The Commentariat -- July 4, 2015
Internal links, defunct graphic & video removed.
Afternoon Update:
John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Another day on the presidential campaign trail, another crowd of eye-popping size for Bernie Sanders. The independent senator from Vermont attracted more than 2,500 people to a convention center [in Council Bluffs, Iowa] on Friday night.... Appearing Friday at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, the country's first primary state, [Hillary] Clinton attracted about 850 people."
Yes, Virginia, There Is an Uncle Sam. Maybe. Sam Roberts of the New York Times: "Two centuries ago, in Troy, N.Y..., Samuel Wilson, the upstate New York butcher known locally as Uncle Sam and considered the inspiration for the national symbol..., stamped the meat he delivered to American troops poised to invade Canada during the War of 1812 with the initials 'U.S.,' earning him a permanent spot in the nation's iconography."
White House: "In this week's address, the President wished everyone a happy Fourth of July. He honored the individuals who, throughout the history of America, have struggled and sacrificed to make this country a better place, from our Founding Fathers, to the men and women in uniform serving at home and overseas":
** Claire Moser, in Think Progress: "Just in time for the Fourth of July -- when millions of people across the country will visit America's national parks and other public lands -- the Koch brothers are rolling out their latest campaign against these treasured places: pushing for no more national parks. In an op-ed published in Tuesday's New York Times, Reed Watson, the executive director at the Koch-backed Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), along with a research associate at the Center, call for no more national parks, citing the backlog in maintenance for existing parks.... PERC has a long history of advocating for the privatization of America's national parks and other public lands, and has significant ties to the Koch brothers and fossil fuel industries." ...
... In this regard, it is worth re-reading Tim Egan's 2010 essay on the people's parks. ...
... "These Disunited States." Colin Woodard in Politico Magazine: "Long before the Civil War, the United States had been torn between competing visions of what the American experiment was all about, with the northernmost tier of the country emphasizing collective action to build an allegedly stronger, better and more just Union while the southernmost tier championed self-government, the liberties of local rulers and the sanctity of local tradition. The other regions -- and there were well more than two -- found themselves caught in between. Strikingly little has changed." ...
... Michael Lind in Politico Magazine: "Minus the South, the rest of the U.S. probably would be more like Canada or Australia or Britain or New Zealand -- more secular, more socially liberal, more moderate in the tone of its politics and somewhat more generous in social policy.... We'd be less violent, more mobile and in general more normal if not for Dixie." ...
... Colbert King of the Washington Post: "The political freedom resulting from the [American Revolution] was earned on battlefields at Lexington and Concord, at the Battle of Bunker Hill and beyond, with the help of black soldiers, both free and enslaved, who fought with the Continental Army. The Revolutionary War victory was every bit theirs, as well.... At the start of the war, George Washington opposed the recruitment of blacks, whether free or slave. Washington had plenty of company. Many slave owners considered the training and arming of slaves akin to inviting insurrection. But they soon found that there weren't nearly enough white men willing and able to fight the British, so Washington relented." ...
... Contra King, Dylan Matthews writes in Vox, "... Simon Schama writes in Rough Crossings, his history of black loyalism during the Revolution, the war was 'a revolution, first and foremost, mobilized to protect slavery.' Slaves also understood that their odds of liberation were better under British rule than independence. Over the course of the war, about 100,000 African slaves escaped, died, or were killed, and tens of thousands enlisted in the British army, far more than joined the rebels." ...
... Remains of the Day. CW: Matthews' post, titled "3 reasons the American Revolution was a mistake," is well-worth a read. However, in my own counterfactual, I would argue that Great Britain would soon tire of the American colonies & arrange to leave us mostly to our own devices, perhaps with the sort of autonomy that most of the remains of the Empire enjoy today. Downside: no Independence Day holiday. ...
... Michael Twitty in the Guardian: "... if America is about people creating new worlds based on rebellion against oppression and slavery, then barbecue is the ideal dish: it was made by enslaved Africans with inspiration and contributions from Native Americans struggling to maintain their independence.... Barbecue is laced with the aspiration of freedom, but it was seasoned and flavored by the people who could not enjoy any freedom on Independence Day for almost a century." Thanks to safari for the link.
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Sometime in the next few weeks, aides expect President Obama to issue orders freeing dozens of federal prisoners locked up on nonviolent drug offenses. With the stroke of his pen, he will probably commute more sentences at one time than any president has in nearly half a century."
Robert Pear of the New York Times: "Health insurance companies around the country are seeking rate increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected. Federal officials say they are determined to see that the requests are scaled back."
Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "Federal and local authorities have found that ... [accused mass murderer Dylann Roof] had been in contact with white supremacists online, although it does not appear they encouraged him to carry out the massacre, according to law enforcement officials.... The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., reported on Thursday that the investigation had widened to include others who may have helped [Dylann] Roof." ...
... Abby Phillip of the Washington Post: Amber Roof, Dylann's sister, who cancelled her wedding -- which had been planned for four days after Dylann (allegedly) massacred nine people -- decided to crowdfund a new wedding & honeymoon. After receiving -- and deleting -- negative comments, Amber took down her GoFundMe page. CW: One can hardly blame the poor dear; there is not a word of guidance in any of the wedding etiquette books on how a disappointed bride should conduct herself in such a circumstance. So she proceeded in the way she thought most tasteful (though even I would have suggested she use the spellcheck).
Dana Milbank: The ascendant populist movement appears to be leaving behind top Democrats like President Obama, Hillary Clitnon [Update: sometimes a typo is just a typo.] & New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
On Facebook, actor George Takei issues an appropriate apology for a remark he made about Justice Clarence Thomas. ...
... Simon Maloy of Salon: "... support for nullification theory [link fixed] tends to rise in the context of civil rights struggles, as the opponents of equal rights claim that the Supreme Court can't tell their (usually Southern) state what to do.... The important thing to understand with the current gay rights battle is that the proponents of the 'religious freedom' argument aren't actually talking about 'protecting' religious freedom -- they're talking about expanding the definition of what can be considered an expression of religious faith. When Ted Cruz and Ken Paxton argue that county clerks can refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses in defiance of the Supreme Court, they're essentially saying that the act of doing one's government job is an act of faith and should be protected as such."
... George Rede of the Oregonian: "The owners of a shuttered Gresham[, Oregon,] bakery must pay $135,000 in damages to a lesbian couple for refusing to make them a wedding cake, the state's top labor official said Thursday. State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian ordered Aaron and Melissa Klein to pay the women for emotional and mental suffering that resulted from the denial of service. The Kleins had cited their Christian beliefs against same-sex marriage in refusing to make the cake. Avakian's ruling upheld a preliminary finding earlier this year...."
Lizette Alvarez of the New York Times: "After nearly a decade of recession, Puerto Rico's government says it cannot pay its $73 billion debt much longer. Gov. Alejandro García Padilla warns that more austerity is on the way, a necessity for an island now working feverishly to rescue itself. With so many bracing for another slide toward the bottom, the sense of despair grows more palpable by the day."
Griff Witte & Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: "Dueling rallies of tens of thousands of people apiece took over central Athens on Friday evening, with demonstrators making their final push before a referendum on Sunday that has passionately divided this flailing nation between those terrified Greece will lose its place in Europe and others determined to transform the continent at all costs." ...
... Suzanne Daley of the New York Times: "On Friday, a day of dueling yes and no rallies, when a top Greek court swept aside a constitutional challenge to the referendum, the role of the news media emerged as one of the most contentious issues. Ads predicting doomsday scenarios and long newspaper articles on the plight of retirees have been coming fast and furious from Greece's oligarch-dominated news organizations, which critics say are all in on the yes side. ...
... Paul Taylor of Reuters: "Euro zone countries tried in vain to stop the IMF publishing a gloomy analysis of Greece's debt burden which the leftist government says vindicates its call to voters to reject bailout terms, sources familiar with the situation said on Friday. The document released in Washington on Thursday said Greece's public finances will not be sustainable without substantial debt relief, possibly including write-offs by European partners of loans guaranteed by taxpayers." ...
... John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "Greece isn't going to cut, or reform, or grow it's way to debt sustainability. Either it will default on virtually all of its loans and adopt a new currency, or it will need debt forgiveness of the sort that Germany enjoyed after the Second World War, when more than half of its loans were written off." ...
... Noah Feldman in Bloomberg: "Greece is doing democracy wrong.... In a crisis, effective democracy requires an elected leader to do what he or she thinks is right -- and take the consequences later, when elections are called. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's failure to do this isn't democratic -- it's irresponsible hedging in the hopes of maintaining popularity even after a change in the policies that elected him."
Presidential Race
Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Mitt Romney is hosting [N.J. Gov. Chris] Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, at his waterfront compound on picturesque Lake Winnipesaukee on Friday night.... Fellow GOP hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and his wife, Jeanette, also joined the Romneys for Friday night's slumber party.... On Saturday morning, the Christies and Rubios will also be marching in Wolfeboro's celebrated Fourth of July parade." CW: Aw, shucks, I have to clean out my car & do some laundry, so I won't be able to make it. ...
... Steve M.: "Romney seemed to be deferring to Jeb when he decided not to run for president this year, but I'm starting to wonder whether he's looking for a way to help Jeb's rivals at Jeb's expense.... Jeb, by the way, is holding "two intimate campaign events" (a dinner and a staff briefing) in Kennebunkport this weekend, according to the New York Post's Page Six." ...
... BUT, Philip Rucker: "Romney and his wife, Ann, plan to meet this coming week with former Florida governor Jeb Bush for lunch at Walker's Point, the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.... In past years, the Romneys have visited with the Bushes at Walker's Point." The summer residences are about a 50-mile drive from each other.
"A Lesson in Inequality." Ginia Bellafante of the New York Times: New York City, under the Bloomberg administration, paid Donald Trump $127 million (& tax breaks) to build & operate a public golf course in the Bronx. "A stretch of housing projects borders the links and so does a tightly packed cemetery, St. Raymond's...." The city was supposed to equip a free public park that is next to the grounds, but the "equipment" is nothing but a slide. ...
... Missed this, but it's worth noting. Erik Matuszewski of Bloomberg (July 1): Donald Trump "was quoted as saying in an interview with the Golf Channel that he's received 'tremendous support' from those in the golf world because 'they all know I'm right' [about Mexican immigrants].... The U.S. PGA Tour, the PGA of America, the U.S. Golf Association and the LPGA Tour said Wednesday in a joint statement that Trump's remarks don't reflect the views of those organizations.... 'While the LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour and USGA do not usually comment on presidential politics, Mr. Trump's comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf,'" they said.
... Last week Lindsay Abrams of Salon interviewed Anthony Baxter, who made a documentary, "You've Been Trumped" about Donald Trump's golf course project in Scotland. "Trump's no less loathed in Scotland. There, however, the problem is less about what Trump says, and more about what he's actually done -- run roughshod over protected dunes to build an elite golf course, attack an offshore wind energy project because it 'ruined' his view, cajole politicians into supporting his every whim. He's also run into trouble for the promises he's failed to keep...." Also, of course, his 18 golf courses for the elite -- especially the courses in deserts -- are environmental disasters.
Share Article
Reader Comments (7)
Wisconsin Republicans' effort to shield almost all state officials from having to respond to FOIA requests is receiving a lot of blowback. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other state newspapers, often so ready to downplay the current regime's shenanigans, get pissed off when lawmakers do something that affects them.
No one will admit to being, or even knowing, who introduced the secrecy provision into the budget where it doesn't belong. Looks like someone has something to hide.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/republicans-mum-on-who-wanted-open-records-changes-b99531607z1-311570811.html?ipad=y
Here's an interesting piece on the history of 'Merican bbq, highlighting the pivotal beginnings forged by African slaves and Native Americans. Some good history to bring to your BBQ party to celebrate today.
Happy 4th y'all.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/04/barbecue-american-tradition-enslaved-africans-native-americans
Bill Forsyth's 1983 film "Local Hero" has long been a family favorite, about a US oil company's plan to buy a Scottish village for a refinery/terminal. I understand the film had a great resurgence when the Trump golf course project started up. Sadly, Trump never attained the state of enlightenment and empathy found in the movie.
@Nisky Guy: Yeah, the Trump story is reminiscent of "Local Hero," absent the hero. You can watch "Local Hero" today, via YouTube today, for a mere $3. Haven't done in for awhile, but as I recall, it's very easy to cast these YouTube films to your teevee via Chromecast or BlueRay. I'm not employed by YouTube or Google, BTW; I just like the convenience of being able to watch some old film when the mood strikes me.
Marie
Just finished watching the documentary "You've Been Trumped." This was news to me and I'm grateful to have had the chance to view this. Despicable is the word that comes to me––such complete disregard for the local landowners––the hubris this narcissistic man portrays is almost comic in its unbelievability and to think this man thinks he should be President defies reality.
"Local Hero" was a film I saw years ago and thought terrific.
Here is a smart critique of the Presidentt's eulogy in Charleston last Friday, complete with backstory which describes the extent to which he altered the draft.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/04/arts/obamas-eulogy-which-found-its-place-in-history.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
Scott Walker and the Wisconsin legislature have felt the heat over their slimy effort to gut the state's open records law, and say they will pull it from the budget (where it should have never been in the first place).
Meanwhile, two Dem state senators state that Walker had assured Republicans he would approve it, and the following story, by one of Wisconsin's best reporters, looks at similarities between the proposal and other crap that has come from Walker's office:
http://wisconsinwatch.org/2015/07/gov-scott-walker-vows-changes-to-open-records-rewrite-but-is-mum-on-his-role/