Just wanted to thank everyone who’s been coming to this humble little blog lately. My traffic has doubled, due in no small part to my fellow Koufax nominees linking to my recent post about the whole British-to-Emirate ports deal. Then there are all the people looking up either David Sanborn or Muhammad Sharaf, sometimes in conjunction with Bin Laden, or Michael Moore. Search terms tell you a lot about how people think.
Oh The E-Rye-E Was A Rising, And The Gin Was A Getting Low
Speaking of which, I got into a bit of an argument (by accident, I swear!) with the estimable BattlePanda, who had posted on Ezra Klein’s blog, and I quote,
And that’s really what I’ve been trying to say. Also, for the record, there is definitely a segment of the outcry that is racist, and almost all of it is overblown. But as long-time readers here know, I put the ‘b’ back in subtle arguments.
In case you were wondering, I don’t see this as being a major issue either way when it comes right down to it. My objection is the same as John Nichols’ at the Nation: P & O is a corporation, and that’s really the issue. The reason only 5% of our cargo gets inspected is because more thorough inspection hurts the bottom line. And the reason I advocated nationalizing the port operations is because I’m a crazed pinko socialist baby-eating atheist.* It’s pretty simple, really.
Good points are being made on all sides here. There wasn’t a hell of a lot of legally required due diligence on the part of the government in approving the deal, which may or may not have anything to do with the appointment of David Sanborn as Maritime Administrator and John Snow being the head of CSX when they sold their port operations to DP World. Nixing the deal will prove to the Arab world that both parties are pandering to Arabophobes, and that no matter how nice Muslims play, they’re unlikely to get a fair shake in this country. Bush is not to be trusted. Neither are multinational corporations. Dubai is a vital port for our Navy, and for the passing of illicit nuclear and contraband materiel.
To tell you the truth, I’m tired of this story, even though it’s a windfall for Democrats and highly amusing to watch the GOP scramble to chastize Bush about it. As BattlePanda said, pass the popcorn.
Crunchy Red Staters
You know what I like to do when I’m bored or intoxicated? That’s right–watch the 700 Club. Pat Robertson may be a lunatic bordering on self-parody, but he sure is entertaining to watch. Yesterday, CBN featured a piece about “Crunchy Cons,” which are conservatives (usually religious home-schooler types) who are into organic food and environmentalism. At the end of the segment, Pat asks his co=host if she’s ever tasted organic chicken, and then goes on to talk about how it has flavors–flavors you couldn’t even imagine! Wonderful flavors! And the acid ain’t bad, either.
This kind of dovetails with an article I read in the Nation the other day about the Green Party in Germany. Even though they’re out of government, their programs and influence live on under the current centrist coalition. In particular,
Embracing a green jobs program the Greens had long championed, [CDU Chancellor] Merkel decreed that from now on 5 percent of all pre-1978 German housing would be made energy efficient every year. Toward that end, the government will spend 1.5 billion euros a year subsidizing the installation of more efficient insulation, heating and electricity systems in houses and apartment buildings across the nation. That is a major outlay of money, especially considering widespread calls to trim Germany’s budget deficit, but the program is seen as a win-win-win. The 1.5 billion euros will be recouped through lower energy bills. Lower energy use will mean less air pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And, most important of all for a nation fighting double-digit rates of unemployment, the efficiency upgrades will create thousands of jobs that cannot be outsourced overseas.
And everybody’s been talking about evangelicals getting in on environmentalism, too (I guess they figured out there should be some kind of Plan B in case Jesus doesn’t show up next week).
In a world where the kulturkampf is overheating, it’s always nice to see issues moving out of the controversial zone of ‘progressive politics’ into the mainstream. Particularly environmentalism, becuase if everybody doesn’t get hip to it soon, we’ll all be doomed (whoops! too late. But at least some of us are trying). And as I’ve said here in the past, all that needs to happen is show that the choice between evironmentalism and employment is a false dichotomy.
Let’s get back to Crunchy Cons for a second. This is the kind of movement I appreciate, because it really embodies a live-and-let-live spirit. Even if they embrace other values I find highly disturbing, conservatives going back to the land aren’t hurting anybody; they’re living lives of private virtue and contributing to the community while they do it. And while I’m not a big organic food consumer, I would gladly sit down at a farm table for a calm, rational discussion with people like that.
Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about here is not organic food. It’s NASCAR.
Imagine the impact it would have on America if just one of the “stock cars” running endlessly around the track were running on clean fuel? By the way, I am not talking about Ethanol until the Green Revolution is over and a gallon of corn-based alcohol doesn’t take more than a gallon of gas to produce. It wouldn’t even need a top-five finish, just be able to keep up with the rest of the pack. Trust me, it would sell a million clean vehicles in a week. I’m writing letters to some auto companies, who’s with me?
Gentlemen, Start Your War Engines!
While America was shitting themselves over port operations, Iraq proved once and for all that they are, in fact, in the midst of a civil war.
Also, Sunnis are boycotting the Shiite-dominated government.
Don’t worry–just keep saying “we are bringing democracy and peace to the Middle East by invading Iraq,” and it’ll magically become true. Because our presence brings stability; and if things don’t stabilize, we’ll shoot you.
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*You all thought I was kidding, didn’t you. Don’t worry, I only eat organic, free-range babies.
