Late Late Nite FDL: Friday Night Meezer Bloggin’ |
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| By: TRex Friday October 26, 2007 10:00 pm | |
Gus would like for you to scratch his ears RIGHT NOW PLEASE.
Meanwhile, Juan Carlos is bored with your string, silly earthling.
He knows your secrets. All your secrets.
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Saturday, February 18, 2012
2:00 pm Pacific
None of Us Were Like This Before: American Soldiers and Torture Chat with Joshua E. S. Phillips about his new book. Hosted by Jason Leopold.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
2:00 pm Pacific
Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right Chat with Thomas Frank about his new book.
Hosted by Charles P. Pierce.
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Zed
Zed plus one
Tres?
please let downstairs know
cute cats!
Now we are on an air quality warning from the smoke
Home foreclosures are up 300% in Phoenix …
Friday Catblogging on FDL, oboy!
Hey Mr Rex, glad to know you are feeling much better.
Fiance asks, “Whatever happened to TRex’s music video?”
Hope you continue to mend!
Ann in AZ @ 7
My cat only blogs on Wednesdays.
Ann in AZ @ 7
caturday!
Well I am exhausted. See y’all tomorrow.
Dang, nobody has fed the juke box in a long time…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d1guIZZNbM
Nite Betsy…
TexBetsy @ 11
Sleep well, Ma’am!
Ed*ard Teller @ 9
*sigh* Mine only hinders my efforts…
katymine @ 6
A Catastrophe Foretold
ET did you go to the trial today?
I do not know if they have court on Fridays in AK because we don’t usually do here.
EPU’d from downstairs: Did we lose some people in some of the recent controversies:
— Kathleen
— Big Mitch
— AK
Big Mitch and AK chose to leave.
katymine @ 6
From us? Wow!
Air’s finally clearing up — the skies were actually blue. Looks nasty further inland though :-(
neokneme @ 16
Ah, yes, but AEI is here to save the day!
wigwam @ 18
I missed what happened last night.
wigwam @ 18
Kathleen is still around, but, Oddmommy was highly irate…
I’m toast. Good night, everyone. Hope to catch up with y’all over the weekend.
wigwam, i think it was the bullets in front of the names that landed ya in the filters… old troll trick iirc to try to fill up a thread
tw3k @ 21
I guess that is properly WSJ.
peanutbutter @ 20
Miss Dog took me on a walk earlier and the minute I opened the door I could smell the smoke.
They just reported that smoke haze layer over the Grand Canyon and NM
TexBetsy @ 19
Kathleen is still here from time to time, isn’t she?
Suzanne @ 25
It was moi, in response to wigwam…
I just moved into a new neighborhood.. It’s a party place- everyone wants to socialize. Just went to the first party- not a Bushite in the crowd. Some confessed that they had voted for the piece of shit ONCE.
Go figure.
How does this piece of dung get declared prez TWICE?
burnspbesq @ 24
Aloha, Burns, happy travels…
katymine @ 27
They seem to be collecting a bunch of satellite images here:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/ear…..oct07.html
tw3k @ 22
would it be right to say the mods were in the firing line and it didn’t work?
CTuttle @ 31
Hey Buddy … yes, very glad it is not snow … we’re gonna be around 10C for Hallowe-en …
rwcole @ 29
First it was Florida and Brooks Suits Rebellion, then it was Ohio’s official votes being sent through the RNC’s servers…
may @ 32
>:]
Petrocelli @ 33
Just a tad too nippy for me…!
Mortgage woes propel Calif. foreclosures to record
As for AEI… BLOW ME!
Tuttle
Yeah- I suppose- but millions actually voted for the hunk of fecal matter. I can still see the “Bush/Cheney 04″ bumper stickers making their ugly, ignorant way about the world.
I blame americans- they are too stupid to elect their own leaders.
Ed*ard Teller @ 28
start here and then keep reading
It’s a measure of growth in the site when people are willing and able to deal with differences of opinion without losing their cool.
rwcole @ 38
I won’t argue with you there…! ;-)
My concerns with the SoCal fires is when is the collision of a loss of a home hits and subprime mortgages.
somewhere around 54% of CA mortgages were sub-prime [pulled out of memory] and if you are sitting there with no home for a year or two before rebuilding it could get worse.
We’ve had steady gentle rain for over 24hrs. Not a fix, but still a BIG deal!
TexBetsy @ 19
Sorry to hear that.
So who is Juan Carlos and why does he know secrets?
tw3k @ 44
He is one of TRex’s cats and just knowing a siamese cat tells you about secrets
Gus and Juan Carlos are Trex’s cats and they are the keepers of all his secrets.
katymine @ 43
good point :/
CTuttle @ 23
I’m very happy to hear that Kathleen didn’t leave. I’ve learned a lot from several of the links she has provided.
katymine @ 47
707! Ahhhh, ok!
Suzanne @ 25
It appears that the mention of Kathleen lands a comment in moderation.
My brother has two siamese cats that rival one another for stupidity…
Perhaps there is something to the breed that is impossible for outsiders to understand.
wigwam, i’m not sure what keeps landing your comment in moderation but i do not think it is her name
rwcole @ 41
ding…
I miss AK, Mitch and Kathleen. When they contributed, this lake got deeper, wider, more pure. I agree with Mitch 80% of the time, Kathleen a bit more, and never cease to be intrigued by Alfred’s intrigue.
rwcole @ 41
Agree. These things seem to always involve two people who can’t accept the idea that somebody else is unpersuaded by their position, and then one or both of them is unwilling/unable to stop posting about that, and from there it’s just lather/rinse/repeat ’til KABLOOM!
I have a hard time understanding both sides. “Agree to disagree” is such a lovely concept.
Hmmm.
My brother damns one of his cats and gives the other credit for great wisdom. They seem equally stupid from my frame of reference.
Teller
All made interesting and provacative posts.. far superior to joining in the rant of the day.. Hope they come back.
There is a weakness in humankind that won’t tolerate disagreement.
Suzanne @ 39
That was gruesome…
rwcole @ 30
I don’t know. What state are you in?
Ed*ard Teller @ 55
I most strongly agree on all three counts.
tw3k @ 47
I’m wondering about that too. But do remember — 1800 homes. Just b/c a million were evacuated doesn’t mean a million homes were lost.
It’s anyone’s guess how many of those homes were subprimes. The fires cut through many neighborhoods rich and poor alike.
There’s going to be an impact in terms of jobs lost. For example that $1bn loss reported in San Diego? One third of that is avocado orchards. That kind of thing.
The subprime is tanking all on its own :-/ It’s doing so so fast and thoroughly it may well be unaffected much by this fire at all to be honest.
Joe
California
rwcole @ 39
people can’t make proper decisions without accurate information.there seems to be more happening than just stupidity.i’m not making excuses but it does look like you have been very badly served if not betrayed,by your fourth estate.judith miller springs to mind.
CTuttle @ 57
Now I remember. I think I escaped upstairs and that continued below?
CTuttle @ 59
Painfully gruesome. I hope Kathleen is still around. As long as the Host(ess) doesn’t care about posters going off topic, I don’t see why anyone else should get tied up in knots.
Nite all!
peanutbutter @ 64
started in the morning and finished up at almost 5 iirc
NYT running a great editorial on the willful ignorance of Bush’s Cuba policies.
Why aren’t there more sane americans who will stand up and say..
“Our prez is a biggus dickus”?
Ed*ard Teller @ 54
It’s a crying shame when we can’t agree to disagree on contentious issues… Sometimes pride is a mighty beast to subdue… 8-(
may
People who care even a little bit can figure out when they are being lied too-
It is WRONG to forgive americans for their abject failure to ask the tough questions.
iirc, tex said ak and his dad were going to be in japan long term
rwcole @ 67
I assume you saw this?
“Rosa Brooks: Straitjacket Bush
The president’s warmongering remarks on the Iranian threat suggest he is psychotic. Really.”
peanutbutter @ 60
I studied art and have a hard time counting let alone economics so it all guesstimation from me. 1800 homes, tho a lot, sounds better than what it could have been.
CTuttle @ 68
But is it pride? Sometimes I think it’s something else. Maybe more like core beliefs. That it hurts to be challenged on.
Hmmm.
peanutbutter @ 63
Ah, I used to listen to Philip Agee tapes.
rwcole @ 68
i guess you are right.
i have a tendency to give the benefit of the doubt unless there is none.in which case i give nothing.
Some are cat people, some are dog people. Some are, apparently, both…
I don’t understand cats or cat people- not that they are goopers or anything- I just don’t get it.
I suppose that there are people who are neither cat nor dog.
That would be very difficult to understand.
rwcole @ 66
707!
I get a belly laugh at least three times a day from my pup. She adds pleasure daily.
I’m having a hard time putting my end-of the week post together at my blogspot on the Vic Kohring trial, but I have to recommend Steve Aufrecht’s blog on the trial, what do I know? He’s a fan of Marcy Wheeler’s work, comments at Marcy’s blog from time to time on Alaska. Steve’s stuff is so good, I’m asking myself “WTF do I know?”
It doesn’t matter what kind of pet you have, they are your family and I am so glad that pets were treated so much better during the SoCa fires.
Ms. Hmmm is allergic to the cats she loves. We visit them at their new home all the time. We miss sleeping with them.
may @ 74
last few days I’ve only loaded the comments every few threads or so but I noticed that you had left some thoughtful comments.
I hsve never eaten either dog or cat- apparently the only domesiticated meat animal in north america at the time of the Cortez invasion was the dog..
Ed*ard Teller @ 80
NO do not put yourself down… I have enjoyed your posting and was excited to see you show up tonight because I forgot to bookmark your blog
You at least have one reader *g*
Hmmm. @ 73
That is true! But, I’d say it is one’s pride that is hurt when an individual’s core beliefs are challenged, I’m hard pressed to come up with another word for it…
rwcole @ 76
I’m a cat people, but for me it’s about the individual cat, not all cats. I have Burmese, which are more like dogs than cats, as they care about people’s approval. They often fetch and are as smart as Siamese but much more people-oriented.
At the bottom of this post, oddmommy supported my position concerning Beth Israel Hospital.
I’d worked to bring what I consider necessary information to the table.
TexBetsy @ 5
What!?
From those pictures, I be giving wide berth.
Ed*ard Teller @ 79
Fiddle Faddle!
Sounds like your mind was wandering.
two et
rwcole @ 83
cats are good, never tried dog.
Wordsmith @ 88
Nice drawing Wordsmith.
tw
Thanks for the input.
I would think that dog could be good if properly prepared. Cats sound tough- but maybe it’s in the preparation.
CTuttle @ 87
When that happens to me, it feels like I’m being forced to look at something I’m not completely sure I got right when I decided that it was part of me. Like I’m embarrassed I chose it. Or it says something so intimate about me that I don’t want to admit it in public. That kind of feeling. Easy to see how that could make a person feel mad or flustered when it happens in a forum like this.
rwcole @ 77
Hah! I agree, everybody I know all call me Dr. Doolittle! I’ve had many members of the rodentia family, a few birds, dogs, cats, fish, et al… Currently, I’ve a rat, mouse, cat, and, a dog! The golden rule in the house is, family members do not eat family members, so far so good…!!!
rwcole @ 93
just grill them, like rabbit, with olive oil and garlic. I bet dog would be just fine.
CT
A rule to live by- except in a playful way of course.
Ok…. when we get to grilling pets it is time for me to get to bed… do not need nightmares now that I am drug free
katymine @ 100
Hey, some good news!
Well they aren’t NECESSARILY pets. Some are experimental animals. It’s an empirical question at any rate.
Time for me and my bite-sized dog and cat to head off to bed to hide under the covers.
CT when I lived in Oregon with all the kids [5 boys & 1 girl] we had two dogs, three cats, gerbil and finches. Siamese cat would not hunt or hurt the gerbil when it escaped or the field mice when they wandered in but she was a killer mouser out in the barn.
Suzanne @ 103
I hope sleep recharges you, Suzanne. It’s been a helluva few days.
Welcome home ya big heterothermic, feather-frilled biped with tiny hands!
Some people may be interested in what Edwards is doing or saying.
At least this is timely to events unfolding in the M.E.
“>Edwards Castigates Clinton on Iran
But, one has tom wonder if he can criticize Senators for inappropriate votes on the issue of this…then why no statements about Warrantless Domestic Wiretapping or some of the other issues that are on the floor of Congress today. Why only level shots AFTER the deed is done, instead of using the bully pulpit and ones supporters to pressure the Democrats in Congress to move in the right direction.
I’m getting the feeling that Edwards is holding back and letting the Senate do this so that his opponents for the nomination will make errors that he can capitilize on. And he won’t support those opponents who do take stands because, politically, that would gve them more kudos for leadership, and likely draw off his support.
Meanwhile he does policy-wonk stuff like this. Which is important…but seems to suggest that he’s not willing to throw himself into the battles going on right-now. Unless it’s with Ann Coulter, that is.
Edwards Reveals Corporate Responsibility Policy
katymine @ 98
:’( I was just kidding!
Why AEI needs M-LEC…
Enron Accounting at Citigroup
Just another way to keep the Kool-Aid flowing freely… Speaking of Countrywide —
Countrywide’s Troubled Financials
It the gooper way — loot and pillage until bankrupt, then rip off the customer deposits leaving the FDIC with the bill. Nice work Paulson.
Suzanne @ 101
lol, good night.
Hmmm. @ 96
This may be a bit simplistic, but what seems like it would cool down some of the over-heated exchanges is to put people on time-out from using the word “you.” The use of second person seems to really escalate whatever is controversial and shift it from a heated discussion of ideas to something very ad hominem.
thank you tw3k,but really just a voice from the gallery and quite happy to stay that way.
this site is a better and truer place for insight into the way your country is.the corporate and official efforts are completely out of whack with the reality i see here.i reckon they haven’t got a clue how they are seen and how they misrepresent you.
but that’s just my opinion.
tw3k @ 106
I know…. since I have been off work my waking hours keeps slipping to staying up later and getting up later…. I will be a mess when I get back to work
rwcole @ 98
The cat has toyed with the rat, scared the bejeesus out of him! The cat and the dog grew up together so no probs there, the cat’s mine, err… I’m his favorite individual… *g*
My dog is large enough for three
thanksgiving meals. I wouldn’t eat her
katymine @ 85
At least two *g*… your reports were so engaging I poked around in the AK press for background.
Suzanne @ 102
Bonne Nuit, Ma Cheri!
tw3k @ 75
Agee? Isn’t he a travel agent in Havana?
Ed*ard Teller @ 80
***
ET: Count me as another loyal reader of your blog. I bookmarked it, and haven’t missed a day so far.
I read your dlog too.
wigwam @ 110
Yes. At a certain point it starts to be about feelings, not positions nor facts. On the other hand, relationship counseling 101 tells us that statements of the form “When you do X, it makes me feel Y” are a highly effective way to productively continue the discussion past such moments.
wigwam @ 109
I agree with you! It does provoke needless strife!
i swear i saw arlen specter and ann coulter in that film trailer …….
neokneme @ 108
Thank you. It is nice to see signs of intelligent life on this thread.
rwcole @ 118
Ditto, on the blog… ;-)
fahrender @ 121
Guten Tag!
Please don’t tell my dog that I engaged in a discussion about dog eating
may @ 109
Yeah, it is refreshing looking at the media narrative from here. condi has a little better idea of opinion.
I shout my mouth off a little more than I should but I learn a lot from all the posts and comments.
guten nacht
katymine @ 110
Yes! I tend towards a rotating schedule. I hate getting off kilter if the schedule is fixed tho!
Wigwam, check out this article…
Explosive charge blows up in US’s face
By Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON – When the United States military command accused the Iranian Quds Force in January of providing the armor-piercing EFPs (explosively formed penetrators) that were killing US troops, it knew that Iraqi machine shops had been producing their own EFPs for years, a review of the historical record of evidence on EFPs in Iraq shows.
The record also shows that the US command had considerable evidence that the Mahdi Army of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
had received the technology and the training on how to use it from Hezbollah, rather than Iran.
http://www.atimes.com/
Ray Duray @ 115
yup
rwcole @ 127
Aloha!
I’m not sure, but ‘Guten abend’ might be more like ‘Hi, good evening’ whereas ‘Gute nacht’ is more like ‘Bye, good night, sleep tight.’ Or am I confusing that with the French ‘Bon soir’/’Bon nuit’…?
Hmmm.
tw3k @ 73
an article in the NYT yesterday (no link) said there would probably be 2 million houses reposessed over the next two years thanks to the sub-prime lending mess …..
rwcole @ 124
707!
Though come to think of it, it’s morning in Deutschland now, so maybe “Guten tag” was right in the first place…
Hmmm. @ 132
You’re right, that would be the proper connotation!
fahrender @ 132
Now that is a lot of homes!
Hmmm. @ 133
‘Guten nacht’ is a farewell. ‘Schlaf gut’ is used for ‘Sleep well’ (more personal
tw3k @ 137
The real question is what’s gonna happen to the two million families that resided in them…
Even the WSJ has trouble believing in Santa’s claws…
Countrywide’s New Scare
‘Option ARM’ Delinquencies Bleed
Into Profitable Prime Mortgages
Oh really. Ya don’t say.
Sounds like they’d just rather not say…
Option Arm and REO Problems at Countrywide Deepen
What’s that song — “we’ve only just begun…”
(drivebay on my way to bed after checking out *gasp* other blogs)
The real question is what’s gonna happen to the two million families that resided in them…
boosh will tell them he has concern for them in his heart and knows they will be comforted by the fact folks are praying for ‘em
then he will ride off in his limo to the waiting copter to take him to af1 and completely forget about em
tw3k @ 138
A lot of pain for American families, and a lot of world-wide financial disruption. The market will be taken down in an ugly way, sooner (probably) or later by the criminal neglect of the money grubbers and the unfettered free market ghouls (Larry Kudlow, poster boy).
Edwards at Full Speed In Iowa
Nite Suz :)
tw3k @ 94
It’s from some English folks I’ve been reading for awhile. I think it sums it up well – at least today.
rwcole @ 85
One group may have had flocks of turkeys, and there may have been another that raised small sparrow hawks, mainly to protect their corn. Some have suggested that some animals had semi-domesticated status, mainly when they weren’t actively hunted. This lack of knowledge of domesticated animals really caused problems when Europeans brought free-ranging unfenced cattle, sheep, goats, horses, pigs and other animals in. They were viewed as pests (crop-raiders) or game.
South and Central America had a few more. Llamas, “fish-farmed” axolotls, guinea pigs, lots of fowl, and a variety of pets (monkeys, parrots).
Jared Diamond in “Guns, Germs and Steel” has discussed the disease issues that relate to Europeans carrying in animals with infectious diseases, and the fact that they also carried pathogens (like smallpox), derived from long-term historical contact with domesticants that they were themselves resistant to.
As well, the absence of animal protein sources likely put a limit to urban population size. In North America Native American cities rarely got over 30,000 (still large compared to most colonial cities that followed). Much of their population was able to survive on the bean-corn protein combined with enough supplementary wild game sources from fishing and hunting. Yet the Mexico Highlands had very high populations. Most of the animals in these areas were hunted into local extinction long before. How, without having sources of animal protein could groups like the Aztecs attain such densities. Some suspect that there was a regular supplement to their diet of human protein from conquered peoples.
CTuttle @ 138
Canada?
CTuttle @ 124
Just posted today’s stuff. Fred, my co-blogger who thinks Vic was framed has been freed from mod by Vic’s attorney. Click my nom-de-blog and you get there.
CTuttle @ 130
Thanks. Essentially, an EFP is a copper disc with explosive behind it. Simple to make, but terribly lethal to armor. They work better of they are somewhat bowl shaped with the top of the bowl pointed toward the target: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E…..penetrator
Alexander Cockburn reported in the LA Times that Iraqis were making their own back in February: http://www.latimes.com/news/op…..ion-center
But now the drumbeat goes: “The Iranians are ‘murdering’ American soldier in Iraq with advanced weaponry — film at eleven.”
TeddySanFran @ 142
That reminds me, I need to start going over to redstate and help them with clinton *g
cinnamonape (#147):
axolotl (as a word, pretty much out of context) used to pop up regularly in “Mad Magazine” back in the ’50’s. i often wondered what it meant. never tried to look it up (and, of course, couldn’t google it back then ….)
off to the races everybody. never change. you guys are the best.
Suzanne @ 141
Heh, He’d better head to Paraguay… Kramer of ‘Mad Money’ said, screw ‘em there will be 2 million squatters… Hmmm, reminds me of the Okies during the Dust Bowl…
Wordsmith @ 144
yeah, that good old head to wall feeling!
rwcole @ 80
So then, you do understand cats and cat people. Cats are admirable, regal, playful and cute creatures that provide amusement and affection, end of case.
wigwam @ 149
Sadly, so! That article totally debunks Shrub’s justifications, yet, where is the MSM… I’m a former combat engineer and very familiar with shape charges, which is what those are…
Oil hits record above $92 on weak dollar, Nigeria
Ha — now it’s the Iraq plus Iran war. Terrific.
Ed*ard Teller @ 148
Cool, I’ll read it tomorrow, Bill Moyers just came on…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjhp_0IrR1Q
Such a good song….;-)
fahrender @ 139
You’re going to get even more loan defaults once the market crashes, people lose their jobs, etc, etc.
I shall bid ya’ll a fond adieu! Aloha Oe!!!
Margot @ 157
707!
CTuttle @ 161
May your rat live to be three!
CTuttle @ 152
speaking of the dust bowl
apparently during the New Deal heaps of swales were dug into barren expanses of topsoil stripped areas by govt funded unemployed.
roll on time.
now those areas have regenerated topsoil and stabilised ground cover.
can’t remember where i read it but would not be surprised if it is true.
i’ve had very good results with swales myself over only seasons.
Ann in AZ @ 155
cats are cool.. they rarely bark or slobber and they don’t suffer fools gladly. they are usually quiet except when hungry, defending their territory from other cats or fucking. they kill rodents (but, unfortunately also birds). i’ve never seen one chase a dog or bite without provocation.
now i really must go pretend like i’m working …..
fahrender @ 139
Ah! Vielen dank!
That Dodd speech made my day today.
tw3k @ 167
Yes, it was a beauty. The Dodd site’s vid was sans audio, so I was glad to see the vid with audio tonight.
Guy is making the case. No doubt.
1) Gore
2) Dodd
3) Edwards
newtonusr @ 166
yup and they are going to need a lot of help once in.
CTuttle @ 156
From what I’ve read they work a bit differently from shaped charges. IIRC, the blast turns the copper disk into a copper shuttlecock that travels so fast that when it hits armor, it turns the armor into molten metal that spoll of fragments on the other side that go flying around inside the vehicle harming the equipment and occupants. I’ve read that they are effective to about 100 yards. Not that I believe (or correctly remember) everything I read.
I’m told that a lot of the trouble that the Israelis had with Hezbollah last year was due to EFPs, and expect that they’ll have a new wrinkle in armor on the next trip north.
tw3k @ 169
I think we can scratch up some Patriots, if the top of the food chain is worthy.
nite tw3k. nite pups
nite newt
Night, newtonusr. Anybody awake?
I just had a coffee!
Loo Hoo. @ 173
Hey Loo Hoo! Just leaving now. Such great news about you and your home.
What time zone, tw3k?
Thanks, newtonusr. Tubes got gooped up earlier so I fell asleep. All is well!
Mornin’, folks -
Another favorable article for Mr. Henry:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/hom…..20881.html
The reich wing slime machine should be cranking up any day now; maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but he seems like a well-tefloned sort of person….IOW – a man with principles.
CTuttle (if you’re still about) -
Wasn’t that Moyers program excellent? A national treasure he is. Looking forward to next week’s show on big media.
Have been having the most wonderful rain for the better part of the early morning; lots more of that, please.
Loo Hoo. @ 174
eastern
I was just checking out: http://www.ccrjustice.org
Waxman is a treasure.
tw3k @ 177
transcript:
fahrender @ 143
Let’s just say it’s the AVERAGE American family at 2.1 Kids – that’s be a total of 8.4 million people. That’s a massive number of people dislocated.
Now one might think that a lot of these repossessed homes would then be put up for auction at quite affordable prices. But the major financial companies have colluded with the Treasury Department to “soften” their fall…by holding these homes off the market by creating a superfund to freeze the sales. They are cooperating to keep their other sale prices high. They deathly fear that they will have a retreat in their incomes.
So imagine subdivisions filled with shuttered homes, people forced into smaller apartments, and others then forced out into the streets as these are able to artificially raise their rents.
Conversely…without this manipulation those that foreclosed may be able to “eat” the loss of their investment for two or three years. They (or others in the middle or lower class) may be able to afford the homes that would have reduced market values. And as they shift from their apartments into reasonably priced homes, those displaced could take their places in similarly low-cost rental homes.
It’s all about whether you want to help the rich (manipulated market) or the poor and middle class (relatively free market).
wigwam @ 150
Anyone who can make a “steel drum” can make one of these. Contrary to what the US Government wants us to believe, it’s not rocket technology. One can even HAMMER the copper plates into the appropriate shape, without the need for sophisticated metallurgical equipment. There are likely even raw “found” items that have such characteristics appropriate to be used in producing these.
fahrender @ 152
Besides being a great Scrabble word, it’s a type of neotenous salamander (growing with immature growth rates whle sexually mature) . Thus they got very large, yet don’t take on the terrestrial features of “normal” salamanders. The Aztecs used to “fish farm” tem, as I mentioned. Another type of large neotenous salamander is eaten by the Japanese.
Loo Hoo. @ 180
Oh, for just a dozen more of him, complete with equally experienced staff! Then the country might remember what the word “accountability” actually means.
cinnamonape -
Have read stories of vultures buying up foreclosures; isn’t it ever thus….the monied feed from the backs of the less “fortunate”. Also saw an article today claiming that department stores saw little effect of the last housing downturn but supposedly there are serious questions as to whether that will be the case this go-round.
Wrt your last comments on explosive devices, as someone totally unfamilar with such creations, I had to laugh when hearing about the claims of caches with ID numbers from Iran….jeebus, they’re gonna stamp a product code number on ‘em like food in the grocery store? bushco has been dealing with the brain-dead sheeple for so long they apparently forgot there are a few of us with functioning common sense still around.
cinnamonape @ 182
I could have swore I read a short story by Jorge Luis Borges entitled Axolotl. I like his short stories. Haven’t read him in ages and need to pick a book.
Why doesn’t Bushco show some proof that the Iranians are supplying munitions to the Iraqis? Or proof that they are training them? Is anyone believing this?
A couple of articles on those who are involved with the US Embassy construction fiasco. It’s now metastatized to include consulates in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Surabaya, Indonesia (home of the infamous ‘Dollyland’ red-light district) , as well as Gabon.
Robert Farrah is a major Republican Donor $25,000 in the 2006 Election. He’s also a former “information officer” with a Lebanese Christian militia called “Lebanese Force”.
Anyone know if he is somehow related to “Joseph Farah”, another Lebanese Christian right wingnut (founder of WorldnutDaily, co-author with Limbaugh, as well as other lunacies)?
http://www.davidphinney.com/pa…..siness.php
http://www.davidphinney.com/pages/contractors/
The most interesting aspect of all of this is that one of the partners in this whole shambolic mess is a colleague of Richard Armitage! Yep, the guy is a member of Armitage and Associates!
Seems someone is using their State Department conections!
Loo Hoo. @ 187
AGGGGHHHHHHH!!! “Al Quds” is proliferating WMD’s!!!!????
Where the hell is the evidence FOR THAT! These copper plates aren’t WMD’s! Even EFP’s aren’t Weapons of Mass Destruction!
Where is any evidence that these guys are shipping bioweapons or nerve gas abroad? And since IRAN doesn’t have nukes yet, they could not be even a close to doing THAT?
Yet Hillary gets on the idiot-tube and says that she’s glad that the Bush Administration did this???
Someone really needs to call her on this and ASK WHAT EVIDENCE the Bush Administration has made her privy to that establishes that the Al-Quds have exported WMD’s! Where have these been used? And given the evidence of lies from this Amijnistration…the same ones that she asserts that she was MISLED ON IN IRAQ…why does she choose to believe them?????
morning!
Loo Hoo. @ 187
Theater Commander Petraeus said so. Are you calling him a liar?
On a more important note, how did you and your stuff fare through the fires?
selise @ 188
morning!
Oh, I forgot that Hillary is likely cocooned by her advisors.
But since Mark Penn, one of Hillary’s closest advisors, is going to be on later today…maybe someone could ask HIM why Hillary thinks this is good “political strategy” to assert that Al Quds is a “proliferator of WMD’s” when it is clearly based on absolutely no evidence she, or the Bush Mafia has elucidated.
How is that different than what the Bushies said in the build-up to the Iraq invasion. And why does she believe it, now?
Why should we believe THEM…or HER. And if she is making a mistake…then why should we support a “repeat offended” on an issue that is so critical?
Just something to ask Penn to bring back to Hillary!
State Dept. is forcing diplomats to Iraq.
WASHINGTON – The State Department said Friday it will require some diplomats to serve in Iraq because of a lack of volunteers willing to work at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Beginning Monday, 200 to 300 diplomats will be notified that they have been identified as “prime candidates” to fill 40 to 50 vacancies that will open next year at the embassy, said Harry Thomas, director general of the Foreign Service.
Morning, selise. Hi Wigwam. We are fine, and so is the house. Really dirty outside when I returned this morning, but can’t complain about that! I see just one fire now, looks like Palomar Mountain. Can’t wait for a good rain to clean things up and for fresh air.
Loo Hoo. @ 194
Well it’s hard to find staff for a Vatican-sized complex…especially when the toilets don’t flush, and the walls fall apart. Not to mention those pesky mortars that keep you up at night.
Of course, I suspect that those eing called up are lifetime civil service diplomats…not the Bushbot appointees.
cinnamonape @ 189
In fact, IIRC, it worked the other way around. The Iranians were victims of nerve gas that we had supplied to Saddam. (Or maybe supplied the precursors to Saddam.) In any case we were the proliferators of those WMDs.
cinnamonape @ 191
What time is Penn here?
Loo Hoo & cinnamonape -
Back to my comment at 1:17:
I know I remember seeing pix on the idjit box of explosives the pentagon (or whoever?) claimed were stamped with identifying info that they were produced in Iran. Why anyone (Clinton included) would believe that whoever is making them is gonna put a “Made in Iran” label on them is so far past stupid you couldn’t get there from here. Now the USA so mis-labeling them I would easily believe. Shades of yellow cake.
Shades of yellowcake, indeed. I remember seeing some stamps on them too, only you couldn’t read it because the photo was so poor.
The FEMA fake presser is just too funny and sad. It’s international news, and apparently skeletor isn’t any too pleased!
cinnamonape @ 193
One of Hiliary’s major donors and fund raisers — $80M if I recall — is Haim Saban, an Israeli multi-billionaire who describes his political interests as follows: “I’m a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.”
He is founder of the Saban Center for Mideast Policy at the Brookings Institution:
— Martin Indyk is its director.
— Kenneth Pollack is its research director.
— Michael O’Hanlon is an affiliate
— Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Sidney Stein, Jr. Chair, is an “affiliated scholar.”
Both Indyk and O’Hanlon are foreign policy advisors to Hillary. In 2002 Pollack published a book: The Case For Invading Iraq. This spring, Pollack and O’Hanlon went on a dog-and-pony tour of Iraq and then wrote a bullshit NYT op-ed entitled, “A war we just might win.” Per the Wikipedia: “A U.S. government indictment alleges that Pollack provided information to former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) employees Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman during the AIPAC espionage scandal.”
tw3k @ 198
I think he’s on the Book Salon. The pane above says that’s gonna be held Sunday 5PM Eastern/2 PM Pacific.
It’s about his book “Microtrends” but I’m sure one could ask him about whether he advises Hillary on people who simply don’t accept politicians assertions about WAR without those politicians backing up those statements with evidence.
That would seem to be a “Micro-Trend” of significant import. Kind of opposite to the “True Believers” that accepts authoritarian politicians at their word, simply because…well they have access to all that secret information…so they must always be right! And then he can tell us if Hillary belongs to the “Doubters” or the “True Believers”…because she sure seems to be exhibiting the characteristics of the latter in regards to Bush.
cinnamonape @ 200
I thought he was going to comment on the 27th today. Maybe same timeframe as book salon?
I have no idea what is his book is about. I was thinking it was campaign strategy for hill.
From Amazon:
Sounds more like microarchetypes.
Loo Hoo. @ 200
[my bold]
Funny thing about that. Maybe the pentagon needs to spend some of its billions on better digital cameras. ;-(
Marty Lederman has confirmed my suspicion: http://balkin.blogspot.com/#1761131402543275954
It’s like Goldsmith said: “White House Counsel is a walking get-out-of-jail card.”
IMHO, the good-faith defense — I was acting in good faith on advice of legal counsel that this shit is okay — is to me but a minor variant of the Nuremberg (just following orders) defense. It ought not to hold water.
tw3k @ 203
yeah. the only people i’ve known with very long commutes did it because 1) they couldn’t afford to live closer to work and 2) because they couldn’t find work in the same town as their partner.
none of them were buying new cars with luxury seats.
wigwam @ 205
bernhard thinks the torture question is a distraction. have to say i think he makes a good argument.
wigwam @ 203
yeah, only the language has been refined :/
cinnamonape @ 193
One of Hiliary’s major donors and fund raisers — $80M if I recall — is Haim Saban, an Israeli multi-billionaire who describes his political interests as follows: “I’m a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.”
He is founder of the Saban Center for Mideast Policy at the Brookings Institution:
— Martin Indyk is its director.
— Kenneth Pollack is its research director.
— Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Sidney Stein, Jr. Chair, is an “affiliated scholar.”
Both Indyk and O’Hanlon are foreign policy advisors to Hillary. In 2002 Pollack published a book: The Case For Invading Iraq. This spring, Pollack and O’Hanlon went on a dog-and-pony tour of Iraq and then wrote a bullshit NYT op-ed entitled, “A war we just might win.” Per the Wikipedia: “A U.S. government indictment alleges that Pollack provided information to former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (A*P*C) employees Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman during the A*P*C espionage scandal.”
[Moderators, please cancel the previous version of this at 202 or so. Thanks.]
selise @ 205
he pretty much cuts to the bone, eh.
selise @ 208
IMHO Bernhard is correct, but to most people “executive powers” is an abstraction, while “torture” is emotional and concrete and, thus, makes better politics and propaganda.
wigwam @ 207
The weeklystandard standard seems to enjoy the advisor choice.
I’m hitting the hay. Here is a short story I like.
The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges
Have a good day all.
sleep well, tw3k.
tw3k @ 213
Apparently so does Haaretz: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/p…..Page.jhtml
selise & wigwam -
Do y’all remember when the Lake used to actually shut down for several hours in the early a.m……and people had to be reminded to latch/unlatch the screen door? *g*
Can I offer you some orange biscotti with your morning coffee? Just to tide you over ’til Marion get breakfast on the table. New recipe I tried yesterday; called also for a bit of chopped rosemary but I wasn’t feeling quite that adventurous for a first go.
Anyone see the Mclaughlin Group today they debated a Newsweek story about Pakistan having an Al Quieda Problem 2 or 3 attempts on Genaral Preves Musharif’s life.
Plus the bomb attempt on Benazir Bhutto’s life that killed 139 people.
Oh and the fact that Ossama is hidding there and Pakistan already has Nuclear Bombs.
They didn’t mention Pakistan’s missles on Mclaughlin or if they could hit Israel.
Still the MSM is finnaly talking about this story! How can we attack Iran if Ossama is loose in Pakistan and trying to take over a country that already has Nukes?
I wonder if Newsweek and Mclaughlin have been reading my comments…who cares this story can only hurt Bush. It just needs a little more exposure! I’m happy :)
Waccamaw @ 216 –
orange biscotti sounds devine, thank you!
i don’t remember latching the screen door… but in my early days at the lake i think i was more of a late night person. the early mornings are a relatively new development for me.
Loo Hoo. @ 201
“She describes the incident as a lapse in judgment, but says “stunts such as this will not be tolerated” and notes that “the senior leadership of the department is taking this very seriously.”
Yes I’m sure someone will be getting the Medal of Freedom soon from Mr Accoutability.
yo ya’ll
Uncle Sam drafts diplomats for embassy in Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Friday it will require some diplomats to serve in Iraq because of a lack of volunteers willing to work at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Beginning Monday, 200 to 300 diplomats will be notified they have been identified as prime candidates to fill 40 to 50 vacancies that will open next year at the embassy, said Harry Thomas, director general of the Foreign Service.
Those notified they have been selected for a one-year posting will have 10 days to respond. Only those with compelling reasons, such as a medical condition, will be excused from duty, Thomas said.
He said those being sent to Iraq will receive extra pay and vacation time. About 50 diplomats will be needed in Iraq by January, in addition to the current level of 200.
However, those refusing Iraq duty may face disciplinary action up to and including dismissal for failing to uphold their oath to serve the United States and the Constitution, Thomas said.
“If someone decides that they do not want to go, we will then consider our options,” he told reporters in a conference call. “We have many options, including dismissal from the Foreign Service.”
All U.S. diplomats were being informed of the step in a cable from Thomas. The decision to move to so-called directed assignments is rare but not unprecedented.
In 1969, an entire class of entry-level diplomats was sent to serve in Vietnam, and on a smaller scale, diplomats were forcibly assigned to work at embassies in West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.
GOP themes for this election
1) Hilary wants big government and big spending on Government 2) Hilary and the Democrats want to raise taxes 3) Support the war 4) Imigration is bad 5) get rid of abortion
It seems the plan is to concede this election and keep the base angry hold onto their core 30%er strongholds and pray for a terror attack to change the game.
They need to keep enough seats in the Senate to support a filibuster to remain relevant and still get some corporate money.
Rahm’s Center Democrats are their last firewall of revelence the GOP expects to make deals with them if they don’t have enough members to support a filibuster. We need to bring them in first before the election.
These lets appease a nonexistant middle policies are why Congress is so low in the polls.
Just what Spengalli/Rasputin has hypntized Hilary and Rahm with evil hypno vision?
Fighting for what was Lefty issues is the New Center and the New Majority!
raven -
Man of few words you are this morning. *g*
Get any rain over your way? Good downpour here overnite blowing from the south; didn’t have the measuring bucket in the right location so unsure of exactly how much.
P.S – That diplomat business is rather a hoot; wonder how long it’ll take before they up the comp package? As someone said (maybe over at the great orange place), “Who knew diplomats had a union?”
Waccamaw @ 223
No rain since mid-week and none in sight. This knuckle-dragging. moon-pie eating, RC Cola drinking governor is busy having a “war” over Georgia water. Me. I’m waiting till 7 so me and the pup can go hang out at our coffee/farmers market joint. What’s up in the mountains, all the leaf peepers up there?
Raven @221 What Kate 60 Grits husband can’t find anymore young unqualified Loyal Bushies/Young Republicans with no qualifications for the job anymore?
Is Iraq to dangerous for them? Or did Condi finnaly put her foot down and demand competent people to do the job in Iraq?
Dr Rice hire Competent People…Bahahaha!
Why is it our worst Secretary of States always insist that people call them Dr like they were Medical Drs and not just regular PHD’s.
Dr Henery Kissenger is a war criminal who can’t go to France. Condi probably is a war criminal she’s just not charged yet.
I wonder if Rudy and Mitt want Dr Doom to be their Secretary of State?
Things Come Undone @ 219
This is where the media should be reminding everyone about Armstrong Williams and Jeff Gannon. This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s the way they operate. And bty, the Williams case is just another example of a scandal which (after revealed) just went away.
And, good morning….can’t sleep.
raven -
As I read about and watch the water war down your way, I mutter to myself, “They think it’s bad now? Ain’t seen nothing yet. If people will kill for oil, what the hell will they do for water? Welcome to global warming, you lunatics who preach there ain’t no such thing.”
Currently in SE NC but heading westward Sunday for a few days. Come late December I’ll snug up in the mountains ’til risk of pipe freezing passes on the coast (no space to insulate pipes so have to drain). Sunday will be the teller wrt to how many touroids there are gawking.
Have fun at the fm.
What is Armstrong Williams doing back on tv. I thought he got exposed taking money to report stories Bush wanted?
http://www.newshounds.us/2007/…..ndants.php
I want Fox and CNN to put have to label all their fake news opinion shows as Fake and just the opinions of the host on that news ticker they have streaming under their shows.
That and I want all the Business experts on TV stock picks of which stocks to buy and sell rated against the DOW Jones average.
I ignore eveything Larry Kudlow on CNBC says myself.
Things Come Undone @ 225
Being the proud owner of an Ed. D. I must iform you that the term “Doctor” originally did not apply to physicians. There was a great argument on “Car Talk” a couple of years ago when some Ph D (both Car Talk brothers have Ph D’s) called in and called himself Doctor so-and-so. I turns out that Doctor applied to clergy, law and education.
And I can’t spell, or tyoe in the dark anyways!
Lets not forget Armstrong’s Partner in crime Maggie Gallagher:)
“On January 26, 2005, Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post uncovered records of Gallagher receiving payments of tens of thousands of dollars from the Department of Health and Human Services from 2002-2003. The payments were to help the Bush administration promote the President’s “healthy marriage” initiative[2]. During this time Gallagher wrote articles for National Review and other publications, and testified before Congress, repeatedly testifying in favor of “healthy marriage” but never disclosing her position on the White House payroll. When confronted by Kurtz, Gallagher claimed she was “vaguely aware” some of the programs were funded by the government, and that she would have disclosed her status but since no one ever called her on the matter, she didn’t see the need. She also claimed she was no Armstrong Williams, another socially conservative columnist who was paid $240,000 by the Bush administration to promote various causes, primarily the No Child Left Behind Act. Michael McManus, the third socially conservative columnist to show up on the White House payroll, has a glowing review of Gallagher’s book The Case For Marriage on his Marriage Savers website, and has repeatedly endorsed Gallagher’s work and cited her work in his figures. Gallagher has stated on at least one occasion that she is by no means wealthy, and that her payment for this work was a salary, and was no different from the payment others like her receive.
[edit]Quotations”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Gallagher
solai -
Sorry you didn’t get a good night’s sleep; seems to be an increasingly common affliction among fire pups these days; can’t imagine why. ;-(
This is where the media should be reminding everyone about Armstrong Williams and Jeff Gannon. This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s the way they operate. And bty, the Williams case is just another example of a scandal which (after revealed) just went away.
Keith did, last night…at least definitely Gannon. Plus, the imitation he did of perino for WPITW was a thing of pure joy. I’d be bat shit crazy by now were it not for that man and the Lake.
for mark penn’s visit here, the discussion will probably be limited to the topic of his book.
i’m been sitting here, wondering if i should even particpate.
all i can come up with is the quesition:
“have you or your firm ever benn involved in polling that was used to attempt to shape instead of (or in addition to) measuring public opinion?”
Good morning pups!
raven @ 229
Your right, but your a Ed.D tell me why do all GOP Drs turn evil once they become Secretary of State is the postion Blue Kryptonite or something?
Morning Egregious!
Things Come Undone -
[snip]
I ignore eveything Larry Kudlow on CNBC says myself.
Anybody who would take stock advice from that guy deserves to lose every cent they own….money advice as entertainment? Blerggggh! The melt-down he did on somebody’s show that hit most of the idjit box channels was just flat out SCAREY.
Mornin’, eg -
Have you moved yet or still packing?
(((solai)))
i can relate.
things seem to be looking up for me now – i’ve had a string of 6 hrs of sleep for the last few nights. still only 3 8hr nights in the last 4 months. but 6 is, oh, so much better than the 3 hr nights i was having.
The Armstrong Williams case was my personal wake up call that this administration was fascist. Not that I was on board before that but these people were violating everything we believed in.
Things Come Undone @ 235
its not the phd – its being sos in a gop administration.
selise @ 238
I’m not a drug-taker, but everytime I see those ads for sleeping pills (that seem to be aired every 15 minutes) I’m tempted.
Selise, what keeps you awake? Can you pinpoint it?
Do reporters have any accountabilty or organization that can revoke their status? Judy Miller is STILL keeping her Pulitzer about lies Scooter told her about Iraq and now she’s getting a FREAKIN MOVIE!
Armstrong is back on TV, Ann Coluter was on Tweety awhile ago Maggie is still around I think.
Michelle Malkin seems to be the only GOPer who can’t at least temporily appear on FOX, figures the minority woman gets the shaft.
Not that she doesn’t deserve it they all do.
solai @ 242
no, i think it’s biological – not situational. although not being able to sleep does tend to encourage rumination.
had this same trouble – only worse about 15 years ago. lasted for about a year and a half. eventually resorted to drugs (but went to an excellent specialist – i don’t trust dr.s who prescribe sleeping pills like candy).
solai @ 243
i did reply to your question… but it’s stuck in moderation. my apologies to you and to the mods.
selise @ 241
actually, i take that back. it may not require a gop administration (see madeline albright).
Mornin’ all!
Hey Waccamaw, it’s still early in the process. Still sorting thru…let’s just say a lot of stuff. Yesterday I went thru all my flute and piano music and old computer files. An interesting process that brings back a lot of memories. Am not moving to the other coast til after the holidays.
US to order diplomats to serve in Iraq
Those designated “prime candidates” — from 200 to 300 diplomats — will be notified Monday that they have been selected for one-year postings to fill the 40 to 50 vacancies expected next year.
eg -
Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s?
Off to the corner to pick up a paper; back shortly.
so, any advice from firepups for me on whether i should participate in the mark penn discussion?
should i ask my question:
if you’re curious as to why i should want to ask this question, read this dkos diary (especially the links).
the downside is – the question could derail the conversation.
the upside is – what if he’s using his book and the conversation to manipulate (and not inform)?
if it wasn’t jane’s book salon, i’d have no doubts…
twolf1 @ 250
To quote someone, somewhere….I hate this fucking war.
Rephrase your question to be less confrontational (if you’re worried about that).
‘What do you think of those that would manipulate polling data to put their candidate in a good light?” Or “Do you think polling data can be manipulated?”
selise @ 252
Were you here for Valerie Plame? After Matt Stoller and Mike Stark your question will seem tame.
Waccamaw @ 250
Current plans, which can be pushed back if I’m not quite ready, are to make the jump around my half birthday at the end of January.
I can rarely come to the Comments area, but I did notice this in the Comments from the previous post — about some trouble this week.
I fear that we had better get used to it. Not knowing what happened, let me say I am suspicious of right-wingers. They are very angry that their world is crumbling, and will try to take everyone down with them.
I hope I’m wrong …..
P.S. Don’t be fooled by names you have “known” for months. You never can tell.
P.S.S. Firedoglake is obviously WAY ahead of me, since they have a monitor (Suzanne) here. You must have nerves of steel, Suzanne. :-)
solai @ 254
i prefer not to be confrontational, but my real concern is derailing the conversation. can my question be asked in a way that doesn’t do that?
i like your questions, but they don’t get at what i want to know. i actually want to know the answer to my question – because it sure looks like their polling has been used to manipulate public opinion in other countries. and if that’s true i don’t trust him not to do it here, if that’s what he thinks democracies are for.
otoh, maybe there’s an innocent explanation?
The No Fly list does anyone really know what it takes to be an Enemy of Bush’s State? Some Famous names from Wikipedia.
“Some false positives and abuses that have been in the news include, In alphabetical order:
Numerous children (including many under the age of five, and some under the age of one) have generated false positives.[4]
Daniel Brown, a United States Marine returning from Iraq, was prevented from boarding a flight home in April 2006 because his name matched one on the No Fly List. The rest of his company refused to leave the airport until Brown was allowed to board.[5]
David Fathi, an attorney for the ACLU of Iranian descent and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit.[6]
Asif Iqbal, a management consultant and legal resident of the United States born in Pakistan, plans to sue the US government because he is regularly detained when he tries to fly, because he has the same name as a former Guantanamo detainee.[7][8] Iqbal’s work requires a lot of travel, and, even though the Guantanamo detainee has been released, his name remains on the no-fly list, and Iqbal the software consultant experiences frequent, unpredictable delays and missed flights.[9] He is pushing for a photo ID and birth date matching system, in addition to the current system of checking names.[10]
Dr. Robert J. Johnson, a surgeon and a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, was told in 2006 he was on the list, although he had had no problem in flying the month before. Johnson was running as a Democrat against U.S. Representative John McHugh, a Republican. Johnson wondered whether he was on the list because of his opposition to the Iraq War. He stated, “This could just be a government screw-up, but I don’t know, and they won’t tell me.”[11] Later, a 60 Minutes report brought together 12 men named Robert Johnson, all of whom had experienced problems in airports with being pulled aside and interrogated. The report suggested that the individual whose name was intended to be on the list was most likely the Robert Johnson who had been convicted of plotting to bomb a movie theater and a Hindu temple in Toronto.[2]
In August 2004, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) told a Senate Judiciary Committee discussing the No Fly List that he had appeared on the list and had been repeatedly delayed at airports. He said it had taken him three weeks of appeals directly to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to have him removed from the list. Kennedy said he was eventually told that the name “T Kennedy” was added to the list because it was once used as an alias of a suspected terrorist. There are an estimated 7,000 American men whose legal names correspond to “T Kennedy.” (Senator Kennedy, whose first name is Edward and for whom ‘Ted’ is only a nickname, would not be one of them.) Recognizing that as a U.S. Senator he was in a privileged position in being able to contact Ridge, Kennedy said of “ordinary citizens”: “How are they going to be able to get to be treated fairly and not have their rights abused?”[12]
U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA), widely known for his civil rights advocacy, has been stopped many times.[13]
Canadian journalist Patrick Martin has been frequently interrogated while travelling, because of another suspicious individual with the same name. [14]
James Moore, an Emmy-winning television news correspondent, co-author of Bush’s Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential, political activist, and outspoken critic of the Bush Administration, was placed on the No Fly List.[15]
Professor Walter F. Murphy, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton, reported[2] that the following exchange took place at Newark on 1 March 2007, where he was denied a boarding pass “because I [Professor Murphy] was on the Terrorist Watch list.” The airline employee asked, “Have you been in any peace marches? We ban a lot of people from flying because of that.” “I explained,” said professor Murphy, “that I had not so marched but had, in September 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the constitution.” To which the airline employee responded, “That’ll do it.”
David Nelson, the actor best known for his role on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, is among various persons named David Nelson who have been stopped at airports because their name apparently appears on the list.[16][17]
Jesselyn Radack, a former United States Department of Justice ethics adviser who argued that John Walker Lindh was entitled to an attorney, was placed on the No Fly List as part of what many believe to be a reprisal for her whistle blowing.
“In September 2004, former pop singer Cat Stevens (who converted to Islam and changed his name to “Yusuf Islam” in 1978) was denied entry into the U.S. after his name was found on the list.[18]
In February 2006, U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) stated in a committee hearing that his wife Catherine had been subjected to questioning at an airport as to whether she was Cat Stevens due to the similarity of their names.[16][19]
U.S. Representative Don Young (R-AK), the 3rd most senior Republican in the House, was flagged in 2004 after he was mistaken for a “Donald Lee Young”.[20]
Size
It is known that the size of the FBI/FAA list on September 11, 2001 was 16 names. By December 2001, the list had grown to 594 names, and a year later (December 2002), there were over 1,000 names. CBS reported on the 8 October 2006 edition of 60 Minutes that they had obtained a copy of the list dated March 2006 that contains 44,000 names.[2] According to the TSA, as of November 2005, 30,000 people in 2005 alone had complained their names were matched to a name on the list via the name matching software used by airlines.[3] Less commonly known is that the list, while very long, also includes many duplicates. Some are common misspellings and some are different dates of birth.[citation needed]
The list contains 44,000 names and as of 2005, 30,000 people have complained about being on the list. What do you have to do to get on the list? How do you get off the list? Just who is incharge of a system with that many complaints, talk about big government being inefficent!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Fly_List
solai @ 255
yeah, i was.
their questions were strongly worded, but their questions didn’t derail the conversation. i think that’s a line that should not be crossed.
Selise@252 Go for it! But do you already know the answer to that question? Do you have sources ready you know the Lake wants links.
Shell @ 257
one of the goals of moles is to get us to suspect each other. i think that is the real danger.
Things Come Undone @ 261
there are reasons to think it might be true. not in a random accusation way though. see the links in the dkos diary i linked to above.
if i knew the answer, i wouldn’t ask the question. if he’s got a good explanation, i’d like to know it. and if he doesn’t, well, i’d like to know that too.
eg -
Even better; gives you quite a bit of time to make decisions in a thoughtful manner.
Took me months of 16-20hr days several years back to go thru’ and clear out Mother’s house…given the fact it was two stories and contained everything both she AND my deceased Poppa had accumulated over 70 years. Neither of them had ever thrown away a piece of paper related to money matters in that entire time and, even tho’ I had done his estate work before, I was terrified not to look at EVERY scrap of paper to be sure it wasn’t something that shouldn’t be shredded. Killed two shredders in the process. It. was. not. fun.
CTuttle @ 23
WTF happened here?
I just read the DKos article. Ask your question. I want to know, too.
Good morning, pups. Bob Herbert is the only “name” today. He’s writing about hidden slavery, transporting women across international borders and across the United States to serve as prostitutes.
http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/
Coffee and tea are ready, and I’ve got blueberry pancakes to celebrate TRex’s return. Meezer blogging! Victoria, the Meezer for whom we serve as staff, approves.It appears that we’re going to get more of that nice, slow drizzly rain today. Yippee! Have a wonderful day.
OT why did Kathleen get stomped on in the other thread? It seems that she wants to point out the influence of the I lobby and that is a no no here for some reason. Yes or no?
Good Morning. Pancakes sound yummy, Marion, enjoy.
selise @ 261
erm um
speaking of wondering
shell?
any relation to sheller of the clams
commenting on the
bush visit irks some San Diego fire fighters post over on Think Progress?
by any chance?
Marion -
Had some of that wonderful rain here last night and this morning.
[Snoopy dancing]
Waccamaw @ 264
no kidding. went through my dad’s things when he had a stroke a couple of years ago. he had previously organized all his finances and i still found savings bonds stuck away in a file – he must have forgotten it years before… hard to figure how that could have happened.
What’s the deal with Mark Penn?
Marion in Savannah @ 267
Makin me hungry
solai @ 266
on one hand – want to know
on the other hand – don’t want to derail the conversation
… you should have seen me angsting before the tom tom matzzie visit. i ended up emailing christy.
Good Morning!
wish I could send our gloomy rain to raven & other thirsty pups
Why are we having Mark Penn here? Helping Tony Blair, Italy’s Premier, the anti Chaves movment didn’t all those folks cept Chaves ended up winning only to later lose?
Yeah! right after losing the war became an issue they all started losing.
Lies may work during a stable period but when people pay attention to politics during a time of crises they unravel.
Mark’s tricks seem to disappear during the light of day/truth.
Why Hilary or us needs help understanding polling from him is beyound me the site http://www.mydd.com/ is very good about accurate polls.
Hmm maybe he has hypnotized Hilary like that GOP poller who invented triangleation.
selise -
At least you found a nice surprise!
One of the things I already knew would be on my plate was a partial share in a farm that Poppa inherited donkey’s ears before that got passed along to Mother. She had refused to do anything about clearing up the ownership problem thereby leaving me to deal with it. That one was *really* not fun.
sangemon @ 265
I wasn’t here but read through after the fact. Some comments from regulars were rude. Personal attacks. The one I remember is that we were called ’star fuckers’ because of our attitude towards Valerie Plame and Naomi Wolf.
It was pointed out that some of the offenders were from SoCal and were probably tense. I’ll go along with that. Emotions were high. It’s over and I hope they return.
SanderO @ 273
Look at Selise’s comment @ 252 and follow the link
Waccamaw @ 277
…. nice surprises are always welcome. but you make me think of the about 15 boxes i have of my moms papers and pictures and stuff that i didn’t have time to go through after she died (i only had about 6 weeks and then grad school started). i’ve had those boxes 15 years and i really should go through them… maybe i’m about ready now… it’s not just my mom’s stuff – she had lived with her mom for a few years before she died (they both died w/in one year of eachother), so it’s all my grandparents things (they had lived in that house for more than 50 years). i found diaries that my great, great, great grandfather had written. all kinds of things i’d hate to see get thrown away.
Ed*ard Teller @ 81
ET,
Don’t know if you are still awake to get this but I am fascinated by your double blogging this corruption trial with a colleague who disagrees with you. Will be interesting to follow the twists and turns of this trial. Keep up the good work.
selise @ 272
Years ago, my great-uncle died. He was a bit odd. Lived in a dump, eschewed soap…you get the picture. When he died my uncle was called to clear out his apartment. He loaded up the furniture, mattress etc and brought it to the dump. But he kept the tool box thinking it might be useful (and probably wouldn’t harbor too many germs). When he got home and opened it, there was $30,000.00 in it.
He went back to the dump and got the furniture, mattress etc.
Union buster and represents Blackwater… very bad…
Why is invited to the lake?
If I am hear I will jump on his ass.
How totally creepy.
He’s obviously a man with no moral or ethical compass… after money.
Hillary runs with bad people even if she can say good things.
That means she’s a hypocrite.
To me the key is for someone to be CONSISTENT and ethical and everything follows.
If they are not they are basically a fake, a fraud, a self absorbed opportunist.
solai @ 281
a great laugh to start the day, thank you!
Selise,
Fifteen years is probably enough time to make looking thru those boxes a real treasure hunt. Hope it will bring back beautiful memories for you.
SanderO -
not sure any of the candidates are consistently ethical. but, in any event, he’s jane’s guest… and that, i think, means we ought to have some constraints on our actions.
I wish to leave behind nothing.
Most of what we accumulate is rubbish, sad but true.
SanderO @ 283
Yeah why do Mercs need Polling oh wait Blackwater was probably worried someone in the WH or Congress might have read ” The Prince ” by Machiavelli and the chapters about what a waste of money mercs are!
Pull up a chair!
egregious @ 285
yes, but some difficult memories too. (my mom died in great pain, and that was the year my grandmother and aunt died too – all from cancer. i had cancer then too – but survived)..
Do you think it’s rude or inappropriate to call someone of their ethics… even if they are a guest somewhere?
What WOULD be the “appropriate” place to raise these sorts of concerns?
I was surprised when ValGal spoke about the Iran threat and had made lots of assumptions about “her”. My bad. I think most did and this let down their critical thinking skills.
People need to be confronted, not rudely, but to make them account for their behavior… if they can.
selise -
oooooh, may I come sit by you while you go thru? There must be a treasure trove of wonderful, wonderful stuff there; you can do it!! Diaries from long ago and far away times and who knows what all?
solai -
What a wizard story!
solai @ 283
so it was definitely waste not want not.
he would have been the generation that went through the great depression
it certainly left its mark,ay.
Waccamaw @ 294
i could use the moral support. thanks. :-)
selise @ 292
Sounds like a terrible time for you. Maybe going thru the things after this long a time will help bring you some peace about that dreadful year. Come and talk with Waccamaw and me about what you are finding.
SanderO @ 293
we all know of plenty of false reporting.
imo, that means we have to consider the possibility that the reporting about penn is not true. it’s not like any of us have actually know he’s ever done anything wrong.
give him a chance to explain before drawing conclusions.
that, i think, is what common sense requires.
and since this is jane’s place, and penn is her guest, i think more is required – i think we should be careful not to derail the conversation she’s asked him here to have.
egregious @ 297
thanks i might just do that.
can’t start immediately, but maybe in a few weeks. you-all have inspired me, thank you!
solai @ 279
If I may….
Sometimes I find there is this ‘pandering’ to the likes of the Wilsons, the Plames, the Deans, and other guests which I find considerably disconcerting. I’m not interested in stroking someone’s ego; I’m interested in what they’re bringing to the table. That of course doesn’t mean I’m not impressed with someone’s offering. I’m just not interested in furiously reminding them of how great is its value.
For instance, I especially appreciate John Dean’s visits here. However, even in person I would simply state my appreciation and move on. Because there is no need for more as I see it.
Wordsmith @ 300
we need to find something to serve the same function as audience applause. instead of each member of the audience standing up and saying “thank you”. that works great for small groups… but as the group gets large i can see it might be agravating to some.
That cat looks just like the Siamese I had as a kid – Sam, smartest cat ever. He would even fetch toys that were thrown (most of the time, you know how cats are)
selise @ 301
Maybe one of those ‘thumbs up/thumbs down’ thingie.
It’s not that thank you or something akin is said. It’s the “we’re so honored” to have so & so.
We have Albertson’s here. Joe Albertson opened his first market here. Until a few years before his death, he could be found there at times. We lived in the North End and shopped at that store where he would help us locate something, bag groceries or visit with customers. I saw him years later in a management class at college when he & J.R. Simplot came to speak. Albertson was by far the class favorite; he was a quiet and thoughtful man. Fawning….that’s another word.
Ya know – maybe all I’m trying to illustrate is that accolades are one thing, pandering is another. Recognition is one thing – boot licking is another – speaking of cats…..
I have a friend who writes a newspaper column; she was national president of some organization for newspaper columnists. I went with her once to New York – to go sightseeing, having never been, and I had no particular desire to hook up with newspaper columnists. But I met Molly Ivins and for the 20 minutes the three of us talked about politics, the Bush administration of course, and what the hell was someone from Idaho doing in Ohio anyway, the only thing I said to her in relation to her work was when we were introduced and I said, ‘Yep, I read your column religiously and throughly enjoy ‘em.’ To which my friend retorted: “That’s great because she doesn’t even read mine.”
And for all I know – what I see as pandering and fawning, some other may simply see it as being polite and nice.
raven @ 230
Doctor comes from the Latin for “teacher”…usually it was applied initially to those that taught Church Doctrine (note the roots are identical…doctrine = teaching). Because this soon evolved into different types of teaching, it soon included those that taught canon, and civil, law. Thus one could receive diplomas that related to theology and law. But soon medicine and other disciplines became associated with Universities under the Church.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ety…..doctor.htm
Marion in Savannah @ 267
Hi Marion…how about this case of slavery by a contractor building the US embassy in Iraq.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/M…..7Ak01.html
David Phinney has been on the frontlines of this issue….discovering that the Lebanese actually managing the company are associated with a Lebanese militia and have been charged with paying illegal kickpacks for contracts, and the ties to Richard Armitage’s firm.
shell?
any relation to sheller of the clams
commenting on the
bush visit irks some San Diego fire fighters post over on Think Progress?
by any chance?
*************
Sorry, no.
“one of the goals of moles is to get us to suspect each other. i think that is the real danger.”
***********
Yes. I have been on the internet way too long (12 years), and have experienced almost every fraud and backstabbing there is — to be surprised anymore.
Today, I just enjoy people chatting without giving too much personal information.