Haiku 071809

bugs watch
the lamp grow brighter
waning crescent

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Associated Press: “GOP senators weigh options in Sotomayor's wake” by Jesse Holland

"Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor won her first public pledge of support from a Republican senator Friday, after a smooth performance at her confirmation hearings that has placed her firmly on track to become the high court's first Latina and the first Democratic-named justice in 15 years.

"Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., announced that he would vote for Sotomayor, calling her 'clearly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court,' after four days of Judiciary Committee hearings in which he said she showed 'a judicial temperament.' Lugar, who previously voted to confirm Sotomayor to her current spot on a federal appeals court, was just the first of what is expected to be a number of Republicans who back Sotomayor….

"The GOP's leader at the confirmation hearings, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama has said he has no interest in stopping or even delaying Sotomayor's confirmation vote as the country's 111th Supreme Court justice….

" 'Your judicial record strikes me as pretty much in the mainstream of judicial decision-making,' said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Added Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.: 'You have, as a judge, been generally in the mainstream….'

"Sotomayor's hearings were as much a prelude for future Supreme Court fights as a battle over the judge herself. Republicans criticized Obama's assertion — made before nominating Sotomayor — that he was looking for a justice with 'the quality of empathy,' and an earlier statement when he was a senator that some decisions depend on what's in a judge's heart…."

***************

And we thought:

….Whatever’s in Sotomayor’s heart, her presence in John Roberts’ Supreme Court will remake the latter. The dialectics will change….

Haiku 071609

summer dawn
thick fog hides
unmowed grass

***************

Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: “Cheney Is Linked to Concealment of C.I.A. Project” by Scott Shane

“The Central Intelligence Agency withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, the agency’s director, Leon E. Panetta, has told the Senate and House intelligence committees, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Saturday.

“The report that Mr. Cheney was behind the decision to conceal the still-unidentified program from Congress deepened the mystery surrounding it, suggesting that the Bush administration had put a high priority on the program and its secrecy.

“Mr. Panetta, who ended the program when he first learned of its existence from subordinates on June 23, briefed the two intelligence committees about it in separate closed sessions the next day….

“The disclosure about Mr. Cheney’s role in the unidentified C.I.A. program comes a day after an inspector general’s report underscored the central role of the former vice president’s office in restricting to a small circle of officials knowledge of the National Security Agency’s program of eavesdropping without warrants, a degree of secrecy that the report concluded had hurt the effectiveness of the counterterrorism surveillance effort….

“In the tense months after Sept. 11, when Bush administration officials believed new Qaeda attacks could occur at any moment, intelligence officials brainstormed about radical countermeasures. It was in that atmosphere that the unidentified program was devised and deliberately concealed from Congress, officials said….

“In the eight years of his vice presidency, Mr. Cheney was the Bush administration’s most vehement defender of the secrecy of government activities, particularly in the intelligence arena. He went to the Supreme Court to keep secret the advisers to his task force on energy, and won….”

***************

And we thought:

….Eventually, the sun burns off the morning mist. Similarly, public opinion will force the shedding of Cheney’s burkha….

Haiku 071409

baseball fans
cracking sunflower seeds --
gray squirrels

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “AIG Is Preparing to Pay Millions More in Bonuses” by Brady Dennis and David Cho

“American International Group is preparing to pay millions of dollars more in bonuses to several dozen top corporate executives after an earlier round of payments four months ago set off a national furor.

“The company has been pressing the federal government to bless the payments in hopes of shielding itself from renewed public outrage….

“AIG doesn't actually need the permission of Kenneth R. Feinberg, who President Obama appointed last month to oversee the compensation of top executives at seven firms that have received large federal bailouts. But officials at the troubled insurance giant, whose federal rescue package stands at $180 billion, have been reluctant to move forward without political cover from the government….

“AIG's proxy statement filed last month explains why AIG initially instituted the retention payments. The company stated that after the federal bailout began in September, ‘we needed to confront the fact that many of our employees, perhaps the majority, knew that they long-term future with us was limited, and our competitors knew that our key producers could perhaps be lured away ... Allowing departures to erode the strength of our businesses would have damaged our ability to repay taxpayers for their assistance…’

“The recent discussions between the company and Feinberg illustrate how politically sensitive the bonuses have become, both for AIG and for the Obama administration. No development in the government's bailout of financial firms has angered lawmakers and ordinary Americans more than the disclosure in mid-March that the global insurer was paying more than $165 million in retention bonuses. Those were aimed at retaining 400 employees at AIG Financial Products, the troubled unit whose complex derivative contracts nearly wrecked the global insurance giant….”

***************

And we thought:

… How can AIG strengthen its ability to repay taxpayers by retaining the very same people who wrecked AIG? In fact why weren’t they fired in the first place? How can you bring down your company and still be offered more money to stay?

This retention deal smells. Why are AIG officers and employees being allowed to snack on their bailout seed funds? Makes one wonder if the so-called retention bonuses are really hush money. Are the bonuses supposed to keep people from spilling the beans on a bigger scandal?

Are there silent players -- "insiders" -- being protected who made a bunch of money on the "complex derivative contracts"? Maybe top AIG executives and officials of the past administration?

Coffee shop talk....

Haiku 071209

a lady bug
slips down the sink --
a garbage chute

**************

Recently, we read the following:

Los Angeles Times: “Sarah Palin's exit as Alaska governor stuns, puzzles observers” by Mark Z. Barabak and Robin Abcarian

"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's abrupt announcement that she was quitting her job unleashed widespread speculation: Some said she was ready to launch a 2012 bid for president. Others suggested she had destroyed her chances with her startling decision.

"Palin, speaking from the backyard of her lakefront home in Wasilla, Alaska, said Friday that she had ruled out seeking a second term and, for the good of the state, would step down at the end of the month and hand the job to her lieutenant.

"In disjointed and cryptic remarks, she intimated that she would stay active in national politics. 'We know we can effect positive change outside government at this point in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities,' she said, flanked by her husband, Todd, and members of their family -- whom she described as exuberant supporters of her resignation....

"Given her rough last few months and less-than-heroic return to Alaska, some suggested Palin's resignation may not be such a bad move.

" 'She needed to shake things up, and this announcement has no shortage of drama,' said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist unaffiliated with any prospects in the 2012 field. 'It allows her to have a brand-new day, a fresh start, and she can shake all those cobwebs from the last campaign and her term as governor and start over....' "

***************

And we thought:

… Maybe she thinks the proceeds from her book deal and the lecture circuit would somehow make things different this time. Maybe they would now bestow on her the status she was aspiring for when she bid for the vice-presidency last year.

Maybe, in some ironic way, she thinks she can now put the brakes on her further slide from popularity and credibility.

This lady may have found a way to escape the mess and stink she has gotten herself in so far -- and even profit from it. She may have the last laugh after all. In her mind….

Haiku 071009

she flits among
the rose bushes next --
butterflies

***************

Recently we read the following:

New York Times: "U.S. Considers Curbs on Speculative Trading of Oil" by Edmund L. Andrews

“Reacting to the violent swings in oil prices in recent months, federal regulators announced on Tuesday that they were considering new restrictions on “speculative” traders in markets for oil, natural gas and other energy products…

“Since Mr. Obama took office, the Justice Department has stepped up antitrust enforcement activities, abandoning many legal doctrines adopted by the Bush administration…

“The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said it would consider imposing volume limits on trading of energy futures by purely financial investors and that it already has adopted tougher information requirements aimed at identifying the role of hedge funds and traders who swap contracts outside of regulated exchanges like the New York Mercantile Exchange.

“ “My firm belief is that we must aggressively use all existing authorities to ensure market integrity,’ said Gary Gensler, chairman of the commission, in a statement. He said regulators would also examine whether to impose federal ‘speculative limits’ on futures contracts for energy products…

“Mr. Gensler appears focused on two basic goals. The first is to limit the volume of trading by purely financial investors, the “speculators,” as opposed to businesses like airlines or oil companies that consume or produce oil and want to minimize their exposure to big changes in price…”

***************

And we thought:

…To ordinary consumers, moderating the oil speculators’ feeding frenzy at this time will be a welcome move. Already financially-burdened households need some relief from rising gas and energy costs and their effects on the price of consumer goods. The industries that use oil products heavily need some relief, too. Long-term goals before short-term gains...

Haiku 070609

blackbirds crowd
the lidless trash bin…
summer picnic

***************

Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: “G.M. Stock Advice: Expect Zero Value” by Jack Healy

“Major corporations are not known to advise investors that their stock is essentially worthless. But on Wednesday, after several days of high-volume trading of General Motors shares, the automaker warned traders that its stock would have no value when it emerged from bankruptcy.

“ ‘G.M. management continues to remind investors of its strong belief that there will be no value for the common stockholders in the bankruptcy liquidation process, even under the most optimistic of scenarios,’ G.M. said.

“G.M. was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after it filed for bankruptcy protection in June, but its stock has traded over the counter for more than $1 a share.

“Investors holding common shares of General Motors are expected to be wiped out by the reorganization.”


***************

And we thought:

…Is there something those investors know that the public doesn’t? Of course, recyclers are known to make money out of waste...

Haiku 070409

he slaps bugs
while mowing grass --
tonight, fireworks!

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Los Angeles Times: "DEA looking for evidence of illegal drug activity in Michael Jackson’s death" by Josh Meyer

“The Los Angeles Police Department’s request for federal drug agents to join the investigation of Michael Jackson's death indicates that illegal activity may be suspected in the dispensing of painkillers, sedatives, antidepressants and other medications to the 50-year-old entertainer, according to a law enforcement official.

“Some of Jackson’s friends, family and confidants have come forward to say that he was abusing painkillers and other prescription drugs over a long period of time, and that perhaps others in his ever-changing entourage kept him supplied, which could be illegal. The Drug Enforcement Agency is investigating various possibly related activities, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing....

" ‘The problem is growing; prescription drug abuse... shady doctors, diversion [of drugs] from overseas, pill mills, online pharmacies, forgery, pharmaceutical theft, multiple prescriptions from doctors to separate pharmacies,’ the official said. ‘Doctors are not the biggest problems, the Internet is No. 1,’ in which people get prescription drugs from fly-by-night companies that operate under, or outside of, the DEA’s radar. “

***************

And we thought:

… Fireworks in the park on the 4th of July. Fireworks in a junkie’s head – on demand….

Haiku 042709

starless sky
blinking plane lights
past midnight

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Associated Press: “Obama touts plan to change college loan system”

“President Barack Obama on Friday renewed his call for the government to stop backing private loans to college students and replace them with direct financial aid to young people….

“The administration has pushed for federal financial aid to go directly to students, not to banks that lend money to students…. Obama wants to end the decades-old, dual system the federal government uses to advance loans to students to pay for college. Under that system, students at some colleges borrow directly from the government, while others get loans from banks, nonprofits or state agencies that in turn receive subsidies from Washington. The president's proposal would switch the federal student loan system entirely to direct lending from the government….

“Obama has claimed that the change would save at least $48 billion over the next 10 years — money that could be funneled to more student aid. But Republicans are concerned about the costs of that and even some Democratic lawmakers oppose the switch….

“The president acknowledged the proposal's critics. "It's about whether we want to give tens of billions of tax dollars to special interests or whether we want to make college more affordable for eight and a half million more students…. The banks and the lenders who have reaped a windfall from these subsidies have mobilized an army of lobbyists to try to keep things the way they are. They are gearing up for battle. So am I," Obama said….”

***************

And we thought:

.... Senator Lamar Alexander (R), what’s wrong with eliminating the private, profit-oriented middlemen, i.e., the student loan lenders? Their college loan lending business is essentially subsidized by the federal government and they have in fact been enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers. What’s wrong with using colleges and universities as the facilitating agents through which the federal government could course the funds for lower interest, student loans? This is currently the process for Pell and similar federal grants or loan programs anyway. What’s wrong with supporting more of our deserving youth through college to prepare them for gainful careers and fruitful lives and better citizenship? Hasn’t that long been America’s promise to them?

What’s really wrong, obviously, is that private, for-profit student loan companies will be losing a very lucrative, risk-free business. What’s really wrong is that the unholy deals between some people in Congress and these student loan lenders will finally be coming to an end. What’s really wrong is that the bilking of families who only want a college education for their kids will finally stop. These are the things wrong about President Obama's nutty plan -- in the minds of these money lenders and their partners in Congress, like Senator Alexander.

Over the last few decades, average tuition costs have reportedly increased twice that of the inflation rate -- very much greater than increases in household incomes. For many students and their families who are increasingly finding it difficult to fund a college education, what is there to fault in President Obama’s plan to reform the college loan system? For them, the President’s plan is the light at the end of this dark tunnel of horrific college loan interest rates and college loan debts....


a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights peace culture& society education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...

Haiku 042509

sunrise
her opening act
birdsong

***************

Recently, we read the following:


New York Times: "Why I Am Obsessed With Twitter" (by Jenna Wortham)

"It’s official. The Oprah effect has worked its magic on Twitter.

"Since Oprah Winfrey’s first on-air tweet Friday, traffic to Twitter has jumped 43 percent, according to Hitwise, a Web tracker…. Personally, I’m obsessed with Twitter. I’m a fascinated voyeur, transfixed by the streams of bursts, musings, insights and complaints unfurling before my eyes.

"But many people, including the Times columnist Maureen Dowd, are wondering what all the fuss is about. Why would they possibly want to add yet another technological tool to their lives, on top of e-mail and Facebook and everything else that competes for their scarce time? ….

"Twitter is much more than the collective musings of the tech-savvy elite. It’s a window into the public mind, as my colleague Claire Cain Miller recently reported. Since the service tugs at our innermost navel-gazing ... the flood of messages can deliver surprising insights into the digital pulse….

"... Twitter in many ways delivers on the promises of the Internet. It reminds me of a quote by J.G. Ballard, whose recent death I learned about and was heartened to see mourned on Twitter.... [H]ere’s a slightly longer version:

" 'Twenty years ago, no one could have imagined the effects the Internet would have: entire relationships flourish, friendships prosper. … There’s a vast new intimacy and accidental poetry, not to mention the weirdest porn. The entire human experience seems to unveil itself like the surface of a new planet.' ”

***************

And we thought:

.... Another tool to encourage and enhance interconnectedness? Or to further increase distractions -- in our already-fractured lives? Whichever it is for now, intended or not,"Twitter, take a bow!" ....

a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights peace culture& society education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...

Haiku 042109

raindrops
ripples on water
unending

***************

Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: “What Are Friends for? A Longer Life” (by Tara Parker-Pope)

“In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging, and prolong life: their friends.

“Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship and social networks in overall health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could promote brain health as we age.

“ ‘In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t terribly well appreciated,’ said Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro…. Friendship has a bigger impact on our psychological well-being than family relationships.’

“In a new book, “The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a 40-Year Friendship” (Gotham), Jeffrey Zaslow tells the story of 11 childhood friends who scattered from Iowa to eight different states.... Using scrapbooks, photo albums and the women’s own memories, Mr. Zaslow chronicles how their close friendships have shaped their lives and continue to sustain them. The role of friendship in their health and well-being is evident in almost every chapter….

“ ‘People with stronger friendship networks feel like there is someone they can turn to,’ said Karen A. Roberto, director of the center for gerontology at Virginia Tech. ‘Friendship is an undervalued resource. The consistent message of these studies is that friends make your life better.’ ”

***************

And we thought:

…. “Man is a social being” – this is one of the things that we learn early enough in life. As social beings, we're sustained in many different ways by a sense of belongingness, by that feeling of being part of a group that we believe appreciates, supports, and protects us – a group we can feel comfortable in. However, this article’s focus on friends and friendships versus family members and family relationships can be misleading. It appears to imply that the family as a group – the nuclear family and the extended family of relatives -- cannot also spawn the friendships and social networks that a circle of friends provides.

One wonders -- can't family members be friends or be like friends? We think they can. The friendships will come as family members increasingly outgrow most, if not all, of the unequal or dependent relationships that naturally form in families -- kids being dependent on parents, uncles and aunts, and grandparents; younger family members dependent on older members; the weaker dependent on the stronger, etc. When family members outgrow these dependencies and become more interdependent, friendships among family members can also be cultivated in the way they are shaped among individuals who become friends. And such friendships can be as profound as any.

Finally, we think that what's really pivotal in providing the sense of well-being the article describes is not “friendship” per se. It is instead that element of “interconnectedness” that profound friendships eventually engender —whether it is friendships among friends or among family members. It’s that feeling of being one with others outside oneself….

Haiku 041909

winter sun
brown spruce needles
facing south


***************

Recently, we read the following:


Huffington Post: “Tea Party Fallout: Independents Turned Off, Some GOPers Worried” (by Sam Stein)

“It's been two days now since angry conservatives hosted a series of tea parties across the country, and the fallout has some Republicans nervous. While the anti-tax sentiment of the protests may have been sincere, the images pulled from the events have often been offensive, embarrassing, or politically problematic. It is a development that has tripped up the GOP before. The rallies outside McCain-Palin events included some of the same bile that was seen at the tea parties: charges of fascism, terrorism and other malicious criticisms leveled at Barack Obama. And it did the Republican ticket little good in its efforts to bring moderate voters to the cause.

“Not everyone sees the connection. But some Republicans and Independents do view the fallout between the tea parties and the McCain-Palin rallies in a similar way: bad for the GOP. ‘It is not clear-cut that the tea-party phenomena helps the GOP, unless they have a specific measure or policy (like Prop. 13 in 1978, and income tax cuts after that) to coalesce around,’ said Steven Hayward, a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute….

“Of course, because the series of nationwide tea parties were geared towards a specific day (Tax Day), the political ramifications of the events seem naturally limited. ‘Those tea parties will be long forgotten by, oh, say tomorrow,’ said Stu Rothenberg, of the Rothenberg Political Report...."


***************

And we thought:

…. Sam Stein’s piece says what we think about the Republican-instigated “tea parties”: bad for the GOP. The Republicans need to remember from whom Obama inherited the mess and backwardness that the country is now in: the Bush-Republican administration of the last eight long years. The long Bush-Republican winter of gross incompetence.

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, McCain and Obama presented to the American electorate their respective programs of government. Each expounded on how he intended, in various fronts, to bring the U.S. out of the deep rut to which George W. Bush had driven the country. On 4 November 2008, three million more American voters chose Obama and his program over McCain and his.

It’s only been three months since Obama assumed the Presidency. If he and his team don’t get the country moving forward, as promised -- in education, health care, energy, and the economy – then give them the boot in 2012. Meanwhile, the majority of the American people gave Obama and his team a decisive mandate last November. For now, the democratic, i.e., American, way is to let them settle in and govern in the next four years….

Haiku 041609

red maple
casting its shadow --
robin bobbing

***************

Associated Press: “No charges against CIA officials for waterboarding”

“Seeking to move beyond what he calls "a dark and painful chapter in our history," President Barack Obama said Thursday that CIA officials who used harsh interrogation tactics during the Bush administration will not be prosecuted.

“The government also released four memos long held secret by the Bush administration in which its lawyers approved in extensive and often graphic detail the tough interrogation methods used against 28 terror suspects, the fullest and now complete government accounting of the techniques. The rough tactics range from waterboarding — simulated drowning — to using a plastic neck collar to slam detainees into walls….

"It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department," Holder said….

“The CIA has acknowledged using waterboarding … on three high-level terror detainees in 2002 and 2003, with the permission of the White House and the Justice Department….”

***************

…. Prosecuting CIA operatives who carried out torture of alleged terrorist-prisoners does not address the root cause. It’s silly to go after them and not their superiors. This is like home improvement not going far enough. The point is to make accountable the Bush White House and Justice Department officials who justified the use of torture, set the protocols of torture, and ordered the use of torture.

According to a related Associated Press story, these individuals are former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; ex-Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith; former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington; Justice Department officials John Yoo and Jay S. Bybee; and Pentagon lawyer William Haynes. (And Bush and Cheney, too?) The mugs of these guys should be placed on Facebook for the world to remember.

One understands the circumstances that spawned the Bush administration's philosophy on torture. But weren't there really "less invasive" ways to obtain the information needed? There is in fact the view that information extracted during torture is not necessarily reliable. Subjects of torture can make anything up to make the torture stop.

Another AP report said: "The scientific community has never established that coercive interrogation methods are an effective means of obtaining reliable intelligence information," former military interrogation instructor and retired Air Force Col. Steven M. Kleinman wrote in the Intelligence Science Board report. "In essence, there seems to be an unsubstantiated assumption that 'compliance' carries the same connotation as 'meaningful cooperation.' " The AP report added: "In short: Slam someone up against the wall, keep him awake for days, lock him naked in a cell and slap his face enough, and he will probably say something. That doesn't necessarily make it true."

What was the calculus used by the Bush administration and its lawyers? Does national security justify giving up the moral high ground? In exchange for torture-extracted information that may even be worthless? Will one be fine if the same torture methods were used on one’s son or daughter? One wonders what John McCain’s position is. This is a difficult one to sort out, master Klein….

Or maybe the Obama administration is exorcising the wrong demons. Maybe they should be following the money. What one hears around the water cooler or in coffee shops is that the last administration’s cronies profited a bunch from the Afghani and Iraqi wars. Urban legend?….

Haiku 041509

goslings crowd
the pond's edge ...
skinny dippers

***************


Associated Press: “Six companies to get $9.9B under mortgage program”

“The Obama administration on Wednesday named the first six mortgage companies participating in a $75 billion program designed to help millions of struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure….The administration said the companies — including some of the mortgage industry's biggest players [such as Chase Home Finance, Wells fargo, GMAC Mortgage, CitiMortgage] — will receive a maximum of $9.9 billion in incentive payments, which are designed to encourage mortgage companies to lower borrowers' monthly bills….

“The program, unveiled on March 4, will offer struggling homeowners the chance to obtain modified loans with lower monthly payments….The refinancing plan is limited to borrowers who owe up to 5 percent more than their home's current value.....”

***************

…. It’s noteworthy that a campaign promise of assistance to homeowners is being kept. However, the administrators (would these be the six mortgage companies?) of the homeowners’ bailout program should be wary of the trap of unintended consequences. They could be unduly rewarding a bunch of undeserving folks.

For example, the unscrupulous flippers who finally ended up being stuck with "investment" properties, which they thought they'd quickly resell for a substantial profit as before -- but now can't. Or those irresponsible homeowners who took out so-called home improvement loans -- encashing their homes’ equity -- fully intending, however, to simply spoil themselves with frivolous or ostentatious purchases. If they're not screened out, the program would be such a silly waste of scarce resources ….

Haiku 041309

spring dawn --
budding bushes
purple haze

**************

Recently, we read the following:

TIME.com: “Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense" (by Joe Klein, In the Arena)

“Legalizing marijuana may be politically risky. But the economic benefits are becoming difficult to ignore.

“For the past several years, I've been harboring a fantasy, a last political crusade for the baby-boom generation. We, who started on the path of righteousness, marching for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam, need to find an appropriately high-minded approach to life's exit ramp. In this case, I mean the high-minded part literally. And so, a deal: give us drugs, after a certain age — say, 80 — all drugs, any drugs we want. In return, we will give you our driver's licenses. (I mean, can you imagine how terrifying a nation of decrepit, solipsistic 90-year-old boomers behind the wheel would be?) ….

"We boomers are getting older every day. You're not going to want us on the highways. Make us your best offer.”

***************

And we thought:

…. Enough said …. Well, maybe, just one more point -- or a few. Why not a lower threshold age of, say, 75 instead? Or some age related to mandatory deferred compensation, pension, or retirement payouts? The sooner baby boomers can “tune in, turn on ... " (as Klein partially suggested) -- and make peace (one would add) -- the better for this increasingly uncivil world. And they don't really have to be allowed "all drugs, any drugs they want." Just the one -- pot. (In addition, of course to their legitimate stash -- i.e., prescription drugs -- for erectile dysfunction, arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol, etc.)

And then, maybe, they don't really have to give up driving totally -- just driving on the highways. No doubt, car and truck manufacturers wouldn't want to completely lose this large demographic too soon.... So much stuff to break down and consider further, Master Klein. Migraine's coming.... =)

Haiku 040409

last goose
canadians' tail end ...
headed north

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Times: "Republicans fume over lost Alaska Senate seat"

"The Senate's top Republican said Wednesday there was "no question" former Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens would have won re-election last year if the Justice Department had thrown his corruption case out before the vote. 'No question that if this decision had been made last year he'd still be in the Senate,' Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, told a small group of reporters on Capitol Hill.

"Attorney General Eric Holder said the government was dismissing its case because of prosecutorial abuse. Mr. Stevens, a political legend in his state, narrowly lost a bid for a seventh term to Democrat Mark Begich after his initial conviction last fall and had been appealing the verdict...."

***************

And we thought:

…. Note that it was Obama's Justice department that dismissed the federal corruption charges against Stevens – not due to a finding of innocence, but due to prosecutorial abuse. Alaska (R) Sen. Murkowski is disturbed by the “violations of civil liberties”? Guess when the charges were filed and who prosecuted the case? It was during Bush’s term and it was Bush’s Justice department! What -- have Republicans just contracted Sudden Onset Alzheimer's Syndrome -- the hideous, partisan type?!

Which makes one wonder: Was the Bush Justice department’s "prosecutorial abuse” pre-planned -- to give Stevens a way out, on a technicality?.... Well, now it's back to Alaska for him to consolidate political forces, rebuild alliances with the oil and energy companies, and stage a comeback in the next senatorial elections. More pork and another "bridge to nowhere". Bring out your high blood pressure meds!...