Speaking of wrong things, this from Kristoff today.
Granted, Darfur defies easy solutions. But Mr. Bush was outspoken and active this spring in another complex case, that of Terry Schiavo. If only Mr. Bush would exert himself as much to try to save the lives of the two million people driven from their homes in Darfur.
So I'm going to start tracking Mr. Bush's lassitude. The last time Mr. Bush let the word Darfur slip past his lips publicly (to offer a passing compliment to U.S. aid workers, rather than to denounce the killings) was Jan. 10. So today marks Day 113 of Mr. Bush's silence about the genocide unfolding on his watch.
Unless its politically appealling and acceptable to the far far (f)right, then the right and moral thing will always fall to the wayside. fcukin bazturds.
anthony - Darfur is acceptable to the far right. Bush doesn't want to get involved for other reasons, probably lack of millitary, and coziness with the rulers of Sudan.
Posted by VAdem at May 3, 2005 07:36 AMIf you haven't read Robert Reich's piece on Social Security Reform is Simply a Diversion, you should.
I don't necessarily buy the whole conspiracy issue, but I do belive that elements of the right and far-right who have other goals have used Bush's Social Security PR disaster as cover to push their own agendas in Congress, particularly the budget areas that Reich mentions. These bozos are the biggest group of opportunists anywhere . .
Posted by idiosynchronic at May 3, 2005 08:36 AM"These bozos are the biggest group of opportunists anywhere " No,they are crooks and liars. They came to power by a *minority* of the votes, not a majority. Think about it.
Idio, I agree with the first part of Reich's commentary, that Social Security is just a placeholder while Bush runs out the clock on his term. I've heard some call it a "red herring." I agree.
Reich then goes on about health care.
The reality is, that if you want national health care, your taxes are going up about $1000-1500 a month. (Either that, or your employer will pick up the cost and reduce your salary by a like amount).
When talking about GM's costs for health care making them uncompetitive with Toyota, the first thing liberals say is that Japan provides health care. Ah, but that health care comes at a cost. Higher taxes. Much higher taxes.
Unlike in the United States, where most workers are eligible for health insurance through their employers, all Japanese citizens have universal healthcare insurance. But this coverage doesn't come cheap — in addition to income taxes, Japanese workers also contribute 15.5% of their gross incomes to the social security system.
They also have a consumption tax.
Posted by muckdog at May 3, 2005 09:39 AMT2 - crooks and liars aren't necessarily opportunistic. While people can be opportunists, they're not necessarily evil scum bags. Opportunism tempered by morality and ethics frequently reigns in the excesses of this behaviour.
That the Republicans in power are evil scumbags goes without saying on this blog. I think what we miss when calling the GOP scumbags is the fact that they'll take any state of affairs - wether it be 9/11, Social Security, or Terri Schiavo - and use it for whatever purpose they can.
Meanwhile - I just noticed that the sky is blue. :)
Posted by idiosynchronic at May 3, 2005 10:00 AMOpen Threadism.
Have any of you lefties watched the movie Elektra? Jennifer Garner struts around in red leather from time to time. How bad can that be?
I thought I'd really dislike the movie. Remember, the fans demanded this one after her roll in Daredevil, which was indeed a very horrible movie. So, I went in with low expectations. Other than the red leather strutting, I figured there'd be nothing in this movie I liked.
And it was a bit corny and campy. Especially when it goes all House of Flying Daggers on you. But that's part of the supernatural charm of these kinds of flicks.
Elektra the assasin who whispers to her victims before she sends them to their afterlife, finds a conscience, and tries to save a father and her daughter from the Hand of evil.
In the end, I'd give it 3 of 5 stars on the Netflix rank-o-meter. Not great. Not bad. Watchable.
Posted by muckdog at May 3, 2005 10:07 AMMuck D--
Jennifer Garner, red leather, suprised the FCC hasn't fined them for indecency...
Great dude movie...
Posted by anthony at May 3, 2005 10:23 AMmuckdog doing film critiques?
Who used the Infinite Improbability Drive????
Posted by pessimist at May 3, 2005 10:32 AM