2007

From Comments

ArchPundit January 3, 2007 1 Comment

Hysterical:

We’ve seen the stages before because we’re from here, but it’s fun to watch the national press go through it all over again.

1. Holy shit, you’ve got to hear this guy speak.
2. Holy shit, this guy was the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review. Everyone we talk to says he’s really smart.
3. Holy shit, in his book he talks about doing blow, this could hurt him big time.
4. Holy shit, the right is going bonkers (He’s not really black because he wasn’t decendant from slaves – Keyes, His middle name is Hussein – tv right, Holy shit he’s in our church – religious political right, He’s a false messiah and the anti-Christ – nutjob right)
5. Holy shit, everywhere you look people are wild about Barack Obama. Don’t they know he did blow and HIS MIDDLE NAME IS HUSSEIN?
6. Holy shit, he won huge.
7. Holy shit, I can’t believe I lost like that. But at the end of the day I can’t really be too upset about it because I like the guy. (Dan Hynes 2004, Hillary Clinton 2008)

Not McCain though, we all know how he gets when Barack steals his thunder. (see Ethics, WATB)

I’m a Conservative!

ArchPundit January 3, 2007 1 Comment

The Illinois Civil Justice League Blog has labeled me a conservative. I imagine it has to do with me defending Barack on the one piece of class action reform and my general dislike of all things St. Clair County (though I haven’t been talking about it as much lately). The hilarity is that I’m right above the Illinois Review.

It’s true that I have actually been critical of trial lawyers from time-to-time, but I’d suggest my views are actually pretty close to Representative Fritchey’s on the subject and he’s a liberal according to them.

I do appreciate the link and when I update, I just realized their link went away in the remodel–it’ll be back up and I’ll be adding some of the Chicago Reader blogs.

Their point on St. Clair’s Circus is pretty good though so take a look.

Bambenek Claims Creationism Isn’t a Part of His Platform

ArchPundit January 2, 2007 9 Comments

And really that fits with every campaign for school board by creationists. The point is to run below the radar and then institute changes once in power. See Kansas ad nauseum.

But the larger point isn’t what his platform is, it’s that he views creationism as reasonable science. It’s simply not even if you call it intelligent design and that sort of judgment on curriculum matters is a significant reason voters should be aware of people pushing junk science. School boards review curriculum and someone reviewing curriculum without a basic understanding of science–science degree or not–is a problem.

That is, unless John thinks intelligent design should be in the University of Illinois’ curriculum, but not Unit 4’s. It’s the kind of candidates like Bambenek who create the problem. All of a sudden there is a proposal before the board to include creationism in the curriculum and people get treated to idiotic choices that cost the District a bunch in court costs.

Beyond that other warning signs are John’s comparison of premarital sex to slavery. I have some sense he’ll be an advocate, whether it’s in his ‘platform’ or not, for abstinence only education instead of a comprehensive program based on medically accurate information. Abstinence only has shown virtually no promise in reducing teen pregnancy and STD prevalence, but yet many still insist on it instead of abstinence plus medically accurate information about contraception and safe sex.

When GM Asks for A Government Bail Out

ArchPundit January 2, 2007 No Comments

Remember this genius move

In a story published by Reuters last week, Lutz argued that raising fuel economy standards would unfairly burden Detroit, and alleges (rather cluelessly) that Americans don’t care — they just want their big, powerful trucks and SUVs. Really Bob? Then why do the latest polls indicate that Americans are prioritizing fuel economy and safety more and more – something GM’s giant SUVs don’t provide? Why has Toyota just surpassed GM as the number one auto seller in the world? Why are sales of the largest SUVs continuing to plummet as consumers discover their wallets emptying when volatile gas prices peak?

We’ll still bail them out because GM going belly up would send horrible shockwaves through the economy, but we don’t have to be happy about it when it happens. Ford hasn’t always made good decisions, but they at least have some sense beyond the next quarter.

Getting Your Organizing On

ArchPundit January 2, 2007 No Comments

Because net neutrality is about to hit Illinois bigtime. Don’t believe me?

Leo has the goods on the first bit of the fight with AT & T laying the astroturf down.

The original article:

In the course of our earlier reporting on AT&T’s attempt to deploy IPTV to the Chicago suburbs, we discussed the Advanced Technology Alliance. It’s an interest group that pushes the AT&T agenda hard through letters to the editor and a giant chicken, but local critics have charged it with being an “astroturf” (that is, a fake “grassroots” effort) group funded by AT&T. Ars has now learned more details about the relationship between the two companies.

The ATA’s domain name, www.iltechalliance.org, is currently registered to Domains by Proxy, an Arizona business that helps obscure the true owner of a web site. A source tells us that the organization’s registration had not initially been through Domains by Proxy, though, but through a prominent Chicago public relations firm. Ars Technica has now been able to verify that information independently.

Earlier this year, the WHOIS record for iltechalliance.org pointed to Jasculca/Terman and Associates of Chicago, a PR firm that specializes in “bringing the tactics and discipline of political campaign work to the management of issues and events for private, public and institutional clients.”

Jasculca/Terman’s services include “grassroots outreach and coalition building” for their clients. Significantly, AT&T is listed among those clients.

For an example of how the firm works, consider the campaign it ran on behalf of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, a group that wanted to raise “additional tax revenues” (read: expand gambling in Illinois). Jasculca/Terman helped them to stage a massive letter-writing campaign by organizing meetings with casino employees, mailings to casino customers, a website, and “action stations” at casinos. They managed to sign on more than 6,000 people.

For the Illinois bloggers I’m starting an e-mail list for those interested in the coming net neutrality fight. E-mail me and I’ll put you on it. We haven’t done a ton of lobbying or organizing, this seems to be the issue to break out of that pattern.