Palin suggested that the questions were fair play because of "the weird conspiracy theory freaky thing that people talk about that Trig isn't my real son -- 'You need to produce his birth certificate, you need to prove that he's your kid,' which we have done."
"Maybe we can reverse that," she said, returning to Obama's birth certificate, describing the type of thinking involved with a word that isn't clear in the audio.
Basically, DHS is refusing to follow the law because it doesn't want globalized trade to pay for the costs of making such trade secure.
As a reminder, the 9/11 Commission recommended scanning all shipping containers for WMDs (really, nukes, since they're not doing chemical or biological scans). But scans would be valuable, as well, for hindering the importation of other things–drugs, arms, and people. Basically, scanning shipping containers would address one of the security risks of globalized trade that all sorts of illicit groups are currently exploiting. It would be asking importers to pay the full cost of importing foreign goods.
But no one wants to do this. GAO describes the complaints about the mandate to screen shipping containers.
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/03/dhs-doesnt-want-to-scan-shipping-containers/
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Dick Cheney now has a roommate?
I can understand why Polanski might be upset by this. He only drugged and raped a girl, while Cheney drugged and raped an entire constitutional system of government and laws.
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Thanks for caring what we think!
During a spirited press conference designed to defend President Obama' Afghan escalation, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed concerns about the growing unpopularity of the war among the American public, claiming that the war would continue and that if the president followed popular opinion the war would already be over and the economy would be in tatters.
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One day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was defending the settlement freeze, a promise to not approve any new housing construction permits in the West Bank, Israel is approving new housing construction permits in the West Bank.
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Apparently Obama wants to do something about jobs. But:
"The main thing that people are concerned about is jobs," said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.). "It is the number one issue."
But Obama's options are limited, as the administration already has signaled that it is unwilling to make any investments that would add significantly to the nation's ballooning deficit.
Well, how the fuck else is he going to do something about the job situation?? To create jobs when things just aren't getting any better in the private sector, the government has to spend money to create jobs, and to keep them from being cut by state and local governments. There's nobody else out there. And the only two ways the government can get the money to spend is (a) by taxing someone else, presumably rich people, or (b) by borrowing it, which will add to the deficit. And if the government doesn't spend much, it won't create many jobs. Period.
We know how well a tax hike on the rich would go over: all 40 Republican Senators would vote against it, and so would some of the Business Dog Democrats in the Senate. Kiss that one goodbye, unless it's done via reconciliation, and we'd kinda like to save that for health care.
So Obama's pretty much tying his own hands here. That would be fine if he was the only one suffering consequences, but 10% unemployment is going to hurt an awful lot of people. They need help. Just like bankruptcy and foreclosures are hurting an awful lot of people, but Obama wasn't willing to fight for cramdown.
And even from a cold-blooded, technocratic perspective, it makes no sense. Sure, a jobs program is going to knock another big hole in the 2010 and 2011 budgets, but lasting high levels of unemployment will knock big holes in the budgets for years to come: people who are unemployed or underemployed don't pay taxes, but they require more government services. The biggest step to balancing the budget in the medium term - over the next decade - is to get people back to work quickly now. You'd think a smart Democrat who's concerned about deficits would see win-win there.
And to balance the budgets in the long term, the biggest things we can do now are (a) pass a decent health care bill, so we start having some levers on controlling health care costs, and (b) make major forward-looking infrastructure investments now that will pay off over the coming decades. These can be anything from really sexy stuff like SUPERTRAINS and a 'smart' power grid, to pretty gritty stuff like fixing antiquated water and sewer systems, and getting rid of bottlenecks in our freight rail system, and filling in some of its more significant missing pieces.
Needless to say, all that infrastructure spending that would make a big difference in our economic situation in 2020 and beyond would create a ton of jobs in the near term. You'd think a smart Democrat who's concerned about deficits would see win-win there.
But to the extent that Obama decides it's important to keep deficits under control in the next few years, he sacrifices both of those goods: the opportunity to significantly improve the medium and long term budget situations, and the opportunity to keep millions of Americans working right now.
And if he's taking this approach to placate the Evan Bayhs and Fred Hiatts of the world, then shame on him: they don't have any good insights about the long haul, and they damned sure don't care about how government's failure to act will affect ordinary Americans now.
I can only hope that the WaPo has had another reporting malfunction, and that Obama's got the good sense to spend money now to keep people employed - preferably doing stuff that we'll benefit from over the next 50 years or so, but the main thing is to get people back to work.
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Dropping acid for the queen - video shows effects of military experimentation with LSD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptc5RHbJRvs&feature=player_embedded
Presumably, the idea behind the exercise was to see the advantage of drugging opposing armies.
Now we just have to figure out how to get acid into the food supplies of all those pesky al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Wouldn't it be a hoot to watch all that fundamentalist aggression played out on acid?
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President Obama's decision to nation-build in Afghanistan in the midst of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression is likely to produce a new Misery Index for Americans: The escalating numbers of dead and wounded American soldiers in Afghanistan PLUS the likely high level of unemployed Americans at home. For Congressional Democrats, the Misery Index could add up to big trouble at the polls in November 2010. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/03-10
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McCarthyism is rampant, but failing
Not even Joe McCarthy himself faced people so unwilling to fight -- at least, not for the same reason, anyway. Where McCarthy's critics faced national censure, along with the destruction of their careers and reputations, today's victims of McCarthyism are motivated to timidity simply from the fear of seeming rude. One doesn't bring attention to the frothing lunatic shrieking about commies taking over and peeing in the punchbowl, one simply makes a mental note not to drink any of the punch. Wouldn't want ruin the party for everyone.
GM brings Flint, MI to China: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/03/gm-brings-flint-mi-to-china/
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With the aid of her inter-dimensional glasses, she could see that, on a small scale, killing was called 'Crime' and didn't pay. But she could also see that, on a large scale, killing was called 'War' and did.
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Another 3,000 on top of 30,000 surge?
Let the incremetal escalation continue!
Defense Sec Robert Gates says he asked the president for flexibility on the number in case military commanders in the field request additional medics or troops trained to detect improvised explosive devices.
Gates told a Senate committee Thursday that he got approval for the 30,000 troop deployment to be expanded by as much as 3,000 if necessary.
We've seen this already from the Obama administration and the Pentagon. Obama's last escalation - touted publicly as 21,000 troops - didn't include 13,000 support troops.
But we're probably at the very limit of escalation now. The cupboard is bare of other units to send and even sending this many new troops is causing the Pentagon and White House to break long-standing promises to veterans on "dwell time". Veterans rights group VoteVets worry that's only the first broken promise on the way to a broken army. To be followed by "stop-loss", extra tours and maybe even veterans benefits as the occupation's costs drain the treasury?
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A gay man in Uganda
Ugandan blogger, GayUganda, is waiting for the new law - inspired by American Christianists, abetted by Rick Warren - that will soon jail or execute him for being who he is. I'm unsure when in history a group of American "Christians" have actually intervened in a foreign country to create what is the equivalent of an ongoing pogrom of terror against a tiny minority, scapegoating them as evil, demanding that their own families inform on them if they are gay or face legal punishment, and threatening the death penalty for any homosexual daring to have a love life. And I can only imagine what the response in America would be if the target were any other minority - Jews or immigrants or the sick - or the usual targets of majoritarian hate. But a declaration of a form of genocide against gays gets shrugged off by the world's leaders, including the Pope, whose silence is reminiscent of another Pope not so long ago.
This gay Ugandan blogger's latest post is here - a heart-rending blend of disbelief, optimism and pessimism. From the comments section, a reader asks:
I hope the bill wont see the light of the day. How about your safety and that of other gay men at the moment?
The blogger's response:
Ha, life is unfair. No real assurance, or insurance to it.
Ok, seriously, what about our safety? Well, we are making lots of noise as and when we can now. When the bill becomes law, those of us who are out will be most likely hauled in for any more 'promotion' of homosexuality...!
But, sometimes, sometimes it is actually worth the while to hang out ones neck. Afterall, I will only die once.... Gallows humour. But, better than nothing.
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Matt Taibbi: Obama bait and switched us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4it-Fs8RLw
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Teabagger, the Movie - this is not a joke.
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Maru
Nobody could've predicted ...
Erstwhile Presidential candidate had no inkling unrepentant serial predator would continue his heinous life of crime.
Total loser Mike Huckabee said he was aware of Maurice Clemmons' long and violent criminal history when he commuted his 108-year prison sentence, but he couldn't have foreseen the deadly consequences…Duh???
Um, Huck, what part of "long and violent criminal history," "repeated, in writing, that Clemmons should remain in prison" and "108-year prison sentence" didn't you understand? You fucking imbecile?
In 2007, the unemployment rate was about 4.7%, and now with all this massive government spending the unemployment rate is 10.2%.
– Elaine Chao, Chimpy's Secretary of Labor
Well, it takes a lot of nerve for Mrs. Mitch McConnell and former Chimpy McStagger Secretary of Labor Elaine ("I never met a layoff I didn't love, and I never met a union I even liked…") Chao to compare the unemployment rate in 2007 to today, leaving out how they pretty much savaged the economy and working people. But you gotta figure, being heterosexually married to Mitch McConnell probably gives you the innate ability to lie professionally.
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You've loaded up your iPhone with Yelp for restaurants and Shazam for music. Now get ready to download a dose of "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" from a popular political figure of the past: the Gipper.
Kill me now, please…
Yup, this is the latest from the Ronald Reagan Library, where they are hoping to indoctrinate a new generation of the Youngs to the hipness that is RR, "the greatest president of the last half of the last century, maybe the greatest president everTM."
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Group promoting climate skepticism has extensive ties to Exxon-Mobil: http://rawstory.com/2009/12/climate-skeptic-group-nipcc-extensive-ties-exxonmobil/
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Sarah Palin Has Special Rules For Media Coverage of Her Mall Appearance
Famous dingbat Sarah Palin continues her exciting Publicity Tour of Middle America, and pretty soon she'll be at the famous Giant Shopping Mall of Minnesota. Interested in covering her appearance? Well if you are, there's a good chance you're some kind of "reporter" or "communist." What's that? You speak the French? Then kindly go the fuck back to Russia because this is an AMERICAN event, for AMERICANS. Also, no questions or anything. Just watch her, quietly, for 10 minutes, and then get OUT - come on this woman has books to sell!
TeeVee station WCCO of Minneapolis got a copy of these awesome Media Regulations for the Palin porn stop:
For Palin's appearance at the Mall of America next week we received a list of seven media guidelines, including one stating there can be no foreign press — only English-speaking press and another that said media must address Palin as "Governor."
The other rules include no interviews — but if the media want one, a request must be submitted to her publicist — plus no microphones, only background sound and pictures and only the first 10 minutes of her appearance can be taped.
Ha ha, the lazy trash quit being governor during her first term because she wanted to be a celebrity and sell a million books, but now she insists everyone act like she's the "Governor." Not even Twitter allows her to keep referring to herself as "Governor," and Twitter is a just a sad computer picture of a bird or a whale.
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Because we aren't doing enough killing ....
The White House has authorized an expansion of the C.I.A.'s drone program in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas, officials said this week, to parallel the president's decision, announced Tuesday, to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. American officials are talking with Pakistan about the possibility of striking in Baluchistan for the first time — a controversial move since it is outside the tribal areas — because that is where Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to hide.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/world/asia/04drones.html?ref=global-home
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4,367 soldiers killed in Iraq; 931 in Afghanistan.
