Month: May 2012

I’m not surprised that the Washington Post editorial board doesn’t want to see John Edwards retried after he succeeded in getting a hung jury in his campaign finance trial. The Post and its columnists have never met a politician they wanted to see imprisoned. Scooter Libby is a hero to these people. Torture was just an oopsy. I get that.

And I don’t really know if the government proved their case or not. The jury was divided on that subject. But, as a Democrat, I’d like to see John Edwards punished for making a serious run at the 2008 nomination, which he could well have won, while he and his wife both knew full well that he was carrying out an affair. They both should have known that he was too vulnerable to be the nominee. And they were so selfish and egotistical that they went ahead with the campaign anyway.

Elizabeth was nice woman with a lot of charm, and it’s terrible how she was treated by John. But her judgment was just as bad as his. The staggering irresponsibility of it is not something I will ever forgive. If there were a statute against assholery, John Edwards would never see the light of day again.

I’m posting this just because I can and I feel like it and I think more people should read it. I have always thought that it was not only the best thing Hunter S. Thompson ever wrote, but also one of the few beautiful things he ever wrote. His writing was generally very good, but not in a poignant or nostalgic way. This is different.

Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Five years later? Six? It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era—the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. . . .

History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of “history” it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time—and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.

My central memory of that time seems to hang on one or five or maybe forty nights—or very early mornings—when I left the Fillmore half-crazy and, instead of going home, aimed the big 650 Lightning across the Bay Bridge at a hundred miles an hour wearing L. L. Bean shorts and a Butte sheepherder’s jacket . . . booming through the Treasure Island tunnel at the lights of Oakland and Berkeley and Richmond, not quite sure which turn-off to take when I got to the other end (always stalling at the toll-gate, too twisted to find neutral while I fumbled for change) . . . but being absolutely certain that no matter which way I went I would come to a place where people were just as high and wild as I was: No doubt at all about that. . . .

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .

And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.

. . .

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

I think about this passage quite often. It’s hard to express what it means to me. But it has informed how I think about the reactionaries, how I think of the Old and Evil, how I think about the New Left, how I think about the battle, and what I think is possible.

And in some ways I think we had our own moment in Las Vegas back in 2006. And five, six years later you could look back with the right kind of eyes and see the high-water mark of the progressive blogosphere, when we shared a common purpose and a certainty that we were winning.

It’s an interesting thing that people on both the left and the right are utterly convinced that the traditional media are biased against them. The thing is, it’s basically true, but in a very unequal way. The left’s biggest complaint about the media is that they take objectivity to a point where it is no longer objective. Hunter S. Thompson once justified his Gonzo style of non-factual journalism by saying “you can’t be objective about Richard Nixon.” And you can’t be objective about Scooter Libby feeding you a line of crap about aluminum tubes or Mitt Romney saying he “takes a lot of credit” for the upswing in the auto industry. If someone is lying to you and you just repeat it as a report on what was said, then you’re distorting the truth yourself. And it is just a fact of life that Republicans utilize lies as a basic feature of their political arguments. All politicians like to be selective in their use of facts. Many Democrats will make misleading use of statistics or present facts in a grossly unfair way. But there’s nothing on the Democratic side to compare with the denial of global warming or the complete foolishness of the trickle-down theory. The GOP’s entire fiscal philosophy is based on a lie. Their energy policy is bought and paid for by the oil industry. The result is that we wind up debating what constitutes reality rather than what policies make the most sense.

As for the right, the media is biased against them, too. They’re biased against them because they don’t share their worldview. A New York Times reporter might be personally opposed to abortion but they’re unlikely to think a good way to prevent abortions is to deny people sex education and access to contraception. Most reporters have been educated at top-flight schools in deep blue states, many of which are located in our biggest and most diverse metropolitan areas. They don’t have a whole lot in common with the average Fox News viewer. They’re also well-paid and successful, which makes them happier in general with the status quo than the average person. The system is working just fine for them, so they have trouble relating to the Tea Party (or the Occupy Movement, for that matter).

One final note is that the traditional media also think our system and our government are inherently good. This puts them at odds with many people on both the left and the right who think our system is fatally flawed or generally rotten or badly broken. The media think part of their job is to build respect for our laws, institutions, and leaders, even if they also think part of their job is to keep those things honest. This presents a bit more of a problem for the right than for the left. The left at least partly agrees that our system is good. It believes it can function and do worthwhile things. The right just wants to tear the whole thing down.

Well, we should have seen this coming:

Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod was shouted down Thursday at an event in Boston that was staged to attack Mitt Romney’s record as governor of Massachusetts.

Axelrod called the press conference to hammer home the Obama campaign’s critique of Romney’s time as governor, and brought along officials from around the state to reinforce the message.

But the pro-Obama speakers had to shout to be heard over the “boos” from Romney supporters who showed up for the event….

Mitt Romney has made a habit of using “I’m rubber, you’re glue” rhetoric in attacking President Obama — calling Obama “out of touch” after being called that himself, responding to Obama’s recent statement on gay marriage by charging that Obama is a flip-flopper — and now it appears that the Romney campaign is stealing tactics from Team Obama.

You may recall that there was a great hue and cry when Mitt Romney visited an inner-city neighborhood in Philadelphia and pro-Obama hecklers showed up. Right-wingers were outraged. Rush Limbaugh threw around accusations of reverse racism.

And the folks on Team Romney, who apparently require revenge the way you and I require oxygen, evidently decided that the proper course of action was payback.

Romney supporters responded by chanting “Solllyyynndraaa” like Bruins fans heckling the visiting team.

After he finished his remarks, Axelrod opened the floor to questions, but he couldn’t hear reporters over the protests.

It’s not the deployment of hecklers that shows immaturity — that’s politics. It’s the desperate need to avenge every slight. That’s not how mature people behave.

One thing we know for certain: If Romney wins the presidency, the grownups won’t be in charge.

(X-posted at No More Mister Nice Blog.)

What was the best summer of your life so far, and what did you do?

Mayor Bloomberg is going to create some controversy with this:

The proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces — about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle — would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March.

The measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages; it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.

I’m pretty sure that your reaction to this is a pretty good Rohrshach Test of where you stand on a whole host of issues. Progressives who have a libertarian bent, like myself and most of the A-List bloggers I know, are going to find this to be overly intrusive, even if we are sympathetic to the basic idea.

To me, it falls in same category as recreational drug use. Yes, it’s bad for your health and probably your mind, but the government isn’t making things better by creating a massive black market and turning otherwise law-abiding citizens into petty criminals. So, you now have to get your 20 ounce Coca-Cola at the supermarket instead of Shea CitiBank Stadium. That solves what?

Yet, there is a strain of progressivism that is very strongly in favor of legislation of this type. That’s why, for example, cigarettes are six dollars or more a pack, even though the money raised generally acts as nothing more than a subsidy for rich people so they can pay lower taxes.

First, a word of thanks to everyone who’s already responded to my earlier appeals for the Sr. Mary Hart Children’s Programs.  You are a generous bunch; it’s greatly appreciated, and your money will be well used.

For those who haven’t responded yet, or missed the earlier posts on the topic, it’s not too late to attend or send a donation for the benefit dinner this Saturday,  June 2, 5 pm at St. Katharine Drexel Church Hall, 517 Blue Hill Ave in Dorchester, MA.  Tickets are $15; a table of 8 for $110.

Sr. Mary used to say, ”My gift is that I can recognize other people’s giftedness.“

So when Roodly Dorleans says, “She told us we were urban scholars, urban leaders, and after a while, we believed her“, or when Curtis Diggs says, “I am the person I am today because of (Sr. Mary)“, it’s important to understand they’re also speaking for literally hundreds of kids from Madison Park Village, Whittier St. Housing Development, and all across lower Roxbury who have in fact grown up to become leaders in that community—as well as communities throughout Greater Boston and across the country.  And did so because Sr. Mary was the first  (and at times the only) person outside their family who believed in them, who saw their talents, who wouldn’t give up on them, and who wouldn’t let anyone else—from their teacher, to the local cop, to the mayor—give up on them either.

Your contribution can help make that happen for a new generation of children.  All proceeds will go directly to support the after-school program and summer camp Sr. Mary started. (Write “St. Katharine Drexel” on the memo line of your check.)

Make checks payable to:   Sr. Mary Hart Children’s Program, and mail c/o St. Katharine Drexel Church, 175 Ruggles St., Roxbury MA 02120

Standard Disclaimer:  I haven’t talked much about money on this blog so far, and I don’t expect to in the future.  But Sr. Mary was one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met, and the work she started is one of the most powerful and life-changing programs I’ve ever seen.  If you have the money to give, please do.  Thanks.

Crossposted at: http://masscommons.wordpress.com/

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I just can’t believe the utter ingnorance about the facts of the Second World War displayed in BooMan’s fp story Poland Needs to STFU.

• Poland was divided between Prussia (Germany), Austria and Russia (1918)
• Poland divided in German-Soviet Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact
• The invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany 1939-1945
• Who were running the 7 Nazi death camps in Poland
• Nazi Germany’s General Administration in Poland (no puppet government by collaboration!)
• Warsaw uprising 1944 – 200,000 slaughterd as Stalin watched from across the river
• The most Righteous Nation of Gentiles (Yad Vashem museum in Israel)
• AJC on issue of “Polish” death camps
• 4th Largest Allied forces composed of Poles
• The massacre in Katyn by the Soviets, cover up by President Roosevelt
• Polish Underground Soldiers 1944-1963
• Fighting the Communist occupation during 50 years
• The role of Poland in defeating communism and the Soviet Union in the ’80s

Obama’s ‘Polish Death Camps’ Gaffe Leads To Diplomatic Incident

(Outside The Beltway) – Poles and Polish-Americans expressed outrage today at President Obama’s reference earlier to “a Polish death camp” — as opposed to a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland.

“The White House will apologize for this outrageous error,” Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski tweeted.  Sikorski said that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk “will make a statement in the morning. It’s a pity that this important ceremony was upstaged by ignorance and incompetence.”

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

It’s nice that this young woman finally figured something important out. I am actually kind of hostile to gaming, so it’s hard to get my sympathy on anything gaming-related. But I really enjoyed her article. With any luck, the total shamelessness of the response she received will help her take a few more steps towards self-awareness and find some new hobbies that don’t involve a bunch of young adults treating opportunity costs as a religion. After all, every hour you spend playing Gears of War 3, or any similar game, is an hour you didn’t learn a thing worth learning, and didn’t make a dime. The best revenge is either living well or being happy. Obsessive video game play has never produced either of those results for anyone.