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    From the Boston Globe (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by Emma on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:07:14 PM EST
    From an op-ed in the Boston Globe:

    Yesterday, the Times had yet another story on how drilling projects have proceeded with environmental waivers, despite President Obama's so-called moratorium on permits. Deepwater Horizon received an environmental waiver last year and received another one just before the April explosion.

    So, apparently it wasn't "just a few months" into the administration that the waiver was given.

    All I know is, Hillary wouldn't have done that.

    Nobody knows this (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by Spamlet on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:10:44 PM EST
    All I know is, Hillary wouldn't have done that.

    Are you still snarking?

    What we do know is that Big Oil, to paraphrase Dick Durbin on the subject of the big banks, "owns the place" and will do whatever the eff it wants.

    Parent

    I see (none / 0) (#31)
    by Emma on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:17:36 PM EST
    Big Oil to Dick the big banks and eff it wants

    That you are a reaganite GOP mole.  lol

    Parent

    MMS Chief (none / 0) (#84)
    by ruffian on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:32:35 AM EST
    quits.

    That is some good news anyway.

    Parent

    Not good news (none / 0) (#98)
    by Emma on Thu May 27, 2010 at 03:39:45 PM EST
    Sacrifice one highly placed person in order to avoid making any substantive changes in the policy that produced this.  It wasn't mismanagement in MMS, it was mismanagement in the oval office.  Even as Obama announces a moratorium, his government continues to issue the same waivers that resulted in the catastrophe in the Gulf.

    Parent
    I'm trying to remain hopeful (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by ZtoA on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:42:02 PM EST
    But I also have a horrible sick sinking feeling. FDL has a post up with media questioning Browner who is speaking for the administration. Yeah, I too wonder just why BP is still dumping Corexit into the gulf if they are just now doing some "evaluation" (!!). Now they are ordered to use "less" dispersant. Who knows what that means. "Less"?

    But I have to say that the first comment at the link is a worse case scenario and from my wanderings around to science and engineering sites and places like TheOilDrum and LifeAfterTheOilCrashForum that this is entirely possible. Very frightening. Time for some wet beds. I won't quote from that first comment since I'm not sure of the etiquette of that, but read it if you're so inclined, and sitting down.

    Normally, oil (which is lighter than water) rises to the surface, where it can be managed by standard means. However, the last thing BP wants is an unimaginably vast quantity of oil on the surface where we could see it and they would actually have to make an effort to remove it.

    That's why they've taken the unprecedented step of using DISPERSANTS -- 5000 feet below the surface. As we know, hundreds of thousands of gallons of a highly toxic compound (Corexit which is banned in the UK) is being pumped directly into the point of outflow. IIRC, this dispersant has been only ever been used on surface oil. The way it's being presently deployed has created, heretofore unseen, partially dispersed, 300 foot thick underwater oil plumes that are too heavy to surface. Which is good news for BP, since it enables them to hide and avoid the vast bulk of the problem.

    Nevertheless, a significant amount of oil continues to rise, forming a slick on the surface. The miscreants at BP, and Obama, and Salazar, et al keep telling us that everything that can be done is being done. Bull$hit. BP has made no concerted attempt to take care of the surface slick, the part of the iceberg that's above water. So, we have all this lethal gunk destroying the flora and fauna of the Gulf wetlands; spewing onto the beaches; and into the Gulf currents which could take it up the eastern seaboard, and maybe beyond.

    GOOD NEWS, today AolNews called attention to BP's failure to address surface oil, Could Secret Saudi Spill Hold Fix for Gulf Slick?:

    Nick Pozzi, was an engineer with Saudi Aramco in the Middle East when he says an accident there in 1993 generated a spill far larger than anything the United States has ever seen...nearly 800 million gallons of oil dumped into the Persian Gulf...70 times the size of the Exxon Valdez spill. But remarkably, by employing a fleet of empty supertankers to suck crude off the water's surface, Pozzi's team was not only able to clean up the spill, but also salvage 85 percent of the oil, he says.

    While BP, the oil giant at the center of the recent accident, works to stanch the leak from the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig, Pozzi insists the company should be following his lead. [He's contacted both BP and the Coast Guard and they have expressed no interest in his proposal.]

    Clearly, this would require considerably more TIME, MONEY, AND REAL WORK, than BP is willing to expend -- unless Obama makes them. While he's at it, he could also compel BP to stop using the underwater dispersant, to avoid creating additional submerged oil plumes. The oil would rise, as 'nature' dictates, and the same methods could be applied to deal with the entire outflow. So, that's what Obama can do, that isn't already being done -- for starters.

    Parent

    Dkos has a story on BP's Corexit dispersant (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu May 27, 2010 at 02:17:35 AM EST
    and how it creates submerged oil plumes; hides the size of the spill; and increases overall toxicity: The OTHER Gulf Gusher [Corexit], from May 26/10.

    Parent
    Does a bigger surface oil slick get to shore (none / 0) (#77)
    by ruffian on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:02:38 AM EST
    faster? I know here in FL in the first week there was talk of the slick overwhelming the barriers, and they were calling for using more of the dispersant.

    I know now that the dispersant is awful, and I think BP knew all along that there was a record amount of oil being leaked and did not want it to surface.

    At the risk of being called an apologist for merely raising a question, in a situation with no good options, is the damage due to the dispersant worse than damage from oil hitting the shore? I don't think it would have all been contained at sea, with the flow rate being what it has been.

    Parent

    your not an apologist (none / 0) (#81)
    by CST on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:18:31 AM EST
    for asking questions.

    I think one of the real problems with the dispersant is they used the wrong kind.  There were other options available and they went with the more toxic one.

    Parent

    But, the biggest problem with BP's use of this dispersant is that they are using unprecedented amounts of it and they're using it the wrong way, as we've been hearing for weeks. To my knowledge, there are no dispersants that are meant to be used, underwater, as they're being used by BP.

    Parent
    Does a bigger oil slick reach shore faster? NO. (none / 0) (#92)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu May 27, 2010 at 12:16:30 PM EST
    Not if it's dealt with aggressively from the get-go. See this previously linked story, Could Secret Saudi Spill Hold Fix for Gulf Slick. It describes a process whereby a fleet of empty oil tankers were deployed in the Persian Gulf to suck up a much bigger spill (800 million gallons) off the surface.

    Of course, there are other standard means of managing surface slicks, to get it out of the ocean and keep it away from shore. Among other things, this includes: fu@king proper fu@king booming; skimming it; using sorbents (absorbent materials); letting some of it evaporate; letting microorganisms eat some of it; burning some of it; and applying some less toxic surface dispersants to break it up.

    BP obviously doesn't want to have to do that with the vast quantity of oil coming from the geyser -- so they're shooting dispersant directly into it -- which creates the submerged oil plumes, yadda, yadda -- out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. This Dkos story (The Other Gulf Gusher) reports that:

    Scientists have encountered these plumes hundreds of miles away from the original well site, and now oil washing into the marshes of Louisiana isn't just moving along the surface, but actually flowing up along the bottom of the sea, rendering the usual booms and floats useless in stopping the advance.

    Long story short, the use of dispersants under water has created a problem nobody has ever seen before; nobody knows how to deal with it; and it's getting to shore from the bottom rather than the top. Heckuva job.

    Parent

    Has anyone here ever heard of a "golden (5.00 / 0) (#36)
    by esmense on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:44:45 PM EST
    coffin?"

    I hadn't until this morning. The online version of Ad Age had a story about Omnicom investors rejecting a proposal to "rein in" the "golden coffin" perk John Wren, the media conglomerate's CEO, and other top executives have negotiated are offered. This is a benefit granted to heirs after the officer's ultimate demise. According to the story, "Omnicom investors on Tuesday rejected a proposal calling on the company to rein in this form of generosity, which could mean an additional $41 million in payouts to the 57-year-old Mr. Wren's survivors."

    I am always amazed when I discover that I still have untouched pockets of real naivete. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that this story shocked me.

    While the rest of us are worrying about how to create decent society with an economy that provides most people with jobs and a decent living, these folks are busy creating a hereditary aristocracy in which they and their progeny can escape from the horrible messes they've made or encouraged.

    I can understand why the Board might approve of this (they want the same perk for themselves) but why would investors want to support such nonsense?

    Golden coffin (none / 0) (#44)
    by Spamlet on Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:02:21 PM EST
    A variation on the golden shower (see "trickle-down theory"). Where do you think it comes from, that rising tide with the power to sink all the little boats?

    Parent
    It baffles me too... (none / 0) (#57)
    by kdog on Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:47:23 AM EST
    my best guess, the average investor is a sucker of the first order.

    Free market principles dictate that if a ceo gets (for example) 10 million a year and a 30 mill golden coffin, there was no qualified candidate willing to be ceo for 9.5 mill a year and a 25 mill golden coffin...you need look no further to know what we've got here is a rigged market.

    Parent

    Art Linkletter died today (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by BarnBabe on Wed May 26, 2010 at 07:27:04 PM EST
    I know, many of you do not know Art Linkletter. But, my parents were on his show a long time ago. I have a picture in my den of my Mother shooting off a Seltzer bottle at my Father. It seems like she got Art just as wet and the look on his face was shock that he got soaked. I have a record of that show. It was before my beginnings but it is fun to listen to my parents on the show and very hilarious to boot. The audience was howling. Who knew my parents were comedians as newly weds.

    We used to watch all the time (5.00 / 2) (#43)
    by ruffian on Wed May 26, 2010 at 08:24:17 PM EST
    What a great story about your parents, and the record will be a very unusual family heirloom.

    RIP Art Linketter. A real classic.

    Parent

    Other countries have offered aid (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by nycstray on Wed May 26, 2010 at 07:48:45 PM EST
    Countries Offer Aid

    While the governor asks for more supplies, a number of countries said today that the U.S. government and BP had yet to take them up on offers of assistance, including booms and skimmers.

    The State Department said in a briefing today that 17 countries had offered assistance, including Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

    BP added another two countries to that list, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

    While BP has accepted some supplies, including booms and skimmers from Norway, most other countries said they were waiting for a response from the U.S. government.

    "We have the equipment," said Ferran Tarradellas, a spokesman for the European Union agency coordinating Europe's response, "but at this point in time, we have not received any requests."

    link

    Finally found the Mendelssohn Concerto (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by Raskolnikov on Wed May 26, 2010 at 10:35:56 PM EST
    I've been looking for for ages: Violin Concerto in E Minor Op:64 .  Feel like a classical music illiterate for not knowing that was what its called but I'd been searching scores and scores of music on Rhapsody for a while looking for it, humming the tune in my head for months.  A nice way to end the day.

    Nice (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by squeaky on Wed May 26, 2010 at 10:44:17 PM EST
    Great piece...

    Parent
    who are the performers? (none / 0) (#49)
    by oculus on Thu May 27, 2010 at 01:55:40 AM EST
    (You had but to ask.  I could have helped if you'd just hummed a few bars!)

    Parent
    Maxim Vengerov lead Violin (none / 0) (#99)
    by Raskolnikov on Thu May 27, 2010 at 04:09:38 PM EST
    Leipzig Orchestra, conductor: Kurt Masur

    Such relief after such a long search, I can't even tell you!  Certainly the missing piece of online communication that there's no easy method of humming to another.

    Parent

    I suppose the iPad permits comments (none / 0) (#100)
    by oculus on Thu May 27, 2010 at 04:20:22 PM EST
    with musical notation.  This is a pretty famous piece amongst classical music listeners.

    Parent
    New immigration policy? (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by MO Blue on Thu May 27, 2010 at 06:56:32 AM EST
    If you look Hispanic, you are Mexican regardless of documentation and deportation to Mexico can be in your future.

    This is why Arizona SB 1070 will backfire: Immigration authorities in Berwyn, Illinois arrested Puerto Rican Eduardo Caraballo in a stolen car case, but when his mother posted his bail, he was detained because authorities didn't believe he was a legal citizen. His mother brought his birth certificate, but Eduardo was unable to answer some questions about the island because he's lived all his life on the mainland. Eduardo was detained for more three days and threatened with deportation-to Mexico. link


    but but (none / 0) (#59)
    by CST on Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:57:09 AM EST
    the law says you can't racially profile.


    Parent
    Kagan's lack of judicial experience (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by jbindc on Thu May 27, 2010 at 07:40:04 AM EST
    Is okey dokey with .....

    Scalia

    "When I first came to the Supreme Court, three of my colleagues had never been a federal judge," said Scalia who joined the Court in 1986 after being nominated by President Reagan. "William Rehnquist came to the Bench from the Office of Legal Counsel. Byron White was Deputy Attorney General. And Lewis Powell who was a private lawyer in Richmond and had been president of the American Bar Association."

    "Currently, there is nobody on the Court who has not served as a judge --indeed, as a federal judge -- all nine of us," he continued. ". . . I am happy to see that this latest nominee is not a federal judge - and not a judge at all."

    Interesting....

    Reading up on the last hour (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 07:42:34 AM EST
    on Deepwater Horizon before it blew.  I watched some testimony in bed this morning about a fight between BP and the Transocean drilling crew that took place that day.  I had to know what that was about, but still don't know for sure.  I did run across one thing though that it was probably about.  When I lived in WY I did babysit some new oil wells at night when I was in school.  You sleep in a truck next to the well and an alarm clock wakes you up every hour.  You go outside, document the flow rate of the well (that fluctuates a lot and if it gets too low you have to call emergency numbers and geologists and engineers get out of bed and try to save the well) take an oil sample and put it in a test tube, add some compound that makes the oil and sand and mud separate, put it in a greasy centrifuge wired into the truck system that is on the bed of the truck, write down the numbers, and go back to sleep.  I was told it could be dangerous babysitting a new well that hasn't been capped for production yet but the money was good and I was going to live forever :)  Sometimes onshore drilling uses drilling mud though too, and I remember hearing that it can slow down a wells production for a very long time. There were arguments that it could slow down production forever.  I don't pretend to understand....just overheard whining.  Anywho, BP had decided to use ocean water for displacement while they were sealing the wellhead for production instead of using drilling mud.  I do know the reason why you use drilling mud though, it is a weight and consistency that competes on a level playingfield with oil and enables crews to control erratic dangerous flow better.  BP decided that using sea water for displacement during the well's completion was much cheaper and would speed up the well's production time.  Yeah, it would have but sea water cannot compete on a playing field when trying to control serious pressure.  I'm betting this was the fight.  How sad though, and BP is just plain nuts in my opinion.  Scary scary a$$hole$ who got 11 people killed and 18 injured and destroyed the Gulf.

    I missed this 60 Minutes report (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:26:56 AM EST
    Found it googling for specifics on drilling mud.  I stopped watching 60 Mins some time back when it seemed like they were not going to be serious whistle blowers any longer.

    Parent
    So, according to this the BOP (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:31:22 AM EST
    has been knowingly damaged 4 weeks earlier.  And a damaged BOP can no longer take accurate pressure readings.  

    Parent
    There are rumors (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:32:50 AM EST
    on some of the drilling blogs that it was desired that the Deepwater Horizon begin drilling elsewhere and that is the reason that sea water was used instead of drilling mud to speed up how quickly the wellhead could be sealed and Deepwater Horizon could change locations.  It is estimated that 6 hours would have been saved.  Surely BP wouldn't have taken such risks for six extra hours?  I can't find any sane reason they would have had for using sea water instead of mud other than it costs more money (but that isn't sane).

    Parent
    MT, see, one can write a long text w/o (none / 0) (#94)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu May 27, 2010 at 12:35:46 PM EST
    paragraph breaks, and it's still easy to read when it's written as good prose -- irrespective of the technicality of the subject. Kudos.

    Parent
    I initially read that as "song texts" (none / 0) (#95)
    by oculus on Thu May 27, 2010 at 12:50:42 PM EST
    Of course you did, you're a primo music lover. (none / 0) (#96)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu May 27, 2010 at 01:55:02 PM EST
    So true. I would be at this event (none / 0) (#97)
    by oculus on Thu May 27, 2010 at 02:06:52 PM EST
    in a heartbeat.  Did get to hear/see this amazing piece at San Francisco Opera about six years ago.  Le Grand Macabre

    Parent
    Dead man returns from gave to life of crime (5.00 / 2) (#63)
    by jbindc on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:25:50 AM EST
    This is too weird to be believed....

    Rodney Newsome's life as a dead man lasted about seven months, until he got arrested again.

    He might have been better off "dead." On Wednesday, he got tossed back in the Fairfax County jail.

    After a guilty plea for attempted fraud in 2007, Newsome's attorney submitted documents to the Fairfax court saying his client was in a coma after unsuccessful brain surgery. He was "in a vegetative state," a Manassas doctor allegedly wrote, "while being assisted by ventilation means." On May 23, 2009, at 19:23 hours, Rodney T. Newsome Sr. died at age 37, leaving behind a wife and two children, according to a report allegedly prepared by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

    That prompted Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Bruce D. White to dismiss the charges.

    Newsome, of Manassas, had been looking at jail time because of nine prior convictions in state and federal court for various fraud and drug charges dating back to 1995.

    After his apparent death, Fairfax police allege, Newsome somehow returned to illegal activity, including taking a stolen check from a Culpeper County check-cashing store, opening a bank account in Oakton and trying to withdraw funds from the account. That was Dec. 17, almost seven months after his alleged death. Newsome was arrested in February, and again charged with attempted fraud.

    Newsome was released on bond, made several court appearances on the new charge and was scheduled to plead guilty Wednesday. His tragic demise and resurrection had escaped the notice of police and prosecutors.

    But a sharp-eyed Circuit Court clerk named Mary McGaffic spotted Newsome's case last week in the stack of monthly indictments. As White's clerk, she remembered Newsome's death and the repeated sentencing postponements that preceded it.

    She informed Fairfax prosecutors that Newsome had sprung back to life.

    Fairfax Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Ian M. Rodway wrote a letter to White last week that Newsome "has arisen from the dead" and asked for a bench warrant for his failure to appear for court last year.

    There was no need. Newsome showed up Wednesday morning, prepared to plead guilty to his latest fraud charge. His new attorney, Lavonda Graham Williams, was shocked when Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mark Oberndorf told her of Newsome's alleged death. Newsome also expressed surprise and confusion, but Williams did not allow him to be interviewed.

    Rodway told Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Michael F. Devine that in 2008 and 2009, Newsome's attorney at the time, George Freeman, had filed doctor's notes, and then a report from the Maryland health department, that "indicated Mr. Newsome had gone to the big courthouse in the sky."

    Rodway acknowledged he did not catch any possible forgeries in the doctor's notes informing the court of Newsome's comatose condition at George Washington University Hospital or the Maryland death notice. Freeman did not return a call for comment.

    But I give the guy credit - he showed up for all his court appearances.

    Amazing......but how? (none / 0) (#67)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:41:20 AM EST
    And here I am, reading about more failure to stop the pulsing fluids.

    Parent
    Hope they like Tobey Keith... (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by kdog on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:54:01 AM EST
    out in AZ...the musician boycott list is getting longer, Kanye, Sonic Youth, and others joining a formal boycott Zack de la Rocha has put together.  Good stuff.

    repeating myself again (none / 0) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:16:49 PM EST
    It's terrible... (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by kdog on Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:56:02 AM EST
    to say but that video cracks me up...look at that kid go!

    It's off the charts bad parenting...that being said, this world is so crazy that kid will probably live to be 100.  

    Parent

    Disgusting (none / 0) (#2)
    by jbindc on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:24:00 PM EST
    He cries and throws (none / 0) (#3)
    by jondee on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:27:59 PM EST
    tantrums when we dont let him smoke. Just like me. What is this, the new breast feeding substitute? I havnt seen anything like that since Reagan, as part of his southern strategy, declared tobacco a vegetable..

    Capt, back on the animal front, Google "Kitlers"

    Parent

    hilarious (none / 0) (#4)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:30:56 PM EST
    and yeah the fathers comment was the best.

    he crys when we dont let him use meth!
    what are we supposed to do?

    but the video is hilarious.  the kid looks like a borscht belt comedian

    Parent

    Ricky Gervase (none / 0) (#17)
    by jondee on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:53:23 PM EST
    in the green room..

    Parent
    heres a question (none / 0) (#12)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:43:47 PM EST
    what happens when the kid goes to school?

    Parent
    Do they let kindergartners (none / 0) (#13)
    by jbindc on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:44:33 PM EST
    take smoke breaks?

    Parent
    When the Mister gets home (none / 0) (#75)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:58:53 AM EST
    I have a new weapon in fighting that fight about how I allow Joshua too much slack watching the United States of Tara :)

    Parent
    oh my (none / 0) (#5)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:32:58 PM EST
    HuffPo goes republican with this headline:

    GOP Senators Demand Inquiry Into Sestak, White House Job Offer Claims .. 'Very Serious' Allegations

    Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are amping up pressure on the White House to divulge details of Rep. Joe Sestak's allegation that the Obama administration offered him a federal job in exchange for dropping his primary challenge to Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania's race for Senate.

    Seven Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding the Department of Justice launch a probe into whether any illegal activity took place.



    Hardly Going GOP (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by squeaky on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:38:50 PM EST
    But, I can see you have gotten defensive at this point...

    One the most extreme charges hurled by Republicans at the White House came from Rep. Darrell Issa...

    HuffPo going Republican?

    Even some Democrats are sounding-off on the matter. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell -- one of Specter's strongest allies during the primary fight --

    As I said, the more interesting question at this point is who is jumping on the bandwagon. Why, becomes obvious.
    digby chimes in:

    The right wing scandal machine creates political viruses that mutate and take on a life of their own. There's no antidote once you've caught it --- you either have a good immune system and a will to survive or you don't.


    Parent
    All I know is (none / 0) (#8)
    by Emma on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:39:48 PM EST
    if Hillary were President this wouldn't be happening.

    Parent
    Come on! (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by jbindc on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:42:33 PM EST
    Emma!  Are you being snarky and just want to wind her up some more?

    But, funny, I must admit.  :)

    Parent

    Obviously (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by squeaky on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:47:24 PM EST
    Because were Hillary in the WH, Obama would not be taking heat for this.

    Parent
    bahaha (none / 0) (#10)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:42:13 PM EST
    no
    her minions would have been way smarter.
    they would have backed Sestak in the first place probably.


    Parent
    Because she would've (none / 0) (#14)
    by jondee on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:45:04 PM EST
    told all the munchkins to come out of their hiding places and do a musical number as part of the yellow brick road send off..

    Parent
    hmmm (none / 0) (#9)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:41:09 PM EST
    usually accused of being offensive not defensive

    Parent
    hmmmm (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by squeaky on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:03:11 PM EST
    I do seem to remember you storming off a few times...  but glad to see you have a well rounded personality.

    Parent
    Do you mean because HuffPo is (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Anne on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:50:13 PM EST
    actually reporting on it, as opposed to taking a nothing-to-see-here-move-along attitude about it?

    Was there ever a time when "the news" wasn't so extremely party-centric?

    I guess the days of just putting it all out there and letting people come to their own conclusions were over a long, long time ago.

    While I do think it matters what transpired between the WH and Sestak - and it would matter if it had transpired between a Republican president and a Republican member of Congress - I don't believe that that is at the heart of why there is such interest in whatever-it-was-that-happened; the interest, in my opinion, is purely political.

    Unfortunately, these political tempests have had a way of developing both traction and real teeth (see "Lewinsky, Monica" and "impeachment, Bill Clinton"); whether the WH thinks it is immune from the political fallout from this may be a measure of their inability to take a lesson from history.

    Parent

    Which is why (none / 0) (#18)
    by jbindc on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:53:26 PM EST
    They should deal with it and not drag it out - as this has been going on for almost 4 months now, and esepcially when Gibbs wouldn't answer questions about it for most of the month of March, and instead gave answers of "I was on vacation, I'll have to look into it."

    How can they be so dumb to let this go on so long?

    Parent

    Well, if Obama comes out and says, (5.00 / 0) (#19)
    by Anne on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:57:43 PM EST
    "I did not offer that man, Representative Sestak, a job if he would stay out of the Senate race," we will know it is all over...

    Parent
    We did however (5.00 / 5) (#20)
    by jondee on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:59:43 PM EST
    have sex..

    Parent
    . . . and then I murdered him (none / 0) (#24)
    by Spamlet on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:07:12 PM EST
    in the choir loft of Trinity United Church of Christ after we huffed a few lines of blow.

    Parent
    But first I let him touch (5.00 / 2) (#29)
    by Spamlet on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:13:11 PM EST
    something very very special to me, and very personal, something of mine that few have ever seen.

    My birth certificate.

    Parent

    ..and no, (none / 0) (#30)
    by jondee on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:15:11 PM EST
    that's not a euphemism..

    Parent
    No, it's not a euphemism (5.00 / 2) (#32)
    by Spamlet on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:25:42 PM EST
    He touched my birth certificate like it's never been touched before, and he asked me would I read it to him and yes I said yes I will yes. And then I offed him in the choir loft. God damn America.

    Parent
    I get the feeling (none / 0) (#33)
    by jondee on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:29:18 PM EST
    you've written this kind of thing before..

    Do they still pay by the page? :)

    Parent

    yes they do yes they do yes (none / 0) (#34)
    by Spamlet on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:30:57 PM EST
    & sometimes by the word

    more if you type with one hand

    Parent

    Whacked some kittycats. Abused Socks too ... (5.00 / 2) (#82)
    by Ellie on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:22:51 AM EST
    Radicalized the little f*cker right in the Oval Office. So what?

    Very nosy fellow, the kitty cat. You know what happens to nosy fellows? Huh? No? Wanna guess? Huh? No? Okay. They lose their ickle noses.

    Annnnnnd scene. [/this has been another installment of CDS theater ... good seats still available]

    Parent

    Greg Sargent (none / 0) (#39)
    by MO Blue on Wed May 26, 2010 at 07:11:38 PM EST
    calls on Sestak to clean up "his" mess.

    Republicans are using it to undercut a key aspect of the Obama presidency: His promise to restore transparency and undo the legacy of cronyism of the Bush years. Republicans aren't going to stop doing this, potentially damaging Dems over the long term. link



    Parent
    Yes, how dare that Sestak person (5.00 / 2) (#42)
    by Anne on Wed May 26, 2010 at 07:58:07 PM EST
    want to run for the Senate; it's all his fault!

    If this is the only instance of lack of transparency Greg Sargent can find in the Obama presidency, he really, really has not been paying attention.

    Truly an AYFKM (are you f'ing kidding me) moment.

    Here's a novel idea for the Obama administration: be the transparency we've been waiting for,

    Parent

    There's a shortage of ... (none / 0) (#6)
    by jbindc on Wed May 26, 2010 at 05:37:29 PM EST
    Road stripe paint.

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Highway construction could come to a screeching halt this summer due to a shortage of paint.

    Road crews have been complaining to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) that they can't start projects or finish current ones because there isn't enough paint for road stripes, said a rep for the trade association.

    "It's not like this is Home Depot, with stacks of stockpiled paint," said AGC spokesman Brian Turmail. "A lot of paint producers are distributing only 50% of what they did last year."

    And typically, if the paint isn't down, the job isn't done, and the contractor can't get paid.

    "Depending who you speak with, this could be an eight-week problem, or a six-month one," he added. "We're hoping for the former but preparing for the latter."

    The problem is two-fold, Turmail said, because two major components of the acrylic paint -- methyl methacrylate and titanium dioxide -- are in short supply.

    SNIP

    Impact on safety: Roads with faded stripes pose significant safety concerns. Without adequate markers, drivers can drift out of their lanes and cause accidents. In fact, more than 60% of all traffic fatalities are caused by straying drivers, according to a 2008 study by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

    In response to shortage reports, the agency requested information from states, which spend about $2 billion per year on road markings. So far only ten have responded, saying they "are aware of the situation" but have continued to receive paint, a AASHTO rep said.

    "The states will continue to take a wait-and-see approach, but they're cautiously optimistic that this issue will be resolved before the end of the summer," the rep said.

    To save paint in the meantime, state officials may consider painting thinner lines, Turmail said, or using temporary tape and buttons.

    Orange cones will also be around construction areas for longer periods of time. And drivers may also be forced to deal with faded lines as transportation officials funnel the limited paint supplies into new projects, Turmail said.



    Anyone in the NYC area planning to (none / 0) (#37)
    by oculus on Wed May 26, 2010 at 06:48:57 PM EST
    see/hear Ligeti's "Le Grand Macabre" at Lincoln Center this weekend?  Not your usual opera.  Car horns in the overture.  link

    See Greenwald on the U.S. State (none / 0) (#38)
    by oculus on Wed May 26, 2010 at 07:08:12 PM EST
    Dept. pushing for civil court criminal trial re Berenson, who had already been convicted by a military tribunal.  

    Double jeopardy (none / 0) (#70)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:47:37 AM EST
    I suppose the tribunal let him off too easily?  I will go read now.

    Parent
    No, Glenn's post is about (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by Anne on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:08:35 AM EST
    the hypocrisy of arguing for a civilian trial for an American citizen detained in another country, while arguing just the opposite for non-Americans detained by the American government.

    Berenson was arrested in 1995 and initially accused of being a leader of the MRTA, which bombed banks and kidnapped and killed civilians but was nowhere near as violent as the better-known Shining Path insurgency. It is blamed for, at most, 200 killings. . . .

    She was convicted of treason by a military court in 1996. But after an intense campaign by her parents. . ., she was retried in a civilian court in 2000.  It convicted Berenson of the lesser crime and reduced her sentence to 20 years. . . . The U.S. State Department had pushed hard for the civilian trial, saying Berenson was denied due process by the military tribunal.

    Contrasted with this:

    The Obama administration is preparing to revive the system of military commissions established at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba . . . [Attorney General] Holder also announced that five other detainees held at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be sent to military commissions for trial. . . . Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has finally signed and issued a Manual for the Military Commissions Act of 2009. It's 7:30 p.m. as I write this. Approximately 13 and a half hours from now, Col. Pat Parrish, the military judge presiding over Omar Khadr's pre-trial hearing, will gavel the first full-fledged military commission proceeding of the Obama administration into order.

    And after reading this excerpt from Scott Horton's article, I'm not sure I will have the courage to read the whole thing:

    The Gates Pentagon prepared the manual for the military commissions completely behind closed doors. It disregarded established procedures under which proposed procedural rules are disclosed for public comment and the views of the military bar itself are explicitly solicited. We now see that it turned to secrecy because it had something to hide: the rules were recognized as flawed and weak even within the Obama Administration, where they were subjected to appropriately sharp criticism. Had they been publicly aired, the Pentagon would have been forced to work out the contradictions in them. But it opted to keep the country and the bar in the dark.

    I think it's time for my Advil.

    Parent

    Aye, I figured that out :) (none / 0) (#80)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:16:04 AM EST
    Once upon a time we worried about the lack of due process, but not anymore.  I tried to watch the documentary last night 'SHOUTING FIRE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE OF FREE SPEECH'.  I ended up falling asleep though, I'll try again tonight since I recorded it.  The early portion though gives out poll results for how many Americans really feel that we should all have unhindered rights to free speech.  It was depressing.  Prior to 9/11 only 20% of Americans questioned our right to free speech, and after 9/11 we are closer to 50% now.

    Parent
    Well that wasn't the case :) (none / 0) (#79)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:10:16 AM EST
    Bagram has announced it will be holding its first trial.  With an Afghan judge or something.  In this write up it does seem that someone noticed that you can't instill a justice system in a foreign land that you don't have to follow.  Of course they aren't saying everyone gets a trial, so I guess some will....sort of seems like nothing more terrific than window dressing though if you ask me at this point.  Who doesn't get one and why?

    Parent
    The two words that kept echoing in my (5.00 / 1) (#83)
    by Anne on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:27:33 AM EST
    head were: show trial.

    And I have no doubt that both prisoners and facilities were spiffed up before reporters were allowed to tour the place; I love the imagery of this:

    A one-way window into the small interrogation rooms showed a turbaned man conversing easily with a blond American woman, whose main task is to build a rapport with the prisoner in hopes of eliciting information.

    I mean, if they're allowing blond American women to chat with these prisoners, it must have an almost country-club atmosphere.

    I can't believe anyone thinks this dog-and-pony show will pass for justice, or that things are as benign as the article suggested - but I will await more details (I will not, however hold my breath, stand on my head, or hop on one foot while doing so).

    Parent

    California Prop 14 (none / 0) (#56)
    by jbindc on Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:46:46 AM EST
    Would change how people vote in state and Congressional elections.  It would mirror a Washington state format where there would be two rounds of voting - the first where everyone runs, and then the top two vote getters, regardless of party, would run against each other in the general election. So, theoretically, you could have two Republicans or two Democrats or any other combination on the ballot on election day.

    Possible Pros:

    Supporters, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, both Republicans, have been promoting the measure -- Proposition 14 -- as a kind of electoral panacea, saying it could encourage political moderates and increase turnout in primaries where hard-line candidates often win. And in a state saddled with a $19 billion deficit, high unemployment and low morale, the promise of new blood in Sacramento seems to be a potent one; the latest polls show the measure favored by a majority of voters, and support growing

    SNIP

    Proposition 14 has already performed a miracle, unifying the Democratic and Republican Parties in this polarized state capital. Both have joined a catch-all opposition that includes the state's Green Party, its Libertarians, the American Independent Party, the socialist Peace and Freedom Party, members of the "birther" movement, and Cindy Sheehan, the liberal antiwar activist.

    Small parties, in particular, are unhappy with the proposition, saying it would box them out of general elections, which they say would most likely be populated by better-known and better-financed candidates.

    "It's the biggest threat to independent and third parties in the last 50 years," said Christina Tobin, who is running for secretary of state as a Libertarian while also campaigning against Proposition 14. "It would make it far more difficult for minor parties to qualify. "

    The possible Cons:

    Regardless of the proposition's intent, electoral experts say its impact is unclear. Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College, worked to defeat a similar ballot measure in Oregon in 2008.

    "I felt like it was snake oil," Mr. Gronke said. "It was like a little carny barker going around saying, `It's going to cure everything.' "

    And while supporters say it will increase the number of centrists, Mr. Gronke says it could actually encourage the election of more fringe candidates who manage to make it to the general election. He cited David Duke, the white supremacist, who forced a runoff for the governor's seat in Louisiana in 1991 under that state's electoral system. Louisiana law requires state and local candidates to gain a majority in primaries to win election.

    NYT

    new baby (none / 0) (#60)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:01:12 AM EST
    You are becoming (none / 0) (#61)
    by jbindc on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:05:32 AM EST
    Dr. Doolitle! :)

    Parent
    they (none / 0) (#62)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:12:41 AM EST
    havent talked back yet.  thats when I will seek help.

    Parent
    She really does look like (none / 0) (#66)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:37:59 AM EST
    a Lucy too.  I'd put up some photos of Digby but she keeps taking the glasses off....sheesh.  Actually I'm too busy reading about failure.

    Parent
    agreed (none / 0) (#68)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:45:29 AM EST
    I usually change the name but it seemed to fit.


    Parent
    She is very pretty (none / 0) (#71)
    by ruffian on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:48:06 AM EST
    Neighbor dog looks like she wants to play too!

    Parent
    little Zoe is great (none / 0) (#73)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:50:14 AM EST
    and fearless.  she loves to come over and run with the big dogs.


    Parent
    nasty spiteful Arlen (none / 0) (#65)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:35:50 AM EST
    show his true colors

    Friends tell The Daily Beast that the departing senator, injured by Obama's failure to show last-minute support, may well shift right on key votes from Kagan to financial reform.


    Sorry, I'm about to smear whores (5.00 / 2) (#69)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:45:39 AM EST
    But what an evil old whore.

    Parent
    Of course he will (5.00 / 2) (#72)
    by ruffian on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:50:01 AM EST
    He was always for sale.

    Any 80 yr old that would rather be whoring himself in the Senate than enjoying a nice retirement is suspect in my book right off the bat. Just go away Arlen.

    Parent

    That list would include (none / 0) (#76)
    by jbindc on Thu May 27, 2010 at 09:59:40 AM EST
    Robert Byrd (D-WV)(92), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) (86), Daniel Inouye (D-HI)(85), and Daniel Akaka (D-HI) (85) (strangely, Inouye is only 4 days older than Akaka).

    Parent
    Devious new way of gay-cleansing evidently intends (none / 0) (#85)
    by Ellie on Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:56:57 AM EST
    ... to make them die laffing en masse.

    Massive collateral hetero toll also predicted.

    I think that link (none / 0) (#86)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:06:33 AM EST
    is about spanish accents

    Parent
    Oops ... here's the corrected link (none / 0) (#87)
    by Ellie on Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:07:54 AM EST
    The other link's funny too. Lots of room in that clown car ...

    Parent
    yep (none / 0) (#89)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:29:24 AM EST
    brutal and savage, thats my experience.  but mostly verbal.

    Parent
    Can you tell I'm bored today? (none / 0) (#88)
    by jbindc on Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:20:51 AM EST
    Here is an interesting website - it's the Carrot Museum and has all kinds of good information about carrots.  

    Did you know that China produces the most carrots?  Or that there are purple, red, white, and black carrots and that scientists are working on a "rainbow" carrot?

    I have purple growing (5.00 / 1) (#90)
    by nycstray on Thu May 27, 2010 at 12:01:08 PM EST
    in my veggie patch. My farmer always had the various colors (yellow also :) ) Yesterday I planted red ones and as soon as I get the new patch in I'm planting a short, fat, round variety.

    Parent
    Polanski: AP reporter tries to (none / 0) (#91)
    by oculus on Thu May 27, 2010 at 12:04:10 PM EST
    interview him at Gstaad villa.  via NYT

    Note, second paragraph is inaccurate.  LA County DA's office is not extraditing Polanski for commiting rape.