Friday, July 24, 2009

Skip Gates vs. Sgt. Crowley

The latest in an ongoing series of political clusterfucks for the Obama Administration involves his comments about the case of Dr. Henry Louis Gates being arrested in his home for being a disorderly person. Obama described the Cambridge, MA police who arrested Dr. Gates as having "acted stupidly" for snatching up the professor once he'd established he was, indeed, legally inside his residence. The President was right -- the police acted stupidly. However, based on the limited facts anyone's been able to determine, Dr. Gates didn't show much in terms of either intellect or civility.

In America, the notion of the home being a refuge and sanctuary for the law abiding citizen is nothing less than sacrosant. Some take the broad view that, unless he had broken a law, Dr. Gates was, and is, entitled to act obnoxiously and insultingly toward anyone who enters his home. As true as that may be, I would think a college professor, even one acutely sensitive to police mistreatment based on race, would have shown better judgment and a higher level of maturity. Particularly because we know, as black people, this situation could have escalated from argumentive, to confrontational, to deadly in the blink of an eye. Was the situation upsetting? Yes, but, in my view, had the professor acted like an adult, we'd have had a more positive outcome.

The same can be said of Sgt. Crowley. Policing is a tough job, but it's since been revealed that the sergeant was once responsible for instructing other officers on matters of racial sensitivity. Part of any police officer's training is to be able to maintain their composure in the most difficult situations. Sgt. Crowley had his buttons pushed, and he didn't react well. Someone who appears from all I've seen and read to be a good cop, winds up looking like an intransigent jerk. The ridiculous press conference held today in his support didn't help, and may well further fan the flames of division.

Both parties are involved in a idiotic pissing contest, and both should show the maturity expected of professional people and apologize. Instead of going to TV to prove how right they are, how about going on and sitting down together to discuss how they've equally blown this out of proportion, and what we can do as individuals, and as a society, to bridge the racial divide. If these two people, who appear to be of good conscience and seemingly interested in bettering the way blacks and whites and others interact in our country can't do this, then they are both failures as leaders and teachers. Shame on them both if they can't see that.

Erin Andrews Video - Ripoff

Thousands of websites are using either subject lines or tags to get hits based on the ESPN reporter's surreptitiously photographed nude video. Alas, we have neither the video, nor any known live links to it, but we could use the hits. Our apologies.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Health Care Reform -- Not So Fast

The Health Care Reform train has begun to lose momentum as old Joe "Mentum" Lieberman urges the White House to slow down. President Obama continues to insist that some form of of reform is coming, but the thing that the White House continues to ignore is if their reform is the reform the American public is asking for. A single-payer option was declared dead nearly before the legislative process started, and there has been much contention over a public option, and I believe this is one of the true sticking points.

The time is approaching where the President is going to have to begin using his bully pulpit. He's going to have to use his skills to either persuade or frighten members of Congress. I doubt Obama wants this kind of fight, but want it or not, he'd better be prepared for it.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Pat Buchannan Goes Off the Rails -- Again

Sometimes it's difficult to know where to start when challenged with the remarkable idiocy of a Zell Miller or a Pat Buchannan. Pat's performance on The Rachel Maddow Show has once again demonstrated that old Pat's employers might want to consider putting the old mule out to pasture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysbi5bxKxYU

"This has been a country, basically built by white folks". Yeah, right, Pat.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

As the Sotomayor Confirmation Kabuki Comes To An End...

...we were treated to two of the firefighters in the Ricci case giving their opinions about whether the judge is qualified to be the Supreme Court.

I'm certain the plaintiffs against whom she ruled would be nothing but pleased if the judge were to be elevated to the position of Justice. Otherwise, why are they there? The obvious use of these individuals as witnesses at the hearing is to evoke some measure of emotion from the public (perhaps empathy) about Judge Sotomayor's participation in upholding the ruling of the trial court instead of engaging in some form of judicial activism. And how much hypocrisy have you seen today?

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Sotomayor and the Senate Hot Seat

Now that the hearings for Judge Sotomayor are in full swing, some assessments can be made as far as the Republicans Senator's lines of questioning, and what they're looking to achieve.

It's pretty much a fait accompli that Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed, but her GOP inquisitors on the Senate Judiciary Committee want to assure their constituents they've asked the "tough" questions of the judge. Much of the focus so far has been, and will likely continue to be, on the Ricci affirmative action case, her stand on Heller, and her speeches. To this point, the judge and the Republican Senators have comported themselves well. They've remained pointed, she's remained patient, and the hearings remain on script.

For me, the discussions surrounding Heller are the most interesting part of the hearings. I believe Heller is one of those Supreme Court decisions that should be read by every American. I don't think I'm wrong when I say the majority of Americans probably believe the Supremes simply sit down, have a brief chat about the issue at hand and how well the lawyers made their arguments, and then commence to take a vote on what the law will be.

Heller, which was written by Justice Scalia, shows the consideration for history and precedent the Court usually applies when making its rulings. It shows how the Court tries to keep its rulings as narrow as possible. It also shows why Justice Scalia is a frustratingly brilliant, but often wrongheaded jurist (which is why he's frustratingly brilliant). Justice Scalia is first and foremost an ideologue. Justice Scalia claims to be wedded to the judicial philosophies of originalism and strict construction, but there were indications in Heller that he was prepared to go further than his narrow ruling (perhaps as far as claiming the 2nd Amendment show be incorporated to the States) had the opportunity been presented. There's little doubt he's telegraphed his desire to have the question come before the court again for further review regarding state laws.

It's a certainty the Court will revisit this issue, which is why Judge Sotomayor has demurred from making much comment on it, other than to say she followed this precedent while on the Appeals Court.

Even Lindsey Graham has conceded Judge Sotomayor, barring a "meltdown", will be confirmed. I'd love to be the fly on the wall when she and Justice Scalia have an opportunity to talk a little law.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger, meet Ralph Reed

According to ajc.com, one time would-be American Ayatollah Ralph Reed is looking to reform and re-brand the Christian Coalition.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories//2009/07/12/ralph_reed_comeback.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Perhaps Reed believes enough time has passed that the stench of Jack Abramoff no longer wafts from his clothes, so he is crawling out of the political sepulcher to be the next in line to attempt to give the reactionary politics of the right-wing a bright new face via social networking and the internet.

The old soup in the new bowl is going to be called the Freedom and Faith Coalition, and since past is often prologue, I'm sure we can count on the FFC to attempt to exploit the old hot button issues of yesteryear, but do it in a nicer way in order to attract younger voters and activists. Instead of handing out voter guides to churches, according to the article, Reed wants to use the Internet to disseminate his brand of faith-based wedge politics. Reed himself said, “I’ve become an elder statesman at 48, but I’m still doing what I was doing at 20".

Reed's comeback is in its early stages, so he has a ways to go before he can look forward to the kind of national press attention that the current GOP leadership (the insane clown posse of Steele, Limbaugh, and Palin) are receiving, but the fact Reed feels emboldened enough to mount such a revival is evidence again of the dearth of new ideas and new blood in the Republican party.