mjh’s blog

Happy Birthday, Mark Twain!

The Writer’s Almanac - NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 4, 2004

“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” — Samuel Clemens

Left Undone, Part 4, Cogitus Interuptus

You’re wondering how the Christian Republic of America came to invade Europe. It began with the infidels who infiltrated Europe just as the socialists and communists before them. His Truth: “One enemy with many faces.” Eventually, the Department of Fatherland Security had conclusive proof that the infidels had, in fact, conquered much of Europe hundreds of years ago, when dinosaurs still roamed. This, no doubt, explains the treachery of Europeans.

It was deemed in our national security interests that we invade Europe. England rolled over immediately. However, with war raging on many fronts and another monthly tax cut planned, Our New Lord decided to spare the nation a prolonged and expensive struggle for Europe - we nuked them. People cheered the destruction of France especially - enemies of liberty, equality and brotherhood!

Before the Freedom Fire, the Pope was smuggled out of Europe. In Washington, the Pope crowned Karl the Great Our New Lord. The frail pontiff died immediately thereafter and, so, Our New Lord assumed his duties, beginning with excommunicating everyone who hadn’t accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior.

Now we are blessed to live in the End Time. We are humble in knowing we are the most moral people ever to live. Our great struggle with the infidels who falsely believe God is on their side is nearing its fore-ordained end. Then the Believers will be taken up into Heaven and the rest of us will cheer loudly: good riddance!

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Attention! The Ministry of Faith-based Justice has been ordered by Our New Lord, the Architect of Victory, to destroy history itself if necessary to bring an end to the socialist communism of gay-liberals. You will not be allowed to pollute our culture and morals, you dirty hippies! Signed: Assistant Sub-Minister of Faith-based Tax Relief George Duhbya Bush

His Truth: “History is written by the winners. Win at any cost.”

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[mjh: If you liked this, perhaps you'll enjoy The Real Inaugural Address]

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mjh’s blog — Left Undone
Left Undone, Part 1
Left Undone, Part 2 (previous message)
Left Undone, Part 3 (previous message)

One Party Rule Corrupts

Hastert Launches a Partisan Policy (washingtonpost.com) By Charles Babington

In scuttling major intelligence legislation that he, the president and most lawmakers supported, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert last week enunciated a policy in which Congress will pass bills only if most House Republicans back them, regardless of how many Democrats favor them.

Hastert’s position, which is drawing fire from Democrats and some outside groups, is the latest step in a decade-long process of limiting Democrats’ influence and running the House virtually as a one-party institution. Republicans earlier barred House Democrats from helping to draft major bills such as the 2003 Medicare revision and this year’s intelligence package. Hastert (R-Ill.) now says such bills will reach the House floor, after negotiations with the Senate, only if “the majority of the majority” supports them. …

In a little-noticed speech in the Capitol a year ago, Hastert said one of his principles as speaker is “to please the majority of the majority.”

“On occasion, a particular issue might excite a majority made up mostly of the minority,” he continued. “Campaign finance is a particularly good example of this phenomenon. The job of speaker is not to expedite legislation that runs counter to the wishes of the majority of his majority.” …

Some congressional scholars say Hastert is emphasizing one element of his job to the detriment of another. As speaker, said Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, “you are the party leader, but you are ratified by the whole House. You are a constitutional officer,” in line for the presidency after the vice president. At crucial times, he said, a speaker must put the House ahead of his party.

MORE large-scale government borrowing

Vast Borrowing Seen in Altering Social Security By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

The White House and Republicans in Congress are all but certain to embrace large-scale government borrowing to help finance President Bush’s plan to create personal investment accounts in Social Security, according to administration officials, members of Congress and independent analysts …

Borrowing by the government could be necessary to establish the personal accounts because of the way Social Security pays for benefits. Under the current system, the payroll tax levied on workers goes to benefits for people who are already retired. Personal accounts would be paid for out of the same pool of money; they would allow workers to divert a portion of their payroll taxes into accounts invested in mutual funds or other investments.

The money going into the accounts would therefore no longer be available to pay benefits to current retirees. The shortfall would have to be made up somehow to preserve benefits for people who are already retired during the transition from one system to the other, and by nearly all estimates there is no way to make it up without relying at least in part on government borrowing.

Mr. Bush and Republicans in Congress have paid little political price in the last four years for the swing from budget surpluses to deficits. But some polls show that Americans consider reducing the deficit to be a higher priority than many other goals, including cutting taxes, and embracing a new round of borrowing could pose political as well as economic risks. …

Mr. Bush has vowed to push hard to remake Social Security. Republicans in Congress say the White House has signaled to them that Mr. Bush will put the issue at the top of his domestic agenda in the coming year.

But the White House has never answered fundamental questions about Mr. Bush’s plan. In particular, it has not explained how it would deal with the financial quandary created by its call for personal accounts.

Sandias with snow

Two Thanksgivings

The Writer’s Almanac

The American Thanksgiving tradition originated with the Pilgrims. As early as 1621, the Puritan colonists of Plymouth, Massachusetts set aside a day of thanks for a bountiful harvest. On October 3, 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the 26th of that November the first national Thanksgiving Day under the Constitution.

On October 3, 1863, in the wake of victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln decided to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation declaring the last Thursday in November national Thanksgiving Day. In 1941 Congress made it official.

ABQjournal: Oñate Had His Thanksgiving in 1598 By Donald A. Chavez y Gilbert, Freelance Writer

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday which has a much longer history than most Americans realize.

The first recorded act of giving thanks by Europeans on this continent occurred April 30, 1598, as the Oñate muster arrived on the banks of El Rio Bravo, the Rio Grande. That was almost a quarter century before the Pilgrims anchored the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock on Nov. 21, 1620.

THEY DON’T REMEMBER

“The swashbuckling youth of the hard-right don’t remember Rather on the frontlines in Vietnam aggressively reporting a war that would bring down a Dem President. They don’t remember Chicago 68′ and the Democratic National Convention when Rather was dragged out of the hall for his no-holds-barred reporting. They don’t remember when conservative CBS affiliates stood behind Rather when he faced-off with President Nixon in 74′. They don’t remember, but I do and they are great memories of a great American journalist. I know. Its a fast-food country and you are only as good as your last story. That may be the fact, but as Rather might say, that’s not the truth.”

New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan

the anointment of the GOP as God’s Only Party

Christian-Republican alliance: Faustian bargain? - American Press Institute

Growing numbers of Christians are alarmed by the hijacking of their faith. In an editorial last week, Robert Parham of the moderate Baptist Center for Ethics vowed to “take on the religious right more forcefully — critiquing its false religion and anointment of the GOP as God’s Only Party.”

Meanwhile, emboldened by the perception that evangelicals decided the election, Jerry Falwell, James Dobson and other evangelical leaders close to the White House are already lining up to claim the spoils. They expect to have the power to shape the Republican agenda on everything from constitutional amendments to Supreme Court appointments.

But before conservative Christians get too comfortable with this church-state alliance, they would do well to remember a bit of familiar wisdom: Those who seek power by riding the back of the tiger end up inside.

‘a lesson for progressives’

Colorado Luis

Rocky Mountain Progressive Network got hold of an e-mail from soon-to-be-ex-Colorado Senate President John Andrews (R-Centennial). It’s very revealing to see how Republicans deal with electoral disaster, so check it out. Andrews does not engage in any handwringing whatsoever about getting trounced at the polls for promoting an out-of-touch right wing social agenda. Instead, he’s getting a radio show and he’s going to promote that agenda tirelessly. I think there is a lesson for progressives here. It’s ridiculous to think we should retreat from what we stand for in order to win an election. What we need to do is get out there in the media and keep selling our own ideas. The advantage is more people agree with our values to begin with.

A Job Not So Well-done

The Daily Outrage

Last weekend, The Washington Post reported that acute malnutrition among children in Iraq has doubled since before the US invasion in March of 2003. That is just one statistic, out of many, that paints a disturbing picture of the US occupation. After reading press dispatches, think-tank reports and public opinion polling, The Daily Outrage compiled this sampling of the facts on the ground. …

Infrastructure

** Of the $18.4 billion in reconstruction funds allocated last year by Congress, the US has spent only $1.7 billion.

** Nationwide electricity levels are down 25 percent since the prewar days, and 66 percent lower in Baghdad.

** The value of the Iraqi currency–the Dinar–dropped 25 percent compared to the US dollar in the past year (which didn’t have a great year itself!)

Iraqi Public Opinion

** Only 33 percent of Iraqis think they’re better off now than before the war, as a Gallup poll discovered.

** According to military statistics, the number of insurgents has quadrupled since last year, from 5,000 to 20,000. A British general places the insurgency at 40-50,000 fighters.

Today I Am Two

Sometimes I feel like I’ve been blogging my whole life. I have been writing letters to the editor, letters to friends, and in journals for much of my life. But I began my part of the blogosphere two years ago today (mjh’s Weblog Entry - 11/24/2002: “hello, world!”). Now, I have 4 blogs, host 3 others, and read 8 more every day. From little acorns mighty addictions grow.

I’ve been tweaking the layout and functioning of this blog, including the categories and the menus down the side. …

Continue reading Today I Am Two…

About This Blog

This is my main day-to-day blog. Some opinions, some links, some fiction, some poetry. If you would like more information, keep reading….
Continue reading About This Blog…

Honor the Fallen

Honor The Fallen Memorial

The Honor the Fallen memorial is the only one of its kind in America. The memorial features a photograph and short biography of every American who has been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraq Freedom.

‘the Republican war on reproductive rights’

Rolling Back Women’s Rights NYTimes Editorial

Tucked into the $388 billion budget measure just approved by the House and Senate is a sweeping provision that has nothing to do with the task Congress had at hand - providing money for the government. In essence, it tells health care companies, hospitals and insurance companies they are free to ignore Roe v. Wade and state and local laws and regulations currently on the books to make certain that women’s access to reproductive health services includes access to abortion. …

This represents a vast expansion of the “conscience protection” that federal law currently gives to individual doctors who do not want to undergo abortion training.

The affront to women’s rights, moreover, should not obscure the serious threat to the First Amendment involved in enacting what is likely to evolve into a domestic “gag rule” as, one by one, health care providers order doctors they employ not to provide patients with information about the abortion option. This echoes the way Mr. Bush reimposed a blanket Reagan-era gag rule for providers of reproductive health services abroad on his first full day in office back in 2001.

Unfortunately, vocal opposition from Democrats and a handful of Republican moderates was not enough to stop the pernicious assault on the rights of millions of women from becoming law in the rush to pass the spending bill. … Americans, and American women in particular, are officially on notice that post-election, the Republican war on reproductive rights has entered an ominous new phase.