Rowhouse Logic - Breathtaking Inanity

I’m really excited that Albert was given one of the blogger press passes for this weekend’s Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Albert always brings so much enthusiasm to the table whenever he gets involved with anything, that I think he is the perfect choice to cover the event. Combine that with his amazing photography and passionate writing, and I think we have a really terrific individual representing Philadelphia at Saturday’s concert. Be sure to check out his live blogging of the event on Philly Future.

Although I’m a horrific music snob, and won’t enjoy a bit of Saturday’s concert on a musical level, I’ll still be taking a walk down to the Parkway to take part in the festivities for at least a little while. I hope you join me. This is the sort of event that comes to Philadelphia very rarely, and I’m really excited to welcome the whole world to my hometown. I’d love it if my hometown would stop bitching about the lineup and enjoy, but I know that would be asking too much.

Additionally, I’m trying to work out a special, surprise edition of Saturday Beer Blogging, so be sure to check in. Sadly, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to land a decent African beer by Saturday. If not, I’ll do a G8 beer blog extravaganza, featuring beers from as many G8 nations as I can muster on a budget. I should add that the G8 beer blogging extravaganza is probably my preference, because then I’ll really enjoy the concert in ways I otherwise might not.

Aside from the fun and games, I’ll also try to get as much info about African debt relief together in a single post or page as I can for you to peruse, and I’ll try to point you towards writers with a real grasp of the issue. The importance of economic and political stability in Africa is an issue which reaches across most of our political divides, and really should be a prominent part of our conversation, for both its moral and national security implications. If you don’t think much of the way the organizers of the Live 8 event are pushing the issue, find your own way to do it . Even a little something is better than nothing.

Samantha, from PA Liberal (a very good site, by the way), left an interesting comment in the previous entry which follows a line of reasoning I’ve heard quite a bit recently. The basic argument is that Casey will be a particularly effective candidate against Santorum because his positons on abortion, gun control and stem cell research are very close to Santorum’s thus nulifying them as an issue. This may or may not be a realistic expectation, and I’m not the person to look to for effective political strategy so I won’t try to argue it one way or the other. My concern, however, is that these positions will have a negative impact on turnout from the Democratic base in an election where we will need all of the electricity and enthusiasm we can muster if we to have any hope of defeating Santorum. I want to see a vigorous Democratic primary fight, but I’m finding that I’m very much in the minority in that view.

Just to follow up on my previous post about MoveOn’s decision to endorse Bob Casey, I should add that they sent out an email survey to members, myself included, to determine who they would endorse. One problem with the survey, aside from being way too early, is that it didn’t provide any actual information about the candidates’ stances on any issues. Just a little information on the candidates’ positions is the best thing they could have provided at this stage, and I think they really fell down on the job. This is partially understandable, as the candidate they endorsed doesn’t seem to have any positions at this point.

Anyway, I’m going to spend quite a bit of time talking about Chuck Pennacchio in the coming months, but I won’t be doing it by tearing down Bob Casey any further than I already have. Chuck has very good positions on nearly every issue, so staying positive should be very easy. I should add that, regardless of the outcome of the primary, I will be supporting and working to help elect the Democratic nominee.

Like Albert, I’m perplexed by MoveOnPac’s early endorsement of Robert Casey in the upcoming Pennsylvania Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. While, I haven’t invested myself in Chuck Pennacchio in the way Albert has, I’m disappointed that MoveOn has moved to endorse a candidate who really hasn’t, as yet, provided the voting public with any policy substance over one who has. This is especially disappointing given that we are still so far away from the actual vote, and if Pennacchio is to have a credible run he will need all of the progressive grassroots support he can muster.

In his post, Albert discusses a conversation he had on Sunday with a Casey intern. I should add that I was a part of this same discussion, and walked away with more questions than answers. Since the discussion was casual and off record I won’t go into the details, but I think Albert’s description of his feelings walking away from the conversation speaks for both of us.

If the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is to nominate a staunch Pro-Life candidate to run against Rick Santorum, I would imagine that the abortion issue will indeed consume a great deal of our debate leading up until the November 2006 vote. Roe V. Wade was decided by the Supreme Court in 1973. Politicians have been running campaigns and raising money vowing to criminalize the procedure for nearly 32 years. I fail to understand how this registers as logical or even useful strategy, given that it has, to my knowledge, failed to prevent even a single unwanted pregnancy or a single abortion. At present, we have an anti-abortion president, coupled with and anti-abortion majority in both houses of Congress, yet we have not seen a statistically significant decrease in the overall number of abortions. Though I would never be so cynical, one could almost imagine that they are dragging this issue out and doing nothing to actually reduce the actual incidence of abortion, purely for political gain.

I was assured by the Casey intern, with whom Albert and I spoke with on Sunday, that Mr. Casey is an honest man who will not hedge on his abortion position for political expediency. Well that’s just swell, but what I would like to hear from Mr. Casey is what he plans to do to actually reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus abortions, as the current strategy is an abject failure. If he really believes in this position, surely he must have an answer. Does he plan to shut his eyes tight and hope for circumstances that might allow for criminalization, or does he have an actual, comprehensive plan which might actually reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus abortions? Should he succeed in criminalizing abortion, does he plan to declare victory and close his eyes to what happens next? Does he actually have a program in mind? If history serves as any example, criminalization probably won’t do much to actually reduce the number abortions, or anything else, and the loss of all regulation as a result of that criminalization, will probably lead to some very brutal outcomes. How does Mr. Casey plan to deal with these realities?

Given that his position is at odds with much of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania, I don’t think that he deserves the nomination if he doesn’t have answers to these, and many other questions. I’m by no means a one issue voter, but given that this issue is of particular concern to so many voters who we will need in November of 2006 if we are to defeat Rick Santorum, we really need more that pat answers, simple positions, and regular bullshit. For myself, I like a little depth and a little sound policy, and I hope to hear it from Mr. Casey.

The reason I bring up this particular concern is that, despite whatever anybody may say, the Democratic base is going to need to be out in force if we expect to defeat Rick Santorum in 2006. While Santorum is such an unpalpable figure and so out of touch with his constituency that most of us can’t even imagine he could ever be reelected, he is an extremely formidable politician of considerable skill, and none of us should ever forget it. If you don’t believe that he’s just a bit more than very dangerous as a politician, you’re way off your rocker. The Democratic nominee will need considerable enthusiasm, for his or her candidacy, from the Democratic base, beyond mere Santorum hatred, if he or she is to have a chance in hell of winning. If Casey is to be the guy, and I’m not pulling for that outcome at this point, he has a lot of questions to answer and a lot of policies to develop and explain clearly. I’m stuck wondering why MoveOn doesn’t feel the same way. Why the hell didn’t they just take a deep breath and wait?

Just as a reminder, even though I have been posting a little, I’m still on break and working out a direction for the site that I’ll be happy with. I’ll probably update the site nearly every day with a link or two, but I’m still on hiatus and not really in a good frame of mind for writing. I do plan to return to regular blogging soon, so check back every now and again.

Hefe Weissbier, brewed by Bayer, Staats-Brauerei Weihesnstephan in Freising, Germany.

A nice wheat beer, perfect for a hot summer day on the deck. If you have never tried a real German beer, this beer is a good, friendly one to start with.

With apologies to my brother, I’d like to ask you a question or two about fish pants. Are fish pants made by fish, made of fish, or made for fish to wear? Additionally, would you consider fish pants to be bold, dynamic pants. If not, what would you consider to be a bold, dynamic pant? For the record, all of my pants are static and meek.

Clearly, I have nothing to say. Have a nice weekend.

I know it’s pointless to quote Kos, since most everyone will have read the post long before they see it here. This one is just about perfect, so I’ll do it anyway.

The best way to tell the anti-war folks to fuck off would be to succeed. Pacify Afghanistan. Defeat the insurgency in Iraq. Destroy Al Qaida.

But that would require a level of competence utterly and completely absent in this administration.

Enough said.

More discussion on the New Jersey decision to promote healthy eating in their schools.

Why in the world has it taken our schools so long to get on the healthy-eating bandwagon. Honestly, this should have been a no-brainer, which goes hand in hand with the President’s Commission on Physical Fitness (or whatever that entity is called). The publicly funded schools should be doing the right thing. I’m curious how different our society would be if this type of change had been enacted long ago.

Forever A Square Peg throws her voice into the discussion. Click here for a look.

In recent months I’ve gotten away from the practice of showing gruesome pictures of the Iraq war on this website. This is something I used to do on a fairly regular basis. There are a number of good reasons for this, but good reasons aside, and to be perfectly honest, my stomach just can’t take it right now. This is probably shallow - I know.

Anyway, should I choose to resume running war pictures, I’ve decided I’ll use one line from the original Downing Street Memo as the caption for all of them - “There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.” And so it goes.

From the Guardian:

A key Foreign Office diplomat responsible for liaising with UN inspectors says today that claims the government made about Iraq’s weapons programme were “totally implausible”.

He tells the Guardian: “I’d read the intelligence on WMD for four and a half years, and there’s no way that it could sustain the case that the government was presenting. All of my colleagues knew that, too”.

Carne Ross, who was a member of the British mission to the UN in New York during the run-up to the invasion, resigned from the FO last year, after giving evidence to the Butler inquiry.

The whole story was indeed totally implausible, but you probably already knew that. Moving right along…

Everybody’s favorite dog loving drama queen, Rick Santorum, just got the shaft.

(AP) — CYBERSCHOOL TUITION: Students enrolled in online charter schools, or “cyberschools,” would have to live within a school district with their parents to be considered residents of the district under a measure passed by the House 175-24. The measure now goes to the Senate.

Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, said his proposal, which was attached to an education bill, seeks to clarify that school districts do not have to pay cyberschool tuition for students whose families live out of state. Cyberschools would be allowed to charge tuition for students who do not meet the new residency requirements.

DeLuca said he introduced the measure in response to a dispute over tuition that taxpayers in the Penn Hills School District paid for U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum’s children to be educated via computer at their Virginia home. The state has yet to rule on whether the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School must refund the tuition.

The mission is opaque. Clear enough?

Go have a look at Albert’s interview with Joe Hoeffel. Good job Albert. Hoeffel, by the way, has a new blog which is well worth a look.

Yeah, I defiantly should have thought a little harder about my choice to become a professional computer geek. Apparently, the only serious growth industry our nation knows in 2005 involves stroking Republican’s egos, and god only knows what else:

The lobbying boom has been caused by three factors, experts say: rapid growth in government, Republican control of both the White House and Congress, and wide acceptance among corporations that they need to hire professional lobbyists to secure their share of federal benefits.

“There’s unlimited business out there for us,” said Robert L. Livingston, a Republican former chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and now president of a thriving six-year-old lobbying firm. “Companies need lobbying help.”

Lobbying firms can’t hire people fast enough. Starting salaries have risen to about $300,000 a year for the best-connected aides eager to “move downtown” from Capitol Hill or the Bush administration. Once considered a distasteful post-government vocation, big-bucks lobbying is luring nearly half of all lawmakers who return to the private sector when they leave Congress, according to a forthcoming study by Public Citizen’s Congress Watch.

Political historians don’t see these as positive developments for democracy. “We’ve got a problem here,” said Allan Cigler, a political scientist at the University of Kansas. “The growth of lobbying makes even worse than it is already the balance between those with resources and those without resources.”

I don’t know anything more about the death of Philadelphia Police officer Paris Williams, which occurred during today’s skateboard/biotech protests, than does anybody else who relies on the preliminary reporting. I am, however, very sad this evening. Judging from what I saw on the delayed (due to the NBA finals) late news on the local ABC affiliate, this probably will turn into something. Just what that something is, we’ll have to wait and see. We can only hope that all is as well as it can be with the late officer’s loved ones. Sadly, that isn’t likely to be all too well.

According the Washington Post, Dick Durbin has apologized for his remarks last week when he asked what a listener might think of an FBI agent’s description of a detainee’s treatment at Gitmo. Others have made far better defenses of his remarks than I ever could, so I won’t try. I do want to highlight one Durbin quote from the Post’s article, as I think it hits the nail right on the head:

“This administration should apologize to the American people for abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure,”

Yes they should.

Philadelphians, much like their New York City brethren, are required to say at least one rude thing about New Jersey every day of their lives. The requirement is printed right on our birth certificates and we are taught this peculiar form of cruelty before we are even taught to walk or use the potty. That said, Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs share more in common, both politically and economically, with New Jersey than with the rest of Pennsylvania. The rest of the Pennsylvania, by the way, would be quite pleased to give us to New Jersey. Anyway, the news that New Jersey is trying bump up its spot in the Presidential primary schedule is great news. It’s about time we got in on some of the decision making. (Via Susie)

Taking some inspiration from Kos, I’ve decided to send some certified letters to prominent pro-war Christian ministers, asking them to support the war they support by enlisting their flock. This is the first, and will be sent to Jerry Falwell via certified mail tomorrow morning. I’ll eagerly await his reply and you can be sure I’ll post whatever I get here.

Dr. Jerry Falwell
Thomas Road Baptist Church
701 Thomas Rd
Lynchburg, VA 24514

Dear Dr. Falwell,

I am writing you today to discuss the recent recruitment shortages being experienced by our nation’s military. As you are well aware, a strong nation, in time of war, needs every able-bodied young man and woman to commit to serving in its armed forces. Sadly, the situation, as it stands today, is quite grave. As I’m sure you’re aware, the Army missed it’s recruitment goal for the month of May by some twenty five percent. This cannot stand.

As the leader of one of our nation’s most prominent Christian Ministries, and as a person who has stated that our nation’s war in Iraq is just in the eyes of God, I feel as though you could make a significant contribution to our country’s war effort by urging your flock to join the ranks of the military. The members of your youth ministry alone, could go a long way towards helping to stem the tide of depletions within the ranks of our nation’s military. I would imagine that these young recruits would constitute some of the finest in all of the branches, in that they would understand, by way of your tutelage, the moral righteousness of their undertaking.

Additionally, as the chancellor of Liberty University, you have the opportunity to influence numerous young adults to join the military and help us finally turn the corner in Iraq. If I may be so bold, I would suggest that you offer a combination of earned credits and scholarships to any Liberty University students who adhere to your call that they serve their country in uniform. I must admit to some confusion as to why you have not already taken these, or similar, steps. Knowing that you are man of integrity, I’m not certain why a person of your influence would not guide his flock towards military service in Iraq. Nevertheless, I’m certain it was merely an oversight and I look forward to the real results a Christian man of your stature can bring.

Having been raised in the Presbyterian Church, which tends to advocate peace at nearly all costs, I fear that I may not fully understand all of your teachings with regards to this or any war. I am, however, no theologian so I must ultimately bow to your knowledge of God’s will with regards to war. I would look forward to any personal correspondence which would serve to enlighten me on these matters, and look forward to your efforts to help the war.

Sincerely,

Christopher D. Baldwin

Since there is a core constituency in this county which believes that the Iraq war is right beyond question, they need to step up to the plate, deliver and put their lives where their mouths are by joining the armed services. As Gen. JC Christian is already working on young Republicans, I’ll turn my attention to pro-war Christian preachers.

While I find the idea of a pro-war Christian minister disturbing on all too many levels, if our society is to house such individuals, they should put their believers where their mouths are. Either that, or preach something less discordant and altogether less destructive. I’ll be doing any number of these letters over the coming weeks, because the environment is, as some might say, target rich. I intend, and will try, to be polite, as that is my nature. Should you choose to join in, I certainly don’t ask the same of you.

The reality is this, we have a recruitment situation in the midst of a major war which is simply unsustainable. Something has to break. Right now, the things breaking, are the lives of our active duty military and reservists, who are being called upon to serve tours of duty which are unrealistic and unreasonable. What’s breaking is our nation’s ability to defend itself as effectively as it otherwise could, should a major new threat arise. What’s breaking are the families of our military personnel, who are forced to live with reduced income and the chance that their loved one will be next. What’s broken are the families who have already lost far too much - lost that which cannot be regained. What’s broken is Iraq and its people who have suffered horrific casualties, and whose prospects for a fruitful future dies just a little more with each explosion, gunshot, lost home, lost life and destroyed dream.

If you would like to send a letter of your own to Dr. Falwell, the address provided is acurate. Get to work.

I don’t usually jump on items that the big bloggers are talking about, but this post has to be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. If you confuse a Fred Phelps funeral protest, for some sort of leftist anti-war protest, you really are too stupid to be allowed near a computer or pretty pictures. Either that, or we all need to figure out what sort of experimental drugs this Marc character is taking. Who knows, It could make for a truly whacked weekend.

Update: It looks as though he’s updated his post and well, um, wow. I won’t try to parse the update, it’s something you really need to see for yourself. I’ll just say that after reading the little rant, that I feel as though a Koala just crapped a rainbow in my brain. (thanks to Coturnix for keeping me informed)