Fables of the reconstruction

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally Mt. Airy Sunday at Noon

Drinking Liberally Mt. Airy Changes to Coffee Event Every Sunday
Mt. Airy Drinking Liberally wasn't finding success as an evening at the bar twice a month, so they've reinvented themselves as Drinking (Coffee) Liberally every week. Beginning March 1st, they will meet every Sunday, at noon, at Infusion Coffee + Tea (7133 Germantown Ave.), from noon until 2:00 PM. Infusion is a good place to relax on numerous chairs or couches, enjoy good coffee or tea, and share good liberal political talk. And, unlike meeting at nights in a bar, Infusion at noon is very family-friendly.

Hopey-Changey of the Day: Obama Goes to Bat for Eavesdropping Telcos

American Constitution Society:

The Obama administration is defending the constitutionality of a law that shields telecommunications companies from legal challenges over their support of the Bush administration’s domestic spying program. Legal Beat reports that the Justice Department’s position in a brief filed in a California federal court “underscores the surprising degree to which the Obama administration – at least in court – is determined to shield President Bush’s controversial counter-terrorism policies from legal challenge or even public scrutiny.” According to Legal Beat, the administration is urging U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker to dismiss “a raft of consolidated lawsuits” from customers of telecommunications companies who argue their privacy rights were violated when the companies helped Bush administration eavesdrop on the calls and e-mail.

I don't know the merits of the constitutional challenge - can't even imagine what it is, frankly - but whether it's a good case or not, Obama clearly wants to let sleeping dogs lie. How's that for half-assed analysis?

Facebook Tries Again

Terms of Use Update

Today we announced new opportunities for users to play a meaningful role in determining the policies governing our site. We released the first proposals subject to these procedures – The Facebook Principles, a set of values that will guide the development of the service, and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities that governs Facebook’s operations. Users will have the opportunity to review, comment and vote on these documents over the coming weeks and, if they are approved, other future policy changes. We’ve posted the documents in separate groups and invite you to offer comments and suggestions. For more information and links to the two groups, check out the Facebook Blog.

Update: Max Kennerly says the changes are good:

Facebook twice reiterates that their license is "subject to your privacy and application settings," and that deleting either your content or your account terminates the license to that content.

That is exactly how users expect the system to operate. Facebook also omitted the annoying and erroneous "irrevocable" from the license.

There's more which is of interest to litigators but probably not to most users.

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally West Philly Tonight

Thursday, Feb. 26th
Drinking Liberally West Philly
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
The Blarney Stone
3929 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Parking nearby or take the train or trolley.

State of the Union

Just random thoughts.

I wonder if people like David Brooks and David Frum would be so complimentary toward Obama if he hadn't literally wined and dined them, or if these guys realize they're truly in the opposition for the long haul and are just trying to restake a claim to the "intellectual" label.

Two institutions on which I think Obama's presidency will have unpredictable but probably beneficial effects: The military and professional sports. In both, you normally see a range of expressed political opinion ranging from far-right to fascist. But both these institutions also have relatively large percentages of African-Americans, who might in the past have sat quietly while the white wingnuts ranted but now care to see this President succeed.

Whatever you want to call it, it was a State of the Union speech. I don't get the weird formalism that he hasn't been in office long enough to report on the condition of the country.

I'm Torn: Jindal or Palin in '12?

I have been saying that if the economy starts to improve sufficiently that we do okay in the '10 midterms and Obama's popularity stays relatively high, that I would contribute to Sarah Palin's 2012 election effort. I would love to see her run for the GOP presidential nomination with her wingnutty message, which I don't think is going to improve with a few more years in Alaska. But if oil prices continue to tank, she might not even get re-elected next year, so I guess I need a backup. And that backup, based on his morose performance last night, is Gov. Bobby Jindal.

An extreme right-wing Catholic and a man with negative charisma, Jindal once claimed to have participated in an exorcism that not only "cast out the supernatural spirit that had possessed his friend, [but] Jindal wrote that he believes that their ritual may well have cured her cancer."

But don't take my word for it, listen to right-wing genius David Brooks on Jindal's response to Obama's speech last night:

It's also remarkable that Jindal, like Bush, looks like Alfred P. Newman:

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally South Philly Tonight

Wednesday, Feb. 25th
Drinking Liberally South Philly
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
South Philadelphia Tap Room
1509 Mifflin St.
Philadelphia PA 19145
Directions or take the Orange Line to Snyder.

Now Get Off My Lawn

You know what's fun? Presbyopia. Getting old! Wheeeee!

Dear Person Who Vandalized My Car

You were probably coming out of the bars on South Street last night and, in your intoxicated state, thought it would be fun to kick my passenger side view mirror off. Well done! I now have to take time off to get it repaired. I hope you grow up to be a responsible adult and some idiot like you comes along and does the same to you.

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally Mardi Gras + State of the Union

Three and a half years ago, the President of the United States watched with indifference as the City of New Orleans drowned.

On Tuesday, we'll mark the beginning of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and see a new, competent and engaged President make his first address to a joint session of Congress. If you're one of those people who have been on the email list for some time but have not yet managed to make it out for the event, Drinking Liberally Center City this week will be the perfect time to connect with your fellow progressives as we celebrate both of these milestones.

Tuesday, Feb. 24th
Drinking Liberally Center City
6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Triumph Brewing Co.
117 Chestnut St. (between Front and 2nd Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Meet at the upstairs bar.
Directions or take the Blue Line to 2nd Street.
$3 beers, $4 wine, $5 well drinks all night.
Happy hour food specials: $4 pizza app, half-price burgers.
At 9 p.m., we'll watch Obama's first State of the Union speech and the Republican response by Governor (and likely presidential candidate) Bobby Jindal of Louisiana (!).

Triumph Brewery is conveniently SEPTA-accessible via the Market-Frankford El (2nd Street station), all the buses that turn around at or near Penn's Landing (12, 17, 21, 33, 42, 48), and a few other buses that pass nearby (5, 25, 47, 57). If it were summer, you could even take a ferry from Camden.

Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News File for Bankruptcy

From the Philadelphia Newspaper Guild:

As you all should be aware, Philadelphia Media Holdings, (“PMH”), the owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Daily News, has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.

As hard as it may sound, please stay calm. The company is still in business, the papers are still publishing and you should still report for work.

The company is about $390 million in debt, and is seeking a workout from the court.

Hope-Changey of the Day

It's all about the prerogatives:

The Obama administration, siding with former President George W. Bush, is trying to kill a lawsuit that seeks to recover what could be millions of missing White House e-mails.

Two advocacy groups suing the Executive Office of the President say that large amounts of White House e-mail documenting Bush's eight years in office may still be missing, and that the government must undertake an extensive recovery effort. They expressed disappointment that Obama's Justice Department is continuing the Bush administration's bid to get the lawsuits dismissed.

A Good Time to Apply to Law School

Inky:

Law school applications typically rise in economic downturns, as job seekers give up hope and seek to ride out hard times in graduate school. But the increasingly uncertain job market, fears about how and when it will recover, and difficulty in finding student loans apparently have discouraged potential applicants. ...

The Law School Admissions Council, based in Newtown, Bucks County, which tracks law school admissions data and prepares the LSAT, the law school admissions exam, said that more than a year into the current recession, applications across the nation were off about 1 percent, at 56,481.

This probably doesn't apply to elite law schools and not all of the rest are subject to it, either. But overall, the pool of law school applicants is falling, so if you have good LSATs and can find funding, it's a good time to apply.

Facebook Relents on TOS Change - For Now

Terms of Use Update

A couple of weeks ago, we posted an update to our Terms of Use that we hoped would clarify some parts of it for our users. Over the past couple of days, we have received a lot of questions and comments about these updated terms and what they mean for people and their information. Because of the feedback we received, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised. For more information, visit the Facebook Blog.

The last sentence was there until just a second ago - now the blog itself is missing. Whatever, they gave up, temporarily.

Update: The ever-changing non-denial denial, er, clarification:

Over the past few days, we have received a lot of good feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago. Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised.

Almost there, dudes. Try to get someone involved in drafting your response who isn't pissed off at your members for, like, noticing shit.

Update on Facebook TOS: "Go Ahead and Be Outraged."

Amanda French:

With today’s outrage over Facebook’s newly altered Terms of Service at its peak, I figured I’d do a quick comparison of their terms of service as regards user-uploaded content to the terms specified by other social networking sites, just to see if said outrage is fully justified. It looks as though the finger-pointing at the Bush robots.txt file wasn’t justified, for instance, and I was guilty of spreading that story.

Conclusion? Go ahead and be outraged. Facebook’s claims to your content are extraordinarily grabby and arrogant.

She then breaks down the ways Facebook's TOS is way beyond what other sites use. Her objections come down to these two:

• No one else besides Facebook keeps the license to your stuff permanently, even after you have deleted your account.
• Facebook claims it has a license to any content on your other websites if you post a "Share this on Facebook" link on it.

The way I read the FB TOS, it's worse than that: I think they're claiming a license to any material you link to from FB. But whatever; it's incredibly overreaching.

Update 2/18/09: FB reverts to the old TOS, for now.

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally Center City

Tuesday, Feb. 17th
Drinking Liberally Center City
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Triumph Brewing Co.
117 Chestnut St. (between Front and 2nd Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Meet at the upstairs bar.
$3 beers, $4 wine, $5 well drinks all night.
Happy hour food specials: $4 pizza app, half-price burgers.

Triumph Brewery is conveniently SEPTA-accessible via the Market-Frankford El (2nd Street station), all the buses that turn around at or near Penn's Landing (12, 17, 21, 33, 42, 48), and a few other buses that pass nearby (5, 25, 47, 57). If it were summer, you could even take a ferry from Camden. If you're driving, here are directions.

Facebook Gives Itself Permanent, Irrevocable License to Use Your Stuff and Your Image

Don't post pictures or other creative content to Facebook if you want to retain your rights to use it commercially:

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.

What all that means is if you ever post anything to Facebook, no matter how briefly, and even if you delete your account, they own rights to it. The right is non-exclusive, which means that they very generously allow you to use it, too.

(Via.)

Update: It's worse than I initially thought. Check out the definition of User Content:

"User Content" means any photos, text, link, audio, video, designs, ads and anything else that you Post on or through the Facebook Service. "Post" means to upload, post, transmit, share, store, link to or otherwise make available on or through the Facebook Service.

(Emphasis added.)

I think this makes clear that Facebook intends to take a license in all content of yours that you link to. So, if you link to a post on your blog, they claim they have a license to reprint your blog in its entirety.

A user group, People Against the new Terms of Service (TOS), has been created.

Update 2/18/09: Victory of sorts.

Two Shootings in Philadelphia

A cop was murdered the other night:

THERE IS a hole in Manuel Dias' newsstand.

The hole isn't as big as those left in the 35th District or in the city's heart in the wake of Officer John Pawlowski's death, but it is emblematic of both.

Dias' newsstand is mere feet from where Pawlowski, 25, was slain about 8:15 p.m. Friday in the city's Logan section by a man police identified as Rasheed Scrugs, 33, a "cold-blooded killer" with a criminal past.

The hole in Dias' newsstand is from one of the six shots fired by Scrugs' .357 Magnum that night, he said.

"In a civilized country people don't do things like that," Dias said. "Normal human being can't just kill like that."

The funeral is Friday at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul, which traditionally does police funerals, and will probably be very well-attended by politicians like the Mayor and maybe the Governor.

I don't know how many politicians will go to this guy's funeral:

Since the Nov. 17 shooting, the 20-year-old [Lawrence Allen] had been unable to breathe on his own, was paralyzed from the waist down, dropped more than half of his body weight and battled bouts of pneumonia before doctors removed his colon, said Charles Auspitz, Allen's family attorney.

Yesterday, with loved ones at his bedside, Allen lost the fight when he died about 6 a.m., two days after being transferred from Albert Einstein Medical Center to a rehabilitation facility, said Auspitz.

"He went through absolute hell, terror," he said. "It would break your heart to see it. He never got out of the hospital."

Family members were too grief-stricken to comment, he said.

The difference may be explained by the job title of the man who shot Lawrence Allen in the back. It's police Sergeant Chauncey Ellison:

Ellison, Herder said, had a gun in his hand. Allen had his hands at his side. "They were spread out and down," she said.

Ellison got closer to Allen, who is about 5 feet 5. "They were inches from each other. . . . The man with the gun was a lot taller than the victim," she said. "He [Ellison] had the gun up, pointed down to [Allen's] back," she said.

"He shook his gun and [Allen] was leaning against a car. He had nowhere to go," said Herder, who said she has given a statement to detectives.

[Police office Robin] Fortune, she said, kept screaming. "She was egging [Ellison] on," Herder said. "I think he just snapped."

"It was totally uncalled for," Herder said. Herder said she never saw Allen with a gun. "He never reached for anything," she said. "I'm 100 percent sure of it."

Herder heard one shot and watched Allen collapse first against the car, then to the street. "After he was shot, I left the window to call 9-1-1," she said. "When I came back to the window, the SUV was gone."

She watched family and friends help Allen into a car. Later when police came to the block, she learned that the man who had pulled the trigger was a cop.

After shooting Allen, the off-duty officer Ellison, who was dressed in plain clothes, wordlessly got into his SUV and drove away.

Charges were filed in the case - against the man who was shot in the back, Allen. Officer Ellison was placed on desk duty and an Internal Affairs investigation was begun. No action was taken against Officer Fortune, despite the allegations of her role in the shooting. Ellison claims he thought Allen was reaching for a gun when he shot him in the back. No gun was recovered.

Let me make a prediction: No charges will be filed against Ellison and the whole matter will be dropped. Meanwhile, Rasheed Scrugs will get the death penalty.

A Heartwarming Tale of Courage and Grand Theft

So, this recently-unemployed dude is home during the day, doing something in his basement, when he hears someone break in upstairs. As they are stealing his TV and computer, he sneaks out the back while calling 911 and spots their getaway van idling at the curb.

So he did what anyone would do. He stole it.

The 911 dispatcher was on the phone as [Patrick] Rosario peeked around the corner, hiding behind a garbage can. That's when he noticed the exhaust sputtering out of the white Ford Windstar van parked out front.

Seeing no one, he quickly approached. The keys in the ignition, the humming engine, the unlocked driver's door: It was all too perfect.

Against the 911 dispatcher's advice, Rosario announced he was going to take it. What jury in the world was going to convict him, he thought?

He drove up a steep hill away from the house, figuring whoever was ransacking his home wouldn't be able to keep up on foot. He stopped a few blocks away in front of a friend's house and waited for police. ...

Meanwhile, back at his home, a passing driver visiting an across-the-street neighbor saw the burglars exit the house. According to the detectives' report, "the males looked back ... and appeared startled."

"I wish I could have seen the look on their faces," Rosario said. ...

Even as detectives took Rosario's report, the story apparently was making the rounds. Rosario said he received more than a few high-fives from other responding officers.

"Two pulled up, and they looked over at me and go, 'You stole their car — way to go, dude. That's awesome.' Another told me that I just made her month."

Cluster Fudge

Very funny list:

Ben & Jerry's ice cream created "Yes Pecan!" ice cream flavor for Obama.

This got a lot of people thinking. ...

They then asked people to come up with a George W. Bush memorial flavor.

Anniversary

I watched my dad die exactly five years ago this very minute. I'm luckier than most; he got to die at home and everyone had a chance to say goodbye.

Death Porn

Cable news lives for horrendous events like airplane crashes. I'm disgusted.

2008 Photo of the Year

Economics and law enforcement:

The international World Press Photo jury has selected a photo by US photographer Anthony Suau as photo of the year 2008. It shows an armed police officer searching a deserted home in the state of Ohio.

Pistol drawn, the officer [Det. Robert Cole] was searching the house to make sure the residents had moved out, after they had been evicted having failed to keep up with their mortgage payments.

Legal Guide for Bloggers

EFF:

The difference between you and the reporter at your local newspaper is that in many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to bloggers.

But here's the important part: None of this should stop you from blogging. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom.

Witchhunters in My Blog

I'm off to Drink Liberally in West Philly amid the hurricane, but in the meantime, yahoo! news or someone has a link to the vaccine/autism post and I am getting the invasion of the anti-intellectual troll brigade. Can't wait to get back drunk and read all that crap.

Star Trek-Style Corset For $200

Someone on etsy is offering a Star Trek -inspired corset for $200:

Inside the corset is flatlined to coutil and lined with black cotton. The fashion fabric is also cotton.

The boning used is European Steel and they have been attached to the lining so you don't see the stitching on the fashion fabric. The black grommets are hammered through a lacing bone and the ribbon is black double sided satin. ...

This pattern can be made in any of the Star Trek colors.
This garment is not a Star Trek design or associated with Star Trek merchandise.  ...

******star trek pin not included******************

I love the fact that I know several women who would wear this and look really hot in it.

(Via.)

Things That Would Be Illegal in the US: Promotional Drawing Prize Includes Bag of Pot

The UK website for a movie called "The Wackness" has a no-purchase-necessary drawing in connection with promoting the film. The prize is a free trip to Amsterdam and a gram bag of pot from an apparently well-known coffeehouse.

Suffice to say, this offer could not be made by a U.S. company.

Court: No Way Vaccines Cause Autism

Good news:

The decision by three independent special masters is especially telling because the special court's rules did not require plaintiffs to prove their cases with scientific certainty -- all the parents needed to show was that a preponderance of the evidence, or "50 percent and a hair," supported their claims. The vaccine court effectively said today that the thousands of pending claims represented by the three test cases are on extremely shaky ground.

In his ruling on one case, special master George Hastings said the parents of Michelle Cedillo -- who had charged that a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine caused their child to develop autism -- had "been misled by physicians who are guilty, in my view, of gross medical misjudgment."

Hastings said that he was deeply moved by the suffering autism imposed on families such as the Cedillos, but that "the evidence advanced by the petitioners has fallen far short of demonstrating . . . a link."

You would hope this would put an end to this bullshit, but the work of charlatans is never done.

The vast majority of the scientific establishment, backed by federal health agencies, has strenuously argued there is no link between vaccines and autism, and warned that scaring parents away from vaccinating their youngsters places children at risk for a host of serious childhood diseases.

To be clear, the stupid people refusing to vaccinate their kids don't just put their own kids at risk; they put at risk all kids who have not yet had their shots. I think it's unfair for the fuckwits' kids to suffer for their parents' Luddism, but it's a fucking crime that other people's children could potentially die or be seriously, permanently injured.

If Katie Says It's Legit, It's Legit

Here's an ad that's running on Facebook:

If you click it, it goes to a get-rich-quick site run by a guy named Kevin Hoeffer. The problem for Mr. Hoeffer, I think, is that it's unlikely that Katie Couric gave permission for her image to be used in a commercial ad. This is a violation of her right of publicity.

I just lobbed a message into Facebook informing them about it.

Local Programming: If the Day Ends in "Y", It Must Be Drinking Liberally

Thursday, Feb. 12th
Drinking Liberally West Philly
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
The Blarney Stone
3929 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Parking nearby or take the train or trolley.

Drinking Liberally Mount Airy
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Mermaid Inn
7673 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
At the corner of Germantown Ave. + Mermaid Lane, in Chestnut Hill, just over the Cresheim Creek Bridge from Mount Airy.

These Philly DLs are like tribbles.

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally South Philly!

Wednesday, Feb. 11th
Drinking Liberally South Philly
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
South Philadelphia Tap Room
1509 Mifflin St.
Philadelphia PA 19145
Directions or take the Orange Line to Snyder.

Just added that exclamation point for me.

Local Programming: Liberals Like Good Beer Cheap, Apparently

Tuesday, Feb. 10th
Drinking Liberally Center City
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Triumph Brewing Co.
117 Chestnut St. (between Front and 2nd Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Meet at the upstairs bar.
Directions or take the Blue Line to 2nd Street.
$3 beers, $4 wine, $5 well drinks all night.
Happy hour food specials: $4 pizza app, half-price burgers.

You literally never know who is going to show up at these things. Last week we had some goddamn socialists and drug company sales reps. True story.

Video of the Day: Do the Kessel Running Man

Video of the Day: Really!?!

Misc

Mt. Redoubt volcano cam.

Searchable database of everyone who gave money for or against Prop. 8.

Guy remotely clones the chips in the new, "secure" passports and driver's licenses using less than $250 worth of equipment.

Buy personalized M&Ms. Why? I don't know, just buy them.

Update: I want to believe this:

An ABBA tribute band says the Kremlin whisked it away to perform a private concert for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Rod Stephen, the founder of British-based group Bjorn Again, says the four-member band traveled 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Moscow for the Jan. 22 gig on the shores of Lake Valdai.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denies Putin attended any such concert.

Stephen says Putin danced to ABBA hits such as "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo," accompanied by an unidentified woman and six men in tuxedos.

Stephen told The Associated Press Friday that Putin was heard yelling out "bravo, bravo," and particularly enjoyed renditions of "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper."

Obama should start calling him "Prime Minister Dancing Queen" just to get under his skin.

Unrelatedly, this is security camera footage from a burglary at a cheesteak place near my house in South Philly:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Cancer

Oh, no:

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer, the court says.

It says the 75-year-old justice had surgery in New York and is expected to remain in hospital for up to 10 days.

The Supreme Court said her illness appeared to be in its early stages. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancers.

(Via.)

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally West Philly

Thursday - Drinking Liberally West Philly at the Blarney Stone, a hidden gem of a pub with great bar food and a strong beer selection.

Where: The Blarney Stone, 3929 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Parking nearby or take the train or trolley.

When: Thursday, Feb. 5th, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

There There

This is Why People Hate the Associated Press

They're threatening to sue because they think because they own the photo the Shepard Fairey Obama poster is based on, they own the image in the poster.

Normal Distributions

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally South Philly + ACS Blogger Panel

Wednesday - Drinking Liberally South Philly rolls into its second week at South Philly Tap Room. Come on out to a great bar for our newest DL chapter.
Where: South Philadelphia Tap Room, 1509 Mifflin St., Philadelphia PA 19145 (directionsor take the Orange Line to Snyder).
When: Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Also:

Bloggers as America's Watchdog:
New Administration, New Roles

The blogosphere began during the early months of the Bush Administration with opposition and criticism being the dominant modes for online progressives. With a new administration in the White House, how will the role of the netroots change? How do leaders of online opinion see their responsibilities with respect to the new President?

Featuring:

John Aravosis
Editor, AMERICAblog

Christy Hardin Smith
Blogger, Firedoglake

Baratunde Thurston
Co-Founder, Jack & Jill Politics and
Blogger, The Huffington Post

Daniel Urevick-Ackelsberg
Founder, Young Philly Politics

Moderator: Adam Bonin, chairman of the Board of Directors, Netroots Nation

RSVP here, and at http://www.acslaw.org/chapters/lawyer/philadelphia/rsvp

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
5:30pm - 7:00pm

University of Pennsylvania Law School

3400 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA

View Map

Forget Health Care Reform, Part 2

DocJess:

There is NO ONE besides Tom Daschle who could have brought the necessary skills and experience to the dual positions of HHS Secretary and White House Health Lead. No one. Sure, there are Senators, and ex-Senators, and public health wonks, and doctors. But Mr. Daschle is the whole package. 

What we will have now is some coverage for the uninsured. Patchwork, like SChip for adults. As more people leave commercial and non-profit carriers, those rates will rise, and become unaffordable to even larger businesses. Right now, large companies can absorb the costs, and small ones cannot. The problems will reverberate up the food chain.

We will be unable to run a non-profit hospital set, and therefore hospitals will still compete with one another for patients through advertising and increased high-tech tools. Money far better spent on a tiered system, on prevention, and on chronic care. We may also band-aid the Medicare Part D donut, but we will do nothing to legitimately bring down drug costs.

The cost to our nation is immeasurable in terms of the suffering and death which come from a lack of health insurance, and being the sole industrialized nation without health care for its citizenry. Even if the stimulus package passes, and even if it works to jump start the economy, our businesses cannot ever be competitive in the global arena if every manufactured good, and every service, has the addition cost burden of providing health insurance for the workers. 

Post:

Democrats close to the White House said that they are now at a loss for who will fill the void, given that Daschle was the only real contender contemplated by the president.

"There were no other names," said one administration ally who was not permitted to speak on the record about the Daschle saga.

Ambinder:

Aside from running for president, Daschle's decision today was undoubtedly the most important of his life.  And while we can speculate about White House pressure, about the themes of transparency and double standards, about purity and hypocrisy, what may have trumped the chance that he could win was this: for two weeks, Daschle has spent most of his time in Boston, Massachusetts, and not preparing for the confirmation hearing; he has spent it with one of his four brothers who is desperately ill. Daschle is all South Dakota reserve, even in private. He is very sensitive to public opinion, and his public image has taken a major beating. He was portrayed as a tax delinquent, a guy who lived by a different set of standards. Before he decided to drop out, aides said that Daschle had not erected a steel barrier around him; he was sensitive to the public condemnation, and he was hurt by it. He probably concluded that he would not have been able to be as effective as he needed to be. Whether that judgment is true -- well, we can leave it to the counterfactualists.

Pushing toward universal health care was the central progressive issue for this Presidency. It's now over. What we're left with is carping and finger-pointing.

It's a great day to be an insurance company exec.

Snow Man

500 block of Pine Street:

Forget Health Care Reform For Eight More Years

Daschle withdraws from HHS nomination.

Google Ad Fail

Talk about your wrong target market:

How Much Would You Pay for This Vehicle?

It's called the Growler Light Strike Vehicle:
It's top speed is 35 miles per hour, it's only 50 inches wide so it can fit in a small cargo plane and is designed to surmount an obstacle 12 inches high. It is based on Vietnam-era jeep technology, and uses some of the same parts. It is unarmored and so can't be used in urban environments. It's sole mission is to tow a mortar and haul ammo in uninhabited areas. The commercial version is $15,500 and a military model sold to the Dominican Republic was priced at $33,000.

The U.S. Marine Corps is paying $209,000 each. You may be shocked to learn that the company which makes them is run by a retired U.S. Marine Colonel.

I have a better option: mules. They cost about $3,000 each after training and can climb over obstacles greater than 12 inches. I don't know how much they can haul, but I imagine a team of 4 could pull quite a bit and you'd still be $197,000 ahead on cost. On the downside, they'd shit all over the place. On the upside, you could eat them if you get in a tough spot. Can't really eat your $209,000 jeep.

Local Programming: Drinking Liberally + "The Progressive Revolution" Author Talk

Drinking Liberally Philly has another action-packed week, including our first author talk/book signing:

Tuesday - Drinking Liberally Center City meets at Triumph Brewing. $3 beers, $4 wine, and $5 mixed drinks all night, and happy hour food specials.
Where: Triumph Brewing Co., 117 Chestnut St. (between Front and 2nd Streets), Philadelphia, PA 19106. Meet at the upstairs bar. Directions or take the Blue Line to 2nd Street.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 3rd, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Tuesday - Talk by Mike Lux, author of The Progressive Revolution. At 8 p.m., DL Center City will host an author talk by Mike Lux of OpenLeft, reading from his new book, which has received strong praise:

As a seasoned political practitioner with a keen grasp of American history, Mike Lux brings a special perspective to the task of defining the progressive challenge today. He finds the answers in the story of America’s progress, which he tells with great care, insight, and originality.
-David Brock, Founder of Media Matters for America

Mike is that rarest breed: a populist insider. He brings that perspective to The Progressive Revolution, telling the great story of how progressives have given us a better America.
-Wes Boyd, co-founder of MoveOn

Mike will be introduced by Chris Bowers of OpenLeft.
Where: Upstairs at Triumph, in the salon area off the bar where DL meets.
When:: 8 p.m.

Ad of the Day: Blago Makes Other People Money

Just How Goofy Was That Super Bowl?

I never laughed so much watching a football game.

It starts out looking like a Pittsburgh blowout, even after they can't get in from the one and take the shortest field goal in history. But their secondary collapses and the Cardinals throw at will. Next, Roethlisberger's pass caroms off one Cardinal to another in a huge arc two minutes before halftime. The game is going Arizona's way when ... 100 yard interception return! Wait, they caught him on the 1 inch line with no time left! No .... yes ... yes! Goofy.

The halftime show announced to millions of Americans that they were now middle aged. When the rock star of your youth plays the Super Bowl, that's it, man. The next stop is going to see Cheap Trick at Harrah's in A.C.

Also, how ironic and strange was Bruce's performance? The artist who always sought authenticity in his work playing for 1,000 extras who had rehearsed waving their non-fire-producing illumination objects in the air. (Were they branded cell phones? That's next. "Sprint, the official concert lighter replacement of the NFL.") Clarence Clemons in a mumu. That guy from the Sopranos. Gospel singers? Really? And the unbeatable-for-goofy Bruce crotch slide right into the camera, followed by the embarrassed, conspiratorial look he gave the lens as he got up.

All the recession commercials got depressing, a slurry of moneysaving downers, tit and cock jokes, and spots for NBC shows, capped by the Cash4Gold ad. I expected an offer to buy your spare kidney after that. Even the truck commercials were downbeat, emphasizing how economical the behemoths are now. When you indulge in the testosterone thing, you should get gas guzzling monsters driving through walls and explosions or at least slamming on the brakes inches from a cliff while towing an airliner. With captain Sully waving from the cockpit. (Things were redeemed a bit by the hilarious Alec Baldwin ad for Hulu.)

The second half is when the officials, inspired by the fake ref throwing the delay flag during the Springsteen set, decided there hadn't been enough penalties so they made some up. Again the Steelers fail to break the plane after two first-and-goals in the same series. James Harrison literally punches a guy when he's down. The Steelers throw out of their own end zone for a first down only to get a safety on a dubious holding call. Arizona takes the lead, stunning bookies everywhere. Another tipped Steeler pass that looks like an infield fly and Roethlisberger breaks up the interception! Scrambling frantically, it looks like doom for our hero, but he throws balls like he's radar-guided. All ends well and improbably with a stunning throw and catch by Holmes on tiptoe while surrounded by three defenders.

Whew. Good thing the Eagles lost to Arizona because Pittsburgh would have eaten our lunch, which would not have been nearly as funny.

More Truck Commercials, Please

It's the recession Super Bowl! Cash4Gold. Really?