"News that's not known, or not known enough."
Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion.
|
"News that's not known, or not known enough." Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion. |
|
|
|
|
|
AT&T's unending greed
Can you ask your economist buddies why this would be done in such a large way? is it simple greed? Is it because the dollar is less in value than credit (only so to speak) or is it because AT&T is global and well, yes, greed is the answer. But really if there's an economist on board with you guys can you check it out? Thanks...
Optimism in the form of a rebate
So who will reap the benefits of all this Band-Aid counterfeit cash coming into the debtors lives? As gasoline continues climbing to economic distress levels I figure much of this green will go into the gas tanks of millions. Lets face it, the domino effect from gas prices is killing us! At 3.50 a gallon (and two cars per household) 600 bucks will basically get you, depending on where you live, about 200 gallons of gas! People drive more in summer on average 25 miles a day at the least! Think about it Having this money to spend will cause many to hit their credit cards up again to compensate their big ideas. What's next, another rebate in December to help pay for Santa Claus? For a working family of four a $2,400 check will be two mortgage payments (maybe three). This will cause them to get crazy and spend money on something they really don't need, or people really behind in their bills may catch up for a month, but what happens next month? Those who are caught up and not in debt will have the most fun, but there's not too many of them around. I wonder how many of them will use it to purchase a generator or a few solar cells or a water butt. Will any take their SUVs back and put the $2,000 on a four cylinder car? I will bet you that Wal-Mart and Sears will be making a killing this summer, but not as good as the gas stations and those corporate crooks who control the flow of oil! Optimism in the form of a rebate They take our money spend it on wars and useless sh*t, give themselves two cost of living raises per year, and then they gloat about giving SOME of 'OUR' money back to us after THEY made us go BROKE! This is so wrong!
Slip sliding away
There are always, daily, who knows how many illegal searches by cops where they don't find anything, and who knows how many more illegal cops break-and-entries that aren't about "searching" at all, just about planting evidence. Add to that probably ten thousand illegal searches by cops for every illegal search that actually makes the newspapers. Then add another ten or twenty thousand illegal searches for every case where the illegality is actually noticed and brought to court and the evidence gets tossed. And you want to take a few more steps down that slippery slope?
Infectious
Another bit in the mounting evidence that cancer has an infectious element
Porker
This smells like the practice of retiring from one government position and taking another so that on final retirement the individual qualifies for pensions from both positions. In Hayden's case there may be multiple pensions coming. He's been the top CIA official since May 2006. Talk about pork!
Response to Chris D.
You and I are saying the same thing. Why the O'Reilly style shout down? I absolutely agree that we should be able to elect a president based on merit and faith in their ability. I just don't think I will live long enough to see it. And if you don't see gender bias in this election, you aren't looking. If you would care to read my comments you would see that I am not trying to endorse Hillary. I am trying to confront ignorance. I am pointing out the elephant in the room, the one that you don't see.
You've nailed it!
Six delayed emails
As one of the few (or, given the results, perhaps the only) "white women over the age of 65" in Montgomery County PA who voted for Barack Obama, I come lately to the alternative news sites, let alone, the blogs, that are now available on the internet, so forgive me if I don't yet know the new protocols. I perhaps sent my message to the wrong address so I will repeat it here, because I consider the delaying of emails from the Obama campaign for the days up until Tuesday's primary more than just a prank. They diverted information the would have been useful to Obama supporters, volunteers and undecided voters. I'm an Obama supporter in the Philly burbs. I wondered why I received six emails from the Obama campaign after the election. They were all sent before the primary (some as early as April 17th) and received after. So the "dirty tricks?" started early. And these were emails that gave information about Obama's Friday in Philly schedule and time slots for volunteers before and on election day, information that was available on the website, but for those of us who don't check the site every day, notices that could have been very useful.
Depleted uranium
It is the only metal that can penetrate tank hulls, aka armor piercing or kinetic energy penetrators. The old Soviets plated their tanks, and this stuff had the means to punch through. Its been around since the 1940's. This stuff is not just found on modern battlefields. What most people don't realize is that this stuff can be found on just about every military live munitions firing range in Canada, the US and Europe. Just don't dig the ground up ...
Follow-up on lag time
Me again. I just went back to Properties and into Details and it appears that some of the holdup is as at http://www.bluestatedigital.com/. This company states on their homepage:
Gee, if they are partisan in their dealings, are they perhaps more partisan with one candidate than another? While there is still a small lag time between them and my mail server getting the mail to me, the largest hold is with them. I would be curious to know if the same issue happens with all their clients in all states or just specific ones. Maybe they have too large a client base to effectively provide their services. Thanks for putting my query out there. It would not be funny to find that something like this impacts the future of our country. Maybe we depend too much on the 'Net sometimes? Off to work at the first of my two part-time jobs and you have a great day in America,
Sunk
I think the one thing I did not mention, probably because I was so frustrated, was the campaign style of the two leading Democrats. Obama rarely goes out among the people and Clinton only a little more. And neither one really talks to them, only AT them. If you want to win votes you need to win the people over and you can't do that by just standing on a podium somewhere. You have to connect. What they all need to do is to study the way people like FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ and Carter campaigned. They all got out among the people. You have to convince them you are one of them. Reagan was very skilled at this as was Bush II. People do not vote with their heads, they never have. They have to "feel" good about you as well. And if they think you're a jerk, you're sunk.
So the professional crooks are now getting into the act, as opposed to the amateurish ones that have managed to screw things up. And these folks mean business, so to speak.
I found this particular entry on TalkingPoints very interesting.
We had a Governor, a Democrat, that got elected every time he ran because he got out with the people. We also had either a Senator or Representative that would go out and do blue collar work with his constituents. He also got elected every time. People liked them. It was as much what they did or were willing to do as what they said. And as they say, "Actions speak louder than words." Now can you imagine Clinton or Obama trying to lay bricks or be a carpenter's helper or any other blue collar job? Neither can I. But if you want to get the "Reagan Democrats" that is what you need to do. At least show that you are willing to walk in their shoes for a bit.
Four delayed emails
Well, I live in Pittsburgh and I received four "don't forget to vote" emails from the Obama campaign (actually two emails and two duplicates) the day after the election. Two were sent on Monday, and two were sent in the early morning hours on Tuesday, and I didn't get anything on election day, all of them came on Wednesday. But I don't think any of this necessarily means there's something nefarious about it. It seems just as likely that the Obama site or server was understructured and couldn't handle the huge volume of outgoing emails on Tuesday.
Douchebag
Every time I see General Petraeus on TV, I marvel in amazement at how perfectly straight a douchebag will stand when it's wrapped in a well-starched military uniform.
Think corporate
America sells the technology to Iraqi, and selling means money and profits. Your problem, Wig, is that you're thinking like a human being instead of like a corporation. Sure, the technology might be sold or rejiggered to kill American troops, but from the corporate perspective that's irrelevant since it has nothing to do with American corporations making sales and money and profits.
Unreasonable search & seizure
Now this is an issue I sometimes ponder and my feelings on this at this point in time will likely disappoint you. Often I wonder in such a case where search and seizure may not be reasonable, but may save lives, if we should not discount it. There have been cases of murderers walking free over such violations and murders averted because of them. For it to become a regular practice is unconscionable, but I've often considered the pros and cons of allowing the extraordinary powers that The Other Butcher of Baghdad wants to use but coming with a limiting factor and a price: Permitting evidence gained from unreasonable searches provided all law enforcement or government agents involved unanimously agree to go on public record as accepting responsibility for the decision, sacrificing their jobs on the spot, being willingly blacklisted from their profession, and possibly jailed for a set period in order to perform a search. It makes the search no less unreasonable but the ones who perform and authorize it agree ahead of time that they will pay a heavy price for it whether or not they find the evidence they are looking for and the power is limited by their joint ability to sacrifice themselves for the public. I still believe that imprisonment without cause, torture, and other shit like that are still unacceptable for any reason though.
Growing with rocks
I've always marveled at the name "Petraeus" (meaning: "growing with rocks") at this point in history. Sounds so Roman, don't you think? How serendipitous! So the stories I read a couple of days ago about Petraeus' promotion are now mainstream. General Petraeus has been promoted to the office of Regional Commander. Since we know what he thinks about Iran, and we know that the US is concurrently moving large firepower into the region, I personally think it is becoming clearer that President Bush is leaning to war with Iran. Hamas has left the peace talks brokered by Egypt. Syrian and Iranian Foreign Ministers are meeting at a hurried pace. As I also mentioned some time ago, the US is seeking to isolate Syria by implicating (via CIA) it was quite active in nuclear weapons development with help from North Korea. Casus bellum. Your thoughts?
Belli Bellum singular plural VENI VIDI VICI! By the way, the topic of depleted uranium rounds seems to come up a lot within the UnknownBlogosphere. To my recollection, no-one has ever explained why DU is used. I know why. Are you interested in knowing?
Mindboggling
The stupidity of the Bush nuthouse is mindbogging.
Huh? Haven't they heard? "The Surge" has succeeded. So say the Bushies.
No truth
The VA hears no truth, sees no truth, speaks no truth. Keep up the good work, guys!
In 1962, "When Acheson offered to show De Gaulle the photographs of the missile sites, the French leader brushed them aside and said, 'A great country such as yours does not act without evidence'." How I long for the good old days when there were real threats, real evidence and we had real leaders! Now days, what the White House says is always a lie, and acts without evidence all the time.
Obama's "get out the vote" emails delayed
The Democrats' problem
One need only look at history to see which Democrats got elected to see who they need to appeal to. FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, Carter. It was the "Blue Collar" working men and women. The tradesmen and service workers these days. The lawn maintenance people and cable people and phone people. These are the ones they need to appeal to. But instead they are trying to woo mostly the upper class, college educated people who are in the minority in this country. And good number of them are conservative. Just study the polling results and you will see that this is true. Worse yet, the Democrats keep treating these people as lowlifes. One need only read the "Progressive" blogs like KOS, America Blog, RAW Story, Alternet. The working stiffs are constantly referred to as stupid or worse. By treating the middle class blue collar people in a snotty, snobby manor. By appearing aloof and "better than", they will constantly lose election after election. This is the area that the Democratic party needs to bring together because this the one are where there is the most rancor, distrust and resentment on both sides. With more and more high tech and other jobs requiring a college degree being shipped over seas and this country becoming more service and trade based, the more the Democrats need to appeal to these people and not the "snot nosed" college kids who may or may not vote.
Yes. But look at the demographics. These are young, upper middle class whites and college students. As one article has observed, McGovernist in makeup. And you remember what happened to HIS campaign.
And this is why the Democrats will loose even with a Republican party that appears in shambles. They (the Democrats) insist on embracing the upper middle class white pseudo-progressive wing at the same time alienating the blue collar working class vote. Maybe they deserve it.
And this is why the Democrats keep loosing and loosing election after election. That and snotty ass-holes like you.
Not it goes back to McGovern when the Democrats abandoned them (the white working class) for some snotty rich kids.
Has anybody noticed how the Stock Market has been going up over 100pts then down over 100pts then up again and down again?? Looks to me like somebody is try to make the economy "look good" by pushing the "Market" up. Problem with this is that most people are not interested in the Stock Market, they are interested in the Super Market and from that point of view things do not look rosy at all.
On behalf of the world
"I don't care if it's a woman in the White House. I don't care if it's a black woman in the White House. I don't care if it's a black hermaphrodite in the White House. I don't care if it's a naturalized Martian-American in the White House. I only care that they can do the job with some consideration not only for American citizens but the rest of the world".Taking somewhat of a liberty and speaking on behalf of the rest of the world: Can someone please put Chris D in the White House? Thanks. 'preciate it.
Of marshmallow and milquetoast
It's been so many years since he was President, I sometimes forget how much I abhorred Carter while he was in office, and why
One of hundreds
Americans only had their "empire" for 50 or so years. If you think about it from a historian's viewpoint, America was never really a Rome, or even a Britain. America is like one of hundreds of mini-empires before it that rise and fall in a generation.
Panic, panic, panic
Ladies and gentlemen, just so you aren't confused... the poo is already hitting the fan... the fallout has only just begun... we WILL be poisoned by the hateful dramas unfolding... and we will survive. Though survival may not be as fabulous and rewarding as the "Be all you can be" folks want you to believe. So the next time someone starts screaming PANIC in your face, hit mute, walk away, or cut off the tube and read a book. Or stock up on supplies. Or do whatever it is you do to try to prepare for the full implosion of a number of countries. Don't let them push. Stand firm. Then when the time is right... push back.
Incinerating millions
What Lindorff is forgetting is that to 99 percent of the people in this country bomb is just a word and a mushroom cloud is something you see on TV or in the movies. There is no connection with it because they have never been through it. They have no clue what it is like to be bombed and shelled let alone witness the effects of a nuclear blast. Only Japan knows this, and most of those people have died. So it would not be surprising for the people of this country to be very OK with incinerating millions of people. It is an abstract concept to them. A video game at best.
Face the facts. The democratic party is hopelessly split and no matter what the outcome, neither will win. Pole after pole has shown that the too many supporters of one candidate simply will not vote for the other and visa versa. I do not see this changing. If McCain vs. Obama, 28% of Clinton backers go for McCain
Except for the Republicans, it's a lose lose situation. Wilting over waffles
I read in a number of places by a number of so-called pundits that Clinton wants McCain to win so she can run in 2012. I do not think so. I believe her strategy is to keep Obama from winning on the first ballot and then, before the subsequent ones, convince enough delegates and party regulars that Obama would go down in flames in the face of Republican onslaughts and that she alone could win. Thereby getting the nomination on the second or third ballot. Maybe even persuading the DNC to seat Florida and Michigan at some point. This is the party that gave us boring and wooden Al Gore and principle-free John Kerry as Presidential candidatesWell, you can't include Al Gore as he was Veep and Veeps are nearly always chosen. As for Kerry, that was his second or third try. I do not know who they would choose, I will admit. In the good old, bad old days of the "party bosses" this would not have happened. One, Obama would never have been chosen as he had not enough time in Congress and two background checks would have been done on everyone, their brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, great grandparents aunts, uncles and anyone who may have accidentally bumped to them in the subway. Obama is better than HRC but not by much. One thing I can say for the Clintons is, they do know how to fight mean and dirty. And I'm afraid that is what it will take to beat the Republicans. Unless something really unexpected happens.
Anybody here seen my old friend Jonathan?
to Israel, is again immediately dismissed as insignificant
With friends like this who needs enemies?
Perhaps we're just as bad as the Israelis' when it comes to friendships.
*Heavily* assisted suicide (Part 2)
I've done a little independent digging on Riad Hamad's case and I've found out some interesting things. First off the bat, there are inconsistencies in news reports. More than a few are threadbare, only saying that Riad Hamad was found dead and police were calling it a suicide, but I found a few with details. kvue.com/news/vess/stories/041708kvuebody2-bkm.745e13f5.html The most interesting difference in this story is that it claims that Hamad was found by police and makes no mention of the duct tape on his legs. I made the assumption that when the first story said the intersection of Comal Street and Nash Hernandez Sr. Road, (which is considerably inland,) they actually meant near it and weren't just using it as a vague reference. I might have jumped the gun claiming the Lazarus act and would like to withdraw my snide comment to that affect. palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13719 In this article it discusses personal relationships with the deceased including some of his plans for the future and a witness testimony from the people who found the body. According to the witness statement the tape wasn't just over Hamad's eyes but covering his entire face. msnbc.msn.com/id/24188653/ This one also shares the same witness statement, and goes into much greater detail about the location. There are also some unsubstantiated claims that his body showed signs of being beaten, but the links all turned up dead ends. Hamad was also noted as disliking Israel intensely and some accused him of aiding terrorists... (With books and clothing?) Upon further investigation, the entire Austin Police Department appears to have more than just a few highly suspicious activities under it's belt for this year alone, with allegations of hiring officers with previous assault convictions and continuing to employ them after numerous disciplinary actions, misusing seized funds, and other assorted scandals they've been under public scrutiny for some time. Makes you wonder, huh?
Section 502
Sec 502 of the PATRIOT Act defines terrorist as anyone who breaks a state or federal law hence jaywalking makes you a terrorist.Here's Section 502 of the PATRIOT Act, in its entirety:
Not a word in there about jaywalking. I guess the Galactic Rabbit got this information from Alex Jones too?
Happy birthday, Hitler
The guy compares it to speaking to a black radio audience in Georgia.
Absurd editorial
I'm with the New York Times on most of this editorial, but it's absurd to claim that Clinton's tactics don't work (after all, she won) or that her tactics in some way harm the Republican Party.
Mushroom clouds
Can you imagine what Bush and Cheney would have done in, say, a Cuban missile crisis?We would not be here today. My father-in-law was an officer on board a Canadian cruiser blockading Cuba. Did you know that the US bombers were only 5 minutes (literally) away from target when JFK called it off?
Friends, Americans working together
I deeply apologize to be so defensive. Certainly you understand with our country being under attack internally, it tends to make one frustrated. As a Buddhist I am always taught to try to see the other side of things. And as usual I am programmed to be a self serving human. So I deeply apologize. In this time friends are needed and America needs to unite. I understand that you and alex probably tend to overlap articles. But from a person who has taken logic classes in college. to say you never use alex's news is an incorrect statement. and that is probably what my anal retentive personality was trying to get across. I commend you folks for what you do and I again say your first response was the best and most nicest email i have ever received. I thought jeesh finally some great people who mean well and aren't sleeping. As for Bilderberg they are being exposed and yeah so what. But i bet you don't know what So Helen you are a nicely lady and you did not deserve my wrath. My deep love comes out aggressive being an aries. I'm the type a person that has to paint two coats on something, just to make sure, never leaving well enough alone. Just to give you a brief of my day, I found out my police dept has 20 military vehicles in a warehouse here saying dept of homeland security on them. I went and confronted my mayor's office, my mayor called me back but unfortunately i did not get the call. I asked a police officer at the PD and he said he could neither confirm nor deny it. Care2 banned me and blocked my IP so now i can't post the news now. On top of it I had to rag at a friend for ten bucks he has owed me for two weeks. So a wonderful day so to say. But in any case I wish to be friends, Americans working together. I am thinking about taking it to the streets now, handing out news articles and talking to people. I am just frustrated because I'm highly intelligent and have nowhere to go with it. So many ideas no help, you know. So I am going to watch the last www.cornergas.com (simply love it) pet my bunny rabbits, yes GR, and I meant no harm in calling other then to find out if you were for real, certainly you can understand that? And had you been I would have smiled and said thank to you. I am below you in Illinois and ride my motorcycle and like to meet friends. Thank you for all you both do Beyond War
Take it back
You have also been poisoned by fluoride and mercury and had your education system destroyed and subverted. Your media are owned by only 4 or 5 corporations who feed you propaganda and nobody can get elected unless they have skeletons in the closet which allows control by blackmail. That said, it is time to take back government ... and neither the Dems or the Repubs are the answer.
None of it matters
But still, no matter how much he's despised, no matter how plainly he ignores his oath of office, no matter how many laws he breaks, and no matter how deeply and daily he offends human decency, impeachment remains "off the table", thanks to Nancy Pelosi and the lily-livered Democrats.
Faded faith
Thank God I have no faith left, to be betrayed by such evil men claiming to be Christians.Hear, hear. My faith started to go when the first abuse cases started to come to light. Then, even more so as more emerged. It disappeared completely when The Rat took office and I learned of his efforts to protect his vermin friends instead of the children involved. Unfortunately, my beloved Grandmother passed away last year, a diligent and devout Catholic til the end, still believing that the Church and its leaders practiced what they preached
|
