The Commentariat -- Dec. 28, 2014
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Politics as Usual. Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "Acting in concert with [New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie], Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York announced on Saturday evening that he would veto a bill that would have brought a sweeping round of reforms to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, despite unanimous support from the legislatures of both states. The legislation, known as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Transparency and Accountability Act of 2014, needed approval of both Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a Republican...." ...
... This story has been updated. New Lede: "The governors of New York and New Jersey, defying the unanimous votes of both their Legislatures, on Saturday rejected a bill aimed at curbing political interference and patronage at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, more than a year after lane closings at the George Washington Bridge set off a scandal that looms over the agency to this day." ...
... CW: If you want to know why the governors vetoed the bill, the answer is buried in McKinley's report: "... commissioners and top staff members are appointed by the two governors.... its reputation for rewarding connected officials with patronage jobs and allies with lucrative contracts.... the authority has a budget of $7.8 billion for 2015." ...
It's shameful. They ripped the heart out of real reform in order to maintain their control and power.... It's really just an awful thing for them to do. Neither of them can ever stand up and say they're for effective reform. In a competition between effective reform and power, power won. Reform ends on Christmas, but scandals go on forever. -- Former NY Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D)
... Here's more from David Klepper & Michael Catalini of the AP.
Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "The Secret Service began struggling to carry out its most basic duties after Congress and the George W. Bush administration expanded the elite law enforcement agency's mission in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. According to government documents and interviews with dozens of current and former officials, the recent string of security lapses at the White House resulted from a combination of tight budgets, bureaucratic battles and rapidly growing demands on the agency that have persisted through the Bush and Obama administrations in the 13 years since the attacks. At the same time, the Secret Service was hit by a wave of early retirements that eliminated a generation of experienced staff members and left the agency in a weakened state just as its duties were growing."
It Was All Mom's Fault. Justin Jouvenal & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "Jeanine McDonnell Zubowsky[, a daughter of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell & Maureen McDonnell,] wrote in a blunt letter to a federal judge that it was former first lady Maureen McDonnell's materialism and mental-health issues that derailed the rising political career of her husband. The letter of support for Robert McDonnell was part of a trove of 440 submitted by his attorneys, who are seeking leniency at his Jan. 6 sentencing in Richmond.... In letters to the judge, McDonnell Zubowsky and another daughter, Cailin Young, also echoed themes that emerged at Robert McDonnell's trial.... Robert McDonnell's sister also took aim at Maureen McDonnell...." The letters from the daughters are here.
Joseph Califano, a top assistant to President Johnson, in a Washington Post op-ed: "The makers of the new movie 'Selma' apparently just couldn't resist taking dramatic, trumped-up license with a true story that didn't need any embellishment to work as a big-screen historical drama. As a result, the film falsely portrays President Lyndon B. Johnson as being at odds with Martin Luther King Jr...." ...
... Krissah Thompson of the Washington Post: Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who has seen the film "Selma" twice & watched part of the filming, discusses the movie & some of his real-life experiences. ...
... The New Yorker publishes rarely-seen photos of the Selma march, with commentary by David Remnick.
Dan Balz & Scott Clement of the Washington Post: "Blacks and whites live in different worlds when it comes to perceptions of the criminal justice system and the role that police play in society. But divisions within the white community are almost as stark, with opinions heavily shaped by partisan identification and ideology, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.... While 2 in 3 white Republicans say minorities and whites are treated equally in the criminal justice system, only 3 in 10 white Democrats agree with that view." ...
... Gary Langer of ABC News: "Large majorities across racial and political groups agree on two proposals to address police-community relations in the United States: The use of an outside prosecutor when police kill an unarmed civilian, and requiring all patrol officers to wear body cameras when on duty." ...
... Lisa Leff of the AP: "A high school basketball tournament on the Northern California coast has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing protests over police killings of unarmed black men after a school was disinvited because of concerns its players would wear T-shirts printed with the words 'I Can't Breathe' during warmups." ...
... Darryl Pinckney, in a New York Review of Books essay on Ferguson: "America has always felt the necessity of keeping its black male population under control. Behind every failure to make the police accountable in such killings is an almost gloating confidence that the majority of white Americans support the idea that the police are the thin blue line between them and social chaos."
Kimberly Yonkers in a Washington Post op-ed: "This obsession with mental health as the root cause of gun violence is not only silly; it's dangerous.... According to one distinguished study, we would see only a 4 percent reduction in gun violence if mental illnesses were eliminated.... Gun violence is 20 times more prevalent in the United States than in other highly developed countries. But our mental health system is not substantially worse."
Tim Wu of the New Yorker: Flying is a miserable experience today, & the airlines are constantly colluding to make it worse. Why? Because they want passengers to spend on "extras" -- a lucrative source of revenue. "In 2013, the major airlines combined made about $31.5 billion in income from fees, as well as other ancillaries, such as redeeming credit-card points."
Joan Lowy of the AP: "The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant drones are likely to come from Congress next year."
God News
December 25 Is Nobody's Birthday But Jesus's. Hemant Mehta in Patheos: "On Christmas Day, Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted this gem: 'On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Happy Birthday Isaac Newton, b. Dec. 25, 1642.' It quickly became his most retweeted message ever, and many accused him of 'riling up Christians.'"
Bob Churchill in Religion News Service: "Atheists, humanists and liberals are now the targets of hate campaigns, according to a new Freedom of Thought Report, which found that some countries find the idea of atheism as a popular movement a threat to the prevailing order.... For example: ... in January, Saudi Arabia enacted a new law equating 'atheism' in itself with 'terrorism.'" ...
... Presidential Race
Steve Benen: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) is launching his presidential bid with a totally non-political rally of far-right evangelicals. In preparation for his totally non-political event, he wrote to church leaders, "The time has come for pastors to lead the way and reset the course of American governance." Benen: "... given that the separation of church and state is a bedrock principle in the American system of government, it's rather alarming that a governor and likely presidential hopeful is looking to pastors -- presumably, ministers who share his beliefs and agenda -- to establish the course for public policy. Given that so many of Jindal's allies on the extreme fringe, this is all the more problematic."
News Ledes
AP: "Italian and Greek military and coast guard rescue crews battled gale-force winds and massive waves Sunday as they struggled to rescue hundreds of people trapped on a burning ferry adrift between Italy and Albania. At least one person died and two were injured."
New York Times: "The Indonesian authorities were searching on Sunday afternoon for an AirAsia jet with 162 people on board that lost contact with air traffic controllers hours earlier, the airline and government officials said. The plane, Flight QZ8501, left the Indonesian city of Surabaya around 5:30 a.m. for the short hop to Singapore, a flight that usually takes about two hours, the airline said. Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A320-200 at 6:17 a.m., about 40 minutes later, Indonesian officials said." ...
... Guardian Update: "Hopes were fading on Sunday night for the safe return of 162 people aboard the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 after the first day of the search was called off in Indonesia owing to failing light. The government in Jakarta said it did not 'dare to presume what [had] happened' to the aircraft."
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Reader Comments (8)
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Re: Darryl Pinckney.
"America has always felt the necessity of keeping the black male population under control."
Perhaps the turnout of 20,000 police from across the country for a funeral was more of a statement of continued control than a tribute to officer Rafael Ramos.
And having many of the policemen attending the funeral turn their backs on Mayor Bill DeBlasio (who just happens to be married to a black woman and has two bi-racial children) may signal just how threatened the policemen feel. Were there any policewomen who did this? Any black police people?
And just look who we have for a President, according to North Korea and many Americans, "a monkey in a tropical jungle." But, let me assure you--this is not racism. Just allergy to darkness.
Geez, I'm almost feeling sorry for Maureen.
Family gatherings at Chez McDonnell must be rather frigid, what with the daughters now piling excess baggage on the bus that daddy drove through court. Mummy is no prize, but (ahem) girls, didn't you overlook daddy's mysterious perks...expensive $$$$ golf club outings, the pro shop shopping $$$$ sprees, the pricey paid for $$$$ vacations...AND IT'S ALL MUMMY'S FAULT because?
In a joint (double-speak) statement, Christie and Cuomo announced their vetoes. "While neither governor is approving the legislation as passed, they are urging their respective legislators and the Port Authority to work with them," the statement said.
Yeah, fellows, and the legislators had been kinda hoping that youse would work with them. Guess not.
So lets see if the NY and NJ legislatures will override the veto. Want to bet it doesn't happen. In NJ the Republicans work for Christie, not the people. They have repeatedly voted for items that Christie has vetoed and the refused to vote to override.
The prospective extreme cuts to Medicaid payments to doctors described in this article are troubling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/us/obamacare-medicaid-fee-increases-expiring.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&src=me&WT.nav=MostEmailed&_r=0
Our local paper picked up this piece and printed it as the lead story in its Sunday edition. It would seem to be just another black eye for the ACA. It is really terrible that Congress can't cooperate to fix this and other problems. But it won't happen, because the hatred of Republicans for the ACA overrides any shred of common decency or common sense.
Re; Uncle Sam's raggedy sweater. All the ledes cited above have a common thread, a thread that is relentlessly being pulled by greed and ignorance.
The sweater that is unraveling is our beliefs and ideals that woven together allow us to live together in a civil society.
Tug one, The good governors of New York and New Jersey did not veto the bill to reform the Port Authority. The decent folks that have the governors in their pockets vetoed the bill. Loss of voter representation.
Tug two, the secret service is under staffed and incompetent; in the rush to save the country from unknown and unexplainable threats (after all,the world loves America right?) Homeland security spent and is spending billions on contractors and manufacturors that give off the appearance of safety but in reality have little or no effect on day to day life in America. I'll trade one hundred airport cavity checkers for ten good secret service agents. Throwing money at a problem doesn't always work.
Tug three; black and white, our country was founded by Christian whites many who owned black people. You can't change history but you can change the future. Jerri meandering and voter repression. High school basketball players get it.
Tug four; when the police forces in America start believing they are outside civil service constraints and have no accountability other than themselves, civil liberties will be defined by the new police state.
Tug five; the NRA; even the Second Admendment,read it as you will, says nothing about guns for profit.
Tug six; Jesus vs. Isaac Newton; the right to religious freedom and expression is constitutionally being challenged by myth believers, fanatics and deniers of science, the key to our future success.
Uncle Sam's sweater is looking pretty bad, so many threads dangling loose. Well, Christmas is only a year away, darned,if we can't get him a new one. Damned,if we don't .
As long as bully, petulant cops keep getting away with childish and violent behavior nothing will change. Is it that with their sweet retirement packages, they have too much time on their hands? Unlike dual earner homes with no chance of pensions, maybe cops should start resembling their fellow citizens by taking away the lifetime pension that starts in many cases before age 50. How many of these false patriots would quit the next day?