Saturday Stuff

I think we all pretty much know what George Zimmerman is at this point, but it does bear repeating (here – I promised I wouldn’t deal with Maher anymore because of his idiotic criticism of those who criticized Flush Limbore, but to tell you the truth, I’m including this mainly for Van Jones)...



...and he played this song over the Trayvon Martin killing when in town this week, and apparently he’s been playing it elsewhere on the tour – good job.

Friday Stuff

Based on this, I don’t think Joel Hyatt’s “word” counts for a whole hell of a lot (and I thought Al Gore was smarter than to go along with this nonsense also).

Like him or not, Keith Olbermann is (was?) an equity stakeholder in Current TV. Yes, we’re not talking about General Motors here, but you can’t just fire one of your biggest stockholders.

I’m sure K.O. will take these idiots to the proverbial cleaners, though I doubt that we’ll find out exactly what eventually happens since I’m sure there’ll be an out-of-court settlement…



…and inspired (if that’s the word) by this post, I give you the following (I still miss Natasha Richardson)…



...and yeah, Willard Mitt and Puppy Dog Eyes Ryan are both a couple of jabronis, all right (more here)...



...and don't worry, no "message" music tonight, just enjoy (and let's be careful out there, OK?).

Thursday Stuff

I came across this column in the Old Gray Lady today, which I thought was unintentionally hilarious (here)...

WASHINGTON — Big business groups like the Chamber of Commerce spent millions of dollars in 2010 to elect Republican candidates running for the House. The return on investment has not always met expectations.

Even though money for major road and bridge projects is set to run out this weekend, House Republican leaders have struggled all week to round up the votes from recalcitrant conservatives simply to extend it for 90 or even 60 days. A longer-term transportation bill that contractors and the chamber say is vital to the recovery of the construction industry appears hopelessly stalled over costs.

At the same time, House conservatives are pressing to allow the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which has financed exports since the Depression, to run out of lending authority within weeks. The bank faces the possibility of shutting its doors completely by the end of May, when its legal authorization expires.

And a host of routine business tax breaks — from wind energy subsidies to research and development tax credits — cannot be passed because of Republican insistence that they be paid for with spending cuts.

Business groups that worked hard to install a Republican majority in the House equated Republican control with a business-friendly environment. But the majority is first and foremost a conservative political force, and on key issues, its ideology is not always aligned with commercial interests that helped finance election victories.

“Free market is not always the same as pro-business,” said Barney Keller, spokesman for the conservative political action committee Club for Growth.

There could be real-world consequences to the conservative rebellion. The 90-day extension of the highway trust fund that House Republican leaders say they will pass this week in lieu of a broad highway bill would keep existing projects moving for now. But business groups say few new government-funded infrastructure projects can get under way without longer-range certainty about federal backing.

…

Some Republicans are growing worried about the ramifications of these fights. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, has pressed to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, but at the insistence of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, he joined his party in opposing Democratic efforts to add reauthorization to a small-business finance bill. Now Mr. Graham says his party has to find a way to move a stand-alone bill, and fast.

“Come June, if this program dies, it will be the end of job creation for thousands of businesses for no good reason,” he said. “And it’ll happen on our watch, with our fingerprints on it.”

Aww, poor Huckleberry – what a shame he and his pals didn’t take K.O. seriously when he uttered these prescient words about a year and a half ago…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and this one goes out to the miscreants at the “US” Chamber of Commerce (really dipping into the “moldy oldie” archives – sorry the sound isn’t the best).

Wednesday Stuff

As I once remarked in these parts to somebody (forget who), having to choose between Comcast and Verizon is like having to choose between diphtheria and tetanus (here, and in a related vein, what Atrios sez here, and this is a bit worrisome also)…



…and here’s a tune for the occasion (still waiting for the new recording from “The Boss” to do it for me, but that hasn’t happened yet – wonder if it will?).

Tuesday Stuff

See what happens when you play nice with the Repugs (for the umpteenth time), President Hopey Changey (here)…



…and bye bye, “President” Snowe.

Monday Stuff

“God, Doomsy, you ‘libtard’ (actually miss that one a bit), are you ever going to stop whining about guns?”

No, I’m not…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and here’s a great song about pointless gun violence.

Saturday Stuff

Happy second birthday to the Affordable Care Act, as noted here (and while this is a good idea, I really hate the fact that Number 44 adopted the wingnut shorthand of “Obamacare,” unless they were trying to tweak their foes, in which case they shouldn’t have bothered, as Kevin Drum points out...and by the way, isn’t it funny to hear “Goober” Gohmert in particular pretending to care about women’s health care, given their latest jihad against contraception?)...



...and I give you this somewhat related tune (and speaking of these guys, I was sorry to hear about this – my condolences).

Friday Stuff

Haven't had much to say about the Trayvon Martin tragedy I know, so please allow me to do so here (I'm sure this act of statesman-like compassion will earn Number 44 nothing but further wingnut scorn - not sure what's up with the spacing)...

...and I guess you can consider this to be my musical response.

My Response To Geraldo Rivera

Asshole (h/t Atrios)...

Wednesday Stuff

From the campaign that generated the “weather vane” crack from Little Ricky (a rare lucid moment), the “Romney 2012” bunch now gives us this...



...which, as far as yours truly is concerned, makes me recall this tune (sorry, no video).

Monday Stuff

Whenever it gets too thick with Little Ricky, as noted here, I think we would all do well to recall the following once more...



...and I guess I’m a day late with this sentiment, but I hope the guy here is still in time for redemption (tee hee).

Friday Stuff

Oh, by the way, remember that Patrick Murphy guy? Used to be a good congressman, right? Well, to help make him a good PA Attorney General also, click here (and here is more on Corbett’s most recent shameful embarrassment)…



...and as long as we're on the subject (here)...



...and I give you the latest in the Willard Mitt Romney chronicles here...



...and this has a bit of a sudden ending, but I still think it works for a Friday night.

Bill Donahue SNAPs Over Judge Mesle’s Mess

And as long as I’m addressing the mountain in my “In” box, allow me to comment on the following (from here)…

Turning the tables on an advocacy group that has long supported victims of pedophile priests, lawyers for the Roman Catholic Church and priests accused of sexual abuse in two Missouri cases have gone to court to compel the group to disclose more than two decades of e-mails that could include correspondence with victims, lawyers, whistle-blowers, witnesses, the police, prosecutors and journalists.

The group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant in the litigation. But the group has been subpoenaed five times in recent months in Kansas City and St. Louis, and its national director, David Clohessy, was questioned by a battery of lawyers for more than six hours this year. A judge in Kansas City ruled that the network must comply because it “almost certainly” had information relevant to the case.

The network and its allies say the legal action is part of a campaign by the church to cripple an organization that has been the most visible defender of victims, and a relentless adversary, for more than two decades. “If there is one group that the higher-ups, the bishops, would like to see silenced,” said Marci A. Hamilton, a law professor at Yeshiva University and an advocate for victims of clergy sex crimes, “it definitely would be SNAP. And that’s what they’re going after. They’re trying to find a way to silence SNAP.”

Lawyers for the church and priests say they cannot comment because of a judge’s order. But William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a church advocacy group in New York, said targeting the network was justified because “SNAP is a menace to the Catholic Church.”

Wait for it…

Mr. Donohue said leading bishops he knew had resolved to fight back more aggressively against the group: “The bishops have come together collectively. I can’t give you the names, but there’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.”

No, that’s not an optical illusion. In the matter of sexual abuse of children allegedly committed by members of Roman Catholic clergy and laity, Bill Donahue (the guy supposedly speaking for the Church of which I am a member, though he doesn’t serve in any such official capacity) invoked “altar boys” in an attempt to criticize the Church hierarchy for not doing more to fight the legal charges it currently faces.

…

Truly, words fail.

And the story continues as follows…

The first indication that the network would be caught up in legal proceedings came from Kansas City, where Bishop Robert W. Finn last year became the first American bishop ever to be criminally indicted for failure to report suspected child abuse.

Mr. Clohessy received a subpoena in October at his St. Louis home, where he works, regarding the case John Doe B.P. v. the Rev. Michael Tierney and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Four plaintiffs are accusing Father Tierney of sexually abusing them years ago. The cases would be outside the statute of limitations in Missouri, but the plaintiffs contend they recovered their memories of abuse only recently.

The subpoena asked that Mr. Clohessy turn over all documents in the last 23 years that mention repressed memory, any current or former priest in Kansas City, the diocese, Father Tierney, John Doe or Rebecca Randles, the attorney for the plaintiffs.

The church’s lawyers say they need to see SNAP’s records to investigate whether Ms. Randles violated a gag order by giving the group information about one of the Tierney cases before it was filed, which the group then included in a news release.

Ms. Randles said in an interview: “I certainly didn’t violate the gag order that is based on the ethics rules. And I did get an informal opinion from the Missouri bar ethics council indicating that it was acceptable to give an advance copy of the petition as long as my client had given me permission to do so.”

Ten victims’ advocacy groups filed a supporting brief arguing that the subpoena was unconstitutional. The Missouri Press Association also filed a supporting brief.

However, Judge Ann Mesle of Missouri Circuit Court in Jackson County ruled that Mr. Clohessy must release the files and be deposed because he “almost certainly has knowledge concerning issues relevant to this litigation.”

Here is more from the Kansas City Star on the utterly wrongheaded decision of Judge Mesle (pictured), which is no doubt intended to deflect attention in this scandal from recent developments such as this (and to contact SNAP, click here).

Update 4/6/12: And by the way, I apologize for not realizing earlier that, at our parish, we don't have altar boys anymore; we have altar servers (get with it, Donahue, you dinosaur...and that's one of the best things I can call you).

A “Tortured” Yoo Treatise And More “Blow ‘Em Up” Bolton Bombast

Yes, I’m in semi-retirement I know, but some things are too egregious to ignore – I give you the following from the New York Times last Saturday (don't count on this happening too often, me posting like this I mean)…

OUTER space has become the next frontier for American national security and business. From space, we follow terrorists and intercept their communications, detect foreign military deployments, and monitor a proliferation of unconventional weapons. Our Global Positioning System gives us targeting and tactical advantages, spacecraft create image-rich maps, and satellites beam data around the world.

But instead of advancing American primacy in this realm, the Obama administration has wrongly decided not only to follow a European Union draft “code of conduct” regulating outer space, but also to circumvent the Senate’s central constitutional role in making treaties.

It’s funny to hear John Yoo and John Bolton coming to the defense of the U.S. Senate over the whole “advise and consent” thing particularly over making treaties, when, as Slate’s Fred Kaplan tells us here, Yoo and Bolton did their best to keep the STSART Treaty from being ratified, saying the U.S. Senate "should heed the will of the voters" and reject or drastically amend the treaty (which is humorous in a particularly dark way when, as noted here, three-quarters of those polled said that the treaty should be ratified, which the Senate eventually did, as noted here).

And I also think it’s more than a little disingenuous for Bolton and Yoo to not mention that, as noted here, the Obama Administration said they would not sign off on the code as of 1/16 of this year, though, as noted here, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said we would work with other nations to comply, something actual grownups do, as we know, as opposed to the prior ruling Bush cabal of which Bolton and Yoo were an integral part.

Here’s more steaming crap from B-Y…

Europe aspires to prevent an “arms race” in the heavens, but in reality, its code would substantially impede advances in space technology because such innovations could also be labeled as military. While security activities receive an exception, it appears confined to self-defense, a term often defined narrowly to include only cross-border attacks. We should not take the unnecessary risk that our rivals will exploit such ambiguity to prevent legitimate American actions.

Since there is little our friends across the pond don’t want to regulate, it is no surprise that they are now reaching for space. Taken literally, the European Union code would interfere with our ability to develop antiballistic missile systems in space, test antisatellite weapons and gather intelligence.

I wonder if B-Y know that China and Russia are pursuing their own separate space deals also, making it necessary for us to do the same thing? And even if they did, I wonder if they would care?

And as noted here…

Bolton and Yoo see two main security threats in the new Obama initiative: the possibility that the U.S. will lose its edge in antimissile space technology and the risk that we’ll cede our lead in antisatellite warfare to, yes, China. So let’s take antimissile technology first.

Americans can be almost completely certain that we will never fall behind in this area because we’re not meaningfully ahead to begin with — and neither is anyone else. To the extent that such a technological advantage does exist, it’s roughly akin to being the global leader in practical nuclear-fusion technology — which basically means that your entirely unworkable fusion reactors are bigger and more expensive than everyone else’s. That’s not exactly the Lombardi trophy.

It was in March 1983 that President Reagan first announced the antimissile Strategic Defense Initiative — quickly dubbed Star Wars by anyone who wasn’t actually part of the Reagan Administration — and since then, the U.S. has spent a minimum of $120 billion on the project, according to a 2009 report by the Council on Foreign Relations, without ever showing that it could actually block a hostile missile. The most successful tests of the impractical system have involved firing our own defensive missile at one of our own incoming missiles, carefully calibrating them so they arrive at the same point in the sky at the same moment — and helping things along by equipping the target vehicle with a sort of homing beacon. This is not, you won’t be surprised to learn, the way an actual nuclear exchange would play out.

The danger of the Chinese skeet-shooting American satellites out of the sky is similarly overstated. It’s true that in 2007 China destroyed one of its own, defunct weather satellites with a kinetic kill vehicle. That landmark achievement, however, took place a cool 22 years after the U.S. first demonstrated the same ability. And just to show the world we still have our chops, we destroyed one of our own satellites much the same way just a year after China’s achievement. The difference between this kind of planned hunt and a hostile attack on America’s satellite fleet is a considerable one — but not to Yoo and Bolton.

Also, I simply had to address the following from Bolton and Yoo…

But the more far-reaching danger is that Mr. Obama is eroding American sovereignty on the sly. He knows that an arms-control treaty for space is unlikely. He barely managed to push the new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia — a bad deal — through the Senate. In addition, he is trying to enter the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea through the back door, by committing our Navy to follow its terms even though the Senate refuses to consider it.

Boy, did B-Y push one of my proverbial buttons on this one – as noted here…

The Law of the Sea has set international standards for fishing, deep sea mining, and navigation since the majority of the world's countries signed it in 1982. It provides coastal nations with exclusive rights to ocean resources within 200 nautical miles of their borders - areas known as "exclusive economic zones," or EEZs.

The agreement also oversees an international tribunal to settle fishing, pollution, and property rights disputes, as well as the International Seabed Authority, a body formed to assign mining rights beyond the EEZs.

If the United States approves the treaty, the agreement would include the country with the largest EEZ in the world, while also potentially clearing the way for U.S. oil companies to mine the Arctic Ocean.

U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush supported the treaty during their tenures, but conservative members of Congress repeatedly blocked its ratification due to concerns that it would limit commerce and allow international bodies to wield greater control over U.S. interests.

But wait, there’s more (from B-Y)…

Other presidents have tried to comply with international agreements without Senate approval. Bill Clinton bypassed the Senate when he signed the International Criminal Court Treaty and regarded the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty as binding even after Senate rejection. Even Ronald Reagan adhered to the 1979 strategic arms limitation treaty with the Soviet Union, but not under the delusion that international law required it. And after seeing evidence of Soviet cheating, Reagan ceased American compliance in 1986.

More hagiography on The Sainted Ronnie R, I realize, but as noted here…

In 1986, both (Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev) pushed their recalcitrant colleagues toward a nuclear disarmament agreement. That January, Gorbachev proposed a program to eliminate all nuclear weapons around the world. To the dismay of US national security officials, Reagan welcomed Gorbachev’s proposal. On January 17, Shultz told the state department’s arms control group to get working "on what a world without nuclear weapons would mean to us" and how to obtain it. "I know that many of you and others around here oppose the objective of eliminating nuclear weapons," he said, "but the president of the United States doesn’t agree with you, and he has said so on several very public occasions." Furthermore, "it’s a political hot button."16

During the balance of the year, Gorbachev and Reagan swapped disarmament ideas and made plans for another United States-Soviet summit, at Reykjavik. Donald Reagan, the White House Chief of Staff, recalled that some of the President’s advisors were opposed to the meeting. But "the President had been speaking out vigorously on disarmament," he noted, "and to temporize ... could have incalculable consequences in terms of world opinion."17 Although the Reykjavik summit failed to produce a disarmament agreement, each side recognized its appeal. Encouraging Gorbachev, the President told him: "Our people would cheer if we got rid of the missiles." Gorbachev, in turn, dangled before Reagan the prospect that, with some compromises on his beloved Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), he might become "the peacemaker President."18

The break in the disarmament impasse occurred in late February 1987, when Gorbachev--in response to the advice of antinuclear activists--offered to separate negotiations on an INF treaty from the highly contentious issue of SDI. Notes taken at a Politburo meeting of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party in late February 1987 reveal that Gorbachev told his colleagues that "we should make a statement about untying the package on the medium-range missiles. This will be our response to the state of public opinion around the world."19 Gorbachev’s action ended any possibility that the Reagan administration could retreat from its disarmament commitments. As Shultz recalled: "If the United States reversed its stand now on our willingness to eliminate INF missiles, after maintaining this position throughout the volatile predeployment period, such a reversal would be political dynamite!"20 Conversely, the Reagan administration realized that a nuclear disarmament agreement would give it a substantial political boost. So Gorbachev’s offer could not be refused, and the INF treaty was signed, with great fanfare, in December 1987.

And finally…

Constitutional principles seem to be mere inconveniences to Mr. Obama, however. In pursuing his long-term goal of blunting American power so it meets with approval in international organizations and foreign capitals, the Senate’s role is a nuisance at best. Instead, his administration is ordering our military and intelligence agencies to comply with international agreements without the “technicality” of Senate approval.

It's really funny to hear Bushies B-Y criticizing Obama for supposedly not honoring the Constitution when their former boss called it “just a goddamned piece of paper” here.

It is no doubt driving these guys nuts that they’re “on the outside looking in.” However, in the godawful event of an honest-to-goodness, actual Willard Mitt Romney presidency, they would no doubt be plying their dark arts once more and risking the most horrific of consequences as a result.

Tuesday Stuff

Remember all the wingnut caterwauling over how many pages that baaad “big gumint Obamacare” bill was? Well, I give you this over something of possibly greater importance concerning our beloved commonwealth (some more great “ROI” to ALEC from Governor Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett...Will Bunch said awhile back how awful the PA DEP head Michael Krancer was – Nail. Hammer. Head.)...



...and I figure I’d better put up this video now before all places like it in PA are hopelessly polluted beyond repair as a result (and with probably with the same automaton-like apathy in this video by some of the people living there to go along with it).

Friday Stuff

Yeah, Willard Mitt is a real “mutt” all right...



...and here’s a bit of a change of pace as we head into the weekend – hope it’s a good one.

Thursday Stuff

By the way, for what it’s worth, I know about this. And I know that in the world of realpolitik, no sitting president is going to give up powers bequeathed to him by his predecessor, no matter how wrong it was for that to occur in this case (with those powers used as a pitiful pretext). However, that all being said, I still think the whole deal stinks.

Now, onto the latest from the right-wing noise factory (here)...



...and Happy Woman’s Day, or whatever it’s called – hope it was fun.

Tuesday Stuff

Yes, I know, Flush Limbore blah blah blah, but if nothing else, this is a diversion from the fact that life forms in at least three states (maybe a fourth?) think that Former Senator Frothy Man-On-Dog Mixture is someone qualified to be president (and here is the latest on Rush’s sponsors - the good folks at J.C. Penney have brought the count to 33 who have dropped that blubbering OxyContin addict)...



...and the answer to the question is no – I don’t just put up music videos when somebody dies any more (in the real world, I mean).

Monday Stuff

I have a feeling that Willard Mitt Romney is on his way to buying the Repug nomination for president with millions in negative ads, but before Little Ricky bids us adieu, I think we need to know about this breaking story from The Onion (and by the way, concerning another “values” kerfuffle, I thought this was a good post from Cenk Uygur)...


Heartbroken Santorum Condemns Gay Marriage For Two-Timing Jerks Like Nick

...and RIP Ronnie Montrose, here doing his “guitar god” thing with Sammy Hagar from back in the day.

Thursday Stuff

Want to know how we all got conned? This tells the story...



...and I know I featured a tune by the Monkees as a tribute to Davy Jones yesterday, but I always like this one too, and the video is cool also.