Bush Being Bounced?

It looks to me like the idealogues of the right are bouncing Bush. Presidents are expendable; it 's the idea that must live. The president, you should notice, has been given a new persona, sort of like the honest fool. He is now taking personal responsiblity for all the booboos on the war and elsewhere. The underlying ideas are right but his honest mistakes have screwed up the execution. After his term, who needs him, he may be a liabilty - or so his handlers think. The one negative they especially want to dispel, though, is his image as a liar. Thus all the recent candor, even if it's at his expense. Of course, the fact that Bush is going along with this says a ton.

TODAY'S SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Now that Evo Morales has won big in the Bolivian elections Bush has a third South American country on his enemies list, along with Brazil and Venezuela. Don't be surprised if another American-backed coup pops up. Remember we are already fighting a war in Columbia.

Speaking of elections, check out the news on the contesting of the Iraq election results.

I see the streamrolling of an tax increment financing district is taking place in the valley. This dubious notion also is being pushed hard in the city by Al French. I can go along with some of these public-private partnerships, when the public good aspects can be clearly demonstrated. But in the case of TIF I'm afraid it is a case of the complex technicalities making it a bit of a shell game, with the developer walking off with the loot and the citizen scratching his head.

Letters: Dave Hamer's letter is a great example of using non-facts to bolster a discredited theory (American Exceptionalism).

TODAY'S SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Judge Jones did us all a big favor with his ID ruling. And by the way, the letters section should stop publishing letters on this subject. If it is a serious issue, it should be thrashed out it in peer reviewed journals. What will we see next, letters from businness majors trying to apply string theory to time travel? The S-R's published letters supporting ID are 90 % ignorance and 10% craziness.

More good news: Four Republicans are helping to straighten out the Patriot Act and driving Bush nuts. Of course, the present act has nothing to do with patriotism, sharing this trait with bills named by Bush and (Dr. Strangelove) Cheney

Letters: Curt Craig has his analogy askew. Bush is not giving tax cuts because he thinks his service has been poor. And the answer to the pizza refund is that all families should share in the twenty bucks except the rich family. Yes, I am proud to be a libertarian socialist in the mode of Noam Chomsky, Peter Kropotkin, Albert Parsons, and many other worthies. Judith Jones should research the defintion of race and genetics more carefully. I believe that race is now considered by the academic community to be a passe concept.

SMOKING BAN AND MY ANARCHISM

Some might think it peculiar that I support Spokane's smoking ban AND consider myself a brand of anarchist. Those who think that make the common mistake of believing an anarchist should behave as though he or she is already living in the anarchist society we so wish for. No. We live in a capitalist society - not a good thing! - and must defend ourselves accordingly. In my opinion, in an anarchist society there would not be addicts so inconsiderate as to smoke in public places. For more on anarchism check out infoshop.org.

BRIEF COMMENTS ON RECENT NEWS

It was a sad thing that Tookie Williams was executed. It is bad enough that capital punishment is still with us, but in his case it is likely an American state has continued in its long tradition of slaying men and women who are innocent in spite of what a jury might have concluded. It's noteworthy that Sean Hannity justified his call for execution by pointing out he was not judging the man's "soul" and was willing to grant that Tookie's "soul" might be saved, but the eye for an eye rule must be followed; and since the man may be going to heaven, what's all the fuss about? Isn't this thinking akin to that of suicide bombers and another example of religous fanaticism?

The voters have endorsed the Review's assault on Jim West and Spokane is about to have a new mayor, Dennis Hession. I see a coming renewal of the all-out council warfare, as splits in the council are becoming more apparent. The strong mayor system is not workable for Spokane for a number of reasons. And one of them is that at least some council members will always have their eye on the job, and in such a small council this will be disruptive. Another reason, applying to the current system only, is that the charter was devised by a tiny minority and not thought out over time as it should have been. A final note: it is ludicrous that the committee which worked on the recall should think they deserve any say in the transition policies of the new mayor. The fact they claim otherwise puts the lie to all their previously announced intentions.

Go see Syriana. It's very educational.

Eugene McCarthy died and he was one of my heroes. I was a delgate supporting him in 1968. I identified with his quixotic tendencies as regards principles. Mary Shelley also accused her husband of these same tendencies. But I don't think they're all bad.

More Movies

I found the John Cash movie a bit tiresome because his character is a tiresome, bullying, whining loser. Was he really like that in that period?. Probably. But it doesn't make for an entertaining movie. The film is somewhat redeemed by the potrayal of a saintly June Carter by Reese Witherspoon. Was she like that. Who cares. I sorely missed Cash's actual voice, as well as that of Lewis, Presley and Orbison. I can't recommend but if you're easy to please you'll like it.

The Ice Harvest is great. It is a noir sendup of film noir, mocking many classic scenes from that genre, and going with all the cross, doublecross stuff. The casting is excellent, especially for John Cusack, though Billy Bob Thornton is the funniest. Beware - it is a counter-Xmas movie. But if you're sensitive to that, you probably don't like film noir anyway.

I watched Dr. Strangelove on dvd last night. It's as fresh as ever and maybe even more important to watch now. I believe Dick Cheney may be scarier than HK.

SOME THOUGHTS

Mary Shelley has a character in The Last Man say, " . . . there is but one solution to the intricate riddle of life; to improve ourselves, and contribute to the happiness of others . . . . Note that this is about the reverse of how most behave.

It seems to me that quite often the left wing consider those on the right to be as a wicked stepmother and the right look upon the left as very spoiled brats. I am afraid these emotional takes too often substitute for rational discourse.

Earth Christmas

Note: I wrote this sonnet 20 or so years ago after reading a book by a language scholar who
made a case for Jesus Christ actually being an hallucinatory mushroom used as a
fertility symbol.

In Spring much follows the cold winter of retreat:
Yearnings begin and God rises from his tomb,
Soon again to brush the damp grasses with his summer heat,
And again plant faith where once was doom.
In Autumn a coupled Earth feels the Solstice nearing;
Her rythms pound in sweeping counts, and in time
She prepares for the coming celebration, not fearing
But embracing it, and joins on with the sublime.
A Christmas Eve of snow, in swaying fall,
Foretells the next day's customary bestowing;
A day on which She will share it all;
Tree up, cards sent, pies baked, juices flowing.
Then to death, in retreat again to wait
And cycle on from dawn to the holy date.