This post is about Marigny Perks coffee shop and this blog.
Billy is working on a web site for the shop and when its up, I'll transfer the blog to it. I plan to pluck out the best posts and migrate them to the web site. (Billy, as you may know, is the man behind "Billy's Bites" - purveyor of wonderful pastry, quiche, soup, and more)
At the shop, I've traded a generator I had left over from Katrina to a carpenter for more shelves. Travis painted them and I'm going to display merchandise on the upper shelves and use the lower ones for much needed storage. I'm waiting for a catalogue to come in so I can buy logo coffee mugs, t shirts, etc to sell. In general, there is a lot more waiting to doing business than I would like.
I'm always trying new food items. Those that go over well wind up on the menu. Those that don't, disappear. I've got fliers stuck all over the place there and it looks too cluttered. I'm looking for a message board so I can use it instead of fliers. Actually, finding a dry erase board is easy. Finding a place to put it in the shop isn't easy.
Its time to start thinking about hurricane preparation. I'll talk about that soon.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Bush's magical thinking
In Bush's last press conference, we saw the bedraggled president he has become—defensive, doctrinaire, scattershot, and either deceptive or delusional.Iraq has dominated his agenda for four years now, yet he still sees the conflict through a prism rife with cliché. The topper, which he has recited several times before, is that if we fail in Iraq, the terrorists will follow us home. He uttered a few variations of the line in his latest press conference: "If we were to fail, they'd come and get us. … If we let up, we'll be attacked. … It's better to fight them there than here."Clearly, this is nonsense. First, the vast majority of the insurgents have nothing to do with al-Qaida or its ideology. They're combatants in a sectarian conflict for power in Iraq, and they have neither the means nor the desire to threaten North America. Second, to the extent that the true global terrorists could attack us at home, they could do so whether or not U.S. troops stay or win in Iraq. The one issue has nothing to do with the other.
I think he may be loosing his grip on reality. Its more than just spin - its a breakdown of logic. Recently Bush said that the American people agree with him on Iraq. He said we are not satisfied with conditions in Iraq and want him to find a new way to "win". There is no poll that supports that conclusion. The public opinion is overwhelming in favor (62%, last I looked) of leaving Iraq.
Bush has now lost his last shred of credibility.
I think he may be loosing his grip on reality. Its more than just spin - its a breakdown of logic. Recently Bush said that the American people agree with him on Iraq. He said we are not satisfied with conditions in Iraq and want him to find a new way to "win". There is no poll that supports that conclusion. The public opinion is overwhelming in favor (62%, last I looked) of leaving Iraq.
Bush has now lost his last shred of credibility.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
I wish we had a president who could think, reason, and speak. It does not appear that this president has mastered any of those tricks.
As Maureen Dowd put it, "The president is on a continuous loop of sophistry: We have to push on in Iraq because Al Qaeda is there, even though Al Qaeda is there because we pushed into Iraq. Our troops have to keep dying there because our troops have been dying there. We have to stay so the enemy doesn’t know we’re leaving. Osama hasn’t been found because he’s hiding."
For all the president's ranting about staying the course and the catastrophe our leaving would be - Bush is planning on withdrawing half the troops within months. When the Democrats talk about leaving Bush calls it "defeat". I wonder what he'll call it when he talks about leaving.
Betcha it won't be "defeat".
As Maureen Dowd put it, "The president is on a continuous loop of sophistry: We have to push on in Iraq because Al Qaeda is there, even though Al Qaeda is there because we pushed into Iraq. Our troops have to keep dying there because our troops have been dying there. We have to stay so the enemy doesn’t know we’re leaving. Osama hasn’t been found because he’s hiding."
For all the president's ranting about staying the course and the catastrophe our leaving would be - Bush is planning on withdrawing half the troops within months. When the Democrats talk about leaving Bush calls it "defeat". I wonder what he'll call it when he talks about leaving.
Betcha it won't be "defeat".
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Our culture
Barak Obama recently made an observation that I want to share with you. He pointed out that we are a country that prizes the inconsequential at the expense of the important.
He said: "We see . . . a media culture that sensationalizes the trivial and trivializes the profound, in a 24-hour news network bonanza that never fails to keep us posted on how many days Paris Hilton will spend in jail but often fails to update us on the continuing genocide in Darfur or the recovery effort in New Orleans or the poverty that plagues too many American streets,"
Bush encourages this trend. He glorifies being inarticulate and disdains books. His responses to serious questions are often trivial, if not downright silly. But the worst offender is TV news. Even the "serious" TV news shows skim across their time slot like a pebble of inquiry skimming across a pond of issues. Only C-Span and Public TV attempt to dive into an issue.
Magazine and newspaper circulation is down, but the print media do have serious content and a devoted readership. More and more, we are going to the Internet to get news. How many of us only read the side of a controversy that supports our own opinions. How much debate is there on the Internet?
Still, the Internet and print media offer the best alternative to TV and to the trend that Obama spoke of recently.
He said: "We see . . . a media culture that sensationalizes the trivial and trivializes the profound, in a 24-hour news network bonanza that never fails to keep us posted on how many days Paris Hilton will spend in jail but often fails to update us on the continuing genocide in Darfur or the recovery effort in New Orleans or the poverty that plagues too many American streets,"
Bush encourages this trend. He glorifies being inarticulate and disdains books. His responses to serious questions are often trivial, if not downright silly. But the worst offender is TV news. Even the "serious" TV news shows skim across their time slot like a pebble of inquiry skimming across a pond of issues. Only C-Span and Public TV attempt to dive into an issue.
Magazine and newspaper circulation is down, but the print media do have serious content and a devoted readership. More and more, we are going to the Internet to get news. How many of us only read the side of a controversy that supports our own opinions. How much debate is there on the Internet?
Still, the Internet and print media offer the best alternative to TV and to the trend that Obama spoke of recently.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Xenophobia as public policy
Republicans have side stepped issues that would be divisive in their party while cleverly exploiting issues that are divisive in the Democratic party. Now, Bush has plucked the worse possible divisive issue for his party and shoved it forward.
Immigration is especially perilous for the GOP because it is what might be called a "double-edged" wedge issue. It not only pits the party's base against a large and quickly growing pool of potential new Republicans -- 41 million Hispanics -- but also pits two key parts of the existing base against each other. The Wall Street wing of the GOP, which finances the party, wants to keep open the spigot of pliant and cheap Spanish-speaking labor. It finds itself opposed by much of the Main Street wing, which provides millions of crucial primary and general election votes and would like to build a fence along the Mexican border as high as Lou Dobbs' ratings or the pitch of Pat Buchanan's voice. And it's simply impossible for any political party to win if it has to choose between money and votes.
The Hispanic population is growing at the rate of 3% a year. They are too important to the future to be ignored and the Republicans are doing even more: they are alienating them. Bush got an astonishing 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2000. By 2004 his Hispanic vote had shrunk to 28%. The Republicans plans for making inroads into the black vote drowned in Katrina. The future of the party is grim if it looses both groups for long.
My guess is that the Immigration Bill will never make it to Bush's desk. I think the Republican Party's xenophobic base will kill the bill and wound the Republican Party. The question is: how badly will the party hurt itself and for how long.
xen·o·pho·bi·a /ˌzɛnəˈfoʊbiə, ˌzinə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[zen-uh-foh-bee-uh, zee-nuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.
Immigration is especially perilous for the GOP because it is what might be called a "double-edged" wedge issue. It not only pits the party's base against a large and quickly growing pool of potential new Republicans -- 41 million Hispanics -- but also pits two key parts of the existing base against each other. The Wall Street wing of the GOP, which finances the party, wants to keep open the spigot of pliant and cheap Spanish-speaking labor. It finds itself opposed by much of the Main Street wing, which provides millions of crucial primary and general election votes and would like to build a fence along the Mexican border as high as Lou Dobbs' ratings or the pitch of Pat Buchanan's voice. And it's simply impossible for any political party to win if it has to choose between money and votes.
The Hispanic population is growing at the rate of 3% a year. They are too important to the future to be ignored and the Republicans are doing even more: they are alienating them. Bush got an astonishing 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2000. By 2004 his Hispanic vote had shrunk to 28%. The Republicans plans for making inroads into the black vote drowned in Katrina. The future of the party is grim if it looses both groups for long.
My guess is that the Immigration Bill will never make it to Bush's desk. I think the Republican Party's xenophobic base will kill the bill and wound the Republican Party. The question is: how badly will the party hurt itself and for how long.
xen·o·pho·bi·a /ˌzɛnəˈfoʊbiə, ˌzinə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[zen-uh-foh-bee-uh, zee-nuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
At the beach
I remember going to Ponchatrain Beach as a child; the Zephyr and the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Penny Arcade and the free shows on the beach, learning to swim in the lake and walking and walking to get into deep enough water, and falling in love there almost all through high school.
I remember going to Canal Street to shop. We had lunch at D.H. Holmes and looked for records at Werleins. We took the bus everywhere and never felt in danger anywhere. I remember Ramblers, where we swam and rode horses and learned to dance. On some Friday nights we would cover the family dining table with newspaper and pile boiled crabs in the center. We'd eat crabs and drink beer and talk into the night. After church on Sunday we would go to a long lunch at the Friendship Inn on the Gulf Coast, or Brennan's in the quarter, or somewhere uptown.
Later, after high school, I wandered the streets of the French Quarter at night. I drank and walked and watched the nightlife. During the day I'd go to the beach to read and swim and nurse my hangover.
One summer my parents had gone to Europe and I was home alone. I met two guys from Chicago who were sunning themselves on a blanket at the beach. The three of us drove to Chicago that night and I spent a long weekend with them. My parents never found out.
Those were the New Orleans summers of my youth.
I remember going to Canal Street to shop. We had lunch at D.H. Holmes and looked for records at Werleins. We took the bus everywhere and never felt in danger anywhere. I remember Ramblers, where we swam and rode horses and learned to dance. On some Friday nights we would cover the family dining table with newspaper and pile boiled crabs in the center. We'd eat crabs and drink beer and talk into the night. After church on Sunday we would go to a long lunch at the Friendship Inn on the Gulf Coast, or Brennan's in the quarter, or somewhere uptown.
Later, after high school, I wandered the streets of the French Quarter at night. I drank and walked and watched the nightlife. During the day I'd go to the beach to read and swim and nurse my hangover.
One summer my parents had gone to Europe and I was home alone. I met two guys from Chicago who were sunning themselves on a blanket at the beach. The three of us drove to Chicago that night and I spent a long weekend with them. My parents never found out.
Those were the New Orleans summers of my youth.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Lets talk about sex
One statistic seems to me to give the lie to all the rhetoric about abortion, and it’s this: one in three women under the age of 45 have an abortion during their lifetime. One in three. All politicians — Democrat and Republican — say they want to make abortion at least rare (as Giuliani did in Wednesday’s debate). On, this they could reach agreement. But it’s clear they haven’t been serious; the U.S. has 1.3 million abortions a year.
Reducing unintended pregnancy is the key — half of pregnancies are unintended, and 4 in 10 of them end in abortion. For a while now, we’ve had solid evidence about how to effectively do this. But it requires getting specific about two subjects that are perilous in politics: sex and contraception.
We don't have a national campaign to educate the public about contraception and we are not going to get one. Other countries do it and don't fall into moral decay. We, however, persist in living in ignorance.
Sex, for us, is still "dirty". How juvenile.
Reducing unintended pregnancy is the key — half of pregnancies are unintended, and 4 in 10 of them end in abortion. For a while now, we’ve had solid evidence about how to effectively do this. But it requires getting specific about two subjects that are perilous in politics: sex and contraception.
We don't have a national campaign to educate the public about contraception and we are not going to get one. Other countries do it and don't fall into moral decay. We, however, persist in living in ignorance.
Sex, for us, is still "dirty". How juvenile.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Bush's base
From the New York Times:
" What we need to realize is that the infamous “Bush bubble,” the administration’s no-reality zone, extends a long way beyond the White House. Millions of Americans believe that patriotic torturers are keeping us safe, that there’s a vast Islamic axis of evil, that victory in Iraq is just around the corner, that Bush appointees are doing a heckuva job — and that news reports contradicting these beliefs reflect liberal media bias.
And the Republican nomination will go either to someone who shares these beliefs, and would therefore run the country the same way Mr. Bush has, or to a very, very good liar."
What will it take to wake up this 27% or so who continue to support Mr. Bush? I suspect only Fox news can change their opinions. These are the people who don't know anything that they have not learned from Fox news. Their entire body of belief, information, and opinion is formed from one source: Fox news. They hear echo's on talk radio and from their right wing pulpits in their narrow conservative churches. They live in a echo chamber with no alternatives allowed.
Bush's pitiful base.
" What we need to realize is that the infamous “Bush bubble,” the administration’s no-reality zone, extends a long way beyond the White House. Millions of Americans believe that patriotic torturers are keeping us safe, that there’s a vast Islamic axis of evil, that victory in Iraq is just around the corner, that Bush appointees are doing a heckuva job — and that news reports contradicting these beliefs reflect liberal media bias.
And the Republican nomination will go either to someone who shares these beliefs, and would therefore run the country the same way Mr. Bush has, or to a very, very good liar."
What will it take to wake up this 27% or so who continue to support Mr. Bush? I suspect only Fox news can change their opinions. These are the people who don't know anything that they have not learned from Fox news. Their entire body of belief, information, and opinion is formed from one source: Fox news. They hear echo's on talk radio and from their right wing pulpits in their narrow conservative churches. They live in a echo chamber with no alternatives allowed.
Bush's pitiful base.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The disease of Hubris
The experience of Mr. Wolfowitz at The World Bank is a symptom of the disease called Hubris.
Like Mr. Wolfowitz, Mr. Bush’s approach to governing is to circle the wagons rather than build coalitions; they both antagonize fence-sitters by coming across as unilateralist, sanctimonious, arrogant and incompetent.
The disease of Hubris has spread across our government and poisoned our relations with others with whom we share the planet. Hubris has weakened us morally and economically. Those who have the disease of Hubris don't even know they have it.
The only cure is to rid the body politic of the disease - and its carriers must be avoided so the disease does not spread.
Like Mr. Wolfowitz, Mr. Bush’s approach to governing is to circle the wagons rather than build coalitions; they both antagonize fence-sitters by coming across as unilateralist, sanctimonious, arrogant and incompetent.
The disease of Hubris has spread across our government and poisoned our relations with others with whom we share the planet. Hubris has weakened us morally and economically. Those who have the disease of Hubris don't even know they have it.
The only cure is to rid the body politic of the disease - and its carriers must be avoided so the disease does not spread.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The unraveling
Another high ranking Justice Department official has resigned. That means that the whole top tier is gone, leaving Gonzales alone. What we know about is disgraceful but what about actions that have not been reported. I would bet that we know only the tip of this unethical iceberg. Watch for the last ditch defense of, "No laws were broken" - as if not being a criminal is good enough.
I wonder if we are in for a relentless march of scandals from now to the end of Bush's term. I know of terrible performance in other government agencies that have not bubbled up to the evening news. I suspect they will be on our TV screens, computer monitors and newspapers in the near future.
The mismanagement and corruption in Iraq has directly contributed to our problems there and cost billions. Yes, billions. Some of those stories are being drowned in the sea of bad news. Ultimately, we pay and we suffer the consequences (along the the Iraqi people and the innocent in Afghanistan, etc.).
We are watching the unraveling of our government itself.
I wonder if we are in for a relentless march of scandals from now to the end of Bush's term. I know of terrible performance in other government agencies that have not bubbled up to the evening news. I suspect they will be on our TV screens, computer monitors and newspapers in the near future.
The mismanagement and corruption in Iraq has directly contributed to our problems there and cost billions. Yes, billions. Some of those stories are being drowned in the sea of bad news. Ultimately, we pay and we suffer the consequences (along the the Iraqi people and the innocent in Afghanistan, etc.).
We are watching the unraveling of our government itself.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Moral castration
I wondered in an earlier post if we are drifting to the left. It looks more and more like the country is moving leftward. Republicans are either out of touch or captured by their extremist right wing base. The 3 leading Republican candidates are more liberal than the base and are dancing around their positions instead of embracing their principles and values. They have been morally castrated.
David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, issued a warning to readers of the conservative magazine National Review: “Have Republicans absorbed how much trouble their party is in? To the (limited) extent that we do, we tend to attribute everything to Iraq - as if Katrina, the Schiavo affair, corruption in Congress and the intensifying irrelevance of our domestic-policy agenda did not exist. And so we demand from our candidates ever more fervent declarations of fealty to an ideology that interests an ever dwindling proportion of the public.”
A Newsweek poll last week had the three leading Democratic presidential candidates beating the three top-tier Republicans in every matchup. That’s nine potential races, and nine Democratic victories
David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, issued a warning to readers of the conservative magazine National Review: “Have Republicans absorbed how much trouble their party is in? To the (limited) extent that we do, we tend to attribute everything to Iraq - as if Katrina, the Schiavo affair, corruption in Congress and the intensifying irrelevance of our domestic-policy agenda did not exist. And so we demand from our candidates ever more fervent declarations of fealty to an ideology that interests an ever dwindling proportion of the public.”
A Newsweek poll last week had the three leading Democratic presidential candidates beating the three top-tier Republicans in every matchup. That’s nine potential races, and nine Democratic victories
Thursday, May 10, 2007
And while Rome burns
I'm hearing the white house and its allies complaining that its critics are trying to "micromanage" the war and that decisions about it should be left to the military. Whoa! The Democrats and a few Republicans are trying to stop the war, not manage it. It is the role of congress to declare war, not generals.
Another amazement: the legislative body of Iraq government had planned to take off two months for vacation this summer. Wow. After a lot of pressure from us, they decided to only take off one month or even maybe just a few weeks. Its staggering to think that these people are about to loose their American security blanket because of a lack of political progress and, knowing that, decide to stop work (and stop progress) for two months.
These are the people we are there to help. These are the people for whom our soldiers die. Americans will be killed in Iraq while they take vacation.
Another amazement: the legislative body of Iraq government had planned to take off two months for vacation this summer. Wow. After a lot of pressure from us, they decided to only take off one month or even maybe just a few weeks. Its staggering to think that these people are about to loose their American security blanket because of a lack of political progress and, knowing that, decide to stop work (and stop progress) for two months.
These are the people we are there to help. These are the people for whom our soldiers die. Americans will be killed in Iraq while they take vacation.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Presidential debates seen from Mars
Questions From Mars.
Q What is the purpose of these debates?
We are in the process of selecting our president, and debates are a way of learning more about the candidates.
Q What is the president?
The president is the most important person in America, the person who drives the national agenda and is the center of media attention.
Q So the current president is Paris Hilton?
Yes.
Q Then why is President Hilton going to jail?
She plunged America in a disastrous war based on false assumptions, she filled government with political hacks and she values mindless loyalty over competence.
Q And your presidents go to jail for such things?
No, they usually get reelected for such things. But we are making an exception.
Q We could not help but notice that all the Republican debaters in Simi Valley were white males. Are all Republicans white males?
Yes.
Q Then how do they create more Republicans?
Ah, you have been studying our ways! I was kidding. There are Republicans who are not white and not male. But they are not allowed to run for president.
Q Are all Republicans otherwise alike?
No, they sometimes disagree. The most revealing thing about the Republican debate was that three of the candidates -- Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo -- say they do not believe in evolution.
Q What is evolution?
Evolution is the process by which humans developed from single-cell organisms to the superior and complex beings that they are today. This happened through a process called "natural selection," which is also sometimes called "survival of the fittest" or "politics."
Q And what do Brownback, Huckabee and Tancredo believe?
That a deity created the entire world and everything on it about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. This is called "creationism."
Q What do you believe?
Well, if evolution results in superior and complex beings, how do we account for Brownback, Huckabee and Tancredo?
Q We noticed that the Democrats had a woman and a black man among their debaters. Can women and black people become president?
Of course. We are an advanced and civilized country.
Q How many women have become president of your country?
None.
Q How many black people have become president of your country?
None.
Q What does this mean?
We are still evolving.
Q We also noticed that three Democrats -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards -- said they have never had a gun in their houses. What is a gun?
A gun is a symbol of American independence, a tool by which we gained our freedom and conquered a wilderness. You can also use one to shoot somebody who you don't like.
Q Are the positions of Clinton, Obama and Edwards popular within the Democratic Party?
No. Democrats used to be for gun control, but now the deep thinkers in their party are for guns. They believe getting the votes of gun owners will be their key to victory next fall.
Q So Clinton, Obama and Edwards are doing badly?
No, they are leading in all the polls for the nomination.
Q We are confused.
In that case, you have become Democrats.
Q Is Mike Huckabee gaining weight?
We think so. Or else he is about to create another Republican.
Q One last question. Can you tell us who Mike Gravel is?
You mean he's not a Martian?
.................from politico.com
Q What is the purpose of these debates?
We are in the process of selecting our president, and debates are a way of learning more about the candidates.
Q What is the president?
The president is the most important person in America, the person who drives the national agenda and is the center of media attention.
Q So the current president is Paris Hilton?
Yes.
Q Then why is President Hilton going to jail?
She plunged America in a disastrous war based on false assumptions, she filled government with political hacks and she values mindless loyalty over competence.
Q And your presidents go to jail for such things?
No, they usually get reelected for such things. But we are making an exception.
Q We could not help but notice that all the Republican debaters in Simi Valley were white males. Are all Republicans white males?
Yes.
Q Then how do they create more Republicans?
Ah, you have been studying our ways! I was kidding. There are Republicans who are not white and not male. But they are not allowed to run for president.
Q Are all Republicans otherwise alike?
No, they sometimes disagree. The most revealing thing about the Republican debate was that three of the candidates -- Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo -- say they do not believe in evolution.
Q What is evolution?
Evolution is the process by which humans developed from single-cell organisms to the superior and complex beings that they are today. This happened through a process called "natural selection," which is also sometimes called "survival of the fittest" or "politics."
Q And what do Brownback, Huckabee and Tancredo believe?
That a deity created the entire world and everything on it about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. This is called "creationism."
Q What do you believe?
Well, if evolution results in superior and complex beings, how do we account for Brownback, Huckabee and Tancredo?
Q We noticed that the Democrats had a woman and a black man among their debaters. Can women and black people become president?
Of course. We are an advanced and civilized country.
Q How many women have become president of your country?
None.
Q How many black people have become president of your country?
None.
Q What does this mean?
We are still evolving.
Q We also noticed that three Democrats -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards -- said they have never had a gun in their houses. What is a gun?
A gun is a symbol of American independence, a tool by which we gained our freedom and conquered a wilderness. You can also use one to shoot somebody who you don't like.
Q Are the positions of Clinton, Obama and Edwards popular within the Democratic Party?
No. Democrats used to be for gun control, but now the deep thinkers in their party are for guns. They believe getting the votes of gun owners will be their key to victory next fall.
Q So Clinton, Obama and Edwards are doing badly?
No, they are leading in all the polls for the nomination.
Q We are confused.
In that case, you have become Democrats.
Q Is Mike Huckabee gaining weight?
We think so. Or else he is about to create another Republican.
Q One last question. Can you tell us who Mike Gravel is?
You mean he's not a Martian?
.................from politico.com
Monday, May 7, 2007
Terrorism
Bush talks about a war on global terror but, as Joe Biden says,
"Terrorism is a means, not an end, and very different groups and countries are using it toward very different goals. If we can't even identify the enemy or describe the war we're fighting, it's difficult to see how we will win."
"Terror is a tactic. Terror is not a philosophy," Biden said. "The war in Chechnya is a war of liberation -- it engaged in terrorist activities, but it it is fundamentally different."Bush's insistence on seeing Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts as fronts in the same war, Biden said, is "the reason why [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's gotten away with murder."
We should all remember how tricky Bush and his gang can be. This slippery phrase of his allowed him to make it mean whatever he wants it to because, fundamentally, it doesn't mean anything at all.
"Terrorism is a means, not an end, and very different groups and countries are using it toward very different goals. If we can't even identify the enemy or describe the war we're fighting, it's difficult to see how we will win."
"Terror is a tactic. Terror is not a philosophy," Biden said. "The war in Chechnya is a war of liberation -- it engaged in terrorist activities, but it it is fundamentally different."Bush's insistence on seeing Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts as fronts in the same war, Biden said, is "the reason why [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's gotten away with murder."
We should all remember how tricky Bush and his gang can be. This slippery phrase of his allowed him to make it mean whatever he wants it to because, fundamentally, it doesn't mean anything at all.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
The truth
The media likes to report in sound bites so they tell us that Bush's low approval rating is due to Iraq. The reality is more complex. I believe Katrina tore off the curtain of competency behind which Bush hid like the wizard of Oz. It is not just Iraq policy. It is also mismanagement, corruption, and attitude. We don't think of our country as an arrogant bully, which is what Bush looks like.
This administration continues to lie to us. And, lie is the right word. Ms Rice is on TV, rewriting history. She even lies about provable matters of fact. They are desperate and sinking.
This is not good for our country and I take no joy in it. But Bush and his people have to be held accountable and the truth must be exposed.
This administration continues to lie to us. And, lie is the right word. Ms Rice is on TV, rewriting history. She even lies about provable matters of fact. They are desperate and sinking.
This is not good for our country and I take no joy in it. But Bush and his people have to be held accountable and the truth must be exposed.
Friday, May 4, 2007
The flaccid state of the 4th estate
This morning I'm moving back to politics and current events and I want to look at why we have been and are so deceived by Bush. The main reason Bush gets away with deceiving us is the flaccid state of the fourth estate. Just recently the press has found its backbone and recalled its duty to investigate. They still tend to act as stenographers. Too often they accept the Bush narrative and frame and report within it. We still get bland acceptance when we need skepticism.
I watch the talking heads on TV and read the "wise men" who write newspaper columns. They are chummy with the politicians they write about. They accept the premise and the honesty of the politicians. They miss the point that most of us get.
The Bush administration can still establish story lines as fake as “Mission Accomplished” and get a free pass. To pick just one overarching example: much of the press still takes it as a given that Iraq has a functioning government that might meet political benchmarks (oil law, de-Baathification reform, etc., etc.) that would facilitate an American withdrawal. In reality, the Maliki “government” can’t meet any benchmarks, even if they were enforced, because that government exists only as a fictional White House talking point. As Gen. Barry McCaffrey said last week, this government doesn’t fully control a single province. Its Parliament, now approaching a scheduled summer recess, has passed no major legislation in months. Iraq’s sole recent democratic achievement is to ban the release of civilian casualty figures, lest they challenge White House happy talk about “progress” in Iraq.
I watch the talking heads on TV and read the "wise men" who write newspaper columns. They are chummy with the politicians they write about. They accept the premise and the honesty of the politicians. They miss the point that most of us get.
The Bush administration can still establish story lines as fake as “Mission Accomplished” and get a free pass. To pick just one overarching example: much of the press still takes it as a given that Iraq has a functioning government that might meet political benchmarks (oil law, de-Baathification reform, etc., etc.) that would facilitate an American withdrawal. In reality, the Maliki “government” can’t meet any benchmarks, even if they were enforced, because that government exists only as a fictional White House talking point. As Gen. Barry McCaffrey said last week, this government doesn’t fully control a single province. Its Parliament, now approaching a scheduled summer recess, has passed no major legislation in months. Iraq’s sole recent democratic achievement is to ban the release of civilian casualty figures, lest they challenge White House happy talk about “progress” in Iraq.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Prostitutes and Pirates
Prostitution has been accepted by city authorities in private while condemned in public. Police, DA's and Judges have, for many years, quietly allowed prostitution. Today there is a bar in the French Quarter that is the site of the last city licensed "Bawdy House" in New Orleans. The license and pictures of the girls are on the walls of the bar and the original rules are posted. It wasn't that long ago.
Storyville was the district set up to limit prostitution to one area of town where it could be monitored and regulated by authorities. In the late 1890s, the New Orleans city government studied the legalized red light districts of northern German and Dutch ports and set up Storyville based on such models. Between 1895 and 1915, "blue books" were published in Storyville. These books were guides to prostitution for visitors to the district's services including house descriptions, prices, particular services, and the "stock" each house had to offer. The Storyville blue-books were inscribed with the motto: "Order of the Garter: Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (Evil to Him Who Evil Thinks.)" The District was adjacent to one of the main railway stations where travelers arrived in the city and became a noted attraction for many visitors.
Jazz did not originate in Storyville (it started off as a New Orleans style of music played all over town), but it flourished there as in the rest of the city; many out-of-town visitors first heard this style of music there before the music spread up north. Some early jazz writers suggested that Storyville was key in the development of jazz and that its closing was responsible for New Orleans musicians leaving for Chicago, but this is now regarded as inaccurate. Some people from elsewhere continue to associate Storyville with the origins of jazz. It was tradition in the better Storyville establishments to hire a piano player, and sometimes small bands.
The District was closed down by the federal government (over the strong objections of the New Orleans City Government) during World War I in 1917. In regard to prostitution, New Orleans Mayor Martin Behrman pronounced that, "[y]ou can make it illegal, but you can't make it unpopular."
The District continued in a more subdued state as an entertainment center through the 1920s, with various dance halls, cabarets, and restaurants. Speakeasies, gambling joints, and prostitution were also regularly found in the district.
A city with a culture that supports pirates and prostitutes has to expect a certain loose attitude about rules. Its the Big Easy.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Pirates and prostitutes
Yesterday I wrote about the French pirate Jean Lafitte and his role in the history of the Marigny. He is a wonderfully colorful character. Byron wrote a poem about him, several movies have been made based on his life, and many books have been written about him.
He established a "kingdom" with some 3,000 pirates downriver from New Orleans in the Barateria. From there he would raid British vessels and assist the American navy. There are many stories about him and he was popular in New Orleans for decades. His legend lives on in Pirates Alley in the French Quarter.
The glorification of a pirate king says a lot about local political mores today. We have a history of electing rouges to high office and it is perfectly consistent with our past admiration of pirates. We are tolerant of a certain corruption because of various reasons. One of them is that it is a part of our heritage and our culture. The legacy of Jean Lafitte lives on in the crooks in City Hall and the Governor's Mansion.
That is just one thread in the tapestry of New Orleans. Tomorrow I'll trace the thread of prostitution.
Pirates and prostitutes are living large in New Orleans.
He established a "kingdom" with some 3,000 pirates downriver from New Orleans in the Barateria. From there he would raid British vessels and assist the American navy. There are many stories about him and he was popular in New Orleans for decades. His legend lives on in Pirates Alley in the French Quarter.
The glorification of a pirate king says a lot about local political mores today. We have a history of electing rouges to high office and it is perfectly consistent with our past admiration of pirates. We are tolerant of a certain corruption because of various reasons. One of them is that it is a part of our heritage and our culture. The legacy of Jean Lafitte lives on in the crooks in City Hall and the Governor's Mansion.
That is just one thread in the tapestry of New Orleans. Tomorrow I'll trace the thread of prostitution.
Pirates and prostitutes are living large in New Orleans.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
New Orleans style
Scroll down and look at the pictures on the right. The signs were taken on a street corner in the Marigny. Over the next few days I'll put up more pictures from the Marigny, where my coffee shop is located. This is a classic New Orleans neighborhood. Its not typical of anything and that, in itself, is the style of New Orleans.
The history of the area and the man whose name it bears is interesting. The son of Count Pierre Enguerrand Philippe de Mandeville Ecuyer, Sieur de Marigny and Chevalier de St. Louis, Bernard was born in New Orleans in 1785. In 1798, Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orleans (who became King Louis Philippe in 1830) and his two brothers, the Duc de Montpesier and the Comte de Beaujolais, visited the Marigny plantation. By all accounts, they were lavishly entertained by the Marignys. One story recounts that special gold dinner ware was made for the occasion of the Duc d'Orleans visit and was thrown into the river afterward because no one would be worthy of using it again. Now that is New Orleans style!
On reaching his majority in 1806, Marigny at once had his plantation subdivided and began to develop the Faubourg Marigny. Marigny had many gambling debts and the smaller the land parcels the more there was to sell. The area grew rapidly and lots were sold all the way into the 1820s.[6] Marigny's development was immediately popular. Marigny has famously named the streets of his neighborhood whimsically (Peace, History, Poets, Frenchman, Greatmen, Music, Love and Craps (after the game of chance he introduced to America). It was his losses at Craps (his game) that led him to sell off his land holdings.
During the battle of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson established his headquarters at Marigny's plantation on Victory Street.[10] Nevertheless, Marigny and Edward Livingston were unable to convince the American General to meet and seek the support of the pirate Jean Lafitte whom the British had reached out to, but who according to Marigny was inclined to support the Americans. Lafitte did eventually meet and persuade Jackson of their support, which proved useful during the campaign.
I'll pick this up again tomorrow. There are threads from then to now and I'll trace them in a future post
The history of the area and the man whose name it bears is interesting. The son of Count Pierre Enguerrand Philippe de Mandeville Ecuyer, Sieur de Marigny and Chevalier de St. Louis, Bernard was born in New Orleans in 1785. In 1798, Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orleans (who became King Louis Philippe in 1830) and his two brothers, the Duc de Montpesier and the Comte de Beaujolais, visited the Marigny plantation. By all accounts, they were lavishly entertained by the Marignys. One story recounts that special gold dinner ware was made for the occasion of the Duc d'Orleans visit and was thrown into the river afterward because no one would be worthy of using it again. Now that is New Orleans style!
On reaching his majority in 1806, Marigny at once had his plantation subdivided and began to develop the Faubourg Marigny. Marigny had many gambling debts and the smaller the land parcels the more there was to sell. The area grew rapidly and lots were sold all the way into the 1820s.[6] Marigny's development was immediately popular. Marigny has famously named the streets of his neighborhood whimsically (Peace, History, Poets, Frenchman, Greatmen, Music, Love and Craps (after the game of chance he introduced to America). It was his losses at Craps (his game) that led him to sell off his land holdings.
During the battle of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson established his headquarters at Marigny's plantation on Victory Street.[10] Nevertheless, Marigny and Edward Livingston were unable to convince the American General to meet and seek the support of the pirate Jean Lafitte whom the British had reached out to, but who according to Marigny was inclined to support the Americans. Lafitte did eventually meet and persuade Jackson of their support, which proved useful during the campaign.
I'll pick this up again tomorrow. There are threads from then to now and I'll trace them in a future post
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