Markism Explored Markism Explored A running collection of the opinions and thoughts of the author as they relate to the current events of the world. Focusing on the current political climate with a liberal slant. Articles
Obama wins N.C.
2008-05-07 10:20:00 So Obama won in North Carolina with a pretty large margin, and Hillary took Indiana with almost no margin at all. I'm pretty sure this will cripple any momentum that Hillary picked up from her last win. The next few contests tend to favor her, but I'm starting to feel that even Hillary might have to start rethinking the merits of continuing her campaign. More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Wins
Pastor problems
2008-05-06 09:37:00 Glenn Beck: Obama's odd timing on Wright - CNN.com Obama's political excommunication of Wright is not only a sudden and stark departure from his vaunted Philadelphia speech on race -- it also appears to be retroactive. In his press conference he said about Wright: "I know that one thing that he said was true, that he was never my "spiritual adviser." He was never my spiritual mentor. He was my pastor. And to some extent how the press characterized in the past that relationship, I think, was inaccurate."I hate to give Glenn Beck any more attention. In fact I often try to ignore him as a rule. Unfortunately, in this argument I think he is expressing the views of an growing contingent of uninformed or really thoughtless people.I have many problems with the problem that Obama faces in dealing with Wright. My first problem is that I don't think it should be a problem. Obama's critics are asking whether being friends with Wright will affect Obama's judgment. I think that's a s... More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Problems , Pastor
Border Fence Horrors
2008-05-06 09:06:00 Border-fence dispute snares rare jaguars - CNN.com Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told Congress that the agency continues to talk to some 600 landowners along the border to get their input. But in order to comply with the congressional mandate, he said, there is no time to deal with "unnecessary delays caused by administrative processes or potential litigation."After reading the article above you may or may not be in the least bit concerned. I guess it depends on whether you give a damn about the natural flora and fauna of the US. If you do care enough to believe that the government shouldn't be able to arbitrarily wave environmental laws, then I suggest you contact either Defenders of Wildlife or the Sierra Club, and get in on the conversation.I you are the type of person who believes that the environment must bend to the will of people, and that our security is worth the destruction of a few species, then I would first like to say that you are very shortsighted, ... More About: Fence
Holiday
2008-04-30 11:21:00 For my half dozen regular readers out there, and for those who happen by, I would like to let you know that I am off to Moravia for a four day Holiday . I will be drinking Moravian wine, and if the weather holds I will be hiking the lovely Moravian country-side. I will not, however, be reading the news or posting to my blog. Please feel free to read and comment on older material.
Clinton-McCain Tax Holiday
2008-04-29 09:09:00 As Clinton Seeks Gas Tax Break for Summer, Obama Says No - New York Times Mr. Obama's view is shared by environmentalists and many independent energy analysts, his position allowed Mrs. Clinton to draw a contrast with her opponent in appealing to the hard-hit middle-class families and older Americans who have proven to be the bedrock of her support. She has accused Mr. Obama of being out of touch with ordinary Americans who are struggling to meet their mortgages and gas up their cars and trucks.While I'm a little disturbed that the White House agrees with Barack Obama , I'm more concerned (if not the least bit surprised) that McCain and Clinton have the same plan. It shouldn't come as a shock that the two campaigners rapidly developing reputations for doing anything to win votes would support a gas tax holiday.Most experts agree that the holiday would save the average American almost nothing, while costing America as a whole millions of dollars, and possibly thousands of jobs. ... More About: Politics , Holiday
Sound and Fury
2008-04-29 08:21:00 McCain rejects 'big government' takeover of health care - CNN.com The solution, McCain said, "isn't a one-size-fits-all-big government takeover" but "with the American people themselves." "We have always trusted in ourselves to meet any challenge that required only our ingenuity and industry to surmount," the Arizona Republican said. "Any solution that robs us of that essential sense of ourselves is a cure far worse than the affliction it is meant to treat."After McCain delivered his speech, the Democratic National Committee criticized McCain for "promising four more years of the Bush health care agenda."I read through this article twice looking for some kind of substance. Down at the bottom the author admits that this speech was given the day before McCain plans to release details of his health plan. I'll admit that I'm eager to see what it might include.His goal seems to be to keep government control out of health care, but to somehow force the people making millions on he... More About: Politics , Sound , Sound and Fury , Fury
Where should the money go?
2008-04-28 09:12:00 Bush: Economy in slowdown, checks on the way | Reuters "Whatever the American people do with these checks will benefit the economy, whether they're buying products, whether they're helping to pay their gas bills, or whether they're paying off their credit cards, putting more liquidity back into the market," said House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio. "The American people are bright. They'll figure out how to spend this money the best way possible."I'm not really sure what makes John Boehner think that Americans are wise enough to spend money in a way that will stimulate and strengthen the economy. What you will find in this article is that many Americans are probably going to spend their rebate paying down debt. Personally, I think that's a great idea, though I think it will do very little to stimulate the economy.But despite mentioning this, the article doesn't discuss that the root of many American's current financial problems is the fact that they have more debt... More About: Money
Reverend Wright speaks
2008-04-26 09:34:00 I have generally avoided the Reverend Wright discussion, because I find it incredibly biased, ridiculously political, and absurdly naive. Mostly the conversation is about a black reverend for DARING to imply that America might share responsibility for 9/11, or that blacks in America might still be a little pissed about inequality. I feel bad for Barack that he had to distance himself from a man of incredible intelligence and character.For those that are interested, Rev. Wright took the opportunity to provide an interview with Bill Moyers. You can see a bit of his history as a patriot, a bit about the ministry, and hear him speak about what it means to be a black spiritual leader on the south side of Chicago. I recommend it.http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/0425 2008/watch.html More About: Politics , Barack Obama
Gun merchant in favor of guns
2008-04-26 08:07:00 I was less than shocked to read a story that a gun merchant wanted to speak on campus in favor of Conceal and Carry, an organization that wants to put more guns on college campuses. I think I've made it abundantly clear that I think this is a bad idea. What got me about this story is that this is the guy who sold the gun to the VA Tech shooter, and sold ammo to the Northern Illinois shooter.I was pleased to see that h only drew a crowd of 50 people, and that at least one was there in opposition to the whole idea. It amazes me that people actually seem to believe that increased gun carrying reduces the threat of violence, though there is no evidence to suggest that. He is so convinced that he is selling his guns at cost just to make sure more people can afford guns:Gun seller offering discounts to 'save lives' - CNN.com The owner of a company that sold firearm merchandise to both the Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University shooters said he will sell his guns... More About: Guns , Merchant , Favor
Pot, I'd like you to meet kettle
2008-04-25 09:42:00 Israel's U.N. envoy calls Jimmy Carter bigot | Politics | Reuters Speaking to reporters at a gathering in New York organized by The Israel Project, Gillerman said that he was saddened by the meeting and that in his mind Carter had become "what I believe to be a bigot" for having the meeting. Carter "went to the region with soiled hands and came back with bloody hands," he said.I was so shocked and appalled by anyone calling Jimmy Carter a bigot that I even had to look the term up, just to make sure it meant what I thought it meant. Just to be clear:bigot - Definitions A person who regards his own faith and views in matters of religion as unquestionably right, and any belief or opinion opposed to or differing from them as unreasonable or wicked. In an extended sense, a person who is intolerant of opinions which conflict with his own, as in politics or morals; one obstinately and blindly devoted to his own church, party, belief, or opinion.Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary,... More About: Meet
A Call to McCain
2008-04-25 08:49:00 Floyd Brown's ad smearing Barack Obama | Salon What is remarkable about Brown is that no matter how much America changes, he does not. He not only survives but thrives, cycle after cycle, playing the same ugly game that first won him notoriety in 1988, back when he scripted and televised the flagrantly inflammatory Willie Horton ad. He lurks on the fringe of presidential politics because the Republicans tolerate and sometimes secretly encourage him, so long as they can claim that they have no connection with his schemes. Those denials have always been implausible -- and as he ramps up for a new season of divisive attacks, the question is whether the mainstream media will give Brown the kind of scrutiny he deserves.Who the hell is Floyd Brown and why does he hate Barack Obama? Fair question. The above article will give you a brief political biography of this right wing political attack soldier. The article ends with a call to John McCain to step up, to be the man he pretends to ... More About: Politics , Call
More guns in schools
2008-04-24 09:55:00 Boy, 10, fires semiautomatic at N.J. school - USATODAY.com Police say a fourth-grader fired a semiautomatic handgun inside a New Jersey elementary school as he was showing it to a friend. Linden Lt. Raymond Tyra says no one was injured in the gunfire at School Number 2 on Wednesday afternoon. A 10-year-old boy was showing the .38-caliber gun to his friend in a coat closet when the weapon went off. A bullet passed through the wall and into the classroom next door, where it lodged in a wall. Tyra says most of the kindergarten to fifth-grade students who attend the school had gone home before the incident. Police officers recovered the gun and secured the school.Anyone want to lay odds as to where the boy got the gun? Could it possibly be from his parents? Anyone want to lay odds as to whether the gun was legal? I'm betting it was. More About: Guns , Schools
Desperately seeking a legacy?
2008-04-23 08:48:00 Bush administration offers new fuel economy rules - CNN.com The plan is expected to save nearly 55 billion gallons of oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 521 million metric tons over the life of the new vehicles built between 2011-15. It will add an average cost of $650 per passenger car and $979 per truck by 2015.Environmental groups and their allies in Congress, who have criticized the Bush administration's handling of the requirements, said they were mostly encouraged by the proposal."After years of fighting a fuel economy increase, the Bush administration is showing faith in the American auto industry's ability to reform," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, who sought the higher standards.So the bush administration has fought tooth and nail for it's entire time in office against any kind of policy that would favor the environment. Fought against anything that might reduce greenhouse gases or improve fuel efficiency. Now as Bush reaches record highs in disappr... More About: George Bush , Legacy , Seeking
Decriminalizing Prostitution
2008-04-22 10:01:00 To fight prostitution, some say target clients | Reuters The rise of international sex trafficking is causing many countries to rethink their laws on prostitution and re-examine legal frameworks that for decades have treated the purchase of sex as a social nuisance or "victimless crime".Not long ago I was teaching at a firm called Centrum Addictology. They were largely a group of graduate students who were trying to to radically change the concepts of law and social thinking with things like drugs and alcohol. Generally they spoke remarkably good English, so most of our classes were mostly spent discussing and debating social structures globally and here in the Czech Republic. One of my favorites of those discussions was the idea of decriminalizing prostitution.One of many things I learned from that class is that there are several movements here in Europe and around the world that are trying to actually unionize sex workers. I personally think this is a great idea. While traff... More About: Prostitution
Higher gas taxes
2008-04-22 09:14:00 John McCain gas tax | Salon News The U.S. is just now starting to get on board with the idea that we need to fight climate change, and this is just reversing that fight. Basically we're going to reduce the price of gasoline, which means consumers are going to respond by either driving more in the short term or changing how they make vehicle purchases and buying less fuel-efficient cars, because fuel efficiency won't be as important.My regular readers out there will know that I'm in favor of higher gas prices. I often discuss this with my friends, and occasionally at social occasions. Mostly the subject gets changed, or people simply refuse to engage me on this topic. That often surprises me based on the company I keep, which is obviously largely made up of American expats.One would think they would be more open minded to such a topic. Realistically higher gas prices follow along a path where Americans buy more fuel efficient cars, use more public transportation, and search f... More About: Taxes , Higher
Soil Day?
2008-04-22 08:57:00 Earth Day | Salon If thousands of inedible species can't adapt to our monomaniacal quest to return every last bit of fossil carbon back into the atmosphere, why should we care? Other species will do just fine, like kudzu, cactus, cockroaches, rats, scorpions, the bark beetle, Anopheles mosquitoes and the malaria parasites they harbor. Who are we to pick favorites?I ran into this article in Salon. I find it humorous and generally directly in line with my feelings about environmentalism and saving the planet. I don't want to distract from the article by blathering endlessly. Read it, then maybe comment on it. Join the conversation.
A fine point
2008-04-21 09:02:00 Timothy Egan - Op-Extra Columnist - Opinion - New York Times Blog Is it too much to ask one of these candidates for an honest but painful statement suggesting that perhaps a lot of these towns may never come back? Or that the way to economic revival is to lose the pipe dream that Google is going to relocate to an old steel town because they have a tax-free enterprise zone and some cool mountain-bike trails?Egan make a fine point here. Small town America isn't all that angry with Obama for saying their bitter, because largely they're a little bitter. Their jobs have disappeared and their towns are disappearing as well. The question then asked is, "is it too much to ask to have a candidate tell them they can't be helped?"I think it is. I also think that Barack Obama is the closest thing we've got, or maybe ever will. The truth is that many of these people don't really want the truth. They still have hope, and I think they should, but if any candidate tries to take that awa... More About: Politics , Hillary Clinton , Cain , Point
On the wrong side?
2008-04-21 08:20:00 ACLU weighs in on Texas polygamist custody case - CNN.com "While we acknowledge that Judge Walther's task may be unprecedented in Texas judicial history, we question whether the current proceedings adequately protect the fundamental rights of the mothers and children," Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas, said in a written statement. "As this situation continues to unfold, we are concerned that the constitutional rights that all Americans rely upon and cherish -- that we are secure in our homes, that we may worship as we please and hold our places of worship sacred, and that we may be with our children absent evidence of imminent danger -- have been threatened," Burke said.Right, so generally I'm in favor of the ACLU. I'm almost always behind them when they brandish their legal club in defense of...well just about anyone. But I'm wondering if they aren't on the wrong side of this one. I don't care what your spiritual beliefs are. our society n o longer th... More About: Side , Wrong
Defender of the working class
2008-04-18 09:42:00 Hillary Clinton On Southern Working Class Whites In 1995: "Screw 'Em" - Politics on The Huffington Post In January 1995, as the Clintons were licking their wounds from the 1994 congressional elections, a debate emerged at a retreat at Camp David. Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party? The then-first lady took a less than inclusive approach. "Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."Well, well, well. The mighty defender of the working class, indeed. It's hard for me to imagine that Hillary Clinton might base her current views on the working and middle class because she knows she can't win without them. I mean, you'd almost think that she was completely full of sh*t! More About: Hillary Clinton , Defender
Recession
2008-04-18 09:05:00 Workers Get Fewer Hours, Deepening the Downturn - New York Times While official unemployment has risen only modestly, to 5.1 percent, the reduction of wages and working hours for those still employed has become a primary cause of distress, pushing many more Americans into a downward spiral, economists say. Moreover, this slippage is a critical indicator that the nation may well be on the verge of a recession, if not already in one.As I plan my return to US soil, I have been watching with a concerned eye as the economy slips further into a spiraling disaster. What amazes me most is the carefully controlled way the media and politicians continue to talk about the possibility of a coming recession. Now, I'm no economist, but I'm pretty sure that the US is in the midst of a recession. I know it's hard to tell because we've gotten used to the Bush economy, being one that grows but somehow the middle class gets poorer. Still, I'm not sure what sign they're waiting for. Is the... More About: George Bush , Recession
The Iraq Debacle
2008-04-17 08:57:00 The candidates' plans to end the Iraq war | Salon News "I think the bottom-up approach has the potential to produce stability in Iraq. It is not a guarantee, but it is far and away the most plausible possibility at the moment," he said. "The stability it would provide is not going to be Eden on the Euphrates. This is not going to produce a Jeffersonian democracy and act as a beacon of freedom for the Middle East and all the rest any time soon," he added. "But a stabilized Iraq that looks a lot more like Bosnia or Kosovo rather than Germany or Japan [after World War II] would nevertheless meet the critical American objectives of this war at this point."None of them have it right. The truth is that thanks to years of idiocy by the bush administration there is no way out of Iraq that ends well. The best we can hope for is that the country won't devolve into all out civil war. Generally speaking I dismiss McCain 's plan out of hand, mostly because it's based on Bush's plan which... More About: Politics , George Bush , Barack Obama
The Democratic Debate
2008-04-17 08:32:00 For anyone who wants it, I have compiled last nights democratic debate between Hillary and Barrack. More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Democratic , Debate
Brilliant
2008-04-16 08:53:00 Students want chance to defend themselves - CNN.com "I don't think the answer to bullets flying is to send more bullets flying," said Gene Ferrara, the police chief at the University of Cincinnati. "My belief is we ought to be focusing on what we do to prevent the shooting from starting."What a great idea. Since the Texas Tower shooting at the University of Texas in 1966 there have been about a dozen shootings at colleges or universities. In response to that this group of students feel the best way to solve the problem is to allow more students to carry guns. I think this speaks as much about the failure of our education system as it does about the absurd attitude prevalent in Americans when it comes to guns.Exactly how is carrying a concealed handgun a deterrent to hand gun crimes? I guess the answer is that the criminal never knows who might be carrying, and so is less likely to commit the crime. The key, and obvious, problem is if the shooter actually wants to die. Not on... More About: Brilliant
Rowling back in the plagiarism spotlight
2008-04-15 09:23:00 Rowling tells court she's stopped working | Reuters An emotional J.K. Rowling said on Monday she had stopped working on a new novel because her creativity was stifled by a fan's bid to print an unofficial encyclopedic companion to her Harry Potter series. The 42-year-old British author and Warner Bros. are suing independent U.S. publisher RDR Books, which plans to publish "The Harry Potter Lexicon," a 400-page reference book written by Steve Vander Ark and based on his popular fan Web site (www.hp-lexicon.org).Rowling has decided that possible plagiarism is too much for her. She can't possibly go on while other people use her work, or just capitalize on her success. Normally this would only bother me a little bit. I do believe in protecting copywrited works. However, there is something to be said for the flow of ideas. Rowling should know a little something about that:JK Rowling Plagiarism , Neil Gaiman, Worst Witch, RK Larry Potter & Tanya Grotter "Comic book fans hav... More About: Rowling , Back , Spotlight
Iraq: The ten commandments
2008-04-15 08:50:00 I enjoyed this article so much that I basically just stole the whole thing outright. Read through it, and enjoy. Iraq : The ten commandmentsIn honor of Charlton Heston, here are 10 lessons we should engrave on our foreign policy tablets as we prepare to leave Iraq.By Gary KamiyaApr. 15, 2008 | The Iraq war is over. The failure of Bush's surgeto produce political reconciliation in Iraq, combined with theunsustainable stress on our military and Congress' unwillingness tokeep writing checks for $12 billion a month, all point in onedirection: withdrawal. Even if John McCain is somehow elected president -- and for that to happen, there wouldhave to be a near-miraculous breakthrough on the ground -- he too willhave to face the reality that this is not the kind of war you win. Youjust have to decide when you're going to cut your losses. This is a surreal situation. The war drones along on autopilot, butit's already finished. It's a dead war walking. We're just waiting for George W. Bu... More About: Politics , Surge , Ten Commandments
The "new" Solar
2008-04-14 09:26:00 Concentrated solar power | Salon News Clearly, the world needs a massive amount of carbon-free electricity by 2050 to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. The industrialized countries need to cut their carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by more than 80 percent in four decades. Developing countries need to find a way to raise living standards without increasing electricity emissions in the short term, and then reduce those emissions sharply. And, over the next few decades, the world needs to switch to a ground transportation system whose primary fuel is clean electricity.I've been reading a great deal about this lately. I'll admit that I wasn't familiar with it, despite it's long history. It seems to me that here we have an alternative energy source that has real world potential. With the rising costs of oil, these plants suddenly have a chance to get built. The best thing about that opportunity is that once the initial investment is place, these plants just... More About: Politics , Hillary Clinton , Solar , Cain
Shame on Hillary
2008-04-14 08:57:00 I've been trying to follow this whole line of attack from Hillary and McCain . I've seen the news, and I've read the news articles, and it looks to me like this is again backfiring on the attackers. While this sort of garbage might strengthen McCain among hardcore conservatives, I think it will weaken Clinton among moderates, independents, and even liberals. What's great is that Obama got a little worked up about it this time. This video is a great example of Obama telling the world the truth. Enjoy. More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton
Obama under fire
2008-04-12 09:10:00 Obama under fire after fundraiser remarks | Reuters "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama, an Illinois senator, said. "And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," he said.OK I've read these comments several times now. I've tried to dissect them in some way to make them sound awful or out of touch. However, except for the fact that bitter people hate being called bitter, I can't find anything wrong with them. I don't think calling it like it is makes Obama out of touch with the working class. Trying to pretend that everything is OK, or that when you are president you will be able to bring manufacturing jobs back to small town America is out of touch with the working... More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Cain , Obama
More on McCain
2008-04-11 09:34:00 John McCain's positions on women's rights | Salon Late last month, the Democratic National Committee released a memo based on focus group interviews with undecided voters in Minnesota and West Virginia concerning McCain. The female voters in the groups were surprised, dismayed and angered to learn that the Arizona Republican not only favors overturning the Roe v. Wade decision and curtailing abortion rights but is also opposed to requiring contraceptive coverage by health plans and favors abstinence-only sex education. Even women who described themselves as "pro-life" said that the latter positions cast McCain as a man who is "unrealistic," "out of touch" and "stuck in the past," according to the memo. And those same women were especially disappointed because they had expected him to hold the moderate views that the media has so often ascribed to its favorite.I'm always happy with a little reminder that McCain can not be trusted. He doesn't know his own positions, because he ...
What to do with the money
More articles from this author:2008-04-11 09:05:00 Rising fuel prices leading to cuts in school budgets - Apr. 10, 2008 From teachers and books to bus routes and field trips, the soaring price of fuel is causing school districts across the country to cut back - especially in more rural areas where the tax base small and the distance to bus students is large.I have talked on this blog more than once about how I believe that rising fuel costs are going to be good for the US in the long run by forcing investment in alternative fuels. There is, of course, a downside. Obviously when fuel costs start to eat into the money spent on education, there's definitely no long term benefit to be had, or at least any benefit must be weighed in the problems caused by poor education.So how can we have both? How about ending the war in Iraq, and sending that money back to education? Imagine the impact it would have on our nation as a whole if the same costs that are going to the Iraq war were directed into funding for schools. I have no idea how... More About: Money 1, 2, 3 |
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