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Catch-up - 11-12 November 2009
Nov. 13th, 2009 11:27 amWelcome one, welcome all! Many happy birthdays to Sesame Street and all its wonderful moments, consolation to Joss Whedon, whose Dollhouse got the axe after its second season, and kudos to the library system that fired employees who breached the confidential records to determine the age of someone requesting a hold, then deleted their hold from the queue after deciding that the material in question was inappropriate for that user. That, with the interviews, it comes out that the library worker is also a self-appointed censor who was keeping a book checked out indefinitely so no other person could read it and felt the library would be in violation of the obscenity laws is icing on the cake. (There’s probably also some conservative Christianity of the censorious variety going on there, too.) the self-appointed censor did at least go through the challenge process, and was denied, before taking matters into her own hands.
Before getting to the news, some local color from Tacoma about a traveller with impassioned views and a propensity for depantsing himself at City Council meetings. Hail Eris, Hail Discordia, and see if you can spot the Traveller if you’re ever in Tacoma.
Up top, in the international sphere, North Koran and South Korean ships exchanged fire, with the South accusing the North ship of violating its territorial waters, although “not intentionally”, according to those spoken to about the matter.
The tensions of Afghanistan may be shifting, as some insurgent groups distance themselves from the al-Qaeda network and others get closer. The strategy of getting closer may backfire on groups seeking legitimacy and a role in government politics, though. Leah Farrell suggests that al-Qaeda would lose its most potent recruiter if coalition forces were to leave, attributing a sort of master plan to Osama bin Laden to do the 11 September attacks just so the Americans would come over and pound on Afghanistan, giving him fresh recruits for his fight.
Regarding the President, the news appears to be that the PResident will reject options presented to him regarding troop buildups in Afghanistan, in favor of crafting a plan that will talk more about turning control over to the Afghan government and building their native forces.
Xe, nee Blackwater, is alleged to have approved bribes for Iraqi officials to keep them quiet about the various murders and shootings Blackwater conducted in Iraq in 2007. The list keeps piling up. Why is Xe still employed at all by the government?
Not to let himself fall off the news page, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that the United States must choose between ISrael and Iran - inflammatory rhetoric designed to further try and drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel.
There was also the observance of Armistice Day, Rememberance Day, or Veteran's Day, depending on your locale. We salute those who protect the world’s citizens from those who wish them harm, and redouble our hopes that at some point in our lifetime, they find themselves unemployed for reasons of global peace.
Domestically, members of the fringe, in the wake of the Fort Hood attack, are calling for purges of Muslims from the military and the country. Some others are attacking Greek Orthodox priests because they think they're terrorists, which without this “fear Mediterranean descent” thing going around, probably wouldn’t have happened. The Slacktivist highlights the difference between evangelicals who see the world as saved and unsaved and evangelicals who see the world as the select few and the illegally-immigrating masses, unworthy of the mission the other evangelicals see as their duty. This sort of stew makes for articles like "Oh, look, the Fort Hood shooter was under investigation for terrorism before! Why didn't they catch him?", and having to say, “Because there was no indication he’d do this.” as the answer. “But, his superiors were worried that he was an extremist.” Thing is, they still didn’t see him as a threat. "But he was advocating for Muslims to be released as objectors to avoid these kinds of situations he was planning!" So all religious people should be released in case one of them decides to go out and slaughter people of another religion indiscriminately and outside the bounds of their training?
To add on more insult, a newly partially-declassified intelligence repot continues to reinforce what we already knew - there were no usable WMD in Iraq when the previous administrator decided to invade.
Staying on the military theme, according to Congressman Barney Frank, a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is slated to be part of the Defense Department's funding authorization for next year. That would certainly put some legs on the promise, so far fairly empty, that the President made that he would advocate for bringing homosexuals in from the exclusionary outside they’ve been in for years.
The GOP continues apace, purging away the moderate elements of the party, making Scozzafava not only a scapegoat, but an exemplar for what will come next.
Lou Dobbs has left CNN, and John King fills his spot, giving several anchors one less person to make fun of... for the moment.
Last out before opinions, you can spend a lot of time with the stimulus tracker, seeing just where the money is going to. Aren’t you glad your money is funding projects that claim to save jobs, instead of wars and defense spending that model out to suck jobs away from the economy?
In our dumb criminals file, a drunk driver drunk dialed the 911 service to report the theft of his wallet, some money, and his marijuana, guaranteeing that he would be charged for something when the sheriff arrived.
In the opinions, the reason why passion beats out seeking the pension, or: Why you should ideally be in a job you love, instead of a job that simply makes you money.
Ten years after release, "Fight Club" still has people talking about its messages, even though it got sold as half the movie it was.
Mr. Hawkins is afraid of our collapse because only a few people pay tax, we're all moral degenerates, we're drowning in debt, and we don't have the will to glass other nations if they look to obtain nuclear weapons. Fairly standard conservative worries,
On health care, digby presents a proper proposal for the health care bill - ban erectile dysfunction from receiving federal funds, because it’s very expensive for men to get insurance-paid erections that God clearly doesn’t want them to have. It’ll be a big savings - maybe enough so that women can finally get coverage for abortions, which generally tend to not be as expensive as childhood rearing, especially for those households that can’t afford the children. Not that Congresscritters really understand the plight of the poor, with 237 millionaires currently sitting in the seats of power. And furthermore, persons like Bart Stupak are unapologetic about their continued desire to make abortion impossible, if they can't make it illegal.
More generally, Mr. Stossel calls the House "central planners" of health care and says he's embarrassed that the House is even trying to reform health care, All Hail The Market, The Market Is God, Government Stifles Choice, Rations Care, and Raises Prices. And Mr. Williams says the Congress has yet to display the Constitutional authority to pass health-care bills like this one. I expect Mr. Williams to object to everything Congress does that isn’t an enumerated power from here on out, then, if he wants to be consistent. Otherwise, he’s just picking and choosing to object to things he doesn’t like.
And on the matters of relations with religious groups, Mr. Ajami says that the Muslim world has to "tear down its walls" like the communists did, which gives him plenty of time to sing the praises of the Great Saint Ronald Reagan, Mr. Prager asserts that American Muslims are in denial about their own lunatic fringe, and that denial is the only reason why people haven’t said they know exactly why the Fort Hood shooter did what he did (terrorist, terrorist, Muslim terrorist! Has to be!) Mr. Thomas says the country is being played for suckers by those looking to undermine the country, who are everywhere and succeeding everywhere because Americans won't stand up and kick out or kill all the Muslims, who are all uniformly against America.
Last out, Mr. Sullum says that the shooting at Fort Hood is a clear reason why gun-free zones don't work, because the soldiers would have easily been able to dispatch the shooter, if only they could have had their guns! Guns everywhere will deter criminals from using their guns! Or...not. And, just for kicks, if each of those victims had had guns on them, then how many guns and ammunition would the shooter have had to continue with?
In technology and science, sorry, Mr. Beck, but your name is not immune from someone registering a domain name that might involve you and a satirical situation, a collaboratively-designed zombie shooter, research suggesting dreaming is tuning up the brain circuits in anticipation of consciousness, all the way to the possibility that the conscious system and the dreaming system run concurrently, but consciousness suppresses the dreamer, brief meditation training can help with pain management, which makes sense, because meditation is often about recognizing and dismissing sensations of the body, keep your computer patched and safe, because you might otherwise get a visit from authorities saying you're dealing in kiddie porn, the engineering of rabbit penises from tissue, and a visualization of the beliefs and skepticisms about the 2012 time/date.
Last for tonight, the civics test for a 1954 8th grade student, along with a comment that education has fallen very far down these days, that we do not receive even such rudimentary instruction of the Constitution and several key phrases of the founders to memorize by rote.
Well, that and an old poster that promotes the need to gain weight to be beautiful and a brassiere that doubles as a putting mat and cups.
Before getting to the news, some local color from Tacoma about a traveller with impassioned views and a propensity for depantsing himself at City Council meetings. Hail Eris, Hail Discordia, and see if you can spot the Traveller if you’re ever in Tacoma.
Up top, in the international sphere, North Koran and South Korean ships exchanged fire, with the South accusing the North ship of violating its territorial waters, although “not intentionally”, according to those spoken to about the matter.
The tensions of Afghanistan may be shifting, as some insurgent groups distance themselves from the al-Qaeda network and others get closer. The strategy of getting closer may backfire on groups seeking legitimacy and a role in government politics, though. Leah Farrell suggests that al-Qaeda would lose its most potent recruiter if coalition forces were to leave, attributing a sort of master plan to Osama bin Laden to do the 11 September attacks just so the Americans would come over and pound on Afghanistan, giving him fresh recruits for his fight.
Regarding the President, the news appears to be that the PResident will reject options presented to him regarding troop buildups in Afghanistan, in favor of crafting a plan that will talk more about turning control over to the Afghan government and building their native forces.
Xe, nee Blackwater, is alleged to have approved bribes for Iraqi officials to keep them quiet about the various murders and shootings Blackwater conducted in Iraq in 2007. The list keeps piling up. Why is Xe still employed at all by the government?
Not to let himself fall off the news page, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that the United States must choose between ISrael and Iran - inflammatory rhetoric designed to further try and drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel.
There was also the observance of Armistice Day, Rememberance Day, or Veteran's Day, depending on your locale. We salute those who protect the world’s citizens from those who wish them harm, and redouble our hopes that at some point in our lifetime, they find themselves unemployed for reasons of global peace.
Domestically, members of the fringe, in the wake of the Fort Hood attack, are calling for purges of Muslims from the military and the country. Some others are attacking Greek Orthodox priests because they think they're terrorists, which without this “fear Mediterranean descent” thing going around, probably wouldn’t have happened. The Slacktivist highlights the difference between evangelicals who see the world as saved and unsaved and evangelicals who see the world as the select few and the illegally-immigrating masses, unworthy of the mission the other evangelicals see as their duty. This sort of stew makes for articles like "Oh, look, the Fort Hood shooter was under investigation for terrorism before! Why didn't they catch him?", and having to say, “Because there was no indication he’d do this.” as the answer. “But, his superiors were worried that he was an extremist.” Thing is, they still didn’t see him as a threat. "But he was advocating for Muslims to be released as objectors to avoid these kinds of situations he was planning!" So all religious people should be released in case one of them decides to go out and slaughter people of another religion indiscriminately and outside the bounds of their training?
To add on more insult, a newly partially-declassified intelligence repot continues to reinforce what we already knew - there were no usable WMD in Iraq when the previous administrator decided to invade.
Staying on the military theme, according to Congressman Barney Frank, a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is slated to be part of the Defense Department's funding authorization for next year. That would certainly put some legs on the promise, so far fairly empty, that the President made that he would advocate for bringing homosexuals in from the exclusionary outside they’ve been in for years.
The GOP continues apace, purging away the moderate elements of the party, making Scozzafava not only a scapegoat, but an exemplar for what will come next.
Lou Dobbs has left CNN, and John King fills his spot, giving several anchors one less person to make fun of... for the moment.
Last out before opinions, you can spend a lot of time with the stimulus tracker, seeing just where the money is going to. Aren’t you glad your money is funding projects that claim to save jobs, instead of wars and defense spending that model out to suck jobs away from the economy?
In our dumb criminals file, a drunk driver drunk dialed the 911 service to report the theft of his wallet, some money, and his marijuana, guaranteeing that he would be charged for something when the sheriff arrived.
In the opinions, the reason why passion beats out seeking the pension, or: Why you should ideally be in a job you love, instead of a job that simply makes you money.
Ten years after release, "Fight Club" still has people talking about its messages, even though it got sold as half the movie it was.
Mr. Hawkins is afraid of our collapse because only a few people pay tax, we're all moral degenerates, we're drowning in debt, and we don't have the will to glass other nations if they look to obtain nuclear weapons. Fairly standard conservative worries,
On health care, digby presents a proper proposal for the health care bill - ban erectile dysfunction from receiving federal funds, because it’s very expensive for men to get insurance-paid erections that God clearly doesn’t want them to have. It’ll be a big savings - maybe enough so that women can finally get coverage for abortions, which generally tend to not be as expensive as childhood rearing, especially for those households that can’t afford the children. Not that Congresscritters really understand the plight of the poor, with 237 millionaires currently sitting in the seats of power. And furthermore, persons like Bart Stupak are unapologetic about their continued desire to make abortion impossible, if they can't make it illegal.
More generally, Mr. Stossel calls the House "central planners" of health care and says he's embarrassed that the House is even trying to reform health care, All Hail The Market, The Market Is God, Government Stifles Choice, Rations Care, and Raises Prices. And Mr. Williams says the Congress has yet to display the Constitutional authority to pass health-care bills like this one. I expect Mr. Williams to object to everything Congress does that isn’t an enumerated power from here on out, then, if he wants to be consistent. Otherwise, he’s just picking and choosing to object to things he doesn’t like.
And on the matters of relations with religious groups, Mr. Ajami says that the Muslim world has to "tear down its walls" like the communists did, which gives him plenty of time to sing the praises of the Great Saint Ronald Reagan, Mr. Prager asserts that American Muslims are in denial about their own lunatic fringe, and that denial is the only reason why people haven’t said they know exactly why the Fort Hood shooter did what he did (terrorist, terrorist, Muslim terrorist! Has to be!) Mr. Thomas says the country is being played for suckers by those looking to undermine the country, who are everywhere and succeeding everywhere because Americans won't stand up and kick out or kill all the Muslims, who are all uniformly against America.
Last out, Mr. Sullum says that the shooting at Fort Hood is a clear reason why gun-free zones don't work, because the soldiers would have easily been able to dispatch the shooter, if only they could have had their guns! Guns everywhere will deter criminals from using their guns! Or...not. And, just for kicks, if each of those victims had had guns on them, then how many guns and ammunition would the shooter have had to continue with?
In technology and science, sorry, Mr. Beck, but your name is not immune from someone registering a domain name that might involve you and a satirical situation, a collaboratively-designed zombie shooter, research suggesting dreaming is tuning up the brain circuits in anticipation of consciousness, all the way to the possibility that the conscious system and the dreaming system run concurrently, but consciousness suppresses the dreamer, brief meditation training can help with pain management, which makes sense, because meditation is often about recognizing and dismissing sensations of the body, keep your computer patched and safe, because you might otherwise get a visit from authorities saying you're dealing in kiddie porn, the engineering of rabbit penises from tissue, and a visualization of the beliefs and skepticisms about the 2012 time/date.
Last for tonight, the civics test for a 1954 8th grade student, along with a comment that education has fallen very far down these days, that we do not receive even such rudimentary instruction of the Constitution and several key phrases of the founders to memorize by rote.
Well, that and an old poster that promotes the need to gain weight to be beautiful and a brassiere that doubles as a putting mat and cups.
