2008 archive
Fiscal Responsibility 0
The Demon Princess sums it up nicely:
(snip)
Face it, America–the worst President ever and his maleific friends have just succeeded in completely subverting democracy in the name of ‘capitalism’–except that, like everything else in this Administration, with its penchant for trying to convince us that up is down and other disingenuous misnomners, the fact is that ‘capitalism’ has somehow succeeded in privatizing profits and socializing losses, the precise opposite of what we all supposed it to be.
The “Voter Fraud” Fraud 0
Dick Polman:
James Tobin’s indictment really puts this ACORN episode into perspective – simply as a reminder that, when it comes to the actual practice of messing with actual signed-up voters on election day, nobody does it better than the backstage folks at the GOP. When one reviews the facts that underpin the Tobin story, the party’s fake tears about ACORN become all too apparent. So let us take a quick stroll down memory lane, to demonstrate how true fraud actually works, and how actual Republican operatives have recently served actual jail time for their crimes. It’s a story too few readers probably know about, and it’s all available in sworn court testimony.
I Remember When My Grandmother Was Sick 0
I wasn’t there when she died, but I visited her frequently during the year in which her mind gradually left home.
Fortunately, I did not have to deal with heartless bastards questioning my motives:
Wingnuts–proof that it is possible to be sick, evil, stupid, and cruel, all at the same time.
Via Atrios.
Mithras Cuts to the Quick 0
Here.
In other news, NPR assembled a focus group of voters in York, Pa.
I listened to this report tonight. After stating that she was not voting for Senator Obama because she was afraid of how black persons would react if he won and following the obligatory disclaimer that “I am not prejudiced,” one of the persons interviewed came out with such a torrent of bigotry that I nearly choked.
And I’m sure she really believes that she is not prejudiced. I’ve only met one bigot–and, frankly, he was a really likable guy–who would look you straight in the eye and say, “I’m a bigot.”
It’s sort of like the panhandler who hailed a friend of mine on the streets of D. C. one day and said, “Can I have a quarter? I’m saying up for a bottle of wine.”
My friend gave him $5.00 for being honest.
Follow the link to listen to it yourself.
Don’t do it right after a heavy meal.
Adventures in Data Recovery 5
Last week, I described how the Family Computer went squirrelly.
Yesterday, I finally browbeat Second Son into bringing down one of the spare monitors from the attic and set about seeing what I could recover.
The problem was not as bad as I feared. You can read about it below the fold.
Typos 0
For some reason, I can’t mount my external USB hard drive, which is in fstab as “/media/usbdrive,” by typing “mount /mnt/usbdrive.”
I have to type “mount /media/usbdrive.”
Damn computers. Expect me to splet things write.
I Guess Some Jobs Just Aren’t Worth It 0
Even in these tough times, some persons still have standards.
Dropping Acid 0
Personally, I always preferred mescaline:
By dipping the aluminum in acid.
Unity 0
Via Glomarization.
Glomarization spoke eloquently. I’m going to quote a portion of the post that accompanied this video, and recommend you follow the link and read the whole thing:
Governor Palin speaks of small-town, rural America as the “real America.” That would not include me, even though I live six blocks from Independence Hall, in one of the oldest neighborhoods of the United States of America, among houses that were built before the United States of America existed. That said, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that the fact that I walk past Independence Hall on my daily commute makes my neighborhood “more” American than any other place in the country. It simply makes Palin’s statements completely absurd and un-American.
(snip)
I joked on a chatroom the other day that I was amused to hear Governor Palin insinuating that people like me are not “real Americans.” But in fact, I’m deeply offended. And I reject her lame statement to the press, where she apologized for people misunderstanding her, but where she did not apologize for her hateful words.
(snip)
Palin’s plain language insulted me and my family.
(snip)
McCain and Palin are seeking to further divide the country along class, race, and income lines while we’re at war on multiple fronts and while the economy is tanking to depths we haven’t seen since my grandmother was a teenager.
Bushonomics 0
One more time:
It wasn’t the fast-and-loose bankers, the shady mortgage sellers, the throw-caution-to-the-winds investment banks, the deal-from-the-bottom-of-the-deck hedge funds, or any of the other the miscreants who made it happen.
It was Republican Economic Theory that did it.
It was the Republican policies–the ones that allowed bankers to be fast and loose, mortgage sellers to be shady, the investment banks to throw caution to the winds, the hedge fund managers to deal from the bottom of the deck, the policies that worship wealth as a sign of virtue–that did it (emphasis added below).
The nation has been hemorrhaging jobs all year, and consumers already had cut back on their shopping sprees. Housing prices were well into a downward spiral, and consumer confidence started dropping in January.
Perhaps all that’s left is for an official declaration that the U.S. economy is in a recession. The first step in that pronouncement could come next Thursday, when the government is to release its initial estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the economy.
Baking 1
Craig Claiborne’s version of James Beard’s Cuban Bread:
I’m looking forward to supper.
The recipe is below the fold.
Bushonomics 1
The Newark closure will be effective at the end of the year and affect about 1,000 jobs, the company said in a news release.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the American automobile industry is headed by idiots.
Phillies 3, Tampa 2, Final 1
World Series Phillies 1 game to Tampa 0 games.
Sounds good to me.
“You Oughta Be in Pictures” 0
And here’s your chance.
GBA 0
Over at Brendan’s place.
In Defense of Colin Powell 0
General Powell’s endorsement of Senator Obama fell upon Left Blogistan with a resounding thud, as witness here and here and here, just to pick a few.
Some persons cannot forgive his hack sales job for the Great and Patriotic Glorious War for a Lie. Others think he has become, because of that, irrelevant.
Mithras injects some rationality into the discussion here.
Many years ago I worked for a retired Army bird colonel. I was chatting with him shortly after he lost a particularly bruising bureaucratic battle (he was on the side of the angels, by the way). He said, “I forgot what I learned in the Army. You fight like hell for your position, but, when the decision’s made, you shut up and follow orders.”
General Powell is a General, USA, ret. No doubt he learned the same lesson as Chuck. And no doubt this had a lot to do with his making his presentation at the UN.
I have a separate, unrelated story.
Well, not exactly unrelated, maybe tangentially related.
I used to work for a man–a good and honest man, the second-best boss I have ever had–who had been a very successful Sergeant in the Army, until he suffered an on-the-job (non-combat) injury and had to leave for medical reasons. He had the highest security clearance and knew persons in places the rest of us don’t know are places; indeed, he knew about First Son’s promotion to Sergeant before either First Son or I did.
He and I were standing out back in the designated smoking area chatting as the movement of men and material for the Great and Patriotic Glorious War for a Lie was just beginning.
“[Boss],” I said, “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
He looked at me and said, “Frank, it was going to happen anyway.” And, indeed, the warmongers had set the course for war from the beginning of the Current Federal Administration.
Now, you can argue that General Powell, rather than stage his dog-and-pony show, ought to have resigned, as Mithras argued last night.
And I will not disagree with you.
We cannot know, until and unless General Powell tells us, to what extent he was duped by the warmongers, to what extent he duped himself, or to what extent he he was consciously duplicitous.
How many of us have done something, perhaps something truly vile, by accident, to realize later that we should have done something else?
Persons in powerful positions are persons whose errors may have powerful consequences.
Here is my point: It is not right to dismiss the rest of General Powell’s truly distinguished career because of one powerful error.
Hold him accountable for his mistakes, but also give him credit for his accomplishments.