The US must be a melting pot – not a salad bowl.
By Lawrence E. Harrison
Vineyard Haven, Mass.
Future generations may look back on Iraq and immigration as the two great disasters of the Bush presidency. Ironically, for a conservative administration, both of these policy initiatives were rooted in a multicultural view of the world.
Before the meaningless "president's day" this country used to celebrate Washington's birthday - and unlike "MLK" he was worthy of a national holiday - it was traditionally celebrated with balls and dances. I can remember, in recent memory my grandmother and mother putting silhouettes of GW in the window, and draping flag bunting as one would on the 4th.
It really should make a comeback - often - as the weather is proving today - this is the bleakest time of the year. But perhaps a meaningless government and meaningless 'nation' should have meaningless holidays like politically correct MLK day.
What would the father of our country, who warned us to stay out of foreign affairs, say about neocons? 
If there is a hell, he certainly is, but that's another story..here on earth, rumors fly of the Nets moving the Newark -perhaps the players will be a bit more comfortable playing in an arena where local government takes security a bit more seriously. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be playing basketball in what, if built, will be one of the easiest open terrorist targets in the US.
Perhaps Bruce Ratner & Forest City see the see headlines like this:
Fed Reins in Growth Forecast and are starting to get a little ansy about having a red blot, which isn't going to go away any time soon - on the ledger....
Perhaps they see the collapsing finance market, plummeting revenues and empty condos...perhaps they are beginning to see what opponents have realized for a long time -Atlantic Yards is a very very bad idea.
Yet another illustration why our duplicity is so unpopular in the rest of the world.
Washington rejects Palestinian-Kosovo comparison
17 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday rejected comparisons between the Palestinian situation and Kosovo, after a senior Palestinian official called for a Kosovo-like declaration of independence.
Kosovo is a "unique" situation, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "It is not a precedent for any other situation around the world."
In a more culturally confident age, the British in India were faced with the practice of "suttee"—the tradition of burning widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands. General Sir Charles Napier was impeccably multicultural:
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."
from Vdare:
Why Do Only Whites Lose Jobs Over Racial Remarks?
By Peter Bradley
In his 1993 book Beautiful Losers: Essays on the Failure of American Conservatism, the late Sam Francis wrote, "the practice of ruining a white person once a year in honor of Dr. [Martin Luther] King is becoming a national tradition." Sam, who would soon become one of those ruined white persons, mentioned the well-known cases of Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder and Al Campanis, who lost jobs for their theories about blacks and sports. He also described the 1986 case of a Maryland school teacher who was suspended (though not fired in those lax days) for telling someone in a private conversation (correctly) that King was a communist sympathizer.
The pace of ruining white people for allegedly racist remarks has picked up in the last 15 years - and even in the three years since Sam passed on.
As Don Imus, James Watson, Michael Richards, Dave Seanor (former Golfweek editor) and Kelly Tilghman (Golf Channel anchor) can attest, the practice is now much more common than once a year.
Whites on the hard-right and (especially) the race-realist right have long lost jobs or appointments over their racial views or remarks. A brief list would include Mel Bradford, Sam Francis, Chris Brand, Andrew Fraser, Kevin Lamb and Frank Ellis. Academics such as Michael Levin, Philippe Rushton, and the late Glayde Whitney were harassed for their scholarly work on race but managed to keep their jobs because of tenure....more....
and the "money quote:
Perhaps there will come a day when whites tire of this double standard and start pushing back.
Suit Against New Campaign Finance Law Claims Racial Bias
By RAY RIVERA
Published: February 12, 2008
The real estate industry and lobbyists, who together provide millions in campaign cash for city candidates, are trying to overturn a new law that would vastly reduce how much they can donate.
The 96-page complaint was filed by James Bopp Jr., a lawyer who successfully challenged Vermont’s campaign finance restrictions before the United States Supreme Court in 2006.
In an unusual tack, Mr. Bopp claimed that New York’s limits would make it more difficult for minority candidates to run, because they tend to come from poorer areas where their neighbors cannot contribute, so they must turn to business interests for donations.
From Ratner's Partner:"To keep the budget in balance, the governor is proposing several new spending cuts, including further paring back increases in Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers, and dipping into the state’s environmental protection fund more than had been expected."
Apparently there's still plenty of cash to finance Ratner's boondoggle which will increase health and environmental problems.
From Atlantic Yards Report:
Katherin McInnis, who teaches video and photography in San Francisco and is visiting Brooklyn on sabbatical, told me she was hardly traumatized by the encounter, because she knew she had the right to shoot video--and blurry, “arty” video at that--from the Pacific Street sidewalk bordering the Vanderbilt Yard. (On her AV Diary, she posted some stills, some of which are reproduced here.)From the Castle Colition blog;:
Abuse of process. That’s the accusation of the New York Daily News against the property owners in the Atlantic Yards mess:
On Friday, a federal appeals court summarily tossed a wacko attempt to block the state from using eminent domain to buy a handful of privately owned properties on the site. The opponents argued that Ratner had co-opted or corrupted every official who likes the idea of building 2,250 units of affordable housing there, along with a ton of market-rate housing and a home for the Nets.
Such is the nonsense that the opposition, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, has peddled for four years.
[…]
Now, the opponents are getting set to appeal again - and appear determined to wait the maximum of nine months before filing papers. This is the height of cynicism. The group is dragging its feet for one reason: to try to delay Atlantic Yards to death.
Every month costs Ratner $12 million, and financing has become increasingly difficult in the subprime mortgage credit crunch. The developer has asked the Appellate Division to force Develop Don’t Destroy to make its case on an expedited basis.
So, in the upside-down world of the editors, you’re “wacko” if you defend your property from being seized for the purpose of private development, any argument made against such a plan is “nonsense,” and, really, the developer, is the victim of abuse here. Hmm…
Moving on to Errol Louis’ column in the same paper:
There’s a real possibility that up to 100 construction and demolition workers could be laid off in the near future, thanks to the delaying tactics being employed by opponents of the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn.
It’s enough to make the blood boil.
The fact that real people could lose real jobs moves the proposed $4 billion development beyond an abstract debate over the process by which city and state agencies and businessman Bruce Ratner shaped the project.
One wishes the thought of real people losing real homes and businesses would have caused Mr. Louis’ blood to boil a while back.
From The Brussels Journal::
News that the British Government are going to send two pupils from every six form on a trip to Auschwitz just shows how skewed Britain’s education system has become. Coming fast on the heels of calls to take pride in British history out of the classroom this just shows the government at it's shallow worst.
with each administration, individual rights erode- the democrats will be just as bad, under the guise of 'hate speech' - and central authority increases.
| Bush: Uniter, Decider, and Now, Interpreter |
| by William Fisher |
| When George W. Bush signed the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act into law last week, he again thumbed his nose at Congress by taking a second now-familiar step: he issued a "signing statement" – a declaration that effectively asserts his authority to ignore parts of the law he disagrees with. His action brought harsh criticism from dozens of legal scholars and advocacy groups who point out that U.S. presidents have the authority under the Constitution to veto or approve acts of Congress – but not to modify them. Bush's latest signing statement declares his right to ignore sections of the law establishing a commission to investigate U.S. contractor fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, expanding whistleblower protections, requiring that U.S. intelligence agencies respond to congressional requests for documents, banning funding for permanent bases in Iraq, and prohibiting funding of any actions that exercise U.S. control over Iraq's oil revenues. |
Shaya Boymelgreen seems to always be connected with low-lifes, in Brooklyn with Ratner and in Isarel with Leviev. ...perhaps because he's a low-life himself....
Shaya Boymelgreen and Lev Leviev:
destroying communities and violating laws in Palestine and New York City.
Summary
Israeli American real estate developer Shaya Boymelgreen and Israeli businessman Lev Leviev are building destructive projects in New York City and in the Occupied West Bank in Palestine. Leviev and Boymelgreen are building strategic settlements in the Occupied West Bank which violate international law and aim to ensure Israeli control over key areas in the West Bank, rendering peace between Israelis and Palestinians impossible. In Palestine and in New York City they are committing similar abuses: expelling low-income, local residents from their communities, violating laws, and exploiting laborers.
Abuse of Reality by Daily News Editorial Board
From Atlantic Yards Report:
Daily News's "Abuse of process" editorial an abuse of facts
An editorial in today's Daily News about Atlantic Yards, headlined Abuse of process, deserves a close look because of the numerous errors.
Norman Oder goes on to actually discuss claims made in the legal briefs rather than claims made in Forest City Ratner press releases. Continue reading...
The Daily News has an editorial today which is so ironic, starting with its headline, and so rife with fabrications, exaggerations, and nonsense that we have to respond here (there is at least one example per paragraph). Note that the editorial, as editorials are, is unfortunately an anonymous voice, so our response is to the whole board-- though there is a question we have for the paper's publisher, developer Mort Zuckerman: How many legal suits have you filed in your lifetime?
the latest? polygamy:
LONDON: The Gordon Brown government has reportedly cleared a proposal that will allow husbands with multiple wives to claim extra welfare benefits.
According to the Sunday Telegraph , bigamy is regarded as a crime in Britain and is punishable by up to seven years in prison, but this decision allows for recognition of polygamous marriages so long as such weddings take place in countries where it is legal.
Another diversity + democracy success story:
THE tragedy of Kenya’s violence was etched on the face of James Kamau, a softly spoken 43-year-old biology teacher, as he steeled himself to search Nakuru city mortuary for his murdered brother-in-law this weekend.
“We are glimpsing an enormity of evil in Kenya larger than any of us imagined,” he said. “Look how they have destroyed our people.From Borjos Blog:
Marc Andreessen has written the most insightful analysis of the writers' strike that I've seen. It's a must read. He argues that the big studios are in a suicidal battle and that a new Hollywood will likely be reborn, along the lines of Silicon Valley, where writers and actors own the content and distribute it widely and freely over the Internet.
Here is one key passage that neatly summarizes the short-run economic issue that triggered the strike:
Due to amazing historical circumstances around the birth of the VCR in the early 1980's, television and movie writers are currently paid approximately 4 cents for each DVD sold -- bearing in mind that the average sale price for a DVD is over $10, and the cost of manufacturing a DVD is less than 50 cents. The writers want that residual rate doubled to 8 cents per DVD, and the studios are refusing.
Currently, writers are not paid for Internet downloads via online video stores like iTunes and Amazon Unbox. The studios want to extend the current 4-cent DVD residual formula to Internet downloads; the writers are holding out for more.
As always, there is a Law of Unintended Consequences: the strike is keeping writers away from the keyboard and preventing them from writing yet more stuff that's guaranteed to keep moviegoers away from the theaters.
Great article on the "new religion" of globalism:
The Archaeology of GlobalismWherever we turn, we hear of globalization. Former Ambassador Robert Strauss recently donated $7.5 million for a globalism research center at the University of Texas. Rich Lowry, in "Global Capitalism Saves Children," implores, "let’s save the world – help it grow." And Thomas L. Friedman, in The Lexus and the Olive Tree, writes that this great panacea "increases the incentives for not making war and increases the costs of going to war in more ways than in any previous era in modern history.’’ Neoconservatives and neoliberals alike warn us that if we turn our backs on the great project, we are doomed. Or worse, we are evil, as charged former World Trade Organization Director-General Mike Moore:
There is also a darker side to the backlash against globalization. For some, the attacks on economic openness are part of a broader assault on internationalism - on foreigners, immigration, a more pluralistic and integrated world.
But what is this new religion of globalism? It has become such a pervasive ideology that no single camp exists. Almost all elitists seem to buy into it – whether one is a neoconservative supporting war, a Wall Street investor backing free trade or a Hollywood liberal adopting God knows how many children from around the world – although they disagree on some points. Ad minimum, globalism presupposes international integration. Thus, we infer three basic tenets of globalism: (1) interventionist foreign policies, (2) free trade and (3) mass immigration (illegal or legal).
Regarding the first point, not everyone in the world (e.g. conservative Muslims) wants to be integrated into an internationalist order. But whereas a George Washington or Edmund Burke would let them go their own way, the globalist feels the imperative to assimilate them, thus sensationalizing a charge (e.g. supporting terrorism, ethnic nationalism or hating freedom) as a pretext for intervention, which usually begins with global sanction and often ends in invasion. Although globalists may disagree on the target region (Serbia, Iraq or Darfur) or what type of punishments must be meted out (a harsh scolding, sanctions or invasion), they all agree it is our business to intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign nations.
Over the weekend Dymphna wrote about the British government’s announcement that it is willing to pay Muslim men for their extra wives. And now the Swedes are going to use taxpayer funds to pay for the training the country’s imams:
Swedish state to train imams
The Swedish government is to set up an inquiry to look into the possibility of using state funds to provide training programmes for imams.
Muslim religious representatives should be able to benefit from Swedish tax kronor in the same way as Christian priests and ministers, according to Minster for Higher Education and Research Lars Leijonborg.
The former Liberal Party leader also believes that the move will help stem the development of radical Islam in Sweden.
From Pat Buchanan:
It was to be the year of change, of new ideas, a new politics.
Yet, as of today, it appears the Republican Party will be led into the future by a Beltway favorite of the media and Washington insider who has spent the last quarter of a century on Capitol Hill.
And the Democratic Party appears about to build a bridge to the past by nominating the spouse of the last Democratic president who has herself been a Washington insider for almost 20 years.
With two-thirds of the nation saying the country is on the wrong course, the two parties are offering candidates both of whom played major roles in setting that course. And neither probable nominee has advanced ideas to deal with the crises America faces, nor even shown any great awareness that the country is in crisis.
The first crisis is fiscal, with the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid costs about to break the bank as the baby boomers reach early retirement. Add the other entitlement programs, defense and interest on the debt, and this consumes perhaps 90 percent of the budget.
No one is proposing cuts in any major component of the budget. Indeed, Mrs. Clinton is promising universal health care and McCain is promising an expansion of the military. Both favor a stimulus package of roughly $150 billion. As our savings rate is about zero, where are we going to borrow the money for all this?.....
more:
A militarist suffering from acute narcissism and armed with the Bush Doctrine is not fit to be commander in chief.
by Justin Raimondo
John McCain’s reputation as a maverick is no recent contrivance. The senator first captured the media spotlight in September 1983, not long after he’d been elected to his first term in the House, when he voted against President Reagan’s decision to put American troops in Lebanon as part of a multinational “peacekeeping” force. One of 27 Republicans to break with the White House, the freshman McCain made a floor speech that reads as if it might have been written yesterday—by Ron Paul:
The fundamental question is: What is the United States’ interest in Lebanon? It is said we are there to keep the peace. I ask, what peace? It is said we are there to aid the government. I ask, what government? It is said we are there to stabilize the region. I ask, how can the U.S. presence stabilize the region?... The longer we stay in Lebanon, the harder it will be for us to leave. We will be trapped by the case we make for having our troops there in the first place.
What can we expect if we withdraw from Lebanon? The same as will happen if we stay. I acknowledge that the level of fighting will increase if we leave. I regretfully acknowledge that many innocent civilians will be hurt. But I firmly believe this will happen in any event.
Now insert “Iraq” where McCain said “Lebanon.” It’s as if McCain the Younger foresaw our present predicament and taunted his future incarnation, showing that wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age.
If this decision fails appeal...will the state actually seize the properties in question? The court indicated that the Atlantic Yards "deal" does have the odor of corruption and impropriety. Knowing this, will the state still proceed? If the actions of the ESDC are any indication -vigorously defending the deal in court, then we can guess, yes. But with the new financial and credit realities emerging everyday, this further tarnishing of the ESDC and Spitzer's already tarnished administration nay not be a wise idea, and might serve no purpose but to add another negative mark to Spitzer's report card. In short, Atlantic Yards has never a good investment for the state to make in both financial and moral capital, but with the credit and real estate markets in their current state, it may not be worth it.
No land Grab posts an excerpt from the Castlecolition article about the Goldstien vs. Pataki decision:
CastleWatch Daily
The main argument lawyers for the property owners tried to make was that the main purpose of the Atlantic Yards project was to benefit a private party, that is, the development company Forest City Ratner, and that benefits to the public, like new park space, some affordable housing and improvements to the transit system were pretextual.For those who don’t wish to read through the opinion, the court basically admits that the mere presence of a small public benefit is sufficient to disprove the pretextual taking. They admit that the properties in question aren’t blighted, that the development plan was concocted by Bruce Ratner and that there might have been some “irregularities” along the way that might indicate that there was some collusion between Ratner and local officials, but nevertheless, there is a whole 5% percent going to affordable housing, while the rest will be luxury condos, and a stadium, by definition, is a public benefit, even if Ratner has a 100 lease for $1 and will profit from events held there. In the end, the court would rather defer to the state legislature than possibly examine the sentence in Kelo majority that states a city wouldn’t “be allowed to take property under the mere pretext of a public purpose when its actual purpose was to bestow a private benefit.”
Posted by amy at February 3, 2008 10:49 AM | Permalink
Where your second amendment rights are ignored, and the Fifth Amendment is so broadly defined, that property rights de facto do not exist. So why are we pouring billions into Iraq trying to impose our peculiar version of 'freedom'?
From Atlantic Yards Report:
Judicial deference to elected officials
The court concluded the 24-page opinion: This case has been very well litigated on both sides. At the end of the day, we are left with the distinct impression that the lawsuit is animated by concerns about the wisdom of the Atlantic Yards Project and its effect on the community. While we can well understand why the affected property owners would take this opportunity to air their complaints, such matters of policy are the province of the elected branches, not this Court.
Wow, since when did judges, which ordered busing, raising taxes, race quotas, told the Massachusetts legislature it had to institute gay marriage, and constantly nullifies local edicts that crack down on illegal immigration, and in fact expanded politician's 'right' to steal private property from citizens -thus further curtailing citizen's property rights - which led to this mess in the first place.....all the sudden respect the line between the judicial and legislative branches? Oh, when it involves corrupt politicians, back room deals and turning over private property from middle class homeowners to a greedy billionaire developer. Yeah, God forbid they might want to send a message to politicians that they could not get away with shady back room deals and abusing public trust.
link: Statement on Eminent Domain Decision
For Immediate Release: February 1, 2008
Plaintiffs Intend to Ask US Supreme Court to Hear Their Case
Plaintiffs Will Seek All Legal Remedies to Protect Their Homes and Businesses From Seizure by New York State
New York, NY— The Second Circuit Court today ruled against 14 homeowners, business owners and tenants in their appeal of their lawsuit alleging that New York State's use of eminent domain to take their properties for Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards project violates the United States Constitution.
