Facebook Politics

I occasionally get sucked into political diatribes on Facebook. Sometimes I take the bait.

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Michael _______:
I have not been to a public library in years. They are no longer relevant and are a drain on the local tax base. Amazon.com has a much better selection of books.

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Me:
Michael, I know you're just looking for an argument. I'll begrudgingly take the bait. I'm glad to hear that you are financially well off enough (by pulling yourself up by your bootstraps or whathaveyou) to not have to put up with public libraries. But what about the other people living in Williamsburg? Since you enjoy Wikipedia so much, perhaps you should look at this page: http://bit.ly/qIHhuC — “The per capita income for the city is $18,483. 18.3% of the population and 9.3% of families are below the poverty line.” While you may have the financial stability to buy books from Amazon (which has a bigger selection anyway), what about the nearly 1 in 5 of the people around you who live below the poverty line but still pay taxes that go to providing them access to public libraries? What about their desire to rise above their socio-economic trappings? Would you have them pull themselves up by their own bootstraps without having access to information? Oh, but they have Wikipedia, right? On their laptops and internet connections at home? That they’re able to afford comfortably while they’re living below the poverty line?

You’re also in a very historic area, famous for being near the first colonies in America. Have you thought of the millions of immigrants around the United States who have used public libraries? They read materials in their own language, yes, but many also learn English at their libraries. They meet there with librarians to learn about technology, with book groups to discuss readings, with conversation groups to learn how to speak other languages. Libraries are much more than book repositories — they’re social spaces, they’re information hubs, they’re technology hotspots.

And how about this other Wikipedia factoid: "In various cost-benefit studies libraries continue to provide an exceptional return on the dollar. A 2008 survey discusses comprehensively the prospects for increased funding in the United States, saying in conclusion 'There is sufficient, but latent, support for increased library funding among the voting population.'" — http://bit.ly/q6jLFl

[I'll note here that all this discussion was couched within a thread that was started about Rick Scott's insensitive comments about the study of anthropology.]

The problem with Rick Scott’s statement here about anthropology is that he pretended to know something about higher education, the liberal arts, and how they fit into the economy. The problem with your statement here about libraries is that you don’t know jack shit about libraries because you never go to them.

You write about benefiting the individual American, but when you say that — admit it — you really just mean yourself.

Troy Davis

Troy Davis was executed last night following 20 years in prison. His case had become famous internationally for the doubt that had been cast on the trial and conviction. The basics are that he was convicted in 1991 of killing an off-duty police officer (the killing took place in 1989), there is no DNA evidence tying him to the crime, there were some eyewitnesses at the trial, and many of these eyewitnesses recanted their testimony following the trial. As is true with most anything, you can get a very detailed description at Wikipedia:

Seven of nine eyewitnesses signed affidavits changing or recanting all or part of their testimony. The limited ability to appeal his conviction, due in part to the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, brought his plight to international attention. Prosecutors argued that it was too late to present the recantations as evidence. Davis maintained his innocence.
—http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_case

And here's a post about events leading up the execution:

Troy Davis Executed After Supreme Court Rejected Appeals
http://gothamist.com/2011/09/21/after_temporary_delay_supreme_court.php

This is certainly not the first execution that has been called into question (see my July post, Incarceration. The death penalty is certainly not an easy topic to consider. I'm even trying to just think about the basic premise of it (without having to read the long Wiki entry). Any kind of analysis done here, now, would not be enough. But the basic premise that society should be protected from random, preventable violence by government is well taken. And to what extent should society have to pay to keep a proven murderer alive for the rest of their life?

Still, the bit against capital punishment, about how it should be determined who lives and dies (and how things get "proven")... that is also well taken. Especially when you have a Supreme Court Justice say something like this:

I have yet to see a death case among the dozens coming to the Supreme Court on eve-of-execution stay applications in which the defendant was well represented at trial... People who are well represented at trial do not get the death penalty.
—Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader

If you take that statement to its logical conclusion — that having good representation means paying good money for it, AKA, the rich have significantly different legal outcomees from the poor — it all leads back to social class and capitalism. And that's not even considering racism. This is just one area (in a huge grey cloud) where the clear-cut basic premise of the death penalty gets very murky.

So: how to trust a society that gives the best healthcare and the best resouces to its rich and executes its poor?

The Office in Italy

In case you don't already know, most of my blogging nowadays is happening over at my Italy blog. I'll be in Florence for a year. But I'll still post here (on rare occasions) for things that are not particularly relevant to my stay in Italy.

Although I have a TV here, I don't watch it. I have been, however, rewatching the entire series of The Office. Well, I have seasons 1-6 and I'm on season 3 now. Sometimes I feel stupid for watching The Office in my apartment in Italy, but then I remember that you can't completely soak something in without breaks. You get overwhelmed. That's why we as humans need sleep. That's why those little slivers of ginger are there next to your sushi. You need to cleanse your palate so you can fully enjoy the next taste.

So when I'm not walking around looking at art and architecture, eating some magnificent food, working, studying, reading, juggling, or playing guitar, I am sometimes watching The Office.

I first saw the show in a quick burst several years ago when a friend lent me and my then-roommates the first two seasons. Rewatching it is nice. You pick on some nuances. It's still funny. It's still emotional.

This exchange comes from an episode that I found to be particularly funny. Darryl asks for a raise, which leads Michael to ask for a raise of his own. This dialogue comes during Michael's negotiations with Darryl, when Darryl realizes that Michael is wearing a women's suit:

Kevin: Who makes it?

Michael: Umm... [opens jacket revealing pinkish/purple coat lining and tag] MISSterious... And it is mysterious because the buttons are on the wrong side. That's the mystery.

Phyllis: It's got shoulder pads. And did you see that lining? Did you see it?

Michael: Would you stop it. Please?

Jim: So none of that tipped you off?

Michael: It's European, OK? it's a European cut.

Pam: Michael, the pants don't have any pockets.

Michael: No, they don't. See? [Michael turns around and rubs his hands on his butt.] Italians don't wear pockets.