The Liberal Coalition

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Let's not stop with healthcare discrimination against GOPers

"It has been suggested that the government could use voter registration to determine a person's political affiliation, prompting fears that GOP voters might be discriminated against for medical treatment in a Democrat-imposed health care rationing system. Does this possibility concern you?"

Better yet, let's use voter registration to double Republicans' income and property taxes, force them to enlist in the Army (they should like that, anyway), eliminate their Medicare and Social Security benefits (they hate socialism, right?), charge them tolls to use our highways (again, that socialism thing), and force them to pay back their stimulus checks.

Cross-posted at Left is Right

Labels: anti-republican, hate speech

Friday, June 19, 2009

May She Walk In The Light

Andante of Collective Sigh has passed away after a long fight against cancer.

more howl than argument

jonathan chait asks a question, but i'm afraid that's too much to ask from the modern conservative movement. it's extremely hard to find a conservative argument that actually addresses the argument on the other side these days. that's why conservatives seem so detached from reality. i honestly don't know if most of them have even a passing familiarity with the other side's reasoning. they don't seem to know that stuff for a lot of issues.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Another Newspaper Dies

The Rocky Mountain News publishes its last paper tomorrow.

Rich Boehne, chief executive officer of Rocky-owner Scripps, broke the news to the staff at noon today, ending nearly three months of speculation over the paper's future.

"People are in grief," Editor John Temple said at a news conference later.

Boehne told staffers that the Rocky was the victim of a terrible economy and an upheaval in the newspaper industry.

"Denver can't support two newspapers any longer," Boehne told staffers, some of whom cried at the news. "It's certainly not good news for you, and it's certainly not good news for Denver."

Labels: Newspapers dying, Rocky Mountain News publishes its last paper

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Let The Whole Damn Thing Burn!

When Yellowstone was allowed to burn, within a year people talked about the beauty that sprang up from the ashes. Quite frankly, it looks like that might be what we have to allow with Wall Street and the Super Banks.

New York Times

Instead, losses mounted and Mr. Lewis is now fighting to prop up his banking empire and keep his job.

Highlights mine.

You know, I'm thinking of highlighting my hair too. Anyone with suggestions......

Oh, wait. That's for a different post. Never mind.

Anyway, I could give a fat rat's ass whether Mr. Lewis keeps his job. Considering he's part of the good old boy's network that helped create this current economic crisis, maybe losing his job would be for the benefit of the country. Maybe the complete collapse of Wall Street would clear out the incompetence and the greed, and then we can move onto growing a better economy.

And save me the cries of "What about all those poor people who will suffer?" After eight years of Bush, there has already been plenty of suffering. Hell, after 40 years of conservative influence and direction, the suffering has been monumental. So I say, Frak it! Let it burn. In fact, I might even take up violin lessons for the occasion. I'd try to garner the title of Caesar, but I doubt I have the time. I'm getting old you know.

In nature, fire allows for plush, bountiful growth by removing the dry, dead foliage that chokes the ground. In farming, crops need to be harvested, and the ground tilled. Both of these metaphors call for the removal of dead growth. From where I sit, the dead growth left by the failed ideology that was Reaganomics is choking the economic ecology of our country.

If I take the metaphor of growing to it's rather clichéd end, the middle class is the ground from which corporations and Wall Street spring. Fertilize that ground with hard, green cash, and they will benefit by leaps in bounds.

So, my original point was about the problem with "To Big To Fail;" as in it's become such a monster of a company that the country falls or stands on it's strength. Personally, develop an economic system that feeds off a strong, prosperous middle class. Then, when large corporations fail, they will not take the whole country down.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Riots Continue Across Greece After Teen Killed by Police

CNN.com

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Hundreds of young self-styled anarchists rioted in the streets Sunday and attacked police in several Greek cities in a fury over the shooting death of a teenager by a member of an elite police corps.

I would like to know what is going on in Greece that young people are confronting the police in this manner?

A police statement about the boy's death said the incident started when six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. The 16-year-old boy was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers, police said.

Anarchists tend to gain traction under oppressive governments. But I am not all that up on Greece at the moment, so I don't know if that is the case. Is the Greek government oppressive?

That rioting would explode over much of the country indicates a rather ominous sign; that the government is either oppressive and/or corrupt. Unfortunately, this article does little in the way of explaining the motivation of the youth. Describing them as Anarchists just doesn't suffice.

As to police shooting the 16-year-old; if you find your car is being pelted with stones, get the hell out of there. Obviously the mood of the country is such that confrontations with children only makes those in authority seem that much more incompetent. That's right, I am indeed qualifying a 16-year-old as a child. Maybe if the police officer in question had keep that in mind, he might not now be facing manslaughter charges. Nor would the country be inflamed in rioting.

I know, I know. 20/20 and all that. Tough. I get tired of the old mantra of respecting authority. You want respect, then earn it. Acting dictatorial and oppressive earns you animosity and anger, not respect.

Of course, I realize I am going off half-cocked. Like I said, I know little of the political situation in Greece. For all I know, the government is an example of Democratic perfection and the children have been mislead by a vast, virulent, network of lying propagandists. I mean, it could happen. Right?

Obama Takes Shinseki for Cabinet

CNN.com
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama will nominate retired Gen. Eric Shinseki to be secretary of Veterans Affairs, two Democratic sources said Saturday.
Obama was expected to make the formal announcement Sunday -- Pearl Harbor Day -- at a news conference in Chicago. Veterans groups appeared to support the selection.
"I am excited. I don't know him personally but this is a huge move," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
For years, Shinseki, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, has been the patron saint of Pentagon critics who say the former Army chief's sage advice was ignored in 2003, resulting in too few U.S. troops being sent to Iraq after the invasion.

Well, if this doesn't convince the skeptics on the left that Obama is moving in the opposite direction of Bush, than nothing will. If nothing else, this selection shows that he is not going to surround himself with a bubble of yes men.

Shinseki spoke with condor and honesty about what he thought would be the necessary troop levels for a successful invasion and occupation of Iraq. Somehow, I do not see Shinseki becoming Army chief of staff without being able to recognize the prevailing political winds. So, I figure he knew speaking his opinion was going to have consequences.

It may have taken 5 years, but his honesty and willingness to speak his piece has finally paid off. True, he may not be leading the army, or the armed forces, but he sure as hell was just offered an important post. For most of my life, I have seen veterans handed the short stick. It's almost as if the United States is embarrassed that service members are wounded during combat. Quite frankly, the current administration has acted as if the only sacrifice they were willing to acknowledged was death. And even then, just barely.

I hope Eric Shinseki turns out to be a true advocate for the injured men and women of the armed forces. Lord knows they need one after eight years of the apathy they've had to experience from BushCo™.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Take the Lead - Help Stop AIDS and HIV

from All Facts & Opinions

For 20 years, people around the globe have observed Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day. It's a time to remember those we have lost, to thank the people who give of their time to care for those infected and affected by the disease, and to rededicate ourselves to finding a cure. AIDS has not gone away -- not by a long shot. Therapies have improved, and many HIV-positive people are living longer and healthier lives, but many challenges lie ahead.

According to the World AIDS campaign web site, 8,000 people die from HIV disease every day, and there are millions of new infections each year -- despite increased commitments from government leaders and health-care institutions. This means we need even more leadership, more ideas, deeper commitments, and increases in funding.

Many people lacking insurance and health care simply do without necessary treatment -- and if they don't know that they are infected with HIV, they unknowingly put themselves and others at risk. With the global economic meltdown, there are likely to be more of them, especially among groups of people who already have little access to HIV education. Too many people don't get tested and some do not discover their HIV status until after they have progressed to full-blown AIDS.

As daunting as these challenges will be, we all have some reason to cheer on this Dec. 1. In the past year alone, reasearch has told us that people undergoing HIV therapies have similar survival rates as those of uninfected people. Newly discovered and approved treatment options make medication regimens safer and simpler to follow. Numerous states are making big headway in permitting routine HIV testing within everyday health care settings. This is all great news, and with renewed focus by government, research institutions, and health care administrators, hopefully we will see even more news to celebrate by this time next year.

In the meantime, health educators need new ideas for delivering potentially lifesaving information on HIV and AIDS to populations still not getting the word: young people, non-English speakers, disadvantaged communities in the US and overseas. There must be a renewed commitment to collaboration between health-care providers, researchers, and government officials so that they can bring necessary changes in diagnosis,a decrease in the number of new infections, and increased access to care and treatment -- especially during an economic crisis that will leave more people uninsured and under-insured.

HIV/AIDS organizations throughout the US hope the new Obama administration will bring needed change in prevention, access to care, civil rights, and research within its first 100 days. They call for a bigger federal investment in domestic HIV/AIDS programs, including research and prevention efforts, and in care and services for those with HIV/AIDS through the Ryan White CARE Act. They also urge the president-elect to get to work promptly on a national HIV/AIDS strategy that deals realistically with the HIV epidemic, which, despite the efforts of thousands over the past two decades, continues to grow.

HIV is everyone's problem -- that is most clear on this, the 20th World AIDS Day. We all must take some sort of leadership role to stop infections, to care for the sick, and to halt the dying. Since 1981, I have lost more than 100 loved ones to the disease, so ending this scourge is a very personal matter to me. Every person infected by HIV creates a group of people also affected by the disease. That adds up to a whole lot of misery -- and it must be stopped. With stronger leadership, fresh ideas, and renewed commitment, we can end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I know we can. But we need you to do your part: Write to lawmakers and political leaders and remind them of the urgency. Volunteer at your local AIDS service provider -- you can serve as a caregiving buddy or deliver meals to homebound patients or visit people in hospitals or in a host of roles. Talk about the importance of testing, abstinence, and safer sex in your schools and within your community, your church, your home. If you can't give time, donate. Just do something.

On this World AIDS Day, I ask you to take time to inform yourself and to think: What will you do to make a difference before Dec. 1, 2009? Once you have found your answer, get busy. There are lives to save.

Labels: aids, health, hiv, world aids day, world aids day 2008

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Lieberman gets away with it

I suppose we knew this was coming.

The Senate Democrats have voted and Joe Lieberman gets to keep his chairmanship. After announcing the vote, Harry Reid said, "This was not a time for retribution," and "If you will look at the problems that we face as a nation, is this a time we walk out of here saying 'boy did we get even?'" Reid himself, John Kerry, and Dick Durbin spoke in favor of Lieberman keeping his chair. Lieberman credited Obama's recent statement that he held "no grudges" as the argument that saved his butt. If you look at this affair as nothing more than payback for personal grudges or a quest for retribution, the Democratic Senators made the right choice. But, if you look at this affair as nothing more than payback for personal grudges or a quest for retribution, you either don't understand the issue or you are intentionally distorting it.

Lieberman's apologists like to point out that he usually votes with the Democratic caucus, but there is a lot more to being a good member of that caucus than just a voting record. His public statements have always been a problem. Lieberman is that kind of self-hating liberal who constantly feels the need to prove his even-handedness by attacking and undermining his own side. His function as a moral scold for the party has been part of his political persona since day one. He attacked Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky witch hunt and impeachment melodrama. He damaged efforts to get a fair vote count in Florida in 2000 by conceding the race, even though conceding or not conceding should be the prerogative of the guy heading the ticket, not the second banana. His actions during the recent election were nothing more than a logical continuation and culmination of his entire political career and nothing new.

During the race, Lieberman might have been forgiven if he had only supported John McCain, though there is plenty of precedent for not forgiving him. When John Bell Williams and Albert Watson supported Goldwater in 1964 they were stripped of their seniority and chaimanships in the House, as was John Rarick for supporting George Wallace's third party run in 1968. But Lieberman went beyond just supporting his friend. He attacked Obama and questioned his loyalty to the United States (a breach of Senate ethics. He attacked the Democratic Party, saying he feared for the survival of the country the if the Democrats gained a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. He campaigned for down-ticket Republicans like Norm Coleman.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe Lieberman deserved to be punished for his backstabbing, but I also believe that there were more important reasons why he should have been removed from the chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. I think it was a bad idea to let him have it after he was elected as an independent two years ago, but I understood the necessity that the Senate Democrats felt for appeasing him. Without Lieberman in the caucus, the Democrats wouldn't have had the fifty-first seat that they needed for an unambiguous majority. I understood the reasoning of the Senate Democrats, but I viewed it as caving in to blackmail on Lieberman's part. I expected them to stop appeasing him after this election, but I have been disappointed.

Lieberman was a terrible chairman of that committee during that last two years. No sooner had the last congress convened than did he announce his intention to break a promise to constituents to investigate the Bush administration's incompetent and tardy response to the Hurricane Katrina devastation. Over the next two years he completely failed in his duty to investigate gaps in our national security, war profiteering, or politicization of the civil service. In contrast, Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the counterpart committee in the House gave us the very model of how an oversight body should perform its duties. It looked nothing like what Lieberman was doing.

Lieberman is not a Democrat and he can't be trusted. The Homeland Security Committee is one of the most important in the entire Senate. The person setting the agenda for that committee should be a member of the Democratic Party and someone who supports the priorities of the Party and who is willing to actually do the job that the committee was formed to do. Lieberman cannot be trusted on either of those cases. Reid said this is not the time for retribution, but can we trust Lieberman not to turn use his committee position to attack and undermine the Obama administration? His entire history says that's exactly what he will do with his position.

There is another place where retribution, not towards Lieberman, but on his behalf, comes into the equation. Lieberman hates the progressive rabble--the activists, the bloggers, the outside the beltway mob who are presumptuous enough to want a say in how the people who they have elected do their jobs. And we return the feelings. Over the last two weeks, a number of pundits have encouraged the Democrats to slap us down, repudiate our interests, and put put us in our place. Allowing Lieberman to keep his chairmanship has been seen as the perfect finger in the eye for the netroots community. After all, what have we done for the Party to deserve respect except raise millions of dollars for their candidates and work tirelessly to turn out the vote? The parties both have a history of disappointing their outer fringes, but only the Democrats have a history of insulting and repudiating them at every opportunity. What's particularly strange about the insider's hostility toward the the netroots is that netroots aren't especially extreme in their program. Kos is considerably to the right of me on most issues, and I don't consider myself a radical. The only real differences between the netroots and the insiders on most issues are matters of style and tactics, not of goals.

At least we got to be happy for a few days. I suppose it's better to get the inevitable disillusionment over with early.

Labels: when good things happen to bad people