ThinkFast: March 11, 2008
ThinkFast: March 11, 2008
The Justice Department announced guidelines Monday to prevent “conflict-of-interest accusations” that followed its steering of a major private contract to John Ashcroft. U.S. attorneys now will require “approval from senior officials” at the Justice Department for such agreements.
House Democrats “are readying a proposal that would reject” immunity for telecom companies that participated in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program after 9/11. Instead, “the tentative proposal would give the federal courts special authorization to hear classified evidence and decide whether the phone companies should be held liable.”
“Struggling to save their homes from foreclosure,” increasing numbers of “Americans are raiding their 401(k) retirement accounts to pay their bills — and getting slammed with taxes and penalties in the process.”
“Iraqis are avidly watching the 2008 U.S. election race, searching for signs of policy change under a new president and prospects for U.S. troop withdrawals from their country.” “I do not care if the president is a man or a woman, what really matters is the change of American policy towards Iraq,” said Muhenad Sahib, a university professor from Basra.
Iraqis state that during the era of Saddam Hussein, “they had one of the highest proportion of female drivers in the Middle East.” NPR notes, however, that the “U.S. invasion of Iraq changed all that, between bad traffic, aggressive convoys, and radical insurgents.” Fewer women now drive and “lament a loss of mobility and freedom.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) questioned Blackwater’s classification of its workers as “independent contractors” rather than employees yesterday. The designation has given Blackwater “$144 million in contracts set aside for small businesses and to avoid paying as much as $50 million in withholding taxes under State Department contracts.”
“Unions at the Environmental Protection Agency have pulled out of a long-standing partnership with management,” saying Administrator Stephen Johnson “and other top managers have ignored the advice of unionized workers and the agency’s own principles of scientific integrity.”
Congress will put aside politics this week to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. “Thursday’s congressional ‘remembrance’ ceremony will recognize the ‘five years of service’ and sacrifices made by troops and families affected by the war, according to a letter” signed by leaders in both parties. The ceremony was suggested by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office.
In Iraq, two bomb attacks killed eight U.S. soldiers yesterday as well as an Iraqi interpreter. Four soldiers and another interpreter were also wounded. The suicide bombing in Baghdad, which killed five soldiers, “was the deadliest single attack on American soldiers in the capital since the height of the troop buildup here last summer.”
And finally: Last week, Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) were “walking to the subway trains from a vote when Thune, with his gazelle-like stride, suddenly broke into a sprint to catch a train headed for Dirksen.” Roberts shouted, “You’ll never make it.” Indeed, the doors “snapped shut” just as Thune reached the train. Roberts, 71, said with a sigh, “I know. These young guys think they can zip right in.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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Official: Iraq, China Nearing Oil Deal
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq and China are close to re-signing a $1.2 billion oil deal that was called off after the 2003 U.S. invasion, an Iraqi Oil Ministry official said Thursday.
Iraq sits on more than 115 billion barrels of oil, the world’s third-largest reserves, but violence and sabotage have crippled efforts to use the resource to fund the country’s reconstruction.
As security improves, Iraq is trying to bring in foreign companies to help increase crude output from the current 2.5 million barrels a day to 3 million barrels a day by the end of 2008, and 4.5 million barrels a day by the end of 2013.
Saddam Hussein’s government signed a deal with the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. to develop the billion-barrel al-Ahdab oil field, despite U.N. sanctions that barred direct dealings with Iraq’s oil industry.
Beijing was waiting for the sanctions to end when the U.S. invasion overthrew Saddam. The two countries restarted talks in October 2006.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/31590
March 11th, 2008 at 9:05 amFewer women now drive and “lament a loss of mobility and freedom.â€
————————————————
…but…but…but…I thought we were BRINGING them freedom?
March 11th, 2008 at 9:09 amSmall Missouri bank is shuttered
By MARCY GORDON
A small Missouri bank was shut down by state regulators on Friday, a failure caused by financial mismanagement, officials said.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8V8TE181.htm
Third failure. Financial news does not look good. Mismanagement/subprime loan crisis…it all adds up to bad new for us.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:10 amone good way to mark the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war is to follow the IVAW Winter Soldier event and/or participate in your local anti-war demonstration.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:10 am…but…but…but…I thought we were BRINGING them freedom?
Comment by missmolly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:09 am
Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:11 am#3 pun intended. And the snark goes on. :-D
March 11th, 2008 at 9:11 amThe good old Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again!
March 11th, 2008 at 9:15 amThis all could have been avoided if our elected and appointed “officials” had done their jobs instead of the bidding of their party.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) questioned Blackwater’s classification of its workers as “independent contractors†rather than employees yesterday. The designation has given Blackwater “$144 million in contracts set aside for small businesses and to avoid paying as much as $50 million in withholding taxes under State Department contracts.â€
No-bid contracts obviously do not pay out like they used to I guess………
March 11th, 2008 at 9:17 am“Under the proposal, the courts would be given authority to hear classified evidence in the civil suits — perhaps on an “ex parte†basis, with only one side in attendance — to determine whether the companies are immune from liability.”
not going to fly. there is scotus precedent that ongoing lawsuits are property and this ex parte crap would have the potential for divesting them of thier property without due process.. i predict one way or another one or more of these lawsuits is going to proceed and hit its mark…
March 11th, 2008 at 9:17 amCarlyle Capital’s Lenders Liquidating Securities
The New York Times
LONDON — Carlyle Capital, the investment fund linked to the private equity firm Carlyle Group, said Friday that it was “considering all available options†after it received further margin calls, prompting some analysts to warn that more funds could struggle to meet increasingly tighter margin requirements.
The fund, which invests mostly in triple-A rated mortgage debt and whose investors include Carlyle Group managers, issued the statement after some of its lenders called in loans and then liquidated the collateral. Shares in the fund were suspended from trading on the Amsterdam stock exchange on Friday after dropping 58 percent the day before.
…The Carlyle fund, which invested about $22 billion in mortgage debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said on Thursday that it had missed four of seven margin calls worth a total of $37 million and said it expected to receive at least one more default notice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/business/07cnd-carlyle.html?_r=2&8au=&oref=slogin&emc=au&pagewanted=print
March 11th, 2008 at 9:17 ambut… but… but………. I thought the U.S. was there to steal all of the oil? How can China buy it if the U.S. has taken it? Does this mean that the “No blood for oil†bumper stickers are just another “progressive†lie?
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:16 am
No ………It just cements the fact that you’re a friggin imbecile.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:18 amThird failure. Financial news does not look good. Mismanagement/subprime loan crisis…it all adds up to bad new for us.
Comment by And the beat goes on — March 11, 2008 @ 9:10 am
** More coming. Make sure your money is FDIC insured.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:19 am9. Does this mean that Waxman is done wasting his time on baseball hearings and is now trying to appear to do some real work?
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:18 am
Yeah , instead of cutting brush , holding hands with sheiks and dancing like a retarded monkey for reporters ………..
March 11th, 2008 at 9:19 amInstead, “the tentative proposal would give the federal courts special authorization to hear classified evidence and decide whether the phone companies should be held liable.â€
So why is Congress giving the hearing of evidence to the courts. Why shouldn’t they hear the same evidence? If Congress does give them immunity AFTER 911, they need to make a condition of the immunity that the Telcoms tell all (to Congress) including who, what, when, where, why and how.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:20 amMake sure your money is FDIC insured.
LOL! Tell that to those who lost everything during the S&L scandal.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:21 am“Struggling to save their homes from foreclosure,†increasing numbers of “Americans are raiding their 401(k) retirement accounts to pay their bills — and getting slammed with taxes and penalties in the process.â€
———————————————
This, of course, is going to create another problem down the line. As more and more Americans spend their retirement nest eggs merely to survive now, we will have a greater number of elderly and destitute people later on.
Many people will just work until they drop if they can’t afford to retire, but elderly people who are too feeble and/or senile to work will need to be taken care of. Of course, the “anti-handout” crowd will just claim these people deserve what they get because they should have planned better, and kick them to the curb.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am“Struggling to save their homes from foreclosure,†increasing numbers of “Americans are raiding their 401(k) retirement accounts to pay their bills — and getting slammed with taxes and penalties in the process.â€
This is so sad. They are raiding their futures to pay for having been suckered by an out of control industry. I sure hope that Obama has something in the works that he will put in place to help these people when he takes office.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am>Does this mean that the “No blood for oil†bumper stickers are just >another “progressive†lie?
No, that means you retarded nitwits can’t see 6 feet down the paths you take..you think this oil law we’ve been bugggin them to pass involves them selling thier oil to china? nooo it doesnt @ssclown….
i think its hilarious that now things arent going according to plan and you’re trying to play it off like us keeping iraqs oil out of chinas hands wasnt part of the plan..you idiots are so stupid they really thought a pro-western regime would come from iraqi democracy..read their assanine writings about iraq being a “pax americana” and us being greeted as liberators if you think im just making it up..now the chinese and iranians are getting red carpet treatment and the oil law which was supposed to turn the lions share of profits over to western companies is going nowhere.. let me guess, the chinese are in league with al-queeda too?
March 11th, 2008 at 9:22 amYeah , instead of cutting brush , holding hands with sheiks and dancing like a retarded monkey for reporters ………..
Comment by MCMetal
ohh, and don’t forget how he was singing about how the chief of staff of his vice president avoided jail time through a presidential communtation of his sentence…
March 11th, 2008 at 9:23 am>according to a new economic report.
was the report sponsored by Exxon like the Mensa article you got from some rightwing spam?
March 11th, 2008 at 9:23 amComment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Hey you big fat-a$$ dipshit, go get your own blog, loser.
If you still think we’re not in a negative growth economy, Florida deserves you and your retarded ilk.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:23 am“I do not care if the president is a man or a woman, what really matters is the change of American policy towards Iraq,†said Muhenad Sahib, a university professor from Basra.
In other words, get the hell out of our country! The people of Iraq would like a President who will stop occupying their country. The corrupt Maliki government, on the other hand, is hoping for McCain so that they can continue their corruption schemes and continue to get rich off the American taxpayer.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:24 ambut… but… but………. I thought the U.S. was there to steal all of the oil? How can China buy it if the U.S. has taken it? Does this mean that the “No blood for oil†bumper stickers are just another “progressive†lie?
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:16 am
Well, China would have had a problem if we were successful in our efforts to grab the oil, but we weren’t. I guess we just haven’t “won the hearts and minds” of the Iraqis enough to sucker them.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:25 amNPR notes, however, that the “U.S. invasion of Iraq changed all that, between bad traffic, aggressive convoys, and radical insurgents.†Fewer women now drive and “lament a loss of mobility and freedom.â€
Yep, freedom’s on the march. Remember when Bush was crowing about how much better off women would be once we got rid of Saddam. Turned out to be just another lie.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:25 amStruggling to save their homes from foreclosure,†increasing numbers of “Americans are raiding their 401(k) retirement accounts to pay their bills — and getting slammed with taxes and penalties in the process.â€
This is why we all need to get behind the Fair tax.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:28 amCongress will put aside politics this week to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
I was shocked to read this came from Nancy Pelosi. What is she thinking? Celebrating the 5th anniversary of occupying a foreign country. Thanks Nancy, way to send a message that we need to be out of Iraq by celebrating our being there in the first place.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:28 am“The Heartland Institute (the organization Butler works for) has accepted more than US$500,000.00 in funds from Exxon and more than US$200,000.00 from Philip Morris.[5] (sourcewatch.com )
wow, and this is the women we’re supposed to listen to just because she blew some chess geeks to get into thier journal? looks like Exxon mobil DID buy her off, after all…
March 11th, 2008 at 9:28 amMr. Bush says the companies acted out of patriotism in responding to what they believed was a lawful presidential order.
Patriotism=coercion
March 11th, 2008 at 9:29 amwhat they believed=unlawful
again, I corrected myself on the amazon book on my next post, which has NOTHING to do wth the correct assertion that the author of your precious arcticle works for the Heartland Foundation, a right wing think tank, who got over half a million dollars from Exxon..
March 11th, 2008 at 9:30 amIn Iraq, two bomb attacks killed eight U.S. soldiers yesterday as well as an Iraqi interpreter.
So, how’s that surge working guys? This happened in Baghdad. You know, the Baghdad where life has returned to normal and people are out shopping daily.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:30 amWhat good is freedom without fear?
Saturday’s radio address by Bush had one goal; scare Americans.
Granted, the Bush cabal has been doing this for nearly 8 years, but while some are dissing Obama for a message of hope, leave us not forget the sound of fear…it’s perhaps the only skill Bush has developed.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:30 amhttp://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18972
Louise Butler (think@heartland.org) has written science curriculum, co-authored a science text for Glenco-McGraw Hill, and received fellowships to study at Harvard University’s Center for Astrophysics and the University of Missouri-Rolla’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Institute. This article was first published in the Mensa Bulletin and is reprinted with permission.
moron
March 11th, 2008 at 9:32 amFlorida builders are still building inventory in anticipation.
Proved my point, retards.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:33 amFreedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
Comment by gummitch
Thanks a lot gummitch. Now I’m going to have that song going through my head all day today.
It is a rather poignant verse, though.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:33 amnotice it doesnt even list her academic credintials, merely that shes written textbooks and received fellowships.. for all we know she might be an overglorified philisophy major, i’ll bet dollars to donuts her science background is sparse and probably wholly irrlevant to climitology
March 11th, 2008 at 9:34 amComment by missmolly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:22 am
So begins the vicous cycle.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:35 amAlabama Democratic Party Questions Subpoena Deliveries and Public Displays by U.S. Marshals
Raises Question of Republican Political Operatives Having Advance Knowledge
Montgomery, AL – Alabama Democratic Party Executive Director Jim Spearman today called into question the method by which U.S. Marshals attempted to serve legislators subpoenas to appear to testify in a grand jury proceeding. Reporters were apparently tipped off by calls stating U.S. Marshals were coming to the Alabama Statehouse to serve some legislators. “The drama surrounding these actions and the U.S. Department of Justice’s disruption of a legislative session for the routine serving of a summons to appear in court sends a poor signal to Alabama citizens who are already complaining about partisan political interference into the federal prosecution of former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman,” says Spearman.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102×3220501
Are they getting ready for the 2008 General Election.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:35 amThanks Nancy, way to send a message that we need to be out of Iraq by celebrating our being there in the first place.
Comment by Bilbo Hussein Baggins — March 11, 2008 @ 9:28 am
————————————-
Oh, give Nancy a break on this one. They are “marking” the anniversary with a “remembrance” of the sacrifices made by the troops and their families — hardly a “celebration”. And those sacrifices deserve some recognition once in awhile.
I admit that ANY spotlight Nancy and the House leadership shed on the war just spotlights their failure to do anything about it. It would be refreshing if they would mark this anniversary by cutting off all funding until troops are withdrawn — and then having the courage not to cave in.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:37 ambut… but… but………. I thought the U.S. was there to steal all of the oil? How can China buy it if the U.S. has taken it? Does this mean that the “No blood for oil†bumper stickers are just another “progressive†lie?
Comment by good_golly
Idiot troll goon_golly doesn’t understand anything. We are there to steal their oil. The problem is that the Iraqi’s aren’t cooperating. They have their own agenda, as it should be. After all, it’s their country and their oil.
They just don’t feel very grateful to the people who destroyed their country and are currently occupying it. Gee, I wonder why.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:37 amhttp://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18972
Louise Butler (think@heartland.org) has written science curriculum, co-authored a science text for Glenco-McGraw Hill, and received fellowships to study at Harvard University’s Center for Astrophysics and the University of Missouri-Rolla’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Institute. This article was first published in the Mensa Bulletin and is reprinted with permission.
moron. your quoting an oil industry whore about global warming.. very
impartial there..
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute
Exxon Funding
March 11th, 2008 at 9:38 amGreenpeace’s ExxonSecrets website lists Heartland as having received $791,500 (unadjusted for inflation) from ExxonMobil between 1998 and 2006.
Most key statistics show that as a whole we are in a slow growth economy, not a negative growth economy. Most builders expect the housing market to bottom out this Summer and the turn around will begin. Florida builders are still building inventory in anticipation.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:31 am
Every post of yours so far today highlights your willful ignorance and your willingness to lie and be lied to by those who are raping the American people. You are nothing but a tool of the corporate rapists, and an insane, antiAmerican fool. Lies on top of lies are not going to rescue your corrupt, incompetent party from the ashheap of history.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:40 amHouse Democrats “are readying a proposal that would reject†immunity for telecom companies that participated in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program after 9/11.
That Bill is most likely DOA at the WH, but this has to be bugging the snot out of the Bushies.
Last Thursday, Bush stated he wanted this done by Saturday. Isn’t that cute? Now he’ll decide which day congress will present legislation to him.
The fact he was probably in Crawford is beside the point, I guess.
I still say Congress should do nothing. He’ll veto any meaningful bill anyway, so why play this stupid game?
Congress, just say NO to Bush.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:41 amNice try, CJ, but you blew it again.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:40 am
No, y8ou blew it again. Butler is a shill for Exxon, and has been for years. Your typical lies and denial don’t change the facts.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:41 amStruggling to save their homes from foreclosure, increasing numbers of Americans are raiding their 401(k) retirement accounts to pay their bills — and getting slammed with taxes and penalties in the process.
Financial code speak for
“Yer fu(ked”
March 11th, 2008 at 9:42 amI just checked their employee directory, and she is not there.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:41 am
Jesus, you’re stupid.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:42 amComment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Hey you big fat-a$$ dipshit, go get your own blog, loser.
If you still think we’re not in a negative growth economy, Florida deserves you and your retarded ilk.
Comment by DieNowForPeace — March 11, 2008 @ 9:23 am
_____________________
Most key statistics show that as a whole we are in a slow growth economy, not a negative growth economy. Most builders expect the housing market to bottom out this Summer and the turn around will begin. Florida builders are still building inventory in anticipation.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:31 am
As if Florida is some sort of barometer of anything , except Cuban refugees and the retired ?
Florida builders are hardly the benchmark of the US economy , you silly dimwit.
Stop posting your insipid piss.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:43 amThis is why we all need to get behind the Fair tax.
Comment by VA Voter — March 11, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Oh, absolutely. It’s SOOOOOOO much better to not have to pay income taxes when you raid your 401(k) just to get money to live on (but you still have to pay your early withdrawal penalties), but get hit with whopping sales taxes when you buy the things you need.
sarc/off
March 11th, 2008 at 9:43 amButler does not work for the Heartland Institute. Rather, she has written science curriculum, co-authored a science text
She certainly doesn’t work for free now does she? Then she is on their employee tax rolls, moron.
You sure must enjoy the taste of shit cause you eat turds here daily.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:43 amThe U.S. economy will suffer as the slumping housing market eats away at job creation and consumer spending, but the nation should avoid slipping into a recession this year, according to a new economic report.
Comment by good_golly
This one is going to have a particularly hard time once it’s fantasy world comes crashing down around it’s ears.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am>I just checked their employee directory, and she is not there.
Oh, gosh, well, if shes not in the directory… moron.. please tell me how you know the exact nature of her realtionship with the Heartland?
So what you’re telling me is Heartland.org is an ISP like yahoo is?
And thanks for parroting back her flimsy credentials exactly as they are mentioned on the website, you seem to have alot of access to hidden information, can you tell us more about her eductation that might shed some light as to how she is able to come to these brilliant deductions.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:45 amDoom and Gloom “progressives†can’t handle good news very well, can they? Here, let me help you…….
The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Everything sucks.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Nah , just you and Spitzer’s hooker do ……….
March 11th, 2008 at 9:46 amGiGi goes to Washington is a farce we’ve heard here before.
Same Song, Different Day.
BTW, Doom & Gloom is your Boy King’s specialty…remember?
March 11th, 2008 at 9:47 amDoom and Gloom “progressives†can’t handle good news very well, can they? Here, let me help you…….
The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Everything sucks.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Good news? You’ve been wrong on everything you’ve posted, for months. Yur lies and sin are directly from the GOP playbook, you are nothing more than a nickel-a-post Goebbels. Everything you post about the economy is directly opposite of what’s actually happening to real people. Y*our fishing expeditions into wingnut publications read by 50 or 60 morons like yourself prove only how gullible and completely antiAmerican you are.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:48 am>Give me a link that proves she works for them.
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18972
think@heartland.org
against, heartland is NOT an isp, if shes didnt have formal association with them, if they didnt authorize her to speak for them, im pretty sure they wouldnt be giving her an email address..
March 11th, 2008 at 9:48 ammost articles are written for free and the authors are just happy to get them published.
Comment by good_golly
Is it your mission in life to prove how utterly fcuking stupid you are?
I know several writers, non of whom work for free, IDIOT.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:48 amMany people write articles for free, or accept a small stipend. In fact, most articles are written for free and the authors are just happy to get them published.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:46 am
And those are the worthless ones you cherrypick, the ones nobody will pay for because they’re lies and propaganda.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:49 amYou have to love an article that has a title as follows:
Economists See US Avoiding Recession
Then half way through the article it says:
The author talks about the royal “we”, but never explains who “we” is. I suspect that “we” is him and one other person.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:49 amFrom GG’s article:
So, taxpayers pick up the tab for bad loans, and struggling families are unable to renegotiate for lower interest rates. No wonder Wall Street likes it – it does nothing to help the middle class, and everything to help Corporate America.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:49 am> fact, most articles are written for free and the authors are just >happy to get them published.
once again, moron, your speculating. the heartland org is a private organization, not an isp like yahoo, so it your idle speculation about the reason for her having an email address there is absurd..
March 11th, 2008 at 9:50 amGood one, CJ, gg is always lying through her teeth, hoping to not get caught, and yet is caught time and again in her lies. She’s remarkably stupid, even for a republican.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:50 amGG – why don’t you get your own blog site where you can expound your tired arguments all day long instead of doing it here.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:51 am>the ones nobody will pay for because they’re lies and propaganda.
that doesnt stop exxon from paying.. but HEY..shes not listed in the employee directory.. you know blackwater’s mercenaries arent listed as employees, they are independent contractors, so they must not really be associated with blackwater…
March 11th, 2008 at 9:51 amThey just don’t feel very grateful to the people who destroyed their country and are currently occupying it. Gee, I wonder why.
Comment by Bilbo Hussein Baggins — March 11, 2008 @ 9:37 am
Hey but what about…
“Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude”
March 11th, 2008 at 9:52 amWall Street appeared poised to rebound sharply Tuesday after the Federal Reserve and other central banks said they will pump $200 billion into the financial markets to help ease strain from the credit crisis.
The Feds pump billions into the financial markets to help bail lout the financial industry and tell the homeowners to go fu(k themselves. Compassionate Conservatism at it’s finest.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:52 am$109.00 a barrel
$109.00 a barrel
$109.00 a barrel
$109.00 a barrel
http://oil-price.net/
March 11th, 2008 at 9:53 amI am so glad real estate investors and home builders in Florida are building inventory in anticipation.
In Afghanistan, farmers are planting poppy seeds in anticipation, too.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:54 amThe only person quoted in Goof_Jelly’s article is Edward Leamer ; a fellow of the Cato Institute .
Boy , how reassuring ………….
March 11th, 2008 at 9:54 amUS House Judiciary Committee has launched a lawsuit against the Bush administration for abusing protections of executive privilege.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=46943§ionid=3510203
March 11th, 2008 at 9:54 amDoom and Gloom “progressives†can’t handle good news very well, can they? Here, let me help you…….
The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Everything sucks.
Comment by goon_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Haw haw. Good one, goon. I like your party’s message better. Here, let me help you . . …..
“The muslims are coming to kill you and rape your daughters! Run and hide!”
March 11th, 2008 at 9:55 amI seriously doubt that
Cause you’re a misinformed tool.
Even the writers who submit to small, free daily newspapers get paid.
Please, just SHUT THE FCUK UP.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:55 amThis is why we all need to get behind the Fair tax.
Comment by VA Voter
Yep, the “Unfair” tax will solve all our problems. It would be the final nail in the coffin of the middle class. It’s not going to happen troll so you might as well just give it up.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:56 amDoom and Gloom “progressives†can’t handle good news very well, can they? Here, let me help you…….
The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Everything sucks.
Comment by goon_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Haw haw. Good one, goon. I like your party’s message better. Here, let me help you . . …..
“The muslims are coming to kill you and rape your daughters! Run and hide!â€
Comment by gummitch — March 11, 2008 @ 9:55 am
“We’re fighting them there , so we don’t have to fight them over here” & “if we leave , they’ll follow us home” were my 2 favorite slogans of utter GOP bullshit made out of whole cloth……….
March 11th, 2008 at 9:56 amI seriously doubt that. Most writers of articles for magazines, journals and reviews submit them to various publications just hoping to have them published and do not get paid anything more than a very modest stipend ($100 is common), if anything at all.
Comment by goon_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:54 am
Bzzzt. Wrong. “Most” writers for anything except little magazines get paid actual money, goon. Of course, in your world, they get paid by some corporation to flack for them because, thanks to the free market, the “magazines” they write for sell no advertising or copies and have no income to share.
How do I know? Well, because I’ve written for and been paid by magazines, goon.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:57 amThis was lost due to the Spitzer coverage yesterday:
“Today, former service secretaries for each of the Armed Forces – Clifford Alexander, Jr. (US Army), Richard Danzig (US Navy), and F. Whitten Peters (US Air Force) – will host a press conference in Washington, DC to discuss why Obama has demonstrated the judgment and has the experience to be Commander In Chief,” the release writes.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:58 amThe housing bubble was not like the dot-com bubble. In the .com bubble, people were making millions on nothing (Remember Yahoo? a billion dollar IPO for a company whose only product was free?) People were exulting about the ‘new economy’ and driving their Testarozzas through Silicon Valley.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:58 amThe housing bubble was a lot of people, losing their good jobsand, if at all, replaced with pizza-delivery jobs, staying alive and out of the shelters by the one result of Alan Greenspan’s slashing of interest rates: the rise in the value of their homes.
No giddiness. No ‘new economy’. No prosperity even. Just people staving off collapse in an economy that sreed the middle class.
And now, as interest rates rose, and the balloon psyments come due, the insolvencies that, if you looked at the fundamentals, should have happened in 2002 or 2003, are happening now.
The underlying crisis is that middle class jobs have not improved, that people are not doing better as they get older, which is the basis of all the ARM and similar financial instruments. And while compensation stayed flat, health care, consumer debt, and energy prices all skyrocketed.
And make no mistake: as Adam Smith said in the Wealth of Nations, a small bunch of rich people will not support a nation. (his example was Spain.) Unless the nation as a whole prospers–and that means the middle and working classes–the nation falls..
Wrong again. If you are lucky enough to have an article published or re-printed by the Heartland Institute, they give you an e-mail address to receive comments so that your regular in-box does not get flooded.
Comment by goon_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:55 am
Flooded? Oh, yeah, because soooo many people read their publications. Oy, the humor this morning is unparalleled.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:58 amHoorah for Congress on the new “No-Immunity Bill”! They’re finally deciding to represent the People.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:59 amWhat will your Democratic controlled Congress do about this?
Another lie. It’s a slim majority, with a veto-crazy, idiot-boy Chimp.
GO FCUK YOURSELF.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:59 am#86 Thanks, Marie! This information needs to hit the streets and not be buried beneath the latest scandal.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:00 am> Most writers of articles for magazines,
> journals and reviews submit them to
> various publications just hoping to have
> them published and do not get paid anything
> more than a very modest stipend ($100 is common),
> if anything at all.
Most authors don’t write articles that are propaganda for multibilliondollar corporations. Most think tanks dont get almost a million dollars of funding from exxon. whats your point?
ps. Disclaimer.. I own Exxon stock. Hey, I inherited it, and lets face it, its kinda like investing in evil.. its hard to lose..fight the sytem by using it, thats what I say.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:00 amOh, give Nancy a break on this one. They are “marking†the anniversary with a “remembrance†of the sacrifices made by the troops and their families — hardly a “celebrationâ€. And those sacrifices deserve some recognition once in awhile.
If they want to have a little publicity event to thank the troops, they should have called it something like “celebrate our military day” and do it on some other day than the anniversary of invading Iraq. Having a “remembrance” on the anniversary of the day we invaded sends the wrong message in my mind.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:00 amWhy anyone wastes their precious time debating an illiterate, ill-informed troll named good_golly is beyond me. Flag him and don’t perpetuate his relevancy.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:01 amonce again good golly will attack small and petty while ignoring the 800 lb gorrilla in the room.
the thinkfast posts above show all sorts of solid serious topics. Telecom immunity, Blackwater skirting responsibility, Iraqis loosing freedom’s, debt and much more.
gg wants to discuss sending in undefined articles and if the writer is paid or not.
Way to keep your eye on the real issues. Ignorance is bliss, but only for the ignorant. For the rest of us, it’s a burden to keep beating down.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:01 am>If you are lucky enough to have an article published
> or re-printed by the Heartland Institute
if authors make so little from their articles, why would landing a gig at the Heartland make them so lucky….? come on troll, at least try to maintain some degree of consistencey from post to post.. how do you know all this again?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:02 amBilbo: This is like “commemorating our war crime” – not a good idea for the international community who happens to have more soul than the Bush administration.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:02 am$109.00 a barrel
$109.00 a barrel
$109.00 a barrel
$109.00 a barrel
http://oil-price.net/
Comment by Tobie Tall — March 11, 2008 @ 9:53 am
_________________________________
What will your Democratic controlled Congress do about this? Hold more baseball hearings?
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:57 am
You want that they should sword-dance with the Saudi “royal family” before being told to piss off like your retarded simian hero was , docuhebag ?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:02 amOne thing about GiGi, she knows how to hijack a thread.
And now for something completely different…MN is considering a law allowing homeowners a $2,500 tax credit for installing home wind power equipment.
Utilities aren’t supporting this, of course, but alternative energy at the residential level is the only answer that makes sense. Excess power generation can be routed back to the utility grid, & the homeowner would be paid energy credits against their utility bill.
A combination of solar & wind power could feasibly meet many homes power needs. Home scaled units are emerging on the market.
Watch the big utilities fight this tooth & nail. If they can’t monopolize the market, they’re not that interested.
The Scots have built a home wind generator that sells for about $750.
Combine that with a solar dish that ‘tracks’ the Sun & you have a dual power home generating system.
Neither source produce byproduct pollutions, as even biodiesel plants do now.
Let’s get real about alternative energy, America. Our children’s future is in our hands.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:02 amThe Think Fast thread is easy these days with all of the Bush Scandals Du Jour. Child’s play to compose it. And this will not change until these scoundrels and scumbags are long gone. Good riddance to them all.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:03 amZimzone: Precisely – which is why we need to remind ourselves that giving an ignorant troll the time of day is an exercise in futility. Everyone needs to flag GG for irrelevance and move forward. This thread is full of Bush criminality and impeachable offenses.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:05 amDemocratic Vice Presidential candidate in 1984, and major Clinton backer, Geraldine Ferraro, made the odd argument to a reporter this week that Obama has only reached this point on the national political scene because of his race.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:05 amThe sky is falling. The sky is falling. Everything sucks.
Comment by good_golly
I repeat. This one is going to have a particularly hard time once its fantasy world comes crashing down around it’s ears.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:06 amEthanolboondogle:
Are there any problems with ethanol?
Oh, yes. Ethanol can’t travel in pipelines along with gasoline, because it picks up excess water and impurities. As a result, ethanol needs to be transported by trucks, trains, or barges, which is more expensive and complicated than sending it down a pipeline. As refiners switched to ethanol this spring, the change in transport needs has likely contributed to the rise in gas prices. Some experts argue that the U. S. doesn’t have adequate infrastructure for wide ethanol use.
Also, ethanol contains less energy than gas. That means drivers have to make more frequent trips to the pump.
Thus, you end up paying MORE for fuel.
Go ExxonMobil!!!
March 11th, 2008 at 10:06 amjeez… you all got started early… 100+ already…
just saw this:
Croat Generals on Trial for War Crimes
The Associated Press – 48 minutes ago
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Three generals regarded as national heroes in Croatia went on trial Tuesday, accused of orchestrating the killing of at least 150 Serbs in a 1995 military campaign that unleashed widespread murder and pillage.
are WE going to have to wait that long??? … aaarg…
March 11th, 2008 at 10:07 am.
Yep, the “Unfair†tax will solve all our problems. It would be the final nail in the coffin of the middle class. It’s not going to happen troll so you might as well just give it up.
Comment by Bilbo Hussein Baggins — March 11, 2008 @ 9:56 am
How does bringing home your entire paycheck hurt the middle class? Does not paying any more for the stuff you buy and still fund the federal government hurt the middle class?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:07 am>Why anyone wastes their precious time debating
> an illiterate, ill-informed troll named good_golly
> is beyond me.
watching the troll do 180 degree twists on every new post trying desparately to keep the neural spasms they call thought processes afloat is entertaining.. first most authors dont make sh1t for writing Heartland articles, then they are incredibly lucky if they do, etc etc….
March 11th, 2008 at 10:07 amI tell you, a great think about these pc computers.. multitasking..
I just checked their employee directory, and she is not there.
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:41 am
One must wonder how an idiot troll has access to the employee roster for a company.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:07 amYep, the “Unfair†tax will solve all our problems. It would be the final nail in the coffin of the middle class. It’s not going to happen troll so you might as well just give it up.
Comment by Bilbo Hussein Baggins — March 11, 2008 @ 9:56 am
How does bringing home your entire paycheck hurt the middle class? Does not paying any more for the stuff you buy and still fund the federal government hurt the middle class?
Comment by VA Voter — March 11, 2008 @ 10:07 am
Your (non)grasp of economics rivals McInsane’s …………
March 11th, 2008 at 10:09 am>How does bringing home your entire paycheck hurt the middle class?
B1n l@d3n beleives taxes are too high in this country. Do you agree?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:10 amIs ethanol cheaper than gas?
Surprise, surprise, it isn’t. The move this spring by more regions to use ethanol means that demand has spiked, driving up prices. On Monday, the New York harbor price was around $3 per gallon compared with about $2.28 for gasoline (before being mixed with ethanol). In other words, for now ethanol is helping to increase prices at the pump, not to push them down.
So ethanol production and distribution are also controlled by market forces, right?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:13 amOnly to a certain degree. In addition to heavily subsidizing the ethanol produced domestically, the U.S. government levies a 54 cent per gallon tariff on imports from other countries, such as Brazil, a lower-cost producer. This, of course, discourages the U.S. from importing cheaper ethanol.
What will your Democratic controlled Congress do about this? Hold more baseball hearings?
Comment by good_golly
Perhaps this idiot troll can tell us exactly what the Democratic (congratulations for getting this right) controlled Congress can do about the price of oil. Perhaps it thinks that the Congress can force OPEC to lower the price of oil. Just goes to show how stupid this one is.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:13 amComment by VA Voter — March 11, 2008 @ 10:07 am
Your (non)grasp of economics rivals McInsane’s …………
Comment by MCMetal — March 11, 2008 @ 10:09 am
I grasp economics fine. But If you think I’m wrong then explain. or just answer the questions:
How does bringing home your entire paycheck hurt the middle class? Does not paying any more for the stuff you buy and still fund the federal government hurt the middle class?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:14 amComment by Bilbo Hussein Baggins — March 11, 2008 @ 10:00 am
Not to agree with Bilbo, but I do believe we already have a Veteran’s day and a Memorial Day on the calendar. Can’t see why we would need a remembrance ceremony, especially at this point.
Pelosi’s ineptitude seems to be resulting in a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:14 amWhat can we expect to change in the future?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:15 amAt present commercial corn-based ethanol comes from corn kernels. One of the more exciting ethanol prospects on the horizon is cellulosic ethanol, which can be made from a number of plant by-products, including cornstalks. Although it’s unlikely to be commercially available for at least a few years, cellulosic ethanol eventually could help substantially reduce costs. In other words, your car in the future could run on the refuse of farms across the U.S.
>or just answer the questions.
you mean like you did, about whether you agree with mr l@den about taxes in america being too high?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:16 amif the troolls haven’t already brought it up:
Economy weak but not enough for recession: report
Reuters – 5 hours ago
By Jim Christie SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The US economy will shrink in the second quarter, but avoid a recession this year as housing’s drag will ease in the second half, helping normal growth return next year, according to a UCLA Anderson Forecast …
UCLA experts don’t buy recession Los Angeles Times
Report: Economy will avoid recession abc7news.com
this sentence in the rueters story:
“The data don’t yet add up to a recession and there is nothing here to challenge the basic story of sluggishness that we have had for two years,” the forecasting unit’s report said, adding: “Our no-recession forecast remains nervously intact.”
“nervously”… … from who’s perspective?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:18 amComment by VA Voter — March 11, 2008 @ 10:07 am
Your (non)grasp of economics rivals McInsane’s …………
Comment by MCMetal — March 11, 2008 @ 10:09 am
I grasp economics fine. But If you think I’m wrong then explain. or just answer the questions:
How does bringing home your entire paycheck hurt the middle class? Does not paying any more for the stuff you buy and still fund the federal government hurt the middle class?
Comment by VA Voter — March 11, 2008 @ 10:14 am
You believe a so-called “fair tax” would have you paying what you pay now for new goods and services ?
As I stated earlier , you don’t know jack shit about economics ………
March 11th, 2008 at 10:23 amI agree with Pelosi. We should have a day to recognize all of the fine achievements of our troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 10:19 am
Yeah , they can award medals for who has exterminated the most Iraqi civilians …………..
March 11th, 2008 at 10:24 am>to recognize all of the fine achievements
> of our troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom
should we include “bribing saddams goons not to attack us” on this list? whats next? paying mexicans not to cross the border? you buffons go into hystrionics over the thought of children of illegal immigrants getting their grubby brown hands on our medicine, but bribing insurgents not to attack us is a-ok in your book.. alllrighty then!
March 11th, 2008 at 10:25 amDemocratic Vice Presidential candidate in 1984, and major Clinton backer, Geraldine Ferraro, made the odd argument to a reporter this week that Obama has only reached this point on the national political scene because of his race.
Comment by Marie — March 11, 2008 @ 10:05 am
I just saw that. What’s oddest about this is that it’s coming from someone who wouldn’t have gotten where she did if she hadn’t been a woman.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/geraldine_ferraro_if_obama_was.html
Hillary’s supporters have been getting more and more desperate, but this is the first time I have heard one of her people play the race card overtly (Bill has been subtly playing the race card ever since South Carolina).
I doubt Obama has gotten where he is merely because he is black. We have had other black candidates before and they have shown that just being black isn’t enough.
Obama is a good candidate who happens to be of mixed race. There’s a difference.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:26 amWhat will your Democratic controlled Congress do about this? Hold more baseball hearings?
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 9:57 am
This is your republican president’s work, gg. 6 years of complete republican control, and this is the result. You’re done; we’re driving you out, into the ocean, if necessary.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:27 amYeah , they can award medals for who has exterminated the most Iraqi civilians
Or Iraqi puppies.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:28 amMC has revealed the true face of the modern troop bashing “Progressive.â€
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 10:26 am
and you have revealed the face of the modern GOP mass-murderer.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:28 amYou believe a so-called “fair tax†would have you paying what you pay now for new goods and services ?
As I stated earlier , you don’t know jack shit about economics ………
Comment by MCMetal — March 11, 2008 @ 10:23 am
What? You didn’t know about the magic of the FairTax? Here’s how it works — you take home your entire paycheck, and you buy everything you need, spending the same amount you do now. And the government gets all its revenue from revenue fairies…
March 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am>MC has revealed the true face of the modern troop >bashing “Progressive.â€
Not like Rush, who called retired military man Hagel “senator betrayus”, right?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:30 amI agree with Pelosi. We should have a day to recognize all of the fine achievements of our troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 10:19 am
the “fine achievements” of dying for oil profits? Families being ripped apart, losing their homes and livelihoods, for oil profits? You’re a sick one, gg.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:30 amI agree with Pelosi. We should have a day to recognize all of the fine achievements of our troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 10:19 am
Yeah , they can award medals for who has exterminated the most Iraqi civilians …………..
Comment by MCMetal — March 11, 2008 @ 10:24 am
_______________________________
MC has revealed the true face of the modern troop bashing “Progressive.â€
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 10:26 am
And you’ve revealed the nauseting lack of humanity and compassion inherent in all GOP/Chimpy backing skid marks ; your whole godawful crowd/group should be deported immediately……….
BTW
My statement is not a critique of our military ; it is of the retarded grinning braying jackass that sent them into a country half a world away ; and for you cheerleading shitstains who lie , obfuscate , apologize and excuse make for the stupid despicable shithead constantly…………
March 11th, 2008 at 10:32 amObama rejects being Clinton’s No. 2
“Sen. Clinton is fighting hard. She’s tenacious. I respect her for that. She is working hard to win the nomination. But I want everybody to be absolutely clear. I’m not running for vice president. I’m running for president of the United States of America,” Obama told supporters during a rally in Columbus, Mississippi.
If anyone should be suggesting vice presidential candidates, it should be him, Obama said.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:35 amWhat’s more disgusting is the audacity of someone to suggest that the candidate she’s TRAILING become her no. 2?
After reviewing hundreds of thousands of captured Iraqi documents, a Pentagon-sponsored review has found no evidence of operational links between Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda terror network, a McClatchy article reports.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:40 amKeep up Daryll, the lord hate’s a slacker:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/10/spitzer-apologizes-i-promised-better/#comments
March 11th, 2008 at 10:42 amno evidence of operational links between Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda terror network, a McClatchy article reports.
A smart dictator knows to keep the enemy at arms length.
Dumbya prefers to befriend them.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:45 amComment by Daryll — March 11, 2008 @ 10:39 am
There were 2 postings on this topic yesterday. Why don’t you look before you criticize?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:45 amTP, what about Gov. Spitzer? Are you trying to hide from this issue. I noticed that you able to report about Abramoff and Craig. What about Gov. Spitzer?
Comment by Daryll — March 11, 2008 @ 10:39 am
TP ran that story twice yesterday, einstein
March 11th, 2008 at 10:47 amWhat’s more disgusting is the audacity of someone to suggest that the candidate she’s TRAILING become her no. 2?
Comment by DieNowForPeace — March 11, 2008 @ 10:35 am
That’s just the disgusting part. Now for the amazing part: she considers Obama fully qualified for the vice-presidency (and therefore, the presidency) despite him “having no experience” and “only able to make nice speeches”. WTF?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:52 amTP, what about Gov. Spitzer? Are you trying to hide from this issue. I noticed that you able to report about Abramoff and Craig. What about Gov. Spitzer?
Comment by Daryll — March 11, 2008 @ 10:39 am
Don’t forget about Mark Foley , David Diaper Vitter , and Ted Haggard you GOP stooge ………….
March 11th, 2008 at 10:53 amAP Water Probe Prompts Senate Hearings
The Associated Press – 6 hours ago
Two veteran US senators said they plan to hold hearings in response to an Associated Press investigation into the presence of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.
Cities rarely release water test results USA Today
There Are Drugs in Drinking Water. Now What? New York Times
don’t bother with the NYT articel… here’s what it comes down to:
[...] In some places, treated sewage water is reused directly for drinking water after several filtration processes to make it safe, although none of the systems in wide use effectively remove pharmaceuticals.
That Brita filter in your kitchen is not likely to do the trick, either. As for bottled water, it, too, may come from a tap, rather than some remote mountain spring. And the trade group representing bottled-water sellers told The A.P. that they aren’t testing for the presence of trace drugs anyway.
in other words: nuttin’
March 11th, 2008 at 10:59 amrecognition:
Chemical exposure cited in Gulf War vets’ ailments
March 11th, 2008 at 11:01 amSan Diego Union Tribune – 2 hours ago
By Cheryl Clark SAN DIEGO – A class of chemicals that includes nerve agents, pesticides and a drug to counter nerve gas may be causing the chronic fatigue, severe muscle pain and other illnesses that about 250000 Persian Gulf War veterans are …
Gulf War syndrome’s chemical-origin theory upheld Los Angeles Times
Gulf War Illness Strongly Linked to Chemical Exposure Washington Post
An interesting article from yesterday’s Seattle times, pondering the question:
How can Clinton claim to be an effective manager when her campaign, rife with factional schisms, ran her out of money with ineffective campaign stragegies that took her from front runner to runner up?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:04 amFed again takes steps to boost market liquidity
Reuters – 31 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that with pressure mounting again in financial markets, it was expanding a securities lending program and will accept a broader range of securities as collateral.
Fed To The Rescue! Forbes
BOE Offers Further Three-Month Loans to Ease Tension (Update1) Bloomberg
…
US Stock Futures Rally on Fed Plan to Lend Up to $200 Billion
Bloomberg – 1 hour ago
By Eric Martin March 11 (Bloomberg) — US stock-index futures rallied after the Federal Reserve announced plans to lend up to $200 billion in Treasury securities in an effort to ease gridlock in credit markets.
Futures Soar After Fed’s Liquidity Announcement FOXBusiness
Futures Up on Fed Move Smartmoney.com
LEND $200 billion in Treasury securities?… there goes your safety net?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:05 amDaryll, once again shows up late and unprepared. How was your date with the Rio Celibate Hookers, D?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:06 amTP, what about Gov. Spitzer? Are you trying to hide from this issue. I noticed that you able to report about Abramoff and Craig. What about Gov. Spitzer?
Comment by Daryll
Are you trying to hide from this issue Daryll? Is that you giving John Ashcroft the warm, manly hug?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:07 amHaven’t heard much from you since Brazil, did you get Tiffany preggers?
Or did you have to have help…….
KHK, the stock market DOW component is now up almost 100 points higher than the amount it lost yesterday!
March 11th, 2008 at 11:08 amAn interesting article from yesterday’s Seattle times, pondering the question:
How can Clinton claim to be an effective manager when her campaign, rife with factional schisms, ran her out of money with ineffective campaign stragegies that took her from front runner to runner up?
Comment by RUCerious — March 11, 2008 @ 11:04 am
I don’t believe she was ever the front-runner , except in her own mind …………
March 11th, 2008 at 11:08 amLEND $200 billion in Treasury securities?… there goes your safety net?
Comment by katy HUSSEIN katy — March 11, 2008 @ 11:05 am
Good morning, Katy. $200 billion that could go to repackaging mortgages for individual homeowners into affordable mortgages, but let’s just give it to big business and simply cross our fingers for that to happen.
Hey Bernanke, you suck. Go back to your overrated corporate conglomerate of a brand name school, Princeton University.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:12 amThat’s just the disgusting part. Now for the amazing part: she considers Obama fully qualified for the vice-presidency (and therefore, the presidency) despite him “having no experience†and “only able to make nice speechesâ€. WTF?
Comment by missmolly — March 11, 2008 @ 10:52 am
Does this mean Obama owns a man-sized safe? If so, he’s qualified…
March 11th, 2008 at 11:12 amRegarding katy’s post about pharmaceuticles in America’s drinking water: the real culprits are medical professionals, not big pharma (unless they are the ones advising this practice by doctors and nurses). I recently had a loved on pass away, who was on several medications, including morphine. Whenever there was something wrong with the meds, whether it be expired meds, or meds which no longer were potent enough to be efficatious, we were always advised to dump them in the toilet. So it would be natural for meds to show up in our drinking water, in areas that employ toilet-to-tap recycling. If we want to lessen the huge amounts of drugs going into the toilet, the first step should be to get the medical profession to stop telling people to flush their meds. Perhaps be able to turn them in to a local hospital for disposal.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:15 amTP, what about Gov. Spitzer? Are you trying to hide from this issue. I noticed that you able to report about Abramoff and Craig. What about Gov. Spitzer?
Comment by Daryll
Darryl, there are two posts with hundreds of comments on that issue.
After you take your time to read them, you can pretend that God is your personal hit man and pray for the U.S. Attorney to come down hard on him.
Not that I’m for something like that, for the sake of his family. The mental anguish for them must be tough right now.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:18 amPerhaps be able to turn them in to a local hospital for disposal.
Comment by barfly
Perhaps katy is looking at this issue from the broader perspective of the pharmaceutical industry cramming its drugs down our throats, telling us that we need to take a pill for whatever ails us, without looking at what the underlying cause of the malady may be.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:25 amAgreed, the people passing out the pills know the hazards, and suggest flushing them down the toilet, where they rapidly find their way into the water supply, and the food chain.
If they were to take them to a hospital for disposal, they would end up in landfills, or be dumped at sea to wash up on the beaches.
In the meantime, the drugs enter the life-cycles of other creatures, and we start catching shrimp with penis’s, and clams with breasts.
Go ahead, Feds, and make the inflation problem worse by sending interest rates back to the bottom, therefore weaking the dollar further and sending inflation spiraling, and throwing billions and billions into the economy, through the banking system.
And about the interest rates, money for loans were made readily available these past few years, but they were not “easy credit.” They were “easy credit morphed into bad credit” after initial terms for many people.
Now after the fallout, the second phase of these “historically low” interest rates, even if the nation doesn’t fall into a recession, will available to much fewer people because you have a giant new batch of people with terrible credit ratings. Only those with squeaky clean credit reports, issued of course by the corporate conglomerate bullies, will be able to find the best terms. On top of all that, this must include the combination of solid income, if they can manage to secure it in this era of weak disposable income growth.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:27 amSome experts argue that the U. S. doesn’t have adequate infrastructure for wide ethanol use.
Comment by DieNowForPeace
And there is not enough crops in the world to feed US cars, let alone when China decides to change the bikes for cars.
In any case, the blame is the poor efficiency of gasoline motors.
110 years and no breakthrough design?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:32 amTP, what about Gov. Spitzer? Are you trying to hide from this issue. I noticed that you able to report about Abramoff and Craig. What about Gov. Spitzer?
Comment by Daryll
Deuteronomy
15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
… 28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:33 amquestion:
not to defend spitzer, but has anyone else wondered if the
illegal spying had anything to do with it?
back later this afternoon to find out…
March 11th, 2008 at 11:38 amg’day all…
Stocks Soar After Fed Credit Plan
http://www.breitbart.com/ article.php?id=D8VB92F81&show_article=1&catnum=4
Comment by good_golly — March 11, 2008 @ 11:37 am
There are struggling homeowners — you know, the middle class heart of America — so I couldn’t give two shits whether the portfolios of yuppie stock traders start to look beefy again.
Wall Street is not the solution to our problem; Wall Street is the problem.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:43 ambut has anyone else wondered if the illegal spying had anything to do with it?
Comment by katy HUSSEIN katy — March 11, 2008 @ 11:38 am
Article I found said his bank became suspicious of a series of transactions and notified the IRS. The IRS in turn notified the FBI, or so the article said.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:46 am… 28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark.
Comment by PatrioticLiberalChristian
It is now 11:45 where Daryll lives.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:46 am“Stocks Soar After Fed Credit Plan”
To pump up the ecomony with extra currency? Sounds like sound economic policy to me, Moe.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:46 amlet alone when China decides to change the bikes for cars.
Comment by Juan C. — March 11, 2008 @ 11:32 am
And don’t forget India too, Juan.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:47 amExhaustive review finds no link between Saddam, al Qaida
By Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — An exhaustive review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents that were captured after the 2003 U.S. invasion has found no evidence that Saddam Hussein’s regime had any operational links with Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida terrorist network.
The Pentagon-sponsored study, scheduled for release later this week, did confirm that Saddam’s regime provided some support to other terrorist groups, particularly in the Middle East , U.S. officials told McClatchy . However, his security services were directed primarily against Iraqi exiles, Shiite Muslims, Kurds and others he considered enemies of his regime.
The new study of the Iraqi regime’s archives found no documents indicating a “direct operational link” between Hussein’s Iraq and al Qaida before the invasion, according to a U.S. official familiar with the report.
http://tinyurl.com/2fj53b
March 11th, 2008 at 11:48 amoh… i see i have some catching up to do here first…
KHK, the stock market DOW component is now up almost 100 points higher than the amount it lost yesterday!
Comment by RUCerious — March 11, 2008 @ 11:08 am
i’m not sure i know what you mean! is that “snark”?
(and i guess you’re talkin’ to me… KHM… say “katy” please)
McWars @ 11:12 am – agreed…
If we want to lessen the huge amounts of drugs going into the toilet, the first step should be to get the medical profession to stop telling people to flush their meds. Perhaps be able to turn them in to a local hospital for disposal.
Comment by barfly @ 11:15 am
a most excellent point…
i had thought to add to my post something snarky like: “prescribe more pharmaceuticals!”… and that’s one point…
but yours is way better…
see yas!
March 11th, 2008 at 11:50 amMcCain advisers lobbied for Airbus
By JIM KUHNHENN and MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Top current advisers to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, taking sides in a bidding fight that McCain has tried to referee for more than 5 years.
Two of the advisers gave up their lobbying work when they joined McCain’s campaign. A third, former Texas Rep. Tom Loeffler, lobbied for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. while serving as McCain’s national finance chairman.
EADS is the parent company of Airbus, which teamed up with U.S.-based Northrop Grumman Corp. to win the lucrative aerial refueling contract on Feb. 29. Boeing Co. Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement Monday that the Chicago-based aerospace company “found serious flaws in the process that we believe warrant appeal.”
http://tinyurl.com/ypsl48
So…why does John McCain hate America?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:50 amThe Republic of Stupidity @ 11:46 am – and why would his bank do that?
aarg! i gotta get outta here!
March 11th, 2008 at 11:52 amSheldon Whitehouse has just presented evidence on the floor of the Senate, that shows foreign-held debt under Bush has eclipsed the foreign-held debt of all previous presidents combined, including Reagan.
He’s finally surpassed ‘ol Dutch at something!
March 11th, 2008 at 11:58 amand why would his bank do that?
Comment by katy HUSSEIN katy — March 11, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Well… the article said the bank was wondering if Spitzer was trying to hide bribe money. I was wondering the same thing myself, Katie Hussein. I don’t know what to make out of this article.
I am a little surprised and disappointed that Elliot would be SO F-in’ DUMB!
But he’s not the 1st elected official who got into trouble because he let the little head do the thinkin’…
March 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pmThe quality of life in this country has been steadily on the decline since 1975 thanks to the “conservative movement”.
20 years from now, when I am comfortably ensconced in my hacienda in Belize, I will look to the North, and pity the Sons and Daughters of Republican voters as they toil ceaselessly and thanklessly for their Chinese bosses.
You really are going to get what you deserve, Righties, and I’m not going to pity you when you do.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pmComment by katy HUSSEIN katy — March 11, 2008 @ 11:50 am
Yeah, I was snarkin to you, KatyHusseinKaty!!!
March 11th, 2008 at 12:08 pmOr could I say KatyHussyKaty for short? {;>}
Katy ~~ his bank, like all of Wall Street, hates his guts…
March 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pmStocks Soar After Fed Credit Plan
Comment by good_golly
yep, soared 165.02 to to 11905.17 which is approx. 905 points above what it was 7 years ago when george bush took office.
compare that to the change from 3000 to 11000 that took place under Bill Clinton in 8 years….
I think soar is the wrong word.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pm.
Congress will put aside politics this week to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
PARTY ON!
QUESTION:
Who in Congress will attend WINTER SOLDIER?
Answer… ZIP!
They don’t care. As long as they have a common enemy to hunt and profits to gain, they don’t care. This PARTY Pelosi is planning is a sham. She should convene Congress to defund this occupation immediately instead of portioning more for MURDER!
.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pmI think soar is the wrong word.
Comment by Fred — March 11, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
Perhaps SORE is a better word for the state of our 401-Ks??
March 11th, 2008 at 12:21 pmMr. Golly is paying his bills with adjectives and adverbs these days. Just like the big guys do on Wall Street, right buddy?
March 11th, 2008 at 12:21 pmhad to thaw out the garden shoes…
check out the latest C&L! …
nicole thinking the same things i was!
March 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pmbarfly @ 11:15
I work in a doctor’s office, and the staff would routinely flush expired meds down the toilet until the other year when I printed off an article about how it ended up back in the water supply. They no longer flush meds down the toilet. This needs to be pointed out to more doctors, offices, hospitals, and others.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:35 pmfor the market-watchers out there, the “un-soaring” is already happening. this morning’s gains are already beginning to fade. that’s the problem with addiction – it takes more and more merch to hit the same buzz, which never seems to last as long as the one before.
mr. bernanke will run out of crack to feed the beast by springtime, leaing hi holding the bag on years of federal financial mismanagement.
luckily for him, the wingnut welfare safety net will keep him safely in “overprivileged” country the rest of his parasitic days.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pmOh man. I’m really, really hating these people this morning.
And yes, goony/VA voter/Daryll/SouthernMan/and all the rest of you bloodyeffing trolls – that *does* include you – since you endlessly shill for these criminals who are looting, gang-raping and gleefully destroying America. I hate your stinking guts.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:59 pmBut Clinton, campaigning in Pennsylvania, again pointed to her lifetime’s political experience alongside former president Bill Clinton to burnish her credentials for the Oval Office.
Yes, being ignorant of your husbands affair, right under your nose, in the house the Government let you live in, is a watermark in her career we should never forget.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:21 pmClinton Campaign Staff In Disarray
And how is she going to manage the country, when she only trusts a handful of long term, close aides who she trusts to run her campaign but have virtually no experience running a political campaign??
Hmm where have I heard this before..??
March 11th, 2008 at 1:41 pmComment by Uncle Ho — March 11, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
In Spain, we have a system that works: every pharmacy has a recicle bin to dump every outdated drug. The ones that can be reused, are usually sent to third world countries, through NGOs, and the rest is safely destroyed.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pmAnd in the Pot calling Kettle Black contest
U.S. cites China for repression, torture
March 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pmThe shinning economy that describes GG (GrogGuzzler?):
Studies: Iraq costs US $12B per month
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_war_costs
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn says U.S. is losing its edge
http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/147/carl_icahn
March 11th, 2008 at 1:49 pm