Man on Wire

Go rent the DVD. Trust me. Yeah, it's a documentary, but it kept the wife and I sitting straight up throughout. For those of you not as old as I, Philippe Petit performed a series of illegal high wire acts, across the world, in the early 1970s. Man on Wire mostly tells the story of his secretively securing a cable between the top of the two towers of the NY World Trade Center in 1974. He then proceeded to spend 45 minutes pacing back and forth between the two towers (as well as dancing and laying down).

The movie is beautiful. Katie kept saying, "he is beautiful". I never talk during movies, TV etc. We kept up a constant babble of half formed sentences. The rest of the time I motioned at the TV screen as my mouth hung open.

It was beautiful. It was scary. It was sprittual. I felt like I'd been to church.

This guy has broken all his promises

Obama is batting about 1.000. He finally won over skeptics, like me, in the primaries, by promising to restore the Constitution, impose the rule of law and abolish torture. He ranted about wiretapping. He ridiculed Cheney. Government would be transparent. He'd end those practices that rewarded companies for shipping American jobs overseas.

Well, look what another day brings. He's fought every measure to restore civil liberties. He's prevented any prosecutions of high level Bush administration criminals. He claims to be ending torture but moves the operation from Gitmo to Baghram. He threatens to withhold information that could protect British citizens from terror attacks if their court releases the truth about the torture of a petitioner. He claims 'state secrets' if our courts want to give the day in court to torture victims. He continues wiretapping. He meets with energy and pharmaceutical companies in private. He IS Cheney.

He filled his administration with the Wall Street masterminds of the financial collapse and they have saved the perpetrators from the moral hazard of their actions. Now he shelves his campaign promise to stop giving tax breaks to companies who ship jobs overseas.

All of you who are hot for universal healthcare, who thinks he really supports even a watered down public option, ask yourself this: When did it become health care reform. Remember when it was 'health care for all'? Ah, but now he has a Nobel Prize and nobody can touch him.

Is this a good idea?

Is this a good idea? They're bombing the moon!

Obama needs to get pushed

These were CRIMES. How is this difficult? Obama needs to be forced down that path he doesn't want to take. The small fry, the "few bad apples" went to prison. I have no problem with that. We were brought up to believe that "ve ver under orders" was no excuse.

But, how can Obama allow Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush, Yoo, Beybe, Rice and Gonzalez to escape prosecution? If they violated treaties prohibiting torture, they have committed crimes. Article VI of the Constitution states, "...all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the Supreme Law of the Land... " Barack Obama took an oath to the best of his ability "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

This is the beginning of the proof of what we've suspected about the Democrats' motives

Why would a liberal member of Congress, from San Francisco pledge to take the rule of law (impeachment) off the table, as she reaches the pinacle of power? Why would a professor of constitutional law pledge to prosecute no law breakers, even for crimes as vile as torture and of wirtapping Americans, as he reaches the pinacle of power? Because Pelosi and Obama know that their party was complicit in all of it.

Harmon knew. Pelosi knew. Rockefeller knew. Reid knew. Hoyer knew. Durban and Obama went along.

Why did we elect these people in 2006? They conspired with the people they were supposed to protect us against. Why did we elect Obama? He was supposed to restore the Constitution. Damn! They took an oath!

What happened: No, I did not get a promotion.

Yeah, this is one of those stories that would require us to be perched on bar stools with plenty of time. I was on a high wire act for two or three years. I'd finally gotten down off the thing and then they came after me. I have a big screw sticking out of my back.

The very short version is that I told all the powers what needed to happen to keep the wheels from coming off. They blew me off for two years and then, seven months too late, they came through with human resources. Everybody got the long knives out and needed a head to cut off. Mine apparently got offered up.

So, the public spin is that I've been reassigned because they need my expertise in data analysis and research, given my institutional memory. Most of campus knows something happened. People are scared (god, if they could do that to somebody like him), confused (don't know what to say to me), and angry (I have a friend who, without my input, declared my entire former staff persona non grata and deleted people from his distribution lists and disinvited them to events "I'm in Jim's column."). Me, I'm stuck in a closet and swing from depression to anger to relief.

My boss says she needs me ("I promise you are not being fired.") because "you know where the bodies are buried". It's ugly.

I'm back

I haven't posted since June. It's been a rough, weird several months. I was obsessed with two things: work and the election. I was doing four people's jobs at work. My spare time (when I should have been sleeping) was spent thinking about the election. I was no fan of Obama, but voted for him. I got caught up in his speeches, like everyone, and then betrayed by his actions, like the FISA vote. However, he brings something positive out of the citizenry, expecially young people.

My daughter was an Obama volunteer at her college. On election night they spilled into the streets. She called me. She was ecstatic. I couldn't even understand her on the phone.

I was at some friends' in Carbondale. After Obama's victory speech, we had to drive through Carbondale. The Strip was filling up and was about to close. I drove toward campus and students were running from all directions. I've never seen such spontaneous joy. No anger. No fights. Happy people. Black and white.

The concert the Sunday before inauguration was inpirational. Pete Seeger leading the crowd in all the verses to 'This Land is Your Land'. What must he have thought? He outlived the rednecks that tried to kill Paul Robeson and him. He outlived the congressmen that tried to jail him. ... Then the following Tuesday and all the black folks that came on busses for the swearing in.

...Ah, but now it's March. State secrets, corporate welfare... same as it ever was. ...I'm back.

Pics from Bruges, Belgium

Some pictures from our trip to Bruges Belgium are here. More later that Katie took with the good camera. Also, still, have some more from Amsterdam and a lot from Paris. We have some pics with us and the girls in them but will just send them to a few of you, later.

Bruges (or Brugge) is beautiful. It had been a big deal and then the harbor silted in. Ghost town until the 1800s when tourists rediscovered it. The landlady at the bed and breakfast we stayed at said Hitler deliberately didn't bomb it because of how old and beautiful it was. (He apparently had no such qualms about the rest of the country.)

Jimmy goes to the Netherlands

This windmill was a few blocks from our hotel in Haarlem. We drank beer with the girls, ate Italian the first night and Greek the next. The partying and street noise kept me up all Saturday night. We shopped and bought bread and cheese in the market square. Toured St. Bavo's church.

Hillary didn't even vote "present"

I have the perfect answer for Obama the next time Hillary starts talking about "voting present". Today, the Senate voted down, with 18 Democrats joining the Republicans, an amendment to remove telecom immunity from the FISA bill. Chris Dodd stayed up all night speaking on the Senate floor. This afternoon, I watched, live on C-span, while he made one of the most moving speeches I've ever seen in Congress.

Obama voted with the good guys. Hillary didn't vote.

On September 12, 2008, when the U.S. Senate voted away the rule of law, Senator Clinton was absent. She has failed one oath of office; she must never be allowed to take another.

The NYT's Krugman is wrong. I'd be pissed at Hillary even if Obama were never born.

I am from Illinois and I made up my mind to vote for Obama at the last minute. Dodd and Kucinich were closer to my way of thinking and Edwards was growing on me. Dodd dropped out before our primary and Kucinich and Edwards were sinking; I took a chance on Obama. Everything I've seen in the last week confirms the choice. But, I'm no sweaty, glassy eyed captive of a cult.

As for Hillary, I owe her nothing. I remember February of five years ago. It was cold and rainy. Four hundred of us marched against the war, in my small town. We were alone. Where were the leaders of the congressional Democrats? They left us in the streets. They wanted to be President. I will not vote for them and they will not be President. Gebhart, Dashle, Lieberman, Kerry, Edwards, Dodd, then congressman and now governor Blagojevich, and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

I'd be pissed at Hillary even if Obama were never born. I admire him though, for how he has inspired young people. Of course they are excited! We should be glad. Those of us in our 50s have seen so much shit in this country, that actual youthful hope seems so strange to some that they mock it. Speaking as one Obama supporter, I know he's not a god, but I'm glad to see people taking a leap of faith in favor of something , for once, instead of in simple opposition. I may be as opposed to Hillary as I am in favor of Obama, but those thousands of young people supporting him are not a cult, they are a refreshing tide.

I smell a rat.

Just in time for Christmas, something creepy this way comes. I haven't seen anything about it in the media, but look what the House of Representatives passed 404-6. Named the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, it's a proposal for a commission, hearings, reports etc. with the purpose of finding out if people are planning or thinking dangerous thoughts. It's dressed up as a way to prevent attacks like those in 2001 and those experienced in Europe and Israel, and is essentially to be an arm of the Department of Homeland Security. It's sponsors felt the need to insert lip service to civil liberties and constitutional rights. But, they didn't specify exactly what could and could not be done to subjects of inquiries or to those subpoenaed to testify before the commission. To his credit, my congressman, Jerry Costello, of Illinois, voted 'no'.

Where's the red line?

It’s time to ask the Democrats a question: Do they have a moral map? And, if they do, where is the red line? At what point will they stop and stand up for what’s right and resist what’s wrong?

Apparently they are not at that point yet. Saturday, Nov. 24, they had Gen. Ricardo Sanchez give their response to President Bush’s weekly radio address. Gen. Sanchez was the military commander in overall charge, in Iraq, at the time of the Abu Ghraib torture episode. Prior to that, the Democratic Senate gave its advice and consent for the appointment of Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General. During confirmation hearings Mr. Mukasey could not find it within himself to condemn, as torture, vile acts that our own government has prosecuted, as war crimes, for over 100 years.

The Executive branch has tapped Americans phones and email, “disappeared” people and endangered intelligence agents for political purposes. How have the Democrats responded? Speaker of the House Pelosi says impeachment is “off the table” and Majority Leader Reid says the Senate “has other things to do” than censure the President. Apparently senators cannot multi-task.

Polls show 70% of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction. If the Democrats have no moral compass, how are they to turn America around?

Watching the Burmese army crush the protests

Watching the Burmese army crush the protests of Budhist monks made me sad, for my own country. Rather than pass legislation to restore our Constitution, Congress has shamed itself.

Our country has legalized torture, disappearances and, given the secrecy, we must assume extra-judicial executions as well. President Bush has admitted committing crimes: tapping citizens’ phones and computers. The President has secretly declassified information for the sole purpose of legalizing acts which would have otherwise subjected the Vice President, and others, to prosecution. The right of habeas corpus, protecting all in the English speaking world since King John signed the Magna Carta, in 1215, was surrendered by the Military Commissions Act of 2006. In August, Congress passed legislation, over a weekend, and in fear, that authorized even more phone tapping and email snooping on Americans.

A few months ago, when Sen. Feingold, introduced a motion of censure on the President and Vice President, Harry Reid, the Democrats’ leader, said the Senate had more important business. The Senate demonstrated their idea of importance last September by voting to condemn a newspaper ad, the facts of which were not in dispute, only its tactless headline, concerning a general. We are told that the Constitution cannot be restored, and the war not stopped, because they need a super majority of 60%. This is false. Legislation only needs 51% to pass. The argument then becomes that it takes 60% to overcome a veto or a filibuster. So what? Let them filibuster. What could be more important to debate at length, than our constitutional liberties? In Burma, the people lost, but their defenders, barefoot monks, stood up to guns and soldiers. In Washington, the Democrats couldn’t even stand up to a filibuster.

Saturday at the Shrimp Festival

Spent Saturday afternoon at the Golconda Shrimp Festival. What a cool festival and town. Street was lined with motorcyclists, most of whom seemed to congregate outside the saloon. Great view of Ohio River at the end of the main street. Nice marina. Plenty of food on the street. Bands playing. Reasonably priced beer, though you had a different ticketing/token system than with the food vendors on the street.

We decided to camp at Dixon Springs State Park, nearby. This is a good place for day activities but questionable for camping. We camped there because it was convenient to Golconda and the Shrimp Festival. The park is right off IL 146, but that is one of the negatives. While camping, we could hear highway traffic all night.

Ghost Dance Canyon Trail is well worth the hike, with rock formations, small caves and a creek. However, again, you could hear the highway traffic the whole hike.

Campground was clean and it was nice to have tent campers (as we are) outnumber, or equal, RVs. But, mighty startling as we were setting up, was the loud, bellowing, otherworldly sound of chanting. We finally realized it must be coming from the Impact Incarceration camp next door to the park. We rode our bikes over, about 7pm and were greeted by a guard who told us the noise had been the prisoners engaged in tug-of-war. They quit at 7:00. However, we were awoken at 5:30, or 6:00, the next morning, to the sounds of prisoners shouting their way through calisthenics.

On the whole, a good time, though. We had a great campfire. Steaks and sweet potatoes over the open fire, bottle of wine, cards and great weather. Had another great breakfast fire, over which we perculated coffee, and made eggs, bacon and toast. Worked it all off with a bike ride through the park and a hike through the canyon.

Holy shit!

Who would ever dream that former Attorney General John Ashcroft would come out of any story looking like the good guy? Given the fascist tactics of current Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and former White House chief of staff Andrew Card, Ashcroft appears to be a hero in the fight for liberty. Wow. How low have we sunk? Or did we always just misjudge the prude by the company he kept? See the story of today's congressional testimony here.

Molly Ivins: I miss her already.

Our awful local paper, the Southern Illinoisan ran Molly, every Sunday, across the page from Anne Coulter. It was maddening. It is also not lost on me, that the last column I saw from Molly Ivins, was a call, to go out into the streets to stop the war.

I was watching reruns of the Sopranos last night, when my wife, who was at the computer cried, “Oh, no! Molly Ivens died!” She seemed to be in tears off and on last night.

Ninety nine percent of those who claim to be journalists should prostrate them selves begging Molly Ivins’s spirit’s forgiveness for pretending to be in the same profession as she. I’m going to call my senator and tell them to support Russ Feingold’s proposal to cut off funding for the war. I think she’d like that better than flowers.

The one senator not running for president

The one senator not running for president is the only one with a clear eyed solution to the war. I was disappointed that Russ Feingold chose not to run for president. Now I see that he has more patriotism than ambition. He voted against starting the war and now he proposes to end it. Non-binding resolutions will not affect a President who ignores the law. Bush/Cheney will not be impressed by the Congressional equivalent of a student council resolution. Only action, such as cutting off funding by a defined date, will get the US out of this nightmare (we can't save the Iraqis; we've already ruined their country).

Hillary, Biden, Reid and the rest of the Democratic leadership gave us this war, when the Democratic Senate chose to vote for it in 2002. Then, many of them wanted to be president and were afraid the war would go well and they would be accused of voting wrong. Now they want to be president and they want to cover all bets. They'll vote for a non-binding resolution so they can say they oppose the war but not be accused of voting against the troops.

Feingold supports the troops. He wants to bring them home. Call your Senators and tell them to support him!

jc

Dictatorships are not always installed by coups

Those who failed to oppose this are as guilty as the German Centrist Party

Dictatorships are not always installed by coups. Often they are voted in. In Germany, the act of surrender was the Enabling Act of 1933. After the Communists had been killed or arrested and most Socialists arrested or cowed, the Catholic Center party provided the margin of victory for the nazis.

Now, in the U.S., torture is legal and the right to habeas corpus discarded. The act of surrender was the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Those who should be ashamed, and blamed by history, are the Democrats who failed to vote against it, and the Democrats who didn't bother to filibuster.

This was a proud, free country. How sad, that it went quietly, with barely a wimper. It would have been sad enough, had the Constitution been lost, following a glorious and desparate fight. We've known for the last few years that Republicans are fascists. Unfortunately, the Democrats, unmindful of their oath of office, are enablers.

-- jimmycarl

[Read jimmycarl's other letters]

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Friday, October 06, 2006 5:29:32 PM

This is what patriotism REALLY sounds like

Wow. I caught this about two thirds of the way through. Click here for the video and transcript of Keith Olbermann's special comment tonight on Countdown. He may be ripping off Edward R. Murrow, but it's OK. I'm sure Murrow's nodding from beyond. Good night and good luck, indeed.

Jimmy C.