Sunday
Jul032011
The Commentariat -- Independence Day
Paul Krugman opposes the tax holiday corporations are lobbying for the Congress to pass in order for the U.S. to have the privilege of corporations' returning their overseas profits to the U.S. so they can pay their stockholders dividends, up their CEOs' pay, pay down debt, buy other companies -- and create zero jobs. ...
... I posted a comments page for Krugman's column on Off Times Square. Comment on Krugman or whatever.
** What to Read. Frank Rich is back with his first essay in New York magazine: "The president’s failure to demand a reckoning from the moneyed interests who brought the economy down has cursed his first term, and could prevent a second." Here's a taste:
For all the lurid fantasies of the birthers, the dirty secret of Obama’s background is that the values of Harvard, not of Kenya or Indonesia or Bill Ayers, have most colored his governing style. He falls hard for the best and the brightest white guys.
David Remnick of the New Yorker writes a good commentary on the brief history of the gay marriage movement. "The struggle for marriage equality is about more than the definition of marriage; it’s about the definition of justice."
The Abu Ghraib Accountability Model, Con'd. Glenn Greenwald on the criminal investigations into two prisoner deaths: "... the U.S. Government has effectively shielded itself from even minimal accountability for its vast torture crimes of the last decade. Without a doubt, that will be one of the most significant, enduring and consequential legacies of the Obama presidency." CW: how is it that a President can be impeached over perjuring himself about sex, but Obama has protected a former President, Vice President & assorted administration & other officials from their likely culpability in the torture & deaths of (primarily) men in their custody. Perjury is wrong, but does anyone think it is more wrong than torture & murder? You may argue that Obama's policy is akin to the reconciliation amnesty overseen by Archbislop Desmond Tutu, but it ain't. Those who received amnesty in South Africa were granted it only after fully disclosing their crimes, and only one in eight who applied were granted amnesty. Not only have our war criminals not apologized for their war crimes, some -- like John Yoo -- have vigorously defended their actions. Why are we protecting them?
The Three Amigos Do Afghanistan. AP (via the NYT), Kabul: "The senators — , and — said that they were heartened by the progress of Afghan security forces, but concerned that Mr. Obama’s withdrawal plan could deplete American military strength before dealing a decisive blow to the Taliban, especially in the east. That part of the country is a haven for the Afghan and Pakistani wings of the Taliban and affiliates of Al Qaeda."
Eric Lipton of the New York Times: Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), who represents the Napa Valley, "is not only the industry’s foremost champion in Washington, helping it secure tax breaks, get money for pet projects like the Napa Valley Wine Train or beat back restrictions on direct sales of wine. He is also a vineyard owner.... Mr. Thompson is in business with some of the same companies whose agendas he promotes. His vineyard has been paid at least $500,000 since 2006 by two wineries whose executives have appealed to Congress on legislative matters. Mr. Thompson could also benefit from his own efforts on the industry’s behalf, including a push to increase the value of grapes grown near his vineyard by seeking a special designation from the Treasury Department."
Okay, here's the news on DSK from the journalists at the New York Post:
... Brad Hamilton & Larry Celona: "She was turning tricks on the taxpayers' dime! The<> Sofitel maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of a sex attack in his suite wasn't just a hotel hooker -- she continued to work as a prostitute in a Brooklyn hotel where she was stashed by prosecutors, The Post has learned." ...
... AND Hamilton & Cathy Burke: " Sources now tell The Post that when the two were finished, the woman demanded cash from Strauss-Kahn -- but he refused to pay."
News Ledes
The Obama family will attend an Independence Day celebration this evening. President Obama will speak at 6:30 pm ET.
The Atlantic: "French writer Tristane Banon will file charges for attempted rape against Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Tuesday, her lawyer told Reuters. She alleges that Strauss-Kahn attacked her in 2002 when she was interviewing the former IMF chief in an apartment in Paris. She compared his behavior that day to a, 'rutting chimpanzee' in a television interview in 2007. The statute of limitations on rape in France is ten years."
Sick, Vicious. BBC News: "The @foxnewspolitics feed stated: "BREAKING NEWS: @BarackObama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds have proved too much." More than two hours after the malicious postings appeared, they had still not been removed. A group or individual, calling themselves The Script Kiddies appeared to claim responsibility. Fox News said it was investigating the posts. The bizarre messages began appearing around 07.00 BST on July 4." ...
... Fox News: "FoxNews.com alerted the U.S. Secret Service, which is declining public comment. Jeff Misenti, vice president and general manager of Fox News Digital, said FoxNews.com is working with Twitter to address the situation as quickly as possible." ...
... The New York Times has an updated story here.
New York Times: "Two senior Republicans [Sens. John Cornyn & John McCain] said Sunday that they might be open to raising new government revenue as part of a deal to resolve the dispute over the federal , but they warned that there was little time to enact a comprehensive deal."
AP: "A leading credit ratings agency warned on Monday that Greece would be considered to be in default if banks rolled over their holdings in the country's debt as proposed recently in a French plan. Standard & Poor's said in a statement that two proposals by an association of French banks 'would likely amount to a default' under its criteria because both options offer 'less value than the promise of the original securities.'"
AP: "Thailand's military eased concerns of renewed turmoil Monday by accepting the sweeping electoral win of toppled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's party, while his sister vowed to reconcile the deeply divided nation as its first female prime minister. The election marked an extraordinary rebuke of the military-backed establishment that deposed Thaksin in a coup five years ago, and the opposition's strong mandate in parliament was likely to boost stability in the short-term — a fact reflected in a sharp rise in the Thai stock market Monday."
AP: "Police say a motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in upstate New York died after he flipped over the bike's handlebars and hit his head on the pavement. The accident happened Saturday afternoon in the town of Onondaga, in central New York near Syracuse."
AP: Army Command Sgt. Major Jeffery Mellinger, believed to be the last Vietnam-era draftee, is retiring after 39 years of service.
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