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DaveMacaray

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Hillary's Gift to Women

One thing that puzzles me are all those lame PMS jokes about Hillary. With all due respect, isn't she in menopause? posted 05/12/2008 at 13:26:42

After the Festival, the Celebration

Harry: I realize I'm asking you to speculate, but do you think (1) the ACE will appeal the judge's decision, and (2) that if the case reaches the Supreme Court, it will be upheld? Even though the Supreme Court has what could be called a "conservative" majority (with Kennedy the swing vote), I can see them siding with New Orleans here. It's a property issue; it's citizens vs. the "government"; it's an instance of an agency taking responsibility for its actions. In other words, angles that excite conservatives. posted 05/06/2008 at 21:10:31

Will Hillary Repeal the Clinton Gas Tax?

Good points. I'm glad someone brought this up. posted 05/05/2008 at 21:10:40

Oops! Just a Little Leak

But now that they're "finished," why continue flogging them? What does it matter? Even in the unlikely event that the Corps applied themselves and succeeded in fixing the damn things, no one would believe them, which, in a grim sort of way, is ironic. The ACE discussing the levees is like Rumsfeld discussing Iraq . . . no one cares to listen anymore. posted 04/17/2008 at 18:05:51
I grant you that Mr. Shearer has done much to draw attention to New Orleans' plight, but hasn't he also put the Army Corps of Engineers in an impossible position by stripping them of their credibility? He criticizes them for saying not to worry. Fine. But wouldn't he have also criticized them for saying they weren't sure, that they needed "further study," or some such thing? In other words, in Shearer's estimation the ACE can't really do anything right. The Corps has lost all credibility as far as he's concerned. Fair enough. But why pretend that what they say matters?
HARRY RESPONDS: I'd suggest it wasn't me who put the Corps in an "impossible position", but rather the Corps itself. Had it been transparent and honest immediately after the breaches, it would have earned points for credibility (even as it lost them for competence). posted 04/17/2008 at 15:39:00

Does the Dalai Lama Know He's Nepalese?

Does it really matter? I mean, REALLY? In 1986, before President Reagan called in the air strikes on Libya, Reagan's aids admitted that the president couldn't find Libya on the map . . . that he had no idea where to look. The attack was successful, Kaddafi changed his tune, Libya was no longer a threat. So Hadley thinks Nepal is Tibet or vice versa. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter?

Remember when George W. Bush was asked by reporters to name the head of state of various countries, and he couldn't do it? Do you really think Americans give a rat's ass about this kind of detail? Should we care? Absolutely. But do we? Absolutely not. That's why the good citizens of this country reelected him. posted 04/13/2008 at 19:51:33

Katie Knows What You're Thinking

Harry: Don't you find this whole Katie Phenomenon especially hard to stomach after watching Roger Mudd being interviewed about his new book ("The Place to Be"), recounting what it was like during the glory days at CBS news, what with Cronkite, Rather, Severeid, Schorr, Mudd, Kalb, et al? Compare that collection of pros with Couric. Let's be honest: She was brought in because management thought her morning popularity would convert into improved evening news ratings, a gamble that failed to work. It ain't the first time network execs goofed, won't be the last. posted 04/08/2008 at 23:27:05

Buried Lede Department: Why No Presidential Candidate Says Anything of Substance About the Disaster in New Orleans

As I noted, I've listened to all three candidates, and can't recall any one of them doing more than glossing over the subject of post-Katrina New Orleans. FYI, I read the LAT and the NYT, plus the all the "usual" stuff on the Net. However, if you truly believe that this topic is still front and center in the media, all I can say is that our perceptions differ, and we have an honest disagreement. posted 03/27/2008 at 22:01:15
Harry,
Are you being facetious here, or are you really, truly surprised that none of the candidates are including New Orleans in their stump speeches? With all due respect to your position (and to the citizens of New Orleans), there are several other "important" issues that aren't being talked about sufficiently, ones with more far-reaching impact than post-Katrina N.O., including global warming, the trade deficit, social security, repealing the Taft-Hartley Act, a comprehensive national energy policy, etc., etc. And these aren't being spoken of much because they're too cumbersome and daunting to be handled in the glib, sound-bite fashion we've come to expect. These candidates are trying to tickle our fancy with broad-stroke "solutions," not actually tackle an issue. They're auditioning for our votes.

Sadly, because Katrina is old news, it is, for all practical purposes, as relevant to most Americans as Chemical Ali and Y2K. It's going to take a miracle to put it back in the limelight. And blaming the media for ignoring it is like blaming it for not covering soccer enough. posted 03/27/2008 at 21:03:40

Ohio Nurses' Union Busted By California Nurses

Not to quibble, Stephanie, but I think you're implying too much here. You're suggesting that these 8,000 nurses would be union members today if it weren't for the CNA queering the deal, when, in fact, we have no way of knowing how the vote would've gone. Didn't the author say that a sister group of nurses voted by a 51-49% margin to certify? This thing was far from a done deal.

I will agree with you about one thing: It does look really bad when unions go at it like this, especially given the sorry state of organized labor in this country. posted 03/26/2008 at 17:24:23
Good point. Calling this (as the author does) a case of "union busting" is a misnomer. Rather, it's a turf war between competing unions, which is not only unrelated to union-busting but is an insult to both labor organizations by calling it such. If loyalty mattered to the SEIU as much as the author seems to suggest it does, the SEIU never would've have broken away from the AFL-CIO and joined Change to Win. The breakaway was the result of a turf war, and so is the Ohio nurses battle. Shame on the author for pretending that the CNA is in any way "anti-union." posted 03/26/2008 at 11:21:07

McCain Gaffe -- It Wasn't on Our Minds

Harry: Get with the program, dude. Haven't you read the polls? 55% of Americans DON'T believe in evolution (we've got one of them in the White House); half the high school seniors think that the U.S. fought with Germany AGAINST the Russians in WWII, and 60% of the country still thinks that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9-11. At best, we're a very distracted citizenry; at worst, we're criminally anti-intellectual. posted 03/24/2008 at 15:33:31

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