July 6, 2009 archive

Since yesterday was Independence Day and many of us saw a fireworks display, shot off our own fireworks, or both, I thought it would be timely to describe how fireworks actually work.  All fireworks have one thing in common:  they give off heat from some sort of chemical reaction.

Most fireworks also give off light, and most also emit some sort of sound.  Notable exceptions to this are sparklers which have little sound, smoke “bombs”, and the large set pieces that display shapes like an American flag or some such.  We shall focus on the ones that give off light and sound.

The New York Stock Exchange let it be known last week that it would no longer require companies to report all of their program trading–an outrage that enables large investment banks, particularly Goldman Sachs, to shield themselves from public scrutiny.  

Matt Tiabbi  . . .

This is quiet obviously a move designed to make it even more impossible to track what’s going on in the NYSE and shield, in particular, Goldman Sachs.  The move is designed to protect investment banks from bloggers who are exposing the companies’ stock market manipulations.  Goldman Sachs is singled out because the investment bank’s share of principal NYSE trading has gone from 27 percent at the end of 2008 to fully 50 percent of trades in recent months.

For some bizarre reason, Danps at FDL seems to think that Goldman Sachs taking over the Obama Administration and Wall Street and God only knows what else might not be a good development.  He’s asking Is the Left Being Too Easy on the President? . . .

Maybe some of the president’s supporters prefer to turn a blind eye towards a scathing indictment of a company whose employees have lavishly funded the president and with whom he appears to enjoy a warm relationship.  If so it is troubling.

This is far beyond troubling.  But the response of far too many progressives is typical.  The same progressives who opposed Impeachment are blindly supporting Obama and ignoring the reeking stench of Goldman Sachs that’s hanging over Obama’s White House.  They like to call themselves “realists.”  They’ve had plenty of practice at that, it’s been their standard response every time other progressives take a stand for progressive principles and ask them why they won’t.      

Welcome to the 15th installment of “Considered Forthwith.”

This weekly series looks at the various committees in the House and the Senate. Committees are the workshops of our democracy. This is where bills are considered, revised, and occasionally advance for consideration by the House and Senate. Most committees also have the authority to exercise oversight of related executive branch agencies.

Today, I will look at the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. This select committee was formed in March, 2007 after the Democrats took control of Congress to study policies intended to reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels, especially oil from overseas, and reduce greenhouse gasses.