING. Maybe a longer time for gaining tenure will discourage the dead weight.
-- Proposition 75 targets all public-sector unions, requiring them to get written approval from each member to use dues money for political purposes. Like the attack on teachers, this measure aims to cripple the union movement's capacity for political campaigning. No similar restriction would be imposed on corporate donors.
NO-unions and other organzations should have the right to do what they want with their dues. I think there are some first amendment issues here. But would any worker in any corporation be able to get some of thier money back from a corporation or government institution that did something that they disagreed with? Of course not. That is why this is just an anti-union tactic plain and simple.
-- Proposition 76 would simultaneously grant the governor executive powers to cut the budget by declaring a "fiscal emergency" and reduce the constitutionally guaranteed percentage of the state budget dedicated to public education.
NO-Executives in goverment have WAY to much power already. This is a power grab plain and simple.
-- Proposition 77 would give three retired judges the power to redraw legislative districts in California. Arnold wants to follow the Texas example and eliminate as many safe Democratic Party seats as possible, tipping state government in favor of suburban Republican voters.
YES-Gerrymandering by partisans has made this country a two party dictatorship. This is a half measure that has the potential, if the right people were appointed, to eliminate the non competetive nature of our political system.
If I were voting today:
-- Proposition 74 would increase from 2 to 5 years the time it takes for public school teachers to get tenure and job security. This measure would devastate public schools by dramatically increasing teacher turnover and severely weakening the power of the teachers' union to protect its members. As a major attack on a union whose leadership showers Democratic legislators with contributions (for very little in return), Schwarzenegger calculated that he could intimidate other unions to boot.
YES-I'm a proud union member and a public school teacher and I support tenure. I support due process for all workers. But what is needed in many school systems is a process to attract and retain GOOD teachers. It starts with small class size and decent pay and benefits. But one of the major problems I see is that there are very few decent administrators. This means that a significant minority of teachers do what they want, which is very little. I am not calling for a boss driven system but one that holds both administration and teachers accountable for teaching students SOMETHING. Maybe a longer time for gaining tenure will discourage the dead weight.
-- Proposition 75 targets all public-sector unions, requiring them to get written approval from each member to use dues money for political purposes. Like the attack on teachers, this measure aims to cripple the union movement's capacity for political campaigning. No similar restriction would be imposed on corporate donors.
NO-unions and other organzations should have the right to do what they want with their dues. I think there are some first amendment issues here. But would any worker in any corporation be able to get some of thier money back from a corporation or government institution that did something that they disagreed with? Of course not. That is why this is just an anti-union tactic plain and simple.
-- Proposition 76 would simultaneously grant the governor executive powers to cut the budget by declaring a "fiscal emergency" and reduce the constitutionally guaranteed percentage of the state budget dedicated to public education.
NO-Executives in goverment have WAY to much power already. This is a power grab plain and simple.
-- Proposition 77 would give three retired judges the power to redraw legislative districts in California. Arnold wants to follow the Texas example and eliminate as many safe Democratic Party seats as possible, tipping state government in favor of suburban Republican voters.
YES-Gerrymandering by partisans has made this country a two party dictatorship. This is a half measure that has the potential, if the right people were appointed, to eliminate the non competetive nature of our political system.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Bush Wow's LA
With an entourage of 2,000 President Bush stayed on message at the summit of the Americas in Argentina.
Zinn on the Supreme Court Cont...
Howard Zinn updates his article on the supreme court after the Alito nomination.
The Guardian Takes on Chomsky
The Greatest Intellectual? The Guardian attacks Chomsky. Cockburn defends Chomsky.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Why der zwiebel is America's Finest
Dems Force Closed Senate
Chuck Erskine,
Firefighter
"I for one am shocked that the Democrats would attempt to have an effect on national politics."
American Voices
Chuck Erskine,
Firefighter
"I for one am shocked that the Democrats would attempt to have an effect on national politics."
American Voices
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Capturing the Friedmans
Have you seen Capturing the Friedmans? Freaky. I grew up in Jersey at the time and remember the witch hunt. Or was it?
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
How the Right Emerged From Its Slumber
An old debate that I have had with friends over the years is how the Right has come so thoroughly to power in the last 30 years. One strain argues that think tanks and big money allied and propagandized the elites and took over the Republican Party and now THEY RULE THE WORLD. My position is a more bottom up explanation that argues evangelicals and anti-abortion folk in particular have organized the white working class in reaction to globalization and other cosmopolitan (race and gender) forces that have caused a backlash against liberal elites. Here's a discussion of the issue in the Nation.
The First Amendment and Its Uses
Robert Scheer on Judith Miller and her First Amendment defense,
"This case was never about protecting government sources who risk their careers by telling the truth, but rather about punishing those like Wilson who do. That Miller cared far more about protecting someone who abused his power as the Vice President's chief of staff than about protecting the right of Wilson to speak truth to power says volumes about her priorities.
That the New York Times again editorialized last week in defense of its knee-jerk support of Miller, even after knowing she deceived her editors, is a startling indication that even some of our most respected media leaders still are missing the point.
The First Amendment protection is not a license for mischief on the part of journalists eager to do the government's bidding. To the contrary, it was conceived by the founders to prevent government from subverting the free press in an effort to misinform the public. Unfortunately, that is precisely what occurred here."
The entire article.
"This case was never about protecting government sources who risk their careers by telling the truth, but rather about punishing those like Wilson who do. That Miller cared far more about protecting someone who abused his power as the Vice President's chief of staff than about protecting the right of Wilson to speak truth to power says volumes about her priorities.
That the New York Times again editorialized last week in defense of its knee-jerk support of Miller, even after knowing she deceived her editors, is a startling indication that even some of our most respected media leaders still are missing the point.
The First Amendment protection is not a license for mischief on the part of journalists eager to do the government's bidding. To the contrary, it was conceived by the founders to prevent government from subverting the free press in an effort to misinform the public. Unfortunately, that is precisely what occurred here."
The entire article.
The War on Drugs
Here's (video lower right) the real purpose of the war on drugs, propaganda and military spending. Will this capture have any effect on cocaine use? No.
What Exactly Is Scooter Covering Up?
As Colin, I'm ready to be president because I'm a moderate even though I killed thousands in Vietnam and acted as a cover for the lies of the Iraq war," Powell has recently stated, the neocons used 9/11 to further thier cause of expanding US power by invading Iraq and lied about WMD to this end. The cover-up is about this cabal of liars and imperialists and the Plame case is just one example of how these guys are a bunch of big fat lying liars. Here's a good discussion of Scooter and the real issues at stake.
Why the Right is Winning
A good story by Nina Totenberg on why the Right is effective. They attack the president over thier issues and support him when he is their toady. Imagen a labor leader attacking ANY Democrat. The liberal social movement activists; labor, color, gender, environmental, have basically become water carriers for a party that actually defends Wall Street more than thier concerns. Because of this lcge has spent most of its time on electoral politics and raising money for losing candidates on all levels but particularly at the presidential level. Remember Sister Souljah v. Clinton? What did the civil rights community do in reaction to this? Call him the greatest president ever. Remember NAFTA and GATT? What did the labor and environmental community do in reaction to this? Give Clinton/Gore/Kerry more money and grass roots activism then ever. If these movements don't put more energy into organizing their won't be anything left to defend, particularly for the labor movement.
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