Sometimes, You Have to Speak Your Truth, and I Hope Everyone Heard Rep. Barton's

Please watch Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) apologize to BP's Tony Hayward this morning:



Barton, it seems to me, made it clear that he does not give two shits for the people who have been directly affected by this disaster who isn't an executive or a shareholder of BP. To those people, he offered his most sincere apology. Meanwhile, he gave a big old "fuck you" to the "small people." Even the Chairman of BP was willing to express awkward concern for that lot, and to the tune of $20 billion.

I also hope that every single member of the House who has a district in the strike zone of this oil, and their constituents, understands exactly where Barton stands (I applaud Rep. Jeff Miller for taking a stand on Barton and his comment. Miller's district includes Pensacola, FL. And don't think that Barton is alone in his sentiment. What I am sure the people of the Gulf coast see as the beginning of some restitution to their forever altered lives, people like Barton and the Republican Study Committee see a "shakedown" or "Chicago-style" politics (Rep. Miller might want to issue a statement against the RSC as well). That "shakedown" will help a fisherman pay his/her mortgage. That "shakedown" will help to allow thousands of people to avoid the fate of the millions of Americans who remain out of work.

I think that the political default setting for most Republicans is to agree with what Barton said in his apology (of course that changes if it's an issue directly affecting their districts), though I doubt that many would be so bold as to do it that publicly. Please note that many of the comments coming from the GOP (not including Miller's) have been either in support of Barton, or attempts to parse Barton's position. Sadly, this little window showing the depth of the GOP's relationship with oil companies will likely do nothing to stem the undeserved support they receive from the very types of people who need the type of assistance that Obama has just secured (and before anyone starts, the Democrats have their own distinct relationship problems as well, but that is not what I am talking about right now).

I am sick and tired of this religion, if you will, of the marketplace. Whether we are talking oil companies, auto companies or banks, they are concerned first and foremost with the bottom line. If "small people" are helped, so be it. But that is not their concern. Too many people worship at the feet of the corporation (like Rep. Barton). We always hear about the "excesses" of government, mostly aimed at programs that help poor people (though too many tend to ignore the real excesses, like warrant-less wiretapping or the practice of torture in our name) from some, but that same lot rarely talks of the excesses of the corporation. No, they apologize for governmental excess. Good job Rep. Barton.

UPDATE: Barton has issued a retraction. I would have hoped that he would have stuck to his guns on this one.

Only Just Learning About the Event Behind U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday"; Shame on Me

I just finished reading Chris Weigant's blog post on Northern Ireland's "Bloody Sunday." What an incredible turning point in an historical event! I realized that the U2 song was political in nature, but in the classic way that we Americans can ignore foreign issues not directly related to us, I didn't bother to research what Bono was singing about. This is a part of the reason I really enjoyed Weigant's post; he goes into Bono's concerns about how "Sunday Bloody Sunday" would be interpreted.

I also agree with Weigant's point that something like the investigation headed by Lord Saville, as well as the apology rendered by Prime Minister David Cameron, would be near impossible to imagine in the United States for almost anything. I can only imagine the uproar that would ensue, if Obama offered a similar level of criticism to the actions of the U.S. military, even for a past actual atrocity. We just have a large swath of the American populace that simply doesn't brook criticism about the country (unless it's directed to someone or something that they deem "un-American," then all bets are off (tea party anyone?)).

I am glad that Britain took this step years ago to find out the truth regarding "Bloody Sunday," and though the report does nothing to bring back those who lost their lives in '72, it does exonerate them of any wrong doing, and restores honor to those men.

Looks Like We Will Be in Afghanistan Forever Now II

I agree with Jon Stewart 1000%. With the discovery of those mineral deposits, Afghans are f*$ked until all of those minerals can be depleted by multi-national corporations. Oh, and did I mention that the U.S. will be in Afghanistan FOREVER?

Looks Like We Will Be in Afghanistan Forever Now

If you thought we would be leaving Afghanistan anytime this century, then I suggest letting that thought go. Apparently, there was a discovery of minerals in Afghanistan that sounds akin to the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, over at Huffington Post, Paul Jay (Real News) points out that we have known about the potential for massive amounts of minerals in Afghanistan since '07.

Though President Bush did not go into Afghanistan with this information in mind, I wonder if President Obama will keep us in Afghanistan to protect and ultimately exploit resources that our corporations (the real power of our nation) could use. If it goes as I suppose it will, then the United States will be tethered to yet another Asian country that doesn't exactly welcome us with open arms.

Arizona Continues Building a Bridge Too Far

I just finished reading an article over at Time, and I found it particularly disturbing. Now that Arizona has passed its draconian immigration law, a law that cannot be enforced without some form of racial profiling (ask yourself who looks like an illegal immigrant, and you will understand the profiling part, and I bet Heidi Klum look-a-likes don't come to the front of your brain), some in the GOP are ready to go for the U.S. Constitution itself. The same person who brought us the immigration bill is now gunning for the children of illegal immigrants who were born here and are U.S. citizens.

The 14th Amendment defines citizenship quite clearly, and though it may piss people off, those children are citizens, period. What I find interesting, is that no one seems to be willing to do the hard work of pushing for a new amendment modifying the qualifications for citizenship. It is also strange that the likely supporters of this type of legislation are the same people who've spent the entire Obama administration screaming for a strict adherence to the Constitution. Funny how that works.

There is no question that we have to deal with illegal immigration, but no one in Congress, regardless of party, wants to touch the subject. That is a major problem. We also have an issue with enforcement, particularly those laws that forbid the hiring of illegal immigrants. We do have a porous border, north and south. But with all of that said, I am sick and tired of these "brown menace" scenarios, and freaked out people jumping about like the chickens of "Chicken Run" in panic mode.

It's almost always low to pick on defenseless children. It's even worse to suggest that we strip away citizenship based on the condition of the citizen's parents.

Regarding My Thoughts on the BP Oil Spill, Fareed Zakaria Expressed My Sentiments Almost Perfectly

Words like tiresome, misguided, silly and such have come to mind as I've watched or read the reactions to Obama's actions (and inaction) during this crisis. But Fareed Zakaria essentially nailed it, in terms of my thoughts on the media's coverage.

Introducing Alvin Greene of South Carolina?

I still haven't figured out what to say about Alvin Greene, the Democratic nominee set to run against Jim DeMint for the U.S. Senate, or that interview he gave on Countdown last night. I only have a question. If you are unemployed, why are you putting up $10,400 to run for the Senate, and not using that money to pay rent?