Brick by brick

If you have been following along, you know I have a theory that psychopathic personalities are drawn to CEO positions and periodically I offer up a tidbit for your consideration through this lens. My latest offering is a piece by James Kwak, who says the following:

...somehow the bankers came out of it with the same unshakable belief in their own perfection that they had in 2005. The only plausible explanation is some kind of powerful personality disorder.

Source: Wall Street CEOs are nuts

Perhaps Wall Street bankers are behaving as if they have no shame because they have no shame?

A governmental drowning?

When I look at the handling of the BP oil spill I think I am looking at the drowning of the US government in a bath tub.

Why?

BP is a foreign-owned corporation that is usurping US sovereignty when it comes to freedom of the press: Details here

BP is also fouling US territorial waters and Barak Obama seems more concerned with raising campaign cash in California than holy hell in the Gulf.

For at least a month oil is going to be sliming its way into bayou country and I don't think the magnitude of that has dawned on the Gulf Coast officials currently busying their giddy little minds about serving BP even more sycophantically. It does seem to have dawned on James Carville, who is out there trying to fire up the commander in chief (small c, small c at the moment).

I find it disturbing that even at the local level politicians are serving up the carcasses of their neighbors to the maws of a global elite. That is what I call systemic servitude! This is government of the corporations and by the corporations, from sea to sheening sea.

I therefore have come to believe that this is dysfunctional government of the type Grover Norquist has long salivated after. I suppose we should all congratulate him on a job well done, but I haven't the stomach for it.

It is depressing to think that "whores for boors" is going to be this generations legacy to the next. It is unlikely we will be known as the greatest generation, or even a runner-up.

Why I oppose the death penalty

The primary reasons I oppose the death penalty are that humans make mistakes, and execution is permanent.

To illustrate my point, I would like to bring two cases to your attention:

1. Raymond Towler was convicted of raping an 11 year old girl almost 30 years ago. His conviction was overturned with DNA testing, which was unavailable at the time. You can read about it here.

2. James Bain was convicted of raping and kidnapping a nine year old boy 35 years ago. His conviction was also overturned with DNA testing and he is now looking forward to "eating fried turkey and drinking Dr Pepper." You can read about his case here.

I expect that both men were viewed as the worst kind of criminals when they were tried and convicted. Had their sentences been execution, then James and Raymond would not see their families again, nor eat fried turkey.

To know these facts and argue for a death penalty anyway is to pay too much respect to violence, and too little to Justice.

Quick hit

Of AAA-rated subprime-mortgage-backed securities issued in 2006, 93 percent — 93 percent! — have now been downgraded to junk status.

Source