Irony Overload - fortunately, we live in an irony-rich age

Get this - G. Gordon Liddy - the scumbag who ACTUALLY ENGINEERED WATERGATE (!!!) complained about Mark Felt's ethics!

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

Thank a generous God that we live in an age that allows a lying, war-mongering President to give lip-service to a "culture of life". If not for that heavy dose of sick irony, our heads might have exploded upon hearing Liddy's insanity.

Sam in KC Fringe Festival

My son is going to have a play in the KC Fringe Festival, sometime during July 29 - July 31, 2005. He and a fellow student are going to put forward "Einstein's Dice", a series of 6 10 minute plays based on Albert Einstein's observation that "God does not play dice with the Universe." He is writing three one-act plays, as is his fellow student, and they will direct each others' work. Should be interesting. I haven't read the plays yet, but, if one of them is about an obnoxious father, the kid has an amazing imagination.

I'll post details when I get them.

Stupid, Stupid People

About 400 stupid people showed up at a nearby cemetery earlier today to sing "Dixie" and act like complete morons because our weak, weak governor buckled to racist pressure and flew the confederate battle flag at a ceremony honoring people who hated America. I can only assume that these same 400 idiots will also be honoring those enemies of America who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and who are killing American soldiers in Iraq.

I think that their support of anti-American combatants should earn them a trip to Gitmo, so they can be with their friends.

Red X on the Plaza?

Rumors are spreading that the former Saks space will become a plaza outpost for the distinctive Red X from Riverside.

Failures in Military Recruitment Leading to a Draft?

I have written previously about my suspicions that the Bush administration would need to institute a draft to provide enough roadside bomb targets to satisfy their neo-con dreams. So far, history has shown me to be wrong on this point - and I'm damned glad of it.

Now, the Pentagon is playing games with its announcement of recruiting numbers. They have always released them on the first business day of the month, but, this month, they have delayed their release until a Friday (so they will get less news play), and they need another ten days to think up new ways to say "we're screwed." This comes after previous revelations that they are lying and cheating to sucker people in.

Obligatory snarkiness: I'm appalled. If I recall correctly, over 50% of this nation voted for Bush in the Presidential election. Surely enough of those voters are of military age to meet the needs of the neo-cons they support. Even those that are too old could use their powers of persuasion to convince their friends and neighbors to go. I'll acknowledge that some of them are probably gay, but, even there, they can take advantage of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy to serve their country. Heck, we could just empower the military recruiters to kidnap any able-bodied young people found in vehicles with "W" stickers on them - that should take care of the problem.

More seriously: I'm worried. My kids are now 19 and 18. I don't think we'll see college deferments in the next draft. Someone I got to know through school recently departed for Iraq. Too many lives have been lost and too many young people have been horribly wounded by this God-damned (literally, I suspect) war for the entire country not to begin feeling the pain.

In all sincerity, I ask that if you voted for Bush, please enlist, and/or encourage like-minded people to do so. You owe us that much.

Best Sandwich in Kansas City?

I don't know for sure, but I think that a #1 spicy at Bella Napoli in Kansas City has to be at the top of the list. Italian meats, cheeses and finely chopped marinated vegetables with a vinaigrette of great olive oil and balsamic vinegar, on a crusty roll. The first time I had one, I went back five days in a row for lunch to have the same damned sandwich.

And eating it today, outdoors, with Scott, Jessica and Ken - well, that was just great.

If you can top that for a Kansas City sandwich experience, bring it on.

Race in Raytown

A while back, I did a post about Raytown, describing it as a microcosm of middle-America. That post resulted in an email correspondence with someone involved in Raytown, and she forwarded to me the following transcript of a May 9 meeting of the Raytown Charter Commission:

Ms. Wittman - I have a hard time understanding how having members of labor unions come talk to us, minority groups come talk to us, is going to have anything to do with the drafting of the Charter. I would like to add one person myself, that being the mayor of Raytown, Sue Franks. Now we know that under 4th class city government, we have a strong mayor concept. She however, my understanding, does not work as a strong mayor. And I'd like to have her come back and explain exactly how she operates her office.
Mr. Barnes - Thank you Mr. Chairman. I'd like to speak on behalf of minorities addressing the Charter Commission regarding the writing of this Charter for the city of Raytown. You've taken the time to look at the census tracks regarding Raytown, we have over 18-20% racial minorities in this community that are a vital part of this community. They're voting citizens, they're tax paying citizens, and they clearly ought to be involved and we should hear from them in this Charter process. That includes disabled people, minorities, others, veterans, anybody that would fall into those protected classes. They clearly need to be part of this. And I personally object to questions being raised regarding minorities that live here in Raytown.
Mr. Gray - Thank you Mr. Barnes.
Ms. Wittman - I'd like to add..
Mr. Gray - Ms. Wittman, I haven't recognized you yet, are there others to discuss.
Mr. Aziere - I would like to - if we're going to look at all of the angles, I'd like to consider having realtors come, also the school district, Chamber of Commerce, I mean all of these people. If we're going to unions, and we're going to go to other groups, I think these three groups have a vested interest. People who deal in real estate definitely have feeling on the value of what keeps our community together and likewise the school district because they're right in the center of our downtown. And the Chamber, you're talking about business people, well, we should include all of them, not just small but large too. When you get the Chamber involved, it allows everybody to participate, not just the small business man. So I'm going to suggest asking them also.
Mr. Gray - well like Bill Price, at Shamrock cabinets, is a pretty good size business man, but GE out here which was BHA, or Walmart, those are corporate residents in the sense that they're here a while and then they're gone.
Mr. Aziere - I don't recall using those names.
Mr. Gray - I didn't say you did. But your point is well made on broadening the group. Ideally we'd have the old town-hall meetings like in New Hampshire, and have everybody in town here to hash it out. But that's just not going to happen, there's just not that many people interested - apparently.
Mr. Aziere - I guess one point - I don't understand we came up with this list of people we were going to invite but not the entire committee was invited to make these suggestions. We just got a list of these are the people that are coming. I don't know about other people on this committee who had input, but I know that I didn't.
Ms. Wittman - I didn't.
Mr. Aziere - and there are others that didn't, so. I guess I'll make a point that in the very beginning one of the processes you mentioned what that in the last charter, that there were people who operated on the side and did their own thing. I kind of see that happening here too - this is a good example of it. So I'm kind of feeling like, you know, if you feel that way, we shouldn't have these and let's just scratch all the rest of them. We can get on with our business of writing this Charter.
Mr. Gray - I disagree with your prospective. It's been open to anybody that wants to suggest to me any kind of group testifying and give me good reason why - as the Chairman, I said that sounds reasonable and made the invitations.
Ms Darby - I'm highly disturbed that some of our Commission members are trying to shun some of our decent citizens here in Raytown regarding the minority population. I'm deeply troubled. They are a part of our city. They do deserve a voice. There was a Human Relations Commission set up. Was that just PR or do we actually believe in the diversity of this community? Is anybody, are there any city employees that are of a diverse ethnic background? Considering the population of our city I would think that we would welcome such input and I'm highly disturbed by this.
Ms. Wittman - I remember at the very beginning of our meetings that we invite Dr. Atkins, who was the Chairman of the 1996 Commission. To come to speak to us and help us avoid the pitfalls in drawing up of this Charter. That was sidestepped, and I did make that suggestion.
Mr. Gray - I don't understand any pitfalls he was going to help us avoid.
Mr. Briggs - Again, I'm concerned that some of the members of our Commission - do you not understand that this is an open and free process? Anyone can come and speak before this group. That's why we have on the agenda public comments. I think some of these suggestions that have been made - and that's all they are, suggestions, that we invite some other people. I think they are good suggestions. Because maybe we haven't heard from these people, whether it be small business or minorities, or whatever. But that doesn't exclude anyone from coming to the microphone and speaking at any given meeting that we are having.

It sounds like some members of the Raytown Charter Commission don't really care to hear from "those people". If you are one of "those people", or you support "those people", then, by all means, you should try to make the meeting at 7:00 PM on May 23 at the Raytown City Hall.

Omaha

Off to Omaha in a little while. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to cruising on the highway - northern Missouri has some pretty views. Plus, I'll have my iPod on the seat next to me, wired into a cool speaker system, so I won't get stuck listening to Rush, O'Reilly, or country music, the way I normally do when I venture into rural Missouri.

Newsweek and the Right Wing

The Newsweek story is a collage composed of unsavory pictures of American society. In case you haven't read a paper in the last couple days, Newsweek published an article including an allegation that American soldiers desecrated the Quran. At the same time, violence in Afghanistan increased, and several people were killed. Newsweek has now retracted the story. Here are a few of my thoughts on the affair.

1. I Don't Doubt the Original Story I mean, come on, are we supposed to believe that the sadistic bastards we have hired to torture suspects are going to get all warm and fuzzy about a book they don't believe in? Do you think they're going to smear menstrual blood on these guys, or sic dogs on these people or make them masturbate while wearing women's underwear on their heads, but they're going to draw the line at ripping a few pages out of a book and throwing them in a toilet? Give me a freaking break! Newsweek may or may not have had sufficient proof, but anyone who believes that our tax dollars are supporting the kind of torturers who blanch at desecrating the Quran is in need of a reality check upside the head. The Pentagon does not really deny the reality of the desecration, they just claim that their cover-up has been too successful to allow them to be caught.

2. The Article Did Not Cause the Riots Despite what the right-wingers would have you believe, the Newsweek article did not disrupt a peaceful teaparty in Afghanistan. From Think Progress, via the indispensable Eschaton, comes the point that before the Newsweek report even hit the newsstands, the Associated Press was already noting a "revived Taliban-led insurgency" and the Agence France Press said there was "an upsurge in violence by suspected Taliban rebels" which had left two U.S. Marines dead.

3. The Right Wing is Not Allowed to Complain About Faulty Information Causing Deaths Sorry. But under any sober application of the straight face test, nobody who voted for George W. Bush is allowed to criticize anybody for taking action on faulty information. It's just not going to be allowed. Violation of this rule could cause the planet to explode due to an irony overload. Let's be careful out there, you Bush supporters. And if you try to be cute with it, like the insufferable jerks who think they're being witty by saying "Newsweek Lied; People Died", you are a despicable pig.

4. This is About Intimidation, not Fact-Checking The intellectual midgets on the right are being played right now by the smarter and more insidious enemies of American freedom. Remember how a survey a little more than a year ago revealed that high school students don't understand the First Amendment and approve of the government being able to censor news? This flap plays right into the hands of those who want to restrict our freedoms. Read this insightful post if you want a more thorough consideration of how elements of the right are already using this story to swing support for censorship.

Okay, commenters, what am I missing?

New Link on the Side

So, I was out at the 75th Street Brewery, talking business with a couple friends, and then a bunch of people from my MPA program showed up. After finishing with business, then, I joined the crowd of MPA students, celebrating the graduation of a few.

One of them started chatting with me about my blog, and that was when I met the charming Andrea D, the intense energy behind I'll Say it With These Hands, a blog I've dropped by on occasion since I happened upon it looking for good writing about live music.

It's kind of funny to meet the people whose work you've admired. That's the point behind the occasional meet-ups organized by KCBloggers. The next one will be on Thursday, the 26th, at Harry's Country Club.

Cool Kansas City Photography

Mike McMullen does awesome work - his landscapes are spectacular, and his photographs of architecture and design are at least as good. I'm proud to own four of his works. The fact that he is one of the nicest people I know makes his work extra-special to me.

I haven't met Brandon Baker, but I'm very much impressed with his portraits (check out PR_001, PR_009 and PR_012), and his work covering musicians is outstanding. His photograph of The Architects conveys the grittiness of the music and makes you wish you made the concert.

Republicans Shame Even A Republican

It has been well-established that Missouri Senator Chris Koster is a legislative roundheels, willing to sell out even his view of human life for enough corporate dollars. What kind of rotten swill, then, must it take to make even Chris Koster gag while feeding at the corporate trough?

The insurance industry and other corporate interests have been staging "Fear Factor: the Legislative Edition" in Jefferson City, and their episode on Monday made Chris Koster break down so badly that he let slip the truth about the Republican agenda.

“There is a sense in this building that if an interest group brings four really bad ideas to the table, we are obligated to pass at least one of them because they are our friends,” Koster said.

In a nutshell, the Republicans were planning on specifically exempting insurance companies from having to provide documents that could be used to prove that they have been cheating Missourians.

Why in the world the Republicans would try to help insurance companies get away with hurting the Misssouri voters who elected them? I have no answer for this question - if you're interested, I'd suggest calling Senator Loudon, the sponsor of this sell-out, at (573) 751-9763 and asking him.

As for Chris Koster, it's nice to see that there may be a shred of dignity and conscience underneath all that shallow self-promotion and naked ambition. I'd hate to think that his sudden burst of courage comes from the fact that he recently went to work for a well-known trial attorney. He couldn't be that much of a prostitute, could he?

Kansas City Pays Too Much for its Judges

Kansas City's municipal judges - the drudge workers of the local judiciary - are now paid more than Missouri's Supreme Court judges. With an annual 4 percent raise, which took effect May 1, Municipal Court judges now make almost $129,000 a year. Compare that to Circuit Court judges (the ones who handle civil lawsuits and serious crimes) at $108,000, Appellate Court judges (the smart judges who handle appeals) at $115,000, or state Supreme Court judges, who make $123,000 a year.

This is insane.

Kansas City judges are on a gravy train. Out in the real world, these are not attorneys who would be making good money. If they went looking for a real job, they might bring in $75,000, if they doubled their work hours and gave up their cushy benefits. (It's possible that a couple of them could get higher-paying jobs, but, as a group, this is not a highly-employable bunch.)

I don't really begrudge the judges wanting to be vasty overpaid for what they are worth. I have sat in their courtrooms and watched them face a long docket of rude people lying to them. I do, however, have a huge problem with our City Councilmembers wasting our tax money by giving them whatever they want.

Freedom of Judeo-Christian Religion

The Fourth Circuit has okayed a county's requirement that prayers used to open county meetings be made to a divinity that is "consistent with the Judeo-Christian tradition," (link is to a .pdf file of the opinion - the quotation is on page 5) in rejecting a Wiccan's attempt to get added to the list of people invited to lead such prayers.

Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?

Elvis Costello

I've been a huge fan of Elvis Costello since I started college. Armed Forces and My Aim is True were part of the new wave, and it was all part of the excitement of freshman year in college. For a kid from the Midwest who thought that Bob Seger, REO Speedwagon, Head East and Billy Joel were the pinnacle of contemporary music, Elvis Costello was a totally new thing. Smart, interesting, exciting new music. At a time when I was falling in love and living away from home for the first time, it was like musical adrenaline.

But I've never seen a live show of Elvis Costello.

I was supposed to see him Tuesday night - front row, balcony seats. But he cancelled, due to a throat infection. He'll come back in August.

Sigh. Isn't that what maturity is all about - delayed gratification?

Hang in there, readers

I promise, I have to much to post about. Good Italian food, interesting social events, further illegal developments in the lives of my children, Republican hypocrisy, Elvis Costello, bookshelves, Mark Helprin, beer, and much, much more. But I'm wrapping up a 6 hour semester and still landing on my feet in a new job, so please cut me a little slack. Just this once. It's 10:33, and I have a 20 page paper due tomorrow, and I'm on page 12 . . .

American Taliban Morons Are Trying to Tell ME how to Raise MY Children

Does anybody remember when the Republicans were a party of smaller, less-intrusive government? Umm, seeing no hands, I guess the answer is no.

The freshest assault on my freedom by the American Taliban Republicans is a Jefferson City intrusion on teens and alcohol. I happen to be the proud parent of a wonderful pair of teenagers - a nineteen year-old son and an eighteen year-old daughter. They are bright, wonderful kids who are going to make a difference in this world.

Guess what? I don't have a huge problem if they violate aspects of the state liquor laws. It would not shock or offend me if either of them has a drink or two in a safe environment, with adults present, so long as they are not driving. I know that my son has been at parties in college with alcohol, and I am absolutely fine with it. If they're not driving and endangering themselves or other people, then I like to think that I am in a better position to help them make decisions than the wildly immature Jason Crowell, or any of the other hypocrites in Jefferson City.

A St. Louis County republican by the name of Mike Gibbons has declared that “There is no acceptable level of alcohol consumption for teenagers." Well, Mike, that's your opinion, and you are welcome to live in a world where your kids never take a sip of alcohol. But the rest of us don't happen to live in your world, nor do we want to.

People, the republicans are here to impose their rules on you and yours. If you voted for them, you deserve this. I don't.

Fishing Season Opens

Since I was a little boy, I've loved fishing. I don't know why I iked it then, but I understand why I like it now. It has all the qualities of a perfect past-time. You do it with people you like. You do it at a beautiful location. And the activity itself consists of complete concentration on something totally insignificant, something that simply does not matter. The same criteria apply to golf, by the way.

Anyhow, I got up before dawn this morning and went out with Paco to James A. Reed Wildlife Area, leaving at 6 in the morning. After a quick stop at McDonalds, and a visit to the Wal*Mart in Lee's Summit to buy Canadian nightcrawlers, we arrived at the park soon after the sun rose. We rented a row boat (you put $5 in an envelope and take one), and set out into the wind.

Paco and I failed to choose our weather wisely. It was only about 40 degrees (4 degrees Celsius those of you reading from abroad), and the wind averaged around 16 miles per hour (26 kph). I am sure that I could find a statistic for what the wind chill factor was, but I'm convinced that the entire concept of the wind chill factor is a nefarious plot to make our country weak and whiny, so just settle for the fact that it was cold and windy.

Regardless, we're both too insecure to admit that we'd be better off to find some nice warm coffee shop and have breakfast, so we proceed. After a while, Paco's suggestion that the boat was taking water in turned out to be supported by cold, wet evidence, so we rowed back to shore and fished from the bank. Before abandoning ship, though, I opened my season with a decent-sized channel catfish, caught on one of the aforementioned nightcrawlers.

The channel cat is the official fish of Missouri, so, in a frenzy of piscatorial patriotism, I set him free. (Actually, I tend to be a catch-and-release fisherman, out of laziness and concern about the lawn chemicals and agricultural products that find their ways into our water. Paco and I have pledged to catch enough one day soon, though, to have a fish fry for our families.)

As the day went on, Paco caught a bunch of blue gill, and a small largemouth bass. I also caught a blue gill, as well as a small flathead catfish. We also saw a guy land a bass that probably weighed 5 pounds, so we know they're in there.

It is good to know that less than half an hour away from our city homes is a place where we can go fishing amidst wild turkey, red tailed hawks and wild mallards.

Cleaver's Response

On Sunday, I expressed my disappointment in Congressman Cleaver for assisting the Republicans in passing an odious bankruptcy reform bill that will protects credit card companies at the expense of the unfortunate. I also wrote to him to express my disappointment, and he responded today:

Thank you for contacting my office with regard to S. 256, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. I appreciate your taking the time to reach out to me on what I believe is a very difficult issue.

As you may be aware, S. 256 comprises reform of many areas of bankruptcy practice including consumer filings, small business bankruptcy, tax bankruptcy, ancillary and cross border cases, financial contract provisions, amendments to Chapter 12 governing family farmer reorganization, and healthcare and employee benefits. But by far, the most controversial provisions in S. 256 relate to individual consumer filings.

This controversy results from the fact that this legislation is far from perfect. I would have preferred a bill that allowed judges to more readily distinguish between legitimate bankruptcy filers and those whose main goal is to "game the system." I supported proposed amendments that would carve out exemptions for those filers whose debt was a direct result of medical expenses or incurred after a job loss. Unfortunately, the Republican majority forced through a restrictive rule that denied the full House of Representatives the opportunity to consider amendments. As such, I was left with only two alternatives, the option of doing nothing or the imperfect bill. While they have not been well reported, the costs of inaction are real, and in my opinion very hurtful to consumers.

Like you, I would prefer an even more fact intensive inquiry into a debtor's circumstances, but the hard reality is that the new "means test" will afford extra protection for low and median income debtors in Missouri and elsewhere. The new bankruptcy bill will permit Chapter 7's retirement of debt for those at or below a state's median income. The bill has other positive features including prioritizing child support obligations. Under current law, commercial debtors are routinely elevated over spouses seeking support for their children. When this bill was on the House floor two years ago, Democratic members pushed for a child support provision, and its inclusion in the 2005 version marks real improvement over the original product. The bill would also for the first time provide credit counseling for debtors and require credit card companies to disclose how long it would take to pay off debts if one makes only minimum payments.

Despite the imperfections of this bill, I believe that we have an obligation to do something about the problems with our bankruptcy system. Without reform, thousands of low and median income debtors in Missouri will keep getting thrust into Chapter 13 when they can't afford it; working mothers will face the ongoing threat of deadbeat husbands evading child support because current bankruptcy laws are dismissive of obligations to children. And all of us will be forced to reimburse lenders for those irresponsible filers who seek the shelter of Chapter 7 bankruptcy although they have the ability to repay their consumer debts.

With that said, I strongly believe that Congress must also examine the effect that the credit card industry has had on consumers. As a whole, the credit card industry has begun extending credit to a wider segment of our population. My youngest son will be graduating from college this year. He does not have a job waiting for him, yet the credit card companies have seen him fit enough to send solicitations almost daily in an effort to suck him into debt. However, many consumers, some of them recent graduates, like my son may lack sufficient information about the pitfalls of credit. To combat this problem, I believe that we must work to better educate people about credit and how to use it responsibly. In addition, I believe we must take steps to curb abusive industry practices that include extending credit with unconscionably high interest rates to minors, the disabled, those who have no ability to repay the debt. The credit card industry should also be required to accurately and in plain English disclose the terms of credit card agreements. As a Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, rest assured that I plan on closely monitoring the credit card industry.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to do so in the future.

Sincerely

Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress

I remain disappointed in Congressman Cleaver's decision, but I appreciate his response. That said, I think he made a terrible mistake. His analysis that it is better to do vote for an imperfect bill rather than doing nothing is wrong in this instance, because the imperfections are so large that they far outweigh the benefits of having acted.

I don't believe that this is a minor issue involving the relative merits of credit card companies and deadbeat spendthrifts. I know that good people sometimes have circumstances in their lives force them into a deep hole of debt, and I know that hopelessness and depression can set in. I hope somebody is keeping track of the number of debt-related suicides - I am confident that we will be seeing an increase in deaths as a result of this bankruptcy reform. Weren't the credit card companies profitable enough before the reform?

So this Rabbi and this Nazi are at the Airport . . .

Hilarity ensues.

(Before you post your outraged comments about how insensitive I am, I apologize. But the mental image of a nazi and a rabbi fighting at the airport is just too silly for me to ignore.)

Republicans

I don't want to paint with too broad a brush here. Not all Republicans are greedy, immoral supporters of Saddam Hussein. But, if you're looking for an oil-for-food scumbag, you're going to find him in the Republican camp.

Not all Republicans are supporters of the confederacy. But, if you're looking for "the confederate vote", it's on the Republican side.

Not all Republicans are cowardly exploiters of a family's pain. But, if you're looking for the exact type of person who would write a memo on how to score political points out of the Schiavo situation, you'll want to start looking on the Republican side of the aisle.

In short, you don't have to be a bad person to be a republican. But, if you ARE a racist, greedy cynic, you'll fit right in.

Civics Lesson

While I hesitate to admit this, I have almost always ignored the appeals to "Call your Senators" or "Call your Congressman" on federal issues. I've always been blessed with dependably liberal Representatives (Alan Wheat, Karen McCarthy and, now, Emanuel Cleaver) and cursed with dependably conservative Senators (Danforth, Ashcroft, Bond and Talent). I've always expected my Representatives to represent me, and my Senators to represent all that is wrong in the world.

Yesterday, I learned that I need to pay closer attention. Somehow, Emanuel Cleaver chose to abandon his inner-city constituents and cast a vote in favor of the credit card companies when faced with the "Bankruptcy Reform Bill". I have no idea what his justification was - I will write to his office and seek an explanation. If I receive one, I'll post it here.

Update - here is a link to his online form for communicating with his office. Here's what I wrote:

I was suprised to read that Congressman Cleaver abandoned the democratic position and voted in favor of the so-called "Bankruptcy Reform" law written by the credit card companies. That law will harm thousands of Congressman Cleaver's constituents, half of whom will be forced into bankruptcy because of astronomical medical bills. While proponents of the bill claimed that the expenses of bankruptcy are passed on to consumers, there is no provision which obligates the credit card companies to reduce their rates in response to this gift, and we both know it won't happen.

What happened? Why has Congressman Cleaver stood arm-in-arm with the republicans to comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted?

View of U.S. from Bolivia

In preparation for my October trip, I've become a regular reader of Blog from Bolivia. It usually features top-notch political analysis, punctuated by charming descriptions of life in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It's a great blog, and an example of the sort of writing I would never have see in a pre-blog world.

Jim Schultz, the author, is in the U.S. right now, and, this morning, he posted a wonderfully bemused take on life here. Here's an excerpt:

And the baby strollers!! I saw a four week old today in a Washington restraint who was being wheeled about in a vehicle bigger than my first two cars. Now I don’t own a car but I do own a stroller, a little umbrella version. Mariana, our two year old, has never complained. We race in it at top speed in our yard now. She rides, I push.

There is hope here of course, valiant young people especially dedicated to knocking some sense into a country choking on materialism. Hey, I am not being self-righteous here. I ate a cinnamon raisin bagel today, went to Starbucks yesterday and coveted the electronics section in a Staples store. Viruses are an equal opportunity infection and who among us is immune.

Okay, perhaps I should never be locked in an airplane cabin for five hours with a laptop and a frenzied imagination. But really, USA, just between you and me. Don’t you think it is all just getting a little too weird?

It makes for interesting reading.

Eric Berndt is a hero

Eric Berndt is not a household name. His act of courage is not widely known. But he is a law student who dared to challenge a homophobic supreme court justice. When the Supreme Court overturned the Texas law criminalizing sodomy, Justice Scalia dissented.

Eric had a legitimate follow-up question - one that he asked in a public forum, in the presence of Justice Scalia's wife. His question was simple - "Do you sodomize your wife?"

Seems like a legitimate question to me - in fact, I think that each of the judges should have disclosed whether they had ever engaged in sodomy before considering the case. Pretty clear conflict of interest, it seems to me, if they are a bunch of sodomists (and I'm betting they are, and you are, too).

Oddly enough, Justice Scalia refused to answer. Odder still is the fact that Eric is being attacked for even asking.

Fortunately, Eric is smarter and more articulate than his attackers. It helps that he's on the right side of the issue.

Now's the time you should apologize

If you were one of the hateful morons who accused Michael Schiavo of abusing his wife. The wife he respected as a human being instead of exploiting as a political opportunity.

You should crawl to him on your knees over miles of salt-encrusted broken glass, and beg his forgiveness.

But you won't, will you?

If I still lived in St. Louis

I'd wanna hang with this guy. Waveflux is a wide-ranging, thoughtful, politically aware blog from the East Coast of Missouri. I'm adding it to my list of links.

Something Beautiful

There are special people in this world. Get out of yourself for a moment and go read this. Please. (Via Body and Soul.)

How do you sleep at night?

Absolutely incredible. The country club republicans pushing for bankruptcy reform to help the credit card companies avoid responsibility for their insane behavior have managed to include a loophole for their rich country club buddies who want to file for bankruptcy - a different class of bankruptcy, of course. If you're some poor asshole who gets sick, you're still screwed. But, if you're a rich asshole who wants to dodge a few debts but still have money to pay dues at the country club, just set up an "Asset Protection Trust", and your bought-and-paid-for republican congress will make sure you're taken care of.

In all seriousness, if you are one of the people who voted republican in the last election, how do you sleep at night? Doesn't it gall you that YOUR government is stacking the deck in favor of the wealthy at every turn, against the interests of the common man? Don't you feel stupid for letting tort reform happen? Don't you feel guilty looking at children, knowing that your vote helped impose a crushing deficit on them - a deficit that rich kids are going to shirk? I would ask how you feel when you see the photographs of flag-draped coffins coming back from Iraq, but YOUR government has you protected there, because they won't let us see the pictures, and you can get through your day without thinking of the blood shed in Bush's completely unjustified war.

I remember how I felt during the long night of November 2 and the ugly morning of November 3. I felt like our country had betrayed all reason - like it was wrapped up in some veil of right-wing ignorance that blinded it to tolerance, liberty and the common good. But, in the back of my mind, I had a niggling hope that I was over-reacting, and that time would show me that things were going to be pretty much okay.

People, I'm losing that hope. The right wing is waging war on the America I love - an attack from so many angles that it's hard to know where the next blow will come from. States everywhere are enshrining anti-gay bigotry in their constitutions. Cheney is looking hard at Iran as the next Halliburton conquest. The main-stream media is so cowed by silly accusations of a liberal bias that it is more pusillanimous than ever. When I look at the consistent attacks on the justice system, from tort reform through the Terri Schiavo case, I see a well-thought-out and carefully orchestrated attack on one of the only institutions on our planet where the powerless have a hope of a fair hearing against the moneyed interests. My own brother, a republican-leaning, salt-of-the-earth, mainstream upper-middle-class likeable guy, can't get on an airplane in this country without being hassled because his common name is on some bureaucrat's list somewhere. WTF?? Our country is torturing people, and we're okay with that? The Republicans are brazenly weakening congressional ethics, and that's fine, too? Social Security is a backbone of our support system for senior citizens, and we're talking about chopping it into pieces?

If you voted for the republicans last time around, you deserve all this, but the rest of us don't.

Great Week for Dreamers, Bad Week for Reality

Any con-man will tell you that the best suckers are optimists. Only an optimist really thinks that he is going to win at three card monte. Only an optimist believes that a Nigerian minister is going to pick out his email address to help him with a multi-million dollar transaction. Americans are an optimistic group, and the Republican con-men in Congress have spent this week exploiting our naive nature.

Two seemingly unrelated items of legislation are prime examples. First, the Republicans just turned the bankruptcy courts into collection agencies for the credit card companies. Second they just increased the deficit by giving a tax break to dead millionaires. The only reason they are able to get away with such nonsense is because of our foolish optimism. None (or very few) of us really expect to wind up in bankruptcy court, and many of us hold in our hearts the hope that if things go right, we could wind up fantastically wealthy.

The Republicans in Congress are close to passing incredibly repressive Bankruptcy legislation, protecting credit card companies from their own destructive behavior, and making a tough life even tougher for the thousands of Americans who wind up in over their head. About two million Americans each year, however, find themselves involved in bankruptcy due to medical bills - even if they have insurance! The average American should be marching on Washington in outrage over the Republican sell-out to corporate money, but nobody thinks bankruptcy will happen to him . . .

Meanwhile, the Republicans in the House have passed legislation which would repeal the estate tax - a tax which only applies to the wealthiest 2 percent of dead people. In a time of insane budget deficits, this is equivalent to taking money from our children and passing it onto the Rockefeller children. Oddly enough, though, the average American is not outraged about this tribute being paid by the Republicans to their country club masters - the average American believes that she may win the next Powerball, or that some unknown rich uncle is going to die and release her from having to shop from the value menu.

I hate to rain on America's optimistic parade, but the fact of the matter is that even if you're a hard-working, insured, frugal person, you are a hundred times more likely to wind up in bankruptcy court than you are to encounter the estate tax. The fact that you don't want to think that way is the reason that the Republicans are able to win this game of three card monte. And when the Republicans are dealing, you should know that the wealthy are going to win.

Riddle Solved

Some have wondered whether the republicans in Jefferson City are motivated by love of God or by love of Corporate Money. Personally, I had little doubt that God, with all that obnoxious verbiage about stuff like loving your neighbor and camels passing through needles' eyes, had no chance.

Whatever doubt there was, however, was removed last week, when the Republican rats ran from the sinking ship of the stem cell ban.

Don't get me wrong - I am opposed to the stem cell ban. I understand and even admire, however, a thoughtful person who considers stem cell research to be akin to destroying lives to save lives. It's a legitimate position, though I disagree that an egg that has not encountered a sperm cell is equivalent to a human life.

What I cannot understand, admire, or tolerate is gutless, slimey republicans who make a show of their "morality" by cosponsoring a bill to ban such research, and then slink away into the dark corners when it is time to be counted. Chris Koster is a cockroach. The other un-named cosponsors of the bill who twisted Matt Bartle's arm into setting the bill aside are even worse.

Get this straight. In the republican party, Money is God. Business interests see a profit in stem cell research, so the republican view of morality must give way. Any voter who supports republicans for "values" got played. I hope the bible-thumping republicans down in Cass County appreciate Chris "Cockroach" Koster for what he is.