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Thank Goodness for Barney Frank
I have long been a fan of Rep. Barney Frank. Fiercely progressive, staggeringly intelligent, and incredibly effective. The New York Times has a great profile of Rep. Frank. Check out the whole piece, but here is one of my favorite parts:
When Representative Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, criticized a component of the housing bill that would give money to local governments to buy and repair foreclosed properties, saying it would not protect homeowners from foreclosure, Mr. Frank fired back that preventing foreclosures was the goal of a different bill.
“The notion that this bill doesn’t keep people out of foreclosure is true,” he said. “It doesn’t combat global warming. It doesn’t get troops out of Iraq. It won’t help me lose weight. There are a lot of things this bill won’t do that I very much want to do. None of them are a reason to vote against a bill that doesn’t do what it doesn’t say it’s going to do but does what it does. What it does is go to the aid of cities that have been victimized.”
Danny
Communications Director
Show: Expand All Reply
Together with our beloved jc today. ♥ ♡ ♥
(Thanks to puddle on the last thread for the hearts that I copy-pasted here.)
wanted to know why we never (well, almost never) comment on the thread post.
*******
BFA is a free-flowing, stream of conscious-venting of all our frustrations against the RW warmongering powers who control the MSM. The major constant is that we are admirers of Howard Dean and any other person who has the courage to speak truth to power.
Occasionally we address the thread post. More often, we do not. Thread posters should not generally take anything amiss from this because we generally also do read and appreciate their posts, with particular admiration for those in various DFA-related groups who are working so hard to elect progressive candidates.
But if one is uncomfortable with lack of *structure,* BFA will likely continue to make that person uncomfortable. If one justs lets onself go with the flow, one can fit right in nicely, whether is it politics or recipes that are being discussed.
To me personally, BFA is a great reminder of what I find to be great about America.
********
btw, I second Danny's comment: *Thank goodness for Barney Frank* ... troo dat (in the immortal words of puddle).
****
There is a great comment, dating from a couple days back, that is currently making the rounds about the tragic (if not outright criminal) futility of the Clueless One.
This is one case where the individual's *accidents* (in the philosophical sense) have given her much greater goodwill generally that she would otherwise have had. But to no avail because she is either so clearly incompetent ... or too criminally proficient ... at the jobs she has been assigned.
In this case, many lives on both sides, as well as third parties, have been and continue to be lost needlessly and tragically while Condi's travels continue.
============
The Tragic Futility of Condoleezza Rice
Fifteen visits to the Middle East in fifteen months, yet Condoleezza Rice has nearly nothing to show for it. George Bush and his influencers account for part of her failure - and her weak tentative and very limited approach to Arab-Israeli issues, says Patrick Seale.
[...]
Far from contributing to a resolution of the conflict, she has unwittingly demonstrated America’s striking loss of influence -- not least with its Israeli ally. She has also not escaped personal humiliation.
Whenever she moans, as she has done on her previous visits, about Israel’s expanding settlements, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promptly authorizes the construction of more housing units -- hardly waiting for her to take off from Ben Gurion airport. It is nothing less than a smack in the face, but she has always come back for more.
It is probable that no previous American Secretary of State has devoted so much time and effort to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- to so little effect.
[...]
Why has Condoleezza Rice been so ineffective? The ultimate responsibility must, of course, rest with her boss, President Bush, who clearly has not given her the means or the authority to act decisively, largely because of his own poor grasp of the subject and because of the many influences on him: Vice-President Dick Cheney, Eliott Abrams -- the neo-con in charge of the Middle East at the National Security Council -- and the many Washington lobbies and think tanks committed to the Israeli cause. The time when the United States was any sort of an honest broker has long since past.
[...]
Free from any semblance of US pressure, Israel has continued settlement building on Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It has failed to evacuate any of the more than 100 illegal West Bank outposts, halt lethal military incursions into Palestinian towns and villages, release any of the more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, or dismantle the more than 500 roadblocks that make Palestinian life a misery. Meanwhile, the siege of Gaza remains ruthlessly in place.
[...]
It takes no expert to understand that there can be no peace in the Middle East that excludes two major players: Syria and the Islamic movement Hamas, which rules in Gaza. Yet Rice defends a policy which, instead of engaging with Syria, sanctions and seeks to isolate it, while treating Hamas, victor of the democratic Palestinian elections of January 2006, as a terrorist organization.
Condoleezza Rice has even gone so far as to depict the men of Hamas as "proxy warriors for Iran" -- a real howler in view of the movement’s origins in the Muslim Brotherhood and its purely Palestinian objectives -- and has accused it of "taking the Gaza population hostage" and of "building a terrorist infrastructure."
Instead of working for a reconciliation between Hamas and Mahmud Abbas’ Fatah -- essential for any serious progress towards peace -- she wants them to fight each other, still entertaining the Israeli illusion that Hamas can be subdued by brute force.
[...]
The most extraordinary feature of Condoleezza Rice’s diplomacy is that she is not seeking any sort of firm compact, or treaty, or commitment from both sides, enshrining clear undertakings and timelines, but rather a "shelf agreement," a poor creature hitherto unknown in the annals of peace-making.
What is a "shelf agreement"? As its name suggests, it is an agreement that can be put on the shelf until its signatories judge the time ripe to implement it -- which is certainly not now and probably never.
[...]
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=25785
Jeremy will no doubt be labeled a *self-hating Jew* for continuing, against great odds, to speak truth to power.
But do give him a read because he makes a lot of sense.
===========
5
Myths on Who's Really 'Pro-Israel'
By Jeremy Ben-Ami; Sunday, May 11, 2008; B03
Six decades ago, my father fought alongside Menachem Begin for Israel's independence. If you'd have told him back then that politicians in the world's last superpower would be jockeying today to see who can be more "pro-Israel," he would have laughed at you. Grateful as I am for decades of U.S. friendship with Israel, I have to wonder, as the state my father helped found turns 60, just who is defining what it means to be pro-Israel in the United States these days.
Some purported keepers of that flame claim that supporting Israel means reflexively supporting every Israeli action and implacably opposing every Israeli foe -- adopting the talking points of neoconservatives and the most right-wing elements of the American Jewish and Christian Zionist communities. Criticize or question Israeli behavior and you're labeled "anti-Israel," or worse. But unquestioning encouragement for short-sighted Israeli policies such as expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank isn't real friendship. (Would a true friend not only let you drive home drunk but offer you their Porsche and a shot of tequila for the road?) Israel needs real friends, not enablers. And forging a healthy friendship with Israel requires bursting some myths about what it means to be pro-Israel.
[...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/08/AR2008050801521_pf.html
- Here is an article that I believe may find particular resonance with Monica
By JudyforDean on May 13, 2008 4:13 AMbecause she seems to be one most attuned to this.
In fact, she may already have posted some of this information.
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Twilight of the Psychopaths
by Dr. Kevin Barrett
“Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it.” – John Lennon, before his murder by CIA mind-control subject Mark David Chapman.
When Gandhi was asked his opinion of Western civilization he said it would be a good idea. But that oft-cited quote, is misleading, assuming as it does that civilization is an unmitigated blessing.
Civilized people, we are told, live peacefully and cooperatively with their fellows, sharing the necessary labour in order to obtain the leisure to develop arts and sciences. And while that would be a good idea, it is not a good description of what has been going on in the so-called advanced cultures during the past 8,000 years.
Civilization, as we know it, is largely the creation of psychopaths. All civilizations, our own included, have been based on slavery and “warfare.” Incidentally, the latter term is a euphemism for mass murder.
[...]
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2008/01/02/02073.html
Wind Can Supply 20% of U.S. Electricity, Report Says
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; D07
The Energy Department said yesterday that the United States has the ability to meet 20 percent of its electricity-generation needs with wind by 2030, enough to displace 50 percent of natural gas consumption and 18 percent of coal consumption.
[...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202596_pf.html
tens of thousands of Chinese and potentially millions in Myanmar.
With the tornadoes, we've had tragedies of our own on a much smaller scale.
But scale is meaningless to all families of those affected.
If *Rapturists* are seizing upon such events as proof of the Second Coming, then their versions of God and godliness are VERY far from my own.
==============
Thousands die in China quake
Tania Branigan in Dujiangyan and agencies
- Tuesday May 13 2008
Rescuers were struggling this morning to reach victims of the devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people in central China and trapped thousands more in the rubble of collapsed schools, factories, hospitals and homes.
Road, rail, air and phone links to the epicentre of the 7.9 magnitude shock were cut, hampering relief efforts and the flow of information on the scale of the catastrophe. Some Chinese troops were marching up to 100 miles through the night to reach affected areas.
Earlier this morning, authorities put the death toll in the worst affected province, Sichuan, at almost 10,000, with more than 7,000 in one county alone.
[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/13/china/print
Yes, it is dreadful. But, this is one of the vagaries of nature we organize governments to deal with and, if the reports are true, the Chinese government is doing just that. In Burma, on the other hand, the government is into power and exercising control and is unable to respond appropriately.
Anyway, i was reading through the report about the contractors and the only thought I had was that if you've got a fake security situation, then it doesn't matter what resources are expended and processes are followed. I mean, there's little point in worrying about quality, if you're out to make a mess and destroy.
- Do check out the *Psychopaths* article, Monica ...
By JudyforDean on May 13, 2008 4:47 AM... and *Co just wants to continue studying the problem.
===========
World carbon dioxide levels highest for 650,000 years, says US report
· Rise in chief greenhouse gas worse than feared
· Earth may be losing ability to absorb CO2, say scientists
David Adam, environment correspondent
The Guardian, Tuesday May 13 2008
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to the latest figures, renewing fears that climate change could begin to slide out of control.
Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.
The figures, published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on its website, also confirm that carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected. The annual mean growth rate for 2007 was 2.14ppm - the fourth year in the last six to see an annual rise greater than 2ppm. From 1970 to 2000, the concentration rose by about 1.5ppm each year, but since 2000 the annual rise has leapt to an average 2.1ppm.
[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/13/carbonemissions.climatechange/print
- Must be all those cannabis users, though planting does put oxygen back into the air - hear that Congress??
By Denise in San Mateo County on May 13, 2008 9:19 AMbut since 2003, it has not.
Now it will likely be reduced to rubble, to now, the most lasting legacy of the illegal invasion and occupation of that country by the US and its *Coalition of the Coerced and Bribed.*
Ah yes, those *freedoms* that *they* hate us for.
==============
'Ghost city' Mosul braces for assault on last bastion of al-Qa'ida in Iraq
By Patrick Cockburn in Mosul
Monday, 12 May 2008
Mosul looks like a city of the dead. American and Iraqi troops have launched an attack aimed at crushing the last bastion of al- Qa'ida in Iraq and in doing so have turned the country's northern capital into a ghost town.
Soldiers shoot at any civilian vehicle on the streets in defiance of a strict curfew. Two men, a woman and child in one car which failed to stop were shot dead yesterday by US troops, who issued a statement saying the men were armed and one made "threatening movements".
Mosul, on the Tigris river, is inhabited by 1.4 million people, but has been sealed off from the outside world by hundreds of police and army checkpoints since the Iraqi government offensive against al-Qa'ida began at 4am on Saturday. The operation is a critical part of an attempt to reassert military control over Iraq which has led to heavy fighting in Baghdad and Basra.
[...]
there's not been any discussion about the appropriateness of establishing military control over a nominal democracy, has there? That's the key to the democratic farce that's being perpetrated in Iraq.
hope that others are merely enjoying a good rest and not experiencing blog problems.
*******
It's Juan Cole's ME tour d'horizon for today w/lots of good links ... and, in his website at www.juancole.com there are some other good comments.
Thanks again, *Co for a *governance* that has made the world about as unsafe as it can be.
=============
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Dangers facing the World
As if Iraq was not enough to worry about, some important political developments in Lebanon, and even in the Yemen have raised the temperature of the Middle East . . .
[...]
http://www.juancole.com/2008/05/dangers-facing-world.html#comments
Morning, kiddles. Today, this West-By-God-Virginian is going to go vote for Barack Obama.
I've never been to West Virginia, from photos I've seen, looks like a beautiful state.
The bloggers over at Obama site who have been calling West Virginia, say the people are wonderful.
“You think this crowd’s noisy?” said West Virginia Senate Majority Leader Harry Truman Chafin. “Just wait ‘til we win like 80-20.”
“We’ve got to give her a vote tomorrow of 80-20 or 90-10,” he added moments later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So. If Obama does better than that, he "wins" ~~ can't say Hill doesn't have *really* dumb support. . . ..
Morning Puddles and all.
I have been asked by Democratic Party members to run for the Connecticut state House of Representatives. It is a tough seat with a decent current representative.
I have a lot of work to do in short order to prepare . . . . . . bbl.
I can't honestly say that West Virginia has the eyes of the nation upon it today as you say puddles - Clinton needs a victory of that 80-20% magnitude to even begin to turn the tide and make Kentucky relevant on the 20th.
The media can yackety-yack all they want before the results come in, but they will end up stating the obvious - it's over for Senator Clinton.
My observation all along has been that in terms of personality, Senator Clinton is the Alpha Male in this race ( the active agressive man ) and Senator Obama has been the Strong Yet Certain personality ( the kind usually associated with the world's great female role models ).
This is why I like Obama's personality so much - he's got all the exceptional personality characteristics that I have seen throughout my life in the women I most respect.
And, as always . . . . . .
puddle -
Go get em with your vote today !
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGBdcb
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By Christopher Hass - May 13th, 2008 at 6:36 am EDT |
Right now, people across West Virginia are heading to their polling locations to cast their votes. Polls are open from 6:30 AM. to 7:30 PM, and you can look up your polling location online now.
...
If you are in line when the polls close at 7:30 PM, you have the right to vote.
First-time voters who registered by mail should bring a valid and current photo ID, current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or a government document that shows the name and address of the voter.
The primary is open to Democrats and Independents. Independents need to request a Democratic ballot to vote in the Democratic primary.
...
Jack Johnson MD, a switch.
Anita Bonds, DC.
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/05/stuff-i-shoul-4.html
Hoping Obama picks up enough SDs today to counter WV.
Jack Johnson from Maryland is switching to Obama from Clinton but he's not an super delegate but rather a pledged delegate.
Not to worry. WV isn't going to "influence" anything. Nor is it big enough to impact the math seriously. Me? I'm praying for a miracle, lol!
http://thepage.time.com/obama-release-on-indiana-superdelegate-endorsement/
CHICAGO, IL — Today, Indiana Congressman Joe Donnelly endorsed Barack Obama for President,
...
see you at democracyfest.
Switching channels around late last night early morning, half asleep, I could have sworn I heard one of those news programs say that Clintons memorabilia at airports have gone on sale half price.
Clinton camp cannot be happy.
-- a Sierra Leonean view of an English club:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7396348.stm
Sierra Leone ode to Man Utd win
A former Sierra Leone international footballer has composed a song to celebrate Manchester United winning the English league.
"Come join us in our dance to celebrate Manchester United's victory," sings Umaru Rahman, alias Gallon Pan.
The English Premier League is keenly followed in Sierra Leone, as in many countries around the world.
...
"Manchester are the champions," he sings in the local Krio language.
...
the song:
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Remember this picture from 2005?