Disqus - Latest Comments for afroacademic

Re: Obama told us so

afroacademic — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:37:57 -0000

What all of this "analysis" misses is that healthcare in the Senate is only really at risk for filibuster during the initial vote. Once it is back from committee with the house bill (which seems to have a much stronger public option) it will get an up or down vote. So, I'm not really surprised that some Dems are worried about getting stiffed by relying on Lieberman (one of the 60). He can't be trusted and if they rope Snowe in he'll be less likely to bolt.

So trigger or no, the point is to get a public option to committee no matter what. The fact that so many "Democratic insiders" fail to understand this is unfortunate. Sidenote: when did we start trusting Reid's whip count? This whole trigger nonsense sounds more like the white house wasn't coming up with a solid 60 in its count while Reid was this weekend. The result seems to have been some hedging by the white house to assure it could get 60 with a trigger if Reid's count fell apart at the 11th hour. The pushback seems to have now placed Obama in the "trusting Harry" position we find the White house in this evening.

Re: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

afroacademic — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:26:48 -0000

Quixote,

Sorry to pick a bone but as a geologist your comment about skeptics, which there are in my and many disciplines (including climate/atmospheric science), implies that we aren't equipped to understand the science involved when in fact the proxies needed to build a complete deep time temperature curve are here because of the work of geologist on various chemical temperature systems.

While I have no problem picking on economist and physicists who think they know more than they do I think that generally earth scientist are quite in tune with climate change. Heck Geology publishes a few climate change articles a year without fail. I'd posit that the real reason for "skeptics" in the geosciences has been due to often dubious loyalties between scientist and the coal, oil, and gas companies that rely on geologist. That natural relationship between geoscientist and hydrocarbon extracting companies, along with incentives (i.e. cold hard cash) make for a temping career as a "skeptic."

I guess your call for ignorance to explain some deniers in my field is a bit nicer than what I see as the problem.

Re: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

afroacademic — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:47:46 -0000

Sorry but there is a scientific consensus and the science is sound. Further, we have data from direct measurements going back hundreds of years that show this warming. Also, I just went to a lecture by one of the chairs of the IPCC and she made an excellent point. In the IPCC scientist from more countries then you can name got together (and I'm talking the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, UK, Germany, Brazil, etc., etc) and agreed line by line on that report. Never have so many scientist from so many schools of thought sat in such unequivocal agreement. Frankly anyone looking to argue with the fact of climate change is not looking at the data or the science, just being played by political hacks. I will gladly admit that when the first IPCC report came out the anthropogenic causal link was not as strong, but even that side of climate change has become increasingly evident.

Hell the new CEO of exxon is talking about climate change. I don't know what kind of people at this point can deny this reality.

Re: Dems Moving on DADT

afroacademic — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:43:17 -0000

"Calling his bluff" sounds like you don't think he'd sign the bill... I think that not wanting to do the heavy lifting of getting a bill past a Congress without a backbone and vetoing a repeal of DADT are worlds apart. But then maybe I've misread you on the issue.

Re: To Observe and Affect

afroacademic — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:53:23 -0000

I don't want to threadjack but Erin W is so right. I've always believed that privacy would be the greatest legal issue of modern time.

Re: Medicine and the Unfree Market

afroacademic — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:39:33 -0000

I think it is always good to point out Mayo and concern treatment in the US because it is not only cost effective, it is one of the only long term care situations where the US has better outcomes than most other countries with similar per capita GDP.

Re: Burning Issue

afroacademic — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:29:05 -0000

For a second, just for a second I thought we were past book burning...back to reality like an apple to Newton's head.

Re: What a Country

afroacademic — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:06:48 -0000

It looks like the US is 58th (behind large swaths of Africa and Asia, as well as France and Germany in Europe) I think using wikipedia which gets its data from the CIA world Factbook.

Re: I Know This Is Going to Shock You

afroacademic — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:02:58 -0000

When will people get that speech, as free as it is, has consequences... Words have destroyed entire people and some folks want to act like they mean nothing.

Re: Saletan and Slate Hit a New Low

afroacademic — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:58:40 -0000

Sick.

Re: The State Dept. Recognizes Pride Month

afroacademic — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:49:29 -0000

there is a Presidential Proclamation... Here

Re: Racefail

afroacademic — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:05:53 -0000

It is now and will ever be about divide and oppress. Just look at the Irish (before they were white) and Blacks; Eastern Europeans and the blacks; now Latinos and the Blacks... god this isn't new, but good on Ta-Nehisi for slapping it down.

Re: Hysterical Bitch

afroacademic — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:17:55 -0000

shoutz has the right of it. Anyone who's been in a similar situation knows just how hard it is to say something. The fact that some would use this against her is sickening but not surprising.

Re: Detainee Abuse: New Details Reported

afroacademic — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:40:03 -0000

Previously released photos depicted sexual assault... I'm not sure what there is left to prove, we know rape happened in these places, we've seen the photos (Salon released them at some point). I'm still astounded that fewer people remember, which doesn't make me hopefully for any possible outrage if these new photos are ever released.

Re: Photo of the Day

afroacademic — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:39:54 -0000

The Remington statue in the "Bronco Buster" gifted to Teddy Roosevelt back in the day.

Re: I Am an American Citizen and I Want Dan Choi in the Military

afroacademic — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:43:23 -0000

Sarah,

Suspending investigations sounds good at first glance. I worry about the independence of the JAG corp and stepping on officer discretion (my father is a commanding officer and has often decided not to pursue particular investigations against his soldiers when it is his right to). But those worries are outweighed by the need for action. So, from a legal standpoint I'd be ok with suspending investigations, but officers can still bring charges without JAG investigation, if my understanding of the UCMJ is correct so I'm wondering what other kinds of orders would need to be issued.

Either way, there will come the moment when the President meets the hard wall of the above officer discretion and some part of the military will make a fuss. I'm hopeful that that portion is now a minority but I don't know.

Re: I Am an American Citizen and I Want Dan Choi in the Military

afroacademic — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:38:20 -0000

I'm glad Melissa brought up the executive order idea but like you I'm extremely uncomfortable with the President using them to bypass Congress on issues that are clearly not his purview. The UCMJ is one of those being an Act of Congress. What else does the UCMJ do, well it also makes torture at the hands of the military illegal. While I support action I don't like the precedent it sets, especially after 8 years of illegal action by the President using executive orders as fiat.
That said I'd like to know where the Democratic Congress is on this. I'm all for busting Obama's chops on LGBT issues but I also voted in a democratic majority that seems to not be doing much either.

Re: Obama Still Not Getting It on Abortion

afroacademic — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:20:16 -0000

Puss,

When did he say he wouldn't sign the choice act? Sorry but blind anger about some nebulous"lies" seems far from convincing. Frankly we've seen a lot of progressive causes pushed in the last 100 days. I don't give any politician a rubber stamp of approval and I would much rather approach Obama like meLissa does: praise what's praise worthy and have my butt kicking boot ready for all else.

Re: Obama Still Not Getting It on Abortion

afroacademic — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:47:14 -0000

I'm not entirely sure it is surprising a dem pro-choice male would go to his side to pull up a straw-person. He doesn't have to sell it to us so why make us feel better? He has to get those knuckle draggers off the ramparts of the chaste women crusade they're on.

All of this not excusing any logical fallacy (i.e. straw person) but I don't at all find it surprising, but maybe I'm too cynical.

Frankly I about fell asleep during this presser with our media elite asking question fourth graders could formulate...but that's another post.

Re: “Waterboarding is torture”

Robert M — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:12:25 -0000

Please your asshat ignorance on display is unwaranted. I remind you that we were told John Lindh had had read his rights as a American Citizen and we know how he ended up:
"Jesselyn Radack, ethics adviser at the Department of Justice: I was called with the specific question of whether or not the F.B.I. on the ground could interrogate [Lindh] without counsel. And I had been told unambiguously that Lindh’s parents had retained counsel for him. I gave that advice on a Friday, and the same attorney at Justice who inquired called back on Monday and said essentially, Oops, they did it anyway. They interrogated him anyway. What should we do now? My office was there to help correct mistakes. And I said, Well, this is an unethical interrogation, so you should seal it off and use it only for intelligence-gathering purposes or national security, but not for criminal prosecution.

A few weeks later, Attorney General Ashcroft held one of his dramatic press conferences, in which he announced a complaint being filed against Lindh. He was asked if Lindh had been permitted counsel. And he said, in effect, To our knowledge, the subject has not requested counsel. That was just completely false. About two weeks after that he held another press conference, because this was the first high-profile terrorism prosecution after 9/11. And in that press conference he was asked again about Lindh’s rights, and he said that Lindh’s rights had been carefully, scrupulously guarded, which, again, was contrary to the facts, and contrary to the picture that was circulating around the world of Lindh blindfolded, gagged, naked, bound to a board"
Above courtesy of Vanity Fair:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/200...
Please remember that Albert Gonzales was not AG at the time and many things were done on an end around Ashcroft whom was AG. I would go so far as to argue the lindh case was why John Yoo was solicited to write his memo, i.e. to prevent constitutional rights from being used

Re: “Waterboarding is torture”

afroacademic — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:11:05 -0000

Sorry but there is no slippery slope. Our Constitution both flat out gives the president pardon power and protects us from illegal imprisonment. No false equivalency please.

Re: I’d Like To KnowWhy President Obama Can’t Keep His BlackBerry

pjamma — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:12:19 -0000

That would be just as bad.

Re: I’d Like To KnowWhy President Obama Can’t Keep His BlackBerry

afroacademic — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:53:47 -0000

If that's it he should just upgrade to the i-phone.

Re: Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education?

afroacademic — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:43:11 -0000

I just want to add that I don't doubt your experiences, but from what I've read Chicago has seen sustained gains in most metrics. Further, and probably more important, if Democrats for Education reform are to be believed he's one of the few non-polarizing picks out there. If anything is going to happen than it seems like this may be a pick designed to disarm various sides of the education reform battle. Other's like Darling-Hammond and Joel Klien would mean major players from both sides of the reform process walking away. So, if we're going to discuss this Sec. of Ed. pick I'd wonder if we could discuss the fragility of education groups, and these divisions are just within the democratic side.

Re: Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education?

afroacademic — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:10:53 -0000

Sorry but what's with the outrage. When it comes to actual on the ground consequences I don't see the critical problem. The education system in our country isn't national and as such the President's Sec. of Ed is well worthless. As long as school systems are based on the power of property and local government this seems like a waste of anger.

Until Congress overhauls all K-12 education in this country no President is going to fix the serious problems in our K-12 system. Only at the college level (where federal research dollars and loans are in affect) does the Federal Government really hit students where it counts.

Think of it this way, With his elevation Duncan is out of the Chicago District, where he could actually affect black and brown students. Now he's a toady for Obama in a position that has nominal, if any, real power to change education.

For anyone who thinks that property tax and parent's wealth is not the primary factor affecting education in the US just look at California, and even here in Washington, where parents have gone around the government to infuse their kid's schools with money using "donations" to ensure their children have more than children of lesser means.