The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem.
It has merely made more urgent
the necessity of solving an existing one.
Albert Einstein
New CNN Crossfire Lineup? Thumbs DOWN!
From CNN:
CNN announced that Crossfire, hosted by Newt Gingrich, Stephanie Cutter, S.E. Cupp and Van Jones, will debut Monday, Sept 16 at 6:30 p.m. ET.I guarantee I have no interest in watching this program; I think the conservatives (Gingrich, Cupp) are better-selected than the liberals. Van Jones is a piece of work whom as a green jobs czar resigned in the first year of the Obama Administration after getting involved in a number of distracting scandals. Other than his involvement on alternative energy and race relations, it's not clear how he fits the general mode of representing the left wing. Stephanie Cutter. is a polarizing former deputy Obama (and other Dem) campaign operative and more of a PR consultant; I know that she was sufficiently abrasive enough I thought of doing my signature point-by-point rebuttals. But being personally abrasive or argumentative is different from being an effective debater.
Gingrich is undoubtedly a good choice. As a former House Speaker, he knows the in's and out's of Washington, he is remarkably articulate, being one of the few to fashion a twenty-first century conservative agenda, and if Hillary Clinton does seek the 2016 nomination, there's probably no better person whom knows the Clinton's better from a political perspective. S.E. Cupp is a Generation Next conservative, whom has been widely published and has appeared on countless programs as a panelist or guest (in fact, the last time I checked, I was on one of her email distribution lists).
What if I was to play CNN producer for the day? Among other things, if I was going to do Gingrich, I might pair him against James Carville (and include Mary Matalin on the conservative side). On the "progressive" side, I might include Chicago economist and Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee, an able debater; I would probably include one of the political warhorses, like former Senator Russ Feingold, Congressman Barney Frank, or former governor/Presidential candidate Howard Dean.
I think, along with other libertarian-conservatives, that there is insufficient difference between New Right conservatives and "progressives'. There has been profligate spending, easy money monetary policy, erosion in individual rights, and interventionist foreign policy under both party administrations and/or control of the Congress since 2000. (Cupp is an interventionist whom also distances herself from criticisms of the Fed.) I might be available, but, more seriously, good choices might include former governor/Libertarian Presidential nominee Gary Johnson, former Congressman/Presidential candidate Ron Paul, or Reason spokesman Nick Gillespie.
Big Court Win Against Crony Unionism and For Economic Liberty: Thumbs UP!
The majority vote in the state court of appeals upheld Michigan's new right to work law, which basically gives workers a choice of whether to pay union dues. The union leadership wants captive worker contributions, even if a worker disagrees with self-serving union leadership on their political agenda and other leadership priorities. Union monopolies should not be protected by government, a corrupt bargain which has led Michigan companies and municipalities to the brink of bankruptcy.
On Compulsory Condoms in the Adult Film Industry
I am not a consumer of adult film products and services; this blog has been a persistent critic of the sexually-obsessed culture, an unacceptably high illegitimate birth rate, etc. Personally, I think that extramarital sex in general without protection is a variation of Russian roulette, given the high risk of STD's in contact with promiscuous partners--not to mention the potentially fatal risk of HIV/AIDS. I do understand why public health advocates might not want porn stars to be irresponsible role models by encouraging unprotected casual sex and/or hazardous work conditions for industry workers.
Still, I found myself following a Drudge link to an LA story about a recent relevant federal court decision regarding a Los Angeles County initiative that carried in last fall's election. (Yes, let's hear it for a majority of citizens meddling in the middle of a business consisting of performers exercising their right to contract; their paternalism is touching... Let's face it: if a performing couple decided to pursue a personal relationship on the side and engage in unprotected sex on their own--and/or film and sell the encounter, there is little that could be done to stop them. And the porn industry could relocate anywhere; would the county prefer to see their tax base shrink and the industry and performers find a more accommodating local environment to work and spend their money?
I'm sure that female performers understand the risks of STD's, and the industry would face devastating consequences if an epidemic of STD's broke out. I'm not sure what the initiative was based on--evidence of deteriorating state of industry safety standards, STD breakouts among performers, etc., or was it a pushing-on-a-string reform from special-interest public health advocates? I suspect the latter because the key argument seems to focus on the adequacy of existing industry standard testing procedures.. The porn business model has thrived for decades, and it was one of the first highly profitable Internet businesses.
I don't know enough about the porn industry business model to understand why it's fighting this particular constraint--for example, do natural sex performances outsell content where a male dons a condom before the act? My intuition tells me that the industry sees it more in terms of a slippery slope economy liberty issue. But I do think their argument that the new law is unconstitutional is correct, and the federal judge was wrong in upholding it.
I also think the judge was wrong to approve standing for the special interest groups instead of county officials. Reportedly, county attorneys refused to defend the law; I do have a problem with that; this "pick and choose" mentality, which seems to have taken root after the Governator and then AG Jerry Brown refused to defend Prop 8, is a violation of the rule of law and an ethical breach of public service. I do not like what I see as an arbitrary granting of standing under these circumstances.
On the Development of Children To Choose
Political Humor
Nothing funny about the tragic loss in life in the Egyptian military's confrontations with protesters; think of it more as a sarcastic reflection on the phantom Obama Doctrine....
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Glenn Foden and Townhall |
The Beatles, "Octopus's Garden"
