Perpetua of Carthage: Obama

Friday, March 26, 2010

Arne Duncan -- Some pigs are more equal than others

Hmmm, when the US Education Secretary Arne Duncan was running the Chicago schools, his office kept a secret list of special admissions requests to get students in to the elite public Chicago college prep high schools. Admissions to these schools was supposed to be based on test scores, but Chicago political insiders were hoping a special request from Duncan's office would assist their special kids.

The log is a compilation of politicians and influential business people who interceded on behalf of children during Duncan's tenure. It includes 25 aldermen, Mayor Richard Daley's office, House Speaker Michael Madigan, his daughter Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.

Non-connected parents, such as those who sought spots for their special-needs child or who were new to the city, also appear on the log. But the politically connected make up about three-quarters of those making requests in the documents obtained by the Tribune.

And,

Many of the politicians named on Pickens' log acknowledged that they made calls on students' behalf because this is how the system works in Chicago. They weighed in on behalf of relatives, friends and campaign workers.

"…Whenever anybody asked me — whether it was a relative, a distant relative, a next-door neighbor or the guy across the street — I would write letters," said Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., 27th, who has ended the practice. "Sometimes the kids get in; sometimes they don't.

Here's how it worked for fromer Senator Carol Mosely Braun, who lives in Hyde Park in Chicago and now has a private law practice there:

In 2008, former U.S. Sen. Braun sought help for two students, though she said Monday she does not recall placing a call to Duncan's office. Pickens said she called him, seeking help getting a student into Whitney Young Magnet High School, and he asked Principal Joyce Kenner to call the former senator back.

Braun said she called Kenner to inquire after one child's mother told her the student's application had been "lost in a computer glitch." Braun said Kenner told her: "I'll take care of it."

The child got into Whitney Young, despite a below-average admission score. The Tribune is not naming any students involved because they are minors and it is unlikely they knew about efforts being made on their behalf.

"This process is not pure, and everyone knows it," Braun said. "The process is a disaster, and quite frankly, I don't have a problem making a call. If the process were not as convoluted as it is, parents wouldn't be asking for help."

While Duncan says he did not "intercede" for anyone, Duncan does admit he forwarded on the request for special consideration to the principals of the elite schools.

Current top Duncan aide Peter Cunningham also confirmed that Duncan talked to the inspector general, but he insisted by e-mail that Duncan "did not lobby or intercede for anyone.''

"In an effort to be responsive, we would log these calls, get the information and forward it to principals, but it was entirely a principal's discretion to respond to the requests," Cunningham said.

As the New York Times reported on this story:

According to The Chicago Tribune, about three-quarters of those in the log had political connections. The log noted “AD” as the person requesting help for 10 students, and as a co-requester about 40 times, according to The Tribune. Mr. Duncan’s mother and wife also appeared to have requested help for students.

“The fact that his name might be next to some of these names doesn’t mean he was trying to get the kid in a school,” Mr. Cunningham said. “He was only asking after someone said, ‘Hi, Arne, is there any way to get into this school?’ ”

Mr. Cunningham said he did not believe principals would have felt any special pressure because Mr. Duncan was the source of the inquiry. “We were always very clear with them that it was up to the principal to make the decision,” he said.

But the Chicago Sun Times isn't buying that excuse. As they write in today's editorial:

Chicago parents have long suspected that a shadow admissions system gave the elite an alternate way to go after a seat at the city's highly coveted college-prep high schools.
Turns out they were right.

The latest bit of evidence is this week's revelation that former Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan's office kept a list of aldermen, businessmen and others in positions of power who called his office to appeal admissions denials at test-based public high schools. The flood of calls suggests these folks knew the regular route wasn't the only route.

It appears that most kids were ultimately rejected, and some regular Chicagoans were on the list too -- looking for a safer school for their kid, for example. Duncan's associates defend the list, saying CPS was just organizing the crush of calls they got and that they demanded no favors for the callers. They simply passed the information to principals, without any recommendation.

But in real life, everyone knows a call from the CEO's office isn't received like any old call.

Seems like a good time for the Obama administration to drum up a lot of media attention to violent rhetoric about the Health Care bill.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Obama appointed activist “inspired” by NAMBLA supporter to protect the nation’s children

Zombie's blog today provides some very interesting research showing that Kevin Jennings, Obama's Safe Schools Czar, praised Harry Hay, a leading advocate for Man-Boy Love. Zombie found Harry Hay to be so linked to NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association) that he was unable to find information about any NAMBLA conference which Harry Hay didn’t attend. Zombie found that Harry Hay gave appearances at and gave speeches at every known NAMBLA conference, and spoke out publicly in NAMBLA’s defense, and wrote a blurb for a NAMBLA books. So why was Kevin Jennings praising Harry Hay?

Read Zombie's blog post here.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

2.5% of USA GDP Loss Attributed to Changing the Rules

I am posting a comment I read over at Little Green Footballs:

Cato5/08/2009 10:40:16 am PDT

The other day I attended a conference sponsored by a major bank's private banking group for its high net worth clients in the real estate industry. I saw there probably a dozen people and families that at one time or another had a billion dollar net worth. The most recognizable name was Sam Zell, but to me there were a lot more interesting people whose exploits have become the lore of the business in NY. I wanted to share some of the discussion because even I had not appreciated how in 100 days the president had permanently alienated this group.

The conference started with a professor of the Wharton School noting that: "The US is now no different from Russia or Zimbabwe in the eyes of investors since no one can rely on the law anymore."

He said this started with Bush but quickened with Obama. Using some econometric models he demonstrated that 2.5 pct GDP loss was contributed by changing the rules alone.

A variety of other speakers from public and private institutions demonstrated how capital was flying from the US as we speak.

But the most interesting was lunch. There were probably 90 people at lunch. Someone asked a couple of questions and then asked how many people voted for Obama. About 80 pct raised their hands. Then they asked whether they would do it again. No hands.

He asked for volunteers to explain why. In a word, the answer was Chrysler. Knowing the people involved, Israel would be the answer next time.

"The rule of absolute priority has been violated. If the government can change my lien's priority, I won't lend and I won't borrow."

"He's a thug. What president inserts his office into a bankruptcy?"

"I hear that the company doesn't have to pay back the TARP money that Congress voted against giving them. So my tax money went to buy the UAW control."

"Yeah," responded another. "I am not going to pay my taxes to go to the union. I hear Namibia doesn't have extradition laws. Screw the government."

One guy who voted for McCain and who was a lawyer who became a developer said, "I didn't vote for him because he could have done anything out of law school, but instead became a community organizer. It means he wanted remain uneducated about either business or the law. He is purposefully unknowing."

"He has violated his fiduciary duty to the people. He permitted that atrocity of a budget and now he gives tax money to a union"

"I hate the crazy religious republican nuts and I'm forced to give money to them."

Since I never supported the President, I do not feel betrayed. But there was a palpable sense of betrayal by this very, very rich group who largely voted for him.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Obama Events Open with Prayers to God the Father

Us News and World Report has an interesting article on A New Tradition for Obama's Presidential Events: Opening With a Prayer. I listened to the recording of the prayers and was surprised that in two of three cases provided, the prayers specifically acknowledged God as Father.

Ryan Culp, a high school wellness teacher and evangelical Christian, began his prayer to open President Obama's February 9 appearance in Elkhart, Indiana with these words:

Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you this day thanking you for who you are, a God who cares about each of our needs our desires and our fears, ...

James Bing, a Baptist minister, began his prayer to open President Obama's February 10 appearance in Fort Myers, Fla with these words:

Our God and Heavenly Father, as we welcome our President, Governor, and various other dignitaries to this city and region,

It sounds as thought Rev. Bing is going to end the prayer with the name of Jesus,

This we ask in the only name that really matters,

but the recording ends on the word "matters" and we don't hear what the only name that really matters is.

Hat Tip Mollie Z at Get Religion

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Yes We CAN'T (Clean-Up After Ourselves)

After the Inauguration: the Obama multitudes left their trash for someone else to clean-up.

I am truely saddened by this. It reminds me of the book Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism: Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters. When I read that book, I came to understand why I had so often observed that the people who talked about the poor didn't actually give to charity. They believed it wasn't their job -- it was the government's. I am thinking now that in the same way, these people who came out for Obama's Inauguration don't believe that taking care of the environment is their job either.

Hat Tip IowaHawk

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Source of Rev. Lowery's Obama Benediction Racist Rhyme

I was pretty shocked by Rev. Lowery's racist rhyme at the close of his Inaugural Benediction :

We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.

So, I searched the web and found that it is a poem that is often recited at African-American churches and that is is based on this song by Big Bill Broonzy:

Amsterdam Live Concerts 1953

This little song that I'm singin' about,
People, you all know that it's true,
If you're black and gotta work for livin',
Now, this is what they will say to you,
They says: "If you was white,
You's alright,
If you was brown,
Stick around,
But if you's black, oh, brother,
Get back, get back, get back."

I was in a place one night,
They was all havin' fun,
They was all buyin' beer and wine,
But they would not sell me none.
They said: "If you was white,
You's alright,
If you was brown,
You could stick around,
But as you's black, hmm, hmm, brother,
Get back, get back, get back."

I went to an employment office,
I got a number and I got in line,
They called everybody's number,
But they never did call mine.
They said: "If you was white,
You's alright,
If you was brown,
You could stick around,
But as you's black, hmm, hmm, brother,
Get back, get back, get back."

Me and a man was workin' side by side,
Now, this is what it meant:
They was payin' him a dollar an hour,
And they was payin' me fifty cent.
They said: "If you was white,
You'd be alright,
If you was brown,
You could stick around,
But as you's black, oh, brother,
Get back, get back, get back."

I helped win sweet victories,
With my plow and hoe,
Now, I want you to tell me, brother,
What you gonna do 'bout the old Jim Crow?
Now, if you is white,
You's alright,
If you's brown,
Stick around,
But if you's black, oh, brother,
Get back, get back, get back.

I guess when you were the subject of racism during your formative years, it is hard to give it up and embrace a new era, even when it is staring you in the face.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Bark for Barak: Yes We Can

TM, Metrodog 2008. All rights reserved. Design by Timbuktu Design and Alexander Rodchenko. ; )

This image is being sold by MetroDog as posters with the website address at the bottom www.obamadogsunite.com

Rodchenko was a Soviet artist and the image is derived from this poster:

For a more serious discussion of the relationship between Obama poster art and Soviet poster art see here.

H/T to Zomblog

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The End of the Long Boom

I have been wondering how much of the market sell-off is related to the increasing likelihood of the next president being Obama, with the attendant increases in taxes for capital gains. I am thinking that people want to take all their capital gains this year to avoid the higher capital gains tax rates in the Obama years.

So I was interested this morning to see this in Investor's Business Daily:

He wants a 33% increase in the tax rates on capital gains and dividends, an increase of 16% to 32% in the top payroll tax rate, reinstatement of the death tax with a 45% top rate, and a new payroll tax on employers estimated at 7% to help finance his health insurance plan. He's also contending for higher tariffs under his protectionist policies.

Finally, he would increase corporate taxes by 25%, though American businesses already face the second-highest marginal tax rates in the industrialized world, thus directly harming manufacturing and job creation while weakening demand for the dollar.

Obama argues disingenuously that his tax increases would only affect higher-income workers and "corporate fat cats." But it is precisely these top marginal tax rates that control incentives for savings, investment, entrepreneurship, business expansion, jobs and economic growth. While he wants to tax the rich, the burden will fall on the poor and the middle class.

In their new book, "The End of Prosperity," Art Laffer, Steve Moore and Peter Tanous argue that the threat of this tax tsunami is already destabilizing our financial markets and causing capital flight from America.

They write, "Hot capital is escaping over the borders out of the United States and flowing into China, India, Europe, and even Japan. . . Starting in late 2007, foreigners started pulling their money out of the United States, and Americans started investing more abroad. Global investors are losing confidence in the U.S."

I included that last paragraph just because it is so wrong about right now. What is happening right now is the opposite, money is flowing into Japanese Yen and US Dollars. But not into investment in the stock market. And I am thinking the reason for that is the increased taxes mentioned in the editorial.

The value of stocks is based on the expected earnings for shareholders. If the shareholders are going to be hit with a higher capital gains rate, then the expected value of the earnings for shareholders is lowered. That means people are not willing to pay so much for equity investments.

The higher the probability of Obama's election, the greater the sell off.

(I am not in denial of the other factors, e.g., mortgage melt down. Just wanted to mention this one.)

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Educator as Gardener: Bringing Down the Tree

Thinking of Bill Ayers commitment to education as a radical act, I thought I would share this poem from a book of poems for educators, Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Teach. The poem uses the metaphor of a garden. The poet is suggesting that the intention of radical educators is to send out thoughts that will metaphorically gnaw away in the dark and eventually uproot the tree at the center of the garden. But what does the tree represent for them? America’s cultural values? Political system?

The Seven Of Pentacles

Under a sky the color of pea soup
she is looking at her work growing away there
actively, thickly like grapevines or pole beans
as things grow in the real world, slowly enough.
If you tend them properly, if you mulch, if you water,
if you provide birds that eat insects a home and winter food,
if the sun shines and you pick off caterpillars,
if the praying mantis comes and the ladybugs and the bees,
then the plants flourish, but at their own internal clock.

Connections are made slowly, sometimes they grow underground.
You cannot tell always by looking what is happening.
More than half the tree is spread out in the soil under your feet.
Penetrate quietly as the earthworm that blows no trumpet.
Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree.
Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden.
Gnaw in the dark and use the sun to make sugar.

Weave real connections, create real nodes, build real houses.
Live a life you can endure: Make love that is loving.
Keep tangling and interweaving and taking more in,
a thicket and bramble wilderness to the outside but to us
interconnected with rabbit runs and burrows and lairs.

Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen:
reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.
This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always,
for every gardener knows that after the digging, after
the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes.

by Marge Piercy

Sunday, September 28, 2008

African-American Gay Marriage Movie

Hmm, Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom will be opening in Los Angeles and Palm Springs October 24th, giving it two weekends to run before the Tuesday the state of California votes on the marriage amendment. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, eager Barck Obama supporters will defeat Prop 8:

Arnold Steinberg, a veteran Republican analyst, said the amendment's sponsors made a fatal strategic error in not qualifying the measure for the low turnout June election, instead of a presidential election swamped by eager Barack Obama supporters.

Why does he think Barack Obama supporters will vote against Prop 8? In terms of African-American Barack Obama supporters, will this movie help convince them to vote against Prop 8 or offend them so much they will vote for it? Here is the promo for the movie:

And the synopsis:

Noah, Alex, Ricky, Chance and their significant others travel to Martha's Vineyard for a weekend wedding getaway. Drama ensues as one-by-one their relationships start to crack under the pressure of closer examination. Newly successful screenwriter Noah looks to his friends for advice as he prepares to move his relationship to a more serious level while struggling to keep his first studio movie alive. But the friends are of little help as they juggle their own issues. Elder statesmen Chance and Eddie attempt to scratch their seven-year itch but worry their marriage has permanently lost its spark. And playboy Ricky flaunts his barely legal college student fling in the face of his monogamous friends but hides a surprising secret that threatens to rock the house. Add to the mix Alex's crazy-making wedding prep, a closeted superstar rapper, a high-maintenance studio exec, and a surprise visitor and you've got the makings of a hilarious and poignant romantic comedy.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Artist Admits Obama Poster Rooted in Soviet Propaganda Art

I was surprised to receive a comment on a previous post questioning my assertion that the Obama campaign art is based on Soviet propaganda images. So I am happy to see in today's San Francisco Chronicle that one of the artists, Shepard Fairey, is straightforward and clear about this. Fairey designed the poster with the word HOPE at the bottom, and now says this about that:

The image has been interpreted by critics as either capturing the inspiration Obama embodies or as just downright creepy in its propagandistic depiction of the political figure. The portrait, in muted tones, takes cues from socialist realism and is reminiscent of posters created to celebrate Lenin, Stalin and Mao. Fairey has enjoyed this debate. "The illustration does have roots in propaganda art," Fairey said. "I also want it to seem like a patriotic image, but not be seen as too countercultural. ... It needed just enough mainstream ingredients to transcend."

Friday, September 5, 2008

Executive Responsibilities and Experience

In high school civics we learned we have three branches of government to provide checks and balances: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. As I recall, the President of the United States is the head of the Executive branch of the government, responsible, like the CEO (chief executive officer) of a company, for the functions performed by the government. As I look at the the candidates in the presidential race, I notice these experience tracks:

DEMOCRAT
Obama clerk in law firm, community organizer, state legislator, US Senator
Biden ??, US Senator

REPUBLICAN
McCain military pilot, military officer, US Congressman, US Senator
Palin PTA, City Council, Mayor, state governor

I am thinking that there is no executive experience on the Democrat ticket, but I don't really understand the job duties of a community activist. I do see that McCain had some executive experience in the military after returning from Viet Nam. AND I see that Palin had some local town legislative experience and then two progressively more responsible chief executive experiences.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Unitarians for Obama bumper stickers

I see Cafe Press has bumper stickers that read "Unitarians for Obama" with a great Soviet style rendition of Obama. See it also down in the U's on this alphabetical list from Cafe Press.

Hmmm, I wonder it there would be protests if another denomination tried the same thing with a Republican candidate?

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Obama's Faith: Unitarian, but not exactly Universalist

Barack Obama has been telling the national mainstream media that he has a "conventional Christian faith" and the national mainstream media do not question it. Is this because neither Obama or the national mainstream know what a "conventional Christian faith" is?

Reading "Obama’s latest pastor problems" by Mollie Z at Get Religion and following the links she provides, I found a link to an interview with Obama about his faith from long before he was running for President. The article was linked to "Obama's Latest Pastor Disaster" by Jacques Berlinerblau in the Washington Post.

In "Obama: I have a deep faith" from the Chicago Sun Times from April 5, 2004, Cathleen Falsani interviewed Obama about his actual beliefs about the unique Lordship of Jesus Christ and the existence of Hell. From the quotes Falsani provides, Obama's faith is not "conventional Christian" but rather ... Unitarian, while not exactly Universalist.

We can get the Universalist part from here:

"So, I have a deep faith," Obama continues. "I'm rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.

"That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and there's an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived."

It's perhaps an unlikely theological position for someone who places his faith squarely at the feet of Jesus to take, saying essentially that all people of faith -- Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, everyone -- know the same God.

That depends, Obama says, on how a particular verse from the Gospel of John, where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me," is heard.

Obama's theological point of view was shaped by his uniquely multicultural upbringing...

And here right towards the end of the story, I find the not exactly Universalist part:

"The difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and proselytize. There's the belief, certainly in some quarters, that if people haven't embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior, they're going to hell."

Obama doesn't believe he, or anyone else, will go to hell.

But he's not sure if he'll be going to heaven, either...

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Monday, August 2, 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Friday, October 10, 2008

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday, August 22, 2008

Sunday, June 1, 2008

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