Archive for February, 2009
Obama Delivers the Awesome
In a discussion of the political impact of Tracy Flick and the movie Election, the New Republic reports:
Alexander Payne, the film’s director, said that President Obama has told him on two separate occasions that it’s his favorite political movie.
I just got a thrill up my leg.
No more term limits for elected officials in Venezuela
The Associated Press reported that a referendum removing term limits for electe
d officials in Venezuela passed 54 to 46 today. This means that along with Cuba, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, we’re going to be seeing a lot of the same faces in Venezuela for the next several decades. I wish Chavez would stop being so narcissistic and realize the benefits of the regular transfer of power in creating a lasting and more responsive government. Chavez has lots of examples in history to turn to realize that this seizure of control will not create sustainable progress in Venezuela. Simply put, one-man shows only work while that one-man is around. Look at an even recent example of a one-man show going south– Trump Entertainment is filing for bankruptcy after Donald Trump resigned from the board, for example. What is happening to South America and how is this happening?
Best Valentine’s Day Movies
Second only perhaps to Halloween, Valentine’s Day is a great day for watching movies. Whether you’re in a relationship or not, who wants to brave the crowds of couples paying for expensive dinners when you can stay in, have a home-cooked meal, and pop in a movie? Here now, two V-Day movie lists – one for those who have found real love, and one for the loveless (but not at all bitter about it).
Fear, Cowardice, and D.C. Politics
A president once said that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. He was wrong. Fear can be good. Fear, so long as it does not dictate our actions, can be a moderating influence. Read more…
The Israeli Elections & the US (UPDATED)
The final tally of Israel’s elections are not in yet, but the basic outline looks clear. Either the center-left Kadima will peel off an ultra-right-wing party to form a weak majority incapable of credibly negotiating for peace, or Kadima will fail and a right-wing government will form and be unwilling to negotiate for peace. It would be nice if Kadima and Likud were willing to seal themselves off from the insane and neo-fascist Yisrael Beiteinu party by forming their own majority, thereby demonstrating to the world that Israel rejects extremism, but that’s not going to happen. Instead, Israel will, one way or another, foreclose the possibility of a peace settlement for at least a year. What this means for American foreign policy is unclear, but it’s an enormous problem.
Winning Afghanistan
The Obama administration has begun a 60-day review of Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, and the outlines of a debate over how to win there are beginning to emerge. At its heart is a familiar question: how do we define success?
The Faces of Lonely Saints
Below I have pasted the lyrics to a song I’ve been working on for a couple of months. I recorded an embarrassingly rough version of it that features my sub-par voice and amateur acoustic guitar work. Eventually, I will post a recorded version of this song that I have more confidence in. The music is written in the key of Aminor. I use a I-IV-V progression until the words, “Running through the fields of your scattered daylight.” I-IV-V in Aminor is Aminor-Dminor-Eminor. Minor chords have a somber, melancholy tone. I transition to the major chords within the key of Aminor (ii-iii-vi) at the end in order to musically communicate the happy ending. Aminor and Cmajor share many of the same notes, so it allows for a smooth transition.
Anyway, as with past lyrics I’ve posted, I’m sure few will enjoy these :)
The Faces of Lonely Saints
Running through the woods of Wisconsin
I stumbled upon seven sad grins
Dining on the carcass of an angel
Her wings spread across the table
Her story in the child’s fable
A smile of calm widens her face
As the Mother welcomes her slumber to grace
The faces of lonely saints
The faces of lonely saints
The faces of lonely saints
Of romantics and dreamers, poets and healers
Of writers and readers, peasants and believers
Ride wild ride
Ride wild ride
Ride wild ride
I galloped to the East
A journalist of this war
A girl rides beside me
She’s Faith in pink ribbons
Running through the woods of Salem
I stumbled upon seven smiling saints
Dining on the carcass of a devil
His chest cut open,
His blood splashes and trembles
Hollow sadness narrows his face
As the Mother rejects his slumber to grace
The face of a lonely sinner
The face of a lonely sinner
The face of a lonely sinner
Of killers and cowards, kings and connivers,
Of rapers and dealers, rich and deniers
Ride wild ride
Ride wild ride
Ride wild ride
Running through the fields of your scattered daylight
I stumbled upon a child who smiled to me:
“I am the new dawn
I am the new dawn
I am the new dawn”
And all is calm
And all is calm
And all is calm
The faces of lonely saints
The faces of lonely saints
The faces of lonely saints
Special thanks to longtime pal and aspiring writer Mike Madden for help and encouragement with writing this song.
The Filibuster Continues to Ruin America
The Washington Post reports that the Senate lacks the votes to pass the stimulus bill. And by that, they mean they don’t have 60 votes, the necessary number to defeat a filibuster. This is crazy, and why can’t we all agree to get rid of the stupid filibuster already? It was undemocratic when the Democrats did it for Bush’s judicial appointments, it’s undemocratic now. The Senate itself is sort of an absurd institution in modern America, and I’d be in favor of tossing the whole thing and having just a House of Representatives. But that’s not gonna happen anytime soon, so can we at least get rid of the insane, obstructive filibuster? The number of veto points in American politics is ridiculous, and it’s moments like these that it can be extremely frustrating and dangerous.
Late update: Nothing in this post takes away from my love for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or this episode of the West Wing.
Should the CA Supreme Court Overturn Prop 8?
News broke yesterday that the California Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments in March on a challenge the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the “amendment” to California’s constitution prohibiting same-sex marriage. I put the word “amendment” in quotes because whether Prop 8 actually constitutes an amendment is a big part of the dispute. The court directed the parties to argue three issues:
- Is Proposition 8 invalid because it constitutes a revision of, rather than an amendment to, the California Constitution?
- Does Proposition 8 violate the separation-of-powers doctrine under the California Constitution?
- If Proposition 8 is not unconstitutional, what is its effect, if any, on the marriages of same-sex couples performed before the adoption of Proposition 8?
The Exclusionary Rule & Comparative Law
The New York Times ran an interesting story yesterday about how the Supreme Court is inching closer and closer to repealing the exclusionary rule, a principle in criminal procedure in which any evidence that is improperly obtained by the state is automatically inadmissible in court. The story talks about last month’s decision in Herring v. United States, in which Chief Justice Roberts seemed to advocate a new standard for excluding evidence, writing (emphasis mine):
To trigger the exclusionary rule, police conduct must be sufficiently deliberate that exclusion can meaningfully deter it, and sufficiently culpable that such deterrence is worth the price paid by the justice system.
This statement suggests that Roberts believes in a balancing test for excluding evidence rather than automatic exclusion, which has been a principle of American criminal law since the Warren court laid it down in 1961 in Mapp v. Ohio.