johntinker.com

Richard Florida was interviewed by Scott Simon for NPR’s Weekend Edition today. I don’t want to dwell too much on nothing at all, but Florida summarized his misconception when he said that the question Obama must answer is how capitalism is to develop into the future. Florida’s plan is that we will not own houses because we will be meeting the labor market of the future by being super mobile, and therefore happier as renters.

That Obama is publically construed as rightfully some champion of capitalism, rather than of the Constitution, or of the people, is signal.

The pushing of the idea that the citizenry should become nomads in pursuit of the green pastures of corporate designs is offensive.

re: Diane Rehm October 16, 2008

Tom Brokaw says that there is no need to cover Ralph Nader, because Nader’s numbers are low.

Of course Nader’s numbers are low - he’s been excluded from coverage.

Brokaw only passes along a circular rationalization for the failure of corporate America’s idea of culture, here represented by the Commission on Presidential Debates (a privately owned corporate entity) to provide (vend) to the viewing public any semblance of authentic democratic process.

Brokaw at one point refers to “people like Nader”. Wow. What a conceptual category that must be!

Troy Davis, a black man, is due to be executed in Georgia tonight. Seven of nine witnesses against him have changed or recanted their testimony. There is no other evidence against him. The Georgia Board of Paroles has refused to grant clemency. Today the Georgia Supreme Court refused to grant a stay until the US Supreme Court can look at the case. Have these people no shame?

The loss here of course is greatest for Troy Davis and his family.

But there is also a tremendous loss for all Americans. The likelihood that an innocent person is about to be executed should have us all shaking in our boots. If the legal process is unable to prevent such a miscarriage of justice we should be questioning why anyone would think we have such a great system of government.