Quips: Quick commentary on politics, technology and life, I think.

Friday, April 25

And now for some completely unrelated thoughts

Controversy at the Hartford Courant: Editor tells reassigned columnist he can't blog. Then, E&P reports:

The editor added that allowing an employee to set up his own opinion blog was a bad precedent. "There are 325 other people here who could create similar [Web sites] for themselves."

Hmm. So much for promoting a diversity of voices or even hoping to be the community's electronic soap box. I'm with Steve Outing, who believes media companies should give every employee who's interested a blog. Who knows, maybe they'll connect with customers.

On the entertainment front: "Without meaning to, she has come to represent the vapidity and naive innocence of a Britney Nation caught up in something deadly serious... " — The Washington Post on Kim, of Fox's 24. Quite possibly a reasonable representation of large segments of the American population.

Posted by jb, 2:42 PM :: :: #

Friday, April 11

Open discussion is a good thing

A good friend of mine wrote a letter to one of his local newspapers. He takes to task those who believe current events have no place in the classroom:

War is complicated. Unfortunately, many school leaders in Metro Detroit do not seem to understand this. The policy of no classroom discussion of the war, along with no live television viewing, is a simplistic response to a complex issue. ... I cannot think of more important topics to study than tolerance, conflict resolution and core democratic values -- the very issues that this war is supposed to be about. ... An adult who presents a thoughtful position on a controversial issue is not corrupting a student's perspective, but is being the model of a good citizen. ... We all desire to protect our children from the horrors of the world we live in. Yet, fostering ignorance will not help them. It will only make them more disengaged later in life.

I am amazed by those who believe anyone's questions, but especially those of a child or teenager, should be met not with facts and honest exploration of the issues, but rather with encouragement to ignore the situation.

Posted by jb, 1:01 AM :: :: #

Tuesday, April 8

Learning from history and repeating it anyway

A Third Turning war is often inconclusive, as the first Persian Gulf War and World War I proved to be. A Second Turning war is often particularly controversial, as the Vietnam War was. The war in Iraq is receiving the kind of general support that Fourth Turning wars tend to have.

Having studied cycles of war and peace, two historians told the Detroit Free Press they believe there's a pattern to how generations react to social conflict and proceed to shape history. They've matched this era to World War II. But, they're aren't sure if Sept. 11 started it or if other events — and a large-scale war — will be the things that shape our future.

Posted by jb, 1:05 AM :: :: #

Monday, April 7

Two observations

I happened to catch the 60 Minutes story about people detained in the wake of Sept. 11. It just so happened to be about the same people in a piece from NYT's Sunday magazine back in October (ergo, you'll have to buy it if you want to read the whole thing).
  Completely unrelated: Two new blogs added to the rolling list — Hullabaloo by Digby and Planet Swank by a guy in Indianapolis, both of which I've found interesting.

Posted by jb, 1:03 AM :: :: #

Thursday, April 3

On the separation of powers in wartime

"The administration wanted the authority to spend money for virtually any purpose, anywhere, at any time. If you do that, there's no need to have a Congress."
— Rep. David R. Obey of Wisconsin, after House and Senate committees rejected the Bush administration's request for $60 billion for war in Iraq or any other military needs. The House panel approved $25.4 billion in discretionary spending; Senate counterparts drew the line at $11 billion.

Posted by jb, 10:12 PM :: :: #

That way lies danger

"This war was designed by a group of neoconservatives who know nothing about Iraq, that kept its own counsel, and who only took advice from people who shared their racist view that overwhelming force -- shock and awe -- would not just defeat Baghdad but also lay waste to extremism in the region and cause moderates to bow down and come to their senses."
— James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, as quoted in a Washington Post story.

In the same story, Cliff May, formerly of the RNC and now running the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, in essence, they'll love us when we win.

May and others argue that much of the broader Arab and Muslim opposition to the coalition attack will dissipate when the Middle East and the rest of the world are finally beamed pictures of Iraqi civilians gleefully greeting U.S. soldiers once they become convinced that their liberation is a certainty.
— writes Terry Neal.

Not that there's an extra strategy at this point:

"I think the one thing that would encourage further acts of terror against the United States would be a withdrawal by the United States at this point."
— Richard Perle, who just stepped down from a Pentagon advisory panel, in the same story.

Posted by jb, 10:01 PM :: :: #

The wisdom of Schulz

If bad thoughts caused rain, we'd never see the sun shine.
— Charlie Brown, in a Peanuts strip originally published in April 1971

I don't know why, but this struck me as quite profound. Possibly in a thankful way — don't let sour people ruin your day.

Posted by jb, 10:24 AM :: :: #

Profile of a President, fearful and at war

USA Today had an interesting piece on how President Bush is managing his days during the war (which he believes started Sept. 11, but that's a different topic).

News coverage of the war often irritates him. He's infuriated by reporters and retired generals who publicly question the tactics of the war plan. ... The thought of another assault on the United States horrifies Bush. Aides say he believes history and heaven will judge him by his ability to prevent one.

I get the desire to have everyone on board, especially military types. But someone should have told him that, in a democracy, reporters are going to question things. It's what they do, if for no other reason to explain why something is being done a certain way.
 And while the electorate and history may judge him harshly if America is attacked again, someone really should tell him that heaven won't.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."
— Ephesians 2:8 KJV (because it's the version I could find quickly.

Posted by jb, 10:20 AM :: :: #

Tuesday, April 1

Is it a factor or not?

O.k., back to my other favorite topic: the Supreme Court hearing of the case against the University of Michigan's implementation of affirmative action in its admissions policies, using race as one of the factors to determine who gets in. There's a whole host of articles out there, and many more that I won't be able to find and link to. Here's just some of the stuff you really should read about this:

• The Detroit Free Press: A three-day series looking at the major players in the case — the plaintiffs, which includes mini-profiles of a former professor of mine who asked the University about its admissions policies, the lawyers who took the case and three white people who believed they were wronged; the defenders, the university's team of lawyers; and the intervenors, minority students who are making their voice heard and have gotten the courts to listen.
• How Appealing: A blog that watches appeals courts of all kinds has links to all kinds of coverage of the case. Fascinating all the stuff Mr. Bashman finds, including a piece wherein Nat Hentoff demonstrates he misses the point of, and the breadth of factors involved in, Michigan's policies.
• The Detroit News: A large package on the case, led by a look at where the justices stand
• The Michigan Daily: A story a day for a very long time, but recently a column by Hussain Rahim brings up that it ain't a diverse campus that we need: "Diversity is a faulty goal because it has no real definition or effect in the personal realm."

Posted by jb, 12:59 AM :: :: #

On war, figuratively and domestically

Actually from March 27: Therefore it is the duty of the United States to defy international law and go it alone, using extreme force. ... To say that elite white men can wield excessive force and ignore international law because they see a "possible threat," while poor blacks are condemned for engaging in a battle of survival is, well, I hate to play the race card but that's just how it is.
— Ari Paul, writing in The Michigan Daily

While this may not be the best analogy, Mr. Paul extends the new U.S. foreign policy (prevent war with a war) to the inner city war on crime, which, in Atlanta's West End, manifested itself in vigilante killings of drug dealers.

Posted by jb, 12:56 AM :: :: #

On war coverage, skewed militarily

Actually from March 27: "TV news favors star power and stage presence over objectivity."
— Aaron Barnhardt, of TVBarn.com on the wisdom of hiring a whole bunch of retired colonels to analyze a war

Barnhardt points to a pattern of the network and cable coverage relying on military types who basically parrot whatever the Pentagon says, in the face of any and all available evidence. I seem to recall this was a problem during the first Gulf War. Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (which is really dedicated the media challenging the "official" view of the world) has a collection that might be insightful.

Posted by jb, 12:35 AM :: :: #

On war plans, overly ambitious

Actually from March 24: "If your strategy and assumptions are flawed, there is nothing in the well to draw from."
— a retired senior U.S. general, quoted in a story about the U.S. war plan not taking a few things into account, like Iraqis fighting back.

In addition to mentioning that Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld figured this war on Iraq might be over in two days, with lots of air power and special forces work. Also a bit about ignoring what the CIA and Defense Intelligence said about Saddam's army in favor of predictions of an immediate uprising by the Iraqi opposition and Israel. None of that happened, nobody's in Baghdad, nobody's shocked or awed and urban warfare - very costly and much despised in military circles apparently - may be the only way to take the capital.

Posted by jb, 12:21 AM :: :: #

A month of blogging in one hour

So I've been a little too busy to post here over the last six weeks. I'd apologize to all of my faithful readers, but I'm sure they've all gone away. I'll have to remind them that I exist.
  Anyway, I really have found good stuff, just haven't had time to form too many thoughts about it. The odd thing is, if you're reading from the top of the page, this explanation isn't going to make any sense, but I felt like doing it anyway.
  So, forthwith and eschewing further ado, I'll collect all of March's thoughts and start dumping. Enjoy the ride.

Posted by jb, 12:06 AM :: :: #

 More in the archives.

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