Sometimes those Founding Fathers were damned sharp

From President James Madison’s Speech on the Right of Suffrage:

“The right of suffrage is a fundamental Article in Republican Constitutions. The regulation of it is, at the same time, a task of peculiar delicacy.

“Allow the right exclusively to property, and the rights of persons may be oppressed. The feudal polity alone sufficiently proves it.

“Extend it equally to all, and the rights of property or the claims of justice may be overruled by a majority without property, or interested in measures of injustice. Of this abundant proof is afforded by other popular Govts. and is not without examples in our own…

“In a just & a free Government, therefore, the rights both of property & of persons ought to be effectually guarded…

“Should Experience or public opinion require an equal & universal suffrage for each branch of the Govt…a resource favorable to the rights of landed & other property, when its possessors become the Minority, may be found in an enlargement of the Election Districts for one branch of the Legislature, and an extension of its period of service [the U.S. Senate]. Large districts are manifestly favorable to the election of persons of general respectability, and of probable attachment to the rights of property…The tendency of a longer period of service would be, to render the Body more stable in its policy, and more capable of stemming popular currents taking a wrong direction, till reason & justice could regain their ascendancy.”

[bracketed insert and emphases mine]

The U.S. Senate was created to supply a more stable institution to balance the more frequently elected, more volatile House of Representatives. Also note that the Senate, created to represent the “rights of landed & other property”, cannot initiate bills dealing with money (revenue). That is reserved to the House only.

Published in: on 22 October 2009 at 11:10 Leave a Comment

Sometimes there is no justice

Bill Caudle, at the age of 39, joined the U.S. Army this month.

Why? It was the only solution he could see. He was laid off in March from a position he’d held for 20 years, and he got inducted so he would have coverage for his wife’s chemotherapy.

He will be gone for four years.

He will miss his youngest child’s entire high school career.

His wife’s ovarian cancer may well kill her before he musters out.

Published in: on 20 October 2009 at 12:33 Leave a Comment

Take back your birth methods, goddamnit!

Did you know that electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), lauded in the 1970s as an inroad to prevent cerebral palsy and other birth injuries, has only resulted in an increase in the percentage of C-section births–up to 33% (double what it was 10 years ago). (Cerebral palsy occurrence hasn’t changed since 1945.)

Do one-third of all women need major abdominal surgery in order to bear a child? Really?

Did you know that in the last 20 years the incidence of induced labor has doubled to 22% of all births in the U.S.?

Do women really need to be injected with a drug in order to have a baby?

Did you know that the incidence of maternal death is actually three times what is reported, because the U.S. is the only country that shortens the tracking time for such deaths to six weeks post-natal. (All other countries track it for a year.)

Why?

Did you know the number of maternal deaths in the U.S. has jumped from 7.5 per 100,000 births to 15.5 in the last 23 years?

Doesn’t that appall you?

Did you know that midwife-moderated home deliveries for low-risk births result in:

  • a 2.1% rate of episiotomies (33% for doctors and a hospital)
  • a 9.6% rate of induced labor (21% for hospitals)
  • similarly-reduced rates of C-sections, forceps and vacuum deliveries, and epidurals

Now you know.

Consider the option of a midwife. What would you rather have?

a hospital, unnecessary drugs and medical procedures, and unconsciousness during one of the most important events in your life (and the most important of your baby’s)?

or

the comfort of your home, the loving assistance of your partner, and a midwife who knows what you’re going through and has any required medical assistance available at a moment’s notice?

Talk to your OB doctor, and don’t take that “Doctor knows best” condescension and the warm pat on the shoulder. Take charge of your births, just like you take charge of your life.

Published in: on 16 October 2009 at 9:32 Comments (1)

Pronouncing moral judgment

Q: When should you openly disagree with someone who makes a statement concerning morality when you disagree with it?

A: Always

To quote Ms. Rand:

“Nothing can corrupt and disintegrate a culture or a man’s character as thoroughly as does the precept of moral agnosticism, the idea that one must never pass moral judgment on others, that one must be morally tolerant of anything, that the good consists of never distinguishing good from evil.”

Do it. Every time the situation occurs.

Having said that, two things should be kept in mind:

#1 Remember the context of your disagreement. If you don’t like biker gangs, it’s not the best idea to walk into a hangout bar, climb a table, and yell “Bikers are assholes!”. Your level of disagreement may be as mild as a quietly uttered “I disagree”, or as strong as daily campaigning for a moral cause. The degree of disagreement is not of paramount importance, as long as the disagreement is openly stated.

#2 Remember that pronouncing such judgments requires that you yourself maintain a proper moral life. You may be wrong (and you will be sometimes), but you must be honest enough with yourself to be rationally certain.

(Note: I am not an objectivist. I agree with a good deal that Ayn Rand said and wrote, but I vehemently disagree on many of the real-world applications of her philosophy that she and many of her followers have espoused.)
Published in: on 14 October 2009 at 10:45 Comments (1)

Language is a virus? What does that make thought?

language_virus

Big TOTH to Tom Tomorrow. He deserves a big sloppy kiss for this one.

Published in: on 9 October 2009 at 8:15 Leave a Comment

A moral prayer

I don’t blame the film industry for the statutory rape and underage drug use instigated by Roman Polanski (although I do blame sympathizers like Debra Winger, who need to wake up and smell the need for justice to be done)…

I don’t blame capitalism for the greed-headedness of many corporate CEOs (although I do blame Michael Moore for condemning an economic system that allows him to make his films)…

I don’t blame mass media for the excesses and blatant lies coming from Fox News (although I do blame Rupert Murdoch for making profits from his warping of the news industry)…

I don’t blame the medical system in America for the continued criminal neglect inflicted by the medical insurance system (although I do blame Congresscritters for allowing Big Insurance to remove their balls)…

I don’t blame the Christian religion for the hypocrisy and hatred perpetuated by right-wing fundie nutballs (although I blame the Pope for not rooting out the rape and pedophilia that he passively condones)…

I don’t blame those who find “alternative” lifestyles personally distasteful (although I would fight to the death to preserve the right for others to practice any sort of sexual act as long as it is among consenting adults)…

…and I don’t blame the food industry for trying to make food as affordable as possible (although I would personally strangle with my own hands those who push corn syrup, artificial preservatives, and substandard, filth-laden food on unwitting consumers).

So mote be it.

Published in: on 6 October 2009 at 13:24 Leave a Comment

Way to go, Dave!

I am not a David Letterman fan by any stretch of the imagination. I think his humor (the style of which I call “New York humor”) isn’t very funny. (I put Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and Larry David in the same category; I’ve yet to even smile at anything said on the old Seinfeld sitcom–except the Soup Nazi.)

That being said, I have to stand and salute Mr. Letterman for last night’s on-air apology to his wife for his pre-marital affairs. Letterman has stepped out of moral bounds on several occasions (the joke about Sarah Palin’s younger daughter getting pregnant was pretty edgy), and he regularly comes back to publicly apologize for such gaffes.

I was struck by his statement:

“…if you hurt a person and it’s your responsibility, you try to fix it.”

Truer words rarely spoken.

Now, maybe the GPS Lady in his car will speak to him again.

Published in: on at 7:27 Leave a Comment

Ya gotta love the Washington Times

Owned by the “Reverend” Sun Myung Moon, the Times has played the role of Fox News Lite for years, spreading unsubstantiated rumors as if they were factual news.

The latest? Kevin Jennings, President Obama’s “safe schools czar”, is being accused of not reporting a reported incident of sex between a 15-year-old student and “an older man” years ago. The story goes that Jennings not only did not reported the repeated statutory rape, but reportedly encouraged continuance of the relationship and advised the boy to use condoms (a highly responsible thing to do). In Massachusetts, as elsewhere, teachers (the profession which Jennings had at the time), are required to report such to law enforcement.

The Times picked this item up from Fox News, which should have been a big red flag right there. An editorial from the Times declares

It’s getting hard to keep track of all of this president’s problematic appointments. Clearly, the process for vetting White House employees has broken down.

The real story? The boy was actually 16, which is age of consent for Massachusetts. The rest of the real story? Jennings is gay, which is, of course, likely to be the real reason.

Nice try, Mr. Beck. Try harder next time.

UPDATE: A very quiet retraction from Fox News, but a roaring silence from Hannity and the other fringe-y wingnuts.

UPDATE 2: Continue to manufacture facts, Mr. Hannity. Like a broken watch, you’re bound to be right twice a day, anyway.

Published in: on 2 October 2009 at 7:56 Comments (7)

It’s all about you

I have ranted before about the lack of real facts in current news feeds. And even when facts are presented, they are usually charged with syntax and vocabulary choices calculated to further one political cause or another.

This from Edward Wasserman, who teaches journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University, and published in the Miami Herald:

“All the media has to do is fact check a story first and present the truth instead of repeating lies over and over again in the interest of ‘balance’. Then we won’t have to worry about an ill-informed public not getting the information they need on important issues. Issues that actually have an impact on their lives, like health care.”

and

“Debunking falsehoods is fine, but the more that news media embrace it as if it’s a cure-all, the worse we’ll all be. The solution isn’t to refute, it’s to ignore. End the practice of rewarding the most sensational, the most irresponsible, the most baseless allegations with top-of-the-news billing.”  (emphasis mine)

The bottom line here lies in personal responsibility. When those who read the news look for entertainment value somewhere besides the news, that will be a step in the right direction.

Yes, I’m talking about you.

Published in: on 2 September 2009 at 10:08 Leave a Comment

Stupifying quotes

“Waterboarding isn’t torture”–Liz Cheney, former deputy assistant secretary of state under George W. Bush and elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney

“I do not exaggerate when I say this issue [adding Holocaust education to school curricula in Gaza] is a war crime, because of how it serves the Zionist colonizers and deals with their hypocrisy and lies”–Hamas spiritual leader Younis al-Asta


Published in: on 1 September 2009 at 7:14 Leave a Comment

If it’s too good to be true…

When I was first involved in buying a personal home, some 20 years ago, I distinctly remember the realtor telling me that adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) were bad news despite their outwardly-attractive facade. (I don’t believe sub-prime loans even existed then.)

Now cue up a story like this one. Would-be home buyers, attracted by the “pay-a-little-now-pay-more-later” siren song of ARMs and subprime loans, got in over their heads.

Worldly folk should have known better, period.

Even those less worldly buyers, who were sucked in by unscrupulous realtors and even less scrupulous mortgage houses, have no excuse for not questioning the wisdom of taking out loans that had even the possibility of causing financial ruin.

In most cases, those who wail and gnash their teeth about home foreclosures and resultant bankruptcies have no one but themselves to blame.

Published in: on 27 August 2009 at 9:16 Leave a Comment

Minnesota Wingnut Alert

Ms. Bachmann is at it again–spreading disproved myths, joining North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx in a “teletownhall” sponsored by the badly-misnomered Susan B. Anthony List to spread anti-choice spew, and invoking the presence of the Supreme Invisible Sky Fairy by calling for “prayer and fasting” to defeat health care reform. Maybe we should read the entrails of a chicken or two to predict the future, while we’re at it.

Could someone please defeat her in the next election? PLLEEEEEEASE!!

Published in: on 25 August 2009 at 13:38 Leave a Comment

It’s been awhile…

…since I’ve posted anything on this site. Life has gotten in the way in many pleasant ways.

Since my last post, I’ve become engaged to a most wonderful woman who has taken the huge step of moving herself and her family from America Jr. to the Beautiful Twin Cities to live in our new home. I’ve lost an old job, gained a new job, had a child graduate from high school, helped start a daunting garden project (try converting a 1/2-acre yard containing not a single square foot of topsoil), began the happily arduous task of blending two families together, struggled mightily to appreciate dogs after a lifetime of not appreciating dogs, and struggled to like living with 8 cats (I like cats, but…8??).

So. How are you?

Published in: on 6 August 2009 at 10:13 Comments (2)

Let Detroit go bankrupt (pass it on!)

There is a new and absolutely outstanding column in the New York Times from Mitt Romney concerning the proposed bailout of the American automobile industry. If I thought NYT wouldn’t have a cow, I’d just copy and paste the entire article; it really is a gem. But I’m allergic to cease-or-decease letters, so I’ll just quote chunks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Romney calls for GM and Ford to sink or swim on their own–gutsy talk from a member of a political party that traditionally chummies up to Big Business.

“Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself…Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.”

He calls for tough measures…

“Their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated”

The cost of domestic car manufacturing in America increases the cost of each car by an estimated $2000. This is caused largely by the cost of benefits and wages given to American car makers. To make American cars economically competitive with foreign cars, therefore, $2000 of features are cut from them. Romney calls for a realignment of benefits and wages from both labor and management to improve this.

“Management as is must go”

Preach, brother, preach! Upper management in Detroit has been criminally shortsighted and blindly clinging to outmoded business models.

“The enmity between labor and management comes to an end…accepting sanity in salaries and perks”

Again, too much “me, me, me” going on. Labor contracts for the auto industry have nothing short of criminally negligent. When both labor and management expect and get reasonable wages and perks, that will go a long way toward a healthier industry.

“Investments must be made for the future”

He calls for vastly increased energy research, and for the domestic car industry to show at least some of the energy that foreign manufacturers have put into electric and hybrid vehicles. He also calls for not taking out pay and benefit cuts on the dealerships that sell their cars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a hell of an op-ed column. Pass it on.

Published in: on 19 November 2008 at 19:26 Comments (3)

“I don’t feel equal anymore. It was a great feeling, while it lasted.”

California’s Proposition 8, recently approved by a slim majority of voters in that state, consisted of a single line:

“Only marriage between a man and a woman

is valid or recognized in California.”

I’m not going to argue the morality of the proposition, as incredibly, unbelievably immoral as it is. We live in a republican democracy, which means that a voting majority can make the rules for the area they live in no matter how inane or biased those rules may be. Vox populi, vox Dei, or some crapola like that.

Protect marriage from...what?

Protect marriage from...what?

What I want to touch upon is the aftermath. The majority of minority voters, and the Mormon and the Catholic Churches (though perhaps not a majority of their members) were quite vocal in their support for this proposition. Large amounts of money were raised and spent on advertising campaigns that were primers for FUD marketing. Among their claims:

  • Children would be forced to learn the details of same-sex marriage.
  • Gay bars would be allowed to exist anywhere, even locations next to school.
  • Church members were told that congregations could be legally forced to allow same-sex marriages in their churches.

Homophobia was rampant.

Now those same groups that have historically demanded their right to speak freely are now trying to invoke a halt to the same sort of free expression for those who are loudly protesting and boycotting Prop 8 supporters. They have been trying to file suits to stop protesters and boycotters from exercising their right of free expression.

The greatest irony of this situation is that ethnic minorities have spent decades of blood, sweat, and tears trying to gain those civil rights and privileges granted non-minorities from the inception of this country. (The Mormons did the same thing in the 19th century by migrating to Utah.) And now these groups, who made hues and cries for the civility available to others, are making a concerted effort to deny it to other minorities.

(The title for this piece comes from this article.)

Published in: on 15 November 2008 at 16:08 Comments (1)
« Older Entries