First Draft

Weekend Question Post

What do you do for a living?

And do you love it or hate it?

A.

Saturday Blogwhoring Thread

Post away.

A.

Friday Night Galactica Vid

A.

Administrative Announcement: Blogging from Denver

The First Draft crack van will officially headquarter here during the final week of August, during which I understand some political event may be taking place. They've assured me they have room for the CatBus.

A.

A Travesty. An Outrage, Really.

Yeah.  What the fuck?

So.  North by East decides to make a list of the fifty most-influential female bloggers.  And our own Scout and Athenae don't make the list?  That's bullshit!

And Michelle Malkin at number five?  I didn't know that "influential" was a synonym for "crazy as a monkeyhouse shitfight."  I'll make a note.

Friday Ferretblogging: Brotherly Love Edition

When the boys wrassle, Puck seems mindful of the fact that he could basically end the whole thing if he just sat on Riot. He weighs at least twice as much as his younger bro, but he mostly takes the nipping and tumbling with good humor, as if knowing that Riot's just a kid, and it would be rude to give him the asskicking that some days Riot richly deserves.

A.

Today on Athenae's Obsession with the Freepi: Around Here We Call It 'Rat Loving'

The Editors think the rats aren't going to fuck themselves.

The Freepi beg to differ:

Phil Gramm is a fine man. He was an excellent senator with many good ideas. He does not deserve this lambasting from McCain. McCain does not need to demonstrate his empathy for those in difficult times by trashing a good man like Phil Gramm.

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The worst nominee in GOP history keeps showing his stuff.

I hate this election.

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There is a reason I call him John MeCain, Party of One!

Juan McAmnesty MeCain- "I distance myself from everyone but myself and I pledge to even rebuke myself if asked by my friends across the isle."

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McCain’s very tough and aggressive.

Against Republicans.

Remaining to be seen: can he be tough and aggressive against Democrats?

Maybe we’ll find out if he ever starts campaigning.

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Another McCain dissappointment.

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Geeze,
The lose that McCain and the republicans are about to face is going to be staggering.

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He can only disappoint you if you expect anything from him. He consistently lives up to my expectations.

Every few days I check in to see if they've come around to the McCain point of view yet. Every day, I'm delighted and surprised to see that they haven't.

A.

Yes

From the Times Picayune:

[David] Simon confirmed that HBO will film the first episode of "Treme," possibly sometime later this year. If HBO gives the green light for more episodes, production would resume in 2009.

The Era of: Knowing is Irrelevant

OK just what do we know about what we have here?

Yesterday CBS News reports that workers from Gulf Stream Coach relate the company knew it had a problem with formaldehyde in the trailers they were manufacturing for Katrina evacuees and one worker stated, "We were instructed to open the doors and windows so that the odor wouldn't be as strong when the FEMA inspectors got there."

Also yesterday  the GOP tried to get ahead of Congressional hearings on the issue with their talking points, the short version being.....Heck don't blame the manufacturers, Blame the government.

Then today at the hearings  the chairman of Gulf Stream admitted they knew "formaldehyde in some units exceeded a federal health standard by as much as 45 times in 2006" but didn't disclose that to FEMA (much less Katrina evacuees) because FEMA already knew about the formaldehyde and so it was "irrelevant information".

OK before I use caps let's recap: Everyone knew but because everyone knew it was irrelevant.

WTF!!!!!

WTF is wrong with these people. They all knew but didn't DO anything. They went ahead and built toxic tin cans in which people were to live.   And  no one bothered at any point to say "Houston we have a Problem" and then get out their slide rules and hoses and toasters and Solve the Motherfucker.

No Gene Krantz announcing that Failure is not an Option! on this baby. No, nowadays we get --Yeah we know, So What?!?

And for even more pitiful go read the WaPo article to get a load of how the Republicans blamed...wait for it...the federal government. Oh NOW they want to blame the federal government. They say that as though they don't know they are the federal government. I guess that is irrelevant as well.

But here is a quote from Rep. Dan Burton which will make you throw up a lot in your mouth.....

"Instead of beating up manufacturers, we ought to give them a little vote of confidence," he said.

Wow--let's all hug it out--- that from the party that rails about responsibility. 

I've seen it all now I think. Well unless we can shoot the whole damn lot of 'em to the sun in a Katrina trailer. Of course I know that wouldn't work and you know that wouldn't work but if we don't say anything who knows what may occur.

How a Cheeshead does it

I share Athenae's interest in stupid criminal stories. In her post below A asks which state has the cheeseheads again? Indeed! I read this  Wisconsin State Journal story last night and I must say this WI man has some panache. I mean has a Dewey decimal number ever been integral to a ransom note before?

A McFarland  man was arrested after police said he stole a woman 's purse and camera, then mailed her a ransom note demanding she leave $300 in a certain library book if she wanted to see the items again.
SNIP

On June 3, she found the ransom letter in her mailbox. Its opening words were: "Is having your purse, all its contents and the camera back worth something to you?"

The letter instructed her to put three $100 bills in page 100 of a book titled, "The Hockey Handbook, " at the McFarland library "by 7 p.m. Wednesday, " the next day, and "all your things will be returned to you by Thursday. " Helpfully, the note even included the Dewey decimal number for the book.

SNIP

Police said Divita confessed after being shown the video and ransom letter. The complaint said he told police it was "thrilling " to find the purse as he wandered the neighborhood after visiting some bars, adding that it was "very exciting " when he got the idea the next day to "fashion a ransom note, " rather than go to work.

Oddly, before even mailing the letter, Divita put the woman 's purse by a trash bin near a custard shop, he told police, just as he promised he would do in a second note found in the library book. Crowe confirmed the purse was found there, all its contents intact except the $1 bill.

Which State Has Cheeseheads Again?

I don't want to hear any more shit from my Illinois & Indiana friends:

James Plante Jr., 39, has been charged with felonious robbery and attempted robbery for holding up a Hammond, Indiana bar this weekend not with a gun, not with a knife, but with a cheese grater.

One of the few things I miss about daily journalism is the stupid criminal stories.

A.

Feingold Has A Message For The Pro-Immunity Members Of The Senate

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUCK MY BALLS:

Mr. President, I sit on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, and I am one of the few members of this body who has been fully briefed on the warrantless wiretapping program. And, based on what I know, I can promise that if more information is declassified about the program in the future, as is likely to happen either due to the Inspector General report, the election of a new President, or simply the passage of time, members of this body will regret that we passed this legislation. I am also familiar with the collection activities that have been conducted under the Protect America Act and will continue under this bill. I invite any of my colleagues who wish to know more about those activities to come speak to me in a classified setting. Publicly, all I can say is that I have serious concerns about how those activities may have impacted the civil liberties of Americans. If we grant these new powers to the government and the effects become known to the American people, we will realize what a mistake it was, of that I am sure.

In the van today, cataloging all this EPIC FAIL as well as the few moments of PURE WIN noted above and below, people were listing off all the conversations they'd had with various members of Congress and their staffs, who they wrote letters to, who talked to them on the phone, who answered an e-mail, who got through and who didn't. And godDAMN, people. You stood the hell up today like men and women, like grown-ups, like Americans. You have nothing to feel bad about.

It seems a pretty poor consolation, that we did everything we could. But honestly, honestly honestly, it's not. It's not a small thing, doing everything you could. You are not obligated to complete the work, says the Torah, but you are not free to abandon it. It's not a small thing to take the time you have and make the calls and write the letters, and you don't even do it for them. You do it for the hour between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. when you are wondering, what could I have done? You do it so that there's an answer to that question. There are things that we do not because others deserve to have them done but because we deserve to do them.

The point about victories in the face of impossible odds is that the odds are impossible and the victories unlikely. To pivot from the Torah to Shakespeare, as you do, "The harder matched, the greater victory," but the great victories, you don't get those every single day. You don't get them when you want them and you don't get them when you need them, even. So why fight? Because you never know when they're going to come. You never know where your words are going to stop. You never know who is going to hear you and take notice. You never know who is going to stand up with you and who is going to get your back and it might never be the person place or thing you expect.

If you can't expect, all you can do is plan. All you can do is get up every day and fight every day like a dog for the things that you want and you believe in, fight like a goddamn junkyard dog. Because you lose and you lose and you lose and you lose and you lose and you lose and you lose and then you fucking win. And if you hadn't been pushing, all that time, if you hadn't been fighting, if you hadn't been getting back up, you wouldn't have been there when the air changed and the floods rolled back and the ball hung in the sky just a second longer than it ought to and you wouldn't have been able to change where it landed.

This sucked. We lost. Anybody fucking tired?

A.

Dodd Gives The Republic A Eulogy

From the Senate floor today:

I want to thank the thousands who joined with us in this fight around the country – those who took to the blogs, gathered signatures for online petitions and created a movement behind this issue.  Men and women, young and old, who stood up, spoke out and gave us the strength to carry on this fight.  Not one of them had to be involved, but each choose to become involved for one reason and one reason alone:

Because they love their country.

They remind us that the “silent encroachments of those in power” Madison spoke of can, in fact, be heard, if only we listen. 

All of us—my colleagues and citizens around the country—share a fundamental belief about in our Constitution, Mr. President.  We believe our Constitution isn’t incidental to our security – but rather its very foundation.

This notion—that it is the rule of law that keeps us safe—should not be controversial, Mr. President.

I take a backseat to no one when it comes to protecting Americans and Americans’ safety.  But if history has taught us anything, it simply isn’t necessary to sacrifice our freedoms to do that. 

I do not believe history will judge this President kindly for his contempt for the rule of law.  But will history will be any kinder to those of us who have served as these transgressions occurred on our watch?

I have two daughters – Grace and Christina, who are six and three.  Their generation will ask someday:

Where were you when the President asked you to repudiate the Geneva Conventions and strip away the right of habeas corpus?

Where were you when stories of secret prisons and outsourced torture first began to surface and then became impossible to deny?

And of today they will ask, where were you when Congress was persuaded to shield wealthy corporations that may well have knowingly acted outside of the law to spy on Americans?

Where were we?

Right here, Mr. President – in this chamber, at this moment. 

History will not forget.

It will not forget our role in any of this.

A.

FISA Vote Crack Van

Live feed here.

Emptywheel liveblogs.

Posts in the van belong to their posters, not to me or Holden or Jude or Scout or Willie B. Play nicely. Don't hoard the good stuff.

Update: Van closed. FISA bill passed. Dodd gave the Republic a stirring eulogy which I will post later because it was fucking epic, and Feingold basically told the entire US Senate to blow him. More later, when I'm done throwing stuff. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, made calls, wrote letters, got riled up, and fought the fight.

A.

Your President Speaks!

Today, in Toyako, Japan.

That's What They Call It

The United States, Japan, and United Kingdom launched what's called a Clean Technology Fund, and we hope Congress funds that effort.

What The G8 Nations Have Got

The nations sitting around the table have got much, and I think we're required to help those who don't.

See Also:  New Orleans

Those have been -- you know, oftentimes in the political process people talk big, but they never follow up.

What We Got To Do

And so one of the key ingredients of these recent meetings was all of us need to be reminded that when we say we're going to do something, we got to do it.

What We Got To Deal With On

We also agreed that on high energy prices that we got to deal with both on the supply and demand.

Welcome To Offshore America

The Democratic leaders in Congress will not allow us to explore for oil and gas in parts of Alaska, offshore America, and now is the time for them to change their mind.

I'm Firmly!

We also -- I'm firmly -- believe that we can do this kind of exploration in environmentally friendly ways.

Brain Wreck

In other words, this was a -- you know, a lot of meetings on important subjects, and we accomplished a lot.

Happy Dodd Photo

A friend recently said, as we were talking about how newspapers are Teh Fucked, that editors have forgotten what their audiences want, and that First Draft actually knows exactly what its audience wants. To which I replied sure, crack vans, LOLcats, pet pictures and cock jokes.

Plus Chris Dodd being a stone cold fucking fox on the floor of the U.S. Senate:

It is about holding this Administration to account for violating the rule of law and our Constitution. It is about reminding this Administration that, “Where law ends, tyranny begins.”

And those aren’t my words, Mr. President – those words were spoken by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Mr. President, it is time to say “no more.”

No more trampling our Constitution.

No more excusing those who violate the rule of law.

No more.

These are our principles.

They have been around at least since the Magna Carta.

They are enduring.

What they are not is temporary. And what we should not do in a time where our country is at risk, is abandon them. That is what is at stake here today. Allowing retroactive immunity to go forward is by its very nature an abandonment of these principles.

Like generations of American leaders before us, we too are confronted with a choice.

Does America stand for all that is still right with our world? Or do we retreat in fear?

Do we stand for justice that secures America? Or do we act out of vengeance that weakens us?

Mr. President, whatever our political party—Republican, Democrat—we were all elected to ensure that this nation adheres to the rule of law. That is our must fundamental obligation – not as partisans but as patriots serving their country.

The rule of law is not the provenance of any one political party – but of every American who has been safer because of it.

Look, this thing will, as Glenn said, likely go down tomorrow. I suppose that means I should shut up about it and let us all move on to the next thing. Not yet, though. Not just yet. Not till it's done. My grandchildren will need to know that some people fought back. That they called. That they wrote. That they protested. That they stood outside the door of government that was closed to them and they banged as hard as they could with both their fists and like, lawn ornaments and whatever else they could find, and they shook the windows and rattled the walls and even if nothing came of it, they weren't quiet and they didn't lie down.

They will need to know what you did, and you, and you and you and you. They will need to know that Dodd and Feingold stood up, and Kerry, and whoever else comes around tomorrow with his head NOT up his ass. They'll need to know this stuff, because it matters. They'll need to know that, in the face of defeat after defeat after unholy fucking defeat, some people got back up.

(Most likely they won't care, the grandchildren. They'll be all, "Yeah, yeah, you were a major hotass in your day, Grandma. Whatever. Can I have some money for fireworks and a tattoo?" Still.)

A.

Column: So Long, Jesse

Link:

California has followed Massachusetts in allowing for marriage equality outright, America is poised to elect its first black president, and it's tremendously tempting to use these touchstones to declare an end to America's era of bigotry, to point to these attitudes and events and say, "See, we've come so far," and pat ourselves heartily on the back. Long live the newly tolerant America!

Unfortunately, that's premature. People may not talk about "Negroes" moving in on "their" jobs, as Helms did, but they do talk a great deal in campaigns about valuing the votes of "people who work for a living," the sneer that accompanies such implicit comparisons needing no translation. People may not use homophobic slurs in mixed company, but they do talk about not wanting certain "lifestyles" shoved down their throats and paint visions for parents of their children living with gay teachers and day care workers, the same old bogeymen from 30 years back.

The Democratic Party may be nominating a black man for the presidency, but the Republican Party is running one who voted against designating a national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr., who told a woman and her fiance that he disapproved of their "position." The kind of racism and homophobia Helms practiced in politics hasn't gone away. It has simply moved underground, buried under polite words that nevertheless suggest others should ask pardon for living.

A.

Did manufactureres know FEMA trailers were toxic?

You may want to watch CBS evening news tonight as they will be airing a story on the companies that built and supplied FEMA  trailers and whether they knew that they had a formaldehyde problem.

I'll have more later

FISA Debate Crack Van

Live feed here once it begins. Debate is today, votes are tomorrow, thanks to Jesse Helms' funeral. Call your Senators.

I don't know how much I'll be able to be around during the day today, so play nicely. Whoever's not driving, make sure everybody's strapped in.

Update: Van closed. Thanks to all who liveblogged during the day. The van will reopen tomorrow for the voting. In the meantime, read Glenn:

The political class has made as clear as can be that it is intent on supporting a limitless erosion of core constitutional liberties and the creation of a two-tiered justice system that exempts the political elite from the rule of law. Neither the "opposition party" nor the establishment media are the slightest bit interested in, or capable of, stopping any of that. Battling against that is the responsibility of citizens who find these political trends dangerous and intolerable.

Because that about covers it.

A.

This Dude Has The Right Attitude

On Obama's plan to give his acceptance speech in front of 76,000 crazy fans instead of just 30,000 or so:

That will make for some good TV watchin'.

I'm making nachos and getting a keg!

A.

478 pallets of warehoused Gerber food intended for Katrina Children must now be destroyed

From Government Security News:

FEMA issued a one-sentence solicitation notice last week indicating that it needed to dispose of 478 pallets of "contaminated food products" sitting in a warehouse in Fort Worth, TX.

But, when pressed by GSN for more details, FEMA eventually said its original description of the food as contaminated was "inaccurate" and that a large quantity of Gerber finger foods and snack packs originally intended for the children of Hurricane Katrina victims had been "exposed to infestation hazards" and would be "destroyed through our normal GSA disposal process."

FEMA said, "No one consumed the food."

G8 conspicuous consumption

The Guardian notes that after a day of discussing food shortages and soaring prices at the G8  summit, the G8 leaders sat down to "an eight-course, 19-dish dinner prepared by 25 chefs"

The G8 gathering had been seen as a "world food shortages summit" as leaders sought to combat spiralling prices of basic foodstuffs in the developed world, and starvation in the developing world.

But not since Marie Antoinette was supposed to have leaned from a Versailles palace window and suggested that the breadless peasants eat cake can leaders have demonstrated such insensitivity to daily hardship than at the luxury Windsor hotel on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

After discussing famine in Africa, the peckish politicians and five spouses took on four bite-sized amuse-bouche to tickle their palates. The price of staple foods may be soaring, but thankfully caviar and sea urchin are within the purchasing power of leaders and their taxpayers - the amuse-bouche featured corn stuffed with caviar, smoked salmon and sea urchin, hot onion tart and winter lily bulb.

Guests at the summit, which is costing £238m, were then able to pick items from a tray modelled on a fan and decorated with bamboo grasses, including diced fatty tuna fish, avocado and jellied soy sauce, and pickled conger eel with soy sauce.

SNIP

Leaders cleverly skated around global water shortages by choosing from five different wines and liqueurs.

Ouch

Urban-Dwelling Starbucks-Swilling Callow Youth for Obama

In Fargo, North Dakota, no less. Do any real people live there? Quick, somebody ask Chris Matthews.

A.

'Not Even From A President on Mount Rushmore'

Good Christ I love this man:

Most agree that this law needs to be modernized, as it has been many times over the years. But this time, the president is asking Congress to do something much more: to shield the telecoms from any judicial review of their actions. He wants Congress to declare spying without a warrant both constitutional and necessary to defend this country.

It is neither.

That is why I have done everything I can to stop retroactive immunity from being included in the FISA bill. As written, this bill does not say, "Trust the American people." It does not say, "Trust the courts and judges and juries to come to just decisions" about what happened at the telecoms. Rather, retroactive immunity sends this message:

"Trust me" -- a message that comes straight from the mouth of President Bush. I would never take "trust me" for an answer, not even in the best of times. Not even from a president on Mount Rushmore.

A.

Your President... Wait For It... SPEAKS!

Today, in Toyako, Japan, after a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

There Is Some Areas

We talked about Iran; we talked about a variety of issues. And while there's some areas of disagreement, there's also areas where I know we can work together for the common good.

I Plan On Discuss It

And now I plan on -- discuss it face to face as Presidents of our respective countries.

You Know, Don't You?

So we can get a lot done together and, you know, a lot of important issues.

I Mean, You Do Know

There is -- you know, Iran is an area where Russia and the United States have worked closely in the past and will continue to work closely to convince the regime to give up its desire to enrich uranium.

Do You Know?

You know, I'm not going to sit here and psychoanalyze the man, but I will tell you that he's very comfortable, he's confident, and that I believe that when he tells me something, he means it.

Your President Speaks! Again!

Yesterday, in Toyako, Japan, during a presser with Japanese PMYasuo Fukuda.

A Lot Of You Know

I think I was sharing my views with some of the Japanese press when they were in the United States, Mr. Prime Minister, about how Japan is going to lead the world when it comes to battery technologies, and that I anticipate our country will be able to be using battery technologies in automobiles that look like cars, not golf carts, and which will save us a lot of -- a lot of, you know, reliance upon oil.

Uninsurance Benefits

We're -- we passed uninsurance benefits -- unemployment benefits -- excuse me.

What We Got

And yet we got a problem when it comes to reliance upon foreign sources of oil.

Your Question Sucks

Somehow there's this notion -- inherent in your question is the delisting therefore took away their sanctions. That's just not an accurate statement on your part -- if you think that -- I'm not assuming you do think that, but -- they're a highly sanctioned regime.

What The Chinese People Are Watching About

I also believe that the Chinese people are watching very carefully about the decisions by world leaders, and that this -- I happen to believe not going to the opening games would be -- the Opening Ceremony for the Games would be an affront to the Chinese people, which may make it more difficult to have a -- to be able to speak frankly with the Chinese leadership.

Your President Speaks!

Last Wednesday, July 2, at the White House, during a roundtable interview with the Japanese press.

What He Got

So here's the thing -- I'm going to have a few comments, and then got time for one question apiece.

Return Of The Is-Is

My own view is, is that here in the United States we can do more to find oil.

Diversifying The Fuel

Here at home, as you know, we're diversifying the fuel by the use of ethanol.

What's Driving The Food Prices

In terms of food prices, a lot of the food prices are being driven by energy costs.

What We Got To Remember And Mean

And we got to remember that there is suffering in the world and that when we speak, when we make pledges, we got to mean what we say.

People...  People Reminding People...

And I will gently remind people, to the extent I can be gentle, that it's important for people, when they hear us talk, to know that there will be results.

Brainwreck

And so we've got a -- by the way, this all is part of this war on terror -- I do want to thank the Japanese government and Japanese people for clearly understanding the stakes.

What The Six-Party Talks Is

Secondly, I believe that the six-party talks is the best way to effect change in the North Korean regime -- positive change.

Can Japan Do It More Better?

The question is can Japan solve this issue alone better, or does it make sense to have the United States and other countries expressing the same concerns?

An Effective Way To Deal With A Problem Way

And it's an effective way to deal with a problem way diplomatically.

Rebellion In The Cerebellum

And we of course will consult with our partners to deal about -- I mean, step one is no change in the current status, which means highly sanctioned -- probably the most sanctioned nation in the world. And step two is, of course, we'll consult and figure out a way forward.

Holy Crap!™

You know, it's an interesting notion that -- I said today in my press availability in the Rose Garden -- I don't know if you were there or not -- you know, I wonder whether or not some of these nations who are creating greenhouse gases -- but considered still developing nations -- are used to the period of Kyoto, when they weren't held to account about what they were producing. I wonder if that's their mind set. Because if it is, it'll make any international agreement ineffective if they're not a part to it, because, you know, it is estimated that -- well, China is creating a lot of greenhouse gases and will continue to do so.

Medulla Ohmigodda

And step one is a long-term goal. In other words, if you can get nations to commit to a goal, you've got them committed to a process. If, however, the process doesn't matter whether you're a part or not, or you may be a part at some point in time -- in my mind that won't produce the results that are necessary to deal with the global climate change issue.

Is-Is Strikes Again

And I told you about some of the technologies dealing with automobiles and, you know, the interesting thing is, is that the world is now beginning to waken up to the beauty of nuclear power.

If One Is They

And, I mean, if one is really concerned about global warming and greenhouse gases, they ought to be carrying signs insisting upon the development of nuclear power plants.

One Of The Things That Iteresting Is

And you know, one of the things that interesting is Japan and the United States are working on technologies to deal with the waste.

Synaptic Static

But this will be a great opportunity to discuss about other things we can do while we're trying to work -- you know, by the way, everything we're going to do is meant to strengthen the United Nations process and not weaken it.

There's A Process

I mean, that is a complete declaration, at least of that aspect of what they said -- when they said they would dismantle -- or disable and then dismantle. And so we've got -- you know, there's a process.

Face Serious

We did conduct multilateral diplomacy, and the world was supportive of saying to Saddam Hussein, disclose, disarm, or face serious -- and he made the choice. He was the one who got to make the choice because he -- you know, he defied the world.

The JimmyJeff Process

Now I understand sometimes people love process so everybody feels good, you know.

What I'd Ask Me

Now, one thing that's interesting -- I think I'll you find this interesting, at least you'll play like it's interesting -- is this: Should the Iranian regime -- so I'm the guy who just talked about nuclear power, right? Should the Iranian regime -- do they have the sovereign right to have civilian nuclear power? So, like, if I were you, that's what I'd ask me.

What Sato Got

Sato. Got another question?

Son Of Is-Is

My attitude is, is that I -- look, this was a painful period in our respective histories.

Promoting Japan's Relations With Japan

And we expect Japan to work hard to have good relations with Japan, just like Japan ought to hope that we have good relations with China, which we do.

A Good Relations

In good foreign policy and good diplomacy, a good relations with one makes it easier to have a better relations with another country.

Brain Strain

We're pushing forward on an action-for-action, verifiable -- and by the way, the next stage of this, just so everybody is comfortable, there will be a verifiable -- a verification regime in place, so that -- to answer your question, Michero, it will be less speculation and more transparency.

His Base

Q You must be the most excellent expert on oil business.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. (Laughter.) Look where our price is. (Laughter.)

Democrat Leaders

And now all of a sudden the price got high enough where the American people are now beginning to hear that message, and I hope the Democrat leaders in Congress hear it, which is, you know, allow this new technology be deployed to find new reserves.

There Was 15

Let's see, Iraq and troops. Okay. First of all, there was -- the people have -- okay, you got to have benchmarks. I think there was 15 benchmarks -- 18 benchmarks.

Mental Meltdown

You know, law enforcement is there is an action, there's a crime, and then there -- law enforcement acts.

Whoever The Next President Understands

And my hope is whoever the next President understands this is a war and that we can't relax, and that there's an enemy that wants to do free people harm, and that we have an obligation as free societies to keep the pressure, not only for our own security, but for the security of others.

The Creature From The Black Is-Is

The answer is, is because safe haven is a risk.

What a Weekend

What many of you saw this weekend.


July Fourth (The Jesse Helms Experience).

Well, did everyone have a good time this weekend?

I hope you all got some cookouts in.  Personally, I despise fireworks, so I avoid that.  But I enjoy a good cookout.

As you're probably aware, Jesse Helms died over the weekend.  Last we heard from the nether world, he was complaining that Hell wasn't segregated.  You just can't please some people, huh?  I mean, if all the black people were in Heaven, he would bitch that they were getting "special treatment" or some such. 

What's that?  We're not supposed to speak ill of the dead?  Fuck that, and fuck Jesse Helms.  He was a miserable, racist piece of shit in life, and that's the legacy he left.  In fact, I'm not even speaking ill of him.  He was proud to be a racist.  I'm simply describing the man's life as he chose to live it: divisive, poisonous, backwards, and thoroughly wretched.  Enjoy Hell, ya bastard. 

In other sad conservative news, I was checking out Sadly, No! yesterday afternoon.  Teh Sadlys, like our own fearless Athenae, often go swimming in the cesspool that is the conservative Internet.  Well, they found this festering turd in their latest dip:  The Stranger.

No, really.  That's what he calls himself. 

The Stranger, you see, is upset; nay, outraged!  Why, you ask?  Because, of course, the womenfolk have too much power in this crazy, mixed-up, modern world.  Ah, how we all yearn for the days of women as chattel, right, Athenae?

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Okay, okay.  I'm back.  And that is one mean right hook you've got, A.

Anyway, Brad does a hell of a job mocking this sad little fuck.  But you really need to read this shit in the original.  He goes all Jack D Ripper on you, talking about "male energy."  He stops just short of blathering about the "life essence" that women seek.  And you just want to slap the bastard.  Quit whining, you shithead.  Go live.

There's so much wrong over there, it's hard to decide what to make fun of.  But I'll pick this one little thing:  His handle.

No, not the midriff paunch.  His name.  The Stranger?  I don't think he's referencing a French existentialist novel.  Or a wide-lapel-havin' Billy Joel song.  Or Seattle's alt-weekly.

No, I think he's talking about The Stranger.  In fact, I'm almost sure of it.  Mystery solved, case closed.  Thank you all very much.

 

Disappointments and What They Mean

Suzie makes good sense here:

I can't keep up with the progressive (and I mean that in two senses of the word) disappointments over Obama. (See this NYT editorial.) Clinton supporters understood that she is a politician, and we knew her positions. But a lot of progressives thought that Obama was different, that he was above partisan politics, that he shared their views. Some thought the same of Bill Clinton before he was elected president, and they ended up feeling angry and betrayed by some of his policies and actions. This colored some people's reaction to Hillary's race for the nomination. Now the cycle is repeating itself with Obama. I wish we could break free from the media game of building up people and then tearing them down. I don't mean that we shouldn't discuss Obama's faults, or problems with his policies. I mean that people shouldn't have turned him into the next American idol because that guaranteed disappointment would follow.

And Sinfonian here:

At first, I was tempted to disavow my support for Obama and tear the bumper sticker off my car. Truly, this is more than merely disappointing -- it's a betrayal of progressive values that, in a very real way, propelled Obama to the nomination in the first place. It's also a reminder why I supported, and voted in the primary for, John Edwards at the outset. After all, how many votes does Obama gain by flip-flopping on FISA? On balance, I think he risks losing far more by reversing course than he does by sticking to his original position -- anyone who would refuse to vote for him for opposing FISA isn't going to vote for him now that he supports it anyway; i.e., it's not a deal-maker, but it easily could be a deal-breaker.

And yet, I have difficulty completely abandoning the Obama camp, at least just for this one transgression. Yes, it's a significant one, and it bodes extremely poorly for the future. Will a President Obama be as malleable, as willing to defer to the anti-American "conservative" elements of government, who deplore and dismantle the rule of law at every turn? I fear the answer to that question now. But I'm forced to admit that the only realistic alternative to Barack Obama is a dysfunctional enemy of truth and law with a hair-trigger temper and a propensity to crash and burn, whether it's planes or campaigns -- Huggy Bear, of course.

I can't do it. I can't give up on Obama, not now. But, as one Greenwald commenter noted, it's only because of LOTE: Lesser Of Two Evils.

I fucking hate American electoral politics and the shitty choices we're given.

So it was a shitty week. It's the general. Crunch time. And not for nothing but as to Obama on abortion, John Cole lays it out pretty well right here:

Let me break it down for you. This election is not going to move the high court to the left. Period. The next justices to retire are the “liberal” wing of the court, and even if Obama is able to clone and then nominate zombie William Kunstler twice, the basic make-up of the court will not change. It will still be 4-4 with Kennedy in the middle. And that is the very best Democrats can hope for in the first Obama term. The absolute best.

A.

Happy Obama Photo: Knockout Edition

A.

Today on Athenae's Obsession with the Freepi: Happy Fourth!

So you and I spent the weekend eating grilled meats or veggies, calling Senators, watching fireworks and generally enjoying being alive in the Land of the Free on its birthday. The Freepi, those stirringly patriotic folks, spent their holiday weekend bashing a third grader. Don't act surprised.

The story, which reminds me of the time my little brother and I were totally gonna save the rainforest by collecting pennies from everybody on the block:

Some kids entered SamTrans' "Art Take a Bus Ride" competition because they like to draw. Nine-year-old Kevin Huo of Foster City did it because he wants to help save the world.

"I had to get my message out to everyone so they'd understand that this Earth is getting sick," Huo says. "I want everyone to understand that they should ride the bus and lower their carbon footprints."

Huo, a third-grader at Audubon Elementary, won the contest's grand prize with a drawing he describes as a vision of a healthier future. SamTrans spent $5,000 to plaster one of its full-size buses with a blown-up version of the picture, in which windmills and solar panels form the backdrop for a line of smiling bus passengers.

Take it away, Freepi!

Methinks this kids parents didn't beat him nearly enough.

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The kid has already attained the emotional maturity and intellect of the average environmentalist.

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I wonder if the idealistic little geek has ever ridden a bus on a 110 degree day with 90% humidity.

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Someone needs to show this brainwashed tyke what windmills do to the precious little birdies...

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Oh Kevin?

Shut up ya little twerp, you don’t know jacksh*t, all you know is what your local tree-hugging communistic environmental-wackos have been pouring into your now-polluted and deluded mind.

The birds are going to die, the trees are going to eventually become a hazard to life and limb, and it will be all your fault. Why? Because we humans are the biggest threat to the environment, isn’t that what they’re telling you, and me, and everyone else 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Kid, you don’t know a fraction of what you DON’T know.

You sure told that 9-year-old! Booyah!

There are days I seriously don't know what to do with them.

A.

Not A Good Year for Friends So Far

Norm Stilson, longtime shelter director of the Greater Chicago Ferret Association, died yesterday.

I first met Norm when I went in to volunteer at the ferret shelter [video link]. I had been needing something to do that wasn't work, needing to get my head out of my job at least once a week. He was gruff and standoffish at first; I would learn that it was because he wasn't expecting me to stay. Volunteers would come in, work an evening, and never return. It's a dirty job, cleaning out cages and feeding sick pets, and it's a depressing job sometimes. People suck, and Norm was usually the one who had to deal with whatever moron had left his pet in his apartment after he moved out, or set it free in a park to be chewed on by raccoons, or put it in the dumpster. Norm was usually the one who wound up taking all those animals in, giving them a clean safe warm place to sleep, and -- no matter how filthy or frightened or sick or abused they were -- holding them a while to make them feel better.

He eventually realized I wasn't going anywhere, and we bonded over the stupidity of the TV news, which we'd watch while working on cages or meds. He'd save up especially goofy sentence constructions during the rest of the week to tell me when I got there, and I'd tell tales from the newsroom and about the ferrets he'd found us that we'd taken home. He taught me how to dispense nasty-tasting medicines so that a sick ferret would only spit half of it back at me, and it was his lessons in feeding and nursing that helped us bring Stripe back from the brink so many times.

The world is full of misery and nonsense, and tasks to accomplish, and sometimes it seems like we're terribly short on examples of people who do the job in front of them, who ignore everybody else rearranging the deck chairs and pick up the bucket and start bailing some of the water out. Norm worked harder than any ten people I've ever met. At one point the shelter housed more than 120 ferrets, and all of them, every day, got a clean cage and some time to play outside their daily confines, because of Norm, who worked from the wee hours of the morning until nearly midnight in those days. All the while, no matter what aggressive moronity he'd had to deal with, he'd pick up one or the other of the ferrets during playtime and smile and say, "Hello, little kiddo."

He found us our Stripe and our Joey and our Puck and our Riot, and for that alone, I owe him more than I could ever repay.

A.

This Week It All Comes Down

And you don't want to be sitting there knowing you didn't make a call.

A.