The private lives of public figures, whether actors, politicians, or even hot-shot lawyers, used to by off-limits for journalists. An understanding existed between the media and those whom they reported on that what happened off the job was nobody’s business. This vow of silence protected both philanderers and homosexuals in the public eye from any fear of exposure. This vow of silence kept both JFK and Liberace free of talk show confessions and public apologies.
The picture of persistent bachelor.
However, as the public got a thirst for sexual scandal and politicians used a growing wave of “family values” sentiments to lift them into high office, this previously off-limits part of public figures lives became the amusement park of both tabloid journalists and moral pontificators. Celebrities fell under the microscope as sexual escapades and drug binges became coffee table reading for the general public. As “alternative lifestyles” became more prevalent in pop culture, social conservatives joined forces with the Republican party in the 1980s as the perceived “poverty of values” became a staple of stump speeches. These sentiments reached their pinnacle in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal as social conservatives grandstanded against this moral decline in society until their hand-picked candidate took back the White House. But even in a climate where heterosexual sexcapades of politicians were back in-bounds for journalistic inquiry, rumored homosexuality stayed off-limits.
As moral outrage became the order of the day, the notion that gay rights was the counterpoint to social conservatism grew in prominence. In Kirby Dick’s new documentary Outrage this backlash is put against the backdrop of closeted politicians who have voted consistently against any extension of gay rights. ”The lady doth protest too much” becomes the thesis of the film as it chronicles the efforts of BlogActive’s Mike Rogers’ crusade to “out” hypocritical politicians. The most enduring statement the film makes is that anti-gay agendas become the “evidence” that rumored homosexual politicians use to “prove” that they are in fact straight. In much the same way in which children struggling with their sexual identity become the loudest homophobes in the schoolyard — a topic addressed in a story by David Sedaris from an episode of This American Life entitled “The Cruelty of Children.” The depth of this self-deception is further extrapolated in this brilliant scene from HBO’s Angels in America, citied in Outrage, in which Roy Cohn, the unabashed right-hand man of McCarthyism explains why he is not a homosexual:
It can be argued that forcing anyone to confront their sexual orientation before they are mentally prepared to do so does more harm than good. But, would systematic “outings” of hypocritical politicians do more to advance the gay rights movement than anything done to this point? Kirby Dick obviously believes it would.
The Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill was passed today by a 14-9 margin, with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voicing the sole “aye” for the Republicans.
With today's vote, we are almost to this stage of the health care sausage
The vote represents clearance of another massive hurdle for health care reform, marking the furtherest such a bill has ever advanced through the legislative process. All that remains to be done is (deep breath) . . . reconcile the Senate Finance and Health Committee’s bills, debate and vote on the new pieced together Franken-bill in the full Senate, meanwhile the House will debate and vote on its own bill which is still to be reconciled from the House Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, and Education & Labor Committees — if both reconciled bills pass both houses of Congress then the closed door deliberation of the Conference Committee can begin. Here influential leaders from the House and Senate will burn both the Senate and House bill to create a brand-spanking-new “Phoenix Bill” that, if all goes to plan, will rise from the ashes of previous health care bills, brainwashing both houses of Congress just long enough to push through sweeping reform (exhale). And then, with just a stroke of his pen, President Obama can finally bring universal health care to the U.S. (or more likely a health care bill just toothless enough that no centrist elements can object to it, coupled with a process exhausting enough that suicide would be preferable to opposition for the left-wing of the Democratic Party).
A more easily understood (but less thorough) explanation can be found here.
What’s interesting is not that the bill has gone this far (it would have even without any Republican support), nor that Republicans by-and-large oppose it (denying Obama legislative victories is the crux of the opposition’s strategy to take back Congress). What’s interesting is this from CNN:
To get a bill passed, Reid could implement a legislative option known as reconciliation, which would mean 50 votes would be needed instead of 60. However, Republicans have promised a “minor revolution,” in the words of GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, if Democrats resort to that rarely used tactic.
It does sound quite unfair of the pushy Democrats to evoke an arcane legislative process to bring unwanted, unneeded and unpopular change to the health care system. I mean the last time this process was used was way back in . . . 2007. Hmm, well that must be an anomaly, the time before that was . . . 2005. I see.
Since the creation of the reconciliation process in 1974, it has been used 23 times. That’s an average of more than once every other year. If we go ahead an take out the first six years before Congress broke its reconciliation cherry, that average bumps up to nearly four out of every five years. Including a stretch of eight straight years from 1980 to 1988.
A smudged photo of the elusive, rarely used Senate Christmas tree.
So perhaps “rarely used” is not as informative as intended. Can we agree on “regularly invoked” or “about ∏ times every presidential term.” Either way works for me.
You are all blithering idiots that couldn’t form your own opinion to save your life and the folks you rely on to make opinions for you are ”the equivalent of a chimpanzee throwing darts at a board.”
Turns out people firm in their conviction are right less often that those with more pliable world-view. Oh and loud-mouthed pompous asses score the worst. Still these are the people we are innately draw to believe. God really screwed us on that one.
It seems that the banking laws in offshore tax havens are a little too strict for some in the U.S. Apparently you have to give your name. But that can all be taken care of with a simply romp to . . . .Wyoming? That’s right. In Wyoming you can start a shell business anonymously and start a bank account for that business, also anonymously. From the Economist article:
For shady clients, this is a far better proposition: what their bankers do not know, they can never be forced to reveal.
Ah yes. Well if there’s a market for such things someone should make money off of it right? The free market at work.
Nowhere is this more prevalent than in America. Take Nevada, for example. Its official website touts its “limited reporting and disclosure requirements” and a speedy one-hour incorporation service. Nevada does not ask for the names of company shareholders, nor does it routinely share the little information it has with the federal government.
There is demand for this ask-no-questions approach. The state, with a population of only 2.6m, incorporates about 80,000 new firms a year and now has more than 400,000, roughly one for every six people. A study by the Internal Revenue Service found that 50-90% of those registering companies were already in breach of federal tax laws elsewhere.
So all this time our shady citizens were taking their money to Switzerland, while the Swiss’ shady citizens were coming back to America.
A money-laundering threat assessment in 2005 by the federal government found that corporate anonymity offered by Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming rivalled that of familiar offshore financial centres. For foreigners, America is a particularly attractive place to stash cash, because it does not tax the interest income they earn. Thus with both anonymity and no taxation, America offers them all the elements of a tax haven.
On the campaign trail, Obama several times cited a single building in the Cayman Islands called Ugland House which notionally houses 12,000 corporations. He said: “That’s either the biggest building or the biggest tax scam on record.”
What about the 400,000 corporations in Nevada? The 1-in-6 ratio? That’s either the most CEO infested state in the Union or its the biggest tax scam in history.
The Dalai Lama’s message of peace and reconciliation will not be heard this year at a peace conference for Nobel laureates in South Africa. It seems that “the Lama’s” presence distracts from the whole issue at hand - the 2010 World Cup. From the BBC article:
The visa had been declined because the Dalai Lama’s presence “would not be in the best interests of South Africa at this time”, he said.
The government spokesman told Reuters news agency that the presence of the Dalai Lama risked distracting attention from the World Cup.
It’s funny that everyone is outraged and embarrassed, but still China pulls the strings from behind the scenery. Was there ever a more polite and secretive super-power? Never taking full credit for its authority. China keeps it’s people the hell out of the papers and let’s your people feel ashamed and embarrassed.
Rod Blagojevich ranted live on-air for several hours in an attempt to reach the last few people in Illinois to let them know just how innocent he is.
A couple in Orland Park who had been hiding out in a bomb shelter since the end of the Cold War, finally decided it was safe to come above ground. Hearing Blago on the radio, the Orland Park couple has been quoted as saying, “This Rod Blagnovic guy seems like a stand-up citizen. He really needs to run for public office.”
Just when you thought the grand ole US of A had the market cornered on crazy, comes this report from our neighbors to the north. Take that you smug French-Canadians. Yes, this means you Celine Dion.
I know that the official line is that the U.S. does not negotiate with terrorists, but these guys at AIG have pieced together one of the most destructive weapons of mass destruction known to man and they say they are the only ones that know how to diffuse it. Also, even though the job market in general is shit right now, it turns out the job market for top executives, who brought about calamitous failure to their companies is still really good. So, let’s just pay them off, because if we don’t someone else will. There is still hope that they give back some of their ill gotten gains later. Sound Good? Also, if they leave they will do everything in their power to work against the government for further ill gotten gains. Maybe we can ask them nicely to save the global economy and then shower them with money for un-fucking what they fucked. It’s just crazy enough to work!
“Listen, what I meant was these people are the scum of the earth. If they show their faces, I will take it upon myself to murder them in the most brutal fashion. I have this book in my house about the Spanish Inquisition - I plan to throw it at them very hard . . . It’s a really big book. Then whatever page it opens to - I will read it to them start to finish. This of course will result in their not being able to stay awake. Which is my opportunity to find the nearest National Science Foundation porn addict. He will have his way with these dishonorable people. Really, I’m saying the only merciful way out for these AIG executives is to kill themselves. Otherwise, I am getting my pitchfork and torch and we will have old fashioned mob rule. That’ll take me back. DIE! DIE! DIE!”
Now excuse me, I have to get to my real job as a public access TV host:
Despite his past mistakes, I was ready to give Bill Kristol a clean slate. Let him forget about the immense blunder that was the Iraq War and focus on his poignant critique of Obama Administration. My thinking being that perhaps he’s not that good at coming up with policies, but he is good at finding fault in other people’s policy (a common malidy of the right-wing press that is often helpful when the left gains control but a complete disaster when the right is in power).
But of course that was all shot to hell, because Bill Krisstol has a script and God help him he is sticking to it! Exhibit A:
Kristol, as always, starts with a back-handed compliment to the opposition. Referring White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel’s desire not to let a crisis go to waste, Kristol writes:
Emanuel deserves points for candor. But perhaps not for perspicacity.
Candor is something Kristol was never that good at. His way is better charecterized as muddle and fling poop, with a straight enough face that half the country thinks he’s a lunatic and the other half takes him at his word. The following is his take on who REALLY wanted to invade Iraq - I’ll give you a hint it’s not neo-cons.
Kristol goes on to write that the opening stumbles of the Obama administration has left their image a bit scuffed up . . . but those Republicans are looking PRETTY good right about now:
Meanwhile, the GOP recovery program is going pretty well. Republicans have progressed from shell-shocked timidity through small-bore sniping and onto robust (and responsible) opposition. The GOP has shown itself able to stand up and counter Obama’s arguments. The Bush hangover seems to be proving less burdensome than expected, and some of the GOP’s members of Congress are turning out to be more presentable than suspected.
I believe this is the sort of shape-your-own-reality thinking that was the hallmark of the GOP going into the Iraq war. The neo-con argument used to go: “we are mother-fucking American and we can mother-fucking do whatever we want. AND more importantly whatever we want to happen will happen. Mother-fucking America creates whatever reality it wants. Mother-fucking America does not get bogged down in geo-political tensions, or local rivalries, or even cultural sensitivities. We come in, we blow the place up, we rebuild it the way is should have been built the first time around.”
I bielive that argument has been boiled down to: “we didn’t have the troops to pull it off, but if had - OH BROTHER!”
What’s unsettling here is that Bill Kristol is not being optomistic about a Republican future, instead he’s cramming all the negative GOP press into, “shell-shocked timidity through small-bore sniping and onto robust (and responsible) opposition.”
The election brought into office a candidate that ran on idea that EVERYTHING that was done the last 8 years needs to be completely overturned. Whether or not that’s happening is another story, but he ran on that notion. To not ask existential questions about the GOP feeds into the notion that the GOP has completely lost touch with what the people of America are asking for.
First, Obama is, for PR reasons and PR reasons only (and not very good PR reasons at that), committed to closing Guantánamo. GOP members of Congress can make clear just how dangerous the remaining Guantánamo detainees are, and how irresponsible are some of the proposals for sending them abroad or trying them in the criminal justice system. The GOP should seek the release of the Defense Department report on terrorist acts by some of the less dangerous detainees released from Guantánamo under the Bush administration. Republicans can seek to slow or reverse Obama’s decision, requiring that he certify that closing Guantánamo will not endanger American lives, providing funding for Guantánamo in the budget whether or not Obama wants it, and so forth. Lots of Democrats would have trouble opposing such efforts.
Polls will be helpful here, again. Forty-four percent of Americans agree that Gitmo should be closed. Not a deal breaker. In fact, only 35 percent of American’s believe that the governement should fund family planning over seas, but that won’t stop Democrats from removing the “gag-rule.”
Moreover, the PR reasons Kristol scoffs at, are part and parcel of why terrorists have grown stronger under Bush. The Islamic world doesn’t hate us because we like freedom and democracy and nearly-naked women in our magazines. This is of course distasteful to them, but you will not find many Muslims joining the terrorist cause because of our life-style. Instead the Islamic world hates us because of the ACTIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT. Including the BAD PR OVER GITMO. Gallup illustrates this point. In most of the nations of the Middle East surveyed the top three things the U.S. could do to improve their image are, 1) Pull out of Iraq, 2)Remove military bases from Saudi Arabia, 3) Close Gitmo
The top three U.S. actions to improve our PR in the middle-east and Kristol scoffs at it. No amount of extra-judicial killings, imprisonment without trial, or invasions of sovereign nations will stop terrorism. But good PR can and does cut the legs out from under terrorist recruitment. And Kristol’s against it. Is he wrong on every issue? No it just seems that way, because he’s wrong on all the important ones.
Second, what’s now the rationale for discriminating against ROTC on elite college campuses? The “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy? Well, Obama is president and the Democrats control Congress. They can change that policy if they want to.
Absolutely! But I’m sure Kristol will come against a change in the policy when Obama decides to tackle it in his second term.
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