Scared Shitless

You know, this thing is getting way out of hand. At one time, it was quite humorous watching the republicans while they chased their tails looking for a message or any kind of traction, but now its gotten just plain scary. A night or two ago, I caught a snippet of North Carolina’s representative Virginia Foxx, who in testifying against the expansion of Federal hate crimes legislation, labeled the death of Matthew Shepard as a complete and elaborate hoax. I could not help but shake my head. I don't think she took the time to think that statement through.



Did she even bother to research the Matthew Shepard case before she stood in from of Congress? Did she take the time to discuss her ideas with someone, at least someone with fairly good sense, before she stood up there and performed the equivalent of farting loudly in front of an audience?

Just one question. Are the GOP party members even thinking now or are they simply spouting shit off the top of their heads. The other night that lady from Minnesota—what’s her name, Michele Bachman—was on some show saying something absolutely crazy and off the wall. It seems every time she opens her mouth, foolishness comes out.

It’s one thing when citizens get in front of the cameras and advance all kinds of half-baked conspiracy theories, but when the person in front of the camera advancing the half-baked conspiracy theory is an member of the governing body of the United States of America, we all could be doomed. They are making decisions that effect my life and the lives of my children, yet it seems that they are so divorced from any semblance of reality that any decision they make, be it paper or plastic or whatever, is inherently flawed.

On a previous post, I stated that we needed at least two viable political parties engaging in effective dialogue if we were to ever come out of this mess. Scratch that because at least one of those two parties are not viable at this moment. Instead, I’d settle for a group of people thinking rationally and carefully weighing the efficacy of the various available solutions. Because at this point, we can’t rely on the GOP; they seemed to be on some of that new and improved shit.

Signed,
Scared Shitless in Florida

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Did Condelezza Rice say what I think she just said? (See video below.) When confronted by Stanford students on the subjects of waterboarding and torture, Rice states:

"The president instructed us that nothing we would do would be outside of our obligations, legal obligations under the Convention Against Torture."

If I may offer a paraphrase here, she basically states that if the president says its legal, that makes it say. I’ll just forego the convenient references to Nixon and say simply, bullshit.




I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for those individuals who seemingly authorized torture. It seems as though they are on pins and needles just waiting to for the other shoe to drop. They must be sleeping very lightly these days. However, the person I feel the most empathy now is President Obama.

On the day the United States invaded Iraq, I was a TA in graduate school. I forget what was on the syllabus that day, but the class wanted to talk about the invasion, so I capitulated.

Some of them were frightened, but most of them were concerned. They were concerned that the country was headed into war for reasons other than those stated by our leadership. Before they left I attempted to assuage their concerns by assuring them that our government would not lead the country into war without good reason. I told them that in their naivety they failed to realize the seriousness of war, and that the leadership knew that if the nation were to go to war on false pretenses, there would be hell to pay in the end. It appears that I was the one who was naïve.

Since then the truth has come out; it turns out that they were lying to us all the time. And then on top of that, it seems that they turned to torture to coerce captives into corroborating their story. Ain’t that some shit? Torture. That’s where we are now.

We now know that our country’s leadership ordered the torture of individuals we held. Can you think of anything more egregious and against everything this country is supposed to stand for? Torture. Well, I’ll be damnd.

And now our current leadership is attempting to decide whether we should prosecute those involved.

I believe that those persons involved should, at the very least, go to jail. In fact, jail is too good for them. They should be severely punished for their actions. They should be tortured. Take away all their money, and force them to live hand to mouth. But I can understand the administrations hesitation to pursue those ends.

The country is already in crisis, and the republicans are not helping with their obstinate opposition even in the face of their obvious lack of viable alternatives. Every move President Obama makes is contested. So what do you think will happen if the Justice Department moves to prosecute Bush administration officials for their role in torture?

It would simply become fodder for an impotent republican fire. It would be absolute anarchy. Attention and energy needed to pass President Obama’s agenda would instead go into following every detail of the proceedings. It would be like the OJ Simpson trial on steroids. You know how we do things.

Furthermore, we would become a country divided; the left would be out crying for blood, while the right would certainly be decrying the politicization of it all.

In a word, it would quickly become one big clusterfuck.

So then, that’s what President Obama and his leadership team are facing at this moment. They are facing the less of two evils. Unless President Obama is able to perform some political magic, he is facing a lose-lose situation. Now is when he really begins earning his money.

Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth

Last night as I was preparing my one hundredth day of President Obama’s presidency post, I got the news. And by now I know you have heard. And on the ninety ninth day, during the administration of Obama, Arlen Specter left the house of the republicans and was welcomed into the house of the democrats.

On the surface this is good news; however, I’m going to put off the celebration for minute because my first inclination is that this is just some ol’ opportunistic bullshit.

Specter’s defection does mean that democrats are now sixty strong in the senate, the supposed magic number. Yet that just means that there are now sixty people claiming affiliation with the Democratic Party; Specter’s net worth will be proven when it’s time to vote. If I may quote my favorite uncle, I just don’t trust that motherfucker right dar. I hope that whatever deal was cut to get him to jump ship will work toward the president and the Democratic Party’s favor.

About President Obama’s first one hundred days, I think he has acquitted himself quite well. He has made some decisions I don’t fully understand or agree with, but in the same instance, I can see the political exigencies driving those decisions. His poll numbers continue to be quite high, but the first one hundred days are wholly inadequate in judging his success or failure; his success or failure rests on the ability of people to go back to work and be able to pay their bills

As we move forward, I do so with great anticipation and just a bit of skepticism. And I’ll have my eye on that Arlen Specter character.

Where is...Rodney Allen Rippy

Every now and then I glance up, and a member of the tribe is missing. So I have to send out a search party to bring them on back. During my Good Times marathon watching this Saturday, I heard a reference to Rodney Allen Rippy. I recall that he was somewhat of a big deal in the 1970’s though all I can remember him ever doing was the commercial below.

Do you remember now? Well, I haven’t heard anything from him since the 1970’s, so I decided to see if I could find him and bring him in from the cold. If you are interested, this is his offical website.

Cover Blown

I was over at The Undercover Black Man yesterday as he celebrated his 2,000th post. That's quite some feat. I've been blogging only a short time, and I know how difficult it is to get something up everyday, especially something substantial. But he manages to do it day in and day out, sometimes several times a day.

Also, he used this occassion to announce that he was going to discontinue blogging altogether. That's not something I, and perhaps a number of other loyal followers, want to hear. For a while, checking the UBM blog frequently has been part of my daily routine. I was partly inspired to blog by UBM.

However, all good things must come to an end. Thanks for the good music and clips and clever observations. soulbrother v.2 would like to take the opportunity to wish UBM good luck and godspeed. We'll certainly miss you.

P.S. Are you simply setting us up for a comeback, UBM?

The Quixotic Enterprise of the Republican Party

I was listening to a lecture given by a prominient rabbi recently, and he stated that the solution to the Israel/Palestine problem must necessarily be a political solution reached through a rationalist dialogue. He went on to state that a solution never could be reached if religious issues came into play because if they did, neither side would be able to compromise because compromise would imply the fallibility of their beliefs and/or their respective diety.

Last take a second and make the necessary extrapolations. If we are to reach a solution to the problems this country faces, that solution must necessarily be a political solution; as long as religious or moral issues come to bear, we will simply remain at an impasse.

I think, for the most part, the country sees that now. The election of Barack Obama and the victories of the democrats in the last election perhaps confirm that. Bush’s ascension to the presidency was aided by playing to the far right and using these religious and moral issues to turn out the conservative base. However, the Bush administration in its abject ineptitude then unwittingly exposed the ugly truth about such issues; they might fire up the crowd, but the real issues a government leader faces require rational, reasoned judgement. Religious and moral issues are based primarily on emotion and abstract expressions of faith; emotion and abstract expressions of faith are not necessarily commensurable with reason.

But while most of the country sees that, the republicans cannot. In fact, if I am to believe this article over at Politico, the loyal republican base is becoming even more conservative and desires a leadership that is even more conservative as well. Do they not get it?

Reason requires constant introspection. Reason requires that when the rational human being is confronted with something that contradicts their views, they weigh this new information and adjust their views accordingly. However, it appears that when republicans in general and conservatives in particular are confronted with new information that might challenge their views, they do no stop to adjust their views but become even more obstinate and obdurate in their thinking.

I believe this signals absolute doom for the Republican Party. On the one hand, if they give in to their base and become more conservative, they risk becoming a marginal party. However,if they don't give in to their base, the conservative right just might form a third political party, thereby taking much of the republican base with them. What a conundrum they face. But if you live by religious and moral fervor, you die by religious and moral fervor.

I believe that in order for effective political dialogue to take place, there must necessarily be more than one political view represented. However, at the rate the Republican Party is going, they are going to conservative themselves right out of relevancy. They will become modern day Don Quixotes, jousting against the windmills of reason.

This little piggie went to market. This little piggie started a major pandemic.

Okay, what gives?

Now, I’m not one to easily panic; I pride myself on being able to keep my cool regardless of the situation. But this whole swine flu thing has me a little off kilter.

I’m getting mixed signals. This from MSNBC.com:

"President Barack Obama said Monday the threat of spreading swine flu infections was a concern but "not a cause for alarm," while customs agents began checking people coming into the United States by land and air."

Not cause for alarm, but you’re shaking folk down at the border for the flu bug. And then the little white lady from the CDC came on CNN last night and all but said, “Panic now bitches and beat the rush.” The president has declared a state of emergency. The EU has warned Europeans not to even visit the U.S. and Mexico. What about all those people walking around with masks on that I keep seeing on the news and in the paper?

Right now we’re being told the best that we can do to keep ourselves safe and healthy is wash our hands frequently and stay away from work or other public places if we happen to feel ill. That’s all well and good, but what if by the very nature of your job, you are around a bunch of nasty motherfuckers who can’t afford to miss a day of work all day. We are in a recession after all. What then?

My mother seems to think that it’s a sign of the end. You know, worldwide pestilence and all that. I don’t know what it’s the sign of. Maybe it’s a sign that I should not spend so much time online and watching news shows and scaring my own black ass.