Where's the Outrage?

Monday Night News Roundup

• “Bernard Madoff” is becoming synonymous with “swindler” and “crook.” A very nice article in Newsweek details how he started his Ponzi scheme. Seeems it all began at the Palm Beach Country Club in Florida. Here’s a wonderful line from the article –They [the rich soon to be swindled] knew that money and social cachet could afford them access to exclusive services and experiences—private jets, club seats at sporting events, invitations to state dinners. Similarly, many believed a high fabulousness quotient entitled them to Madoff’s too-good-to-be-true service—consistent market-beating returns without volatility, all without big charges. Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is.
  
• New numbers from Detroit are out. Americans bought 2.9 million fewer cars in 2008 then they did the year before. Even Toyota and Honda have seen declines in car sales over the last four to eight weeks. I think this is a sign that this recession is not going anywhere any time soon. We need an economic stimulus package and we need it now.
• I would be remiss if I did not discuss some of the violence going on in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has invaded the Gaza Strip and their forces have surrounded Gaza city. My question is… now what? Three Israeli soldiers have died from so-called “friendly fire.” The Palestinian death toll is now well over 500. Doesn’t the death of innocent citizens fuel some this Palestinian anger? The European Union has tried to mediate some sort of cease-fire. French President Nicholas Sarkozy is currently in the Middle East. Israel is calling for some sort of international monitoring contingent. Hamas has stated they will only stop the rocket attacks once the blockade is lifted off of Gaza. Of course, the blockade is the only thing that is preventing more guns, ammunition and rockets from entering Gaza. In my opinion, both sides need to learn how to behave.
• The rumor mill, which has so far been very accurate, has suggested that former White House Chief of Staff, Leon Panetta has been picked to run the CIA. Although Leon Panetta is not an intelligence expert, he is widely regarded as an excellent manager. I haven’t really made up my mind on this pick yet. Maybe a skilled manager is exactly what the Central Intelligence Agency truly needs. William J. Lynn, former top Pentagon official in the Clinton administration, has been chosen to be Deputy Secretary of Defense. Considering the information I laid out for you in my post earlier tonight about the amount of waste in the Defense Department, the Deputy Secretary of Defense is an extremely important position. That role will be crucial in preventing this kind of giant waste. (I’m still depressed over the withdrawal of Governor Bill Richardson.)
• Former Senator Claiborne Pell has died at the age of 90. For the last several years he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. I never knew the senator from Rhode Island, but I have benefited from the grants that now carry his name. A senator who championed the arts and education can be marked as “great” in my opinion. There’s a great editorial in the New York Times giving a personal account of how much these Pell grants have meant. We could sure use some more senators like Claiborne Pell.
• I just started a new book called “The Return of Depression Economics And the Crisis of 2008” by Paul Krugman. It turns out this really isn’t a new book. The book has been updated but it was first published nearly a decade ago to describe what was going on in Japan and Asia. His column today really comes from this book. Krugman outlines the need for bold action and the resistance he will find from some politicians who want “proof” that deficit spending will help prevent massive layoffs. Note that these same politicians did not require proof that tax cuts actually work to stimulate the economy. This is another great article.
• Finally, Media Matters analyzes Ann Coulter’s latest pack of lies called “Guilty.” Ann Coulter has been one of the best from the Right at spinning a lie. She usually starts with the truth and then moves to some topic that’s more obscure. She will state this topic as fact and then make her big point, which is almost always wrong. So the formula is: truth, which leads to half-truth, which then leads to outright lie. From Media Matters – These falsehoods come on a wide-ranging list of subjects including her defense of the claims made against Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 presidential campaign; her assertion that “Fox News has never been caught promoting a fraud”; her claim that President-elect Barack Obama was referring to Gov. Sarah Palin when he said “you know, you can put lipstick on a pig; it’s still a pig”; and attacks she makes against New York Times columnist Frank Rich.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Economy, Israel, Media, Obama administration, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Could it be over? Could we have finally elected a senator from Minnesota? I doubt it. That would be too easy. Today, the state Canvassing Board certified the final results this afternoon. Al Franken has defeated incumbent Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes. Unfortunately, because of a state law, Minnesota cannot issue a certificate of the election until all court cases are resolved. So the most I can say is that Al Franken is almost the new senator from Minnesota.

From Star-Tribune:

The state Canvassing Board certified final results this afternoon in Minnesota’s marathon U.S. Senate race, but that won’t end the battle between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman, whose Senate term ended on Saturday.

Moments after the board certified that Franken had eked out 225 more votes than Coleman, attorneys for Coleman said they would file a lawsuit within 24 hours.

Minnesota law prohibits the state from issuing a certificate of election until such a court case is resolved, which, as of today, leaves Minnesota with a single senator as Congress prepares to convene Tuesday and embark on a fast run of massive legislation to deal with the nation’s financial meltdown.  (more… )

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson md
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Hey, buddy, can you spare $300 billion? $300 billion is the amount of money that the Government accountability office (GAO) has estimated that has been squandered. This is not money that we used for the bailout. Instead, this is money that we have appropriated to the Pentagon for weapons systems. These weapons systems have been underbid, over budget or in some cases not even built. Yet, the Pentagon keeps throwing money at these contractors. (GAO report – all 205 pages of it)

Great Video below.

From WaPo:

Government auditors issued a scathing review yesterday of dozens of the Pentagon’s biggest weapons systems, saying ships, aircraft and satellites are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule.

The Government Accountability Office found that 95 major systems have exceeded their original budgets by a total of $295 billion, bringing their total cost to $1.6 trillion, and are delivered almost two years late on average. In addition, none of the systems that the GAO looked at had met all of the standards for best management practices during their development stages.

Auditors said the Defense Department showed few signs of improvement since the GAO began issuing its annual assessments of selected weapons systems six years ago. “It’s not getting any better by any means,” said Michael Sullivan, director of the GAO’s acquisition and sourcing team. “It’s taking longer and costing more.” (more… )

Tags: Budget, Bush Administration, Congress, Military by ecthompson md
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From DailyKos:

Tags: Domestic Issues, Media by ecthompson md
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From the Star-Tribune:

Al Franken won an impressive share Saturday of what may be the last ballots tallied in the U.S. Senate recount, boosting his unofficial lead over Sen. Norm Coleman to 225 votes heading into a Monday meeting where the state Canvassing Board will certify the final result of the race.

At least two things, however, still stand in the way of Franken becoming Minnesota’s newest U.S. senator: the possibility of a ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court that more wrongly rejected absentee ballots should be counted, and a legal contest that Coleman attorneys all but promised should Franken prevail. (more… )

Could it be that this recount is over? Could Al Franken be Senator Al Franken? Now we have to wait for all of the lawsuits to be settled.

From TP:

Al Franken holds an unofficial lead of 225 votes over incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. “With the recount complete, focus immediately shifted to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which continued to consider a request from the Coleman campaign to alter the process and add more absentee ballots to be reconsidered.” Eric Kleefeld notes that “Minnesota law is unique in that it prohibits the issuing of an official certificate of election until the legal challenges are all resolved.”

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson md
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I talked about this a couple of weeks ago. Governor Bill Richardson was just about to get himself into some deep hot water. He is under federal investigation for a quid pro quo. In my opinion, Bill Richardson is a good and thoughtful man who, unfortunately, got caught up in this problem.

From CNN.com:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing his nomination to be commerce secretary, citing the distraction of a federal investigation into ties to a company that has done business with his state.
Gov. Bill Richardson said a probe focused on him would delay work toward bettering the economy.

Two Democratic officials told CNN the investigation involves a California company that won municipal bond business in New Mexico after contributing money to various Richardson causes.

In a statement Sunday, Richardson said he asked Obama “not to move forward” with his nomination now.

“I do so with great sorrow. But a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months,” the statement reads. “Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process. (more… )

Tags: Obama administration by ecthompson md
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In his Albion’s Seed–Four British Folkways In America, author David Hackett Fischer writes about five major Puritan doctrines and ideas that were brought to Massachusetts from England in the 17th century.

(Here is information about Puritanism in New England.)

These five were depravity, covenant, election, grace and love.

Here is what Mr. Hackett writes about the idea of “depravity”—

“…depravity…to Calvinists meant the total corruption of “natural man” as a consequence of Adam’s original sin. The Puritans believed that evil was a palpable presence in the world, and that the universe was a a scene of cosmic struggle between darkness and light. They lived in an age of atrocities without equal until the twentieth century. But no evil ever surprised them or threatened to undermine their faith…. They believed as an article of  faith that there was no horror which mortal man was incapable of committing. The dark thread of this doctrine ran through the fabric of New England’s culture for many generations. ”

While I’m not religious, I do subscribe to some of these ideas about so-called depravity. Life is often a battle between good and evil. And there is nothing so horrible that it can’t happen.

Maybe I find agreement because on one side of the family I’m descended from Puritans off the boat in 17th- century Massachusetts. Or maybe it is because I’m an ideologue and can relate to fanatics. Or it could just be that I have lived in our world and these are the conclusions I’ve reached.

Evil is not just about brutal acts in foreign nations. Evil is a relevant term for our leaders lying to get us to declare war on nations that pose no threat to our security. Evil is a relevant term for the willful mismanagement of our economy for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many.      

Martin Luther King saw evil as an active force in the universe. Here is what he said in his great sermon ”Unfulfilled Dreams”  

“….. you must face the fact that there is a tension at the heart of the universe between good and evil. It’s there: a tension at the heart of the universe between good and evil. Hinduism refers to this as a struggle between illusion and reality. Platonic philosophy used to refer to it as a tension between body and soul. Zoroastrianism, a religion of old, used to refer to it as a tension between the god of light and the god of darkness. Traditional Judaism and Christianity refer to it as a tension between God and Satan. Whatever you call it, there is a struggle in the universe between good and evil.”

Like Martin Luther King, I’m hopeful that evil can be challenged and, at times, overcome. It is good that while evil is a fact of our existence, so is the ability to fight back with faith, reason, kindness and hard work.

Tags: Books, General, Religion by Neil Aquino
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Ever have that weird uncle or aunt die and you are the one who gets everything? There’s an old bowling ball, some college photos that look like they were taken by Mathew Brady himself and some old clothes. That’s it. Well, relatives of Dr. Harold Carr found an old dusty car in his garage.  A legendary Bugatti!! Now I’m waiting for some of my relatives to do me right!

From AP:

It was the equivalent of finding an old Picasso or an unknown Beatles tape hidden away in your uncle’s attic.

Relatives of Dr. Harold Carr found an extremely rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante — a Holy Grail for car collectors — as they were going through his belongings after his death.

The dusty two-seater, unused since 1960, didn’t look like much in the garage in Gosforth, near Newcastle in northern England.

But only 17 were ever made, and when it’s cleaned up and auctioned in Paris next month, experts believe it will fetch at least 3 million pounds ($4.3 million) and possibly much more.

Bugatti once represented the height of motoring achievement. The supercar was so ahead of its time it could go up to 130 mph (209 kph) when most other cars topped out about 50 mph (80 kph).  (more… )

Tags: General by ecthompson md
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One of the great things about YouTube is you can click on a video and great related videos pop up to the right. Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and Lil’ Kim inject some energy into this already very energetic tune. Then Patti Labelle is the icing on the cake.

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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Now this should take you back in the way-back machine. Patti LaBelle.

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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Israel promised that there’d be a ground portion to this offensive. True to their word, tanks have rolled into the Gaza Strip. A spokesperson for Hamas had this to say:

From CNN.com:

Israeli tanks rolled into Gaza on Saturday night as the military launched the second phase of its assault on the Hamas-ruled territory after a week of airstrikes.

“We want to create a situation where the civilian population in southern Israel is no longer on the receiving end of those deadly Hamas rockets. When quiet can be achieved, this operation can be finished,” Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told CNN.

The goal of Operation Cast Lead is to halt what Israeli officials describe as a near-constant barrage of Hamas rockets into the southern part of the country from Gaza.

“We haven’t articulated regime change as the goal of this operation. Our goal is to protect our people,” Regev said. Israeli officials say four people have been killed and 59 wounded in Hamas rocket attacks in the past week. (more … )

Seems to me that Israel is trying to get a few last minute licks in on Hamas before Obama gets into office. I don’t think Obama will give Israel the free reign that the Bush administration has allowed. Obama and the United States will always be a close friend of Israel, but that doesn’t mean that we have to support everything that Israel does.

Tags: Israel by ecthompson md
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I talked about this with Bill Scher, from Campaign for America’s Future and Liberal Oasis, on my radio show today. We do need a real economic stimulus package. This package must stimulate the economy now and invest in tomorrow (energy, technology).

From EPI:

Given the state of the country’s infrastructure, more investment is certainly needed:

• Roads: According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, over two-thirds of roads are in poor or mediocre condition (TRIP 2005), resulting in $54 billion per year wasted on repairs and operating costs (American Society of Civil Engineers 2005a).
• Bridges: More than a quarter of all bridges are rated structurally deficient or obsolete, leading to closings and in some cases collapse (TRIP 2005).
• Waterways: Half of all waterway locks are functionally obsolete, resulting in waterway shutdowns and substantial business losses (American Society of Civil Engineers 2005b).
• Schools: School facilities are also in disrepair, and studies have shown that an additional $127-322 billion is needed to bring facilities into good overall condition (National Center for Education Statistics 2000). A Department of Education survey found that 43% of schools indicate that the condition of their facilities “interferes with the delivery of instruction” (National Center for Education Statistics 2007).
• Wastewater management: The deficiencies of the wastewater management infrastructure has left 772 communities experiencing a total of 9,471 identified combined sewer overflow problems, resulting in the release of approximately 850 billion gallons of raw or partially treated sewage annually (Mishel, Eisenbrey, and Irons 2008).

This is only part of package.  The package must be broad enough to help out everyone.  Here’s the down payment on our future part of the plan (more from EPI).

• Energy efficiency: According to the McKinsey Global Institute, not only are energy efficiency programs the most cost-effective means of reducing pollution, but many of them provide savings that significantly outweigh their costs (McKinsey Global Institute 2008). Programs such as the Clean Energy Corps—which combines training and job placement in order to put middle- to low-income people to work auditing and retro-fitting homes to be more energy efficient—would lower energy costs, help struggling communities, and create jobs.
• Green manufacturing: Over the next 50 years, the world will need and demand more and more clean energy. By developing its green technology industry, America can revive its economy by becoming a leading exporter of clean energy technology. Incentivizing automakers to build energy efficient vehicles here in the United Sates would improve our trade deficit and balance of payments, create jobs, and reduce carbon emissions. Provisions such as public-private research partnerships, research prizes, intellectual property reform, and R&D tax credits should be included to incentivize the research, development, commercialization, and mass production of clean energy technology and products. These provisions will reduce the trade deficit, reenergize the manufacturing sector, and create millions of high-paying jobs.
• Transportation: While much of our transportation infrastructure is in need of repair, more people are driving and riding than ever before. Building a modern interconnected public transit system would reduce traffic-related wasted time and fuel, expand labor markets by increasing mobility, lower the regressive transportation costs on the average household, and create high-paying jobs in construction, operation, and maintenance. Congress will consider a reauthorization of the surface transportation bill later in 2009, but setting aside additional funding for transportation projects by pre-funding the highway-trust fund with general revenues would expand the options available during reauthorization.
• Broadband deployment: The United States currently ranks 15th of 30 developed countries in overall broadband penetration as measured by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Irons and Townson 2008). Nations that have prioritized broadband infrastructure have already seen improvements. For example, Denmark’s broadband penetration reached 34 connections per 100 inhabitants in 2007, while the United States had just 22 per 100. Expanding broadband infrastructure in the United States would not simply improve the speed of our connections for entertainment purposes, but it would also bring a wealth of knowledge to more citizens in more areas. With greater reach, the United States could see improvements in education, health care, and first-responder capabilities as communications become faster, more efficient, and more effective.
• Health care information technology: Better management of health care records and delivery could result in better quality care at lower costs. Increased investments in better information technologies would yield significant economic returns (Girosi, Meili, and Scoville 2005) as well as better health care outcomes.

Tags: Congress, Economy, Obama administration by ecthompson md
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More from the late, great Freddie Hubbard.

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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The Rachel Maddow Show names the nominees for the Most Memorable Previously Unknown Performer in a Supporting Role:

• Gayle Quinnell – “He’s an Arab!”
• Harriet Christian – “The Democrats are throwing the election away!”
• Ashley Todd – The infamous backwards B (very sad story… )
• Samuel Wurzelbacker (a.k.a. “Joe the Plumber”)
• Muntadhar Al-Zeidi – Shoe Thrower Extraordinaire

So, who’s your choice?

Tags: Media by ecthompson md
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I was going to title this post “Snakes on a Plane,” but no one saw that movie so I decided against that.

You know this story. Two families are getting on a plane and discussing where the safest place to sit might be. They are overheard and reported to authorities. They are Muslim. They are summarily taken off the plane and interviewed by the FBI The FBI deems them safe, but AirTran will not let them back on the airplane. As a matter of fact, AirTran refuses to let them take any plane, anywhere.

So, we have the rights of an airline pitted against the rights of these American citizens.

From CNN: AirTran Airways apologized Friday to members of a Muslim family for kicking them off a plane and refusing to rebook them despite requests from FBI agents who had cleared them of wrongdoing.

The families of Atif Irfan, a tax attorney, and his brother Kashif Irfan, an anesthesiologist, were removed from a flight in Washington before takeoff Thursday after a passenger reported hearing Atif Irfan’s wife say something suspicious.

The FBI interviewed the family and cleared them of wrongdoing.

“We regret that the issue escalated to the heightened security level it did,” AirTran said in a statement Friday afternoon. “But we trust everyone understands that the security and the safety of our passengers is paramount.” Read the full statement (more from CNN).

Tags: Civil Rights by ecthompson md
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From TP:

President Bush issued a statement yesterday in which he heralded New Year’s day as “an opportunity to remember the events of the past and look forward with hope to the year ahead.” But as Bush looks forward to leaving office, the nation is stuck with the results of many of the Bush administration’s failed policies.

To mark the passing of Bush’s last full year in office, ThinkProgress rounded up statistics on some of the most significant effects of Bush rule in 2008:

– Number Of U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq: 322.
– Number Of U.S. Troops Killed in Afghanistan: 151.
– Number Of Jobs Lost: 1.9 million.
– Number Of Banks Federal Government Now Owns Stock In: 206.
– Number Of Uninsured Americans: 47.5 million.

– Change In Housing Prices: declined 18 percent.
– Change In Health Insurance Premiums: increased 5 percent.
– Change In Number Of Delinquent Mortgages: increased 75 percent.
– Change In Use Of Food Stamps: increased 17 percent.
– Change In Dow Jones Industrial Average: declined 35 percent.
– Change In Bush Approval Rating: declined 9 percent to 29 percent.

Paul Krugman noted recently that the Bush administration’s failings have often been obscured in the short-run because the White House was particularly effective at inventing an alternate reality that it then “impressed on the public.” In 2008, however, despite its repeated attempts to wish it away, the reality of its domestic policy failures caught up with Bush administration and the nation.

Tags: Bush Administration by ecthompson md
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As I mentioned earlier, Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed former State Attorney General Ronald Burris to replace Barack Obama in the Senate. I didn’t think any self-respecting person would take this job. If David Patterson (Governor of New York) calls you up, take the job. If the Illinois governor is on the line, you should duck the call. Ronald Burris was too ambitious. He was compelled to answer the phone and say yes. Now what? Senate majority leader Harry Reid said that the Democratic caucus would not seat Ronald Burris. Really? On what basis? The State Attorney General has refused to sign off on this appointment as if he has veto power, which he doesn’t. At least I haven’t yet been able to find evidence of it in the Illinois Constitution.

The popular blog Firedoglake said this earlier:

It would certainly be interesting to watch the same Senate who gave convicted felon Ted Stevens a standing ovation (Reid calling him “distinguished colleague”) exclude Burris.

Secretary of State Jesse White has said he will refuse to sign the paper work certifying the appointment, but it’s not clear that his signature represents anything more than a formality.  Nonetheless Burris is suing to force him to sign (PDF).

BMAZ at Emptywheel added:

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White: As you have probably heard, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has refused to certify Blagojevich’s appointment of Roland Burris. The problem I see with this is that there is no legal basis whatsoever for SoS White’s conduct in this regard.

White appears to be abrogating Illinois law all by himself, and he simply does not have the power to do that. Signing the certification is a ministerial act, not an established right of veto. The decision on who to appoint is the governor’s and the governor’s alone under Illinois law; there is no power promulgated for the SoS to have decision making authority. If White can simply refuse to sign the certification, and that stops the process in it’s tracks, he would have unmitigated veto power over the appointment. He does not.

I need to throw in a few words from The Carpetbagger @ Washington Monthly:

A variety of possibilities may play out, including possible delays by way of the courts, but here’s the one to keep an eye on:

Should Roland Burris show up for duty in the Senate on Tuesday, armed police officers stand ready to bar him from the floor.

This cinematic showdown is among an elaborate set of contingencies that Democratic leaders are planning if, as expected, the former Illinois attorney general appointed by Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich shows up with newly elected senators to press his claim that he is the legitimate replacement for President-elect Barack Obama.

I really don’t see any good alternatives. Obviously, I would prefer that we don’t seat a senator who is tainted by the hand of Rod Blagojevich. Unfortunately, he is the governor and he has the power to appoint someone. We have to assume, until US Attorney General Patrick Fitzgerald tells us otherwise… that Ronald Burris is not tainted and didn’t buy his Senate seat. Mr. Burris should be seated because there is no legal reason NOT to seat him. The legislators in the Illinois House needed to move quickly to remove the governor from office, which they didn’t do. So we are stuck. We must remember that, after all, we are a nation of laws.

Tags: Party Politics, Senate by ecthompson md
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You have been waiting and waiting for years to get the upper hand. You had a recent “misadventure” into Lebanon. Now you have taken Hamas by surprise. They are wildly firing rockets and really hitting no one. You may have them on the run. Would you stop?

From WaPo:

A top Hamas leader and several members of his family were killed Thursday in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, as Israel pressed its offensive for a sixth day and a Hamas rocket destroyed part of an apartment building in the Israeli port city of Ashdod.

Nizar Rayyan, a cleric who served as a liaison between Hamas’s political and military wings, had called for renewed suicide bombings inside Israel and refused to go into hiding, as other prominent Hamas members had done. His death, confirmed in a statement issued by Hamas, marked the first known killing of a senior leader of the militant group since Israel began air strikes on Saturday. Two of Rayyan’s four wives and four of his 12 children were also killed after Israeli forces bombed their apartment building, Palestinian health officials said. (more… )

Tags: Israel by ecthompson md
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