Um, Castration Is Legal?

I'm not quite sure how I missed this. Bobby Jindal, mayor of Louisiana (a name we should start hearing a lot more in the next few years), signed an interesting bill into law over the summer. Apparently, certain sex offenders can now be chemically or physically castrated as a part of their sentence. The bill says,

on a first conviction of aggravated rape, forcible rape, second degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, molestation of a juvenile when the victim is under the age of 13, or an aggravated crime against nature, the court may sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration. On a second conviction of the above listed crimes, the court is required to sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration.

Jindal explained the bill,

I want to send the message loud and clear – to the Supreme Court of the United States and beyond – make no mistake about it, if anyone wants to molest children and commit sexual assaults on kids they should not do so here in Louisiana. Here, we will do everything in our power to protect our children and we will not rest until justice is won and we have fully punished those who harm them.

I mean, thanks for protecting children. But castration? Is this the Middle Ages? How can this possibly be legal?

Yes We Can

I encourage you, no matter what you think of this election, to watch our next President's speech from when he lost the New Hampshire primary. I just watched it at my office at work and, after composing myself, came here to encourage anyone who reads this to do the same.

If you can't watch it, or if you'd just rather read it, the text is here. I want to highlight two specific things he said.

All of the candidates in this race share these goals. All have good ideas. And all are patriots who serve this country honorably.

But the reason our campaign has always been different is because it’s not just about what I will do as President, it’s also about what you, the people who love this country, can do to change it.

To those who cynically say that nothing will change, or who worry that we've made the wrong decision in all this, take comfort in the fact that it's up to you. The most significant promise this presidency has made is that you are in fact responsible for the change you want to see in this country.

At the campaign rally where I saw Obama speak, he said that his Presidency would fail if we didn't rise up and act. Anyone who worries about big government should understand this about our next President. The door is open for you to be the change that you want.

I know that many people would call me naïve for all this. I know there are cynics or realists who tell us that politics doesn't work this way, that it's not going to happen the way we think. That we've all been brainwashed and that nothing is ever going to be different. But I think they miss the point -- we've already begun to change. The results of November 4th, 2008, are just the wonderful, visible proof.

After all,

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we’ve been told that we’re not ready, or that we shouldn’t try, or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.

Yes we can.

So to the person who wrote, "Nothing will change. Mark these words." I say to you -- I will mark them. I'll mark them in the same way we marked the words that said a black man couldn't possibly be elected President. And the words that said his lack of experience would ruin his campaign, that the timing wasn't right, that it couldn't be done.

By proving them wrong, Barack Obama sucked all of the sap, all of the naïveté out of those three words -- yes we can.

Why Obama, General Election Edition

A Baltimore Sun reporter caught me on the way out of the polling station today, and I was happy to answer a few questions. One of the first things she asked me was, "How long ago did you make your decision?" It was an easy answer for me, because today I voted for the candidate I supported from the very beginning of the Presidential primaries.

I explained why I favored Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton during that big primary race, and much of it applies to why I voted for him again today. But let me briefly explain why I voted for Senator Obama and not for Senator McCain (or anyone else, for that matter).

Why I Voted For Barack Obama GENERAL ELECTION EDITION
Or, Why I Didn't Vote For John McCain

First, the small reasons: McCain gets too angry too fast and has a history of flying off the handle. I want a President who stays composed. Experience as an argument in this race left the table the day Palin was asked to be VP on the McCain ticket.

More specifically,

• Taxes | We've all heard the numbers but for some reason people are still worried about having their wealth redistributed. Taxes are necessary, because the government is responsible for taking care of certain things. And the reality is that the richer you are, the more you can afford to help shoulder that load for your country.
  
  
• Healthcare | We're the last western country without nationalized healthcare. Our infant mortality rates are higher than most of the first world. Many of our systems are already nationalized. Other non-socialist countries are running successful nationalized healthcare programs. There's just no reason we can't find a way to provide free, good healthcare to every American.
  
  I heard Obama say, in a speech last week, "we don't need bigger or smaller government, we need better government." Why is that never an option in these discussions?
  

• Foreign Policy | It's not a bad thing that most of the world is hoping for Barack Obama to be elected President. It's not a bad thing that crowds of people come to see him wherever he goes in the world. Our image is damaged and could use a boost. We need a President who can inspire his own people while rebuilding relationships with the rest of the world, and I believe Obama can do that well.
  
  
• Vision and Inspriation are still underrated | Tucker Carlson said, "I don’t think Barack Obama approaches politics that way. It’s like look, there’s an answer, we’re all struggling to find it, I believe I know what it is, you believe you know what it is, let’s talk about it."
  
  I want a President who can get above the shit, listen to both sides, and make good decisions. I want someone who can act on what Robert Creamer said: "Leadership, more than anything else, is about mobilizing people into action. People take action when they feel empowered — when they are inspired."

I feel strongly about this, but I don't hate or disrespect anyone who voted for McCain. In the end, it's less about who we vote for and more about how we vote, and I hope I've voiced my opinion respectfully. But for those who share my hope for an Obama victory, I think Jeffrey Zeldman said it best in a short Twitter update.

All our hopes now rest with two young Hobbits.

Vote Obama

Today could be a very historic day. He won't be perfect, but he's exactly what America needs, and I'll be hoping with every cell that he's voted in by a sizeable margin. Go vote right now.

Bumper Sticker: DEREGULATION IS NUANCED

Phil Gramm did two things in 1999 that seem particularly relevant now.

1) He introduced and strongly supported the Gramm-Leach-Blily Act.

This act repealed part of the Glass-Steagal Act and officially allowed commercial and investment banks to consolidate for the first time since the New Deal.

Robert Kuttner wrote an article almost exactly a year ago explaining the effect that deregulation had on our current economic crises. Here's a snip:

quote:

---

The Glass-Steagall wall was devised to prevent a repeat of the 1920s' scams, in which banks made speculative investments, turned the debts into securities, and sold them off to unsuspecting investors with the blessing of the bank. With Glass-Steagall, commercial banks were tightly supervised and given access to federal deposit insurance, to keep savings secure and prevent runs on banks. Investment banks, meanwhile, were not government-guaranteed and were free to do more speculative transactions for consenting adult customers. But Roosevelt's newly created SEC subjected securities markets to much tighter structures against self-dealing and insider conflicts of interest.

---

2) As chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, he helped to usher in the wave of subprime mortgage lending.

In this article from the NY Times back in 1999,

quote:

---

In July [of 1999], the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed that by the year 2001, 50 percent of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's portfolio be made up of loans to low and moderate-income borrowers. Last year, 44 percent of the loans Fannie Mae purchased were from these groups.

---

The other relevant fact about Phil Gramm: until very recently, he was John McCain’s presidential campaign co-chair [source] and his most senior economic adviser [source], and continues to be an unofficial adviser on economic and financial matters [source].

Obama campaign: could you please make and run this ad immediately?

Fall Movie Preview 2008

I never understand how people can hate movie trailers. Watching the big screen turn green while the track lights fade out is one of the best parts of the theater experience for me.

My advice to you is: waste some time over the next half hour. Read my comments on the upcoming fall movies if you want, or just click the links and watch the trailers yourself (avoid the tempting HD options if you don't want to waste 3 hours on load time). It's good, old-fashioned, procrastinational fun.

Movies I'll Almost Definitely See

Miracle at St. Anna (Releases September 26th)

Directed by Spike Lee and starring Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, and Omar Benson Miller

A group of segregated soldiers get caught behind German enemy lines, and years later some weird stuff is happening that is probably related. It looks interesting, and it's Spike Lee, so I'm hooked.

Spike Lee's storytelling will make Miracle at St. Anna worth seeing.

Flash of Genius (Releases October 17th)

Starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, and Alan Alda

Kinnear is a college professor who invents the first intermittent windshield wiper, which Ford quickly steals from him. He and his family fight back against the establishment. I know, but it looks very good if you watch the trailer (it might be artificially enhanced by the fantastic Dave Matthews song they use, but still...)


Milk (Releases November 26th)

Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, and James Franco

Harvey Milk was California's first openly gay elected official. The story looks compelling and the actors will be great. Even Victor Garber (you probably know him from that awful Alias show) makes an appearance. I'm a sucker for a well-told historical story, as you can see from the four movies I've put in my "Must See" category.

Sean Penn gains even more liberal points for starring in this biography of Harvey Milk.

Defiance (Releases December 12th)

Starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell

I think Daniel Craig is a great actor who picks some awful movies (The Golden Compass was dreadful), but this story looks great. They could probably rename it "Don't Forget That the Nazis Are Evil", which might be a bit tired, but who doesn't love a story about a small band of rebels taking on the Evil Empire? Especially if it stars James Bond, Cotton Weary, and even Billy Elliot all doing decent German accents?

I'll Wait To See The Reviews, But These Look Interesting

Eagle Eye (Releases September 26th)

Starring Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan

When you cast these two eye-candies, it's like a secret code for "we'd just like to make a lot of money, please, kthxbye". That doesn't mean it'll be awful, but it's really hard to tell. The premise is almost exactly Matrix-like (a fantastic plot that not even Awful Reeves could ruin), which is both annoying and intriguing at the same time.

LaBeouf and Monaghan are cast with hopes of drawing a young crowd.

Happy Go Lucky (Releases October 10th)

Directed by Mike Leigh and starring Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, and Alexis Zegerman

You've seen Eddie Marsan before, you just don't remember where. Hawkins plays an overly happy girl named Poppy who sees the good in everything. This one is definitely going to get the dreaded label of "Quirky Comedy" which should keep it from making too much money, but I've been known to fall for those types (favorite movie = Royal Tenenbaums), so I'm certainly interested to see what the critics say.

Happy Go Lucky is a quirky British comedy about optimism and hope.

Body of Lies (Releases October 10th)

Starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio

Espionage, double-cross, crooked CIA, Crowe, DiCaprio. That's enough to hook me. My only concern is: Isn't Don Cheadle in this movie? Oh wait...


Sex Drive (Releases October 17th)

Starring Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, Amanda Crew, James Marsden, and Seth Green

I know, the concept sounds awful. A nerdy kid who is on a quest to lose his virginity. The 18 Year Old Virgin? But here's why I might like it: 1) It's not Judd Apatow thank God, 2) Zuckerman looks like he might be funny in the trailer, 3) I have really liked James Marsden in everything I've seen him in. Watch the trailer, you might be surprised like I was.


W. (Releases October 17th)

Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn, Thandie Newton, Ellen Burstyn, and Elizabeth Banks

I am so scared of this. Haven't we driven the whole "capitalize on George W. Bush" thing a million feet into the ground? Is this a Mad TV movie? But again, actors and directors get my attention. Brolin has looked great, even though I didn't like No Country for Old Men he was great in it. And it's Oliver Stone doing one of his presidential biographies. It might be worth a look. We'll see.

Is it too soon for a George W. Bush movie?

Quantum of Solace (Releases November 7th)

Starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Jesper Christensen, Olga Kurylenko, and Mathieu Amalric

Uh, it's James Bond, and the first one that Craig did was okay. I'll definitely need to look at some reviews before spending $9 on this one, but it might be an enjoyable mess.

I'll Wait To See The Reviews, But These Look Pretty Bad

Rachel Getting Married (Releases October 2008)

Starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Debra Winger

The Oscar buzz is apparently building for Hathaway's role in this "dramedy", but from the trailer it looks all wrong. The "gritty" parts look forced and the morals look way too in-your-face, in a Dan In Real Life kind of way (shudder).


Australia (Releases November 14th)

Directed by Baz Lurhman and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman

Real life Aussie Kidman plays a British rose who makes her way to pre-WWII Australia and falls for Crocodile Dundee Hugh Jackman. Except, there's a part where Kidman tells a mystical story of her tale to a child in a style reminiscent of The Princess Bride. Oh, and there seems to be a sort of Dances With Wolves kind of cultural war story, too. You can tell that I'm a little confused about how this all fits together.

Everybody has always wanted to see a movie about Australia, right?

Nothing Like The Holidays (Releases November 21st)

Starring Freddy Rodriguez, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Alfred Molina, Luis Guzman, Vanessa Ferlito, and Jay Hernandez

I'm always willing to give holiday movies some leeway, because I like them for what they are. But at first glance, wow, this could be horrible. Debra Messing is pretty bad, and the rest (besides Molina, who is excellent) are either eye-candy or mediocre at best. But I've been less annoyed with Leguizamo lately, and Freddy Rodriguez has done some good work. In the end, I think it's going to be a bad movie trying to capitalize on Christmas cheer, but I don't think it's going to be as awful as you think.

Okay, These Just Look Terrifyingly Horrible

The Day The Earth Stood Still (Releases December 12th)

Starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly

Part of the consequences of seeing The Dark Knight three times in theaters was having to see this awful trailer three times. Awful Reeves looks like his typical self, and let me remind you that this is another eco-thriller about the dangers of abusing the earth. I'm all for being green, but not for overstating the case and hoping that aliens come to warn us of our doom, especially if the aliens say stupid shit like, "If the earth dies, you die, if you die, the earth survives."


The Spirit (Releases December 25th)

Written and directed by Frank Miller and starring Gabriel Macht, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, and Jaime King

This is based on Will Eisner's classic comic series from the 40s and 50s, which should be somewhat exciting. But based on the trailer alone, wow. I half expected to find out that it was just a joke trailer, with a "Gotcha!" at the end and a link to the real one. I don't even know what else to say.

A great looking poster for an awful looking movie called The Spirit.

There are a lot more movies than that coming out this fall, I'm sure. Leave a note in the comments if you think I missed something substantial, or if you (gasp) disagree with any of my expert assessments.