Paging Mr. Gorbachev

Tough times call for tough people, and no one in recent history had the spine of our erstwhile nemesis: Mikhail Gorbachev.

Gorbachev saw what needed to happen. He saw what was right. And he did that thing. In 1998, he introduced glastnost, which re-granted the freedoms bestowed by nature, those of speech and movement. He released political prisoners, allowed the press to begin criticizing the government. It was just what the country needed.

The next year the Berlin Wall came down.  Freedom reigned. The year after that the Soviet Union collapsed and Gorbachev was blamed.

He was willing to do the right thing, even if he commit political suicide by doing it.  He is exactly who we need in the US today. We need a man who is willing to submit to the will of the people, and in so doing draw the ire of the government that suckled him.  The clarity is crystalline: the current government has no desire to bend to the people’s desires.

Barack Obama is already showing signs of tipping toward his cronies. Today he is saying he may be willing to fudge on his hard-line 16-month Iraq draw down, if analysis says that is expedient.

This has been my chief concern with Obama, but it’s hard to believe how easy it was for him to turn his back on the left. And it is so humorous to watch him attempting to embrace the non-existent moderates. There  used to be people in the middle, but where are they now?  We’re over here, Mr. O, and you just abandoned us.

I don’t mind a man who changes his mind–it is sometimes a sign of wisdom. But this just political capitulation. He is General Petain. We will be Vichy.

Jim’s Ten Commandments

It’s time to rewrite my old mission statement. This time I’m borrowing from “Unreasonablefaith.com” and creating my own ten commandments. I’ve borrowed some of theirs, but most of these are mine:

Jim’s 10 Commandments 

1. Strive to make the world a better place.
2. Seek clarity, truth, and understanding.
3. Refuse to accept anything unreasonable.
4. Be skeptical of everything improbable.
5. Let nature be your inspiration.
6. Let science be your guide.
7. Learn to expect little from others.
8. Befriend the people who surpass your expectations.
9. Rebel against anything that diminishes humanity.
10. Have as much fun as possible.

Be the envy of the kids on your block! Write your own today!

 

When Something Goes Right …

I don’t want to be like Paul Simon and be “the last to admit it.”

I’m not 100% sure, but it appears as if something actually went right for a change.

North Korea blew up the cooling tower at its Nuclear Power plant (that could have been creating plutonium necessary for nuclear weapons). Along with this, they have handed over discovery documents as well. They are now playing by the rules.

This is a result of multi-national, diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, etc. Korea’s sudden cooperation may be a result of their desperate financial times, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they were brought back into the fold without shedding any blood.

In a sign of good will, George Bush has taken them off the list of countries who sponsor terrorism.

I’m not sure we’re closing the books on this problem, but I don’t want to be accused of being one of those bloggers who doesn’t recognize a really good thing when it happens, and this is really good.

Liberal Schmiberal

 

 I’m siding with the right on this one, although maybe not for the same reasons. Today the Supreme Court upheld the individual right to bear arms. Since most of you think of me as a “liberal” this may come as a surprise, but here are my reasons:

 

1. I don’t like the idea of the Supreme Court removing liberties (of any kind) that had previously been assumed to apply to all. If  they had sided with the District of Columbia on this one, it would have been another nail in Liberty’s coffin. What next? Freedom of Speech doesn’t apply to everyone? It was intended as a “collective” right?
2. Most anti-gun advocates cite crime statistics as their reason to ban guns (as did DC.) But the presense of guns in our environment is not the reason people are committing crime. The vast majority of crimes are committed because
   1. A lot of things are illegal that shouldn’t be (i.e. drugs), and
   2. Because economic oppression of the lower class promotes gang and criminal activity.

These problems will not go away by banning guns. In fact, it will allow the government to continue to run roughshod over committers of consensual crimes and the lower class without fear of harsh reactions. Which leads me to

1. If guns are outlawed, only the law will have guns.

I’m Just Sayin’ …

For all of you who still drive objects large enough to achieve sovereignty, and are upset about the price of gas, I’m sorry but I don’t feel sorry for you. You have contributed to the demand, which has increased the price you must now pay. This is all so elementary that I shouldn’t even need to explain it.

My new Kia  gets close to 30 MPG and I’m starting to like it more and more.

 

Anyway, I warned you here.

 

And here.

 

I suggested gas rationing three years ago.

 

Then, two years ago I mentioned that gas prices go up during election years. (Hmm, what year is this?)

 

Venjanz commented recently that no one cares about anything but the price of gas right now. So true. I’m don’t think this is an attempt to vaunt up the price of gas as an issue (who is better to solve this? Obama or McCain? Who knows?) as much as it is an attempt to bury other issues that matter more in the long run. (War, Liberty, Freedom, Prsidential powers.)

 

Here’s my latest radical idea: turn gas into a utility. Ah, I see that I’m not the first one to have this idea.

The Trouble with Torture

Check out this interview with an expert. You can tell when he talks that he knows his stuff.

Watch both.

Follow the Money

It’s no secret that I’m an Obama supporter, but yesterday’s move by Obama to forego public election funding is not something I’m wild about.

I will throw down the gauntlet right now and say that I believe public funding of elections is absolutely necessary to fixing this country’s ills. The problem is … we sorta do have a system where elections are publicly funded, but Obama’s message was correct: people have become experts at gaming the current system to render it meaningless. 

Enter from stage right: 527 groups , (example: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ). These groups garner unlimited donations (from whomever) and can say what they want as long as they do not “directly advocate the election or defeat of any candidate for federal elective office.” This actually becomes a free speech issue, but the “gaming” Obama refers to is that free speech can sometimes mean “lying,” only to have time and obfuscation allow the liars to walk free. In the meantime, their mission was accomplished.

To McCain’s credit, he gave the Swift Boat Veterans the smackdown, and said they were being dishonest. McCain is a better ma n than Bush, but so are most primates.

The point is, figuring out how to publicly fund elections is a sticky wicket. Everyone knows this is a huge problem. Everyone knows it won’t be easy.

Enter from stage left: Barak Obama’s grass roots donation methodology. Actually, Obama didn’t think of it; Howard Dean started it, and Ron Paul mastered it. But by getting $5, $10, and $20 donations, by the gazillions, Obama feels confident that he can earn much more than the $84 million in public funds. No one doubts him.

That’s way too fucking much money that us taxpayers should have to give to ANY party to spin their facts and elect their man. But all of this is proving what we already know; Elections are all about money. Whoever has the most, typically wins. Aside from this public money, there is also a ton of money in the “Republican/Democratic National Committee” which is an ambiguous pile of lucre that can also be applied to their presidential candidate. The Republican committee finished May with nearly $54 million in the bank, compared with just $4 million for the Democratic National Committee. Interesting disparity, and also made the option of public funding a little less appetizing for the Obama camp. In doing so, they would start out behind.

But here’s the rub: Obama is refusing to take the ONLY money offered to him that does not have any strings attached. And McCain’s only response has been, “Hey! Obama performed some sort of Jedi mind trick on us!” It’s true, these are not the democrats they were looking for. Mr. Hope is not the innocent, play-nice boy that Ms. Clinton made him out to be. So McCain is relying on that old faithful criticism, calling Obama a “flip-flopper.” Yawn. (Earth to McCain: After Bush, we really won’t mind someone who changes his mind now and then. )

The bigger issue is that Obama is abandoning one flawed system to create another, but McCain knows that most people will never understand this. Obama’s use of all these tiny contributions will not erase the huge problem of 527s. Obama is shutting down these groups, but the 2012 candidate may not have such scruples. By circumventing this problem, it appears to some as if he may be abandoning his policy to reform it.  

This is all pretty complicated. This move may also force McCain to accept assistance from 527s, which he has been sneering at, or lose the election. He probably would have lost anyway, but Obama might be forcing McCain to flip-flop. It’s kinda funny to see Democrats making the Republicans squirm during an election.

But this move does nothing to fix the problem of campaign contributions; it only complicates it further.

How the Rest of the Country Thinks

California is the second state to legalize gay marriage. (Massachusetts was first.)

Naturally, there is a hew and cry from our more rural regions. Kern County, home to such cultural hotspots as Bakersfield and Oildale, has bitterly opposed this ruling. In fact, a judge halted the release of ALL marriage licenses. I can imagine her saying “If I have to let gay people get married, I’m not letting ANYONE get married!” I assume there was some awareness of the equal protection clause, which means that gay people aren’t being singled out. The reason given for the judge’s move (”We’re tightening our budget.”)  was a chicken-shit answer that only makes me chuckle.

The fact is, the Republicans brought up the issue of Gay Marriage to divert us from the real issues in 2004. In so doing, they will have eventually guaranteed the rights of gay people nationwide. The legal tide is clear: the homophobes are losing.

But maybe this is only “my viewpoint” because of where I live, no? I’ve been encouraged more than once to see how the rest of America thinks. The assumption is that the way we think in California or “big cities” in general is not how the rest of the country thinks, and that the way we see it is “just one viewpoint.”

But America has always taken baby steps toward freedom and open-mindedness. And guess who has always been the flag-bearers? Major metropolitan areas, specifically in the Northeast and the far west. Guess who has typically been opposed to major milestones in freedom? The south, and rural areas.

Abolition of slavery: In the US, it originated in Philadelphia. Early adapters were Rhode Island, Massachussetts, and New York. Late joiners: the south. Georgia was last. Now universally accepted.

Women’s Suffrage: The first women allowed to Vote were in New England town meetings (prior to our nationhood). The Suffrage movement began in New York. UPDATE: The early adapters to Women’s Suffrage were several midwestern and western states. Now universally accepted.

Children’s Rights: Began in Boston, grew in New York City. Now universally accepted.

Racial Integration: Accepted in Northern and Western cities first. Now universally accepted.

Rights for Homosexuals: accepted in Major Northern and Western cities first. Not yet universally accepted, but it will be.

Legalization of marijuana: accepted in Western cities first. Not yet universally accepted, but it will be.

Legalization of assisted suicide: Legal only in Oregon. Not yet universally accepted, but it will be.

Evolution taught in Schools: Early joiners: Northeast and Western states. Still hotly contested in Southern States. Not yet universally accepted, but it will be.

Other issues? I’m sure there are more.

So the people who think that those of us in California should get out and see how the rest of the country thinks should apply this advice to themselves. Because how WE think … is how YOU will eventually think.

I’m open to debate … as I may have been cherry-picking issues in my above list. To off-set my argument, answer this question: What major milestone of human advancement began in the South, the midwest, or a rural area? If you can come up with something, maybe I will give more credence to “how the rest of the country thinks.”

I am not trying to be an elitist. I’m sure there are a lot of bright, forward-thinking people in the mid-west and the South. I am just pointing to historical records, which indicate that the contrary is more the rule.

America: Exporting Democracy (but only the “good” parts,) since 2003

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dissented in a 5-4 decision last week. The Supreme Court decided that Guantanamo detainees should be allowed to challenge their detention in Federal Court. Scalia wrote an observation about the decision, saying it “… will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Here we have the most powerful  legal representative of our country basically denouncing our legal system as unable to determine whether or not someone should be held indefinitely without a trial or not. Hey Scalia … does our system work or not? If it doesn’t why should we give a shit about your opinion? If it does work, why are you opposed to allowing a potentially innocent man to get a fair trial?

I’ll tell you why he’s opposed to it; because that man might be potentially guilty.  <cue evil music: DUN DUN DUNNN>

So there you have it. Justice Scalia is opposed to releasing potentially guilty prisoners because if they are guilty, they might kill someone. Forget about Habeus Corpus. If the military arbitrarily imprisons a man or woman, that’s final. In a telling statement, the conservative Scalia said the decision, “boldly extends the scope of the habeas statute to the four corners of the earth.” OH GOD NO! NOT THAT! But wait a minute, I thought we were trying to export our Democracy, weren’t we? So isn’t this a good thing?

George Bush: “The advance of freedom is the surest strategy to undermine the appeal of terror in the world. Where freedom takes hold, hatred gives way to hope. . . . American values and American interests lead in the same direction.”

Based on this, clearly George Bush would dissent against Scalia’s dissenting opinion. Unless Habeus Corpus is no longer considered an American value. That must be it. 9/11 changed everything, after all.

Assuming that Scalia went to law school, he may have heard of “The Blackstone Ratio” which is based on a statement made by English Jurist William Blackstone, “Better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” Ben Franklin suggested raising the ratio to 100. There are 270 men in Guantanamo Bay, and some officials have estimated that as many as 100 should have never been sent there.

So if Scalia believes that potentially guilty people should be detained in order to prevent Americans from being killed, the surest way of doing that: detain everyone.

Can Justices be ousted? Please?

This Is Not My Representational Government

Here’s what the American people want, according to an MS-NBC survey:

This survey is only a few days old. Even if this is WAY off, the articles of impeachment should not be languishing in the House Judiciary Committee. Our representatives are not reflecting the will of the people who elected them.

Why? Because they know how ornery Republicans can be when it comes to impeachment, and they are afraid of a little quid pro quo.

In the meantime, pork is creeping its way back into congressional earmarks, even though they promised to curb their use last year.

I think our increasingly mis-named “representatives” have forgotten what happens when a populace suffers from taxation without representation. The sad thing is, the people who once threw the King’s tea into the harbor are these days too amused with Brittney and the Lakers to know that they are being anally raped by the people they’ve elected.

Our Government’s appetite will not be sated, and the people will remain amused until they’re not amused anymore. God help us when that happens.