Here.
My condolences to his friends and family.
Year: 2008
WaPo Endorses Donna Edwards In MD-4
Good.
Al Wynn is corrupt, ineffective, and a horrible person, and his campaign has been despicable.
Any democrat who voted to intervene in the Terry Schiavo, as Al Wynn did, case needs to be out of a job.
Very, Very, Wise
Lance Mannion gets to the core of Republican governance practice“
If the Goverment is a car setting out to give every one a ride to work, then for 40 years the Republicans have been puncturing the tires, pouring sand in the gas tank, stealing the distributer cap, and, whenever they can get their hands on the wheel, driving it straight into the nearest ditch and then, pointing to the wreckage as the tow truck backs up to it, saying, See, this proves that people were meant to walk.
And they do this so that they don’t have to chip in on gas.
Economics Update
Chancellor of the exchequer, Alistair Darling has stated at a G-7 forum that the credit crunch will be a “prolonged adjustment”.
Auditors for AIG, the world’s largest insurer is showing “material weakness” ovalues some of its complex financial instruments, specifically its, “credit-default swap portfolio”, see here and here.
Basically, it needs to write down more of its holdings in the big sh^%pile.
In related news, credit-default swaps are becoming more expensive across the markets, which reflects the standard risk/return equation. People find these riskier, so they are demanding higher yields.
In real estate, experts are saying that home prices will drop for 2 more years. I think that it will be 5+ years, at least adjusted for investment.
A Morgan Stanley analyst has stated the obvious, that Fannie Mae will be seeing a lot mroe defaults on its loans.
In personal finance, credit card companies are jacking up rates of credit worthy customers. It appears that they are looking for cash flow to offset losses in various financial derivatives and the mortgage market.
Rupert Murdoch Dow Jones is ajusting the Dow Jones Industrial Average, with Bank of America and Chevron replacing Honeywell and Altria.
This really does not mean much, after all the Dow is not really a good metric anyway, Honeywell has become too small, and with the spinoff of Kraft, Altria is pretty much just tobacco. Nothing to see here, move along.
Finally, I recommend that you check out this examination of the US financial position compared to meltdowns in 5 other counties. It’s kind of grim, as these charts show:
The Big Picture | 5 Historical Economic Crises and the U.S. look at pics”/>
Ron Paul Basically Dropping out of Presidential Race
David Shuster Initially Defended the “Pimped” Statement
If you think that the video I posted of David Shuster’s “Pimping Chelsea” comment seemed to show an insincere apology, the email exchange with the Clinton campaign confirms that he was even less sincere than his bull%$#@ “If anyone was offended” faux apology.
A bit of the exchange, (Philippe Reines is a Clinton adviser):
From: David Shuster
To: Philippe Reines
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 9:29 p.m.No. That’s not what I’m saying. And if you bothered to look at the transcript and saw all of the glowing things I said about chelsea and the way she was raised, you would know that.
The issue is not her making calls. As + said on the air, I have no problems with that what so ever. The issue is not her refusing interviews. The issue is that the campaign has come down hard on reporters who merely sought to ask chelsea questions. You can’t have it both ways. Reporters have long respected the clintons desire that we avoid chelsea and let her have her space. But to get angry at reporters seeking to talk to her now is patently unfair. And you know that.
Honestly, this crap starts with Russert, who clearly hates the Clintons, and reaches a crescendo with Chris Matthews, though it appears that Shuster, who is twice the journalist of Matthews, and three times the journalist of Russert, will take the fall.
Reid Files For Another Surveillance Law Extension
Reid wants the extension to have the time to properly craft a bill, and Bush is saying that he does not want an extension, because he does not want a bill to protect basic American rights.
Additionally, it looks a rush to a bill would have the effect of making it difficult to impossible for Bush’s illegal electronic surveillance, which predates 911.
Obama To Maine – ‘Drop Dead’
Lets be clear, normally, I find Rense to be an unreliable source, but this is analysis and, there is a video on CNBC where Austan Goolsbee says what Rense says he said.
video where he is dismissive of LIHEAP.
Blocked Emergency LIHEAP Money For Maine This Winter
2-8-8AUGUSTA — Barack Obama’s chief economics adviser Austan Goolsbee today boasted that the Obama campaign had helped to prevent emergency heating assistance for low-income families from being included in the just-approved economic stimulus package which is now on its way to President Bush’s desk for signature. An increase in federal low-income heating assistance (known as LIHEAP), Goolsbee pointed out, had been championed by Obama’s opponent, New York Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton. Goolsbee’s remarks came in an interview this morning with Carl Quintanilla of CNBC business news television.”
It’s clear in the video, where Goolsbee dismisses LIHEAP as bureaucratic and wasteful.
Keeping poor people from freezing is a core Democratic Party value. In Maine, it’s a bipartisan value, but the folks who made it to the caucuses there are clearly too well off to qualify for the program, or to care about those who do.
George W. Bush has spent 7 years trying to make the poor poorer, and to denigrate this program, which helps the poor heat their homes in the winter is repulsive.
Goolsbee is “Chicago School Lite” on his economics, which may be useful for contacts with the press, which is increasingly overpaid, overfed (Candy Crowley), and self importantly proclaiming its support for the low wage economics that have prevailed since the mid 1970s, but it is not good for the American people or the Democratic Party.
News Flash: Europeans Conflate Efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Support Neither
Robert Gates is surprised and alarmed by this attitude. I say, “Well, Duh!!!”
It’s painfully clear that Afghanistan was shortchanged for the invasion of Iraq, and that the US is unable to support both efforts fully, so this means that European aid with operations in Iraq actually does free up US resources for operations in Afghanistan.
The European public has realized this for some time, as have the governments.
However, those in power realize that saying, “You’re on your own, Jack,” will shatter an alliance that they see as valuable.
The support of the European public American military operations anywhere is a rapidly wasting asset, and the stupid, disasterous war in Iraq is at its core.
Dutch to “Officially Discourage” The Wearing of Veils
The original measure was to ban the burqa in government offices and schools, but they are now going to officially, “discourage the wearing of burqas in public. …. by trying to persuade institutions such as schools and public transport companies to impose their own bans, a stop on the garment will also be imposed for civil servants.”
a Burqa.
In the story above, Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders, referred to a burqa as a “Penguin suit”. So it’s clear that Wilders is a bigoted ass.
However, I am not conflicted on this. There is a difference between a Hijab (head scarf) and a burqa or niqab (which is similar, except that you can see the eyes).
Ignoring the security issues, which to my mind are minor, complete face covering changes the basic interaction in society, and makes meaningful and peaceful interaction difficult, if not impossible.
That being said, the banning of head scarves, such as is proposed in Spain by the opposition Conservatives, sounds to me like plain old bigotry and fear mongering.
I’m an Equal Opportunity Jerk
I find this picture very, very, funny:
Reports of Kosovar Declaration of Independence on February 17
This complicates a final resolution in the Balkans, but my guess is that it was inevitable.
Truth be told, I support this. I think that, the Serbians forfeited the right to sovereignty to the region when they attempted to ethnically cleanse it.
Condi’s State Department: Making Our Best and Brightest Targets
Van Schaick’s account matches that of Peace Corps members and staff who claim that last July their entire group of new volunteers was instructed by the same U.S. Embassy official in Bolivia to report on Cuban and Venezuelan nationals.
The State Department says any such request was “in error” and a violation of long-standing U.S. policy which prohibits the use of Peace Corps personnel or Fulbright scholars for intelligence purposes.
This paints big fat targets on the backs on a group of people who are sent out into the world to understand, and develop friendships with, foreigners all over the world.
Bush League Diplomacy in action.
Tentative Agreement Reached on Writers Strike
Sorry, no link, I heard it on the radio.
It’s still got to be approved by the membership, but it looks like the WGA will be returning to work this coming week.
The Danny Snyder Clown Show
Jim Zorn has been hired as the new head coach of the Redskins.
Let’s see, Joe Gibbs quits, and Snyder hires everyone but the head coach anyway, and now Jim Zorn, originally slated as offensive coordinator after a stellar turn as QB coach of the Seattle Seahawks ends up double promoted to head coach.
No one wanted the job unless they got to hire their own staff, and since they could not do that, it got handed down to Zorn.
Danny Snyder has spent more, for less results, than any owner in the league.
Friday, “Man, that is One Un-Hip Cat” Blogging
Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR) to Retire
She is in her 6th term, and it appears to be for health reasons, she is 68, and has been hospitalized with lung problems recently.
It’s considered a swing district.
I Do Not Think That This is Political Posturing
Last night, on MSNBC, David Shuster asked if Chelsea Clinton campaigning on behalf of her mom meant that she was, “being pimped” by the campaign.
The Clinton Campaign has apparently gone completely batsh#$ insane over this, even though he apologized this morning.
Shuster’s still a wanker, though.
This is not about politics. This is about who the Clintons are. They have always been fiercely protective of her.
BTW, Shuster has been suspended from all NBC broadcasts.
Bigotry in Maryland
A small Muslim sect, the Ahmadiyya, wanted to build a Mosque and conference center in Walkersville, Maryland.
They were turned down, citing “noise, traffic, and water” issues.
They would have an annual convention of 10,000, but if this were Evangelical Christians doing the same, the Walkersville Chamber of Commerce would be twisting arms to get it in.
You know it, I know it, the Ahmadiyya know it, as do the citizens of Walkersville.
Congress Gets it Right
It just passed a law forbidding the FTC from making automatic removal of numbers from the do-not-call list.
The FTC wanted to drop the numbers every 5 years, but this bill prevents it.
https://www.donotcall.gov/ to get on the do not call list.