progressive involvement

Lectionary blogging: The Transfiguration: Luke 9: 28-36

²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Translation:  And it happened, after these words, eight days, and he took Peter and John and James, he went up into the mountain to pray.  And it happened, as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing flashing white.

And behold! two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, being seen in glory, they were speaking of his exodus, which he would make full in Jerusalem.  But Peter and the ones together with him were being weighed down with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men, the ones standing with him. 

And it happened, as they were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here, and we might make three tabernacles, one to you, one to Moses, and one to Elijah," not knowing what he said.

As he was saying this, a cloud happened and was overshadowing them and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.  And a voice happened out of the cloud, saying, "This is my son, the one having been chosen.  Hear him."  And when the voice had happened, Jesus was found alone.  And they kept silent, and they told no one in those days anything which they had seen.

2000 Habitat houses

The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans program, "Thrivent builds with Habitat for Humanity," completed their 2000th Habitat house in Minneapolis, MN in December.  The four year program built houses in 46 states.  Thrivent contributed $125 million for the initial program, which was followed by an additional $15 million which will build another 181 homes in 37 states in 2010.

Metro Denver Habitat was a partner in five of the homes, which were built with matching contributions and volunteer labor by "Holy Hammers," a coalition of (mainly) Lutheran and Episcopal congregations in the Metro Denver area.  Thrivent will "partner" in an additional five homes this year, to be built as part of the Bails Townhome Project, a 24-townhome development located in the thriving Virginia Village neighborhood, near I-25 and Colorado Blvd. Situated within ½ mile of the Southeast corridor light rail, the BTC is Habitat’s first Transit Oriented Development in metro Denver.   

Thank a liberal

Now making its rounds on the interbuzz:

Joe gets up at 6:00 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee.  The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards.  With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication.  His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised.  All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance--now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast--bacon and eggs.  Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.  In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo.  His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath.  The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist whacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.  He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work.  It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation.

Short course on perspective

Smart guy says more financial reform is needed

Nouriel Roubini, the economist who predicted the financial system collapse, argues in favor of taxing the large financial institutions, in favor of the "Volcker rule," in favor of a "public option" in health care reform, and in favor of breaking up banks that are too-big-to-fail, but says the administration doesn't have the political support to enact these, and other, even more forceful measures.

Global warming threatens Colorado's ski industry

A recently published report from the National Wildlife Foundation indicates that Colorado's ski industry faces difficult times ahead.  Global warming means shorter and milder winters with inconsistent snowfalls.  Since 1978, snow cover over the northern hemisphere has already declined between 3 and 9 per cent, with the western U.S. being hardest hit, a trend likely to continue as the climate continues to warm.

“The ski industry is an interesting beast,” Auden Schendler, the Aspen Ski Company’s Executive Director of Sustainability, said at a press conference Tuesday. “A lot of ski resorts run in deficit until March. One of the problems we could see is a compressed ski season as a result of global warming.” He said ski areas may be able to handle losing skier days in November and December due to a compressed season but if ski areas lose the busy March month because of receding snow levels, it could result in the closure of some ski areas.

“If you lose March, you go out of business,” Schendler said.

Snow-making can make up for some of the problem, but snow-making is an expensive undertaking and warmer nights make it “exponentially more expensive," said Schendler, due to water and electricity costs.

The report also touched on other environmental concerns due to climate change, specifically the pine beetle infestation, which has now reached 3 million acres, not including a new outbreak covering 124,000 acres in southern Colorado.  
 

Tax the evangelicals!

When you take the Baptist Road exit off the Ronald Reagan Highway, you'll be in--of course--Colorado Springs, where one-third of the streetlights are now dark, and the city has been laying off firefighters, beat cops, burglary investigators, and the vice team.  (There was a "vice team" in the Springs?)

City parks no longer have trash cans because no one can be hired to empty them.  The parks will no longer be watered because the city can't afford it.  Citizens themselves will be asked to wheel their lawnmowers over to green spaces and mow them themselves--only until late June, though;  the grass will probably be dead by then.

Recreation centers and swimming pools will be closed in March, public transportation eliminated on nights and weekends, and streets will no longer be paved.  Meanwhile, the city's homeless population, situated in 220 various "camps," continues to grow. 

The city managed to sell their police helicopters for $877,000, not near enough to cover the $22 million dollar drop in sales tax revenue in 2010 compared with 2007.  Last fall, voters turned down a measure that would have tripled the property tax, but would have brought in $27 million, enough to cover the shortfall.

Admittedly, that would have been a hefty property tax increase.  On the other hand, when the parks dry up, and new streets aren't paved, and the ones that are have trash in the gutter, home values will go down much more than whatever the property tax might have been.

In any case, there is only one possible remedy:  Tax the evangelicals!  Do the math.  The Springs has about 360,000 citizens.  Figure two thirds of them--240,000--are evangelicals.  If they all chip in a hundred bucks apiece--evangelicals love the flat tax--that should cover the sales tax short-fall for this year.

Soon to cost the nation millions of hours of sleep

Sid Meier's Civilization, one of the most successful computer games ever, will have a Facebook version coming out later this year.  Your humble blogger has been playing this game, and its later iterations, ever since it came out in 1991.  This one, says Sid, will be free.

Hint:  Play the Iroquois.  The mounted warrior is the best offensive unit in the early years of the game.

He's usually smarter than this

Said Ezra Klein today:  "Look at Iowa or Indiana or South Carolina or Arkansas. In some, Obama won slightly more low-income voters than high-income voters, and in some, it was reversed, but the margins were always close. There's just not much evidence -- at least that I know of -- that Obama built his candidacy on the back of affluent voters. That's why, unlike Hart or Bradley, he won."

In actuality, with the exception of African-American voters, then candidate Obama did not win the working class in any primary.  Klein's own examples don't support his case.  Iowa was a caucus.  Hillary won the working class in Indiana and Arkansas, and South Carolina's primary was mostly influenced by a heavy African-American vote.  In actual primaries in the heartland of the working class--Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas--Clinton swamped him.

The Democratic Party has a "traditionalist" wing, and an "activist" wing.  The "activist" wing, made up mostly of so-called "wine track" voters, is usually capable of pulling about 25% of the vote in the nominating process.  Think Gary Hart, Paul Tsongas, or Bill Bradley.

Yes, candidate Obama did considerably better than that.  He expanded beyond the "wine track" because he was able to pull in 90% of African-American voters, who, under normal circumstances, would be in the "traditionalist" wing.  If you move African-American voters from the "traditionalist" to the "activist" camp, the "activist" camp suddenly becomes viable.

The barest scintilla of hope for Colorado's forests

The Atlantic Monthly carries an article this month by Jim Giles regarding the pine beetle infestation in western forests.  The infestation covers an area the size of the state of Maine.  Particularly hard hit are Colorado and British Columbia.  The cause of the infestation appears to be drought coupled with mild winters.

Richard Hofstetter, beetle expert at Northern Arizona University, in collaboration with student Reagan McGuire, thinks trying to drive the beetles crazy might work.  First, he bombarded the beetles with the sounds of Rush Limbaugh.  When that (surprisingly) didn't work, he tried the recorded aggression calls made by male insects.  In one experiment, this caused the male to eat the female.  In another, the insects left entirely.

These were lab experiments.  Next spring, Hofstetter will try his approach in an actual forest.  Even if it worked, it would not be practical to outfit every tree in Colorado with a boom box.  What might work is creating an "acoustic firebreak" to protect still-healthy forests.  Good luck, Professor Hofstetter.

Lectionary blogging: Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ²he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ ⁵Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ ⁶When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. ⁷So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ ⁹For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ ¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Translation:  And it happened, in the crowd pressing in upon him to hear the word of God, and he was standing alongside the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone from them, washing the nets.  And he entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's.  He asked him to launch out a little from the land, and he sat down in the boat (and) he was teaching the people. 

And just as he finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  Simon answered and said, "Master, we have worked hard through the whole night (and) we have caught nothing, but upon your word I will let down the nets."

And when they had done this, they enclosed a multitude of many fish and their nets were breaking.  And they signalled to the partners in the other boat, the ones coming to take together with them, and they came, and they filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

And Simon Peter saw, (and) fell down to Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."  For astonishment seized him and all the ones with him upon the catch of fish which they took together, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners to Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear.  From now, you will be taking people alive."  And they brought the boats upon the land (and) left all (and) followed him.

Two prize fighters after a tough bout

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

He bobbed, he weaved, he rope-a-doped their jabs--and then he delivered a couple of haymakers of his own.  It was a boffo performance by the President.  Fox News, first reduced to talking over his answers, wound up cutting away entirely.  They threw in the towel in the 8th round.

Obama snookered them before he even arrived.  The meeting was already scheduled, but, at the White House's suggestion, the Republicans agreed to have the event televised, a mistake they surely will not make again.

Most of the questions seemed more like speeches.  Work in all the regular themes--tax cuts, reduce big government--pose them to the President, then take credit back home for "standing up to Washington."  The GOP members appeared to think that the recitation of "talking points" would be sufficient to rock the President back on his heels.  As it turned out, Obama responded with respect, then rebuttal, and, in some cases, a blistering rebuke.

This is the problem with insularity.  When you speak only to people who agree with you, after awhile your arguments get lax and turn into incantations.  All the people you know cheer these incantations, and never is heard a discouraging word.  You come to believe that the incantation itself is the argument.  It works in your world, and you are surprised when others find it wanting.

Biblical fundamentalists, for example, almost never engage other points of view.  Their arguments work in their world, but get little traction outside it.  For example, the book of Matthew says that Judas died by hanging while Luke says he dove into a pile of rocks.  When asked to resolve this question, they say that Judas first hung himself, then the rope broke and he landed in the rocks.  This argument works in their world, and they seem flummoxed when people outside their circle respond with, "That works for you?"

The Congressional Republicans served up their "talking points" and the President swatted them away.  When Congressman Pence said the Republican plan--across-the-board tax cuts, natch--would produce twice the jobs at half the cost, Obama countered smoothly, essentially saying that nobody outside this room believes that, but if anyone did he'd be a fool not to take it seriously, but since they don't, he doesn't.

And the notion that I would somehow resist doing something that cost half as much but would produce twice as many jobs -- why would I resist that? I wouldn't. I mean, that's my point, is that -- I am not an ideologue. I'm not. It doesn't make sense if somebody could tell me you could do this cheaper and get increased results that I wouldn't say, great. The problem is, I couldn't find credible economists who would back up the claims that you just made.

When the topic turned to health care reform, Obama demonstrated that he understood their own internal politics perhaps better than they did.  They can't come to agreement with the administration on anything because, if they did, they would be pilloried among their own base.  Their own internal politics precludes any bipartisan participation, which makes it impossible to reach bipartisan agreement.

For that very reason, the encounter isn't likely to change much in Congress.  As long as the hardest-right of the GOP base holds the rest of the party hostage, the GOP Congressional delegation has zero "whiggle room."  The rest of the country, however, saw the President go into the lion's den, engage the opposition, and come out the victor.  Following upon a successful State of the Union message, it has been a good week for President Obama. 

Happy Kansas Day

True words

State of the Union Review

I had to catch the State of the Union on replay, which meant that I heard the commentary before I heard the speech--the commentary was inane, the speech pretty good.  As is typical for State of the Union speeches, a good portion was platitudinous fluff, i.e. paeans to the resilience of our spirit, the nobility of our people, and "a better future for our children."  To wit:

It's because of this spirit -- this great decency and great strength -- that I have never been more hopeful about America's future than I am tonight. (Applause.)   

Did anyone catch this in the opening?  "But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run...victory was very much in doubt."  Those who still seem to see themselves as representing the Confederate States of America might see that battle some differently.

Requiscat in Pacem, Howard Zinn

He's most famous for being the author of A Peoples' History of the United States, in which he explores history from the point of view of the common people, and not from the point of view of senators, generals, or tychoons.  The history of the civil war, for example, is not only the story of Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant, but of the entirety of the peoples' experience of that war, including the ways individual citizens shaped events.  Emancipation was partly because of Lincoln, yes, but also partly because of black peoples' own experience and action to procure it.

As a matter of historical interest, the Republican response to the President's State of the Union message was delivered from the place where Jefferson Davis gave his second inaugural address on February 22, 1862

ht: Digby 

What if Hillary were president?

This is the one-year mark of the Obama presidency and the major magazines and news agencies have had various summaries and interpretations.  My own view is that I largely agree with President Obama's policies--if a pollster asked me if I supported the president, I would answer "yes."  The problem, and it's a big one, is that the White House messaging operation has been a disaster.  How you could take a popular issue, like health care reform, and turn it into a political negative is political malpractice of the highest order. 

So I was wondering:  What if Hillary Clinton had been the Democratic nominee last year and were president now?  I have little doubt she'd have won the election.  The campaign was decided when the financial crisis struck on September 14, 2008,  After that, everyone knew the Democratic nominee was going to win.  To that point, the race had been roughly tied.  The financial crisis gave then-Sen. Obama a 7 point lead and he won by 7 points.

What would a (Hillary) Clinton presidency look like?  On foreign policy, she would have, of course, pursued many of the same priorities she now pursues as Secretary of State, such as "smart power," and womens' rights.  She seems also to take a generally multilateral approach to conflict situations, which she can get away with because she has a reputation as a "hawk"--a reputation that, based on her approach to Afghanistan, seems to be justified.

In terms of domestic policy, my view is that her positions across a wide range of issues, including health care reform, would have been substantially the same as those pursued by President Obama.  In fact, the compromise health care reform that has emerged this year--to the extent you can determine what it is--is in some ways, such as mandating universal coverage, similar to Hillary's position during the campaign.  (Some say that John Edwards' health care reform proposal pushed both Clinton and Obama to the left.)

The political strategy, however, would probably have been different.  During the campaign, she had said that health care reform would be a major project of her second year in office.  The first year would have been focused on the trademark Clinton issues--"It's the economy, stupid"--of job growth in particular, and economic growth in general. 

She probably would have supported the stimulus.  If anything, she might have made it bigger.  She likely would also have supported the bailout--which continued, keep in mind, the Bush administration policy--though with this important difference:  There would have been something in it for the middle class.  During the campaign, and after, she called for the resurrection of an FDR program, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation, that would help people stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure.

There would have been no pretense of bipartisanship in a Clinton presidency--no expectation that the clouds would part or celestial choirs would sing--which, ironically, might have actually produced some bipartisanship.  When she went to the Senate, she was hated by many GOP members precisely because she was known as a partisan Democrat and a fierce combatant.  They came to respect her though, and came to regard her as a worthy opponent, which in turn led to some actual results.

She would have governed as a Democrat, in other words.  Her main political strength would have been her appeal to the working class.  Hillary connects with Main Street, which is demonstrated well in this iconic photograph.  By going to bat for the middle class on the stimulus (and on health care reform and other issues), she would have solidified and broadened that support.

This is not to criticize President Obama, who brings his own gifts and skills to the job, and who must also bear, politically and personally, the burden of having his presidency undermined by those who want to brand him as "the Other."  Make no mistake, there would have been misogyny aplenty in the undertow of American politics if Hillary had been elected, but I don't think it would have worked to try to paint her as "not one of us."  Let us hope it doesn't work with President Obama either.