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Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 12:56:17 PM EST
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I'll be at the jail the rest of the day. Here's an open thread for other news.

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    Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread | 51 comments (51 topical)

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    12:51 MST (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:52:51 PM EST
    Solar eclipse is underway in NE Australia.

    Live feed here

    Another live feed (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:10:13 PM EST
    here

    Parent
    Oh, that's the best visual yet (none / 0) (#14)
    by shoephone on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:15:08 PM EST
    About half an hour until total eclipse?

    Parent
    More or less, yes (none / 0) (#15)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:19:28 PM EST
    It's cloudy, though.  Very iffy.

    Parent
    Cool!!! (none / 0) (#12)
    by shoephone on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:02:00 PM EST
    Thanks for posting this. It's happening pretty fast. In under two minutes, the sky went from light blue to looking like dusk.

    Parent
    I (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by lentinel on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 05:52:06 PM EST
    wonder what a day is like for Jeralyn "at the jail".

    today it consisted of (5.00 / 3) (#44)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 10:06:26 PM EST
    35 minutes driving to the federal detention center
    15 minutes getting checked in (filling out visiting forms, going through metal detector, waiting for "separation check" on inmates to come back clear)
    45 minutes in the visiting room waiting for guards to bring my client (chatted with the interpreter about the Petraeus women)
    Having 2 quarters eaten by the vending machine ($2.25 for a bottle of water instead of $1.75)
    2.5 hours reviewing discovery with client (through interpreter)
    Then it was Count Time, and we had to leave
    35 minutes driving back

    Total time: 4.6 hours

    The guards are very pleasant, it usually only takes 15 minutes to bring clients down, today obviously there was a snafu, but they let us stay 10 minutes extra before count to make up for it.

    There are five jails here housing federal pre-trial detainees(the FDC and four county jails.) Each one is very different. Except for the constantly changing rules as to what you can bring in with you and when you can visit, which is really annoying, I like going to the jails to visit clients.

    Parent

    Thank you. (none / 0) (#49)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 03:46:32 AM EST


    Parent
    I was (none / 0) (#50)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 08:10:42 AM EST
    wondering about the mood, if you can make a generalization, of the pre-trial detainees. It must be intense talking to someone who faces the possibility of imprisonment.

    Parent
    Be nice if we could get the Senate to (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by nycstray on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 09:58:38 PM EST
    look like this:

    Pelosi touted the diversity of the new caucus, which grew to nearly 200 Democrats after last Tuesday's election, boasting that it was the first caucus "in the history of civilized government to have a majority of women and minorities." The party caucus in 2013, she said, would have 61 women, 26 Hispanics, 11 Asians, and five gay, one bisexual and 43 black members.
    Qualifications for CIA Director (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    As I said on another thread, I would think, and maybe I'm just a fool like this, but I'd think a pretty good quality to require in your Spy in Chief, for lack of a more savory comparison (but we are talking the CIA, after all), is the grifter's ability to size up a mark in thirty seconds.  IOW, they should be an almost sociopathically astute student of people and human behavior.  They should be able to talk to a person for five minutes and come away with a wealth of insight.  Petraeus, in this case, didn't seem to understand the obvious about his mistress: that she was a tad whacked in the skull. Or he certainly didn't understand the implications until he was in too deep.  He got played.  Amateur hour at Langley, it seems.
    And I certainly didn't think Leon Panetta... (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Dadler on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:05:48 PM EST
    ...possessed this quality either. Our intelligence is sorely lacking it's own.

    Parent
    Petraeus was apparently (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Zorba on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:06:17 PM EST
    thinking with his "little head," not his big one.

    Parent
    The little head and the big head... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Dadler on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:10:10 PM EST
    ...are one and the same, ultimately, I think that's what we have trouble wrapping our own, um, heads around. Lust and love originate from the same brain in the same person, in the same pleasure regions. The cavewoman and caveman in all of us are alive and well, just a little more buried with each generation. But still there and kicking. And screaming. And forcing us to evolve, or go the other way, but always pressing us. Then there's that whole mortality thing. It'll drive you a little crazy, what with death looming for everyone and all. Makes some people do desperate things as they get older.


    Parent
    Too, too true, Dadler (none / 0) (#7)
    by Zorba on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:29:53 PM EST
    Sex is mostly in the brain.  Humans have not evolved enough, apparently.  At least some females seem to be drawn to males with power, and some men seem to be drawn to younger females. (There are people who would argue that there are more than "some" examples of each.)
    I'm not completely a fan of sociobiology, but it does seem to explain certain "mating patterns."

    Parent
    The mileau of hyper-competitivness in this country (5.00 / 4) (#11)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:00:25 PM EST
    stress and the underlying angst and insecurity involved in NEVER being completely sure whether someone has your back when things get rough (Ayn Rand would disapprove.) Leads to that "little" reptilian/mammalian brain getting much more air time than it should..Which leads to too many people "thinking" too much of the time with the "little" (more like limited) brain.

    I'd venture to guess we lead the world in fifty year olds who think like fratboys and twenty year olds who think like Lucrezia Borgia..

    Parent

    I doubt we "lead the world." See, zb., (none / 0) (#41)
    by oculus on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 08:41:43 PM EST
    France, Italy, and England.

    Parent
    How dare you not blame America first. (none / 0) (#46)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 12:30:28 AM EST


    Parent
    Lets see all those (none / 0) (#51)
    by jondee on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 11:11:59 AM EST
    from england and France of grown men driving Ford F-150s through burning buildings piggybacked with Cialis commercials.

    Fratboy nation.

    Parent

    My sister says (5.00 / 8) (#18)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:40:24 PM EST
    the General was taking orders from his Privates

    Parent
    Petraeus got played? (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by kmblue on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 06:23:25 PM EST
    Riiiiight.  By some evil, conniving woman.

    Some things never change.

    Parent

    Splinter it in a thousand pieces (none / 0) (#8)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:38:27 PM EST
    and scatter it to the winds.

    If Kennedy didn't really say it, he should've said it.

    The trouble with grifters and traditional company spooks is that their knowledge is all breadth and no depth. Which is why for every ounce of prevention, they've blindly whipped up a pound of blowback, bad karma and loss of respect and "prestige" for the U.S around the world..

     

    Parent

    If he didn't really say it (none / 0) (#21)
    by brodie on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:53:36 PM EST
    it certainly reflected his attitude towards the Agency post BoP as he soon fired ("reassigned" abroad) DCI Dulles and several of his underlings who lied to him on that disastrous op.

    According to Bobby later, JFK also wanted any other Dulles working in the govt fired.  I think they found a sibling working at State and got rid of her too.  Funny story, which I hope is true.

    Parent

    That keen perceptive ability of others (none / 0) (#20)
    by brodie on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:47:05 PM EST
    probably is more a quality needed in the spook in the field.  

    The director needs to have the right attitudinal/political qualities to, traditionally, keep that insular ship of careerist spies happy and steered in the right direction -- namely the wrong direction historically from a moral pov -- while keeping the Congress at bay and the MSM well infiltrated.

    A really morally guided effective DCI would of course clean house systematically and at least return the Agency to its original role as envisioned by Truman:  merely to gather intel, analyze it and submit it to the prez.  Not act as virtually a power unto itself accountable to no one.

    Of course, a truly moral and effective DCI like that, radically reform minded, would never get confirmed.  See Sorensen, Ted.

    Parent

    A Eunuch. (none / 0) (#22)
    by oculus on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:57:32 PM EST


    Parent
    On (none / 0) (#30)
    by lentinel on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 05:36:54 PM EST
    the other hand, maybe he wanted to get caught.

    Some powerful people, people with a lot of power - power over the life and death of many thousands - have had a tendency of what seems to me to want to get brought down. And a sexual escapade is a relatively assured route to that end. Maybe the bringing down part, and the accompanying public humiliation is the ultimate thrill for these folks.

    Maybe there's a way to avoid putting so much power in the hands of a single individual. Maybe we should try democracy.

    Parent

    Right (none / 0) (#35)
    by kmblue on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 06:22:07 PM EST
    Petraeus was just stupid.  But the she-devil who seduced him was crazy.  Those evil, conniving women!

    Please Lord, help them give it a rest.

    Parent

    Is this (none / 0) (#5)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:21:38 PM EST
    a clear and unambiguous example of "the weird turn pro?"

    Oops wrong thread (none / 0) (#6)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:28:46 PM EST
    Comment belonged in the one just below.

    Parent
    News of the weird (none / 0) (#9)
    by Zorba on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 01:46:24 PM EST
    Apparently, an Arizona woman ran over her husband for not voting.  
    Daniel Solomon, 36, was in critical condition at a local hospital, but is expected to survive, Gilbert police spokesman Sergeant Jesse Sanger said.

    Police said Daniel Solomon told them his wife became angry over his "lack of voter participation" in last Tuesday's presidential election and believed her family would face hardship as a result of Obama winning another term.

    Witnesses reported the argument broke out on Saturday morning in a parking lot and escalated. Holly Solomon then chased her husband around the lot with the car, yelling at him as he tried to hide behind a light pole, police said. He was struck after attempting to flee to a nearby street.


    Link.

    There are a lot of (5.00 / 2) (#23)
    by indy in sc on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:59:02 PM EST
    unhinged people and they are not helped by the frenzy whipped up by Limbaugh and his ilk.

    How she arrived at the conclusion that her family would face more hardship from an Obama win than from her being in jail and her husband potentially being killed is beyond me.  Not to mention that in Arizona, his vote wouldn't have made an awful lot of difference.

    Parent

    I'm thinking that (5.00 / 4) (#24)
    by Zorba on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 03:07:53 PM EST
    there was a whole lot more going on in the family dynamics than can be explained by just her unhappiness over his not voting.  

    Parent
    These people are absurd. (none / 0) (#42)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 09:38:07 PM EST
    And we're living in a Fellini film in real time.

    Parent
    Does anybody (none / 0) (#16)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:20:42 PM EST
    know where I could find the most recent donor state/receiver state when it comes to taxes? I have somebody on facebook who does not believe such a thing exists.

    When am I ever going to learn NOT to take the bait. I had hid all these jokers prior to the election. Maybe I need to go back to hiring them.

    Yes, I had to re-hide too (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:41:34 PM EST


    Parent
    Hallelujah (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 04:37:16 PM EST
    My sister in law just 'liked' the Lifetime Movie Network instead of yet another inane rightie screed or poster. Back to normal at last!

    Parent
    No fair (5.00 / 5) (#33)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 05:55:08 PM EST
    My husband's childhood friend who used to post tea party stuff directly to my wall until I distracted him with a $100 bet on the election immediately unfriended me.  When I emailed him that I would like my money he told me that he would pray for me.

    Phucking people

    Parent

    You mean he is not questioning his relationship (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 06:17:45 PM EST
    with The Lord, like my other friend!? He obviously was not  serious about the election!

    Parent
    You are a brave soul (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by sj on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 06:32:56 PM EST
    I don't know how you can keep up with Facebook.  I use it very minimally and sometimes it's still too much.

    Parent
    Oh (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 07:28:24 PM EST
    I'm not surprised because one of them on my facebook was saying that she was now not going to "interact" with people who voted for Obama. I think people have been unfriending people all over the place.

    Parent
    It is very clear to me that my complete (5.00 / 5) (#40)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 07:31:25 PM EST
    avoidance of Facebook was a very good, and sanity preserving, decision.

    Who needs all the hectoring and whining? And not just from family, but from people you haven't thought about since high school graduation. I just don't see the payoff here.

    Parent

    heh (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by lilburro on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 11:58:43 PM EST
    as someone under 30, FB is more or less non-optional.  I've been on it now for gosh, probably...7 years?  I didn't hesitate this year though, I don't use it primarily to communicate with family, so to my 200 strong captive audience I decided...what the f***!  If you don't know who I am right now, you will by tomorrow.  And if you can't handle my passing observations, my demonstrations of my values, well, block me.  My friends seem to have mostly survived my election day torrents, and actually, someone said to me (in person!) I like what you did.  You just put it out there.  Well, I never claimed to be right, but I'm not going to pretend I'm unbiased.  When I lived with a Republican I heard I was a communist, etc. and it didn't faze me.  I can look around FB and see people who are just clearly wrong (as a friend of mine who is Latino is, posting with the implication that blacks voted from race) but there's only so much time in a day.  We won, and maybe in the next few years with the Tea Party losing steam we'll win some minds.  If you thought blacks voting for Obama was bad, wait til we all vote for Cuomo, or whoever the hell grabs the crown (hopefully not him).

    As I said after election day, my biggest beef with FB was a status saying that politics aside, it was a big day for equality.  Excuse ME??  Where were you in 2008?  Did you GOTV, donate, etc. to the same sex marriage candidate this year?  It's nice that some straight people feel more morally comfortable in the world they live in, that is, for better or worse important, but my god, politics is never aside in gay rights.  Let us have this for 50 years, let us enshrine it into the Constitution, and then put politics aside...maybe.  We're one Republican candidate away from you deciding that saving $237 on taxes is more important than my life being as legally valued as yours.  Spare me.

    Parent

    If I was 30 years younger I might well (5.00 / 2) (#47)
    by caseyOR on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 01:00:09 AM EST
    be on FB. It has become a big political organizing tool. In fact, the only reason I ever think about giving in and signing on to FB is because of its use in political organizing. I still respect the value of a well-organized and implemented phone tree, but FB sure does cut down on the time needed to get info to people.

    Every fight for equality, whether its women or blacks or other people of color or LGBTQ people or whoever, is a long long road. One step forward and two steps back a lot of the time. So, this election day was a big day for equality. For the first time people voted for our humanity, people in 3 states voted to recognize us as full citizens. And voters in a 4th voted to against formalizing our second class status in their constitution. That's no small thing.

    When I came out, almost 40 years ago, the APA had just decided that homosexuality was not a mental illness. That was our victory. And most people still considered gays and lesbians sickos. None of us were thinking about marriage rights. We were thinking about not getting beat up outside the gay bar and terrified that somebody from work might see us.

    You are right politics is never an aside with LGBTQ rights, just like it is never an aside for all of us who are not straight white men. And it is kind of maddening when people outside the fight act like one election is all it takes. On the plus side, though, at least now they recognize that it's a fight worth waging.

    I don't expect to ever in my lifetime get to the point that LGBTQ rights are safe and secure. I hope that happens for you, though.

    Parent

    Honest Christians (5.00 / 3) (#48)
    by athyrio on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 02:54:14 AM EST
    aren't always easy to find LOL...

    Parent
    There's one dated Feb-2012 (none / 0) (#17)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 02:24:36 PM EST
    here

    Parent
    Thanks (5.00 / 5) (#25)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 03:09:29 PM EST
    after posting the chart and hitting her with facts she finally caved and then tried to change the subject.

    Parent
    They always do, don't they? (N/T) (5.00 / 6) (#26)
    by rdandrea on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 03:19:03 PM EST


    Parent
    30,000 emails / two years = 40+ emails/day. (none / 0) (#28)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 05:16:13 PM EST


    That's misreported, I think (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by Towanda on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 05:23:50 PM EST
    as the number of emails, as the day went on and the sloppier journalists didn't copy carefully.

    The initial reports was as many as 30,000 pages of emails.  If there were lengthy attachments, or if it was threaded gmails that keep repeating the emails to which the newest message replies, that could mean far fewer emails sent.  Say, "only" 10,000 or so?!

    Parent

    10,000 emails / two years = 13+ emails/day (none / 0) (#32)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 05:54:25 PM EST


    Parent
    Yes, note "only" thousands (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Towanda on Tue Nov 13, 2012 at 06:30:35 PM EST
    and I think we have some answers as to why the wars drag on so long, the mercenaries get away with murder, etc.  And, at the same time, I read today about the horror ahead in trying to study current wars, as most records are missing, destroyed, gone.

    How?  Military are to keep records on computers now.  But unit after unit after unit illegally erases everything, wiping the hard drives, before coming home.  I think we now know why they're wiping them; there's a lot else on those computers.

    Parent

    Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread | 51 comments (51 topical)

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