"Worst Persons" from yesterday (K.O. gives himself the bronze because he said Bill Orally and Newsmax were hyping a pyramid scheme, but after hearing from Newsmax's lawyers, he realizes he was wrong, even though what he criticized was still a scam; Chris Wallace wants someone from Fix Noise to have the front seat that Helen Thomas used to have at White House press briefings - and in so doing, inadvertently casts aspersions of bias against his own network...idiot - and by the way, there's no end to corporate media venality, is there?; but you'll never guess that Glenn Beck gets the top nod yet again for still more personal attacks on the Obama family - I wonder how loud the hue and cry would have been at Beck's nutwork if personal aspersions had been cast at not only Dubya, but his whole family as well on a nightly basis...Lord knows there was plenty for me to dislike about Number 43, but his policies were wretched enough without me having to criticize his personal behavior...not much anyway)...
...and I think it's time now for some indie fun (and local guys too - nice job).
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday Stuff
To quote that bubblehead Dana Perino here, "...safe, environmentally friendly offshore oil drilling..."...
...and maybe this isn't all that funny given what we've just seen, but I still thought it was kind of clever...
...and I suppose it's a benefit of the fact that MSNBC's videos are still messed up that it has forced me to check out Vimeo, which I probably should have been doing more up to now; I liked this one in particular...
...and I thought this was appropriate for ending the week.
...and maybe this isn't all that funny given what we've just seen, but I still thought it was kind of clever...
...and I suppose it's a benefit of the fact that MSNBC's videos are still messed up that it has forced me to check out Vimeo, which I probably should have been doing more up to now; I liked this one in particular...
...and I thought this was appropriate for ending the week.
Friday Mashup (6/11/10)
However, this begs a question to yours truly; what the hell is a 16-year-old doing trying to circumnavigate the globe by herself (or himself)?
I thought we were through all this stuff with Steve Fossett, the gazillionaire who thought he was some hot-shot adventurer even though he kept getting bailed out when his jaunts went badly, as they inevitably did, until one of his escapades eventually killed him.
If someone of at least reasonable talent is going to get it into their heads to try something like this, can they at least provide for their own security in case something goes terribly wrong?
To state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, for his lengthy rant about an investigative grand jury that, after indicting two dozen lawmakers and legislative insiders, filed a report about corruption in the Legislature that included recommendations on how to purge it.Here is the original Op-Ed Leach wrote on the subject, and here is his recent blog post. I read both (wonder if the Courier Times can say the same), and I have no problem with either one (and I must have missed the line about the grand jury as a "political tool" for Repug AG and gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett).
On a blog that went on for a thousand words or so, Leach belittled the grand jury's work and questioned the jurors' ability to accurately assess what legislators do, how and why they do it. He was sarcastic and insulting and essentially accused the grand jury of being a political tool for the state attorney general, who is running for governor.
Here's a sample: "We should subject these self-appointed re-inventors of democracy to a little bit of scrutiny because, well + their suggestions are just so goofy."
This is a guy who gets to write our laws. No wonder the grand jury and numerous others are calling for wholesale change.
Update 6/15/10: Dem PA House Rep Steve Santarsiero wrote a Guest Opinion today about the grand jury recommendations here.
Last week's jobs report tanked the stock market; the president took weeks to assert control of the oil spill that threatens doom on the Gulf Coast -- but at the White House the Gatsby-like parties roll on as if happy days were here again.Gee, I didn’t hear Gibson or any of his ideological pals complaining when Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History hosted Mr. “Crazy Train” himself, Ozzy Osbourne, at the White House in May 2002 (here). That’s kind of an interesting choice of guests for Dubya, who of course has claimed to be Born Again (wonder if Ozzy performed “War Pigs”? It would have been apropos – maybe they traded tales of trying to overcome substance abuse).
Just yesterday, President Obama held another fun-filled White House event, a picnic for Congress members, complete with hot dogs, cold beverages and a fire pit.
All told, during the last seven weeks of spewing oil and rampant unemployment, he has frolicked and danced through three major White House music parties:
And gee, there was a military campaign going on at the time of the Osbourne visit, as I recall. Which one was it again?
Oh yes, it was the Afghan War, which began in October 2001 and was short-changed for about eight years until the current White House occupant, rightly or wrongly, decided to send over more troops, making it now the longest war in our history with no end in sight (and why anyone would think propping up a narco-terrorist like Hamid Karzai is in our interest in any way, shape or form escapes me).
NEW ORLEANS – At the same time they are venting their fury on BP over the Gulf of Mexico spill and its calamitous environmental effects, Louisiana politicians are rushing to the defense of the oil-and-gas industry and pleading with Washington to bring back offshore drilling — now.In response, this Media Matters post tells us the following…
As angry as they are over the disaster, state officials warn that the Obama administration's temporary ban on drilling in the Gulf has sent Louisiana's most lucrative industry into a death spiral.
They contend that drilling is safe overall and that the moratorium is a knee-jerk reaction, akin to grounding every airplane in America because of a single crash. They worry, too, that the moratorium comes at a time when another major Louisiana industry — fishing — has been brought to a standstill by the mess in the Gulf.
On Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Andrew Napolitano falsely claimed that the Obama administration imposed a moratorium on all oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the administration's moratorium halted only new deepwater Gulf drilling; indeed, more than 5,000 Gulf oil wells reportedly can remain in operation.And if Florida is a bellwether for how the rest of this country sees this issue, then it looks like the “Drill, Baby, Drill” crowd might need a Plan B; as noted here…
TALLAHASSEE — Floridians have reversed themselves on whether they favor offshore drilling for oil in the aftermath of a massive spill that threatens the state's beaches.And in case anyone has any doubt about the next act getting ready to play out in this nightmare, I give you the following from Brent Budowsky (here, with an assist from “Man Tan” Boehner, as noted here).
Fifty-one percent of 1,133 registered voters surveyed by Quinnipiac (Conn.) University between June 1-7 say they now oppose drilling compared to 42 percent who still believe it's OK. That's a 48-point swing from an April 19 poll when 66 percent of the state's residents supported drilling. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
Some tar balls have washed ashore in Florida's western Panhandle from BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in April that blew open the wellhead and allowed millions of gallons to spew into the Gulf of Mexico.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday PM Stuff
Jon Stewart gives us a summary of last Tuesday night's election results (note to MSNBC; your vids are still hosed - work on it)...
...and as a tribute to The Living Elvis for this, I give you the following (and "Brutal Youth" rocks, by the way - it is anything but a "children's album").
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Indecision 2010 - Primary Victory for Women | ||||
| ||||
...and as a tribute to The Living Elvis for this, I give you the following (and "Brutal Youth" rocks, by the way - it is anything but a "children's album").
Thursday Mashup Part Two (6/10/10)
(Part One is here.)
This is a really wonky kind of topic, but I felt that I should weigh in on the subject of taxing so-called “carried interest” at an average annual rate of 35 percent (it is currently 15 percent, falling into a category exempt from the 35 percent rate for earnings, which carried interest basically is).
As noted here, carried interest “is a share of the profits of a successful partnership that is paid to the manager of the partnership (a private equity fund or hedge fund) as a form of compensation that is designed as an incentive to the manager to maximize performance of the investment fund. A manager's carried interest allocation is in addition to any investment that the manager may have in the private equity fund or hedge fund.”
This reminds me somewhat of the argument against a so-called Value Added Tax, or VAT, which is a variation on the theme that all taxes should be abolished and “the magic of the marketplace” should return this country to prosperity, and as any life form with a pulse knows by now, that economic theory has utterly failed.
I felt compelled to say something based on this recent article at The Hill, which states as follows…
Meanwhile, Robert Reich tells us the following here (from the reality-based community)…
Also, Matt Bai is back for more pundit wankery (here, on the subject of the recent Tuesday primary elections, in which, among other developments, teabagger – baggette? – Sharron Angle won the Repug nomination to face Harry Reid in Nevada, and Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina purchased primary victories in California in the governor and U.S. Senate contests, respectively)…
And while Murphy benefited from the fact that the '06 occupant of An Oval Office was so thoroughly despised then as now, along with his war of choice in Iraq – and yes, I’ll admit that that was a substantial unifying force until 1/20/09 – to say that Murphy “subordinated ideology to electoral appeal” does a disservice to both his candidacy and his job performance. There was a reason why he received such thorough support from social networking types, labor unions, and other core party constituencies, and it wasn’t exclusively because of the war. And all of it was needed to offset most, but not all, of Mikey Fitzpatrick’s support in Bucks County, with Murphy clobbering the Repug incumbent in the Philadelphia and Montgomery County portions of the district to achieve the margin of victory.
And by the way, to help Murphy in what I’m sure will be a wingnuttia-filled challenge from the teabaggers and other miscreants, click here.
Update 6/19/10: And by the way, kudos to Patrick here for his call to hire more people at the SEC to investigate corporate, securities and mortgage fraud (as well as Steve Santarsiero's web site for ideas to reduce state spending).
Finally, I know I’m a little bit late in commenting on the loss of Bill Halter to Blanche Lincoln in the Arkansas Dem primary last Tuesday, but I had to say something in response to this…
As noted here, Hillary Clinton ended up owing $3 mil to Schoen’s PR firm (along with the equally odious Mark Penn); in the post, Schoen actually gives advice to McCain to bring on Holy Joe as his running mate, which tells you all you need to know about Schoen’s true allegiance.
Oh, and Schoen said the Dems should stop “harping” on withdrawing from Iraq and “refocus the debate to other international and domestic issues,” and that was supposedly the winning electoral formula for 2008 (here, and here is an epic takedown of Schoen by Markos Moulitsas).
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t take note of some personal disgust over the conduct of Democrats that I often admire, particularly in the Lincoln/Halter race. And yes, I’m talking about Bill Clinton.
Is it possible that the legendary political instincts of “The Big Dog” have failed him? Doesn’t he realize that Halter was the Dem who had managed to energize the true base of the party?
Read this well, all who would hold their nose and vote for Blanche. She may have won the battle, but because of that fundamental disconnect between the Democratic “wise men” and the campaign foot soldiers (which remains from the bad Dubya days, and possibly always will), this seat will go red in November.
As noted here, carried interest “is a share of the profits of a successful partnership that is paid to the manager of the partnership (a private equity fund or hedge fund) as a form of compensation that is designed as an incentive to the manager to maximize performance of the investment fund. A manager's carried interest allocation is in addition to any investment that the manager may have in the private equity fund or hedge fund.”
This reminds me somewhat of the argument against a so-called Value Added Tax, or VAT, which is a variation on the theme that all taxes should be abolished and “the magic of the marketplace” should return this country to prosperity, and as any life form with a pulse knows by now, that economic theory has utterly failed.
I felt compelled to say something based on this recent article at The Hill, which states as follows…
This move is seen by many as a “soak-the-rich” tax on wealthy investment managers on Wall Street. But the fact is these investment partnerships are crucial engines of economic growth for Main Street.This preposterous argument reminds me of what I recently read in yet another scathing Matt Taibbi article in Rolling Stone on the recent financial reform maneuvers in the Senate (here), in which opponents of reform claimed the new regs “would make it tougher for a butcher to buy meat” (though the charge is of course wrong, I thought the symbolism was strangely appropriate).
With an exploding national debt and burgeoning budget deficits, Congress is singularly focused on raising revenue. But in their rush to plug the hole in America’s budget, policymakers cannot lose sight of a simple fact: It would be disastrous long-term fiscal policy to create permanent roadblocks to economic growth, especially for the nation’s minority communities and entrepreneurs, as a short-term fix for today’s exuberant spending.
Meanwhile, Robert Reich tells us the following here (from the reality-based community)…
It’s not as if these investment fund managers are worth a $20 billion subsidy. Nonetheless they argue that if they have to pay at the normal rate they’ll be discouraged from investing in innovative companies and startups. But if such investments are worthwhile they shouldn’t need to be subsidized.I can’t think of a word to describe the hypocrisy of so-called “deficit hawks” who will do the proverbial handstands trying to cut supposed “pork” from congressional budgets, but won’t lift a finger to close this loophole and thus add about $20 billion back into our coffers to provide more much-needed economic stimulus and lead us down that long road from red to black ink on this country’s ledger sheet.
That's right--the cost of this subsidy is $20 billion in tax revenues. And these investment fund managers argue that if they have to pay ordinary taxes on their compensation like ordinary people have to pay, then they just might not invest in innovative companies and startups nearly so much as they otherwise would. That surely is a weak argument, as Reich notes, since worthwhile investments will call out for someone to make money off them, even if they do have to pay taxes at a slightly higher rate on the profits they make. So there will be decent investments and managers shouldn't be "discouraged" just because they have to pay more taxes. Will managers have slightly less money to invest? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what they were doing with those excess millions anyway. They could probably invest the same and just waste less of it on charter flights, limos, and million dollar birthday parties (remember Ken Lay and Enron?). A lot of money invested in startups just goes down the drain. So taxes takes a bite, losing investments take a bite. It's not that different and nobody is claiming that venture capitalists won't invest if one of their investments comes up a loser. These arguments are, ikn other words, very weak when they suggest that investment in innovative companies will tank if the people who make millions (or billions) from servicing those partnerships have to pay taxes like the trucker and the teacher and the policeman and the fireman.
This kind of thing stands in sharp contrast to the most recent historical analog, the 2006 elections. That was when Democrats, under the leadership of Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York and Rahm Emanuel, then an Illinois congressman, recaptured the House and the Senate.The preceding paragraph proves to me that, among other topics, Bai knows absolutely nothing about what led to Patrick Murphy’s eventual victory in the general election for the PA-08 U.S. House seat in 2006. As opposed to “heading off a divisive primary,” Patrick defeated two other alleged Democrats, Tom Lingenfelter and Andy Warren, in a primary contest (to me, one of the more hilarious moments was when Warren, trying to pander to every possible Democratic constituency, claimed that he supported an impeachment “hearing” for Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History…the problem is that an impeachment proceeding is an actual trial).
They subordinated ideology to electoral appeal as they recruited candidates who matched up with the politics of their states or districts, promoting former soldiers and law enforcement officers, for instance, who they thought would qualify as broadly acceptable alternatives to Republican incumbents. In the vast majority of cases, Mr. Schumer and Mr. Emanuel, through some behind-the-scenes combination of cajoling and bullying, managed to head off divisive primaries, despite carping from the party’s more liberal base.
And while Murphy benefited from the fact that the '06 occupant of An Oval Office was so thoroughly despised then as now, along with his war of choice in Iraq – and yes, I’ll admit that that was a substantial unifying force until 1/20/09 – to say that Murphy “subordinated ideology to electoral appeal” does a disservice to both his candidacy and his job performance. There was a reason why he received such thorough support from social networking types, labor unions, and other core party constituencies, and it wasn’t exclusively because of the war. And all of it was needed to offset most, but not all, of Mikey Fitzpatrick’s support in Bucks County, with Murphy clobbering the Repug incumbent in the Philadelphia and Montgomery County portions of the district to achieve the margin of victory.
And by the way, to help Murphy in what I’m sure will be a wingnuttia-filled challenge from the teabaggers and other miscreants, click here.
Update 6/19/10: And by the way, kudos to Patrick here for his call to hire more people at the SEC to investigate corporate, securities and mortgage fraud (as well as Steve Santarsiero's web site for ideas to reduce state spending).
WASHINGTON – Unapologetic union officials on Wednesday defended their decision to spend an estimated $10 million on a high-stakes gambit that failed when Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln narrowly defeated labor's hand-picked candidate in a primary runoff.Spoken like a true corpocrat Dem who represents no one but himself.
It was the latest in a perennial effort by frustrated unions to convince moderate Democrats there are consequences for failing to stand with labor. But it raises questions about whether that money could have been better spent helping dozens of vulnerable Democrats in other states.
"To use $10 million during a recession on beating up their own rather than trying to save the endangered makes no earthly sense," said Doug Schoen, a Democratic political consultant.
As noted here, Hillary Clinton ended up owing $3 mil to Schoen’s PR firm (along with the equally odious Mark Penn); in the post, Schoen actually gives advice to McCain to bring on Holy Joe as his running mate, which tells you all you need to know about Schoen’s true allegiance.
Oh, and Schoen said the Dems should stop “harping” on withdrawing from Iraq and “refocus the debate to other international and domestic issues,” and that was supposedly the winning electoral formula for 2008 (here, and here is an epic takedown of Schoen by Markos Moulitsas).
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t take note of some personal disgust over the conduct of Democrats that I often admire, particularly in the Lincoln/Halter race. And yes, I’m talking about Bill Clinton.
Is it possible that the legendary political instincts of “The Big Dog” have failed him? Doesn’t he realize that Halter was the Dem who had managed to energize the true base of the party?
Read this well, all who would hold their nose and vote for Blanche. She may have won the battle, but because of that fundamental disconnect between the Democratic “wise men” and the campaign foot soldiers (which remains from the bad Dubya days, and possibly always will), this seat will go red in November.
Thursday AM Stuff
K.O. talks with Marine biologist Rick Steiner about the latest Gulf misery and BP's surreal mishandling of same (MSNBC is messing around with their video embedding again, so I can't grab the code directly from their site for now - God, I wish they would stop doing that)...
...and yes, I'm bummed that the Flyers lost last night, but congratulations to the team for a great, history-making playoff run (and yes, congratulations to Chicago also for their first Cup win in 49 years - I think this song is appropriate since the orange-and-black have now made hockey matter in this city again).
...and yes, I'm bummed that the Flyers lost last night, but congratulations to the team for a great, history-making playoff run (and yes, congratulations to Chicago also for their first Cup win in 49 years - I think this song is appropriate since the orange-and-black have now made hockey matter in this city again).
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Tuesday Stuff
"Worst Persons" (Rand Paul proves to be as clueless on the BP disaster as he is on the Civil Rights Act; Matt Kibbe of Dick Armey's Astroturf outfit "Freedom Works" blames that dern "gumint" for the BP mess, which he calls a "natural" disaster, about as "natural" to me as Lindsay Lohan getting busted for coke for the fifty gazillionth time; but Rupert The Pirate gets top honors for whooping his not-so-great unwashed followers into a frenzy over some alleged "Muslims" at the WTC site, who turn out to be Christians instead - in the immortal words of Max Bialystock in "The Producers," "just say 'oops' and get out!")...
...and this one is for you, Rupert (aaarrrgghhh).
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
...and this one is for you, Rupert (aaarrrgghhh).
Tuesday Mashup (6/8/10)
(I also posted here - also not sure about posting for tomorrow...)
So Smerky wants Snarlin’ Arlen to investigate the Israel/Turkey/Palestinian flotilla business (here)? Too funny…
And in other news, Dick Cheney was named to head the commission investigating the BP disaster in the Gulf, Glenn Beck will be hosting a symposium on media ethics, and Amy Winehouse is now selling a home video advocating the joys of sobriety.
I’m sure those hearings will get revved up any day now.
Also, I haven’t had much to say about former Laura Bush employee Andrew Malcolm lately, but it seems that he has had a thing or two to say about President Obama (nothing at all good, of course, here)…
And in the department of “making excuses,” I give you this, in which Obama’s predecessor has said repeatedly that he needed to water board KSM until his brains were mush in order to supposedly obtain actionable intelligence on the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, even though Commander Codpiece approved “enhanced interrogation” about a year before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's capture, and there's never been any evidence corroborating Mohammed's involvement in Pearl's murder -- other than Mohammed's confession, which came after, not before, he was tortured.
Oh, and this tells us that Dubya and his former OMB head Jim Nussle actually blamed President Clinton for the horrendous budget deficit 43 left for the current White House occupant.
So, when it comes to making excuses, I would say that Obama has absolutely nothing on the husband of Malcolm’s former employer.
Also, did you notice the fact that the pic of Obama pointing is rather huge in Malcolm’s post?
Gee, I cannot imagine why.
In addition, I give you that renown economic guru Rich Lowry (snark – here)…
See, as David Sirota recounts here, Paul Krugman pointed out (to the beyond-clueless George Will) that FDR started to listen to the conservatives and rein in spending at around 1937-1938…
(And as long as I’m on the subject of Lowry, I simply must replay this legendary moment – the third item.)
Finally, I give you the following (here)…
And in other news, Dick Cheney was named to head the commission investigating the BP disaster in the Gulf, Glenn Beck will be hosting a symposium on media ethics, and Amy Winehouse is now selling a home video advocating the joys of sobriety.
I’m sure those hearings will get revved up any day now.
It was a big deal for the excited about-to-be graduates of Kalamazoo's Central High School. They had won a White House competition against 1,000 other schools, not for payoff jobs in the Obama administration.The “stupid” of what Malcolm is implying here is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Could the Obama Administration (in particular, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar) have been a bit more proactive? Yes. But was the ticking time bomb known as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, along with its shoddy, Halliburton-constructed concrete casing erected while Number 44 was in office? Uh, no.
…
To the graduates, Obama delivered the usual commencement ceremony fare about the future, setting goals, thinking long-term and not allowing setbacks to deter their determination:
The truth is, no matter how hard you work, you won’t necessarily ace every class or succeed in every job. There will be times when you screw up, when you hurt the people you love, when you stray from your most deeply held values.
So far, so good. Then, the next line about pointing fingers after setbacks:
It's the easiest thing in the world to start looking around for someone to blame.
Speaking of blame, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll out Monday finds the American public blaming the Gulf oil spill on BP, of course. But 69% are now giving a negative rating to the Obama administration's federal response.
And in the department of “making excuses,” I give you this, in which Obama’s predecessor has said repeatedly that he needed to water board KSM until his brains were mush in order to supposedly obtain actionable intelligence on the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, even though Commander Codpiece approved “enhanced interrogation” about a year before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's capture, and there's never been any evidence corroborating Mohammed's involvement in Pearl's murder -- other than Mohammed's confession, which came after, not before, he was tortured.
Oh, and this tells us that Dubya and his former OMB head Jim Nussle actually blamed President Clinton for the horrendous budget deficit 43 left for the current White House occupant.
So, when it comes to making excuses, I would say that Obama has absolutely nothing on the husband of Malcolm’s former employer.
Also, did you notice the fact that the pic of Obama pointing is rather huge in Malcolm’s post?
Gee, I cannot imagine why.Late in the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt's treasury secretary, Henry Morgenthau, told Congress, "We are spending more than we have ever spent before, and it does not work." Democrats have made Morgenthau's plaint their governing ethic. In so doing, they are demonstrating their political and intellectual bankruptcy even faster than they are bankrupting the country.Yes, the latest jobs report was pretty anemic (most of those recorded were temp jobs for the census, but again, it’s not Obama’s fault if the banks aren’t lending), but it’s a funny thing; as noted here, Morgenthau spoke those words in May 1939, which, to me, is a testimony to how out of touch he was more than anything else.
See, as David Sirota recounts here, Paul Krugman pointed out (to the beyond-clueless George Will) that FDR started to listen to the conservatives and rein in spending at around 1937-1938…
By 1937 things were a lot better than they were in 1933. Then [FDR] was persuaded to balance the budget or try to and he raised taxes and cut spending and the economy went back down again and then it took an enormous public works program known as World War II to bring the economy out of the depression.So, short of more war (which no sane person wants), it is going to take public spending in the absence of private lending to resuscitate our barely-breathing (as it were) economy. That is, of course, unless the “banksters” start churning out loans to any entrepreneur with a pulse faster than you can say Lloyd Blankfein. And that ain’t happenin’.
(And as long as I’m on the subject of Lowry, I simply must replay this legendary moment – the third item.)
I attended Congressman Murphy's "A Congressman in your Corner" event on May 22. I want to comment on columnist J.D. Mullane's comments about the meeting on May 25.And (from here)…
At 9:20 a.m., Murphy announced to the gathering that the meeting was "not a political event." He explained that he was there to meet with us individually.
Everyone was calm and patient waiting their turn to meet with Murphy. He had promised to listen and perhaps help as best that he could. Slowly people started to converge in the auditorium with negative, insulting signs, crowding the front area of the meeting room. Mike Fitzpatrick was among them.
It did seem to me that Congressman Murphy was stunned by the gang's behavior while the cameras came out all over the room. The crowd shouted, yelled, stomped their feet, clapped their hands, held up nasty signs linking Murphy with Nancy Pelosi - all of this in unison.
Fitzpatrick was in the crowd, but sat quietly.
Their actions reminded me of Nazi-era brown shirts. Fitzpatrick appeared to try to calm them as though he was now in charge of the event. A large number of hands (including mine) went up when we were asked if we were there on personal business.
As a result of the positive response, Murphy proceeded to meet individually until he talked with everyone in a quiet, patient manner. He promised to stay as long as he was needed. This followed what appeared to me that the protesters were on the verge of getting out of control.
I met personally with Congressman Murphy. We discussed my needs. He listened and took notes. He was calm and he gave me time to explain my needs. It had nothing to do with health care. He promised to check it out and get back to me.
He was friendly and treated me as I would expect from a "servant of the people."
The scene earlier was ugly and unbecoming of a former congressman hoping to be elected again.
Fitzpatrick tried, but did not succeed to foil Congressman Murphy from his stated purpose for the meeting.
Sam Rubin
Levittown, PA
As a veteran, I was extremely offended to see Mike Fitzpatrick campaigning at the Falls Township Memorial Day parade. The point of the event is to honor our fallen heroes, and shouldn't be used as an opportunity to advance a political career.And once more, to reward our congressman's good behavior, click here.
I was glad to see that Congressman Murphy, who is running for re-election this year, had the decency not to campaign. Being a veteran himself, he understands the need to honor the brave men and women who fight for our country.
Like me, he attended the parade to honor the sacrifices of our veterans and troops. Unlike Mr. Fitzpatrick, he didn't shamelessly give out campaign stickers or post campaign signs.
Frank Schultz
Falls, PA
Monday, June 07, 2010
Monday Stuff
But OF COURSE the Gulf “spill” (and I still think calling it merely a “spill” at this point is waay too benign) is the fault of THE MEDIA, and not BP, or the Bushco MMS, or Halliburton, or even Obama, according to Fix Noise (here)…
Update 6/9/10: And by the way, when it comes to Bushco's MMS, I give you three words based on this - Nail. Hammer. Head.
…and tomorrow is the day to give Blanche the boot, people (more here)…
…”Worst Persons” (A typical gaggle of Fix Noise yakking heads tries to ridicule Obama for supposedly blowing off “D-Day” commemoration ceremonies, even though he observed them on the 65th anniversary last year; Glenn Beck gets the “silver” for praising a book outing Communists – regressing further and further, I see...I’m sure he’ll be channeling Westbrook Pegler any day now – written by a Hitler-supporting anti-Semite; but State Sen. Jake Knotts of SC gets it for “digging that hole” some more on the whole Obama/Nikki Haley “raghead” thing…don’t know what was up with that weird bit of film between Knotts and Beck)…
...and happy 70th birthday to this guy (yep, when it comes to Repug wingnuttia, "It's Not Unusual" all right).
Update 6/9/10: And by the way, when it comes to Bushco's MMS, I give you three words based on this - Nail. Hammer. Head.
…and tomorrow is the day to give Blanche the boot, people (more here)…
…”Worst Persons” (A typical gaggle of Fix Noise yakking heads tries to ridicule Obama for supposedly blowing off “D-Day” commemoration ceremonies, even though he observed them on the 65th anniversary last year; Glenn Beck gets the “silver” for praising a book outing Communists – regressing further and further, I see...I’m sure he’ll be channeling Westbrook Pegler any day now – written by a Hitler-supporting anti-Semite; but State Sen. Jake Knotts of SC gets it for “digging that hole” some more on the whole Obama/Nikki Haley “raghead” thing…don’t know what was up with that weird bit of film between Knotts and Beck)…
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
...and happy 70th birthday to this guy (yep, when it comes to Repug wingnuttia, "It's Not Unusual" all right).
Monday Mashup Part Two (6/7/10)
(Part One is here.)
Mark Leibovich of the New York Times is too good a writer to concoct crap like this (here)…
(Also, as noted here, Paul The Younger is not suffering from a shortage of egomania…and by the way, the sorry little episode he initiated has caused him to lose 17 polling percentage points in the last two weeks, as noted here.)
And by the way, since Leibovich and the Times have seen fit to write this utter puff piece flattering the Paul family every way possible, making it sound as if they’ve stepped right out of a black-and-white ‘50s TV sitcom, I will await a similar treatment on behalf of Rand Paul’s opponent Jack Conway. And I’m sure I’ll keep waiting.
Update: And by the way (again)...
Update 6/8/10: WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Update 6/13/10: Add this to the pile, as it were, on Paul, as they say.
Sticking with the Times, I give you the following (here)…
Also, from the “circular firing squad” department, I give you the following from Pancake Joe Pitts and Jim (“Since I Lost When Running For Lieutenant Governor, I Might As Well Try To Stay In Congress”) Gerlach here…
Under Ronald Reagan.
And do you want to know who else supports the idea of a VAT?
This guy, that’s who!
Memo to Pitts and Gerlach: it’s pretty sad when you find yourself at odds with Mr. “You Lie!” himself, who, shockingly, is progressive on a matter of tax policy, as opposed to you two knuckleheads.
And finally, I give you the following from today’s Bucks County Courier Times (here)…
Family members say (Repug Congressman Ron Paul of Texas) has been shaken by the recent storm his son (Rand) has faced over remarks in which he seemed to take issue, on libertarian grounds, with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.In absolutely no way, shape or form does Leibovich capture the true ugliness of what Rand Paul said, some of which is on display here…
At the outset of an interview on Capitol Hill, Mr. Paul placed the controversy — “the agitation,” he called it — off limits. But then he immediately referred to a recent column supportive of his son in the Congressional newspaper, The Hill, and volunteered that he had just telephoned the column’s author, Lanny Davis, a Clinton White House aide, to thank him.
Mr. Davis said, “I heard a father’s concern more than I did any political concern,” and described the conversation as emotional.
Mr. Paul conceded that it is easier to be the candidate under attack than to be a family member of one. “No matter how well you arm yourself, no matter how well you know the system,” he said in the interview, “it really hurts when it’s your son.”
(Rachel) Maddow:... How about desegregating lunch counters?Here’s another example…we had the brouhaha last year over the Valley Swim Club denying the largely minority kids from Creative Steps from swimming in their pools and enjoying themselves, even though they were invited. To Rand Paul’s way of thinking, then, was the swim club acting in accordance with Paul’s precious libertarian principles by rescinding the invitation, since the matter would have been, in Paul’s words, “(an) important philosophical (debate) but not a very practical discussion”? And the fact that someone is seeking solace from a contemptible worm like Lanny Davis, whose notion of morality is easily adaptable for the sake of the highest bidder, tells you how shaky the ground is upon which Rand Paul resides.
(Rand) Paul: Well what it gets into then is if you decide that restaurants are publicly owned and not privately owned, then do you say that you should have the right to bring your gun into a restaurant even though the owner of the restaurant says 'well no, we don't want to have guns in here' the bar says 'we don't want to have guns in here because people might drink and start fighting and shoot each-other.' Does the owner of the restaurant own his restaurant? Or does the government own his restaurant? These are important philosophical debates but not a very practical discussion...
Maddow: Well, it was pretty practical to the people who had the life nearly beaten out of them trying to desegregate Walgreen's lunch counters despite these esoteric debates about what it means about ownership. This is not a hypothetical Dr. Paul.
(Also, as noted here, Paul The Younger is not suffering from a shortage of egomania…and by the way, the sorry little episode he initiated has caused him to lose 17 polling percentage points in the last two weeks, as noted here.)
And by the way, since Leibovich and the Times have seen fit to write this utter puff piece flattering the Paul family every way possible, making it sound as if they’ve stepped right out of a black-and-white ‘50s TV sitcom, I will await a similar treatment on behalf of Rand Paul’s opponent Jack Conway. And I’m sure I’ll keep waiting.
Update: And by the way (again)...
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Update 6/8/10: WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!Update 6/13/10: Add this to the pile, as it were, on Paul, as they say.
The archivist (from the National Archives) has promised that the full trove of 160,000 pages will be made public by June 28, when the Judiciary Committee is scheduled to start confirmation hearings (on Obama Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan).That is hilarious when you consider the following from here…
However, 263 pages will be withheld from the public because of “statutory restrictions,” a White House official said. Though Mr. Clinton could have barred their release under executive privilege, he has permitted senators to review them on a confidential basis, the official said.
Republicans were not pleased. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, issued a statement saying he now had “new concerns that even when the documents are produced, they will not be produced completely and transparently.”
During (Chief Justice John) Roberts' confirmation, disagreement erupted among Senate members, commentators, and government attorneys about whether Roberts' writings as a government attorney, specifically as Principal Deputy Solicitor General, should be released to assist the Senate in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities of advice and consent.12 Ultimately, the White House refused to release many of the documents, claiming they were protected by the attorney-client privilege.13 In contrast, Alito's writings as a government attorney in the Department of Justice, in which he explored important constitutional issues,14 were released to the public,15 as the White House did not seek to invoke the attorney-client privilege.And Kagan is currently the Solicitor General, which supersedes the rank Roberts held when Number 43 decided to withhold his paper trail (and gee, wouldn’t that have given us just a bit more insight into how Roberts, given the chance, would rule on behalf of his corporate “betters” at every opportunity?)
…the VAT is a drag on job growth. The last thing we want to do right now is reduce the buying power of a dollar through new taxes. But with a VAT, consumers would pay more at the cash register, businesses would pay more for accounting and the government would pay more to police tax payments.In response, I give you the following (here)…
The co-chairman of Obama's fiscal commission, former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), took issue last week with GOP attacks against the VAT as the panel met for the first time.And by the way, the proposal for a value-added tax came from Obama senior adviser Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve.
After hearing the criticisms, Simpson said, "You'd think you're coming in and slapping it on top of the income tax.
"If you do a VAT tax, you've got to do some adjustments to the income tax," he said.
The exchanges over the VAT between Republicans in Congress and Simpson have already become heated.
Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.), who has called for ending federal income taxes and using a national sales tax, suggested that the VAT would end up being a "money machine" that would lead directly to more government. When told about Simpson's concern that critics were distorting his panel's work, Linder attacked the former Republican senator for his support for gay and lesbian rights.
"How does he sort that out from his conversation about gay marriage?" Linder told The Hill, referring to Simpson's opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
"Milton Friedman summed it up," he added. "The value-added tax is the most efficient way to raise revenues and government. It's the most effective way to increase the size of government."
Simpson fired back.
"What the hell is he talking about?" Simpson said. "That is bulls--t."
Under Ronald Reagan.
And do you want to know who else supports the idea of a VAT?
This guy, that’s who!Memo to Pitts and Gerlach: it’s pretty sad when you find yourself at odds with Mr. “You Lie!” himself, who, shockingly, is progressive on a matter of tax policy, as opposed to you two knuckleheads.
On May 22, I went to visit my congressman in Middletown to discuss an issue involving my mortgage. I got there early, signed in and was quietly waiting my turn when an unruly crowd led by Republican congressional candidate Mike Fitzpatrick suddenly came in brandishing cameras and shouting like a bunch of drunken frat boys that they wanted to see Patrick Murphy.Nice to see that informed voters in PA-08 are calling out Mikey Fitzpatrick for the wingnut that he truly is (and once more, to reward his opponent’s good behavior, click here).
Murphy emerged from a meeting he was having with a constituent and tried his best to calm the mob. The congressman repeatedly stated that this was official congressional business and a chance for constituents to meet one-on-one with him to discuss pressing matters. Anyone who wished to speak with him could sign in like everyone else, and he promised to stay however long it took to meet with every single one of us.
In no way was it meant to be a political event, but Fitzpatrick and his gang showed their lack of respect for both the congressman and the constituents there to meet with him by putting on a show for his own benefit and wasting everyone else's time.
Some in the crowd went even further when they began hassling constituents who were leaving their meeting with Murphy. An elderly gentleman, who said he was a WWII veteran and was there to shake the congressman's hand, was harassed by two individuals who were shouting at him that he wanted to take their money and give it to other people. It was a disgusting scene and an embarrassing one for anyone involved in that mob.
It is noteworthy to mention that most of those who came in shouting and demanding to meet with Murphy left after Fitzpatrick did, further illustrating the fact that they had no intention of ever talking with the congressman. It's clear that Fitzpatrick and his gang were there to merely cause a disturbance in an effort to get a "gotcha" moment and put it on YouTube. Well, they did put it on YouTube, and I encourage anyone with an Internet connection to go online and check out firsthand the ridiculous behavior of these individuals.
Because of the disruption, we were forced to wait even longer into the afternoon, but I am proud that Congressman Murphy stood his ground and continued to meet one-on-one with every constituent who stayed.
I'm a registered independent, and until last week, I was unsure whom I would support in November. Well, I'm sure now. I'm voting for the guy who takes the time to meet with his constituents and help them. The other guy can go back to making videos for YouTube.
Ernest Schulz
Croydon, PA
Friday, June 04, 2010
Friday Stuff
“Worst Persons” (Some guy in New Zealand likes to crash funerals for free food; Bill Orally and his producer – apparently not one of his stalker dweebs, but an actual “suit” – just can get enough of Hating Teh Gay in France…always trying to latch onto some “values voter” BS like the proverbial drowning man in search of a life preserver; but Repug Gov. Jan Brewer of the “illegal to be brown” state takes top honors for continuing to whine about her father who was sort of killed in Nazi Germany in WWII, except that he died stateside in the 1950s – still, though, LEAVE JAN BREWER ALOOOOONE!!)…
…and God, what on earth is it with Repug politicians trying to infringe on copyrighted songs – first it’s “Straight Talk” McCain with “Running on Empty,” Charlie Crist with “Road to Nowhere,” and now this!
Update 6/14/10: Welcome to the party, Chuck DeVore (here)!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
…and God, what on earth is it with Repug politicians trying to infringe on copyrighted songs – first it’s “Straight Talk” McCain with “Running on Empty,” Charlie Crist with “Road to Nowhere,” and now this!
Update 6/14/10: Welcome to the party, Chuck DeVore (here)!
Friday Mashup (6/4/10)
While you were preoccupied with the oil spill, the Middle East crisis, the unemployment rate, and everything else in the news, the Senate has been trying to slip a fast one by you. This time, it has to do with your everyday purchases that you make on your debit cards. The changes may sound technical and innocuous when described by the author of the amendment to the financial industry regulation bill, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), but peel back the layers and here’s what have we’ve got:Add financial advice to the many topics about which Perino knows just about nothing; as noted here…
The amendment would make the Federal Reserve Bank dictate debit card “interchange rates.” What does that mean? Well, an interchange fee is money that a retailer's bank pays your bank when you use your credit or debit card at their store.
If the smaller financial institutions didn’t have this revenue source, they say it would be very difficult for them to provide basic financial services for their customers. Consumers would either be at the mercy of the large banks that Congress is supposedly trying to rein in, or they would have to rely on less secure forms of payment such as cash and checks.
Sen. Dick Durbin successfully passed an amendment two weeks ago that would limit the outrageously high interchange fees that Visa and MasterCard charge merchants for debit card transactions. This was a big win that reins in some pretty indefensible industry practices, but Visa and MasterCard are (unsurprisingly) fighting back. How? Well, they can hardly expect to gain much sympathy for either themselves or the Wall Street giants whose profits might get trimmed by Durbin's amendment, so instead they're mounting a coordinated campaign that claims it's small credit unions who will suffer the most.And on the subject of how Durbin’s amendment supposedly hurts “smaller financial institutions”…
This is despite the fact that Durbin's language specifically exempts banks with less than $10 billion in assets and specifically requires merchants to accept all cards in a particular network regardless of which bank issues them. If a small credit union charges a higher fee than Citibank, your local 7-11 would have to take their Visa debit cards anyway.And why go to the Fed to regulate debit card interchange rates? As HuffPo tells us here…
Durbin wants the Federal Reserve to ensure the fees that credit card companies charge for debit card use are proportional to the costs of processing the transaction.And even with the $10 billion exception, HuffPo tells us that Durbin’s legislation would affect 65 percent of all card transactions in the United States.
Durbin's measure requires that once merchants can pay lower fees for debit card purchases, they then would be able to offer discounts to their customers based on their method of payment. Merchants would be prohibited from placing minimum purchase requirements for the use of a debit card.
Would the “banksters” find other ways to replace the missing income? I’m sure they would. But isn’t it worth it to try and rein in credit card charges?
And by the way, check this out from Perino…
History shows us that price controls never work. Yet, the left keeps trying to impose them.
Um…I really don’t think you could include this guy as a member of “the left,” Dana, at least not without a fight (here).HouseAnd once more, for a reminder on why this matters…
"Don't ask, don't tell" repeal. Voting 234-194, the House passed an amendment to the fiscal 2011 defense budget (HR 5136) that would make it legal for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military. The vote was to repeal the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law under which about 13,500 troops have been discharged after their homosexuality became public. The repeal would occur after the Pentagon completes a policy review in December.
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.) said: "When I served in Baghdad, my team did not care whether a fellow soldier was straight or gay. We cared if they could fire their F4 assault rifle or run a convoy down 'Ambush Alley.' Could they do their job so that everybody in our unit could come home safely? With our military fighting two wars, why on earth would we tell over 13,500 able-bodied Americans that their services are not needed?"
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Voting yes: John Adler (D., N.J.), Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).
Voting no: Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
2011 military budget. Voting 229-186, the House authorized a $680 billion military budget for fiscal 2011, an increase of $46 billion or nearly 7 percent over the comparable 2010 figure. The bill (HR 5136) authorizes $159 billion for war next year in Iraq and Afghanistan.Funny, but I’m not hearing anything now from the Repugs about not “supporting the troops” if you don’t fund war without end, wouldn’t you say (sorry for the triple negative – guess I lose my copy of Strunk and White now for that one...kudos to Castle and Dent anyway - no, I don't support open-ended funding of the wars either, for the record).
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Castle, Dent, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.
Voting no: Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.
Jobless, business benefits. Voting 215-204, the House passed a nearly $100 billion bill (HR 4213) that would extend jobless checks for the long-term unemployed through November and renew an array of tax breaks - such as the research-and-development credit - that benefit businesses.No to R&D, no to extending jobless benefits, no even to business tax credits – the Republican Party is intellectually dead, people. All they have to offer is “No” and tried and true non-solutions that have utterly failed.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.
Voting no: Castle, Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.
I am a fair-minded individual, and that I believe every person should have a voice and a chance to be heard. As a parent and childcare provider, I do my best to instill the many aspects of this concept in our future generation. Unfortunately, it would appear that my 8-year-old understands this ideal much better than GOP congressional candidate Mike Fitzpatrick and his friends, who crashed a recent meeting conducted by Congressman Patrick Murphy.Indeed (and to reward good behavior, for this and DADT, click here).
When I saw the videos of the meeting on YouTube, I was very unhappy for many reasons. It seemed to me that the day was scheduled for one-on-one meetings between Murphy and his constituents, and while in the midst of these meetings (that the people signed in and waited patiently for) a group showed up en masse to incite much disorder and tried to force the congressman into a "town hall" by use of strong-arming and shouting. Again, if my 8-year-old knows that when two people are in a conversation, you are to respect those people and wait your turn, and that trying to force things to be your way though bully tactics is not acceptable behavior, what excuse do Mr. Fitzpatrick and his assemblage have?
I heard the congressman ask for a "timeout" repeatedly and had I been in the situation, I would have done much the same. They behaved like pugnacious children clamoring for attention with complete indifference for those who respected the rules.
I heard the congressman ask them to sign in and wait like other constituents who came to see him. But again, the mob was concerned with its own agenda, and showed absolute disregard to those whose time they wasted with their grandstanding and badgering.
In the end, the congressman went back to work meeting with and helping the people while Mr. Fitzpatrick, who was himself a congressman and therefore should have known better than anyone else what the one-on-one meetings with constituents are for, continued to be disruptive with a speech worthy of a typical politician who obviously cares more about his campaign than the people he hopes to serve.
I deplore the example this is setting for the next generation. What value has our rights and freedoms without the respect and intelligence of using them appropriately? In a democracy, our voices are to be heard equally rather than running roughshod for political gain.
Maggie Mancini
Abington, PA
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Thursday Stuff
K.O. tells us that Number 43 last night admitted “yeah, we waterboarded, and we’d do it again…to save lives,” implying that he knows doing it didn’t save any life at all, and probably cost more than just a few…
…and I guess this means that the Gulf catastrophe is, at long last, on the radar of our corporate media (gosh, Gene Taylor, don’t those birds look so cute covered in a “chocolate sheen” or whatever…I don’t care which party he belongs to – his sorry ass should get voted out of office)…
…Rachel Maddow takes us out into Caminata Bay to get a closer look at the gooey stuff…
…and I thought I’d include this as a tribute to Sir Paul for his little “library” jab here at Obama’s predecessor, which of course has inspired wingnut harrumphing (moving a bit slower and not quite hitting the high notes he used to, but still rocking out big time – I’d like to tell you I think of this song every time I concoct one of these blog posts, and I wish it were true).
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
…and I guess this means that the Gulf catastrophe is, at long last, on the radar of our corporate media (gosh, Gene Taylor, don’t those birds look so cute covered in a “chocolate sheen” or whatever…I don’t care which party he belongs to – his sorry ass should get voted out of office)…
…Rachel Maddow takes us out into Caminata Bay to get a closer look at the gooey stuff…
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
…and I thought I’d include this as a tribute to Sir Paul for his little “library” jab here at Obama’s predecessor, which of course has inspired wingnut harrumphing (moving a bit slower and not quite hitting the high notes he used to, but still rocking out big time – I’d like to tell you I think of this song every time I concoct one of these blog posts, and I wish it were true).
Thursday Mashup Part Two (6/3/10)
(Part One is here.)
I give you J.D. Mullane in the Bucks County Courier Times today (here)…
I guess someone will have to pry the gas pump from your cold, dead hands, huh J.D.?
Also, I give you the following comedy from Fix Noise (here)…
Besides, as noted here, MSNBC and its dastardly liberal hosts are pretty thoroughly trouncing CNN in daytime and prime time; they’re not going to overtake Fix Noise anytime soon I know, but Comcast cares more about money than ideology, and they’re not going to kiss off the audience of K.O., Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz for the sake of some ideological purity test.
Finally, the New York Times ran a full-page ad today from the American Medical Association decrying a 21 percent cut of doctor’s reimbursements for Medicare and TRICARE patients due to inaction by the U.S. Senate.
What they should have done is decry the actions of one senator instead, and that would be – wait for it! – none other than Jim “High And Tight” Bunning, who also has screwed over his fellow countrymen depending on unemployment and COBRA benefits, as noted here.
Which is all the more reason to support this guy (and anyone who thinks Rand Paul would be any different from ol’ Jimbo must also be a fan of Bud Selig because of his “winning personality” – as Bugs would say, “What a maroon”…here).
With oil gushing into the sea, there are calls to stop drilling, for the good of the planet. Renewable "clean" energy, such as windmills, is the future, if only the politicians had the guts to pass the laws that would break our "oil addiction" and put us on a path to sustainable energy.Mullane is actually correct when he tells us that Bryce opposes wind energy and favors natural gas (shocking, I know), but Mother Jones tells us the following here concerning Mullane’s claim (or implication at least) that Bryce opposes clean energy...
It sounds nice, but it's nonsense. That's according to journalist Robert Bryce. In his eye-opening new book, "Power Hungry," Bryce marshals devastating facts and disposes of the notion that windmills and the electric car will save the world.
MJ: If you were king of the world and you had a million dollars, what kind of energy technology would you invest it in?I think this paints a bit more complete of a picture on Bryce than what Mullane would have us believe (with Bucks County’s big mouth still inflicting lines in this tome like “Separating energy from freedom is like separating water from wet”).
RB: Batteries. This is the same problem that frustrated Thomas Edison. We could have a huge breakthrough in batteries for the stationary market and the mobile market: That is the game changer. I have a chapter in my new book, Gusher of Lies, about this issue. I talk about what I call the super battery prize. Let's offer a billion dollars to anyone who can create a cheap, compact, efficient battery that can store multiple kilowatt-hours of electricity, and let's offer 10 billion to anyone who can create a multiple megawatt-hour battery with those some attributes. That would be the game changer both in terms of traditional generation sources and for the renewable sources like solar and wind. And would result in huge decreases in CO2 emissions, and it would be an enormous, enormous breakthrough. But people have been working on it since Edison's day, and nobody has come up with it. The money to be made by a company coming out with a superior battery is enormous.
MJ: What will it take for renewable energy to go mainstream?
RB: It is always about economics. I am not a fan at all of ethanol. It's a scam. But when it comes to solar in particular, and I'm far more bullish on solar than I am on wind, it is always about economics. Unless and until they can get to the point where they can compete truly head-to-head, unsubsidized, with national-gas-fired, nuclear-fired, coal-fired power plants, they are just not going to be viable.
I guess someone will have to pry the gas pump from your cold, dead hands, huh J.D.?
There is also widespread chatter inside MSNBC that their days of being a propaganda machine for Obama are over. Comcast is not likely to keep the formula of all liberal hosts (I know, I know, Joe Scarborough - we’ll get to him) all liberal guests, and agitators thinly disguised as reporters and news anchors. And prime-time might be the first to go.Is the GOP’s media house organ claiming here that Keith Olbermann is a “stalker”? That is utterly hilarious coming from the network guilty of aiding and abetting a certain falafel-abusing loudmouth who is too cowardly to do his own dirty work and sends his lickspittle producers out to do it instead (here).
The thinking is that Phil Griffin won’t have time meet the new bosses before finding himself out on the street. And without Griffin to protect The Stalker from the new corporate bosses, he can cross another network off his list of places he can never work again.
We’re even thinking of running a contest here on what day will be Keith’s last. Winner gets dinner with Ed Schultz!!
Besides, as noted here, MSNBC and its dastardly liberal hosts are pretty thoroughly trouncing CNN in daytime and prime time; they’re not going to overtake Fix Noise anytime soon I know, but Comcast cares more about money than ideology, and they’re not going to kiss off the audience of K.O., Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz for the sake of some ideological purity test.
What they should have done is decry the actions of one senator instead, and that would be – wait for it! – none other than Jim “High And Tight” Bunning, who also has screwed over his fellow countrymen depending on unemployment and COBRA benefits, as noted here.
Which is all the more reason to support this guy (and anyone who thinks Rand Paul would be any different from ol’ Jimbo must also be a fan of Bud Selig because of his “winning personality” – as Bugs would say, “What a maroon”…here).
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Wednesday Stuff
Tuesday Mashup (6/2/10)
(Posting may be flaky for the next few days, by the way.)
1) More Old Gray Lady pundit wankery today from Matt Bai here, on the matter of those zany teabaggers and their efforts to repeal the 17th Amendment (which would mean that U.S. Senators would no longer be voted into office by citizens but instead voted by state legislatures – nope, that ain’t happenin’ either)…
It is an odd stance, to be sure. (If you really want to start repealing amendments, why not go after the Third Amendment, the one that outlaws the forcible quartering of soldiers in peacetime? Would anyone really mind letting a few cadets stay the night?)
Maybe Bai ought to read about Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer 343 U.S. 579, 644 (1952), in which Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson's concurring opinion cites the Third Amendment as providing evidence of the Framer's intent to constrain executive power even during wartime: "[t]hat military powers of the Commander in Chief were not to supersede representative government of internal affairs seems obvious from the Constitution and from elementary American history. Time out of mind, and even now in many parts of the world, a military commander can seize private housing to shelter his troops. Not so, however, in the United States, for the Third Amendment says...[E]ven in war time, his seizure of needed military housing must be authorized by Congress."
Also, Justice William O. Douglas ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 484 (1965) that the amendment implied a belief that an individual's home should be free from agents of the state.[1] Both of these rulings and other memoranda concerning the Amendment are noted here.
Wikipedia also tells us here that the amendment (which isn’t cited much – I’ll grant Bai that point anyway) was written to prevent the recurrence of soldiers being quartered in private property as was done in Colonial America by the British military under the Quartering Act before the American Revolution (1775–1776).
For anyone who thinks this amendment is irrelevant, let me ask you this; we just got finished in January of ’09 at long last with a head of state who believed he was a “unitary executive” endowed with all kinds of extra-constitutional powers since we were at wartime. Without the Third Amendment, maybe Dubya would’ve tried to seize people’s homes and property in the war against Terra! Terra! Terra! (I mean, it’s not like we can assume he would’ve stopped with spying on us…fortunately, my hypothesis will never be put to the test).
Leave it to an utter corporate media shill like Bai to joke so cravenly about giving up a precious, hard-earned right fought for with such bravery and dedication by those who came before us unto the present day.
2) Also, Ruben Navarrette, Jr. has been singing the praises of Bobby (“Don’t Call Me Piyush”) Jindal (here)…
For the last few years, Republicans have wondered if Bobby Jindal was their answer to Barack Obama. After the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it's awfully clear that Democrats should start trying to come up with an answer to Jindal.
Too funny – as noted here…
Louisiana state Rep. Juan LaFonta, a New Orleans Democrat running for Congress and a frequent Jindal critic, complains Jindal was too slow to declare a state of emergency. The declaration came nine days after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. Early estimates of how much oil was leaking were much lower than the current 200,000-plus gallons a day.
"Because of Gov. Jindal's slow response, we are now behind the curve," LaFonta said. He added: "You're talking to a veteran of Katrina. I saw what a lackluster response did last time."
And as noted here…
Some Republicans favor the more laidback approach of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman, who has stood up for the oil industry and suggested that liberal environmentalists are exploiting the catastrophe to curtail deep sea drilling.
“Haley has actually taken the smarter approach, from a national perspective,” said a GOP operative close to both politicians. “Haley doesn’t have oil on his beaches. ... But he has taken the long view, that this shouldn’t kill an important source of energy. Bobby has been a little frantic, running around, much more concerned about how he’ll look on tonight’s TV news.”
(By the way, I'll give Barbour a pass for now on the "liberal environmentalists" remark.)
Also, this tells us that “Kenneth The Page” once rejected $100 million in “stim” unemployment funds for his state, and this tells us of his jokes about funding for volcano monitoring, which was particularly dumb because soon after he “cracked wise” on the subject, Mount Redoubt erupted.
Besides, based on this, I would say that Jindal needs to mend fences in his own political backyard first before he can call out the commander in chief in a way Navarrette would like (which, in and of itself, would actually pretty funny if Jindal were to try).
Update 6/25/10: Navarrette Jr. ought to read about what a great job Jindal is supposedly doing here (meant to add this also).
Update 6/26/10: The linked NY Times story from this post has a funny pic of Jindal looking like he's getting ready to perform another exorcism, by the way.
3) Finally, I give you Ted Nugent here (speaking of “spill, baby, spill”)…
With the possible exception of the tobacco industry, no industry is held in more contempt and scorn than big oil. This is strangely foolish in that tobacco has been proved to cause cancer and has no beneficial use whatsoever, whereas oil literally fuels the American dream. Another clear example of the disconnect that brought us President Barack Hussein Obama.
This clueless condition is a direct result of woefully ignorant Americans with hypocritical attitudes. Surely the unprecedented quality of life in the United States has spoiled too many Americans, who insist on driving gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and also demand to fill them up with cheap gas. Similarly, some other irresponsible Americans eat massive quantities of junk food, refuse to exercise, poison their once-sacred temples at every opportunity and then demand that someone else pay for their health care. Maybe the band Green Day had it right with its song "American Idiot." Takes one to know one.
I realize there are all kinds of directions I can go here, such as pointing out that, among other problems, burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming that ultimately leads to an increased risk of breathing problems in older adults and asthma in children. I could also point out Nugent’s idiotic opposition to anything approximating a government (Fedzilla?) role in health care, particularly since the U.S. now ranks 38th among industrialized nations in life expectancy (here).
I could also point out that Nugent himself is a draft-dodging hypocrite (here) who had a chance to serve this country when he was of age in Vietnam but instead did not do so; that by itself doesn’t permanently impugn someone as far as I’m yours truly is concerned, but I definitely have an issue with someone who cherishes his own blood but has no problem cheering on the spillage of it from others.
But it truly takes a singular type of moron to dump on fellow musicians, particularly when we’re talking about a group as talented as Green Day (at least they’ve had a hit more recently than the Reagan Administration, Ted).
Oh, and please spare me the lecture about Americans “poison(ing) their once-sacred temples” in lieu of taking care of our bodies. This from a guy who wrote a song called “Journey To The Center Of The Mind” (which, of course, had nothing whatsoever to do with drugs…nothing at all, I’m sure).
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