Brandon Live!

The best story I’ve heard this week by far was told today over lunch.  Apparently, a co-worker of mine named George listens to the Rush Limbaugh show in his car, and yesterday heard him discussing Barak Obama’s comments about similarities between the recent housing crisis and the lead-up to the Great Depression.  I imagine the comments were referring to the obvious similarities between those who obtained ridiculous sub-prime loans and those in the 1920s who bought stock they couldn’t afford on margin.  However, Limbaugh decided that Obama’s comments were the result of a crazy “liberal education” - and even remarks how “lucky” he is that he didn’t graduate from college, thus allowing him to escape the perils of actual knowledge.

To prove his point, Rush says he did some Google searches for “Great Depression” and then proceeds to attack each of the results as liberal propaganda.  Because we all know that college professors teach straight off of Google results pages.  So my friend is listening and hears something rather striking… the name of one of our mutual colleagues - Paul Alexander Gusmorino (”The Third!” - I love the way Limbaugh says that).  

Limbaugh found among the top results an essay written by Paul, entitled “The Main Causes of the Great Depression.”  He quotes Paul’s essay and refutes each of its claims, dissecting them as if they were part of a Harvard professor’s lecture on the subject.  He doesn’t pull any punches either.  “Mr. Gusmorino, you better check Karl Marx and see if you plagiarized him in putting this piece together.”

Ouch.  Those words would be harsh if they really were for a Harvard lecturer.  But that’s not who wrote this essay.  It was my friend who works as a Program Manager at Microsoft.

When he was in 10th grade.

I just read a good argument for an Obama-Clinton democractic ticket.  For a short time I had ruled out such a ticket, and it’s quite possible that such a thing will be impossible (especially when Clinton makes attacks like this one).

Regardless of what happens, I do hope someone will call out Senator Clinton for that attack in just the way suggested over at Andrew Sullivan’s blog.

Grassroots Mom over at the Daily Kos has a fantastic breakdown of both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama’s track records through 2007.  She looks at the bills and amendments they authored, who co-sponsored them, and how many they actually got passed.

The result of this analysis may surprise you, especially if you believe Hillary’s claims that she’s the only one who knows "how to get things done in Washington."

Here are a couple examples from the article:

In her ads and speeches, Clinton claims that she’s fighting to stop foreclosure while implying that Obama is empty rhetoric. Actually, Clinton is calling for "enhanced disclosures to consumers and enhanced regulation", while Obama’s bill will "stop mortgage transactions which operate to promote fraud, risk, abuse, and under-development."  After looking at the two bills, Obama’s appears to be tougher, more directly addressing the problem.

Speaking of Obama, here’s a list of some of his proposed legislation.

Four bills on energy including
• S.1151 : A bill to provide incentives to the auto industry to accelerate efforts to develop more energy-efficient vehicles to lessen dependence on oil;
•S.115 : A bill to suspend royalty relief, to repeal certain provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal certain tax incentives for the oil and gas industry; and •S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.

Clinton had only one bill that I could find that addressed the same issue, S.701 : A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a temporary oil profit fee and to use the proceeds of the fee collected to provide a Strategic Energy Fund and expand certain energy tax incentives, and for other purposes. 

Obama wants to "repeal certain tax incentives for the oil and gas industry". Clinton sees the answer in a "temporary oil profit fee" and to "expand certain energy tax incentives" for alternative energy. Obama’s alternative energy bill (S.133) was co-sponsored by Harkin, Lugar and Salazar. Clinton’s bill again had no co-sponsors.

The media makes a big deal about endorsements like that from Ted Kennedy.  But I pay much more attention to one like this one given recently by a favorite web comic of mine, XKCD.

The author, Randall, outlines some of the most important reasons I support Obama.  And rather than copy what he wrote, I’ll just let you go read it yourself.

Read this. 

Better yet, watch the video.

That’s all I can say.  You owe it to yourself to read every word.

I’ve been supporting this guy for a while, and while both Edwards and Clinton have their appeal, I am incredibly pleased to see him win Iowa’s primary.

Watching him speak, as in that video, I can’t help but feel that he’s every bit as good a speaker as Bill Clinton.  That’s where Hillary often disappoints.  Hence my twitter tonight, “Anyone else think Obama is more like Clinton than Clinton?”

It seems the whole “But… but… China!” talking point used by those opposing efforts to curb climate-changing emissions in the US isn’t holding so much water these days.

Check out Keith’s latest look back on the years since “Mission Accomplished” was declared in Iraq.

Meanwhile, despite years of “progress” and being just about to “turn a corner,” it looks like the President is set to veto the bill passed by the House and the Senate to support our troops with funding and a plan for phased redeployment and withdrawal.  No wonder election coverage has started so ridiculously early… the country has become desperate to get rid of this guy.

In April, the UN is cutting food rations for families displaced by the war in northern Uganda by half. They are citing a lack of funds to continue at the current pace (which already can’t keep up with what’s needed there).

What happened to Bush’s promises of “compassionate conservatism?” David Kuo (former head of Bush’s “Faith-Based Initiative” program) frequently asks the same question. This excerpt from his fantastic (yet distressing) book, Tempting Faith seems applicable

“Forget about all that. Money. All these guys care about is money. They want money. How much money have we given them?” Bush asked.

For two years I had bitten my tongue and toed the line. I wasn’t angry now, but I was no longer willing to lie. “Sir, we’ve given them virtually nothing.”

If you haven’t read it, and have the least bit of concern about faith in politics (or just want a conservative insider’s perspective of the current administration) - do yourself a favor and pick it up.

But first, write to your congressman and senators. Or call them. Reference the article at CNN and tell them that we need to do something about this. Or help support groups working in that region, like Invisible Children or Tusubira.

Source: CNN.com

Apparently this Republican congressman has sent forth from his dark lair in Mordor Texas a bill proposing that all ISPs in the US be forced to log traffic from all internet users (including full text of all e-mails, IM conversations, etc) indefinitely.  Not only would such a law be laughably illegal and unethical, but it’s logistically impossible.

For example, this would require Comcast to keep copies of all my Microsoft internal e-mails, since I access them from home.  Of course, Comcast couldn’t possibly do this since my corporate e-mail is encrypted until it reaches my computer. 

Perhaps we should also force gas stations to submit records to the government of everywhere I drive, including wrong turns I make and precisely how long I sit in traffic on the 520 bridge.  Nevermind the fact that gas stations don’t have access to that information, and that obtaining it would be a gross violation of my right to privacy.  Nevermind the fact that it would be impossible for them to track every customer 24 hours a day and store all of that data in a secure fashion indefinitely.

Oh better yet, he’s proposing in the same bill that ISPs be fined $150,000 for “permitting” a subscriber to perpetrate certain illegal activities using their service.   I say the gas stations should be held accountable the same way.  They do provide the fuel that permits me to drive around US roads, right?  If I do something bad, shouldn’t they be held responsible for permitting me to use their fuel to perform nefarious acts?