Burned

Can one be a reformer or crusader in the USA? Is it really possible to "work for the people" and the public interest?

Perhaps.

But when "change" begins to curtail profitable operations by the mighty & the powerful, they fight back. They may have billions of dollars (oops - post bailout: hundreds of billions) in wealth to throw at their critics. So no surprise when the forces of change choose very carefully among many sacks of shit, which ones to clean up.

Even then, the crusader is liable to be burned.

The public is hungry for scandal. A mob mentality is stoked by smarmy weasels such as Billow (Bill O'Reilly), Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and a nest of others. Their vile & polarizing attack approach is popular: akin to pro-wrestling and a substitute for as yet untelevised public executions.

The mob enjoys watching those with hubris get their comeuppance. So a quick goodbye to "evildoers" such as former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, former Senator John Edwards, and a host of others due to sexual fiendishness. (Digression: We wonder how the family values crowd reconciles the adulteries & callousness of Sen. John McCain and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Is foregiveness and reconciliation only for Republicans?... )

Anyhow, the moral takedown may appease the mob for awhile, but who benefits? (In the case of Spitzer, perhaps AIG?) Whose territory is once again open for plundering? That entitled elite seeks darkness. Only systematic and sustained transparency can root-out such problems. Shining a spotlight cannot be enough: the person holding it is a target, and the roaches escape. We need to turn-up all the house lights to systematically root-out the worst social infections.

Divisiveness

"Let's avoid partisanship"

The US Republican Party & the failed policies of George W. Bush were thrashed at the polls. Now the talk from jackbooted right-wingnuts seems reasonable "We pray President Obama will govern responsibly and avoid divisiveness..."

Watch again the Republican National Convention speeches in Minneapolis Saint Paul. Inside the hall, a goon parade mocked, ridiculed & slandered their Democratic opposition; outside, their hired thugs beat-up on peaceful assemblies.

(Remember "Friendly Joe" Lieberman as a key part of these celebrations).

Disrespect for law & people has continued too long; true terror.

Don't be taken in.
"Cute little snake, it's not dangerous anymore.
... aarrghh - fuckin' thing bit me!"

Common Dreams & Memes

I've multiple important bases in my life, so each day I read news articles from assorted places around the world. Via the wonders of the internet I check local news of Hawaii via KITV.com, local news of Sweden from Swedish newspapers and The Local, Korean news from The Korea Herald (and elsewhere), news of Japan via assorted bulletin boards & feeds such as J@pan Inc and "The Community" in Japan, news of the Middle East from Haaretz and sometimes Al Jazeera. I check news of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, science news from New Scientist, plus technology & finance news from here, there, and everywhere.

As if that were not enough, there's the need to keep up with assorted hobby-related news & auctions, and of course professional reports & journals. I often write in my own Pretrend blog (http://pretrend.blogspot.com)... and earn a living by decent work...

And be with loved ones. And simply live.

But every day I also read Common Dreams - an amalgam of "progressive" articles from various sources. It is great: combining stories, reprints, links and comments on political economy sure to get my blood racing.

A recent article by Tom Engelhardt ("Foreclosed: The George W. Bush Story") looked critically at the legacy of the Bush administration. It included a provocative quote from a 2004 article by Ron Suskind, "Without a Doubt" (New YorkTimes; published also as "Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush") - where "history's actors" who "create our own reality" mock the careful "reality-based community" who follow behind attempting judicious study of what's been done. This hubris is the voice of The True Believer: "we create our own reality" and evade the dreaded u-word: uncertainty.

A related article elsewhere by Christian Salmon, "Scheherazade in the White House" follows-up by discussing political stage-management, quoting Prof. Ira Chernus on Karl Rove's Scheherazade-like approach to ruling others: "When policy dooms you, start telling stories -- stories so fabulous, so gripping, so spellbinding that the king (or, in this case, the American citizen who theoretically rules our country) forgets all about a lethal policy."

A "leta" to Common Dreams on US Election Day is commanding:
"Why do people find degrading, defacing, belittlement of a man who was willing to take on the responsibility of the Presidency if elected. What do you gain from the demoralization of the administration. Why is it helpful to tear apart the years served. Is this what you say , talk about in front of your kids. You are their mentors. You should be using Positives Repectful thoughts how else are they going to grow up with the right outlook of politics. It is you who are painting the pictures of people who were elected. Think about it. You vote in dog catchers, local government, church elections. Isn't it time to take a good look at SELF. Let the President leave office ... throwing the keys happily on the desk in the OVAL OFFICE....he has aged during his terms. He deserves your respect. Your children have to hear and see this from YOU "adult citizens of America. GOD BLESS AMERICA." (sic)

The marketing story, or meme, is powerful imagery to shape reality. Those directing government powers, with much money & huge access to media outlets, might do as they wish - eluding comeuppance.

The article by Salmon finishes by reminding us that Karl Rove resigned from government saying "I'm Moby Dick" ... evading reality's deadly harpoon.

Scofflaw Regime / Rogue State

Citizens of the USA, even those who often disagree with the government, do not typically recognize they live in a rogue state. But the Bush government has regularly broken international laws. They also have undermined and ridiculed the importance of international laws and covenants, which in fact are national laws - a clear and fundamental point from the US Constitution (article VI, paragraph 2) which they've sworn to uphold.

The Presidential Oath of Office, which officially begins the presidency, is short and clear: ''I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.''

This pledge is important. Just 35 words forms the basis for leadership.

National leadership of a great country; the actions of the USA have global consequences.

Legal basis for operations is important. George W. Bush disregarded law, perhaps following advice from others - he's been fundamentally misguided.

The Bush government, through unilateral decisions to ignore law and precedent and due process, has severely undermined the safety and security of all US citizens, our global investments, and our freedoms to interact with peoples of the world.

The indictment of crimes is extensive. Some bother me more than others. Invasion and continued occupation of Iraq. Long-term confinement and torture of people not promptly charged with crime. Terrible.

Yes Virginia: Thomson Reuters sues Zotero

An entrenched company, threatened by open-source free software, snaps back with a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Is this a storm in a teacup?

Thomson Reuters naturally wishes maximal profits from their proprietary programs, but... details of this lawsuit can be found here. A few marketing observations: the Thomson Reuters lawsuit draws attention to their nimble competitor. Seeking legal limits on what scholars can do with their own data, they risk seriously alienating their users.

Many users have invested time & resources in old Endnote software, but I'm no fan. Data storage always seemed unnecessarily obscure to me. The owners seemed to treat their software system protection as more important than my data - but I'm the customer. Why pay for deliberate confusion?

Even if Thomson Reuters win some damages with this case, they've chosen the Luddite path and can expect to be pityingly mocked by a growing segment of users & opinion leaders. I expect that the route they've chosen will cost them much more dearly than if they'd ignored their Zotero competition (zotero.org - the scholars friend). Thomson Reuters instead should work hard at innovation.

Don't Waste Your Vote

I admire Ralph Nader. A little bit. I've never voted for him, and I would not. What I see as his biggest weakness is an inability to effectively forge coalitions. Why is he a perennial Presidential candidate? Why not seek to join others, and upgrade a local, state, or national platform? If he can't work well with others, he shouldn't be trying to run the country, because he can't do it alone. It is sometimes useful to snipe from the sidelines, but running for President is perhaps a poor vehicle for such a person's energies.

I'm also disappointed with both Nader and McCain for not understanding / recognizing the benefits of computers and the internet. I'm OK with slow food and walking to work, or people limiting their mobile phone usage. But access to the World Wide Web is great - those who don't understand it are missing a lot.

Nader's weaknesses

McCain's weaknesses and more here on McCain handicaps

Sachs of Wealth, but Voracious

Loan servicing "help"
Consolidate your troubles
Dumb small-fry / shark food

No welcome Nippon!

Japan's Asahi newspaper recently reported the results of a Ministry of Internal Affairs government survey that found 38% of Japanese inns and hotels reported no foreign guests in 2007, and of those, 72% hoped no foreigners would come (thus 27% of the total). Multiple reasons were elicited for shunning foreign guests: "no expertise with foreign languages" (76%); "unsuitable facilities for foreigners" (72%); "uncertainty if a problem were to arise" (63%). The report was published a week after the newly-founded Japan Tourism Agency began promoting a Visit Japan Campaign to raise the number of international visitors from 8.35 million for 2007 to 20 million by 2020 (and 10 million by 2010).

Asahi (2008) "National Survey 2007: 30% of hotels & ryokan don't want foreign lodgers." (9 Oct 2008; in Japanese) 朝日新聞社. (2008) "「外国人泊めたくない」ホテル・旅館３割 ０７年国調査" asahi.com (朝日新聞社).
http://www.asahi.com/national/update/1009/TKY200810090312.html

What If?

The financial meltdown is trashing the legacy of the Bush Presidency. A lot of people are finding: "Golly, they sure were wrong with their economic policies and oversight."

Diverse citizens are confronted with misperforming products, and think "Damn! It's all wrong, but consumer protection's been gutted. They got my money -- I'm left with the trash."

Many people are also starting to recognize: "Gee - maybe our government was also wrong in leading the USA into war in Iraq... perhaps those nations that wouldn't participate weren't simply cowards..."

Some Americans are just now beginning to wonder: "Maybe our leaders have been wrong in torturing and imprisoning so many people for years without proper review or trial..."

A few Americans believe these are not problems of error; they are deliberate crimes.

Down but Not Out

You've seen the movie:
Demonic creep is injured
Hero feels relief

Don't relax so soon!
Evil will attack your back!
Prepare to get bit...

Myku by Genki

Failed politicians...
Bankers in Treasury jobs...
Pick market winners

Housecleaning ignored
Gamblers keep their pay & jobs
Financial flim-flam!