01/08/2004

Born on the First of July

In politics, especially international politics, it’s important that a nation’s deeds conform to its words; that actions taken by a nation, especially a powerful nation, are consistent with that nation’s stated goals. Or not, whichever is most convenient on a given day.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
01/01/2004

The Tree of Liberty

Two thousand four will be the year that determines whether American democracy survives. Although this notion has been growing for some time, two articles from the front page of Monday’s Washington Post confirm the diagnosis.

The first was headlined “Army Stops Many Soldiers From Quitting” and said the U.S. Army has issued a series of “stop-loss” orders preventing the expiration of enlistment or retirement of over 40,000 soldiers, many of whom are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
12/25/2003

The Meaning of Christmas

Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas; I hope vestigial Santa was good to you. Santa’s always been difficult to spot on Christmas, doing his work in the dark of night, but it seems the spry old elf is keeping a lower profile each year.

Down at the multiplex, Billy Bob Thornton portrays Santa as a drunken, lecherous thief, sarcastically exploding the holiday fantasies of one child after another. The meaning of Christmas changes through the years, and change now comes faster than ever. As much as we might want it to, it’s not going to change back, not even a little, so if Santa Claus has become vestigial, baby Jesus must have been sent back to the stable.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (1)
12/18/2003

The Elephant

“The elephant in the living room” is the phrase used to describe an issue too large to ignore, but one that is ignored anyway, because it is also too large to grasp. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the elephant in the living room of left politics in America. We sit around and drink our micro-brewed beer and agree on the Iraq war, the illegitimacy of the Bush administration, globalization, gay marriage, genetically modified organisms and the corrupting creep of corporate power. Then, some tactless oaf brings up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the animated conversation stumbles and the ceases altogether. Unspoken tension, maybe even hostility, creeps into the room. One can sense the presence of strong opinions, but no one speaks; opening this topic has the potential to end friendships that have endured for years and who is willing to unleash all that rancor for an issue that may well be beyond solution?
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
12/11/2003

Look, a Monkey!

The Flying Karamazov Brothers juggling troupe performs intricate feats of throwing and catching, often with objects not designed to be thrown or caught. As a result, there are two or three awkward moments in each performance when the object of the juggle goes sailing past its intended target and crash-lands. At such moments, one of the Brothers Karamazov leaps to the front of the stage, points to a spot high above the back of the crowd and shouts, “Look, a monkey!”

Who would have picked Karl Rove for a juggling fan? I’m not sure if Mr. Rove can keep three oranges moving, but he’s certainly learned the “Look, a monkey!” trick. Last week, George Bush was forced to announce the suspension of his 21-month-old tariff on imported steel. The same day, Mr. Bush also announced his intention to send Americans back to the moon. “Look, a monkey!” and all the idiots on tee vee bumped the tariff piece from the top of the news to tell America that the president is mooning us. Who wants to report a boring trade story that embarrasses the White House, when you can have a shot at “The Right Stuff”? The moon story, having fulfilled its distractive purpose, disappeared after one news cycle.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (1)
12/04/2003

The New Rules

The day before Thanksgiving, the Bush administration announced it is changing the rule that governs the emission of the toxic metal mercury and other pollutants from utility-owned power plants. This rule change will – of course – allow coal-fired plants to keep belching 48 tons of mercury every year. Check the timing on this. Not the fact that it was announced Thanksgiving eve, that’s a given, but that this gift from the Bush EPA to the utilities came a week after Congress refused to pass the pork-laden energy bill. Corporate contributors to the Bush campaign will get their payoffs, if not from Congress, then by executive fiat.

Yes, the rules are changing and it’s not just the rules about how much mercury can be pumped into the air. The New Rules instituted by the Bush administration – whatever the issue of the day might be – are based on the Golden Rule, as in “He who has the gold, rules.”
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
11/27/2003

The Guy You Never Heard Of

Last month, I reported that Greenpeace’s First Amendment rights are under attack by the Ashcroft Justice Department. As I said then, don’t worry about Greenpeace, worry about the rights of the guy you never heard of.

That guy’s name is Brett Bursey. On October 24, 2002, President Bush made a stop at the airport in Columbia, South Carolina to campaign for Republicans Mark Sanford and Lindsey Graham. At the rally, Mr. Bush said terrorists hate Americans for our freedoms. Mr. Bursey never heard the remark about his freedoms, because by then he had been arrested and taken away. Mr. Bursey’s crime was to stand across the street from where the rally was to be, holding a sign that said, “No War for Oil.” Local police arrested Mr. Bursey and charged him with trespassing. Other people near Mr. Bursey also held signs and were not arrested. Their signs expressed support for the Republican candidates. Police told Mr. Bursey he was arrested because of the content of his sign.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)