31 May 2009
31 May 2009
CLOSING THE LOOPHOLES SPHINCTER TIGHT…
0905 by Jeff HessI’m reading Marc Ellis’s Judaism Does Not Equal Israel. Given the events of recent weeks I’d say that President Barack Hussein Obama understands that equation.
And that is frustrating the feck out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
Last night, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told journalists that the Obama administration “wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a confidant.
Referring to Clinton’s call for a settlement freeze, Netanyahu groused, “What the hell do they want from me?” according to his associate, who added, “I gathered that he heard some bad vibes in his meetings with [U.S.] congressional delegations this week.”
In the 10 days since Netanyahu and President Barack Obama held a meeting at the White House, the Obama administration has made clear in public and private meetings with Israeli officials that it intends to hold a firm line on Obama’s call to stop Israeli settlements.
According to many observers in Washington and Israel, the Israeli prime minister, looking for loopholes and hidden agreements that have often existed in the past with Washington, has been flummoxed by an unusually united line that has come not just from Obama White House and the secretary of state, but also from pro-Israel congressmen and women who have come through Israel for meetings with him over Memorial Day recess.
To Netanyahu’s dismay, Obama doesn’t appear to have a hidden policy. It is what he said it was.
And from Haaretz:
United States President Barack Obama lays out long-term visionary goals, such as Middle East peace, but he moves with political pragmatism in advancing them. This is as true of his domestic and economic objectives as it is of his complex approach to Israel.
His statements are carefully tailored to the measure of Congress’ support for Israel. Congressional representatives are committed to preserving Israel’s security and dealing with Iran, but do not support strengthening the settlements. So Obama stresses his support for Israel’s security, but is willing to confront Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the settlements.
This strategy, echoed in every statement by administration officials about the Middle East, was probably formulated by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. Obama reiterated it at his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on Thursday.
Obama demanded that the Palestinians stop their incitement against Israel and said he would not talk to Hamas until it recognizes Israel. Congress supports these positions strongly, but they have a price. On the eve of Obama’s “reconciliation” speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, scheduled for this Thursday, he has one main demand from Israel – stop the settlements.
Not supporting the settlements is not rejecting Israel.
31 May 2009
WHAT THEY SAY…
0749 by Jeff Hess“You don’t need a TV. You don’t need a radio. You don’t even need a newspaper,” says Mr. Pitts, an aspiring poet in a purple cap and yellow fleece jacket, who says he has been homeless for two years. “But you need the Internet…”
31 May 2009
YA THINK…?
0733 by Jeff Hess
And for the record, she (Trudeau) has two points wrong, first, they were money changers, not money lenders (their’s a huge difference that is only clear when you understand the system) and second, the whole wrathful/loving gawd stereotype is blatantly simplistic.
30 May 2009
ROLDO RIGHTS…
0722 by Jeff HessIsn”t America great! If you”re rich, that is. Ask the Randy Lerner family. Happy billionaires. Our welfare burden.
Here”s a case where Cleveland people subsidize one of its wealthiest families. The reverse philanthropy has gone over the $100 million so far. And yet, so long a way to go.
I asked the City of Cleveland for an accounting of how much the city has paid to bondholders for the Browns Stadium since 1997. The total came to $102,823,948.58, according to the Finance Dept. documents.
The city faces financing costs of another $160,367,109.48 in bond payments to be made until November 15, 2027, according to a refinancing done in 2007.
The Browns Stadium – a property tax free facility – is used almost exclusively used by the team owner. That means Randy Lerner and his family. Randy – worth a billion and a half dollars – is the son of Al Lerner. Al ironically was the principal person who helped Art Modell move the team to Baltimore. Not only will the stadium never pay property taxes but the lakefront land was donated free by the city. Continue Reading »
29 May 2009
IS SHE PINK OR BLUE…?
1422 by Jeff HessAnd now you want me to be a good girl and not make any trouble by demanding some answers on basic questions of vital importance to women? Sotomayor was first nominated to the federal bench by G.H.W. Bush. What did he see in her that made her an acceptable choice?
Don”t tell me that her gender means she”ll support women”s issues. Sarah Palin is also female. Don”t tell me her race means she”ll be receptive to cases of discrimination. Clarence Thomas is also a person of color. I want to know about the judge inside the breasts and brown skin. Tell me about her convictions and her deeply held beliefs on human dignity and bodily sovereignty.
I”m very afraid that in an effort to win a gold star for non-partisanship he”ll sell out the Left the same way his predecessors have. To hell with all the patter; I want a litmus test and I deserve to know if she”s pink or blue.
29 May 2009
SUPREME COURT HERE WE COME…?
1402 by Jeff HessColor Coughlin screwed. Elected officials do this all the time – threaten lawsuits for plainly protected speech. Other people do it, too, knowing they have no leg to stand on, and betting their target backs down. If Renner prevails against Coughlin, and his story is declared by a court to be lawful, it will set a precedent that others will follow, and will make it harder for intimidation tactics like lawsuit threats to work.
29 May 2009
TOLERANCE, ACCEPTANCE, CELEBRATION…
1213 by Jeff HessLiberal Tolerance is the long war, it’s the long game. It’s Barack Obama, at his core. Liberal tolerance–not Jesse Helms–argued for interracial unions. Liberal tolerance is what allowed Obama to neutralize Rev. Wright, and make his race speech. Liberal tolerance is what allowed him to go to Notre Dame and talk with empathy about abortion. Liberal tolerance bets on the future. It presages that world (the world of today) that the GOP has spent very little time preparing for.
29 May 2009
29 May 2009
29 May 2009
HOW GREEN IS MY MEDMART…?
0821 by Jeff HessAnd no, I’m not talking about the money flowing among the players in this civil cluster fuck.
From an environmental point of view the best choice is to not build a un-needed and guaranteed to be as under utilized as the Brown’s stadium convention center at all, but if there’s no way to stop the pigs slurping at the public trough from building yet another mistake on the lake, then David Beach at least makes the case that it ought to be:
[A]n opportunity to stretch the imagination about what buildings are and how they can perform. And they can become visible icons for a new kind of green city.
Good luck with that David.
29 May 2009
WORKING IN HELL FOR $11 A DAY…
0731 by Jeff Hess
From Foreign Policy:
Many miners, just as this one on May 24, also have sores on their upper backs and shoulders due to carrying so many heavy loads. Many don’t mind the health hazards, however, because money is priority No. 1.
“[H]ealth is number 10. What matters is to earn money and be working,” one miner told the Jakarta Post. Meanwhile, a 2007 study found that acidic water from the lake had contaminated nearby rivers and wells in an area where 50,000 people lived. Locals were suffering from tooth decay and bone degeneration. Agricultural production was also adversely affected.
29 May 2009
I’VE NEVER BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING LAODICEAN…
0720 by Jeff HessBut I’d never be able to spell it either.
29 May 2009
29 May 2009
WHAT THEY SAY…
0631 by Jeff HessThat said, it’s interesting to note the difference in tone between GOP figures with something at stake (people who have to win elections) and those who have nothing at stake. Newt has a megaphone, but he has no real responsibility. He can yell whatever he wants. He’s got books to hustle, dog—not Senators to elect.
29 May 2009
WHAT WILL THE LAST INTELLIGENT ALASKAN DO…?
0622 by Jeff HessA reader’s comment to the Wassila, Alaska Frontiersman:”
After months of Sarah Palin and Levi Johnson, Ron Hamman has accomplished what we thought was impossible: made Alaska and Wasilla look even stupider.
28 May 2009
GAWD I LOVE THE FIRST AMENDMENT…
1742 by Jeff HessSo either Coughlin confirms under oath that he is a serial philanderer and election law violator, or Coughlin has to perjure himself. And given the number of sources in Renner”s initial story who confirm it, and will be forced to do so under oath, with Coughlin the only one denying it, I suspect Coughlin will tell the truth. Or perhaps Coughlin can continue to lie and be subject to perjury. Fun!
Talk about an epic FAIL. This whole thing would have been avoided if Kevin Coughlin just let a story run in a minor alt weekly. Had it run, the story would have been litigated in the court of public opinion, not a court of law. Coughlin could have simply dismissed it as some random tabloid thingy, thumbing his nose all the way. But now, Coughlin”s gonna be under oath about every woman-not-his-wife he”s canoodled with, and all the threats he issued to potential witnesses to cover it up. Not to mention the election law violations, which are under investigation already.
28 May 2009
ROLDO RIGHTS…
1726 by Jeff HessDon”t know if you noticed but in articles about the Chinese investors taking a minority share in the Cavaliers it is always mentioned that the stake is in the team AND THE ARENA.
As a matter of fact, Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans and the Cavs, doesn”t own Quicken Arena. Therefore it would be rather difficult for him to sell a share or the Chinese investors to buy a share.
It”s not his to give; not theirs to take.
The New York Times wrote recently that “The deal that may give a group of Chinese investors a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers and its arena signals the first significant investment in a major American sports franchise by investors from China.”
The Q, as it is known, is owned by the Gateway Economic Development Corp., a non-profit organization set up to operate both the arena and Progressive Field. Continue Reading »
28 May 2009
28 May 2009
BUT MY MOTHER TOLD ME…
0812 by Jeff HessWhy do we believe and cling to these seemingly unimportant nuggets of information? Why is it so difficult for us to accept that reading in poor light won’t ruin our eyesight and we don’t actually need to drink eight glasses of water each day? Turns out, we’re pretty likely to side with the things our doctors and parents have told us, myths we’ve seen reinforced with our own eyes, even when research tells us to believe otherwise.
“People often take rumors or anecdotes as fact,” says Vreeman. “We tend to give those things as much weight as we would a scientific study because they’re connected to people in charge. We sometimes reason things out after the fact, come up with patterns to explain what we saw happen.”
