The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Barth's picture

    Post Partisanship

    By Barth on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 3:08pm |

    A friend, not usually one to be overtaken by excessive enthusiasm,said, during the few days after the 2008 election, that it meant that the United States was finally entering the post-racial period we thought might come about after the end of the civil war, after Brown v Board of Education, or, at the very least, after the enactment of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid 1960s and the abolition of the poll tax. We may be on our way there but, at least so far, we have not come close to that day, despite the election of President Obama.

    Campaigning to win in 2012.

    By Oxy Mora on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 7:29am |

    Here are Oxy's 5 constructs for winning in 2012. Each construct has five steps. 1. Position 2. opponent's response. 3. Counter argument. 4. Opponents response (ignore it). 5. Clincher.

    A1. Restore revenue at the top 2% income level.

           2. The rich create jobs. Kills jobs.

                3. Top earners create some jobs. But it's people who do the work.

    jollyroger's picture

    Curfew Shall not Ring Tonight!

    By jollyroger on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 11:52pm |

    Stories of the successful interposition of bodies between the law and its intended victims are few and far between.

    To encourage the valuable practice of civil disobedience, and to commemorate a 16 year old girl's astounding poem let us pause and pay our respects to 

    Common Law.

    Mary Lee Ward is 82.  She was the victim of a classic predatory lender Delta Funding.

    MrSmith1's picture

    More haikus for another Friday afternoon

    By MrSmith1 on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 2:20pm |

    Here are some of my haikus from the past week:

     

    haiku: "Minds that only yearn,
    Never taste the fruit of life,
    Merely chew the rind."

    haiku: "Down on the bayou,
    nobody asks hominy grits,
    catfish eat pralines."

    haiku: "Living in the past,
    Though not a panacea,
    Is still comforting."

    Mr. Sachs, Mr Keynes. Oh, you've met already

    By Flavius on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 3:26pm |

    The New Yorker

    I fondly remember a cartoon a decade ago. A blackboard full of equations.  Two elderly physicists. One, pointing at a spot on the board., which says “then a miracle occurs”.

     

    The Financial Times

     Aug 18 2011

    Jeffrey Sachs

     …….. No need to blame the rating agencies: governments.. have been unable to cope with the realities of global capital markets and competition from Asia…

    Frank Luntz at the pearly gates.

    By Oxy Mora on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 2:14pm |

    Interview with St. Peter.

    Let's see, it's "Luntz" with a "z", is that correct?

         Yes sir.

    Under "occupational field" I have crossed out the "word" "wordsmithing" and substituted the "word" "word-murdering".

         Yes sir. I was going to ask you why I'm standing on a trap door. And isn't that a "lynchpin" there or do you call it a "linchpin"?

    Muslims Are Americans, Too

    By My Fellow American on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 2:00pm |

    My Fellow American is an online film and social media project that calls upon concerned Americans to pledge and spread a message that Muslims are our fellow Americans. It asks people of other backgrounds to pledge, and share a real life story about a Muslim friend, neighbor, or colleague that they admire.

    Elusive Trope's picture

    The Olympics and Me

    By Elusive Trope on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 3:57am |

    While responding to a comment on another thread, I was reminded of a moment during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.  I wasn't quite 4 years old when it happened.  I know I was watching with my parents and my older brother, but I have no memory of it.  Yet I also don't remember not knowing about it.  Somehow it has been seared into my consciousness.  In terms of longevity over the years, there is probably no other incident that has caused more intense debate than this one.

    Elusive Trope's picture

    The Purple and Ambivalent Voter

    By Elusive Trope on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 1:07am |

    This started out as a response to a blog about how Democrats should campaign in a purple district or state.  As one might expect, the general consensus is Dems need to focus on jobs (and its companion the economy). 

    A significant key for the discussion which I don’t think is adequately addressed is that we are dealing with a purple region of the country, whether district or state.  We can get into whole debate about what makes such a region purple, but I will use the 30-40-30* explanation.  By this I mean that 30% of the population will vote Republican pretty much no matter what and 30% will vote Democrat come hell or high water for the most part.  This leaves us the middle 40.

    Keep it quiet, a Democratic victory

    By Flavius on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 12:57am |

    Tuesday. In Wisconsin . By the two Dems against whom the Reps had organized a Recall. Well publicized by NPR in a sucky piece a week before the election introducing us to Patriotic Wisconsin Housewife, out there fighting the Good Fight and organizing one of the Recalls. Yawn.

    Not saying NPR didn't have the right. Just pointing out that anyway the Dems got 54% and 58% of the vote.Which sounds like an improvement over the General judging by the absence of Republican claims of an improved share.

    jollyroger's picture

    Free the junkies! Free all the junkies! Let all God's junkies go free! Ron Paul in 2012

    By jollyroger on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 10:06pm |

    I have become a "one-issue" voter.  (well, actually, three issues: No drug prohibition, no imperial adventures, no surveillance state)

    As Glenn Greenwald convincingly sets forth, that makes me a Ron Paul voter.

    Will I like returning to the gold standard?  Probably not too much, but at least I won't be shoveling money down Goldman Sachs gaping maw if it turns out that way.

    Richard Day's picture

    PRIESTS, SAINTS AND SALVATION

    By Richard Day on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 2:40pm |

    I was viewing C-SPAN again and this old mofo was discussing the umbra of an old priest from Chicago by the name of Robert Pfleger.

    The author turns out to be an ex-priest by the name of McClory.

    Father Pflegert looked up one day and saw billboards that he had not really thought about before.

    That is, we all go by billboards every day without really seeing them.

    http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/books/2805446,michael-pfleger-robert-mcclory.article

    And Father Pflegert became mesmerized by these cheap attempts at advertising and noticed that on the Southside (or the cheapside) of Chicago all those billboards advertised the positives of booze and cigs.

    The ugly texan: can good republicans stomach Rick Perry?

    By Oxy Mora on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 10:05am |

    Rick Perry has just warned Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke not to come to Texas because "we would treat him pretty ugly".

    Economics Professor Nouriel Roubini tweeted: "This Texas thug is making murder threats on the Fed Chairman."

    I wonder what the good Republicans think of Perry's threat? It's an ugly threat. The 2012 election is only going to get worse. Will good Republicans, in the name of a 3% tax hike, help put Perry in the White House. Or will some of them say enough is enough!

    The Liberal Mob's picture

    Science: It Works

    By The Liberal Mob on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 3:19am |

     

     

    In light of the fact that the past week or four have been politically asinine, I thought it would be nice to take a detour from our usual musings on politics, economics, and whatnot. I’ve chosen instead to focus my attention today on a topic that has never once let me down like ridiculous budget deals and underwhelming elections so frequently do, and that topic is science. In just a few short weeks, we’ve had announcements of mind blowingly important discoveries ranging from water on Mars to an almost unbelievable cure all for viruses that doesn’t seem to be possible. With this much progress taking place it’s hard to believe that these magnificent scientific developments aren’t on the front page of all of the important blogs and newspapers.

    The Liberal Mob's picture

    Keep On Rockin' in the Third World!

    By The Liberal Mob on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 2:33am |

    It is difficult to convey to people here in the United States the severity of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia. When the average American hears that there are people starving to death somewhere in Africa it comes as no surprise. We have heard this so many times throughout our lives that we have come to expect it and sadly, to even accept it as an inevitability. It is for this reason that we here at the Liberal Mob have blogged about the situation taking place on the Horn of Africa a couple of times in recent weeks. First about the Failed State status of Somalia and how it compounds and worsens the ecological and humanitarian crises taking place there, and later why the United Nations & the International community had trouble responding quickly and decisively declaring a famine.

    The Liberal Mob's picture

    Why Perry Is Dangerous (And Also a Nut)

    By The Liberal Mob on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 1:13am |

    The rare Texan Loon (R-TX) in his natural habitat.

    There has been a lot of concern about Rick Perry as of late.  Most of this centers around the prayer rally he hosted just prior to announcing his candidacy.  There was commentary on this from all the places you'd expect.  There was also some from places you might not, too. 

    Perry's religious views and religious grandstanding, though, are less of a big deal than other things.  What is a big deal is his idea of how government works, and how America should be run.  To put it simply: Gov. Perry might believe in a thing called "The United States of America".  But it seems evident that he doesn't believe in a United States of America.  It is a key distinction, and one with major consequences.

    Richard Day's picture

    ISSA IS A CROOK; CH. 2

    By Richard Day on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 7:27pm |

    EQUAL PROTECTION

    jollyroger's picture

    Tickticktick...BOOM. WILL A TWENTY BILLION DOLLAR BOMB DESTROY AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IN NOVEMBER 2012?

    By jollyroger on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 1:56pm |

         Thanks, Roberts Court.  Thought you were just empowering the Koch Brothers and Dick Armey with Citizens United?

         Think again, assholes.

         How are you gonna like it when the Peoples' Liberation Army PAC starts spending money throwing monkey wrenches into elections at every level from school board on up?

         This dystopian view is detailed in all its terrifying horror by McCamy Taylor at Democratic Underground (h/t Yves Smith for link).

    Tom Friedman Behind the Curve Again

    By Oxy Mora on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 9:33am |

    ...and that's the best thing one could say about Friedman's Sunday NYT article, "A theory of everything".

    Matt Taibbi said it best when he described Friedman's writing as something akin to "turning a Chimpanzee loose in a NORAD control room".

    Barth's picture

    Hell in a Handbasket (a special Sunday post)

    By Barth on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 2:54pm |

    whatever a handbasket is, or why going to hell in it is notable, this is proof that it is happening. 

    Where once a president, seeking re-election, said: 

    Red Planet's picture

    On The Looming Deficit Of Trust

    By Red Planet on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 2:01pm |

    There may be many ways to improve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, but there is a looming question: can we trust the judgement of those who push to address the redesign of these programs in the crisis climate of talks about the budget deficit?

    Richard Day's picture

    RAMBLINGS ON RIOTS AND ANGST

    By Richard Day on Sat, 08/13/2011 - 3:34pm |
    Stand-off between rioters and police in Croydon

    THE ROUND UP

    I came across a British mini-series entitled The_State_Within (2006)

    The main character is the British Ambassador to the United States. (Played by Jason Isaacs)

    There is a terrorist attack on U.S. Soil involving a British Muslim terrorist.

    The Secretary of Defense (played by Sharon Gless of Cagney and Lacy fame—who really scares the shite out of me, I mean what fine actress) is pulling out all stops and the Ambassador's job is to keep British/American relations intact and do something for the rights of British Citizens; Muslim or not!

    Barth's picture

    Calling Crazy Out

    By Barth on Sat, 08/13/2011 - 1:32pm |

    Guy comes back from a brief reunion with family members huddled around a beach to find that, in a week of rollercoaster rides on the stock market, brought on by what Paul Krugman aptly described as the "Wile E. Coyote moment" as we pause in our endless debate about how much to cut from our federal budget to discover that what we need is massive federal spending, the talk of the political folk is about whether Newsweek's cover unfairly portrays Congresswoman Bachmann as a crazy woman.

    Maybe the Downgrade was a pre-emptive strike

    By Flavius on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:24pm |

    Suppose S&P knew it had some sub-prime skeletons which it wanted to protect from any investigation. The Downgrade did that since now any investigation could be characterized as Obama's revenge.

    What sort of skeletons?

    Consider the initial period of minimal payments in sub-prime loans..

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