Digital Brainwaves

That Governor Spitzer may have been caught up in a prostitution sting…

…or this rather silly-looking picture from his abrupt press conference this afternoon?

(AP photo, retrieved from FOXNews.com)

This should make it, *ahem* interesting to be a New Yorker for the next few months, if not longer: Governor Eliot Spitzer, in advance of a suddenly-scheduled announcement for later this afternoon, has allegedly admitted to his staff his involvement in a high-priced prostitution ring.

If the allegations prove true, it comes as rather interesting and hypocritical for this to be coming from the former state attorney general who has, from the article, “built his political legacy on rooting out corruption.” As I’m typing this, the radio is reporting Spitzer may possibly resign.

For the record, I voted for the other guy.

Apparently, new studies suggest that global CO₂ output must be ceased altogether in order to curb global warming. Two points on that:

1. Get the entire population of the world to give up their cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs? Good luck with that.
2. Considering that Earth isn’t the only planet whose temperature is changing like this, maybe we should look at some other ideas.

There’s a few other points that could be made, but this is a good start. Feel free to contribue in the comments below.

I’d sat on this for a week and a half, and had bookmarked it but neglected it, but was reminded of it again today.

Rush Limbaugh read this column by The Aspen Times Weekly’s Gary Hubbell on his show on February 19th, and I think it’s dead on. I’d almost forgotten about it until Glenn Beck interviewed the column’s author Wednesday morning. A few snippets:

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.

He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.

Go have a look, it’s worth the read.

Biggest news of the day, hell of the year so far, was– no, not the iPod shuffle price drop. Fidel Castro announced his intention not to seek reelection by Cuba’s parliament this weekend. His younger (albiet only by five years) brother Raul will likely take over, though who knows how much longer he’ll be around either?

Raul says he wants to implement reforms, but I’m skeptical until I see it, or until someone who isn’t a Castro or any other member of his party takes control through democratic election. Scott Ott, though, thinks he has the perfect successors:

Rumors in Cuba carry the currency of mainstream media coverage in the U.S., and many Castro-supporters are eager to find new leadership that combines Castro-like charisma with iron-fisted leadership tactics and revolutionary support for government-run health care, education and industry.

“A Clinton-Obama ticket,” said one unnamed Cuba scholar, “combines the power and the glory that was Fidel Castro, with the unshakable commitment to collectivism, controlled economies, and virulent resistance to the United States as a superpower.”

I don’t know all the details on this story, so I’m opening up to commentary on the issue.

Yesterday the US Senate rejected an amendment to S.2248 (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2007) that would have removed language from the bill granting immunity to the telecommunications industry regarding wiretapping of terrorist communications, thus, essentially, granting such immunity. The bill was passed shortly thereafter. This language did not appear in the House version of the bill, so this will be hashed out in conference committee soon.

The measure will, if I’m reading this right, close up any ambiguity as to the legality of the NSA warrantless wiretapping program that President Bush enacted shortly after September 11, 2001. The imminity language, again, if I’m following this correctly, would protect the telecommunications industry from prosecution if any laws were broken before this legislation comes into effect.

I’m not sure where to come down on this issue. Maybe my understanding of criminal law is flawed, but if this bill makes the program legal, doesn’t it no longer matter if their activities were against the law before? The Bush Administration and the industry both keep saying it was legal before anyway, so if that were the case, wouldn’t the courts find in their favor anyway?

I open the topic up to your discussion, as it’s confusing the hell out of me. Keep your comments civil, or I reserve the right to edit or delete them, and I will be the sole arbiter of such.

This election is turning out to be exactly like the last West Wing election.

– Patrick Ruffini

…that Congress is getting the important legislation to President Bush’s desk in a timely manner. Yay priorities.

Note: This week’s American Idol blogs should be written and posted tonight.

Since both of the candidates I’d previously considered supporting dropped out of the Republican race for President, I sat down to last night’s GOP debate on CNN to see what I could learn (aside from stuff I’ve already read) about who’s left. In so doing, I watched John McCain’s credibility and honesty crumble to dust.

I’d explain what happened, but Redstate.com already has, and has taken McCain to task over it. Go have a look.

Between this debacle of repeated and deliberate mischaracterization of Romney’s stance on Iraq and his stance on amnesty for illegal aliens, I can’t cast a primary vote for the man this Tuesday.

(American Idol blogging should be along as soon as possible, hopefully later tonight.)

Surprisingly, a news publication has recognized the work General David Petraeus has done in Iraq to help improve conditions and make it a better place for Iraqis to live, naming him Person of the Year.

Unsurprisingly, it was not a U.S.-based publication.

Michael Yon reprints the following from December 31st’s issue of the U.K.’s The Sunday Telegraph:

…the reason for picking Petraeus is simple. Iraq, whatever the current crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan, remains the West’s biggest foreign policy challenge of this decade, and if he can halt its slide into all-out anarchy, Gen Petraeus may save more than Iraqi lives.

A failed Iraq would not just be a second Vietnam, nor would it just be America’s problem.

Click through to read further.