July, 2009 archive

The other day, I heard a caller to a radio show predict that getting to the bottom of the current rumors of a CIA assassination program would be like peeling an onion.

He based that, he said, on his experience as a contractor in Central America some years ago. Contracted to do what, he would not say. But I know from acquaintances of mine who were in Central America in that period that a lot of stuff that we never heard of went on during “drug interdictions” in Central America.

First, he predicted, we would learn that it was authorized to work in a wider field than currently reported.

Next, he predicted, we would learn that it wasn’t just in the planning stages. Rather, it had been “operationalized.”

Next, he predicted, we would learn that, not only had it been operationalized, it had actually assassinated people.

Then, he predicted, we would find that, not only had it assassinated people, but that it had assassinated the wrong people. For the wrong reasons.

Well, we’ve reached step one:

Reporter Joby Warrick added: “The finding imposed no geographical limitations on the agency’s actions, and intelligence officials have said that they were not obliged to notify Congress of each operation envisaged under the directive.”

This revelation, buried in paragraph 12 of the Post’s report, was highlighted by Talking Points Memo’s Zachary Roth later in the afternoon.

“‘No geographical limitations’ presumably means that operations could potentially be carried out in countries, friendly or unfriendly, that are far from any war zone — including even the US itself,” he opined. “And it seems likely that they would be carried out without notifying the foreign country in question.”

Something the Dog Said at the Great Orange Satan. It illustrates the laughable curve scam as well as anything I’ve seen (emphasis added):

In the 50’s we had 24 graduated brackets. This allowed a higher and higher level of tax up to the 90% at $300,000 and above. Which makes plenty of sense, when you think about the fact the lowest bracket when from $0 to only $2000 and was at 22.2%. Everyone in the nation was paying to fund the cost of our war and our debt, as a nation should do, but everyone was paying according the amount of money they earned. Just to give you a little idea of how much $300,000 was in the ‘50’s it would be equivalent to $6,390,000 (using a nominal GDP per capita calculation, you can find it here).The Dog has to ask is there anyone out there who does not think people who make 6.3 million a year of more should not pay something above 50% on the money over that level?

Today we have only five tax brackets and they top out at 35% at 372,000.

Those who would accept a society’s benefits without paying their fair share–oh, never mind.

What Digby said:

Liberals who follow politics closely are no doubt disoriented to see someone as accomplished as Sonia Sotomayor attacked for being a bullying racist by a bunch of racist bullies, but I think we should probably get a grip and understand that this is what racism looks like in 2009. The assertion of white male privilege through whining victimization is one of the main ways it will be manifested going forward. And it’s quite effective — it appeals to people’s own hidden prejudices in a way that doesn’t socially embarrass them and allows them to use fairness as a weapon, which is a great relief to bigots who have been on the defensive for decades.

But it’s important to remind good people who are possible recruits to the reverse discrimination claims that the world is still overwhelmingly run by wealthy white men and any protestation that they need affirmative action is laughable. The day that they become a minority in positions of leadership to the same extent that women are today, despite being half the population, is the day I will become sympathetic to the cries of unfairness coming from wealthy, white conservatives. Until then, all this rending of garments over a Latina being “biased” sounds suspiciously like Scarlett O’Hara’s lady friends chattering nervously about the slaves getting uppity.

There’s more at the link.