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Oil Spill Undermines Obama's Risky Offshore Drilling Policy
Tweet Share on Facebook April 30, 2010 Comment (11)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
A couple of weeks ago I posted here that the Vatican's most vocal enemy could not possibly have done a better job of discrediting the Catholic Church than the Pope himself, who is acting as if it's still the Middle Ages and there is no such thing as the priest pedophilia scandal.
Well now the same can be said of BP and offshore oil rigs. The timing of BP's environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig couldn't be better to bolster the validity of claims by environmentalists that offshore drilling is a calamity waiting to happen. Is this example worth the environmental damage is it doing and will continue to do for some time? Of course not! But it already has made a dent in the process of approving future offshore drilling for oil. According to the Washington Post: -
RIP a Cold War Heroine, the 'Mother of Solidarity'
Tweet Share on Facebook April 28, 2010 Comment (6)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
I often write about U.S. women’s issues, but I came across a woman of note whose legacy has been largely neglected by Western historians. Her life and death should be more widely known to American women. So here goes.
Remember the plane crash earlier this month near Smolensk in which the President of Poland and other important figures in Polish politics perished? Among the passengers on that plane was one Anna Walentynowicz, who was considered “the mother of Solidarity.” She was one of Polish President Lech Kaczynski’s delegation en route to Russia to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre of Polish officers by Stalin’s communist secret police. She not only worked her way up to become one of the most fierce defenders of worker’s rights in that nation, but she also co-founded the Solidarity movement--most of the credit for which has gone to Lech Walesa, who, according to one Polish political expert, stole that legacy from her. -
Call for Obama to Appoint a Mother to the Supreme Court are Offensive
Tweet Share on Facebook April 27, 2010 Comment (18)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Talk about emphasizing and reinvigorating differences. I give Olympic Gold to one Peter Beinart, who argues on thedailybeast.com that not only should President Obama appoint another woman to the Supreme Court, but he should appoint a woman with children. Beinart argues that too many women without children are appointed to high level government positions, and so Mr. Obama's next Supreme Court appointment should be a mother, not just a woman. He also refers to the 20 percent of Americans over 40 with no children as "childless," as if we are lacking something, instead of as "child free," which is what we are.
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Obama Criticism of Arizona Immigration Law Ignores Federal Incompetence
Tweet Share on Facebook April 23, 2010 Comment (39)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
President Obama slammed a controversial new immigration law in Arizona, calling it "misguided." According to CNN:
"Our failure to act responsible at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe," the president said at a naturalization ceremony for 24 members of the military.
"In fact, I've instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at the federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country."
Not so fast, Mr. President. I’m not saying I support the Arizona legislation, but I have two points to make about his claim that federal legislation is needed and that Arizona’s bill is misguided. First, I covered the 1986 Congressional passage of the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration reform law. It contained amnesty for illegal immigrants who had been in this country for several years before passage. It also punished employers who knowingly hired illegal immigrants. Here we are 24 years later, and federal reform proved completely feckless. So Mr. Obama’s claim that the feds can do better is simply not true.
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Voter Anger Could Doom Democrats in Fall Elections
Tweet Share on Facebook April 22, 2010 Comment (10)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
A new Pew Research Center poll shows anger might be the dominant emotion voters have at the polls this November, and that the party in power may feel massive repercussions as a result. As CNN reports:
According to a Pew Research Center poll released this week, based on polling conducted in March and April, a growing segment of the American public holds intense anti-government views, with those surveyed describing themselves as being angry with the federal government.
The reason? A "perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government--a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials," the report concluded.
You'd have to have crawled up into a cave in order not to have experienced this public anger. Tea Party protests are but one aspect of it. It seems anger emanates from all quarters these days--conservative Republicans upset over federal spending for the poor and on health care reform, a ballooning deficit, and federal handouts that they see as profligate spending. But even liberals are angry: at a president they supported to get the United States out of war--not more deeply involved in Afghanistan--and at a president who pledged to close down Guantanamo.
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Catholic Sex Abuse Scandal Harming Pope's Poll Numbers
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2010 Comment (24)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Everybody has been talking about it. But now we have quantified data proving the point: Most Americans and most Catholic Americans think the Pope has done a terrible job dealing with the priest pedophilia scandal. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey results released Friday also indicate that recent revelations about that matter have hurt the pope's standing with the public:
Fifty-nine percent of American Catholics questioned in the poll have a favorable view of the pope, down 19 points from February. Among all Americans, the slippage is even greater: from 59 percent in February to just 35 percent today. "Only a quarter of U.S. Catholics have an unfavorable view of the pope, but they don't seem satisfied with his track record on the growing and persistent scandal within the church," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.
Now, does anyone really think the Church or the Pope might re-think how to handle this ongoing tragedy and the public relations disaster it has created for the Church? Of course not!
This is an institution, governed as it always has been, by fallible and often corrupt human beings. If anyone still believes the Pope has any sort of connection to God, I would like that person to explain how he or she can possibly continue to believe that such a connection exists under current circumstances. Please avoid using excuses for what the Church leadership has done. They provide no insight to those of us outside the church as we try hard to understand what keeps people in the church. -
Is Fox News Raising Money For Tea Party Movement?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 16, 2010 Comment (38)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Remember when the Fox News Channel used to advertise itself as "Fair and Balanced"? I guess Fox executives have decided the ratings are better if they drop the pretense of objectivity. According to the New York Times, the network was either helping to fundraise or setting up fund-raising apparatuses for the uber-conservative Tea Party at anti-tax rallies across the country on tax day:
Fox News sent two of its biggest stars, Neil Cavuto and Sean Hannity, to be the hosts of hourlong programs from some of the rallies. Mr. Cavuto was in Atlanta, and Mr. Hannity was in Cincinnati. Seats beside Mr. Hannity’s stage were sold for $20 to $100, with the money going to the Cincinnati Tea Party.
In a related and equally entertaining development, President Obama stopped in Florida this week to raise money for the Democratic Party. According to ABC News, he suggested tea party supporters owe him a debt of gratitude:
Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser tonight, President Obama touted his administration’s tax cuts and said that the recent tea party rallies across the nation have “amused” him. “You would think they should be saying thank you,” the president said to applause. Members of the audience shouted, “Thank you.”
At least President Obama meant to be funny.
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Gov. Pawlenty's Offensive "Abortion Recovery Month"
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2010 Comment (23)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Here we go again. Just when you thought the religious right couldn’t come up with any more outrageous behavior designed to offend mainstream Americans and accomplish nothing of worth, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty proclaims April, again, “Abortion Recovery Month.”
The proclamation, first cited by the Minnesota Independent, “encourages and promotes healing opportunities and raises awareness of the aftermath of abortion experienced by individuals and families,” according to the document signed by the Republican governor and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.
According to Politico, the proclamation also recognizes that “many Minnesota organizations offer support and recovery services to those who have had abortions or who have been impacted by abortion" and that “many organizations in Minnesota promote policies that reinforce a culture of life and hope.”
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David Brooks Was Wrong on Sandra Bullock
Tweet Share on Facebook April 12, 2010 Comment (13)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
I highly recommend a new blog I just stumbled onto by one Maddy Dychtwald who calls herself a demographer, author and keynote speaker (curious combination, that, but a good blog nonetheless) which tracks women's progress and influence as women gain power and wealth in society and culture. Dychtwald writes about a New York Times Op-Ed column of last month, written by David Brooks and starts out by quoting from it:
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Palin-Bachmann in 2012? Don't Be Surprised
Tweet Share on Facebook April 9, 2010 Comment (53)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
The GOP's two best-known conservative women appeared in tandem at a Midwest rally this week for the one of them who is running for re-election. Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota, appeared together at a Wednesday rally and the Kansas City Star's website called the event a winner for Bachmann's re-election campaign. I saw her on CNN today and she said she's in a tough race, so this should have been a big help to her. According to the Star:
Bonnie Erbe
Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.
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