George W. Bush-by-Proxy Syndrome

It is interesting to think of the apparently "leaderless GOP" possibly being a tactic the GOP is using to combat Obama's and Rahm Emmanuel's Alinsky approach{1} to politics by denying them a figure to freeze and polarize as the textbook dictates.{2} If they have planned it this way than it is a clever ploy but I am suspecting it is more dumb luck than anything{3} unless and until the contrary is reasonably demonstrated to me.

Notes:

{1} On President Barack Obama's Political Mentor (circa February 28, 2009)

{2} President Barack Obama's Mentor on Mass Organizing Tactics (circa March 14, 2009)

{3} Lets just say the Republicans do not have a track record in recent years of being the sharpest tools in the shed when it comes to political strategery.

apologetics
filled with hypocrites who preach
yet they practice not
[Written just now]

Obama Appoints Self G.O.D. (Gov'ntal Overall Director)

This is equal parts funny and spooky.

Though today is our
Anniversary we will
Muse on it later
[Written today]

Its All a Death Panel! (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann)

Whatever criticisms may be legitimately launched at how Sarah Palin explained this issue (read: with the "death panel" comments), the bottom line is, technically she was right. Former Clinton adviser Dick Morris along with Eileen McGann explains in this article precisely that. For readers who accuse Morris of now"being in bed with the right", read the post I put up the other day from Nat Hentoff. This is NOT just a "right wing issue" folks!!!

This weblog will be
Turning seven tomorrow
Changed and yet the same
[Written on 8/20/09]

‘Exercising My Rights’: Man Explains Why He Carried Rifle Near Obama Event (Breitbart)

Anyone who denies that the msm is biased, consider what would have happened if this man had been white: it would have been front page news. Furthermore, the news reported that the man was an Obama supporter when he was not. Gee, didja assume that he HAD to be an Obama supporter 'cause...oh I do not know he was BLACK??? Who are the racists now CNN???

I am finally scared of a White House administration (Nat Hentoff)

Nat Hentoff is someone whose work I have enjoyed over the years. I disagree with him oftentimes but he is a liberal with integrity. So when Hentoff writes "I was not intimidated during J. Edgar Hoover's FBI hunt for reporters like me who criticized him. I railed against the Bush-Cheney war on the Bill of Rights without blinking. But now I am finally scared of a White House administration", to me that is newsworthy!!!

I intended to post this six days ago but never got around to it:

Father of Handicapped Son Received Threats After Confrontation With Rep. Dingell

I hope any person or group who dares to attempt to threaten this good man, his family, or his son are on the receiving end of at the very least a bullet for and if such thugs were to die as a result, good riddance to bad rubbish!!!

Should Conspiracy Theories Be Indulged? (Laurance Caromba)

For those who may wonder why I have virtually never said a thing or cared a whit about what Andrew Sullivan says about anything, here is a good reason why: he is an unethical hypocrite.

In the example outlined by Mr. Caromba, Sullivan claims that President Barack Obama does not have the very right to privacy on releasing certain kinds of sensitive information that in 1998 he claimed Clinton had -presumably to prop up his idiotic statements about Trig Palin and demanding the latter's birth certificate. First of all, the two are not apples and apples -as much of a non-winning issue as I view the Obama birth certificate issue to be, it still stands to note that he is an elected official and Trig last time I checked was not. But this is not the first time he has done this.

For example, Sullivan started claiming around 2004-2006 things about the Iraq war that were different from stuff he said in 2002-2004.{1} Thankfully, someone fact checked him using the internet archive. The ottom line: Sullivan is an unethical hypocrite who engages in historical revisionism. For those reasons, he is not worth the time of day in my humble opinion on any subject whatsoever.

Note:

{1} He was an unabashed supporter of the war going so far as to bully those who were not. (This is something your host who supported the use of the military option in Iraq never condoned.) That was his position until President Bush spoke of strengthening via possible constitutional amendment the Defense of Marriage Act. That event set Sullivan -who puts gay issues over and above anything else- dead set against all things George W. Bush overnight: proof that he is not a principled man at all but an unethical and ideological shill.

Obama's healthcare horror (Camille Paglia)

Essentially, when my favourite liberal lesbian feminist calls for Pelosi's head, you KNOW there is "Big Trouble in Little China" on the Obamacare front.

Ultra Briefly on President Obama's Latest Town Hall on Health Care "Reform":

To quote my own words from about an hour ago in another publishing medium:

[I] will now summarize Obama's town hall...so you do not have to watch it: (1) Its Bush's fault (2) We will expand coverage and not cut benefits while cutting costs basically suspending the laws of economics and logic: yes we can!!! (3) You will not lose your doctor and this is a good plan but do not expect me or congress to want it for ourselves (4) Your taxes will not go up, see point 2...

There, I just saved you an hour of your life and at least ten IQ points!!!

Astroturfers offered $10-15 an hour to demonstrate for Dems

Gee Nancy Pelosi (Madame Speaker of the Botox), who are the REAL "Astroturfers" hmmmmmm???

Public is Resisting Obama's Liberal Agenda (Victor Davis Hanson)

The following excerpt highlights the substance of the column in a nutshell:

Why does President Obama want to implement all at once radical changes in American foreign policy, environmental policy, education, health care and the tax code? The answer is easy: If he does not achieve these initiatives soon, he never will.

Precisely.

if anything does not feel genuine
no need to be anxious but take your time
sit back and have a bit more wine
and take in your surroundings

a book of verses underneath the bough
a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou
oh, wilderness were paradise enow!
as I shamelessly rip off Omar Khayyam.
[Written on 10/08/08]

Points to Ponder:
(From one of my early intellectual mentors)

"You must understand that it is not only possible, but highly desirable, to do several things simultaneously; thus, it happened that I was operating an international airline, importing thousands of live wild animals, producing films for television and building exercise machines all at the same time. In my opinion, many of our current problems are direct results of specialization; which is why the scientific community has now degenerated to the point of being a sick joke.

When I first became seriously interested in the subject of exercise physiology, more than sixty years ago, I was unable to find anything of any slightest value that had ever been published in the scientific literature; that being the case, I believe, primarily as a result of two factors: ONE, very few scientists had any slightest interest in exercise, and, TWO, it was then impossible to determine the results of exercise for the simple reason that the required tools for any such measurements did not exist. REMEMBER: it is impossible to evaluate, or even understand, anything that you cannot measure." [Arthur Jones (circa 1997)]

Cornyn accuses White House of compiling 'enemies list'

Longtime readers of this weblog know that my assessment of President George W. Bush was a mixed one. I am not going to revisit the layers of agreement/disagreement I had with him and various administration policies and/or individuals. I will however say that if President George W. Bush had tried to do with ideological or policy foes what President Barack H. Obama has sought to do with this "send emails of people who disagree with us to the White House" and supplied an address to do so, I would have resolutely stood in opposition to him on that matter.{1} Furthermore, anyone who whined and bitched about the Bush Administration and real or perceived "loss of freedoms"{2} who either stands by silently or in any way approves of the Obama administration acting this way is (and I will not mince words) a hypocritical piece of shit.

Again, a situation or principle is in its truth or falsity right or wrong period. This assessment is not okay or defensible when "your guys" do it and not okay or to be condemned when "others" do it. And however many pundits, agenda provocateurs, or apologists of various and sundry issues{3} may violate the law of non-contradiction to their own deserved discredit, your humble servant at Rerum Novarum does not do such things at any time and indeed no person of ethics and principle would do such things.

Notes:

{1} To use one subject that comes to mind, consider for those who know very well of my solid and unshakeable support for the military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. If the White House had dared to ask me or anyone else to send emails or materials I knew of concerning people who wrote or spoke against the wars, I would not only not have done so but I would have written to them and denounced such things. I hope readers of this weblog who are ideologically not aligned with me would have the ethics to do likewise.

{2} I say "real or perceived" because this area is not as clean cut as many people may have presumed.

{3} Or members of congress, presidents, etc.

With the confirmation today of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court by a vote of 68-31, I decided to create a tag for the posts on this subject because (i) the principles I outlined in my opposition to this nominee are and remain valid in perpetuity and (ii) I will refer back to them in subsequent court nominees by President Obama.

It is my hope that the Sotomayor confirmation be for Obama what the Battle of the Coral Sea was for the Japanese (read: tactical victory but strategic loss before a much larger planned engagement at Midway). And may government health care be his Battle of Midway (read: a decisive American victory that turned the tide of the war in the Pacific).

Weblog Threads on the Atomic Bomb Subject and Various Factors Involved in Objectively Assessing the Moral and Ethical Ramifications Thereof:
(A Rerum Novarum Recapitulation Thread)

I have at different points since 2005 issued recapitulation threads on these issues but this one will differ from those in one important way. For one thing, they were issued to summarize the material I had written up to that point with the idea of carrying it further. In those situations it could have been because I intended to pick up the thread from that point and continue it. In that context, the recapitulation threads served to remind readers of what had been covered already so they could put what was written from that point forward into the context of what was previously written. This recapitulation thread is not written with that context or intention in mind.

Essentially, this is written as all I plan to say on the matter this year with one caveat: the material from 2008 in the dialogue with "Blackadder" achieved what I wanted to see achieved in previous years though it was not until 2007 that I decided to try and set a frame work up for achieving that endeavour when previous situations with former friends fizzled so badly. To say I lost a lot of respect for most of those who call themselves "apologists" in the aftermath of those circumstances is not an exaggeration but I do not want to get offtrack now on that factor -if suffices to say that "Blackadder" to some measure restored in my mind an echo of hope that others may seek to approach these matters soberly, rationally, and civilly. If our interaction threads from 2008 assist others in that endeavour on this or any other subject, then the extra time taken on that process will have been worth it.

I know there is a lot to review in the scroll below so to facilitate an easier review for interested parties I would recommend that if nothing else at this time is culled for current reading from those lists I would recommend that the threads from July 22, 2007 -and the three threads it references from the list below, August 10, 2008 joint declaration of dialogual principles, and the August 14, 2008, and August 23, 2008 threads be read. For they encapsulate (i) the publicly outlined challenge I made on this in the summer of 2007, (ii) a joint statement of principles by myself and the person whose work I interacted with in 2008, and (iii) the two interaction threads. The counter-threads of "Blackadder" are linked to the beginning of my responses to him and I encourage readers to not only review his threads but to review them before reading my responses to them.

Now without further ado, here is a recapitulation thread of all postings I can think of culled from past such threads and added to this year with the stuff from 2008 and some of the threads from 2007 which will be listed by year (starting with the oldest threads). This posting will stand in perpetuity as all I intend to say on this subject in 2009 and perhaps in the years to follow.

All things to the contrary notwithstanding.

2005:

On Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontifications (circa August 17, 2005)

Some Feedback on the "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontifications" Thread (From Dr. Art Sippo circa August 18, 2005)

More Feedback on the "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontifications" Thread (From Tim Tull circa August 19, 2005)

More Feedback on the "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontificatons" Thread (From Tim Tull on Dr. Sippo's Email circa August 21, 2005)

Points to Ponder --On the Atomic Bombs and Their Usage (By Dr. Art Sippo circa August 22, 2005)

And Yet More Feedback on the "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontifications" Thread (circa August 25, 2005)

And More Feedback on the "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontifications" Thread (circa August 26, 2005)

And Yet Still More Feedback on the "Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Profound Problems With Ivory Tower Revisionist Pontifications" Thread (circa August 26, 2005)

Expanding Futher on the Subject of Double Effect Viz. the Atomic Bombings (circa August 26, 2005)

Clarifying Some Additional Points on the Atomic Bombing Subject With Dave Armstrong (circa August 28, 2005)

"Armstrong Illusions" Dept. --Part I of II (circa September 6, 2005)

"Armstrong Illusions" Dept. --Part II of II (circa September 6, 2005)

Points to Ponder --On Appealing to Authority in Argumentation (circa September 9, 2005)

Briefly on Making a Valid Argument and Avoiding Argumentation Fallacies (circa September 11, 2005)

"Exit Stage Left" Dept. (circa September 12, 2005)

Abstract Theorizing and Hypothetical Wartime Situations With SecretAgentMan--Parts I-II (circa September 20, 2005; September 23, 2005)

2006:

"Armstrong Illusions" Revisited (circa January 23, 2006)

Guest Editorial on the Atomic Bombings, the Continued Emphasis on it Publicly by Certain Apologists, and the Goal of Catholic Apologetics--By Dr. Art Sippo (circa January 26, 2006)

A Followup Guest Editorial on the Atomic Bombings, the Continued Emphasis on it Publicly by Certain Apologists, and the Goal of Catholic Apologetics--By Dr. Art Sippo (circa January 31, 2006)

Naked Anticipation -A Poem by Albert Cipriani (circa January 31, 2006)

Some Wrapup Comments on the Previous Guest Editorial (circa January 31, 2006)

On Gaudium et Spes and General Norms of Interpretation (circa February 4, 2006)

Responding to Various Assertions (circa March 12, 2006)

Some Core Problems With Apologetics Methodology (circa August 5, 2006)

Core Problems With Apologetics Methodology Revisited With Apolonio Latar III (circa August 14, 2006)

Setting the Record Straight on Old Controversies (circa August 16, 2006)

Highlighting a Key Problem With Apologetics Methodology With Jimmy Akin (circa November 28, 2006)

2007:

On General Norms of Theological Interpretation (circa April 27, 2007)

From the Mailbag (circa May 17, 2007)

On the Morality of Using Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Use of Atomic Bombs in General -Outline for a Possible Dialogue in August of 2007 (circa July 22, 2007)

Dispatching Easily With Three Critics -aka "Ducks on the Pond Dept." (circa July 27, 2007)

On A Key Principle Pertaining to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Incidents From 1945 -A Rerum Novarum Miscellaneous BLOG Post (circa July 31, 2007)

Miscellaneous Musings (circa August 4, 2007)

Clearing the Ground for a Real Dialogue on the Atomic Bombings (circa August 6, 2007)

2008:

In lieu of what we outlined recently about the wheres (and most of the whys) of the change in direction and emphasis of this weblog which has officially taken place, it seems opportune to note for readers of this humble weblog some of the upcoming projects from the various previously-intended ones which we plan to complete for posting in the coming days, weeks, months, etc of this humble weblog...

...

--A dialogue on the moral and ethical principles behind the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki if the previously-agreed upon dialogual format is still acceptable to the party who accepted my invitation of the previous year and met the minimal requirements requested thereof.[...]

--A thread written with the latter project in mind which may be formatted into a general principle statement apart from that project -in content the two threads would be substantially the same even verbatim in spots but each will pertain to a somewhat different (even if somewhat related by logical extension) context. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa February 21, 2008)]

My Preliminary Musings on the Anniversary of Hiroshima, on Revisiting This Subject, and on "Blackadder" (circa August 6, 2008)

Some Additional Musings on the Subject of the Atomic Bombings Subject and the Importance of Doing My Part to Facilitate Potentially Fruitful Dialogue (circa August 7, 2008)

Principles of Proper Dialogue -Part of a 2007 Joint Declaration by Shawn and "Blackadder" (circa August 10, 2008)

Response to "Blackadder" on the Atomic Bombings -Part I (circa August 14, 2008)

Response to "Blackadder" on the Atomic Bombings -Part II (circa August 23, 2008)

Debunking Federal Reserve Conspiracy Theories

Having written a bit over the years on the problems with conspiracies and that mindset{1}, the above issue deals with that mentality and certain myths surrounding the oft-misunderstood Federal Reserve System.

Note:

{1} Here is the most recent posting on these matters:

On the Problem With Conservatives Dabbling in So-Called "Conspiracy Theories" (circa March 8, 2009)