God Sending Us Another Vague Message

Ken AshfordDisastersLeave a Comment

Weather_ritaOkay.  So according to some wingnuts, God sent Katrina to destroy that city of sin, New Orleans.  Because God hates women showing their tits.  Or gays.  Or jazz.  Or the Napoleonic Code.  Or streetcars named "Desire".  Or something like that.

So the question du jour is, what is God trying to say with regard to Rita, the Category 4 hurricane bearing down on Bush’s home state?

Just wondering….

I long for the good old days went God talked to the people of Earth by, you know, talking to them in a booming voice from the heavens.  With some noted exceptions (burning bushes, rain of locusts, etc.), God was pretty clear about what He wanted to say to us.

And He even sent his son down here as a messenger, which was rather nice, I thought.  That way, He could speak to us face-to-face about how we should be nice to each other and stuff.  Sadly, many of us didn’t listen, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Now, it seems that God has become a cosmic Will Shortz, sending us cryptic messages through the weather, and ambiguous images of the Virgin Mary on taco shells.  C’mon, God.  Enough with the games.  You got something to say, just say it!

SECOND THOUGHTS:  I’m going to get in trouble for saying this, but if God only communicates through cryptic messages and vague "hints", doesn’t this prove that God is a woman?  I’m just saying’….

John Edwards On “The Working Society”

Ken AshfordDemocrats, DisastersLeave a Comment

Sure, it’s political rhetoric, but it’s really good political rhetoric.  John Edwards hits all the right notes:

So many young people are struggling against the odds to do right, and they need America’s support. Words are not enough. That’s why it is time for a new social compact. When President Bush talks about an "ownership society," he means the more you own, the more you get. For most Americans, his approach is the more you work, the more you pay and the less you make.

Where I come from, what matters the most isn’t how much you have, it’s how much you give. Work gives pride, dignity, and hope to our lives and our communities. And so the President is wrong: America is not, and never wished to be, a Wealth Society.

To be true to our values, our country must build a Working Society – an America where everyone who works hard finally has the rewards to show for it. In the Working Society, nobody who works full-time should have to raise children in poverty, or in fear that one health emergency or pink slip will drive them over the cliff.

In the Working Society, everyone who works full-time will at last have something to show for it – a home of their own, an account where their savings and paycheck can grow.

In the Working Society, everyone willing to work will have the chance to get ahead. Anyone who wants to go to college and work will be able to go the first year for free.

In the Working Society, people who work have the right to live in communities where the streets are safe, the schools are good, and jobs can be reached.

In the Working Society, everyone will also be asked to hold up their end of the bargain – to work, to hold off having kids until they’re ready, and to do their part for their kids when the time comes.

The first test of the working society will be in the Gulf. And the central principle of our effort should be the one I just outlined: We can only renew the Gulf if we renew the lives of the Gulf’s people by encouraging and honoring work.

The President doesn’t get that. At a time when a million people have been displaced, many already poor before the storm; when the only shot many people have is a good job rebuilding New Orleans, the President intervened to suspend prevailing wage laws so his contractor friends can cut wages for a hard day’s work.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the President never suggested cutting million-dollar salaries for the heads of Halliburton or the other companies profiting from these contracts. A President who never met an earmark he wouldn’t approve or a millionaire tax cut he wouldn’t promote decided to slash wages for the least of us.

Seventy-five years ago, our government was led by a President who actually succeeded in navigating America through a disaster. Faced with the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt saw that relief requires more than food and shelter; it requires the dignity that comes from a job at a decent wage. And he saw something else: as Allida Black put it at a forum here last week, we have to "build to last."

Many of our children still go to schools that the WPA constructed; many of our homes are lighted because of dams that the PWA built; many of our families still hike on trails that his CCC blazed. That’s why trailer parks are not the answer.

In fact, if we know anything from a half century of urban development, it is that concentrating poor people close to each other and away from jobs is a lousy idea. If the Great Depression brought forth Hoovervilles, these trailer towns may someday be known as Bushvilles.

UPDATE:  Ezra Klein likes it even more than me: "So what say you, John? Ready to be right on everything?"

Quote Of The Day

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family Values, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

"I guess this means we’ve won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."

— Anonymous FBI agent, on the news that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is making the "war on porn" one of this nation’s "top priorities".

Dealing With North Korea

Ken AshfordForeign AffairsLeave a Comment

SynpIt has not escaped me that North Korea is coming to the table, offering to give up its nuclear program.  It’s not a perfect deal, but it is a step in the right direction.

Of course, it was not the threat of war that brought them there — we have no troops (they are in Iraq and Louisiana).  It was the use of  John Kerry-like tactics of diplomacy, and having some flexibility.  Apparently, all the Bush successes, however modest, are based on liberal ideas.

Kevin Drum picks up my thoughts:

Yesterday I was wondering how the conservosphere would react to the recently announced progress in talks with North Korea. After all, the Bush administration pretty much agreed to the same thing Clinton agreed to in 1994, and that’s bad. On the other hand, it’s Bush, so that must be good. What to think?

Apparently it really is confusing: Instapundit and Power Line and Michelle Malkin and Hugh Hewitt are mostly silent. That means we have to turn to Ed Morrissey to get our daily dose of hero worship. Here he takes the New York Times to task for not understanding the steely tactics that produced Monday’s agreement:

If the New York Times wants to pretend it doesn’t understand the purpose of our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Kim regime does not have that luxury. They understood that the Bush administration would not send Rice to Pyongyang to dance cheek to cheek with Kim, a la Madeline Albright, but to deliver an ultimatum that would result in his destruction. After testing the Bush administration several times and finding it unwilling to waver, even after a number of Bush’s political opponents (such as John Kerry) fell for his tricks, Kim knows that Bush has him diplomatically isolated and left with no choice but compliance or war.

Italics mine. And now for the reality check. Here’s what the news columns of the New York Times say about what really happened:

Several [Bush administration] officials, who would not allow their names to be used because they did not want to publicly discuss Mr. Bush’s political challenges, noted that Mr. Bush is tied down in Iraq, consumed by Hurricane Katrina, and headed into another standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. The agreement, they said, provides him with a way to forestall, at least for now, a confrontation with another member of what he once famously termed "the axis of evil."

…The debate over signing the agreement reflected the fact that the North Koreans drove a tough bargain. The agreement has the potential to generate good will for North Korea, increase the aid it receives and possibly reduce its incentive to dismantle its nuclear programs anytime soon.

….As this unfolded over the weekend, the Chinese increased pressure on the United States to sign — or take responsibility for a breakdown in the talks.

"At one point they told us that we were totally isolated on this and that they would go to the press," and explain that the United States sank the accord, the senior administration official said.

The North Koreans "drove a tough bargain." The Chinese told us to sign the agreement or "they would go to the press." Bush wasn’t happy, but since he was bogged down with other problems he grabbed at the chance to "forestall, at least for now, a confrontation."

Yep, that’s some steely negotiating. After all, the North Koreans got nothing out of this deal except for every single thing they’ve ever asked for.

Overall, I’m with Winston Churchill: "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war." Bush made the right decision to show some flexibility here, regardless of whether this agreement ultimately goes anywhere. But make no mistake: there was no ultimatum on our side. Quite the contrary.

The Hurricane Named After Me SUCKS!

Ken AshfordPersonalLeave a Comment

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1605 UTC TUE SEP 20 2005

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN FROM
THE EQUATOR TO 32N…EAST OF 140W. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS
BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY…WEATHER OBSERVATIONS…RADAR…AND
METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS.

BASED ON 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH
1545 UTC.

…SPECIAL FEATURES…

HURRICANE KENNETH IS NEAR 13.2N 131.4W 987 MB AT 1500 UTC SEP 20
AND IS DRIFTING W AT 2 KT.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE 65 KT
WITH GUSTS TO 80 KT.  NORTHERLY SHEAR CONTINUES TO INHIBIT
CONVECTION IN THE NORTHERN SEMICIRCLE. CURRENTLY…SCATTERED TO
NUMEROUS STRONG CONVECTION IS WITHIN 75 NM OF THE CENTER AND
SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS ELSEWHERE WITHIN 180
NM OVER THE SOUTH SEMICIRCLE. THE EYE HAS BECOME RATHER LARGE
AND RAGGED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. THE SHEAR IS FORECAST TO
CONTINUE WITH A FORECAST FOR WEAKENING TO A TROPICAL STORM
WITHIN 12 HOURS. KENNETH IS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN AN AREA OF WEAK
STEERING AND THIS IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST FOR THE NEXT 24
HOURS…THEREAFTER A MID-LEVEL RIDGE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE
CYCLONE SHOULD PUSH KENNETH WNW WITH KENNETH CONTINUING TO
WEAKEN THEREAFTER. SEE LATEST NHC FORECAST/ADVISORY UNDER
AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIATCMEP1 / WTPZ21 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS.

145848w_sm
It’s not even going to hit land!!!

1900 And Counting

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

Just in case you haven’t looked at the sidebar counter (scroll down a bit), the number of U.S. fatalities in Iraq surpassed 1,900 today.

Somewhere in this country, four nine families are getting the sad news that one of their loved ones was killed in Iraq.  Some of them will be told "You can be assured that your son died for a good cause", or words to that effect. 

Feel free to reflect on exactly what that supposed "good cause" is.  Because it is lost on me.

More Good People In the White House

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

The administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, which handles procurement policy for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, has been arrested on a three-count indictment. His name is David Hossein Safavian.  He’s been charged with making false statements to a GSA ethics officer and the GSA-OIG, along with obstruction of a GSA-OIG investigation.

Josh Marshall has the full story.

Atrios adds more:

[Safavian is] also, well, another hack with no experience in his field.

Mr. Safavian’s wife? Oh, that’s Jennifer Safavian. Her job? Chief counsel on oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee.

Their latest job? Heading up the sham Katrina investigation…

Yeah.  Didn’t see that one coming.

Survival Tips From The Emmy-Award Winning Series “Lost”

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

As a public service, I thought I would pass on some knowledge that I have accumulated by watching the hit ABC series "Lost".  These tidbbits might come in handy the next time your plane crashes on a remote tropical paradise:

  1. Lostposter_smAfter a few days on the island, abandon all hope of being rescued at all . . . ever.  Chances are very good that your island, a mountainous tropical paradise that has an area of hundreds of square miles, and beautiful virgin beaches, will never ever be discovered by mankind.  Belittle any idea that strikes of any attempt at self-rescue ("Build a raft?  What are you, crazy?!?")
  2. Do not bemoan the fact that you are never going to be rescued.   Don’t even cry for your lost family and friends.  And why should you?  They were just jerks who knew of your terrible secret anyway.
  3. Despite what you may think, there are an awful lot of  9-mm handguns that make their way on to a typical airline flight.  If your plane crashes on a deserted island, take the time to find those guns.  You’ll be glad you did.
  4. The same goes for huge hunting knives.
  5. There will be many dangers, but the one you are most likely to encounter is getting bonked on the head from behind when you are looking the other way.
  6. Try to become one of the "central characters" of your band of survivors.  The odds of you surviving is much better.  The core group of twelve is all that matters.  Although not a hard-and-fast rule, good-looking people have a better chance of being in the core group.  The other thirty or so survivors don’t count for shit.  Since you won’t see them much, don’t bother to learn their names. 
  7. Also, try to be a minority or a woman.  They don’t die as readily either.
  8. Be grateful for the fact that you can always find clothes that look really good on you.  In fact, your wardrobe will be more far more extensive and flattering than what you would normally have.
  9. Avoid sleep if possible.  You’ll only have nightmares about your wretched and controversial past.  Exception: If it is your turn to stand watch against the "boogeyman" or whatever threatens your party of survivors, then it is okay to sleep.
  10. It is a little known fact that tropical islands have incredible regenerative powers.  You can get bonked on the head from behind, or get in a brutal kickboxing-like fight with a fellow castaway, or — hell, get into a plane crash — and you’ll have scars and bruises, to be sure.  But they won’t last long.
  11. If there’s an attractive woman in your party of plane crash survivors, be an asshole to her and everyone else.  Sarcastically call her "Freckles" or "Sweetmeat" or something, even though you don’t know her.  She’ll be yours in a heartbeat.
  12. You should always be keenly aware of the fact that many of your fellow passengers have killed a man in their past.  Or been involved some other crime (drugs, etc.).  Trust nobody, except doctors.
  13. Children have special psychic powers.  Or something.
  14. If members of your survival group get killed by a polar bear, even though you are on a tropical island, shrug and say "Mmm.  Now that’s odd."  And then put it out of your mind.
  15. If there is a crazy woman already on the island with her own electrical power supplied by a sub-oceanic cable, and if you have a radio transmitter that needs electrical power, don’t bother her.  She’s crazy.
  16. DO NOT, under any circumstances, share information about the island with your fellow castaways.  For example, if you wandering alone in the jungle and it "whispers" to you, just keep it to yourself.  Information is power, and you need to hoard all the power you can.
  17. Contrary to stereotype, California surfer "dudes" can sometimes be fat.  Really fat.
  18. Take long strolls alone in the jungle.  Do not be detered by the fact that something bad always happens to other people whenever they walk alone in the jungle, like getting bonked on the head from behind.  Do not be detered by the fact that there are loud Tyrannasaurus-like roars coming from the jungle, either.  Don’t worry about the killer polar bears in the jungle.  Or wild boars.  Or crazy psychos.  Or strange whispers.  None of these should prevent you from taking your private jungle perambulations.

Republicans Say The Darndest Things

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

Example No. 1:  "D’oh!"

It seems that a fax memo intended for Karl Rove was accidently sent to the wrong fax machine and got out.  In it, it describes how the administration should confront immigration problems. 

What factors should be considered in confronting such this unique and complex issue — an issue which direct impacts our national security concerns?  Cost?  What works?  What is morally right?

Nope.

Media bias.

And wooing the Republican base.

Raw Story has the full story . . . and the memo.

Example No. 2:  "We’re Sunk"

From the very conservative American Spectator:

But at this stage of the game, barring some imaginative political moves that bear some resemblance to the Bush Administration circa 2002, Republicans on Capitol Hill and even some longtime Bush team members in various Cabinet level departments say this Administration is done for.

"You run down the list of things we thought we could accomplish and you have to wonder what we thought we were thinking," says a Bush Administration member who joined on in 2001.

"You get the impression that we’re more than listless. We’re sunk."…

Congressional committee sources on both sides of Capitol Hill predict tough slogging on anything of policy consequence. "Social Security is dead as far as my chairman is concerned. So are the tax cuts," says a Ways and Means staffer of Chairman Bill Thomas.

Before hurricane season wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast and in Washington, the thinking was that Thomas was poised to take up a major tax bill that might feature several critical components of the Bush Administration’s Social Security reform. Now those plans appear to have dimmed considerably.

Arrrrrr, Matey!

Ken AshfordBloggingLeave a Comment

PirateCurse it!  I didn’t get thee memo!  I wurz supposed to be talkin’ like the pirate that I be!  Avast ye!  Someone shall be walin’ the planks fer this!

And mehears there be a program for to be doing that thar very thing.  Ye can download it here, shiver me timbers!

Find The Money

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Disasters, Economy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

With Bush proposing upwards of $200 billion to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, many fiscal conservatives are understandably edgy.  Likening Bush’s proposal to Roosevelt’s New Deal programs (which is, to them, a bad thing), they wonder where the money is going to come from.

Of course, some  conservatives are being blatently stupid about the effort.  This moron notes that the spending amounts to about $400,000 per family.  And while that may be true, it is a rather meaningless statistic, since the lion’s share of the rebuilding will involve revitalizing public buildings and infrastructure.

But will the conservatives suggest rolling back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans?  Or shelve their efforts and doing away with the estate tax? 

Hell, no.  They apparently think that it can be paid for by cutting down on pork.  Not the pig kind, but the kind where government’s wasteful spending is curtailed.

Michelle Malkin is hawking the idea.  Glenn Reynolds, too.  And they’ve even set up a website, Porkbusters, where readers can contribute egregious (and largely misinformed) examples of "pork".  For example, these moron contributors think that that spending federal dollars to improve infrastructure is necessarily a bad idea . . . without giving much thought to the notion that when you improve a region’s infrastructure, it creates more incentives for businesses and jobs to be created, thereby increasing the tax base.  That sort of thinking is too, uh, nuanced, I guess.

Of course, there is a legitimate pork problem, and I am not suggesting otherwise.  But it is not going to cover the cost of the post-Katrina rebuilding.  Besides, when you call cutting medicare an example of getting rid of pork, then you are engaging in outright dishonesty.  Or, as one blogger wrote in his "let me get this straight" post:

we take on an optional war in Iraq, and it is fine to put that on a credit card for the past three years and for years to come; but the minute we need to launch a two-year rebuild of a major region of the United States, we have to find budget offsets such as delaying/gutting the new Medicare drug benefit?

UPDATE:  Kevin Drum has a better analysis, complete with graphs and stuff:

The bottom line is simple: as much as we’re all in favor of cutting unnecessary spending, spending is just not a big problem right now. The simple fact is that total federal spending is about 20% of GDP, the same as it was 30 years ago.

Thanks to George Bush’s tax cuts, however, revenues are lower than they’ve been since the 1950s. So if you’re really serious about paying for Katrina reconstruction, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has the answer: repeal of a pair of tax cuts scheduled to go into effect in January that are aimed exclusively at families with high incomes (97% of the benefit goes to families with incomes over $200,000). What’s more, this windfall is solely a creature of Congress. President Bush never asked for it.

Well off families have already gotten plenty of tax cuts in the past four years. They can do without another one, and repealing these two measures would save an estimated $197 billion. It’s not a tax increase, since it would leave current law just as it is, and it would save enough to pay for Katrina without blowing an even bigger hole in the budget than we already have. Responsible conservatives should give this their blessing.