The Washington Post offers tips on how to keep your EV battery running in frigid temperatures. The link at the end of this graf is supposed to be a "gift link" (from me, Marie Burns, the giftor!), meaning that non-subscribers can read the article. Hope it works: https://wapo.st/3u8Z705
Saturday
Mar282015
The Commentariat -- March 29, 2015
Jamelle Bouie: "If liberals want someone to lead Senate Democrats, they should look to longtime Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the caucus." Bouie makes the case for Murray, & makes a strong case against Elizabeth Warren, who, he argues, would have to drop her liberal causes as the leader of the entire caucus....
... CW: I would add that a new Senator like Warren -- quick study or not -- does not have the experience & knowledge to negotiate the arcane Senate rules & traditions. I am hardly one to argue that "Well, that's the way we've always done it" has any validity, but I'm not sure Warren even knows the secret handshake yet. ...
... Update. Colin Campbell & Hunter Walker of Business Insider interview staffers who pretty much back me up on this by highlighting, among other things, Schumer's "master[y] of Senate procedures" & "the somewhat antiquated culture of the Senate, where 'civility' is often prized." ...
... Harry & the Bloggers. Dave Weigel on how Harry Reid learned to use liberal bloggers to help him stop Dubya's agenda.
William Hartung of the Center for International Policy in Salon: President Obama & hawk-in-chief John McCain both want to raise the Pentagon budget; it's only a question of how much. But the real issue is that the Pentagon "needs" the money only because its so-called "strategy" is to "cover the globe." It's time to think up a new strategy.
CW: Opinion pieces that begin like this tend to annoy me: "In many ways, America deserves Ted Cruz. After all, it's been nearly eight years since voters (and the Supreme Court) elected a cocksure, right-wing adopted Texan, long on discredited ideology but short on wits, who plunged the United States into a sinkhole of economic and foreign policy chaos from which it has yet to fully emerge." And I'm not even good at arithmetic.
Over there is Right Wing World, they're thinking Harry Reid's New Year's Day injuries were the result of a run-in with mobsters for whom he failed to deliver. CW: Confederates might be sort of stupid, but -- to give them their due -- they do have the imaginations of 14-year-olds & other action-movie fans.
The audio of the oral arguments in Texas v. Sons of Confederate Veterans is here. The page also includes a link to the transcript of the arguments. Adam Liptak of the New York Times has an analysis here (March 23).
Presidential Race
I'm pretty sure New Hampshire's definition of gun control is kind of what it is in Texas. Gun control means hittin' what you aim [at]. -- Ted Cruz, to a New Hampshire audience ...
... David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "There are 15 noteworthy contenders for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. Together, they own at least 40 guns.... Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- don't own a gun at all.... Nevertheless, their political views on guns are almost all the same. Nearly every GOP contender is broadly opposed to new limits on the purchase or use of guns. In fact, with the exception of Christie -- the field's one true outlier -- those who have been rated by the National Rifle Association range from A-plus all the way down to ... A-minus."
Maureen Dowd has a go at "Bush 45," & her column is worth a read, for once. "Jeb wants it both ways. His litany of foreign policy advisers is a list divided against itself. He wants the money and dynastic privilege that comes with his name, even as he insists he's a fresh slate."
Invisible Man. AP: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker left a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border without addressing questions being raised about his stance on immigration. The likely Republican presidential contender remained invisible to reporters on Friday during a visit that could have given him a chance to spotlight illegal immigration and border security."
Argumentum Nixonum. Jesse Byrnes of the Hill: "Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted Hillary Clinton on Saturday for wiping her server and permanently deleting all emails. 'Even Nixon didn't destroy the tapes,' Priebus said in a statement."
Beyond the Beltway
Tim Swarens of the Indianapolis Star: Indiana "Gov. Mike Pence, scorched by a fast-spreading political firestorm, told The Star on Saturday that he will support the introduction of legislation to 'clarify' that Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not promote discrimination against gays and lesbians.... [BUT] Asked if that legislation might include making gay and lesbian Hoosiers a protected legal class, Pence said, 'That's not on my agenda.'" ...
... Tim Evans of the Indy Star: "The continuing blowback over Indiana's new 'religious freedom' law hit home Saturday, with Indianapolis-based Angie's List announcing it is canceling a $40 million headquarters expansion. The decision is a direct result of passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, co-founder and chief executive officer Bill Oesterle said Saturday."
News Ledes
New York Times: "Rescue workers recovered two bodies on Sunday in the wreckage of the explosion and fire that happened last week in the East Village, the police said. One of two bodies was identified by family members as Nicholas Figueroa, 23. The second body was not yet identified.... Officials said the fire was most likely set off by a gas explosion. The explosion blew off the facade of the building, before spreading to four neighboring ones. Three of the buildings -- 119, 121 and 123 Second Avenue -- were reduced to rubble."
AP: "Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen will continue until Shiite rebels there 'withdraw and surrender their weapons,' a summit of Arab leaders decided Sunday, as they also agreed in principle to forming a joint military force. The decision by the Arab League puts it on a path to potentially more aggressively challenge Shiite power Iran, which is backing the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis."
Baltimore Sun: Protesters show up outside Bill Cosby's Baltimore performance, and one interrupts his show.
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Reader Comments (18)
Comment removed. I didn't think it made any sense. If the writer would care to enlighten me, maybe I'll un-remove it.
Marie
@P.D. Pepe wrote (somewhat to my astonishment): "And thank goodness for the overturn of the murder conviction of Amanda Knox whose experience with this has been horrendous for her and family for years. Italy's jurisprudence is never something one wants to get entangled with. Once, one of my sons, while traveling in Italy. had his camera stolen. The nightmare he had to go through with the police was ridiculous, infuriating and stupid. As he regaled us with this tale I remember thinking of how when my mother traveled and she traveled a lot, always pinned her money onto her bra. Nowadays that, I imagine, wouldn't make a difference. 'when in Rome....'"
I'm surprised you seem convinced of Knox's innocence. I definitely am not.
I'm not convinced your son's encounter with la polizia speaks to Knox's guilt or innocence one way or the other. (I'm presuming he spoke pretty good Italian.) Is U.S. jurisprudence better? See Ferguson, Mo., etc., for example.
If your mother took precautions when traveling in Italy, she would have been wise to take similar precautions when visiting any large U.S. city. According to this site, the U.S. crime rate is seven times as great as the Italian crime rate.
And Italy hasn't had peacetime capital punishment since 1947. (It abolished wartime capital punishment in 1994.)
All in all, I think I'd be safer in Italy than in the U.S.
Marie
Is there more to the Italian court's decision? The cynical side of me thinks yes. Suppose the verdict would have been guilty and a demand was made to extradite Ms. Knox—the international political havoc this would have created on both side of the Atlantic makes me suspicious that there's been a lot of behind the scenes deal making.
After reading many of the comments with the Salon piece on Knox linked above, opinions are quite divisive—everyone seems to have acquired their own set of facts to argue a point of view. Must admit my own take leaned toward guilty. There were too many inconsistencies in her story. Then again, there are all the controversial behaviors and actions by many of the participants involved, which muddied the waters further and this simply couldn't be a "case closed" by CSI.
I recall Tim Egan wrote several Opinion pieces on the case for the NY Times in 2011 and in 2009 ...and it will be interesting to see if he weighs in again.
Don't miss Gemli's comment to the Dowd piece, the first and most recommended. Hilarious. We'll be humming all day.
@Unwashed. Thanks. I adore Gemli.
For readers unfamiliar with Gemli's inspiration, here's the original "Beverly Hillbillies" theme song. Listen, & you'll appreciate Gemli's spoof even more.
Marie
@ Marie: Why would you be surprised that I think Knox is innocent? After following this case intermittently and watching a documentary that was the conclusion I came to. You have come to a different conclusion–-so be it.
The antidote of my son had nothing to do with Knox except his experience with the Italian police which was pretty crazy which is not to say our country's jurisprudence is any better. And my mother did indeed pin her money to her bra whenever she traveled whether it be here in the states or Italy.
@ MAG: Thanks much for the Egan pieces.
Re; The gun vote, So all the republican candidates are showing off their "arms" why not call them "firedicks" rather then firearms?
In a way it reminded me of all the soft handed executives I have worked for or run across over the years who all want to tell me about their rugged construction background, you know, "breaking rocks in the hot sun" I listen politely and think to myself " fucking pansy". What I really want to say is, "Great, move that stack of 2 x 10s over to the saw table and cut me twenty roof rafters on a 4 in twelve pitch and hurry we have to roll them before lunch."
The hunters and gunners out in the rural America will figure it out sooner or later. Ted Cruz talking guns and country music? Fuck me to a coma, he went to Harvard, is a lawyer and has a wife who works for New York Money. He's our new populist star? You are shitting me, right?
So who are the rough, tough gun toting pols trying to impress?
" Of course, even 3.1 million members is a fairly large number — though it remains a relatively small percentage of the roughly 70 million Americans who say they own a firearm." Washington Post Glen Kessler writing on the true number of members of the NRA.
Like hammers in the garage, most everyone has a hammer somewhere in the house, few know how to really use one.
The difference is the gun has become symbolic proof of "manlyness"rather than just the tool it really is.
I've got close to fifteen hammers of different weights and sizes in my garage, and I know how to use them, and not one gun.
I don't care about the number of guns you own, by statistics, you are more likely to get shot than me.
@PD Pepe: I have always found it curious that people will condemn an entire country -- or civilization -- because they know somebody who, while touring the country, had his pockets picked or whatever (not necessarily by a citizen of that country).
I'm not sure why your son went to the police after somebody stole his camera, but if you think any police department in the U.S. would knock itself out to retrieve a tourist's (or a resident's) stolen camera, then you've never asked the police to investigate a break-in or a mugging. Indeed, it is my experience that even if an individual investigator -- not the police -- finds the culprit who stole personal property, our system of jurisprudence is unlikely to prosecute the thief or make any effort to obtain restitution. The only purpose to calling the police after a theft of personal property is to create a record for one's insurance company.
As do most Americans of a certain age, I have more than one "And the cops did nothing!" stories. That's the way it is here. And elsewhere.
Marie
Correction to my above comment: "anecdote," not "antidote", which is a funny mistake, actually. Ok, Marie, you've made your point and I succumb to your argument here, but it was not my intention to sully the whole of the country of Italy in my belittling of its jurisprudence. I think you know me better than that.
Re Gun Tote'n Republicons honing their Good Ol' Boy creds.
My default response to "Freedom isn't free" is:
"No? What has it ever cost you?"
OK, McCain's got an answer -- damn few others.
The Mike Pence Religious Hatred Law is all of a piece with Confederate attacks on the Constitution as well as modernity, not to mention civility. What they're attempting is to force the Supreme Court bigots to hand them their very own Plessy decision updated to match fundamentalist demands, separate but unequal.
But what would really make them swoon and faint like a congregation of snake handlers is their own version of Dred Scott (gays have no protection under the Constitution). Don't think there aren't at least four potential Roger Taneys on the current court who would be inclined to settle all these problems for the wingers with that kind of a blanket dismissal of rights for citizens whose very existence grieves their fanatic supporters.
Loved Gemli's parody but I think he is overly optimistic about the date Confederate clock turners are hoping for. I think 1923 is far too recent for these assholes. 1323 is more their speed.
One more take on Amanda Knox. Because of the DNA part I looked at the whole story pretty carefully. To me the evidence was so absurd it would never had produced an indictment never mind a conviction in the US (even in Texas!). So lets keep the issue in two parts. Did she do it? It is possible but should she have been tried and convicted. Never. Under the law, innocent means there is not enough proof that you committed a crime, not that you didn't do it. And my take is she is certainly 'innocent' and she really did not do it.
As far as Italy is concerned my personal experiences from my numerous visits and interaction with Italians in science and medicine has put Italy on my anti-bucket list. And BTW, I added Indiana the other day.
Re: innocent until proven guilty as sin, in our country unless you are poor or black you are free to go unless twelve folks decide otherwise. As the wise attorney I count on says, "reasonable doubt for a reasonable fee." Don't know about Italy's legal system but it seems like most of their politicians get off and the mafia has a get out of jail card in their back pocket In real life getting off is not assurance of not guilty.
She guilty? She knows. Do I ? No.
Generally I don't generalize but Marvin and I run with different crowds, I like Italians, the ones I've met on the road were a hoot. Funny, wine drinking, easy going socialists nut jobs. Pretty too.
@JJG I thought I was dealing with the same crowd, good food, wine and easy going socialist nut jobs until we got involved in serious business and I discovered a very different view. The problem was it was the same people in both situations. There is nothing worse than thinking you know someone and then discover you don't. And of course to be fair, it is not everyone in Italy but unless I was really unlucky, it was a high percentage.
Off topic from the Amanda Knox discourse above, but after reading The Hill's post on Reince Priebus' comment on Richard Nixon, just three word: Rose Mary Woods.
No wonder they want college students to study STEM and stay out of liberal arts, like for instance, let's say - HISTORY! As George Santayana said way back during the Gilded Age (the first one, not this one) - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Ask Priebus about those five missing minutes on that tape and you'll probably get a blank look.
@KG it was 18 missing minutes and a re-enactment of the way they allegedly got erased is worthy of a SNL skit.
Angie's List has announced it is reversing a decision to expand its facility in Indianapolis due to the discriminatory new Indiana legislation. All I have to say to the legislators is: Ha, ha and ha. They are reaping what they sowed.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/angies-list-halts-indiana-expansion-anti-gay-law
As a resident of Maryland, I am watching our former Governor's tentative moves toward running for President with great interest. As, I am certain, are the RepubliCon strategists. I suspect they see him as a pretty easy mark. Our new Governor, Republican Larry Hogan, handily defeated Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown in this Democrat State, by effectively running against O'Malley. Brown ran one of the most astonishingly inept campaigns I have ever witnessed. (Campaign Slogan: "Uh, yeah, me too... sorta... I guess... Huh?) Hogan ran on all the usual cliches: damn all tax and spend liberals, Gawd bless business, curse the Gummit, screw the environment...
O'Malley is certainly not Mr. Charisma, and it's hard to see him inspiring much passion. But I hope he does run, in order to have a Democrat candidate's debate between sane adults, in contrast to the Repube's which will again display all the maturity and intellectual depth of a kindergarten recess.
And if, by some miracle, the Dems manage to regain the House, I earnestly hope they will elect as Speaker, my congressman, party whip Steny Hoyer. I love Nancy Pelosi (who BTW is a Nice Italian Girl From Baltimore. Nee D'Alesandro, Nancy's father and brother were mayors of Baltimore.) But I'm afraid she has become too divisive a figure to be as effective as she might be. Steny, on the other hand has a remarkable reputation for quietly and effectively getting things done while generating a minimum of rancor. He is that rarity these days, a long serving legislator, who knows his business, most everybody likes, and hardly anybody hates.
So here's the Dream -- President Clinton, Vice President O'Malley, Speaker Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Warren. Now where did I put that Pixie Dust?
And finally (sorry, I can't help it)
GO LADY TERPS!!!