Talking Points Memo shows us that Senator John McCain has changed his Iraq policy over the years. Now, he wants us to stay in Iraq for “some time.” I’m not sure what that means, but McCain was quick to point out to those of us who question his judgment that we are just too ignorant to understand.
My father was fond of asking me if everyone was jumping off a bridge, would I jump. The right answer was always no.
Senator John McCain, in a very weak economic speech, offered voters a gas -tax holiday. In my opinion, this was a terrible idea. First of all, it would be difficult for the IRS to enforce a tax that is turned on then turned off. Secondly, it isn’t like gas prices would drop immediately although the public would expect gas prices to drop any day. Many Americans would start driving more, which would increase demand and therefore increase prices. Also, this tax holiday would increase the federal deficit by $11 billion with no clear benefit to anyone. Finally, gas tax money does go to fund highway projects. If we take that money away, aren’t we going to have to stop some projects and therefore fire some workers?
For reasons that are unclear to me, Hillary Clinton wasted no time in jumping on this bandwagon. The only difference is that Senator Clinton plans to pay for the budget short-fall with wind-fall profits taxes.
Senator Barack Obama has spoken out against the tax holiday. He believes we need a better solutions than a short term fix. Here’s Obama’s new ad. I like it and I agree this holiday is a bad idea.
Now, to be fair, there is no way that Senator Barack Obama should have granted Fox “News” Sunday an interview. I’m sorry, but I think that you have to have standards. On the other hand, Senator Hillary Clinton granted an interview with Bill O’Reilly. I think that I’m going to vomit.
This clip show just how far the candidates will go to get votes.
Two years ago, Avery Johnson led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals. The Mavs were up 2-0 versus Dwayne Wade. Wade single-handedly beat the Mavericks. Shaq was on the floor but really wasn’t a major factor in their championship win. Since then, the Mavericks have come up short. They lost to Golden State in the first round last year. I’ll re-type that. The Dallas Mavericks lost to Golden State in the first round of the playoffs. This year they showed the heart of deer as they got spanked by the New Orleans Hornets.
The Mavericks need to make some major moves in order to get back to where they were two years ago. I think that firing Avery Johnson was a good move. Next, give Jason Kidd his walking papers. Then, find a guard who is young and who will take the ball to the hole. We need a guard that will dish to Nowitzki or shoot the teardrop that Tony Parker has made famous. We need a guard who can breakdown a defense like Steve Nash. Oh yeah, we traded him. We need a guard who can play some defense and stop Chris Paul and other quick shooting guards like Devin Harris. Oh yeah, we traded him too. I’m not saying that we have made some stupid trades but WE have made some stupid trades!!!
Why is Jason Terry still sitting pretty for the Mavs? In the crutch, he has folded time and time again. He seems to have all of the skills to expect the ability to play great defense and to be a dominant player in this league, but he has to be able to crank it up a notch. Two years ago, he carried the team in a couple of playoff games. Dirk wasn’t shooting well. Terry stepped up. Where was he this past week? What about against Golden State? You have to refuse to lose.
Mark Cuban is in a tough spot but he is the owner. He needs to figure out where to go. He needs better talent on the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki is 30 years old and has proven that he can play, but he really cannot carry a team in the final three minutes of a game. Jerry Stackhouse can do great things, but sometimes his head isn’t in the game. Getting ejected during an elimination playoff game should be grounds for being fired from the team.Devean George - bye. Juwan Howard - see ya. Eddie Jones - bye. The Mavericks need to clean house. What are we going to do with Dampier? He is one of these invisible 7 foot centers. Why? Find a 7 footer who can move inside and score.
The Mavericks have been too content. They need to make major moves to prevent two to five more years of almost being great.
I was willing to stick up for the Reverend Jeremiah Wright when clips were being played. I believe that it is relatively easy to misconstrue the meaning of a sermon by listening to a couple sentences. Immediately after the controversy, the Wright was conspicuously absent from the public eye. I think this was a good thing. I think that his return to the public stage by being interviewed on PBS’s the Bill Moyers Journal was also a good move. His interview with Bill Moyers was thoughtful and illuminating.
If all you wanted to do was tell your side of the story, you were done. You are finished. Clearly Wright had other things in mind. Exactly what these other things were, only Wright can tell us that. We could speculate it probably has to do with enjoying the national stage and/or wanting to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame. Again, I would like to stress that I do not know the Wright’s motivations.
Following the Bill Moyers Journal, Wright was the keynote speaker at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner. Wright took this opportunity to distance himself from the thoughtful pastor, we saw just 24 hours earlier. He was, by far, more over-the-top. Finally, his performance at the National Press Club was simply out-there. I’m not sure what he was trying to represent but he seemed to resemble some of the patients that I saw while working in the psychiatric unity that were off of their medications. I’m not the only one with this opinion. I’m not the only one in the black community with this opinion.
There is a rumor that Reverend Barbara A. Reynolds (pictured above) invited Wright to the National Press Club where she is on the selection committee. Interestingly, Reynolds is also a supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton. Therefore, the conspiracy theory goes like this: Someone in the Clinton camp asked the Reynolds to entice the Wright to speak and speak openly about his deepest feelings on race, religion and America. I believe that this is hogwash. I don’t think that Clinton’s camp had anything to do with this. I have no data to back up my feelings, it is simply my opinion.
Maybe, Wright did Senator Barack Obama a favor. By acting so completely unhinged, Obama has been allowed to completely and totally distance himself from Wright. Therefore, if Obama wins the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, it will be extremely difficult for the Republicans to break this up and have it stick. Today, Obama formally denounced several of the ideas that Wright was expounding on. Maybe Wright’s 15 minutes of fame is now over and we can get back to talking about lapel pins.
It is hard to imagine the excitement over Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, that debuted on MTV 25 years ago. There was no other music channel at the time. The following day, the video went on sale nationwide. I was in medical school at the time. One of the medical students in the class ahead of me got his wife to go to the store and wait in line to buy the VHS video. She brought the video to school and we used the A-V equipment there to show the video during our lunch break. Both members of the first-year class and the second-year classed stayed around to watch the video. As I recall, more than 150 students eagerly watched the video. We all loved it.
Thriller was the pinnacle of Michael Jackson’s music video career. Although he made tons more videos, with Smooth Criminal being the most notable, nobody else made any more of the super-production videos. Jackson was the only one.
Enjoy!
Our President has gone out of his way to take credit for nothing– not one thing– especially if it’s gone badly. So, our current economic problems are the fault of terrible financial policies? No– it is the Democrat’s fault. Of course. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that at first. The current financial crisis couldn’t be caused by a soaring budget deficit, a war that is costing about $10 billion a month, tax giveaways to oil companies and the rich. It’s telling that the President hasn’t mentioned that tapping the strategic oil reserve (which Senator Hillary Clinton mentioned) always brings prices down, even if it is only in the short term. None of this is the President’s fault. Rather, it is the fault of Democrats in Congress who have been dragging their feet.
Our President can be so depressing.
————
From the Washington Post:
President Bush today blamed Congress for many of the nation’s economic woes, charging that lawmakers have blocked his proposals for dealing with problems ranging from soaring gasoline prices to the increasing cost of food.
In a news conference at the White House, Bush declined to characterize the economic troubles as a recession, saying he would not get into a debate about “words” and would let economists decide the terminology. He also was noncommittal on a proposal — backed by two presidential candidates — to suspend federal taxes on fuel in order to provide some relief to motorists and truckers struggling with prices that have reached a nationwide average of $3.60 a gallon for gasoline and $4.24 a gallon for diesel. (more…)
This is the first half of a two-part interview with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. I’m not sure why Leslie Stahl was chosen to interview him. It is interesting to hear his thoughts on the Constitution. I don’t think that he is right, but he is interesting.
I have dreamed of having enough money so that I can fly my own plane. John Travolta has that kind of money. He has a couple of planes, if I’m not mistaken– not bad for a sweathog. Well, it seems that Senator John McCain’s campaign has its own plane also. It isn’t unusual for a campaign to lease a plane but this plane actually belongs to McCain’s wife, Cindy. Their campaign has been flying around at a discount it seems because there is a law– which McCain backed– stating that the campaign must pay or rent this plane for fair market valve.
So, is having your own plane elitist? Is not following a law that you supported elitist? I’m just askin’.
————-
From the New York Times:
Given Senator John McCain’s signature stance on campaign finance reform, it was not surprising that he backed legislation last year requiring presidential candidates to pay the actual cost of flying on corporate jets. The law, which requires campaigns to pay charter rates when using such jets rather than cheaper first-class fares, was intended to reduce the influence of lobbyists and create a level financial playing field.
But over a seven-month period beginning last summer, Mr. McCain’s cash-short campaign gave itself an advantage by using a corporate jet owned by a company headed by his wife, Cindy McCain, according to public records. For five of those months, the plane was used almost exclusively for campaign-related purposes, those records show. (more…)
I seem to be having some trouble embedding video, but I’m trying to correct it. I hope that you like the new look.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright has come out of hiding. His first interview was with the great Bill Moyers. Those of you that have read my blog for some time know that I love Moyers. His PBS program has been a light of reason when no one else would be reasonable.
This interview begins at the beginning, when Wright was a young man and we follow him through his development. Wright served in the Marines and Navy. He earned three letters of commandation in his four years in the Navy. He was part of the team that operated on Lyndon Johnson. Wright was not drafted but, rather, he signed up for his time.
Following his time in the service, he became a minister and was asked to pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ. In this interview he talks about the challenges he has faced. This interview does go places that “normal” interviews will not go. Bill Moyers asks about black religious philosophy and black empowerment. Wright gives good clear answers, talking about his statements that have been flying around the internet. These answers are particularly important. There is no way that a rational human being will walk away for this interview saying that Wright is a black separatist, or that he is unpatriotic. Wright comes across as a thoughtful, intelligent, passionate black pastor who has worked hard to develop his church ministry.
BMJ - Rev. Wright 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download BMJ - Rev. Wright 2 [15:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download BMJ - Rev. Wright 3: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThis video is based on last week’s New York TImes article in which they exposed that many of the military analysts were either on the Pentagon’s payroll or a defense contractor. Free Press asks us to get involved and pressure Congress to investigate this issue.
The blog Crooks and Liars has more.
Leona Lewis’ voice sounds like someone very familiar, but I can’t think of who it is. Anyway, here’s her Billboard Top 10 song: Bleeding Love.
Did Rush Limbaugh just ask for riots in Denver? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. While Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann do an excellent job discussing this topic, they don’t mention that Limbaugh is not stupid. He has a terrible ideology but he is not stupid. The one thing that is consistent about all of Limbaugh’s pronouncements is that they are all designed to increase ratings.
Suppose that Democrats take the White House and Congress. And further suppose that the Democrats also win overwhelming victories in state and local elections. Limbaugh’s huge audience would get cut by half. As a result, his employer would not afford to pay his huge salary. This just can’t happen in Limbaugh’s world. Therefore, he must stay relevant and not sit idly by.
First, we have Operation Chaos– It sounds like something Maxwell Smart would say (if you’re too young to get the reference, Google it). Limbaugh is for former Republicans registering as Democrats in order to vote in the primaries for Senator Hillary Clinton. Secondly, he would like the Democratic convention to grind to a halt. He would like to see a lot of infighting. This is the Limbaugh dream because this would mean that he is still important. In my opinion, we can’t have that. If the Republicans can live with McCain, who they aren’t real happy with, then we (the Democrats) can have a convention in which we figure out who will be the nominee without any of the craziness that Rush was talking about.
Here are some things that I have been reading about and I think need more discussion:
There is a sense of calm that comes over a professor once he or she gets tenured. All of a sudden they are free to write and say what they please without the risk of being fired. Judge Antonio Scalia sits on the Supreme Court like a tenured professor. He proved that he is skilled at spinning a political discussion just like “regular” politicos. For him to point to Al Gore and suggest that it was his fault that the Supreme Court took the case or that they made what is one of the worst decisions in modern history is laughable.
60 Minutes has an interview with him this week.
A remarkable find.
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From AP:
A Dutch school director preparing an exhibition on Anne Frank has found a holiday postcard signed by the Jewish teenage diarist, a museum said Wednesday.
The card, sent in 1937, was addressed to one of Frank’s best friends, Sanne Ledermann, and postmarked from just across the Dutch border in Aachen, Germany, said Maatje Mostard, of the Anne Frank Museum. (more…)
I watched a U.S. Trade mission to Colombia a few days ago on C-Span.
You can watch it by clicking the link that says Vignette on U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The video will remain up on C-Span for another week or two.
The roughly half-hour I watched of the show involved U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives touring Medellin, Colombia and meeting with various officials.
The photo above is of Medellin where 2.4 million people live within the city and 3.2 million people live in outlying areas. Here is a brief history of the city.
My friends at the AFL-CIO oppose this agreement. They say union workers are routinely killed in Colombia and the deal will result in lost American jobs.
This blog, Plan Colombia and Beyond, is also opposed to this agreement on the grounds of human rights.
I have little doubt that the right-wing government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is on the wrong side of many basic human rights questions.
Here are arguments for the pact from a government web-page dedicated to trade agreements.
Currently, the deal is stuck in a disagreement between the Democratic House and President Bush.
Of the nine House members on the trip, there were seven Republicans and two Democrats.
I was interested in the presence of the two Democratic House members in the trade delegation. The two members were Bob Etheridge of North Carolina and Hank Johnson of Georgia. [Read more →]
Here is a review of Continental Express flight number 5627, which left Houston April 24, at 10:10 a.m. and arrived in Cincinnati at 1:45 p.m..
It also landed on April 24. It was not a 27-hour flight.
The ticket cost $561.50. Can you imagine all that money to get to Cincinnati?
Above you see a picture of flight number 5627. Needless to say, all the passengers were surprised to be boarding such a plane.
The flight started well because boarding required walking outside and walking up a staircase-on-wheels. I always find this exciting. I pretend I am Charles De Gaulle boarding a plane to Algeria.
I mentioned feeling like General De Gaulle to the flight attendant. By her response, I did not get the impression she shared my excitement.
Once on board, the glamour was gone.
The plane smelled. I can’t quite classify the smell beyond being slightly yucky. The plane smelled from take-off to landing.
Also, my seat was filled with crumbs.
I wrote this for the Urban News (April 2008):
I just finished watching the History Channel’s two-hour documentary on Martin Luther King narrated by Tom Brokaw. It was extremely well done but… something was missing. There were interviews from civil rights activists like Representative John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young, and Martin Luther King, III, along with thoughtful commentary from contemporary activists including President Bill Clinton, Bono, Forest Whitaker, Jr., and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who grew up in Birmingham.
The program was like a wonderful BBQ sauce that tastes great but is missing some key ingredient or ingredients that give the sauce a pizzazz. That’s what was missing! Pizzazz! In spite of that, I highly recommend it.
As I sit here in my house, in a nice suburban neighborhood, in Arden, North Carolina, I am dictating this column into my Dell computer using sophisticated (translation: expensive) speech-to-text software. I mention this because it takes some capital to do what I’m doing — capital that, in the 1960s, 99% of black Americans didn’t have. My world has been made possible by the sacrifice of Martin Luther King and tens of thousands of others. I’ve attended some of the best schools that our nation has to offer. I have worked at some of the best hospitals because of those who’ve come before me (like my father who was also a doctor). For this, I am forever indebted and grateful. [Read more →]
Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, fulltime sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats...
