It just depends . . .

Where is the rule of law here?  “Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will.”  This recent New York Times story has left more than a few people very unsettled. The headline poses the dilemma faced by the United States:  Under whose law do we wage war?  Will it be President Obama’s enforcement of the law, or the more widespread official legal system of U.S. Constitutional law – Common Law going back to the Magna Carta of 1215 AD?   It is a terribly slippery slope upon which the so-called “war on terrorism” has embarked.

Stated policy does not have the true force of law.  No matter how clearly the current executive branch system articulates the principles under which targeted drone killings occur, the President under our democratic system cannot act as prosecutor,  judge and jury.  That means either inside or outside of our national borders.  The rule of law applies everywhere.  The rules of war forbid killing of innocent civilians.  No matter how much I politically support this president, plan to vote for him in November, believe in his intellect and skill and see him as my leader, his authority is limited by the Constitution’s separation of powers.  I am not alone in this opinion.  Many civil libertarians find the current revelations about the drone war deeply troubling.

No man is above the law.   Congress represents the people and can speak for them.  The courts interpret the law.  Andrew Bacevich writes in Mother Jones about “America’s Rising Shadow Wars.”  Subtitled, “President Obama has expanded secret military operations worldwide—a policy that carries serious risks,” the author argues that,

From a president's point of view, one of the appealing things about special forces is that he can send them wherever he wants to do whatever he directs. There's no need to ask permission or to explain. Employing USSOCOM as your own private military means never having to say you're sorry . . .
Once in a while, members of Congress even cast votes to indicate approval or disapproval of some military action. With special ops, no such notification or consultation is necessary. The president and his minions have a free hand. Building on the precedents set by Obama, stupid and reckless presidents will enjoy this prerogative no less than shrewd and well-intentioned ones.

The policies of the Obama administration have evolved a great deal since Barack Obama was Illinois’ Senator Obama. Faced with the expectation that our Presidents will keep us safe as seemingly any cost, President Obama has moved a very long way from where he began in his public service.   “Drones: the Silent Killers” is from a Newsweek feature story at the Daily Beast.  It opens with excerpts from Daniel Klaidman’s new book, Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency.  To quote:

• The president's troubled reaction to a botched strike during his first month in office
• His uneasy acceptance of "signature strikes" in Pakistan, or the targeting of groups of men who bear characteristics associated with terrorism, but whose identities aren’t known. Obama didn't like the idea of "kill 'em and sort it out later," says one source
• The formation of a “special troika on targeted killings” that includes Obama, vice chairman of the Joint Chief James “Hoss” Cartwright, and counterterrorism aide John Brennan
• Top State Dept. lawyer Harold Koh wondering, “How did I go from being a law professor to someone involved in killing?"
• The president’s having “no qualms” about the fatal strike on American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki
• Obama’s resistance—and ultimate relenting—to the use “signature strikes” on Yemen’s al Qaeda branch this spring

So when it comes to the rule of law over fighting suspected terrorists, it just depends  on to whom you listen.  We must listen to our President and his National Security Adviser, John Brennan, to Attorney General Eric Holder at the Justice Department, the Office of General Council, Tom Donilon, Chief of Staff/National Security Council, and others in the administration.  And we must also listen to defenders of liberty from the Fourth Estate, the press.

Press References: Rule of Law is my Twitter list showing tweets by a number of civil libertarians, investigative journalists and others who have influenced my thinking over the years.  They include Glenn Greenwald at Salon, the American Civil Liberties Union organization, Jeremy Scahill at The Nation Magazine, Jeff Stein at SpyTalk, Jason Leopold at TruthOut,  Marcy Wheeler at emptywheel.net, the Lawfare blog, and Democracy Now!

Something happened on the way to the post I had planned for yesterday.

I did not write the post I had intended for yesterday, "A fine day for surfing."* Terrible events intervened. An Army psychiatrist went on a shooting rampage at a deployment center at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others. Very little information was available and the base went into complete lock down. From when the shooting spree occurred at about 1:30 PM and thereafter there had been only one short news conference, so there was a lot of TV anchor and guest expert speculation.

For some time it was thought that the assailant had been killed and that there may have been more than one person doing the shooting. The next news conference was not until well into the evening. But it was learned that during the shootings he was brought down by a female police guard. She had surgery for her wounds and is also alive. "Major Nidal Malik Hasan" is in the hospital, on a ventilator, unconscious and (last night) reportedly in stable condition. It was reported from early on that Major Hasan had experienced problems with his professional performance ratings and that he had expressed great reservations about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East. A family member said "he thought it was the worst that could happen to him." It was also reported that he was known to have expressed some inflammatory opinions on the Internet about suicide bombers.

Everyone is trying to figure out his motivation for such terrible actions. And like millions of others, my husband and I did our own speculating about the psychiatrist's motivations, based on all the little pieces of information that emerged. It was a major shock for me, a retired psychotherapist, to hear that the shooter was a mental health practitioner who was a specialist in working with PTSD. It was hard to believe. These are the ideas we talked about: Could it be secondary PTSD resulting from years of listening to others' trauma stories? Could he be a "homegrown terrorist?" Could the psychiatrist have terribly intractable ambivalence about his national identity - though he was born in the United States - seeing himself neither as a Jordanian nor an American? Could it be that Major Hasan have has sexual preference issues around the military's "don't ask; don't tell" policy? We wondered who his victims were, random or known to him?

The tragic events happened not too far down the road from where we live. It makes us sad. It is unnerving, confusing and shocking that it could have happen the way it did. Much more information has come out in the interim. We hope to find out more answers to these troubling questions soon.

**********

* Returning to the subject of my planned post of yesterday -- I had been on the computer since very early in the morning. I was doing routine tasks, reading Email, cleaning and clearing files and reading TweetDeck. Of particular interest were a series of tweets by Mark Knoller documenting President Obama's at conference of representatives of over 500 Native American tribal nations. I also learned from the tweet stream that Senator Barbara Boxer had discharged a climate change bill without amendment from her committee, following Republican members' boycott of the markup sessions. The vote was 12-1, with two Democratic senators absent. (My posted about that event is here).

At midday I closed out my web surfing, got dressed and turned on the television to C-SPAN, the Senate channel. On the agenda was the second try at passing the appropriation bill for Commerce, Science and Technology, which includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Before getting to the bill, however, the Senate had to vote on a cloture motion. Democrats were successful in getting the 60 necessary votes. Debate on the bill began. Florida's Senator Nelson made an excellent speech about the future of NASA. He laid out three things he would like to see happen: 1) The administration and Congress should allocate the amount of money needed based on the Augustine Commission report. 2) Based on the Augustine reports' set of options, the President should instruct NASA to decide upon the appropriate architecture for future space exploration. 3) The government should take care of NASA's work force during the process.

Flipping to the NASA channel, I joined a live broadcast of an event at NASA's Washington headquarters. Four members of the STS-128 crew were making a public appearance. The centerpiece of the event was a wonderful video of their recent flight to the ISS and back to a successful landing in California. Following a lively Q and A with delightful questions from young children, my husband interrupted me by saying that there had been a horrific big shooting at Fort Hood. My day for good news surfing was at its terrible conclusion. Now much has changed for the worse.

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

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These news items are interesting because:

Good advocacy deserves recognition. The Internet provides a great deal of the most effective advocacy to be found on the news scene:

1. "GetFISARight RT @jamesmcookusa: Don't Just Tweet, Act! Write a Letter to the Editor on FISA and the Patriot Act http://bit.ly/1jcYP1 #patriotact," (10/25/09). This civil liberties group gives useful information about the struggle to rewrite the flawed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as well as sunset some of the provisions of the Patriot Act.
2. "JoeTrippi Decentralized organizing: 350.org inspires 4,300+ events globally, uses social media to collect & publicize content http://bit.ly/Hd1Z7 #350," (10/25/09). Trippi is the consummate advocate, and this item is such an interesting concept.
   

Sharp political analysis assists my understanding of the "loyal opposition": "South Carolina is central front in battle for GOP's soul http://bit.ly/2wJLOp," is from McClatchy News (10/25/09). I say "loyal opposition" with irony because that is not the way very many Republicans practice their politics. We on the other side are very challenged to understand some of their crazy behaviors.

Keeping up with the latest trends on health care reform is of vital importance: "Dem leaders 'leaning strongly' toward opt-out for public healthcare plan: Democratic senators continued to remain bul... http://bit.ly/uUfRn," is from The Hill (10/25/09). The speculation about what Congress will do in this long and elaborate process will affect every American.

News of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan, and related issues, comes in every day --

1. Karen Tumulty posted this jarring item: "RT @latimesdixon Horrific. 132+ dead in Baghdad. http://bit.ly/2BoqS4." (10/25/09). I love Karen's heart.
   
2. libbyspencer "Hey Dick Cheney: Dither this you mendacious bastard. RT @SteveHynd BBC - In pictures: Baghdad blasts http://bit.ly/lK0cQ #p2" (10/25/09). I love Libby's fierceness.
3. chrislhayes "I'd be more interested in what Dick Cheney had to say if he was saying in the context of mounting a defense at a war crimes trial. (10/25/09)." I love Chris' sharp intellect.
4. glenngreenwald "Those crazy Afghans think we should give people a "trial" before we put them on our "hit list" - they're so primitive: http://tr.im/CVMt," (10/24/09). I love Glenn's unblinking honesty in calling people out.
   

Image via Wikipedia

Precious items found and saved. I wanted to end this post with a positive item and here it is : "Fresno, Calif. man may own Ansel Adams negatives http://bit.ly/3837QH," is from McClatchy (10/16/09). As an amateur photographer, I came to know the quality of Adams' work as I studied darkroom processing in black and white. The negs authenticity has not been definitively established yet, however. But it sounds promising.

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NASA and Space -- a Roundup

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

NASA and Space - a Roundup

Pictured: Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator

Today's post is a collection of my favorite tweets from those I follow at Twitter.

"Politifact updates two Obama space promises as "kept" and "in-the-works" - http://bit.ly/DSSLA & http://bit.ly/2DinS," is from Florida Space Report (10/6/09).
"
NASA and Russian Space Agency Administrators Meet http://bit.ly/5czIs http://bit.ly/sivZ8," is from waybis (10/5/09)."Strapped NASA might need global space partners http://j.mp/50TYe http://bit.ly/1465qC via," is from waybis (10/3/09)."Panel’s report threatens NASA’s mission: A report suggesting NASA’s space travel goals are too ambitious is jeop.. http://bit.ly/325hF3," is from The Hill (9/10/09)."The full Final Report is still being prepared and will be released when complete," is from the NASA HSF [Augustine] Committee (9/9/09)."See the NEW Hubble images online now: www.nasa.gov/hubble," is from NASA (9/9/09).

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via secondmondays.blogspot.com

The Augustine Report is due out at any time. I hope President Obama looks kindly on NASA and the U.S. space programs, and funds them adequately despite all the other worth competing interests.

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Nobel's recognition of Obama will drive the Far Right even crazier.

My sentiments exactly -- The first thought of many of us was that this will drive the Republicans crazy. Matt Yglesias tweeted: "They should institute a Nobel Prize for driving conservatives crazy." As a matter of fact it is making the Right Wing even crazier than they were before. With a HT to Matt Cooper for this link, showing typical arrogance, The Weekly Standard invites you to "meet the people who were passed over for Obama." Politico quoted several very critical conservatives including RNC Chairman Michael Steele and strategist Craig Shirley. The publication also quotes Rush Limbaugh's reaction: "'greater embarrassment' than losing Olympics." To quote further,

"This fully exposes the illusion that is Barack Obama," Limbaugh told POLITICO in an e-mail. "And with this 'award' the elites of the world are urging Obama, THE MAN OF PEACE, to not do the surge in Afghanistan, not take action against Iran and its nuclear program and to basically continue his intentions to emasculate the United States."

Limbaugh continued: "They love a weakened, neutered U.S, and this is their way of promoting that concept. I think God has a great sense of humor, too."

Later more sane reactions -- The Huffington Post linked to President Obama's Nobel speech, and provides more analysis of the selection of Obama, headlining that "Twitter explodes in response to the Obama Nobel win." New York Times "The Lede" gathered world reaction "to a Nobel surprise." McClatchy gives out "more updates." Matt Cooper spoke of President Obama's "elegant remarks" from the White House rose garden.

Earlier items -- The White House was surprised by the announcement, according to NPR. Taegan Goddard at the Political Wire reported on Twitter that "Obama will make a statement on the Nobel prize in the Rose Garden at 10:30." (It was just been delayed until after 11:00). Goddard also provided a round up of reactions to the Oslo announcement. Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic rounds up some fascinating opinions on why Obama should turn down the prize.

In conclusion -- Those who would disparage the Committee's award as merely honoring the President's "aspirational" sentiments dismiss it too lightly. One cannot be a peacemaker without engendering hope for peace in those who are in conflict. Those who dismiss the award as "not George W. Bush -- thank God he's in Dallas," diminish the strength of Obama's influence over people who do not live in the United States. Those who dismiss the award because we are still fighting in Afghanistan should take note of how much trouble the President is taking to figure out how to narrow the conflict and find ways to build bridges to the people of Afghanistan, including reconcilable members of the Taliban. Those who feel the President does not deserve the Peace Prize because of his civil liberties shortcomings should take note of his long commitment to denuclearizing the world. Those who dismiss the award because the President has yet to fulfill his campaign promises should take note of the unusually long list of serious problems he inherited from the previous administration. Sometimes it is enough to be hopeful, respectful of others, inspirational and willing to tackle anything. That is the elemental stuff of which real peace can be made.

Reference: The Nobel Committee announced that President Barack Obama is their selection for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. To quote in full:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Oslo, October 9, 2009

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Filling an empty blogging bucket

It begins with reality -- Much of the following was news to me, though you may be ahead and already know these things. I found out because I have spent the morning trying to break out of a non-creative box which leaves me without inspiration to write.
Dry spells -- Others have said the same thing and I had been reading about the decline of political blogging. I had been having the feeling that my blogging stats are down and I wondered it it were just me. I knew my Site Meter statistics had been down since June. So I checked at Technorati. In addition to my stats, which had changed, I found out that Technorati.com is going to be completely rebuilt very soon.
Breaking out of boring -- So I will save some time towards more creativity by temporarily omitting the Technorati tags I have been using at the ends of posts. While I was there I checked the Too 100 list to see whether there were good writers whose work I was missing, who could be inspiring me again.

Reading the best -- Using the list, I rejuvenated my Google reader via its Power Readers index. I began with The Strange Death of Liberal America (see "the decline of political blogging" above); and "44" at the Washington Post. This article on the hot New Jersey race shows why "FiveThirtyEight" became another of my feeds. He is an absolute whiz at predicting outcomes.

A picture is worth 1000 words -- I then subscribed to Andrew Sullivan, who had linked to The Big Picture (featuring a fabulous photo spread on Afghanistan). Much of my random surfing focused on imagery, Time Magazine's pictures of the week, for example. I concluded with Rachel Sussman's groundbreaking portfolio of The Oldest Living Things in the World.
Is social media on the web to blame for my empty bucket? Possibly, though I regularly cull my list of those I follow on Twitter. I want nothing inane. Tweets like the following example keep me involved with material that seems substantial. Rachel Maddow: "Read the godawful news of 8 US troops just killed in Afghanistan immediately before going on set for MTP this morning." My FaceBook account includes only people I have invited, plus it remains private. They are relatives, in-person friends and blogfriends. No empty bucket there.
At the end of the day -- This is what I have learned, or relearned. Creativity is about breaking the rules. The amount of political blogging has actually declined, probably for natural reasons. Regular and vigorous weeding out of one's surfing or feed-reading material is essential. Tomorrow I plan to go through my regular Email newsletters unsubscribing to several that are not useful or interesting. Imagery is an essential break from a words only regimen. I works on a different part of the brain. And social media is worthwhile for its connectivity, something else needed for an empty bucket.
(Image by Wordle.net)

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On my way to Saturday, stopping off at Twitter --

Twitter is an increasingly popular phenomenon. And I have succumbed. Beginning my session with TweetDeck yielded a treasure trove of items I want to share.

Reading tweets sometimes breaks me up -- I am drawn to writers and reporters who have the capacity for humor. My favorite is pourmecoffee, who said this, "After a day's reflection, the bitterest pill to swallow: Chicago eliminated in earlier round than Tom DeLay." (10/2/09).

I just started following this well known pundit, who gave me a grin with this. Howard Kurtz says, "Just finished Letterman stories. Anything else going on in the world? How'd that Olympics thing turn out?"

It is a small world -- The Internet has shrunk the globe in profound ways. It allows us to "meet" people that we would never encounter otherwise. Professor Alex Goodall lives across the sea in the United Kingdom and knows how to make my mouth water this morning: "Weekend bliss = almond croissant (from local Pâtisserie Pascal - 60 secs walk from my house) + freshly-brewed coffee. Mmmmm!!"

During our times nothing quite unites us like climate change, or my preferred term, global warming. "Walruses Suffer Substantial Losses as Sea Ice Erodes," is from the New York Times (10/3/09).

And over the years The Huffington Post has evolved from a single individual blogger to a powerhouse news source. One of the ways they are succeeding is by adding features that are found in traditional newspapers and capitalizing on celebrity news. This tweet melds celebrity and political activism. "Brad & Angelina In Syria http://bit.ly/1QLaFJ," is from The Huffington Post (10/2/09).

These are good-hearted folks -- Each of these writers/journalists has what I would call emotional intelligence. None is afraid to show sentiment. Libby Spencer, a blog friend of many years, is a fine writer (even when given only 140 characters): "Full moon in my little window of sky is lighting up a line of passing clouds. They look like a herd of charging elephants." An earlier tweet: "OK, hair looks great tonight. Guess I'll drive out for Chinese for dinner so somebody besides me gets to see it."
Blogger emptywheel, who is a teriffic investigative journalist writing at Firedoglake, retweeted this great item:"RT @chrisgeidner Deep THought: The late-night comedian went to the prosecutor; the senator had his parents pay the money"
Mark Knoller, CBS Radio WH correspondent, sent a TwitPic "Hand in hand and disappointed, Obamas return to WH from Copenhagen." He also sent a fine WH pic explaining, "Obama confers aboard AF-1 today with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, top US commander in AFghanistan. . . The Obama/McChrystal photo a rare view of Pres office cabin aboard AF-1. He has a sleeping cabin w- 2 beds in the nose of the 747." Earlier Knoller mentioned helpfully,"Avoid CopenHAYgen or CopenHAHgen problem. Just call it the Danish capital."
John Dickerson says to his fellow journalist, "Congratulation Tapper and the whole family RT @jaketapper: say hello to Jack Raymond Tapper, 9 lbs 10 oz." Chuck Todd did a RT (retweet) saying, "Mazel Tov!"

Scanning the regular hard news is so much more fun if it is characterized by great writing -- Intellect, passion for the work and a commitment to quality are shared by these news sources. "As Senate panel winds up, historic health debate to start," is from McClatchy News (10/2/09). Also this good analytic piece on Iran, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine: "Obama faces a world of troubles; none will yield easily http://bit.ly/AcvcN." The Nation reported on "Obama's Deal with Iran http://bit.ly/2Z46FK."
Steve Clemons, (10/2/09) of The Washington Note and the New America Foundation is someone I have been reading and listening to since 2005. He posts that he, "Is trying to figure out what stash of funds Mitch McConnell dipped into to pay for a DoD plane for DeMint to go to Honduras over Kerry veto."
Chuck Todd at MSNBC tweeted this insightful item: "Something to ponder: Cong Dems tell me they are simply exhausted from health care debate. Bad sign for PubOption." He also posted this item which sounds just a bit cynical: "So the Cong. record is now officially printed on 100% recycled paper. Um, hello? What took so long? Feels so very '90s. http://bit.ly/2". Chuck can also be a bit shallow at times, but is still a great political analyst. To quote: "More Obama (who didn't cinch his tie, btw): Proud to have made case in person; "always a worthwhile endeavor" to promote America."

Issues of particular interest to me are easy about which to stay informed by judiciously following others who keep up with the same subjects. A couple are currently in the news:

1. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act/Patriot Act legislation -- From Get FISA Right: "Misleading on PATRIOT Reauthorization." From ACLU "Patriot Reauthorization Begins. Badly." (10/2/09). Importantly, Senator Chris Dodd tweeted that he has ". . . Introduced legislation to repeal retroactive immunity for warrantless wiretapping: http://bit.ly/qd20T."
2. Augustine Committee on a plan for next steps at NASA -- From Florida Space Report: "New Augustine Panel mtg on Oct 8 is solely to "score" the 8 options already identified in Summary Report. And timed to allow budget action." From the Human Space Flight (Augustine ) Committee: Meeting details pdf. Regarding a public teleconference (300 call-in limit).

References of a more general nature conclude this post:

1. "Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals," is from The Kaiser Family Foundation.
2. "RT@HuffPostTech Most Twitter users Tweet only about themselves. But is anyone following? http://bit.ly/c1vQG," is from The Huffington Post (9/30/09).

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The Twitter news narrative brings light moments, along with the tough stuff.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The World gets together yet remains far apart -- Steve Clemons "Is at the United Nations watching the sun rise over the East River. Excited to see Obama Security Council session this morning," via Twitter.  "Obama repeatedly mentioned Pakistan's stability when asked about US interests in the region. Which means: India is the fulcrum," according to Marc Ambinder's tweet. PourMeCoffee tweets, "I recognize the UN General Assembly chairs from the Brady Bunch kitchen. Nice."

It's a secret -- The Washington Independent wrote Wednesday that, "State secrets critics slam new Obama policy."  John Dickerson reports, "Reading Light in the Attic with kids: when they laugh it's not just that they think something is funny; they think they've found a secret."

Health Care Reform's a hot item -- Read the Baucus health care bill, thanks to Open Congress.  Headlines from The Huffington Post: 1) "Dems ramp up push to block filibuster;" and 2) Christopher Hayes links, "Must read of the day: David Cay Johnston on the GOP's support for the Public Option...for property," The Hill reported on Sunday that "Amid health reform, Medicare agency is still headless: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will.. "mark its third anniversary next month since the massive agency had a Senate-confirmed leader," according to The Huffington Post.  A tweet from Karen Tumulty put it plainly: "My spy in Finance Cmte hearing room tells me Ensign's suit doesn't look bad in person, but on C-SPAN, he looks like a riverboat gambler."

Follow the money -- "Senator Dodd backs the banking super regulator," according to NPR via StumbleUpon.  And Chris Hayes has it figured out, when it comes to the White House plan for financial reform: "Sometimes I think it'd be more transparent to just give major banks permnt seats on the relevant legislative committees."

Has anything changed?  The New York Times is reporting that " Obama [has decided] to use current law to support detentions."  Glenn Greenwald summed it all up last week with this brilliant tweet: "In the Democratic Congress, MoveOn was condemned, ACORN defunded, telecoms immunized, Bush eavesdropping approved, Wall St. bailed out."

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Speaking of Twitter: a round-up

Tweets from my current collection of favorites:

ReTweeted by several people whom I follow -- This is a wonderfully fine piece written by Rececca Solnit.

"How 9/11 Should Be Remembered," is from the Utne Reader (9/11/09).

**********

Obama speeches -- Last week was a very big one for President Obama at the podium. He spoke to school children at the beginning of their year and he spoke to a joint session of Congress. And on 9/11/09 he and the First Lady helped paint a Habitat house.

"Presidential Speech Week Self-Control Report Card. Nation's Schoolchildren: A. Joe Wilson: F.," is by pourmecoffee (9/10/09).

"Read Obama’s closing remarks, full transcript, the letter from Ted, and the plan he laid out - plus photos," is from The White House (9/9/09).

"The sleeper agents brainwashed by George W. Bush's speech to students in 1991 should be coming out in force any minute now," is by reporter John Dickerson (9/7/09).

**********

Healthcare, this and that -- These days it is all about healthcare. Here are a couple of great little pieces of writing.

"RT @chrislhayes: RT @Atrios early stages of potential flu epidemic prbly excllnt time to make sre illegal immigrants dn't hve #healthcare," is from The Nation (9/10/09).

"Annoying: Lunatic shouters get a seat at the table on #hcr but single payer advocates are treated like lunatics and denied one," is by libbyspencer (9/90/9).

*********

Obama speech reactions - via Twitter

Image via CrunchBase

"Aim of Obama Health Speech: Reigniting a Presidency," is by Adam Nagourney of the New York Times (9/9/09). The reason we all read the NYT is because of its ability to analyze the news in a sophisticated and insightful manner. This piece leads my post today because Nagourney so effectively hit the make on President Obama's address to the joint session of Congress. See also, "Obama's Health Care Plan Builds on Others' Ideas," by Robert Pear and Jackie Calmes (another of my favorites) in the Money and Policy section of the Times.

"The Obama Health Care Speech," is a quick take by Karen Tumulty of Time Magazine's Swampland Blog (9/9/09), concluding with this key question, "Within the House Chamber, he has provided the guidance that lawmakers have been begging for. But the real question is this: Has Obama provided the reassurance it will take to bring back the rest of the country?" Tumulty's Tweet said poignantly, "Grief on Vicki Kennedy's face is enduring image of this speech."

"Obamacare 2.0," is by John Dickerson of Slate Magazine (9/9/09). One of my favorite reporters takes a rather skeptical look at the President's speech, but gives some credit where it is due. His cleverly compares the daunting task that Mr. Obama faces, that of putting health care in place, with the "ease of installation" that Steve Jobs provides with a his brand new Apple application. Also, Dickerson Tweets the link to the new White House health care plan website: "The Obama Plan: Stability & Security For All Americans."

"Morning Fix: First (and Second) Thoughts on Obama Address," is by Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post (9/10/09). Cillizza notes that Rep. Joe Wilson's unruly outburst will provide a much needed foil for the President. He also reported that the reaction from Blue Dog Dems is "more muted." See also, "First Thoughts," which is more expansive (9/9/09).

"A Passionate Appeal to Salvage the Impossible," is by Mike Lillis at The Washington Independent (9/9/09). This excellent article features quotes from the President's speech combined with tight little bits of background clarification. For example:

Early signs, however, indicate that the Republicans are ready to continue fighting the Democrats’ plans. When Obama took on the GOP myth that the Democrats’ proposal would cover illegal immigrants, for example, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) screamed, “You lie!” Responding for the GOP afterward, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), a physician who’s accepted more than $1.2 million from health and insurance interests in the past five years, blasted the president’s vision with the popular conservative criticism that it proposes a government takeover of the nation’s health care system. And, most importantly, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), an influential member of the Gang of Six, issued a statement afterward saying she “would have preferred that the [public plan] were taken off the table.”

"Analysis: Obama speech to Congress unlikely to be game changer," is by Sam Youngman and Bob Cusack at The Hill (9/10/09). This piece was very heavy on characterizing the President's speech as offering nothing new and noting that Congress did not find a clear path in the speech as to how to proceed. The Hill's Mike Soraghan said that "Congress had its own rowdy town hall Wednesday," devoting his entire piece to the congressional audience reaction.

"The Speech: Obama defends health-care reform before joint session of Congress," is an excellent analysis, with points about the pros and cons of the speech, by Michael J.W. Stickings at The Reaction (9/9/09). Later Michael called the speech, "Obama at his finest" (9/10/09).

"My Take on Obama's Speech," is by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News (9/9/09). Stephanopoulos provided one of the best posts so far, including a thorough explanation of the specifics of the administration's plan, along with a nod to the very emotional tone of the President's address.

"Obama Shows His Progressive Spine," is by Katrina Van Den Heuvel at The Nation Magazine (9/9/09). Her analysis fits well with my own and concludes,

In many ways, it was Obama's fullest, most eloquent and formal defense of liberalism and the clearest exposition of his view of government's role. It was not the full-fledged antidote to Reagan's decades of government-is-the-problem conservative narrative. Yet Obama spoke eloquently of a new and progressive role for government. We must build on it.

There is work ahead to fulfill the promise of shaping a more humane and healthier future. But on the evening of September 9th, eight years after President George W. Bush spoke to a joint session of Congress, President Obama has set us on a path we must seize in the critical days and weeks ahead.

Twitter post script -- "Biggest disappointment of evening, the total lack of respect shown by one member for the President.Never acceptable to behave like a jerk;" a Tweet by Senator Claire McKaskill illustrates why I follow this fine legislator. Mark Knoller, CBS News White House Correspondent, does Twitter posts that offer a unique here-and-now writing style that has become an important part of my news scan every day. Click on his name to read his fascinating thread of news bites during the speech. Chris Hayes of The Nation Magazine blogs, "Does Joe Wilson Believe the President Was Actually Lying?" To quote the gist of his post:

(Quick review: deft explanation of the policy, a few unnecessary political concessions, extremely aggravating lefty-bashing, and genuinely fantastic inspirational finish). . . fascinating. There's been a ton of viral emails floating around the right-wing making the claim that the bill covers illegal immigrants, and talk radio has been whipping up the fervor as well. Wilson clearly thinks that is, indeed, the case. . . . that sums up the House GOP caucus. By and large it's made up of absolute and total wingnuts, people who are in ideology disposition and even function much more like talk show hosts or RedState commenters than they are legislators.

[post date - 9/10/09]

My all-in-one Home Page of websites where I post regularly: Carol Gee - Online Universe

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David Baldacci - At it again: a reprise

[Original post date - 11/9/07] Thursdays usually focus on the wars, the Middle East or national security. Baldacci's books are thrillers about national security.

Best selling novelist, David Baldacci's new book Stone Cold came out this week, and I was privileged to read an advance copy. What fun it was to discover this new (to me, at least) author. He writes about one of my blog's favorite fascinations, the federal government. " Spooks, Spies - Eyes and Ears in the Skies," is one example. I cannot imagine where I have been all this time.

During the past ten years, 13 of Baldacci's books have been bestsellers. They should have been familiar to me, because my blogs are often written about what is behind the door of chilling government power -- spying, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, illegal domestic surveillance and threats to civil liberties, all subjects woven through the scenes in this author's books.

This novel's fascinating main characters will be familiar to dedicated Baldacci fans because Stone Cold is the third in his popular Camel Club series. Traits found in lead characters were carefully woven in moral shades of gray in several previous novels; two of the best sellers were "The Collectors" and "Simple Genius." And the new book does not disappoint; we meet people who span the warp and woof of good and bad, flawed and heroic. Baldacci uses an interesting technique; he lets his readers in on his character's thoughts via italics. For example - a CIA man trying to find his targets reflects on his experience:

. . . Gray's men had checked. Still, with Carter Gray's resources no one should be able to simply vanish. No wonder these terrorist sleeper cells were proving nearly impossible to uncover. America was too damn big and too damn free. In some ways the Soviets had had it right: Spy on everybody because you never know when a friend might turn into an enemy.

Baldacci's fiction tapestry is that of government. His is not the government you and I would know from mainstream media accounts. Baldacci's is a very recognizable shadowy universe that hides spooks, spies and assassins, the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, the Secret Service, and even the Chair of the Senate Intel committee. He introduces a new character in this book, nemesis "Harry Finn." Psychologically astute, Baldacci often lets you know what his characters think. Here is a wonderful example:

. . . And when Gray had left the government, he had also left most of his protection behind. . . but Finn was confident he would eventually get to the man.

When Finn looked at the life he had now as part of a family of five in a quite ordinary Virginia suburb complete with a lovable dog, music lessons, soccer matches, baseball games and swim meets, and compared it to the life he has as a child, the juxtaposition was close to apocalyptic in its effect on him. That's why he rarely thought of these things close together. That's why he was Harry Finn, King of Compartmentalization. He could build walls in his mind nothing could pierce.

With this novel I walked into what seem to be very complex and realistic scenes from the high powered world of governance. I now know what I have been missing -- a dynamite read, at times almost literally. Because his characters have the latest nifty gadgets and like to blow things up, a computer becomes the weapon in one of the author's intricately interwoven plot lines. To quote from the book:

Finn had been able to get his device past security because it didn't have any explosive materials in it. Instead, the device had been designed to ignite a chemical reaction inside the components in the CPU. It was a reaction that would make the otherwise harmless CPU a bomb, a possibility no one in the computer industry would want you to know.

Meet Baldacci's well known hero, "Oliver Stone." Asked in a Publishers Weekly interview why he named the lead character after a famous film director, Baldacci said, "Stone the film director has a reputation for taking on controversial subjects. Naming my character after him was an act of homage to a man who isn't afraid to take unpopular positions." To quote the author from another interview:

Oliver Stone first entered my imagination when I was a young lawyer. I walked past Lafayette Park in the mid-1980s and saw the protesters there. Fast-forward nearly twenty years and the sign, "I want the truth," is flying proudly in that same park, at least fictionally. Gray characters are the most interesting. They have flaws, divided loyalties, moral complexity, and internal debates about what to do. Do the ends always justify the means? We've seen it recently with the Bush administration where you had former Attorney General Ashcroft and his top lieutenants ready to hand in their resignations over the warrantless surveillance matter.

To quote from Stone Cold's subsequent park scene from above, Oliver Stone approaches the White House:

He would never be allowed to enter the front gates and lacked even the right to stand on that coveted side of Pennsylvania Avenue. What he could do was wait in Lafayette park across the street. He used to have a tent there until the Secret Service made him take it down. Yet freedom of speech was still alive and well in America and thus his banner had remained. Unfurled between two pieces of rebar stuck in the ground, it read, "I want the truth." So did a few other people in this town, it was rumored. To date, Stone had never heard of anyone actually finding it within the confines of the world capital of spin and deceit.

This skilled writer will introduce you to fast-paced and easy to follow threads of intrigue, mystery, complex twists and turns guaranteed to keep you turning the pages. In Washington D.C. for book signings on Wednesday, David Baldacci is scheduled to be in Richmond, VA on Saturday, Nov. 17. He plans to be at the Barnes and Noble store on Brook Road at 2:00 p.m., if you live in the area.

In conclusion -- and because I am also a reading advocate -- I learned that Baldacci and his wife are passionate about keeping families reading. In 1999 they founded the "Wish You Well Foundation." The organization's mission is to support family literacy in the U.S. by fostering and promoting the development and expansion of new and existing literacy and educational programs.

Partnering against the cold of hunger -- His foundation has recently partnered with America's Second Harvest: The Nation's Food Bank Network, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the U.S. to donate books to families in need. The joint initiative is called "Feeding Body and Mind." Donations are coming in from all around the world, and they are now seeking corporate sponsorship to continue broadening their efforts.

My “creativity and dreaming” post today at Making Good Mondays is about Twitter.

Technorati tags: domestic surveillance writing government Baldacci review

See also Behind the Links, for further info.

Blogs: My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. My creative website is at Making Good Mondays. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for all my websites.

Recommending Investigative Journalists

Image via Wikipedia

TPMMuckraker is one of the features at Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo. Here's an interesting example of the kind of good work Zachary Roth does: "In Testimony, Rove Hedged On Role in Siegelman Prosecution" (8/13/09).

Glenn Greenwald's "Unclaimed Territory" is at Salon.com. (Image at left) He was previously a constitutional lawyer and civil rights litigator in New York. On of a number of collaborators on big investigative stories, he is incredible bright and passionate and tells it like it is without blinking. Here's a recent good post: "John Brennan's dangerous national security advice" (8/14/09).

ACLU Blog of Rights - "Because Freedom Can't Blog Itself" is from the American Civil Liberties Union. Posts are about capital punishment, civil liberties, drug law reform, closing Guantanamo, free speech, government spying, human rights, immigrant rights, LGBT rights, racial justice, religion & belief, reproductive rights, torture and abuse, Supreme Court, voting rights and women's rights.

Secrecy News is a publication of the Federation of American Scientists. The FAS Project on Government Secrecy reports on new developments in government secrecy and provides public access to documentary resources on secrecy, intelligence and national security policy. It is written by Steven Aftergood. Here's a recent good story: "Information Sharing as a Form of Secrecy" (8/17/09).

Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler) writes at Firedoglake. Marcy is the very best at investigative digging, and is a widely respected member of the collaborators that do the major investigative work in the blogosphere. Here is a typically good piece of work (this time on Dick Cheney): "The crazy man above the garage" (8/18/09).

Spy Talk at CQ Politics is a daily blog by Jeff Stein. His slogan is "Intelligence for Thinking People." His post, "Interrogator:'Intolerance' Led to Torture" (8/11/09) is an example of his investigative work using good contacts.

The Washington Independent's "National Security" section features Spencer Ackerman, one of the most respected sources contributing regularly to the collaborative efforts mentioned above. His story, "U.S. Prepares for Questions of Legitimacy in Afghan Election" (8/18/09) is subtitled, "United States May Push Winner To Incorporate Losing Factions Into Government."

Wired: Threat Level is about privacy, crime and security online. David Kravets often writes the posts. This one by Kim Zetter is titled "Outspoken Privacy Advocate Joins FTC" (8/17/09). It is about Christopher Soghoian, an outspoken privacy advocate.

Suburban Guerilla is by former journalist Susie Madrack. Her slogan is "Keeping a jaundiced eye on corporate media." Featured as a moderator at the recent Netroots Nation Convention, she also writes for Crooks and Liars. Her post on Matt Taibbi's searing article on progressives and health care reform (8/18/09) is worth the read.

Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic is a prolific contributor to Twitter. I follow him. To conclude this post, this is one of his recent important linked articles, from which I quote fairly extensively:

A federal judge dealt a setback yesterday to the administration's ability to use information collected by intelligence agencies in Guantanamo prosecutions. In doing so, Judge John Bates weighed in on one of the core controversies of the cases -- the tension between the protection of intelligence sources versus the ability to make cases in federal courts. Bates told the government that it could not introduce evidence derived from a source whose identity cannot be disclosed unless there's some corrobarating evidence. And even if there is corroborating evidence, it'll be treated with a bit of suspicion.

Still, in this particular case, Bates rejected the habeas petition of detainee Shawali Khan . . .

To understand the ruling, understand this about the process: the government faces the burden of providing sufficient evidence that its initial detention was within the proper sphere of the government's detention authority as defined by Congress and the Supreme Court. If the government meets the burden, then the detainee has to convince the judge that the government is wrong.

. . . The government introduced at least three pieces of classified evidence where the identity of the source was not disclosed. If the court can't assess the reliability of an intelligence report because the source is shadowy, the government can't use the information to justify a detention.

Bates threw out four pieces of evidence out of eight. But the remaining evidence was sufficient to meet the detention burden.

Today's post is a roundup of some of the best investigative resources on the Internet. The way I collected them was by noticing how the authors references each others' work as they posted their stories. There is no better recommendation.

[Post date - 8/21/09]

My all-in-one Home Page of websites where I post regularly: Carol Gee - Online Universe
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Lots happening!

This week has been marked by momentous news events. At least the events seemed momentous to me. So I took a little vacation from posting to watch television to my heart's content and just absorb, without reflecting in a blog post here. Naturally, my readership fell off.

No posting at South by Southwest does not indicate that there has been a general slack off like mine. There's plenty of good reflecting in the blogosphere about what has been happening. My TwitterFox box has been full of tweets. It was scanning them and watching television that convinced me that these are big times characterized by change and risk.

Risk is the name of the game with the NASA Hubble mission, on its own with no ISS nearby. The STS 125 crew (MS Megan McArthur) has grappled the HST, secured it in the Atlantis payload bay, and taken note of a bit of space junk in their neighborhood. According to Astronautics, "STS-125 astronauts John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel are set to make the first of five Hubble servicing spacewalks Thursday." And I will be glued to NASA TV. In fact, I plan to watch a great deal of the mission coverage for the next few days.

It was very risky politically for President Obama to make a 180 degree turn regarding the detainee photos as ordered in the ACLU lawsuit. Because his commanders on the ground convinced him to reverse course, he will ask his lawyers to argue that it would risk the safety of our fighting men and women in the south Asia theater. In this case I tend to agree and hope my liberal friends will understand why I am not having a fit about his pragmatic decision, that John Dickerson likens to parallel parking in a tight spot.

And there has been a change in what the Senate is doing regarding holding hearings about torture. I was glued to my computer screen (C-SPAN 3) for this one. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) chaired a Judiciary subcommittee hearing at which several witnesses testified regarding the Bush administration's torture program. It was an amazing and heartwarming thing to watch my favorite senator wade into this investigation swamp, with Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at his side. Senator Durbin (D-IL) was the only other senator to attend (briefly). MSNBC evening shows featured Senator Whitehouse on Countdown and Philip Zelikow on the Maddow show. Again I was glued to TV watching those appearances. Senator Whitehouse expects Judiciary Committee Chairman, Patrick Leahy (D-VT) hold the next major hearing, after the DOJ OPR report on the professional conduct of the Bush OLC lawyers. Bravo!

There is also a good deal of movement towards health care and credit card reform, which I have been following on television. There was a protest march led by the California Nurses Association in support of the inclusion in the discussion of the "single payer" option. Senator Baucus' Senate Appropriations Committee is beginning to try to find consensus of the form it will take, and "single payer" is not on his table. I am not even sure that the "public plan" option is on it. The direction right now is to find ways to cut the costs of health care. The Social Security and Medicare programs are at quicker risk of insolvency risk of insolvency than was previously believed.And the Senate is likely to pass a Credit Card reform bill that will bar a lot of the outrageous costs banks and credit card companies are charging their customers.


[Post date May 14, 2009]

See also Behind the Links, for further info on this subject.

Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for all my websites.

Technorati tags: news news+and+politics politics congress

What's to like about these legislators?

With a Democrat in the White House and majorities in Congress, the political stakes are particularly high for Congress because of its lower approval ratings. I am not one of those who consistently rates Congress low, though I am often mad at them for one thing or another. I like Congress and I have my favorites, about whom I post today.

(Image: Wordle.net)
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) may see the results of his decades of work on health care reform for millions of uninsured Americans. According to Politico's feature , Kennedy almost single-handedly kept the idea of universal health care alive for 40 years, working with 7 presidents. To quote:

Exactly 40 years ago, Sen. Ted Kennedy popularized the idea of universal health care, saying the country needed a program “capable of bringing the same amount and high quality of health care to every man, woman and child in the United States.”

. . . Despite a legislative portfolio bulging with accomplishments that position him as the father of the modern health care safety net, the one that matters most to Kennedy — guaranteed health coverage for every American — has remained stubbornly out of reach.

. . . Now, his own yearlong battle with brain cancer is lending a dose of urgency to finally finish what he started decades ago, when personal and family health crises compelled him to embrace the cause.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. This summer Senator Leahy will shepherd the Supreme Court nomination to replace Justice Souter through his committee and then on the Senate floor. Senator Leahy has advocated for a non-judge to be the next Supreme Court justice. The Ranking Republican member of the committee, until recently, was Senator Arlen Specter, now a Democrat. Republicans named far right wing Senator Jeff Sessions as Ranking Member until the next Congress, and then it will be Senator Chuck Grassley, one of my favorite Twitterers. Leahy's fine intellect, patience and even-handedness will be sorely tested as Sessions carries the water of opposition to anyone the President nominates. To quote CQ Politics: ". . . it will also be interesting to see not only how Sessions handles the media attention but how he gets along with the strong-willed chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Democrat Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont." Rep. John Conyers, (D-Mich) is Leahy's counterpart in the House. A fierce fighter for justice and protector of the underdog, Rep. Conyers recently oversaw his Judiciary Committee's proposed expansion of the hate crimes law. It is also reported that Rep. Conyers will hold hearings on the torture memos.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill), according to CQ Politics, ". . . who chairs the Crime and Drugs Subcommittee, is expected to introduce legislation to equalize crack and powdered cocaine sentences. Durbin called the disparity “both unjustified and unjust.” Durbin makes an excellent Whip and probably helps the beleaguered Majority Leader, Harry Reid who is not included in my favorites. I do like both Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (DMD), who have their hands full handling the House's Blue Dog Democrats, fiscal conservatives. There are also several of my favorite senators who are relatively new: Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

Representative David Obey (D-WI) chairs the House Appropriations Committee. He takes his role very seriously and is willing to buck President Obama on basic issues. Politico gives a good example, the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which brings Vietnam to mind for this irascible "old bull" of the House. To quote:

Chairman Dave Obey said he was “very dubious” about the chances of success in the region and wants a “fish or cut bait” assessment in a year’s time that will determine how long the U.S. continues on this path.

“It gives the president one year to demonstrate what he can do,” said the Wisconsin Democrat. “It gives him ample resources.”

. . . “The president feels obligated to give it a shot, and we’ll help him give it a shot for a year,” Obey said. “At the end of the year, I want to have a hard-nosed, realistic evaluation based on the performance standards we’re talking about.”

. . . Five standards are listed, including the performance of Pakistani forces with respect to counterinsurgency operations and the ability of the government to control the territory within its borders — where the Taliban has already made significant inroads.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif) took over the Energy and Commerce Committee last fall from its former chairman, John Dingle of Michigan. Ambitious and feisty, Waxman is pursuing an ambitious climate change bill, according to Politico. But it is an uphill battle with lots of opposition because of his strong support for a cap and trade program that would require utilities to produce more power from renewable energy sources. And people from the South need to include hydroelectric power and nuclear energy, about the only reliable sources in the region. This will require Waxman to work hard for the compromise necessary to pass the legislation, as well as make it palatable to the Senate. To quote:

Waxman and Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey delayed the start of a much-anticipated markup last week so they could have more time to iron out major concerns with the legislation among Democrats on the subcommittee considering it.

Moderate Democrats from the Rust Belt, coal states and the South have lined up to make changes to the legislation before Waxman and Markey unveil it. Many of these moderates — tapped by Waxman’s predecessor as chairman, Michigan Rep. John Dingell — sit on the subcommittee drafting the bill.

. . . Waxman got a boost Thursday when Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, whose panel could claim jurisdiction over the bill, agreed to work with whatever product the Energy and Commerce Committee passes.

. . . Democratic leaders in the Senate acknowledged earlier this year that they don’t have the votes to move a so-called cap-and-trade measure, but the White House still seems committed to moving something — if only as a negotiating tool for the next round of negotiations over a global treaty.

What's to like about these legislators? The senators and members of Congress spotlighted today have certain traits in common: dedication, resiliency, intellect, a capacity to be bipartisan, a clear view of fiscal responsibility, respect for the rule of law, and liberal values regarding "the least among us." These are public servants upon whom you can usually count.

[Post date - May 5, 2009]

See also Behind the Links, for further info on this subject.

Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for all my websites.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics democrats congress us senate us house of representatives leadership