Hairy Fish Nuts poses the question, "How'd we get this cool sandbox again?" I've wondered myself what moral justification the Jews offer for their treatment of the Palestinians, and evidently I'm not the only one. I'm not a student of the region's history, but there must have been some justification offered for relocating Arabs when Israel was established. Was it valid? Does it still apply? Is the path to peace in the Middle East as simple as some neighborly behavior? Before everyone gets fast and loose with the "anti-Semitic" rhetoric, I'm not saying I've made up my mind that Israel is wrong, or should move or whatever. I'm just wondering how screwed you have to be before you can honestly justify bulldozing an entire neighborhood over a couple of shootings (south side Chicago better watch the hell out, that's all - there are whole city blocks that Daly could just have towed away).

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Channel 4 is running a Top 10 Cartoons contest. You can vote for your ten faves from a list of 100 nominees. The list is probably more interesting in what got overlooked than in what actually got nominated. Hardly any of the major anime stuff is considered at all, and the whole Japan-to-America afternoon cartoon import thing seems to have never happened. Take a look. What's the best stuff they missed?

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We are going to rebrand and rebuild our creative company, and I am looking at transferring web hosters. Over the years, I have completely forgotten how much I am paying at Interland... $20/month what, essentially, has dwindled down to just a email and portfolio domain. Waaay too much for that. And I've been paying that for about 8 years. Yeesh.

So I am looking a reliable (i.e. no noticable downtime) web hoster, and thought our illustrious audience may have some strong suggestions. I would like to spend less than $10/month. My minimum requirements are 10+ email accounts, 250+mb disk space, 500+mb transfer. A traffic analyzer would be nice too. That's it really... no other bells and whistles necessary. Please leave suggestions in the comments below, or if for some reason you are not comfortable doing that, shoot me an email.
Thanks in advance!

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If my good friend Gualtiero ever does open up his own restaurant, I am going to make sure I get to design everything in it (using blackmail, if necessary!). And when I do, I think I am going to make him use only these chairs...

Of course, it does make schooching your chair in and out a wee bit hard, but damn, they look cool!

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The New York Times (I may just have to start subscribing to this paper!) has a, umm, 'revealing' look at the hoop-lah around the Monday Night Fooball towelgate. The author, Frank Rich, basically takes a bitch-slap at FCC poobah Michael Powell, Rush Limbaugh, and almost every other media company in the US...

"It took a British publication, The Economist, to point out that the percentage of American voters citing moral and ethical values as their prime concern is actually down from 2000 (35 percent) and 1996 (40 percent)."

...

But there's another, more insidious game being played as well. The F.C.C. and the family values crusaders alike are cooking their numbers. The first empirical evidence was provided this month by Jeff Jarvis, a former TV Guide critic turned blogger. He had the ingenious idea of filing a Freedom of Information Act request to see the actual viewer complaints that drove the F.C.C. to threaten Fox and its affiliates with the largest indecency fine to date - $1.2 million for the sins of a now-defunct reality program called "Married by America." Though the F.C.C. had cited 159 public complaints in its legal case against Fox, the documents obtained by Mr. Jarvis showed that there were actually only 90 complaints, written by 23 individuals. Of those 23, all but 2 were identical repetitions of a form letter posted by the Parents Television Council. In other words, the total of actual, discrete complaints about "Married by America" was 3.

...

"Desperate Housewives" is hardly a blue-state phenomenon. A hit everywhere, it is even a bigger hit in Oklahoma City than it is in Los Angeles, bigger in Kansas City than it is in New York.

The article is a very good read, and makes connections that should be obvious to those that call themselves reporters (or newspapers), but are not being reported as such...

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One of the very annoying things Apple has been doing the past couple of years is purposefully crippling their software. The two biggest ones are: they stop you from copying your own music with iTunes, and their extremely intuitive iLife apps (mainly iDVD) will only work with a small number of of DVD burners. Admittedly, these are minor inconveniences compared to some other, ahem, platforms, but still...!

I can (usually) understand their reasoning for such protectionist policies, but it really irritates me when I have to pay about a 30-50%+ premium for a supported (usually Pioneer only) DVD burner just for iDVD support... even if said applications are free with any Apple cpu purchase. After my first Superdrive melted six months ago, I specifically bought a Pioneer because I wanted the iDVD capabililty (cause man, does iDVD make it obscenely easy to make DVDs from your own DV tape!). At the time, 4X DVD-R drives were going for about $90-100, but I ended up paying about $170 for my Pioneer 106. Same capability, but 70 bucks more just because Pioneer can....

Enter Patchburn, a utility that can magically add your non-supported DVD burner to the working list in iDVD! While not a guarantee, most of the feedback and buzz about this handy little helper say it works perfectly. I've been eyeing a new Dual-Layer burner lately, and you can bet when I pull the trigger on getting one, I'll get a better deal this time since Patchburn opens up more choices to me.

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A United States Representative, one John Hostettler (R-IN), recently issued the following statement:

"When the courts make unconstitutional decisions, we should not enforce them. Federal courts have no army or navy... The court can opine, decide, talk about, sing, whatever it wants to do. We're not saying they can't do that. At the end of the day, we're saying the court can't enforce its opinions."

You read that correctly: Rep. Hostettler says that if we don't like the decisions the federal court system is handing down, we ignore them, possibly under arms (after all, they have no army). I note that he uses the word "unconstitutional," which in this case is a waffle word; he made this comment at a special legislative briefing to the Christian Coalition last month. When they say "unconstitutional," I'm reasonably confident they actually mean "non-fundamentalist," but the quote stops just short of actionable treason.

The fundamentalist Christian far-right is more energized now than they've been in decades, perhaps ever. Some of them are all-too-ready to shred the last barriers keeping America from fringe theocracy. Separation of church and state, checks and balances, the Constitution itself, all at risk. Hostettler has even made some references to using federal marshalls and a declaration of martial law to dictate who "who will have a say in the next presidential election."

I realize that it probably doesn't mean anything, but George W. Bush took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Think it'll stick?

[UPDATE] Steve Gilliard has an excellent posting on this over at his place.

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To take an edge off a stressful day, check out the Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator.

Dude: You thought Bunny'd been kidnapped and you could use it as a pretext to make some money disappear. All you needed was a sap to pin it on, and you'd just met me. You thought, hey, a deadbeat, a loser, someone the square community won't give a shit about.
Lebowski: Well? Aren't you?
Dude: Well... yeah

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From the president who believes that the Virgin Mary conceived without having sex, we get this convenient quote from his administration:

'We don't need a study, if I remember my biology correctly, to show us that those people who are sexually abstinent have a zero chance of becoming pregnant or getting someone pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted disease,' said Wade Horn, the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services in charge of federal abstinence funding.

So let me get this straight.... we'll quote the bible when it comes to force-feeding creationism in schools, but we'll blithely ignore the bible when we want to get all uppity about people actually enjoying sex (whether it be homo or heterosexual).

Talk about selective justification to push an agenda...

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Our fearless leader, who himself was elected by less than 24% of the US citizens (66.5 million out of 280+ million), amid numerous allegations of vote fraud and cover-ups, fearlessly told the Ukraine that the "World Is Watching" their election dispute.

"There's just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that placed their election -- the validity of their elections in doubt," Bush said. "The international community is watching very carefully. People are paying very close attention to this, and hopefully it will be resolved in a way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government."

I suppose it would be too much to ask for such honesty and transparency in our own country's elections, huh? Or at least a non-partisian, unhampered investigation into the the above (and numerous other) allegations?

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Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School in the Cupertino Union School District, is suing his employers for disallowing his use of "supplemental materials" focused on religious comments in the Declaration of Independence. He's apparently been misusing his classroom to indoctrinate students on the notion that America is absolutely and solely a Christian state, and his district reined him in. The "supplemental materials" emphasize references to "God," "Creator," and "Supreme Judge." It's not stated where the materials originated. Seeing The Forest has a detailed rundown of the case.

The suit looks like a calculated effort to to drag the separation of church and state issue into a national debate. Right-wing hate media is playing right along; Drudge has already posted the principal's home phone number for "comments" and noted liar and accused drug abuser Rush Limbaugh is throwing some heat on this using both his radio broadcasts and web site.

If this is according to some plan, however, whose is it? I contacted Jill Tucker, who covered the original incident for the San Mateo County Times. After interviewing him, her impression of Mr. Williams was that the whole incident started with a fairly innocent question from a student and that watching the Christian fundamentalist machine run away with it has actually left him a little "shell shocked." The materials he showed her, which have also been attached to the suit's filing, are simple collections of quotes in typed lists. There's no textbook-quality or pamphlet material. It looks like Mr. Williams just had a bad idea and typed it up. Apparently the Alliance Defense Fund smelled an opportunity.

The Alliance Defense Fund is a sort of anti-ACLU, funded by some right-wing heavy hitters (including the ludicrous James Dobson from Focus on the Family and Campus Crusade for Christ's Bill Bright). The attorney representing Williams, Terry Thompson, was the guy who got the injunction halting gay marriages in San Fran. He also sued the Contra Costa County library board for not allowing groups to conduct religious meetings in their public rooms and has been involved in several other anti-gay rights suits in southern California. The ADF in general has a track record of university lawsuits and seems to know how to function within education and government systems. They claim a 75% success rate in cases litigated to completion (although it seems fairly easy to bail on the losing cases before they screw up your win/loss numbers, so I'm not sure this is anything but spin).

The ADF is only one player on the extreme-conservative legal front. The Christian Legal Society, the American Center for Law and Justice, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Alliance Defense Fund and the Center for Law and Religious Freedom have all sprung up since the mid-80's in an effort to help make the fundamentalist agenda part of America's legal landscape.

Clearly the fundies came to play. There's been a big push nationwide this year to force religion into state-funded entities despite decades of legal setbacks and the fundamental un-Constitutionality of it. Evidently, someone decided that Williams can provide them a toehold on the separation of church and state in California. If they can break that down, especially in a state that keeps voting blue, they're on their way to their vision of a fundamentalist Christian America.

Obviously, that's a bit extreme. Still, for all their claims of "defending freedom" to practice your religion of choice, every press release, public comment, and mission statement I've been able to find, as well as the entire list of ADF founders, all clearly advocate fundamentalist Christianity. It looks to me a lot like their idea of "religion of choice" runs right along with Henry Ford's "any color you like as long as it's black."

How much influence do you really want these people to have on the classes your kids attend? If you'd like to get involved, you might consider committing either some time or some money to the ACLU's religious liberty litigation efforts. Start watching your kids' homework. Attend some school board meetings. Speak with the teachers frankly about this issue; they won't bother to maintain the separation of church and state if the only thing catching their attention is the threat of a fundie lawsuit. Be prepared to take a stand yourself, if need be; all it takes for intolerance to triumph is for the good guys to do nothing (or so I learned in school).

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Paul Graham has an interesting short opin entitled Made in USA

Why do the Japanese make better cars than us? Some say it's because their culture encourages cooperation. That may come into it. But in this case it seems more to the point that their culture prizes design and craftsmanship.

snip...

Instead of relying on their own internal design compass (like Henry Ford did), American car companies try to make what marketing people think consumers want. But it isn't working.

snip...

I just got an iPod, and it's not just nice. It's surprisingly nice. For it to surprise me, it must be satisfying expectations I didn't know I had. No focus group is going to discover those. Only a great designer can.

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Take time today to give thanks for everything in your life that is good. Be positive and let those people closest to you know how much you appreciate them.

I am thankful that I live in a country where I can express my opinions freely on such a blog. Thanks to Rob and Ruth for starting this forum.

Have a great day, everyone.

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Of course, 'Dear God!' might not be the best thing to say after aloud reading this Gallup Poll... how can so many people be so fucking stupid?

"Only about a third of Americans believe that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientific theory that has been well supported by the evidence, while just as many say that it is just one of many theories and has not been supported by the evidence. The rest say they don't know enough to say. Forty-five percent of Americans also believe that God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago. A third of Americans are biblical literalists who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word."

Come to think of it, this might go a long way to help explain the results of our last election...

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Normally, I can give a rat's pa-tooty about celeb gossip/sighting, but this one was forwarded to me...

"Freemans, tuesday night the 16th of nov. the bush twins , along with 2 massive secret service men, tried to have dinner. they were told by the maitre'd that they were full and would be for the next 4 years. upon hearing, the entire restaurant cheered and did a round of shots... it was amazing!!! [Ed: We're hearing that this is actually true.]"

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It's never too late to panic for Thanksgiving. For example, as I write this, my wife has just informed me that it's tomorrow (which explains all the seemingly unprompted housecleaning and baking that's been going on around me). It is with this spirit of anxiety and procrastination in mind, then, that I bring you these helpful T-Day resources:

• The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is back in business again. The helpful folks at Butterball offer guidance on all holiday-related topics. Whether turkey goes best with Vicodin or Valium; whether to overserve the red or white wine with dinner; how long to cook your bird before the food poisoning doesn't appear deliberate; help is standing by! (You might blow in a call to those lonely folks at the Ham Helpline, too, just in the holiday spirit of goofing off...)
• Safe Food Online obsessively walks you through every detail of preparing your meal in a non-threatening and plague-averse manner. If things don't go according to plan, there's the "ready for anything" team at the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Bon appetit!
• Hate turkey? Who doesn't! Try some ham! Or ostrich (man, that's gonna' take a while to stuff...)! Or caribou (please don't stuff the caribou)!
• Hate all meat? Who doesn't! The gentle folks at Turtle Island Foods offer a more benign and bird-friendly approach with their line of Tofurky Holiday Products. (Beano sold seperately...)
• If the entire operation breaks down mid-stream and you wind up facing a holiday disaster, remember: you're not alone! (Hey, it could be worse...)
• Once the carnage slows and you're ready to rest your bloated carcass in front of the television for a well-earned break, rest easy in the knowledge that trained entertainment professionals will be standing by to help ease your slide into a tryptophan haze...
• When you awaken, heavy and slow as though hung-over from a rough night out, confront the dirty dish heap like a particularly regrettable one-night stand and ask yourself, "Why'd we do this again?"

Hope you found these helpful. If not, well, there's always next time...

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What is it about space photography that interests me so?



Is it the overpowering vastness, that makes one feel completely insignificant? Is it my ever-growing love of nature? Is it how the images seem so surreal, that they could not really exist, and yet... they do? Is it because all the crazy cool animations we see on Star Trek (DS9 was the best one), Babylon 5, and Farscape (by far the best of them!) that seemed so... computer-looking, were, in fact, amazingly close to reality?!! Or simply perhaps because I love seeing abstract art existing in real life...

I do not really know for sure, but I am constantly entranced by amazing space photography... the Anglo-Australian Observatory has some of those amazing astronomical images online, apparently taken by a cat named David Malin. Check it out... there are some shots that you swear can not be real!

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Our fearless leader exposes himself to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Again.

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Looks like we're starting to talk about what we need to change to get Democrats back online in the flyover states. Actually, it's shaping up to be less "change" and more "reclaim," if you're curious.

Historically the Democrats have been the party of security, but that's an identity they need to reclaim. The challenge of radical Islam demands more of them than a foreign policy of realpolitik; empiricism -- while a welcome counter to Bush's indifference to fact -- is not enough. The challenge of a global labor market demands more of them than a commitment to mid-career retraining; defending the American middle class means creating the kind of global standards that the Democrats created on the national level during the 1930s and '40s, the time of their greatest popularity. That's a daunting challenge, one that requires the Democrats to think and develop a story about the new threats to the American dream. If they do they'll come up with a more plausible list of culprits -- and solutions -- than the Republicans ever will. They may even come up with a new sense of self, with a purpose, with a theme.

"Reclaim," in fact, keeps popping up everywhere. Historians to battle stations, please: what have Democrats been doing right since, say, WW II? What, specifically (thinking mission statement and talking points, here), is the "Democratic Way?" How do we apply it to the top three issues in the country today?

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God save the queen! And may the druids bless the Scots who show her the proper respect that is befitting one of her station, much like Colonel Simon West does here...

Viva la Scotland!

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Here is a blog entry by Kevin Sites, the journalist/videographer who happened to capture the footage of the Marine killing the defenseless Iraqi. In it, he explains what happened from his point-of-view, and what were some of the post-action dilemmas he faced...

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One of the best things (and most under-rated) about Chicago is the local theatre scene. Nowhere else is there such the huge number of venues (large and very small), and wide range of production, scale and talent. New York is all Broadway pomp. LA is almost strictly about movies. If you want to have the freedom to explore creatively in theatre, Chicago is known as the place for all thespians to bust their chops. Of course, unless you are one of the 3 or 4 major theatres in Chicago, you also make virtually no money at all (they call it 'suffering for your art').

One of my closest friends in the world had the good sense (or good fortune) to marry Robyn Okrant, a vibrant and creative woman (did I mention beautiful?). She is now the co-Artistic Director of The Free Associates Theatre Company, and also created and directed Frodo-A-Go-Go (a quite funny improv-spoof).

In our usual frenzy of holiday mass-consumer-ism, it would be great to help out such a small yet vibrant troupe (it is a non-profit). I'll let Robyn take over from here:

Our 15th anniversary season is approaching and we have made some exciting changes to the company! We've moved out of our home at the Royal George, we've added talented, new members to our ensemble, and we're busily working on our newest original production, WHOSE WEST WING IS IT ANYWAY?!, directed by yours truly, opening in March 2005.

And we need your help!

Below are two easy ways you can support the Free Associates while doing your everyday shopping.

Both of these methods will allow you support The Free Associates, receive a tax write-off, and purchase some goods for yourself and your loved ones - all without leaving your chair!

1. Donate directly to The Free Associates!
   Click on this link to make a donation through your credit or debit card with PayPal!
2. Donate while you shop!
   You can support The Free Associates by shopping online for brand-name items at over 556 well-known online stores through iGive.com. The site has already raised $550 for The Free Associates. Now is the perfect time to sign on and shop. Why not buy your gifts online early this year and avoid the holiday buying frenzy?! Make YOUR online shopping COUNT, by purchasing your gifts on iGive.com and supporting a truly worthy cause.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Go to http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?memberid=20150&causeid=131
2. Shop the Mall at iGive.com
3. Up to 26% of each purchase gets donated to The Free Associates!
4. Get involved with Six Degrees of Donation and Raise $1 for each new shopper you refer!

* If you join iGive.com and make a purchase within 45 days, iGive.com will donate $5 FREE to your favorite worthy cause!
** iGive.com stores include: Lands' End, PETsMART, Barnes & Noble, L.L.Bean, Gap, Expedia, Eddie Bauer, JCPenney, Office Depot, J.Crew, Dell, eBay, Spiegel, Drugstore.com, Orvis, HSN, Hallmark, J.Jill, Chadwick's, Best Buy, and more!

Thank you for your continued effort to support the ARTS!
Yours,
Robyn Okrant
co-Artistic Director
The Free Associates

PS If you feel more comfortable donating via mail or in person, I can arrange it! Just let me know your preferred method of payment and I will get back to you. For your records, our Non-Profit Federal Tax ID Number is 36-3830787.

Please, if you do any shopping online at all please consider using this to help out Robyn and her co-thespians. I've been to their plays, and they really do it for the love of the craft. Plus, it'll make you feel even better this X-mas (I promise)!

Other links about The Free Associates:

• Centerstage
• Improv Review
  

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Taxpayers for Common Sense present their Top Ten Pork Projects from the recent omnibus spending bill. I think the "banana factory" is my fave.

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You may have heard of Elena's motorcycle ride through the most peaceful town in the Ukraine. Peaceful, that is, if you don't mind the cavernous, howling, silent scream from the wounded city of ghosts she found. On the upside, everything else you run into this week won't seem like such a big problem, after all...

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Okay, not so much Neo as, well, a chimp.

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I just got word that TC, an occasional commenter here at Chaos Digest, and former Xor'ian (which means he used to work with Rob, RC and myself once upon a time many moons ago) is a proud papa yet again! His wife (who is much too beautiful to be stuck with him) gave birth to a 8 pound, 9 ounce yowling baby girl a few days ago.

Sincere congrats to TC, and Mrs. TC!!

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I do not know a lot about this site, except that when I was searching for a wrench-wielding Darwin fish they came up second in the Google search.

The header on the site was:

Welcome to damnedgames.com
Geez you're up late. Lay off the coffee!

It was 12:30 a.m. and I was actually drinking coffee when I read it. Hey, make me laugh and I may spend money on you.

My favorite section - the buttons, badges and pins. I think I need the WWBD (What Would Bush Did) button.

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How do they sound in L.A. this year? Daily Candy says:

DIZO
n. Acronym. Describes (busy, working, all-too-typical) couple: Dual Income, Zero Orgasm.

There's more...

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Let it never be said that Bush is a gracious winner, nor will he simply allow Clinton his moment. Instead, sadly, he's the kind of person who considers it important that he get through the door first. What a guy. I can't wait to see how he manages his "has-been" status. I'm guessing there won't be a lot of charitable foundations and libraries springing up with his name on the front.

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If ever you happen to run your mini-van off a pier and into the water (hey, it is easier than people might think, lemme tell ya!), make sure you get a big enough crane to get it back out of the water like this guy did... err, like he eventally had to, I mean...

Oh, and it is probably a good idea to not park the crane so close to the edge of the pier either.

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You're obligated to comply with laws you're not allowed to read.

Last month, Helen Chenoweth-Hage attempted to board a United Airlines flight from Boise to Reno when she was pulled aside by airline personnel for additional screening, including a pat-down search for weapons or unauthorized materials.

Chenoweth-Hage, an ultra-conservative former Congresswoman (R-ID), requested a copy of the regulation that authorizes such pat-downs.

"She said she wanted to see the regulation that required the additional procedure for secondary screening and she was told that she couldn't see it," local TSA security director Julian Gonzales told the Idaho Statesman (10/10/04).

"She refused to go through additional screening [without seeing the regulation], and she was not allowed to fly," he said. "It's pretty simple."

Chenoweth-Hage wasn't seeking disclosure of the internal criteria used for screening passengers, only the legal authorization for passenger pat-downs. Why couldn't they at least let her see that? asked Statesman commentator Dan Popkey.

"Because we don't have to," Mr. Gonzales replied crisply.

"That is called 'sensitive security information.' She's not allowed to see it, nor is anyone else," he said.

Welcome to Bush's anti-terror America. Still feeling good about that vote?

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The Republicans begin implementing their anti-sex agenda. Step 1: Decrease birth-control options. They're stopping sales while putting RU-486 back under "administrative review" based on three deaths in 360,000 uses. Of course, with 12 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies, just going to full-term is actually more dangerous. Perhaps the government should just put all reproduction on hold while they conduct a safety review. Ummm, wait, that's not funny...

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I have a particular family member in Iraq. Let's make it clear that she still does not have her necessary personal safety equipment (she has been in-theater for nearly four months, equipment ordered months before deployment). Her equipment is referred to as "missing in _____" (stateside military base name omitted). She's an infantry soldier and nurse. She has decided not to take leave from Iraq to come home for two weeks next spring. Things are so bad there that she just doesn't feel like she could drag herself back to Iraq if given the chance to leave. She gave her slot to someone with kids. Here is her latest message:

"Things in the (location omitted) are going from bad to worse. We are getting short on supplies. And there is equipment that is getting loaned out -- so we don't have it when we need it. I don't know what to do, right now I am laying low, but soon I think I may have to step up and let someone know what's up. I have been documenting issues I have had."

The supplies she mentions are medical, and the equipment is the lifesaving kind. You can read between the lines when she says it's not there when they need it: they're low on supplies and equipment for the increasing injuries, on both sides.

Apparently, there is more chaos in her unit than organization. Morale is low and many of her fellow unit members are slacking on even normal duties (typical behavior for depression). Anyone in command is more interested in being promoted than managing any circumstances. Political infighting among the managing staff is commonplace. The soldiers have little relaxation and have to "hide in their quarters" during time off to get real rest. Staff is routinely changing shifts from night to day and back so the exhaustion is compounded. Brass only works day shifts, so you have to totally change your schedule to get your performance evaluations.

Food is routinely available, but she tells us that everyone in the unit is gaining alarming weight because of stress eating, lack of real exercise and the fact that the food is so fatty. Everything is cooked in butter and they have little access to anything healthy. The closest thing to an edible vegetable is peanut butter.

Three cheers for the Bush administration and their lack of planning and leadership. Apparently the disorganization has tumbled all the way down the ranks and the boots on the ground pay the price, repeatedly. Plan for the kids who make it home to be just as screwed up as our veterans of the Southeast Asian police action.

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America has a great, walloping huge budget deficit. The Republican rationale for grotesquely reversing the Clinton-era budget surplus in record time is that they're enhancing long-term national security. This, despite the obvious increase in terrorism and setbacks in both current combat theaters.

"...a veteran military analyst in Washington asserted that the United States arguably had suffered a political setback. "Fallujah has been a political victory for the insurgents," wrote Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It has further polarized the Arab Sunnis, weakened Sunni participation in the interim government, and raised more questions about the independence and legitimacy" of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's government.

In addition to the fact that we're already digging a large hole for questionable return, we're now increasingly vulnerable to threats from international currency markets.

Our current deficit is about $7.5 trillion, and Congress just approved another increase to a maximum of $8.18 trillion. This huge growth in our debt is starting to spook some of our foreign trading partners. Why? A weaker dollar means less American buying power, which in turn means declining imports from EU and Asian nations. Worse, our guys aren't showing much interest in resolving the problem. Naturally, the "loser" nations in this scenario will act to protect their own interests. How? Well, China, for example, is refusing to uncouple their currency from the dollar, resulting in an an artificially weak yuan and a trade advantage for China as the dollar drifts weaker and U.S. exports tend to drop.

So, what happens next? According to some analysts, there's nothing on the horizon to prevent massive inflation and another very painful recession. Also, a huge slant against us in trade deficits seems to indicate that we're not going to enjoy a China-style uptick in exports anytime soon. The Blogging of the President has a breakdown of several scenarios in the 2-5 year range.

There are a lot of trajectories. The article cited in the Economist article has some grim analysis, as it points out that among the major reasons for dollar weakness and current account deficits is both US private and public sectors are undersaving or overconsuming. That is not a moral statement (bd consumers, bad! Consumerism bad.... leave that for ignorant lefties like Klein) rather it's an objective observation given the amount of demand for savings versus what Americans save (very little) either in governmentally (you have noted the deficits, I am sure) or privately.

The article rather makes it clear that there are not terribly easy and painless ways to unwind this. A sudden rise in saving implies an equal drop in consumption, suggesting... recession.

Anyone want to guess what kind of social fallout we can expect from increased legislative repression by right-wing conservatives, another bad recession, an all-hawkish administration, decreased imports and more signs of nuclear and terror proliferation in the Middle East? Get used to a wartime economy, hippie. You couldn't afford a Beamer with no job anyway.

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I'm not kidding. On the upside, it is a pretty cool way to fold a shirt. Think shirtagami...

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Apparently the Florida elections officials just can't dump the evidence of voter fraud fast enough. They're throwing out the poll tapes and the anomalies are always favoring GW. Huh. Who'd have guessed? Add this to the recent "double vote" anomalies in Ohio and it seems we were fleeced again. No Duh. Florida's desire to look good coming out of this election shouldn't be enough of a reason to subvert this from becoming a national issue. Partisan rage aside, I want to know what happend on election day.

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[from The Stinging Nettle]


Americans apologize to everyone else for the next four years.

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The next four years, and the conservative fallout afterward, will require an activist and engaged Democratic party. Unfortunately, America hasn't had a lot of experience with massive protests for a while. The NYC protests against this year's Republican National Convention probably represented the single largest domestic protest effort in decades. These generally came off peacefully, and garnered a lot of media attention, so I think they can be regarded as a success and a guidepost going forward. The only destructive fallout I can recall seemed to stem from Republican efforts at counterspin and massive over-reactio