:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Thursday, March 18, 2004 ::

Philosophy Talk on Nietzsche:

"Guest:Brian Leiter, Joseph D. Jamail Centennial Chair in Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Law & Philosophy Program at the University of Texas at Austin

What is it?Nietzsche. Ken and John and Übermensch-at-large Brian Leiter discuss everyone's favorite syphilitic philosopher. Was he a mysogynistic Nazi-supporter, or an artistic visionary who sought to set us free from our moralistic chains? Boring radio is dead."

I've been listening in for two weeks straight now. Radio you actually like! This week Nietzsche and Brian Leiter all in one!

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 04:27:00 PM [+] ::
...

"'We need to keep them out of here,' "

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Tenn. County Officials Seek to Ban Gays:

Can we spell 'white trash po' dunk'?

What does po' dunk mean anyways?
Hell, what does banning Gays mean?

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 04:24:00 PM [+] ::
...

Global Misleadership

The President of Poland is now claiming he too was mislead about weapons of mass destruction. Could it be he is feeling the heat for going against his own population?

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 04:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

This must be what Bush means when his campaign ad's go on about being "leadership you can depend on;" there are currently more than 12,000 HumVees in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 10,000 of them are without adequate armor protection to withstand small arms fire, grenades and roadside bombs. His leadership, his budget, our soliders getting killed.

As an article in Slate notes:

The White House doesn't appear to be helping. Its proposed budget for 2005 includes funds for 818 up-armored Humvees, which may or may not be enough, depending on whether the military's latest estimate of its needs holds steady and how many up-armored Humvees are already in the pipeline. (An Army spokesman said he wasn't sure of the number.) As for the thousands for armor kits the military says it needs, the proposed budget includes exactly zero dollars for them.

And turning an even sharper blind eye the suicide rate among soldiers has risen 20% higher than normal.

In the most recent budget, the President allocated a "increase of about $520-million in veterans spending over the current year." with inflation, "that amounts to a $273-million cut." And all the while people rile on about Kerry not voting for the 87 billion... what is often missed is the fact that HE DID vote for the 87 billion if it was paid for by pulling back on some of the Bush tax cut.

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 01:01:00 PM [+] ::
...

Winning the hard way
A new Bush ad ends with the words "Confidence. Resolve. Hope." As the guys at slate mentioned recently, he used those words because the require no proof, substance, or results to back them up. The Republicans for too long have been able to get away Idealism and principles, all the while their policies contradict their idealism and principles every single day. For too long Democrats have allowed the Republicans to claim the working man's burden, for too long Democrats have allowed Republican attacks to go unanswered; if Kerry is to win the Democrats have to take back their working class constituencies and they have to fight back against every single attack.

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 12:40:00 PM [+] ::
...

Saudis round up reformers | csmonitor.com:

"Saudi authorities continued with a third day of detentions Wednesday with the arrest of lawyer Abdul-Rahman al-Lahem, as defiant activists called for the release of all those arrested.

The sudden and sweeping detention of democratic activists comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has taken steps towards political reforms, allowing a freer and more critical press, announcing the first municipal elections in October, and setting up a human rights organization earlier this month."

I think democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia are highly important, this is not a step in the right direction at all.

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 11:16:00 PM [+] ::
...

Insert foot in mouth...

Go see it http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/

He gets nailed....

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 01:24:00 PM [+] ::
...

"Unless we insist on worshipping our leaders like
Gods, we look at their actions, not their rhetoric, which
is always noble, just like the rhetoric of Stalin, Hitler,
Saddam, etc." --Noam Chomsky

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 01:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

Unfortunately I have a feeling this is the kind of thing Bush means when he says some Democrats are getting protectionsist...

Yesterday the Times had a piece on the AFL-CIO push for penalties against China. They claim 727,000 factory jobs have been lost because labor violations have artificially lowered Chinas production costs--thereby undercutting American companies. They argue the repression of workers rights translates into a 43% cost advantage on average. It appearantly is the 1st case ever brought under the Trade Act of 1974 that seeks penalties over violations of workers rights. Some trade experts argue the claim could be vulnerable to challenge at the WTO because global trade rules do not protect labor rights.

The AFL=CIO is asking Bush for punative tariffs of up to 77%, rightfully so, with 3 million factory jobs since Jan. 2001, the AFL-CIO needs to represent its 13million American workers, it needs to fight for them. hell the State Departments latest annual human rights report states the China "continues to deny internationally recognized workers rights."

Free trade isn't about letting Chinese factories ban independent labor unions, or torturing and arresting strike leaders. This is something the U.S. is going to have to learn quick, especially when China is projected to be adding more factory jobs in the next 5 years than the total number of factory jobs in the US, Europe and Japan combined.

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 01:04:00 PM [+] ::
...

Industries & Communities - bizjournals.com:

"Double-digit premium increases continue to pay off for the six HMOs that dominate the Sacramento market -- their combined net profits skyrocketed to more than $2.3 billion last year, up 605 percent from 2002. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/15/2004 01:45:00 AM [+] ::
...