Dean Esmay has more in defense of Howard Dean’s deferrment, something we talked about a few days ago here.
This really is a non-issue to me.
by John Cole| 2 Comments
This post is in: Politics
Dean Esmay has more in defense of Howard Dean’s deferrment, something we talked about a few days ago here.
This really is a non-issue to me.
This post is in: Open Threads
I got back from the office today and at my doorstep was a box from Amazon chock full of goodies that someone had purchased for me from my Amazon Wish List. A BIG thanks to George Kelly for the brand spanking new copies of Civil Disobedience and Other Essays and The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History.
Thanks a bunch, and I will keep them right here with my other reference books (after I re-read them, of course).
by John Cole| 28 Comments
This post is in: General Stupidity
This is wrong. No, it isn’t wrong, it is sick.
Misha, there is over-the-top-rhetoric, and then there is what is going on at your site. It is one thing to say Kucinich is sick for using that commercial- I said so myself. It is also perfectly acceptable to state that the author of that flash animation is twisted and evil- any mind that works like that and thinks the deaths of our soldiers is an acceptable form of propaganda in a domestic political campaign is, in my mind, sick and evil. It is perfectly acceptable to point out that out, and I have no problem with anyone stating as much.
I do, however, have a problem when you step over the line as you have done here. Read your own words, the words you directed at the author of the flash animation:
Here’s a hint to you, ****: The gov’t can’t do anything to you over that ad, but that’s the extent of your protection under the First Amendment.
The rest of us, however, aren’t the gov’t, in case you’ve forgotten, and quite few of us would be more than happy to wipe that nervous little grin off your traitorous mug – with a belt sander.
Not saying anything in specific, mind you, but we’d be damn careful about showing our face in public if we were you. You just never know who that perfect stranger behind you in that alleyway might be. Could be a sibling or other relative of one of the fallen soldiers that you just took a dump on the grave of, and G-d only knows what might happen then.
Eric may not be famous enough to be a pick for the 2004 Dead Pool, but there’s another signed Imperial Mug for the first LC to inform me that Eric Blumrich has died in a “tragic” accident.
Accidents DO happen, you know, and that’s the kind of news that would definitely make my entire day.
That is a threat, and it is sickening. This is not the voice of reasonable debate. This is no disagreement over policy or issues of he day. This is an out and out threat, no different from the rhetoric that comes from the KKK or the parasites at the Vanguard News Network.
Accidents happen? A reward for information regarding a person’s untimely demise?
Add to that the publication of the personal information (and I give nary a rat’s ass whether it is publicly available) as well as a map to the guy’s house? While the author of the flash animation and Kucinich are capitalizing on our war dead, they are clearly not advocating or anticipating the death of anyone else. Call Kucinich whatever you want- when you start to write things like this and let your commenters say the things they have said in that thread, and it is time for a long look in the mirror.
This is the same sort of tactic that those sick bastards in the anti-abortion movement used to intimidate and bully abortion providers. Publish pictures of them, their routines, their addresses, and when some sick son of a bitch like that swine Paul Hill murdered one, they crossed their name off the list. How can you possibly even dismiss that this is not a threat?
This is the tactic of intimidation, calling on the elimination of political opponents. It is frightening. It IS fascistic. This is the brownshirt mentality. It is evil, wrong, unconscionable, unethical, immoral, and most of all, it is downright twisted.
People have long pestered me to de-link you, but I have always let you have a long leash, because I figured your over-the-top rhetoric was just that- rhetoric. This, however, reads like a call to action, and I can not and will not condone it. Could you live with yourself if one of your readers did murder this man in a ‘tragic accident?’ Would you really be able to glibly state that you had no part in his demise? Be honest with yourself.
Until you remove that post and permanently ban all those who posted this man’s private information, issue an apology to the individual who you have threatened, and seriously re-evaluate the harm your rhetoric could cause, consider our relationship terminated. If this post reflects your real sentiments, and your ideal approach to politics, you are not the person I thought you were. This post was disturbing in its audicity, frightening in its implications, a horrible misuse of free speech, and most of all, it was Un-American.
*** Update ***
Whoever is responsible for threatening BlackFive is a real treat, too.
Furthermore, I don’t want this comments thread to devolve into a bash Misha-a-thon. That was not the point of this post at all. I wrote it because it frightened me, and I don’t think Misha really understands how far over the line he went and how dangerous and irresponsible that post was.
by John Cole| 18 Comments
This post is in: Politics
Also via Oliver (who is posting like a man possessed), we see this:
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader said Thursday he is leaning toward another independent run for the presidency and will make his decision public in January.
“We’re testing the waters,” Nader said in an interview with CNN. “It’s a high probability but that is yet to be determined.”
Nader has formed an exploratory committee for a 2004 run and said he would gauge his support through the success of fund-raising efforts and the number of volunteers who come forward.
If you thought the Democrats hated Bush and Reagan, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
by John Cole| 2 Comments
This post is in: Domestic Politics
So says Samuelson:
It may ultimately be said of Alan Greenspan that he enjoyed his finest hour when the public admired him least. Let’s recall that only a few months ago the shaky economic outlook inspired fears of deflation — a general decline in prices caused by too much supply (of unemployed workers, unused fiber-optics and lots more) chasing too little demand. Now the U.S. economy is leading a global recovery. Greenspan and the Federal Reserve deserve much — if not all — of the credit for this turnaround…
What Greenspan & Co. may have done is to avoid a third big blunder. So much was beginning to go wrong with the economy at the end of 2000 — and the rest of the world was so dependent on the U.S. economy — that a timid reaction from the Fed might have been fatal. It might have further weakened both spending and spirits. But the Fed responded forcefully. It cut interest rates 11 times in 2001 and once again in 2002 and 2003. The Fed funds rate (on overnight loans between banks) went from 6.5 percent in late 2000 to its present 1 percent, the lowest since 1958.
None of this was preordained. The European Central Bank was more cautious. It cut rates much less and more slowly than the Fed. Greenspan & Co. seemed to be operating mostly by a seat-of-the-pants judgment that: (a) inflation wasn’t a present danger and (b) repairing the damage from the bubble economy required a long period of easy credit. Whatever the rationale, the Fed’s low short-term interest rates influenced the decline of rates on mortgages and bonds, which in turn rescued the economy.
Talk amongst yourselves.
by John Cole| 27 Comments
This post is in: Democratic Stupidity
The most recent numbers from the Bush campaign note that Bush has collected over $110 million for the next campaign season, which prompted Oliver to ask:
Can you think of more patriotic uses for the $110 million in political donations George Bush has amassed so far?
– Unemployment benefits for the 2.5 million plus who have lost jobs since he was sworn in
– Funding schools for the children of veterans, which he cut?
– Paying for health care for disabled veterans he sent into war in Iraq?
– Cover for the medigap coverage he cut for seniors?
According to OpenSecrets, when the last reports were filed (which lag behind the $110 million report), Bush had raised $84,583,768, while the Democratic candidates combined had raised $98,556,587. Again, attempts to portray the Democrats as poor, or unable to compete with the President finanacially are just a ruse (and a rather transparent one). Their problem is they simply have neither a coherent message nor a viable candidate behind which the party has congregated. Bush’s main fault seems to be a loyal base.
The question I want to ask is, can you think of more patriotic uses of the $98 million (which, again, is probably much larger now) the Democrats have raised. And let’s not even bother mentioning all of their interest groups, George Soros, or MoveOn. Here are some suggestions from me:
– Finding Dennis Kucinich a real date.
– Shipping Carol Moseley-Braun somewhere without microphones.
– Jailing Al Sharpton again in Vieques, but this time for crimes against humanity and decency.
– Sitting Wesley Clark down and forcing him to give a straight answer about how he would have voted on Iraq.
– Anger management lessons for Howard Dean.
– Give Dick Gephardt a cushy job somewhere and allow him to take a vacation. Poor man has worked his ass off for this country for thirty years (I disagreed with him a lot throughout the years), and it seems like the Democrats respect him less than Republicans.
At any rate, yes, George Bush has outraised all of his opponents. Just ike Clinton did. Just like the incumbent after George Bush will. The point is that the Democrats are not hurting for money, and every time they try these shenanigans, it is just laughable.
by John Cole| 22 Comments
This post is in: General Stupidity
I wonder if Oliver and Kevin will apologize for calling Halliburton and the good folks who work at KBR War Profiteers?
Ever eager to wallow in partisan muck (hey- did you know that Cheney once headed Halliburton?), both the Calpundit and Oliver had some rather inflammatory accusations about a routine audit of KBR in Iraq. Oliver called them “Dick Cheney’s War Profiteers,” while Kevin had this to say:
Can you spell “war profiteering”?
I think we can all agree there is no dirtier charge (save treason) than to call someone a war profiteer, yet both of these ‘moderate’ Democrats were quick to launch these partisan salvos, and it appears that both of them owe someone an apology:
Military officials said the Pentagon was negotiating with K.B.R. over how to resolve the fuel charges. But Michael Thibault, deputy director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency, said in a telephone interview that a draft report by the agency had recommended that the Army Corps of Engineers seek reimbursement.
The officials said Halliburton did not appear to have profited from overcharging for fuel, but had instead paid a subcontractor too much for the gasoline in the first place.
Halliburton has also said that one reason it needed to charge a high price for fuel was that it must be delivered in a combat zone. Several K.B.R. workers have been killed or wounded in attacks by Iraqis.
Why do Democrats hate working Americans so much? Is no one’s reputation safe in their bid to smear this administation?