Full article here:
ROMANS-SUR-ISERE, France (AP) - A French police officer was shot and wounded during clashes with youths that broke out after a teenager died while fleeing police, authorities said Tuesday.
The officer appeared to have been shot in the leg with a hunting rifle, said the police prefecture in Romans-sur-Isere, a southeastern town located 60 miles from Lyon in the Rhone Valley on the edge of the Alps. The officer's life was not in danger. Dents from bullets and buckshot were also found in police vehicles nearby.
Police used tear gas and rubber pellets to push back some 50 youths during clashes late Monday and early Tuesday. Several cars were burned and about 15 shop windows were smashed.
After nightfall Tuesday, some 300 riot police officers and gendarmes took up positions around the center of town to prevent a second night of clashes. Some teams of officers were brought in from neighboring regions.
The violence broke out after a 16-year-old died by driving a stolen car into a wall while fleeing police. Four other minors in the car were lightly injured.
Accidents involving police and youths have been particularly sensitive in France since riots in 2005 that were sparked by the deaths of two teens electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police.
Jean-Pierre Nahon, a prosecutor in the regional capital, Valence, said a police watchdog agency will investigate latest incident.
Nahon said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the five teenagers had stolen the car overnight and were driving at high speed through the center of Romans-sur-Isere when police began chasing them. The young driver took a sharp turn and lost control of the car, running into a wall.
A few questions come to mind immediately: Why are armed officers being deployed to defend against teenagers? What insecurity must police in France be feeling right now that they must send 300 officers to deal with a small town worth of unruly kids? The teenagers are obviously slightly out of control; they are stealing cars and crashing them into walls, for one. The police, too, are out of control, from the looks of things.
I must reserve judgment. I'm going to research this, try to put it in context, and hopefully be able add some examples from the US to the discussion. More later.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wall Street Bail-Out Fails in the House
By a vote of 207-228. Perhaps this means we'll get another stab at converting large chunks of our economy to a socialist model. Perhaps it just means that the House knew how outraged their constituents would be if this hand-out passed.
Ultimately, I don't think that giving the money to Wall Street would solve the problem. If it is true that we have $700 billion laying around to give to firms who lost their money honestly (perhaps crookedly), I believe the better bet would be to offer an unprecedented stimulus to the American economy by giving every adult American an equal share of that pie. Why is this such a bad idea? As of 2006, the Census Bureau estimated that almost a quarter of Americans were under the age of 18, out of a total population of 300,000,000. That's 75,000,000 minors, leaving 225,000,000 persons over the age of 18.
Here's the math: $700,000,000,000 divided by 225,000,000 = $3111.11 per American over the age of 18.
We all know that Wall Street is only going to get itself in trouble again, or find some way to weasel out of its obligations from whatever version of the bail-out bill passes. Give the money to ordinary Americans. Those bankers who have helped cause the crisis we are now in are Americans, too, and so of course they will get their $3111.
Assume that money is taxed at a rate of 20% (in places too low, in places too high, but a good middle number depending on the bracket). That's $622 less $3111 = $2489. $622 x 225,000,000 = $140 billion right back into the government coffers to make the total cost of this unprecedented economic stimulus a paltry $560 billion.
Let's make it happen!
Ultimately, I don't think that giving the money to Wall Street would solve the problem. If it is true that we have $700 billion laying around to give to firms who lost their money honestly (perhaps crookedly), I believe the better bet would be to offer an unprecedented stimulus to the American economy by giving every adult American an equal share of that pie. Why is this such a bad idea? As of 2006, the Census Bureau estimated that almost a quarter of Americans were under the age of 18, out of a total population of 300,000,000. That's 75,000,000 minors, leaving 225,000,000 persons over the age of 18.
Here's the math: $700,000,000,000 divided by 225,000,000 = $3111.11 per American over the age of 18.
We all know that Wall Street is only going to get itself in trouble again, or find some way to weasel out of its obligations from whatever version of the bail-out bill passes. Give the money to ordinary Americans. Those bankers who have helped cause the crisis we are now in are Americans, too, and so of course they will get their $3111.
Assume that money is taxed at a rate of 20% (in places too low, in places too high, but a good middle number depending on the bracket). That's $622 less $3111 = $2489. $622 x 225,000,000 = $140 billion right back into the government coffers to make the total cost of this unprecedented economic stimulus a paltry $560 billion.
Let's make it happen!
Who Thinks the Bail-Out Stinks?
Not as many people as press reports suggest, apparently. The crew at FiveThirtyEight parse the polling data, looking closely at how pollsters word their questions, and how such wording elicits seemingly obvious responses. Well worth a gander by anyone who cares about this sort of thing (read: More people should care about this sort of thing).
Also, here's a .pdf link to the full proposal as it is being debated in the House of Representatives right now.
Also, here's a .pdf link to the full proposal as it is being debated in the House of Representatives right now.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Debate
8:05 pm: Obama takes on McCain & Bush
8:06 pm: McCain: "Not feeling great about a few things lately...but I'm feeling better now..." thanks to bipartisanship!!
8:07 pm: McCain avoids the "greatest crisis since WWII" line.. He "Palins" around to "we must end our addiction to foreign oil"! Where did that come from?
8:10 pm: McCain still goes back to WWII with his Eisenhower story. Promises "accountability" in government but declined to answer whether or not he would vote for bail out - won't offer accountability for himself.
8:15 pm: Members of Congress "sitting in jail now" because of earmarks... exactly where McCain will probably end up if he gets 4 years of the kind of unfettered power Bush has had.
8:18 pm: Obama stumbling on laying blame at McCain's feet. He could've done better than that. Also weak on refuting McCain's charge of out of control spending.
8:19 pm: Why keep going back to this "people facing charges" / "in prison" idea? Is he going to propose criminal charges for the Wall Street CEOs who have fleeced America into a new Depression?
8:24 pm: What is Obama's definition of "rich"?
8:33 pm: There we go, Obama. Bring the spending discussion right back to the Republicans. Iraq's $79 billion surplus?!
8:37 pm: Was McCain against Charles Keating's unnecessary spending when it went directly into McCain's pocket?
& There's that Miss Congeniality line again. Did he forget he's already used it? MAVERICK! "& I've got to say that I have a partner who's a good maverick with me now." This is golden. That McCain smile, too.
8:40 pm: McCain takes credit for the surge but shirks responsibility for getting us into Iraq in the first place?
8:41 pm: Bin Laden - there he is. I forgot about that guy.
8:44 pm: Obama putting his own responsibility for foreign policy on Biden. Good move but I can't say I agree with it. Obama is running for president, not Biden. He has to display his own command of the subject and explain the actions McCain brought up.
8:48 pm: Tactics and strategy. McCain is speaking directly to press reports that his "campaign suspension" was a mere tactic. He wants Americans to think that it was part of a larger strategy?
What did Admiral Mullen say?
8:51 pm: Obama emphasizing civilian control of military by deferring to Sec. Gates' recommendations while McCain sticks with the generals. It isn't surprising that McCain sticks with the generals, given his military background, but the fact is that the United States is not a country whose foreign policy is controlled by the military. Our Commander-in-Chief is a civilian for that exact reason. I'm curious to see how the top brass will react to an Obama presidency. How will the policy shifts be enacted in our strategic thinking?
8:56 pm: What's McCain squinting at in the audience? Is he expressing distaste with Obama's "If John disagrees, he can let me know" line? Those two seemed to be action-reaction. No similar reaction to the "if you want to sing songs about bombing Iran" line.
8:59 pm: If he's wearing the bracelet now, has he been wearing it for over a year?
9:00 pm: Obama - "I've got a bracelet, too.... No US soldier ever dies in vain because they're following in the service of their commander-in-chief." He turns it back to judgment, something McCain hasn't been showing much of lately. How can Obama win this debate when McCain returns time and again to the military honor line? I don't think Obama can overcome that among the majority of Americans.
9:05 pm: "The Iranians have a lousy government and therefore they have a lousy economy..." - McCain.
The United States has a lousy economy therefore...?
9:13 pm: "What Senator Obama doesn't understand..." That line has been repeated about 10 times so far by McCain.
A minute earlier, too, I really thought Obama was going go after Palin for calling Kissinger "naive" when Obama started saying he had been called "naive".
9:15 pm: Here goes the McCain temper!! & in defense of Kissinger?
(9:29) Was McCain thinking about Palin when he began to get heated there for a moment?
9:18 pm: McCain pounding Obama for being "naive." It's sort of disrespectful, isn't it, the way he's doing it? The tactic and the tone he's using to discredit Obama?
9:21 pm: "Vladimir Putin: Our President" - Did the Russians sneak across their border and post Putin propaganda?
9:24 pm: One more lede question: Thank the Lord, this is getting boring.
9:31 pm: "Senator Obama still doesn't seem to understand..."
9:34 pm: Is McCain seriously comparing Obama to "this Administration"??? OMG!
8:06 pm: McCain: "Not feeling great about a few things lately...but I'm feeling better now..." thanks to bipartisanship!!
8:07 pm: McCain avoids the "greatest crisis since WWII" line.. He "Palins" around to "we must end our addiction to foreign oil"! Where did that come from?
8:10 pm: McCain still goes back to WWII with his Eisenhower story. Promises "accountability" in government but declined to answer whether or not he would vote for bail out - won't offer accountability for himself.
8:15 pm: Members of Congress "sitting in jail now" because of earmarks... exactly where McCain will probably end up if he gets 4 years of the kind of unfettered power Bush has had.
8:18 pm: Obama stumbling on laying blame at McCain's feet. He could've done better than that. Also weak on refuting McCain's charge of out of control spending.
8:19 pm: Why keep going back to this "people facing charges" / "in prison" idea? Is he going to propose criminal charges for the Wall Street CEOs who have fleeced America into a new Depression?
8:24 pm: What is Obama's definition of "rich"?
8:33 pm: There we go, Obama. Bring the spending discussion right back to the Republicans. Iraq's $79 billion surplus?!
8:37 pm: Was McCain against Charles Keating's unnecessary spending when it went directly into McCain's pocket?
& There's that Miss Congeniality line again. Did he forget he's already used it? MAVERICK! "& I've got to say that I have a partner who's a good maverick with me now." This is golden. That McCain smile, too.
8:40 pm: McCain takes credit for the surge but shirks responsibility for getting us into Iraq in the first place?
8:41 pm: Bin Laden - there he is. I forgot about that guy.
8:44 pm: Obama putting his own responsibility for foreign policy on Biden. Good move but I can't say I agree with it. Obama is running for president, not Biden. He has to display his own command of the subject and explain the actions McCain brought up.
8:48 pm: Tactics and strategy. McCain is speaking directly to press reports that his "campaign suspension" was a mere tactic. He wants Americans to think that it was part of a larger strategy?
What did Admiral Mullen say?
8:51 pm: Obama emphasizing civilian control of military by deferring to Sec. Gates' recommendations while McCain sticks with the generals. It isn't surprising that McCain sticks with the generals, given his military background, but the fact is that the United States is not a country whose foreign policy is controlled by the military. Our Commander-in-Chief is a civilian for that exact reason. I'm curious to see how the top brass will react to an Obama presidency. How will the policy shifts be enacted in our strategic thinking?
8:56 pm: What's McCain squinting at in the audience? Is he expressing distaste with Obama's "If John disagrees, he can let me know" line? Those two seemed to be action-reaction. No similar reaction to the "if you want to sing songs about bombing Iran" line.
8:59 pm: If he's wearing the bracelet now, has he been wearing it for over a year?
9:00 pm: Obama - "I've got a bracelet, too.... No US soldier ever dies in vain because they're following in the service of their commander-in-chief." He turns it back to judgment, something McCain hasn't been showing much of lately. How can Obama win this debate when McCain returns time and again to the military honor line? I don't think Obama can overcome that among the majority of Americans.
9:05 pm: "The Iranians have a lousy government and therefore they have a lousy economy..." - McCain.
The United States has a lousy economy therefore...?
9:13 pm: "What Senator Obama doesn't understand..." That line has been repeated about 10 times so far by McCain.
A minute earlier, too, I really thought Obama was going go after Palin for calling Kissinger "naive" when Obama started saying he had been called "naive".
9:15 pm: Here goes the McCain temper!! & in defense of Kissinger?
(9:29) Was McCain thinking about Palin when he began to get heated there for a moment?
9:18 pm: McCain pounding Obama for being "naive." It's sort of disrespectful, isn't it, the way he's doing it? The tactic and the tone he's using to discredit Obama?
9:21 pm: "Vladimir Putin: Our President" - Did the Russians sneak across their border and post Putin propaganda?
9:24 pm: One more lede question: Thank the Lord, this is getting boring.
9:31 pm: "Senator Obama still doesn't seem to understand..."
9:34 pm: Is McCain seriously comparing Obama to "this Administration"??? OMG!
McCain Campaign Technique: Positive Visualization
I've seen posted the video of Chris Weber calling time-out against Duke when Michigan was out of time-outs, but I think another basketball analogy works much better here. I remember watching an old basketball instructional video, probably sent to my Dad from Sports Illustrated, starring the late, great Red Auerbach and the still great Larry Bird. Auerbach asks Bird about his free-throw shooting technique. Bird replies that before he even takes the shot, he closes his eyes and visualizes the ball going through the hoop. Astonished, Auerbach asks (something to the effect of), "You mean you actually watch yourself shooting and making the free throw before you even take the shot?" "That's right, Coach," Bird says.
Maybe McCain is using the old visualization technique for his campaign. He was practicing for the debate earlier this week when he began visualizing how things would actually go against Obama Friday night. Clearly, he freaked out and realized that there was no way that ball was going through the hoop unless he did something maverick-y right away. Hence, "suspends" his campaign, mucks up bail-out negotiations, un-suspends campaign. McCain opened his eyes and realized that he was still standing at the free throw line with the entire arena watching him sway back and forth with his eyes closed, waiting for him to shoot the ball.
Only he isn't a basketball player at the free throw line. He's the Republican Party's candidate for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. And no one fouled him, so he should never have been at the free throw line.
Can't wait to watch the debate tonight!
Maybe McCain is using the old visualization technique for his campaign. He was practicing for the debate earlier this week when he began visualizing how things would actually go against Obama Friday night. Clearly, he freaked out and realized that there was no way that ball was going through the hoop unless he did something maverick-y right away. Hence, "suspends" his campaign, mucks up bail-out negotiations, un-suspends campaign. McCain opened his eyes and realized that he was still standing at the free throw line with the entire arena watching him sway back and forth with his eyes closed, waiting for him to shoot the ball.
Only he isn't a basketball player at the free throw line. He's the Republican Party's candidate for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. And no one fouled him, so he should never have been at the free throw line.
Can't wait to watch the debate tonight!
That Damn McCain Campaign
So amidst all the fury over the Obama camp's legal drive to stop the NRA ad, the McCain camp (could it really have been anyone else?) pulls the Sarah Palin Miss Alaska pageant video.
A few key points:
A few key points:
- There is some dispute over the veracity of the anti-Obama NRA ad
- No one denies that Sarah Palin competed in the 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant.
- As far as anyone can tell, the Obama campaign operates within a commonly agreed upon reality.
- As far as anyone can tell, the McCain campaign seeks to create its own reality based upon its desires.
Sarah Palin Miss Alaska
Nice score by Andrew Sullivan:
The best part, and I'm being serious here, is the trumpet player in that band!!
UPDATE: (16:56 CT) Sullivan posted the version you see now after the earlier version was taken down.
The best part, and I'm being serious here, is the trumpet player in that band!!
UPDATE: (16:56 CT) Sullivan posted the version you see now after the earlier version was taken down.
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