About that hiatus ~ Just one more before I bolt ...

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

A hiatus for this Highlander and perhaps even ...

I've been slacking on postings as of late and have grown frustrated with not putting up regular content. My traffic has never been substantial yet I had some regular readers. I'm taking yet another pause from the cause, at least that part which involves posting. I enjoy the process of writing and sharing, finding that it helps me refine my thinking plus forces me to dig for greater understandings. Given that The Reign of Error is drawing to an end, and seeing movement conservatism struggling so much, perhaps now is as good a time as any to walk away.

So far "change" looks rather familiar yet I remain relatively optimistic. Eric Holder's choice as AG might have not been wise given his role in the Marc Rich pardon from The Clenis or even decent for his role in defending Chiquita's actions in South America. I've defended scum and understand yet I'm troubled to think how this might hinder his efforts at prosecuting those that have tortured in our name. Upgrading with Henry Waxman to chair the House's Energy and Commerce effort is significant for instance. Jerry McNerney retaining his CA-11 seat is good on a political and personal level. I'm surely hoping I'll get one more chance to work on one of his campaigns.

Also, I'm working twelve hour days routinely, having to even bring work "home" on the weekends. We'll be traveling down to Southern California this March for some training and then likely deploying some time over the summer so I expect the pace of work will become even more demanding. I am a Keyboard Commando as well so typing is certainly less than ideal at the end of a long day. I find myself drawn to reading more as of late even though I'm so tired I often nod off.

Additionally, I have some accounting from my old law practice that I need to straighten out in case I want to get back in the mix once I get off the trail in 2012 or perhaps even earlier. If I can glean any data from an old hard drive then it will be easier but either way I need to spend my time pouring over old files and numbers rather than ranting and raving over right wing nutjobs, ill informed leaders, injustices, and the like.

I'll also being flying home in less than a month for some time with the bride, the boy, and ... I have several projects I need to knock out there since I'm not sure how much time in Auburn I'll have before heading overseas.

My plan is to post little if any until at least the first of the year. Sporadic posts might pop up plus I might drop a few Letters to the Editor. I'll continue to read the local papers back home, Left in Alabama, and the top tier national blogs. I'm reading the latest books from Gladwell, Friedman, and Zacharia even now.

Drop me a note at CaptainPlaid at Gmail if you see anything you want to share. Merry and Happy! I miss the Bride and the boy and ... and I'm surely earning my pay but I'm at least feeling useful as I serve my country. John Gunn

The Mobile Press-Register is still on offense

I've referenced Reagan's Chesterfield ads previously so the image to the left might be recognizable to frequent readers. And I've surely written of the Mobile P-R's tendency to rely on offense as any movement conservative tends toward. Their Blaming it on Alabama takes a whack at unions with a creative interpretation of remarks of United Auto Workers union President Ron Gettelfinger. I'm surely thinking automobile manufacturing subsidies in Alabama and what UAW workers actually earn compared to non-union workers in Alabama are relevant. However, the Mobile P-R continues to be more interested in rhetoric. I'm guessing "The Party of Fakes" appreciates the P-R's efforts but I frankly figure Alabama, the nation, and our world beyond need much more given the present mess we find ourselves in. John Gunn

Mobile Press-Register ~ Tying oneself into a knot

The Mobile Press-Register couldn't resist taking on the ACLU and defending the hometown team could they? However, they might have chosen another theme. Their ACLU doesn't know what's best for kids after all comes after they recently told economic policy heavyweights to call Joe the Plumber for advice.

As an aside, I actually taught under Dr. Roy Nichols, mentioned in the Editorial in that he's now down in Mobile cashing his checks, when I labored in Troup County. A decent enough super from what I observed and understood yet I know he'll bend over backwards to avoid controversy or litigation.

The Mobile P-R writes in part the following:

Mobile County school officials learned last week that lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union are doing double duty as experts on education and would-be policy-makers for local schools.

Notification of the ACLU's new role as an education think tank came in the form of a letter from its attorneys to the administrators who run the Mobile County Public School System. ...

... a staff attorney for the ACLU in Alabama went well beyond legal and constitutional matters in declaring that gender-based school programs don't work and take "time and money from things that we know do work."

Evidently, the ACLU and its Alabama affiliate have decided they know what's best for the children, not the education professionals in our local schools. ...

Mobile County schools Superintendent Roy Nichols sees no downside to letting schools experiment with single-sex classes. "I've encouraged principals to try and find the very best way for (the) children to learn," he said.

Chances are, Dr. Nichols and other school officials know more about what does and doesn't work in the schools than the ideologues at the ACLU. At any rate, school administrators are paid to make these judgment calls based on research and practical experience.

If necessary, the schools can make accommodations for students who don't want to participate in single-sex programs. But Hankins and other area schools with single-sex classes should ignore the threat of ACLU lawsuits and stick with what works for the children.

Didn't they also once opine "Reactionaries Ruling Education In Alabama"? They fuss at the "education establishment" it seems rather often. Now, they rush to their defense?

They write, "Education research hasn't provided a definitive answer to the question of whether single-sex classes provide academic benefits. But many education officials believe the single-sex approach is worth trying, especially at the middle school level." Indeed that's so. Then again, I continue to argue the many facets involved in learning are truly difficult to measure.

Although once the Mobile P-R even dared to admit poverty was the primary problem in education they still reliably argue that competition is the solution to every trouble. Those magic markets are hard to give up even now I bet for this outfit. Also, since they've bought fully into the measurement of achievement how can they now argue to just let the professionals go with their gut?

I've taught middle schoolers. They are a tough lot. I'm thinking small classes, quality teachers, parents that give a damn, a rich curriculum, resources for teaching, solid leadership ... matter more than a gimmick like same sex classrooms. The ACLU thinks similarly. Yet the main issue remains legal of course.

You'd think the Mobile P-R would appreciate an effort to resolve this mess short of filing a lawsuit. But they, like pretty much everyone associated with movement conservatism, are more interested in advancing their cause. John Gunn

Dick Cavett's "The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla"

Among Dick Cavett's gems from today's NYTs are "the serial syntax-killer". Than again, there's "It’s admittedly a rare gift to produce a paragraph in which whole clumps of words could be removed without noticeably affecting the sense, if any." And indeed "What will ambitious politicos learn from this? That frayed syntax, bungled grammar and run-on sentences that ramble on long after thought has given out completely are a candidate’s valuable traits?" ranks high. And this Scot isn't all that bothered about "offending ... her hollering fans" given the mess we must clean up after Bu$hCo. A tip of the tam is surely due Mr. Cavett. John Gunn

Flying pigs, pork, and "Conservatism"

This Proud Progressive can still appreciate a Libertarian perspective on many issues. Brian's Flashpoint shares A Tale of Two Shelby's as relates to Senator Shelby slapping down talks of a bailout for Detroit. Reckon how Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III stacks up on bringing home the bacon? John Gunn

Dr. Malcolm Cutchins latest column

Dr. Malcolm Cutchins gets his regular ink in the Opelika-Auburn News to tell us Marriage, family win on Election Day. He writes that "marriage and family were the big winners" given California, Arizona, and Florida's votes on same sex marriage plus also Arkansas telling unmarried couples of any orientation that they simply aren't part of the solution for children needing adopting in that fine state.

Personally, my marriage isn't threatened or bolstered by another, of any variety. Dr. Cutchins claims the US Constitution prohibits forms of early voting yet apparently he's not that willing to strictly interpret the 14th Amendment. That he praises Bible Thumping Arkansans' vote to prohibit unmarried couples fostering or adopting children says much. Dumb crackers!

He then proceeds to blaming President-elect Obama and the "mainstream media" for our current economic troubles. To cure our ailments, Dr. Cutchins prescribes reforms to "our unfair tax structure forces huge amounts of U.S. capital to go overseas." I'd listen to what reforms he suggests yet he leaves us guessing.

He claims we need to drill, drill, drill ... and even use highly polluting and inefficient oil shales.

He suggests we "diminish give-away foreign aid" and expressly cites the work of Fred Reed in The American Conservative. Lamentations on "wasting money on backwards cultures" sounds backwards frankly Doc.

Dr. Cutchins goes after "ACORN’s willingness to participate in open voting corruption" as well. The Alabama Policy Intitute's Gary Palmer would be proud. They would both be wrong however.

Dr. Cutchins closes with, " Since poor congressional oversight of the sub-prime markets contributed greatly to the loss of several trillion dollars by U.S. stockholder ..." Contributed yes but "greatly" is a stretch, or more accurately a spin, actually. John Gunn

03 November 2009 - I made some slight changes to the above at Dr. Cutchins' request. He's no longer writing his column and I regret if my snarky style offended him. He was 100% classy in asking me to make these changes and I'm pleased to do so. I wish him all the best in whatever he does. John Gunn

Reflecting on one certain legacy of Bu$hCo

Team Obama ~ "In Transition, Ties to Lobbying"

But Glenn Beck and Mark Steyn said Obama would bring socialism to America. The NYT's David Kirkpatrick is obviously misinformed. Assuming the actual journalist, rather than the above two clowns that amazingly get to appear on the boob tube, is right then I remind y'all I often wrote that Obama-Biden weren't all that Progressive. We're headed in a better direction of course yet beware the Centrist Weenies. John Gunn

Yet another Alabama connection to Team Obama

This is the best image I can presently supply of Macon Phillips. The Huntsville Times' Steve Campbell reports he was recently named Director of New Media for Obama's transition team. A tip of the tam is due. His sister Susanna Phillips' work in opera is also noted. Perhaps the tip of the tam is really due their parent(s) or others, like The Randolph School I suppose, which helped get them to this place where their futures look so promising. I can't however resist a lament that the swells have such a school when so many children in Alabama don't. John Gunn

A "blatant, pathetic attempt to stifle" what?

Phillip Rawls of AP reports in The Montgomery Advertiser State Bar president demands inquiry from Alabama Attorny General Prince Troy King's office as to the actions of right wing groups behind Greg Shaw's narrow win over Judge Paseur. An inquiry is requested, in fact demanded, especially as to "Americans in Contact PAC (who) incorrectly told voters that Paseur had received an "F" rating from the State Bar." Since the Alabama Bar doesn't hand out such ratings that would seem to be worthy of a look. It's not that push polls are tacky but rather that this one was over the top.

Also, the Center for Individual Freedom is referenced. Who can forget their "Judge Greg Shaw has the balls to be Judge" effort. Still, the main thrust of this post is against Skip Tucker, Executive Director of Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse, who said,

AVALA and I would be astounded should Attorney General King join this blatant, pathetic attempt to stifle freedom of speech.

Huh? The language is a bit over the top Skip, even if after you once described the pro-Exxon verdict as "righteous". Then again, AVALA's Lewis Fuller likes it that way. The Alabama State bar's asking the AG if any laws were broken is an attempt to stifle freedom of speech?

Maybe his reaction is merely right wing faux outrage, working the refs, or ... but then again maybe Skip has something to hide. What's the harm in letting Prince Troy look under y'alls skirt? I know he's not likely to want to yet perhaps he'll make the help take a peek. John Gunn

Reason rather than rhetoric please!

The Mobile Press-Register suggests "the Treasury Department's financial wizards call Joe the Plumber" on the bailout blunders. They write, "The government must protect the taxpayers' interests and provide a substitute for the discipline and accountability of the free market." I agree there is plenty to fret over about the "rescue", especially given that Bu$hCo is involved for these next few weeks, yet rhetoric such as the P-R slings is foolishness. What might The Anniston Star offer us? John Gunn

Thank God for South Carolina?

Father Jay Scott Newman of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina publishes Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome on his church's website where, as his parish members shepherd, he warns his flock as follows:

Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ’s Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.

Southern Baptist roots? I'm shocked, shocked! Although his flock is reminded they are "obliged by Scriptural precept to pray for him and to cooperate with him whenever conscience does not bind us otherwise" I'm thinking they'll do this with their fingers crossed. John Gunn

Heading home for Veteran's Day

I learned just today that Auburn, Alabama is the hometown of Robert Gibbs, likely soon to be named as President Obama's Press Secretary. Congrats and small world. I'll be home over the long weekend so expect little if any posting. Then again, I've been slacking off some due to my dreadful work load and certainly also the election. John Gunn

Goodbye Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney ...

Paul Krugman writes The monster years where he begins with, "Last night wasn’t just a victory for tolerance; it wasn’t just a mandate for progressive change; it was also, I hope, the end of the monster years." He ends with, "And in our national discourse, we pretended that these monsters were reasonable, respectable people. To point out that the monsters were, in fact, monsters, was 'shrill.'" Amen! John Gunn

Shepard Smith and Faux News tries "outrage"

When Faux News' Shepard Smith gets all fussy with an admittedly edgy yet I think fair question from Ralph Nader I can't help but wonder where that outrage was with right wingers repeatedly trying various smears against the Obama-Biden ticket. It's OK to call him a terrorist sympathizer yet if someone of Nader's stature asks if he'll be an "Uncle Tom" for the corporate powers then that crosses the line? Ralph Nader's question stands and I think it a perfectly proper one. This lefty hopes the Centrist Weenie, DLC types don't hijack the Obama administration yet only time will tell. John Gunn

I'm 43 years old, male, white ... and proud as hell!

CNN exit polls suggest only 11% of white males in Alabama voted for Senator Obama. That I'm one of those happy few surely makes me proud, perhaps especially so reflecting on this image snapped over in West Alabama the very same year I was born. As I've written before, the Obama-Biden ticket is too centrist to suit me and yet this is a fine, fine day. The Reign of Error is soon to end. I'm ready to get my country back. John Gunn

Phyllis Schlafly ~ Cutting my teeth on nutjobs

Living with a sister and her husband down in LA (lower Alabama) as a mere teen I was first exposed to right wing Christianist talk radio. Even then I knew Phyllis Schlafly was crazy as a run over dog. I found her Big Media Pull Out All Stops to Elect Obama full of standard wingnut lamentations of how the corporate media is in the tank for Leftists. It couldn't be that there's just nothing to report outside of Nutterville could it? I'll admit I was dreadfully offended by her claim that this "some sort of intellectual" became the Harvard Law Review's "affirmative-action president". That's pure bullshit you ignorant and racist bitch! John Gunn

These times they are a changing ...

Jackson, Mississippi's Clarion-Ledger joins their Gannett owned sister publication, The Montgomery Advertiser, in endorsing Senator Obama over John McCain. Their Obama choice for future reminded us of the undeniable fact that the 2000 version of John McCain might very well have won this race easily. They also tell us,

"Obama, 47, offers the character and achievement of someone his age that is exemplary, including election to his state's legislature, election to the U.S. Senate, editor of the Harvard Law Review and professor of law at the University of Chicago. Few candidates for president have ever had his intellect and academic achievements."

Finally, comments to the west are actually less reactionary than at The Advertiser. Then again, the Opelika-Auburn News has Letters to the Editor that are running which are scary as all hell. John Gunn

If he'd have just left off the FDR misinterpretation

I can't help but think of my old Daddy when I reflect on FDR. Then again, I also look back on buying David Kennedy's Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 about eight years ago when I could hardly afford such a pricey purchase. I read it twice! So to read an attack, and there are legitimately some criticisms that can be made, of FDR from Bob McLaughlin in today's Birmingham News ran my stinger out a little.

Then again, a title of Don't punish honest makers of wealth admittedly had me looking for trouble. And using ExxonMobil, especially in Alabama even if the Republicans on the Alabama Supreme Court cut the punitives and dialed the damages back to merely breach of contract, might not have been Bob's best illustration of an "honest maker of wealth". Bob wrote,

In 2007, Exxon paid more than $32 billion in taxes with less than $12 billion in net profits.

How can they pay more than they earn? And his figures aren't even right.

According to Dennis Cauchon of USA TODAY they "earned after-tax profits of $41 billion and paid $14.5 billion in worldwide income taxes in 2007". That's worldwide! Marianne Lavelle of U.S. News and World Reports likewise used "$40.6 billion earnings for 2007" in her reporting.

And aren't those "80,000 good-paying jobs" including employees outside the US?

The 35% corporate tax rate that we supposedly have here in the US is laden with loopholes of course yet Bob failed to bark that dog and thus may likely receive poor performance reviews if in fact he's in the tank for the right wing noise machine. And for the record I doubt he is. I expect he's been exposed however. Given his line of work, perhaps he just wants to get some marketing done. Everybody has to make a living and I bet these days are dark for he and his.

I expect Mr. McLaughlin is aware of an undeniably regressive tax system where the poor pay a disproportionate percentage of their income in sales and excise taxes. Accepting the Federal Tax Code is somewhat Progressive, even more so before Bu$hCo's irresponsible tax cuts, then state and local realities take away or at least balance out that condition. This is especially so in Alabama.

I wonder if poor Bob got hold of figures from Dr. Mark J. Perry of the Macinac Center, what Gary Palmer's Alabama Policy Institute perhaps hopes to be when it grows up. That George Mason education is really paying off for the Funding Fathers. That ExxonMobil is tied to Macinac, and others of the sort (indeed "There's a tiger in your tank!") is just too rich.

Are taxes "stealing" or "robbing"? Do they "punish"? I doubt one can even discuss what might make a fair and reasonable tax policy from a person prepared to use such language.

And is all wealth earned by working hard? I'll let Chuck Collins do the heavy lifting via this American Prospect piece titled Tax Wealth to Broaden Wealth: Reframing the debate and mobilizing a constituency and this Nation piece titled A Fair Plan to Pay for Economic Recovery. Mr. McLaughlin even used "accumulated" and I'll submit that description applies more than "earned". There's a decent argument to be made that being born on third base counts more that one's effort and talent when it gets "to the day of the sale" (my old Daddy's way of talking about dying).

What got me most however was when Mr. McLaughlin uses a total misrepresentation of historical fact when he writes,

To make matters worse, in 1933 Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Act implemented a floor on corporate salaries. Companies were not allowed to reduce salaries even though their sales were plummeting and their tax bills more than doubled. This resulted in massive unemployment because companies simply could not afford the high salaries, declining revenue and high taxes. We killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

Truly unemployment remained high, and a good argument could be made that only WWII ended the Great Depression, yet after FDR took over the situation drastically improved. Pretty much any respectable historian gives FDR snaps for saving capitalism while also avoiding the fascism and militarism of Germany, Japan, and Italy.

And Bob, the big boys in business often helped write the NRA codes. It might not have been perfect but it was hardly as you've suggested. The idea was to create a level playing field and not let the race be about who got to the bottom first. Some ventures into unfettered globalism is attractive here yet that is another post for another day. I also think there are some nice comparisons to be made about how Hoover ran and Bu$hCo is running around with their hair on fire in response to their respective troubles but that's too another post for another day.

I'm certainly in favor of Mr. McLaughlin's urging that we "Punish the crooks." I appreciate that he's writing, "Put reasonable regulations in place that will keep the questionable activities from being repeated." Too bad he's wrapped up in false understandings of current conditions and past history. But for those failings, and they are deal breakers, I bet we could agree on some policies for broad prosperity and a better future. John Gunn

How will Conservatives spin the global financial meltdown?

The above from Mike Luckovich of the AJC might be aimed at Dubyah plus it is a touch dated yet I'll extend this to Conservatism in general. While home recently I listed to right wing radio courtesy of Alabama Representative and Alabama GOP Chairman Mike Hubbard's radio station WANI News Talk 1400 and was amazed at the blame being hurled about. From troubles of Mc$ame to the economic collapse to ..., blame was placed on the media, poor people, elites, liberals, Clinton, and even Bu$h. Never ever was Conservatism responsible. In fact, the problem was generally not enough right winginess.

Charles Duhigg and Carter Dougherty share in the New York Times From Midwest to M.T.A., Pain From Global Gamble and it is a gem. Local school districts in relative affluent areas of Wisconsin were trying to make a little money on the pension funds and also try to avoid raising taxes. That rising health care costs were eating into retirement funds is also noted. These relatively sophisticated school board members, even if a little sloppy and trusting, turned to an Irish bank that had relocated from Germany due to Ireland's low corporate tax rate and got in a global mess that stretches from here to Canada to Ireland to India and then back to New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority.

This is one but one story yet illustrative of the world in which we live. Challenges abound. Complexities are certain. Yet Conservatives just seem to want to let the markets work their magic. From Bu$hCo on down, they are masters of the blame game. They can take something that ought to fully discredit, or at least significantly damage, their flawed philosophies and turn it into an attack on alternatives. They are always on offense. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ Perhaps six hours later - David Goldstein and Kevin G. Hall of McClatchy filed this one back on October 12th but is worth revisiting. Their Private sector loans, not Fannie or Freddie, triggered crisis had one comment reading as follows:

Shorter right wing: Republicans cannot be held responsible for ANYTHING they did or did not do when they had absolute power over every branch of government, 2002 - 2006. Sure, the Republicans had the Presidency, the House, and the Senate, as well as the Supreme Court. But hey, there's no way they could have possibly stood up to Barney Frank. I mean, what are all 3 branches of government compared to Barney Frank? And pay no attention to the Credit Default Swap Market wholly deregulated by Phil Gramm's December 2000 Commodity Futures Modernization Act, because they'd rather blame housing for lower income earners, black people, and immigrants for the chaos they gleefully caused & rode for 7 years.

President Obama will also let you keep your religion, gun, and dozer Jay

Earlier today I heard Sarah Palin tell Jay the Contractor "We won’t take your bulldozer.” I didn't know the Obama-Biden ticket proposed to confiscate a person's religion, guns, or bulldozers. Given that only two are covered in the Bill of Rights I guess we'll need a Constitutional Amendment to cover the latter. I couldn't help but think of a conversation I had with my best buddy back home this week. We have a mutual friend selling heavy construction and logging equipment yet he's having trouble finding financing for folks with top drawer credit ratings. Pehaps Jay ought to be worried about hanging onto his tractor given that Conservatism's faith in the magic markets has allowed the banking system to take serious hits due to lack of reasonable regulation. Unless he can just up and write a check for a hundred thousand or thereabouts I doubt he could buy another anytime soon. John Gunn

Cleverness & cluelessness ~ The Demopolis Times

The Bride's family is mostly over in West Alabama's Demopolis and I visit there at times. The image is of the White Bluffs there on the river. The history of this part of the world is so very interesting. We've pondered moving over there one of these days. I read The Demopolis Times as able to help me gauge the community. Today's The worst campaign ever was incredibly well written and completely clever. I agree Grampy Mc$ame often seems like he's throwing this thing. I however think movement conservatism is hardly going to let his likely defeat keep them down for long. They can hardly govern but they do opposition rather well.

Their endorsement of St. John however doesn't make much sense and they frankly get much wrong. Obama wanted to abandon Iraq? He was against pouring additional troops in via "the surge" yet this infantry soldier might argue the use of counter-insurgency tactics like buying cooperation made as big a difference as the additional numbers. And we're pretty much still looking for a way out of this mess. Even if Senator Obama made the wrong call on "the surge", and I'm not so sure he did, given the stakes I'd like to think about the many challenges in the future as relates to Iraq. Now that we've brought them Democracy ...

Obama "once insisted that U.S.-led forces invade Pakistan in search of Osama bin Laden"? He insisted? Sarah Palin used "absolutely" in seemingly agreeing yet "insisted"? I am certainly uncomfortable with aspects of his remarks from August of 2007 yet know he got much right. Truly we've poured plenty of money into Pakistan and perhaps have not gotten much bang for the buck. And here's a link that helps explain his current position. That US forces have in fact crossed into Pakistan might not be known to the DT. Attacks into Syria recently also are relevant.

He has a “robbing the rich to give to the poor” tax policy? A Progressive tax code is "robbing?"

They write,

Sen. John McCain’s ideas and worldview are stuck in the past. The world has changed around John McCain and will continue to change in the next four years. We’re not sure he can keep up and it doesn’t appear as though he has a strong and knowledgeable running mate to rely upon in the lean times.

McCain talks a lot about reform, but his vision is short. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate “pork” spending (about $18 billion in a $3-trillion budget), cut taxes and wait for the doom-and-gloom stock markets to awaken and solve the problem.

That’s a very hands-off approach to a very hands-on problem.

.... (Obama's) repolished liberalism would only push America down a more dangerous path — higher taxes on businesses, socialized medicine, redistribution of wealth and a general belief that more government is the solution to all the nation’s problems. ...

Nor are we in favor of McCain’s rabid tax cuts, which could drive the country into deeper economic despair. Less tax revenue amplifies an existing logjam and would cripple the working man, the very people these tax breaks are billed to help.

In making a choice for president we’re inclined to give Sen. John McCain our support, based solely on his political know-how and experience.

We feel confident that his service in Washington - more than a quarter-century – will translate well to the country’s highest office.

On domestic issues like energy, our economy and education, McCain offers a logical vision grounded in conservative principles.

His “maverick” persona doesn’t impress us.

We want our president to be a pragmatic, logical thinker, not some gun-slinging fanatical wildcard. However, McCain’s political service and track record is unparalleled in this election, and a little bit of a maverick – a very little bit – could be good for blurring party lines and getting something accomplished

Huh? John Gunn

UPDATE ~ A couple of hours later - I had to bail out on the above but here's the finish ... He's old and out of touch. Yup! That his worldview is of the past seems damning yet y'all still endorse Huggy? Didn't he (or his handlers) choose the running mate? So who is to blame? that was his first choice as President and most believe he flubbed it completely. Even if he had to throw the Bible Thumpers a bone does that show Presidential timber?

The vision thing being short is all too kind. Cutting taxes is a mantra of the right. "Rabid" is right in describing Mc$ame's current position and given that the earlier version of John McCain which knew Bu$hCo was serving up BS with their tax cuts that favored the swells makes this all the more sad. Another foundation for conservatives is that the marvelous markets will work their magic. Haven't we had about all the stay the course, conservative simplicity we can stand?

Once again, when is Senator Obama talking about socking it to businesses? His tax plan is hardly radical and y'all ought to know better. That they DT claims he's seeking "socialized medicine" reveals they are lost. Would that he were. Here's his plan. And I for one think it hardly goes far enough. Falling for foolishness on claims that the Left is seeking a redistributing of the wealth reveals much. Senators Obama and Biden are smart men that certainly don't believe solutions to all problems require more government. Smarter, better government yes but they know public policy is only part, a huge part however, of a better future.

I'd love them to explain what is logical about Senator McCain's plan on energy, the economy, and education. The Obama-Biden approach on any of these three is far more logical to me and yet I'd think Mc$ame's weakness on economic matters is most clear. How he bounced around with the recent meltdown is truly frightening.

"We want our president to be a pragmatic, logical thinker, not some gun-slinging fanatical wildcard." And y'all aren't going with Barack Obama, who continues to impress, and are ready to risk Grampy Mc$ame and even more incredibly Sarah Palin?

Digby asks "Got Hypocrisy?"

Digby weaves a perfect post with Joe the Prop, MalKKKin, and the like to look into the future. He closes with, "I think we're about to get schooled. Again. The torture loving right is dusting off its completely hypocritical "government is full of jack-booted thugs" playbook --- and it's going to drive us all completely crazy." Let the games begin. John Gunn

The Dothan Eagle has a cure for America’s ills

Any regular reader knows I'm hardly a fan of The Clenis as he was far too Centrist for my taste. Still, there's no doubt he was better than we've had in decades. Daddy Bu$h was tolerable as he was not a loon but I digress. The Dothan Eagle told us today that we need "experience, level-headedness and, above all else, strength of character forged in the fires of strife." However, the most incredible claim is that, "The cure for America’s ills can only be found in a conservative administration." Huggy's campaign has been dreadful. He's been as erratic as a hog on ice. Loyal Bu$hies populate his team. St. John let Dr. Dobson make him bring Sarah Palin on his ticket. Even with all the above, I most want the Dothan Eagle, or anyone for that matter, to explain why conservatism is the only way to cure our ills. I of course beg to differ. John Gunn

Boots on the ground ~ California Dreaming

One of my fetishes has to be green top boots. When I worked for Jerry McNerney's campaign in CA-11 in 2006 we had our volunteers' pictures placed on boots that Miss (not Mother) Mary crafted from some pretty paper. We had them on the wall all over our HQ. I'd walk around at the end of many hard days looking and thus being inspired by these amazing patriots. The theme was "kicking out the sell out" and surely Richard "Dirty Dick" Pombo deserved getting the boot.

One of my pleasures as Volunteer Coordinator was working with veterans of the 2004 Kerry Campaign. Folks from that area has headed over the Sierras to Nevada and beyond. The exporting of talent from California continues.

"My" troops were often battle hardened and easy to put to work. Building a Progressive Movement is hard, hard work but the return from boots on the ground is significant. Some of the Obama-Biden veterans will be ready for 2010 and beyond. Very exciting!

Alabama Progressives certainly don't need to give up here and yet traveling to Florida or Missouri or Virginia or ... is a way to perhaps tip a close election and also learn for the day when we have finally reached a point where a proud Progressive can compete. Then again, I'll submit Josh Segall is showing that day may be even now. As an aside, Artur "DLC" Davis should be ashamed. John Gunn

Thank God for Texas?

Richard S. Dunham of the Houston Chronicle files a report indicating 23% of Texans think Obama is Muslim. I also noted, "Just 34 percent of Texans approve of Bush's job performance — a big change for a former governor who won re-election 10 years ago with 70 percent of the vote. And Congress is even more unpopular: Just 8 percent of Texas voters approve of the work being done on Capitol Hill." John Gunn

Hardly is the Montgomery Advertiser going all DFH

Recently the Montgomery Advertiser demonstrated some admirable insights by endorsing Senator Obama yet some of the comments that followed demonstrated some fear that the MA was going all DFH. (A chance to carve up the Mobile Press-Register's dreadfully bent views behind their half-hearted endorsement of McCain is hard to pass up.) No worries Corporatists, GOP, DLC Centrist Weenies, ... If the MA was really going all DFA they'd add some actual reporting to the Phillip Rawls AP piece they ran just today titled Riley backs free trade with Colombia. Mr. Rawls wrote:

The trade agreement has drawn criticism from American unions, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said it will have to be paired with measures to address job losses in the U.S.

Might he/they have mentioned any information obtainable via Human Rights Watch's Breaking the Grip: Obstacles to Justice for Paramilitary Mafias in Colombia? Hell, one can view cartoonist Mark Fiore's "Columbia Clean" if they'd just visit Amnesty International. And you think they'd have shared the past troubles Alabama's own Drummond Coal concerns have had down in Columbia. The suit against Drummond didn't pan out but Chiquita was surely popped. I mentioned the Drummond family only recently in fact and I know the power they hold. Would exploring Bob Riley's ties to the Drummond interests have not been a wise use of a reporter's time?

Endorsing Obama was a step in the right direction yet true movement into DFH land will require much more. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ Early morning of the 30th of October, 2008 - Colombia Lists Civilian Killings in Guerrilla Toll by Simon Romero in the NYT is a timely read. Again, coverage of the issue seems mighty paltry.

Jessica Thomas ~ This Bama Girl gets my vote

Bama Girl from Rachel Goslins might be a film I need to track down. I must have been asleep at the switch as I only learned of this documentary today via FireDogLake. War Eagle! John Gunn

Knocking holes in Ayn Rand's Objectivism

I mentioned Ayn Rand's Objectivism in a recent post as well as how Uncle Alan Greenspan had apparently stopped drinking the kool aid. If you're interested in actually understanding that obscure reference, Devilstower's RIP John Galt is where to start. WOW! Indeed rand's thinking isn't without some attraction yet taken to the extreme gets powerfully bent and twisted. As an alternative, let's blame the poor people and Leftists. El Rushbo and his ilk are perfectly prepared to do the same. These right wingers have had decades now to experiment with their voodoo. Please let's return to some semblance of sanity. John Gunn

Grampy Mc$ame ~ The vet who did not vet

A tip of the tam to Dale, Jr. and normboyd40 at Left in Alabama for the above. An instant classic! I worried some about the spelling of "vet" yet Slate's Juliet Lapidos comes to the rescue. I love The Google. John Gunn

Across the pond for news of GOP Civil War

Tim Shipman files Republican fears of historic Obama landslide unleash civil war for the future of the party for The Guardian from Durango. He also reports John McCain loses temper with defeatist aides as he vows to fight to the last. It is wise to wait until these elections are in the book yet I look forward to watching their blame game. The long knives will be coming out.

Conservatives so often believe only people and never their philosophy fail. They'll also have the economic meltdown as an excuse. The claims of media bias remain. They'll claim voter fraud as well handed them their defeat. I'll be interested if anyone can get Dubyah talking and also hope for investigations being able to get off the ground once the Reign of Error ends.

Generally, the flaw in their own people is seen as their being insufficiently conservative. The think tanks, shills, operatives, ... will of course remain funded and perhaps perform even more effectively while working from the outside. I predict they will fight back with a vengeance unlike even what we witnessed during the Clinton years. John Gunn

Dobsonite Carrie Gordon Earll has Alabama roots

Eric Gorski and Rachel Zoll of AP via MSNBC file Christian right intensifies attacks on Obama: Conservative activists escalate 'doom and gloom' rhetoric as Nov. 4 nears. Alabama tied Carrie Gordon Earll, Senior Director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy at Focus on the Family, is quoted therein. I'm sure her "education" at Trinity International University has prepared her well for the job she does for James Dobson and his ilk. Who knew a MA could do so much? TIU's own Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity also helps her butter her bread. John Gunn

... like fruit fly research in Paris, France ...

The GOP base and thus candidates continue to show essentially pride in being ignorant. I kid you not! And I'll toss my head a little as I type for good measure. As for this Progressive ... I'll stand with further efforts to learn and thus serve the public good. John Gunn

So those that killed and maimed abortion providers in Alabama and beyond aren't terrorists?

Miss Laura and others get the credit for sending me/us to the above. Sarah Palin is all hemmed up and yet she's got to dance with the ones what brung her. John Gunn

Although The Old Prospector was his best role ...

Why indeed is "liberal" a bad word Miss Charlotte?

I'm surely a partisan yet I do try to give folks allegedly on my team a little grief along the way. Truly I'm worried that Senator Obama and certainly Senator Biden are far too tied to the corporations that seem to have such a hold on power. Even if true, I've already proudly voted for Obama-Biden, although I'd have preferred a more Progressive alternative.

Like Bill Maher, I'll be watching Tuskerlooser ... and Lee County. Since Alabama has gone against the grain in firming up her support for Mc$ame, I wonder why people feel the need to drop LTEs into the Opelika-Auburn News?

Drew White, a current or at least former AU College Republican Policy Director, who just can't wait to join the military, claims Democrats spin nation’s financial crisis against president. Drew is obviously comfortable with rhetoric yet perhaps not so solid on research. Franklin Raines has never been and certainly isn't now an Obama adviser.

And I'll hope Drew didn't major in Finance as I'd like to think anyone above the understanding of dittoheads knows neither Fannie or Freddie "offered loans and mortgages to" anyone. Adding his "wantonly" and "low-income" language isn't even necessary. I know Drew's letter preceded The Maestro's recent testimony yet even Alan Greenspan is accepting a good chunk of the blame.

While surely Freddie and Fannie have some responsibility for our current mess, anyone in the know can accept they courted favors on both sides of the aisle. Given the many from Team McCain, and to a lesser extent the Obama campaign, that were even recently working on behalf of these outfits I'd be careful throwing stones Drew. How about writing a letter on lobbying reform (which I think is mostly about disclosure, information, etc.) instead of just blaming one political party?

And the trouble with Saul Alinsky would be exactly what? Saul and others had the swells on the ropes way back in the day yet the right pushed back and we've gone downhill ever since. Watching History Unfold is a perfect title for Jared Bernstein's recent HuffPo post. What is next is the right question but seriously Drew's team has held the reins for far, far too long. My worry is that the DLC Centrist Weenies and Corporatists are where the swells will man the barricades yet we'll see.

Nicholas D. Davis of Auburn, presumably the one that's an emeritus professor in the Architecture Department at AU, argues Americans want the wrong kind of change in our government. It is rare to find a Bu$h backer these days yet Nicky "Double Down" Davis wants to lay the blame for the current meltdown on the 2006 elections where the GOP lost their total dominance up in DC. He writes, "George Bush has been in office for seven and a half years. The first six, the economy was fine." Fine? Perhaps this is so for the fat cats yet hardly for working Americans Professor. And you know Dubyah can veto don't you?

What is up with these academics down around Auburn? Dr. Malcolm Cutchins isn't the only one on the warpath is seems. There's more.

Although living out in Waverly and teaching down at Tuskegee, we also can read Professor John W. Bales. He and his have their Black Bear Camp and that's fine. I also appreciate some facets of Ayn Rand's objectivism but I trust he's a huge fan.

Still, for Professor Bales to suggest, "Our best hope is for the economy to crash so fast that there is no point in trying to save it. " seems rather severe. The New Dealer FDR saved capitalism in part because of fear of demagogues seizing power like that which occurred in Germany and beyond. His LTE titled Government and economy should be separated like church and state also has more faith than I that we do in fact have a separated church and state. I'd think Dr. Bales might appreciate that worry more than many.

Thank goodness for former Physics Professor Charlotte Ward. I think you did answer your own question Miss Charlotte. John Gunn

Can we get just a little movement Progressivism?

I've mentioned the Political Compass previously. I fall along the G in Gravel for what that might matter. I've certainly mentioned Movement Conservatism as well where Richard Benhan described it as follows:

Movement Conservatism is a self-serving and socially malevolent cabal of mega-corporations, right-wing think tanks in Washington, their archconservative foundation benefactors, and an intricate nationwide network of linkages in the communications media, religion, higher education, and law. It has been called the "conservative labyrinth," and common to all its elements is a theology of "free markets," an ideology coming to full bloom in the Administration of George W. Bush. Today, the G.O.P. seeks to impose it at every turn.

The Strategic Philanthropy of Conservative Foundations is another solid source for understanding our political world these last few decades. Among these National Think Tanks and Advocacy Groups, perhaps none have exerted the influence of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. No post about AEI would be complete without reminding readers of their offering to pay big bucks to scientists willing to support their push back on climate change research.

A quote from Alex J. Pollock in today's WaPo reporting of David Cho, Binyamin Appelbaum and Zachary Goldfarb titled Bailout Expands to Insurers: Treasury to Take Stakes in Firms as Distress Spreads Beyond Banks seems like yet another big, fat one over the plate. He and his have been advocating policies that got us into this mess. And great talent you've got or had on foreign policy as well AEI.

I'll not dive off into economic policy beyond wondering why at least parts of the Democratic Party isn't taking on "conservatism" more forcefully. I know we/they want to win elections, certainly the big prize, and yet hearing Mc$ame and others hammer away at socialism and taxes and ... seems like a great opportunity to deliver some body blows.

We are in a mess. It is likely that AEI remains confused. The GOP is flailing about and Progressives may never have such a great opportunity. Run up the points. Crack some ribs. Teach them a lesson. TPM Cafe is serving up some great perspectives and I'm sure there are others. However, I seldom see folks allegedly on my team on the boob tube or in mainstream publications pushing back against the bedrock principles of the right wingers.

We have pretty much every candidate from 2007-2008, even Democrats, way over to the right. Don't we need to try to move at least the debate substantially to the left? John Gunn

Jesus Christ ~ Wrong for America

Wazzup 2008 ~ Change, that's Wazzup

"We" hell Joe! I never elected Bu$hCo!

I regret not posting much as of late but I'm laboring twelve plus hours most work days. Known by some as The Old Prospector with my outfit, this Keyboard Commander is surely a tired and harried member of the Chairborne. I feel very useful and like to think I'm doing good for plenty of people and yet I am missing the time to read and write. Joseph L. Galloway of McClatchy Newspapers, surely one of the gems in the business, shares Republicans summon ugly old ghosts where he writes

After all, not only did we (with some help from the Supreme Court) elect George W. Bush our president, we also re-elected him to a second term. Fooled us twice, they think, so maybe the third time is charmed.

I surely never voted for Bu$hCo. And that makes me so very proud! John Gunn

Grampy Mc$ame ~ I agree y'all are rednecks

Here's the Faux News link to what Rep. Murtha said. John Gunn

Well done Mc$ame folks!

I'm not sure where all this went down yet I liked how the media helped force the issue. Tolerance at times might require a little confrontation? Perhaps it was near Fayetteville NC? Some of the peckerwoods up there are slashing tires of Obama supporters. Thank God for NC? Since I'm relying heavily on McClatchy, I might as well share David Lightman's Angry attacks on Obama have many roots. One of the roots which has to be accepted is pure stupidity. Again, tolerance doesn't mean letting a dumbass off with being so in front of God and everybody. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ I'm not so sure if supporters of Mc$ame in NC or Florida are more bent and twisted.

API's Gary Palmer gets ink in Hawaii

Is there a word in Hawaiian for "shill"? I'll not bother once again covering ground I've trampled with the Alabama Policy Institute's Gary Palmer. While I thought that location rather exotic, The Hawaii Reporter, obviously a top drawer outfit given that John Fund and such endorse, gave Gary a chance to publish ACORN Threatens Honest Elections. I reckon ACORN is the target of choice these days yet I'd still like a chance to work for them one day. John Gunn

Republican Noise Machine hums along in Bama

I've read David Brock's The Republican Noise Machine yet I knew Rupert Murdoch's and Roger Ailes' Faux News and L. Brent Bozell', III's Newsbusters (part of the well funded Media Research Center, Inc. effort) were hardly serious sources of information long before. To read LTEs in the Opelika-Auburn News from Carl S. Gagliano and Regina S, Battle surprises me not. Consider the sources. Among the several things that Carl gets wrong is his claim Senator Obama was trained by ACORN. Regina blames Bill Clnton for today's economic mess with the following being the money quote, " It takes a while for any of these policies to take hold, and what we’re seeing now is a direct result of policies set in place by Clinton." These two are likely not as educated as Chuckles the Stenography Clown yet all three are being fooled and then eagerly transmitting the false information they are being fed. John Gunn

Das Boot? That's the best they've got?

I stumbled across the above image earlier today. And I'll accept that it pushes the envelope. I hoped I'd find something I could use it with however and damned if that wasn't quickly found. McClatchy's Jonathan S. Landay files McCain evolved from reluctant warrior to interventionist where Max Boot assures us that Mc$ame isn't a neo-conservative is the opportunity. Max Boot's The Case for American Empire was required reading in 2001. Who's laughing now Professor? I'll believe this push for democracy when the US confronts Saudi Arabia and Egypt and ... When Hamas won the elections in Palestine I knew you PNAC peckerheads had found your ruin. Y'all were nuts after all. And Grampy Mc$ame is as well. John Gunn

Will anyone just strip the bark off conservatism?

To the left is the cover of Greg Anrig's The Conservatives Have No Clothes: Why Right-Wing Ideas Keep Failing. This is yet one more book I really need to read. I've only posted on Greg once and the link is dead so I'll send you to to his bio at The Century Foundation. That H. Brandt Ayers of The Anniston Star serves on their board was unknown to me yet that doesn't surprise me given his smart Progressivism. In the spirit of bi-partisanship I'll share a link to George Will making The Case for Conservatism.

I've enjoyed watching Senators Obama and Biden campaign and yet I figure they are in prevent defense mode. I'm hardly a strategy guru but rather a grunt in my past campaign work yet can appreciate the focus on winning this election rather than those to follow.

Still, I'm betting Senator Obama could surely run up the score and perhaps mortally wound the beast that is modern conservatism. Grampy Mc$ame and his surrogates keep serving up fat ones over the plate that even lesser humans that His Awesomeness could swat over the fence. In that final debate I so wanted That One to respond to Huggy's claim he wasn't Bu$h with a "But aren't you a Conservative John?" When he said, "Yes, my friends, I am.", I wanted Senator Obama to tear he and his to shreds.

Why go this route? Because this madness of modern conservatism will continue to hold this nation and our world back. Conservatism is hardly without attraction. There's plenty that I can accept from the philosophy. Other can explain it perhaps better that I. For instance, Greg Kamiya is one I've read at times yet in prepping for this post realized the amazing writing he's been sharing at Salon. His Is a new conservatism possible? from nearly a year ago is a good jumping off point.

I posted earlier today on higher education and took some time to read Mc$ame-Palin's positions on education and have my stinger run out. Damn their foolishness! While I can in part blame Bill Clinton, or more accurately that toe-sucking scumbag Dick Morris, for the school uniform foolishness, I found this Alex Johnson MSNBC piece Students, parents bare claws over dress codes familiar. Grampy and his team continue to beat up on professional educators yet, like I asked the Mobile Press-Register, how would you teach these kids? And for the record, I tend to favor rather permissive dress codes.

I could meet Mc$ame, or other conservatives in the middle, or at least give a little I'd think, yet most are so wrapped around their flawed philosophy that I fear it would be a waste of time. Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

But many conservatives aren't pigs. I've long believed well-informed, thoughtful souls will generally reject Conservatism but we need a strategy that will reach the many that continue to vote Republican.

We can continue the same old approach we've tried but an alternative, or at least parallel strategy, is to destroy their ideas. As a good Leftist, I value tolerance and discourse yet I also seek progress and the common good. I fear that Conservatism, at least that practiced by the vast majority of the modern GOP, must be discredited before we'll get past the "Reign of Error" and for that matter these last three decades. What Colin Powell, hardly a flaming partisan, said just today seemed like one more opportunity for smart Progressives to begin this effort.

I've often weeped and gnashed teeth over the failure of Democratic "leaders", especially those here in Alabama, to take on the GOP. The Centrist Weenies (don't get me started on the Corporatist DLC!) so often try Republican Lite when they ought to show voters that the other team's dog won't hunt.

The GOP has an amazing message machine that reliably advances their philosophy even in the face of continual failures. As they've tried to prop up the disasters of Bu$hCo and the floundering campaign of Mc$ame I continue to be impressed by the reliable discipline they show in attacking the left and defending the right. I hardly think our ideas need propping up as their side does with their blend of wingnut welfare, talk radio haters, keyboard commandos, Bible Thumpers, shills, ... yet the way all these parts work together is impressive.

To take down the machine they've built will require at least some hell raising. We can do this relatively politely and with a sense of humor in many cases. Creativity will be rewarded. However, blunt speaking/writing, attacks, courage, hard work, patience ... is also part of the solution. Shifting the direction of this nation and beyond will require sacrifice. I'm ready and I know many others are as well. Let's keep up the good fight but also demand our leaders do this.

Again, I can accept Senator Obama taking the high road and winning. But I want the Democratic Party to finally decide they must strip the bark off conservatism. John Gunn

Paying for college is getting tougher yet Auburn now has a chance to help Danielle Price

Nancy Trejos of the WaPo reports The Strain to Pay for College: Loans Are Drying Up and Savings Are Down. Miss Danielle Price has had to back off from John Hopkins and Emory yet she's seeking a scholarship to Auburn University. War Eagle! Neither has Toomer's Corner plus our football team will get better Danielle. UVA and others might be an option for Danielle but I'll hope to see her down on the Plains.

It's a shame so many student like Danielle are struggling for solutions. I recall the pain of paying for classes as tuition rates soared once the Reign of Error began. Heck of a job Bu$hCo!

The higher education plans of Obama-Biden and Mc$ame-Palin are worthy of links. Grampy's plan isn't all bad yet you'll still find the same old right wing focus on the following:

The answer is not to impose more regulations on institutions, but to encourage the government to support innovative approaches to education, removing regulatory barriers that prevent us from moving forward with new ideas. ... too many programs ... leveraging the private sector ...

Governing with those attitudes and approaches seems rather difficult to this Progressive. I don't reject even some of these beliefs yet my postition begins with the faith that government can deliver effective programs, leadership, coordination, incentives, etc. The modern GOP so often gets wrapped up in market solutions, deregulation, privatization, and the like.

The portion of Mc$ame's plan on providing information to students so they can make informed choices seems like he'll be wanting to bring something like No Co-Ed Left Behind to college campuses. Since he and his will be Bu$hCo 2.0 it is no surprise that they already have that option on the table.

The idea of Huggy ending earmarks might scare the hell out of many college adminstrators/professors. I guarantee that plenty of academic efforts owe their existence to earmarking. I'm attracted to the construct of budgeting reform yet I'm not so sure how realistic it is to take earmarking away. Earmarks allow a politican that might be in the minority, or even in the doghouse with his own leadership, to work around those barriers to fund efforts of the folks back home. Opening up the books and the process might be more effective than Grampy trying to convince the voters he'll be the one that can eliminate earmarks.

That modern conservatism also can't seem to resist some crony capitalism along the way is also all to frequently observed.

Let's hope Danielle will get some help to make her an Auburn Tiger! John Gunn