Prometheus 6

What Does Iraq Cost? Even More Than You Think.
Sunday, November 18, 2007; B03

To: President George W. Bush
Subject: The Hidden Costs of Iraq

You may recall that you got rid of your loyal White House economic adviser Lawrence B. Lindsey back in 2002 after, among other sins, he claimed that a war in Iraq might cost as much as $200 billion. At the time, White House staffers sneered that Lindsey was being alarmist. Hardly. One commonly cited estimate of Iraq's cost, based on an August analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, is $1 trillion, and that's probably on the low side. A report released last week by the Democratic staff of Congress's Joint Economic Committee put the war's 2002-08 tab at $1.3 trillion.

But all these figures don't quite get at Iraq's real cost. Indeed, we usually don't even frame the question the right way. We'd do better to recognize what we've lost, rather than focusing only on what we've paid.

We often think of cost simply in terms of dollars spent, but the real cost of a choice -- what economists call its "opportunity cost" -- consists of the forgone alternatives, of the things we could have had instead. For instance, the cost of seeing a movie is not just the dollars you plunked down for the ticket, but also the subtler cost of missing a dinner at home or a cocktail party at work. This idea sounds simple, but if applied consistently, it requires us to rethink and, yes, raise the costs of the Iraq war.

"The market is no longer about physical supply and demand for oil," says Ben Dell, energy analyst at Sanford Bernstein in New York. "The Saudis could be pumping another million barrels and it wouldn't change a thing."...

Many investors seem to be using oil as a hedge against a weak dollar. Others are simply riding a profitable trend.

Periscope: How Hot Money Is Pushing Oil To $100 a Barrel And Beyond
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 2:11 PM ET Nov 17, 2007

As oil prices swung wildly last week—first surging breathtakingly close to the $100 mark, then dropping off again—there was some frantic finger-pointing over just who (or what) was to blame for the latest spike in prices. Resisting calls for OPEC to pump more oil to cool off markets, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi insisted that supplies and inventories are meeting demand and don't justify the current sense of crisis. To bolster his argument, al-Naimi carted Western attendees of last week's OPEC summit in Riyadh into the desert to show off a $500 million mega-expansion project that will raise the country's production by 250,000 barrels a day. The $25 jump since September, al-Naimi said, was the fault of "speculators" beyond the cartel's control.

Foreclosing lenders typically evict tenants in order to sell the property, said Vicki Vidal, senior director of loan administration and government affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

“Banks don’t want to be landlords,” Ms. Vidal said. “They’re in the business of making mortgages. You need to recoup the money to keep the process moving.” 

As Owners Feel Mortgage Pain, So Do Renters
By JOHN LELAND

LAS VEGAS — In the foreclosure crisis of 2007, thousands of American families are losing their homes without ever missing a payment. They are renters in houses whose owners default on their mortgages — a large but little noticed class of casualties.

Some live in big apartments, others in houses owned by small investors who got in over their heads.

There are no exact figures for how many renters have been evicted because of foreclosures, but a survey taken earlier this year by the Mortgage Bankers Association found that one in eight foreclosures was non-owner-occupied. This figure probably underestimates the problem, according to the association, because buildings receive tax benefits if they are registered as owner-occupied. More than one million properties are expected to enter foreclosure this year.

I'm not knocking this, but there IS a question mark in the title.

How it works out depends on whether folks think they are being defended or targeted by the police.

Police to search for guns in homes
City program depends on parental consent
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff  |  November 17, 2007

Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children's bedrooms.

The program, which is already raising questions about civil liberties, is based on the premise that parents are so fearful of gun violence and the possibility that their own teenagers will be caught up in it that they will turn to police for help, even in their own households.

In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention, and ask the teenager's parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave.

If officers find a gun, police said, they will not charge the teenager with unlawful gun possession, unless the firearm is linked to a shooting or homicide.

Indifference That Can Kill
By Colbert I. King
Saturday, November 17, 2007; A17

"My own view is that it is very unfortunate, but people steal."

-- D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), Nov. 9

And there it is: The quintessential response of the city's politically entrenched to scandal in the D.C. government. Instead of an assumed pride in the commitment and dedication of public servants, there's hopelessness, an absence of outrage, a ready acceptance of the worst.

Thirty million dollars in tax receipts out the window and into someone's pocket? Tsk, tsk. "People steal."

Which helps explain the blind eye that is turned to a steady stream of criminality in the D.C. government.

Home Run King*
Barry Bonds's indictment is only the tip of a public health issue.
Saturday, November 17, 2007; A16

THE USE OF anabolic steroids without a doctor's supervision can cause mood swings and suicidal feelings, skin disorders, stunted growth, liver damage, and heart attacks. Along with the health risks, there is the risk of going to jail. Disgraced Olympian Marion Jones found that out Oct. 5, when she pleaded guilty to three counts of lying to federal agents about her steroid use and an unrelated financial matter. Now it is baseball home run king Barry Bonds's turn to face charges of lying to a federal grand jury about his own alleged use of illegal steroids. Whether or not Mr. Bonds is convicted -- and he is entitled to a presumption of innocence -- his indictment and Ms. Jones's guilty plea send a strong and welcome signal that the federal government takes steroid abuse seriously.

The guys who bought these coins, which they really do intend to be an alternate currency, are the same guys who would have been in the militia movement in the 90s. 

In the affidavit, an FBI special agent states that he is investigating Norfed for federal violations including "uttering coins of gold, silver, or other metal," "making or possessing likeness of coins," mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. "The goal of Norfed is to undermine the United States government's financial systems by the issuance of a non-governmental competing currency for the purpose of repealing the Federal Reserve and Internal Revenue Code," he states.

The agent states that the investigation started two years ago. A year ago, the U.S. Mint issued a warning against using the Liberty Dollar, prompting a lawsuit by Norfed. But that has not kept Liberty Dollar fans from speculating online that the raid was prompted by Paul's strong campaign or by the precipitous recent decline in the value of the dollar.

In Paul They Trust (The Feds May Differ)
By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 17, 2007; A01

The ardent supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, the iconoclastic Texas libertarian whose campaign for the presidency is threatening to upend the battle for the Republican nomination, got word yesterday of a new source of outrage and motivation: reports of a federal raid on a company that was selling thousands of coins marked with the craggy visage of their hero.

Federal agents on Thursday raided the Evansville, Ind., headquarters of the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act and Internal Revenue Code (Norfed), an organization of "sound money" advocates that for the past decade has been selling a private currency it calls "Liberty Dollars." The company says it has put into circulation more than $20 million in Liberty Dollars, coins and paper certificates it contends are backed by silver and gold stored in Idaho, are far more reliable than a U.S. dollar and are accepted for use by a nationwide underground economy.

And although there is great controversy about the role that genes play in shaping intelligence, it was hard to resist looking up the SNPs that have been linked — however tenuously — to I.Q.

Amy Harmon, who seems to alternate between feeding scientific racists periodically and variants of the same story (a couple of root stories can be milked for quite a while) continues her series on "the impact of new genetic technology on American life" with an extended press release for "inexpensive gentic testing," like she hasn't learned from the absurdity of declaring Barack Obama to be Dick Cheney's cousin.

In an attempt to impress, she presents a couple of them:

Tape Of Man Shooting Intruders

In a taped 911 call, a man tells the operator that he's going after alleged burglars entered his neighbor's house near Houston. During the tape, shots are heard. Hari Sreenivasan reports.

Superior Court Judge Brooks E. Blitch III and Chief State Court Judge Berrien Sutton face allegations by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, a state agency that investigates Georgia judges and has power to recommend removing them from office. They have not been charged with any crimes.

Blitch, 72, is accused of ordering illegal payments to county employees, ordering the early release of imprisoned felons and presiding over a case involving his son.

Sutton is accused of appointing non-lawyers to hear criminal cases, pressing a magistrate judge to help one of his business associates and signing an illegal order to collect court fees that were later distributed to county officials. 

Sheriff Indicted in Inmate-Rent Scheme

VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) -- A southern Georgia sheriff faces federal charges accusing him of billing inmates for room and board and interfering with an FBI investigation of local judges.

An indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court accuses Clinch County Sheriff Winston Peterson of perjury, obstruction of justice, using forced labor and extorting former jail inmates.

In fact, I haven't heard much about it at all; I suspect they didn't get enough folks to even look like they could pull it off.

Ramsey said to fight crime he wants to use more "stop, question and frisk" searches, add hundreds of police officers to the city's 6,500-member force, and increase the use of surveillance cameras in problem areas.

Former D.C. Chief Named Philly's Top Cop
By JOANN LOVIGLIO
Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A former District of Columbia police chief was tapped on Thursday to become Philadelphia's next police commissioner, taking over a department trying to stem a rise in murders and a series of shootings targeting police.

Mayor-elect Michael Nutter chose former District of Columbia police Chief Charles Ramsey for the top job. He replaces commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Darkstar is giving a lot of thought to that poll.

Stats Generate Questions

NPR Poll on Blacks: Race Hustlin

NPR Poll on Blacks: Single Race?

NPR Poll on Blacks: Mental Health Assessment

NPR Poll on Blacks: Class or Values?

The Judiciary Committee voted in favor of contempt in July and issued its final report 10 days ago. The full House should vote without further delay. If a majority supports a finding of contempt, as it should, the matter would go to the United States attorney for the District of Columbia. If Mr. Mukasey, the new attorney general, believes in the rule of law, he will see to it that Ms. Miers’s and Mr. Bolten’s cases are presented to a grand jury for criminal prosecution.

In Contempt

White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel, showed their utter disregard for Congress, the Constitution and the American people when they defied Congressional subpoenas in the United States attorneys scandal. The House Judiciary Committee rightly voted to hold them in contempt, and now the matter goes to the full House.

Thomas's audience, a bunch of lawyers, judges and students celebrating the Federalist Society's 25th anniversary, was indulgent. They greeted him with a 25-second standing ovation so contagious that even Thomas joined in. Instead of asking why Thomas never talks in court, the question was phrased: "Why do your colleagues ask so many questions?"

"I did not plant that question," the justice said, taking a poke at Hillary Clinton for her recent flap over planted questions.

In the bosom of a group that has claimed as members John Ashcroft, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, Kenneth Starr and Robert Bork, the perpetually embattled Thomas felt at ease. "You're my kind of people," he told the group, then lingered for two hours to sign copies of his new memoir.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again
By Dana Milbank
Friday, November 16, 2007; A02

The ruling assumption of the moment is that we can't afford to withdraw our troops from Iraq because of the chaos that would ensue. The idea seems to be that somehow -- against the evidence of the past 4 1/2 years -- good things will happen if we just keep the war going.

This upside-down debate puts the burden of proof in the wrong place. We should be asking whether keeping our forces in Iraq over an extended period is worth the cost in lives, injuries, money, lost opportunities and strain on our military. How will a prolonged stay in Iraq enhance our security? Is Iraq distracting us from foreign policy questions that will matter far more to our national interest in the long run?

I read this headline

Federal Contractors Could Be Forced to Self-Report Crimes

and thought, "We're privatizing law enforcement?"

Currently, contractors can voluntarily report themselves. But the Justice Department says it is necessary to make reporting mandatory because "few companies have actually responded" to voluntary disclosure rules.

Having companies turn themselves in "hasn't worked" Spivack said, "so now they're saying, 'We're going to force you to turn yourself in, and if you don't and we find out later, we're going to keep you from doing business with the federal government.' That's giving the government the gun and the bullets and asking them not to shoot you."

So no one volunteered to adhere to the voluntary standards. Is anyone surprised?

I've decided I like Racism Review. They keep the context clear.

Pew Report on Racial Views Deeply Flawed
Posted by Joe on Nov 15th, 2007

On November 13, 2007, the Pew Research Center released a report on racial views of white and black Americans that captured much media attention and some response from bloggers. Much of the report’s analysis is odd, misguided, or weakly interpreted. The report, done in association with National Public Radio, is based on a telephone survey of more than 3,000 Americans, including an over-sample of 1007 African Americans, with only a 24 percent response rate.

The problem is, according to the study, children who were most likely to benefit from day care were also the least likely to receive it. Before kindergarten, 12% of disadvantaged children had never received day care, compared with just 5% of advantaged children. That statistic isn't likely to change anytime soon.

Does Day Care Help At-Risk Kids?
By Carolyn Sayre

In the ongoing debate over the merits of day care, a new study suggests that it offers a striking benefit for some children. Disadvantaged kids, researchers found, are significantly less likely to develop chronic aggressive behavior later in life if they receive regular care outside their home.

Saying that Deutsche Bank’s arguments of legal standing fell woefully short, the judge wrote: “The institutions seem to adopt the attitude that since they have been doing this for so long, unchallenged, this practice equates with legal compliance. Finally put to the test, their weak legal arguments compel the court to stop them at the gate.”...

The plaintiff’s argument that “‘Judge, you just don’t understand how things work,’” the judge wrote, “reveals a condescending mindset and quasi-monopolistic system where financial institutions have traditionally controlled, and still control, the foreclosure process.”...

“The big issue in all these cases, whether we are dealing with a bankruptcy court, a state court or a federal court, is who really owns the mortgage note, and that is allegedly what they securitized,” said O. Max Gardner III, a lawyer who represents borrowers in foreclosure in Shelby, N.C. “A collateral question is, has that mortgage note really been transferred and assigned to the securitization trust? If not, then they really don’t have standing. It’s Law School 101.”

Foreclosures Hit a Snag for Lenders
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

A federal judge in Ohio has ruled against a longstanding foreclosure practice, potentially creating an obstacle for lenders trying to reclaim properties from troubled borrowers and raising questions about the legal standing of investors in mortgage securities pools.

Judge Christopher A. Boyko of Federal District Court in Cleveland dismissed 14 foreclosure cases brought on behalf of mortgage investors, ruling that they had failed to prove that they owned the properties they were trying to seize.

Loyalty isn't just any virtue for Giuliani; in his memoirs he called it "the vital virtue." That's an interesting plug from a man who has been married three times and informed one of his ex-wives that their marriage was over at a press conference.

Rudy Giuliani's Defining Moment
By Michael Duffy

Bernard Kerik, a mid-level New York City corrections official, was at home late one night in January 1995 when the telephone rang. It was his boss, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who wanted to talk. Kerik had been Giuliani's driver and bodyguard during much of the mayoral campaign, and he offered to meet the mayor the next morning. "No," said Giuliani. "Now." It was 10:30, but Kerik trooped over to Gracie Mansion and joined the mayor in a poorly lit parlor, where they shared a bottle of red wine that had been a gift from Nelson Mandela. "It was good to see him again," Kerik recalled. "It reminded me of the conversations we used to have during the campaign." The two men talked for a while, discussing Giuliani's first year as mayor and the unfinished tasks ahead, like cleaning up the Rikers Island jail.

Queens: Delay in Police Shooting Trial
By MICHAEL WILSON

A justice in State Supreme Court rescheduled the trial of the three detectives charged in the shooting of Sean Bell from Jan. 7 to Feb. 4 yesterday after lawyers for the detectives requested an extra month to prepare for the case, said Michael J. Palladino, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association. The rescheduling came during a brief hearing yesterday that the detectives, Michael Oliver, Gescard F. Isnora and Marc Cooper, watched in silence. Mr. Bell, 23, died in a volley of 50 gunshots from the police as he and two friends were leaving his bachelor party in Jamaica on Nov. 25, 2006, unaware that they were being followed by Detective Isnora, who was under cover. He has said he believed that the men were armed; no gun was found. Detectives Oliver and Isnora face manslaughter charges, while Detective Cooper faces two misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment.

The new hardware arrived, and I'm using it to post this morning.

Initially Windows wouldn't boot because it's essentially a new system. I had to repair the installation, which fratzed up my desktop and likely left me with a bag of updates un-updated because I only have XP Service Release 1 install disks to work with and the boot sequence is taking much longer.

As of now, my cheapo bare bones box is okay. Its guts are still exposed, I need to connect the sound and video capture card. I got no more expansion slots but lots of USB ports. But I got used to a computer with fewer option really, really quickly. So I think the last stage of this exercise will be to blow away pretty much everything and start with a machine that only has what I really need to work with installed.

The version 2.0 era of neoconservative advocates of military action to topple Saddam have behaved very differently in the midst of our current quagmire in Iraq. Almost all have generally tried to put on a brave public face and to remain on the intellectual offensive, pointing out the weaknesses and limitations of their critics and full of ideas for what the United States can do next in the world. On Iraq specifically, some have blamed the overall faulty execution of the entire United States government, or the stubbornness of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, or the lack of preparation of the Army to conduct irregular operations, or the ultimate failure of the president to make timely and badly needed course corrections along the way.

Yet, very few have publicly questioned themselves over their own culpability in the entire mess. And those who have had the courage to do so, like Frank Fukuyama, have been roundly attacked and criticized from within the neocon camp. Indeed, what’s particularly unique about this group of national security strategists is their sheer ability to keep moving forward and to remain in the game. No public fretting or loss of composure, no signs of a larger remorse for the terrible chain of events they helped set in motion, no sense that history is not going as planned.