;)
The Commentariat -- Nov. 2, 2014
Internal links, graphics & related text removed.
Justin Gillis of the New York Times: "The gathering risks of climate change are so profound they could stall or even reverse generations of progress against poverty and hunger if greenhouse emissions continue at a runaway pace, according to a major new United Nations report. Despite rising efforts in many countries to tackle the problem, the overall global situation is growing more acute as developing countries join the West in burning huge amounts of fossil fuels, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said here on Sunday." ...
... The Washington Post report is here.
Greg Miller of the Washington Post: "The Pentagon has scaled back its plan to assemble an overseas spy service that could have rivaled the CIA in size, backing away from a project that faced opposition from lawmakers who questioned its purpose and cost, current and former U.S. officials said. Under the revised blueprint, the Defense Intelligence Agency will train and deploy up to 500 undercover officers...."
Annals of "Justice," Ctd. Jed Rakoff in the New York Review of Books: "The criminal justice system in the United States today bears little relationship to what the Founding Fathers contemplated, what the movies and television portray, or what the average American believes.... "Our criminal justice system is almost exclusively a system of plea bargaining, negotiated behind closed doors and with no judicial oversight. The outcome is very largely determined by the prosecutor alone.... Until roughly the end of the Civil War, plea bargains were exceedingly rare.... [But now mandatory sentencing] guidelines, along with mandatory minimums, were causing the virtual extinction of jury trials in federal criminal cases."
Fred Kaplan of Slate calls the war against ISIS "Obama's Quagmire": "So here we are, back in the Middle East again, shoring up a dysfunctional regime, caught in the middle of a sectarian conflict, saddled with allies who aren't doing much and whose interests conflict with ours, roped off from potential allies who could do much more but whose interests conflict with ours more deeply, and facing a bunch of millenarian savages whose appeal grows as our involvement deepens."
Benjamin Mueller of the New York Times: "The chief safety officer of the hazardous-materials company that cleaned the apartment of New York City's first Ebola patient was, in a past career as a mortgage negotiator, accused of fraud in 2009 by the attorney general at the time, Andrew M. Cuomo.... City officials have said that they followed the standard vetting protocol for the cleanup contract given to Bio-Recovery Corporation, and that health officials had reviewed the company's work and determined that it was successfully completed."
Ahiza Garcia of TPM: "Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) came to the defense of his former running mate, Sarah Palin, on Friday, more than a month after she and her family were involved in a drunken, bloody altercation at a house party in Alaska. During an interview with Phoenix television station KTVK, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee said he wasn't excusing the brawl but went on to blast the media's coverage of it." He blames liberals, too. CW: Yo, John, if the media suck, why don't you boycott them?
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Molly Ball of the Atlantic: "Joni Ernst ... has ... flirted seriously with wacky conspiracy theories, especially Agenda 21, which takes off from an innocuous, voluntary UN resolution and turns it into a sinister plot.... And she has made comments about Americans totally dependent on government that make Mitt Romney's '47 percent' observations look almost populist by comparison.... Tom Cotton ... has ... said, at a town-hall meeting, 'Groups like the Islamic State collaborate with drug cartels in Mexico who have clearly shown they're willing to expand outside the drug trade into human trafficking and potentially even terrorism. They could infiltrate our defenseless border and attack us right here in places like Arkansas.'... [Yet] the premier newspapers of our time, The Washington Post and The New York Times ... [don't report] ... about the wacky or extreme things they have said.... The most common press narrative for elections this year is to contrast them with the 2010 and 2012 campaigns.... What [this] suggests is how deeply the eagerness to pick a narrative and stick with it, and to resist stories that contradict the narrative, is embedded in the culture of campaign journalism." ...
... Steve M.: "It's also that the press agrees with the GOP (and much of the public) that Barack Obama is a terrible president who needs to be punished. Journalist resent Obama because he hasn't always been nice to them (why weren't they allowed to watch him play golf with Tiger Woods?).... What's happening now is the result of journalists settling on a story they like about Republicans -- but it also reflects a story they like about Obama, which is that he's getting what's coming to him." ...
... Here's a letter to the Post by Grace Morsberger of Chevy Chase, Maryland, complaining about the Post's hagiographic profile of Ernst while suggesting her Democratic opponent Bruce Braley is an elite snob.
God News
Paul Kengor, in the Washington Post: Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave speeches/sermons on both sides of the Berlin wall. The transcript of the East Berlin speech is here. ...
Lauren Markoe of Religion News Service: "The mayor of Houston on Wednesday withdrew the subpoenas of sermons from five pastors who opposed an ordinance banning discrimination against LGBT people."
Pope Francis Gets the Obama Treatment. Josephine McKenna of Religion News Service: "American Cardinal Raymond Burke, the feisty former archbishop of St. Louis..., likened the Roman Catholic Church to 'a ship without a rudder' in a fresh attack on the pope's leadership. In an interview with the Spanish Catholic weekly Vida Nueva, published Thursday (Oct. 30), Burke insisted he was not speaking out against the pope personally but raising concern about his leadership."
Marlene Winell & Valerie Tarico of AlterNet, in Salon: "... certain aspects of Christian beliefs and Christian living ... can create ... stressors, even setting up multigenerational patterns of abuse, trauma, and self-abuse. Also, over time some religious beliefs can create habitual thought patterns that actually alter brain function, making it difficult for people to heal or grow."
AND Pat Robertson says Ouija boards cause people to communicate with "demonic spirits." Also via Benen.
November Elections
Georgia. Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post: Former President Jimmy Carter & his grandson Jason Carter, who is running for governor, "are close confidants, but they've appeared infrequently together in public. The former president, who is a polarizing figure in this largely Republican state, has been kept to a series of discreet appearances at union halls, predominantly black colleges and rural communities. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who remains widely popular in Georgia, has spent more time with her grandson greeting voters on the campaign trail.... At age 90, [President] Carter has traveled the state at a dizzying pace this year as he maintains an active travel schedule around the globe."
Kentucky. Lee Fang of the Nation has the full story on Mitch McConnell's cocaine connection, which P.D. Pepe mentions in today's Comments. Kinda makes you wonder if Mitch is living off a drug lord; in any event, the future Senate Majority Leader is living off his father-in-law.
Iowa. Judd Legum of Think Progress: "The GOP is trying to convince Iowa voters on Facebook that their neighbors will know if they voted Republican. Screenshots of Facebook ads, promoted by the official Facebook page of the Republican National Committee feature an ominous message: 'NOTICE: All Voting Is Public.' The ad tell voters that 'In a few months, Iowa will release the list of individual who voted in this election.' Most troublingly, the ad includes an aerial view of a neighborhood with checkmarks indicating that 'These People Voted GOP.'"
New York. He's a Jerk, But He's Our Jerk. Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Rep. Michael Grimm appears to be [on] his way to a landslide reelection victory on Tuesday, at least if a new Siena College poll is any indication.The Staten Island Republican leads Democrat Domenic Recchia by a 19 points among likely voters in the district, a shocking result considering that forecasters expected the race to be very close. Grimm's lead defies the troubled year he has had. In January he threatened to break a New York reporter in half and throw him off a balcony. In April he was indicted by the federal government on fraud charges." ...
... Update. Victoria D., with a little help from Jon Stewart, explains why this is:
Presidential Election
Amy Davidson of the New Yorker: "Why is it that so many people, in and out of the Republican Party, continue to bounce along with the Bush family? It is an article of faith with that crowd that Jeb is a natural leader. And yet his presence reminds one of Play-Doh left out of the container too long.... The odd idea is that, after one mediocre Bush Presidency and one failed one, it would be a matter of simple fairness to try a third."
Way Beyond the Beltway
But a Lot Like Texas
Jo Becker & Steven Myers of the New York Times: By the time the school year began this fall, the number of approved textbooks for Russia's 14 million schoolchildren had been slashed by more than half. The summary winnowing by the Ministry of Education and Science upset lesson plans, threatened the livelihoods of nearly two-dozen small publishers and left principals, teachers and parents puzzled and angry. There was, however, one standout winner: A publishing house whose newly appointed chairman was a member of President Vladimir V. Putin's inner circle, Arkady R. Rotenberg, a judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin's St. Petersburg youth."
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Reader Comments (14)
Bill Maher reads the riot act to Democrats who ran away from Obama, cowered before Republicans, and generally failed to capitalize on positive news:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bill-maher-democrats-obama-2014
The link above to Grace Morberger's letter is no longer available––the word "forbidden" is what you get. I would have enjoyed reading it since it is a counter argument for the Post's seemingly positive portrayal of Ernst while poor Braley comes off as "elite."
The Salon stressor piece perhaps explains some of the craziness in our voting public, but I'm with Maher on the destructive distancing from our president that some of our democratic candidates are displaying. Here we have some real positives that have come from this administration––a DEMOCRATIC one––and if you are running as a democrat and are declining to embrace these positives what exactly is your message?
There's a story going around that mucho cocaine was found hidden in the coal transport on Mitch McConnell's father-in-law's ship. Now that should be fun to play with.
@P.D. Pepe: Link above to Grace Morberger's letter to the editor has been repaired. It's encouraging when citizens read closely & critically. Morsberger is a mighty fine reader. According to her LinkedIn page, Morsberger is "an academic editor & proofreader." Evidently, she's damned good at it.
Marie
The almost certain retention of the Staten Island seat by the 20- count- indicted Michael Grimm is probably not Democrats' biggest problem. But it certainly does make one wonder how Grimm could not only be winning, but actually crushing his opponent Domenic Recchia. If you look at this Daily Show clip from last month, you will wonder no more. The only question is how Recchia got the nomination in the first place:
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/3vgppm/democalypse-2014---wait--how-the-f--k-does-that-happen-
Global warming: several things.
First there is a 'debate'. There is no debate, just greedy scum called 'conservatives' caring about nothing except themselves.
Second is the burning of too much fossil fuel. True but that is not the real problem.
Third, the real problem which almost no one wants to talk about is that the earth has way too many human beings. But don't worry the problem will be solved. Just like all the other animals and plants affected, Homo sapiens will have its population significantly reduced.
@Marvin: "... Homo sapiens will have its population significantly reduced." Ebola and other invaders creep into our lives becoming a warning signal that we as a species are vulnerable and fragile and although we have combated many nasty bugs there will come a time where they just might rule the day. Think how many other species we have lost due to man's great appetite for greed and greatness.
I enjoyed this video "Please Don't Vote - A Message From The Republican Party" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdGXD9me8no
@Marie: Thanks for fixing the Morberger letter; it is indeed an example of an informed citizen and close reader. The portrait of Ernst reminds me of the portrait of Sarah Palin when first she graced the political stage. I knew then that she would be just the thing for those that love that homespun good ole gal kind of hokey. As the liberals cringed, the conservatives rallied round.
@PD Pepe: Ebola and other diseases have a long way to go to beat hunger as the number one killer. The current estimate is more than 5 million children die from hunger a year. We are just getting started.
http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm
@Marvin Schwalb-
Overpopulation has always been my #1 concern. That issue is the real Elephant in the Room. But politicians dare not talk about it, because...the Bible. Of course, it is fine to talk about all those Black welfare queens and illegal Hispanic scum popping them out like rabbits. But the Duggars, and their 19 and counting, are examples of fine Amuricans. Now the Duggar daughters have started. Yikes!
China, India, Africa and other third world countries have out of control (and ever growing) populations. When I was with the Peace Corps in India--back in the days--the explanation for lower caste Indians having so many children was the parents' hope that one or two would survive to take care of their parents in old age.
Climate change will worsen exponentially as more humans are born, I am sure. There should be a valid study of consequences of rising birth rates out there. If any of you know of one, please post it here.
Marvin has it exactly right. Population is the only issue, and all other environmental problems derive from it. Permanent growth of anything is unsustainable. Marie was right in a comment a while back that in densely populated countries such as Switzerland and Belgium (where I lived for a while) folks seem to be in balance. It is deceptive, however, as those countries have prospered courtesy of cheap imports (or "free'' in the case of Belgium; remember Leopold, who bought prosperity with 15m murdered Congolese) that are harvested by raping the planet. England did it after they clear-cut Ireland. Indonesia is doing it with coconut palms and timber harvest. Brazil? Oh, well. Note today's story about resistance to a dam in France. What do those farmers think supported agriculture before dams? In NorCal where we live, massive destructive water diversion to support industrial ag and obscene population density is on the ballot, and will pass; good-bye rivers and their inhabitants. Were the rest of the world to industrialize into dreams of prosperity, we will have nothing left but bare clay. Unfortunately, we may be beyond the tipping point, where nothing we do can preempt the anthropocene mass extinction. The main impediment: each generation sees its own baseline.
All living things have only one purpose, reproduction. I used to tell medical students that their genome doesn't give a damn about you after you finish having children. One would assume that since humans are a totally different level of intelligence than any other species we could handle reality better. Well we can't.
And as Kate points out, religion is the number one killer. It made perfect sense 5000 years ago to go with the basic need to reproduce but admitting that you got the story wrong today will not happen.
Today there is nothing more immoral than denying contraception. It is nothing more than an act of murder. Try explaining that to Hobby Lobby (or the Supreme Court).
Continued Annals of Journalism: I never met a journalist, myself included (probably), who didn’t consider him/herself above the fray, whatever the fray du jour was. And being above it, isolated from it and immune to its consequences. It hasn’t helped that reporting, the basic stuff of journalism, has morphed into equal parts Enquirer and People magazine breathlessness and cutesyism. The result is a pile-up of stupid stuff that sheds little or no light on what’s going on that potentially affects people’s lives.
As exhibit A, I cite the Oregonian, our local fish-wrap. Our governor is unmarried; our first lady is his SO. (Shades of William Donald Schaefer!) Oregon, being Oregon, is pretty cool with that, however. But then she confessed to having been a green-card bride way back when she was young and poor. Ever since her announcement chummed the kiddie pool, the Oregonian has been in full feeding frenzy. You’d think it mattered more than the fact that the Gov’s re-election opponent is a full blown lunatic.
So––and so many sentences written and spoken begin with this word nowadays–- if overpopulation and hunger as Marvin and Kate posit are the elephants roaming around this planitarian room then all those fetal embracing Republicans who believe that a blastocyst is a human life, who say they believe in the sanctity of life, who advocate abolishment of abortions and hooked on to this banishment of contraceptions, yet ignore the hunger, the devastation due to overpopulation are completely deaf and dumb to this situation? Answer: Evidently! Their persistence on this issue is remarkable. I realize a lot has to do with religion, but the fact that millions of LIVING souls are suffering (I'm even thinking here of our horrible judicial/prison system) their concentration on the unborn is immoral. And Marvin, you're right: the bugs might bite us pretty bad, but hunger/ overpopulation beats them bugs big time.