Comments on Contrary Brin: Civilization forges on... and remains under threat...

Oh, I forgot about the fact that the USMC uses nav...

2008-02-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Oh, I forgot about the fact that the USMC uses navy corpman... and dentalmen, and doctors, and nurses, and lawyers, and chaplains, and...
(Marines are very efficient: they're all warriors, because the Navy provides the support services)

I own a autographed copy of Star Wars on Trial, autographed by you in fact... "Mysterious Galaxies" bookstores had it. Too bad I missed the booksigning session, I'd have introduced myself.

Star Wars: far right republican gun nuts vs. oppressive government.
Star Trek: socialist democrat peaceniks vs. USSR/PRC stand ins.
(Original series. Next Generation has different enemy metaphors.)

First in our simmering dispute over who is the "pu...

2008-02-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

First in our simmering dispute over who is the "puppet master":

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/saudis-threatened-blair-with-terror/2008/02/15/1202760602703.html

Then there is the triptych (so far) of Obama videos. The first one "Yes I can"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

And then "Yes, McCain?"
http://lawgeek.typepad.com/lawgeek/2008/02/mccain-parodyre.html

and finally, "No, you can't."
http://billionairesforbush.com/index.php

Re the Electoral College, you might enjoy my own rant about this, pushing almost the same concept for many years: http://www.davidbrin.com/electoral.html

In fact, this is one of my perennials. Hold on and I'll post also my quadrennial "why the candidates should stipulate" piece. This year, it's needed more than ever. http://www.davidbrin.com/candidatestipulation.html

Re McCain choosing a woman? Who? Anne Coulter? Oh! If only. But then buy life insurance for McC and triple the Secret Service.

Hawker, MEN OF HONOR was about Navy petty officers. A navy corpsman was featured in FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. U-235 was mixed. But yes I get your point.

See my own point in STAR WARS ON TRIAL about how Star Trek uses a Naval motif, and thus emphasizes teamwork and civilization, while the Air Force motif in Star Wars hearkens to the knight and his charger & his squire, and civilization is idiotic.

Well, running for office is on my list of 'things ...

2008-02-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

Well, running for office is on my list of 'things to do'. But real life interferes. I'm so busy raising kids and making a living that I can't take time off to campaign for someone else, much less myself.

My military resume is that of a enlisted man, not an officer. On top of that, Navy enlisted men (except for SEALs) tend to be 'part of the team', and not show up as leaders/heroes. Look at the movies! War movies about the Navy are either dramas about the officers, or comedies about enlisted men on liberty. Army war movies cover the spectrum, with movies about generals (Patton) and enlisted men (To Hell and Back) and mixes of both (The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan).

Chris Carney is a PA Rep., still in the Reserve, w...

2008-02-15T02:04:00.000-08:00

Chris Carney is a PA Rep., still in the Reserve, with 24 years of military service. Very popular at home, and might help secure a swing state.

Patrick Murphy is from PA too, and he served in Bosnia and Iraq with the 82nd airborne as a Captain. He flipped a red district blue in a tight race.

Joe Sestak is a PA Dem who flipped a red district, and was a Navy Vice-Admiral who commanded naval forces in the Gulf as recently as 2004.

Jim Webb would be a wet dream of a VP. He can deliver Virginia, (which would be huge for the Party). Served in 'Nam, was Reagans Secretary of the Navy, and his son has done tours in Iraq and Afgahnistan. He's a converted moderate Republican, fiercly anti-PNAC. Only a pick for Obama, of course.

He's younger and far more vital than Clark, knows how to campaign, gives a hell of a stump speech, and projects a great mix of vitality, competence, passion, authority, and strength.

The kicker is, VA. has a Democratic Governor to appoint a Democratic Senate replacement for him.

Even better, being from VA provides appeal in neighboring States, and there is NO "North-Eastern Establishment Elite" knee-jerk hatred to deal with.

I understand that you're a big Clark Fan, Dr.Brin, and I think he's on Clintons short list, but he is...a very close friend and ally of the Clintons. There's also the "almost fired on the Russians" meme out there, and he's not a very effective speechifier or debater.

He would make a GREAT Sec-Def.

There is only one female vet in our entire Congress...and if I remember correctly, she's going down this year. Oh yeah, and she's Republican.

If McCain gives a woman a nod, and I still think he might, then gender identity politics becomes an issue, even more than ussual since the Hillary camp is *SO* stirred up to "put a woman in the white house". It's disturbing to read comments on her campaign blog, since about every fourth post is "Our First Woman President!" or some variant thereof.

What's scarier is that comments there require moderator approval, and those on Obamas blogs don't. "First black president!" type comments are about one in fifty on his site, despite the lack of censorship.

Moderators there are about as tolerant as you are Dr.Brin...which means they only delete the unbelievably crude and obscene stuff if they get several reports. No "message control".

Heck, let me post a little bio-section about Wes C...

2008-02-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Heck, let me post a little bio-section about Wes Clark. Look at this list of posts and tell me he doesn't have a whole slew of experience that'd pair up nicely with either democrat.

A graduate of the National War College and, later, an assistant professor at West Point, he trained officers and soldiers in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked as a White House fellow and a special assistant to the Office of Management and Budget.

During the Persian Gulf War, Clark was the commanding general of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. From 1992 to 1994, he commanded the 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas, and conducted three emergency deployments to Kuwait.

He served as the senior U.S. military member of the team that put together the 1995 Dayton, Ohio, peace accord, giving him an inside look at the tumultuous Balkans region.

From 1996 to 1997, Clark headed U.S. Southern Command in Panama, where he oversaw U.S. security policy in Latin America.

In July 1997, Clinton appointed his fellow Arkansan as the commander in chief of the U.S. European Command, and Clark became NATO's supreme allied commander, where he again was immersed in the ongoing conflict in the Balkans.

He led NATO's successful 11-week air campaign against Yugoslavia, which was aimed at halting the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Clark pushed for a more aggressive assault and reportedly urged the Pentagon to allow him to plan a ground invasion of Kosovo if the airstrikes failed.

Hawker, run for Congress! Or state assembly. Or ...

2008-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hawker, run for Congress! Or state assembly. Or find a buddy who has your background but seems up to it. Help him drive a stake into the heart of some gerried GOP district.

Here's an example. If only the dems had found two hundred of these guys!

But are you a general, HH? ;-)Meanwhile, an intrig...

2008-02-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

But are you a general, HH? ;-)

Meanwhile, an intriguing development on the open source front:

SCO announces reorganisation.

To summarise and cherry pick the Groklaw report:
- SCNP & 'partners from the Middle East' are investing $100m into SCO which, among other things, will allow it to reorganise and 'enable the company to see SCO's legal claims through to their full conclusion.' (ie kill Linux)
- 'partners from the Middle East' appears to refer to 'Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Al Saud of Kingdom Holding Company'.
- 'Gates and Alwaleed have collaborated for at least two years. ... to explore ways to assist Microsoft's expansion in Saudi Arabia.

How interesting.

Yes, the Vice President has the same qualification...

2008-02-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, the Vice President has the same qualifications as the President: must be a natural born citizen of the U.S. over the age of 36. Governor Arnie does not qualify.
And I wouldn't want a VP for anyone that would encourage the assassination of the President by any groups.

As for Senator Obama's choice for VP, I'd like to point out that I am a natural born citizen, a retired military man, and a veteran of Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Liberation... "I'm tanned, fit, and ready!"

Since the VP steps into the president's shoes in t...

2008-02-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Since the VP steps into the president's shoes in the event of incapacity etc, I would say they need to have the same basic qualifications (ie native US citizenship)

It strikes me as a dumb requirement, though.

I've stated before my wish for a VP nominee who ca...

2008-02-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

I've stated before my wish for a VP nominee who can look McCain in the eye from the position of military/defense/security affairs...

...while giving this youth movement a sense of "adult supervision." While supplying badly-needed intenational diplomacy credentials and experience at administration.

There's a very limited list of names who can supply those traits, WHILE having proved already to be a Democratic Party stalwart and loyal team player.

In fact, I can think of only one name. And it's a guy who can blow away any right wing-nut they put up against him, in the VP debates.

----

Andew Love wrote in with the name of that short story showing that the names of the characters in World War II prove it must have been fictional. "Letter from a Higher Critic" by Stewart Robb
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?45523

Anybody have access to the story itself?

I'd like to contribute to the list of notable scen...

2008-02-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

I'd like to contribute to the list of notable scenes from the Uplift books, if I may:
The ring of battle debris around Saturn.
The Egg on Jijo.
Pretty much any scene from the asteroid base that housed the Institute of Navigation.
The submersible with that group of four or five friends in Jijo's ocean.
Creidiki talking to the Whale Gods.
The Thennanin envoy communing with that squirrel-thing on Garth.

Actually, Mr. Brin, I fully admit that my intense ...

2008-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Actually, Mr. Brin, I fully admit that my intense dislike of the Clinton Clan is irrational. It is not based on policy (though I did dislike Mr. Clinton's tendency to rattle sabers at Iraq whenever the media got too close to his own skeletons and personal issues... and still shake my head at how the movie "Wag the Dog" seems like a documentary instead of a work of fiction). It is based on personality. I do not like the personalities of either President or Hillary Clinton.

It's also based on intuition, something I trust. My gut feeling is that a Clinton Presidency is not a good thing. It won't be nearly as bad as a McCain Presidency... but it will be a remarkable failure to take a much-needed chance... and step away from a culture of corruption and power-grabbing that has existed for much of our country's history. Let's face it. Our government is corrupt and has a tendency to have some truly despicable people at the reins of power. But every so often we have someone stand out, stand above the crowd and show us how to move forward. I have my reservations about Mr. Obama. But he's the last best choice we've got... and perhaps the absolute best choice we've had for over half a century.

I don't want to see this country blow it and step back into the shadows of partisanship and looking out for oneself instead of for others.

------

I've been toying with the idea of who would make a good running mate for the Democratic candidate. An Obama/Clinton ticket is right out (with either candidate as the presidential candidate). I believe there's a bit too much ill-will there. And it would also have all of the negatives of both candidates and few of the positives. It would galvanize the Republicans against them and it might dishearten the young people who believe Mr. Obama stands for change.

I'm not sure if Mr. Edwards would make a good running mate or not. It would strengthen Mr. Obama, perhaps more than Mrs. Clinton. But he has interests of his own and might decide to follow Mr. Gore's route of an independent crusader for change, working outside the political system.

An absolutely whimsical idea (and one I'm not sure is constitutional or not... I know that you need to be born a U.S. citizen to run for president, but for VP?) would be Obama/Schwarzenegger. For some reason that just amuses me to no end.

Rob H.

I've been lurkreading this blog for a few weeks no...

2008-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

I've been lurkreading this blog for a few weeks now, and have a thought to spill out on the keyboard/share.

Gary Hart got me thinking. We're witnessing the most turbulent times in at least a half a century, wars, widespread distrust, apparent impending disaster on many fronts. Gnashing of teeth. And along comes an unlikely guy, Obama, poised to step in and (we hope) save the day.

My thought is: is this what a Seldon Crisis feels like?

(DB, re scenes, Streaker shedding the cloak of Thennanin hull, dumping its water cargo and blasting off to the transfer point is one of my faves.)

Robert, I appreciate your visceral dislike of the ...

2008-02-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Robert, I appreciate your visceral dislike of the Clintons. It's infectious. But there comes a time when any honest person has to answer the challenge to "put up or shut up." After a billion dollars in varied investigations, across 12 years, have turned up not a single scintilla of credible evidence of ANY wrongdoing having to do with actual office, it is time to admit that the Ptolemaic, er Steady State, er Lamarckian theory that Clinton-bashers so devoutly WANT to be true...

...is NOT true. For all their faults, they earnestly reduced secrecy and increased accountability. Not the behavior of people with corrupt aims. And no corruption was ever found, of any kind, whatsoever. Live with it. Admit the Earth goes around the sun.

The reasons to not want her to be the dem-nominee are numerous, but they have little to do with how she would actually try to function with the powers of the office. The biggest reason is that she (and we) would be stymied and tormented and pummelled by endless Culture War. Who the hell needs that?

But even so, she'd accomplish goal number one. Her appointees would only be 5% political hacks instead of 100%. Many of the 95% would be promoted from WITHIN the civil service and the officer corps. Whistle blowers would get to speak up. The FBI and CIA would be encouraged to find the puppet strings. (Well, Hillary may have a few of her own. Just to be safe, vote Obama.) JUST THIS ALONE would make her a savior worth fighting for.

BTW... am I the only one to see the irony of Mrs. ...

2008-02-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

BTW... am I the only one to see the irony of Mrs. Clinton giving a speech that derides Mr. Obama's speeches? How is her campaign different in this regard? Does she not also offer empty promises and hollow platitudes? This is a stone thrown from one glass house to the next, in the middle of a field of rocks.

Part of President Carter's problem was that he did...

2008-02-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

Part of President Carter's problem was that he did not have allies in the Democratic Congress. So he was trying to push through legislation without any assistance at all. Mr. Obama has the benefit of a Congress that is uniting behind him. If Mrs. Clinton loses and does the right thing and unifies behind him rather stab his administration in the back, then Mr. Obama should be a fairly effective president.

Things are going to get nasty though. Mrs. Clinton is determined to be President... and is dragging out the big guns. Expect muckslinging to start, and for Mrs. Clinton to say "if he can't take it, he shouldn't be the Democratic Candidate" should Mr. Obama complain.

If Mr. Obama manages to maintain the moral high ground and not sling muck back, then we may very well see the self-destruction of the Clinton Campaign (as a number of people seriously dislike negative campaigns) and the McCain camp staying away from the muckslinging as well. Who knows... we could actually end up with a clean and respectful General Presidential Election...

Yeah, I know, I'm dreaming. ^^;;

Rob H.

There are a lot of parallels between the next Demo...

2008-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of parallels between the next Democratic presidency and Jimmy Carter's. Jimmy Carter was also a responsible Democrat who followed a notably corrupt Republican* and had to clean up the aftermath of an expensive and unpopular war. I hope that the next Democrat will learn from Jimmy Carter's experience, and avoid being limited to one term as an unpopular president followed by an irresponsible (and popular) Republican.

Not only was Jimmy Carter unpopular, but the history of his presidency has been rewritten so completely that I grew up thinking he was a bad president, when research shows him to be among the most fiscally responsible presidents in history.

*I'm referring to Nixon. Technically he followed Ford, but he was the first elected president after Nixon.

Replacing a pack of Bush Cronies with Clinton Cron...

2008-02-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Replacing a pack of Bush Cronies with Clinton Cronies certainly wouldn't be a downward move, but in a lot of areas, it would be lateral.

The ammount of bad blood in four years if Clinton wins the Presidency is going to make it impossible for any Democrat to take the office, and there is no chance that she would pass on seeking the nomination again.

If Clinton gets the nod, it's two terms, or a Republican in four years. I'm not sure which is more likely.

Oh, the results of the too early primaries would h...

2008-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

Oh, the results of the too early primaries would have to be invalidated. The lack of all the candidates and the fact that it was taken before the appointed hour lead to this. I would simply say that any Caucus or Primary taken after May 20st would be considered valid if it met the normal standards for notice and including everyone it should.

I'd scrap the whole system and have all 50 states vote in 3 tiers. 2-3 weeks of debate -> Vote 1 (all 8* candidates) -> Eliminate all candidates who didn't get 5%-> 2-3 weeks of debate -> Vote 2 -> Eliminate all candidates who didn't get 20% of the vote -> Vote 3 -> The party representative.

I haven't really studied elections much, but I like the idea of everyone being able to refine their vote as a national consensus is formed.

----------

Regarding Hillary vs Obama. I'm of the opinion that it will take years of work to clean up the damage that has been done by the current administration. There will many things that have to be done which will be 'made' unpopular by the Neocons. I understand some wanting Obama for that hope/change stuff but we should realize that people that rally for that call alone aren't prepared for the changes that we need to start making.

I say let Hillary take the office for the next term and be crucified for things that 'have' to be done. Then let Obama come in and do some real change. Restoring sanity to the government is going to be a loveless job as far as the uneducated masses are concerned.

I may be underestimating what 'any' Democratic candidate may be able to do, but I also think that anyone that believes the Neocons will be ineffective in their attacks on the next President aren't being realistic.

Actually, I'm not sure if Mrs. Clinton would win F...

2008-02-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Actually, I'm not sure if Mrs. Clinton would win Florida or not at this juncture. If it was held at this second, I am willing to bet it would be a hotly contested race. If it is held after Texas and Ohio... and if Mr. Obama beats expectations and either ties or wins those states... then a Florida Caucus, caught up in the momentum, might swing for Obama. And this is something Clinton wants to avoid at all costs. So she'll resist with every last ounce of her being allowing the tossed-out Primaries to be redone as Caucuses.

I suspect she would rather wave a little flag and claim her election was stolen than admit that someone defeated her fair and share. I might be wrong. But the Clinton pride is a powerful thing... and I very much doubt that Mrs. Clinton's honest thoughts for Mr. Obama are charitable.

Of course, I do admit that I have a blind spot when it comes to the Clintons... just chalk me up as one of those irrational Clinton haters (though equal opportunity - I absolutely despise the Shrub because he had the audacity to be a worse person (and President) than Bill Clinton was).

Heh. No wonder Mr. Brin sees me as a cynic. ^^;;

Anon-Liking or not liking results shouldn't have a...

2008-02-14T03:06:00.000-08:00

Anon-

Liking or not liking results shouldn't have anything to do with how we deal with Florida and Michigan Delegates.

Hundreds of thousands did not vote in Florida, becaue they were told their votes wouldn't count. Told by the people who were supposed to know. Hundreds of thousands more did not fully inform themselves and take their vote seriously, because they did not think it would matter.

In Michigan, only one major and one minor candidate were on the ballot. One candidate "elections" are, I'm sorry to say, straight out of the Soviet Union. 40% of the people in that state, believing their vote counted for nothing, still went through the trouble to register and vote "Dear god, please, not Hillary".

How do you apportion the "please, not Hillary" Delegates? What about the tens of thousands in Michigan whose write-in votes where never counted?

Once the Washington State Primary result comes in on the 19th, and it's clear to everyone that Caucuses *do* reflect the will of the people, we can throw caucuses for Michigan and Florida. I'll donate what little I can to help fund it.

Senator Clinton will almost certainly STILL win Florida. It's loaded with her strongest Demographics. That's fine. But let's have a fair process.

Let them Caucus one week before Puerto Rico votes.

Ok, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I promised to...

2008-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I promised to say something nice about the candidates. Let's start,

Hillary Clinton. I'm rooting for Obama to win the primary and the election. But I will not overlook the best thing she has done by running for president. She has become the first female frontrunner for president, and she has gotten people to start seriously considering the idea of a woman as president of the United States. That's big, especially since we now live a country that can no longer afford to overlook 50% of the population when trying to find the best candidate for president.

Unfortunately, Clinton does not represent the change this country needs right now. She can't end this Culture War. But she has opened the door for a future great president who just happens to be a woman, and that means a lot to me. It really does.

John Edward. I wish he could have stayed in longer to make his policies heard. He does a good job of portraying the frustrations of people living in poverty and the working poor. He focused on problems the US faces domestically. However, when he talks about two Americas, he seems to have more of an Us vs Them mentality rather than working hard for the unity America needs right now.

Dennis Kucinich. I'm still kind of angry he wasn't able to stay in longer. I remember him being written off as some extreme leftist during the debates early on. His opinions were largely ignored though they shouldn't have been. And... gah, I'm still a bit bitter about that. I'm just going to move on to the Republicans.

I agree with David that watching the Republican primary is now more interesting than the Democratic one right now. Republicans are having a tough time keeping their party from splitting apart. It all depends on whether they will be able to get rid of the monsters from within their party and find some sane conservative civil servants to lead. This will require a massive shake-up, and anyone who takes on this task will have earned my respect. I hope they succeed.

John McCain. Is it too late for him to call out and discredit those in the Bush administration who wronged him back in 2000? I fear it is. He is in the best position right now to expose the monsters in his party and give the Republicans a fresh start. I don't know how he could be convinced to do this. The most I could do is make sure that he wouldn't have to face the neocon smears alone if he did.

Mike Huckabee. I find him the most interesting candidate, most of all because quite a few members of my family are supporting him. He embodies what I most like and dislike about evangelical Christians. If anyone out there has never met one face to face I'll tell you this: They are the most outgoing and friendly people you will ever met. They are active listeners and are genuinely interested in what you have to say. They are usually educated and like to learn new things. I love them. That being said, I hate their extremist beliefs.

I do like how Huckabee has been having fun with Stephen Colbert on his show. Unlike other Republican candidates, he seems to get how influential young voters could be if they'd just reach out to them.

As for Ron Paul, the biggest problem I saw with him is he just couldn't communicate his ideas effectively during debates. He couldn't fend off his opponents attacks on him. During one of the Republican debates, I remember him being made fun of as a nut (by Romney of all people) because he mentioned something about what Mahmoud Ahmedinijad was saying about the US. I wish Ron Paul would respond by saying something about "keeping your enemies closer," or something like that, but he never did. I kind of got fed up with the Republican debates after that because Paul was usually the only one answering the questions, but no one ever asked him anything anyways.

I would like others to say something nice about these guys too. This country can't afford us to continue being partisan.

@David, touche. I suppose the national convention ...

2008-02-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

@David, touche. I suppose the national convention may begin to tell the tale.

(Zorgon the Malevolent. Logon FUBAR.)Yowie zowie! ...

2008-02-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

(Zorgon the Malevolent. Logon FUBAR.)

Yowie zowie! Cavitronics redux, a la Earth???
http://www.universetoday.com/2008/02/13/synthetic-black-hole-event-horizon-created-in-uk-laboratory/

Rob you assume the RNC has good intentions. Probab...

2008-02-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

Rob you assume the RNC has good intentions. Probably some there sincerely do. But till the GOP has its Great Upheaval, we won't have a clue where the elephant is headed. Or even if it will emerge from the ICU.