Month: September 2011

A llama gets caught with his fur down:

Bob Vander Plaats succeeded in removing the state's three supreme court justices after they supported marriage equality. One of them was Michael Streit:

"If we had done what we should have done, that is, form committees, raise money, and just run some commercials," Streit says, "this court system would have been changed drastically. Our biggest stock-in-trade for the court system is our credibility, our integrity, and our ability to be fair and impartial to all people. That is slowly but surely being whittled away by us being dragged into partisan elections and/or elections where money is involved."

… The retention campaign has turned into a rallying cry for the Republican presidential candidates in 2011. "I love the backbone of Iowans who stand for marriage as one man and one woman," Michele Bachmann said in Ames just before she won the Iowa Straw Poll in early August. “Believe me, you set every judge in this country quaking when you did not retain those three judges."

The reporter, Patrick Caldwell, offers an update on further GOP support for the retention campaign. Alex Altman interviewed Vander Plaats this week. Money quote:

The field is so different in ’12 than ’08. In ’08 you had McCain, you had Romney, Giuiliani, Fred Thompson. Huckabee was kind of the outlier, so it was easier for our base to coalesce around Huckabee. In ’12 you have Bachmann, Santorum, Cain, Perry, Gingrich, Paul–all pretty much going after the same base. Our base.

Douglas Crets explains the new Facebook feature, Timeline:

What makes this significant is that prior to the update people were just talking and posting in real-time the things they wanted to share with their friends. This new format allows you to go back in time to periods in your life that happened before there was a Facebook, making your Facebook profile into a graphically-intense version of your entire life.

Alexis Madrigal sees the larger implications:

Facebook's Timeline confirms what writers have long known: narratives are how we structure our relationships with the world. Stories are how we make meaning. …

Facebook's version of autobiography is very specific. It is data-driven. It is simple: Alexis likes the iPad. Alexis eats a hamburger. Alexis reads The Innovator's Cookbook. It is a ranked, chronological database of a life. It is technically complex but grammatically simple. It is multimedia, but not rich. It is autobiography without aesthetic effort. It is a story without words.

Carolyn Kellogg follows the money:

From the initial screen shots that have circulated, Timeline seem to be using some of the strategies (and possibly the technologies) of e-book publisher Push Pop Press to assemble photographs and text into its autobiographical page. Push Pop Press, which had previously published a single e-book for the iPad — Al Gore's "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis" — was acquired by Facebook in August. At the time, the publisher wrote on its website,"Although Facebook isn't planning to start publishing digital books, the ideas and technology behind Push Pop Press will be integrated with Facebook, giving people even richer ways to share their stories." Richer, that is, for millions of Facebook users turned memoirists — and perhaps Facebook, too.

Nicholas Thompson has a more pessimistic take on what Facebook wants.

Last Friday, Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennen addressed our drone programs, calling it "covert action." Scott Horton turns up the heat:

One of the White House’s explanations for this move is that it is trying to accommodate local governments that have approved at least some of the strikes but don’t want their approval to be public fact. At this point, however, such claims verge on the absurd. The drone war in Pakistan is not a discrete handful of strikes; it is a full-fledged military campaign, with clear military objectives, sustained at high levels over many years. The people of Pakistan certainly know what’s going on—a recent survey of U.S. and Pakistani press coverage suggested that the label "covert action" keeps the drone program secret from the people of the United States, and no one else.

Today on the Dish, Andrew relayed his outrage at Santorum and the GOP for disrespecting the troops only when they happen to be gay, and badass gay athletes should give those who booed some pause. On the debate front, Perry disappointed even the far right partisans, got the pile-on for his jumbled foreign policy answers, and may be nearing the end of his run as frontrunner. Pareene got psyched for a real libertarian like Johnson, Frum sized up Huntsman's challenge to Romney, and we corrected Herman Cain's accusation that Obamacare could kill you. The Granite State swooned for Romney, Chait assessed his chances outside of the debates, and Philip Klein didn't think Romney would have the gall to repeal Obamacare.

The Economist nailed the Palestinian statehood drive with the requisite snark, Eli Lake piled on with news of Obama's sale of bunker-busters to Israel, and Allison Hoffman revealed Bibi's right-hand man.

Will Wilkinson took the uproar about the death penalty as a sign of moral progress, Hitchens blamed it on America's religiosity, litigation can stall social progress, and readers reminded us of the other execution that happened Wednesday night. Wheat, even the whole grain kind, may not be very healthy for us at all, the student loan bubble expanded, models make no money, and the economic shitstorm escalated. Apple's valuation is worth more than the drug trade, most commutes are in the 15-to-19-minute range, and single parent families struggle the most with poverty. Young people delayed life while the economy remained bad, long-term trusts blew our mind, and raising the minimum wage could help decentivize them for illegal immigrants willing to take them.

Sentimental women often save their pregnancy sticks just like Sarah Palin, it can get expensive for an older man to land a date with a younger woman, and a new video game armed its player with only a camera.

Chart of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

By Franck Prevel/Getty Images.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew chastised Netanyahu and the Christianist GOP for shutting the door on a two-state solution, and was joined by Clinton in criticizing Perry's theological foreign policy. Andrew drew a distinction between religious faith as practice and as a literal truth, and Alan Dershowitz earned a Malkin award on Israel.

Georgia likely executed an innocent man in a perversion of justice under the law. William Jelani Cobb considered the racial makeup of Troy Davis' supporters, and the web weighed in on whether this case could end the death penalty. Andrew challenged Hitch's opposition to the term endless war, and Eric Cummings reconsidered why the forever war has to be emotionally exhausting. The FBI opened an investigation based on the work of a blog, Michael Yon drove home the constant fear of hidden bombs, we tried to understand how the Republic of Korea has survived, and the Taliban refused to cooperate with Karzai's government.

Andrew live-blogged tonight's GOP debate and watched Perry flail; the full debate reax is here. The GOP lobbied for less financial regulation as the country struggled to get over Wall Street's mistakes, and we debated what qualifies as GOP compassion in regards to the government. Perry's Texas miracle was dominated by jobs for immigrants, his popularity plummeted, and Elizabeth Warren wooed progressives by defending taxation of the rich. Levi and McGinniss raised new questions about Palin's pregnancy, and Andrew still hoped to resolve it empirically. Julian Sanchez united Ron Paul and Ron Dworkin, and Chait assessed how the GOP are tiptoeing around supporting Romney without throwing Perry under the bus in case he gets nominated. Perry couldn't carry New Hampshire, Florida braced to be the decisive state for choosing the nominee, and the GOP tried to change Pennsylvania's electoral system because the party is getting whiter as the country's demographics get more diverse.

Readers absorbed the emotions brought on by the servicemember's confession to his father, but those who serve still aren't accorded the same rights for their spouses or children. Obama surpassed Dubya in terms of deportations and closing pot dispensaries in California increased crime. International poker sites operated outside of US gambling regulations, America's rich benefited from a generous tax rate compared to the rest of the world, and America could have its first trillionaire in 50 years. Ted Haggard was appearing on "Celebrity Wife Swap" with Gary Busey, and readers shared more of their favorite out athletes, including Billie Jean King and Brian Sims.

Map of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Samish Island, Washington, 8.07 am

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew disparaged the GOP's sabotage of economic growth for short term political advantage, but Krugman defended the Buffett tax. Eric Kleefeld reminded us how liberal the GOP platforms were in 1860 and 1864, readers pilloried Rep. Fleming's shoddy math, and the GOP still largely owns the debt. Andrew bashed Perry's "Christian" willingness to support Israel over his own president, and recalled how he has been burned by Bush's fundamentalist psyche and the Christianism that now dominates conservative politics. We remembered the first gay soldier to fight for the right to serve, and honored the ones still coming out today. John Guardiano warned Republicans they need to put homosexuality on a legal and social par with heterosexuality, and It Gets Better lost a 14-year old to suicide.

On the campaign trail, we analyzed Perry's overblown cinematic ad about "President Zero," Jonathan Cohn parodied David Brooks' disappointment, and Nader and Cornel West's call for a liberal primary challenge fell flat with most of the left. Palin delayed her decision about whether she'll run, Bernstein prepared for a short GOP nomination battle, and Christie hasn't been in office long enough to make 2012 viable. Internationally, Exum explained how all parties have lost faith in the peace process, an assassination in Afghanistan challenged any sort of rapprochement with the Taliban, Iraqi wishes about our presence in the country barely registered with politicians here, and Egyptians conflate democracy with lowered economic inequality. James Hamilton urged America to take advantage of its vast natural resources and terminator-style robot warfare looked more and more feasible and secretive every day.

A ton of police resources went to busting victimless possessors of pot, social media is holding police more accountable for brutality, and even if it's legal, cops can still arrest you for recording them. Readers defended organic and local produce, scientists were prosecuted for not predicting an earthquake in Italy, and gamers helped solve a puzzle in AIDS research that has stumped scientists for decades. Netflix can't stream everything because it'll ruin the studio system; meanwhile they can't even claim their own Qwikster Twitter handle. Humans loved spoiled endings, and we admired Fred Rogers' lifetime achievement acceptance speech.

VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Tuesday on the Dish, DADT officially ended and we watched as a gay serviceman finally came out to his dad. Massie credited British secularism with their embrace of marriage equality, readers insisted that out-lesbian sports stars aren't the same as male versions, and we awaited gay marriage on prime time. Andrew defended Obama from David Brooks' real beef with the GOP, and Focus on the Family downsized because the right has already absorbed all of its skewed ideology. Andrew backed Greenwald's horror at a system where torture isn't enough punishment for some and Georgia may be about to execute an innocent man.

The good Eagle Scout Perry edged out Romney but we kept our eyes on Palin, while the mainstream media continued to dismiss McGinniss' book, even though the anonymity was completely necessary. Jennifer Rubin drooled over the idea of a Chris Christie candidacy, Super PACS buy access to candidates, and even Honore de Balzac understood that newspapers have become political party weapons. Tax reform offers long-term benefits, poverty indicators don't tell us enough about how many people are really struggling, and emotional arguments have to wreak havoc with expectations. A reader took issue with our limited quote from Rep. Fleming about his $400k, and we parsed whether a "Buffett tax" on the wealthy would even bring in that much revenue. Daniel McCarthy sussed out the tensions between empire and conservatism and Julian Sanchez reconciled religious faith with our desire to believe in the fictions.

On the UN- Palestinian front, Chait diagnosed Jewish Republicans with an overdeveloped sense of black anti-Semitism, Beinart told American Zionists they were going to regret this missed opportunity, and a Palestinian shared what it's like to fight the Israeli settlements. Abbas Milani posed questions to Iran at the UN, and terrorists don't have nukes because they're actually hard to make even if the directions are on the internet. Veiled women in France were essentially put under house arrest, and the FBI trained the military to go after Islam's holy texts and clerics.

Andrew relished his dead-tree reading, not everyone in the world counts continents in the same way, and specialization matters less in the Information Age. Today's international politics resemble surfing more than chess, and R&B beats country music, proving that sex sells. Fredrick the Great made his troops drink beer instead of coffee, high rates of disease correlate with autocracy, and a sex strike brought peace to the Phillippines.

Chart of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here and contest winner #68 here.

Summer feelings from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Monday on the Dish, Andrew supported Obama's call for the rich to contribute their share, with which most Americans overwhelmingly agree. The full web reax is here, Bruce Bartlett questioned Obama's attention to the economy, and we pursued more analysis on whether green jobs are endangering the cause. Andrew cheered news of the Conservative party in Britain's support of full marriage equality, and assessed how this recession differs from those in the past, while a Louisiana Congressman argued he can't afford a tax increase because $400,000 isn't enough to live on.

Andrew parsed the evolution of the Israel lobby and being pro-Israel or pro-Greater Israel, while a majority of the world's public, including America, supports a Palestinian state. NRO earned its keep for a Palestine-inspired Malkin Award, Republican infighting broke out over defense spending, and Andrew Breitbart jumped off the paranoid deep end but promised to be packing heat. Terror alerts should tell us what to do in the event of a terror attack, the "responsibility to protect" imagery projected pure imperialism, and the world turned its back on Yemen's massacre over the last couple of days.

We awaited DADT's end tomorrow and reconsidered how much of our own tax dollars goes towards policies we disagree with. Perry's approval ratings plummeted, his Afghanistan policy defied logic, but his campaign methods have proved very successful in the past. Romney appeared the strongest contender for Obama, attack ads work, and the GOP needs to get over its anti-intellectualism. Mike Tyson bragged about Dennis Rodman's endowments, Gaultier survived childhood by doodling, and Netflix gambled on our willingness to compartmentalize our desires. A father pondered circumcision, we tracked Medicare Advantage improvements that may be a result of Obamacare, and Obama's war on drugs was basically indistinguishable from Bush's.

Chinese restaurants wooed Halal diners after they'd successfully nabbed the Jews, and a new report busted the myth that minorities get more scholarship money. Charles Kenny argued organic food markets hurt the world's poor, we chastised but never changed the financial and oil drilling systems that went so horribly wrong, and an end to smoking could save us $211 billion. One reader attested to high levels of meth use in some gay communities, another connected meth to lethal prescribed drugs, and another reminded us there's already been a great gay superstar: Martina Navratilova. Good schooling isn't tied to price, and Mr. Rogers is reason enough to support PBS.

MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and the views from your airplane window here.

–Z.P.

Walter Russell Mead contemplates the global economic shitshorm:

This is not just about how big the deficit should be; it is about whether the international financial system will survive the next six months in the form we now know it. It is about whether the foundations of the postwar order are cracking in Europe. It is about whether a global financial crash will further destabilize the Middle East and, if so, what we and the Europeans are going to do about it. It is about whether the incipient signs of a bubble burst in China signal the start of an extended economic and perhaps even political crisis there. It is about whether the American middle class is about to be knocked off its feet once again and indeed whether the middle class as we’ve known it will survive. It is about whether sovereign governments can still underwrite economic performance and financial stability in the leading economies of the world. …

I still hope the old house can weather one more storm, but it is clear that we can no longer take that for granted.  The ground under the foundations is washing away; the wind threatens to rip off the roof, and cracks are appearing in load bearing walls. Sooner rather than later we are going to have redesign and rebuild.

On political unrest, here's Kutiman:

(Image: A Corrective by Thomas Doyle, part of his Distillation series)

A reader looks to the Far East:

Have you heard of Nong Toom? Parinya Kiatbusaba or Parinya Jaroenphon (born June 9, 1981), more popularly known as Nong Thoom, Nong Toom or Nong Tum (Thai: ???????? ?????? ???????), is arguably the best-known kathoey (male-to-female transgendered person) in Thailand. She is a former Muay Thai (Thai boxing) champion and has also worked as a model and actress. 

Her public life began in February 1998, with a victory in Bangkok's Lumpini Boxing Stadium, the center of the Muay Thai world. The Thai media were understandably intrigued by the novelty and incongruity of a make-up wearing, 16-year-old kathoey, or "lady boy", defeating – and then kissing – a larger, more muscular opponent.

There was a movie made about her called The Beautiful Boxer.

Sarah Jaffe raises a disturbing possibility:

As student loans are relatively easy to come by, both from the government and from private lenders increasingly getting into the game, universities have been able to keep hiking tuition without seeing a drop in enrollment. Students are still advised that student debt is “good debt,” as noted above, and that they will be able to pay it off—but the costs are rising far more rapidly than average incomes.

Mike Konczal expands on the problems created by mass student debt.

Chloë Schama reviews sociologist and former model-embed Ashley Mears's Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model:

For one, modeling, for the vast majority, is not a lucrative career; it is barely a sustainable one. This is in part because of the explosion of the industry over the past two decades—an increase in supply without a real increase in demand…The average magazine shoot, for example, pays about $100 a day. For appearing on the cover of Vogue a model gets an additional $300. “Many magazines,” writes Mears, “pay nothing at all, though lunch and snacks are often provided.” (I’m guessing that most models don’t gain real compensation through snacking.)…The median income across America in 2009 for a model was $27,330—income that includes no benefits.

Libby Copeland has more.

(Photo: Models walk the runway at the Anteprima Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show as part Milan Womenswear Fashion Week on September 22, 2011 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images.)

The fascinating story of various long-term trusts:

[T]hanks to an eccentric New York lawyer in the 1930s, [Hartwick College] in a corner of the Catskills inherited a thousand-year trust that would not mature until the year 2936: a gift whose accumulated compound interest, the New York Times reported in 1961, “could ultimately shatter the nation’s financial structure.” The mossy stone walls and ivy-covered brickwork of Hartwick College were a ticking time-bomb of compounding interest—a very, very slowly ticking time bomb.