seeingfurthr_2.0

Dama Ruth... Dead!! R.I.P.

Long time readers of Seeing Further will remember a choice episode from our Brasilian adventures where I had a mild paparazzi dust up with the Former First Lady of Brasil.  Re-live the adventure: http://brasil.seeingfurther.com/archives/2006/05/say_what.php

I was sad to hear of her passing but I did spot some of her funeral photos in the local paper.  Guess I know the secret to catching a good shot with Dama Ruth now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/world/americas/02cardoso.html

Save The Rain Forest Save Brasil

What about this idea for saving the Amazon Rain forest and helping Brasil get on it’s feet as a first world nation?

Admittedly Brasil has serious socio-economic problems which prevent it from protecting the Amazon region.  It’s a fairly onerous obligation, having to police the entire area especially when people are economically motivated to destroy the Amazon for farmland and timber.  

Why doesn’t the Brasilian government make a deal with the first world.  The Amazon region gets named as a world ecological protection zone with all the protections that the first world nations care to name.  In turn these nations pay Brasil a management fee to police the area and ensure enforcement.  There could be clauses for violations on both sides and maybe a pre-selected U.N. arbiter.  The fee could be wildly excessive and go towards infra-structure development which hopefully elevates the standard of living in Brasil in the long term

Justice Scalia, hypocrite self-serving slob

Mr. “strict constitutionalist”  Justice Antonin Scalia, today voted with the majority in limiting the punitive damages award in the famous Exxon Valdez case Exxon v. Baker. 

The jury awarded $287 million in compensatory damages and it assessed another $2.5 billion in punitive damages against Exxon.

Justice Souter, writing for the majority, did a thorough historical analysis and found that in maritime cases punitive damages were generally approximately the same as the compensatory damages.

WTF.. did you read that?

How in the hell can these guys limit a punitive damage award passed down from a jury?  Past case decisions from juries on punitive damages cases don’t set legal precedent and no legislation is currently in place to limit those damages.  If you want a limit, pass the law.

Now as far as Exxon Valdez is concerned, I have no dog in that race. $287 million is still a significant amount of money to add to the $3.5 billion Exxon already shelled out.  Exxon definitely paid the piper. I actually don’t even think that it’s bad if judges reduce punitive damages.  But it chaps my ass to continually see so called neo-cons trot out their agendas of strict constitutionalism and “no legislation” from the bench, as Justice Scalia does every chance he gets, and then turn around and perform some hypocritical self serving magic trick.  I’m sure you’ve all heard their B.S. not unlike the entire Republican bull shit show party. This so called group of conservatives who laughed strict conservative and strict constitutionist Ron Paul off the debate stage many times this election season.

Their hypocritical agenda is mind boggling.  Throw out the constitution when you need to in the name of security, but wrap yourself up in it to get elected.  Preach fair, free and open capitalist markets except when it suits you to enact corporate socialism to bail out Wall Street and tax cheaper and more efficient Brasilian ethanol.  Stupifiying this country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/washington/25cnd-punitive.html?ref=science

Habeas Corpus... bahh who needs it!

Who are the jackasses out there voting for McCain?  This guy probably thinks Habeas Corpus is some sort of body fungus we can take care of with a military incursion level salve.

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/06/mccain_slams_the_supreme_court.html

Seriously, Habeas Corpus, it’s one of the most fundamental individual civil rights granted and in use for over 700 years.  That’s before the U.S. was founded for those McCain voters playing at home.  How can you say ‘the terrorists hate us cause we’re free’ and then suspend such a basic right whenever it suits us.  There is absolutely no excuse, except for cowardice.  Essentially the argument is that we need to protect ourselves.  Really, shoe bombers and cave dwellers, this has got us so fearful we’re willing to suspend our basic civil rights.  I’m more afraid of Republicans than I am terrorists.

Go fuck yourself Republican cowards! Jam that conservative security blanket up your constricted homophobic corn-holes.

campaign for liberty