Prometheus 6

Sen. Leahy got her to recant, but I think she was serious,

Via ebogjohnson, who says (among other things)

Although a frazzled-looking Taylor put on the "I'm going to cry" face a bunch of times during her testimony, her problem isn't that she'd a twit who got in over her head, it's that people like Taylor and Sampson got into government exclusively to serve their party and patrons, fuck the country, Constitution, what have you. 

The Reality of Race: Is the Problem That White People Don't Know or Don't Care?
By Robert Jensen, AlterNet
Posted on July 14, 2007

"Study shows that white people are mean and uncaring"

That would have been my headline for a recent story from Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, which was reprinted on AlterNet, and reported an Ohio State University study of white people's understanding of the black experience (AlterNet's headline was "Whites Just Don't Understand the Black Experience"). Curiously, the psychologists who conducted the research spun the data in exactly the opposite direction, and the conflicting interpretations tell us much about race relations in the United States.

William "Meth" Krystal doesn't sound like he believes his own op-ed.

Why Bush Will Be A Winner
By William Kristol
Sunday, July 15, 2007; Page B01

I suppose I'll merely expose myself to harmless ridicule if I make the following assertion: George W. Bush's presidency will probably be a successful one.

See? He's not actually making the assertion. He's just telling you what he'd say if he did.

Because it worked so darn well for O.J.

He's not even speculating on a definitive assertion. He's telling you what probably will happen. IF he made the assertion. Which he hasn't.

What it comes down to is this: If Petraeus succeeds in Iraq, and a Republican wins in 2008, Bush will be viewed as a successful president.

I like the odds.

Hence his new nickname.

What about the First Amendment? It's merely part of "a framework of ordered liberty," the group said in a 2005 letter to President Bush, not "a license to publish pornography." Unfortunately, the site argues elsewhere, "a judicial oligarchy accountable to no one" has brushed aside considerations of decency in favor of the agenda of "pornographers and radical libertarians." If the Constitution protects consensual, private gay sex, what's next? asked Robert Peters, the group's president, in July 2003. "A right to bugger farm animals"?

You're not likely to find such rants in anything produced by the Justice Department. But you'll find them all at the department's online partner, ObscenityCrimes.org. 

Outsourcing Justice? That's Obscene.
By Stephen Bates
Sunday, July 15, 2007; B03

LAS VEGAS Privatization is all the rage these days. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants the private sector to run the state's $1.1 billion-a-year lottery. Under a USAID contract, the Louis Berger Group is helping Iraq privatize formerly state-run government services. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell reluctantly gave up on his plans to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike. But it's hard to top this step by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales: His Justice Department has put a privatized eye on American morality.

Let's say you happen upon an obscene Web site and want to report it to the feds. You go to the Justice Department Web site to pass along the details, under a section titled "What Citizens Can Do About Obscenity." But instead of letting you tip off the authorities, the site directs you elsewhere -- to the privately run ObscenityCrimes.org, which offers an online form to fill out.

Black Power Defined
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When a people are mired in oppression, they realize deliverance only when they have accumulated the power to enforce change. the powerful never lose opportunities--they remain available to them. The powerless, on the other hand, never experience opportunity--it is always arriviing at a later time.

The nettlesome task of Negroes today is to discover how to organize our strength into compelling power so that the government cannot elude our demands. We must develop, from strength, a situation in which the government finds it wise and prudent to collaborate with us. It would be the height of naivete to wait passively until the administration had somehow been infused wth such blessings of good will that it implored us for our programs.

Sometimes I think what bothers folks the most about debating me is that I remember what they said last time.

We have taken notice of development porn in the past.

Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa
By Uzodinma Iweala
Sunday, July 15, 2007; B07

This is the West's new image of itself: a sexy, politically active generation whose preferred means of spreading the word are magazine spreads with celebrities pictured in the foreground, forlorn Africans in the back. Never mind that the stars sent to bring succor to the natives often are, willingly, as emaciated as those they want to help.

Fox News again.

"We know we have more work to do when Scooter Libby gets no prison time and a 21-year-old honor student, who hadn't even committed a felony, gets 10 years in prison," Obama said to loud cheers.

With this statement, Fox News saya Sen. Obama "Stirs Race Issue With Reference to Libby Commutation."

I'd like to asked them exactly what the "race issue" is that he stirred. Do you think they could answer the question without sounding really, really fucked up?

Only if the prosecutor admitted to racial animus...which he has not. I can see the interview now:

Fox Anchor: Mr. McDade, do you hate niggers?

McDade: Course not. Been 'roun' niggers mah whole life. Ah'm used to 'em as you can git.

Whether the Fox News headline represents an assumption or an understanding, it makes their bias clear. Again.

You miss mad drama!

In an exchange captured on camera and open microphone by broadcasters after an NAACP forum in Detroit, Edwards approached Clinton onstage and whispered in her ear.

"We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group," Edwards said, and Clinton agreed.

"Our guys should talk," Clinton said, complaining the format had "trivialized" the discussion.

Kucinich Rips Edwards on Debate Remarks
By BETH FOUHY
The Associated Press
Saturday, July 14, 2007; 12:09 AM

NEW YORK -- An angry Dennis Kucinich lashed out at John Edwards on Friday, saying his Democratic rival showed "a consistent lack of integrity" by suggesting fewer candidates should participate in presidential forums and then trying to explain his remark to reporters.

...because Slashdot informed me of this lovely patent application.

The research reveals that the average citizen has to remember five passwords, five pin numbers, two number plates, three security ID numbers and three bank account numbers just to get through day to day life.

Given that humans can only keep seven items in mind simultaneously (margin of error there is three, up or down), I don't think we're dumbing down due to mobile phones (that would be television's fault). I think we're being challenged beyond the capacity of unaugmented humans.

Mobile phones 'dumbing down brain power'
By Ben Quinn
Last Updated: 7:52am BST 13/07/2007

An over reliance on technology is leading to a dumbing down of the nation’s brain power, according a study published today.

In a society flooded with mobile phones, Blackberry devices and computers of various shapes and sizes, a quarter of all Britons do not know their own landline number while as little as a third can recall more than three birthdays of their immediate family.

White House Denies Request for Documents in Ex-NFL Player's Death
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 14, 2007; A03

The White House has refused to give Congress documents about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman, with White House counsel Fred F. Fielding saying that certain papers relating to discussion of the friendly-fire shooting "implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests."

Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), the leading members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, objected to the refusal yesterday in letters to the White House and the Defense Department.

Notice it's not national security interests that are at risk. It's Executive Branch confidentiality interests that are "implicated".

I see via dnA that Tucker is making a fool of himself again.

Still more Carlson on Obama: "[W]hy has Barack Obama suddenly turned into Oprah?"

On the July 12 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, host Tucker Carlson teased an upcoming segment on the New Hampshire book clubs Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) presidential campaign recently established by saying: "Well, everybody knows that a book club is no place for a man.

Men don't read?

Hey Tucker,
target="_blank">this one's for you!  

1. He's lying
2. He's about to do something really scummy

Case in point:

Earlier this week, Georgia's chief federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, said the video "constitutes child pornography under federal law," and he called on McDade's office to stop releasing copies.

"These laws are intended to protect the children depicted in such images from the ongoing victimization of having their sexual activity viewed by others," Nahmias said.

This prosecutor sees Genarlow Wilson as his own personal O.J. But he's gone way past Nifong.

Prosecutor under fire in teen sex case

McDade says Georgia's open-records law leaves him no choice but to release the footage because it was evidence in one of the state's most turbulent cases — that of Genarlow Wilson, a young man serving 10 years in prison for having oral sex with a girl when they were teenagers.

Scientific American:

Last night at the Digital Life preview a Mattel rep--who, just to make the conversation extra surreal, actually looked sort of like Barbie--told me that in the first 60 days of its existence, the new online virtual world Barbie Girls has signed up three million members, and they're adding new ones at the rate of 50,000 a day.

Just for reference, it took Second Life 3 years to reach 1 million members.

Access to the world is free, the dolls that get you in-game pets and other goodies are not, and the whole shebang is still in beta.

That's what I keep thinking about the Jena Six.

I also think of this.

Rep. Price’s new look an homage to our safety

Many Americans have experienced the loss of a cherished item at the hands of airport screeners, but for Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) it was something a little more personal: his mustache.

“It was TSA,” the lawmaker joked when asked what prompted him to shave his neatly trimmed facial hair.
Price explained that airport screeners would not allow him to take his mustache trimmer on a plane, forcing him to use an electric version.

But he wasn’t used to that gadget, and he quickly found himself in the vicious cycle of trimming each end of the ’stache in an effort to even it out. Before he knew it, there was not enough left to salvage.

“It was TSA,” Price repeated. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

Personnel May Wish to Sleep in Another Country
By Al Kamen
Friday, July 13, 2007; A15

More signs of progress in Iraq. In response to the recent increase in mortar and rocket attacks in Baghdad's Green Zone, U.S. Embassy officials announced yesterday that "a limited number of cots are available for use by authorized . . . personnel who wish to sleep in their offices for security reasons."

Why? Offices tend to be in concrete buildings, affording better protection against mortars and other projectiles than the metal-roofed trailers commonly used for housing.

Remember, though, the notice continued, "cots will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to the time stamp on e-mail requests received," and you needed to pick them up between 2 and 5 p.m. yesterday.

Deadlocked Sunni, Shiite Factions Block Political Progress, Iraqis Say
By Joshua Partlow and Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, July 13, 2007; A05

BAGHDAD, July 12 -- Iraqi politicians on Thursday struck a more pessimistic tone about Iraq than did the White House assessment, and said the deadlock between warring Sunni and Shiite factions makes major political progress unlikely in coming months.

Barack Obama on NPR ... And a Teeny Weeny Shared Past

So we had a great time talking to Senator Barack Obama. And we were ... relieved.

What I mean is that the staff of News and Notes knows that not every interview comes through. So you might say, "We will have Blah-dee X. Blah on..." before a break. And then during the break, B-X-B gets stuck in the bathroom, or in traffiic, or has food poisoning.

As a matter of fact, earlier this week, Sen. Obama's staff almost gave us a heart attack when they said he might have to fly back to Washington for a vote on the Senate floor -- on the same day we were scheduled to interview him in Detroit.

But still, we stepped out on faith and asked you to give us questions for the Senator. And you answered our call ... in droves.
Check it out.

Anytime you see "religion" and "humor" tags together you should be selective about who you share it with.

Tax Loopholes Sweeten a Deal for Blackstone
By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON

The Blackstone Group, the big buyout firm, has devised a way for its partners to effectively avoid paying taxes on $3.7 billion, the bulk of what it raised last month from selling shares to the public.

Although they will initially pay $553 million in taxes, the partners will get that back, and about $200 million more, from the government over the long term.

The plan, laid out in the fine print of Blackstone’s financial documents, comes as Congress debates how much managers at private equity firms like Blackstone and hedge funds should pay in taxes on their compensation.

Lee Sheppard, a tax lawyer who critiques deals for Tax Notes magazine and has studied the Blackstone arrangement, said it was a reminder of the disconnect between the tax debate in Congress and how the tax system actually operates at the highest levels of the economy.

The getaway driver, a parolee with a long criminal record, admitted being involved in the robberies. He first told police he did not know me and that I was not involved. Then the Orange County district attorney offered him a sentence of two years if he would say I was. He took the plea bargain and his story changed; he was freed from prison before I was....

My mother was able to gather evidence proving that her 15-year-old son was in school during 11 of the robberies. But we had no evidence to prove that, at 2 a.m. on a school night, I was home asleep while someone robbed a Denny's restaurant, and we had no proof that I was home baby-sitting my 11-year-old sister during the time a juice bar in another city was being robbed....

Doing time for no crime
A young man freed after being wrongly imprisoned argues for three remedies.
By Arthur Carmona
ARTHUR CARMONA testified recently in support of state legislation aimed at preventing wrongful convictions.
July 13, 2007

ONE WEEK after my 16th birthday, I was arrested and charged with crimes I did not commit. I remained behind bars in a life unsuitable for any innocent person. After I served nearly three years of a 17-year sentence, the real facts of my case began to emerge and a judge let me go free. My life, however, will never be the same, and I am determined to change the laws that make it so easy for innocent people to be convicted.

Sooner or later you're going to learn the difference between being wealthy and being able to pay your credit card bills. 

The Land of Opportunity?

When questioned about the enormous income inequality in the United States, the cheerleaders of America’s unfettered markets counter that everybody has a shot at becoming rich here. The distribution of income might be skewed, but America’s economic mobility is second to none.

That image is wrong, and these days it abets far too many unfair policies, including cuts in essential programs like Head Start or Medicaid. The poor, we are told, can use their own bootstraps. President Bush got away with huge tax cuts for the rich in part because nonrich Americans, who make up most of the population, believe everybody has a chance of making it into the club. Unfortunately, the American dream is not that broadly accessible.

Under the provision approved by the House committee yesterday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can release the information only to law enforcement agencies or officials in connection with criminal investigations or to federal agencies for national security or intelligence purposes.

Let's start a criminal investigation of those 1.2% of the dealers.

Some law enforcement officials who support the measure have argued that broader release of the information could jeopardize their investigations.

Whenever you read "some" with no numbers, it's because the numbers are so small that neither a percentage nor a direct ennumeration is impressive. In other words, they're describing the lunatic fringe. When ALL the major police organizations tell you they need this change you shouldpay attention.

But the Bloomberg administration, as well as gun control advocates and other law enforcement officials, argue that the measure hinders their ability to see regional patterns in gun trafficking because it does not allow the bureau to release aggregate trace data, including that of other jurisdictions. The amendment itself does not prohibit cities and towns from sharing the information with each other, but some law enforcement officials say it is difficult and cumbersome to do so on their own.

You know what, then? You're going to have to learn how to do it.

And watch the next incarnation of the Taihrt Amendment forbid you to use the gun trace data for THAT, too.

And it's not a blow to Bloomberg. It's a blow to law enforcement across the country.

House Panel Supports Limiting Access to Data on Guns, Dealing a Blow to Bloomberg
By DIANE CARDWELL

A key Congressional committee dealt a major blow to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s campaign against illegal firearms yesterday, refusing to allow police departments broader access to data that tracks guns sales.