Fear and loathing in Oklahoma

The Muslims are coming! The Muslims are coming! Some day, anyway -- it could happen, and Oklahoma isn't OK with it. I mean, we really need to trash our secular constitution and make judicial decisions rely on a few selected Jewish commandments palatable to Christian godbothers, but we are simply not going to sleep at night unless we make it illegal for Judges to be swayed by other, illegal religions like Islam; not in Oklahoma.

No, Okies need to "Save our State" and have proposed an amendment to the State constitution making it illegal for judges to reference Sharia or any other international law and as 0.8% of Oklahomans are Muslim, we can't waste any more time in saving the state from the bearded menace. What is needed is a "pre-emptive strike" says State Representative Rex Duncan (Republican of course.) "Court decisions ought to be based on federal law, or state law" says he.

Of course I agree that they should. yet Federal law just might have a problem with the legislature interfering with judicial decisions and process. Beyond that, I think Federal and State laws should be free of any dependence on Christian doctrines as well, but we're talking about Oklahoma here and we're talking about Republicans everywhere and how can we expect even a modest amount of moral or logical consistency?

On Big And Big; The President Speaks From The Oval Office

This afternoon, as we usually do when we're in San Diego, we picked up our little grandson, age 3, at pre-school.  We always have a snack ready to give him as soon as he's buckled into his carseat; today it was grapes--his favorite.  I sit in the backseat with him while my husband drives, and our backseat sessions usually involve learning for him and for me; he learns about what big people think is important and I learn about what's really important.

Today, he was enchanted by a tiny grape among the bigger, juicy ones.  He's learning the language so fast, we can see improvement daily, so I used the opportunity to emphasize new words for small: tiny, little bitty, smaller than.  We also worked on the brand-new concept of middle-sized and categorized each grape accordingly.  I knew this lesson would be a hit, because for about a week or so he's been announcing, after every meal and snack, "I'm getting big and big!  As we worked on comparative sizes, I realized he'd been trying to say that, by eating well, he was getting something that adds big and big--he was saying that he's getting bigger.  When I echoed that term back to him, he nodded firmly...yep, that was what he'd meant all along.  


After liberry books ("you bemember, Gigi: strawberry, blueberry, liberry?"), after making a big tent from quilts and cushions in the living room (illuminated by a slashlight), after his Mommy came to pick him up, my husband and I watched on my laptop as the President spoke from the Oval Office on the Gulf oil spill crisis.  

The speech was, as usual, perfectly delivered and, as usual, we almost entirely approved of it.  We approved of the order in which he brought out his points of emphasis.  We approved of his insistence on third party handling of the funds BP must advance.  We very much approved of the way he clearly stated what we've all been thinking, what's been making us all a little sick with anxiety since we realized that the spill wasn't being contained: this spill has got to be the signal event that breaks our last ounce of denial on climate change and the addiction to fossil fuel that has caused it.  


This is it, America.  There's not another moment to be wasted on denial, fear, and ignorance.  There's not a thought to be spared for the foolishness of leaving this up to someone else, someone more powerful, someone more connected, someone other than me.  I can't pretend for one more minute that things will be okay for my grandson's future..."somehow."  Time's up.


The President reached in and touched us all, conservative and liberal, on our proudest flesh: he invoked our pride in the way we pulled together to win World War II and to put men on the moon.  He said we've got that history to draw on as we try to believe we can  break our oil addiction, rescue our country and our planet,  and recover our beautiful Gulf.  He was stirring and he was right.

Afterward, my husband said that this is bigger than the moon landing, because that only involved a small segment of our population and only one major administrative entity, NASA...although we all certainly enjoyed the glory.  This effort, he pointed out, will take every single one of us.

I would argue that this is bigger than the necessity of winning World War II; there was always hope that mankind could ultimately overcome the worst evil we'd yet encountered as long as mankind, itself, could survive.  This time, that survival is in question.  The President's speech came as close to naming the unnameable as a President should at this juncture.  I knew what he meant, didn't you?

This is bigger than the moon, bigger than the war.  This is big AND big.

VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA

Most of you know that I can’t dwell too long on depressing, negative subjects without trying to find a balance and so I bring you this bit of brightness that recently caught my attention HERE.

“1.6 million more Americans volunteered in 2009 and spent 100 million more hours helping their communities last year.”

That brings the total number of volunteers in 2009 to 63.4 million. This is the biggest increase in a single year since 2003. These numbers only include those volunteers involved in formal organizations and not those who give in other ways.

"People are turning toward problems, rather than away from them,… people want to be part of the solution. They want to make a difference."

This is the kind of example we SHOULD be setting for others and the lesson we should be teaching America’s children; that Americans work together in times of need to give each other a hand up. That we SEE each other and recognize the human being looking back.

If you want to look for volunteer opportunities, here is the link to Volunteer.Org to get you started. A little time, a lot of time, organizations will be happy to get whatever you can give and you'll be part of a group that is over 63 million strong.

That's power!

Spy in the Sky

You expect the smaller government gospel in Texas and Texans will tell you that the damned government should stay out of private matters like dragging gay men to death behind pickup trucks, instituting safety standards for drilling rigs and demanding proper accounting practices from Bush beloved companies like Enron, but there's an alternate logic in Texas; one that has no problem with the government spying on us with unmanned drones. Following us down the road recording our movements and our speed and our destinations, peeking into our back yards. The largest of these things are as big as airliners and the smallest, I'm told, can fly right into your window. Some are remotely operated, some are almost autonomous. They can see in the dark, they know when you're sleeping; they know when you're awake -- well, maybe not, but they know if you've been good or bad.

Of course there's support for patrolling the borders with these machines, which are much cheaper to operate and aren't dangerous to the operators, but they pose a collision hazard to civil aviation and the FAA, pushed by manufacturers, fear-mongering politicians and the government, has been trying to balance the need for aviation safety with the lust for more government surveillance. Texas officials, including Gov. Rick Perry, Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, and Rep. Henry Cuellar, are so hot to employ drones on the border and who knows where else that they're trying to twist the President's arm. Cornyn, for instance is blocking a Senate confirmation vote on Michael Huerta, Obama's nominee for the No. 2 FAA job, until he gets his way.

Of course there are legitimate uses for drones, but there are legitimate dangers, not all of which concern collisions and the urge to deploy more eyes in the sky; the insistence that we can and must trust the government with another spy tool seems to make liars out of the people making careers out of telling us we can't trust anyone but them.

THE EPITOME OF CRAZY

I thought inciting the violent overthrow of the U.S. government was tantamount to treason. Why isn't this man under arrest for sedition?

Below the surface

Sometimes I meet the nicest people, kind, outgoing, articulate and with many shared interests. A Saturday afternoon barbecue, a manicured garden, a convivial crowd of fellow boaters; many with experiences I can only envy, of cruising the beautiful and exotic parts of the globe.

I mention a planned sail to the Leeward Islands and a stop in beautiful Dominica with it's mountains and waterfalls and hot springs and black sand beaches like the Hawaii of long ago. "Maybe I'll never come back," I say.

"Maybe we'll all have to go elsewhere" says she, "before those Liberals ruin the country with all that debt and, you know before that Obama destroys capitalism."

There's that sick, sinking feeling again; the realization that beneath the tranquil surface, there's a dangerous reef to rip your bottom out. I should have known; but facing the isolation one feels when surrounded by people passionately inimical to your every thought and steadfastly obstinate in resisting any facts or any argument that might diminish the comfort of their cherished anger, makes one too desperate to believe someone might not have been infected with that alien zombie virus. Damn it, I let my guard down again.

"I can't watch the news any more, it's all Liberal" she says. Perhaps she doesn't, but she's listening to someone. Someone is not telling her that the debt began so soar in terrifying fashion when George entered the white house; has soared under every Republican president since Ford or reminding her that the tax cuts that were supposed to increase government revenues didn't and that were supposed to create new jobs created no private sector jobs whatever while government jobs and government coasts soared. Someone isn't telling her that our senseless military endeavor that appears now to have been embarked upon for profit has already cost more that World War II and continues to burn through billions. That kind of debt doesn't count, only debt that might help Americans who aren't already in the club. No -- best not to listen to the Liberals on the TV news.

"It's true that 24 hour coverage leads to a format that's mostly speculation and opinion and it's true that at least one network simply lies and invents and misquotes and twists facts, " I said. Her brow began to furrow. "That's why I try to read as many sources as I can. "I read three or four to a dozen newspapers most every morning," I say. " I listen to everything from Al Jazeera to Haaretz on line." I can see the suspicion growing, the bestial voice in her head growling liberal.

I'd ask her to define liberal, but I know she's define it as its opposite. I know she has no awareness of current events, history or anything outside the Yacht Club Republican cocktail-hour school of economics and social criticism. I know there's no point in flexing a consciousness that's been ossified in one position for 75 years, so I do what I always have to do and smile and say:

"Oh, don't worry, it's a strong country and I'm sure we'll survive," even though I'm far from certain.

Dear CinC USA

Dear Commander in Chief,

You've got a tough week ahead of you.  Ignore the polls; ignore the press.  Listen to your own instincts, your own heart.  Be yourself.  Talk to your trusted advisors.  Convene the people with information and ask for their input, as you have in the past.  Talk it over with Michelle.  Pray, if that's what you usually do.  Then, do it your way.

Respectfully,
Nance

Something's Funny Here

'Nuff Sorry, Already:  I watched this clip on MSNBC today while riding the recumbent bike at the YMCA.  Think there's something funny about South Carolina politics?   It struck me as ha-ha funny; after the way SC has sacrificed any claim it ever had on the nation's respect (and Lindsey Graham DOES try), how could anybody still act surprised by the state's politics?  We've become quite possibly the ONLY comic relief in the national news these days.



Folks, just in case you hadn't put this together yet, the Palmetto State could rival Hamid Karzai's government for corruption.  I've apologized quite adequately to those of you who live in real states, so that's it; that's all the sorry I'm sayin'.  Hereafter, anyone who points out that SC has some funky things going on politically will have to apologize to me for being as dull witted as ol' Alvin, here.  I just hope they paid him a fair graft; unemployment has been over 16% in Manning, SC.

ARIZONA DRACONIA - PART 2

Not long ago I answered the question from a relative about how bad things must be in Arizona to compel them to enact their new draconian immigration laws. The post can be found HERE.

What I found in researching that post, using statistics from the State of Arizona is that while hate crimes against blacks, hispanics, gays and Jews was on the rise, crime in the state was declining as shown on these graphs:

A recent article HERE gave me the idea of revisiting Arizona's claims of ornerous immigration problems. Amazingly, not only has Arizona's immigrant population, both legal and illegal been steadily declining but with the impending enactment of the new law, Hispanics are leaving Arizona in large numbers:

"Arizona’s immigrant population, which is more than 90 percent Mexican, has already been leveling off for two years now, due to the recession."

"Arizona’s hard-hitting immigration law is driving Hispanics out of the state weeks before the controversial law goes into effect."

School enrollment is down and businesses who had Hispanic patrons are reporting losses of revenues. Looks like the new law will not only free up a few low paying jobs but may have some unintended negative consequences.

So, once again, I ask the question; what DID prompt the Draconian measures enacted by the Arizona governor and legislature?

(Paw Tip to my favorite cephalopod for the great graphs!)

Today’s IOKIYAR

Wow seems like just this week the right wing was in a tizzy over Helen Thomas saying she thought the Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine.” Thomas paid for her insensitivity swiftly and severely: she lost her job, was dumped by her speakers’ bureau, and basically had her long, groundbreaking, 60+ year legacy in the media destroyed in a matter of days.

Anyhoo, with that little controversy fresh in everyone’s minds you’d naturally think the right wing would be offended by this blatant racism from Cato Institute scholar Michael Cannon:

Responding to a tragic story about a New Orleans area sheriff asking federal authorities to investigate reports that undocumented workers are involved in the oil spill clean up, Cannon tweeted that undocumented workers “are very absorbent.” View a screen shot below:

Yes, it was clearly meant as a joke which failed horribly. But beyond the blatant racism, it is especially insensitive when one considers the highly charged atmosphere Hispanics face right now, thanks to Arizona’s immigration law. But not to Dave Weigel of the Washington Post, who rallies to Cannon’s defense:

You have to put on blinders to miss the fact that Cannon is joking about what he sees as craziness in Louisiana.

Umm, really? So it’s a slam on those crazy Louisiana people? How do you figure? And if you DO figure, how do you figure that’s any better?

Look, I realize conservatives are missing whatever thread of DNA it is that includes a funny bone, which explains lame “comedians” like Dennis Miller and Victoria Jackson (in all fairness, I find Victoria Jackson hilarious, however that is because I am laughing at her, not with her). So a Cato Institute scholar Tweeting a joke which lands with a massive thud is as predictable as the sun rising in the east.

That fellow conservatives like Dave Weigel would rally to his defense is also, sadly, predictable. This is the same columnist who rushed to defend Rand Paul, not once but twice. Just as conservatives lack a sense of humor, they also seem to lack any sensitivity where issues of race and tolerance are concerned. And this, too, is no surprise, since so much of the conservative movement is an obvious backlash against "political correctness." It is, at its core, a movement born out of a desire to be intolerant and not be called an asshole.

Well, nice try Dave but no prize for you. This was obviously not a joke made at the expense of those “crazy Cajuns” or whatever you are trying to pretend here. It was a joke made at the expense of Hispanics who, I’m sorry to say, have received a good bit of this offensive stereotyping disguised as humor of late.

Check out the Ohio radio station which thought it would be soooo funny to have a contest where you can “spend a day hunting illegals” in Phoenix. Ha ha absofucking hilarious. Yeah those illegals, they put their lives at risk and break the law and all that just cuz, they’re funny that way, must be all the tequila and hot sun, ha ha. I mean, forget about the grinding poverty that forces people to leave their homes and families to come here in search of a better life in the first place. Forget the American economic policy so addicted to the crack pipe that is cheap labor that businesses happily ignore the law and provide jobs for these folks, sometimes even hire contractors to cross the border recruit this cheap labor. But hey, these immigrants are illegal and what part of illegal don’t we DFH’s understand? Yeah I get it.

You know, it just seems there’s no racist comment that could come from a conservative that won’t push the Dave Weigels of the country way out on a limb to defend them. It’s always, always, always OK if you are a Republican.