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June 30, 2009

Conservative Math

Item: With respect to the Sotomayor-assisted minority opinion on the now-famous Ricci v. DiStefano case, The Talented Mr. Limbaugh said:

And this is why brilliant legal analysts are saying this decision, when you get right down to it, is actually nine-zip, not 5 to 4, when you look at some of the things that Ginsburg wrote about the mistakes here in not even hearing the case, not even taking the constitutional questions.

We can render it thus:

(5-to-4 decision)+(the minority report thru a lens Conservatively) = (A 9-0 decision) x (Sotomayor is a racist)

It's no wonder the USA hasn't been to the moon since the 1970s.

Posted by The Chinuk at 04:29 PM |

Let The Al Franken Decade Begin

Reported variously: With the unanimous decision of the MN Supremes, Norm "It's Over When I Say It's Over" Coleman finally concedes the Minnesota US Senate race.

Being able to say the words "Senator Al Franken of Minnesota" has been tempered somewhat because of bitter, angry Republicans who hate us who made it stall for eight months.

But when you've won, you've won. Republicans ought to know that as well as anyone.

Posted by The Chinuk at 01:37 PM |

June 29, 2009

Side jaunt: flavored butters for Salmon

Time for a couple more recipes. This time they are both flavored butters, which are an elegant and very tasty way to take something simple like Salmon or Chicken or a steak to a whole 'nother level. I made both of these specifically for Salmon, although they would be great on any other type of fish too.

With a slight tweaking to make a larger quantity, I found this on a local Portland food blog called Je Mange la Ville, which translates roughly into "I eat the city." But the original inspiration that sent me hunting for the recipe is the amazing Salmon with Hazelnut-Lime Butter that I ate at the Reedville Cafe.

Hazelnut-Lime Butter
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chopped roasted Hazelnuts
1/2 cup chopped Parsley
1/8 cup chopped Cilantro
3 tsp minced Garlic
3 tbsp Lime juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

This would be divine on a wide variety of things, up to and including toast. It's very, very tasty!

And here's what I ended up with after dividing the roasted Hazelnuts and butter in half for a side jaunt into experimental territory. It was guided in rough terms by a nearly identical experiment several years ago with a friend except then it was blueberries and this time I went with Huckleberry jam.

Huckleberry-Hazelnut Butter
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chopped roasted Hazelnuts
1/2 cup chopped Parsley
2 1/2 tbsp Huckleberry Jam
1 tbsp Lime juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

On Salmon this one is absolutely to die for. It was easily my favorite of the two on Salmon. Because of the Huckleberries I suspect that it would not be as versatile as the other one. But that's just a hunch which I intend to put to the test.

Lastly a word about roasting Hazelnuts. I personally like to roast them on the slightly dark side. It produces a very coffee-like background taste which is amazingly addictive. If you've never roasted Hazelnuts before I would suggest experimenting by pulling a few out and eating them, noting how long they'd been in the oven until you find what pleases you the most. What I did was set the oven at 300 degrees and roasted them on a cookie sheet for half an hour.

Posted by Kevin at 06:39 PM |

June 25, 2009

Congressional Uniforms

Members of Congress should be required to wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers do.
That way it would be a lot easier for us to see who their corporate sponsors are.

Posted by Mac at 05:49 PM |

JTA Special Report: Jewish Extremists

Muslim gravestone defaced by Jewish extremists.

With the Netanyahu administration under new pressure from Washington to clamp down on settlement growth, JTA's Dina Kraft takes an in-depth look at the small minority within the settler movement that is poised to thwart any agreement on West Bank evacuations. Determined to hold onto their land at any cost - including violence against Israel - these radicals are likely to represent the next flash points in the conflict over the West Bank.

Some Jewish settlers turning against Israel
Confident they are following the word of God, a small but vocal and increasingly violent minority within the Jewish settler movement has become the face of radical Jewish nationalism in Israel. Read more »

The view from a West Bank hilltop
JTA visits Havat Gilad, an illegal Jewish settlement outpost in the West Bank slated for evacuation. Residents there say they have no intention of leaving, and they'll fight if necessary. Read more »

Israel wrestles with settler challenge
Bringing radical Jewish settlers under control and enforcing evacuation orders for illegal West Bank outposts has proved a conundrum for successive Israeli governments. Will the new Israeli government be any different? Read more »

Posted by Kevin at 08:29 AM |

June 24, 2009

You Want Class War?

It's like I've said 'til I'm blue in the mouth: If you're getting all hot and bothered and offended about someone talking about the rich paying more taxes and you moan about "class warfare", you have no conception that there not only has been a great deal of it, but that' you're on the losing end of it, you chump.

Via BlueO: Steve Novick takes an AOI stooge to school on the (ahem) second-lowest business tax rate in the nation, and State Rep. Brian Clem (D-South and East Salem) makes and eloquent case:

The wealthy are indeed drinking your milkshake (chances are, if you're reading this, you aren't wealthy). Whether they mean to or not, they can't keep doing that.

You may as well build your fireplace by knocking bricks out of your foundation.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:42 PM |

They're Turning On Their Own With Amazing Speed

FOX News (just a vowel movement away from the truth) made SC Gov Mark Sanford a Democrat … but just for a little while.

That'll learn him.

Turns out outsourcing isn't the ideal solution for everything, I'm guessing.

And Today in Type 2 Diabetes: via The State, Mark Sanford's love letters. Quite a romantic, him. Here's a sample:

Two, mutual feelings .... You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night’s light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details ...

Yeah, don't want to go into sexual details. 'Cos everyone knows Republicans have no sex.

You can read the rest but make sure you load up on insulin and have your barf bag handy.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:33 PM |

ZOMG Sanford!

I love the Republicans, really. They are just so full of big-league win.

When the chief executive of one of the fifty freakin' states of the US of A simply vanishes for a few days, nobody hears about it until he turns up with a BS excuse.

Then, in one of the few truly shining moments in American investigative journalism, he turns up coming into Atlanta's Hartfield International Airport … in a futile attempt to evade his hometown media … from Argentina. From where he was conducting a torrid affair, in the torrid zone.

Wow.

I've got to say before I go any farther that my hero for the week is South Carolina's largest pape and the capital city's own The State, which by either getting a good tip, dogged investigation, or just being freaking awesome, managed to meet Gov. Sanford at the Atlanta 'port, which is where he tried to sneak back into the US, reasoning incorrectly that nobody would think he would do that.

More bad Republican judgment.

But seriously, I know it's been asked so many times that it's become trite, but can we please stop treating the Republican party as though they have any credibility on matters of family values and morality? Like tenpins these creeps keep coming up in flagrante screwing around on their wives and deserting their children, but our media keeps accepting them as the sanctimonious authority on moral behavior with a completely straight face.

Now, I don't actually hold politicians any more pure or saintly than myself. But I'm beginning to be a whole less naive about the fact that someone who would lead a life contrary to the statements they make doesn't also extend their bad judgment into other areas.

And it doesn't really have to concern sex. That's just the transgression we usually see. The tip ('scuse) of the iceberg. Republican after Republican after Republican. Ensign, then Sanford. And while Sanford has resigned from the Republican Governors Association, he's not resigning from the SC Gubnership, which is what he'd do if he paid more than lip service to moral principles.

Are you paying attention, America? Yet?

Posted by The Chinuk at 11:52 AM |

"Would they be allowed in the US?"

Juan Cole notes the proverbial elephant in the living room - Washington and the Iran Protests:
Would they be Allowed in the US?

Moreover, very unfortunately, US politicians are no longer in a position to lecture other countries about their human rights. The kind of unlicensed, city-wide demonstrations being held in Tehran last week would not be allowed to be held in the United States. Senator John McCain led the charge against Obama for not having sufficiently intervened in Iran. At the Republican National Committee convention in St. Paul, 250 protesters were arrested shortly before John McCain took the podium. Most were innocent activists and even journalists. Amy Goodman and her staff were assaulted. In New York in 2004, 'protest zones' were assigned, and 1800 protesters were arrested, who have now been awarded civil damages by the courts. Spontaneous, city-wide demonstrations outside designated 'protest zones' would be illegal in New York City, apparently. In fact, the Republican National Committee has undertaken to pay for the cost of any lawsuits by wronged protesters, which many observers fear will make the police more aggressive, since they will know that their municipal authorities will not have to pay for civil damages.

The number of demonstrators arrested in Tehran on Saturday is estimated at 550 or so, which is less than those arrested by the NYPD for protesting Bush policies in 2004.

It is the height of glib irony that American theoconservatives have been publically questioning President Obama's response to the crackdown by Iranian theoconservatives. And as usual, their rhetoric is nothing more than a smokescreen... the practiced ploy by skilled con artists to focus your attention on the left hand so that you don't notice what the right hand is doing and has done and will do again if given the opportunity.

Posted by Kevin at 08:51 AM |

June 23, 2009

BREAKING: City Council Punts the Chavez-39th Decision

This just tweeted by KGW's Burton Scott: It's been decided there will be no Vote on renaming Thirty-Ninth Avenue tonight. This session is testimony only.

Keep staying tuned. It'll be there when we get there.

Posted by The Chinuk at 06:55 PM |

City Hall Now The Hot Place To Be

Major news outlets report that the City Council session concerning renaming Thirty-Ninth Avenue to Cesar Chavez Boulvard is so packed that they had to open a 2nd room in the Portland Building (next block north on SW 4th Avenue) just to handle the overflow.

Newsers say they'll be dicing this one out for a while, so stay tuned.

Posted by The Chinuk at 06:46 PM |

Carrotmobbing Hot Lips Pizza

They say it pays to do the right thing.

Ever wonder how much?

About three times your usual daily sales, as Hot Lips Pizza (the recipient of PDX's first known Carrotmobbing – the opposite of a boycott (which we can call Stickmobbing)) found out – and as reported by LoadedO.

Posted by The Chinuk at 02:43 PM |

Just remember that...

... when the insurance industry lobbyists warn that the existing system (their system) would keep costs lower than a government alternative what they're really concerned about is their own profits.

Posted by Kevin at 09:47 AM |

Now You See The Cesar Chavez Blvd Renaming Committee … Now You Don't

Today In Things That Make You Go "Hmmmm": Blogolitical Sean notes some strange doin's with the Cesar Chavez Blvd (Whether You Want It Or Not) Committee:

In a stunning new development, only hours before the long-anticipated hearing before Portland City Council on the question of renaming 39th Avenue, the entire membership of the Chavez Boulevard Renaming Committee has vanished, apparently leaving only its two co-chairs to soldier forward.

All photographs that might identify the Committee membership suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the Committee’s website, leaving only speculation as to who the brave souls were who once demanded that the City rename Interstate Boulevard.

The Chavez Committee has never posted the names of its membership, and has held no public meetings, so these photographs were all that gave a clue as to who its members might be during the whole of the past two years.

Read the whole thing. If it doesn't leave you scratching your head over the whole deal I don't really think you've been paying attention.

Myself, I find it at least semi-amusing that the committee that's so passionate about telling people along Thirty-Ninth Avenue that they could be getting a new street name (whether they want it or not) can't be bothered to update a website that's lain absolutely fallow since just after last November's elections. Check it out. On the page which lists City Council members to whom one might write to show support, Mayor Tom Potter is still listed as … well, Mayor.

I told y'alls this would end in tears.

Posted by The Chinuk at 05:53 AM |

Our Man Sam

In the Oregonian story on why AG Kroger isn't indicting Mayor Sam, one quote that Sam said stood out:

I'm pleased that they found no legal wrongdoing. Terrible judgment. Bad judgment. No question about it. But no legal wrongdoing.

Yes. No legal wrongdoing. But bad judgement. Bad, bad, bad judgement.

The mistake would be to think that the bad judgement ended with that. I don't think I really have to list the unrelenting parade of City Hall follies that have only served to illustrate that Sam Adams really didn't have the temprament and judgement to be an effective Mayor – or, to be charitable, if he did, he lost it soon after finally grabbing the brass ring.

Before winning the Mayoral seat, Sam advocated moving the old Sauvie Island bridge structure into NW Portland to serve as a pedestrian and bicycle overpass to I-405 at NW Flanders Street. At the time, it seemed quixotic, but a bold, foolishly courageous stroke – something that would at least even further burnish his credentials with the bike crowd while showing that he had a daring vision that, unlike his mentor, Vera Katz, would produce projects that might actually occur (capping I-405, anyone remember that bowser of an idea?).

But Sam's McBreedlovin', as it does, tends to make the scales fall away from an awful lot of eyes as dots demand to be connected. I will admit this much; before Sam's election as Mayor (and that day we found out everything) I was a Sam fan. I connected with his story about how he came up from modest means to a position of power and a lot of community good will, and how he struggled with travail in his personal life to keep his eye on the ball.

Now foolish plans floated in the before-time seem like just another link in a chain of bad judgment that just hadn't hit its acme yet.

I didn't think he was a perfect visionary, but who is? He was much better than the alternative (Sho was a nice fellow, but he had much less vision. It always seemed as if he was taking a shot at it just to see if he could hit). I still can't picture Sho Dozono making a very good Mayor, even though he's doubtlessly a very nice fellow who wants nothing by the best for Portland.

When Sam admitted what he did, he killed trust for an awful lot of us. I know I do show naivete in an awful lot of my opinions, but it seems to me that it's a truth that for politics to work best cynicism has to remain at a minimum. When Sam proved that he would lie to keep his political skin on and allow a whole bunch of people to defend the honor he didn't actually have, trust got pretty brutally murdered.

Some of us (well, okay, some of "me") are still working through that.

So, Sam's out of legal trouble. Granted.

But he's not out of trouble. His career in politics might still be on it's last pins.

A polity that has little faith in him will probably see to that, even if the recall movement allows bottom-drawer neocon talk hosts, santcimonious self-appointed ministers, and opportunistic mayoral hopefuls clamber on board.

Posted by The Chinuk at 01:50 AM |

The Mountain Might Get Beau, But The Law Never Will

As the Portland community (and the Portland noosphere) digest and begin to decide what AG Kroger's conclusion that there is no case in L'affaire Adams means to them, myself – as many – are finding it intriguing that the whole linchpin of the case, as the AG sees it, is Breedlove. The Oregonian:

"Because we did not have a prima facie criminal case under any of the theories we investigated, the report makes no assessment of Mr. Adams' credibility," Kroger said.

But the attorney general's report leans heavily on the lack of veracity of Breedlove, whom the report painted as an unreliable, publicity-hungry witness whom jurors would probably not believe.

"The critical witness here was Mr. Breedlove," Kroger said. "Mr. Breedlove has said contradictory things on different occasions about what took place. Given that fact, there's simply no basis to go forward with a criminal charge."

IANAL, as the Internetism goes, but we do know enough about the law and politics to understand that Kroger doubtlessly did not have any reason to go forward unless they had a strong case. A slam-dunk would have been ideal. And I'm guessing that Beau Breedlove was to weak a peg to hang the hat of this case on. Perhaps if that element had been stronger, then they'd go on to Mayor Sam, because the opportunity of Beau supported the motive of Sam.

But, apparently they weren't able to come up with anything outside of Beau's testimony that Sam had taken liberties with him when he was 17 years old. That is, of course, a thing. But someone with an air of a certain other thing invites suspicion based on that thing, or to be a bit more succinct, keeping up appearances matters:

That lack of evidence left the case hinging on Breedlove's credibility as a witness. Breedlove sought attention and money when his relationship with Adams went public.

In February, he agreed to pose in an erotic photo shoot for Unzipped magazine. Breedlove told investigators that he was paid for the work but he declined to say how much. Breedlove's 2006 felony conviction for stealing $755.12 worth of clothes from a Honolulu Macy's also raised questions about his honesty.

Moral turpitude is a bitch. Regardless of what anyone thinks about Beau, the eagerness with which he embraced his new marketablilty made his image so tainted that the AG knew that this was a dog that could not be made to hunt in court.

Because no matter what damnation the proceedings would have been able to hang on Mayor Sam, the finger of "Yeah? Well, look who's talking!" would have always pointed at Beau.

And, ironically, it is not illegal to lie to a criminal investigator in Oregon. Who knew that?

Posted by The Chinuk at 01:31 AM |

June 22, 2009

Supreme Court rules against Forest Grove school district

The O has the details. The gist of it is that a 6/3 majority ruled that the school district has to pay for the private school tuition of a Forest Grove kid who was eventually diagnosed with ADHD. Others will parse the grounds and circumstances and I see no compelling reason to rehash it here even though it is far from uncontroversial. I'd rather look at something else.

The tuition for this private school was $5,200 per month.

Now, conservatives argue that the official cost per pupil numbers given out by school districts and the state don't reflect all of the costs. The most recent official numbers apparently date to the 2003-04 school year. At that time CPI estimated the per pupil cost at $10,260... per year. But since that's the same school year that this Forest Grove kid's parents placed him in the private school those numbers are exactly what we want here. The CPI's allegedly more accurate per pupil cost figure breaks down to a per pupil, per month cost of $1,140. That's $4,060 LESS per month than this FG kid's private school tuition was. His monthly tuition would have covered the costs - the REAL costs according to CPI - of 4 public school students and still have over half the costs of a 5th student left over.

Here's the point of this exercise: Everyone is talking about the legal obligation of school districts to pay for appropriate education for special needs kids, and I'm not arguing against that at all. What I am pointing out is that regardless of what various courts rule that the districts have to pay out... the pool from which those funds are paid out is volatile and fluctuates over time, depending on any number of factors but usually depending on politics. A mixture of property taxes and state and federal funds constitute the funding source for Oregon school districts. And each of those sources is volatile.

So, it seems to me that this case and ruling beg two questions:

1. Should there be some sort of "means testing" for the district's capacity to pay for godawefully expensive private schooling so that other students aren't deprived of THEIR legal right to a decent education in the rush to guarantee another student a decent education?

2. Should school's funding be as legally binding as their financial obligations?

Posted by Kevin at 02:40 PM |

BREAKING NEWS: AG Kroger Says No Charges Against Mayor Sam Adams

Matt Davis @ the Portland Mercury:

At first reading, Adams appears to have been cleared of all criminal charges, looks like there are credibility problems with Breedlove.

Go here to read all about it. Click this link to download the report (thanks, PMerc!)

Posted by The Chinuk at 09:57 AM |

June 19, 2009

More Proof That Civilization Is Done

There's going to be a Very Special Episode™ of Jon and Kate Plus 8 about whatever the hell it is they're supposed to be doing … and it's actual news.

Put a fork in us, man.

(PS: Yes, I know this has nothing to do with politics or Oregon or anything, but I just wanted to salute civilization as it dies)

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:50 PM |

I've Kind Of Lost Track Of Who's Yanking Who Around Here

So, let me see if I have this straight. I've gotten things wrong before.

After attempting to romance the process, Merritt Paulson's apparently no longer going to try to put the Beavos in Lents Park (maybe he's read some handwriting on some wall somewhere). Mayor Sam has decided to de-link MLS at The Piggy from baseball anywhere in town, but Happy Fun Commissioner Randy has just insisted that Paulson continue to want to put the stadium in Lents or Randy's going to check out of the whole thing.

I get this feeling that everyone's telling each other that they're going to quit the game, take their ball and go home. Trouble is, the game is pelote, and the ball is a rugby ball.

Also, if you aren't a player in the power game, or if you don't agree with the way things are going, you're asked to please step aside, sit down and STFU and let the big boys play this one out. Reading Commissioner Randy's blog entry on the development kind of makes me feel a little odd, if only because of the way Randy apologized for Paulson's apparent manhandling at the hands of the unenlightened hoi-polloi, whom Randy characterizes as being a "mob, on the verge of being out of control".

I doubt things got that bad, but when you want something real real bad and not everyone agrees with you, sometimes it looks that way, yes. The trouble with being a hammer, though, is that every obstacle you encounter looks like a nail.

What kinda stays under my skin about all this is the way Randy and Sam seem hellbent on giving the Beavers and Timbers owner what they think he wants and as quickly as possible. If this process were a vehicle, it'd be a runaway train on which the engineer is saying, no, everything's running fine, thanks, and those passengers who are complaining about the speed are just a big bunch of crybabies.

It should be obvious that I don't agree with that. But, as skeptical as I am, I will give Paulson credit for this, as he said in his letter to Council:

Now, with the September 1 deadline to secure a funding plan to ready PGE Park for Major League Soccer fast approaching, it is critical that we reach an agreement to fund PGE Park improvements or risk losing the unique opportunity to bring MLS to Portland altogether. For this reason, and a lack of community support for a new Triple-A stadium in Lents, I am withdrawing our proposal for a Lents baseball stadium. I am grateful for the time and serious consideration the neighborhood leaders, city staff, elected officials and Lents residents have given this proposal the past few months, but it is now clear that the community-at-large has not embraced this idea.

Which is entirely gracious and reasonable and tells it like it is and makes me wonder what Sam and Randy are panicking about. I will admit that maybe I've been a little unfair to Merritt Paulson, but I'll bet he's a big enough guy that he can handle it.

The people really aren't that thrilled with the idea. Sounds like he's willing to try something else.

But, as I said, I could be wrong.

I am, after all, a member of the hoi-polloi. As far as our City Council is concerned, I tend to get a lot wrong.

As Randy has pointed out, the natives can be quite revolting.

Posted by The Chinuk at 06:39 PM |

June 16, 2009

Round Up the Wing Nuts for Our Safety?

I’m feeling a bit unsettled about the comfort people seem to have developed with the idea that some people have a right to determine what sort of thoughts and beliefs are appropriate for other people to have. A couple of incidents over the last few days have me concerned:

Example 1: Megan Fox said she would try to bargain with Megatron to save the world, saying, “instead of the entire planet, can you just take out all of the white trash, hillbilly, anti-gay, super bible-beating people in Middle America?"

Example 2: Bonnie Erbe of the Thomas Jefferson Street blog, thinks it is time to ban hate speech and “round up hate-promoters now, before any more Holocaust Museum attacks.”

Obviously, whether right or left, hate breeds more hate, and sooner or later, if you hate loudly enough and long enough, some idiot will feel that he or she has been called by God to do something about it. But we need to ask ourselves whether we want an America in which we can be rounded up for having an unpopular opinion, even if we have not acted upon it.

Posted by Becky at 12:34 PM |

Those Wascally, Wacist Wepublicans

They just can't seem to help themselves. After all, they are "the party of 'no'" and that apparently goes double for anyone who doesn't have really pale skin. Well, except for utterly transparent PR stunts like RNC frontman Michael Steel of course.

But I do respect the fact that Ms. Goforth (is that Evangelical dogma or a surname???) regrets nothing beyond having mistakenly emailed her racist crap to the wrong list. You gotta admire the shameless lack of... well..., shame.

Posted by Kevin at 09:37 AM |

Ayatollah House Cookies

The disputed Iranian elections have given us fodder for thought, if for no other reason that there's somewhere else to suspect fixed elections that doesn't include, for once, either the words "Ohio" or "Florida" in the name.

It is the Revolution (well, at least, some are hoping it's a revolution) that is being Tweeted.

Despite all that (the suppression of which really only proves that the Iranian leadership are as afraid of the people as the Republicans here ever were) I personally (as an amateur global political pundit) see no reason – at least straight away – get excited for a changed Iran (I leave the nature of the change and its desirability as something of an exercise for the reader). The President of Iran, who at this point is Mr. I'mADinnerJacket, is an important person:

… responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties, agreements etc. with other countries and international organizations; the national planning and budget and state employment affairs; appointing ministers, governors, and ambassadors subject to the approval of the parliament.

Unlike many other countries, in Iran the president does not have full control over foreign policy, the armed forces, or the nuclear policy of the Iranian state, which are under the control of the Supreme Leader.

So the people may indeed have their say, but if the Supreme Leader does not concur, it is by no means guaranteed to happen. The Supreme Leader, it will be remembered, is a cleric. Ali Khamenei. The successor to the legedary Ayatollah Khomeini – and we all know how he felt about the USA. For about four hundred and fifty days back in 1978-79, a group of Americans who happened to be in the wrong Embassy at the wrong time got to hear all about it.

In Iran, the Supreme Leader is always a cleric, and always the highest power-political position in the country. Always. And what sort of reputation does the Velāyat-e faqih incumbent have? Well, let's just say if you're a fan of women's rights, public music education, gay rights, the citizenry not being beaten for disenting and freedom of the press, you're not going to be a big fan of Ali Khamenei.

But he, as it turns out, is a fan of Mahmoud I'maADinnerJacket. You are free to draw your own conclusions.

So if you really want a read on where Iran's going, then keep an eye on the clerics. They still run the show; that's not changed at all. If the reformer
Mousavi actually accords himself on his quest to have the election overturned, it still won't have happened unless the clerical caste feel that giving the people what they want would not to be counter to their own best interests.

If you want to know how change is really going to happen in Iran, keep an eye on whoever has an eye on Khamenei. At age 69, and as stubborn as those fellows get, he might have more than a few years left in him.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

Posted by The Chinuk at 01:21 AM |

June 15, 2009

The ongoing American Holocaust

In February of 2008 I wrote about the egregious injustice being done to Native Americans by various levels of our government in violation of legal treaty obligations and by our citizens through glib indifference and/or rank racism.

Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Writer, published an essay covering much of the same ground via the AP wire yesterday. In light of the Fair Use Notice at the very bottom of the front page of this blog, which itself was shamelessly lifted from another site, I'm going to reprint the text of Ms. Jalonick's essay below the fold in an effort to advance understanding of the social justice and human rights issues therein.

CROW AGENCY, Mont. – Ta'Shon Rain Little Light, a happy little girl who loved to dance and dress up in traditional American Indian clothes, had stopped eating and walking. She complained constantly to her mother that her stomach hurt.

When Stephanie Little Light took her daughter to the Indian Health Service clinic in this wind-swept and remote corner of Montana, they told her the 5-year-old was depressed.

Ta'Shon's pain rapidly worsened and she visited the clinic about 10 more times over several months before her lung collapsed and she was airlifted to a children's hospital in Denver. There she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, confirming the suspicions of family members.

A few weeks later, a charity sent the whole family to Disney World so Ta'Shon could see Cinderella's Castle, her biggest dream. She never got to see the castle, though. She died in her hotel bed soon after the family arrived in Florida.

"Maybe it would have been treatable," says her great-aunt, Ada White, as she stoically recounts the last few months of Ta'Shon's short life. Stephanie Little Light cries as she recalls how she once forced her daughter to walk when she was in pain because the doctors told her it was all in the little girl's head.

Ta'Shon's story is not unique in the Indian Health Service system, which serves almost 2 million American Indians in 35 states.

On some reservations, the oft-quoted refrain is "don't get sick after June," when the federal dollars run out. It's a sick joke, and a sad one, because it's sometimes true, especially on the poorest reservations where residents cannot afford health insurance. Officials say they have about half of what they need to operate, and patients know they must be dying or about to lose a limb to get serious care.

Wealthier tribes can supplement the federal health service budget with their own money. But poorer tribes, often those on the most remote reservations, far away from city hospitals, are stuck with grossly substandard care. The agency itself describes a "rationed health care system."

The sad fact is an old fact, too.

The U.S. has an obligation, based on a 1787 agreement between tribes and the government, to provide American Indians with free health care on reservations. But that promise has not been kept. About one-third more is spent per capita on health care for felons in federal prison, according to 2005 data from the health service.

In Washington, a few lawmakers have tried to bring attention to the broken system as Congress attempts to improve health care for millions of other Americans. But tightening budgets and the relatively small size of the American Indian population have worked against them.

"It is heartbreaking to imagine that our leaders in Washington do not care, so I must believe that they do not know," Joe Garcia, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said in his annual state of Indian nations' address in February.

___

When it comes to health and disease in Indian country, the statistics are staggering.

American Indians have an infant death rate that is 40 percent higher than the rate for whites. They are twice as likely to die from diabetes, 60 percent more likely to have a stroke, 30 percent more likely to have high blood pressure and 20 percent more likely to have heart disease.

American Indians have disproportionately high death rates from unintentional injuries and suicide, and a high prevalence of risk factors for obesity, substance abuse, sudden infant death syndrome, teenage pregnancy, liver disease and hepatitis.

While campaigning on Indian reservations, presidential candidate Barack Obama cited this statistic: After Haiti, men on the impoverished Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota have the lowest life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere.

Those on reservations qualify for Medicare and Medicaid coverage. But a report by the Government Accountability Office last year found that many American Indians have not applied for those programs because of lack of access to the sign-up process; they often live far away or lack computers. The report said that some do not sign up because they believe the government already has a duty to provide them with health care.

The office of minority health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Indian Health Service, notes on its Web site that American Indians "frequently contend with issues that prevent them from receiving quality medical care. These issues include cultural barriers, geographic isolation, inadequate sewage disposal and low income."

Indeed, Indian health clinics often are ill-equipped to deal with such high rates of disease, and poor clinics do not have enough money to focus on preventive care. The main problem is a lack of federal money. American Indian programs are not a priority for Congress, which provided the health service with $3.6 billion this budget year.

Officials at the health service say they can't legally comment on specific cases such as Ta'Shon's. But they say they are doing the best they can with the money they have — about 54 cents on the dollar they need.

One of the main problems is that many clinics must "buy" health care from larger medical facilities outside the health service because the clinics are not equipped to handle more serious medical conditions. The money that Congress provides for those contract health care services is rarely sufficient, forcing many clinics to make "life or limb" decisions that leave lower-priority patients out in the cold.

"The picture is much bigger than what the Indian Health Service can do," says Doni Wilder, an official at the agency's headquarters in Rockville, Md., and the former director of the agency's Northwestern region. "Doctors every day in our organization are making decisions about people not getting cataracts removed, gall bladders fixed."

On the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, Indian Health Service staff say they are trying to improve conditions. They point out recent improvements to their clinic, including a new ambulance bay. But in interviews on the reservation, residents were eager to share stories about substandard care.

Rhonda Sandland says she couldn't get help for her advanced frostbite until she threatened to kill herself because of the pain — several months after her first appointment. She says she was exposed to temperatures at more than 50 below, and her hands turned purple. She eventually couldn't dress herself, she says, and she visited the clinic over and over again, sometimes in tears.

"They still wouldn't help with the pain so I just told them that I had a plan," she said. "I was going to sleep in my car in the garage."

She says the clinic then decided to remove five of her fingers, but a visiting doctor from Bismarck, N.D., intervened, giving her drugs instead. She says she eventually lost the tops of her fingers and the top layer of skin.

The same clinic failed to diagnose Victor Brave Thunder with congestive heart failure, giving him Tylenol and cough syrup when he told a doctor he was uncomfortable and had not slept for several days. He eventually went to a hospital in Bismarck, which immediately admitted him. But he had permanent damage to his heart, which he attributed to delays in treatment. Brave Thunder, 54, died in April while waiting for a heart transplant.

"You can talk to anyone on the reservation and they all have a story," says Tracey Castaway, whose sister, Marcella Buckley, said she was in $40,000 of debt because of treatment for stomach cancer.

Buckley says she visited the clinic for four years with stomach pains and was given a variety of diagnoses, including the possibility of a tapeworm and stress-related stomachaches. She was eventually told she had Stage 4 cancer that had spread throughout her body.

Ron His Horse is Thunder, chairman of the Standing Rock tribe, says his remote reservation on the border between North Dakota and South Dakota can't attract or maintain doctors who know what they are doing. Instead, he says, "We get old doctors that no one else wants or new doctors who need to be trained."

His Horse is Thunder often travels to Washington to lobby for more money and attention, but he acknowledges that improvements are tough to come by.

"We are not one congruent voting bloc in any one state or area," he said. "So we don't have the political clout."

___

On another reservation 200 miles north of Standing Rock, Ardel Baker, a member of North Dakota's Three Affiliated Tribes, knows all too well the truth behind the joke about money running out.

Baker went to her local clinic with severe chest pains and was sent by ambulance to a hospital more than an hour away. It wasn't until she got there that she noticed she had a note attached to her, written on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services letterhead.

"Understand that Priority 1 care cannot be paid for at this time due to funding issues," the letter read. "A formal denial letter has been issued."

She lived, but she says she later received a bill for more than $5,000.

"That really epitomizes the conflict that we have," says Robert McSwain, deputy director of the Indian Health Service. "We have to move the patient out, it's an emergency. We need to get them care."

It was too late for Harriet Archambault, according to the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who has told her story more than once in the Senate.

Dorgan says Archambault died in 2007 after her medicine for hypertension ran out and she couldn't get an appointment to refill it at the nearest clinic, 18 miles away. She drove to the clinic five times and failed to get an appointment before she died.

Dorgan's swath of the country is the hardest hit in terms of Indian health care. Many reservations there are poor, isolated, devoid of economic development opportunities and subject to long, harsh winters — making it harder for the health service to recruit doctors to practice there.

While the agency overall has an 18 percent vacancy rate for doctors, that rate jumps to 38 percent for the region that includes the Dakotas. That region also has a 29 percent vacancy rate for dentists, and officials and patients report there is almost no preventive dental care. Routine procedures such as root canals are rarely seen here. If there's a problem with a tooth, it is simply pulled.

Dorgan has led efforts in Congress to bring attention to the issue. After many years of talking to frustrated patients at home in North Dakota, he says he believes the problems are systemic within the embattled agency: incompetent staffers are transferred instead of fired; there are few staff to handle complaints; and, in some cases, he says, there is a culture of intimidation within field offices charged with overseeing individual clinics.

The senator has also probed waste at the agency.

A 2008 GAO report, along with a follow-up report this year, accused the Indian Health Service of losing almost $20 million in equipment, including vehicles, X-ray and ultrasound equipment and numerous laptops. The agency says some of the items were later found.

Dorgan persuaded Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to consider an American Indian health improvement bill last year, and the bill passed in the Senate. It would have directed Congress to provide about $35 billion for health programs over the next 10 years, including better access to health care services, screening and mental health programs. A similar bill died in the House, though, after it became entangled in an abortion dispute.

The growing political clout of some remote reservations may bring some attention to health care woes. Last year's Democratic presidential primary played out in part in the Dakotas and Montana, where both Obama and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first presidential candidates to aggressively campaign on American Indian reservations there. Both politicians promised better health care.

Obama's budget for 2010 includes an increase of $454 million, or about 13 percent, over this year. Also, the stimulus bill he signed this year provided for construction and improvements to clinics.

___

Back in Montana, Ta'Shon's parents are doing what they can to bring awareness to the issue. They have prepared a slideshow with pictures of her brief life; she is seen dressed up in traditional regalia she wore for dance competitions with a bright smile on her face. Family members approached Dorgan at a Senate field hearing on American Indian health care after her death in 2006, hoping to get the little girl's story out.

"She was a gift, so bright and comforting," says Ada White of her niece, whom she calls her granddaughter according to Crow tradition. "I figure she was brought here for a reason."

Nearby, the clinic on the Crow reservation seems mostly empty, aside from the crowded waiting room. The hospital is down several doctors, a shortage that management attributes recruitment difficulties and the remote location.

Diane Wetsit, a clinical coordinator, said she finds it difficult to think about the congressional bailout for Wall Street.

"I have a hard time with that when I walk down the hallway and see what happens here," she says.

___

On the Net:

Indian Health Service: http://www.ihs.gov/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Department's office of minority health: http://tinyurl.com/l9qzuq

National Congress of American Indians' health care issues: http://tinyurl.com/krs986

Senate Indian Affairs Committee: http://indian.senate.gov

GAO reports: http://tinyurl.com/ljq6fb, http://tinyurl.com/n7kdpa

Posted by Kevin at 11:36 AM |

Right-wing extremists in Israel

Posted by Kevin at 10:59 AM |

June 14, 2009

Netanyahu lays out his racist preconditions

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday called for creation of a limited Palestinian state for the first time, saying it would have to be disarmed.

Yeah, 'cause a "disarmed" Palestinian state would be unable to do anything about rampaging Jewish settlers whom Netanyahu's government willfully turns a blind eye towards. Just last week a Jewish settler who shot two Palestinians at close range had all charges against him dropped by Israeli prosecutors despite the fact that the shooting was videotaped. The reason cited? Because the state, which PM Netanyahu is the head of, "said it would not disclose some evidence identified as classified information." Apparently actual videotape footage of a Jew shooting Palestinians isn't strong enough evidence...

"In any peace agreement, the territory under Palestinian control must be disarmed, with solid security guarantees for Israel," he said.

Netanyahu appears to mean that literally. As long as Israel gets "solid security guarantees" then nothing else matters. It'd be Open Season for Settlers.

Netanyahu also said the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state, and he declared that the solution of the Palestinian refugee problem must be "outside Israel."

Thus Netanyahu attempts to create the legal pretext for delegitimizing non-Jewish Israeli citizens. And he's also declaring that it's not enough that Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist. Oh no! Now they have to agree that Israel is explicitly for Jews.

"I call on you, our Palestinian neighbors, and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority: Let us begin peace negotiations immediately, without preconditions," he said.

In other words: No preconditions will be accepted but you have to accept OUR preconditions.

Naturally, jack-booted Zionists and their bigoted syncophants on the American right will interprete anything short of meek acquiescence by Palestinians as evidence that Palestinians are incapable of peace. In fact, my money says that that is exactly what said bigots want to have happen so that they can self-righteously justify their own bigotry to themselves.

Posted by Kevin at 12:38 PM |

June 13, 2009

Iran: It's Like Florida or Ohio, Only More Splodey

Mahmoud I'mADinnerJacket wins the Iranian presidency for a second term; opponent cries j'accuse; Iranian street decidedly unhappy Via the Telegraph:.

Mr Mousavi claimed he had been the victim of "fraud" and "manipulation" after he gained just 33.7 per cent of the vote, compared to Mr Ahmadinejad's 62.6 per cent.

In the run-up to the campaign, polls had put both men neck-and-neck, with some suggesting that Mr Ahmadinejad was in for a shock defeat because of his poor economic performance and aggression to the West.

While there has been no proof of rigging, many Iranians voiced open disbelief that he could have achieved victory by such a wide margin.

Religionists rigging the vote? We can relate. Except for the street riots and burning buildings part, of course.

Posted by The Chinuk at 08:35 PM |

Oregon Media Insiders 2.0

The sudden and untimely death of Lynn Siprelle's beloved Oregon Media Insiders has catalyzed the wired media addicts around here; we have not one, but two new places to congregate and hopefully get that anonymous gossip that was such the attraction of the the original OMI.

One is designed with the functionality of the old OMI (personal blogs and a blog-like interface). Calling itself Oregon Media Insiders (but as Fairy Blogmother Emeritus Lynn points out, is not an official successor to the orginal), it can be found at http://ormediainsiders.com.

The other, Oregon Media Forum, was the first one up in the vacuum following OMI's abrupt ending. Billing itself as "an OMI expat community", it is more of a message-forum board, rather the opposite of bloggy. Its address is http://oregonmedia.freeforums.org/.

We're checking in on both when we can. Each one as a particular atmosphere that might appeal more to one online personality than the other.

OMI left us but on the fertile ground that the seed dropped onto not one but two shoots sprouted. I think we in PDX who obsess about the media market are very lucky indeed.

Posted by The Chinuk at 08:18 PM |

You Mean There IS Such A Thing As Bad Publicity?

Today In When Cousins Marry: To put just the most absurd filip on the appalling incident in which James von Brunn cruelly murdered several at the National Holocaust Museum, we learn that (at least) certain members of the white separatist community had the couth to denounce the practice of murdering people because you have a screw loose.

John De Nugent, a self-described white supremacist (he prefers the term "white nationist" and apparent occasional presidential candidate, remarked (as reported by the WaPo):

“The responsible white separatist community condemns this,” he said. “It makes us look bad.”

Ah. Well, that's all right then. Mr De Nugent, I believe that ...

"Responsible white separatist" ... oh, it makes you cry and die inside.

(Picture sourced here)

Posted by The Chinuk at 09:41 AM |

June 12, 2009

I Just Have One Question

Why is it that when a particular religious-right-icon Governor's daughter gets knocked up out of wedlock and doesn't marry the guy, and then becomes a spokesperson for abstinence, and a talk show host who makes his living poking fun at everyone makes a joke about what could happen if a certain promiscuous sports figure was left alone with said tart's little sister, who was raised in the same morally-deficient household, the person who must apologize for wrongdoing is the guy who is helping us all laugh at the situation?

Posted by Becky at 01:56 PM |

Still On The Cesar Chavez Blvd Fence?

Then consider that 39th Avenue ends on the other side of a fence: the one separating Portland from Milwaukie.

So saith Save39th.com, who hold that since 39th spans both towns and ends in Milwaukie, it is ineligible as a candidate.

This was growing tiresome. It just got fun again!

Posted by The Chinuk at 11:11 AM |

June 11, 2009

Breaking: Rep. Mark Hass Comes To His Senses, HB 3405 Passes

Via Tweet from KGW TV 8, just a few minutes ago:

Sen. Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) changes vote on income tax bill - passes Oregon Senate 18-11

Word from The Oregonian is he agreed to after Sen Tobias Read came up with the idea to divert all such raised tax monies into the state's Rainy Day fund after 2013 ... which seems sensible, but I'll let the pundits pick that one apart.

Both HB 3045 (the corporate minimum) and HB 2469 (the income tax adjustment) are expected to pass.

Posted by The Chinuk at 11:46 AM |

TriMet: Here Comes Another One ...

... round of service cuts, that is.

Sounds like their looking at cutting service on some Frequent Service routes and they're finally getting serious about reducing Fareless Square, which is a big mistake, ya ask me.

Well, that's life in Transit Town, USA.

Posted by The Chinuk at 10:00 AM |

I Heart Huckabees

Mike Huckabee, commenting on what the Republicans need to do to win friends and influence people:

"I hear people who give advice that the Republicans need to moderate. They need to be a little more to the left," Huckabee said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It sounds like advice that Democrats would give to us so that we'd never win another election ever."

Yeah. Just keep follwing that non-Democratic advice to try to appeal to the 'mushy middle'.

You might otherwise recognize that 'mushy middle' as 'a substantial enough slice of the electorate to keep John McCain from being President', and 'a group of people who liked Barack Obama more than you'.

But hell, who needs them, right ... even though we hear they're just, ahmmm, most of America these days. But you know who you are ... please don't take my Democratic advise. Just keep doing that successful voodoo you do so well. Your stratgery is just so full of win!

Earlier, I wondered if they worked their strategery out on an Etch-A-Skech. I take that back.

It would actually seem as though they're using a Lite-Brite.

Posted by The Chinuk at 09:26 AM |

June 10, 2009

Simple Answers To Simple Questions

Media Matters For America:

Will Republicans Admit That Their Partisan Outrage Over The DHS Report Was Misplaced?

No.

This has been another edition of Simple Answers to Simple Questions (format gleefully cribbed)

Posted by The Chinuk at 08:09 PM |

This Is Why We Elected Him

US Senator Jeff Merkley is getting a reputation of being (if Oliver Willis will forgive me for stealing the tagline) like kryptonite to stupid. Carla "The Unimpeachable" Axtman at BlueO:

Merkley, who has already called attention to Frank Luntz's memo on how to kill health care reform, took Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to task for using Luntz's talking points. Merkley draws a straight line from Luntz to McConnell. It's a thing of beauty.

Damn skippy you should go watch it.

Sam Stein at HuffPo:

Merkley's remarks represent a new line of political debate about the reform process. The extent to which Democrats can establish that opposition to greater government involvement in health care is driven by poll-tested talking points, as opposed to legitimate ideological disagreements, could go some ways towards affecting the legislative process.

Atrios at Eschaton:

I think it's quite good when politicians acknowledge and describe how the Republican puke funnel works.

Maybe this is the dawn of a new era in actual debate and courageous leadership in Washington. We can hope.

Kevin pointed out that I should perhaps post the video link. He is always correct, so here you are:

Damn skippy.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:56 PM |

Hope You Like Them Taxes, Mr. and Mrs. Average Oregonian ...

You're still going to be on the hook for most of them.

Next time a corporation pays the minimum $10/year state income tax, thank a Oregon Senate Republican or Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) for giving you the opportunity to be on the hook for what few services the state can still provide.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:38 PM |

The Long National Nightmare Is Over

Conservative intellectual Carrie Prejean is at long last bereft of the title "Miss California USA".

Guess Donald's patience has a limit, too.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:16 PM |

Newt Take Note: This Is What An Actual Apology Looks Like

This via Just Out's blog.

Several missives ago, I slagged the hosts of "The Rob, Arnie, and Dawn in The Morning Show", out of Sacramento CA, for acting like complete insensitive pigs for viciously attacking people they did not care to try and understand but knew they could hate at on the air because they're children and could not respond or defend themselves.

I did so with no expectation that any sort of amend would be made and moved on, hoping that the program's listeners and public opinion would do to them what their consciences did not, and didn't think that anything more would come of it, because, well, that's the way times go.

Was I ever wrong. And moreover, this is one of those times that make me glad I'm wrong, because it stokes the guttering fire of goodwill in media that is typically pretty near to dying.

The show's owner, Rob, released what appears to be a very sincere apology – at least, he knows how to make one. Newt Gingrich, who apparently doesn't know how to be wrong about anything, should note this.

The language is clear and compelling (read the whole thing at the Just Out link above). You can't split hairs or wordsmith your way around it. Here's a sample:

THE WORD APOLOGY APPEARS NO WHERE IN THIS LETTER FOR A REASON. WE ALREADY HID FROM DOING THE RIGHT THING ONCE AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN. APOLOGIZING IN A WRITTEN, POSTED STATEMENT IS A FORM OF COWARDICE. WE WILL SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID THIS THURSDAY.

ON A FINAL, PERSONAL NOTE, AS THE LEADER AND OWNER OF THE SHOW, I HAVE MADE THE DECISION THAT WE NEED TO REFRAIN FROM BROADCASTING NEW EPISODES UNTIL WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ON THURSDAY . WE WILL RETURN TO THE AIR AT 7:30 A.M. JUNE 11TH.

You can't argue with this. It's right. Not only did they admit that they did not do the right thing but took the initiative to bring 200% to it. They are, in essence, suspending themselves. I know of, and have seen, no other effort by anyone who works their jaw too much, as too many conservatives to.

They didn't try to reword their way out of it. They didn't try to use the passive voice. They said they were wrong, and put their money where their mouth is.

I therefore officially retract what I said about Rob (bland douchebag) and Arnie (disgustingly fat ignoramus) and admit that it very much looks like I was wrong about them.

I salute them. This is how you man-up.

Posted by The Chinuk at 09:14 AM |

June 09, 2009

It's Not Just Us, It's Them Too

Item, USA Today:

In thinking about the Republican Party's troubles, consider this: One-third of Republicans now say they have an unfavorable opinion of their party.

Palin/Gingrich 2012! Permanent Republican Majority!

Posted by The Chinuk at 03:31 PM |

That Frame Is Looking A Bit Tattered, Newt

Newt Gingrich, the new Thinking Gnat Giant of the Republican Party:

When I did a Twitter about her, having read what she said, I said that was racist — but I applied it to her as a person. And the truth is I don’t know her as a person. It’s clear that what she said was racist, and it’s clear — or as somebody wrote recently, “racialist” if you prefer.

Newt, we knew you didn't mean that "apology". You didn't have to further embarrass yourself by trying to wordsmith your way out of it.

I'm glad that you did, mind. I'm just saying you didn't have to.

PS to those of you who are late to the party: "racialist" is what people who want to say "racist" but can't for some reason say instead. It means the same thing.

Palin/Gingrich in 2012! Permanent Republican majority!

Posted by The Chinuk at 03:24 PM |

Taxes In Oregon: Someone Did Have To Say This

In an earlier missive, I noted that people who's tag line is "Someone had to say it" is, as often as not, looking for an excuse for being a pr*ck in public.

The operative part of that is "as often as not". But note that those who do say what ought to be said don't typically crow about "someone having to say it".

David Sarasohn has been my favorite columnist at The Oregonian for some time for just that reason. For instance, did you know that Oregon has the second-lowest business tax rate in the nation? Probably you didn't. That sort of thing (otherwise known as the truth) tends not to give Oregon GOPpers a chance at an elected seat (or at least it used to help quite a lot).

That is a fact, and this is a thing. But here's another thing; Sarasohn can weave in the numbers and make it stick with wit:

"I'd like to state our absolute horror" about the idea, said Jon Chandler, speaking for Oregon homebuilders, in a story by Harry Esteve of The Oregonian. Chandler was upset about House proposals that would increase the current $10 minimum corporate tax, add a gross receipts tax and a new higher corporate tax bracket.

Chandler warned of a building company losing business but still doing $30 million a year, which by the new proposals would go from paying the state the $10 minimum to paying $45,000.

"Folks," declared Chandler, "that's absurd."

In contemplating the Oregon public finance system, "absurd" is indeed a word that might draw a lot of support. But maybe not the same way.

It's just possible, after all, that a company doing $30 million in business in Oregon is getting $45,000 in services from the state, which pays for about 70 percent of Oregon public schools, a diminishing but still noticeable part of the higher education budget, the entire corrections system and the state's human services safety net.

It's a kind of thinking that doesn't seem so strange in other states. In Washington --admittedly high in its business taxes --a retail company doing $30 million in business would pay the state more than three times the amount that filled Oregon business with absolute horror.

Even though an anonymous building company is losing business and is still making $30 megabucks a year they still can't scrape together $45K to pay taxes – up from that magical $10 Oregon Corporate Minimum. It so incensed someone that they actually went to the wall with us, calling it "absurd".

I say, if a big company can't make it in Oregon's highly-business-friendly tax structure (did I mention that corporate taxes in Oregon are the second-lowest in the US? I did? Okay) I think that says more about the company than the state.

I leave it to the reader to decide exactly just what about that business it says.

And while the world of business of being so whiney about taxes being increased from effectively free to a comparative pittance while gleefully reaping the benefits of operating in a state (Oregon) that has the second-lowest business tax burden in the USA one wonders where they think the money's going to come from that will educate the people who'll work for them or pay for the roads and services that will enable them to do business in Oregon.

Oh, what. That'd be you and me.

How's that working out for you, Mr. and Ms. Oregonian?

Posted by The Chinuk at 02:54 PM |

Interview with Senator Merkley - the short version

I was recently offered the opportunity to interview Senator Jeff Merkley by his Online Media Director, Sarah Lane Pierle. Being far too chatty of a person to believe that a phone or in-person interview would produce anything most substantive, or interesting, than a chat-fest with a guy that I genuinely like and have aimlessly chatted with before, I opted for an email-based Q & A format. And being a consensus-taker at heart I immediately reached out to fellow PK writers Ben DuPree and The Chinuk for suggestions and ideas and to whom I am indebted for their invaluable observations.

As the post title indicates, this is the short version. I'll be posted the entire "full monty" version at Blue Oregon in a few hours.

So without further ado, selected exerpts from the interview (after the fold):

Q:

You recently co-sponsored the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act which, as you put it, "is a step in the right direction to make sure that all Americans are compensated equally under the law." Would this extend to members of the military, or civilian employees of the DoD?

A:

The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act will extend the same employee and health benefits that married couples have to all federal employees regardless of their sexual orientation and that includes employees at the DOD. However, the bill does not extend health and employment benefits to members of the military because it’s in conflict with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I believe it is long past time to get rid of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and allow members of the military to receive the same benefits married couples have as well as be able to serve openly in the military.

Q:

Concealed handguns are prohibited in federal facilities without regard to whether they're allowed in state facilities - in Oregon they are generally allowed under state law. So why should concealed handguns be allowed in federal parks? After all, you can't even put a canoe in Yellowstone without a permit while none is required for Wyoming's state waterways.

A:

Right now, a person could be driving down the highway going from state to federal parkland and be totally unaware they are breaking federal law. The amendment I supported simply puts the matter in the hands of the states and allows them to determine whether or not firearms are allowed on parklands within the state’s borders.

Q:

During the 2008 election season the Insurance Research Organization published a report asserting that "Blue Cross of Massachusetts employs more people to administer coverage to 2.5 million New Englanders than are employed in all of Canada to administer single payer coverage to 27 million Canadians." In light of this claim, what are your thoughts on the various health care plans going through Congress, which do you feel is most effective, and why?

A:

Currently, America spends nearly twice as much as other industrialized nations on health care but we rank 37th in terms of outcome. The issue is not health care spending – it’s wise health care spending. We must take steps to ensure that health care funding is used to actually improve patients’ health and cover more Americans.

For the last several months the Senate HELP Committee, which I am a member of, has been working diligently to design a health care reform bill that will provide health care to every American. I am fighting for the plan to include aggressive strategies to reduce costs including prevention, disease management, evidence-based practices and wellness strategies.

I am also fighting for the plan to include a public option. I believe citizens should have a choice of the type of plan they want, including a Medicare-style option. This would encourage competition and keep the insurance companies’ feet to the fire on policy pricing.

For both cost-saving reforms and a public option, these battles are not yet won. We need all the help we can get from the progressive community to push on these issues.

Q:

In light of President Obama nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, would you speak to your own personal guiding principles on where non-judicial criteria such as gender, ethnicity and religion rank compared to judicial criteria such as legal expertise and temperament?

A:

Strong experience in various legal fields is incredibly important when it comes to being qualified for a judicial appointment. In regards to other criteria, I do believe that a person’s life experiences provide insight on constitutional issues. The job of a Supreme Court justice is in large part about making judgments regarding competing values, and how a person views the world is relevant. It is important, therefore, to build a Supreme Court that reflects the diversity of America in gender, race and life experience.

Here is the full interview.

Posted by Kevin at 09:00 AM |

Good News For The Working Man

According to Kari at BlueO, Oregon Senate Bill 519 passed – meaning that after it passes the house, employers can't call you off the line any more, in the middle of your job, to lecture you about not joining a union or who they think you should vote for ... or for any sort of indoctrination.

Now it goes to the House. As Kari notes, a more serious version passed last session. Now there are five more Democrats.

Employees are people – not possessions.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:19 AM |

If They Can't Get Elected To It, They'll Steal It On The Senate Floor:

This just in from the Empire State: two Democrats go Republican and hand the chamber back to the R's:

Two Democratic New York Senators, Pedro Espada (Bronx) and Hiram Monserrate (Queens), announced this afternoon at roughly 3 PM that they were switching parties, restoring the republican majority that Democrats defeated in the last election.

Wonder how that's going to play in the boroughs. My reading of that DKos diary article and this posting and the New York political blog The Albany Project hints distinctly of the personal-agenda-based backstab, so, no big surprise there.

Now, you may point out that it's unfair of me to characterize Republicans as unfair when I wasn't too bothered about Arlen Specter swapping parties on the national level.

I would point out that I'm a liberal, a Democrat, and I'm biased. Please try to keep up, yes?

Posted by The Chinuk at 05:50 AM |

Make Up Your Own Clever Headline About Brakes And Legal Processes

Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg yesterday put a skidding halt (for now) on the hurry-hurry-rush-rush sale of Chrysler to Fiat:

The Obama administration’s effort to hurry Chrysler through bankruptcy court ran into an unexpected last-minute delay on Monday, when the Supreme Court said it could consider whether to hear the objections of three Indiana state funds and consumer groups.

The implications of the court’s move — Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued a one-sentence order that amounted to a holding action — are unclear.

I think I understand why the consumer groups and state funds are objecting, but how this affects the bigger picture?

Danged if I know. It's all just gotten too weird.

Posted by The Chinuk at 05:32 AM |

June 08, 2009

Karma pays a visit to the Taliban

Taliban cornered in NW Pakistan by angry locals

The Taliban carried out a suicide bombing of a local Mosque that killed 33 locals. The Taliban were apparently pissed 'cause the locals weren't welcoming them into their village. So now 1,500 armed and apparently very pissed-off locals have 200 Taliban cornered in several villages and have sworn on the Quran to punish them. Which I guess explains the press report of 13 dead insurgents thus far.

Karma can be a real bitch sometimes...

Posted by Kevin at 10:37 PM |

Whack-job conservatives gunning for Merkley on June 20

The lunatic conservative mainstream are planning to practice their brand of Resistance at Senator Merkley's upcoming appearance at Salem's Saturday Market on June 20th.

All,

US Senator Jeff Merkley will be at the Salem Saturday Market on Saturday, June 20 from 1030 to 1130. All who can should attend, especially because we expect the media to be covering this event. Those who want to lend support, but not ask questions, should wear their T-shirts so that we get some coverage in the paper and possibly TV.

If you want to ask a question you should probably go incognito, so that Merkley won't know to avoid you. As well, husbands and wives should be separate in the crowd, to increase the chances of being called upon.

Above all, if you are called to ask a question, remain firm and respectful. We won't get anywhere behaving like the wild animals of the left. Remember, we are the thinking side.

The "wild animals of the left" quip is especially ironic given that the members of this particular group are required to consent to what they call a No Tolorance Policy which includes an explicit ban on "militancy against Barack Obama or others." The recent murder of Dr. Tiller more than underscores why they felt the need to include such an explicit restriction.

Wild animals indeed... But then that is the usual M.O. of whack-job conservatives. They project their own attributes and values onto their opponents. So much so that one can usually get a reasonably good read on what is rolling through their heads at any given point in time just by paying attention to what they are saying about their hated enemies at that same point in time.

So, I'm thinking that making the trek to be at the Salem Saturday Market on June 20th between 10:30 and 11:30 is looking like something I am going to want to do.

Posted by Kevin at 09:54 PM |

Sign of the times: for-profit war

An intelligence contractor was recently buried in Arlington National Cemetary.

Shawn Pine qualified for burial in our nation's most elite military cemetary because he was a former Army Ranger and a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves. But at the time he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan he was an employee of MPRI, which is based in Alexandria, Va.

Mr. Pine, of course, fully qualified to be buried there. That is not at issue here. Rather it is the sad commentary that the circumstances of his death reveal about how war has increasingly changed from what once was about patriotic duty to a for-profit enterprise.

Posted by Kevin at 08:06 PM |

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

CNN Headline:

Sotomayor breaks ankle on her way to Capitol Hill.

Ouchie.

Posted by The Chinuk at 12:34 PM |

June 07, 2009

The Lents Stadium: I Want To Believe.

Yes, I want to believe. I really do.

Because why? Because ... well, because it's kind of neat and nifty. MSL? Very world-aware – very Portland! And I see a replay of the heady old days I see in photos when everyone hied out to the Thurman Street field to take in the Greatest Little Ballteam Ever.

Everytime I manage to convince myself that the stadium/MSL combo would be something I would quite enjoy, something comes along to burst my bubble. And with the urban-renewal language that keeps getting thrown around, I just can't shake the feeling that a bunch of rich and connected people are trying to pick the locks on this enormous safe.

They talked urban renewal down at The Piggy, they talked urban renewal when the stadium was dreamt for the Rose Quarter. Well, at least it isn't like they're trying to deprive affordable housing of funds ..

Oh, wait, what's that you say...

One of the most controversial parts of the budget is cutting the area's required 30 percent set-aside for affordable housing. Deal supporters point out that the neighborhood already has a large amount of affordable housing, critics say funneling money from homeowner and rent-assistance programs to the stadium will hurt seniors and other low-income people.

Oh. It's on now. Whenever someone what gots needs something they figure out some way to carve it out of the poor people's ass. 'Tis the way of the world, my friends, and no mistake; and if you want to whinge that I'm raising the spectre of class warfare, remember what Mom Always Said™: Anyone who wonders if there is a class war going on is on the losing side. And you already lost.

What's really paining is to watch the whole "stadium economic bump" be accepted as reality, when ...

major economists agree that stadium projects only revitalize neighborhoods when coupled with overall neighborhood development projects — exactly the kind of projects the city would be cutting.

So we're kind of destroying the neighborhood in order to save it, I guess.

Now, don't get me wrong. Being rich seems rather nifty. I'd like to be a rich person. But it seems to me the terrifically-wealthy are so thrilled with being terrifically-wealthy, that they not only have forgotten who they stepped on to get there but also that they could probably be just as happy with maybe seventy-five percent as much.

And Merritt Paulson could probably be just as thrilled if the Timbers and Beavers kept sharing The Piggy, as a dedicated facility does not actually seem to be an actual requirement of geting MSL in Portland. In the meantime, Lents, since the ball's back in your court, go back to the Mercury article I've linked, download the PDF (link below the cut or here if you can't find it there) and decide what y'alls want to give up if your hep on the stadium.

And Happy Fun Commissioner Leonard? Well, he talks a good westside-eastside game, but when it comes to walking that talk, he seems to have a westside stride. So it goes, I suppose.

Posted by The Chinuk at 09:21 AM |

June 06, 2009

Maybe They'll Get A Bailout If They Become Banks

No housing for you![1]:

On May 22, the Warrenton-based nonprofit Northwest Oregon Housing Authority mailed letters to 285 residents in Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties who receive U.S. Housing and Urban Development funds, informing them that they would no longer receive assistance dollars as of July 1.

Of those, 141 live in Columbia County, in places like Hidden Oaks or Gable Parks apartments in St. Helens that accept Section 8 housing.

“I’m 62, and I’m on Social Security, and there’s no way I can pay full rent,” said one woman who receives the federal assistance and lives at the Hidden Oaks Apartments. She asked not to be identified.

This is the warning they were sending about all this entitlement 'n' stuff. All they have to do is hang on for six months. I'm sure the fast-food dives and WalMart are hiring. Everyone knows bailouts are only for people who don't need 'em![2]

[1] H/T Street Roots
[2] Heavy Sarcasm

Posted by The Chinuk at 08:34 PM |

June 05, 2009

Not Milk

This story exposes what Fox News did to its staff investigative reporters for daring to attempt to expose the cancer-causing nature of Monsanto's bovine growth hormone, RBGH. Far more disturbing in my opinion is what the reporters found out about the government corruption associated with the approval and protection of Monsanto's products, and the corruption of the court system that refused to protect the integrity of the press.

Posted by Becky at 07:44 AM |

June 04, 2009

Oregon Media Insiders Blog Is Going Away

This is so not what we wanted to wake up to:

So I have to stop doing this. End of day tomorrow (when the current ads expire) I'm taking the site offline. I would like very much for someone to take over OMI. I think it's important that a site like this continue, but I don't have it in me any more.

Apparently this was precipitated by a personal event in blogmistress LynnS's life, and is non-negotiable. Oregon Media Insiders has been a cool place, if you love PDX media, if you hate PDX media, if you want to rub shoulders with the occiasional on-air personality who dropped by, that was the place to do it.

The conversation was frequently scintillating. Unless someone is willing to step up and take it over, it will be no more as of tomorrow, and all of us PDX media lovers will be poorer for it.

LynnS has not enabled comments for her posting, so you will have to make your tributes where, how, and as you can.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:56 PM |

Regina Brett's Life Lessons

A friend on Facebook just turned me on to this and I thought I'd pass it on:

Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
Posted by Regina Brett September 20, 2007 14:03PM
Originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday,May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Posted by Kevin at 08:48 AM |

June 03, 2009

Bland Douchebag in Suit And Tie and Disgustingly Fat Ignoramus Pick On Children

Yeah, that was an insulting headline to lead off an article with. But take a look at these two (shudder that there's actually a premium section to these goober's site) and read the following:

Williams and States took turns referring to gender dysphoric children as "idiots" and "freaks," who were just out "for attention" and had "a mental disorder that just needs to somehow be gotten out of them," either by verbal abuse on the part of the parents, or even shock therapy.

... and, well, the way I see it, they should be able to take a little of what they dish out by some blogger somewhere on the West Coast (who, in the interests of disclosure, could stand to lose [mumble] pounds himelf). Shouldn't be such a big deal for these big fellahs.

Read the whole bit at the HuffPo here; what I gave you above was only an atrocious appetizer. If it were just a couple of ignoramuses mocking trangendered adults, that'd be one thing, I suppose. But verbally kicking around transgendered kids and rendering vicious opinions on transgendered kids nobody asked you for is just wrong. It should be considered so embarrassing that anyone thinking to do it should refrain, for being seen as a complete insensitive, ignorant ass.

This is why people say the things they do about talk radio.

I know two-sprited people. Why is it such a harm that we let them be what they are? What KRXQ let happen isn't funny, it isn't witty, it isn't cool, and it's not okay.

But I say, let the jaws work. Let Douchebag and Jerk have their say and gain ratings from being who they are. Look, America. This is how ugly we've become.

Posted by The Chinuk at 08:55 PM |

66 Things About The 40th President

There's a whole industry ginned up around getting Ronald Reagan the immense recognition he in no way deserves. He was a triumph of style over substance, an avuncular smile and cowboy's persona making it possible for the country to ignore the fact that until GWB, RWR was in fact the most inept President this country has ever known.

So overweening is the Reagan fan's need for the rest of the world to admire him too that such amazingly risible honors have been floated such as adding The Gipper's face to Mount Rushmore to having his visage on the dime. There's not only a project afoot to have something or other in each of America's 3,077 counties named for Ronnie but also there's a new private commission that is planning a nationwide celebration of his 100th birthday.

Not that there's a big demand for it. And there's just been a statue of Reagan unveiled in the US Capitol's Statuary hall.

These are indeed blissful times. But there's a disconnect. We give Reagan almost single-handed credit for ending the Soviet Union (as though Glasnost, Perestroika, Yeltsin, and a hollowed-out, teetering USSR from years of military fetishism had nothing to do with it) when we should be thankful that he didn't get all jumpy and open up a Football-sized can of nuclear whoop-ass on the planet.

So, the next time you're getting sentimental about Morning in America, here's a little pearl. The Nation's David Corn wrote an article that is nothing but the woe that Ronald Reagan bestowed on this nation, some of which's effects we still feel today:

The firing of the air traffic controllers, winnable nuclear war, recallable nuclear missiles, trees that cause pollution, Elliott Abrams lying to Congress, ketchup as a vegetable, colluding with Guatemalan thugs, pardons for F.B.I. lawbreakers, voodoo economics, budget deficits, toasts to Ferdinand Marcos, public housing cutbacks, redbaiting the nuclear freeze movement, James Watt.

The other fifty-one favors Reagan did us? They can be read here.

Posted by The Chinuk at 07:55 PM |

Baucus: What A Guy! Are We Sure He's Not a Republican?

Carrie Budoff Brown, The Politico:

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) told leading advocates of a government-financed health care system that he made a mistake by not giving their proposals more consideration in the reform debate, according to participants in a meeting Wednesday.

Whoops! His bad!

He also vowed to use the “power of his office” to make sure charges are dropped against about a dozen people who protested after advocates of a government-backed plan were excluded from recent Finance Committee hearings, the participants said.

Shouldn't be much of a trick, in as much that he used the power of the office to get those people charged in the first place. Hello! He's a United-States-freakin'-SENATOR!

I guess the passive voice is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

But single-payer (or even its economy-pack version, public-option) isn't going to be on the table this year, because the process has gone too far down the road, don'tcha know.

Are you paying attention, Montana voters? Just to let you know, Baucus is screwing you, screwing us, and screwing his party.

Posted by The Chinuk at 02:10 PM |

He's Sorry He Said It

Newt Gingrich, wordsmith mojo in fast and furious mode, backs away from teh stupid:

"My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct," Gingrich said today. "The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor's fitness to serve on the nation's highest court have been critical of my word choice."

There's so much code-swapping going on here it's making my head swim.

It's a non-apology apology, playing to the FOX News (just a vowel-movement away from the truth, yo) choir.

Of course, it's entirely possible that he has more passionate opinions on macaroni and cheese than Sonia Sotomayor. But he's sorry he's unseemly.

He's not had a change-of-heart, as the media are eager to give him credit for. I don't know what he uses for a heart, but it hasn't change one iota.

Posted by The Chinuk at 01:49 PM |

June 02, 2009

Adam Lambert is My Equality Hero

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the rumors swirling around American Idol contestant Adam Lambert - was he gay or wasn't he? I concluded that of course he was, and who cared anyway. It is all about his music, and I am simply enthralled with his talent.

Since that time, Adam has been incessantly asked by reporters whether he is gay - and he has gracefully avoided making any statement other than that he has nothing to hide. I suppose the media attention is to be expected.

But what I did not expect and what is far worse, in my opinion, is the fact that he has been pressured by some the gay community to make a public statement owning up to his orientation - and harshly criticized for not being their latest controversial poster child. The reason that has irritated me to no end is because I always thought that what gay people wanted was a world in which they could just be themselves without anyone making a big deal out of it. Instead, it has appeared they want to keep the "them and us" battle going on and on.

Meanwhile, Adam has just gone on about his business, refusing to play that game, making amazing music and providing entertaining interviews, and carrying on with his normal, private life.

This morning when I read the headlines about his night out with his boyfriend last night, I was tickled pink. He was pictured walking out of a club hand in hand with his boyfriend, not a hint of shame on his face, just as happy as he could be to see everyone. He did not address the fact that he was out with another man or make any kind of issue of it.

He has very coolly handled this question in such a way that he is not asking anyone to care one way or another about what he does or who he is. He is not trying to be anything or say anything or change anything or call attention to anything. He believes in a world of equality and is acting on that belief by simply being equal. Isn't that exactly what it's all been about?

Posted by Becky at 03:01 PM |

Equivocating morality

In commenting on the murder of Dr. Tiller yesterday the indefatigably conservative Michelle Malkin bitterly complained:

Those who have jumped to score political points before Tiller is even buried are no better than the Phelps family thugs of the “Westboro Baptist Church” who respect no bounds of civility.

That was at 12:48 AM according to the timestamp on her post. By 02:02 PM she'd changed her tune in commenting about the murder of a military recruiter in Arkansas,

Too early to say anything about suspect, motives, etc. But these facts are worth bearing in mind:

Flashback: Special report: Tracing the Left’s escalating war on military recruiters

And that's just the first "flashback" link she posted, there were several more right below it alleging the same basic POLITICAL accusation.

At least one conservative has chimed in on Kari's post this morning over at Blue Oregon, outright equivocating the murders of Dr. Tiller and military recruiters.

I don't expect many on the Right to follow his lead but Gullyborg takes the high road and demonstrates with his own example how to deal with both murders and still retain some semblance of a moral compass:

We must not succumb to the temptation to consider the murderer a hero just because some people think he was justified by his beliefs. No, we must not condone this action. We must outright condemn it. We must call the act what it is: a terrorist attack on American soil. We must prosecute the murdering animal just as surely as we would prosecute Osama Bin Laden himself.

Unfortunately, I fear that not everyone will see things as I see them. I can almost hear some people rejoicing. Well, the hell with them. I cannot, WILL NOT allow myself to be associated with those people.

Hear, hear!

Posted by Kevin at 08:22 AM |