Tea Party Movement - Astroturf on the Mall

Characterizing the TP movement as grassroots is laughable, but surely politically expedient. On the other hand, the right has certainly engaged in direct action in the past. Driven by greed, paranoia and racism, the TP movement clearly is a vehicle for GOP racism and lies be promoted without sullying the Republican brand.

I’ll grant that some protesters are genuine, but the movement itself is not. This is a corporate protest, and calling it grassroots only shows how desperate for relevance the right has become.

The Density of Palin: Black Hole of Media Intelligence

I’m waiting for Palin to present her alternative health care reform plan.

But I’m not holding my breath.

She’s got nothing to offer here. I don’t see anyone flummoxed, just a big chunk of the GOP that is brain-dead and/or brain-washed into buying whatever this woman has for sale.
“Death panels” are not part of this legislation, and are nothing but an inflammatory rhetorical device without basis in fact – a definition that fits Palin herself as well.

GOP Pretending to be Peaceful

How large is the audience that believes this garbage? This Godwin-baiting meme of Hitler as a leftist is would be merely silly if it were not so sinister.

Claiming that the left is the source of political violence does not make it so. A quick review of history reveals the ignorance of this assertion. People are not motivated to violence by democratic collectivists. They are motivated to violence by authoritarian leaders who harness nationalistic and religious memes to further their own political power.

The characterization of Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot and Castro as somehow representing democratic socialism only demonstrates the ignorance of the author.

Science is fine. What's wrong with the GOP?

AGW deniers generally share a common financial interest in promoting their views. That’s why I was not surprised that the first “reference” in the article is to a commercial outlet for Plimer’s book. Ian Plimer is a Professor of Mining Geology with a background in the mining industry. His expertise in climate science is questionable, to be generous – his financial and career interests are transparent.

Although his book has proven popular with a certain segment of the public, it has been widely panned in the scientific community, simply because the “science” content is nothing but a series of cherry-picked primary sources, selected without regard for accuracy or veracity.

The “technological revolution” that is needed to halt global warming is not “unimaginable” except to those whose imaginations have ceased to function. Without engaging in the work to bring about this revolution, we are doomed to a future of dwindling fossil fuel resources, ongoing climate disruption, and eventually a very nasty and rapid rise in sea level worldwide due to continued carbon emissions.

There is no downside in moving to a sustainable, carbon-neutral economy – it is in the end a cleaner and more cost effective way to power an economy once the investment in infrastructure is in place. Wholesale rejection of mainstream scientific thought (”I will never believe the British Medical Journal again, and I have real doubts about the Lancet. The journals Nature and Science have become shockingly corrupt and dishonest on global warming.”) is one of the sure signs of late-stage global warming denial.

If the GOP continues to ignore the overwhelming evidence of AGW, and relies on the pseudo-scientists of the world for support, it truly is one of the worst times for science. Peer-review and broad consensus are the basis of scientific knowledge, and AGW deniers fail miserably on both counts. There is no peer-reviewed evidence that refutes the well-documented long-term warming that has been observed since the beginning of scientific measurements, and the broad consensus supports theories that recognize the impact of human activity on the global environment.

It is the best of times, in the sense that science can identify and propose remedies for the damage that humans do to their environment, and technology provides the tools to made these changes. It is only the political mechanism that is paralyzed by oligarchy. But even the biggest players in the fossil fuel game can see the their future will be very different. It is not possible to deny the science forever, as the consequences of warming are becoming more obvious every year.

Banning Burqas is Bad

So now, instead of a war on terror, we should start a war on Islamic fashion?

Is this really the current thinking in the shallow end of the pool?

This is an issue of the most fundamental freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. Banning the garb of a specific religious sect with no rational justification is a frontal attack on civil liberties.

I believe each and every person on the planet should have the right to choose what they want to wear - or not to wear. Banning the burqa is not the answer.

Religious garb should not be subject to discriminatory laws. If you don’t like the burqa, don’t wear one. But grow up and face the fact that some do choose it, and show some respect for that choice.

Why Palin Will Fail - Jennifer Rubin is Right (for once)

The central message is that serious times require serious candidates.

I couldn’t agree more.

Fundamentalism: Iran v. USA

Apparently Frank F did not understand what Frank S wrote. Let me summarize.

Iran is one example of what can happen when religious conservatives control the political landscape. The author was formerly part of an American Christian movement with aims very similar to those of the Iranian Muslims currently ruling that country.

Mandatory prayer in school, anti-gay laws, abortion bans, elective wars, capital punishment, rolling back civil rights, defeating the union movement - all of these are issues that the Iranian Mullahs and the American Christians would see eye-to-eye on.

Frank Schaeffer provides a unique insiders perspective into the motives and tactics of the fringe elements that promote theocracy in the USA. Oppressive religion is offensive to American values, whether Christian or any other faith.

The similarity of Christian Fundamentalists with Islamic Fundamentalists is not imaginary - it is real, and a very serious threat to the Republic. Our secular government is our greatest innovation, and the basic reason that the American system has been so successful, and so widely emulated. Continued vigilance is required to protect and defend our Constitution from being perverted in the service of religion.

Tea Party Cancellation

This is just a simple case of a business owner defending his interests. Simon apparently has a legal right to refuse access to this property, and that right trumps the protest.

The Tea Party should be held on property that belongs to the public. The irony would only be too delicious.

Media Bias? Oh, yes there is...

There is not a double standard, despite continued protests from the fringe such as this.

The murder of Doctor Tiller was political terror, committed by a known activist from the Pro-life movement. Doctor Tiller himself was, as you say “notorious” - in other words, a public figure. His killing was an assassination. That’s a far cry from the essentially random violence against non-specific military recruiters. Tiller was living under threat - the recruiters not so much.

One act was, as Obama stated, heinous - attacking a well known advocate for women’s rights, a peaceful physician, who had been attacked before, at his church, with the specific intent of stopping his medical care for patients. The other was senseless - attacking military recruiters without a clear reason or a cause.

I understand it is fun to claim media bias in this type of situation - but our soldiers are dying every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military deaths at home are an extension of the same conflict. Doctor Tiller’s death is significantly more newsworthy, and rightly so.

The only double standard here is the presumption that all Muslims deserve to be tarred with the broad brush of terrorism, while Christians who engage in violence are qualified as “extremist”. Some consistency on this point would be welcome. If Long’s killer is a “follower of Allah”, isn’t Roeder a “follower of Christ”? References made in this article to Roeder’s religion are qualified, but Long’s [killer's] religion is not accorded the same respect. Why the double standard?

Terrorism is no less real when it is perpetrated by the right wing at home. Make no mistake - both acts of violence are the result of fundamentalist religious extremism, perpetrated by followers of a jealous “God”. Whether they carry a cross or a crescent matters not to the victims.

Sarcasm on Obama

Quite the entertaining piece. One of the better PJM blogs I have seen.

The dark ages of being ruled by a thuggish tyrant are now behind America.

So true!

To them, meeting Obama must be like encountering Jesus riding a dinosaur — both reassuring and intimidating at the same time.

That’s just a great image.

Of course the unrefined Bush would make a big deal of meeting foreign leaders; to that simpleton, it must have been like being visited by advanced aliens.

Sounds about right.

After eight years of the caveman Bush screaming gibberish at Iran and shaking a rock at them threateningly, it is natural that Iran is still quite easily startled.

Indeed. Glad to be done with that.

They need to know that if Obama’s actions seem stupid or insulting to them, it’s only because they are not yet able to understand his splendor.

You tell ‘em Frank. You might even get through to some folks on PJM if you keep it up…

After eight years of the GOP screwing up anything in sight, I think it’s fair to give Obama at least four to make a significant correction. He never claimed that we would leave Iraq immediately, or close Guantanamo overnight, or that the P Act would be repealed forthwith.

Yes, big business is getting some investment from the feds, but it’s likely that higher taxes will recoup the largesse in time.

As far as being racists, it is true that many American still are - but thankfully the racists are a dying breed. Youngsters are growing increasingly “color-blind” - as evidenced by Obama’s landslide among younger voters. Unfortunately institutionalized racism is something that takes generations to recover from, and our road to redemption as a nation will take the better part of this century at least.

I don’t mind if you want to give Obama a hard time, but when you try to blame him for the GOP’s legacy of failure, your duplicity is obvious.

Rush to Judgement

Obama has the opportunity to revive the economy and implement his agenda. He would be foolish not to - and fellow Democrats are fools if they stand in his way. The American public supports Obama’s agenda. There is plenty of good news for the average citizen in Obama’s proposals. Health care, cap and trade and tax reform are all likely to improve the economy in the long term, while action on banks, mortgages and energy will help get the economy moving again. Most Americans understand that Bush handed Obama the keys to a country with a damaged economy, and that sorting out the mess left by the GOP will take some time.

Undoubtedly Obama understands that there is a window of opportunity that must be taken advantage of before it closes, and is moving rapidly to achieve as much as possible while the political tide is high. Obama can afford to pay less attention to electoral politics because the Democrats have majorities in both houses that are a lot safer than any in recent memory.

If you really think the Democrats are going to line up to pillory Obama, you are living in your own fantasy. The GOP can’t hope to win unless it can offer a reasonable platform to the nation. Good luck with that.

You can expect health care reform to come to a vote this year. Tax reform will be ongoing, with broad relief now, and some focused increases on upper-quintile earners coming over the next four years. Cap and trade is likely to be put to a vote before 2010 as well.

So you can expect reduced health care costs, a more progressive tax code, and a more sustainable tax and energy policy to be in force before the end of Obama’s first term. The economy is likely to recover during this same time frame, and banking and mortgage reforms will stabilize the housing market once unemployment levels off.

A cleaner and greener planet for your kids is just a bonus.

“Cap and Trade” will transform the economy, as it is intended to.

What all the GOP pundits fail to realize is that carbon credits can be bought by environmentalists, too. Once all the credits have been purchased and put out of service, our economy will no longer rely on massive subsidy of polluting industries.

It’s time to change to sustainable living - hopefully we can.

GOP confusion

Steele is right on abortion, and he was right about Rush. For crying out loud, he’s only been in office 6 weeks, and is doing his best to get the GOP back on track, but if the party is so backwards that it denies reality, I suppose his days are numbered.

Abortion is a choice - that’s the law. Rush’s show is ugly - that’s the reality.

Still, it sure is fun to watch the sparks fly…

I agree with Clarence Thomas?!

I am usually the first to cast scorn on Thomas’ opinions, but in this case, I am glad to see that he defends the right of the people to protect their interests at the state level without interference from the feds. If only this opinion extended to a few other areas where the feds have over-reached…

Abstaining from 'Abstinence Only'

Of course abstinence education is unrealistic. So are many other government policies.

The bottom line on sex education is that kids need to know the mechanics, and how to use protection. Condoms save lives.

Rewriting Racism

Pretending that racism is extinct is not a responsible way to deal with the real and present discrimination happening throughout our nation. It is more of the cowardice that Holder is railing against.

White guilt is a misnomer - whites don't feel guilty, because most have not done anything wrong. It is simply more racism, disguised as a "victim" mentality. More cowardice.

Solving the race problems of America will take time and dialogue - pretending that the problems have all been solved is not an answer.

What rights?

I’m all for the proper approach to government assistance - and given what we have seen so far from Obama, he appears to share this belief.

Rendezvous with Reality

I think a "Rendezvous with Responsibility" is more like it.

After the complete disregard shown for Americans and the world by the GOP, it should be no surprise that Democrats are trying to move toward a sustainable future.

We could have moved into the 21st century with a much healthier economy, but thanks to massive deficit spending and a refusal to advance energy alternatives, the GOP has left us with a lot more work to do just to make ends meet.

Trashing Science

Global warming denial and misinterpreted statistics seem to go hand in hand. Not only do we have a denial here of the unprecedented spike in global temperatures, we also have a foolish claim that increased deaths from cancer prove that medical efforts have failed.

In reality, the global temperature figures from satellite data indicate a massive run-up in global temperatures is accelerating, and the cause of increased cancer mortality is increased life expectancy because of a reduction in other causes of death such as heart disease, stroke, and accidents.

Counterfactualism appears to be the modus operandi of the right these days.

Casting Racial Aspersions: GOP on race

It is funny to see a simultaneous complaint against Blacks for being Democrats, and a refusal to allow them into the GOP.

Blacks are the ones to make concessions. They must abandon their liberalism before the party of conservatism can consider their membership. A simple matter of principle.

There is a good reason that Blacks don't flock to the GOP, and it isn't the fault of the Democrats.

America is not Europe

America is hardly transforming itself into Europe. Some modest reform of tax codes, energy policy and health care is not going to kill the economic engine of the USA. America will remain a superpower, but will need to acknowledge that there is more to that status than military might - we need to lead by example on many fronts to retain/regain the trust of Europe and the world.

Much damage has been done to America over the past few decades, but as noted above, it can be undone.