Johnny Yoo... Who?

The name of current UC Berkeley Law Professor, Johnny Yoo, might not ring a bell for everyone. After all, you would have to be a devotee of PBS programming like Front Line to have ever heard of him or to understand just how much he has influenced events since the Iraq War started. His contribution? The justification of torture if the Imperial Presidency so chooses.

There are times that protest is the best way to call attention to something, particularly those things that have not gotten media attention at the level they should. For example, the tree sitting protests at UC Berkeley periodically make the big time media exposure, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It seems very out of proportion compared to having Johnny Yoo as alaw professor at the Boalt Hall School of Law with his salary paid by our taxes. Some protesters need to get their priorities correct, as do the media. Thankfully, Act Against Torture is going to do something to raise the level of awareness. It is a much more appropriate action then the CodePink protest at the Marine Corps Recruiting Office. (And yes I know that there are many who are members of both groups.)

I would urge everyone in the area to join this protest if even to just to send a note of support... but be there if you can: Saturday May 17, 2008 at 8am (graduation starts at 9:00).

Beyond Protest: when distraction hurts.

The Grist / LCV Presidential Forum on Energy and Climate Change is being touted as a triumph. In some respects, it was. After all, it was the first time that such a forum was held on this particular topic.

It was also an embarrassment. The fact that only three of the Democrats showed up and none of the Republicans bothered, shows that these issues do not figure into the political calculus being calculated by the pundits and consultants that swarm around candidates like yellow jackets on a soda can. You can add the fact that they description of this forum keeps using the word "green" and they never bothered to ask about the Green Party.

But more specific to my Title is the way that this particular presentation was disturbed by a protest. According to Grist's Dave Roberts...

When Clinton came on stage, there was persistent, boorish booing from one part of the crowd. Said boo-er, in the middle of Clinton's remarks, stood up and started shouting about something or other. He was quickly dragged out by the police. Turns out he was a member of the activist group Code Pink, which is trying to end the Iraq war by showing up at events, yelling and screaming and annoying the bejesus out of everyone, discrediting the anti-war movement and progressive activism, and generally engaging in futile acts of moral onanism.

I had to look up "onanism" as I am more accustomed to using Woody Allen words to describe this mode of giving yourself pleasure. But then, I did catch the evening news and there was a recognizable Medea Benjamin handing out literature as Hillary walked in to a San Francisco fund raiser last night. It is obvious that Code Pink has made a decision to hound Hillary for the rest of the campaign. I wonder who they do support, and whether they are walking precincts to convince people to elect that candidate, or if they are only interested in bring Clinton down.

In the case of the Forum in LA, the protest grabbed media attention and the ideas did not. That tells me that Code Pink does not care about whether people can make an informed decision about Global Warming. They have a single issue focus and the future of this planet is not on the list.