Moving Day! T-minus 1 day . . .

Tomorrow I'm moving (back) to Brooklyn. So the posts will be sparse for a few days. I really can't wait to move in the humidity. It'll be so much fun.

The Best I've Ever Seen (or Heard)

Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Illinois State Senator Barack Obama addressed the crowd of delegates and the nation in support of John Kerry & John Edwards. It was amazing; truly one of the finest political orations I have ever seen or heard. Read the speech and see for yourself — this is a man who will be going places.

Text of Barack Obama's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention, courtesy of the NY Times.

New Ideas, Fresh Blood and the Democratic Party

This article in the Washington Post, SEIU Chief Says the Democrats Lack Fresh Ideas, I believe cuts straight to the core of, unfortunately, one of the many problems with my political party today (e.g., DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe needs to go). I commend this article to you. The party structure is, in many respects, antiquated and sclerotic — a throwback to the 19th Century. Many of the planks in the party's 2004 platform are gussied-up versions of old favorites. Not that many of them are not worthwhile; they are. But I echo the sentiments of Andrew Stern, President of the SEIU:

[T]he party and its longtime ally, the labor movement, are "in deep crisis," devoid of new ideas and working with archaic structures. . . . Stern argued that Kerry's election might stifle needed reform within the party and the labor movement. He said he still believes that Kerry overall would make a better president than President Bush, and his union has poured huge resources into that effort. But he contends that Kerry's election would have the effect of slowing the "evolution" of the dialogue within the party.

I disagree with what must be the logical follow on to Stern's argument: that the Republicans could furnish needed reform in the economy and within big labor (and perhaps in a mini-revolution within the Democratic party should they lose this November). Stern does acknowledge that Kerry is the better candidate, however you can tell that his heart is not into him (after all the SEIU did endorse Howard Dean before his implosion earlier this year).

Stern is essentially advocating that the Democrats as an organization and institution are incapable of true robust and imaginative change. This, I reluctantly embrace. Many in the party are supporting Kerry since he represents the best chance of beating Bush. And this is the nexus of the problem. Democrats are not so much as voting for John Kerry as they are voting against George W. Bush. We as Democrats need to ask ourselves if we will be committed to growth and change once we recapture the White House. Or will we just go about our business of repairing the damage that W and the neocon's have wrought over the last 4 years? We really need to do both.

DNC Convention 2004

The 2004 Democratic National Convention begins today in Boston (Damn Red Sox!). By all accounts John Kerry's acceptance speech on the last day will be very important as he sets out why American's should vote for him and not merely against George W. Bush. It's should be a very interesting week with all the analysis, speeches, commentary, and politics. In particular, I am very excited about tomorrow night's keynote address by Barack Obama. He's a bright star candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois. He's running for retiring Sen. Peter Fitzgerald's (R) seat — so a victory by Obama will give the Democrats a gain in the Senate. I heard Obama yesterday on Meet the Press and was thoroughly impressed (I was introduced to Barack Obama in a great story in The New Yorker awhile back). Candidates like Obama give me hope that the future of this nation's political life isn't so bleak.

Isn't this rich!

The NY Times has reported that the GOP is now spinning the 9-11 Commision's soon-to-be-released report on pre-attack intelligence. The essence is that the report covers 8 years of the Clinton Administration and 8 months of the Bush Administration. Therefore since A=B and B=C, it must be that A=C. By gum! How do they do it!? They take credit for the robust actions and successes by the Clinton-built military but they deflect and punt criticism of the intelligence community back to the endemic problems that have long been a part of that agency since Allen Dulles sparred with J. Edgar Hoover. Moore to the point, those jackasses at 1600 Pennsylvania and the O.E.O.B. are the ones that practically ordered that the Bush intelligence community find justifications for their ill-advised and unpopular war in Iraq and for not heeding Richard Clark's (and others) warnings that bin Laden was planning an attack on U.S. soil. Gimme a break! November 9th can't come soon enough.

The Fourth Estate

My feelings for the press have always been a mixed bag.  A free and independent press is vital in the service of democracy.  However, in our contemporary Western society, global corporate media giants have a definite agenda, which they exercise with ever more subtlety (and in some cases overtly).  This is why I shudder at the suggestion that the U.S. press is beginning to slowly push stories of violence in Iraq into the background.  Josh Marshall in his blog Talking Points Memo links to a Washington Post story by Jim Hoagland, which also mentions the beginning of the boredom of the American Press with Iraq.  The kicker is that this boredom is related to the upcoming Presidential elections:  the Bush administration's tarnished image; 9-11 Commission and Senate Intelligence Committee Reports decrying connections of Iraq to al Qaeda; No WMDs found, lost American (and Iraqi civilian) lives; Osama bin Laden (and Co.) still at-large &#8212 the list could go on.  The "free and independent press," for the most part, has been reluctant to criticize this Administration for fear (rightly so) of being frozen out of White House access, thus affecting the media-giants' bottom line (a no-no in any corporate enterprise).    I read a half-dozen or so new papers on-line just to get a basic, non-biased idea of the "facts."  I turn to many non-traditional sources (blogs) for news and analysis as well.  I have friends that are going to be journalists and I also know a few practicing journalists.  I have a lot of respect for the profession in general.  But my esteem has long been eroding. 
 
I really wish some journalists (clearly not the Fox News/NY Post  hacks), who believe they have a public duty (and maintain professional integrity), would show some frickin' stones.  Make sure the public doesn't loose sight of what is going on in the Middle East and in Washington, DC and resist the corporate editorializing and influence by the White House Press Shop.  Keep this news on the front pages.  Challenge us.  That's what I want as a citizen and consumer of mass media. 

Out of Touch

Give me a break. W and his campaign cohorts are "blasting" John Kerry for comments made by Hollywood Actors during a fund-raiser last week. Essentially, Bush is stating at his rallies that Kerry is not in touch with the people of America. Now, if I recall correctly, until John Kerry started breaking records in terms of raising cash for the Democrats, Bush was raking in the dough while courting his industrial billionaires and corporate elites. Recently I saw the Michael Moore film Fahrenheit 9/11 with my Dad, while visiting him in Arizona. In it Moore shows a scene where W addressing the audience of wealthy men and women, all dressed in black tie and evening gowns, states (paraphrase): "Some people call you the elite, I call you my base." Ok, so tell me, how does the son of a very wealthy former President, who was born with a silver spoon up his ass, relate to the regular guy? He really doesn't. But the rhetoric of the GOP and their well-financed spin (propaganda) machines are able to convince Joe Six-pack that Bush is looking out for them. Sadly, a lot of these deluded men and women are going to wake up one day and realize they've been bamboozled ( Hey where's my tax break? Whoops, sorry you only get one if you're a millionaire. But thanks for your vote, here's a lolly.) The Democrats need to get off their duffs and start CAMPAIGNING on real issues — foreign policy, health care, and economic justice. You gotta love Bush's hypocrisy.

Height of shamelessness.

An innocent story from today's Wash. Post described one of the most alarming political contemplations I have ever heard of: Lawmaker Doubts U.S. Warnings of Possible Attack to Stop Elections. I cannot believe the audacity of this Administration. The mere fact they are contemplating an election postponement in the event of a terrorist attack "on or near" election day has me wondering how nervous they are about the Democratic ticket. True, if an attack occurred on election day, my guess is that many folks would simply stay home. In other words voter turn out would be even lower than it normally is. On the other hand, people in a fit of patriotism might fly in the face of a terrorist, threatening their civic right as a citizen in a free society to cast a ballot, and vote in large numbers. In fact a pre-election attack could actually assist Bush and Co. In any case, I don't like any talk of moving or postponing the election. We've never in American history had to do this before and I do not believe that any circumstances that exist today warrant such discussion, save an alien invasion.

Cannon's Pub

Yesterday, I read in the NY Times that one of my favorite haunts from grad school Cannon's Pub will be closing its doors this week, possibly for good. The demise of yet another old school neighborhood bar to make way for something modern breaks my heart. An old bar is like a time machine, where conceivably you could be sitting on the same barstool that your grandfather or great uncle sat long ago. The conversations over time are usually about the same things: sports, politics, the neighborhood, the economy, and women. The old places are great, especially where the old timers and the young hang out together, each adding their own unique view and class to the joint. When I lived at West End Avenue and 103rd Street, Cannon's was one of the favorite watering holes. I was bummed when I found out a few years back that they razed the old brick-front entrance and replaced it with a yuppie glass facade; the sunlight killing the hidden, smokey world of afternoon booze hounds. Since I returned to NYC I have only made it up there once or twice, and I'm not sure I'll be able to have one last drink before Thursday's closing. I think I prefer to remember the place the last time I was there with a few friends — liquor permeating the air, uproarious, and full of Columbia students and locals — and everyone having a good time.

New Home, New Roomate.

Well, it's official. This afternoon my significant other and I signed a lease for our first home together. Our abode will be located in South Park Slope, technically Windsor Terrace. It's a really nice 1 BR in an older building that looks out onto Prospect Park. The best part is my girlfriend's parents are a bit old fashioned and conservative and would flip out if they knew Ms. E and I were living together. So we'll be living a 'lil white lie for a while. Oh well, at least the search for a new home is over and the fun that is moving can commence.

Vegas!

This will be my final post for a few days as I'm going to be in the great state of Nevada. Specifically, I will be in Las Vegas attending my law school buddy's bachelor party. It should be a hoot. On the way back, I'll be visiting my lovely parents in Arizona. There will be lots of golf, food, poker, and booze. Have a great July 4th, and don't forget to reflect a little on what the holiday is supposed to represent: the independence of the United States from Great Britain via the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. Read it again (as I try to do every July 4th) and think about the ideas that were represented in the document. However imperfect the messengers might have been (white, slaveowners, merchants, lawyers and bankers), I believe that they knew that someday their successors would right the wrongs that they couldn't resolve in their day and move the course of the nation toward a more perfect union. Undoubtedly, we still have a long way to go, but do reflect on how far we have come already. Peace.


Virus Update: Well, thanks to one kind soul, I was given some advice on how to clean my damn computer. However, since I use McAfee Anti-Virus, the advice turned out to be not as useful. I was able to do some follow-on research and have begun to fight back. I spent about 2+ hours last night downloading and installing a Microsoft Security Patch which should eliminate some of my shit box PC's vulnerabilities. I have also been able to ID the virus — Exploit-MhtRedir.gen.