I wonder how many shares of Citi Sardonicus owns. Hopefully he put a lot of the money Murdoch pays him to run his uberreichwing rag in the market. But I’d feed him right along with the other homeless if he showed up. Suck on that, Sardonicus.

from the cliff diving series at CR, the four bears:

http://dshort.com/charts/bears…..-large.gif

Good morning.

From the CIA investigations article:

Most notably, however, it’s unclear how much, if any, of the review will be made public

Yep.

Don’t know what all the flap is. CIA, if Legacy of Ashes is accurate, always tortures, especially during wars, but plenty of it during proxy wars too.

Also, just listening to Overthrow (read it in 2006). The chapter on the Phillipines talks about the military “water torture” during the insurgency against U.S. occupation at the turn of the 20th C. They inserted bamboo tubes into prisoners stomachs, poured fetid water in until the stomachs swelled, then jumped on the stomachs. Anyone who thinks the U.S. doesn’t torture doesn’t know any history.

Mornin’. Left ya one downstairs.

Dr. Gupta is unavailable

This is getting embarrassing.
And, I’m betting, Obama will still not think of Howard Dean.

Cool chart. Thanks. *adjusting seat belt and parachute*

Budget is being held up, in part, because of changes in policy toward Cuba??????? you gotta be shittin’ me.

I’m thinking the filter is further down in the staff. Dr Gov Dean is, from what I’ve seen, a straight shooter and many of his ideas are not accepted by some of the staffers methinks.

Nope. The Rethugs are bound and determined to maintain their idiot policy towards Cuba until the Rapture takes them all.

I’ve always thought it goes back to the conflicts between Dean and Rahm.

Heard Chomsky on that subject the other day, who had the best short explanation of why U.S. policy toward Cuba and Iran is so f*cked up. We must punish them for defying us. And that motive doesn’t fade with time.

it’s not always been so clear though that the orders to torture came from the top. not saying they didn’t – but it’s an important distinction because so long as the american public rejects it, torture will have to be done in secret. what has changed now is that bush was able to get the public behind him. that is profoundly dangerous for our society and the efforts to reverse it are important – because like murder, it may always be with us but how we treat it in law and in society at large makes a tremendous difference in how common it will be (and imo how depraved our society can become).

The depravity of our society already scares the shit out of me and I’m fearless.

And, I’m betting, Obama will still not think of Howard Dean.

Of course not. He’s — dare I speak the word — P A R T I S A N.

Everything makes more sense to me, if every time I see the word “bipartisan”, I read it as “Faustian.”

History doesn’t repeat itself, it’s like variations on a theme. The W differences seem to involve responsibility being traced right to the very top (all the past cases I know about involved high levels but not the prez), hokeying up a legal rationale, and getting caught sooner. Though in the Philippines case, apparently the torture got into the U.S. newspapers as soon as censorship was lifted, while the counterinsurgency was still underway. Public response (if Overthrow and my memory of it are accurate) was initially outraged, but settled down when military bigwigs claimed it was rogue actors, because public was all to willing to think the U.S. doesn’t do that.

So the fact that the U.S. public doesn’t like it is a two-edged sword. Also means they’re willing to go into denialland at the slighest excuse.

I’ve always thought it goes back to the conflicts between Dean and Rahm.

That makes a lot of sense.

Which is probably why I didn’t think of it….

hey – “Edit” is back!

me too (the scared part, not the fearless part).

tried to explain it a little bit the other day.

We must punish them for defying us. And that motive doesn’t fade with time.

Exactly! In terms of stopping the spread of radical Islam radicalism and protecting Israel’s eastern flank, etc., Saddam Hussein was a major military and diplomatic asset to the United States. And he knew it. And, thus, he felt safe.

He had no idea how bat-shit crazy and self-destructive we are.

I’m glad Gupta is out. He was and is too much of a right winger for me.

We all need to push for Howard Dean now!

February results on expectations for February at down 651,000, but prior months revised down bigtime. Unemployment jumped from 7.6% to 8.1%.

I’ll be back in a bit with some more numbers.

I’ll be back in a bit with some more numbers.

hey – get me a raise while you’re out there?

hey – “Edit” is back!

WOW !!!!!! Thanks for pointing that out.

Of course not. He’s — dare I speak the word — P A R T I S A N.

hey, hey, hey! No dirty words at FDL. Where’s the mod here?

*g*

the difference i’m talking about is about how clear it is this time that the orders came from above. hell, we’ve had dick cheney on national tv. they were able to do that because they (including the dems) prepared the ground for us to accept the rightness of our gov’s actions.

of course denial and hypocrisy are a tremendous problem. but i’d far and away rather still be dealing with them instead of our current state of torture apologists or at best cynical acceptance.

saw teh bit with Michael Moore when it ws first on CNN. was really surprised at Gupta. other than that, i don’t know that he’d be a bad choice. Not a great loss, though. they need to fill jobs, though. pronto.

thanks.

I nominate Keith Richards for Surgeon General.

We must punish them for defying us. And that motive doesn’t fade with time.

Uhm, wouldn’t that attitude be one of them there ‘childish things’ that we’re s’posta be puttin’ away these days?

…they need to fill jobs, though. pronto.

It would go faster if they would stop offering the jobs to republics first.

Good morning all.

for all i know gupta may be a brilliant neurosurgeon. but as far as i’ve seen wrt public health policy he was a corp hack. good riddance.

LOL!

Morning everybody

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool.

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Tell the ones you love that you love them.

Namaste

Speaking of info-grafix — Number of negative equity mortgages by state.

Amen!

wigwam just posted a great diary: Reality doesn’t like to be ignored.

peace to you SD.

hey – “Edit” is back!

As is “Show Text”!

Hooray!

Job losses during the last year (2/09 vs 2/08) are 4.2 million. The unemployment rate in February was 8.1%, not an all time high, but the broadest measure of labor underutilization, U-6, jumped to 14.9%, the highest ever (though those data started in 1994, whereas the highest regular unemployment rate in the post-WWII period was 10.8% in 12/82, before the U-6 measure started to be assembled). Job losses were widespread by industry. Any other Qs before I work on my diary update?

Is anyone watching this tool on WJ, Steven Pearlstein?

we don’t need no stinkin’ usury laws, they were for loan sharks — as if the credit card companies aren’t loan sharks now with shifting payment dates, fees on top of fees, and unilateral power to alter the terms of the agreement without formal acknowledgment from the borrower. Crooks, each and everyone.

*oo I like having edit back

Lot of denial going on with the economy too. General cnbc patter after unemployment #s on cnbc was: well employment is a lagging indicator and these numbers reflect how bad the economy was in the fourth quarter of 2008. The instant-analysis economists did not lean hard enough against that meme.

Christy’s up
Michelle Obama Sets the Table — and Sets an Example

wow, that’s so depressing.

when i first read your comment I thought it said you’d feed him TO the homeless. Must be sleepy here. Kristol ought to come with a sign with his accuracy rate posted by his head.

Blue Texan:

Seen Howie Klein’s promotion of the fearsome Republican counteroffensive on the Limbaugh front?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..id=topnews

Republicans are accusing Obama of being cynical. That’ll show him! It would be a foolproof strategy…if anyone cared.

Make that Howie Kurtz.

Yeah and show text, too!

Maybe this time Feinstein will actually do something right only because she might still be ticked off about Panetta being chosen for CIA without her blessings. She won’t do this for the sake of the country but she may do it to get back at Panetta and Obama.