Sunday, October 30, 2011

Paul Krugman And Conservatives Agree

Public spending creates jobs; just look at defense spending.

Thankfully, Some People Can Still See Beyond The Next Fifteen Minutes

Here was one of them.  R.I.P., Mr. Beaumont.

Is It A "Republican Congress"?

The New York Post doesn't seem to think so.  But, with a House majority and a perpetually filibustering minority in the Senate, it is a Republican Congress.

But, apart from a handful of writers, who relies on The Post for truth?  This editorial smacks more of desperation that insight.  I think that even Murdock and his phone-tapping minions are worried about having an all-Democratic government in 2013.

For real, in their words.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Oh, To Be A Child Again ...

... and be able to go to a store like this.  I might have been able to create my own Giant-Man costume.  Those of you who go back a few decades with Marvel Comics know who I'm talking about.  For the rest of you, see here.

Border Security And Open Arms?

So now Republicans in Congress think that this is possible.  Gee, some of us have been advocating it for some time.  It's called COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM.

America The Exceptional?

Yep, we're exceptional.  Numbers don't lie.  There we are, at or near the bottom of the heap.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sometimes, Man Still Bites Dog

A Washington Times writer who advocates private space enterprises AND funding for NASA.  My belief in miracles is reaffirmed.

The End Of The Mainstream Media?

Dahlia Lithwick thinks so.  I wish I could agree.  There are still a substantial number of people (my 88-year-old mother being on of them) who still get their news from TV and newspapers.  I think that what she's talking about here is still a generation away.

But it can't get here soon enough.

Public Transportation: Is It A Civil Right?

An interesting argument.  I'd say it is.  But I also thing that health care is a civil right and, given what it's taken to make some progress there, I don't see light-rail and subways in every hamlet sometime soon.  A good case, however, could be made for buses powered by some form of renewable energy.  Perhaps that would be the best place to start.

Thought For The Day

And maybe forever.  Courtesy of Digital History:

"The trouble with capitalism is capitalists; they're too damn greedy."

Herbert Hoover.

The Problem Is The Problem, Not Pointing Out That It Exists

I suppose, however, that you can't blame Paul Ryan, Mr. "Let Them Eat Vouchers," for feeling differently about it.

The best thing about this article, however, is the following, from the comments section:

Perry Logan · Top Commenter · University of Michigan
Always stunning to hear Republicans--who gave us McCarthyism, blacklisting, witch hunts, enemies lists, dirty tricks, hate radio, Swiftboating, gay-bashing, militias, Fox News, and Rovean politics--blaming the left for practising the "politics of division."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtPMFDN6eYE

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

More Light In The Darkness

Perhaps women can help to bridge the gap between the 1% and the 99%.  At any rate, this was once thought to be impossible.

The truth is, that nothing is.

Do You REALLY Want To Know What OWS Is All About?

Robert Reich can tell you.  Take a look.

Are We A Truly Sick Society?

Of course not.  Otherwise, we'd have police officers sending a war veteran at a peaceful demonstration to the hospital with a brain injury.  Oh, wait ... .

It Really DID Start With Watergate

The whole notion of too big to fail ... or jail.  Here, Rachel Maddow interviews Glenn Greenwald about his new book, With Liberty And Justice For Some, which argues that Ford's pardon of Nixon was the beginning of a trend by which we began to give members of the political and financial elite (except for Bill Clinton, of course) free passes based on the crazy idea that, by punishing the criminals, we were really punishing the victims (i.e., the country and its citizens).

Wonder what would happen if a liberal proposed that kind of thinking?  Oh, that's right.  IOIYAR.

NOTE:  Once you get to the Web address, you may have to scroll through several videos to get to the one labled "Too Big To Jail."

WHAT Liberal Media Bias?

If anything, it's the other way around.

You Can't Have An Economy Without An Environment

Just ask the folks in New England.  They'll tell you whether global warming is real or not.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

It Doesn't Make Up For The Child Abuse Scandal ...

... but if the Roman Catholic Church wants to help advance worldwide economic justice, I'm all for it.

"What The F--k Is Wrong With You People?" Indeed

Anyone who has ever seen or read "King Lear" knows that there is a rich tradition of using comedic figures (e.g., the Fool) to tell truths that are oblivious to the other characters who share their stories.  So it is not so surprising that the biggest truth-teller in American journalism today is the host of a comedy show.

Keep it up, Jon.  I think more and more people are getting it.

A Capitalist Alternative?

You decide.

Want Less Regulation? Go Live In The Jungle!

You can do it just by moving to Ohio, which has the weakest state regulations of the ownership of wild animals.  No one should be surprised, therefore, by this.

Can You Rage Against The Machine, And Still Use What It Makes?

This author says no.  I'm not so sure.  What's wrong with using the fruits of capitalism against it?  And who says we're opposed to capitalism?  I think the biggest opponents of capitalism are the ones who jerry-rig the playing field.

And all it takes to do that is 1% of the people, with more than 50% of the money (and much of that from taxpayers who were told that it's the government's job to save capitalists at the expense of capitalism).  Is that really what conservatives and the GOP want to defend?  Have at it.  And enjoy being ruled by a full generation of progressives.

If Jesus Is The Way, Why Does He Need A "Parallel Culture"?

Because neither Jesus, nor God, are blind, cowardly, narrow-minded fanatics, unlike some of their followers.  I learned the hard way, through 12 years of experience, that not all Christians are evangelicals, and not all evangelicals are Christians.  If anyone you know needs to hear that, make sure that they do.

Monday, October 24, 2011

First They Ignore You, Then They Mock You ...

... and then, they fight you.  Sometimes they threaten violence.  Sometimes, they're just cowardly enough to slime you (especially if they're little more than the offspring of a backstabbing climber).  And isn't it great that this wonderful behavior comes from two pillars of the "virtue" crowd?

But, in the end, you win.

Never forget that, Occupiers.

It's Not Enough To Protest, OWS

It's also about solutions, some of which are already out there.  Fortunately, the protesters themselves seem to realize this.

What's That? I'm Actually RIGHT About The Green Economy?

Facts are not simply stubborn.  Sometimes, they're simply amazing.

Either I Don't Get You, David Brooks, Or You Just Don't Get It

The former champion of virtues now laments the dominance of virtues in politics.  Someone should have clued him in, early on, that no one has a monopoly on virtue or vice, which is why it makes such a slippery framework for anyone's political empire.

And, Once Again, Back to OWS!

Here, courtesy of Slate.com, is everything you need to know.  Including the possibility that OWS and the Tea Party have some common objectives.  If only someone could get both sides to see that.

Space Is Still The Final Frontier

And, even though we haven't run out of people who are afraid to go there, we thankfully haven't run out of people who believe that we can, and should, try.

UPDATE, 10/25/11:  Here's another example of people in the second category.

In The Meantime, Back To OWS

Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but there's even evidence that the 1%, of which you are a member, get it.

Maybe that's because all of us are tired of being forced to make false choices, and are ready to make real ones.

Climate Change Is NOT About What We Have To Give Up

It's also about our ability to take control of the problem, and create new jobs in the process.

Those Who Stand Up Pay A Price

I'm convinced that this was no accident; she was targeted because people like her are always dangerous to those who reduce everything to dollars.

But, as Steve Jobs pointed out, you're going to die anyway.  If you make a difference, as Crystal Lee Sutton did, you never die completely.  And everyone else lives a little better.

Smith Or Darwin?

This is a review of Robert H. Frank's new book, The Darwin Economy, in which the author attempts to argue that Darwin's theory of natural selection better explains economic decision-making that Adam Smith's "invisible hand," using examples from nature to illustrate how animals can develop characteristics that ensure their individual survival, but often at the expense of the species as a whole.  The reviewer points out, however, that nature offers plenty of examples of intra-species cooperation, an observation that could be compared to Smith's own willingness to concede that collective action is often needed to smooth out the rough edges that the "invisible hand" leaves behind.

Ultimately, folks, the real point is not "either-or."  It's different solutions for different problems.  As well as the intelligence, the humility, and ultimately the willingness to make the right choices.

Computers Practicing Law?

This article says "yes."  But, at the risk of only looking after my professional self-interest, I couldn't disagree more.  I've practiced law long enough to know that a lawyer's stock in trade is not only his or her time, but also his or her judgment.  Time is one of the ingredients for that, and so is legal training.   But so is life experience--both that of the lawyer, and that of the lives of the people he represents.  Until we can invent a device that embraces and manages that much complexity, adjust at a moment's notice to changes in that complexity, and argues for or against additional change with passion as well as reason--well, law school graduates have nothing to fear.  My advice to them:  work hard, focus on clients and not money, and you'll be surprised at how well things work out.

The Myth Of A Center-Right Country

I had set this aside several weeks ago, before I came down with the flu (which partly explains my blog absence over the past few weeks; the practice of law explains the other part).  I was going to turn this into a longer essay.

But, as of this month, I can boil it down to three words:  Occupy Wall Street.

All I can say is, it's about time!