Month: June 2012

Today on the Dish, Andrew went another round on circumcision and the court in Cologne, and we celebrated the Dish readership. Democratic presidents are better for the economy, the election will determine Obamacare's ultimate fate, and Josh Barro guessed that conservative states would take the Medicaid money anyway. Obamacare ended freedom, the Roberts ruling could swing public opinion, a reader defended cable news (why it must evolve into something new here), and at least CNN issued a correction.

Kicks just keep getting harder to find at the New Yorker, National Review failed again, and the strongest woman in America is totally overlooked. We wondered about Anthony Kennedy, it's possible that Roberts switched his vote, and the GOP base is uninterested in the long view. McArdle sided with the Court over FDR, Scott Horton tackled the DEA, and Israel's health care system provided better outcomes. We worried about Islamism in Egypt, the Chinese were somewhat baffled by American health care politics, and Obama failed Africa. Netanyahu and Putin became closer, the defense industry somehow wanted credit for the bin Laden raid, and Eli Lake explored Somalia's prisons. We checked in on the election in Mexico, Mars is hard to get to, and dogs have been deadlier than al Qaeda in the US since 9/11. 

Readers shared their experiences with home and natural birth, a Texas bowler made history, and poverty in America became more extreme. We contemplated singlehood, questioned forced treatment, and monitored an off-kilter subway stair. The fork is relatively new, we're in awe of Louis C.K., and the robotic hand (above) never loses. Poseur alert here, Yglesias award nominee here, Von Hoffman award nominee here, headline of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here. Ad war update here and ask Klaidman anything here. 

The rest of the week after the jump: 

Thursday on the Dish, we live-blogged the SCOTUS ruling and weighed the electoral impact of the decision. Blogger reax here and reader reax here (meep meep watch here). Romney promised a full repeal (whether or not that is likely or possible here and here), a reader speculated that Scalia's overreaching did him in, and cable news officially jumped the shark. Some claimed they would "flee" to Canada, the House voted to hold Holder in contempt, anti-mandate conservativesrenounced a settled body of law, and national security became divorced from democracy. JP Morgan actually lost $9 billion, and the uninsured continued to suffer. 

We wondered if Facebook has reached saturation, studied the Buzzfeed model, and examined the dental care crisis. Readers elaborated on home birth, a new film reinvented Hollywood aging, and pharmaceutical reps preyed on the cognitive dissonance of doctors. Slugs chewed penises after sex, our local police departments became pointlessly militarized, and connectivity immunized.  

Chart of the day here, Malkin award nominee here, quote for the day here, FOTD here, VFYWhere, and MHB here. Ad war update here. 

By Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew wrote in praise of Dishhead exceptionalism, he defended a German court's ban on infant male genital mutilation, and Fortune complicated the conservative movement's account of Operation Fast and Furious. We geared up for tomorrow's decision on Obamacare (predictions here), imagined the ACA without the mandate, and wondered about the implications for November (reality check here and above). Regardless of what happens, the Supreme Court is not the legal equivalent of Hannity and the GOP won't "own" the health care system. Meanwhile, the president does not have a built-in electoral college lead though the Obama campaign's attacks on Bain appear to be succeeding. 

Scott Horton compared Obama's record on civil liberties to Bush's, prisons abusedsolitary confinement, and a documentary illuminated gay rights activism in Uganda. A reparative therapist acknowledged that there is no "cure" for homosexuality, gay bars inevitably declined, and a reader reflected on her decision to have an abortion. Amazon ate away self-publishing royalties, Republicans seem to enjoy being "uncool," and nuclear power is not cost-effective. We explored super-human vision, baldness may carry some evolutionary advantages (or not), telecommuting is more productive, and the old and uneducated are glued to their TVs. Age itself doesn't necessarily cause hormone decline, male cancer patients lack support, and the US leads in cannabis consumption. A reader was bothered by Mormonism's "claim to empirical truths which are self-evidently not truths," and we winced at the moral righteousness of dogs. 

Quote for the day here, end of gay culture watch here, MHB here, VFYW here, FOTD here, and summer reading infographic here. Ad war updates here and here. 

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew reflected on the Supreme Court and November, Romney proceeded on Palin's path, and the GOP's unified certainty prevailed. We're not the only ones who are creeped out by campaign marketing, readers sorted through the more cultish aspects of Mormonism, and a reader alerted us to a story of actual voter fraud. Sorkin fans grappled with Newsroom, Americans misunderstood the ACA, and constitutional law is often dishonest. 

We grasped the incoherence of Indonesia, reviewed the status of spaceships, and anticipated the liberation of drones. The Fox News correspondent in Rome officially joined the Vatican, GOProud officially endorsed Romney, and incumbents in Congress centralized governance. Maliki consolidated power in Iraq, one Syrian rebel turned to an American boy band, and Scott Horton discussed Obama's record on whistleblowers. Food aid often breeds violence, the narcotics trade propagates violence in Guatemala, and most serious crimes in Mexico go unpunished. 

Readers remembered the plague years, a husband wrote in praise of monogamy as the tightest teamwork, and long-duration astronauts will need comfort food. American kids ran the show, "traditional" men resist therapy, and even American license plates are now divisive. We envisioned health care reform post-ACA, reexamined home birth, and delved into the history of splitting arrows. 

Christianism watch here, creepy ad watch here, quotes for the day here and here and here, tweet of the day here, self-parody alert here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #108 here. Ad war update here. 

Seattle, Washington, 9.35 am

Monday on the Dish, Andrew addressed Romney's casual and repeated lies as the core reality of the campaign and considered the revealing case of Monsignor Lynn. Romney's numbers are solid even as he struggles to level the "ethnic playing field," but he should probably think outside the economy. The food stamp program expanded below the poverty line, the Cheneys shied from the cause of marriage equality, David Blankenhorn came around, and gay adoption grew pools of committed parents. 

We checked in on political developments in Egypt, questioned the US foreign policy consensus, and traced Soviet meddling in the Middle East. Postwar Berlin is still cheap, Greece and Germany blew off steam, and civilians became the primary targets of war. 

We studied slinkies, looked at HIV transmission laws, anticipated the end of checks, and reimagined jury duty. We wondered about eye contact, remembered closet monsters, and re-read "A Good Man is Hard to Find." We fetishized small businesses for the wrong reasons, made the case for leisure,  broached disease and guilt, were leery of teenage anti-depressants and bullish on animal biology, and examinedcauses of death over time. Happy marriages take different shapes, laughing happens deep in our brains, and bars are increasingly pricey. Tattoos were once for aristocrats, there is nothing on Earth "untouched by man," autonomy is  a victim of anorexia, and according to Michael Chabon, you should keep your dreams to yourself. We parsed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, geared up for the big decision on Thursday, and Romney inevitably obfuscated. 

Moore award nominee here, quote for the day here, ask Scott Horton anything here, URL of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, and  VFYW here. Ad war update here. 

—M.A. 

Enrique Peña Nieto is way ahead in the final polls for Sunday's election. John Paul Rathbone has a useful guide to the contest:

What about security and the "drugs war"? Given that over 50,000 people have died in the past six years, this is the Box of Horrors that none of the candidates have dared open or offer many specifics on – except general rhetoric about how they all want to bring down violence. How to achieve that, though, is the harder question – especially as 8 of 10 Mexicans back President Felipe Calderon’s policy of using the army to fight drug cartels, according to a poll by the Pew Research Centre. Mr Peña has said he wants to set up a gendarmerie of 40,000, and that security spending should rise further until it approaches something close to Colombia’s levels of 5 per cent of GDP. He has also hired General Oscar Naranjo, Colombia’s former police chief, as his security adviser. The "Drugs War" is therefore likely to continue, even if its tactics somewhat change. But policy specifics are likely to made-up on the hoof.

Daniel Hernandez reports on opposition to Peña Nieto and his party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI):

The party ruled the country for much of the 20th Century until 2000 with a potent mix of strategies that ultimately boils down to power-by-any-means necessary. It has a widely documented history of vote-buying, fraud, collusion with drug traffickers, censorship, intimidation, election-stealing, and often fatal repression against dissidents—from the assassination of top party figures such as Luis Donaldo Colosio in 1994 to the outright massacres of student protesters in 1968 and 1971. Peña Nieto says the PRI under his candidacy is a new party, and that his campaign should not be faulted for the party’s “errors” of the past.

(Photo: Enrique Pena Nieto, presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), greets supporters during his final campaign rally on June 27, 2012 in Monterrey City in Mexico's state of Nuevo Leon. By Daniel Aguilar/Getty Images)

Adelson To Donate $10 Million To Koch Brothers

Peter Bergen believes we should declare victory:

Al Qaeda hasn't conducted a successful attack in the West since the bombings on London's transportation system seven years ago that killed 52 commuters. And the terrorist group, of course, hasn't carried out an attack in the States since 9/11. Even terrorists influenced by al Qaeda-like ideas have only killed 17 people in the United States since 9/11.  About the same number of Americans are killed every year by dogs. In other words, in the United States during the past decade, dogs have been around ten times more deadly than jihadist terrorists. 

Mary Habeck differs.

A Sudanese mother holds her baby waiting for food at a malnutrition and feeding center at the Yida refugee camp along the border with North Sudan June 29, 2012 in Yida, South Sudan. Yida refugee camp has swollen to nearly 60,000 as the refugees flee from South Kordofan in North Sudan. The rainy season has increased the numbers of sick children suffering from diarrhea and severe malnutrition as the international aid community struggles to provide basic assistance to the growing population, with most arriving with only the clothes they are wearing. Many of the new arrivals walked up to 2 weeks or more to reach the camp. By Paula Bronstein/Getty Images.

Bill Fong nearly had three 300 games in a row:

The fact that he missed perfection by the last pin on the last roll—that makes the whole thing more human, less robotic. And that, somehow, makes it seem almost beautiful. Besides, [Fong's teammates] argue, Fong still holds the Texas state record. And because there have been only 21 perfect 900s, he is technically tied for the 22nd greatest night in the annals of bowling history. (There have been only 11 899s.)

One reason Fong may have come up short: he likely bowled the last few frames while having a stroke.

The ad assault continues over yesterday's SCOTUS ruling, with the Obama campaign releasing a web ad touting the benefits of ACA while this RNC ad features the word "tax" 15 times. Along those lines, the Koch Super PAC "Americans for Prosperity" also delivered on their promise to fund a 12-state ad attacking Obamacare as a tax increase:

Elspeth Reeve notices:

Clearly the group had ads ready to go no matter what the Court's ruling, but maybe they weren't expecting the tax part. The second half of the ad is dedicated to the old Republican message that Obama wasted too much time on the law. That would have been a more powerful argument if the law had been struck down.

It's also worth noting that the Annenberg Public Policy Center released a study this week tracking the money spent on deceptive advertising by groups such as Americans for Prosperity:

[F]rom December 1, 2011 through June 1, 2012, 85% of the dollars spent on presidential ads by four top-spending third-party groups known as 501(c)(4)s were spent on ads containing at least one claim ruled deceptive by fact-checkers at FactCheck.org, PolitiFact.com, the Fact Checker at the Washington Post or the Associated Press.

Americans for Prosperity was #3 on that list; #2 was the conservative American Future Fund, which tonight rushed out another ad going after the Obama administration for the Fast and Furious scandal, this time including a reference to Holder's contempt vote. Also today, the Romney campaign for some reason decided to go back to the McCain '08 playbook, using Hillary Clinton footage in an attempt to shame Obama for his negative advertising. It's airing in six states:

Finally, in the issues ad war, a Colorado-based organization working to legalize marijuana has released an ad in favor of this November's Amendment 64. It features a young man writing a hypothetical email to his father comparing marijuana to alcohol:

Previous Ad War Updates: June 28, June 27, June 26, June 25, June 22, June 21, June 20, June 19, June 18, June 15, June 14, June 13, June 12, June 11, June 8, June 6, June 5, June 4, June 1, May 31, May 30, May 29, May 24, May 23, May 22, May 21, May 18, May 17, May 16, May 15, May 14, May 10, May 9, May 8,  May 7, May 3, May 2, May 1, Apr 30, Apr 27, Apr 26, Apr 25, Apr 24, Apr 23, Apr 18, Apr 17, Apr 16, Apr 13, Apr 11, Apr 10, Apr 9, Apr 5, Apr 4, Apr 3, Apr 2, Mar 30, Mar 27, Mar 26, Mar 23, Mar 22, Mar 21, Mar 20, Mar 19, Mar 16, Mar 15, Mar 14, Mar 13, Mar 12, Mar 9, Mar 8, Mar 7, Mar 6, Mar 5, Mar 2, Mar 1, Feb 29, Feb 28, Feb 27, Feb 23, Feb 22, Feb 21, Feb 17, Feb 16, Feb 15, Feb 14, Feb 13, Feb 9, Feb 8, Feb 7,Feb 6, Feb 3, Feb 2, Feb 1, Jan 30, Jan 29, Jan 27, Jan 26, Jan 25, Jan 24, Jan 22,Jan 20, Jan 19, Jan 18, Jan 17, Jan 16 and Jan 12.

Jessica Testa profiles America's strongest women, who can barely pay her rent:

On her best day, [Sarah Robles] can lift more than 568 pounds — that’s roughly five IKEA couches, 65 gallons of milk, or one large adult male lion. … [She] is an incredible athlete, but outside the world of squats and snatches, barely anyone knows her name. And even though she's the U.S.’s best chance at an Olympic medal, she'll never get the fame or fortune that come so easily to her fellow athletes — in part because, at 5 feet, 10.5 inches and 275 pounds, she doesn't fit the ideal of thin, toned athletic beauty

(Photo: Sarah Robles of the US Olympic Weightlifting team poses for pictures during a photo session during the 2012 Team USA Media Summit on May 13, 2012 in Dallas,Texas. By Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images. Hat tip: Joe My God)

Jacob Williamson responds to our reader:

What about those that refuse conventional, certified-effective medicine and instead opt for homeopathy? Again, I take it as irrelevant that there could be some hidden benefits to this form of treatment. Even if we were sure it does nothing, so that the person would be acting on a false belief detrimental to their health, thereby being irrational and allegedly lacking autonomy – would we even consider coercing them? What about the man who dies waiting under the illusion that God will intervene and save him? I’m yet to understand why anorexia should be so different.

Another reader jumps in:

I have to take issue with what your last reader said: "If force feeding anorexics is wrong, then so is forcibly committing someone who is suicidal to an institution to protect them from themselves. To say it is wrong is to assume the person is capable of rational decision-making." This misses the complexity of the issue.  My girlfriend has had a history of emotional issues and depression, and nearly a decade ago she had an episode involving a therapist committing her to a psychiatric ward for allegedly being seriously suicidal. 

This was after only a couple of months of regular therapy (so, about 8-10 sessions), and the therapist made this decision against her wishes.  She was then forced to commit herself in order to defend her free will.  She managed to suffer two nights before anxiety attacks demanded she check herself out Against Medical Advice. There are two effects from this episode:

1) She, in fact, did not kill herself.
2) She is deathly afraid of conventional therapy and psychology.  If it involves human interaction on an emotional scale, she will not go. Yet she needs it because she's still emotionally unstable.

Forcing a cognizant person to undergo forced treatment, especially treatment that is demeaning, will damage the chances that the patient will continue constructive, often-necessary therapy in the future.  Like my girlfriend, this could leave a patient continuing to fear for their own emotional state, but also fearing sincere attempts to help and soothe fears, leading down an even darker road of despair.

I understand the belief that "if she cannot act to preserve herself, then we must forcefully act to preserve her" is common sense, but it is not good sense.  Often a person's emotional state is fluctuating too wildly to make definite predictions of behavior, yet we should be rather certain of a patient's situation before we commit the grave act of eliminating the person's freedom.  In the courts, we believe we should be biased towards the freedom of the defendant.  For some sad reason there are no such biases for those more pitiable than your average court defendant.

Some people have trouble stomaching the idea that a broken person has the free will to kill himself.  I am not one of them.  What good is free will if you cannot act on it in a manner that is contrary to the wishes of those around you?  No one ever said that freedom's extreme acts should only produce things the censors approve of.

As for my girlfriend, I will keep pushing for the therapy she needs.  But I will defend her to the limits to keep her from being unjustly restrained by singular people making autocratic decrees.  Because that will be the death of her spirit.

The perils of a single off-kilter stair:

The story:

At Brooklyn's 36th Street subway stop, one of the steps is slightly higher than the others. This causes many many people to trip on their way up the stairs. Filmmaker Dean Peterson set up his camera to capture the stumbles. 

Since being posted on Wednesday, the video has racked up more than a million views. The stair is now being fixed:

The dangerous step, it turns out, is a half-inch higher than the others. Stairway design guidelines call for risers to be a minimum of 6 inches and a maximum of 7 inches, according to MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz. The allowable variance is 3/8 of an inch.  It's not clear why the step was built that way, but after the video went viral and reporters started calling, the MTA went to work.