The Commentariat -- August 25, 2014
Internal links removed.
President Obama returned from Martha's Vineyard to Washington Sunday to face multiple crises. ...
... CW: I've been ignoring tiresome complaints that President Obama played golf while Ferguson burned, etc. -- see, for instance, Maureen Dowd's 800-word whine -- but now I'll let Andy Borowitz cover the "issue": "G.O.P. chief Reince Priebus ripped President Obama on Sunday for consuming three meals a day while on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. 'With international crises boiling over in Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine, it's unconscionable that the President is having breakfast, lunch, and dinner,' he said." ...
... AND Bob Cesca is helpful, too: "... in the interest of history and the obvious inability of Republican concern-trolls to actually do the research themselves, I decided to set the way-back machine to the beloved Ronald Reagan presidency. Here's a series of harrowing events from the 1980s, along with the comparatively AWESOME optics from Reagan, the now-sainted chief executive. The photographs are all from the specified dates." In every photo Cesca reproduces, Ronaldus Maximus is vacationing while bad things happen around the world. Shocking! ...
... Steve Benen: "The political world's preoccupation with President Obama's vacation is excessive, but it also obscures a more salient point. Republicans and pundits may be outraged that the president took some time off and played some golf, but Congress is in the middle of a much longer break -- and lawmakers have some work to do. In his latest Sunday-show appearance, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) complained bitterly about the White House's foreign policy before turning his attention to ISIS.... 'One of the key decisions the president is going to have to make is airpower in Syria.' ... I hate to sound picky, but ... under our system of government, [Congress is] supposed to play a role in these 'key decisions,' too.'" See more on McCain's views, linked below.
Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times: "The last time the economic policy conference held [In Jackson Hole, Wyoming,] every August devoted its agenda to labor markets, it was 1994 and the Federal Reserve's vice chairman scandalized the audience by suggesting central banks worried too much about reducing inflation and not enough about unemployment. Twenty years later, heresy has become gospel. Leaders of the world's major central banks made clear in speeches at this year's conference, which ended Saturday, that they were focused on raising employment and wages. The pursuit of lower inflation has been replaced by a conviction that inflation is actually too low for the good of the economy."
Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "Makers of surveillance systems are offering governments across the world the ability to track the movements of almost anybody who carries a cellphone, whether they are blocks away or on another continent. The technology works by exploiting an essential fact of all cellular networks: They must keep detailed, up-to-the-minute records on the locations of their customers to deliver calls and other services to them. Surveillance systems are secretly collecting these records to map people's travels over days, weeks or longer, according to company marketing documents and experts in surveillance technology." ...
... CW: Here's a suggestion, people. If you're going to go out & commit a crime, leave your cellphone at home. Otherwise, who cares if Nursultan Nazarbayev (see Way Beyond the Beltway, below) knows where you are?
Katie Thomas of the New York Times: "... an examination of [Medicare's] rating system [for nursing homes] ... has found that ... many ... top-ranked nursing homes have been given a seal of approval that is based on incomplete information and that can seriously mislead consumers, investors and others about conditions at the homes. The Medicare ratings, which have become the gold standard across the industry, are based in large part on self-reported data by the nursing homes that the government does not verify."
Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal interviews Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "The turmoil in Ferguson, Mo., and the controversial stop-and-frisk policy in New York City illustrate a 'real racial problem' in America, one that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have done little to help, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told The National Law Journal. The high court was 'once a leader in the world' in rooting out racial discrimination, the justice said in a wide-ranging interview late Wednesday in her chambers. 'What's amazing is how things have changed.'"
Travis Waldron of Think Progress: "ESPN announced Saturday that it would give its on-air broadcasters, analysts, and personalities the option to avoid saying the name of Washington's professional football team, a day after the Washington Post editorial board joined the list of publications that will no longer print the name and ESPN's Keith Olbermann used his show to call on the network to institute such a policy." CW Note: The Post's newsroom (which includes sports news) will continue to use the term "Redskins.'"
From the Sunday Morning Shows:
Keith Laing of the Hill: "House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said Sunday that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is 'one plane ticket away from U.S. shores.'" CW: This confuses me: I thought the terrorists were coming in via the U.S.-Mexican border. ...
... Talking Points, Delivered. ...
... (1) Kyle Balluck of the Hill: "Speaking on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' [Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)] said James Foley's murder last week 'really brought home this [ISIS] threat.'" (Foley is from New Hampshire.)
... (2) Keith Laing: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday called for President Obama to target leaders of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria after the beheading of an American journalist [James Foley] last week." ...
... (3) Mario Trujillo of the Hill: Sen. John "McCain said the recent beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley by ISIS will hopefully work as a catalyst for the administration to define a comprehensive strategy in Iraq and other parts of the world. The United States has launched more than 90 airstrikes in Iraq against ISIS. 'This is an administration, which the kindest word I can use is "feckless," where they have not outlined a role that the United States has to play. And that is a leadership role,' he said." ...
... AND OMG, Journalism! George Stephanopoulos Fact-Checks Peggy Noonan. Steve Benan calls "The exchange [between Noonan & Stephanopoulos] ... one of my favorite of any Sunday show this year." When Peggy describes Rick Perry's indictment as "local Democratic overreach," George points out that the special prosecutor who brought the case is a Republican, which phases Noonan, but doesn't stop her. Benen: "... the Republican columnist had nine days to get the basic details straight.... Local Democrats had literally nothing to do with the indictment.... Democratic officials in Travis County recused themselves from the case, and the prosecutor in this case, Michael McCrum, worked in the Bush/Quayle administration. What's more, McCrum, who enjoys a solid reputation as a credible attorney, was appointed to oversee this case by a Republican judge." ...
... Update. Jason Easley of PoliticusUSA Charge Chris Jansing with committing more journalism: "Chris Jansing was the fill in moderator on Meet The Press, and without David Gregory or Chuck Todd, Republican talking points about the threat of ISIS to America were strongly challenged." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. Charles Pierce, in a piece linked below, is less kind to Jansing, calling her out for being "remarkably useful" to Rand Paul. (In fairness to Jansing, she is not her own assignment editor.)
Glenn Greenwald doesn't think tech giants like Twitter should censor content because, um, they're really big companies. ....
... Driftglass respectfully disagrees.
Presidential Race
Daniel Strauss of TPM: "Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a 'war hawk' and added that if she decides to run for president in 2016 voters will question whether she wants to bring the U.S. into another war in the Middle East. Paul, himself a potential 2016 candidate, made the comments during an appearance on NBC's Meet The Press." ...
... CW: I think Clinton is ahead in all polls now, but that's probably mostly name recognition. I suspect there's an excellent chance that Paul would beat Clinton in the presidential race. When Frank Rich suggested it nearly a year ago, pundits scoffed. But Americans are at heart a hopeful people, & they want something new in a president. This helps explain Obama's win over Clinton in 2008, & Bill Clinton's win over Pappy Bush in 1992. Yes, Aqua Buddha boy, the self-certified ophthalmologist, former plagiarist & Friend of Racists has some baggage, but Hillary Clinton has more. Besides, most Americans don't know about Li'l Randy's weirdness, & they're familiar with Clinton's history. And Randy's little indiscretions won't matter much. Clinton can't run on "Rand Paul technically kidnapped a woman 30 years ago." ...
... "Rand Paul Offers Free Eye Exam With Deportation." Jonathan Chait posted this piece Friday, but it's worth reading now, for the fun of it. ...
... Charles Pierce zeroes in on Li'l Randy's Guatemalan entourage, which included "ratfker" David Bossie & wonders in virtual print what Paul is doing palling around with ratfkers: "Why, you might almost think that Aqua Buddha is running a scam on everyone, and that he is more than willing to play foul, and to deal double, to get what he wants." ...
... BUT if you really want to know what Rand Paul's immigration policy is, Simon Maloy of Salon can say with certainty that he really doesn't know. Maloy tracks Paul's multiple flipflops & sidesteps (CW: sounds like the makings of a new dance craze -- soon all the cool white tweens will be doing the Randango). "Rand Paul is an exceptionally sensitive political weathervane. Whatever the dominant Republican position is on immigration at any given time, you'll find Rand Paul pushing for it." ...
... AND here's a prime example of Clinton's Total Tone-Deafness. Maggie Haberman of Politico: "Hillary Clinton ignored reporters' questions about the racial conflict in Ferguson, Missouri, on Sunday at the end of a book-signing event in Westhampton Beach, a vacation enclave near her rented summer house. Clinton, the potential 2016 Democratic presidential hopeful who has been vacationing in the Hamptons since the first full week of August, has not yet commented on the situation in Ferguson...."
Paul Krugman: "Rick Perry doesn't know the secrets of job creation, or even of regional growth. It would be great to see the real key -- affordable housing -- become a national issue. But I don't think Democrats are willing to nominate Mayor Bill de Blasio for president just yet."
Beyond the Beltway
Sara Burnett of the AP: Michael Brown's funeral is today. "His father, Michael Brown Sr., has asked protesters to take a break Monday and observe a day of silence so the family can grieve." ...
... John Eligon of the New York Times profiles Michael Brown. ...
... Monica Davey & Frances Robles of the New York Times profile Darren Wilson.
... Matt Sledge of the Huffington Post: Eddie Boyd III, one of three black cops on the Ferguson police force, "resigned from St. Louis city police under a cloud of suspicion. Missouri tried to make sure he couldn't walk the beat. But one officer with a history of allegations of hitting children found a willing employer in the Ferguson Police Department." Via Margaret Hartmann of New York. ...
... Ryan Reilly & Ashley Alman of the Huffington Post: "A Ferguson police officer who helped detain a journalist in a McDonald's earlier this month is in the midst of a civil rights lawsuit because he allegedly hog-tied a 12-year-old boy who was checking the mail at the end of his driveway." The incident occurred while Justin Cosma was as officer with the Jefferson County sheriff's office. Shortly after the incident, the Ferguson police department hired him. Also via Hartmann.
Way Beyond the Beltway
Worse than Bush. Robert Mendick of the Telegraph: "Tony Blair gave Kazakhstan's autocratic president advice on how to manage his image after the slaughter of unarmed civilians protesting against his regime. In a letter to Nursultan Nazarbayev, obtained by The Telegraph, Mr Blair told the Kazakh president that the deaths of 14 protesters 'tragic though they were, should not obscure the enormous progress' his country had made. Mr Blair, who is paid millions of pounds a year to give advice to Mr Nazarbayev, goes on to suggest key passages to insert into a speech the president was giving at the University of Cambridge, to defend the action." ...
... Erik Loomis of Lawyers, Guns & Money: "Tony Blair is like the love child of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Lanny Davis. Combine neoliberal economic policies, warmongering, and profiting off of advising dictators and you have quite the individual."
News Ledes
AP: "A Liberian doctor who received one of the last known doses of an experimental Ebola drug has died, officials said Monday. Separately, Canada said it has yet to send out an untested vaccine that the government is donating."
Washington Post: "After 49 days of war, the armies of Israel and Hamas appear to have run out of new ideas -- but not bombs. They are now slugging it out in a lopsided war of attrition. As rumors fly that another cease-fire could be imminent, Hamas and Israel are groping for a diplomatic solution that could allow both to declare victory -- or in the case of Hamas, at least avoid an obvious loss."
New York Times: "Extremist fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria seized a military base in northern Syria on Sunday from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, further solidifying control inside their self-declared Islamic state spanning the Syria-Iraq border."
Washington Post: "Ukraine charged that Russian forces crossed into eastern Ukraine early Monday in military vehicles, including tanks, as Russia vowed to send a second convoy into the country this week to deliver humanitarian aid to areas held by pro-Moscow separatists."
AP: "French President Francois Hollande dissolved the government on Monday after open feuding in his Cabinet over the country's stagnant economy."
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Reader Comments (17)
Is it really possible that Aqua Buddha could defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election? How could that be? Hmmm.....I am now imagining just that. Eeeek!
Hillary is an inauthentic, right of center pol of the Old School. She is not particularly likable--though very, very smart. Plus, she seems drawn to war and loves Israel--no matter what horror they commit. Rand Paul is a complete phony, but often "sounds" reasonable. And, in his weird way, he is sorta cute--even though not very smart and full of shit. Add that together with the STUPID, dumbed down American voter and, I fear, Frank Rich and CW have a good point. Oh my goodness gracious! I do not expect the Fox News audience to have the smarts even to think about what is most important: SUPREME COURT. Did I say it clearly enough? SUPREME COURT. Oh precious Jeebus, SUPREME COURT!
When is the next trip to Mars?
Re: the blather about Obama golfing while the world burns. Having some understanding of what a President has to contend with day after day, crisis after crisis, it is essential for their mental health to be able to get into another sphere emotionally and physically–-if not, the job would eat one up, both emotionally and physically. I think of how it effected Johnson at the very end.
There's a story that Edmond Morris tells about Reagan when he was dealing with Gorbachev. James Baker had spent hours putting together talking points and other info that would be essential for Reagan to digest before his meeting with G. Baker left the file on Reagan's desk the evening before the meeting. The next morning Baker noticed the file had not been touched and the meeting with G. was that morning. Baker, clearly upset, questioned Reagan as to why on earth he hadn't read the file––his response: "Aw, gee, Jim, "The Sound of Music" was on last night." Now here's a guy who not only fiddled while the world burned, he sang along with Maria on the mountain.
A victim of McCarthy-era Witch Hunt calls on U-Ill, not to fire critic of Israeli policies. An important piece by Juan Cole which should be front and center in the media, but will, I fear, be tucked away on these liberal sites. The fact that in this country a professor at a University would be fired for taking a stance such as this is shocking to me. I thought we were done with this kind of thing.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/mccarthy_witch_hunt_victim_calls_u-illinois_not_fire_critic_israel_20140825
@P. D. Pepe wrote: "The fact that in this country a professor at a University would be fired for taking a stance such as this is shocking to me."
The university did not fire Steve Salaita. The U. of I. rescinded his offer before the trustees approved it. (The trustees' approval is usually pro forma.) He had not started working for the university.
Whatever you think of Salaita's tweets (I happen to agree with the ones I read), a university has a legal & moral right to decide whom to hire, & they can & do take into account an applicant's political positions, especially if those positions relate to the professor's field of expertise. I probably would not have rescinded the offer (I'm a U.I. alum), but I don't doubt their right to make the call. I respectfully disagree with Juan Cole that this is a McCarthy-type witch hunt. It is, at worst, a bad judgment call by the administration of a publicly-funded university.
I haven't linked to stories about this on-going controversy because I don't think it's a BFD. However, I get why at least 300 academics -- & Chandler Davis in particular -- vehemently disagree with me. And they might be right.
Marie
That Andy Borowitz. He almost had me again.
Scanning Marie's aperçu regarding the president's outrageous temerity at taking a break now and then (at this point in his presidency, The Decider had decided he needed well over a year's worth of vacation time--the most in history, if you don't count all the high-level meetings at which The Great Communicator was incommunicado, ie, asleep), then noticed Reince Priebus complaining about Obama eating three meals a day while blah, blah, blah, more bad shit. Immediate febrility ensued until I espied the name Andy Borowitz attached to this shoddy promotion.
The simple fact that I could have believed, even for a few seconds, that some gaping GOP asshole had flung out so contumelious a comment illustrates the depths to which the right has sunk in their public discourse. Of course I believed Priebus could have said something that stupid. Republicans are twice that stupid every morning before tying their shoes.
But the "President relaxes while the world burns" trope offers a perfect example (chapter 4, page 98, Wingnut Control the Message Textbook) in ways to use the most quotidian occurrences to manufacture outrage and perfidy to make Joseph Goebbels envious of their efficacy.
It's the end of the summer. Congress has adjourned, going from doing nothing standing up to doing nothing lying down. The president, as all modern presidents have done, goes on vacation. OUTRAGE. Suddenly, the Foxbots, the Breitbartians, the Drudgeons, the Beckians, the Washinton Timesians, and all their antic followers in the MSM join in the drone. Every picture of Obama with a golf club in his hand is incontestable confirmation of treason. A picture of the first family on a Vineyard beach reads "Obama cools down while Ferguson heats up".
Never mind that many of the country's problems whined about, and much of the malaise in Missouri are the direct results of right-wing policies and the application of wingnut ideology pushed by these same media outlets. The trope catches on and everyone gets to play.
It's such a perfectly fixed game that even trying to respond to it means you've decided to sit at the table and play against the house's stacked deck.
It's hard to flambé fools when the rest of the media is nodding their heads and drooling. I'll bet Chuck Todd was wishing he could have had a crack at compiling vacation pictures of the president because Both Sides Do It.
My guess is he'll do it anyway.
By the way, speaking of Mr. Both Sides Do It, I didn't watch it, but according to PoliticsUSA, actual journalism made an appearance on Meet the Press this weekend. Chris Jansing, fill in host, upended Republican talking points by asking (the horror!) follow-up questions to GOP propaganda. Must have been fun to watch. But not to worry, wingers, your boy (up)Chuck will be there soon to soothe your frazzled, lying nerves and let you dish the dirt unmolested and lie, unchallenged, til your pants set off the NBC smoke alarms.
The recent revelation about one particular line on Darren Wilson's resume is about as surprising as dog whistles in GOP stump speeches.
Wilson may not have indulged in the high octane racially motivated actions of the Jennings, MO, police force, but for a guy who came from what sounds like a pretty chaotic upbringing, a stint in a place like the Jennings PD, a department so fraught with racial animosity, stocked with cops who had nothing but disdain for the majority black residents, that it had to be dissolved, could not have contributed to a sense of how good police work is done.
But his background, coming from a force that was disbanded because of their inability to deal with race, didn't seem to bother whoever hired him at Ferguson, another department that deals with its majority black population with scorn and violence, and perhaps no small amount of hatred.
Makes you wonder how many other cities and towns have police departments more redolent of Klan chapters than law enforcement entities. And unlike the Klan, these guys can shoot you legally and walk.
It's a right-winger's dream of the perfect society. Guns aplenty for white people, minorities kept down and subject to departmentally authorized violent repercussions if uppity and uncooperative, and a get out of jail free card if one happens to take it too far.
David Bossie, a ratfker with whom I was unfamiliar. OK, Let's do a little Google/Wikipedia search.
First up, Wikipedia: "Bossie grew up in Massachusetts to parents he has described as "apolitical". When he first registered to vote he left the political affiliation box blank. When an employee explained to him that it was a requirement for registration in Massachusetts, he said that he wanted to be whatever Ronald Reagan was. The employee said that she wasn't permitted to tell him but gave him a newspaper and said, "Here, read this, figure it out and fill in the appropriate box."
Including this personal tidbit: "Bossie has served for 20 years as a Montgomery County, Maryland volunteer firefighter. He lived in the firehouse for several years before his marriage."
I repeat, "he said that he wanted to be whatever Ronald Reagan was." Brilliant!
Then on to www.exposethebastards.com for this:
"Bossie was relieved of his duties after it was revealed he edited tapes and transcripts of former U.S. Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell's telephone calls, leaving out key details."
Ethics, what ethics? One week it is plagiarists, and the next, overzealous redacters!
@Akhilleus. Had you read that one of the fat, fat, fattiest members of Congress complained about the very fit Michelle Obama's "large posterior," it would not have been in an Andy Borowitz satirical piece. (And Sensenbrenner isn't the only conservative who publicly resents a powerful black woman pushing Americans toward healthy diets & complains every time she eats a burger or shares a rack of ribs.)
Now I'm going to have my Special K & Greek yogurt parfait.
Marie
Like PD, I'm developing a case of the heebie-jeebies just picturing that scowling, sour little liar, Aqua Buddha, in the White House.
Hillary may just be seated too high on the throne to notice, but the race has already begun. There is an entrenched Kill the Clintons mob, many of whom work in the media, who have traded in their circa 1996 pitchforks for Iraq surplus RPGs. There is no such anti-Paul contingent. The right-wing media won't call him out on his flip-flops, lies, and inconsistencies, and with media manqués like Chuck Todd leading the way, the MSM will all be singing about the New Kid in Town, while every sentence of Hillary's will be pored over for traces of past treachery and omens of future flim-flams.
And yes, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were pretty new to the national scene when they were elected, but they weren't anywhere near as fucking weird and obviously eccentric as this little shit. Will that matter? I don't know.
And that's where it gets really scary. I'd hate to have to rely on the Little One to shoot his own foot off, but so far every time he fucks up, people look the other way or think it's cute.
Why, oh why, does it have to be Hillary? But if it must be, she had better get her ass in gear and stop avoiding questions about situations like Ferguson. I get that some aide is telling her not to respond to anything on the record--just yet. But by the time they think it's time, there may be no time.
President Bad Toupée. I can't even imagine how bad that could that be, plus both houses of Congress controlled by criminals.
Marie,
I remember the time Big Jim, while stuffing a 5,000 calorie burger in his fat mouth, took the time, between spitting out greasy projectiles of fries, sweet pickle, ketchup, and ground beef and wiping secret sauce off his chin, to complain about the size of the First Lady's ass.
First, how low is it to make such an observation publicly? Even if Michelle Obama were seriously overweight, that would be below the belt, as it were. But not for these ignorant fat heads.
I see on the story you link that another Charles Atlas specimin, one Rushbo (overweight addict) Limbaugh, complained that the First Lady was out eating ribs one night which, according to Mr. Perfect Body, crosses her off the list of anyone able to speak intelligently about healthy eating.
For people like these fatsos, the idea of a moderate diet probably means nothing but a leaf of Boston lettuce and a raw carrot for every meal. They've obviously never heard that people in good shape at a healthy weight can now and then indulge in other types of foods.
Like ribs.
Taste much better than sour grapes I'd guess.
Oops, I think I meant "Like Kate..." when I was talking about the possibility of the Little One sitting on his Buddha butt in the White House. But I'm guessing PD might feel the same way.
Aqua Buddha would be catastrophic to our country, but he would be even more catastrophic to the Military-Industrial Complex. And while the average Joe doesn't think nor vote, you can bet your bottom dollar that every leech with a sucker on some of Uncle Sam's defense budget is following his daily rise with a puckered pooper. If he doesn't self-destruct soon I'm willing to bet the War Hawks Club, led by a delirious McCain in full garb, will start up their secret hideaway outings to devise a plan to swift boat him to the bottom of the polls.
If Republicans stand for nothing besides tearing down what's good at home, they can't consciously allow their self-proclaimed title of the official 'Defenders of Freeeedom' party to self-destruct INTERNALLY! Sorry but I'm not buying it. The Complex is too deep (financially and politically) and too powerful (idem) to allow an openly anti-war REPUBLICAN to get elected. And besides that, we're talking wingnut egos here. They couldn't ideologically handle being the Party of Doves, it'd drive them out in scores to some newly empowered Tea Party Express.
So unless Lyin' Randy starts flippy floppin' on War Games or he runs as anti-war and just goes Obama and lets the warmongers drone away in dark corners of the world unbeknownst to the average citizen, he ain't gettin' the nod from the Establishment, regardless of what the public wants. Especially not in this moment with the ISIS crisis growing by day, which is going to be still alive and kicking once the new Presidential elections come around. And I see Boko Haram has seen all the press ISIS is getting these days and they just declared themselves their own 'Islamic State' in the backwoods of Nigeria. While they're clearly not comparable to ISIS in power and prowess, it's another symptom of a bigger cause.
And the weapon manufacturers rejoice!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28925484
Wingnut fury is at a fever pitch today because Michael Brown's family has the nerve to hold a funeral for him.
The idea!
I realize how distasteful it is to read some of the stuff that these ignorant, racist slobs spit out, but this isn't just the fringe anymore. Right-wing media heroes have made it A-OK to be as racist as you can be. They've made it okay to open fire (in some cases literally) on black communities in America and anyone seen as a traitor to their race by "coddling" those "moochers".
One small case in point--and I missed this last week--involves Fox, not by any means a fringe operation. Last week Megyn Kelly invited noted racist and disgraced former LA police detective, Mark Fuhrman on her show to give his expert opinion on what happened. Was he there when it happened? No. Did he speak to anyone who was there when it happened? No. In lieu of facts then, he employed the standard Fox uses for what passes for truthiness. He.made.it.up.
He went into great detail about what happened in the car, what Brown did and how brave Darren Wilson responded to his thuggish (ie, black) attacker, who bashed his head so badly he almost lost consciousness--seriously, he says this, and yet, Wilson, seconds after having his eye socket caved in, his head slammed so hard he nearly passed out, was able to leap to his feet and put six slugs in a kid 30 feet away. Amazing!
Back in my football days in high school and college, I was hit hard enough to sustain several concussions, after which I was lucky if I could walk in a straight line back to the huddle. I had to ask the guy next to me what I was doing on the next play because I was so out of it, but Darren Wilson can overcome such piddling physical impediments, at least according to Fox's expert, Mark Fucking Fuhrman.
I can only imagine that, were James Earl Ray still alive, Fox would have him on regularly to comment on the problems decent white people have with the black community.
Just disgraceful.
Gotta love the Bob McDonnell trial. Soap opera tawdry. Lonesome Rhodes governor, wife with obvious aging problems (sorry, “issues”), a snake-oil salesman (white shoes, I betchya), and assorted chefs and realtors and statehouse staff all mud wrestling to see who goes to the tank last.
@AK: Yes, indeed, PD quakes in her brand new boots at the thought of randy Randy ever becoming President although the prospect of that brings to mind such crazy scenarios it's almost a lark to imagine what would ensue –––as long as it won't come true.
Your post about the Megyn Kelly interview with Mark Furhman is indicative of the kinds of guests this little lady has on her program. For days on end she had on Bill Ayers pumping him about his connection to Obama (minuscule) yet she seemed unable to accept that. Ayers was reasonable and well spoken trying hard to explain to Megyn why he did what he did, explaining his liberal stance today all the while getting that pickle puss look of hers and her not giving an inch on her agenda which was to discredit him and Obama to boot. Kelly is always disappointing; Hannity, on the other hand, is disgraceful. Now there's someone who fits perfectly with the word, PRICK.
@Marie: Thanks for the clarification re: the Salaita situation. The fact that he had quit his job after he was assured this new position is something to consider here. Although I agree with you that Cole's connection with a McCarthy-era witch hunt is far fetched I am still somewhat shocked and sad at how all this played out.
@James Singer—You reminded me that I forgot to check out WAPO in the McDonnell trial happenings today. The prosecutor's line of questioning seemed to dwell on vacations. (Evidently, vacations are the HOT topic du jour!)
"(Prosecutor) Dry also attacked the notion that McDonnell and his wife were on the skids by demonstrating that the two vacationed together 18 times over 22 months while he was governor." Or 1.222222 per month!
Also a curious factor about this trial...it lacks a certain color story. If you know what I mean. I have yet to read about Maureen McDonnell's comportment in the courtroom as she is being thrown under the bus. Does she quietly sob? Converse with her attorney? Make copious notes? Shoot air daggers at her husband on the stand. Musta missed this!
The Republicans are not going to change their opinions regarding the 'need to defend our freedoms', but you can bet your bottom dollar that from now on L'il Randy will be saying very little regarding the disarming of the MIC.
Also.... anybody else wondering how it was that the US had "no idea" that Egypt and the Emirates were bombing Libya given their worldwide surveillance of everybody? We surely do suck at whatever it is that the NSA is doing.