Tag Archives: obama

Political Rants

Pay days.

Leave a comment

Writing this totally on the fly, so try to read fast and skip over any errors in grammar (or judgment). Have a heart, will you?

Tax fraud. It was probably inevitable that, as the sunset for the Bush 2003 tax cuts approached, the chorus of whining from the well-to-do would begin in earnest. Now we are faced with the remarkable phenomenon of hearing politicians who identify the federal deficit as public enemy #1 argue forcefully for an extension of tax relief for millionaires that will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt over the next ten years. I know Americans have a short memory, but some of you out there must surely remember the 1990s. Were rich people overtaxed in those days? They seemed to be living pretty high at the time. Then their president, W. Bush, had the audacity to deeply cut their taxes with one hand while he launched two pointless wars with the other. Having blown a huge hole in the budget, they now want to stretch it wider. Time to come in now, children. You’ve had enough fun.

Job one. The president has been speaking a bit more forcefully about the economy in recent days. That is good, but not good enough. We need a deeper, broader commitment to the notion of full employment in this country, and to back it up with some appropriate action.  Various T.V. pundits blandly claim that there is little government can do, but I disagree. The fact is, government has to take steps to provide incentive to industry to employ workers in this country. They could start with procurement. The entire Federal Government, including the Defense Department, should require all contracts to be fulfilled with U.S. labor. If we need it, let’s build it here. We’ve got the skills, the money, and a workforce more than ready to do the work.

Would this be in violation of our myriad trade agreements? I hope so. Then maybe we could dump out of them altogether. That is the commitment Obama needs to make. Stop making it easy to export manufacturing and other jobs. Use the power of the federal government to drive domestic manufacturing and service employment. And for Christ’s sake, if people are willing to work and can’t find a job, provide them with work.

There’s plenty that needs doing in this country. Let’s get it done… and put people to work at the same time.

Political Rants

War’s end.

Leave a comment

President Obama delivered his second address to the nation this past Tuesday, this time on the subject of the “end of combat operations” in Iraq. Here – unsolicited by anyone – are my comments:

Turn the page. President Obama said it was time to “turn the page” on the War in Iraq. Um… not so fast, Mr. President. I know you are obsessed with looking ahead rather than behind, but if everyone took that attitude (say, local law enforcement), no one would be held accountable for anything. This war was caused by people in our own country – people in positions of authority. Your administration has neglected to even examine the record of those responsible for this disaster. This has emboldened them to the point where they regularly flaunt their guilt in public, secure in the knowledge that they will never pay a price for what they did.

Good intentions? At one point, the president said this:

This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one can doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I’ve said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it.

I won’t address the “patriot” issue, since that is such a loaded term. But I can most certainly doubt President Bush’s “support for our troops” without any resort to imagination. He sent them into Iraq to die by the thousand, for no legitimate reason, in pursuit of an illegal and immoral war – a war of choice, no less. He shipped National Guard troops overseas in the ramshackle vehicles they used back home, with no armor, no protection. He is no friend of our soldiers or military families. To suggest otherwise is simply obscene.

Dark creations. The president went on:

Along with nearly 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq, they fought in a faraway place for people they never knew.  They stared into the darkest of human creations — war — and helped the Iraqi people seek the light of peace.

This passage is worthy of his predecessor. Reading it, one would think we invade Iraq to help the Iraqis.  It also, like so much of Bush’s prose, seeks to cloud the notion of agency behind the initiation of the war itself, as if to suggest that our troops went to Iraq on their own initiative to do good works, as if they were Peace Corps volunteers. This is just a rhetorical cop-out, a between-the-lines attempt to deflect criticism away from those who plan the wars by keeping the focus on those sent to fight them.

His call to Bush reminds me of that closing scene in Animal Farm, when Napoleon the pig was having dinner with the farmer and the other barnyard characters, looking on, couldn’t tell one from the other. Such is our ruling class, I suppose.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Race to the bottom.

Leave a comment

This whole business about Shirley Sherrod, the Agriculture Department staffer from Georgia –  this is an extremely ugly picture, and we’ve seen it before. What’s more, we’re likely to see it again before long.

There’s been enough commentary on this to fill a supertanker, so I’ll just make a few brief observations. What this event tells me most superficially is something I already knew – that the Obama administration is unbelievably pusillanimous. Christ almighty, sometimes these guys make Bill Clinton seem like Hercules (… and he wasn’t). They may be the only people outside of hard-core tea party types that appear to believe everything they hear on Fox news. More likely, though, they are so focused on projecting this image of post-racial America that they respond in knee-jerk fashion to any claim of reverse racism, no matter how unfounded. Combine that with their tendency to throw left-leaning staffers, like Van Jones, overboard at the first sign of trouble (unlike the Geithners and Salazars of the world), and you’ve got a White House that allows Roger Ailes to make their personnel decisions for them. Now there’s a real formula for success.

My main question here is, who is behind this? We’ve heard the names of the idiotic right-wing blogger and the various Fox news spokesmorons. But where did that clip come from originally? Who, exactly, is trying to promote racial resentment among whites? No question but that right-wing elements of the Republican party are exploiting this sort of thing all the time. They have their sources. So… who looked at this video, made the precise edit that would create the erroneous inflammatory impression, then sent it along to the clown-like Breitbart?

One thing we would do well to remember – racism remains a strong undercurrent in American life, and so long as it does, there will be those who will use it to their political advantage. With a black man in the White House – one with an overtly African name – there will always be suspicions on the part of crypto-racists that black people are taking over, pressing their momentary advantage, marginalizing good, upstanding white Christian Americans. That’s why we’re hearing all these ludicrous stories about the “New Black Panthers” – i.e. two dudes standing outside a polling station in a majority black district. That’s why we get Breitbart, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Beck, and Hannity screaming about reverse racism. Even when it’s ultimately demonstrated as bogus, the impression remains with those whose prejudices need only the mildest validation.

Shall we overcome? We shall see.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

The boatload principle.

Leave a comment

These are indeed remarkable days. I can think of few times in recent history when the most fundamental problems of our civilization have been more obviously placed on display. This oil gusher in the Gulf – practically a non-story when it began – has captivated the nation, providing a gross illustration of the true costs of our current energy regime. Who can deny that this disaster was caused by a headlong rush for short-term profit, an obsession with minimizing costs, and a total disregard for human and environmental consequences? That is the model for oil development in the United States and elsewhere. And with this oil-cano spewing endlessly into an extremely sensitive biosystem, the actual costs of this enterprise simply cannot be concealed. There are spills and toxic contamination all the time, but you rarely see it or hear about it. This time is different. This time, the sludge is coming to us.

What, objectively, can our government do? Well, a lot more, it seems. Our regulatory mechanisms are mere appendages of the industries they are charged with overseeing. In many cases – such as with the Minerals Management Service- that was the intention. We’ve also just come off of a long period – eight years – of having former oil industry executives in charge of the government. That greatly enhanced the culture and practice of “hands off” regulation specific to that industry – an approach that was generalized to the rest of the economy. So the first thing that needs to be said about this crisis is that it is in large part another parting gift from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Just add that to the pile, right next to the financial crisis, the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision, the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so on. What’s next?

That said, there is little point in defending the Obama administration on this score. His appointment of energy industry favorite Ken Salazar as Secretary of Interior was on par with making Tim Geitner Treasury Secretary. Small wonder the Minerals Management Service, already publicly reviled for its cartoon-like symbiotic relationship with extractive industries, has been allowed to remain essentially unreformed up to this point. Were they waiting until a second term to get started on this? Or were they just carrying on what their predecessors had established, with a smiley face slapped on the side for good measure? Apparently the latter. Aside from some relatively muted trash talk, they’ve done little to force BP and the rest of the industry to change their behavior.

We’ve got bipartisan consensus on one thing: offshore drilling must continue. Why? Because it’s making boatloads of money for the suits. Why else?

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Backlash.

Leave a comment

A few brief and sullen meditations this week. Not much to say, really, but I’ll say it anyway.

‘Lection Show. Primary day was a bit underwhelming, to say the least. Not surprised to see Arlen Specter voted down. Just a bit too much political opportunism there to survive, I suppose. Never been very keen on him, I must admit. He was one of the decisive votes in pulling serious infrastructure spending out of the stimulus package last year, as I recall. And it’s hard for me to forget his spirited defense of Justice Thomas, whose bitter judicial philosophy (such as it is) we have been saddled with for the past two decades (and will likely have to live through for another two). John Murtha’s seat stayed in Democratic hands – that’s a disappointment to some.

So was Rand Paul’s victory in Kentucky, against an establishment candidate avidly supported by Cheney, McConnell and others. While Paul has gotten himself tangled into knots with some absolutist libertarian positions, he shares his father’s disdain for both of our useless wars. That, at least, would be an embarrassment for his party… and a well-deserved one, at that. He would also be one of the only truly anti-war senators. Hard to fault him for that.

What I can fault him on, though, is the logical outcome of his extreme libertarianism, which his recent comments illustrate. He’s troubled by what he sees as a heavy handed approach to BP by the administration, since that violates his sense of the total separation of the public and private spheres. For one thing, it’s amazing to me that he would consider what’s happening between Obama and BP overly intrusive or burdensome to the oil giant. If anything, it’s way too cozy and too permissive. Personally, I think they should break BP into a million pieces and cash each fragment in as a downpayment on the damage they’ve done through their greed and negligence. But Paul refuses to acknowledge human agency in either the BP undersea oil volcano, or the Massey Energy mine disaster, or I imagine any similar circumstance. “Accidents happen”, and when they do, government looks for people to “blame”.

In that respect, he sounds severely unhinged. But only because he’s willing to say out loud what many right-wing politicians and tea party “patriots” (i.e. former Bush voters) are thinking quietly to themselves.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Oilcano.

Leave a comment

The price of oil is going up. Way up. In fact, it looks like it’s going to cost us the whole Gulf Coast.

Don’t know if you heard this story on NPR, but apparently the oil volcano (as Rachel Maddow has been calling it) in the Gulf may be spewing ten times as much crude as BP has been estimating. That’s up to 70,000 barrels a day, according to this analysis. With all the finger-pointing going on between the various overfed corporations involved in engineering this catastrophe, I guess there just hasn’t been enough opportunity to calculate exactly how much toxic sludge is pumped into this vast body of water upon which millions of people – and countless animals – depend. This is almost beyond comment, and it happened before the echo died on Obama’s announcement that he would be opening more offshore areas to oil exploration. As great as that sounded at the time, it’s getting better and better by the day.

These companies are falling all over themselves trying to limit their liability. Not surprising, but quite honestly, why should they be allowed to do anything of the sort? Is anyone going to limit the liability of every living thing along the Gulf coast? Can a limit be placed on how much people, birds, fish, an entire ecosystem, in fact, will be allowed to suffer? And what the hell happens when we try to place a limit on how much companies like BP can take in profits? Excess profit taxes always raise cries of socialism, unjust takings, etc. These guys have been making billions hand over fist for the last few years in particular with no limits whatsoever. But liability for a massive catastrophe like this – that can be limited, somehow? Ludicrous beyond belief.

The plain fact is, there is nothing these companies can offer that will mitigate the damage done to the Gulf and the coastline and wetlands surrounding it. We will hear all about how much money they’re spending on clean-up. But the lesson of these big spills – and this one is really in a category by itself, since it is still spilling – is that ultimately the damage is permanent. I’m not saying that there’s no hope for minimizing its effects. What I’m suggesting is that, like Exxon in Alaska, these companies will delay, deny, and litigate against any meaningful reparation for years, perhaps decades to come. That is the pattern, and unless our government does something about it, it will play out the same way again.

This is the legacy of decades of deregulation and a cozy relationship between oversight agencies and the polluters they keep watch on. Time for a shake up, big time.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

One or two things.

Leave a comment

Same story. Beat to hell. Oh well….

Pulling a Boehner. Minority leader John Boehner appears to think that the Democratic congress is on the verge of a total government takeover of the private sector, including (gulp) tanning salons, presumably. A little over the top, perhaps? (Even for him?) HELL NO, IT’S NOT!

The triumph of Joe Arpaio. So now if you’re driving while dark in Arizona (or wearing the wrong limos), expect to be carded in a very serious way. Like… show me your birth certificate. (Note to Obama – don’t go there. Something tells me they won’t accept yours as valid.)

Drill, baby, w.t.f. That oil rig explosion in the Gulf last week underlines the hazards of off shore drilling. We should expect a lot more of this sort of thing, now that Obama has signed off on increased drilling. Or… we could push back and remind him that it’s a stupid idea. Never sure what the point is, exactly. There isn’t a real lot of oil in these patches, and what’s there is hard to recover. And in any case, are we going to get if for free or something? No… it’s going to be poured into the world oil market and we’ll have to buy it, just like the stuff from Saudi Arabia or Venezuela. We need to start using less, opting for alternatives, etc.

That’s all I’ve got. Time’s up. More later, friends.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Killing machine.

1 Comment

Just a short number again. Just flew in from tuckered-town. Man, my arms are tired!

Kopassus redux. Looks like Obama is seriously considering restoring funding to the Indonesian armed forces, including the notorious Kopassus organization, renowned for human rights violations in Aceh, East Timor, and elsewhere in and around the archipelago. The indefatigable journalist Allen Nairn has been reporting on this consistently for decades, and was recently interviewed on Democracy Now! about the administration’s flirtation with these pirates. Restoration of aid to Kopassus and other elements of the Indonesian military – responsible for killing hundreds of thousands – would not be good news, and it would be truly unforgivable for someone like Obama, who is not stupid and who spent some part of his youth in that country. There is no way that Obama doesn’t know what these people are about. And yet, he appears to be on the verge of going there anyway. What’s the excuse?

In a way, the U.S. empire is like this enormous killing machine. It’s got a thousand arms, colossal legs, and it moves across the face of the earth, crushing, grabbing, burning everything in its path. The president sits in a cockpit in its forehead and works the controls. Bush had a great time with it – invited his friends on board, and took it for a tear through Iraq. Then Obama took the helm. He promised to be more responsible. But … it’s still a killing machine, built to do only one thing. No matter what lever you pull, what button you press, it kills. So … he starts pulling, pressing, etc. Kopassus is on the other end of one of those levers, and he’s thinking seriously about pulling that one.

That’s one of our indirect wars. Then there’s the direct kind – Iraq and Afghanistan. I didn’t hear any reaction from anyone in the Obama administration to the footage released over the past week of civilians being mowed down by U.S. forces in Iraq. Pretty chilling stuff, in the sense that it gives you an idea of the rules of engagement our forces are (or were) operating under. We don’t see much of this kind of footage from these wars – once in a while, something slips out – but this is pretty horrendous. It’s ironic as hell – I read Krauthammer’s screed this week about Obama’s abandonment of America’s allies, complaining that he’s insulted the British, snubbed India, supported the wrong side in Honduras, and so on. Calm down, Chuck. He’s maintaining the empire just fine, trust me on this. He’s prolonging our pointless wars. He’s letting the Indians keep their bogus nuclear deal. And contrary to what you suggest, he certainly did not defend Manuel Zalaya in Honduras – the administration made some disapproving noises about the coup, but in essence accommodated it and its bogus election, and has since encouraged Latin American leaders to accept the successor government.

Killing machine forward, right? It’s the only direction it knows.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Cave, baby, cave.

Leave a comment

This will be a brief one, again. Hands full, head empty. Kind of sleepy, actually, so watch the prose – it may falter badly. No guarantees.

Obama’s plan to open up off-shore drilling along much of our national coastline resembles some of the graphics I’ve been seeing in BP commercials lately. I guess all it takes is a little public diplomacy by the enormous oil and gas industry groups, and this administration will bend back at the knees. No, it’s not the worst possible plan for extraction of fossil fuels, but it is a major wedge in the door towards the same “drill, baby, drill” Obama’s presidential campaign opponent advocated. Can’t believe they won’t pry that door even further open in the near future.

Where are people at on this issue? As mentioned above, they have been bombarded with television ads like no other time I can recall. America’s Oil and Gas Industry, Chevron, BP, and others, all trying to outdo one another with how dedicated they are to creating jobs, saving the environment, finding “solutions”, raising families, promoting public investment …. everything except generating massive profits, which is what they are ACTUALLY doing. I can’t imagine that, with all this promotional bullshit running on every channel, people aren’t getting more cozy with the idea of “drill, baby, drill”.  (Sure, they always mention a full menu of energy options, including renewables, conservation, and others. But you and I both know they’re talking oil and gas.)

The energy sector is putting its unprecedented amounts of cash to good use, I can see. So are many other corporate players – many I’ve never seen do advertising before. The banks, of course, are saving the world, according to their ads. Then you’ve got the defense contractors, like Boeing, waxing poetic on the air. And, strangely, companies like Siemen’s, Cisco, etc., vying for position in the new “clean” energy bonanza, the new network technology frontier. So why is Obama unilaterally disarming on fossil fuels? He doesn’t think he is, that’s why. But in effect, that’s what’s happening.

I don’t know – it’s a zig-zag path between moderate and conservative, as far as I can see, just like Clinton. Just wish the zigs went a little farther. (Wishing won’t do, of course.)

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Friends like these.

Leave a comment

More short takes. I’m beat to a pulp this week, quite frankly. My brain is still working, though… I just don’t have a lot of endurance.

Health care summit. Why bother, right? When are the republicans ever going to agree to anything that even resembles comprehensive health insurance reform? Never. Rebuild the entire thing to suit them, and they’ll still vote against it purely for spite. The problem here is, of course, the democrats themselves, who can’t seem to recognize when they’ve got something that’s both popular and worth defending. I’m referring to the public option, Medicare expansion, and other measures denounced as “socialism” by the other side (and conservative dems) but which the general public is strongly in favor of. The reason why people aren’t fired up about the current plan is that they stripped those measures out to please conservatives. Obama – congress – get a clue! Pass something that will make a real positive difference in people’s lives quickly, and they will support you.

Seriously, these people are like that kid in school who wanted everybody to like him/her, and the more s/he tried to make that happen, the more s/he was hated. Where the GOP is concerned… stop trying!

War news. The latest Afghan campaign continues unabated. I’ve heard the Taliban being accused of using civilians as human shields. Just a couple of weeks ago, though, the U.S. and local Afghan government leaders were encouraging people to stay in Marjah so that there would be someone to govern when they had taken over; and there have been reports of refugees being blocked from exiting by our military.  Numerous civilians have been killed in what quickly became a war zone. How is this different?

Extreme Prejudice. When it was revealed that several Mossad agents essentially stole someone else’s identity and murdered a Hamas official in a hotel in Dubai, most of the major news organizations commented on how “sloppy” the operation was. This was a hit, for chrissake – an assassination, no better than the mafia whacking someone they don’t like, and yet the focus is on style, not substance, and what political repercussions this may have for Israel. Are these the questions they ask when Palestinians, Lebanese, or Iranians kill someone THEY don’t like?

Full of questions today. If you’ve got answers, share ’em.

luv u,

jp