Scooty Puff Junior
Just remember: "Scooty Puff Jr. suuuucccckssss!"
Thursday, August 02, 2007
My favorite Scooter Libby Ad Hominem
Scooty Puff Junior
Just remember: "Scooty Puff Jr. suuuucccckssss!"
Because sometimes, a secret court just isn't good enough
So as the debate over FISA reform heats up, the administration actully has the audacity to ask for revisions that would allow the AG to approve wiretaps without review by the FISA court.
From the Wapo:
And the democrats, as I posted yesterday are bending over backwards to get something, anything passed. So long as Gonzales is not given sole discretion:
[snip]
Feingold seems to be the only dissenter on this via Daily Kos and his website:
From the Wapo:
On Friday, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell submitted a proposal to Congress that asked for the authority to intercept without a court order any international phone call or e-mail between a surveillance target outside the United States and any person in the United States.
Yesterday, the administration updated its proposal by saying that the attorney general and the director of national intelligence could authorize such surveillance and that the guidelines on what constitutes an overseas target be subject to some court review. But the surveillance could begin before the court review and the oversight would be limited.
And the democrats, as I posted yesterday are bending over backwards to get something, anything passed. So long as Gonzales is not given sole discretion:
The proposal, according to House and Senate Democrats, would permit a secret court to issue broad orders approving eavesdropping of communications involving suspects overseas and other people, who may be in the United States. To issue an order, the court would not need to identify a particular target overseas, but it would have to determine that those being targeted are "likely," in fact, overseas.
If a foreign target's communications to a person inside the United States reaches a "significant" number, then an court order based on probable cause would be required. It is unclear how "significant" would be defined.
Under a sunset provision, the authority would have to be revisited in six months.
[snip]
The Democrats' proposal also would compel compliance by private companies.
It would also affirm that no court order is needed to eavesdrop on communications that begin and end outside the United States, even if routed through the United States.
Feingold seems to be the only dissenter on this via Daily Kos and his website:
Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
On the Proposed FISA Legislation
August 1, 2007
“We need to wiretap terrorists, and we should address the problem that has been identified with FISA with respect to foreign-to-foreign communications. But the administration’s overly broad proposal goes far beyond that and would leave critical decisions related to surveillance involving Americans entirely up to the Attorney General. The proposal from the Democratic leadership is better and involves FISA court review from the start. But it does not have adequate safeguards to protect Americans’ privacy. The bill should also include a 90-day sunset to ensure Congress has the chance to identify and fix any problems with this new proposal.”
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
McConnell Selectively De-Classifies in Order to Cover Gonzales' Ass
From the WaPo:
"The Bush administration's chief intelligence official said yesterday that President Bush authorized a series of secret surveillance activities under a single executive order in late 2001. The disclosure makes clear that a controversial National Security Agency program was part of a much broader operation than the president previously described."
In other words, since Gonzales is under fire once again, we are willing to admit that we've been spying in a lot more ways than you even thought. Since Gonzales said that the Hospital Room Coup wasn't about the "TSP," here's some other things it might be about, which we still won't tell you. But, we're watching you.
And, what I still don't understand is why these other activities aren't also a violation of FISA and since they were all authorized under one executive order, why the President isn't in jail.
This selective de-classification is also convenient in that it comes just as McConnell is also pushing for an "updating" of FISA. And guess what? The Democrats can't wait to look tough on terrorism and so are bending over backwards to pass it. It's like 9/11 all over again, in the sense that politicians are clamouring to do somethng, anything to look like they are doing something about terrorism. (or at least to be able to blame someone else if there is another attack on the "homeland" (my favorite throw back to Nazi Germany). From the NYT:
In the past few days, Mr. Bush and Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, have publicly called on Congress to make the change before its August recess, which could begin this weekend. Democrats appear to be worried that if they block such legislation, the White House will depict them as being weak on terrorism.
“We hope our Republican counterparts will work together with us to fix the problem, rather than try again to gain partisan political advantage at the expense of our national security,” Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said in a statement Monday night.
So, to quote post festum from post 544:
But all this is window dressing: Bush directly intervened and took it upon himself to continue the operation of a program that the OLC -- the one and only voice that is always taken as dispositive in matters of law in the Executive Branch -- and that means that yet again Bush and several others are felons.
"The Bush administration's chief intelligence official said yesterday that President Bush authorized a series of secret surveillance activities under a single executive order in late 2001. The disclosure makes clear that a controversial National Security Agency program was part of a much broader operation than the president previously described."
In other words, since Gonzales is under fire once again, we are willing to admit that we've been spying in a lot more ways than you even thought. Since Gonzales said that the Hospital Room Coup wasn't about the "TSP," here's some other things it might be about, which we still won't tell you. But, we're watching you.
And, what I still don't understand is why these other activities aren't also a violation of FISA and since they were all authorized under one executive order, why the President isn't in jail.
This selective de-classification is also convenient in that it comes just as McConnell is also pushing for an "updating" of FISA. And guess what? The Democrats can't wait to look tough on terrorism and so are bending over backwards to pass it. It's like 9/11 all over again, in the sense that politicians are clamouring to do somethng, anything to look like they are doing something about terrorism. (or at least to be able to blame someone else if there is another attack on the "homeland" (my favorite throw back to Nazi Germany). From the NYT:
In the past few days, Mr. Bush and Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, have publicly called on Congress to make the change before its August recess, which could begin this weekend. Democrats appear to be worried that if they block such legislation, the White House will depict them as being weak on terrorism.
“We hope our Republican counterparts will work together with us to fix the problem, rather than try again to gain partisan political advantage at the expense of our national security,” Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said in a statement Monday night.
So, to quote post festum from post 544:
But all this is window dressing: Bush directly intervened and took it upon himself to continue the operation of a program that the OLC -- the one and only voice that is always taken as dispositive in matters of law in the Executive Branch -- and that means that yet again Bush and several others are felons.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce
Since impeachment in response to the high crimes and misdemeaners from the NSA spying is the original motivation for the repository, we should go back to the future again. Recall our 544th post and this section of FISA.
Now we have it that there was a related program, which is also illegal under FISA, but that if actually existing eliminates the potential perjury charges against Gonzales. Now, I still don't understand why there are no charges being brought under FISA, except of course, that the AG would have to appoint the special counsel to do it. Or the democrats would have to start impeachment hearings, which they consider politically unwise. So here we are 18 months later, with no answers and a bunch of BS congressional testimony.
The Times article sites 6 former and current Justice Department officials anonymously:
WASHINGTON, July 28 — A 2004 dispute over the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program that led top Justice Department officials to threaten resignation involved computer searches through massive electronic databases, according to current and former officials briefed on the program.
It is not known precisely why searching the databases, or data mining, raised such a furious legal debate. But such databases contain records of the phone calls and e-mail messages of millions of Americans, and their examination by the government would raise privacy issues.
The N.S.A.’s data mining has previously been reported. But the disclosure that concerns about it figured in the March 2004 debate helps to clarify the clash this week between Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and senators who accused him of misleading Congress and called for a perjury investigation.
Now we have it that there was a related program, which is also illegal under FISA, but that if actually existing eliminates the potential perjury charges against Gonzales. Now, I still don't understand why there are no charges being brought under FISA, except of course, that the AG would have to appoint the special counsel to do it. Or the democrats would have to start impeachment hearings, which they consider politically unwise. So here we are 18 months later, with no answers and a bunch of BS congressional testimony.
The Times article sites 6 former and current Justice Department officials anonymously:
WASHINGTON, July 28 — A 2004 dispute over the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program that led top Justice Department officials to threaten resignation involved computer searches through massive electronic databases, according to current and former officials briefed on the program.
It is not known precisely why searching the databases, or data mining, raised such a furious legal debate. But such databases contain records of the phone calls and e-mail messages of millions of Americans, and their examination by the government would raise privacy issues.
The N.S.A.’s data mining has previously been reported. But the disclosure that concerns about it figured in the March 2004 debate helps to clarify the clash this week between Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and senators who accused him of misleading Congress and called for a perjury investigation.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Firefox upgrade and blogger?
Hey - what the hell happened to 'blog this'? I've finally upgraded to the new version of firefox and can't seem to find a compatible add on for a quick blog post...Any ideas?
Sunday, July 22, 2007
And I Thought Ethanol Production was bad in the US
The Forbes version of an AP story:
Brazil Raid Frees Ethanol Plant Slaves
Brazilian authorities said they raided an Amazon plantation where more than 1,000 laborers were found working 13-hour days, in horrendous conditions, cutting sugar cane for ethanol production.
Authorities said that if preliminary findings by investigators are confirmed, the raid would be Brazil's biggest to date against debt slavery, which is common in the Amazon.
Under the practice, poor laborers are lured to remote spots where they rack up debts to plantation owners charging exorbitant prices for everything from food to transportation.
But the Amazon plantation's owner - the biggest ethanol producer in the northeastern state of Para - vigorously denied the allegations Tuesday and said the workers make good money by Brazilian standards.
[snip]
Police found 1,108 poor workers working from 4:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. with only a short break for lunch, the statement said. They complained of paying exorbitant prices for food and medicine, and many walked miles to get to work while others were transported in ramshackle vans.
Many were sick from spoiled food or unsafe water, slept in cramped quarters on hammocks and did not have proper sanitation facilities, Humberto Celio, coordinator of the Labor Ministry's special unit that frees debt slaves, told the government news service Agencia Brasil.
The company, Para Pastoril e Agricola SA, has been in operation since 1969 and each year produces 13.2 million gallons of ethanol, often billed as an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline.
Brazil Raid Frees Ethanol Plant Slaves
Brazilian authorities said they raided an Amazon plantation where more than 1,000 laborers were found working 13-hour days, in horrendous conditions, cutting sugar cane for ethanol production.
Authorities said that if preliminary findings by investigators are confirmed, the raid would be Brazil's biggest to date against debt slavery, which is common in the Amazon.
Under the practice, poor laborers are lured to remote spots where they rack up debts to plantation owners charging exorbitant prices for everything from food to transportation.
But the Amazon plantation's owner - the biggest ethanol producer in the northeastern state of Para - vigorously denied the allegations Tuesday and said the workers make good money by Brazilian standards.
[snip]
Police found 1,108 poor workers working from 4:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. with only a short break for lunch, the statement said. They complained of paying exorbitant prices for food and medicine, and many walked miles to get to work while others were transported in ramshackle vans.
Many were sick from spoiled food or unsafe water, slept in cramped quarters on hammocks and did not have proper sanitation facilities, Humberto Celio, coordinator of the Labor Ministry's special unit that frees debt slaves, told the government news service Agencia Brasil.
The company, Para Pastoril e Agricola SA, has been in operation since 1969 and each year produces 13.2 million gallons of ethanol, often billed as an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Oh! The Problem in Iraq is Branding!
Thanks to a $400,000 study from the Rand Corporation (not to mention the saucer people and the reverse vampires) the truth is now known:
From the Wapo
The Pentagon Gets a Lesson From Madison Avenue
U.S. Needs to Devise a Different 'Brand' to Win Over the Iraqi People, Study Advises
[snip]
'Helmus and his co-authors concluded that the "force" brand, which the United States peddled for the first few years of the occupation, was doomed from the start and lost ground to enemies' competing brands. While not abandoning the more aggressive elements of warfare, the report suggested, a more attractive brand for the Iraqi people might have been "We will help you."'
I wonder if the "you killed my child and imprisoned my brother for no reason" brand is also a problem...
And just in case you haven't been to Wal-Mart in a while:
'Wal-Mart's desired identity as a friendly shop where working-class customers can feel comfortable and find good value, for example, would be undercut if telephone operators and sales personnel had rude attitudes, or if the stores offered too much high-end merchandise. For the U.S. military and U.S. officials, understanding the target customer culture is equally critical.'
From the Wapo
The Pentagon Gets a Lesson From Madison Avenue
U.S. Needs to Devise a Different 'Brand' to Win Over the Iraqi People, Study Advises
[snip]
'Helmus and his co-authors concluded that the "force" brand, which the United States peddled for the first few years of the occupation, was doomed from the start and lost ground to enemies' competing brands. While not abandoning the more aggressive elements of warfare, the report suggested, a more attractive brand for the Iraqi people might have been "We will help you."'
I wonder if the "you killed my child and imprisoned my brother for no reason" brand is also a problem...
And just in case you haven't been to Wal-Mart in a while:
'Wal-Mart's desired identity as a friendly shop where working-class customers can feel comfortable and find good value, for example, would be undercut if telephone operators and sales personnel had rude attitudes, or if the stores offered too much high-end merchandise. For the U.S. military and U.S. officials, understanding the target customer culture is equally critical.'
Sunday, July 15, 2007
My continuing crusade against ethanol
Thanks to biofuels, the meager UN food program cannot manage its meager effort to feed 90 million people:
From the Financial Times (subscription may be required, but here is the whole article)
UN warns it cannot afford to feed the world
By Javier Blas and Jenny Wiggins in London
Published: July 15 2007 22:01 | Last updated: July 15 2007 22:01
Rising prices for food have led the United Nations programme fighting famine in Africa and other regions to warn that it can no longer afford to feed the 90m people it has helped for each of the past five years on its budget.
The World Food Programme feeds people in countries including Chad, Uganda and Ethiopia, but reaches a fraction of the 850m people it estimates suffers from hunger. It spent about $600m buying food in 2006. So far, the WFP has not cut its reach because of high commodities prices, but now says it could be forced to do so unless donor countries provide extra funds.
Josette Sheeran, WFP executive director, said in an interview with the Financial Times: “In a world where our contributions are holding fairly steady, this [cost increase] means we are able to reach far less people.”
She said policymakers were becoming more concerned about the impact of biofuel demand on food prices and how the world would continue to feed its expanding population.
The warning could re-ignite the debate on food versus fuel amid concerns biofuel production will sustain food inflation and hit the world’s poorest people.
The WFP said its purchasing costs had risen “almost 50 per cent in the last five years”. The UN organisation said the price it pays for maize had risen up to 120 per cent in the past sixth months in some countries.
Biofuel demand is soaking up grain production as is rising consumption in emerging countries for animal feed.
“We face the tightest agriculture markets in decades and, in same cases, on record,” Ms Sheeran said. Global wheat stocks have fallen to the lowest level in 25 years, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Ms Sheeran added: “We are no longer in a surplus world.”
From the Financial Times (subscription may be required, but here is the whole article)
UN warns it cannot afford to feed the world
By Javier Blas and Jenny Wiggins in London
Published: July 15 2007 22:01 | Last updated: July 15 2007 22:01
Rising prices for food have led the United Nations programme fighting famine in Africa and other regions to warn that it can no longer afford to feed the 90m people it has helped for each of the past five years on its budget.
The World Food Programme feeds people in countries including Chad, Uganda and Ethiopia, but reaches a fraction of the 850m people it estimates suffers from hunger. It spent about $600m buying food in 2006. So far, the WFP has not cut its reach because of high commodities prices, but now says it could be forced to do so unless donor countries provide extra funds.
Josette Sheeran, WFP executive director, said in an interview with the Financial Times: “In a world where our contributions are holding fairly steady, this [cost increase] means we are able to reach far less people.”
She said policymakers were becoming more concerned about the impact of biofuel demand on food prices and how the world would continue to feed its expanding population.
The warning could re-ignite the debate on food versus fuel amid concerns biofuel production will sustain food inflation and hit the world’s poorest people.
The WFP said its purchasing costs had risen “almost 50 per cent in the last five years”. The UN organisation said the price it pays for maize had risen up to 120 per cent in the past sixth months in some countries.
Biofuel demand is soaking up grain production as is rising consumption in emerging countries for animal feed.
“We face the tightest agriculture markets in decades and, in same cases, on record,” Ms Sheeran said. Global wheat stocks have fallen to the lowest level in 25 years, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Ms Sheeran added: “We are no longer in a surplus world.”
Monday, July 09, 2007
al-Qaeda threatens war agaisnt Iran
A little note for when the calls for invading Iran becuase of their connection to al-Qaeda increase. Also note that this guy was supposedly killed by the US on May 1.
From Al Jazeera:
Al-Qaeda threatens war against Iran
US forces had claimed to have killed al-Juburi,
also known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi [AFP]
The leader of an al-Qaeda umbrella group in Iraq, who was thought to have beeen killed by US forces, has threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting Shias in Iraq within two months.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State in Iraq, said his Sunni fighters have been preparing to wage a battle against Shia-dominated Iran.
Al-Baghdadi made the announcement in an audiotape that was posted on a web site commonly used by armed groups.
The 50-minute audiotape, which was released on Sunday, could not be independently verified.
US forces had earlier claimed to have killed al-Baghdadi.
Major General William Caldwell, the commander of the multinational force in Iraq, told a press conference in Baghdad that US forces had killed Muharib Abdulatif al-Juburi on May 1.
Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, operations director at the Iraqi interior minister, told state television that al-Juburi was also known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
Audiotape
"We are giving the Persians, and especially the rulers of Iran, a two-month period to end all kinds of support for the Iraqi Shia government and to stop direct and indirect intervention ... otherwise a severe war is waiting for you," al-Baghdadi said.
Iraq's Shia-led government is backed by the US but closely allied to Iran.
The United States accuses Iran of arming and financing Shia militias in Iraq, charges Tehran denies.
In the recording, al-Baghdadi also gave Sunnis and Arab countries doing business in Iran or with Iranians a two-month deadline to cease their ties.
"We advise and warn every Sunni businessman inside Iran or in Arab countries especially in the Gulf not to take partnership with any Shia Iranian businessman, this is part of the two-month period," he said.
Al-Baghdadi said his group was responsible for two suicide truck bomb attacks in May in Iraq's northern Kurdish region. He said the attacks in Irbil and Makhmur showed the "Islamic jihad" was progressing in the Kurdish areas.
From Al Jazeera:
Al-Qaeda threatens war against Iran
US forces had claimed to have killed al-Juburi,
also known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi [AFP]
The leader of an al-Qaeda umbrella group in Iraq, who was thought to have beeen killed by US forces, has threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting Shias in Iraq within two months.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State in Iraq, said his Sunni fighters have been preparing to wage a battle against Shia-dominated Iran.
Al-Baghdadi made the announcement in an audiotape that was posted on a web site commonly used by armed groups.
The 50-minute audiotape, which was released on Sunday, could not be independently verified.
US forces had earlier claimed to have killed al-Baghdadi.
Major General William Caldwell, the commander of the multinational force in Iraq, told a press conference in Baghdad that US forces had killed Muharib Abdulatif al-Juburi on May 1.
Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, operations director at the Iraqi interior minister, told state television that al-Juburi was also known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
Audiotape
"We are giving the Persians, and especially the rulers of Iran, a two-month period to end all kinds of support for the Iraqi Shia government and to stop direct and indirect intervention ... otherwise a severe war is waiting for you," al-Baghdadi said.
Iraq's Shia-led government is backed by the US but closely allied to Iran.
The United States accuses Iran of arming and financing Shia militias in Iraq, charges Tehran denies.
In the recording, al-Baghdadi also gave Sunnis and Arab countries doing business in Iran or with Iranians a two-month deadline to cease their ties.
"We advise and warn every Sunni businessman inside Iran or in Arab countries especially in the Gulf not to take partnership with any Shia Iranian businessman, this is part of the two-month period," he said.
Al-Baghdadi said his group was responsible for two suicide truck bomb attacks in May in Iraq's northern Kurdish region. He said the attacks in Irbil and Makhmur showed the "Islamic jihad" was progressing in the Kurdish areas.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Fucking Asshole Bush and His Fucking Hubris
Repositing this here for posterity:
Bush spares Libby from jail term
US President George W Bush has intervened to prevent Lewis Libby, a convicted former vice-presidential aide, from serving a prison term.
President Bush described as "excessive" the 30-month prison sentence Libby was facing for having obstructed an inquiry into the leaking of a CIA agent's name.
Though no longer required to go to jail, Libby is still due to serve a period of probation and pay a fine.
An appeals court had earlier told Libby he could no longer delay going to jail.
The judge ruled that Libby could not remain free on bail while his lawyer appealed against the sentence.
CIA leak
Lewis Libby, also known by his nickname, "Scooter" Libby, was found guilty in March of perjury and obstructing justice in a case connected to Washington's decision to invade Iraq.
His trial saw the White House accused of having illegally made public the identity of a serving CIA agent, Valerie Plame, in retaliation for Ms Plame's husband's public criticism of the Iraqi invasion plan.
Libby was found to have lied to investigators about conversations where he mentioned Ms Plame but he was not convicted of having directly leaked her name.
He was sentenced to 30 months, or two-and-a-half years in prison, spend two years of probation and pay a fine of $250,000 (£125,000).
'Disgraceful decision'
President Bush said he had until now refrained from intervening in the case, waiting instead for the appeals process to take its course.
"But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision," he said, referring to the appeals court's decision telling Libby he could no longer delay going to jail.
"I respect the jury's verdict," President Bush said. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr Libby is excessive," Mr Bush said.
However, he said, Libby's remaining punishments - the probation period and fine - were "harsh" and would leave his reputation "forever damaged".
The top Democrat in the US Senate, Harry Reid, attacked the president's decision as "disgraceful".
"Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war," Mr Reid said.
"Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone," he said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6263616.stm
Bush spares Libby from jail term
US President George W Bush has intervened to prevent Lewis Libby, a convicted former vice-presidential aide, from serving a prison term.
President Bush described as "excessive" the 30-month prison sentence Libby was facing for having obstructed an inquiry into the leaking of a CIA agent's name.
Though no longer required to go to jail, Libby is still due to serve a period of probation and pay a fine.
An appeals court had earlier told Libby he could no longer delay going to jail.
The judge ruled that Libby could not remain free on bail while his lawyer appealed against the sentence.
CIA leak
Lewis Libby, also known by his nickname, "Scooter" Libby, was found guilty in March of perjury and obstructing justice in a case connected to Washington's decision to invade Iraq.
His trial saw the White House accused of having illegally made public the identity of a serving CIA agent, Valerie Plame, in retaliation for Ms Plame's husband's public criticism of the Iraqi invasion plan.
Libby was found to have lied to investigators about conversations where he mentioned Ms Plame but he was not convicted of having directly leaked her name.
He was sentenced to 30 months, or two-and-a-half years in prison, spend two years of probation and pay a fine of $250,000 (£125,000).
'Disgraceful decision'
President Bush said he had until now refrained from intervening in the case, waiting instead for the appeals process to take its course.
"But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision," he said, referring to the appeals court's decision telling Libby he could no longer delay going to jail.
"I respect the jury's verdict," President Bush said. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr Libby is excessive," Mr Bush said.
However, he said, Libby's remaining punishments - the probation period and fine - were "harsh" and would leave his reputation "forever damaged".
The top Democrat in the US Senate, Harry Reid, attacked the president's decision as "disgraceful".
"Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war," Mr Reid said.
"Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone," he said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6263616.stm
Monday, June 25, 2007
Iraq War photo Gallery
I've just been made aware of this photo gallery from 2005. Der Spiegel ran an interesting piece in association with it. Very disturbing and graphic, but must see all.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Why I am ready to stop listening to NPR
Weapons claims revive calls for action against Iran
This piece cites several Bush administration officials who are hawks, quotes Joe Lieberman, claims that the Bush administration has pursued a diplomatic solution for the last year, repeats all the claims about Iran being a threat and supplying weapons to everyone, and offers no counter point. Maybe Judith Miller should look for a job at NPR.
This piece cites several Bush administration officials who are hawks, quotes Joe Lieberman, claims that the Bush administration has pursued a diplomatic solution for the last year, repeats all the claims about Iran being a threat and supplying weapons to everyone, and offers no counter point. Maybe Judith Miller should look for a job at NPR.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
How to write about Africa
Directed to from BoingBoing...:
Always use the word 'Africa' or 'Darkness' or
'Safari' in your title. Subtitles may include the words 'Zanzibar',
'Masai', 'Zulu', 'Zambezi', 'Congo', 'Nile', 'Big', 'Sky', 'Shadow',
'Drum', 'Sun' or 'Bygone'. Also useful are words such as 'Guerrillas',
'Timeless', 'Primordial' and 'Tribal'. Note that 'People' means
Africans who are not black, while 'The People' means black Africans.
Never
have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or
in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize. An AK-47, prominent
ribs, naked breasts: use these. If you must include an African, make
sure you get one in Masai or Zulu or Dogon dress.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Food Prices Expected to Rise 7.5%, Ethanol to Blame
From the Christian Science Monitor
The reason people are smarting: Inflation in grocery aisles is up by more in the first six months of 2007 than in all of 2006. That means food costs are on track for the biggest annual percentage hike since 1980, according to the Labor Department. The anticipated 7.5 percent increase would readily outflank the 2.6 percent core inflation rate to date, which excludes food and energy. It's across every grocery aisle, too, from burgers to bagels, from duck to dumpling.
[snip]
The chief culprit is corn, namely No. 2 feed corn, the staple of the breadbasket. In answer to President Bush's call for greater oil independence, the amount of feed corn distilled into ethanol is expected to double in the next five to six years. Distillation is already sucking up 18 percent of the total crop. The ethanol gambit, in turn, is sending corn prices to historic levels – topping $4 per bushel earlier this year, and remaining high. All of this trickles down to the boards at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, affecting the price of everything from sirloin to eggs (which are up, by the way, 18.6 percent across the nation).
The reason people are smarting: Inflation in grocery aisles is up by more in the first six months of 2007 than in all of 2006. That means food costs are on track for the biggest annual percentage hike since 1980, according to the Labor Department. The anticipated 7.5 percent increase would readily outflank the 2.6 percent core inflation rate to date, which excludes food and energy. It's across every grocery aisle, too, from burgers to bagels, from duck to dumpling.
[snip]
The chief culprit is corn, namely No. 2 feed corn, the staple of the breadbasket. In answer to President Bush's call for greater oil independence, the amount of feed corn distilled into ethanol is expected to double in the next five to six years. Distillation is already sucking up 18 percent of the total crop. The ethanol gambit, in turn, is sending corn prices to historic levels – topping $4 per bushel earlier this year, and remaining high. All of this trickles down to the boards at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, affecting the price of everything from sirloin to eggs (which are up, by the way, 18.6 percent across the nation).
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Is Lieberman Sane?
After all the debacles, after losing the democratic nomination, after all the support our President bs, Lieberman lets fly with this as reported in the Financial Times:
“I think we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq,” Mr Lieberman told CBS. “And to me that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people to kill our soldiers.”
[snip]
“By some estimates, [Iranian-trained Iraqis] have killed as many as 200 American soldiers,” Mr Lieberman said. “Well, we can tell them we want them to stop that. But . . . we can’t just talk to them. If they don’t play by the rules, we’ve got to use our force. And to me that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they’re doing.”
“I think we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq,” Mr Lieberman told CBS. “And to me that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people to kill our soldiers.”
[snip]
“By some estimates, [Iranian-trained Iraqis] have killed as many as 200 American soldiers,” Mr Lieberman said. “Well, we can tell them we want them to stop that. But . . . we can’t just talk to them. If they don’t play by the rules, we’ve got to use our force. And to me that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they’re doing.”
Richard Rorty, 1931-2007
Richard Rorty, 1931-2007: "Richard Rorty, the leading American philosopher and heir to the pragmatist tradition, passed away on Friday, June 8."
Ethanol Continued
Here are some more reasons why the shift to ethanol is a cluster fuck. Politicians have proposed this so that they can look like they have an energy policy and, especially here in the mid-west, look like they are doing something about creating jobs.
It cannot solve the problem with “foreign oil.” Bush's stated goal of having 15% of our fuel usage come from ethanol would require the entire US corn crop.1 In addition ethanol yields less energy per gallon that gasoline: in other words, your 7mpg hummer now only gets 5mpg.
It produces less energy than is put into producing it. This is idiotic. So that we can become independent from foreign oil, we should plant and grow a bunch of corn that requires machinery powered by oil, fertilizers and pesticides produced from oil. While the USDA “scientists” claim there is a net energy gain, they do not take into account all inputs If all inputs are taken into account, 29% less energy is produced from burning ethanol than goes into the production of it.2
It causes environmental damage. It does produce fewer emissions than gasoline when burnt. But, Corn requires more pesticides, herbicides, and nitrogen fertilizers than any other food crop. Production of the corn requires fossil fuels and the production of the ethanol from the corn produces “Volatile organic compounds” including “formaldehyde and acetic acid, both carcinogens. Methanol, although not known to cause cancer, also is classified as a hazardous pollutant.”3
It drives up the price of food. Most of the corn grown in the US goes to animal feed and so, when you drive around that corn, you drive up the prices of milk, eggs, meat, cheese, staples for poor people like us.
It doesn't benefit farmers. "Initially we all were excited by the high prices," said Troy Roush, a sixth-generation farmer who grows 2,600 acres of corn in central Indiana. "But the truth is that the farmers won't keep any of it. There's an old saying that expenses will always rise to meet revenue. It all gets built in."
And that's exactly what has happened: As the price of corn has gone up, so has the cost of growing it. In just two months, the price Roush paid for fertilizer doubled. And speculation has driven land prices through the roof. "It's insane," Roush said. "In the last four months our land values have increased 40 percent. We're all sitting around wondering if it's real."
While most farmers own some land, the vast majority rent part or all of their acreage.4
It benefits large agribusiness. “Ethanol leader ADM’s market share has actually declined from a stunningly high 60 percent to a still-worrisome 25 to 30 percent in recent years. But a recent analysis by USDA agricultural economists concluded, “The fuel ethanol industry may very well be in transition toward an inevitable concentration of ownership into the hands of a few large processing firms.” The market is driven by large-scale gasoline refining firms, which “don’t want to deal with all these small plants,” and a “virtual consolidation of ethanol processing” is taking place. (ADM didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.)”5
1See: Colin Carter and Henry I. Miller, Christian Science Monitor:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0521/p09s02-coop.html
2See David Pimentel (Cornell) and Tad W. Patzek (Berkeley), Natural Resources Research, Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2005.
3This is from an AP story. I found it on CBS news. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/03/tech/main508006.shtml
4Lisa Hamilton, “Ethanol Booms, Farmers Bust,” http://alternet.org/environment/52073/
5Christopher Cook, “Biofuel: Who Benefits - Smaller Growers or Just Large-Scale Producers and Agribusiness?” from the Friday, April 14, 2006, American Prospect, accessed at http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0414-22.htm.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Some Justice
Think Progress » Breaking: Libby Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison, $250,000 Fine: "Breaking: Libby Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison, $250,000 Fine"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
