President Obama did the right thing and released the memos.
Good.
He Came Through
This post is in: The Failed Obama Administration (Only Took Two Weeks)
Archives for 2009
He Came Through
Real America
It’s amazing how much the Mike Allens of the world repeat right-wing memes:
ALLEN: I think it’s a big story — I don’t know, I think some bureaucrat who wrote this report like misstated in a way that doesn’t comport with your or my observations about the real America. I think it was somebody, who written inside the Beltway, who maybe has fantasies about what happens outside in the real America. But I think it was obviously overstated that I can only get so like excited about that.
He’s describing the DHS delusional fantasy that right-wing extremists might do things like shoot policemen.
Where Have I Heard That Before?
Via Sullivan, this Tom Maguire quote about the benign DHS report:
Uh huh – the problem with this DHS study is not that they are threatening extra-Constitutional surveillance and interrogation of people; it is that they are coming very close to attempting to criminalize non-violent political dissent. That is deeply problematic even if they do it with all the proper warrants.
The last time we went down this “criminalization of dissent” road, it was the defense trotted out during the DOJ hiring affair. Before that, it was reeled out to defend the US attorney firings. And before that, it was during the Valerie Plame affair. I’m prepared to call bullshit.
The DHS report does nothing of the sort- it isn’t criminalizing dissent, it is merely pointing out what we all know to be true- in this time of economic unease and with the ascent of an African-American President, right-wing extremism is something we should be concerned about. That isn’t even remotely near the same thing as the DHS making it illegal for K-Lo to compete with Jonah Goldberg for the stupidest right wing talking point of the day or for Michelle Bachmann to see if she can outdo herself every day.
In fact, as you can tell, both are still completely free to do just that.
No Probe of the “Bush Six”
So say the Spanish:
Spanish prosecutors will recommend against opening an investigation into whether six Bush administration officials sanctioned torture against terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, the country’s attorney-general said Thursday.
Candido Conde-Pumpido said the case against the high-ranking U.S. officials — including former U.S. Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales — was without merit because the men were not present when the alleged torture took place.
“If one is dealing with a crime of mistreatment of prisoners of war, the complaint should go against those who physically carried it out,” Conde-Pumpido said in a breakfast meeting with journalists. He said a trial of the men would have turned Spain’s National Court “into a plaything” to be used for political ends.
And since there appears to be no willpower to investigate here in the US, that should just about send this down the memory hole.
There’s a place for us
Sully links to an excellent Times blog piece on how, predictably, the least educated are being hit the hardest by the recession:
The overall unemployment rate for the more educated is only 4.3 percent. Individuals with a high school degree, but no college, have a 10 percent unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted). The unemployment rate for high school dropouts is 15.5 percent. Moreover, the unemployment rate gap between the most- and least-skilled is widening, not narrowing. Between February and March, the unemployment rate for college graduates increased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Among high school dropouts, the unemployment rate increased by four-tenths of a point.
Sully then comments:
Charles Murray was onto something, wasn’t he?
So I haven’t actually read that Bell Curve book, largely because I think it’s very unlikely that a single “intelligence quotient” measure exists in any meaningful way and because I think that human beings like to do things like invent bogus measures of superiority, pretend that what is being measured is hereditary, and then use these findings to justify the status quo. I did glance through this summary of the book and was stunned that the last item was ominously titled “A Place for Everyone“.
So, let me ask: do people like Sully and Murray actually believe that they and their friends are members of a genetic “cognitive elite” and that some portion of the rest of the population belongs in a “more lavish version of the Indian reservation”? Or am I simplifying things.
In a related noted, Nick Kristoff has a good piece on ways to increase educational/intellectual attainment among Americans living in poverty. Which brings me to my last question: is the Sully/Murray stuff at some level an argument against taking government action towards rectifying the country’s educational inequality problem?
Even Opener Thread
Bleg time!
Quick request for Pittsburgh-area cyclists – I do plenty of riding, but it’s mostly limited to dirt, getting to and from dirt and commuting to work. A friend just moved to the area who for whatever reason enjoys spandex and Tour-length road training, so he wouldn’t like the rides that I know. The river trails, for example, are short and a bit crowded with a mix of peds and swerving casual riders for someone going 30 miles an hour. If any of you have useful advice I am sure he would appreciate it.
For everyone else, have some Ryan Leech.
Do not sue me if you try this and get killed.
Open Thread
Here is a shot of Tunch lying behind me bitching because he wants more food.
He was down to 16 lbs at the last vet visit the other day, and we have lowered his food intake from 1/2-2/3 a cup a day to no more than 1/2 cup, and he is pissy. I have been doing it slowly because I read you can blow out a cat’s liver by putting them on too much of a diet.
In other news, does anyone know of any way to add your own artwork to Itunes? I have several albums with no artwork, and that irritates me. Also, I am wondering if there is any way to find out what Dead show this set came from:
Jack Straw
Stagger Lee
Wang Dang Doodle
It Must Have Been The Roses
Memphis Blues
Tennessee Jed
Let It Grow
Here Comes Sunshine
Playing in the Band
Box of Rain
The name of the disc was “Here Comes Sunshine,” but it was an off label disc and I can not find it anymore. Likewise, I appear to have lost my copy of it (I bought my copy at a now out of business local store), and I know there was a second disc that had an amazing Drums/Space, and I would like to get it. If anyone can figure out what show that was, it would be much appreciated.
*** Update ***
Also, I saw this picture at TPM:
You know you have issues if your first response was “God, I hate the Browns.” Being a Steelers fan is a full time job.