Happy 4/7 everyone! Someone did a search of my site at 7:47am this morning. mjh
It’s Hammer Time for the Exterminator
Tom DeLay is done-for. Lashing out at “liberal Democrats” to the bitter end, his reign is over. And just as his bully tactics helped expand Republican control, so, too, does his demise play a role in theirs. With his tax provided life-time pension (don’t expect him to renounce that), he’ll stay busy as a talking-head in conservative media — unless they shun him for a while, in which case, he still may return like Newty Gingrich.
I’m chortling and trying not to crow too loudly. I despise DeLay. But, current scoundrels have lead many of us to say semi-seriously, “I miss Nixon,” so, one day, I may miss this vile pissant, too. It should be a good long time before that happens. mjh
After DeLay, a New Approach? By David S. Broder
Symbolically as well as practically, the departure of Tom DeLay from Congress signals the end of an era of Republican dominance. The question now is whether the retreat that clearly has begun will turn into a rout. …
It is almost as if [Republicans] hope that by sacrificing their erstwhile commander, they can appease the public demand for change.
As much as Newt Gingrich embodied the aggressive strategy that enabled Republicans in 1994 to break the Democrats’ 40-year grip on the House, DeLay was the man who showed them how to consolidate — and use — their new power. As whip and then as majority leader, he built the GOP fundraising and policy alliance with the business lobbies and social conservative movements, then used that leverage to impose party-line discipline on almost every key vote. …
With DeLay’s departure, the Democrats lose their most convenient symbol of abuse of power by the Republican majority — but they have not lost the issue. …
The old game of muscling bills through by rounding up Republican votes through a combination of political and financial force — the game at which Tom DeLay excelled — is over.
You Better Laugh!
When I was in junior high, I dreaded Saint Patrick’s Day. I had no idea who St. Patrick was, just that the day would be an occasion when I had to let my peer’s dictate how I dressed myself and, in effect, force me to choose sides in a senseless religious war involving two factions of a religion that means nothing to me. Choose the wrong side — or try to stay out of it altogether — and suffer physical and verbal abuse.
And then, just a short time later, along comes April Fool’s Day. I’ve always been troubled by April Fool’s pranks. Often, an effort is made to come up with a gag that is as believable as possible. When someone falls for it, the prankster jeers “April Fool!” If the victim raises any objection, the prankster berates the victim as humorless (for an example, see the discussion at www.dukecityfix.com). Perhaps there are superb pranks that leave everyone laughing, but I think many April Pranksters are simply bullies. Maybe, as Halloween institutionalizes extortion and vandalism, April Fool’s gives us one day to not only lie with impunity but to revel in it — but that’s every day of the Bush Era.
I’m sure each of us has failed to get a joke from time to time. We all seem to forget that when someone doesn’t get our jokes. But, when a joke falls flat, it may be best to keep moving and let it go. If you have to berate someone for not getting it, it’s no longer funny, if it ever was. mjh
In Which I Bite My Thumb At Scalia
I absolutely support the right of a Supreme Court Justice, and the Vice President, to say “fuck you.” We know we live in obscene times, and actual verbal obscenities aren’t the half of it.
I’m more troubled by the character it shows to say later, “no, I didn’t say or do that.” To deny one’s own actions — that’s cowardly.
And, while Scalia doesn’t claim to be a moral leader like the dishonorable Wm. “The Gambler” Bennett, he is one of our Eight Supreme Cardinals. And a hunting buddy of Dead-eye Dick Cheney, who makes no pretense whatsoever of being a moral guy.
And, to all the xenophobes and Radical Righters worried about the influx of foreigners: what does it say about assimilation when one of the most powerful Americans swears and gestures in a foreign language? Can’t we pass a law requiring public servants to swear in English, for god’s sake? mjh
Photographer: Herald got it right By Marie Szaniszlo
Amid a growing national controversy about the gesture U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made Sunday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the freelance photographer who captured the moment has come forward with the picture.
“It’s inaccurate and deceptive of him to say there was no vulgarity in the moment,” said Peter Smith, the Boston University assistant photojournalism professor who made the shot. …
Smith said the jurist “immediately knew he’d made a mistake, and said, ‘You’re not going to print that, are you?’ ” …
Smith was working as a freelance photographer for the Boston archdiocese’s weekly newspaper at a special Mass for lawyers Sunday when a Herald reporter asked the justice how he responds to critics who might question his impartiality as a judge given his public worship.
“The judge paused for a second, then looked directly into my lens and said, ‘To my critics, I say, ‘Vaffanculo,’ ” punctuating the comment by flicking his right hand out from under his chin, Smith said.
The Italian phrase means “(expletive) you.”
Yesterday, Herald reporter Laurel J. Sweet agreed with Smith’s account, but said she did not hear Scalia utter the obscenity.
Church fires photog over Scalia picture: Freelancer pays for ‘right thing’ By Jessica Heslam
A freelance photographer has been fired by the Archdiocese of Boston’s newspaper for releasing a picture of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia making a controversial gesture in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Sunday.
WTFWJD?
The next time you’re faced with a moral quandry that could result in your spiritual ruin, try this: Stop, take a deep breath to calm your ass down, and ask “What the fuck would Jesus do?” WTFWJD?
[via NewMexiKen]
Time Stops
I first posted this 5 months ago, but it is again timely. I’m even more sanguine about time
change is Spring, when I finally find it easier to get out of bed and my hibernation is over. mjh
I like the biannual change of the clocks for reasons beyond my contrarian nature. For one thing, I like
change and the gentle disruption of the day-to-day. Change is not always good, but it is inevitable; best to be ready to find the good in
it.
In particular, I like the way the time change underscores the arbitrary nature of our measurement of time. Is it really 11am
now or is it 10am or 12pm? Why do we care? Clocks rule modern life — there are 4 or more in this one room. Hours, minutes, seconds —
nanoseconds! If only we paid such attention to equinoxes and solstices or sat patiently through more sunrises and settings. What phase of the moon is it? It is yet another matter
that separates the World from the Earth and, in the process, makes us look and feel rather silly.
That silliness is elevated by
the sing-song, childish mnemonics we depend upon: is it fall forward or spring back? Notice how we need endless reminders the day before
and again the day after in the paper and on the TV. Imagine if we had such a thoroughly redundant system reminding us that lifestyle
choices affect longevity (see it twice in the paper, hear it repeatedly on the TV — every six months — maybe that would sink in).
Of late, as a sign of the times, my thoughts have turned darker. Perhaps it is an experiment in obedience and acceptance of arbitrary
authority (do opponents of Big Government refuse to change their clocks?). You will set your clock as we tell you to, and you will not
question that. Spring Forward! Burn your books! Fall Backwards! Betray your neighbors! It is always time to be a good citizen. mjh
Lobbing Grenades in a Political Minefield
You can’t judge any news or opinion source by a single piece. Further, two people looking at the same piece will reach different conclusions — we all have our filters.
That said, today’s Albuquerque Journal tilts a bit to the right (“in my opinion” should always be implied). When the first individual cited is Steve Pearce, we might be suspicious. When the only other individual cited is Richard Pombo, alarms should be blaring. Pombo is not just one of those extremists who blame the Endangered Species Act for every evil short of terrorism; he’s also a member of the Starve the Beast Club. It remains to be seen if he is just a fanatic or, like his colleage Duke Cunningham, a corporate extortionist. When someone like Pombo speaks of “reform,” be very afraid (and vigilant). When local media endorses him as the voice of reason, well, … I just have no way to finish that sentence.
As the Journal carries water for the Radical Right on this, the editorial assumes a passionless tone — you have to trust them, because they’re so reasonable (note: passion isn’t evil and serial killers are passionless). And yet, slander worthy of John Dimdahl slips in:
Environmentalists worry that incentives, such as paying ranchers to maintain habitat for the lesser prairie chicken, would bankrupt federal agencies. Oddly, the potential for bankrupting stockmen and small logging operations by putting the burden on them never seemed to be much of a worry— perhaps more of a goal. And the Endangered Species Act often seemed a tool to realize that goal as much as to protect disappearing flora and fauna. [from ABQjournal: Political Minefield No Haven for Species]
Yup, tree huggers LIVE to bankrupt others — it’s our GOAL. And the ESA is our tool. mjh