gridlore | Entries tagged with politics

Thought this was appropriate for the day.

Whenever someone tries to tell me we need to stick to the "Original Intent of the Founders" I like to point out that in 1804 the United States ratified the 12th Amendment to the Constitution.

What is the 12th Amendment? It just ripped Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 out of the document and replaced how we elect the President and Vice-President. Because the Original Intent (imagine a mighty echo on those words) was that the candidate who came in second in the Electoral College voting would serve as Vice President.

It quickly became evident that when Adams and Jefferson served, two men who loathed each other and fought for government control, followed by the election of 1800 when the two dominant parties entered two-man tickets for the first time, the Constitution had failed, hard.

So they fixed it.

Because the Constitution is not perfect, and even Thomas Jefferson said it needed to change with the times:

"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."

Original Intent can get fucked.

Current Mood: nerdy
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Ghost - See The Light

And there was a shooting at a Houston flea market, although that one appears to have been a dispute between armed parties. Fuck it. I'm politicizing this shit. The 2nd Amendment says nothing about body armor. Ban it from civilian use without a license from a registered law enforcement agency or bonded security company. Ban extended magazines. We won World War II with a rifle that held eight rounds. The Soviets did it with a rifle that held five rounds. You can live with ten rounds. Ban bump stocks and require manufacturers to make sure their weapons cannot be converted to full automatic fire. If an arms dealer makes an illegal sale of a weapon that is later used in the commission of a felony, that dealer can be tried as an accessory. Any sale that occurs without a complete background check costs the dealer his license. Proxy sales are a federal offense. Require reporting of large ammunition sales to a single party, and buying ammo requires an ID across the country.

There. No confiscations, no arguments over what constitutes an assault weapon. No mass registration. Will this stop determined killers? Of course not! But we can slow them the fuck down. If the asshole in Buffalo didn't have body armor, he was dead on the floor seconds after entering the grocery store. If he had to reload five times, more people would have escaped. Just like we started tracking the sale of ammonium nitrate fertilizer after the Murrah Building bombing to deter future ANFO bomb builders, we can slow down potential mass murderers while still respecting the rights of gun owners.

I'm not even going into why these jerks do what they do. Some are racists. Some are religious fanatics, and some just hate the world. The unifying them is they can get guns with large ammo capacity, lots of ammo, and can spread mayhem. Do you want a precedent for all this? Look at the National Firearms Act of 1934 or the Federal Firearms Act of 1938. The 2nd Amendment reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Well regulated. It's right there in the first three words, and the Supreme Cort has ruled that we are all the Militia, so we can be regulated. You can't buy an operation 155mm howitzer and ammunition for it. No matter how much I want one, I'm not getting a 38mm anti-tank cannon for the corner I work as a crossing guard to deal with idiots who roll through the stop sign. Because Congress has declared those weapons off-limits. I can buy myself a Mosin-Nagant and giggle as I mount a $700 scope on an 80-buck rifle.

But the carnage has to end. I don't know how to do that, but I think we can make it harder for murderous assholes to carry out mass killings.

Current Mood: frustrated
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Tesla - Comin' Atcha Live/Truckin'

Don't imagine for a second that wasn't planned. The exact wording was worked out and approved. It was an impromptu utterance that couldn't be in the official speech but could express the real desire of the United States while allowing the Secretary of State to walk it back.

My best clue for this? Along with knowing that plenty of "offhand remarks" by world leaders were preplanned, the President has a stutter. When he speaks off the cuff, you can notice a slower rhythm to his speech as he works around the impediment. His speech in Poland had no such slowing in the allegedly ad-ilibed part.

Joe Biden expressed US policy loud and clear, and you better believe Russia heard it.

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction

Amongst all the outrage over the latest Republican hypocrisy involving filling Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat, I've seen an idea floated in more than one place. End lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court, and instead have a single 18-year term, with a new Justice being appointed every two years. Thus, every President gets at least two picks (four for a two-term President) and after leaving the Supremes, justices can ask for appointments to other federal benches or retire.

I'd imagine the role of Chief Justice would be held by the senior member of the court. I could go for a scheme where the Chief Justice serves a three-year term and is elected by his fellow justices. You'd also have to address what happens if a Justice dies in office. What happens if the President already has placed his two choices? Do we get an Acting Associate Justice until the next appointment period?

But here's the problem. The eight current members (and soon to be ninth member, sigh) are serving lifetime appointments. For this to work you'd need to convince every single member of the current court to draw straws and step down in order. You can't legislate them out, as that would be an ex post facto law, forbidden by the Constitution. Impeaching Justices of the Supreme Court just to get them out of the way would be an abuse of power that would have me calling for a revolution.

So while it's a great idea, and would bring more balance to the court long-term, until you find a way to get the current black-robed baseball team in Washington to agree to their own obsolescence I don't see a way for it to go forward.

Current Mood: pessimistic
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: DiAmorte - Welcome to the Shadowlands

In the light of the current move to remove Confederate memorials and statues from public places (and thanks to the idiot Nazis who have accelerated that drive no end), I'd thought I'd turn my attention to the ten US Army posts still named for Confederates. In each case, I'm going to suggest a replacement name and give my reasons for why I think that person is the best choice.

In no particular order then:

Fort Benning becomes Fort Bradley. Omar Bradley was an infantryman from the start and embraced combined arms warfare. As both a former commander of the Infantry School and the first commander of the 82nd Airborne (which received parachute training at Benning initially) the post would be well-served by this name.

Fort Bragg becomes Fort Ridgway. Matthew Ridgway commanded the 82nd Airborne through most of WWII before commanding the XVIIIth Airborne Corps. Ridgway jumped on D-Day. Give the Home of the Airborne a name that reflects one of their own.

Fort Hood becomes Fort Patton. Only fitting that the largest armor base in the Army, and a former site of a cavalry post, be named after the General synonymous with tanks in the service.

Fort Lee becomes Fort Lafayette. Only about 50 miles from Yorktown, and holding the Army Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation Schools, This is the perfect place to honor the French officer, and the French themselves, for all Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, did for our fledgling nation.

Fort A. P. Hill becomes Fort DuPey. It's a training base and General DuPey was the first commander of the Training and Doctrine Command, better known as TRADOC. Also, I just know that troops will moan about a three-week deployment to Fort Dopey.

Fort Pickett becomes Fort Morris. Seriously, the Virginia National Guard names its training base after the man associated with one of the biggest military disasters in American history? SGT Charles B. Morris earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam and was born and raised in Virginia.

Fort Polk becomes Fort Chennault. An officer from Louisiana who created the Flying Tigers in China and epitomized the idea of self-reliance and ingenuity in battle. Which is what they teach at the Joint Readiness Training Center

Fort Rucker becomes Fort Baker. Addison Baker was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while leading a B-17 raid on the Ploesti oil fields in 1944. Makes more sense for the Home of Army Aviation (and we're coming for the A-10s!)

Camp Beauregard becomes Camp Villeré. Jaques Villeré was the second governor of Louisiana and before that was the commander of the 1st Division of Louisana Militia at the Battle of New Orleans. Can you think of a better name for the Louisiana National Guard's main training facility? (Yes, he owned slaves. You try finding great military leaders from that state who didn't.)

Finally, Fort Gordon becomes Fort Sherman. Because fuck the Confederacy.

What you y'all think? More importantly, what silly nicknames will soldiers come up for these new post names?

Current Mood: drunk
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Machine Head - Clenching The Fists of Dissent

Feel free to call me crazy, but. . .

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was marching with a large evangelical group in Washington today in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. His criticisms of Trump have grown more pointed over the last few days. He's booking time on the Sunday morning talk shows.

Are we going to see a "Draft Romney" movement at the GOP National Convention (wherever it lands)? Think about it. Romney is a Senator, has served as a Governor, has the gravitas that Trump lacks, and is an appealing candidate to the Republicans who either never signed on the Trump cray train or have grown to realize they made a horrid mistake but can't vote for VP Biden.

The Beauty of it is Romney doesn't even need an organized campaign at this point. If this is happening, he's going to rely upon a grass-roots movement that appeals to Reagan voters. The "morning in America" crowd that wants the chaos to stop and return to normalcy.

Like I said, call me crazy, but I think Romney is going to war for the soul of the Republican Party, and in doing so, he might rip away enough voters to make for a contested convention.

Current Mood: curious
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: The Alan Parsons Project - The Gold Bug

I have seen several calls for people to give the die-hard supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders time to deal with their favorite candidate ending his candidacy. Losing is a shock, I get that.

So, in that spirit, I shall extend a period of grace equal to that granted to me by Sanders supporters when my first choice, Sen. Kamala Harris, and my second choice, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, suspended their campaigns.

Which means that clock ran out yesterday.

Current Mood: pissed off
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Disturbed - Sacred Lie

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A really terrifying look inside the Trump White House, as relayed by insiders to the grandmaster of American political journalism.

Seeing how Trump runs his administration like a nob boss on the one hand, and how he acts like an easily distracted toddler on the other is eye-opening. Time and again we see the head of our state act solely on impulse, ordering things and then forgetting about them hours later. All the time demanding praise from all around him.

Sadly, the book has already been overtaken by events. Most of the players named are gone, and Trump has only gotten more random. Also, there was no narrative flow to this, no guides to carry the reader along as we go from crisis to crisis. Still a good read and a piece of important political history.

View all my reviews

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: All In with Chris Hayes on the TV.

An umpire for Major League Baseball is in hot water after Tweeting that if Trump is impeached he's going buy an AR-15 to fight in the "Cival War."

MLB looking into longtime umpire Rob Drake's tweet

His Twitter account has since been deleted. But aside from the "Cival War" tweet, there's something more important going on here: the embedded ignorance of the American Right.

An earlier tweet, also quoted in the article reads:

"You can't do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?"

It's "Capitol Hill" first of all. But the ignorance is what follows.

"from the basement" The Capitol building was completed in 1800, with the House and Senate wings being added in the 1850s. Today, the building is packed. Many smaller hearing rooms are indeed in the basement. Among these are several hearing rooms that are rated as Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF.)

These are rooms that are as secure from eavesdropping as we can make them. Recording devices are banned. They are turned into Faraday cages when in use. Having them in the basement means no windows to bounce lasers off of. Even the janitorial staff have to receive security clearances. They are used for hearings that impact on issues of national security that might reveal methods, sources, or information that would damage the United States. The impeachment testimony being heard by the Intelligence Committee (which has both Democrats and Republicans on it) meets those criteria.

"without even a vote!" There is no Constitutional requirement for a vote of the House to begin impeachment hearings. There wasn't one for Clinton, Nixon, or Johnson. All that is required is for House committees to open hearings on potentially impeachable offenses, part of their duty in exercising oversight on the Executive.

All said, this umpire should be tossed from baseball.

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA

Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America by Nancy MacLean

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is terrifying and is a must-read for anyone concerned at the growing attempts by the far-right to dismantle our nation. It is the story of how one man named James Buchanan spent his life trying to under the 20th century, really believing that we'd be at our best with no public schools, no safety net, no public anything. Just rule by the already rich.

As I told my wife as I was reading this, the list of people I need to shoot, or dig up and shoot, grows longer by the page.

What is amazing is the immense self-delusion evident in these plans. Buchanan and his fellow travelers seem to just assume at first that people would just accept the loss of benefits. When it becomes clear that any attempt to do away with Medicare or privatize social security was doomed to a huge vocal backlash, they shifted their focus to undermining the basis of American democracy itself.

And they are still at it.

Read this book to truly understand who the real enemy of the people are, and to understand their tactics.

View all my reviews

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Blue Oyster Cult - Veteran of the Psychic Wars

Former President George H.W. Bush has died. While I disagreed with him on many things, I respected him. I even met him once, while in the Army. The looks on the faces of my chain of command as the Republican Vice-President of the United States stopped to chat with the unabashed Marx-quoting liberal were pretty amazing.

For the record, we just chatted about hometowns, how I like being stationed in Hawaii (I lied) and the like for about a minute.

OK, I must rant.

Yes, George H.W. Bush was not the greatest president in our history, but he was far from the worst. So could people manage to be human and hold their complaints for one fucking day? We have the rest of our lives to discuss the failings of our 41st Chief Executive. For the moment, just sit on your hands if all you have to contribute is bile.

Secondly, I'm seeing a lot of whiners crying about Desert Shield/Desert Storm. For those too young, or too old for that matter, to remember, Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. As Kuwait was a friendly nation, we told Iraq to leave. Saddam Hussein said no.

President Bush then organized a 30-nation coalition (including a Czechoslovakian chemical defense battalion!), a UN Resolution calling for an Iraq pullback and authorizing force to remove Iraqi forces, and moved close to 500,000 US personnel to the Saudi Desert.

This all took about four months, and during that time diplomatic efforts never ceased. We gave the Iraqis a clear deadline. For whatever reason, they ignored it. So we began a month-long air campaign, followed by the now legendary "left hook" ground assault and the 100-hour war.

Then we stopped. All mission goals had been met. Bush resisted calls to roll VIIth Corps north to Bagdad and topple Hussein because he knew that wasn't our mandate. Instead, the US packed up and returned home.

Let us all remember that as a young Naval aviator, Lt. George H.W. Bush saw two friends killed and ended up floating in the water not knowing if he would live another day. He gave Iraq every chance to back down. He practically shouted, "I am building this huge juggernaut which I will unleash on you unless I see you start making moves out of Kuwait."

George H.W. Bush, for all his flaws, had seen war's gruesome face close up. He knew the terrible cost that could be paid by both sides, and that his actions were going to create widows and orphans.

This was not warmongering. This was the very last resort.

Current Mood: angry
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Tool - Aenima

This morning was the second half of my initial consultation at Anytime Fitness. Rick, the head trainer and chief bathroom cleaner (his words) dislikes strength machines because they don't work the entire body. You can do a hundred leg presses, but if you're sitting on your butt, that means your gluteus maximus is just sitting there. So, to that end, he's set me up on the TRX Suspension system and showed me several exercises to do with them. Even after only a few sets, I could really feel how this was working my core as well as my extremities.

The second thing he wants me to do, and this is related to what I told him about needing to lift things for Burning Man, is what he calls the landmine. I think it looks more like home plate. What it is is a metal plate that holds a pipe section on a swivel. You insert a standard barbell into the pipe and do lifts. You can lift from the front and go from a semi-squat to full extension, lift from the sides, or straddle the barbell and do short lifts from a squat. You can also do an exercise where you lift the bar from your shoulder to full arm extension using your whole body.

These two things and an hour doing cardio will be my work out three days a week. The really nice thing is both can be ramped up. You can add weight to the barbell, and increase tension on the TRX by changing your stance. Good times coming. My goal is simply, better all-around fitness and build up core muscle strength. Anything I can do to improve my health is likely to help extend my life. I see this as a good thing. On nice days I can do my cardio by walking around Central Park.

After the workout, I changed into street clothes and drove across the street to the library. Early voting is in full swing here in Santa Clara County, and I wanted to vote while dropping off

kshandra's ballot. The room at the library was pretty busy, which made me happy, and cheerfully young ladies helped me get signed in and over to a booth. I was smart this time and remembered to bring my sample ballot, on which I had marked all my choices.

Here's how I voted in a couple of important races.

Governor: Delaine Eastin We all know that odds are that Gavin Newsom will be the next Governor, but I wanted to vote for a candidate I believe in.

Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis LtGov is an important position in California. The LtGov heads several commisions and boards and has the full power of the Governor when the Governor leaves the state. I like what she has to say, and he name looks like she could be a Vilani spy.

United States Senator for California: Kevin de León There are 32 names on the ballot for Senate, and some of them are pretty amazing kooks. But I'm voting for de León because he has a long history in California politics and I agree with him more than I agree with Feinstein. It's time for new blood in that Senate seat.

United States Representative for California's 17th District: Ro Khanna I'll admit, I didn't vote for him the first time, but he's won me over. What I really admire his how connected he is to his constituents. He always holding town halls, meeting with business groups and PTA assemblies. He's done good work and deserves another term.

Recall of Judge Aaron Persky: YES This asshole has a long history of letting Stanford students, especially jocks, off with insufficient sentences for felony convictions. He also foes lighter on white criminals. Throw his ass to the curb. California has elected judges for just this reason, so we can remove the bad apples when we see them. A recall is a rarely used power when it comes to the judiciary. The last time I remember it being used was in 1986 when the voters removed Rose Bird from the state Supreme Court

I can now ignore all things election-related until after Burning Man. But not you. Yes, you, get out and vote! Mail your ballots in, or drop them off. Go to the polls and do it old school! We need to get every single progressive voter to the polls both in the primaries and in November. Blue Wave coming, and we can have a Congress ready and able to stop Trump.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine

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The Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. This is Trump's shutdown.

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

That's the oath I took 34 years ago, the same oath taken by millions who choose to serve our nation over the years. Today, thousands of kids will raise their right hands and take that same oath. They become my brothers and sisters with the act, just as I am a brother to those who fought for this nation from the very first days.

To me, that oath still stands. I was never told, "OK, you're free of the obligation to both shave twice a day and follow the oath." I still defend the United States and the Constitution with my vote and my voice, not my M16A1 and entrenching tool.

There is a bond between those who served. Even if you were in peacetime and the guy at the end of the bar did four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We're the ones who held up our hands and took an oath. As Shakespeare so aptly put it: "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers."

Ignore interservice rivalries. Ignore the sniping and the jokes. An Air Force finance clerk is as much my brother as a fellow 11-Bravo. It takes a lot to break that bond. Which brings us to former US Army Private Chelsea Manning.

PFC Manning entered a guilty plea or was convicted on 31 felony counts by a court-martial. She released tens of thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks concerning the war in Iraq. She violated her oath a soldier and the oath she took when she received a security clearance. She was sentenced to 35 years at the Discipline Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, loss of all rank and pay, and a dishonorable discharge. She's walking the streets today because President Obama commuted her sentence.

Those aren't smears, those are facts. Now Manning has filed to run for the US Senate from Maryland. Give me a fucking break. Oh, and pointing out that Manning is still a convicted felon? That's attacking an LGBT person. Bullshit. I wouldn't trust her to hold a library card, let alone have the chance to violate yet another oath as a Senator.

Because we are always told that character matters. Fine. Call me old-fashioned, but when you swear to something before God (if you are religious) or give your solemn word to keep promises, it should mean something. It shows character. If you can't keep your oath, back out. But don't break your oaths and ever expect anyone to ever trust you again.

We need to be able to trust our elected leaders. I know, that's a hard thing to accept. The image of the crooked politico is as old as human power structures. But when you vote for someone, you are saying "I trust you to do the job." If you can't say that, then leave the space blank. If you can't trust the character of the candidate, if their past is questionable, then why expect them to change? Donald Trump shows the insanity of expecting officeholders to suddenly become better people when they enter the marble halls of power.

Chelsea Manning cannot be trusted. She's proven that. If she suddenly decides that her oath is restricting her, she'll toss it out like last week's newspapers. "But," I hear some of you say, "she was a whistleblower! She broke the law for the right reasons!" Again, bollocks. Her infodump was just more proof that war is hell. All it did was hurt US security and compromised operations against the same bad guys who think that beheading infidels is fun. I'm not one of those crazy types who think that all the world's 1.6 billion Muslims are coming to kill us, but there are threats, real ones.

And the US military exists to kill those threats. And the military is filled with my brothers and sisters who took an oath and uphold it every day. Chelsea Manning broke her oaths. As far as I'm concerned, she should have been executed by firing squad.

I would have eagerly volunteered for that duty. As would most of my brothers and sisters.

Current Mood: pissed off
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA
Current Music: David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (ful

(This is an expansion of something I wrote on Facebook a week or so back.)

Want to know why I would never vote for Oprah to be President? Aside from not wanting to see another billionaire with no relevant experience in the White House?

Cars. Specifically, the 276 Pontiac G-Six models that she gave to her studio audience back in 2004. Because she didn't give them as gifts, they were prizes. And when you win a prize, you owe the taxes on it. Get a gift, and the giver pays the tax. At the time, CNN Money figured that the tax on that car could be as high as $7,000 even after Pontiac ate the state sales tax and other local fees.

Plus registration, insurance, and gas. Which are expected expenses when you buy a new car. You plan for such things while figuring your budget for the purchase. But to be suddenly handed a $28,000 prize and, oh yeah, a bill from the IRS, due now, thank you. Oprah and Harpo Productions screwed these people but good. All for a rating boost.

Then there's Oprah's long history of supporting pseudoscience. She's the reason quacks like Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil infest our airwaves. They started out peddling bizarre crap science on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and her audience of gullible sheep ate up every word, leading to both of these dangerous men getting their own shows.

Oprah even boosted anti-vaccination queen Jenny McCarthy long after the British study linking vaccinations to autism had been pulled and repudiated. I'm a guy who depends on herd immunity to stay alive, and her the Queen of Daytime is telling young mothers to not get recommended shots for their kids. That's beyond stupid, it can kill people. And it has.

It just drives me nuts that American in 2018 seems to have abandoned the idea of experience and competence with celebrity and name recognition. Chelsea Manning, a woman convicted in a court-martial of 31 felonies against the United States is running for the US Senate. And rather being laughed out of the room, people who only recognize her name are supporting her.

She can't even vote for herself in Maryland, where she's running a quixotic campaign against a popular Democratic incumbent. She's allowed to run, but why anyone is taking her seriously beyond her fame, or infamy, if you prefer, is an utter mystery.

I remain a registered Democrat solely so I can vote in the primary elections. Ideologically, I'm an independent. I vote for the best person for the job. Republican, Democrat, Green, whatever. I look for someone who seems capable, is of strong character, has relevant experience to bring to the office, and has positions I agree with.

This obviously means making compromises. It's not often that a candidate hits on all the marks, but there usually is a better option. As I firmly believe that politicians are like diapers -- they need to be changed frequently for the same reason -- given a toss-up, I'll usually favor a new voice over the incumbent.

But not until I know the person both through their campaign and checking sources like Ballotpedia. I like being an informed voter. I actually read all that crap in the voter's guide and the sample ballot. On a sad note, I'm finally giving in and voting by mail. Just too difficult to do all the walking and standing. Sad, really. I love going to the polls.

So, I'm going to look for an experienced leader who I agree with in 2020. Who is that person going to be? I have a few early favorites. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) is one who I hope will run. A former District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco and former Attorney General of the State of California, she has executive experience and a broad knowledge of the law. I agree with almost all her stated positions, and she's charismatic as hell.

Plus it's time for a Democrat from California to be President. The Golden State has sent three men to the White House: Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. We need to improve our reputation! But seriously, it's time for the economic powerhouse that is the West Coast to get some control. President Harris in the Oval Office while Nancy Pelosi wields the Speaker's gavel would make me happy.

Wither Oprah? She's loaded, let her start up some super PACs and fund congressional campaigns. Give her a prime spot in the campaign, and a good speaking slot at the national convention. Then make her an ambassador. Ambassador to the UN would work. She's smart, she can handle the role. But President? Hell, no.

Current Mood: full
Current Location: Santa Clara, CA

I just finished one of my semi-regular binges of The West Wing on Netflix. Still an amazing show, even after several complete viewings. Yes, there are some extremely weak storylines, and some characters who were forgettable (Oh, Mandy, where did you go?). But all in all it remains one of the greatest achievements in American television.

For those of you who missed out, the show follows the trials and tribulations of the staff working in the West Wing of the White House under President Josiah Bartlet of New Hampshire. Originally meant to be a starring vehicle for Rob Lowe, who played Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn, he was quickly overshadowed by a stellar cast and left the show midway through the run.

But I'm here to rant about what happens near the end of the run. The series began about a year into Bartlet's first term, so seasons 6 and 7 were largely devoted to the campaigns to replace the outgoing Administration. On the Republican side, the board was run by Senator Arnold Vinick, R-CA (Alan Alda), a grandfatherly moderate with an incredible pedigree on foreign affairs. The GOP forces him to chose an evangelical anti-choice governor as his running mate.

On the Democratic side, things are more complex. There are two contenders, and one spoiler waiting in the wings. Former Vice-President John Hoynes, who was forced to resign due to a sex scandal; current Vice-President Bob Russell, thought to be a dense political nobody who was forced on Bartlet by the Republican Senate but who turned out to have a brilliant political mind; and Rep. Matt Santos (D-TX), former mayor of Houston, who was about to leave politics out of frustration until Josh Lyman, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, convinces him to run for President.

Long story short. The three candidates come to the convention with none of them having enough delegates to win on the first ballot. An insurgent drive to draft the Governor of Pennsylvania erupts. Finally, Santos is told that he has to throw his weight behind Russell for the good of the party. He turns his concession speech into a rousing call for the delegates to reject the orders of party leaders and vote for themselves, wins the nomination, and here's where it all goes wrong for me.

There remains the question of who Santos' running mate will be. Josh Lyman walks up to his old boss, former White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, who had been sent to bring order to the convention and taps him for the role.

Which is TERRIBLE politics. Horrible! Here's why:

Leo is a recovering drug and alcohol addict. He spent time in a rehab facility while serving as Secretary of Labor. This came out early in the Bartlet presidency, and only a last minute deal prevented the public from learning that Leo had fallen off the wagon, hard, during the first campaign for the Presidency. There's your first line of ads. Not even dirty, as it's an honest question, here's a drunk who popped Valium, can we trust him?

Secondly, Leo helped conceal the fact the President of the United States has multiple sclerosis. This was a scandal that rocked America and nearly torpedoed the re-election campaign before it started. Leo learned late in the game, but still, his silence would be troubling to many people on the fence.

Next? About a year before the campaign, Leo suffered a massive heart attack at Camp David and was forced to retire. It was hinted that this wasn't his first. The extent of the damage to his heart was made very public. Now, the Democrats want to put a man with a history of heart disease one heartbeat from the Oval Office. Serious concerns there!

Finally, and this is the killer, it looked like the convention was fixed. Think about it. Two well-established candidates, both of who served as Vice-President, and this scrappy outsider. Then Santos is given a prime time speech slot, allowed to say whatever he wanted, gets the nomination, and immediately awards the man running the convention with the Vice-Presidency? People would be screaming "Fix!" before the first balloon hit the convention floor! The Republicans would have a field day screaming about Beltway insiders, and Democratic fundraisers might back away out of concern over the circumstances.

So, who would have been a better choice? Glad you asked. In the episode "La Palabra," Santos is campaigning in California when a bill banning illegal aliens from getting driver's licenses is passed by the GOP-dominated legislature. California's Democratic governor, Gabriel "Gabe" Tillman, ends up vetoing the bill, ensuring an endorsement from a powerful Latino group for Santos, while not endorsing Santos himself. Instead, Santos stands near the Governor as he explains his veto. The Governor then tells the reporters to ask Santos about his policy ideas.

There you go. The ticket should have been Santos-Tillman. Bringing California's governor on board suddenly makes Vinick have to fight and fight hard for his home state. You could pretty much leave Tillman in the West. While Vinick is trying to win votes everywhere, Tillman, who just became a hero to Latinos, is campaigning in California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Less drama, but it makes more sense to me. Do you need drama? Santos and Tillman learn that they don't like each other very much, and have to keep it together. That's how I'd do it, anyway.

Current Mood: geeky
Current Location: Santa Clara, Ca

I have no idea what to write. I want to keep my streak alive, but I feel like shit and have no ready subject at hand. Also, I'm on heavy duty pain-killers right now after having yet another growth on my back biopsied. Fun times.

As usual, I've been sent to a new doctor. I had a dermatologist, but she left the area shortly after my first set of skin tumors were pulled off. That was the year the county just decided all on their own that I didn't want health insurance anymore. No that was a fun fuck up to clear up.

But anyway, this is why we need single payer in this country, or failing that, California. A few weeks ago I noticed some rough stops on my back that were painful to the touch. Having had this before, I knew I had to see a dermatologist. But I can't just call a dermatologist. No, first I have to make an appointment with my primary care doctor. So he can look at me for five minutes and agree that I need to see a specialist.

As an aside, almost all my doctors are Asian at this point, from all across the spectrum. This become relevant soon, I swear.

Having done my job in informing the primary care, I wait for an authorization letter from Anthem Blue Cross, who do the paperwork for my version of Medicaid. Now let's recap: I've had benign skin tumors before, but there is no guarantee that this batch will be the same. I, and my doctor, have both said "is cancer? Could be!" to the insurer. Which is why after a long week's wait, I finally called my doctor back to ask where my referral was? Another few days, and I finally get a phone number.

Call that, get an appointment. Place in Milpitas, right along Montague Expressway, where they are building the Bart extenstion. Nice little office block. Find my building and suite, go in, and . . .

It's a clinic that mostly caters to Vietnamese folks getting cosmetic laser surgery. It's an eye-rounding clinic, folks. And I'm in there with my poor-folk insurance. Fuck My Life.

At least the staff speaks English, mostly.

Meet the doctor, who seems a bit brusque. Go over medical history, quick exam, schedule biopsy date. All what I should have been able to do before! In one phone call! This is the part that drives me insane!

Anyway, after several weeks of tumor growth (I'm paranoid about cancer for some reason) I finally go in Monday. Which is when I learn that I really need a new dermatologist. First of all, one of the receptionists, who was very soft-spoken with a HEAVY Vietnamese accent, was trying to get through some insurance providers phone tree. On speaker. Those things don't work in perfect conditions half the time. The better part is I can her the identification numbers the machine is asking for and the numbers she's replying with! This is the equivalent of reading your credit card number out loud on a bus.

Go back, and learn that my skin-care physician isn't brusque, he just has the personality of a bag of wet sand. I'm not kidding. I got nothing close to a human reaction the entire time I was there. Medical robots in Star Wars have better patient skills. The biopsy itself was easy, lidocaine is awesome. But here's where I got mad. After explaining that I'm a stroke survivor and really need instructions written down, he just told me what to do for wound care and sent me out the door. Not even a good-bye.

Luckily, I remembered what he told me. Mainly because it was kind of weird (I've never been given a lesson in how to apply a band-aid before.) Made my appointment for the stitches removal and discussion of what was found, and got the hell out of Dodge.

But I can't help think how much easier it would be with single payer. I'd call Dr. Son and say I need to see a dermatologist, can he recommend anyone? Or just look up a local dermatologist and make an appointment. No fuss with referrals and who is in network and who is out, just calling a doctor when you need one.

Same goes for ER visits and ambulances. If you need to be rushed to the hospital, call 911 and get a cool ride! If you're like me and have a stroke, you shouldn't wake up and immediately wonder how you're paying for it.

We are the only industrialized Western nation that doesn't offer single payer. Let's elect people who want to fix that.

Current Location: Santa Clara, Ca
Crossposts: http://gridlore.livejournal.com/2245864.html

Over the last couple of months I've been reading the conservative hysteria over Hilary Clinton. According to them, Sec. Clinton has, for at least 35 years, been at the center of a web of conspiracies and illegal acts that propelled her to riches and power. That she manipulated, lied, cheated and stole all through the Arkansas years, was the power behind the throne in the White House, and sold America by the pound as Secretary of State.

And woe to anyone who crosses her! Or anyone who gets too close to the truth, or fails her! According to these very earnest posters, Clinton has left a trail of blood behind her that would make Vlad Tepes green with envy. Cross Madam Clinton and your days are number. If you're lucky, she'll just destroy your career.

And through all off this, she's remained untouched by the law. Decades of corruption and murder, years of investigations that fail, agency after agency standing down in the face of the Clinton mafia. Hilary Clinton is too tough to take on.

At least that's the narrative from the paranoid right. But let's say that every single word is true. The Hilary Clinton is the master of deceit and overwhelming revenge, and can cloak her actions so well no one ever knows it is her.

Isn't this EXACTLY who we want facing down Vladimir Putin? Someone as devious and cold as he is? Hell, elect Hilary Clinton and I expect that one morning Putin will wake up with the head of a Razorback pig in his bed and a note reading "this week, one of your meals is poisoned, on of your vehicles has a bomb in it, and one of your guards works for me. Love, President Clinton."

Just my take.

Current Mood: bored
Current Location: Santa Clara, Ca
Crossposts: http://gridlore.livejournal.com/2184284.html

OK, I'm a proud Democratic Socialist. I support Bernie Sanders, single-payer health care, fully-funded public schools, and higher taxes coupled with drastic cuts to defense spending. I'm a screaming, dyed-in-the-wool, ACLU card-carrying liberal.

But for the love of Halford, will people stop using European nations to support these ideas in the United States? Today I'm seeing a meme touting Denmark as a model for the US going around Facebook.

OK, the entire nation of Denmark has fewer people than New York City. The United States is about 230 times larger than Denmark, with close to 60 times the population. Also, the US is far more diverse in terms of cultures, languages, religions, and political opinions. What works well for a small state like Denmark isn't necessarily going to be easily transferred to the lumbering behemoth that is 'Murica. The same goes for Sweden, Norway, even Germany and France. Each is quite different from each other and the US. Canada? Population of 35 million compared to our 320 million. Makes it much easier to apply a national health service.

We need to keep fighting for the ideas I listed above, but we need to do so with an eye as to how to make them work in this country, not by saying how it works elsewhere.

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Santa Clara, Ca
Current Music: The Clare Voyants - Danny Boy (RIP)
Crossposts: http://gridlore.livejournal.com/2166381.html

Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died at 79. Normally, when someone of note or importance dies, I'm able to muster a few kind words. It rarely does good to speak ill of the dead. If nothing else, I can express my sympathy for the friends and family.

Not so in this case. When it comes to Mr. Scalia, the Grateful Dead best expressed my opinion: "There may come a day I will dance on your grave/If unable to dance I'll crawl 'cross it." I loathed this man. His questionable ethics, his crudeness, and his unending desire to roll back a half century of social progress because he was afraid of change.

Have no doubt, Justice Scalia was the enemy of all but the financial elite and the far-right conservative religious in this nation. Read his opinions. He was an Originalist when it suited him, and staunchly opposed to extending Constitutional rights to any segment of the public he found suspect. His dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003) is a masterpiece of his paleoconservative disconnect. He freely admits that laws restricting personal rights can't pass constitutional muster, but argues that they should be left in place anyway. His dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (2015) shows his unethical and frankly, bullying nature.

A horrible justice gone from the bench, and an unethical man gone from our planet. I shall not shed a tear for him.

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Location: Santa Clara, Ca
Crossposts: http://gridlore.livejournal.com/2156515.html

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Douglas E. Berry

Are we getting ugly or are we getting old?

Entries tagged with politics

Fuck Original Intent

Yesterday, ten dead in Buffalo. Today, multiple casualties at a church in Southern California

OK, about President Biden's comment that Putin needs to be removed.

Good idea? Yes. Workable? About that. . .

Because it has become relevant, I'm reposting this.

Are y'all seeing what I'm seeing?

In the reaping what you sow category. . .

Book Review: "Fear" by Bob Woodward.

Ah, c'mon, Blue!

Time for a revolution, I think.

George H.W. Bush and Warmongering

Exercising My Body and My Franchise

In case there was any question . . .

Dare I say "Lock Her Up"?

What the Hell, vote for me!

How The West Wing Should Have Ended

The Medical System Gets Under My Skin [750 Words]

She'd also make a great Bat-villian, i suppose.

We're not in bloody Denmark!

Good Riddance.