Politboreau
Home » MacCentralCafe News » PolitboreauHanif Kureishi's son, who had trouble with reading and writing, has been diagnosed as dyslexic and dyspraxic. Kureishi asks:
[C]an the inability to do a particular thing be described as a "condition" at all? Would the fact that I can’t do the tango, read music or speak Russian be considered a "condition"? Is it a failure of my development? Am I ill?
Will Wilkinson sympathizes:
I've been diagnosed with a fairly serious case of "adult ADHD," but I am convinced that this is mostly a hand-waving, pseudo-scientific way of saying that my constitution leaves me ill-suited to perform certain tasks under certain conditions. And it turns out that many of the opportunities available to people with my interests and education require performing those tasks under those conditions. This mismatch between these opportunities and my--what's the gee-whiz word?--my neurotype is the problem, not my neurotype per se. There is nothing really wrong with me.
Phoenix, Arizona, 12.10 pm
"So Western media sneak correspondents into Syria illegally, and then expect the Syrian regime to protect them. If Israel were to see one Western correspondent sneaking into Israel, he/she would be incinerated on the spot," - As'ad Abu Khalil, on the killing of journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik by Syrian shells hitting a media tent in Homs.
Brian Earp defends the idea that some couples should take neurochemical "love drugs" to prevent divorce:
In the case of marriages generally, the individuals involved have voluntarily placed themselves under a mutual oath to stick together "for better or worse" and "until death do us part." The relevant duty is simply to honor that marital commitment, by every reasonable effort, instead of abandoning it too easily when things go "worse." As love drugs become safely and cheaply available, and if side-effects or other complications could be minimized, then using them might, in some cases, fall into the bubble of "every reasonable effort."
Ecstasy (MDMA) was used in part for marital therapy almost as soon as it was discovered. Some studies have shown clear benefits for the depressed, and those suffering from PTSD. I favor its decriminalization and intensified research on its possible medical benefits. But the pursuit of happiness in America does not seem that high on either party's agenda, does it?
"If you just cut, if all you're thinking about doing is cutting spending, as you cut spending you'll slow down the economy," he said.He's right! Of course, that statement is a dramatic departure from his previous position on austerity, as Jed has helpfully noted at that link above. It's such a dramatic departure, in fact, that he now finds himself directly at odds with his party's primary electorate—an odd place to be given his current electoral woes.
But that's not all! Today, the malfunctioning Romneybot embraced Occupy Wall Street language while discussing taxes:
And in order to limit any impact on the deficit, because I do not want to add to the deficit, and also to make sure we continue to have progressivity in our code, I’m going to limit the deductions and exemptions particularly for high income folks. And by the way, I want to make sure that you understand, for middle income families, the deductibility of home mortgage interest and charitable contributions, those things will continue, but for high income folks, we are going to cut back on that so we make sure the top 1% keeps paying, paying the current share they’re paying or more.Sounds good! Definitely make the 1 percenters pay more. Glad to have him aboard the pursuit of a more progressive tax code (his words, not mine). But again, has he forgotten that he's running for the Republican nomination? And if he was going to start pivoting to the center earlier than expected, couldn't he have at least waited until after tonight's debate, most likely the last of this primary season?
This is what happens when you have no core principles, no real ideological foundation, no moral underpinnings. You end up flapping around, saying random shit, and ensuring that just about everyone hates you.
(House Oversight Committee Democrats)
At the now infamous no-girlz-allowed birth control policy hearing Rep. Darrell Issa held last week, the Democrats had one witness they wanted to speak in the first panel. Unbelievably (to the GOP), it was a woman. Sandra Fluke, a third-year student at Georgetown Law and past president of the school’s Students for Reproductive Justice group, was slated to speak about how the policy would actually affect women.
The horror.
So Democrats have decided to hold their own hearing, an unofficial one because they are in the minority in the house, with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spearheading the effort. But here's how much Republicans want the discussion of women's health to be limited entirely to male theologians: they aren't allowing the hearing to be broadcast.
Pelosi aides say the House recording studio has denied a request to broadcast the event, “apparently” at the behest of the Republican-controlled Committee on House Administration.A spokeswoman for Lungren's committee says that the policy has not been changed, but had no explanation for why—for this specific hearing—a policy of always covering hearings is not being followed. Pelosi's office says that this is the first time they've had the recording studio refuse to cover a hearing or to say they had another commitment.Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill pointed to a July 2008 decision in which the committee lifted restrictions on use of the studio.
“If Chairman [Dan] Lungren has reversed this policy, he has done so in secret and not consulted with CHA Democrats,” Hammill said in an email. “This leaves us only to think that the House Republican leadership is acting out yet again to silence women on the topic of women’s health.”
The GOP wants, desperately, this fight to be about religious freedom instead of what it's really about: controlling women. The problem for them is that the more they shut women out, the more obvious their anti-woman agenda is and the less success they'll have in changing the narrative.
So let's help Pelosi and the Democrats keep this issue alive. Sign this petition to tell the Republicans to let women talk about women's heallth.
Mitt Romney surrogate Chris Christie earlier this morning on ABC:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's talk about these comments about religion coming up right now, this 2008 speech from Rick Santorum saying that "Satan has his sights set on America and is making progress." Now Santorum is not backing down, but he also says it's not relevant. Is he right?Sorry, bub. It's too late for that. The train has left the station—the ship has sailed. Even Mitt Romney, who has Chris Christie's seal of approval, can't stop talking about religion (though he does have the discipline to avoid talking about the Planet Kolob). As Joan points out, just yesterday, Romney opened the door to a theocratic agenda by attacking President Obama for having a "secular agenda," as if secular has suddenly become a dirty word. Romney went so far as to claim the President had "fought against religion" in America and posed a threat to religious freedom.CHRIS CHRISTIE: Well, listen, I think anything you say as a presidential candidate is relevant. I mean, it's by definition relevant. You're asking people to be President of the United States. So, I don't think he's right about that. I think it is relevant what he says. I think people want to make an evaluation, a complete evaluation, of anybody who asks to sit in the Oval Office, so I think it's relevant in that respect. Now, do I think it's the things that we should be as a party talking about and emphasizing at the moment? No.
So the pork rind, as it were, has been eaten. But there's still a party for people who don't want to debate the policy implications of Satan's attack on America ... and it's called the Democratic Party.
Allies of President Obama are wading into the Michigan GOP primary, attacking former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on one of his weakest points in the state.Obama's Super PAC is now engaging in Michigan, attempting to weaken Romney for the benefit of the GOP's own SNL Church Lady. And as much as the Super PACs might pretend that they operate independently of their candidates, they don't. Priorities wouldn't be hitting Romney in Michigan without the tacit approval of Team Obama.A new Priorities USA ad hits Romney for opposing the auto industry bailout, a position the candidate has struggled to explain as he campaigns in the home of the U.S. auto industry.
The polls are close. It won't take much to tip the scales one way or another. And yes, Democrats benefit most from a Santorum victory. That's why we continue to urge Democrats in upcoming open primary and caucus states (Michigan, Tennessee, North Dakota, and Vermont) to cast their very legal and quite ethical votes for Rick Santorum. If Republicans didn't want Democrats voting in these primaries and caucuses, they would close them to outsiders (like they do in most states).
Of course, I realize that this makes some of you squeamish, and if you live in one of those states and don't want to participate, you don't have to! (We also stopped fundraising for it, focusing instead in message mobilizing.) But there's too much at stake to worry about idealistic notions of what democracy should be. Luckily for all of us, Team Obama isn't restraining itself based on such idealism. They're playing to win, and this latest action is essentially strategic vindication for Operation Hilarity.
When confronted by cops, Michael Barker--with the smoking cell phone in hand--explained, "I called 911 like eleven times cause I need you to call me a taxi."
Samuel Cole, 60, is jailed on a felony assault charge for allegedly severely beating his girlfriend early Sunday morning.
Accompanied by a lawyer, Dorian Lavale Moragne, 19, surrendered to police around 4 PM. He is facing robbery and aggravated assault charges in the February 4 beating of Brandon White, 20.
Tens of thousands of Americans are arrested every week. Only a handful of perps merit inclusion in our weekly mug shot review.
