Scarecrow

My New York Times tells me the annual spring gathering of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and financial ministers of member nations is underway in Washington, D.C. It seems they’re all worried about the world economy not doing as well as they hoped, so they’re groping for ways to explain why the remedies imposed by our financial elites and elected officials are either failing or may soon.

It now appears that the global scope of America’s security mission, given this morally repugnant and clinically insane definition of who we are and what we’re entitled to do, has egregiously overreached our ability to select the most disciplined and worthy defenders. We’re out of control, and the so-called rogues are now defining who we are.

Edward Teller attends Democratic and Tea Party caucuses in Wasilla, Alaska and asks a few simple questions of members of each group. He asks how people feel about actual policies or actions taken by the US government. The findings may surprise you.

As FDL’s David Dayen wrote yesterday, we face seven months of what promises to be a thoroughly dreadful election season. Many (likely a minority) of us believe neither of the two major parties nor their likely Presidential nominees, offers the country even a realistic assessment of the challenges the nation faces, let alone workable solutions or a feasible political strategy for solving them.

That means that on most fronts — those not on some benign auto-pilot — things are likely to get worse for millions of people, their communities, and their environment. The only certainty is that the election will not improve matters, no matter who wins.

After months of arguing over who should control the practice of American troops performing armed raids of the homes of Afghanistan’s citizens, the US Government and the Afghan government have apparently agreed on how such intrusions on peoples’ homes may continue.

Very good news today, coming from the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Mr. Cleaver is concerned about the tone of politics these days, and since it’s unfair for the Republicans to charge the President with waging a war on religion — because he isn’t — it’s only fair that Democrats stop claiming the Tea-Party GOP is waging a war against women — even though they are.

I’m surprised it has taken so long for American politicians to realize that the surest way for the nation to reach energy independence is to annex neighboring oil-producing countries that have extra oil to sell and just keep it for ourselves. That is effectively what one of Mitt Romney’s potential VP picks, Paul Ryan, suggested while lecturing President Obama about “gimmicks” that cannot lower gasoline prices.

Here’s how this works: All you need to do is approve more oil pipelines to carry oil from the Canadian tar sands all the way to refineries along the Gulf Coast where the refined products will be sold to world oil markets just us Americans.

If you are unable to get ABC and wish to have a comparable intellectual discussion, rent a copy of Animal House.

We were treated yesterday to arguments made by a former Solicitor General of the United States, and embraced by conservative justices of the Supreme Court, that may be the most disingenuous, destructive and dangerous attacks on the Constitution in our lifetimes.

When Idaho Senator Chuck Winder proposed a bill that would force every woman to undergo a mandatory ultrasound prior to an abortion, he admitted he had no idea exactly what sort of ultrasound he was mandating, and he had no idea how women would pay for them. Neither issue has been cleared up in the final bill, passed through committee on a 7-2 vote, and sent to the senate where it is expected to be voted on as soon. It’s time to call people.