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The Ivory Tower and it's minions are all verklempt that it's happening.
The fainting couch is ever so crowded in the tower. Pass the smelling salts.
(You can sign the Save KPOJ petition here).
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On Thursday the Multnomah County Commission voted unanimously to sue the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) to recover fees that the County has lost for recording documents of transactions involving trust deeds, due to MERS handling such transactions without recording them. Under Oregon's non-judicial foreclosure law, lenders and mortgage investors are required to record all changes of "beneficiaries" and trustees of such deeds. MERS skirts those requirements by purporting to be the beneficiary of trust deeds without actually owning them.
A story in The Oregonian names some basic facts, but misses the larger meaning of MERS. MERS is essentially a racket that makes it very difficult for people facing problems with their mortgages to know with whom to deal. MERS was designed to promote the securitization of mortgages that has created incentives to profit from abusive and predatory lending and was a major cause of the financial crisis of 2008. The O'sstory also fails to note that MERS transactions have recently been ruled by the Washington Supreme Court to violate Washington's similar non-judicial foreclosure law. In Oregon, lower courts have divided over the legality of MERS transactions, and the Oregon Supreme Court is supposed to rule on the question in the next few months.
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In a statement, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Congressman Earl Blumenauer weighed in today on the KPOJ situation:
Radio is one of the most democratic means of sharing and discussing political views and ideas. Truck drivers, office workers, farmers, and stay-at-home-parents alike can all access a variety of views and resources on the radio while going through their daily tasks.
We are disappointed to learn that the lively conversation in Portland talk radio has lost one of its most interesting and thought-provoking voices. KPOJ was not only a home for progressives, but an important watchdog for government.
We encourage Clear Channel to reconsider this decision and revive the progressive talk radio format in the Portland market.
Radio broadcasters like Clear Channel are bound by public interest obligations in exchange for free and protected use of this publicly-owned resource. A diversity of freely-expressed views on the public airwaves is essential to furthering the civic discourse that defines our democracy.
Meanwhile, the Save KPOJ petition has cracked the 10,000-signature barrier -- and now stands at 10,712. In addition, a Save KPOJ petition launched on MoveOn.org's SignOn petition site is up to 3581 signatures.
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Photo by Carla Axtman
In what appears to be an effort to jump start filibuster reform, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley looks to be gathering some mo-jo'd partners for the cause. Earlier today, Merkley launched a petition that is set to apply pressure on the Senate to get board the train--or get run over by Americans who are clamoring for it.
Most noteably, newly minted Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren has jumped in with a full commitment. Warren has a high national profile with progressives. It's great to see her continue her ongoing working relationship with Merkley. I was fortunate enough a few years ago to hear Merkley & Warren speak together on a panel at Netroots Nation. I approached Ms. Warren after the panel and asked her about her impressions of Merkley. "He's the real deal", she said. This is a foundational partnership that has the potential to truly make a difference in the U.S. Senate.
Along with Warren, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) are working their list and their contacts to build a head of steam for reform.
If you haven't signed yet, do so now. It's time to put the US Senate on notice that obstructionism is over--and Americans are serious about the Senate getting about the business of the country.
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This tragedy has nothing to do with Obama, it has little to do with partisan politics (until now). Rather it should be a cautionary tale: humans error (even when wearing crisply starched uniforms adorned with medals), and people compete for power.
Age may or may not facilitate wisdom, but it does yield perspective. After twenty years in uniform I can say without hesitation or equivocation that the drama now enveloping General (Retired) David Petraeus is both telling and tragic.
To begin with, David Petraeus messed up. The impact of his personal choices (upon himself and his family) was made demonstrably worse through an abuse of power that was knowingly or unknowingly exacerbated by a general staff that provided sensitive information to a biographer.
Though the biographer likely had the requisite clearances – it is also likely that her “need to know” was determined by a powerful general that had been used to acting without concern for oversight on such decisions. None among us can – or should – throw stones at General Petraeus for his personal failings (we all are guilty in our ways, in thought or in deed).
That said, his choices put the nation at greater risk. The affair is not the most significant issue in this tragedy, the unplanned disclosure of sensitive information is the real issue – we do not know what was or wasn’t disclosed, and that is a problem in the intelligence world.
Sadly, modern political culture fixates upon the most salacious details in these kinds of circumstances. Media is often a consumer and producer of “scandal.” It knows stories about money and sex sells advertisements; it is an unfortunate reality within a society that does not value publicly funded media.
And as scandals go, this one appears to be a big one: two generals, two intelligent, well-connected married women, an FBI agent with “six-pack” abs, as well as the potential abuse of internet privacy expectations all against the backstop of Libya and Afghanistan.
It will yield at least two made-for-television movies before it has run its course.
However, this made-for-television “show” has captured and holds our attention while larger, more significant realities play out. This column is a warning to all seeking to compartmentalize this tragedy into the category of “routine” scandal: it is most likely the beginning, not an end of something.
As a passed-over field grade officer I am blessed with experience and freedom from worrying about future career progression. I face mandatory retirement in less than twenty-four months. Proud of my service, I am prepared for the next chapters of my life.
It is precisely because of my two decades in uniform and multiple overseas deployments I accept the ongoing melodrama for what it is: a solitary act of a much larger play. We are in midst of the largest realignment of our National Security Strategy since the Cold War; inter/intra service rivalries and cult fiefdoms are at war for primacy as well as survival.
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