Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.
-Margaret Mead
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Instincts vs. plans
According to IMDb, Anderson Cooper once said...
When I was younger, I talked to the adults around me that I respected most about how they got where they were, and none of them plotted a course they could have predicted, so it seemed a waste of time to plan too long-term. Since then I've always gone on my instincts.
And he's certainly doing well. I'm feeling much better about my lack of a five-year plan. This lack of a plan doesn't usually bother me, but being in law school, I spend my days around an awful lot of people with an awful lot of plans. Once in a while it gets to me. Granted, it doesn't get to me enough to actually draft a plan of my own, but it's still nice to find someone who's made it by going on instinct.
When I was younger, I talked to the adults around me that I respected most about how they got where they were, and none of them plotted a course they could have predicted, so it seemed a waste of time to plan too long-term. Since then I've always gone on my instincts.
And he's certainly doing well. I'm feeling much better about my lack of a five-year plan. This lack of a plan doesn't usually bother me, but being in law school, I spend my days around an awful lot of people with an awful lot of plans. Once in a while it gets to me. Granted, it doesn't get to me enough to actually draft a plan of my own, but it's still nice to find someone who's made it by going on instinct.
Reporter finally released
Remember Judith Miller? Just in case you don't remember, she's the NYT reporter who was jailed for refusing to reveal her source. Remember the story? Another Administration flub: the revelation of Valerie Plame as a CIA agent.
Miller's been in jail for almost three months. She was finally released today after her source released her from her promise of confidentiality.
So supposedly this whole leak business is still being investigated. I read somewhere the other day that this "investigation" has now gone on longer than the investigation of Nixon and his Watergate mess.
This Administration is just pathetic.
Miller's been in jail for almost three months. She was finally released today after her source released her from her promise of confidentiality.
So supposedly this whole leak business is still being investigated. I read somewhere the other day that this "investigation" has now gone on longer than the investigation of Nixon and his Watergate mess.
This Administration is just pathetic.
Michael Brown update
So I found the answer to my question about what Brown will do next. It seems that he is being paid by the federal government (in other words, by you and me) as a consultant to help FEMA figure out what went wrong.
I thought I had also read an article that said how much he's making, but I can't find that. I did find that he was making about 145K before he resigned. Don't know if that went up/down or stayed the same in his "consultant" role.
Can you imagine? He is a huge part of what is being investigated in this what went wrong investigation... and we're paying him to help with (lead??? on the FEMA side, I believe) the investigation? Really?
I knew this Administration was a joke... but come on!!!!!
If you don't believe me and need to read it for yourself, here are a couple of links:
CNN, 9/27
CNN, 9/28
I thought I had also read an article that said how much he's making, but I can't find that. I did find that he was making about 145K before he resigned. Don't know if that went up/down or stayed the same in his "consultant" role.
Can you imagine? He is a huge part of what is being investigated in this what went wrong investigation... and we're paying him to help with (lead??? on the FEMA side, I believe) the investigation? Really?
I knew this Administration was a joke... but come on!!!!!
If you don't believe me and need to read it for yourself, here are a couple of links:
CNN, 9/27
CNN, 9/28
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Random news of interest
Mike Brown. Apparently Mike Brown (director of FEMA, taking lots of heat over the lousy response to Hurricane Katrina, recalled to Washington a few days ago in response to that heat, rumored to have "padded" his resume) has resigned. So here's my question: what on earth does he do now? A second presidential appointment would not be wise. But with this last few weeks on his resume, who's going to hire him? This is certainly not the first time that someone has resigned during the heat of the day, if you will. I'm just wondering what they do next.
John Roberts. What does John Roberts believe? Hard to say. He doesn't answer anything. Sometimes I understand, as many of these issues will be before the Supreme Court (and in some cases even before the lower court where Roberts is currently residing); sometimes I don’t understand, as he seems to be too careful as a way to get out of answering high-tension questions.
On the one hand, I get that the memos he wrote, the positions he took, while working for Reagan were the Administration's positions and not necessarily his personally. He was doing his job. That's what lawyers do. I get that. On the other hand, why did the Reagan Administration hire him? Good lawyering skills aside, why him over everyone else? Presumably, they would have been looking to hire someone whose ideology matched their own.
Mostly, I think I have problems with the nomination of someone who is so very new to the bench. He's been there for two years. We have no real way of knowing how he'll rule.
I've been reading some stuff today that compares some of Roberts's responses in the hearings to Clarence Thomas's answers back in his hearings. I must say that they were eerily similar.
Of course, as we all know, throughout the history of the court, it is certainly not unheard of that a justice ends up not being quite what people thought he/she would be. Who knows why this happens. A change of heart later in life (in theory, as the Supremes are generally a bit older)? A "letting down of the guard" once they reach the ultimate seat, from which they cannot be fired? Who knows. But it has happened. So there is a possibility that Mr. Conservative could turn out to be a liberal in wolf's clothing. Or he could turn out to be an O'Connor. In theory, fairly conservative. And yet… she is often the swing vote that the liberals need.
There is no way to know until the person is on the court. I can't imagine being on this committee. Appointing a Supreme Court justice is not an easy job.
Total Failure. Back to Katrina. The response, from all levels of government, has been just atrocious. Bush will be there tomorrow for the fourth time. He's also apparently said that the horrible response is the fault of the federal government. I'm sorry, but in my opinion, it's too late too late from him. It took him days to get down there. It took him even longer to get Brown out of there and someone else in.
I was actually very glad to see that Bush's approval ratings are at an all-time low. The last time I saw them, he was tied with Johnson's ratings during Vietnam. You know, when Johnson's approval rating was so low that he announced that he would not be running? Johnson's rating that was an overall all-time low? And finally (finally!), polls are showing that the people of this country think that Bush should be paying more attention to the home front! Finally! It's just so horrible that it took something so tragic to refocus people on our own nation's problems.
Not that I'm against helping others. But you cannot successfully help the world if your own home is falling apart. Also, you cannot (should not) be attempting to make over other countries in our own image. Citizens of other nations should have the opportunity to mold their own nations.
Ophelia. Yikes. The more odd weather we have, the more fascinated I become by the weather. Today I learned that as the eye gets smaller, the storm (usually) gets stronger. Think of a skater pulling her/his arms in during a spin. And as of early today, Ophelia's eye seemed to be getting a bit smaller. So yes, the potential is there for that storm to get worse. Granted, it's "only" a category 1. The problem, of course, is that it's moving slooooooowly. They're talking about 12+ hours of storm for that part of the coast. We're not talking 12 hours of a gentle spring rain here. We're talking about areas that have already received 10+ inches of rain. And the storm's not over yet!
You know, some people scoff at us Mid-Westerners… but there are definitely times when it's good to be in the middle!
John Roberts. What does John Roberts believe? Hard to say. He doesn't answer anything. Sometimes I understand, as many of these issues will be before the Supreme Court (and in some cases even before the lower court where Roberts is currently residing); sometimes I don’t understand, as he seems to be too careful as a way to get out of answering high-tension questions.
On the one hand, I get that the memos he wrote, the positions he took, while working for Reagan were the Administration's positions and not necessarily his personally. He was doing his job. That's what lawyers do. I get that. On the other hand, why did the Reagan Administration hire him? Good lawyering skills aside, why him over everyone else? Presumably, they would have been looking to hire someone whose ideology matched their own.
Mostly, I think I have problems with the nomination of someone who is so very new to the bench. He's been there for two years. We have no real way of knowing how he'll rule.
I've been reading some stuff today that compares some of Roberts's responses in the hearings to Clarence Thomas's answers back in his hearings. I must say that they were eerily similar.
Of course, as we all know, throughout the history of the court, it is certainly not unheard of that a justice ends up not being quite what people thought he/she would be. Who knows why this happens. A change of heart later in life (in theory, as the Supremes are generally a bit older)? A "letting down of the guard" once they reach the ultimate seat, from which they cannot be fired? Who knows. But it has happened. So there is a possibility that Mr. Conservative could turn out to be a liberal in wolf's clothing. Or he could turn out to be an O'Connor. In theory, fairly conservative. And yet… she is often the swing vote that the liberals need.
There is no way to know until the person is on the court. I can't imagine being on this committee. Appointing a Supreme Court justice is not an easy job.
Total Failure. Back to Katrina. The response, from all levels of government, has been just atrocious. Bush will be there tomorrow for the fourth time. He's also apparently said that the horrible response is the fault of the federal government. I'm sorry, but in my opinion, it's too late too late from him. It took him days to get down there. It took him even longer to get Brown out of there and someone else in.
I was actually very glad to see that Bush's approval ratings are at an all-time low. The last time I saw them, he was tied with Johnson's ratings during Vietnam. You know, when Johnson's approval rating was so low that he announced that he would not be running? Johnson's rating that was an overall all-time low? And finally (finally!), polls are showing that the people of this country think that Bush should be paying more attention to the home front! Finally! It's just so horrible that it took something so tragic to refocus people on our own nation's problems.
Not that I'm against helping others. But you cannot successfully help the world if your own home is falling apart. Also, you cannot (should not) be attempting to make over other countries in our own image. Citizens of other nations should have the opportunity to mold their own nations.
Ophelia. Yikes. The more odd weather we have, the more fascinated I become by the weather. Today I learned that as the eye gets smaller, the storm (usually) gets stronger. Think of a skater pulling her/his arms in during a spin. And as of early today, Ophelia's eye seemed to be getting a bit smaller. So yes, the potential is there for that storm to get worse. Granted, it's "only" a category 1. The problem, of course, is that it's moving slooooooowly. They're talking about 12+ hours of storm for that part of the coast. We're not talking 12 hours of a gentle spring rain here. We're talking about areas that have already received 10+ inches of rain. And the storm's not over yet!
You know, some people scoff at us Mid-Westerners… but there are definitely times when it's good to be in the middle!
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Devastation
Here's an interesting story: USA Today. Be sure to note when it first appeared.
Harry Connick, Jr. has been to New Orleans this week. Where's the president? Where are the troops? Where is the help? It's been four days. Within four days of the Tsunami, we had more aid in place on the other side of the globe than we do now in our own country.
This catastrophe is not a surprise. This is the worst-case scenario that's been discussed for years, probably decades. Though apparently it's been mentioned as the worst-case scenario, no one has actually bothered to plan for it. We knew close to a week in advance that something was going to happen. We were sure as of late Friday or Saturday that it was going to hit the Gulf Coast and it was going to be very bad. Why didn't we get the aid and supplies in then? That used to be the way we operated. Back in the days of Clinton.
So far the most our president has managed to do is to ask his daddy and President Clinton to raise money. Oh and today he finally asked the Congress for money. Of course, that's going to cause more problems than it'll solve. Why do I say that? Because they're going to use this as a photo op. They're going to throw what sounds like a bunch of money (but in reality is a mere drop in the bucket considering the devastation) in the general direction of New Orleans (because apparently everyone has forgotten that New Orleans was not the only city/area wrecked by this storm) and then they'll forget about it. There will be no future planning. There will be no long-term fixing. And throwing random money at the problem now means there will be even less money to help in the long run. Also, the "creative accounting" that's going to fund their photo op is not going to be pleasant for any of us.
And then there's FEMA. They used to be quite the org. From what I understand, it used to be that they couldn't be beat. So what on earth is going on here? Oh right, FEMA is no longer in control of disasters. FEMA has been folded into the Office of Homeland Security. And that office... well, they're new. They still don't even know their own structure.
Where's the president? Where's the call for volunteers? Where's the call for conservation (heaven forbid this oil-funded administration would actually use that word)?
This is disgusting. It's embarrassing. I can't bring myself to read any of the coverage from other countries. I can only imagine what they're saying about us.
Why is it that we're more capable of getting in the middle of things in other countries than we are of getting in the middle of things in our own country? Why do we think we can take care of the world when we clearly can't take care of ourselves?
I said yesterday that I didn't think other countries needed to send us aid. I've completely changed my mind because apparently our government can't handle it.
Where is the president? Why hasn't he been there? Why did he remain on vacation? What was he thinking going to CA to talk about social security? [Social security? A plan that the majority of Americans have clearly said no thanks to. A plan that he continues to push anyway because... well, frankly, I don't know why. But it's become his pet cause even though NO ONE wants his version of it.] Vacationing and social security in the aftermath of one of the worst (if not THE worst) natural disasters that's ever hit this country? And what was he thinking when he allowed his picture to be taken while he was sitting on his cushy couch looking out the window at 5,000 feet?
As someone on the radio said yesterday, he's having another My Pet Goat moment.
People who know me know that I don't hesitate to say that I don't think the guy is all that bright. I think he's selfish. I think he has no compassion, no empathy. I do not believe he cares about the people of this country. But this... even I didn't expect this apparent lack of interest in this tragedy.
Where are the buses? Where is the food, the water, the diapers?
I get that this is huge. I get that. But where is the planning? The aid? The help? We knew this was coming! We knew. We've known for years. Yes, we've all seen people being saved from rooftops. The people doing that rescuing are truly heroes. Yes, there are people helping, giving what they have, helping those who are ill, lost, wandering. Please don't misunderstand me. Those who are there, who are helping are truly wonderful people. They are heroes. They are to be admired, to be emulated. But they can't do all of this alone. They need more help. Where is the military? Oh, right, they're dying in Iraq.
And you know what's really sad? There's a not entirely small part of me that is afraid to post this, afraid to publicly post something so clearly critical of the administration. Over the last few years (say... 5) people have been questioned, detained, harassed really, for much less. I don't think the ABA will like it if I acquire a record.
I was watching a special on NBC as I typed this. They of course finished up with a photo montage. When I realized what song was running with the montage... well, let's just say I've had it for the day. I'm overloaded on this news. Watching and listening to all of this has actually been causing me more anxiety than I would have believed possible considering that I am many miles away, that I have no ties to that area, that I know no one there. My anxiety about this is actually at the point where it is showing itself physically. And I'm here safe and dry in Ohio. I have the luxury of turning off the tv, drinking a clean glass of water, and going to bed in my nice, clean bed in my air-conditioned apartment.
I truly cannot even begin to imagine what it's like down there. Cannot imagine how those people feel; whether you ended up trapped there or you managed to get out, your material life got washed away just the same... the only world many have ever known is simply gone.
So anyway, here's a little bit of the song from the special...
My city of ruins
My city of ruins...
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!...
Thanks to Bruce for that one. More appropriate than he could possibly have imagined when he first sang those words.
Harry Connick, Jr. has been to New Orleans this week. Where's the president? Where are the troops? Where is the help? It's been four days. Within four days of the Tsunami, we had more aid in place on the other side of the globe than we do now in our own country.
This catastrophe is not a surprise. This is the worst-case scenario that's been discussed for years, probably decades. Though apparently it's been mentioned as the worst-case scenario, no one has actually bothered to plan for it. We knew close to a week in advance that something was going to happen. We were sure as of late Friday or Saturday that it was going to hit the Gulf Coast and it was going to be very bad. Why didn't we get the aid and supplies in then? That used to be the way we operated. Back in the days of Clinton.
So far the most our president has managed to do is to ask his daddy and President Clinton to raise money. Oh and today he finally asked the Congress for money. Of course, that's going to cause more problems than it'll solve. Why do I say that? Because they're going to use this as a photo op. They're going to throw what sounds like a bunch of money (but in reality is a mere drop in the bucket considering the devastation) in the general direction of New Orleans (because apparently everyone has forgotten that New Orleans was not the only city/area wrecked by this storm) and then they'll forget about it. There will be no future planning. There will be no long-term fixing. And throwing random money at the problem now means there will be even less money to help in the long run. Also, the "creative accounting" that's going to fund their photo op is not going to be pleasant for any of us.
And then there's FEMA. They used to be quite the org. From what I understand, it used to be that they couldn't be beat. So what on earth is going on here? Oh right, FEMA is no longer in control of disasters. FEMA has been folded into the Office of Homeland Security. And that office... well, they're new. They still don't even know their own structure.
Where's the president? Where's the call for volunteers? Where's the call for conservation (heaven forbid this oil-funded administration would actually use that word)?
This is disgusting. It's embarrassing. I can't bring myself to read any of the coverage from other countries. I can only imagine what they're saying about us.
Why is it that we're more capable of getting in the middle of things in other countries than we are of getting in the middle of things in our own country? Why do we think we can take care of the world when we clearly can't take care of ourselves?
I said yesterday that I didn't think other countries needed to send us aid. I've completely changed my mind because apparently our government can't handle it.
Where is the president? Why hasn't he been there? Why did he remain on vacation? What was he thinking going to CA to talk about social security? [Social security? A plan that the majority of Americans have clearly said no thanks to. A plan that he continues to push anyway because... well, frankly, I don't know why. But it's become his pet cause even though NO ONE wants his version of it.] Vacationing and social security in the aftermath of one of the worst (if not THE worst) natural disasters that's ever hit this country? And what was he thinking when he allowed his picture to be taken while he was sitting on his cushy couch looking out the window at 5,000 feet?
As someone on the radio said yesterday, he's having another My Pet Goat moment.
People who know me know that I don't hesitate to say that I don't think the guy is all that bright. I think he's selfish. I think he has no compassion, no empathy. I do not believe he cares about the people of this country. But this... even I didn't expect this apparent lack of interest in this tragedy.
Where are the buses? Where is the food, the water, the diapers?
I get that this is huge. I get that. But where is the planning? The aid? The help? We knew this was coming! We knew. We've known for years. Yes, we've all seen people being saved from rooftops. The people doing that rescuing are truly heroes. Yes, there are people helping, giving what they have, helping those who are ill, lost, wandering. Please don't misunderstand me. Those who are there, who are helping are truly wonderful people. They are heroes. They are to be admired, to be emulated. But they can't do all of this alone. They need more help. Where is the military? Oh, right, they're dying in Iraq.
And you know what's really sad? There's a not entirely small part of me that is afraid to post this, afraid to publicly post something so clearly critical of the administration. Over the last few years (say... 5) people have been questioned, detained, harassed really, for much less. I don't think the ABA will like it if I acquire a record.
I was watching a special on NBC as I typed this. They of course finished up with a photo montage. When I realized what song was running with the montage... well, let's just say I've had it for the day. I'm overloaded on this news. Watching and listening to all of this has actually been causing me more anxiety than I would have believed possible considering that I am many miles away, that I have no ties to that area, that I know no one there. My anxiety about this is actually at the point where it is showing itself physically. And I'm here safe and dry in Ohio. I have the luxury of turning off the tv, drinking a clean glass of water, and going to bed in my nice, clean bed in my air-conditioned apartment.
I truly cannot even begin to imagine what it's like down there. Cannot imagine how those people feel; whether you ended up trapped there or you managed to get out, your material life got washed away just the same... the only world many have ever known is simply gone.
So anyway, here's a little bit of the song from the special...
My city of ruins
My city of ruins...
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!...
Thanks to Bruce for that one. More appropriate than he could possibly have imagined when he first sang those words.
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