Historical Image of the Day

Burmese dwarf at Ellis Island, circa 1910.

Bush and Burma

Quite an offer W made to help Myanmar after their cyclone. He did such a fantastic job reconstructing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Why wouldn't the Burmese take advantage of this generous offer!

The thing is, I fully believe that the U.S. will do a better job in Burma than they did in New Orleans. Why? Because helping Myanmar recover serves their policy goals in a way that New Orleans never did. New Orleans was full of black people in a mostly Republican state. Driving them out just made Louisiana a Republican redoubt. Bush has never shown any interest in assisting African-Americans and he sure didn't after Katrina. What survived in New Orleans? Exactly what white people like. Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, the spaces of partying. Turn New Orleans into Disneyland for adults, who cares.

On the other hand, a bigger U.S. presence in Burma would serve the nation's policy interests but undermining the military dictatorship and key ally of China while rebuilding the nation's reputation around the world.

Sorry to be so cynical, but it's not as if the Republicans haven't said all of this themselves.

The Best Thing We Can Do For The Earth

The best thing we can do for the Earth is to commit mass suicide.

Normally, this sounds like some sarcastic remark I would make in response to a really dumb idea, but actually I mean it. Very high on my reading list is Alan Weisman's The World Without Us, reviewed today in the Times. Weisman points out that while the immediate decline of humans would lead to plants and animals dealing with our mess, particularly of the nuclear variety, over time, the planet would recover from the worst species ever to set foot on it.

In other news, the Chinese have made it their goal to kill every animal in Myanmar to satisfy their growing taste for exotic meat and medicine.