The Fulcrum
Friday, October 31, 2003
Auroral Displays While the Sun Plays
Unless you've been locked up somewhere you know that there have been several "sun storms," or Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) this week. With these kinds of events, there is always a worry that these high-speed clouds of charged particles can do real damage to spacecraft, satellites and power grids on earth. So far that hasn't happened to any degree great enough to warrant news coverage. But those aren't the only effects from CMEs.
Last night, with the weather here, near Rochester, NY absolutely clear and cool, I went outside to watch for the most visible effect of solar storms. The aurora (Borealis in my case, Australis if you're from south of the Equator). I've seen the aurora on occasion; in Maine, while flying in the California Desert, in Korea. But it was never like last night.
The show was short lived, peaking at around 7:45 EST, but spectacular. Along the northern horizon was a broad band of pale greenish-white light. Above that were several large areas glowing bright red. And, the most beautiful part of the show, there were streamers of pale, ghostly white that stretched from just above the horizon and met just south of the zenith. As far "south" as I live, there were even large glowing red areas in the sky to the south. It was a luminous - and numinous - spectacle.
It's rare for us to have such a clear and relatively warm night at this time of the year. That such a night occurred just in time to see such a fine display of physics and the beauty of nature was fortuitous, indeed.
Last night, with the weather here, near Rochester, NY absolutely clear and cool, I went outside to watch for the most visible effect of solar storms. The aurora (Borealis in my case, Australis if you're from south of the Equator). I've seen the aurora on occasion; in Maine, while flying in the California Desert, in Korea. But it was never like last night.
The show was short lived, peaking at around 7:45 EST, but spectacular. Along the northern horizon was a broad band of pale greenish-white light. Above that were several large areas glowing bright red. And, the most beautiful part of the show, there were streamers of pale, ghostly white that stretched from just above the horizon and met just south of the zenith. As far "south" as I live, there were even large glowing red areas in the sky to the south. It was a luminous - and numinous - spectacle.
It's rare for us to have such a clear and relatively warm night at this time of the year. That such a night occurred just in time to see such a fine display of physics and the beauty of nature was fortuitous, indeed.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Fill In the Everglades - Quick!
If there is one thing that conservatives continually surprise me on it's the environment. But this latest goes way beyond surprise... I'm not even sure I could classify this one...
Only in the conservative up-is-down Bizarro World would the following headline make sense: WETLANDS POLLUTE, SAYS STUDY OKAYED BY EPA.
I'm not kidding. The study was contracted by a group of south west Florida developers (surprised?) and basically says that developers can get "credit for improving water quality by replacing natural wetlands with golf courses and other developments."
aWol's EPA approved the study which is so flawed that "Bruce Boler, a former state water quality specialist, resigned after three years with EPA. In his resignation, Boler cited the stance taken by the EPA Regional Administrator Jimmie Palmer that “EPA would not oppose state positions, so if a state had no water quality problems with a project then neither would EPA.” The state of Florida has already signed off on the Harper Report."
Link via Altercation.
Only in the conservative up-is-down Bizarro World would the following headline make sense: WETLANDS POLLUTE, SAYS STUDY OKAYED BY EPA.
I'm not kidding. The study was contracted by a group of south west Florida developers (surprised?) and basically says that developers can get "credit for improving water quality by replacing natural wetlands with golf courses and other developments."
aWol's EPA approved the study which is so flawed that "Bruce Boler, a former state water quality specialist, resigned after three years with EPA. In his resignation, Boler cited the stance taken by the EPA Regional Administrator Jimmie Palmer that “EPA would not oppose state positions, so if a state had no water quality problems with a project then neither would EPA.” The state of Florida has already signed off on the Harper Report."
Link via Altercation.
Truth Will Out
Via Hesiod:
Claim vs. Fact: Presidential Press Conference, 10/28/03
Here's a sample - it's a great read:
Claim vs. Fact: Presidential Press Conference, 10/28/03
Here's a sample - it's a great read:
“CREDIBILITY”
CLAIM: “Credibility comes when you say something is going to happen and then it does happen…You are not credible if you issue resolutions and then nothing happens.” [Source: President Bush, 10/28/03]
FACT: Bush said about his first tax cut that “Tax relief will create new jobs” and the economy proceeded to shed almost 3 million jobs. He said about his second tax cut that “tax relief means new jobs for Americans” and the economy continued to shed jobs. He said about the war in Iraq in May that “major combat operations have ended” and yet more troops have died since that statement than during the war. [Source: President Bush, 4/16/01, 9/5/03 and 5/1/03]
Study Confirms the Obvious
Well, this may be obvious to just about anyone who doesn't get their news from Faux News, it is, apparently big news in the rest of the SCLM. From MSNBC's web site:
The headline: Study: Bush backers land Iraq deals
The lead graf:
And just how is it that these SCJ (So-called Journalists) are just now getting around to this? Do your goddamn jobs!
The headline: Study: Bush backers land Iraq deals
The lead graf:
Companies awarded $8 billion in contracts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan have been major campaign donors to President Bush, and their executives have had important political and military connections, according to a study released Thursday.The money graf (pun fully intended):
The Center’s analysis of contractor political donations showed:I continue to be un-surprised at anything this administration does. Disgusted, yes. Surprised, no.
* The top 10 contractors contributed $11 million to national political parties, candidates and political action committees since 1990.
* Fourteen of the companies won contracts in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Those companies, combined, have given more than $23 million in political contributions since 1990.
* Most contractors, their political action committees and their employees have contributed just under $49 million to national political campaigns and parties since that year.
* In the same time period, contractor donations to Republican Party committees outpaced contributions to the Democrats, $12.7 million to $7.1 million.
And just how is it that these SCJ (So-called Journalists) are just now getting around to this? Do your goddamn jobs!
I Am Atrios!
Seems Atrios, over at Eschaton is having a bit of legal problems over a very simple post about Donald Luskin (supposed Paul Krugman Stalker). He's gotten a letter from an attorney asking that teh post and all comments be removed and apparently Blogspot has or will be served a subpoena to reveal Atrios' true identity. I won't go into all the details, you can read them on Atrios' blog, but this is just harrassment, pure and simple.
Go read the post linked to above, as well as the comments. Then you'll see why you should put this up on your blog "I Am Atrios!"
Go read the post linked to above, as well as the comments. Then you'll see why you should put this up on your blog "I Am Atrios!"
Body Attachment
If ever there were a single subject that highlights the need for some form of universal health care, it is the practice of "body attachment." It goes by different names in different states and areas, but basically it is the procedure whereby hospitals request the arrest of people who have missed one or more court hearings on the payment of past due medical debts.
The practice is considered so awful that none of the largest credit providers will use it: Sears & Roebuck, Ford Motor Credit Co., etc. I would have less sympathy for someone arrested for skipping out on payment for a lawn mower or a new car. But there is a fundamental difference between consumer debt and medical debt. As one patient advocate puts it: "If it is a car or a vacuum cleaner, they will simply repossess it. What do you want them to do? Give the heart valve back?"
I discovered this issue in a rather sympathetic piece in - of all places - The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
Again, while this practice by hospitals is worrying - especially when practiced, apparently, by many non-profit hospitals - it is only a symptom of a wider, more insidious problem: the growing ranks of those without health insurance. And because large health organizations can negotiate lower service fees for their members, the 43 million people without insurance are charged much higher prices for services, exacerbating an already horrible situation.
There are lots of places to read about the benefits of a single payer health system. Google the term. You'll also find lots of arguments against. The arguments against often have to do with the cost - which I believe will be manageable. There are studies showing that reduced duplication of just administrative costs could actually save the overall American health care system billions of dollars per year.
Where I believe arguments against universal/single payer health systems fail is on moral grounds. Our country is the richest, most powerful state to ever have existed. We are rich - in every sense you can use that word - beyond compare. And we refuse - it's not that we are unable - we refuse to care for those who have less than we do.
Why?
Two words have been used to scare people away from universal health care. The first word of this duo is an old boogey-man of a word; fear of which was fueled by what was once the Soviet Union. The second word is just along for the ride - but when used together with the first is made to seem somehow evil. Many conservatives cannot even see these two words together without crying out in disgust and horror. What are those words? Socialized Medicine.
You can argue semantics forever without getting to the bottom of why those words are so freighted with bad meaning. I would say that there is a difference between a single payer system in a democracy and "dictionary" socialized medicine. Others would say they are the same. However you argue the meaning of a couple of words, in the end it comes down to an argument about the value of healthy citizens. People who don't have to worry that a trip to the hospital will cause them to lose everything they have are more productive, less likely to have other health problems.
But I'm getting away from the primary argument in favor of providing universal health care to all citizens. Because it is the right thing to do.
The practice is considered so awful that none of the largest credit providers will use it: Sears & Roebuck, Ford Motor Credit Co., etc. I would have less sympathy for someone arrested for skipping out on payment for a lawn mower or a new car. But there is a fundamental difference between consumer debt and medical debt. As one patient advocate puts it: "If it is a car or a vacuum cleaner, they will simply repossess it. What do you want them to do? Give the heart valve back?"
I discovered this issue in a rather sympathetic piece in - of all places - The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
Again, while this practice by hospitals is worrying - especially when practiced, apparently, by many non-profit hospitals - it is only a symptom of a wider, more insidious problem: the growing ranks of those without health insurance. And because large health organizations can negotiate lower service fees for their members, the 43 million people without insurance are charged much higher prices for services, exacerbating an already horrible situation.
There are lots of places to read about the benefits of a single payer health system. Google the term. You'll also find lots of arguments against. The arguments against often have to do with the cost - which I believe will be manageable. There are studies showing that reduced duplication of just administrative costs could actually save the overall American health care system billions of dollars per year.
Where I believe arguments against universal/single payer health systems fail is on moral grounds. Our country is the richest, most powerful state to ever have existed. We are rich - in every sense you can use that word - beyond compare. And we refuse - it's not that we are unable - we refuse to care for those who have less than we do.
Why?
Two words have been used to scare people away from universal health care. The first word of this duo is an old boogey-man of a word; fear of which was fueled by what was once the Soviet Union. The second word is just along for the ride - but when used together with the first is made to seem somehow evil. Many conservatives cannot even see these two words together without crying out in disgust and horror. What are those words? Socialized Medicine.
You can argue semantics forever without getting to the bottom of why those words are so freighted with bad meaning. I would say that there is a difference between a single payer system in a democracy and "dictionary" socialized medicine. Others would say they are the same. However you argue the meaning of a couple of words, in the end it comes down to an argument about the value of healthy citizens. People who don't have to worry that a trip to the hospital will cause them to lose everything they have are more productive, less likely to have other health problems.
But I'm getting away from the primary argument in favor of providing universal health care to all citizens. Because it is the right thing to do.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Really? Iraq Threat Overstated?
I'm just flabbergasted.
Headlines catch up with reality. Finally.
While the Senate report will lay the majority of the blame at the feet of the CIA, at least they are getting closer to reality. I wonder what it would take to get a committee to consider looking into the Whitehouse's role in this? An act of Congress? No... never mind.
Headlines catch up with reality. Finally.
While the Senate report will lay the majority of the blame at the feet of the CIA, at least they are getting closer to reality. I wonder what it would take to get a committee to consider looking into the Whitehouse's role in this? An act of Congress? No... never mind.
Things are Going Just Great!!
No really!
233 Attacks on US soldiers in just the last week!
They must really be getting desperate!
233 Attacks on US soldiers in just the last week!
They must really be getting desperate!
Lott - Lose Cannon
Trent Lott has finally advocated a course of action for Iraq that I'm sure all well heeled Rethugs can get behind. It's something I'm sure they've all been thinking anyway, and who better than the biggest ass in the party to "out" the real BushCo. strategy in Iraq?
From Atrios:
The rankingest (rankest?) Republican in the Senate basically said we may have to violate every tenet of civilized behavior if things don't start going better on the morning news. I thought Texan Rethugs were bad...
From Atrios:
"Honestly, it's a little tougher than I thought it was going to be," Lott said. In a sign of frustration, he offered an unorthodox military solution: "If we have to, we just mow the whole place down, see what happens. You're dealing with insane suicide bombers who are killing our people, and we need to be very aggressive in taking them out."That's right, that's no typo. "Mow the whole place down." Read the whole article here.
The rankingest (rankest?) Republican in the Senate basically said we may have to violate every tenet of civilized behavior if things don't start going better on the morning news. I thought Texan Rethugs were bad...
My Dog is Bigger Than Your Dog
General "Jerry" (Onward Christian Soldier) Boykin, took his worst tongue lashing from the administration yesterday. If you really take the harshest view of aWol's comments.
From the LA Times:
Boykin made many of his remarks before religious groups in uniform, a potential breach of The Uniform Code of Military Justice. But don't look for him to be seriously reprimanded; at worst he'll be found another high-level, but strictly military job to do. Most likely he'll stay right where he is. Continuing to spout his moronic, religious proclamations. Making the Middle East a safer place for our soldiers.
From the LA Times:
President Bush said Tuesday that controversial remarks by Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin about Muslims and Islam do not "reflect my point of view, or the view of this administration" — sharp language from an administration that tends to circle the wagons when a member is under attack."Sharp language", eh?
Boykin made many of his remarks before religious groups in uniform, a potential breach of The Uniform Code of Military Justice. But don't look for him to be seriously reprimanded; at worst he'll be found another high-level, but strictly military job to do. Most likely he'll stay right where he is. Continuing to spout his moronic, religious proclamations. Making the Middle East a safer place for our soldiers.
Corporate Excess?
Dennis Kozlowski, former Tycho executive now courtroom resident - and hopefully future jailhouse resident - has an image problem. Not that his looting of about $600 million from his former employer wasn't enough.
Videos released from his trial yesterday have made their way around the world via the internet; and you really should go find a copy and watch it. These are videos from a birthday party Mr. Kozlowski threw for his wife on the island of Sardinia. Now, I can understand having the cash to throw a nice party for your wife or significant other in a nice location. Really, I can. I'd love to be able to take my wife to Fiji for a birthday or anniversary.
Bit, if you've wondered what it is that differentiates the high and mighty of corporate fiefdoms from you and I, this video should clear things up. Oh, the cost of this little week-long soiree, attended by about 200 of the Kozlowski's closest friends and co-workers? $2 million.
From the Wall Street Journal(subscription required):
The looting of Tycho resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs. Those who lost their jobs probably can't even afford to throw their kids a small birthday party in the back yard.
Of course the Wall Street Journal was appropriately solemn about this show of excess; they interviewed high-flying party planners who hoped the release of this video would be good for their business.
Videos released from his trial yesterday have made their way around the world via the internet; and you really should go find a copy and watch it. These are videos from a birthday party Mr. Kozlowski threw for his wife on the island of Sardinia. Now, I can understand having the cash to throw a nice party for your wife or significant other in a nice location. Really, I can. I'd love to be able to take my wife to Fiji for a birthday or anniversary.
Bit, if you've wondered what it is that differentiates the high and mighty of corporate fiefdoms from you and I, this video should clear things up. Oh, the cost of this little week-long soiree, attended by about 200 of the Kozlowski's closest friends and co-workers? $2 million.
From the Wall Street Journal(subscription required):
In a club in Sardinia lushly decorated in an ancient Roman theme, flaming urns erupted against the backdrop of a stage built in the shape of a temple. Women in scanty garb threw flower petals into a pool. A well-oiled, half-naked male model gyrated on a pedestal. Mr. Kozlowski was shown at the entrance hugging two young women dressed in Roman costumes, flanked by helmeted centurions in battle garb.The first word that comes to mind for me is "shameless." But that doesn't seem to convey the indignation and revulsion I really feel.
The looting of Tycho resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs. Those who lost their jobs probably can't even afford to throw their kids a small birthday party in the back yard.
Of course the Wall Street Journal was appropriately solemn about this show of excess; they interviewed high-flying party planners who hoped the release of this video would be good for their business.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Why I'm Here - Another Entry...
I'm sort of new to the politically-minded world. In four years at the Military Academy and then ten years actually serving in the Army I remained aloof from politics. Because of the constitutionally mandated military subservience to civilian authority, many in the military were of the opinion that either it didn't matter who we voted for or that there was something vaguely unseemly about voting as a military member. I'm not saying that those feelings were more widespread than the group of officers and soldiers I knew, just that they did exist.
I started to become more interested in politics sometime during Clinton's second term. The attacks on Clinton as a person and as a president seemed starkly unfair and increasingly shrill. And the same people who made those attacks seemed intent on tarring whole segments of society with the same brush. At first it only disturbed me, but as the attacks increased, as they became more shrill, they made me angry. The 2000 election was the final straw in my political awakening. Bush's presidency has further driven my interest in getting involved. So far, this blog is my way of dealing with all of this. It lets me vent. It lets me find others who feel like I do - not just the (so far few) visitors, but because I visit other blogs and other sites to get ideas, to find other minds with similar thoughts.
Any way, this is just another entry explaining why I'm here, why I take the time to do this.
I started to become more interested in politics sometime during Clinton's second term. The attacks on Clinton as a person and as a president seemed starkly unfair and increasingly shrill. And the same people who made those attacks seemed intent on tarring whole segments of society with the same brush. At first it only disturbed me, but as the attacks increased, as they became more shrill, they made me angry. The 2000 election was the final straw in my political awakening. Bush's presidency has further driven my interest in getting involved. So far, this blog is my way of dealing with all of this. It lets me vent. It lets me find others who feel like I do - not just the (so far few) visitors, but because I visit other blogs and other sites to get ideas, to find other minds with similar thoughts.
Any way, this is just another entry explaining why I'm here, why I take the time to do this.
Monday, October 27, 2003
The Bush Recovery
Bob Herbert at the NYT lays out the dirty (not-so)secret behind the BushCo.'s economic turn around: It's great if you're already rich, not so otherwise.
A couple of key grafs towards the end:
A couple of key grafs towards the end:
"The Bush administration has made absolutely no secret of the fact that it is committed to the interests of the very wealthy. Leona Helmsley is supposed to have said that "only the little people pay taxes." The Bush crowd has turned that into a national fiat.Herbert's been right on top of his form lately. Go read the entire piece.
A cornerstone of post-Depression policy in this country has been a commitment to policies aimed at raising the standard of living of the poor and the middle class. That's over.
When it comes to jobs, taxes, education and middle-class entitlement programs like Social Security, the message from the Bush administration couldn't be clearer: You're on your own.
A Weekend of Carnage
10 killed and at least 10 wounded by a car bomber at the Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad.
1 U.S. Colonel killed, 15 wounded in a rocket barrage at the al Rashid Hotel.
27 killed at three separate car bombings at Iraqi police buildings.
3 U.S. Soldiers killed last night.
The "official" reaction?
*************************************
UPDATE
*************************************
From the NYT at 11:07 am EST:
"Iraq's police chief and deputy interior minister, Ahmad Ibrahim, said at a news conference that 34 people had been killed and 224 had been wounded in the attacks. He said 26 of the dead were civilians and 8 were police officers; 65 police officers and 159 civilians were wounded."
Post invasion planning? Forget about it. There was none.
1 U.S. Colonel killed, 15 wounded in a rocket barrage at the al Rashid Hotel.
27 killed at three separate car bombings at Iraqi police buildings.
3 U.S. Soldiers killed last night.
The "official" reaction?
"U.S. Gen. Hertling said Monday was "a great day for the Iraqi police" because security controls prevented the bombers from reaching their targets."The departure of the situation from whatever plan BushCo. had in place before the war has grown to obscene porportions. The departure of the rhetoric coming from BushCo. from the truth is... well... what's more obscene than obscene?
*************************************
UPDATE
*************************************
From the NYT at 11:07 am EST:
"Iraq's police chief and deputy interior minister, Ahmad Ibrahim, said at a news conference that 34 people had been killed and 224 had been wounded in the attacks. He said 26 of the dead were civilians and 8 were police officers; 65 police officers and 159 civilians were wounded."
Post invasion planning? Forget about it. There was none.
