Alternet has been very good at these multi-point roundups lately, and this one’s no exception. It’s a valuable read on some important things that the American people should know before they’re willing to take on the trillion dollar debt brought on by the Bush Administration’s financial policies and the party that’s been going on on Wall Street while Main Street crumbles under our feets and our jobs, salaries, and communities have been withering away.

Here are some highlights:

1. Shock Doctrine: Profiting from Crisis

Robert Borosage of Campaign for America’s Future invokes Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine in asking whether we’re going to “get fleeced in this crisis” …

Call it extortion. Every American is told to ante up $2,000–an estimated $700 billion in all–to bail out the banks from their bad bets, or they’ll bring down the entire economy.

In a speculative frenzy that allowed the Masters of the Universe to pocket millions personally, the banks filled their coffers with toxic paper that no one wants to buy. Now they sensibly don’t want to lend money to each other, since no one knows if the other is solvent. So they go on strike, and threaten to trigger a global depression, if they don’t get rescued.

The bailout will happen simply to avoid that depression. But depressions have some salutary effects – the scoundrels go belly up, the weakest get purged, and in the wake of the disaster, people demand strict regulation of the money lenders to keep their greed and predatory behavior in check, and government spends money on the real economy to put people back to work.

2. Has a “Consensus” Really Formed Around the Idea That Something Must Be Done?

Martin Crutsinger of the Associated Press reports that “economists” — implying, troublingly, all economists — see the Bush Bailout as”Necessary.”

But Atrios — economist Duncan Black’s blog handle — has some questions about how everyone got on the same page so quickly …

…

7. What Would a More Progressive Bailout Look Like?

Economist Dean Baker offers up some “Progressive Conditions for a Bailout” at TPM:

Principles to Guide the Bailout

1) Financial institutions should be forced to endure the bulk of the losses with taxpayer funds only used where absolutely necessary to sustain the orderly operation of the financial system.

2) The bailout must be designed to minimize the opportunity for gaming.

3) The bailout should be designed to minimize moral hazard.

4) In the case of delinquent mortgages that come into the government’s possession, there should be an effort to work out an arrangement that allows the homeowner to remain in her house as owner. If this proves impossible, then former homeowners should be allowed to remain in their homes as renters paying the market rent. This should be done even if it leads to losses to the government.

5) There should be serious efforts to severely restrict executive compensation at any companies that directly benefit from the bailout.

For the full list, head over to Alternet. It’s a worthwhile read – call it the “fine print” of this bailout.

[ 10 Things You Should Know About Bush's Trillion Dollar Fleecing Plan ]
Source: Alternet

Earlier this week, we learned that Sarah Palin said “being a small-town mayor is kind of like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibility.”

Really Ms. Palin? Actual responsibility?

(click to embiggen)

There’s some excellent commentary on this and other topics at the ever-eloquent Ill Doctrine. Check out this video for specifics:

While “Moose Burgers” Palin is out riding her snowmobile and gunning animals for food with assault weapons (and somehow Republicans actually admire her for these things), those “community organizers” are rallying events larger than the population of her city, and bringing real Americans together to solve the real problems that she and her party refuse to solve.

I know, it’s difficult as it is to come up with reasons to vote Republican in general, not just this November. Well, the fine folks at I’m Voting Republican have come up with some excellent reasons to consider your Republican vote this fall:

(warning: satire alert!)

Vote Republican. You’ll get what you deserve!

More about the specifics of the movie here.

I saw this piece and I couldn’t pass it up. At the beginning of the Democratic primary season, I was a firm Hillary Clinton supporter; I didn’t think anyone else had what it took to wrestle the country from the hands of neoconservative failure on all levels. At the same time, I didn’t completely love Hillary Clinton; there are a few things I don’t like about her political stance – but that being said, it wasn’t until the Democratic debate really took shape did I firm up an allegiance away from her.

Even so, I’m both distressed at the loss of a female candidate for the White House as I am thrilled that she’s made significant inroads for women in politics. Women in American governance don’t need to feel that they have to listen to their conservative colleagues when they tell them to sit down, shut up, and go home. No one can tell America’s young women that they have any “place” that’s not every place they choose to be, and Hillary Clinton’s campaign has brought more women who are eager to be leaders to the fore.

When Amy Sewell and Susan Toffler set out to make a documentary about the next generation of female political leaders, they ran across seven women in their early 20s. This group became the focus of the film designed to promote young women’s participation in the electoral process.

The directors took the title of their movie – “What’s Your Point, Honey?” – from a cartoon that has two characters: Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is pointing to a globe showing all the countries where women are heads of state and a man is asking, “What’s your point, honey?” The title provided an ironic touch, but the message of the film, which debuted in New York on May 29, extends beyond the 2008 race.

“It’s about the day that we see seven up there that we can choose from and not have it become polarizing,” said Sewell, who is also creator of the 2005 documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom,” about a dance program in New York City public schools. “It’s about seeing seven women candidates the same way that we see seven men.”

I’m longing for that day as much as the next person, I think. The film brings out a number of issues, including a persistent belief among women that they’re somehow not as qualified than their male counterparts (a belief that’s nowhere remotely factual and is entirely socialized into young women: that running things is still a “man’s job”) and that women are less likely to receive support from political organizations and activist groups. (hopefully this is changing – at least on the left.)

Additionally, the film sits down with the leaders of a couple of activist groups looking to encourage women to get involved in leadership positions and politics on both the local, national, state, and federal levels. The project aims to – and I’m hoping to – return to the young women featured in the documentary in several years, when the youngest are eligable for a run at the Presidency, and find a number of them engaged in politics.

[ Tweens and Twenties See Future Led by Women ]
Source: Women’s eNews (courtesy of Truthout)

When President Bush got word of the Supreme Court’s decision that Habeas Corpus is alive and well in the United States, he said flatly that he had heard the Court’s decision, but that doesn’t mean he had to like it.

Frankly, Mr. President, we know already that you care little for the rights and liberties of Americans. Whether the intention is to create a type of security state with a populace so fearful of a dodgy, elusive “enemy of the week” that they’re compliant and not willing to speak up, or there’s some other, more sinister reason for trying to kill Habeas Corpus in the first place, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-to-4 majority that detainees at the Guantanamo Bay facility are indeed on American soil and have the same rights as anyone else held in the United States for crimes during a time of war, including the right to contest their detention in civilian court and examine and refute evidence the government has collected against them.

The Bush Administration has, up to this point, tried to essentially arrest people and tell the courts, Congress, and other oversight organizations, both empowered and civilian, that they picked up a guy they can’t tell you about because he’s done some things they can’t tell you about and is planning something they can’t tell you about and they’ve collected enough evidence to keep him locked away for the rest of eternity that they can’t tell you about. The Supreme Court said that’s not good enough.

Make no mistake, the prisoners at Guantanamo are by all logical accounts not very nice people. But what makes America a stronger nation than its enemies, what makes America a freeer nation than the countries that incited these people into violence against a people they don’t know, is the fact that we follow the rule of law – we don’t break our own laws and we don’t rewrite the rulebook just because we have the bigger guns.

Can you imagine how this decision would have gone if there were more Bush appointees on the high court? Let that sink in a bit, and remember to vote this November.

I’ll let Justice Kennedy have the last say:

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5-4, with the court’s liberal justices in the majority.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, “The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times.”

[ Court Says Detainees Have Rights, Bucking Bush ]
Source: Associated Press (via Yahoo! News)

Looks about how it would go to me. If elections were like Pokemon (and I don’t really like Pokemon), we’d already have realized that it’s not just about picking the best person to fill the best role (although I think he’s the best there too), it’s also about picking the best person to beat the opposition.

I was thinking about making another post about the imaginary so-called “War on Christmas,” but I thought it would be a much better and fitting sentiment to simply say, Happy Holidays. Here’s wishing you a safe and joyous holiday season, regardless of what you celebrate, or even if you celebrate nothing at all. Take care, be safe, and see you all in 2008.

Happy Holidays to you and yours from Not So Humble dot net. 2008 is going to be a big year. But until the holidays are all done, allow me to leave you with the same poem from last year because it’s so incredibly accurate:

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the nation
Friends of Freedom knew it was a special occasion.
Lady Liberty stood taller just off the shore
Her torch shining brighter than a few weeks before

But it wasn’t the flame turning her cheeks all rosy
It was thoughts of Snowe, Feingold and Nancy Pelosi
And leaders from every side of the aisle
Who would soon bring the Bill of Rights back into style.

(more…)

Stolen shamelessly from BoingBoing who stole it from Wellington Grey. I thought it was entertaining.

Hilariously true! Click the image above for a larger view.

The news is incredibly saddening, and Molly will be missed sorely.

She was an inspiration to so many people, and her words were always everything I always wanted to be: truthful, poignant, witty, smart, and brought that smirk to your face that only someone with wit, wisdom, and candor could bring. She wasn’t just a commentator or a writer, she was the voice of our conscience, smacking us upside our heads in disbelief at what we were doing, where we were going, and what we were saying, whether it was from on high in Washington or down low among the masses. Pick up her books, especially Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She?, you’ll be pleased.

The Unsinkable Molly Ivins. I’ll miss you, you’ve inspired me so incredibly much. I’ll keep raising hell, alright, if not just for you. Rest well.

[ Molly Ivins: 1944-2007 ]
Source: The Texas Observer (courtesy of TruthOut)

[ Remembering Molly Ivins ]
Source: The Nation

[ A Sad Day for Journalism ]
Source: Textualdeviance@Livejournal

[ Treasuring the Wit and Wisdom of Molly Ivins ]
Source: National Public Radio

[ Quotes and Quips from Molly Ivins ]
Source: The Houston Chronicle