Rusty Will Kill You If You Like DC

Man, I can't wait to get here.

Hi-larious.

Alan Reynolds > You

via WSJ

Until January, President Bush seldom acknowledged the widening gap between the rich and the middle class. Then, in a speech, he declared: "I know some of our citizens worry about the fact that our dynamic economy is leaving working people behind. ...Income inequality is real." He has raised the subject several times since.

Doesn't he read?

QOTD

"The problem is, people look at us as if we're opposites. We're not. We're actually very similar people. We're both advocates. We're both passionate. We both like a good, fair fight. My opposite is someone who doesn't have a philosophy of life, someone who doesn't get fired up about anything."

- Mary Matalin, Republican strategist and wife of James Carville.

Doctor, Doctor, Won't You Fix Me?

The New York Times Magazine had an incredible article this weekend on women in combat. It's worth reading, it discusses in depth the problem of rape and assault on women soldiers with a focus on those in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's one of the more depressing things I've read recently but brings up a number of concerns. I've posted some of the more striking quotes since I don't know how many of you will read the entire thing, and some things are worth repeating just in case.

On the dangers facing women in Iraq, interesting because I found myself arguing a similar point with a friend recently:

'Frankly one of the most dangerous things you can do in Iraq is drive a truck, and that's considered a combat-support role,'' says Matthew Friedman, executive director of the National Center for PTSD, a research-and-education program financed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. ''You've got women that are in harm's way right up there with the men.''

Sacha Zimmerman, a brilliant writer over at The Plank had posted this quote, directing readers to the original article. It's upsetting to know that women who are already in combat are facing this danger as well- a point thoroughly discussed by Sara Corbett:

A 2003 report financed by the Department of Defense revealed that nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of female veterans seeking health care through the V.A. said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent said they were raped multiple times, and 14 percent reported they were gang-raped. Perhaps even more tellingly, a small study financed by the V.A. following the gulf war suggests that rates of both sexual harassment and assault rise during wartime.

On why rape and assault often go unreported:

...of the 3,038 investigations of military sexual assault charges completed in 2004 and 2005, only 329 - about one-tenth - of them resulted in a court-martial of the perpetrator. More than half were dismissed for lack of evidence or because an offender could not be identified, and another 617 were resolved through milder administrative punishments, like demotions, transfers and letters of admonishment.

Keri Christensen, a woman who suffered from PTSD, punished for complaining about a sergeant's propositions:

''They make you feel like you're crazy. And I'm not just the only one. There's other women out there this has happened to. Why is the attitude always 'Just shut up and leave it alone'?''

Women in civilian life often have a hard time with rape because of situations like these. In a situation where they are so much in the minority and surrounded by such a macho "buck up" culture, I can't imagine what these women go through. It's something that I think needs more attention, as when these wars end, we'll have a PTSD epidemic on our hands.

Lets Forgive and Forget, Huh, Guys?

This war sounds like it's not going to very fun:

“We’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks,”

- Subhi Sadek, a writer with ties to Ahmadinejad

It's Not Just Edwards Anymore...

Looks like Gonzales will be done soon. Of course I say good riddance, but I still can't believe that he got confirmed in the first place. To refresh:

In the first months after 9/11, Gonzales helped to craft some of the most momentous and controversial decisions of Bush's presidency. Among them: to create military commissions for the trials of terrorists, to designate U.S. citizens as "enemy combatants" and to disregard the Geneva Conventions in the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Of course, that was back in the good old days where Republicans had nothing to be afraid of...Don't worry Gonzy, we'll see you at the hearings soon enough!

PS: A quick scroll down to other stories in The Hill today shows that "Cheney Should Resign" is the top story. Every administration has a bad week, right?

They Even Live Among Us!

I'm still not sure how comfortable I am with the Secular Coalition's "outing" of Rep. Pete Stark. It reminds me of that weird week before the election when everyone was obsessed with outing gay representatives. I came to understand that it may be useful to show hypocrisy in people who legislate against themselves, but still seemed trashy. As a "bitter atheist", I love knowing that while I'm in a minority that makes a large part of the country incredibly uncomfortable, I'm not alone. And at least one representative admits to not holding a belief in God. However, this feels trashy. Offering $1,000 to "out" the highest-level nontheist?

It seems like the Secular Coalition's time would be better spent analyzing the voting records of current representatives rather than their deeply held beliefs (or lack thereof). Yes, this feeds my desire to feel less ostracized from politics. Yes, this puts into the forefront how uncomfortable people are electing people who don't believe in God (hell, look at Ellison- we have a hard time electing people who don't believe in the right God). However, it's trashy. It puts the spotlight even more on atheist or agnostic representatives and how "different" they are, and it's going to provide a great mailer for religious right groups.

Rep. Stark has a history of voting for the separation of church and state, and that's really the only thing that matters. I haven't heard much about him before today, but it doesn't seem like he's hidden his religious beliefs at all. Rather than creating dividing lines by religion, just keep dividing lines on whether or not the legislator votes to keep the separation of church and state. That's it. I don't think the cause is helped by setting up more categories to differentiate representatives. I could be wrong though, and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts. Especially those of my bitter atheist friends.

And This is What I Graduate To

This is comforting. Russia comes in right after Iraq. Michael Specter counts 14 journalists (1 more just since his articles in the Jan. 29th issue of the New Yorker) killed since Putin replaced Yeltsin.

Khlebnikov is on that list. I remember when he was killed. I'd barely heard of journalists being killed at that point, and goodness knows why I still went into Russian. I just got around to reading Godfather of the Kremlin, and the knowledge of his death really upset me while reading it. He was taking a huge risk even delving into the subject of Berezovsky, and he did a spectacular job reporting his history in Yeltsin's administration.

Anyway, is it too late to change my major to biology?