Monday Reads
Posted: November 29, 2010 Filed under: morning reads | Tags: Barack Obama, Claire McCaskill, DADT, DHS, Health care reform, hypocrisy, ICE, Julian Assange, Lindsey Graham, Wikileaks 129 Comments
Good Morning!! The long holiday weekend is officially over. Of course the big story is still the latest Wikileaks release.
This McClatchy story at the Miami Herald points out that despite hysterical warnings from U.S. officials there is “no evidence that WikiLeaks releases have hurt anyone”
American officials in recent days have warned repeatedly that the release of documents by WikiLeaks could put people’s lives in danger.
But despite similar warnings before the previous two releases of classified U.S. intelligence reports by the website, U.S. officials concede that they have no evidence to date that the documents led to anyone’s death.
Before Sunday’s release, news organizations given access to the documents and WikiLeaks took the greatest care to date to ensure no one would be put in danger. In statements accompanying stories about the documents, several newspapers said they voluntarily withheld information and that they cooperated with the State Department and the Obama administration to ensure nothing released could endanger lives or national security.
The newspapers “established lists in common of people to protect, notably in countries ruled by dictators, controlled by criminals or at war,” according to an account by Le Monde, a French newspaper that was among the five news organizations that were given access to the documents. “All the identities of people the journalists believed would be threatened were redacted,” the newspaper said in what would be an unusual act of self censorship by journalists toward government documents.
I see no reason to believe this release will be any different. Yes, there will be embarrassment for various world leaders–so what? We have a right to know what our government is doing. I say more power to whistleblowers the world over.
The New York Times posted an exchange of letters between Julian Assange and the U.S. government. The letter show that Wikileaks was very open to withholding information if it would really cause harm to anyone.
In other news, Claire McCaskill is attempting to distance herself from Obama, now that he’s no longer seen as the messiah. Will wonders never cease? You’d think McCaskill would go down with the ship, but I guess she’d rather hang onto her job in the Senate than continue her worshipful attitude toward the President.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” McCaskill said that she’d voted against the president on cap-and-trade, the second round of cash-for-clunkers, comprehensive immigration reform and every omnibus bill.
McCaskill said she’d also sometimes disagreed with Obama when he was a senator.
“My record of independence, frankly, stretches back for a long period of time,” she said.
When asked to name an issue where Obama had fallen short, the senator said his move into healthcare legislation at a time when he should have been focusing on job creation was “very difficult,” and therefore economic issues “didn’t get the attention they needed.”
The Obots continue to drop like flies. It would be nice if Nancy Pelosi would get the message and start standing up for Democratic principles for a change.
I’m not sure what to think about this next story. The DHS and ICE have summarily shut down more than 70 websites. Supposedly these sites were involved in counterfeiting products or encouraging theft of intellectual property, but what is the recourse for a site that is wrongly shut down?
From the Wall Street Journal: Website Closures Escalate U.S. War on Piracy
A federal crackdown that shut more than 70 websites last week is the latest sign of an escalating war against counterfeit and pirated products, using legal tactics that may be closely scrutinized by civil-liberties groups.
Domain names of the affected sites—which offered such diverse goods as scarves, golf gear and rap music—were seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of the Department of Homeland Security, under court-approved warrants.
This is controversial because civil actions are generally used in piracy cases.
ICE’s latest crackdown is based on procedures used in criminal cases, including seizing domains and assets of suspect websites without prior notification of their owners, lawyers tracking the case said.
“It’s time to stop playing games,” said Chris Castle, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented copyright holders as well as technology companies involved in digital music.
Here a two different reactions to the government shutting down websites.
From Stephen J. Vaughn-Nichols at ZDnet: The Rise of Web Censorship
Back in 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart of famously wrote on what was, and wasn’t “hard-core pornography” that, “I know it when I see it.” Today, free speech on the Web is impeded by far more restrictions than just what is, or isn’t, pornographic. On the Web in 2010, even the appearance of enabling file-sharing of copyright materials seems to be enough for the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Web-sites without notice.
But here’s the problem, according to Vaughn-Nichols:
I have no use for sites that traffic in counterfeit goods such as fake autographed sports jerseys or designer purses. I do, on the other hand, worry when a site like Torrent-Finder is shut down.
You see, Torrent-Finder, which is back up under a new domain name, Torrent-Finder.info doesn’t host Torrent file or even BitTorrent file trackers. It’s just a search engine dedicated to file torrents such as movies, TV shows, or software programs. You can find the same file torrents with Google if you know what you’re doing. Torrent-Finder, and sites like it, just makes specific kinds of file searches easier.
I think its fine for the government to try to block the sales of fake LeBron James Miami Heat jerseys and the like. It’s when we start moving into the murkier land of intellectual property and the “right” to block searches, that I start getting worried.
From Elliot’s blog, which is devoted to “domain name investing news and tips”: Why I Am Not Worried About Domain Name Seizures
I will preface this by saying that I don’t like the idea of the government acting as judge and juror, while not seeming to give the website and/or domain name owners the opportunity to defend their actions. It’s scary that the government can simply take over some websites at it’s whim without the owner’s chance to defend his or her actions.
However, if the companies that own the websites are or were doing something illegal while violating the rights of people in the US (whom ICE is responsible to protect), this seizure is not such a huge deal as some might make it out to be….
Eventually, these website operates should have their day in court, but taking away their platform is a way to temporarily stop them from doing what the government believes is an illegal act (although it seems pretty simple to move to another domain name). I don’t know where to draw the line when it comes to seizures such as this, but if a company happens to be brazenly flouting the law, I am not opposed to government intervention. If these website operators are in the right, then they will certainly have their day in court.
I don’t know, this whole thing makes me uneasy, especially with the TSA being permitted to violate the 4th amendment rights of airline passengers. To me this feels like an attempt to begin censoring the internet.
Here’s an interesting story on possible effects on the health care law if Congress makes serious attempts to cut the deficit: Deficit battle threatens job-based health care
Budget proposals from leaders in both parties have urged shrinking or eliminating tax breaks that help make employer health insurance the leading source of coverage in the nation and a middle-class mainstay.
The idea isn’t to just raise revenue, economists say, but finally to turn Americans into frugal health care consumers by having them face the full costs of their medical decisions.
Such a re-engineering was rejected by Democrats only a few months ago, at the height of the health care overhaul debate. But Washington has changed, with Republicans back in power and widespread fears that the burden of government debt may drag down the economy.
Death panels, anyone?
Hypocrisy watch? Senator Lindsey Graham says DADT won’t be repealed.
The South Carolina Republican, a proponent of the law banning openly gay service in the armed forces, said definitively that there was no support for repeal on the Republican side of the aisle. He called for an additional study to determine whether the military itself favored overturning the 17-year-old legislation.
“This is a political promise made by Senator Obama when he was running for president,” said Graham, during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. “There is no groundswell of opposition to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell coming from our military. This is all politics. I don’t believe there is anywhere near the votes to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. On the Republican side, I think we will be united in the lame duck [session] and the study I would be looking for is asking military members: Should it be repealed, not how to implement it once you as a politician decide to repeal it. So I think in a lame duck setting Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not going anywhere.”
Please, someone, snap some pics of Lindsey Graham next time he hits a gay bar. I wonder what his pals McCain and Lieberman would say then?
According to interviews with the Daily Beast, the Taliban is laughing at the U.S., Britain, and NATO, because they negotiated with a fake Taliban leader for months.
Taliban commanders in Afghanistan reacted with amusement this weekend to news of an impostor who, by claiming he was a senior Taliban leader, managed to fool NATO officials and get invited to high-level peace talks.
The man pretending to be insurgent leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour was in fact a shopkeeper from Quetta in Western Pakistan, they said.
“Imagine,” Mohammad Hafiz, a senior Taliban commander, told The Daily Beast, “if a shopkeeper from Quetta can make a fool of them and keep them engaged in talks for months, how do they believe they can defeat the Taliban?”
Hafiz, himself a close aide to the insurgent leader Mansour, said Taliban commanders were laughing at the fact that American and British officials could be so easily deceived. But he and other insurgent leaders denied the shopkeeper was a plant; in fact, they said, they wouldn’t mind finding him and having a chat.
That is pretty pathetic. It’s time to get out of Afghanistan. Iraq too.
What stories are you following today?
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
You kind of want to laugh and cry simultaneously on the whole spying thing released by wikileaks.
I mean c’mon if the US is willing to spy on their own citizens then it stands to reason they’d have no issues with spying on other nations that might have different interests then our nation’s.
While I admire whistleblowers, a person “who raises a concern about alleged wrongdoing occurring in an organization or body of people. Usually this person would be from that same organization”, and often risks losing his/her job by doing this, that’s not how I see what Assange/Wikileaks are doing. They publicize documents obtained through illegal hacking, documents they probably haven’t even read themselves. There must be a better way.
As GAP Legal Director Tom Devine said, before the previous leak from Wikileaks:
“The present system gives national security and intelligence employees no alternative to leaks, unless they are willing to engage in professional suicide. There are no safe channels to work within the system. This is a ‘lose-lose’ structure. Those who need to know information too often remain ignorant, and those who have no national security duties receive the evidence of government breakdowns.”
Makes sense to me.
The whistleblower is Bradley Manning, who is now in prison, although he hasn’t been tried yet. I’d say he has paid a pretty serious price, and he’ll pay more before this is over.
Wikileaks did go through all the material. That is why it has taken so long to release it. They also contacted the government and asked for help in removing names and information that would actually hurt anyone (Wikileaks removed names on their own). As you can see at the link at the NYT, the U.S. refused to help with that, simply demanding that nothing be released. The media also goes through the material before publishing and removes names and information that might cause lives to be in danger.
And, BTW, millions of lives are in danger because of U.S. policies, including American lives.
There *are* better ways for governments to behave, beginning with not lying their way into endless wars and murdering hundreds of thousands of people.
Ignorant question — will Manning be court-martialed or be tried in civilian court?
Court martialed.
I just hope they don’t torture him.
Rep Rogers wants to execute him for treason.
What ought to be considered treasonous is the double dealing done behind the American people’s backs with their tax dollars.
I know that Bradley Manning did the hacking, and are now imprisoned for that. What I don’t know is if he did it because he felt it was urgent for the world to see those documents … or just because he could.
These leaks, that seem to be more of the “nice to know” than the “need to know” kind, to me at least pose more questions than answers. (Apart from speculation about what Assange’s motives could be. That he feels it is urgent? Revenge? Hate? Or just because he can?)
Who/what do these leaks actually benefit? And what exactly does Assange/Wikileaks (if anything) want us to pay attention to? Did he/they ever say? Is hacking and publicizing e-mails now a good thing? Or only when it’s done to others/Governments? Will these leaks be used in the future as an excuse to control us “little people” and our “cyberspace actions” even more? Where’s the limit for what should be accepted?
And where does international diplomacy go from now on out? Back to Napoleonic days of communicating?
Just my speculations.
I’m not certain this was Manning. There’s an awful lot of access to something that technically he shouldn’t have had a “need to know.”
Even an e3 with TS would still be limited to stuff that was within performance of his duties. this begs the question how did he get access to the State Department as a DoD employee? We’re talking massive amounts of access to two different agencies without their knowledge. I find it highly suspect.
It’s said that 3 mill. people had access! Sounds … excessive!
And it does seem that Manning provided all the leaks. He also sounds almost criminally stupid. Manning according to guardian.co.uk :
I mean several people must have known/suspected the Taliban impostor, but were afraid to say that the ‘Taliban Leader had no clothes’ and the foolishness continued, even to the point of giving him thousands of money and putting military equipment at his disposal.
We need to have someone put forth a SOUND PLAN TO EXIT OUT OF AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ as the WARS are bleeding us dry with no results and only helping to support corrupt government officials.
BB, I am glad you noted that piece in the Miami Herald about the Wikileaks.I saw that when it was published and thought it would be a link to keep.
And as far as the ICE and the website/domain seizure, Does this mean that the gov will go after all the “Fake Purse Ninjas” (and the other counterfeit sellers on Ebay, Etsy, and Artfire) I mean if you are going to try to stop the copyright infringement and the selling of fake designer goods, then they have to turn their attention to the venues that offer an outlet/service to these sellers. It is amazing to see the copyright infringement that goes on over at Ebay and Etsy…
*and the mention of “Fake Purse Ninjas” is in homage to Steve Martin’s movie Bowfinger….
WikiLeaks US embassy cables: live updates
The first batch of leaked US embassy cables reveal a desire by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to attack Iran, and US espionage against the UN. Follow all the reaction and diplomatic fallout
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-us-embassy-cables-live-updates
This page has some interesting reactions to the Wikileaks from around the world. It will be constantly updated.
I find this one interesting, and saw it coming:
• “Senior US politicians have launched a series of scathing attacks against WikiLeaks. US Republican senator Peter King, chair of the House homeland security committee said Wikileaks should be treated as a terrorist organisation (7.15am). Senator Joseph Lieberman, chair of the Senate homeland security committee, said the leaks had put lives at risk.”
Boys crying wolf.
Our politicians have put American lives at risk since 9/11. They’ve also killed a lot of Iraqis and Afghanis.
Eggs-zactly!!
John Kampfner at The Independent: Wikileaks shows up our media for their docility at the feet of authority
If anything, the U.S. press is even more docile than the Brits!
Good morning. Lots to read!
Apologies if this has been posted in a previous thread.
TSA-you don’t HAVE to fly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Key-27CXHBA&feature=player_embedded
Aaahhhh!!!!!!!!
Lolsob.
Wiki Hysteria »
By Larry Johnson
“Oh MY GOD!! Julian Assange has leaked thousands State Department cables and our world is going to end. Jesus SAVE US!! The world might be subjected to an actual moment of candor from a U.S. diplomat serving in Kazakstan. Oh the humanity.”
🙂
Link to NQ omitted so as not to invoke the wrath of the blog owners
That’s pretty much been my reaction. As I said above is it really a surprise to anyone that the US would suggest spying on other countries? Really? Considering the fact they were covertly spying on their own citizens? Again really? Then there’s the whole well if you help AQ then we’re gonna fund the rebels in your country thing going on with Turkey( or the reverse could be true where we started it by funding rebels). All of this stuff is a perfect example of why our foreign policy sucks.
I’ll wait and see what else comes out before judging. This is just the beginning of the release.
Catarina,
LOL. I don’t mind a link to Larry Johnson.
Larry does have, um.. a way with words!
Meanwhile, it is revealed that US Diplomats refer to Putin and Medvedev as “Batman and Robin”
http://en.rian.ru/world/20101129/161542104.html
Larry is completely wrong in his economic analysis in his latest post though.
Maybe it’s better if LJ sticks to spy stuff!
I do think Obama will have a field day now that he can blame Repubs for the results-he’s just been dying to tax employer provided health care bennies.
What I want to know is how Manning leaks some gossipy cables and the senate wants to hang up from the Treason tree while Dick Cheney gets away with outing a covert CIA agent and breaking the Geneva convention.
Oh, the humanity! Ms Claire!!!
I know Clare McCaskill isn’t doing to well in her GOP spin, and does this mean her kids told her to be more GOPish?
I think the reason every thing was taken off the table for Bush and Cheney is that Nancy Pelosi would have to admit that she was briefed on the ‘TORTURE’ and other matters and that might also put her on the table, so keep moving NOTHING HERE… 😯
Clare said today, that the way to stop the leaks, is to deter the crime, and
make more laws. She ought to know about changing the rules and the laws in midstream. Wonder if she’d be interested in playing dominos?
Well, this is certainly high crimes and misdemeanors
The horror of it all. I bet they’re just crying their eyes out at being depicted as two American action heroes. Oh the inhumanity!
Batman and Robin-LOL!!!!!
Putin was thrilled that he got to be Batman…
I’d just be glad–if I were him–that it wasn’t Dr. Evil and Mini me.
Nice roundup, BB! I think its great that the WH has to defend the State Department. Lets see how the election team for Obumbles ’12 slanders her for THAT one! 😀
Asshats.
Hillary 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/wikileaks
Just my own impression, but it appears to me that Nancy Pelosi has been far more faithful to Democratic ideals than has Pres. Obama.
As for McCaskill, it’s her character to snuggle up to Obama when she thought he was on the rise, and now to tone down her sycophancy.
Back to Pelosi, I have a hunch she has good reason to be quite angry with Obama. But she too was part of his enabler-brigade.
This may sound simplistic, but had the Obama administration gone ahead and cast a much needed light upon the workings of the Bush cabal and their unnecessary war, perhaps we would not have needed Wikileaks to break the silence.
Instead Obama insisted on “turning the page” on this moment in history and left it up to others to open this cannister of shame.
One lesson learned: you cannot hide this stuff forever.
Amen to that…..
Hillary 2012
President “Transparency” should be grateful. Assange is just holding him to his campaign promises.
LOL
Spot on.
Good point, since those CSPAN cables went silent and he continued everything Bush II did and even increased some things. 😯 Oh, and he blocked the PUBLIC OPTION, when he PROMISED every option would be considered, those were just campaign words.
I wonder if there are any leaked e-mails on the Public Option being blocked by Obama?
Excuse me while I go dancing in the streets:
http://letthemlisten.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/an-impasse-and-an-olive-branch/
Oh my goddess, I hadn’t even seen this before I linked right after you. You are so sweet, Minx.
I tried to take a mini-break (didn’t go very well–I kept getting e-mails and wordpress alerts), so I went out for a walk. I felt like doing cartwheels. 🙂
Wonk is in the building.
I just published my last post at The Confluence before leaving to let everyone there know that I was moving on and doing so in a spirit of peace, but it appears my post has already been taken down.
Here is the crosspost back at my place:
http://letthemlisten.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/an-impasse-and-an-olive-branch/
Welcome, Wonk! I have missed you so much.
Likewise, bb. I missed you and everybody bigtime.
Wonk, you’re an asset to the discussions wherever you are. Glad to see you here. Your final post conveys what a lot of us who came here were feeling. Sad, but sometimes it becomes necessary to move on.
Ditto that, already had you bookmarked for a while now. Best of luck, you are a very talented and fair minded writer.
thanks for the bookmark and the well wishes, soupcity. So glad you’re here at Sky Dancing too.
I am grateful too to everybody who stopped at my place in the interim, while I dialed back my presence at the old watering hole–it encouraged me to keep blogging instead of disappearing.
Wow, I am humbled to hear that. It means a lot coming from you, grayslady.
Wonk! You’re here! Fabulous to see you.
Right back atcha, NW Luna! Glad to see so many names I had been missing 🙂
So sorry about that Wonk – your olive branch not being received. 😦
But so happy to see you here. 🙂
(Will now go and read your post!)
Thanks for the smile, Pips. It’s good to smile while blogging again 🙂
I feel bad for the situation and almost didn’t post on LI’s post on Palin because I am so tired of hearing about the Palin family. Sarah appears to literally suck the oxygen out of the room and forces some smart liberal people to focus on defending her personally instead of discussing policy positions, and in particular HER policy positions.
I feel bad that she is called names and treated like she is a bimbo. I truly do. However, I also see this as a case of reaping what you sow. She spends an awful lot of time heaping vitriole on people she disagrees with and twisting stuff herself. I just can’t see wasting my time defending someone who’d stab me in the back the moment I turned it. Nope. Not when there are so many others that I see worthy of my time and effort(like the millions unemployed or underemployed, the middle class about to lose their safety net).
Anyway I’m sure you can still visit.
I get a tic now whenever I see a P post or a P discussion or P defense or a P anything. And, I have never watched nor will I ever watch Dancing with the Stars! I turned the TV off at the beginning of the month and have yet to turn it back on. I can’t even take the news channels these days.
And what is it about some men that they feel like they have to jump on some pseudo white stallion and make like some knight in some warped patriarchal act of chivalry to defend a woman that’s obviously up to defending herself and her kids?
Sheesh … sick sick sick!! to death of it all!!!
Lolsob, to the picture of the (middle aged!) knight in … whatever armor, jumping on his ‘pseudo white stallion’, doing his patriarchal (good point!) duty: Rescuing damsels in distress. Heh! Snort!
Damsels in deception 😉
Me too. Nowadays, I have to leave the room anytime P’s name is mentioned. I can’t stand to hear any more about P. It’s pretty much the same way I feel about O., actually.
Me three. I’m not liking anybody these days. I have major P & O (& just about everyone else) fatigue and it’s making me very cranky. I think if anyone at work mentions either I just might go off on them.
It seems to me that not one of our (s)elected officials or designated media mouthpieces is concerned about the issues and the very immediate problems we are facing. Our country is in dire straits and there’s just this huge sucking void of meaningless distraction, political pantomime and musical chairs maneuvering. I feel like I’m stuck in an elevator with some mutant muzak uninteresting “interesting times” riff on endless repeat. It’s bizarre, frightening but most of all very, very, very irritating.
Yeah, the uncritical defense of Palin and the irrational attacks on her is a two-way distraction from what really matters.
I just don’t know what would be the point after they censored my last post.
Well, I had to make a comment about yet “another SP post” today, but LI even agreed with me.
Hey Minx! I am proud of LI for speaking up on the Palinpalooza. She is an incredible young woman and a dear friend of mine. I wish I was half as aware of the world at LI’s age as she is.
btw, I’ll still be frontpaging with LI at her place–actually I am trying to find some sort of blog gadget that will enable me to crossposst everywhere I need to more easily. so you will see me at LI’s liberalrapture more regularly too 🙂
I don’t quite like scribefire…I’ve had issues with it. Is anyone using anything else they’d recommend?
We’re so glad to have your vibrant and outspoken voice!! I’m sure every one will go to your site and read your missive AND understand your decision here since so many of us have come to similar conclusions!!!
Big Hugs to you!!!! And welcome to the little blog that WILL!!! And I’ve been sneaking over to read you on your blog!!!! I’ve avoided commenting, however, because I didn’t want to get you into trouble.
I wanted to write a Thank You to Dak, BB, MABlue, Sima, and WTV…I am just linking it here because I posted a picture on my “thank you” that makes me smile…anyway, I hope you “fabulous five” will take a look at it…
Don’t forget Sima!!! She’s an important part of our team also!!!
Oh yeah, I knew that I list looked funny…yes please add Sima….so make that the “fabulous five.”
Here’s me excited to be frontpaging with Sima! Yay!!
I never got to formally congratulate her on her first post, though I did e-mail her. So here’s a belated note and I hope she sees it– Congrats, Sima! I think you are a fine new addition to the co-blogging team and look forward to actually getting to leave comments on your post now.
And, I am totally loving that I get to call myself a Sky Dancer! 8)
@WTV Sheesh Wonk, way to make a newbie blogger blush.
I’m no way near as good as the other bloggers here. But I’m trying to get there! I knew something was changing for me when I realized I was reading news stories and keeping links to them for posting in comments or in a story here. Heh.
http://minkoffminx.com/2010/11/29/i-think-i-can-i-will-it-i-can/
Me and my pathetic attempt at embedding a link…anyway, here is the thank you!
I’m reading it now. Thank you so much!!! You have no idea what the support means to me as this has all been very difficult. I’m finally feeling much better about things and feeling very optimistic. Again, thank you!!!
Thanks MM.
Btw, I haven’t had so much fun blogging like I did yesterday in a long time.
I was checking other really notable sites and they were posting some links to Cablegate way after we did.
Everyone here was just fabulous.
It means a lot to me too. Thank you very much, Minkoff Minx.
Minkoff Minx,
I’m speechless. Lots of love to you!
Thanks so much for everything, Kat. You had actually been the one to formally invite me to the old frontpage. I left for my own reasons, but I was lost on there without you.
tysvm. You’ve got me all verklempt!!! A teacher can always spot the jewel in the lotus and you are quite the jewel!!
Oh Wonk, what has been happening at TC…..
took you down in a moment-that is not fair.
Ok, I’m back. Had to step away for a bit.
Laurie, I am so disappointed but I cannot say I am surprised. I had written about appreciating that I had never been censored there in my last post, and that was the post that got censored. Ah well, peace, nothing but peace from my end.
I’m just glad I’m here and you’re here. 🙂
Yay, Wonk! I’m so glad to see you here!
Branjor–I’ve missed you and your gentle voice.
Hi Wonk,
Thought you’d land here eventually.
🙂
Ditto!
catarina and HT: LOL. I thought so too. I did a Hillary and tried a peace process first 🙂
Hey WTV,
I haven’t seen you on the Internets for ages. Glad to know you’re out there.
mablue, thanks. it will be great to trade archival notes again 🙂
I’ve always loved reading your stuff. Hope to see more of you here!
Welcome, Wonk, I’ve missed you! 🙂
janice and joanelle and everybody at Sky Dancing:
thank you for such a warm welcome and all the support. I feel a huge weight being lifted reading all your words of encouragement.
Censored? I had no idea. Unbelievable. But I’m so glad you’ll be front-paging here. Sky Dancing is my go-to blog for all the news that’s fit to post and top notch commentary. You’ll fit right in, Wonk.
And excellent post. Gracious and classy, like the lady in your avatar.
Yay! Hi Wonk! Welcome!
I’m glad all of us are moving on together, so to speak.
and with that … I added the Front Page Team to the side bar 🙂
Yay!
In other words, it’s our own damn expensive fault if we want to get well after we get sick.
No, no, no
You don’t get it. You see you haven’t attended enough schools. If you had then you’d realize that consumers are idiots who seek to spend their time in waiting areas at hospitals and doctor’s offices not because they’re sick but because they have nothing better to do. It’s also why we are so mean and force doctors to actually perform diagnostic testing instead of allowing them to just “guess” what’s wrong with us. I mean how unreasonable! Of course, it’s also all our faults when medication is overprescribed because “guessing” isn’t actually the most effective way to diagnose. Gosh darn consumers!
(tongue firmly in cheek)
I can’t figure it out. These are presumably smart people, these economists. So why do they think it’s the consumers’ fault when the price of something is raised?
Surely, it should be that the price is raised because we do NOT buy something and it’s rare, not because everyone needs it and it’s common, like health care.
Hillary is on tv now discussing some of the same issues. She just followed President Indifferent who just stumbled through his presentation (must be the stitched lip!) and the difference in presenation is so obvious.
She commands the stage. He merely inhabits it.
“She commands the stage. He merely inhabits it.”
My thoughts exactly, and I think she finished strong… discussing Iran and how almost everyone feels about it.
Watching the two of them just brings back the illogical outcome of that 2008 primary. One wholly prepared, the other woefully deficient.
“Coulda had a V8…coulda had Hillary.” I think that was said by Wonk. But it often comes to mind.
My home state takes a stand:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2013545041.html
Yay! Proud to be a Washington slug for this.
So many people I know get angry about the immigrants. I ask them if they want to pick vegetables and point them in the direction of my farm. Hehe. Mind you, our operation is too small to hire pickers, we do all that ourselves. But I offer my friends and acquaintances the chance to do a few hours of the work and realize what it is.
Only two have taken me up. They have never returned, and talk about the experience with words like ‘grueling’ and ‘never again’. It’s not that bad, but you gotta be in some sort shape and able to bend.
Over at Tom in Paine:
“James Carville recently caused an uproar, by saying or actually reiterating that Barrack Obama “has no balls”. Reportedly the White House expressed “outrage” at Carville’s remark…If anything, the White House’s “outrage” proves they can get outraged as long as its at someone who isn’t a legitimate opponent or threat, like Republicans or Ahmadinejad. No one can remember Obama expressing “outrage” at Iranians being shot in the street protesting a rigged election, ( instead saying he “didnt want to meddle”) or “outrage” at signs showing him with a Hitler mustache or “outrage” at Republican lies about the public option. But they were “outraged” about Carville simply stating the truth.”
Read more about O’s missing balls:
http://tominpaine.blogspot.com/2010/11/carville-and-obama.html
One attractive quality in James Carville: he says what he means and means what he says and doesn’t feel compelled to apologize the minute someone goes and gets the vapours.
…which is why I’ve always liked Carville more than Begala.
I don’t hate Begala either–he had annoyed me in ’08, but I’m over it. Actually he impressed me recently with something he said, but I’m having a brainfried moment and can’t recall it.
I am very glad to see Wonk wherever she shows up.
I have taken TC off my list as the best writers departed, and the Miq guy is too coarse for my taste, and Riverdaughter is inclined to sharpness, at least something she said in the dust-up over Dak’s column, I didn’t like the tone of it.
I enjoy Bostonboomer and other writers here. A tone of civility, married to knowledgeability, matters quite a bit to me.
RD struck me as stressed out by her tone in quite a few threads. I also think Myiq means well. There is a valid strategy and his philosophy appears to be that we may very well be looking at a GOP landslide so maybe it’s best to do what many of the GOP did when they saw the writing on the wall for the GOP party and jump ship and attempt to impact the default party. I don’t embrace that strategy this early on but hey I could see why someone might entertain the idea.
Lots of people are stressed out these days. I love myiq. He has always been very kind to me. And he is a very fine writer.
Thank you very much, Pilgrim. What a nice thing to say!
Pilgrim, you are a wonderful writer yourself, you know. “A tone of civility, married to knowledgeability” … well put.
Clinton: U.S. ‘Deeply Regrets’ Embarrassment of WikiLeaks Documents http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM39yvQojak
Anybody else is having this problem?
I just switched from the PC to Mac, and on my Mac I can’t see Kat’s latest post. Here I still have The News as the current post.
not me … but doubt i’d have that problem since it’s cached.
I can’t see the new post, and I’m on a PC. It says published on the dashboard.
okay, I’ve lost it too … let me pull the picture out and see what happens.
I see it now.
yeah, maybe there was a problem with the photo being TM’d or something … do you see a green piggy bank now?
Yep.
It’s up here too.
I thought you scrubbed the post because we had a case of Premature ePublication
re the arrival of Wonk…
This blog just keeps getting better and better every day.
thanks and yes, I have been following Sky Dancers on my blog reader since Kat left and watching the Hillary ’08 community bloom where it got replanted. 🙂
there’s an op-ed up at Slate calling for Hillary to resign as SOS for suggesting diplomats spy
by Jack Shafer (uber libertarian and pawn of ‘monkeyfishing’ hoax)
Did Shafer want Condi to resign,I think not. Hillary will not resign over this and she shouldn’t. Other governments do the same thing that we do. We don’t trust everybody and they don’t trust us. That is why we spy.
Well, EXCUSE ME, but is it not our Nobel Peace Prize President Obama who ordered a continuation of BUSH II policies (thus his name BUSH III), and even going to court to argue for his right to assassinate US citizens and foreigners too?
Why is it that our Golfing/Basketball paying President is busy having fun and our hard working lady Hillary is doing diplomatic rescues around the world!?! I am sure getting tired of having Hillary serving as the punching bag, and it’s no wonder Carville won’t apologize, because lord knows she has stood tall through this and more.
Katrina vanden Heuvel apologizes to John “Don’t Touch My Junk” Tyner for that hatchet-job in The Nation last week.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/156700/apology-john-tyner
Good move on her part.
yup, sure is …
Wonk, in the house…hooray!!!
Late to this – Wonk, I am delighted that you are writing over here! I’ve always enjoyed reading your posts – they’re filled with interesting facts, insight and compassion/kindness. I’m sorry you were censored over at TC – but I am happy that you landed here!