Pacific Progressive

Behind the "Birther Movement"

By Sam Fulwood III, Center for American Progress

Poor Rep. Mike Castle never saw it coming and had nothing to say. The Delaware moderate Republican congressman fixed a Bambi-in-the-headlights gaze on his face when the flag-waving woman in red whipped an otherwise unremarkable town hall meeting into a display of mass insanity.

Like others sharing her corner of the far-far-right lunatic fringe, the woman in red belongs to the “birther movement,” an ad hoc group of skeptics who passionately believe that President Barack Obama isn’t a “natural born citizen,” and as such, is constitutionally unqualified to sit in the Oval Office. Or, as this sad and misguided woman shouted to Castle, “He’s not an American citizen; he’s a citizen of Kenya.”

Watching Castle try to retain his dignity and set the woman straight made me feel sorry for him because he completely lost control of the situation. Truth be told, it was his own fault because Castle clearly isn’t monitoring the avatars of the right—the entertainers posing as authoritative journalists on radio and cable television chat shows.

And that’s why Castle was blindsided. None of this would have happened if Castle paid more attention to right-wing taking heads such as Liz Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, and, most significantly, CNN’s daily afternoon talker Lou Dobbs—all of whom have given the birther movement a media-endorsed fig leaf to hide its naked ignorance.

Reform is Still Worth Fighting For

by Jonathan Cohn for Kaiser Health News

The news about health care is a little confusing these days. While polls show that Americans still support the key elements of health care reform that President Obama and his allies are trying to enact, there have been numerous reports of conservative activists showing up at congressional town halls across the country, protesting those same plans with an energy not matched by the other side.

The imbalance may simply reflect the media's preoccupation with conflict and confrontation. Liberal rallies in favor of reform have garnered no similar attention, although they've attracted hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of people. But I suspect the enthusiasm gap is at least partly real--that the hate for the plans moving through Congress runs much stronger than the love, that the people fighting to stop these bills feel more intensely, and have more determination, than those fighting to pass them. 

If so, this ambivalence probably reflects a growing awareness of what the reform bills will do--or, more precisely, what they won't do. 

"No New Business" Bever Over-ruled in Costa Mesa

At the July 21 Costa Mesa City Council meeting, issues about the Costa Mesa Weekend Basketball League Formerly Known as Aztec League Basketball, were discussed. Councilman Eric Bever filed an appeal of the June 2009 Parks Commission decision to allow the Aztec League to rent the gym at the Downtown Recreation Center on Sundays.  The proposed relocation of the Sunday afternoon basketball games could bring as much as $43,000 a year directly to the city budget because the fees are paid directly to the city for rental of the facilities. The league has pulled a Costa Mesa business license and paid all necessary fees to the city in order to operate.  Additionally, the league members can bring extra sales tax revenue to the city as they stop for refreshments and meals before and after games.

Councilman Bever raised issues about new businesses coming into Costa Mesa, especially if there is already a use for the land.  From the dais, Councilman Bever said," "When is it okay to throw our residents under the bus to make way for new business?"  Bever went on to describe the Sunday use of the gym as "throwing out residents to make way for a for profit business."  The basketball league being discussed is an existing, profitable business which wants to relocate to Costa Mesa in order to grow their business.  Why does Bever oppose this?

Sen. Lindsey Graham - "We are going to change the law."

During today's Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Sonya Sotomayor, Senator Lindsey Graham summed things up very neatly.  The Republicans have attacked Judge Sotomayor more for her race and gender and not so much for her judicial and legal abilities.  I don't think Sen. Graham  meant to sum up the Republican position so neatly with a big red bow, but this statement sums it up for me:

(Said by Sen. Graham in reference to the "wise Latina" comment, said about 1:35 PDT today.)

This statement says we are coming and when we get there, we are going to change the law.

Senator Graham, I could not have said it better myself.  Thank you for being so erudite!

"Platinum Catholic" Pat Bates - Do You Know What Your Faith Is?

Supervisor Pat Bates has gone on the record as saying she is a "Platinum Catholic" and a "Platinum Pro-Life Catholic."  I'm not sure what Platinum status in the Catholic church exactly gets you. But, you could logically conclude that a Platinum Catholic would want to try to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church as much as they able to.  And, if that person is fortunate enough to be an elected official, they would want to use their office as an example of how to live and implement their faith and values.

Pope Benedict XVI published a new Encyclical Letter, Caritas in Veritate, about integral human development in charity and truth.  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html The encyclical discusses the central role of charity and economic social justice in the Catholic faith.  As you read these excerpts, bear in mind that Supervisor Bates, as Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, has led the charge in cutting social services, medical care, in home supportive services for elderly and disabled, and other county services which help the less fortunate live better while keeping extraordinary pay and benefits intact for County Supervisors and managers.  

And don't forget all of the people laid off while the Supervisors and managers kept their pay and benefits nearly intact, only taking a 5% pay cut after being pressed to do so.

Supervisors get car allowances, but children can't get vaccinated against mumps.  Supervisors get remodeled offices, but there are people sleeping in the grass outside the county offices.  Supervisors get very high paying pension benefits paid for taxpayers, but elderly people can't afford food and medical care.

These excerpts show what Pope Benedict XVI believes is expected of Catholics to adequately express their faith.  Ask Supervisor Pat Bates why she won't do the things God's representative on earth is calling on her to do.

"Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine.  Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law (cf. Mt 22:36-40)."

The Deadweight Loss of Health Insurance Companies

Health insurance companies are proving, through their own actions, to be an economic deadweight loss.  Premiums are paid in ever increasing amounts, care is dripped out in ever decreasing amounts, and insurance executives get paid in ever increasing amounts. People can pay premiums and never receive care because they are dropped after care begins.  There is, in many cases, very little value received by the consumer for the money paid into the system.

Health insurance companies are becoming (if they already have not become) deadweight losses.  "Deadweight loss" is economist speak for money paid that has reduced benefit due to inefficiencies.  Conservatives are fond of arguing taxes, any taxes and all taxes, are deadweight losses to businesses because the business pays the tax with money that could be spent on the business and receives nothing in return. The argument is when deadweight losses are removed or reduced, economic efficiency is improved, and businesses and the economy function better.

Healthcare premiums fit that definition quite well - money is paid in, and benefits are not received by the person paying the premium.  Health insurance companies, as we know them, aren't doing what they need to - getting care to consumers.  Let's take this deadweight loss out of the system.

Whitewashed: America's Invisible Middle Eastern Minority

 

I highly recommend the book Whitewashed by John Tehranian of Chapman Law School.  Whitewashed explores the ideas of who is "white", what "white" in America means, and how your "color" can change without you even realizing it. 

An example of "changing color" was the joke made by Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Dinner - Barack Obama is the first black President until he screws up. Then, it's "who let the half white guy in" or "who elected the mulatto."  

In Tehranian's book, he reminds us of the history of Middle Eastern country borders.  We often forget that borders were drawn by people outside the region and actual boundaries used by the residents of the area were ignored.

The book explores problems of FWA - flying while Arab, and portrayals of Middle Easterners in the media.  "Beverly Hills 90210" detailed the lives of teens in Beverly Hills, CA, but never featured an Iranian character even though Beverly Hills is one of the largest communities of Iranian-Americans in the country.  The fallacies of the mid-80's exploitation flick "Not Without My Daughter" are laid out.

The book is particularly timely now, given the problems in Iran, the exploitation flick "The Stoning of Soraya M." making the rounds of theatres and increased calls for more US intervention in the Middle East.  

Whitewashed is available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Whitewashed-America’s-Invisible-Minority-Critical/dp/0814783066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245893119&sr=8-1

 http://www.chapman.edu/law/faculty/tehranian.asp 

Supporting the People of Iran - Think Globally, Act Locally

What can we do in Orange County, on the other side of the world, to help the people of Iran.  Here are some ideas. What are yours?

1.  Be there for your friends from Iran. Support them, let them cry and vent with you.  They may be living in Orange County, but they have family and friends in Iran.  They're upset, be there for your friends.

2. Wear green to show support. We need to show other people in Orange County that we are standing behind the people of Iran.

3.  Put aside $5 a week for a relief effort. If the problems continue much longer, there will be refugees.  If you put aside $5/week (2 Starbucks!), you will have money to contribute to help refugees.

4.  When people argue for aggressive "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" intervention, remind them of history.  The United States has a history of trying to create the Iranian government to suit our needs, not the needs of the Iranians.  The CIA put the Shah in power, which eventually led to the current situation.  Intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan and Viet Nam did not "fix" those governments.  Why would we think that we can go rolling into Iran and "give them a government"?

5.  Get ready to lobby Congress to allow political asylum for Iranian refugees.  The Conservatives will put up a fight - they may even argue that "terrorists" can sneak in as refugees. Get ready to lobby to save Iranian lives.

What are your ideas?

"Stoning of Soraya M." - Middle Eastern Exploitation Flick

The "Stoning of Soraya M." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277737/  is making the rounds locally.  There is an article in the LA Times this morning.  Some people believe this is a movie about advocating for women's rights in Iran.  It is not.

 This movie is more like "Macon County Line", http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071788/.  Both movies are exploitative and use  stereotypes.  "Macon County Line" uses stereotypical "Southern backwoods justice" as device, "The Stoning of Soraya M." uses stoning, an abhorrent practice in some areas of the world, as a device.  

In a discussion with Executive Producer Thomas J. Papa of Newport Beach, he stated that he brought the money together to make this film because he thought it was important to make a "quality film" to "hit Hollywood and the lefties over the head" and to "support American values." Papa also felt the portrayal of Iranian men as brutes and Iranian women as weak was appropriate.  Papa also went on to state that he hoped the film would serve as a wake-up call to the "Lefties" (his term) that America needs to go into the Islamic countries of the world and bring them American values.

Papa was also very pleased that the producer Stephen McEveety was able to work on the film.  McEveety was the producer for Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and has worked on several  films promoting a conservative religious perspective since that project.

The casting of Shohreh Aghdashloo is also controversial.  Many in the Iranian community feel that she takes roles which buy into stereotypes of Middle Easterner's - a weak woman in "Soraya" or a terrorist in "24."  Many feel her work causes problems for the community and makes it harder to advocate for change.

When you see "The Stoning of Soraya M.", see the movie with open eyes.  This isn't a movie about stoning, stoning is used as an excuse for a movie with an agenda about why Middle Easterners need to be "Americanized."