Why Are These Remarks Different Than All Other Remarks?

Surely you've heard about Senator Harry Reid's comments by now. In response, Republican National Committee Chariman, Michael Steele championed the Sunday news programs comparing the reaction to Harry Reid's comments about Barack Obama -- "light-skinned" and with "no Negro dialect unless he want[s] to have one" -- to the troubling comments of of Trent Lott(R-MS) that later led to Mr. Lott's resignation. Rewinding the tapes back to 2002, during a birthday celebration of the legendary Strom Thurmond, Lott commented on Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign suggesting that it was a shame his policies could not have been carried out. The Dixiecrat who once said of Clarence Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court, "...I don't care if it's a pig, so long as it's not black." is hardly a hero to many. Nevertheless, Lott promptly apologized, but was forced to step down as Senate Majority Leader.

Upon reflection, Mr. Steele danced across the airwaves with:

There is this standard where the Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it comes from the mouths of their own. But if it comes from anyone else, it's racism. It's either racist or it's not. And it's inappropriate, absolutely.

Steele's analysis is spot on in that there is a double-standard being applied, but falls short when comparing the comments of Reid to Lott. The reason is that Lott cheered the policies of a segregationist presidential candidate as if to suggest that 'separate but equal' would have resulted in a better outcome for America. His comments represent a norm within white America's thinking process and therefore supported the notion of segregation over diversity and integration. Unfortunately, many Americans then and still today, uphold this philosophy both in public and in private.

Reid's comments were speculative on the potential for Barack Obama to win the 2008 election. They represent a norm of thinking upon which white American's carried out at the polls. I recently reviewed an unpublished manuscript from the University of Michigan that found that Democrats who supported Barack Obama were more likely to see him as light skinned. Whereas Republicans who opposed him, were more likely to see him as dark skinned. Understanding this concept more intimately, research out of the University of California at San Diego claims that many rely on racial stereotypes and past patterns in race relations to assess the likely consequences of a black candidate’s victory. The result is that many whites fear that a black leader will favor the black community over the white community. They expect a black leader to redistribute income, encourage integration, and generally channel resources toward the black community. In short, they imagine that black control will have negative consequences for themselves and their neighbors. Once a black candidate is elected, however, whites gain access to better information about the policy preferences of black leaders and the effects of black leadership. In short, it's all the candidate is packaged during a campaign.

Trent Lott is a man who honestly deserved what he got if he truly supports policies of segregation. But I don't think Lott believed any such thing. However, I am not convinced it matters here. What matters is that what Harry Reid said was indeed how many people pulled levers. I am left to wonder not why Republicans are calling for Reid's head on a stick -- I know the reasons, but rather why they are not disgusted by research that supports that his comments upon the basis for how levers were pulled amongst many white Americans.

I am also left to speculate as we approach the upcoming holiday weekend, whether so many prominent Republicans would be so willing to quote Martin Luther King if he had lived. more...

Unbreak The Promise

Of course, much of the recent political blathering has focused on the so-called stimulus bill, also known as 'Porkulus' amongst the dittohead set.

The opposition, including such drains on society as John Boehner and Rush Limbaugh (folks with whom the words 'honest work' have never been juxtaposed) claim that the spending on projects would not result in jobs. RNC chair and gift-to-humor-writers Michael Steele obediently trotted out the meme that 'government never creates REAL jobs', which will of course come as a complete surprise to the nation's police, firefighters, teachers, politicians, and the entire membership of AFSCME. Maybe the jobless losers employed by the government need to eat more meat, like 'real' men. And before AG goes off, I use the word 'men' to refer to the 'real man' trope, not to imply that all these workers are men, far from it.

These Republican politicians, who have never seen a government check they are unwilling to cash and spend on wetsuits and dildos, would faint from pearl clutching if anybody expected them to break a sweat doing any of the work stipulated in the ARRA, let alone if anybody even asked them to put in a full 40 hours in a week.

This was the gist of my thoughts while I was measuring a tenant space this week, getting covered in dirt and earning a dollar or two. I used to joke that I went to college for seven years to get a job coloring (and I didn't even have to stay in the lines); now, I've added a decade or two of experience to that so I could crawl through decrepit buildings with tape measures. I think my career arc looks like a frown.

So it was with a grim sense of amusement that I saw a brand new set of solicitations for services from our State. Many of them were clearly labeled as part of the Federal stimulus package, and noted that they intended to provide them to firms who had not received recent awards. Small and large, they are an illuminating illustration of how the Stimulus bill will actually, you know, provided STIMULUS, you republican obstructionist fucks.

Let me lay it out for the really slow people, like Milwaukee County executive Scott Walker (who recently said he would reject any stimulus money coming to the county, although he doesn't have the authority do that). The stim money is administered by the State (among others, of course.). This is distributed through a bidding process (you know, that thing that Halliburton and Blackwater never had to do). A successful firm provides services and products to the State, for which they receive checks from the Stimulus money. That money goes to pay employees, and vendors; these folks then take that money and use it to pay for food, and rent, and taxes, and other good stuff. Some of them might even make enough to buy a car with it. Radical, huh? And Socialist, let's not forget that. Because in the course of this transaction, the State and it's residents receive VALUE in new products and construction and maybe even a safer, cleaner, more pleasant standard of living. Keep in mind that this is something that all the fancy-pants Credit default swaps never provided, except to swindlers like Madoff and Stanford.

In the farthest reaches of imagination, one might even fantasize that a certain Zombee might successfully negotiate some of these contracts. Keep in mind, you right wing numbskulls, that this Certain Zombee is a private businessman, not beholden to any government. But even ONE of these contracts would allow for private business to continue operating, even in the wildest reaches of imagination to hire other professionals.

i KNOWW!!! It's a crazy scenario, isn't it? It's like Bizarro world! How can Government Spending result in the flourishing of PRIVATE BUSINESS????? IT IS A MYSTERY!

ALSO: Tonguejack my shitbox, you lying Republican obstructionist twerps.

OT, but critically funny, at least to this poor old Zombie. Chuck Schumer becomes a friend to zombies, raising our political profile. Although I gotta say that one might think that these entities would, you know, be more forthcoming to help a brother zombie out. more...

Getting Down to the Heart of the Matter

Some of you may remember some brief prior rants against Megan's Law in the past. For those not familiar, Megan's Law was named for New Jersey resident Megan Kanka. She was 7 years old when a twice-convicted sex offender who lived near her home raped and killed her in 1994. One of the greatest accomplishments of this bill was to require that convicted sex offenders in America must register their home location with local municipalites. This allows for their home addresses to be posted publically for the community to know. New Jersey was among the first states to enact laws requiring community notification and sex offender registration.

My chief complaint with this bill has always been that it restricts privacy rights and has no regard for my profession which suggests that some sex offenders can rehabilitate. It also does not allow for the possibility that there was a breach of consent and now someone is on the hook for life. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying sex crimes are benign acts of evil. They certainly are not. However, there are other issues at play that may assist me with looking for a better way to address the issue of sexual abuse and mental illness in the communtiy. The most recent insult to injury is a recent report is that states are not following the expectations of Megan's Law.

More specifically, a study conducted at the University of New Jersey (WTF, Rutgers?!) examining sex offenses in the state where Megan's Law was created says it hasn't deterred repeat offenses. The report released last week cites evidence that registering sex offenders in New Jersey does make it easier to find offenders once they are accused of a sex crime. However, by comparing arrest rates before and after the sex offender registration law was passed, the study found no significant difference between statistics before and after Megan's Law was passed.

The study also compared sex offenders rates with violent crimes and drug offense rates in comparable time periods, and did not find any discrepency with sex offense rates post-Megan's law.

"Because sex offense rates began to decline well before the passage of Megan’s Law, the legislation itself cannot be the cause of the drop in general," said the report, "Megan’s Law: Assessing the Practical and Monetary Efficacy," prepared for the Department of Corrections' Research and Evaluation Unit. "It may, in fact, be the case that continuing reductions in sex offending in New Jersey, as well as across the nation, are a reflection of greater societal changes."

According to the authors, measures of recidivism rates, community tenure (the amount of time before a re-arrest), and harm reduction (decreased sexual offending), revealed no significant differences between cohorts.

"Despite wide community support for these laws, there is little evidence to date, including this study, to support a claim that Megan’s Law is effective in reducing either new first-time sex offenses or sexual re-offenses," the report states.

The report also said that, because it saw no discernible difference made by implementing Megan's Law, the cost of administrating the law (approximately $3.9 million in 2007) should be reexamined. "Given the lack of demonstrated effect of Megan’s Law, the researchers are hard-pressed to determine that the escalating costs are justifiable," they wrote.

Given the price tag, my bet is AG wins this one and we stop invading people's privacy because one neurotic helicopter Momma thinks it keeps her kid safe when in fact there is no proof of that. Remember, girls and women are least safest in their own homes! more...

Bad Times Are Comin' Round Again

OK, a little music to set the mood. Enjoy, and fix yourself a big fuckin drink while you do:



Couldn't find the Post Title on UTube, so this is the Wacos doing a fine cover of an old Neil Young tune. Appropriate, I think...

Now let's look at this (courtesy Sadly, No!):



Sweet living fuck.

My business and industry has been slowly petering out for two years now. I think I started writing about a worsening economy in summer of 2007? The construction industry actually is a pretty good canary in the coal mine of our economy, and architects are at the front end of the process. Construction feeds a lot of STIMULUS into the economy in the form of orders for materials, equipment, and relatively well paying jobs. When it starts to slow down, I have seen that the rest of the economy follows.

I wouldn't claim it is causal, but the two are related to the same underlying structure, and construction serves as a much better indicator than the stock market...

But look at that. the dropoff is terrifying. It's not gonna turn around, it's not. I start to see why nothing is happening.

I think even Krugman is trying to soften the blow when he talks, because if the reality was apparent... well, the alcohol, drugs, and firearms industries would effin skyrocket. Not to mention the suicide rate.

Count yourself lucky if you're drawing a paycheck. Hunker down, friends and enemies, because it looks like the Republicans are going to prevent our government from helping out as much as they can.

If you're not a fuckin millionaire or a banker, you're on your fuckin own. Help your neighbors out if you can.

[EDIT] The next right winger, conservative, or just plain dumbass who stands in front of me and tells me that the economy is not that bad, that spending provides no stimulus and more tax cuts is what's needed gets kicked in the throat.

[EDIT EDIT] Yes I'm pissed. I had to lay people off, good people who I liked. If you never had to do that, shut the fuck up. It sucks. And I'm scrambling to find work. My brother is laid off. My other brother is working less. Fuck the Bankers. Fuck the Republicans. Fuck Congress.

[Edit cubed] I hope that was enough effin effin for effin AG. If not, I can eff a bit more. Eff it all anyway. I need to make another effin drink. more...

Tramp The Dirt Down

If I need to explain it, you haven't been paying attention



Update: 2 million frickin people. cool. That's all the people that go to Summerfest each year, over eleven frickin days mulitiplied by two

Update update: Best wishes for Kennedy and Byrd. more...

In A Blue Mood

Maybe I shouldn't get involved, but I think This needs a response. A most harsh response.



What is he gonna do? I'm already a zombie.

Kathleen, maybe this will help:



One for the  Bluetator:



And one for Snag, just like wind whistling through skulls:

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What Goes On...

I've written before about the ITunes Genius.  It does require uploading your musical tastes to a central database, but hey, I'm already on the HUAC and no-fly list, so giving Apple some of my data seems like small blue M&Ms, right?  For a while, Genius would get stumped by obscure music, but it seems to be getting better.  This afternoon, it came up with this (check out the initializing song:  Byron, by the Mekons.  Back when they were so punk, one chord was too many).

1. Byron, The Mekons
2. What Goes On, The Velvet Undreground
3. Powderfinger, Neil Young and Crazy Horse (live)
4. Satisfaction (I Can't Get No), Devo
5. Fearless, Pink Floyd
6. A Forest, The Cure
7. Lips Like Sugar, Echo and the Bunnymen
8. Cars, Gary Numan
9. Gold Lion, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. Icky Thump, The White Stripes
11. rosanne, The Mekons
12. Pictures, Galaxie 500
13. Conduit For Sale, Pavement
14. 'Cause It's Love (Saint Parallelogram), Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus Three
15. In Between Days (The Cure)
16. Whip It, Devo
17. Space Oddity, David Bowie
18. Work All Week, The Mekons
19. We Love You, The Psychedelic Furs
20. Fable Of The Brown Ape, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
21. Poledo, Dinosaur Jr.
22. Here Comes Your Man, The Pixies
23. Here Comes A City, The Go-Betweens
24. The Killing Moon, Echo And The Bunnymen
25. Certain Songs, The Hold Steady

Now that's a playlist I can relate to.  How do you pigeonhole that, Zelmo?  But I'm telling you, three glasses of whine and a pretty good day, it sound just fine sittin here.

Well played, iTunes, well played indeed.

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Big Country

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Feel Good Ghosts

That felt good.

Check back later; might be liveblogging.  looks like everybody else will be drinking.

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Childlike Faith in Childhood's End

Stumbled across .. umm, something... at the Politico today.  just go read it.

Every once in a while lately it strikes me while watching Countdown or the Daily Show, that this is really happening.  Against every conceivable obstacle, an African American is standing within reach of the Presidency.

Of the United States of America.

I envy my hairdresser's son, who turned eighteen this year and will be able to cast his very first vote for Obama.  That's....  I get choked up.  Like the elderly woman in the story, tears start rolling when I really think about it, and I'm just a white guy.  I can't imagine how it feels for an African American.

It's an unlikely story, and all props go to the insane wing of the Republican Party who have pushed themselves so very far over the cliff to allow for this to happen.  I said last night "The troubling thing for me is that without an abysmal, hopeless candidate hated by the right wing nutjobs, an appalling choice for VP, complete destruction of the economy and a laughably inept campaign strategy, Obama would be losing."  But once the barrier has been breached, the incoherent fears can be exposed like fear of the monster under the bed in the daylight.  of course, some will never let go of their fear; hatred and xenophobia comfort them and make them feel superior, and it's sometimes all they have; reason is a stranger.

Contrary to the popular wisdom, most racism in this country has not disappeared, it's just put on respectable clothes or is being hidden in the attic like a crazy aunt.  I wonder, sometimes, how my parents would have voted.  They were Fine, upstanding and hardworking folks, working class Democrats who would put Joe the Plumber to shame, but were also products of their generation like Obama's grandmother (best wishes to her and her grandson, hoping the visit in Hawaii provides the solace they wish), and prone to bigotry.  But they weren't stupid, and I believe watching Obama's skill and empathy would have been more than enough....

My son has grown up in largely interracial and bi lingual schools, and lived in a city all his life.  He's always had friends of all races.   I like to think that the future holds continued marginalization of that idiotic racism; that America can continue in a halting and difficult process of recovering from her past. I believe, most of the time, that increasing tolerance by kids will be the increasing norm.  But then, I'm inherently an optimist; I always say that architects have to be, in order to create lasting buildings (on the other hand, somebody also designs Wal-Marts; maybe those are the nihilist architects).

For a couple of years now, I have worked with African American clients, and still feel, deep down, some of those fears of 'Other' wired into my lizard brain by a suburban upbringing; but every day, those bumps have been eroding like an asphalt speed bump.  It's entirely possible they may be smoothed away by the time I leave...

And I know that if we are fortunate enough to watch Obama win on the 4th, I will likely be weeping along with that woman.  That American woman.

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