American Idiot

On July 3rd, Private Bowe Bergdahl went missing from his unit in Afghanistan. He was soon shown on an Internet video, in Taliban custody. The Taliban had coerced him into making negative statements about the United States and the Afghanistan war, actions which are widely considered war crimes. On July 19th, former military intelligence officer Ralph Peters appeared on Fox News to make a fool of himself. He stated that it was his belief that Private Bergdahl was a deserter, and that as far as he was concerned the Taliban could "save us a lot of legal hassles," meaning they could kill him.
This is reprehensible, but given Peters' history of neo-conservatism and his fetish for American military power, not surprising. In a 1997 article titled Constant Conflict Peters wrote, "the de facto role of the US armed forces will be to keep the world safe for our economy and open to our cultural assault. To those ends, we will do a fair amount of killing." In August 2006, he blamed the American's problems in Iraq on "the Arab genius for screwing things up." He was also against the troop surge, in October of '06, before he was for it, in August of '07. Then came the Bergdahl debacle. Three days later, he went on a conservative radio show to accuse Bergdahl of lying about having a girlfriend, saying that her never mentioned her name.
So here is an ideology that favors American military power above all. He believes that the slaughter of innocent foreigners is desirable if it increases the wealth of the United States and allows us to shove American culture down their throats with the barrel of a gun. He believes in American exceptionalism, in that our failures in Iraq must not be of our own doing, but clearly the fault of the nation that we decided to illegally occupy. Now, when the fate of an American soldier is in the balance, has he shown remorse or concern for a prisoner of war? No, he has questioned his loyalty and advocated his death. Ralph Peters doesn't care about the troops, only about American power and wealth. The troops are merely a tool to be used to this end. Peters is the embodiment of all that America's detractors claim it to be. Our strength does not lie in our military power or wealth, but in our ideals that are, or should be, the envy of the world. Only in preserving the ideals of justice, equality, and human rights can we be the shining city on a hill.

Respect Her

This month marks the release of the third major label album from Russian-born singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. Far is the follow-up to 2006's Begin to Hope.

Spektor was born in the Soviet Union, but emigrated to the US in 1989 with her parents, who were also musicians. She thought she would never play piano again, then she was allowed to play in her synagogue until eventually one was donated to her family. She knew that she wanted to be a songwriter when she was 16. At an arts camp in Israel, she started singing improvised songs for other campers, and they encouraged her to write and perform her own material. She got a break when she played her song "Poor Little Rich Boy" for Strokes producer Gordon Raphael, playing piano with one hand and drumming on the bench with the other. Her song "Fidelity" from Begin to Hope was voted "Song of the Year" by listeners of the satellite radio station Left Of Center. Her current producer, David Kahne, says of Begin to Hope, "They (her record company) wanted something they could be proud of...", meaning a career artist and not just another easily forgotten single.

So Far, her fifth album overall, doesn't stray to far from what her fans have come to love, artistic and melodic piano rock combined with quirky songwriting and storytelling. The lead single, "Laughing With", is a rumination on God and religion that lets you feel like she has some strong opinions about God, but you're never really sure what they are. The next is "Folding Chair", which is a great bouncy summer song in which she claims to have a perfect body because "her eyelashes catch the sweat," and imitating a "dolphin song" in the bridge. One example of her storytelling is "Wallet," which clocks in at just 2:25 and is about solving the mystery of a found wallet. Perhaps the best song on the record is "Dance Anthem of the 80's" which uses piano chords to simulate the electronic string chords of 80's style new wave dance music. Overall, this is a good Regina record, well paced and fun. It should only enhance her reputation among the indie-bohemian crowd and the mainstream alike.

Mexico Pounds US Soccer

Today the United States soccer team took on Mexico in the Final of the Gold Cup. Although the game was played in New Jersey, the atmosphere was more like Mexico's famous Azteca, as roughly three quarters of the seventy thousand fans were Mexican supporters.
The game started off cautiously, typical for most finals. When the US wasted a few chances from set pieces in the first 15 minutes, Mexico reacted well through Giovanni Dos Santos. Possession was mostly back and forth in the first half, but with very few chances. Any goal appeared most likely to come from a set piece. Mexico substituted Bella for Medina at halftime, and it was clear they meant to make an impact on the game in the second half. Sure enough, the first goal came from Mexico from a set piece when Jay Heaps grabbed Dos Santos shirt in the box for a penalty kick. Goals change games, and afterwards the US was determined to equalize. This left them weak at the back, however, and it was soon floodgates open for Mexico. Troy Perkins made three or four good saves before Mexico outnumbered US defenders around the six yard box, and Mexico was up 2-0 four minutes later. Then, in the 67th minute, Mexico made it 3-0 on a play from SuperSub Bella. In the end, it was 5-0 and Heaps had picked up a red card.
Overall, it was utter defeat for the US, and a famous victory for Mexico. They defeated their biggest rival and ended the US massive home undefeated streak. However, it has been a good summer for the US team, making the final of two major international tournaments, but winning neither one. This should be a good lesson for them, as they have a World Cup Qualifier against Mexico next month away from home. Ultimately, a good showing in the World Cup is the goal, and the last two months have gone a long way to help that happen.

Primetime Obama

President Obama held a news conference in the East Room of the White House tonight to push for health care reform. Health care reform has been a major issue in Congress this week because the President wants a bill passed in August and on his desk this fall.
Health care became a major issue in the '08 campaign mostly due to the fifty million Americans without insurance, but also because of horror stories by those who thought they had insurance until they became sick. Health care costs have risen three times faster than wages over the last decade and some employers have seen a huge hit in their bottom line. Obama's plan would seek to reduce cost by eliminating inefficiencies in the system, and incentivize care. One plan that has already proven effective in local hospitals would bundle care to include the cost of treating a disease instead of charging separately for all procedures. One Republican idea that is gaining credibility is to create a "MedPac" board of experts to oversee the industry and make recommendations for Congress to vote on. Overall, two-thirds of the cost of bill are already paid by taxpayers in the form of subsidies to insurance companies. At a time when profits and premiums are both going up, this is lunacy. While their are many proposals on the table, Obama favors limiting tax deductions for the wealthiest Americans. To earn the votes of Blue Dogs and some Republicans, Obama has promised the bill will be deficit neutral. Where were these deficit hawks when G.W. Bush decided to cut taxes twice? Where were they when he launched an illegal war? When he gave billions to pharmaceuticals for Medicare D? When he gave a trillion dollars to the lending industry? But when the money would go to help working class Americans, suddenly they are so concerned about the national debt? Give us a break!
Obama did a good job explaining where he stands without attacking the opposition. Health care reform is entitlement reform. The cost of inaction will break our nation. This money is already being spent in the most disastrous way. This plan will simply expand coverage to all Americans and spend money on test, procedures, and drugs instead of paying insurance executives who want to deny these to line their own pockets.
One thing Obama did not do was call on Congress to stay passed their scheduled August recess, or extend his deadline. Congress has been working hard on this legislation, and some fairly progressive Democrats, including Charlie Rangle, have said they need more time. This is a massive bill, and maybe the most important thing that Obama will accomplish. Perhaps getting it done right is more important than getting it done.

That Dog Won't Hunt

This week could mark a big turning point for the health care debate in Washington. Drafts of the bill are starting to make their way out of committee in both the House and the Senate. Much has been made of Democratic "super-majorities," and how this should ease passage of President Obama's key proposals. However, the most vocal opposition to health care reform has not come from Republicans, but rather conservative Democrats, or "Blue Dogs."
Blue Dogs are fiscally conservative House Democrats from red or purple states, and are an ancestor of the socially conservative, or racist, Dixiecrats. Unfortunately, they may hold the key votes for this legislation. If enough Blue Dogs join Republicans to vote against the bill, it would be defeated. When asked if his caucus would vote against the bill in it's current form, Congressman Ross of Arkansas said, "absolutely." Jim Cooper of Tennessee appeared on The Newshour to defend that position, stating that he believes that Congress can find up to $700 billion in savings from the present system, but that people should have more "realistic expectations" for what a reform bill can accomplish.
The Republican response to this Democratic infighting has been to be even more stubborn than ever. Having offered no real plan of their own, Republican Senator Jim DeMint has said that blocking this bill will "break" Obama. RNC Chairmen Micheal Steele said, "this plan does not contain cost, it shifts them to the taxpayer." Who does he think are paying these cost now!? Only now, insurance companies can deny basic claims while they are running up billions of dollars in profits. One only needs to know that these companies are spending 1.4 million dollars a day to lobby against this bill. Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, a key Democratic opponent of health care reform, has personally raised $2.2 million from insurance companies.
It has been eighty years since FDR first called for national health insurance as part of his New Deal, yet many in Washington want to drag this process out even longer. How many more will lose their health care in the weeks and months to come? How many will be forced into bankruptcy from unpaid medical bills? This is not only a moral issue, in that the richest country on Earth cannot provide health care to all of it's citizens, but also a public health and public finance issue. If people are walking around with contagious disease or falling behind on their bills so they can buy needed prescriptions, this puts all of us at risk. President Obama won the election with 365 electoral votes, and this was one of his big policy agendas. Democrats won huge majorities in both chambers of Congress to help him pass that agenda. If these Democrats won't step up and support this bill for all of the Americans that desperately need it, then we should elect Democrats that will.

Philly Host 4 Nation Soccer Party

On Saturday, the United States soccer team hosted Panama in the Quarterfinal of the 2009 Gold Cup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The game was part of a double header that included the Canada - Honduras quarterfinal.
The US team came out flat and timid, and Panama was able to retain possession and had several good chances in the first half. Then, while trying to head the ball towards goal, US defender Jimmy Conrad collided heads with a Panama player and received a mild concussion. As a result the US played a player down for several minutes. When Clarence Goodson game on as a sub, he was immediately called on to defend a corner, which he failed to do and Panama was up 1-0 going into halftime. The US would come out of the locker room a different team, however, and Kyle Beckerman would tie the game in the 49th minute on a shot from just outside the box. The Americans controlled play for the most of the second half, but were unable to find a winner and the game went into extra time. Then, 15 minutes into extra time, US forward Kenny Cooper received a vicious set of cleats to the torso and won a penalty kick for his team. He would successfully take the kick and the US would go on to win 2-1.
OTB was at the game to take in the action and was impressed with the turnout and passion of the fans. During the first game, Honduras seemed like the home team. Possibly a third of the crowd was there to support the Hondurans, and it showed in their play. The US fan club, Uncle Sam's Army, was there in full voice also, complete with drums and horns. The South African horns that were made so famous during last month's Confederations Cup were also on full display (and on sale.) Overall, it was a pretty great experience for all of the thirty-one thousand supporters of all four participating nations who attended. The atmosphere bods well for next year's introduction of Philadelphia Union into Major League Soccer.

Protecting Main Street

Last month, the Obama administration called for the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. The idea was first mentioned a few years ago by Elizabeth Warren, a professor of law at Harvard, who was named as chairperson to oversee the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
The new CFPA would set standards for consumer oriented financial products such as mortgages, credit cards, payday loans, and overdraft services. The agency would combine duties of other agencies, such as the Fed and the FDIC, into one agency that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has said would have "only one mission - to protect consumers."
Let's be clear, having credit and applying for these types of loans are no longer a luxury, but a necessity to survive in 21st century America. The CFPA would simply "create a level playing field," putting more money back into the hands of consumers. This is made evident by the fact that the banking and lending industry has made killing the agency their number one priority, according to the New York Times. Additionally, the CFPA would lead to more economic stability by allowing debtors to know the rules of the game beforehand, meaning that they might actually be able to pay their bills and ultimately not default on these loans.
Obviously for consumers, the CFPA is a great idea. Congressmen Barney Frank believes it will pass, stating "anyone who thinks that we are not going to create this agency is mistaken. The American public wants it." How could they not? Do they enjoyed being deceived and taken by lenders? Obama deserves a lot of credit for pushing this idea, but so does Elizabeth Warren for conceiving it. She is doing her best under drastic circumstances to be the watchdog for the TARP monies, and anyone who has heard her speak on these issues cannot doubt her intelligence and determination to allow everyday Americans to keep more of their money, making it work for them instead of Wall Street.

Wise Latina On Her Way

Yesterday marked the beginning of Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court. On May 26th, President Obama had nominated Sotomayor to become the first Hispanic Justice on the Supreme Court.
Most of the negative comments surrounding Sotomayor have come from the right wing of the Senate, in response to a quote from the nominee dating back to 2001 in which she stated that "a wise Latina women" would reach a better conclusion than a white male. This quote, taken out of context, has incited conservative commentators such as Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich to call her a racist. However, out of fifty cases involving claims of discrimination she heard on the 2nd circuit, she found discrimination in only forty-five of them. A recent case, Ricci v DeStefano, in which white firefighters were denied promotions because no minorities passed the exam, has been made into proof of her prejudice by Republicans. However, the American Bar Association has called her a political centrist, and she was confirmed to the 2nd circuit by a Republican Senate in 1998.
The bottom line here is that Sonia Sotomayor will be confirmed. Furthermore, there will be no change in the court because she is replacing a liberal justice anyway. Yet, Republicans have seemingly turned their full arsenal on her. They claim that she was an affirmative action selection, and that belies Obama's true intentions to radicalize the court. Basically, they have wasted all of their fiery rhetoric for a fairly centrist justice that will ultimately be confirmed. Now it is up to Obama to pick a true liberal for his next appointment to the court, and when Republicans react the exact same way they have to Sotomayor, then everyone will have the impression that the new pick must be just another centrist.

SBC Back As Bruno

This weekend the new movie from British star Sascha Baron Cohen was released. Bruno is about a Austrian fashionista who loses his fame and moves to America to gain it back. The titular character is a flamboyant homosexual.

Bruno marks the third film for Cohen, who has starred as Ali G and Borat. Cohen's formula is to script part of the movie and use real people's reactions to form a kind of performance art. Bruno plays off people's insecurities and homophobia to illicit uncomfortable situations, most notably coming on to former republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.
Cohen's films are hilarious if one likes awkward situational comedies like The Office. Some moments are over the top, such as when the National Guard allows him to participate in their training and he plays stupid and effeminate. Overall, the film is a great look at homophobia and xenophobia in 21st century America. Some Gay rights groups have come out against the movie, but Cohen uses stereotypes to expose how irrational these fears are. Cohen uses the same method in Borat to portray anti-Semitism, which is also present in this movie with several references to Adolf Hitler. Bruno is recommended for those who appreciate the comedy mentioned previously and are not easily offended by male nudity.

Uighurs United

Violence between ethnic Uighurs and Han Chinese broke out July 5th in the Chinese town of Urumqi. The riots were sparked by a ethnic brawl hundreds of miles away in Guandong province. Uighurs were upset by what they viewed as a weak response to the murders of two of their own by Han Chinese. The Internet has played a vital role in China by helping to organize the protest.
China has the most repressive Internet police on the planet. The Chinese government may have up to thirty-thousand Internet police, who search the Internet for news stories, blogs, or even comments that may be negative towards the regime. China has also requested that manufacturers who wish to sell their computers in China equip those computers with a "Green Dam," which is basically a firewall controlled by the government to block access to entire sites.
This explains why there has been very little citizen journalism, like we saw in Iran, available on sites like Youtube and Twitter. The Chinese also have imprisoned more journalist and cyber-dissidents than any other country in the world. Yet, even under one of the most tech savvy regimes, protesters have still been able to use the Internet on mobile phones and wireless laptops to organize against it.

Obama In Red Square

Barack Obama was in Moscow this week to "reset" US-Russian relations. Relations have slid backwards over the last decade, mostly because of the US invasion of Iraq and then Russian aggression in Georgia. Obama's demeanor has been described as business-like, a change from George Bush's romantic notions of seeing Putin's soul.
Obama was able to secure a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The treaty would reduce nuclear warheads to 1500 per country, and 500 delivery systems. Russian president Dmitri Medvedev also promised to help secure loose nukes in former Soviet states. A new "joint threat assessment" would also help minimize new nuclear programs by working together to persuade countries to abandon their own nuclear programs, especially "clandestine" (read Iran) programs.
On the table was also the United States missile defense program. Obama acknowledge that the missile defense program could theoretically be turned into a missile offense program, but that the scale of the program would make such a transition meaningless in light of the Russian's military power. However, Obama has hinted that the program is up for review under his administration, a test it would most likely fail.
The concessions made by each country are a good start, but they both still have enough nuclear warheads to destroy the world dozens of times over. PBS has reported that the White House wanted even greater reductions, but would not make any concessions to do so. All of this looks as though another summit could result in an even further reductions of warheads, plus a suspension of the missile defense shield.
Obama has certainly ushered in a new tone for US-Russian relations, going so far to say that power is not a zero sum game and that the two countries share many strategic goals. There are still issues on the table, such as NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia, but Obama expressed a desire for more cultural exchange. Hopefully, this could lead to greater trade and a convergence of those issues. Much suspicion still exist between the two countries, but summits between leaders and cultural exchange between citizens can only dissuade those fears.
Next up for Obama is the G8 summit in Italy and a meeting with the Pope.

Palin Out

On Friday, July 3rd, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced that she would resign the office at the end of the month. Speculation about her motives and political future subsequently ran rampant over the weekend. Of course, much has been made about her presidential ambitions for 2012. Some say that she would like to challenge republican senator Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 primary to raise her national profile, and there is also the (cynical) rumour that she simply needs time to finish her book deal for Spring 2010 release.
All three, or none, of these may actually be the case. She conspicuously omitted the popular "spend more time with my family" line, which says that this move may indeed be more about her professional aspirations, whatever they may be. However, only the cynical idea that she quit her post as governor to make more money with a book deal has any chance of working out positively for her.
How can anyone take her seriously as a candidate now? No matter how much one agrees with her views, there is no other way to interpret her resignation other than she is abandoning her duties. How many Alaskans would have voted for her if they knew she would not complete her term? In the 2008 presidential campaign, she often came across as a wild card, and her supporters loved her for it. People want to vote for a politician who marches to their own beat, and does not toe the party line, but they need to vote for one who is steady and thoughtful, not erratic. Republicans loved Palin because she seemed like a real person, and her opponents thought that was exactly the problem. So, is this a move by a politician who can navigate the rough waters ahead, or is this a (desperate?) move by someone who has been in over her head all along? Does Sarah even know what her plan is?

No Longer Youth; But Still Sonic

Sonic Youth are an alternative rock band formed in 1981 as part of the "No Wave" music scene in New York. No Wave bands feature a DIY attitude and lots of noise and distortion. Sonic Youth are lead by husband and wife team Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, who share vocal duties. They use unconventional tunings and altered guitar sounds to form a sort of alien modern rock sound. "When you're playing in standard tunings... things sound pretty conventional," says Moore.

Although the band formed in 1981, they did not receive international critical attention until 1986 and the release of the album Evol. Commercial success would follow two years later with their album Daydream Nation and probably their most recognizable song, "Teenage Riot." They would follow it up with another hit album, Goo, and the song "Kool Thing" featuring Chuck D of Public Enemy on vocals. In 1992, they released their next album, Dirty. The video for Dirty's hit single, "100%," marks the directorial debut of skateboard director and famed music video director Spike Jonze, and also the acting debut of skateboarder Jason Lee, who would go on to star in movies such as "Mallrats" and "Vanilla Sky," as well as the title character in the TV show "My Name is Earl."

Sonic Youth are currently touring in support of their new album, The Eternal. OTB went to the show on July 2nd at the Electric Factory, and they still sound great. Their reputation for noise rock does not prevent them from playing actual tunes. They stayed away from playing old favorites and played mostly songs from the new album, including the lead single "Sacred Trickster." The crowd really enjoyed the show and Sonic Youth returned to the stage twice for encores.

At It Again

July 4th is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the United States victory over the English, but not just the one 233 years ago. Today Serena Williams won the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for the third time. Actually, she defeated her sister Venus in the final, so technically she defeated another American. "The Championships" (as they are called in London) are the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. They have not, however, been won by a English person since Virginia Wade in 1977 and not by an English man since 1936, a source of great national embarrassment. Together, ten American women and five American men have won Wimbledon. Tomorrow, Andy Roddick attempts to become the sixth American man to win it by defeating Swiss born and number two world-ranked Roger Federer.

The Saddam Interviews

The FBI has released twenty interviews and five "conversations" with executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Hussein denies having any WMD's, or links to Al-Qaeda, calling Osama Bin Laden a "zealot." He claims that he destroyed his remaining stockpiles in the late 1990s, but hid that fact from international weapons inspectors out of fear of appearing weak to Iran.
Iran's uprising in 1979 against the Shah frightened Hussein, a Sunni. He believed that his own repressed minority of Shias would be inspired by the revolution, enough to start one of their own. This fear, and a series of alleged assassination attempts, lead to the Iran-Iraq war, which started in September of 1980. The United States, having supported the Shah, saw a natural ally in Hussein, and supported Iraq in the war, allegedly with chemical weapons. This is why, perhaps, Hussein was so surprised when the United States fought against Iraq in the first Gulf War.
Then came the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Despite being labeled as part of the "axis of evil," he still believed that his biggest threat was from the Iranians. He did not consider the United States an existential threat to his dictatorship, because they had already allowed him to stay in power once, in 1991. Yet in March of 2003 the US invaded, but no WMDs or links to Al-Qaeda were ever found.
Hussein's admissions underscore a vital mistake made by George W. Bush. After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Bush conflated all "evil-doers" in the Arab world with Al-Qaeda. Hussein and Iraq had no allies in Iran or Al-Qaeda, only enemies. In the 1980s, the US assumed that the enemy (Iraq) of our enemy (Iran) was our friend, extending a needless war, killing thousand of Muslims, and sewing seeds of hatred in the Middle East. In 2003 the US made a similar mistake, assuming that our enemy (Iraq) and our enemy (Al-Qaeda) were friends, resulting in over four thousand American deaths, countless Iraqi civilian deaths, and the hanging of Saddam.
It is obvious that the United States needs a more nuanced approach to problems in the Middle East, not caricatures. The West, in general, must foster a mutual understanding with the Arab world. This will not only lead to far less blood and treasure being wasted, but hopefully a more respectful dialogue and a chance for Arab citizens to fully join the modern world.

Veiled Racism

There was much outrage generated at French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently when he stated that the burqa worn by many Muslim women is a "sign of subservience," and "will not be welcome" in France. Sarkozy and others have claimed that the religious dress goes against the secular tradition in France.

Burqas have actually been banned in France's public schools since 2004. Although they do not have official estimates, France contains one of the largest Muslim populations in Western Europe thanks to its historical colonization of Northern Africa and more conventional immigration in the 20th century. This has often lead to tensions among different ethnic groups in France. In 2005, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore were accidentally killed after being chased by police. This sparked off a months long series of riots, mostly by poor urban Muslims, who blamed the state for high unemployment and police harassment.

The burqa dates back farther than Islam itself, but is not mention in the Quran. It was originally used to protect both men and women from sandstorms. Later, it was used to disguise women of child-bearing age in the event that the village was raided, as these women were often targeted for kidnapping.

The most important question Sarkozy's remark raises is why? What purpose does this serve for the French state and its people, or is this just an attack on Islam? Is the burqa used to subjugate women? Whatever one believes about the place of the burqa in Islam, Sarkozy has undermined his own argument by using the secularism angle. Secularism is not freedom from religion, but the freedom to believe and practice the religion one chooses, or none at all. The women of France who were a burqa do so of their own free will, and Sarkozy, rather than defending their rights, wishes only to infringe upon them.