Zed

ROOTZ!

A Busted zed?

now whatta we do?

That was a great episode of Studio 60! The trumpet really rocked, and the combination of the music and photos was stunning. And talk about a roots-type action . . . a sickout by Hollywood musicians to get gigs for their NOLA friends. Wow.

Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme really know how to do Christmas. I loved their West Wing episode “In Excelsis Deo” that opens with Toby being called by the Park police because a homeless vet was found dead with Toby’s business card in his pocket.

Peterr at 4 — that was one of my all-time favorites. My favorite scene of any episode was the one where Bartlett dresses down the wanker of a radio personality. Classic. So many other amazing scenes — but that embodied so much of what I was feeling and wanted to stay, that I cheered out loud at the end. Now THAT is some great writing. :)

Thanks and lots of cocoa to you and the missus,

Christy

What? Keeping all the cookies for youself, Mr. Redd, and The Peanut? That’s not very nice (and he’s keeping a list about that sort of thing . . .)

lol Peterr at 6 — The Peanut has all the cookies, sugar cubes and carrots planned for Christmas Eve. Trust me, Santa will have a good assortment…

I saw one of the questioners at the Flynt Leverett press conference yesterday wearing a green wristband. – Those are for Katrina, and aside from my own, was the first one I’ve seen.

Lemme see if I can figure out where to get them….(somebody gave me mine)(skulking away a bit ashamed).

But before I go – I listed Studio 60 as my favorite current TV show on Christy’s pre-T-giving-day post – it’s the old West Wing fast-flying banter – darn, those guys (Sorkin and Schlamme) are good.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 5

Peterr at 4 — that was one of my all-time favorites. My favorite scene of any episode was the one where Bartlett dresses down the wanker of a radio personality. Classic. So many other amazing scenes — but that embodied so much of what I was feeling and wanted to stay, that I cheered out loud at the end. Now THAT is some great writing. :)

Amen.

Last night, when Ed Asner’s character went after the FCC and certain rightwing pro-family groups when he compared the use of the unplanned use of the f-bomb in a live news broadcast from a war zone with the obscenity of the actual death and destruction of said war . . . I cheered that one too.

(Although you have to wonder if Ed didn’t write that bit himself.)

:)

PS — If you could also please consider giving Deborah Dickerson and her editors at Slate a big lump of coal in their stockings this year, that would be swell.

Christy: It’s Deborah Dickerson at Salon, not Slate. John Dickerson writes for Slate.

Biodun at 10 — thanks, will fix it. The article pissed me off…

jayt @ 3

A Busted zed?

now whatta we do?

When in doubt, Fitz!

Biodun, methinks J. Dickerson is in for it from your link on the last thread….

(just sayin’. what a tool!)

Greg Lake – I Believe in Father Christmas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O_fCs5Buwg

Christy Hardin Smith @ 5

Peterr at 4 — that was one of my all-time favorites. My favorite scene of any episode was the one where Bartlett dresses down the wanker of a radio personality. Classic. So many other amazing scenes — but that embodied so much of what I was feeling and wanted to stay, that I cheered out loud at the end. Now THAT is some great writing. :)

I’ve been know to steal borrow some of that one, here and there, in various LTE’s.

Touching the skin of a dead pig, on the Sabbath, no less, looks way bad for pro football players.

Planting fields with diffferent seed, or sewing with different threads, grounds for stoning. Selling one’s daughter into slavery is ok, so long as you don’t jack up the price. Lot of odd stuff in Leviticus.

A mass-mailing of New Testaments might be in order….

The suffering that Katrina victims have endured is beyond unfortunate. It is outragous. I do not understand how it can continue without the people responsible–FEMA employees, Congress, the President–being shamed into fixing it.

Although I do not suggest that it justifies the suffering, it is worth pointing out that one positive thing did come out of the natural and human-made disaster that was Katrina. I believe the public attention brought to the Bush administration’s failures in dealing with Katrina relief contributed to, if not started, a growing awareness of the administration’s incompetence that in turn helped to bring about the rebuke that the voters gave to Bush and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress in the November elections.

Democrats should put finishing the job of Katrina relief high on their list of legislative priorities when the new Congress takes office in January.

OT

Did anyone notice Bush quoted in Froomkin’s column yesterday that he and Rummy had “been through war together”??

What’s that?? Oh, I guess he means war non-planning.

Wow,that Slate article didn’t miss a stereotype at all did it?

No one who has been poor ever speaks like this of others born into less fortunate circumstances. Having spent some time homeless in my life,and having encountered people like that writer who so rudely thought they knew all about me,I feel qualified to say to this author, a heartfelt and merry:

Fuckyoubiteme. And a crappy New Year.

OT but the Iraqi government is now televising its executions of prisoners.

An Angry Old Broad at 18 — Could not have said it better myself.

Articles like this remind me of why I let my subscription to Salon.com lapse. First Farhad Manjoo’s inane political scribblings and man-crush on John McCain, now this.

Oh, and another nice touch from Salon.com: The “editor’s choice” selection of letters that features (surprise!) a disproportionate number that defend the author. At least they appear to have moved on from letting the author write letters supporting his/her own article, and giving them the automatic “Editor’s Choice!” seal of approval (Farhad Manjoo used to love that trick as well).

Still, this is awful, sneering, mean-spirited stuff. Good lord, is Salon morphing into Slate?

from times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12…..ref=slogin

One night in mid-April, the steel door clanked shut on detainee No. 200343 at Camp Cropper, the United States military’s maximum-security detention site in Baghdad.

Skip to next paragraph
The Reach of War
Go to Complete Coverage
Law and Disorder
Stuck in Camp Cropper
Articles in this series are examining problems with the legal system and law enforcement in Iraq.

Misjudgments Marred U.S. Plans for Iraqi Police (May 21, 2006)
How Iraq Police Reform Became Casualty of War (May 22, 2006)
Armed Groups Propel Iraq Toward Chaos (May 24, 2006)
Iraq’s Legal System Staggers Beneath the Weight of War (December 17, 2006)

Peter Wynn Thompson for The New York Times
Donald Vance, a security contractor, at his lawyer’s office in Chicago this month.
American guards arrived at the man’s cell periodically over the next several days, shackled his hands and feet, blindfolded him and took him to a padded room for interrogation, the detainee said. After an hour or two, he was returned to his cell, fatigued but unable to sleep.

The fluorescent lights in his cell were never turned off, he said. At most hours, heavy metal or country music blared in the corridor. He said he was rousted at random times without explanation and made to stand in his cell. Even lying down, he said, he was kept from covering his face to block out the light, noise and cold. And when he was released after 97 days he was exhausted, depressed and scared.

Detainee 200343 was among thousands of people who have been held and released by the American military in Iraq, and his account of his ordeal has provided one of the few detailed views of the Pentagon’s detention operations since the abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib. Yet in many respects his case is unusual.

The detainee was Donald Vance, a 29-year-old Navy veteran from Chicago who went to Iraq as a security contractor. He wound up as a whistle-blower, passing information to the F.B.I. about suspicious activities at the Iraqi security firm where he worked, including what he said was possible illegal weapons trading.

But when American soldiers raided the company at his urging, Mr. Vance and another American who worked there were detained as suspects by the military, which was unaware that Mr. Vance was an informer, according to officials and military documents.

At Camp Cropper, he took notes on his imprisonment and smuggled them out in a Bible.

“Sick, very. Vomited,” he wrote July 3. The next day: “Told no more phone calls til leave.”

Nathan Ertel, the American held with Mr. Vance, brought away military records that shed further light on the detention camp and its secretive tribunals. Those records include a legal memorandum explicitly denying detainees the right to a lawyer at detention hearings to determine whether they should be released or held indefinitely, perhaps for prosecution.

The story told through those records and interviews illuminates the haphazard system of detention and prosecution that has evolved in Iraq, where detainees are often held for long periods without charges or legal representation, and where the authorities struggle to sort through the endless stream of detainees to identify those who pose real threats.

“Even Saddam Hussein had more legal counsel than I ever had,” said Mr. Vance, who said he planned to sue the former defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, on grounds that his constitutional rights had been violated. “While we were detained, we wrote a letter to the camp commandant stating that the same democratic ideals we are trying to instill in the fledgling democratic country of Iraq, from simple due process to the Magna Carta, we are absolutely, positively refusing to follow ourselves.”

A spokeswoman for the Pentagon’s detention operations in Iraq, First Lt. Lea Ann Fracasso, said in written answers to questions that the men had been “treated fair and humanely,” and that there was no record of either man complaining about their treatment.

Held as ‘a Threat’

She said officials did not reach Mr. Vance’s contact at the F.B.I. until he had been in custody for three weeks. Even so, she said, officials determined that he “posed a threat” and decided to continue holding him. He was released two months later, Lieutenant Fracasso said, based on a “subsequent re-examination of his case,” and his stated plans to leave Iraq.

Mr. Ertel, 30, a contract manager who knew Mr. Vance from an earlier job in Iraq, was released more quickly.

Mr. Vance went to Iraq in 2004, first to work for a Washington-based company. He later joined a small Baghdad-based security company where, he said, “things started looking weird to me.” He said that the company, which was protecting American reconstruction organizations, had hired guards from a sheik in Basra and that many of them turned out to be members of militias whom the clients did not want around.

Mr. Vance said the company had a growing cache of weapons it was selling to suspicious customers, including a steady flow of officials from the Iraqi Interior Ministry. The ministry had ties to violent militias and death squads. He said he had also witnessed another employee giving American soldiers liquor in exchange for bullets and weapon repairs.

there are two more pages but man oh man that is disgusting

An Angry Old Broad @ 17

Wow,that Slate article didn’t miss a stereotype at all did it?

No one who has been poor ever speaks like this of others born into less fortunate circumstances. Having spent some time homeless in my life,and having encountered people like that writer who so rudely thought they knew all about me,I feel qualified to say to this author, a heartfelt and merry:

Fuckyoubiteme. And a crappy New Year.

My sentiments exactly.
BTW, AOB, Good luck on the quitting of the smokes.( Why yes, I do read Alternate Brain every day.)

Christy @11: Also, it’s Debra, not Deborah. If you have time, you might want to fix that too. Remember, we were talking about typos in the last thread. *g*

Debra Dickerson also wrote a book called The End of Racism. Quite a title from an African-American.

Perris, what does that dissertation-length cut & paste have to do with the current thread? It’s important news, sure–I saw it yesterday, in fact–but why here, and why paste the whole thing?

Gang, I don’t know why but the link I had originally put in to Gilliard’s post didn’t take the first time. I’ve added it back in — so if you refresh your page, the link is there. Sorry about that — must have been a hiccup in the toobz somewhere.

Thanks Busted @ 23,it’s been a long week,slogging through without smoking. And thanks for reading our little blog. I love those guys I blog with over there,they’re really good people.

mgmonklewis @ 25

Perris, what does that dissertation-length cut & paste have to do with the current thread? It’s important news, sure–I saw it yesterday, in fact–but why here, and why paste the whole thing?

nothing to do with the current thread…ot, sorry, I didn’t read it till today

Biodun at 24 — thanks — I should know better than to type and then hit send while I’m still pissed off. I never catch my typos that way. *g*

Speaking of wishes for peace and all that:

Anyone in the mood for doing pro bono legal work for a former Air Force officer, peace activist and grandma?

You know she’s a good egg because the bad eggs at Little Glue Huffers hate her with a passion. (The link isn’t directly to LGF itself, so you needn’t worry about their cooties or IP sniffers.)

Hey Christy –

Thanks for posting the clip. Such a fine concept by Sorkin, and so beautifully executed. Made me sad, and angry all over again, that a great American city fell victim to nature and then again to human incompetence.

The Salon insult is just the trifecta, isn’t it. Heartless, know-nothing bastards.

I’m so glad that 1/3 of the government is turning blue in January.

perris @ 28

mgmonklewis @ 25

Perris, what does that dissertation-length cut & paste have to do with the current thread? It’s important news, sure–I saw it yesterday, in fact–but why here, and why paste the whole thing?

nothing to do with the current thread…ot, sorry, I didn’t read it till today

No problem. I just wondered if I was missing some new connection. Plus, just a brief excerpt and link would have been nice. Still, better to get the information in whatever form than to be ignorant, right? :-)

Speaking of typo’s…..

. Or perhaps Ms. Dickerson would prefer that the Katrina refugees simply died and decreased the surplus population, since they are clearly refusing to stay put in their poorhouse assingments and not bother her, after losing their houses and everything they owned in the flood waters that overtopped the levees in New Orleans and crushed homes all across the Gulf Coast.

Christy -

Speaking of Katrina’s aftermath, ThinkProgress reports the following:

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/…..but-vacant

9th ward “remains all but vacant.” Sixteen months after flood waters surged through New Orleans’ 9th Ward following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina and the bursting of levees, the devastated section of the city “remains all but vacant,” The Times-Picayune reports today. Only 3 percent of the ward’s homeowners have applied for electrical permits — “enough to power only 152 houses.“ December 18, 2006 7:18 pm

One of the big jobs for the new Congress will be to plug the damnable memory hole. In many ways our future depends on it.
As Orwell observed in ‘1984′: “Who controls the past controls the future.”

Sparkles the Iguana @ 17

OT

Did anyone notice Bush quoted in Froomkin’s column yesterday that he and Rummy had “been through war together”??

What’s that?? Oh, I guess he means war non-planning.

Shrub & Rummy more likely got tanked up the Bush “ranch” down in Texas one weekend and had themselves a little friendly paint ball war.

OT – CNN – white powder found at NY Daily News building. parts of 15th floor closed off. A number of people are “self decontaminating” (I guess washing their hands? duh)

with the current ongoing sad state of affairs (Iraq, Katrina, clueless media, etc.) I’m probably not the only one having trouble summoning the holiday spirit…

(at least the results of 11/7 give some hope for the new year)

Bustednuckles @ 33

Speaking of typo’s…..

Actually there’s no apostrophe in typos. As long as we’re picking nits….

Ok- the YouTube clip made me cry – I’m gonna take a walk now….

speaking of chilling:

An Army Ranger who is accused of robbing a bank with machine guns says his weapons came from Afghanistan — and that they were brought back to the United States by American troops.

Luke Sommer, 20, has been charged with robbing a Bank of America branch in Tacoma, Wash., on Aug. 7. Surveillance cameras captured the robbery, which showed men armed with fully automatic AK-47s, balaclavas on their faces, carrying out a heist that investigators describe as having military-like precision.

(snip)

“With an automatic AK, depending on the model and so forth, you can spray out between 600 and 700 rounds per minute,” Kahaner says.

(snip)

Sommer, who is currently living with his family in Canada and fighting extradition on the bank robbery charges, says the rules against bringing back the weapons are only loosely enforced, especially when it comes to elite units such as the Army Rangers.

“We have our big hockey bags open, they take a quick peek inside, don’t move anything, and then just walk by. I know guys who’ve brought back as many as five AK-47s on the bottom of their bag for that reason,” Sommer says.

Sommer does have some credibility problems — especially because he has made as yet unsubstantiated allegations about war crimes that he claims to have witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But when it comes to the source of his AK-47s, investigators are inclined to believe him.

(emphasis mine)

http://www.npr.org/templates/s…..Id=6642653

How come NOT ONE Democrat (or even one blog I’m aware of)is talking about these signing statements? Bush just used another one on the agreement with India and cut out what the Republican conrolled Congress stipulated.

Just because we have a Democratic Congress, can’t Bush just blow off everything by issuing signing statements? If so, WTF???

I say they need to publicly throw down the gauntlet and start impeachment proceedings for abuse of power if he issues one more signing statement.

punaise @ 38

with the current ongoing sad state of affairs (Iraq, Katrina, clueless media, etc.) I’m probably not the only one having trouble summoning the holiday spirit…

(at least the results of 11/7 give some hope for the new year)

How can you not be excited about the upcoming FITZMAS????????

(I’m doing a jig)

This will be the best January EVER !!!!!!!!!

Forgive me if this is old news by now, but what do you think the bonehead in the White House is going to do???

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..77_pf.html

Sparkles the Iguana @ 43

How can you not be excited about the upcoming FITZMAS????????

well, there is that to look forward to. geez, can’t a guy nurse a funk? :~)

Mark @42 beats me to the punchline…

The granfalloon of fools
who’s lies are media gruel
ignore the perils they tool
while breaking all the rules.

Bush Bokononism in the Raw –

“in a manner consistent with the President’s constitutional authority to protect and control information that could impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive’s constitutional duties.”

Who gave this asswipe the Constitution?

When I was a little girl I would sit on my grandmother’s front porch and watch the black funeral processions walk down the street to a very old cemetery. Mostly older men were playing brass instruments and swaying to the beat of the sad music. The hearse was not far behind. I was as entranced then as I was just now listening to “The City of New Orleans”. My heart breaks to know that the great grandchildren of those moving down Lowerline Street in New Orleans are now probably living in nasty FEMA trailors somewhere on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. Or worse, blunked down in Utah or Minnesota waiting to return to a place that is so broken it will never be home again. We all know the reasons for this neglect and are weary of the failed repair. I was back home in October and took photos of that cemetery. It is a mess as is the rest of the town. How hard it is to comprehend the loss of a place so greatly needed by this country. America has no idea what it is losing.

mark at 42 — What would you like to discuss about them? That Bush has, yet again, tried to step around the law? That no court has ever legally recognized a signing statement as having any force of law? Or that Bush is an ass who has no respect for the separation of powers? Because we have discussed that a LOT on this blog — including in the comments of the first post of the day. For your information, my child is home sick today and yet I have managed to still put together three posts — so sorry none of them appear to have been exactly what you wanted to read this morning, but I’m doing the best I can. Happy holidays.

Marion in Savannah @ 44

Forgive me if this is old news by now, but what do you think the bonehead in the White House is going to do???

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..77_pf.html

This might be a crazy idea, but why not send Supernanny to Iraq. She can order the warring factions to their naughty seats, where they will have to sit for as many minutes as they are years old, then apologize for their disruptive behavior.

Mary at 47 — bless you for that — and I hear you on the greatness of the loss, both culturally and spiritually. So very painful, indeed.

punaise @ 45

Sparkles the Iguana @ 43

How can you not be excited about the upcoming FITZMAS????????

well, there is that to look forward to. geez, can’t a guy nurse a funk? :~)

Sure, as long as you don’t funk a nurse.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 48

my child is home sick today and yet I have managed to still put together three posts

awesome posts too christy – many, many thanks. reading you (and the comments when i can) gives me hope in this poor country of ours.

How can you not be excited about the upcoming FITZMAS????????

well, there is that to look forward to. geez, can’t a guy nurse a funk? :~)

Sure, as long as you don’t funk a nurse.

or a Wagnall

OT – save the toobz

Cheney to testify at Libby trial!!!

OT – TPM says Cheney to be called at Libby trial. No link.

mark @ 42

How come NOT ONE Democrat (or even one blog I’m aware of)is talking about these signing statements? Bush just used another one on the agreement with India and cut out what the Republican conrolled Congress stipulated.

Just because we have a Democratic Congress, can’t Bush just blow off everything by issuing signing statements? If so, WTF???

I say they need to publicly throw down the gauntlet and start impeachment proceedings for abuse of power if he issues one more signing statement.

well, we talk about them all the time, and I agree, THE VERY FIRST signing statement the president attempts to change the meaning of law congress passes needs an impeachment hearing.

that’s such an obvious abuse of power and we HAVE to make that cute little process of his stop IMMEDIATELY

now, about impeachment;

if we are to regain international integrity this administration has lost, if we are to reclaim international influence this adminsitration has sqwuandered, if we are to heal the gaping wound this adminsitration has suffered to our country, if we are to bridge the great divide that this administration has caused, the only thing we CAN do is initiate an impeachment hearing.

the world is wathcing now, we can bring the world together and on our side instead of against us, we can reclaim a higher ground.

or we can allow what has been done to continue

now that we have majority, we are charged with a responsibility we would not have had to shoulder if the republicans remained in power.

the entire world let loose a sigh of releaf that the democrats took control.

the don’t expect those responsible to be held to account, but they hope for it.

we can further the damage this administration has done to this country and her reputation by doing nothing

or we can beging the healing process

selise at 52 — much appreciated, although to be clear, I wasn’t looking for any ego-boo. *g* (Although it is much aprpeciated nonetheless.) Sometimes, I get the feeling that the enormous amoutn of research, reading, combing through blogs and news and books and magazine articles and everything else that goes into putting just one post together doesn’t register at all. And I don’t understand that — I don’t want any major praise or anything, but a little bit of understanding at how exhausting it is to try and put together some sort of quality analysis every single day of the week, 52 weeks a year (give or take a weeks vacation where I can squeeze one in…) might just be nice. And when you add in a 3 year old and the rest of my life…a tiny bit of patience or understanding would be very much appreciated instead of the rude harshness of “you aren’t talking about the subject that I think is important, so you suck.”

CNN – Cheney called to be defense witness at libby’s trial

btw, so long as we are talking compassion and understanding in this thread, if you haven’t checked out the WaPo series “Being a Black Man” you should take the time to do so. It is compelling, thought-provoking and infuriating, all at the same time. Great journalism.

OT: Josh at TPM says Cheney will be called as a witness at Libby trial.

OMG – cheney/libby

FITZMAS is fer REAL?!

Oh happy January, the BLUE month! ;->

Cheney to be defense witness in CIA case

Chrisy, not to flatter you, but I am awed at the quantity and quality of the posts you do daily. I have some awareness of how much time and effort goes into it all. Thank you, and season’s greetings to you and yours.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 58

selise at 52 — much appreciated, although to be clear, I wasn’t looking for any ego-boo. *g* (Although it is much aprpeciated nonetheless.) Sometimes, I get the feeling that the enormous amoutn of research, reading, combing through blogs and news and books and magazine articles and everything else that goes into putting just one post together doesn’t register at all. And I don’t understand that — I don’t want any major praise or anything, but a little bit of understanding at how exhausting it is to try and put together some sort of quality analysis every single day of the week, 52 weeks a year (give or take a weeks vacation where I can squeeze one in…) might just be nice. And when you add in a 3 year old and the rest of my life…a tiny bit of patience or understanding would be very much appreciated instead of the rude harshness of “you aren’t talking about the subject that I think is important, so you suck.”

let me say something here christie;

I don’t know how it’s done here at the lake..these posts are cutting edge, usually way ahead of the fray, and yet they are perfectly sourced.

when I have a post up on my blog I find it impossible to source everything I’m righting about if I want the post to get out as soon as possible.

My grammer sux, my spelling sux, and I have only minor sourcing

you guys post as if you have an entire team resourcing and linking for you.

believe me, among those of us that blog and try to keep up, the work here at the lake is simply dumbfounding to us

Christy @58. Don’t worry: Many many people here appreciate you and the enormous effort that goes into your posts. I used to be an academic in the humanities, so I know what goes into these articles. That’s what they are, really. Some are even analytic essays. Frankly, I don’t know how you do it without a research assistant.

Cheney as a defense witness! Hubris rears it’s ugly head again. Good. Maybe Cheney will be stuck in his own poo at last.

now that we have found out cheney is a witness, I am expecting a perfectly written, perfectly sourced fitz fix in less then an hour

chop chop

With Cheney as a defense witness, he will answer all of the defense questions, and claim super secret privileges on all the rest. In my totally humble opinion, this trial will get sandbagged.

Does anyone believe Cheney will be in open court?

by the way;

the reason fitz said there would be no extra security needed for the trial was to make it clear to the defense they would have to call cheney themselves

though I’m sure they have a witness list, I think they thought fitz might bring cheneyt into the mix at a later date, fitz made it clear they were not doing that

that I think was a stroke of genious

Dear Christy,

Wonderful post. And you’ve helped solve a problem for me.

I’ve had a subscr. to salon.com since before I found FDL. Since dipping a toe into the Lake, and watching salon morph into something not nearly as attractive as it used to be, I have stewed about what to do. I never feel any interest in the site any more, so why the subscription(?)

Well, I can pester them, eh? Thanks for the lil’ nudge. I shall go forth and annoy at will.

Thanks gal. You’re a treasure. ;->

GrandmaJ @ 69

With Cheney as a defense witness, he will answer all of the defense questions, and claim super secret privileges on all the rest. In my totally humble opinion, this trial will get sandbagged.

Does anyone believe Cheney will be in open court?

actaully, he will answer as few of the defense questions as possible and claim executive priviledge therefore denying effective defense.

that’s the plan

Sally @
64

Chrisy, not to flatter you, but I am awed at the quantity and quality of the posts you do daily. I have some awareness of how much time and effort goes into it all. Thank you, and season’s greetings to you and yours.

I’ll second that

Un-fucking-be-fucking-lievable. Of course, I’m speaking of Christy’s obtuse reaction to the Dickerson Salon piece. Notice I didn’t say Christy’s reaction to reading the piece, because there is no way in hell that she could’ve read it and still have written this:

“Or perhaps Ms. Dickerson would prefer that the Katrina refugees simply died and decreased the surplus population, since they are clearly refusing to stay put in their poorhouse assignments and not bother her, after losing their houses and everything they owned in the flood waters that overtopped the levees in New Orleans and crushed homes all across the Gulf Coast.”

Where the fuck did that come from? Criminy. You owe Dickerson an apology. And you owe an apopology to every liberal like me who will have to explain how a liberal like Chrsty Hardin Smith could’ve published such a worthless pile of fecal matter. Here’s a fuckin bulletin from The Real World: a whole bunch of poor people are poor because they are worthless, lazy, good-for-nothing assholes.

Jezzus H. Fucking christ. WRFU.

twolf1 @ 62

Cheney to be defense witness in CIA case

Popcorn, Get yer popcorn .

well Cheney being a witness is interesting, to some extent. But it should be remembered that having Cheney on the stand, for cross only, is not the same as “open season” on Dick Cheny.

If the defense puts him up – the defense controls the questions asked, and thus, cross-examination is limited to only those precise questions which the defense lawyers asked him…..

and I’m thinking that those questions put forward by the defense will be most carefully vetted before-hand.

Remember that Fitz interviewed Cheney in June 2004… If he lies, Fitz may fry his arse…

Jack

Ivor the troll at 74? Or just Ivor the unnecessarily rude?

perris @ 68

now that we have found out cheney is a witness, I am expecting a perfectly written, perfectly sourced fitz fix in less then an hour

chop chop

don’t you mean prop prop..)

egregious, bring on the snoopy music.

I hear incoming……..

wow, quite the impressive bombshell, IED

Ivor the Engine Driver @ 74

Un-fucking-be-fucking-lievable. Of course, I’m speaking of Christy’s obtuse reaction to the Dickerson Salon piece. Notice I didn’t say Christy’s reaction to reading the piece, because there is no way in hell that she could’ve read it and still have written this:

“Or perhaps Ms. Dickerson would prefer that the Katrina refugees simply died and decreased the surplus population, since they are clearly refusing to stay put in their poorhouse assignments and not bother her, after losing their houses and everything they owned in the flood waters that overtopped the levees in New Orleans and crushed homes all across the Gulf Coast.”

Where the fuck did that come from? Criminy. You owe Dickerson an apology. And you owe an apopology to every liberal like me who will have to explain how a liberal like Chrsty Hardin Smith could’ve published such a worthless pile of fecal matter. Here’s a fuckin bulletin from The Real World: a whole bunch of poor people are poor because they are worthless, lazy, good-for-nothing assholes.

Jezzus H. Fucking christ. WRFU.

Be gone, Satan!

Christy Hardin Smith @ 58

selise at 52 — much appreciated, although to be clear, I wasn’t looking for any ego-boo. *g* (Although it is much aprpeciated nonetheless.) Sometimes, I get the feeling that the enormous amoutn of research, reading, combing through blogs and news and books and magazine articles and everything else that goes into putting just one post together doesn’t register at all. And I don’t understand that — I don’t want any major praise or anything, but a little bit of understanding at how exhausting it is to try and put together some sort of quality analysis every single day of the week, 52 weeks a year (give or take a weeks vacation where I can squeeze one in…) might just be nice. And when you add in a 3 year old and the rest of my life…a tiny bit of patience or understanding would be very much appreciated instead of the rude harshness of “you aren’t talking about the subject that I think is important, so you suck.”

But, Christy, isn’t that why they pay you the big bucks? *g*

{{{{ CHRISTY }}}}

Christy, sorry about your sick child. There is nothing worse. I used to sleep on the floor in my sons room if they had a booger. Hope all is well soon.

I apologize if my post came across as slamming you or this site in anyway. Still think its the best on the “internets”. Its been driving me nuts that I haven’t heard anyone mainstream and very few blogs mention what imo, is the most important issue today. Signing statements make Bush a dictator and the Democrats need to make this case over and over again. Can’t one of them do so? I see the threat of impeachment proceedings as the only way to stop this abuse of power. Maybe you or Jane can title a post (”Signing Statements, WTF!!! :) )over at Huffingtons blog to help get this out?

Thanks for everything ya’ll do. Its going to take lawyers with real respect for the law to save this country.

Who do we presume are the as yet unidentified reporters Scoots is gonna call? Woodward?

In 3… 2… 1…

:-)

New thread, gang — found the AP wire story on Cheney. Will get more to everyone as I find it.

Lordy I am trying to remember where I read a post about someone believing Cheney would NOT be called as a witness because no one had done the security sweaps and process that is required for someone the likes of Darth Vader into a public court.

Hmm where is that NSA file where I need it?

Ivor the Engine Driver @ 74

Un-fucking-be-fucking-lievable. Of course, I’m speaking of Christy’s obtuse reaction to the Dickerson Salon piece. Notice I didn’t say Christy’s reaction to reading the piece, because there is no way in hell that she could’ve read it and still have written this:

“Or perhaps Ms. Dickerson would prefer that the Katrina refugees simply died and decreased the surplus population, since they are clearly refusing to stay put in their poorhouse assignments and not bother her, after losing their houses and everything they owned in the flood waters that overtopped the levees in New Orleans and crushed homes all across the Gulf Coast.”

Where the fuck did that come from? Criminy. You owe Dickerson an apology. And you owe an apopology to every liberal like me who will have to explain how a liberal like Chrsty Hardin Smith could’ve published such a worthless pile of fecal matter. Here’s a fuckin bulletin from The Real World: a whole bunch of poor people are poor because they are worthless, lazy, good-for-nothing assholes.

Jezzus H. Fucking christ. WRFU.

It is a good thing that you are anonymous.

The Dilemma – To react to a troll or not. Perhaps to not.

Great piece Christy.

perris @ 68

now that we have found out cheney is a witness, I am expecting a perfectly written, perfectly sourced fitz fix in less then an hour

chop chop

holy crow

http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..ness-list/

how long did THAT take

new thread on cheney guys

perris @
72

GrandmaJ @ 69

With Cheney as a defense witness, he will answer all of the defense questions, and claim super secret privileges on all the rest. In my totally humble opinion, this trial will get sandbagged.

Does anyone believe Cheney will be in open court?

actaully, he will answer as few of the defense questions as possible and claim executive priviledge therefore denying effective defense.

that’s the plan

But consider this, please:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_privilege

Executive privilege is the power held by the President of the United States and other members of the executive branch that allows them to resist certain search warrants and other encroachments. As presidents since George Washington and Thomas Jefferson have argued, the separation of powers embodied in the United States Constitution implies that each branch will be permitted to operate within limits free to some degree from the control or supervision of the other. The Supreme Court re-affirmed this in the case United States v. Nixon.

The concept of executive privilege is a legally murky one, and the Constitution does not mention it, though some consider it to be an element of the separation of powers doctrine. The history of Executive privilege underscores the untested nature of the doctrine, since Presidents have generally sidestepped open confrontations with Congress and the courts over this issue by first asserting the privilege, then producing some of the documents requested on an assertedly voluntary basis.

Jefferson set the precedent for this in the trial of Aaron Burr for treason in 1807. Burr asked the court to issue a subpoena duces tecum to compel Jefferson to provide his private letters concerning Burr. Chief Justice John Marshall, a strong proponent of the powers of the federal government but also a political opponent of Jefferson, ruled that the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for these sorts of court orders for criminal defendants, did not provide any exception for the president. As for Jefferson’s claim that disclosure of the document would imperil public safety, Marshall held that the court, not the president, would be the judge of that. Jefferson complied with Marshall’s order, but claimed he was doing so voluntarily. President Bill Clinton did the same when agreeing to testify before the grand jury called by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr only after negotiating the terms under which he would appear.

The Supreme Court addressed executive privilege in United States v. Nixon, the 1974 case involving the demand by Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski that Richard Nixon produce the audiotapes of conversations in the Oval Office of the White House in connection with criminal charges being brought against members of the Nixon Administration. Nixon invoked the privilege and refused to produce any records.

(snip)

The Supreme Court however DID reject the notion that the President has an “absolute privilege.” The Supreme Court stated: “To read the Art.II powers of the President as providing an absolute privilege as against a subpoena essential to enforcement of criminal statutes on no more than a genaralized claim of the public interest in confidentiality of nonmilitary and nondiplomatic discussions would upset the constitutional balance of ‘a workable government’ and graveley impair the role of the courts under Art. III” 418 U.S. 683, 707.

The Court did not, on the other hand, accept Nixon’s privilege argument on the facts of that case. Because Nixon had asserted only a generalized need for confidentiality, the Court held that the larger public interest in obtaining the truth in the context of a criminal prosecution took precedence.

Jeeze and I thought I was a troll!

Wow.

Christy, you are a saint. I live to goad, but you have more substance in your little finger than I have in my entire body of experience.

The darkest hour is here and nigh.

Ivor at 74 — I suggest you read your Dickens again — it’s a reference to Scrooge’s quote in Stanza One in discussing whether aid ought be given to the poor. And I suggest you re-read Ms. Dickerson’s uncompassionate piece again — because you clearly missed the dog-whistle cover that she gave every piss poor excuse for a human being for not having compassion for these individuals. And then go read Gilliard.

Happy holidays.

Repeat…..
I will not feed the trolls
I will not feed the trolls
I will not feed the trolls

Ahhhh F**kn idiot…. Just ask me why I am having my youngest son move back in and why I have three adult kids still living with me in this GREAT economy!

Christy Hardin Smith @ 58

it’s just that i don’t say “thank you” nearly enough… and every once in a while something happens to remind me of that…

I saw that episode for the 2nd time last night. Even though I knew what was coming, it still got to me. Even more so than the first time; that scene has haunted me. Last night left me sobbing–for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast–and for all that we as a nation have lost.

selise @ 96

Christy Hardin Smith @ 58

it’s just that i don’t say “thank you” nearly enough… and every once in a while something happens to remind me of that…

Christy et al, this site is the first thing I read after making the coffee and the last before going to bed…. maybe way to late too…

Thank you is too small of a word. Not enough, not strong or deep or …. well you get my meaning…

punaise @ 38

with the current ongoing sad state of affairs (Iraq, Katrina, clueless media, etc.) I’m probably not the only one having trouble summoning the holiday spirit…

(at least the results of 11/7 give some hope for the new year)

Punaise, I cannot thank you enough for catching the SF Chronicle Pelosi story out of their Washington bureau. If you haven’t read the entire piece I think it will certainly lift your spirits. It sure has cheered me considerably.

Her list of advisors and allies – most particularly Roselyn (Cissie) Swig, Congressmen Charlie Rangel,Henry Waxman, and Sam Farr who succeeded Leon Panetta here on the central coast represent a thrilling sampling of the talent in her long-term brain trust. Senator Dick Durbin is an old friend and number two democrat in the Senate.Hillary isn’t mentioned but Chuck Schumer and Babs Boxer and Rahm are noted as admirers – heheheh. Am so tempted to send all three of them one of my new shiny Pelosi for President 2007 in a Xmas card.

perris @
65

Christy Hardin Smith @ 58

selise at 52 — much appreciated, although to be clear, I wasn’t looking for any ego-boo. *g* (Although it is much aprpeciated nonetheless.) Sometimes, I get the feeling that the enormous amoutn of research, reading, combing through blogs and news and books and magazine articles and everything else that goes into putting just one post together doesn’t register at all. And I don’t understand that — I don’t want any major praise or anything, but a little bit of understanding at how exhausting it is to try and put together some sort of quality analysis every single day of the week, 52 weeks a year (give or take a weeks vacation where I can squeeze one in…) might just be nice. “

let me say something here christie;

I don’t know how it’s done here at the lake..these posts are cutting edge, usually way ahead of the fray, and yet they are perfectly sourced.

* * *

believe me, among those of us that blog and try to keep up, the work here at the lake is simply dumbfounding to us

– Hey, what he said!.

ReddHedd,

It is a labor of love keeping up with the insightful and much needed/appreciated thinking that is published on this site.

And if it is “labor” to stay current on this site, how you possibly do the work to keep the quality up and coming is beyond me? (And I’ve been a regular reader since long before Charles Goyette outed you).

THANK YOU!

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the work and committment that you and Jane have put into this effort.

slainte,
cl

ps. Your posts today are terrific as usual

perris @ 68

now that we have found out cheney is a witness, I am expecting a perfectly written, perfectly sourced fitz fix in less then an hour

chop chop

now play nice….

how ’bout 45min?

I’ll put the coffee on. Herbal tea for later…
Maybe sneak a cookie…

Christy, admit it, you fucked up. You completely missed the point of her piece, which is that some poor people are poor for a reason. Mrs. Smith was a lazy loser undeserving of compassion. If you want to give her compassion, then get off your ass, find out where she lives now, and move in next door. But don’t criticize someone who actually tried to help the family, but realized what so many others have discovered: some poor families will bleed you dry of of compassion with their never-ending demands and never-beginning efforts to improve themselves.

Christy Hardin Smith @
94

Ivor at 74 — I suggest you read your Dickens again — it’s a reference to Scrooge’s quote in Stanza One in discussing whether aid ought be given to the poor. And I suggest you re-read Ms. Dickerson’s uncompassionate piece again — because you clearly missed the dog-whistle cover that she gave every piss poor excuse for a human being for not having compassion for these individuals. And then go read Gilliard.

Happy holidays.

perris @ 91

perris @ 68

now that we have found out cheney is a witness, I am expecting a perfectly written, perfectly sourced fitz fix in less then an hour

chop chop

holy crow

http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..ness-list/

how long did THAT take

new thread on cheney guys

wh’a! incredibubble!

hey choo choo bye bye…

I must admit we are spoiled here at the lake. It is my primary source for first-rate analysis. Thanks for all you do!

newspaperbrat @
99

Punaise, I cannot thank you enough for catching the SF Chronicle Pelosi story out of their Washington bureau.

hi, npb! I saw that in the dead tree version at breakfast; I think it was TeddySanFran who posted it at FDL. I’ll give it a read.

Ivor at 102 — Are you daft? I worked with criminal defendants day in and day out for years of my professional life. Meaning I was in and out of their houses in abuse and neglect cases representing the children who had been taken from their care. I represented and prosecuted their children in juvenile cases — and know exactly what sorts of attitudes and piss poor parenting got those kids in trouble in the first place. And I represented them AND prosecuted them, at various points in my career, as adults. And then back again once they had kids in the abuse and neglect system.

I know more about the shit that people do to each other than you will ever want to know. Don’t make me start talking about the details of child rape or violent impulses, because I could go on for weeks at a time, without stopping.

But that does not mean that I still do not understand, also, the mental illness that goes into a lot of this — where there is no money in the budget for any assistance or care; the years of abuse that most of those folks have lived through and survived, and how that warps their perspective; the violence under which some of these folks have lived. And on and on. But I have not lost my humanity as a result of that, even though I carry around a hefty dose of cynicism.

Ms. Dickerson, on the other hand, has some ’splaining to do. And you need to get down off that high horse and realize that compassion and wisdom are two sides of the same coin — and that one ought not exist without the other. I knew exactly what I was saying. It was not a mistake. And you ought to have walked a couple of miles in my shoes, with all their attendant autopsy photos and child sexual abuse videotapes and medical exams and psych reports and everything else that have have had to see, digest and hear over the past several years to know that I am sure where I stand on what is decent and just. Are you so sure about your footing? Because I earned this opinion, every fucking day of keeping my community safe, every shot of my NRA safety re-up for a conceal carry after getting violent threats for convictions that I secured.

Christy. apologies. lost my cool also.
feel free to remove my 108, and 109 also w/ Perris’ approval… thanx

Adie @ 108

whack-a-troll! no mercy ;->

ip ban

Okay, apologies for losing my temper. But do go back and read Gilliard’s piece that I link above. There are ways to say some people need to get off their ass and do some work and stop expecting everyone else to take care of them without resorting to dog-whistle references and lazy speech. Which is what Dickerson did — especially if you compare her article to Herbert’s, as Gilliard did, side by side. Just go read them, look solely at the choice of language, and think about the very different images they are painting. And do accept my apology for being altogether too crabby — I try not to pop off in the comments, but every once in a while, my redhaired temper kicks in. Just ask Mr. ReddHedd… *g*

Christie,

I typically love your posts, but I have to say that you’ve gone over the top this time. Your post, and subsequent comments, seem to assume that the mother:

- has been beaten down by rascism, or;
- is mentally ill.

Neither of which is revealed in Dickerson’s piece, so: you don’t really know. And why the vitriolic tone toward Dickerson? I’m afraid that I’m unable to see what, in her very honest story, deserves that. But, maybe I’ve been a rascist all these years and never realized it.

The way I read it, you absolve the mother of any possibility of personal responsibility, which seems condescending in its own way.

So……….. flame away!

montysano at 111 — I think I answered that in my 110 above, but it was the language that Dickerson used in her post that raised my hackles. Do take a peek at Gilliard’s side by side and see if you don’t agree.

Christy Hardin Smith @
110

Okay, apologies for losing my temper. But do go back and read Gilliard’s piece that I link above. There are ways to say some people need to get off their ass and do some work and stop expecting everyone else to take care of them without resorting to dog-whistle references and lazy speech. Which is what Dickerson did — especially if you compare her article to Herbert’s, as Gilliard did, side by side. Just go read them, look solely at the choice of language, and think about the very different images they are painting. And do accept my apology for being altogether too crabby — I try not to pop off in the comments, but every once in a while, my redhaired temper kicks in. Just ask Mr. ReddHedd… *g*

Christy, with all due respect . . .

Popping off in the comments is an ad hominem-filled foaming-at-the-mouth rant.
Popping off in the comments is disparaging the opponent’s right to exist.
Popping off in the comments is treating the opponent as less than human.

Popping off is not what I can ever remember seeing from you. What I see, as in the exchange above, is an impassioned, compassion-filled argument based in reason and personal experience. You call others on their bullshit, and make it clear you don’t want said bullshit going unaddressed.

Above all, you set a fine example for the rest of us. Thanks!

Peterr @ 113

from the choir, here’s an “amen!”.

Christie @ 112:

I read both; sorry, I’m not getting it.

There was a real sadness to Dickerson’s tone; she got no joy out of the situation. It just was what it was. And I do think that one of her main points was that the mother was a perfect example of the effects of generations of rascism and being a ward of the welfare state.

Peterr at 113 — while I do appreciate the kudos, I should never have begun with “Are you daft?” That was uncalled for on my part, which is why I apologized. SIGH Must remember to take that deep breath and count to ten before typing in future.

montysano at 115 — sorry, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this one, then — because it seemed like some clear use of language that I found to be condescending, frankly, about these people’s situation. Look, I’ve been in the frustrated to the point of wanting to smack someone upside the head point with former clients and with folks I’ve prosecuted. Trust me — I have SO been there. But, and perhaps it’s because I was just at that conference in DC last week on poverty, inequality, race and the media that the Eisenhower Foundation put on and I’m more sensitive about the language usage as a result — but the Dickerson piece just hit some bells and whistles for me in my reading of it — both the first and second times through.

This may just be one of those personal perspective things — but, for me, I had a problem with the piece, as you could no doubt tell from my reaction to it. And that may come from the fact that I get e-mails all the time from decent folks who have been displaced due to Katrina who simply want, more than anything, to be able to have a home. And are having a whole lot of trouble getting to that point theese days — because of one snafu after another, with paperwork, with perceptions that they are dealing with in new neighborhoods, etc., etc.

montysano @ 115

And I do think that one of her main points was that the mother was a perfect example of the effects of generations of rascism and being a ward of the welfare state.

Did you read the comments also? Several people pointed out that the mother is clearly suffering from either chronic depression or PTSD, and isn’t getting any kind of treatment. Steve said, there, that that’s the point he was making. Also they pointed out that Dickerson could have talked to social services much, much earlier, if she’d really wanted to help.

P J @ 115

Did you read the comments also? Several people pointed out that the mother is clearly suffering from either chronic depression or PTSD, and isn’t getting any kind of treatment.

Sorry, PJ, but that’s just speculation. None of us know that. It may be true; it probably is true. But it’s also entirely possible that she’s not an admirable person, someone who refused to climb a ladder that was provided for her.

I lived in New Orleans from ‘84-’91, working at the Convention Center, which had a very diverse workforce. Some people go looking for the ladder, some climb it when it’s presented to them, and some refused to put a foot on the first rung. Human nature, I’m afraid, sometimes exacerbated by institutional rascism, sometimes not.

For the record, we already discussed the India signing statement this morning.
See: Hubris, Anyone thread.

And Glenn Greenwald is all over this issue.
We lean on Glenn now and again.

mark @ 42

How come NOT ONE Democrat (or even one blog I’m aware of)is talking about these signing statements? Bush just used another one on the agreement with India and cut out what the Republican conrolled Congress stipulated.

Just because we have a Democratic Congress, can’t Bush just blow off everything by issuing signing statements? If so, WTF???

I say they need to publicly throw down the gauntlet and start impeachment proceedings for abuse of power if he issues one more signing statement.

egregious @ 40

twolf1 @ 18

Bush signing statement on US-India nuclear deal erases Congressional restrictions

Imagine my surprise.

Well, this was a New Orleans post that turned out not to be much about New Orleans … no matter, still worth the read. And thank you for thinking of us. It’s good to know. Y’all come down for Sugar Bowl or Mardi Gras, the merchants down here sure can use some business. And don’t miss Jazz Fest, either. Or Southern Decadence, if that’s your thing. We appreciate it, really.

That being said, while the Feds and even the State aren’t being a whole lotta help, I have to say we aren’t very good at helping ourselves, except for maybe our Congressman (and many of our elected officials) who are all too ready to “help themselves”. It’s a big part of our problems here.

I’ve lived here nearly a decade now, and hated it most of the time. I hope to leave soon, and get back to Texas. But strangely enough, there are many things I will miss about New Orleans when I leave.

(Crossed posted from Gilliard’s because I’m tired of writing about this topic.)

The reaction to Dickerson’s story at Firedoglake and here was truly sad. A simple, easy to comprehend story about a person trying to help a poor family and ultimately failing because the family matriarch is content being a parasite on society prompted vicious attacks on the person who was trying to help! And we’re not talking about the people who routinely frustrate us with their obtuseness, the dumbass wingnuts who couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel. No, the grotesque attacks on Dickerson were from educated liberals, the group that we keep telling America should be in charge of making the tough decisions. Oof. And we wonder why huge numbers of Americans think liberals have lost touch with reality.

What can we learn from this debacle? Well, I guess we now know that not all poor people can be helped out of poverty through no fault of the folks offering the help. And quite a few liberals among us have their heads jammed up their asses, which apparently makes it tough to understand simple declarative sentences scrolling across a computer screen.