Monday, April 12, 2010
A really funny John McCain internet ad
McCain is facing a primary challenge from J.D. Hayworth a Tea Party favorite and dumb as a box of rocks.
To view the full screen right click on your mouse in the video select "show all"
An interesting story that has flown under the radar.
Dawn Johnsen was nominated for the Office of Legal Counsel in January of 2009 but was finally forced to withdraw her nomination a few days ago. The Legal Counsel advises the President on matters of civil rights and adherence to the rule of law. She was an excellent choice for those who believe the rule of law trumps executive power.
In practice the Obama administration has stuck too closely to the Bush doctrine of executive power and having Johnsen in the picture could have made things quite uncomfortable.
The White House had the votes to for her nomination through but never pushed it.
The full story here, written by the always excellent Glenn Greenwald, a constitutional lawyer himself.
In practice the Obama administration has stuck too closely to the Bush doctrine of executive power and having Johnsen in the picture could have made things quite uncomfortable.
The White House had the votes to for her nomination through but never pushed it.
The full story here, written by the always excellent Glenn Greenwald, a constitutional lawyer himself.
Paul Krugman must read on environmental economics
Paul Krugman, the economist and Nobel Prize winner is loathed by conservatives, partly because he is right most of the time. He constantly criticized Bush's economic policies and warned often and early about the housing bubble while everyone else slept.
He has a must read article in the NY Times magazine about environmental economics. He argues for market based solutions which conservatives constantly claim will destroy the economy despite minimal evidence to support this.
Here is a key quote from the article.
In any case, experience suggests that market-based emission controls work. Our recent history with acid rain shows as much. The Clean Air Act of 1990 introduced a cap-and-trade system in which power plants could buy and sell the right to emit sulfur dioxide, leaving it up to individual companies to manage their own business within the new limits. Sure enough, over time sulfur-dioxide emissions from power plants were cut almost in half, at a much lower cost than even optimists expected; electricity prices fell instead of rising. Acid rain did not disappear as a problem, but it was significantly mitigated. The results, it would seem, demonstrated that we can deal with environmental problems when we have to.
He has a must read article in the NY Times magazine about environmental economics. He argues for market based solutions which conservatives constantly claim will destroy the economy despite minimal evidence to support this.
Here is a key quote from the article.
In any case, experience suggests that market-based emission controls work. Our recent history with acid rain shows as much. The Clean Air Act of 1990 introduced a cap-and-trade system in which power plants could buy and sell the right to emit sulfur dioxide, leaving it up to individual companies to manage their own business within the new limits. Sure enough, over time sulfur-dioxide emissions from power plants were cut almost in half, at a much lower cost than even optimists expected; electricity prices fell instead of rising. Acid rain did not disappear as a problem, but it was significantly mitigated. The results, it would seem, demonstrated that we can deal with environmental problems when we have to.
Serial wife Elizabeth Taylor going for number 9
After a 14 year layoff since her last marriage to a construction guy, Elizabeth Taylor is getting married for the 9th time. The lucky guy is 49 year old Hollywood agent, Jason Winters who will become the 9th husband of the 78 year old actress.
I wish the couple well although I have a problem with Elizabeth Taylor. She married Senator John Warner of Virginia in 1976. It was her first to a politician and/or a Southern gentleman. In response Saturday Night Live did a skit with John Belushi playing Taylor choking on a fried chicken bone. Unfortunately not available on You Tube or anywhere else on the web for viewing it is manically hysterical in a way only Belushi could do.
My problem is that every time I see Elizabeth Taylor on TV the I picture Belushi choking on the bone
UPDATE I
Elizabeth Taylor now claims that she is not get married but that doesn't change just how effing funny the Belushi skit is.
I wish the couple well although I have a problem with Elizabeth Taylor. She married Senator John Warner of Virginia in 1976. It was her first to a politician and/or a Southern gentleman. In response Saturday Night Live did a skit with John Belushi playing Taylor choking on a fried chicken bone. Unfortunately not available on You Tube or anywhere else on the web for viewing it is manically hysterical in a way only Belushi could do.
My problem is that every time I see Elizabeth Taylor on TV the I picture Belushi choking on the bone
UPDATE I
Elizabeth Taylor now claims that she is not get married but that doesn't change just how effing funny the Belushi skit is.
Newt Gingrich - wrong all the time
Noted women's rights thinker Newt Gingrich appeared on CNN recently to announce that Sarah Palin is something of a feminist icon. Explaining her appeal, Gingrich seemed to suggest that women --aside from San Francisco liberals-- adore Palin and are drawn to her unique, can-do qualities.
A recent CBS News poll showed Palin's support among women at 21% versus 29% among men. Her support among women who think hunting wolves from helicopters is a sport, however, is probably in the high 90% range.
For those who don't remember, Newt is a serial adulterer who served divorce papers on his wife when she was in the hospital recovering from cancer. He once said she wasn't attractive enough to be a politician's wife.
A recent CBS News poll showed Palin's support among women at 21% versus 29% among men. Her support among women who think hunting wolves from helicopters is a sport, however, is probably in the high 90% range.
For those who don't remember, Newt is a serial adulterer who served divorce papers on his wife when she was in the hospital recovering from cancer. He once said she wasn't attractive enough to be a politician's wife.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
I was rIght 70% of the time - Alan Greenspan
Well whoop de fucking doo. Sadly, the 30% of the time he was wrong resulted in the biggest financial meltdown since the Great Depression. Anyway, 70% correct is a C+ at best if we were to grade him generously.
Greenspan, along with a host of other financial luminaries have been appearing in Congress over the last week testifying about the financial crisis. The answers were all mind-numbingly the same. "No-one could have predicted...and even if I had predicted correctly, there is nothing I could have done." The pathetic spectacle reminded me more of an 8 year old trying to explain a new believable reason for having forgotten their homework for the third time in a week than anything.
The only difference is that the financiers’ interrogators were far more reverential than an 8th grade teacher would be.
I am no economist and I am not involved in the financial field but I predicted this mess in 2006. (I have witnesses who can verify this). I am reminded of a quote from Upton Sinclair, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.” It might explain why a somewhat intelligent observer from the periphery such as yours truly could see this coming, yet those so-called geniuses earning countless millions to be at the vortex seem to have been unwilling to even consider they might be wrong.
What’s worse is the complete lack of contrition in their testimony. They all blame someone or something else. It‘s a malaise that has infected our world. The rush to war in Iraq is explained away by the excuse that the CIA intelligence was bad. How about at least a little bit of due diligence before committing our solders to a difficult war, made more difficult by the same intransigence on WMD’s as on ignoring the experts and the reality in Iraq as did Cheney and Rumsfeld. Neither has ever accepted even the slightest of responsibility.
We are seeing it again in the Catholic Churh’s abuse allegations. The Vatican hierarchy and its American apologists are so busy blaming the media, anti-church bigotry and salacious gossipmongers while ignoring reality they have contorted themselves into sanity defying statements. Taka of Bill Donohue head of the American Catholic League who went on TV to claim that homosexual molestation after the age of puberty somehow isn’t rape or even statutory rape.
There is no shame any longer in denying responsibility. If anything, there is at least acceptance, if not praise for ‘passing the buck’
Frank Rich says it far better than I can in a column in the NY Times today.
Greenspan, along with a host of other financial luminaries have been appearing in Congress over the last week testifying about the financial crisis. The answers were all mind-numbingly the same. "No-one could have predicted...and even if I had predicted correctly, there is nothing I could have done." The pathetic spectacle reminded me more of an 8 year old trying to explain a new believable reason for having forgotten their homework for the third time in a week than anything.
The only difference is that the financiers’ interrogators were far more reverential than an 8th grade teacher would be.
I am no economist and I am not involved in the financial field but I predicted this mess in 2006. (I have witnesses who can verify this). I am reminded of a quote from Upton Sinclair, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.” It might explain why a somewhat intelligent observer from the periphery such as yours truly could see this coming, yet those so-called geniuses earning countless millions to be at the vortex seem to have been unwilling to even consider they might be wrong.
What’s worse is the complete lack of contrition in their testimony. They all blame someone or something else. It‘s a malaise that has infected our world. The rush to war in Iraq is explained away by the excuse that the CIA intelligence was bad. How about at least a little bit of due diligence before committing our solders to a difficult war, made more difficult by the same intransigence on WMD’s as on ignoring the experts and the reality in Iraq as did Cheney and Rumsfeld. Neither has ever accepted even the slightest of responsibility.
We are seeing it again in the Catholic Churh’s abuse allegations. The Vatican hierarchy and its American apologists are so busy blaming the media, anti-church bigotry and salacious gossipmongers while ignoring reality they have contorted themselves into sanity defying statements. Taka of Bill Donohue head of the American Catholic League who went on TV to claim that homosexual molestation after the age of puberty somehow isn’t rape or even statutory rape.
There is no shame any longer in denying responsibility. If anything, there is at least acceptance, if not praise for ‘passing the buck’
Frank Rich says it far better than I can in a column in the NY Times today.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Glenn Beck - oozing vile ignorance as usual.
On a possible replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justic John Paul Stevens.
Mark my words, a radical is coming," Beck warned.
If the president is smart, Beck said, he'll find "a gay, handicapped black woman, who's an immigrant."
"She could be the devil. She could say, 'I hate America. I want to destroy America.' And that way, they'll only be able to say, 'Why do you hate gay, immigrant, black handicapped women. Why do you hate them?'
Mark my words, a radical is coming," Beck warned.
If the president is smart, Beck said, he'll find "a gay, handicapped black woman, who's an immigrant."
"She could be the devil. She could say, 'I hate America. I want to destroy America.' And that way, they'll only be able to say, 'Why do you hate gay, immigrant, black handicapped women. Why do you hate them?'
The Party of Fiscal Restraint
A junior Republican staffer in Florida had $1.3 million charged to her party American Express card. Among the charges were $40,000 for a trip to London, jewelry, sporting goods etc. To be fair to the junior staffer, most of the charges were for her superiors who also had access to the card.
A series of embarrassing revelations over profligate credit card spending by the Republican U.S. Senate frontrunner Marco Rubio and Tea Party favorite and others have already precipitated both state and federal investigations.
A series of embarrassing revelations over profligate credit card spending by the Republican U.S. Senate frontrunner Marco Rubio and Tea Party favorite and others have already precipitated both state and federal investigations.
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