Where’s the Outrage?

Monday’s News:

• Remember the story about Al Qaeda members who were associated with the USS Cole bombing that were walking around free in Yemeni. Well, a Yemeni judge has picked up Jaber Elbaneh and thrown him in jail. I’m not sure what that means or how long he will stay there, but this is a good first step (seven years too late. )
• Dick Morris, who regularly appears on Fox “News,” wrote an incoherent piece in the Washington Post yesterday. I’m still trying to deconstruct it. I think he is trying to say that Senator Barack Obama is ahead of Senator John McCain now, but that McCain can close the gap. I think that’s what he means, but I’m just guessing.
• An American soldier was using the Koran as target practice. Major General Jeffery Hammond held a meeting with Iraqi leaders and officially apologized to a group characterized in the article as Iraqi leaders. Did they mean the religious leaders or the other guys? If it was religious leaders, then it was a meaningful gesture. If not, then it doesn’t mean so much.
• There was a great series in Washignton Post on childhood obesity. Physical Education, which should be re-named “physical activity” since there isn’t a lot of education going on, needs to be mandatory in our schools. If a student has a physical handicap, then they should do best they can, but everyone needs to exercise. As a country we can save billions if we would all exercise.
• The Supreme Court was able to agree on something that wasn’t a five to four decision. They upheld a child pornography law with a seven to two vote. I found the dissent by Justices Souter and Ginsberg rather thoughtful.
• Obama picked up a couple big endorsements by today Senator Robert Byrd and Billionaire Warren Buffett. This comes just ahead of tomorrow’s primary in Oregon and Kentucky.
• I almost forgot something, which is statement in itself. The suffering in Myanmar is going to get worse before it gets better. More outside relief is being let into the country. And in China, there was a moment of silence for those who died in last week’s earthquake. The whole country stood in silence at 2:28 in the afternoon. The numbers that are slowing coming in are mind-boggling. Since the start of the rescue effort, 158 rescue workers have died in landslides .

Tags: Al Qaeda, Domestic Issues, Supreme court by ecthompson
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I guess that all affairs must end some time. It is sad and painful when you get found out. Well, it appears that Senator John McCain and his ‘maverick’ image were found with a couple of lobbyists. This is the same McCain who “boldly” fought for campaign finance reform. If you listen to the news, one might believe that McCain hated lobbyists when in fact the opposite was true. McCain got in trouble with lobbyists over 20 years ago as part of the Ketting Five. The New York Times reported that McCain may have had an affair with a lobbyist but that wasn’t the important part of that article. The take-home message was that McCain remains very close to a number of lobbyists.

Well, Newsweek, among other new outlets, reported that McCain’s close ties to several lobbyists need to be cut. It looks bad for the ‘maverick’ image. McCain’s campaign is packed with lobbyists.

(more later)

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From Newsweek:

Stung by the news that two aides once lobbied for the Burmese junta, John McCain last week rolled out a sweeping new conflict-of-interest policy for his campaign, requiring all staffers to fill out questionnaires identifying past or current clients that “could be embarrassing for the senator.” Aides say that McCain was furious over the Burma connection (which he learned from a NEWSWEEK story) and was “adamant” about banning campaign workers from serving as foreign agents or getting paid for lobbying work.

But the fallout may not be over. One top campaign official affected by the new policy is national finance co-chair Tom Loeffler, a former Texas congressman whose lobbying firm has collected nearly $15 million from Saudi Arabia since 2002 and millions more from other foreign and corporate interests, including a French aerospace firm seeking Pentagon contracts. Loeffler last month told a reporter “at no time have I discussed my clients with John McCain.” But lobbying disclosure records reviewed by NEWSWEEK show that on May 17, 2006, Loeffler listed meeting McCain along with the Saudi ambassador to “discuss US-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia relations.” (more…)

Tags: Corporate Wrongs, Election 2008 by ecthompson
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We have been waiting for Senator Ted Kennedy’s doctors to tell us something. The Boston Globe has a very nice story that sums up the fact that we still know nothing.

The most common cause of seizures in the elderly would be tumor, alcohol withdrawal, stroke, and arteriovenous malformations (AVM). This is not a complete list, but it is what I can remember from my days in medical school.

I would like to go on TV and get paid for saying nothing, like the M.D. in this clip.

Tags: Healthcare, Senate by ecthompson
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I recently listened to a song called Mamavtu by a singer named Susheela Raman. Here are some of the lyrics:

Saraswati

you who reside in the temple of Kamakoti

rescue me

bearing lotus and veena

in your beautiful hands

you give truth to speech

your feet are worshipped by Emperors and kings

your eyes are as wild as Rajiva flowers

and your beauty bewitches.

Garlanded with gems

you fulfill the desires of the good

Indra himself bows down before you

I, Vasudeva, am your servant

for you are the divine word in its essence.

I like these lyrics for two reasons. The first reason is that they are clear and direct. I admire the ability to communicate in a clear and direct fashion in a complex world. This kind of communication is something we all have the ability to do with the application of some discipline and thought.

[Read more →]

Tags: General, Music by Texas Liberal
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Ironman wasn’t my favorite comic. Heck, it wasn’t even a successful Saturday morning cartoon. But the movie, on the other hand, is fun. The acting is outstanding. Robert Downey, Jr. really carries a movie that could have been written more tightly. I’m still wondering how they got Gwyneth Paltrow to play this role. She is marvelous.

This is one of the best comic book movies.

 

 Ironman [2:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Movies by ecthompson
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Senator Barack Obama garnered a crowd of 70 thousand people in Portland. Nope, that’s not a typo. It wasn’t the 700 folks that gathered to hear Senator John McCain or even the 7 thousand folks that gathered to hear other popular political figures. Instead, it was 70 thousand!!! Wow!

From the Washington Post:

Sen. Barack Obama has seen his share of large crowds over the last 15 months, but his campaign said they have not approached the numbers gathered along the waterfront here right now.

The campaign, citing figures from Duane Bray, battalion chief of Portland Fire & Rescue, estimated that 75,000 people are watching him speak.

The scene suggests this is not an exaggeration. The sea of heads stretches for half a mile along the grassy embankment, while others watch from kayaks and power boats bobbing on the Willamette River. More hug the rails of the steel bridge that stretches across the water and crowds are even watching from jetties on the opposite shore.

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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