Month: December 2008

I resolve to be less gloomy.

Your turn.

Neither my wife nor I are feeling good about the Middle East this morning.  Some background first: Elly is Jewish by descent and I am from an Episcopalian household. Although neither of us are believers in a God or practitioners of a religion, it doesn’t remove a cultural background from our family.

Our son Bud, who is now in his mid twenties and in the process of applying to grad schools, is, by default, half Jewish by cultural descent.
Israel has a Right of Return program which lets all American Jews (since it is his mother who is Jewish, Bud is, by cultural definition, as much a Jew as if both his parents were) which Bud was accepted in and is scheduled to make his trip to Israel very early in 2009. Everything is paid for by the Israelis and extreme precautions are taken to keep participants safe during the trip. Bud is in the last year that he qualifies for this trip… and after 2009 he will no longer be eligible… and he wants to go.

Now the Fighting over the Gaza Strip actions has brought Israel and Hamas to the point of extreme violence: missiles being fired by Hamas at Israel which have killed 4 people as of this morning, and jets bombing the Gaza strip which has killed over 300 Palestinians as of this morning. A 48-hour cease fire that was supposed to be in effect since yesterday didn’t hold, and they are back at it.

On top of that, Iranian fundamentalists are seeking their government’s approval to send suicide bombers from Iran into the Gaza strip to worm their way over the Israeli border and kill civilians deep into Israeli territory.

This is where our fear really bubbles up. No matter how far the Israeli organizers of this program go to keep their American charges safe, there is nothing stopping a suicide bomber attack at a seemingly safe location… a mall, or a movie theatre, or a cafe… and we could lose our son.

Up until yesterday, I don’t think Bud was really worried about it, but now he informs us that he has requested information on the possibility of getting his travel deposit (we pay the plane fare) back. I’m sure he hopes he doesn’t have to do that. And if he doesn’t go this year, he won’t be able to do it at all.

So we keep our attention glued to MSNBC and CNN and are waiting to see what happens… and we don’t feel very good about it.

Under The LobsterScope

I looked in my 3 volume The Complete Calvin and Hobbes and found that this strip ran on 4/4/1993.

I need new blogs to read.

What exactly is a Magic Negro?

Oh, this better not be true:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said.

Shortly after Obama’s Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich’s arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor’s support.

Who is Roland Burris?

Roland W. Burris is a politician and statewide officer in the U.S. state of Illinois. Burris served as Comptroller of Illinois from 1979 to 1991 and as Attorney General of Illinois from 1991 to 1995. He now maintains a political consulting firm called Burris & Lebed Consulting, LLC.

Burris was the first African-American to win statewide office in Illinois. He might make a fine U.S. Senator, but the Senate has already made clear that they will not seat a Blago-appointed pick. All this will do is embarrass the Democratic Party and make a mess of everything.

BREAKING 12:23 PM ET: Report: Blago To Appoint Roland Burris To Senate

Who is Roland Burris?

Chicago Tribune:

Blagojevich to name Burris to Senate

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said.

Shortly after Obama’s Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich’s arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor’s support.

UPDATE: It’s official. Mr. Burris says, “I accept.”

And out comes the race card?

Blagojevich snubs Senate, taps Burris for seat

Brushing aside charges that he tried to sell Illinois’ vacant U.S. Senate seat, Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the post today in defiance of Senate leaders who said they would not admit anyone he selected.

It was an abrupt about-face for Blagojevich, who had said after his Dec. 9 corruption arrest that he favored a special election to find a successor to President-elect Barack Obama. But Blagojevich said he acted after the Democratic-controlled General Assembly declined to approve legislation for a special election.

“Please don’t allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man,” Blagojevich said while introducing Burris at a downtown news conference.

Blagojevich’s move seemed designed to trump fellow Democrats who control the U.S. Senate and have unanimously warned him against making the appointment because of the criminal charges. His choice of Burris, Illinois’ first African-American elected statewide, presents senators with the dilemma of saying no to a replacement for Obama, who was the nation’s only black senator.

That point was driven home at the news conference by Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago, who said it’s a matter of national importance that an African-American replace Obama in the Senate.

“Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the Senate…this is just not a state of Illinois matter,” Rush said.

“I would ask you to not hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer,” Rush also said. “Roland Burris is worthy.”

[.]

Burris said he spoke with Blagojevich Sunday night about the appointment.

“I was asked if he would appoint me would I accept and the answer is yes,” said Burris, who offered no comment on the governor’s legal situation.

Blagojevich praised Burris for his “unquestioned integrity” and “extensive experience,” calling him a senior statesman.

Blagojevich has not been convicted or impeached. Former Gov. Jim Thompson tells NPR’s, “All Things Considered” .. this (Burris) appointment to the U.S. Senate is perfectly legal.

In an episode reminiscent of the U.S.S. Liberty, the Israeli Navy bumped and damaged a boat carrying former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney.

A boat carrying international peace activists, including former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said.

The crowds on the docks in the Lebanese port city of Tyre were jubilant and cheering as they welcomed the vessel.

The boat, which set off from Cyprus Monday wanted to make a statement and deliver medical supplies to embattled Gaza. The trip’s organizers said the boat was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast of Gaza, at the time of its close encounter with the Israeli navy.

“Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side,” McKinney told CNN Tuesday morning. “Our mission was a peaceful mission. Our mission was thwarted by the aggressiveness of the Israeli military.”

Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, denied there had been any shooting although the two ships had made “physical contact.”

A little perspective, via a September 4, 2004 article in the Washington Post:

In 2002, two Democrats in Congress with records of voting against Israel’s interests — Reps. Earl Hilliard of Alabama and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia — faced primary opponents who received substantial support from Jewish donors. A majority of AIPAC board members gave to either McKinney’s challenger or Hilliard’s or both. Hilliard and McKinney lost. Bill Banks, McKinney’s campaign manger, charged that AIPAC had made her the “No. 1 candidate to try to remove from office.” AIPAC denied the accusation.

Of course, McKinney speaks out against AIPAC (here’s a video of a speech she made on February 2, 2008 on the subject to the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA)):

McKinney is lucky the Israelis didn’t torpedo and firebomb her boat and leave her for dead, as they did to over 200 Americans on the U.S.S. Liberty. It’s no accident that they damaged her vessel.

Vanity Fair actually did it.