The CONspriacy Game

Xenophobic patriotism, conspiracy theories (even discussion of the secret ownership of the Federal Reserve), and a narrative of victimhood by hard-line pundits and loud political parties with ties to fundementalist religion. No, not the Republi-cons and the U.S., Islam and Pakistan. Read The New York, U.S. Is a Top Villain in Pakistan’s Conspiracy Talk.

The CONspiracy game's the same no matter the country or religion.

The Great Law of Change

Edmund Burke once said: "We must all obey the great law of change. It is the most powerful law of nature." But "America has never settled whether its governing form of reason is one of radical abstraction or humility and gradualism." Read The New York Times, Two Theories of Change.

"Today, if you look around American politics you see self-described conservative radicals who seek to sweep away 100 years of history and return government to its preindustrial role. You see self-confident Democratic technocrats who have tremendous faith in the power of government officials to use reason to control and reorganize complex systems. You see polemicists of the left and right practicing a highly abstract and ideological Jacobin style of politics.

The children of the British Enlightenment are in retreat. Yet there is the stubborn fact of human nature. The Scots were right, and the French were wrong. And out of that truth grows a style of change, a style that emphasizes modesty, gradualism and balance."

The editorial is about a "superb dissertation by Yuval Levin at the University of Chicago called The Great Law of Change." (If anyone has a link, let me know by leaving a comment.)

Faking It!

"If the human psyche were a big map, nestled somewhere between the sea of cheating and the valley of lying, you'd come to the kingdom of faking it" Listen to Freakonomics Radio, Faking It.

Also, read the book, Faking It.

And if you want to know, read Freakonomics, Who’s More Likely to Fake It in the Bedroom?

Angry Voters

Why are voters angry? Read The New York Times, The Story of an Angry Voter.

What do recent primary election foretell? Read The New York Times, Angry Boomers and Other Election Clues.

A Devoted Husband

What more can I say:

Class on Thursday (Vice Friday) at NoBullU on WEBY

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast Thursday from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and regional: should Mark O'Brien give the commencement speech at Pace High School?; the local bad boy Commissioner and the pretty dead blonde, and his impeachment charges; and

Nation and international: what do recent primary election foretell, health care lawsuit update; Republi-CON 'adultery' hilarity; monetize out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy; and oil spill fallout to date: serious reporting or media fear-mongering and Republi-CON 'less government' hypocrisy.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events!

Republi-CON 'Adultery' Hilarity

UPDATE: Regarding Florida's ban on gay adoption, in November 2008, a Florida trial court declared the law unconstitutional. The Judge "wrote that Dr. Rekers was 'motivated by his strong ideological and theological convictions that are not consistent with the science,' and not 'credible.'" McCollum appealed that decision, denouncing "the court’s 'wholesale disregard' of testimony by Dr. Rekers and another expert, calling the decision 'arbitrary,' stressing Dr. Rekers’ qualifications and stating that 'the trial court entirely discredited him based on his religion.'" Read The New York Times, Scandal Stirs Legal Questions in Anti-Gay Cases.

Who need science, Republi-cons rely on fear, anger, and hatred, as well as self-loathing closeted hypocrites, to advance their political careers.

Giving new meaning to the phrase: do as I say, not as I do, "Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), who will resign from Congress as a result of an affair with a female staffer, filmed a video interview about abstinence only education with that same staffer." Read Politico, Souder and staffer in 'abstinence only' video.

This follows the story of George Rekers, a married, 61-year-old Baptist minister and clinical psychologist with a bent for “curing” homosexuality, who co-founded the Family Research Council "was caught by Miami New Times last month in the company of a 20-year-old male escort at Miami International Airport." Read The New York Times, A Heaven-Sent Rent Boy.

BTW, Rekers was "the 'expert' that Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican who is running for governor, got the state to pay $120,000 to testify in support of Florida's ban on gay adoption." Read the St. Petersburg Times, Rentboys, Cadillacs and scandals, oh my!

For a "guide to some of the more notable public embarrassments over the last four decades and how individual politicians weathered the storm," see the Washington Post, A History of Political Sex Scandals.

"Of all wars, only culture wars offer the hope of sheer, unadulterated hilarity. Sex and hypocrisy were staples of farce long before America became a nation, and they never go out of style."

Is America Too Prosperous?

UPDATE II: "People all over America are discussing freedom's future. In short, they are worried. In fact, many are actually talking about State secession. In coffee shops and cafes, and around dining room tables, millions of people are speaking favorably of states breaking away from the union. Not since the turn of the twentieth century have this many people thought (and spoken) this favorably about the prospect of a State (or group of states) exiting the union. In my mind, this is a good thing." Or so says Chuck Baldwin, Breakup Of U.S. Is Inevitable.

Around your dining room table, are you speaking favorably of states breaking away from the union?

Of course, prophets of doom have been entertaining and enriching themselves since time immortal. Read The New York Times, Doomsayers Beware, a Bright Future Beckons.


UPDATE: Is it the end for the U.S.? Read Chuck Baldwin, U.S. To Break Up Soon? He references the Wall Street Journal, As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S., which includes a predicted map of the new 'Divided States':




Fear, anger, hatred -- the Republi-cons will try anything to get reelected.

Is it true that "that great nations start out tough-minded and energetic. Toughness and energy lead to wealth and power. Wealth and power lead to affluence and luxury. Affluence and luxury lead to decadence, corruption and decline?" Read The New York Times, The Next Culture War.

The Beginning of the Too Big to Fail Era

"Every crisis — from the global economy to national security — seems to make the powerful more powerful." Read The New York Times, The Great Consolidation.

Justice, or Not, in NW Florida

UPDATE VIII: Except in the case of murder, juvenile offenders may not be sentenced to life without chance of parole. Read the Washington Post, Supreme Court rules out some life sentences for juveniles.

The court dismissed the case of Joe Sullivan, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a rape committed at 13, because of procedural problems. “Sullivan will probably be able to challenge his sentence, however, because of the ruling in Graham v. Florida. “


UPDATE VII: With no consensus on the age to drink, fight or rent a DVD, the Supreme Court considers if a convict can be too young for life in prison. Read The New York Times, How Old Is Old Enough?


UPDATE VI: Should a court take into account the age of young offenders who could face life without parole? Read The New York Times, Justices Consider the Role of Age in Life Sentences.


UPDATE V: Is life without parole for a crime committed by a 13-year old 'cruel and unusual? The Supreme Court will consider that question. Read the Washington Post, Justices will scrutinize life sentences for youths.

An interesting fact from the article, of the "111 people are serving life sentences without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles that did not result in a death, according to one report; 77 of them are locked up in Florida."

If you wonder how plicies on sentencing for juveniles vary among states, see the Washington Post, What states allow.


UPDATE IV: The Supreme Court accepted the case and will consider whether sentencing a juvenile to life without the possibility of parole is cruel and unusual punishment. Read The New York Times, Justices Agree to Take Up Sentencing for Young Offenders.


UPDATE III: Also read a recent update on the King boys at Pensacola News Journal, Derek King nears release.


UPDATE II: For more about the case, read Pensacola News Journal, Cruel and unusual sentence? Unlike The New York Times article, the PNJ article discusses Sullivan's criminal and behavioral history, which included a "long criminal record" for among other things, an assault on a counselor at the Lakeview Center and killing a dog during a burglary.


UPDATE: Remember, a person is not guilty just because of an arrest, or even after a jury verdict of guilt. Listen or read NPR, Family Of Man Cleared By DNA Still Seeks Justice. You might also read John Grisham, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.

Justice is the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, fairness and equity.

So read The New York Times, Defining ‘Cruel and Unusual’ When Offender Is 13.

Then compare Joe Sullivan's case with that of the King boys.

Alex and Derek King were 12-and-13-years-old, respectively, when they killed their father on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 2001, with a baseball bat, in his Cantonment home near Pensacola, then set the house afire.

After the boys were convicted of second-degree murder, for which they could have been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison, an Escambia County Circuit Court granted a motion to throw out the convictions and ordered mediation. Yes, mediation in a murder case.

After a week of mediation the State agreed that in exchange for a plea to third-degree murder, Alex would serve seven years in prison and Derek would serve eight years.

After the case the court-appointed mediator, Bill Eddins, an attorney in private practice at the time, said the plea deal was intended to provide structure for the boys, whose mother left them when they were young. He is quoted as saying "They have had instability in their life, it became very important to give them structure and stability."

FYI, Eddins is now the State Attorney for 1st Judicial Circuit of Florida, which includes Pensacola. Makes you wonder what he might say about sentencing a 13-year-old to life for rape.

Tell me, justice, or not, in NW Florida?

The Party Purge

UPDATE II: "Has the Republican Party become more extreme, or is the country just beginning to notice?" Read The New York Times, Going to Extreme.


UPDATE: How's that purge coming along? Read the Washington Post, GOP's Utah and Maine conventions show a party coming unglued.

The purge is on in the Republi-con party. But no recent GOP president was conservative enough for today's party. Read Newsweek, Even Reagan Wasn’t a Reagan Republican.

According to the article, the most conservative recent GOP President: George H.W. Bush. His purity rating: 5/10 (with 10 being perfect pure).

After the British Election

An interesting article: "The fiscal future of the developed world looks bleak, but the British coalition should give us hope." Read The New York Times, Glimmers of Hope.

Will the U.S. follow the British example?

Class on Thursday (Vice Friday Now) at NoBullU on WEBY

UPDATE II: For a primer on oil reserves, click here.


UPDATE: As discussed during the program, click here for the names of the individials who die in the oil rig explosion.

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast Thursday from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and regional: no booze on the beach, is it deja prohibition?; the local bad boy Commissioner and the pretty dead blonde; robotix coming to a mailbox near you; Pace High School H. Frank Lay Stadium or not; the teachers sue, part II; are Morning Mike and Bobby sexists or a chauvinists; and

Nation and international: the Party Purge; told ya so re the health care lawsuit; Red Families v. Blue Families; who you callin a Neanderthal; the death of fairy tale government budgets and spending; know your terrorist; and oil spill fallout to date: anxiety, paranoia, ambulance chasing and political grandstanding, and Republi-CON 'less government' hypocrisy; as ye sow, so shall ye reap; would $500k have saved $1.6B?; why not bomb the spill? and other extreme solutions.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events!

The Death of Fairy Tale Government Budgets and Spending

UPDATE: More comparisons. Read The New York Times, In Greek Debt Crisis, Some See Parallels to U.S.

The graph show that the government deficit situation is worse in the U.S.

"Sitting in America, it’s hard to grasp the importance of the British elections and the Greek riots. Nothing to do with us, right? Well, I’d pay attention to the drama playing out here. It may be coming to a theater near you." Read The New York Times, Root Canal Politics.

Without spending cuts and tax increases, this fairy tale will have an unhappy ending.

Who Wants to Be A Terrorist

When it comes to terrorism, some think that ignorance is bliss. Not true:

"So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself."

"The Times Square bomb suspect didn't create his "jihadist ideology" out of thin air." Read The New York Times, The Making of a Terrorist.

Red Families v. Blue Families

Since "the sexual revolution overturned the old order of single-earner households, early marriages, and strong stigmas against divorce and unwed motherhood":

Blue families = marital success and material prosperity.

Red families = teen childbirth, shotgun marriages and high divorce rates.

And the difference -- sex education, contraception, and abortion.

Is culturally conservative 'red America' "stuck trying to sustain an outdated social model?"

Read The New York Times, Red Family, Blue Family.

Why Is America Great?, Questioning the Status Quo

The capacity to learn and adapt in the face of adversity.

One example, "[t]he Army’s implementation of a new counterinsurgency strategy shows that institutions don’t have to stay wedded to the status quo." Read The New York Times, Leading With Two Minds.

The U.S. military is especially good at critical examination of the status quo.

Obama the Clueless

UPDATE II: As I've said before, Obama should cut the pay of federal government workers. Read USA Today, Federal workers earning double their private counterparts.


UPDATE: What should Obama have done when he took office. Given it to us straight like British Prime Minister David Cameron. He has said that Britain’s financial situation is “even worse than we thought.” Read The New York Times, Cameron Warns Britons of ‘Decades’ of Austerity.

Obama just doesn't get it. The U.S. of A. is bankrupt. Read the Washington Post, Senate rejects bonus Social Security payments.

Instead of a $250 bonus payment to people on Social Security, he should be proposing pay/payment cuts, as much as 50%, as part of the effort to balance the budget, as I've suggested since early 2009.

Class on Thursday (Vice Friday Now) at NoBullU on WEBY

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and regional: oil spill fallout to date: anxiety, paranoia, ambulance chasing and political grandstanding, and Republi-CON 'less government' hypocrisy; would $500k have saved $1.6B?; why not bomb the spill?; and the teachers sue, part II; and

Nation and international: how much would you bid for your very own portrait of Crist (it might be historically significant, Crist is currently leading in 3-way race); the new Republi-con elixir - take two aspirin and bring me a chicken in the morning; and NC beach town says no thong you, could this be a promotional opportunity for local beaches?

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events!

Bye, Bye America, When You Buy, Buy From China

The Capitol Steps perform "Buy, Buy American Pie" from their album "Campaign and Suffering":