ThinkFast: April 16, 2009
ThinkFast: April 16, 2009
More than a half the country’s voting-age population used the Internet to get political news or get involved in the political process in 2008, according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. “Nearly one in five (18%) internet users posted their thoughts, comments or questions about the campaign on an online forum such as a blog or social networking site.”
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano responded to criticism of a leaked DHS report on right-wing extremism, saying that “we are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not — nor will we ever — monitor ideology or political beliefs.” In TV interviews today, she said “these are routine reports” that were “begun months ago, in fact, in preparation before this new administration took office.”
The Obama administration has abolished an office “responsible for coordinating Defense Department information campaigns overseas.” Military and civilian critics said DOD’s office for support to public diplomacy “overstepped its mandate during the final years of the Bush administration by trying to organize information operations that violated Pentagon guidelines for accuracy and transparency.”
President Obama and his wife, Michelle, earned $2.73 million last year and paid $855,323 in federal taxes, “an amount that would be higher by about $102,000 if his budget plan were in effect.”
Foreclosure filings spiked in March, according to RealtyTrac. The 341,180 filings nationally was “the highest monthly total since RealtyTrac began collecting this data in 2005. “The spike in filings probably was related to the expiration of several foreclosure moratoriums across the country,” according to a RealtyTrac spokesperson.
Responding to Al Gore’s campaign against “clean coal,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he “would prefer to say let’s try to develop technologies that can get a large fraction of the carbon dioxide out of coal.” Previously, Chu said that “coal is my wost nightmare.”
“Sixty-three percent of Minnesota voters said they believe Norm Coleman should concede the race to Democrat Al Franken,” a new poll by Public Policy Polling finds. Nearly as many, 59 percent, said they want Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) to sign the certificate declaring Franken the winner.
A suicide bomber killed at least 16 Iraqi soldiers outside of Baghdad today while wounding 50 more. The attack “took place at the joint base shared by Iraqi soldiers and U.S. troops in the former Sunni insurgent stronghold of Habbaniyah, about 45 miles west of Baghdad.” The U.S. military has not said if any U.S. soldiers were at or near the scene of the blast.
Two Army mental health researchers have said that “the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs are overemphasizing mild traumatic brain injury [TBI] among combat troops at the expense of other medical problems” — such as PTSD — that are going untreated. The researchers say symptoms blamed on TBI after troops return home likely are due to depression, PTSD or substance abuse.
And finally: Rep. Ron Paul (R) is Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest victim. Paul described his “interview” with Cohen’s latest character, Bruno, in a hotel bathroom. “I was expecting an interview on Austrian economics. So, that didn’t turn out that way,” Paul told ABC Radio’s Curtis Sliwa. “But, by the time he started pulling his pants down,” Paul said, “I ran out of the room.”
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Interesting — Jim Cramer thought he would be dealing with a comedian, but instead he was surprised with a serious interview. Ron Paul thought he would be getting a serious interview, but instead he was surprised to find himself dealing with a comedian. But wouldn’t the fact that it was taking place in a BATHROOM tipped him off?
April 16th, 2009 at 9:05 amJust to follow up what I promised yesterday:
Supposedly, the TeaBaggers were to “organize” at the Kalamazoo Courthouse between 4-6 last evening. When I drove by at 5:15pm, no one, let me repeat, NO ONE was there! And this is a corner where there is a weekly gathering of displays for PEACE and NO MORE WAR “protests”.
My guess is the “grass roots” movement of being Tea Bagged didn’t make it to Southwest Michigan.
Darn.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:09 amMore than a half the country’s voting-age population used the Internet to get political news or get involved in the political process in 2008…
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And this isn’t surprising. The internet is emerging as a favorite communication tool because it blends the best aspects of both print and broadcast media (timeliness AND permanence, so we can get news right away but still retain the capability of reading it when we want to). Furthermore, it provides something neither print nor broadcast media do, and that’s instant interaction.
The only problem with the Internet is that one gets to pick and choose from a staggering array of sources, so it’s really easy to limit oneself to ONLY information that we want to hear, and that which reinforces our prejudices. So what you wind up with is a great many people cocooning in nice warm comfort zones instead of exposing themselves to many viewpoints. And because this happens on both ends of the political spectrum, we get more and more polarized as a society.
I welcome the Internet as a favorite information source. But with it comes some personal responsibility to attempt to get an entire picture. Only then can we remain truly thinking people instead of kool-aid drinking automatons.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:14 amJanet Napolitano called it for what it is — politicians like Boehner are just making hay.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:15 amWTF?
April 16th, 2009 at 9:16 amThe Spanish officials have decided not to advise prosecution of Bush&Co – because they weren’t present when torture occurred ?!).
“Sixty-three percent of Minnesota voters said they believe Coleman should concede the race to Democrat Al Franken,” a new poll by Public Policy Polling finds. Nearly as many, 59 percent, said they want Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) to sign the certificate declaring Franken the winner.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:17 am———————————————————–
perfect example of how the gop puts itself before the people they serve. i bet michele bachmann is going to declare these people anti-american?
The more I saw of the teabaggers yesterday, the more I became convinced that this was a parade of people who hate Obama, either because he is black, or a Democrat, or both.
Because if they really wanted to protest something legitimate, they would have protested Bush and the fact that he brought us to this point.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:17 amI live in Berks county PA i picked up my local rag this morning, there were about 150 teabaggers in the city of Reading yesterday. Way to go Fox noise.I was happy to see that the reporter who wrote the piece got it right. He said that the tea party idea originated with freedom works,a Washington based conservative group led by former house majority leader Dick Army. Grassroots??
April 16th, 2009 at 9:19 amHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano responded to criticism of a leaked DHS report on right-wing extremism, saying that “we are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not — nor will we ever — monitor ideology or political beliefs.”
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And this needs to be said many times, even though it’s already been established that the report was neither politically motivated, nor ordered by President Obama.
The wingnuts have already been pwned on this issue, and they’re probably still wiping egg off their faces. But this isn’t going to stop them from accusing Obama of claiming that veterans are terrorists (or other myths spawned by the report), just like they always do with debunked talking points. Heck, they’re probably STILL claiming that China is drilling for oil off the coast of Cuba.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:20 amPoor lil girly-man Paul, running away from the mean ol’ pervy! LOL!
April 16th, 2009 at 9:22 amWhat I saw of teabaggers yesterday convinced me these are the 25 percenters who backed the Bush administration regardless of circumstance, and oblivious to the downward spiral the economy was headed for.
Today, they are just as ignorant, and just as stupid, their only comfort being the chance to get on TV carrying ridiculous signs and hoping for their Joe the Plumber moment to arrive.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:23 amPresident Obama and his wife, Michelle, earned $2.73 million last year and paid $855,323 in federal taxes, “an amount that would be higher by about $102,000 if his budget plan were in effect.”
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And President Obama seems to be OK with the higher amount. I suspect that even if he DIDN’T have a government-funded place to live and various other perks of his job (which the wingnuts would scream about), he’d still have plenty to live on with that kind of income.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:24 amDr. Moth Matt Says:
Reich-wingers, here is your post-teabag reality: Obama is still president and we still have a Democratic/Adult Majority.
Rumor has it, Glenn Beck was the Alamo yesterday. They ran out of Tea bags but quick thinking caused him to organize a farting contest to keep the Texas crowd entertained.
In Washington DC, the raid stopped the crowds from forming. I mean, all but three hundred of them decided to stay home and watch Faux News from the comfort of their trailer homes.
And lastly, I heard that the Charlie Daniels Band was somewhere in the midwest, and trying to belch out the National Anthem, but the school kids who skipped school in order to hold up “Obama bin Lyin” signs drowned them out.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:27 amMarie
it’s because he’s both. the ? now is, what did these tea-baggers accomplish?
April 16th, 2009 at 9:28 amLet’s face it, Libertarians are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Most of them don’t even know the ideology of their own party (yes RP2012, I’m looking at you). I have yet to meet a Ron Paul supporter who even knows that Ron Paul wants to repeal the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Ron Paul is a racist old liar. As we’ve seen from the “Libertarian” trolls around here, you don’t have to be smart to be a racist liar. In fact, smart people usually aren’t racist liars.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:29 amDRxJapanese Beetle Says
April 16th, 2009 at 9:09 am
My guess is the “grass roots” movement of being Tea Bagged didn’t make it to Southwest Michigan.
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This surprises me. Isn’t Michigan the state that currently has the highest unemployment rate? I would think that with this many people at loose ends, attending the tea party would be a no-brainer.
Unless, of course, the good citizens of Michigan feel they have more pressing problems than imaginary tax increases and alleged Marxism. Furthermore, they probably aren’t all that excited about joining the anti-union chorus or dissing the stimulus money that will help their state.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:29 amright wingers will always be willing to prove just how gullible of a group they are
that’s why they are so valuable to advertisers. they accept any BS the TV or radio tells them.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:31 amDid you see Keith Olberman last night? Texas Governor Rick “Good Hair” Perry has been holding secession rallies!
April 16th, 2009 at 9:33 am…meanwhile, the people over at Lipton are laughing all the way to the bank today thanks to these wasteful assclowns
April 16th, 2009 at 9:33 amat first, I thought, given the British people’s love of tea, that they would be aghast at the wasting of it
then I realized these rednecks weren’t using anything that any respectable Brit would consider “tea”
April 16th, 2009 at 9:35 amWe had a few hundred tea-party demonstrators in Boston yesterday, but it appeared to be more of a “who’s-got-the-best-sign?” competition. It might have helped if people spell-checked their signs (i.e. “Your Public Servents(sic) Not Public Rulers”).
I didn’t see this as a “grass-roots” organization OR an “Astroturf” organization. I felt that the intent was there originally, but those demonstrations needed corporate help to grow. And they needed a central hub for their organization, not a bunch of smaller protests that were in risk of looking too small to get the point across.
I commend the demonstrators for sticking to their guns and fulfilling the promise of a protest, but I just don’t feel there was a message to this whole thing. This was Woodstock. Not Woodstock ‘69, but Woodstock ‘94, when the message was lost in part of the promotion.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:37 amThe Veterans Administration needs a top to bottom cleaning and an activist Inspector General FOR STARTERS!
April 16th, 2009 at 9:41 amPurple State Says: ” I just don’t feel there was a message to this whole thing.”
of course there was, the message was “we’re sore losers and are still pissed off that obama is president”
April 16th, 2009 at 9:44 amwe do not — nor will we ever — monitor ideology or political beliefs
With that statement, Janet will miss the next Timothy McVeigh.
Homeland Security needs to monitor an admitted right wing extremist supporting secession. That would be Governor Rick Perry of Texas.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:45 amPurple State Says
April 16th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I commend the demonstrators for sticking to their guns and fulfilling the promise of a protest, but I just don’t feel there was a message to this whole thing.
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I agree. They would have been a great deal more effective if they had picked a single message and stuck with it. Instead, they were merely a cacophony of conservative talking points all being shouted at once, with no single message clearly standing out from the hubbub — resulting in nothing really heard at all.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:45 amFirst, Alaska elects secessionist Governor Sarah Palin, and now the governor of Texas has jumped on the secession bandwagon. I’m sure South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford will be the next Republican to call for secession.
How ironic that the party of Lincoln is becoming the party of secession from the Union.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:46 amSpain rejects US ‘torture’ probe
April 16th, 2009 at 9:48 amBBC News – ?1 hour ago?
Spain’s attorney general has rejected an attempt to bring a criminal case against six former US officials over torture allegations at Guantanamo Bay.
Prosecutor: Drop case against Bush officials CNN
Spain Prosecutor Against Probing Guantanamo Torture Allegation Bloomberg
AFP – Reuters – United Press International – MyFox Tampa Bay
all 182 news articles »
http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ncl=1334841202&topic=n
How ironic that the party of Lincoln is becoming the party of secession from the Union.
I just took a big, smelly, steaming dump in Rick Perry’s email inbox.
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/assistance.aspx
Fcuking degenerate moron.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:49 amPTSD under diagnosis is drive by pay for performance. VA executives don’t want their bonuses impacted by higher treatment and lifetime disability costs.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:49 amDoc Rock Says:
The Veterans Administration needs a top to bottom cleaning and an activist Inspector General FOR STARTERS!
April 16th, 2009 at 9:50 am———————————————————-
….only when that bonehead republican richard burr confirms tammy duckworth, to which he still has no reason why he is blocking her confirmation.
Internet providers want to meter usage
msnbc.com – ?38 minutes ago?
By Dan Richman If Internet service providers’ current experiments succeed, subscribers may end up paying for high-speed Internet based on how much material they download.
TWC defends tiered pricing, while one DSL provider is happy to … ZDNet
Cable Industry Jumps in to Defend Bandwidth Caps PC Magazine
Wall Street Journal – Ars Technica – Afterdawn.com – TG Daily
all 194 news articles »
http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ncl=1332827040&topic=t
i dunno… i pay a hefty premium for broadband…
April 16th, 2009 at 9:51 amnot sure how that affects me/we…
misscoleopteramolly Says:
This surprises me. Isn’t Michigan the state that currently has the highest unemployment rate? I would think that with this many people at loose ends, attending the tea party would be a no-brainer.
Well, in all fairness, we here in this area went through our “recession” when Pfizer pulled out most of it’s jobs years ago, and GM closed it’s factory about a decade ago. We’ve seen a rebound of sorts with Stryker, and luckily for me, the health care profession has remained stable.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:52 amThat being said, the east side of our state is truly being hit hard. Extremely hard. Not sure how the “protests” went over there.
DRx, didnt see any in the U.P.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:53 amBozo The Neocootiebug Says:
Purple State Says: ” I just don’t feel there was a message to this whole thing.”
of course there was, the message was “we’re sore losers and are still pissed off that obama is president”
And we don’t want a leader of dark skin color to succeed.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:55 amForeclosure filings spiked in March, according to RealtyTrac.
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Do we dare hope that it’s a true “spike” and that the chart line will start trending downward? Unfortunately, I suspect this “spike” is merely the latest plot-point on a line that’s still going upward.
I drove through my neighborhood yesterday with a focus on all the “for sale” signs. It was disheartening to realize about every seventh house was on the market.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:57 amstateofthedivision Says:
we do not — nor will we ever — monitor ideology or political beliefs
With that statement, Janet will miss the next Timothy McVeigh.
Actually, the statement is technically correct. It is when the ideology of an individual puts them on the wrong side of the law through criminal activity, suspected or otherwise, that they should be “watched.” It was a political statement to quell right-wing cry babies, I’m not sure how you could miss that.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:57 amwatchdog:
So making up false accusations and false generalizations is a sign of superior intelligence?
you seem to be an expert in this area, how about you enlighten us?
did Ron Paul ever mention repealing the civil rights act?
April 16th, 2009 at 9:58 amEnergy Secretary Steven Chu said he “would prefer to say let’s try to develop technologies that can get a large fraction of the carbon dioxide out of coal.” Previously, Chu’s said that “coal is my wost nightmare.”
While we are, as Big Ed reminds us, stuck with coal in the near term, we should be planning it’s phasing out with utmost haste. There is NO such thing as clean coal. The monies spent trying to clean it up could be spent on truly renewable resource development.
Where the hell is my hydrogen filling station?
April 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am“So making up false accusations and false generalizations is a sign of superior intelligence? This site makes a lot more sense now.”
watchpuppy, i commend you on your honest and candid assessment of anchor baby malkin, angry tranny annie coulter, o’lielly, becky, limpballs et.al
April 16th, 2009 at 10:01 amwatchdog Says
April 16th, 2009 at 9:57 am
So making up false accusations and false generalizations is a sign of superior intelligence? This site makes a lot more sense now.
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I realize this completely goes against your usual M.O., but do you even KNOW what a rebuttal is? If you believe a poster has made a false accusation or a false generalization, the appropriate action to take is:
1. State what, exactly, is false.
2. State why it’s false, and debunk it with verifiable information (ravings from wingnut blogs don’t count, as they aren’t considered credible sources around here).
This is what the rest of us do if we want to be taken seriously. And yes, that IS a sign of more intelligence than you’re currently exhibiting. Care to try again?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:04 amDRxJapanese Beetle @#3
See, you missed them. They gathered at 4PM, all three of them, then went out and drank Long Island Iced Teas at their local bar and were picked up for DUI about the time you went by.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:08 amSeeing all of these tea parties has made me wonder…
How would a tea-party protest have gone if the nation had elected a Republican? Granted, there would probably be more feuding between the legislative and executive branches, but would there have been a protest from progressives/liberals?
A rather hard-to-fathom “what-if” at this moment, but it’s a curiosity…
April 16th, 2009 at 10:10 amwatchdog Says:
So making up false accusations and false generalizations is a sign of superior intelligence? This site makes a lot more sense now.
The unconscious irony in troll posts is always stupendous. If there is one single unifying characterization to trolls it is the constant use of “false accusations and false generalizations” — “liberals are wah wah”, “liberals always wah wah wah”, “liberals hate”, “liberals just want to” . . .
April 16th, 2009 at 10:15 amNo kidding. There’s nothing like hearing a wingnut spew all the terrible things about liberals he’s been carrying in his heart through the years–all of it stuff he or someone like him made up. It makes a nasty stain on your shirt.
In case you hadn’t noticed, right-wingers uncritically believe all accusations made against liberals, no matter how stupid, including ones they have just made up.
They store these accusations in their black little hearts and carry their resentment to their graves. I’m sure their recent crap-out is all our fault. :)
Xe
April 16th, 2009 at 10:24 amFalse accusations? Tell me deputydog, what do you think of Ron Paul’s desire to repeal civil rights law?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:24 amSome might say a return to Jim Crow might be a bit racist. I guess watchdog doesn’t see anything wring with “White’s Only” lunch counters.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:28 amBBC News reported on George Mitchell’s trip to Israel:
Mr Mitchell’s first meeting on Thursday was with President Shimon Peres.
He assured the president of Washington’s “absolute and strong commitment” to Israel’s security.
This occurred a day after Israel said it would likely not cooperate in a UN War Crimes investigation.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:29 amMarie Says:
WTF?
The Spanish officials have decided not to advise prosecution of Bush&Co – because they weren’t present when torture occurred ?!).
I was thinking the same thing.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:29 amInteresting how the Spanish say that the people who actually carried out the torture are the ones to be held accountable while our administration claims that those same people shouldn’t be blamed since our officials apparently assured them it was legal.
So it’s ‘no one’s to blame, no investigation needed, see you guy’s at the pub, oh and alberto, how’s the family?’
Well, let’s see, it was part of his platform when he ran for president as a Libertarian. Does that count?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:33 amDRxJapanese Beetle Says
And we don’t want a leader of dark skin color to succeed.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:35 am——————————————————–
obama is mixed you dimwit and who is “we?”
Why is it that so-called “Libertarians” never know what is in the Libertarian Party Platform?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:35 ambonat Says:
I do not think you have the ability to effectively post here until you learn to read AND can comprehend what you’ve read…
April 16th, 2009 at 10:37 amshoeless Chilopoda Says:
Tweedster Says:
——————————————————————————–
you seem to be an expert in this area, how about you enlighten us?
did Ron Paul ever mention repealing the civil rights act?
Well, let’s see, it was part of his platform when he ran for president as a Libertarian. Does that count?
Riiight…so it wasn’t a false accusation, was it watchdog?
April 16th, 2009 at 10:40 amDRxJapanese Beetle Says:
Just to follow up what I promised yesterday:
Supposedly, the TeaBaggers were to “organize” at the Kalamazoo Courthouse between 4-6 last evening. When I drove by at 5:15pm, no one, let me repeat, NO ONE was there! And this is a corner where there is a weekly gathering of displays for PEACE and NO MORE WAR “protests”.
My guess is the “grass roots” movement of being Tea Bagged didn’t make it to Southwest Michigan.
Darn.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am———————————————————
my guess is the people of k-zoo are getting the federal stimulus they needed and they know the difference between ‘organic grass roots’ and ‘astoturf’.
watchdog Says:
So making up false accusations and false generalizations is a sign of superior intelligence? This site makes a lot more sense now.
____________
Aw, come on folks… it must be TRUE… after all swatchdog said it!!!
BTW, swatchie… have you looked into these yet?
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April 16th, 2009 at 10:55 amDNFP Says:
bonat Says:
I do not think you have the ability to effectively post here until you learn to read AND can comprehend what you’ve read…
____________
Hmmm… me’thinks someone might have missed the undercurrent of sarcasm in a previous comment…
April 16th, 2009 at 10:57 amI don’t understand what the big stink is regarding DHS. Anybody that pays attention knows SPLC has been saying this for 2 years. Who couldn’t figure this out.
I think it was Dave Chapelle who did that bit about hiring a Latino to be his vice president. “You can shoot me, but you’re just going to open up the borders.”
April 16th, 2009 at 11:08 amHey, wha’ happened to blotchdog?
April 16th, 2009 at 11:23 amProbably disrespecting another fallen soldier’s family is my guess.
bonat Says:
DRxJapanese Beetle Says
And we don’t want a leader of dark skin color to succeed.
——————————————————–
obama is mixed you dimwit and who is “we?”
OMG! President Obama is half-black? Holy Shiite!!! We’ll, I guess “we” only want him to half fail!
“We” are such dimwits!
D’OH!
April 16th, 2009 at 11:24 am# 57 DNFP
i didn’t say that in any of my post.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:55 pmSpanish clear Augusto Pinochet
At least, one could conclude such a thing given the logic in dropping charges against six Bush officials for similar behavior.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:06 pmI don’t know. he made a false accusation and false generalization about me making a false accusation and false generalization, and then he ran away.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:31 pmThe TBIs are providing a lot of material for studies that could result in successful treatments. PTSD should be diagnosed and treated, but there is not likely to be any cure. That doesn’t mean that early intervention and treatment of PTSD is not vital.
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April 18th, 2009 at 5:16 amsac ekimi