Albany, NY -- Steak Steak Steak... and Politics
I just had an amazing dinner at The Bear's Steakhouse in Duanesburg, quite possibly the best steakhouse in the Capital District (or so says Metroland). I am SO full.
Tomorrow, I have to get up early to go help the Tasini campaign at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Albany -- Jonathan's going to be speaking to delegates of the Working Families Party and we're going to be passing out flyers and conducting a straw poll.
E-mail me (yeah, I know it's really short notice) if you might be interested in participating.
Albany, NY -- Paul Krugman on the State of the Union
Paul Krugman
weighs in on Bush's intentions to reduce oil imports:
Here's the story on oil: In the State of the Union address Mr. Bush suggested that "cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol" and other technologies would allow us "to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East."
But the next day, officials explained that he didn't really mean what he said. "This was purely an example," said Samuel Bodman, the energy secretary. And the administration has actually been scaling back the very research that Mr. Bush hyped Tuesday night: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is about to lay off staff because of budget cuts. "A veteran researcher," reports The New York Times, "said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol."
Why announce impressive sounding goals when you have no plan to achieve them? The best guess is that the energy "plan" was hastily thrown together to give Mr. Bush something positive to say.When are the media, other than the op-ed pages, going to call the administration on strategies like this?
Albany, NY -- Blackberry Shutdown Unlikely (YAY!)
So says The Globe and Mail:
Research In Motion Ltd. secured a key victory yesterday after U.S. patent authorities rejected the last of five contested patents at the heart of a bitter legal battle between NTP Inc. and RIM, maker of the BlackBerry.
RIM, based in Waterloo, Ont., has been desperately trying to get the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to throw out the patents held by NTP before a pivotal Feb. 24 court hearing in Richmond, Va.
U.S. District Court Judge James Spencer has threatened to shut down most of the popular e-mail service and ban BlackBerry sales across the United States to enforce earlier court rulings that RIM had violated NTP's patents.
The patent agency's decision, although "non-final," is unlikely to be changed. Sweet.
Binghamton, NY -- The value of a free press
So I was watching
News Hour today and one segment involved
the political cartoon of Muhammad as a terrorist that's been printed in several European newspapers.
The report showed Arabs across the Middle East burning effigies of European leaders as well as brief coverage of Fatah terrorists storming the EU building in Gaza. What struck me as I watched was how we take the institution of a free press for granted. There is not a single newspaper in the Arab World that can really be considered a free press. Those few papers that are not printed directly by the government are subject to scrutiny and censorship by the ministry of information in each respect nation. So is it any wonder when Arabs in the street are demanding for apologies from European leaders? As far as they are concerned, it's the governments' voices that are printed in the papers.
Finally, the last portion of that segment was a debate between a British journalist and a Muslim from a CAIR-esque group. The usual back-and-forth rabble took place about respect vs. free speech and separation of Church and State. And then came the biggest shock of the day. The guy defending the European papers said that no European government would ever promote something like this. The other guy responded by saying he didn't believe him because, after all, this is the same Europe that committed genocide against Muslims ten years ago. Lehrer and the Brit just let that pass. I couldn't believe it...
Albany, NY -- How to Get a Human (How to Get FOR FORTY Humans!)
Tired of contending with computerized greetings every time you call a large company? Want to speak to a human being?
GetHuman is a site that can help.
It features shortcuts on how to reach a person, rather than a machine, at dozens of major companies. Useful stuff.
The Democrats' Response
What? He's photogenic!
Tim Kaine: "Missionary... blah blah blah... faith.... blah blah blah." He just lost me.
"Good news... blah blah blah..."
Good points on competence...
K-Hole: "Not angry enough. This is a namby-pamby Democrat. Sounds like he's trying to sell me insurance."
Focusing on results, sounds like a pussy-ass executive. All I can see is what a simpering vagina-bag this guy is.
K-Hole: "Be angry. None of your points are getting across right now... GROW SOME BALLS! His left eyebrow is really freaking me out."
I can't listen to this guy... he reminds me of a lawyer from a personal injury law firm ad. Forget it. Unless he (as K-Hole advocates) drops his scrotum on the camera lens, I'm done writing about this.
Quick Summary of the State of the Union
As you can tell from my posts, I don't think the President said much, though the commentator on ABC seems to think he said something huge: "It was remarkable how many times he did reach out." Bullshit.
What did I get out of it? One piece of good news. I'm pretty sure we won't be fighting Iran in '06. He didn't lay out the case against Iran, when the
news about Iran would've given him an great opportunity.
State of the Union -- Katrina Section
Empty, empty rhetoric on this... no specifics -- "equal in hope, rich in opportunity." 30 seconds, it's over. Let's forget it ever happened. Please?
Binghamton, NY -- Rev. Bush
Praise the Lordah!
If you value a fetus, give me a halleluyah!
I looked into the eyes of stem cell researchers and I can testify!
Science and research are the work of the devil!
State of the Union -- Abramoff = Judges?
He just mentioned corruption in the same sentence as "activist judges who try to change the definition of marriage." Incredible. Why can't I find my hat?
Bush: "Human life is a gift from our creator" -- K-Hole: "Go fuck yourself."
State of the Union -- Education Section
Tax credits for business innovation, more funding for math & science...
Trumpeting No Child Left Behind... getting math & science professionals to teach is a great idea in theory, but how are you going to pull it off if you're not willing to pay for it?
"American Competitiveness Initiative" -- sounds nice, but he doesn't describe it at all.
State of the Union -- Domestic Section
Once again, a speech against isolationism/protectionism... "economic retreat" -- interesting term.
"An agenda for a nation that competes with confidence." OK, let's hear it.
More tax cuts... there goes the throwing hat.
When will someone teach this guy that nonrenewal of tax cuts does is not the same thing as raising taxes?
"Make the tax cuts permanent" -- biggest applause line so far.
Yes... be proud that you cut taxes on benefits to the poor by $14 billion while spending $100+ billion A YEAR on wars. Great.
OK, a commission to figure out solutions to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security...
HE'S SMIRKING!!!!!!! There goes the hat again. When he's giving a speech, he really always does look like he's just pulled a fast one on someone and is surprised he did it.
One quick line on border security... nothing new.
Health savings accounts, portability (that's a good point).
The bullshit medical liability reform crap... third hat throw.
State of the Union -- Energy Section
"An addiction to oil..." -- this is all empty crap.
What the hell is "switchgrass?"
Didn't mention the Arctic Refuge... I'm surprised.
Binghamton, NY -- Domestic Issues
- Patriot Act/Spying is good for you, so shut up and let me do it!
- $880M in tax cuts and $700B in average annual deficits
- Cutting discretionary spending on useful programs and then spending $100M on bridges to no where
- Entitlements: 60% of our spending will be on entitlements in 2030. And so? The only other things we need to spend money on are education (30%) and defense (10%).
- WTF is he talking about with productive factor workers? US industry is in the toilet. We can't compete with anyone any more.
- No amnesty for immigrants, i.e. "they took our jeeeoooobbbbssss!!!!"
- Affordable health care -- how about we just nationalize it and make it more cost efficient?
- Bush is obsessed with OB-GYNs. Anyone catch that last speech he made on how gynacologists need to be allowed to love women?
- Fuel Reform. Didn't he say the same thing last year?
- Education: it's too bad he cut education funding instead of rolling back tax cuts.
I am so sick of No Child Left Behind. Forcing students to drop out and then take HS equivalency exams is not a good way to raise test scores in science and math classes!
Back to talking about Freedom and this post is going up...
State of the Union Address: Foreign Policy Section
So far, we've got Bush stumping against isolationism and for making decisions for the rest of the world...
K-Hole: "I was just confused by the 'clear plan for victory comment.'"
Bush: "...and we are winning..." -- By what metric?
Big applause for decreasing troop levels...
Bush: "Yet there is a difference between responsible criticism and... defeatism" -- Well, when you're losing and the leadership continues to blindly trumpet success, isn't a bit of defeatism in order?
K-Hole: "Look at that little nasal twitch he just made -- like he's got a booger!"
Bush is recounting a story of a soldier who died in Iraq and left a letter talking about how he died so we wouldn't have to. Poor guy -- it's amazing how easily one can be brainwashed. And, of course, Bush is beaming as he talks about it.
Bush: "Liberty is the right and hope of all of humanity." Which is why we continue to oppose renewal of the Patriot Act.
NUKE-U-LAR!!!! (applause)
He bends over and speaks from his rear to Iran...
Bush: "You and I have taken unprotected action in fighting AIDS and malaria." What about the 5 billion he promised towards fighting AIDS in Africa in his 2002 SoU speech and hasn't delivered?
"I ask you to reauthorize the Patriot Act." Uh, no...
Summary of the last two minutes: "If I can't spy, you'll all die."
Binghamton, NY -- Summary of the first 30 minutes
CSK 1 min
SOTU is good 1 min
Freedom 16 min
Dems Suck 2 min
Iraq War Kicks Ass 3 min
Terrorism/Middle Eastern Freedom 3 min
Iran can lick my balls 2 min
Africa needs help 1 min
Terrorism at home/Patriot Act 1 min
As we enter the second 30 min block he's trying to legitimize his wiretapping. If it's so important, get a warrant!
And somebody call the Guinness Book. I think we have a new record for the number of time Bush has said freedom in 30 minutes.
Binghamton, NY -- Is that possible?
Even when attacking the Democrats for being unpatriotic he still manages to talk about Iraq...
Binghamton, NY -- I guess I spoke too soon...
OK so now we've mentioned King, said the state of the union was good and then just rambled on and on about freedom.
Elections in Iraq have brought in a pro-Irani Islamist.
Elections in Lebanon have brought in Hezbullah, a terror group.
Elections in Egypt have brought in the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group.
"And we are winning!"
Binghamton, NY -- 14 minutes in...
And 12 of those have been about fighting terror, instilling freedom, and the wonders of democracy.
Albany, NY -- I Can't Believe He's Doing This for a Fifth Time...
Well, at least something we can agree on... honoring Coretta Scott King, who died earlier today.
Binghamton, NY -- Anger Rising
"Tonight the state of the Union is strong"
Maybe he's talking about the European Union.
And now he's talking about economics and free trade? Definitely the EU.
Quick! Change the subject to terrorism!
Albany, NY -- Scary...
Bush: "You and I will both make choices that determine the future of our country..."
Binghamton, NY -- Bring on the Bush
Apparently Jason's wearing his throwing hat... I feel for his TV.
Bush looks really excited to be out there. I wonder if he realizes that the majority of people watching this are watching just to see what they won't be agreeing with this year.
I'll try to post throughout the entire SOTU tonight.
Albany, NY -- Preparin' for Bush
I'm home in time to watch the State of the Union in real time, so I'm going to be blogging as it goes on. And I'll probably be angry...
Ready for anything the president can dish out
Hudson, NY -- Ari's Awfully Paranoid About 'Dem Muslims (As Usual)
From my co-blogger Ari Belasen's
earlier rant about Hamas: "Doesn't it trouble anyone that there is a European Council for Fatwa and Research?"
I'm sure it bothers lots of people, but not me, no...
Why is everybody so worried about Muslims? Sure, lots of 'em dislike America, lots of 'em dislike Jews, and probably most of them would rather Israel didn't exist. So what? Even the ones with the basest of intentions have few means to see anything significant to fruition. Ari, do you believe for a minute that Muslims could actually take over Seville by force anytime soon? Perhaps by democratic means, but, hey, they've got the right, no? Take off your tin hat.
By the way, K-hole and I will probably be watching the President's State of the Union address together. If we end up starting by 9 (which is looking doubtful at this point), I'll be doing some real-time blogging. I plan to come equipped with my trusty throwing hat and some beers... I'll let y'all know a couple of minutes before I start watching, even if I end up a bit behind and watching on DVR. The speech is slated to start at 9, and last year it started on time.
Rhinecliff, NY -- Stephen Colbert, Peeled
Nathan Rabin of The Onion AV Club manages to get
Stephen Colbert out of character for long enough to do an interview:
We just try everything we can to pump up my status on the show. There are no televisions behind me, like the way [NBC Nightly News anchor] Brian Williams has, or even [Daily Show host] Jon [Stewart]. At certain angles, there are monitors behind Jon that have the world going on, which implies that that's where the news is, and that's where the information is, and the person in front of it is the conduit through which this information is given to you. But on my set, I said, "I don't want anything behind me, because I am the sun. It all comes from me. I'm not channeling anything. I am the source."Did anybody know this:
Colbert began his professional career at Second City, where he understudied for Steve Carell; he and Carell eventually ended up writing and acting on the short-lived sketch-comedy series The Dana Carvey Show, where they voiced the Ambiguously Gay Duo, a cartoon team that eventually found a home on Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse segment.I sure didn't... I'm going to have to go back and watch those episodes. Phil, still have the tape?
Poughkeepsie, NY -- Heard on the Train
A few people (all a little happy on wine) are chatting about how one of the woman is teaching her son about masturbation, and the men were mentioning the occurrence of that particular activity in the shower, and she asks them for advice on what to do. One guy's answer:
"If he asks you for a donut-shaped soap-on-a-rope, don't buy it for him!"
Poughkeepsie, NY -- More on Wireless for Everyone
From Combjelly:
"Ed Schafer, the former governor of North Dakota, may have a plan which could help inexpensively blanket sparse states with cellular service:"
For cell phone, this makes good sense. Cell phone range is enough to make it feasible, and it certainly solves the tree problem in rural areas.
For WiFi, they'd have to fly pretty low. Present clear air range is about 150 meters, and that only if the cards are pushing their max. of 100mw, many available cards are down at 30 or less. So cut that range in half. In comparison, a cell phone can push 3 watts. It would be fairly easy to fix, just get Congress to allow WiFi to use a higher wattage, either on the same band or a new one. Using the same band would mean that only a new amplifier, say from a cell phone, is needed and that keeps costs down. To reduce interference, make a rooftop box with a directional antenna and simplified tracking. That way multiple balloons with multiple access points can be used to keep the congestion down. Do a mass buy and sell at or near cost, and that would mean people could get free access for an upfront cost of under $100. For those who can't afford that, encourage groups to sponsor access.
The key is being able to transmit a lot more power, or a little more power with a directional antenna and tracking. Preferably both.
Edit: it occurs to me that 802.11a might be better than 802.11b/g. 802.11a operates on the 5GHz band instead of the 2.4GHz band like 802.11b/g, cell phones, portable phones, microwaves...
802.11a has some drawbacks, wall penetration is worse and, relatedly, it reflects more so multipath distortion(signals reflecting from various surfaces, adding to noise) is a greater problem. But with a roof mounted system that basically points up, this is less of a problem. And it allows for higher bandwidth at greater distances with lower power. More than 100mw would still be needed, but not as much. The reason why I, and others, obsesses over the transmitted power is that the more power, the greater distance that it interferes with other uses. Which is why I toy with the idea of directional antennas. They restrict the directions the radio waves go in and reduces the power required to cover certain distances.I think it's a given that balloons aren't the solution to deliver a signal based on the 802.11x standards, but I guess if cell phone service could somehow make do, this could work. Intriguing, anyway.
New York, NY -- Is Anybody Sane Anymore?
Whirlwind day of work today in the City, and I was chatting with a co-worker about my statement this morning about how everybody at the Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace meeting believed that the Bush administration planned and executed 9/11. She didn't say anything, but the look on her face (and I know she's a real lefty) indicated that she believed the same.
Freaky... what are the arguments for and against this conspiracy theory? I think that the administration's incompetence, on full display during the much more slow-moving Hurricane Katrina, certainly made it much easier for Al-Qaida to execute the attacks, but, man... I just don't believe they'd attack their own business associates in the World Trade Centers. Aside from that, given their history, could they really have pulled off such a massive conspiracy? Highly doubtful.
Thoughts?
Binghamton, NY -- Has Hamas changed its tune?
Many analysts are saying that, if anything, at least the Hamas election has awoken the world to the true desires of the Palestinian people. I'm not so sure about that. I mean, if I had lived under a completely corrupt foreign government (the bulk of the Fatah leaders had come in from Tunisia in 1993) for the last 13 years, I think I'd want some change -- even if that change isn't really any better than what I had before.
So the big question is will Hamas recognize Israel and denounce terrorism?
A few weeks ago, on one of their "educational" websites: al-fateh.net,
Hamas laid out a demand for the return of Seville, Spain to Muslim rule. The Spain Herald reports
"The lost paradise of Al Andalus," explicitly mentioned in the text, is a common meme in the Muslim world. It has led to concrete fatwas declared in order to recover territories conquered by Christian "infidels," such as that of three years ago by the Islamist sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, which explicitly says that "Islam will return to Europe as the conqueror." Al-Qaradhawi is the leader of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, the president of the International Association of Muslim Scholars, and the spiritual leader of many other Islamist organizations around the world. Doesn't it trouble anyone that there is a European Council for Fatwa and Research?
Yonkers, NY -- Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Dying to Surf the Web for Free
Once again, I'm on the train, using my Blackberry as a broadband modem to get online via my laptop. I've already been disconnected four times in two hours, and though this is certainly much better than nothing, I'd kill for something more reliable.
A month or so ago, I was
discussing Jonathan Tasini's plan for low-cost wireless broadband internet access for everyone in the U.S., and wrote: "Sounds right, but I'd really like to hear about the rural plan." One of my most frequent (and most only) posters, Combjelly, was extrememly skeptical.
Ed Schafer, the former governor of North Dakota, may have
a plan which could help inexpensively blanket sparse states with cellular service:
Why put up costly cell phone towers in thinly populated areas, when a few balloons would do? In North Dakota, former Gov. Ed Schafer is backing a plan to loft wireless network repeaters on balloons high above the state to fill gaps in cellular coverage.
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A trial balloon will be launched in the next few weeks to test the idea, said Schafer, who left office in 2000 after eight years as governor.
"To cover every square mile of North Dakota, it would take 1,100 cell towers," Schafer said. "We can do the whole state with three balloons."
If successful, the hydrogen-filled balloons could be drifting across the stratosphere above North Dakota this summer, providing cellular coverage at a tiny fraction of the cost of building cellular towers.Can we bring cheap high-speed internet access to rural areas through balloons? It's the best idea I've heard so far. Perhaps in combination with
Microsoft's idea of bringing access through cell phones connected to keyboards and monitors...
Rhinecliff, NY -- Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace
Last night, I attended a weekly discussion group held by the
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace (BNP) to promote Jonathan Tasini's campaign. Unsurprisingly, I was preaching to the choir -- everyone of the 20 or so people in the room was already planning to vote for Jonathan, but they were pretty happy to know that the campaign was paying attention to them. Prior to the meeting, they had their weekly anti-war protest at Four Corners, which drew a crowd despite the brisk temperatures outside.
BNP is larger than I would've expected -- they have over 600 people on their e-mail list, and nearly 500 have attended an event. They appear to skew older -- other than me, only one other person in the room was under 30.
The conversation centered mostly on civil liberties and civil disobedience, and was comfortable for the most part, until I realized that, to a person, everybody in the room believed that the Bush administration was behind the 9/11/01 attacks, and members of the group swap several films on the topic and show them to a variety of audiences around the Capital District. Once I realized that, I realized I wasn't really in my own circle, but it was interesting to spend a bit of time with people who are further to the left than I am.
BNP's weekly gatherings are held each Monday at 6 PM in the lounge at the back of
Perfect Blend Cafe in Delmar. I am a semi-abashed fan of Starbucks, but PB's chai lattes really put Starbucks's to shame! Come for the coffee, stay for the uber-liberal conspiracy theories!
Albany, NY -- How National Security Sausage Is Made
From Newsweek: more evidence of
how the White House stifles dissent, even when it's sorely needed:
Inexperienced in national-security law, White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales was steered by more-expert lawyers like [former White House Counsel and current Vice Presidential Chief of Staff David] Addington and [Deputy White House Counsel David]Flanigan. Others, like John Bellinger, the National Security Council's top lawyer, were simply not told what was going on. Addington and the hard-liners had particular disregard for Bellinger, who was considered a softie—mocked by Addington because he had lunch once a month or so with a pillar of the liberal-leaning legal establishment, the late Lloyd Cutler. When Addington and Flanigan produced a document—signed by Bush—that gave the president near-total authority over the prosecution of suspected terrorists, Bellinger burst into Gonzales's office, clearly upset, according to a source familiar with the episode. But it was too late.
Addington was just getting started. Minimizing dissent by going behind the backs of bureaucratic rivals was how he played the game. A potentially formidable obstacle, however, was the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. The OLC is the most important government office you've never heard of. Among its bosses—before they went on the Supreme Court—were William Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia. Within the executive branch, including the Pentagon and CIA, the OLC acts as a kind of mini Supreme Court. Its carefully worded opinions are regarded as binding precedent—final say on what the president and all his agencies can and cannot legally do.
Albany, NY -- More On Turn Off CBS 6
I was looking around for some progressive news in the Albany area, and found that the movement to Turn Off CBS 6, which I
mentioned in November and several locals have asked me about, made some waves this weekend by
protesting in front of Huck Finn's Warehouse in Albany, getting some TV coverage in the process (though not from CBS 6!).
That little tidbit came from
Albany Eye, a very good blog I just discovered that covers the Capital Region.
Speaking of the Capitol Region, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jonathan Tasini is coming into town on Saturday to speak to representatives of the Working Families Party. I may or may not be able to attend, but I'm going to distribute some flyers about Jonathan tonight at the weekly rally of
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace and hope to get a few people involved in the campaign.
Remember Jim Rassman, the Republican whose life John Kerry saved in Vietnam who went on to endorse Kerry in 2004? Well, he's
come out against Jonathan's opponent Hillary Clinton's position on the Iraq war:
The retired sheriff's deputy said he was also upset with Mrs. Clinton for her support for the war in Iraq and her refusal to embrace the call for a quick withdrawal issued recently by Rep. John Murtha, a Democrat of Pennsylvania. "I see this war as a terrible mistake that's going to put our military back into the state that it was in the latter half of the 1970s when we had a broken military," Mr. Rassmann, a former green beret, said.
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Mr. Rassmann said Mr. Kerry has acknowledged that his vote for the war in Iraq was an error, while Mrs. Clinton has not. "I know he feels very strongly that he made a terrible mistake," Mr. Rassmann said.
Albany, NY -- Darksyde on Bush & Co.
I tried to post this last night, but hey, technical difficulties...
My usual Sunday Times treat, Frank Rich, is on book leave until March. So, I was pleased to see that Darksyde, who's been writing for Kos for a while, put out an
anti-Bush piece in the Rich mold -- both lengthy and biting. A taste:
I'm curious, in a lab rat kind of way, about the behavior and internal mental processing of people who think it's just dandy to flush the Bill of Rights down the toilet, ignore the law, and turn over our precious liberties to any administration's arbitrary judgment. Most especially this White House given their record of failure piled on top of failure. Hoping they can protect us from anything, let alone nukes or nerve gas, is wishful thinking in the extreme, considering they couldn't protect the residents of the gulf coast from standing water. Forget about protection, I'd be happy if they just voluntarily told the goddamn truth once, without having to wait for it to leak out of someone's slimy ass months later, or be subpoenaed out of their zombie-like death grip after two years of legal maneuvering. In fact, strike even that modest hope; it would be a nice change of pace if Bush Inc. said nothing at all instead of blatantly lying from the get go.
So again, for all you right-wing painty-waists lurking (And we know you are) if you can come out from hiding under your bed in fear of Osama for just a few minutes, I'd like to know: Where have you been the last five years? What leads you to believe this cabal of incompetent bunglers would react in a timely, effective, and appropriate manner? Even in the fantastically improbable over-the-rainbow scenario that the illegal domestic portion of the spying program was not misused and actually turned up some pertinent information?
