The Cool Blue Blog

Star Chores: Shootin' Pool

Greyhawk and John stopped just outside a bar. They could hear loud music mixed with the voices of people laughing and talking. Lining the parking area out front was a collection of large motorcycles.

The men looked at each other and nodded. They took out their hand phasors and walked inside.

The two men entered the bar and stopped just inside the threshold. The place was crowded with big guys wearing motorcycle leathers, and rough looking women wearing pretty much the same. There was a bar on the left and a pool table in the center of the room. The band was located at the far end with a little dance floor before it. Booths ringed the place and tables were scattered about.

It didn't take long before the music stopped and everyone was silent, looking at the newcomers.

A man at the pool table, with his back to the door, was about to take a shot when everything went quiet. It took a few beats, but he noticed and turned to see what was going on.

"Hey," he laughed, "what have we got here? Tinker Bell and his friend Fairy?" Five other men surrounding the table snickered along with him.

John looked at Greyhawk. "You think he's referring to us?"

In the lap of Congress

By all accounts President Bush was handed a defeat today with the Supreme Court ruling that his plan to try terrorists at Guantanamo Bay by Military Tribunal can not be done.

And possibly it is a defeat.

But there are few things that will likely mitigate this.

The first is that Gitmo contains some very dangerous hombres. And the second thing is that it will now be Congress' problem.

Democrats, and some Republicans, have been very critical of Gitmo. Now they will have to stop criticizing and figure out what to do with the detainees housed there.

It is now their responsibility. Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy, who have been calling for trials in civil courts will now have to be part of the solution as to how this is done. How do you collect evidence of guilt when someone is picked up in a foreign country. How do you investigate the crime and present evidence?

How do you present evidence without compromising the intelligence used to capture him?

And if you can do none of these, do you just release a jihadist into the community? Back to their home country? How about if the home country doesn't want him back?

Perhaps the solution will be that these folks get released into the custody of Senators Leahy and Kennedy.

Regardless, it their problem now.

And the positions they will be taking will be just in time for the Congressional mid-term elections.

I just can't wait to ask Bernie Sanders what he will do.

Redistricting

When Republicans took control of the State House in Texas, an effort led by Congressman Tom Delay began to redistrict the state which would effect House representation at the Federal level. Democrast were upset and at one time even staged a walk-out to delay voting on the redistricting plan. They claimed, of course, that what the Republicans were doing amounted to gerrymandering. They felt that the Republicans were trying make district boundaries that were illogical and designed soley to increase Republican power in the state.

It seems that Democrats were projecting on to the Republicans their own motives.

In crafting his majority opinion for the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry, Justice Kennedy recounted the history of the Texas redistricting plan.

The 1990 census resulted in a 30-seat congressional delegation for Texas, an increase of 3 seats over the 27 representatives allotted to the State in the decade before....In 1991 the Texas Legislature drew new district lines. At the time, the Democratic Party controlled both houses in the state legislature, the governorship, and 19 of the State's 27 seats in Congress....In the previous 30 years the Democratic Party's post-Reconstruction dominance over the Republican Party had eroded, and by 1990 the Republicans received 47% of the statewide vote, while the Democrats received 51%...

Faced with a Republican opposition that could be moving toward majority status, the state legislature drew a congressional redistricting plan designed to favor Democratic candidates. Using then-emerging computer technology to draw district lines with artful precision, the legislature enacted a plan later described as the "shrewdest gerrymander of the 1990s....Although the 1991 plan was enacted by the state legislature, Democratic Congressman Martin Frost was acknowledged as its architect....The 1991 plan "carefully constructs democratic districts 'with incredibly convoluted lines' and packs 'heavily Republican' suburban areas into just a few districts."

...The 1991 plan realized the hopes of Democrats and the fears of Republicans with respect to the composition of the Texas congressional delegation. The 1990's were years of continued growth for the Texas Republican Party, and by the end of the decade it was sweeping elections for statewide office. Nevertheless, despite carrying 59% of the vote in statewide elections in 2000, the Republicans only won 13 congressional seats to the Democrats' 17.

Despite this, in 2003 Republicans controlled both houses in Texas and proceeded to redistrict in order to destroy the computer-generated advantage of the Democrats.

The Republicans in the legislature "set out to increase their representation in the congressional delegation."...After a protracted partisan struggle, during which Democratic legislators left the State for a time to frustrate quorum requirements, the legislature enacted a new congressional districting map in October 2003. It is called Plan 1374C. The 2004 congressional elections did not disappoint the plan's drafters. Republicans won 21 seats to the Democrats' 11, while also obtaining 58% of the vote in statewide races against the Democrats' 41%.

Democrats howled that the new districting was gerrymandered (as opposed to what they had done with their computer generated model)

...compared to the map challenged in Vieth, which led to a Republican majority in the congressional delegation despite a Democratic majority in the statewide vote, Plan 1374C can be seen as making the party balance more congruent to statewide party power. To be sure, there is no constitutional requirement of proportional representation, and equating a party's statewide share of the vote with its portion of the congressional delegation is a rough measure at best. Nevertheless, a congressional plan that more closely reflects the distribution of state party power seems a less likely vehicle for partisan discrimination than one that entrenches an electoral minority....By this measure, Plan 1374C can be seen as fairer than the plan that survived in Vieth and the two previous Texas plans--all three of which would pass the modified sole-intent test that Plan 1374C would fail. (emphasis mine)

There is little doubt that this Supreme Court decision is bad news for Democrats. Some editorials analyzing this opinion try to take the sting out of what is not only a political defeat for the Democrats, but an embarrasing ethical reprimand. Take the Boston globe, for example which wrote in an editorial called "Texas Massacre":

FOR THE SECOND TIME this week, a splintered US Supreme Court yesterday made America a little more partisan, a little less democratic....The court yesterday agreed that the motive was purely political, and that the Republican mapmakers had drawn several long, narrow districts that look like bent straws to achieve their aims, making a mockery of the compactness that is a recognized goal of redistricting.

Now the first thing about this is that I could not find the words "bent straw" anywhere in the decision, but geeze, if the Texas plan under review makes "a mockery of the compactness that is a recognized goal of redistricting", what perjoratives could they have used for the previous plan given that Justice Kennedy called this plan fairer than the last one?

As part of the effort to villify Tom Delay, Democrats have been invested in portraying the Republican Texas redistricting plan as being patently unfair and partisan.

The Court, however, found that the very opposite is true.

UPDATE: Kos tries to use the same rhetorical Judo as the Boston Globe

Richardson could earn lots of netroots and grassroots brownie points by pushing for redistricting in his state. New Jersey and New York could yield a treasure trove of new Dem-leaning seats. And Illinois, while it has passed on such redistricting in the past, could hopefully be prodded to redraw its maps.

We didn't make the rules. Tom DeLay and the Republicans did. We're playing in their world.

And then, once the absurdity of partisan gerrymandering is seen by all, we can work toward a system of non-partisan redistricting. Ultimately, that's what's best for democracy.

But that won't happen until we sweep the Republicans out of power.

Well, I pretty sure we don't want to use Kos' computer-generated districts either.

Seek and Destroy

The Russian Government has taken my advice, stopped blaming the US, and is now seeking justice for the murders of their diplomats.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered special services to hunt down and ``destroy'' the killers of four Russian hostages in Iraq - slayings that shocked Russia and prompted an angry outcry against the U.S.-led coalition.

The Kremlin did not specify whether Russia's top security agencies - the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Security Service - or others would be take the lead in finding the al-Qaida-linked group that claimed it killed the four Russian Embassy workers.

But Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Federal Security Service, the main successor to the Soviet KGB, said his agency would be involved.

``We must work so that not a single terrorist who has committed a crime would be deprived of responsibility and get a fair punishment,'' he said.

This is sweet. After all the criticism of US actions there, and their refusal to contribute troops to the coalition, Russia is "goin' in"

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has stated that Russia has the right to launch pre-emptive strikes against terrorist targets.

"Pre-emptive strikes against terrorist targets."

Sure. It's OK when they do it....

They liked it then

The New York Times which recently revealed classified information about a secret government program that tracks the financial operations of terrorist organizations is precisely the type of program they  recommended on Spetember 24th, 2001.

Organizing the hijacking of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took significant sums of money. The cost of these plots suggests that putting Osama bin Laden and other international terrorists out of business will require more than diplomatic coalitions and military action. Washington and its allies must also disable the financial networks used by terrorists.

The Bush administration is preparing new laws to help track terrorists through their money-laundering activity and is readying an executive order freezing the assets of known terrorists. Much more is needed, including stricter regulations, the recruitment of specialized investigators and greater cooperation with foreign banking authorities. There must also must be closer coordination among America’s law enforcement, national security and financial regulatory agencies.

So which is it? Do they want to help catch the terrorists or not?

Balad 911

Rescue Unit at Balad Serves as ‘911’ for Iraq

Called in for only those facing extreme danger, the pararescuemen are
the “911” unit for military troops in combat behind enemy lines.

By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kerry Solan-Johnson

BALAD AIR FORCE BASE, Iraq, June 27, 2006 — Their motto is “That others may live” and if you’re on the ground in combat and in trouble, those four words mean that help is on the way.

Elite, unique and one-of-a-kind in Iraq, the U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 66th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron here are the only combat search and rescue unit in country. They are part of a highly-specialized field, made up of an extremely small community of highly-trained professionals who save the people no one else can reach.

“The airmen are totally committed to the mission. Each takes their responsibility seriously and wants to be on the crew that brings our guys back safely,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jim McElhenney, 66the Expeditionary Rescue Squadron commander. “These airmen are the reason why we’re the first ones tasked. We have the capabilities to respond immediately and effectively.”

Liberating political speech

The so-called "Flag Burning" Amendment to the Constitution went down in flames in the Senate yesterday. Which is great news for those who want their 1st Amendment political speech rights preserved from assault. As for how I feel about this, I'll just quote James Taranto and say, "What he said"

Our view is that the Supreme Court got it right in 1989: Insofar as desecrating the flag is an act of political expression, it is protected by the First Amendment. (The objection that it isn't "speech" is overly literal. What we're doing now--causing pixels to form meaningful patterns on thousands of computer screens--isn't exactly speech either, but we like to think the First Amendment protects it from government interference.)

Burning the flag is a stupid and ugly act, but there is something lovely and enlightened about a regime that tolerates it in the name of freedom. And of course it has the added benefit of making it easier to spot the idiots.

Mostly unnoticed in the hullabaloo was a Supreme Court decision that involved the state in which I live and also was about preserving political speech rights:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down key parts of Vermont's 1997 campaign finance law that sought to limit how much money state candidates can raise and spend on elections.

The 6-3 decision found that Vermont's campaign finance laws unconstitutionally restricted free speech.

The funny thing about this is that while many of the same people who criticize the Flag Burning Amendment on 1st Amendment grounds, are silent on things like the McCain-Feingold campaign finance laws.

And vice verse.

Many still believe that its through campaign financing that corruption weaves its way into the hallowed halls of government. But this is a smoke screen to divert attention from the real avenues of corruption: Pork.

To wit:

Rep. Murtha is the ranking Democratic member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and for the past three years has been the House's top recipient of defense industry cash. Therefore, few in Washington are surprised that his lobbyist brother, Robert "Kit" Murtha, is an enormously successful "earmark specialist" for the Beltway firm KSA Consulting. In recent years, Kit Murtha has brought in a mother lode of earmarks for at least 16 defense manufacturers with business before the Appropriations Committee.

Last year the Los Angeles Times reported that "most of KSA's defense contractor clients hired the firm in hopes of securing funding from Rep. Murtha's subcommittee, according to lobbying records and interviews. And most retained the firm after Kit Murtha became a senior partner in 2002." Kit Murtha told the Times that he saw Rep. Murtha only infrequently but said the congressman knew he was a KSA lobbyist. "I don't think that influences him," Kit said of his brother. "I certainly would hope not."

And this is not just a "Democrat problem"

[Rep. Ray] LaHood [R-Peoria], who recently was named to the defense appropriations subcommittee, also was able to include $1 million for PeoriaNext, $3 million for the 182nd Airlift Wing for a secure computer network, and $2.5 million for Memorial Healthcare System in Springfield for computerized intravenous infusion pumps to help prevent medication errors.

Until last January, Washington, D.C., lobbyists for Caterpillar, Firefly Energy and Memorial Healthcare served on LaHood's campaign fund-raising committee. LaHood has denied any connection between their fund raising and the earmarks he requested for their clients.

Earmarks can be snuck into bills and don't have to be voted on by the members. Getting rid of this practice, and allowing for earmarks to be presented as Amendments that must be debated and voted on would solve the problem of campaign finance problems while preserving the 1st Amendment. As long as the earmark mechanism is preserved for the quid pro quo, money will find its way to the candidate. Get rid of, or make it harder for the quid pro quo to exist, and it doesn't matter if the campaign money flows.

If you try to solve the corruption problem with campaign finance "reform", you might as well be for the Flag Burning Amendment.

Both amount to abrogating 1st Amendment rights.

And neither deal with corruption.

Real help for wounded Vets

The University of Idaho has announced that they will give free education benefits to Veterans wounded since the attacks by terrorists on September 11, 2001. These benefits would extend to the service members spouse as well.

The University of Idaho today launched the Operation Education Scholarship, a pioneering program designed to help veterans severely and permanently wounded as a result of service since Sept. 11, 2001. The spouses of wounded veterans also will be eligible for the scholarship. It is the first such program in the nation.

The university will provide wounded veterans with financial support and resources - such as tuition, fees and books, on-campus housing, transportation, medical assistance, child care, adaptive equipment, tutoring and mentorship - at its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to assist veterans and their families as they re-enter civilian life. The university also has plans to partner with corporations around the country to offer internships and assist in job placement....

The University of Idaho will begin accepting applications for this unique scholarship July 1, 2006. The Helping Our Heroes Foundation, which provides funding, services and volunteers to veterans wounded in operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, has pledged initial funding and pledged continued support of the program. Major funding for the scholarship program will be provided by University of Idaho alumni and friends and from individuals, corporations and foundations who share the university's interest in assisting America's wounded veterans.

"Many members of the U.S. armed forces have sustained life-changing injuries that seem to limit their options when their time of service is complete. We are providing an avenue for them to pursue an education that will prepare them for a new life, as well as career opportunities," said Karen White, who holds degrees in physical therapy, human nutrition and kinesiology.

This is more than a gesture. This is simply stunning and in its own way, life changing for those who will take advantage of it.

Kudos to the University. I wonder how many more are willing to follow in their footsteps.

City boy

I am a ghost. I know no one and no one knows me. As I move through the crowds of people, I go mostly unnoticed. I like being among people. And I like being unnonticed. I'm a city boy.

My meeting out West ended earlier than I expected. And one of the vexing things about travelling out this way is that when this happens, when the reason for the trip is completed earlier than expected, I'm pretty much stuck with regards to being able to go home early as well. The time difference is such that I simply can't get back at a reasonable hour. And being as I'm from Vermont, I would have had to spend the night elswhere anyway. And seeing as how I like Seattle, I decided to visit it. And one of the places I wanted to see again was the Pike Place Market.

So I went, and walked around. Unnoticed

 

(click picture for a larger view)

The weather here has been superb. Sunny, warm, with just a hint of a sea breeze coming off the sound. No rain.

Cool.

Placing blame

The murder of Russian diplomats in Iraq by al Qaida was detailed in the Russian newspaper Pravda.

The third secretary of the Russian embassy in Iraq, Fyodor Zaitsev (27), security guard Oleg Fedoseyev (41), driver Anatoly Smirnov (33) and cook Rinat Agliulin (also in his late twenties) were brutally killed by al-Qaeda terrorists in Baghdad....

The terrorists put two hostages on their knees, cut their heads off and shot the third hostage dead. It is still unknown how the fourth official died. The dead bodies of the killed Russian diplomats have not been found yet.

But, it turns out, al Qaida is not to blame.

Russian officials stated yesterday that the coalition forces were responsible for security in Iraq, including the safety of foreign diplomats in Baghdad. “The responsibility for the execution of the Russian diplomats is the burden on the shoulders of all those who occupied Iraq. This crime is on their conscience,” deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma Lubov Sliska said.

Perhaps Ms Sliska can be forgiven for not blaming terrorists for the beheading of their diplomatic corps because she was listening to American professors like Richard Falk of Princeton who, right after the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 said the terrorist attacks occurred because "the mass of humanity … finds itself under the heels of U.S. economic, military, cultural and diplomatic power."

When terrorists took 1200 children and teachers hostage in the Russian town of Beslan in 2004, did Ms Sliska blame herself and the Russian government for the ultimate murder of 344 people, 128 of whom were children? Or did she blame the terrorists?

More importantly, who was really to blame; the terrorists or the government?

Back then, Ms Sliska was clear on who to blame

A special working group to tighten anti-terrorist legislation was set up, first deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, Lyubov Sliska for Putin's centrist United Russia party told the ITAR-TASS news agency. The reintroduction of the implementation of the death penalty for terrorists found supporters from many parliamentary groups, Sliska said. Sliska herself, who was against the capital punishment, now favours the introduction of the death penalty after the massacre of children in Beslan.

I tell you what; how about Ms Sliska advocate for Russia sending troops to Iraq to find and bring to justice the bastards that beheadded the representatives of her government rather than just sitting on the sidelines echoing the pronouncements of America-hating professors.

Or, perhaps, she hates America more that the terrorists....

Just like those professors.