E M P H Y R I O

Har Har

Women For John McCain.com

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Free Lunch, Lose your Lunch

If you'd like to get furious about the crony-corrupt-corporate-welfare capitalism as it's practiced today in the USA then just listen to David Cay Johnson's speech to the Commonwealth Club of California (RealPlayer).

Jesus, the big-box stores get to keep all sales tax as a reward for building their store and ruining all the local businesses.

The Walton family is richer than Gates and Buffett combined.  And they get our tax revenue.

There's a tension in the room and the questions.  DCJ is a bit of a bomb-thrower for a NYT reporter.

I love it.

Heckuva Job, Dimitri!

I guess a bunch of Ravers being partially blinded, permanently, by a laser light show isn't the worst thing that happened in the world this week, but Jesus H. Christ, as Mom used to say.

Another Case Where Video Counted

Surveillance cameras + a free internet + a still-working court system can = the exposure of injustice.

A sixteen-year old boy, for God's sake.

Give cameras to the powerless.

It's a Good Thing We're Beyond Shock

...as far as Vice President Cheney is concerned.

Because otherwise, his killing an investigation by the CIA Inspector General would be pretty shocking.

It was looking into torture.

A Helluva Town

Next time you look up at New York's art deco masterpiece, the Chrysler Building, you can say to yourself, "hey, that's owned (75%) by Abu Dhabi."

The American Century?  The 20th.

Certainly preferable to having them knocked down by planes, of course.

A Dark Day

At a time when we should long be over the panic of 9/11, another shameful episode of destroying the greatness of America, this remarkable experiment in freedom.

Vietnam Memorial Addendum Needed

In a bitterly amusing column, Harold Meyerson grapples with the question of why we fought there.

It was to keep it from going communist, right?

Well, it turns out, American and other foreign business funds are switching from China -- which is doing too much to accomodate workers (like requiring employers to respect contracts). 

They're afraid workers might form unions, or revolt, or spoil the Olympics, or something.

They're switching manufacturing to Vietnam.

Why?  Communist governments keep workers in line better.  Workers work cheaper.

We're strengthening the authoritarian regime there.

So Meyerson has a suggestion:

I guess a note from the American establishment to those men and women with their names on the Wall would be in order. Something like: Say, guys -- sorry 'bout that!

One Smart Hire: John Podesta

I've been following John Podesta's career ever since he did some of the smartest progressive moves of The Clinton Presidency, at the 11th hour. 

A conservative watch-the-left site puts it acidly:

Project Podesta enabled the President to bypass Congress through the use of executive orders, presidential decision directives, White-House-sponsored lawsuits, vacancy appointments to high federal office, selective regulatory actions against targeted corporations, and a host of other extra-constitutional tactics.

(Which reminds me -- Bush's last two months are going to be a farrago of executive atrocities -- gird yourselves.)

He then founded a progressive mirror to The Heritage Foundation -- The Center for American Progress -- a rapid-acting thinktank devoted to injecting progressive frames and talking points into the political dialogue.

Now Obama wants him.

In these disappointing days of Obama's centering for the general election,' this is a sign of hope.

Let's Be Simply Happy

...for the bloodless rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and her fellow captives in Colombia.

I confess I have what I guess is my own version of "missing white woman" fixation, the bane of cable TV. 

I feel especially terrible for women taken captive in political conflicts. 

The Two Simonas, Jill Carroll, Margaret Hassan -- all symbolized for me the way idealists suffer in wartime in an especially cruel and unjust way.

Betancourt, too, a reform candidate for the Colombian Presidency. 

So celebrate today her safe return (though I suspect her health is ruined, judging from the article), like that of the Simonas and Jill Carroll.  Hassan was murdered.

Now let's see Lori Berenson freed, please.