Observations 4.25

Have you ever read something and suddenly have one of those 'light bulb moments' because you realize it's exactly what you thought about the subject? I know it happens all the time but yesterday I had it happen three times and they each involved a different subject. For what it's worth here are the three paragraphs which I'm not going to comment on. Just read them yourself and see what you think.

In HuffPost Arts and Culture John Seed wrote a column called "Has the Art Market Gone Medieval?" In it he wrote; "Just what can you say about a society in which a picture is worth so much when so many are facing poverty? It boggles my mind that one of the four existing versions of Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" sold last year for $119.9 million. Such a vast sum of money could do so much to relieve suffering, but instead it was spent on a painting of suffering. As the prices of famous works of art rise, are we in some way going backwards in history?"

From Foreign Affairs comes "Generation Kill: A Conversation With General Stanley McChrystal." Near the end of the interview, which was done in December, McChrystal says something very timely given what happened at the Boston Marathon. "And although to the United States, a drone strike seems to have very little risk and very little pain, at the receiving end, it feels like war. Americans have got to understand that. If we were to use our technological capabilities carelessly, I don't think we do, but there's always the danger that you will, then we should not be upset when someone responds with their equivalent, which is a suicide bomb in Central Park, because that's what they can respond with."

The third is also Boston related but more related to the NRA's theory that a gun in every hand is the best answer to gun violence. This is from Susan Milligan, "Boston Proves It Takes a Village" in US News and World Report. "And what would an individual do with an AR-15? Go door-to-door, ferreting out a man who might well have another bomb on him? That's one way to wind up dead, perhaps taking a lot of other people with you."

Finally I have to throw in a tweet I just saw as I was writing this. Today is the dedication of former President Dubya's library and in honor of that event I want to share this from the Daily Kos' David Waldman (@KagroX); "Bush says he has "no desire . . . to enhance my standing." I wouldn't sweat it, dude."

Twitter doesn't get much better than that.

Observations 4.18

I'll try and keep this short but after yesterday's pathetic vote in the U.S. Senate I felt like doing something. I decided on a simple list, a list of 45 brave Americans who simply think it should be easier to buy a gun than it is to drive a car. Actually it's easier to buy a gun than it is to import a bunch of bananas or take a pineapple home from a trip to Hawaii but I said I would keep it short. I want to give special kudos to Rand Paul who thinks that parents who have lost their children in a slaughter are simply props who have no place in a reasonable debate. But than there was no reasonable debate, just these 45 bought, paid for, and scared senators who care more about their jobs than what their constituents think.

Gabby Giffords wrote an op-ed for today's New York Times that everybody should read. In it she said this; "Our democracy’s history is littered with names we neither remember nor celebrate, people who stood in the way of progress while protecting the powerful. On Wednesday, a number of senators voted to join that list."

This is that list.

Democrats:
Max Baucus (D-MT), (202) 224-2651  
Mark Begich (D-AK), (202) 224-3004  
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), (202) 224-2043  
Mark Pryor (D-AR), (202) 224-2353

Republicans:
Lamar Alexander (R-TN), (202) 224-4944
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), (202) 224-3324
John Barrasso (R-WY), (202) 224-6441
Roy Blunt (R-MO), (202) 224-5721
John Boozman (R-AR), (202) 224-4843
Richard Burr (R-NC), (202) 224-3154
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), (202) 224-3521
Dan Coats (R-IN), (202) 224-5623
Tom Coburn (R-OK), (202) 224-5754
Thad Cochran (R-MS), (202) 224-5054
Bob Corker (R-TN), (202) 224-3344
John Cornyn (R-TX), (202) 224-2934
Mike Crapo (R-ID), (202) 224-6142
Ted Cruz (R-TX), (202) 224-5922
Michael Enzi (R-WY), (202) 224-3424
Deb Fischer (R-NE), (202) 224-4521
Jeff Flake (R-AZ), (202) 224-4521
Lindsey Graham (R-SC), (202) 224-5972
Chuck Grassley (R-IA), (202) 224-3744
Orrin Hatch (R-UT), (202) 224-5251
Dean Heller (R-NV), (202) 224-6244
John Hoeven (R-ND), (202) 224-2551
Jim Inhofe (R-OK), (202) 224-4721
Johnny Isakson (R-GA), (202) 224-3643
Mike Johanns (R-NE), (202) 224-4224
Ron Johnson (R-WI), (202) 224-5323
Mike Lee (R-UT), (202) 224-5444
Mitch McConnell (R-KY), (202) 224-2541
Jerry Moran (R-KS), (202) 224-6521
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), (202) 224-6665
Rand Paul (R-KY), (202) 224-4343
Rob Portman (R-OH), (202) 224-3353
James Risch (R-ID), (202) 224-2752
Pat Roberts (R-KS), (202) 224-4774
Marco Rubio (R-FL), (202) 224-3041
Timothy Scott (R-SC), (202) 224-6121
Jeff Sessions (R-AL), (202) 224-4124
Richard Shelby (R-AL), (202) 224-5744
John Thune (R-SD), (202) 224-2321
David Vitter (R-LA), (202) 224-4623
Roger Wicker (R-MS), (202) 224-6253

Senators of the 113th Congress, Official (addresses, email, etc.)

Observations from the Window 2.12

Yesterday was a slow news day as it only had a Pope abdicating, the holy quit as Jon Stewart called it, and a North Korean nuclear test. Today could be much more entertaining with President Obama's State of the Union speech, followed by Senator Marco Rubio's Republican rebuttal, followed by Senator Rand Paul's wingnut rebuttal to the Republican rebuttal of the SOTU. Lost in all the excitement is today being Mardi Gras and there being a late Flyers game in Winnipeg tonight. Hard entertainment decisions have to made.

Mardi Gras and the Flyers game are self explanatory but the State of the Union has entertainment value above and beyond the politics of it. Almost a year ago the aging mentally challenged hair guitarist and gun freak Ted Nugent threatened President Obama's life. You might say it was just more nutjob radio induced hyperbole but the Secret Service took it serious enough to call him in for a chat. Tonight Nugent will be Texas GOP Congressman Steve Stockman's guest at the address. One can only hope Nugent talks to the press at any possible time before during and after the Obama speech. Nugent's attendance should also answer the NRA's question as to why the President and his family need protection.

Than there is Rand Paul. The only reason to watch this speech is find out what nutjob minds are thinking in cloud coo coo land or on the dark side of the moon. Enough said about him.

This brings me to Senator Rubio who Time has christened the savior of the Republican party, el salvador if you will. The Florida Senator may well be the GOP's only current hope but has problems all his own. He is the GOP leader on immigration reform where he takes a predictable hard line even though he himself is the son of Cuban refugees and whose grandfather and childhood idol, Pedro Víctor García, was ordered deported only to be saved by the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. The law still grants Cuban Americans special privileges Rubio apparently doesn't want to grant other immigrants.

Than there are Rubio's stands on gay and lesbian rights where again he doesn't seem to be the savior of anybody. He supports allowing states to grant same-sex couples the right to marry while at the same time supports limiting marriage to one man and one woman, I'm not sure how this works. Rubio says he is "against discriminating against people," but wont take a position on the long stalled Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He supports the federal government honoring states decisions on gay marriage but also supports DOMA which specifically prohibits the government from acknowledging those same decisions. Now we come full circle to his strongest issue, immigration. He doesn't believe same-sex couples should be included in immigration reform because he thinks it would just cloud the issue and once again says it should be left to the states. I repeat, how does this work as immigration is constitutionally a federal issue.

For Rubio's benefit I'll finish with this video.

"Every day tens of thousands of lesbian and gay binational couples fight for the right to live together in the United States because the federal government refuses to recognize their marriages for immigration purpose. Becky and Sanne: Fighting DOMA to Keep Their Family Together."


link
Published on Jan 31, 2013

Becky/U.S. and Sanne/Netherlands, Asheville, NC:
Becky and Sanne first met while traveling around India several years ago. Though able to live freely in The Netherlands, the first country in the world to grant full marriage rights to same sex spouses, they are raising their 2 year old daughter, Willow, in Asheville, North Carolina, near the family, mountains, and community they love. By sharing their story, they hope to publicize the plight of binational couples while promoting a world in which Willow never has to suffer discrimination for having two moms.

For more information and how you can help:
The DOMA Project
The Devote Camapaign

update - The Violence Against Women Act re-authorization passed in the Senate today by a vote of 78 to 22. All 22 votes against it came from Republican men including, you guessed it, Florida's own Marco Rubio. I somehow doubt he will explain his love of violence against women in his SOTU rebuttal tonight. The bill now goes to the House where it faces wingnut opposition to a provision in the bill that would restore tribal authorities’ ability to "prosecute non-Indians who commit violence against the members of their tribe" on tribal land. Honestly, I do not make this shit up.

Observations 1.16

Later today President Obama will announce his plans on gun control. Always ready to do its part yesterday the NRA contributed to civil debate by releasing this ad which features the President's daughters. Yes they have armed guards, they happen to be called the Secret Service, probably because from the moment their father became president they became targets for well armed nutjobs from all over the world.

Now just imagine this, everybody sitting around NRA headquarters trying to come up with a new ad. One person thinks of something, another writes it up, and than they throw it upstairs where somebody with the authority gives the idea a thumbs up. They pick photos and music and put the ad together. Finally they all sit around a big table where they watch the finished ad together before smiling and nodding approval. Yes lets bring the President's daughters into it, lets make it personal. I'm sorry this is picking on Amy Carter or Chelsea Clinton, this goes over a line. The ad is currently running on just the NRA's news channel but they haven't ruled out purchasing time on other networks.

Maybe I should just let the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Mark Glaze say it in a more rational way than I am, "I’m guessing Sasha and Malia would be delighted not to have security, but their dad happens to be president."

And while I'm at it why is it suddenly elitist for the President of the United States to have Secret Service protection? I don't remember ever hearing that about any other president. Think about that one too.

The whole thing just disgusts me.

link
Published on Jan 15, 2013 by NRANews.

update - Here is a link to a .pdf file listing the twenty three 'gun violence reduction executive actions' taken by President Obama today. Also here is a link to the President's complete plan including actions that need Congressional action.

If I'm going to be disgusted today I think I'm going to go for totally disgusted. When the President announced his gun control plan he was accompanied by children who had written him after the Newtown slaughter. Rush Limbaugh gives a better description,

"Now, if a bunch of kids wrote the president and said that their parents aren't giving them enough candy, do you think Obama would have them to the White House and do candy-control ceremonies? Obama uses kids as human shields. The Democrats use kids as human shields. He brings these kids who supposedly wrote letters to the White House after Newtown, brings them up there to present a picture of support among the children for the president to do something about guns. It's gonna be very difficult, very difficult to oppose it. You got these little kids there. They don't want to die."

Among other nutjob responses to the President's plan were calls for his impeachment, for insurrection against the tyrant, that President Obama should be charged with treason, and that we should all prepare for civil war. There was a time I used the term nutjob to add a bit of sarcasm to what I was writing but more and more I think some of these people are seriously flawed.

The gods help us.

Observations from the Coffee Shop 1.15

This may be bad form, or maybe it's just perfect, but I'm going to update you a little on guns on Martin Luther King's birthday. Originally I was going to post this as my Sunday observations, I had some good links to go with it, but other things came up and now the guardians of the empire seem to have lost my links.

In typical Amerikan lunacy NRA memberships and gun sales have surged since the Newtown massacre, magazine and rifle orders have a backlog of almost a year, but this time around there's a new wrinkle. There now seems to be a national ammunition shortage so bad police departments across the country are cutting back on training. In some cities the shortage has gotten so bad the police have resorted to buying ammo at local gun shops. This means there is a good chance the NRA's vaunted good guys with guns wont be able to hit the bad guys with guns should they see them. You can bet the gun industry is enjoying their rising profits once again courtesy of the NRA and the nutjobs that worship it.

A seriously funny side story to this is that some gun and ammo buyers are complaining about price gouging. Seriously. On one website a buyer whined about paying $999 for a case (1,000 rounds) of ammo listed at $399 in the site's catalog. I'm not going to get into the reasons somebody might need 1,000 rounds of .233 (bushmaster caliber) ammo but somebody left a good quote as a comment to his tirade. "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt," Abraham Lincoln.

For the record, as of today there have now been 936 gun related deaths in the U.S. since Newtown.