Friday Baby Blogging - Playground Antics
September 5th, 2008
Daily Dojo
Right Wing Dishonesty
September 4th, 2008At its finest, highlighted by Jon Stewart
H/T to The Man Who Would Be King
Off The Cuff
September 3rd, 2008Just days after his barn-blowing Democratic acceptance speech, Obama gave this speech, off the cuff, without a teleprompter.
Pure excellence - just what I want representing me and my country, a thoughtful man of honor and decency with real ideas, as opposed to a bored fratboy making fart noises in the back who can barely pronounce the word “the”.
Hat-tip, John Cole.
Yes, He Can
August 29th, 2008I write this because it is true.
I am a father. I have a young son, a son who will turn one year old in two and a half weeks.
My son is mixed-race. He is half one race and half another.
It’s not something we think too much about, to be honest, if at all. My son is as he is, fun and active and very involved in everything around him. His race does not define him, it’s only his history, and just one small part.
But it is true that he is.
And it’s also true that, in my lifetime, it was against the law for my wife and i to marry in 12 or 14 stages states in this country (I always get the two numbers mixed up, so I put them both in).
It it true. Interracial marriage was AGAINST THE LAW in my lifetime in large parts of this democracy.
It’s also true that, as a boy, I witnessed acts of prejudice and discrimination against others, I saw how one large part of the population worked hard to keep other, smaller parts, down.
I saw this. It is true. Perhaps even, unknowingly or knowingly, participated as a younger man.
As I grew older, I saw oppression as something that went beyond race and religion, I saw that it was something people practiced as a way of keeping power over others, keeping themselves up by standing on the shoulders of others . . . that if it wasn’t about the color of your skin, if it wasn’t about what god you believed in (or didn’t), then it was about what school you didn’t attend because you couldn’t afford it, it was about who your father was or, more importantly, who he wasn’t.
As someone who grew up working class, this was something I also saw with my own eyes. Something else I knew to be true.
But I also know something else. I know there’s an idea behind this country, this particular country of the United States of America, there’s an idea that one can have the same freedom as everyone else does. This country was built upon the foundation of that idea, and while the idea is sound, the castle we’re building upon that idea has been imperfect and required constant adjustment, constant change.
We had to outlaw slavery. It took a war. We did it. It was done because it was right and just. And as a country, we became stronger, in the end, because of it. But we had to outlaw slavery.
Because America the country with slavery wasn’t yet equal to America the Idea. The Idea of equality and freedom for all.
We gave women the right to vote. And to this day, we still fight for equality for women. Because America the country wasn’t yet on par with America the Idea if women weren’t allowed to vote.
We had to have a civil rights movement. That’s why those pesky laws against interracial marriage were abolished, because they were incompatible with freedom for everyone. We had to, because without civil rights America the country didn’t live up to America the Idea.
So we had to. And each step we take toward change, toward progress, brings us closer to America the Idea.
I know this because I’ve seen it. I’ve seen things improve.
I saw something else tonight.
I saw history.
I saw a man of mixed race heritage make history as the first Democratic nominee for President. A black man with a white mother from humble beginnings, not a child of privilege, who grew up, worked hard and now is poised to become Commander-In-Chief.
“Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”
I saw him speak tonight, I watched him speak the truth to power, I listened to him speak about the promise of America. The promise where one can, with an idea and hard work, reach their maximum potential.
He said this:
“What is that promise?
It’s a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It’s a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.
Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who’s willing to work.
That’s the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.
That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now.”
I watched history as a man of mixed racial heritage, like my own son is, excelled before my eyes, spoke the truth to a country reeling in pain over war and corruption, a man who said things I’ve never heard a Democratic candidate ever say, who plainly and clearly spoke what I know to be true.
That he’s there because of the Dream that is America.
I watched this and, cynic though I am, I got emotional.
Because I have a son, and I want the same Promise for him that every other boy and girl in this country gets, like all parents I want for him the same opportunities the children of privilege receive and most of all, I want for him to realize his dreams, wherever they may take him.
And I worried that, after the past eight years of terrible corruption and incompetence, he may not get that opportunity.
But Barack, a half-black half-white man with a funny name from a modest upbringing, Barack has made a believer out of me.
I didn’t feel this way eight years ago during our political process, I didn’t feel this way four years ago even though I really, really wanted to, I wanted to believe our system would right itself four years ago, but I was disappointed.
I am disappointed no longer. Obama is here and he’s talking hard truths I want to hear more of. He pointed out how ridiculous trickle-down economics is. He forcefully repudiated the idea that if we disagree, that means we’re not patriotic.
He punk-slapped the failed policies of the last eight years of George Bush in plain language anyone can understand.
“Change doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes TO Washington.”
Most of all, he reignited our faith in OURSELVES as a country. He acknowledged it ain’t about him any longer, that it’s up to all of us to right this ship, to get America the Country as close as we can to America the Idea, and he did it in a way that gives me hope that my son may someday grow up in a world devoid of the problems I’ve seen with my eyes, grow up safe and happy.
It’s late and I’m obviously emotional. I couldn’t sleep because of the idea that destiny is in our hands. I grew up under Reagan, I’ve never known this kind of excitement over ideas and dreams before, never.
But it’s real, this Dream that is America.
I know this to be true. I’ve seen it.
Because Barack said, “Yes, We Can” and proven it. And when my son shares his dreams with me and asks me if I think he’ll be able to realize them, I’ll tell him that yes, he can.
And I will someday tell my son how I watched this historic speech live while he slept, and thought of him.
“I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don’t fit the typical pedigree, and I haven’t spent my career in the halls of Washington.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s been about you.
For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I’ve seen it. Because I’ve lived it. I’ve seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I’ve seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.
And I’ve seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they’d pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I’ve seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.
That promise is our greatest inheritance. It’s a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.
And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.
The men and women who gathered there could’ve heard many things. They could’ve heard words of anger and discord. They could’ve been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.
But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.
“We cannot walk alone,” the preacher cried. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.”
Blogging Break
August 25th, 2008On a break. Be back soon.
In the meantime, enjoy this:
Reasons To Like Biden
August 23rd, 2008I agree with Ezra on the Biden pick, that it bodes well for the upcoming debate.
It means Obama is ready to engage in an argument, and chose someone unafraid to have that argument alongside him, someone unafraid to look his opponents in the eye and say, not only are you not right about this, you are ridiculously WRONG.
Biden has flaws, true, but his purpose on this ticket is clear. He’s there to deliver hard shots, that’s his job. He’s the enforcer, like Charles Oakley in Jordan’s early days with the Bulls. He’s there to clear the lane and let opponents know, if they drive on him, if they hard foul his star, they’ll get a sharp elbow in return.
That can’t be more clear in these videos snippets via Huffpost, the first especially:
It’s hard not to watch the above and not get emotional at his honest outrage, outrage for a war he voted for and now knows to be wrong.
And two classic Rudy takedowns -
Rudy’s three words:
Which became its own meme, in a way, that now haunts McCain’s POW meme.
And this lesser known but equally classic short interview in which Joe doesn’t even need to speak the button, he just needs to give the camera a look.
Classic. Just classic.
There will be people sniping at this choice (and those wanting Hillary) but the reality is, this is a pretty good pick for the political environment Obama’s facing on this campaign . . . when someone accuses Obama of bringing race into the debate, Joe can take them down. When someone points out Obama doesn’t have experience, Joe can take them down (see Rudy, above).
Joe will be able to say things that Obama would like said but not want to say himself. If the words are harsh and people complain, Obama can go, “Well, you know Joe, he’s feisty and confrontational but his points are also valid, etc.”
Joe ain’t there to buttress Obama’s foreign policy, he’s there simply to mix it up with those who challenge Obama, and his own experience will back him up. Pure and simple.
It’s a beautiful good cop, bad cop combination.
And like Ezra, I like this pick because it does signal that, for the first time in a long time, Democrats are ready to finally engage in the argument over who is better at foreign policy, who is better at protecting our country.
It’s a debate we’ve needed for a long time.
All good reasons to like Biden as VP.
Friday Baby Blogging - Evil Geniuses
August 22nd, 2008
Need I say more?
You will give me TWO cookies RIGHT now or prepare for a tantrum of epic proportions!
Heh-heh. We both thought that was funny. Heh.
A Very Satisfying Sales Call . . .
August 21st, 2008As some may know, I’m a pro basketball fan. I don’t blog about it much, but I follow it pretty damn close. I like a few teams, some more than others.
But I’ve NEVER been a Knick fan, especially the past few years. I’ve only gone to games when they play teams I like and support. And after the last year and a half, I avoided them like the plague.
I’d forgotten, however, that ages ago I’d signed up for some promotion while at a game.
So my cell phone rings:
ME: Hello?
CALLER: Is this Joshua James?
ME: Yep.
CALLER: Hi, how are you today?
ME: Uh, good. Pretty good.
CALLER: My name is [redacted] and I’m calling from the New York Knicks. Are you still a basketball fan?
ME: Absolutely.
CALLER: Joshua, I’ve love to tell you about our exciting new season, we have a new coach and an exciting new future, tell you ticket plans and offer you a special discount on games. Can we talk basketball?
ME: I’d love to, but the thing is, [redacted}, as long as Isiah Thomas is in the employ of the New York Knicks, I’ve decided I won’t watch a single damn game.
CALLER: Well, you know-
ME: I mean, he’s still getting PAID by the Knicks, right? I know he’s not the coach or Team President, but he still works for the Knicks, he’s still on the payroll making the same money he was before, right?
CALLER: That’s true, but-
ME: And that’s terrible. He was found guilty of sexual harassment. Guilty in a court of law. Forget how bad a coach he was, or how bad he was at running the team, he was bad enough at both of those jobs, he should have been fired, but on top of everything else, he was found guilty of sexual harassment! And yet Dolan didn’t fire him. What the hell-
CALLER: I know, I know-
ME: I have a wife, man. We all know the shit they put up with on jobs. Just walking down the street, they get harassed-
CALLER: Listen, Joshua. Between you and me-
ME: Yeah?
CALLER: Between you and me, we’re hearing a lot about that from a lot of people. A lot of fans are upset. Just like you. It’s the same story all over. And I agree. Just between us, okay?
ME: Hell yeah.
CALLER: But if I can offer you a SPECIAL DEAL on five games, would you be interested?
ME: [redacted], as long as Isiah Thomas is on the payroll of the New York Knicks, that team won’t see one thin dime from me. I won’t go to the games, I won’t watch them on TeeVee. Zero. Zippadedooda. Nothing. It’s too bad, because I’m a fan of Coach Mike D, he’s got some exciting young players, but looking at Thomas and how they handled that, it’s disgraceful, I won’t support it.
CALLER: Okay. Joshua, if there ever comes a day when Isiah Thomas is NOT on the Knick payroll, would I be able to talk to you about some ticket deals?
ME: If and when that day comes, you bet I’ll have that conversation with you. Until then, tell Dolan to forget it.
CALLER: Okay. Talk to you then and have a great day, Joshua.
ME: You too, [redacted].
More Of The Same
August 20th, 2008Why I Will Not Vote for John McCain - From a POW who served with him
August 19th, 2008A fellow Naval Academy Graduate who was imprisoned in the same POW camp as John McCain has an article up called Why I Will Not Vote for John McCain and it’s a doozy, folks.
For real. I’m gonna excerpt the first page, but you should go read the whole thing. And pass the shit on.
Hat/tip to Digby.
As some of you might know, John McCain is a long-time acquaintance of mine that goes way back to our time together at the U.S. Naval Academy and as Prisoners of War in Vietnam. He is a man I respect and admire in some ways. But there are a number of reasons why I will not vote for him for President of the United States.
When I was a Plebe (4th classman, or freshman) at the Naval Academy in 1957-58, I was assigned to the 17th Company for my four years there. In those days we had about 3,600 midshipmen spread among 24 companies, thus about 150 midshipmen to a company. As fortune would have it, John, a First Classman (senior) and his room mate lived directly across the hall from me and my two room mates. Believe me when I say that back then I would never in a million or more years have dreamed that the crazy guy across the hall would someday be a Senator and candidate for President!
John was a wild man. He was funny, with a quick wit and he was intelligent. But he was intent on breaking every USNA regulation in our 4 inch thick USNA Regulations book. And I believe he must have come as close to his goal as any midshipman who ever attended the Academy. John had me “coming around” to his room frequently during my plebe year. And on one occasion he took me with him to escape “over the wall” in the dead of night. He had a taxi cab waiting for us that took us to a bar some 7 miles away. John had a few beers, but forbid me to drink (watching out for me I guess) and made me drink cokes. I could tell many other midshipman stories about John that year and he unbelievably managed to graduate though he spent the majority of his first class year on restriction for the stuff he did get caught doing. In fact he barely managed to graduate, standing 5th from the bottom of his 800 man graduating class. I and many others have speculated that the main reason he did graduate was because his father was an Admiral, and also his grandfather, both U.S. Naval Academy graduates.
People often ask if I was a Prisoner of War with John McCain. My answer is always “No - John McCain was a POW with me.” The reason is I was there for 8 years and John got there 2 ½ years later, so he was a POW for 5 ½ years. And we have our own seniority system, based on time as a POW.
John’s treatment as a POW:
1) Was he tortured for 5 years? No. He was subjected to torture and maltreatment during his first 2 years, from September of 1967 to September of 1969. After September of 1969 the Vietnamese stopped the torture and gave us increased food and rudimentary health care. Several hundred of us were captured much earlier. I got there April 20, 1965 so my bad treatment period lasted 4 1/2 years. President Ho Chi Minh died on September 9, 1969, and the new regime that replaced him and his policies was more pragmatic. They realized we were worth a lot as bargaining chips if we were alive. And they were right because eventually Americans gave up on the war and agreed to trade our POW’s for their country. A damn good trade in my opinion! But my point here is that John allows the media to make him out to be THE hero POW, which he knows is absolutely not true, to further his political goals.
2) John was badly injured when he was shot down. Both arms were broken and he had other wounds from his ejection. Unfortunately this was often the case - new POW’s arriving with broken bones and serious combat injuries. Many died from their wounds. Medical care was non-existent to rudimentary. Relief from pain was almost never given and often the wounds were used as an available way to torture the POW. Because John’s father was the Naval Commander in the Pacific theater, he was exploited with TV interviews while wounded. These film clips have now been widely seen. But it must be known that many POW’s suffered similarly, not just John. And many were similarly exploited for political propaganda.
3) John was offered, and refused, “early release.” Many of us were given this offer. It meant speaking out against your country and lying about your treatment to the press. You had to “admit” that the U.S. was criminal and that our treatment was “lenient and humane.” So I, like numerous others, refused the offer. This was obviously something none of us could accept. Besides, we were bound by our service regulations, Geneva Conventions and loyalties to refuse early release until all the POW’s were released, with the sick and wounded going first.
4) John was awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart for heroism and wounds in combat. This heroism has been played up in the press and in his various political campaigns. But it should be known that there were approximately 600 military POW’s in Vietnam. Among all of us, decorations awarded have recently been totaled to the following: Medals of Honor - 8, Service Crosses - 42, Silver Stars - 590, Bronze Stars - 958 and Purple Hearts - 1,249. John certainly performed courageously and well. But it must be remembered that he was one hero among many - not uniquely so as his campaigns would have people believe.
John McCain served his time as a POW with great courage, loyalty and tenacity. More that 600 of us did the same. After our repatriation a census showed that 95% of us had been tortured at least once. The Vietnamese were quite democratic about it. There were many heroes in North Vietnam. I saw heroism every day there. And we motivated each other to endure and succeed far beyond what any of us thought we had in ourselves. Succeeding as a POW is a group sport, not an individual one. We all supported and encouraged each other to survive and succeed. John knows that. He was not an individual POW hero. He was a POW who surmounted the odds with the help of many comrades, as all of us did.
I furthermore believe that having been a POW is no special qualification for being President of the United States. The two jobs are not the same, and POW experience is not, in my opinion, something I would look for in a presidential candidate.
Most of us who survived that experience are now in our late 60’s and 70’s. Sadly, we have died and are dying off at a greater rate than our non-POW contemporaries. We experienced injuries and malnutrition that are coming home to roost. So I believe John’s age (73) and survival expectation are not good for being elected to serve as our President for 4 or more years.
I can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head. He has a quick and explosive temper that many have experienced first hand. Folks, quite honestly that is not the finger I want next to that red button.
It is also disappointing to see him take on and support Bush’s war in Iraq, even stating we might be there for another 100 years. For me John represents the entrenched and bankrupt policies of Washington-as-usual. The past 7 years have proven to be disastrous for our country. And I believe John’s views on war, foreign policy, economics, environment, health care, education, national infrastructure and other important areas are much the same as those of the Bush administration.
Pass it on, please.
Missed the Cool Movie Update yesterday–
August 19th, 2008Which you already know, as that you tuned in (both of you) and I hadn’t posted it . . .
My apologies, had a crazy day and night, filled with meetings and whatnot, so I had to skip. I’ll try and do better next week.
In the meantime, go here for previous selections of Daily Dojo Unheralded Cool Movies You Should Know About so you can catch up on everything thus far . . .
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