Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Good morning all! Great post Craig, no need for follow up questions. During the months after 911 this post would have been tantamount to treason. Adieu Bush!!!

The day Bush\Cheney and the other War Criminals are tried in the Hague will bring joy to the whole world.

The day they are found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging will have the world rejoicing.

The day the ropes are placed around their necks and the trap door opens under their feet the world will shout in unison...

SWING, BABY SWING.

craig, your post this morning juxtaposed to cq guest writer connor's "History May See Lincoln-Like Greatness in George W. Bush" warrants the folks there a fairness crown of laurels. even old ping should give cq a thumbs up today.

bet there were some snickers, hoo haws and loud guffaws from our friends oversees when they saw yesterday's spytalk title "Obama Faces Gaping Holes in U.S. Intelligence"

do you think jeff meant that the way he wrote it?

Arrogantly secretive, it's kind of an amazing combo.

And now W's gonna live right down the road, but I can't imagine that he'll be in town very often except while the Rangers are playing. W & Tom will have lots to discuss over the fence this summer.

I wonder if Jebco will be as secretive? As arrogant? As inept? (Oh, you just know Jeb Bush is gonna run.)

As much as I despise Bush, I feel no glee in picturing a former United States President swinging on the gallows in Europe. Roosevelt's administration denied immigration status to Jewish refugees in 1938. To my mind that was criminal, because it gave Hitler the green light to do whatever he wished. Would you liked to have seen FDR "swing, swing, swing"?

What about Truman, who dropped the A-Bomb?

This is a slippery slope, anon.

couldnt they swing just a little?

good morning gang....

Craig.... it wouldn't surprise me if Bush's very last pardon is Scooter Libby....

they're doing a retrospective on the Bush presidency all this week on the first hour of the Diane Rehm Show too..... there's always at least one person on the show that is willing to defend some of what this administration has done.... but they still concede there's been huge mistakes made.....

yesterday.... Bruce Fein... a Republican specialist on constitutional law.... was on fire over how much the Bush administration has overstepped it's bounds concerning presidential powers.... he made a case for the incoming Obama administration to investigate some of the Bush administration's doings..... the other 2 guest were against this as they thought it would take Obama's focus off the job ahead..... Mr. Fein retorted back with "our government ought to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time"..... I LOVE listening to that man....

No swinging. It would just give the US an even bigger black-eye...and Pasti is right, it's a slippery slope.

poor old pat buchanan......even his combover is going bald.........

ok.....no swinging.........what about prison?

punishing the pres and veep for their and their administrations' transgressions would show the world that the USA is not on a slippery slope towards dictatorship and rogue-nationism..........

We hung many people for Torture and other War Crimes so why is it not right or a slippery slope when it comes to Bush\Cheney?

We hung Japanese, a U.S. Soldier from the Vietnam War and a lot of Hitlers Nazi's for War Crimes and Torture whats the difference?

Are we a country that abides by the Rule of Law or are we not?

While true the DOJ is now the Department of No Justice do we continue to be a country that does not live by the Rule of Law?

I sure hope not otherwise we will never regain the principles that our Constitution was founded on.

"slippery slope towards dictatorship and rogue-nationism........."

i.e..........republican family values.

Adolf Hitler Campbell and his family.......the grocery store decided to not let them eat cake......

"ok.....no swinging.........what about prison?"

ROFL,sturge -- when I first read that my mind saw "what about poison"

ha

A-P
Who was the US soldier who was hanged for "war crimes and torture"?

pats.....when i read it back it looked that way to me also and made me wish that's what I'd written......oh well......

sturge, did you hear the musical skit just now on imus? talk about lol and rofl! hope they repeat it or one can get a replay online.

imus and crew doing bin laden's "Jihad for Gaza, the musical".......lol

Okay. Put a former US president on trial and hang him. Put it on TV so bloodlusters can continue to get their "fix." . Of course, we'll have to have absolute proof. That may take years. Put the US into even worse chaos than we are already in.

How about hanging all the enablers who participated? Including a cheerleading press corps?

jinx......you owe me a co-cola?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17448.html

"Gay marriage still linchpin issue for evangelicals"

"The Christian right is not going to give up on the issue of homosexuality anytime soon, as much for strategic electoral considerations as sincerely felt religious ones. “[Cizik] seemed to be abandoning the one thing where evangelical activists felt they had actually made a difference this time around,” David Neff, editor of Christianity Today magazine and a member of the NAE’s Executive Board, told The Associated Press. In a country that has rejected much of its agenda, the Christian right sees the battle over gay marriage as the last issue where it can play a politically significant role."

patd.....ha......if they think it worked funny for 'em they'll replay the hell out of it..........lol

it was mccord yesterday who first used the phrase "jihad for gaza" in reference to "The Producers" and "Springtime for Hitler"..........

i have a feeling that the pres and veep will skate for the same reasons, whatever they are, that pelosi and reid said "impeachment is off the table."

weasels, weasels, weasels........hope they all come down with measles.......

"........hope they all come down with measles......."

Maybe they could be shunned.

There's another way to look at this idea of putting BushCo on trial at the Hague. Barack Obama does NOT want to be the first US President to allow this...no matter who instigated the action, it would be on his watch.

I'll be happy to see Bush go down as the worst president in US history.

what the consequences are, not my station......but the neo-cons need to face some stark consequences for all the crud they have accomplished and all the money they squirrelled away......

The last execution by hanging in the U.S. was Billy Bailey in Delaware on January 25, 1996.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bailey

Flatus...

I'll have to re look it up. There was an American soldier tried for waterboarding in Vietnam. I know he was tried for War Crimes and will have to look up what the sentence was later today after I get home from work.

I also know that there was a picture of the crime being committed posted on the internet some time ago.

Let you all know later. Our network is going down shortly and I really can't pull sites up that may have it since most sites like this site is blocked.

Somehow this one is not so I don't post here to much during the day since I won't be able to see what is going on if it is.

weren't the folks on MoJo discussing the fall of the Republican Party this am? I was drifting in and out. I think I heard Chuck Todd say that the Republican Party was now the party of old white people and they are dying faster than the party can recruit new members. Whereas the Democratic Party has gained members in every sector. The percentage of Latinos in the last election went from just 2% to over 10%. If I heard all that correctly it could be a long walk out of the desert for the Repugs. Maybe 28 years or so.

Thanks, A-P

Dooty -- Maybe the two party system could transition into Democrats and Independents....that might be the answer.

the gop in this area has many young ones who fervently believe in "republican-ism"........in fact they run the gamut of age in that they were all fervently against O and just as fervently for mccain AND palin......they are not running out of young folks to be republicans any time soon, not in SC

Senor Fish,

are these young'uns college grads or blue collar workers?

Like I said I was drifting in and out of sleep so it is very possible that I have missed an important issue.

A very chilly morning to you all.

I haven't read the posts yet, Craig, so I don't know what grade Ping gave you on this one. As for me - A+. The follow up question to your post is - Wo what does the Obama DoJ do about it?

"Are we a country that abides by the Rule of Law or are we not?"

ap, back in the seventeenth century a guy in rhode island was hung, drawn and quartered for treason all according to the "rule of law" but that's rather looked down on now, passe you might say if not slightly barbaric. some think present day capital punishment is not much more advanced civilized-wise than that was.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189729

At least scare them a bit by waving the noose?

A-P, Flatus - here's a blurb from Wiki on the VN waterboarding incident.

"Vietnam War
Waterboarding was designated as illegal by U.S. generals in the Vietnam War.[61] On January 21, 1968, The Washington Post published a controversial photograph of two U.S soldiers and one South Vietnamese soldier participating in the waterboarding of a North Vietnamese POW near Da Nang.photo[62] The article described the practice as "fairly common".[62] The photograph led to the soldier being court-martialled by a U.S. military court within one month of its publication, and he was discharged from the army.[61][63] Another waterboarding photograph of the same scene is also exhibited in the War Remnants Museum at Ho Chi Minh City.[64]"

Here's a link to an NPR article on the practice that states a similar account of the court martial and discharge from the Army.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15886834

And here's the pic and a short account.

http://waterboarding.org/node/19

The soldier is not named. I'll continue to look.

"jihad for gaza" in reference to "The Producers" and "Springtime for Hitler"..........

sturge, i'd love to see the daily show buy rob's score and act, sing and dance it. their cast could really do it up right imo.

something to be said too about the value of using humor to diminish the villainous. trouble is some of the best stuff is subject to being snuffed... e.g. those danish cartoons

one other technique the American GI's reportedly used was to take several prisoners up in a helicopter and start the interrogation. The first guy is known to not really have the info the GI's wanted so he could not answer the questions. The GI's just pitched him out of the helicopter while at attitude. It is alleged that the other prisoners were very anxious to tell what they knew.

This may have happened or it may just be a tale. I have no way of knowing the truth.

"Jihad For Gaza" almost sounds like a Capitol Steps routine.

Patsi's mention of FDR did not strike me as drawing a parallel between the Bush crimes and the FDR decisions. It struck me rather as an example that all presidents do things that may be considered criminal, and that not all presidential acts that might be considered criminal are charegeable, triable and punishable. There are good arguments on both sides of this issue, and deciding whether any of his and Cheney's crimes should be pursued will be difficult and not without consequences. (BTW, while it may have been morally reprehensible, neither FDR's failure to afford immigrant status to the Jews in the 30s nor Truman's decision to drop two previously unknown weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were criminal acts - although there is certainly room for counter opinions on both counts).

Now to Bush - Nixon was run out of office for having petty criminals break into a psychiatrist's office. Clinton was impeached for getting a blow job from an adult. IMHO, Bush's crimes exceed either of those two examples in scope and severity. Too bad if Obama's legislative agenda is hindered. The rule of law should not be sacrificed because the opposition party won't like it and will not cooperate on other matters critical to the country - and who says they won't anyway? They have fingers to lick and stick up into the air to see which way the political wind is blowing, and as good little politicians, at least some of them will decide to sail downwind rather than tack against it.

The Hague - poosible, but unlikely. And we don't control that.

"it wouldn't surprise me if Bush's very last pardon is Scooter Libby....'

renee, i think, since he's into pre-emptive strikes, he'll try a wholesale supersize pre-emptive pardon on his whole gang... if not himself.

btw, here's a current discussion on a presidential self-pardon

http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2008/12/can_the_preside.html

Dootmann.......all classes, all strata......mostly white, of course.......dyed-in-the-wool, bona-fide, genuine, by god, republicans.............from young to old.

then again sc republicans are not exactly kingmakers among republicans and the party may well be on the wane......my point was that there is no shortage in sc of young diehard republicans....so maybe summed up that instead of being the old white guy party they may be better described as the old white guy and their kids and grandkids party............in sc, anyway

undulate and serpentine....................lol

ok.....no prisons and such.......just make 'em give back some of the money......il governmento is going to need it.

timi yuro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t1KqU-Brio

"just make 'em give back some of the money......"

I like that idea a LOT sturge....

Pogo,
Last I checked a bj by an adult is quite legal...as you've said.
It's the little annoying part of lying under oath that he was impeached for. Just a slight difference that a man of the law should notice.......

don't let your bias cloud an otherwise good comment......

This morning the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-1 to recommend the confirmation of Hillary Clinton to be the next Secretary of State.

The sole "NO" vote was from Louisiana Rep. David Vitter.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0109/Committee_okays_Clinton_151.html?showall

break time, mates.
bbc looks at that island caretaker job.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7830692.stm

Comments to Craig....

You will be more accurate to state - Most secretive in RECENT Post Watergate History - You paint with a wide stroke that may have some hated bristles still in the brush. Come now even Dr Bailey would question such a statement in regards to “in History”.

Unless you are referring to your timeline history – or is this the continued rewrite which when others find on the web it becomes "embedded Verified fact"?

At least the incoming Office of President Elect is getting ahead of the game by having his nominee’s purge and clean their connections that can be found in certain web pages that others may find questionable. Just hide it…….

How many more in the series of what is becoming the Crawford’s Bush tale – embedding into the web….

Good post, Craig.

The thing I'll never forget about Cheney shooting Harry Whittington is the part where rather than accompany his supposed "friend" to the hospital, he returned to the ranch house and sat down to a roast beef dinner.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189791

Vitter should have followed the old maxim that it is better to keep your mouth shut and let others think you are an idiot that to open it and prove them right.

What a sad and telling post on the past eight years, Craig. You are, of course, spot on in your analysis. Had I not lived it alongside the rest of the world, I would not have believed so much damage could be done in such a short time. Bush, Cheney and their cohorts have much they should regret, and much to atone for, though they seem oblivious. I hope those who are next to hold the reins of power can do as much to ameliorate the damage as Bush/Cheney have done to inflict it.

Tiptoe, I would love to have one last look at the list you compiled of the evil-doers from the past eight years. Any chance you could post it one more time?

Harbor - What constitutional specific area do you feel was the damaged the greatest? And how did or why did the Dem congress of the last 2 years and the Supreme Court allow it?

Do you have any fear that BHO will use this to bring his “who knows which one” agenda to play? He is staffing some interesting folks.

what Bruce Fein was arguing for yesterday was not how or if anyone in the Bush administration should be punished.....

he was arguing that there should be an investigation to bring the Bush administrations doings into the light...... that it would go a long way into saying to the world that this country's government was once again transparent.....

jax, that's true - Clinton was impeached for lying under oath in the Paula Jones civil suit against him about getting a bj from Monica. Argument is the same as to scope and severity.

"...by an adult is quite legal......"

Even under the UCMJ?

KHAN !!!!!!!!!!!

Khan: He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him! I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round Perdition's flames before I give him up!

Constitutional Requirements
-------------------------------------
"Article I-Section 2:

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

Article I-Section 3:

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

Article II-Section 1:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States_of_America

====================

Representative => Citizen

Senator => Citizen

President => No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution

Spock: He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking.

Sorry for not responding sooner, Ping. I tend to wander away and do other things these days, rather than stay and read each thread thoroughly.

I believe that the ways in which Bush and Cheney have approached governing have been damaging beyond belief. I believe they have grabbed powers for themselves that were never intended. I fear that some of the greatest damage goes beyond the surface to the many appointments that have been made that have put hawks in charge of hen houses. I am beginning to think that capitalism is a failed ideal. I know that will send you straight up, as you so often refer to yourself as a capitalist to the core. However, unless you remove the easy access to the spoils of greed that have been allowed by deregulation, capitalism appears to have a tendency to devolve into thievery. And I believe that Bush and Cheney represent the epitome of all that is negative in each of my statements...especially Cheney.

CBob.... LOL!

now if we can only get Captain Kirk to go looking for No. 6 and finally reveal who is No. 1.....

This answers the question I asked Jax:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm125.htm

Which goes to the larger matter of do as I say, not as I do. Mr Clinton, as I'm sure did many others in office, had his demons.

Mr Obama does as well now that he's fallen off the non-smoking wagon. His transgression will fall under Article 92 should he smoke in a federal facility.

It's hell being commander-in-chief.

I don't know what FDR knew, but I can tell you that the soldiers of the 94th Infantry Division were never prepared for what they were to witness. Here is a bit of what my father wrote to his parents on April 29, 1945.

"I haven't seen too many of their "atrocities" but I've seen enough to know that there is some basis to all this talk. There is nothing kind about the Nazis whatsoever. They've starved their slave labor & lived so well themselves that its' pitiful. Too bad there isn't some way to make them pay for what they've done in the last six years."

Very shortly thereafter the soldiers were provided with pamphlets containing questions to ask of any victims they came across.

My father, a huge supporter of Israel, just the other night said "I wish we had set up the Jewish State somewhere they wouldn't have to put up with this, like in Utah.
PLEASE ATTENTION-
I have been working to get the 94th recognized as liberators with Sen. Kennedy's office since the fall of 2007 when I came upon the letter, part of a collection of over 200. I was told by the Holocaust Museum the letter is sufficient documentation to pursue Liberator status for the 94th. As advised, my father and his comrade gave their testimonies of what they witnessed. It was very painful for them, neither had spoken of that day and the horrors they witnessed for nearly 60 years. Neither wanted to do it until they were told that the end result would be hanging the 94th flag at the Holcaust Musuem. iesSure would like to see this happen before they all die. Some idiot from the Army has since interpreted the requirements to read that the camp liberated must be a concentration camp. There were NO "concentration camps" in Germany yet many divisions have liberating status for liberating camps in Germany. I have heard a rumor that the Army has flatly decided that no more units will be recognized regardless.. This is miserable, shabby treatment of our troops, specifically the 94th who bravely persevered under terrible conditions at Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge. We are losing more than 1000 WW!! Vets a day.
PLEASE -ANYONE READING THIS THAT MiGHT BE ABLE TO HELP PUT HISTORY TO RIGHTS & ASSIST THE 94TH TO RECEIVE THE RECOGNITION THEY ARE DUE, PLEASE CONTACT ME.
"Any nation that does not honor its heroes does not long endure"- Abraham Lincoln

Flatus, LOL. I queston whether the UCMJ applies to the civilian Commander in Chief. It probably does violate adultery, fornication, bestiality, etc. laws of DC, all of which are most remarkable for their failure of enforcement - the defense that could be raised by anyone prosecuted under those laws is desuetude.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Desuetude

LOL - i left out sodomy - sorry about that.

-- something they might have called treason if someone else had done it.

"Might" is a very generous word.

Two-headed fish likely caused by toxic water

Seen here is a bass larvae with two heads. Thousands of such mutated animals were spawned at a fish farm in northern Australia likely due to contaminated water. Other animals at the Noosa River hatchery were also born with birth defects and death rates were abnormally high.

http://boingboing.hexten.net/2009/01/15/twoheaded-fish-likel.html

Pogo, you're probably right so far as DC is concerned.

The UCMJ, though, had a recent rewrite resulting in modification and resuetude (don't bother looking it up, I liked yours so much I made-up my own :)) of the criminality of the cited acts. The rationale is probably the maintenance of good order and discipline.

I have seen them enforced--generally in the cases involving enlisted personnel sullying officers' spouses or progeny. Or, as a way to stack-up the charges in fraternization offenses. It is also used in same-sex matters.

I think if you surveyed serving members of the military and those subject to service (like Jax and me), you'd find that most of us would appreciate it if our presidents lived-up to the spirit of what is required of us.

Obama already has a 13 million-person e-mail political database.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1131ap_obama_service.html

DENTON, Texas -- A man in Denton, Texas who was expecting a shipment of tools instead received a 30-pound brick of marijuana that police say is worth more than $10,000.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_misdirected_marijuana.html?source=mypi

Thomas: Almost done with bizarre Bushisms

By HELEN THOMAS
HEARST NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- Outgoing President Bush admits to some "disappointments" during his eight White House years but he hesitates to call them "mistakes."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/396041_thomasonline15.html?source=mypi

Harbor - Thanks for the reply...

I would agree that without a doubt that GWBush was the contra-communicator. Perception is reality and the ability to deliver and define the perception was a strong weakness for GWB - Examples of the Great Communicators – Clearly Regan and now Obama – with Clinton the Spin Doctor.

The Bush paradigm was created by the communication – Spin void combined with certain outcomes of mismanagement enhanced the already present hate. Blinded by this condition it is understood why it is difficult to see the positives that do exist – and as pointed out by some TMxers earlier this week
And why most all of the recent post are subjective, with only policy arguments and no real substance as to broken laws or true danger – Of course that is always the case.

Again – If something truly was present then why did the dem congress of the last two years do nothing…. (That is the understatement)

That is because Bush allowed the Dem’s to run their agenda and was complacent to Conservative Values.

No BHO has the communication – Spin Skill – and with some of his insiders that he is hiding with socialist back ground – He may be the hidden danger – As my dear Harborwomen – it is the Free Enterprise / Capitalistic world that allows you to have the many things that we all have.

Is it 5 O’clock somewhere?

Once a community organizer, always a community organizer.

o-sea-h -Good luck with the 94th.

Archeologist Uncovers Evidence Of Ancient Chemical Warfare

ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2009) — A researcher from the University of Leicester has identified what looks to be the oldest archaeological evidence for chemical warfare -- from Roman times.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090114075921.htm

Ping -
When you played baseball all those years ago, did Crawford ever " bean" you on the head ?

Imus update

http://imustimes.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/imus-launches-official-website/

Cbob - Why do you ask?

Craig no - Sammy Yes !!

Greater impact was all the Old Dixie fried Chicken - Best darn chicken in the area! Maybe that is the precursor to Fried Bologna desires? Or damage from fresh water clams out of Lake Conway….

Off to see some Customers! Among the most valued of all assets

Flatus - resuetude - I LOVE IT. I will steal it from you and use it in an appropriate setting (since I don't practice criminal law, alcohol willlikely be involved).

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary-designate Ken Salazar pledged on Thursday to clean up the "mess" at the Interior Department, which has been marred by scandals in recent years.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1552728520090115

Ping -
It must be the clams.

Flatus,
Just back for a few...busy today. You are correct about the UCMJ. I have seen it used gainst officers as well in adultery/fraternization cases. It will kill a career...particularly in peacetime. But as you've said not likely to be used against the C in C.

If you'll remember he was impeached not convicted. Purely a case of reluctance to follow through as there was no question of offense.

BTW its rumored that a federal court is going to uphold the Bush admin's stance on warrantless wiretaps.....if that's true there goes a big portion of any future case aganst the outgoing admin......of course it will leave that tool available to the incoming admin......I'm just guessing but this tactic must be getting results

Finally, Google Video will stop accepting uploads in a few months, said the Google Video Blog. Previously uploaded hosted content will not be removed, but users will no longer be able to add any videos to the service, wrote Michael Cohen, product manager for Google Video.

http://www.crn.com/software/212900724

Pogo,
Desuetude.....new word for me......now if I can only figure out how to protect that brain cell this weekend I might remember it into next week......:)

OSH,

I wonder if Craig can give you a contact that would be your best bet. Which state has the most living 94th? If you can put a bug in a Senatorial ear, this could well be the sort of "feel good" act that they like to do and might be enough to get the Army off its collective duffs.

Looks like Eric Holder is on track for next AG.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/us/politics/16holdercnd.html?_r=1&hp

Pogo,
Haven't seen the details but apparently the IMF is saying that they put out tax guidance every quarter complete with indivdual staements on required withholding....

Once again....I haven't seen this but if true the "honest mistake" stance from Geitner is getting tenuous.....we'll see

jax, I first ran across the word when I was sitting in the courtroom waiting for a hearing to begin while the criminal docket hearings were finishing up. The lawyer I heard use it moved to have the case against his client - who had been arrested for violating some very old and obscure law - dismissed citing the doctrine of desuetude. The judge had never heard of it, the lawyers in the courtroom were looking at each other with that "Do what?" look on their faces, and the judge had to look it up - he read the definition from Black's to the entire courtroom just before he denied the motion. Oddly enough, the WV SC of Appeals overturned the denial and dismissed the case. I've never forgotten the word.

The researchers found that people with a caffeine intake that high, whether it came from coffee, tea, chocolate or caffeinated energy drinks or pills, had a three-times-higher tendency to hear voices and see things that were not there than those who consumed the equivalent of a half-cup of brewed coffee (or one cup of instant coffee).

Though most people who drink loads of coffee are not known to hallucinate seriously, when these types of experiences interfere with daily functioning, they are considered to be psychotic.

http://www.livescience.com/health/090113-coffee-hallucinations.html

Jamie and OSH,

It will absolutely take Congressional 'sponsorship' to get things done on this. Identify the states that you know the living vets are from. Also go into the history of the regiment to determine where it was originally raised.

Regiments were typically comprised of soldiers from a local region within a state. The person raising the regiment would usually be elected its colonel.

The state legislative delegation should co-sponsor the legislation. The senior legislator in the state should be the lead sponsor.

The legislative delegations in the other states should also be enlisted as cosponsors.

Get some newspaper people on your side--lots of public interest in such an issue.

Sea, if you decide to go all the way on this, it will be virtually a full-time effort.

The Roman statue of an Amazon warrior was preserved under volcanic material, keeping intact its painted hair and eyes.

http://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?s=history&c=news&l=on&pic=090113-amazon-statue-02.jpg&cap=The+Roman+statue+of+an+Amazon+warrior+was+preserved+under+volcanic+material%2C+keeping+intact+its+painted+hair+and+eyes.+Credit%3A+WMG%2C+University+of+Warwick.&title=

jax, I'm sure the IMF does do that. I'd have trouble believing he didn't know - assuming of course he reads stuff he gets from his employers about taxes more closely than I do mine. He probably has someone do his taxes, and they should have known. From what I heard on the radio at lunch, he's not likely to be denied confirmation because fo that. Apparently he paid the taxes and fines promptly upon being "reminded" by the IRS.

Bob, that's pretty impressive.

Pogo -
It's hard to imagine the ancient the world was a riot of color ....... Everywhere.

Sad that time drained so much of it away.

Pogo,
He probably still will be confirmed....If it was for any other post but for Treasury...it would be less of an issue......but in charge of the IRS......I don't know......doesn't sit quite well...

I know when I got adverse tax judgement (adverse for me) I had 90 days to pay up or things got messy. I'm just wondering how come it took so long....My experience has been that they are particularly good at reminding you if you owe the IRS........

I see that most economists have lined up behind the new massive stimulus package....anytime these brainiacs all agree on something I immediately get nervous....

Has anyone seen a contrarian that's making any press. I'd like to read up on at least some sort of diverging opinion

"....If it was for any other post but for Treasury...it would be less of an issue......but in charge of the IRS......I don't know......doesn't sit quite well..."

jax, look at it this way, he'll probably have more compassion for the poor slobs trying to read that impenetrable mess of irs instructions. he may even pass this compassion along in policies requiring understandable-english-only for the form and rule writers to follow.

Even SoetorObama's own highly misleading (for the low-information reader) "Fight the Smears" site does NOT claim that he is natural born.

From the site:

"The truth is, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii in 1961, a native citizen of the United States of America."

http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate
--------------------------------------
Notice the claim is NATIVE citizen, not natural born citizen.

Gordo, have you been tested for OCD?

One of my Dad's favorite jokes was this one:

Do you believe in capital punishment for women?

If the person he asked that question to said "Yes!" He would respond with, "Oh, you think women oughta be hung like men?"

jax, this is the explanation from WaPo of Geithner's tax issue.

"Geithner is under scrutiny for a variety of errors on his tax returns, including using his child's time at overnight camps to calculate deductions for dependent-care, taking deductions for ineligible donations to charity and failing to pay an early-withdrawal penalty from a retirement plan. According to a Senate investigation, he also employed a housekeeper, a legal U.S. resident, whose work papers expired three months before she left his employ.

"But those matters have drawn little attention from lawmakers, who have focused on Geithner's failure to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes while he was working at the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2004. After being audited by the IRS audit in 2006, Geithner repaid nearly $17,000 in back taxes and interest for 2003 and 2004. But he did not correct his returns for 2001 and 2002 until Obama summoned him to serve at the Treasury, when he voluntarily paid nearly $26,000 in back taxes and interest."

I'm an avowed tax nitwit, so I can't judge.

Pogo, may I have your proxy? I'm in a hanging mood.

Didn't they hang Chads in Florida in 2000?

Aargh, I forgot my manners. Should have been, "Judge Pogo, obviously you're very close to this case. Please consider passing me the gavel."

notable observation today at rick's blog:

"It'll be interesting to watch the Armed Services Committee hearing today on Obama's Pentagon picks in part to see how John McCain behaves.

As he returns to Congress, McCain is for the first time in many years not running for president. My guess is he will be essentially the same, but tougher and even less controllable, especially on issues like the future of the super-expensive F-22 fighter."

f-22 raptor costs per wiki:

Program cost US $65 billion[3]
Unit cost US $137.5 million (2008 flyaway cost)[4]

5-- billion ---U S dollars per year in USA Military Aid to Israel for this,,,,,,White Phosphorus ate their flesh to the bone,,,,and some made blind,,,with empty eye sockets,over 1500 babies and toddlers injured,,over 300 babies and toddlers killed,,,no Hamas firing missiles from these homes,,,White Phosphorus is criminal,,,it may be legal ,,,but it is criminal.

http://img405.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fivesisterskilledg11rw1.jpg

.

Corey, *L* Myself, I prefer them as they are - physically at least.

Patsi, I'm guessing yes - again and again and again.

Flatus, my proxy (or gavel) is yours.

Future Jihad warriors

http://img405.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fivesisterskilledg11rw1.jpg

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189820

Ping...I know you're off being the capitalist supreme, but I hope you read this later....

I agree that Bush is a poor communicator, though I think some of that is by design. Cheney, on the other hand, is a near total non-communicator...None of our business what he's doing...we just pay his salary and have to live with the results of his work (she said, tongue-in-cheek).

I do see Obama through a prism that is different from yours. I see him as a thoughtful and intelligent man who recognizes the enormity of this moment in history...and I don't mean the historic nature of his presidency. I mean the dire condition the nation...and, really, the entire world...is in. He must get nearly everything right...or we are in much graver trouble.

You say I've benefited from capitalism. Of course...many of us have...but that doesn't negate the possible accuracy of my contention that it is a failed ideal in the absence of regulation. I will give you two quick examples...the pharmaceutical and insurance businesses. The majority of today's new medicines are poorly researched, poorly developed, and many are dangerous. Simply look to the number of recalls...long after they should have been recalled...of drugs over the past five years. It is no accident that the FDA is run by former pharmaceutical/medical business insiders who rule in favor of business interests in every instance. And the insurance 'industry' seeks only to protect its profits...all too often at the expense of the health of the insured. As I said, in the absence of effective regulation and diligent enforcement, capitalism and the general population are in a great deal of trouble.

This is the right image---for future Jihad warriors

http://img99.imageshack.us/my.php?image=image14g2ez7.jpg

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189852

The majority of the owed taxes seem to be the "Employer's Share" of the Social Security Taxes. Since he was classified as a contractor, he would have been on the hook for the full 15% instead of just half of the amount.

Since he has paid them, I don't fault this as much as I might pure Income Taxes.

U. S. Airways Flight 15 out of New York now swimming the Hudson River.

Jamie and Flatus- thank you for your input, should let you know what I have done. I contacted Sen. Kennedy and he submitted the request. After the Army guy turned it down, Sen. Kennedy submitted the application to Congressional Research Center and it has been there since the spring. The regiment was originally named "The Boston Regiment" another reason why I involved Sen. Kennedy. According to procedure, regiments are not recognized only Divisions .A request is to be submitted, then the Center for Military History is to verify the location of the Division, then the Holocaust Museum does their research. The name of the camp is not necessarily required.. In early June a historian at the Holocaust Museum believes he found the camp they liberated. They actually liberated 3, but this was the first and worst. Here is my dear Da's testimony, which was submitted by Sen. Kennedy.

Dear Sen. Kennedy,

In April of 1945, we, members of the 301st Regiment (historically recognized as the Boston Regiment), encountered a slave camp in all its terrible condition. We had lead the attack which concluded at the Rine River at the town of Ludwigshaven. We were on route from there to Velbert, Germany when we came across the camp. The Germans had abandoned the camp, as they surely did not want to run into us. It was a camp of considerable space and hundreds of victims were there. The people in the camp walking around were skeletal and the people upstairs were either dead or dying. We stayed in the camp for a few hours and then were were told medical help would be forthcoming, so we moved on. You see bad things in war all the time. This was different. Respectfully, Edward Paul Cowley Jr.

My Dad dictated this to me, I will never forget the moment and his voice when he paused and said "hundreds". He had never described this nightmare to anyone before. His friend and comrade had also remained silent, even with his wife of 60 years, until he wrote his testimony.

Dear Senator Kennedy,
I write this letter at the request of Kathleen Cowley who wrote you on November 27. Her father, Ed Cowley, was one of my closest friends in the Army. I have a vivid recollection of the camp and the terrible scene that we encountered that morning. The Germans had fled the night before. As we entered the compound, one could scarcely believe the sight of the horribly emaciated men we saw walking, in a daze, outside the shacks where they were housed. I went into one shack and found, perhaps, five or six men who literally could not get out of their bunks. In my pack, I had some food and water and I tried to feed the one who seemed to be suffering the most. His fellow prisoners were doing what they could for him but they were sure he wouldn't make it. I gave them what food I had and stayed with them until we were ordered to leave, as the medical people were arriving shortly.

It is a memory that I have, over the years, tried to eliminate from my mind. I cannot tell you the name of the camp where this happened, but as God is my witness I can assure you that it did.
Respectfully, Thomas J. Manthey

Thom has suffered nightmares of that day at the camp all these years and he wept as he read his testimony.

I was honored to have been a part of the process and to receive their personal testimony. I don't believe I would have requested them to dredge up these memories they spent a lifetime trying to forget , if I had known they would be treated with such indifference by their own army.

We wanted to publish the letters my father sent home (there is also some accompanying artwork) so we contacted David McCullough who sent us on to the Library Of Congress. They would very much like to have the collection and will most likely receive them in the end, but do not do the time consuming and expensive transcription. So for now the letters remain in a vault. My Dad is Prof. Emeritus and could still write a foreword. He has the beginnings of Alzheimer's, so time is of the essence there as well. Any suggestions on how to proceed with all of this would also be greatly appreciated.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189862

HW,

A few days ago I said that I had a running joke with my doctor that I wouldn't take anything invented after aspirin. Of course I do, but he has to convince me that the benefits outweigh the risks.

All you have to do is watch an evening of TV with the "We;re sorry this is going to kill you, but you will feel better while it does" disclaimers on the commercials. All of them are designed to send you to your doctor begging for the latest, greatest and of course, most expensive drug the companies are shilling with millions of wasted advertising dollars that could be better spent actually helping people.

Students Paying More, Getting Less

We seem determined to become a third rate country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/us/16college.html?_r=1&hp

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189866

Jamie?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189834
Jamie, I agree and also thought that if their story could get to the public , the pressure would indeed be on the Army
Craig- Any thoughts?

Never mind.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/plane-crashes-into-hudson-river/?hp

Sorry to be late.

It is misleading to condemn President Roosevelt for his inaction in the late '30s, when he did not learn the depth of the nazi evil until '42. The word genocide was not even coined until the year 1943. Yes, Roosevelt and Churchill both made terrible decisions regarding the safety of the Jews and Romany from 1942 to 1945. These decisions were based on the recommendations of the American (and to a lesser extent the British, militaries. However, all this is not the same as giving aid to mass murderers, or waging wars of aggression, or torturing, starving, shooting, or gassing masses of people.

Please, also consider that President reagan, the senile bush, cheney, and rumsfeld (and possibly quayle) knew of saddam hussein's genocide, while aiding and abetting him. At least President Clinton did not send machetes to the Hutu butcher-government in Rwanda, or sniperscopes to the Bosnian Serbs. Putting Roosevelt, Churchill, or Clinton in the same category as the bush crime family is grotesque and unjust.

Hi there, XR, good to have you and your voice aboard.

Sea, thanks for you poignant comment.

You're on the right track. I suggest you broaden it beyond Sen Kennedy and involve every critter in your state and of the states from which you believe regimental members were recruited.

Have you tried the museum at Fort Devens? I bet they would be willing to help if they are like most of the other museums I've found in the military. Certainly they would be able to point you in the most productive directions--perhaps laying the groundwork for you,
http://www.fortdevensmuseum.org/contact.htm

Ship of Fools

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189866

Pogo

On the news. Bird hit on take off. The pilot did a wonderful job. Landed it in the river and all aboard safe. Some going to hospital due to exposure to cold.

Updated reports say serious injuries including one person with a leg amputated

xr, patsi's right about what she said, as I said.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189778

My only problem is that it ain't the big things we go after presidents for - it's the shit that pales in comparison that gets them into the biggest trouble. She and I may diverge on what should be done with the Bush cabal, but we have the luxury of talking about it without worrying about whether what we say will harm the incoming administration or the US' image in the world (as if Bushco hasn't done enough of that).

Thanks jamie - I saw it in the NYT just after I posted my ???

And on a lighter note.....

Gardening boosts men's sex lives, claims study
Gardening really can help you make the earth move, according to a new study which found it improves men's sex lives.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/4247464/Gardening-boosts-mens-sex-lives-claims-study.html

It would surprise me to hear that a jetliner did a water landing and no one got seriously injured. They tend to stop awfully abruptly in water instead of on runways. It's always amazed me that a flock of birds can bring down a jetliner - but I guess it's pretty hard to design a jet engine so that a bird sucked into it isn't going to do serious damage.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189767

Haaa... Pogo The grade... I made many comments earlier
.
Again this post is Disputable at a minimum on the facts and clearly through the Blue filtered color glasses – very subjective and more reflective as to the opinion on Policy and Method. Is this an attempt to paint GWB as a villain or criminal? Not sure if that is Craig’s intent but those with distrust for President Bush will only be fueled. It is a song for the chorus.

So a generous C+

oy

Tonight another Bush attempt to justify his craptastic eight years in office. He should just shut up and go away quietly.

KGC...

Only five more wake-ups with that man in office...and the fifth one doesn't really count. Not much he can accomplish on 1-20-09...I hope!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189862

Harborwoman -
I think we are closer in opinion of what Barack thinks and his ability to make it happen.. Hey he has not even taken office and Global Warming is on the retreat - More Scientist have CHANGED their position - that Global Warming is indeed Not..

I think Obama is very intelligent and thoughtful. And as I have said before we share the vision of the world as fathers of two daughters. I am not disappointed in his election.

My concern is the idealistic youth and lack of real world that comes with the package is plus and minus. Good thing the President is not so all powerful (despite all the comments the last few days) Barack wants to do the Right Thing….. So he sold himself as a lefty!!

I agree with Accountability applied through Regulation and Transparency.

So again – maybe we are not that far apart!

Ping, mine is a weak baritone.

HW, they don't prescribe based on TV ads, although we might ask them to. They prescribe based on info, some of it good, some of it misleading, and most of it presented to cast a light on prescribing their drug instead of a competitor, given to them by salesmen (who call themselves reps), some of them good, some bad, and all with quotas to meet. Having known a few reps, I can tell you that you'd rather the docs rely on TV ads.

Damn, KC, the man doesn't know when to shut up. He got a 7 point bounce from the last one.

"He got a 7 point bounce from the last one."

Only goopers must have been watching. Or maybe it's a pity bounce.

Or a little of both. They didn't ask me - it would only have been 6.

Just because others in the past were not prosecuted, relives anyone of the hidious crimes of this admin. Law and punishment exist for a reason, and no one is above the law. Investigate, prosecute, condemn, jail or hang. Or it will certainly be worse the next time. Its common knowledge they violated not only American law, International law, but certainly all the laws of their Christain faith, and the Constitution. Hangum high, Is everyones need and observation of these criminals !

Regarding Pharma - Part of the situation of drug effectiveness is based on individual reactions – one drug for Pogo may work great but do nothing for the Ping – and then it is just flushed…. Which is another story.

BUT WAIT - some great work is being done on Personalized medicine that will better match the drug and dose to a specific individuals situation.

Wallis - then give a specific.... with substantial evidential matter!

So much subjective discussion – again do not confuse disagreement with policy and values to that of Criminal elements.

The Rank Organisation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOcpIGqOoD4

""You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions," Bush said..."

To which I reply, "I disagree. Fuck you".

Caligula (little boots) and Nero made some really tough decisions......I'm not sure most of the romans would have applauded their "willingness" to do so.................

I keep wishing that those who rhapsodize about Capitalism would go back and read Adam Smith. It was not meant for huge corporate structures exempt from punishment of nefarious acts. It works best when the components are small business, limited partnerships with economic responsibility, and with a very large ethical component.

Without the ethical component, capitalism will eventually crash under its own weight and through the misuse of its chief source of wealth, the labor of those who contribute to the creation of a product.

Unfortunately, all of those corporations that have been steadily outsourcing work, importing cheap labor, and passing their costs on to the middle class that they are busily screwing have found that there are limits.

If no one has a job, then there is no one to buy your products and when the products don't sell, the banks that service the financial side of the world trade and the credit to buy the products collapse for lack of funds.

No buyers - no economy - no capitalism - oops

I heard that there were a few reasons for the A-bombs. One was to end the war quicker and save further U.S. casualties. The other was to show Russia we had the capabilities to do so. I heard the U.S. was quite worried about Russia after WWII. There were people who fetl it wasn't neccessary for us to driop the A-bombs on Japan. I don't understand the anger of people here. The people who want Bush and others to hang. He's gonna be out of office next week. We'd should be more concerned with fixing this mess. As I recall, Ford pardoned Nixon because he didn't want his entire time in office to be spent on Nixon.

hw, you've got it about right. Funny, one of the drug reps I know is named Bambi - really - and she looks just like what her name might suggest and what you describe. I do know docs who'll prescribe what you ask them to if they think that type drug will be useful - but I know others who will prescribe what they've been detailed on, and I know docs who'll prescribe what you ask them to whether they think it will help you or not - but they are fewer and farther between than they used to be thanks to the Stark laws proscribe giving anything of value to docs to induce those scrips and the latest Medicare regs that can jeopardize their livelihoods if they are caught doing it in that program. Most of the docs I know are scared to death of getting caught up in those laws and regs. But there are still those out there who will do what you ask.

corey.....ha......they showed russia the big bang and a few years later russia showed it back.....cause of spies and traders and such.......round like a circle in a spiral........but maybe russia seeing the big glow was a lot more reticent about acquiring new territory......

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/bushs-secret-world.html#comment-189903

Thank you, Jamie! That's what I'm trying so clumsily to say, but you are able to put it into words that are both eloquent and easily understandable.

Craig, excellent post AGAIN. BushCo's secrecy can't be mentioned enough.

It should go down in history as one of his greatest achievements.

tt

harbor, did you see the video of collin's intersection made from scratch?

Corey...

I don't want Obama and his administration focused on Bush/Cheney for the next eight (hopefully...if, as Michelle says, he does his job!) years, but I would like to see both men...and others on Tiptoe's list of nefarious ne'er-do-wells prosecuted IF they truly committed crimes. I don't believe that service in high office should exempt you from the law.

Tiptoe...Did you see my request that you post your list of bad guys from the past eight years one more time??? Please!

Sturg...I didn't see that! How can I access it?

Well, I'm not gonna go to the UAW meeting tomorrow. I've read through the booklet they sent me. Their biggest selling point was lower insurance costs for us. I just wonder who would benefit more from my plant joining the UAW. The UAW or us? Besides, GM is already trying to get concessions from the UAW, so it can show Congress they are making changes. I'll just wait and see what happens.

I know Mussolini had it happen to him, but I doubt we will go that route once Obama takes over. Once you start that, where do you stop?

ok, world.......we (heh heh) let those guys get the reins for a bit and they uh, you know......ahhh what's the word......well, they were REALLY rude........but we've got a lot to do now, and we dont wanna spend a lot of time lookin' back and all, so we're just gonna make like all that stuff was just, how you say, "unfortunate" and kinda move on and proceed with all this GREAT stuff we're gonna do now that is really (seriously!) QUITE the opposite of.......you know.......THOSE guys........

Ok, fine... no hanging. Can every American just be afforded an opportunity to kick him in the groin?

harbor.....check with "smeeboy" andy's youtube channel

I think it's against the law to kick an ex-president in the groin.

Champ, there are lots of guys I'd love to kick in the groin. I'm sure that would be something most people would enjoy. Of course, if you look up Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, you will find video of him punching a guy in the groin. LOL! Well, I'm going to go pick up a pizza. Night all!

U-Turn....Remember Lethal Weapon 2? Diplomatic immunity!!

Update from Stephen Pidgeon, the attorney that filed suit in Broe V Reed

"Currently we have the following activities taking place:

* A London Solicitor is working on the UK connection

* We have Operatives on both coasts looking for the POE information

* We have SERIOUS leads in Seattle

* A few leads in DC are being followed

* Related to the Document number released earlier, there is follow-up underway.

... this issue will never be moot as
long as Obama is President.”

http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/stephen-pidgeon-update-january-15-2009-plains-radio-therightsideoflifecom-broe-v-reed-attorney-press-release-eligibility-issue-will-not-go-away-obama-not-qualified/

JUst friggin drop it!!!!

Flatus...

I see pogo found the article on the soldier who was committed waterboarding. I was wrong about the hanging, however we did hang Nazi's for torture and the other war crimes as well as some Japanese I believe.

I had read a post about the Nuremberg Trials where one Nazi was sentenced to hang for torture of a prisoner but not for the shooting of the same prisoner in the back and killing him since he was trying to escape.

So I apologize for the reference of him being hung.

On another note we also have Lt. Calley, I believe I spelled his name right. Here's a soldier who lined up a whole village and ordered his platoon to shoot them all and massacred almost all of the villagers.

So what did he get. A court martial and prison time. What he did and ordered was a War Crime, however unlike the sentences handed out to Hitlers Nazi's his was pale in comparison.

It seems that we don't hold our soldiers to the same standards that we hold other countries military's to.

Torture is illegal, immoral and wrong no matter who does it and anyone who does torture should be held accountable. Including leaders who institute it and authorize it.

Ping...

Bush\Cheney are War Criminals. They instituted and authorized Torture which are War Crimes and no matter how you spin it nothing will change the fact that their War Criminals.

And both Bush and Cheney have said on National Television that they approved of Waterboarding which is a War Crime no matter how you try to spin it.

IT IS TORTURE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.....TORTURE.

"... just because you type serious in all caps ... "

SERIOUS was copy and paste. Go to the links and EDUCATE yourself about THE USURPER.

Ping...

They are War Criminals!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Accept it already because only you 30% of supporters think that waterboarding anyone is alright.

If it's alright to waterboard Muslims than it must also be alright to waterboard Jews and Christian Terrorists who bomb clinics and murder nurses and doctors because they don't like the way they practice medicine.

I started crying about GWB’s presidency the day he was selected by the US Supreme Court. We have had eight years to do something about it and we couldn’t. To continue to bash the guy as the door is getting ready to hit him in the ass I think is now moot. We have beaten this dead horse enough already.

Hopefully we have learned from his and our mistakes. Now it is time to hold our new president to the standards we would like to see in a president. We are ready for change and we have been promised change.

Someone please tell me what makes Geithner so indispensible as a nominee for Secretary of the Treasury. It is certainly not good to have the person in charge of the IRS be someone who is irresponsible in paying his own taxes. Remember Biden said it is patriotic to pay your taxes and as much as it may hurt he is right. We all benefit even though some will benefit more than others.

Mara Liasson of NPR, speaking on Fox News said that not paying his taxes is a trivial matter and shouldn’t interfere with Geithner’s confirmation. She should be ashamed. I guess I have just been a sucker for the past 40 years.

From what has been reported it doesn’t look like what Geithner did was just an “honest mistake” even though I am trusting that the people reporting this story are accurate in their facts. These are the things in their reports that bother me. I promise I will drop this after this post.

“U.S. employees get additional salary to cover the IMF’s share of their payroll taxes. They’re responsible for paying the tax, considered a “self-employment tax,” as part of their personal tax returns”.

“The IMF requires employees to fill out an annual tax allowance request worksheet to get the extra income, and gives employees both a personnel manual and quarterly and year-end wage statements detailing their tax obligations. While Geithner signed the statement, he still failed to pay up.”

“In 2006, the IRS audited Geithner’s 2003 and 2004 returns and charged him accordingly. But Geithner didn’t pay his 2001 and 2002 back taxes until the Obama transition team that vetted him brought the oversight to his attention.”

“Typically, there’s a three-year statute of limitations on IRS audits, Lloyd said. After that, the years are considered “closed” and the IRS will reject additional payments.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17468_Page2.html

According to Gordon and Parnes: “In addition, Geithner included payments to overnight camps in calculating his dependent child care credit in 2001, 2004 and 2005. His accountant informed him in 2006 that the camps were not allowable expenses. The committee notes that Geithner did not file amended returns to fix the mistake.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17463.html

If taxes are important we should all pay them. If they are not then none of us should. Our new president shouldn’t be so quick to overlook this problem because he wants this guy. It is not sending a good message to the nation, or his children, and this is not the change I was looking for.

Carol

"dike' " must evolve from the blood vendetta of the tribe to the social justice of our hopes. Potentially "dike' " is the force of right and orderly relations, but because of acts of recklessness it has remained a force of vengeance, cursing offenders and their heirs with endless acts of violence----the punishments of the Furies. Paris' rape of Helen is an international violation of "Dike' " that deploys the Greeks against the Trojans, with Agamemnon as the minister of Zeus's Fury. But to accomplish his mission he must violate "Dike' " on an internecine level, sacrifice his daughter and arouse Clytaemnestra in return. The Fury of the Father collides in Argos with the Fury of the Mother, and the Mother wins a battle to the death. But these forces reappear and concentrate within the son, Orestes; they begin to wage a dialectical struggle, straining towards a crucial resolution. Civilization, as Aeschylus sees it, hangs on their success. This THEOGONY is a battle on which the house of Atreus, the house of the gods, and all our houses stand or fall. Aeschylus insists that each generation create a new alliance between the forces in contention for its world; and he presents their conflict in a range of ways, from cosmic to intensely personal. From theological conflict between Will and Necessity, or Zeus and the Fates--the gods of the Sky and the powers of the Earth; to a social, political conflict between the state ith its patriarchal bias and the family with its matriarchal roots; to a psychological conflict tetween our intellect and our hunger for release, our darker, vengeful drives that can invigorate our dreams of ideality, equity and balance.
For while these forces strive against each other, they are ultimately allies as well. They are as complementary as Donysus and Apollo, or their partisans who strive to explain the tragic vision---Nietzsehe versus Hegel, Cambridge anthropologists versus litery historians, ritualists versus rationalists, fatalists versus spokesmen for the tragic flaw. :Like Dionysus in Nietzsche's final vision of him, the "Oresteia" would invite the adversaries to embrace. The trilogy ends with a union of energy and order, the way of nature, and the way of man. The shakles of the primitive vendetta lend their rigour to the lasting bonds of law. Society takes what Freud has called "the decisive step of civilization"---"Dike' " turns to justice.

Above from Robert Fagles' introduction to the "The Oresteia" by Aeschylus.

Eye SKI Loose.

Posted by: sturgeone | January 15, 2009 8:26 PM

How 'bout I just fart in his general direction then?

Brain do you have any information you can direct me to so I can understand how this guy is going to save us from financial damnation?

ct........"don't need no ticket....you just get aboard........"

curtis........may field........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQqTxK7VhSk

Thank God Sturge cuz I can no longer afford the ticket.
Even though I have lost my ass this year, my ass is not deductable. Don't need the vetting team to tell me that.

Oh America:

Tim Russert Show, CNBC
October 13, 2001

THOMAS FRIEDMAN: "So it's time we got tough. It's time that we looked people in the eye. It's time that the terrorists were the ones who are always afraid, always looking over their shoulder, and to create that, you do have to fight a different kind of war. I was a critic of Rumsfeld before, but there's one thing...that I do like about Rumsfeld. He's just a little bit crazy, OK? He's just a little bit crazy, and in this kind of war, they always count on being able to out-crazy us."

The problem is that the wealthy are in too big a hurry. If you pump the money in at the bottom, it eventually migrates up into fewer and fewer hands.

They just want to rush things and eliminate the middle man. Unfortunately that doesn't work because if you wipe out the bottom, eventually there is no top.

That is one dorky picture of Keith on Olberblogger. I don't think even you Brain would call that dreamy. It is kind of how I like to remember him since I quit watching him a good while back, unless I know Craig will be on.

We may find life on mars yet

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-science/20090115/SCIENCE-US-MARS-METHANE/

I think she would do it. Particularly if she wanted the opportunity to float a balloon of some type. MSNBC is friendly to the administration (friendly as in willing to crawl over broken glass to lick the PEOTUS boots)., so if the need was there she would smile sweetly and go.

Don't hold your breath Jamie. He is too proud to do that. I tried to sneak a peak at him one day and it just so happened to be a rerun of some of his moments that pissed me off.

There was this program on the other day that I caught just a part of on PBS. It was called the Ascent of Money or something like that. It tried to explain the financial markets and crisis. Very complicated. I would like to see it a couple of dozen more times but it only comes on in the middle of the night.

CT,

Here is the Niall Ferguson book that was the base for the PBS show

http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Money-Financial-History-World/dp/1594201927

The video is on the net. I don't know if you can handle it on your computer

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ascentofmoney/video/watch-full-program-the-ascent-of-money/24/

Watch it all you want:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ascentofmoney/featured/watch-full-program-the-ascent-of-money/24/

My link works better.

I would like to watch it where I can pause to absorb and ponder. It will require a lot of both.

Funny it looks just like my link. :-)

Take it back yours says "featured" and mine says "video"

It's all just a game, ct, with rules that can be broken and lots of cheaters. His explanation of options is somewhat lacking; beyond that, it's a good program.

thanks, I now have that video bookmarked for an evening when I want to play stump the old brain. I assume you guys have already watched it?? Did you understand it?

From what little I saw the entire financial system appeared to be a house of cards that were stacked so high that they had no choice but to crash. Why couldn't I have seen this before I invested in those damn mutual funds?

It's all fake money. One of the points of the program is that when everyone was flying high, all that fake money obscured the fraud. Now that everyone wants to get paid, all that fraud gets exposed. So in that sense, it can be like a good thing, as long as the system survives the shock, which remains to be seen.

What I am hoping for is that since people love to gamble and the stock market is like a big casino they will be back. We have lots of casinos in my area and they don't seem to be hurting from this crisis.

EXACTLY.....But the fault is all YOURS.

The way all you Dems cowardly rolled over for the election theft was despicable. You DESERVE Bush for that.

Every outrage, every liberty lost, every mother's heart broken is exactly what you lazy, selfish, cowards deserve.

Just a couple of belaboring points to make. It is not just that Bush probably had the most secretive administration ever, it is the fact that throughout the campaign he promised TRANSPARENCY. Also, YOU say "CIA Employee", I SAY "Covert CIA Operative", involved directly with such NATIONAL SECURITY matters as those involving the alleged Iranian nuclear power and/or weapons programs. If Obama does not seek to punish the outrageously immoral deeds committed during the Bush administration, he should be considered complicit, (like MOST in the mainstream media, and all the Congressmen and women and ALL the Senators), in all of the crimes perpetrated!

Wow! Now I am part of the "Hanging Party?" What a joke. I would like to change the moniker of that party to "The Reality Based Party". Because you see, in reality, Obama won't go after Bush because he doesn't want anyone coming after him for the crimes against the Constitution and the peoples of this nation that HE HIMSELF will commit. Like Clinton didn't go after the Iran-Contra Douchebags. It doesn't matter. Even tired old scum like Liddy and Colson are now right wing heroes, (like unto G. Washington himself), and they were convicted for the crimes they committed and they both have legions of followers. Rules of reality should dictate to all the often repeated phrase that "Those who refuse to remember the past are condemned to relive it". That is reality. Reality also dictates that people like those of you who feel that Obama should be concentrating on how to fix problems we have now, (funny how alot of the crimes that were perpetrated on us by the last administration are directly related to alot of those problems we have now but NOOOOO let's not distract ourselves and our greatness-lol), should also be considered complicit in the crimes of treason, war crimes and $4.50 per gallon gasoline, the wall street mess, ENRON and energy policy debacle, (Obama demands the OTHER $350Billion because the first $350 Billion HELPED SOOO MUCH?????). So we will call you folks the Traitor/Pussy party. And forget the whole "Reality Based Party" label and make it the "Fuck Hanging Them They Should Be GUTTED and BEHEADED on T.V." party. Yeah though I walk through the valley of death I shall fear No EVIL BITCHES!!!!!