Bullies: We Can’t Win the War on Terror Without Them

Yes, once again this week, I turn my blog over to someone else. If you think I’m getting lazy and phoning it in here at Honest Errors, you would be right. But then again I have never claimed to be a blogger extraordinaire.

Today’s guest poster is none other than Harold Moolendyke, President and CEO of Progressive Military Solutions, a provider of information technology to the defense industry.

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We’ve all read the news about the anti-bullying bill passing the House here in Michigan. Many people seem to think it’s a fine thing. I, for one, do not.

Just the other day, one of my son’s best friends, someone who identifies himself as a bully and is justly feared among his peers, said to me, “I love faggots. That’s why I like to torment’em!” He takes pride in his abilities to make his fellow high school students tremble with fear. A proud young man like him will be irreparably harmed by this bill.

You see, bullies are this country’s future. How are we here in the U.S. going to effectively wage a War on Terror without people who are gifted in the art of injecting fear into the hearts and minds of our enemies? Just as young athletes and math whizzes need to be able to fully develop their talents, so to do young bullies. And the way for them to do that is by letting them be young bullies; by letting them go about their daily business of tormenting the different, the weird, the fag, the perceived fag, the wimp, the turd, the sissy, or anyone who just happens to be in the bully’s way that particular moment.

The future of this great and powerful nation of ours depends on people willing to go after others in this take-no-prisoners world we live in, a world currently in the middle of a War on Terror. Make no mistake, this War on Terror is a Clash of Civilizations. One I don’t intend for our country and the West to lose. In order to win, we must protect and nurture our toughest bullies. No one wins wars by being nice. You win wars by being tough and striking at your enemies’ weakest points, injecting fear inside them. Shock and Awe is not the method of the weak. Bullies are tough and know people’s weaknesses. It’s bullies who won wars for us in the past. And it’s bullies who will win this war and future wars for us.

Our honorable men and women serving in Iraq at Abu Ghraib prison, various CIA rendition sites around the world, and of course Guantanamo Bay need to know that they are not the last of their kind. Humiliation and other forms of intense interrogation techniques are some of our most valuable tools in the War on Terror. To keep America safe, we need people who are willing to do whatever is necessary to extract information from terror suspects.

If this bill becomes law it sends a signal to all of our tough young men and women, like my son’s friend, that they are not appreciated or needed. It sends an even more dangerous signal to our enemies who plot against us that we are ready to surrender.

If you ask me, this country of ours could use some more bullying. Who among us wouldn’t like to see Donald Rumsfeld give Iranian President Ahmadinejad a swirly or Dick Cheney yank one of Castro’s arms behind his back and make him shout, “Democracy”?

So I urge Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop to continue his fine leadership in the upper chamber (as he’s done with this current budget battle against the Tax-Happy Democrats) and see to it that this anti-bullying measure is voted down by the Republicans.

Don’t just vote it down for the sake of Michigan.

Vote it down for the sake of our national security.

Harold Moolendyke

Circuit City Fires Most Talented

That's right, kids. If you work hard and become successful, that will make you a liability at some companies, and get you fired.

Circuit City said yesterday that it had fired 3,400 of its highest-paid sales staff and will replace them with lower-paid workers, a risky strategy to cut costs that goes beyond the layoffs, buyouts and hiring freezes commonly used by struggling companies.

The fired workers will receive severance packages and a chance to apply for lower-paying positions after a 10-week delay, said the 655-store electronics chain based in Richmond, Va.

And now Circuit city wants its remaining workers to be good loyal workers...

Politics is Wrestling and Vice-Versa

Someone points out that professional wrestling and U.S. politics are just about exactly alike.

The time has come to admit to ourselves that young America's polite indifference towards partisan politics and the wrestling industry stems from the uncomfortable but increasingly undeniable fact that the two have grown indistinguishable from one another.

Skeptical? Then dig, if you will, the picture: A pair of unconvincing actors square off in a heated debate, reading from clumsy, cliché-filled scripts, only pretending to disagree, while everyone in the audience knows who’s going to win ahead of time. Now riddle me this: have I just described two wrestlers, or two politicians?


There's your upbeat thought for the day.

Exit Stage Right...

Lately, I have been posting quite a bit against the Republican solutions to the budget crisis we face in this state. So, for fun I thought I would turn over my blog to someone from the other side of the political divide. He’s the well-known Michigan GOP operative and commentator, Paul “Paulie” Rudis. Some of you might be familiar with his regular blog “That’s Paul, folks.” I don’t agree with many aspects of his political philosophy, but I do respect him as a person, a thinker, and a friend. My hope is that you’ll find his post (not edited by anyone but himself) both thoughtful and provocative. Enjoy.

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588 Days until election day.

MORNING SUMMARY:

Congratulations to David Stockman, former budget director in Reagan Administration, for landing one of best defense attorneys in nation: Elkan Abramowitz. I’m sure Elkan will insure David is proven true to his word, “I have done absolutely nothing wrong.”
Big announsment...The Republican Party’s new Zero Initiative Tax (ZIT)! Our goal is no taxes whatsoever for anyone in the State of Michigan!!!
Michigan Chapter of Ann Coulter Fan Club strong an growing by leaps an bounds!!!
Plus! Andy Dillon and Democrats have a Drug Problem!

THE REST OF THE STORY:

David Stockman was charged in and indictment with fraud while Chairman of Collins & Aikman Corporation. David has hired one of best leading white collar criminal defense attorneys in nation: Elkan Abramowitz. I’m sure Elkan will insure Stockman is proven true by his word: “I have done absolutely nothing wrong.” It’s a shame David Stockman, has to defend himself when he has done nothing wrong other than save a company that was being ruined by Democrats oppressive taxes.
Many of you know David from his tireless effort in the Reagan White House as budget director to impliment supply-side economics. What liberals won’t tell you??? Supply-side policies was responsible for the extraordinary growth the great U.S. of A. had during the 80’s!!!

Newt Gingrich has a great saying…real change take real change. It’s a concept so simple its complex. That’s what supply-side is.

The Republican Party’s new Zero Initiative Tax (ZIT) marches backward. Backward??? Yes, in deed! Because our goal is no taxes whatsoever four anyone in the State of Michigan. Were actually pulling back the taxes dollar by dollar, with the ultimate goal of zero dollars! What’s better than smaller government??? No government!! We’re making sure that Michigan leads the charge against government. People have a real choice...continue being tax slaves to government as democrats want...or be free as Republicans and Conservatives want! Just think of how many businesses would come to Michigan if we had ZERO taxes!!! There’ll be so many good-paying jobs for so many honest hard-working people, we won’t need police, prisons, or schools. Everyone will be fully empowered over their own lives while happily employed an so wealthy they’ll be able to hire their own private security detail and private tutors for their kids.

After seeing Ann Coulter talk with such grace and skill at CPAC, she’s a powerful intelligent speaker and received a warm reception, I finally signed up for her official fan club. I had put it off way too long, I’m ashamed to admit...Why Ann hasn’t found her man yet is a mystery to me. All you conservative bachelors out there, you’ve still got a chance!?!?!?!?

House Speaker Andy Dillon and the Democrats are on Drugs! Dillon and the Democrats continue to DRUG their feet on a budget plan now that no one is “buying” Granholm’s “two-penny plan”. Maybe if they got off there drug problem they wood have a plan?!?! Make your voices heard. Get the facts…stay involved. We need to let our legislators know what we think. Folks…you better be paying attention!?!?!?

I am proud to announce are Legacy Brick Fund! To support our work on ZIT, buy a brick with your name on it. Then, once the Michigan GOP’s ZIT grows and reaches it’s goal and the government is gone, you and every other brick owner can throw it through the windows of the Capitall! Join us build the party, go backward to zero taxes, and someday say “I threw brick at Capital!!”

Paulie Rudis

P.S. Thanks, Rich, for letting me post on your blog. The GOP already has many wonderful asses, but you would be a true asset to our party if you ever switched sides.

Hexagon on Saturn

There's a hexagon on Saturn's north pole. I had no idea. This was captured by Cassini:


See? Science is not just cool, but trippy, too.

Thinking in Circles

Reading this story on Mary Douglas's book Thinking in Circles: An Essay on Ring Composition brought to mind the book I'm reading now: Divine Days.

The feeling is familiar. You are listening to a piece of music, and nothing links one moment with the next. Sounds seem to emerge without purpose from some unmapped realm, neither connecting to what came before nor anticipating anything after. The same thing can happen while reading. Passages accumulate like tedious entries in an exercise book. Chaos, disorder, clumsiness, disarray: these must be the marks of poor construction or, perhaps, of deliberate provocation.

In a strange way, though, the very same sensations might also be marks of our own perceptual failures. Perhaps the order behind the sounds is simply not being heard; perhaps the logic of the argument is not being understood. Paying attention to anything alien can be like listening to a foreign language. There may be logic latent in the sounds, but it is not evident to untrained ears.

Leon Forrest uses a style in Divine Days (though not as seemingly chaotic as some of the texts referred to in the article) that starts, stops, backtracks, jumps ahead, then back again, turns, and doubles-back, all in an attempt to capture the narrator Joubert Jones' thoughts and experiences at a given moment in the novel. It's an attempt to mix history, rumor, and feeling all at once in every moment over the period of seven days in 1966. The effect can be dizzying and overwhelming at times. Though never boring and always engaging.

Getting That First Novel Published

From the Guardian:

Kate Saunders, while reading for the Orange Prize, felt that 'publishers seem enormously scared of too much originality. Many of the first novels we had to read this year appeared to be watered-down copies of something else.' Perhaps what these writers need is practice. Regrettably, there is no longer much opportunity (with the honourable exception of editor Louise Chunn's initiative in Good Housekeeping) for novices to publish stories in magazines. Publishing your first novel is as daunting as cold calling. 'It is much harder,' Pat Kavanagh says, 'to get first novels across to a general reader when there is no obvious promotional handle'.

Sounds like things are very similar on the other side of he pond...

Doing the Deed Then Running

The Republicans finally revealed their budget-balancing proposal. It included their approval of Governor Granholm’s $344 million negotiated cuts via executive order and the rejection of her 2-percent service tax plan. It also included $600 million of their own cuts, revealed in the proud manner befitting a cheating spouse. They brought the supplemental legislation to the floor at 7:30pm Thursday, refused to let Democrats debate it, and passed it. Then the Republicans ran out of the chamber. Yes, they did the deed then ran.

The Governor and many Democrats denounced the cuts and the manner in which they were passed. Republican supporters countered by calling Granholm, Democrats, and their supporters "a bunch of Chicken Littles."

Across the state a wide range of these supposed "Chicken Littles" are condemning the proposed cuts.

They are condemned here.

A 2 percent wage hike for home health service workers would be rolled back under the Senate plan.

"We already have trouble getting people to do the work and this is going to make it even more difficult," said Dohn Hoyle, executive director of The Arc Michigan, which has 38 agencies around the state that advocate for the mentally impaired.

He said the $11 million cut won't be a money-saver for Michigan because it'll force people into more expensive nursing home facilities.

And here.

Ross said Jackson officials are struggling to find the $230,000 that would be lost if the plan is approved. Preliminary figures have police officers, out-of-town travel and city-owned vehicles on the chopping block, he said. Ross also has issued a citywide hiring freeze.

"The Republicans have no strategy, no plan," said Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek. "These cuts would have a devastating impact on our community, on our people and on our state."

And here.

‘‘We should be thinking about (how) we can invest in public education, not how we can take money away from kids in public education,’’ said Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor.

Republicans countered that the $34 per-student cut is a modest amount for schools to have to make up in the two months remaining in the school year and that a tax increase this budget year is unacceptable. Some districts have warned they’ll have to lay off teachers if their state aid is cut at this point in the school year.

And here...

If approved by the House, a $34 per pupil reduction in funding means a loss of $500,000 in Rochester schools, $411,352 in Troy schools, $391,792 in Waterford schools, $535,775 in Walled Lake schools and $310,338 in Pontiac schools, according to the Senate fiscal agency.

That's money that has to be dealt with by the end of schools' fiscal year June 30, said Waterford Schools Superintendent Robert Neu.

"It's hard to swallow," Neu said.

Neu said he appreciated that the per pupil cuts weren't as bad as the $225 that was an earlier number tossed around as a likely reduction.

"I appreciate the governor and Legislature making education a critical part of the conversation," Neu said. "We're still hopeful there won't be any cuts. I think the Legislature has to understand that no cuts are acceptable."

Worse, Neu said, is that school districts have to have budgets prepared for the next fiscal year beginning July 1 without knowing what the Legislature will eventually approve.

"That's the insanity of it," Neu said. "We're going on the assumption of no increase next year. That means $5.5 million in cuts."

...where they were also declared Dead On Arrival in the House. But not by Speaker Andy Dillon himself. Based on his lackluster performance during this whole battle, I don't know that he would actually do anything to rally the votes against the Republican budget plan. He seems content to let Granholm do all the heavy-lifting in this battle while he does whatever he's doing. (If you want a study in contrasts, just view House Speaker Dillon's and Senate Minority Leader Schauer's recent appearances on Off The Record with Tim Skubick. With Dillon, you get the impression he's in over his head and that he doesn't feel any sense of urgency over the current situation. With Schauer, you get the impression that he has a clear idea of both the gravity of the situation and what needs to be done to fix it.)

If the Senate Republicans had actually believed in the soundness of their budget proposals, they would have introduced and passed them in a more transparent manner, one the budget process deserves. Doing otherwise, in order to duck debate with their colleagues on the floor of the Senate and avoid the reactions they're now getting from Michigan citizens, demonstrates their cowardice and lack of vision. It also demonstrates they would rather continue to play games with the budget than do any serious work.

So, for the benefit of this state, it should not be difficult for Democrats to stand up to the Republicans and reject their severely flawed budget proposals. To approve their budget would be to embrace the Republican's brand of cowardly politics and disinvest in Michigan's future.

Celebrity Lecture Series

This is very cool: lectures at MSU by writers such as Joyce Carol Oates, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Derek Walcott, and Isabel Allende recorded and available for download for free. (Real Audio required.) This project is being done in my own back yard here courtesy of MATRIX.

Mr. Grin Keeps on Grinning

After taking an incomprehensible stance on the Iraq War Resolution in the House of Representatives, Congressman Mike Rogers (aka Mr. Grin) voted with the Bush Republicans and then introduced his own proposal. You can read it here. It has gone absolutely nowhere in the House of Representatives. He had to know it would go nowhere. He is, afterall, a veteran Congressman. So you have to ask the question: what was the point?

Now he can't be bothered with the needs of Michigan farmers.

St. Johns dairy farmer Kerry Nobis wants to be able to hire foreign workers year-round to help with his 800 cows.

During a visit to Washington with other representatives of the Michigan Farm Bureau, Nobis argued that the country's foreign-worker program should be more flexible.

But he said the argument didn't seem to have much impact.

His congressman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, "believes that in the interest of national security, our first priority has to be a secure border and once that is achieved, we can work to address unique situations like the dairy producers," spokeswoman Sylvia Warner said.
-snip-
Nobis, 36, was skeptical. "We can't wait around forever while they secure the border," he said.

Over five years after 9/11, Mr. Grin would rather keep people out who want to come to our country to work, to the detriment of our state's farmers, while still not providing a plan for a "secure border." Again, makes you wonder what he's actually doing.

As was noted yesterday, Mr. Grin would like to see the FBI's alleged abuses of the Patriot Act be investigated, but is still foggy about Alberto Gonzales's far-less-than-stellar job performance as Attorney General.

Rogers, typically a strong supporter of the Bush administration, also said that the recent controversy over U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the firing of several U.S. attorneys was not handled well. The administration has denied accusations that the attorneys were let go for political reasons.

"It was generally not well-done," Rogers said, but he refused to join a handful of Republicans who have called for Gonzales to resign. He said he'd rather let the situation play itself out.

Ah, the Wait-and-See Approach. This is rather surprising from a former FBI agent, someone who investigated suspected wrongdoing and gathered evidence so that U.S. attorneys could use such evidence against alleged criminals. You'd think he'd be a lot more concerned over the cheap politicization of hiring and firing federal prosecutors.

Well, now that more incriminating e-mails are being released, the public is finding out more about what was going on behind the U.S. attorney firings, like this:

At one point, McNulty questioned the dismissal of U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden in Nevada. "I'm a little skittish about Bogden," McNulty wrote in a Dec. 7 e-mail to Gonzales' chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, two days before the firings. "He has been with DOJ since 1990 and, at age 50, has never had a job outside government."

Still, McNulty concluded: "I'll admit have not looked at his district's performance. Sorry to be raising this again/now; it was just on my mind last night and this morning."

It looks more like this was not simply "generally not well-done." I was outright despicable. The most egregious has to be Carol Lam's firing.

In an E-mail from Kyle Sampson, then the chief of staff to the attorney general, to White House deputy counsel William Kelley on May 11, 2006, Sampson cryptically referred to "the real problem we have right now with Carol Lam that leads me to conclude that we should have someone ready to be nominated on 11/18, the day her 4-year term expires."

The day before, Lam had contacted the Justice Department to inform it of search warrants issued for Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who had just resigned as No. 3 official at the CIA and was eventually indicted in connection with a bribery scandal that put former Republican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham behind bars. Two days later, the FBI raided Foggo's home and former office.

As the clear evidence of gross incompetence and negligence piles up, Democrats and even some Republicans are calling for Gonzales' resignation. But based on what we've seen of our Congressman Mr. Grin, residents of Michigan's 8th Congressional District can expect little more than his grin.

[cross-posted on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood]

Save the Wild UP Video Challenge

The group Save the Wild UP, who has been leading the fight against sulfide mining up there (and specifically against the Kennecott mine), is running a contest.

Save the Wild UP is challenging you to make a video that shows why Michigan must protect its rivers, lakes and streams. We’ll all vote on the best and the winners will receive all kinds of prizes, including $2500 in cash for the Grand Prize winner. And maybe somewhere in here, we might find a legacy to pass along to our children that makes them happy and healthy.

You can read all the details here.

I will not be entering as I have no talent whatsoever with putting together videos of any kind. I also can't sing, either. C'est la vie.

Meeting? What Meeting?

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop is a no-show for a meeting with Granholm to discuss the budget.

Granholm said Bishop told her his schedule was too busy Monday to meet. In a letter to him Friday, she called for a meeting with legislative leaders for 10 a.m. today.

Other liberal blogs have commented on this here and here. I can’t get myself too worked up over what is obviously a tactic designed to make the Governor look weak and without leverage. But he is not the only legislative leader not present at the meeting. Speaker Dillon “was on his way to Lansing, Granholm said.”

That’s par for the course for the Democratic Speaker of the House. When he’s not telling everyone who will listen that he doesn’t have the votes for a 2% service tax, he’s begging Comerica to not move their headquarters to Texas. All of which has shown the non-entity that Speaker Dillon is in this game of Budget Chicken between Governor Granholm and Senator Bishop. By non-entity I mean exactly that. Speaker Dillon, by his inaction on the budget in the House, makes you wonder who's really leading the House. Right now, it appears Senator Mike Bishop has more influence over the House than the actual Speaker of the House.

So of course Senator Bishop doesn’t have time for the meeting with the Governor today. He’s probably being fitted for a new suit to wear to the budget meeting he will eventually have with Granholm; a special monogrammed victory suit. People with power can afford to make others wait for them while they do even the most ridiculous things. People on the defensive rush around to events, doing things, making proclamations, all in an effort to look earnest and by all means not defensive. Senator Bishop is signaling to everyone who’s watching this budget debacle that he can afford to wait one more day than the Governor to sit down and hammer out a budget.

That tells you all you need to know about who has won this legislative battle over “cuts only” versus a "mix" of cuts, tax increases, and tax decreases.

What this means for the voters of Michigan will only be seen when the impact of the budget by Mike Bishop and the Republican Party is felt by everyone. Because, make no mistake, it sure looks like it will be a Republican budget.

Let's hope it's not too painful.

Susan Sontag in the Guardian

The Guardian has a lucid and very perceptive essay on literature and its place in the world written by Susan Sontag.

A novelist, then, is someone who takes you on a journey. Through space. Through time. A novelist leads the reader over a gap, makes something go where it was not.

There is an old riff I've always imagined to have been invented by some graduate student of philosophy (as I was once myself), late one night, who had been struggling through Kant's abstruse account in his Critique of Pure Reason of the barely comprehensible categories of time and space, and decided that all of this could be put much more simply.

It goes as follows:

"Time exists in order that everything doesn't happen all at once ... and space exists so that it doesn't all happen to you."

By this standard, the novel is an ideal vehicle both of space and of time. The novel shows us time: that is, everything doesn't happen at once. (It is a sequence, it is a line.) It shows us space: that is, what happens doesn't happen to one person only.

If you're a writer, read it now. She has a wonderful critique of of the "hyper-novel." I have never understood the pull of such things, like hypertext fiction. I have always found it to be a weird form in which the author abdicates their role, responsibility, and authority to the reader.

This new model for fiction proposes to liberate the reader from the two mainstays of the traditional novel: linear narrative and the author. The reader, cruelly forced to read one word after another to reach the end of a sentence, one paragraph after another to reach the end of a scene, will rejoice to learn that, according to one account, "true freedom" for the reader is now possible, thanks to the advent of the computer: "freedom from the tyranny of the line ". A hypernovel "has no beginning; it is reversible; we gain access to it by several entrances, none of which can be authoritatively declared to be the main one ". Instead of following a linear story dictated by the author, the reader can now navigate at will through an "endless expansion of words ".

I think most readers - surely, virtually all readers - will be surprised to learn that structured storytelling, from the most basic beginning-middle- end scheme of traditional tales to more elaborately constructed, nonchronological and multi-voiced narratives, is actually a form of oppression rather than a source of delight.

Failure to Act

Looks like Senator Bishop will allow the Governor's tax proposal to be voted on.

Majority Leader Mike Bishop decided Thursday to discharge the measure and bring it to the full Senate because he felt Democrats broke an agreement to keep details of negotiations secret until an agreement has been reached.

The Rochester Republican said he's bringing up the tax plan in the GOP-controlled Senate - where it's almost sure to fail - because the House has failed to act even though Democrats hold the majority there.

Yes, he's bringing it to a vote in order to kill it. How nice of him.

"You've got the governor's office, and you've got an entire chamber of this Legislature, and nothing has been done to move that plan forward," he said. "Why? Because you don't have the votes."

Senator Bishop does have a point. The Democratic-controlled House hasn't brought any of the Governor's budget proposals to the floor for a vote. They could have opted to put pressure on the Republicans by passing some proposals in the House and sending them over to the Senate.

But no.

So now, it will be Senator Bishop who will have actually brought more budget legislation up for a vote than Speaker Dillon. Who'd have thought that after over a month of waiting for a budget proposal from the Republicans, we still wouldn't have any push from the House Democrats? If I'm Mike Bishop, I'm sitting pretty right now watching the disarray in the Democrats camp. He can afford to wait until the Democrats unite behind some sort of budget proposal.

"United we stand, divided we fall," goes the old saying.

Strolling With a Dictator

While I'm a fan of One Hundred Years of Solitude, I can't say I'm a fan of Marquez's politics.

Groggy Today With a Chance of Crankiness

Where to begin today? I'm fighting some sort of sinus infection. Thought the Sudafed is helping I still feel groggy.

Let's see, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is standing firm despite the politically motivated firings of 8 U.S. Attorneys.

Fat-Cat Republican Donors were behind the "Granholm is Hitler" ad in last year's election. WizardKitten breaks it all down.

So I guess we should be asking Saul Anuzis whether he thinks Granholm is like Hitler. Or whether the Republican party will continue to accept financial support from the likes of John and Terry Rakolta, Julie and Peter Cummings, and Robert Liggett?...You can bet there won't be an answer to the first question; he'll deny any and all involvement with the ad in a bid to absolve himself of responsibility. As for the second question, the Republican party is addicted to money from slimy sources for slimy ads (see SwiftBoat Veterans) in their bid to impose so-called "Family Values" on everyone. (Quick: how many times have Newt Gingrich and Rudolph Giuliani each been married? Answer: 3). When the unsoundness of their beliefs and proposals are exposed they go for ad-hominem attacks. There's a phrase for that. It's called "moral bankruptcy."

Granholm is back in town after what sounds like a successful trip to Germany to bring investment into Michigan only to be greeted by the underwhelming support of the House Democrats for her budget proposals. Pohlitics does an excellent job of taking the House Dems to task for using Republican Talking Points.

Let's tick off the reasons for no budget deal: one stubborn Senator Bishop and a few House Democrats with cold feet over a 2% service tax.

That's it.

Wonder when the real arm-twisting over this is going to begin?

Everyone Else is Doing a WeeMee

So I did, too.


[Hat Tip: Chicagoan in Montreal]

Prototypes at Schuba's

I don't normally blog about music. But last night I saw the French band the Prototypes play at Schuba's in Chicago. They are a phenomenal live band. It was one of the best live shows I've seen in awhile. Their music is loud, high energy, and fun. Their lead singer Isa is a very charismatic frontwoman backed by a tight powerful band.

Don't speak French? Don't worry about it. Enjoy the music. Go out and buy their album from their U.S. label Minty Fresh or here.

Hard to Finish Books

In the U.K., Joyce, Rushdie, former U.S. President Clinton, and Rowling are among the writers whose books were listed as hard to finish. What got me was this:

Although the average reader spends more than 4,000 pounds (5,890 euros, 7,760 dollars) on books in their lifetime, 55 percent admit they buy them for decoration and have no intention of reading them.

I don't know about any of you, but I can't afford to buy them for just for decoration.

The Long Hard Grind

I watched Governor Granholm’s town hall meeting on WILX 10 last night.

What struck me were two things that had been bothering me about the debate between the Republicans and Granholm, but I couldn’t put my finger on them until now.

Granholm talks about investing in things that will develop an educated workforce that will entice employers and grow new companies started in the state. She wants to do this with no cuts to education funding, providing retraining to laid off workers, and working with the business community to implement the kind of training programs at the community colleges for the workers needed.

The Republicans talk about government waste and no tax hikes. (And, as sick as I am of saying it at this point, the Republicans still won't reveal what programs they want to cut or in what way certain departments are to be reformed to save money.) They believe that if we lower taxes enough it will encourage businesses to relocate here.

They are two very different views of both the situation and the solution. This is the first thing that struck me: I realized that Granholm and the Republicans are talking past each other.

What this state is going through is something that many other states in this country have gone through. Here it’s the decline of the manufacturing sector, based on the auto industry. States such as New Jersey, Illinois, California, New York, and Massachusetts, have gone through this. The shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a high-tech-based service economy is a long and very painful process.

For years, cities like Chicago were on the decline. In the suburb where I grew up, I saw GTE, International Harvester, and Western Electric all go away.

People who think a big company is just going to plop itself down in this state and hire a couple thousand people are living in a fantasy land. The future is in the 10-person company just started or the 50-person company started a few years ago. Eventually, with encouragement those companies will grow and hire more people. This is small consolation right now for many people here. But that's where we are in Michigan. It’s going to be a long hard grind back to a successful growing economy.

There are no short-term solutions to the problems we face. Tax cuts and budget cuts alone are short-term. Strategic spending on things such as education, public safety, and infrastructure are the way to go. Those are the things Granholm talks about. I’m still waiting to hear the Republican solution, and their vision for Michigan. So far, Granholm has provided hers and she’s been more than willing to go out there and sell it and answer for it.

Which brings me to the last thing that struck me, which is this: it’s been pretty much Granholm, with some help from Senator Mark Schauer, taking on the Republican party.

With Speaker Dillon telling Tim Skubick he doesn’t have the votes for the tax increase, the Democrats are playing right into the hands of the Republican party. Republicans can afford to sit on the sidelines and do nothing when the Democrats haven't united behind the Governor's strategy. The Republicans don't have to offer any proposals if the Democrats won't even bring elements of the Governor's budget to a vote.

If I were Senator Bishop, I wouldn't be in any hurry to propose a thing. I'd wait until the Democrats sunk themselves in disagreement before coming to the "rescue" with a plan. I don't share Senator Bishop's view of how to fix what ails this state. But I don't blame him for waiting until the Democrats come to a consensus. With Speaker Dillon's attitude, Senator Bishop can afford to wait a bit longer.

Excerpt - Divine Days

Sugar-Groove himself had warned me of this many years before: I am one who sought by nature to nail things down too quickly amid my love for, and my worship of, stories. I am fearful of the power of my obsession taking me over–those damn voices. Oh the dread that while in my own flight one of those voices will drive me into one-hundred different directions.
- p.43 Divine Days by Leon Forrest

Those Octogenerians Just Won't Quit

Marquez turns 80 and says he's not retiring. And why should he? Mailer just published a book. Bellow published after he turned 80. Studs Terkel is in his 90's and he's still going.

Book Bloggers Office Pool

Over at The Morning News, you can enter a pool for a chance to win every book in this year's Tournament of Books. It's co-sponsored by Powell's Books.

We wanted to a) help you fill out your brackets with some semi-expert advice; and b) set up a contest that would enable one lucky, prescient reader to win every book jousting in the tournament. (Of course, you can also buy them from Powell’s at a steep 30 percent discount.)

I Can’t Finish Reading Brick Lane

I am at page 156 of Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and I simply can’t go on. I can’t read one more page about the miserable apartment-ridden life of Nazneen and her arranged marriage to the buffoon Chanu or their unhappy kids or the terrible life of Nazneen’s sister Hasina or the boring gossip by and about Mrs. Islam and Razia.

I’m disappointed. I’ve wanted to read this book for some time. So I finally bought a copy and cracked it open. I feel like I’m supposed to really like this book. But reading it is drudgery. It’s very well-written. Ali writes with grace and an attention to detail and characterization that is admirable and clearly places her among the talented. But there is absolutely no inertia in the story. I don’t feel the characters have any particular drive and there seems to be little at stake.

But don’t take my word. Here are some of the glowing blurbs for this book:

"Like Zadie Smith's White Teeth, Ali's debut novel is set in multicultural London; but unlike Smith's antic, sprawling vision, Ali's is cool, confined, and unsparing. Meticulously following the circumscribed life of Nazneen, a sheltered, devoutly Muslim, married Bangladeshi garment worker, the novel depicts her experience through her own constricted and, to the reader, alien point of view. (Ali practices the self-effacement of the supremely confident writer as she subordinates her style to her protagonist's perspective.)" Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic Monthly

"The joy of this book is its marriage of wonderful writer with a fresh, rich and hidden world...written with love and compassion for every struggling character in its pages." Evening Standard

"Already one of the most significant British novelists of her generation." The Observer (London)

"Brick Lane is a brilliant book about things that matter." Ian Jack, Granta

I tried to find a negative review of Brick Lane but couldn’t fine one. Maybe because the Brits are new at incorporating immigrants they find this all so fascinating. Or the fact that London is multicultural is somehow news, too. I don’t now. What they’re thinking at the Atlantic, I can only guess. This is the magazine that’s pretty much relegated publishing short fiction to one issue a year instead of regularly, demonstrating loud and clear its interest in keeping literature alive.

For me Brick Lane is an inferior version Flaubert’s "Madame Bovary" or Chopin’s "The Awakening", or any other 19th century novel about confined women, with some New Immigrant Experience thrown in. As the descendant of immigrants and having lived next door to immigrants, Ali’s tale seemed well-worn and unremarkable. For a work to be praised so much, I had expected something truly ground-breaking in terms of literature, like Arundhati Roy’s “The God of Small Things” or Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children.” Maybe I had the wrong expectations.

I took a short break from the book to reread Tracks by Louise Erdrich. In that book, truly a great one, you get deep lively characters struggling under the grind of history, all rendered in a distinctive voice that depicts their world in vivid detail and fullness. (If you haven’t read Tracks, go out and get yourself a copy. I will warn you though that reading the Pauline sections of the book can at times be like reading a more lucid version of Quentin from Faulkner’s "The Sound and the Fury.") I then tried returning to Brick Lane only to feel the unrewarding drudgery again. So I stopped. Life is too short and my TBR pile is too high.

There I am: a reader who has failed at reading Brick Lane.

Next up, I finally tackle Leon Forrest’s Divine Days.

Wasted Ink

Today there is a lot of wasted ink on the part of the Lansing State Journal in the service of Senator Bishop's column.

Sorry, Senator. But talking about "government reforms and spending cuts" without actually describing those reforms or identifying the departments and programs targeted for spending cuts doesn't count as a plan.

"Leadership with a vision"

In case you haven't seen it before, here's the banner atop the Senate Republican's page.


It's pretty snazzy-looking and functionally designed, with some pretty pictures of the Capitol building and even the Mackinac Bridge, all on a nice shade of green. (Though rarely is the Republican party considered green.) It also says that their motto is "Leadership with a vision."

According to this definition, leadership means:
–noun
1. the position or function of a leader: He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.
2. ability to lead: She displayed leadership potential.
3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction: They prospered under his leadership.

Senator Bishop is the Senate Majority Leader, elected by his caucus to lead them. But as far as ability...well, that's where he and the GOP run into some trouble. No one seems to know where Senator Bishop is guiding the GOP or in which direction. He says "no" a lot, just like his party yesterday did in telling Governor Granholm "no" to her plan to close a prison in Jackson. I guess if he led them all in a chant of "no, no, no," in the Capitol Rotunda that might qualify as some form of leadership. Maybe of the Chorusmaster type. But only if he could get them all to throw in some good and interesting harmonization or even a short solo piece by Senator Cropsey with some fiery coloratura.

Now, let's look at the definition of the word vision:
–noun
1. the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.

This word doesn't seem to apply to the Senate GOP either. First, no foresight has been displayed on Senator Bishop's part in regards to the budget deficit or in the Governor actually presenting a plan. Nor does he appear to have anticipated being asked to come up with a list of cuts so that he can keep his Tax-Hating Pledge to His Non-Benevolence Grover Norquist. Plus, no one has yet been able to sense the Republican budget proposal with their eyes.

As improbable as it is, it could just be that the dictionary definitions of leadership and vision are somehow incorrect. Or maybe Senator Bishop and his GOP colleagues don't understand what those words really mean.