Obama Nominates David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General.

I just got word, from my conservative sister Amy, that Pres. Obama will be asking the Congress to confirm David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General. As far as I know, Mr. Ogden has no experience prosecuting cases. In fact, he has defended some pretty disgusting clients. Notabley those suspected of violating laws against pornography, including child pornography. http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfactor/archive/tags/David+Ogden/default.aspx http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30794 Now I know that many prosecutors were at one time or another criminal defense attorneys, and that a good advocate uses even the weakest arguements in order to get the best deal for there clients. But there is no valid legal defense, in my view, for the exploitation of children. Or for that matter a moral defense for the degradation of women. http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/dworkin/PornIntro1.html Eventhough I do not think that the government should ban all pornography outright, or even could if it had wanted to. I do feel that certain laws should be in place, in order to protect people, especially children, from abuse, and or exploitation, like for instance laws against hardcore pornography. And as a deputy attorney general, Mr. Ogden might be called upon to enforce these restrictions. At the very least, Congress should ask him if he'd be willing to uphold even laws he personally disagrees with. We need to have justice officials that will maintain law and order, without partiality.

Remarks Upon The Presidents Remarks to Congress.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-Obama-Address-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress/ Overall I felt that him speech was sensible. Without going into much detail, he seemed to be saying that the government should work together with buisness, in order to build up private enterprise. But what can you expect. Pres. Obama is a social liberal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_liberalism, and as such believes that the government should involve itself in trying to solve social problems. Rather than trusting private persons, and institutions to work things out on there own. He feels therefore that the federal government has a positive, proactive role to play in dealing with the financial crisis. And I myself feel that, for the time being at least, perhaps there does need to be a welfare state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_state, before we can have a stateless, and classless, society. Just as Karl Marx said of the "worker's state" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship_of_the_proletariat, in regards to socialism, so might the welfare state be, in regards to social democracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democracy. A social revolution, even a non-violent one, is not forthcoming. So I think that the best we can all hope for is bourgeois socialism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeois_socialism, for our bourgeois nation. Untill such time as the state is abolished all together, and social welfare is replaced by mutual aid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_aid_(politics). I therefore feel that the government should encourage voluntarism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntarism_(action), and gradually phase out government social programs.

Fury Raised Over New York Post Political Cartoon.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/19/chimp.cartoon.apology/index.html?eref=rss_us Over the past few days, outrage has been raised over this political cartoon. http://www.portfolio.com/images/feeds/blogs/delonas%20chimp.jpg I personally feel that it is offensive, but yet not necessarily racist, in nature. It is very irreverent to compare our elected leaders to apes. Whether or not we agree with some of there policies, and I sure don't often agree with the descisions of the federal government, they are still in positions of respect, and should be treated as such. However this is nothing new. Pres. George W. Bush has been compared to a chimpanzee as well. http://3rd-rock.org/iraq/humour/bush-chimp.jpg So all I can say in response to this is, welcome to the White House President Obama. You have arrived. Though unlike the above mentioned picture, the New York Post cartoon shows the chimp being shot. This could therefore be taken to mean that the officials who crafted the economic stimulus bill deserve to die as well. But in response to the contraversial cartoon, people have called not only for Mr. Sean Delonas to be fired, but for him to be arrested as well. I feel that this is an overreaction. Do liberals really want to be known for censoring unpopular/disrespectful opinions/persons? Do we wish to bring him before the House Unamerican Activities Commitee, and blacklist him. This is a type of McCarthyism that we've always faulted Republicans for. We Democrats should show more tolerance, even for distasteful expression. Unless there is an overt, direct threat, indivisuals should not be punished for there disloyal sentiments. Otherwise we'll risk becoming a totalitarian police state, with re-education camps for dissidents.

Navahoes Suit U.S. Government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/opinion/23mon2.html Here is further proof that our government functions as a "dictatorship of the bourgeois". The U.S. government cheated the Navaho, in order that the coal company could undercut the royalties rightly owed to the tribe. This therefore shows me that the government serves the class interests of big buisness. Big government and big buisness are intertwined as far as I'm concerned. No matter which party is in power, the federal government seems to serve special interests over the public interest.

Prominent Commentators Call For Bank Nationalization.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/opinion/23krugman.html?th&emc=th http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/opinion/22sun1.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/22/bank-nationalization-as-a_n_168948.html As I've been saying repeatedly, the banking system should be nationalized. Only I do not think that it should only be temporary. It's rightfuly ours as American tax payers. It's our money the federal government used to bail out the banks. We paid for it, and so we should all own it. The credit crisis, in my opinion, shows that the banks should not be trusted to private ownership. The American people should not have to keep cleaning up the messes caused by private in competance. Investers should not be allowed to gamble with our money.

McDonalds Denies Worker Medical Compensation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-weiner/mcdonalds-mcscrews-hero-o_b_169048.html Here is a clear case of someone being attacked on McDonalds property, and a consciencious employee being seriously wounded in the process. While this is certainly not something one would expect to have to deal with, this is in my mind not much different than if it were a hold up. A patron was being assaulted by another patron, and an intervening employee was feloniously assaulted as a result. Therefore, indirectly at least, he was injured on the job. If McDonalds does not give him a well deserved compensation, I hope that the public will take up a collection for him.

Update On A Prior Story About Nikki Blonsky.

As I mentioned in a previous blogpost http://libertariansocialist.blogspot.com/2008/10/nikki-blonsky-gets-into-fight-at.html, the families of Nikki Blonsky, and Bianca Golden, got involved in a violent altercation, at an airport. Well, both Blonsky and Golden were cleared. However Ms. Blonsky's father still has been legally charged in the incident. http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b77088_nikki_blonsky_next_top_modeler_cleared.html He was able to be released on bond, however. Until his trial, which is set for Sept. 17. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20218613,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines As always, I will be keeping you abreast of what's happening.