President Obama channels Abraham Lincoln in a speech on national security...

President Obama made a speech last night criticizing the previous administration for undermining the United States Constitution while simultaneously proposing to suspend habeas corpus for "enemy combatants," a move that is in direct defiance to the Geneva Convention. After refusing to release photographs of detainees being tortured, and now holding POWs indefinitely without trial, Obama has succeeded in increasing the opacity of his self-proclaimed transparent administration.

While standing in a room alongside the United States Constitution, Obama said, "...there may be a number of people who cannot be prosecuted for past crimes, in some cases because evidence may be tainted, but who nonetheless pose a threat to the security of the United States." So, for the past eight years, we have held prisoners without trial with no clear evidence of crimes committed.

He continued, "...my administration has begun to reshape the standards that apply to ensure that they are in line with the rule of law. We must have clear, defensible, and lawful standards for those who fall into this category." In order to deal with these (innocent until proven guilty) detainees, Obama says he will change international POW laws so that prosecutions can be made. Until then, these people will be held indefinitely without trial.

During the presidential campaign, both Barack Obama and John McCain were looking to align themselves with principles mandated by (arguably) our greatest president, Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately, by breaking international law, Obama is initiating a wartime policy that Lincoln would have supported. In September of 1862, Lincoln issued the following statement:

"Now, therefore, be it ordered, first, that during the existing insurrection and as a necessary measure for suppressing the same, all Rebels and Insurgents, their aiders and abettors within the United States, and all persons discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting militia drafts, or guilty of any disloyal practice, affording aid and comfort to Rebels against the authority of United States, shall be subject to martial law and liable to trial and punishment by Courts Martial or Military Commission:

Second. That the Writ of Habeas Corpus is suspended in respect to all persons arrested, or who are now, or hereafter during the rebellion shall be, imprisoned in any fort, camp, arsenal, military prison, or other place of confinement by any military authority of by the sentence of any Court Martial or Military Commission."

Lincoln allowed all supporters of the Confederacy and conscientious objectors of the war to be imprisoned by the military indefinitely without trial for the duration of the Civil War. Now, without any evidence of crimes committed, Obama is circumnavigating international law and our own military courts in order to hold POWs in the War on Terror without trial.

It was wrong then, and it's wrong now.

-Matt

Wow, that was fast...

As I lined up for the history department's graduation ceremony, the professor who taught my least favorite class in my final semester bumped into me. She turned and I watched as her expression instantly transformed from annoyance to confusion. "Matt, you're graduating? I wish I would have known, your grade for my class would have been a little better." I had absolutely phoned in my efforts for Modern Latin America, a class that neither counted towards my major nor was it required for liberal learning. After accidentally misreading my program planner, and, thinking I needed a South America course to complete my major, I wasted my final college course on her boring class. But she didn't know any of that. "Thanks," I said, "I passed, so that's all that matters."

Yes, I've completed my college education. Like millions of others across the nation, I, too, was forced to wear a black cellophane cap and gown while enduring extreme temperatures. I was packed into a football stadium, where I had to listen to faculty, students, and guest speakers drone on about how lucky I was to graduate during the worst economic climate since the Great Depression.

In fact, a terrible economy has been the signature motif of my senior year. In my final semester, I wrote a 26 page thesis comparing our time to the Great Depression. I wrote articles on how the economy was negatively affecting my part time job, how it was forcing my little sister to choose military service over a college career, and how my fellow graduates were moving home or incurring further debts in post-graduate programs because of slim job prospects.

I'm moving home. I have no job and no money. It feels a lot like the plot of a Broadway show or those stories that immigrant great-grandparents tell. "I arrived in New York with the clothes on my back and $12 in my pocket," they say. What will I tell my great-grand kids? "I arrived home with a fancy piece of paper and a mountain of debt," I'll say. It doesn't really have the same ring to it.

I sat near the back during the ceremony, right in front of a professor who has been a member of the department since 1958. Having to sit through the pomp and circumstance fifty-one times makes the whole thing a lot less significant, I learned, because he was whispering loudly to a fellow faculty member throughout the duration of the ceremony. "They should teach them how to fold their diploma into a paper hat," he chuckled, "Then they can use it when they apply at a fast food place." I turned to him and smiled. "I hope mine comes with instructions on how to fold a paper airplane," I said. Then I walked up and smiled for the camera.

-Matt

GOP Fail...

Last week, in an attempt to appear relevant, House Republicans banded together to vote down Barack Obama’s $819 billion stimulus package. After four straight years of heavy losses, however, the move became nothing more than a symbol of the GOP’s imminent collapse. The bill they opposed passed 244-188. Plagued by dwindling numbers, outdated ideology, and a homogenous “rich whites only” image, the Republican Party is now being forced to make a choice. Change or die.

The success of the Republican Party since the Reagan Revolution was made possible by the coalition of fiscally conservative bankers and socially conservative southerners. This unlikely team put Ronald Reagan in the White House in 1980 and 1984, took over the House and Senate in 1994 to combat Bill Clinton, and narrowly won George W. Bush the presidency twice, in 2000 and 2004. Partially in response to the failures of the Bush presidency, and partially due to the lackluster campaigning of John McCain and Sarah Palin, the coalition collapsed in 2008, forcing fiscal conservatives to jump ship as Republican rhetoric swung into the realm of racism and fear. The result was a Democratic sweep, putting Barack Obama in the White House with a near filibuster proof Congress.

The scramble since November 5th has been as entertaining as it is pathetic. Lacking the ability to block liberal legislation, the Republican Party has transformed into a party of socially conservative whiners led by Rush Limbaugh, a controversial conservative pundit. In a short article published just before inauguration day, Limbaugh wrote, “…I’ve been listening to Barack Obama for a year-and-a-half. I know what his politics are…I hope he fails.”

After a week of dodging questions related to Limbaugh’s treasonous remarks and his newfound central role in Republican policy, President Obama issued a statement. He said to Republican leaders in Congress, “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.” This was said soon after John Boehner, House Minority Leader, cited the funding of bike paths, Planned Parenthood and a cleanup of Washington DC’s National Mall as the reasons why Republicans refused to support Obama’s massive stimulus package. And, despite Boehner calling Republicans “the party of better ideas, better solutions,” recently on Meet the Press, their only contribution to the political process as of late has been the enigmatic SarahPAC, Governor Sarah Palin’s pompous tribute to herself.

The collapse of the Republican Party, as wonderful as that sounds, is dangerous for democracy. Since the bitter Republican/Federalist rivalries of the 1790s, America has maintained a balanced government with two viable parties keeping each other in check. As the Republican Party implodes and the Democrats enjoy their unbridled chance to lead, a strong opposition party with fresh ideas must rise from the ashes of neo-conservatism and provide Americans with their most important right. Choice.

-Matt

Matt is tagged for a meme, signals triumphant return...

Some anonymous person (HBoO) convinced me to write 25 things about myself that are reasonably unknown.

Here we go:

1. When I was a kid, my bus stop was a quarter mile down the street. My friend and I would walk past several ranchers to get there, each with its own dirt or stone driveway. One of the dirt driveways had a deep hole that would always fill with water when it rained. During winter, the water would freeze, creating a miniature ice rink. Every day, we'd "skate" on it or smash the thin ice with our feet, at which point we'd pretend to drown. The water was just a few inches deep which leads me to believe that my 9 year old imagination was just like LSD.

2. Once, I challenged a kid on my street to a race to the top of the street and back. I lost the race...and my dignity.

3. I have a small mole on my right thigh that always grows a single black hair. It may or may not be cancerous.

4. I hold my cell phone in my front pocket. If I forget to put it there before I go out, my pocket periodically vibrates.

5. I brush my teeth the exact same way every time.

6. I often think about trying stand up comedy.

7. I don't know how to properly use a tissue. When I have a cold, I snot rocket into a toilet.

8. I shower with my back facing the water.

9. Though I owned and played Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles for several years, I never beat any of them.

10. I owned NHL 95 for Sega Genesis. Often I would create a character named Matt Brinn and give him maximum stats because I'm awesome.

11. I used cheat codes to beat Grand Theft Auto III, but not Vice City or San Andreas.

12. I think my favorite cheesy song from the 80s is Cum on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot. Honorable mention-Sand Castles in the Sand

13. If all else fails, I have a great radio DJ voice.

14. And a movie trailer voice.

15. In a world...

16. I joined the internet community on July 1st, 2001 at the now deceased planetnamek.com with the username "MangaMan". I participated in lengthy Dragon Ball Z debates and text RPGs.

17. I say LOL out loud when I think something is only kind of funny.

18. When I did Tae Kwon Do, we had to memorize the meaning of each form that we did. I can still recite the meaning of the white belt form from memory.

19. Chun Ji means literally the heaven and the earth. It is in the orient and is interpreted as the creation of the world or the beginning of human history. Therefore, it is the initial pattern played by the beginner. This pattern consists of two similar parts, one to represent the heavens and the other, the earth.

20. My favorite movie is Amelie. I'm not afraid to admit that I bawled when the cat moved the beads. I still tear up when I see it.

21. No other movie has made me cry. Grave of the Fireflies came close.

22. I recently watched Firefly, the Joss Whedon show that got canceled after 14 episodes. It's the best show I've seen since Cowboy Bebop. I guess this means that one of my favorite things is sci-fi western comedy dramas that last a season or less before releasing a movie spawned from DVD sales.

23. Bad acting in a good movie stings my soul. Bad acting in a bad movie makes life worth living.

24. When I take my glasses off, I'm compelled to rub my eyes incessantly.

25. It's been thirty hours since I've consumed a food that isn't pizza.

***

Wow, twenty five things is too many. Until next time...

-Matt

House agrees to write legislation to bail out auto industry...

I just read the the front page of the New York Times. In response, I wrote all of my representatives to convince them to vote against another cataclysmic mistake in a series of cataclysmic mistakes. Here's the text of my letter:

I ask you, with utmost urgency, to oppose the $25 billion bailout for the big three auto companies. Though there are numerous reasons to vote against it, I will focus on just one: the source of the funds.

According to the New York Times, the $25 billion is likely to be taken from "subsidized loans intended for developing advanced fuel efficient cars." I think this sends the Big Three the wrong message. If we give them money that was intended to be used to revamp the industry, it will encourage them to continue nefarious business practices that caused their collapse.

To understand their backwards mentality, turn on any TV and watch the car commercials. These companies are emphasizing big vehicles that conform to an outdated concept of "manliness." It is obvious that these companies are not listening to consumer demands for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles; otherwise they would have evolved their business model according to their customer's desires.

We cannot reward a private industry that fails to supply consumer's demand. Bailing out these companies not only undermines our capitalist system, it will rob the American people of crucial funds that should be saved for progressive policies that provide jobs for our ailing economy.

Once again, vote NAY to any piece of legislation that provides the auto industry with tax dollars. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Matthew Brinn
Concerned Citizen

I urge you all to copy this letter (or write your own) telling your representatives to vote against any legislation that allocates funds to bailing out the auto industry!

-Matt

T. Boone Pickens discounts everything that Stephen Moore thinks/says...

T. Boone Pickens, the biggest advocate for the expansion of wind energy in America, argued his cause against Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal.

Pickens began the argument by stressing the necessity for America to relinquish its dependence on foreign oil by embracing green energy technologies. He expanded on this point by providing thorough knowledge on existing resources, their allocation, and the feasibility of maintaining our current lifestyle. In short, we can't. According to Pickens, who has worked and managed energy plants for his entire life, if America scoured its lands for nonrenewable energy, it'd be able to provide just four million barrels of oil a day for a limited number of years. Currently, the USA consumes 12 million barrels each day.

Moore, at this point, interjected with his views. "Oil doesn't come from the ground, it comes from our minds," he said, "I don't believe in peak oil."

Pickens, obviously flustered by the remark, emphasized the cost of drilling in these places. "Yeah, we can drill 30,000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico. It'll cost $120 million and, if we're lucky, we'll get four billion barrels, not the 20 billion figure that is being tossed around Congress," he argued. On more than one occasion, Pickens was able to provide statistical and monetary information that Moore was unaware of. Throughout the course of the debate, Moore repeatedly nodded his head in agreement with Pickens rebuttal. "Yes, well, you'd know those numbers better than I would," he said.

This, in my opinion, is a microcosm of America's energy ideologies. On one side, you have pragmatists who realize that our lifestyle is unsustainable and needs to move in a new direction. On the other side, people blinded by their preference to maintain the status quo skew figures and refuse to accept basic facts. Whether you believe oil is running dry or that it'll last forever, the truth is that oil is destroying our environment so, therefore, it's killing us. We have made the basic technological innovations to leave fossil fuels behind, but special interests only concerned with today's profits are hampering our progress. Let's move forward with these new ideas so that one day, years from now, we can watch this debate and chuckle at Stephen Moore's ignorance because, honestly, that's all his opinion deserves.

-Matt

President-Elect Obama addresses governors...

Earlier today, President-Elect Obama called a meeting with the governors of all fifty states to discuss his plans to launch a coordinated effort to fix our financial situation.

I just finished watching his statements on C-SPAN, it was as refreshing as it was moving. To hear a politician humbly ask for help, not just from his Democratic buddies, but from Republicans as well, put a smile on my face. One thing in particular that he said nearly brought a joyful tear to my eye.

He said, "I offer you [Republicans] the same hand of friendship and the same commitment to partnership that I do to my Democratic colleagues. There is a time for campaigning and a time for governing...We are not going to be hampered by ideology while trying to get this country back on track. We want to figure out what works."

He went on to discuss his desire to try gubernatorial ideas from either party that work on the state level in Washington. I can't remember a time when an American leader had the pragmatism and the humility to ask for help in such a way. Later, during the press conference, Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania said that such a meeting during a transition period was "unprecedented."

As trite as it is to say at this point, I'm excited. I have that nervous excited feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

-Matt