Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Kutler on Republican Executive Powers

Waxing America's favorite Emeritus Professor in the entire galaxy, the esteemed University of Wisconsin Constitutional scholar Stanley Kutler, reminds us that the Republican Party, with an almost century long record of limiting the power of the president, now embraces what could be called an imperial presidency:

  Hunkering Down in Baghdad

Voltaire had it right: history is nothing but a pack of tricks that we play on the dead...

...Executive power expanded enormously during World War II. After the war, old guard Republicans, still rooted in isolationism, proposed a constitutional amendment to give Congress authority to regulate all executive agreements with foreign powers....Republican concerns that first President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Yalta and then President Harry S. Truman at Potsdam had bargained away too much....The GOP also objected to Truman’s sending troops to Korea in 1950 without congressional approval.

Kulter notes that with the Bush Administration is "... betting that the rest of the world, from Europe to Asia, will quietly accept U.S. troops to defend their economic interests..."

Kutler writes that Bush "may have made a prophet of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who said last September that “the Iraq war is largely about oil” and essential for the global economy."

Senator Russ Feingold. Why He Is the Best

I found it on Wisopinion.com

It needs as much exposure as possible.

Russ Feingold on the New FISA Legislation

 

Charlie Sykes Move Over. Mark Belling: The New Expert on Child Raising

Not content to let Charlie Sykes corner the market on telling Wisconsinites how to raise their children, Mark Belling  has some sage advice and opinions for those of you disappointed that the 18th century work-houses of Oliver Twist's day are no longer thriving.

Pete Kennedy at GMtoday, wrote a thoughtful piece, Don't fill up the cup, Arrowhead drug testing a ‘really stupid’ idea , questioning the wisdom and the constitutionality of the Arrowhead High School drug testing policy.

Belling, eloquently jumps into the discussion with this profundity, Way to Go Arrowhead,

The presumption that a high school kid has rights is precisely the attitude that empowers them to make bad decisions.

The illogic, the misunderstanding of the Constitution, and the sheer stupidity of this comment makes The Three Stooges, yes, all seven of them, presidential contenders.

Anyone who raised a child in the last 50,000 years knows that the most powerful force in the universe is teenage peer group pressure. It is  that scourge that parents must continually battle in an effort to minimize not just the bad, but the scary, the stupid, and the silly decisions that kids make.

As for the notion that kids have no rights, I guess Mr. Belling missed the last two hundred years in this country. When it comes to kids:

• Kids are persons and are protected from predators be they strangers or abusive parents.
• Kids do not have to work for seven cents an hour for twelve hours a day, six days a week - I know, more "nanny state" interference with a free market economy.
• Kids can own property and have assets, through trust funds that are carefully regulated and monitored by federal and state law.
• In almost every instance the provisions of the United States Constitution applies to children. The exceptions of some rights that are omitted that children do not enjoy is a very short list.
• Most of the Constitutional protections in the first Ten Amendments apply to children.

Belling goes on to tell a mother who cannot afford a $600 ticket for the Hannah Montana concert:

... the angry mother ought to consider instilling in her children acceptance of the harsh reality that in life we don’t get everything we want and that the things that we desire are in our reach only if we work for them.

Yes, little Susie, the way George W. Bush worked for his fortune, the way the rip off artists at Halliburton worked for theirs, the way Jack Abramoff and his cronies and the crooks at Enron, all worked for theirs.

Mark, here is some better advice for a nine year old girl:

We have to make choices in life about what to do with our money. It might be nice to go to a Hannah Montana concert, but think of all the things we give up, better things.  Maybe one day you will have enough money to do things like that but for now it will have to wait. In the meantime, understand there are people in this world like Mark Belling, who are materialists who place the value of everything in terms of money. Dear, there are other things in life to value like love, clean water, fresh air, and getting the likes of Stephen Nass (R) out of the legislature. 

Stanley Kutler Gives Mitt Romney A Lesson In the Constituion and Religion

Waxing America's favorite Emeritus Professor in the entire galaxy, the esteemed University of Wisconsin constitutional scholar Stanley Kutler, provides Mitt Romney with a lesson in American history. Over at The Huffington Post, Kutler notes in Romney's Religious Vision for All? that

The founders, Romney said, "did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square." Many of the revolutionaries and founders indeed were religious; but many likewise believed in religion as a "private affair." Romney's "originalism" is deeply flawed. What is undeniable is that the founders moved with a calculated purpose and disestablished religion as it had existed in colonial times. Religion would not be the central component of public life, much as Kennedy had said in 1960.

Kutler goes on to note that when some elements were upset with the 1962 Supreme Court decision banning prayer in public schools, President Kennedy was eloquent, thoughtful, and forthright:

We have in this case a very easy remedy," Kennedy said, "and that is to pray ourselves. We can pray a great deal more at home, we can attend our churches with a good deal more fidelity, and we can make the true meaning of prayer much more important in the lives of our children. I would hope that as a result of this decision, all American parents will intensify their efforts at home, and the rest of us," he concluded, "will support the constitution and the responsibility of the Supreme Court in interpreting it."

Can we imagine a president today -- or a presidential candidate -- speaking with such candor and historical understanding of American pluralism? (Let alone wit!) The mind boggles.

Is anyone listening? Should Kutler wax eloquently about the abuses of insurance companies, or maybe riding bicycles in snowstorms?

Sweden Has PaintBall Guns, Invasion Imminent; Halliburton, Burger King Gets $7 Billion Contract

After eight years in office it is clear that we misunderstood George W. Bush. At first we thought he was running the student government or the fraternity house. The recent revelation that Iran's nuclear program was not restarted after suspension in 2003 leaves only one conclusion.

The Bush White House is run by thugs who plan to funnel every tax dollar they raise into the hands of Halliburton and the war profiteers with their scandalous no-bid contracts.

The entire Grover Norquist "shrink government" ploy was designed to divert their real intentions.  After all, no presidential administration in history has spent so much money, so fraudulently, so wastefully, and with such deadly results.

I don't know who thinks Bush has an ounce of credibility left, but those who do need therapy.  Badly.

As for Hallibutron or Burger King, which does not return change in real money to soldiers who purchase their products at the Iraq airport,* all of these companies need to be shaken upside down until every cent is drained from their fat wallets.

Sweden had better be careful.

*U.S. Troops Order Comfort, With Fries on the Side: Soldiers Looking for a Taste of Home Make for a Booming Business at Iraq's First Burger King

...The restaurant probably owes much of its success to its location. The sprawling, heavily fortified airport complex, the nerve center of the U.S. military's operations in Iraq, provides a captive clientele of more than 6,000 soldiers, plus contractors and other civilians. In addition, Washington dignitaries fly in and out, and all mail for U.S. forces in Iraq arrives here...

...Of course, only U.S. bills are accepted. Instead of giving coins as change, the restaurant gives out cardboard chips worth 25 cents each, redeemable at the post exchange.

Free Speech Is Expensive at UW Milwaukee

The price of free speech just went up at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. The Conservative Union booked Walid Shoebat, a former PLO member to present "Why I Left Jihad."  There is a good deal of controversy associated with Shoebat's presentations. Wiser minds can decide if he is a hero or snake oil salesman.

The speech may never be presented. A group of Muslim students oppose the speech saying that it will inspire violence against them. Sorry, go read the Constitution. Hateful or not so hateful speakers, whether they incite a crowd or not, are protected under the Bill of Rights. As they do not make a call to violence, the speech is protected; and even some remarks that incite violence are protected.

Of greater concern is the position of UW Milwaukee.  They are requiring the sponsors pay a fee of $2500 for extra security for the event.

Wrong.  Very wrong.

This was the tactic used against Freedom Riders struggling for Civil Rights in the South. It was used against the anti-war movement in the 1960's.  Charge for a parade permit, charge for the extra security so that those wishing to exercise their right to free speech are prohibited from gathering.

The United States Supreme Court has made it clear that fees for security or permits that prevent the public exercise of free speech are a violation of our Constitution. The Court made it clear that stopping a speech based on the fear that others will become agitated or excited is unacceptable.

I will leave to others who are more current on recent Supreme Court decisions to provide documentation to support my contention. Hopefully, I will get some help from other quarters that are more knowledgeable.

New York, Murder, DNA, Iraq, and Torture

Sunday's New York Times published a story, about Jeffrey Mark Deskovic, Vindicated by DNA, but a Lost Man on the Outside.  Deskovic was convicted of murder at the age of 17 and recently released at the age of 34 when DNA evidence demonstrated that another man committed the murder in 1989 of high school sophomore Angela Correa.

It appears that Deskovic became a prime suspect, when among other things, he attended her funeral and weeped profusely. In a critical CSI moment,* investigators made him a prime suspect since they were not close friends. Deskovic explained that he was picked on in school and she was one of a few students who was nice to him.

It was the Innocence Project that helped free the young man. What is most disturbing is that in this day and age of Miranda warnings, we still get CSI-type of pressure interrogations which resulted in so many coerced confessions:

• 205 men and one women have been exonerated through DNA testing since 1989.
• Of those exonerated, 53 were convicted of murder.
• And most disturbing, more than a quarter of all exonerated prisoners confessed to crimes they did not commit.

Deskovic, after a seven hour interrogation, confessed to hitting the victim with a Gatorade bottle, grabbing her by the throat, and numerous other details fed to him by law enforcement officials.

All of this was done without the benefit of water boarding and torture. Imagine how good the confessions are coming out of Iraq.

*Plots of Law & Order, CSI Feature Heroic Violations of 4th; 5th Amendments

Anyone who thinks that liberals or the left is in control of network television has a screw loose.  The writers of these shows cannot let an episode pass without coercing a confession or lying their way into an illegal search. 

No wonder only 10% of Americans understand their rights and roll over and play dead when nonsense like the Patriot Act comes up or Bush violates the law.

I enjoy these shows as much as the next person for their entertainment value. In the real world, they suck as a model for respecting our Constitution. Yes, all of these suspects could have been more forceful in asserting their rights, but what good does it do the rest of us when the wrong person is convicted, the case is closed and the real perpetrator is walking the streets?

A Thanksgiving Message from Utah and George W. Bush

I was going to do a post today expressing thanks for all of my friends. I am fortunate to have have shared time with so many wonderful people over the years.

Then I saw this:

Speeding Ticket Taser

It should be shown to every police officer in this country. Anyone who cannot figure out what was wrong with the behavior of the arresting officer, should be sent back to the police academy.

The officer is mostly responsible for what happened. But the environment in which he is working, the erosion of liberties and expression is a license for his aggressive escalating behavior.

Once the alleged speeder refused to sign for the ticket, the officer should have backed up and left.  After all, he had it on tape that the driver refused to sign for the ticket.

Go back and watch the beginning of the tape.  Notice that before he goes after the speeder, the officer pulls over to the shoulder, possible blocking the low mounted temporary 40 MPH sign. Maybe there were other signs; maybe the driver did see it.

The officer not only disgraced his uniform, but he made it that much more difficult for every other professional police officer.  This is the kind of episode that builds resentment and takes its toll on everyone.

University of Wisconsin: Sifting and Winnowing, Stem Cells, and Demagogues

University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins: 

Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.*

News Item, July 12, 2006: Nass Seeks Resolution To Fire Barrett

Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is sponsoring a resolution in the Assembly calling for the UW-Madison to fire a controversial lecturer. The resolution condemns Kevin Barrett's theory that the United States was behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and chides Provost Patrick Farrell for allowing Barrett to teach his course on Islam this fall.

News Item, September 1, 2006:

Researcher, grants leaving UW for lack of partner benefits

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is facing a hit to its pocketbook and brainpower after a researcher announced that he is leaving because of the state's refusal to provide domestic partner benefits.

News Item, November 20, 2007  UW researcher reports stem cell breakthrough

The UW-Madison researcher who grew the world's first human embryonic stem cells in a lab has performed what he considers an even greater achievement: creating similar cells without using or destroying embryos.

It will be interesting to see how those who exploited the Barrett story push their faces onto the front pages of the local and national newspapers and television screens to capture attention on the new breakthrough in stem cell research. 

Universities are complicated places. Divergent views are expressed every day on more subjects than legislators have press releases. The oddity, the silly, and the blasphemous often attract more attention than the profound.

In this modern era, there are politicians more concerned with votes and power than learning. They gladly compromise a great university.

High sounding legislative committees mete out fiscal punishment rather than furthering academic inquiry. The talk show hosts, and the legislative parrots they feed, will continue to repeat their political tripe.  All the while, the  University of Wisconsin stands alone in the Big ten in not providing partner benefits to faculty and staff.

Meanwhile, the damage to the state continues so long as we do not recognize the rights of all, regardless of sexual identity or preference. The damage to the state continues so long as the UW's fiscal heath is in the hands of charlatans.

Now, in the shadow of the bashing that has gone on for the past two years, I am sure we will see those who attempt to exploit the stem cell research to prove a political point: embryonic stem cell research was unnecessary.  That, sadly, is an erroneous unscientific conclusion that will only further confuse the matter.

*Perhaps, a  more profound observation from Hutchins:

The three major administrative problems on a campus are sex for students, athletics for the alumni, and parking for the faculty.

Lions for Lambs: Reflecting on Sixty Years of Lying Our Way into Wars

We saw Lions for Lambs Saturday. I spent most of the time watching the film thinking less about the war in Iraq, and more about the last sixty years of treachery, deceit, and treason by Republicans like Bush.

• If the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was still around, there would be an investigation. In light of the Hollywood Blacklist and what was done to so many writers, directors and producers, Robert Redford must be given credit for telling this story.
• Tom Cruise was despicable as Republican Senator Jasper Irving from Illinois. I wonder how much of that was acting and how much if that was my general distaste for him in recent years.
• As we learned in reading David Maraniss's They Marched Into Sunlight, the story of the soldiers risking their lives is far more compelling than that of those opposing war.
• The weakest of the three story lines was Professor Malley and student Todd Hayes' discussion.
• The film was O.K. but it should have been about Janine Roth (Meryl Streep). That is the compelling story. That was the most relevant in terms of figuring out how we keep getting manipulated and maneuvered into buying the crap the George W. Bush recycled from Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.
• I keep thinking about the trash-talking-right-wing-bobble-heads from Limbaugh on the national level to Belling on the local level who keep feeding us lines like, "Well, the Democrats are as responsible for this war as Bush. They supported it from the beginning." As though the Bush lies that manipulated and deceived are not to be factored into evaluating responsibility for this impossible disaster.