Stuff from Friday - 25 June 2010
Jun. 26th, 2010 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silveradeptGood morning, people looking for wonderful historical juxtapositions. Courtesy, once again, of Letters of Note, we get to see 1931 Adolf Hitler declining to write a guest article on an economic crisis in England, a country he would unsuccessfully attempt to conquer later on and that would necessitate a letter from Dwight D. Eisenhower to the troops about to storm the beach at Normandy thirteen years after the first letter was typed.
Inside the country, the Senator from South Carolina, Mr. DeMint, could be described as having a Cold War mentality, calling the Russian Federation the Soviet Union in describing his opposition to the President’s attempts to reset relationships with the Russian Federation. Relations between the two were anything but cold, apparently, as both Presidents shared lunch, enjoyed a walk, and still managed to conclude a multibillion USD trade agreement on poultry exports. Perhaps Sue Lowden would like to squawk about that?
A planned expert to testify against Elena Kagan and paint her as anti-military was abruptly dismissed from the queue after the Republican leadership decided they didn't want someone who thought we were in a Christian Crusade against Satan-as-Islam testifying about someone's military-friendliness. Thus proving that the Republican Party still had intelligent people left in it. Unlike other elements of the conservative wing,
In science and technology, the world where bluefin tuna, a sushi delicacy, are being fished into almost extinction, and the problems of trying to protect “seafood” and make it more into “wildlife”.
Then, we have scaffolding new lungs on old, making a functioning lung on a microchip, and zapping Alzheimer's patients with the right kind of magnetic stimulation boosts their langauge ability.
Reflecting the mixed opinion outside the military world, there is no united front on the decision to dismiss General McChrystal from his position.
In opinions, Mr. Krauthammer pounds the table insisting that for surge success, the people have to believe the Americans are there to stay. Mr. Krauthammer also engages a little but with the Memory Hole, claiming that the previous administrator never set an exit date for Iraq. He did. It’s still happening on schedule. And besides, the previous President declared Mission Accomplished approximately eight years before troop drawdowns are scheduled.
Mr. Thomas manages to express both his discontent at the magazine and reporter that profiled General McChrystal and the current amount of commitment to Afghanistan, making it all about everybody else but him and downplaying the remarks to something more like things said in the boys’ club that nobody is supposed to hear outside the club, and blaming whichever PR man thought it would be good to let in a liberal journalist for the fallout, Mr. Gurney savors having a general in charge that the President wouldn't support when he as a Seantor, Mr. Buchanan says the firing was a stupid move by the President, as McChrystal was the chief architect of the strategy in place, and Mr. Sowell says the General reacted appropriately to being stiffed and undercut by the President at every turn, and that said President is rapidly creating an environment where only generals taht can play politics will survive, instead of generals that can go win battles. I have to admit, the creativity on display here in finding a way to blame the President for the remarks and dismissal of his General is pretty good.
Mr. Kaufman boldly flings accusations that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a Hamas front group and had plenty of ties to terror organizations, apparently because one of the leaders of a CAIR office expressed solidarity against the Israeli response to the flotilla, is involved in a blog that linked directly to a known terrorist’s website, and admits that he listens to presentations by that person.
Mr. Stossel returns to an older idea - one that concealed carry and wider-spread handgun availability saves the lives of potential crime victims. Be that as it may, I’m guessing someone has to have done studies that compare “crimes prevented” versus “extra crimes committed” when there are guns available to all. Even the responsible gun owners the Mr. Stossel is making the case for aren’t always going to be rational or in control of themselves enough that they won’t threaten or use their weapons. Or worse, you have occasions where citizens think they’re going to help the police by shooting their guns in a public area at a suspect the police are chasing.
And now, because we haven’t done it in a while, it’s time to play for pastry - that’s right, some candidacies for Worst Persons in the world.
At the bronze level, Florida State Senate candidate Marco Rubio claimed deepwater drilling being done over the world is safe. We don’t think his backdrop was the oil-slicked Gulf of Mexico, but you never know - sometimes cluelessness spreads to all aspects. Speaking of cluelessness, Mr. Hanson certainly doesn't want to let any facts get in the way of his narrative that President Obama is a pompous figure full of himself, elected without any real experience or ability to lead, making grandiose statements and inviting the wrath of Nemesis and her right hand man, Murphy, wrath which has been visited upon him. Machines like the Democratic Party don’t normally let unvetted unknowns through, and especially not in candidacy for President. Also, community organizing does impart leadership experience, it’s just that Mr. Hanson prefers the rule of the Iron Fisted President, the Decider, as opposed to leadership that attempts to gather cooperation and consensus and build coalitions. If most of the conservative side of the aisle wasn’t hidebound on opposing everything he’s doing to score cheap political points, I’d bet this President would have been phenomenally effective at getting what he wanted.
Senate candidate Rand Paul takes the silver by saying that if he were a scandal-plagued governor, he'd just pardon himself and continue on with the work of his government. That’s on the par of repeating a lie that foreign ships have been turned away from helping at the oil spill because President Obama is afraid of unions and won't waive the Jones Act. Like hell they would turn away assistance in this matter if it was offered. I’m inclined to believe the official word on this, whcih is, “If it becomes a problem, we can issue waivers. But there have been no problems.” I guess I need to know, now - who’s been claiming they’ve been turned away?
Topping those, though, is Missouri farmer David Jungerman, who follows in the grand tradition of elected Republicans by putting up a large and public sign claiming Democrats are parasites instead of producers in the economy, and hoping that nobody noticed he's taken more than $1 million USD in government subsidies for his farm. “Of course I’m against this stimulus fun...cameras are gone? Gimme.” His attempt at justification is that those subsidies are just his tax monies coming back to him. Is the GOP or the Tea Party watching this man? I think he’ll be a solid candidate for them in two years if he continues to be...the Worst Person In The World (for today, anyway.)
Last for tonight, the Department of Strange Headlines tells us of a man arrested at a library armed with knives, holding stolen cheese, and wearing no clothes at all.
Inside the country, the Senator from South Carolina, Mr. DeMint, could be described as having a Cold War mentality, calling the Russian Federation the Soviet Union in describing his opposition to the President’s attempts to reset relationships with the Russian Federation. Relations between the two were anything but cold, apparently, as both Presidents shared lunch, enjoyed a walk, and still managed to conclude a multibillion USD trade agreement on poultry exports. Perhaps Sue Lowden would like to squawk about that?
A planned expert to testify against Elena Kagan and paint her as anti-military was abruptly dismissed from the queue after the Republican leadership decided they didn't want someone who thought we were in a Christian Crusade against Satan-as-Islam testifying about someone's military-friendliness. Thus proving that the Republican Party still had intelligent people left in it. Unlike other elements of the conservative wing,
In science and technology, the world where bluefin tuna, a sushi delicacy, are being fished into almost extinction, and the problems of trying to protect “seafood” and make it more into “wildlife”.
Then, we have scaffolding new lungs on old, making a functioning lung on a microchip, and zapping Alzheimer's patients with the right kind of magnetic stimulation boosts their langauge ability.
Reflecting the mixed opinion outside the military world, there is no united front on the decision to dismiss General McChrystal from his position.
In opinions, Mr. Krauthammer pounds the table insisting that for surge success, the people have to believe the Americans are there to stay. Mr. Krauthammer also engages a little but with the Memory Hole, claiming that the previous administrator never set an exit date for Iraq. He did. It’s still happening on schedule. And besides, the previous President declared Mission Accomplished approximately eight years before troop drawdowns are scheduled.
Mr. Thomas manages to express both his discontent at the magazine and reporter that profiled General McChrystal and the current amount of commitment to Afghanistan, making it all about everybody else but him and downplaying the remarks to something more like things said in the boys’ club that nobody is supposed to hear outside the club, and blaming whichever PR man thought it would be good to let in a liberal journalist for the fallout, Mr. Gurney savors having a general in charge that the President wouldn't support when he as a Seantor, Mr. Buchanan says the firing was a stupid move by the President, as McChrystal was the chief architect of the strategy in place, and Mr. Sowell says the General reacted appropriately to being stiffed and undercut by the President at every turn, and that said President is rapidly creating an environment where only generals taht can play politics will survive, instead of generals that can go win battles. I have to admit, the creativity on display here in finding a way to blame the President for the remarks and dismissal of his General is pretty good.
Mr. Kaufman boldly flings accusations that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a Hamas front group and had plenty of ties to terror organizations, apparently because one of the leaders of a CAIR office expressed solidarity against the Israeli response to the flotilla, is involved in a blog that linked directly to a known terrorist’s website, and admits that he listens to presentations by that person.
Mr. Stossel returns to an older idea - one that concealed carry and wider-spread handgun availability saves the lives of potential crime victims. Be that as it may, I’m guessing someone has to have done studies that compare “crimes prevented” versus “extra crimes committed” when there are guns available to all. Even the responsible gun owners the Mr. Stossel is making the case for aren’t always going to be rational or in control of themselves enough that they won’t threaten or use their weapons. Or worse, you have occasions where citizens think they’re going to help the police by shooting their guns in a public area at a suspect the police are chasing.
And now, because we haven’t done it in a while, it’s time to play for pastry - that’s right, some candidacies for Worst Persons in the world.
At the bronze level, Florida State Senate candidate Marco Rubio claimed deepwater drilling being done over the world is safe. We don’t think his backdrop was the oil-slicked Gulf of Mexico, but you never know - sometimes cluelessness spreads to all aspects. Speaking of cluelessness, Mr. Hanson certainly doesn't want to let any facts get in the way of his narrative that President Obama is a pompous figure full of himself, elected without any real experience or ability to lead, making grandiose statements and inviting the wrath of Nemesis and her right hand man, Murphy, wrath which has been visited upon him. Machines like the Democratic Party don’t normally let unvetted unknowns through, and especially not in candidacy for President. Also, community organizing does impart leadership experience, it’s just that Mr. Hanson prefers the rule of the Iron Fisted President, the Decider, as opposed to leadership that attempts to gather cooperation and consensus and build coalitions. If most of the conservative side of the aisle wasn’t hidebound on opposing everything he’s doing to score cheap political points, I’d bet this President would have been phenomenally effective at getting what he wanted.
Senate candidate Rand Paul takes the silver by saying that if he were a scandal-plagued governor, he'd just pardon himself and continue on with the work of his government. That’s on the par of repeating a lie that foreign ships have been turned away from helping at the oil spill because President Obama is afraid of unions and won't waive the Jones Act. Like hell they would turn away assistance in this matter if it was offered. I’m inclined to believe the official word on this, whcih is, “If it becomes a problem, we can issue waivers. But there have been no problems.” I guess I need to know, now - who’s been claiming they’ve been turned away?
Topping those, though, is Missouri farmer David Jungerman, who follows in the grand tradition of elected Republicans by putting up a large and public sign claiming Democrats are parasites instead of producers in the economy, and hoping that nobody noticed he's taken more than $1 million USD in government subsidies for his farm. “Of course I’m against this stimulus fun...cameras are gone? Gimme.” His attempt at justification is that those subsidies are just his tax monies coming back to him. Is the GOP or the Tea Party watching this man? I think he’ll be a solid candidate for them in two years if he continues to be...the Worst Person In The World (for today, anyway.)
Last for tonight, the Department of Strange Headlines tells us of a man arrested at a library armed with knives, holding stolen cheese, and wearing no clothes at all.
