During the nineteen eighties, at the height of urban redevelopment (at least in the South--the North had it's boom earlier), I eventually got clued into the fact that the enthusiasm for cost/benefit analysis, which was supposed to make it possible to separate "good" projects from "losers" ahead of time, was not as objectively motivated as it seemed. Because, while one might assume from the pairing, which had been transitioned from traditonal business accounting practices and was part of the program to "make government more like a business," that the entity bearing the costs and enjoying the benefits would be the same, closer analysis of the projections revealed that was not the case. Urban redevelopment routinely relied on long-time residents and owners of marginal property bearing the cost (in time, energy and disruption) of relocating so the development community could enjoy the benefit of acquiring real estate on the cheap and, if they were really lucky, pocket a subsidy to boot.

Some recent commentary on public health has referred to health care as a right. And, perhaps that's what prompted Justice Clarence Thomas to come out of his shell and question the very concept of "rights." Presumably, he's sensitive because some people seem to expect that, as an African American, he'd be more focused on rights and the failure to respect them than he is.

I didn't begin to understand the Republican opposition to the welfare state or "socialism" as they often prefer to call it until I moved to Georgia, where Newt Gingrich hails from, in 1993. Republicans were not an issue in North Florida in the late '70s when fundamentalists were still trying to infiltrate the Democratic establishment and failing. They moved on to become Republicans and more successful later.

Anyway, Georgia turned out the be the very model of the socialist state with an abundance of public recreational facilities, parklands, public housing for mill workers and whole islands to "protect" the seashore from over-development--all acquired during an era when some segments of the population could legally be kept out of public facilities. In other words, the socialist state was fine as long as it only served the "proper" elements of society.

Presumably, it's the Air Force that's making deals with Russian contractors since the plane they hired was in transit from the base on Diego Garcia to the base at Kandahar.

US plane forced to land in Mumbai, crew questioned

Nimisha Srivastava / CNN-IBN

TimePublished on Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 11:00, Updated on Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 13:49

Mumbai: A Russian cargo aircraft AN-124, which was hired by the US military, triggered panic at the Mumbai airport on Friday night. The plane carrying arms, ammunition and five people onboard was asked to land at the airport after it violated the Indian airspace.

The question is why?

From time to time I check out the Air Force almost daily summaries of airpower use. They tend to be rather formulaic. Though, in addition to the numbers of sorties flown and the fuel transfered in flight, there are occasional subtle changes. The locale from which the press releases are issued in one. Most recently, it's been Southwest Asia--to distinguish it from Southeast Asia, no doubt.

June 10 airpower summary: C-17s move outsized loads Posted 6/11/2009

6/11/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations June 10, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.

Also, perhaps because of concern that some air assets are about to be slashed, the reports have been featuring the "toy" of the day.

If Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is to be believed, not much. Change is not in the air at the Pentagon.

Vice chairman: Deterrence plays into overseas basing decisions

Posted 6/5/2009

by Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

6/5/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The overseas basing choices the United States makes for its military forces are a factor in deterring potential enemies, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said June 4 here.

....

"For me the most important question in the review is what does deterrence look like in the 21st century," General Cartwright said, "and how is that reflected in our priorities of basing and posture and basing and availability?"

The Obama Administration is gearing up to get community groups organized and making noise about reforming the health care system beginning June 6th. I've long been skeptical about the term health-care because, other than some basic preventive stuff like inoculations against infectious diseases, healthy people don't need care. Though, for one reason or another, often psychological, they may want and like it.

Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo is the prototype for United States mega bases that have subsequently been built in Iraq.

SOURCE:National Journal

For Immediate Release May 21, 2009

REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT TO TROOPS AT CAMP BONDSTEEL/MULTI-NATIONAL TASK FORCE-EAST Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo

Back in 1989, just before H.W.Bush picked him to be his Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney had an essay published by the American Enterprise Institute under his name, though it may have been written in whole or in part by one Michael J. Malbin, an academic. In other words, the perspective in the essay was perhaps not entirely his own.

Writing on the Huffington Post web site, Jennifer Donahue opines,

Jennifer Donohue

Political Director, New Hampshire Institute of Politics

Posted May 11, 2009

Throw Out Atwater, Rove Playbook:GOP Can Only Re-Brand with New Voices

....In a recent UNH Granite State poll, Gregg leads Rep. Hodes, the only announced Democratic challenger, 52-36. Gregg's favorability rating is 57%. This is revealed in a different way in recent polls which show President Obama's approval rating in the mid-60s, about twice that of the approval rating of the Democratic-led Congress. That indicates an opportunity for Republican pickups....

Representative Kris Roberts of Keene changed his mind on HB 436 and voted to concur with the Senate amendment. On the floor of the New Hampshire House, Rep. Roberts explained:

If the plural of mouse is mice, why can't the plural of spouse be spice?

It is possible to make words mean what we want, you know. Republicans do it all the time.

Anyway, what HB 436 is really about is adding more spice to the roster of couples committed to looking after each other, until death do them part. You'd think that the party opposed to selfish individualism would be all enthusiastic about that. If they're not, then not being responsible is really what it's all about, don't you think?

SOURCE:New York Times op-ed

We Didn’t Have to Lose Arlen Specter

By OLYMPIA SNOWE

Published: April 28, 2009

IT is disheartening and disconcerting, at the very least, that here we are today — almost exactly eight years after Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party — witnessing the departure of my good friend and fellow moderate Republican, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, for the Democratic Party. And the announcement of his switch was all the more painful because I believe it didn’t have to be this way.

In the epic struggle between public officials and the will of the people, officials with an authoritarian bent frequently excuse themselves by arguing that they either don't know the will of the people or the people don't know what they want. This is a canard.

SOURCE:Blue Hampshire

Although it was a national story when, for the first time in history, a state legislative body attained a female majority after the November 2008 elections, the thirteen women in the New Hampshire Senate, aren't all in for equality. At least, that seems to be the case, if early reports on Blue Hampshire, a political blog, about Senatorial support for HB 436 are to be believed.

SOURCE:NH Union Leader

Terie Norelli: Discrimination against the transgendered is wrong

By TERIE NORELLI

There are persons in our society who are discriminated against and who deserve our protection. Twelve states, more than 50 cities, and many large corporations have opposed discrimination against transgendered persons.

New Hampshire and the General Court have a long and proud history of standing against discrimination. A few weeks ago, the House once again stood against discrimination. I would urge all citizens of our state and all members of the Senate to stand with us.

In commenting on the special election results in New Hampshire Senate District Three, John H. Sununu, the recently designated Chair of the NH Republican party allowed himself a somewhat unfortunate prediction.

Bradley could be counted on to sustain a Lynch veto of the gay marriage and transgender discrimination legislation, "if he (Lynch) finds the strength to veto that garbage," Sununu said.

SOURCE:Newsweek

TERROR WATCH

Michael Isikoff

Sanctioned Degradation

A new Senate report says Bush officials quickly abandoned 'humane' interrogation techniques.

Apr 21, 2009 | Updated: 10:06 p.m. ET Apr 21, 2009

Why is it that when people are discovered doing wrong, they do the same thing over and over again? Is it because to stop is seen as an admission of guilt?

Our Senate majority leader, Maggie Hassan, being quoted in the New York Times

The Senate majority leader, Maggie Hassan, who has not publicly shared her opinion of same-sex marriage, said that Senate Democrats were "still having a lot of discussions" and that the testimony on Wednesday would figure heavily into their decisions.

"I think that is likely to guide a number of us," Ms. Hassan said. "We like to talk to each other and hear each others' thoughts out as well, and we try to do that privately."

prompted me to send the following along to her office, as well as my own Senator, Amanda Merrill: