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Saturday, May 18, 2002
Spent most of the day out. Saw a matinee of Episode II. Not as bad as I feared. Not great, but not horrible. Ran some errands, and the wife and I spent a couple hours at a nearby Barnes & Noble. Ended up on a Douglas Adams kick. Picked up the DVD of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Salmon of Doubt. I may have hated Mostly Harmless, but I have to see what he had been trying to do before he died.
As we were walking from the theater to the bookstore (through a mall), my wife said we should start looking for something to bring the baby home from the hospital in (roughly 6 weeks left). I was surprised, and said, we've got all the clothing family and friends have given us, why something else. She sighed a little and explained that for bringing the baby home, it should be something from both of us. The things I am learning. I guess since it is from both of us, a little Yankees outfit will not be acceptable.
Revision or Realism
Well, it was inevitable. I came came close to finding something in the Guardian that actually made a bit of sense, of course it all fell apart at the end. Talking about Fortuyn's views, Alexander Chancellor
What made Fortuyn special was that he regarded tolerance and permissiveness as the great glories of western civilisation. I am not sure that any other successful politician in the west has publicly taken this view. It is commonplace for western politicians to deplore the ferocity with which some Muslim governments suppress individual freedoms. But it is unusual for them to argue that what is actually good about western civilisation is its rejection of traditional Christian values.
The Muslim fanatics berate the west for its decadence, and many in the west guiltily agree that they have a point. But Fortuyn didn't think so. He crusaded on behalf of what many would regard as decadence, and was so concerned for its survival that he feared even the power of a few hundred thousand Muslims in Holland to threaten it. To him, as a homosexual, Islam was the great enemy. He supported Israel in its war against the Palestinians, because the Palestinians are mostly Muslims. Unlike Le Pen or Haider, he was never suspected of anti-semitism. For he regarded the Jews as basically on his side against the great Islamic threat.
Now, the first sentence was dead on. But he somehow interprets that to mean a rejection of Christian values by Western Civilization. I do not get that. Yes, many fundamentalist Christians feel homosexuality is a sin, and condemn drug use and unmarried, heterosexual sex as sinful; but those sins are all part of the mainstream Western Civilization that the rest of us belong to. Western Civilization is not just Christian values. It isn't just religious values, period. Modern Western Civilization is built on the idea of the individual, freedom, and community. The exact mix may be different in each Western country, but the base ingredients are present.
As for the last paragraph, I think that would be a gross mischaracterization of his views on Israel. Basically he is saying Fortuyn's support for Israel was based on the "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" principle. It doesn't seem to occur to Chancellor that the support may be based more on similar values, than a common enemy.
The Commission is What I say it is
The US Commission on Civil Rights finally had a meeting since they lost their claim to deny an appointee, and Peter N. Kirsanow got to actually sit at the table. Everyone was nice and cordial to each other to a point:
Yesterday, the commissioners spent some time on the conflict over Kirsanow's appointment.
After an appeals court ruled last week that Kirsanow was entitled to sit on the commission, the commission decided to take its case to the Supreme Court. Kirsanow took issue with that decision yesterday, asking how it could have been made without a vote. "I don't know how it was decided," he said. "This is the first meeting since the court's decision. So the question is, who is the commission?"
To get that answer, let's hear what the chairperson had to say:
"The commission is a majority of the commission," Berry said tersely. Acting on behalf of the liberal majority that had fought Kirsanow's appointment, staff director Les Jin decided to bring the issue to the high court and contacted attorneys.
I really hope Trent Lott gets around soon to making his appointment. That will split the committee 4-4 and should insure nothing gets done on the USCCR. The best option short of disbanding this anachronism.
Friday, May 17, 2002
It's all a plot
The Guardian has been strangely quiet over the Arafat's calls for reforms. Not a lot of analysis and commentary. Finally, we get some from Brian Whitaker, which lists Jerusalem Dispatch above the column. (Interesting aside, though, on the world dispatch page listing the columnists, it is a picture of a Palestinian flag next to his name and mug). He writes of the potential for reform, and what three leaders take it to mean. Naturally he lacks any clear bias:
To Bush, reform means strengthening the Palestinian security apparatus and respecting human rights (not necessarily compatible goals) plus, no doubt, opening a branch of Burger King in Jenin.
To Sharon, it is yet another device for stalling on peace talks while the current Palestinian leadership is replaced by compliant Uncle Toms who will help to prolong the Israel occupation.
But Arafat's personal view of reform is far from clear. His speech to the Palestinian parliament last Wednesday was a rambling pep talk, delivered without notes, in which he promised a complete overhaul of the Palestinian Authority, democracy, an independent judiciary, civil society, the rule of law, motherhood and apple pie.
To recap:
Bush -- crass American culture and capitalism
Sharon -- delay, and seeks traitors to the Palestinians
Arafat -- ?????
Now that we've established that Sharon's call for Palestinian reforms are motivated by his secret desire to remain in the West Bank and establish a Vichy like regime, and that even this expert doesn't know what Arafat means, why have elections?
The benefit of elections now is that they call Mr Sharon's bluff. He is only demanding reform because he believes the Palestinians are incapable of it. Deliver reform - genuine reform - and he will be stuffed.
Gee, and I thought the demand for reforms were to get "Uncle Toms" in office? Now, it's because it won't happen, but if it did, oh the fun that would ensue.
It goes almost without saying that elections, under present conditions, will be difficult if not impossible to hold. They cannot be truly free and fair while the Israeli occupation continues...
Um, why? I've yet to hear a good rationale for that from the Palestinians or this rube. Is it because if Israeli forces weren't there, then the PA couldn't fix, rig, intimidate, kill and maim to win?
...so the Palestinians will call on the Israelis to withdraw beforehand, but perhaps only to the positions they held before the outbreak of the intifada.
PERHAPS ONLY? Where does he want them to withdraw? The Mediterranean Sea? Well, we know the Palestinian answer. Of course this is exactly where Arafat has demanded.
Sharon will doubtless reply that this is nothing more than a ruse to get his troops out and win a breathing space to re-organise the suicide bombers.
Doubtless. Why in heavens name would Israel think such a thing? Whit doesn't have a good answer to his own question so he skips over that point.
It is up to the Palestinians to prove him wrong on that. They can do so by demonstrating to the world that elections are not just a tactic but the centrepiece of a sincere and thorough package of reforms that goes far beyond the narrow security demands of the Israelis and the Americans to include transparency and accountability as well as democracy.
Okay, I'm confused. How can the Palestinians prove Sharon wrong if they need the Israelis to pull out of the West Bank first? They need to demonstrate reforms to include transparency and accountability; but, elections can't be free and fair while the IDF is in the West Bank. Apparently they can do good mock-ups while the IDF is there, but not the real thing. Understood. (By the way, I love how Sharon is all of Israel, and he is going against the entire oppressed Palestinians. No doubt it makes it easier to demonize Israel with just one face.)
The more they can convince the world of the plan's sincerity, the more international help they are likely to get. If they can also demonstrate a commitment to cleaning up corruption, so much the better: that will attract aid and investment to build the foundations of the future state.
If, in the face of such efforts, Mr Sharon continues to prevaricate and to lay down new conditions before there can be any talk of a Palestinian state, then the world will know who to blame.
The Americans and Europeans will find it difficult to connive at Israeli obstruction of Palestinian attempts to bring reforms and democratisation.
Boy did I call this one.
Now, through a combination of circumstances, there is a chance to turn the rhetoric of reform into action and achieve something better: liberation, not only of the Palestinian land, but of its people.
The opportunity is there and the will is there among many of the Palestinians, but the moment will not last forever.
The bleak alternative is to fall straight into the trap so cunningly set by Ariel Sharon, who is trying to show that the Palestinians will never be capable of governing themselves properly.
Ah, that cunning Sharon. To have faith in the history of Arafat. Devious. Well, I think I can provide an answer to Whit with his own words from the beginning of this column:
There is an old quip that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Baseball Strike
For all of last year, my comment to a lot of friends and co-workers regarding the baseball season was, "I'm enjoying it now, because next year there will be a strike." Some nodded, some disagreed, and some were surprised I would think such a thing. Surely the players and owners learned their lesson the last time. No one ever learns from these things.
When the strike hit in 1994 (on my birthday, I might add) everyone was upset. No one wanted that season to end. Fans had been enjoying some great pennant races in almost all divisions -- Montreal and Atlanta in the NL East; Houston and St. Louis in the NL Central; LA and SF in the NL West; my Yankees were surging in the AL East; Chicago and Cleveland were battling for the NL Central; and in the AL West it looked like a team would actually make the playoffs with a losing record. Baseball had been surging in popularity. Then the strike hit. Major bitterness set in amongst the fans. In some cities it was a depression and anger not ever recovered from (Montreal, Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia still haven't gotten back to their pre-strike attendance levels).
People point to Ripken's games played streak, the chase of Maris' 61, new parks and other things to suggest baseball came back. I disagree. The game came partway back. The problems were still there and the fans knew it was a matter of time. A strike is now looming again. The fan reaction isn't fear or anger at the thought, it's a weariness. No one cares who is right or wrong. Which argument makes better sense. It doesn't matter. The fans are tired of it. Many welcome the strike, because they don't want to hear or read anymore about Collective Bargaining Agreements, strikes, lockouts, grievances, and economic imbalances. They just want to enjoy baseball. (Probably part of the reason why Minor League Baseball's attendance is continuing to rise).
Baseball bets on the fans coming back eventually. They always do. That's fine. My question is, will the passion? The NBA has yet to come close since their lockout, even this year, to capturing the attention. Even now, with the playoffs. I do not buy the argument that it is because Jordan was gone, and now is on a bad team. There's attention paid on SportsCenter, plenty of talk, but no passion. No excitement. The only thing I want to see with the playoffs, is Charles Barkley talking on the pre-game, halftime, and post-game show.
That is where baseball is heading. Apathy and entropy. It isn't anger that will drive the fans away. It is finding something else to do. Sports at the professional level is entertainment. The money can be spent on other entertainment. If the strike happens in August or September, as rumored, look for Sony to re-release Spider-Man.
I love baseball. I love my Yankees. I just am tired of it. I will have plenty to distract me by about July 5, so take the rest of the season off.
Scooping Kurtz
Hey, I beat Howard Kurtz to the lighter side in Media Notes today!
And on a lighter note, under the taunting headline "Anne Robinson: Americans Are Dumb," London's Daily Mirror reports:
"Anne Robinson, the flame-haired quiz show dominatrix, is not impressed. The Weakest Link is to be shelved in the United States as a result of declining audience figures and Anne, who has made no secret of her contempt for American intellect, is taking no prisoners.
...
Yo Anne: Maybe we're smart enough to have grown tired of your fatuous act.
I posted mine a good 15 hours before Kurtz. Whoo-hoo!
Still a gamer
Arafat is disgusting, evil, ugly, corrupt, and has poor personal hygiene. Get past that, and there is something sickly fascinating about him. I'm referring to his amazing cockroach ability to survive and his political jiujitsu like maneuvering. It's maddening and frustrating, it has probably prevented any real resolution to Israel-Palestine; but it is breathtaking to watch.
After previously calling for new elections and sweeping reforms, many wondered if Arafat was going to really risk giving up power and control. We got our answer. Arafat is now trying to tie an Israeli Army withdrawal from the West Bank to where they were 20 months previously to the elections he promised.
The politics are potentially brilliant. Israel won't and shouldn't do this.
World (Europe and the US Dept of State at a minimum) opinion again shifts against Israel for blocking the chance for the elections, and Arafat gets to stay in control, and has more time. If somehow Israel is convinced to withdraw, it raises Arafat's stature among his people for getting Israel out; it gives him time to work to rig the elections without interference; and his terror groups get time to regroup without fear of the IDF.
The only way this doesn't work, is if the internal opposition in the West Bank is too strong and loud; and/or Europe, for once, does not play along. I would not bet on the latter, but the former seems like a real possibility right now.
Ohio Bloggers Coalition
So Eric Olsen is collecting names and blogs for the Ohio Bloggers Coalition (OBC). To date we have
Jeff Wolfe -- Columbus, libertarian and assorted subjects
Greg Hlatky -- Morrow (near Cinci), show dogs and politics
Kevin Holtsberry -- Columbus, politics and life in general
Mike Crooker -- Cleveland, vegan cooking
Tres_Producers [technically multi-person, but dominated by Eric Olsen] -- Aurora (Akron-Cleveland area), "conscience of the blogosphere" and pop culture and general commentary
Dawn Olsen -- Aurora (Akron-Cleveland area), broad commentary and satire
Larry Staton -- Cleveland, law, economics and technology
Rebecca Blood -- Cleveland, broad commentary
There has got to be more.
Thursday, May 16, 2002
No, there's no trend
Well, it seems Radio Netherlands has also started to wonder about left-wing violence. Part of a Q&A with Jan Zielonka, professor of political science at the European University Institute in Florence. He doesn't see any connection. They are all unrelated incidents:
How about the notion of left-wing extremism being linked to violence? Is that something borne out throughout Europe?
"Not really. You can argue, of course, that we have a long tradition starting with anarchists early in the century, they were on the left, but I wouldn't say this was always the case; right-wing assassinations took place too early on in the century. Consider the assassination of the first Polish president [Gabriel] Narutowicz [killed in 1922]."
Okay, but the question was regarding violence. Not just assassinations. In recent time, it seems fair to point out that the violence has been coming from the left. Last I checked, the anti-globo party kids who like to riot are on the left. The various "unions" in France that protest McDonalds, foreign newspapers and anything else that bugs them all seem to be coming from the left. I'm trying to remember the last time a left-leaning politician or organization was being attacked physically.
Whereas in the old days the left was the protest movement, now right-wing parties are being voted into government and those right-wing parties complain that the response of the left is to become more and more extreme and turn to violence.
"I don't think this is the case. In my view, the disenchantment is generally with the political establishment as such. As it happened, left-wing parties were in power in most of the European governments, but the Dutch case is a very good example where this disenchantment is not only directed towards the labour parties, it is directed also against right-wing parties. Those classifications, ‘left' and ‘right', I don't know how much they apply in terms of Pim Fortuyn, for example. Populists are usually different; as a matter of fact, they often get votes from the left and from the right."
Ah, now Fortuyn is merely a populist. Despite all media painting him as a right-wing extremist, and the assassin came from the left. The left that is getting violent is not the left that is in power.
Is Jan an idiot, willfully blind, or so wrapped in his own leftist biases that he is incapable of seeing these things.
Who do you blame?
Bjorn Staerk writes about the immigration debate in Norway and the Swedish minister who injected herself into the debate. The matter in question centered on a Kurdish immigrant who shot his disobedient daughter to preserve family honor. Bjorn has written extensively on the subject, his own opinions, and the debate that ensued. Much of it centered on the failures and successes of multiculturalism and integration/assimilation into society by immigrants.
The Minister, not surprisingly, decries the "exploitation" of the issue of immigration by the "right-populists." Like many other European leaders and left-leaning intellectuals and pundits in Europe, the " subject is beneath discussion." Those who do raise such issues are radicalized, usually as "far left" or "far right." This is the common reaction by all people who don't want to deal/address an issue complex or simple -- complete refusal to debate or outright demonization of those who raise the issue. In the US, most Democrats reject out of hand any discussion of privatizing social security; Republicans do not want to hear a word about a national health care program. In some respects, both are like the European immigration to maintain the status quo.
Bjorn welcomed the debate the murder caused:
What I and many other Scandinavians saw in this case was an extreme example of the misogyny and racism that appears to be common in several immigrant communities, closed like fortresses against their host culture. The debate that followed was healthy in almost every way, and some of its most ferocious combatants were young immigrant women who had picked up a strain of old-fashioned feminism. It was beautiful to watch, and probably set an example to follow for other second generation immigrants.
The Minister, however, saw things a bit differently:
The Swedish minister believes the murder of Fadime was an example of mens attempt to control women.
- We must acknowledge that there exists a culture built on honor and shame, but it has nothing to do with ethnicity or religion. [..]
According to the Minister of Integration, Fadime was an example of successful integration. She came to Sweden as a child, and learnt Swedish very well. After a while she even had a Swedish boyfriend. Therefore Sahlin believes one cannot hold up Fadime as an example of a failed system.
To which Bjorn did not disagree, the girl wasn't the failure. The failure was with the father who did not integrate, and who the Minister did not address.
And it does have something to do with religion, not Islam as such, (which can be and have been many things), but Islam as it is currently practiced in many places of the world. It takes different forms: Oppression, genital mutilation, forced marriage, and occasionally murder, but they are all remnants of barbarism, and a dark stain on any culture that practices them. If this isn't a cultural problem, what is? And if the absence of these practices in a culture is a sign of progress, isn't their presence in a culture a sign of backwardness?
According to European multiculturalists, pointing this out is called right-wing extremism.
According to the dictionary, it's called honest criticism.
I actually have my own point to make in this. There is a definite pattern in Europe when it comes to the immigration issue, and many others the focus goes to the wrong person.
In the murder of the poor girl, the European political and intellectuals focused on her, not the father's horrid action and the failure of his integration. Where was the policy not working, how can it be fixed were not questions asked outside of Norway.
When Fortuyn was murdered, the attention was all on his anti-immigration policies, the "rise of the right" Europe, and not the environmental-leftist-assassin. The killer was quickly dismissed as a lone nut. Reports of street celebrations by Muslim immigrants when news broke were quickly, quietly forgotten. No questions were/are being asked in Europe about why the left seems to be getting more violent and intolerant towards those who hold different views.
Le Pen wins 16% of the preliminary election and the French riot against the outcome. The protested his win, but it really was against themselves for actually voting for him. Rather than focus on what he was saying that seemed to resonate, they demonized not debate or disprove his notions. The best that was said was that the people may have been trying to "send a message" about crime.
I'm not saying the pattern is perfect. This is something of a rough theory.
Bitterest Link
Anne Robinson, the annoying hostess of the tiresome TV show, " The Weakest Link" is still miffed that the US did not care that much for her show leading to NBC saying, well you know. She goes off on some rants in an interview:
Does she think Americans are definitively more stupid than the Brits? "You have to remember that only five per cent of Americans have passports," she says. "That explains a lot..."
Huh? Now I have a passport, but so what. She does know the size of North America versus Europe, doesn't she? She does understand that Americans can go to Canada or Mexico without a passport, right? We can travel just around about entire Continent without any need for a passport. So, yeah, most Americans never leave the Continent, that is proof of stupidity? That is a moronic thing to say.
It's mostly a puff piece for some new game show she hosts.
Same-Sex Solicitation Now Legal in Ohio
The Ohio Supreme Court struck down a dumb state law that made it a misdemeanor to solicit sex from someone of the same sex.
The court ruled in a 1999 Ashtabula case in which a man in a car offended a jogger by yelling numerous sexual propositions and telling him he was "hot and sexy."
The jogger reported Eric Thompson of Jefferson to police. Thompson was found guilty of importuning and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
It was a unanimous decision, but the justices were split on why it was an unconstitutional law. The majority saw it as violating free speech because it restricted speech content between one class (same-sex) but not the other (opposite sex).
The Court's summary can be found here. The full decision, here.
That would have been such a different way to turn down guys who approached me when I used to go down to the Flats with friends. Instead of, "sorry, I'm straight." I could have said, "do you realize I could have you charged for importuning?"
Check Kiting for Check Cashing Business
The Justice Dept. has charged Elie and Michel Abboud with check kiting to the tune of $280 million dollars in the last three months. The brothers were apparently plowing the money back into a struggling check cashing business they owned. They made their money, initially, in neighborhood groceries around the Cleveland area.
Authorities used rented trucks yesterday to haul away financial records, computers and filing cabinets related to Abboud's companies from eight businesses and homes.
Among the sites raided was Elie Abboud's $2 million mansion on 48 acres in Hinckley Township.
Agents arrested Michel Abboud, 45, of North Randall on charges of bank fraud and are holding him without bond. He had been out on an appeal bond for a kidnapping conviction when he was arrested.
Elie Abboud, 49, had been visiting friends in Lebanon this week, though he planned to return after learning of the searches, his attorney said. He will be charged when he returns to Cleveland.
The Abbouds are of Lebanese descent. Elie Abboud has been very active in politics in recent years.
To push his issues on a national level, Abboud created the National Arab American Business Association, or NAABA. The group's mission was to support Arab-American business owners, but Abboud also used it for his political causes.
In January of 1998, Abboud, as the head of NAABA, and James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, accompanied three members of Congress on a political fact-finding trip to Syria.
Abboud's profile was high enough for him to be noticed by a president.
In 1998, as President Clinton launched into a speech at an Arab-American conference in Washington, he thanked several people and groups for their support.
One of the first people he mentioned was Elie Abboud.
In yesterday's online "early" news it mentioned that Elie had spent a night at the Clinton White House. That information was not in the two articles today, and there is no known confirmation.
At the rather sparse NAABA website, the "Naaba News" link contains a link to the Electric Intifada's "Debunking 6 Israeli myths", including such hits as:
"There is no moral equivalence between suicide bombings on the one hand, and Israel's killing of Palestinians on the other"
and
"Arafat has not done enough to stop terrorism"
The LINKS page has only one, The American College of I.T., where you can earn your IT degree over the Internet.
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
Speaking of Spain
I know very little about the situation at Gibraltar, other then it has been under British rule, the people there want it to remain under British rule, but it seems they will soon pass to Spanish rule. I probably shouldn't comment on such events, but it seems that someone in Britain who knows less than me has taken it upon himself to tell the people of Gibraltar what they should do:
The people of the Rock must be told what's good for them
Gibraltar can't raise two fingers to the wishes of the British majority
I think, based on the article's title alone, I would not be blocking anyone from Gibraltar if they wanted to smack the author (Peter Preston) upside the head with a mace.
For an outsider, the condescension is hysterical. For a local, legitimate grounds to go postal:
Some 24,000 or so of the Rock's 30,000 citizens were out on the street last week, marching for the cameras. They "want to remain British" (though that's a slightly complex concept in a distant sub-colony largely populated by the ancestors of Italians, Greeks and Maltese). Actually, and quite explicitly, they want to become west Med Channel Islanders or sunburnt Manxmen, bearing convenient passports and an even more convenient fiscal regime. British tax havens come first.
Is it just me, or does that strike anyone else as rather racist to assume being British requires a certain skin color, nationality, and where you live. Quite a shock, I'm sure to the descendents from India and Pakistan who have been living in Britain for a couple generations.
They aren't to be blamed for any of this, nor bullied. But they do, I think, need to be told directly that the world around them has changed: benevolently - and hugely to their advantage. And that we, to whom they claim allegiance, want them to change too as a mark of that allegiance - just as we ourselves have changed. No more bleating about "stitch-ups" from the windbag Michael Ancram. No more hand-me-down patriotism from the high old days of Ealing comedy. No more conspiracy theories from a Daily Mail atrium where they must serve cafe Borgia with the croissants.
It's all about tax breaks. God forbid anyone would actually want to pay less taxes. The article sort of, kind of concedes that the people of Gibraltar may have good reasons for being distrustful of Spain, but so what.
Spain and Britain aren't instinctive historic foes any longer. The armada has sunk. Franco is cold in his grave. Democracy has put down roots the European Union binds into place... What does "sovereignty" mean for this European Gibraltar? If it can be shared between friends, with added prosperity and added autonomy in a union of the regions, then who on earth can object? ...The Spanish have harassed the Rock for too long, cut it off from normal contacts too completely, to make trust an instant commodity. Nevertheless, Gibraltarians - like those who claim to be their defenders at Westminster - need to listen and to think. ... This is the time when we should say something different and not so shocking. Simply: that occasionally the majority knows best.
Because we say so. The majority knows best this time? Any chance we can get a little better analysis? No? Okay, sorry to have asked those silly questions.
Is Spain More Confused Than France
Let me see if I have this straight (bear with me because I had a couple mint juleps tonight with some left over syrup - total aside, but what is the official drink of the Preakness [Baltimore]?), Spain, which contends with Basque separationist terrorists (who they claim have no legitimate complaint to seek an independent state) and has just spoiled a planned terrorist attack is taking in at least one of the Church 13 from Cyprus. Don't the Palestinians want the same thing Basque separationists want?
6th Circuit Infighting
It's getting nasty amongst the judges in the 6th Circuit. Seems a lot of hard feelings over the University of Michigan Law School affirmative action case. Now the judges are starting to go public.
- A federal appeals judge accused his colleagues yesterday of behind-the-scenes political maneuvering in the decision favoring an affirmative-action policy at the University of Michigan law school.
Two circuit judges from Northeast Ohio, Karen Nelson Moore and Alice M. Batchelder, exchanged sharp written barbs yesterday, with Moore referring to the judge's complaints about political influence as "a low point" in the court's history.
The dispute was so bitter it led to unprecedented public allegations that a 5-4 vote was engineered to ratify the use of race in college admissions decisions.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals usually has 15 members. Political infighting between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate has left it with six vacancies.
The votes of two conservative judges who took senior status last year - which means they do not participate in all cases - might have changed the affirmative action ruling, if they had taken part.
Moore, a 1995 Clinton appointee who voted in favor of affirmative action, said the charge of internal manipulation was baseless. She said the complaints came from sore losers and were "nothing short of shameful."
But Medina's Batchelder, an appointee of former President George Bush in 1991, said the complaints of internal maneuvering were accurate.
They originated with Circuit Judge Danny Boggs, a Kentuckian named to the appeals court by President Reagan in 1986. Boggs said a hearing panel waited until the two conservative judges retired before setting the case for argument. He said the majority ignored rules in order to advance its political agenda.
This won't change the case, but it is rare to see judges publicly blast each other like this.
The color is all wrong for my skin tones
I think the AP is starting to have a little too much fun. This article's headline:
Exiled Palestinian Rants in Cyprus
"The U.S. wants to kill me, or put me where (Osama) bin Laden's men are," Salem Abayat, 29, yelled to reporters — an allusion to the detention of al-Qaida prisoners at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "They want to put me in the orange prison uniform."
Horrors, not the dreaded orange prison uniform! For the record, about Mr. Abayat,
Israel has accused Abayat in the slaying of Brooklyn-born architect, Avi Boaz, 71. Boaz was killed Jan. 15 in the town of Beit Sahour on the West Bank. Abayat is a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which claimed responsibility for Boaz's shooting death.
...
Yelling to the journalists in an adjacent building, Abayat acknowledged that he was the one mentioned in connection with Boaz's death.
Check your local news
Sex sells, and it is May sweeps. So it's time for real hard hitting local news including this snippet:
One dancer told Kiska that when the local sports teams go on a losing streak, fewer fans go to games and so fewer fans go out downtown -- that cuts their tips by more than half.
Support your local strpiper, dammit!
Depends on who you ask
I know, the Church of the Nativity is so yesterday's news. Still it's time for a little compare and contrast. This piece from the BBC from May 11, suggests minimal damages and the terrorists were perfect gentlemen. The only clergy interviewed were Franciscans.
On the other hand this one from the Washington Times ( via Charles Johnson) focuses on the viewpoint from Greek Orthodox.
He gestured toward empty bottles of Israeli-brewed Maccabi beer and hundreds of cigarette butts strewn on the floor.
The priest then took the reporters to see computers taken apart and a television set dismantled for use as a hiding place for weapons.
"You can see what repayment we got for 'hosting' these so-called guests," said Archbishop Ironius, another cleric, as he showed reporters the main reception hall of the Greek Orthodox Monastery.
"All the media concentrated on the Franciscan [Catholic] quarter, where little damage was done," the archbishop said. "Why? The Franciscans actually let the gunmen in, then guided the gunmen to our rooms."
Archbishop Ironius showed onlookers where the militants had broken in to the monks' quarters by smashing locked doors while, he said, the monks were praying downstairs.
"The Franciscans then blocked their own rooms' doors with iron bars," Archbishop Ironius said.
Obviously there is some tension between the Franciscans and the Greek Orthodox orders. Not to mention between their view of the events.
Mocking the FEC
Political Money Line, an excellent source for information about campaign finance, PACs and lobbying money, takes a whack at the FEC's failure to timely publish reports on the Internet like it's supposed to:
As of this weekend, over 60,000 pages (21%) of 2001-02 FECA report pages containing itemized transactions are not available on the FEC website. This total figure is probably thousands more if one counted disbursements pages and those pages without itemized contributions or expenditures.
...
If anyone at the Commission asks us, we'll gladly provide our list of missing images.
The free portion of their database is probably better than OpenSecrets.
Campaign Finance Reform Update
The FEC has issued its first notice of proposed rulemaking on the BCRA. It is seeking comments by May 29 and will be holding a hearing on June 4-5
The BCRA ... requires that rules be in place within 90 days of enactment for aspects of the law that eliminate or restrict non-federal financial activity ("soft money") for national, state, and local party organizations. The document released today (which is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on May 20) contains these proposed rules, as issued by the Commission in public session on May 9.
The Commission is seeking comment on rules that implement the statutory ban on fundraising or spending by national party organizations from sources or in amounts that would not be allowed for federal elections. The Act and the rules also prohibit fundraising by national parties for tax-exempt organizations that undertake political activities.
Today’s notice also seeks comment on rules restricting the financing of state and local party organizations’ federal election activities, along with restrictions on the ability of national parties, federal candidates, and officeholders to solicit contributions for these and other organizations who conduct political activities.
The Notice of Rulemaking is a downloadable Word Document. The FEC allows electronic submission of comments.
I have slowly been plowing through the BCRA, trying to fit it properly into the proper places in the FECA. It is a mess. It is very hard to stifle my disgust when any law actually gives an alternative should one part be found unconstitutional. If you know it's not likely to be Constitutional, lawmakers have an obligation not to support it.
I'll Believe It When It Happens
Arafat is now promising reforms of the Palestinian Authority:
Yasser Arafat, who is under growing pressure at home and abroad to carry out reforms, acknowledged Wednesday that he has made mistakes and promised to restructure his government and hold elections. Yet he did not present a detailed plan and instead appealed for patience.
See, something Arafat and Sharon can agree on. Patience is needed.
Many of Arafat's critics remained skeptical, noting that he has promised change in the past, including a campaign to weed out rampant corruption — without results.
Oh, there have been results. Anyone found to be lining just their pockets without giving Arafat a cut were removed. As for the reforms, they just gave him a chance to find out who was against him. Actually, the fascinating thing is the tone of the article. It is surprisingly critical of Arafat, and the Palestinians finally seem fed up.
"Maybe expectations were too high," legislator Nabil Amr said of Arafat's rambling and sometimes incoherent speech which was devoid of specifics. Amr had resigned last week from the Palestinian Cabinet in protest over what he said was Arafat's stonewalling over growing demands for reform.
Boy can you believe a speech by Arafat can be incoherent and rambling? Of course most of this is still Israel's fault
Arafat acknowledged that he has made mistakes, but heaped most of the blame for the current crisis on Israel, dedicating large parts of his speech to listing the damage caused during Israel's six-week military offensive, which ended last week.
...
Arafat called for "speedy preparations" to hold elections and restructure the Palestinian Authority to "fulfill the principle of a separation of powers."
...
Arafat made no mention of a new contest for leadership of the Palestinian Authority, which he won by an overwhelming margin in 1996.
The only "principle" Arafat believes in is looking out for No. 1. Leadership change for the PA? You must be joking. Arafat don't need no stinkin' election for the ruling post. Just everything else, after all opposition is removed.
Also Tuesday, Arafat signed a law recognizing the independence of the judiciary, after ignoring the bill for 18 months. Arafat's critics welcomed the step, but said much more was needed. "We don't want independence of the legal system just on paper. We want it on the ground," said legislator Hatem Abdel Kader.
Arafat has been widely criticized for his one-man rule, in which many decisions made by the judiciary were simply ignored by him and his security forces. Parliament in recent years passed a number of laws that disappeared in Arafat's desk without ever being signed.
Does this judicial reform still allow Arafat to hold his own kangaroo court trials when needed?
In the wake of the Israeli military operation, which caused great hardship to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, there has been growing dissatisfaction with Arafat and his aides, particularly Mohammed Rashid, an ethnic Kurd who is believed to control considerable secret funds.
An ethnic Kurd? Bet he's eager to go with Arafat to Iraq at Saddam's invitation.
Palestinian officials said Hamas has come under growing pressure from Saudi Arabia to halt suicide bombings in Israel. In the coming days, Hamas leaders are to hold talks in Cairo with Saudi officials, said two senior Palestinian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But I thought Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with suicide bombers? I thought they opposed these operations. They're our allies in the War on Terror. Say it ain't so.
UPDATE: Seems not everyone saw the same thing during the speech.
Mr Arafat, who has looked beleaguered in recent days, was confident as he gave his speech and even made some jokes.
The BBC's Paul Wood, reporting from Jerusalem, says the speech was the first step by the Palestinian leader to shore up his domestic position after drawing only thin crowds on his recent tour of the West Bank.
He attempted to meet criticism of his resolution of the siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity by taking full responsibility for the exile of 13 Palestinian militants confined there.
So the speech was incoherent and rambling, but Arafat was confident and making jokes. Full responsibility? Arafat qualified that issue with an "if there was an error" statement, hardly taking full responsibility.
Nothing ever changes
Gil, the Israeli Guy, has a great post on his site. It's an article written in 1968, but might as well have been written in 1988, 1998, or last week. Well, not entirely, the article came from the LA Times.
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
He's a Cowboy, Beware
Here's something a little different, idiocy from Europe not involving Fortuyn or the Israelis. The Guardian(UK) supplies a column by Andrew Murray, chair of the Stop the War Coalition. He is railing against "George Bush's America" and the war on terror.
Each passing week is placing both new targets and new justifications for attack on the menu for military action. There is now not the slightest pretence that the scope of the US's regime-change wishlist is in any way tethered to the attacks of September 11. Instead, the world is witnessing the rapid emergence of a plan to dispose of any government hateful to the sight of US ultra-conservatism.
Not conservative, or right, or extreme-right, but all the way to ultra-conservative. One has to wonder if the ones who are even further to the right of Bush could then be tossed into the ultra-leftist. Oh, wait, here's that answer.
First there was the Taliban. Beyond them lay the improbable axis of evil - at the apex of which is Iraq, clearly still the next target for the unilateral attentions of the Pentagon. Now the administration's planning has moved "beyond the axis of evil", in the words of John Bolton, one of the creatures of the night occupying sub-cabinet rank in the Bush regime. The under- secretary of state identified Syria, Libya and, above all, Cuba as states that needed to come round to Washington's view of the world before Washington comes round to them, guns blazing.
The Taliban, what could have they ever done to deserve their fate? Why would Afghanis cheer their fall? Does Andrew think people have already forgotten this? Or is it just a brutal repressive political/fascist culture that refuses to respect other religions and some of the icons within their own country, banned music, real education (substituted with religious dogmatic teachings), horribly mistreated women, and a lot of other s**t was just a patsy for the diabolical GWBush? Cue maniacal laughter in the background. As for the "improbable" axis of evil, I assume Andy is arguing that they are not involved in some super-villain team-up action, which I agree. To consider the regimes as anything other than evil, though, is a hoot.
Evil Checklist
Iraq: uses chemical weapons on its own people, supplies a $25,000 dollar pay off to the families of suicide bombers in the West Bank, and has a dictator for a leader who writes really bad romance novels. Still trying to build nuclear weapons. Check.
Iran: Islamic/repressive religiously dogmatic regime, supplies arms to the Palestinian Authority, makes regular pronouncements of seeking to kill all Jews and destroy America. Seeking nuclear weaponry. Check.
North Korea: starving own people, second generation family dictatorship, supplies arms to anyone willing to pay, complete block on information in and out of country, may already have nuclear weaponry. Check.
Syria and Libya are just thrilled to get the call up from AAA. As for Cuba, well even Carter when he was President wouldn't do anything to change the US status quo put in place by Kennedy, so even with my ambivalence, I don't expect a change. Of course even a blind squirrel can find a nut, so I'll give Andy that one to the extent that the embargo isn't going anywhere. I am not sure where he gets Cuba being on the Axis list from a warning from the State Dept. that Cuba is developing chemical weapons.
Please note, the standard European allusion to the American Cowboy. An essential part of any anti-American tantrum. Especially for Bush.
Optimistic Europeans have clung to the illusion that September 11 would help Bush rediscover the rest of the world. If it has, then that world is to be called Texas. That may recommend itself to a British prime minister eager to dock benefits from the impoverished parents of children who truant, a Lone Star idea if ever there was one. However, he is almost alone. Even governments and peoples who may admire the US economic and political system increasingly fear the brazen lawlessness of this administration, and worry at the implications of the endless war, with its ever-expanding list of governments to be ousted.
Bush did discover the rest of the world. Why do you think this is happening? In Europe it found a lot of appeasers and whiners other than Britain to ignore. Africa's a friggin' mess. (How's that economic embargo against Zimbabwe going in bringing about change, by the way?) The Middle East is almost entirely ruled by non-democratic, one-ruler repressive regimes that seek to quell their own frustrated people by blaming everything on Israel, the only democratic country in the region, and the US.
I'm guessing he's talking about some aspect of the education bill, but I fail to see the relationship to foreign policy. One of those things to throw out casually to show how wrong America is. Kind of like the bringing up most European countries' tax structures when talking about their immigration policies. Also note second Cowboy reference. He went for the double, but the second was a little flat.
Already the axis of evil embraces governments of widely differing kinds on three continents. Now, three more countries have been casually added to the hitlist. And who can believe that this represents the limit of US ambitions? The Bush administration and its friends don't seem to like Europeans much either. Tony Blair may imagine that by supporting the war to make the world safe for the US, he is helping in some way to make the US safe for the world. Every utterance from John Bolton and his cronies exposes the hollowness of that pretension. Britain appears to be determined to defend the ever-increasingly indefensible - right over the edge of the abyss.
"governments of widely differing kinds"? No, they all seem to share a lot of the same qualities: non-democratic, dictatorships, brutal violence against their own people, willing to support terrorists abroad, tend to threaten the US, and have some ambitions to spread their influence. Of course, he could be talking about races, but I like to look beyond mere skin colors.
I always wonder how groups like Human Rights Watch and Stop the War get along. I mean HRW wants some sort of intervention in the "bad" countries which will ultimately involve military force. Stop the War just wants us to pretend nothing is happening and stay at home. It seems they should be at each other's throats a little more.
Arafat is a moral authority?
Dennis Ross, the head negotiator for Clinton on the Israel-Palestine peace talks, did an interview while in Israel. He's there to promote his new think tank, the Institute for Jewish People Policy Planning. He seems to understand the issues, and knows the limits on what Israel can and cannot give up. One thing in the article stopped me cold.
"Arafat still will be a main source of moral authority among Palestinians, but there is no question that there is a recognition among Palestinians that something has to change and he can't continue to govern the way he has in a completely arbitrary way, in which he plays one group against the other," Ross said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.
Moral authority among Palestinians? Arafat? They are so screwed.
D'oh!
I screwed up on my archives. Nothing lost, but recent posts weren't being found when linked. Still getting the hang of the idiot proof blogging software.
More on SFSU
Well, still no actual news in the SF Chronicle about the incident, but there is an editorial today condemning it. Sort of. Its hard to tell what the editorial stands for other than "be nice."
WHEN HATRED and ethnic insults become standard fare at Bay Area college campuses, you know the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is getting close to home.
I think it is fair to say anything in the Middle East these days causes passions to flair in most of America.
Pro-Israel demonstrators say Palestinian students threatened them and spewed anti-Jewish insults. The Palestinians say the Jews provoked them with anti-Arab slurs.
Any such conduct is ugly and unacceptable.
I've missed the anti-Arab slurs in the miniscule coverage that the Chronicle has provided. And it's good to know the Pro-Israel demonstrators were "The Jews." (no, I'm not denying an event arranged by the campus Hillel was predominately attended by Jewish students, I'm just noting the editorial writer's use of language) As for being provoked? When? The Pro-Palestine/Anti-Israel group made their move after the rally ended. Not during, this raises some questions as to the truthfulness of the counter-accusation.
Whatever you want to call it, anti-Jewish incidents -- and, perhaps to a lesser extent, anti-Arab ones -- appear to be on the rise in the Bay Area, a disturbing trend.
Protests by pro-Palestinian students at UC Berkeley and UC Davis have also been marred by harsh anti-Israel language that sometimes verges on unacceptable anti-Jewish insults.
Sometimes? Sometimes you say.
Sometimes, hatred turns to violence. Examples are the recent fires at the Beth Jacob Synagogue in Oakland and the predominantly Palestinian Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Redeemer in Los Altos Hills, a firebombing at Congregation Beth Israel-Judea, anti-Jewish graffiti and multiple physical assaults on Jews in Berkeley, San Francisco and Sacramento.
It should be noted that Rabbis and members of the Jewish community immediately offered assistance in rebuilding and raising money for the Church, without any thought as to seeking proof of who started the fire.
Nationwide, however, there appears to be no increase in anti-Jewish incidents. In fact, recent polls suggest that pro-Israel sentiment is rising among Americans.
In Europe, anti-Semitism is alive and well -- in both variants. ...
But ethnic and religious intolerance has no place in the Bay Area, or anywhere else.
Translation: For god's sake, we're SF, not Europe. How the hell are LA and lesser cities showing more tolerance than us!?
ADDENDUM: This is a linkto the disgusting blood-libel fliers plastered on SFSU's campus, and paid for with student funds.
ABC Has No Clue
According to this article, ABC will be trying to air more "family-friendly" programming. It seems that it wants to re-connect with its Disney parent. Of course at the same time that it will go more family friendly, it will cancel the rather tired "Politically Incorrect" and replace it with a show starring/hosted by Jimmy Kimmel of the "Man Show" which of course features the ever popular family fare: Girls Jumping on Trampolines.
ABC: One of these days something will work.
Baseball Hall of Fame
In honor of the retirement of the Cuban born, Miami raised, former all-star Jose Canseco, it seems fitting to look not at his career which fell short of Baseball Hall of Fame standards (or at least my personal opinion), but at some of the present players and whether they are Hall of Famers (numbers from the end of 2001 season):
Position Players
Future HoF
Barry Bonds
Ken Griffey, Jr. (yes even with the injuries)
Rickey Henderson
I see no reason to explain these three.
Thomas, Frank - I struggled with keeping him on the list. I am assuming he comes back healthy. His injuries and becoming a full-time DH may hurt his candidacy. Still he is such an offensive force...
Bagwell, Jeff - 1B; 11 yrs.; BA .303; OBP .415; SLG .554; H 1803; HR 349; RBI 1223; (BB-K) 1099-1157
Larkin, Barry - SS; 16 yrs.; BA .299; H 2048; 2B 373; perennial Gold Glover; 1 MVP; predates Jeter, Rodriguez, Tejada and Garcieperra as an offensive catalyst at SS.
Alomar, Roberto - 2B; 14 yrs.; BA .306; H 2389; HR 190; 2B 446; RBI 1018; (BB-K) 902-949; Gold Gloves galore; Can argue he will be the greatest all-around 2B in history.
Sosa, Sammy - OF; 13 yrs.; HR 450 [3 years of 60+]; OBP .343; SLG .542; RBI 1239; 1 MVP
Piazza, Mike - C; 10 yrs.; BA .325; H 1507; HR 314; RBI 975; OBP .391; SLG .579; Just became eligible. Simply the best hitting Major League catcher ever.
Highly Probable/Possible, but years, injuries, etc. put them on the fence (or simply not quite there yet)
Rafael Palmeiro - 16 yrs.; BA .294; OBP .372; SLG .519; H 2485; HR 447; (BB-K) 1036-1073; good glove. If he plays 2 more years, likely to get 500+ HR, but will need 3-4 years to get 3000 hits (unlikely to last that long). Hurt as a rather anonymous 1B in his career, despite great numbers.
Alex Rodriguez - 8 yrs. Not being at the 10 year mark is the only thing keeping out of the next category at this point.
Derek Jeter - 7 yrs. Not enough years yet. H 1199 (3000+ seems likely); major post-season success. Arguably overrated, but it is hard to argue with success.
Ivan Rodriguez - 11 yrs.; BA .304; H 1595; HR 196; 2B 312; Best Defensive Catcher; 1 MVP; Two straight injury-plagued seasons hurt. Questions abound as to whether he can keep hitting well as the years of catching add up.
Craig Biggio - 14 yrs.; BA .291; H 2149; 2B 437; HR 180; RBI 811; Probably needs 3000 H to be a lock, this would take about 5 years of 175 H/year, but he is already 35.
Ramirez, Manny - 9 yrs.; BA .312; OBP .406; SLG .594; H 1248; HR 277; RBI 929; What happens if he becomes a full-time DH within a couple years? Hamstring problems.
Jones, Chipper - 8 yrs.; BA .307; OBP .400; SLG .545; H 1240; HR 227; RBI 737; (BB-K) 652-609; Looking at a position change from 3B (where he would be a lock in 3 years) to OF; still compares well with Ramirez, but could go down as the 2nd or 3rd best 3B ever- behind Schmidt and either ahead or just behind Eddie Matthews.
Gonzalez, Juan- 13 yrs.; 2 MVP; BA .297; OBP .345; SLG .568; H 1727; HR 397; RBI 1282; Injury/attitude history; major questions about how his back will do, otherwise a given for 500+ HR and 2000+ H
Gary Sheffield - 13 yrs.; BA .295; OBP .399; SLG .521; H 1669; HR 315; RBI 1016; (BB-K) 952- 688; career should end with good/great career numbers. Personality and history of dogging it at times will hurt.
Maybe but time (and age) is against them
Walker, Larry - 13 yrs.; age 35; BA .315; OBP .396; SLG .572; H 1702; 2B 370; HR 309; RBI 1029; 1 MVP.
Injuries and age work against him.
Greatly helped and, at the same time, hindered by Coors Field. He was still an all-star caliber player, but was spectacular at home, as these split numbers from 1997-2001 will show:
BA OBP SLG H 2B HR RBI
H .408 .482 .753 481 108 90 292
A .302 .406 .555 329 66 66 194
The exaggerated difference in the stats will make it hard to take his numbers as seriously as he otherwise may have been considered.
Williams, Bernie - 11 yrs; age 33; BA. 305; OBP .389; SLG .499; H 1629; 2B 316; HR 207; RBI 896; (BB-K) 744-830
A bit overrated with the glove; has minor injury history which costs him 20-30 games/year; plenty of post-season exposure, but the reality is, his numbers in the post-season are not that good.
Players still Unproven Long-Term and/or Injury History (Highly speculative and subjective)
Garcieperra, Nomar
Rolen, Scott
Guerrero, Vladimir
Glaus, Troy
Giambi, Jason
Delgado, Carlos
Abreu, Bobby
Tejada, Miguel
Helton, Todd
Pitchers
HoF Locks
Roger Clemens
Greg Maddux
Not There Yet
Johnson, Randy - 14 yrs.; age 38; 200-101; ERA 3.13; (K-BB) 3412-1160; 5 300+ K seasons; 3 Cy Youngs; 2 20+ W seasons.
Probably needs one more stellar season of 17-20 W, 300+ K, and an ERA below 3.00 for me to move him to the lock category.
Glavine, Tom - 15 yrs; age 36; 224-132; 3.40 ERA; (K-BB) 1927-1062; 2 Cy Youngs; 5 20+ win seasons.
Needs to exceed 250 wins in career to get to lock status (probably 2 more years). Otherwise he is the latest Jack Morris.
Mussina, Mike - 11 yrs; age 33; 164-92; ERA 3.49; (K-BB) 1749-509.
Never won Cy Young, never won 20+ games in a season. ERA needs to get lower.
Needs at least 250 wins (5 years at least) and a Cy Young, or he is a Tommy John/Jim Kaat type.
Slipped to Unlikely
Brown, Kevin - 15 years; age 37; 180-118; ERA 3.18; (K-BB) 2021-768.
Better ERA than Glavine or Mussina; 0 Cy Young; 1 20 W Season; Major injury in 2001 makes it less likely, time is against him; great big game reputation.
BIG QUESTIONS
Martinez, Pedro - 10 years; age 30; 132-59; 2.66 ERA; (K-BB) 1981-467; 3 Cy Youngs.
Injuries have hurt one of the most dominating pitchers in any time, but...
Monday, May 13, 2002
Cuba, Baseball and History
Matt Welch has a new article posted on the Reaon site about Cuban baseball historian Severo Nieto. It's a sad story about the price of Castro's totalitarianism and the US embargo. I get very mixed feelings about the Cuba embargo. We freely trade and grant "most favored nation" status to China despite their repressive Communist regime, but somehow Cuba is different.
I don't know about that, but I still think Carter's a putz.
The Gaza /EU 13
I still don't know what is happening with the 13 Palestinian terrorists stuck in their hotel rooms in Cyprus. Each new report seems more confusing. Earlier reports said it was delayed a week, then it appeared that a decision had been reached, then not, now according to this article its a mess. Cyprus wants them out in another day, but:
EU foreign ministers could announce yesterday only that six countries - Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium - had volunteered in principle to admit at least one each.
Officials still had to work out the "modalities" and a final decision is not expected until the end of the week.
Somehow, the EU thought Israel would later take back the exiles, without questions. I'd love to know the thought process for that one:
One problem is how the militants will be watched over without putting them in prison. There is also uncertainty over whether they would be allowed to travel freely within the EU.
A further problem is the need to seek assurances from the Israeli government that the exile would only be "temporary".
Israel says the men will be allowed back only to stand trial for terrorist offences. Shimon Peres, the Israeli foreign minister, said Israel may seek their extradition.
It's well thought out planning and policies like this, that make me wonder why the US doesn't turn to the EU for more assistance in world affairs.
No Massacre, But They Left Such a Mess
Palestinians, no longer able to claim Israeli Military forces perpetrated a massacre in Jenin, nor attacked the Church of the Nativity, are now down to claiming the IDF vandalized a "Peace Center" in Bethlehem that they used as a base during the standoff. Excuse me while I snicker for a while.
We have hope
What is the deal with Nicole Kidman and short guys?
Revising Fortuyn
Dutch media guilt was what this was all about. It seems some in the media are now thinking that maybe, just maybe they were somewhat at fault for continually portraying Fortuyn as an extremist, right-wing, intolerant, anti-immigrant, racist loon. It seems that this might have been a touch inaccurate, maybe even unfair.
“He was depicted as a fake professor, a second Hitler . . . a neo-Nazi, a narcissistic homosexual and a political outcast. Practically all the media took part, it was the fashionable thing to do, to have a go at Professor Pim.”
The left-wing De Volkskrant, one of Fortuyn’s most vociferous critics in the past, explained the traditional tolerance shown for the far Left in The Netherlands and abhorrence for the far Right.
“It has to do with the last war and our guilty feelings and remorse for having exported more Jews than anyone else,” Philippe Remarque, a sociologist, said.
Boy, it always seems to come down to those people for Europeans, doesn't it? Oh, and the Jews weren't exported, they were sent to their deaths at concentration camps.
Eastlake Minor (League)
The Cleveland Indians, this year are playing roughly .500 ball. For the first time since the strike shortened 1994 season, since they moved into Jacobs Field, they will not sell 3 million plus tickets. The fans are frustrated and feeling easily distracted (how long until the next Browns mini-camp?). Roughly ten years ago, pre-Jacobs Field, Cleveland would have been the team considered for contraction. The Jake, however got built, and an amazing combination of circumstances, made the Indians the rulers of Cleveland. Jacobs Field opening before most other new stadiums did gave the Indians a head start on revenue streams allowing them to spend money like a large market team; remarkable player development (Thome, Belle, Lofton, Baerga, Alomar, Jr.) all together making them a winning team; and the Browns sucked, then moved to Baltimore leaving the Indians alone in the Cleveland sports world (the Cavaliers don't count). Now individual ticket prices range from $7 for the cheap, high seats to $40 for the field box. Never mind the cost of parking downtown, concessions, etc.
Within 80 miles of Cleveland there are three minor league baseball teams in Canton, Akron and Niles. Now given that there are three minor league teams and a declining attendance, the last thing you would expect would be to place a fourth minor league team within 20 miles of the stadium. Well 3 miles from where I live, that is exactly what they are doing,:
Mike Edwards, general manager of Lake County's Class A minor league baseball team, said "a powder keg of excitement" is building around the baseball team, which will play in a 6,500-seat ballpark at the corner of Ohio 91 and Vine Street next spring.
...
Edwards said ticket prices will be slightly higher than those offered in Columbus [GA] this season. The RedStixx offer 70-game season-ticket plans for $275 to $350. Single-game seats go for $4 to $7.
The stadium will cost between $15 -17 million dollars (and I'm unsure whether that includes the costs of acquiring some of the commercial property and the much needed road improvements that will need to be done). Ohio is contributing some $350,000 to the project (also includes a sketch of the ballpark).
I've never bought the argument of economic benefit from a sports facility. There have been much better studies against it.
As a baseball fan, this is great. I love minor league ball games. They are more intimate, a lot more fun, and much, much cheaper than a MLB game. I just don't understand why the Indians think further cannibalizing their fan base is a good idea, especially given their declining play and a resurgent Browns football team.
UPDATE: The Canton Crocodiles have moved to Washington, PA (about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh)
The Sports Guy
On ESPN.com, Page 2, one of the regular columnists is Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy. He used to be the BostonSportsGuy with his own Web site, and regular rants about sports, especially Boston sports as a native. His site became very popular, did some local radio, and ESPN eventually hired him. The guy is funny and his columns are pure entertainment with plenty of pop culture. He's not a trained journalist, and has stated this with pride. With this background, ESPN has sent him on the press junket for Ali, the movie, to the Super Bowl, and now to the TNT NBA Studio, and he gets to cover not only Sir Charles, but Dr. J is there that night. He even got to go out to the bars with Charles.
Jealous. Feeling very jealous.
SFSU Intolerance?
I didn't want to believe this story via Meryl Yourish. Better to find a little extra outside information before commenting blindly or just reacting. So I went digging and found more s**t:
At a pro-peace rally at San Francisco State University last week, Goodman said, some students spewed hateful, anti-Semitic rhetoric even as students attempted a moment of peace. Posters of a bloodied baby were recently plastered all over campus, he said, scrawled with the words "Slaughtered according to Jewish rite."
"This crosses the line from being an anti-Israeli argument to anti-Jewish harassment," Goodman said. "And what's happening here, while it seems to be isolated to this area in the U.S., it's still following the same pattern as in France and Germany, and that's a little bit disturbing."
Now, I can react. F*****s. The incident Meryl writes of is mentioned in passing at the bottom along with the disgusting blood libel flier that circulated on campus. This may be naive, and it's been six years since I actually visited a friend at SFSU, but what the f**k is going on? Good to see the SF Chronicle is all over this story, with NYTimes-esque moral equivalence.
UPDATE: Instapundit is all over this, with alumni writing him about it and a link to comments by the SFSU President.
Down is Up
This is hilarious. Bahrain has banned the Al Jazeera TV station for being too, wait for it, Pro-Israel. Bahrain has just held its first open elections in over 30 years, and actually allowed women to vote. Apparently the government, though is pissed at AJ for airing footage of anti-US protests taking place in Bahrain without seeking permission.
Mr al-Hamr is said to have accused the station of being infiltrated by Zionists.
"We believe (Al Jazeera) is suspect and represents the Zionist side in the region. We will not deal with this channel because we object to its coverage of current affairs. It is a channel penetrated by Zionists," he was quoted as saying.
This is hilarious. An Arab-Islamic government gets pissed at the very pro-Arab-Islamic TV station, that pushes the "Palestinians are the victim" story at all times. So they ban them and then try to excuse it by claiming the station is Pro-Israel. There's a certain sick logic to it all.
Deep-Linked Hypocrisy
Seems that Belo, the parent company of the Dallas Morning News is getting more attention than it wants for its C&D letter to BarkingDogs.org over deep-linking. The last thing a news media company wants, is to be considered a censor of the news. The spin mode is on:
Belo spokesman Scott Baradell said Friday morning that there's "been a lot of miscommunication and confusion over this. It really involves us and a particular Web site. ... This is an isolated case."
Baradell emphasized that the letter was only sent to one individual. "We're not on a campaign against deep links," he said. "This isn't a crusade for us. ... We deep link and other people deep link to us. We certainly understand that's how the Web works."
Baradell added that Belo's terms of service for its Web sites (which technically require that all sites link to the home page only) are very similar to those at other large media companies. "If you did a survey of other terms [of service] out there, you'd find pretty similar language," he said. But whether or not sites choose to always enforce that language is another matter.
Essentially, what he's arguing is that they may selectively enforce the terms of use, depending on the user. They don't like BarkingDogs, so they don't want him deep-linking. Good luck with that argument in court.
UPDATE: Tech Central Station has a pro- and con- pair of columns on deep linking.
Spider-Doogie
With the success that the Spider-Man movie is enjoying, it is time to add a new cartoon series:
The Marvel Comics hero also will be creeping onto cable television soon, with music channel MTV planning a winter 2002 launch for a new computer-animated "Spider-Man" series produced by Columbia TriStar Domestic Television.
MTV said this week that actor Neil Patrick Harris, who played the young doctor on television's "Doogie Howser, M.D.," will supply the voice of Peter Parker and his wall-scaling alter ego. Singer Lisa Loeb will do the talking for Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, and Ian Ziering ("Beverly Hills, 90210") will provide the voice of Parker's pal, Harry Osborn.
Sony executives said an animated "Charlie's Angels" series will follow on MTV at a future date.
Good to see Neil and Ian finding some work. I could make some crack about their new roles being their most animated, or perhaps showing more dimension than their previous acting jobs; but no. I'll let those slide.
Punishing the responsible
French President Jacques Chirac promises retribution and punishment to those behind the suicide bomber in Pakistan that killed 11 French citizens.
"This crime is monstrous. Its authors will be punished," Chirac said. "There can be no sanctuary for the terrorists."
What? No calls for resisting the urge for vengeance? What about the cycle of violence? Root causes? I find this talk and if acted on, very counter-productive for peace prospects in the Middle East. I urge the French leaders to think about this.
It isn't a problem, everybody wants one
Now that Europe has the 13 hardcore Palestinian terrorists, they can't decide where to send them. The EU puts it off a little longer. Not that no one wants them once they realized what kind of sick f***s they were. No, really.
"The issue of the legal status of the men is proving difficult to settle," the diplomat said, adding that the problem would now go before the ambassadors of the 15-nation bloc.
"Six countries -- Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal -- have signaled a willingness to receive the Palestinians, but the others have also not ruled out completely taking part," the diplomat said.
And we're to believe the additional week long delay is because these countries want as many as possible. By the way, why isn't France or Holland offering? I thought those countries believed in immigration.
Revising Fortuyn
Dutch media guilt is what this article is all about. It seems, maybe, just maybe there is a possibility that it's continual portrayal of Fortuyn as an extremist, anti-immigrant, racist right-winger might have been inaccurate, a touch unfair and maybe even wrong.
“He was depicted as a fake professor, a second Hitler . . . a neo-Nazi, a narcissistic homosexual and a political outcast. Practically all the media took part, it was the fashionable thing to do, to have a go at Professor Pim.”
The left-wing De Volkskrant, one of Fortuyn’s most vociferous critics in the past, explained the traditional tolerance shown for the far Left in The Netherlands and abhorrence for the far Right.
“It has to do with the last war and our guilty feelings and remorse for having exported more Jews than anyone else,” Philippe Remarque, a sociologist, said.
Boy, in Europe, doesn't it always come down to the Jews?
Missed the local angle
As a Pitt grad, I kind of feel bad I missed this story before it sent Lileks off on a Screed. Of course so did local Pittsburgh blogger Dave Copeland, so I shouldn't feel too bad. Even if I had seen the story earlier, I probably would have ignored it.
Sunday, May 12, 2002
Congress 17th Dist. Update
The battle for the seat in Congress, is a battle of conviction (or just convict if you prefer) presently held by Jim "insert your cheap-ass hair/toupee joke here" Traficant. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (or PD meaning either "pretty dull" or "pretty disappointing") looks at the race. First by looking at the upstart who knocked out Rep. Tom Sawyer in the Democratic Primary last week, State Sen. Tim Ryan. Actually, it was more of an excuse-making column for why poor Tom lost to an unknown who actually worked for Traficant. Ryan won, because of the way the redistricting occurred. Ohio was losing a seat, and Ohio's legislature is staunchly Republican. This meant redistricting to force two Democrat Reps. to fight each other. It was to be Sawyer, former mayor of Akron and Traficant. Traficant sort of upset things by making himself an Independent. The new district encompassed much of Traficant's present district, but added part of the district Sawyer represented. Sawyer never had a chance. Trumbull and Mahoning Counties ignored him completely. Labor targeted him for his pro-NAFTA vote, despite being pro-labor on just about every matter.
The companion piece looks at the Republican nominee for the seat, Ann Womer Benjamin, from Aurora ( Tres Producers' Eric Olsen's location). The piece suggests her only chance is a splitting of the vote by Dems, because Ryan is the Dem. nominee, Traficant is running as an Independent, as is Warren Davis a UAW official. Considering how few Republicans are registered in the 17th, I doubt it.
Just a remidner
It's May sweeps on the TV. I got that oh, so subtle reminder on the radio this morning. An ad for Fox 8 News, plugged its look on Monday at a "stripper school."
Now how will they spin it?
Most people are aware that the Likud party, voted to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state today. Likud is not in control of the Israeli government, they are part of the ruling coalition The move was opposed by Sharon. As an aside, Netenyahu pushed the measure, as he seeks to reclaim control of Likud and eventually return to being Prime Minister. The point is, many in Europe (leadership and press) and to the left in the US view Sharon as the impediment to peace. They think if he was not in office, Israel might be willing to give more. This is working from the questionable assumption that if it wasn't Sharon, it would be the more dovish Peres from the Labor party as Prime Minister. The vote from Likud suggests it could be otherwise in the next election.
I think about this, when I read/hear others state that Israel must negotiate with Arafat because the alternative is worse. The same could be said for the Palestinians in the end.
Just resting
I forget, but after 9/11 someone claimed that "irony was dead." After reading this piece, I don't think so. The classic hypocrisy. "Oh, it's horrible what is happening to those poor boys. They just need patience, love, and understanding. Why can't they understand-- Excuse me, you want them near me. Oh, no, I don't think so. I have a family to worry about."
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