Thursday, February 28, 2013

Justice Scalia, Republican flunky


One way to aid the Republican Party is to suppress the African-American vote.  One way to do that is to gut the Voting Rights Act and allow southern states, now firmly in the Republican camp, to fiddle with voting requirements.  

In a case now before the Supreme Court, Justice Scalia said that the portion of the Voting Rights Act under review was a “perpetuation of racial entitlement.”  We are talking about the right to vote.

People were tortured and killed fighting for the right of African Americans to vote.  I can still name some of them.  Now this smug racist on the Supreme Court talks about “racial entitlement.”  The right to vote is not a racial entitlement, it is a right.  And if you think that Republicans won’t try to suppress the black vote, look at the Republican plan in Pennsylvania to allocate Electoral College votes by Congressional District.  

Justice Roberts asked if the Southern states were more racist than the rest of the country.  Probably not.  Instead of overturning the Voting Rights Act, we should extend it to all the states, including Pennsylvania, which may need its provisions more than Mississippi.

Why do we have to keep refighting these battles?  I am really getting tried of this crap.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Sequestration


I know it is the biggest issue going right now, but just consider this.  The whole crisis is artificial.  It’s not like a meteor hit, or a drought occurred, or a rogue nation dropped a nuclear weapon.  This was a crisis created by Congress.  This was a manufactured crisis.  

I have heard people say:  “Both sides should compromise.”  In real life terms, that means “We [Republican congress members] are not budging; the President must give us what we want.”  Negotiations don’t work when one side adopts a position and won’t move from that position.

The U.S. is more and more like some pathetic Third World country.  Is that the goal of Tea Party Republicans in Congress--to turn us into Mali or Chad?  Osama bin Laden would be proud of them.  

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Facebook


Tonight both a fellow blogger and a webmaster whose site I occasionally visit urged me to open a Facebook account.  They assured me that I would have many more readers for this blog if I were on Facebook.  There is some way you can link a blog to your Facebook page, and my readership, which is loyal but small, would increase exponentially.  

I just can’t bring myself to do it.  I keep thinking about Andy Borowitz’s statement that there is a fine line between social media and and wasting your f...... life.  I don’t understand the idea of “friends” that you connect with via a computer.  I think of friends as people you call when you need to move a heavy metal desk.  Friends pick you up at the airport, or bring you soup when you are sick, or come to your memorial service.  From what I have read, most Facebook “friends” would not do those things.

So I will continue to post my blogs for my loyal readers.  I appreciate each and every one of you.  I also hope that a few of you will come to my memorial service.  I already know that at least two of you would help me move a heavy metal desk. 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Gun insurance


As the debate on gun control moves along, I’ve heard some very sensible proposals, such as limiting the number of rounds in magazines or requiring background checks for all purchases.  One of the more interesting ones is to require “gun insurance.”

A number of state legislators in such states as California, Connecticut, and New York, have introduced bills to require gun owners to purchase liability insurance.  If you own a car you must buy liability insurance--why not gun owners?  People who have less dangerous guns, such as muzzle loaders, or who have safety features, such as trigger locks, would pay lower rates.  

I will write Rep. Doyle Heffley about this--it might be just the kind of financial incentive he would support.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

You may have my N.R.A. pin


The National Rifle Association, as you know, is completely off the deep end, advocating private ownership of surface-to-air missiles and rocket-propelled grenades as well as assault rifles.  This is just nuts.

I am no longer proud to own my “NRA Pro-Marksman 50 feet” award.  If you want it, I will mail it to you.  Otherwise, it will go out to the Zaprazny Scrap Metal company on my next run.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Betty Ann Ong


The movie “ Zero Dark Thirty” uses a voice recording of flight attendant Betty Ann
Ong, who died in the September 11 attacks.  The director did not get permission to use the recording and gave Ms. Ong no credit.  According to an article in today’s Times by Michael Cieply, Ms. Ong’s family is demanding an apology if the film wins any awards tomorrow (and I personally hope it wins bubkes).  

The family also wants a donation to a charitable foundation that was set up in Ms. Ong’s name, a credit for Ms. Ong, and, perhaps most importantly, a statement on both the website for the film and the home entertainment version of the film stating that the Ong family does not endorse torture.

As more than one reviewer has pointed out, this film purports to be an accurate depiction of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, yet it also implies that torture was instrumental in killing him.  The director can’t have it both ways--pretending to historical accuracy, but at the same time claiming the right to fictionalize the history.  I noted before that I will not see this film.  I stand with Betty Ann Ong’s family.  

Friday, February 22, 2013

Wal-Mart and Keynesian economics


We’ve gone over this before.  In a recession the government should put money into people’s hands.  It can do this by increasing spending or reducing taxes on lower and middle income groups that will spend the money.  When people buy things, employment  goes up.  When employment goes up, more people have more money to spend, and the cycle continues.  It really isn’t that hard.

Wal-Mart’s latest earnings report showed less than expected sales.  The company blamed an increase in the payroll taxes.  Well, of course.  Wait until the sequestration kicks in.  We should really see a slowdown in the economy.  Perhaps Republicans want that.

Wal-Mart did report one bright spot.  Sales of weaponry have increased since the Newtown massacre of little children.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

What I missed


I’m back in Pennsylvania after six wonderful days in California.  Six days of Morning Calls in plastic bags were waiting for me, and I read them all.  Here’s a sample of what I learned by perusing back issues.

It is good to have a Democratic Attorney General to stop Corbett’s giveaway of the lottery to the Brits.  Even Republican legislators were pleased with Kathleen Kane’s ruling.

A case is pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on the legality of the Marcellus Shale gas drilling law.  It’s a challenge to Act 13, which overrode local zoning laws.  I had not even hear of that case.

The four-year moratorium on shale gas drilling in New York will extend into 2014.  

You won’t need voter I.D. to vote in the primary, and if the court rules the way it should, you won’t need it ever.

Philadelphia charter schools are screening out poor and disabled students.  Really.  Who would have guessed?

Finally, 47% of Pennsylvanians polled said they would support armed guards in schools.  The pollsters did not ask how many citizens would support a tax increase to pay for the training and salaries of the armed guards.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

No gerrymandering in CA

In California an independent commission draws the legislative districts.  The districts lines are drawn according to population with an attempt to use existing municipal boundaries wherever possible.  Districts are supposed to be compact and contiguous.  Since Democrats are in the majority in California, most of the legislative districts are majority Democratic.

The Republicans didn't like this, and tried to overturn the law with a referendum.  Voters, who like fair play, rejected the attempt to overturn the law.  What a concept.  Fair redistricting.

Monday, February 18, 2013

A preview of coming attractions

If you want to know what Pennsylvania will be like after the privatization of the State Stores, visit California.  You can buy beer, wine, and liquor at your local RiteAid.  You can buy beer at the corner Seven-Eleven.  You will see quite a few alcoholics on the streets. You will see a whole bunch of liquor stores in poor neighborhoods.  You will see liquor store clerks who are paid the minimum wage and really don't care whether or not they sell booze to people already drunk.  You will see an increase in DUIsThis is what awaits you if Corbett and the Pennsylvania Republican legislators have their way.  It won't be pretty.

Another good day in California

We added two new birds to our life list today--a Northern Shoveler and an American Wigeon.  We saw them in a wildlife refuge about 20 miles north of Colusa.  We also spotted a bald eagle and quite a few sandhill cranes.

The California rice growers no longer burn off their fields.  They have discovered that by disking the rice straw into the soil and adding some water, they get the same effect as burning but without the air pollution.  The added benefit is winter habitat for the waterfowl.

We also found a newspaper in Colusa that is almost as right-wing as the Times News.  It carried the local Tea Party news and ravings of the assault rifle crowd.  I felt like I was back home.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Banning plastic foam containers

New York Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a city-wide ban on plastic foam containers, i.e., styrofoam.  In Fairfax, California, a referendum sponsored by the Green Party banned styrofoam beverage containers within the town limits almost twenty years ago.  We had opposition, but a grass-roots campaign overcame won out.  It might help to explain things if you realize that in Fairfax the Green Party was the second largest party, ahead of the Republicans.

A short time later San Jose State food services also banned styrofoam containers.  I'm proud to say I was one of the leaders in both those efforts.

I'll be calling Mayor Bloomberg to offer my assistance when I get back there.

Friday, February 15, 2013

We're not in Pennsylvania any more, Toto

Driving north of Yuba City on Highway 99, you pass signs of various groups and businesses that have volunteered to keep sections of the highway litter free.  You see one for the Punjabi-American Heritage Association, followed by one for Betty's Authentic Mexican Restaurant.  A little further up the road is one for the Butte County Atheist Association.

It's good to be back here.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Corbett stymied


Today Kathleen Kane, Pennsylvania’s new Attorney General, ruled that Governor Corbett did not have the authority under the Pennsylvania Constitution to sell the Pennsylvania Lottery to a British firm on a no-bid deal.

Governor Corbett himself was an Attorney General, but evidently has little respect for the Constitution or the people of Pennsylvania.  

Every now and then we win one.  Today was one of those days.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Owning politicians


Here is a portion of an article datelined Washington and entitled “N.R.A. Defends Right To Own Politicians”:
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre warned that the NRA would vigorously oppose any legislation that “limits the sale, purchase, or ownership of politicians.”

“Politicians pose no danger to the public if used correctly,” said Mr. LaPierre, who claims to have over 200 politicians in his personal collection.

The article concludes:
...the NRA leader ended his testimony by serving notice that he would “resist any attempt” to take away the hundreds of elected officials he says are legally his.

As if to illustrate that point, he clutched Sen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) close to his chest and bellowed, “From my cold, dead hands.”

OK, the selections are from “The Borowitz Report” by Andy Borowitz, one of the sharpest satirists in America.  The full article appears in the March issue of Funny Times, but you may also access it on <http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/>.  Just scroll down--it’s there.  

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

State of the Union


I don’t know what the President will say tonight, but I do know one thing.  The “state of the union” would be dismal indeed if it were Romney up there.  The thought makes me shudder.  

Monday, February 11, 2013

The Pope abdicates


This could all be apocryphal, but supposedly Churchill was addressing Stalin in 1944 and told Stalin it was important to recognize the spiritual values of the Polish people.  According to Stalin’s interpreter, Churchill said, “We cannot allow internal developments there to complicate our relations with the Vatican.”

Stalin replied, “How many divisions does the Pope have?”

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Not descended from monkeys


Charles Darwin’s birthday is on Tuesday.  (He was born in 1809.)  In his honor I am reporting that we--the 5,400 or so living mammal species--are not all descended from monkeys, but rather from a rather weasel-like looking animal that survived the global extinction that killed off the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago.  This is the finding of a rather extensive study by a large number of palentologists.  The data is publicly accessible, and if you are really interested, google “MorphoBank.” 

If you would like to see a picture of our ancestor, google “Protungulatum donnae,” which is the scientific name our progenitor.  In the artist’s rendering, it has a long tail and sharp teeth.  You can also google “Adam and Eve” for the fairy tale version, but I prefer the weasel ancestor.

That’s my good news for this Sunday night.  Happy birthday Charles Darwin.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Not Rocket Science


The cliche “it’s not rocket science” applies to economics.  It isn’t that difficult.  When a country is in recession, the government should increase spending and reduce taxes for the people who will spend their money on consumer goods.  This is Keynesian economics and it works.  If you reduce spending (i.e., lay off 22,000 Post Office workers) and increase taxes, the economy shrinks.  (See Britain under Cameron.)

Any economist with a lick of sense knows this, but Congress never got the memo.  At the beginning of January payroll taxes increased.  That, in turn, means less money for people at the lower end of the income scale.  If you earn about $40,000 a year, you will pay about $800 more in taxes annually.  That is about $66 a month.  For someone earning $40,000, that is a substantial sum.

Result:  Chain stores sales have weakened.  Consumer confidence is down.  We have a dampening of the economy.  It really isn’t rocket science.

Friday, February 8, 2013

John O. Brennan


I don’t like Mr. Brennan.  If I were in the Senate I’d vote against his confirmation to head the C.I.A.  He refused to call waterboarding torture, but he said he opposed it when he was an official in the Bush administration.  

It is torture, and you oppose it by resigning and going public.  He did neither.  I do not want this guy in charge of the drones.  Morally, he’s not fit.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Postman


The setting for the 1997 film entitled “The Postman” is the U.S. after some kind of apocalyptic war.  Central authority has broken down and warlords are in charge.  Kevin Costner, a drifter, puts on a U.S. Postal uniform and finds that he has given new hope to a number of isolated communities.  

The movie is better than the reviews it received, and the message is relevant.  The postal service represented connectedness, something larger than the individual.  The bad guys knew this, and killed a number of the newly formed postal service workers.

Today, of course, they wouldn’t have to kill anyone.  All they need to do is show the new postal service wasn’t making any money.  They could then argue for its elimination.

When Ben Franklin formed the postal service in Philadelphia, it was a government service.  It provided a function that was not being provided by private businesses.  It wasn’t supposed to make money.

We are told that the elimination of Saturday mail service won’t hurt because people communicate by email.  Except the old.  Except the isolated poor.  Except rural folks. 

We are told that the elimination of Saturday mail service will save money because 22,000 jobs will be cut.  How does that help the slow climb out of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression?

This is another indicator of the decline of what once was a great power.  It’s a sad day.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The recruitment pool


Theoretically, any citizen who is at least 35 can run for U.S. President, but realistically the pool of candidates is narrow.  It would include Governors, U.S. Senators, well-known generals, perhaps a House member or a famous business leader.  The recruitment pool for gubernatorial candidates is much wider--mayors, state attorney generals, business leaders, media personalities, and members of Congress would all have a chance.

By the time you get down to borough council or township board of supervisors, the recruitment pool is amazingly wide.  Almost anyone who is somewhat known in the community--volunteer firefighter, planning commission member, church leader, business owner, 4-H local leader--can make a credible run for a borough council seat.

The main problem seems to be that few people want the hassle that comes with actually winning a seat.  Staff members at the Democratic Information Center have been calling local officials in Carbon County to ascertain whether or not they plan to run for reelection.  We are attempting to find candidates to run for the vacant seats, but it is difficult to find anyone willing to make the commitment.  

Here’s my plea.  Run for office.  You’ll get paid a pittance and you will take abuse, but you will be performing the highest duty a citizen can perform.  You can start circulating nominating petitions on February 19.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Girls and science


Girls just don’t have the same aptitude as boys do for science, right?  

Wrong.  A test given in 65 developed countries by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that girls generally do better than boys in science.  Exceptions are in the U.S., Britain, and Canada.  

In Asia, Russia, even the Middle East, a much higher proportion of women are in science and engineering.  In the U.S., one researcher found, gender roles in occupation are already formed by age four.  In this country girls just aren’t seen as scientists or engineers.  I’m not sure why.

This information was taken from “Clues to a Troubling Gap” in the Science Section of the Feb. 5 issue of the Times.  It's a depressing article if you believe in gender equality.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Sex ed


No, I’m not giving lessons, though given the statistics, maybe I should.

The live birth rate among U.S. teenagers in 2011 was about 31 in 1000. (Those figures are taken from the Center for Disease Control.) This is one of the highest teen birth rates among the developed countries.  In the U.S. sex ed begins in the 5th grade with separate lessons for boys and girls.  In high school the classes get into more detail, often after some of the students in the class are already sexually active.  For home schooled kids or religious school students, sex education may not happen at all.  They advocate the Reagan drug program mantra--just say no.

In the Netherlands, sex ed begins at age 4.  Dutch public TV airs programs that feature interviews with teens on topics like masturbation or the loss of virginity.  According to Professor Rob McKenzie of East Stroudsburg State in today’s Pocono Record, “...the overall message is that sex is natural, but teens should wait until they’re ready, know what they’re doing when they have it and be prepared for the consequences.”

The teen birth rate in the Netherlands in 2011 was under 5 per 1000.

Do you know what this country does well?  Commercials for the Superbowl. That’s about it.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Hooray for rich establishment Republicans


There’s evidence that certain rich establishment Republicans are taking steps to discourage Tea Party types from running for Congress, mostly by financing candidates who meet the approval of the establishment.  

This is probably bad news for Democrats, because the Tea Party extremists are easier to beat.  On the other hand, it would be good for the country if the candidates who ran for Congress had an actual grounding in the real world.

That’s the best I can do for my weekly Sunday posting of good news.  There just isn’t all that much good news these days.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Ag News


For readers who do not subscribe to Lancaster Farming, here are two items from the latest issue dated Feb. 2:

Item #1:  Leafy greens are the top food poisoning source.  Each year approximately 1 in 6 Americans (about 48 million) get food poisoning.  About 128,000 are hospitalized, and about 3000 die.  

The Center for Disease Control said the largest number of poisonings (about 1 in 5) came from leafy green vegetables.  You might want to either wash your spinach or boil the heck out of it.  I remember when growers in California fought a requirement that farmworkers have toilets available.  Think about that.

Item #2:  The makers of atrazine, used for decades as a herbicide, have agreed to a $105 million dollar settlement.  The money will go to about 1000 communities that are trying to eliminate atrazine from their water supplies.  The company (Syngenta) admits no wrongdoing.  The money does not begin to cover the costs that have been incurred removing atrazine from drinking water.

Here are downsides to the settlement.  The plaintiffs’ attorneys will get about $35 million in fees, and Roundup is still being used routinely as a weed killer.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Muzzle loaders


According to an article in the Jan. 28 issue of Time, an assault rifle can fire between 45 and 60 rounds per minute.  The article also says that a musket can fire 3 to 4 rounds per minute.  I’m not sure exactly what Time is calling a “musket,” but the type of weapon available when the 2nd Amendment was ratified was a muzzle loader.  That’s a gun where you drop the bullet down the front of the barrel.  Unlike modern bullets, the powder is not part of the bullet itself.

Pennsylvania has a special season for deer hunting with muzzle loaders, and my brother-in-law is one of the hunters.  I asked him how long it takes to fire a round with a muzzle loader.  He said it takes about a minute.  He is a very good hunter.

Do you really think our Founding Fathers would have given their approval to the 2nd Amendment if they had anticipated weapons in private hands that could fire between 45 and 60 rounds a minute?