Mike's Blog Round Up
Arvin Hill: American jurisprudence gone BUCK-wild! (Although sometimes it’s nice to hear from a Vogon, as opposed to the usual Krikkiters.)
Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus, on losers, leftnecks, and trench liberals: “So the party of Roosevelt begins to dimly understand that now is the opportunity to re-associate itself with populism. The problem is that Democratic Party ‘leadership’ has no notion of what populism means.”
Then again, asks Alternate Brain, how do you get through to the 60-year-old man who told Michael Moore he’d “rather have no insurance than socialized medicine”? Badtux the Snarky Penguin has one compelling argument.
Jon Swift: All work and no play makes Jonah a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jonah a dull boy. All work and no play . . . .
Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, on the London and Glasgow car bombers: “Amateur does not do justice as a description of these attackers - absolute rubbish comes closer to it.”
The Danger Room interviews “exotic weaponeer” John Alexander, who admits that government-sponsored witches “lacked discipline and protocols.”
Your Right-Hand Thief: Rush Limbaugh, “student of dialects” (and champion of “distinct American culture”).
Christopher Brauchli at Spot On: As Dick Cheney understands, the Constitution is a living, breathing thing that will writhe and squeal if you poke it with a stick.
Guest round-up by Simbaud, King of Zembla. We’d like to thank our gracious colleagues at C&L for allowing us the use of the venue while your regular host, Mike, implements his longstanding plan to debauch all of Eastern Europe. If you find any spare links lying about, by all means send them to Yr. Mst. Hmbl. Crspndnt., simbaud AT gmail DOT com.
“Equally important is CFR’s influence in the mass media …. They control or own major newspapers, magazines, radio and television networks …”
-Admiral Chester Ward
(CFR and USN, Retired)
In Mississippi, the Bush DOJ has finally brought and won a case of voting supppression under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It should come as no surprise that the Bush White House was trying to protect white voters...
For the story, see:
"DOJ Wins Mississippi White Voter Suppression Case."
People in nations who have universal health care laugh at Americans.
Their doctors laugh, their pharmacists laugh, their citizens laugh.
We're takin' it up the rear, but not willing to do a damn thing about it.
All the while, the world laughs.
The Curse of Dick Cheney
By the end of the first Bush administration, others had come to the conclusion that Cheney and his followers were dangerous. “They were referred to collectively as the crazies,” recalls Ray McGovern, a CIA professional who interpreted intelligence for presidents going back to Kennedy.
Those who have known him over the years remain astounded by what they describe as his almost autistic indifference to the thoughts and feelings of others. "He has the least interest in human beings of anyone I have ever met," says John Perry Barlow, his former supporter. Cheney's freshman-year roommate, Steve Billings, agrees: "If I could ask Dick one question, I'd ask him how he could be so unempathetic."
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/6450422/the_curse_of_dick_che...
Why would anybody wonder why some old fart would make such a declaration against his own betterment? Because people are incredibly stupid. Recently, another poll said 41% still believe Iraq was involved in 9/11. Another poll states 26% think Bush/Cheney are doing a "heck of a job", while thousands vote against their best interests because of fear of homosexual marriage, flag-burners, abortionists, etc. We have a nation that buys lies w/o question, lacks the common sense to investigate and read. How many millions watch FOX, listen to rightwingnuts spew their ignorance and hate, think Ann Coulter is great, and then vomit out all this filth, hate and ignorance with pride? You can be sure that 60 year old will be first in line to receive his SS $ but thinks socialized medicine is bad. In a global economy it makes sense that you have to relieve business of as many cost burdens as possible to compete with other nations that don't impose medical insurance on the employers. Besides, I think their is a fairness bigotry in this country. God forbid "the haves" have to share with "the have-nots".
I happen to be one of those 60+ Americans that don't have any health insurance. I used to have it where I paid 1/2 and my employer paid 1/2. When the employer decided he couldn't afford to do that any more and the premiums were going up 30% annually I without a doubt couldn't afford it either. My biggest thanks goes to my good health so far. My biggest fear is if something happened where I would be in severe pain for an extended length of time. Universal health care is a right, not a privalege. The caller still has a right to stay with whatever plan he wants. The HMOs will be glad to rip him for as long as he is willing to pay.
Thank you for linking to Alternate Brain, they so deserve it. Bad Tux deserves it too. :)
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"“So the party of Roosevelt begins to dimly understand that now is the opportunity to re-associate itself with populism. The problem is that Democratic Party ‘leadership’ has no notion of what populism means.”
If that nutcake Bageant thinks FDR was a populist -- he doesn't have a clue about American history. And just wants to libertarian bash the Democrats, anyhow.
'Populism' has NEVER been equivalent to liberalism. It's the MOB. Populism is about crowds of ignorant people driven by parochial interests, riding on the basic inequalities of this (or any) society.
It's always humorous when the INDIVIDUALS, the artists, the intellectuals, the thoughtful ones who want to INTEGRATE because it is RIGHT, are bashed by those who want to empower the mob because they crave political masterstrokes.
FDR accomplished his major works in the first 100 days. Then he got almost nothing accomplished until the war. Why? Because the public didn't populist enough? No, because the rightwing Congress blocked every effort.
OUR Congress, our Dem leadership, the problem isn't 'understanding populism' -- it's OVERCOMING THE RIGHTWING POPULIST MOVEMENT, which is more than happy to ride a traitor and his conspiracy to their imagined ends.
Nice round-up, Simbaud.
I'm a little non-plussed by the Arvin Hill piece. Posner is a bit of a strange bird but he's generally respected by liberals and conservatives alike as a great legal thinker (he's not, as the Australian article claims, "supposedly liberal-leaning"). I'm liberal and I'm inclined to give Posner the benefit of the doubt. I don't think the quotes attributed to him necessarily merit the level of response he got from the Australian and the blogger, although perhaps with more context I'd change my mind.
"Presidential Daily Briefing" Redux
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What is your conceptual, continuity?
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