Why not to say "No comment" to the semi-news media

12 marto 2010, 02.38

See http://www.pjfi.org/?opinions=24

Unanswerable prayers

11 marto 2010, 03.22

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of people, in their prayers to the deity, and in the post mortem analysis of those prayers, don’t take account of the deity’s inability to change the past? It seems to me the god would be annoyed at being asked for that which not even he/she could provide; ‘Take what you have received already’, I imagine the deity answering, ‘and pray instead for the future.’

I may be an atheist now, but it’s not as if I don’t find myself begging for things from the deity, out of habit. I have found that it is very anxiety-generating to beg about things that have already been "decided" and cannot possibly be changed, even if I do not yet know that "decision".

Reflexive McCarthyism

5 marto 2010, 02.59

Recently seen: Brent Budowsky characterizing Republican viciousness as ‘un-American’.

Avoiding politics

24 februaro 2010, 13.44

I have been avoiding politics lately, and when I took a brief look the last few days I noticed that the ‘public option’ obstruction was still there to justify my sabbatical. See also http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/02/few-final-thoughts-on-ublicpay.html

Unbelievable (except all too believable)

10 februaro 2010, 16.49

(Warning: ‘plot’ details are revealed below.)

A prosecutor who touts her ability to read minds and who believes her bizarre fantasies to be ‘evidence’: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30016093/ns/dateline_nbc-crime_reports/

Based only on the case presented here, in his signature ghost-story manner by Matthew Perry’s stepdad, here is how I proceed in the jury room. I ignore totally the testimony of the jailhouse snitch. I ignore totally the testimony of the self-professed earwitness. (I would ignore it even if she had claimed to be an eyewitness.) The fantasies of the prosecutor I totally ignore; in fact, generally, I would ignore stories made up prosecutors or police; I want evidence, not a story. I do not need to know exactly how things unfolded, just who was involved and in what capacity; if you provide too much of a story, then I’m actually going to be inclined to doubt your own ability to present evidence. (Stories by the defense are a different matter; if any plausible story exists is given by the defense, then I will find ‘not guilty’.) So I am left with the entire evidence being that some traces of a husband’s DNA were found on the body of his wife.

Honestly, I don’t know whether the guy is guilty or not, but I have a real problem with prosecutors of this sort, who think they have ESP. (Judge Judy has the same problem, but luckily her TV show could only result in an adverse small claims arbitration, not jail, poverty, loss of reputation.)

Feingoldism

10 februaro 2010, 01.50

Feingoldism: a system of government in which an elected legislative body or congress acts at and according to the will of a separately elected president.

Waa waa, so-called legislators

8 februaro 2010, 23.39

This is no comment on Mr. Obama’s leadership, but I want every goddam halfass legislator who has griped publicly or privately about Obama’s claimed lack of leadership to make a public statement of what thing it is that they want the president to lead them into giving up or accepting, and then give that thing up or accept it.

Goddam excuses for a co-equal branch. We may have ethical felons in the Supreme Court, but I don’t think we have had one that fed on the president’s breast milk since Berger and Nixon.

The message

29 januaro 2010, 23.06

President to Republicans: ‘Just relax and let the hooks do their work.’

President’s Question Time and the 2012 campaign

29 januaro 2010, 20.18

In question time with the Republican congresscritters, Obama showed that he knows exactly what they are up to, and even pointed out to they are painting themselves into a corner. At the same time he knows darn well that similar crap is coming from the Democratic side.

He’s not going to stop; it’s going to be like this for the next three years. He’s going to keep his promise that was the central aspect of the substantive part of his campaign, to work on the tone in Washington.

The 2012 campaign theme is going to be that he has begun to change the tone in Washington. That’s a prediction. Let’s see if it happens.

The pen of Thom Hartmann

29 januaro 2010, 19.52

I’ve figured out why Thom Hartmann writes so many books; it’s to remove all doubt.

Legal "persons"

28 januaro 2010, 17.47

Since there is much misinformation about the unfortunate legal formulation of a ‘person’, here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_person

It is an unfortunate term, but wouldn’t cause quite such trouble if the ruling classes in the US, employing plays on words, had not taken advantage of a legal screw-up over a hundred years old.

The above is why I don’t join in much on the mockery. It’s a difficult problem, at this point perhaps soluble only by constitutional amendment written very carefully.

When do we get the Republican response?

27 januaro 2010, 21.41

When do we get the Republican response? Is it going to come after the Tea Party response?

Not tuned in

27 januaro 2010, 14.26

On yesterday’s Rachel Maddow show Robert Reich speculated that the budget freeze is to placate Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Joe Lieberman, etc. When asked what Obama should do instead, Reich said Obama should explain to these people the importance of spending government money right now.

Ooookay.

(It’s an election year gimmick, Mr. Reich. It’s meant for all the Democrats to use in counter-bamboozling their voters.)

Some background on the filibuster

25 januaro 2010, 20.13

See http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/filibuster-20-how-41-senators-control-the-country-without-actually-filibustering.php

This idea of making the filibusterers actually do it the old way is a very bad one, in my opinion, and usually seems to have these three inexplicit goals, among others: (1) make the filibusterers experience physical discomfort, (2) make the filibusterers open to mockery, (3) spread magic fairy dust over the United States, so that a miracle occurs and everything is wonderful from then on.

Even to discuss (1) would be degrading. As for (2), the predominant mockery actually would go the other way – and with good cause. Goal (3) is more of the same from these people.

Requiring 60 for cloture seems to me a good idea, given that the Senate is loaded up with people like Pat Leahy, Kent Conrad, Olympia Snowe, etc., whose power is astoundingly great, considering the tiny populations they represent. Wasting time for the sake of mockery, on the other hand, is far better done by watching a Marx brothers movie.

A person I do not like

25 januaro 2010, 17.46

I do not like Bernie Sanders. Not enough to want to see him replaced with Generic De Facto Democrat (or a Republican), however. He is not ineffectual, like Kucinich; he is not short of caring, like Kucinich; but he does seem to specialize in red herrings, well-tainting, half-truth, and so on. He is in my register as a demagogue. (I might say ‘populist’, except that term has been rehabilitated for some reason.)

I just listened to a Sanders tirade against Ben Bernanke, and I’m not sure if a single thing he said – I mean shouted like a maniac – was relevant. I don’t mind opposing an appointment, but please try not to sound like a tinpot dictator.