Vimeo of the Day: "Dreamscapes"

By Michael J.W. Stickings

The beauty of the ice storm that struck the Toronto area, devastation and all, has given way to the usual ugliness of urban winter.

So let's take a moment, all of us, to watch this beautiful time-lapse video by Jonathan Besler. Our world really is amazing, just not always the people that inhabit it.

Dreamscapes from Jonathan Besler on Vimeo.

A.M. Headlines

(MarketWatch): "As special jobless benefits end, a debate on what next"

(Boston Globe): "Reports of sexual assaults in military on rise"

(New York Times): "Judge upholds N.S.A.’s bulk collection of data on calls"

(The Hill): "Obama signs budget pact"

(Politico): "‘Duck Dynasty’ star to return"

On the Hustings

(Karl Rove): "My fearless political predictions for 2014"

(CNN): "Poll: Clinton deadlocked with Christie but leads other GOP presidential possibilities"

(USA Today): "In 2014, can Obama leave setbacks behind?"

(Real Clear Politics): "Poll: Republicans widen lead in generic ballot"

(Politicker): "Anthony Weiner hints of another comeback attempt"

Our economic turn from shared sacrifice to Social Darwinism

By Frank Moraes

Yesterday, Paul Krugman wrote, Why Corporations Might Not Mind Moderate Depression. What he's trying to get at in a deductive way is that there might be a level of unemployment that maximizes profits for companies. Under normally circumstances, companies would want a high customer demand. But that requires a lot of employees. And if the company requires a lot of employees, they will probably have to pay their employees more. But if demand is less because unemployment is high, they may be selling less, but this could be offset by the lower wages they pay.

He notes that since 2009, while wages have remained fairly stagnant, company profits have almost doubled. He admits that a lot of factors go into this and that it doesn't show that there is such a depressed economy that maximizes company profits. But still, I don't buy it. In general, direct labor costs for a company are low. For example, for your average GM car, only about 5% of the retail price went to wages for GM employees. Of course, there are a lot more wages: the salesmen and all the people who get paid to make the parts that GM buys. But you get the idea. For any given company, wages aren't that big an issue.

Read more »

A.M. Headlines

(CNN): "Obama signs budget, defense bills in Hawaii"

(Paul Krugman): "The fear economy"

(The Hill): "Obama's year of missteps"

(Gawker): "The year in mass shootings"

(Wall Street Journal): "Abe visit to controversial Japanese shrine draws rare U.S. criticism"

P.M. Headlines

(Chicago Tribune): "Michelle Obama at 50"

(The Hill): "Obamacare sales surge"

(Theda Skocpol): "Why the Tea Pary isn't going anywhere"

(Politico): "The Francis factor: Pope’s economic ideas rattle GOP"

(Reuters): "U.S. jobless claims fall, holiday retail sales rise"

Boxing Day in Canada

By Richard K. Barry

As an American in Canada, I remember when I first heard about Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas.  It was new to me, but as familiar to Canadians as any other holiday. Boxing Day is, according to tradition, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employers. It's celebrated in a slew of Commonwealth nations including United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago.

In the modern context it is simply a day off during which massive sales take place in retail stores nationwide. Or, as in the ad above, if a day is good, a week is better. 

The one things I do recall upon first hearing of the day is that its precise origins are in dispute. 

According to Wiki:

The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It is believed to be in reference to the Alms Box placed in places of worship in order to collect donations to the poor. Also, it may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which in the Western Church falls on the same day as Boxing Day.

Whatever. A day off is a day off, so who am I to complain?

On the Hustings

(CNN): "Poll: GOP has edge in early midterms indicator"

(The Salt Lake Tribune): "Is a run for governor or Senate in Matheson’s future?"

(New York Times): "Upstart groups challenge Rove for G.O.P. cash"

(Real Clear Politics): "Health care tactics split Republican Senate rivals"

(Politics): "Ads hit vulnerable Dems on Obamacare"

What is and what can never be

By Carl

So, Edward Snowden has apparently decided to have a freak-out over losing Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Let’s review, shall we?

First, the preening, gloating, self-important popinjay had this to say:

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden said his "mission's already accomplished" and spoke of having “personal satisfaction” at the revelations about U.S. surveillance policies in an interview published Tuesday.

The former intelligence contractor, who exposed extensive details of global electronic surveillance by the U.S. spy agency, said he was not being disloyal to the U.S. or to his former employer.

"I am not trying to bring down the NSA, I am working to improve the NSA," he told The Washington Post. "I am still working for the NSA right now. They are the only ones who don't realize it."

OK, fair enough. He realizes that he exposed an already public program, and that what happens next is up to the people reading his revelations. Altho that last bit, about working as some sort of dubble-sekrit sooperspi is a bit…disturbing. But I digress…

Read more »

A.M. Headlines

(Politico): "Edward Snowden's Christmas message"

(USA Today): "Stock futures point to more merry investors"

(The Hill): "The 13 most memorable quotes of 2013"

(CNN): "Poll: This is a 'do-nothing' Congress"

(New York Times): "U.S. sends arms to aid Iraq fight with extremists"

Hidden welfare for the rich

By Frank Moraes

If there is one issue that I find most difficult to get across to conservatives, it is the idea that tax deductions are a form of welfare. The best example of this is the mortgage interest tax deduction. Conservatives almost always say something like this, "Allowing people to keep more of their own money isn't welfare!" Sorry, but that just ain't true. There are laws saying that we must all pay taxes. If two people who make the same amount of money pay different amounts just because one of them is buying a house, then he is getting welfare. The government might as well be sending him a check each month to help with the mortgage.

I didn't learn this from some freaky liberal sociology teacher in college. I learned it from about the most conservative man of his generation, Milton Friedman. But I understand the difficulty with the concept. Most conservatives have this weird idea (that most won't admit to) that taxes are a form of theft. And this idea has only gotten stronger as tax rates have gotten lower. But unless you are going to claim full anarchy with absolutely no taxes—not even for the military or police—then you agree that we have to tax.

Read more »

A.M. Headlines

(Washington Post): "Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission’s accomplished"

(The Hill): "Civil rights leaders call for Obama to withdraw Georgia judicial nominees"

(CNN): "Pelosi: Obamacare fallout will be reversed, won't hurt Democrats"

(Real Clear Politics): "Robert Gibbs: "I would say that this is the worst year of the presidency"

(Reuters): "Bargain-hungry shoppers buy less on weekend before Christmas"

Stupidest Shithole in America: Henderson, Texas

By Michael J.W. Stickings

There are many, many shitholes all across America -- like Nelson, Georgia; Mississippi; Dietrich, Idaho; Burkesville, Kentucky; and Pickens County, South Carolina.

Henderson, Texas, about 140 miles east of Dallas, not far from the Louisiana border, is one of them: 

When Rachel Bradshaw-Bean claimed she had been raped in the band room of her high school in Texas, school officials sprang into action—and kicked her out of school.

"I felt like a criminal," she said, describing the December 2010 incident in her first extended interview on the crisis and aftermath. Accused of "public lewdness," she was sent to a special school for students with discipline problems, along with the boy she said had assaulted her. "I saw him there all the time," she said.

It's not an isolated incident. The events at Henderson High School in East Texas demonstrate the obstacles girls sometimes face when reporting sexual violence in schools. "High schools across the country are failing to live up to their responsibility to address sexual assault and harassment," said Neena Chaudhry, an attorney with the National Women's Law Center, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, D.C. "There's no excuse."

No, there isn't, and when the high school in your town tells rape victims that it's their fault, that it's not actually rape and that you have behavior problems, you live in a shithole. It's as simple as that.

**********

Make sure to read this article in its entirety. Bradshaw-Bean's story is an interesting one (and, alas, not an isolated one either).

And her struggle for justice is inspiring.

P.M. Headlines

(CNN Money): "Santa Claus rally fuels new records for stocks"

(Reuters): "Obamacare signup deadline pushed back to Tuesday"

(Gallup): "Health law seen as Obama's biggest achievement, failure"

(Salt Lake Tribune): "Judge denies Utah AG’s request to halt same-sex marriages"

(Star Tribune): "Freezing rain, ice taper, but cold temps will challenge utilities, travel plans for some in US"

Sports as politics

By Carl

Don’t let anyone tell you that sports isn’t political. Sports is always political.

1) Pussy Riot released – As I reported last week, Russia passed a political amnesty bill to deflect some of the stickier human rights issues that folks would raise during the Sochi Olympics. One could imagine the protests athletes would have staged. This is just one less issue they can raise.

2) Mikhail Khodorkovsky speaks – Again, I believe that this release occurred in large part as a way to deflect attention from Putin’s putsches more than from the human rights violations. After all, Khodorkovsky publicly criticized corruption in the country. He financed liberal parties and opposition candidates - much to the displeasure of then President Vladimir Putin. In February 2003, he and Khodorkovsky had a heated televised debate. A few months later, he was arrested. It would be as if George Soros was arrested.

But given what he has said over the weekend, there are human rights elements that cannot be ignored.

3) Dennis Rodman is coaching a North Korean basketball team ahead of an exhibition on Kim Jong Un’s birthday. It seems likely his team will win, given Kim’s predilection for having things go his way.

4) A billionaire will get a new arena. Paid almost entirely by Michigan taxpayers. In bankrupt Detroit.

(Cross-posted to Simply Left Behind.)

On the Hustings

(Politico): "David Vitter: Bobby Jindal will run for president"

(Roll Call): "Landrieu tops list of Democrats to benefit from Baucus exit"

(Detroit Free Press): "A second term for Gov. Snyder? Election will attract national attention"

(The Hill): "Manchin: Dems feeling 'weight' of O-Care"

(Roll Call): ""Ralph Hall pledges to retire after next term"

What goes around, comes around

By Capt. Fogg

So here's me looking at this guy in the hardware store selecting Christmas lights. He's got a little kid with him - shorts and tank top and skin covered top to bottom with graffiti like a subway car from the 60's. Looked like Bible quotes. 

 
"What the fuck you looking at? You like my legs, huh?" It's one of those "shoulda said" in retrospect moments, but I didn't say "if you didn't want anyone to read it you should have tattooed it on your ass," discretion being very much the better part of valor particularly for someone who's left his Colt .380 at home since the Zimmerman incident.

So again, a bit later, I'm about to pull into a parking space at the post office, sunny day, top down, feeling merry -- but there's a guy there - old dude about my age about to step in front on his way to the other side. I stop and wave for him to go ahead because I'm polite to other geezers and good looking women. 

"What the fuck does that mean, asshole? What the fuck you wavin' at you cocksucker? I'm tryina walk, dooya fuckin' mind?"

"Merry fucking Christmas to you too, you crazy bastard" I said with a grin and getting out of the car. Not worried about this one. The postal employee emptying the outside box pretended he saw and heard nothing, going postal being a metaphor for good reason. Ran inside, grabbed the flat rate box I came for and saw Mr. Nice guy rummaging in his late model Mustang convertible for something in the console.

Now here's that better part of valor again. I didn't wait -- and once again, didn't have weaponry in the car like so many other Floridians. If I had, it would have been a felony just to have it there much less to take it out and show it, whether standing my ground or not, concealed weapon permit or not.

Sometimes it's nice to have 400+ horsepower.

So here's the old man in white beard, red sled with presents in the trunk, pulling out on to Old Dixie Highway with Christmas spirit and lotsa tire smoke -- and he looks over his shoulder as he steps on the gas: 

 
Merry Christmas to all and y'all kiss my ass!

(Cross posted from Human Voices.)

A.M. Headlines

(The Hill): "Politics in 2014: What to look for"

(ABC News): "Congress does little of consequence, except argue"

(CNN): "Poll: Health care law support drops to all-time low"

(New York Times): "Revision shows U.S. growing at fastest rate since 2011"

(Globe and Mail): "Toronto Mayor Rob Ford voted Canada’s 'Newsmaker of the Year'"

On the Hustings

(Politico): "Rand Paul’s play to expand the GOP’s tent"

(The Hill): "Democrats seek to puncture Christie"

(Washington Post): "Michelle Nunn, Jason Carter hope to rechart the course of Georgia politics"

(Washington Post): "Is Arkansas still friendly to Bill? Clinton tests it"

(Real Clear Politics): "Rough health law fallout tightens key Senate races"

A.M. Headlines

(New York Times): "New health law frustrates many in middle class"

(Los Angeles Times): "Tom Steyer may be liberals' answer to the Koch brothers"

(BBC): "Ugandan MPs pass life in jail anti-homosexual law"

(Charles M. Blow): "‘Duck Dynasty’ and quackery"

(Sam Stein): "Everyone knows Obama's 2013 was bad, the tough question is why"

Robert Altman's Nashville, on Criterion

By Michael J.W. Stickings

One of my favorite movies of all time, and in my view the best movie ever made about America, is now, at long last, out on Blu-ray:

Nashville, directed by Robert Altman, written by Joan Tewkesbury, and (like so many Altman films) starring a huge cast including Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Shelley Duvall, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Murphy, and Lily Tomlin.

I'd been waiting for, oh, I don't know how many years for a special edition, and then of course for the Blu-ray, and to make it even better this glorious edition is from the incomparable Criterion Collection, which means it looks and sounds better than ever and comes with fantastic special features. Even more than Harold Lloyd's Safety Last!, Keisuke Kinoshita's The Ballad of Narayama, Kenji Mizoguchi's The Life of Oharu, and the Pierre Etaix box set, this is the Criterion release I was looking forward to the most in 2013.

It's just about as good as it gets. And I don't even like country music.

Here are the original trailer from 1975 and Criterion's Three Reasons: