I Speak of Dreams

Amy Wallace's Pro-Vaccination, Pro-Science Article in Wired & Reactions to It

The short version: Who is Amy Wallace, and what's all the talk about?  She published a pro-science, pro-vaccine article in Wired, and several anti-vaccine heavyweights mouthpieces with big bankrolls mounted sexist personal attacks.

Update: On November 1, Dr. Isis of "Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess" published a post ridiculing J. B. Handley and asking her readers to also post their opinions on Handley's anti-vaccine stance and his misogyny.  Scroll down to the bottom for the list.

Update: Paul Smalera at True/Slant links here.  See link below.

Update: On November 5, Mr. Handley returned to the attack at the Age of Autism blog.  See link below.

The very long version follows:

Note: I've found several more reactions, pro and con, and have added them without comment.

WWII: Intense Propaganda Posters - Photo Gallery, 37 Pictures - LIFE

Go look at these - they're awesome. WWII: Intense Propaganda Posters - Photo Gallery, 37 Pictures - LIFE.

Accuracy in Reporting--The Truth Matters. Have You No Shame?

The original is "Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

I'm saying, "Have you no sense of decency madam, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

I'm talking of course about Michelle Malkin insisting that the crowd on 9/12  numbered "2 million".  Her claim was echoed by a number of folks.  Eric Boehlert at Media Matters disputed the claim that afternoon and then gave further analysis on September 14th, in which he wrote:

Nobody within the right-wing blogosphere seems to be the slightest bit upset, let alone embarrassed or chastened, for having been part of a farcical, inept attempt to inflate the size of Saturday's rally by 1,930,000 people. Nobody seems to think it reflects poorly on them as a community, or that it will damage their collective reputation.

They really are shameless. And they really do inhabit their own parallel political universe where everyone's allergic to facts.

David Weigel pointed out that the Obama inauguration was estimated at 1.8 million people -- the 9/12 event was nowhere near that, and may have been as small as 60,000 people.

Here's Rick Sanchez slapping down FOX for a different lie (I saw it chez Karoli first). I'm tired of being lied to.

P.S.: Max Fischer points out that some of the people on the Mall were there for something that had nothing to do with 9/12 or teabaggers: it was the National Black Family Reunion.

Who is John Boehner, What Has He Done, and Why Should You Care?

Karoli's done the digging for us.

Boehner is of course the House Minority Leader. Besides that, he's the "honorary chairman" of The Freedom Project, a political action committee (PAC).  It has a peculiarly slanted donors list and some questionable expenditures. 

Go read Karoli's post to find out more.

Critical Thinking -- Definition and Teaching

I ran across this:

Many topics, one Socyberty. We cover society from the most explored facets to the smallest change makers. Topics include human psychology, communication, lifestyle choices, politics and education. If you’re interested in exploring social issues or reading about how our society is shaped, check out Socyberty’s diverse collection of articles.

I scanned one author's (H20ho)essay defining "critical thinking" and a companion piece, "how to teach critical thinking." I often use this blog as a aide-memoire (and I know there are accents missing) -- as a sort of notes to self. I need to look more closely at the resources at the two article, so I'm posting it here.

Interview With Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors. While he writes fantasy, it is also rather pointed political commentary in the background. He recently published a young-adult novel, Nation, that is very fine indeed. There's a short interview with him in School Library Journal

What prompted you to write this story?

A question that is being asked these days is, "is Nation a fictional realization of your real battle with Alzheimer's disease?" which just goes to show that there is far too much psychology around these days! I wasn't diagnosed until about a year and a half ago, by which time I was at the late editing stage of the book, but the idea came to me several years previously, and I would have written it then had it not have been for the big Asian tsunami. After that, I thought it would be too soon for a book like Nation. As to its content, character, and philosophy, all I can say is that a lifetime of writing experience just seemed to open a big door and everything flowed into place. Nation very nearly wrote itself.

Remember Hinky Hincty Pastor Anderson? Now He's Threatening Others

Update: It is even worse than I thought.  Go to Orcinus and Chattahbox.  August 16 sermon actively preached for the death of POTUS.  I don't fear that Anderson

Remember the pastor from Arizona who was allegedly beaten and Tazed?

• Pastor Steven Anderson Allegedly Beaten and Tazed by Border Patrol Agents (April 17, 2009)
• Hinky Hinckty Steven Anderson (April 18, 2009)
• Things I Didn't Know Before Pastor Anderson Brought Them To My Attention: Eroding Civil Liberties Version (July 18 2009)

Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend reports that Pastor Anderson's recent sermons have called for "execution of gays, Barney Frank and the President".

Jeremy, at As Good As You have a few choice audiotapes

If you're a gay decent person, be prepared to be appalled. If you're Barney Frank, be prepared to prepare a defamation lawsuit:

How is this not sedition? Or "the use of ... threats to intimidate or coerce, especially. for political purposes."?

The Lockheed Fire

I have a friend who lives in Bonny Doon.  She blogs as Gwendomama and lives in Bonny Doon.  As of this morning, the fire line was about 1.3 miles from her house. Right now, the estimate is 4,000 acres burned.

Here's an image of the fire, from space. 

The Santa Cruz Sentinel has the best coverage

Just before boarding a helicopter to take a look at the blaze, [Acting Gov.] Garamendi told the Sentinel he believes the state should work with local officials to identify funding for clearing dangerously dry areas like the Bonny Doon forest where the fire started Wednesday night.

"One thing that makes a lot of sense is to use federal stimulus money to have conservation crews to remove undergrowth and fuel sources near the community," Garamendi said.

The Lockheed Fire spread to 4,100 acres overnight, but firefighters have the blaze only 5 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

Beck, Bachmann, Tribalism and Terrorism - A Pagan's Blog

Beck, Bachmann, Tribalism and Terrorism - A Pagan's Blog.

Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, and others like the are seeking to destroy the United States by replacing citizenship with tribalism. I do not think most of them intend this consequence, but they are so intoxicated by their self-righteousness that they are blind to the deeper consequences of what they are accomplishing. Richard Poplawski's murderous rage is one result. Almost certainly there will be others just as bad. An awful lot depends on hoew many.

They are taking us backwards in time, to tribalism, and our salvation may be that theirs is a very small tribe. Even so, they can do enormous damage. It has happened before.

The break up of Yugoslavia showed it is possible for divisive politicians to destroy a country. All they and their media allies needed to do was gradually convince people that their differences between one another were more important than their similarities. The rest followed.

Tribalism has been the chief barrier to establishing viable democracies in many parts of the world. Most African countries' boundaries were drawn ignoring who lived there. As a result peoples who lived peaceably with one another were divided, and lumped with peoples with very different cultural and political identities. Chaos and dictatorship resulted. When boundaries respected tribal divisions, democracy succeeds. Botswana is a good example.

We see the same problem in Iraq today where Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds form three groups with little sense of mutual identity. What sense they once had as Iraqis has been eroded by ambitious politicians. Violence is down in Baghdad at least as much due to ethnic cleansing having separated whole peoples as to Bush's 'surge.'

The same took place in Yugoslavia, another country where divisions were deliberately exacerbated by ambitious politicians, with incredibly lethal results. There was little likelihood of this carnage until politicians with the aid of their media allies began convincing Yugoslavs that many of their fellow citizens were no good.

Their American equivalents are the media stars and leading politicians among the "Christian" right and the culture warriors in geenral.

For a tribal mentality, loyalty to one's tribe, not one's country is what counts. This can establish a viable country when it is homogenous, but the stage is set for trouble when it is not. When one group wins they seek to install permanent rule: one man, one vote, one time. Then the other group feels tyrannized over, and rebels.

Republicans and American conservatives are increasingly acting like tribes hostile to the rest of us, not citizens. Never in the lifetime of anyone now living have the losers of an American election done so much to discredit the electoral process, deliberately prevent government from working, and encourage a wide ranging sense of crisis and danger among their followers as have the modern Republican Party and its allies. Never.

Utter nutjobs like Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and others have done their level best to instill panic fear and rage among those stupid enough to believe them. And yes, 'stupid' is the right word. Bachmann calls for revolution. Beck says we are headed to either communism or fascism , depending on the day he speaks. Then, when the weakest minds among their audience lash out lethally, they claim innocence.

Things I Didn't Know Before Pastor Anderson Brought Them To My Attention: Eroding Civil Liberties Version

What I have learned thanks to Pastor Anderson:

• The concept of a "Constitution free zone"in the United States
• What a "fusion center" is, and how they threaten our liberties and What's Wrong With Fusion Centers
• That we need a strong ACLU now more than ever

I've never been a "card-carrying member" of ACLU, but I will be now.

 I think that Pastor Anderson and his wife Zsuzssana are creepy, in a fundamentalist, dogmatic,  hate-filled way.

However, Pastor Anderson fell afoul of the law because....

Well, as the ACLU says, Pastor Anderson was in a "Constitution Free Zone". 

He wasn't as compliant as the Border Patrol requires.

As Thomas Elias explained, the  Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952  (which has been found constitutional many times) grants to the Border Patrol  the authority to set up checkpoints and stop traffic anywhere within 100 miles of any U.S. border.  Following 9/11, there's been a huge buildup of manpower by the BP in many reagions across the United States. According to Elias

The bottom line: The Border Patrol's increased manpower means almost anyone can be stopped and searched almost anywhere [within 100 miles of the US Border]. And any agent doing this would most likely be operating entirely within both the law and the patrol's rules.

On the Olympic Peninsula, the Border Patrol has expanded operations, leading to the formation of a local activist group: Border Patrol Free The ACLU of Washington State is planning to sue the Border Patrol for civil rights violations.

ACLU Fact Sheet on U.S. "Constitution Free Zone"

• Normally under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the American people are not generally subject to random and arbitrary stops and searches.
• The border, however, has always been an exception. There, the longstanding view is that the normal rules do not apply. For example the authorities do not need a warrant or probable cause to conduct a “routine search.”
• * But what is “the border”? According to the government, it is a 100-mile wide strip that wraps around the “external boundary” of the United States.
• * As a result of this claimed authority, individuals who are far away from the border, American citizens traveling from one place in America to another, are being stopped and harassed in ways that our Constitution does not permit.
• * Border Patrol has been setting up checkpoints inland — on highways in states such as California, Texas and Arizona, and at ferry terminals in Washington State. Typically, the agents ask drivers and passengers about their citizenship. Unfortunately, our courts so far have permitted these kinds of checkpoints – legally speaking, they are “administrative” stops that are permitted only for the specific purpose of protecting the nation’s borders. They cannot become general drug-search or other law enforcement efforts.
• * However, these stops by Border Patrol agents are not remaining confined to that border security purpose. On the roads of California and elsewhere in the nation – places far removed from the actual border – agents are stopping, interrogating, and searching Americans on an everyday basis with absolutely no suspicion of wrongdoing.
• * The bottom line is that the extraordinary authorities that the government possesses at the border are spilling into regular American streets.

Much of U.S. population affected

• * Many Americans and Washington policymakers believe that this is a problem confined to the San Diego-Tijuana border or the dusty sands of Arizona or Texas, but these powers stretch far inland across the United States.
• * To calculate what proportion of the U.S. population is affected by these powers, the ACLU created a map and spreadsheet showing the population and population centers that lie within 100 miles of any “external boundary” of the United States.
• * The population estimates were calculated by examining the most recent US census numbers for all counties within 100 miles of these borders. Using numbers from the Population Distribution Branch of the US Census Bureau, we were able to estimate both the total number and a state-by-state population breakdown. The custom map was created with help from a map expert at World Sites Atlas.
• * What we found is that fully TWO-THIRDS of the United States’ population lives within this Constitution-free or Constitution-lite Zone. That’s 197.4 million people who live within 100 miles of the US land and coastal borders.
• * Nine of the top 10 largest metropolitan areas as determined by the 2000 census, fall within the Constitution-free Zone. (The only exception is #9, Dallas-Fort Worth.) Some states are considered to lie completely within the zone: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Part of a broader problem

• * The spread of border-search powers inland is part of a broad expansion of border powers with the potential to affect the lives of ordinary Americans who have never left their own country.
• * It coincides with the development of numerous border technologies, including watch list and database systems such as the Automated Targeting System (ATS) traveler risk assessment program, identity and tracking systems such as electronic (RFID) passports, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), and intrusive technological schemes such as the Secure Border Initiative Network (SBINet) or “virtual border fence” and unmanned aerial vehicles (aka “drone aircraft”).
• * This illegitimate expansion of the extraordinary powers of agents at the border is also part of a general trend we have seen over the past 8 years of an untrammeled, heedless expansion of police and national security powers without regard to the effect on innocent Americans.
• * This trend is also typical of the Bush Administration’s dragnet approach to law enforcement and national security. Instead of intelligent, competent, targeted efforts to stop terrorism, illegal immigration, and other crimes, what we have been seeing in area after area is an approach that turns us all into suspects. This approach seeks to sift through the entire U.S. population in the hopes of encountering the rare individual whom the authorities have a legitimate interest in.

If the current generation of Americans does not challenge this creeping (and sometimes galloping) expansion of federal powers over the individual through the rationale of “border protection,” we are not doing our part to keep alive the rights and freedoms that we inherited, and will soon find that we have lost some or all of their right to go about their business, and travel around inside their own country, without interference from the authorities.