NBC News is reporting that Senators, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, James Inhofe, and Marco Rubio are threatening to filibuster in order to stop any sort of legislation they and the NRA decide is detrimental to gun manufacturers. Oh they wrote a letter talking about the second amendment and rights and all that, but it has nothing to do with reality.
The Big Brother bugaboo is used in it as is an iffy interpretation of the second amendment itself. One paragraph reads, "The second amendment of the constitution protects citizens' right to self defense. It speaks to history's lesson that government cannot be in all places at all times and history's warning about the oppression of a government that tries."
Well actually the amendment doesn't say a word about self defense. In fact there is nothing there about oppression either. All it does is address the need for a well regulated militia to maintain a free state. It doesn't say the government can't stipulate that guns must be registered, or that requiring background checks infringe upon an individual's right to own a gun. In truth it doesn't speak to any sort of history lesson. What it does speak to is the state of the American military when the constitution was authored.
But hey when you are owned and operated by people like Smith and Wesson what are a few facts when trying to make sure another Adam Lanza or James Holmes can gun up and take out a few dozen innocent people.
And speaking of James Holmes, prosecutors have rejected the plea bargain deal his defense team floated out there this week, saying it wasn't a legitimate offer. It is expected that Monday the state will announce whether it will be seeking the death penalty in the case. The trial is set to start August 12.
Elsewhere in Colorado, or rather outside of it, pro gun forces are trying to encourage a hunter's boycott, which would cost the state millions of dollars in lost license fees. This is in reaction to recent legislation passed that, among other things, expands back ground checks, and bans high capacity ammunition magazines, because after all when you shoot an elk you want to make sure that bastard is down for good.
Up in Alaska, in a further effort to woo Hispanic voters, republican representative, Don Young described the migrant workers his father's farm once employed as wetbacks. Young immediately tried to apologize after the shit hit the fan, but being a republican he simply couldn't help but both lie and put his foot into it further. He claimed wetback was a term that was "commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in central California." He went on to say, "I know that term is not used in the same way nowadays. I meant no disrespect."
Now we can have that history lesson, children. The name wetback refers to a Mexican who had to swim across the Rio Grande River, thereby getting wet, in order to get into the United States illegally. No, I didn't grow up on a farm in central California and I'm not quite as old as Mr. Young, but I can assure each and every one of you the name wetback has always been used in the same way and it has always been derogatory. I'm sure there were a lot of other words used commonly on the Young farm back in the day, but decorum prevents me from openly speculating on what they were here.
Finally Dennis Rodman's old pal, Kim Jung Un has reportedly put his missile crews on standby. The North Korean news agency has said, Kim believes "the time has come to settle accounts with U.S, imperialists. Normally babbling like this from the north wouldn't raise any eyebrows, but a couple of unknown factors make this whole chest beating episode a bit dicier.
First there is Kim himself. He is only 30 years old and if he actually thought Rodman had an in at the White House he might qualify as the stupidest man on the planet. Obviously he feels he has to prove to his military he has out sized testicles made of solid brass. Unfortunately if he really is as dumb as a brick he'll paint himself into a corner with all this bellicose nonsense and it could well dawn on him he can't back out without losing face. Even worse, the dope might actually believe his own bullshit. He could really be convinced that North Korea would win a nuclear war fought on the peninsula.
South of the DMZ Park Geun-hye has been the president for only a month. Although she is the daughter of a former president she is still a rank rookie and what her reaction to some sort of military provocation would be is quite simply unknown.
Yes, there is thin ice on both sides right now. Everyone needs to tread softly, keep a cool head and a clear eye. Whether that is possible or not is the rub.
Luckily here on the southern plains the weekend looms and the beer is cold.
As always stay low and keep moving If we're lucky we'll all make it to Monday.
sic vita est
3-29-13
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Crazy Isn't Insane in Colorado and a Christmas Present in Newtown
Yesterday, Dan Elliott and P. Solomon Banda of the Huffington Post reported that James Holmes' attorneys have told prosecutors that their client is willing to plead guilty to murder. Holmes, as everyone recalls, showed up at the midnight showing of the new Batman movie last summer, tossed in a tear gas canister, then opened fire on the audience, killing 12 and wounding dozens more. If the offer is accepted the prosecution would agree to take the death penalty off the table and Holmes would spend the rest of his life in prison without the hope of parole,
Banda and Elliott write that the defense offered to make the plea before March 12th, but had yet to receive an answer from prosecutors. Speculation is that the plea offer is being made public now in order to reach out to the surviving victims and the relatives of those who died that awful night.
The move has been met with mixed reviews. The article quotes Melisa Cowden, who was the ex wife of one of those killed and the mother of two who survived the attack as saying, "He didn't give 12 people the chance to plea bargain. No, no plea bargain." However, it also cites Pierce O'Farrill, one of the wounded, as saying "I don't see his death bringing me peace."
It is expected the prosecution will give the defense their answer within a few days. If turned down the Holmes' counselors will fall back onto a plea of innocent by reason of insanity, which is what everyone expected in the first place.
There could be several reasons the defense team made the offer. The first and foremost is that their guy did it and the second is that its damned hard to be ruled legally insane in Colorado.
Apparently there are a few different "tests" for insanity that can be applied. First off just because you are mentally ill the state doesn't necessarily consider you insane. There is something called the M'Naghten Rule. It states a person is insane if laboring under such a defect of reason arising from a disease of the mind that he did not know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or if he did know it, that he didn't know what he was doing was wrong.
Then there is an irresistible impulse test which says that to be judged insane the defendant must have acted from an irresistible and uncontrollable impulse, must be unable to choose between right and wrong behavior and his or her will was destroyed such that his or her actions were beyond control.
Next is the penal code test which says a person is insane only if he or she lacked the capacity to appreciate the criminality of his or her conduct or conform his or her conduct to the requirements of the law.
Those are, pardon the pun, tough nuts to crack. Especially when trying to prove all of that to a jury of 12 men and women who have probably gleaned the sum total of their medical knowledge from pill bottle labels.
Jimmy Holmes might be bat shit crazy, but legally insane is different animal all together. And that is before the prosecution points out to the jurors that if he is found innocent by reason of insanity he can be released from a mental institution as soon as he is deemed no longer a danger to himself or the public. The specter of this deadly geek loose on the streets once again will be just too unacceptable, not to mention horrifying, to contemplate. There isn't a jury out there that will take that chance, no matter how infinitesimal it might be.
Yes, if you're the defense it is best to get this nightmare over with as quickly as possible. Plead guilty and at least remove the needle from the equation. Sometimes that is all you can and should do.
Meanwhile in Connecticut NBC News is reporting that police have said Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School killer, pulled off 155 rounds in less than five minutes. He used the first 154 on the 20 first graders and six teachers he murdered and the 155th one on himself. He had taken nine 30 round clips into the school with him. Three were still full.
The report, written by Michael Isikoff, Tom Winter, and Erin McClam, says that a search of the Lanza house revealed seven different personal journals, drawings, an unspecified certificate from the NRA, and a number of books, including an NRA guide to the basics of pistol shooting. Also found was a New York Times story about a shooting at Northern Illinois University, some photos of what appeared to be a dead person covered with plastic and blood, and a Holiday card from his mother that included a check meant to buy his Christmas present, a brand new gun.
Nancy Lanza was her son's first victim that day. He shot her in the head four times before leaving home.
Merry Christmas to you too, Mom.
@GunDeaths and Slate report that at least 3,076 Americans have been shot to death since December 14th, 2012.
Such is the price of freedom in America.
3-28-13
Banda and Elliott write that the defense offered to make the plea before March 12th, but had yet to receive an answer from prosecutors. Speculation is that the plea offer is being made public now in order to reach out to the surviving victims and the relatives of those who died that awful night.
The move has been met with mixed reviews. The article quotes Melisa Cowden, who was the ex wife of one of those killed and the mother of two who survived the attack as saying, "He didn't give 12 people the chance to plea bargain. No, no plea bargain." However, it also cites Pierce O'Farrill, one of the wounded, as saying "I don't see his death bringing me peace."
It is expected the prosecution will give the defense their answer within a few days. If turned down the Holmes' counselors will fall back onto a plea of innocent by reason of insanity, which is what everyone expected in the first place.
There could be several reasons the defense team made the offer. The first and foremost is that their guy did it and the second is that its damned hard to be ruled legally insane in Colorado.
Apparently there are a few different "tests" for insanity that can be applied. First off just because you are mentally ill the state doesn't necessarily consider you insane. There is something called the M'Naghten Rule. It states a person is insane if laboring under such a defect of reason arising from a disease of the mind that he did not know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or if he did know it, that he didn't know what he was doing was wrong.
Then there is an irresistible impulse test which says that to be judged insane the defendant must have acted from an irresistible and uncontrollable impulse, must be unable to choose between right and wrong behavior and his or her will was destroyed such that his or her actions were beyond control.
Next is the penal code test which says a person is insane only if he or she lacked the capacity to appreciate the criminality of his or her conduct or conform his or her conduct to the requirements of the law.
Those are, pardon the pun, tough nuts to crack. Especially when trying to prove all of that to a jury of 12 men and women who have probably gleaned the sum total of their medical knowledge from pill bottle labels.
Jimmy Holmes might be bat shit crazy, but legally insane is different animal all together. And that is before the prosecution points out to the jurors that if he is found innocent by reason of insanity he can be released from a mental institution as soon as he is deemed no longer a danger to himself or the public. The specter of this deadly geek loose on the streets once again will be just too unacceptable, not to mention horrifying, to contemplate. There isn't a jury out there that will take that chance, no matter how infinitesimal it might be.
Yes, if you're the defense it is best to get this nightmare over with as quickly as possible. Plead guilty and at least remove the needle from the equation. Sometimes that is all you can and should do.
Meanwhile in Connecticut NBC News is reporting that police have said Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School killer, pulled off 155 rounds in less than five minutes. He used the first 154 on the 20 first graders and six teachers he murdered and the 155th one on himself. He had taken nine 30 round clips into the school with him. Three were still full.
The report, written by Michael Isikoff, Tom Winter, and Erin McClam, says that a search of the Lanza house revealed seven different personal journals, drawings, an unspecified certificate from the NRA, and a number of books, including an NRA guide to the basics of pistol shooting. Also found was a New York Times story about a shooting at Northern Illinois University, some photos of what appeared to be a dead person covered with plastic and blood, and a Holiday card from his mother that included a check meant to buy his Christmas present, a brand new gun.
Nancy Lanza was her son's first victim that day. He shot her in the head four times before leaving home.
Merry Christmas to you too, Mom.
@GunDeaths and Slate report that at least 3,076 Americans have been shot to death since December 14th, 2012.
Such is the price of freedom in America.
3-28-13
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Robocalls in Newtown, Outrage, and Hyenas
I'm not sure how the technology works, but chances are if you have a telephone land line you have received what is known as a robocall. They are used by political campaigns nationwide. Someone somewhere pushes a button, or buttons and everyone in town gets a phone call dialed by some complex and mysterious computer. As soon as you pick up and say hello a recorded message will urge you to vote for this or that candidate. Sometimes the calls are paid for by a lobbying group, or a political party that is desperately trying to either pass or kill a piece of legislation. When you answer, the vaguely human voice will plead with you to contact your local representative and or senator and ask him, or her to vote yes, or no on a specific bill.
Under the best of circumstances robocalls are a pain in the ass. They usually start going out at about the same time the great and powerful computer decides you've arrived home from work, or are close to eating dinner. Most of the time caller ID really doesn't help. The number that flashes on your ID screen will usually be just that, a number with nothing to identify what entity is generating the call.
Enter the National Rifle Association. When they feel threatened by legislation they love to use robocalls. They want to make sure you know some monstrous liberal cabal is threatening to pass restrictions on say the number of bullets that can be carried in a single ammunition clip, or mandate something as evil as universal background checks on gun purchases.
As we found out over the weekend they don't really care who their whiz bang computer outfit makes the calls to. After all, it isn't the who, it is the how many.
In this case the how many was located in Newtown, Connecticut. That would be the same Newtown, Connecticut that lost six of its teachers and twenty of its first graders to a well armed and deadly cretin just over 100 days ago.
The calls began to arrive late last week. The somewhat stilted spiel urged the good people of Newtown to pitch in and help defeat pending gun control legislation in the Connecticut General Assembly. No one knows if any of the children who survived the shooting heard the calls or not, although it is a distinct possibility some did.
To say a number of people are outraged would be an understatement. Connecticut's two U.S. senators immediately fired off a letter to Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. Among other things in the letter they wrote, With these robocalls the NRA has stooped to a new low in the debate over how to best protect our kids and communities. Then there was, This latest act is just another example in a long line of offensive steps your organization has taken in the wake of this tragic shooting. The letter ends with the plea, Show some basic decency and cease and desist these calls.
As of this writing the NRA has not responded. It is unknown whether LaPierre is preparing another press release condemning the liberal media and video games, or if he is simply too busy pulling the wings off of flies to answer.
The New York Post reports that The Newtown Action Alliance Facebook page is filled with seething anger. Terms and words like, not a shred of decency, heartless and terrorist are common.
Any normal organization would be reeling right now from such an incredibly cruel gaffe and the response to it, but then as we all know the NRA isn't a normal organization. They feel their membership will stand by them no matter what they say or do. In fact LaPierre's crowd might actually like doing this sort of thing. In the end everyone does what they must in order to get an erection. It is probably just a matter of time before Ted Nugent wants to schedule a NRA fundraising concert on the campus of Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Yes, we the people are being confronted on a daily basis by what amounts to a pack of ravenous hyenas. They have no compassion, they are ruthless, and they will not stop. The NRA has nothing to do with freedom. They are the unrelenting, sociopathic, political mouth piece of weapons manufacturers every where.
They want you to be frightened. They want you to feel as if you cannot leave the house without a gun. They want you to believe this republic is an uncivilized war zone and they will do everything in their power to hammer that notion into your brain.
If we buy into their evil vision we are lost and so is everything we hold dear about this nation.
If they win tyranny truly will have conquered us all.
3-26-13
Under the best of circumstances robocalls are a pain in the ass. They usually start going out at about the same time the great and powerful computer decides you've arrived home from work, or are close to eating dinner. Most of the time caller ID really doesn't help. The number that flashes on your ID screen will usually be just that, a number with nothing to identify what entity is generating the call.
Enter the National Rifle Association. When they feel threatened by legislation they love to use robocalls. They want to make sure you know some monstrous liberal cabal is threatening to pass restrictions on say the number of bullets that can be carried in a single ammunition clip, or mandate something as evil as universal background checks on gun purchases.
As we found out over the weekend they don't really care who their whiz bang computer outfit makes the calls to. After all, it isn't the who, it is the how many.
In this case the how many was located in Newtown, Connecticut. That would be the same Newtown, Connecticut that lost six of its teachers and twenty of its first graders to a well armed and deadly cretin just over 100 days ago.
The calls began to arrive late last week. The somewhat stilted spiel urged the good people of Newtown to pitch in and help defeat pending gun control legislation in the Connecticut General Assembly. No one knows if any of the children who survived the shooting heard the calls or not, although it is a distinct possibility some did.
To say a number of people are outraged would be an understatement. Connecticut's two U.S. senators immediately fired off a letter to Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. Among other things in the letter they wrote, With these robocalls the NRA has stooped to a new low in the debate over how to best protect our kids and communities. Then there was, This latest act is just another example in a long line of offensive steps your organization has taken in the wake of this tragic shooting. The letter ends with the plea, Show some basic decency and cease and desist these calls.
As of this writing the NRA has not responded. It is unknown whether LaPierre is preparing another press release condemning the liberal media and video games, or if he is simply too busy pulling the wings off of flies to answer.
The New York Post reports that The Newtown Action Alliance Facebook page is filled with seething anger. Terms and words like, not a shred of decency, heartless and terrorist are common.
Any normal organization would be reeling right now from such an incredibly cruel gaffe and the response to it, but then as we all know the NRA isn't a normal organization. They feel their membership will stand by them no matter what they say or do. In fact LaPierre's crowd might actually like doing this sort of thing. In the end everyone does what they must in order to get an erection. It is probably just a matter of time before Ted Nugent wants to schedule a NRA fundraising concert on the campus of Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Yes, we the people are being confronted on a daily basis by what amounts to a pack of ravenous hyenas. They have no compassion, they are ruthless, and they will not stop. The NRA has nothing to do with freedom. They are the unrelenting, sociopathic, political mouth piece of weapons manufacturers every where.
They want you to be frightened. They want you to feel as if you cannot leave the house without a gun. They want you to believe this republic is an uncivilized war zone and they will do everything in their power to hammer that notion into your brain.
If we buy into their evil vision we are lost and so is everything we hold dear about this nation.
If they win tyranny truly will have conquered us all.
3-26-13
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Foiled in Orlando, Killing Babies in Georgia, The Asshole Factor, Florida Gulf Coast Who, and The Possible Appearance of the Banana People
It was a long and dreary week, punctuated every now and then with spurts of violence that would shock and appall the average human being. However, being American, most of us understand these sorts of things are simply part of the cost of doing business in the United States.
Down in Orlando Mr. James Seevakumaran, a thirty year old University of Central Florida student apparently planned to go all Jimmy Holmes. He had amassed a small arsenal that included one hand gun, what police are calling a tactical weapon, scads of ammunition, a few 100 plus ammo clips, and a couple of explosive devices. He had even written down a list of what he hoped to accomplish that day. Luckily for the student body his plan went awry when his room mate blew the whistle on him and the Orlando police arrived in a timely fashion. At some point as the police closed in and he realized his fantasy wasn't going to play out like he'd hoped he blew his brains out. According to reports he had no history of violence, or psychological problems. He was described as just another quiet guy who kept to himself.
In Brunswick, Georgia police arrested De'Marquis Elkins, age 17, and a 14 year old pal. The two are suspected of murdering a 13 month old child. Sherry West was out walking around, pushing her infant in a stroller when the two allegedly approached her and told her they wanted all her money or they'd kill her baby. When she told them she didn't have any cash the happy go lucky lads shot the kid in the head and wounded Ms. West in the leg and ear, then ran away.
@GunDeaths and Slate say that as of 3-21-13 at least 2,883 Americans have been shot to death since the Newtown, Connecticut murders.
In other news, on March 20th The Atlantic ran an article on line by Ken Stern. In it he reports that the very wealthy, those in the top 20% earnings bracket, on average contribute 1.3% of their income to what could be called charitable enterprises. In contrast those in the bottom 20% give on average 3.2%. This despite the fact the rich routinely itemize their taxes and are able to deduct charitable donations, while the poor normally don't and therefore can't take advantage of that tax break.
In addition Stern found that the wealthy tend to donate their money to institutions of higher education, arts organizations, and museums. In other words they give to places that cater to the rich. On the other hand the poor are more likely to give to religious organizations and social service charities, ie things that feed and clothe people. Stern notes that last year 34 of the 50 single largest charitable contributions went to colleges and universities, 9 went to arts organizations and the rest to medical facilities. None went to a charity that serves the poor or dispossessed.
In his research to explain all this, Ken Stern quotes University of California--Berkeley psychologist, Paul Piff who says the rich are, "more likely to exhibit characteristics that we would stereotypically associate with assholes."
And all this time I thought it was just me.
In sports, the NCAA basketball tournament has turned into a maelstrom of upsets and choke jobs beyond all comprehension. Obviously the Mayans were right. When an outfit called Florida Gulf Coast University takes out Georgetown we have reached the end of times. Casualties were too many to count. The one dim light at the end of the tunnel in this monumental disaster is the knowledge that every one's brackets are fucked. My elite eight and final four teams are still alive, although a couple are on life support so despite the nightmare there is still a thin ray of hope.
Finally, on a personal note, I will be disappearing into the bowels of the Oklahoma County courthouse beginning Monday morning for an undetermined amount of time. Being called to jury duty tends to make one a bit schizo. On one hand I have a terrible urge to show up babbling about how the Banana People are plotting to rip out my heart and serve it to Dick Cheney for lunch thus causing the judge to immediately throw my ass out onto the street. On the other, there is a dark desire to be able to sit in on some God awful felony trial that will provide me with blog material for weeks, if not months. The reality will probably end up being far more drab and utterly useless. The last time I served, "the trial" ended up being a two bit civil suit that was settled out of court after the first hour and a half of testimony.
There you have it on a gray, damp, and raw March Saturday on the southern plains.
Beer awaits.
sic vita est
3-23-13
Down in Orlando Mr. James Seevakumaran, a thirty year old University of Central Florida student apparently planned to go all Jimmy Holmes. He had amassed a small arsenal that included one hand gun, what police are calling a tactical weapon, scads of ammunition, a few 100 plus ammo clips, and a couple of explosive devices. He had even written down a list of what he hoped to accomplish that day. Luckily for the student body his plan went awry when his room mate blew the whistle on him and the Orlando police arrived in a timely fashion. At some point as the police closed in and he realized his fantasy wasn't going to play out like he'd hoped he blew his brains out. According to reports he had no history of violence, or psychological problems. He was described as just another quiet guy who kept to himself.
In Brunswick, Georgia police arrested De'Marquis Elkins, age 17, and a 14 year old pal. The two are suspected of murdering a 13 month old child. Sherry West was out walking around, pushing her infant in a stroller when the two allegedly approached her and told her they wanted all her money or they'd kill her baby. When she told them she didn't have any cash the happy go lucky lads shot the kid in the head and wounded Ms. West in the leg and ear, then ran away.
@GunDeaths and Slate say that as of 3-21-13 at least 2,883 Americans have been shot to death since the Newtown, Connecticut murders.
In other news, on March 20th The Atlantic ran an article on line by Ken Stern. In it he reports that the very wealthy, those in the top 20% earnings bracket, on average contribute 1.3% of their income to what could be called charitable enterprises. In contrast those in the bottom 20% give on average 3.2%. This despite the fact the rich routinely itemize their taxes and are able to deduct charitable donations, while the poor normally don't and therefore can't take advantage of that tax break.
In addition Stern found that the wealthy tend to donate their money to institutions of higher education, arts organizations, and museums. In other words they give to places that cater to the rich. On the other hand the poor are more likely to give to religious organizations and social service charities, ie things that feed and clothe people. Stern notes that last year 34 of the 50 single largest charitable contributions went to colleges and universities, 9 went to arts organizations and the rest to medical facilities. None went to a charity that serves the poor or dispossessed.
In his research to explain all this, Ken Stern quotes University of California--Berkeley psychologist, Paul Piff who says the rich are, "more likely to exhibit characteristics that we would stereotypically associate with assholes."
And all this time I thought it was just me.
In sports, the NCAA basketball tournament has turned into a maelstrom of upsets and choke jobs beyond all comprehension. Obviously the Mayans were right. When an outfit called Florida Gulf Coast University takes out Georgetown we have reached the end of times. Casualties were too many to count. The one dim light at the end of the tunnel in this monumental disaster is the knowledge that every one's brackets are fucked. My elite eight and final four teams are still alive, although a couple are on life support so despite the nightmare there is still a thin ray of hope.
Finally, on a personal note, I will be disappearing into the bowels of the Oklahoma County courthouse beginning Monday morning for an undetermined amount of time. Being called to jury duty tends to make one a bit schizo. On one hand I have a terrible urge to show up babbling about how the Banana People are plotting to rip out my heart and serve it to Dick Cheney for lunch thus causing the judge to immediately throw my ass out onto the street. On the other, there is a dark desire to be able to sit in on some God awful felony trial that will provide me with blog material for weeks, if not months. The reality will probably end up being far more drab and utterly useless. The last time I served, "the trial" ended up being a two bit civil suit that was settled out of court after the first hour and a half of testimony.
There you have it on a gray, damp, and raw March Saturday on the southern plains.
Beer awaits.
sic vita est
3-23-13
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Director of Propaganda, James Ives: The Tea Party Uber Alles
It is tough to have a skeleton in a closet now days. Privacy has gone the way of the Dodo and the internet never deletes anything, or forgets. If you have even a whiff of a political aspiration, influence, or hold an office, someone is going track down that drunken post you made ten years ago on some bizarre fetish web site. Lets face it, if the head of the CIA can be brought down because of some risque emails no one is immune.
Take the case of James Ives. He is the head of the Greater Fort Bend County Tea Party. According to the Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan journalistic enterprise, he also used to be the Director of Propaganda of the American Fascist Party.
Ouch. There is no real way to soften that title is there? It immediately conjures up images of the late and unlamented Herr Joseph Goebbels.
Ives is, of course, outraged at this revelation. He claims that his record is open and quite public and that he joined the American Fascist Party in order to do research for a book. In his words, "I wanted to learn the left wing's opposing view point and understand why they felt the way they did." He also referred to his former organization as, "a defunct left wing fascist group." I suppose this does give us some idea of James Ives' political world view. He actually considers fascists as members of the left wing.
He does admit that he wrote six posts on the AFP's Yahoo message board in 2003, although he failed to mention that in one of them he admiringly cited Benito Mussolini. He also contends that "I never attended any meetings, never attended a single event, and never physically met anyone associated with the group."
When the Tribune pointed out they had a picture of him sitting in front of what appeared to be the logo of the party wearing a black uniform with yellow shoulder patches, he began to babble a tad. He claimed the uniform was photo shopped on him and the picture was used without his permission.
He asserts he became Director of Propaganda because no one else wanted the job. However the head of the outfit, one Seth Tryssen seemed enthralled not only with Ive's qualifications, but his talent. In one of his Yahoo posts he wrote, "Party Comrades its obvious that James is a serious thinker, not just an armchair fascist that looks at his computer screen once in a while. See his postings on the American Fascist Movement's Forum for more of his thoughts--they are worth reading."
Hey, a lot of people fuck up. Just ask the ghost of Robert Byrd. However when confronted with the awful truth at least Byrd fessed up about his past membership in the Ku Klux Klan and apologized for it.
Ives is doing the absolute denial two step. It was only to write a book. I never met any of them. No one else wanted the job. It was a left wing organization.
Right.
The book was never written. The photograph is out there. Party head, Seth Tryssen thought he was a serious thinker and told followers to read what he'd written on yet a second fascist site. And finally the American Fascist Party described itself as, "a political party who wants a strong military government to take control of the United States and put down the protesters, greeners, and ultra liberals."
To paraphrase, wild Bill Shakespeare, the man doth protest too much, methinks.
Brother Ives, confession is good for the soul. You might want to consider it.
sic vita est
3-20-13
Take the case of James Ives. He is the head of the Greater Fort Bend County Tea Party. According to the Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan journalistic enterprise, he also used to be the Director of Propaganda of the American Fascist Party.
Ouch. There is no real way to soften that title is there? It immediately conjures up images of the late and unlamented Herr Joseph Goebbels.
Ives is, of course, outraged at this revelation. He claims that his record is open and quite public and that he joined the American Fascist Party in order to do research for a book. In his words, "I wanted to learn the left wing's opposing view point and understand why they felt the way they did." He also referred to his former organization as, "a defunct left wing fascist group." I suppose this does give us some idea of James Ives' political world view. He actually considers fascists as members of the left wing.
He does admit that he wrote six posts on the AFP's Yahoo message board in 2003, although he failed to mention that in one of them he admiringly cited Benito Mussolini. He also contends that "I never attended any meetings, never attended a single event, and never physically met anyone associated with the group."
When the Tribune pointed out they had a picture of him sitting in front of what appeared to be the logo of the party wearing a black uniform with yellow shoulder patches, he began to babble a tad. He claimed the uniform was photo shopped on him and the picture was used without his permission.
He asserts he became Director of Propaganda because no one else wanted the job. However the head of the outfit, one Seth Tryssen seemed enthralled not only with Ive's qualifications, but his talent. In one of his Yahoo posts he wrote, "Party Comrades its obvious that James is a serious thinker, not just an armchair fascist that looks at his computer screen once in a while. See his postings on the American Fascist Movement's Forum for more of his thoughts--they are worth reading."
Hey, a lot of people fuck up. Just ask the ghost of Robert Byrd. However when confronted with the awful truth at least Byrd fessed up about his past membership in the Ku Klux Klan and apologized for it.
Ives is doing the absolute denial two step. It was only to write a book. I never met any of them. No one else wanted the job. It was a left wing organization.
Right.
The book was never written. The photograph is out there. Party head, Seth Tryssen thought he was a serious thinker and told followers to read what he'd written on yet a second fascist site. And finally the American Fascist Party described itself as, "a political party who wants a strong military government to take control of the United States and put down the protesters, greeners, and ultra liberals."
To paraphrase, wild Bill Shakespeare, the man doth protest too much, methinks.
Brother Ives, confession is good for the soul. You might want to consider it.
sic vita est
3-20-13
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
T.J. Lane Says Good-bye
There's a killer on the road
His brain is squirmin' like a toad
From The song, Riders on the Storm
He longed for only one thing. The world to bow at his feet. They should feel his secret fear. The dismal dread. His pain had made him sincere. He was better than the rest of all those ones he detests within their castles so vain, selfish and conceited.
Excerpt from a December 30th, 2011 Facebook posting by T.J. Lane
The shooting happened over a year ago in Chardon, Ohio. T.J. Lane was at Chardon High School waiting on a bus to take him to an alternative school that was geared toward students with either academic, or behavioral problems. Instead of leaving, he walked into the school cafeteria wearing a tee shirt with the word Killer written across the front, picked out a table at random and began to fire at fellow teenagers with a Ruger .22. He killed three and wounded three. One of the wounded remains paralyzed from the waist down.
As mass killings go, this was a minor one, unless of course you were there, or one of your kids was murdered, or wounded. There are no minor cases of mayhem when loved ones are victims. As the year progressed new and greater outrages happened. Body counts mounted into double digits on more than one occasion and T.J. Lane and Chardon, Ohio became old news. A large number of Americans might not even remember the shooting happened. After all, it has been a busy year for the heavily armed and deranged. It is hard to keep track of all the names and places.
The details are numbingly familiar. Lane was portrayed by various people as quiet, sweet, someone with a simmering temper, and a loner. He was living with his grandparents at the time of the shooting. The weapon he used was apparently stolen from his grandfather's barn. He was described as being cold and detached as he shot his victims.
So why talk about him at all now? Why focus on just another demented fool who still hasn't told anyone why he decided to take the lives of others, especially since it has been over a year since the shooting?
Well today, NBC News' Elizabeth Chuck reports that T.J. Lane was sentenced to three life terms without the possibility of parole. He had copped to that plea in order to get the death penalty off the table. He also had a good-bye message of sorts for the rest of us.
Chuck writes that when young Mr. Lane came into the courtroom he was wearing a blue button down shirt. However, shortly after arriving he removed it. The tee shirt he was wearing underneath was emblazoned with the word, Killer in large hand written letters.
When the judge asked him if he wanted to make a statement, T.J. Lane raised his middle finger to the packed courtroom, flipping off both his family and the families of his victims and said, "This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. Fuck all of you."
Oh yes, a very sweet lad indeed.
I wish I had something quite deep to say about all this. I suppose I could compare him to the Norwegian loon Anders Breivik, or rail about how gun owners never seem to secure their weapons. I could even go off on yet another anti NRA rant at this point.
Sometimes though, when faced with absolute darkness, there is simply nothing you can say. There is no analyzing it, there is no dissecting it, there is no reason to speculate that if A hadn't happened then B wouldn't have happened and therefore C,D,E and F would still be alive.
T.J. Lane was and still is nuts. He got a gun. He used it and he really liked using it. Now he will spend the rest of his life in prison. End of story.
He is eighteen years old.
Evil, it would seem, doesn't practice age discrimination.
3-19-13
His brain is squirmin' like a toad
From The song, Riders on the Storm
He longed for only one thing. The world to bow at his feet. They should feel his secret fear. The dismal dread. His pain had made him sincere. He was better than the rest of all those ones he detests within their castles so vain, selfish and conceited.
Excerpt from a December 30th, 2011 Facebook posting by T.J. Lane
The shooting happened over a year ago in Chardon, Ohio. T.J. Lane was at Chardon High School waiting on a bus to take him to an alternative school that was geared toward students with either academic, or behavioral problems. Instead of leaving, he walked into the school cafeteria wearing a tee shirt with the word Killer written across the front, picked out a table at random and began to fire at fellow teenagers with a Ruger .22. He killed three and wounded three. One of the wounded remains paralyzed from the waist down.
As mass killings go, this was a minor one, unless of course you were there, or one of your kids was murdered, or wounded. There are no minor cases of mayhem when loved ones are victims. As the year progressed new and greater outrages happened. Body counts mounted into double digits on more than one occasion and T.J. Lane and Chardon, Ohio became old news. A large number of Americans might not even remember the shooting happened. After all, it has been a busy year for the heavily armed and deranged. It is hard to keep track of all the names and places.
The details are numbingly familiar. Lane was portrayed by various people as quiet, sweet, someone with a simmering temper, and a loner. He was living with his grandparents at the time of the shooting. The weapon he used was apparently stolen from his grandfather's barn. He was described as being cold and detached as he shot his victims.
So why talk about him at all now? Why focus on just another demented fool who still hasn't told anyone why he decided to take the lives of others, especially since it has been over a year since the shooting?
Well today, NBC News' Elizabeth Chuck reports that T.J. Lane was sentenced to three life terms without the possibility of parole. He had copped to that plea in order to get the death penalty off the table. He also had a good-bye message of sorts for the rest of us.
Chuck writes that when young Mr. Lane came into the courtroom he was wearing a blue button down shirt. However, shortly after arriving he removed it. The tee shirt he was wearing underneath was emblazoned with the word, Killer in large hand written letters.
When the judge asked him if he wanted to make a statement, T.J. Lane raised his middle finger to the packed courtroom, flipping off both his family and the families of his victims and said, "This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. Fuck all of you."
Oh yes, a very sweet lad indeed.
I wish I had something quite deep to say about all this. I suppose I could compare him to the Norwegian loon Anders Breivik, or rail about how gun owners never seem to secure their weapons. I could even go off on yet another anti NRA rant at this point.
Sometimes though, when faced with absolute darkness, there is simply nothing you can say. There is no analyzing it, there is no dissecting it, there is no reason to speculate that if A hadn't happened then B wouldn't have happened and therefore C,D,E and F would still be alive.
T.J. Lane was and still is nuts. He got a gun. He used it and he really liked using it. Now he will spend the rest of his life in prison. End of story.
He is eighteen years old.
Evil, it would seem, doesn't practice age discrimination.
3-19-13
Monday, March 18, 2013
Madness in March
Here on the southern plains the sun is bright and the breeze out of the north has a sharp edge to it. It is the moment of reckoning for those with a taste for a wager or two. The NCAA Men's basketball tournament begins in earnest Thursday. What will follow over the next three weeks will lead a select few to strut, while many others will gnash their teeth and heave heavy objects through the screens of televisions.
It isn't a complicated process once things begin. Sixty-eight teams will tip off and all but one of them will end the season with a loss. It only gets weird when you try to figure out who that final winning team will be.
Yes, all manner of theorists, odds makers, experts, analysts, and seers will try to predict the outcomes of contests to a public who for the most part hasn't watched a single college basketball game all year. Algorithms will be cited, tea leaves will be consulted, logic will be applied and bones will be read by millions of Americans right up to and including the President of the United States. Everyone one will have a favorite and everyone will pick at least one team that shouldn't even be in the tournament to begin with to reach breathtaking heights.
Cinderellas are everywhere in this field, but there is a distinct shortage of glass slippers. Even after one earth shaking upset the tournament will grind on and the pressure will mount. It is almost a certainty that the little school that whacked an overwhelming favorite on Thursday will find itself being called a loser by the end of the weekend. Sometimes you are fortunate enough to run into a couple of the big boys having bad nights, but you can't count on it happening six times in a row.
Then of course there are the high end chokers. They are those supposed super basketball programs that bathe in tradition and glory and inevitably fuck your brackets up so completely you are out of the competition by the end of the first weekend. You know who they are, Duke and Kansas are among their number. In fact Duke is such a wild card, such an intolerable pain in the ass I cringe every time I look at their tournament schedule. Pick them and they tank to some God forsaken outfit. Last year it was Lehigh. Ignore them and they are liable to be sitting in the final four acting as if they get there every year.This year I have the bastards losing to Creighton in the second round. Same thing with those rubes from Lawrence. I have them running into Villanova in the second round and 'Nova is always a dangerous tournament team.
The fact is the game has become utterly unpredictable thanks to a rule that allows the great players to opt for the NBA after only one season. You are basically laying your money on a bunch of 18 year old kids and players who will either be studying dentistry, or cranking out burgers sometime in the near future. The truth is all of the prognostication has been reduced to dumb luck and the experts rendered useless.
So who will it be? Well as they say in Spokane, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Yes, I have Gonzaga winning it all. They've been to 15 tournaments in a row and they have an effective big man. Besides, the Jesuits are on a roll. When your guy is elected Pope you know you're having a good year and it isn't a good idea to try to derail a train like that.
Hey, it isn't much of a system, but right now it is all I have.
See you in Atlanta.
3-18-13
It isn't a complicated process once things begin. Sixty-eight teams will tip off and all but one of them will end the season with a loss. It only gets weird when you try to figure out who that final winning team will be.
Yes, all manner of theorists, odds makers, experts, analysts, and seers will try to predict the outcomes of contests to a public who for the most part hasn't watched a single college basketball game all year. Algorithms will be cited, tea leaves will be consulted, logic will be applied and bones will be read by millions of Americans right up to and including the President of the United States. Everyone one will have a favorite and everyone will pick at least one team that shouldn't even be in the tournament to begin with to reach breathtaking heights.
Cinderellas are everywhere in this field, but there is a distinct shortage of glass slippers. Even after one earth shaking upset the tournament will grind on and the pressure will mount. It is almost a certainty that the little school that whacked an overwhelming favorite on Thursday will find itself being called a loser by the end of the weekend. Sometimes you are fortunate enough to run into a couple of the big boys having bad nights, but you can't count on it happening six times in a row.
Then of course there are the high end chokers. They are those supposed super basketball programs that bathe in tradition and glory and inevitably fuck your brackets up so completely you are out of the competition by the end of the first weekend. You know who they are, Duke and Kansas are among their number. In fact Duke is such a wild card, such an intolerable pain in the ass I cringe every time I look at their tournament schedule. Pick them and they tank to some God forsaken outfit. Last year it was Lehigh. Ignore them and they are liable to be sitting in the final four acting as if they get there every year.This year I have the bastards losing to Creighton in the second round. Same thing with those rubes from Lawrence. I have them running into Villanova in the second round and 'Nova is always a dangerous tournament team.
The fact is the game has become utterly unpredictable thanks to a rule that allows the great players to opt for the NBA after only one season. You are basically laying your money on a bunch of 18 year old kids and players who will either be studying dentistry, or cranking out burgers sometime in the near future. The truth is all of the prognostication has been reduced to dumb luck and the experts rendered useless.
So who will it be? Well as they say in Spokane, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Yes, I have Gonzaga winning it all. They've been to 15 tournaments in a row and they have an effective big man. Besides, the Jesuits are on a roll. When your guy is elected Pope you know you're having a good year and it isn't a good idea to try to derail a train like that.
Hey, it isn't much of a system, but right now it is all I have.
See you in Atlanta.
3-18-13
Friday, March 15, 2013
The Week In Review: Trump at CPAC, Boone Croons, Wall Street Skyrockets, Family Counseling in Egypt, North Korean Videos, and Another Day, Another Guy With a Gun
You really have to admire the conservative mind. There is something absolutely endearing about the way they can't help but drive huge throngs of minorities straight into the arms of the democratic party.
NBC reports that Donald Trump spoke to the faithful last night in a weird off the cuff speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He first told the crowd that they needed to leave what the GOP calls entitlements alone. You know, stuff like medicare, social security and medicaid. This star burst of liberalism quickly went down the drain when it came to immigration reform. Mr. Trump believes immigration reform, when it applies to Hispanics, is a dangerous thing for the republican party. He sternly warned the audience that, "Every one of those 11 million illegal immigrants will be voting democratic and you have to be very careful. Odds are its not looking so great for republicans. You're on a suicide mission--you're just not going to get that vote."
Then came the coup de grace. According to Donald Trump, "Europeans who want to immigrate to the United States and who have children who do well at American universities should be allowed to stay." In other words if they aren't brown and look like everyone else in this room, hell yes, welcome them with open arms.
Today's speaker is Mitt Romney, who was last seen telling a conservative gathering that 47% of the population is welfare dependent and considers itself victims. That was right before Barak Obama handed him his head in the November election.
On Wednesday night former crooner Pat Boone appeared on Fox News. He is not a fan of Mr. Obama. In the past he has accused the president of being a Kenyan Muslim. The other night he claimed Barak Obama was a socialist and he wanted a society where no one got rich and the government controlled every aspect of an individuals life.
Someone needs to let Wall Street in on that news. The next day the Dow hit a record high of 14,539.14. Today MSN Now is reporting the number of Americans who have a net worth of $1 million dollars or more, not counting property, has risen to 8.99 million, an increase of 300,000. If this is Marxism then old Karl is spinning in his grave.
Over in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood family expert, Mr. Osama Yehia Abu Salama addressed a group of women who are training to be marriage counselors. The New York Times reports that Mr. Salama told the class that when helping a woman who has been beaten by her husband they should "show her how she had a role in what happened to her." The Times went on to say that Mr. Salama assured his audience that, "If he is to blame she shares 30 or 40% of the fault.
In other news the North Koreans released a propaganda video showing homeless people in the U.S. In it they claim everyone here lives on the streets and drinks a government issued one cup of snow coffee a day. The narrator pointed out the lack of birds in the street scenes and announced all the birds were gone because we've eaten them. And in a moment that might play perfectly on Saturday Night Live, a long haired man with a beard dressed in ragged clothes was shown standing in line at a shelter. The North Koreans identified him as a former republican candidate for office. Well who knows? Maybe he is. American politics, after all, is a ruthless business. Eat or be eaten, that is the fundamental rule.
Finally, and you knew it would come down to this didn't you, in up state New York Mr. Kurt Myers, age 64 went off his nut Wednesday. Before he was done 4 people and one police dog were dead and two other persons were wounded. He left no note explaining why he did it. A former landlady described him as being very quiet, a loner, and anti social. Police report Mr. Myers didn't have a lot of contact with his family and they have no clue as to why he would wig out in such a deadly fashion. His weapon of choice was a shotgun, which means it didn't have to be registered in New York. His only previous run in with police was a 1973 drunk driving charge.
@GunDeaths and Slate reports that as of Thursday at least 2,963 Americans have been shot to death since the middle of this past December.
Luckily it is Friday.
I think I'll go eat a bird.
3-15-13
NBC reports that Donald Trump spoke to the faithful last night in a weird off the cuff speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He first told the crowd that they needed to leave what the GOP calls entitlements alone. You know, stuff like medicare, social security and medicaid. This star burst of liberalism quickly went down the drain when it came to immigration reform. Mr. Trump believes immigration reform, when it applies to Hispanics, is a dangerous thing for the republican party. He sternly warned the audience that, "Every one of those 11 million illegal immigrants will be voting democratic and you have to be very careful. Odds are its not looking so great for republicans. You're on a suicide mission--you're just not going to get that vote."
Then came the coup de grace. According to Donald Trump, "Europeans who want to immigrate to the United States and who have children who do well at American universities should be allowed to stay." In other words if they aren't brown and look like everyone else in this room, hell yes, welcome them with open arms.
Today's speaker is Mitt Romney, who was last seen telling a conservative gathering that 47% of the population is welfare dependent and considers itself victims. That was right before Barak Obama handed him his head in the November election.
On Wednesday night former crooner Pat Boone appeared on Fox News. He is not a fan of Mr. Obama. In the past he has accused the president of being a Kenyan Muslim. The other night he claimed Barak Obama was a socialist and he wanted a society where no one got rich and the government controlled every aspect of an individuals life.
Someone needs to let Wall Street in on that news. The next day the Dow hit a record high of 14,539.14. Today MSN Now is reporting the number of Americans who have a net worth of $1 million dollars or more, not counting property, has risen to 8.99 million, an increase of 300,000. If this is Marxism then old Karl is spinning in his grave.
Over in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood family expert, Mr. Osama Yehia Abu Salama addressed a group of women who are training to be marriage counselors. The New York Times reports that Mr. Salama told the class that when helping a woman who has been beaten by her husband they should "show her how she had a role in what happened to her." The Times went on to say that Mr. Salama assured his audience that, "If he is to blame she shares 30 or 40% of the fault.
In other news the North Koreans released a propaganda video showing homeless people in the U.S. In it they claim everyone here lives on the streets and drinks a government issued one cup of snow coffee a day. The narrator pointed out the lack of birds in the street scenes and announced all the birds were gone because we've eaten them. And in a moment that might play perfectly on Saturday Night Live, a long haired man with a beard dressed in ragged clothes was shown standing in line at a shelter. The North Koreans identified him as a former republican candidate for office. Well who knows? Maybe he is. American politics, after all, is a ruthless business. Eat or be eaten, that is the fundamental rule.
Finally, and you knew it would come down to this didn't you, in up state New York Mr. Kurt Myers, age 64 went off his nut Wednesday. Before he was done 4 people and one police dog were dead and two other persons were wounded. He left no note explaining why he did it. A former landlady described him as being very quiet, a loner, and anti social. Police report Mr. Myers didn't have a lot of contact with his family and they have no clue as to why he would wig out in such a deadly fashion. His weapon of choice was a shotgun, which means it didn't have to be registered in New York. His only previous run in with police was a 1973 drunk driving charge.
@GunDeaths and Slate reports that as of Thursday at least 2,963 Americans have been shot to death since the middle of this past December.
Luckily it is Friday.
I think I'll go eat a bird.
3-15-13
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Delusional Republicans Here and Everywhere
In Oklahoma you can never over estimate a local lawmakers complete ignorance when it comes to understanding the law. Case in point, the other day The Oklahoman's Michael McNutt reported about a conservative rally at the state capitol during which the faithful were yelling things like, "No Obama!" Apparently the news hasn't arrived down at N.E. 23rd and Lincoln Blvd that Barak Obama won re-election and is the president of these United States for the next four years.
But I digress, most of the hub bub was a pro gun, anti Affordable Care Act pep rally that featured NRA hacks, over sized evangelical Christian ministers and firebrand politicos who claim their legislation will stop the red menace of Obamacare no matter what a dememted Supreme Court says.
The specific law in question is House Bill 1021. It recently passed the house by a vote of 72-20. Today McNutt reports that democratic legislators, a dying breed in this state, are calling the bill nothing but a political statement, meaningless, and a waste of time. According to its author, Mike Ritze, R--Broken Arrow, "it will protect Oklahomans against an unconstitutional federal overreach in power and control over their daily lives." McNutt quotes Ritze as saying, "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act is an example of federal overreach and my legislation will authorize the state via the will of the people to ignore it and ban enforcement of it."
Uh, right. Dan Fisher, another republican constitutional scholar, had sponsored a similar bill, although his would have chucked people into jail for trying to implement Affordable Care. His legislation gained initial committee approval, but ultimately was so embarrassingly illiterate and insane that a second republican controlled committee refused to let it go to the floor for a vote of the full house.
At the rally McNutt pointed out to Ritze how the Supreme Court had ruled on the case and declared Affordable Care constitutional and the law of the land. The representative began to babble about how the Supreme Court had been wrong before. Quite honestly, there might be drug abuse involved here. How much clearer can people make it to this crank? I mean this isn't like trying to program a new iPhone. The rule is simple. If the Supremes say it is the law, then it is the law. Mike Ritze's legislation cannot, under any circumstances, over rule them, no matter how wrong he might think they are.
Anyway the Ritze law passed and if it passes the senate and the governor is stupid enough to sign it, it will become an Oklahoma law for all of about ten minutes. Then someone will drag the state into federal court and about fifteen minutes after that it won't be worth the paper it was written on. Phrases like "meaningless and a waste of time" would not only seem to apply, but tend to be a bit understated.
Of course Ritze might come by his delusions honestly. Kasie Hunt of NBC News reports that the Conservative Political Action Conference passed on asking Governor Chris Christie to speak to the group, because, "The GOP is not a home for everyone."
Obviously. And therein lies the reason Mitt Romney isn't the president of the United States.
Passing on the most popular republican in the nation might seem a tad silly to most people who prize reality in their lives. However, Hunt quotes American Conservative Union chairman, Al Cardenas as saying, "This year for better or worse we felt like he didn't deserve to be on the All-Star selection for the decisions he made." Cardenas went onto say, "He's popular, but everyone needs to live by the parameters of the movement.
CPAC's All-Star selection includes such proven winners as Donald Trump, Dick Morris, and Newt Gingrich.
Someone needs to explain the word nihilistic to Brother Cardenas.
Or not.
By the way, that sound you hear is Hillary Clinton sharpening her knives.
3-14-13
But I digress, most of the hub bub was a pro gun, anti Affordable Care Act pep rally that featured NRA hacks, over sized evangelical Christian ministers and firebrand politicos who claim their legislation will stop the red menace of Obamacare no matter what a dememted Supreme Court says.
The specific law in question is House Bill 1021. It recently passed the house by a vote of 72-20. Today McNutt reports that democratic legislators, a dying breed in this state, are calling the bill nothing but a political statement, meaningless, and a waste of time. According to its author, Mike Ritze, R--Broken Arrow, "it will protect Oklahomans against an unconstitutional federal overreach in power and control over their daily lives." McNutt quotes Ritze as saying, "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act is an example of federal overreach and my legislation will authorize the state via the will of the people to ignore it and ban enforcement of it."
Uh, right. Dan Fisher, another republican constitutional scholar, had sponsored a similar bill, although his would have chucked people into jail for trying to implement Affordable Care. His legislation gained initial committee approval, but ultimately was so embarrassingly illiterate and insane that a second republican controlled committee refused to let it go to the floor for a vote of the full house.
At the rally McNutt pointed out to Ritze how the Supreme Court had ruled on the case and declared Affordable Care constitutional and the law of the land. The representative began to babble about how the Supreme Court had been wrong before. Quite honestly, there might be drug abuse involved here. How much clearer can people make it to this crank? I mean this isn't like trying to program a new iPhone. The rule is simple. If the Supremes say it is the law, then it is the law. Mike Ritze's legislation cannot, under any circumstances, over rule them, no matter how wrong he might think they are.
Anyway the Ritze law passed and if it passes the senate and the governor is stupid enough to sign it, it will become an Oklahoma law for all of about ten minutes. Then someone will drag the state into federal court and about fifteen minutes after that it won't be worth the paper it was written on. Phrases like "meaningless and a waste of time" would not only seem to apply, but tend to be a bit understated.
Of course Ritze might come by his delusions honestly. Kasie Hunt of NBC News reports that the Conservative Political Action Conference passed on asking Governor Chris Christie to speak to the group, because, "The GOP is not a home for everyone."
Obviously. And therein lies the reason Mitt Romney isn't the president of the United States.
Passing on the most popular republican in the nation might seem a tad silly to most people who prize reality in their lives. However, Hunt quotes American Conservative Union chairman, Al Cardenas as saying, "This year for better or worse we felt like he didn't deserve to be on the All-Star selection for the decisions he made." Cardenas went onto say, "He's popular, but everyone needs to live by the parameters of the movement.
CPAC's All-Star selection includes such proven winners as Donald Trump, Dick Morris, and Newt Gingrich.
Someone needs to explain the word nihilistic to Brother Cardenas.
Or not.
By the way, that sound you hear is Hillary Clinton sharpening her knives.
3-14-13
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
A Hug Isn't Just A Hug and a Movie is More than a Movie: Scandals and Law Suits in Iran
It isn't always easy being the president of Iran. Sometimes your best intentions can run afoul of certain religious mores that just about everyone else in the world really isn't aware of, or gives a rat's ass about.
Our old pal, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to have caused a bit of a scandal in Tehran. In fact in certain quarters they are calling for him to pick up a book and read about his religion. In others he is being flatly accused of un-Islamic acts.
In the west when someone claims you are guilty of un-Christian acts you might bluster and argue the point, or you might not even care. That is because, ultimately, the people running the show really can't do anything to you for simply being, un-Christian, or un-Jewish, or un-anything else. Unfortunately for Ahmadinejad the guys in charge in Iran are a tad inflexible when it comes to un-Islamic stuff. In fact one might even reasonably use the word, rabid when describing their attitudes when they determine someone has crossed the line. And unlike here, they can and will do something about it.
Ahmadinejad had gone to Venezuela last week to attend the funeral of Hugo Chavez along with a gaggle of other presidents, premiers, and socialites. NBC news' Kari Huus reports that the shit hit the fan when a photo surfaced of Ahmadinejad going cheek to cheek with Chavez's mother, Elena Frias while he clasped her hands in his. I know, the immorality of it all is nearly too much to fathom, or bear.
Huus quotes one Hojat al-Islam Hossein Ibrahami as saying "In relation of what we know is allowed, we know that no unrelated woman can be touched unless she is drowning, or needs medical treatment." Mr. Ibrahami is a member of the Society of Militant Clergy of Tehran. Another cleric described the hug as, "contrary to the dignity of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Of course Ahmadinejad didn't help himself any during his eulogy of Chavez. He went a bit flowery and over the top when he told the mourners that The Commandante was a martyr and would one day return with Jesus Christ, and Al-Imam-al Mahdi to redeem mankind. With that little remark he stepped squarely into the realm of heresy.
Ahmadinejad is term limited and can't run in the June elections, but he'd hoped to slip a protege into office. Right now he is probably lucky he isn't doing time in some re-education camp outside of Qom. Yes, there is nothing quite like that old time religion especially when it has absolute power.
The other current outrage in Iran is due to the movie "Argo." The reviews from the big boys there are not so hot for Ben Affleck's flick about the rescue of six American embassy workers during the hostage crisis that began in 1979 and lasted until the minute Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. The word coming from the hallowed halls is that the film is nothing more than CIA propaganda. Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister, Mohammad Hosseini was quoted as saying, "We don't expect anything else from the enemy."
Reports are that the Iranians aren't going to take this lying down either. According to various news sources they have begun negotiations with French lawyer, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre in the hope that she will represent them in a law suit they plan to bring against Affleck and nearly everyone else connected to the movie. The main insult is that the film portrays Iranians as "too violent." Coutant-Peyre's other high profile client was the Venezuelan terrorist for hire popularly referred to as "Carlos the Jackel." There is no word where the suit would be filed, or how the Iranians would prove themselves to be not too violent.
It isn't the first time Iran has objected to American movies. They didn't like the film, "300," which was a re-telling of the battle of Thermopylae, but one can hardly blame them for that. I mean the dialogue in it was as awful as you can get. They also objected to the film "Not Without My Daughter," which was a Sally Field vehicle. The Iranians claimed the movie unfairly portrayed them as dirty and boorish with misogynist attitudes toward women and, my personal favorite, as being obsessed with Islam.
How in the name of God could that have ever happened?
I'm sure the Society of Militant Clergy of Tehran will certainly be glad to clear up that terrible mis-conception quickly if we'll just give them a call.
Well, once they've finished their business with the soon to be ex-president that is.
One thing at a time. As always, one thing at a time.
sic vita est
3-12-13
Our old pal, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to have caused a bit of a scandal in Tehran. In fact in certain quarters they are calling for him to pick up a book and read about his religion. In others he is being flatly accused of un-Islamic acts.
In the west when someone claims you are guilty of un-Christian acts you might bluster and argue the point, or you might not even care. That is because, ultimately, the people running the show really can't do anything to you for simply being, un-Christian, or un-Jewish, or un-anything else. Unfortunately for Ahmadinejad the guys in charge in Iran are a tad inflexible when it comes to un-Islamic stuff. In fact one might even reasonably use the word, rabid when describing their attitudes when they determine someone has crossed the line. And unlike here, they can and will do something about it.
Ahmadinejad had gone to Venezuela last week to attend the funeral of Hugo Chavez along with a gaggle of other presidents, premiers, and socialites. NBC news' Kari Huus reports that the shit hit the fan when a photo surfaced of Ahmadinejad going cheek to cheek with Chavez's mother, Elena Frias while he clasped her hands in his. I know, the immorality of it all is nearly too much to fathom, or bear.
Huus quotes one Hojat al-Islam Hossein Ibrahami as saying "In relation of what we know is allowed, we know that no unrelated woman can be touched unless she is drowning, or needs medical treatment." Mr. Ibrahami is a member of the Society of Militant Clergy of Tehran. Another cleric described the hug as, "contrary to the dignity of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Of course Ahmadinejad didn't help himself any during his eulogy of Chavez. He went a bit flowery and over the top when he told the mourners that The Commandante was a martyr and would one day return with Jesus Christ, and Al-Imam-al Mahdi to redeem mankind. With that little remark he stepped squarely into the realm of heresy.
Ahmadinejad is term limited and can't run in the June elections, but he'd hoped to slip a protege into office. Right now he is probably lucky he isn't doing time in some re-education camp outside of Qom. Yes, there is nothing quite like that old time religion especially when it has absolute power.
The other current outrage in Iran is due to the movie "Argo." The reviews from the big boys there are not so hot for Ben Affleck's flick about the rescue of six American embassy workers during the hostage crisis that began in 1979 and lasted until the minute Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. The word coming from the hallowed halls is that the film is nothing more than CIA propaganda. Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister, Mohammad Hosseini was quoted as saying, "We don't expect anything else from the enemy."
Reports are that the Iranians aren't going to take this lying down either. According to various news sources they have begun negotiations with French lawyer, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre in the hope that she will represent them in a law suit they plan to bring against Affleck and nearly everyone else connected to the movie. The main insult is that the film portrays Iranians as "too violent." Coutant-Peyre's other high profile client was the Venezuelan terrorist for hire popularly referred to as "Carlos the Jackel." There is no word where the suit would be filed, or how the Iranians would prove themselves to be not too violent.
It isn't the first time Iran has objected to American movies. They didn't like the film, "300," which was a re-telling of the battle of Thermopylae, but one can hardly blame them for that. I mean the dialogue in it was as awful as you can get. They also objected to the film "Not Without My Daughter," which was a Sally Field vehicle. The Iranians claimed the movie unfairly portrayed them as dirty and boorish with misogynist attitudes toward women and, my personal favorite, as being obsessed with Islam.
How in the name of God could that have ever happened?
I'm sure the Society of Militant Clergy of Tehran will certainly be glad to clear up that terrible mis-conception quickly if we'll just give them a call.
Well, once they've finished their business with the soon to be ex-president that is.
One thing at a time. As always, one thing at a time.
sic vita est
3-12-13
Monday, March 11, 2013
Life in Byron: Own a Gun or Else!
Well you have to hand it to the pro gun mob in the United States. When push comes to shove in certain locales a tyrannical and over reaching government is as much to their liking as it is to any hard core Marxist out there.
Up in Byron, Maine the annual town meeting will be held tonight. The population of 140 some odd proud souls will vote on whether or not to require each of its citizens to own a firearm. That's right, if the proposal passes and you don't own a gun you will be in violation of a city ordinance. Well sort of.
Reuters' Sarah Mahoney is reporting that even though the vote will take place, such a law would not only be unenforceable, but it would be presumably in violation of a Maine state law that prohibits municipalities in the Pine Tree State from enacting any sort of gun legislation.
Head Selectman Ann Simmons-Edmund proposed the law. Mahoney quotes her as saying, "It was never my intention to force anyone in town to own a gun who doesn't want to. My purpose was to make a statement in support of the second amendment." Yes, well it isn't going to read that way on the town books is it, Selectman? Once it is written down as a law nuance and political symbolism go out the window. It is what it says it is, at least until either someone with brain, or the Maine Attorney General takes the town of Byron to court and gets it thrown out.
Byron isn't the only place in this vast land that is thinking about this. Mahoney reports that Selectmen in Sabbatus, Maine recently decided against putting a similar proposal up for a town vote. Perhaps the Selectmen of Sabbatus had the good sense to know that it was a useless piece of political theater to begin with, or maybe they took a look at the town's legal fund and decided they couldn't afford a lawyer when someone drags them into litigation over the stupidity.
In Nelson, Georgia a proposal to force the head of each household in town to own a gun will come up for a vote of the city council on April, 1st. The irony of the date alone says paragraphs about such legislation.
There are roughly 268 million Americans. The FBI's low ball estimate of privately owned guns is 200 million. I say low ball because the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms estimated that back in 1995 there were 223 million firearms owned by Americans. The Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva put the number in the year 2007 at 270 million.
Just about every day some NRA shill claims that if we all had guns the nation would be a safer place. Well according to those numbers everyone here all ready has one and so far it really hasn't worked out all that well for us. The deadly nonsense and now the cruel hypocrisy of the NRA and its supporters will never cease. If they really wanted to stop tyranny in this country they would give up their weapons of mass murder rather than trying to make the rest of us act and think just like them.
@GunDeaths and Slate are reporting that as of yesterday at least 2,607 Americans have been shot to death since the Newtown, Connecticut nightmare in December. In 1861 at a place called Bull Run, Union and Confederate armies waged the first large scale battle of the Civil War. If you count both sides over 60,000 armed combatants were on the field that day.The number of Union casualties, including both wounded and missing, was 2,950.
What a bunch of weenies.
3-11-13
Up in Byron, Maine the annual town meeting will be held tonight. The population of 140 some odd proud souls will vote on whether or not to require each of its citizens to own a firearm. That's right, if the proposal passes and you don't own a gun you will be in violation of a city ordinance. Well sort of.
Reuters' Sarah Mahoney is reporting that even though the vote will take place, such a law would not only be unenforceable, but it would be presumably in violation of a Maine state law that prohibits municipalities in the Pine Tree State from enacting any sort of gun legislation.
Head Selectman Ann Simmons-Edmund proposed the law. Mahoney quotes her as saying, "It was never my intention to force anyone in town to own a gun who doesn't want to. My purpose was to make a statement in support of the second amendment." Yes, well it isn't going to read that way on the town books is it, Selectman? Once it is written down as a law nuance and political symbolism go out the window. It is what it says it is, at least until either someone with brain, or the Maine Attorney General takes the town of Byron to court and gets it thrown out.
Byron isn't the only place in this vast land that is thinking about this. Mahoney reports that Selectmen in Sabbatus, Maine recently decided against putting a similar proposal up for a town vote. Perhaps the Selectmen of Sabbatus had the good sense to know that it was a useless piece of political theater to begin with, or maybe they took a look at the town's legal fund and decided they couldn't afford a lawyer when someone drags them into litigation over the stupidity.
In Nelson, Georgia a proposal to force the head of each household in town to own a gun will come up for a vote of the city council on April, 1st. The irony of the date alone says paragraphs about such legislation.
There are roughly 268 million Americans. The FBI's low ball estimate of privately owned guns is 200 million. I say low ball because the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms estimated that back in 1995 there were 223 million firearms owned by Americans. The Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva put the number in the year 2007 at 270 million.
Just about every day some NRA shill claims that if we all had guns the nation would be a safer place. Well according to those numbers everyone here all ready has one and so far it really hasn't worked out all that well for us. The deadly nonsense and now the cruel hypocrisy of the NRA and its supporters will never cease. If they really wanted to stop tyranny in this country they would give up their weapons of mass murder rather than trying to make the rest of us act and think just like them.
@GunDeaths and Slate are reporting that as of yesterday at least 2,607 Americans have been shot to death since the Newtown, Connecticut nightmare in December. In 1861 at a place called Bull Run, Union and Confederate armies waged the first large scale battle of the Civil War. If you count both sides over 60,000 armed combatants were on the field that day.The number of Union casualties, including both wounded and missing, was 2,950.
What a bunch of weenies.
3-11-13
Friday, March 8, 2013
Rand Paul Blows Long, Flags at Half Staff in Houston, The Marxist U.S. Economy, Rodman in North Korea, and Casualties Mount
Well you have to give it to Rand Paul. No one has said so much, for so long, about what has been called by John McCain a "totally unfounded point."
Paul filibustered in the senate for twelve or thirteen hours with a little help from his friends this week in order to protect you and me from being struck down by a drone missile remotely piloted by Barak H. Obama himself.
Supposedly the Jr. Senator from Kentucky was trying to force the administration into some sort of earth shaking concession that it would not blow up American citizens while they drink cappuccinos in American cafes. It is an analogy the Senator used several times. This was to counter the administration's contention that U. S. forces could and would deploy drones to target Americans on U.S. soil in extraordinary circumstances that pose an imminent threat to National security.
In other words if you're headed toward the capitol building with a fucking bazooka and are intent on using it, we reserve the right to take your ass out right then and there. If you're just sitting around talking about the Knicks-Thunder game last night, we'll leave you alone. That fine point was apparently lost on Senator Paul. When Attorney General Eric Holder shrugged his shoulders and said no, the federal government wouldn't kill U.S. citizens who aren't imminent threats, Paul immediately began running around town screaming he'd won a great victory for American civil liberties and the constitution.
Senator Paul was doing this in order to hold up the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the CIA. It was a nomination he admitted he didn't have the votes to stop. He was aided and abetted in this useless political theater by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who was last heard claiming the Harvard Law School faculty was rife with communists. Senator Cruz read passages from Shakespeare's play "Henry the V" and the movie "Patton." Marco Rubio chimed in with references to rappers Jay-Z and Wiz Khalifa. It is not known if Senator Rubio made a quick and desperate dive for a bottle of water, or not. It is known, however that Brennan was confirmed yesterday.
McCain took to the floor and called all the histrionics, "a political stunt used to fire up impressionable libertarian kids in their dorm rooms." South Carolina republican Senator, Lindsey Graham said he found "the whole question offensive."
Meanwhile thousands upon thousands of Venezuelans, who U.S. Representative Tom Cotton referred to as oppressed, have taken to the streets in unabashed grief as they mourn the passing of Hugo Chavez, otherwise known as The Commandante. In Houston, at the corporate offices of CITGO, flags, including the American one, were flying at half staff provoking some angry phone calls to the energy company's phone bank. CITGO is owned by the Venezuelan national oil company proving once again that as much as we say we hate socialists, we're more than willing to sell out to them to make a quick buck for the shareholders. Lets face it, idealism sounds great, but profit is the bottom line here.
In New York the stock market has reached a record high. The jobless rate is also reported to have fallen to its lowest point in four years. This leaves one to contemplate the progress of the economy if we hadn't re-elected a president who Tea Party trolls claim is communist/socialist/marxist/foreign born son of a bitch.
In international news, Dennis Rodman has returned from North Korea where he hung out with his new best buddy Kim Jong Un. Rodman, the master and yet strangely unemployed diplomat, referred to Kim as great guy and said the North Korean leader wanted President Obama to give him a call. Shortly after Rodman left, the "great guy" threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against either South Korea, the U.S. or both.
And finally @GunDeaths and Slate reports that as of yesterday at least 2,517 Americans have been shot to death since, Adam Lanza went a little funny in the head last December.That number includes 45 children who never reached the age of thirteen.
But we're free. Thank God Almighty we're free.
Mr. Sulu you have the helm.
3-8-13
Paul filibustered in the senate for twelve or thirteen hours with a little help from his friends this week in order to protect you and me from being struck down by a drone missile remotely piloted by Barak H. Obama himself.
Supposedly the Jr. Senator from Kentucky was trying to force the administration into some sort of earth shaking concession that it would not blow up American citizens while they drink cappuccinos in American cafes. It is an analogy the Senator used several times. This was to counter the administration's contention that U. S. forces could and would deploy drones to target Americans on U.S. soil in extraordinary circumstances that pose an imminent threat to National security.
In other words if you're headed toward the capitol building with a fucking bazooka and are intent on using it, we reserve the right to take your ass out right then and there. If you're just sitting around talking about the Knicks-Thunder game last night, we'll leave you alone. That fine point was apparently lost on Senator Paul. When Attorney General Eric Holder shrugged his shoulders and said no, the federal government wouldn't kill U.S. citizens who aren't imminent threats, Paul immediately began running around town screaming he'd won a great victory for American civil liberties and the constitution.
Senator Paul was doing this in order to hold up the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the CIA. It was a nomination he admitted he didn't have the votes to stop. He was aided and abetted in this useless political theater by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who was last heard claiming the Harvard Law School faculty was rife with communists. Senator Cruz read passages from Shakespeare's play "Henry the V" and the movie "Patton." Marco Rubio chimed in with references to rappers Jay-Z and Wiz Khalifa. It is not known if Senator Rubio made a quick and desperate dive for a bottle of water, or not. It is known, however that Brennan was confirmed yesterday.
McCain took to the floor and called all the histrionics, "a political stunt used to fire up impressionable libertarian kids in their dorm rooms." South Carolina republican Senator, Lindsey Graham said he found "the whole question offensive."
Meanwhile thousands upon thousands of Venezuelans, who U.S. Representative Tom Cotton referred to as oppressed, have taken to the streets in unabashed grief as they mourn the passing of Hugo Chavez, otherwise known as The Commandante. In Houston, at the corporate offices of CITGO, flags, including the American one, were flying at half staff provoking some angry phone calls to the energy company's phone bank. CITGO is owned by the Venezuelan national oil company proving once again that as much as we say we hate socialists, we're more than willing to sell out to them to make a quick buck for the shareholders. Lets face it, idealism sounds great, but profit is the bottom line here.
In New York the stock market has reached a record high. The jobless rate is also reported to have fallen to its lowest point in four years. This leaves one to contemplate the progress of the economy if we hadn't re-elected a president who Tea Party trolls claim is communist/socialist/marxist/foreign born son of a bitch.
In international news, Dennis Rodman has returned from North Korea where he hung out with his new best buddy Kim Jong Un. Rodman, the master and yet strangely unemployed diplomat, referred to Kim as great guy and said the North Korean leader wanted President Obama to give him a call. Shortly after Rodman left, the "great guy" threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against either South Korea, the U.S. or both.
And finally @GunDeaths and Slate reports that as of yesterday at least 2,517 Americans have been shot to death since, Adam Lanza went a little funny in the head last December.That number includes 45 children who never reached the age of thirteen.
But we're free. Thank God Almighty we're free.
Mr. Sulu you have the helm.
3-8-13
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Hasta Luego, Hugo
"Hugo Chavez was a leader that understood the needs of the poor. He was committed to empowering the powerless. RIP, Mr. President
U.S. Representative Jose Sorrano--D. NY
He was elected in 1998 and inaugurated in early 1999. The overwhelming majority of the United States public had never heard of him and even if we had it is doubtful any of us would have cared one way or another. In fact if you had taken a poll at that moment most citizens of this country would have probably not even known a Venezuelan election had taken place and a new president had been sworn in.
"Chavez openly hated the United States and opposed any effort to spread freedom, democracy, and free markets in Latin America."
A statement issued by Move Forward America
All the enmity really began in April, 2002. There was a coup attempt that failed. Chavez was quick to accuse the United States and the Bush administration of plotting it, or backing it, or approving it. He got a little wild eyed there for a bit, but many men who have just dodged a bullet are that way. And who is to blame him really? After all, there is plenty of precedent for that sort of thing. Besides, anyone sitting on a vast sea of oil while Bush and Cheney were running the show was a candidate to sleep with the fishes. There was an investigation into the charges and a congressional panel found the United States had acted "appropriately" before, during, and after the failed putsch. In October of that year he was claiming he'd foiled another coup and an assassination attempt, both of which were nefarious plots of the CIA. His government didn't conduct any investigation into the alleged black ops and offered no proof that either event took place, much less that the United States was behind them.
"He will be remembered for his bold assertion of autonomy and independence for Latin American governments."
Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States
He invested profits from the state run oil company into programs to improve health, education, employment, housing, pensions, and access to safe drinking water. He was also cozying up to Fidel and Raul in Cuba. His political base was firmly rooted in the poor and indigenous peoples of Venezuela. Their love for him was growing into something akin to messianic worship.
"There are close to two million people in the United States who receive free heating assistance thanks to President Chavez's leadership.
Joseph P. Kennedy II, head of the non profit Citizens Energy
He provided U.S. citizens with heating oil at either reduced prices or gratis. Much of it went to Native Americans in Alaska. He also told Ted Koppel that he had uncovered details of the planned U.S. invasion of Venezuela which was being called Operation Balboa. He claimed he knew the number of bombers and aircraft carriers that would be involved. U.S. officials said Operation Balboa was a Spanish exercise that had nothing to do with Venezuela. The invasion never occurred.
"Sic Semper Tyrannis. After the welcome news of Hugo Chavez's death I hope the oppressed people of Venezuela will be able to live in freedom, not under some miserable tyranny. I look forward to working in the house to promote a free democratic and pro American government in Venezulea."
U.S. Representative Tom Cotton--R. AR.
The outpouring of grief has been monumental and Latin American heads of states are heading in droves to Venezuela to offer their condolences and support. In his first few years in office the Venezuelan GDP doubled. In February of 2009 his government backed a referendum that would abolish the constitutional two term limit for public officials including the presidency. It passed with a 54% majority. The law in effect allowed The Commandante to run for president every six years for as long as he lived.
"The Venezuelan people now have an opportunity to turn the page on one of the darkest periods in its history and embark on a new, albeit difficult, path to restore the rule of law, democratic principles, security, and free enterprise in a nation that deserves so much better than the socialist disaster of the past 14 years."
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, R--FL
I don't know why I didn't like the guy. I mean I probably should have. I think it was that whole "change the constitution so I can stay president forever" thing. I find that sort of power grab not only distasteful, but beyond suspect. I'm not a fan of dictators and that is where Hugo Chavez was headed. Once you've become the Commandante for Life you've lost me, no matter how great and wonderful your intentions, no matter what you've accomplished in the past.
"There is no doubt that Commandante Chavez's health came under attack by the enemy."
Nicolas Maduro, Vice President Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
Well, you have to blame someone don't you. Besides, it has become something of a tradition down there, rather like claiming that communists have infested the Harvard Law School faculty is here.
Expect Senor Maduro's stay to be a short one, because, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, "Mr. Vice President, you're no Hugo Chavez."
sic vita est
3-6-13
U.S. Representative Jose Sorrano--D. NY
He was elected in 1998 and inaugurated in early 1999. The overwhelming majority of the United States public had never heard of him and even if we had it is doubtful any of us would have cared one way or another. In fact if you had taken a poll at that moment most citizens of this country would have probably not even known a Venezuelan election had taken place and a new president had been sworn in.
"Chavez openly hated the United States and opposed any effort to spread freedom, democracy, and free markets in Latin America."
A statement issued by Move Forward America
All the enmity really began in April, 2002. There was a coup attempt that failed. Chavez was quick to accuse the United States and the Bush administration of plotting it, or backing it, or approving it. He got a little wild eyed there for a bit, but many men who have just dodged a bullet are that way. And who is to blame him really? After all, there is plenty of precedent for that sort of thing. Besides, anyone sitting on a vast sea of oil while Bush and Cheney were running the show was a candidate to sleep with the fishes. There was an investigation into the charges and a congressional panel found the United States had acted "appropriately" before, during, and after the failed putsch. In October of that year he was claiming he'd foiled another coup and an assassination attempt, both of which were nefarious plots of the CIA. His government didn't conduct any investigation into the alleged black ops and offered no proof that either event took place, much less that the United States was behind them.
"He will be remembered for his bold assertion of autonomy and independence for Latin American governments."
Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States
He invested profits from the state run oil company into programs to improve health, education, employment, housing, pensions, and access to safe drinking water. He was also cozying up to Fidel and Raul in Cuba. His political base was firmly rooted in the poor and indigenous peoples of Venezuela. Their love for him was growing into something akin to messianic worship.
"There are close to two million people in the United States who receive free heating assistance thanks to President Chavez's leadership.
Joseph P. Kennedy II, head of the non profit Citizens Energy
He provided U.S. citizens with heating oil at either reduced prices or gratis. Much of it went to Native Americans in Alaska. He also told Ted Koppel that he had uncovered details of the planned U.S. invasion of Venezuela which was being called Operation Balboa. He claimed he knew the number of bombers and aircraft carriers that would be involved. U.S. officials said Operation Balboa was a Spanish exercise that had nothing to do with Venezuela. The invasion never occurred.
"Sic Semper Tyrannis. After the welcome news of Hugo Chavez's death I hope the oppressed people of Venezuela will be able to live in freedom, not under some miserable tyranny. I look forward to working in the house to promote a free democratic and pro American government in Venezulea."
U.S. Representative Tom Cotton--R. AR.
The outpouring of grief has been monumental and Latin American heads of states are heading in droves to Venezuela to offer their condolences and support. In his first few years in office the Venezuelan GDP doubled. In February of 2009 his government backed a referendum that would abolish the constitutional two term limit for public officials including the presidency. It passed with a 54% majority. The law in effect allowed The Commandante to run for president every six years for as long as he lived.
"The Venezuelan people now have an opportunity to turn the page on one of the darkest periods in its history and embark on a new, albeit difficult, path to restore the rule of law, democratic principles, security, and free enterprise in a nation that deserves so much better than the socialist disaster of the past 14 years."
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, R--FL
I don't know why I didn't like the guy. I mean I probably should have. I think it was that whole "change the constitution so I can stay president forever" thing. I find that sort of power grab not only distasteful, but beyond suspect. I'm not a fan of dictators and that is where Hugo Chavez was headed. Once you've become the Commandante for Life you've lost me, no matter how great and wonderful your intentions, no matter what you've accomplished in the past.
"There is no doubt that Commandante Chavez's health came under attack by the enemy."
Nicolas Maduro, Vice President Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
Well, you have to blame someone don't you. Besides, it has become something of a tradition down there, rather like claiming that communists have infested the Harvard Law School faculty is here.
Expect Senor Maduro's stay to be a short one, because, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, "Mr. Vice President, you're no Hugo Chavez."
sic vita est
3-6-13
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Robert Menendez, Dominican Hookers, The Caller, and Oops
There is an abject ugliness and a craven depravity that accompanies all things right wing in this nation of ours. The republican party sold its soul to the Tea Party loons a few years back and now for the life of them they can't unhook that wagon. The GOP has lost the last two presidential elections and honestly has no one on tap who can handle Hillary Rodham Clinton in four years. In fact they might not even have a candidate who can defeat Jumpin' Joe Biden and if you've sunk that low you might as well fold your cards and call it a century.
This growing horror seems to have dawned on them a while back. Luckily for their candidates the conservative base and its media outlets have absolutely no moral underpinnings, so there is no depths to which they won't sink, there is no God awful scheme so criminal, so corrupt in nature they won't attempt. The ghettoizing of democratic voters when congress was redistricted started this long terrible slide into political strategies that aren't usually seen outside of third world dictatorships. The attempt to disenfranchise millions of minority and democratic voters last November was the latest and most public attempt to steal an election.
However there are other offenses both unseemly and lewd that have slipped under most of the nation's radar.
Enter New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez. Last year two hookers in the Dominican Republic alleged he and a supporter, Solomon Melgen were paying them to have sex. In addition they accused Melgen of arraigning for underage prostitutes to be available for the Senator's pleasure.There were emails sent to the FBI and web cam interviews cut with the two women.
ABC was contacted, but unfortunately for the shadowy figures behind all this ABC still has a semblance of journalistic integrity. After checking the story and being unable to substantiate it, after watching the separate interviews and noting that the women were repeating each other nearly word for word, as if both were reading from the same script, they passed on the story.
Never fear though. Thanks to the World Wide Web there is now a whole dark underbelly of journalism which isn't nearly as picky and is unabashedly partisan when it comes to its version of the news.
The ultra right wing internet publication, The Caller picked up the story and ran with it. Menendez denied it. The right wing press howled about liberal bias when the major media honchos yawned and turned their backs on the scandal.
Menendez was re-elected because as try as they might internet news outlets still aren't the average American's main source of information. Well that and New Jersey voters have yet to fall for all that conservative bull shit floating around twitterville and the like.
A few hours ago, The Washington Post obtained an affidavit signed by one of the women, Nexis de los Santos Santana. In it she swears she has never met Senator Robert Menendez, has never had sex with him, or procured anyone underage or otherwise for him to have sex with. She also says she was paid to do the interview that The Caller's story depended so heavily on.
Oops.
Yahoo News is reporting The Caller's executive director is "rebutting" the Post story. Slate goes even further, saying The Caller is claiming the woman who the Post is talking about isn't even the same one they interviewed. Well you have to say something. You know something along the lines of, "Those precincts in Cincinnati are still uncounted, Chris." Unfortunately for The Caller, the FBI dropped the whole thing a bit ago, because they couldn't find any evidence the sordid story was true either.
It is a sad fact of life that these things happen in the rock 'em sock 'em world of internet journalism every so often. Some days you not only can't beat them, but you can't even frame them either. To paraphrase a line from a movie, "Used to be when you bought a hooker, the whore stayed bought!"
The conservative movement, barring some unforeseen disaster, is dying. They aren't going to go quietly though. Look for more of this sort of crude propaganda, blackmail, perjury and legal shenanigans in the future.
As my old grandmother used to say, "Be careful of a scorpion, it can still sting you even after its dead."
Indeed.
3-5-13
This growing horror seems to have dawned on them a while back. Luckily for their candidates the conservative base and its media outlets have absolutely no moral underpinnings, so there is no depths to which they won't sink, there is no God awful scheme so criminal, so corrupt in nature they won't attempt. The ghettoizing of democratic voters when congress was redistricted started this long terrible slide into political strategies that aren't usually seen outside of third world dictatorships. The attempt to disenfranchise millions of minority and democratic voters last November was the latest and most public attempt to steal an election.
However there are other offenses both unseemly and lewd that have slipped under most of the nation's radar.
Enter New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez. Last year two hookers in the Dominican Republic alleged he and a supporter, Solomon Melgen were paying them to have sex. In addition they accused Melgen of arraigning for underage prostitutes to be available for the Senator's pleasure.There were emails sent to the FBI and web cam interviews cut with the two women.
ABC was contacted, but unfortunately for the shadowy figures behind all this ABC still has a semblance of journalistic integrity. After checking the story and being unable to substantiate it, after watching the separate interviews and noting that the women were repeating each other nearly word for word, as if both were reading from the same script, they passed on the story.
Never fear though. Thanks to the World Wide Web there is now a whole dark underbelly of journalism which isn't nearly as picky and is unabashedly partisan when it comes to its version of the news.
The ultra right wing internet publication, The Caller picked up the story and ran with it. Menendez denied it. The right wing press howled about liberal bias when the major media honchos yawned and turned their backs on the scandal.
Menendez was re-elected because as try as they might internet news outlets still aren't the average American's main source of information. Well that and New Jersey voters have yet to fall for all that conservative bull shit floating around twitterville and the like.
A few hours ago, The Washington Post obtained an affidavit signed by one of the women, Nexis de los Santos Santana. In it she swears she has never met Senator Robert Menendez, has never had sex with him, or procured anyone underage or otherwise for him to have sex with. She also says she was paid to do the interview that The Caller's story depended so heavily on.
Oops.
Yahoo News is reporting The Caller's executive director is "rebutting" the Post story. Slate goes even further, saying The Caller is claiming the woman who the Post is talking about isn't even the same one they interviewed. Well you have to say something. You know something along the lines of, "Those precincts in Cincinnati are still uncounted, Chris." Unfortunately for The Caller, the FBI dropped the whole thing a bit ago, because they couldn't find any evidence the sordid story was true either.
It is a sad fact of life that these things happen in the rock 'em sock 'em world of internet journalism every so often. Some days you not only can't beat them, but you can't even frame them either. To paraphrase a line from a movie, "Used to be when you bought a hooker, the whore stayed bought!"
The conservative movement, barring some unforeseen disaster, is dying. They aren't going to go quietly though. Look for more of this sort of crude propaganda, blackmail, perjury and legal shenanigans in the future.
As my old grandmother used to say, "Be careful of a scorpion, it can still sting you even after its dead."
Indeed.
3-5-13
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Bethany Police Screw the Pooch: No Justice For Carina Saunders Yet
Yesterday "The Oklahoman" writer Tim Willert painted an ugly picture of the Bethany Police Department's investigation into the gruesome murder of Carina Saunders. Citing multiple anonymous sources, Willert writes the Bethany P.D.'s probable cause affidavits " contained conflicting witness statements that did not support evidence in the case." One of the sources was quoted as saying, "Their information wasn't corroborated. They are trying to make it sound like they have enough probable cause to arrest" (Ruiz and Massey, the two men who had been accused in the case.)
In the end all of this really shouldn't be surprising. The town of Bethany basically has a police department so it can supplement the municipal income with funds received from traffic violations and every now and then bust a keg party thrown by high school kids. In all honesty expecting them to solve this tragedy was on a par with asking Andy and Barney to figure out who Jack the Ripper was. The expertise, experience, forensic resources and man power just weren't there. In retrospect they should have handed the whole thing over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as soon as that duffel bag containing Saunders' remains was found in the overgrown field behind the supermarket.
Willert quotes Scott Adams, an attorney who had represented one of the witnesses as saying, "She certainly said she saw a video." (That would be the infamous video of the actual crime) then Adams went on to say, "But the problem with that is I never saw any proof of that and neither did police." Yes, but it made for a large and chilling headline and everyone in the media leapt at it. The very idea that such a tribute to evil existed drove us from a brutal murder that was luridly sensational in its own right straight into the darkest realms usually found only in the most twisted horror stories and movies. Suddenly visions of Norman Bates with a butcher knife in one hand and a cell phone camera in the other ran wild in the imaginations of those reading about the crime, reporting it, and ultimately investigating it.
Unfortunately everyone up to and including District Attorney David Prater bought into it and the flawed notion the Bethany cops actually knew what they were doing. Willert dryly writes, "To date, no video of the killing has surfaced."
Indeed. And now it has been nearly seventeen months since the dismembered body of Carina Saunders was found. The gaggle of witnesses listed in the affidavits have proven to be either unreliable, or to be more charitable, incorrect. If they are still around the city at all it is doubtful they will be of any use to the OSBI. In fact right now, given the immensity of the Bethany P.D.'s fuck up, it will take some sort of miracle to track down the killer, or killers, ever.
The terrible truth is that young Ms. Saunders was hanging with a dangerously iffy crowd. It is a crowd that the police should have known doesn't put a very high premium on honesty. In the end the Bethany cops made the most fatal of all mistakes during their investigation. They thought clearing the case off their books was the same thing as finding out who actually did it. They simply didn't see the difference between getting a couple of convictions and finding justice.
Now, because of the way they handled the affair, chances are the OSBI won't get either of those.
Neither will Carina Saunders, or her family.
Neither will the State of Oklahoma.
3-4-13
In the end all of this really shouldn't be surprising. The town of Bethany basically has a police department so it can supplement the municipal income with funds received from traffic violations and every now and then bust a keg party thrown by high school kids. In all honesty expecting them to solve this tragedy was on a par with asking Andy and Barney to figure out who Jack the Ripper was. The expertise, experience, forensic resources and man power just weren't there. In retrospect they should have handed the whole thing over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as soon as that duffel bag containing Saunders' remains was found in the overgrown field behind the supermarket.
Willert quotes Scott Adams, an attorney who had represented one of the witnesses as saying, "She certainly said she saw a video." (That would be the infamous video of the actual crime) then Adams went on to say, "But the problem with that is I never saw any proof of that and neither did police." Yes, but it made for a large and chilling headline and everyone in the media leapt at it. The very idea that such a tribute to evil existed drove us from a brutal murder that was luridly sensational in its own right straight into the darkest realms usually found only in the most twisted horror stories and movies. Suddenly visions of Norman Bates with a butcher knife in one hand and a cell phone camera in the other ran wild in the imaginations of those reading about the crime, reporting it, and ultimately investigating it.
Unfortunately everyone up to and including District Attorney David Prater bought into it and the flawed notion the Bethany cops actually knew what they were doing. Willert dryly writes, "To date, no video of the killing has surfaced."
Indeed. And now it has been nearly seventeen months since the dismembered body of Carina Saunders was found. The gaggle of witnesses listed in the affidavits have proven to be either unreliable, or to be more charitable, incorrect. If they are still around the city at all it is doubtful they will be of any use to the OSBI. In fact right now, given the immensity of the Bethany P.D.'s fuck up, it will take some sort of miracle to track down the killer, or killers, ever.
The terrible truth is that young Ms. Saunders was hanging with a dangerously iffy crowd. It is a crowd that the police should have known doesn't put a very high premium on honesty. In the end the Bethany cops made the most fatal of all mistakes during their investigation. They thought clearing the case off their books was the same thing as finding out who actually did it. They simply didn't see the difference between getting a couple of convictions and finding justice.
Now, because of the way they handled the affair, chances are the OSBI won't get either of those.
Neither will Carina Saunders, or her family.
Neither will the State of Oklahoma.
3-4-13
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