Month: May 2009

Sunshine Patriots

by digby

The confederate rump screams:

Having picked fights with nearly every other GOP candidate for [Georgia] governor, John Oxendine has decided to poach on the territory of states’ rightist Ray McBerry.

Oxendine today endorsed not just the sentiments of Texas Gov. Rick “Secessionist” Perry, but a advocated a fundamental rollback of federal power.

Said Oxendine:

If governor, I would support legislation which puts Georgia on record as affirming our sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States and which would serve as notice and demand the federal government, as our agent, cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.

Additionally, I would support legislation which states all compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties or sanctions or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed.

State sovereignty has previously been an issue copyrighted by McBerry, who ran against Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2006, drawing on the support of flaggers and other Confederate enthusiasts.

I haven’t heard this kind of talk since I was a kid. But everything old is new again. Get a load of Tom DeLay and Chris Matthews talking about Perry’s statement:

MATTHEWS: You can‘t secede from the union.

DELAY: We—Texas, as a republic, joined the union by treaty. There‘s a process in the treaty by which Texas could divide into five states. If we invoke that—and the last time it was voted on was 1985. If we invoke that, the United States Senate would kick us out and nullify the treaty because they‘re not going to allow 10 new Texas senators into the Senate. That‘s how you secede.

MATTHEWS: But you can‘t—can we straighten this out? Can Texas secede from the union?

DELAY: No, they can‘t secede.

MATTHEWS: Then why is he talking about it? Twice this week, he‘s talked about seceding from the union as a threat if he doesn‘t like the policies coming out of Washington. That‘s the kind of talk we heard in 1861.

DELAY: No, that‘s…

MATTHEWS: That‘s what killed 600,000 Americans. Why is he talking like this?

DELAY: Chris, Chris, we have a treaty, as I explained, and it would be the United States that would nullify that treaty because they would not allow 10 Texas senators. That‘s how it happened. And that‘s in the treaty.

MATTHEWS: So we would—so we would kick them out of the union?

That‘s nut talk.

DELAY: Yes.

MATTHEWS: That‘s nutty. Why are you talking like this, Tom? Mr. DeLay, you know this isn‘t a real conversation. This is not serious business.

DELAY: You‘re the one who brought it up.

MATTHEWS: Why are you—because the governor of your state is still talking about it. I‘m asking you, is he out to lunch here or what? What is it? What‘s going on?

DELAY: No. No. He‘s standing up for the sovereignty of the state of Texas. He‘s claiming—and they just passed a resolution in the state legislature invoking the 10 Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, claiming that the federal government has so overblown its power and so—grasped all kinds of—and now talking about grasping private enterprise and businesses and going up to anywhere from 50 percent to 60 percent tax rates on American citizens. And all the things that the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress is doing, he‘s standing up and saying, Enough is enough, and he‘s speaking for the people of Texas. We all feel that way.

(There’s more lunacy at the link. It’s a doozy.)

Can I just say what a bunch of whining little wimps these Republicans all are? They love to present themselves as stoic, manly warriors, loving heir country above all else, willing to lay down their lives for it.

Until something happens they don’t like and then they want to blow the thing up.

h/t to ed kilgore

Impressive

by tristero

It’s true: These days, “organic” hardly means what most of used to think it meant. And yes, “organic” doesn’t take into account, for example, the environmental impact of shipping produce a gazillion miles. And the class/cost issues: let’s not go there right now but let’s also not forget these are real issues and they are profoundly complex and troubling.

Still, the above chart, which is part of a fascinating graphic accompanying this article points to an amazingly rapid surge of interest among a large group of Americans in eating food grown quite differently than the stuff industrial agriculture provides. Good.

Now, if more of us continue to insist on eating what Michael Pollan calls “food” instead of “food-like substances,” and if more of us insist that that food be produced in a sensible fashion, you can bet your bippy there will be a backlash funded by the Smithfield Foods of this country And it will be cast as a culture war, between the” elite foodies” and real Americans – windsurfing versus red-blooded hunting redux. Remember the arugula wars? It’s gonna get nasty.

So let me be clear. I see absolutely no reason why the US government should be in the business of encouraging your children to eat in a way that drastically increases their chances of becoming diabetic and obese. But, via an entirely whack food policy that’s written in the best interests of big industrial food suppliers, that is exactly what is going on.

[Typos corrected after posting.]

Socialist Republican

by digby

Robert Gates said this to Fareed Zakaria today:

People must see government delivering services.

Shocking, I know.

Of course, he was talking about Afghanistan, but I can’t see any reason why that wouldn’t be true of any country, do you?

President Specter Fits Right In

by dday

Arlen Specter went on Meet The Press and defended his strong credentials as a Republican inside the Democratic Party.

Gregory: It was reported this week that when you met with the President, you said, “I will be a loyal Democrat; I support your agenda.” Let me test that on probably one of the most important areas of his agenda and that’s healthcare. Would you support healthcare reform that puts up a government-run public plan to compete with a private plan issued by a private insurance company.

Specter: No. And you misquote me, David. I did not say I would be a loyal Democrat. I did not say that. And last week, after I said I was changing parties, I voted against the budget because the budget has a way to pass healthcare with 51 votes,which undermines a basic Senate institution to require 60 votes to impose cloture on key issues.

Well, we certainly wouldn’t want a loyal Democrat. How putrid! Instead, Specter’s one of those vote-against-the-budget, vote-against-the-Democratic-health-care-plan Democrats. Just like his new BFF Ben Nelson.

Combine that with his appearance on Face The Nation, where he openly hoped that his defection to the Democratic Party would help the Republican Party.

SCHIEFFER: I was just talking to these health officials about this flu and how it — was there a danger it might mutate into something more dangerous. I want to ask you, do you feel that your switch to the Democratic Party, could that mutate into something even more dangerous for Republicans? Have you talked to anybody who has said to you, you know, I’m going to follow your example? Or is this just a one-time deal that pertains only to you?

SPECTER: Bob, it would be my hope that, as was reported in the New York Times last week, that this would be a wake-up call and the party would move for a broader big tent like we had under Reagan.

The party has changed so much since I was elected in 1980. And now, when I cast a vote with the Democrats on the stimulus package, that one vote created a precipitous drop so that I was looking at a situation where the prospects were very bleak to win a Republican primary, and I simply was not going to put my 29-year record before the Republican primary electorate.

But it would be my hope that we can maintain a strong two-party system and we’ll stop the business of what the Club for Growth has been doing to defeating moderates in the primary and then losing the general elections.

It’s a curious profile for a Democrat, running to ensure that Republican moderates get elected more easily.

Joe Sestak’s not giving up on primarying this guy. I hope he does. Maybe we can set up a special Lieberman Congress at a kiddie table somewhere so all these principled moderates can vote against each other’s priorities and pat each other on the back for it.

Devastatingby digbyApparently, the very special AIG executives needed to be reassured that the taxpayers weren’t going to deny them their well deserved bonuses. After all, they had suffered devastating losses in their personal wealth:

Even if the U.S. government were to entirely take over American International Group, company executives would still be able to collect bonuses at taxpayer expense, according to a letter from AIG CEO Ed Liddy to employees disclosed in the company’s recent SEC report. “As this special award is being made to a very select group of executives, I ask that you treat it as confidential,” wrote Liddy. The letter is dated less than a week after the government first bailed the company out. The letter assured the select group that “in the event the AIG entity that is your employer (the Company’) experiences a Change in Control (e.g., consummation of a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or similar form of corporate transaction involving the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity that is not an affiliate of the Company), AIG guarantees the payment of the 2008 Special Cash Retention award on the dates and under the conditions specified above.”[…]Some of those in line to get bonuses have family in the right places, according to the filing. The daughter of top executive Edmund Tse, Ada K.H. Tse, is president and CEO of AIG Global Investment Corp. (Asia) Ltd. In 2008, she pocketed $400,000 in “retention awards” and $250,000 in a year-end bonus. She will be “eligible to receive an additional amount that has not yet been approved. Ms. Tse also will be eligible for retention payments in 2009 in the amount of approximately $600,000,” reads the report. Daniel Neuger is the son of another top executive, Win Neuger, and serves as “managing director of AIG Global Investment Corp. and AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp.” He took in $75,000 in “retention awards” in 2008 and is on track for roughly $110,000 in 2009. Liddy promised there was more to come. “I fully recognize the devastating loss of personal wealth you’ve suffered, and pledge to you my personal commitment to provide an opportunity for substantial wealth creation through a combination of cash and equity awards in the coming months and years,” he wrote in the letter to employees outlining the bonus policy.

I think this pretty much sums up the problem. Corporate narcissists believe they should be rewarded even when the organization they run has not only failed but has nearly destroyed the entire global financial system. They are very, very special. Besides, they suffer a lot from the embarrassment at having been involved with such unpleasantness and that is punishment enough. It is for the lesser people to lose everything they have.
When Bush called his reign “The Ownership Society” I don’t think anyone understood exactly what he was saying. Now we do.

Update: Speaking of the crisis, is everyone aware of this? Atrios has mentioned it many times. Maybe I’m not reading the right magazines or blogs, but I never see anyoneelse talking about it. It seems to me that the weakened economy could be hit much harder by this second wave than the first one, especially since people are fully aware of the economic meltdown now. What’s up with this?

Kemp

by digby

You’ve probably heard that Jack Kemp has died. I always had a love/hate thing for the guy. He was football hero first in my household growing up, so he seems to have been around forever.

He was a real pioneer in race relations from way back as a member of the NFL and later as a Republican officeholder and was truly a force for good in that regard. He was also an anomaly in the GOP during much of his time in politics, as they pursued the Southern Strategy.

But he was also a Randian fool on the subject of economics and helped the lead the country down the garden path of supply-side economics. His sunny belief that money grew on trees as long as it wasn’t taxed was very, very good for the wealthy in this country. The rest of us, not so much.

One thing’s for sure — there aren’t very many like him left in the part.

Saturday Night At The Movies

Pure escapism

By Dennis Hartley

Shakespeare in gloves: Joseph Fiennes fights dirty.

I always screen prison dramas with a bit of trepidation. While there have been quite a few outstanding ones produced over the years, it’s a movie genre that has become a bit hoary. What more could they possibly do with it? I sometimes amuse myself by ticking off my mental checklist of prison drama clichés as I watch. I played this little game while screening The Escapist, the feature film debut for British writer-director Rupert Wyatt:

Shiv in the kidneys? Check.

Suffocation by pillow? Check.

Shower rape scene? Check.

Brutal fistfight (with wagering) while guards look the other way? Check.

Someone takes a nasty tumble from the upper cell block level? Check.

Cat-calls and wolf-whistles for the “new meat” as they get checked in? Check.

Drug vending via library cart? Check.

And of course, a daring, seemingly impossible escape plan? Check.

Just as I was thinking that I had The Escapist sussed and proceeded to settle myself in to brace for another intense (if somewhat predictable) British prison drama along the lines of Scum, McVicar or The Criminal, I soon found myself sitting up a little straighter. Then, before I knew it, I was literally on the edge of my seat, breathlessly caught up in an exciting and compelling story that is capped off by an unexpectedly mind-blowing finale.

The story is set in a London facility that vibes vintage Wormwood Scrubs (in actuality, Dublin’s darkly atmospheric Kilmainham Jail). Brian Cox stars as an aging, life-tired convict named Frank Perry, who is doing life without parole. When he learns that his daughter has fallen gravely ill as a result of her struggle with drug addiction, he devises an escape plan that involves literally worming one’s way through the city’s hellish labyrinth of underground infrastructure to freedom. He enlists a team of four disparate personalities (played to the hilt by Dominic Cooper, Seu Jorge, Liam Cunningham and Joseph Fiennes)-who are bonded together by a fierce desire to escape their bleak milieu.

The storyline is relatively simple, but it’s really all about the journey (in this case, both literally and figuratively). The attention grabber in Wyatt’s screenplay (co-written with Daniel Hardy) is the flashback/flash forward construct; it’s an oft-used narrative trick that can be distracting or gimmicky in the wrong hands, but it’s very effective here. As the escape itself unfolds, the events leading up to it are revealed to us in a very deliberate, Chinese puzzle-box fashion. With this device, the filmmakers cleverly build up the dramatic tension on two distinct fronts, and by the time they intersect, you’ll have to remind yourself to breathe. What’s killing me here is that I can’t reveal the classic crime thriller that this most closely recalls-as that would be tantamount to a major spoiler!

The actors are all superb, particularly Liam Cunningham and the Scottish-born Cox, who I think is frequently underrated. He’s one of those highly skilled, “all purpose” character actors whose name may escape you, but you definitely know him when you see him. He worked extensively in British television from the early 70s thru the mid-80s, but didn’t register a blip with U.S. audiences until his memorable turn as (the original!) Hannibal Lecktor in Michael Mann’s 1986 cult thriller, Manhunter. I have to admit, I didn’t recognize Joseph Fiennes until the credits rolled; I guess he is more of a chameleon than I had previously thought. Damian Lewis is quite good as the prison kingpin, and Steven MacKintosh gives an edgy performance as his dangerous, perpetually tweaked brother.

I think Wyatt will be a director to watch. I can tell that he is a filmmaker who has studied the masters. There are echoes of Carol Reed, particularly in a sequence that takes the escapees through the London sewers; the highly expressionistic use of chiaroscuro lighting is obviously homage to The Third Man. He’s not overly flashy, and perhaps most refreshingly, does not appear to be trying to remake Reservoir Dogs (like so many first-time out directors are these days). There’s no escaping one fact: this is a terrific film.

Note: The Escapist is in limited release in theatres, but is also currently available on IFC pay-per-view (although after watching it at home, I wish I had opted for the big screen.)

OK, here’s the plan: The Great Escape, Brute Force, Cool Hand Luke, The Defiant Ones, The Sugarland Express, Escape From Alcatraz, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, Down by Law, Runaway Train, A Man Escaped, Papillon, Midnight Express, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 48 Hours, Take the Money and Run, Raising Arizona, His Girl Friday, Escape from New York, Caged Heat, Bandits (1997), Oz (HBO series).

Blogger Blackball

by digby

As most of you know, Dennis Hartley has been doing film reviews here every Saturday night for over two years now. Some of you come here specifically for that feature every week. (You know who you are…) His work helps support the site because many of you buy DVDs on his recommendation and the blog gets a little percentage from the sale. His lists of “best of” are very popular and often result in quite a nice little piece of change from Amazon.

For the past two years, Dennis has also covered unusual, independent films at the Seattle International Film festival, sometimes spotting a movie that later gets wider recognition. We’ve had some excellent feedback from some of the filmmakers and Seattle locals. It’s a nice way to support independent and foreign film making and give our readers a sense of some of the more offbeat fare that’s being produced out there.

For many years Dennis was credentialed for the festival because of his day job as a manager of a radio station that help sponsor the event. This year, the station is tightening its belt like a lot of businesses and wasn’t able to do that. So Dennis applied for credentials as a blogger critic, citing this blog’s national exposure, traffic, and influence as well as his past participation on behalf of the radio station. They turned him down. Apparently, bloggers are personas non grata at the festival. This was despite my offer (and their excited acceptance) of a blog ad for free for the run of the festival. Not that it’s worth a ton of money, but it’s not chump change either.

I would hate to think they turned him down because of my political views, but that’s certainly a possibility. (Dennis did send them the profile that was done of me in the LA Times last year…) But they gave no reason.

Anyway, I think this is a shame. Dennis has covered the festival wonderfully for them the last couple of years and loyally attended it for years before that. It’s not inexpensive and he can’t possibly justify covering it on his own dime the way he would normally do it, nor should he. Blogs are legitimate media now, and after featuring the weekly column for more than two years, a national, well trafficked blog like this one is a legitimate media outlet. They should credential him.

So, if you feel like supporting Dennis’ efforts, and want to make the point that well trafficked blogs should be considered media for these purposes, you could help out by sending a (very polite) note to the Managing Director, telling her you value the coverage of the festival on Hullabaloo and asking her to reconsider. If blogs and their readers don’t ask for respect, they won’t get it.

Deborah Person Managing Director Nancy Kennedy Director of Development Sue Guthrie Corporate Sponsorship Manager Holden Payne Director of Operations Catherine Muth Financial Administrator Randy Allmon SIFF Cinema ManagerVirginia McFadin Events Manager

Carl Spence Artistic Director Jessica Toon Director of Marketing and Communications Cal Ledbetter SIFF Cinema PublicistBeth Barrett Programming Manager Anita Monga Senior Programmer Dustin Kaspar Educational Programs Coordinator Renee O’Donnell Individual Giving Officer

Update: Thanks everyone for helping get out the word. The people at SIFF have kindly reconsidered and Dennis will be credentialled:

Dear Digby,

Thanks so very much for bringing this to our attention. After reading all
of the letters we received over the weekend from your readers, we can
certainly ascertain that Mr. Hartley¹s reviews are read around the country,
by a loyal and passionate following. Based on this additional information
and further research, we have decided to reverse our initial decision and
will be extending press credentials to Mr. Hartley for SIFF 2009. We have
reached out to Mr. Hartley this morning to inform him personally.

I do want to assure you and your readers that we recognize the importance of
blogs and have many bloggers on our press list. We do our best in
researching all those who approach us, accrediting those with legitimate
blogs and healthy readerships. Of course, as a film festival, we are paying
most attention to those blogs that focus on film, entertainment, and pop
culture. We did not understand the impact of Mr. Hartley¹s Saturday film
reviews on what is first and foremost a political blog.

We¹re delighted to learn that so many of your readers take great interest in
independent and international film. It¹s heartening to know that, through
Mr. Hartley¹s work, readers around the world can learn a little about SIFF
and a lot about the excellent filmmakers we work so hard to showcase.

Thanks again,

Deborah

I urge you all to attend the festival if you are in the area. And Dennis will, obviously, keep the rest of us up to date on all the latest offerings.

Zombie Waking

by digby

Earlier today, Howie held a Blue America chat with progressive Virginia state legislator Margi Vanderhye Cox, who is BA’s first endorsement of the year. You are probably wondering why we are endorsing an incumbent Virginia state legislator, but there’s a very good reason for it: she is being challenged by one of the dirtiest GOP operatives in American history, Barbara Comstock.

I’ve written a lot about Comstock over the years and Jane did a full dossier, here; she’s one of those Zelig types who turns up at every low down GOP smear operation, from Dan Burton’s witch hunts to the dirty campaign against Al Gore to her protege Monica Goodling’s installation at the Justice Department and Scooter Libby’s defense fund. Her fingerprints are on virtually every GOP dirty trick of the last 15 years.

Comstock, typically, is trying to enter elective politics by collecting huge money from the wealthy GOP establishment to take down a decent, true blue progressive incumbent. It’s what she does. And like Ralph Reed before her, she and people like her need to be shown that the kind of behavior they engaged in disqualifies them from ever holding office. There should be no reward for the sewer politics with which Barbara Comstock and her movement conservative cohorts made their bones.

Check out Howie’s post and Cox’s comments and if you feel moved to help ensure that a right wing dirt monger is given no quarter, you can donate to her campaign here.

As I mentioned, Comstock is a partisan hit woman with a long list of clients and is awash in dirty Republican blood money. Sadly, she is also is a villager in good standing, so I doubt the Democratic establishment will be much help here. (It could be socially embarrassing for them.) She might easily end up overwhelming this race unless Margi gets a hand up from the netroots.

And Then They Came For Me

by digby

One of Sullivan’s readers sent this in:

First they tortured in ticking time bomb cases but I didn’t mind because it was a clear and imminent danger.

Second they tortured “slow-fuse” high value detainees and I didn’t mind, because you never know what might happen.

Third they tortured Iraqi and Afghan prisoners who weren’t high value, but who might have had useful information, and I didn’t mind, because they were acting in good faith.

Fourth they tortured prisoners to establish a link between Al Qaeda and Saddam, and I didn’t mind, because surely there must have been such a connection.

Finally, they came to torture me, and nobody cared, because if I was being tortured, I obviously deserved to be tortured, and, as Peggy Noonan says, some things are just mysterious and it’s best to just keep on walking.

Of course, if you haven’t done anything wrong you have nothing to worry about. None of our torture techniques leave lasting damage, which is what separates us from the evil ones.

h/t to sleon