SuperUser

What Price? What Gain?

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by von Katherine questions (below) whether the CIA’s "enhanced interrogation techniques" are effective.  I can’t answer that; as Katherine rightly points out, the evidence for and against is classified (and perhaps rightly so).  We can know, however, that torture did not work in the case of Maher Arar, a case long chronicled on this blog.  … Read more

The Liberal Conservative

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by von A first-rate foreign policy speech from David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader in the UK (and, if the polls hold, the next PM): fully appreciate the scale of the threat we face. I believe that the leadership of the United States, supported by Britain, is central to the struggle in which we are … Read more

Geek-Fu

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Because someone noted we haven’t had an open thread in some time, and because I wanted to point out that someone stole my post title. The ObWings legal team is busy examining our options. Please remain calm. Because this isn’t just another deep space [blog] franchise. We stand for something.

Capitalism’s Anti-Human Paradox

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Capitalism is seen by many as the salvation of the species, permitting us to triumph over the forces of nature, ensure long-term prosperity, raise the universal standard of living, and ward off the sort of needless wars that widespread poverty and lack of access to resources incite. To perpetuate that assertion, however, purists must develop … Read more

What the Butler Saw

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I’m only catching snippets of the Alito hearings, so my perceptions are spotty at best. However, my sense of what’s really happening, at least with regard to why most Americans personally care (the abortion issue), is we’re witnessing one of the grandest farces in American history, with characters continuously posing as someone else, personal histories … Read more

And the Oscar goes to…

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OK, so I know it still hasn’t opened everywhere yet, and the last time I posted on it, there were cries of "Spoiler!!," but I’ll risk seeming obsessive to raise a related question that I think it may not be too soon to begin asking: why is Jake Gylllenhaal being nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" … Read more

Alito Open Thread

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I’m swamped today, but hate to see three days go by without any new posts, so here’s an open thread on the big political story of the day: Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter promised a ”full, fair and dignified hearing” Monday as the Senate began weighing whether Samuel Alito should become the nation’s 110th Supreme … Read more

I’m sorry. It’s too soon.

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I am actually quite amazed at my reaction to the trailer of the upcoming film about Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11. I read this introduction on Sullivan’s site and thought, "Sure…, yeah, whatever": When you see this trailer, you’ll either start choking up, or think that Hollywood’s exploitation of tragedy has finally … Read more

A Bust of Madison

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by Edward_ via Sullivan In as excellent an essay on the NSA spying issue as this fiasco is ever likely to produce, Jonathan Rauch positively nails why Congress is morally obligated to make a big to do about this. He actually goes much further in excusing the concept of domestic spying without warrants than I … Read more

Microsoft to the Rescue Again

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Dear Bill, Although you seem to get it when it comes to charities that treat diseases and such, you still seem somewhat confused on that fact that with great power and riches come great responsibilities. I know you stand to become the richest man in this AND the next world once China decides to put … Read more

If We Can Put a Man on the Moon, Why Can’t We Shut Up This Doddering Old Fool

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He clearly is no longer in full control of his faculties: On the January 5 edition of Christian Broadcasting Network’s (CBN) The 700 Club, host Pat Robertson suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s recent stroke was the result of Sharon’s policy, which he claimed is "dividing God’s land." Robertson admonished: "I would say woe … Read more

The High-Tech Scarlet Letter

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Even though intellectually, I know I might lose this argument, if I’m honest, I have to admit that viscerally I object to the mass media public humiliation of people arrested for lewdness. I know plenty of people believe it’s a good deterrent to breaking laws against such behavior, but given these folks will have enough shame and guilt to deal with in explaining to their families and workplace, it seems overkill in the deterrent department.

Recently the pastor of a Tulsa church was arrested for propositioning a male police officer posing as a prostitute. The media are running stories on it and trying to highlight the hypocrisy of it because he’s made anti-gay-marriage statements. You can google the story based on the info I’ve provided, if you want to, but in the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is, I won’t add to this poor guy’s public scolding, at least not by name.

What made me think it’s time to voice my objection to the practice of public humiliation via mass media were the details of his case. He apparently had spoken out against same-sex marriage (but then so have some known homosexuals), but he also supported a Southern Baptist Convention directive urging its 42,000 churches to befriend gays and lesbians. Of course he reportedly encouraged that in order to try to convince gays that they can become heterosexual "if they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and reject their ‘sinful, destructive lifestyle,"’ which I object to because it’s harmful and wrong-headed, but it seems to me this fella may have really just wanted to believe that might be true too much more than he wished to harm anyone else. I can only imagine the loneliness that drove him to proposition someone he thought was a prostitute.

Of course, I’m projecting here, but my propensity for empathy is why I find the high-tech Scarlet Letter approach so obscene.

This next example is tougher because it includes people who might have actually hurt children, but still we recently watched in horror as NBC’s increasingly sloppy and sleazy journalistic offering, Dateline, aired a hidden camera investigation where they sent folks pretending to be under-aged children into chat rooms who eventually gave the address of the home where they had the cameras set up as a rendezvous point. Once someone entered the home, NBC ambushed them and recorded their excuses for being there. Now, of course, any adult who would actually show up needs to be watched carefully and possibly arrested, but what made NBC think it was their right to air their faces and voices before these folks had been officially accused of or convicted of a crime? Seriously, we were as equally disgusted with the reporting as we were the men who showed up. In fact, we were so disgusted by the reporting it made us feel somewhat sorry for the men who showed up, and so no degree of trying to excuse the reporting as a public service holds water IMO.

The police are professionals. I know they often use the media to help them do their jobs, but there are certain aspects of believing that someone is innocent until proven guilty that demand we let the police do their jobs with some degree of privacy for the accused and even the convicted. Yes, the public has a right to know when someone has been accused/convicted of a crime, but there should still be some degree of dignity (for ourselves, at least, if not the accused) that accompanies the distribution of such information.

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Sharon has Serious Stroke

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As Gary alerted us to, Sharon has had a serious stroke: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a serious stroke Wednesday night after being taken to the hospital from his ranch in the Negev desert, and he underwent brain surgery early today to stop cerebral bleeding, a hospital official said. Mr. Sharon’s powers as prime … Read more

What Does it Mean to “See” A Masterpiece?

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by Edward_ Caveat, for those who don’t know, I own a contemporary art gallery in New York and can be more than bit rabid about such issues, but the following is intended somewhat more as entertainment than actual outrage…although I seriously disapprove of this exhibition. (This is cross-posted on my art blog.) Nothing raises the … Read more

Two Films, Two Visions of Family

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by Edward_

Personal note: Not sure how long I’ll be able to blog again, but will try for as long as my current circumstances hold out. It’s very nice to be able to, all the same.
e_

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We went to see two films over the holiday weekend. One is highly controversial and, we knew before we went in, incredibly sad. The other we thought was going to be a much needed dose of comedy to lighten our mood after the first one, but turned out to be incredibly thoughtful as well. We didn’t realize that the second film offered the near opposite vision from the first for what it means to be gay in America. The films were "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Family Stone." I don’t think I’ll forget either one for many years to come.

The "gay cowboy" movie as our pathetic excuse for a national media has taken to calling it is, as you’ve read or seen for yourself, incredibly beautiful. If your heart doesn’t ache at the end of this film, you might just be dead.

"Brokeback Mountain," in and among other themes of longing and true love, explored the worst of being gay in America. The loneliness, the duplicity, the violence, the self-loathing, the heartbreak, the bigotry, and the wasted years. I know there are many Americans, like Larry David (you have to read this, it’s amazing), who refuse to go see this film. It’s their loss. They’re denying themselves one of our country’s most exquisitely told, most human of tales.

"The Family Stone," in and among other themes of the power of family and familial love, explored the very best of being gay in America. The gay son (and his lover) wants to adopt a child, is as welcome as any other of the four siblings with their significant others in the parents’ home, and in one incredibly well-written scene that exposes the soft bigotry that underlies so much of the so-called "tolerance" toward gays in this country, is told by his mother in front of everyone that he is more "normal" than any other person in the house.

I don’t want to spoil either film if you haven’t seen them, but I do want to discuss how these films work to dispel the myth that gay marriage is somehow "anti-family."

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Is al-Zarqawi Dead?

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OK, so even ABC’s evening news is reporting that, to paraphrase an AP story, there are efforts under way to determine if terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was among the dead in Mosul where eight suspected al-Qaida members died in a gunfight, and three insurgents detonated explosives and killed themselves to avoid capture, suggesting an … Read more

Wanna Win the War? Sacrifice Bush

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by Edward

As seems to have become my habit recently, I wrote this post before reading Hilzoy’s preceding post. What a freakin’ brilliant effort that is, I must say. I could not agree with her more and only offer these paltry-by-comparison observations because eventually I let myself dare dream one step past her assessment.

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Three things I’ve read recently have led me to believe that Iraq is defnitely lost unless there’s some way to change the President. First was the manifesto at No End But Victory:

This is not a partisan issue. This is not a left- or right-wing issue. This is an American and Iraqi issue, and all men of good faith must now come together to remind our leadership that whatever our politics, and whatever we thought of the decision to go to war, there can be only one end:

Victory.

I disagree with much of the text before and after this excerpt, but I believe this part is indeed the case. Victory in Iraq will require a united effort of Americans, left and right, and although I opposed invading Iraq for too many reasons to list, once we were in, I knew failure was not an option we could allow ourselves to become resigned to. Not if we want the world to become safer. Letting Iraq descend into Civil War would make us less safe than we currently are. We must keep that fact foremost in our minds when formulating our future plans.

The second thing I read was Frank Rich’s column in today’s New York Times. It’s available to subscriber’s only, but I’ll quote the relevant bits (I’ve retyped this from the print version…please forgive any typos):

Only since his speech about "Islamo-fascism" in early October has Mr. Bush started trying to make distinctions between the "evildoers" of Saddam’s regime and the Islamic radicals who did and do directly threaten us. But even if anyone was still listening to this president, it would be too little and too late. The only hope for getting Americans to focus on the war we can’t excape is to clear the decks by telling the truth about the war of choice in Iraq: that it is making us less safe, not more, and that we have to learn from its mistakes and calculate the damange it has caused as we reboot and move on.

Mr. Bush is incapable of such candor.

I ultimately want to disagree with Mr. Rich that we’re on our way of out Iraq. I’m holding tight to the hope that something can turn this around, but I agree with his assessment that clearing the decks–that is, changing the narrative and thus the public opinion that’s increasingly against the effort–requires telling the truth about the war.

Finally, I read David Brook’s column in today’s New York Times (also only by subscription online). Mr. Brook’s offered the most sobering, yet ultimately most optimistic information on what changing public opinion will take:

As a survey by the Pew Research Center suggests, most journalists and most academics think the war is unwinnable….. When you talk to serious, nonpartisan experts with experience on the ground, you find that most think the war is at least a 50-50 proposition. Everyone I’ve spoken to, given the consequences of bugging out, believes that it is therefore worth struggling on.

That’s the sobering part…what was optimistic was the part I left out of that quote:

[B]ut 64 percent of military officers believe the U.S. can prevail.

Now, while that perception might be wishful thinking or a misguided example of the sort of can-do attitude that makes our military the superior organization is, it’s also possible that it’s the professional assessment of folks who’ve spent their lives in the business of such things. I’m hoping it’s the latter.

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Bush Has Lied

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by Edward

UPDATE: Apologies to Hilzoy for not realizing earlier I was using the same article she deconstructed in her excellent post here to illustrate my point.

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What any thinking person watching the debate over the veracity of how the Iraq invasion was sold must conclude at this point is that, as Wolfowitz suggested, what we’re really debating is a matter of emphasis. If you believe all the talk of mushroom clouds is fair rhetorical game, then you’ll probably insist the President didn’t lie. He merely overdramatized the case. If on the other hand, you believe sending troops into battle is not something a president has the wiggle room to be "technically" or "arguably" correct about, but rather should aspire to a much higher standard, then you’ll probably insist the President did lie. He knew he was overselling the case, but did it anyway.

The White House has recently taken to saying that the "Democrats have lied" (video) about Bush lying in the lead up to the war. This lets them turn the charge around in a short, pithy sound bite. Whether it will play or not remains to be seen. But since the White House itself has started calling people liars, let’s look at whether calling Bush a "liar" is libel or simply calling them like we see them?

We’ve beaten selling the war to death, with most folks who support Bush insisting it’s time to move on and win the war (although I’d still love to hear what that will look like). But we’re still fighting the war, so both sides should agree that how we’re fighting it is fair game for debate. I’d hope both sides would also agree that whether the President is lying about how we fight it is important as well.

A report by ABC out today suggests what any thinking person watching must conclude at this point is that no manner of emphasis will clear the President from charges that he lied to the public about whether or not the US tortures people:

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Judy Tells All

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With so many qualifiers she might as well be von [ 😉 ], Judith Miller recounts her interviews with Scotter Libby as told to Pat Fitzgerald in the NYT. It’s a longish read, but essentially Judy has enough criticism to go around that few escape some degree of scorn (even her employer, which reportedly isn’t … Read more

No Wonder He’s Disconnected

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by Edward At a certain point, I think, you have to wonder if the blame for the President’s obvious disconnect from reality shouldn’t be placed at the feet of his handlers. I mean, often I’ve imagined that on the morning of 9/11, W was simply picked up and thrown over the shoulder of a Secret … Read more

September 11, 2005

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It is, once again, a stunningly beautiful day here in New York City, this September 11th. Folks are making their way through the streets, Sunday paper and a coffee in hand, walking their dogs, pushing strollers, riding bikes, holding hands, and turning their faces upward to soak up the rays of the glorious September sun. … Read more

Fafnir to the Rescue

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OK, so it’s cold comfort that Michael Brown had to leave the Gulf Coast because "other challenges and threats remain around the world" but never fear, Fafnir’s here. With his "Do-It-Yourself Emergency Management Guide," the savvy Sri Lankan saves the day: Today we’re gonna show you how to get through a major disaster just usin … Read more

Good News and Better News Friday

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The good news is that FEMA Director Michael Brown is being relieved of his role in overseeing the recovery efforts for Hurricane Katrina: Amid harsh criticism of federal relief efforts, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff announced Friday that Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is handing over Hurricane Katrina relief duties to … Read more

Four Hypocrisies and a Wedding

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Here’s what I don’t understand about gay-marriage opponents. If gay marriage comes about via the courts, as in Massachussetts, they’re off demanding the heads of those "activist judges" saying that only through legislation can a social contract so significant be changed. But now that the California legislature has approved gay marriage, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger … Read more

Moving Forward and Boiling it Down

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by Edward

The debate as to who is politicizing Katrina more, the GOP or Dems, (as if politicizing a tragedy were something brand new or unique to either party…I mean, seriously folks…let’s check in with reality here) will rage on, mostly because it gives folks license to unleash either direction under cover of righteousness. SSDD.

In addition to helping the folks still in harm’s way in the Gulf Coast, however, there remains a very important issue that continues to keep me up at night. Andrew Sullivan boiled it down it best:

Would you want Michael Brown to be FEMA head if al Qaeda attacked a major city with chemical weapons? This isn’t about politics. It’s about a functional government in wartime.

Red, Blue, and Purple all be damned. Seriously. Brown must go. Who replaces Brown becomes infinitely more important than who replaces Sandra Day O’Connor in real, immediate terms, and deserves the entire administration’s best efforts. For the record, though, as CMatt pointed out in the "At All Levels" bloodletting thread:

Unfortunately, on the fire-Brown-now front, it appears the next two people in line to lead FEMA are even less qualified than Brown.

So this is going to take some real competence in choosing. We’re told constantly that we’re at war. Vanity appointments like Brown are unforgivable during wartime. Start the search to replace him, now, please, for the sake of the people living in the places most likely to be attacked (like my city).

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Fundamentalists on Fire

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Pat Robertson’s latest failure to think before he spoke has ignited the sort of firestorm across the blogosphere one would expect (in case you missed it, he suggested on the air that the US should assassinate Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez). The number of posts and diaries, on leftest sites at least, is phenomenal. According to … Read more

Hiatus

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Just a quick note to say Edward_ will be taking a hiatus from ObWi. I don’t want to go into details at the moment (I’m superstitious), but it’s due to good things. I’ll be back in a few months when life settles down a bit. (I’ll be lurking and commenting, but I won’t have time … Read more

Freedom and Equality on the March!

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The Netherlands and Belgium. Canada and Spain. "We were not the first, but I am sure we will not be the last. After us will come many other countries, driven, ladies and gentlemen, by two unstoppable forces: freedom and equality," [Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero] told the chamber. In the US there’s a … Read more

The Polish Plumber

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Via Sullivan Tom Palmer points us to this ferociously funny retort to the French’s xenophobic campaign against free labor markets in Europe. The tale of the "Polish Plumbers" coming down to replace French drainage experts was touted repeatedly leading up to the vote. The Poles’ response is a classic: I’m staying in Poland: Y’all Come … Read more

The “I” Word

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It won’t happen. Surely, there’s no way, in this climate, with the sort of powers they have at their disposal. And yet, if you listen closely, folks are beginning to whisper, and the volume of their collective whispers is beginning to rise. From the Nelson Report, via Marshall: [There is] an increased press and Congressional … Read more

The Archbishop’s Gaffe

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Via Vodkapundit~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has criticised the new web-based media for “paranoid fantasy, self-indulgent nonsense and dangerous bigotry”. He described the atmosphere on the world wide web as a free-for-all that was “close to that of unpoliced conversation”. Bit of friendly advice: if you’re intent on criticizing web-based media, Dr. … Read more

Just in Time for Bloomsday

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If they could make a film out of the Lord of the Rings triology (and the 7 books of The Chronicles of Narnia), what’s so bleeding hard about condensing Joyce’s Ulysses into a 2-hour movie? I mean, it’s only all of life in one day. Well, apparently someone has. Behold Bloom.

Bloom opens in Belfast at the Queen’s Film Theatre this week to coincide with Bloomsday the 16 June anniversary of central character Leopold Bloom’s epic walk around Dublin.

The fictional anniversary is marked every year by fans who wander the Irish capital’s streets imitating the events which take place in the book.

Bloom reflects the adult themes which scandalised Joyce’s critics

Bloom stars Stephen Rea and Angeline Ball as Leopold and Molly Bloom.

Their performances reflect the taboo subjects that shocked the censor first time around including fantasy sex, sado-masochism and transvestism.

Stephen Rea thinks the adult themes will attract audiences although he says there is more to the production than just the bawdiness: "I certainly am attracted to it though it’s very boring to do it."

"People still feel it (Ulysses) is a bit highbrow for them. It’s not, it’s a big emotional, warm story.

"If you want to get a taste of what is actually a great work of literature you should see this movie."

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