Undernews For November 18, 2010

Undernews For November 18, 2010

Since 1964, the news while there's still time to do something about it

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Word

Of course there is a class war, but it's my class, the rich class, that is waging the war, and we're winning. - Warren Buffet

Urban dictionary

Shelf esteem - When someone builds their self esteem from self help books.

Massively unconstitutional Internet censorship bill making its way through Congress

Raw Story - A bill giving the government the power to shut down Web sites that host materials that infringe copyright is making its way quietly through the lame-duck session of Congress, raising the ire of free-speech groups and prompting a group of academics to lobby against the effort.

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act was introduced in Congress this fall by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). It would grant the federal government the power to block access to any Web domain that is found to host copyrighted material without permission.

Critics say the bill is both a giveaway to the movie and recording industries and a step towards widespread and unaccountable censorship of the Internet.

Opponents note that the powers given the government under the bill are very broad. Because the bill targets domain names and not specific materials, an entire Web site can be shut down. So for example, if the US determines that there are copyright-infringing materials on YouTube, it could theoretically block access to all of YouTube, whether or not particular material being accessed infringes copyright.

Activist group DemandProgress, which is running a petition against the bill, argues the powers in the bill could be used for political purposes. If the whistleblower Web site WikiLeaks is found to be hosting copyrighted material, for instance, access to WikiLeaks could be blocked for all US Internet users.

Though the bill was delayed in September after an outcry from activist groups, it now appears to be back and potentially poised for quick passage in the lame-duck session of Congress, reports DemandProgress.

Another Afghanistan deserter. . and a defense secretary at that

Reuters - The war in Afghanistan is a trap for all parties involved and France will discuss how to draw down its troop presence at a NATO summit this week, the newly-appointed defence minister said

WHAT TO DO NOW

Sam Smith

In the six decades between 1933 and 1994 there were only two sessions of Congress that started with a Democratic minority in the House of Representatives. In the roughly two decades between Bill Clinton's and Obama's first mid term elections, there have been seven. Both the peaks and valleys of the Democratic status in the House have been declining since 1964.

During this period, the character and politics of the Democratic Party - including its liberal wing - dramatically changed for the worse. Essentially the Democrats began singing little but covers of the GOP platform and, not surprisingly, voters - given this crummy choice - often went with the real thing.

It is well past time to recognize that this strategy of the Vichy Democrats and their indentured liberals has been an irrefutable failure. But this recognition won't come from the party itself, which has hopelessly sold itself out to corporate and other nefarious interests. It will have to come from new movements, new rebellions, new parties, and new soul. It won't come from unreformed liberals who see themselves primarily as a cultural demographic superior to much of America, but from progressive populists who both see themselves as a part of greater America and are willing to fight on its behalf.

Here are a few ways to get things going again:

- Nothing could more quickly and more dramatically change the nature of American politics than a visible and effective black-latino coalition. Representing approximately a quarter of the country, such a coalition - one that emphasizes its consensus on issues rather than fighting over areas of disagreement - could make a huge difference.

- Economic issues must be placed at the top of the list and solutions should be direct and easy to understand.

- Pick no more than a half dozen easily understood issues and fly them at the top of the pole. The right has been doing this for years - .e.g gay marriage and abortion - but the Democrats haven't seemed to notice. Key standard: pick programs that do the most for the most.

- Revive the labor movement. As demonstrated by the war on public schools and their teachers, Democrats - including liberals - have turned their backs on unions (except when they need them at election time). How often do you hear Democratic politicians pointing out facts about union workers such as

- Union workers earn 30% more than non union workers

- 80% of union workers have employer-provided health insurance while only 49% of non union workers do.

- 68% of union workers have defined benefit pensions while only 14% of non-union do

- Grow non-union affiliates of the labor movement such as Working America. WA currently has only about three million members but it could be much more if the labor movement took it seriously. The idea would be to have the equivalent of the AARP for non-unionized workers, both as a labor lobby and as a source of mutual benefits - insurance, discounts etc. And then when you get ready to unionize something, you already have the names and addresses of the troops.

- Stop trying to change people by scolding them. For example, Erik Assadourian recently wrote, "According to a study by Princeton ecologist Stephen Pacala, the world's richest 500 million people (roughly 7 percent of the world's population) are currently responsible for 50 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, while the poorest 3 billion are responsible for just 6 percent." In other words, if the bottom 90 percent of the world's population were to cut their emissions by fifty percent, it would only reduce the overall effect by 3%. Yet the ecology movement acts as though our problems are heavily the fault of ordinary people and this has helped to build resistance to solutions. The effort needs to be retargeted better at the wealthiest and most powerful.

- Build an anti-war movement that emphasizes how the military funds could be better used and ending the abuse of troops through repetitive assignments to failing battlefields.

- Design programs to run at the lowest practical level. There is no evidence that Washington runs everything best, and plenty of evidence that Democrats have been harmed politically for believing this. Every federal program should make governors and mayors look and feel good. A recent poll found that 43% of U.S. voters rate the performance of their local government as tops compared to its counterparts on the state and federal level. Nineteen percent said state government is better than the other two, leaving just 14% who think the federal government does a better job.

- Stop complaining about guns. It doesn't save any lives but it sure does cost a lot of votes.

- Stand up for individual rights in all respects. The liberal silence in the face of government and corporate abuse of these rights has left people without an effective political voice.

- Pursue issues over candidates. The iconification of politics doesn't work because the whole party becomes hostage to the behavior of its leaders. Further, worthy goals don't misbehave like individual politicians.

- Help small business. Nobody else does.

- Restore our rail system to where it was, say, in 1880. Put more emphasis on the miles of service rather than on the speed of trains.

- Using a consensus approach, work with an array of other groups - within a community or general political viewpoint - to come up with programs that have broad support. Two basic rules: Only discuss issues on which there might be some common agreement and reach that agreement by consensus. Here's an example of how this can work. Other models include the New England town meeting, the Quaker business meeting.

- Use this same approach within the non-political community as well, including groups such as churches, business organizations and non-profits, in order to establish standards for politicians. Even if the Supreme Court permits corporate contributions, such community assemblies could decide, for example, that local politicians could not accept more than a certain amount from corporations in order to display the assembly seal of approval. If the assemblies were sufficiently cross-cultural and cross-political, it could have at some of the effect of a law.

- Give full support and attention to efforts to amend the Constitution to prohibit corporation interference in our politics.

- Work for public campaign financing

- Push for instant runoff voting and laws that permit fusion politics, i.e. candidates able to run on two or more party lines. Fusion politics played a key role in building the strength of the Populist movement. It was so successful that the Republicans and Democrats managed to put an end to it in all but eight states.

- Launch campaigns for a variety of progressive constitutional amendments such as one to elect the attorney general or change the way votes are allocated in the Senate so that 20 states with a collective population less than California don't have 40 votes while the largest state only has two.

- Organize people in real time, not just on the web. Think of the Internet as a tool but go out and organize with real people in real places. For models, read about the Student Non violent Coordinating Committee, Poland's Solidarity movement, and Students for A Democratic Society.

- Create places where good things can happen. In our own history, there are innumerable examples of change owing a debt to the simple serendipity of people of like values and sensibilities coming together. For example, the rise of Irish political power in this country was aided considerably by the Irish bar's role as an ethnic DMZ and a center for the exchange of information.

- Find a new Democratic presidential candidate for 2012. This one has blown it.

- Remember that you can't determine history but you can always determine how you react to history.

REALITY CHECK

Sam Smith

To get a fix on how bad the 2010 vote was, consider that, with one exception in 1946, you have to go back 80 years to find Democrats doing as poorly in the House of Representatives as they did this election.

In the six decades between 1933 and 1994 there were only two sessions of Congress that started with a Democratic minority in the House of Representatives. In the roughly decades between Bill Clinton's and Obama's first mid term elections, there have been seven. Both the peaks and valleys of the Democratic status in the House have been declining since 1964.

GOP presidential race close

The real GOP platform: protecting the welfare fathers

In a speech to the pro-business Tax Council, House Rep. David Camp said that the Dem's middle-class tax extensions–permanent breaks for those earning $200,000 or less, with temporary extensions on the wealthy–would be blocked during the lame-duck session unless the rich get the same permanent extensions.

Giant scrooge of the year

Washington Post - A new policy by the Giant Foods chain will limit the number of days and hours charitable groups such as the Salvation Army can raise funds in front of their stores.
Of the $1.3 million in loose change, cash and checks collected at red kettles last holiday season, about $667,000 came from outside Giant stores in the greater Washington area, Morris said.

To collect that much, bell ringers were typically stationed for up to 10 hours outside stores for a combined 35 days in November and December, Morris said. The new guidelines allow Salvation Army collectors to be in front of Giant stores only 12 days during those months, and limit their ringing to four hours a day.

How third parties are struggling along despite it all

Word

I was working on the beaches, and on low tides we can see the clams out there. They used to be white. Now they are all black. And nobody seems to pay any attention to this. . .I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. Nobody seems to be doing anything or talking about it - Alabama resident Joe Overstreet, who worked as an oil disaster response worker for BP.

NJ legislators criticize TSA

"When you buy your airplane tickets you do not give up your constitutional rights

Police blotter

Herald Dispatch, Huntington WV - A man and woman are charged with stealing a motorized shopping cart from Wal-Mart and driving it to and from a neighboring strip club early Monday morning. The incident happened about 1:40 a.m. along U.S. 60 just east of Huntington.
Authorities charged Billie Jo Stevenson, 36, and Jonathan Lee Misner, 34, with grand larceny and public intoxication. The Huntington residents were jailed before dawn.

Healthcare notes. . .

Sam Smith - I was on Mark Thompson's Sirius/XM talk show the other day and a businessman from Florida called in. He said that his staff had met with his health insurance company which announced it was raising its rates substantially. Here's the hook: the company blamed the rise on Obamacare, things like extended coverage for children of policy owners.

I've been wondering why the public resentment over Obamacare was so high and this may help explain some of it if this is the line insurance companies are using on their customers.

Of course, backers of single payer saw this coming, but they didn't get invited to the White House all that often.

All politics is local: AIPAC case descends into porn surfing

Salon - The latest shot in a long-running legal battle between AIPAC and Steven Rosen, a former top official at the pro-Israel group, reveals that AIPAC staffers regularly looked at Internet porn in the office, and that the married Rosen allegedly cruised for gay sex on Craigslist, according to new court filings. .

Q If you had browsed the web for sexual encounters with gay men while at AIPAC , would that in your opinion be a violation of the computer usage policy at AIPAC?

A First, a technical correction. I actually sought married men like myself, not gay men, or I don't know what you mean by the word "gay men," but not men who were primarily living the life that's referred to as the gay community and so on.

Things to tell a TSA fondler:

Reddit - "Do I get to pick the screener?.. I'll take that Guy, he has nice firm hands.". . . "I feel like I should buy you dinner after this.". . . "I feel like I under performed, can we go again?

Another citizen arrested for taking pictures of police in public place

Infomobile - This time around, we bring you the story of a Connecticut man who was recently arrested by New Haven Assistant Chief of Police Chief Ariel Melendez for the alleged crime of “disturbing the peace.” According to reports, Luis Luna was convicted of the crime after being approached by Officer Melendez, who asked Luna to stop using his iPhone to videotape police officers breaking up a fight on College Street. Luna also claims that the officers involved in the incident proceeded to delete the videos that he had just recorded with his iPhone. . . It’s not clear how using his iPhone to film police breaking up a fight is considered “interfering with police,” but that’s the charge for which Luna was handcuffed and placed in jail.

Organs of dead British nuclear workers removed to hide evidence

Boing Boing - The UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has apologized for 40 years' worth of clandestine, illegal mutilation of the corpses of British nuclear energy workers. When these workers died, pathologists and coroners colluded with the energy authority to remove their organs without the consent or knowledge of their families, in part to remove the possibility of a lawsuit for cancer caused by their work environment, but partly out of a seeming cavalier, better-safe-than-sorry approach that had them scooping out organs that had no diagnostic value. The corpses were then stuffed with random detritus from around the shop to disguise their mutilation; for example, broomsticks were used in place of bones removed from workers who'd died of leukemia.

Recovered history: The Beatles come to America

VIDEO OF FIRST AMERICAN CONCERT

With Apple finally offering the Beatles on iTunes, the story of their arrival in America is revived. Your editor might have covered this event, since he was a reporter for WWDC in Washington (described below) but unfortunately had joined the Coast Guard three years earlier

Beatles Again - Walter Cronkite's decision to broadcast [a story on the Beatles on Dec. 10, 1993, set forth a domino effect causing Beatlemania to explode in America. . . That evening, 15-year-old Marsha Albert of Silver Spring, MD, viewed The Beatles performing "She Loves You" on the CBS news and liked what she saw and heard. Marsh wrote a letter to her favorite radio station, WWDC, referring to The Beatles' appearance on the news and asking, "Why can't we have this music in America?" DJ Carroll James, who also had seen The Beatles on the news, arranged to have a copy of the group's latest British single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", delivered to him by the BOAC airline.

On Dec. 17, 1963, exactly one week after the CBS broadcast, James had Marsha Albert come down to the station to introduce the song on his radio show. After the song ended, James requested that listeners write in to let him know what they thought of The Beatles. But most couldn't wait and began calling the station immediately. According to James, the station's switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree with eager listeners phoning in to praise the song. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was immediately added to WWDC's playlist and placed in heavy rotation.

It didn't take long for Capitol [Records] to learn that a Washington station had jumped the gun by playing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" four weeks prior to its scheduled release date of Jan. 13, 1964. Capitol telephoned WWDC and requested that the single be pulled off the air, but the station refused. Capitol then hired New York entertainment attorney Walter Hofer, who represented Epstein, The Beatles and the song's publisher, to contact the station and demand that WWDC "cease and desist" playing the song. According to Hofer, James told him, "Look, you can't stop me from playing it. The record is a hit. It's a major thing."

Realizing that they could not stop WWDC from playing the record and believing that this was an isolated incident that would not spread elsewhere, Capitol decided to press a few thousand copies of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to send to the Washington area.

This strategy might have worked had James opted to keep his exclusive; however, he apparently sent a tape of the song to a disc jockey buddy of his in Chicago, who then played it on his show. Listeners in the Windy City also reacted favorably towards the song. When a St. Louis disc jockey played a tape of The Beatles' new song, his station was hit with tons of requests for it.

With Christmas less than a week away, stations in three major markets were playing "I Want to Hold Your Hand". In addition, tapes of the song were circulating among the nation's disc jockeys. Capitol quickly came to the realization that the genie was already out of the bottle. The company also remembered that radio airplay was essential for sales. Capitol's job was to get stations to play The Beatles. It made no sense to try to halt airplay just because the record's scheduled release was weeks away. . .

By February 1964, The Beatles had become part of the American consciousness. To ensure that the group's arrival in the States would not go unnoticed, Capitol Records provided details of the group's itinerary to New York's radio stations, who encouraged their young listeners to greet The Beatles at Kennedy Airport even though it was a school day. On Friday, Fed. 7, more that 3,000 teenagers stood four deep on the airport's upper arcade to greet The Beatles as they stepped off Pan American Airways Flight 101 shortly after 1:20 p.m. . .

DCist - The Fab Four's first American concert, held in D.C. at the old Washington Coliseum on February 11, 1964, two days after the band played The Ed Sullivan Show. The former Coliseum, which was previously known as the Uline Arena, is currently being redeveloped. . . The structure was added to the D.C. Historical Preservation Review Board's protected building list in 2006.

DC Preservation League - Most Endangered Places for 2002: Uline Arena (Washington Coliseum) Between 2nd & 3rd and L & M Streets, NE. It was built in 1941 and operated by Miguel L. "Uncle Mike" Uline for the Washington Lions of the Eastern Hockey League. The building would seat 9,000 people. This concrete vaulted building was the site of the Beatle's first North American performance and also noted as the home of Go-Go music where noted local musicians such as Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk and Rare Essence performed. Political rallies and speeches were a tradition in the Arena including a rally staged by Fight for Freedom, Inc. in support of the US involvement in WWII a month before Pearl Harbor and a speech by Nation of Islam Founder Elijah Muhammad in 1959. Since its construction in 1941, the arena, later known as the Washington Coliseum, has been a place for figure skating, jazz, wrestling, ballet, basketball, Washington's Go-Go music style, midget auto racing, rock, hockey, karate, politics, tennis, boxing, and Indian ragas.

Why we should save the earmarks

Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star - The earmark for a $90,000 federal grant to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame made its way into the Citizens Against Government Waste’s “Pig Book,” into the rhetoric of anti-earmark crusader John McCain, and into the simple-minded outrage of a lazy American media. Such criticism, argue two Cal State Channel Islands political science professors in a new book, is misdirected.

Those who consider it wasteful spending for the government to support museums might reasonably rail against legislation authorizing the expenditure, says co-author Scott Frisch. But the practice of members of Congress earmarking where some of the money is spent dates to the founding of the country, is democratic and conforms to the constitutional intent of giving Congress exclusive power over the nation’s purse.

Frisch and colleague Sean Kelly call their book “Cheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy.” Frisch argues that the alternative to earmarks is to give the bureaucracy total control over how to dispense funds to implement programs approved by Congress.

Garry Rayno, New Hampshire Union Leader, 2008 - New Hampshire's senators and representatives in Washington are far from leaders in congressional "earmark" spending, but they still returned about $185 million in taxpayer money to the Granite State, a review by the New Hampshire Union Leader shows.

"I'm perfectly happy to defend any of the earmarks I've gotten over the years," said the state's senior U.S. senator, Republican Judd Gregg.
"Congress has every right to prioritize how money is spent as the executive branch does," Gregg said. "If not, then you turn over a huge authority to embedded bureaucrats in the executive branch."

Washington Times, 2009 - "That there is something inherently evil, wicked or criminal or wrong with [earmarks], it's just not the case," said Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, noting that he earmarked millions of dollars in the pending omnibus spending bill for what he said were worthy projects in his home state.

"Otherwise, what happens? We give the money to the agency downtown and they decide where to spend it," Mr. Durbin said on the Senate floor. "It isn't as if the money won't be spent. Oh, it will be spent. But it may not be spent as effectively or for projects that are as valuable."

The refrain has been the same from other top Democrats, whether from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada or House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland. Besides touting the merits of earmarks, these Democrats balked at Mr. Obama's announcement last week of a plan to reel in pork-barrel spending.

Gawker - A lot of things people say about earmarks are bullshit. Most importantly, earmarks in and of themselves account for a full zero dollars in annual spending. To "earmark" something is for a legislator to flag money that will be appropriated anyway for specific projects in his or her home district. If appropriations money isn't earmarked ¬ and most, like 99% of it, isn't ¬ it goes to agencies and departments that allocate grants based on comically arbitrary whims a proposal's competitive merit. About $10 to $20 billion a year in appropriations is earmarked by legislators. Earmarks are different from "pork," a term regular people use to describe appropriations they think are stupid. "I consider that project you earmarked for to be pork," one senator might say to another. "I consider that project I earmarked for to be excellent and provide jobs in my district, which gets me re-elected, so shut the fuck up," the other might respond.

Earmarks can be helpful. They're a currency congressional leaders use to move pieces of legislation that members of Congress are too scared to vote for. This why Jim DeMint wants to ban them. We're going to have even more gridlock with this ban. . .

Ban 'em for the next year or two, and see if anything about Washington process changes. Our bet is that they won't ¬ big donors will always find a way to get a return on their investments. . .

But remember, the act of "banning earmarks" will not save a single cent.

Beginning January 1, car dealers will have to invade your privacy before completing the deal

The Intelligencer - The federal government's Red Flags Rule mandates that auto dealers, banks, credit unions and other "creditors" and "financial institutions" take additional steps to prevent identity theft and fraud, beginning Jan. 1. Included in the list of so-called creditors is your family doctor.

Among those steps is determining whether a person applying for financing - or even paying cash for a car - appears on any government watch lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations.

As a result, consumers hoping to finance a new or used car, a home or even a major appliance will be required to supply personal information - such as their Social Security number and birth date, as well as the answers to five questions designed to confirm a customer is who they say they are - to the business at the time of the sale. Those questions could include anything from previous addresses and area codes to the names of other members of the consumer's household.

Thomas Garage Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in St. Clairsville uses a software called Wise Scan ID to simplify the search of public records and the 475-page Office of Foreign Assets Control "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons" list, commonly referred to as the terror watch list.

FLOTSAM & JETSAM: DAYDREAMING ABOUT DEAN

Sam Smith

After his election, Obama quickly got rid of the one person who had demonstrated real skill in bringing the party - as opposed to just Obama - to life: Howard Dean. As head of the Democratic National Committee, he had revived the broader party and helped significantly to put Obama into office.

Furthermore, as a symbol of the party, Dean was a rare real human being. As he explained to Diane Sawyer after the campaign yelling incident that unfairly got him into so much trouble (he was just trying to be heard in large hall), "I was having a great time. I am not a perfect person, believe me, I have all kinds of warts. I wear cheap suits sometimes, I say things that I probably ought not to say, but I lead with my heart, and that's what I was doing right there, leading with my heart."

As I wrote at the time:

"Most national politicians don't act like Dean because they have been taught to act in essentially artificial and non-human ways towards the real things that happen around them. They have been taught to lock up their hearts as if they were dangerous firearms. . . He has reminded us all that we are still alive and not merely virtual parodies of ourselves like our media mannequins and political puppets."

And the pay off? Dean was dumped as head of the DNC and denied any post in the Obama administration. This clip from Political Wire tells it what happened:

"Greg Sargent points to a section in Ari Berman's new book, Herding Donkeys, which says Rahm was the force behind the administration's refusal to give Dean a job: 'Those with firsthand knowledge of the transition process said that Emanuel, an infamous score settler, made his intentions regarding Dean perfectly clear. 'There was never any intention to hire Dean, and in fact there was a great deal of satisfaction at dissing him,' said a senior member of the transition team. 'The orders were coming down from Rahm that Dean was not to be considered for anything [high-ranking] and he didn't want anything to do with him.'"

This week's election was part of the payoff and one reason why those looking for an alternative to Obama in 2012 might want to take another look at Howard Dean.

And I'm not the only one thinking this way. Earlier this year, Kenneth Vogel wrote in Politico:

|||| After four relatively low-profile years pushing the official party line as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Dean is once again the tribune of frustrated liberals. And after he called out President Barack Obama and his congressional allies over their concessions on health care, those close to him predict he's just getting warmed up.

Dean's health care stand has infuriated party leaders, who have alternately tried to marginalize him and to bring him on board. Yet at the same time, his provocative approach has re-energized the political group he founded and thrilled legions of progressive activists, many of whom were drawn to politics by Dean's insurgent 2004 presidential campaign, then deflated when he didn't land an Obama Cabinet post.

They have grown increasingly disenchanted with Obama's presidency and are urging Dean to keep up the drumbeat as the health care debate heads to conference this month; to push Obama to stand more firmly with liberals on other issues; and, if the administration continues to disappoint, to consider challenging Obama in the 2012 Democratic primaries (a far-fetched scenario for which one liberal blogger recently posited Dean was "perfectly positioned") or - if nothing else - to seek the party's presidential nomination in 2016, when Obama could be finishing his second term.||||

This isn’t an endorsement, just encouragement to start thinking along these lines. Certainly Dean would be a better alternative than Hillary Clinton who carries more seamy baggage than a 19th century mule train. Add to Dean a popular Democrat like Brian Schweitzer of Montana as vice presidential nominee and you’d have a team that could make the Republicans look like the fake heartland Americans that they are.

In any case, we only have two years, so start thinking

Nearly a third of advanced cancer patients receive more aggressive treasetment than they may want

LA Times - One in three patients with advanced cancer spend their final days in hospitals receiving costly, aggressive treatments they may not want, according to a major national study . . . "We as physicians often make assumptions about what patients and their families want," said Dr. David C. Goodman, the report's lead author. "We are particularly uncomfortable with sharing the news that a cure is unlikely. But what patients really want is for physicians to be honest with them and share the full range of treatment choices."

A little more than half of patients surveyed used hospice care during their last month of life, but researchers found that in some cases referrals came so close to death that it was unlikely to have provided much assistance.

Deficit chips away at America's love for prisons

Governing - The United States today is arguably the most incarcerated society in human history. Some 3.2 percent of the adult population is in the correction system -- either incarcerated or on probation, parole or some other form of supervision, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The cost of operating prisons is one of the fastest growing areas in state budgets. Since 1990, state corrections costs have increased about 7.5 percent a year, according to the National Governors Association. In 1972, state inmate populations were about 175,000. Today, they stand at an astounding 1.4 million.

As the fiscal squeeze intensifies, states have begun looking for ways to trim corrections expenses. The biggest cost driver in a prison is labor. Prison guards are expensive, so any steps that reduce the inmate population can save on personnel costs. Even if you can't close an entire facility, being able to close a cell block can represent significant cost savings.

According to the Pew Center for the States, the state inmate population declined for the first time since 1972, if only by a small amount. But some states saw big drops. Between 2009 to 2010, California, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Texas all saw their prison population drop by more than 1,000 inmates.

One of authors of TSA bill says it's turned into a "big Kabuke dance"

Byron York, DC Examiner - Did you know that the nation's airports are not required to have Transportation Security Administration screeners checking passengers at security checkpoints? The 2001 law creating the TSA gave airports the right to opt out of the TSA program in favor of private screeners after a two-year period. Now, with the TSA engulfed in controversy and hated by millions of weary and sometimes humiliated travelers, Rep. John Mica, the Republican who will soon be chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is reminding airports that they have a choice. . .

Mica, one of the authors of the original TSA bill, has recently written to the heads of more than 150 airports nationwide suggesting they opt out of TSA screening. "When the TSA was established, it was never envisioned that it would become a huge, unwieldy bureaucracy which was soon to grow to 67,000 employees," Mica writes. "As TSA has grown larger, more impersonal, and administratively top-heavy, I believe it is important that airports across the country consider utilizing the opt-out provision provided by law."

In addition to being large, impersonal, and top-heavy, what really worries critics is that the TSA has become dangerously ineffective. Its specialty is what those critics call "security theater" -- that is, a show of what appear to be stringent security measures designed to make passengers feel more secure without providing real security. "That's exactly what it is," says Mica. "It's a big Kabuki dance."

Black DC councilmembers agree with Bill Clinton: you can only be poor for five years

Loose Lips, Washington City Paper - Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander and Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry are sounding like Republicans these days, arguing that government assistance is creating dependency and perpetuating poverty. The pair, who represent the poorest parts of the city, have proposed a bill to limit how long residents can receive welfare cash payments. As the Post's Tim Craig reports, "'For far too long, we have cradled a large part of the population, and our cradling has actually handicapped people," Alexander said. 'Many of our residents view government assistance as a way of life, and in my opinion we are actually hurting our residents instead of helping them.' As part of the welfare reform act signed into law by former president Bill Clinton in 1996, the federal government placed a five-year lifetime limit on participation in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. But states are allowed to keep recipients on the rolls longer than five years if they use local funds.

The District, long known for its generosity in providing and protecting social services for the poor, has embraced a limitless policy, costing D.C. taxpayers about $35 million a year. But Barry and Alexander, both of whom represent neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, say too many District residents now rely on their monthly check from the government. About 40 percent of the city's 17,000 families on TANF have been getting benefits for more than five years. They receive an average of $370 a month. 'We have to break the cycle,' Barry said.

Clickers in the classroom

NY Times - Every student in Mr. White’s class has been assigned a palm-size, wireless device that looks like a TV remote but has a far less entertaining purpose. With their clickers in hand, the students in Mr. White’s class automatically clock in as “present” as they walk into class.

They then use the numbered buttons on the devices to answer multiple-choice quizzes that count for nearly 20 percent of their grade, and that always begin precisely one minute into class. Later, with a click, they can signal to their teacher without raising a hand that they are confused by the day’s lesson.

But the greatest impact of such devices ¬ which more than a half-million students are using this fall on several thousand college campuses ¬ may be cultural: they have altered, perhaps irrevocably, the nap schedules of anyone who might have hoped to catch a few winks in the back row, and made it harder for them to respond to text messages, e-mail and other distractions. In Professor White’s 90-minute class, as in similar classes at Harvard, the University of Arizona and Vanderbilt, barely 15 minutes pass without his asking students to “grab your clickers” to provide feedback

Israeli police threaten TV editor

Richard Silverstein, Tikun Oklam - Israel’s Channel 10 News ran a series on police violence and abuse. It featured incidents between citizens and police officers which escalated into extreme violence. Before it aired the national deputy police commander called the news director, Reudor Benziman, and threatened him and his staff with violence if it wasn’t cancelled. When Benziman declined, the officer bellowed:

"We too can act against you. We know where your studios are and your personal vehicles and we can [lie in] wait for you."

The police also refused to provide any statistics to the station for its report including the number of complaints filed and those found to be justified (presumably this is publicly accessible information required to be made available by the police–which would make the refusal an act of mere petulance). Local police commanders also routinely refuse to allow access to any of the Channel’s reporters.

Lest you doubt the level of violence of which these people are capable, listen to the police “explanation” of its behavior:

"Israeli police officers receive the unconditional backing of the national command for the full-fledged use of force as permitted by law. In a nation that functions properly, the law-abiding citizenry stands beside its police and not against them."

Climate change could lead to colder winters in the north

Reuters - Climate change could lead to colder winters in northern regions, according to a study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on Tuesday. Vladimir Petoukhov, lead author of the study, said a shrinking of sea ice in the eastern Arctic causes some regional warming of lower air levels and may lead to anomalies in atmospheric airstreams, triggering an overall cooling of the northern continents.

Great moments in law enforcement

Portland Phoenix, ME - Arrested in Cumberland County without a big wad of cash on you? If you're going to bail yourself out, prepare to pay through the nose. There are two ATMs at the Cumberland County Jail. One, in an area accessible to the visiting public, charges $2 per transaction. The one behind bars, available only to people who have been arrested ¬ who are nevertheless innocent until proven guilty ¬ costs a whopping $10 per withdrawal. Despite the ATM receipt saying "Terminal Fee Amount Paid To: Cumberland County Jail," the $10 really goes to the Portland Police Federal Credit Union.

Too tough for PBS

Alternet - PBS didn't air the full acceptance speech Tina Fey gave in its Sunday night broadcast of the Mark Twain Prize for American humor. Here's the graf that PBS cut: "And, you know, politics aside, the success of Sarah Palin and women like her is good for all women - except, of course --those who will end up, you know, like, paying for their own rape 'kit 'n' stuff,.But for everybody else, it's a win-win. Unless you're a gay woman who wants to marry your partner of 20 years - whatever. But for most women, the success of conservative women is good for all of us. Unless you believe in evolution. You know - actually, I take it back. The whole thing's a disaster.

Afghanistan, oops

Cancel the talk about a pull out. Anti-War reports US Special Ambassador Richard Holbrooke has taken back his announcement, in front of a number of reports, that the withdrawal from Afghanistan would begin in July and that the war would be over by 2014. Holbrooke now insists that there is absolutely no “exit strategy” for the nearly decade long Afghan War and insisting that 2014 would not be the end of the international occupation of Afghanistan.

And says NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, “I consider if of the utmost importance to continue our military operations."

The earlier story:

The New York Times reports that a "phased four-year plan to wind down American and allied fighting in Afghanistan by 2014 will be presented at a NATO summit meeting in Lisbon later this week. . . But if this is true why are we spending $511 million on an embassy that that our ambassdor calls "the largest... in the world with more than 1,100 brave and dedicated civilians... from 16 agencies and working next to their military counterparts in 30 provinces?”

AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR ATTACKS ISRAEL'S TREATMENT OF PALESTINE

Herald, Scotland - One of the last remaining Auschwitz survivors has launched a blistering attack on Israel over its occupation of Palestine as he began a lecture tour of Scotland. Dr Hajo Meyer, 86, who survived 10 months in the Nazi death camp, spoke out as his 10-day tour of the UK and Ireland . . His comments sparked a furious reaction from hardline Jewish lobby groups, with Dr Meyer branded an “anti-Semite” and accused of abusing his position as a Holocaust survivor.

Speaking as his tour got under way, Dr Meyer said there were parallels between the treatment of Jews by Germans in the Second World War and the current treatment of Palestinians by Israelis.

He said: “The Israelis tried to dehumanize the Palestinians, just like the Nazis tried to dehumanize me. Nobody should dehumanise any other and those who try to dehumanize another are not human.

“It may be that Israel is not the most cruel country in the world . . . but one thing I know for sure is that Israel is the world champion in pretending to be civilised and cultured.”

WANT TO HELP TERRORISTS BECOME PEACEMAKERS? IT’S A CRIME TO TRY.

Richard Rubenstein - In June of this year, the Obama administration teamed up with U.S. Supreme Court conservatives to prevent organizations like the Carter Center, the International Crisis Group, and ICAR from training groups labeled “terrorist” to use the methods of peaceful advocacy and nonviolent conflict resolution.

The case, called Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, grew out of activities by several organizations to assist members of the Kurdish PKK and the Sri Lankan LTTE to learn and use the methods of dispute resolution, international law, and public advocacy. Both groups are listed as terrorist by the Secretary of State, along with Hezbollah, Hamas, al Shabaab, and several dozen others. The issue was whether a section of the Homeland Security Act making it illegal to provide “material support” to such groups in the form of “training, expert advice, personnel, and services” was an unconstitutionally vague and improper limitation on the peace advocates’ freedom of speech and association, or whether it was a justifiable exercise of Congress’s power to pursue the “war on terrorism.”. . .

BOOKSHELF: KEITH RICHARDS' 'LIFE'

Lou Bayard, Washington Post - Still teenagers, Mick and Keith were soon recruiting other musicians to their cause -- a guitarist named Brian Jones, a drummer named Charlie Watts -- and spending every hour of every day listening to American blues players, trying to divine the music's secret language. They borrowed their band's name from a Muddy Waters tune, nabbed their first regular gig at a joint called the Crawdaddy Club, and within six weeks they were famous. Take that, Lennon and McCartney! Small wonder that the Stones were marketed from the very start as "the anti-Beatles," the boys you must never let your daughters marry (and who will, on occasion, resemble your daughters). . .

Infamy like this doesn't seem to have bothered Richards too much. And if he's less enthused by fame, he's never shied away from its perks. As a pop star, everything was vouchsafed to him: other people's clothes; other people's women; a battery of lawyers to bail him out every time he was arrested; a posse of enablers, leaving him free to do what he did best, which was to make music and get high. . . Even by rock standards, his consumption levels were Olympian. For a decade, he topped a magazine's list of "rock stars most likely to die." And yet here he is, defiantly alive, and defiant in every other respect, too, his language just as politically incorrect, his judgments every bit as summary. . .

PORTLAND, MAINE, VOTES FOR INSTANT RUNOFF

Portland, Maine, has voted for instant runoff voting, which seems to be more than the Portland Press Herald can handle. The paper described the system - in which people have to rank their choices, as in 1, 2, 3 – as “complex and controversial.” Hope somebody can it explain it to them.

NEW VERMONT GOVERNOR SUPPORTS INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING

Ballot Access - Peter Shumlin will be the next Governor of Vermont. See this story. While he was a state legislator, he was a co-sponsor of the bill to establish Instant Runoff Voting for congressional races (S.108 in 2007), a bill that passed, but which was vetoed by then-Governor Jim Douglas. The new Vermont Secretary of State has also been a supporter of IRV.

NO BLACKS NEW SENATE

CNN - Despite record election achievements by African-Americans in the House, the United States Senate will not have an African-American in its ranks. all three black Senate candidates, Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Alvin Greene (D-SC) and Mike Thurmond (D-GA) are projected to lose tonight. The only incumbent black senator, Roland Burris (D-IL), is retiring.

Only six black senators have served: three Republicans and three Democrats, including the future President Barack Obama (D-IL).

There have been 118 voting members of Congress who are African-American.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR FEINGOLD?

Political Wire: William Kristol: "Russ Feingold, now freed of his Senate responsibilities, is liberated to consider a Gene McCarthy-like run against the president in the 2012 primaries on an end-the-war platform -- pre-empting Howard Dean, who is undoubtedly also considering such an effort."

Interestingly, Ben Smith notes that at the conclusion of Feingold's concession speech, he says, "It's on to our next adventure. It's on to 2012! Forward!"

STUPID COUNTY PROSECUTOR TRICKS

Detroit News - Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is pushing for a law that calls for jail time for parents who skip parent-teacher conferences, a plan some call inspired and others consider the nanny state run amok.

Her plan would require parents to attend at least one conference per year or face three days in jail. . . Daniel Lessard, a Livonia Public Schools board member, called the plan "the dumbest idea I've ever heard in my life. If the law forces parents to go, what will it do other than fill up a room with parents who don't want to be there?"

However. .

Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan is a trap for all parties involved and France will discuss how to draw down its troop presence at a NATO summit this week, the newly-appointed defence minister said

Cancel the talk about a pull out. Anti-War reports US Special Ambassador Richard Holbrooke has taken back his announcement, in front of a number of reports, that the withdrawal from Afghanistan would begin in July and that the war would be over by 2014. Holbrooke now insists that there is absolutely no “exit strategy” for the nearly decade long Afghan War and insisting that 2014 would not be the end of the international occupation of Afghanistan.

And says NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, “I consider if of the utmost importance to continue our military operations."

The earlier story:

The New York Times reports that a "phased four-year plan to wind down American and allied fighting in Afghanistan by 2014 will be presented at a NATO summit meeting in Lisbon later this week. . . But if this is true why are we spending $511 million on an embassy that that our ambassdor calls "the largest... in the world with more than 1,100 brave and dedicated civilians... from 16 agencies and working next to their military counterparts in 30 provinces?”

Ecology

None flew over the cuckoo's nest: A world without birds

Orwellandia

Scotland Yard has forced the closure of an anti-police blog which was being used to disseminate advice to protesters pictured at the student fees demonstration….The move appears to have taken place after a blog posted on the website gave guidance to students who feared they might be arrested for their involvement in the occupation of the Millbank office complex, which houses the Tory party headquarters. - Guardian

More than 70 websites today published guidance to student protesters about avoiding arrest, in defiance of a police ruling that doing so was unlawful.

Health

Nearly a third of advanced cancer patients receive more aggressive treasetment than they may want

Garlic may be useful for hypertension

Law enforcement

Arrested in Cumberland County without a big wad of cash on you? If you're going to bail yourself out, prepare to pay through the nose. There are two ATMs at the Cumberland County Jail. One, in an area accessible to the visiting public, charges $2 per transaction. The one behind bars, available only to people who have been arrested ¬ who are nevertheless innocent until proven guilty ¬ costs a whopping $10 per withdrawal. Despite the ATM receipt saying "Terminal Fee Amount Paid To: Cumberland County Jail," the $10 really goes to the Portland Police Federal Credit Union. - Portland Phoenix, ME

Climate change

Climate change could lead to colder winters in northern regions, according to a study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research reported by Reuters. Vladimir Petoukhov, lead author of the study, said a shrinking of sea ice in the eastern Arctic causes some regional warming of lower air levels and may lead to anomalies in atmospheric airstreams, triggering an overall cooling of the northern continents.

Homeland insecurities

Taiwanese new video explains the TSA furor.

There is broad political opposition to the false choice between strip search and sexual assault. Full body scanners are notably opposed by Ralph Nader and Matt Drudge, Green, Libertarians, and the Constitution Party.

Tweet from Clarko: Do you have any idea how much I usually have to pay people to look at me naked and touch my testicles? This TSA thing is a bargain.

Media

PBS didn't air the full acceptance speech Tina Fey gave in its Sunday night broadcast of the Mark Twain Prize for American humor. Here's the graf that PBS cut: "And, you know, politics aside, the success of Sarah Palin and women like her is good for all women - except, of course --those who will end up, you know, like, paying for their own rape 'kit 'n' stuff,.But for everybody else, it's a win-win. Unless you're a gay woman who wants to marry your partner of 20 years - whatever. But for most women, the success of conservative women is good for all of us. Unless you believe in evolution. You know - actually, I take it back. The whole thing's a disaster.

Films

New films take on the myths of "Waiting for Superman"

The Social Network: Facebook is the most overrated thing about the Internet, but this movie tells the story of its murky origins with enough appeal complexity so none of the subjects should feel compelled to sue again.

Unanswered questions

Why does TSA assume that terrorists overwhelmingly prefer flying in planes to going to shoppng malls, riding subway, or attending football games?

Politics

Two of the three candidates running for the sewer district board in Freeport, Maine, headquarters of the Review, promised transparency. That would seem like the last thing one would want in a sewer.

ENDS

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