Month: August 2008

When Does a Writer Become too Personally Repulsive to Read?

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Orson Scott Card does not raise the question for me, I read Ender’s Game, and was not particularly impressed, but he does for a lot of avid readers of SF.

His recent essay equating gay marriage with allowing blind people to drive, and suggesting a fascist state will mercilessly expose children to “te gay” will further conflict those folks who think that he doesn’t write crap, particularly when he seems to call for a revolution to promulgate anti-gay discrimination in our society.

Luckily, I find his plotting pedestrian, his characterizations flat, and his writing not particularly engaging, which is which I read Ender’s Game 20+ years ago, and haven’t read anything else of his since.

Debate Moderators Announced

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And it’s mostly the usual suspicts, which is to say at least half of them should not be doing this.

First presidential debate
Friday, September 26
The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
Jim Lehrer
Executive Editor and Anchor, The NewsHour, PBS

He’s impartial, but he does not call out lies, he just has two people on with opposing view points.

Vice presidential debate
Thursday, October 2
Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Gwen Ifill
Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour, and Moderator and Managing Editor, Washington Week, PBS

Rumored to be Condi Rice’s girlfriend.

Second presidential debate (town meeting)
Tuesday, October 7
Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn.
Tom Brokaw
Special Correspondent, NBC News

No real comment from me.

Third presidential debate
Wednesday, October 15
Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.
Bob Schieffer
CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent, and Host, Face the Nation

Personal friend of GW Bush, and his brother has been appointed to a couple of ambassador positions by GW Bush.

Because You Can Always Break Promises to the Little People

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So here we have an article where we see hand wringing because European governments are not being aggressive enough in reducing benefits for pensioners.

These generous pension deals were made as part of a very simple equation: The public accepted less generous wages in exchange for the pension benefits.

But now, its inconvenient for countries trying to emulate the US YOYO (You’re On Your Own) model, so they want to ignore their contract.

Shades of the big 2½ automakers, who cut the same deal in the 1960s, and now want to be releases.

It’s going to be expensive, but that was known when these deals were cut in the 1950s and 1960s.

You Know that the ISI will be There

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Pakistan is demanding consular access to Aafia Siddiqui, who is accused of trying to murder US personnel at an Afghan police station.

While it’s clear that this is their right under international treaty, my guess is that at least one of the people sent to deal with her will be an agent of the ISI, the notorious Pakistani intelligence organization, which has been linked to support for al Queida and Taliban activities, most recently the bombing of an Indian mission in Pakistan.

They will want to ensure that she knows nothing, or will say nothing, regarding any ISI involvement in her activities.

Head of Unscom Bio Weapons Said, Ivins Couldn’t Have Done It

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Richard Spertzel, head of the biological-weapons section of Unscom from 1994-99, nd a member of the Iraq Survey Group, wrote an Op/Ed in the Wall Street Journal that I highly recommend.

Basically, he says that Bruce Ivins, and everyone at the lab, worked on the bacteria in growth media, and did not have the equipment to make the weaponized form, which is powdered and given coatings to create a static charge to further spread the powder:

From what we know so far, Bruce Ivins, although potentially a brilliant scientist, was not that man. The multiple disciplines and technologies required to make the anthrax in this case do not exist at Army’s Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Inhalation studies are conducted at the institute, but they are done using liquid preparations, not powdered products.

(emphasis mine)

Economics Update

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Well, the Fed held rates steady, and it appears from their statement that they will hold rates steady.

Honestly, I don’t expect any rate change now before the election. Changing the rates in September or October would lead to complaints of a political agenda.

The Index of Supply Management’s index of non- manufacturing businesses showed continuing contraction in July.

It was up to 49.5, which was above forecast, but anything under 50 is contraction.

For what it’s worth, it looks like Noriel Roubin’s prediction that hundreds of banks will fail as a result of the credit crunch is finally getting some ink at a major news service (Reuters).

I would suggest his blog to get more detail, particularly on his estimate that the Taxpayer will be on the hook for $1-$2 trillion for all this.

Both he, and I, think that the credit crunch will get a lot worse, and stories like former Merrill Lynch superstar Dow Kim shutting down his hedge fund before it started, because investors got skittish and pulled out, would seem to confirm this.

I would also note that delinquent loans are rising for commercial real estate, which indicates that the commercial real estate market is following the residential market down the drain.

In the normal indices, we see the dollar up a bit, and oil and gasoline down for another day.

Thursday, when the Euro Central Bank sets its rates, should be interesting.

Latest Bizarre Ruling in Wecht Case Overturned

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U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab had ruled, after a mistrial was declared in the politically motivated prosecution of Cyril Wecht, that the names of the jurors names were to be kept secret from the press, though political hack US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan sent FBI agents out to intimidate them.

Well, the appeals court just overturned that, saying, that their identification was a, “well-established part of American judicial tradition.”

Background here. Short story: there were allegations that Wecht used office staff and equipment for his private practice, including 24 counts involving the amount of $3.06 (no, I’m not screwing up the decimals).

Impeachable Offense

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Ron Suskind, in his latest book, the Way of the world, says that the White House ordered that the CIA forge a back-dated letter between the head of Iraqi security and Saddam Hussein showing al Queida ties after the fall of Baghdad to deflect attention away from the lack of WMDs.

The National Security Act of 1947 specifically forbids the CIA from taking actions that have their primary intent of deceiving the American People.

So, what will happen?

Nothing.

NOT ON THE TABLE! NOT ON THE TABLE!

FBI Looking to Close Anthrax Case, but the Evidence Seems Thinner Than it Should Be

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It turns out that the evidence pointing toward Bruce Ivins was circumstantial, which does not mean invalid, but is not necessarily definitive.

At least 10 people had access to the flask that is now believed to be the source of the letters, and there is nothing tying Ivins to the postbox from which the Anthrax was mailed.

The envelopes came from post offices in Frederick, but it’s clear that the Anthrax came from Detrick, and it’s clear from the article that the FBI has been a bunch of keystone Cops on this.

What’s more, we now have a report that the White House was pressuring the FBI to finger al Queida on the Anthrax mailings.

Additionally, Glenn Greenwald has a rundown on the person who requested a restraining order against Bruce Ivins, and notes that the order is only 2 weeks old, and the application makes reference to the FBI investigation, which is odd, so I’m wondering if the FBI told her that the guy was under investigation as the Anthrax mailer, or that Ivins, who she was counseling, told her that he was under investigation, and she freaked.

I’m not saying that there is a conspiracy out there, just that the FBI really wants to close this case, and that they might still operating at a Keystone Cops level competence.

Will Belgium Split?

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There have always been tensions between the Flemish (Dutch speaking) and Walloon Belgians, and this article implies that the cultural and linguistic difference may push Belgium to a breakup.

This, and the repeated attempts by the Quebecois to secede, are very good examples of how a multilingual society is a dysfunctional society.

Without the language issue, both nations would be among the most tolerant and unified societies on earth.