A Stronger Loving World

Praise for Los Suns

2010-05-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know that the uniforms are not grammatically correct (I'm informed it should be Los Sol), but the Phoenix Suns deserve praise for wearing jerseys reading "Los Suns" for their playoff game tonight. It might just be a gesture, but wearing these jerseys on Cinco de Mayo a week after the passage of Arizona's odious new immigration law is a welcome return of sports to the political arena. In the past you had athletes like Muhammed Ali speaking out against the Vietnam War, Jim Brown active in many struggles within the black community, and John Carlos and Tommy Smith's fists forever raised in the Mexico City night. Athletes have, for the most part, forsaken their political potential, and it is nice to see a team and its players for one night forget about pleasing the sponsors and taking a stand against injustice.

That the Phoenix Suns would take this stand is a refreshing contrast to Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick. We hear all the time about actors or this case athletes letting their politics be known. What we don't hear about, the double standard if you will, are the political donations of sports franchises millionaire owners. Mr. Kendrick was a great financial supporter of the Arizona immigration bill, and there is already a call for MLB to move the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix to a different location.

Sports bridge a lot of gaps in America. I abhor the jock culture prevalent in sports, but I still greatly enjoy going to Braves games and watching hockey and basketball on T.V. (although the latter not so much, 43 points??? Hawks, are you kidding me). Hopefully the Suns example will be followed by other teams and players who will help to inspire Americans by more than their play on the field.

You can't spell Nazi without "AZ"

2010-04-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Shame on Arizona. The new immigration bill passed by the state legislature is an upsetting and altogether puzzling piece of legislation. The law basically legalizes racial profiling and allows any police officer to detain someone without a warrant if the officer suspects that the person is in the country illegally. This law is troubling on many levels, chief among these is how can someone tell on sight if a person is an illegal immigrant or a legal one? Do illegal immigrants look differently from legal ones? Supporters of this "Juan Crow" legislation should be ashamed of themselves.

This bill is also strange on an economic level. Oklahoma passed a similar law in 2007 that was rarely enforced and created a culture of fear among Latino citizens of Oklahoma. If this was the intent of the authors of the new Arizona immigration bill, perhaps they should look at the impact this similar bill had on Oklahoma's economy. The bill in Oklahoma was passed in November of 2007. An estimated 50,000 people fled Oklahoma in response to the bill. This exodus cost the state of Oklahoma an estimated $1.8 billion on the eve of the worst recession to hit the U.S. since the Great Depression. Similar forecasts are projected for Arizona, as calls for boycotts of the state are beginning to gain steam. Speaking of the previous Oklahoma bill, Oklahoma state Senator Henry Coates (R) said "You have to work really hard at it to destroy our state's economy, but we found a way. We ran off the workforce." Oklahoma may recover now as, ironically, the new Arizona bill might drive many workers out of Arizona and into Oklahoma.

It's also strange to see conservatives and Republicans declare their support for a bill that basically rapes the Fourth Amendment. Many conservatives have spoken out against the bill including Karl Rove and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush but it is strange to see other "strict constructionalists" argue for laws that so blatantly violate the Constitution. One can't imagine this law improving the GOP's image with Latino voters in the next election. As Stephen Colbert stated, perhaps the residents of Arizona can prove to the governor that they are citizens by voting this November.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0428/Arizona-immigration-law-painful-lessons-from-Oklahoma

Revolution Fascists

2010-04-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

I've always hated the term "Islamofascism". This seems like a phony term coined by the Bush Administration to demonize the Muslim world after September 11th. That being said, there is no other term to apply to the group Revolution Muslim other than fascist. I've been following the news after this group stated that it would be permissible for South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to be killed following an episode where they depicted the Prophet Mohammed in a bear costume. Comedy Central heavily censored the episode, and Revolution Muslim posted the addresses of Comedy Central producers on their web site stating that they could end up like Theo Van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker who was killed in Amsterdam several years ago following a movie of his that argued that Islam promoted violence against women.

First off, I've watched South Park since it's inception. This country needs Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I can't think of another show, newspaper, magazine, or website that functions as a national bullshit detector better than South Park. The show delights in calling out the hypocritical on all sides of the political spectrum. The current episode is far from the most potentially offensive episodes of the past. Episodes like showing the history of Mormonism with a sing-a-long chorus of "Dumb" or showing the tenets of scientology with the caption "This is what Scientologists actually believe" push the envelope far more than the current episode. So why is it after all of that that this episode was censored and the creators are the recipients of death threats?

This is reminiscent of the uproar over political cartoons of Mohammed that appeared in a Danish newspaper several years ago. Unlike the South Park episodes, the cartoons in question were vile, demeaning, racist, and designed to inflame passions and offend. However, then and now, I'm depressed that so many groups, including liberal groups, would cave in to these thugs. I'm sorry, but America is not a Muslim nation, neither is it a Christian nation, or a Jewish nation. It's ironic and a little obscene that Revolution Muslim claims it did not make threats, and that it is just exercising their free speech while using violent images to eliminate something they do not like. Freedom of speech and religion cut both ways.

I understand that to Muslims, any image of the Prophet Mohammed is serious blasphemy. But first and foremost, there is no law requiring one to watch South Park. If a television offends you so much that you feel you have to do something, organize a protest, or start a petition, or call for a boycott of Comedy Central. The second you start advocating violence to try and stifle free speech, you are walking a fascistic line, and America has no place for people like you. These assholes probably won't face any criminal charges for incitement, as doing so would probably also mean charges brought against Sarah Palin or other politicians or groups that use violent and dangerous language in referring to those who voted for the healthcare bill.

The saddest thing about this? I'm friends with Muslims. I've read extensively about the faith and it's origins and marvelous history. I've been to mosques and traveled in a majority Muslim country and the seen the beauty in the religion on an everyday level. Much like Christian extremists in this country who bomb abortion clinics or say that the deaths of American soldiers is God's will for allowing homosexuality, revolution muslim is giving a black eye to a beautiful and peaceful faith. To revolution muslim, or any group either religious or political that uses the threat of violence to advance their agenda, I would like to quote Jon Stewart and Dick Cheney:

"Go f*#k yourself."

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-april-22-2010/south-park-death-threats

Recycling Doesn't Work in Politics

2010-04-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

I saw a sound bite from a Sarah Palin speech last week where she attacked President Obama by saying that maybe we (the opposition) do cling to our guns and religion too much. Uh, someone needs to inform the ex-governor that using soundbites from a previous campaign, especially one that you LOST is not a good idea. If you don't remember, Obama was talking at a fundraiser in San Francisco and said a line about people clinging to guns and religion while ignoring their economic interests. The clip got a lot of play thanks to the right-wing echo chamber, but ultimately did not significantly harm Obama's campaign. The line was taken out of context, and the main thing Obama was guilty of was pandering to his audience (wealthy San Franciscans).

Is Sarah Palin a serious candidate for President? She certainly has the ambition, and right now would have to be considered a front runner for the nomination. Part of me would be happy with an Obama vs. Palin 2012 election. I strongly believe that Palin would suffer a Mondale-esque beatdown in the electoral college if she went against Obama. The other part of me would hope that the Republicans could do much better, and the country as a whole would benefit more from an election with two serious candidates who provide divergent views on the important issues of the day.

Maybe someone should show Palin an electoral map from 2008. In the two years since Obama made that throwaway comment, he's passed the most significant piece of legislation since the New Deal, made life and death decisions in two wars, and is currently working to reduce world stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Palin, on the other hand, quit on the job she was elected to do to cash in on her newfound fame (she's made close to $13 million since quitting as governor of Alaska). Recycling comments like this might get her a nice ovation from her base, but it just furthers the image of Palin as an inexperienced egomaniac who is in no way qualified to be President.

Top five political movies

2010-04-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Trying to narrow down a top five list of my favorite political songs had gotten me to think about my top five favorite political movies. This list is just what is on my mind right now, and is definitely subject to change. I've decided to not include documentaries on this list. The three must-see political documentaries that I can think of off of the top of my head are "The Fog of War" by the great Errol Morris, "Why We Fight" by Eugene Jarecki, and the ultimate Iraq war documentary "No End in Sight" by Charles Ferguson. If you haven't watched these, add them to your queue or get thee to a Blockbuster.

Top five political films (in no particular order except number 1)

5. Shattered Glass: A dramatic retelling of the story of Stephen Glass, a reporter for The New Republic who was fired after fabricating sources and entire stories in the mid 1990's. If you've only seen Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars prequels, prepare to be shocked. Peter Sarsgaard gives an amazing performance as Glass's editor who suspects something is fishy with their wunderkind reporter. A quiet excoriation on the state of modern journalism.

4. Children of Men: A rare example of a film far outshining the book it was based on. One of the absolute best science-fiction films of the past decades, the depictions of a world where humanity is suddenly rendered sterile is frighteningly believable.

3. Munich: The best movie that Steven Spielberg has ever made? Yes (although I'm not much of a fan of his other works). Not only does Munich's look evoke great thrillers from the 70's (i.e. The French Connection), Munich seems to resolve around the Nietzsche saying of "battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster." The extra-judicial killings of terrorist suspects following the Black September attack on the 1972 Olympics are starkly rendered. The Israelis are not heroic, but carrying out murder in the name of revenge. When I heard of the assassination of a member of Hamas in Dubai by the Mossad, this is what immediately sprang to mind.

2. Maria Full of Grace: Showing how the drug war affects people in South America, the tale of a young pregnant flower seller who becomes a drug mule to begin a new life in the United States pulls no punches in its depiction of the struggles of the rural poor in many parts of the world. The latter half of the film also gives a heartbreaking portrayal of the struggles of poor immigrants to the U.S.

1. The Battle of Algiers: Shot in black and white and with no professional actors (except one), this cinema verite rendition of the struggle for Algerian independence against the French is a stunning example of how to win the fight and lose the war. Out of print for decades, this movie was apparently screened for high brass at the Pentagon prior to the invasion of Iraq. If this is true, someone wasn't paying attention as the U.S. made many of the same mistakes in Iraq that the French made in Algeria. Cuts through the us vs. them good vs. evil rhetoric of the war on terror.

This list is by no means comprehensive, just a snap judgement on my part. If I included T.V. as well, I'd have to make room for The West Wing and The Wire would definitely be number 1.

Tea Party Fascism

2010-03-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

By and large, members of the various Tea Parties have revealed themselves to be nothing but a motley collection of wannabe fascists and petty dictators. This has been building for a while, but with the recent passage of the healthcare overhaul bill, all pretenses have been dropped.

Real patriotic members of American society do not yell racial and homophobic epithets at members of Congress due to a disagreement. Real patriots do not employ the cowardly tactics of anonymous death threats and petty vandalism against those they disagree with. Members of the House who voted for the healthcare bill have had windows smashed in their district offices, their gas and power lines cut and sabotaged, and been on the receiving end of death threats by this group of lunatic fringe nutcases. Say what you will about opposition from the left toward Bush proposals like the Patriot Act or Tax Cuts, there was never a group when Bush was in office that used terrorist tactics on a such a large scale. Disagree with the healthcare bill if it goes against your beliefs, there is a lot in it that is disagreeable, but seeing my fellow Americans act in fascistic and thuggish ways is just plain disgusting.

Postscript: As per our discussion in class last Friday on the American media's portrayal of Africa: Over spring break I was watching CNN International and for three straight days they led with a story about an outbreak of religious violence in Nigeria. Apparently a group of Christians attacked several Muslim villages a few months ago and now a group of Muslims had attacked Christian villages. The report made scant mention of the previous Christian attack and instead focussed on whether or not Nigeria was going to become the next terrorist safe-haven. Last week, I read an article in The Nation about how Africa is becoming the new Asia in terms of economy and Nigeria in particular was singled out as a nation with vast economic potential and a burgeoning middle class in the city of Lagos. You wouldn't know that from CNN, all you would see is the image of an African country swamped with religious violence and dysfunction.

Let Fury Have The Hour

2010-02-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

Anger can power, did you know you can use it? American society seems to be much angrier than in recent memory. Like the man who flew a small plane into an Austin Federal building, we seem to be living in the moment before the blast, the second before the collision. Disagreements about policy in government are now pitted as struggles between good and evil, where compromise is appeasement or surrender, and every argument is expressed in apocalyptical terms. Was it always this way? Take just about any issue in America today: Climate change is either going to end the world in a maelstrom of tidal waves or by crippling the world economy with stifling restrictions on emissions. Stem cell research will be a alchemical cure for every affliction plaguing mankind or lead to a Brave New World of animal human hybrids and red heifers. The payment of a single penny in taxes is viewed as tyranny. The threat of terrorism is either exaggerated to justify the curtailing of civil liberties or a greater menace than Soviet Communism and National Socialism combined.

How can we overcome this mindset? I understand the thrill of dissenting to power, in my youth, my mind full of The Clash and Noam Chomsky, my political position could be summed up by Rage Against the Machine: Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me. While this position can give one a nice feeling of self-satisfaction, this does not lead to a functioning civil society. Maybe I've mellowed out a little bit, but I don't see the harm in examining all sides of a position and admitting that someone who has different beliefs than myself might have some good ideas. As a liberal in America, I am saddened to see institutions that I have loved and respected devolve into little more that knee jerk positions existing to solely promote one point of view. I used to religiously watch Keith Olbermann, and would defend those who called him nothing more than an attack dog. He could get worked up, but his positions and arguments were founded on reason and not stoop to making personal attacks in lieu of criticism. Now, his show resembles the two minutes hate of the Hannitys and Becks of the world. America faces real problems, and the only way we can move forward to a better world is if we have dissent based a reason and facts, not anger and lies. While tea party members scream about taxes, our schools are falling into disrepair and churning out legions of kids who can't find Washington D.C. on a map or have no sense of history. While some on the left argue blindly that we should leave Afghanistan, ignoring the fact that we have a real chance to improve the lives of the people there. Aid to Haiti is used by Rush Limbaugh to speculate that Obama is being generous to appease African Americans and by Rachel Maddow to take shots at George Bush for letting New Orleans drown. If a house divided cannot stand, then what can we do to repair the foundations of America?

Live Blog: SOTU

2010-01-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

I love that Obama is wearing a red tie and Biden is wearing a blue tie. A gesture of bipartisanship.

I don't think John Boehner or Eric Cantor looked very happy at the prospect of moving money from big banks to small banks. By the way, there is a new movement underway to encourage people to take their money out of large banks that helped to cause the financial crisis and move them into smaller banks.

It's great to talk about all of the jobs saved by the stimulus, but it doesn't really help those one in ten Americans who are unemployed right now. You might want to get on that by November if you're a Democrat in Congress.

9:30 P.M. I like where Obama's going with this buildup to building a better economic foundation.

9:32 P.M. were people really chanting U.S.A.! during the speech? Save that for the Olympics guys.

9:35: Like clean energy, don't know about offshore drilling or "clean" coal.

Was waiting for someone to pull a Joe Wilson during the part on the evidence for climate change being overwhelming.

9:39: I would love to hear him mention fair trade right about now.....sigh, I don't think that is going to happen.

9:40: Right on about a high-class education being the best weapon against poverty. I love the idea about strengthening community colleges/reforming student loans. 10 years to have debt forgiven on student loans if one goes into public service? Why not 5 years? Or 3? Or 1?

9:43: Here we go on health insurance. Oh please let there be a renewed call for some kind of public option.

You take your share of the blame for not explaining health care? There's an understatement.

9:48: Obama called out the Republicans on health care, nice camera cut to Mitch McConnell looking extremely uncomfortable.

Wow! McCain looks terrible.

Oh no, is he going to mention a spending freeze..... don't do it Obama, don't do it

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You can't have a spending freeze while coming out of a recession. Didn't McCain propose this during the election and didn't Obama lambaste him for it? I'm all for ending tax cuts for big oil and big finance, but pay as you go like during Clinton's administration is easier when the economy is booming.

That's a bold statement by Obama that a spending freeze will come into effect next year when the economy is much stronger. I hope that doesn't end up biting him (and us) in the ass.

Didn't realize that the SCOTUS justices were sitting right in front of Obama when he slammed their recent decision.

Nice one on calling out the Democrats. Grow a spine you pansies. Nice rebuke to the party of no.

Getting into foreign policy. Somewhere, in some dark chamber, Dick Cheney is feeling more unpleasant that usual. Does working against corruption in Afghanistan mean we're no longer supporting Hamid Karzai?

Can North Korea be more isolated than they are now? Nice line on helping Haiti and working towards better public health in the world because it's the right thing to do.

It's about time on the call to repeal don't ask, don't tell.

Not bad for a first State of the Union. Jobs obviously have to be top priority, Hope he can back up the talk

Republican response: The lack of regulations were a major cause of the financial crisis. It's a bold statement to say we have the best healthcare system in the world. I believe most facts would say otherwise. Fail on criticizing Obama for giving the underwear bomber a fair trial, I believe that Richard Reid, the shoe-bomber was also given a trial in federal court. I guess we should just go back to torture and gulags. Looks like Bob McDonnell is eyeing a move from Richmond to Washington in 2012. He could be a formidable opponent, a much better choice than Bobby "Kenneth the Page" Jindal to give a response.

A Third Rate Burglary Attempt

2010-01-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

In 2009, the American people were saved from the dread specter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reforms Now, better known as ACORN. A courageous young journalist exposed this seemingly well-meaning organization as one of the greatest threats to American democracy. Donning the clever disguise of a pimp, he used hidden cameras to show that ACORN was dedicated to helping criminals obtain cheap mortgages, cheat on their taxes, and smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S. Congress acted quickly, removing ACORN from the groups helping to compile the 2010 census and passing a resolution to defund the organization. Fox News gave the videos tremendous airplay, using them to vindicate their assertions made during the 2008 election that ACORN was a criminal organization subverting America's tradition of fraud-free elections. James O'Keefe, the man who would bravely portray a pimp to obtain justice, was obviously a latter-day Murrow or Woodward.

This was the dominant narrative during the 2009 ACORN scandal. The mainstream media immediately called for ACORN's head and Congress obliged. It seemed surreal that any Congress, let alone one with a Democratic super-majority, could convene hearings on ACORN and Blackwater in the same year and pass a resolution to defund ACORN. The money that ACORN received from the Federal Government paled in comparison to money sent to Blackwater, a paramilitary group that operates with impunity in Iraq. Dozens of U.S. soldiers have been electrocuted in Iraq due to faulty wiring in showers built by Haliburton, yet Haliburton still enjoys the privilege of no-bid contracts from the Department of Defense.

The point to this is that ACORN's vindication might be at hand. James O'Keefe (remember him) was recently arrested along with three others including the son of the acting U.S. Attorney in Shreveport for attempting to place a wiretap in the New Orleans office of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA). This gang of four apparently tried the novel technique of dressing as repairmen to gain access to Senator Landrieu's office. This lunacy should immediately invalidate the Congressional witchhunt of ACORN. In the wake of the "pimp" videos, ACORN took immediate action and fired those employees who appeared in the tapes. Mr. O'Keefe's "expose" of ACORN was limited to a handful of employees in nine cities who work for an organization that has 1200 chapters in over 100 cities across the United States. Additionally, there was no evidence of illegal activity taken by any employees of ACORN. Mr. O'Keefe's attempted espionage of an United States Senator shows that his piece on ACORN was a political hit-job masquerading as journalism.

The four men behind this crime now face 10 years in Federal Prison if convicted. Perhaps James O'Keefe should have looked back to Watergate and followed the path of G. Gordon Liddy. I mean, he firebombed the Brookings Institute and all he got was a couple of years in jail and his own talk show.

A note on my blog's name: Taken from a quote used in the final issue of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's epic "Watchmen", the full quote is "It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in." I feel this captures my optimistic cynicism. Work, strive and believe in a better world, but don't surprised if it doesn't happen.