IMHO

Mike's Birthday

For Mike's birthday, he got lots of vodka. This is a very good thing, because for his birthday the Yankees decided to deal him a terrible blow--they signed Alan Embree. It's a tough call to say who hates Embree more, me or Mike. I think I do, but only because I have watched him lose more games for the Sox that he has.

Of course, I was happy to see him leave the Sox (ecstatic, in fact). Not so happy that he went to a team I am still going to have to watch him on, though.

A Pleasant Stay

I got my admission letter today from the hospital where I will be having my 4-5 day EEG. Some of the things it tells me:

You may not wash your hair during the admission, but you may take a shower with the help of the nursing staff

technicians will atach electrodes to your head with a glue-like substance

Your head will be wrapped in gauze to help keep the electrodes in place

You will be asked to sign a consent that allows us to videotape you as well as record the electrical activity of your brain

A cable will attach the box [where the electrodes' wires go in] on your waist to the wall

At the end of this, they say "We hope that this information will help make your stay with us more pleasant."

Yeah, right.

Republican Revolt

Last night, Mike and I were discussing the likelihood that someone would go to jail over the Plame affair. We decided that what would most likely happen is that Rove would draw this whole thing out for another few years, at which point W, on his way out of office, would pardon him.

We figured that W would do this because he just doesn't give a hoot about the future of the Republican party.

Cruising over at Balkinization today, however, I find that Republican implosion may be not take three years. I am accustomed to politicians being repulsive. I am accustomed to Cheney being more than repulsive. This, however, is enough to throw even me for a loop.

The post, written by Marty Lederman, discusses the legislation regarding torture and detention that Senators McCain, Graham and Warner are attempting to put together, and Cheney's response to the possibility of such legislation. It focuses on the Statement of Administration Policy on the National Defense Authorization Act for 2006 issued last week by the White House, and in particular on this passage:

The Administration understands that amendments may be offered to establish a national commission on the detainee operations or to regulate the detention, treatment or trial of terrorists captured in the war on terror. The Administration strongly opposes such amendments, which would interfere with the protection of Americans from terrorism by diverting resources from the war to answer unnecessary or duplicative inquiry or by restricting the President's ability to conduct the war effectively under existing law. The Constitution and the Authorization for Use of Military Force Joint Resolution (Public Law 107-40, September 18, 201) provide the authority the President needs to conduct the war effectively and protect the American people. If legislation is presented that would restrict the President's authority to protect Americans effectively from terrorist attack and bring terrorists to justice, the President's senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill. (Emphasis in original.)

Can human beings with brains their heads really condone this kind of behavior in their governments? When do we say "enough is enough?"

Brilliant

Faux Faulkner:The Administration and the Fury. Thanks to Conrad for the link.

Abortion is Not the Supreme Issue

Why should your average anti-abortion voter be concerned with who Bush nominates to the Supreme Court? After all, he's going to appoint someone who agrees that abortion is a sin, right? Well, what about section 215 of a certain current law, which is no doubt going to end up in the Supreme Court at some point before the next new Justice retires [summary of 215 taken from Billmon]. Here's what Section 215 allows the government to do right now:

• Order any person or entity to turn over "any tangible things," so long as the FBI specifies that the order is part of an authorized terrorism or intelligence investigation.


• Obtain personal data, including medical records, without any specific facts connecting those records to a foreign terrorist.


• Prohibit doctors and insurance companies from disclosing to their patients that their medical records have been seized by the government.


• Obtain library and book store records, including lists of books checked out, without any specific facts connecting the records to a foreign agent or terrorist.


• Obtain private financial records without a court order, and without notification to the person involved.


• Conduct intelligence investigations of both United States citizens and permanent residents without probable cause, or even reasonable grounds to believe that they are engaged in criminal activity or are agents of a foreign power.


• Investigate U.S. citizens based in part on their exercise of their First Amendment rights, and non-citizens based solely on their exercise of those rights. (Naturally, decisions about what constitutes "in part" are left to a secret court, meeting secretly.)


• Those served with Section 215 orders are prohibited from disclosing that fact to anyone -- even their attorney. (This provision was struck down by a U.S. district court last year.)

If you notice, that last provision was already declared unconstitutional by a lower court. Several courts have declared various parts of this law unconstitutional, but none of them have made it to the Supreme Court. It's only a matter of (brief) time before they do.

So if you don't like the idea that the government can search your house without telling you that they are going to do it, and without telling you that they have done it, and don't like the idea that your families medical records are subject to view by various government agents or agencies, you should be concerned about who the next Supreme Court Justice is.

Two-Day Test

For those who are interested, my two-day EEG turns out to be more like 4 days. I will go into the hospital August 29th. Just my luck, the heatwave will probably be over by then!

Keep Rove Alive...

(at least until he can be executed as a traitor).

Over at Talking Points Memo, Josh has posted a memo from 11 former intelligence officers which was delivered to Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate. They explain "cover" and how Plame was under cover even though she was not working overseas.

The memo says, "We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act," but also points out that whether or not leaking Plame's name was a crime under that act, it was dangerous and should not be condoned.

Rove v Roe v Wade

The NY Times has an article today on how Bush chose Roberts as his nominee to the Supreme Court.

Contrary to that article, here's how I think he chose Roberts.

Meeting with Rove, Bush was never told that part of the reason he needed to make his appointment fast was to get Rove's criminal activities off the front page of every newspaper. Nor was he told that his selection ought to be controversial for that same reason. Instead, this is the way Roberts was pushed to him:

ROVE: Now, W, I know Laura wants you to nominate a woman, but you know Rehnquist won't be able to last three more years, so you have plenty of time to make her happy. And there's someone else you can make very happy with this nomination...your daddy.

[George HW Bush wanted to put Judge Roberts on the bench at the Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit, but Roberts couldn't get past the Senate Democrats at the time.]

BUSH: But I already made daddy happy. I appointed Roberts to the seat that daddy wanted him to have.

ROVE: But you're missing the point. If you put Roberts forward, you're showing that you're really in charge, that you're not just going to settle for what you can get, that you're going to win and no one can stand in your way.

BUSH: Well, I do like to win, but Laura wants me to put a woman in, and there's Clement, who's really nice.

ROVE: But Clement believes that Roe v Wade is the law of the land. She's not apt to overturn it. And you know that abortion is a sin and we have to do all we can possibly do to make sure that sinners are punished.

BUSH: Well, that's true.

And so it was settled.

I Forgot

I forgot to mention one of the more interesting things that happened. Before the neurological exam, Dr. P said "I want you to remember these three words: Chair, Shoe and Boat. Repeat them back to me." So I did. Then the neuro exam took place. If you've ever had one, you know the drill. Touch your nose with this hand, then that hand; walk in a straight line with the heel of one foot butting up against the toes of the other; reflex tests; stuff like that. Then she asked me things like "what day is it", "who's the President", "who was the last President". And we chatted about my dissertation. Then she said "so do you remember those three words?" I remembered Chair. With a hint ("article of clothing") I remembered Shoe. I couldn't remember "mode of transportation," but when she said "Car, Train or Boat" I remembered Boat. Very interesting.

We're Off to See the Epileptologist

OK, it doesn't have the same ring as the wizard, but doctors, especially hyper-specialist doctors, often seem to be performing magic, so.... For those of you who care, here's what happened today. (Don't know what all this is about? See this post and this one.)

When I first organized my appointment with Dr. Pack, the Epilepsy Center sent me a huge packet of forms to fill out. Some were exactly what one would expect, some were most definitely not. Among the "are you experiencing any of these symptoms" questions was a page of questions about depression and a whole lot of questions about things I had never thought about (like "do your hands shake").

I also wrote a 6-page narrative of the history of my disorder and what had brought me to Dr. Pack's office.

When I arrived (after about 20 minutes driving around looking for parking and then waiting in line in the parking lot and another 10 minutes waiting for the single working elevator--lucky I am obsessively early or I would have been late!), I was interviewed by Dr. P's nurse, Caitlyn. She asked me a lot of very detailed questions about what I experienced during the "aura" before a seizure, and what the whole seizure event was like for me. She also asked very detailed questions about my memory loss and inability to deal with abstractions, asking me for specific examples and the times they occurred. We went over the entire history of all the brain-related issues I have had. At a guess, the interview probably took 40 minutes or so.

Then she left to talk to Dr. P, and they came back in after about 10 minutes or so. We went over some things again. Dr. P said that it sounds like I have what is now called "Partial Seizures." They keep changing the name of seizure types over time (in fact, epilepsy, while retaining its name in common usage, seems to be called "seizure disorder" now), so that while what I had used to be called "Grand Mal" seizures (Big Bad), they are now called "Partial Siezures" because they originate in a specific area of the brain rather than being across the whole brain to start. They then generalize into full-brain, causing the passing out and flailing about that earned the seizures their original name as "Grand Mal".

While she definitely thinks I should see a neuropsychologist, she also wants to take a hard look at any possible physical causes of the memory/concentration problems, including possible little recurrent seizures. So here's the next slate of tests:

1) MRI. The MRI is to take a look and see if there's any visible problem. Since I haven't had one in 20 years, that seems like a good idea.

2) 2-day EEG. This involves being admitted to the hospital for two days, where you basically do nothing but lie around all day with electrodes attached to your head. The idea behind this is that a regular EEG only gets a tiny snapshot in time. Your brain may be absolutely fine for the 30 minutes it takes for that, while it's completely freaking out at other times of day or night, so they want to do a longer study to make sure everything's cool up there.

If they could do this on the beach, that would be one thing. I am not looking forward to two days in the hospital, but I guess I will buy myself a whole bunch of trashy books to make the time pass.

3) Bone density test. One of the things about Tegretol, which I have been taking for 21 years now, is that it can mess with your bones. Back when I started, they told me that it could negatively affect my bone marrow, so I had blood tests all the time. Now that I am approaching menopause, I find that it can also have an impact on bone density, so I have to have that tested, too.

4) Neuropsychological evaluation. With any luck, I can schedule this appointment for while I am already in the hospital bored out of my mind for test #2.

So, that looks like my summer. Gee, I hope they have air conditioning in the hospital...that would be one positive thing I could get from the two-day test...

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Rant...

for a movie review.

Go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Go see it now.

Usually, I am not a fan of remakes. Especially when I think the originals as as close to perfect as I found the original Willy Wonka.

This movie bears as little resemblance to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as possible while having been made from the same book. First off, there's Johnny Depp. In the middle of the movie, I found myself thinking that Johnny Depp was really talented in that I couldn't imagine anyone else doing such a great Michael Jackson imitation (except that Willy Wonka's a whole lot smarter than Jackson).

Then there are the Oompa Loompas. Oh, my. I don't even know what to say. In the movie, the Oompa Loompas parody Kiss, The Beatles, and yes, to my eyes, even Michael Jackson. They do synchronized swimming. There's an Oompa Loompa Sigmund Freud.

As you may gather, this version is more for adults than it is for children. Children are enthralled by the cinematography. They were silent in the theater for the vast majority of the movie, but they didn't get the humor at all. The adults, however, did. This is funny stuff, folks. I won't share any of it with you here because I don't want to spoil it for you.

With Charlie, it's time to put away childish things. To really enjoy this movie, you have to give over that feeling of nostalgia for the original and see it as something entirely new. I own the original movie, and I will buy this one when it comes out on DVD. I love them both, but they're very, very different.

See for yourself.

A Leaky Boat

Over at The Whiskey Bar, Billmon is Taking a Leak while pondering the new Rovian strategy.

Apparently, news leaking out of Fitzgerald's investigation is that Rove is claiming that he did not have sexual relations with--oh, wait, I mean, did not know the name of--that woman until some journalist told him. When he heard the same story from Novak, apparently, he now claims that he just said he had heard the same thing, which Novak took for confirmation.

Now, you may think this is ridiculous. God knows, I do. But the more interesting stuff that makes up the meat of Billmon's post is about Judy Miller. It's all speculation, of course, but it makes for intriguing reading for those wondering why she's in jail.

Over a year ago, in March of 2004, I posted a list of "Things I Still Want(ed) To Know." There were 11 things on that list that I wanted answers to from the current administration. At the top of the list was "Who leaked the information about Valerie Plame?" There were lots of other items on that list that I hoped we might find out as the elections neared just because they might actually have been good platform talking points, but, alas, the PTBs decided that Americans preferred swagger to fact.

Of the items on that list, the Plame question is the only one that has even been considered or addressed. Of course, there's still no answer, but I do have hope that at some point Fitzgerald will get to the bottom of it.

In My Dreams...

Mark Kleinman is right.

Thanks to Billmon for alerting me to this glorious possibility.

When Network News Fails...

there's always PBS, right? Wrong. If you haven't been following the ridiculousness at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, here's a summary on the hijinks so far.

Over at CJR, one of my favorite spots for "getting it right", they also have an update on the situation with information on how your tax dollars -- and just how many of your tax dollars -- are being spent.

Fantastic Analysis of Plame Game from the Beginning

More depressing and convoluted than fiction, this excellent analysis of the roots of the Plame fiasco was written in response to an equally excellent post by Larry Johnson, a classmate an co-worker of Plame's. Both the comment and the article deserve close examination.

In very few words, Johnson sets out the real heart of the matter:

The lies by people like Victoria Toensing, Representative Peter King, and P. J. O'Rourke insist that Valerie was nothing, just a desk jockey. Yet, until Robert Novak betrayed her she was still undercover and the company that was her front was still a secret to the world. When Novak outed Valerie he also compromised her company and every individual overseas who had been in contact with that company and with her.

The Republicans now want to hide behind the legalism that "no laws were broken". I don't know if a man made law was broken but an ethical and moral code was breached. For the first time a group of partisan political operatives publically identified a CIA NOC. They have set a precendent that the next group of political hacks may feel free to violate.

I cannot lay out the comment in any fashion that would do it justice without quoting the whole thing, but I urge you to go read it. You can dismiss it as consipracy theory if you like. Unfortunately, conspiracies seem to be becoming the norm in our life today and this one strikes a believable note with me.

Update: I don't know how I missed this article by Naomi Klein, for Harper's Magazine in September of 2004when it was first published, but a TPM poster referenced it today and I went and read it. You should, too.

Right Deed, Wrong Reason

Greg Palast has a point I haven't seen anyone make quite so succinctly on the Judy Miller situation. In his latest article, he says

But the weasel who whispered "Valerie Plame" in Miller's ear was no source. Whether it was Karl Rove or some other Rove-tron inside the Bush regime (and no one outside Bush's band would have had this information), this was an official using his official info to commit a crime for the sole purpose of punishing a REAL whistleblower, Joseph Wilson, Plame's husband, for questioning our President's mythological premise for war in Iraq.

New York Times reporter Miller and her paper would rather she go to prison for four months than identify their "source." Why?

Part of her oddball defense is that The Times never ran the story about Wilson's wife. They get no points for that. The Times SHOULD have run the story with the headline: BUSH OPERATIVE COMMITS FELONY TO PUNISH WHISTLEBLOWER.

The whole article is worth reading. (Of course, I've thought it was interesting all along because it's what I have been saying for ages, but then we always find those who agree with us interesting!)

TPM Café

Talking Points Memo is one of my favorite blogs. It's not, however, one you can comment on. Luckily, Josh has provided a separate spot where people can talk about some things, and this thread has been designated for dissection of Ken Mehlman's ridiculous "talking points" press release. Naturally, some people are going "yeah, me, too", but the vast majority of the posts are on-topic and do the job well.

Caffeine Dreams

Do you frequent Starbucks? I know I do. I don't drink coffee, but I adore iced tea, and Starbucks has great iced tea. They also have a pretty good program of corporate social responsibility, but it is missing a vital component.

Starbucks doesn't recycle. And their big plastic iced drink cups need to be recycled because unlike paper products, they aren't biodegradeable.

So the next time you're in Starbucks--and every time thereafter--pick up one of their comment cards and tell them they need to put recycling bins in their shops. Or, if you don't think you'll fill out the comment card or send it in, use this link to tell them what you think (and send it on to your friends so they can do the same):

Starbucks Comments

Halliburton in Your Home

Molly Ivins and Kelpie Wilson are painting a very scary picture of what will happen once PUHCA, the Public Utilities Holding Company Act, is repealed.

Chances are, if you're reading this, PUHCA has been in place your whole life and you've never even thought about it. Enacted in 1935, it controls ownership of utilites, subjecting them to strict regulations.

If you're in the Northeast, as I am, you are wincing when you look at your electrical bill just now because of the heatwave sweeping over us. (We don't have central air in our house, but we do have a window unit in the bedroom and fans in the other rooms.)

But electricity is relatively cheap, even if we hate paying for it. As Wilson says,

Supporters of PUHCA point out that for 50 years, we have had reliable, cheap electric power that has allowed strong economic growth, and that no PUHCA-regulated energy holding company has ever gone bankrupt. Furthermore, it was partial PUHCA repeals in the 1990s that opened the door to Enron, Westar and other energy debacles. To repeal PUHCA now is equivalent to blowing up the barn after the horses have escaped, never mind shutting the barn door.

Also at issue to you, the end-user of electricity, is the question of grid reliability. The blackout New York suffered a while back brought the question to the attention of the nightly news, but it's been being discussed among those in the industry a lot longer than that.

Jim Spellane, communications director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), said that the problem with grid reliability arose with deregulation in the 1990s. "It squeezed things like maintenance and worker training."

If you've ever worked for a company whose eye is always on immediate profit, you'll know just how true that statement is. As Molly Ivins puts it: "The most likely candidates to take over power companies are the big oil companies, now awash in cash. There goes the electrical grid: Why fix it when you can charge more for doing nothing?"

And if you think you hate Con Ed, or whoever it is who gets your hard-earned money now, imagine how you'll feel when the bill arriving at your house comes from Halliburton.

Brother Gatling Gun of Patience

A "Communiqué" from the "Unitarian Jihad" appears over at Working for Change. It's excellent. A sample follows, but you really need to read the whole thing.

We are Unitarian Jihad, and our motto is: "Sincerity is not enough." We have heard from enough sincere people to last a lifetime already. Just because you believe it's true doesn't make it true. Just because your motives are pure doesn't mean you are not doing harm. Get a dog, or comfort someone in a nursing home, or just feed the birds in the park. Play basketball. Lighten up. The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.

Independence Day

Since I will not be here July 4th (my Inner Frenchwoman will be in St. Martin, becoming my Outer Frenchwoman), I point you toward Marcus Raskin's article over at Tom Paine for a few thoughts on what it means to be American on July 4, 2005.

...members of a free society recognize that personal responsibility is the foundation of the social contract. The nation, therefore, can be seen as the collective expression of this individual responsibility, not individual self-interest. Thus, the nation is a projection of our personal responsibility and respect for other people that manifests the bond between the healthy and the sick, the prosperous and the hungry, the strong and the weak. This responsibility attaches between the healthy and the sick as a bond of that shared humanity.

French Toast, French Fries, French Kisses

All good things. Now that my "Inner Frenchwoman" is about to be let out for a week, I thought I should pass along some stuff from my favorite patriot with an Inner Frenchman, Jesus' General. Over on his blog, you can find out all about Operation Yellow Elephant, and purchase buttons such as these:

If you'd like to order some Yellow Elephant merchandise, you need to go to this Café Press site.

Quote of the Day

As is so often the case, today's quote is from Molly Ivins:

"The main difference between the feds and the locals is that it costs more to buy the feds. "

Another good one, from the same article, is from Upton Sinclair:

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."