Friday Reads: At least, I think it’s Friday and is it Morning?
Posted: May 17, 2013 Filed under: morning reads 48 CommentsSo, I picked a good week to get lost in jet lag and my sister’s long to do list. I didn’t get my first flight out of Seattle Wednesday because of mechanical 
problems. The pilot wouldn’t fly the plane. That meant about 300 people+ me were scrambling for alternatives at the 11th hour. Fortunately, my sister is a ninja of travel arrangements and got me right on a flight to Chicago where I then spent a good portion of the day and night in Chicago at O’Hare living through multiple gate changes. I got in really late but at least I got a free update which meant I had some really great leg room on the way home, even though it was at terribly ungodly hour and at that point I just wanted to be unconscious. I have to admit to staying in bed pretty much all day on Thursday. Now that I’ve looked at the headlines, I’ve decided I should’ve stayed there longer. Good gawd, did they put some hallucinogenic mushroom in the DC water supply while I was gone?
I learned a lot about right wing republicans when I ran for office. You probably have heard a lot of my war stories if you’ve read me at all. The one big lesson I learned–besides staying as far away from bible banging pro-lifers as possible–is that if you have really nothing scandalous in your life they were simply make something up. I learned from the Omaha World Herald that I had been fired from a bank teller job in college for embezzling money. I did work as a bank teller. I didn’t stay with it very long mostly because it interfered with school but I had to call the old retired VP of the branch to write to the paper to tell them nothing like that ever happened when he or I was there. There are a few other things that were whispered about me involving lesbians and abortions and doing things in the street, but I won’t share them here because they were really the reflection of the most twisted brains I’ve ever experienced. All generously spread at mass and in between halleluiahs and rolling at the big box churches. I’ve decided hyper-religiosity is a mental illness and it manifests delusions. It’s omnipresent in the Republican Party these days. Just imagine a party full of Pat Robertsons! That’s about the size of it. So, all the hooplah over Benghazi and now the IRS strikes me as just one more bit of hysteria on the part of really sore losers who think some godbag is encouraging them to do his dirty work. What kills me is there are some really troubling things going on and they’re just blowing right by it like the little schools of fish they are.
MEMORANDUM’s greatest hit list looks like conspiracy theory central. It’s hard to even know which hysterical ninny to read first. Pearl Clutching Bush enabler Peggy Noonan is all over the WSJ probably trying to get us all to forget the torture, Gitmo, no WMDs, and all that with her take on the rogue IRS agents. Politicization of the IRS threatens our GOVERNMENT!!! Damn Pegster, what about making up shit about WMD’s to throw us into a war, using torture, and then let’s have a nice chat about Iran-Contra. None of that was the least bit threatening to democracy from your viewpoint dearie? Hallelujah and pass the water boards!!!
We are in the midst of the worst Washington scandal since Watergate. The reputation of the Obama White House has, among conservatives, gone from sketchy to sinister, and, among liberals, from unsatisfying to dangerous. No one likes what they’re seeing. The Justice Department assault on the Associated Press and the ugly politicization of the Internal Revenue Service have left the administration’s credibility deeply, probably irretrievably damaged. They don’t look jerky now, they look dirty. The patina of high-mindedness the president enjoyed is gone.
Something big has shifted. The standing of the administration has changed.
As always it comes down to trust. Do you trust the president’s answers when he’s pressed on an uncomfortable story? Do you trust his people to be sober and fair-minded as they go about their work? Do you trust the IRS and the Justice Department? You do not.
Where does this kind of shit come from? What level and number of two martini-lunches has this woman been having to come up with THIS being the worst thing since Watergate? Get the lady a glass of cold water and a compress! Fetch the Fainting Couch! Check out the Oscar nominations! Sheesh! So, Peggy and Lady Lindsey must disagree on which of these blown up bits of nonsense are the worst EVAH!!! Lady Lindsey told me it was Benghazi and Lady Peggington tells me its the IRS. I am so confused!!!
As BB told me this morning when I asked if I missed anything … it’ like the second Clinton Term Redux. Let’s get all bent out of shape over things that really don’t matter … MEANWHILE, ground hog’s day continue in the House: House votes to repeal ObamaCare. Don’t foget, Obamacare is the worst thing since WaterGATE!!! Oh, wait …
The House voted to repeal ObamaCare on Thursday for the third time since Republicans took over the chamber in 2011.
Only two Democrats sided with Republicans in the party-line 229-195 vote — Jim Matheson (Utah) and Mike McIntyre (N.C.). All Republicans voted in favor of repeal.
This is the 37th time the House GOP has voted to repeal or defund at least part of the bill, but this latest bill will also not become law given Democrats’ control of the Senate.
So, in Pakistan, the number of drone strikes increased exponentially under President Obama. He also began issuing a series of secret orders, at times through General David Petraeus, who was theCENTCOM commander responsible for all military operations in the Middle East. And they started to issue what are called execute orders for joint special operations forces commandos, elite SEALs, Delta Force, Army Rangers and others, to begin penetrating countries that were outside of the stated battlefields, like Yemen and Mali and Somalia and elsewhere in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and began constructing drone bases in Saudi Arabia, in Djibouti, where the U.S. has its major hub of operations in East Africa. Camp Lemonnier was a French military base that was taken over by the U.S. And so you had the expansion of these wars where you didn’t have embedded journalists, you didn’t have congressional hearings, and the administration tried to portray its drone wars as a smarter, cleaner war. But there is no such thing as a clean war.And what we see happening right now is that the signature strikes, this policy that Kade mentioned, has become the tip of the spear of U.S. policy in both Yemen and Pakistan, where you have what is almost—it’s a grotesque form of pre-crime, where people, because of the region that they live, the fact that they are, quote-unquote, “military-aged” males, and they may or may not have had association with certain people, makes them worthy of preemptive designation as terrorists. And so, when they are killed, and then we hear a report about 11 militants being killed or suspected militants being killed, oftentimes those are people that have been determined through the pre-crime process—and that’s even not the right term, because who knows if they were even going to commit a crime? When you’re killing people whose identities you don’t know, who you have no intelligence to speak of that they’re actually involved with criminal activity or plotting terrorist acts, and you bomb them, what you’ve done in doing that is to create new enemies that have an actual legitimate grievance against the United States. Our actions in Pakistan and Yemen and Somalia are going to come back to blow against us. It will be blowback. We will pay a price for our actions around the world. There is no clean war in Yemen. There is no clean war in Pakistan.
When President Obama was asked about his resolve during the political campaign, he said, “Ask the 22 or 30″—I forget which number—”leaders of al-Qaeda who have been killed under my administration about my sense of resolve.” And it’s true. They’ve killed a number of leaders. The number three man in al-Qaeda has been killed 20-something times. There’s Said al-Shihri. Said al-Shihri, who’s one of the heads of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, by my count has died eight times this year—and just released a new audiotape last week. But there have been individuals that we’re told are these notorious leaders of al-Qaeda that have been taken out, and some of them very clearly have been involved with horrid activities. But for the most part, the end result of the drone policy has been to inflame hatred, to inspire new enemies.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
It’s so good to have you back Dak!
*nods yes* hi Dak!!!
Count me in too! I’ll bet the fur balls were happy Mom is home.
Welcome! Hope you get warm now.
Thanks every one! I tried to get up at 9 but couldn’t manage to stay awake! It feels so good to be comfortable!
Well, speaking of crazy republicans…it is official: Karen Handel announces for U.S. Senate | Political Insider | http://www.ajc.com
I agree with the first two comments on this article.
You got that right!
Oh dear – this woman is like a bad penny isn’t she??
Well at least we’re getting rid of Chambliss.
Hi Dak, Glad you are back!
What’s funny about the IRS thing to me is they approved the applications for those TP groups after investigating. Anyway aren’t wingnuts always for profiling? Oh I guess that’s only if you’re brown. But why not target tax-hating groups? And as pointed out above, these are the exact people who think doing anything to get what they want is justified. God’s dirty work indeed.
Re: your comment on hyper-religiosity, I’ve thought that for a while myself. I’ve watched family members thrash about in it who are also alcoholics. From my perch it seems there are obsessive behavior traits that feed and/or are part of the addiction. These folks started out Methodist, tried others and wound up Baptist, miming an interesting historic progression. As such they wouldn’t appear to be the screaming wing nuts that we are addressing. They are wing nuts, though, in secret.
I couldn’t agree more. I have also thought that the over the top right wing religious nutjobs suffer from some sort of derangement syndrome. I have a friend who is a recovering alcoholic who found god in recovery. Not she is rabidly anti-abortion in all cases, anti-Planned Parenthood, anti-LGBT (it’s a choice, don’t you know?) and so on. Her redeeming quality – she rescues cats. I wonder what might happen if whatever preacher she admires comes out with “cats are devil demons/witch familiars”. Will she see it’s all bs or forsake her love of cats?
I woke up this morning to a call from the Right To Lifers who told me they were committed to saving babies from abortion … I basically said NEVER EVER call me again … You have to be some kind of crazy to see a clump of cells as a baby.
How did they get your #? Arrgh, Now they know where you live. Next thing you know we will have to fly down to your place and form a chain against the crazies.
No idea… it was my cell phone too … I feel violated
I got a call like that yesterday. Must be trying to gather more sheep or something.
I don’t know…being singled out for special searches at the airport, this phone call, I think you are on someone’s list…watch out for IRS audits. Or at least visits from your friendly local Mormon pushers on bikes.
Interesting. In two states?
Two southern states may be the key?
That’s still a pretty big push for an organization, doncha think? Who are these people? Did they give an official title?
Not to me. I didn’t listen long though 🙂
It was just some wimpy sounding man saying he was with Right to Life … I dunno … I was appalled it was a man … I almost went off on that alone. I was like wtf business is it of yours what goes on in women’s bodies? but I just sputtered NEVER EVER call me again and hung up
Please don’t generalize about us recovering alcoholics. Please.
Why is no one interested in Hillary writing a memo urging Obama to get out of Guantanamo? IMO, that is some real news.
I wondered how you would feel about my comment and no hurt was intended. Nor do I think this is a general behavior. I can only tell you what I have observed-that in my husband’s family the constant religiosity acted as a substitute action for other addiction. It was used as a defense or deflection against getting well and was often a cudgel over us enablers, or victims, depending on age.
It’s not a question of “hurt.” I’m just a scientific method person. You’re generalizing from anecdotal evidence; that’s what I find troubling. There is no evidence that I’m aware that alcoholics are addicted to religion or vice versa.
I happen to actually know something about the research. For one thing, alcoholism has a strong genetic component. It runs in families and can be related to ethnicity. There is no correlation with obsessive compulsive behavior that I know of, although there is research to show that alcoholism runs in families with histories of depression and anxiety.
Agreed, it’s anecdotal. So, let’s start a research project.
Anecdotally yes to all your other comments. Maybe back as far as the 1700’s. Consider how depression and especially anxiety might feed into a desire to jump the shark and seek relief on a different plane.
I want to differentiate from an more normal religious relationship here. AA and NA surely show that belief can be an important factor in getting well.
Your comment on obsessive compulsive behavior is interesting. Looking at it from my perspective, it appears to be the very definition of doing the same thing over and over again.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is highly genetic, as are most psychological disorders. People with OCD do repeat behaviors, but not in the same way you’re talking about and they show differences from “normal” in some brain structures. It’s a fairly complex disorder and difficult to explain briefly, but it is distinct from straightforward anxiety disorders and depression.
I’m not aware of any research that demonstrates that religious belief is genetic or that it is reflected in the structure of the brain. It could be, but I haven’t seen that finding.
I’m not sure what you mean by this “research project” beginning in the 1700. Are you talking about some kind of archival research? I’m not sure how that would work. If you want to test for a correlation between recovering from alcoholism and finding religion (or whatever), I guess you could do a longitudinal study in which you follow people before and after stopping drinking. That would be very expensive and there are so many extraneous variables that you have to find a way to control for.
Have you been depressed? I’ve struggled with clinical depression since I was a child. In my experience, depression tends to cause people to lose faith in whatever religion they once believed in. As for AA, there is an emphasis on a “spiritual awakening,” and some people interpret that as “religion.” Huge numbers of people, including myself, have gotten sober and stayed that way without any “religious belief.”
The key to recovering from alcohol addiction is not “belief.” It is the ability to focus on the present moment and let go of worrying about the past or the future. In that sense, AA teaches a kind of meditative state–that is the spiritual aspect. You use past experiences as reminders of where you came from, but you let go of guilt and remorse about the past. You learn to continuously bring yourself back to the present moment and living fully in that moment–day after day after day.
No, I meant we should start a project on the relationship of religiosity and addiction.
Hubby’s family appears to have historic patterns of depression, anxiety and addiction a long ways back. I can’t say that most were diagnosed. Hubby, spent 5 years in therapy, drinking the whole time. I can’t tell you how unaware I was that he was anything but a social drinker. When he finally got clean, sober and smoke free, the depression and anger lifted a little. Negative behavior patterns took longer. Early abuse, in the family generations, I believe, contributed his and his younger brother’s, constant sense of doom and circular thinking, mixed in with Mom’s Methodology, dragged him down.
He hasn’t been at it as long as you, but he has passed through the 7 year mark. He really started to get more even emotionally as he got better about what and when he ate. He is really brittle about eating times. For years, I had to ignore his behavior and just put food in front of him. Within 15 minutes or so he starts to talk and even get cheerful. Now he sees the corrollation and takes care of himself.
I think allergies play an important role for him. With both of us having been in the construction industry we have both brought home more than our fair share of poisons and stress. Having passed through all these things, and me now being gluten intolerant we try to eat really well.
Can you see that generalizing about a category of people–addicts–is similar to generalizing about other categories, such as muslims, Jews, fat people, LGBT people? That’s prejudice. I’m sorry I argued with you; believe what you want.
I have actually been through the experience, I’ve spent time in AA and known hundreds of people who were addicts. I’m also a psychologist and have read widely in this field. I guess I think that should make my opinion somewhat valuable. But apparently it’s not. You have observed something in your husband’s family and for you that supersedes anything I’ve tried to share with you (particularly the meaning of “spiritual awakening” in AA philosophy) and anything I’ve learned over the course of more than 30 years. I even explained that there is quite a bit of research that shows that alcoholism, depression, and anxiety tend to run together in families. That is supported by science.
I’m sure that you’re correct in your observation that your husband and some of his relatives have used religion as a crutch to help them deal with depression or some other issue. That doesn’t make it an addiction, and it doesn’t logically generalize to all addicts or religious people.
Anyway, I’m through arguing about it.
Peace.
OCD can take the form of religiosity/scrupulosity, but it’s ego-dystonic, meaning the person doesn’t want religion/right/wrong as obsessions, compulsions, rituals, or rumination.
In other words, its a lot different than willingly hyperreligious/religious right type dynamic.
Also. The above commentary isn’t directed at anyone as a point of contradiction to anything anyone said. Just trying to clarify the issue and educate 🙂 (hope that went without saying but wanted to avoid any confusion just in case)
I didn’t know we were arguing, BB. I thought I was having a discussion with an expert. So I apologize if I led you to believe I don’t think you know your stuff or was tiresome. As for the rest you are right; this is not the format to continue this discussion.
Peace to you, too.
I am very interested in the memo and I read your link. I also read the above link from Alternet and read where presumably HRC and others were enthusiastic about a 16 year old getting droned under the guise of him being al-Qaeda. I found myself upwelling with frustration and couldn’t respond.
What link from Alternet? I can’t find it.Never mind. I see you’re talking about the Scahill book. I don’t see anything in the article about Hillary celebrating the death of Al Awlaki’s son. I saw something about her approving of the killing of Al Awlaki himself. I don’t know if that’s true or not. There’s no documentation provided. I’ll check into it. Nevertheless, she clearly wants to close Guantanamo, and dislikes Obama’s policy on that.
Hillary isn’t perfect, and it’s no secret she’s a bit of a hawk. I’m not sure she would be that much better than Obama on foreign policy. Still I’d like a woman president and I don’t see any other possibilities for that at the moment.
The things we should worry about…
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/noam-chomsky-and-jeremy-scahill-truth-about-americas-secret-dirty-wars
My mistake, it was the two uncharged US citizens, Anwar al-Awlaki, and Samir Khan. The US born son, Abdulrahman Awlaki, was killed two weeks later. It’s still depressing.
Of course it’s depressing. It’s heartbreaking and disgusting. I recall when it happened. I still can’t understand why the drone strike on the boy was ordered. It killed a number of other children who were at an outdoor get together. It wasn’t even possible to identify the bodies, they were so torn apart. It made me sick.
I’ll try to respond. I trust you guys and I trust most of the links that show up here. All of us are bloggers and you guys are a lot more experienced than I. Keeping in mind though that we are bloggers, once in a while though I want those resources to which we link to have sources listed. Our collective memories don’t have the all same information stored in each brain. Those alleged parallel but different responses caused me to quietly question HRC’s fiber as opposed to her politics.
If HRC did memorialize that recommendation all the better and it will stand in her stead if she runs.
It’s never simple.
Obama needs to close down Gitmo………….and I stand by Hillary 100%…………the damaged has been done, but they now have over one hundred inmates on a hunger strike/forced feeding.
Here is an update:
http://www.aljareera.com/humanrights/2013/05/201358152317954140.html
Heck you’ll have to type in Guantanamo Hunger Strike……………
Emptywheel — Hillary wrote a memo to WH urging closure of Gitmo shortly before she left State Dept.
Glad you are back Dak.
Have you ever noticed when dear Peggy is on a talking head cavalcade, she exhibits an advanced case of vocal constipation. She strains and struggles to say the most obvious. I have come to believe she is therefore a whiz-bang at threading together Thesaurus entries for her columns — that is the way she must write — a couple of words from this page of Mr. Roget and then this page until she has strung together an apocalyptic prediction worthy of an afternoon discussion at the country club.
As someone who has filled out 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) applications for things as controversial as buying books for poor children, I don’t really know what all the consternation is about — waiting a year to two years for a designation isn’t earth-shattering — usual course of business when dealing with the non-profit division. And I really don’t know why they had to use the keywords “Tea Party” — applications filled out in crayon is a dead giveaway.
Lol
Someone invited me to join Klout onto my Facebook page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klout
Egads!
In reviewing their website, I see that I will get “perks” if I connect with them. Yesterday we were discussing the future. Wow, this it! Why would I voluntarily give my info out just so I can have reduced anxiety about how influential I am? It’s the whole sort of herd mentality driven by those in control of the data.
I get the need for businesses to explore their base and verify their marketing efforts, but that isn’t what this is. On a blog you either get hits, or you don’t.
Salon: Kinsley loves austerity because it is “spinach”
Alex Pareene knocks one out of the park.
Krugman: The Smith/Klein/Kalecki Theory of Austerity
Of course Krugman is masterful.
Both of those are good!
Welcome back, I’ve aged tremendously since you’ve been gone. I’m having dreams that I am the “target” too. Truly unbelievable when the walls crumble around you, and you don’t even know what day it is………….how many more days are left in the year?