Saturday, April 01, 2006
In recognition of April's fools
In this post, which we will keep at the top of the page all day long, we will chronicle any and all tomfoolery that we happen across. Scroll down for more recent posts on other subjects.
First up, The New York Times! Permit us to return to a topic that we have harped on many times in the last year: that newspaper's twin proclivities to (i) predict the direction of financial markets, and (ii) attribute short-term changes in those markets to Bush administration policies, at least when those markets are down. One year ago, for example, the Times ran an editorial declaring that "the dollar's current uptick is just a breather in its overall downward trajectory," that the reasons had to do with the Bush administration's economic policies, and that "the dollar is heading down, no matter what." Fools! On that date, you needed a hair under $1.30 to buy a single Euro. Today you need only $1.21. On that date a year ago, a single dollar would buy 107 Japanese yen. Today it buys just about 118 yen.
So, if Bush administration policies were going to be responsible for the "downward trajectory" of the dollar, aren't they responsible for its "upward trajectory," too? If the New York Times has admitted as much in the last 365 days, I missed it.
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Cynthia McKinney accuses the Capitol Police of racism.
The charge of racism is serious and inflammatory and demands action, which is why it garners space in the nation's largest newspapers. As every employer knows, an accusation of racism cannot go uninvestigated. What was the race of the "unidentified" officer who tried to do his job? One can search high and low in the press accounts, including the stories that publicize McKinney's charge that the officer she punched was a racist, and find no reference to the poor schlep's race. In addition, the press needs to speak to the rest of the Black Congressional Caucus and see if they agree, or disagree, on the record, with McKinney's charge of racism and her assertion that we should rely on individual "face recognition" to decide who gets to avoid the metal detectors. If they agree, then it sounds as though the Capitol Police are in for some big-time sensitivity training. If they do not, then let's condemn McKinney for smearing the cops and cheapening the charge of racism.
UPDATE: Captain Ed has a thing or two to say about this.
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First up, The New York Times! Permit us to return to a topic that we have harped on many times in the last year: that newspaper's twin proclivities to (i) predict the direction of financial markets, and (ii) attribute short-term changes in those markets to Bush administration policies, at least when those markets are down. One year ago, for example, the Times ran an editorial declaring that "the dollar's current uptick is just a breather in its overall downward trajectory," that the reasons had to do with the Bush administration's economic policies, and that "the dollar is heading down, no matter what." Fools! On that date, you needed a hair under $1.30 to buy a single Euro. Today you need only $1.21. On that date a year ago, a single dollar would buy 107 Japanese yen. Today it buys just about 118 yen.
So, if Bush administration policies were going to be responsible for the "downward trajectory" of the dollar, aren't they responsible for its "upward trajectory," too? If the New York Times has admitted as much in the last 365 days, I missed it.
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Cynthia McKinney accuses the Capitol Police of racism.
Representative Cynthia A. McKinney and her legal advisers blamed racial bias Friday for her run-in with a Capitol police officer as the incident ballooned into a political furor.
At a press conference at Howard University, Ms. McKinney, a Georgia Democrat, said her physical altercation with an officer who was screening visitors to a House office building was the unnamed officer's fault.
At a news conference at Howard University, Ms. McKinney, a Georgia Democrat, said her physical altercation with the unidentified officer, who was screening visitors to a House office building on Wednesday, was the officer's fault.
One of her lawyers, James Myart, said the case typified a pattern of police harassment of black Americans. "My belief is this is no different than that: 'they all look alike,' " he said.
The encounter took place at a checkpoint to a building across Independence Avenue from the Capitol. According to accounts by police officers and Congressional officials, Ms. McKinney went around one of the metal detectors that are at the entrances and staffed by the police. The officer reportedly told her to stop, and when she did not he apparently tried to stop her, provoking a physical response from Ms. McKinney. [She punched the poor guy. - ed.] Members of Congress are allowed to sidestep the metal detectors.
Ms. McKinney, a lawmaker known for provocative statements, acknowledged that she had not been wearing the lapel pin that would have identified her as a member of Congress. But she said the police responsible for protecting lawmakers should recognize them on sight.
"The issue is face recognition," said Ms. McKinney, who has complained in the past that security and staff officials at the White House and the Capitol have treated her with suspicion because of her race.
The charge of racism is serious and inflammatory and demands action, which is why it garners space in the nation's largest newspapers. As every employer knows, an accusation of racism cannot go uninvestigated. What was the race of the "unidentified" officer who tried to do his job? One can search high and low in the press accounts, including the stories that publicize McKinney's charge that the officer she punched was a racist, and find no reference to the poor schlep's race. In addition, the press needs to speak to the rest of the Black Congressional Caucus and see if they agree, or disagree, on the record, with McKinney's charge of racism and her assertion that we should rely on individual "face recognition" to decide who gets to avoid the metal detectors. If they agree, then it sounds as though the Capitol Police are in for some big-time sensitivity training. If they do not, then let's condemn McKinney for smearing the cops and cheapening the charge of racism.
UPDATE: Captain Ed has a thing or two to say about this.
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What do Paris Hilton and Dick Cheney have in common? They finished tied for second place in an April Fool's poll of Americans, with 59% of Americans saying they had "done something foolish" in the past year. I think I'm with the majority, without remembering precisely what Paris might have done.
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Michael Totten pointed out -- yesterday, actually -- that John Mearsheimer doesn't know when he's being slammed. Fool!
2 Comments:
By 
, at
Sat Apr 01, 01:16:00 PM:
Since I have experienced many of the same things - recently! - as Rep. McKinney, I'm starting to grow concerned that perhaps the blogosphere is misinterpreting?
By , at
Sat Apr 01, 04:59:00 PM:
That ridiculous outfit, perhaps?
