Policy and Politics
tfk | March 26, 2007John Holbo wants the deal that the universe of 24 offers:
It would be a good bargain, if the reality-based liberal community could strike it: in exchange for liberal control of actually existing institutions and policy-making, conservatives could be ceded total control of a network of powerful but strictly mythical agencies, headed by omnicompetent, albeit non-existent agents.
I'd take that deal.
tfk | March 26, 2007The excellent slacktivist discusses the abuse of potentially informative statistics in The Wire, then generalizes:
It happens everywhere. A perfectly useful measurement gradually becomes more important that it has any right to be and soon everyone's life is shaped by the slightest variations in that measurement. People quickly figure out how to improve their "score" in dozens of ways that do not improve the performance or outcome that score was originally designed to measure and the institution eventually takes on the character of those whose power and influence rises because they are…
tfk | March 26, 2007Lawrence.com's Joel Mathis is blogging Tocqueville, and asks "Is equality still ‘a fundamental condition of America?,’" My argument would be that it is no less so than it was then, but that isn't saying much. Tocqueville has a tendency to use an idealized conception of America as a foil for his own philosophizing, as do most of the foreign writers who've ventured to our shores.
Certainly we have not achieved anything resembling true equality, but the aspiration is there. Income mobility has fallen and income inequality is at a level not seen since before Teddy Roosevelt's progressive…
tfk | March 23, 2007The bill provides funds for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (remember Afghanistan?), as well as funds for critical upgrades to military bases in Kansas. It also requires that "units should not be deployed for combat unless they are rated 'fully mission capable'" by the Pentagon, that – in accordance with DoD regulations "Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard units should not be deployed for combat beyond 365 days or that Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve units should not be deployed for combat beyond 210 days," and imposes benchmarks to help Congress judge the progress of…
tfk | March 23, 2007A few days ago I pointed out the many, many ways in which Charley Morasch is a wacked out Christian Reconstructionist who has no place in setting educational policy for our children. His endorsement of bad history was pretty bad, but his lengthy, inaccurate and ill-informed defense of intelligent design was reason enough to reject him At the time, I neglected to point out that the incumbent, Clinton O. Robinson, is a very good candidate. Here's his response to the ID question:
8. Should intelligent design be taught in the public schools? If so, in what context or class?
No
End of…
tfk | March 23, 2007Senators Pat "Memory Pills" Roberts and Sam "More conservative that McCain, fewer wives than Giuliani" has come out against a bill funding base realignment and closures (BRAC) funding for two Kansas forts. They want those funds removed from a spending bill, despite the fact that Kris Kobach and the Kansas Republican Party have said that a vote against those funds would "severely damage the ability for Ft. Riley and other military installations across the country to complete the BRAC process." Those complaints were aimed at Congresswoman Boyda when she voted for a broad spending package that…
tfk | March 22, 2007There's no question that Nancy Boyda is going to be one of the top targets for the Republicans in 2008. Losing Jim Ryun really stung the authoritarians, and they want revenge. A good showing on her first finance reports will help show them they should look elsewhere. Give generously before March 31.
Also, John Kerry is trying to decide where he should spend some of his campaign contributions. You can vote for your top picks at his website.
tfk | March 21, 2007When the Appropriations committee voted on the latest Iraq spending, they had some tough choices to make. Should we adequately equipped and armor troops deployed to Iraq? After four years of deployments, should we make sure that troops have the time back home that they are supposed to have? Should we ensure that troops sent to war be properly trained? The committee said yes, but Todd Tiahrt said no.
In the Appropriations committee vote, Kansas' Todd Tiahrt joined the other Republicans in opposing those provisions. When the bill comes to the floor in the next few days, he will have…
tfk | March 21, 2007Charley Morasch is a wingnut. Here are some answers to questions from the Kansas City Star:
What would you like to accomplish if elected/re-elected to the school board?
• Provide a stimulus to improve social studies curriculum to include the words and ideas of the founding fathers, and the legal foundations of our nation, which have been censured to reflect politically correct nonsense. I want to see our district face the brutal facts of reality, that censuring history, censuring the words and ideas and even our founding principles is something we will not allow to continue in American…
tfk | March 21, 2007Expanding on a report leaked a few days ago, the Washington Post's account of Smithsonian Head Larry Small's expenses is truly appalling. Compared to previous Secretary's of the Smithsonian, Small has taken an enormous housing stipend, has decorated his office with museum specimens – including a rhino skull, and hired interior designers to find furniture:
Small spent nearly $160,000 on the redecoration of his offices in the institution's main building on the Mall shortly after he took the helm of the world's largest museum system in 2000. The expenses include $4,000 for two chairs from the…
tfk | March 20, 2007Ashley Holm, an intern at the Statehouse's Legislative Research Department, still has her job. This is something of a testament to cool heads in the capitol, who resisted criticism of Holm for a bumper sticker on her car. In the AP's kind phrasing, "The red bumper sticker contains only two words in white — the f-word followed by 'war.'" :
"It shows questionable judgment," said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence. …
The complaint about the sticker came from House Majority Leader Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, a former Marine. He said the language offended him.
"We have a lot of…
tfk | March 19, 2007After getting sick while meeting with some Lawrence EMTs:
Boyda went to the emergency room of The George Washington University Hospital, where she was diagnosed with gallstones. The Congresswoman was back at work the next day, but her spokeswoman says she will require routine surgery to treat the gallstones.
We wish her the best of health as she recovers.
tfk | March 19, 2007
Four years, 3217 coalition fatalities, 50,000 wounded or medically transported, and 700,000 excess civilian fatalities later, our little baby of an invasion is really growing up. It's almost a full-grown cluster-f*¢k.
tfk | March 17, 2007Jesus' General offers Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's Other Crimes:
New Coke
Formidable law blogger Ann Althouse
Not sending enough troops in the initial Iraq invasion.
Faking the deaths of Tupa, Elvis, and Jim Morrison, converting them to Islam, and hiding them out in a cave in Peshawar.
Selling Vogon Star Cruisers to Hugo Chavez.
The neglect of our wounded soldiers.
Introducing Bill O'Reilly to the magical properties of loofahs and falafels.
Telling Scooter Libby about Valerie Plame
Paris Hilton
Gonzales Prosecutor Scandal
France
Olestra's anal leakage side effect.
He forgot "Killing Kenny." That…
tfk | March 17, 2007This essay's title is meant to help candidates like John McCain, who seems unsure about condoms. Asked in Iowa about his views on taxpayer funding of condom distribution in Africa, he sort of fumbled around. Asked about teaching students about contraception in public schools, he said he "support[s] the president's policy." The reporter asked:
Q: So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) You’ve stumped me.
But this question shouldn't stump him. It's been a major political issue for…
tfk | March 15, 2007Bart Gordon, chairman of the House Science committee, and Brad Miller, chairman of that committee's investigations subcommittee, will be digging into a memo restricting comment on polar bears and climate change. The memo told government scientists:
Please be advised that all foreign travel requests (SF 1175 requests) and any future travel requests involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice, and/or polar bears will also require a memorandum from the Regional Director to the Director indicating who'll be the official spokesman on the trip and the one responding to questions on…
tfk | March 15, 2007I have no major problems with genetically modified organisms. There are, however, very legitimate concerns about their widespread use. Genes for herbicide resistance could spread to weeds related to crop species, making it even harder to control weeds. Genes interact with each other, sometimes in unpredictable ways, and the rapid pace of genetic engineering – as compared with traditional breeding techniques – means it's more likely that dangerous interactions would be more likely to slip past.
On the other hand, there's a compelling argument, advanced by Nobel winner Norman Borlaug among…
tfk | March 14, 2007A few days ago, General Pace tried to back the Don't Ask, Don't Tell program, claiming that homosexuality is immoral, like adultery. In fact, Don't Ask, Don't Tell is immoral, and has sapped our military of soldiers with vital skills. Anyway.
Senator Brownback came out in favor of Pace’s homophobic comments, writing:
The question is whether personal moral beliefs should disqualify an individual from positions of leadership in the U.S. military? We think not. General Pace’s recent remarks do not deserve the criticism they have received. In fact, we applaud General Pace for maintaining a…
tfk | March 14, 2007The Discovery Institute says:
Even with more forward operations by US troops in the past month, and even though the full complement of added US forces has not been attained yet, the number of US fatalities is down. In other words, the Surge is working.
It's true that the number of fatalities is lower, but not nearly as much lower as they seem to believe. The source they cite looks at raw numbers of fatalities from time periods of different lengths, rather than the averaged values plotted above. As you can see, this is the first month since August that falls below the linear regression line…
tfk | March 14, 2007Jerry Johnston is an evangelical pastor at a megachurch in suburban Kansas City and a leader of many of the anti-gay, anti-science, regressive social movements in Kansas.
He keeps up many of the great traditions of megachurch minister, with the immovable hair, the TV show, the lavish lifestyle, and the dodgy accounting. The Kansas City Star dug into his finances, and found that there is little or no oversight, that Johnston's family is on the church's payroll, and late taxes.
A former fundraiser for Johnston's church told the Star: "What he preaches from the pulpit, he doesn’t put into…