Open Thread
December 2009 archive
Dec 31 2009
Late Night Karaoke
Dec 31 2009
Blog Satan Demands A Sacrifice For The New Year
(Cross-posted from The Free Speech Zone)
On this New Years Eve, before it is over, there will be a sacrifice of a diary virgin to Blogosphere Satan. To fulfill his lust of sockpuppet blood, I as High Admin and Sole Practitioner of the Satanic Blogosphere Faith, shall perform the ceremony.
Stay tuned.
Dec 31 2009
Uncle Cheney: ‘I don’t recall.’ ‘I don’t remember.’ ‘I dont know.’
Why the fawning Media runs to cover, every ranting statement that Dick Cheney, mumbles — I’ll never understand? When really they should be bringing him a Blanket, a Rocking Chair, and maybe a super-hero comic book.
Dick Cheney’s FBI Interview Notes on Valerie Plame Leak
Oct 30, 2009, TalkLeft
Cheney could not recall 22 things, including, whether he had ever told Scooter Libby about Valerie Plame. Via Mother Jones, A list is below
It seems the old man, may be suffering from Amnesia, Dementia, or perhaps even Unchecked-Power-withdrawals?
But don’t take my word for it, you be the judge. Are these the actions of a rational, stable man…
Dec 31 2009
Rushed to the Hospital
http://www.nytimes.com/aponlin…
Rush Limbaugh is in the hospital again.
I wonder if they’ll ask for his insurance card ?
Dec 31 2009
The Accidental Terrorist
Initially, I was completely skeptical of this latest so called terrorist act by a 23 year old Nigerian. The whole thing smells like a local mushroom farm during springtime. The incident shook the entire western world with an immediate increase in airport security. Blame games started immediately between the Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans took the offensive and left many wondering why the democrats weren’t fighting back. There are even calls to attack Yemen, because that’s where he supposedly learned how to do the dirty deed.
Somewhat belatedly, the democrats and the administration are fighting back. Obama is taking a low key approach so as not to create fear in the public like Bush did. Calm, cool, and collected. Good thing to, because I’m tired of attaching a video of “Duck and Cover” in my essays.
From the Whitehouse Blog:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog…
“To put it simply: this President is not interested in bellicose rhetoric, he is focused on action. Seven years of bellicose rhetoric failed to reduce the threat from al Qaeda and succeeded in dividing this country. And it seems strangely off-key now, at a time when our country is under attack, for the architect of those policies to be attacking the President.
There are numerous other such public statements that explicitly state we are at war. The difference is this: President Obama doesn’t need to beat his chest to prove it, and – unlike the last Administration – we are not at war with a tactic (“terrorism”), we at war with something that is tangible: al Qaeda and its violent extremist allies. And we will prosecute that war as long as the American people are endangered.”
Hear that? OUR COUNTRY IS UNDER ATTACK! WE ARE AT WAR! WE WILL PROSECUTE THAT WAR AS LONG AS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE ENDANGERED! That’s a low key approach for ya.
The party faithful are very pleased with that. Take that Republicans! Leave the terror fighting to Obama! Eric Massa is a new hero for taking on Darth Vader. It’s the republicans fault dammit, because they didn’t do it right! Shit Dick, you wouldn’t know a terrorist from a hole in the ground.
I just don’t know. I’ve typed the word IMPERIALISM so many times in the last year that those letters are getting especially worn on my keyboard. I’ve talked about the oil and natural gas pipelines, heroin psyops and off the book money for the CIA and banks, permanent bases to achieve Full Spectrum Dominance, the uncanny ability of terrorists to be located right where the resources are.
I’ve said too many times to count: THE WAR ON TERROR IS BULLSHIT! To be clear, not because there aren’t any terrorists. Sure, there are terrorists, most created because of our own foreign policies of death and destruction. But that is not why we’re spending one trillion dollars per year on “national security”. It is not why we have 1000 military bases covering the entire planet. The terrorists are in the way of our imperialist mission.
People need to WAKE UP!
Now we have a back and forth between our political parties on who is the best terrorism fighter. Who is best at keeping the American people safe. An opening for the Nobel Peace Prize winner to show the world just what he said he would do. It undoubtedly delays any major public dissent against the military industrial complex for some time. Then we’ll do it again. And his supporters are eating it up, while who knows how many of them are worrying about paying rent.
So, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, at first I refused to acknowledge you as a terrorist. But by the mere act of trying to light your balls on fire, you’ve done more than most. So I’ll give you some credit, and call you The Accidental Terrorist. You belong in the Pantheon.
Dec 31 2009
Booman is of two minds, like a tree in which there are three birds.
Booman the politico makes some recondite point that is also not easily understood by the lay person.
What brought people together into progressive blogging communities and networks was related to policy (the invasion of Iraq, torture, illegal surveillance, regressive taxation, bad environmental policy) but also other things (a one-sided corporate media, incompetent government, and lack of meaningful and effective resistance by the Democrats). But notice something. The progressive blogosphere rarely if ever engaged in serious policy debate about legislation pending in Congress. Insofar as it was discussed at all, it was normally opposed. And that kind of blogging can be habit-forming. What was appropriate when the Republicans ran everything is carried over and used against the Democrats.
Dec 31 2009
The More That Comes Out
The more it’s showing what the cheney and his puppet bush were telling us, after They established the Homeland Security Agency and Swore that the Intelligence Agencies would share information and work together for Homeland Security etc. etc. etc., that They Didn’t Do Much Of Anything As To Security Against Any Criminal Terrorist Attacks!!
Dec 31 2009
Hai, everyone & Happy New Year!
Embedding disabled by request: but this is one of the bravura performances this year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
Oh, I am an asshole: I will have to work on New Year’s Eve Y New Year’s Day. So I am wishing all my dharmaniac friends a wonderful holiday.
Dec 31 2009
Monkey Nuts Open Thread
A Capuchin Monkey uses a a rock and a log as hammer and anvil to crack palm nuts for food in the cerrado of Brazil.
Banger in a comment today laments the widespread lack of use of simple rules of logic and science among humans lately.
Dec 30 2009
What’s In The Brown Paper Bag
(This is a short story by Luis Ramirez, who was executed in Texas on 10/20/05. My thanks to Abe Bonowitz for this story. The story doesn’t require any commentary. It’s a gift to all of you for the Holidays, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, Solstice, whatever holiday, if any, you celebrate.)
By Luis Ramirez #999309
I’m about the share with you a story who’s telling is long past due. It’s a familiar story to most of you reading this from death row. And now it’s one that all of you in “free world ” may benefit from. This is the story of my first day on the row.
I came here in May of 1999. The exact date is something that I can’t recall. I do remember arriving in the afternoon. I was placed in a cell on H-20 wing over at the Ellis Unit in Huntsville, TX. A tsunami of emotions and thoughts were going through my mind at the time. I remember the only things in the cell were a mattress, pillow, a couple of sheets, a pillow case, a roll of toilet paper, and a blanket. I remember sitting there, utterly lost.
The first person I met there was Napolean Beasley. Back then, death row prisoners still worked. His job at the time was to clean up the wing and help serve during meal times. He was walking around sweeping the pod in these ridiculous looking rubber boots. He came up to the bars on my cell and asked me if I was new. I told him that I had just arrived on death row. He asked what my name is. I told him, not seeing any harm in it. He then stepped back where he could see all three tiers. He hollered at everyone, “There’s a new man here. He just drove up. His name is Luis Ramirez.” When he did that, I didn’t know what to make of it at first. I thought I had made some kind of mistake. You see, like most of you, I was of the impression that everyone on death row was evil. I thought I would find hundreds of “Hannibal Lecters” in here. And now, they all knew my name. I thought “Oh well,” that’s strike one. I was sure that they would soon begin
harassing me. This is what happens in the movies after all.Well, that’s not what happened . After supper was served, Napolean was once again sweeping the floors. As he passed my cell, he swept a brown paper bag into it. I asked him “What’s this?” He said for me to look inside and continued on his way. Man, I didn’t know what to expect. I was certain it was something bad. Curiosity did get the best of me though. I carefully opened the bag. What I found was the last thing I ever expected to find on death row, and everything I needed. The bag contained some stamps, envelopes, notepad, pen, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brush, a pastry, a soda, and a couple of Ramen noodles. I remember asking Napolean where this came from.
He told me that everyone had pitched in. That they knew that I didn’t have anything and that it may be a while before I could get them. I asked him to find out who had contributed. I wanted to pay them back. He said, “It’s not like that. Just remember the next time you see someone come here like you. You pitch in something.”
I sat there on my bunk with my brown paper bag of goodies, and thought about what had just happened to me. The last things I expected to find on death row was kindness and generosity. They knew what I needed and they took it upon themselves to meet those needs. They did this without any expectation of reimbursement or compensation. They did this for a stranger, not a known friend. I don’t know what they felt when they committed this act of incredible kindness. I only know that like them, twelve “good people” had deemed me beyond redemption. The only remedy that these “good people” could offer us is death. Somehow what these “good people” saw and what I was seeing didn’t add up. How could these men, who just showed me so much humanity, be considered the “worst of the worst.”
Ever since Napolean was executed, for a crime he committed as a teen, I’ve wanted to share this story with his family. I would like for them to know that their son was a good man. One who I will never forget. I want for them to know how sorry I am that we as a society failed them and him. I still find it ridiculous that we as a people feel that we cannot teach or love our young properly. I’m appalled at the idea that a teen is beyond redemption, that the only solution that we can offer is death. It’s tragic that this is being pointed out to the “good people” by one of the “worst of the worst”. God help us all.
What’s in the brown paper bag? I found caring, kindness, love, humanity, and compassion of a scale that I’ve never seen the “good people” in the free world show towards one another.
————————–
simulposted at The Dream Antilles
Dec 30 2009
Afternoon Edition
Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread
Now with 39 Stories.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Iraq attacks kill 30, provincial governor wounded
by Bassim al-Anbari, AFP
Wed Dec 30, 7:48 am ET
| RAMADI, Iraq (AFP) – Blasts in central and western Iraq killed 30 people and wounded the Anbar provincial governor on Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks in recent months against government targets in Iraq.
The worst violence struck the western city of Ramadi, where 23 people were killed and 30 were wounded in co-ordinated bombings, blamed on Al-Qaeda amid collusion from the security forces, at the governor’s offices in the centre of Anbar’s provincial capital. Governor Qassim Mohammed Abid was among the wounded, while senior security officials were also killed and injured. Around 20 cars were destroyed in the blasts. |