I Choo-Choo-Choose Not To Die At Work

The link below goes to a great post about how deeply the rational actor theory has infected economic thought.  I always found it laughable to use the RAT (see what I did there?) to describe the real world, but this is no longer funny.

Hullabaloo

Contemptable Harpy

I love that phrase, and this waste of carbon is the poster Harpy for it.

LG&M nails it:

"I can’t think of a single positive thing to say about Obama’s Czechoslovakia policy. However: his craven abandonment of Czechoslovakia pales in comparison to his failure to engage the Orange Free State, and his apparent indifference to the Prussian menace."

You Shall Know Us By Our Names

Remember, the definition of "suspected militant" is anyone killed by a drone strike.

Niall Ferguson: Still Being Given A Forum To Embarass Himself [UPDATED]

Update: Salon does it better, of course.

As a historian, Ferguson may have valuable insights, especially if you are sympathetic to the "White European Men Rock!" strain of historical analysis. But in many other ways, not least as a political commentator, he's just horrible. The link takes on one dumb point, the link inside the link (to Krugman) takes on another, but I just love this line of argument:

In his inaugural address, Obama promised “not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.” He promised to “build the roads and bridges, the electric grids, and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.” He promised to “restore science to its rightful place and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost.” And he promised to “transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.” Unfortunately the president’s scorecard on every single one of those bold pledges is pitiful.

Is this satire? Irony? Or is Ferguson's understanding of the American political process at the Federal level so poor that he doesn't realize that the Congress, not Obama, dictates what laws are passed? Does he not get that the House has been Republican for two years? Does he not understand the significance of the filibuster, or the median vote in the Senate?

The rest of his article blathers on about the debt (which Ferguson does not understand), foreign policy (neoconservative garbage and apologetics) and is basically a big commercial for Romney 2012. It isn't that Ferguson is awful, it that he is respected that kills me. Hacktacular indeed.

"Rethinking Zionism"

[via facebook]
Presented without comment.

Because I Am A Bad Person...

I don't really care very much about the death of Steve Jobs. Don't mistake this for lack of compassion for the suffering he endured, or for his family's grief, or for the grief of those who knew and cared for him. Despite his reputation for being a serious asshole, their suffering is real, and I take no joy in it. But the massive outburst of praise and emotion is something to which I cannot relate. I think this is in part because I reject the "Great Man" theory of history. Sure, Jobs was an innovator. He may or may not deserve the title "genius." [P.S. - after looking at the definition, he almost certainly does.]

What We Say And What We Do - A Study In Incongruity

In the linked article by Noam Chomsky, the following quote appears: "The U.S. and its Western allies are sure to do whatever they can to prevent authentic democracy in the Arab world." It seems that events have shown this to be tragically prescient.

The U.S. government has taken few, if any, steps towards supporting actual democracy in the Arab world. Aside from the obvious, such as continuing support for dictatorships like Saudi Arabia, we see a failure to support a democratic government in Egypt (the military still runs that country). We chose the Saudi dictators over the people of Bahrain, and turned a blind eye the Saudi intervention against the Bahraini people. We continue to thwart Palestinian self-determination, under the guise of being a neutral arbiter of the conflict. As to that last link, I have to note that Obama's statement that “Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now” is absolutely rich, in light of innumerable U.S. vetoes of Security Counsel resolutions against Israel (one example here). When one consistently throws a wrench into a machine, it quite something to make speeches about the ineffectual nature of the machine you've routinely sabotaged.

I think the reason for this American inaction (or action) is quite simple. Democracy means self-determination. And the United States government, despite all the rhetoric about wanting "freedom," has no interest in allowing certain people the right to make choices about their own government for themselves. Examples abound, too may to link here. While one can fairly argue that the U.S. ought to advance what it perceives as its interests, around the world, I suggest doing so in a nakedly hypocritical way undermines our credibility.

Link below the fold.

What He Said

I will now happily engage in the lowest form of blogging, the word-for-word re-post. Because there is no way in hell I can do any better. Original here.

You Got Your Non-Violence. Now What?

From The Economist:

"FOR many years now, we've heard American commentators bemoan the violence of the Palestinian national movement. If only Palestinians had learned the lessons of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, we hear, they'd have had their state long ago. Surely no Israeli government would have violently suppressed a non-violent Palestinian movement of national liberation seeking only the universally recognised right of self-determination."

They're More Honest Than We Are About Themselves

I post this not to endorse the content, but to illustrate that the discussion of Israeli policy in Israel is much more honest and balanced than here, at least in major media outlets. I won't venture a guess as to why, but based on recent events, as well as history, I think Americans might benefit from admitting that they are relatively ill-informed about the real issues and facts concerning the Palestinians.

Israeli policy will end up isolating it to the point of sanctions - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Star Wars Version Of The OBL Killing

[via LG&M]

Who doesn't love a good Star Warsification of current events?


Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Dead, Vader Says - Galactic Empire Times

Crtitcizing Chomsky

I'm a fan of Chomsky's work. Therefore, I find it important to read fair-minded criticism of him. This is a good example.

Winning

Sorry to give in to the Charlie Sheen thing but I had to.

From this site, here's a partial list of what we as a nation have done since 9/11 [emphasis mine]:

Excuse Me While I Remember To Be Human [UPDATED TWICE]

UPDATE #2: Again, a better-said way of expressing my concerns here.
UPDATE: Here is what a sober, well-written version of my point looks like.

Ah, facebook. Nothing makes me feel more connected to the human race, and at the same time more saddened by it. There has been a predictable but none-the-less nauseating wank-fest of comments about the killing of Bin Landen. I'm going to try to explain why I'm not jumping for joy.

Children, Please! Let's Keep The Discourse Civilized.

[via LG&M]

Incredible. These kids are actually better than 95% of TV talking heads. In fact, I'll bet you $100 the one on the left is smarter than George Will. And the one on the right poops his pants less often than Bill Kristol.

Monday Morning America-Hating Liberal Propaganda

Amount spent on Tomahwak missiles launched at Libya: $93 million (the missiles alone). Amount spent on NPR last year: $60 million. Keeping America ignorant while blowing up brown people: priceless.

This country's priorities are so fucked up it is beyond belief.

This Land Is Our Land

And so I wade into the troubled seas of the Israel-Palestine issue. Some prefatory remarks are in order.

I support the existence of the State of Israel. I mean like I'd support full-scale American military intervention in an invasion or full-scale American retaliation against attackers.

My feelings about the policy choices of Israel towards the Palestinians is another matter. It is obviously a complex, multi-faceted issue. Suffice to say I stop short of "anything Israel does is right."

Egypt and Democracy and Religion.. Oh My!

Earlier this week, Glenn Beck was "educating" his listeners about the situation in Egypt and why it is all freedom-loving Americans should be terrified. For a marginally more tolerable rendition of this asinine drivel, you can view a discussion of it on Chris Matthews here. Essentially, Beck is "planting his flag" in the camp of UFO-landing, lunar landing hoaxing, government mind controlling conspiracy nuts. He believes a strategic avoidance of bombing in the region of Ancient Babylon will seat a great evil: an Islamic Caliphate.