erica's Blog

erica recommended Nation of Cowards? by Cal Soldier

2009-11-14T05:56:49Z

erica Commented on If we are a nation of laws, then this is the moment in which we shall prove it. by erica

2009-11-14T20:13:05Z

I was trying to get at a couple of ideas--working from the idea that justice isn't something automatic but arises from consistent application of agreed upon laws. (and freedom/liberty isn't limitless but is the product of living in the checks and balances that the founders created.) So in that sense, justice outsourced is justice denied.

I also think that bringing these trials home--and I hope it's not just for show--is part of the Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan strategy. The whole guantanamo thing has hardened sentiment against the usa and living by our own rules will almost undoubtedly make a difference in the struggle for hearts and minds in those countries. "Ah," they will say, "those Americans are still jackasses, but at least they're back to being Americans."

erica Commented on If we are a nation of laws, then this is the moment in which we shall prove it. by erica

2009-11-14T18:52:57Z

Whoops! This posted before I finished it--but you get the idea.

erica Commented on To Bed, Strange Fellows! by freshwaterluddite

2009-11-14T03:21:25Z

Well, what would help turn it around? Is there just one simple thing we could say to tea partiers that would help them see things in a different light and get things going? To me it would be a follow-the-money kind of statement.

erica Commented on Doug Hoffman: With '20-20 Hindsight' I Wouldn't Have Conceded by Eric Kleefeld

2009-11-14T02:37:08Z

But wait, the caption says Owens is the one with the big yellow teeth.

erica Commented on Proper procedure, and ultimately lives, sacrificed partly due to political correctness? by artappraiser

2009-11-12T21:43:24Z

It sounds like Hasan's colleagues and superiors were unable to (or didn't bother to) separately answer the separate questions they should have asked:

1. Can this person function as a psychiatrist? Justify your answer.

2. Can this person function as a soldier? Justify your answer.

The trouble here may have been that nobody wanted to make a decision about Hasan on either of these issues and then stand behind it. Nobody likes to be sued, but if you've covered your bases you won't be.

An additional problem: using continued employment as punishment for poor performance. The whole idea that the military should keep people on once they don't want to be there is really questionable. I know they've got to "pay" for their education and all, but keeping someone on who has clearly stated that Muslims should be granted C/O status? I'd get that person their C/O status asap, under the most pleasant circumstances possible, with a signed agreement that everyone is happy with the outcome.

Maybe you can force people to stay on at lower-level positions, but in a professional or caregiving capacity, it's just not worth it. I know they'd pulled the guy off direct patient contact as much as possible, but still he was dragging down his workforce.

erica Commented on To Bed, Strange Fellows! by freshwaterluddite

2009-11-12T16:55:30Z

There's an opportunity for Democrats to get some Tea-Bagger conversions, I think. Probably not from the organizers, because they seem just plain crazy. But there have to be people at those tea parties who are starting to wonder if they are really being served tea-flavored Kool-Aid.

It would absolutely be worth the effort to talk with tea partiers and just point out that the people running the show do not have ordinary peoples' best interests at heart. Does anybody go to these events and quietly hand out leaflets that point out to people that their populist rage is being used to buy votes on the cheap?

I'd like to see progressives do some framing and work on this.....

erica recommended Soldiers Sue KBR-Halliburton For Toxic Exposure From "Burn-Pits" by Rutabaga Ridgepole

2009-11-12T13:08:44Z

erica recommended To Bed, Strange Fellows! by freshwaterluddite

2009-11-11T22:34:12Z

erica recommended THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND by miguelitoh2o

2009-11-11T22:54:43Z

erica Commented on "Financial Transactions Tax" Comes before "Value-Added Tax" by Dean Baker

2009-11-11T22:47:38Z

Thank you.

So, some business would go offshore, but there would still be plenty of business in the US, and more stringent enforcement of existing tax laws would help as well?

I hope I have that right.

erica Commented on "Financial Transactions Tax" Comes before "Value-Added Tax" by Dean Baker

2009-11-11T03:35:48Z

When you move to the Bahamas, don't forget to pay your "Leaving Las Vegas" tax on your way out the door.

And budget plenty for razor wire and security to protect your tax-relieved kiester from the untaxed masses.

:^)

erica Commented on Two Dreamers, by Dorothea Lange by Rutabaga Ridgepole

2009-11-10T21:25:18Z

You got that right!

erica Commented on Bounced by American YOYO by San Fernando Curt

2009-11-10T20:52:50Z

I was actually thinking that Congress is supposed to be there to represent (protect) the interests of ordinary people, so we shouldn't need a specific organization to do it--but yes, maybe we do need an organization to protect us from Congress! (Being as money-driven as it is.)

erica recommended Hasan Tried to Tell Them - Washington Post by JoeTheMechanic

2009-11-10T11:50:12Z

erica Commented on Fort Hood is the new pretext for erosion of our rights by JoeTheMechanic

2009-11-10T20:08:59Z

I have been interested in this issue. Would Hasan have been able to get a pension/medical benefits if he were released with anything other than an honorable discharge? And would he have been able to get a professional job without an honorable discharge?

I am also wondering if the army made him some sort of offer for getting out, which he declined.

erica Commented on The Little People Have Been Demoted On TPMCafe (Updated) by Rutabaga Ridgepole

2009-11-10T19:41:45Z

I think the reader posts disappeared off the front page of TPM because some of them weren't political in nature. Seems to me there was a brouhaha about putting stuff on the front page that would make sense to no one except regulars.

I would like to see this come back, maybe as a "cafe choice" where bloggers could pick a few items a day as most politically relevant (as opposed to entertaining or challenging to regulars) and have those posted. What do you guys think?

erica Commented on Two Dreamers, by Dorothea Lange by Rutabaga Ridgepole

2009-11-10T19:33:44Z

I think you might have quieted the cynics panel on this one. In this case, where art is being used pretty much as a pure political statement, the artistic value and "premeditation" for lack of a better word wouldn't be an issue....

erica Commented on Bounced by American YOYO by San Fernando Curt

2009-11-10T19:10:09Z

I have been thinking of writing a GID:YOYO post, which would be the old Woody Allen quote "God is dead: you're on your own."

But maybe it should be "Government is dead: you're on your own." When all this business about a govt consumer protection agency got started, I have to admit I thought hmmm...isn't that supposed to be....Congress?

erica recommended Bounced by American YOYO by San Fernando Curt

2009-11-09T20:51:03Z

erica Commented on "Financial Transactions Tax" Comes before "Value-Added Tax" by Dean Baker

2009-11-10T18:48:01Z

Dean, what's your response to those bringing up the idea that a transactions tax would "force" trading to be done offshore? Is there a way to make sure that the tax raises as much revenue as it is supposed to?

(I think if you went to the people right now and said "Hey, Wall Street's making money, how about a tax on Wall Street?" you'd get more yeses than ever before, even from the anti-tax crowd who are slowly starting to see the light.)