The Commentariat -- April 30, 2013
Zachary Goldfarb & Scott Wilson of the Washington Post: "President Obama said he would take another stab in his second term at closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a first-term campaign promise that a Democratic-led Congress rejected. With reports that about 100 of Guantanamo's 166 detainees are on hunger strike, Obama said at a news conference at the White House that the existence of the facility is harmful to U.S. interests and he will reach out to lawmakers to try to shut it down."
Greg Miller of the Washington Post: "President Obama defended U.S. law enforcement's efforts to scrutinize the Boston Marathon bombing suspects in the year leading up to the attacks, and lashed out at critics he accused of chasing headlines. In his first news conference since the Boston attack, Obama also said that law enforcement agencies had performed in 'exemplary fashion' in the hunt for the bombers. Dismissing critics on Capitol Hill, Obama rebuked Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C) for suggesting last week that the bombings in Boston showed that U.S. security measures were slipping":
Pardon My Schadenfreude. Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling: "New PPP polls in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and Ohio find serious backlash against the 5 Senators who voted against background checks in those states. Each of them has seen their approval numbers decline, and voters say they're less likely to support them the next time they're up for reelection. That's no surprise given that we continue to find overwhelming, bipartisan support for background checks in these states." ...
... Igor Volsky of Think Progress: "... the National Rifle Association ... is running radio ads thanking [Sen. Kelly] Ayotte [R-N.H.] for focusing on 'meaningful bipartisan solutions' and opposing 'misguided gun control laws that would not have prevented Sandy Hook.'” Ayotte voted against the Manchin-Toomey amendment. ...
... Elizabeth Drew in the New York Review of Books: "The nonsense about what it takes for a president to win a victory in Congress has reached ridiculous dimensions. The fact that Barack Obama failed to win legislation to place further curbs on the purchase of guns -- even after the horror of Newtown, Connecticut — has made people who ought to know better decide that he’s not an 'arm-twister.'”
Justin Sink of The Hill: "Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said in an interview published this weekend that she is no longer certain that the Supreme Court should have taken Bush v. Gore, the controversial case that ended the 2000 Florida recount and decided that year's presidential election." CW: Ah, well, no harm done, Justice O'Connor. ...
... Ian Millhiser of Think Progress has more.
John Harwood of the New York Times: "... an immense challenge fac[es] the Obama administration as it puts in place the most significant parts of the 2010 [Affordable Care Act]. Few government initiatives reach so many corners of the American economy and society -- and have as much potential to generate trouble for the party in the White House. Among the complex imperatives: pushing reluctant states to set up insurance marketplaces and expand Medicaid programs, keeping an eye on insurance companies as they issue new rate schedules, measuring the law's effects on small-business hiring, and coaxing healthy young people to buy coverage so the system works economically for everyone else." CW: in reading Harwood's report, it would appear that one is the biggest problems is beating back the lies about the law coming out the GOP propaganda machine. ...
... Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic: don't believe all the horror stories you hear about ObamaCare. Because it is so complex, it may get off to a rocky start, but most people will be better off either when the plan is implemented or later on.
Jason Collins in Sports Illustrated: ""I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay." ...
... Some positive responses via Twitter, from, among others, Bill Clinton & Barack Obama. ...
... BUT Annie-Rose Strasser of Think Progress: "An ESPN sportscaster went on the air on Monday to publicly gay-bash Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out Monday morning in an emotional op-ed, the first active male player of a major American sport to come out. Speaking on ESPN's Outside The Lines, Chris Broussard said that he would 'not characterize [Collins] as a Christian.' He made the comments in front of his openly gay colleague, LZ Granderson." ...
... UPDATE. David Bauder of the AP: "ESPN says that it regrets the 'distraction' caused by one of its reporters who described Jason Collins as a sinner after the NBA center publicly revealed that he was gay. Chris Broussard, who covers the NBA for ESPN, had said on the air that Collins and others in the NBA who engage in premarital sex or adultery were 'walking in open rebellion to God, and to Jesus Christ.' Broussard, a former reporter for The New York Times, spoke during ESPN's 'Outside the Lines' program Monday discussing Collins' announcement." ...
... Benoit Denizet-Lewis in The New Republic: "Many gay black men in America grow up feeling they have to choose between their skin color and their sexuality. Afraid of being shunned by their families or churches and of finding no real home in mainstream gay culture ('The gay identity has long been constructed in the media as white and privileged,' says openly gay black writer Keith Boykin), many black men with same-sex attractions believe they have no choice but to live secret sexual or romantic lives. To say 'I'm black, and I'm gay' is to try to upend that narrative." ...
... Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones: "Although his coming out in Sports Illustrated is big news, NBA star Jason Collins is not the 'first openly gay athlete in professional North American team sports,' as some have claimed. Claiming as much implies that either women's sports don't matter as much (or don't exist at all), or that coming out is somehow less of a big deal for professional athletes who happen to be women." Sheppard lists a few of them. CW: One of the tweets reported in the story above was from Martina Navratilova, who came out in 1981.)
Bad News for Bob. Rosalind Helderman & Jerry Markon of the Washington Post: "FBI agents are conducting interviews about the relationship between Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, his wife, Maureen, and a major campaign donor who paid for the food at the wedding of the governor's daughter, according to four people familiar with the questioning. The agents have been asking associates of the McDonnells about gifts provided to the family by Star Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr. and actions the Republican governor and his wife have taken that may have boosted the company, the people said." CW: this is the lede story in the Post's online edition. This can't be helping Bob's chances to be President Bob.
New York Times Editors: "To hear Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tell it, the way forward on Syria is clear. The United States should be doing more -- directly arming the rebels seeking overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, establishing a no-fly zone.... What the senators and like-minded critics have not offered is a coherent argument for how a more muscular approach might be accomplished without dragging the United States into another extended and costly war and how it might yield the kind of influence and good will for this country that the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan have not.... Mr. Obama must soon provide a clearer picture of how he plans to use American influence in dealing with the jihadi threat and the endgame in Syria." ...
... Andy Borowitz: "A growing chorus of Republican lawmakers are demanding that President Obama take some action in Syria so that they can attack whatever action he took in Syria."
O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
-- "To a Louse," by Robert Burns ...
... To a Louse, by Peter Hart, in Common Dreams, writing on the "sick madness" of Tom Friedman. Thanks to Bonnie for the link; Bonnie suggests reading some of the comments, too.
The Distinguished Gentleman from Texas. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "In his short time at the Capitol, Senator Ted Cruz, a freshman Republican from Texas, has shown little regard for long-standing rules of decorum. But on Friday, he publicly discussed the closed-door dealings of the Senate Republican Conference -- and trashed his colleagues in the process. Stopping by a Texas meeting of the Tea Party-aligned group FreedomWorks, Mr. Cruz called many of his colleagues 'squishes,' forced to stand on conservative principles by the uncompromising stands of a triumphant trio of Republican 'constitutionalists': himself and Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky." CW: Joe Lieberman's retirement broke up the old Three Stooges of the Senate. So it's nice to know we have a brand-new worser version. ...
... Liberals Can Fear-Monger, Too: Climate Change Will Force Women into Prostitution. Peter Kasperowicz of The Hill: "Several House Democrats are calling on Congress to recognize that climate change is hurting women more than men, and could even drive poor women to 'transactional sex' for survival. The resolution [comes] from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and a dozen other Democrats."
Congressional Races
Today is primary day in Massachusetts for the U.S. Senate special election.
When we talk about fiscal spending and we talk about protecting the taxpayers, it doesn’t mean you take that money we saved and leave the country for a personal purpose. -- Elizabeth Colbert Busch, in her debate with former Appalachian-trail hiking fraudster Mark Sanford. Sanford & Busch are running for a Congressional seat vacated when Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Rep. Tim Scott to the Senate.
Commentariat Conversations
... Watching Fox news cuts into my daily visits to Breibart's grave. -- Diane, in response to Akhilleus
Bad news for Diane. (Via Kate Madison) -- Constant Weader:
News Ledes
he Hill: "A dust mask allegedly discarded by the man accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) tested positive for the poison, according to a court document made public on Tuesday." ...
... When the FBI Comes Knocking (OR, Actually, Breaking Down the Door). AP: "Attorneys for a Mississippi man who was briefly charged with sending ricin-laced letters to the president and others are encouraged after speaking with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office about repairing or replacing the man's house after an intensive search left it uninhabitable."
CBS News: "George Zimmerman told a judge in court Tuesday morning that he will not seek a 'stand your ground' immunity hearing before his trial on charges of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin."
AP: "Willem-Alexander became the first Dutch king in more than a century Tuesday as his mother, Beatrix, abdicated after 33 years as queen. The generational change in the House of Orange-Nassau gave the Netherlands a moment of celebration, pageantry and brief respite as this trading nation of nearly 17 million struggles through a lengthy recession brought on by the European economic crisis." ...
... Reuters UPDATE: "Willem-Alexander - who is a water management specialist, a useful expertise in a country where much of the land is below sea level - and his wife Maxima, a former investment banker from Argentina, are expected to bring a less formal touch to the monarchy at a time of national austerity and budget cuts. April 30, or Queen's Day, has always been an occasion for partying in the Netherlands, and Amsterdam has been awash with orange - the color of the House of Orange - for days."
Boston Globe: Massachusetts holds primaries today for the special election of a U.S. Senator to replace John Kerry.
Washington Post: "FBI special agents spent about 90 minutes Monday inside the Rhode Island home of the parents of Katherine Russell, the widow of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, an FBI spokesman said.... Two law enforcement officials said that investigators found female DNA on a piece of one of the bombs from the marathon. The DNA could have come from a woman who helped the suspects make the bombs or from a person in a store who handled the materials the suspects bought, said the officials...." ...
... New York Times: "Federal authorities are closely scrutinizing the activities of the wife of the dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect in the days before and after the attacks."
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Reader Comments (8)
Well, heck, if we can't get people moving on Climate Change then maybe introducing the possibility that bad weather can effect the sexual practices of our women desperate to feed their families, provide a roof over their heads, prevent all those rats (that emerge after floods) that bite their babies in their beds then I say, go for it. When in dire straits women will endure almost anything to protect their brood can be the message that might make the male population sit up and take notice. It's more than fear mongering, it's more like shame on you for forcing these poor women to have to spread their legs in order to survive–-and in a Christian country like ours–-how dare you! Might just do the trick.
PD,
Unfortunately shame is a quality in severely short supply and probably wouldn't do much to push climate change deniers toward more rational (make that rational, period) policies.
First, Rep. Lee's bill seems to assume that we're all on the same page regarding problems stemming from climate change. Ahh....no, we're not because that logic presumes an initial belief in climate change.
I'm pretty sure John Shimkus (R-IL), (the Bible says climate change won't hurt a bit, not even a little), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), part-time critic of fat asses and full-time science skeptic, Joe Barton (R-TX), (we owe BP a great big apology!), and similar troglodytes taking up valuable oxygen in the House, have no presumptions that there is any such thing as climate change in the first place.
Also I'm gonna go way out on a limb and suggest that phrases like "...gender-specific frameworks in developing policies to address climate change" will initiate massive brain hemorrhaging in these guys and their allies prompting immediate seizure of their pinhead sized prefrontal cortexes.
So this potential source of transactional sex may have to await future solutions. But until then, it's rats galore!
(And seriously, trying to scare Republicans into worrying about climate change by getting them to worry about the well being of women is probably a non-starter. Plus then we'll be hearing questions about whether or not it was legitimate transactional sex.)
So Sandra Day O'Connor is sorry that the Supremes screwed up with the putsch that installed a chimp in the Oval Office? Not as sorry as we are, Sandy, baby.
Here's my favorite line:
"It turned out the election authorities in Florida hadn't done a real good job there and kind of messed it up. And probably the Supreme Court added to the problem at the end of the day."
Ya think?
I hear that visitors to the new Building to Glorify Bush get a hanging chad in place of a ticket.
Now class, can you think of any other SCOTUS decisions that added to existing problems or made things worse?
O'Connor sure changed her tune from the book tour interviews on NPR and Maddow. Jeffrey Toobin 1 - Sandra Day O'Connor finally admitting to flinging elephant poop around the hallowed halls of the Court.
NPR Fresh Air this am had a terrific interview with CJ Chivers (NYT) who has been with 2 different rebel groups in Syria. Won't have the audio repeat until later today. Talked about how difficult it is to figure out how to distribute weapons to the rebels (previous reporting from Iraq, Libya). My favorite line was "some of these guys look like Jihadists right out of central casting." Chivers talked about not being able to tell the difference between the general class of fighters unless you observe their behavior, i.e not praying, smoking, etc during Ramadan. However, he was clear that there was a significant number of extremists among the rebels. Per usual, it's the regular folk who are suffering.
Euro-zone unemployment rate hits a new high----12.1%!! Greece and Spain now over 26% unemployment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/business/global/european-unemployment-sets-another-record.html?hpw&_r=0
How's that austerity think working out for you? Sure would be good if got some of that government belt-tightening over here!
Diane,
Your mention of the reporter's difficulty figuring out who's who in a war zone reminded me of a bit I saw as a kid on a show called That Was the Week that Was.
It was an American version of a satirical BBC show which featured the cream of British humorists at the time including several performers and writers who later on created Monty Python.
The bit I'm thinking of featured a William F. Buckley type trying to instruct viewers in how to tell the difference between North and South Vietnamese. In the picture of a South Vietnamese man, the announcer intones on the subjects obvious love of democracy, his general peaceful nature, and other vaguely remembered virtues. The picture of the North Vietnamese man was described in scathing tones as being illustrative of a killer, hater of democracy and his fellow men, etc., etc.
Of course it was the same picture.
That American show featured a pretty impressive collection of humorists as well. Woody Allen, Calvin Trillin, Alan Alda, Buck Henry, and Gloria Steinem (!) were all connected to the show.
During the Battle of the Bulge American troops learned that English speaking Germans dressed as US troops had infiltrated American lines. A series of passwords were used and when they proved unreliable, guards at checkpoints resorted to pop culture and sports questions such as asking for the definition of a Texas Leaguer or a Baltimore Chop, or some pop music question.
They might try that in Syria. Oh, wait. Probably no one in Syria has ever even heard of a Baltimore Chop.
Never mind.
fun & games in Obama's Guantanamo:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/04/mohamedou_ould_slahi_s_guant_namo_memoirs_how_the_united_states_kept_a_gitmo.html
I'm telling you, you people help me digest my dinner––always a good thing to laugh a lot after consuming chicken mit broccoli and brown rice–-nicely cooked, I may add. It's like a musical medley, the kind you hear being trapped in an elevator or walking through a super market in search of kumquats or that special sauce you heard mention on a cooking show that you can't remember the name of, but will know it when you see it. Here we have the possibility of climate change sex discounted by troglodytes who take valuable oxygen in the House and then segue into Sandra's song that maybe they got it wrong to getting hanging chads instead of tickets to enter the tomb of Bushsie Bull Shitter and then swerve into Syria where no one knows who belongs to whom or what and then a right turn into Greece and Spain where the unemployed sit around all day waiting for Godot who might just be Monty Python in disguise whose password might just be Baltimore Chop––we can't be sure. Finally our medley ends with fun and games in Guantanamo and if that isn't a dandy title for a poem, I don't know what is. Thank you for all this––so much better than Berlin's "It's a lovely day today" or "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" sung by Doris Day.