Things to worry about

Here are two big things to worry about for the New Years. I'm sure there will be others to come.

1) Israel's ugly and ultimately criminal bombardment and invasion of Gaza. There's just no excuse for this nonsense. And no, Jewish apologists everywhere, a few Qassam rockets do not an excuse make.

There's this thing known as proportionality of response. Interesting thing about the concept of proportionality is that when it's violated, those who are signatories to the Geneva Convention by law consider it a war crime.

Objectively speaking, Israel just blew that wide open with its vicious bombing and invasion of Gaza...But of course, Israel does stuff like this about once every year or two.

I found it ironic and sad that representatives of Israel could very well find themselves sitting in the same docket Eichmann warmed over half a century ago because they refuse to recongize the very laws put in place to prevent the same kind of horror happening again.

Of course, that won't happen, but here's hoping it does, nonetheless. The attack on Gaza is merciless and inexcusable morally, politically and legally.

2) Obama--a handful of very worrying trends: Allowing Rick Warren to deliver his invocation, his refusal to denounce the slaughter in Gaza and finally his absymal ideas on an economic stimulus package. A 300 billion tax cut is probably the least efficient way to stimulate the economy. He's obviously doing this to get the Republicans on board and it's just a bad, bad idea. Because Republicans are not about getting on board for anything. They will play obstructionist games and try to wrangle a 700 billion dollar tax cut because they are ideologically rigid that way--and not just a little blind to their own hubris and stupidity. Krugman has a lot more to say about this here.

I knew Obama was more centrist than I was. I just hope he doesn't let the whole post-partisan good guy riff go to his head. The Warren decision was ugly and unncessary, his silence on Gaza is political and cowardly and playing 'tax cuts' games with the Republicans is politically and economically dumb. It cedes the economic frame to their own grossly inept ideologoical bent and will be bad for the economy to boot.

Naturally, if he gets a deal done that includes some tax cuts, I suppose half a loaf is better than none and all of that, but I'm not holding my breath.

On Gaza

A pleasant exchange between Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski and some moron named Joe

Leading me to pen my first quote of the Post-Christmas holidays,channeling Donald Rumsfeld...

You get information with the media that you have, not the media that you might want or wish to have at a later time.

Sigh.

Check out the video below, about half way through is this priceless line from Zbigniew regarding Joe Scarborough's understanding of the TABA negotiations--I'd only add that Joe's understanding is unfortunately not a helluvalot better than 90% of our utterly incurious population.

"You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."



Thanks Dr. Brzezinski, and a Happy Holidays to you, too.