liberty · equality · eternity

Most publications in the United States are a waste of paper. That goes double for government documents. Not advocating restrictions, just observing. That thought occurred to me as I perused the shiny and insubstantial monthly Wall Street Journal Magazine. Sports page excepted, the Journal newspaper contains useful information, if studied carefully. It is a bright spot in a sea of floating debris.

For instance, I learned that “Poirot,” the great series starring David Suchet, will air new episodes in 2013. Five remaining stories, culminating in “Curtain,” are being filmed. PBS will air them first in the US, although they air in Great Britain this year. Undoubtedly the episodes will reach less annoying outlets or DVD after that. Will Hugh Frasier be back as Captain Hastings? Don’t know.

Watched the first two episodes of the new season of “Justified,” which seems better than ever. In a scene in the second, “Cut Ties,” Raylan gets a gun from a murderer and fires at him. It occurred to me that this shooting was not justified. Still, I don’t think anyone will be troubled by it, since the guy was an evil prick, and those are the worst kind.

Yesterday, on my way back from Godzilla sushi, I noticed a mirror on Divisadero. A beautiful mirror affixed to a building, claiming to be part of The Mirrors Project. Not sure what it means, but I like bright, shiny objects. Who doesn’t?

Another BARTful Monday. Returned to Daly City station, where I found the parking garage, despite an absence of signs. Once inside, there were plenty of restricted parking signs, even exit signs, none helpful. I passed the non-parking spaces and wound up in what you might call a cul-de-sac. So far as I could determine, parking was permitted in this hidden nook. Signs read, “Don’t back in.” For $2, I’ll park in whatever direction I choose. At least say please.

Found the station, which is separate and removed from the parking garage, with no ramp or public conveyance. Figured out how to pay cash for parking and rushed upstairs in time to watch the train pull out. Didn’t have to wait long for another, that sat for awhile. At least there were an abundance of seats. I was tempted to put my feet on an empty one, but gt don’t roll that way.

I made better time boarding BART in Daly City rather than Colma. The main exit at Powell Street was still closed for mysterious renovations. I’ll bet they aren’t installing more turnstiles. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Today, I hoped I could replicate my BART parking experience. I couldn’t. The cul-de-sac was full, along with the entire parking garage, except for the “reserved” spaces. I was willing to park in an uncovered area, as was everyone else in the Peninsula, apparently. Rain was predicted, but the weather-woman is as reliable as the Treasury Secretary. Left the garage after seeing a sign (a sign!) promising more parking down some half-fast lane. Didn’t look like there was one space, so I continued down the road. I would have parked on the street and walked, but all the side streets had two-hour parking, so I ended up on a main thoroughfare.

I’d driven on Allemany a few times, mostly by accident. Determined I was heading north, with the freeway parallel, and traffic moving much slower. Not slower than BART, but slow. I experienced a moment of doubt when I passed Farragut Road, thinking somehow I’d wound up in Brooklyn. Finally eased into highway 101 for the final neck of the journey.

Even with the parking-lot delay and the convoluted route to the city, I arrived about the same time as I do with BART and MUNI. The parking was almost as bad in San Francisco as it was at BART. Not quite. I found a spot. But I missed reading the newspaper, which is inconvenient to do while driving.

I expect to reach home sooner than usual, so I can not watch Florida primary coverage. My prediction: Romney first, Pat Buchanan second.

Graphic above by Steve Lambert, used without permission.

What is this, January? Hard to believe when the temperature is 58, the cherry trees are blooming and the grass is green.

Listening to “Interiors” by Rosanne Cash, an excellent album. It’s digital. Among the notes is this message:

We only have 10 years to save our planet It starts with you and it’s easy

Since the album is from 1990 and this is 2012, we must have saved the Earth. I know I’ve done my part. Congratulations!

Maybe over the next ten years we can save someone else’s planet.

We’ve got no skin in the game of Mitt vs Newt. Neither is likely to be a decent president.

On the larger political question, the heated debate among Republicans is which of these two would be a winning opponent against Barack. Regarding that conundrum, Newt Gingrich has the better shot.

In the Primary sniping, Romney’s consistency is challenged, especially on the pressing issue of stopping Obomneycare before it does any more damage, plus his vast wealth, which should not bother Republicans. Gingrich’s critical shortcomings are his lack of concentration and his work for Freddie Mac. There is endless sniping over whom is the real conservative. A dumb question; the answer is Neither.

Consider the real, post-primary election. If Mitt runs, he loses the major issue because Barack can remind voters that Obamacare is based on Romney’s health insurance plan in Massachusetts. That restricts Mitt to picking around the edges of the biggest and baddest entitlement in US history. And his wealth may affect independent voters. (Democrats don’t care, given their support for millionaire weasels like Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi.)

On the other hand, Obama cannot complain that Newt worked for Freddie Mac, since he supports Freddie and Fannie, extending them billions of dollars in taxpayer largesse. Obama has even bailed out the Wall Street “fat cats” he pretends to hate. Can the President call Gingrich thin-skinned? If so, the former Speaker can say, “Right back at ya, Barry.” Can the President remind us of his two books? Sure, but Newt can say, “I’ve written more, and they weren’t all about me.”

Assuming Mr Gingrich doesn’t freak out during the campaign, he can make a far better case for being a budget cutter, advancing policies that created (not ‘saved’) jobs and being able to compromise with Democrats. Obama cannot claim he works well with Republicans, unless he is aiming for the comedy-lovers’ vote.

Obama’s election was based on his masterful use of sophistry and rhetoric. Most of us, including Democrats, are sick of hearing Obama, who gets more media coverage than Kim Kardashian and Nikki Minaj combined.

In the debates, Newt has proven more adept than Mitt. Newt would be a way more exciting candidate, even if you disagree with him or find him disagreeable. And all the Republicans who say that he’s not a real conservative and does not deserve the nomination become an asset with independents and Democrats, who distrust the Republican establishment. It gives Newt a route to denying he is an establishment candidate. “Come on! Dole and Christie, even Ann Coulter, have denounced me. How bad can I be?”

Again, we oppose both front-runners and will vote for neither. To paraphrase an oft-repeated saying, not repeated so much these days, “Give me Ron Paul, or give me death.” Extreme? A real conservative said that, “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!”

Take that, counterfeit conservatives!

IRONY
Is it ironic? We say oui.

Ray LaHood’s son, Sam, is being held hostage in Egypt, where the new government won’t let him leave the country. The TSA is no longer under the older LaHood’s Department of Transportation (DOT), but it’s still noteworthy that the same thing happening to Sam in Egypt happens to many Americans and others in this country who dare go to an airport. Just the other day, Senator Paul experienced this unfair treatment.

Egypt was being touted as an Administration victory after Obama encouraged Hosni Mubarak to leave his country. Now Egypt have an American-style Democracy. Good for them.

IRSUCKS
I am pissed off. And that’s an understatement.

I contested a large, bogus charge from the IRS for alleged “late filing” of a 2009 tax return. [Since it was filed on time electronically, I mistaken thought that constituted being filed.] Thanks to IRS delays, I didn’t discover their error and complain until November 2011. Of course, they are just responding at the end of January 2012, taking their usual sweet time.

The IRS explanation for rejecting my claim. “Your electronic filing was rejected because you didn’t account for the economic recovery payment received… [No idea what they are referring to because I've gotten zip from the government, except threats and strong-arm tactics. Maybe they've confused me with B of A.] Reliance on your tax preparer is not an acceptable reason for us to remove the penalty.”

I was not blaming the preparer, I was blaming the IRS. My point was that they rejected my filing because it was electronic. Had I mailed it — my preference — it would have been accepted.

They claim that since there was an error or oversight (unless they are making up this rule or misinterpreting it), regardless of who was responsible, I am guilty of not being familiar with every obscure aspect of the tax code, including aspects of which H&R Block are also unaware. (Honestly, I don’t even understand the IRS explanation, which may be why they took so long to respond. Seems they are confused, too.)

You can be sure I will mail every return from now on, and maybe run it be Tim Geithner first, to make sure it is correct.

To summarise, they admit that the taxes were filed on time but, because there is a “mistake,” it doesn’t count. If a bank pulled this sort of chicanery, then failed to notify the person responsible, the current Administration would introduce new regulations to punish them. As we know, the IRS can do anything to anyone, regardless of fairness or reason. They are exempt from those.

To be fair to the IRS, they employ mostly ignorant a-holes who enjoy extorting money from innocent people, while inserting notices like the following in their correspondence:

Remember, you can’t spell irresponsible without I-R-S. Or criminals.

Another commute, another shot in the foot. This morning, drove into the parking garage at Colma, then around and around because of signs saying spots were reserved for something or other. I didn’t stop to read the fine print. Finally found some marked “Daily Parking,” which would have been ideal if they weren’t all occupied. There were lots of spots on the third floor, prompting the question: Why isn’t there an electric sign directing drivers to the available parking? It’s not like the parking is free.

BART is crawling with helpful signs. Eventually, on the platform, there was a message flashing about not putting your feet on the seats, please. Good luck with that, BART.

Anyhow, parked and noted the space number. It said to pay for parking once you’ve entered the station, which I attempted to do. The machines made it clear that you had to insert your ticket, but said nothing about Clipper. Seems there is a different machine for that, only it kept saying: See guy in the booth.

That meant leaving the station through the emergency exit. The guy in the booth asked me if my Clipper card was for parking. Well, it wasn’t not for parking. My card is good for all services (MUNI, BART, SamTrans). Seems as if parking at BART would be included, and by included I mean able to ding me for $2.

The guy in the booth gave me elaborate instructions. I’d have to buy a regular BART, use that to enter and pay for parking. I pointed out that I’d already paid to enter, and he assured me that I could get credited back by the chick in the booth at Powell Street. He even put a sticker on my Clipper card to reassure me. Supposedly, that agent can also do something to make my card good for parking.

I thought the purpose of Clipper was making commuting easier. Nah, I didn’t.

Took the train to Powell, where the main exit remains closed for construction (BART apologise). So I went to Fourth Street where the “up” escalator was closed. Since it’s a long climb, common sense dictates that they set the “down” escalator to “up.” They never do that. Climbed to the Fourth Street exit, passing by several gentleman sleeping on the floor. Naturally, I missed the bus due to walking a block out of my way (two blocks counting the walk back).

As Emily Litella used to say, “It’s always something.”

Going home, the woman in the Powell booth said my Clipper account was adjusted and peeled off the sticker. I took her word for that, but asked what about parking. She had to call in a consultant, who said parking must be added at the Clipper web site. Checked that at home. For some reason, you can use Clipper to do the transaction, but the money gets charged separately. It seems based on the assumption that you will drive and park regularly. It’s only temporary for me, so I did not bother completing all the paperwork, after which I’d have to wait for something to come in the mail, which I’d then have to activate. Once again, lots of rigmarole for little result.

If BART are trying to make the commute more annoying, they are succeeding.

Following the Vietnam fiasco of the 60s and early 70s, Americans had little taste for war. They still don’t. However, with no draft, there is a certain complacency about not being forced to fight in misguided, illegal wars. It helps that the battlefields are in other nations.

Reagan tried to encourage the country to be more aggressive with his “operation” in Grenada. As a reminder, that island nation is 344 square kilometres (133 square miles).  By contrast, the smallest state, Rhode Island, is 3,140 square kilometres (1,214 square miles).

It was not until George W Bush that the US became mired in two Middle East wars built to last. So, once again Americans are sick of war. Of course, the pointless nature of these adventures make them unpopular. We’re fighting them there because we must fight someone to underwrite our military-industrial complex.

President Obama’s contribution to battle is reducing reliance on ground troops, relying on air operations, especially the unmanned aircraft known as drones. In addition, elite teams like the SEALs pull off quickie operations such as killing Bin Laden and rescuing Somali hostages.

To save money and personnel, Obama’s last proposed military budget will beef up the special-operations units, while reducing overall active-duty troops. And fear not, he will continue to “invest” in stealth fighters and other overpriced military hardware. (China could build them for less, if Obama really wants to save money.)

These operations will be based all over the globe, with many bases secret. We don’t know how many because they are secret. The USA will still have a military presence everywhere.

I have mixed feelings re: this strategy. As someone who wondered why, if Saddam Hussein was so bad, we couldn’t launch an attack on him, rather than invade Iraq, I’m in a pickle. There were claimed complications because of the alleged fake Saddams, and a law prohibiting the assassination of foreign leaders, as if that would stop anyone in Washington.

The shortcomings of drones are emerging. Like Iraq not having weapons of mass destruction. And the executive branch being able to launch attacks on a whim without Congressional oversight. A rescue mission seems acceptable; comforting to know that occasionally an American abroad is protected by Washington. An assassination carried out against government-decreed enemies is problematic, even when these are not directed at American citizens.

Particularly disturbing are cities in the US acquiring drones. So far, they are just for surveillance, but who wants to be spied on by the government? They don’t like us watching them.

Donald Rumsfeld advocated a similar stealth policy when he was Secretary of Defense. Consider that an argument against it.

As with most government plans, this one overlooks the inevitable downside. When the US use drones and special forces for surgical attacks, they might be popular, except with stick-in-the-muds like Ron Paul, with his damned Constitution.

But what happens when other countries acquire this capability? Seems China got a sample recently when a US drone strayed into Iran, but the US have never been good at keeping technological secrets. Look at the atomic bomb and subsequent advanced weapons of extermination.

The American public are less likely to like drones when they start dropping on their neighbours. I favor reducing Defense Department expenditures as much as anyone, but there should be an open discussion about this drastic change, as well as a serious debate over whether the US should continue being the world’s policeman.

It would be like politicians secretly decimating our health care delivery system, without public participation, in spite of widespread outrage. Fortunately, that could never happen in a free country.

Read Obama’s lollapalooza campaign speech, i.e.The State of The Union, a couple of times. These chats are worth little or less, except as indicators of what the current president wants us to think. (I always read them because it wastes far less time than watching, with all the interruptions for feigned applause, unlike watching “Red Eye,” which was bumped for this traditional twaddle.)

In the case of 2012’s SOU, what Obama omitted was as enlightening as what he claimed credit for, including policies opposed to all he has been doing. If you read it (or listen) without context, it is impressive.

In fairness, I’ve never read one of these annual “reports” that assess the state of the country. They’re all bullshit, so I’ll leave the analysis to the self-proclaimed experts, who can take nonsense seriously.

I can encapsulate the address in one word: Sophistry.

An acquaintance says he will vote for Obama because the president needs four more years to get stuff done. I prefer my stuff medium rare.

Sorry, but at some point you max out your apologies.  This morning, I drove a car, intending to park at the BART Daly City station. I had done my homework, learning that it cost $2 for the day. That’s the SamTrans one-way fare, so you can consider it a $2 savings or, if you’re a glass half-empty person like me, you believe it should be free because you are patronising BART, its own punishment.

In the parking lot I’d seen, there were only forty or fifty spaces left, all marked No Parking 7:00 – 10:00 A.M. That sucked! That’s BART. There wasn’t even an apology for yet another inconvenience. Figuring there must be parking somewhere, I exited the lot, which led directly to the freeway. Although it was not my wish to do so, I drove to work.

At the office, I revisited the Web in search of hidden parking. There was a map with this note: Parking locations are subject to change. Please check signs in parking lots for actual locations. Surprisingly, my first impulse this morning was to look for signs designating parking, possibly even BART parking. There were no fucking signs. [BART brings out the best in me.]

Not sure if I should try parking there another day, or use Colma next time, while imagining why those DC spots are off limits until 10:00 A.M. I am certain the BART brain rust has some rationale.

One reader got his panties in a wad over my recent “Sorry Transit System.” Aside from being kind of a dick, his problem is that the L.A. system is worse than BART, according to him. Possibly, but I’ve never heard of anyone using that subway. I understood it to be a vanity project, mostly for movie backdrops.

Last week I sat in the back of a SamTrans bus, sharing the seat with some guy by the other window. A young woman sat down at the next seat, in front of him, at right angles to me. The bus pulled out and, as I sat there in my mass-transit reverie, she removed her coat, reached into her carry bag, and slipped a big shirt over her clothes.  Nothing odd about that.

It did seem strange when she began changing her clothes (just the top or I could have called this “Pubic transportation”) under that shirt. When she was finished swapping layers, she slipped off the big shirt, folded everything and stashed them in the bag. She unzipped her boots, removing them to change her socks, rubbed some cream on her stomach, working that in. Then she got up and moved to a seat facing front. The guy facing her had dozed off, by the way. Must have been sleepy.

I have no idea why she couldn’t change more comfortably when she reached her destination, or if she didn’t want someone there to see her other outfit, or vice-versa.  Either way, it was reminiscent of “Flashdance.” This girl was cute, but she was no Jennifer Beals [pictured above from 2011].  Then again, who is?

[not a typo: 'brain rust']

Kimberley Strassel reheated her 16 December 2011 anti-Ron Paul rhetoric, asking what Dr Paul wants. Today’s (12 Jan 2012) column suggests that these attacks may be monthly occurrences.

First, she suggests his economic views are fine. “Mr Paul isn’t losing this nomination because of his libertarian economic views, including his calls to slash spending.” No? Which Republican president in the last sixty years reduced the role of the Federal government, scaling it back to its defined duties outlined in the Constitution? Quite the opposite has occurred. None of Paul’s rivals for the nomination will do anything but increase their power by inserting Washington into more areas of our lives.

Second, “Mr Paul is losing this nomination because of his isolationist views on foreign policy and presidential power.” See, folks, the Republican Party “has long believed in a robust projection of US power.” Ms Strassel’s syntax reflects her reticence to state that the policy is pretty much minding everyone else’s business, at a huge cost in money and lives, with no regard for defending the US, which is their primary responsibility, according to the Constitution.

Incidentally, Dr Paul is not an isolationist, he merely opposes illegal wars, including wars of opportunity and so-called nation-building. To the contrary, he wants to expand trade and cooperation with other countries, a much more effective way to persuade them that our system is better, or would be if we practised it. Look at China. The People’s Republic is more repressive and less free than the US, for now, but they are moving in the right direction.

Strassel is absurd when writing that, “It seems not to matter to Mr Paul that the complex issues on which he pronounces have in fact long been the subject of vigorous debate, and that the GOP has come by its positions honestly.” Balderdash! Or poorly phrased piffle. Assuming there was a debate and an honest consensus, that would not make it right. On the other hand, I follow the news, I observe politics, yet cannot recall a single debate on the direction of US foreign policy. If there has one, please someone tell me the time and location. The greatest debate I recall was during Vietnam, when those opposing the undeclared, illegal, misguided war, including few politicians, were called Communists. That is not really debate.

She mentions Paul’s opposition to the so-called Patriot Act, one of the most abhorrent pieces of legislation ever forced on this country, suggesting it is not.

Then Ms Strassel points out that most of the Doctor’s support comes from independents, even Democrats, as if that’s bad. Whom does she think will be voting in the general election? Who will be less likely to vote — those who finally have someone championing their views, or those who kind of like Obama, except for his presidential incompetence?

Her main concern is that Paul’s refusal to fade into the woodwork may help get Obama reelected, noting that Dr Paul can’t want that outcome because they are completely apart on their views. That last part is true, or truer than Dorothy Rabinowitz’s recent suggestion that “it would be hard to find any public figure in America whose views more closely echo those of President Obama” on US foreign policy.

Obama supports all-encompassing government at home and abroad, with unlimited executive power, much as any of the non-Paul Republican hopefuls would, if elected.

It is time to ignore politics and support ideas. That strategy may not succeed, but relying on politics has never turned out well. They say that the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over, yet expecting a different outcome. I ask:

Are you crazy?

It must be a blue moon because the BART rail conveyance pulled into the station as I reached the platform. Usually, I get to wave to the departing operator. (I gather his or her job is closing the doors when I appear and slamming on the brake when a cow wanders on to the tracks.)

It was an entertaining ride, after sitting next to a woman listening to Glenda Tyler, who was sitting opposite. Despite having no operating windows, BART trains are noisy. Glenda Tyler is noisier. Read on.

Glenda yelled, over the noise, about her rough times, including a divorce, I think. She didn’t care how many passengers were subjected to her pedestrian account, so long as she didn’t have to relocate her fat ass. My seatmate hardly got a word in because Ms Tyler had the whole story prepared. She should write it down and shred it. I was relieved to learn that she now gets along with her ex better than before, and that she’s got a younger man in her life.

As I experience the vicissitudes of public transportation, one thing I’ve noticed is that BART, the Bay Area Rail Travesty, constantly apologises.

Expressions of regret are no substitute for decent service. I use the Powell station often. For at least a week, they have been undergoing construction, closing the center escalator and stairway. And they are sorry.

But it’s damned inconvenient. Passengers must walk to either end of the station, go upstairs, then walk back to the exit. Riders at Mission-16th Street are always forced to do that because of a flawed design and elimination of one exit.  To be fair, no station is well conceived, having been designed by Rhesus monkeys after imbibing too much tequila.

Anyone who has just missed a train after waiting on line to enter the station and completing the obstacle course to the platform, knows what I mean. For one thing, and don’t hold the monkeys responsible for this, there are too few ticket-taking machines, and those allow one-way passage only. There are also insufficient ticket-selling machines, especially given their frequency of failure. When they break, they do receive prompt placement of Sorry stickers.

I never use the elevators, but they are always announcing how many are not working. One day they said all were working before I got out at Powell, through a different exit from usual because of the construction, passing by an elevator that was clearly marked “Not in Service.” Of course they were sorry for the inconvenience.

Public transportation is good for you, so they say. BART has certainly transformed the Bay Area, getting all those commuters off buses and into overpriced trains. Undoubtedly, a high-speed rail line from San Francisco to L.A., completed around 2085, will be equally transformational.

Welcome back, Wikipedia!