How did that song go?
Oh yeah, that's how. And watching, for pigs on the wing. The ACLU is going to help a white supremacist busted for blogging about cops.
A couple weeks ago on a blog nobody reads there was a conversation about that blogger who had been arrested for blogging about/messing with police. We weren't sure what was going to happen or even what should happen.
One especially unperspicacious guy wrote The problem for Minitru, the ACLU and the rest of the Democratic
social/political industrial complex is that they can't defend Nazis. If
they do, their cocktail party invitations might dry up.
Well, the ACLU of VA is helping her. I went there to see if they were saying anything about Officer Wesley Cheeks, Jr, (professional shutter-upper), nothing yet, but saw the link way up there about this.
So good show ACLU VA. I wuz wrong. If you don't get your cocktail party invites, I'll throw down for a couple. (rail drinks, no top shelf).
Dumb Power: Obama seeking a "win" in Honduras
As I have maintained for some time (to invoke an Obama-ism), the administration is seeking a cheap "win" by pushing around the Honduran democracy. So sayeth Mary O'Grady in the WSJ. (h/t to the Thomas Jefferson Club)
O'Grady:
This administration needs a win. Or more accurately, it can't bear another loss right now. Most especially it can't afford to be defeated by the government of a puny Central American country that doesn't seem to know its place in the world and dares to defy the imperial orders of Uncle Sam.
A big question (at least in my mind) is whether Obama pushed this policy, or if some semi-rogue ideological twit in the State Department official was behind this. Probably some of both, but O'Grady's piece is pretty damning of State.
Prominent Hondurans, including leading members of the business community, complain that a State Department official has been pressuring them to push the interim government to accept the return of Mr. Zelaya to power.
When I asked the State Department whether it was employing such dirty tricks a spokeswoman would only say the U.S. has been "encouraging all members of civil society to support the San Jose 'accord'"—which calls for Mr. Zelaya to be restored to power. Perhaps something was lost in the translation but threats to use U.S. power against a small, poor nation hardly qualify as encouragement.
Oh yeah, and State is twisting arms in Latin America to get other nations on board with the "accord".
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Posted by: friends1 at January 06, 2012 01:44 AM (H5S0p)
Retired Lieutenant General Honoré considering primary run against David Vitter
As is noted by the article, all he's gonna have to do is say "Stuck on Stupid" and Vitter's done for. Honoré and the soldiers under his command were about the only government agency that showed any competence at all in the aftermath of Katrina. I'll be curious to see where he stands on the issues. His competence as a leader isn't something I'm prepared to question. If he's a solid conservative, this could be a very good development.
I can't wait for the polling numbers
The death of Senator Kennedy highlights a special example of political manipulation the Massachusetts legislature engaged in prior to the 2004 election. Before 2004, US Senate vacancies were filled by gubernatorial appointment. In light of the combination of an impending Kerry presidency and a Republican governor Romney, the legislature voted to take that power from the governor and force a special election about five months after a seat becomes vacant. Kerry lost the presidential election, Romney was replaced by Democratic governor Deval Patrick.
Apparently Senator Kennedy in his infinite wisdom recognized early last July that there was going to be a sticky wicket in the case of his death. He composed a letter to several members of Massachusetts government suggesting that a legal push be made to change the law back to its pre-2004 gubernatorial appointment ways. Also in Kennedy's infinite wisdom, he didn't bother mailing off the letters until a week ago. The Massachusetts legislature recessed August 4, and so no law was proposed or passed.
So besides Senator Kennedy's untimely death destroying the filibuster-proof Congress, it's possible that Massachusetts Democrats could lose a Senate seat due to their manipulations in 2004. Surprisingly, a very recent Gallup poll shows only 29% of Massholes considered themselves liberal or very liberal, while 30% considered themselves conservative or very conservative. In light of the recent centrist dissatisfaction with government spending, and assuming the Skittle-shitting unicorns aren't going to be delivered in the next five months, I think it's quite likely that the next junior Senator from Massachusetts will be a Republican. The question remains whether the Massachusetts legislature will try an end run around their previous shenanigans and attempt to give the appointment power back to Governor Patrick.
So in light of all this, I think we should say a special thanks to Senator Kennedy for holding on to those letters for a few extra weeks, and we should be sure to thank him again when the GOP gains a Senate seat.
I think it's quite likely that the next junior Senator from Massachusetts will be a Republican.
You must be a dyed-in-the-wool optimist to actually believe this. (Don't get me wrong: I hope you are correct, but I think the odds of this are near, if not actually, zero.)
Posted by: ECM at August 26, 2009 06:45 PM (q3V+C)
2
Teh Peepul are angry, they can't be trusted to vote at this time, they might do it wrong.
They'll change the law so the gov appoints his successor. The law will be challenged, it'll end up at the supreme court and they'll find it was a perfectly cromulent law.
I've seen this picture before.
Posted by: Veeshir at August 26, 2009 07:58 PM (XECIR)
I am an awful human being, part 11,746,268,001
The first thing I thought was, I'm so glad he didn't try to use guns for this. I'm guessing he was just taking training for the zombie apocalypse a little too seriously. When you run out of ammo, sometimes you just have to resort to the melee weapons.
Cheney Vindicated?
Back in April Dick Cheney claimed that CIA documents specifically two memos would show that the enhanced interrogations authorized by the Bush administration authorized by the Bush administration prevented a number of follow-on terrorist attacks. He requested that the memos be declassified and was refused by the Obama administration. The Department of Justice however released highly redacted versions of the memos yesterday.
The full memos are available here and are embedded below.
Do they back Cheney's claims?
I hate to say it but as released they don't. Unquestionably they show that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was a valuable source of information but I saw no mention of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques so I can't honestly say that the memos back Cheney's claims. That said who knows what's in the the redacted areas and Cheney would have been able to read that information as the Vice-President so he still has a leg to stand on.
It should be noted that according to the New York Times the CIA Inspector General report, which I have not read yet, does note that enhanced interrogation did work in some cases:
The report found that the interrogations obtained critical information to identify terrorists and stop potential plots and said some imprisoned terrorists provided more information after being exposed to brutal treatment.
But the inspector general’s review raised broad questions about the legality, political acceptability and effectiveness of the harshest of the C.I.A.’s methods, including some not authorized by the Justice Department and others that were approved, like the near-drowning technique of waterboarding.
Numbers numbers numbers
I'm guessing Scott McInnis is going to win the GOP nomination for governor of Colorado. The party machine is thinking Josh Penry hasn't hung out in the Senate long enough. Numbers from Public Policy Polling (PDF warning) support that, but the really interesting poll result is from another poll (once again, PDF warning):
When Public Policy Polling surveyed Colorado in April it found Bill Ritter with an approval rating in the lows 40s and trailing Scott McInnis by almost ten points in a hypothetical contest. Four months later nothing has changed.
On a really ginormous downer note, I'm hoping that these poll results are just early polling number stupidity, because if the GOP nominates Schmuckabee for president we can give up any hope of ever regaining the reputation of the party of small government and fiscal responsibility. And yes, I recognize that I'm jumping up and down with joy at one set of early poll numbers and cringing at another set. Piss off.
Those are awful numbers for Obama. It's long been a truism that an incumbent at under 50% is considered in danger.
Consider that he won in November with 53%. Even in his strongest potential match-up, he can't match that number. And that's against a woman whom he and his allies have spent the better part of a year trying to actively destroy. And he still underpolls last November's results.
Each of those match-ups includes about 10% undecideds: and those usually break 2-to-1 against the incumbent. When you break out the undecideds: Obama actually loses to Huckabee in a squeaker, bests Romney only by a couple of points. The BEST he does is slightly improve over his McCain matchup. And again, that's only against Palin (without any additional benefit she might gain from naming a strong #2 on her ticket).
If you take the numbers at face value, they seem that Obama has an advantage. But I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that Axelrod is absolutely sweating these numbers because they actually betray a great deal of weakness for Obama. And unemployment is still rising with fewer and fewer people are willing to "blame Bush" for the state of the economy as every month passes.
Posted by: Jim B at August 20, 2009 01:09 PM (6pO2h)
When I found RCP in 2004, they had mentioned that their analysis concluded that a POTUS JA over 50% means an odds on favorite to re-elect, whith the chances dwindling as the average fell. I forget what Bush's JA was on election day 2004, but whatever it was probably reflected the close election results against Kerry.
Also, RCP includes polls of "Adults" in its sample, believing that the solid polls will ultimately counterbalance any shitty one.
Posted by: eddiebear at August 20, 2009 01:37 PM (wnU1W)
According to their own poll, it's of voters, no identification of whether they are registered or likely. Rasmussen, is the standard because of their consistency, and a very narrow margin of error.
Posted by: ian cormac at August 20, 2009 03:00 PM (eCrFX)
Arrested For Blogging
Every so often I come across a story upon which I don't have a clear opinion. This is one of those stories:
A 34-YEAR-OLD woman, the mother of a 12-year-old girl, has been locked
up in a Virginia jail for three weeks and could remain there for at
least another month. Her crime? Blogging about the police.
Elisha Strom, who appears unable to make the $750 bail, was arrested
outside Charlottesville on July 16 when police raided her house,
confiscating notebooks, computers and camera equipment. Although the
Charlottesville police chief, Timothy J. Longo Sr., had previously
written to Ms. Strom warning her that her blog posts were interfering
with the work of a local drug enforcement task force, she was not
charged with obstruction of justice or any similar offense. Rather, she
was indicted on a single count of identifying a police officer with
intent to harass, a felony under state law.
It's fair to say that Ms. Strom was unusually focused on the
Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force, a 14-year-old unit drawn
mainly from the police departments of Charlottesville, Albemarle County
and the University of Virginia. (Her blog at http://iheartejade.blogspot.com,
expresses the view that the task force is "nothing more than a group of
arrogant thugs.") In a nearly year-long barrage of blog posts, she
published snapshots she took in public of many or most of the task
force's officers; detailed their comings and goings by following them
in her car; mused about their habits and looks; hinted that she may
have had a personal relationship with one of them; and, in one
instance, reported that she had tipped off a local newspaper about
their movements.
On the one hand, all she was doing was exercising her right to free speech and that should never be an arrestable offense if not for its own right than that it may lead to a slippery slope of increasing government censorship.
On the other hand, I am deeply uncomfortable with the idea of a person broadcasting the location and activities of law enforcement officers engaged in very dangerous situations. Her blogging could clearly cost the lives of police officers who were doing nothing more than their jobs.
On the other hand, the drug war is bullshit for the most part and is clearly involved in some of the most egregious personal freedom encroachments in the history of the Republic.
On the other hand, if this information is so secret and well guarded how the fuck does she know about it in the first place? I'm inclined in that aspect to advise the police to tighten their lips a bit.
I'm leaning toward saying that what she is doing shouldn't be remotely criminal so long as she is not intentionally privy to any secret information that may be dangerous in the wrong hands. Being that she knows the information anyway, it seems that the real security breach is not her blogging but the fact that she knows it in the first place.
1
According to The Agitator. She was also taking their pictures and posting them.
He's pretty Libertarian (Like Boortz, one of the ones who make me really want to be a Libertarian), and he's pretty torn.
If she hadn't posted pictures it would be a much more difficult question for me. I'm conditionally on the cops side. With one caveat:
What would have happened to someone who worked at CNN or Time or the Wash Post if they did this? Would they be arrested? They should be, but if not, I hate "guilt by association", do a search on her name and
see who's very upset about it. The Agitator gets into why they're
troublesome.
If she's being treated this way because she's a white supremacist without a news outlet behind her, I'm agin it.
But posting the pictures makes me think even a "real" journalist would be treated the same way. I bet that would be stopped by at least one of the layers of editors.
Posted by: Veeshir at August 19, 2009 04:12 PM (qDebN)
2
Also isn't there some question as to whether or not she's an Aryan Nationy type who was involved in the drug gang and who was doing this to help them avoid prosecution?
I really don't know what to think about this over all though.
Posted by: alexthechick at August 19, 2009 05:20 PM (lQiq2)
I'm going to come out and judge her and say she's a useless shitstain of a human being whether she's in the Aryan nation or just doing this to expose cops to danger. I mean, even if this is legal, doing it probably makes you a bad person.
But the individual circumstances of this case shouldn't color the rule of law. Veeshir's point about what CNN or the NYT would get away with are not lost on me. They continually fucked with intelligence agencies and military secrets which clearly have the potential to result in far more loss of life in situations far more clear cut as to the righteousness of the cause.
But still, I think this is a tricky one and I'm mildly confused as to why this hasn't gotten more discussion.
I hadn't read the posting pictures part but I think it is pretty clear that taking pictures of police in ANY circumstance shouldn't be illegal. However, as I conditioned my stance on her being privy to confidential information, the same applies to her being even tangentially associated with the targets of the investigation. If that is the case, then she almost certainly should be considered an accessory to the crime.
But that would have to be proved. Of course, it COULD give a pretense for arrest. Interesting.
Posted by: Moron Pundit at August 19, 2009 05:48 PM (GC5S2)
4
I don't know, taking and posting pictures of undercover officers should be illegal. That's putting their lives in jeopardy.
But this, from this story, makes me wonder about the "undercover" part. Police say, since most JADE officers do
undercover work, posting their names, pictures, and possibly home
addresses could put the officers in danger.
That appears to be saying they're not undercover officers, but they occasionally do it. That changes things a little. She was surely hasseling them, but that's every American's God given right. If you hassle cops, they will bust your balls hard, and if they can, arrest you, like that guy Gates, it's the price we pay for having human beings be our cops. But they shouldn't be able to make felony charges stick just because nobody wants to defend her. The other problem is the facts are so murky. Saying "they often do undercover work" might mean lots of things not associated with infiltrating MS-13. Buying a half ounce of pot from some dude or being a 13 year girl in an internet chat room qualifies.
It's probably not being talked about because she's such an unsympathetic "victim". The problem for Minitru, the ACLU and the rest of the Democratic social/political industrial complex is that they can't defend Nazis. If they do, their cocktail party invitations might dry up.
The Blues Brothers ruined it for Nazis everywhere.
Posted by: Veeshir at August 19, 2009 07:33 PM (RGMnd)
WTF is Wrong With Wisconsin : Good on you, Mayor Barrett
Haha... once again I follow the "Don't Read Your Own Blog" rule too well. Original, duplicate post below the fold.
Those funny Muslims
Those darned Muslims just don't listen. They don't listen when they're told that scantily-clad women are a good thing, they don't listen when they're told that women should be allowed to spread their legs whenever they feel like it, they don't listen when they're told that homosexuals probably shouldn't be executed (this guy is a notable exception), and they don't listen when they're told that it's immoral to have more than one baby per couple.
You really should listen to the old Les Paul & Mary Ford TV black-and-white linkies on YT. They still sound fresh (and often, hilarious). What I didn't realize was that his wife was an extremely accomplished guitarist too. You will be well-pleased viewing/listening to many of these. Flying fingers. Dulcet voice.
The man had amazing fingers. There would be no rock-n-roll (as we know it; and no metal, certainly) without him. Which influential rock (or country, or jazz, etc.) guitar player didn't he influence?
I had a great - they were all great - 1966 Gibson LP in the 70's (before I pretty much permanently switched to Strat' style solid-bodies).
RIP old friend. Say hello to Michael (Hedges) for me. See you again ...someday.
Posted by: davis,br at August 14, 2009 09:55 AM (uCShA)
2
Actually, the first vid I posted was one of his old show with Mary Ford, but I changed my mind.
Posted by: Alice H at August 14, 2009 09:56 AM (qJHYy)
This is why America is more awesome than any European country - we don't have to worry about Timothy McVeigh getting out of prison for prostate problems. Granted, we've still got that sonofacumdumpster Terry Nichols parked in ADX Florence, but at least he's miserable there, where he's complaining that he needs a more high-fiber diet, hopefully because he's getting lots of foreign objects forcefully shoved up his ass without his consent and would prefer to have things nice and clean when it happens.
Exactly, they should have hung, electrocuted, or whatever this sonofabitch when they had the chance. I am a little pissed that he got the chance to even get cancer.
That is one thing the Muslims have on us, they would have killed him....quickly.
Posted by: Cocklbur at August 12, 2009 10:26 PM (MOOFj)
Specter Townhall coverage
Bringing back a little "pimp my blog".... Those looking for news and commentary on Specter's town hall in Lebanon, PA today would do well to check out my compadres over at PAWatercooler.com for in-state perspective.
I don't have a strong opinion either way (I'd probably have a clearer opinion if pot crimes were legally distinct from crack or heroine crimes) but thought I'd put it on the radar.
Depending on how they do it, I wouldn't be against it. I mean, they need some skills to get a job so they don't just become career criminals.
Except I know how they'll do it.
No guards, no checks, no nothing. They'll just give them checks and be all surprised when they don't go to class.
There should be benchmarks, you only get any cash over and above tuition as the school year progresses. If you stop going to class, the checks stop.
I know, I just like to make myself laugh.
Posted by: Veeshir at August 10, 2009 12:11 PM (ThMnZ)
2
I don't know what I think about this since it looks like it's just the possession convictions not dealing convictions. I'm very very anti-drug though I'm pro-legaliztion (self gene pool bleaching FTW). But come on, getting caught holding shouldn't mean you don't get federal loans. On the other hand, the requirements aren't particularly high to get the loans back either. So idk. See! There are things I don't have an opinion on!
Posted by: alexthechick at August 10, 2009 12:14 PM (SHHaV)
Posted by: JonaHex at August 07, 2009 04:28 PM (6h58h)
3
Actually, T-shirt Hell has the photo from Cookie Monster's suicide. He slit his wrists with a razor blade, laying in a pool of blood. It was captioned..... "Cookie Cutter"
Posted by: mrfixit at August 07, 2009 05:45 PM (hh3TS)
4
I'm oddly disappointed by that. He seemed like a solid guy.
Posted by: Moron Pundit at August 07, 2009 06:07 PM (GC5S2)
5
Heart attack my ass, Billy Mays went out like Scarface, and you know it, "HI, BILLY MAYS HERE FOR M16!" as he's mowing down Popeil's hitmen by the dozen.
