The iPINIONS Journal: Commentaries on Current Events Volume II

By Anthony Livingston Hall

The iPINIONS Journal Commentaries Vol. II

In this volume of political and social commentaries, Anthony Livingston Hall synthesizes the most critical developments of 2006 with remarkable clarity and inimitable wit. But, unlike more celebrated columnists who trade in partisan political talking points, Hall seems beholden to no ideology and is definitely an equal-opportunity critic. Moreover, you would be hard-pressed to find another columnist anywhere who writes as persuasively about the international menace of Iran's nuclear program as he does about the interpersonal dynamics of an NBA Championship series or what the latest ooops from Britney Spears portends for western civilization.

Hall's refreshing worldview may stem from the unique fusion of his Caribbean heritage and American education. But it is clearly the informed passion that permeates all of his commentaries that makes this book so riveting!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 16, 2007
• ISBN: 9780595875436

Anthony Livingston Hall

Anthony L. Hall is a Washington-based lawyer who is licensed to practice in a number of foreign jurisdictions. He hails from The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands and was educated at some of America’s best schools, including Williams College. Hall is also a syndicated columnist and the author of The iPINIONS Journal, a weblog of enlightening and entertaining commentaries that provide a refreshing take on current events. He lives in Arlington, Virginia. http://ipjn.com

Book preview

The iPINIONS

Journal Commentaries On Current Events

Volume II

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony L. Hall

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,

taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in

critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims

any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-0-595-43203-5 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-595-87782-9 (cloth)

ISBN: 978-0-595-87543-6 (ebk)

Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

Putin fires first salvo of Cold War II

Martin Luther King Jr was also a womanizer…so what!

Abramoff bribes: The biggest corruption scandal…in a generation?

A prayer for Ariel Sharon

Lou Rawls is dead!

Washington scandal forces Republican leader Tom DeLay to resign!

Judge Alito and the fight for control of the U.S. Supreme Court

A little tsunami aid for Africans please (Caribbean POV)

Former DC Mayor Marion Barry: Back on crack?

Oprah’s Book Club scandal

Latin America elects first female head of state. And she’s a socialist

TIME’s sublime and BET’s ridiculous Person of the Year

My Daddy died last night

Hillary says Republicans are treating Democrats like slaves. That’s ridiculous!…Isn’t it?

President Bush, seal your legacy: Lift the embargo against Cuba!

Election winds of change blow through Canada and are headed for America

Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Living martyrs with a cause

Google enters China but leaves its corporate conscience back in America

Hamas terrorists win legitimate state power!

Apology accepted Oprah. But.

The real deal about the Davos World Economic Forum

Gay cruise provokes religious furor in the Caribbean (Caribbean POV)

Coretta Scott King is dead!

CHAPTER T WO

Trinidad rocked by American-style political corruption (Caribbean POV)

Caricatures of Prophet Muhammad incite Muslims’ fiery rage

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf: A friend indeed who’s a friend in need

A national farewell to Coretta Scott King

What to make of last week’s elections in Haiti (Caribbean POV)

Shot heard around the world: VP Dick Cheney shoots his friend

Slobodan & Saddam in the dock defending crimes against humanity

Arabs banned from U.S. ports

Anti-terror immigration laws provide comfort only to fools

Political correctness gone mad in Austria and at Harvard!

Mladic, the al Zarqawi of the Balkan Wars, eludes capture…again?

Bryant Gumble should be fired for his Jimmy-the-Greek rant!

Another Covenant with Black America

Holy Blood, Holy Grail-v-The Da Vinci Code

CHAPTER THREE

U.S. casts die against Internet gambling in the Caribbean (Caribbean POV)

Bush’s nuclear dance with India (and wink at Pakistan)

My review of the 2006 Oscars!

Regional powder kegs: Middle East-v-Far East

Abortion ban makes South Dakota the first Taliban state in America

Slobodan Milosevic is dead!

Europeans cry: Give us jobs (for life) or give us death!

The war in Iraq: A civil war by any other name

PM Blair’s legislative diversion from his war troubles in Iraq

Sexy teacher gets off (after) blowing more than schoolboy’s mind

Liberia’s female president wows Washington

OPEN LETTER: To the Government of The Bahamas (Caribbean POV)

Meet Joseph Kony (Idi Amin’s pedophile political son)

Whitney Houston: still whack on crack

Jill Carroll released; Charles Taylor recaptured!

CHAPTER FOUR

Solution to the illegal immigration: Assimilation! Assimilation! Assimilation!

Black South Africans honor former Apartheid leader F W de Klerk?

Black U.S. congresswoman assaults white cop…then cries racism?

How sex makes smart men do stupid things

Today I march in support of illegal immigrants. But…

Time to put up or shut up about Iran’s nuclear program!

Talk about Independence for the Turks & Caicos Islands…is just that! (Caribbean POV)

China’s President Hu comes to Washington

America being terrorized by al Qaeda is nothing compared to Israel being terrorized by suicide bombers

Indicting Barry Bonds would be an error for Baseball

Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth. But…(Caribbean POV)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld retire? Hell no, he won’t go!

Earth to news broadcasters: Osama bin Laden’s a big joke!

After seizing their land, Mugabe seeks a helping hand from white farmers

Kevin Costner outed as a sexual pervert

CHAPTER FIVE

Save Darfur Rally: Full of sound and fury signifying nothing!

Pamela Rogers: America’s most wanted schoolteacher

Death penalty rejected! Jury gives 9/11 terrorist life

Cold War redux: Friendship over between Russia and the UnitedStates!

Wither United Nations (necessary) reforms (Caribbean POV)

Arrivederci Silvio Berlusconi…until next time?

David Blaine: Master of illusion or huckster of delusion?

White mischief of English aristocrats still enjoys immunity in Kenya (Caribbean POV)

Why Bush’s Immigration reform is a non-starter

Deported Dutch MP—a celebrated Muslim—finds home in U.S.

Putin’s wife reveals his (old-fashioned) philosophy on domestic affairs

Hey Paul, will they still love you when you’re 64? No, no, no

Cheers, jeers and yawns greeted Bonds’s 714th home run…and deservedly so!

The Congressman, $100,000 and his freezer

American Idol exploits mediocre talent for profit….so what!

Enron’s masters of the universe found GUILTY as sin!

Britain’s divorce laws advance women’s rights into the 21st Century (Caribbean POV)

For unto Jolie and Pitt, a child is born…to save Namibia?!

Haditha massacre: Just the latest of American war crimes in Iraq

CHAPTER SIX

Holy smokes, Batwoman’s a lesbian

Lance Armstrong vindicated!

Prince Albert claims white lovechild but disinherits black son (Caribbean POV)

Setbacks for Chávez’s socialist revolution in Latin America

The devil in Dan (Da Vinci Code) Brown’s religious writings

Zarqawi is dead…so what!

Charlie Rose’s (and my) professional epiphany

Miami wins NBA Championship! But that’s only half the story

Hey, my little sister’s a Doctor!

Anti-whaling activists threaten: Free Willie or we’ll destroy your economy! (Caribbean POV)

Catfight: Ann Coulter-v-9/11 widows

Buffett to Gates: the richest transfer of personal wealth in history

Wither the Roadmap for Peace in the Middle East

PetroCaribe: Let’s look this Chávez gift horse in the mouth (Caribbean POV)

Court rules Bush can hold detainees at Gitmo indefinitely. But…

CHAPTER SEVEN

Bush’s charge that the Times revealed state secrets is specious and hypocritical

U.S. Space Shuttle blasts off…but so does a dreaded North Korean missile!

2006 World Cup Champions: Italy, Italy, Italy!

Mexico election: Calderón’s win is a win for Bush; loss for Chávez

Congress finally renews Voting Rights Act?

Pardon me Sir, but how much did you pay for your knighthood? (Caribbean POV)

AIDS prevention: To briss, or not to briss: that is the question

Oprah protests I’m not gay!

Bush finally addresses the NAACP

Online gambling throughout the Caribbean is dead (Caribbean POV)

Tiger Woods wins the British Open…again!

UPDATE: My favorite ex-communists—the Ukrainians

Wham! Bam! thank you…man? That’s the way George Michael likes it

Arrested development of Mel Gibson: From sexiest to craziest man alive!

CHAPTER EIGHT

Dancing on Castro’s grave is unseemly…and premature! (Caribbean POV)

A plea for Landis, Gatlin, et al: Decriminalize drugs…especially in sports!

Israel-v-Hezbollah: Not necessarily good against evil…

The end of the world…according to ABC News and Al Gore

Sen Joe Lieberman tarred and feathered by his fellow Democrats

British foil 9/11-style terror attack

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: The first Premier of The Turks and Caicos

Islands

Iranians insult Jews to punish Danish cartoonists for insulting Muslims…got that?

China and Japan escalate schoolyard row over Japanese WWII Shrine

Admonition on girls dying to stay thin

Arrest in JonBenet case: More about pedophile obsession than murder

Copperfield’s most lucrative illusion yet: Making the fountain of youth appear in The Bahamas

South Africa condemned at International Conference on HIV/AIDS

Deconstructing Kola Boof: Osama’s black mistress

Hey, my big brother’s a Bishop!

The politics and business of kidnapping in Palestine

The fat lady is singing for Mexico’s Lopez Obrador

Who outed Valerie Plame? Washington’s best-kept secret revealed!

CHAPTER NINE

Agassi whimpers (physically and emotionally) into retirement

The latest on my favorite corporate crook: Lord Conrad Black

To Japan a (male) heir is born

9|11: In Memoriam

The assassination of Bush (Death of a President) and the failures of Clinton (Path to 9|11)

Good riddance! Whitney sobers up and divorces Bobby

Good riddance! Anorexic models no longer reign in Spain

The Non-Alignment Movement: Dominated by rebels looking for a cause (Caribbean POV)

The Pope’s apology to Muslims proves he’s not only fallible but also gullible

Another military coup in Thailand

Another revolution in Hungary

Turkey lifts (Salman-Rushdie style) fatwa on bestselling novelist, Elif Shafak

The crucifixion and resurrection of South Africa’s Deputy President Jacob Zuma

Former President Bill Clinton goes ballistic on TV

If Terrel Owens wanted to kill himself, T.O. would’ve killed himself!

Bob Woodward’s in a state of denial over his new book State of Denial

CHAPTER TEN

Intern (gay) sex scandal rocks Republican leaders in U.S. Congress

Delusions on matters of race are coming home to roost in Canada

Alas, Anderson Cooper is just presenting 360° reports on Africa

Ruling on wiretaps: small vindication for me, giant victory for America

Angelina Jolie insults blacks by playing a black woman in new movie!

The New York Yankees: The worst Baseball team money can buy!

U.S. deals death card to internet gambling operators in the Caribbean

I told you so! Now 60 Minutes has: This Duke rape case is closed!

Madonna and (black) child raising controversy (Caribbean POV)

It’s TIME: Run Obama Run!

Politicians playing the race card: Black Ford-v-White Corker in Tennessee

Africa’s igNoble (No ‘Mo’ Corruption) Prize (Caribbean POV)

Caribbean nations feel victimized by new U.S. passport requirement? (Caribbean POV)

Friends of Bill Clinton (FOBs) reject invitation to fund his 60th birthday extravaganza

CHAPTER ELEVEN

John Kerry’s politically-incorrect joke about people serving in Iraq…is correct!

Anna Nicole Smith’s Bahamian residency and baby-Daddy drama (Caribbean POV)

Rush Limbaugh and Michael J Fox debate Stem Cell research?

Election results: The only news in town (notwithstanding Britney’s divorce)

Donald Rumsfeld becomes a casualty of the Iraq War

Bill Cosby pays off woman who accused him of rape

Mall at last! Mall at last! Thank God Almighty, a black’s on the Mall at last!

Tom Cruise: Don’t worry Oprah, your invitation’s in the mail…

O.J. Simpson confesses…hypothetically

Whaling in the Caribbean to save tourism? What rubbish!

All diamonds are Blood Diamonds!

Seinfeld’s Kramer unleashes a racist tirade on stage! Why the surprise?

No justice at home, no peace in Iraq unless and until the U.S. reinstates the Draft!

The assassination of a disloyal spy…by Russian President Vladimir Putin?

Like Daniel in the lions’ den, the Pope tames Muslim fanatics!

Britney Spears exposing her bald spot does not portend America’s doom

CHAPTER TWELVE

South Africa gives same-sex couples the legal right to marry!

Viva Chávez.? (Caribbean POV)

Despite his good deeds, Bolton forced to bolt as UN Ambassador

Gwyneth Paltrow exposed as an ungrateful snob and a pathological liar!

The Iraq Study Group presents

From Huey Long to William Jefferson, corruption pays in Louisiana…

UPDATE: It’s TIME: Run Obama run

Prime Minister Olmert (mistakenly) outs Israel as a nuclear power

Final verdict on Diana’s death: I was wrong

Internecine battle for the soul (and property) of the Anglican Church

German Opera decapitates Muhammad (too), despite Muslim protests

Hey Trump, your lady’s a tramp, and you’re a chump!

Former U.S. President Gerald Ford is dead!

Did you hear John Edwards is running for president…again?

James Brown—the Godfather of Soul—is dead!

Saddam Hussein has been hanged!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For Mary

bon zanmi mwen renmin empil

INTRODUCTION

8393.png

All of the events I write about in this volume took place in 2006. But I hope part of the pleasure you derive from reading this book will be in recalling those events (or reading about them for the first time) and determining whether my commen-taries—on everything from world politics to the World Cup—reinforce, rebut or reverse your thoughts.

The question I am asked most often about my commentaries is the one a new visitor to my weblog asked just days ago: With your job as a lawyer, how do you find the time and energy to maintain your blog?

Of course, people invariably expect me to say that I function well on only 3 to 4 hours of sleep, and that writing is a breeze. But that’s only half right. Because, like most people I know, I am sleep deprived and can never find enough time in the day to do my professional work—to say nothing of honoring my personal commitments. Unlike most people I know, however, when I finally get home at night, I do not find becoming a couch potato and staring at the TV an ideal way to unwind. Instead, I find it tremendously therapeutic and stimulating to reflect on the news of the day and memorialize some of my thoughts on my weblog. In this sense, I suppose I’m rather like people (mostly young girls for some reason) who maintain personal diaries. Although, there’s nothing personal about The iPINIONS Journal. After all, my entries are mostly polemical essays on current events that are intended for others to not only read but also criticize.

Which brings me to another question I am frequently asked: Aren’t you afraid about people criticizing, or getting upset about, your commentaries?

In fact, the only shield I’ve erected to protect myself in this regard is a filtering device to prevent opinionated cowards from hiding behind anonymous comments that challenge my thoughts, impugn my character or threaten me physically. Otherwise, I welcome criticisms—including the couple over the years that have actually forced me to make embarrassing corrections or eat my words. Nevertheless, I find it truly disheartening that many of my readers have confided that they prefer to comment on my columns via e-mail—instead of posting them on my weblog—because they fear the ad hominem attacks that characterize most debates in the Blogosphere.

I am fortunate to have readers who live all over the world. But they all complain about the superficial, dogmatic and vitriolic nature of public debate in their respective countries. Yet, ironically, many of them seem confounded by the fact that my commentaries do not conform to any particular orthodoxy. (Indeed, I get the impression that some readers have a vested emotional interest in determining whether I’m a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, socialist or capitalist, etc.) But the aim of my commentaries is not to proselytize any ideology or the agenda of any political party or organization. Instead, I hope they serve as a provocative, informative and even entertaining antidote to the recycled rubbish that is standard fare amongst political pundits and social critics today. And I hope that, for posterity, this volume will be the most reliable resource for reflections on the most important (and popular) events of 2006.

Finally, an irritating number of people seem convinced that some (white) ghost writer is, in fact, the author of my commentaries. Therefore, I, Anthony Livingston Hall, do hereby declare that I am the sole author of every word written and edited in this book (and posted on my weblog). And I dare anyone to prove otherwise!

NOTE: Articles sub-titled Caribbean POV were written from my native Caribbean point of view and published originally by Caribbean Net News for a predominantly Caribbean readership.

—ALH

CHAPTER ONE

8396.png

Putin fires first salvo of Cold War II

For years, I’ve been writing about the undemocratic antics of that little munchkin-president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. But the provocative act he perpetrated on Sunday should erase all doubts that Putin is determined to rule Russia with a neo-Stalinist iron fist and reclaim totalitarian control over the former republics of the Soviet Union. Because here’s what he did:

Putin made Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko an offer he could not refuse. Like a true dictator, Putin told Yuschenko that unless he agrees to pay four times as much for the natural gas Rutssia now supplies, Ukraine’s 47 million Orange Revolutionaries would no longer have gas to cook their food, heat their homes or drive their cars. And when Yuschenko refused, Putin made good on his threat and cut off the gas supply!

But to appreciate the geopolitical significance (and potential ramifications) of Putin’s tyranny, recall that, just years ago, President George W Bush welcomed Russia into the family of democratic nations by declaring that he looked into Putin’s eyes and saw the soul of a Jeffersonian democrat. In fact, Bush appeared to have bought—hook, line and sinker—Putin’s explanation that it takes time (and dictatorial powers) to transform the consciousness of former communists and reform their congenitally-corrupt institutions to enable them to cope with the realities (and requirements) of democracy. And, that this is why he had to behave more like Joseph Stalin than Thomas Jefferson for the time being. Indeed, Putin never tires of reminding Bush (and anyone who thinks so highly of American-style democracy) that his dictatorship is benign compared to the governance of America’s founding fathers—all of whom either possessed slaves or condoned the

institution of slavery. Touché….

Unfortunately, Putin’s clever justification for his dictatorial machinations is undermined by the fact that while insisting that he needs years, if not decades, to wean Russians off the mammaries of communism, he’s insisting that Ukrainians must pay (capitalist) market rates today for gas Russia once subsidized as part of the communist pact—when it ruled as the mother country of the dependent republics of the Soviet Union.

By grounding Ukraine like an unruly child, however, Putin may have overplayed his (anachronistic) hand. Because, where Bush might have expected this kind of extraterritorial meddling from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez or Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he must be profoundly dismayed that it’s being perpetrated by Putin. After all, Putin’s bullying of Ukraine has conjured up Cold War memories of Soviet domination that have not only unnerved surrender monkeys in Europe but also provoked war hawks in America. Consider further that, even before this episode, the London Times Online reported that Putin’s human rights abuses in Russia troubled his American critics so much that:

A group of senators and congressmen from both Republicans and Democrats are calling for the St. Petersburg summit to be cancelled and for Russia to be kicked out of the G8.

In fact, given the totalitarian record Putin has amassed in recent years, Bush attending a business summit hosted by Putin emits all the stench of hypocrisy of him attending a human rights summit hosted by genocidal megalomaniac Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Moreover, if Putin does not resume the supply of gas to Ukraine on more salutary terms before the convening of this summit, Bush (and other G8 leaders) might find the political atmospherics in St. Petersburg too noxious to withstand! However, there are encouraging signs that Putin seems eager to reassure western Europeans that he has not taken complete leave of his senses. Because late last night he assured them that he was just teaching his uppity-Slav brothers in the Ukraine a lesson; and, that other European recipients of Russian gas need not worry about the spigot being cut off. Meanwhile, all indications are that the Ukrainians will cry Uncle and agree to Putin’s extortionate price demands.

January 3

Martin Luther King Jr was also a womanizer…so what!

On Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press, Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek magazine, recommended—as a must read for this year—the final volume of Taylor Branch’s biographical trilogy of Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) entitled At Canaan’s Edge. And, having read Branch’s first two volumes (and excerpts from this one), I second his recommendation highly.

However, I suspect Meacham recommended this book because of Branch’s informative behind-the-scenes account of the political intrigue that beset the Civil Rights Movement, which included MLK’s power struggles with upstarts like Jesse Jackson and FBI warrantless wiretaps to find information to undermine his moral authority. (Alas, Bush was not the first to order spying on American citizens.) By contrast, Meacham’s counterpart at TIME magazine seems to think it’s worth a read because of Branch’s candid account of MLK’s extramarital affairs.

Never mind that, thanks to former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, we already know almost as much about MLK’s womanizing as we do about JFK’s. Yet I have no doubt that interest in Branch’s fascinating details about the complex and often fractious relationships amongst the leaders of the Movement will pale in comparison to interest in the few details he provides about MLK’s extramarital relationships. But, since TIME is exploiting The Secret Agony of MLK for patently commercial purposes, I hereby offer this tease from Branch’s scholarly book that I hope will stimulate interest in it and deflate interest in TIME’s trashy magazine Story:

His womanizing was the source of such agonizing moral conflict that MLK was compelled to confess his most enduring extramarital affair to his wife at her most vulnerable moment—days after she recovered from a hysterectomy.

There! Awful, isn’t it? And we all thought Newt Gingrich was an unconscionable jerk for discussing divorce terms with his wife while she was in hospital recovering from uterine cancer surgery. Nevertheless, TIME’s prurient homage to MLK is not without redeeming value. Because making tabloid fodder of his sex life might lead to a cognitive dissonance which disabuses Americans of their nai’ve and hypocritical regard for marital fidelity. After all, there seems to be such a positive correlation between great leaders and womanizing (think Thomas Jefferson, JFK, Bill Clinton, and even wannabe-great Jesse Jackson) that it behooves ordinary citizens to be more accepting of this tragic flaw in the content of their character.

January 4

Abramoff bribes: The biggest corruption scandal…in a generation?

Washington insiders are still hyperventilating over the plea bargain über-lobbyist Jack Abramoff struck with federal prosecutors on Tuesday. Unfortunately, many of them are being titillated by patently-misleading commentaries on this case—especially by partisan Democrats who smell the blood of wounded Republicans. Never mind that the material facts involved can be reduced to one sentence: Abramoff pled guilty to a garden-variety conspiracy to bribe politicians for political favors. That’s it!

If one did not know better, however, one might think he was caught committing crimes that make tricky-Dick Nixon look like a choir boy. For example, the usually staid Washington Post describes Abramoff’s bribery scheme as [t]he biggest corruption scandal to infect Congress in a generation. But anyone who thinks Abramoff is unique, or that only Republicans thrive on such bribes, is either naive or being hypocritical. After all, influence peddling—for political or financial gain—is (and always has been) the mother’s milk of politics in America. (Remember Abscam?)

I am a lawyer/lobbyist (though more minnow than shark in the Washington pond). And I know well that customary practice is often at variance with the professional code of conduct for my profession. Therefore, I can assert—without fear of contradiction—that what Abramoff did is what almost every lobbyist does; albeit, with less greed and much more discretion. Moreover, I have no doubt that the level of job satisfaction on Capitol Hill would plummet precipitously if lobbyists were now prosecuted for the lavish perks they provide Congressmen for political access. (Incidentally, perks which include resort vacations, skybox fundraisers at sports events, campaign contributions, jobs for political spouses, and, of course, de rigueur power lunches.) And, where Republicans reportedly comprise the vast majority of corruptible politicians in Republican Abramoff’s blackberry, it’s only a matter of time before his Democratic counterpart is prosecuted and his equally-distinguished blackberry list of crooked Democrats is exposed.

Meanwhile, with so much focus on the downfall of the politicians involved, not nearly enough attention is being paid to the corrupt stream of public business that flowed from their quid-pro-quo dealings with Abramoff. Because the real story here is that, for the proverbial few pieces of silver, politician after politician sold the good offices of the U.S. Congress to do everything from modifying gambling legislation to enable Abramoff to fleece $82 million from unsuspecting Indian tribes to getting a big donor’s trophy wife a seat on some artsy-fartsy gov-ernment commission. Nor is there enough condemnation being heaped on Abramoff for boasting, in the most racist fashion, about how he hoodwinked the Indians who paid and trusted him to represent their interests. Indeed, the few email transcripts that have been disclosed in this regard portray Abramoff as a 15th Century European explorer making journal entries about the ignorant natives who blithely gave up their land and volunteered to work as slaves.

So as this story unfolds, do not be misled by all the self-flagellating talk amongst politicians about changing or enacting laws to prevent influence peddlers from bribing them; or by idle speculation amongst pundits about which politician might be forced to resign because of his or her guilt by association with this shyster. (Although, admittedly, I take perverse pleasure in visualizing anxious Washingtonians—from President George W. Bush to congressional freshmen—purging their political coffers and personal closets of any contribution or gift from Abramoff.) Instead, ask yourself why these indignant, repentant and reform-minded politicians seem so unconcerned about the victims in this scandal: the American Indians. And, since the only article of faith in these cases is to follow the money, ask yourself why—in citing the $26.7 million Abramoff will have to pay as part of his plea deal—prosecutors made no mention of the fact that he’ll be paying that restitution from the $82 million he stole from the Indians.

Frankly, I pity the politicians who have been caught in this mess. However, instead of the lenient punishment Abramoff got for fingering them, I think justice demanded that he be scalped by the Indians for fleecing them so brutally. Imagine my dismay therefore when I read that in a Florida court yesterday, Abramoff stuck another plea deal with prosecutors on conspiracy and fraud charges unrelated to his tangled web of bribes in Washington. But enquiring minds would like to know who he fingered down there to finagle this sweetheart deal.

January 5

A prayer for Ariel Sharon

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, a time to build up…A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace…A time to be born and a time to die. [Ecclesiastes 3:1-6]

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon developed a kindred relationship that augured well for peace between their people in the Middle East. But just years ago, no one could have foreseen Sharon’s Saul of Tarsus conversion—from a Zionist warrior hell-bent on subjugating Palestinians to a Jewish leader more committed to their liberation than their former leader of 35 years, Yasser Arafat.

Indeed, over the past year, international political observers have had one timorous eye fixated on nation building in Iraq, which has held them in suspended animation wondering when all of Iraq’s democratic building blocks will come crashing down like a house of cards. Meanwhile, they’ve had the other more hopeful eye focused on the roadmap to peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which has inspired them to marvel at each step they took towards peaceful coexistence as two sovereign states. Therefore, it is profoundly ironic that this year has begun with nation building in Iraq still standing—even if in quick sand; while peace between Israel and Palestine appears irretrievably broken down.

Of course, it’s a curious thing that peace between two countries could rest on the fragile heart of one man. But it is undeniable that, with Sharon suddenly fighting for his life, the prospect for peace in the Middle East now seems even worse than the prognosis for Sharon’s survival. In fact, his grave condition has prompted dire predictions of internecine power struggles in Israel and Palestine, respectively, and of a resumption of Intifada-style hostilities between Jews and Palestinians. Nonetheless, I am hopeful that new leaders will soon emerge from Sharon’s new Kadima Party to carry-on his mission of peace, and that the Palestinians will finally defy former Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban who once said, rather prophetically, that:

The Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity [for peace].

Finally, just to add devilish mischief to this state of affairs, media outlets are reporting that Christian fanatic Rev. Pat Robertson has pronounced that God struck down Sharon for daring to divide and give away His land. But to get a sense of the divine providence of his utterances, it might help to recall that this is the same man of God who prayed aloud recently for Bush to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez….

January 06

Lou Rawls is dead!

And you’ll never find another voice like his again—no matter where you search….

Lou Rawls often said that he would rather be remembered for his charitable contributions to the United Negro College Fund than for his distinguished career in entertainment. But, as I duly accord him that honor, I regret that brain and lung cancer silenced his smooth-as-silk voice yesterday at the age of 72.

January 8

Washington scandal forces Republican leader Tom DeLay to resign!

This scandal is very inside Washington (and it doesn’t even involve sex!). But the fall of Tom DeLay is worthy of comment, if only because of the unprecedented level of schadenfreude it has evoked in people on all sides of the political divide. So bear with me:

The other shoe has finally dropped for Republican Congressman Tom DeLay ofTexas. A few months ago, he was forced to take a leave of absence from his fief-dom as Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives after he was indicted on campaign-fraud charges. Then, just last week, he was placed in a politically untenable and unsustainable position after his bagman, Jack Abramoff, copped a plea with federal prosecutors to spill the beans on the corrupt practices of their well-oiled political machine. However, if I were ever inclined to express sympathy for a political rogue, DeLay would be a good candidate. After all, the charges against him seem politically motivated. Moreover, the lust for influence peddling which made him and Abramoff such ideal bedfellows betrays the prevailing mindset of doing business in Washington far more than it reflects DeLay’s criminal intent.

Nonetheless, the following description of DeLay’s modus operandi—by Ari Berman of the Nation—explains why his demise was so prayed for by Democrats (and more than a few Republicans) who resented (and feared) his power:

DeLay’s iron-fist ruling style was said to be an integral part of the GOP’s successes. Unprecedented party loyalty, powerful connections to big business and lobbyists on K Street, fundraising prowess, and backing from the White House and Senate leadership reinforced the perception that DeLay and his cronies were untouchable…. Lobbyists who didn’t identify as Republicans were told to take their business elsewhere.

In fact, rumor has it that even before the ink was dry on Abramoff’s plea agreement, DeLay’s fellow Republicans were conspiring to extend his leave of absence, indefinitely. But, appreciating all that Abramoff’s plea portends, DeLay knew better than anybody that it was best (for him and the Party) for him to jump (i.e., resign) from his leadership perch before Republicans were compelled to push him off.

However, no one will miss DeLay’s unabashed influence peddling more than his fellow Texan, President George W. Bush. Since even Democrats were impressed by his ability to hammer the president’s legislative agenda through the Congress. But I too shall miss him. Because I delighted in the unalloyed glee DeLay must have felt every time he reflected on his spectacular rise from pest-control man in Texas to the most powerful Congressman in Washington. Alas, what an even more spectacular fall!

Seeya later Tom…

January 9

Judge Alito and the fight for control of the U.S. Supreme Court

If you bought the hype from Democrats about how they will expose President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee, Samuel A. Alito, as a genial racist and devout misogynist during Senate hearings on his nomination, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. After all, they will not compel Alito to explain, inter alia, why he would’ve jailed Rosa Parks for refusing to get to the back of the bus or committed women to sanatoriums for choosing to abort (murder) their babies. Because, despite political soundbites to the contrary, there’s nothing in his judicial record to suggest he would have done so.

Instead, these hearings, which got underway yesterday, will be characterized more by political bloviations from senators than tortured judicial explanations from Alito. Because it is patently clear that Democrats are interested in colloquy with him primarily to score political points; not to elicit the reasoning behind his more controversial judicial opinions. Meanwhile, no one doubts that, after this dog-and-pony show, Alito will be confirmed. And once on the bench, if a case presented the opportunity, he probably would vote to overturn a woman’s right to an abortion. Indeed, that’s why Bush nominated him, and why I’m sure I shall rue his confirmation.

Nonetheless, it is foolhardy for Democrats to demonize him for holding views that are shared by almost half of the American population. After all, one does not have to be a racist to oppose affirmative action, or a misogynist to oppose abortions, or a fascist to endorse the president’s power to wiretap phones in the interest of national security. And it behooves the Party’s white Brahmans to appreciate these distinctions; especially since a vast majority of Black and Latino Democrats have more in common with Alito (on abortion and gay rights, for example) than they do with liberals like Sen. Kennedy of Massachusetts (who himself might be judged a racist for referring to Bush’s (black) Court of Appeals nominee, Janice Rogers Brown, as a Neanderthal).

Notwithstanding my admonitions, however, Alito’s Republican defenders seem eminently prepared to match political wits with Democrats over his nomination. Indeed, with his opening statement alone, Republican Sen. John Cornyn ofTexas summarily dashed the hopes of anyone looking for a good fight. Because he presented a masterful indictment of the arguments Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have proffered to justify their opposition. In fact, Cornyn used their own words—invoking the Ginsburg precedent—as he advised Alito to refuse to answer any question that is similar to those Democrats advised President Clinton’s notoriously liberal Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to refuse to answer during her confirmation hearings. (Incidentally, those verboten questions ranged from any involving a hypothetical to assess her judicial reasoning on a controversial issue like abortion, to any involving a fact pattern that is similar to that of any case that might come before the court at some point in the future; Which, of course, resulted in Ginsberg being confirmed without answering a single question of judicial or political substance….) But a little of what Cornyn said in his opening statement that knocked Democrats on their asses is worth quoting here…for posterity:

What I want to also make sure of is that we don’t hold you to a double standard that we don’t expect of you answers to questions that Justice Ginsburg and others declined to answer in the interest of the independence of the judiciary and in the interests of observing the canons of judicial ethics.

Cornyn then questioned the political integrity of Democrats on the Committee by decrying the fact that Alito will be denied a fair hearing because 5 out of 8 of them had already declared that no matter what he says [or refuses to say] they were going to vote against him. And then he concluded his remarks by sharing with Alito the following unassailable rebuke of Senate Democrats:

We know that 22 senators, including five on this committee, voted against Chief Justice Roberts’ confirmation just a few short months ago. And my suspicion is that you do not come here with a total level playing field.

I’m reluctantly inclined to the view that you and other nominees of this president to the Supreme Court start with no more than 13 votes on this committee and only 78 votes in the full Senate, with a solid, immovable, unpersuadable block of at least 22 votes against you no matter what you say and no matter what you do.

Now, that’s unfortunate for you, but it is even worse for the Senate and its reputation as the world’s greatest deliberative body.

I take great pride in upbraiding politicians for spewing moral indignation at others for things they’re guilty of doing. And, in this case, I would be all too happy to take Cornyn to the woodshed if the facts were available to support such a reprimand. As things stand, however, his indignation is not only justified; he and his fellow Republicans are as beyond reproach—in this case—as any politician could ever be. After all, notwithstanding the aforementioned Ginsburg’s liberal bona fides and her indefatigable refusal to answer their questions, Republicans had the political good sense to vote with Democrats to confirm her 96-3. By contrast, even though equally, if not more qualified than Ginsburg, Alito will probably get only 10 or 15 (out of 45) votes from Democrats and be confirmed (with all 55 Republicans voting yes) with no more than 70 out of 100 votes by the full Senate.

Accordingly, I urge Democrats to abort their agenda to assassinate Alito’s character in a vain attempt to wound Bush politically. Instead, they should mobilize (especially pro-choice, one-issue) voters to attack the ballot box in 2008 to give another Democratic president the opportunity to do what former President Clinton did—much to the moral horror of right-wing Republicans: i.e., nominate liberal judges to ensure that his liberal views are reflected in decisions handed down by the Supreme Court! This is all Bush did in nominating Alito. And, it’s entirely consistent with his Constitutional prerogatives.

However, if Cornyn did not disabuse Democrats of any legal pretext for opposing Alito, then sensible Party members should at least recognize that there’s legal precedent to suspect that their political agenda may be misguided, if not self-defeating. Because when President George H. (Daddy) Bush nominated David Souter to the Supreme Court in 1990, many of these same Democrats raised friggin-hell about