ThinkFast: January 8, 2007
ThinkFast: January 8, 2007
“[I]n a marked shift from his usual upbeat economic assessments,” President Bush “conceded…that the nation faces ‘economic challenges’ due to rising oil prices, the home mortgage crisis and a weakening job market.” Though Bush insisted he “recognize[d] the reality of the situation,” the White House has refused to say that the economy might be heading towards a recession.
In a “controversial” report, Merrill Lynch “said that Friday’s employment report, which sent shares tumbling worldwide, confirmed that the US is in the first month of a recession.” Yesterday, White House spokesman Tony Fratto claimed he didn’t “know of anyone predicting a recession.”
“Two rockets fired from Lebanon exploded in northern Israel before dawn today, according to the Israeli military, part of growing violence in the region ahead of a visit by the US president, George Bush.”
“For seven years, President Bush has been a distant defender of Israel,” but when “he arrives here Wednesday on his first presidential visit, however, Bush will find an ambivalent Israeli public” that is “critical of U.S. setbacks that have made the region feel more threatening.”
“Alarmed at the increasingly populist tone of the 2008 political campaign,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said his organization “would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle” to defeat “anti-business” candidates. The organization will be “so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed,” said Donohue.
A bipartisan group of former top lawmakers and government officials convened yesterday to discuss the “excessive partisanship” in politics today. But rather than support an independent candidate for president, “several leading participants took pains to say that they had no intention of abandoning their own parties in the election.”
Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator who has been under a Bush administration gag order, told the Sunday Times that foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of U.S. officials to obtain nuclear secrets. Brad Blog has much more.
“A Canadian government panel recommended Monday that prices be set for greenhouse gas emissions and that taxes, caps and emissions trading plans be quickly established.”
And finally: According to the web site CelebStoner.com, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is the “stoners” top pick for President. Ben Widdicombe writes: “Site editor Steve Bloom tells me: ‘Ron Paul is the stoners’ Republican Prez candidate of choice.’”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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I cannot believe how much power the word “recession” has — everybody seems to be quibbling over whether our current economic situation is a recession or not.
When you are struggling to keep your job, pay your bills, fill your gas tank, etc. and it’s getting harder and harder each day to do these things, does it really MATTER what it’s called?
January 8th, 2008 at 9:08 amA bipartisan group of former top lawmakers and government officials convened yesterday to discuss the “excessive partisanship†in politics today. But rather than support an independent candidate for president, “several leading participants took pains to say that they had no intention of abandoning their own parties in the election.â€
lol…. i thought the comedy central writers were on strike!
January 8th, 2008 at 9:12 amU.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said his organization “would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle†to defeat “anti-business†candidates.
——————————————
Let’s see — the U.S. Chamber of Commerce no doubt gets its war chest from its members, which would be American corporations. They make up for the money they give to the U.S. CofC (and other PACs) by charging higher prices for their goods and services.
So, essentially we are all paying to promote candidates who will reward corporations and screw the rest of us.
I take comfort in knowing that the GOP has dug a hole so deep for itself that populism has a good chance at winning out over the usual corporate greed — no matter how much money is thrown around.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:14 ammissmolly…if you remember from the 2001 recession, they wouldn’t even admit we were in one until miraculously they said “well, yes, there was a recession after all, but now we’re coming out of it.” I don’t expect any different this time, especially since there’s no way to blame this one on Bill Clinton. They might try to drag out admitting to this one until they can blame it on Hillary Clinton, however.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:16 amGosh, is it any wonder that the average citizens are fed up with big business running the country? The big business clowns are so arrogant that they feel comfortable threatening non-business candidates in public. It’s past time to re-structure our election process and take big business bucks out of play.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:22 amBush will find an ambivalent Israeli public†that is “critical of U.S. setbacks that have made the region feel more threatening.â€
It is not us “setbacks” that have made the region more threatening, it is the US aggression in the region that has done this. When is the US going to stop being Israel’s cheerleader and start taking care of this country first? I fear Israel more than I fear the so-called “terrorists” in the ME.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:26 am“Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is the ’stoners’ top pick for President.”
Well, I always thought you had to be on drugs to support this guy…
January 8th, 2008 at 9:27 amI guess Chimp must have gotten the memo from Hank Paulson:
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp757.htm
“let me be clear that no single policy or action will undo the excesses of the last few years.”
This is about as pessimistic a speech as you will hear from a Treas Sec. It’s hopefully honest too, but it ain’t half negative.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:28 amChamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said his organization “would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle†to defeat “anti-business†candidates.
I guess they don’t get it. The people in the US are sick and tired of corporations controlling this country. It is NOT the United Corporations of America, it is the United States of America. They can go ahead and contribute that money to the so-called “anti-business” (really more anti-corporation) candidates. Us populists will just give that much and more to our candidates.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:28 amDid the Sibel Edmonds article even rate a peep from our corporate media? Nothing that I saw–but bus crashes, missing hikers and Hillary’s near tears–that’s another story. And somehow the media picked up on the new Tom Cruise unauthorized biography, but not a peep on such startling allegations about our own government. You’d think they’d at least try to confirm or refute the allegations. Seems like that’s what “journalists” would do.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:28 am‘Ron Paul is the stoners’ Republican Prez candidate of choice.’
I’m guessing this vote wasn’t close.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:31 amWTF?
Where is it in the Constitution that corporations get to have a say in governance? Siince WHORPORATIONS DO NOT VOTE, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY SAY IN HOW WE GOVERN OURSELVES.
We the People
“The bite that bleeds”
How about the POPULIST movement bite the fu(king heads off of the hydra called Corporatist power, chew ‘em up, and spit ‘em out, DEAD on the floor.
Bye, bye Chamber of Commerce.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:31 amAnd FU(K YOU!
Kudos to TP for picking up on the Sibel Edmonds story, which they had formerly dismissed as “conspiracy theory.” I’m beginning to wonder if the US media has been formally warned by the Feds not to touch this story . . . or else.
Of course, it could just be laziness.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:34 amYou’d think they’d at least try to confirm or refute the allegations. Seems like that’s what “journalists†would do.
Comment by Menehune — January 8, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Journalism is completely dead. It has been replaced by something called “infotainment” — mindless regurgitation of press releases from corporate masters, dressed up with shiny objects.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:37 amBush will find an ambivalent Israeli public†that is “critical of U.S. setbacks that have made the region feel more threatening.â€
Geebus, even the Israelis recognize that the chymp has hosed up the region.
Just. Can’t. Do. Anything. Right.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:44 amAlarmed at the increasingly populist tone of the 2008 political campaign,†U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said his organization “would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle†to defeat “anti-business†candidates
Bring it on, corporate whores.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:46 amAnd kudos to TP for finally printing the Sibel Edmonds story.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:47 amGo BradBlog!!!
RUC – I was going to say the same thing! TheZoo ran a story on her citing BradBlog a little while ago:
http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/01/06/sibel-edmonds-speaks-to-the-uk-sunday-times/
January 8th, 2008 at 9:52 amBNF, wouldn’t one expect, say, a CONGRESSIONAL HEARING on this??
January 8th, 2008 at 10:09 am“President Bush “conceded…that the nation faces ‘economic challenges’ due to rising oil prices, the home mortgage crisis and a weakening job market.â€
And don’t forget the direct and indirect costs of the illegal, immoral, unjustified invasion of Iraq which will cost us and our children and grandchildren for our entire lifetimes plus>
January 8th, 2008 at 10:11 amSoon, we will begin to start hearing the softening campaign for the word “recession”…
“Recessions don’t matter… Reagan proved this…”
“Recessions are often a subjective matter…”
“Recession is GOOD, it’s part of an expected cycle…”
January 8th, 2008 at 10:11 amHas one, ONE, American media outlet ran the story on Edmonds? This is proof positive that journalism is dead. Long live journalism! We knew ye well.
This administration has done more damage to the world than any in history. Not just to American citizens who will feel this for decades to come but to the security of every living being on the face of this earth. I honestly didn’t think that I could be surprised by their actions any more but the details are beyond comprehension.
If we don’t see these buffoons stand before some court there is no world justice.
As to the Chamber of Commerce, I am officially writing them off. I’ve had it with the corporation having a vote. They don’t have just one vote, they buy all the votes. IT’S TIME TO TAKE AMERICA BACK!
I challenge every one of us to get one new voter registered. We really need to do a massive grass roots Rock The Vote or something to get people involved in their own futures. In ALL our futures.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:13 amAmerica is losing world markets,which means less productivity ,specially in the industrial sector.
Many reasons are to consider.
1. Health cost:..Many companies are burdened by increase of health cost,which is a cost added to wages,which is a final cost of a finished product.
Such cost is so high in the United States for producers in comparison to their producers in other markets. The only way to overcome this and to compete is to go high tech to reduce the price per unit produced.
We are not achieving both in our race to compete with other countries like China, Japan,and Europe.
2. International Markets: We are losing a lot of markets around the world ,which is replaced by rising exporting countries like China and Russia and others who are filling the empty space America leaves.
We have sanctioned many countries politically that US producers cannot sell products to, ex.Libya,Iran, Syria, Sudan Venezuela,Cuba ..and many other countries whom we banned our producers from doing business with..to punish them…But sanctions are double edged sword..
We are not in a postion to monopolise or ban products from being exported to other countries we sanctioned.
Every country we put sanction against..they find another market to buy their needed products from,and here come the Japanese,Chinese,and Russians…to fill the empty American room.
Education system: Our kids are not given the needed knowledge about other countries,by comparison to a Japanese,Chinese or a Russian kids.
When a country thinks that when their kids can read and write is considered a big achievement..then this country is in trouble.
Debt: We are deeply in debt,and we print money by borrowing from another countries selling Treasury papers…That worked fine for sometime,and when out deficit was manageable…but the lenders are watching and they see that no recovery date is arriving and more borrowing.
They are shifing,gradually from US dollar to other currencies…that will hurt us now and in the future, unless we do something drastic now.
Wars: Wars mean spending and the shifting of priorities of state’s spending, making all priorities geared to help the war…Until this war issue is resolved…we will continue to spend and take money from other items in the budget..and get ourselves in debt.
Personal debt is on the rise. While stats. does not show that we are in a deep recession…without the credit cards shopping power, we might have been in one.
If you take the credit card from todays markets..it will totally choke businesses. There is nothing wrong with using credit card..but when the personal debt keeps going higher and the credit cards keep charging more money..at one point this formula cannot be sustained.
Energy and fuel: We spend big percentage of our importing money on energy cost that can be reduced by creating new energy resources..and increase products effeciency.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:13 amUS can and should start looking find ways and means of many energy resources. Put a better tax system ,health system,and look how to compete in this big race worldwide…It is a fast one..and for America to stay and enjoy the leadership rule it has…then Americans need to look seriuously at the problems at hand…before it is too late.
It just occurred to me that recession provides a nifty conflation for global warming too:
“Much like the alarmists howling about global warming – a non-story, recession is a natural occurrence in a thriving economy….”
“This recession shows that our economy is strong… In the same way that global warming is a natural cycle…”
FUD is so much FUN!
http://www.FEARandSMEAR.com
January 8th, 2008 at 10:18 amYou know, I’m fairly well read, and keep up with current events. This is the first time that I realized that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is just a separate organization and not part of the U.S. Government.
I’ve often heard them say that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes taxes on the wealthy and wondered about that, but this is the first time I saw something so outrageous that looked them up on Interwebs.
Not only does the “U.S.” Chamber of Commerce does not represent a U.S. government organization, but their tag line on Google is:
January 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am
tarazan, you are so right on so many topics. Good post.
On education, one of the programmers here where I work was talking to me a week ago about the schooling he got in India.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:21 amHe has our equivalent of a BS in electrical engineering and a MS in computer science. And that’s standard education, nothing special.
Representing more than 3 million businesses worldwideâ€
Comment by wmhogg — January 8, 2008 @ 10:20 am
Don’t we have the Trilateral Commission for that?
January 8th, 2008 at 10:22 amBarack apparently is related to Raila Odinga, the Kenyan pol challenging the election result in Kenya.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7176683.stm
Let’s hope Barack has the same stones to fight electoral fraud should he have to.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:24 amJust to add and clarify a few things on the Sibel Edmonds story:
1) RUCerious, according to the article, she has already testified before Congress;
2) You folks do realize that most of what she claims took place allegedly occurred during the Clinton Administration?; and
3) The Sunday Times is a Rupert Murdoch paper. I am happy to see so many of you that have in the past blasted as unreliable and untruthful anything that came out Fox News or other Murdoch-affiliated news organization will no longer use that tiresome canard.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:24 amDubya, a great visionary, like his dad?
January 8th, 2008 at 10:24 amWhen the msm won’t even cover the Sibel Edmonds story, should we be surprised at the ignorance of the American public in important matters?
January 8th, 2008 at 10:25 amEven if the msm don’t believe Edmonds’ story, then why don’t they try to debunk it?
This kind of journalism (I use the word loosely) is disgraceful – Miss Molly is quite correct – the msm are nothing more than purveyors of infotainment. Bring on Spears, Cruise, Hilton, et al.
Even Huckleberry knew more about Jamie Lynn Spears than the most pressing of current events – doesn’t say much for him, and says a lot of the decline of journalism.
Interesting story on WaPo this AM
“New leaders of Sunnis make gains of influence
In a still-brittle Iraq, Shiite-led government wary of U.S.-backed groups”
Arming the Sunnis
just a quick piece of the article, pardon my lack of brevity…
MADERIYAH, Iraq – Saad Mahami wanted more firepower. He didn’t trust the Iraqi government to give him support, so inside Patrol Base Whiskey, at the edge of this village south of Baghdad, he told U.S. commanders that his 71 Sunni fighters needed additional weapons to fight the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq.
As he listened to Mahami’s demand, Capt. David Underwood reminded his superiors that Mahami’s men — all members of a U.S.-backed Sunni paramilitary movement called Sahwa, or “Awakening” — were already buying arms with U.S. reward money for finding enemy ammunition dumps. “And as we confiscate weapons, we hand them to Saad Mahami,” Underwood told Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the top commander in the region, during their meeting with the Iraqi. —
So how is this strategy helping the reconciliation process? You know, the one that was the stated purpose of the surge????
January 8th, 2008 at 10:28 amThanks for the correction, Exley, I went back and read it again, and had missed the ‘closed’ session of congress. I guess what I meant was I’d like to see hearings of a more public type.
And the secrecy gag was Bush’s, not Clinton’s. I don’t give a damn who was president while this shit was going on. I’d just like to know what was being done in our name, and by who…
January 8th, 2008 at 10:32 amphoto caption; Bush: “thanks for the BJ”. Girl: “Don’t mention it.”
Can we impeach him now?
January 8th, 2008 at 10:35 amRUCerious,
Hey, I agree….If there is anything to this, I’d like to know about it (But that appears to be a big “if” so far). I am glad she got a chance to appear before Congress.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:36 amTony Fratto obviously wasn’t listening to my advice about the upcoming recession. I told him.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:53 amUncle Ho ~ my first impression exactly.. That patented (US Patent 666 pending – applied for) smirk, and the adoring gaze of the former cheerleader…
January 8th, 2008 at 10:55 am“Republican Stoners”. Where are they?
January 8th, 2008 at 10:56 amI am happy to see so many of you that have in the past blasted as unreliable and untruthful anything that came out Fox News or other Murdoch-affiliated news organization will no longer use that tiresome canard.
Comment by Exley
All you have to do is not come back….I would be fine with that.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:57 amToo bad Kucinich didn’t have the movement around him that Ron Paul did or he’d surely be the stoner’s candidate.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:00 amMurdoch? Traitor. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. FOX? Home of coward hannity, pervert O’Reilly, traitor Ailes. Perfect for traitor Exley, willfully ignorant of what the Constitution says and means. If it happened on Clinton’s watch, it’s Reagan’s fault.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:13 ami don’t think i saw ronpaul in this video, but it’s well worth a looksee,
and pass it on… about medical marijuana – can’t touch it!:
Andy Cobb and company, “Run Mitt Run!â€
January 8th, 2008 at 11:16 amhttp://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/01/07/open-thread-684/
the u.s. chamber of commerce has been pimping for corporations for many years… it has pretty much turned it’s back on small businesses…
January 8th, 2008 at 11:21 amthey just won’t admit it, yet… as did most of the country, small business owners were duped…
hey TP – what IS the back story about that picture???
just what is going on there???
January 8th, 2008 at 11:26 am“What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.”
President Clinton Call Ron Paul-Supporting 9/11 Deniers “Crazy”
KEENE, NH — Several Ron Paul supporters shadowed a much larger Clinton entourage as Bill Clinton greeted supporters downtown… One of the Paul backers interrupted and shouted that the Sept. 11 attacks were an inside job, and that the U.S. didn’t need to be in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“You wanna know what I think?†Clinton said. “You guys who think 9/11 was an inside job are crazy as hell. My wife was the senator from New York when that happened. I was down at Ground Zero. I saw the victims’ families. You’re nuts.” (MSNBC.com)
GOOD for you, Mr. President!
January 8th, 2008 at 11:30 amKaty you don’t EVEN want to know the back story on that picture.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:37 amoh yea, i DO! … especially now…
January 8th, 2008 at 11:40 amPresident has done all of us an inadvertent favor – Bush is the personification of all that is wrong with government and he is inspiring a revolution of the people.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:41 amOhg.
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/01/08/bush-the-jimmy-carter-of-republicans/
“You wanna know what I think?†Clinton said. “You guys who think 9/11 was an inside job are crazy as hell. My wife was the senator from New York when that happened. I was down at Ground Zero. I saw the victims’ families. You’re nuts.†(MSNBC.com)
Comment by Exley
Oh, he was with the victims’ families…so that’s settled. The govt had nothing to do with 9/11!
January 8th, 2008 at 11:48 amvia C&L:
The good news is, the often-confused president seems aware that the economy is facing serious challenges.
[...]
The bad news is what the White House wants to do about it.
:
And here it comes …
When the economy was (sorta, kinda) strong, it showed that tax cuts work, and so we needed to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Now the economy is falling off a cliff — although according to the White House, nobody is predicting a recession (I seem to know an awful lot of nobodies) — and you know what that means: we’d better make the Bush tax cuts permanent.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/and-here-it-comes/
January 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am““You wanna know what I think?†Clinton said. “You guys who think 9/11 was an inside job are crazy as hell. My wife was the senator from New York when that happened. I was down at Ground Zero. I saw the victims’ families. You’re nuts.†(MSNBC.com)”
Ah, nothing that Bubba said, or had said, addresses any of the assertions of the 9/11 truthers, and in fact are complete non sequiturs. I wouldn’t expect Bubba to address i9/11 truthfully, since I believe he has some responsibility in creating the conditions in which it could happen.
Also, Exley, a lot of people are questioning Rupert Murdoch’s publication of Sibel Edmonds’ story. Some facts may escape into the world via Murdoch’s media, but a story of this size that attacks the system, which is Murdoch’s system, is automatically compromised. Why would Murdoch try to bite so hard the hand that feeds him?
January 8th, 2008 at 11:52 amstill grinning…
Your President Speaks!
The Friday Pre-Middle Eastern Trip Interviews, Part III
http://www.first-draft.com/2008/01/your-presiden-2.html
it’s funny even if it IS sad…
January 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm48. Comment by Ohg Rea Tone — January 8, 2008 @ 11:41 am
But one very large difference. Admittedly, Carter sparked a surge by the repubs. But after taking it on the chin part for being a demo and part for being a southerner, Carter turned out to be a decent man. After being prez, he has done good charity work.
The odds of Shrub spending the rest of his life doing charity and bettering mankind ?????
January 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pm? RE: Sibel Edmonds: I totally missed this previously. Just out of curiosity, a recent movie had a plot of a translator who inadvertently heard what she shouldn’t have heard and spent the rest of the movie trying to stay alive.
By any chance, is there a connection ?
January 8th, 2008 at 12:11 pm“U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said his organization “would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle†to defeat “anti-business†candidates.”
This is precisely why I refuse to join the Chamber of Commerce. I run a small business and in the middle of starting a second. The Chamber should focus on small business owners. Giant corporations are perfectly capable of defending themselves. And it’s a lie that my interests as a small business person are aligned with giant corporations.
Since this Reagan era started, giant corporations have had free rein to do pretty much anything they want, from oil companies gouging consumers (although some of their pricing is market related) to banks merging to media consolidation, the result has been a disaster.
The Chamber of Commerce would do well to focus on what is needed to return business and consumers back into balance. Defending the status quo, in such a lopsided time where large corporations can do whatever they want, that’s suicide for business. It will only make it harder for people to start businesses and keep them going if consumers are upset and the large corporations have too much power.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:14 pmThanks to Katy for quoting Krugman. He makes a very important point about the conservatvie/libertarian propaganda going on for the last 30 years.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:47 pmGood God! If that it’s the absolute worst photo of the Chimp, I don’t know what is! He obviously needs a good hairdresser. He’s looking older than his dear old pappy and that’s going a stretch.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:48 pmEarly last year, the U.S. Chamber joined a corporate group in protesting China’s plan to allow their Walmart manufacturing workers to unionize. I would like any corporatist conservative around here (Exley?) to explain why the U.S. Chamber of commerce thinks it’s a bad thing that Chinese workers might make more money it the point of globalization was to “raise all boats” and provide more markets for our products and not just a phony bait and switch scheme to get cheap labor and screw American workers.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pmI meant to write “if the point…”
January 8th, 2008 at 12:51 pmRU; exactly my thought when I posted.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pmI fear Israel more than I fear the so-called “terrorists†in the ME.
Comment by bilbobaggins — January 8, 2008 @ 9:26 am
Wow….
January 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pmMADERIYAH, Iraq – Saad Mahami wanted more firepower. He didn’t trust the Iraqi government to give him support, so inside Patrol Base Whiskey, at the edge of this village south of Baghdad, he told U.S. commanders that his 71 Sunni fighters needed additional weapons to fight the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq…..
So how is this strategy helping the reconciliation process? You know, the one that was the stated purpose of the surge????
Comment by RUCerious — January 8, 2008 @ 10:28 am
We arming these guys to go after AQ. We are not trying to recouncile AQ with the Iraqis, we are trying to erase their prescence.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pmEarly last year, the U.S. Chamber joined a corporate group in protesting China’s plan to allow their Walmart manufacturing workers to unionize. I would like any corporatist conservative around here (Exley?) to explain why the U.S. Chamber of commerce thinks it’s a bad thing that Chinese workers might make more money it the point of globalization was to “raise all boats†and provide more markets for our products and not just a phony bait and switch scheme to get cheap labor and screw American workers.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 8, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
The irony of this situation is incredible. You have a capitalist government organ protesting workers in another country making more money – which is the whole point of capitalism. At the same time, you have a communist government which has to date not allowed unionization, when supposedly the point of Communism is Worker’s Rights!
There are times I think we should scrap all the old econmomic assumptions and definitions and retool them for the 21st century. Add that to Obama’s to do list.
BTW, I have mixed feelings on NAFTA and Free Trade – good in theory, very troublesome in execution.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pmeconomic challenges, my foot. Guys you’re knee-deep into recession already.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:29 pmWe arming these guys to go after AQ. We are not trying to recouncile AQ with the Iraqis, we are trying to erase their prescence.
Comment by Keltoi — January 8, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
That’s all fine and dandy, but my issue was with reconciliation between SUNNI and SHIITE. And you knew that.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:32 pmThat’s all fine and dandy, but my issue was with reconciliation between SUNNI and SHIITE. And you knew that.
Comment by RUCerious — January 8, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
I did, but it isn’t what the article you posted was about. We are co-opting slightly radical Sunnis to go kill WAY radical AQ Sunnis. I agree, there is no tangible sign of Sunni-Shiite recouncilliation except that their more vicious extremes seem to have decided to stand down, for the moment at least. AQ is in a category by itself, there is no recounciliation with them.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:37 pmre: photo
Is that a Lewinsky moment or what?
January 8th, 2008 at 2:41 pmThe irony of this situation is incredible. You have a capitalist government organ protesting workers in another country making more money – which is the whole point of capitalism. At the same time, you have a communist government which has to date not allowed unionization, when supposedly the point of Communism is Worker’s Rights!
There are times I think we should scrap all the old econmomic assumptions and definitions and retool them for the 21st century. Add that to Obama’s to do list.
Comment by Keltoi — January 8, 2008 @ 1:06 pm
Well, I’m not really sure that there’s a real need to “retool” Communism as the REAL Communist theory as proposed by Marx and Engels was NEVER realized. Marx and Engels proposed that INDUSTRIAL workers (the proletariat) rise up against the owners (the bourgeoisie) as a counter-reaction to the harshness of most capitalists, especially the “robber baron” capitalists. Marx’s theories were, after all, published in a book titled Das Kapital, or “Capital” (as in money). Just to reiterate, INDUSTRIAL–as in WESTERN Europe (England, France, the German Rhineland states). Lenin, when he established the first “Communist” nation, did so in a heavily rural, agrarian society with little to no significant industry. Until the end of WWII, the only other Communist nation was Mongolia (another highly agrarian nation with the barest minimum of “industry”). Even after WWII, the spread of Communism was confined largely to other agrarian, industry-light nations (even in Eastern Europe, agriculture was the main “industry” until following Communist control). Once established in these agrarian states, the Communists forced rapid industrialization on these societies to “catch up” with the Western industrial nations.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:48 pmAlso, Marx hadn’t really anticipated the type of military might that came along in the 20th Century which made his idea of the proletariat struggle a bit more difficult. It’s harder to fight when your opponents can call out an air force which can bomb you into non-existence. One could even infer that Marx’s call for struggle might have been supplanted by union-style striking.
Comment by JosephW — January 8, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
Wow – the crowd goes wild! I feel smarter for just having read that.
January 8th, 2008 at 3:01 pmComment by Keltoi — January 8, 2008 @ 2:37 pm
And my comment is that by arming the Sunni Awakening Councils, no matter what the reason, you make political reconciliation that much harder in the long run.
January 8th, 2008 at 3:51 pmAnd my comment is that by arming the Sunni Awakening Councils, no matter what the reason, you make political reconciliation that much harder in the long run.
Comment by RUCerious — January 8, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
Perhaps…it is a gamble. It seems like the Awakening along with the Al Mahdi ceasefire were needed to reduce the violence, and without that reduction there is NO chance for recouncilliation.
January 8th, 2008 at 3:55 pmYeah, there’s no way the Iraqi army, with five years of training could actually pacifiy their own country, is there.
January 8th, 2008 at 4:08 pmComment by good_golly — January 8, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
Here’s the scoop, jackass
NH Ballots
“The turnout’s been great, the way it’s going i’d estimate a 55 to 60 percent turnout at this rate,” Bergeron said as he drove toward Broad Street Elementary School, the Ward 1 polling place.
Should even that supply run low, Bergeron has it covered. “I had 9,000 more ballots printed up this morning in-house, 4,500 for each party,” he said. “They’re sort of my backup for the backup.”
January 8th, 2008 at 4:09 pm