"I don't go to your job and knock the dicks out of your mouth" Kathy Griffin

When I first heard that CNN was putting Kathy Griffin on their NYE program, I thought she would be good for a hysterical comment or two that would bend traditional standards. Of course, she pulled through.

Looming fight over card check/EFCA

The LAT ran a story recently on the impending fight over card check. It's a decent story and provides a decent explanation of the current system's inherent problems. Namely, before an NLRB vote, employers have ample time to wage an anti-union campaign. As several landmark studies have shown, union membership is not down because of worker disinterest. (see my post on 11/15.) Rather, it is due to lengthy periods before an election where workers are fired, harassed, or persuaded by their employers that a union is antithetical to them, with the threat of dismissal ever present.

Good to have Solis on Labor's Side

NYT Editorial: Obama Should Support EFCA/Card Check in 2009

Today's NYT editorial page features a well-put piece on why Obama should support the EFCA and allow Hilda Solis to struggle for workers' rights. But as the editorial inquires, and many of us wonder, will he do so.

"The Labor Agenda"

"'The argument against unions — that they unduly burden employers with unreasonable demands — is one that corporate America makes in good times and bad, so the recession by itself is not an excuse to avoid pushing the bill next year. The real issue is whether enhanced unionizing would worsen the recession, and there is no evidence that it would."

Israel's Asymmetric Strikes against Gaza and the US' War against Hamas

Israel struck hard at Gaza and Hamas' power infrastructure. The current total--which will certainly rise--is around 280 with approximately two to three times injured. As expected,various states and members of the quartet spoke out separately and urged cessation of attacks. So far in the news, the relationship of cause and effect is muddied and hardly transparent.

In other words, this isn't as simple as Hamas attacking Israel, thus forcing Israel's hand. (Nor is this about religion, which is an unsophisticated response to these attacks. Islamism is recently popular because of secular failure and American-backed authoritarian governments, not because everyone over there are Mooooslums and they hate our freedoms.) Hamas' rocket attacks have low lethality and accomplish little collateral damage. Certainly, one could respond that fear of rocket attacks generates a pervasive siege mentality and convinces one that death from above is seconds away on a daily basis. And I think there's some truth to that, but I don't believe it justifies such an overwhelming response.

Further, if you want to play the terror card, it's only fair to reckon with Israel's, the West's, and (it should be noted) Egypt's embargoes on life in Gaza. Gazans encounter the following on a daily basis: severe food shortages, interruption or nonexistence of basic services, few job opportunities, and armed guards patrolling borders. If you want to see what inspires rocket attacks, it's irresponsible to neglect the extremely poor quality of life in Gaza. In effect, you can't marginalize or ignore the suffering of one group by privileging that of another.

I thought Rice and the DoS response would be a bit more measured, but it's hardly surprising considering the US' policy toward Hamas. (See an explanatory post regarding democracy and American policy under the foreign policy label.) Sarkozy, thus far, offered a decent response, but I hoped for some humanity from the Bush admin rather than its obdurate response.

The Republican party as racists and southerners? Barack the Magic Negro?

Members of the Republican Party aren't doing much to dispel the notion that their party consists of racists and Southerners. Chip Saltsman, a candidate for the RNC chair, distributed a lovely holiday cd to RNC members. The track that garners the most attention is "Barack the Magic Negro," which Saltsman and Rush Limbaugh defend as political satire. If they keep it up, they're digging their own grave which people such as Sarah Palin and Huckabee will only deepen. I should note that I don't think Huckabee is a bad person, nor is Palin. But they're grossly unqualified and their view of government is anachronistic. Bush and his ideologues bankrupted intellectual conservatism, and it's no surprise Bill Buckley's son rejected this year's Republican candidates. It would be nice if Bobby Jindal would speak out against this, but I doubt he'd be willing to generate waves. Here are the juicy paragraphs of the CNN story:

"The CD sent to RNC members, first reported by The Hill on Friday, is titled "We Hate the USA" and also includes songs referencing former presidential candidate John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.

According to The Hill, other song titles, some of which were in bold font, were: "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," "Wright place, wrong pastor," "Love Client #9," "Ivory and Ebony" and "The Star Spanglish Banner."

Saltsman was national campaign manager for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential bid in 2007 and 2008. Before that, he held a variety of posts, including a number of positions under former Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee."

Look at that tracklist! I wish I would have bought Kate that for her stocking. It sure beats the live phish copy of her first show.

Milk at the Mayan Theater

Kate and I decided to see Milk at Denver's Mayan Theater. The Mayan was built in a Art Deco Mayan Revival style. It features one large screen downstairs and two compact rooms upstairs. The seating was tight in our theater, and I presume it is the same in the adjacent room. Kate and I poked our heads in to view the the larger screen and theater as Doubt played. We couldn't see much, unfortunately, but in the dark it somewhat reminded me of Chicago's Music Box.

Besides a pleasing experience at the Mayan, we were treated to a fantastic performance by Sean Penn and Josh Brolin in Milk. I'm not going to bother with a plot summary, but the writing and Penn's acting were superb. Milk's driving and charismatic nature are positioned next to his keen understanding of politics and desire to harness the levers of politics. At one point, San Francisco's mayor, George Moscone (played well by Victor Garber, one of the leads in the canceled TV show Eli Stone), informs Milk that his comments are akin to those of Boss Tweed or Mayor Richard J. Daley. So while the representation is mostly positive, Van Sant and Penn established a dual nature for Milk that avoids simplistic celebration as he grappled with the difficult task of grappling with advancing a gay rights agenda. For instance, at one point, the film forces the audience to confront Milk's hypocritical stance on coming out to his parents and his demands that his closest supporters announce their sexuality.

One of the more fascinating elements that I drew from the film were the scenes of protest in the Castro. It was neat to juxtapose those with the recent ones after the win for proposition eight and its backers, including the Mormon Church which bankrolled some of its advocates. In fact, one cannot help but situate the echoes of the past to the claims and calumny of the present. Certainly that was planned, but the execution was powerful.

New Roberto Bolano story in the New Yorker

The New Yorker ran what I believe is a newly translated short story by Roberto Bolano, "Meeting with Enrique Lihn."

Samuel P. Huntington, 1927-2008

Huntington, the famed author of the oft-discussed book Clash of Civilizations, died two or so days ago. The Atlantic is featuring a write-up by Robert Kaplan of the man and what Kaplan refers to as Huntington's prescient views on Islam.

Islam is whack, says Huntington

Harvard Memoriam Page

LAT: Vitamin Supplements Don't Fight Cancer, Study Shows

Story - One of today's lead LAT stories debunks the notion that vitamins and supplements are the magic bullet for optimized health. Quotes of Note:

Now the results from those trials are rolling in, and nearly all of them fail to show any benefit from taking vitamin and mineral supplements. This month, two long-term trials with more than 50,000 participants offered fresh evidence that vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium supplements don't reduce the risk of prostate, colorectal, lung, bladder or pancreatic cancer. Other recent studies have found that over-the-counter vitamins and minerals offer no help in fighting other cancers, stroke or cardiovascular disease.

The observational studies that originally linked vitamins to better health may have been biased because people who take supplements are often healthier overall than people who don't.

Some physicians now advise their patients not to bother with the pills, and to rely instead on a healthy diet to provide needed vitamins and minerals....

Egyptian Tax Collectors

Via Arabist: Egyptian real estate tax collectors--after striking, protesting, and showing an incredible degree of solidarity in the past year--created an independent trade union today, the first since the late 50s when unions and class struggle were subsumed under and engulfed by Nasserism.

Arabist: brief tarikh
Beinin: Underbelly of Egypt’s Neoliberal Agenda (MERIP)

Photos of rioting in Greece

Wowzers

Kate and Brandon's Honeymoon Photos

After we married, Kate and I plotted an ambitious honeymoon. Little did we know that we would return with horrendous stories instead of quipping about days spent locked in hotel rooms. Well, I guess it's only fair to say that there were jokes about being stuck in hotel rooms, but not of the sort one would enjoy. On the fourth day (21 June 2007, 5 PM mountain) in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador I contracted camphlyobacter that ravaged my stomach for most of the trip. I couldn't eat for four to five days and those few days were mostly shuttling around Peru and Ecuador in chaotic bus trips or even scarier plane rides. I remained determined to see Machu Picchu, and I turned the corner a day or two before with a return to food. The trip was still rather tough for me, but I use the camphlyobacter to date the beginning of our year or so from hell. Let this be a lesson to all of you: Living in sin was much easier, as Kate and I both agree.

Here are some photos:

Things of note from your Chicago Tribune

How does Drew Peterson do it? Homeboy is on wife number 5--one died under mysterious circumstances and another's disappearance garnered national media attention and she is widely presume dead. She's 23 years old, he's 54.

MillerCoors announced the cessation of caffeinated beer. C'mon, who doesn't want to weave caffeine jitters and slowed motor function? I wouldn't have made it through graduate school without my beloved Sparks.

Greg Kot's top Chicago indie acts of 2008: shot baker.

LAT & Car and Driver on the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

As I composed this entry, the WH announced the funding package for the B3. Here's the NYT story.

Not a bad write-up on Ford's contribution to the burgeoning hybrid market. (links at the bottom) The Fusion will appear in 2009, but, as far as I know, there hasn't been an official date. Car and Driver called it "shockingly good," "wipes the floor with Toyota Camry hybrid," and, something the author writes the Camry is not, "reasonably entertaining to drive." Like you, I might have wondered why didn't we hear more about this? The Volt is nothing new, but the Fusion swam under the radar. The LAT correspondent answered the question:

"What they did fail to do was sufficiently commercialize this technology so that it was ready and waiting at dealerships when people got stampeded this year by spiraling gas prices.

Had Ford made a few hundred thousand of these cars available in June -- along with the financing to sell them -- we'd be erecting 50-foot equestrian statues of William Clay Ford and Alan Mulally in city squares, and the streets of Dearborn, Mich., would be repaved with diamond cobblestones."

I don't know if anyone would go so far to apotheosize Ford as the reporter suggests, but their situation could be remarkably different had they marketed the Fusion better. For instance--when the B3 drove hybrids to DC--Wagoner drove a Malibu and a Volt but Mulally drove an Escape. Why not the Fusion? Overall, the two assessments are positive and could (if drivers across the country agree) improve Ford's market share. But, of course, no one is buying so there is a larger, systemic dilemma the B3 face.

Fwiw, I don't know if the Fusion's or the Volt's designs appeal to me on an aesthetic level.

Go Getter (LAT)
Car and Driver

W. Mark Felt, Nixon's antagonist "Deep Throat," Dies

The man that helped bring about Nixon's downfall died at age 95. A popular misconception is that Nixon wouldn't have fallen without Woodward, Bernstein, and Felt/Deep Throat. There could be some truth to it, but the trio's greatest contribution was to popularize Watergate and add fuel to the investigation as the public learned about the tainted nature of CREEP and all its sunny characters.

LAT Obit

Live Phish 12/30/97 Carini Video

The resolution to the Repubic Windows and Doors sit-in

The NYT ran a comprehensive story about the Republic Windows and Doors sit-in strike's genesis, negotiations, and resolution. One of the most damning paragraphs stems from Republic's owner's slimy demands:

"And at the last minute of negotiations, according to Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois, who helped moderate talks to resolve the standoff, and union officials, Republic’s chief executive, Richard Gillman, demanded that any new bank loan to help the employees also cover the lease of several of his cars — a 2007 BMW 350xi and a 2002 Mercedes S500 are among those registered to company addresses — as well as eight weeks of his salary, at $225,000 a year." I can't believe Gillman's gall. He is partially responsible for screwing his workers and he has the gumption to speak such outlandish requests?

For those who are curious, the final resolution: "Eventually, the parties agreed that the workers would be the only ones to benefit. They would be paid severance and for vacation, and receive two months’ health coverage. The company owners also agreed to come up with $114,000 to cover the payroll for their last week of work."

I wrote this last weekend, but with grading I had to shelve posting.

story

MIGs or Cessnas? You decide, Lebanon.

Today's Times' story on Russian MIGs in Lebanon offers a refresher on Cold War-style politics through arms. The Russians proposed giving ten MIG 29s, which is sure better than the prop engine Cessnas the US offered. Seriously? Cessnas?

"The Cessna would allow Lebanon to strike a domestic terrorist target, Mr. Straub said. But it would be no threat to Israeli forces; it could easily be shot down. The MIG-29 has the potential to be a threat, given its speed, maneuverability and ability to carry advanced weapons."

The second sentence is the key to understanding American weapons offers. I don't think anyone in the US government believes the current Lebanese government would be so foolish to attack Israel directly, thus why they don't get serious hardware. I presume it's the concern that Siniora or Suleiman, or any future government, could fall and that risk carries with it the threat of a Nasrallah/Hezbollah terrorist state, which wouldn't happen, or somehow could be manipulated by Iran. Again, doubtful. Regardless, it's doubtful the Lebanese would accept, but it's entertaining to see arms employed for these political purposes again.

US military presence in Western & Eastern Africa and aid totals.

On Friday 12 Dec, the NYT ran a several page story examining the American military presence in Mali, but also the larger tactic of training militaries to combat Al Qaeda offshoots. It's a three page web story illustrating how the Green Berets and special forces in separate branches offer military instruction on insertions, ambushes, weapons, etc. As the article points out, however, AID is spending millions on soft, non-military programs with the intention of providing a military and social counter to Al Qaeda or any other form of radical Islam. Of course, these American projects aren't limited to Africa, and appear throughout Asia and the Middle East. Missions such as this are often overlooked in the larger media narrative of the US' fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

A friend and others quite rightly point out that George Bush has given more aid to Africa than past presidents. That's rosy, but I think the reality is that the aid hasn't been restricted to shipping tons of condoms, AIDS drugs, wheat, rice, or 2007 Bears Super Bowl Champion attire. It is certainly true that the US donated some of the previously mentioned items (even Bears' ware), but Bush certainly shouldn't be labeled as a humanitarian when a large portion of his African aid figures have been tied up with weapons, military training, and education programs stressing abstinence and monogamy before condom use (ABC). As I mentioned in a previous entry, the Bush administration (in their Cold War, dichotomous Islamophobia) pushed the Ethiopians to attack Somalia, which did little to stabilize the country. Or, as some would say, it accomplished nothing but to sustain a cycle of hell in Somalia and empower pirates and groups like Shabab. So if you're wondering why Somali pirates have the freedom to operate with a sense of impunity (besides random attacks from the Indian navy), I encourage to you to reconsider US policy in East Africa.

Since 1945, one of the more impressive and overlooked American undertakings has been to train the world in a plethora of subjects: labor (the one I know best), military/security, diplomacy, commerce, education, health, business, and others. It's a product of the Cold War, largely beginning with the Point 4 Technical Assistance Program under Truman. The war on terror permitted such projects to expand, and it seems unlikely that they will decrease with the Obama administration. If you wish to see a more benign side to this matter, one could easily say the US is generously sharing its expertise in affairs where it's the world's leader. If, on the other hand, one interpreted this through a more cynical lens, it would be foolish to consider this anything more than spreading/imposing American hegemony and normative values--all accomplished through the US leveraging its preponderant international authority. Honestly, I don't have an answer but those are two views one could take.

One last thing, here is a link to a 2005 Brookings report that debunks the Bush admin's claim regarding its beneficent aid figures. It would dishonest to claim that the situation hasn't improved since then, however, I cite the findings only to illustrate that the first term wasn't Bush funneling money to Africa for the good of humanity.

Shoe throwin' man and zsa zsa.

A NYT article reports that Arab news media and popular outlets are showing mostly positive reactions regarding Muntader al-Zaidi's act of protest. As the Angry Arab commented yesterday, the story reports that al-Zaidi was beaten by Iraqi security officials and there's been no sight of him since the incident. story

Monday's LA Times ran a piece on Samir Geagea and former rivals' distrust of his post-prison expiation. Geagea was a Christian warlord who, among many others, tore Lebanon apart during its civil war. There is no mention if his hands are bloody from any association with the Sabra and Shatilla masacres, but he doesn't appear to any saint. Maybe a sadistic John the Baptist with an AK-47.
saved by mysticism and eleven years in a dungeon

Even Bill Kristol thinks unions and the B3 were treated unfairly.

Bill Kristol's editorial today--"Left and Right, and Piling it On"--comments on the hypocritical and offensive treatment faced by the UAW and Big Three. Kristol, a common conservative talking head for Fox and other conservative news outlets, often writes forgettable columns, including reporting the erroneous fact that Obama was present for Reverend Wright's tirades. Nevertheless, Kristol wrote a fabulous contribution where he expounds on unequal scrutiny and he correctly points out that Pelosi knuckled under and accepted Bush's provisions, and, thus, the Senate Republicans screwed up and missed an opportunity. Or, in his words, "And Senate Republicans now run the risk of being portrayed as Marie Antoinettes with Southern accents."

Bill on the Big 3:
"Still, it seems to me true that the financial big shots haven’t been treated nearly as roughly in Congress or in the media as the auto executives, who have done nothing remotely as irresponsible as their Wall Street counterparts."

On the UAW:
"What’s more, in their disdain for the American auto companies, the left and right wings of the establishment agree. Of course, the particular foci of criticism are different — the left berates the auto companies’ management, the right the United Automobile Workers. But even on the left, while Democratic politicians still try to look out for the interests of the U.A.W., there’s not really that much sympathy for the workers."

Man hurls shoes at George Bush in Iraq.

President Bush ducked out of harm's way when a reporter threw his shoes at him during his farewell trip to Iraq.

The man, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Iraqi-owned Al-Baghdadiya television based in Egypt, shouted "this is the end" as he hurled them at the American leader.

The moment was captured from different camera angles and shows the president's reaction afterwards. The Beeb has a better video, but this was easier to snag. Apparently Dana Perino was knocked around and got a black eye when the man was subdued. Who knew G-dub had those cat-like reflexes.

White Collar and Blue Collar. Who is worse?

The week was punctuated with two significant news pieces: the UAW's refusal to accept wage cuts (who in their right mind will accept wage cuts at a time of economic uncertainty?) and Bernard Madoff's arrest for possibly defrauding 50 BILLION in a Ponzi scheme. I mean, c'mon, 50 BILLION?!?! For the former subject, Republican talking heads and white-haired Corker laid the blame on those greedy unions, which proceeds from a condescending trend started with the housing crisis. I don't know why the Republicans aren't up in arms that one single man could do so much harm, or that a collection of a few financial executives and their subordinates are largely getting a free pass on their ridiculously inflated incomes.

I don't want to play on class antagonism, but there is an underlying dismissal of the working-class, lower middle-class, and poor for being stupid and greedy, but yet they weren't the ones who pushed poor loans and failed to diversify their holdings leading to bailouts. And, further, I don't know why the White House and Democratic allies aren't referring to this as a "rescue" like they did for the financial firms? Sure, I know it's a dubious label that strains credulity, but I think it's ridiculous that auto companies are the ones who've committed the most serious errors and why they deserve the greatest scrutiny. How often do people ask how people fly into DC to testify? Were any financial execs grilled like that? Nope. And, yes, I know the Big Three's products aren't appealing, but the business model Merrill, Citi, and a host of others followed was transparently flawed to the tune of several hundred billion.

And the easy response is that the banking industry is the important sector. That's true, and I wouldn't dispute that it's relevance to global economics is paramount. But that shouldn't give any executives a free pass. They don't deserve it either, which is where the fundamental hypocrisy exists. And let's face it: none of the financial company's execs were willing to work for the dollar a year salary, and at least the Big Three's were willing to make that commitment in earnest.

William Eggleston

Another photographer I enjoy. Pretty pictures, y'all.

Thoughts on the Obama cabinet

Last week, Tim Stephans, of Stiles' Wolfmobile, generously asked if I would write-up a few paragraphs on the Obama cabinet thus far. In the wake of grading and the death of Kate's grandmother, I neglected to post it and also to thank Tim. My thoughts are posted over there. Now I'm really going to bed knowing that the bunnies are safely in the kitchen for the night.

Nick and Rachel go to Taiwan

I had a lovely time hanging out with Nick, Rachel, Ingrid, Doug, and a motley crew to play Balderdash and some catch phrase game. In a few weeks, Nick and Rachel fly to Taipei and will begin teaching English. They both seem quite excited. Nick said he would blog, but in the meantime Rachel's blog is The Razzel Berry. Rachel is a frequent blogger and I'm anticipating her posts on life in Taiwan and the challenges of teaching English.

Off to bed.

Michael Moore on the failure of the auto bail out.

I'm up later than normal (clocking in at 12:05), but I enjoyed reading Michael Moore's comments on the failure of the auto bailout. His comments below are similar to my feelings on this matter and I think his relationship to the auto industry and labor history adds a valuable perspective:

"the Senate said, we'll give you the loan only if the factory workers take a $20 an hour cut in wages, pension, and health care. That's right. After giving BILLIONS to Wall Street hucksters and criminal investment bankers—billions with no strings attached and, as we have since learned, no oversight whatsoever—the Senate decided it is more important to break a union, more important to throw middle class wage earners into the ranks of the working poor than to prevent the total collapse of industrial America."

Daily Beast

Republican campaign to destroy unions.

Yesterday's stunt was nothing more than a simple Republican tradition: trying to destroy unions.

During the 1950s, Walter Reuther worked tirelessly to build the United Auto Workers into the strongest union in the US, and he succeeded for a time. Now, the Republicans are deliberately trying to destroy the UAW and with it a heritage of union activism and strength. Their calls for the UAW to slash wages isn't an innocent request to get the companies and the country competitive. If the Republicans cared so much about getting this country on track and preventing this from happening again, they should have told all of the financial firms that their rank-and-file employees had to slash their wages. But they didn't for two reasons:

1. They believe they have the opportunity to crush the unions.
2. They are demonstrating their privilege for business and disaster capitalism.

Following WWII, Republicans and conservatives of all stripes made a concerted effort to destroy unions with stifling federal legislation (eg Taft Hartley), executive action (ie PATCO), and right to work legislation in many Southern states. The Republicans also know that the Employees' Free Choice Act will appear in the next year or so, and they're doing the best they can in the present to erode unions' base of power before an overwhelmingly Democratic presence rears its head. (Thus why a meeting of Wal-Mart managers were informed last spring that a Democratic presidential victory meant unions at their stores.)

See this for exactly what it is: another battle in the Republican campaign to destroy unions--paid for by the RNC, NAM, the Chamber of Commerce, and a laundry list of conservative think tanks, not for profits, and business groups.

Cut wages and taxes!!! Brought to you by the RNC.

I can't understand the hypocritical stance made by the Republicans in regards to the auto bailout. Several months ago in Ohio and across the nation, McCain, Palin, and hosts of their minions were out in force decrying how Obama was going to raise taxes on working folk, which was a patent lie. Now they want the UAW to cut its wages by half? The auto industry is deeply ingrained in northern and western Ohio and that area of the state will feel the sting of a collapse or even bankruptcy filing by the Big Three. While GM and Chrysler can file for bankruptcy protection, suppliers and dealers will not have the same luck. Some will be safe, but many won't. It goes without saying--but I'll still say it--that Michigan will be throttled by this, and it will take a miracle for them to take Michigan should the worst happen. And Mitt Romney will not be well received if the situation goes from bad to worse with a collapse of the Big Three.

Yesterday, the Senate Republicans and the RNC expected the UAW (and the sizable industries affiliated with the UAW) to agree to wage cuts, in numerous instances by half. I can see it now: "Okay, folks, we know times are tough, so we here at the RNC expect you to cut your wages in half. Well, no, we didn't ask that financial companies limit the wages of their employees or the millions of dollars in bonuses, but that's not the same and it's not hypocrisy." I don't know how you sell a package like that? Sure, I know electoral politics is part of it, but I can't understand the level of hypocrisy.

A favorable resolution to the sit-in appears at hand.

Most of the news coming out of Chicago is choked by the G Rod (always my favorite name) story, but there was some good news for the former employees of Republic Windows and Doors. Here's the brief story:

Bank of America says it will extend credit to a Chicago window and door manufacturer whose workers have occupied the factory for five days.

The bank says it's willing to give the Republic Windows and Doors factory "a limited amount of additional loans" so it can resolves claims of employees who have staged a sit-in since Friday.

The factory closed last Friday after Bank of America canceled its financing.

Workers were given three days notice. But they refused to leave and vowed to stay there until receiving assurances they would receive severance and accrued vacation pay.

The bank has been criticized for cutting off the plant's credit after taking federal bailout money.

Be careful what you say on the phone, kid. Chicago Politics, yay!!!

There is a friendly joke/reminder that circulates at a Chicago company that employs me: be careful what you say on the phone. One of the company's bosses is an elected official and has occupied the seat for years. It would be silly for me to post his name or that of the company, most of all because I know he's honorable and I shouldn't be reckless with someone else's name. Shortly after I started working for the consulting firm in 2003, it was brought to my attention that due to his position in the company and as an elected official, one could never know if someone was listening. It was a bit of a wink, nudge I'm messing with you, but it wasn't just a joke and the company's president told me. Since the two or three people who might read this know me, you can accurately guess that there's some merit to the comment and it's not just someone inflating their importance.

So to read that G-Rod was an ignorant ass and was so blatant on the phone...I just can't fathom his hubris and ego. If some kid like me learned the lesson early, why would a seasoned politician who knew he was under investigation be so foolish? If you have a target on your back, why step into the line of fire?

Nelson Lichtenstein weighs in on the Chicago sit-in

Nelson Lichtenstein, one of the leading historians of post-war American labor, penned a commentary for CNN. Not a bad read.

Nelson

Sit-in continues at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago

There's nothing like laying off 250 workers with 3 days' notice weeks before Christmas!!! The sit-in continues and more details about the company comes out. Sure the company is on hard times, but it's opening a new plant in Iowa where labor and costs are cheaper. This isn't an honest company folding due to the insurmountable economic pressures--quite the contrary.

The company, however, issued a statement demonstrating how the company knew since October its end was at hand, but Bank of America refused to advance any further credit to pay workers. "The statement suggested that it had gone back and forth with Bank of America for more than a month, but that the bank had rejected several of its 'wind down' plans as well as the company’s request for financing to pay workers’ owed vacation." I'm not in a hurry to take BoA's side, but maybe its representatives knew that Republic was closing to shift its production and they didn't want to do it any favors. The State of Illinois is suspending (or threatening) to cut off its business with BoA until this matter dissipates.

The story is getting a fair amount of press nationally. CNN covered it for fifteen to twenty minutes around 1 (mountain) and major newspapers are taking hold. A friend, Doug Sheflin, and I ate lunch and we discussed our surprise about the coverage and the workers' tenacity.

12/8 NYT story

Obama supports the Chicago sit-in workers

From CNN: "Number one, I think that these workers, if they have earned these benefits and their pay, then these companies need to follow through on those commitments," Obama said during a news conference Sunday.

"And, number two, I think it is important for us to make sure that, moving forward, any economic plan that we put in place helps businesses to meet payroll so that we're not seeing these kinds of circumstances again."

Paul Volcker and getting the country on track?

Paul Volcker has been creeping around the Obama campaign and a story in today's LA Times raises the question of how far his influence will go. Volcker, the highly regarded Fed chairman under Reagan, is heading up the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and the story mentions that Volcker could push the country in a direction where pain could result in the short-term, but long-term growth might be triggered if we can weather this ephemeral perdition.

PV is more frugal than all y'all

Laid-off workers protest in Chicago

From the AP via the Trib:

The workers say they won't leave the Republic Windows and Doors plant until assurances they'll get severance and vacation pay.

Jackson's Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition says he's trying to help get Republic's creditor, the Bank of America, to reinstate its line of credit and save around 300 jobs.

Carrying signs that read "Bank of America: Don't Steal Christmas," workers at the North Side manufacturer continued their protest Saturday after the company shut its doors on three days' notice because the bank canceled its line of credit.

Republic Windows & Doors closed Friday after being in business since 1965. Members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers, which represents 260 workers at the company's Goose Island plant, have taken shifts at a sit-in at the plant, 1333 N. Hickory Ave., since Friday.

The union said the bank is not letting the company pay workers their vacation and severance pay. In addition, the union said they were not given 60 days' notice of a mass layoff, as required by federal law.

"They're throwing people out on the street with three days' notice, penniless," said Leah Fried, an organizer with United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers.

The company told employees Tuesday that its main lender, Bank of America, had canceled its line of credit because of a severe downturn in business at the plant.

Members of several unions attended Saturday's sit-in as well as Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who accused the company of knowing the plant was going to close long before last week's announcement to avoid paying workers for the days they are owed under federal law.

"I don't believe somebody woke up on Tuesday and simply decided to shut the doors," Gutierrez said.

Representatives of Republic Windows & Doors and Bank of America could not be reached for comment Saturday.

The union said company officials didn't show up for a meeting Friday, but the two sides are scheduled to meet 4 p.m. Monday to negotiate, workers said.

Melvin Maclin, 54, who has worked at the plant for seven years, said employees had suspected the company was in dire financial straits for months but were continually reassured.

When he learned Tuesday that the plant would shut its doors at week's end, he turned to religion for solace.

"I'm dependent on my faith in God to see me and my family through this," he said.

He said he has no intention of leaving the plant until he receives his vacation and severance pay.

"We've been here since yesterday, and we aren't going anywhere," he said.

-- Gerry Smith and Associated Press

Andrew Bacevich, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism

Andrew Bacevich's recent book, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism, is a thin volume clocking in at 182 pages and laying out the ills facing our country due to its foolish foreign policy aims. Limits of Power reminds me of Fukuyama's America at the Crossroads, Walter Russel Mead's Terror, Peace and War: America's Grand Strategy in a World at Risk, or John Gaddis's Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, all slim foreign policy books trying to criticize but advance new national security and diplomatic paradigms. Bacevich writes/blogs at Huffington Post and the Nation, and is the author of numerous books on national security, foreign policy, and military policy. He teaches diplomatic history and recent international affairs (among many several subjects) at Boston University. Last summer, I read Walter Hixson's The Myth of American Diplomacy: National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy. Hixson attempts to weave theory into foreign relations history and he deserves credit for that, but he tried to accomplish too much and his analysis was a bit haphazard at points. Largely critical, it offered a fascinating alternative to much of the standard narrative. Bacevich seeks to do the same thing, but he succeeds where Hixson falters.

Bacevich looks back at American history over the past fifty years, mostly, and pointing out where we went wrong. There were two moments when policy-makers had the opportunity to steer a different course: at the end of the WWII and the onset of the Cold War when James Forrestal's alarmist sensibilities guided Defense, State, and National Security to support NSC-68. The second moment appeared when Jimmy Carter accepted America's weakened state with the "crisis of confidence" speech (dubbed the "malaise speech") and the US' deleterious energy dependence. Instead of heeding Carter's advice, Americans chose Reagan's exceptional, deficit-exploding leadership that advocated global military superiority and presence instead of conservative principles. Consumerism and energy consumption were pushed at the cost of an honest examination of the US' trade balance, energy use, savings rate, and those noble beliefs were sidelined further after the Soviet Union crumbled and the US "won" the Cold War--saddled with debt, a sloppy foreign policy, and a society addicted to cheap oil.

The US' invasion of Iraq is due in large part to the Bush administration's shortsighted pomp. As Bacevich points out, however, much of Bush & Co.'s attitudes (notably disdain for public input or consultation) arose from long-standing foreign policy traditions. As a result of Iraq, we're now in a dire situation where the chickens have come home to roost, and Bacevich isn't sure that Obama is the desired solution.

The Limits of Power is phenomenal in the way it lays out the problems our country faces. Shades of Charles Beard and William Appleman Williams ring throughout the work. Some reviews have criticized his work as lacking resolutions. Bacevich doesn't beat you over the head with his answers; he's an historian/political scientist not a pundit or politician. As such, one must understand his writing as an historian to see the lessons the reader should glean from the past in order to resolve our current problems. His conclusion also offers clear proposals for how the US could get out of this mess.

As phenomenal as a book as this is, there are problems and strange omissions. One finishes The Limits of Power with repeated examples of Reinhold Niebuhr's brilliance and premonitions, and it gets a bit tiring. (He goes so far as to call him "the prophet.") I was surprised he didn't deal more with the privatization of America's war machine and the use of, in essence, mercenaries. It warrants one apparent reference, but he could have demonstrated how market principles and Reaganomics corrupted the US' ability to wage war and its signaled a willingness to pay contractors lavish sums at the taxpayers' expense. Also, he seems to be a bit confused on the draft, and, again, privatized war relates to this issue. At one point (140) he supports the draft as a check for American power, but several pages later he relegates the idea to the bin of past good that no longer applies to current circumstances (150-152). The mixed all-volunteer army and private contractors may not be sustainable. Still, he could have explored how a draft could check American power with greater attention and seriousness.

Also, I can't tell how he feels about Muslims. In the conclusion, he raises the subject of Muslims in an odd fashion by discussing Muslims as one block and imbued with the belief that political Islam is a solution. He discredits the latter concept as akin to Marxism-Leninism and Maoism and I find that difficult to accept. Bacevich worked on his PhD in diplomatic history at Princeton. I don't know if he was informed by Bernard Lewis's works or had some affiliation with him, but I can't discern whether Bacevich, in effect, looks at Muslims as backwards, homogenous, and unable to arise above and beyond Islam's constraints, which is a core of what Lewis argues. If Bacevich does, his book is flawed and his world outlook should be questioned. I find this potential flaw disappointing for someone with such clarity, sober analysis, and trenchant criticism.

(Bacevich faculty profile at BU)

Rice and Pakistan

It's an odd time for the US to be putting Pakistan, President Ali Asif Zardari, and the ISI in its current position to choose, and it seems similar to the period after September 11 when the US (in the form of Armitage, according to Musharraf) presented Musharraf with few options but to go along with the US. At this point, I presume that Rice, Admiral Mullen, Bush, etc. are pushing the Pakistanis to crack down on various groups for their own good. With militants active in the north against the Americans and sheltering the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and with groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba conducting attacks in India and it and others operating in Kashmir, the Americans are likely warning that Pakistan will face further incursions by the Americans and future assaults by the Indians if it doesn't crack down.

I know that Rice, et al are knowledgeable about the regional balance of power, but one aspect of Pakistan's grand strategy for years has been to shelter, train/arm/fund, and ignore proxy groups that target India and Afghanistan employing asymmetrical tactics. Asking the Pakistanis to surrender one aspect of their foreign policy via threats and intimidation strikes me as odd. If it were to be successful, the Americans would need to press India and Afghanistan to meet and talk with the Pakistanis and to make concessions that would appease the Pakistanis. Certainly, there are areas inside Pakistan that the Pakistanis cannot control, but its presidents and security chiefs made rational decisions and found merit in proxy groups. To strike at them and ease tension, a regional solution should be formulated to ameliorate Pakistan's justified security concerns. And even Iran could help this process.

Meat Consumption and Global Warming

eat more beets

A few months ago, Mark Bittman of the NYT wrote a fabulous op-ed on meat consumption, food miles, and global warming. Today's paper has a story of how farmers in the Netherlands are attempting to capture methane from animal waste and transform it into a viable source for energy. It's a fun read and describes how a test farm siphons off and burns the gas creating cleaner energy (the farm relies on 25% and then sells the rest back to the power grid) and still has plenty of remaining fertilizer to sell or spread. (The state requires farmers to have a stable source of fertilizer on hand at all times.)

The article also tackles the issue that most people overlook in the rush to lay the blame of global warming on transportation: agriculture and meat consumption release carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide at alarming rates--and those numbers will increase as meat consumption grows across the world. "The trillions of farm animals around the world generate 18% of the emissions that are raising global temperatures, according to the UN estimates, more even than from cars, buses and airplanes." [italics mine] Rallying behind attacks on cars--which are justified--is only part of the problem. If Americans earnestly want to lessen global warming, our consumption patterns must change and meat is right up there.

Robert Frank's 2007 Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class offers options for how Americans could alter consumption, but they are solutions that I fear many Americans would find unpalatable. Among several of his ideas, he suggests tax increases targeting consumption but also those that benefit public services and infrastructure. As an eminent economist at Cornell, he's no body's fool. But in a political climate where restoring Willy J. Clinton's tax rates is dubbed socialism, tax hikes in the US won't fly, especially with our current economic malaise. Frank presents his ideas clearly and in a non-esoteric manner and he addresses social issues and demonstrates economic connections. After skimming the book, however, I question its efficacy partly due to the reason I cited above. Well, that and I think his book is silly at points.

Spare a dime, Wal-Mart?

The family of the worker trampled in Wal Mart on Black Friday is suing Wal-Mart for wrongful death. Here are the consoling words from a Wal-Mart rep (from huffpost):

"We consider Mr. Damour part of the Wal-Mart family, and are saddened by his death," the statement said. "We have been in communication with members of his family to do what we can to help them through this difficult time. Our associates know that when incidents like this occur, we take care of our own."

If you take care of your own, then how do you let an "associate" get trampled? Here's a neat fact, Jdimytai Damour was 6'5", 270 pounds. I thought he might have been shrimpy like me. I can easily see myself caught like a deer in headlights as a wall of shoppers comes barreling down on me as if I were Rick Moranis in Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Wal-Mart bears responsibility for its actions and lack of proper safety protocols.

Susan Rice, the next UN ambassador

Today's NYT features a favorable write-up of Susan Rice's past, experience, and personality traits, all of which she'll take with her to fill John Bolton's shoes. I think we all know she's got her work cut out for her as Bolton stands a beacon for international unity and cooperation. We'll miss you, John Boy.

Obama is also elevating the UN ambassador to a cabinet level position, which was the policy under Clinton. The Bush administration demoted the ambassador, which reveals how highly they viewed that position.