UPDATE for the Morning: After some thought, and a review of Eric Holder’s record, I realize I was too harsh about his record in my post yesterday. All things considered, he has been one of the better Attorney Generals who has served in my lifetime.
Is his record perfect? No. Far from it. But in retrospect, he has been fighting a difficult rearguard action against attempts to weaken civil rights and voting rights, and he has been a staunch advocate for the legal rights of minorities and the LGBT community. He also did an admirable job in cleaning up what a very corrupt department left to him by his predecessors from the Bush administration, Alberto Gonzales and John Ashcroft.
He still has his flaws (and I still disagree with many of the administration’s policies he implemented), but what political figure does not? I tend to expect too much of Democratic officials, forgetting the limitations and constraints, political and bureaucratic, with which they are forced to contend. In the face of often vicious and racist attacks from those on the right, he defended myself and his record with great conviction and far more civility than I would have demonstrated had I been the object of the kind of ad hominem attacks and vile hate speech he faced on a daily basis.
As for me personally, I apologize for my snippy and condescending remarks in the comment thread of the Holder post. I should have been better than that. I’m sorry.
I am a bit under the weather, so I am going back to bed, but I hope those who did not see this post last night read it in its entirety. I still have no news to report on Booman this morning, unfortunately.
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Hi people.
For those who have expressed concern, I don’t have anything about Booman’s health status. I really wish that I did. I figure when Cabin Girl (Martin’s wife and member here) wants to let us all know she will likely post something herself telling everyone. Until then I am as in the dark as you. I figure its pretty serious whatever it is.
Second, please keep posting diaries, those who write. I need them. I am a bit under the weather myself, as I’m taking corticosteroids for a flare up of the symptoms I get from my my own autoimmune disorder TRAPS (Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Cell Associated Periodic Syndrome). You can google TRAPS disease if you’re curious. I’ve written about it before here, but a lot of those stories were written several years ago, and I am too tired and worn down to go looking for the links.
A little info about me for those who do not know much about me, as I have been an infrequent poster here and elsewhere for several years and newer members might not know. I just turned 58 this month, and yes I am white. I came out as a Bisexual here online about two years ago. However, I’m married to my beautiful wife and have been faithful to her. She’s a pancreatic cancer survivor who suffered brain damage (particularly to the neurons that connect the hemispheres of her brain) from chemotherapy, which yes, has been confirmed by the doctors and by medical research done regarding the specific chemo drug she took. But she’s alive, and working very hard to rebuild her neural connections anyway she can. She’s the toughest, strongest person I know.
There are a lot of you I don’t know that well, and I have never been as active in the comment threads here as Martin, even in my own posts when I posted here every day. So with a few exceptions, I do not know what your lives are like or much about you. I may say something that offends you because of who I am, and I may be very be wrong at times and fail to realize that fact. I will do my best to apologize when that happens. I’m as subject to my own biases and blind spots as anyone else, but I do try to recognize when I’ve made a mistake. Hopefully I’ll keep those to a minimum.
Oh and lastly, one more time – Please Keep Writing Diaries! I need your work for the front page. No one wants to hear what I have to say all the time, including me. Thanks for your patience and general good will. It is much appreciated.
I’m going to go and zone out on mindless TV now.
Have a great night.
Thanks for all your efforts here, Steven!
Much appreciated – thank you.
I still feel like you originally did. Had those things happened the country would either have blown up or begun to cleanse itself. Doing worthwhile valuable work doesn’t somehow obviate condoning what may be the biggest crimes ever committed against this country.
I disagree with the policy decision, but on reflection I suspect it was likely made by Geithner and Summers and the President following their advice. What role Holder played in the decision to not diligently prosecute the folks at Goldman Sachs, et al. I don’t know, but my gut tells me he probably was carrying out the administration’s policy that was decided by others, including all the political advisors fearful of losing Wall Street campaign money.
I wasn’t offended by your posts, but I do appreciate you owning up for the sake of moving the conversation forward.
In other news, I’m shocked that a police officer who shot an unarmed black man has actually been fired. Yes, it was egregious and without the dashcam footage of the incident the officer might have just lied about the whole thing. But even so I’m surprised that there was actual discipline handed down and a criminal charge to boot.
http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/19/3691833_patrol-fires-sc-trooper-involved.html?rh=1
Yes, but at first the local DA called it a clean shoot. Amazing that this guy was fired. I hope he goes to jail.
Don’t mean to go off topic but since this was where we received our last Booman update, I just want to say how much I miss they guy. I know I’m not alone in this. Though I’ve never met Martin in person, or spoke to him on the phone, his absence makes me realize how much his reflections mean to me. Of course it goes without saying that my sense of loss pales by comparison to that of those who know him well. Still, he is in my heart and my prayers.
Not off topic at all.