Friday, March 29, AD 2024 4:57am

Various & Sundry, 9/6/13

The Obamaconomy Keeps Chugging Along

Over the last 56 months – since Barack Obama became president in January 2009 –unemployment has dropped 0.5%, from a rate of 7.8% in January 2009 down to 7.3% in August 2013, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

During those 56 months, the unemployment rate rose substantially to a high of 10% in October 2009 and stayed in the high 9% range for 2010 and much of 2011. In January 2012, the unemployment rate was 8.3%. It crept down to 7.8% in December 2012, exactly what it was when Obama was inaugurated (and George W. Bush left office).

That rate has stayed in the mid-7% range so far in 2013 and is at 7.3% for August, according to the BLS data.

The unemployment rate has not fallen below 7.3% in the last 5-plus years.

Chug Chug Chugging Along

The number of Americans who are 16 years or older and who have decided not to participate in the nation’s labor force has pushed past 90,000,000 for the first time, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS counts a person as participating in the labor force if they are 16 years or older and either have a job or have actively sought a job in the last four weeks. A person is not participating in the labor force if they are 16 or older and have not sought a job in the last four weeks.

In July, according to BLS, 89,957,000 Americans did not participate in the labor force. In August, that climbed to 90,473,000–a one month increase of 516,000.

In January 2009, when President Barack Obama took office, there were 80,507,000 Americans not in the labor force. Thus, the number of Americans not in the labor force has increased by 9,966,000 during Obama’s presidency.

Staying off the Grid

Autumn Jones relates a day living tech free.

Yesterday I forgot to tweet. Yep, not a single message sent out on the grid. I didn’t post anything on Facebook. Even my hyperactive Instagram account took a holiday. My total text message count stayed under 10. And, believe it or not, my laptop was out of reach all day. Sure, I watched the email numbers increase on my cell phone, but I just simply let it go.

Instead, I slept in, drank coffee with my roommate, went out to lunch with my sister, perused an independent bookstore and spent the entire afternoon and evening with my family. It was my sister’s last day in town and for nearly eleven hours that was all that mattered.

Jack Might Be Back

We can all breathe a sight of relief as Jack Nicholson is not retiring from acting after all.

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Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 5:10am

Nicholson not retiring is good news indeed. One of the great actors of our time. Like Satan in Paradise Lost who got away from Milton, his portrayal of Colonel Jessep in A Few Good Men, intended to be the villain of the piece, instead came out looking better than the JAG hyenas seeking his hide:

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 9:02am

I actually think the character of Col Jessep was an example of a coward in charge. Any officer willing to let an E-2 and E-3 take a murder rap for an order he gave is a piece of crap in uniform. As for the JAG hyenias, isn’t that what a lawyer is supposed to be anyway?

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Greg Mockeridge
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 9:18am

“As for the JAG hyenas, isn’t that what a lawyer is supposed to be anyway?”

Nope although that is a common misperception among the public at large and some attorneys. An attorney is to do his best according to the law for his client, no more and no less. A win at all and any cost attitude is destructive to the law and to any concept of justice.

“Any officer willing to let an E-2 and E-3 take a murder rap for an order he gave is a piece of crap in uniform.”

That is how the part was written by Aaron Sorkin, drug abusing writer of potboiler liberal melodramas. In his final speech Nicholson transcended the role that had been written for him, and made the audience empathize with his character, always a prime challenge for any actor slotted to play a villain. In the hands of a lesser actor the speech would come out as desperate self justification. In the hands of Nicholson it is obvious that his character completely believes every word he is saying. His final line is masterful: “You have no idea how to defend a nation. All you did was weaken a country today, Kaffee. That’s all you did. You put people’s lives in danger.”

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 2:25pm

Look, I’m not at all denying that those who produced that movie were trying to paint tough old school officers, as well as the Marine Corps on general, as cowards pretending to be tough. Nor am I denying that this is really a calumnious misrepresentation of the Corps.

Look, anything directed by Meathead Reiner on the military is going to be like this. That should go without saying.

I don’t even think “code reds” are big deals. I sure endured my share of hazing in my Navy days. Didn’t like it. But it’s a part of military life (at least it used to be anyway). And serves a purpose, namely toughening guys up and building unit cohesion. My point is that any officer that is not willing to man up and take responsibility for giving an illegal order when it results in something like this and lets an E-2 and E-3 take a murder rap for it is a piece of crap in uniform. And that was the character of Col Jessep.

As far as my remark about lawyers supposed to be hieynas, that was a tounge in cheek play on the stereotype. I thought that was obvious. But I guess I was wrong.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Greg Mockeridge
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 4:24pm

“My point is that any officer that is not willing to man up and take responsibility for giving an illegal order when it results in something like this and lets an E-2 and E-3 take a murder rap for it is a piece of crap in uniform.”

Got your point the first time Greg, and my point was that Nicholson’s performance transcended the villainous role assigned to him by the playwright. (Which also didn’t make a lot of sense since Jessup is shown as surprised when he is facing charges after he admits to ordering the Code Red. Well, duh, since avoiding such charges was supposedly Jessup’s motivation for orchestrating the coverup. Nicholson’s performance was superb, but the play and the movie based upon it were pretty nonsensical from both military and legal standpoints.)

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 7:34pm

Actually, I think the playwright did a masterful job of portraying the character of Col Jessep as a coward in hero’s clothing as well as advancing the fallacy that it takes such a character to advance U.S. interests And he tapped the perfect actor to do it. Jack’s performance in that role was one for the ages. If I am not mistaken, Nicholson is a rabid lefist himself. He also portrayed Ltjg. Kaffee as the talented, albeit reluctant lawyer.

As an aside, they were also able to advance the fallacy that the defense, not the prosecution, bore the burden of proof.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Greg Mockeridge
Saturday, September 7, AD 2013 8:07pm

“As an aside, they were also able to advance the fallacy that the defense, not the prosecution, bore the burden of proof.”

Legally the movie was a mess. However, it is not unusual, no matter what the burden proof is, for Defendants to find themselves in a situation that unless they prove their innocence the trier of fact will find them guilty. That can frequently be the case with a jury where the State makes a circumstantial case. Reasonable doubt then often flies out the window because they believe that the Defendant likely did the crime even if there are holes in the State’s case big enough to march through. That is why, unless I have a no-hoper, I tend to go with bench trials.

“Actually, I think the playwright did a masterful job of portraying the character of Col Jessep as a coward in hero’s clothing as well as advancing the fallacy that it takes such a character to advance U.S. interests”

Rubbish. That was their intent, but they failed miserably due to Nicholson’s performance.

“If I am not mistaken, Nicholson is a rabid lefist himself.”

Nicholson is a fairly conventional Hollywood liberal, except on the issue of abortion, although he tends not to be strident about his politics.

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