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Good evening, all.
International Developments
❖ “Blair Cornered on War Crimes in Iraq“. Going back to the “Dodgy Dossier”, Curveball, etc.
❖ “Up to 60 people have been killed in a series of car and suicide bombings mainly in Shia areas in and around Iraq’s capital”.
❖ General Martin Dempsey, Chair, US Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautions against arming Syrian rebels, saying “About six months ago, we had a very opaque understanding of the opposition and now I could say it’s even more opaque. . . . I don’t think at this point I can see a military option that would create an understandable outcome.”
❖ Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) is supporting “creating a no-fly zone in Syria and attacking President Bashar al-Assad’s air power and air defenses.”
❖ The Syrian government and the Syrian rebels are blaming each other for a chemical weapon attack.
❖ Latest estimate is 15,000 dead pigs in the Huangpu River near Shanghai.
International Finance
❖ “Cyprus [Parliament] votes to reject bailout plan that would make savers pay”. 56-0 vote. More.
❖ ”France’s socialist government must step up its efforts to cut its big public spending bill and become more competitive to boost both its own and Europe’s faltering economy”. The French people, who did not cause this mess, now must pay for it by suffering more?
❖ By mid-2014, “The European Central Bank will be granted sweeping powers to supervise all 6,000 banks operating in the 17-country bloc and will have the power directly to bail out troubled banks.” They’re calling this “democratic control of the financial sector” since the European Parliament will have an oversight role.
Money Matters USA
❖ “Charts: Bush Lowballed Us on Iraq by $6 Trillion”.
❖ “Democrat Bank Stooges Launch Bills to Permit Bailouts, Deregulate Derivatives”. HR 992 would “expressly allow bailouts of our largest Wall Street banks.” HR 677 would “impede legislation aimed at forcing the banks to break up.” HR 1003 would “neuter the [Commodity Futures Trading Commission]“. Democrats in support: HR 992 – James Himes (D-CT), Sean Maloney (D -NY); HR 677 – Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), David Scott (D-GA), Juan Vargas (D-CA); HR 1003 – David Scott (D-GA), Juan Vargas (D-CA). Why are so many Dems supporting HR 677?
❖ “SAC Capital Advisors will pay a record $616 million to settle two insider-trading lawsuits filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.” Federal investigations of both SAC and “its billionaire founder Steve A. Cohen” continue. Former employees are cooperating.
❖ “Citigroup agrees $730m legal [class-action suit] settlement with investors” for misleading them about its “exposure to subprime mortgages and other high-risk securities between 2006 and 2008.” Citi denied the claims, but settled to–*cough**cough*–”eliminate uncertainties.”
❖ According to a “recent Defense Department analysis . . . there is limited use to training students on the F-35 fighter jet because it is still in development and substantially limited in capability.”
❖ “Army Carbine Program May Waste $1.8 Billion”.
❖ New construction permits “surged to their highest level since 2008, yet more evidence that the housing market recovery is gaining traction.” And yet, “Homebuilder Confidence Loses More Ground in March”.
Politics USA
❖ Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) will place a hold on the nomination of Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor. Vitter’s all a-twitter about “Perez’s “spotty work related to the New Black Panther case” although Perez wasn’t involved in it. “Myths And Facts About Labor Nominee Tom Perez”.
❖ Mary Jo White’s nomination to head the Securities and Exchange Commission passed the Senate Banking Committee (20-1). Richard Cordray’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also passed the Banking Committee (12-10, party-line vote).
❖ “[F]or the first time ever, . . . hackers attempted and almost succeeded at rigging a Miami [FL] primary vote, uncovering underlying security issues with the online voting systems of the future.” Democratic voters were targeted.
❖ A cop in Rahmbo’s Chicago pressed his hand so hard on a woman’s nose, repeatedly, that he fractured her face. She’s suing. The cop, Glenn Evans, “has faced at least five other lawsuits as a Chicago police officer in the past.” He’s been promoted, nonetheless.
Gun Corner
❖ Senate Majority Leader Harry “Leader” Reid (D-NV) has told Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that an assault weapons and high capacity magazines ban won’t be in “a broad package of new gun laws”.
❖ Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has called for a separate floor vote on a high-capacity ammunition clip ban” after Sen. Harry “Leader” Reid (D-NV)’s action sidetracking the ban (see above).
❖ Defense Distributed’s founder, Cody Wilson, “is now a federally licensed gun manufacturer and dealer.” Defense Distributed advocates “open-sourced 3-D printing of guns.”
Justice USA
❖ What’ll stop them? No court order, according to the Obama administration, is needed to attach a GPS tracking device to a citizen’s vehicle–even though the US Supreme Court last year ruled that doing so violated the Constitution.
Women & Children
❖ Two teen-age females have been arrested for threatening the rape victim in the Steubenville, OH case. Grand Jury investigation continues, also.
❖ Fascinating chart of linkages between the two Steubenville, OH rapists and local powers that be.
❖ Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) wants to “expand a weapons ban for perpetrators of domestic violence” since excluding “dating partners . . . is insufficient.”
Latin America
❖ “Amazon Indians [the Matsés] from Peru and Brazil have joined together to stop a Canadian oil company [Pacific Rubiales] destroying their land and threatening the lives of uncontacted tribes.”
❖ “Venezuela’s Madura accuses U.S. of ‘plot’ to kill rival” Henrique Capriles, and thus trigger a coup. He named “former Bush administration officials Roger Noriega and Otto Reich“, both of whom “rejected the claim as untrue, outrageous and defamatory.” Yes, you’ve seen those names before (click on names for links).
❖ No joke: “US early release of extradited drug traffickers ‘insulting’: Colombian Senator.”
❖ Colombia is deploying drones to protect oil pipelines owned by Ecopetrol from FARC attacks. Colombia owns 88.5% of the company. Their recent net income was $2 bn.
Mixed Bag
❖ Environmental & Treaty Rights Symposium: March 22nd, Minneapolis
Break Time
❖ United
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Good evening, fatster and all.
It looks like the bombers who killed those 60 people in Iraq were sending a message about the 10th anniversary. Meanwhile, the Washington Post’s news article today (as opposed to the Op-Ed page, on which I comment here) has an interesting wrinkle. The graphic that goes with it is labelled “2003 to 2013: A wide-angle look at Iraq,” but the data in it pertains to a much narrower range. They asked Iraqis whether various aspects of life (security, corruption, etc.) were better or worse today than they were, NOT before the Americans came in 2003, but before they “left” in 2011. Go figure.
Malala Yousafzai went back to school today (video). Go, Malala!
Thanks so much, E. F. Beall, particularly for the link to your well-placed comment.
Yay, Malala Yousafzai [or, to borrow from allan] —–> FORWARD!
Regrding no court order and GPS. . .
The link doesn’t say how or why the three brothers were selected for GPS surveillance. A judge would likely have approved a warrant if it were for more than a fishing expedition, no?
That case a year ago. . . wasn’t there one where a warrant had been issued but expired, plus the GPS was used outside the approved jurisdiction? It didn’t seem an especially good case for law enforcement to pursue at the time — too many moving parts.
3,000 warrantless GPS devices sounds like an awful lot. Why so many?
U.S.’s new Syrian “PM” another MB extremist.
Can’t answer your questions, maa8722. Wish I could. 3000?
From the previous Roundup, nice to know they’ll have the facsimile of the Chauvet Cave ready to open by 2014. There are a few clips over at youtube, such as this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcAwlnhRn2g
Magnificent horses, bison, big cats, etc. Many thanks.
So, Elizabeth Warren has now voted for both Jack Lew and Mary Jo White. Awesome.
But on the positive side, she does give good Youtube.
American Airlines defends $20-million severance pay to CEO
That’s a lot of luggage fees.
She is a very courageous person.
The 3000 GPS without warrants. . . The link mentioned the gov’t had turned off 3000 of them following that problem in court so I read into it that was because the GPSs lacked warrants.
I was tired writing that last night and noticed something ambiguous afterward. My point about a judge probably allowing a warrant for anything more than a fishing expedition was not in support of simply installing a sly GPS anyway, ad hoc, without a warrant. It was just the opposite, wondering why if the GPS were justified then why wouldn’t law enforcement seek the warrant. Not seeking warrants begs the question, why. There has to be a gatekeeper, which in turn must also be watched,
On YouTube there are several clips from Chauvet and even the entire thing, one of them clear as a bell. Lascaux has had a facsimile for many years. It’s called the “Faux Lascaux.”
It would be quite a trip, dedicated to caves, no? Call it, funky spelunking.
Holy Crap!! The Colorado Director of the Department of Crrections was gunned down in his home at 3 AM. Someone knocked on hid door at shot him when he answered. No idea who did it,
Great summary of today’s disasters. But you cannot mention Senator Vitter without mentioning diapers. This pervert should be stopped as he tries to destroy civil rights of Americans. Just repeat, Diaper Dave is unfit to be in the Senate.
Another example of Persian cultural superiority. New Year’s (Nowruz) is celebrated on first day of spring, not first day of winter. There might be a celebration near you.
Is Minnesota’s Senator Klobuchar (D) a new Obama Catfood Specialist?
You could always call her office and ask her.
I am pretty sure she has been infected with Durbin surrogate-itis on the Obama cuts to social insurance programs.
The chained cpi cuts, means testing Medicare…………
The Obama cuts to social insurance programs.
3000 medical doctors have created a panel to help improve the cost effectiveness of Medicare. It improves payments to physicians while trying to keep the Medicare funding constant. They noted that it seemed improbable that a hospital echocardiogram test costing 450 dollars was more effective than the 180 dollar echocardiogram test given by a doctor in a doctor’s office. Talking price controls!
“apples and bicycles”…the differences between the Ryan and the Murray budgets on healthcare in a 4.5 minute audio report.
One way to close Gitmo: let the prisoners starve themselves to death.
Two groups who would support TANF work requirement waivers are the homeless and disabled adults:
Under the 1996 Clinton restrictions, more disabled and homeless people have been “sanctioned” under TANF and prevented from receiving aid because they could not meet the work requirements. That means that they have not been able to receive any aid despite their severe poverty and severe living conditions.
But the political debate has been austerian yelping about moochers. Orin Hatch is using this as an opportunity to score puritanical work ethic points against Obama, who did not even request this.
You said it, mafr. I do hope she gets the Nobel.
And . . . Good Morning to you!
Would that be “golden luggage”, allan?
Many thnx.
I understand what you meant, maa8722. Many in law enforcement don’t understand niceties like the Fourth Amendment. You’d think there’d be emphasis on keeping all members of law enforcement educated about the Constitution since, you know, it’s supposedly the foundation of the country.
Good grief, apishapa! Thanks for the news flash.
My bad, Frank33. Noted: Never forget the “Diaper” when covering Vitter.
:)
Thanks so much for your excellent links, TomThumb–please keep ‘em coming!
This is what Durbin surrogate-itis looks like. Even recommends privatization of Medicare.
Gosh. I am grateful to have a loom to weave on here with the links for the homeless and the disabled, the sick, and those politicians who are want to become catfood specialistsThanks!!!!!!!
Hola, fatster. Was that pun intentional?
As usual the platter you serve us is overflowing. I never have time to use everything, but I appreciate the samples you give us for each entrée.
Just a note on one: whenever former bush minions deny having done something nefarious, you can bet that they did it with gusto.
Don’t know if there’s a connection but Hickenlooper is signing gun control laws today. He has the rest of his cabinet under guard.
Oh, wow, apishapa. I got the signing story earlier this am, but didn’t know about the cabinet being under guard. What a testament to the shape our country’s in! Thnx so much for letting us know about that.
The DoC director opposed the death penalty – that’s a loss.
Thnx so much, BearCountry. Yep, it was still early enough in the am for a bit of wit. I try to have a broad enough menu that there’ll–hopefully–be items to interest to most everyone. Appreciate your feedback.
I appreciate the news roundup links but miss Southern Dragon’s links to Richard Wolff’s Economic Update. Here’s one to an interview he did with Laura Flanders recently.
:)
:)
:)
Thnx so much, ksix.
Our system is ineffective. My daughter is being treated for an abcessed tooth. The medical and dental community knew this was a possibility because her wisdom teeth are impacted. Despite this, to get these teeth removed will cost $2500 and medical won’t pay a cent even though the procedure requires she go under anesthesia and that an oral surgeon remove the teeth because they have nowhere near erupted.
The insurance companies would rather treat the problems associated with an infection then help eliminate the risk of her contracting the infection to begin with.