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Politics, open government, and safe streets. And the constant incursion of cycling.

Month: January 2009 Page 9 of 10

TSA and Jet Blue Pay for Stupidity

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On January 6, 2009

In Society, Travel

I’ve been a little free with the words “stupid” and “idiocy” here of late, especially in connection with the recent behavior of AirTran.   The discussion that followed in the comments turned to whether or not it was worth it to stand up in the face of stupidity, especially when that stupidity came under the guise of “security.”  Well, it was worth it for this fellow:

JetBlue and the TSA have settled a lawsuit brought by a man who was refused boarding on an airplane because he was wearing a shirt with Arabic writing on it (the TSA said that this was like “wearing a T-shirt at a bank stating, ‘I am a robber.'”). They’ve paid him $240,000.

Raed Jarrar, the fellow who dared wear a t-shirt JetBlue and TSA didn’t like, writes:

All people in this country have the right to be free of discrimination and to express their own opinions[.]  With this outcome, I am hopeful that TSA and airlines officials will think twice before practicing illegal discrimination and that other travelers will be spared the treatment I endured.

If they can’t understand decency, make them familiar with the costs.

(I was surprised to find out that this is the same Raed Jarrar that writes RaedInTheMiddle, which I came to from the “Where Is Raed?” blog by Salam Pax.  Used to read Jarrar quite a bit in 2004-2005.)

2008 National Racing Calendar In Review

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On January 6, 2009

In Cycling

Lyne Lamoureux, author of the excellent Podium In Sight blog covering the US domestic pro cycling scene, put together a photo video of her coverage of last year’s NRC races.   When I think of Lyne’s work, it’s usually great interviews and analysis that comes to mind, but this reminds me that she’s also a good photographer.

If Sens. Feinstein and Rockefeller Don’t Like

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On January 6, 2009

In Policy, Politics

Panetta at the CIA, it makes me think it must be a good idea.

The Euro at Ten

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On January 6, 2009

In EU, Policy, Society

I’m a few days late, but it’s still worth noting that we’ve just passed the 10 year anniversary of the emergence of the Euro. It was the subject of an enormous amount of speculation and debate, with many predicting its failure as a currency. SuperFrenchie does some dancing on the graves of those predictions here.  Jerome a Paris, a banker with no shortage of opinions, provides a useful exploration of the place of the Euro – especially in comparison with the US Dollar – in a global economy:

The dollar is increasingly money backed by financiers-manipulated debt. The euro is fundamentally money backed by real economic activity. The distinction will matter. And the finance industry will follow.

Interested?  Read more.

(The kid in me misses the Deutsche Marks, the Pesetas, the Guilders.  My interest in currency fluxuation began when we moved to West Germany, and I discovered the wonderful thing that was aribtrage – I could get so much more when I turned my dollars into marks (and that’s not even touching the experience of turning dollars into East German marks on the black market).  Of course, with the current exchange rate being €1 = $1.40, I now have some appreciation for the other side of that.  )

Unintended Consequences of Sloppy Legislation

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On January 5, 2009

In Law, Policy, Politics

Here’s an interesting consequence of reactionary legislation.  Many of you will recall what I think of as last year’s Summer of Lead, where some 45 million toys were recalled over concerns about lead poisoning.  It didn’t seem that a day could pass without another breathless press report about Chinese-manufactured toys that just might/possibly/could make American kids sick.   Okay, I should probably be a little less breezy about it, as toy safety and lead poisoning are both serious matters.  That said, it doesn’t appear that the politicians who were happy to slap together a legislative response took it seriously enough:

The law (CPSIA) to protect American children from lead and pthalate tainted mass produced Chinese toys is being used as a bludgeon by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to force toy stores to take all untested toys off shelves by February 10. The CPSIA goes into effect in February but the CPSC has not exempted handcrafted American and European toys made from natural materials and safe coatings. Individual toymakers cannot afford to pay for thousands of dollars of product testing designed by Congress for mass produced Chinese toys. Small shop owners cannot afford to test their inventory. Owners are threaten with $100,000 fines.

No more hand-carved dolls from the roadside stands around Pigeon Forge, TN?  Probably not what everyone had in mind.  Or maybe it wasn’t quite unintended – I’m sure Mattel and Hasbro had lots of input on the bill.  I’m sure they’d be happy to supply any shop with certified toys.

Good Summary of the Employee Free Choice Act

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On January 4, 2009

In Policy, Politics

here. Except for the part where no one explains to me how a card check preserves rights better than a secret ballot. I’m entirely sympathetic to the majority of the changes EFCA would effect, but I remain unconvinced about the central aim of the bill. That its proponents seem to skim over it every time it’s discussed makes me all the more sceptical.

Wonderful Folks

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On January 4, 2009

In Music, Personal, Society

A friend passed this along yesterday, and every time I watch it, I like it more.  It’s Amanda Palmer‘s Runs in the Family, and what you’re seeing is a terribly well done fanvid for it.

I think it pairs well with a video clip that Amanda Palmer herself posted on her site a few days ago.  It’s of Bill Hicks (personally dear to me for his “looks like we’ve got ourselves a reader!” line) talking about what he wants to hear, in front of an audience that doesn’t really seem to get it:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkA6zugNMQ[/youtube]

Absolutely.

Wolverines!

By

On January 4, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

This even beats RedStorm PAC (what, StormFront was taken?) for hilarity.

Context here.

Isn’t this How the Whole Mess Started?

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On January 4, 2009

In Policy, Politics

I suppose we should be surprised:

According to multiple reports, the Treasury Department has allocated nearly $10 billion more in funds from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) than Congress has officially released, “effectively making more promises than it can afford to keep.”

More, if you care to laugh/cry a bit.  Whenever I see things like this, I think back to my work with a Federal grants program in the mid-90s, where service programs focusing on unimportant little things like classroom assistants, community policing, and homeless shelters ground to an immediate halt because Congress was busy playing budget politics.  Sure, we knew that the money was coming one way or another, but not a single program received a commitment nor did a dollar flow until it was actually authorized by law.  Of course, it was only millions of dollars at issue, and didn’t benefit the right kind of people.

State of the US Military

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On January 4, 2009

In Policy, Politics

In (probably less than) two years, it will be commonplace to hear Republicans accuse the Obama Administration of “breaking” the US military.  There will be howling and whining about Democrats not supporting the military Nine times out of ten, it will come loudest from the Congressman representing the district where the Admin has cancelled yet another ridiculous weapons system.  But this meme of Democratic neglect of the military will be constantly repeated, with little challenge from a press that doesn’t understand or care too much about the truth of it.  My advance response?  Is in this story:

A veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years and recently received his AARP card was stunned when he received notice he will be deployed to Iraq.  The last time Paul Bandel, 50, saw combat was in the early 1990s during the Gulf War.

Must have some super specialized skills for them to need to do this, right?  I mean, they wouldn’t just call up a 50 year old just for his warm body?

The last missile system the veteran was trained to operate is no longer used by the military.

That’s where we are, with the US military, at the end of eight years of Republican rule.  Dragging 50 year old men – who have already honorably served – out of their lives and sending them into a war that should never have been started.   And no, the war isn’t over:

Two US soldiers died on Wednesday from injuries sustained in attacks in Baghdad and executed president Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, the US military said.

[ . . . ]

The deaths take to 4,220 the number of US military personnel who have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to an AFP tally based on the independent website www.icasualties.org.

And that is the state of the US military, courtesy of Republican policies and politics.

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