Fancy footwork… 29 March 2007
Posted by marisacat in 2008 Election, Big Box Blogs, DC Politics, Inconvenient Voice of the Voter.trackback
Pepe Escobar in Asia Times on the UK 15 being held in Iran…
[F]rom the Iraqi shore one can see the Iranian shore, flags aflutter. These remain extremely disputed waters. In 1975, a treaty was signed in Algiers between the shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein. The center of the river was supposed to be the border. Then Saddam invaded Iran in 1980. After the Iran-Iraq War that this sparked ended in 1988, and even after both Gulf wars, things remain perilously inconclusive: a new treaty still has not been signed.
The British are adamant that the sailors were in Iraqi waters checking for cars, not weapons, being smuggled. It’s almost laughable that the Royal Navy should be reduced to finding dangerous Toyotas in the Persian Gulf. Some reports from Tehran claim the British were actually checking Iranian military preparations ahead of a possible confrontation with the US.
Western corporate media overwhelmingly take for granted that the British were in Iraqi or “international” waters (wrong: these are disputed Iran/Iraq waters). Tehran has accused the British of “blatant aggression” and reminded world public opinion “this is not the first time that Britain commits such illegal acts” (which is true). Tehran diplomats later suggested that the British might be charged with espionage (which is actually the case in Khuzestan province in Iran, conducted by US Special Forces). […]
I think I’d take a few minutes and pay attention to Pepe, who was posting in late summer of 2001, come get him, something big is coming and if that is right, afterward you won’t be able to get him.
Right, that was about Osama. AT kept links to the PE 2001 articles on the front page for a long time post 9.11
There is more:
From the depths of their abysmal, recent historical experience, even the Arab world – which is not so fond of Persians – sees the US-orchestrated UN sanctions on Iran for what they are: the West, once again, trying to smash an independent nation daring to have its shot at more influence in the Middle East.
More sanctions will be useless as China and India will continue to do serious business with Iran.
Tactically, as a backgammon or, better yet, chess move – in which Iranians excel – the Shatt-al-Arab incident may be much more clever than it appears. Oil is establishing itself well above US$60 a barrel as a result of the incident, and that’s good for Iran. It’s true that from London’s point of view, the incident could have been arranged as a provocation, part of a mischievous plan to escalate the conflict with Iran and turn Western and possibly world public opinion against the regime.
Oh get ready… here it comes:
But from Tehran’s point of view, for all purposes British Prime Minister Tony Blair is a soft target. The episode has the potential to paralyze both President George W Bush and Blair. Neither can use the incident to start a war with Iran, although Blair has warned that his government is prepared to move to “a different phase” if Iran does not quickly release the sailors. [snip]
I know I pushed the extracts (mea culpa) but it’s just such a meaty look … 😉
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The Hill has an article on the Obama method with lobbyists…
[“A]nd as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what’s filled the void,” said Obama. “The cynics, and the lobbyists, and the special interests who’ve turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter; they think they own this government, but we’re here today to take it back. The time for that politics is over. It’s time to turn the page.”
In a fundraising e-mail distributed yesterday, Obama emphasized his stance against taking money from lobbyists and PACs.
Two lobbyists who are supporting another candidate and spoke to The Hill on condition of anonymity said that Obama’s campaign contacted them asking to be put in touch with their networks of business clients and acquaintances.One of the lobbyists, who supports Clinton, said that Shomik Dutta, a fundraiser for Obama’s campaign, called to ask if the lobbyist’s wife would be interested in making a political contribution.
“I was quite taken aback,” he said. “He was very direct in saying that you’re a lobbyist and we don’t want contributions from lobbyists. But your wife can contribute and we like your network.”
Dutta declined to discuss his work. [snip]
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In The Hill also, Code Pink just will not let up on Hillary… 😉
[O]ne of Code Pink’s co-founders, Gael Murphy, said the group has been following Clinton for almost two years and will continue to do so until she introduces legislation to bring American soldiers home from Iraq. Murphy said it was likely the group would protest Clinton and other candidates at this morning’s forum sponsored by the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.
“We think it’s important to put pressure on her as one of the most important politicians in the United States,” Murphy said.
Murphy said not even an apology for the 2002 vote, like the one rival candidate and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) has given, would appease the group. [snip]
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Family bringing suit against Harper’s Magazine, loses…
OKLAHOMA CITY — An appeals court has ruled against family members of an Oklahoma National Guard member whose open casket was photographed by Harper’s Magazine.
The 2004 funeral of Sgt. Kyle Brinlee at the Pryor High School gymnasium was attended by 1,200 people, including Gov. Brad Henry, who spoke.
“While it could be argued that publication of [the photo] without prior authorization was in poor taste … it does not constitute an actionable claim under any of the theories advanced by plaintiffs,” the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on March 23 in Showler v. Harper’s Magazine.
Robert Showler, Brinlee’s biological father, and Johnny Davidson, his maternal grandfather, alleged among other things that the magazine and photographer Peter Turnley invaded their privacy, deceived them and unjustly enriched themselves by publishing the photo. [snip]
And a summary and link to the loss in the initial court case…
Family loses suit over soldier’s open-casket photo in Harper’s
If father, grandfather wanted privacy, federal judge rules, they shouldn’t have held public funeral with reserved press section. 12.27.05
Well, that seems quite direct: You wish privacy, guard against the loss of that privacy. Yes, someone popped me the link to the case. And a few others…
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UPDATE, 11:13 on the Pacific Ocean…
Madman has a good one up, words for citoyen and citoyenne. Yes, slap me (you know they want to… ) for being “sexist”… I just happen to love the word: citoyenne.
Back to Madman… and the mud and blood laden trenches of retail politics (and just the littlest, tiniest slice is online, as everybody knows)…
Despite what the slavish Big Box Blahgs say, despite what the horse-race-flogging tee-vee pundits say, citizens AREN’T political consultants. They AREN’T political advisors. They SHOULDN’T approach politics the way they follow sports, counting box scores and campaign fundraising numbers and gleefully concentrating on the ins-and-outs of political gamesmanship.
…
They should heckle, they should stop traffic if they feel they must. What they shouldn’t do is calculate and equivicate and dance to the self-serving tune of the politicians and their big money donors. Political parties are NOT the only avenue for political action.
Then a snip from Zinn, whom Madman quotes in the post:
I am reminded of the situation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, when the black delegation from Mississippi asked to be seated, to represent the 40 percent black population of that state.
They were offered a “compromise” – two nonvoting seats. “This is the best we can get,” some black leaders said. The Mississippians, led by Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses, turned it down, and thus held on to their fighting spirit, which later brought them what they had asked for.
That mantra – “the best we can get” – is a recipe for corruption.
The party and it’s sales people are all about “the best we can get”… manufacturing consent. Off line, online.
Don’t settle. Just don’t. Make them service the constituency. All there is to withhold is the vote.
Yes this is immense heresy, especially at one of the little sites that, for some reason, the BBBlahgers think they can control. Won’t be happening.
Speaking of the “Mississippians”, one thing I took note of after the ’04 loss (they so expected to win) was Kennedy in interview railing that only 43% of eligible Blacks in MS are registered to vote. I later read Manning Marable who confirmed this…
It is not as if in the intervening 43 years the Democrats cared. Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses knew: they must be forced. I am certain that the Democrats are no more interested in poor whites in the South than they are in poor, or otherwise, Blacks in the South… some deference in the big cities, where there are machines. About it. So 43% was long ago judged to be “what they could get”.
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UPDATE, 1:30 pm in San Francisco
I was reading TAPPED, a post from Lomonaco, who is listening to the hearings:
For instance, Dianne Feinstein questioned Sampson about the fact that Sampson talked about “the real problem we have right now” with U.S. attorney Carol Lam in San Diego the day after her office alerted DoJ that they would be executing search warrants in an investigation of Dusto Foggo and Brent Wilkes. (For more on the story, see here.)
Feinstein asked Sampson today, “And are you aware that on May 10 Carol Lam sent a notice to the Department of Justice saying she would be seeking a search warrant — of the CIA investigation into Dusto Foggo and Brent Wilkes?” And Sampson carefully responded, “I don’t remember ever seeing such a notice.” The obvious follow-up: “Are you saying you specifically remember that you never saw such a notice? Or are you saying it is possible you saw it and now you just don’t remember?”
…
Sampson says he doesn’t remember ever seeing such a notice. “Well,” Sampson should be asked, “did you ever learn of the substance of the notice? That is, did you ever learn, in any way or form, of the fact that Lam intended to have search warrants executed in the investigation involving Foggo and Wilkes?”
That reminded me of the Iran-Contra hearings… and Walter Karp’s book Liberty Under Siege (Franklin Sq Press, 1988, paper ed.) a sub-section called Oligarchy Restored, p 254
“In four days of questioning, the congressional committee investigating the Iran-contra affair never pinned down Robert C. McFarlane on what he told President Reagan about the White House staff’s activities in behalf of the Nicaraguan rebels.”
Senator Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Senate half of the committee, a Hawaiian Democrat, asks McFarlane whether he had “advised the President on whatever you were doing” for the contras.
“Yes, sir,” replies McFarlane and Inouye drops the subject-the subject of subjects dropped. McFarlane mentions discussing Colonel North with the President, alleged “loose cannon,” supposedly scarcely known to the President. “Once again,” notes the New York Times, “Senator Inouye dropped the subject.”
Questioned by Senator Warren Rudman, a New Hampshire Republican, McFarlane says the President had “a far more liberal interpretation” of his freedom from the laws “than I did.” And “Senator Rudman dropped the matter.”
For the people believe in the supremacy of law. Do we want them to hear over television that the President does not?
Yes, and what are we facing today?
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UPDATE, 2:25 pm
hmm IOZ has a timely post on getting your groove on, selling your religion, your angst, who you poked, selling whatever is grist for the mill, if it gets you a laying-in spot on the greasy, battered, bloodspattered clover bed that is politics.
Yes…it fits today…. and the awkward and effortful shimmy going on elsewhere…
Feelin’ on Your Booty.
Evidently, Fred Thompson isn’t a Christian. That’s according to James Dobson, although a spokesman clarifies: “We use that word–Christian–to refer to people who are evangelical Christians.” Which is fine, I suppose, just as it’s fine to call insects bugs and chimps monkeys, even though not all bugs are insects and chimps aren’t monkeys at all.
Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, wins fulsome praise after a radioland discussion of his Monica-Lewinsky-era extramarital affair. It seems that people are confused about the objects of praise and derision here, wondering how it is that “the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the country” can come out for a wife-abandoner, but there’s nothing to be confused about.
Joan Didion famously observed that everything that didn’t make sense about Reagan if you thought of him as the President made perfect sense if you thought of him as an actor.
Didion surely knew. From an old Sacramento CA family and a long long time observer of the political scene…
A bit more of IOZ:
Let me put it to you this way: Montel holds no moral position In Re: if he is or if he ain’t your baby dady [sic]–not so long as you’re willing to dish in front of the live studio audience. Dobson would support an Iranian hooker with every Sutra of the Koran tatooed in miniature on her backside if she’d show up to get a little weepy on his show. This game works well all across the world of Christian broadcasting. There is hardly a sentence that comes out of Pat Robertson’s mouth that couldn’t be followed by “only three easy payments of $19.95.”
This is America, friends. There is only one meaningful question: What are you selling?
Commerce, you gotta love it… It made America – and Tony the Tiger – grrrreat!
Shimmy on!
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UPDATE, 5:40 pm…
Oh yes, if people are not bored, they are tired of it. Imagine how i feel, who lives to amuse, myself primarily…
But if they could read it would be so much better… Of course the many manias would not be fed.
[A]s for the DD situation — really? He posted a link to his blog which had his real name on it? I stand corrected. Then this whole thing about him being outed, if that is true, is UTTER NONSENSE. I shan’t say another word about it.
Now, as I remakred on BMT to Lucid, I am sorry, but for my own sanity and peace of mind, I am going to have to adopt a Do Not Engage/Do Not Acknowledge Policy as pertains to anyone who condones the horseshit that passes for dialogue at Marisacat’s site. i’ll be happy to speak to anyone who repudiates her lies and malicious obfuscations and behaviour, but as for anyone who participates at that blog and says NOTHING to indicate they do NOT approve — you are Dead to Me.Or, in the words of the Good Witch of the North…
February 1 at Marisacat, the day after the photo was posted with
no name,
no moniker and
no law firm listed:
UPDATE, 12:30.
The site is on full moderation.
Here, have a laugh. And remember: when he ws fully outed, his name as well as who he was diarying as at Dkos by a DE reporter last October, he was going to GBCW and then rename himself. He did not. I believe it was that reporter who stated, more or less, that he supported Beau Biden for AG, tho he had failed the bar. DE does nto even require a JD for their AGs. And Del Dem failed the bar in DE THREE times. Something I did not know 2 days ago.
Whoops. As if it mattered. He names himself at his blog, which has been carried as a link in his tag line in comments at Dkos for a year or so and he is public thru his listing at his law firm.
I have jsut been emailed that his photo was posted at BMT during the PA elections, that may be. I don’t read it enough to know. (Sorry.)
And they were busy busy busy electing Patrick Murphy. And now they are all so slightly embarrassed that he is a Blue Dog. Well, don’t be.
Have you ever seen such wilted peacocks? In their pin-striped suits?
I am sorry, it is laughable.
And someone has sent the link: click on the pic and you get (as appeared at BMT on 11/7): Link. Standing in the light blue shirt.
And Opps. Soft flanking motion incoming: BMT I long ago emailed him during one of his many many defenses of Armando (with blame heaped on his “community”, it ws during the suskind diaries, don’t worry suskind deleted at BMT, so many anti-Armando comments!) but I emailed Martin, What do you think they, the Boyz, say about you when you are not around.
Men are far bitchier than women.
Peacocks in a Tizzy Whizzy! Blog Maids to All Aisles!
Blog Maids to the Editing Room!
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just as it appeared January 30th 2007
UPDATE, 7:50 pm
hmmm. And what if this is a mainline ”Kossack”? One harbored close to the bosom of Daddy Kos? An online whip… A defender, sword drawn, of the Great Realm that is Koslandia?
Myself, I see Tammany Hall.. Bossism. Democratic (or its early Jeffersonian incarnation) family, all the way back to Virginia and with Garvey and Brennan on one side of my family, I may speak.
What do you see?
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March 29
His many many self outings across the years were cut and pasted, linked to, enumerated and indicated. For several days. And subsequently… But no, that was too hard, not fun, too truthful for them.
They loved the cuntbitchwhore merry go round DD opened up in the vaunted Dkos, MLW and BMT ”community” square.
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Marisacat 
Good morning all. Just wanted to thank everyone again for all of the snark and the links … it just took me a LONG time to catch up on all you commented last night after I cashed it in. Don’t you guys sleep?
The coverage of the seizing of the marines in disputed waters has been terrible, bad even for an already pathetic corporate press. Luckily, there was some BS story about a polar bear cub contributing to the death of a panda bear in Germany, or something. I didn’t catch what happened … I swiched over to VH-1 to watch Scarlett Johansson in that Timberlake vid. Bad faux film noir is MUCH better than fake news, which is sad, when you think about it.
Anyway, off to work. I’m sure there will be 300 comments to catch up on tonight!
(Juan Cole):
“Guerrillas have been firing rockets at will into the Green Zone, the supposedly safe district of downtown Baghdad where the US embassy and Iraqi government offices are located. Reuters reports that on Wednesday they killed a US soldier in the Green Zone that way, and wounded another. On Tuesday they had killed a US contractor in the zone. Also on Tuesday, guerrillas had killed a US Marine in al-Anbar province. Folks, when guerrillas can kill a US soldier inside the Green Zone, Baghdad is just not safe.”
WARNING: This following video link contains graphic images of Old White Republican Men “rapping.” The Use of anti-emetic medications is indicated (and plastic sheeting for keyboards and monitors)
MC ROVE
Pardon me while I puke…
Tuston–it almost seems to be the biggest news item of the day.
Reminiscent of Nixon saying “Sock it to – me??” on Laugh-In. Though not nearly as funny.
nice sense of humor miss devore
MCat,
Was glad to see you point out that idiotic post Martin had over at his rapidly sinking blog concerning Iran’s holding of the British marines and sailors. Maybe he should have stuck to his paper route, I’ve no doubt he performed that task diligently, and the opportunities for making a public fool of himself were substantially smaller. If you’re monitoring this website today Martin (and we all know you do on a regular basis, it’s not like you have to worry about responding to comments over at Froggy’s Bottoms these days), I suggest you click on this link, which contains a transcript of a Democracy Now piece discussing this country’s sponsoring of guerrilla attacks against Iran. If you’re going to accuse people of playing with fire, it’s only fair to level your charges against everyone guilty of doing so, and apparently, we’re doing it to a much greater extent than the Iranians are.
missdevore- it IS the news story, I predict we’ll soon see a duet with American Idol’s Sanjay (both with Faux Hawks) in an upcomming extravaganza that will include Tony Snow playing “rock flute” and Huckabee on lead guitar.
Light posting day; PK is demanding equal acces to our shared ‘puter and I need to do meat puppet work (woodchips don’t make themselves) but I thought I’d leave ya’ll of youse an update on the AZ Vet Home scandal:
AZ STAR
Napolitano-“trust me” No thanks, Janet. An attorney who is too stupid to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest, should be closely monitored.
Don’t miss the U N I T Y (well that is what BlahgSnotosphere is saying, and they know. Right? Right?)
You dare think the party lacks U N I T Y??
Right, the Dem warmongering is less or (for the really gullible) not at all insane. That does it!
Stoller
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Rosenfeld at TAPPED
I am sure there is more out there. The desperate themes are ‘We are ONE, godammit!” and “We are not rabid like the Republicans godammit!” and “There will be less war with the Dems, IF you elect us. And you goddam will!”.
Roll on carnival.
I’m like 3/4 of the way thru skimming yesterday’s thread – my my my – but in interest of piping up irrelevantly (irreverant too?):
#75 (previous) by Lucid:
Do you brave the mud flats?
Will you brave the swamp,
where the pitterpatter
subsides into dead silence?
Will you speak anew?
very sweet!
ms D – maybe it’s valuable hemp rope
o please, stop . . . it hurts!
lol
but did you read the fine print, they allways ask me. you gotta read the fine print!
wellll you can really cheer yourself up, listen to Steny on the floor of the House (C-Span 1) talking about “pay-go”… lauding it as the beloved child of Gephardt and Bush 1.
Lordy. War gets anything and then some (spinach did well)… but programs for people must submit to The Rule of Cash On Hand.
Oh now he is rattling on about David Stockman. On to Reagan…
“We must stop spending in its tracks”.
LOL. Oh that Steny. Now he is talking about the Blooo Dogs in the 90s. They reigned in spending you know (that is their claim, cut in stone)… the ‘Nearly Republicans’ are who did it. The left femur of the R party.
Classic.
Emsoc is on the warpath.
Poor Democrats. All to sell U N I T Y and the ’08 game.
LOL The language is already out there. Mary Landrieu was on Wash Journal this am. We need to “re-mission” for “success in Iraq”.
No no “insane” warmongering.
There will be only sane warmongering. Praise the lord and pass the thorazine.
LOL right on schedule. Frenzy is what was left for her.
I will get to it when the gatos are fed and after the meat gets a good start on a defrost.
Sorry, so predictable… but thanks for the link 😉
Messed up the emsoc link. Here it is.
They are basically garbage and participating there is basically an act of dishonesty, or complicity in dishonesty.
by BooMan
dissent. calling booshit, err, bullshit when the pile in the room stinks
here’s what real life cyber-garbage looks like
toxic.
w/ lives at risk.
picking thru the heap . . .
“re-missioning” read somewhere this morning the term “extended surge” how long can you extend a surge until it’s no longer a surge?
they better crack open that thesauras again
re-mission? Well, I guess that’s accurate. The troops are getting fucked again by the top dogs.
Frenzy is what was left for her.
I do apologise for my confusion about who posted the nude photos. again. Not that the giant sucking hole of need, false victimhood and dishonesty that is MaryScott will ever acknowledge my apology.
I will add that the discussion was about silly shallow women who overtly and blatantly use their sexuality to attract attention and a following on political blogs and the FIRST person I thought of was emsock because she is the most obvious and long lived example of this that I am aware of.
It’s amusing to watch LG and emsock get all huffy exuding ruffled dignity about some folks on an obscure blog describing their online personas and interactions which are hardly worthy of respect. Not even , I daresay, in Louisiana. Amusement isn’t the same thing as obsession.
James,
Well, what else do she and Martin have in the way of generating page hits? Take a look at the front page over at Froggy’s Bottoms, there are currently only two posts that have as many as 15 comments, the “Emsock was right to spend time blogging about her friend as if he was dead when he wasn’t,” and BooMan’s idiotic, ill-informed snitfest about the Iranians holding the Brit marines and sailors (BTW, w/r/t to the former thread, I note the person who thank god didn’t commit suicide is described as a “young man.” Isn’t he pretty well into his 30s?).
Anyway, she can say whatever she likes, her credibility is lower than a snake’s belly at this point. Her attempts at showing other people to be as awful as she claims by posting links to their comments is bound to backfire on her, as she’s incapable of discerning that they in fact sound reasonable while she comes off as a shrieking loony. I see from some comments she posted in the last day or two (just to take one example) that she still is not able to see how she was not so subtly made to look like a negligent mother who’d rather vent her spleen on the Internet than give her small son some attention after he comes home from school. Oh no, the reporter was just being straight and forthright, reporting what he saw with no bias, says Emsock. Anyone who’s worked for even a short time in journalism, or just taken a course or two, or hell, even read a book on the practice of the craft knows what’s going on there, but she’s so wound up in her ego she has no clue. Well, anyone who’s stupid enough to let a reporter into her home and observe her while she blogs has it coming, frankly. You’d think afterwards she’d at least be capable of understanding what a mistake she made. But if she’s got as tenuous a grip on what’s commonly referred to as sanity as she claims, engaging in these sorts of raging battles on the Internet is something to be avoided. Honestly, I hope she’s really just engaging in cynical self-promotion with all this, because if she isn’t, that tenuous grip is liable to fail, and that would be an awful thing.
re: MSOC on the warpath
Why is it that I’m supposed to rebut absolutely everything that appears here when she let this one slip by at her place without even batting an eye?
See, I have just a little bit of a problem being compared to people who lynch, torture, warmonger and mass murder (a la MB’s comment comparing us to the Columbine killers). But Dog forbid that anyone here say anything about anyone – even in jest a la ridiculous pole dancing display. That is a blogosphere crime.
Methinks they doth protest way too much. But rage on if it makes you feel good.
We are in “go long”.
A fine state of war.
arcturus…
clicked on the link. I saw a segment on Al Jazeera a few weeks ago… some of the in-Iraq refugees… they interviewed a small family who lost Mother, Father and eldest brother in Fallujah, there are now jsut several children living in filth and loneliness, and yes they were shown picking thru garbage.
Last week one of the cables was anxious to show that yes, markets are open, shops have goods a plenty and they walked thru some “normal” streets in a suburb a little north of Baghdad, iirc.
I am sure in while, as the agitation is starting already, the Iraqi collaborators will begin to be resettled in the US, with “resettlment money” and offers to them from the big corps. Not great offers, as collaborators are always tainted, but offers nonetheless.
Replay Vietnam, the post war era.
Meanwhile in an interview I heard last year with Darby and his wife, AG whistleblower, he was advised by the Army to relocate away from his home town. That he would be in danger his whole life.
Oh… sorry… Klebold/Columbine from MB and invoking the world of lynching (from an acolyte to Pastor Dan, posting at MLW) w/r/t “blogwars” is just, on the same weekend, too coordinated to be accidental.
I am sure I will get back there and read BMT’s day old thread soon.
Promise.
Pew: Democrats Fail to Impress in First 100 Days
But hey, the fact that we talk about how badly the Dems are doing is treasonous to the BBBs, right? snort…
Forgot to close that link. Sorry.
Of course it’s coordinated. And her posts for the last week, up through today, are clearly aimed at angering people and instigating flame wars. She’s seems to be posting at Froggy’s Bottoms and MBM more than her own site. It’s all intended to get people coming to Martin’s stagnant little pond and My Loud Whine to drive up the page hits, and create comment threads that people will link to all over the Net. Emsock is about as subtle as that old 1950s commercials for headache remedies that showed a hammer pounding away at an artist’s rendering of a human head while the baritone announcer shouted “Pain, Pain, PAIN!!!!!”
anyone listening to sampson? i almost feel sorry for him
I got it…closed the link, not a problem.
Well I am not a Democrat anymore.
I could not wait for the mess of the 04 run t be over. I HAD to separate from all of the manufactured mess. I stayed to protect my vote (there were stories of reregistratiions being lost or slow) and I wanted to vote, not for Kerry, but down ticket.
I got out two days after.
Sorry! was not oging to be a part of that bullshit. Anymore.
from usa news:
“NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A region of Japan devastated by a 1995 earthquake donated $200,000 to the New Orleans Museum of Art for programs to help children cope with the post-Hurricane Katrina devastation.
The donation — celebrated Wednesday with a troupe of Japanese street performers — is intended to pay for art therapy sessions, field trips and special programs for children and their families.
“It is art, among other things, missed and needed by children in devastated areas who have sustained deep psychological wounds,” said Masaru Sakato, the Consul General of Japan in New Orleans.
The donor, the Prefecture of Hyogo, knows well the struggles of recovering from a natural disaster and the toll it takes on children. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through Hyogo’s port city of Kobe in 1995, killing nearly 6,500 people.
Like Katrina, the quake demonstrated the vulnerability of modern cities to natural disasters. The United States was among the countries that delivered relief to the Kobe area following the 1995 quake, and Wednesday’s donation was a small way the people of Japan wanted to give back, Sakato said.”
anyone listening to sampson?
I am. Well, I’m trying to anyway – scattered mind today. I thought Specter did a good job of grilling him. I don’t feel sorry for the guy. He was a part of this mess and is definitely partially responsible for how things turned out.
Thanks for the Pew poll link, Catnip. They’re almost always meaty and interesting. It’s starting to look like a primary battle between Gingrich and Fred Thompson. The horror!
Gingrich/Thompson, Jeebus H. Christ, the GOP sure does have some ugly candidates, doesn’t it? Especially when you add Giuliani into the mix. A ticket composed of two out of those three would scare millions of small children every time they appeared together.
Of course, anything that gets Thompson off the various “Law & Order” shows is to be encouraged.
oh.
I see. I read the thread. I recommend it for frenzy observation and co-frenzy. That would be the multitude of posts from LG.
You’ll note it is all about her. (zzz)
It struck me as rather Republican tactics.
And reminded me again that a single digit UID at Dkos emailed me after Msoc called into Randi Rhodes in the early days of AAR… somehow a simple call in to a POLITICAL radio show, a liberal one at that, became all about MSoc and her name.
so vital? heh, as BTD says.
My friend, the single digit UID, said, she’ll stand and salute for whatever regime gives her the attention she so needs.
Pretty evident. The Dkoswhacks supply it, the bad the good and the just plain horrible.
She goes back for more, has for years.
Frantic is the word.
My reply is again Klebold Columbine from MB (I am sure they read it at BMt, OK if I call the blog BMT, Martin?)
and ‘Its simple IF you ignore the complexity’ (as I said, his moniker, what a thought) about “blogwars” and invoking lynching.
And my last reply is
Alexa MLW
Alexa BMT
I thnk I have posted Alexa for one of them before, others have linked to Alexa as well.
I promise you when Alexa pages are linked to here, they are clicked at a high rate.
Those are my replies:
Read the thread.
And best of luck, it is an effort to get people not to comment here.
But they won’t stop reading.
Well, since the “Scattershot ..” diary is linked there, I hope people can at least appreciate the fine comedy of BooHooHooMan’s shoe-shopping expedition. I mean look what he did with one slur in a blog format where one must pay close attention to communicating in one thread, with any number of discussions thrown in about news, h-type vaccuum cleaner bags, etc. His timing–which is a one of the most important comic tools– is impeccable.
Hey fellow vipers. I just put up a rebuttal to MSOC’s rebuttal that we are indeed all obsessed with LG’s sexuality.
Must go to work… very late. Stayed up ’til 7 in the morning in that thread.
I’ll catch up later.
😉
Oh and lucid–good job of clarification. Not that I think it is going to make a difference to them, unfortunately.
Oh and congratulations senator imhofe for running the Gore global warming awareness concert out of the capitol.
I was just going to say something about the plodding “intelligence” of jeff sessions in the hearings, and during the break, I am reminded there is someone stupider than him.
and for what it’s worth–I like the format here-it has its challenges, but there’s nothing wrong with working a little harder. but I don’t know if it is growing problematic for Marisacat.
i am the Aggregator . . . so inept
aggravating . . .
Now here’s how to write:
Army Second Lt. Brian Smith
From the April 2 Newsweek issue wherein they feature emails and writings of dead US troops.
emsock to lucid after being shredded into machaca:
BEGONE!
I AM THE EMPRESS OF THE INTERNETS!
Rofl. Somebody needs to come up with a GIF image, “Proud to have been BEGONED by the emSock”.
To funny, but maybe not funny at all. I think her shrink might want to re-adjust the meds; her bloated sense of aggrandizement may be a cue that she’s getting too far to manic end of her dial. Somebody should suggest she go in for a consult.
tompaine.com
Well MP Murray must have his facts wrong because I heard Martha Raddatz on GMA just this morning say the Brits had “difinitive proof” they were in Iraqi waters.
hmm don’t think it quite works like that.
on second thought, Glinda is one of her … advisors? Something to do with shaking a wand over a magical fairytale land?
Okay… whatever.
Tuston, looks like she has a bad habit of declaring people dead, who aren’t.
In other news–no, not the h-bags–but the DSL modem has arrived. My service is suppose to start tomorrow, so I have to read these manuals,etc.
I will have to call my brother and say, in my best Get Smart way “would you believe tomorrow night?”
Will also try to get him to appreciate my utter joy at midweek laundromat sessions. No one around to get possessive of the wheeled baskets, the tv volume is low.
Oh, let’s join in and sing:
“We represent the munchkin land…..”
Miss Devore:
Congrats on the DSL. Next thing you know you’ll have a shoe cell phone…
hmm I took a look at that comment. It certainly did involve a wand and sparklers. A fanciful party dress from a bygone era.
Well let’s hope it works for her.
BEGONE!
I AM THE EMPRESS OF THE INTERNETS!
Whole lotta begoneing going on. That’s what BC said to me at MBM, which kept me laughing for a day and a half.
Interesting psychology though: people who want others to disappear because they don’t know how to handle disagreements. And I’m not talking about banning people from your own site. When you wave your little magic wand and wish people on other sites would just disappear, you’re simply regressing to your childhood when you felt so pathetically powerless and had no skills to deal with others who caused you grief besides putting your hands over your eyes and screaming “make them go away mommy!”.
A fanciful party dress from a bygone era.
A bygone BEGONE era.
Since we’re playing dress up now, I guess I’ll have to track down my Genghis Khan outfit… I hardly ever get to wear that.
I think Sampson needs a magick wand. Poor sod. Just catching a smatter of it on TNH (just could not take the Cspan version today).
I’ve been BEGONEd by MSOC over at MBM too. I’ll let you know if I actually do go up in smoke with a little poof.
Click Click…”There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”
MSOC at MBM:
Of course not. You wouldn’t want to be seen as siding with the Columbine murderers over here, would you?
Seriously, it took her this fucking long to grab that glaring tidbit of reality about DD? Mon dieu…
Tuston-fyi-on the wall in my office I have a print out of dood abides’ photoshop of Abu Gonzales holding up the Max Smart shoe phone at a congressional hearing some time back. One international student was quite amused by it, even before I told her the particulars of Get Smart.
(cultural exchange at its finest)
catnip–well, I’m glad you don’t own a snakeskin bag.
Excellent response, lucid. I’d also like to add that the commentary on the poledancer, like that on the Little Sisters, was about the problem in our society represented by the poledancer. We’ve always been talking about a larger issue, not only an individual or one small clique. The Pie Wars were not merely about a stupid Gilligan’s Island ad.
I admire venice ca for being On The Case and asking that the gif be taken down. Right on!
EMSOC and BOOOBMAN! – Gettin down on that 69 blog action YaYAH.. Just a teaser though. I think you have to register or give a fuck to get the full length porno.
Do I get any residuals for coining “Mud – flap” feminism?
That was made clear Feb 1, all of his outing events. ALL OF THEM were either cut and pasted to posts here or linked to from Mcat.
He was a serially self outter. For years.
How can they discuss POLITICS if they do not read?
Clue, the sites became nutty pain forums long ago.
And I suggest they find real pain forums (I can personally recommend that if you find the right ones for chronic pain, mental, physical, psychic, etc., it can help.) and not divert politics.
But it was more fun on the cuntwhorebitch carnival that DD and Martin and others were on. She hitched a ride.
I shall neither speak of them or their hideaway again, nor respond to anyone who fits in that category again.
Would that this were true. Still, much as I would appreciate this gesture on her part I don’t believe her. She has NO self control and an obsessive need to control and demean anyone willing to contradict the fairy bubble she’s erected around herself.
As for the DD situation — really? He posted a link to his blog which had his real name on it?
Say goodnight, Gracie.
In other news–no, not the h-bags–but the DSL modem has arrived. My service is suppose to start tomorrow, so I have to read these manuals,etc.
NO! Not the “manuals”! Those things are evil, truly evil.
Mcat: How can they discuss POLITICS if they do not read
They don’t read, and they never “discuss” ANYTHING. There’s never any sort of a reasonable dialogue because they never listen. It’s all one-way – they’re screaming through a bullhorn. And now there’s the new development that they want to SILENCE anyone who talks back or makes fun of them. Quiet there, the bullhorn is speaking!
Cyber Lords and Ladies..
we were to be their subjects. Ruled by the wand, or the limp whatever.
Quite the display of delusion.
IOZ has a good post up on give up on the illusion that policies are logical or rational or or or… or could be reworked to be …etc., we have entered an insane sludge era.
He’s got soemthing in that.
There’s never any sort of a reasonable dialogue because they never listen.
precisely. It’s part of what makes them and their blogs so boring.
Good night Gracie!
Sigh:
When will the press catch up with reality?
apologies to Cole Porter:
When they begin
the begone
it brings back the time
of endless troll-rating
it brings back a night
of cookiebear grating
it brings back a memory of orange
I’m with you once more
outside of the gate
cunt bitch harpy whore
an orchestrated hate
and even the alms
seem to be waning
when they begin
the begone
to live it again
can’t be imagined
except when some loon
thinks they are smart
and there we are swearing just like a sailor
hounded by troll cops
who just got their start
a moment on-line
with details insane
few clods came along
to disperse the joys we had tasted
and now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
I know but too well what they mean
so dont let them begin the begone
let the language inspire
“curled like a prawn”
let it laugh out loud like a choir I only remember
when they began the begone
oh yes let them begin the begone
make them play
til the stars that were there before
disregard T U
till you hiss off to me
“I guess I’m a clitlicker”
and we suddenly know what snakepit we’re in
when they begin
the begone.
BooHooHooMan #58–is that like Muskrat Love?
Justice:
As I wrote at my place, good thing they don’t have that law in DC or Ottawa.
#68. Bravo, Miss D!
we were to be their subjects. Ruled by the wand, or the limp whatever.
The Crossed Pork Swords!
#68 – LOL Miss D, you’re the top!
#54, catnip: another band name! The Glaring Tidbits of Reality
catnip #70–terrible “sleeps with the feces” jokes come to mind. I mean, it is las vegas.
how can they determine the age of the feces?
I living in Santa Barbara when they passed an ordinance that the homeless could not dumpster dive on State Street. That year I was at an xmas tree lot-on 12/24, looking for the markdowns. the salesperson, said “make me any offer!” so I said “$3?” and he scornfully brushed me off. I was having a dinner party that night and wanted a tree, so I started pulling the bottom half of a pine out of the dumpster, and this man came along, and I said “Is it against the law to pull half a christmas tree out of a dumpster?” And, with swift aversion to answering odd questions he tells me “Ma’am, I don’t know”
The half-full xmas tree dinner party was a huge success, and the five of us, and the german shephard had our pics taken in front of the tree. (goddess, I do have a scanner someone gave me at work; I keep forgetting about it) It was also the night of the Miracle of the Christmas Dinner Napkins, but that is another story.
how can they determine the age of the feces?
Well, I don’t know if the law specified fresh or aged feces – or even what kind of feces. I mean, what if you were sleeping and were suddenly shat upon by a bird? Busted! I also wonder whose job it was to search the perimeter around said sleeping persons for possible clumps of feces (or traces of urine) nearby. And did they have some sort of Feces Detector? So many questions…
urban living is dangerous. Of course so the country.
That nasty law says a lot about the state of affaires in this country.
Of course Newsome here ‘rode the homeless’ to the mayor’s office. sigh. People love to love him, but he really (and truly, as in when they maintained lists and published exaltations of “up and coming young state DLCers”) is DLC.
And it shows, up close.
new post at Je blague–and no-it’s not the “serious” ones I’m working on.
Oh lord, that feces article still has me laughing…
SV – yes that is the point isn’t it. People at those blerghs like to criticize we vipers for ‘sexism’ by snipping little comments out of larger conversations about the big issues of feminism… So petty, and so completely missing the point. Incidentally, this is also one of the problems I have with PCness – focusing strictly on what words we can and cannot use, while ignoring the larger issues of bigotry and social justice. As if another rubric of control will free us from the existing symbollic paradigms.
So I guess I am now dead, who knew! So be it. Hell it’s not like MSOC has given me the time of day since 2005.
RE: Wizard of Oz.
I alwys identified with Miss Gulch because I liked that bike she rode around on. She had her issues, though. 😦
it’s up at Common Dreams – here’s the original link
lucid: Incidentally, this is also one of the problems I have with PCness – focusing strictly on what words we can and cannot use, while ignoring the larger issues of bigotry and social justice.
I’ve always had a problem with doctrinaire PCness too, especially the academic feminists that want to natter on about theories of “sex and gender” while women are STILL trying to get basic equality in this country. And my pet peeve are the ones who try to PCify literature and art – e.g., attacking Helmut Newton as a misogynist, and all that shit. Extremely irritating. They are not PAYING ATTENTION.
Nutty Pain Forums.
Nah. I prefer Knotty Pine. Sooooo retro 1970s, especially done up as panelling.
By the way the report of intense and graphic online harrassment and death threats to kathy Sierra that catnip linked to … I think two days ago, was covered on my local ABC affliate news tonight.
Why is everyone at marisacat obsessed with me? Why?
They so want to be victims – because in their world the more of a victim you are, the more you can talk about yourself. DD being another perfect example. Really, these people are way too thin-skinned to be involved in politics. Funny how Marisacat or anyone else here never whine about the nastiness directed at them.
Anyway, since she’s begging so pathetically, I gave her a mention enabler that I am. Noticebly absent from all the recriminations about nastiness in that thread was any reference to LG’s particularly nasty ‘she’s a skank’ comment on MLW. Lol!
As for Booman’s claim about the upcoming publication of the results of the investigation into Armando’s personal life, still waiting for him to provide proof. No need for links, just names, or are we all supposedly working on this invesigation? If so, someone please send me my assignment!
Miss D, #68 – lol!
83–I read that link you posted.
82–panelling. a way of saying you were living at lodge in the ‘burbs.
as far as what I see in THE pic..well, aside from a resemblance to someone I had to sit next to in music class in 4th grade, who had visible dried boogers on his pantlegs–the music teacher thought I was giving less than energetic voice to “The Polka Song”(could you blame me?)–I see….Smerdaykov? Or the host of an intimate party with blow-up dolls sharing his name.
Sabrina, you are suppose to do the psycholingusitics of “heh”.
the horror (via raw story)..romney gives a nod to jeb:
“”I have to be honest with you, I haven’t given a lot of thought to that, so I don’t want to put any names in that hat right now,” Romney said, but also gave a nod to Bush, calling him “quite a guy.”
“I love him. If his name weren’t Bush, he’d be running for president, I’m convinced,” said Romney, who added he also was “pretty partial” to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.”
well, I must do this despicable dsl hook-up–which means I have to obey all the commands the CD tells me for goddess knows how long.help me jesette christine.
Arcturus #18, beautiful gesture from the Japanese victims of disaster. It reminded me of the story about the poor country in Africa, I think, who sent a cow as a gift the American people after 9/11. There really are so many wonderfully compassionate people in the world. Too bad we hear so little about them and hear so much about the heartless, cruel, pragmatic criminals. Thanks for drawing attention this story.
Mitm, excellent post – you are so right about the people not needing to be ‘political consultants’. Dk works hard to train everyone to think like a bunch of unprincipled party hacks and to make their behavior acceptable. They really do not like the common sense of ordinary people who see through the bs, because that is where the real power is.
Someone, maybe Lucid? said recently that before joining DK, he accomplished so much more when involved with other forums. That’s how it was for me also, as I think I said already.
Btw, I was posting from an undisclosed location for a few days, but am back home now –
Gonzales’ goose is so cooked – assuming we still prosecute criminal elected officials.
I like to recall that “PC” arose as a reactionary label in the 70’s when both flagrantly racist/sexist language & more metaphoric,metonymic, and stereotypical embeds were being discussed & challenged. I’d always argue that self-awareness of one’s language is useful, even when no one’s calling for a change (eg. to recall that ‘bitch’ as a verb is based on a deeply sexist trope & bitchin’ about it would be a whistle to the wind). Still, languages do change, most often in mysterious ways.
One of my favorite (& highly readable!) books on the subject is Robin Lakoff’s Talking Power: The Politics of Language in Our Lives, Basic Books, 1990. (There’s a more recent The Language War, UC Press, 2000 which I haven’t read). She notes how readily terms like “African-American” were adopted while at the same time “women have not been as successful. It is still considered fair to make fun (albeit ‘gentle’ fun) of the movement’s requests, or ignore them completely.” Pretty interesting observations about female politicans (particularly G Feraro – I see the UC site has a link to a chapeter on Hillary).
Her discussions of gender power relations in lanaguage & conversation could read like a roadmap to the recent ‘exchanges.’ As well as to the much-discussed behavior of certain female bloggers in relation to their male, umm peers.
from the publisher’s blurb to The Language War:
re: PC language
I hate it. Language has power, and to decide a priori which words and terms can’t be used is to make your argument is to decide to limit the strength of you words. What kind of piece are you writing and Why? Who is your audience? What metaphors that will be most effective in communicating aren’t always found in a Miss Manners appendix.
“Ugly” words have power and currency. The only problem I have with their use is when they are used to cause undue suffering and when they further the top-down power structures that birthed them.
Of course if your readers are incapable of understanding the nuances between mocking a paradigm and endorsing it the writer is better off finding more discriminating readers (or if the terminally stupid must be addressed, then shackling themselves to PC).
Sabrina, you are suppose to do the psycholingusitics of “heh”.
Oh, okay Miss D – so far, I’m working on a possible copyright violation.
Mmm, which raises this question. Assuming a psycholinguistics issue (or just plain psycho) with the originator of the word, and my investigation seems to be leaning that way, does this history attach itself to the copyright violator?
Heh! Investigating the private lives of BBBs is ‘hard work’
They so want to be victims – because in their world the more of a victim you are, the more you can talk about yourself.
SB,
I love reading your posts; your insights and analysis are consistently top notch, the above being another in a long list of examples. Thanks so much for connecting dots I had not connected yet.
I think calling something PC has been a successful way of avoiding “when they are used to cause undue suffering and when they further the top-down power structures that birthed them” – & yes, context is always essential – there are no prohibited words
I very much agree with this. I always try to be conscious of how my language usage might make one feel disempowered, etc. and I think it is a reasonable request to remind people of the powerful way in which language shapes reality. Conversely, however, I also think that appropriating language that is meant to be demeaning or ‘put one in their place’ can be a very effective way to combat that very power dynamic – taking up the tools of the oppressor if you will. I think it is similar to what we’ve been doing here in the last weeks – almost taking ‘bitch cunt whore’ as a rallying cry. Those were words that were meant to demean marisacat, but she has tossed them back in their faces as a way to flip them off.
And yes SV – the PCness with respect to art is insane – people suggesting that one not read Faulkner because he uses the word ‘nigger’ etc. It is no different than consevative Chirstian book burners. I know I’ve related this story before on the blogs but I don’t know if I’ve related it to any of you here. I was at an elite east coast college in the early ’90’s really during the height of the PC movement. Our Women’s Center used to be called the ‘Alice Paul Women’s Center’, in honor of one of the greatest alumni in the college’s history. A petition was started [by some white women, no less] to remove Alice Paul’s name from the Women’s Center because of perceived racism during her struggle for women’s suffrage. Yes, it is true, Alice Paul did have race issues then – and I think they can be understood in historical perspective. Anyhow, the administration concurred and Alice Paul’s name was removed.
Pure idiocy in my opinion.
Sadly, PC language wasn’t used for long to confront power, but rather it was eventually used to power the avoidance of confrontation.
A culture dies when confrontation is no longer allowed.
arcturus – yes, the moniker “PC” is a right wing one to demonize the self-aware use of language… I’m just not entirely sure what to call all of the other baggage to which I object though, as in and of itself it is ‘political correctness’, i.e. stating that certain words can never be used or the outright rejection of any idea because it might be associated with something problematic. It is a type of black and white thinking that doesn’t understand the play within language or the complexity of history.
Hey Tuston, I hope you’re not Jewish!!!!
SB,
No copyright issues as Armando is obviously not the originator of the word “heh” nor is he its copyright holder, afaik.
It appears though that Armando may actually be violating a trademark of Glenn Reynolds (ironically):
(Now just watch someone at the BBBs take this seriously…5 4 3 2 1….META!)
A culture dies when confrontation is no longer allowed.
Truer words, and all that.
Why do you think the BBB’s hate us all so much? Because we confront the abuses of their ‘enforcers’ – the one’s who want us to all think alike & not have an original opinion. Is it any wonder that they are dying a slow death?
Yet another reference to Reynolds ownership of the trademark for “heh”.
wait.a.minute.
What if Armando is actually Glenn Reynolds??
Developing… *flashing cop light*
So LC, Miss D & SB – I’ll probably have some time on my hands in a couple of weeks. Do you have a chapter for me to write?
Perhaps chapter 7 “The art of I’m right/your wrong arguments”?
Or would you rather I write on something more personal, like “How to be a high powered lawyer yet still spend all of your time blogging”. He’s a ‘Magic Man’ indeed [no insult intended to Heart].
I went to a school in the 70’s where ‘herstory’ was strongly pushed
I also think that appropriating language that is meant to be demeaning or ‘put one in their place’ can be a very effective way to combat that very power dynamic – taking up the tools of the oppressor if you will.
Absolutely! There are tons of examples – & it can be very empowering. Emotional impact can often depend on the speaker (& context).
& sometimes it’s not always immediately aparent. There was a firestorm in the poetry blogs last year when Michael Magee pub’d a piece using found language that used/highlighted the blatantly public racist lanaguage directed at asians in america – which ultimately resulted in many fine, illuminating discussions – Pam Lu (her page has been on hiatus & it’s right on the scroll there – June 06), & Kasey Silem Mohammad in particular.
New Thread
La Louche Overnight Thread
😉
arcturus – very interesting discussions. Thanks for the links.
Colleen # 92 – blushing, really – especially since I am in awe of so many of the great writers on this site. But thank you and back atcha.
Lucid
It’s much easier to face eight days of matzoh-based cuisine if you’re not plagued by the post-toke munchies. Trust me on this: I’m with The Tribe.
Now if I could just find the time to fix myself a decent matzoh bry… (rhymes with “sigh,” not “sea,” BTW…)