Currently viewing the tag: “Tuesday”
(David Post)
. . . my book on Jefferson and cyberspace was awarded Temple’s “Friel Scanlan” scholarly writing award, which means I give the F-S lecture this year — Tuesday @ 4 PM, up in scenic North Philly at Temple Law School. Any VC’ers in the vicinity are welcome to stop by –
In 1427, a ship captain sailing for his Portuguese Prince, Henry the Navigator, discovered the Azores Islands. If the question of the significance of this event had been posed, at the time, to Sultan Murad Khan (the leader of the Ottoman Empire), or to Itzcoatl and Nezahualcoyotl (the co-leaders of the Aztecs) or to Rao Kanha (one of the princes of Jodhpur in India), it is unlikely that any of them would have responded that it is an early indication of a historic explosion of cultural energy in Europe that will lead to European exploration and conquest of most of the known world, and to a renaissance of European thought that will give rise to scientific, industrial and scholarly dominance of the planet by European culture for at least half a millennium.
Today, no European or American leaders with whom I am familiar have tied the Sept. 11, 2001 attack, the various Islamist bombing attacks around the world, the push for Sharia law in the West and the current disturbances in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Syria and Bahrain together as symptoms of one larger phenomenon.
The Islamist attacks in the West and elsewhere are characterized as the actions of a politically radicalized group of Muslims driven by poverty, political suppression and cultural deprivation — who represent a tiny fraction of Islam.
The current disturbances in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, etc., are separately explained — by many conservatives and liberals as evidence of a sudden Muslim thirst for democracy — driven by poverty, political suppression and cultural deprivation.
Well, maybe. But I suspect that such interpretations trivialize the magnitude and causes of these events. After all, those sadly familiar factors of poverty, political suppression and cultural deprivation have existed in most Muslim lands for many centuries. Why are they suddenly triggers to mass action?
Six years ago, in my book "The West's Last Chance" (page 23), I theorized that "…the mortal threat we face comes not merely from Osama bin Laden and a few thousand terrorists. Rather, we are confronted with the Islamic world — a fifth of mankind — in turmoil, and insurgent as it has not been in at least five hundred years, if not fifteen hundred years. The magnitude of this cultural upheaval cannot yet be measured…"
"Today we face a force of human passion that may well match a similar expansion that burst out of Renaissance Christian Europe and came to be known in the West as the Age of Discovery — but was known everywhere else as the age of conquest, imperialism and colonialism. And let it be noted, the quality of the human stock that surged out of fifteenth century Europe was in no way superior to that which today peoples the Islamic world."
Of course, just as the advance of European civilization to its many triumphs was neither inevitable nor perhaps even probable (certainly not predicted or understood in its earlier stages), so, too, the current explosion of energy among the Islamic peoples may peter out, be directed down blind alleys or meet more powerful resistance than met the European expansion.
But as our government — and its Republican critics — flounders around trying to respond to and explain each new current Islamic "event," we should all be vastly more modest in our confidence that we really understand what forces are unfolding.
At such a moment of major historic discontinuity, it is dangerous to assume that the trends and conceptions of world events with which we have been living (and thriving) for generations still apply.
If we are facing an emerging flood of civilizational energy from Islam, how might we think about a response? When a literal flood comes, people either run from it, build walls to resist it or try to channel and divert it. It would be unusual for the first thought to be to jump into the arriving flood.
After Sept. 11, with what we thought we knew then, our government reasonably tried the second method — resist it: both at home and abroad. Certainly, we should persist with that strategy regarding the direct threat from the terrorists.
But as at least some of us think we see these larger forces emerging, it would make sense to, where feasible, get out of its way. Now might be a very good time not to get further engaged in the Middle East — which may well see decades of violence as this Islamic energy works its way through its peoples and nations.
Of course, the feasibility of removing ourselves from the Middle East is limited by our reliance on Middle East oil. We must surely, if it comes to it, defend the Saudi and other gulf oil fields, the Bahrain pipelines and the Suez Canal. But intervention should be limited only to our most vital national security requirements.
Beyond that, the first policy imperative that should come from these events is for a Manhattan Project sense of urgency to massively and quickly increase our domestic (and other politically safe) oil production, while the humans for which our government should provide humanitarian relief and nation-building services should be limited to American humans.
Tony Blankley is executive vice president of Edelman public relations in Washington. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Tony Blankley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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LISTEN TO THE DANA PRETZER SHOW TONIGHT LIVE AT 9PM ET ON SCARED MONKEYS RADIO
Tonight Dana welcomes special guests:
- Wendy Murphy – Author, Former DA and Law Professor discusses her recent Article for the Patriot Ledger,
’ CHARLIE SHEEN WANTS US TO FEEL BAD, BUT NOT FOR HIM’
“While Sheen continues his victory tour, and we keep watching him for all the wrong reasons, it’s worth noting the novelty of how one man continues to feel good about making virtually everyone else feel bad.”
- Drew Kesse, the father of missing Jennifer Kesse discussing the “Catch Me Killer “
- Author Tom Philbin discussing his new book ‘The Killer Book of Infamous Murders
click on radio banner to listen
LISTEN TO THE DANA PRETZER SHOW TONIGHT LIVE AT 9PM ET ON SCARED MONKEYS RADIO
Tonight Dana welcomes special guests:
- Wendy Murphy – Author, Former DA and Law Professor discusses her recent Article for the Patriot Ledger,
’ CHARLIE SHEEN WANTS US TO FEEL BAD, BUT NOT FOR HIM’
“While Sheen continues his victory tour, and we keep watching him for all the wrong reasons, it’s worth noting the novelty of how one man continues to feel good about making virtually everyone else feel bad.”
- Drew Kesse, the father of missing Jennifer Kesse discussing the “Catch Me Killer “
- Author Tom Philbin discussing his new book ‘The Killer Book of Infamous Murders
By George Scoville
- Shifting America’s focus away from individual liberty is waging war on the future, not winning it.
- U.N. “authorization” is the Emperor’s new fig leaf for war with Libya.
- Why are we fighting Mexico’s drug war?
- David Boaz remembers Geraldine Ferraro, who helped advance the war against gender discrimination in politics.
- Chris Preble eulogizes the Weinberger/Powell doctrine against the backdrop of the Libyan war:
Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more.
WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com
CNN: Obama: Not acting in Libya ‘would have been a betrayal of who we are’
President Barack Obama on Monday rejected criticism of his decision to commit U.S. forces to the U.N.-authorized military mission in Libya, telling the American people there were strategic and moral reasons to act. In a nationally televised speech at the National Defense University, Obama said his administration kept its pledge that the mission would be limited in size and scope, announcing that the NATO alliance would assume full command on Wednesday. The United States now will play “a supporting role – including intelligence, logistical support, search-and-rescue assistance, and capabilities to jam regime communications,” Obama said, noting that both the risk and cost of the operation to America “will be reduced significantly.”
CNN: Republicans upset with Obama’s regime change remarks
When U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday it would be wrong to seek regime change in Libya by force, Republican lawmakers took issue – saying removing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is and should be precisely the goal. Gadhafi must have been comforted to hear the president’s words, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said following Obama’s televised address. “If we tell Gadhafi, ‘Don’t worry, you won’t be removed by force,’ I think that’s very encouraging to Gadhafi,” McCain said, after Obama delivered a speech explaining U.S. intervention in Libya. McCain said the president’s words were “puzzling” because Obama has previously said that U.S. policy is for Gadhafi’s ouster. “The reason why we wage wars is to achieve the results of a policy that we state,” McCain said.
CNN: Pawlenty: Obama administration ‘naive’ on Syria
Likely Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty accused the Obama administration of “naivety” on Syria, as he called for the United States to recall its ambassador and toughen sanctions on the country. Pawlenty’s comments came in a radio interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show Monday evening, shortly before President Obama addressed the nation on the military operation in Libya. “Our interests in Syria are at least as strong, if not stronger, than in Libya”, Pawlenty said when asked what the United States should do after violent crackdowns on demonstrators in Syria.
CNN: Budget talks at impasse, raising concerns of possible government shutdown
Bipartisan talks to end the budget crisis, which stalled last week, appeared to grind to a near standstill Monday, raising concerns on both sides of the political aisle that large parts of the government could shut down when the current spending measure expires at the end of next week. “Republicans refuse to negotiate on a final number,” Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor. “The infighting between the tea party and the rest of the Republican Party – including the Republican leadership in Congress – is keeping our negotiating partner from the negotiating table.” House Republican Leader Eric Cantor denied the talks might collapse because of disagreements between the GOP leadership and the conservative wing of their caucus. Instead, he blamed Reid for “abandoning his responsibility to offer a credible plan to cut spending and fund the government for the rest of the year.”
Washington Post: GOP lawmakers to unveil own plan to wind down Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
A month-and-a-half after the White House announced its plan to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, House Republicans on Tuesday plan to introduce their own. According to congressional sources familiar with the matter, a series of eight bills by Republicans will call for hiking fees charged to borrowers in two years and taking other steps to shrink the companies’ footprint in the housing market. The bills will call on Fannie and Freddie to begin to sell their massive portfolios of mortgage investments, which keep rates low, and would take away other advantages enjoyed by the companies that banks and private-sector firms don’t have.
Indianapolis Star: Once again, a full House
Five weeks lost. Five weeks left. With Democrats back in the Indiana House, ending a standoff that was one of the longest in Indiana’s and the nation’s legislative history, the legislature is now in a race against the clock. Legislators have just five weeks to complete work on a new state budget, draw new legislative and congressional district maps, address education and government reforms and consider hundreds of other bills that had been in limbo until the impasse ended Monday. And they’ve got to get it done by April 29, the deadline for this session to end. Go into overtime, and it costs taxpayers money the state can ill-afford.
CNN: Very ill child keeps Santorum off the campaign trail
Former Sen. Rick Santorum, a probable GOP presidential candidate, canceled a trip to Iowa this past weekend because one of his children was very sick. Aides close to the Pennsylvania Republican tell CNN that Santorum’s daughter, Isabella Maria, became very ill on Friday. The three year old girl was born with Trisomy 18, a condition where a person is born with three number 18 chromosomes rather than the normal two. Many newborns suffering from this disease rarely survive beyond a week after birth, with those who do survive battling serious medical conditions.
CNN: Former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice to form presidential exploratory committee
Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who garnered attention and lost his job after building a Ten Commandments monument outside Alabama’s judicial building, is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination, his top aide confirmed to CNN. Moore plans to announce in mid-April that he is setting up a presidential exploratory committee, the aide, Zachery Michael told CNN.
CNN: Herman Cain assailed as ‘bigoted’ over Muslim remarks
A leading Muslim advocacy group accused potential presidential candidate Herman Cain of spewing “bigoted speech” Monday following remarks he made at a conservative conference last weekend. While attending the Conservative Principles Conference last weekend in Iowa, Cain told a reporter- if he became president – he would not appoint a Muslim to his cabinet or as a federal judge. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed outrage on Monday, saying Cain’s words show how “right wing” conservatives are currently engaging in Muslim bashing.
Roll Call: Redistricting Doesn’t Always Go as Planned
All the hard work of drawing a Congressional map can be ruined by a basket of chicken fingers. Across the country, Republicans and Democrats are feverishly strategizing about how to draw Congressional districts that will benefit their parties for the next decade. But even though districts can be drawn to dramatically favor a particular party or even a specific person, candidates and campaigns still matter and sometimes races don’t turn out as they were planned.
CNN: Maine governor removes pro-union mural
Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage followed through with his decision to remove a mural depicting the history of the workers’ movement from the state’s labor department lobby, a spokeswoman said Monday. “The mural has been removed and is in storage awaiting relocation to a more appropriate venue,” said LePage press secretary Adrienne Bennett in a prepared statement. “We understand that not everyone agrees with this decision, but the Maine Department of Labor has to be focused on the job at hand.” The controversy over the 36-foot-long, 11-panel mural erupted last week when a LePage administration official announced that the artwork would be removed and that conference rooms dedicated to American labor movement icons would be renamed.
NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com
CNN: Justices to hear appeal over Wal-Mart gender pay lawsuit
Think big – really big – and you may understand the stakes in an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have a profound impact on nearly every American business with employees. At issue is whether the justices should allow certification of the largest class-action employment lawsuit in U.S. history, a long-standing dispute against mega-corporation Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over alleged gender bias in pay and promotions. Arguments in the case are Tuesday morning and ruling can be expected by late June. The company is the world’s largest retailer and the nation’s largest private employer. If the class-action goes through, hundreds of thousands of women – perhaps as many as 1.6 million plaintiffs – could join in the largest discrimination claim of its kind. Tens of billions of dollars or more in damages are potentially at stake.
INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com
CNN: World leaders meet to put more pressure on Gadhafi
As fighting between government and rebel forces rages on in several Libyan towns, world leaders will gather Tuesday in London to plan ways to put pressure on leader Moammar Gadhafi. More than 40 foreign ministers and representatives from regional groups will attend the conference, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the African Union Jean Ping and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The conference comes as opposition fighters, aided by coalition airstrikes, made some gains in fighting Gadhafi’s forces.
CNN: U.S. official: Fewer assets devoted to Libya already
The U.S. military has already reduced its day-to-day presence in the operation in and around Libya, according to a defense official. “Some of the ships have peeled off, but are still in the region,” said the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the mission. At least two of the ships involved in the initial phase of establishing the no-fly zone over Libya are no longer involved in day-to-day operations, the official said. The U.S. still “would still keep the capability to fire Tomahawk missiles, but they’re not needed as much. So the ships that have that capability may go to other spots as needed,” the defense official said. There is still enough capability to do what the U.S. has to do, he said.
CNN: Plant workers scramble to prevent radioactive water from leaking
Workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant faced a difficult balancing act Tuesday as they struggled to keep reactors cool and prevent radioactive water from leaking into the ocean. Water has been a key weapon in the battle to stave off a meltdown at the facility since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems. But officials say there’s a flip side to pumping and spraying tons of water to keep radioactive fuel from overheating: the water has to go somewhere. The discovery of contaminated water in a maintenance tunnel has sparked fresh concerns about the possibility of additional radiation leaking from the plant.
CNN: Ammo factory blast in Yemen kills at least 121
At least 121 people were killed and 45 injured in an explosion at an ammunition factory in southern Yemen on Monday, medical sources said. The death toll was expected to rise, said the sources, who asked that they not be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the news media. Two of them work at Republican Hospital in Abyan. Most of the dead and injured were locals who had been ransacking the factory after it was taken over Sunday by militants, security officials said.
CNN: Carter to meet Raul Castro on second day of Cuba trip
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter continues his trip to Cuba on Tuesday, where he is expected to have a face-to-face session with President Raul Castro. On Monday, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, landed in Havana for a private visit aimed at reducing tension between the Cold War enemies and seeing first-hand the economic reforms sweeping the communist island. But expectations are high that Carter also will work behind the scenes to secure the release of American contractor Alan Gross, who was recently sentenced to 15 years in a Cuban prison.
BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com
CNNMoney: Oil slips, but gas keeps climbing
Oil prices came under pressure Monday, tumbling below $ 104 a barrel, but gasoline prices continued to move higher nationwide. The main U.S. oil futures contract, West Texas Intermediate, for May delivery dropped $ 1.42 to settle at $ 103.98 a barrel. Brent crude, the European benchmark, fell 92 cents to $ 114.87 a barrel. Gasoline prices, however, rose Monday for the sixth day in a row. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas edged up six tenths of a cent overnight to $ 3.584, according to motorist group AAA.
In Case You Missed It
Grading President Obama’s Libya speech, in which he defend American involvement in the coalition effort.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/03/29/ac.obama.libya.involvement.cnn
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Today, in 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brewed his first batch of Coca-Cola. Take a pause to refresh.
Rachel Maddow outlines the President’s consistency of foreign policy with his decisions in Libya. Rachel Maddow dissects President Barack Obama’s speech about the U.S. role in Libya and compares his remarks to the values expressed in his Nobel Peace Prize speech.
Good Morning.
As you go through your day, don’t forget JJP.
Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.
And always, have a peaceful day.
Rachel Maddow outlines the President’s consistency of foreign policy with his decisions in Libya. Rachel Maddow dissects President Barack Obama’s speech about the U.S. role in Libya and compares his remarks to the values expressed in his Nobel Peace Prize speech.
Good Morning.
As you go through your day, don’t forget JJP.
Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.
And always, have a peaceful day.
New York Daily News |
Early ride on the Zamboni – Tuesday, March 22
msnbc.com The Rangers rode a Brandon Dubinsky goal halfway through the 3rd period to beat the Panthers 1-0 and increase their current winning streak to five. Henrik Lundqvist only needed 22 saves to earn his NHL-leading 10th shutout on the season. … NHL Report | Philadelphia Inquirer | 2011-03-23 Dubinsky late strike wins it for Rangers Lundqvist shutting out bad memory | Philadelphia Daily News | 2011-03-23 |
The Michigan House of Representatives is prepared to vote on a resolution which would overrule a January decision by the Michigan Civil Service Commission to provide partner benefits to state employees.
Republicans say the move will cost $ 6 to $ 8 million in increased costs for the state. Supporters say the costs are inflated, noting that in other locations where similar benefits have been implemented a tiny fraction of those eligible for the program enrolled.
The Senate passed the resolution earlier this month in a voice vote. One Democrat crossed party lines to join the Republican super majority in the chamber to approve the resolution. Because the bill was approved on a voice vote, it is unknown who that Democrat was.
And the House seems poised to push the resolution through with a similar action. In the House the move is called “gaveled through.” It is used by the majority party (including Democrats in the past) to pass consent agendas quickly. The acting chair, who is not always the Speaker, calls the vote, there is a verbal response (aye or nay) and the chair says the motion has passed.
The House currently has a 63 member GOP majority. But approving this resolution requires a two-thirds super majority, which means 74 votes, so 11 Democrats need to cross party lines in order for the bill to pass.
The resolution was passed out of committee last week while protesters were demonstrating against plans by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to eliminate the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit and to impose a tax on retirement pensions.
If the House approves the measure, it will be the first time in the history of the MCSC that a decision by the body was overturned by the legislature. Republicans are also seeking a ballot initiative to remove the MCSC from the state constitution, and in the meantime has been working to strip the body of much of its power.
American Family Association of Michigan President Gary Glenn sent a letter to Republican leaders in the state asking them to reject the MCSC decision. But he went a step further and asked them to ask Bill Schuette, the GOP Attorney General, to determine if providing the benefits violated the state’s “Marriage Protection Amendment.”
That amendment was passed in 2004 by voters and defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman and disallows the recognition of any other “similar” relationship. The last six words of the amendment — “or similar union for any purpose” — led to a lengthy court battle in the state that ended with the Supreme Court ruling in 2008 that providing same-sex partner benefits violated that provision. As a result, many public employers in the state created other eligible individual insurance programs. The MCSC resolution was based on those programs.
The domestic partner benefits were collectively bargained for during the Granholm administration and written into contracts. Union officials say the proper way to address the issue for the Snyder administration is at the bargaining table this summer — not through a legislative fiat undermining a good faith negotiation and agreement.
Correction: The American Family Association of Michigan did not ask Attorney General Schuette to provide a formal legal opinion on the constitutionality of the domestic partner benefits, as the article originally said; rather, they called on the legislature to ask Schuette to offer such an opinion.
- Whatever their purpose in Libya, Dana says Gaddafi has to go.
Daily Commentary – Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 – Are Coalition Forces After Gaddafi? [1:48m]: Download
By George Scoville
- America’s involvement in the war in Libya can’t be justified on either security or humanitarian grounds.
- Obamacare can’t be fixed, and now is the time to dismantle it.
- The no-fly zone over Libya can’t mean good things for American politics or policy.
- Bureaucrats can’t allocate goods more efficiently than market actors.
- President Obama can’t blame former President Bush for Guantanamo Bay anymore:
Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
Daily Commentary – Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 – Join Us Tonight for the Dana Pretzer Show!
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