Alito must be stopped

I had already made up my mind that Samuel Alito was not a good choice for the Supreme Court, but I hadn't posted anything about it on my blog (except for the Ben Sargent post below). I then read an article by Kevin Zeese about it, and I decided to weigh in on the issue, because it's just too important for me to sit back and say nothing.

Samuel Alito is wrong for the Supreme Court because he's too radical in his views of expanded presidential power, repeal of privacy rights, hate for abortion rights, and adherence to a strict reading of the US Constitution, a document written over 200 years ago and that, although fundamental to the very fabric of this country, should be read keeping the current times in mind.

Unfortunately, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the one that just held the hearings on Alito's confirmation, don't seem to have come out very strongly in opposition to the candidate, and this could mean he'll be approved very easily in a full Senate floor vote later this month. That would be a blow to our democracy and our way of life. Samuel Alito has a record of siding with the government, the police, the corporations and never, ever with the little guy. He's anti minorities and for chipping away at abortion rights until they can be overturned completely. He's just not a desirable justice.

This is what Mr. Zeese thinks will happen if Alito is confirmed:

The Supreme Court will once again have "four horses of the apocalypse" -- four partisan justices who favor executive power, corporate power, expansive law enforcement authority, co-mingling of religion and government, and minimal individual rights. Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito will provide the foundation for right wing extremism for decades to come.

Not a happy image at all. And this is his advice for the Democrats in the Senate:

Democrats should not fall for the canard that if they stop Alito they are likely to get a worse nominee. Exactly the opposite will happen. If Alito is stopped it will draw a line that makes it clear what is unacceptable in Supreme Court nominees.
[...]
If the nomination of Alito is blocked there may only be time for one more nomination to be considered before the 2006 Congressional election. President Bush will realize that if he wants to get a conservative nominee through he will need to pick someone no less conservative that Justice O'Connor. The president will realize that if he misplays this next nominee there is a good chance he will have to deal with a more Democratic Senate when he puts forward his next choice.

Will they heed his words of advice? Unlikely if history is any indication:

The Democrats need to learn from their past failure to block Supreme Court nominees. Remember, Justice Antonin Scalia, the leader of the partisan conservative wing of the court was approved by a unanimous Senate controlled by the Democrats. And, Justice Clarence Thomas was approved by a Democratic Senate despite a lack luster record in the law and strong allegations of sexual harassment.

If the Democrats haven't stopped two staunch conservatives like Scalia and Thomas (not only that, but Scalia was approved UNANIMOUSLY!!) when they controlled the Senate, what's the likelihood that they will (or can) do something now that they are the minority party and that they're afraid to use the filibuster for fear of losing it (when Frist invokes the "nuclear option" and takes the filibuster power away from the minority when voting for a judicial appointment)? Very slim.

Like Ray wisely put it, if you're afraid to use the filibuster for fear of losing it... then you've already lost it.

Mr. Zeese also addresses the issue of the Patriot Act, which is coming up for debate again in a few weeks and which apparently has been touched up by the Republicans, who turned it into an even worse and less appealing piece of terror-legislation than it was:

The Democrats should highlight provisions that make it a crime to hold an "unauthorized sign" at the Democratic or Republican Convention, or at an event where the President or Vice President is speaking, or at an event where the Secret Service decides that unauthorized signs are illegal. What do these provisions have to do with preventing terrorism? How will veterans, who risked their lives to defend our freedoms, feel about such an affront to Freedom of Speech?

Where is the outcry? Where is the outrage? Does Bush really think he's King and can do whatever he pleases? I don't know how or when he got that idea, because he lost the first election and became president only after the Supreme Court appointed him to the post, and barely won the second time, and only through shady tactics that, if employed in any other country, would be called election-fraud.

The Democrats better get their act together, because this election year they have a real chance of taking back at least one of the houses of Congress, but they have to be careful not to disillusion and disappoint us by sitting back when we need them to act, and then expect us to vote for them in droves come November.

California to expand solar power use

Thanks to a bold new plan (and solid investment of $2.9 billion) California is set to become the third largest producer in the world of solar power behind Japan and Germany. Given the cost of our dependence on fossil fuels (mostly coming from foreign countries), I think that's one of the smartest decisions I've heard of in a while.

The "California Solar Initiative," backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, aims to add 3,000 megawatts of solar energy over 11 years through the installation of 1 million rooftop solar energy systems on homes, businesses, farms, schools and public buildings.
[...]
Solar spending could save California utility customers an estimated $9 billion from a reduced need to build new power plants and purchase electricity supplies during high demand days in the summer, according to a CPUC report.
[...]
The Republican governor's energy goals call for making renewable energy like solar and wind power 20 percent of California's electricity resources by 2017.

Good for him. For once I agree with something a Republican wants to do.

Ben Sargent

Very funny, albeit certainly very true.



And it looks like Samuel Alito (a.k.a. Scalito) is headed for sure confirmation by the US Senate to the US Supreme Court's seat now occupied by Sandra Day O'Connor, the moderate conservative judge who's been so often the swing vote on a closely divided court.

Well, if he gets confirmed (likely) and Justice Kennedy doesn't feel compelled to take on the swing vote role more often because of the extremism of his colleagues on the right... (likely?) then we're headed for a few decades of Dark Ages-like rulings.

Dogs really are man's best friends

Reuters reports that dogs, when properly trained, might be able to sniff out cancer cells growing inside you long before the disease spreads beyond hope.

Dogs' keen sense of smell might help in the early diagnosis of cancer, researchers report in the current issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies. The findings show that trained ordinary household dogs can detect early-stage lung and breast cancers by merely sniffing the breath samples of patients.
[...]
Researchers have observed that cancer cells release molecules different from those of their healthy counterparts, and that might be perceived by smell by the highly sensitive dog's nose.
[...]
the dogs were able to correctly distinguish the breath samples of cancer patients from the those of the control subjects in about 90 percent of the cases [...] The dogs were also capable of detecting early-stage lung and breast cancers.

This study shows that there is hope for early detection of cancer cells' growth inside an individual, a possibility that could potentially allow us to detect and cure cancer at such early stages that death rates would certainly drop.

Hate getting up in the morning? Read on

A new study, as reported by CNN, apparently found that when we first wake up, and for a short time afterwards (a time that varies from person to person), "the effects of sleep inertia may be as bad as or worse than being legally drunk," according to researcher Kenneth Wright of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

That befuddled feeling usually lasts for at least a few minutes but may be detectable for up to two hours, Wright wrote in a report published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The findings are relevant to emergency workers such as firefighters, or for truck drivers and resident doctors who must spring into action after awakening from naps. A groggy driver is accident-prone, and a hazy doctor might make a mistake calculating a drug dosage, the report said.

Apparently the researchers discovered that the cortical areas of the brain thought to be responsible for problem-solving, complex thought, and emotions take longer to wake up than other parts of the brain.

Interesting.

Bird Flu Update

Unfortunately, with the virus now spreading to Turkey, it looks like its mutation into a more easily transmissible agent from human to human has begun:

Genetic tests of samples taken from Turkish victims of the bird flu virus show it has made a small change but probably not enough to make it more dangerous yet, researchers said on Thursday.

The mutation is one that would be expected in a highly changeable virus, the experts said, and is one that would be predicted to eventually allow it to cause a pandemic.
[...]
Scientists are carefully watching the virus to see if it makes the changes needed to allow it to pass easily from human to human, which could spark a pandemic that could kill millions.

And this is the scariest part:

The H5N1 virus remains largely a virus that affects birds. But all influenza viruses mutate and evolve very easily, and regularly change into what are known as pandemic strains, which spread rapidly around the world, infecting and killing unusually large numbers of people.

Did you read that? ALL INFLUENZA VIRUSES MUTATE AND EVOLVE VERY EASILY, AND REGULARLY CHANGE INTO WHAT ARE KNOWN AS PANDEMIC STRAINS.

How long before the mutation is indeed enough to make it more dangerous and start a pandemic? I guess all we can hope for is that when that mutation does occur (at this point it's not even a question of "if" anymore) it mitigates the virus' killing-machine power that currently terminates almost 50% of its victims.

Milan, Italy - Fashion Week

Well, no wonder my friend Fabrizio, who is a buyer for Armani's collections in Italy, loves his job so much...

The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards

The ceremony was last night and it was a good one, all things considered. I would say there were 3 distinct parts to it: first part quick, brisk, funny, and charming; second slower and more boring (that's when Anthony Hopkins was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award, but his speech wasn't memorable at all); last part interesting mostly because the major awards were being handed out.

It ended on time, but I think they sacrificed clips of the major acting categories to do so, and that's a pity. Go overtime if you have to, but don't rush through the most important work of the year by very talented people you're about to honor.

The big winner of the night was Brokeback Mountain, which made me very happy. I haven't seen the movie yet (probably within a couple weeks) but given the theme (two gay cowboys' love story) I rooted for it nonetheless. It was nominated for 7 awards and won 4 (almost a sweep, I would say). Three were major, Picture-Drama, Director, and Screenplay. The last one was for the Original Song.

And even better was to read this headline on CNN this morning:

'Brokeback' leads with four Globes
Big night for films dealing with homosexuality, transsexuality

I'm sure that soured a lot of religious-right stomachs. Good.

The article has a recap from the night, and this is a quote worthy of being transcribed. It's by Felicity Huffman, who won Best Actress-Drama for Transamerica, which I can't wait to see:

"I know as actors our job is usually to shed our skins, but I think as people our job is to become who we really are, and so I would like to salute the men and women who brave ostracism, alienation and a life lived on the margins to become who they really are," Huffman said.

So true, so sweet.

The Best Actor-Drama award went to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played gay author Truman Capote, so it really was a big night for gay themed entertainment.

Another big winner was Walk the Line, which won all three awards it was nominated for: Picture-, Actor-, and Actress-Comedy or Musical (note to Joaquin Phoenix: get a new haircut and hire someone else to pick a suit for you for the Oscars, please. You looked ridiculous and pitiful).

Finally, politics were front and center, with awards going to movies like Syriana, The Constant Gardener, and Paradise Now, all dealing with corruption, political machinations, and/or the Middle East debacle.

Like I said, a nice ceremony, and I'm really pleased with all the wins. On to the Oscars now. The nominees will be announced on January 31^st.

Death Penalty suspended

Sister Helen Prejean's lobbying efforts paid back when New Jersey decided to suspend all executions until a task force studies the costs and fairness of the death penalty as opposed to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for punishing criminals, and I would actually make prisons less comfortable than what they apparently are judging from what we see on TV shows like OZ and Prison Break, where luxuries like cable TV, high-speed Internet access, and air conditioning are offered to inmates when honest, working poor people can't afford them. However, I'm against the death penalty for several reasons. First of all, it can't be undone. If exculpatory evidence is uncovered after a person has been put to death, society can't fix the mistake, and an innocent person has been killed unfairly. And this happens more frequently than we're comfortable with even thinking. Second, apparently putting someone to death is even more expensive than keeping him alive in a cell till his death, which should prompt every smart taxpayer to call for switching over to life terms instead of death rows. Third, although being on death row must be psychologically taxing (without considering the actual last day, when I can't even imagine how the person must feel), the punishment is really over once the sentence is carried out, while a life sentence would end up punishing the criminal for a much longer time. I mean, psychologically, it must be horrible to be prepared for death, but given that it's carried out mostly painlessly (at least when through lethal injection), the thought of being locked up forever in a prison cell must take its toll as well. And lasts much longer. Finally, although there are several countries left in the world that still have the death penalty, none of them are in the so-called civilized world, and so I really feel like it diminishes this country's image to be associated with countries like Iran, Syria, and Rwanda. Anyway, New Jersey has suspended its executions and becomes the second state to do so after Illinois (Maryland had suspended but now resumed its executions). This is from the CNN article:

Under the measure, a 13-member commission would have until November to report on whether the death penalty is fairly imposed and whether alternatives would ensure public safety and address the needs of victims' families. [...] "By its action today, the Assembly joins the Senate in signaling deep concern that the state's death penalty system isn't working," said Celeste Fitzgerald, director of New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. She said capital punishment is meted out unfairly and risks executing the innocent. [...] "We've heard about people who have been put to death and were then found to be innocent. We've looked at the cost, which is enormously more for someone on death row than for a person who's imprisoned for life without parole," Allen said.

More good news is that other states are apparently taking a look at how the system really fares compared with life sentences:

New Jersey lawmakers are not alone in considering a study of executions. Concerned about wrongful convictions and whether the poor and minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty, at least 12 other states have appointed study commissions. Thirty-eight states allow people to be sentenced to death.

What I ask myself most is, how long will it take the US to get rid of the death penalty altogether and finally join the civilization it so proudly purports to lead?

Movies Update

I've recently gone to the movies quite a bit, trying to catch up with the list of movies I'd like to see. I used to watch so many, but then we got the kids, and I got this job, and now when Friday comes, I'm so tired, I just want to stay in. Anyway, here's my quick recap/commentary.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Directed by George Clooney, the film tells the story of the face-off between TV star/reporter Edward Murrow, superbly played by David Strathairn, and Senator McCarthy, the creator of the infamous Hollywood black list of communist sympathizers that destroyed many careers based on speculation and gossip instead of tangible proof.

Clooney does a very good job directing the star studded cast (Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels) and the movie, thanks in part to the black and white photography, looks and feels like a movie from the 50s.

The screenplay is very well written and very much current, and offers us a reminder of what happens when some politician decides to use the public's fear to his or her benefit. Back then it was the fear of the Communists. Today it's the fear of the terrorists. Then it was McCarthy, today it's Bush. No matter the times, a morally corrupt politician will stop at nothing to pursue his agenda.

Grade: 7/10

CAPOTE

Great portrayal of a famous writer that I cannot say I know. Philip Seymour Hoffman is absolutely excellent in the title role and he'll certainly get a phone call the morning the Academy Awards nominations are announced. Deservedly.

The story recounts Capote's slow investigation and information gathering process about the life of two small town murderers in order to write his new book. He befriends the criminals and makes them believe he's doing all he can to help save them, when in reality...

Hoffman's tortured, selfish, slimy, and careless portrayal is the year's best and most certainly one for the Acting Annals.

Grade: 8/10

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

This adaptation of C.S. Lewis' first book of the Narnia series comes on the heels of the adaptation of his friend J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a fact that certainly played no small part in the whole production coming to a theater near you.

The movie is nowhere near the heights of any of the Rings' trilogy, but is nonetheless enjoyable. The script seems a little light and sort of all over the place, but I never read the book, so it might just be because it's a faithful adaptation. In any case, the story never gives Narnia the pathos felt watching The Lord of the Rings, and in the end this movie turns out to be just a pleasant kid movie, close to the first Harry Potter movie (the only one I ever saw).

The acting is average, and Tilda Swinton is downright fabulous as the ice queen holding on to her diminishing power. The visual effects are not spectacular, although the lion does look very good. Given the enormous amount of money the movie earned so far, we're definitely going to see the other books in the series adapted as well, but overall, I'd say this one was just ok (I did read somewhere that the book itself was quite short and left a lot to the imagination, but still, they could have done more with this chapter).

Grade: 6.5

MUNICH

Awesome. This is by far the best movie ever by Steven Spielberg. Don't get me wrong, I love Jurassic Park, E.T., Jaws, The Color Purple, Schindler's List, and on and on and on, but this is the first time I can't find a single flaw with the final product.

In most of Spielberg's movies you can find the feel good scene or the happy ending, or you can feel the desire on the part of the director to leave the audience with a happy feeling, instead of, for instance anguish (Schindler's List) or sadness (E.T.). With Munich, Spielberg has made a movie in the best vein of Hollywood's tradition, a movie that can stand the test of time and doesn't need any explanation whatsoever. It speaks for itself.

Munich tells the story of a group of Israeli agents sent on a revenge mission: to kill all the Palestinians involved in the kidnapping and subsequent execution of the Israeli athletes participating at the Olympic games in Munich in 1972. The mission isn't easy or simple and the agents aren't specialists in the field either, but they take on the mission nonetheless.

The movie is so tense and action packed it leaves you exhausted, but it's worth the effort. The script is excellent and takes the time to develop the main characters among all the action. The acting is top notch and the direction flawless. In the end though, it's the story itself that will linger with you for days. Don't miss it.

Grade: 9/10

SYRIANA

Another great movie, again dealing with the Middle East, but very much current, although based purely on fiction. It's a mosaic of different stories that all converge in the end in a finished, polished, beautiful albeit terrifying picture.

The cast is again star studded and the acting is great. Again, lots of action, very well written, masterfully edited and directed. I actually saw Munich and Syriana the same night, back to back, and when I left the theater I was exhausted and sickened by the way the Middle East has turned out to be.

Among the many stories the movie tells are that of a CIA agent dealing with terrorists; of the rivalry between two princes, heir to the Emir throne; of an economic advisor having to juggle work and family; of a multi-billion dollar merger that seems at best shady; of the inner workings of government oversight. As you can see, there is a lot to juggle, but Stephen Gaghan, the write/director does an excellent job and the end result is stunning to say the least. Definitely one of the years' best.

Grade: 8.5/10

Since in my list of movies I include those watched on TV, I'll mention also 50 First Dates, with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, with Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. They're not really my kind of movies, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first one, which actually I liked quite a bit. The second one was really just a forgettable waste of time. Grades: 7/10 and 6/10 respectively.

Overall, 2005 has been one of the worst years on record for Hollywood, both financially and in terms of the quality of the productions, but at least the end of the year releases are giving us hope that Tinseltown can still razzle-dazzle us with it's wizardry.

Personally, the movie at the top of my list for 2005 was Million Dollar Baby (which I only got to see sometime last January and therefore doesn't count toward the 2004 batch of pictures), Clint Eastwood's achingly crepuscular flick about euthanasia, followed by Hotel Rwanda, which bravely and without holding back told the story of the Rwandan massacre most of the world turned its back to. Grades: 9.5/10 and 9/10 respectively.

At the bottom of my list, ended up War of the Worlds, Spielberg's other movie of 2005, a remake of the original with the same name. I never saw the original, and probably for its time, it was great, but this one, although showcasing updated visual effects, was simply stupid. The concept is good, but the script was chock full of implausible and ridiculous situations that just weren't believable and therefore interrupted the fundamental requirement for any sci-fi movie: immersion in a world of make-believe. Grade: 3.5/10