12/15 - Mark Urban
- Looking Back on 2005. Stephen's "predictions" were quite good.
- Supreme Court. Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. is actually the third nominee for the Supreme Court seat currently held by Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who announced on July 1 that she would retire from the court upon the confirmation of her successor. President George W. Bush first nominated Judge John Roberts on July 19 as O'Connor's replacement, but withdrew that nomination and re-nominated Roberts on September 5 to fill the vacancy left in the wake of Chief Justice William Rehnquist's death on September 3. Bush then nominated Harriet Miers on October 3, but Miers withdrew her nomination on October 27 amidst criticism of her experience and her conservative views. Bush nominated Alito on October 31; Alito will face confirmation hearings in 2006.
Unlike Roberts and Miers, Alito has taken positions that strongly suggest his views on abortion. A 1985 job application by Alito that was released by the Ronald Reagan presidential library (on-line here) is likely to be a centerpiece of the upcoming hearings. In the job application, Alito included a statement of principles in which he expressed his conservative philosophy and expressed pride in his role arguing against abortion rights and affirmative action.
Regarding abortion and affirmative action, Alito wrote: "Most recently, it has been an honor and source of personal satisfaction for me to serve in the office of the Solicitor General during President Reagan's administration and to help to advance legal positions in which I personally believe very strongly. I am particularly proud of my contributions in recent cases in which the government has argued in the Supreme Court that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."
- French Riots. Many cities in France have experienced civil unrest in late October and November, following the deaths of two youths, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore, who reportedly died in an electrical accident while trying to avoid questioning by police regarding a possible break-in at a construction site.
- Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks, who was jailed and fined in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, died on October 24. She was 92. Her act helped inspire the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott that was led by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the larger civil-rights movement. Parks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. “Rosa Parks was truly the mother of the modern civil rights movement. She was NAACP Secretary in Montgomery when she sat down in order to stand up for civil rights, and her quiet example demonstrated to millions new ways to confront the evil of segregation" NAACP Board of Directors Chairman Julian Bond said in a statement (on-line here.
- The Word: Jetpack. And we'll see about Stephen's "predictions."
- Bush Approval. President George W. Bush's job approval ratings have increased in recent polls taken by the Gallup organization, possibly due to improvements in the economy and Bush's recent speeches discussing progress towards victory in Iraq. Gallup reported that the average job approval from two polls in December had increased five years from that from two polls in November (42.9% from 37.8%). Bush's approval and disapproval ratings as measured by the Gallup organization are shown in the graph below:
- Patriot Act. Some provisions of the USA Patriot Act will expire after 2005 unless renewed by the end of the year. The House of Representatives voted on December 14 to renew, but the Senate had not done so as of December 15. The Patriot Act, which was enacted less than two months after the September 11, 2001 attacks, strengthened the federal government's powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to conduct surveillance, conduct physical searches, and run pen registers on people who are believed to be agents of a foreign power (this includes US citizens who knowingly engage in international terrorism but not domestic terrorism), and also allowed the government to delay notification of a warrant to a suspect under some circumstances. It also allowed for more sharing of information developed through investigations.
If not renewed, many surveillance-related provisions will expire, though other aspects of the Patriot Act, such as those dealing with money laundering, border controls, and new crimes and penalties specifically covering acts of terrorism are NOT set to expire automatically. For more information on the Patriot Act, go here.
- Avian Flu. Regarding avian flu, health officials around the world have expressed concerns about possible outbreaks of avian influenza since 1997, when the first documented cases of human infection (including six deaths) from the HN51 strain were observed in Hong Kong and when Hong Kong's entire poultry population was destroyed within days to avert a possible pandemic. Outbreaks were first reported in southeastern Asia and have been reported in Russia, Kazakhstan and eastern Europe. Since 2004, there have been 138 reported cases of human infection of the HN51 strain in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and China, including 71 deaths (WHO information on-line here). More information about avian flu is available on-line here and here.
President George W. Bush announced a strategy on November 1 (transcript on-line here) to deal with an avian flu pandemic, focusing on early detection and containment of outbreaks anywhere in the world, development and stockpiling of vaccines in the United States, and developing emergency plans with state and local officials. Bush requested $7.1 billion in emergency funding, including $251 million to help foreign detection and containment efforts, $1.2 billion to purchase vaccines from manufacturers for 20 million people, $2.8 billion for technological research, and $583 million for pandemic planning.
"There is no pandemic flu in our country or in the world at this time -- but if we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare, and one day many lives could be needlessly lost because we failed to act today," Bush said.
- Rapture. Regarding the Rapture, that concept has reached a wide audience in recent years through the popular Left Behind series of books by Tim LaHave and Jerry Jenkins and holds that Jesus will take away devout Christians will be taken to Heaven before seven years of suffering that will precede Jesus's return to Earth and his rule for a thousand years. The basis for this concept is a reading of some parts of the New Testament, especially the Book of Revelation, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which holds that "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout … and the dead in Christ shall rise first : Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
However, some religious leaders dispute the entire Rapture concept as well as the Left Behind series. The Illinois Conference of Bishops (on-line here) has said that the Rapture concept "is not supported in Scripture" and has criticized the Left Behind series as "a vehicle for anti-Catholic sentiments" and for "reinforce[ing] an unhealthy and immature belief in a harshly judgmental God whose mercy we earn by good behavior."
- Better Know a District. Rep. Major Owens is on-line here.
The federal minimum wage has stayed at $5.15 per hour since 1997, when legislation enacted the year before went into effect. The minimum wage is not adjusted automatically for inflation, which means that the value has fallen in real, inflation-adjusted terms since 1997 and now has purchasing power of about 80 percent its value when last adjusted.
Beyond the federal government, many states have enacted their own minimum-wage laws to cover those employers who are exempt from the federal law. Many states simply adopt the federal minimum wage as their own. Some states (such as California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York) have a state minimum wage higher than the federal government. Some states have a rate lower than the federal government or have no minimum-wage law at all; the federal standard applies in such states.
12/14 - Dermot Mulroney
- Jailing Journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists announced on December 13 (on-line here) that there were 125 imprisoned journalists around the world as of December 1, with two-thirds being held by China (32, with nearly half involving Internet journalists), Cuba (24), Eritrea (15) and Ethiopia (13) accounted for two-thirds of the 125 journalists imprisoned around the world. Uzbekistan ranked fifth with six journalists in prison, and the United States was ranked sixth along with Burma with five journalists in prison. The CPJ reported that the journalists held by the United States include four held in U.S. detention centers in Iraq and one held at the Naval Base at Guantanamo, and that no charges had been publicly disclosed in these cases.
- The Word: Travolta. President George W. Bush said in a December 12 interview with Brian Williams of NBC (on-line here) that he did not feel like he was "in a bubble." "I feel like I'm getting really good advice from very capable people and that people from all walks of life have informed me and informed those who advise me. And I feel very comfortable that I'm very aware of what's going on," he said. Bush said in the interview that he had not seen the Newsweek cover before the interview and did not read the weekly news magazines, saying that "I'm interested in the news. I'm not all that interested in the opinions."
- Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger. The New York Times reported on December 14 that a new set of interrogation methods had been approved by the Army and had been sent recently for final approval by the Department of Defense, and that some government officials were concerned about whether these guidelines could complicate ongoing discussions about preventing the cruel treatment of prisoners. According to the New York Times, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita has said that the changes are not final and were not designed to affect current talks.
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been in discussions with the Bush administration about a Senate-approved measure to prevent the torture of anyone in U.S. custody. The House of Representatives reportedly voted 308-122 on a motion to instruct House negotiators to accept the Senate measure while reconciling House and Senate versions of military spending bills.
Australia has recently experienced racially-oriented riots around Sydney's beaches.
The Golden Globe nominations were announced on December 13 and are on-line here.
The Forbes Fiction 15 are on-line here.
12/13 - Bob Costas (The De-Ballification of the American Sportscape)
- The Word: Lombardi! The Miami Heat announced on December 12 that Stan Van Gundy had resigned as head coach and that Heat President Pat Riley would assume head coaching duties. A December 12 press conference on the resignation is on-line here.
- Formidable Opponent. The Major League Baseball Players Association recently approved an agreement announced in November (on-line here) to increase the penalties for drug use and to increase the use of random testing. The new, stricter penalties for steroid use include a 50-game suspension for first-time offenders, a 100-game suspension for a second offense, and a lifetime ban with the possibility of future reinstatement for a third violation. New penalties for amphetamine use include mandatory evaluation and follow-up testing for a first offense and suspensions leading up to a lifetime ban for subsequent offenses.
12/12 - Harry Smith
- Reference to Pensions. Several companies, including Verizon and Hewlett-Packard, recently have announced benefits changes to reduce pension and health-care costs. Traditional private-defined benefit pension plans provide a specific monthly benefit to retired workers usually based on salary and years of service.
President George W. Bush said in a December 5 speech (on-line here) that current pension rules should be changed to ensure that companies fully fund the retirement promises made to workers. "The federal government insures these pensions, and that means that if more and more companies fail to meet their responsibilities, the federal government might have to step in and bail them out. In that case, it would not only be the retirees who are harmed by the companies not fulfilling their obligations, but it can mean the taxpayers, as well. Every American has an interest in seeing to it that this system gets fixed," he said.
- The Word: Belly Achin'. United Auto Workers leaders announced on December 10 that the UAW and Ford Motor Company had reached a tentative agreement on health care that would call for some cuts. Details of the agreement were not announced as of December 10, but UAW leaders said that the agreement would require workers to make some sacrifices to maintain health care coverage. In November, UAW members ratified a tentative agreement with General Motors that foregoes some future pay increases and requires the payment of premiums, deductibles and co-pays for continued health coverage. UAW
Ford said prior to negotiations that it has experienced "significant health care inflation in the last few years" and that the "present rate of health care cost increase is unsustainable" (see information on-line here). Ford has said in public filings that it spent $3.1 billion in 2004 on health care expenses for about 550,000 workers, retirees and dependants, with about $2 billion attributable to retirees and about $1.1 billion to active employees.
According to data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (on-line here), private national health expenditures in the United States in 2003 were $913.2 billion, compared to $533.6 billion in 1995 and $771.8 billion in 2001. Overall, public and private national health expenditures represented 15.3 percent of GDP in 2003.
- Un-American News. Information about the mascots for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games – mascots Neve (a snowball) and Gliz (an ice cube) – is on-line here.
The U.S. military admitted on December 2 that it had paid the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based public relations firm, to pay stipends to Iraqi journalists to place favorable articles written by the military in Iraqi media without necessarily including a disclaimer. The Lincoln Group (on-line here) said in a December 2 release that it "has consistently worked with the Iraqi media to promote truthful reporting across Iraq."
- Reference to Plame Case. The investigation into the potential leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity has involved testimony by several reporters who talked with Bush administration officials. Matthew Cooper of Time, Judith Miller of the New York Times, and Tim Russert of NBC News had testified in earlier phases of the investigation and were cited in the October 28 indictment of former White House official I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (on-line here). In recent weeks, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and Time reporter Viveca Novak have also testified as part of the investigation.
12/8 - Peggy Noonan
- The Word: Satisfied? A 2 cent stamp featuring Navajo jewelry was issued in August 2004 and is on-line here.
As noted on the Colbert Report a few weeks ago, some Native Americans have filed a lawsuit against the federal government for alleged mishandling of accounts maintained by the federal government for individual Native Americans, and a federal appeals court on November 15 vacated a lower court's order requiring a historical accounting of the money owed to such beneficiaries.
Some Native Americans also have brought lawsuits against eastern states on the grounds that such states acquired land from Native American tribes allegedly in violation of federal law and treaties. Many of these lawsuits were resolved in the 1970s through settlements funded in part by the federal government. However, some claims, particularly in New York, persist into the 21st century.
As for Japanese Americans who were held in internment camps following the Pearl Harbor attacks, they received some reparations from the Japanese-American Evacuations Claims Act of 1948 and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
- O'Reilly. Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly recently has criticized the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" as suggestive of a bias against Christmas and traditional values, though he has not called for boycotts of stores that use the phrase "Happy Holidays." A piece by O'Reilly criticizing Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein is on-line here.
- Movies that are Destroying America: Christmas Edition. The Family Stone opens on December 16, Brokeback Mountain opens in some cities on December 9, and The Chronicles of Narnia opens nationwide on December 9.
12/7 - Craig Crawford
- Campaign Against Humbuggery. Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly recently has criticized the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" as suggestive of a bias against Christmas and traditional values.
- The Word: Hell, No! Venezuela has offered heating oil at discounted prices to poor communities around Boston and New York City through the CITGO Petroleum Corporation, which is owned by a subsidiary of Venezuela's national oil company. “With this initiative, CITGO is showing its commitment to the U.S. marketplace and to communities where we have a presence,” said CITGO President and CEO Félix Rodríguez in a statement. "In this endeavor, CITGO has the full support of our corporate parent, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), the state oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, who is deeply aware of the concerns that have prompted this initiative.”
The offer comes amidst concerns about increases in heating oil costs due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The United States government provides some assistance via the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
- Threat Down: Popes! Wasps! 9/11 Commission! Alien Landing Areas! Happiness! Bears! The members of the 9/11 Commission, who have continued to work as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project after the commission issued its final report on July 22, 2004, issued a report card on December 5 as to areas where more work was needed. Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chair Lee Hamilton said in a statement (on-line here) that Homeland Security funding should be allocated based on risk, that the intelligence community's culture needed to promote information sharing, and that the United States needed to do more to prevent terrorists from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction. The report card (on-line here) also gives low marks for the United States' efforts to promote U.S. values in the Middle East and to support reform in Saudi Arabia.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on December 5 (transcript on-line here) that the "best way" to protect the United States was by "taking the fight to the enemy abroad, and by doing so, that is keeping them from plotting and planning to attack inside America." McClellan said that the Bush administration agreed that homeland security funding should be based on risk. "That's something we've been working with Congress on to make sure that we are doing. And there's more that needs to be done there to make sure that the funding is prioritized and the resources are dedicated to the greatest risks," he said.
- Reference to Iraq News. The military admitted on December 2 that it had paid the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based public relations firm, to pay stipends to Iraqi journalists to place favorable articles written by the military in Iraqi media without necessarily including a disclaimer. The Lincoln Group (on-line here) said in a December 2 release that it "has consistently worked with the Iraqi media to promote truthful reporting across Iraq."
12/6 - Anderson Cooper
- ABC Anchors. ABC News announced on December 5 that Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff would be co-anchors of "World News Tonight" beginning January 3 (story on-line here).
- The Word: Backsies. Several companies, including Verizon and Hewlett-Packard, have announced benefits changes to reduce pension and health-care costs. Traditional private-defined benefit pension plans provide a specific monthly benefit to retired workers usually based on salary and years of service.
- Tom DeLay. A Texas judge dismissed one charge against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay because it was based on a law not in effect in 2002, but allowed related charges of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money to go to trial.
- Better Know A District. Representative Jim Moran (D-Virginia) is on-line here.
12/5 - Maureen Dowd
- Kennedy Center Awards. President George W. Bush welcomed this year's honorees by the John F. Kennedy Center on December 4; his speech is on-line here. This year's honorees are Suzanne Farrell, Julie Harris, Robert Redford, Tina Turner, and Tony Bennett.
- The Word: Xmas. Some have criticized the use of the term "holidays" instead of specific references to "Christmas," with some saying that this choice of language takes away from the religious aspects of Christmas. One reporter even asked White House spokesman Scott McClellan on December 2 (transcript on-line here) whether a "holiday reception" being given by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush reflected a desire to "eliminate" Christmas.
- This Week in History. The 21st Amendment, which repealed a prior constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol, is on-line here.
Denver voters approved a measure to legalize possession by adults of marijuana, with 54 percent of the vote. Other areas have enacted similar measures in recent years. For example, Berkeley, California's municipal code currently requires the police department to give "lowest priority" to laws criminalizing marijuana.
12/1 - Richard A. Clarke
- Olympic Medal. Information about the medals for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games is on-line here and about the mascots Neve (a snowball) and Gliz (an ice cube) here.
- The Word: Spectacle. The 1,000th execution since capital punishment was reinstated in the United States in the 1970s is expected to be carried out soon. In 1972, the Supreme Court held that capital punishment, which was then typically administered as a mandatory punishment for certain crimes, violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. At least 35 states and the federal government quickly enacted new capital punishment procedures. In 1976, the Supreme Court held that such statutes were constitutional as long as there were guidelines that examined the particular circumstances of each case before the death penalty was applied.
The following graph is based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (on-line here). As of 2004, the United States had executed 4,813 people between 1930 and 2004.
- Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger. The survey of America's literate cities is on-line here. New York City, where I live, is ranked #32, and Los Angeles is #60.
Two monorails sideswiped each other on November 26. No serious injuries were reported, and the incident has been attributed to driver error.
Information on the 2006 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is on-line here.
- Reference to Rumsfeld. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld suggested use of the phrase "enemies of the … legitimate Iraqi government" instead of "insurgents" during an exchange with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace in a November 29 press conference. Here are excerpts from the transcript (on-line here):
- PACE: "I think what you see most recently are the examples of the operations that have been taking place in the Euphrates Valley between Baghdad and the Syrian border. You're seeing the combination of U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces working side by side, many times with the Iraqi armed forces in the lead, taking cities from the -- I have to use the word "insurgent" because I can't think of a better word right now -- (soft laughter) -- take the –"
- RUMSFELD: Enemies of the Iraqi -- legitimate Iraqi government. How's that? (Laughter.)
- PACE: What the secretary said.
- Face Transplant. The world's first partial face transplant (involving a nose, lips and chin) was conducted on November 27 at a hospital in Amiens in northern France. According to reports, the donor was a brain-dead woman and the recipient was a 38-year-old woman who had been attacked by a dog in May. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jean-Michel Dubernard and Dr. Bernard Devauchelle.
11/30 - Katrina vanden Heuvel
- The Word: Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay. The Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education issued an instruction on November 29 against the priestly ordination of men who "practice homosexuality, show profoundly deep-rooted homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called gay culture," according to a translation of that instruction on-line here. The instruction was approved by Pope Benedict XVI on August 31. It does not call for the ousting of celibate gay men who have already been ordained as priests.
- Better Know a District. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick is on-line here.
- Around the World in 11.6 Seconds. Israeli leader Shimon Peres announced on November 30 that he was ending his activities in the Labor party and would support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who earlier announced that he was leaving his Likud party to form a new centrist party. Elections are scheduled for March.
