I have a confession to make. On 9/11/01, after hearing the news and seeing some video, I did nothing. Worse, I actually went to a meeting, where we discussed the disaster and went on to conduct some business.
More shocking to some, since 9/11, I have made almost no changes to my lifestyle in response to the terrorist threat. I avoid a few places because I can’t stand seeing a police force that is indistinguishable from an occupying army, but otherwise, my life went on after 9/11 very much as it goes on after California earthquakes and Florida hurricanes.
I don’t mean to be insensitive or stupid. I know something terrible happened and many people died and many more people suffered very directly in ways that they may never recover from. Nevertheless, just two dozen people killed 3,000 people brutally and dramatically — but that’s it. It pains me, I sympathize, I go on living. I will not turn my life upside-down; I will not destroy anything over this.
There must have been a way to respond to 9/11 that would not have enflamed so much rage and vengence. There must have been a way to express our grief and horror while seeking justice (and punishment) without fueling even more violence. Something great might have come out of tragedy; an endless War on Terror is nothing great.
Since 9/11/01, how many women have been raped, beaten and murdered by their ”loved ones?” Could it be more than 3000 victims of more than two dozen husbands, lovers, boyfriends, fathers, brothers?
Since 9/11, how many children have been beaten, abused and tormented by their parents, guardians, siblings or classmates? How many of those children will manage to survive only to grow up to be violent abusers of others?
It seems that everything did not change after 9/11. Many things are exactly as they have been throughout human history. We are doing nothing to stop the violence that is everywhere in our world. Instead, we are pouring all of our resources into more violence all around the world. Blessed are the peacemakers — if only there were some. mjh
Fiscal Conservatives Challenge Bush
Fiscal Conservatives Challenge Bush By Adam Entous, Reuters.com
President Bush, who accuses his Democratic rival of keeping his budget plans secret, has yet to offer plans of his own for funding his campaign promises and cutting the deficit in half, fiscal conservatives said on Friday. …
But even fiscal conservatives, traditionally allied with the Republican White House, were skeptical of Bush’s plans.
“While it’s true that Kerry hasn’t provided a detailed plan, neither has the president,” said Heritage Foundation budget analyst Brian Riedl.
William Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute, said Bush’s warnings about Kerry’s spending plans were “inconsistent” with his own proposals. “There’s no way to accomplish (Bush’s) major new measures, including tax reform, without substantial increases in spending,” Niskanen said.
Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth, a group that raises money for conservative political candidates, said Bush was not being “very forthright” about his plans. He called Bush’s fiscal record “abysmal” …
This week congressional analysts warned the deficit will balloon to a cumulative $2.29 trillion over the next decade.
More Polls
Two more recurring polls, one updated daily, the other consolidating other National polls (state polls are generally held as more accurate). Last link is to an article on interpreting polls. mjh
Rasmussen Reports Prez track 2004
Presidential Tracking Poll: Bush-Kerry
Updated Daily by Noon Eastern
Election 2004
Presidential Ballot
Bush 47.8%
Kerry 46.2%
Other 1.8%
Not Sure 4.2%
Friday September 10, 2004–The Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows President George W. Bush with 48% of the vote and Senator John Kerry with 46%. The Tracking Poll is updated daily by noon Eastern.
This is the first report based entirely upon interviews conducted after both the Republican Convention and the holiday weekend. Looking back, the Friday after the Democratic National Convention, Senator Kerry was ahead by an identical 48-46 margin.
PollingReport.com National Trial Heat Summary
NCPP – National Council on Public Polls
20 Questions A Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results
Second Edition
Sheldon R. Gawiser, Ph.D. and G. Evans Witt
Register. Vote. Change things.
There may be voter
fraud in New Mexico. There certainly is a lot of talk about it, all of it originating with Republicans. Recently, a Republican who claims
‘someone’ registered his 13-year-old brought suit to require ALL newly registered voters to show ID (the true goal is to require ALL
voters — period — to show ID).
There doesn’t seem to be any curiousity, even in our faithful Media, about who registered
little Robbie Republican. Doesn’t that person have some culpability?
Now our Republican US Attorney, David Iglesias, has stepped in
by starting the first-ever fraud watch. Something is wrong, he intones, consistent with the party line.
Why are Republicans so
worried? Well, how many unregistered conservatives do you think there are in New Mexico in comparison to unregistered traitorous commies?
Therefore, every new registration would seem to have better than even odds to belong to a liberal satanist. So, first, let’s scare some
folks (I recommend white hoods). Next, let’s denegrate the process so thoroughly as to discourage some folks. Finally, let’s make sure
we’re on record as denouncing the process so when we lose, we can claim it is only through fraud. These guys invented destroying the
village to save it.
But why do Democrats resist IDs? Well, Republicans imply it’s because they’re cheaters. But imagine a Democrat
and a Republican head for the polls. One passively hands over his ever-present ID to the authorities. The other forgot/lost his. Which
one is a Democrat? One has driver’s license, work ID, NRA card, dozens of credit cards, IDs up the wazoo. The other has nothing. Which
one is a Republican?
Quick: how many of the 2 million Americans in prison today are Republicans? Maybe that explains Republican
support for long sentences AND opposition to restoring voting rights to those who serve their time.
Finally, the judge who said it’s
too late to change the process is also a Republican — and clearly not an activist. Seems like an all-Republican show — everywhere.
Register. Vote. Change things. mjh
Zogby Polls
The Wall Street Journal’s Flash-based map of battleground states based on Zogby International Polls.
Studying the Polls – A Rollercoaster
The Canadian ::.centre for public opinion and democracy.:: tracks
polls and elections all over the world. Here you can not only find the latest state-wide polls but polls of citizens in other countries!
Unfortunately, the interface isn’t very friendly (even broken in Firefox). Strangely, I found more results from the Centre by searching
Google News for ‘Zogby Interactive Poll‘ (Zogby International itself wants you to pay) than by searching the Centre’s site directly.
See also
the Wall Street Journal’s Flash-based map of battleground states based on Zogby.
Meanwhile, things swing daily at the oft-noted www.electoral-vote.com. mjh
Health Care Crisis? Blame the Lawyers!
Health Insurance Costs Soar, Workers Hit By Kim Dixon, Reuters
Health insurance premiums rose five times faster than U.S. workers’ salaries this year, according to a survey released on Thursday that also showed slippage in the percentage of American workers covered by employer health plans. …
The percentage of people receiving health-care coverage at work dropped 1 percentage point to 61 percent in 2004 from a recent peak of 65 percent in 2001, the Kaiser study found.
“As a consequence, we estimate that there are at least 5 million fewer jobs providing health insurance in 2004 than in 2001,” the report said. …
The Kaiser survey comes soon after the U.S. Census Bureau in August reported more people went without health insurance in 2003, with about 15.6 percent of the population, or 45 million Americans, lacking any coverage.
Health care costs are rising and our Fearful Leader has figured out why: frivolous lawsuits. And, gasp, the Democrats have a, shudder, Trial Lawyer on their ticket. The Party of Lincoln prefers to ignore that Lincoln was a trial lawyer. Anyway, notice Bush has exploited this issue for a long time, in spite of the facts. Facts, we don’t need no stinking facts. mjh
FactCheck.org President Uses Dubious Statistics on Costs of Malpractice Lawsuits
Two Congressional agencies dispute findings that caps on damage awards produce big savings in medical costs.
The President holds out the prospect of major cost savings if Congress will pass a law limiting what injured patients can collect in lawsuits. He wants a cap of $250,000 on any damages for ‘pain and suffering’� and other non-economic damages. His administration projects savings to the entire economy of between $60 billion and $108 billion per year in health-care costs, including $28 billion or more to federal taxpayers.
But both the General Accounting Office and the Congressional Budget Office criticize the 1996 study the Bush administration uses as their main support. These nonpartisan agencies suggest savings — if any — would be relatively small.