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You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Previous Site Maintenance / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  April 14, 20088:15 pm| 42 Comments

This post is in: Previous Site Maintenance

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The military has determined that Bilal Hussein is no longer a threat. I find that hard to believe, because in the picture he is clearly brown and his name is, after all, Hussein. Not to mention bloggers and the military have been telling me he was a threat for two years.

/wingnut

*** Update ***

Then there is this. I swear to God a team of monkeys runs that campaign. As one commenter notes, too bad most of the money was spent on “I’m not bitter” buttons already.

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42Comments

  1. 1.

    qwerty42

    April 14, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    They need to check his counter tops and get back to us.

  2. 2.

    Incertus

    April 14, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    Were there no howls of agony from Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage to link to? Come on, man–we need our feed.

  3. 3.

    Krista

    April 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Funny. I’d been away from my computer since Saturday morning, and while I missed the banter, John’s bile, and the usual cast of characters who hang out here, I really haven’t missed thinking about the primary.

    What a boatload of new threads, though! I feel like I’ve missed so much myiq-spanking. Tragic.

  4. 4.

    Jen

    April 14, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    1.

    “If the U.S. and Iraqi authorities have evidence against detainees they should charge them and give them a fair trial, rather than holding them indefinitely.”

    Call the wahmbulance, because where I come from “two years” isn’t “indefinitely”.

    2. They gave him amnesty, not an acquittal. If he didn’t do anything wrong, what would he need amnesty for, moonbat? Is it irresponsible to speculate? It would be irresponsible NOT to speculate.

    /wingnut 2, over and out

  5. 5.

    p.a.

    April 14, 2008 at 8:45 pm

    maybe he made a contribution to the NRCC. or the GW Bush Jan. 22 2009 defense fund. or he volunteered to be curator of the GW Bush presidential museum (neck-and-neck battle with a small Missouri town’s derelict)…

  6. 6.

    Some guy named Matt

    April 14, 2008 at 8:59 pm

    Man, I’m so proud to be an American right now….

  7. 7.

    Jen

    April 14, 2008 at 9:00 pm

    I’m going to test the openness of a thread again by saying that these are just adorable, and then I’m going to go away to do work I didn’t do today while I was wasting time here. I did garner two more contingent marriage proposals, so it wasn’t a complete waste.

    Okay, it was.

  8. 8.

    Pixie

    April 14, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    Perhaps Hussein has developed a case of Vitiligo and is no longer a threat to society. :)

  9. 9.

    DougJ

    April 14, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    They’ve concluded that Bilal is not a real Islamic radical. He only clings to Allah because he is bitter.

  10. 10.

    Jim Henley

    April 14, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    Bilal Hussein Obama!

  11. 11.

    jake

    April 14, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    “After the action by the Iraqi judicial committees, we reviewed the circumstances of Hussein’s detention and determined that he no longer presents an imperative threat to security,” Stone said in the statement.

    I thought the use of the word imperative was odd. Is this a military term?

    Or is Stone just an ass who had to hint that Barak Bilal Hussein bin Laden was going to blow something but now he’s found Jesus and probably won’t blow anything up for at least a week or two?

  12. 12.

    tBone

    April 14, 2008 at 9:40 pm

    Hillary’s hardscrabble youth and long,intimate relationship with guns & God revealed through her childhood diaries.

    The Clinton campaign is the gift that never stops giving. Kind of like herpes, only harder to get rid of.

  13. 13.

    tBone

    April 14, 2008 at 9:42 pm

    Link

    Smartphone browsers suck for this stuff.

  14. 14.

    Psycheout

    April 14, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    Fortunately the AP will be getting closer to fair and balanced in the near future. Rupert Murdoch is joining the AP board.

  15. 15.

    Mithras

    April 14, 2008 at 9:51 pm

    Elton John’s fundraiser for Hillary violates federal campaign finance law, because contributions by foreigners are illegal.

  16. 16.

    Soylent Green

    April 14, 2008 at 10:01 pm

    Hillary’s hardscrabble youth and long,intimate relationship with guns & God revealed through her childhood diaries.

    Hillary will withdraw from the race when they pry her cold, dead fingers off of it.

  17. 17.

    Chris

    April 14, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    Great Daily Show tonight about gaffe-gate.

  18. 18.

    nightjar

    April 14, 2008 at 10:20 pm

    Shuttering News from the store front.

    It’s so nice we have “Bittergate” to cling to for enlightenment of the American experience.

  19. 19.

    leinie

    April 14, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    Ok, how the hell is McCain’s $1000 a plate fundraiser in London at the home of the Earl of Spencer not illegal?

    He didn’t even hold that one in the country!

  20. 20.

    CT

    April 14, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    Made the mistake of stumbling into TalkLeft this eve to see a thread about a Jefferson-Jackson dinner tonight in Philly. Obama made some pretty tame remarks about bittergate-the first several comments were along the lines of “wow, he just can’t let it go, can he?” which was worth a chuckle, considering Hillary’s turned herself into a national concern troll over the issue.

    But my fave comment was someone who thanked Big Ego Democrat for running such a tight ship, and she fully understood that her compliment was probably OT and would be deleted by BED. He’s really the abusive parent who’s got the kids apologizing for getting their butt in the way of his belt.

  21. 21.

    TenguPhule

    April 14, 2008 at 11:11 pm

    Rupert Murdoch is joining the AP board.

    That’s about as appropriate as hiring a child molester to be a Catholic Priest…oh wait.

  22. 22.

    Mithras

    April 14, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    how the hell is McCain’s $1000 a plate fundraiser in London at the home of the Earl of Spencer not illegal?

    Allowing people to have an event at your home is not a contribution, since you are neither spending money nor foregoing income you otherwise might have earned. Lending the use of a ballroom that would otherwise be rented or used for business purposes, for example, would be a contribution.

  23. 23.

    Dork

    April 14, 2008 at 11:21 pm

    Playoff hockey absolutely rules. Pure skating, no fights, no shitty shootouts….

  24. 24.

    firebrand

    April 14, 2008 at 11:28 pm

    John Cole Says:

    I swear to God a team of monkeys runs that campaign.

    I’m still laughing myself to death on that one. Haha!

  25. 25.

    flavortext

    April 14, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    I would just like to register my disappointment for missing out on the craziness that occurred over the weekend. I’m somewhat in despair at the hypocrisy of Clinton. I know I’m bitter as hell after 7 years of the Bush administration, but I can only guesstimate at how it must feel to live in the rust belt and watch your community slide economically for the past 20 or 30 years. I imagine my bitterness doesn’t even come close.

    I would say I’m surprised, but at this point…oh how far her campaign has fallen. Back in January when I supported Edwards I attended a Clinton rally on campus and heard her speak for a good hour. She made a point to connect with our anger with the Bush administration, giving her rhetoric a populist tinge and even swaying me a bit. I was doubtful of Obama – hope? Please. I’m all out of that.

    Fast forward to the present day, I’m an unabashed Obama supporter, and now Clinton is telling me that if I’ve been watching globalization strip away my economic livelihood, I should be all kittens and rainbows? That it’s not a good idea to get people to blame their government (which they might be able to do something about) and not foreigners (which they can’t) for their woes? That people don’t depend on their faith in hard times?

    Does she know how – and I’m getting sick of this word – elitist that sounds?

    (Again, this is probably nothing that hasn’t been tossed around, but I just had to get that out – thanks for letting me)

  26. 26.

    Andy K

    April 14, 2008 at 11:39 pm

    Guess who’s opened her registration window?

    Limited time offer- take advantage while you can.

  27. 27.

    Cain

    April 14, 2008 at 11:54 pm

    I was listening to marketplace on NPR and they were saying that both Obama and Hillary want to raise taxes on capital gains. Bleah. I’m not sure I’m liking that. Especially considering a lot of my stock options are finally coming due and now that they are practically worthless, I have to pay more tax on it.. bah.

    cain

  28. 28.

    Shade Tail

    April 14, 2008 at 11:59 pm

    Mithras: That’s all fine and well, but I still have some pretty serious questions about McCain’s foreign fund-raisers. I have a difficult time believing he got all that money strictly from American ex-patriots. It is possible that he did, I’ll admit that. But considering his track record on being trustworthy, I definitely have serious questions.

  29. 29.

    The Other Steve

    April 15, 2008 at 12:04 am

    I was listening to marketplace on NPR and they were saying that both Obama and Hillary want to raise taxes on capital gains. Bleah. I’m not sure I’m liking that. Especially considering a lot of my stock options are finally coming due and now that they are practically worthless, I have to pay more tax on it.. bah.

    Why shouldn’t capital gains be considered income?

    When I put money into my passbook savings account earning 3%, I have to declare it as income.

  30. 30.

    Cain

    April 15, 2008 at 1:40 am

    Why shouldn’t capital gains be considered income?

    When I put money into my passbook savings account earning 3%, I have to declare it as income.

    No, I’m fine with it being income, I’m just whining that it’s going up from 15% -> 20-25% or something like that. Damn this Iraq war an the bill coming due. :/

    cain

  31. 31.

    Joe Max

    April 15, 2008 at 1:57 am

    Elton John’s fundraiser for Hillary violates federal campaign finance law, because contributions by foreigners are illegal.

    Actually, I think that legally speaking, they would only have to pay him musician’s union (AFM) scale for the performance to comply with election law. Mithras’ contention that Elton John’s services are based on how much his talent agency charges for an Elton John Concert[tm] is a shaky legal premise at best. In fact, every time John plays in the US, I’m sure he gets cut a check through the AFM for union rate, which is about US$300 for a maximum four hour-long performance. Same thing happens when he (or anyone) does a recording session in a US studio for a record label. I used to work in a recording studio and helped prepare the forms that were sent to the AFM Union local for every musician that played on a track. Even if they didn’t belong to the union itself, we had to pay them union scale and file a signed wavier form with the AFM. The record labels and promoters insist on it, because *they* have contracts with the musician’s union to do it.

    As a union steward explained it to me, the musician’s union bases their contracts on the concept that every musician is worth *exactly* the same monetary value for a performance, because there’s no legal way to put an absolute value on intangibles like talent, inspiration or even marketability. So it is contractually established that all musicians’ work is of equal intrinsic value for a performance, but if a record label or major promoter wants to pay a talent agency a fee with many zeros in it to book a concert, and the talent agency then wants to pay what amounts to a great big *gratuity* to the performer or performers (who are always legally incorporated at the Elton John level anyway), that’s their business and the free market reigns supreme.

    Or they can allow that “gratuity” to go to a bona fide charitable organization, under whatever laws apply.

    It’s highly unlikely that the arrangements for the concert venue, staffing and production were handled by the Clinton campaign itself. They would hire a professional concert promoter to do it – a two-hour Elton John concert for thousands is not exactly a “Judy and Mickey and the kids are puttin’ on a show over in the barn” kind of operation. So the promoter hires John and pays him scale through the Union, filing the proper waivers for a foreign national (he would have to show his current work visa or resident alien card), the same as any other musician who performs in the show. Clinton campaign arranges with the promoter for the proceeds, which are in reality contributions coming from the *attendees*, not from the performers. The performers all got paid scale, including John.

    Sorry, but the evil Hitlery has escaped your clutches once more. Curses, foiled again!

  32. 32.

    Blue Raven

    April 15, 2008 at 2:08 am

    Sorry, but the evil Hitlery has escaped your clutches once more. Curses, foiled again!

    This assumes they were that bright. I love your optimism. It might be amusing to see it be right, though.

  33. 33.

    Joe Max

    April 15, 2008 at 2:27 am

    Blue Raven Says:

    Joe Max says:
    Sorry, but the evil Hitlery has escaped your clutches once more. Curses, foiled again!

    This assumes they were that bright. I love your optimism. It might be amusing to see it be right, though.

    AFM contract payments are all 30 days net anyway. They’ve got a month to figure it out, file the forms and cut the check. I figure the *promoter* is going to insist on it, it’s standard operating procedure. Otherwise they’ll be getting nasty calls from the union local’s rep.

    Most of the time you *don’t* get paid on the spot anyway, it gets mailed to you. This is where the expression “the check’s in the mail” originally came from. (If the check doesn’t come in 30 days then, of course, you file a grievance with the union.)

    I don’t think Mithras has any experience with entertainment law, which is a really strange, convoluted legal field. IANAL, but I’ve been on both sides of those union contracts before.

  34. 34.

    Joe Max

    April 15, 2008 at 2:38 am

    Oh, and a commenter on Mithras’ website points out *this*:

    http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/foreign.shtml#Volunteer

    Doesn’t seem like he knows the applicable election laws either.

  35. 35.

    Rick Taylor

    April 15, 2008 at 2:46 am

    Obama on Joe Lieberman:

    “I know that some in the party have differences with Joe,” Senator Obama said, all but silencing the crowd. “I’m going to go ahead and say it. It’s the elephant in the room. And Joe and I don’t agree on everything. But what I know is, Joe Lieberman’s a man with a good heart, with a keen intellect, who cares about the working families of America.”

    Then, with applause beginning to build, he finished the thought: “I am absolutely certain that Connecticut’s going to have the good sense to send Joe Lieberman back to the United States Senate.” That time, people cheered loudly.

    Lieberman on Obama:

    If we did what Sen. Obama wanted us to do last year, Al-Qaeda in Iran would be in control of Iraq today. The whole Middle East would be in turmoil and American security and credibility would be jeopardized.

    Well, you know, I must say that’s a good question. I know him now for a little more than three years since he came into the Senate and he’s obviously very smart and he’s a good guy. I will tell ya that during this campaign, I’ve learned some things about him, about the kind of environment from which he came ideologically. And I wouldn’t…I’d hesitate to say he’s a Marxist, but he’s got some positions that are far to the left of me and I think mainstream America.

  36. 36.

    Conservatively Liberal

    April 15, 2008 at 4:06 am

    Hot off of TPM:

    Now this is funny. The Huffington Post has discovered that at least three (and possibly four) “McCain Family Recipes” from the campaign’s site, purportedly coming straight from Cindy McCain and intended to create a down-home image, appear to have actually been lifted from the Food Network’s Web site.

    The newest recipe on McCain’s site: Crow.

    It’s not about Hillary! ;)

  37. 37.

    D-Chance.

    April 15, 2008 at 6:42 am

    Dork Says:

    Playoff hockey absolutely rules. Pure skating, no fights, no shitty shootouts….

    Bleh. Give the figure skating queens sticks and a puck and let them break out into catfights on ice. Only way for a hockey game to be potentially entertaining.

  38. 38.

    Nikki

    April 15, 2008 at 7:12 am

    Joe Max Says:

    Oh, and a commenter on Mithras’ website points out this:

    http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/foreign.shtml#Volunteer

    Doesn’t seem like he knows the applicable election laws either.

    From your link:

    By contrast, the decision in AO 1981-51 prohibited a foreign national artist from donating his services in connection with fundraising for a Senate campaign.

  39. 39.

    rumpole

    April 15, 2008 at 9:37 am

    Beware the blinders of Clinton hatred. Volunteers are not covered:

    An individual may help candidates and committees by volunteering personal services. For example, you may want to take part in a voter drive or offer your skills to a political committee. Your services are not considered contributions as long as you are not paid by anyone. (If your services are compensated by someone other than the committee itself, the payment is considered a contribution by that person to the committee.)

    As a volunteer, you may spend unlimited money for normal living expenses.
    (the above is a direct c & p from the fec website.

    Here, EJ’s a volunteer, and he is entitled to give his services away, in the same way that lawyers can volunteer for campaigns and work pro bono. There doesn’t appear to be any bar to foreign nationals volunteering for campaigns, just contributing. And volunteering is not contributing. Capice?

  40. 40.

    The Moar You Know

    April 15, 2008 at 9:53 am

    Shorter Rumpole:

    Blah, blah, blah, pointless tedium, blah, blah, tedious pointlessness…capice?

    No one cares about your hairsplitting, which will probably be proven to be wrong in the next five posts anyway.

  41. 41.

    Zuzu

    April 16, 2008 at 1:44 am

    Evidently the FEC thinks it’s fine:

    Bob Biersack, F.E.C. spokesman confirmed that there was nothing unlawful about the Elton John performance:

    “I did not intend to convey in my conversation with the Washington Times reporter that there is anything unlawful about Elton John performing in a concert to raise money for a US presidential candidate. The Advisory Opinion 2004-26 is clear in the circumstances of the request that foreign nationals may volunteer and may even solicit contributions from non-foreign nationals, provided they are not soliciting other foreign nationals.”

    NYTimes

  42. 42.

    Zuzu

    April 16, 2008 at 1:58 am

    By contrast, the decision in AO 1981-51 prohibited a foreign national artist from donating his services in connection with fundraising for a Senate campaign.

    In that case the artist was creating a work of art that could be reproduced and sold to raise money for the campaign. The FEC said that was a donation of a “thing of value” prohibited under the law. In other words, not the same as simply volunteering services.

    http://ao.nictusa.com/ao/no/810051.html

    It seems a pretty fine distinction, but that’s the only way I can read it.

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