Where’s the Outrage?

Updated

I find it interesting that the Supreme Court has given a big thumbs up to the 2nd amendment and a thumbs down to the 4th.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

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Earlier this week, the Supreme Court trashed a 32 year old DC law which banned handguns. The NYT described the law this way - Not only did the 1976 law make it practically impossible for an individual to legally possess a handgun in the district, but it also spelled out rules for the storage of rifles and shotguns. But the court did not articulate a specific standard of review for what might be a reasonable restraint on the right to possess a firearm.

I can and will go through this decision. But, it seems to me that, we need to make the 2nd amendment clear. We can argue for weeks on end how to read the 2nd amendment. How should the militia clause be read? Are “the people” part of the militia or are the frames talking about all citizens? There is no “right” answer. We need to amend it.

I think the exercise of trying to figure out what the framers meant more than 200 years ago is crazy. Our society is completely different than theirs. As a matter of fact, walking through East St. Louis today is very different than back in 1789. They had no idea what a drive by shooting is but that is a reality of our life or at least life in the inner city of Houston, Baltimore and several other of our big cities. The constitution needs to reflect today’s reality.

As a trauma surgeon, I see almost everything bad that can happen with a gun. I’ve seen accidental shootings which is left 10 year old boys paralyzed. I’ve seen the anguish of the parents as they are wondering how the kids got the gun. Unfortunately, the anguish and the sorrow simply don’t matter. The bottom line, we need to be more responsible with our firearms but, since we aren’t, we must have the ability to make laws that keep us safe. An ER physician from Emory University shares this sentiment in an OP-Ed in WaPO.

So, in my opinion, new constitutional amendments are needed. (Better yet we may need a new constitution but I’ll save that idea for another post.) We must be able to ban assault weapons. We need to be able to ban fully automatic weapons (machine guns). We need to be able to control handguns. We need to be able to keep guns from felons or the 0mentality disturbed. Safety locks are not unreasonable. Frequent gun registration is not an unnecessary burden. Finally, we should be able to ban armor piercing bullets.

I have no desire to ban all weapons. I have no desire to ban all handguns. Please don’t e-mail me with statistics. These statistics have been massaged by both sides of this debate so much that you can prove almost anything if you look at the right statistic. I’m sure there’s some advocates for guns who can show me a statistic in which having a gun makes you smarter, more attractive and more successful in life. I’m sure someone on the other side of the argument can show me statistics that banning weapons allows you to own two hybrids and increases the whale population.

Reasonable people should be able to sit down and come up with a reasonable laws. Keep the zealots from both sides in the closet. (Zealots would be those who think everyone should be able to have any gun that anyone wants. On the other side, a zealot would be someone who believes that all guns should be outlawed.)

Tags: Supreme court by ecthompson
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There are several bloggers who have spent a lot of time and effort learning the electoral map. Unfortunately, I haven’t been one of those bloggers. I have been paying attention but I can tell you that polling today don’t mean squat in November. Both candidates have a lot of work to do between now and November.

Although I think that Hardball features too much confrontation and not enough news, Chris Matthews has taken his meds and has a nice interview with 2 political strategists.

Tags: Election 2008, Party Politics by ecthompson
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That just doesn’t look right. Al Qaeda is or is it Al Qaeda are? Anyway, more to the point, the Bush administration continue to tell us that Al Qaeda remains dangerous but it appears that we aren’t doing anything to decrease that danger. It appeared that we tried to bomb an Al Qaeda outpost in Pakistan and instead bombed some Pakistani soldiers. Look for me it is very simple, if Al Qaeda cause 9/11 we need to hunt down these guys no matter where they are. If they surrender, then they will be put on trial. If they don’t they should be shot. It is very simple.

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From NYT:

Late last year, top Bush administration officials decided to take a step they had long resisted. They drafted a secret plan to make it easer for the Pentagon’s Special Operations forces to launch missions into the snow-capped mountains of Pakistan to capture or kill top leaders of Al Qaeda.

Intelligence reports for more than a year had been streaming in about Osama bin Laden’s terrorism network rebuilding in the Pakistani tribal areas, a problem that had been exacerbated by years of missteps in Washington and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, sharp policy disagreements, and turf battles between American counterterrorism agencies. (more…)

Tags: Al Qaeda, Bush Administration by ecthompson
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There’s been a lot of speculation on who Senator John McCain then Senator Barack Obama would choose as their running mates. Almost everyone with a computer has speculated on who could be a possible running mate. Thomas Friedman, from the New York Times, has thrown his hat into the ring. Friedman presents some good evidence to show that our economy is in significant trouble. I think anyone with a couple brain cells that are firing should be able to see the decline of the American economy. We manufacture almost nothing in this country anymore. Our banking industry is in shambles. The auto industry is hanging on by a thread. Heck, a German company has offered to buy Anheuser-Busch.

Somehow over the last 20 years, money and not value has become the goal. For example, we see these nebulous corporations buy up nursing homes. At first, you scratch your head. Then you see them operate. Like a spider who wraps his victim in silk before sucking out all of the nutrients, these human vampires remove all the value out of the nursing home. They sell off CT scanners and x-ray machines. They outsource x-rays. Residents who used to be able to get an x-ray within minutes now have to wait hours or days. All experienced nurses are either fired or pushed out. They’re replaced by a new registered nurses or even nurses aides. Telephones which used to be answered by a real person are now answered by a machine. (Press one if you want resident directory.) I’m sure there are some that look at this is change. I would argue that this is not change for the better. With this type of change only the moneymakers are happy. Everyone else loses out. This is what has been happening in our country with almost every industry.

This gives me an opportunity to insert a clip from the Bill Moyers Journal. This clip is from about six or eight months ago. Bill Moyers chats with Benjamin Barber. He is the author of a new book called Consumed. They discussed the problems with capitalism.

 

 BMJ - Capitalism: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 BMJ - Capitalism 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Back to my original subject, vice presidential candidates. Thomas Friedman has been wrong more times on the Iraq war that I’m sure either he or I want to count. I think he is correct about the economy but incorrect about the choice of running mates. He suspects that each candidate will choose an economic guru as his running mate. Although, the economy will continue to be an important subject in the selection I do not believe that the candidates will choose someone because of their economic expertise. (If they were to choose someone with economic expertise, Barack Obama would likely choose someone like Senator Chris Dodd. John McCain would probably to someone like former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.) I still think that John McCain will try to someone who will excite the Republican base and who will appear more youthful. I believe that Barack Obama will choose someone who has foreign-policy and military expertise.

Tags: Economy, Election 2008 by ecthompson
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This is crap. This is nothing but intelligent design repackaged. How many times do we have to plow the same field. I guess we, those who want religion taught in church or even in a religion class at school, much get used to plowing these fields every year. In some areas of the country we need to plow these fields several times a year.

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From NOLA:

Gov. Bobby Jindal attracted national attention and strongly worded advice about how he should deal with the Louisiana Science Education Act.

Jindal ignored those calling for a veto and this week signed the law that will allow local school boards to approve supplemental materials for public school science classes as they discuss evolution, cloning and global warming.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will have the power to prohibit materials, though the bill does not spell out how state officials should go about policing local instructional practices.

A subject of considerable debate, but receiving few “nay” votes, in the legislative session that ended Monday, the bill is lauded by its supporters as a great step forward for academic freedom. (more…)

Tags: Party Politics, Science by ecthompson
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While it is not usual for John McCain to get heckled, I wanted you to see how easily Senator McCain references his service to our country in Vietnam. Now, I respect John McCain’s service but when you mention it at every turn you just start wondering whether he wants us to vote for him because he is a veteran.

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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This is a group that was a flash in the pan. One thing leads to Another was/is a great tune. Enjoy the Fixx.

Tags: Music by ecthompson
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Great Show. I chat with Glenn Greenwald about FISA and the Democrats inability to stand up and say no more. I then switch gears and talk with local author Cecil Bothwell who has been covering the Pak Square “illegal” sale of land and the indictment and conviction of Sheriff Bobby Medford. I give away another $75!! Just listen and you can win.

 

 The Errington Thompson Show - 6-28-08 [47:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Domestic Spying, Podcasts, State and Local Politics by ecthompson
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Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

You know, I’m tired. I’m tired of liberals acting like conservatives. Now, as I flipped through the liberal handbook I can’t find anywhere where supporting spying on Americans is a liberal ideal. So, can somebody explain to me, why this new FISA legislation is good for us, liberals, or good for the country. There is so much about its domestic spying program that we know nothing about.

Remember back in 2006/2007 the Bush administration blocked all of our efforts to investigate this program. The Office of Professional Responsibility in the Department of Justice began an internal investigation which was thwarted by the Bush administration. This office was denied security clearance which meant that their investigation ground to a halt. How does this legislation help us investigate what happened?

Over the last three years a number of liberal senators have stood up and denounced the domestic spying program including Senator Jay Rockefeller, Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Patrick Leahy. These three senators have been in the Senate and public service for a long time. Where are they now? Senator Rockefeller has gone out of his way to support this FISA legislation. Why? What is he seeing in this legislation that we aren’t or is he playing politics? All of our so-called liberal Democratic senators need to stand up and tell us where they stand on this issue and why.

I have avoided criticizing Barack Obama. But now both he and Hillary Clinton need to be taken to the woodshed. Barack Obama has spoken out strongly against domestic spying in the past but yet he is going to support this legislation which does nothing to protect our civil liberties. Hillary Clinton, who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain from opposing this legislation, has been completely and totally silent on this issue.

I’m sorry, I do not buy the argument that you are soft on terrorism just because you don’t want the president to listen in on every one of your conversations. I understand that this is an issue that does not raise the ire of the American public but there are principles. Long-standing principles against unnecessary government intervention (I thought that Republicans wanted a hands-off government — I guess it depends) should be upheld. We cannot depend on winning the White House in November or advancing our majorities in the House and the Senate. None of that may happen.

There’s no better time than the present to stand up against telecom immunity and a bill that is deeply flawed. It is time for progressives to stand up and support the Constitution and support the American people. We need to find out what happened (where’s Alberto Gonzales and why isn’t he in jail for something). We need to find out what laws were violated. We need to clip the wings of the unitary executive. None of this can wait until November.

Tags: Bush Administration, Domestic Spying, Party Politics by ecthompson
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Earth, Wind and Fire was one of the greatest bands of the 70’s. Now, I’m not sure if they were the best but there weren’t many that could compete for that spot. Their combination of spiritualism and soul was unique. By the time 1980, came around EWF was moving into the funk/disco arena. This produced a terrible tune which was very popular - Boogie Wonderland. It also produced Let’s Groove which is the best of these tunes in my opinion.

Tags: Music by ecthompson
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Melissa Harris Lacewell is a scholar and friend. I haven’t seen or heard from her in while. She has been out on sick leave. She has penned her first article since since her surgery. Her article is a tribute to her uterus. It is both funny and thoughtful.

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After a four-year battle with uterine fibroids, I am finally surrendering. Last Monday, I checked into N.Y. Presbyterian Hospital and underwent a hysterectomy. I am 34 years old.

I fought back with hormones and holistic treatments. I have had second and third opinions in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. I’ve seen black doctors and white, male and female. I have had every test, read every book and gotten advice from everyone I know. In the end, I made the difficult decision to bid farewell to my uterus.

It is a tough goodbye. I really like my uterus. I don’t have personal relationships with all of my internal organs, but this one was special. She protected and carried my lovely daughter for nine months. She was with me every step of the way in a 12-hour, natural delivery. My uterus and I did not take so much as a Tylenol while birthing that seven-pound baby. We are very proud of ourselves.

My path to this surgery has had some pretty bizarre moments. There was deafening fear the first time my doctor said “oncologist.” The room went silent, and I missed the next five minutes of what my GYN said to me. I had to ask her to repeat everything when my hearing returned.

There were ludicrous situations like my three-hour appearance on CNN American Morning. I was losing so much blood that I sat on set and sent a text to my best friend: “If u dont c me after commercial call 911. I might pass out in ladies room.” [Read more →]

Tags: General, Healthcare by ecthompson
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I think that FISA is very important. The principle is important. The American government shouldn’t spy on us without a good reason. Just cuz, didn’t work for me with my mother and it shouldn’t work for our government.

I was able to find Kargo X from the Daily Kos who has been following this issue for a couple of years. We discuss what happened this week. This conversation ties in very nicely with my prior conversation with McJoan, also from the Daily Kos.

Tomorrow, Saturday, June 28, I will be discussing FISA with Glenn Greenwald. I will also discuss some local news (Pak Square) with Cecil Bothwell.

 

 The Errington Thompson Show - Special FISA Edition [19:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Domestic Spying, Podcasts by ecthompson
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Remember those Anthrax cases? Stephen Hatfill was labeled as a person of interest. Our government will be paying Stephen Hatfill $5.8 million for something since our government stated in the agreement that they do not admit to any wrong doing.

Emptywheel thoughtfully mentions that Hatfill takes home a bunch of loot but Valerie Wilson takes home nada.

Tags: 9-11, Terrorism by ecthompson
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Bill Gates, whether you love him or hate him, you have to admire him. This guy dropped out of Harvard to start a software company. Simply a crazy jump but he did it. The greatness of Bill Gates is the combination of businessman and geek. It is that combination that makes him Bill Gates. Today he steps down from Microsoft.

This is a great interview with Tom Brokaw. (BTW, I want to retire at age 52 and never have to worry about money again…I don’t think that’s going to happen for me.)

Tags: Domestic Issues by ecthompson
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I’m not going to get a long wind up. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Unity, New Hampshire.

First, Senator Hillary Clinton. Senator Clinton was thoughtful and graceful. This is going to work because it has to work.

“Senator John McCain and President George Bush are two sides of the same coin which don’t add up for a whole lot of change.”

Next, Senator Barack Obama. In a phrase - Hillary Clinton rocks.

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Maybe, just maybe talking to your enemies works. Ask North Korea.

From WaPo:

North Korea dynamited the dirty gray cooling tower at its deactivated Yongbyon nuclear facility on Friday, a made-for-TV event intended to show the United States and the world that it is serious about abandoning its nuclear weapons program.

After a loud explosive charge, the 60-foot tower imploded within seconds, melting into a thick white cloud of smoke and dust. The late afternoon demolition was filmed by television news crews invited from the five countries that for years have been pressing Kim Jong Il’s totalitarian state to back away from nuclear confrontation. (more…)

Tags: Bush Administration, North Korea by ecthompson
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Stephen Colbert is on the cutting edge of comedy. You have to be thinking when you are watching his show. Well, he has gotten an award that very few comedians get, a word in the New York Times crossword puzzle - Truthiness.

Tags: The Colbert Report by ecthompson
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Now, that’s a drop in the stock market. Over 300 points! I’m guessing that the economic stimulus package that Bush pushed through Congress ain’t workin’.

From WaPo:

U.S. stocks fell sharply today, closing at a low not seen since September 2006, after oil prices spiked and a round of negative corporate news undermined confidence in the technology sector and anticipated further trouble among U.S. banks and brokerage firms.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 358 points at 11,453, a 3 percent drop. The tech-heavy Nasdaq experienced an even steeper decline, losing 3.3 percent, or nearly 80 points, to close at 2,321. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was also down about 2.9 percent, with a 39-point decline to 1,283. (more…)

Tags: Domestic Issues, Economy by ecthompson
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Threatening North Korea for 5 years didn’t do anything except allow North Korea to build several nuclear weapons. Suddenly, the Bush administration tried diplomacy. They kicked John Bolton and Donald Rumsfeld to the curb and started talking. Now, North Korea is dismantling their nuclear facility. (The Bush administration has pieced together exactly what Bill Clinton had done nearly 7 - 8 years ago.)

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From WaPo:

President Bush today lifted some trade sanctions against North Korea and acted to remove the country from a list of states that sponsor terrorism, after the isolated Stalinist regime turned over a key document detailing its rogue nuclear program.

Nearly seven years after Bush described North Korea as part of “an axis of evil” and less than two years after Pyongyang stunned the world by exploding a small nuclear device, Bush said the receipt of the nuclear disclosure marked the start of an “action for action” process meant to end with the full dismantling of the country’s nuclear facilities and weapons. (more…)

Tags: North Korea by ecthompson
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Note to Rush Limbaugh, I’m a Democrat and I’m not bending over for any one.  Thanks!!

Tags: Media, Party Politics by ecthompson
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